Sonny Bono and Neptune's Warning
Last week the nation was stunned by the fascinating,
bizarre synchronicity of Sonny Bono dying in a skiing
accident only five days after Michael Kennedy's similar
incident. The astronomical odds against this kind of
coincidence point to some cosmic or transcendent message,
with the twin tragedies indicating a warning against taking
a particular risky path.
Astrologically, the planet which resonates with these
mysterious, invisible realms is Neptune. Transiting
Neptune at the time of Bono's death was right on his North
Lunar Node, the symbol of karmic or fateful connections.
The Lunar Nodes are always activated during the most
significant encounters or experiences in an individual's
life, which includes his death. The parallel situation in
Michael Kennedy's chart is his natal conjunction of
Neptune with the North Lunar Node.
In both skiing accidents the victims were with their
families, but had embarked on a particularly dangerous or
risky path. Taking this underlying symbolic structure as a
starting point, what national news was occurring
simultaneously which might resonate with these tragedies?
On the same day that the nation was reacting to Sonny
Bono's death, a scientist in Chicago announced that he was
opening a clinic to clone humans in order to replace
diseased body parts. The announcement caused an
international furor over the questionable ethics of this risky
path.
It's worth noting that the last time Neptune was in
Aquarius (1834-1848), one of the most popular works of
fiction was Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a story about a
scientist who takes parts of corpses to manufacture a living
creature. Neptune is now in the final degree of Capricorn,
about to enter Aquarius again...
The Middle East Heats Up
Iran's moderate President was interviewed last week on
CNN, an event touted as an historical Sea Change by both
pundits and politicians. However, hard-line factions within
Iran are staunchly opposed to any reconciliation with the
U.S. as President Khatami suggested.
Iran's national horoscope is set for February 1, 1979 at 9:30
AM in Tehran, and shows this new attitude emerging
(progressed Sun just entered Pisces). The political
astrologer will want to keep a close eye on Iran's Mars.
Transiting Uranus is nearly conjunct Iran's Sun-Mars
conjunction, a time which could indicate a military coup
d'etat.
The New Moon on January 28 is the first window for such
an event. This New Moon takes place as it aligns with
Uranus, and all three activate Iran's Mars. Transiting
Uranus will hover in this dangerous zodiacal zone through
March, and then return again late in 1998.
The same astrological combination could indicate sudden
hostile military action, especially through Iran-backed
Hamas. Israeli politicians fear an Islamic coalition is
building. Netanyahu's visit this week will surely focus on
the military personnel poised at its borders, in addition to
the West Bank issue.
The planets during this coming New Moon also activate
Israel's Mars, indicating direct armed conflict is very
possible. Undoubtedly, the United States will become
involved in any military operation that erupts around the
New Moon, since transiting Uranus will square the U.S.
Scorpio Ascendant.
Sonny Bono and the Asteroids
Sonny Bono was born an eccentric Aquarius on February
16, 1935*. Sonny was as amazed as anyone else over his
meteoric rise to celebrity status in the 1960s. However, his
Sun near the U.S. Moon and his Pluto near the U.S.
Mercury show how his personal style and vitality closely
approximated an American archetype, a mirror for public
consumption.
Sonny's style made him look and act like a fool, but the
strong aspects between Mercury (the communications
planet) and the transpersonal planets Uranus and Pluto
show that he was anything but. He often said what others
were afraid to say, as his comic, offhand approach
generated uneasy laughs, and broke the ice during political
stalemates.
While mainstream astrologers will find a litany of transits
and progressions timing his death, a few asteroids paint in
the details unavailable in the broader picture. Ceres,
Orpheus, and Icarus are some of these key asteroids, and
their positions are equally telling in Michael Kennedy's
chart.
Both Kennedy and Bono were born with Ceres retrograde
in family-oriented Cancer and afflicted by aggressive,
action-oriented Mars. Both died when Icarus, the asteroid
associated specifically with high-risk sports, was forming
an exact connection to natal Pluto.
Orpheus often represents tragic death, especially when
being warned against going somewhere dangerous. In
ancient mythology, Orpheus was also renown for his
haunting songs. Sonny died as transiting Orpheus, the
Lunar Nodes, and Ceres were all precisely lined up with his
natal Neptune. And the beat goes on....
* Several times for his birth are circulating, but the time
used here is set for 12:03 PM. For more information on
the U.S. horoscope, visit
Scorpio Rising.
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