WHAT MAKES BILLIE HOLIDAY .................... Billie Holiday - Astro Thesis/Personality Interpretation

Moon 22 Capricorn 26' - 12th House of Sorrows, Self-undoing, Karma, ConfinementBillie Holiday was a lonely spirit. Her loneliness seemed to go to the depths of despair, and this was caused by her Moon sign (the Subconscious) being interred, as it were, in the 12th House of Sorrows. The 12th House rules CONFINEMENT, hospitals and prisons or those who are otherwise forcibly confined, whether mentally, spiritually or physically. With the Moon placed here, it would be near-possible for any human agency to be able to reach the inner depths of Billie's persona. The Moon in Capricorn is also directly OPPOSITE Neptune, the planet of Dreams, Illusions and Drug States, which is moving in Retrograde (backwards) motion. Neptune, on its own and in forward motion, is a very wonderfully inspiring planet. Great dreams and achievements are possible under a positive Neptune aspect; but when this strange planet is moving backwards/Retrograde, the person in whose chart it is so placed will find themselves beset with bizarre ideas and notions, obsessions, strange yearnings. As it also rules drugs, drugged states, medical conditions and hospitals, it is a given that there would be some type of drug dependency or abuse with hypnotic drugs. It is widely known, and has been just as widely documented, that Billie Holiday used the morphone-based drug, Heroin, which became her downfall. This was not entirely her fault (at least in this lifetime), as she had a chemical imbalance which would wreak havoc in her life via her drug dependency. This was perhaps the seat of her greatest despair, but also her greatest triumphs in the jazz musical genre which she mastered, as Neptune also rules the arts (music, painting, etc.), and the film industry and photography.

Sun 16 Aries 24'/2nd House of Money, Land and Possessions (which also an Anaretic/"death-bringing" House), Squared by Pluto 00 Cancer 45'/5th House of Love Affairs, Children, Display Recreation and Entertainment:Billie's pioneering Aries spirit is all by its lonesome and in the 2nd House of Money and Possessions. This would normally suggest that she would have money, as the Sun is also Life Giver. With the Sun in Square aspect to her Power Planet, Pluto, this would suggest that she would struggle mightily to establlish herself, and that it would be a lifetime aim to obtain material success and wealth. Sadly, she did not accomplish her goals and dreams, at least not in the manner in which she strove, until after her death. And this might also be seen by her Retrograde-Neptune/CancerMidheaven/Scorpio placement, which is in Trine aspect to each other. More, with other-worldy Neptune in Cancer, the sign of feelings and emotions, her innermost feelings would be transported into song, which would reach into the hearts of others in an unusual manner, aided by the unusual sign of Aquarius as her Ascendant with Uranus and the Moon's North Node, which shows an unusual following and support from mostly the female populace. Pluto in Cancer also shows that she was abused physically by her love objects, buoyed by the Trine aspect from her Mars (Energy, Action, War, Aggression, Sex) and Mercury (Thought, Reason, Communication) in Pisces. Her great depth of feelings and genius mentality did little to stem the deep insecurities and emotional 'hiccups' which made her clingly and needy (Cancer, Pisces), but at the same time strong, aloof and arrogant (Aries, Aquarius). There are certainly many unusual twists and turns in the chart of Billie Holiday which show her to be one very complex, highly gifted -- and very lonely -- persona!

Billie Holiday has the Grand Square in her chart, which is positioned in the Fixed/Set signs of Taurus (IC/Anaretic ending point 4th House cusp), Leo (So./Malefic Node in the 7th House of Marriage, Partners and Open Enemies), Scorpio (her MC/Midheaven point in the 9th House of Religion, Higher Law and long-diistance Travel), and Aquarius - her ASC/Ascendant (her Rising Sign, which is also conjuncting her Uranus and the Moon's No./Benefic Node). These placements indicate that hers was a persona which was highly fated, as her life would soon prove to be. With her South Node (Malefic) positioned in Leo/7th House and Opposite her Uranus placement conjuncting her Aquarius ASC, her fame and success

would effectively deteriorate and destroy any marriage or partnership concerns she had. This, then, would be the high price of Fame which she would pay, but her Neptune-Moon Opposite aspect placements would effectively undo and destroy her life in the end. This was the voice of Billie Holiday; the grand Lady Day; Chantreuce Incomparable; Songstress of Delight, and in the end the hand of her own destruction -- yet a hand that was overly 'helped' by the placements of the planets.

Patricia E. FoyMAFA / ARAFA (310) 408-3778 - Mobile (651) 286-3236 - Internet Fax niema_foxe@earthlink.net Neiema@AOL.Com www.NiemaFoxe.comThe foregoing article has been compiled as a short, independent study and follow-up project from a Chet Hanley past show on DHTV featuring Billie Holiday (Course IDS336, Jazz in the Modern Area). For more info or for a more-indepth astro analysis on this or any other person or subject, or should you wish to have a personal astrology chart reading, please contact me through the info provided above.

About The Author:

Patricia E. Foy: The author has been a student of Astrology since the age of 18. She studied for a while under Robert F. Eure, MAFA, before her relocation here to Los Angeles and has been effectively constructing charts for many years. Along with being a poet and having written her first book, "SILVER RAIN" {Copyright (c) Niema, 1987}, she has also written various articles on Astrology, runs her own e-commerce website whee she sells her hand-made designs as well as showcases various poems from her book on an ongoing basis. Patricia {aka NIEMA FOXE} holds a membership in the prestigious American Federation of Astrologers as an Associate and Research Member, has had at least one paper published by the AFA, and hopes to work within the Federation on upcoming research projects. This publication was first presented in August 1997, and was the first effort of a Newsletter of this sort for the author. It ran for approximately 1 year via email and snail mail. Due to other issues, it was discontinued, but is now back again in circulation.