It wasn’t an assassination attempt — it was jealousy

If you’ve been wondering about the particulars of the natal charts for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and Jared Loughner, this article is a must-read. Eric begins with the event chart for last week’s shooting in Tucson, then holds his Chironic lens to the astonishing similarities between Giffords and Loughner. Don’t be intimidated if you still feel new to astrology; Eric approaches this as an astrology lesson, walking us through the aspects and relationships in a clear narrative focused on the psychology involved — and how it relates to the rest of us. To read the full issue including this week’s insightful horoscopes for all 12 signs, you may purchase it singly here. You can also sign up for a six-month subscription here.

22 thoughts on “It wasn’t an assassination attempt — it was jealousy”

  2. Thank you very much Be for further fleshing out the astrology of the memorial service. I felt the rush of a heavenly beneficence of God and the Universe maneuvering and overpowering what could have been a more negative tone and especially off setting the influence of Hades. Hades had some things to point out to us but the exposure was made palatable, as you point out, by the trine of Jupiter to transiting Mars along with the conjunction of Neptune/Chiron and the Moon. I could feel myself change my attitude at the cheering, feeling uncomfortable for the first twenty minutes and then relaxing into it, sensing I was witness to a much needed release of pain and disillusionment.

    If painful shadows of our society had to rise to the surface in order for us to examine them more closely, it helped to have the sour taste of the medicine sweetened up.

  3. shebear,

    I’d like to address your comment about the “cheering” from the younger members of the audience during the Memorial program Wednesday night, specifically during the Presidents speech. I’ve not commented here about the chart for that event, but I apologize if I am repeating this information.

    The cheering and other distracting noise from the audience is represented by the transiting Mercury near the Galactic Core squaring the conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus in Pisces. I expected (feared) it would be harassment until I saw the Moon would be trine Mercury (original chart was for 8 PM, the time the ceremony started) and the transiting Sun would be trine the U.S. Sibly Neptune near the GC also.

    This chart’s (1/12/11, 8:44 PM MST) Mercury also squared the asteroid Juno in Virgo (who was preparing to station), forming a T-square with Uranus and Jupiter opposite Juno. Michelle Obama, although happily married, did exemplify this side of Juno, as Demetra George, in her book “Asteroid Goddesses” says: “As idealized wife, she exemplified the duties and attitudes of a proper mate within the institution of marriage.” The part you found “jarring” probably stemmed from the Uranian point Hades at 29+ Gemini, opposite Mercury, which could form the last leg of a grand mutable square if considered. Hades represents something very distasteful and unpleasant to witness. Judi Vitale in the April/May 2010 The Mountain Astrologer says: “(Hades) serves as a force to point out the things about our lives and our society that are less than desirable so that we can fix them”.

    Happily, the grand cross was alleviated by trines and sextiles so it all turned out quite well for the President. Juno was trine the transiting Mars ( which was conjunct the U.S. Sibly Pluto and her husband’s natal Saturn), the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction was sextiled with that Mars, and even Hades was diluted by the Aquarian conjunction of Neptune and Chiron (which is and was conjunct the U.S. Moon) that just happened to also be conjunct the President’s south node release point.

    The cheering and applause startled us and would otherwise have seemed improper for a memorial service, but God and the Universe can work miracles and did so on Wednesday night. By the way, I did say this in a comment on another thread here, but I thought it a juicy morsel of astrology art that the asteroid Memoria was at 0 Aries, the “personal is political” point. And so it was.
    be

  4. Fe — pretty much knocked your socks off, didn’t it? and our Eric scooped it using *gasp!!* astrology! chrys had posted the link to those details a few comments down earlier yesterday & my jaw is still sore from its hitting the floor. thanks for posting the full text — i was a little too focused on other things to think of that.

    still blows my mind every time i read those details. and then i think, “that poor, fucked up kid; whatever happened in his life to create such a fractured, lost soul must have been unimaginably awful.” and i bet similar stuff happens to more kids than we want to think about.

    and then, despite agreeing that the political rhetoric *does* need to be called into question, i get mad at how nobody seems to be looking at the desperately compromised emotional health of this culture — except PW. talk about a perfect time for the site to go viral; i truly hope some of those few thousand new visitors explored enough of the site to get a little of the full message… even just enough of a peek to make them start wondering a little.

    let’s keep planting seeds….

