John Kennedy Jr. and the Planets

John Kennedy Jr. and the Planets

How He Was and Why He Died

By C. Ravin, Esq.

August 1999

Preface

On the day that John Kennedy Jr.'s plane spiralled to it's demise in the waters of the Atlantic, just miles from its destination on Martha's Vineyard, the planets were transiting harshly to John's own natal positions. It is important to me to examine this to get some ideas about why this tragic event occurred. We will see some of the astrological factors of John's death, which occured on July 16, 1999 at 9:40 pm EDT. This essay will also discuss some of John's own birthchart features, so that we can get a better understanding of this often-misunderstood man.

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John F Kennedy, Jr. was born on November 25, 1960 at 12:22 a.m. in Washington, D.C.

This gave John the following natal positions, beginning with the Ascendant (Asc), also known as the Rising Sign:

Asc 11 Virgo 58
Sun 2 Sagittarius 57
Moon 27 Aquarius 25
Mercury 13 Scorpio 14
Venus 11 Capricorn 54
Mars 18 Cancer 31 retrograde
Jupiter 6 Capricorn 49
Saturn 15 Capricorn 33
Uranus 25 Leo 47
Neptune 9 Scorpio 45
Pluto 8 Virgo 04
N Node 11 Virgo 45
Chiron 27 Aquarius 34

Here are the positions of the planets at the time of the crash, July 16, 1999 9:40 pm EDT:

Asc 24 Aquarius 42
Sun 24 Cancer 04
Moon 15 Virgo 37
Mercury 8 Leo 48 retrograde
Venus 2 Virgo 09
Mars 4 Scorpio 28
Jupiter 2 Taurus 36
Saturn 15 Taurus 32
Uranus 3 Aquarius 13 retrograde
Pluto 8 Sagittarius 00 retrograde
N Node 13 Leo 57
Chiron 27 Scorpio

Here also are the Composite Transit Chart (CTC) positions, which represent the midpoints between the Natal positions and the Event positions, to give what Astrologer Robin Heath describes as "our relationship with the moment."

Asc 17 Scorpio
Sun 28 Virgo
Moon 21 Libra
Mercury 25 Libra
Venus 10 Scorpio
Mars 11 Virgo
Jupiter 10 Cancer
Saturn 15 Cancer
Uranus 20 Scorpio
Neptune 17 Sagittarius
Pluto 23 Libra
N Node 29 Leo
S Node 29 Aquarius
Chiron 12 Scorpio

In his article in the Aug-Sept 1999 issue of The Mountain Astrologer magazine, Mr. Heath creates CTCs for Christa MacAuliffe and the Moment of the Challenger Space Shuttle Explosion, and also for Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales and the Moment of the Car Crash which took her life so suddenly. I will examine the CTC for John's Plane Crash later in the article, yet provide the positions above for continuity and easier referencing.

Some Things About John...

public

John had his Ascendant supertightly conjunct his North Node, which was just barely in his 12th house, and this conjunction was conjunct to his Pluto, also there in the 12th:

Pluto 8 Virgo 04
N Node 11 Virgo 45
Asc 11 Virgo 58

North Node in Virgo Conjunct Pluto in Virgo in the 12th, Conjunct Ascendant -

North Node in Virgo usually indicates a person who is generally a dreamer whose dreams seldom become realities. John lacked - or still hadn't developed - the analytical abilities inherent in the Virgo North Node. This position makes the person vague about goals and vaguer still about how to realize them.

So, when placed in the 12th house, it becomes more clear why John seemed to be like that. People with North Node in the 12th house want to be something of an enigma. This person is changeable in his or her ability to take advantage of opportunities for dream fulfillment. While actual physical or mental health may be good, the person may allude to some mysterious tragic flaw or skeleton in the closet that prevents success. Perhaps the history of tragedy in his family was such a flaw.

A conjunction between the North Node and Pluto indicates a person who often seems to be forced to take some sort of separative or eliminative action in order to grow. Relationships with groups or individuals seem to play a major role in the growth process. Leadership abilities enhance growth, as in John's position at the helm of George magazine.

The tight conjunction of John's Pluto-North Node was also tightly conjunct to his Ascendant, or Rising Sign, at 11 Virgo. North Node Conjunct Ascendant generally indicates that an ability to get along well with others and a charming self-projection enhances growth, and John surely had these qualities.

