The summer of 2014 provided many glimpses into the inner workings of the cosmos, and Personal-Named Asteroids (PNAs) in particular, as celestial movements played out in terrestrial events here on planet Earth. In addition to the major stories already chronicled elsewhere in Daykeeper Journal, some of those that slipped through the cracks include far-reaching US Supreme Court decisions, excessive use of police force followed by weeks-long protests in Missouri, the indictment on corruption charges of a former Virginia governor, the announcement of a royal pregnancy, and a not guilty verdict in a major murder trial.
The summer kicked off with a favorable ruling for the defendants in the notorious Hobby Lobby case, a case which appears to grant corporations the rights of freedom of religion. The court’s five-member conservative bloc upheld the crafts-supplies company’s right to refuse to cover certain methods of birth control which they deem to act as abortifacients for their employees, based on their fundamentalist religious beliefs that abortion is murder, despite the Obamacare mandate requiring them cover birth control. The decision seems to increase the individual rights protections granted by the US constitution, extending them to corporations, in line with recent similar rulings granting freedom of speech rights as regards political spending.
The chart for the ruling, announced on June 30, sports a stunning Grand Cross of TNO Quaoar, named for a Native American creation deity and noted for its involvement in reproductive issues at 25 Sagittarius, opposed Mercury (decisions, rulings) at 24 Gemini retrograde, and squared both asteroid Themis (named for the Greek goddess of justice) at 26 Virgo and asteroid Roberts (#3428, for Chef Justice John Roberts, who led the conservative majority) at 24 Pisces. (For more on Quaoar, see my article “Quaoar and Reproduction” in the August 2003 Daykeeper Journal.)
The decision marks the first occasion on which the court has upheld a for-profit corporation’s right to hold religious beliefs, and though limited to closely-held corporations (which constitute roughly 90% of all US corporations), the case carries serious implications for future rulings, as denoted by the close interaction with the Grand Cross of the Galactic Center at 27 Sagittarius, a point conferring global impact or import. Theoretically, any type of medical care could be refused, if the employer deems it sinful (for example, Jehovah’s Witness adherents do not allow blood transfusion, perhaps declining to pay for these for their workers. Similarly, Scientologists do not condone the use of anti-depressants, perhaps preventing their use by those for whom they would be beneficial. The ruling opens up a huge legal can of worms for the future.
Victorious Hobby Lobby CEO David Green is represented celestially as well. When the decision was announced at 10:16 AM EDT in Washington, asteroid Green (#12016) at 1 Pisces closely conjoined the 2 Pisces Descendant, conferring angular emphasis and importance, and was also conjunct Neptune, ruling religious fanaticism, at 7 Pisces.
Asteroid Green is especially potent here, less than a week from its station retrograde, and thus in an entrenched, stationary position, the still point upon which the rest of the chart revolves, suggesting David Green’s dominance of the timeframe. Green also trines Nike, named for the Greek goddess of victory, at 3 Cancer. Asteroid Davida (#511) is also strongly placed; at 25 Cancer it conjoins Jupiter, ruling the justice system and favorable outcomes generally, at 26 Cancer. Defining the day as one where judicial rulings would make news is asteroid Justitia, named for the Roman goddess of justice, at 5 Aries in square to the Sun (the day’s focus) at 8 Cancer.
Justice is also the issue in the shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year old African American youth gunned down by police at high noon on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri on August 9. With the results of official investigations into the shooting still unavailable more than a month after his death, conflicting reports emerged as to the source of the altercation, with some alleging Brown had hands up in a “don’t shoot” posture, and others asserting that he and the officer struggled for the gun. All that is certain at this point is that Brown was stopped for walking in the street and blocking traffic, was unarmed, and shot at least six times by Officer Darren Wilson. His body was left in the street for more than four hours before being removed by the medical examiner’s office. The shooting is being investigated by the local authorities, the FBI and the US Department of Justice.
Within hours protests began to erupt, which continued over the next two weeks and involved tens of thousands. Most daytime demonstrations were peaceful, but at night these escalated into riots and looting, with police in full riot gear gassing crowds and making multiple arrests, including some of the journalists covering the story. For the first time ever, human rights organization Amnesty International sent observers to a US city to monitor events.