  5. I’ve been thinking a lot about the speech your President gave on Wednesday. I was keen to understand more about the *cheering* from the younger members of the audience at what was a memorial service and will admit to finding it quite jarring initally, but as Obama seemed to roll with it, I followed his example. In the usual distecting of his speech afterwards, several media pundits said they were also put off by the cheering, but I listened to John King on CNN give a very reasonable explanation in that people were so shell shocked by the tragedy, happening in their neck of the woods, to have Obama come to the service gave them a much needed boost and more importantly a channel to express pent up emotions that craved something hopeful and positive to believe in.

    So thinking further on this expression of pure youthful exhuberence I was curious to check on the position of the asteroid Hebe. I hope I am right in thinking that during his speech Hebe was at Aries 14 degrees and that the Sabian Symbol for that degree is “A Serpent Coiling Near a Man and a Woman” If this is so, what I take from this is the sign that there is a breaking down of the walls that divide us and that as Dane Rudhyar explains it:

    “we are confronted with an image suggesting the transpersonal way to the “cosmification” of desire and the conscious acceptance of polarization as the solution of the problems generated by individualization. But this need not mean what is currently meant by “sex” and the glorification of the orgasm. It implies rather the RITUALIZATION OF RELATIONSHIP.”

    Might this mean that we can really concentrate on that which unites us from here on in and forget about what divides and alienates us from each other? That’s what you write here Eric and its an energy that you have rightly been drawing attention to for a very long while. It’s about time us humans start to get this, love not war, and thankfully I think we’ve crossed a rubicon this week about how we can relate to each other in a healthier, more loving way. Loughner was feeling desperately alienated from society and driven off the rails in his disconnect and impotency, he empowered himself by killing a projection of who he craved to be, in the person of Gabrielle Giffords. Intense jealousy was the driving force without doubt.

    I take a lot of hope from how the memorial service played out last Wednesday and continue to be mesmerised by the archetypal layers to last week’s tragedy. It was so gut wrenching but, something extraordinarily hopeful seems to be rising from its ashes. In the words of that amazing speech from Obama, referring to the memory of Christina ” I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. All of us — we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.”

    Hand on my heart, opening my heart chakra to the memory of Christina and all the others who perished last Saturday along with its courageous survivors, Gabrielle Giffords, Daniel Hernandez, Patricia Maisch, I dedicate my life to doing just that — build a better democracy *worldwide* in every way possible.

  9. Ok, kind of on a tangent here a little (but not really)…

    I just read a short piece on that intern who helped to save Giffords’ life and who spoke at the memorial service, Daniel Hernandez. I haven’t followed this part of the story, so it was news to me that he’s of Hispanic heritage (I hadn’t heard his name) and is “commissioner at large to the City of Tucson Commission on Gay, Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Issues. He plans to help the organization with education outreach on issues such as bullying.”

    I don’t even know where to start, but I’d like for Eric to find out his Chiron placement and to comment on it. This is a young man who’s looked at as a hero and who apparently is quite level-headed, kind, and service-oriented. And involved with gender issues. And Hispanic. I wonder what Tucson and the rest of Arizona will make of him and what larger effect he might have.

  10. Alright eric, I hope you’re sitting down as you read this:

    Official: Ariz. shooter posed in G-string with gun
    AP
    TUCSON, Ariz. – The suspect in the mass shooting in Arizona posed for photos with a gun, dressed only in a bright red G-string, and had the film developed on the eve of the rampage that killed six people and gravely injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, authorities said Friday.