John also had his North Node at 11 Virgo nice and tightly trine to his Venus at 11 Capricorn. This means that romance and marriage can set the stage for growth, and it did when he wed Carolyn Bessette. There is an attraction to artistic, friendly, and loving people that aids growth. This aspect gave John the ability to express his growth potential in a charming, easy-to-take way, even if he wasn't sure exactly where he should be going.

John's Pluto was heavily aspected:

Square Sun
Trine Venus
Trine Jupiter
Sextile Neptune
Conjunct North Node
Opposite South Node
Conjunct Ascendant
Square Midheaven

This indicated that deep transformation would be a big part of John's life, yet it was confusing and unclear to him, as Pluto resided in the 12th House. Some astrologers have called the 12th house the house of undoing, typically ruled by Neptune, for Pisces is the 12th Sign. That may have indicated that John's ultimate transformation would come about in a more Neptunian way...under water, and through much confusion, as it did.

Moon-Chiron Conjunct in Aquarius (Aq) in the 5th House -

Moon 27 Aq 25
Chiron 27 Aq 34

family

John had an unsightly, supertight conjunction (nine minutes apart) between his Moon at 27 Aquarius 25, and the asteroid Chiron at 27 Aquarius 34 in his 6th house of work and health. Chiron in the birthchart indicates where we each feel "wounded" or "broken" or "handicapped" in some way; where we feel that people are automatically prejudiced against us because of our difference. As a result, its placement is where we strive or perfection and feel driven to learn and to understand.

This meant that John's normal way of reacting to a situation was one of detachment, yet it may have pained him to do so. In other words, he did not react as a typical Aquarian Moon might respond, like myself, which is to simply detach and to move on, like the Air sign Aquarius. John's Chiron so tightly conjunct to his Moon made him - in all areas of his life, not just work and health - conflicted about detaching, not sure if he was doing the right thing most of the time.

This became even more complicated because this Moon-Chiron conjunction was opposite his Uranus at 25 Leo 47. That is pretty tight two-degree opposition, and Uranus was in his 12th house of uncertainty and secrets, the house which ancient astrologers called the house of undoing. So John felt misunderstood, to be sure, and wasn't ever positive if - even though he was handsome and articulate enough to pull it off - people really understood him. This is a common theme with anyone who has difficult aspects to their Moon. I have my Aquarius Moon inconjunct to my Virgo Sun, and often feel that I am not expressing myself clearly, and that it is me, and not the other person. People with afflicted Moons can make great astrologers, so they say, for they tend to focus that feeling of being misunderstood by the public at large into more inward-directed abilities and accomplishments.

Although I generally consider this to be an unfortunate natal aspect, a Moon-Chiron conjunction can also indicate a love for children and animals. Astrologer Kim Rogers Gallagher comments on this in her most excellent book Astrology for the Light Side of the Brain:

Now, I have Chiron right next to my Moon, so he's been Following Me Home for a very long time, in a variety of disguises. In fact, as long as I can remember - even before Chiron and I were formally introduced - I've had a thing for animals - Special Animals. "Wounded" ones, with Special needs. Three-legged dogs, one-eyed dogs, birds with one foot, cats with no tails. Animals that have Ch-ironic illnesses, too. I don't go after them, either - they just arrive with their collars and their bowls or That Look on their faces. Since my Moon is in pretty delicate shape to start with, I used to think that was all there was to that.

Then I noticed that Chiron was nestled just a few degrees away from the Moon, and I knew immediately that I had something there. Once I made the initial connection between Chiron/Moon and my rather unusual "kids", I went to Jerry Lewis' chart...it was In There, just like it had to be. Big Time, too. Another conjunction: Chiron at 26 Aries, Moon at 0 Taurus. Perfect for dealing with Special Kids. That's what I was looking for. Since then, I've found example after example of Chiron's potency in charts, and he's always there, always right where you'd expect him to be.

I am not sure if John ever had any Special pets, or friends, or ever worked with Special Needs animals or people. Yet it is possible, for his Moon-Chiron conjunction is in Aquarius, and that is the sign that spreads its understanding (yet not always its warmth or love) to humanity at large, and may sometimes be said to be a helper to humanity. As an Air sign, Aquarius is very social, and shows itself in groups and social organizations. As a Fixed sign, it has determination and staying power, and it is related to ideological convictions. The Aquarius influence is expressed in rather a stubborn way as far as opinions are concerned, but the sign is also strongly related to social and humanitarian ideals. Planets in this sign express themselves in a unique and unconventional manner. This can lead to an experience of alienation or social isolation. Nevertheless the energy of Aquarius is in essence friendly and expresses itself in social relationships where shared ideals play a greater role than emotions. Aquarian energy is cool and detached, and a greater balance could be achieved if more warmth and identity could be invested in personality expression.

