Astrology Indications for Addictions

There are almost as many addictions, as there are people in the world. Everyone has a little something that he turns to for comfort in moments of emotional dis-balance. The more aware and experienced individuals will have healthier addictions, after having gone through the destructive ones (maybe in past lives), they might be addicted to sport, meditating, or reading, but these are not the people I am interested in. I have been looking at the charts of people who turn to more hard-core practices: alcohol, drugs, junk food, extreme sex. Sure enough they all have similar underlining theme going on in their horoscope. It is almost always their Moon which is affected adversely by the heavier planets—Saturn, Mars, Uranus, Neptune or Rahu (North node). They need not be in the same sign as the Moon, many times it is enough to have them aspect the Moon from another sign.



Why the Moon exactly? Traditional astrology links the Moon to our emotions and inner states. When these are unsettled, we no longer have the balanced, peaceful mind that should be our predominant state. If Saturn aspects through a difficult square or opposition angle or is in the sign of the Moon, for example, it indicates people who tend to worry a lot, be fearful of the future or anything new, have a constant self-criticizing monologue going on in their head or even worse, see the negative in each situation or person and are often in judgmental frame of mind. That would drive anyone to the bottle!



If Uranus was close to the Moon or aspecting it difficultly in a person’s chart, then it would mean that in past lives or from early childhood, his emotional peace had undergone sudden changes due to disruptive event (change of residence, mother figure’s sporadic availability, emotional tensions in the family, etc) which conditioned him to adapt quickly by reacting fast. But this would create a state of uncertainty and volatility is his inner mind, so as a grown up, he would tend to be emotionally unreliable, reactive, subconsciously expecting sudden changes, would make him act restless, uncertain and in a constant state of alert and vigilance. Unless one has learned a natural way to relax and release the nervousness (like exercise, meditation), he would usually turn to the more common and wide spread- alcohol, food and pain killers. But such people need quick relief from emotional states and the fastest ways are not always the healthiest.



If Neptune indicates the problem, then the need to self medicate is most often due to a heightened sensitivity. It is due to them being very impressionable to the point of soaking all emotions around them. For example, sitting on the bus next to a stranger who is very agitated, they would pick up on his vibration and “out of the blue” start worrying or feeling restless themselves. Their permissiveness of outside influences and psychic openness brings a sense of inner vulnerability which is easily desensitized through a drink. They would take a drug just so the emotional swamp they are in would clear up for awhile. And who would blame them?! Also Neptune people have a powerful desire to merge in and experience a higher state of consciousness, some magic in their life and escape the "sordid" and dull reality of everyday life. The fastest way again is through substances.



Mars with the Moon or aspecting it difficultly would indicate a person who is more easily irritated and angered. Mars is the god of War, imagine how it can color one's perceptions (Moon) in blood red and turn him into a raging bull...or a mad cow! So such people can have a liking for quick relief of emotional flare ups.



Pluto aspecting the Moon or in a hard aspect to it: Pluto is the planet of obsessions. It is the inner demons of one person- the darker side which everyone wants to hide or reject. But it has a powerful grip on us. People with Pluto Aspect Moon can be susceptible to addiction due to their intense nature which cannot let go of the past and the pain. They cling to darkness as if their life depended on it! They often refuse to allow the old die, so the new can be born! But when they finally do it--there is no way back and they become extremely powerful! These people usually are the ones that go heal others and fight a battle against this addiction, once they overcome it!



And then there is Rahu- the North node of the Moon which when in the same sign or squaring the Moon (in the 4th sign from the Moon), would indicate someone who is often overwhelmed by powerful desires. The legend for Rahu depicts him as the head of a Dragon: symbolism of the reptilian brain in humans, which rules our lower desires. It the myth, the Dragon was insatiable and wanted to become godlike, so he could enjoy the privileges of the other gods. Similarly when this planet is close or somehow connected to our Moon our lustful and desirous nature becomes very powerful. Almost impossible not to obey. It indicates humans who have a strong lust for life, material achievements, physical pleasures and worldly experiences. Emotional gluttons that are always hungry, who are always looking ahead for the next drink/sexual partner/achievement etc, even while they are still having a present one. Rahu denotes this compulsive impulse in human nature that always wants more, and looks to the future, while the real state of Joy can only be experienced in the Now. Of course Rahu people can become very successful outwardly, just like the other people who have their Moons afflicted. The emotional emptiness, hunger, pain, fear—these are all strong drives that can fuel someone’s success. But on the inner level they create a compulsive state of addiction. All the same matters for everyone who has any of these planets above in the 4th house or close to the IC of their horoscope--this is the part of the horoscope which is energetically connected to the Moon, so carries a similar effect. Anyone with an afflicted 4th house (which rules emotional balance and content) will have a predisposition to the same addictive patterns. For males actually you can check if the Sun is with any of these planets or aspected difficultly by them, as men operate mostly through their Sun.

You can also check the Sun for women who are more ambitious and driven towards success, as they will also work through their Sun a lot. Count all the points you get--for a conjunction get 2 points, for a difficult aspect 1. Anything above 3 points is a strong marker for addictive personality! They say that Alcoholism/Addictions are just a symptom of one’s disease, they are not the disease itself. And how true it is! It is our inner perception (the Moon) that is the dysfunctional one. It is our inability to stay centered in the Now and flow with the tune of the Present. The Moon rules music and melody in astrology, and just like music our perception is supposed to flow undisturbed by the chatter of the mind or outside events. The Mind is wonderful for getting work done, for dealing with the everyday practical issues, by having it switched on all the time is equal to a disease. People who have unafflicted Moons in the horoscope (which is really rare) are the ones who somehow, even unconsciously, have found a way to switch off occasionally the constant monologue in their head and stay present and aware in the moment. Breathing the air, watching the colors, hearing the sounds, feeling the sensations in and around them. Then the Future worries fall off, the wistfulness or pain from the past disappears and all they are left with is a pure state of joy and Being, an uninterrupted flow of the melody of the Present. But everyone can achieve this state--no matter how afflicted their horoscope is- with conscious effort we can change the indications of the horoscope!



It is hard to explain this feeling, maybe we, from the modern world can get an inkling about the joy this state of mind can bring, in a rare moment of awe from nature, when for a couple of seconds your mind and whole being are all engrossed in the heart-stopping beauty of the view, in a moment when you are looking at your lover’s eyes and feel only blissful adoration or when you are fully absorbed in the exquisite exertion of your favorite hobby--singing, drawing, gardening, etc. They say, time stops then. And it really does--you go beyond it, in the timeless Now which lasts forever. This is a state of pure joy, peace, certainty and constant amazement, which some humans can access all the time and one day, weather in this life or next, we all will too. The path to there is painful and often discouragingly hard so many of us can fall off back into unsavory habits and addictions but the pull to Light and Joy which is encoded in each soul, is growing stronger after each fall and will ultimately bring us back Home. Then we will attain the Kingdom of Heaven, which is within us!