Saturday, July 29, 2006

Break On Through: A Vedic Look At The Life Of Jim Morrison

Break On Through: A Vedic Look At The Life Of Jim Morrison

5:24 AM 07/29/2006 Sat

Before the month of July 2006 ends, I thought it would be instructive to take a Vedic look at one of American popular culture's biggest icons, the Doors frontman, Jim Morrison. This month marks the 35th anniversary of his death in Paris, France, under still mysterious circumstances. He was 27 years old at the time. Many books have been written about him since his death, and an excellent film was done about him and the rest of the Doors, by famed director Oliver Stone, released in 1991 (and now out on DVD, a 2-disc set), called, what else? - "The Doors".

If ever there was a textbook case to be made for Vedic Astrology, Jim Morrison's chart is that case:

Jim Morrison Dec 8 1943 11.55AM EWT Melbourne FL; Lahiri 19 Cap 46, Rodden

Morrison's chart is brimming over with many significant yogas, but we'll focus our study only on a few, starting with the obvious, the presence of the Nodes, Rahu and Ketu, in the 1-7 House axis. Ketu rises in the Capricorn Asc and closely conjuncts the Asc point itself: this alone accounts for Morrison's heavy use of drugs and in particular alcohol; there are many instances in various accounts (and the film) where Morrison was barely able to function, he was so drunk and/or high. Also, the presence of the Nodes in the 1-7 axis accounts for Morrison's interest in shamanism, calling himself "the Lizard King", wearing snake and lizard skin outfits, etc. It's all so very Rahu-Ketu.

People born with the Nodes very prominent in their charts almost always tend to have lives of extremes, going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, and Morrison's life was indicative of this. The Nodes, especially Rahu, also can bring great fame, but, and this is according to the ancient texts, towards the end of Rahu's Dasa, one can experience a "fall from grace" so to speak. We'll get to Morrison's Dasas later.

Note that Morrison's Rahu is in the 7th House, almost always an indication of more than one marriage, if not out and out infidelity or other sexual activity that most people in Society would consider untoward. The texts refer to such a position one where the native likes to hang with the "low and wicked people", and in this case, a man who likes to keep company with prostitutes and/or loose women, and so on. It is well documented that Morrison, while never married, did have numerous liasons with women while conducting a longterm relationship with Pamela Courson, and was a regular at the "Whiskey-a-Go Go", a strip bar.

Next, note the very prominent Moon-Venus combination/mutual aspect along the 4-10 House axis; this accounts for Morrison's interests in the arts, film and music specifically, as well as his very good looks, immense sexual appeal and enduring fame. Venus in particular deserves special mention because it forms what is known as Malavya Yoga, one of the Panchamahapurusha Yogas - "a combination of a great being". It is formed whenever the planets Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus or Saturn sits in an angular or trinal House from the Asc or Moon, while also at the same time sitting in its own or exalted Signs. The yoga becomes very strong when it can be seen from both the Udaya Lagna (the Asc at birth) and the Chandra Lagna (the Moon Asc) and is almost always manifest in the native's life, per the indications of the planet in question. Here, we see that this position gave Morrison all of the things we have come to associate with Venus. Moreover, Venus is Yogakaraka for Capricorn Asc, ruling both the 5th and 10th Houses, bringing even more noteriety and fame to Morrison.

Yet, for all his sexual imagery and popularity, Morrison himself experienced bouts of impotence, and by the end of his life, was totally unable to get an erection at all (keep in mind, he was only 27!). This was due to the overindulgence of alcohol and other drugs over the years. In Vedic Astrology, the 5th House represents one's children, and therefore, one's ability to sire children. A close examination of Morrison's 5th House reveals considerable defects in this regard. First, note that Mars, which for a male represents the penis itself, is retrograde; second, Ketu aspects Mars; and finally, the Sun also aspects Mars. All of these aspects are well within 5 degree orb range, and so makes these apsects much more stronger than if they were just in the classical "Vedic" aspect of merely sitting in Signs.

We can glean additional information in this regard by a close inspection of Morrison's Navamsa chart. Here, Mars is placed in the Gemini Asc with Mercury. Since Mercury is the one calling the shots as it were here, and Mercury is considered a neuter planet, we can say that Morrison's Mars is further weakened. Taking things a step further, when we inspect the Varga Bala, a tally of the natal chart's planetary strengths and weaknesses, Morrison's Mars is strong in 3 out of the 16 varga charts, but is weak in 4 out of the 16! All of these indications are not positive for a strong sexual drive and potency, and as such, Morrison never had kids.

As mentioned earlier, Morrison has Rahu in the 7th House, and as such, had numerous affairs. But all who knew Morrison well agree that there were two women in his life that come to the forefront: Pamela Courson and Patricia Keannelly. Courson was with Morrison from the beginning of his career to the end of his life; Keannelly came into the picture when, as a writer for a rock music magazine she met Morrison for the first time, and the two had an affair. According to Keannelly, a Wiccan witch, she and Morrison were married in the Wiccan tradition. Note again, the Occult overtones here, as well as the fact that this marriage was never recognized by American civil law. Talk about Rahu!