I think that if we were to examine the cases that John handled for the Bronx D.A.'s office, we would see some expression of this conjunction there. We certainly could see it in his writing. Otherwise, to be sure, this powerful conjunction caused John a good deal of anxiety and an uneasiness with his expression. I think that John's good looks carried much of his public speaking ability, and that he was generally uncomfortable in situtations where he had to address the public. That is the unfortunate result of a tight Moon-Chiron conjunction.

The Astrology of Violent Death

Famed astrologer Alan Leo taught that when the Sun and Moon are severly afflicted by malefics, and combined with several other factors, there is the possibility of a violent death. Here are John's Sun and Moon aspects:

Sun Square Moon
Sun Sesquisquare Mars
Sun Square Pluto

Moon Square Sun
Moon Semisquare Venus
Moon Opposite Uranus

Mars, Uranus, and Pluto are considered malefics, and the fragile state of John's Sun and Moon, and the fact that the Moon is more elevated in John's chart, would indicate to some astrologers that John would be the victim of a violent death.

Alan Leo also saw a negative Mars-Saturn aspect, where Mars was placed in the 11th house and in a Watery or Airy Sign, as another possible indication of a violent or grievous injury. John's Mars in the 11th House is in Cancer, a Water Sign, and opposite Saturn by three degrees.

--------------Transits to John's Natal Chart on the Day of the Crash-------------

Pluto

The first thing that I see is that John was in the middle of a tough Pluto Square Pluto transit. Transiting retrograde Pluto at 8 Sagittarius (Sg) was tightly square to his natal Pluto at 8 Virgo (Vi). Squares involving the transiting Outer Planets are never described as "easy".

Pluto had already approached by square John's natal Pluto at 8 Vi 04 late in 1998. Then it went retrograde in mid-March at 10 Sg 30, just two degrees from his natal Pluto, and heading back towards it, intense the whole time. This became super exact on Wednesday, July 14, when transiting Pluto hit 8 Sg 04. Pluto had been exact, within one degree from John's natal Pluto, since June 3, when it was at 9 Sg 04. So the most intense part of John's Pluto Square Pluto transit - the retrograde phase - was exact for the month and a half prior to his death. Pluto had just passed this phase, and was dispersing, yet only by two days, or one minute. I do not see this as really dispersing. I see that this energy was still tightly clinging and affecting John, for it marks a significant moment in he life cycle. Alexander Ruperti, in his profound book Cycles of Becoming, remarks on Pluto's transit of the 3rd house, which it was John was enduring:

While bearing in mind that this planet always reveals the 'naked truth', it is always well to control any tendency toward vindictiveness. In some cases, this transit can lead to one's being swept of his feet by collective forces or by an "act of God".

Pluto went to 7 Sg 59 on Monday, July 19, and will go direct at 7 Sg 44 in mid August, shortly after the big solar eclipse on the 11th. This would have put it a quarter degree away from John's Pluto, and would be the third and final pass of what is generally considered to be a serious transit, as it marks a significant point in the cycle of our lives. Pluto rules forces for change that are inherent in the hidden depths of things. Astrologer Rob Hand comments,

Many things may be destroyed at this time, and the destruction will be ruthless if you defend them with rigidity. Pluto's action upon unyielding entities is particulary harsh.

Rather telling, and certainly a factor in John's life since the last few months of 1998. Also notable, Sagittarius, Pluto's current sign, is the natural opposite of the sign of Gemini, which rules the 3rd house.

If you have Pluto in Virgo, and thus were born between mid-August 1957 and mid-October 1971, then you might want to examine at just what degree your Pluto is located. If it is in early degrees, then this transit is going on for you now. Pluto is currently retrograde at 7� Sg, and will go direct in mid-August 1999, hovering between 7 and 12 degrees of Sg until mid-March 2000, when it will retrograde again from 12 Sg 54 down to 10 Sg 09, going direct again in mid-August 2000.

