All of the above astrological indicators foretold a life path marked by uniqueness and pioneering traits, accompanied by intense activity. In the 1st house, besides Uranus, we also find a powerful Mars, both essentially and accidentally, carrying a heavy burden —a unique energy associated with something deep, challenging, bright, and simultaneously very dark, given Mars’ close square with the Sun and Pluto.

The uniqueness of Elisabeth's life began in utero, sharing her 1st house with two other girls, one of whom was her identical twin. Seeing Venus in Gemini in the 3rd house, in Mercury’s triplicity and Jupiter’s terms, it's impossible not to connect her siblings to this feminine planet, which is exactly square with her ascendant.

She was the first to be born, weighing barely a kilo, and it was uncertain if she would survive. Difficulties seemed to start even before her birth, with the Moon square to Uranus. However, she made it, despite another hard aspect of the Moon, caught in the square between Mars and Pluto—essentially, a confrontation with death, given Mars’ role as Scorpio’s traditional ruler and 8th house ruler in this chart. As for Pluto, its domain is well-known. After passing through these challenges, the Moon reconciles with the malefic planets, forming a trine with Saturn in the 8th house and another with Uranus, positioned at the final degree of Pisces in conjunction with the difficult fixed star Scheat. Moreover, her journey begins at the 3rd degree of Cancer, precisely opposing the pre-natal lunar eclipse of June 25, 1926.

Elisabeth often said she was saved by her mother’s special care and love. This is undoubtedly true and how could it be disputed when we see a Moon in Cancer in the 4th house trine her ascendant? These early encounters with death and its fear, coupled with salvation through maternal affection, left an indelible mark on her soul, becoming the springboard to address the most challenging, enigmatic, and elusive issue —death, intricately linked to life’s great mystery.

Elisabeth is the internationally acclaimed psychiatrist and thanatologist,¹ an undisputed expert on grief and death. From a young age, she realized that death, a topic of vital importance, and the fear of death are closely connected to the fear of life —they are two sides of the same coin. Modern man, she noted, has lost touch with the "art" of dying and the wisdom with which ancient societies approached it, viewing death as the final stage of maturation and development.

It’s fascinating how all this is reflected in her astrological chart: Mars, representing "the end," is placed at "the beginning," indicating their close relationship and, in a way, their identification. Paraphrasing the Bible, we might say, "In the beginning was the end, and in the end was the beginning." Death emerges from the darkness, asserting its presence in the 1st house, forming a challenging aspect with its alter ego, Pluto, which was cazimi with the Sun the previous day and completed an exact square with Mars the next day. At birth, Pluto had separated by three minutes of arc in a desperate attempt to escape the malefics. Elisabeth brings the grim game of death out of the Underworld’s shadows, making it a personal matter, placing part of it on the table of the 5th house, inviting the darkest fears to play the hard game openly, within the house of joy and creativity, with a playful spirit, to exorcise and appease the fears.

The metaphysical element dominates Elisabeth’s chart. Starting from the Pisces ascendant and following its traditional ruler, Jupiter, we find it in the 12th house —a place of solitude, withdrawal, introspection and occultism. In mutual convergent opposition with Neptune, these two spiritual planets clash, suggesting an ideological struggle, a confrontation within isolation and contemplation. Jupiter, ruler of the 1st house, hides like a fugitive while Uranus is exposed to public view.

Saturn in Scorpio in the 8th house, forming a trine aspect with the planets in the 5th house, provides support. The square aspect, again through mutual application with Mercury in the 8th house, brings heavy thoughts. The same pattern repeats: the mind contemplates and analyzes issues related to death, but with a regal, lofty, and elevated perspective from Leo’s domain. Mercury, ruling the 4th house (the father), suggests a possibly restrictive, perhaps authoritarian father. This is further confirmed by the Sun’s involvement in the square with the malefics. Elisabeth firmly resisted her father’s wishes, as he did not value her education and wanted her to work as a secretary in his business. Defying his wishes, Elisabeth left home. This was when World War II ended, and her progressed ascendant touched the revolutionary Uranus. Simultaneously, her first nodal return with an eclipse occurring two days before her eighteenth birthday, with the eclipse’s ascendant in exact trine with natal Uranus and Uranus of the eclipse squaring her ascendant, served as a reminder of initial events. However, this time, her progressed Jupiter had emerged from hiding, forming a trine with the 5th house’s main players, pushing her to view the whole scenario differently —more optimistically, dynamically, and intellectually. Shortly before, natal Saturn had turned direct, and natal Mercury retrograde. The aspect from mutual application became mutual separation. Thus, Elisabeth distanced herself from her father’s guardianship, gaining independence and following her dream of becoming a doctor.

