Hi,
When someone is terminally ill (In decumbiture, to say it in the Traditional way), it isn't too hard to *predict* with accuracy at what point they will leave us.There are times when having this information will help the families in both practical and emotional ways, and on a few occasions I have been asked, as an astrologer, to give an indication of time frames.(for example, in one case, family members were overseas and needed to know if they should come back early to say goodbye to their mother. The chart showed yes they should and they did. Their mother died within days of their return...so yes there are valid times when it is both ethical and compassionate to use astrology in this way.
Only 2 years ago my best friend died after a long illness. She asked me specifically to give her a time frame,following her diagnosis, using astrology, which (reluctantly) I did, but it allowed her to get through a very long *to do list* and pace herself and we were both very realistic with the information the astrology gave us.
(At the time this particular friend died, her h8 ruler, the moon, received an exact conjunction by the transiting Mc and the north node was almost exactly conjunct her natal moon in her fourth house.Apart from that, she had Tr. saturn square natal Merc...she had lost the ability to speak and hear not long before her death.Tr.Pluto was conjunct her asc at the time of her death.)
I agree with what you said, Waybread, about unscrupulous fear-mongers-and there are plenty of them, preying on the vulnerable.
I've noticed with death charts, as the time of death approaches, many quincunxes seem to form,by transit to natal planets, (adjustments to be made) and the hours afterwards seem to have lots of quintiles.(easy and *spiritual* energies)..
In regard to predicting the death of an apparently well and healthy person, I think no. People can turn this into some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.What good can it possibly do?
An amateur astrologer looking at my current transits over the last week or so may well have predicted my death!(prematurely, as it turns out)
: Tr Pluto cj asc (square natal sun)...opp Tr sun right on desc... also square Natal sun. It's over. I'm still here.
One friend currently has Tr.Pluto opp his natal moon/Ur conj,(in h8) square his natal mars (h12)which is opposite his sun/merc cj.(h6).The sun conjoined the moon/uranus end of that equation when the sun was opposite pluto ...hes still alive and well too.
So while transits can look very bad, even a passing trine can be enough to save the Native.Its very hard to predict death the way it was traditionally done.
Cheers
Lillyjgc