I was talking to a friend today and anorexia came up. He is particularly sensitive around all these girls starving themselves — it distresses him greatly. He has a Taurus Moon and I wonder if this has something to do with it. The Moon is concerned with food of course, and Taurus wants to be comfortable. But anyway, he spoke with me about this some years ago and it got me thinking. Thinking in astrology that is, because this is what I do.
I thought about people who grow up starving. And obviously this deprivation would show up in their chart. So what if there is something in your chart indicating this sort of experience, but you are born to privilege? Would you create the experience anyway? It seemed to me — yes. It seemed to me that this is exactly what is happening with these pro-ana types.
And once on this bead I saw evidence everywhere. The chart WILL manifest.
For example, I thought of an old boyfriend of mine, from back when I was a very young. He grew up in Nicaragua, and he told me stories. He explained how terrifically poor people were there, but that he and his family were privileged. He attended a private school for example, a sanctuary in the middle of all this violence, all this fighting.
And one day, a little girl, desperate for her life, tried to climb the fence of school to take refuge but she didn’t make it. Halfway up, she was shot and she fell dead on her side of the fence as he witnessed this. So just think about that. And compare to my own story.
I grew up starving in America at a time when no one was going hungry. What the fuck? So he's got everything he needs in a country that's impoverished and I've got no breakfast, lunch or dinner in the richest country in the world.
And I look at these girls (and boys) who won’t eat, and I think of the children around the world who can’t eat and I can’t help but think they are simpatico. Starving is starving, yes? You are starving when you can’t eat and these girls can’t eat and it doesn’t really matter why. And I don’t have the charts of 100 anorexic girls but I bet they don’t have Taurus Moons with easy aspects, you know?
So what do you think? Why is anorexia so prevalent these days?
Article comments
1 - nemo is sushi
Anorexia is a mental illness, but something not explained by astrology. There are coincidences, but I don't believe in astrology or any connection there. In my opinion, and I have first and second and third hand experience with anorexia nervosa, it's not about food so much as it is about control. There's something in your life you're not comfortable with, and somehow you end up starving to quell your insecurities, if you will. Research the subject, there's a bit of interesting lit out there, but first hand experiences are the only way to understand what it's really about. There are infinite reasons for this disease, I am personally sure of that; they can't fit into a nice, neat category or be solved with a pill. The cause is different for every person, filling a void, a want for something intangible you can't have, food isn't the only thing. It's a surface reason for something that manifests as a ravaging illness.
2 - bec
I had a friend with moon in cancer/ ceres (asteroid connected with the nurturing myth) opposite mars (physical body and drives) who had anorexia..i guess it's regaining cotrol plus a collective rebellion regarding our society running too fast for female rhythms.. even many indigenous people are statistically not reproducing as much these days and suffering from self neglect and inability to nurture themselves.. i've noticed women with moon in aries or capricorn (masculine signs) are more prone to fast track career versus infertility/ miscarriage and need to make a conscious effort to slow down and get with earth's rhythm when they want to get pregnant and successfully deliver too..
ps i love your blog
3 - K
Hi there,
I thought that was interesting however there are alot of misconceptions over the nature of how Taurus manifests! I have a Taurus sun, moon AND ascendant and I've had an eating disorder for over 11 years, which started out as anorexia. I feel like saying, don't be so quick to pigeonhole Taureans as being immune to eating disorders!
I'm currently attempting recovery for the millionth time, trying to feel secure enough in myself and not so guilty for taking up so much space etc. all the psychological issues that come into it. Over the last couple of years when the eating disorder started to diminish I started getting into drugs and developed schizophrenia- I have marked psychic abilities and untapped talents from past lives, having had quite a few past life healings and clearings. I've suffered severe paranoia, getting 'voices' in my head, and agorophobia. I get very jittery in large groups of people and need alot of solitude to bring my energies back into balance.
Prehaps I should explain the rest of my chart? lol. My sun and moon are in the 12th house... I am very ungrounded and usually off on some other planet or in another dimension.. I have a reputation for being permanently spaced out even when I'm not on drugs.
My 12th house sun forms a strong opposition with my natal Pluto in the 6th house and Scorpio. My 12th house moon forms an opposition with Saturn which is located on the cusp of my 6th and 7th house. I have Chiron, the part of fortune, and Ceres in Gemini and my 1st house. Mercury and Venus are in Aries and the 11th house, conjunct, semisquare Uranus in Sagittarius in the 7th, and midpointed by Jupiter in Aquarius and the 9th house.
I hope this adds an interesting element to your 'case studies'. I have been interested in astrology ever since I read my sun sign
4 - lilo
interesting i have moon in taurus in 12th house
i was reading the last comment and thought i wonder if you have your moon in taurus in the 12th house ie 'burying your moon instincts to nurture yourself?' then you wrote it and there it was.
hm. with the piscean 12th house - you need to learn that you need to heal yourself through food and through the physical. i know that i go through phases of 'controlling' food - or self deprevation when i am going through stressful times as an internal (subconscious) form of self-'sacrifice' but then at the same time, then i remind myself of how 'celebrating' the healing that can also take place through the physical act of self-nurturing of food and getting back into the sensuous real world, and out of the 'spiritual'. (12th house piscean theme of sacrifice and redemption)
5 - Layne
I've noted Saturn in hard aspect to the Ascendant--whether the conjunction, opposition or square (4th/10th house dynamics) in several charts.
One chart in particularly caught my attention. It belonged to a sun-sign Cancer male. His Ascendant is in Capricorn opposing Saturn in Cancer. He's lost and gained the same one hundred pounds three times in his short life.
6 - Wicked Leo Scorpio Witch
I have my moon and pluto conjunct in scorpio in the 4th, squaring my sun in leo in the first. I've had anorexia for the past 4 months roughly.
I think Pluto conjuncting my moon is a huge factor. The moon is nourishment, pluto is control, and scorpio is extreme in every sense of the word. This issue with weight and food began when Pluto started dancing around my 6th house cusp. It started out as an obsession with nutrition and fitness, but when Pluto entered my 6th house I developed a full-blown eating disorder. I weigh 120 pounds now, but when I first started restricting my caloric intake I weighed 145 (6th house Jupiter transit. Fun stuff). Everyone says I'm so disciplined for losing 25 pounds...if only they knew.
7 - monarch
I have moon in taurus 8th house opposite pluto in the first and second. I will check my astro books for any more clues. I do remember something in regards to scorpio
8 - annonyma
Ok, this will be interesting for you to hear, I have just developed bulimia, It sucks I hate it and I need to sort it out but I feel almost like it's here to stay for awhile... anyway, in my natal ch. I have saturn conj. moon and saturn sq. jupiter. My saturn has Just, AND THIS IS EXACT SAME TIME THE ED STARTED opposition my natal venus with saturn in 2nd house to venus in 8th of extremes. ring any bells guys?
9 - Blackempress
I think anorexia goes with hard aspects to emotional areas whether those r moon aspects or 12 house issues or even Neptune hard aspects. I have a natal Neptune sq moon & Neptune rising. I always had weight issues n trying to trim down always makes me anorexic. Sun cancer so major compulsive-restrictive behavior.
10 - caligirl
let me start by saying i TOTALLY believe in and study astrology, so i'm not saying this as an attack on astrology at all. but i have a taurus moon (aries sun, cancer rising if that has an impact on your theory) and i've had anorexia and bulimia (and orthorexia if you count that), separately over a span of eight years. sooooo i don't think there's a connection