The shocking death of actress Natasha Richardson after what appeared to be a minor head injury from a skiing accident has raised a lot of questions.  After refusing medical treatment twice, she flown first to a hospital in Montreal and then to a hospital in New York where she died of a blood clot compressing her brain. 

There is a big debate among astrologers as to whether we can predict death using astrology, and if we can, whether we should.  We can look at Natasha Richardson’s chart and her transits and progressions and see where a critical event would occur, but I doubt an astrologer would have taken any of these events to signify her death prior to the event.

At the time of Ms. Richardson’s accident, transiting Mars was exactly opposite Uranus in her chart, a common significator of accidents as the impatience of Mars bumps up against the rebellious disdain for rules of Uranus.  Her progressed Midheaven, representing her evolving destiny and purpose, was exactly conjunct Uranus at the same time, showing that this was a time of great importance in her life.  It would have been clear looking at this confluence of events that something very significant would occur in her life. 

Another eerie coincidence was the return of Ms. Richardon’s progressed Saturn, which had turned retrograde back in 1985, was exactly conjunct her natal Saturn at the time of her death.  This “progressed Saturn return” is another significator for an event of importance but would not necessarily have alerted an astrologer to her death; it could just as easily have signified a period of great career success.  

I usually look for Jupiter transits at the time of death, and there are some harmonious Jupiter transits at work here.  However, they do not seem to be the key events at work here. 

Regardless of the astrology of her death, it is a shocking loss to her family and friends, and to her fans like me who appreciated her sparkling talent.