This material was originally published as an appendix in the paper on gurus. I used the chart of 13469 and that of another, deeply troubled individual to demonstrate highly afflicted charts in contrast to the often highly benefic charts of successful spiritual aspirants.

This is not the only paper I have written about suicide. Here are their links: The Suicide of Robin Williams, Suicide of a Woman with Asperger's Syndrome, The Late Life Suicide of Author, Chemist, and Concentration Camp Survivor, Primo Levi, Suicide of Carter Cooper, Vivienne, Suicide of a Fourteen Year Old Girl, Search for suicide in the paper on synastry for Michel and Francoise Gauquelin, Search for Eric Douglas in the paper on Homosexuality, The Suicide of Chief of Naval Operations, Mike Boorda, and Mass Murderer and Suicide, Eric Harris.

Before discussing this boy's astrology for his suicide, I should first aquaint the reader with the astrological approach used here. It is quite different from traditional astrology.

Method
This astrological method is not the traditional Western one. It is not traditional, period. True, it uses sidereal astrology, the predominant astrology of the East. It also uses the Egyptian harmonic. Sidereal astrology and Egyptian harmonics are both quite old. But this method started with me. Its working rules were empirically-derived through years of research. At first these charts seemed too complex. But orbs and sets are quite limited. Over time a distinct, “reproducible” astrological language began to emerge. As the simplicity and dependability of the language was grasped, interpretation became simple. Those empirically-derived rules are placed in a separate paper:

Chart Rules

Discussion of the origin of this method, as well as the Egyptian harmonic, occurs in the following paper:

Astrological Method

Don’t you wonder what could make a boy--just a kid!!--kill himself? Especially so brutally? He, at least, believed life was no longer worth living. Worth living? Apparently he could not bear to live any longer. What could be that bad for a nine year old?

By looking at his chart, we can get some idea of what 13469 was thinking when he died. Let’s start with difficult conditions in his 7th chart (the chart of our relations with others--the main chart of this system):

The area around 9:00 o’clock caught my attention immediately. B 5th house (of sexuality) overlaps c 1st house (of early childhood). C Asc at 16 Pisces 12 also falls in b 1st house. Both these conditions are frequently seen in the charts of individuals who experience sexual molestation (5th) in childhood (1st--see paper on Polly Klaas for more on this). It can also be represented by ruler of the 5th house being in the 1st house (in the 7th chart). Here, in Set (1), C7 venus does not rule c 5th house. It does not have to. The same connotation of early sexual experience occurs through the 5th/1st overlap. C7 venus’ conjunction to c7 South Node indicates a child who habitually (SN) appeases (venus) others, as is often the case with sexually molested children. Keeping harmony and pleasing others is their tendency. In Pisces, it also shows lack of power because when called into play it shows a form of weak ego definition.

Let’s see if this suggestion of early sexual molestation is augmented or activated around the time of 13469’s death.

[A reminder: a “p” before the identification of the planet indicates the planet is progressed. So, "pb7 mars" stands for progressed birth harmonic mars from the chart of the 7th house. If there is no “p” before it, then it occurs in the original chart before progressions. If there is no number--like the "7" above--then the progression is a regular secondary progression, not a harmonic one. I have used the convention of using the same number as the chart to identify a harmonic. Therefore, the number "7" as shown in "pb7 mars" above identifies a harmonic for the 7th chart. The harmonic that creates the 7th chart, however, is the 9th harmonic. By using this convention, I have made reading the progressions easier because all one has to do is see the number and they know which chart is referred to. The harmonic used to create any chart, however, is always two more than the number of the chart.]

In Set (2) the progressed C Asc has not yet entered the set, but the progressed light (the moon) makes this a viable set. We see the lesser and greater malefics, mars and saturn, respectively, in the same set and influencing two Angles, 5th, 7th, and 11th houses. Mars and saturn fall in 11th/7th houses. All of this suggests the possibility of a difficult (mars/saturn) sexual (5th house) experience, possibly a group (11th) encounter.

In Set (3) we once again see a painful (mars/saturn) sexual (5th and 5th/1st) encounter also implying a group (11th) experience. Mars’ rulership of B Asc gives this light/mars/saturn set its Angular influence. Progressing harmonic moon in the 7th chart moves approximately 9° degrees per month, or about 3° every ten days. The moons position of about 1° past the opposition to mars and saturn suggest an incident which occurred about three days before he killed himself.

Rulers are not so significant in this set except perhaps mars’ influence over the 8th house. It could represent weakness in close emotional relationships (8th). The conjunction of sun/mars in Pisces falls in 4th/12th houses. They can also be seen as on the cusp of b 5th house, influencing it. The 12th house is instrumental in showing unforeseen (or undefended) aggression towards us. Lighted mars, as shown here, is what I look for. In Pisces (natural sign of the 12th house) it increases indications he experienced malevolent aggression and felt cno choice in the matter (mars in Pisces).

As always, I have shown only the more powerful progressions. 13469 also has a moon/mercury/saturn set with influence to the 11th house.

