The 27 Club is an informal term used to refer to a cultural phenomenon whereby many popular musicians seem to prematurely pass away at the age of 27. Wikipedia says: "Although the claim of a 'statistical spike' for the death of musicians at that age has been refuted by scientific research, it remains a cultural phenomenon, with many celebrities who die at 27 noted for their high-risk lifestyles. Beginning with the deaths of several 27-year-old popular musicians between 1969 and 1971 (such as Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison), dying at the age of 27 came to be, and remains, a perennial subject of popular culture, celebrity journalism, and entertainment industry lore."
Although no statistical spike has been demonstrated for this demographic phenomenon, it occurred to me that this cultural phenomenon might make an interesting exploratory astrological exercise. I'm curious about what may be happening in the Turning of the chart. According to one of the arms of this timing method, between the ages of 21 and 28 we, as humans, are all going through the same Zodiacal 4th age: the Cancer age. As a demographic indicator for this cohort, Cancer occurs at a time in our lives when many of us may be establishing families or finishing college (after the Gemini learning age has terminated, which runs from 14-21) and looking for a more permanent place of residence. In antiquity, a child learned a trade and married in his teens and formed his own family and home life during this Zodiacal age. It's for this reason that the sign is tied to the 4th place, where we find family, property, and the homeland.
But traditionally, there's something more interesting about this place and sign that is not often mentioned in modern astrology. Let's start with the place: The fourth place is located at "the bottom of the sky" that is, the Imum Coeli or IC in astrology. This is a place that represents the darkest part of the night and thus, the underworld, as well as the most unconscious part of the psyche. Because of this, it's considered a place of danger. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is a Mesopotamian story that was consolidated as an astrological allegory, the hero of the story faces terrifying dreams, demons, and psychological dangers in the 4th tablet, which corresponds with the 4th month of the year. In the dark hours of the night, Gilgamesh and his friend create a protective circle of salt to protect them physically and psychologically from any dangers they might encounter there. This was also a month in which the souls of the dead who did not have any family to “feed them” in the underworld, could come out from there and haunt the living. In fact, cemeteries were not common for the poor in Mesopotamia and many households buried their family members under their homes, which is why family is found in the place corresponding to the underworld. The month of the summer solstice was also the month in which Dumuzi -- the shepherd god associated with agriculture -- was taken into the underworld to represent the hottest time of the year, when vegetation and the creative life-force began its slow decline. This brings us to the principal meaning of Cancer. Every sign represents a need, and because Cancer is represented by a Crab, it signifies the need for protection, which is why the Crab wears a shell or "armor" and why Gilgamesh creates a circle of salt in which to rest for the night. The need for physical protection often comes in the form of shelter, which has always been given to us by the family, our property or our homeland, all located in the 4th place. Since, as we've emphasized previously, signs are compensatory, Cancer represents NOT how you are or what you have, but what you NEED, because it's lacking. That means, when Cancer appears, it signals danger precisely because it represents the safety and protection that is needed at that particular time.
Cancer signals a time when the Sun is at its highest. That means, like Dumuzi, we are at a pivotal point in the development of our soul's journey. We are placing ourselves in a position to eventually develop our own identity and name, which, will become a conscious need in the next sign of Leo. For Gilgamesh, this was his killing of the demon Humbaba, which occurs in tablet 5. But Cancer represents the initial dangerous approach to the battle that awaits in the next phase. In Mesopotamian society, couples lived with the man's family and this was a common period for the patriarch to die and pass onto his eldest son the burden of the household. In fact, the name of the 4th month was Abu, which in Akkadian means "father", and is in fact, the reason the 4th house is the place of the father in traditional astrology. In modern society, this age represents a time when we must depart the safety of the family. The dangers here involve the ability to negotiate life on our own and create our own family. But it's not uncommon for an event involving "the father" or the family of the native to trigger these changes.
Now that we have some astrological and historical background for this period, let's explore 3 charts of celebrities who belong to the 27 Club with a particular focus on the Cancer Zodiacal period in their Turning. We may not find anything significant here, but it’ll be an educational exploration nonetheless…
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain was born on Feb. 20th, 1967, at 7:20 PM. in Aberdeen, Washington. (The data comes from the Clifford Chart Compendium compiled by Frank C. Clifford and sourced in Solar Fire. The Lois Rodding rating is A). He died, according to media sources, from a self-inflicted shot to the head late on April 5th, 1994, in Seattle, Washington, at the age of 27.
