Treason and Traitors

For my research on Children of Divorce I'm curious about what the charts of Traitors look like. Kids growing up in Divorce are often accused of being traitors by parents who are trying to get information about the other parent. Don't know if the charts of political traitors are the same thing as child traitors (alleged traitors, of course). I assume that adults might have more of a choice in the matter, or at least they ought to think that they do.

Wikipedia defines a Traitor as a person who exhibits "disloyality to one's sovereign or nation" and if there's one thing for sure, parents going through divorce act more like nations at war than like loving parents. The kids are treated like possessions, or slaves, rather than objects of affection, pawns used for bartering for money and time over. Growth phases have to be silenced.

I looked at 3 charts of famous traitors/double agents, and noticed that out of the 3, 2 had natal Venus Rx. Didn't have to go far with a Wiki search to see if Astrologers think that Venus Rx is related to Traitors. Bernadette Brady has written a really great article connecting Venus Rx cycles with Political Betrayal. She even mentions that Benedict Arnold did his Switcharoo from U.S. to Englist loyalties during a Venus Rx. Good American that I am with lousy understanding of U.S. History Arnold's chart was the first that came to mind. Turns out he was born with natal Venus at 13 Capricorn Retrograde. Born with a Retrograde and jumping ship during a Retrograde.

Arnold also had a Gemini North Node. Gemini is a sign one would expect to be associated with betrayal and treason because of its dual action interests. Perhaps also Pisces and Sagittarius.

Out of the three charts, the ones with Venus Rx also had a Gemini North Node. Back in the 1960s and 70s a journalist for Time magazine had been guilty of spying for both the CIA and the Communist party of Vietnam. His name was Pham Xuan An. He confessed in the 1980s and just recently passed away in 2006.

Motive must be very important in determining a Traitor and I wonder if there isn't a slight distinction between what is a Traitor and what is a Spy. These two men were living in war zones so their loyalties were much more stressed. Libra is a very political sign. Double Agent Robert Hanssen who worked for both the FBI and for Russia for twenty years says that his main motive was money. His chart has a conjunction of Pluto to the North Node in Leo which indicates this. Also he would have been enticed by the excitement. Pluto definitely rules spies and greed and power hunger. It would be very good at treason, Benedict Arnold had a conjunction of Sun to Pluto and Mercury.

There would be a lot more to look at. All of these charts show a lot of charm, like Jupiter-Neptune-Uranus contacts and Fire, etc. And certainly 3 charts only gives enough information for making assumptions which aren't probably the best basis for accusation of such awful crimes. But, at any rate, that's today's blog.

Benedict Arnold
b. Jan 14, 1741 Norwich, CT

Sun 25 Capricorn; Moon Sagittarius or Capricorn; NN 19 Gemini

Pham Xuan An
b. Sept. 12, 1927

Sun 19 Virgo; Moon Pisces or Aries; NN 24 Gemini

Robert Philip Hanssen
b. Apr. 18, 1944 Chicago, IL

Sun 29 Aries; Moon Aquarius or Pisces; NN 3 Leo

Stage Dads - Mr. Jackson, Mr. Mozart, Mr. Beethoven

Since Michael Jackson's death, his Father, Joe, has increasingly become the butt of reporter's jokes so I'm starting to become curiouser and curioser to look at his chart. Years ago Jackson publicly denounced his Father and admitted that he had been beaten and abused as a child. Joe was written out of Michael Jackson's will and it turns out he has been separated from Jackson's Mom for a long time. He is granted interviews just so that people can confirm before their very eyes that he was as abusive as Michael said he was. Well, he's got natal Mercury in Leo which has just gone Retrograde by Progression so that's not going to be hard to do. It's to the point where I'm feeling a little sorry for the guy. His son never would have made it to icon status without his Father pushing him the way he did. (Yes, I'm aware that it's probably not worth it, but then again I'm not a big follower of pop musicians).

As "Classical Music Major" I'm aware of Stage Moms and Dads. At one of my recitals an old dinosaur walked in wearing ruffles and really bright red lipstick and her eyes were way too sparkly and my Virgo Older Brother shuddered under his breath "Now that's definitely someone's Mom." I used to play harp and when you play harp you get to see the best of the visionary parents in full regalia.

I know through music history class that Beethoven's Father was highly abusive and pulled his son out of bed in the middle of the night to practice. And Mozart's Father pushed his son way beyond what the current labor laws would allow and Mozart grew up to be a little squirley because of it. So I went overboard with this project and began to look at all three, or all six charts. (I hope that I've got all the information straight but can't promise anything as I can't work the store feature right now on my Astrology program.)

All three of these Dads produced child prodigies and all three would perhaps be considered child abusers for having done that in modern times at any rate. I suppose the big story regarding Stage Moms and daughters comes from the life of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee. That's good for another study.