Uranus

The planets are not being the best of pals this year, and this was the case on July 16 as well. It was a particularly bad day for Uranus, and he is not a guy we usually want to have a bad day with:

Uranus Quincunx Moon - supertight, exact at only one minute. This indicates that abrupt changes in moods unsettle old patterns. The fact that it was so exact, afflicted, and in a Fixed Sign, makes it that much more powerful...with a bigtime emphasis on the heightened abruptness of "abrupt changes"...as in, fatal-plane-crash abrupt. Often, the transiting Moon is seen, post-mortem, as the trigger that set off the chain of fatal events. The Moon at 14 Virgo had just, earlier that day, passed over John's Pluto-North Node-Ascendant Conjunction at 11 Virgo. Whenever any planet crosses our Ascendant, it is always significant, for this is the door to our 1st House. Alexander Ruperti comments,

Of all the Houses, the First House is the most individual. For this reason, the individual cycle of a planet begins when that planet transits the Ascendant.

Uranus Opposite Mercury - indicates many small irritations, and this is always amplified under Mercury Retrograde. Not only does "many" increase to "many more", but "small" changes to "not so small". And we can also see that "irritations" is an understatement, too.

Uranus Square Saturn - supertight, exact at only six minutes apart. This aspect indicates a conflict between independence and success, and this is always amplified when it is tied into other negative aspects, such as the quincunx to the Moon and the opposition to Mercury. So, read as: most major conflict between independence (flying) and success (landing).

Lauren Bessette

Neptune

It was also a busy evening for Neptune, the planet of illusion, confusion, and fogginess.

Neptune Opposite Mercury - made even more nasty by the Uranus Opposite Mercury aspect, and by the fact that Mercury is retrograde. It also didn't help that Neptune and Uranus and Mercury are all in Fixed Signs, which are stubborn and seem to cause the greatest amount of pain. Neptune Opposite Mercury usually indicates gossip, or scandalous news. Well, with the above items making it even more treacherous, I would say that "scandalous" can safely be changed to "tragic", as would be the case here.

Neptune Square Mars - Again, the fact that these planets are in Fixed Signs makes matters worse, and Mars in Scorpio in negative aspect to anything is a rough one. This aspect usually indicates laziness, procrastination, or religious fanaticism, yet here, I take it to contribute to the fact that the violence of the crash (Mars in Scorpio) will be covered in the depths of illusion (Neptune), and evade (square) the understanding of all the world (Aquarius). And Neptune's hand in this also may show why it was a watery grave, and that the plane has been so hard to see and to find. This is classic Neptunian confusion, which confounds reality and understanding more than any other planet. Combine that with Mercury Retrograde in opposition with Neptune and Uranus, and it is inevitable that it will take some time to get to the bottom of this, literally and figuratively.

Neptune Square Jupiter - indicates an urge to get away fom it all. This would be the ultimate in that respect.

Mercury

Mercury, retrograde in Leo, also had a very busy time at 9:40 pm. All this Fixed Sign activity grinding against itself insured that an event like this would occur. Mercury is also the foster ruler of John's Virgo Ascendant.

Mercury Square Mars -indicates touchiness, and a challenge in communications. With Mercury retro in Fixed Leo and Mars nasty in Fixed Scorpio, this could be read as partly why no communications occurred, no transmissions from the plane, and why a device that can be used to record cockpit conversations may never have been activated, and may never be recovered. And the touchiness indicates how easy it is to be flying fine one minute, and losing all control the next, as well as the touchiness of the three people, who were several hours late for this flight.

Mercury made a total of seven aspects at 9:40 pm. I will list them here, some of which we have covered, and also indicate the amount of exactness. The number before the decimal is degrees, and the number after the decimal is minutes. Zero degrees means superexact, and with 60 minutes in each degree, if the distance is one or two minutes apart, then that is as exact, and powerful, as any aspect can be. Within ten degrees, an aspect will begin to be felt.

Mercury Square Mars 4.21
Mercury Opposite Uranus 6.49
Mercury Opposite Neptune 5.36
Mercury Trine Pluto 0.48
Mercury Conjunct North Node 5.08
Mercury Opposite South Node 5.08
Mercury Trine Midheaven 1.47

Now, it becomes clear that the two trines are also the most exact aspects, yet with Mercury being retrograde, it tends to make little difference. Usually, when a planet is heavily aspected, some of the aspects will be favorable. Yet only two of the seven are favorable here. So the favorable aspects in a case like this tend to get ignored or superceded...cloaked by the harder ones, like oppositions, squares and conjunctions. And the wild card, again and ad nauseum, is the fact that Mercury is retrograde, and in a strong part of it's retrograde period, the first couple of weeks. Why is that? I think it is because toward the end of a retrograde period, we are so used to the communication breakdowns and snafus of the previous two weeks that we expect them a bit more.