The first thing to note in Cobain’s chart is that he has a nocturnal chart, which means the Moon dominates his life. In addition to this, his Sun is an antagonist because it’s in the sign opposing his ASC. So decisions made about his partnerships, particularly with those whom he may work, may become problematic for him. Pisces echoes this by telling us that the need to transcend physical limitations are involved with his relationships. Saturn, which is also contrary to sect and in the 7th tells us that a long-term commitment to a partner may become physically restrictive to him. With almost all his planets in water signs, Cobain is here to develop his emotional maturity. Additionally, when the Sun is antagonistic, it means his solar light has been compromised and therefore often, so have the planets which are its sect mates: Jupiter and Saturn.
Looking at Cancer in the 11th, tells us that his friends and affiliations are an area of his life in which safety and protection may be sought because it’s lacking. Interestingly, Cobain was once quoted as saying that, “Your friends are just the enemies that you know”, which is an appropriate evaluation for someone with an out-of-sect ruler of the 7th place of “open enemies” in the 11th house of friends. The ruler of the 7th is not automatically an enemy, it’s just the indicator of the partnership. However, in a nocturnal chart, Jupiter can often indicate excessive indulgences, dogmatism and/or addictions, which makes sense for a musician whose romantic partners often exhibited extreme idealism and addictions. But we also know Kurt briefly lived with the very Christian family of one of his friends. But Jupiter is also ruler of the 4th, so he will also have problems with family, for similar reasons.
The Moon, which is entrusted as provider of safety and security in early childhood, represents our first exposure to the primary provider of safety and caretaking and usually denotes the mother. To have the Moon in its own sign, means the mother was perceived as quite autonomous, but also highly motivated by a need for warmth, closeness and protection – probably precisely because this was also lacking for her in the family. In fact, his parents divorced when Kurt was nine. His father was described by Kurt as “lacking warmth”, and this may have been something sought by his mother (who later married an even more abusive man.) Kurt’s father remarried and was left with sole custody of Cobain when he was 12. But the loss of his family was very traumatic for Kurt. Throughout his teenage years, he acted out toward adults and was sent to live with family members, as well as with his mother, who eventually kicked him out of the house for not wanting to work, when he was 18. Needless to say, the Jupiter/Moon configuration represents the exaggerated need for warmth and security that Kurt did NOT experience growing up. The dominance of the lunar archetype that is thereby imprinted in early childhood will overshadow his solar light (we can actually see that the Sun is moving toward the bottom of the chart as he approaches his 20s), which will inhibit his ability to show up for himself, particularly with regard to his faith (Jupiter) and resilience (Saturn). He will instead, encounter darker versions of these traits in the women he chooses.
At the end of his 4th Zodiacal age (it ends at age 28), the Natal Topical Ascendant (that is, the NTA, or ruler of the terrestrial arm) of the period has already moved into the Capricorn section of the 4th place. The first thing to note in this period is that no luminaries are above the chart. This is a dark period in Kurt’s life. Capricorn in 5/1 indicates that Kurt is concerned about his creative accomplishments and his legacy, particularly as it relates to his daughter. A contrary to sect Saturn in 3/7 indicates that to ensure his legacy, he’s wanting to place restrictions on documents pertaining to his partnership. Note that Saturn also rules 6/2 which involves his financial obligations. Since Venus is next to Saturn, we might consider whether this might refer to his wanting to divorce his wife. I would say so, since we have corroboration from Libra at 2/10. Libra is the sign of the scales. It signifies a need for balance and often implies the need to make a judgement about an unfair situation. Here, it involves a judgement about a financial status. We also find Jupiter, which is manager of this financial status (as triplicity lord of Libra), has come to the exact place of natal Venus in the 7th. So we can safely conclude that Kurt is considering some legal status involving his marital affiliation.
The subperiod has come to Scorpio, which is in 3/11, again we have an untenable situation that requires the purging of some affiliation document. We can see from Mars and the South Node over the Moon that he’s going to sever a toxic affiliation that’s documented. We can also see from the natal house activated, that this situation involves his marriage since natal Jupiter rules his 7th and the Moon also represents an affiliation that is a mother. So he probably was filing for divorce and rewriting Courtney out of his will. In fact, Neptune was right over Jupiter at the time that he died, indicating that the official version of the story, as it pertains to Courtney, is probably an illusion.