In fact, Keannelly reports that soon after her "wedding" to Morrison, she became pregnant; Morrison didn't want the baby, and Keannelly soon thereafter aborted. At the time, Morrison was going through a prolonged legal fight in Miami FL, charged with exposing himself publicly during a concert. Again, note the damaged 5th House of Morrison, and it all makes sense. It must be noted that over the years, Keannelly's accounts have been disputed, but I think she's telling the truth, on the basis of Morrison's chart.

When assessing a Vedic chart, it is standard practice for jyotishis to consider the Lagnesh, or ruler of the Asc, to see how strong or weak it is; its condition will set the tone for the entire chart, and by extension, entire life of the native. In Morrison's case, we can see that one reason why both his fame and life was so short-lived, was due almost entirely to the fact that his Lagnesh, which is Saturn, is seriously damaged. One, Saturn is placed in the 6th House, and for anyone, anytime their Lagnesh sits in one of the Trik Houses (6, 8 or 12) they HAVE to experience some pain and discomfort associated with said House, EVEN IF their Lagnesh is in its own Sign or Exalted. The pain and discomfort was increased in Morrison's case due to the fact that Saturn was neither dignified or exalted. Two, note that Saturn is hemmed between two first rate malefics, Mars and Rahu - this accounts in a huge way for Morrison's shortened lifespan. And three, note that Saturn is Rx. Contrary to popular opinion and belief in Vedic astrological circles, my own study of nearly ten years into Jyotish has not found supportive evidence of retrograde planets being positive to a person's chart, especially if the planet in question happens to be Lagnesh; it almost always promises a weakened persona somehow, be it physically, psychologically, or both. Morrison's self-destructive habits and ways would prove disaterous for him, eventually leading to his own death. Many jyotishis would look at Morrison's Navamsa, see Saturn sitting in the 5th House and Exalted and think that his Lagnesh would be strengthed, but this is a greatly misleading indication. In order to correctly weigh the strengths and weakenesses of a planet, one must always consult the Varga Bala, and in Morrison's case, we see that Saturn, while strong in 3 out of 16 charts, is actually weak in 6 out of the same 16 charts! The evidence speaks for itself.

It's also interesting that Morrison's Lagnesh sits in the 6th House, and note that the 6th House, in Vedic Astrology, represents the Courts and so on.

Another example of the power of the Varga Bala: Morrison was more than just The Doors frontman, he WAS The Doors. Being such a standout figure infers that Morrison had to have a strong Sun, yet to consider his Rasi and Navamsa charts, the Sun doesn't seem to be all that strong at all, right? Now, consider the Varga Bala, and see how Morrison's Sun is strong 6 times and weak only 2! This also accounts for his short life, because in both the Rasi and Navamsa charts, the Sun is connected to the 8th House, and his much stronger than the Lagnesh. Whenever one sees a great imbalance in strength between the rulers of the 1st and 8th Houses, one can expect the native's life to be shorter than most, again all things being equal. Such was the case for Morrison.

Morrison's meteoric rise to fame and crashing fall back to earth can be summed-up by one word: Rahu. It was during Rahu's Dasa that Morrison met the rest of his bandmates, formed The Doors, got name and fame, and died. Rahu Dasa was in operation from 1953 to 1971; at the time of their first album release, in 1967, Morrison was running Rahu-Venus; at the time of his death, he was running Rahu-Mars. I should also point out here that this was the end of Morrison's "run" with Rahu, and jyotishis know well that Dasas just beginning or about to end are problematic for the native, all things considered, of course. This is because, according to Dasa Theory, such points in a planetary period are too weak for the native to take full advantage of, and things are more apt to go awry than when a person's in the midst of a Dasa in "full bloom". In any event, both Rahu and Mars are "killers" in that they are malefic forces; Rahu sits in one of the "Maraka" Houses; Mars aspects the 8th and 8th lord.

Finally, we can note that at the time of his death, Morrison was undergoing the special transit known to Vedic Astrology as the Sade Sati, the 7.5 year transit of Saturn going over the Moon, and the two Signs that flank it (before and after). While there is virtually nothing writting in the ancient texts about this transit, and very little in more modern texts, it is well known by jyotishis to be a particularly difficult time for the native. Usually, the theme is one of loss in some way, be it of the parents or other close relations, or of property, or indeed of one's own life. At the very least, it represents a time of a diminishing of one's status in some way, and oftentimes it is a painful process.

That Morrison continues to be so popular is due to the aforementioned Raj-Yogas, as well as the angularity in his chart overall; it's also interesting to note that if we consult the Dasas running in Morrison's chart for the year that "The Doors" film came out, 1991, we see that Saturn-Mercury was running. Saturn is of course, Morrison's Lagnesh, and Mercury is the 9th lord; natally, Mercury was in mutual aspect with Saturn.

Hmm...

Salaam,
Mu

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