Just happened to find an interesting coincidence in that both Beethoven and Mozart's Fathers shared the same birth date, November 14. That sort of explains a little right there. Scorpio works with other people's resources. It is also an extremely ambitious sign and very focused and also capable of extreme behaviors. Scorpio is also a selfish sign and can also suffer from resenting the success of those it nurtures and of wanting to undermine their success through underhanded jealousies.

First, Michael's Dad. What's going on with him? Joe Jackson is not a Scorpio, he's a Leo, but Pluto is conjunct his natal Mercury and the two are unaspected to other planets so they create a strong presence in the chart. I could see how this could lead to very cutting verbal abuse.

As a Leo Joe would have the natural instinct to show off and be flamboyant and unencumbered by self consciousness. He may not have understood that he wasn't the one who was up on stage when his sons were practicing and performing.

With Mars in Virgo he would have a highly critical and perfectionist personality. Mars is one of the indicators in a person's chart showing his children, especially his Sons. Joe's Starchild Michael was born a Virgo.

Michael was born on August 29, 1958 with the Sun at 6 Virgo conjunct Pluto at 3 Virgo. Father Joe Jackson's progressed Sun and Neptune were both in conjunction with t. Pluto so these two were stuck in what Noel Tyl calls an "Ego Wipeout" bond forever. This is a good example of the great positive and negative extremes of how Sun-Neptune-Pluto type of synastry plays out between parent and child, that's for sure.

In addition to that, Joe Jackson was going through both a Mars Return (Son) and his first Saturn Return (Father).

And, another interesting detail to note that comes up with both Beethoven and Mozart's Father's charts and relationships is the combination of Mars with Chiron. Chiron is the great teacher/healer who could pass on all kinds of incredible information but couldn't use it to fix his own wounds. In combination with Mars, Chiron possibly shows a connection of some sort with one's Son. Joe Jackson has these very widely in conjunction with each other in Taurus (sign that rules the voice and arts, interesting that it also rules the Number 5 - Jackson 5 - through Venus' Sun conjunction cycle). Both Beethoven's father had a natal square and Mozart's Father had a natal conjunction, both aspects in connection with strong points in their sons' charts.

I discussed in a blog long ago the interesting coincidence of Father-Sun progressed Sun to natal Sun in the signs of men in the President Bush family a long time ago. It certainly seems that there is some kind of power connection when this happens in a family. As I said, Joe Jackson's p.Sun was within 4 degrees of conjunction with his Son's natal Sun. Ludwig Beethoven was born when his Father was 30 years old and in the next Sun Sign over so he has this relationship with his Father as well: Father Johann's p. Sun was at 27 Sagittarius, 2 degrees past his Son's natal Sun.

Both Mozart and Beethoven Senior had very long conjunctions of personal planets to their natal Saturns which may be of significance in understanding the karmic gifts which they passed on to their children. Due to the retrograde in the progressions, both men would have been experiencing this unchanging stressor on their Saturns. This could explain their own frustrated ambitions, along with their extreme behaviors as Fathers.

As a matter of fact, this p.Sun to n.Natal synastry will happen between the charts of any Father and Son when the Father's natal Sun is roughly 30 degrees before the Son's natal Sun. There is a double whammy effect because the child will born during the Father's Saturn Return which happens roughly at one's 29th year. It does seem to be a strong formula for insuring that success and ambition are passed down from generation to generation. That would require a lot more study to confirm. And it certainly doesn't look like a happy inheritance to be gifted. I'm discussing more connections with Saturn down below. These men have Saturn very strongly aspected in relation with their sons, that's for sure.

Both Fathers (Mozart's and Beethoven's) had progressed Venus in Scorpio when their sons were born. P. Venus conjunct natal Saturn in one chart and conjunct natal Pluto in the other chart. I suppose this shows great ambitions through the arts and no doubt an ability to "psychically channel" huge amounts of cosmic knowledge.

Joe Jackson
b. July 26, 1928 Fountain Hill, Arkansas

Sun 4 Leo; Moon Scorpio or Sagittarius; NN 7 Gemini

So then

Johann Beethoven, Beethoven's Father
b. Nov. 14, 1740 Bonn, Germany

Sun 23 Scorpio; Moon Virgo or Libra; NN 7 Cancer

He was 30 years old when Beethoven was born. Going through Saturn Return when his Son was born. And his Progressed Sun was conjunct his Son's natal Sun (and widely his Moon). This point was opposing natal Mars and squaring natal Chiron.

Something interesting that I've noticed in Father B. and Mozarts' Dad's charts as well is an interesting conjunction to natal Saturn from progressed Planets. Father B's Mars is conjunct his natal Saturn in his natal chart in the sign of Leo. Both planets had gone Retrograde by Progression so that they were still in conjunction when Beethoven was born (and Rx, difficult). His progressed Venus, meanwhile, was conjunct to the degree with his Pluto. He was to have a very intense relationship with this child regarding ambitions, will and the arts.

