The Birdman of Alcatraz

I love it when I start obsessing over a person and then discover that their charts reflect some current transits in the sky. Yesterday something tripped off my memory and I was thinking about one of my favorite movies when I was a kid, Birdman of Alcatraz. Scary child. I think my sense of what true Justice is aged about 9,000 years after watching that movie. And, you have to admit the acting was great.

As I write this "the Birdman" would be celebrating his Saturn Return in Virgo and would be due to celebrate his Jupiter Return in Capricorn this year as well. Pluto is passing back and forth over his South Node. I haven't got a clue how to interpret this, but I can go off in my imagination here. I have no idea whether reincarnation happens but this would certainly seem like a portal opening in time for the same kind of soul to re-enter.

Robert Stroud, Birdman of Alcatraz
b. Jan 28, 1890 Seattle, Washington (time from Astrotheme 10:00 pm)

Sun 10 Aquarius; ASC 5 Libra; Moon 26 Taurus; MC 6 Cancer; NN 2 Cancer

The Birdman, Robert Franklin Stroud, was a murderer. Just as he was approaching his first Nodal Return (t.Pluto c. n. North Node too) he killed a guy who had abused his girlfriend. Apparently he was hanging out with the wrong crowd and considering his natal chart had a Mars in Scorpio - Moon in Taurus opposition, it was only a matter of time when his temper would be tested beyond what it could handle.

After entering into jail, Stroud couldn't handle the abuse from the guards and was attacking them as well. Eventually he ended up on Death Row for killing a guard. And, Lucky Guy, his Mother and others were on the outside fighting to get him off. His Mother actually contacted the President, can't remember which one. He was born during the Pluto-Neptune conjunction in Gemini of the 1880s and this conjunction was featured prominentally in Stroud's natal chart. If the Astrotheme birth time is correct, it was conjunct his Sun and involved in a Grand Trine with a Libra Ascendant and a conjunction of Sun-Venus-Mercury Rx in Aquarius. At the time of the murder, his progressed Sun and Venus were conjunct at 29 Aquarius and squaring his natal Moon-Pluto. They then would have passed over into Pisces, sign which rules Imprisonment.

Birdman was sentenced to 12 years for committing his first crime and then had a few problems with guards in jail. He attacked the first one, then killed the second one and was moved around and eventually put into Solitary confinement on Death Row where his only contact with life was with birds that hung out in the barred window of his cell. He made cages for the birds and learned so much about them he wrote books on them. His Mother kept fighting on his behalf to keep him off of death row. Hollywood found him and made a movie about him.

The story is really really strange. The Astrology makes sense when you think of the strangeness because Stroud was an Aquarian. Whether or not he actually did have a Libra Rising in trine with his other planets, a Grand Air Trine for a guy who understands Birds really well just makes a whole lot of sense. The self-containment of the Grand Trine aspect actually found a constructive outlet in jail. It also brought the good luck connected with having constant attention for his incarceration. The whole Neptune-Pluto in Gemini generation certainly would understand the story of a guy who writes books while isolated in a jail.

Stroud murdered his Girlfriend's abuser, Jan. 18, 1909 in Cordova, Alaska. The Astrolocality lines show an interesting set-up as his Moon-Neptune-Pluto MC lines run through Alaska where he committed his first murder. The island of Alcatraz, where he found his connection with birds and eventually his Fame was closest to his Nodal Axis MC line. And surprisingly, his Nodal Axis is located in his natal chart at 2 Cancer-Capricorn and his Midheaven-IC Axis (assuming chart time is correct) at 6 Cancer-Capricorn. He became famous on this line at any rate in part for the place (IC, Cancer) where he lived. The circumstances were unusual, but as I said, he was Sun-Venus-Mercury in Aquarius. He also may have had a 1st house Uranus which strengthens the tendency for unusual circumstances.

One major anger management problem indicated in Stroud's chart is his Moon - Mars in Scorpio opposition. Mars squares his natal Sun-Mercury in Aquarius. That all makes for a flash temper. If he has a Libra Rising his story seems classic for the problems of that Rising Sign. He was trying to help his lover and instead buried himself into one catastrophic interaction after another until it finally finds redemption in going inward. I've just looked at a study of U.S. Presidents who have a predominance of Libra Risings. One can certainly see this same kind of struggle in taking on that job. Just remember back to Bill Clinton's days.

There are a lot of unbelievable interesting transits that connect to Stroud's natal chart, namely through Neptune, Chiron and Mars. It's interesting that the first murder was committed while Neptune was conjunct his natal Chiron-Lilith conjunction in Cancer. How about going to jail (Neptune) while defending your prostitute (Lilith) girlfriend's (Lilith, Cancer) problems? Of course, the progressed Sun-Venus conjunction squaring natal Moon-Pluto-Neptune didn't help. Nor did the Pluto-North Node conjunction (within orb of his Nodal Return). This murder would have held extra relevance for Stroud as it happened on Jan. 18, 1909 and so probably was linked into his Solar Return chart for the year.

The Birdman movie debuted July 3, 1962. This is an interesting Solar Return year for Stroud as there was a huge line-up of planets in Aquarius on his Sun that year. T. Pluto was just approaching his 12th House cusp opposing Jupiter-Chiron on his 6th House cusp (assuming Astrotheme chart time is correct). Jupiter-Pluto aspects are known to bring fame when working together in a chart. What better way to become famous than as being some kind of Francis of Assisi of the Federal Jail System in a Major Motion Picture? That's so many Neptunian/Pisces themes it makes my head spin.

Stroud died in 1963. Pluto was exactly conjunct the 12th house cusp of the Astrotheme chart.