There was no greater interpreter of Eastern Wisdom for the Western mind last century than Alan Watts. Throughout his lifetime of study, service, and "philosophical entertaining," Alan Watts put the mystical, ungraspable wisdom of the Ancients into terms that the modern Western mind could absorb and understand. Alan's Vedic birth chart yields four placements in the sign of Sagittarius, greatly shaping his development into teacher, philosopher, priest, and performer. Sagittarius is a fire sign, as is Leo, the sign where Alan's Moon and Ketu are located, giving him a total of six planets in fire signs, three planets in air signs, and one planet in a water sign. This shows a mixture of strong fire qualities with ample air to fan the flame. Here we have a bright flame that burned clearly and strongly, as Alan Watts truly did, for a short but intense and joyful life. Alan died in his sleep on November 16, 1973 at his home in California. He was 58 years old.

In Alan's chart, the Sun, Mars, and Mercury are in Sagittarius, fiery planetary energy in a fiery sign. Within the greater sign of Sagittarius lies the nakshatra of Purva Ashadha, which runs from 13°20' to 26°40' Sagittarius. This asterism gives the ability to influence and relate with the masses, as well as endowing wisdom, fame, fertility, and wealth. The primary motivation of this lunar mansion is moksha, spiritual liberation. These three planets, which strongly define Alan's personality by their placement, rendered him deeply philosophical, while at the same time giving him the ability to relate his religious and spiritual experiences to the masses in a joyful, clear, and entertaining manner. Although the planet Jupiter rules Sagittarius, the planet Venus rules Purva Ashadha; therefore, both Jupiter and Venus, giving not only a joyful spiritual nature but also a love of beauty and the ability to relate to others, are influencing the Sun, Mars, and Mercury.

The four placements in Sagittarius, the Ascendant, Mars, Sun, and Mercury, combined with the fact that Retrograde Saturn is placed in the 7th house of relationship and partnership show a strikingly independent nature. Alan Watts was very much of a solo act; relying on his own studies and experience, he single handedly communicated the foreign ideas of Zen and other mystic teachings to his Western audiences using a cheerful, matter-of-fact approach. I'm no expert on Alan Watts' romantic life, but these placements suggest a personality who could relate easily to the masses, communicating obscure, mystical ideas, but who may have been a bit inaccessible on an intimate, one-on-one basis. That is not to say Alan was incapable of relationship; he was married two times and was the father to seven children. Certainly, his capacity for independent thought was the basis for his lifetime of spiritual exploration.

For another aspect of the way Alan may have related to others, a look at the placement of his Moon is crucial. His Moon is in the sign of Leo, and in the nakshatra of Purva Phalguni, the asterism which runs from 13(20' to 26(40' Leo. Leo is ruled by the Sun, and for Alan decorated his 9th house, the house of philosophy, religion, grace, wisdom, and gurus. Leo gives the quality of royal magnanimity, and again, an air of independence and honor. The Moon here suggests commerce in the realm of philosophy and religion. During the major period of the Moon, which began when he was sixteen years old, Alan was in training to become an Anglican priest while at the same time discovering the philosophy of the East. He became editor of the Buddhist Lodge Quarterly and made the acquaintance of D.T. Suzuki, a great translator of Zen and other Buddhist texts. The Moon is joined by the shadowy planet Ketu in Leo, which perhaps lent Alan the ability to relate his direct, inner spiritual adventure to the rest of us.

The Moon in Purva Phalguni, which is ruled by Venus, gave Alan a youthful, exuberant, and carefree approach to life. This asterism gives a zest for life that surely was manifested by Alan. He got involved at an early age writing and teaching about philosophy and comparative religions, during the major planetary period of the Moon. Purva Phalguni grants the initiative to directly experience life and to plunge in headlong, while also bestowing a love of music, dance, and drama, owed to Venus' influence.

Alan was also married during the major period of the Moon, in the minor period of Mercury, the planet that rules his 7th house of relationship and partnership. This was in 1938, the same year that he moved to the United States. The Moon rules the 8th house in Alan's chart, which indicates the major period of the Moon to be one of deep research, tantric study, and long journeys. Certainly, New York is far away from his birthplace.

