Tracking Psoriasis

Through Astrology 

Psoriasis is a skin disease that has shattered many mentally and pushed many into depression, with a sense of shame  sends them into hiding. It is not difficult to understand how heart breaking it would be for someone in the modeling profession to suffer from this dreaded, chronic disease. But, this brave girl CariDee English who in spite of suffering from the disease not only participated in the “America’s Next Top Model” context, but also won it! She did it in 2006 at the age of 24. She did have the problem since the age of five. It takes lots of guts not just to go public with this problem, in such an industry, but to show that one can thrive in such adverse conditions too, if one accepts the reality and learns to deal with it. Otherwise, she could have been another case of a person suffering from mental depression. 

Psoriasis is a medical condition that occurs when skin cells grow too rapidly. Faulty signals in the immune system cause new skin cells to form in days rather than weeks. The body does not shed these excess skin cells, so the cells pile up on the surface of the skin and lesions get formed. Though there are different varieties of it, it is not the purpose of this article to go into those details. On the contrary, the purpose is to find the footprints of Psoriasis in astrological charts.

From the definition of Psoriasis, one can broadly see the problem as:

• It is a disease of the skin and can occur on any part of the body including nails
• Skin growth gets multiplied many a fold
• It is a chronic condition
• It is caused due to some malfunction in the immune system 

Today, medical science has yet to pin point the actual causes for Psoriasis. It is believed that some genetic conditions are responsible for the disease to surface. Probably, the astrological charts can point to better clues in this regard! 

When we try to map above facts to astrological parameters, we can say the following:

• The problem could be related to affliction to Mercury
• The planets causing multiplicity, Jupiter and/or 11th lord are involved
• The above planets would have their influence on Mercury
• Role of 8th lord should be seen in chronic conditions
• As Rahu can cause malfunction of the immune system, will have a role to play 

The investigation of charts of people suffering from Psoriasis started with the above astrological indications in focus. Though most of the above assumptions are found to be correct, there was on unique factor that stood out:

• Invariably, there was a sambandha between Jupiter, the karaka for multiplicity and the 11L, the lord of multiplicity in most of the charts that were investigated. 

This observation indicates that the factors promoting multiplicity have come together to cause growth rate of the skin to multiply at an alarming rate. Another interesting point that came out is that people with Leo lagna, or Scorpio lagna, or Aquarius lagna have higher chance of suffering from this disease. The reasons are as follows:

• For Leo lagna, Mercury itself is the 11th lord and Jupiter is the 8th lord. Both these planets are involved in causing the disease.
• For Scorpio lagna, Mercury is both the 8th lord and the 11th lord! Hence, the chronic condition and the multiplicity factor are already linked together and when Jupiter satisfies the other required condition in the chart, it is highly probable that the native suffers from the disease.
• For Aquarius lagna, Jupiter is the 11th lord and Mercury is the 8th lord. Just a conjunction of these two satisfies most of the conditions necessary for the problem to crop up. 

It does not mean that the natives with any other lagna will not have Psoriasis. Even when Jupiter and Mercury don’t own 8th or 11th houses, it is possible that they can either occupy those houses or have a sambandha with lords of those houses. Putting all the observations together, the footprint of Psoriasis in a natal chart can be generalized as below:

• Weak or afflicted Mercury
• A sambandha between Jupiter and 11th house/Lord
• A sambandha between Mercury and either Jupiter or 11th house/Lord
• A sambandha between Mercury and 8th house/Lord
• A sambandha between Mercury and Rahu 

A sambandha (relationship) can be at Rasi, or at Navamsha or at Nakshatra level.

Affected body parts

The affected body parts will be generally indicated by the house where Mercury is placed. It can also be found in the body parts that are indicated by the houses owned by Mercury. When Mercury is placed in Lagna, multiple body parts could be affected as lagna indicates the body as a whole in general. 

Timing

The problem could trigger during the dasha bhuktis of Mercury or the dasha bhuktis of planets having a sambandha with Mercury. 

Examples 

1. Kim Kardishian (Astrodatabank birth data rating is ‘AA’) 

Kim is an Armenian-American businesswoman, socialite, television personality, model, and actress. She has been recently diagnosed to have Psoriasis on her legs. Even her mother Kris Jenner is known to be suffering from the same disease.

Causes 

• Weak or afflicted Mercury
• Is in a dusthana with debilitated Sun
• A sambandha between Jupiter and 11th house/Lord
• Jupiter is placed in the 11th house
• A sambandha between Mercury and either Jupiter or 11th house/Lord
• Mercury is the 11th lord and also disposits Jupiter in Rasi. And Mercury is in the nakshatra of Jupiter
• A sambandha between Mercury and 8th house/Lord
• Mercury is also the 8th lord
• A sambandha between Mercury and Rahu
• Rahu is in the nakshatra of Mercury 

Affected body parts

Psoriasis has first shown up on her legs. It may be noted that Mercury owns the 11th house (where Jupiter is also placed) and Mercury is placed in the 12th house. These two houses indicate legs and foot for the native.

