Brimming with self-confidence and a powerful set of vocal chords, Cass Elliot burst onto the kaleidoscopic music scene that characterized the 1960s as one fourth of the highly successful quartet, The Mamas and the Papas.

Blending folk, rock and pop, Elliot's vocal group hit the top of the charts with enduring tunes like "California Dreaming," "Words of Love" and "Monday, Monday."

Elliot was born on September 14, 1941, at 9 p.m. in Baltimore, Maryland. Her chartwheel depicts Earth as a circle in the center surrounded by a sky divided into 12 Houses. The 1st House starts at the eastern horizon, with the western horizon starting the 7th House. The 10th House cusp is the point directly overhead.

Leo (July 23-August 22) and its associate sphere -- the Sun -- govern the heart and the circulatory system. At birth, Elliot's Sun was conjunct (within 10 degrees) Neptune (21 and 27 degrees of Virgo, 5th House), one of two health-and-illness planets.

Several years after stepping down as Mama Cass and stepping up to a successful solo career, Elliot embarked on a tour that included England. On July 29, 1974, the Sun (heart) passed over the 5th degree of Leo, the exact location of Elliot's natal Pluto (5th House), the planet associated with the deep transformational processes of birth, death and rebirth.

After performing in London that evening, Elliot retired to her room and subsequently died from heart failure when the sphere governing our blood pump entered the circulatory system's sign and touched down on the singer's planet of death.

Libra and its planet, Venus, sealed Elliot's fate as a singer with their dominance of the 6th House of Work (10 and 29 degrees). She was introduced to a new generation of fans when her solo hit, "Make Your Own Kind of Music," appeared in several episodes of the second and third seasons of the award-winning television series, Lost.

Follow your dreams and know that love is the brightest star!

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. Ted PanDeva Zagar, an East Chicago native, is a pioneer in Wellness Astrology, a prevention-over-remedy approach to overall wellness. For an archive of herbal and dietary recommendations for each Sun sign, log onto www.wellnessastrology.com. He can be reached at PanDeva@aol.com to receive a free copy of "Zodiac Signs and Healing Plants."

DISCLAIMER: The author's comments are not intended to serve as medical advice, and he urges his readers to seek qualified wellness professionals to resolve matters of health. Direct your wellness questions with exact time, date and place of birth to Ted PanDeva Zagar at PanDeva@aol.com.