Father Leopold Mozart has a similar thing going on. Natally he has a conjunction of Venus to Saturn-Mercury-Sun in Scorpio (same spot as p.Venus-Pluto in Beethoven's Dad's chart, remember what I said about Scorpio). Venus in Leopold's chart is Retrograde when he is born. And so his progressed Venus has come out of Rx by the time his son is born and has returned to close to the same spot where it was when he was born.

These retrogrades make it look as if the Father's were reliving parts of themselves through their Sons. Both Saturn and Pluto/Scorpio are related to Karmic lessons and reliving problems. They are both very ambitious planets. In a sense, through their sons, these men were using twice the lifetime's worth of knowledge to get their sons to succeed in the world. (Sorry, that probably doesn't make sense).

Leopold Mozart
b. Nov. 14, 1719 Augsburg, Germany

Sun 22 Scorpio; Moon Sagittarius or Capricorn; NN 24 Leo

These are only a couple of the connections in these charts. I'll stop here.

On the Appalachian Trail with Governor Sanford

A South Carolina Governor, Mark Sanford, who voted to impeach President Bill Clinton back in the day, recently went missing. His wife didn't seem to mind. His staff kept telling the media funny stories about his whereabouts. They said he was hiking the Appalachian Trail, spending some quiet time far far away from any Cell Phone Towers, not bathing, hugging trees. So Sanford finally shows up and it turns out he was actually off hugging an Argentinian lady, not bathing, no cell phone to speak of. He says he's spent the last 5 days crying over the mess he's making of his life -- into the boobs of his lady love.

Crying? Let me guess, Evita is Mark Sanford's favorite Broadway show. (sorry, just had to say it).

Dude's been having an affair for a year with a home-wrecker he met 8 years ago. It's always interesting to see an 8 year cycle show up in a person with a Sun-Venus conjunction (1-8 Gemini) because the Sun and Venus have an 8 year cycle.

For these past months, the Venus Retrograde in Aries has been all over Sanford's Mars in Aries like an old suit. The Wife found out right before the Venus Retrograde and so they've been in therapy (square to Pluto). Not a good idea. With all that going on in Aries, especially in the case of Love, the heart is just not going to cool down. Aries horny. Aries want. Aries chase. In this case, the "Talkie Talk" is just going to be a "Royal Turn On." Call and Response is impossible. The more repressive, the kinkier. What's the matter with these therapists?

Let me restate here that this guy had tried to impeach the President for doing this very same thing. What did my Grandmother say? "Too soon we get old, too late we get wise."

Why do the Gemini Governors always get caught? Remember Eliot Spitzer?

Mark Sanford, Governor of South Carolina
b. May 28, 1960 Fort Lauderdale, FL

Sun 8 Gemini; Moon Cancer?; NN 21 Virgo

In my Lilith obsessed daze these days, I'm finding extra interesting the Lilith placements with Sanford's chart. Lilith will send you on all kinds of wild goose chases in the Romance department. We're just gonna have to call Mark "Crazy Pants" for right now. He just can't help himself what with Venus and Mars and Lilith and Middle Age and all. It's Porsche-buying Weather, Mark.

Sanford's Lilith transit is even more to blame than Venus here, or at least in addition to. Natally Sanford's got an opposition of Lilith to Jupiter from 3 Cancer to 1 Capricorn. I'd imagine that this isn't really a combo that will scream "stop" during key moments. Jupiter tends to say "Yes" to everything and Lilith mutters "Hubba, hubba, hubba" very deeply under her whiskey breath. And they are on the Aries Points so whatever they do has to come out to the public.

And so then along comes Pluto. Pluto. Pluto. Pluto. Tsk, tsk, tsk to you, Mr. Ruler of the Lacey Thong. Granted this has been a wild transit of Pluto over the APs due to the long Retrogrades from Mars last year and Venus this year. A really passionate set of out-of-control transits, imo.

Just as the Sun (Limelight) has hit his natal Lilith today -- Just past the Aries Point and the New Moon and the Summer Solstice -- Sanford publicly admits (Aries Points involved) that he has been having an affair. Ouch-amundo.

And then there's the problem of getting caught. Gotta look at Good Old Saturn for that. Sanford possibly has a natal opposition of Saturn to the Moon and if so he's caught up in guilt and responsbility and heavy stuff like that when it comes to anything connected to emotional relationships. He didn't have to spend that last 5 days crying like a baby (Cancer Moon), he could have been fucking madly and without reservation and then saying Gracias and Adios mi Amore.

Lilith is doing a Double Whammy thing here. As the Sun tops off natal Lilith so transiting Lilith tops off natal Saturn in Capricorn. And, of course, transiting Saturn is approaching conjunction to Sanford's natal North Node. That sort of puts a damper on his Destiny.

