Charts in the News
with commentary by Elisabeth Grace
Facebook’s October Surprise: An Astro-logical Wipe-out?
October 2021 included an especially hot Mercury retrograde cycle in Libra. With three trines from Mercury to Jupiter, three squares to Pluto and three oppositions to Eris, we expected big news of corruption exposed, especially in Pluto-in-Capricorn establishment arenas. On October 3, in sync with the second of these configurations, former Facebook executive Frances Haugen revealed herself on 60 Minutes as the whistleblower who had leaked pages of damning internal documents earlier in the year. (1) It seems that Facebook executives knew from their own research how harmful their products could be to users. It seems that safety measures created to prevent disinformation from flooding Facebook’s newsfeed were disabled immediately after the November election, facilitating the planning of the January 6 invasion of the US Capitol. (2)
Later that week, Haugen would tell all to members of Congress, but before you could say “Mercury is retrograde,” Facebook — and all its apps and services — crashed completely — at around 11:40 a.m. ET, on October 4. Billions of users around the world were locked out of their social networks for more than five hours. (3) It was a wipe-out — and it was just getting started. On October 28, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg announced a new vision for his conglomerate, complete with a brand-new name: Meta. The new vision for the mothership? Virtual reality, as you can see in the video linked here. (4) By now, you must be thinking, “Scandal. Deception. Wipe-out. Vision. Virtual reality. Gosh, that sounds like Neptune. What’s going on in the horoscope?”
We do have a launch date for Facebook, with an exact time reported in a book written by two Harvard alums and who could be reliable sources. (5) However, their book is intended to be a satire, so we wonder if the 8:04 p.m. time is for real. Still, the 21° Virgo Ascendant (ASC) and 20° Gemini Midheaven (MC) feel worthy of consideration — if only because transiting Neptune was in hard aspect to the angles all through 2021, with one final opposition of transiting Neptune to the ASC in February 2022! And we see Pluto at the root of this chart (power!) squaring the ASC and at the apex of a t-square with Jupiter retrograde in Virgo and Venus in Pisces, which are also on the angles. Translation: these angular planets suggest action-oriented extremes of empathy, social expression, resources (e.g., potentially way too much information for one’s own good) brought to the forefront in the “life” of Facebook.
In the 5th house, we see the Sun in Aquarius conjunct Neptune, suggesting an idealized creative self-expression that is also socially significant, yes? But Neptune conjunct the Sun could also suggest that Facebook’s essential nature may not be as it seems. We anticipate that transiting Uranus square the 15° Aquarius Sun will reflect “breakout” news in May and December 2022, continuing into early 2023. What other major transits do you see? Meanwhile, Facebook’s Moon seems appropriately placed in and ruling the 11th house of friendship. At 0° Leo, the Moon would drive Facebook with a need for love and “look at me!” ego expression. A launch time of 7:49 p.m. ET or earlier would put the Moon at 29° Cancer and replace the need for love with the need for emotional security. What do you think? Do we like this 8:04 p.m. launch time? And what about Mark Zuckerberg’s horoscope? How might it reflect the potential for 2021 being “Facebook’s worst year yet?” (6)
We do not have a birth time for Mark Zuckerberg. It’s yet another Facebook mystery, and it seems Zuckerberg was born that way. With Saturn, Mars, and Moon potentially conjunct in Scorpio, we can appreciate his need for depth and control. His Neptune at 0° Capricorn — the Aries Point — suggests prominence in all Neptune affairs, and what could be more “Neptune” than the unknown?
When astrologers do not have a confirmed birth time, they use their knowledge of astrological signs and planetary cycles to divine a time in a process called rectification (i.e., to set right). A speculative birth time may be tested by working backward through the life of the individual, checking the timing of significant events with planetary transits, arcs, and progressions. It’s like cracking a safe. When all the tumblers are lined up correctly, the astrologer sees — and feels — the flow of the client’s life development in sync with planetary cycles! We can then use our rectified horoscope as a tool to anticipate events in the future — with key caveats.
Rectification is an intimidating and time-consuming process, though my mentor Noel Tyl made it look easy. A few lines from his 1,000-page manual for consulting astrologers are burned into my brain: “Rectification of a general birth time is very, very risky business. There is no way ever, ever to be sure. The process is to please the astrologer, actually, more than it is to please the client.” He notes the astrological conundrum that “every practicing astrologer has drawn the ‘right’ conclusions, even in very specific detail, from the wrong horoscope data.” (7) Indeed, there is nothing more humbling for an astrologer than to discover that their rectified time is incorrect, even if their counsel to their client was spot-on!