Detective Tom Grant, whom Courtney herself hired to locate Kurt after he escaped from rehab, suspected his wife of murder. Since then, others (even her own father) have echoed this belief, although the police maintain that it was a suicide. Could we see the Neptune Turning as indicative of Kurt’s own self-destructive tendencies and ultimate suicide? It’s unlikely, for the reasons I’ve outlined above. Neptune is pointing to a surrender of his affiliation (11th), not his life. Furthermore, at the time of his death, the NTA, signifying Kurt’s dominant need, became Capricorn, a sign that calls for persistence and risk-taking, not self-undoing. An angular, nocturnal Saturn at the bottom of the chart indicates that Cobain was facing significant opposition and obstruction, rather than self-destructive tendencies. The Moon, which is still the dominant luminary of the time, and currently significator of Courtney herself (as ruler of the DSC), now has the power to remove his life as detriment lord of the NTA, and is placed pivotally in opposition to it. The danger promised in the chart through Cancer, has now come to the 7th place of partners and opponents, indicating that both detective Grant and Courtney’s father may have been correct about Kurt’s demise.
Jim Morrison
James Douglas Morrison was born on Dec. 8th 1943, at 11:55 AM in Melbourne, Florida. (The data comes from the Clifford Chart Compendium compiled by Frank C. Clifford and sourced in Solar Fire. The Lois Rodding rating is AA). According to French media sources, he
was found dead at the age of 27, in the bathtub of his Paris apartment on July 3rd, 1971, at 6.00 AM by his girlfriend Pamela Courson. His official cause of death was given as heart failure, although no autopsy was ever performed. Lapses in the investigation and subsequent eye witnesses reports have placed into question the legitimacy of that claim and proposed instead, everything from an accidental drug overdose to foul play involving the drug industry and the CIA.
At 27, he’s in the final stage of his Cancer Zodiacal age, which ends at 28. Cancer is in his natal 5th and 6th houses. This tells us that the need for safety and protection occurs in the area of his entertainment work. That’s where he needs to be protected. He certainly worked and lived at a time and in a cultural environment where drug consumption was ubiquitous. The Part of Fortune in the 5th-6th suggests that he may manifest gains in this area of his life through his conscious efforts. The Moon, the provider of nurturing and security, is at the lowest point in the chart and corrupted by Pluto at the angle. This indicates a repressed capacity for protecting himself and that his mother was probably not a nurturing or protective influence in his life, and may in fact have been somewhat suppressed herself. Since the chart is diurnal, it represents a more dominant and strict father-figure through the Sun opposition to a besieged Mars. It’s been reported that Jim’s father, who was an admiral in the navy, ran the family like he did his ship and disciplined his children through instances of verbal “dressing down”, which today would be called verbal abuse. Jim told his friends and the media that his parents were dead. And when his parents attempted to make contact with him after he became famous, he avoided them both.
What’s most surprising to me, is how very little in this chart suggests musical talent. We often see a heliacally rising or in phasis Venus in the charts of the musically talented. Morrison has a setting Venus, which indicates inconsistency and unreliability with music. In reality, he has more of a literary or poetic capacity (Mercury in phasis ruling the 5th) than musical aptitude. However, that square of the Moon to Pluto in the 6th-7th connects the nurturing of the dark side of consciousness and the nation (Moon exalts the 4th) to important working relationships. This square may also be expressive of his “lizard king” mythos and the paranormal experience he allegedly had at 4, when he witnessed a car accident that resulted in the death of several native Americans (the nation being tied to the underworld). Since the Moon can account for his love of the imaginary and his writing aptitude, it’s likely that this event never happened or was exaggerated to become an aspect of his poetic mystique. His low-lying, Plutonic, earthly Moon and its rulership of the 6th, suggests that Morrison lived in a world of his own making, much more connected with the mythical shamanic underworld than with reality. And this inclination toward the Imaginary became the comforting blanket harnessed in the service of his creative work.
Between the ages of 21-28, the natal 4th rises and becomes the landscape that he must travel. At the time of his death, Gemini is rising, where we find the most inappropriate and antagonistic planet of this chart; Mars. His chart is barely still diurnal at this time (the Sun is about to set) making Mars contrary to sect as well as natally besieged (surrounded on either side) by Uranus and Saturn. Through rulership, it represents the delivery of inappropriate communications while in the entertainment arena (it’s located in the 4th-5th), to the public and the government, since it rules both the 3rd and the 10th. Indeed, during this period, Morrison was arrested once for speaking obscenities while on stage in New Haven, CT and a second time for “indecent exposure and profanity” while on stage in Miami. The New Haven charges were dropped, but he, his band members, and his manager, all contended that he never exposed himself while on stage in Miami either.
