Norman Cousins - Anatomy of a Poisoning?!

Norman Cousins wrote about his miraculous recovery from a mysterious disease in his book Anatomy of an Illness. In this book Cousins describes how he miraculously healed himself from what was thought to be a fatal illness by using life style changes to improve his mood, the most notable are use of massive quanitities of Vitamin C and through Humor. I read the book a long time ago and on re-reading I noticed some strange details in the story. Cousins got sick while on a Peace making trip to Russia in 1964. The reason for his illness was ultimately never really decided and the diagnosis is sometimes thought to be incorrect. He is very clear on stating that the Doctor told him that his condition would have been caused either by a Staph infection or by heavy metal poisoning. Was Norman Cousins poisoned? Was his book on healing really a cryptic way of reporting on how to recover from a bad visit to Russia? The Cold War was peaking, after all. Cousins was an Editor for the Saturday Review and was savagely trying to de-esculate the tensions through his editorials in order to avoid a Nuclear Holocaust. The Russians have a problem with Freedom of Speech and are still known for poisoning their reporters.

I wanted to look at Cousins' chart to see why the strange illness that he healed himself from would have been such a turning point in his life. The official diagnosis he was given at the time was ankylising spondylitis which he calls "collagen disease." He treated himself by targeting his adrenal glands, for exhaustion which he felt was a result of the trip. This Illness was definitely a Turning Point in Cousins' life. He became more of an advocate for Holistic healing in the human body rather than healing through world politics. I actually began to notice a theme of struggling with odd illnesses all his life that kept bringing him to crisis points. The one illness was only one of these crises.

There's a Good Bio of Cousins here: http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/cousins.html

Norman Cousins
b. June 24, 1915 Union Hill, NJ

Sun 3 Cancer; Moon Scorpio or Sagittarius; NN 19 Aquarius

Natally, Cousins had a very dynamic conjunction of Sun to Pluto, Saturn and Mercury Rx in the beginning degrees of Cancer. Among other things, this combination shows strong managerial skills which would indicate a person who would need to take control of his own illnesses. Cousins had found a constructive outlet for this combination working for Peace, mostly by putting the "Brakes" (Saturn keyword, also maybe Merc Rx?) on Nuclear (Pluto) War. He constantly created Alarm Bells through his writings, trying to bring about change in other areas of life that needed improvement. And like most Sun-Saturn-Pluto people he got results.

And the illnesses he suffered through his life seem to have been awareness that fueled his work. During each illness he became more aware of the suffering in others and the need to bring about change. This began with a misdiagnosis and subsequent institutionalization for Tuberculosis when he was 11 years old. Change was an easy idea for Cousins too: his Uranus was placed in its own sign of Aquarius and was conjunct his North Node. Aquarius is the sign of Hopes, Wishes, Dreams, & Community. This is emphasized further by a trine to Neptune which possibly fans out to a Grand Trine with Cousins' Moon.

So, balancing out the forcefulness/productivity of this Sun-Saturn-Pluto combination, Cousins also had Neptune in Cancer at 30 degrees. Neptune is trining Jupiter at 29 Pisces. Jupiter is also conjunct Chiron in Pisces. This shows a compassionate nature that seeks lightness in the world; the complete opposite of the dire circumstances which are indicated by the Sun-Saturn-Pluto-Mercury combination (Sun and Pluto are on an Aries Point).

Healthwise, this strong Neptune-Pisces emphasis in Cousins' chart may be the reason for the nature of so many of his illnesses. Misdiagnosis, Placebo Effect, Emotions, Miracle Cures. Also hysteria. There is a chance that the Jupiter-Neptune trine are involved in a Water Grand Trine with the Moon but I can't say either way because his birth time is not available. Cousins proved the value of alternative forms of healing and was a major facilitator in introducing importance of the Emotions for medical recovery. There's a strong emphasis of planets in Water Signs in his chart.

At Age 11 Cousins was misdiagnosed with Tuberculosis and sent to a sanatorium (Neptune). Age 11 is the Jupiter Return year so it seems that his Jupiter in Pisces trine Neptune in Cancer is to blame in some way for this mix-up. His Jupiter squares his natal Sun-Pluto conjunction so one can see how this could have been a time when he learned to mistrust the opinions of others, or at least to not take their word as the only option. He said this was also the time that he first understood the level of discomfort that patients have in hospitals and how that can hinder healing.

The Jupiter Return would have been extra important and Cousins' chart would have had a mutual reception type of transit between his Jupiter and Uranus this year (around 1926?). T. Uranus was passing over natal Jupiter and t. Jupiter was passing over natal Uranus. Uranus, of course, was strong in its own sign and conjunct Cousins' North Node, strongly hooking him into his Destiny. On the negative side, Jupiter and Uranus can bring community hysteria. His Doctors were probably overwhelmed by the Tuberculosis epidemic at that point to keep the illness from spreading; there was a Saturn-Neptune square going on in the skies as well. Saturn was in Scorpio and filling out the Grand Water Trine with natal Jupiter and Neptune. This seems to have been a trigger spot for Cousins' later illnesses as well.

Later in 1954, right after the time of Cousins' Nodal Return, he was diagnosed as having had a "silent heart attack" whatever that is. He was given 18 months to live. I told you he was continually faced with these dire circumstances diagnoses. Cousins was 38 years old and just past his Nodal Return in Aquarius. Heart is ruled by the Sun and Cousins' progressed Sun was at 10 Leo approaching conjunction with his South Node 19 Leo. He was approaching his Neptune Square and Uranus opposition but not quite there yet. I'm not sure of the dates so can't say more.