With Mark Zuckerberg, more than one astrologer has found the challenge of rectification irresistible — with varying results and reasoning. (8, 9) In 2010, Michael Wolfstar proposed a 2:03 a.m. birth time with 25° Aquarius rising and Uranus conjunct a 10° Sagittarius MC. Aquarius felt right for a rising sign, “since no other placement in his chart is found in the sign associated with social networking.” (10) What do you think? Does Zuckerberg feel like a man with Aquarius rising? We can see the appeal of having Uranus powerfully placed on the MC. On the other hand, Zuckerberg’s Uranus is unaspected, and thus has the potential to dominate a persona no matter where it is placed. Hmm.
What does fascinate me about Wolfstar’s proposed angles is that they are in the same degree and modalities as Zuckerberg’s wife’s horoscope, for whom we do have an AA rated birth time! Priscilla Chan Zuckerberg’s ASC is 25° Scorpio; her MC is 10° Virgo. (11) Thus, it was not surprising that when Mars and Jupiter were at 25° Scorpio and 25° Aquarius in early December (close to a trigger of the November 19th lunar eclipse at 27° Taurus), the philanthropic Chan Zuckerberg Institute announced a multi-billion-dollar health initiative (12). We know her Ascendant was activated by transiting Jupiter — was his? We should keep an eye on the May 2022 eclipse at 25° Scorpio. Meanwhile, note that in 2015, Wolfstar adjusted his proposal for Zuckerberg’s ASC to 27° Aquarius. (13)
Astro-Databank tells us that two astrologers proposed an 11 p.m. birth time, with Neptune conjunct a 1° Capricorn ASC, and Zuckerberg’s ruthless Mercury–Pluto opposition on the IC and MC, respectively. A third astrologer suggested 10:02 p.m., with a 19° Sagittarius ASC. Both proposed horoscopes have the Sun in the 5th house opposing the Moon in the 11th — same as the Facebook launch chart for 8:04 p.m. What do you think? Does a Capricorn or Sagittarius ASC feel like a fit for Zuckerberg? What about a Virgo ASC? That’s what worked for astrologer Lauren Delsack with her proposed birth time of 2:39 p.m., posted on her website in 2011. (14) Take a look and you’ll notice that the 21° Virgo ASC and 19° Gemini MC are within minutes of the angles of the 8:04 p.m. Facebook launch chart!!!! If Delsack is correct, Zuckerberg’s horoscope has been hit by a series of hard aspects to the angles from transiting Neptune since April 2020.
Delsack studied with Noel Tyl, and her rectification of Zuckerberg’s horoscope is presented in careful detail. (15) Being familiar with her solid skills, I had no reason to doubt her effort. But in 2015, I decided to test it further. On August 6, I wrote the following in my forecast about the astonishing synchronicity of planetary patterns and the news:
“I do not believe we have a confirmed birth time for Mark Zuckerberg, but several times have been proposed. One proposal suggests a 20° Virgo Ascendant, and it has a boatload of solar arcs exact soon and into next year — amongplanets involved with the 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th houses. Solar arcs involving the Moon and Mars (action) at the IC (the angle referring to home & family), as well as between Jupiter, ruler of the 4th (family, foundation, home) and Saturn, the ruler of the 5th house (children, creative self-expression) reflect the potential for changes in his personal life. Other arcs and transits involve Uranus, which refers to the spark required to start something new.
“These arcs will be exact on various dates between now and April. Last week Mr. Zuckerberg and his wife announced they were expecting their first child after trying without success for several years. On September 13th, the 20° Virgo ASC will be eclipsed, suggesting a major change in life. This eclipse will be triggered by transiting Jupiter (expansion) on November 29th and again on February 16th. The Zuckerbergs did not say when their baby girl was due. Let’s test this horoscope with its 20° Virgo ASC and see what happens.” (16)
On December 2, 2015, it was delightful to report that:
Yesterday Mark Zuckerberg (and his wife, Priscilla Chan), made big news with two announcements: 1) the birth of their daughter, Max; and 2) the “birth of one of the world’s biggest charities”; i.e., a pledge to donate 99% of their Facebook shares in a “mission of advancing human potential and promoting equality.” I am intrigued that Mr. Zuckerberg and Ms. Chan did not tell the Free World when their daughter was born — not even what day. The NYT said it was “sometime last week.” (17)
To my knowledge, the precise birth date of Zuckerberg’s now six-year-old daughter has yet to be publicly disclosed, though her younger sister was born on August 28, 2017.
