Long/Short Lives based on Moon signs?

[staragewiz]

Jim...What's the research behind Moon signs determining longevity as described
in your new book? My Moon is in Aries (supposedly short livers), and I am alive and
well, just turned 83!

[Jim Eshelman]

And happy birthday to you! There is a thread wishing you a happy solar return in the Club Aldebaran section.

Obviously Moon sign is only one factor. In the May, 1974 issue of American Astrology, one of Garth Allen's last articles (which hit the news stands the month he died) compared the luminary positions of the 10% short-lived and 10% longest-lived people listed in Volume II of Who Was Who in America. That comparison showed Rim Moons as a whole living the shortest lives and Hub Moons as a whole living the longest ones - within a statistically significant amount.

I recently did a FAR smaller study - I'd call it a case study more than "research" per se - involving a collection of several dozen celebrities who were still performing / working into their 80s, 90s, and a few past 100. It tended to partially agree in that Rim Moons were under-represented in the group - but not all of them. Aries and Libra were the least common Moon signs. (I wish Bradley had given us full sign breakdowns. I bet Capricorn was not as short-lived as the other Rims.)

This was just one piece, though. The main finding was that Mars and Saturn, especially when angular, are the best aids to a long life. You have Mars about 5° above Ascendant. (As a counter-indication, you also have Neptune foreground.) Mars and Saturn pronounced in a chart simply seem to endure better. They are, after all, the most survival-prone planets. (Think of Jimmy Carter - why he has lived and even flourished so much longer than, well, almost anybody but including his near astro-twin Truman Capote. The main standout difference is that he has an angular Saturn. He has simply persisted.)

You have an exact Mercury-Mars mundane square in the foreground. This was the second most common aspect for those productive in advanced years, probably showing active, effective intellect continuing long and giving some forms of youthfulness. (Mick Jagger, a great example of this, inspired me to call Mercury-Mars the Jumping Jack Flash aspect.)

Compared to that group of productive elder entertainers, you also have a few contrary indications. for example, of those still working past 90, Capricorn and Scorpio were the most common Sun-signs and Taurus the least common. (This despite the Bradley study mentioned above showing that "Earth" sign Suns are the longest-lived.) Also, Neptune overall may be antagonistic to productive longevity, since Sun-Neptune and Moon-Neptune were the least common aspects for the 90+ group and there were no close Neptune angularities. (It may not pertain to longevity itself, though.)

Most of us have a mix of indicators.

[Jim Eshelman]

Meanwhile - speaking of your health and vitality - did you have your Solar Return in Salida? It's a pretty intense chart.

Happy Jupiter return, too.

[staragewiz]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the feedback and birthday greetings.
Not sure what you mean by a Mundane Square. Is that the same as a Paran SQ?
I don't seen a Mercury/Mars Paran SQ as you mentioned.
Because , I do have Mars/Jupiter Paran SQ in both my natal and Salida residence.
And, am physically active with moderate daily workouts....a Mars/Jupiter influence?
My natal Mars is 15 deg. above the my ASC> not 5 deg. as you also mentioned>
Anyway with my Sun in the 2nd House (or the 11th if you count the Houses clockwise)
at it's lowest vitality sector, Mars/Jupiter Paran SQ helps to offset the weak Sun.
What's the calculation option in SF or Janus for a Mundane square?

Mike

[Jim Eshelman]

I'll have to look at some of this when I get home from travelling By mundane square I mean a square in prime vertical longitude (Mundo scope). Parans are special examples of these, but mundane squares can exist anywhere in the quadrant, not just at angles. In Solar Fire, create a Prime Vertical Analogue-Z to see this. In Janus I think there is a menu item for alternative coordinate systems and there is one for prime vertical.

[Jim Eshelman]

I'm back now and catching up on things from the last week.

Not sure what you mean by a Mundane Square. Is that the same as a Paran SQ?
I don't seen a Mercury/Mars Paran SQ as you mentioned... My natal Mars is 15 deg. above the my ASC> not 5 deg. as you also mentioned

Your mundoscope - basically just a wheel of planets in prime vertical longitude (3-D Campanus) shows Mars 4°53' above Ascendant. By comparison, Mars' altitude is 4°38' above the horizon (altitude and PVL give very similar answers when close to the horizon). Meanwhile, also in prime vertical longitude, your Mercury is 4°34' past IC. This puts Mercury and Mars 0°19' from an exact square (your closest aspect).

We can give these same positions differently - since each Campanus house is a 30° segment of the prime vertical - by saying Mars is 25°07' of the 12th House (same as 4°53' above Ascendant) and Mercury is 25°26' of the 3rd House (4°34' east of IC).

Anyway with my Sun in the 2nd House (or the 11th if you count the Houses clockwise)
at it's lowest vitality sector, Mars/Jupiter Paran SQ helps to offset the weak Sun.

Agreed on this balance. That Sun placement is not good for that vitality, and the angular Mars is great for energy and things like enduring.

Here are your natal placements calculated by TM (Time Matters). To check against any other program you want to use, one of the last columns is labelled PVL (prime vertical longitude): That's the mundoscope position. The final columns then express this as a percentage of overall planet strength and marks foreground and background planets. Notice that while your Neptune is 4°00' above Descendant in PVL (exactly the same in altitude), it's stronger angularity is from the close square to MC: the W stands for Westpoint.

Code: Select all

Pl Longitude   Lat   Speed    RA    Decl    Azi     Alt     PVL    Ang G
Mo 18Ar57' 5"  3S27 +11°50'  41°30' 12N25  46°39' -26°30'  34°27'  34%   
Su  8Ta53'30"  0S 0 +57'39"  60°45' 20N44  23°55' -27°59'  52°39'   4%   
Me 27Ta55'18"  2N13 + 1°40'  80°58' 25N24   2°20' -27° 0'  85°26'  94% I 
Ve 18Ta10' 9"  0N14 + 1°14'  70°34' 22N28  13°25' -28°47'  67° 7'  13%   
Ma 11Aq34'25"  2S12 +39'59" 338° 8' 11S33 108°24' + 4°38' 355° 7'  94% A 
Ju  5Ta34'34"  0S43 +14' 8"  57°27' 19N21  27°46' -28° 7'  48°55'   8%   
Sa 26Ar 4' 0"  2S 2 + 7'36"  48° 6' 15N47  38°33' -27°14'  39°33'  26%   
Ur  2Ta39'58"  0S13 + 3'29"  54°20' 19N11  30°52' -27° 4'  44°52'  15%   
Ne  1Vi 1'44"  1N17 - 0'24" 175°53'  3N11 270°56' + 4° 0' 184° 0'  96% W 
Pl  8Cn26'18"  4N16 + 0'58" 125°41' 23N47 319°51' -16°50' 154°51'   6%