I'm taking a big guess here and I'm going to say that Chiron also has something to do with getting caught. Sanford's natal Chiron is at 3 Pisces opposing Pluto and it's squared by the natal Venus-Sun conjunction in Gemini. I suspect that this wasn't his first love affair. And so now he's riding into his Chiron Return in conjunction with Jupiter and Neptune. Those are some really happy pony pals to be riding alongside while you are screwing up your life. Right now he's probably in that weird mode where you're watching your life fall apart but you're actually feeling super high. The wife, the kids, the employees, the state. What is this compared with the beautiful, exotic Argentinian woman? Therapist is probably writing a prescription out for the Lithium even as we speak.

As for the fibs, Sanford's a Gemini and his progressed Mercury has gone Retrograde so he's getting a long term lesson in the powers and foibles associated with the gift of gab. Too bad this stuff has to go public because does anybody really care anymore? We gave Clinton a Heart Attack, we lost Eliot Spitzer. Perhaps Pluto in Capricorn is going to have more of a What Goes Around Comes Around kind of attack mode. Never really cared for that kind of office politics type of mentality but, you do know that this guy voted to impeach Clinton, don't you?

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

While looking at my current transits and progressions all I can do really is to gasp. For reasons that will remain undisclosed, I am instantly reminded of the old Bette Davis/Joan Crawford Horror movie from the 1960s called Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? As a kid I remember Bette Davis as epitomizing everything that I was most afraid of growing up to be. Now, when I look in the mirror, a couple months shy of turning 50 I'm seeing something pretty scary. I think that, due to failing eyesight, I am even starting to paint my lips in over the line...


Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Premiere: Oct. 26, 1962 New York, NY
Opening: Oct. 31, 1962, U.S. (no time? I used 8:00 pm)

Sun 4 Scorpio; Moon around 17 Libra; NN 4 Leo

What better placement for a Horror Movie than Sun in Scorpio? For the National Premiere, well scheduled on Halloween night, the Sun (Drama) was actually conjunct Neptune (Film) in Scorpio (Shadows). Halloween has probably never really been able to live up to those 1960s Neptune in Scorpio years when some of the Goblins were really real. (Okay, okay, so they were actually just the old time face lifts that stretched Bette and Joan's facial muscles back into Bandanas over their skulls). As Neptune rules Movies and Scorpio rules all things that go bump in the night (as well as at the IRS and Wall Street) how appropriate that a Horror Movie would be made during this time? The Leo North Node, of course, doesn't hurt the picture one bit.

The contents of the movie which is about two aging ex-movie stars whose careers have ended years before. The one was a Child Star whose career ended with puberty (Bette) and the other was successful as an Adult and her career was cut short by a crippling car accident. The two are living together in isolation in a house, Joan is dependent on Bette for support and Bette is so full of resentment and jealousy and guilt about her sister's condition that she serves her sister rats for dinner. Nothing on screen is more psychotic than Bette Davis in this role.

So, since this is the Chick Flick from Hell I was very curious to look first at the classic indicators for Women in a chart. These are the Moon and Venus. Venus rules sisters as well, along with Mercury which rules siblings in general. Awesome astrology here through Moon, Venus and Mercury. For the premiere, the Moon was conjunct Mercury in Libra which is Venus' sign. Libra rules vanity and envy. What better night to premiere a movie about vain sisters than on a Libra Moon that's paired up with Mercury? The audience was in the same state of mind.

And then we look further into these same aspects and see that Venus herself is in the sign that takes envy one step deeper to jealousy. That, of course, is the sign of Scorpio. Things are getting darker here, very scary. Scorpio rules resentments, vindictiveness, deep passions that go unexpressed.

Then we look at how prominently these 3 planets are placed in the chart. All three stick out like sore thumbs. All 3 are unaspected by major aspect to other planets. This means that their presence can't flow with the other energies in the chart. The Moon is conjunct Mercury but the two are sitting there by themselves. Venus is also unaspected and totally haywire because she is Retrograde. Venus rules a person's feeling of being both loving and lovable and also shows his/her popularity. When she's constipated in Rx motion she sort of turns on herself. Totally appropriate for two old women who have lost all connection to the world, especially after both having been super popular and successful as movie actresses in the past. They've experienced a big fall which makes their situation even more difficult. Again, the entire audience would have been affected by these aspects on the night that the movie showed and it's just an interesting coincidence that the story projects these traits!

Looking farther into the chart we see that there is a Mars-Saturn opposition placed over the Nodal Axis in Leo-Aquarius (respectively). First off, A Leo North Node is just great for movie makers as Leo rules Drama. Mars conjunct the North Node suggests a fight and aggression. Great for conflict. Psychologically Leo North Node seems to need too much attention. It wants to move toward the spotlight. It is ruled by the Sun and shows that the need for being center stage has to balance with the need to be part of the crowd/audience.

Psychologically, Mars rules competition & youthfulness which describes where Bette Davis' role. She is stuck in her child's mind. Joan is stuck in her crippled body (Saturn literally rules bones) She seems to suggest Saturn. Mars is youth and Saturn is maturity. Saturn wants control and Mars acts without control. During the whole movie there is this tension (opposition) between these two forces. They express themselves through Leo/Aquarius which represent the conflict between Egotism and Group Involvement. At the end of the movie she reveals that ... oh I won't spoil it. Anyway, Bette's insane and abusive and all the blame seems to be on her until Joan comes clean at the end of the movie. Saturn rules guilt. Together they have been stuck in an abusive relationship in their decaying home for years in an unresolved fight over who is most popular and successful.