Saturn Opposite Mercury - Transiting Saturn at 15 Taurus was opposite John's Mercury at 13 Scorpio. This is not a particularly easy transit, and indicates other people's resistance to one's thinking. John must have had to work on overcoming Carolyn's resistence to flying with him, something she had never done until this flight, and must have done some serious convincing in order for her to want to bring her sister.

Other Aspects

Transiting Chiron Square Natal Moon-Chiron Conjunction -

This aspect was exact at the time of the plane crash, and is generally not a positive aspect. When Chiron squares its natal position, it is usually considered a stressful time. Adding a tight Moon conjunction to this transit only makes matters worse, as it did for John.

Transiting South Node Square Natal Mercury-Neptune Conjunction -

John had a rather muddy Mercury-Neptune conjunction in Scorpio, and on the day of the accident, the transiting South Node was at 13 Leo, which is square to this conjunction. During this transit, the individual can bring about his or her own undoing through psychological withdrawal and subconscious rebellion against prevailing cultural norms and popular beliefs. Social communications are often limited in some way, or even cut off.

---------------------------Composite Transit Analysis----------------------------

Calculation of the midpoints between John's natal chart and the chart for the moment of the crash yields the following positions:

Asc 17 Scorpio
Sun 28 Virgo
Moon 21 Libra
Mercury 25 Libra
Venus 10 Scorpio
Mars 11 Virgo
Jupiter 10 Cancer
Saturn 15 Cancer
Uranus 20 Scorpio
Neptune 17 Sagittarius
Pluto 23 Libra
N Node 29 Leo
S Node 29 Aquarius
Chiron 12 Scorpio

The first dynamic that we notice is that none of the positions are in the first decanate; that is, there is nothing placed in early degrees (0-10) of any sign. This indicates that the event itself had a "higher" purpose, as opposed to being more of a base or physical purpose, as indicated if there is a presence of first decanate positions. The event, then, was the result of a more mental and spiritual purpose, as indicated by the presence of second and third decanate placements, respectively.

The murky stellium of Ascendant, Venus, Uranus, and Chiron all in the Fixed sign of Scorpio bears the eerie signature of the painful Fixed Sign activity that has characterized so much of 1999 events, such as the Columbine, Kosovo, and suicide of Dana Plato tragedies.

Composite Mars also sits right on John's natal Ascendant at 11 Virgo. Mars, being the planet of war and destruction, usually causes impulsiveness in the native, as it may have caused with John. Mars is often found in a significant position with respect to one of the angles, in particular the Ascendant, at death. This would be what I would call a textbook example.

Pluto at 23 Libra represents the midpoint of the Moon-Mercury conjunction. It is as if Pluto, the real Darth Vader of the heavens, was cutting in, breaking up the last Airy dance between the Moon and Mercury.

John and Carolyn

No one aspect will indicate a tragic, untimely death. It requires a careful analysis of many factors. The presence of much Scorpio and Cancer in the CTC shows a lot of Water, which by itself does not indicate death at sea. Scorpio, by itself, does not make the event that much more mysterious. Only by combining several factors can the picture become more clear. Yet to get into the many factors which indicate in the nativity an untimely death is beyond the scope of this essay. I am reminded of a footnote in Grant Lewi's book, Astrology for the Millions, where he explains his reason for coding the planets and signs in a study of the birthcharts of conquestal dictators, suicides, dipsomaniacs, and assorted neurotics:

The human mind is a delicate instrument, and many are only too eager to find something "interesting" the matter with themselves. If it were written that the planet Janus in the sign of Hippogriff led to delusions of persecution, suggestible persons, finding that their birthcharts contained Janus in Hippogriff, would promptly start acquiring this high-sounding scourge, and the world would be made no better thereby.

The same applies to studying the astrology of death. I have provided this analysis of John's death as a learning experience for our readers, and because I care about understanding John's death through a method that I am fortunate enough to be able to study...astrology. I will miss John, for I felt a connection to him for many years. May the gods rest the souls of John, and Carolyn, and Lauren.

Bright Blessings,

Carlo

Other revelant links:

An Unofficial Web Site

from The Boston Herald, July 20, 1999