Fun fact: In reviewing that August 6, 2015 post for use in this blog post, I realized that the original link to the 20° Virgo ASC chart went to post on Astrotheme, a notoriously unreliable source, as experience has since proven. Don’t rely on Astrotheme! The correct ASC for Delsack’s proposed 2:39 p.m. birth time is 21°02’ Virgo, as we can see on her website. Transiting Jupiter conjoined Delsack’s proposed ASC on December 1, 2015, the day of the Zuckerbergs’ two big announcements.
So. What is the correct birth time for Mark Zuckerberg? Is it 2:39 p.m.? We can never know — until a birth certificate or other reliable source reveals it! Until then, we can continue to test the rectification in 2022. On January 18, Neptune makes its last hard contact with the angles of the chart in a final opposition to the proposed 21° Virgo ASC. From March 24–30, transiting Jupiter will travel between 19° and 22° of Pisces, activating all the angles. Something expansive should make the news, as it did in early December when transiting Jupiter definitely activated Priscilla Chan Zuckerberg’s Ascendant. (18) We can also keep an eye on the transits of Saturn and Uranus as they approach 18° of Aquarius and Taurus, when they will square and oppose the proposed 18° Scorpio Moon. Consult your ephemeris for details.
Chart Data and Sources
Facebook, launched at Harvard University, February 4, 2004; 8:04 p.m. ET; Cambridge, Massachusetts (42°N22’, 071°W06’); X: Source: Greg Atwan and Evan Lushing, The Facebook Book, Abrams Image, 2011, p. 120.
Mark Zuckerberg, May 14, 1984, 2:39 p.m., EDT; White Plains, New York (41°N02’, 073°W45’); X: Rectification by Lauren Delsack. Source: Astro-Databank.
References and Notes
(All URLs were accessed January 2022.)
- See Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen details company’s misleading efforts on 60 Minutes – CBS News.
- See Facebook’s very bad year. No, really, it might be the worst yet | Facebook | The Guardian.
- See https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-instagram-whatsapp-messenger-are-down-in-a-major-outage-2021-10.
- See https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/28/facebook-name-change-rebrand-meta.
- Gratitude to astrologer Deborah Houlding for sharing the time and its source on social media on February 28, 2021. The Facebook Book is available on Kindle, and the reported launch time of 8:04 p.m. is, in fact, on p. 120.
- See note 2, above.
- Noel Tyl, Synthesis and Counseling in Astrology, Llewellyn, 1994, p. 392.
- How it is possible to arrive at a correct conclusion based on faulty data could be the subject of another TMA article — or a lively Bar 101 discussion at the next astrology conference.
- See https://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Zuckerberg,_Mark.
- See http://newsscopearchives.homestead.com/nsc100410.html.
- See https://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Chan,_Priscilla.
- See https://news.yahoo.com/zuckerberg-chan-invest-3-4b-031702780.html.
- See https://halloran.com/15asn8-5.htm.
- See https://laurendelsack.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/birth-time-rectification-facebooks-mark-zuckerberg/.
- See note 14, above.
- See https://elisabethgrace.com/2015/08/06/.
- See https://elisabethgrace.com/2015/12/02/.
- See Zuckerberg, Chan to invest up to $3.4B for science advances (yahoo.com)
© 2022 Elisabeth Grace — all rights reserved
Elisabeth Grace, ISAR-CAP, earned her BA in Philosophy from Wellesley College. She is a consulting (modern psychological) astrologer and a highest-honors graduate of Noel Tyl’s Master’s Course for Professional Astrologers. She is a certified horary practitioner, mentored by J. Lee Lehman, with credentials earned from Deb Houlding’s School of Traditional Astrology. Elisabeth’s work in TV news inspired her must-read forecast on the astonishing synchronicity of the headlines and planetary patterns — now in its 12th year! Get the forecast via e-mail, book a consultation or invite her to speak or teach a workshop at https://elisabethgrace.com.