His next major planetary period was that of Mars, which in his chart is located in the 1st house and rules the 5th and 12th. This period ran from 1941-1948. In 1941, he enrolled in the Seabury Western Theological Seminary, and was ordained as an Episcopalian priest. As already discussed, Mars is conjoined with three other planets in Sagittarius, the sign of religion, philosophy, and higher learning. It also rules the 5th, the house of karmic benefits and creativity; an individual's children can also be read from this house. The 5th house being activated by this planetary period could have seen the birth of some of his seven children, although I could find no concrete evidence to support that. Mars ruling the 12th also shows a period of concentration on spiritual liberation. The 12th is associated with living in foreign countries, time spent in confinement, such as in a hospital, prison, or monastery, and enlightenment. Mars as the ruler of this house by nature of Scorpio's location here shows the drive to deeply delve into and research the idea of spiritual liberation inside and out. Mars' location with his other strong planets on the Ascendant shows that this drive was very much a part of his personality and true purpose in life.

Alan's next two major planetary periods were those of Rahu and then, Jupiter. These two planets are conjoined in Aquarius in the 3rd house. Jupiter is the strongest planet in the chart due to its lordship of the strong Sagittarian Ascendant. The third house represents the fields of energy, pure motivation, fine arts, courage, will, and adventure. Certainly Alan seemed to enjoy bringing the dharma to people. This placement shows an enthusiastic, famous, religious teacher. These two planets also aspect Retrograde Saturn, further bringing joy and optimism to the Saturn side of spiritual life. He could explain the Saturnine Buddhist concept of suffering in such a way that one could simultaneously feel joyful and free in the face of Saturn's sometimes harsh lessons. Jupiter also projects his beneficent gaze onto the Moon, further strengthening his compassion and ability to relate as a teacher.

Alan's Rahu Period began in 1948 and continued through 1966. In 1950, Alan quit the ministry at the church, and left his marriage of twelve years. In early 1951, he moved from New York to San Francisco, even further from his English roots, to accept a teaching position at the Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco. He also began a relationship with his second wife at this time. All of this shows the adventurous nature of the third house. Also, Rahu and Jupiter are located in the nakshatra of Dhanishtha, which can indicate things such as talent in singing or reciting chants, great wealth, and difficult marital karma. Other qualities of this lunar mansion are spiritual depth and an ability to unify people by showing sympathy and compassion. It shows courage, fame, recognition, and a fortune made far away from the home. During this time Alan began his radio career and completed the Pacifica Radio Series, as well as continuing to write books about spirituality, religion, and philosophy. He wrote his most well known book, The Way of Zen, during the Rahu Major period. Rahu strongly placed with Jupiter here could certainly account for Alan's rise to fame at this time. Rahu is a significator of fame. He became one of the main gurus of the San Francisco spiritual scene, insisting that he was an entertainer all the way along.

Jupiter's major period began in 1966. This was the icing on the cake. The Jupiter major period of this chart shows a person fully growing into their true being and manifestation. Alan reached the furthest reaches of his human blossoming, much like the fullest expansion of a firework. He passed away in the Jupiter major, Ketu minor period. Ketu indicates mystical knowledge, dreams, and sleep, to name only a few. Alan reportedly died in his sleep, without mention of trauma. Ketu in the ninth surely points to Alan's further courageous journey through the cosmos that he knew that he was. In the ninth harmonic chart, Alan has Ketu placed in the 12th house, which indicates enlightenment, loss, and one's next life. It also shows confinement, sleep and bed pleasures. He continued to produce brilliant work through speaking and writing, entertaining, appealing to a wide audience, right until the end of his life. He wrote such books as The Tao of Philosophy, Cloud Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown, and Tao, the Watercourse Way during the years of his Jupiter major period.

Alan Watts' birth chart very accurately reveals his karma as a teacher of spiritual wisdom. He was a prolific writer, speaker, and teacher whose influence on the modern spiritual wisdom scene continues today. The establishment of The Electronic University by his son has served to further the teaching and entertainment of Alan Watts for more than a quarter of a century after his passing. My prediction is that spiritual seekers will continue to be entertained into enlightenment by the passionate work of Alan Watts.