On May 6th of this year, 2013, in Cleveland, Ohio, Ariel Castro left his home. Unfortunately for him, due to his carelessness, one of the three young ladies he had abducted and imprisoned for many years managed to escape from her room, kicked out the lower panels of the front door of his house and called out for help, “Please, call 911!” Neighbours and the police did help before Castro returned home. He was immediately placed under arrest, the girls were rushed to the hospital for medical attention before being reunited with their families. The chart below is a Moon-opposite-Sun Return for a few day earlier, another chart for the day of Castro’s arrest follows. These are not the charts showing the girls elation over being released but the situation that Castro himself felt. 
t/Moon opposes n/Sun (19 Capricorn to 18 Cancer) from the 4th to the 10th house. Note that computer software typically calculates correctly the precise Moon to Sun opposition affected by precession correction, but instead displays the natal body’s (Sun) position at its uncorrected position. Note also that the Moon and Sun are near the cusps of the following houses, yet those houses are not considered to be part of the interpretative process — this is due to the fact that those cusps and the chart angles will advance in coming days away from those bodies. The “theme statement” for this Moon-Sun pattern is, “Family situations conflict with one’s public image. Demands will be made upon to deal with issues of the past. Private and public actions create conflicts.” I have nuanced the upcoming book’s statement to better fit with the situation that Castro now faced. The astrologer must always adjust the generalized meanings of chart patterns to fit the flow of the subject’s life situations. Note the natal chart angles (outer ring) and their closeness to the Return chart’s angles. Some time in the following several days those angles will progress or advance to the natal angles. When that happens we know that a major life changing event is highly likely! When big changes are indicated I typically look to the Part of Fortune (PoF). Here, the t/PoF has no major contacts or aspects. However, the n/PoF conjoins t/Mercury; news, talking, understanding will be at the heart of sudden changes in Castro’s life in the next two weeks. Since this is a Moon-opposite-Sun Return, both the Sun and Moon symbolism is highly important. Note n/Moon square n/Mars! Castro’s basic character and the nature of his life is significantly affected by his control and use of his emotions. As it turns out, his very emotional needs have driven him to do what he did, sexually prey upon young ladies. Note further that n/Moon opposes n/Uranus; high emotional energy is involved. This whole natal T-Square pattern is being activated now. n/North Node at the Asc. of the Return chart indicates that he will have to directly deal with existing associations that he has with other people. This all tells us what we need to know about the next days and weeks of this two-week period. We don’t need to delve deeper into the chart. Let us now see what May 6th brings to Ariel Castro’s life. 
The above chart is the April 30th Moon-opposite-Sun Return chart with advanced angles and transiting planet positions set for May 6, 2013 — the day of the three girls release and Castro’s subsequent arrest. Note that the Advanced chart’s Asc. has advanced to within 3 degrees of the n/Asc. I have been using a “noon” chart for Castro because his actual birth time is not obtainable. Using a “noon” birth time, due to the Moon-to-Sun daily motion ratio, assures that we will be within 7 degrees of accuracy. It might therefore be that Castro’s actual birth time (if known) would be closer to 6:00 am. The realignment, in a cyclic chart, of the birth chart angles, always signifies a life changing event situation. It may be for the good or the bad. Here it was good for the young ladies and very bad for Castro. Note the t/PoF conjoining n/Uranus; sudden and exciting changes will occur on this date. Note t/Moon conjoining t/Uranus in the 7th house; surprises and sudden events (Uranus) relating to women and the public(Moon). t/Sun and t/Mars conjoining n/Mars; self interests (Sun) and ones actions (Mars) cause conflict and confrontation relating to past actions (natal Mars). Remember that natal planets often represent established energy expression while transiting planets relate to the current (that day’s) nature of changes that come into our life. The whole natal T-Square of Mars-to-Moon/Uranus opposition is triggered by t/Sun and t/Mars. We might also note that t/Jupiter and n/Jupiter are near the vertical axis, and may represent the legal nature of this event. In any case, reading these types of charts requires basic knowledge of common everyday meanings know to every early studies astrologer. Professional astrologers find the use of these charts to be highly effective, useful, and quick to work with during an actual counselling session. Dave
Monthly Archives: September 2013
A Most Despicable Set of Actions
This man, Ariel Castro, was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and later moved to Cleveland, OH. Living by himself with no apparent prospects of gaining a girlfriend, he decided to obtain a girlfriend by a very simple means — he would abduct one and keep her as a love-slave for his continuing pleasure and satisfaction. A most despicable concept. On August 22, 2002 he did actually abduct a young lady, a Michelle Knight. For almost eleven full years she was kept imprisoned in his home. In the following years after her abduction, two more young ladies were added to his collection. In the current year, 2013, the girls escaped and Castro was arrested. The events following his arrest developed quickly and will be commented upon in several following posts. Because birth records (time) are not available so Moon-to-Sun Return charts will be used. The use of a noon birth time produce a MC position that is accurate within 7 degrees due to the relative motion of the Moon compared to the Sun’s slower motion. I will use Castro’s birth date of July 10, 1960 and a noon birth for the charts in this series. I will also show the chart data so that readers can see how a Moon-to-Sun Return is advanced to the event date.