It’s difficult to see turned Mars in this prorated chart for July 3, 1971, (the date he died)
because it hides behind the exact degree of his NTA and has been reduced in size (its the small red circle at 11 Gemini). But the Gemini planets rising echo their natal promise through the indicators that have come to that place in the turning. In a manner not too different to what we saw with Kurt Cobain, Libra and Scorpio have come to the natal place where we find Gemini: Libra on the 5th indicates that Jim’s communications while entertaining are being judged, which they literally were through a trial and a conviction that was being appealed. Deception, illusion and intoxication are suggested by Neptune in Libra activating that natal 5th of communications. Most of the time, Morrison was inebriated on stage and often high, as well. Neptune is disposed to Venus, which rules the turned 5th and 12th. We can interpret Venus as provider of secrets and imprisonment as well as places of entertainment. It’s disposition to Neptune indicates that Jim was probably feeling very imprisoned by his work and that these may have been motives behind his escapist Neptunian behavior. Venus in Scorpio is indicative of the toxic environment in which he currently worked.
Importantly to note, is that the Sun is setting in Sagittarius in 11/7, which makes it a very significant time for Morrison’s identity, particularly as it relates to the direction of his relationship to the group. Having Leo natally on the 7th means that he lacks his own identity and may lose it to others too easily. But at this time, the angular Sun indicates that he was seeking a new direction, most likely now with Pamela (11/7 literally turns our friends or affiliations into partners). Its opposition to Mars from Sagittarius in the Turned 7th place, argues that he made an important decision involving a departure and liberation (Uranus is with Mars) from the entertainment industry. The natal Leo planets opposing him involve the Nodal axis which has a dignity/debility relationship to the Gemini-Sagittarius axis. So there’s a forceful (Pluto) union-keeping force (North Node) coming from his live-in relationship. The 7th is a place of migration and with Mars rising in the turned 1st, in addition to the need for direction pointing towards migration, we also have the indication that his departure from the country at a time when he was released on bail, may have brought on some opposition from unseen important people. Uranus rising with Mars indicates that this departure from the entertainment environment was a liberation for Jim. But rising Saturn (ruling his 8th and 9th) becoming contrary to sect, indicates that he’d encounter inappropriate restrictions abroad. Mercury ruling the NTA makes the Saturn-Mercury opposition more relevant in the turned chart. The mutual reception between those planets are suggestive of attempts by those in entertainment of restricting his communications. He died in Paris under mysterious circumstances, before his appeal was resolved.
Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse was born on Sep. 14th 1983, at 10:25 PM in London, UK. (The data comes from the Clifford Chart Compendium compiled by Frank C. Clifford and sourced in Solar Fire. The Lois Rodding rating is A). From Wikipedia we read: “Winehouse struggled throughout her life with substance abuse, mental illness and addiction. She died, at her Camden Square home in London, of alcohol poisoning on 23 July 2011, at the age of 27.”
Let’s first look at where Cancer lies in her natal chart, since it’s the Zodiacal sign of the age at 27. We find Cancer in the 2nd house. This indicates that the need for protection and safety involves the acquisition of skills and the livelihood that comes from that. Since we’re talking about the Moon as a provider of safety, our experiences with our primary caregiver (often the mother) constitute our earliest exposure to how we attain a sense of security and a feeling of protection. The Moon is in Capricorn, located in the 7th-8th, indicating that the nurturing of obsessive relationships will become a way of fulfilling the need for security that she will feel through the acquisition of physical resources. Amy came from a working class background and was raised by single mother, who worked hard and was quite ambitious in order to earn enough to take care of her two kids. This is shown by the Capricorn placement. Thus, Amy’s mother was not always available to her or model the best self-love, resulting in Amy’s somewhat obsessive and dependent relationships with the men in her life, including her father, who is shown by that Sun/Mercury conjunction in the 4th place of her chart. Both her Moon and her Sun are corrupted, the former by Pluto, the latter by Neptune, Uranus and the South Node. [As a side note, this chart does show tremendous musical talent, both for innovative singing and songwriting, since Venus is in phasis.] The Sun is the more problematic planet because it’s contrary to sect, deeply rooted in the unconscious, and corrupted by an angular Jupiter, which rules the Descending angle. That means that excessive indulgence lies at the root of her relationship with her father, which will also transfer and afflict her partnerships with other men. Indeed, its her father’s inability to teach his daughter limits, that turn into her own addictions and lack of emotional self-control.
