The past few days have seen some heavy-hitting aspects — transiting Saturn, the South Node, and Pluto all together Capricorn and lit up by the Sun. To be more specific: On April 10, the Sun squared Saturn, followed by the solar square to the nodes and Pluto on April 13.
Although in my immediate life I am surrounded by friends and clients who are experiencing overwhelming or sad situations (the Capricorn planets are in my natal 3rd house), I want to step back and look at a few people in the news in the past few days for some broader planetary storylines and hints of what may lie ahead.
Julian Assange sought asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London on June 19, 2012, with transiting Saturn at 22°47’ Libra. (1) (This was also during the acute and dynamic Uranus square Pluto — Uranus was at 8°19’ Aries, and Pluto at 8°30’ Capricorn.)
Fast forward to April 11, 2019, when he was arrested: Saturn is at 20°15’ Capricorn, square to its position in 2012 and now empowered by Pluto, carrying the ghosts (South Node) of hierarchy, patriarchy, and power to begin what many feel will be a long legal fight.
Assange’s personal arc and complex legal issues are obvious, but the aspects now show the larger dimensions of this individual story (transiting Sun in Aries) and its implications for journalism, privacy, diplomatic asylum, international law, etc.
Seventeen-year-old Billie Eilish, born on December 18, 2001, is an American singer/songwriter/dancer who is “killing the game right now.” (2)
Billie Eilish
December 18, 2001
Sunrise: 6:57 a.m. PST (no known birth time)
Los Angeles, CA (33N57 118W15)
Of Irish and Scottish descent, Eilish was born a few months after the fateful events of 9/11 and thus has the main planetary marker of that event — Saturn opposite Pluto — in the natal chart. In interviews, she sounds exceptionally clear and mature, and her moods include great tenderness (she has a lovely and emotionally expressive voice) and forebodingly dark expressions of grief and loss. (3) She composes with her brother Finneas O’Connell, and one of her songs includes a recording of the drill when she was in the dentist’s chair. Although I haven’t seen a birth time yet, the Moon was in Aquarius all day on December 18. (The Moon conjoined Neptune at 1:20 a.m. and, at 11:59 p.m., was at 19° Aquarius with Uranus at 21°.)
In an interview when she was 15, Eilish said: “I’m really different from a lot of people, and I kind of try to be. I don’t like to follow the rules at all …. I’ve always worn what I wanted to and always said what I wanted to say. I’m super, super out there.” (4)
Also of great interest this week: the first ever photo (released on April 10) of a black hole — this one at the center of our galaxy (aka the Galactic Center), located at 26° Sagittarius. This is within one degree of Billie Eilish’s natal Sun and South Node. It feels to me as though she’s coming from somewhere far, far away and is also absolutely present, here and now.
And here is another story with interesting timing: Pete Buttigieg announced that he is running for president on April 14 at 3:20 p.m. EDT in South Bend, Indiana. He was born on January 19, 1982 in that city. (5)
Pete Buttigieg
January 19, 1982
Sunrise: 8:12 a.m. EST (no known birth time)
South Bend, IN (41N30 86W15)
Buttigieg has natal Saturn conjunct Pluto square the nodal axis; having a nodal return now, he is very tied to the mood of the moment — as well as to the upcoming exact Saturn conjunct Pluto. The transiting Moon (21° Leo) was applying to trine transiting Jupiter (24° Sag) and the Sun (24° Aries) when he spoke.
Buttigieg announcement
April 14, 2019
3:20 p.m. EDT
South Bend, IN (41N30 86W15)
Porphyry houses, True Node
Here are two quotes from his announcement speech (which I listened to) that seem to capture his view of this moment: “The horror show in Washington is mesmerizing, all consuming, but we’re going to change the channel.” And: “America deserves our optimism, our courage, and our hope.”
I hope these brief notes about a few people in the news this past week will be useful, hopeful, and helpful. Have a good week, everyone.
Footnotes and references:
“She has a No.1 album. She’s currently topping the Billboard Artist 100 chart. And on Saturday, she performed at Coachella for the first time — during one of the festival’s prime slots. The 17-year-old pop star brought her signature moody vocals and goth-tinged sound to the big stage, and the audience could not contain themselves.”
Quote from: CNN
Without a birth time, we can see her current prominence, in part, by transiting Jupiter, dispositor of her Sagittarius Sun, opposite natal Saturn in December 2018, and conjunct natal Pluto most of this year (2019), before reaching the Venus and the Sun in October and November.
(3) In a March 29, 2019 article in The Guardian titled Billie Eilish: the pop icon who defines 21-st century teenage angst, Hannah Ewens wrote: “Lucid dreams, night terrors and sleep paralysis litter Eilish’s debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”
(4) PaperMag