Note that the natal planets are shown within the outer wheel, the transit are placed within the inner wheel! This is a t/Moon in the 3rd house opposite n/Sun in the 9th and has a “theme” of Finding it hard to deal with problems at home, . . . having qualms about the use of vehicles. Making changes concerning a home . . . seeking something from another. Let us see how this theme played out in the days to come.
In this Return chart, t/Neptune is at the IC, n/Neptune is at the Asc.; this is a very powerful “doubled-up” planet-pattern. The in-preparation book interpretation notes likely deceptions, self-deceptions, inspirations. t/Sun conjoins t/Mars in the 10th; Castro’s self-interests, inclination to act, sexual urges are foremost in his mind. This pair broadly conjoins n/Uranus and opposes t/Uranus — another doubled-up planet; The t/Sun’s sense of self-purpose is triggering his sense of individuality, while the Uranus/Uranus opposition will make a move to meet his exaggerated sense of selfishness.
The t/Part of Fortune opposes n/Ascendant; there is an opportunity to find a partner although this opportunity is “chancy” (risk related). We might look at the natal-versus-transiting or transiting-versus-natal planets of those noted above and draw some additional insights, but, the doubled up Neptune and doubled up Uranus patterns point to deception, dreams, individualistic actions to fulfil those dreams will be the sense of what will happen in the next two weeks. Let us now look at an Advanced chart for August 22, 2002 when Castro abducted Michelle Knight.
The chart above is an Advanced chart for Aug. 22nd, The Ascendant now conjoins n/Neptune and squares t/Neptune; Fantasy time has arrived. t/PoF has moved to the Descendant, opposing and triggering the Ascendant; a time of chance and change is here for Castro. t/Moon has moved on to conjoin t/Uranus and oppose (broadly) n/Uranus; the emotional state of Castro is heightened, he has looked forward to this opportunity for some time. t/Mercury is approaching the n/Asc.; Plans are to be acted upon.
Castro had noticed Michelle Knight’s walking patterns and chose this date to pull up in his car and grab her. At his home, Michelle was imprisoned, to be used for the satisfaction of Ariel Castro’s gratification. For the next almost eleven years she would not see her family and have a day of peace.
In the following series of postings we will follow this tragic story. The second and third abductions will not be covered. Instead I will move forward to the escape/rescue of the three young girls and the quickly paced series of surprising events that followed. Dave.
A Very Short Vacation
For all my readers; I will be on vacation for several days. I expect to post next over the coming weekend period. Life has been hectic lately — we are selling the house, refurbishing the house while people look at it, dealing with medical issues, having some short-term projects to do for the town that we live in, etc. If any have suggestions on the people we astrologically review here, please leave a name or subject in the comments section. Dave
Nobody Believes Me!
Sept. 13, 2013. Barry Bonds today lost his appeal on his 2011 conviction of Obstructing Justice in the long-running investigation of steroid use in baseball. This “case” of steroid use began in 2003 and has continued since then. Bonds has been accused of steroid use many times, has always denied knowingly taking them, and was charged in 2011 on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. This posting will review the Progressed Daily Angles charts for the conviction date and the loss of appeals date.
The vertical axis of this chart is highly active; n/Mars and n/Venus at the MC, n/Asc. at the IC along with t/N.Node. t/Venus is at the Desc. angle. The doubled-up angular Venus/Venus would normally gain my attention over other factors, but n/Asc. conjoining t/N.Node and opposing n/Mars at the MC is the real focus of the chart. Let us break this down. The natal Mars opposite natal Asc. points to one who tries hard to win others over, one who may project himself too forcefully onto others, or one who fights with others in some manner. Now note n/MC trine to n/Mars and n/Venus; he has professional poise and uses his personality to promote his career. This fits with his n/Sun opposite n/Moon; one who plays the game of life and relationships with others, a person who seeks reaction from the public.