When the Brown shooting occurred at 12:01 PM CDT on 9 August 2014, asteroid Brown (#1643) appears at 25 Aries, closely conjunct the 26 Aries Descendant. Brown is trine to asteroid Rip (#7711, for “RIP”, “Rest in Peace”, a common tombstone epitaph) at 26 Sagittarius, and inconjunct asteroid Atropos (named for the Greek Fate who severs the thread of life at death) at 28 Virgo.
Asteroid Michel (#1348, for “Michael”) is also angular; at 8 Aquarius it conjoins the IC at 0 Aquarius and the Moon at 2 Aquarius, indicating the involvement of the public in the highly emotional aftermath of the shooting. A second variant of Michael, asteroid Michelle (#1376) appears at 1 Scorpio, conjoined transit Mars, ruler of violent death, at 8 Scorpio; Michelle is also within orb of the 26 Libra Ascendant. Thus, PNA referents for both “Michael” and “Brown” in an angular position define the moment as one of special importance to him personally.
Mars is itself exactly trine to asteroid Ferguson (#1745, the town where the shooting occurred) at 8 Cancer, which is embroiled in the ongoing Uranus/Pluto square. Ferguson continued to move more strongly into the energy of the square as the protests grew, finally dissipating once the exact square to Uranus (protests, equal rights) had been reached.
The MC at 0 Leo is conjoined by Jupiter, in exact conjunction with asteroid Requiem, named for the funeral mass for the dead, both at 5 Leo. The political implications (Jupiter) of the death (Requiem) are clear, and we also see Michael Brown gaining a degree of fame or recognition (Jupiter) through his death, with this placement as well. The day’s temperament is seen in the 17 Leo Sun’s conjunction with both asteroid Lachesis, named for the Greek Fate who determines the span of life, at 15 Leo, and Mercury, ruling youths, at 18 Leo.
Born 20 May 1996, Michael Brown’s 0 Gemini Sun conjoins asteroid Wilson (#2465, his killer) at 27 Taurus, and opposes a combination of TNO Ixion (named for the first murderer in Greek myth) and Pluto (modern ruler of death) at 0 and 1 Sagittarius.
TNO Chaos factors into this widely from 23 Taurus by conjunction with the Sun, perhaps prompting the breakdown of civic conditions as protests over Brown’s (Sun) death became riots (Chaos). A pairing of asteroids Brown and Osiris (named for the Egyptian god of the dead) at 12 and 14 Leo was conjoined by the transit solar stellium at his death, and opposed by asteroid Anubis at 13 Aquarius, named for the Egyptian deity governing funerary rites. Natal Atropos at 18 Scorpio was conjoined by transit Saturn, ancient ruler of death, at 16 Scorpio.
On a lighter note, July 1 saw two “Howards” making news simultaneously. US soccer team goalkeeper Tim Howard shattered the old FIFA World Cup record for most saves in a single game, with 15 goals prevented in the match against Belgium (the prior record of 13 had been set in 1978, 36 years earlier). And Michelle Howard became the first female US 4-star admiral.
Asteroid Howard (#12561) at 7 Pisces was an exact match for Neptune, seen here in its capacity as representing the “savior” aspect (as in saved goals) and also in its rulership of the oceans. There is no asteroid Timothy, but asteroid Michelle appears at 19 Libra, conjoined transit Mars at 18 Libra, denoting the military aspects of Admiral Howard’s promotion. Venus at 9 Gemini squared Howard, and the Sun at 9 Cancer trined it, suggesting benefit (Venus) and popular focus (Sun) for individuals with that name on that day.
On September 9, former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell was convicted on 11 counts of corruption-related felony charges. McDonnell and his wife Maureen were co-defendants in a case involving special favors granted to health-supplement marketer Johnnie Williams (who turned state’s evidence against them) in exchange for gifts and cash payments. McDonnell, once considered a likely contender for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, faces up to 20 years in prison for each charge at his sentencing in January.
Asteroid McDonnell (#9159) at 7 Virgo conjoins the 11 Virgo Sun, marking the day as one which would focus on McDonnell. The Sun/McDonnell conjunction is also semisquare TNO Rhadamanthus at 23 Libra, named for a mythic Greek judge of the dead noted for meting out harsh punishments. In square to McDonnell is asteroid Williams (#1763), denoting the former friend’s turncoat status, and asteroid Justitia, Roman goddess of justice, is in exact inconjunct to McDonnell from 7 Aries. Asteroid Roberta (#335, for Robert) at 1 Leo straddles the gap between Jupiter, ruling both politics and judgments, and asteroid Nemesis, ruling undoing, at 10 Leo and 25 Cancer respectively.
