David Crosby - RIP

[Jim Eshelman]

David Crosby was born August 14, 1941, 9:02 PM PST, in Hollywood, CA. He died today (or, rather, is reported to have died overnight). No location has been posted, but he has lived in recent years in Santa Ynez, CA (where I was this week, not that this matters to the story).

His musical contributions are impossible for me to summarize - they were so enormous. Equally, he was known for getting into plenty of trouble of many kinds. He suffered extensive health problems, especially liver problems (from Hep C, but surely not helped by his drugs and alcohol) and, later, diabetes and heart disease.

All of this is pretty obvious in his nativity. Crosby was a double Rim with Mars and Neptune foreground and Moon tightly conjunct Saturn - quite the formula for someone who manages to get in trouble, stirs things up, and has a strong patch of self-damage in his nature. His rising Mars was in Pisces - not only showing general trouble, addiction trouble, and health trouble but, by its sign, showing his liver damage. (He had a liver transplant when that Mars was exactly squared by transiting Neptune and directed Saturn, among other markers.)

But how do you summarize such a life? As a Cancer-Aries with a close Moon-Sun square, the luminaries were his strongest planets (tied with Saturn and Mercury in the Needs Profile). That means a form of star power. Cancer-Aries broadly speaks of limelight and trouble. Alcoholism and drugs is consistent with the Aries Moon, rising Mars, and close Sun-Mercury conjunction trine Mars. Moon conjoined Saturn-Uranus more closely mundanely than ecliptically and basically shows the hippie, anomic temperament and rebellion.

But what would you say this nativity says his life was about? I'm not sure that from his BIOGRAPHY I could summarize that, but from the chart I'd go with: rousing things, stirring things, making commotion, fueling passion, and generally being the kind of pot-stirrer that got into a lot of trouble.

[Jim Eshelman]

He died with transiting Neptune partile opposite his Venus - no idea what the relevance of that would be, though it's worth noting he had them closely conjoined at birth. Saturn has been opposing his Sun repeatedly the last year but had left orb and was headed away (perhaps to be found on a relevant return angle). Transiting Saturn was minutes from square his Moon, the likely fatal marker.

His progressed Moon, recently completing its third orbit, was square natal Mercury 0°07'. (Again, no idea what that means other than the publicity. Probably a private meaning.) The most important progression, though, was progressed Mars minutes from natal EP-a.

The same aspect shows in the solar arcs, where d Mars was opposite natal MC 0°26'.

His Solar Return was quite positive - one would think he had a good final five months. Transiting Jupiter was 2°22' from IC, transiting Neptune 1°30' from Nadir, and natal Venus 0°47' from Zenith. Neptune opposed his Venus closely angular... whatever that means. Transiting Saturn opposed his Sun 0°03', background (but it would be highlighted at some points of the year).

His January 2 SLR is primarily transiting Pluto 1° from Ascendant (and five other foreground planets). His January 17 Demi-SLR repeated the symbolism but stronger, with transiting Pluto 0°00' from IC for Santa Ynez and a 1° Sun-Pluto conjunction closely foreground. (The Ennead also had Pluto < 2° from Descendant.)

His SNQ for Santa Ynez this morning had natal Moon on Descendant squared by Saturn. Transiting Mars was about 1° from WP-a. At 6 AM, for example:

29°21' Cap - t Saturn
29°25' Lib -SNQ Asc
29°30' Ari - r Moon

His PSSR Moon had reached 27°06' Pisces, partile conjunct natal Mars. PSSR Ascendant conjoined s Venus.