Jupiter Combust (Millard example)

[Jim Eshelman]

Paul, May 29, 1965, 5:10 PM EDT, Portland, ME

...Paul came into the emergency room with a temperature of 106°. It is said that the protein of the brain is coagulated at 108°, so I lost no time in admitting and cooling him. The cultures taken of his blood, urine, throat, and spinal fluid were all negative, so we never made a diagnosis except that he must have had a virus infection.

At 8 AM the next morning, he stopped breathing, and we had to resuscitate him. No heartbeat could be heard during this episode. His blood pressure must have fallen to zero, because his kidneys shut down due to the lack of oxygen, and he produced no urine for a month. It was touch and go for a while, as he was in deep coma, supported by dialysis and intravenous fluids throughout this time... He gradually regained consciousness and seemed to be recovering... after a month he had recovered enough to know [his mother] and to cry when she left him. He was only three years old...

Three months later, Paul began to show signs of a degenerative muscle disease. His gait staggered and finally he could not walk at all. Next his arms became week and finally his speech muscles failed. A febrile illness followed by a latent period and then increasing paralysis does not fit any known disease pattern. We could not even be certain there was any link at all between these events. He was readmitted to the hospital on December 12, 1968.

We fed him by stomach tube since he could not swallow. Finally another very strange and unforeseen event occurred. His brain lost control of the mechanism for regulating temperature and his temperature rose to 108° before he died at 1:40 AM on December 22. Malignant hyperthermia, which is what it appeared to be, is now known to be linked in some way with abnormal muscle enzymes...

[Jim Eshelman]

My analysis: This is quite a dramatic chart - you should calculate it to see. Neptune is the most angular planet (perhaps a frailty?). Both luminaries are in Taurus. Because the closest aspect is Sun conjunct Jupiter 0°02'M and 0°18'E, Dr. Millard saw this chart as an example of "Jupiter combust," or being all burned up and worthless by its closeness to Sun. This is an ancient astrological idea I reject outright, since close conjunctions with Sun are known to enhance and strengthen (vitalize) a planet.

A large set of ecliptical and mundane aspects form a gigantic T-square of Leo opposite Aquarius, all square Taurus (plus a separate Moon-Mercury conjunction). None of these signs is obviously connected to his illness, unless it originally came from the circulatory system or spinal nerves. I think it more likely that it's the magnitude of afflictions and unexpressed energies of Mars.

29°18' Ari - Mercury
0°28' Tau - Moon

14°00' Tau - Sun
14°19' Tau - Jupiter
16°30 Leo - Uranus
19°26' Leo - Pluto
22°16' Aqu - Saturn
22°34' Leo - Mars
26°35' Tau - Venus

This brought the following list of aspects (just these planets):

Sun-Jupiter co 0°02' M
-- Sun-Uranus sq 2°01' M
-- Jupiter-Uranus sq 2°03' M
-- Uranus-Pluto co 2°56'
-- Sun-Pluto sq 5°02' M
-- Jupiter-Pluto sq 5°04' M
Mars-Saturn op 0°19' trine-sextile Neptune
-- Venus-Mars sq 2°07' M
-- Venus-Saturn sq 2°31' M
-- Saturn-Pluto op 2°50'
-- Saturn-Uranus op 5°46'
Moon-Mercury co 0°50' M widely op Neptune

[Jim Eshelman]

Malignant hyperthermia, as now defined, is caused by a bad response to a medication used with general anesthesia. Most of the symptoms listed above seem to come under this except it doesn't explain the initial hospital visit. With initial high fever, later loss of muscle control, and eventually death from extreme fever, one does tend to expect Mars to be at the center of it. The underlying susceptibility that triggers MH is genetic.

The subject seems pretty complicated, but the exact chemical path involves calcium channels and a drastic increase in intracellular calcium levels. This means Saturn! The calcium level blocks the ability to fire off the muscles. That we see an exact Mars-Saturn opposition in this chart seems exactly on target! I wonder at Venus' role, if any (this is another example of a probable genetic matter with Venus-Saturn).

Some observations of a few of the 12 major aspects cited above, trying to hit all the main ones:

Sun-Jupiter-Uranus: No connection I can see. (These would have been primarily diet and nutrient assimilation issues and perhaps cardio-electrical.)

Mars-Saturn (19'): This seems right on target, especially with the mechanism of malignant hyperthermia. (Perhaps the larger framework involves their aspects to Neptune, since the disease includes a rare chemical sensitivity.)

Moon-Mercury: Brain or nervous disorder. (The final step of the disease was to disable the brain's ability to regulate temperature.)

[Arena]

Jupiter is cazimi. Not combust in this case.

[Jim Eshelman]

Jupiter is cazimi. Not combust in this case.

True. And with Jupiter's latitude only 0°34', it was probably an occultation. In any case, the conjunction is one of the closest one will ever see.

My point, though (not dependent on this example) is that the whole doctrine of combust is nuts. A close conjunction with Sun does not "burn up" a planet and make it troublesome. It vitalizes the planet and binds its nature to one's core identity.