There are 27 lunar stations or asterisms called the Nakshatras. The Moon takes approximately 27 days to transit through a zodiac sign, moving through each of these 27 Nakshatras during that time. Like the zodiac constellations (Aries through Pisces), the Nakshatras (Ashwini through Revati) are another celestial backdrop that the planets orbit in front of. From this deeper ‘wheel’ we get additional insight from the birth chart based on the Nakshatras each planet ‘occupies’ at the moment of birth. For more information about the Nakshatras, I recommend the book The Nakshatras: The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology by Dr. Dennis Harness, PhD.

We looked at key planetary indicators in Part 1 to see the astrological confirmation of Hayao Miyazaki’s creative brilliance and worldly success. We can acknowledge this further by looking at the Nakshatras that his planets occupy.

Mars and Venus are in Scorpio, occupying two different Nakshatras. Mars is in Anuradha which supports business organization and management while Venus is in Jyeshtha, a Nakshatra favorable for self-employment, management, and intelligence. This provides a solid foundation from business success underlying Mars’ impetus to build and create and Venus’ ability to express artistically.

Mercury and the Sun are both located within Purva Ashadha which is said to give leadership abilities and fame combined with a philosophical, spiritual, and humanitarian nature. This is a great combination supporting Mercury and the Sun in Sagittarius, showing Miyazaki’s faith in his work and his capacity to lead a team to produce and sell his imaginative writing and visionary artwork with the ability to oversee and direct.

Moon and Ketu are both in Virgo and, like Mars and Venus, they also occupy different Nakshatras. Moon is in Revati, a gentle Nakshatra that gives creative intelligence, wealth, mysticism, and visionary qualities as well as talent in film and editing, and success in foreign lands. Ketu is in Uttara Bhadrapada which brings wisdom, good fortune, love of children, and honesty. Here we can see Miyazaki’s emotionally-charged imagination shaped by intelligence that leads to successful endeavors.

Jupiter is in Ashwini, a Nakshatra that gives ability as a mystic and therapist. This confirms Miyazaki’s talent for writing from the heart to intentionally touch the hearts, minds, and souls of his audience. As a writer and artist, he is like a magician and healer in one creating youthful characters and stories geared toward and appropriate for children (of all ages).

Rahu is in Hasta Nakshatra, a placement known for artists, communicators, and writers. Enough said! Except. In addition, Miyazaki’s Ascendant Nakshatra is Purva Phalguni, which represents joy and success in management and entertainment.

An important element about the Nakshatras and their use in prediction and insight is the planet that rules the Nakshatra. Just like the zodiac signs have rulers, so the Nakshatras also have rulers. Key rulers for Miyazaki’s Nakshatras are Venus- which rules Purva Ashadha (underlying his natal Mercury-Sun conjunction), Mercury- which rules Jyeshtha and Revati (underlying his natal Venus and Moon, respectively), and the Moon- which rules Hasta (underlying natal Rahu). All of these greatly contribute to the success Miyazaki has built and sustained from his humble beginning in 1963 when he first entered the world of animation, a time when he was running his Venus mahadasha. (Observing the dasha timeline is yet another layer of insight that will not be explored here but may be analyzed in a future case study.)

Again, this brief overview of the Nakshatras along with the signs in Part 1 is merely an example of the understanding gained from the birth date alone, without a confirmed, complete and accurate birth chart (when the birth time is unknown).

I previously mentioned the strength of Miyazaki’s Mars, being in its own sign, Scorpio. What I haven’t brought up is the exaggerated condition of Saturn, who is both retrograde and debilitated. This will be the topic explored in Part 3.

Renate Maria Bell is a certified Vedic Astrologer, Jyotish Visharada, and approved teacher with the Council of Vedic Astrology. She can be reached at renatembell@aol.com

Photo of Hayao Miyazaki courtesy wikipedia