Another interesting aspect is a big opposition between Jupiter-Chiron in Pisces and Uranus-Pluto in Virgo. Outer planets are slow moving and show the generational attitudes of a generation. An opposition is actually the perfect setting for Horror especially in the signs of Virgo-Pisces as they are here. Pisces, obviously rules all things that can't be seen or understood clearly. At the opposite end, Virgo rules sensibility and middle ground. Both are feminine signs. A while back I took a class on writing screenplays for Horror movies and, as the class was taught I was struck by how "Virgonian" a Horror movie protagonist must be (I was going through a phase of painting pictures of women screaming, and the teacher was really good which is why I was sitting in a Horror Writing class. If you ever have a free week-end and want to sit through a magical class take a screenwriting class from Robert McKee. He lectures non-stop for 2 or 3 days in the most entertaining, insightful and organized way. )

During the class McKee showed the movie Alien and then gave a scene by scene explanation of how Horror is portrayed through the film. Sigourney Weaver's character is the perfect Virgo Hero. For one, she is, along with her co-workers, an employee on a cargo ship. Her drama has to come while she is on the job. On another level, McKee explained, she is the one who survives because she maintains the most sensible and realistic, most grounded character of everyone on the space ship. She doesn't flip out, she knows when to act and when to hold back.

I always tend to think that Virgo is the most reasonable sign (unless in a sibling relationship that is where they are absolutely horrible people) and figure that the Uranus-Pluto audience probably craved these ugly horror movies more than audiences from other times. In Baby Jane, I suppose we could assume that Joan Crawford's character is the Virgo character and Davis' character, well, I don't know what sign she would be except as said before she is stuck in a Mars state. And, personally, I sort of think that in the case of this movie, the audience, especially the women who grew up with jealous sisters, are the true survivors.

Passing of Natasha Richardson

Actress Natasha Richardson shockingly passed away today due to injuries caused by a fall during a skiing lesson. She was only 45 years old. She is survived by her husband, actor Liam Neeson, and two sons and famous family including mother Vanessa Redgrave and sister Joely Richardson.

This chart is really eerie to read, after the fact. The progressions and solar arcs confirm the transits and I'll only mention the transits.

Natasha Richardson
b. May 11, 1963 5 pm London, England

Sun 21 Taurus; ASC 14 Libra; Moon 23 Sagittarius; MC 18 Cancer; NN 24 Cancer

Death is said to show up in one's chart through the 8th House and through the 12th and 4th Houses which show endings in one way or another. The 1st House or Ascendant rules the Physical Body.

Accidents are ruled by a combination of Mars and Uranus due to Mars' tendency to act rashly and Uranus' tendency to create sudden, shocking events. Transiting Mars, Jupiter, Chiron, Neptune are all in opposition aspect of some sort to Richardson's natal Mars 20 Leo-Uranus 1 Virgo. This past week-end transiting Mars was passing over the Aquarius-Pisces cusp in close opposition to her natal Uranus (Accidents).

Natally, Richardson had an out of sign opposition of Saturn in Aquarius to Uranus which is mirrored by the current Saturn-Uranus opposition that is occurring by transit and is layered very closely over her 6th/12th house cusps showing some sort of extra stress having to do with Health. Saturn rules Richardson's 4th House and is conjunct her 12th House cusp. Emotionally she may have feeling a little lost.

(I said I wouldn't mention it but her Solar Arcs show a double whammy of Uranus to Angles: SA Uranus conjunct natal Ascendant and AS MC conjunct natal Uranus. )

This week-end, transiting Mars was passing over the Leo-Virgo cusp which can create a vulnerability to accidents. Mars, in particular, indicates accidents to the head and brain which I think was where Richardson's damage was.

An Accident alone doesn't indicate Death. In Richardson's case I think that the current Venus Retrograde in mid degrees of Aries really exaggerated the problem for her. For one, Venus disposits to Mars. For two, Venus is transiting over her Descendant, a major angle which opposes her Ascendant (ruler of Physical Body). And for three, Venus rules Richardson's Ascendant (Libra) and 8th House Cusp (Taurus). This is a triple whammy aspect which would have happened almost every two years, the amount of time it takes for Venus to pass through all the signs. The difference here is that Venus is moving in Retrograde which is a very long transit.

Her Sun, which represents Vitality, is also in her 8th House along with Mercury. This can mean many things, including accounting for her many charms as an actress. In this case both Sun and Mercury disposit to that nasty Venus Rx which in turn disposit to Mars which is opposing itself by transit. Again, Solar Arc Jupiter is in Richardson's 8th House and in conjunction to her natal Sun. I believe that Lois Rodden said that she would rather go out on a beneficial Jupiter aspect of some kind. I guess this is when the parties are better in Heaven.

