Leonard Cohen (September 21, 1934 – November 7, 2016)

Again, I wouldn’t have thought to do Leonard Cohen’s birth and death charts if it weren’t for the Netflix film “Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love” (2019). I got a better sense of the man through his own spoken words. (It also cleared up a question mark that had been hanging over Phil Spector. See my own comment there.)

He was a man who never ‘settled’ down to domesticity, although in the end he had connections to two families, Marianne’s and Suzanne’s.

I believe Neptune represents Suzanne and Venus represents Marianne. Notice that they are almost exactly conjunct @ 12° Virgo 43-44′ in the 12th House. There is a double inconjunct.

Sun Inconjunct Uranus

Sometimes the energy of this aspect comes out in other ways as well. At times sudden upsets may occur in your life that totally alter your plans, so that you have to change course completely. When this happens, you must learn to yield to the pressure and flow with the change. It may be difficult for you to realize it, but such an upset occurs because you have blocked much-needed changes in your life, or they have been denied you. However upsetting these changes are at first, they will give you the freedom you need to grow as an individual. Unfortunately, if you always wait for changes to come in this manner, they are likely to be very startling and unsettling. If you learn to assert your individuality more directly, the changes will not seem so upsetting.

As with many other inconjuncts, astrologers have found that if you suppress your need and desire for freedom in your life, this energy may be expressed through illness or accident. While you are young, you may have accidents because you suddenly make unpredictable, rash movements. Later in life this aspect can signify cardiac problems, but only if you suppress your natural need for self-expression.

Uranus Inconjunct Ascendant

Your need to be free and do what you want is often in conflict with what others require of you and even with what you feel you ought to do. Sometimes this conflict can cause considerable and emotional tension. The task you face is to organize your life in a disciplined way that will enable you to satisfy your need for freedom through your everyday activities. One way to accomplish this is by figuring out your own methods for doing your work. Or you may choose to do the most interesting and exciting tasks, which are often the most difficult, so that others shy away from them. You need to be challenged by puzzles and problems in all your activities. You are not good at routines and repetitious tasks.

The restless energies of this aspect should be given some kind of release, because otherwise they can turn inward to create the kind of rash and compulsive actions that lead to accidents. If you have accidents, it is not because you are unlucky, but because you are not careful at critical times. Learn to avoid any kind of dangerous activity when you are nervous, upset or feel that your energies are scattered.

Sun Conjunct Ascendant

You have a very strong personality, and when you enter a room, everyone knows it. As you get older, this will happen because of your impressive bearing, but while you are young it may just be that you are a show-off who has to be the center of attention. You want to be the leader of the group, the person whom all the activity revolves around. While you can be very charming and winning, your attitudes can make people very angry. Also you may have too good an opinion of yourself. You should concentrate on getting to know yourself and your limitations as accurately as possible. Then you can make the most effective use of your energy.

Cohen died on November 7, 2016, at the age of 82 at his home in Los Angeles; leukemia was a contributing cause. According to his manager, Cohen’s death was the result of a fall at his home that evening, and he subsequently died in his sleep.

Wikipedia

Because of the ambiguity of this quote, I’m not sure if he died on the night of the 7th or the early morning. So, although I have raised a death chart, I won’t share it here. Needless to say, Uranus was still the most important planet on his fatal day.

Goodbye, Leonard.

Post Script: Leonard’s lifelong use of amphetamines (“Speed”) is symbolized by Uranus.