Ted Bundy

[Jim Eshelman]

Ted Bundy was born November 24, 1946, 10:35 PM in Burlington, VT. You probably know the story of this violent serial murderer; if not, then the Wikipedia article on him is quite extensive.

I cite his chart for one reason: He's one of the best examples of the difference between the effect of angular planets on the one hand and luminary signs on the other. Often this distinction is hard to see because of overlapping traits and other complications; in Bundy's case, this isn't the case. The distinction is quite clear.

I have often described the luminary sign traits as the identity core of a person. I've often described angular planets as the most expressed needs and behaviors. In Bundy's case, cutting through all the details are true: (1) He was, at core, a violent sadist, willing or eager to kill and taking delight in people's suffering. (2) He was attractive, charming, charismatic, endearing, making easy his ingratiation to others. A third principle is simply that he was psychologically quite damaged.

So, what's in the chart? (1) His Sun, Moon, and Mars are in Scorpio. (2) He has Venus and Jupiter most closely angular. (Add Mercury.) - There it is in a nutshell: His core was violent, cruel, murderous, the malignant or pathological expression of Scorpio, while his most expressed behaviors were charming and winning.

How about the psychopathology? This is more complicated since the difference between extreme psychological health and disease is sometimes genetic and often environmental. A given chart can have either a health or pathological expression (though some make one easier than the other). He does have two other angular planets, though quite wide by themselves: Saturn is 2°35' past EP and Pluto 3°53' past EP. I would count Saturn as in wide but acceptable orb and wouldn't count Pluto. Therefore, I'm not sure I'd count the Saturn/Pluto midpoint to EP, which would be a nice explanation and "easy out" on discussing the chart, but I don't think it's legit. His closest aspect is a 0°01' Mars-Pluto trine, but there are a lot of healthy aspects like this.

Psychopathology is usually a Mercury matter, and he does have a partile Mercury-Neptune octile as one of his closest aspects. His Moon-Uranus opposition, at its worst, also coincides with serious psychopathology. These aspects aren't sufficient to "cause" mental illness, but they are enough to give a weak spot that environmental stressors could exploit in his formative years. Therefore (and given the Moon stresses and the heavy, strained 4th house focus) I'm inclined to say that parental issues set him up, probably unexpressed rage at his mother. (There was a lot of "stuff" around his unwed mother, local shaming, lifelong resentment of his mother, etc.)

There may also be a relocation issue. I don't have this worked out but can give some pieces. He lived his first three years in Philadelphia, where Saturn came to EP in RA, Pluto in orb of EP in longitude, but also his Venus on Nadir and Jupiter on IC. The Jupiter-Pluto 17' aspect is probably the centerpiece of his time there. Overall, this seems like a decent home - loving and supportive but strict (appropriate for an infant and toddler), though possibly already loading social stigma into the equation.

Then, at age 3, his mother left Philadelphia for Tacoma, WA. If the early years were a decent home, then moving took him away from those influences. Nothing is angular there; the change is withdrawing the angular influences of Philadelphia.

And so forth. Anyone so inclined might trace his life through various moves.

[Danica]

And there’s also the factor of the Lunar aspects; considered in context of the core factors of the chart, it shows a tendency of psyche for the nature/flavor of patterning by-default, I.e. speaks in this sense of the quality of connections that are most easily, automatically formed , via one’s interaction with the environment.

I have found these, listed by orb ( all Ptolemaic up to 5*, and the two minor up to 2*), and considered thus as a single informational unit, to be necessary for the full clear basic picture of the chart!

In Bundy’s case, the Lunar aspects, in sequence by orb, are:
with Uranus, Mars and Pluto.
(To sort it out: it’s a combo of dynamic with Ur-Ma, and static with Pl.)

The early environmental triggers and channels provided are the critical factor - of the How will what-there-is get to flow-through, be unfolded and expressed - formed into first, foundational for the whole future development of psyche, patterns and structures.
I think this becomes very obvious in extreme examples like this one or Hitler, etc.

[Soft Alpaca]

I think at his core he was power driven, a need for physical and mental expression. We see this reenforced by the nature of the planets on the moon as well (remember me saying especially Mars,Sun,and Uranus are all super energy cores).

I think that when any native gets too much of this unstopped energy it boils over and makes a mess. (The moon however I'd say is the key, I agree that it is here where i see the difference between a firey, dogmatic, and domineering ego/physical temper and a deep down dark sadistic {bonk}).

As a Moon Pluto and Sun Uranus person the difference is unparalleled.