U.S. Detainee Number 002

David Hicks
b. August 7, 1975 Adelaide, Australia

Yesterday driving along listening to NPR, holding my chin very close to my chest trying to talk back to Michael Krasny in his same hushed New England voice, pronouncing all the consonants at the ends of my words, doing it perfectly. The BBC Lady comes on, I think she's talking in Gaelic, or with an Irish accent, however it goes, and with beautiful lilt she dispassionately reads her little news blip about an Australian guy who's been detained at Guantanamo Bay for the last five, or is it 6?, years. He had joined the Taliban and was caught shortly after 9/11. In Guantanamo: Tortured. Beaten. Held in isolation. Denied a trial. 5 years. Then she moves on to the News in the rest of the world. I'm American. I've never heard of this guy. But, I'm on the side that has been doing this to him, really bad things: putting stuff up his butt to make him talk (?), locking him up by himself for 8 months, denying him access to due process for more than 6 years (first year he was on a boat I think)! He's in Guantanamo after all. Ah, Fuck. Inside Edition can't handle a story that's more sensational than its graphics so it remains silent on these matters.

So, I'm going to look at David Hicks' chart with his birth date and his Wikipedia entry. And I feel otherwise helpless about his situation.

Sun 14 Leo. Moon probably Leo. Sun c. Mercury and possibly Moon in Leo. Okay, so he's probably a little Full of Himself. Opinionated, Temperamental, Dramatic, Egotistical.

North Node 28 Scorpio opposite Mars 26 Taurus and trining Saturn at 26 Cancer. Mars and Saturn are both in their Detriment. Saturn is a singleton in Water. Some dire lessons in responsibility, maybe to the point of being scapegoated. North Node in Scorpio lives a complicated existence; how do you turn your life path toward darkness? Hicks dropped out of high school, stole some cars, did some drugs. He became Muslim, left his wife and kids to go fight in Albania and then joined Al Quaida and was caught right after 9/11. He's not exactly a model citizen.

First I'll discuss his t-square and some of its transits. Apex Saturn in Cancer squaring Jupiter-Chiron in Aries which is opposite Uranus in Libra. Jupiter-Chiron opposite Uranus in Libra could have some strong religious convictions.

In 1999, Hicks had a Jupiter Return that, because of retrogrades, lasted a very long time, from May to January of 2000. He had a calling and it was religious and kind of Aries fundamentalist type religious so he wanted to fight for his God. His progressed Mars hit n. Uranus (opposite n.Chiron-Jupiter) and t. Chiron hit his natal North node opposite Mars. I've heard of Mars-Chiron oppositions as being Spiritual Warriors and here he had two of them going at the same time. It would make sense then that Hicks would join a Holy War. Also at this time t. Pluto hit his natal Neptune in Sagittarius. That'll lead to some Extreme Metaphysics for sure. And, last but not least, this was also during the time that Saturn and Pluto began to oppose each other in 2001 bringing in the Bullying/scapegoating streak. Remember what it did to Lyndie England's chart and life. Eventually Chiron would join Pluto on Hick's Neptune in Sagittarius. I certainly hope he had a little mantra to chant at that point.

Hicks was caught around November or December 2001 just as the transiting Sun was passing over these planets, first hitting the North Node then hitting Neptune (along with transiting planets mentioned above). His progressed Mars and Transiting Saturn were opposing n.Neptune-t.Pluto as well. His progressed Sun squared his natal Neptune in 2002. He was captive by then.

There's another configuration that stands out in Hicks' chart. It would be much easier to explain with a picture. It stands out mostly because Hicks' progressed Sun has been passing over his natal Venus in Virgo the whole time he's been in Prison. So, Venus isn't happy in Virgo, this is the sign of its Fall. Venus also doesn't have any positive aspects in this chart so she's really left to express her dark side. She's squaring Neptune, so also affected by all the transits that his Neptune received, i.e. the square from Pluto and Saturn.

Venus is also involved in a trapezoid shape with Neptune, Jupiter and Saturn that contains minor sesquiquadrate and semisquare aspects. (Venus square Neptune, Jupiter square Saturn, Venus sesquiquadrate (135) Jupiter, Venus semi-square Saturn, Jupiter sesquiquadrate Neptune.) The sesquiquadrate aspect is a sign of irritation and agitation and considered a bad omen when it falls between major planets. It could explain Hicks' minor criminal mentality. As Venus rules Justice (or lack of) and Neptune rules Prisons and Jupiter rules Law and Lawyers and Saturn rules Government and scapegoating and these planets were set off by transits and major progressions, I suppose I can see how being captured as a POW could happen when this figure is under a heavy transit. I couldn't find a description for this chart shape, closest is the Submarine shape described at http://jstroberg.50megs.com/starlogin_us/interp.html#config but that has a sextile in it. Unlike the Submarine, this shape offers no positive relief to balance the difficult ones. As Hicks has apparently been Suicidal for much if not all of the time that he's been imprisoned we have yet another example of a progressed Sun-natal Venus conjunction expressing suicidal feelings in a person's life. He's been forcibly medicated for something and not told what it is he's being given.

Hicks' Saturn Return while at Guantanamo is interesting to look at. In December 2004, a Documentary was made about his situation, his cell was even photographed. His progressed Mercury was conjunct his natal Pluto which is at apex of a small triangle, sextile on either side to Neptune (film) and Sun (Drama). His Father (Saturn) has been very supportive about trying to get him out. But, alas, to no avail. He was set up for a trial in 2005 and it was denied at the last minute due to changes in the laws. The transiting North Node was conjunct his n.Jupiter-Chiron and squaring his Natal Saturn-t.Saturn.

The U.S. Government apparently has finally announced this last week what David Hicks will be tried for. The charges are 5 years in the making and God can only imagine what they might be. I believe he's going to be represented by a lawyer from the U.S. Army and not an Australian.

The thing that separates Modern Society from the Ancient Barbaric Societies (which we tend to think of when we think of the Taliban) is the concept that True Justice can only be administered if accompanied by Mercy. I don't see where the U.S. is following this rule. We've ignored the rules of the Geneva Convention with regards to treatment of these prisoners. I can only quote Joseph Conrad's famous line: "The Horror! The Horror!"