Neil Armstrong

I admit to feeling a sense of loss when I heard of the passing of Neil Armstrong.  I think the Universe registered this seismically, the passing of a man of the Universe.  A man more of the Universe than most of us, at least to the Moon and back.  In his chart, his own Moon holds the distinction of being at the power point of the Galactic Centre.

His achievements were great, but so also was his character.  He eschewed the status of fame, and remained true to the humility of Neptune at the base of his chart.  Armstrong’s Neptune is exactly square to his Ascendant, on the cusp of his 4th House of Home.  This accounted for the fluidity of his roots: his family moved several times in his early years.  This may have been part of the making of a man who could let go and travel out into space.  Maybe it was part of the training which his life provided.  Although Neptune is more usually associated with the ocean, it is also connected with the ethers.  He had a highly sensitive finely tuned nervous system, with Neptune conjunct exactly his Mercury and the conjunction square to his Ascendant.

The high vitality of his chart is shown by Mars in his 1st House trine exactly the Part of Fortune in his 5th House, then backed up by the Sun in between sextiling both, and Uranus sextile his Mars and trine his Sun in Leo, also providing the scientific abilities needed by an Astronaut.

His career path is represented by his Midheaven, which is placed in the air sign of Aquarius, and from the age of 6 he was interested in flight.  Aquarius is also the sign of technology, and futuristic endeavours.

Prior to taking part in the first manned mission to the Moon, he took part in the Gemini 8 space shot.  Interestingly, this exploit took place while Jupiter (exploration) was in the sign of Gemini, and in Armstrong’s 1st House (he had Gemini rising).  He then went on to take part in the monumental achievement of the Apollo landing (Apollo = the Sun, ruler of his Sun sign Leo).

The chart for the Moon landing of Apollo 11 itself in 1969 is fascinating.  It depicts a high risk venture (Jupiter exactly conjunct Uranus) with dramatic and historic import (Pluto exactly conjunct the South Node).  The venture itself was a team effort with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.  As in any good team each individual contributed something different.  Buzz Aldrin was an Aquarian, and his Chiron was conjunct his North Node in his 11th House at birth, signifying a healing role within the team.  Michael Collins, like the other two, was born in 1930, the year that Pluto was discovered, and Pluto plays more of  a key role in his chart, conjunct exactly Jupiter and squaring his North Node.  Michael Collins had the force with him!  The experience affected them all differently too, so in terms of their private and spiritual journeys there were different purposes: Armstrong retreating into Neptune, Aldrin discovering mental health challenges (possibly the down side of Chiron conjunct the North Node, as well as other factors in his chart) and Collins surviving strongly perhaps down to his Plutonian strength.

With Jupiter and Pluto in his 2nd House of earnings, Armstrong’s own finances should have been sound.  But Saturn in his 8th House (of other people’s money) opposed his Jupiter, and he was frustrated by the battles for funding of space exploration.

Neil Armstrong underwent surgery on 7 August 2012.  The problem seems to have been blocked coronary arteries (a Leo/Aquarius issue in medical astrology).  At this time, Mars squared his Pluto (surgery) and Neptune (hospitalization) opposed his Mercury/Neptune and opposed his Ascendant.

I looked for a Moon link for his funeral, and was not disappointed.  For not only was the Moon at the full, but it was a blue Moon too.  Nice touch from the Universe.

Aspects

Tomorrow, it’s back to work and back to school, with Venus squaring Saturn.  Some of us love work and school, but for those that don’t they may feel their personal wings clipped and may need to work harder on the relationships with co-workers or fellow pupils.  There may also be a tinge of sadness at the passing of summer pursuits or holiday romances.

As for me, I am back to work for a month filling in, with one member of staff  leaving a month early and another coming back a month late. It’s nice to be with the commuters again.  One reported some astrological prediction which had come true, and another said she may have to start driving because of the hike in rail fares because she couldn’t continue to take the train solely for the camaraderie.  Going back to work fits in with the Virgo seasonal ethos, and some part of me has been tricked into believing it is part of the annual cycle.  Maybe by the end of the next week my lack of condition may betray me, as I have been retired two and a half years.

While the female side of life (Venus) is feeling flat, the male side of life (Mars) is going strong tomorrow.  Mars sextiles Pluto and trines Chiron, so you may have the energy to override other disappointments, and get on with other things, like new office regimes and practices.  It certainly favours paralympic performances, so it may be a Super Monday in that respect. There may be some superhuman achievements, and some miracle tales of healing or overcoming the odds.

Mercury trines Pluto on Tuesday (4th) which is an excellent day for in-depth consultation, and analyzing the human psyche.  On the other hand, someone may give out too much information, and cause mental overwhelm, with Mercury also opposing Chiron.  If you are giving out the information, or just listening, please be sensitive to the other’s cues.

On Wednesday (5th) Mercury sextiles Mars, so that is another satisfyingly active day, with the brain and the body engaging well with each other.  An excellent day to put into practical action those new office practices that you only just got your head round early in the week.  If you are a student, in a new class, it’s a day you can knuckle down and your brain will be razor sharp (as long as you didn’t give yourself a late night).  It also favours buying new stationary, including equipment such as precision mathematical instruments.

Thursday (6th) brings a sextile between Pluto and Chiron, a deep undercurrent of healing energy, especially for mental health challenges.  There may be insights, for those who are working for them, on your psychological roots, and radical ways of solving problems along those lines.

Venus also enters Leo that day, and you may put aside your tears, and adopt a brighter attitude to life, with some hedonistic ideas thrown in – a regime set to last nearly a month, until Venus changes sign again.

The week ends with a square between Jupiter and the Sun on Friday (7th).  While the square at the start of the week is flattening, the square at the end of the week could see us toppling to the other extreme: a bit devil-may-care, swashbuckling to the top of the castle.  This may be more of a problem for some signs than others: Capricorns may remain sober, while Sagittarians and Leos could embarrass themselves.  Virgos could stray from their own rules, and Geminis could bask in well-deserved success.  It could be fun, or infuriating.  And the aspects early next week could prolong these conditions…

The week in bullet points:

  • Monday – flattened feelings but rising to challenges
  • Tuesday – mentally intense
  • Wednesday – precision and healing
  • Thursday – starting to come out of the closet
  • Friday – well and truly out of the closet
Date: Sep 2nd, 2012 · Comments RSS · Tags: Obituary · Space Travel