On 8 October 2014, visiting Liberian resident Thomas Eric Duncan died in a Dallas, Texas hospital, becoming the first death from Ebola on American soil. Duncan, who was asymptomatic when he entered the US on September 19, lied on his exit visa from Liberia, stating he had no contact with Ebola patients. However, just several days before, he had helped to transfer a pregnant woman stricken with the disease to the local hospital.
By September 24, he was showing symptoms, including running a high fever, but was sent home with antibiotics when he went to the ER at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, even though he informed the staff that he had come from Liberia. His condition worsened, and he was brought back to the same hospital on September 28, where he was diagnosed with Ebola on September 30. Following his death on October 8, two nurses attending him have come down with the disease, though both were caught in its earliest stages and are responding well to treatment. Duncan’s family and friends were placed under quarantine, but none has shown signs of infection during the 21-day period of incubation for the disease.
Researchers believe that what has become known as the 2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa actually began in December 2013, in Guinea. Initially those infected were diagnosed with other diseases, many of which have symptoms in common with Ebola. The virulent hemorrhagic fever attacks the cells lining blood vessels and proceeds to disrupt internal organ functioning, with a kill rate of approximately 50-70%.
The World Health Organization was slow to respond to the crisis, not officially recognizing the Ebola outbreak until late March 2014, by which time cases were being reported in neighboring Liberia. By May it had spread to Sierra Leone, but was still being treated like a minor local issue. It was not until August when the outbreak registered on the US public’s radar, with the diagnosis of two American missionaries and a doctor, Kent Brantly, all of whom were subsequently treated successfully and released.
In this article I have chosen to focus on two charts, the “discovery” of Ebola on 27 June 1976, in Nzara, Sudan; and the first death on US soil, of Thomas Eric Duncan, at 7:51 AM CDT in Dallas, Texas on October 8, 2014.
Ebola was “born” on the day of a new moon (no time available for the diagnosis) at 5 Cancer, which also saw Venus at 8 Cancer incorporated into the Sun/Moon conjunction. Any new moon is a seed point of a cycle, a potentially powerful moment when conditions are in flux and the energy of incarnation is at its peak. This new moon closely squares Pluto at 8 Libra, Venus-ruled, which governs deadly infectious disease. The double Venus emphasis here is significant, for Ebola is spread only through close physical contact with bodily fluids, and Venus rules intimacy and close connections. The action of the virus, which causes internal bleeding leading to death, is foreshadowed by an exact conjunction of natal Mars (blood) and asteroid Lachesis, named for the Greek Fate who determines the span of life, at 24 Leo.
Paired with Pluto exactly is asteroid Karma, suggesting the inception of a cycle based in the catalyst of our actions, and reaping those consequences. Another karmic inference can be drawn from the placement of the new moon at the Apex of a Yod, or “Finger of Destiny”, formed by inconjunct aspects to a grouping of asteroids Rip (for the acronym RIP, “Rest In Peace”, a common tombstone inscription), Liberia and Neptune at 6, 7 and 11 Sagittarius, and asteroid Nemesis, named for the ancient Greek goddess of vengeance and retribution, at 9 Aquarius.
Neptune is reflective generally of the tendency to misdiagnosis of Ebola as a lesser virus, which also heralded this outbreak initially, but also specifically to the entry of Ebola into the US, with Duncan’s lie (also Neptune) at his exit interview, which of course, occurred in Liberia, also in the pattern. Nemesis indicates the virus’ potential to be a source of harm or ruin.
The dramatic effect of Thomas Eric Duncan as importer of the virus to the US is signaled directly in Ebola’s discovery chart in the placement of asteroid Duncan (#2753), which at 28 Libra is an exact match for asteroid America (and within orb is asteroid Requiem, named for the funeral mass for the dead, at 22 Libra). These are conjoined exactly by transit asteroid Atropos, named for the Greek Fate who severs the thread of life at death, in the October 8 chart for Duncan’s passing, and all three points square the US natal Pluto at 27 Capricorn.
Duncan is also represented by asteroid Thomas (#2555), which at 20 Taurus closely conjoins Ebola’s natal Jupiter at 21 Taurus, linked also to asteroid Africa at 25 Taurus. This establishes the Dark Continent (asteroid Africa) as the main locus for Ebola’s expansion (Jupiter), but also Thomas Duncan specifically as its agent or “ambassador” (also Jupiter). Natal Damocles squares all these points from 25 Aquarius, indicating that “sword hanging over its head” which Ebola would become for Africa, as well as Duncan’s role in its spread to the US public, by Damocles’ conjunction with the US Moon (its populace) at 26 Aquarius, squared by Ebola’s natal asteroid Thomas.
Ebola’s additional connections with the US chart are dramatic and often exact. Its Sun conjoins the US Jupiter exactly, while its asteroid Achilles, representing a weak spot or point of vulnerability (as in “Achilles heel”) exactly conjoins the US Sun at 13 Cancer. Its natal asteroid Washingtonia (for Washington DC) falls exactly on the US Neptune at 22 Virgo, suggesting the media fear-mongering (Neptune) that heralded its arrival.
Not surprisingly, when Thomas Eric Duncan died on October 8, asteroid Duncan at 10 Capricorn was closely conjoined transit Pluto, modern ruler of death and infectious disease, at 11 Capricorn, this pairing squared by another Sun/Venus conjunction, reflective of the one in Ebola’s discovery chart, at 15 and 10 Libra respectively, with Venus exactly squared Duncan.
Transit asteroid Texas, the state in which the death occurred, joins this grouping from 17 Libra, while transit asteroid Dallas, the city where Duncan died, falls at 25 Taurus, activating Ebola’s natal Jupiter/Thomas/Africa combination and also squared the synastric Damocles/US Moon conjunction. Transit Texas at 17 Libra aligns with the Requiem/Duncan/America grouping, and exactly squares Ebola’s natal Atropos at 17 Cancer (further forming an exact T-Square with its natal asteroid Amber at 17 Aries, the first name of Amber Vinson, the second nurse to contract Ebola through direct contact with Duncan).
Also at Duncan’s death, asteroid Thomas at 24 Aquarius conjoined the US Moon and Ebola’s Damocles, forming a Grand Cross with opposition to Ebola’s natal Mars/Lachesis at 24 Leo, and squares to natal Jupiter/Thomas/Africa/Dallas and transit Dallas in Taurus, and transit Saturn (ancient lord of death) at 21 Scorpio, which opposed Ebola’s Jupiter exactly. As noted previously, transit Atropos had come to exactly conjoin Ebola’s natal Duncan/America pairing, and transit America at 9 Leo was traveling with transit Nemesis at 7 Leo while exactly opposing Ebola’s natal Nemesis at 9 Aquarius.
So far the virus seems to be contained, with most of Duncan’s family and friends now approaching the end of their 21-day quarantine with no signs of infection, and the two nurses who were exposed also in isolation and responding well to treatment. But the World Health Organization anticipates there could be as many as 10,000 new cases per week in Africa by December. Meanwhile, the US government is resisting calls to restrict travel from the West African nations most affected, and the next Thomas Eric Duncan may already be on his way.
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 .
Thanks for this exacting detail, Alex.