Three Cups of Tea

I have just recently read this amazing book with my book club and became so interested in greg mortenson, the mountaineer turned school/peace-builder that I searched the web until I came up with his birth data (sans birthtime). using placidus houses, here is the chart.



i freaking love astrology, mostly because it works! here is a guy who was born in the US but raised in africa, became a mountaineer, a nurse, and found his life's work after a failed attempt to summit K2 left him in a tiny remote village in Pakistan, being taken care of by people who were to become his second family.

evolutionary astrology starts by looking at the nodes of the moon and pluto to attempt to understand one's soul's purpose. with his nodes in taurus/scorpio, greg is concerned with life and death issues; the basic needs of life - shelter, safety and resources (taurus) and an acute awareness that the lack of those basic necessities can lead to struggles, conflict, reliance on others, even death (scorpio). uranus, the planet of modernization and community creativity, is in the sign of leo which rules children and other creative activities. uranus is square his nodes, signifying that the way for greg to integrate the opposing energies of the nodes lies in "improving the lives of children" (among other possible meanings). this is exactly what he has devoted his life to do.

venus is also in a close opposition to uranus, in aquarius (ruled by uranus). venus rules our relationships and our money, and in aquarius, it can mean that one is very attracted to the finer things in life. in greg's chart, however, this signifies his love of the global community and his desire to improve that community through his own unique creative gifts. it is interesting that the original donor to his activities was a self-made millionaire who made his fortune in technology (ruled by uranus) and greg's work is supported by hundreds of donations from the global community.

with his sun in capricorn, he is stubborn, pragmatic and has earned great respect in the global community. his pisces moon speaks to his ability to have compassion for others and his feeling of being a global citizen (as well as indicating his ability to accept any and all food/environments/hardships during his work).

finally, his pluto in virgo, which indicates the soul's purpose, signifies his need to find "the right work". it is squaring his mars in sagittarius, which urges him to seek meaning in his life, be adventurous, and be interested in other cultures and ways of life. squares require action; as a result, greg is a man who has found his path in life and is following his bliss. it has been dangerous, and not without sacrifice, but it has been a huge success.

if you are interested in learning more about greg, his work, or his book, here is the link.