I can't help it but I'll add some significant Progressions because they are so significant. Richardson's Progressed Moon was at 8 Virgo conjunct natal Pluto 10 Virgo and also widely conjunct natal Uranus. In her Progressed Chart Uranus and Neptune are both within a degree of conjunction with the MC and ASC respectively. As they don't rule anything in her chart having to do with Death I wouldn't have been able to read them as such but would notice that they indicate a big change of some sort. I have found that both planets can throw off one's sense of balance on many planes of existence at once.

Shootings and Venus Retrograde?

As Venus has gone Retrograde in Aries there have been at least 3 public shootings. Venus rules one's ability to love and when she goes Retrograde complications can occur in this area. In the sign of Aries she perhaps brings out an impulsive, aggressive side that people are trying to repress.

According to the birth dates I have for two of the shooters and one of the victims there seems to be a common bond with Nodal Axes involved along the signs of Cancer/Capricorn. This means that the Venus Retrograde is squaring these people's Nodal Axes. The Nodes are considered related to one's Destiny in some way. The 2 Shooters had Sun in square aspect to their Nodal Axes so their Suns were also under stress. The Victim, a Pastor in a church, had natal Venus conjunct his South Node. His Sun, on the other hand, was not relating to his Nodal Axis.

Venus Retrograde may not mean anything other than that from the earth's point of view Venus seems to stand still in the sky for an extra long time. And in Aries this may provoke a lot of frustration. Aries likes Action.

On March 8, 2009 (8:15 am) a man who may have Lyme Disease walked into a Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois and shot and killed the Pastor who was giving his Sermon. The man was 27 year old Terry Sedlacek. I don't have his birthdate. If he was born in 1982 then he may have a Cancer North Node. This would mean that he shares the same Nodal Axis as his Victim the Minister (whose name I won't use here out of respect for his family who probably hates Astrology). I have found a birthdate for the Minister on the Internet which gives him a philosophical and religious Sun in Sagittarius. His Moon may be in either Cancer or Leo depending on what time of day he was born. And his North Node is at 13 Cancer. As I said before his Venus was at 6 Capricorn within conjunction of his South Node. It is about 7 degrees away from natal Mars at the end of Sagittarius and this means that transiting Pluto was conjunct both Planets.

On Mar. 10, 2009 a man named Michael McLendon went on a shooting spree in the towns of Geneva and Samson, Alabama. McLendon killed most of his family, the family dogs, then went on to shoot randomly at strangers. He then killed himself. 11 deaths total (that may not be accurate).

McLendon was an Aries Sun which was afflicted by opposition to Saturn 19 Libra and Pluto 18 Cancer. His natal Mars was 7 Libra and was Retrograde. So he had a strong aspect in his chart which was lit up by this current Venus Retrograde. On top of that he had natal North Node at 18 Cancer squaring the Sun to Saturn and Pluto oppositions.

Michael McLendon
b. Apr. 11, 1982 (place?)

Sun 22 Aries; Moon Scorpio or Sagittarius; NN 18 Cancer

On Mar. 11, 2009 in Germany a student went on a shooting spree at his school (9:30 am CET, Winnenden, Germany, source: Noel Tyl's forum). This student was Tim Kretschner. Kretschner's chart shows stress aspects to outer planets in Cardinal Signs just like McLendon's do. He was a Scorpio Sun possibly with Moon also in Scorpio. His Sun was conjunct Mars and Pluto which is considered a very difficult aspect to deal with from an emotional basis. In short, it seems to show up a lot in these shooters' charts.

Both shooters have Sun (represents Will and Ego) in signs that are ruled by Mars and Pluto which are both the same energy but on different octaves of vibration. The Scorpio Planets in Kretschner's chart would have been under difficult transit from the square from all the Aquarius planets.

Kretschner's North Node was in heavy aspect to two outer planets. Uranus and Neptune were both conjunct natal North Node at 13 Capricorn (Uranus 11 Capricorn and Neptune 15 Capricorn). These planets were all getting tipped off by transiting Venus Rx in Aries.

Tim Kretschner
b. Nov. 6, 1991 Wendlingen, Germany (info from Noel Tyl's forum)

Sun 14 Scorpio; Moon Scorpio; NN 13 Capricorn

The Venus Rx, of course, isn't the only transit happening in these charts. I just want to point out these coincidental correspondences of both Murderers and Victims especially in regards to the Nodal Axes (Plural of Axis?)

I send my regrets and condolences to all the friends and families of everyone involved in these events.

Switched At Birth, 1951

Another interesting post from the blog called The Frontal Cortex:

http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2008/08/nature_nurture_and_switched_ba.php.

Last time I quoted this blog I think I gave an incorrect title. I quoted Science writer Jonah Lehrer's description of a study that showed that neurologically Free Will might be possible for humans a really large percentage of the time. Today's link discusses the opposite idea that Nature and Genetics reign supreme. Astrology struggles with this same problem. How much is Free Will and how much is Destiny. Why one can't assume that the struggle between the two is closer to creating reality?