    The most detailed timeline of Jared Loughner’s busy 11 hours before the shooting was released by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office. It begins with Loughner dropping off the 35mm film at a Walgreens at 11:35 p.m. Jan. 7, the night before the shooting. He checks into a motel about an hour later and at 2:19 a.m. Jan. 8 he picked up his developed photos.

    A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to do so confirmed the details of the photos, including that Loughner posed with a Glock semiautomatic pistol, the same one authorities said was used in the shooting.

    Loughner posted “Goodbye friends” on his MySpace page at 4:12 a.m., then bought bullets and a backpack-style diaper bag at Walmart at 7:27 a.m., according to authorities. Three minutes later, he was pulled over by an Arizona Game and Fish Department officer, but he was let go. He wasn’t acting suspicious and there was no reason to search the vehicle, the agency has said.

    Loughner returned home about two hours later and was confronted by his dad when he removed a black bag from the family car. His father chased after Loughner, but he disappeared into the desert.

    At 9:41 a.m., a cab driver picked him up from a convenience store and drove him to the supermarket where Giffords was holding her “Congress on Your Corner” event. The cabbie and Loughner went into the Safeway to get change for the fare, authorities said.

    At 10:10 a.m., he opened fire, authorities said.

  11. I hadn’t thought of this explanation consciously, though I felt unsatisfied when it was instantly assumed to be a political rampage. Just seemed to “messy” to me.

    Eric, I think this piece is one of your most brilliant ever. It just hits so many true notes and seems to me to be spot on.

    Has anyone in the MSM posited anything like this or any part of it? I guess they’d be instantly “discredited” if they opened their mouth about this country’s gun culture. And as for anything touching sex…

    1greenguizer, my condolences to you for the loss of your younger brother and for the pain of being cut off from your nephews & brother.

    I have a black sheep brother who is a gun collector. He has taken to carrying a pistol on his hip. He once followed some drunken guys in a pickup who threw a bottle on his lawn. Tackled one of them in a convenience store and posed as a law enforcement official. He (my bro) was arrested and charged but got out of it without any serious penalties. I just shake my head. My bro isn’t yet completely fractured, but his swift and incendiary anger will likely someday get him into a lot of trouble. I see how he has always tried — and failed — to get approval from our father. They’re now pretty well estranged. It’s too bad; he’s really smart and has a big heart. He’s just so angry and insecure.

  12. Thanks, Eric. I had wondered at the beginning why the media hadn’t characterized Roll’s death as an assassination, and now it does seem obvious that Jared Loughner was after Ms. Giffords. Guess I thought that if a government official was murdered, it was assassination. Now you make me question this thinking.

  13. Hi Jan,

    I think of an assassination as opposed to murder as the intentional killing of a political or social leader. I don’t think he had any way of knowing that John Roll would be there, nor did he have any prior thought of him — certainly none that we know of. So that is not quite an assassination.

    As for Giffords, he was specifically planning to kill her, and I think the motive determines whether it’s an assassination; and in any event I’ve never heard of an assassination — not in the US, where sniper rifles rather than bombs are typically used — that took out so many bystanders.

    ef

  16. I find it interesting that many (most?) people keep their guns in their bedrooms, it fits right in with the sexual fear morals of the US. Though I do know someone who scared an intruder away with his shotgun (didn’t shoot it), and the police ended up catching the thief because the homeowner had called the cops right away (and the thief had an apartment full of stolen stuff). So there is something real that keeps reinforcing the idea that it’s best to have a gun next to/under your bed for protection, the fear and security issue. I completely agree with your take on guns in your article Eric, and have always had an aversion to guns. It seems one of the narratives that the gun thing also relates to is the cowboy psyche that persists in our country, some false sense of freedom as well as power…?

