The shocking death of troubled singer Amy Winehouse, a Virgo, topped headlines this weekend. The day she was found dead in her London apartment, the Sun entered Leo, Winehouse’s 12th house of addictions and endings. Although drugs weren’t cited as the cause of her death, the singer’s substance abuse issues were no secret.
Winehouse is the latest musician to join what’s morbidly known at “The 27 Club” — legendary artists who died at age 27. Others include Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones. As with many of these artists, she may become a legend in her afterlife: Posthumous sales of Winehouse’s 2006 album “Back to Black” have already soared.
We took a look at Amy’s chart for some clues to her struggles:
Sun in Virgo, Moon in Sagittarius
To have the Sun in challenging “square” to the Moon can give a person great angst, as they may spend their lifetime negotiating who they are on the outside versus their private feelings and emotions. Sagittarius is the sign of excess and freedom, so anyone who tried to impose limits on Winehouse probably met a rebellious, uncooperative response. Virgos can suffer from crippling anxiety and perfectionism, which is usually what drives them to self-medicate with substances. Other Virgos who have struggled publicly with addictions, some fatally, include Charlie Sheen, Michael Jackson and River Phoenix.
Four Planets in Sagittarius: Jupiter, Uranus, Moon and Neptune
Overconfident Jupiter is conjunct (paired with) rebellious Uranus in Winehouse’s chart — making her free-spirited beyond reason. This is not the chart of someone who let anyone tell her what to do or how to live. In fact, she may have enjoyed flaunting her independence and taking dangerous risks, as Jupiter is the sign of the gambler and Uranus loves to shock people.
Another Sagittarius pair in Winehouse’s chart is the emotional Moon and escapist Neptune, a conjunction that’s typically associated with drug use. Because Neptune rules the afterlife, a person with a Moon-Neptune conjunction might always float on the edge of both worlds. This indicates a soul that was reluctant to incarnate, and is never sure how long it wants to stick around. The Moon and Neptune combined can bring gifts of great musical and artistic ability, as the person is incredibly sensitive — a real creative channel. Neptune is the martyr, associated with suffering, and this made Winehouse someone who accessed her artistic genius through a degree of pain and living on the edge.
Winehouse’s south node (the indicator of past lives) was also in Sagittarius. The south node can show a tendency that a person needs to overcome in order to “correct” or elevate her karma. With four powerful planets also in Sag, this would be a Herculean task for her. She would be giving up a lot of instant gratification to follow her Gemini north node path of spiritual transformation — to walk away from the excess and earthly pleasures to follow a more sensible, intellectually driven road.
Sun and Mercury Square Neptune
This is another indication of addictive tendencies. The Sun and Mercury in Virgo would give Winehouse intelligence and a gift with language (Mercury is the wordsmith planet). However, the challenging square to foggy, escapist Neptune throws a wrench in the works. When this dynamic angle of tension was played right, she would have a magical balance between intellect and creativity, the right and left brains, smarts and the arts. When it went awry, she might have been constantly trying to escape a mind that never shut itself off, numbing its self-critical attacks with Neptunian use of drugs and alcohol. She may also have had great doubt in her own abilities and talent, a vulnerability that showed in her eyes. The Sun gives us a basic identity and sense of self, but Neptune’s tough angle made her grasp on that slippery.
Mars and Venus in Leo
Creativity, artistic ability and romance for Winehouse were all under the reign of fiery Leo, as could be seen in the cat-eye flared eyeliner, the beehive updo (hello, Lion’s mane), the wild outfits and animal-print dresses, and the drama-fueled relationship with ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil. Mars and Venus also formed an easy trine to the Moon and Neptune in her chart, further stimulating her incredible creativity, along with her need for intense, over-the-top experiences.
Saturn in Scorpio
Saturn is the planet of challenges and tough lessons. Scorpio rules addictions, sex and emotional extremes. Not everyone with Saturn in Scorpio struggles with substance abuse, but obsessive tendencies can be a challenge. This group of people (born in 1983-1985) has a special challenge around extreme behavior or black-and-white thinking.
Amy Winehouse’s ongoing decline and spiral into addiction have been tragic to watch. She was a true artist and an original voice in a sea of generic pop stars. We can only hope that hers serves as a cautionary tale of some kind, as her life was cut short far too young.