Timing

She was diagnosed with Psoraisis recently during vimshottari dasha period of Mer-Jup! Both these planets form the core of the problem. 

2. LeAnn Rimes (Astrodatabank birth data rating is ‘A’) 

LeAnn Rimes is an American country-western singer with a mature voice at 13 that is similar to that of Patsy Cline. She has state that she suffered from Psoriasis since she was two years old. 

Causes

• Weak or afflicted Mercury
• Mercury is conjunct Saturn and debilitated in Navamsha
• A sambandha between Jupiter and 11th house/Lord
• Jupiter is conjunct 11th lord Mars in Rasi. Also Mars is in the nakshatra of Jupiter.
• A sambandha between Mercury and either Jupiter or 11th house/Lord
• Mercury is in the amsha of Jupiter
• A sambandha between Mercury and 8th house/Lord
• Mercury is in the nakshatra of 8L Sun
• A sambandha between Mercury and Rahu
• Rahu is in the sign owned by Mercury in Rasi 

Affected body parts

As lagna lord Saturn is conjunct Mercury and disposited Mercury, she has the problem on many parts of her body. 

Timing

She has it since she was two years old. That corresponds to the vimshottari dasha period of Ven-Ven. It may be noted that Venus is in the nakshatra of Mercury. Or, the problem could have initiated in Ket-Mer period too, slightly before she was two. 

3. Ben Elton (Astrodatabank birth data rating is ‘A’) 

Benjamin Charles Elton is an English comedian, writer and director. He became a stand-up comedian and comedy writer shortly after leaving university in 1980, and was a central figure in the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s. More recently he has achieved success writing lyrics for and producing musicals, and as an author. Ben has psoriasis. He has always suffered from the skin disease psoriasis, and he rolls up his trouser leg to show an angry rash. “I've got it all over. Doctors say I am a bad case, and other people tell me that I've got to stop working.” 

Causes

• Weak or afflicted Mercury
• Mercury is in its debilitation sign and is conjunct Ketu
• A sambandha between Jupiter and 11th house/Lord
• Jupiter disposits 11th lord Mercury in Rasi
• A sambandha between Mercury and either Jupiter or 11th house/Lord
• Mercury is the 11th lord and is disposited by Jupiter in Rasi.
• A sambandha between Mercury and 8th house/Lord
• Mercury is also the 8th lord j. A sambandha between Mercury and Rahu
• Rahu is in the sign owned by Mercury in Rasi 

Affected body parts

It may be noted that Mercury occupies Chandra lagna and Jupiter occupies Lagna. As a result, he seems to have the condition on all over his body. 

Timing

There is no information about when the problem started for him, though he has said that he had all the time. It is quite possible that he might have had it when his Mercury MD started around the age of 14. 

4. John Updike (Astrodatabank birth data rating is ‘AA’) 

John Updike, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, was plagued from an early age with psoriasis. In his book, "Self-Consciousness", he devoted an entire chapter to his lifelong battle with psoriasis called "At war with my skin." He states: "Because of my skin I counted myself out of any of those jobs - salesman, teacher, financier, movie star - that demand being presentable. What did that leave? Becoming a craftsman of some kind, closeted and unseen - perhaps a cartoonist or a writer, a worker in ink who can hide himself and send out a surrogate presence, a signature that multiplies even while it conceals." His grandmother is known to have also suffered from the same problem. 

Causes

• Weak or afflicted Mercury
• In the sign of its debilitation and conjunct Rahu and is in a dusthana
• A sambandha between Jupiter and 11th house/Lord
• Jupiter disposits 11th lord Mercury in Rasi
• A sambandha between Mercury and either Jupiter or 11th house/Lord
• Mercury is the 11th lord and is disposited by Jupiter in Rasi.
• A sambandha between Mercury and 8th house/Lord
• Mercury is in the 8th house in Rasi
• A sambandha between Mercury and Rahu
• Mercury is conjunct Rahu 

Affected body parts

Though not much information is available, it may be concluded that Psoriasis might have spread over good part of his body as lagna lord Sun is conjunct Mercury. 

Timing

He is known to be suffering with Psoriasis since the age of six. That corresponds to the vimshottari dasha period of Mer-Ven. It may be noted that Venus debilitated in Navamsha (in a sign owned by Mercury). 

Acknolwedgement 

The author would like to thank Astrodatabank from where lot of information about the birth details of people has been used in this article. 

Reference 

[1] http://www.lifescript.com/Slideshows/Celebrity/CariDee_English.aspx 

[2] http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/Famous-People-with--Psoriasis-313397.html

© Krishnamurthy Seetharama