Alcoholism (research article, Garth Allen)

[Jim Eshelman]

Your Powwow Corner... An Astrological Study of Alcoholism

by Garth Allen, from American Astrology June 1960


[After a several pages of a valuable discussion of the nature of alcoholism, especially from a medical and psychiatric perspective, substantially representing the model favored by Alcoholics Anonymous, Garth Allen concluded with this section.]

Alcoholism Chartwise
Over many years we have managed to compile the birthdata of 196 alcoholics, with information for about half of them regarding the date they took their last drink, for these were all members of the fellowship called Alcoholics Anonymous. We have not attempted a thorough statistical survey of all the cases but have done enough group tabulation and specific chartwork to have learned numerous interesting things. As usual when it comes to studying actual cases of anything, "the books" couldn't be more wrong about things. The 5th and 12th houses clearly have no discernible bearing, statistically speaking, on the etiology of alcoholism as a disease. Neither have the so-called "elements" apart from what we'll discuss momentarily.

Most astonishing of all, the planet Neptune does not stand out at all, Uranus stealing the show in complete contradiction to textbook claims which have led to the stereotype about Neptune's connection with liquor and the like. But even Uranus' role is indirect in that this planet of independence is one of the three planets we associate with innate happiness, with zest for living and zeal for doing something special with one's life. In other words, we must not misinterpret the dominance of Uranus, by position and aspect, at the births of alcoholics as being conducive to the disease. It is just that people in whom Uranus is unusually powerful are more subject to frustration by the filial and social forces that keep us from being ourselves.

As for zodiacal distribution of the Sun and Moon, these are somewhat amazing, for it turns out that both the Martian and Mercurian constellations (Aries, Gemini, Virgo, and Scorpio) are uniformly in the lead over the other eight, and this applies equally to both the Luminaries. A tie-in with the same planetary natures, furthermore, is even more attention-commanding, because there is a decided trend to abnormal numbers of angular Mars and Mercury aspects between these planets, and the two bodies in sidereal reception, i.e., Mars in a Mercurian constellation, Mercury in a Martian, and so on. Strange, the "authorities" on astrology don't mention such matters in their books, which is more proof, as though some were needed, that the standard texts were written from stereotype and not real knowledge.

Now the thing that characterizes Martian and Mercurian personalities in general is their excess of nervous energy, visible in their everyday habits, attitudes and mannerisms. Talkativeness is characteristic, with an endless flow of opinions about everything under the sun. There is also an evident inclination toward youthfulness and what psychologists call "childish regressions" for such types. It is easy to see why alcoholics are spawned so plentifully under such "vibrations."

We should also call attention to another revealing statistical study published elsewhere some time ago, the aspect activity involved at the births of creative people, primarily artists and sculptors. It is notable that Mercury-Mars aspects turned out to have the highest incidence of all the 36 circuitous pairs of planets, which is also amazing because it represents contradiction of standard belief in our field. Professional athletes, on the other hand, rate very low in the Mercury-Mars nosecount, just the opposite of textual inferences. In substance this means that Mercury and Mars influences in combination are primarily a "creative" factor, conducive toward talent of one kind of another. The fact that alcoholics as a group are also loaded with Mercury-Mars qualities, by position, disposition and equation of qualities, corroborates the finding that problem drinkers tend to have a creative-talent potential that is lost to the world, literally gone down the drain.

[Jim Eshelman]

The fact that alcoholics as a group are also loaded with Mercury-Mars qualities, by position, disposition and equation of qualities, corroborates the finding that problem drinkers tend to have a creative-talent potential that is lost to the world, literally gone down the drain.

This really spoke to me, the first cousin who I have been having problems with is an amazing artist and wanted to pursue her talent when she reached legal age but did not do so under the aversive nature of her mother.
She has a Gemini Sun Squaring an exact Saturn-Mars conjunction in Virgo and a Capricorn Moon. She turned her a life around shortly after her two children were born, but I believe she still struggles with Liver disease but refuses to acknowledge it.

[Jim Eshelman]

The last paragraph about creative types is especially insightful. Can't believe the article was written in 1960.