Help for a Friend with Depression, Work and Relationship Problems

Hello Everyone,

Last night I got in touch with my best friend from childhood, it's been about a year since I last talked to him, and yesterday he came to me at facebook and asked if he could just vent with me, and I said sure, and listened to what he had to say. It turns out he has a lot of problems that I couldn't have imagined. When I first re-encountered him two years ago, he told me he struggled with depression and anxiety, but that he got better over the years. But last night I just seemed like I could feel him pour all his tears over the keyboard as he typed.
He mentioned he's always had problems with low self-esteem, and it seems that that has come to bite him once again, he just feels worthless and empty, he told me - worse of all, he told me that there seems to be no one who'll give him the attention he needs, he lives with his parents but I don't know how his relationship with them is. He's been to therapy many times, but I don't think that seems to be helping him. He also mentioned physical problems and discomforts like lack of air sometimes, refluxes and something he described feels like "stabs" and he says that the doctors he's been to tell him he's got nothing physically, although I suspect this might be due to his smoking habits; he says he fears his anxieties and emotional problems may turn to something phyisical. He told me he has been struggling (although he didn't told me for how long) to keep his job, which was very far from where he lives, but that recently he lost it, so he's unemployed now and going through financial difficulties, though coming from a middle upper class family. And overall, his just going through some difficult times right now. I'd greatly appreciate anyone who could help me with some insights into his chart. Detail: he lives in a different state, and we're miles apart, so the help that I'm able to give in is only by distance.

Here are my own clues about his map:

He's got a T-Square between Mars, Saturn and his own birth planet, Mercury, pointing directly at the 8th House. I think this is big deal, because it's not only affecting his ruling planet, but it's in the house of death and transformation. This suggests me he's been going or still will go through a lot of hardships in his life so that some form of personal transformation will occur and he might be healed. The Sun, another very important astro, is in the 8th House. I'd say he's got a strong 8th House influence, and from what I read, these individuals tend to feel different from others in life. I know because I also have a strong 8th House.

He also has Uranus conjuct Neptune and the North Node in the 4 House, close to the Imum Coeli. Since this house and angle deals with the deepest part of our selves, I'd wonder what these big, impersonal planetary influences could mean.

Also, he's been going through a Saturn transit through his 1st House for the past 2 years, and before that, in the 12th House. I think this could have yielded in self-esteem issues, and this is currently affecting him. Saturn is about to go through his 2nd House now, about resources and money, I think this would have to do with him loosing his job - feeling the impact of the transit before it even starts. What do you guys think?

I'd greatly appreciate any feedback.

Seems like in his mind, he keeps telling himself that he can't do things.

In reality, is he keeping his parents in the dark on how they treat him?

Is he getting ill treatment from his dad?

he is in a pluto moon transit
my moon is at 11 degree cappy so i have similar problems

Can you post his chart with transits?


Just seeing the chart like this, I know that Pluto is transiting his 4th house, and this one is a subconscious house which has his natal Neptune and Uranus there, maybe things of the past regarding to an unstable family background are hunting him at this time.

He should be aware specially at this time when he drinks alcohol or at the time of using some kind of drug.


Pluto is opposing his Venus, so he is facing a strong thirst for finding love.

Pluto will oppose his Chiron the next year, (I am just passing this transit), so he will feel the Chiron wound opened again, it is a time to re-heal what he didn't in the past.

I will take a little stab at it here.
Firstly his planets are above and below the horizon. So in many ways he is a balanced person between outer and inner life, as it were. However, his struggles are pointing to conflicts, the potentials of which there are many. (Plenty of oppositions and squares). However, balanced with that are also many sweeter aspects in trines and sextiles that can help him and point the way out of these conflicts.
His north node is in the 4th house of home and family, (south node 10th which is public oriented). This, I feel, is the first clue.
Mercury, his ruling planet as you pointed out, is in the 8th. Yes, it's squared to mars, jupiter and saturn....11th house of groups and 5th house of creativity, love etc... these squares show where conflict is arising. It's resolution, however, is clearly shown in the sweet grand trine which is in the very same root in that mercury, i.e. to the moon (12th) and neptune/uranus (4th). To me this chart shows someone who is very much attuned to mystery, transcendence, maybe even beauty....in his innermost being. The problems come when he shuns that more vulnerable aspect of himself in favor of more aggressive expectations in the forms of those squares and oppositions (coming from maybe peer pressure - groups, and perhaps family members, teachers, employers etc..)
Does this make sense?
The north node shows that the inner path is the means for his peace of mind. His home, his family (also including friends, lovers, pets...whomever he considers his true family). His pluto (2nd) which can reflect his resource situation, also is in good aspect to this neptune/uranus conj, and also to his chiron.
I think if your friend has any sort of inner skills, creative skills....this is what he should focus on. Also healing any sort of problems in his home environment....by means of communication.
I mean, this is all rather common sense, but it is also reflected in his chart. He's giving lots of power to the conflict, and far less to his innate powers of resolution. If he can reignite that spark and fire in him....and keep perseverance....and if he WANTS to heal himself, I really feel he can.

Thank you so much, you are guys are awesome!!! I'll talk it over some of things mentioned here and see what kind of feedback I get from him.

I am a little skeptical of the 2:00pm time you gave, most people are not born exactly on the hour. I think he may have rounded the number off a bit or made a guess. This makes all the difference in the world on the chart interpretation as we don't know for sure where all the planets fall within the houses.

Well, as far as I know, mostly all birth certificates round to multiples of 5, so 1:55, 2:00, 2:05, etc. I have 10:45 as my birth time, but I bet I wasn't excatly born at tha minute. But why would say this? Are you seeing something that just doesn't "fit"?