So far, we have seen powerful indications this young man killed himself because he was raped, either by one individual or by a gang, likely the latter. His brother may also have been part of the “gang.” Why his brother? Returning to his 7th chart, his b7 South Node at 28 Capricorn 28 is conjunct b7 mars at 29 Capricorn 08. B7 mars rules B Asc and co-rules (10 of 25°) b 5th house, so this set is lighted and forefront, indicating something about sexuality (5th) shows up early in his life (Asc). It falls in 3rd/11th houses, with the 3rd representing siblings and the 11th, groups. By itself, without influence to 5th and 11th houses, the set shows a difficult (mars, a malefic, conjunct SN, habitual or from past lives) relationship, likely to a sibling (3rd house). It could just be aggression (mars) in the neighborhood (3rd house). Power and control (mars in Capricorn) are used against (SN) 13469.

Other charts of 13469 should be checked for confirmation or refutation of rape as a reason for suicide. Each individual’s 5th chart yields information about the individual’s sexuality and (later) children. We should look at 13469’s 5th. Also, the 12th chart often shows sudden, unsuspected, painful experiences. Such devastating encounters as rape often show repercussions in the 12th, so we should also look at 13469’s 12th chart.

We start with 13469’s 5th chart.

Set (1) shows b5 mars at 29 Pisces 19 in b5th/c1st houses. But it is not lighted. It is just that this, his 5th harmonic chart has produced another mars in Pisces which, when progressing lights hit it, or it is lighted on on the Angle of another, will provide 13469 with further mars in Pisces misadventures, to speak euphemistically.

Set (2) shows c5 mars conjunct b5 SN in earlier Pisces. It is lighted by the SN and by c5 sun at 10 Virgo 16. It is made Angular through its square to C MC at 11 Sagittarius 35. None of these rule a 5th house. Set (2) is not in a 5th house. It is in the 4th/12th, suggesting hidden (12th) aggression (mars) at the end of life (4th) and since this is the harmonic chart for the 5th house, this set has some chance of working out through 5th house subjects, therefore sexuality. However, so far we have not seen much indication this chart confirms the suspected event. Progressions show two sets that do:

Set (3) tells us of a possible sexual event because an Angle has progressed to a 5th house ruler, bringing 5th house matters forefront.

Set (4) shows some influence to c 8th house, but its more telling influence is that it falls in b 5th/1st houses and is doubly lighted. Since he already has the Angular influence through Set (1), the two sets together show Angle/light/mars influence to 5th houses, this one by timing for the event.

So, his 5th chart confirms that around the time he killed himself this boy was being sexually assaulted. It may have happened more than once, but I have not looked into the subject--as shown by these charts--of regular sexual assault. Something so malevolent occurring so early in life might well show up in 13469’s 12th chart. What do we find there?

Really, this chart does not looks all that bad. Set (1) includes sun/node/moon/mercury/saturn/saturn. The conjunction of moon and mercury in Pisces, however, to b SN in Pisces in 4th/12th presents some challenges. It represents suffering (moon in Pisces, the suffering possible in states of dissociation) and a sense of vulnerability (mercury in Pisces ) as consciousness that is hard to get away from (SN). B saturn rules b 3rd, and c mercury co-rules (12 of 22°) c 3rd, so, again, this set could refer to an difficult relationship to an older sibling, this set showing more his openness and vulnerability than aggression. Or, it could simply refer to difficult conditions in his neighborhood.

He has a set (shown below) which includes sun/mars/mars/venus/jupiter. It influences an 8th and 4th house and an Angle. Lighted venus/mars in or influencing an 8th house is one of the conditions seen when someone is sexually tortured. More on this below. On the other hand, venus and jupiter in the set suggest a high (venus/jupiter) that can be experienced from intense (sun) sexuality (venus/mars) and aggression (mars). I am not sure, however, such a high can occur in a boy of nine. Sun/venus/mars was in the 1st house of a young boy who was abducted and murdered. Perhaps in these cases the sun in the set represents an older (sun) individual who experiences pleasure (venus) through aggression (mars).

Let’s look at progressions for this 12th chart for his date of death.

As happened in his 7th chart, this progression shows an Angle progressed to ruler of the 5th house. It brings 5th house (sex and children) matters forefront.

Below is the sun/venus/mars set I recently referred to.

Progressed b12 sun has given this set a second Angular influence with influences to 7th, 8th, and 12th houses but not to the 5th house. On the other hand, sexual torture involves the 8th, not the 5th house. (This may be the case because in sexual torture the perpetrator is concerned with absolute possession and dominance of the individual, which is more an 8th than a 5th house quality.)

In this, his 12th chart, there is a set which I did not include above because it is slightly out of orb. 13469 has C Asc at 16 Pisces 42 and c12 pluto at 18 Pisces 50R. Pluto is over 2° beyond the Ascendant and unlighted, so I do not consider them conjunct at birth. At the time of his death, however, c harmonic pluto had progressed to 16 Pisces 45R in close conjunction with C Asc in b 5th house. It suggests being plumbed to the depths (pluto in Pisces) of sorrow (Pisces--extreme suffering. (There is more on pluto in Pisces in Nietzsche’s chart in the Woolf paper. Here is a link to that paper: Paper with Analysis of Nietzsche's Astrology. I will return 13469’s progressed pluto to his Pisces Asc in a moment.