There are some supportive patterns we can note. On this date, t/Moon opposes n/Moon, how would others react to his demeanor on this date? Perhaps a split in the nature of reactions to his claims. t/Sun opposes n/MC; This often is a “start/finish” situation and suggests the long trial-in-public is now over. The two angular Venus’ placements may now be seen as a conflict in the support given and denied his claim of innocence.
In the above Progressed Daily Angles chart for Sept. 13, 2013, we find t/Moon and t/Pluto at the IC angle; For Barry this appears to be an intense emotional time. This view is backed up by the closeness of the n/Asc. near this IC. Perhaps a whole new outlook is going to adopted given his long battle with the steroid issue. Note t/Mercury hovering at the Ascendant and squaring t/Moon and t/Pluto. The news and his understanding of the court’s decision is, indeed, emotionally devastating. I’m not sure how he will publicly show this. We can look at n/Mercury squaring n/Jupiter — a debating and vocal defender pattern. Perhaps we can anticipate a vocal response of some nature.
By the time the next post is due, in three or four days, Barry Bonds will probably show us how he will react. Dave
Carefree; Careless; Catastropic — Not Good Words For A Seaman
On the evening of January 13, 2012, Captain Francesco Schettino had decided to take his ship close to the island of Giglio. “Close” was some few hundred feet from the rocky shore. The Costa Concordia ran aground, its hull torn open, flooding followed, the ship capsized.
Captain Schettino had been entertaining a girlfriend 
and was not taking an active and consistent role in guiding the ship past the island. While the ship was capsizing, while his passengers and crew were still aboard, the Captain left the ship. Carefree time with his girlfriend Careless attention to the ship’s passage near the island, Catastrophic results as the ship collided with rocks.
The Captain had a t/Moon opposite n/Sun Return on Jan. 4, 2012. t/Moon was in the 9th, n/Sun in the 3rd. The theme statement for this pattern reads, “Establishing or exhibiting one’s home or personality to meet the day’s situation. Fundamental issues or the family are reinforced or subject to significant change.” As it turned out, this generic statement was reasonably appropriate. The Captain was in a party mood, escorting his girlfriend about the ship and the dance floor, feeling in a party mood. His fundamental responsibilities were carelessly set aside and his whole career was suddenly changed. His decision to abandon his ship while crew and passengers were aboard is hard to understand.
These Return charts and Advanced chart for the ship’s grounding are unusual in their content and are highly instructive.
Again, I have shown the chart data so that readers may follow the process for setting up and using these charts. The primary angular factors are the natal and transiting North Nodes! t/N.Node at the IC; The t/N.Node is associated with talking, sharing, social activities. In the 4th house, changes in how one relates to others is indicated. The n/N.Node conjunct the Return Ascendant is associated with what is hidden and then discovered as it relates to how one structures their life style. The Captain was a playboy and social butterfly. All Captains have to play this role as part of their duties, but they are anything but playboys and socialites. t/Sun conjoins n/Saturn; he had significant areas of responsibility and discipline to apply. Close by is t/Part of Fortune conjoining n/MC; playing fast and loose with his career needs. There are other factors that could be considered, but these are the main items to consider in understanding what these next two weeks would bring to the Captain
Advancing the t/Moon-opp-n/Sun Return to Jan. 13, 2012, when the ship was run ashore, we note that the Advanced charts date is changed but that the “time” of the chart is the same. Advancing a Moot-to-Sun Return to a following day is just that simple. t/Moon and t/Mars conjoin at the Ascendant; A high emotional state is indicated. With n/Moon close by in the first, all moon symbolism can be included —- women, emotions, changeability, the sea and the tides, uncertainty. If we shift our attention to the natal version of Mars we find n/Mars opposing n/MC and t/Sun; actions are taken contrary to his self-interests.
