Monthly Archives: June 2017

Alexandria Shooter

When I found the birth data for the Alexandria, Virginia shooter on Ancestry.com (December 12, 1950), I couldn’t be certain if it was correct.  The James T. Hodgkinson I found was the same age as the man in the news, with the same name and middle initial, the only one listed in the town of Belleville, Illinois.  But one look at the chart convinced me this was the person who had opened fire on Congressman Steve Scalise and other Republicans at an early morning baseball practice. 

Was this someone who could conceive a grandiose scheme?  He had the Sun and Venus in Sagittarius along with Jupiter in Pisces, all of which suggest seeing the big picture.

Is this the kind of person who’d think outside the norm and take an extreme stance?  He had Mercury Out of Bounds in declination and opposite Uranus, along with the Moon in Aquarius, all of which may incline toward a radical agenda.

Could this person think ahead to plan a crime?  Hodgkinson had Mercury in Capricorn and Saturn exalted in Libra, both signifiers of the ability to take things one step at a time and follow through on plans.

Could he carry out a violent act?  Mars in Capricorn and the Sun trine Pluto are both indicators of someone who can exercise control, take a calculated risk, and is not afraid of pursuing violence.

The timing of the shooting was also clear.  Sudden events and extreme acts come under the rulership of Uranus, and violence is associated with Mars.  On the day of the shooting, transiting Uranus squared Hodgkinson’s Mars and trined his Venus (within a half a degree of exact for both).

Transiting Saturn was near the midpoint of Hodgkinson’s Sun and Venus.  He may have been feeling down and depressed, unhappy with the status quo, leading him to take his fatal actions.

Of course, we don’t have a time of birth for Hodgkinson, and not everyone born on this day will express the chart with such negativity.  For example, the popular Indian actor Rajinikanth was born on the same day.  He has gone on hunger strikes to draw attention to issues that were important to him, and has supported anti-corruption and campaigned for eye donations.  In June of 2017, the month of the Alexandria shooting, Rajinikanth met with leaders and appears to be considering entering politics.  He leans conservative.

The FBI’s wanted list confirms Hodgkinson’s birth data.

About Wholism

Whole by T. Colin Campbell, PhD explains the difference between a holistic paradigm and the view favored by science and medicine. The linear reductionist view is generally accepted as the “truth” by government agencies and in the media. Campbell addresses nutrition and health and the extreme and debilitating effects resulting from the American population’s acceptance of government guidelines and medical professionals’ second-hand opinions. Those of us who are astrologers face similar challenges with our holistic perspective, which is often at odds with the norm.

Dr. Campbell was an insider for over 50 years, teaching standard courses on nutrition at Cornell University, and receiving numerous research grants throughout his career.  He explains that funding is only available to those willing to tailor their research to a strictly linear, cause-and-effect model. While I was already aware of the many ways our society diminishes a holistic view of life, this book was still an eye-opener. It’s disturbing to see how medicine and the media are deeply enmeshed with corporate America.

Growing up on a farm, Campbell began with and advocated for a standard American diet. Yet over his years of research and study, he came to support whole foods and plant-based nutrition. Studies for such a diet are difficult to find as they are not linear and are not supported by industry. Apparently there are nevertheless many such studies, which show the positive effects of the diet, though they often cannot gain the attention of publications or the media (both of which are also often funded by industry, especially pharmaceuticals and other special interests).

This is an important book, however as with many of its kind, its value and limitations are both due to the author’s strong point of view. He comes just short of saying that vegetarianism can cure cancer, for example. It’s hard for us to know if he’s right or wrong. But given the predominant influence of the pharmaceutical and food industries on medicine and lifestyle in this country, more alternative voices need to be heard.

Prince’s Estate

Horoscopes continue after the people who lived them have passed on, especially where their personal and professional affairs are concerned.  We can clearly see this in the legal proceedings for music superstar Prince’s estate.

By any measure, Prince Rogers Nelson had a remarkable horoscope, reflected in the uniquely multitalented man.  He worked out of his home studio, and created,  produced, arranged and performed almost all the music in his recordings.  With a Scorpio Ascendant, he had tremendous drive, and both rulers are in a tight inconjunct aspect – Mars in Aries conjoining the 5th house of creativity and Pluto in Leo closely conjunct the MC. 

But Pluto is also part of a T-square with focal point Mercury in Gemini in the 7th and the Moon in Pisces conjunct the 4th house cusp.  Prince reached a wide audience, but also had relationship issues, going so far as to change his identity for a period of time due to contractual disagreements.  Prince’s Neptune in the 12th was also the focal point of a yod with Mercury and Mars, showing his wonderful imagination and how he was able to direct it into creative projects.

He died on April 21, 2016 from an accidental drug overdose.  He was 58 at the time and had not left a Will.  Traditionally, the 4th house shows the “end of the matter.”  In an individual’s chart, it also indicates one’s home, property or land – what we might call his estate.  This is where we look to see what happens to the stuff we leave on earth.

The Pisces Moon on the 4th house cusp shows Prince’s vast, multitudinous properties, born of his creative imagination – estimated at $200 million.  The star had two marriages which both ended earlier in his life, and he had no children.  So his estate is divided among his closest relatives – six siblings.  Siblings are ruled by both Mercury and Gemini, and these family members have now become has partners, all trying to look out for their own interests and determine how best to proceed.

The patterns that made Prince such a dynamic artist also challenge the resolution of his estate.  As one might imagine with the Moon opposite Pluto and so much property at stake, 45 parties came forward with claims.  The judge has rejected most of them, but some have appealed his decision. The estate could easily take many years to resolve.

Prince is experiencing his Saturn return throughout 2017, which should help move things forward and confirm the judge’s order.  But transiting Neptune squaring his 8th house Sun from the 4th seems to be the significator for the complicated estate proceedings, which have been both numerous and costly.  The Neptune transit won’t be complete until early 2020, when the court should get beyond much of the confusion.

Uranus will trine Prince’s Midheaven during 2018 to early 2019, which could bring some surprising developments.  The estate is already planning on releasing new albums and concert films.

Prince was born on June 7, 1958 at 6:17 PM according to his birth record on Astrodatabank.