Let’s now examine her chart for the Zodiacal 4th period in question, which began at age 21 in 2004 and lasted until age 28 in 2011. Cancer would have been in 4/11, indicating the need for protection in matters having to do with her family affiliations, particularly her father since the NTA would have turned to 4/1. It’s for this reason that the 4th Zodiacal age often brings up father matters. But in addition, for Amy, the solar arm of the chart also has come to Sagittarius which is now in 7/4, making the need for orientation come to involve her relationship with her father. Indeed, it’s her jazz-singing father that will become her manager and even move in with her briefly, in the turbulent stardom filled years to come. In 2004, curiously, Amy’s career began to take off with the release of her Jazz-influenced first album called Frank, which was named after Frank Sinatra, one of her crooner idols. Sinatra was not only symbolic because his song “Fly Me to the Moon” was one that Amy and her father shared a special bond over, but also because just before its release, she had broken up with a boyfriend, who had given her a Frank Sinatra CD and the album title was supposed to be evocative of a new phase in her adult life that mirrored her father’s break up from her mother.
To the left is the chart prorated to the exact date of her death. We can see that because she has middle degrees rising and because she died close to the age of 28, her chart had already advanced to the next NTA: Libra. This then places Cancer in 2/10, indicating that the need for protection has come to the top of the chart, where the skills and resources of her career will become the area in which she needs to protect herself. The Moon has come to the bottom of the chart (7/3) and is pivotal. Its square from rising Pluto (5/1) indicates the inclusion of forced contractual relationships in entertainment as a source of anxiety for Amy. This situation and Amy’s inability to care for herself with appropriate limits, seems to echo that of her overly-burdened mother, who modeled a typically British “stiff upper lip” attitude, even when the ability to ask for help might have made the difference. In 5/1 we can also see the need for a Libra judgment to be made with regard to matters of entertainment. This appears to be an important common theme in all 3 charts. The Judgement of Libra always requires a strong Saturn, because when things are out of balance, it needs to be able to establish order. This is why Saturn exalts this sign. But Amy has no boundaries and can’t establish limits. Her Saturn is in the exact place where we find natal Cancer, needing to place limits on her income and cut back on her commitments in order to examine her addictions and their root causes. But the manager of Libra is Jupiter, which in Amy’s chart is inappropriately excessive. Instead, Amy continued to ignore her problems through the temporarily, liberating escapism of her addictions, shown by Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune.
Conclusions
There are interesting indicators in all three charts that relate to the themes present at each of their deaths. But we wouldn’t necessarily be able to forecast the demise of these artists from them. However -- and this may be burying the lead – but what each chart has in common is that in all three cases, the domicile ruler of the 4th house is a planet that’s corrupted by an angular planet, thereby making that corruption pivotally dangerous. If we look at that planet in each chart, we can see that everyone was particularly significant in their deaths.
For example, in Kurt’s natal chart, Sagittarius is in his 4th place, which is ruled by Jupiter. That planet also rules his 7th, indicating his wife. Jupiter is corrupted by Saturn, which is angular in the 7th. As was mentioned previously, this was the NTA lord of the 4th age. Since Jupiter rules the 4th and 7th, the danger of the period is tied to his wife. In Morrison’s case, he has Taurus on the 4th natally. Venus is domicile lord and also rules the 9th through Libra. Venus is corrupted by Pluto near the Descendant. Thus, his desire to be in a foreign land with his girlfriend is being corrupted by important unseen people. Lastly, in Amy’s case, she has Virgo on the 4th, which is ruler by Mercury, also ruler of her Gemini 1st. Mercury is corrupted by Neptune, Uranus and the South Node in the 7th. Since Mercury rules Amy herself and her body, we can conclude that the dangers she faced from Neptune were self-inflicted. Although the prorated charts may contain curious developments, it’s the sign on the 4th at the start of the period that points to the corrupted domicile lord most aligned with the Cancerian need for protection.
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