On September 8, Buckingham Palace announced that the Duchess of Cambridge was expecting her second child, due in the spring of 2015. The Sun at 15 Virgo conjunct asteroid Child at 18 Virgo made it an appropriate day for a pregnancy disclosure, particularly as these conjoin the former Kate Middleton’s natal TNO Haumea, named for the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth, at 20 Virgo.
Transit Haumea at 20 Libra had been exactly squared Kate’s natal Sun for the birth of her first child, Prince George, last July, and continues to activate her Sun by square throughout the period of this second pregnancy. Sun/Child is also trine transit asteroid Diana, Roman goddess of childbirth, at 17 Taurus, forming a Grand Trine with Kate’s natal Sun at 18 Capricorn. As with her first child, Kate is experiencing abnormally severe morning sickness, and has been hospitalized (note asteroid Kate at 7 Capricorn in sextile to Neptune, ruling hospitals, at 5 Pisces, which is itself conjoined asteroid Artemis, named for the Greek goddess of childbirth, at 2 Pisces).
On September 11, the judge in the murder trial of Paralympic gold medal winner Oscar Pistorius handed down her verdict: not guilty of murder. The decision sent shockwaves across the globe, which had watched in fascinated horror for over six months as Pistorius’ trial dragged on.
Pistorius shot through a locked bathroom door four times in the dead of night, killing his girlfriend, whom he claimed he thought was an intruder. The double amputee track star phenom known as “Blade Runner” for his Olympic successes claimed a psychological impairment, due to the vulnerability of his handicap, in the decision to fire before confirming exactly where his girlfriend was at the time. Neighbors who claimed to have heard a shouting argument before the shots were discounted by the judge as unreliable.
Even the judge asserted that Pistorius, charged in the shooting death of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day 2013, was a “poor witness.” But she stated that there was not enough evidence to convict him of murder, adding that his acts were clearly “negligent” and there was “no doubt” he had not “acted lawfully”. She then adjourned the court for the day, before pronouncing on the remaining charges, including “culpable homicide” (elsewhere known as “manslaughter”) and a slew of weapons charges. This she did on the following day, ruling Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide, a conviction which can carry a 15-year prison sentence. This was far short of the murder verdict that many expected.
PNA activity at the time was incredible, with asteroid Oskar (#750) at 13 Taurus not only squared Jupiter (judges) at 12 Leo, but part of a Grand Trine Kite pattern, trine the transit Sun (the day’s focus) at 18 Virgo and Pluto (homicide) at 11 Capricorn, and opposing Saturn (punishments) at the string end of the Kite at 18 Scorpio.
This dovetails with Pistorius’ birth chart (born 10:30 AM EET, 22 November 1986, Pretoria, South Africa; Rodden rating A) by transit Jupiter conjoined natal Justitia and Lachesis (justice regarding a death) at 17 and 18 Leo, and natal Oskar at 18 Capricorn within the Grand Trine, with natal Mercury at 13 Scorpio (the verdict) exactly opposed transit Oskar. Asteroid Valentine (Steenkamp was killed on Valentine’s Day) lends corroborative evidence from 16 Leo, conjunct transit Jupiter and asteroid Requiem (funeral mass for the dead) at 20 Leo, while opposing its natal degree of 18 Aquarius.
Transit Pistoria (#8051, for Pistorius) at 23 Pisces conjoins transit Olympiada (reflecting his Olympic star status) at 26 Pisces, with Pistoria squared transit TNO Ixion (named for the first murderer in Greek myth) at 19 Sagittarius. Natally Pistoria at 21 Sagittarius is exactly conjunct Uranus, ruling shootings, and has been transited by Ixion on and off over the past year since the shooting.
Victim Reeva Steenkamp is represented by asteroid Reaves (#3007), which falls at 23 Libra in the verdict chart, exactly conjunct TNO Rhadamanthus (named for a mythic Greek judge of the dead noted for his harsh punishments) and asteroid Themis (named for the Greek goddess of justice) at 21 Libra. Viewed in advance, this grouping seemed to spell “justice for Reeva”, but the verdict appears not to support that interpretation. Natally Reaves appears at 22 Pisces, in square to natal Pistoria and close beside transit Pistoria for the verdict.
