Stars on the Basketball Court

As a reflection of the current Gemini planets (including Mercury and Venus out-of-bounds), last week I did something completely uncharacteristic. I am not a sports fan, yet I watched the entire ESPN series The Last Dance and have become fascinated with Michael Jordan. (1)

(Basketball fans, please lower your expectations that I might have any insights into the game; this is truly a “beginners mind” entry, as I barely understand the game and am making a few astrological observations that spoke to what I saw in The Last Dance.)

What most others know — and I just discovered — is what a riveting performer Michael Jordan is: dexterous, intense, competitive, charismatic. The Sagittarius Moon is trine natal Mars retrograde in Leo, which certainly describes a powerful athleticism, but Fixed Stars add another profound layer.

Michael Jordan (1)
February 17, 1963
1:40 p.m. EST
Brooklyn, N.Y (40N38 73W56)
Porphyry, True node

Jordan was born with 13°05’ Cancer on the Ascendant, the degree of the star Sirius in the constellation Canis Major. Sirius is the brightest star in the sky (after the Sun) and connected to greatness and brilliance.

Bernadette Brady refers to earlier sources on this star. “Ptolemy states that Sirius is like Jupiter with a touch of Mars. Robson mentions fame and honor, as well as faithfulness and guardians. Ebertin agrees with Robson and adds that a person influenced by Sirius is in danger of pushing things forward too fast. Rigor agrees with Ebertin and adds that such a person loves power.” (3)

Aleksander Imsiragic writes that Sirius “must be related to a ‘super power’ and that which controls those who are already powerful.” (4)

The Moon, Jordan’s Ascendant ruler, is at 10°00’ Sagittarius, which is on the star Antares, the heart of the Scorpion. Antares is one of the four Royal Stars of Persia who augur success. Ptolemy connects Antares to Mars and Jupiter, and Brady has famously connected Antares to obsession and going to extremes, “intentionally or unintentionally.”(5) Imsiragic writes: “General Influence of the star: Fearlessness and readiness for action.” (6)

I will note just one midpoint: the Saturn/Pluto midpoint is 28° Scorpio, exactly square the Sun at 28° Aquarius (in midpoint nomenclature: SA/PL=SU). Ebertin writes: “Physical toil and over-exertion, sparing no pains in one’s work.” (7) And Munkasey describes SA/PL=SU: ”Dominating others through strong will and determination to be better through competent application; leadership based upon effectiveness of plans and thoroughness of preparation.” (8)

Jordan was also born on the day Neptune stationed retrograde at 15° Scorpio, which speaks to his charisma and celebrity, and no doubt many other qualities. (In episode 10, one of his longtime coaches says: “Michael is a mystic.”)

There must be many astrologers who’ve written on Michael Jordan; with an accurate birth time and such a well-documented story, it would be a valuable biographical study. The Wikipedia entry on Jordan mentions a few instances of early life trauma (echoes of SA/PL=SU?). Other fragments of his personal life covered in the series include his closeness to his family and the deep personal impact of his father’s death.

I’m not sure I’ve become a basketball fan — events marked by Gemini don’t necessarily stick — but I have gained some vivid impressions, especially of Sirius and Antares, from this adventure into parts heretofore unknown. For me, this has been a satisfying outcome to Gemini’s curiosity and diversity.

I curiously welcome any readers’ feedback.

Footnotes:

(1) “The 10-part documentary series provided an in-depth look at the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty through the lens of the final championship season in 1997-98. The Bulls allowed an NBA Entertainment crew to follow the team around for that entire season, and some of that never-before-seen footage is featured in the documentary.”
ESPN

(2) Michael Jordan, February 17, 1963; 1:40 p.m. EST; Brooklyn, N.Y., AA data
AstroDatabank

(3) Bernadette Brady, Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars, York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1998, p. 83.

(4) Aleksandar Imsiragic, Pillars of Destiny: Fixed Stars in Astrology, Belgrade: Astro.Lab, 2016, p. 77.

(5) Brady, Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars, p. 288.

(6) Imsiragic, Pillars of Destiny: Fixed Stars in Astrology, p. 171.

(7) Reinhold Ebertin, The Combination of Stellar Influences, Germany: Ebertin-Verlag, 1972, p. 189.

(8) Michael Munkasey, Midpoints: Unleashing the Power of the Planets, San Diego, CA: ACS Publications, 1991, p. 297.