I have been following the health of Nelson Mandela for many months now and today it was announced in Johannesburg that he passed away today. He had been suffering with a lung infection for the last three months and had returned home to receive medical care close to his loved ones. Back on 30th March I mentioned that there would be serious concerns for his health in the autumn. So it has come to pass.
Back in March I made this assessment on the great man’s condition “Nelson Mandela’s illness is easily seen if you look at the astrology. In effect, there are two factors in play here. Firstly transiting Neptune which is a sign of suffering and of health issues is approaching the bottom of his natal chart, the IC and in the process making an opposition to his Midheaven, so his public face to the world is showing him suffering with his health. There is a trine from Neptune to his natal chart ruler Jupiter (he has a Sagittarian ascendant) so Neptune is here affecting his constitution and also a difficult inconjunct from Neptune to it’s own position, a generational influence but one that also slows you down. Remember Neptune degrades and undermines, so his physical state here is being weakened.”
“Secondly, his natal Mercury which in medical astrology rules the lungs and breathing in general sits in a tense conjunction with Saturn. In my experience, and planets which is in a difficult connection with either Saturn, Uranus or Pluto can manifest itself later in life with health problems. At the moment that conjunction is being squared by the transiting Nodes. This square to Saturn and Mercury is a difficult aspect to deal with in itself as fate turns you life around, but here it is exacerbating this weakness in his chart, making his suffer with illness. This conjunction sits at 15/16 degrees Leo and when transiting Saturn gets to these degrees in Scorpio in October and November making a conjunction to his Moon ruling his 8th house. The 8th house is the house of one’s mortality and adding in this square to the Mercury/Saturn conjunction, then Nelson Mandela's health may well be a cause for very great concern again in the autumn.”
Now to today’s sad news. Transiting Saturn at 17 Scorpio as you can see was homing in on his Moon at 20 Scorpio and still making a square to his Mercury/Saturn conjunction. Often it is the smaller faster moving planets that trigger the outer ones to act and Mercury and Venus today were making difficult ones to deal with. Mercury was making an inconjunct to chart ruling Jupiter (Sagittarius on the ascendant) affecting his self. Inconjuncts are aspects of adjustment, change and separation and Mercury on his chart rules partnerships and also his Midheaven, this a change in his public status and a separation from the general public.
There was a second inconjunct active here today. Transiting Venus ruling his 6th house of health was making a double inconjunct aspect to his natal Venus, also in the 6th house and his South Node, the point of detriment on his chart. Here in this aspect, a health issue would affect him quite seriously. Transiting Pluto the planet of enforced change and transformation was making a focused quindecile to Nelson’s Sun, always a difficult aspect to deal with and finally, the transiting Nodes had moved around from the square to Saturn/Mercury in march to make a square aspect to Neptune in the 8th house of death also ruling his IC (Pisces on cusp of 4th house), the foundation of the chart and a traditional point of endings. Fate was coming along to guide him to a higher place.