When Steenkamp was shot on 14 February 2013, asteroid Oskar at 9 Capricorn conjoined Pluto, modern ruler of death and homicide, at 10 Capricorn, with asteroid Pistoria at 7 Scorpio conjunct Saturn, ancient lord of death. Also here is asteroid Olympia at 14 Capricorn, once again linking Pistorius with his sports star status. TNO Ixion at 20 Sagittarius paired with asteroid Praetorius (#4889, for Pretoria, where the shooting occurred) at 23 Sagittarius, suggesting a murder in South Africa’s capital, one which, given Praetorius’ encroachment upon the Galactic Center at 27 Sagittarius, would soon garner worldwide attention.
Venus and Valentine are in semisquare, from 15 Aquarius to 29 Pisces (with Valentine in the same region where Reaves appears in Pistorius’ natal chart, and Pistoria appears for the verdict), with Venus (lovers) traveling with asteroids Requiem (death) and Nemesis (undoing) at 9 and 14 Aquarius. Asteroids Osiris and Icarus pair at 3 and 6 Aquarius, suggesting a rash act (Icarus) leading to a death (Osiris), while a combination of Lachesis at 27 Aries and Kassandra at 4 Taurus calls into question the veracity (Kassandra) of Pistorius’ story of the death (Lachesis).
A startling grouping of Atropos with Themis at 27 Taurus and 5 Gemini links to an exact conjunction of Jupiter and Reaves at 6 Gemini, suggesting a need for judicial intervention (Jupiter) and justice (Themis) in Steenkamps’ (Reaves) death (Atropos). Reaves/Jupiter also indicates Reeva’s augmented fame (Jupiter) from the death (though already well known in South Africa, Steenkamps’ global profile was relatively insignificant before the tragedy). Themis, Jupiter and Reaves conjoin Pistorius’ natal asteroid Nemesis at 4 Gemini, and all points are in transit T-Square for the verdict, formed by an opposition from Neptune at 5 Pisces to Venus at 7 Virgo, which may help to explain the apparently muddled or fuzzy thinking (Neptune) of the female judge (Venus) in the case.
When South Africa’s “trial of the century” began on March 3, 2014, asteroid Oskar at 13 Pisces was right with the transit Sun at 12 Pisces, an indication of Oscar Pistorius as a focus of the day. Transit Pistoria at 4 Aquarius conjoined the Osiris/Icarus of the shooting, and was exactly squared by asteroid Nemesis at 4 Taurus, exactly on the shooting’s Kassandra, suggesting that the issue of Pistorius’ (Pistoria) credibility (Kassandra) in this rash (Icarus) death (Osirirs) should have been his undoing (Nemesis). But despite this dire grouping, transit Venus, known as “the lesser benefic” was also conjoined Pistoria from 28 Capricorn, perhaps bringing about the relatively positive result for Pistorius at the verdict.
Transit asteroid Reaves at 26 Virgo formed a Grand Cross with the Galactic Center at 27 Sagittarius, Aphrodite at 26 Pisces and Lachesis at 29 Gemini, which keys on the placement of Valentine at 29 Pisces for the shooting. Together this shows the global attention (GC) paid to the death (Lachesis) of Steenkamp (Reaves) at her lover’s (Aphrodite) hands, on Valentine’s Day (Valentine).
Another season, and many more reasons to keep a watchful eye on the heavens for your own PNA activities.
Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, whose website AlexAsteroidAstrology.com offers a trove of info on the role of asteroids in personal and mundane astrology. He is the author of The Black Hole Book (available on Amazon.com) and The Urban Wicca, former editor of “The Galactic Calendar,” and past president of The Philadelphia Astrological Society. His pioneering work with Black Holes in astrological interpretation began in 1991, when his progressed Sun unwittingly fell into one. Alex’s books and writings are available on his website. Alex can also be reached for comment or services at .
After reading the Pistorius article, i’m curious to know Reeva Steenkamp’s birthdata, if you have it. Thanks so much for all you write, Alex. You continually illuminate astrology for me.
Summer of 2014 was a wild one.
Thanks for this detailed breakdown of the Pistorius trial which of course I heard about but wasn’t really following that carefully.
Thanks for the insights on the Ferguson shooting also.
Now where is my Rhadamanthus?