She began her career by volunteering in Poland, helping refugees from Nazi Germany and other parts of Europe, before studying at the University of Zurich, where she earned her medical degree in 1957. While working at Manhattan State Hospital, she encountered terminally ill patients for the first time. The lack of interest, compassion, and humane treatment for the seriously ill shocked Elisabeth, prompting her to establish a laboratory specializing in addressing these patients’ needs. She also taught medical students to treat terminal patients with respect, identifying and recognizing the various issues they faced as they approached the end of their lives.

In 1967-68, her progressed Chiron, from the 2nd natal house (the house of values), progressed over its ruler Venus in the 3rd house, the axis of communication, knowledge, and writing, simultaneously activating the Uranus/Neptune midpoint, in exact conjunction with Venus. Thus, in 1969, her most popular work, "On Death and Dying," was published, where she first outlined her theory of the five stages of grief —denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. She believed terminal patients must experience each stage of their final days to resolve any outstanding issues before death. She opposed euthanasia, arguing it prevented individuals from resolving their issues and moving on freely to the next stage. The wound, the trauma, had to come into contact with Venus, the goddess of love and sweetness, and Jupiter’s helper in matters of beneficence. Elisabeth consistently proclaimed that love was essential for healing wounds. Over time, she realized her model for the five stages of grief could be equally effective for individuals dealing with any serious loss, such as the death of a loved one, health issues, job loss, marriage, freedom, etc. Today, the Kübler-Ross model is considered revolutionary in modern therapeutic practices, helping many people worldwide to heal and move forward.

In 1970, she gave a lecture at Harvard University on the topic of death and dying. This was when her progressed Sun and Pluto opposed her natal Jupiter, embodying all Jupiter represents, highlighting the ideological challenges her actions and general stance on death entailed —a taboo subject at the time, which even doctors found difficult to address. Elisabeth described death as merely another stage of life, and her greatest achievement was successfully changing how people spoke and behaved towards those who were dying, allowing them to face the end peacefully and with dignity.

By July 1982, Elisabeth had taught 125.000 students about death. She also taught at colleges, medical schools, social work agencies, and conducted seminars. She received nineteen honorary awards and wrote 24 books translated into 44 languages. She passed away on August 24, 2004, after a series of strokes. That same year, shortly before her birthday, Pluto, in its transit, was reaching her Midheaven.

In 2007, she was honored by being included in the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Additionally, Time magazine listed her among the "100 most important thinkers" of the 20th century. This recognition celebrated, perhaps unknowingly, her great benefactor Jupiter, the ruler of three houses in her chart. Jupiter's influence enabled her, through her personal activities, way of thinking and functioning, profession, and empathy —ascendant, lights, Uranus, and Pluto in water signs— to generously offer help, support, relief, and love.

¹ Thanatology: The birth of this academic field is credited to the Russian scientist Ilya Ilyich Metchnikov, who argued in 1903 that without systematic attention to death, the life sciences would not be complete. Thanatology remained minimally studied but experienced a revival of interest after World War II, when the world was haunted by memories of numerous victims, especially those of the atomic bomb. During this period of reflection, many existential philosophers examined issues of life and death, particularly Herman Feifel, an American psychologist who published his book "The Meaning of Death" in 1959. In France, the development of the field owes much to the work of researcher Louis-Vincent Thomas, considered the founder of thanatology [Wikipedia].

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