Lehrer talks about an episode of This American Life about two babies who were switched at birth in a small Wisconsin town. Born in 1951, they grew up showing remarkable common traits with their birth parents. One of the Mothers knew about the mistake after a few weeks but did nothing about it until 43 years later when she wrote the two girls a letter. She, along with the two girls and the other Mother are interviewed on the program. (I haven't heard it yet, am not sure if it is still available for free.)

I can't find the birth dates for the two baby girls. Well, they are now going through their 2d Saturn Returns, actually so not babies. On the Internet I found that they were born in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin in the Summer of 1951. There are some interesting aspects and possibilities in the stars which describe their strange Fates. This is Fate because they had nothing to do with what happened.

Right off the bat one sees that they have North Node in Pisces with Saturn in the opposite Sign of Virgo. There's a good chance that Saturn is conjunct the South Node. Virgo rules Medical and Pisces rules Hospitals. Saturn and the Nodes rule Fate. Saturn rules parents, usually the Father, but also the Duties and Responsibilities of the parents. This is most likely a difficult placement with regards to Parents for an individual. We don't have a clue where the Moon was. Moon represents the Mother. Even with only very vague birth data there are interesting Astrological aspects to observe here.

The girls were born in 1951 and were told that they were switched at Birth in 1994. This means that they were told during their Uranus Oppositions. Ew doggie. Talk about Shock, Unexpected News, Out of the Blue weirdness, life turning upside down, reality goes inside out. Turns out the girls were born with Uranus in Cancer, sign of the Home and the Mother and the really weird Mother with major crazy post-Natal Hormone issues or something. At any rate, it would make sense that there would be something unusual about the birth. This was already the Flower Child generation that complained about the Generation Gap. Many of these guys wanted to come from an unusual circumstance. This is just a different manifestation of that same placement. I also believe that Uranus and Cancer rule Genetics. If they do it's very interesting that these women's stories are being appreciated for Scientific value as much as for personal interest.

In 1994, time of the reveal over the Switcharoo, Neptune was conjunct Uranus in Capricorn, the opposite sign of the Zodiac. Capricorn and Cancer are the two signs associated with Birth Parents. Usually associated with the Father rather than the Mother, Capricorn is also associated with Guilt and Duty and facing up to one's Responsibilities. Neptune dissolved the girl's idea about their birth and Uranus sent them a shocking truth about it.

As a matter of fact, back in the Summer of 1951 when they were born there were strong Planet placements in all three of the other Cardinal Signs. Jupiter was in Aries, Uranus was in Cancer and Neptune was in Libra. The mistake was revealed when Uranus and Neptune had come together in the missing sign of Capricorn.

During Summer of 1951 there was also room for a big mistake of this type in the planets. Mars was in Cancer for a while in July and August. So possibly it was conjunct Uranus which is always a set for an accident. That's a very emotional placement for fiery Mars.

Toward the end of August, 1951, Venus was in Virgo and went Retrograde. It remained in Retrograde for 44 days and went direct when conjunct Saturn within a degree. I sure would like to look at Venus' Progressions in the charts to see if the Retrograde is placed prominently in their charts. Venus went Rx on August 13 and stationed Direct Sept. 25 at 3 Virgo conjunct Saturn within a degree. Probably not relevant but the duration of 44 days almost correlates with the 43 years that the Women didn't know about their birth or families. It's far reaching to think there's a relationship between the transit and the progression but what the hay I'm gonna mention it anyway. This whole entry is pretty odd so why not add to it?

Also wild to think about, it's fun to notice that Chiron was near the Galactic Center in Sagittarius. One would expect all kinds of odd problems to crop up when the "Wounded Healer" passes over the Center of the Universe.

Dave Freeman

On August 17 of this year Dave Freeman died from a head injury caused by a fall in his home. Dave Freeman is the advertising executive who back in 1999 published the book "One Hundred Things to Do Before You Die." He was only 47 years old.

Dave Freeman
b. Feb. 21, 1961 Whittier, CA

Sun 3 Pisces; Moon Taurus; NN 7 Virgo

RIP, Dave Freeman. My condolences to Dave's family.

With Pisces Sun and Pluto conjunct the Nodal Axis in his chart one would expect Freeman to have a strong awareness of the impermanence of things. With North Node in Virgo it's very interesting that Freeman became Famous (Pluto, Sun) for making a List (Virgo, n.Mercury Rx c. Sun) of what he wanted (Pluto) to do with the rest of his life. One certainly can suspect that this awareness came about as a result of his Pluto Square which would have occurred about 2 years before he published the book in 1999. His natal Retrograde Mercury would be a bit unhappy about not being able to complete his list.

