Jim Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971)

This post was inspired by a conversation I had yesterday with my son, Derek. We were discussing how Val Kilmer had absolutely nailed the portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s film “The Doors”. I hadn’t thought to do Morrison’s birth chart until that moment. But first, a little ‘memory’ of his own:

In 1947, when he was three to four years old, Morrison allegedly witnessed a car accident in the desert, during which a truck overturned and some American Indians were lying injured at the side of the road. He referred to this incident in the Doors’ song “Peace Frog” on their 1970 album Morrison Hotel, as well as in the spoken word performances “Dawn’s Highway” and “Ghost Song” on the posthumous 1978 album An American Prayer. Morrison believed this incident to be the most formative event of his life, and made repeated references to it in the imagery in his songs, poems, and interviews.

Wikipedia

According to most astrology sites, this timing is ‘excellent’. Well, I can’t argue with that assessment when the placement of the Moon @ 9° Taurus seems to mark the event of the witnessed accident at the right age. Its impression on his young mind would be enough to make him remember it his whole life.

Moon in Taurus

You like warmth, comfort and the security of familiar surroundings. You like to be near a fire or in a favorite chair, and you enjoy good food. A very loving and affectionate person, you also need love and affection from the people around you. It is important for you to know that everything around you is going on as usual. You are not very fond of changes, especially in your own little world.

Moon in 3rd House

Your feelings influence your decisions so much that it may be impossible to be objective, unless you make a great effort to be. It is not a good idea to base your decisions purely on feelings and moods, because they change so rapidly. Yet you have a good understanding of what is right for you and what isn’t, and as you grow up you will learn the difference between judging something on emotional whim and judging by real intuition.

Moon Opposition Venus

You very much need affection from others, and you will go to great lengths to get it. You are a very warm and loving person, and you will be liked by many people. The problem here is that you may attach yourself to people who are not good for you in some way simply because they seem loving. You must learn to stand by yourself, not so much because you will have to later, but because you won’t feel so dependent on others for your own sense of worth.

Moon Square Pluto

This aspect means that your emotions are often so intense that you seem to be at their mercy. Your feelings even affect your behavior, causing you to act without thinking. The habits you learn early in life will be difficult to break, so it is important to form good habits now. You will also get so attached to places and persons that it will not be easy to break away from them.

Moon Square Ascendant

Your feelings are quite changeable, and they influence how you feel about people. One day you really like someone, but on another day, you feel completely different. You may find it very difficult to treat others the same way all the time. You may also feel that people make demands on you that force you to hide your feelings. You believe that showing your feelings clearly to someone will hurt your relationship. This can make you feel very tense when you are with someone you like.

(There, do you have a better understanding of the man, now?)

His Death Chart

A small reminder re: the timing of this chart. This is the time that he was found in the bath, not the moment he died, so some important information may be missing from our analysis.

Excluding the ‘obvious’ Mars inconjunct Ascendant aspect (based on the discovery time), the inconjuncts hint that there are two subtle messages we’re receiving about what may have been going on in Morrison’s mind.

Mercury Inconjunct Mars

If you can learn to control this aspect, you will be able to spend a long time on mental work, as long as you are interested in what you are doing. But you will have to learn when to stop. You may work too hard or get too wrapped up in some idea that you are studying and not be able to relax. Get into the habit of taking a break before you get too overtired.

Venus Inconjunct Jupiter

This can be a positive aspect if you learn to control some of its negative possibilities. You are likely to lack energy and to be rather passive. You may wait for opportunities to come to you, rather than go after hem. You may not have enough energy to pursue your ambitions, or you may not have much ambition. Or you may love your comfort so much that you are unwilling to make any effort or put up with any pain that could help you grow and develop. However, if there are any indications of energy in your chart, they should overcome the passivity.

I submit for your consideration that Jim Morrison may have been trying to ‘break on through to the other side’ when he died.