In late July, 1964, Cousins traveled to Russia on a Political Visit. On the way home he began to feel feverish and then his body began to ache. He thought he had the flu. Within a week he was hospitalized because he could barely move. His neck and hands broke out in nodules. The Doctors gave him a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis which is a collagen disease of the connective tissues. They said his spine was dissolving and his chances of surviving were very slim. A typical Cancer, Cousins decided he couldn't get better on hospital food and environment so with the Doctor's permission he checked into a Hotel. As the Doctors said that his main problem was that his Adrenal Glands were not functioning he began to take massive amounts of Vitamin C and began to listen to and watch Comedy films in order to laugh. He found that he could actually sleep and was relieved of pain for a couple of hours after his spirits were raised.

It is extremely that interesting that Cousins was approaching his Chiron Return at this time (about 4 degrees from conjunction). Chiron is the Healer/Teacher in Mythology who couldn't heal himself and is conjunct Jupiter which is one of the planets for jolly living. Cousins saw this as the turning point in his life. His Chiron-Jupiter conjunction is in Pisces. The emphasis on water certainly brings in the Emotional Element.

According to Rex Bills, Laughter is ruled by Venus and sub-co-ruled by Neptune. Humor is ruled by Venus, Jupiter, Mercury (Moon). Comedy, Comedians ruled by Venus.

Natal Venus in Cousins' chart is in Gemini. The only aspect it makes is a trine to Uranus in Aquarius. At the beginning of August, transiting Venus was at the end of Gemini and spent the first couple of weeks passing over the Pluto-Sun-Saturn-Mercury Rx conjunction in Cousins' chart. Venus spent all of the month passing through the sign of Cancer in conjunction with Mars and for about a week it was in a Grand Trine with t. Neptune and t. Chiron-natal Chiron! If you're going to heal yourself through Laughter you certainly would like to have a Grand Water Trine involving Venus and Neptune happening for yourself. Being given a Death Sentence during such a time just makes you a little giddy.

I was most curious if the true story is that the Russians poisoned Cousins. The Doctors said that the cause of the illness would either have been heavy metal poisoning or a staph infection. Cousins' wife, who was with him during the trip to Russia, contracted neither. Poisoning would be a Neptune-Pluto thing. One would really want to see Cousins' 7th and 12th houses to see if he was accumulating extra enemies at this point which I can't do without a birth time.

Cousins was just approaching his Chiron Return in Pisces (c. N.Jupiter). Chiron at that point was at 19 Pisces and opposing Uranus 9 Virgo-Pluto 13 Virgo (Mercury at this point was also in Virgo passing over the 2 planets).

The Transiting Sun was in Leo at onset of illness. On August 1 it was at 10 Leo, the same spot where his progressed Sun was when he was diagnosed with "Silent Heart Attack". It also would have hit Cousins' Nodal Axis about a week or two later. Cousins' progressed Sun had moved forward to exact conjunction with his South Node. Transiting Neptune was at 15 Scorpio squaring his Nodal Axis and opposing his natal Mars in Taurus. Wherever it came from, poisoning was certainly indicated in the transits and progressions.

And then one looks at what Mars was doing to Cousins. Transiting Mars was conjunct the Transiting South Node at 2 Cancer. This was right on his natal Pluto and within a degree of the natal Sun, 4 degrees away from natal Saturn and Mercury. His progressed Mars was not far behind at 26 Gemini. These, of course, are squaring that Jupiter-Chiron conjunction in Pisces. He may have become a little pushy to be around during his Peace Mission to Russia and angered some secret enemies. Neptune-Pluto experiences are never the kinds of things one really wants to discuss in public later on. Either way, the sign of Cancer rules overseas travels and this was probably not Cousins' favorite Kodak moment.

There's some chance that Cousins' progressed Moon was conjunct the transiting Uranus-Pluto-Mercury conjunction (transit) and opposing his natal Chiron-Jupiter. He describes Laughter as jiggling his insides back into shape. That sounds like a Cancer's way of healing due to the fact that we probably have bigger glands than everyone else, more to jiggle.

Moving on, Cousins had a Heart Attack on Dec. 22, 1980 just after lunch while at his home in Los Angeles. As the Doctor said, this time his illness was real and obvious. The Doctor told him that laughing and jiggling his innards around was not desirable. Cousins was 65. It was just past the Full Moon which happened right on his Sun-Pluto-Saturn-Mercury conjunction. He was also going through a Nodal Opposition with a square from transiting Chiron in Taurus. At this point Uranus was in Scorpio completing a Grand Trine aspect to n.Neptune trine Jupiter-Chiron. This is the trigger spot that I mentioned earlier during Cousins' tuberculosis diagnosis (the spot where t.Saturn was). Other than that, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto were all in Libra but they weren't squaring any of the Cancer planets.

Cousins died on Nov. 30, 1990 in Los Angeles, CA of Heart Failure. The Transits are pretty amazing.

Remember the trigger spot in Scorpio that I pointed out? Saturn was there for the Tuberculosis Diagnosis. Uranus was there for the Heart Attack. Now Pluto was at 19 Scorpio just moving into trine with natal Jupiter-Chiron and Neptune. Not only that but Cousins was having a Chiron Trine so t. Chiron was conjunct natal Neptune. And the Nodal Axis was involved. The South Node was conjunct Cousins' natal Neptune to the Degree. He soared out of his life on an Outer Planet Kite. Now that's something to laugh with Joy over (especially because Saturn wasn't involved).

So I don't know if Cousins was poisoned by the Russians. Sorry. It sure does look like it though. And I've developed a terrible fever over the past few days while trying to write this so I'm going to hit the Publish button before it kills me.