Dalai Lama – a life less ordinary

The Dalai Lama celebrating his 90^th birthday this week has said he will have a successor after his death, ending years of uncertainty. He said only the foundation he set up could recognise a future Dalai Lama – “no one else has any such authority to interfere”. China’s government responded by saying it alone would choose the Dalai Lama’s successor, which must be “approved by the central government.”

  According to Tibetan tradition, Dalai Lamas are “reincarnated” after they die.

In March 1959, as Chinese troops crushed an attempted uprising in Tibet, he fled into India but despite decades in exile, he remains as the Tibetans’ spiritual leader and a living symbol of their hopes of reclaiming their homeland as well as a global peace icon and one of the world’s leading religious figures.

  He insists Tibetan are not seeking independence only autonomy and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his consistent opposition to the use of violence in his quest for Tibetan self-rule. Beijing continues to view him as a dangerous separatist.

He was born 6 July 1935 4.19 am Takster (China) (from biography and memory, rectified) and having been identified as the Dalai Lama when he was two years old, he was brought up in the monastic system, until fleeing into exile in India in 1959 during the Tibetan uprising when there were fears the Chinese would capture him. Since then he has lived in Dharamsala, India.

  He has a 1^st house Cancer Sun in a Water Grand Trine to Jupiter in Scorpio in his 5^th house trine a regretful Saturn in Pisces in his knowledgeable 9^th, formed into a Kite by Saturn in a compassionate opposition to Neptune, making Neptune (Moon) in Virgo his leading planet. He also has Pluto in Cancer square Mars in Libra in his 4^th, hinting at the stresses of his childhood and later fears for his safety. His Virgo Moon Neptune is trine Uranus and sextile his Sun. A watery Neptunian chart with no Air signs – creative, emotionally self-protective, not always realistic.

 His Capricorn North Node hints at a tendency to be overly optimistic or gloss over unpleasantness; but also a need to ‘identify with an ideal bigger than personal life’ and fulfil a father role which certainly fits.

 His Chiron in the 12^th hints at a life of sacrifice with a difficulty in establishing a strong sense of personal identity and incarnating in earthly form. Melanie Rhinehart writes that such a Chiron may ‘identify with the lonely outsider, scapegoat or exile.’ Healing others but not healing himself.

 His Harmonics are strongly aspected and notable. His get-it-together 5^th harmonic is inspirational and spiritual as well as confident. His searching-and-seeking 7^th harmonic is even more buoyant and spirited. His global influencer 22^nd harmonic shows up the hardship, deprivation and risks of his life.

  When he fled Tibet tr Jupiter was in aspect to his central configuration of his Water Grand Trine/Kite in its Solar Arc position. And relocating his chart to Dharmsala in India where he has lived since gives a happy-home Venus, Moon, Neptune in the 4^th; with high vitality Mars in the 6^th and an organized/executive Saturn in the 10^th – plus Chiron exactly on the Ascendant making him rigorously self-sufficient, emphasizing his identity as the wounded healer.

 There is no sensible chart for Tibet though the two significant dates in the 20^th Century – the 17 Point Agreement with China on Tibet’s status 23 May 1971, which Beijing later reneged on; and the uprising of 5 March 1959 – both charts look stressed in the bear future with moving yods hinting at a period and for two or three years ahead of paralysis and strain.