Women Cellists with Multiple Sclerosis

This is sort of an unusual coincidence which makes astrology look awesome.

Most people are familiar with Jacqueline Du Pre, the famous cellist whose career was cut short by onset of Multiple Sclerosis. Well, about a week ago I heard a program on NPR which interviewed the cellist from the Kronos Quartet, Joan Jeanrenaud. Jeanrenaud had to give up her career with the Quartet about 11 years ago. I knew she was no longer in the group and had no idea why. Turns out that she also was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. From the interview it sounds as if this cellist, Joan Jeanrenaud is dealing with her illness very well and is finding ways through recording to continue with her musical career.

(in case my link is no good, I recommend listening to the program here: http://www.kqed.org/arts/music/article.jsp?essid=26944)

While listening to the interview I made a note to look at Joan's chart to see if it is at all like Jacqueline Du Pre's. It turns out the two charts have stunning similarities. For one, these two women are born a day apart under the sun sign Aquarius, January 25 & 26. Aquarius is a mental sign. Many successful women are born under it because it offers the ability to not only be highly intelligent but to distance one's self from life events, to take a long range view and to see the bigger picture. Aquarius women are very strong. Unfortunately it also can affect a person's all over nervous system. The Sun rules a person's vitality and overall health, and Uranus rules the nervous system.

There is also the chance that both women share the same Moon Sign Moon in Cancer. This sign works in pretty much the opposite way that an Aquarius Sun does. Cancer is the sign of feelings and great sensitivity, great receptivity. These signs relate to each other in a quincunx type of way and quincunxes are said to often develop into health issues because they try to bring together two energies which really don't relate to each other. It is a way of relating which always requires making "adjustments" because things don't seem to mesh. What both of these signs do have in common is a hyperactive psychic/intuitive ability. People with this combination may have to mentally try not to become overstimulated by their perceptions and senses. (I can't say much more about the Cancer Moon because Joan Jeanrenaud may actually have a Gemini Moon.)

I don't claim to understand much at all about medical astrology so my observations are probably very silly for those who do. But here goes.

Right off the bat, though, I see that Du Pre's chart offers a couple of insights into her disease. Her Cancer Moon is in conjunction with her Cancer North Node. On the opposite end of the Nodal Axis, she had a conjunction to the degree of Mercury and Mars in Capricorn which is in conjunction with her South Node. Interesting that these two planets together rule motor coordination. Mars would rule the gross motor coordination of the body. Mercury would rule the small motor coordination related to the hands and manual dexterity. At any rate, Du Pre's motor coordination would have been highlighted within her life in some way, in a way which affects her destiny (Nodal Axis).

(As an aside just because I find it interesting, In Du Pre's chart this big opposition is placed in angular houses crossing the 4th and 10th houses. Tiger Woods has a Mars-Moon opposition over this spot as well, perhaps this shows early drive and success in life as Moon and Mars both represent childhood and youth.)

Unfortunately, planets bound together by oppositions, especially when placed over the Nodal Access and IC/MC axis (strong angular emphasis), will not happily blend with each other. They constantly play a balancing act with each other, and will oppose each other. Doesn't help that Du Pre's Ascendant is Aries which is ruled by Mars. This rules her physical body so her physical body is ruled by the planet which rules her motor coordination and brain activity.

As I said earlier Du Pre's Sun (Vitality) is in the sign of Aquarius, which rules the nervous system. Interesting that she had a "Mental" Air Grand Trine between Sun, Uranus in Gemini (H2), and a conjunction of Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune in Libra. This latter conjunction is placed in the 6th House of Health.

This Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune conjunction mirrors the current conjunction of these last 3 planets in Aquarius which has currently been in the sky. Can only imagine what kinds of musical geniuses have been born over this past Summer/Fall.

I don't have a birth time for Joan Jeanrenand's chart. Her Aquarius Sun is conjunct Chiron and Mercury in her chart and they are opposing Uranus. This shows high intelligence, of course, with a strong interest in anything new and innovative, like the avante garde music which she became famous for. It can also show a high strung nervous system, especially since Chiron is involved and adds the idea of a wounding that can't be healed which could show up, of course, as a chronic illness.

Also coincidental, both women have Venus in Pisces. Know that this shows musical abilities. Don't have any idea if it is also related to Multiple Sclerosis. Pisces and its ruler, Neptune, naturally rule the 12th house in Astrology in general and can be related to chronic illness and anything that is debilitating and difficult to understand.

Since both women are Aquarians, their progressed Suns were passing through Pisces when they became ill. This gets pretty interesting actually when comparing their charts.

The Progressed Sun was very close to the same degree of Pisces when both women were diagnosed (6 degrees for Du Pres, and 8 degrees for Jeanrenaud). Jeanrenaud's progressed Sun was conjunct her natal Venus within a degree at that point. Du Pre's progressed Sun hit her natal Venus the year that she passed away. I don't understand people who say that this progression is a time of great happiness, usually for weddings, etc. I've almost always seen it manifest as a fairly dark period in a person's life.

It's also strange that Jacqueline Du Pres passed on Oct. 19, 1987 and Joan Jeanrenaud was diagnosed the next year in 1988. It's almost as if there was some demon flying from the body of one cellist to the next. Actually, now that I think about it this is probably true. Both women had progressed Sun conjunct their natal Venus' during this two year time span in the sign of psychic Pisces. There probably was a real transfer of energy!

Du Pre would have been around Age 28 when she was diagnosed in Oct. 1973. This is the time of the progressed Lunar Return/Saturn Return. Both of these planets are placed in the Sign of Cancer in her natal chart. And remember that the Moon is in conjunction with the North Node.

Jeanrenaud would have been around Age 43 when she was diagnosed in 1988. This is just after her Uranus Opposition/Neptune square. She has these two planets in a square aspect (to the degree) in her natal chart. They are actually in a t-square with the Sun-Chiron conjunction which hooks them into health/vitality.

Sorry, I can't provide any great insights in multiple sclerosis but I suspect that these charts can provide some great keys for those who know more. These charts mostly show musical talent to me.

Jacqueline Du Pre
b. Jan. 26, 1945 11:30 am Oxford, England

Sun 7 Aquarius; Moon 15 Cancer; NN 16 Cancer; MC 11 Capricorn; ASC 28 Aries

Joan Jeanrenand
b. Jan. 25, 1956 Memphis, Tenn.

Sun 5 Aquarius; Moon Gemini/Cancer; NN 15 Sagittarius

edited 1/14/11 misspelled Du Pre's last name as per commenter