Some times the 40° return covering the period--his occurred on April 28, 1969 at 11:17:08 pm EDT, Bronx and lasted 40 days--of the event tells the final story. It is an excellent indicator about 90-95% if the time. It has to be read with care. The return provides lights and Angles for the chart’s original planets plus progressions. At the same time, if a return is very negative (or positive) but the individual lacks supporting negative (or positive) progressions, the return carries far less significance than it does when he has them. For his return, 13469 had an MC of 19 Virgo 03 opposition c12 pluto at 18 Pisces 50. Return Ascendant was at 27 Scorpio 02 with return pluto squaring it at 28 Leo 24 and b12 mars at 28 Aquarius 39 squaring it from the other side. Return saturn was at 5 Aries 36 conjunct his progressed C Asc at 5 Aries 46. These three together gave him Angle/mars + Angle/pluto + Angle/saturn. The Angle/mars/pluto part suggests violence or force. And he had the following:

Note that we can include the lower-degreed return harmonic mars at 14 Pisces ++ in this set because return Angles have an orb of 2°, especially because here a light is also involved (the node). In the progressed 7th chart rape is shown for any adult by Angles to venus, mars, and pluto, with reference of at least one of them to a 5th house (to make it sexual). This return shows venus conjunct mars conjunct pluto. They fall on his C Asc (in his b 5th house). Along with the supporting evidence of progressions, surely this is an indication of rape. At the time of his death, transiting harmonic uranus was at 17 Pisces 50R (within orb?), bringing to him an acute (uranus) sense of pain, probably self-loathing. He probably feels like an unsuspected, dark abyss has just opened up below him.

13469's c moon at 9 Leo 16 served as an odd contributing factor in his suicide. It is conjunct pluto at 9 Leo 55 in 9th/6th, with moon ruling c 5th house. With this he was probably often a "cocky" kid. When in that consciousness he had a high opinion of himself (moon in Leo) sometimes bordering on gradiosity (conjunct pluto). Adolf Hitler also had that (see footnote 2, below). Along with his sometimes big ego, 13469 had considerable dramatic talents . The difference in self-image between the "grandiosity" of his Leo moon/pluto compared to the "lowliness" of his Pisces planets is too great. They force him to alternate experiences of widely divergent consciousness. He is both the prince and the pauper, or even worse, the Monarch and his jailed, isolated, starved, beaten serf.

A similar Leo/Pisces combination occurs in the chart of another (teen) suicide, Justin Spoonhour. Since there is biographical information on Justin (in The Enigma of Suicide by George Howe Colt), we can read about him and discover that in his case, he fended off the years of insults and jeers of his school peers by existing primarily, and proudly, in the consciousness of his South Node conjunct jupiter in Leo with jupiter ruling C MC (a lighted, forefront set). He loved Shakespeare and loved being in plays. He was quite bright, but he was also "different." He had just aced a French exam and was pleased with himself. But the slights of his lighted mercury conjunct mars in Pisces (with mars ruling C Asc, therefore also a forefront set) kept building up in his psyche. He committed suicide on Valentine's Day. On that day in class the Student Council passed out carnations ordered earlier by students to give to people they liked or admired. Justin was one of the students who did not receive any. One girl received eight. In an apparent moment of vulnerability, the vivid contrast between his high evaluation of himself and his experience of being nothing to no one created a fatal wound (Pisces) to the self esteem (Leo) he was trying so desperately to keep in place.

With the 12th we do not know the reason. The 12th chart often implies “reason” is hidden from us. With 12th troubles we often suffer mutely, bewildered by our fate. We can guess the psychological pain was impossible for this young man-child to bear. We believe, based on his astrology, forced sexuality was instrumental in his suicide.

Photo of Acrylic and Silkscreen made by Andy Warhol, orig. from news photo(?), titled "Suicide," from this website University of Southern California

The silkscreen is a little lighter, thereby making just visible that one is looking at someone who has just jumped from a tall building. I once worked near this piece of art for weeks...

Footnotes
(1) I am not sure exactly who did the collecting. As it was expressed in a 1994 printout I received from the International Data Exchange for Astrology (IDEA), “IDEA is the successor to the RID (Rodden/ISAR DATABANK) which ISAR [International Society of or for Astrological Research] has offered for several years. IDEA is sponsored by NCGR as well as ISAR …” At the time I purchased the data, it was comprised of 455 suicides, many (most?) of which came from the New York City study.

(2) Hitler had a conjunction of moon to pluto in his 10th chart, demonstrating his grandiosity, enormous dramatic ability, and persuasive influence on the masses (pluto).

Data Acknowledgments
The letter following each name shows the Rodden rating.

Suicide: Subway 13469 (AA)
Birth: 10/12/1959, 10:12 a.m. EDT, Bronx, New York. From Astrodatabank by Lois Rodden and Mark McDonough. NCGR, birth certificate.
Conception:12/30/1958, 11:46:10 a.m. EST, Bronx, NY.




About This Method
Chart Rules
Return to Home Page
About The Author