t/PoF opposes n/Sun in the 3rd. The Captain see’s his self-interests in a social and communicative setting, a setting that is subject to the “chance and change” of when one takes advantage of a social opportunity (his girlfriend). This pattern picks up on the n/PoF opposing n/N.Node; dealings with others is always a “chancy” situation for him—was the Captain naturally a poor judge of character or did he have poor judgement as part of his character? If we note n/Mercury conjoining n/Neptune we may have our answer to that question. How does n/Mars opposite n/Saturn and n/MC fit into this? A hot versus cold situation, wanting to go ahead while wanting to be cautious. How does this contribute to shaping the Captain’s character? His n/Moon is in a last-square phase relationship to the Sun; He needs to be a role model, to contribute to society, to set accomplishments before others–this fits with n/Saturn conjunct the n/MC angle, a feeling of responsibility while having a poorly organized mind (Mercury/Neptune) in terms of how to relate to others (Mercury/Neptune opposite Ascendant). We have here suggestions that the Captain was a cardboard cut-out, a façade of responsibility. All opinion, of course. These symbols can be interpreted in many ways. These charts are more applicable to events and the mapping of everyday affairs. Playing astro-psychologist may not fit well into this charting method.
In any case, this is my thinking for today. Dave.
It Was Bad: Let’s Pretend It Wasn’t
Wednesday, August 27, 2013, was the first full day in court for Francesco Schettino, former Captain of the cruise ship Costa Concordia. That ship sank after being run aground on the Isle of Giglio, off the Tuscany coast of Italy on the night of Jan. 13, 2012. Many of the passengers were killed, some trying to swim the short distance to the coast. Schettino’s legal team started the trial by attempting to gain a plea deal to greatly diminish the number and nature of the charges against him. That is not likely to happen, given the level of publicity that the playboy Captain has received.
The good Captain is, indeed, back in the news due to the trial concerning his mis-deeds of Jan. 13, 2012 when he was more concerned over his girl friend that he was on the state of his ship as it listed over into the sea. The audacity of the man, through his lawyers, matches his devil-may-care attitude of his career as ship’s captain. The following chart is his t/Moon-opposite-n/Sun Return for August 27th. I am presenting this chart as it appears on my computer screen with all of the attending data.
t/Moon opposes n/Sun from the 7th to the 1st house; “1) One seeks to understand and respond to others, to negotiate, persuade others of the value of their own views. 2) One can be too involved with others or overwhelmed by the situation of another. You might commit resources or offer a public endorsement. 3) Relationship often start or end with this Return, or family patterns shift due to death or birth. One seeks to survive or prevail in some way relative to what others want or do.” This is the standard generic statement for the Return pattern. This oppositional pattern squares n/Uranus, this natal square with Sun suggesting the Captain struggles to maintain his maverick image.
Mercury, as befits a “trial” situation, is prominent in this chart. t/Sun, t/Mercury lines us with n/Pluto; Schettino acts to support his self-interests (Mercury/Sun) by taking control of the trial and publicity (n/Pluto). t/Saturn conjoins n/Mercury at the Asc. angle, a strategy is devised by the Captain himself (my opinion). How should we deal with n/Neptune conjoining n/Mercury? Is this strategy of a plea deal to be considered a “pipe dream?” Should we link n/Neptune to the sea tragedy that prompted the trial? Does the Captain live in a world of his own? In any case, the two Mercury positions do tell us that he has concocted a plan to use publicity and the Italian legal system to shape the range of trial possibilities to his benefit. The opposition of t/Sun, t/Mercury, n/Pluto to t/Neptune brings us back to the veiled planet. Schettino is trying to obscure the nature of the trial.
Note t/Part of Fortune conjoining n/Mars, opposing n/Saturn & n/MC; He is taking a chance on challenging the responsibilities of his career by contesting the rules of the sea, his interpretation of the events of that fateful night.
We will now examine the Advanced chart for the first full day of the trial, which occurred on the following day. Note that the “time” of the Aug. 28th chart is the same as the “time” of the Aug. 27th Return chart. Only the date is advanced. This advances the MC a degree for each day (more or less) while presenting the transits for the Advanced chart’s date. The presentation of these charts with the associated data is intended to show that this process of working with Moon-to-Sun Returns is quite simple.
With only one day passing since the Return date, the cluster of t/Saturn, t/N.Node, n/Mercury, n/Neptune opposite n/Asc. is still in place early in the first house. Also in place is the t/Mercury, t/Sun, n/Pluto, n/N.Node opposite t/Neptune. What has changed is t/Moon square t/Sun and t/Mars conjoining t/PoF. The t/Sun and t/Moon square points to a challenge, the t/PoF shows how this challenge will be played out. t/Mars near the MC says that he will attack the facts to protect his public image. t/Mars square the n/Asc. shows his manner of acting; challenge and flout himself versus others.
We will need to follow the news over the coming days to see how successful the Captain is in swinging the trials focus to suit his needs. Dave.
The Ninth House 3 