    Your descriptions of the centaurs in this article really opened up a new vision of them for me, and how it applies to my own chart. My Nessus 4-49 is conjunct my nn 3-30, gemini 11th, opp my moon 4-14 sag., I am in love with astrology, but not very adept, so I was hoping you might clarify something for me. Is it the black moon lilith in his chart that makes the moon/sn conjunction so dark towards women? I have a lot of thoughts about how the sn/moon conj works in my life, but was just wondering what this pairing would like without lilith there? And how it would change his chart.

    -beth

  17. wow chrys —

    thanks for posting that article. the descriptions of the photos make a pretty clear case for the sexual frustration (and possibly even the gender confusion) elided with violence that eric describes. i wonder when the article in the times went to ‘print’? PW may have scooped this angle; Eric was certainly working on the issue and had the theory jelled before today.

    “raped her with a bullet,” indeed.

  18. This is such a timely conversation for me. I grew up in Tucson and recently returned to Seattle after 5 years in the old pueblo.

    Last weekend’s violence hit me hard. I have written a couple posts, this one last week, http://www.judykinney.com/this-violence-reflects-me-so-does-this-love/ . I am experimenting with engaged sovereignty….

    Last night I entered precariously into a Facebook conversation about guns and gun rights. Some one who has followed my courses and writings spouted off about gun rights. “If guns kill people, then pencils misspell words, cars drive drunk, and spoons make people fat.” I asked for it, right?

    Wading respectfully into the water, I replied “Pencils, cars and spoons bring me joy in many ways. I think I could have fun skeet shooting….but otherwise, I see guns as fueling fear. I do better contributing to the joy and peace side of life. ______, how do guns bring you joy?”

    I was surprised to realize as a result of the conversation that somewhere I look to the government to enact laws as a means of safety, just as she seeks safety from a gun. Both options are ludicrous, really.

    This morning I wrote this post about trust, fear and vulnerability as a way to keep the conversation going. http://www.judykinney.com/learning-to-trust-your-vulnerability/

    I am glad that you’re chatting it up there as well, thank you.

    Judy

  20. Eric, you are spot on (again), they just broadcast on CNN comments posted by J. Loughner online describing his aggression and thoughts about rape as well as other disturbed and disturbing related to his rage at women and others in general.

    From WJS.com: ” he posted a rant titled “Why Rape,” which said women in college enjoyed being raped. “There are Rape victims that are under the influence of a substance. The drinking is leading them to rape. The loneliness will bring you to… depression. Being alone for a very long time will inevitably lead you to rape.”

    Event chart: Saturn in the 8th…pretty much sums up the tip of the iceberg here.

  21. 1greenguizer — my sympathy goes to you on the loss of your younger brother and your loss of contact with your nephews. yet at the same time, i admire your strength as a 16-year-old to stay true to yourself and sell those guns. while i do not take issue with responsible hunting per se, i agree that the pervasive “gun mentality” is unnerving and unbalanced.

    perhaps if your nephews share some of your sensitivity, they may be able to seek you out at some point; at the very least, you may serve as a valuable role model to any other youth you may come into contact with.

    peace to you…

  22. I came from a family that spent bonding time target practicing at the shooting range with our father who also hunted deer, bear, game birds etc.
    As a child I hated that my dad killed animals and would cry when he brought them home in the back of a truck especialy the bobcat.
    My dad gave up hunting sometime in his early forties.
    as a young teen I was given two guns by my grandfather, a 50 caliber muzzleloader and a 223 semi automatic that I sold both when I was 16 and have never had a gun since.
    I am the only girl and the 2nd black sheep of my siblings the other one being my little brother who took his life wth a gun at age 19 , my two remaining brothers are red neck conservatives even though we had a very progressive mother, and one of my brothers did give my mom a Glock for Christmas this year.
    I agree that the gun is a compensatory response to paranoia, feelings of helplessness and fear.
    I was cut out of one of my brothers lives a few years ago and his young children because he did not want me to influence them with my crazy progressive views, this was heartbreaking to me personaly and also to see how sadly damaged my brother must be to try control his two boys every opinion.

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