Freeman's chart was under siege by planets that rule accidents on the date of his Death. His natal Mars is at 2 Cancer and was being transited by a wide Grand Square transit of t. Mars (30 Virgo), t.Uranus (22 Pisces) and t. Pluto (28 Sagittarius). Mars rules the Head and Mars in challenging combination with Uranus and Pluto can certainly bring Accidents. Interesting that Mars is at the Aries Point of Cancer. Mars rushes to do everything and is very Restless especially in Cancer which rules the Home. Cancer also rules Long Overseas Travel. The Aries Point will bring these qualities out into public view.

Freeman was also approaching his Jupiter Return, a cycle which occurs about every 12 years. Jupiter also rules Long Distance travel and in Freeman's chart it is conjunct Saturn on the same degree in Capricorn.

There are other key aspects as well concering natal Uranus and Pluto which amplifies the effect of the Grand Square transit of these planets for Freeman in particular. For one thing, Freeman had a natal conjunction of Pluto (death) to his North Node (Destiny). He would have had a stronger awareness that things won't last than other people. His natal Sun-Mercury Rx-Chiron conjunction were conjunct his South Node at the other end of the opposition. Natal Uranus in Leo was being aspected by the Nodal Axis, Neptune and Chiron.

There's also an interesting story told by Freeman's progressed Venus. One of Venus keywords is "Leisure." I noticed Freeman's Progressed Sun had been passing over his Natal Venus in recent years. P.Sun passing over it would indicate that one must stop and smell the Roses. However, the aspect was in the sign of Aries which must also move on to the next thing, always looking for new experience. Perhaps it indicates that this person wouldn't want retirement to come late in life. Progressed Venus is interesting to watch in this regard. It went Retrograde (by Progression) back around 1987 right on the last degree of Aries and had moved back into conjunction with natal Sun and Venus (few degrees separation) this Summer.

Obituary from Los Angeles Times says that Freeman was born on Feb. 21, 1961 in Whittier, California. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-freeman26-2008aug26,0,639371.story.

Mike the Headless Chicken

Happy Easter! Here's a story to think about as you bite the heads off all those PEEPS that landed in your Easter Basket! It's also an incredible Miracle Story.

Mike was a Chicken who was born in Fruita, Colorado in April, 1945. On Sept. 10, 1945, Mike was supposed to be dinner for his Family but when the farmer knocked off his head with the axe he missed Mike's brain stem and jugular vein so Mike didn't die. The Farmer found him the next morning sleeping with what was left of his neck tucked under his wing. The Farmer figured it was a Miracle and continued to feed Mike straight through the hole in his neck. Mike lived for 18 more months.

As it is said that he was 5 1/2 months old at the time of his beheading I assume Mike was born close to the beginning of April. This puts the Sun in Aries, the sign which rules the Head so it is quite an interesting coincidence that Mike's story is all about his head.

Also very interesting are the placements of Mercury and Venus. They were in conjunction for the entire beginning of April, 1945 and Retrograde in Aries for most of that time. Venus actually started out at the beginning of the month in Taurus, sign of the Neck, and moved back into Aries by April 8. Mercury was in Aries the whole time and went Retrograde on April 3. So, Mike lost his Voice, but somehow found a bigger audience. Medical Experts and Audiences paid a lot of money (Venus) to see the bird with no head.

The Mercury-Venus conjunction is also really interesting because Mike's story is connected with so many colloquial turns of phrase, something I might associate with Mercury-Venus. "Going for the Jugular," for example. And, of course, "Running around like a Chicken with its Head cut off."

When Mike's unfortunate experience occurred, on Sept. 10, 1945, there were many indicators in the Stars that something would go wrong with Dinner. Mars, sign of the Axe, was in Cancer, sign of Food, and in conjunction with the North node in Cancer (Destiny with Dinner). Saturn was also in Cancer, unaspected. That's a sure sign of Starvation, along with the Moon in Scorpio which would rather diet anyway. The true clinker here is the Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron conjunction in Libra that was squaring the Mars-NN. I always associate Libra and Pisces with vegetarianism. They just can't think to eat another living being. And apparently the farmer couldn't think to do Mike in once he saw what a will Mike had to live. If the bird can live without his head then maybe best to let the Miracle live. It's also interesting to think of the sign Libra here. Mike immediately became the Farmer's friend and partner in business. One wonders if the Farmer was a Libra.

Mike and the Farmer were on the Road when Mike died 18 months later. Now this really was tragic. Mike choked in a Motel Room in Phoenix and the Farmer had forgotten to bring the syringes he used to clear Mike's throat. 18 Months of living without a head. That's seems like a Sun-Venus cycle but I can't find the astrology.

Mike,

May you Eternally Rest in Peace,

You Miracle Bird.

I found out about Mike's story at http://www.christophercoppola.com/.
Mar 14 Pt. 1, "The Other Side of CRC: The Mean One"
and Mar. 15, 2008 "Mike the Headless Chicken."

In the first video filmmaker Christopher Coppola satirizes a pretentious movie star who's hired to do a documentary about Mike.