Helena Blavatsky birth chart (rectification, part 2)

To do this properly we need to look at the whole of her chronological biography to the degree possible through her known life events. But first — a character sketch. I’m relying on what is given on the wikipedia page for her (opens in new tab).

At age 16 she experienced a sudden inner change; began to study the books from great grandfather’s library more deeply. Before she was married she’d learned to speak English, German, French, and some Tibetan, probably German by that time and picked up Italian, Arabic, and some Sanskrit. She was known as a “beguiling story-teller” in her early years according to historian Richard Davenport-Hines and “a petted, wayward … child.” Relatives said she socialized with lower-class children and enjoyed playing pranks and reading.

She lived in her mind, seemed to care little for her body. Her figure bulged her whole adult life and her appearance was seen as untidy. She was a long term chain smoker of cigarettes and was known to smoke hashish at times. Biographer Marion Meade said she had an “utter disregard for the Victorian code of morality” and was “an eccentric who abided by no rules except her own.” Various biographers have described her gift for storytelling (or stretching the truth), her vivid imagination, contradictory character, strong will, temper, and tendency to swearing.

Her mother Yelena Andreyevna Hahn was born on 11 January 1814 (probably in Rzhyshchiv, Ukraine). (Only her father’s birth year is known.)

LIFE EVENTS SEQUENCE

1st Move: to Romankovo approximately age 1.5 years, so around Jan-Feb 1833. (Father returned home from war in Poland when Helena was six months old and they moved to Romankovo a year later.)
Transits for Feb 1st show Uranus right on the MC of this chart, indicating it is probably within 3° of correct:

However, if we add about 1.5° to natal Sun’s position for its approximate progression at this time (assuming it starts in the natal 3rd house): 18.4° Leo + 1.5° progression = 19.9° Leo. That could point the general area of a viable natal IC (the significator of home and moves), since we are only approximating this move at age 1.5 years. Let’s keep that figure in mind.

2nd Move: in early 1835 (prior to sister Vera’s birth) to Odessa.
Uranus was 24-29° Aquarius from January to mid-April, so if no longer near natal MC, possibly trine Asc. January 1st Uranus’s declination waas 14S11, very much parallel the MC area of this chart (contra-parallel IC); North Lunar Node was 17GEM24 [declination 22.9° north], so not far from the proposed Asc area [decl. 23° north]. Swiss Ephemeris 1835. So we can see we are on the right track with Uranus acting as a main factor in the early life moves.

Younger sister Vera Petrovna born 29 April 1835 in Odessa.
Siblings are seen in the 3rd house, its significator (Cancer=Moon, or Leo=Sun here), or other progressed aspects involving Venus, Moon, Mercury, etc. Changes in the balance of home (attention given to each child) are seen in transits to the IC or 4th house factors. Let’s look at the transits first:

Mars right near the 3rd house cusp, indicating that cusp may be pretty close to accurate. Both Mercury & Saturn making transits to IC (possibly Pluto). So this chart is looking pretty good transits-wise.
Progressions show:
– prog Saturn in 4th house semi-sextile natal Venus in 5th house (orb=0°02′)

Not specific enough timing to bother with transits:
– Move: to Saint Petersburg in 1836.
– Move: 1837-38(?) to Astrakhan, where she encountered Kalmyks who practiced Tibetan Buddhism.
– Move: 1838 to Poltava.
– Move: 1838-40(?) to Saratov.
However, there may be an internal chart metric affecting her IC/ruler or planet in the 4th house during this stretch of time. That is a progressed aspect of a slower planet to a faster natal one (or point like IC).
Hard to know about IC since we’re not yet certain of its range or precision, but in looking at the contents of the natal 4th house which would appear to be N.Node, Mars, Saturn, Mercury (4th ruler Sun?) there are no major or minor (15-degree) aspects culminating within 0°05′ of any of them. So let’s move on to events with more specific dates.

Younger brother Leonid was born June 1840, also not specific enough.
Moves: back to Poland, then back to Odessa 1840-42(?). Same.

Death of mother: 6 July 1842. A big loss for the young Helena who would even not turn 11 until the following month. The transits again show you how Lois Rodden could see a chart set around this time as being valid. Neptune right on the MC, Saturn in the 8th house of death, and both Jupiter & N.Node appear to be quincunx the natal IC.
Addendum 16 March 2020: I noticed that I’d failed to mark Pluto’s position here at 21°55′ so I added it in to this image as it helps confirm the idea of this Asc figure at 19-22° Gemini.

So now we have the word of two transiting factors Jupiter 18CAP21 & N.Node 20CAP47 to suggest a natal IC degree area 2° on the short and long side of those figures: 16.3 – 22.8° Capricorn. Saturn’s declination 22.5° south would have made a contra-parallel to natal Asc in middle to late Gemini. It’s not narrowing things down further for us, but is giving more general confirmation.
The progressions:
– prog Sun 28LEO53 made a culminating bi-quntile to natal Neptune in 8th (orb=0°02′), so we’re close to the right Asc figure.
– prog Pluto 10ARI23 made a culminating bi-quintile to prog Saturn in the 4th house (orb=02′) also a house of endings and home, most often associated with mother. More confirmation of Saturn’s placement in the 4th (which helps support the overall idea of Gemini rising).
A question would be: is this an event for which prog Neptune had finally moved into culminating quincunx to natal Asc? If so, the Asc would be 22°36-45′. Let’s keep that in mind.

Move after mother’s death (date unknown) she and siblings back to Saratov to live with maternal grandparents. The previous chart for mother’s death shows transits of Neptune, Jupiter, N.Node all to the apparent IC degree area, at least two of which were probably still active during this move.

First Marriage: 7 July 1848 (age 17) and fled her husband just a few weeks later.
NOTE: wrong year used here for her marriage. It was in 1849. See next blog in this series.
Transits appear to have Saturn 25.3° Pisces & Nodes 24.1° Virgo/Pisces square Asc/DC, Mars 18.3° Leo sextile Asc/trine DC, Uranus 22.1° Aries (same) in aspect to the DC, the natal significator of marriage. If we add those up and divide the sum by 4 aspects we get 22.5°. So the genuine Asc figure may be closer to that, as suggested by the positions of transiting Saturn and Nodes. Saturn was in retrograde motion, applying back to tighter square to the Asc (20-23°?), suggesting the breaking of the relationship within weeks (especially with Uranus active).

And so I leave you in suspense for now. Part 3