The 14th Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama's horoscope shows a powerful dichotomy between what might be called a cosmic blessing and a pattern of victimization and violence. According to his mother's account, the Dalai Lama was born just before sunrise (July 6, 1935; Tengstar, Tibet), attended by auspicious signs and omens indicating he was the reincarnation of a prominent holy man. His birth chart likewise shows many signs of a spiritual life, but primarily by the positions of Jupiter and Saturn and their harmonious links to the Sun.
Saturn, the planet symbolizing authority, is found in the Ninth House of religion, and is given mystical tendencies by being in otherworldly Pisces. Saturn's position translates into the easy assumption of religious authority by being in a favorable 120-degree angle (trine) to the Sun. The Sun is also trine Jupiter, the planet naturally associated with religion, which in turn is trine to Saturn.
Together, these three planets create what astrologers call a grand trine. The Dalai Lama's grand trine is a cosmic blessing denoting wisdom, mastery of inner silence and spiritual protection. Jupiter and Saturn, the biggest planets in the solar system, are also symbolic of larger social and political issues. Their relationship with the Dalai Lama's Sun (personal identity) strongly links his personal destiny with the cause of his nation.
The fourteenth Dalai Lama's chart reflects the oppressive tension concurrent with the thirteenth Dalai Lama's exit and the tenuous circumstances of Tibet's independence: Pluto is conjunct the Moon's South Node. The record shows that the thirteenth Dalai Lama was born in 1876 and died on December 17, 1933 after a life-long struggle to maintain Tibetan independence from China. The thirteenth Dalai Lama was forced into exile twice and survived invasions from both British and Chinese armies. Just before he died, the Chinese communist army was poised for another, final invasion.
The Moon represents one's instinctive responses to daily life. The Dalai Lama was born with the Moon in the modest and service-oriented sign of Virgo. The typical "dryness" of Virgo, however, is strongly modified by the close conjunction of Neptune with the Moon. This idealistic and spiritually sensitive planet perfectly reflects the compassion for which the Dalai Lama is known. Neptune with the Moon also symbolizes the orphan or abandoned one. Over 40 years in exile make this an essential theme of his life.
Restrictive Saturn opposes the Moon-Neptune conjunction from the Ninth House, while Chiron squares it from the twelfth house. While these stressful aspects to his Moon are signs of exile, they also led to a wider distribution of Tibetan Buddhist teaching than would have occured without the Chinese invasion. That something positive could come out of something so negative corresponds perfectly with the non-judgmental nature of these teachings. We learn, then, that valuable lessons can come in many forms.
-- Deepak Chopra
