Tag Archives: violence

New York City: Mars Out of Bounds

New York City commemorated the 25th anniversary of the 1993 World Trade Center bombings on February 26. Mars, the planet we most associate with weapons and violent crime, was accentuated: it was both rising and Out of Bounds in declination at that time. Six people were killed and over 1,000 injured as a rental van exploded in an underground parking garage.

When planets are Out of Bounds, they fall outside the Sun’s path and may present situations above and beyond the norm. Mars goes Out of Bounds in declination about once a year, often for a month or more at a time. This usually happens when it’s in the equinoctial signs of Cancer and Capricorn or their adjoining signs of Gemini and Sagittarius.

Mars was in Cancer and OOB (26 N 26 in declination) for the 1993 bombing. The 9/11/2001 airplane attacks also had Mars OOB (26 S 47), this time placed in the sign of Capricorn. New York City has its natal Mars in late Sagittarius, also OOB at 24 S 03, though not as far from the ecliptic edge of 23 N/S 26.

Another downtown Manhattan terrorist attack, the Wall Street bomb of 9/16/1920 (12:01 PM) also had Mars rising (in Sagittarius this time) but just a day shy of being OOB in declination (about to step outside the ecliptic).

Evangeline Adams talked about late degrees of Cancer being common to fires in New York City in the late 19th century. She noted that the great Windsor Hotel fire of 1899, which killed over 60 people, had Mars at 21 Cancer 22. At the time of the fire, the Moon and Mars were both OOB (at 24 N 11 and 24 N 49 respectively).

These are unusual coincidences, but many things are ruled by an OOB Mars. In the horoscope of New York City, Mars OOB in Sagittarius in the 3rd house may also represent transit, traffic, pedestrians, accidents, languages, education, trade and candid speech. Much more research is needed to establish how often Mars coincides with notable violence and destruction in New York.

The terrorist attack on February 26, 1993 occurred at 12:18 PM according to numerous news stories.

For more on the 1993 and 2001 charts, see Michelle Young’s analysis.

The Twin Towers attacks chart is here.

I also looked at the New York City chart in an earlier post.

NYC’s Bike Path Attack

Inspired by ISIS, on October 31, 2017, Sayfullo Saipov drove a rented truck into a bike path in lower Manhattan, killing eight. Transiting Uranus conjoining the New York City’s Moon in Aries speaks of unpredictability and potential violence. But Uranus already conjoined the City’s Moon in Aries in May. Why were there no attacks then?

In February, I reviewed the previous Uranus cycle in 1933 and 1934, which reflected political reforms and innovations in housing and transportation. While I searched for any notable violent events, I found none. Earlier this year, NYC did have Uranian developments in technology, transportation and housing.

Setting the stage for the tragic Halloween attack was the Solar Eclipse at 29 Leo, which fell in NY’s 11th house, creating a grand trine with natal Moon, Venus and Mars while also squaring Uranus. And the progressed Moon in Virgo conjoined the eclipse point, then also squared NYC Uranus, exact on October 14. Progressed Mars in Aries would trine the City’s Uranus exactly on November 4, and is an obvious indicator for the possibility of violence. 

Transiting Uranus exactly conjoined the City’s Moon on October 15 and Jupiter sextiled NY’s Venus and Mars in Sagittarius in early October, more of a protective influence than anything else, but perhaps also allowing a foreign-born person (Jupiter) to plan a street attack (3rd house Venus and Mars). Saturn in Sagittarius was near the midpoint of the City’s Venus-Mars-Neptune opposition.

We are looking for a trigger that sets off the heavier influences. Transiting Mars is our usual suspect, and Mars also rules the 7th house of “open enemies” traditionally (and we already have progressed Mars exact to natal Uranus). Transiting Mars had begun to conjoin 1st house Jupiter in Libra, while approaching a sextile to Saturn in Sagittarius in the NYC 3rd house of local transportation. A sextile is generally not as violent as a square, but Mars with Saturn nevertheless retains its potential for crushing when combined. And the violence could very easily have been a lot worse, as the terrorist crashed the car into a school bus, injuring two children.

New York City has helpful influences for the rest of the year and into January of 2018. In November, transiting Saturn trines the NY Moon while Jupiter sextiles its Sun and trines its Midheaven from the 2nd house. Transiting Saturn conjunct the NYC Venus and Mars in December could potentially be a destructive combination, but now that the City is on greater alert, hopefully it represents greater vigilance and an increased police presence (the City has already installed concrete barriers on the bike path). New York’s progressed Midheaven in Scorpio trining the natal Midheaven in December and progressed Sun in the 8th trining natal Sun in January have similar overtones.

Uranus will conjoin New York City’s Moon for the final time in March of 2018.

See Michelle Young’s website for her in-depth analysis of the chart of the attack, along with Sayfullo Saipov’s noon chart, which has several extraordinary conjunctions with the NYC horoscope.