The Greatest Love of All: The Astrology of Whitney Houston

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be

— Performed by Whitney Houston, Written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed

The Greatest Love of All

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I woke up yesterday with Whitney Houston singing ‘The Greatest Love of All’ in my head. And then last night I saw someone post a link on Facebook, announcing the sad news that she had passed away. I have chills even now, as I write this, because I haven’t heard any songs, or thought of Whitney Houston in a long time.

She was 24 when she sang ‘The Greatest Love of All,’ a time when she was on clearly on top of her game. But if you listen to the words, she sang her soul truth then.

Given that I grew up on her music I felt I must write a few words, of what I see in her chart and what we can learn from it. Not just about Astrology and her, but human nature. Although that particular song, if you listen to it speaks her chart more than I ever could.

She was a Pisces Rising, with Leo Sun and Aries Moon. As much as she was an old soul (Saturn in 12th) she was also a child at heart.

The first thing that jumped out at me when I saw her chart was her Moon was square her Nodes, with the Moon being the ruler of her North Node. Her self-esteem it would seem largely was connected with her childhood and her relationship with her mother. Also, Jupiter the ruler of 10th House in conjunction to the Moon, suggesting her public image also greatly defined this for her. And then with Eris in conjunction to the Moon and Jupiter we can see this likely brought on an extreme crisis of self-worth. “Who am I?” “What am I worth?”

We also see Mars (ruler of Aries) in Libra in opposition to her Natal Moon in Aries in her 2nd House conjunct Jupiter and Eris. A lot of her self-esteem came from, and was defined by her relationships. Her abusive marriage was something that was a well known fact. And as an abusive relationship will often do, it stripped her of self-esteem heightening her feeling of extreme loneliness, like a lost, unprotected child trying to find her true identity in spite of who she was in the eyes of the public.

The Ascendant is the mask we wear, our sense of self-identity and also our first point of contact with the outside world.

On the surface, her Pisces Ascendant gave her a glamorous, elusive, untouchable quality and persona. Also with, Chiron in Pisces her first house shows us both her natural gift of music, incredible vocal range and singing abilities. But Pisces like all signs, carries it’s shadow side — and we see under her gifts, talent, and spirit, but the Chiron in Pisces also shows us she was a tortured soul.

Barbara Hand Clow says of this placement of Chiron in Pisces — these are individuals who can be extremely secretive, and their greatest crisis comes from needing to connect with the “other side.” Without deep self-awareness or therapy, this can often lead to extreme drug use, for the woundedness these individuals feel is so deep in their psyche, it’s hard to deal with consciously leading to a desire for escape of all that is painful.

Also the other most significant factor that stood out was — Neptune ruler of her Ascendant in her 9th House very significantly in conjunction to Black Moon Lilith. Her toxic drug use, was the shadow side on this longing and desire for connection with a higher power and her spiritual quest — something her music initially gave her before the pressure of fame and maintaining her public image set it.

With Pisces on her Ascendant she clearly was an extremely sensitive person who internalized the energy that came to her from others. With a packed 7th House with Virgo planets, we can see this might have come from criticism, as well as people and the public who put her on a pedestal. Which then turned into her need to maintain this persona of extreme impossible perfection.

This can be crippling for anyone, especially when one’s life is in the spotlight and public eye (Leo) in as grandiose a way as hers was. Her Leo Sun conjunct Venus spoke of her talent, and the love that burned inside her. Clearly she was a natural Diva. But her Leo Sun was also in the the 6th House, suggesting what she truly needed was a sense of purpose; to be able to channel her energy to bring her the healing she truly needed — beyond anything fame could ever give her.

Also, I would like to add with Saturn in her 12th House in Aquarius the sign of the “people” what she needs most is not a sense of judgment from the public. But acceptance. And we can’t judge another before we’ve walked a mile in their shoes. What Saturn, and her life can teach us is as much of a Goddess as she was, she was human like the rest of us. And ultimately what each of us ever needs is acceptance for who we are.

She will always be remembered for the incredible gift and talent she was and the light she brought to this world. And her soul, may it rest in peace, is indeed free now — at home where she belongs — among the stars.

Life and death are but gateways. An entry and exit point into the theatre, and this drama called life. We come into this world, and life compellingly grips us into its drama. And we forget who we are. Then we exit back out again into our true reality which is simply part of a singular eternal consciousness — eternity. The more we remain detached, we can experience “the movie” for what it is.

Life is but a stage and we all have our roles to play. All that matters is that we enjoy it, learn from it and live it to the best of our ability. Regardless of what others think.

— Priya Kale, Feb. 12, 2012