Jack Parsons Fatal SLR

[Jim Eshelman]

(6/4/2013)

Jack Parsons was originally listed in the "Horoscopes of Interest" section before the Big Glitch took this Forum down for a while. I will not try to repeat the biographical info here, but will simply refer readers to the Wikipedia entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Whiteside_Parsons

Parson's unusual death caught my attention, and his fatal SLR is equally attention-grabbing. SLR Mars and Uranus are paran, Mars conjunct natal Mercury and both square the foreground conjunction of SLR Mercury with natal Saturn. My reading of this tends to confirm the idea that Parsons felt rushed, leading to a misstep in his handling of materials. I can't help but sense that the chemical involved, mercury fulminate, is practically written in the chart. Weird.

Any other observations?

-Derek

[Jim Eshelman]

And you left out transiting Saturn exactly square the Ascendant.

I must say that your analysis rings true for me - just from the chart. I qualify it thus, because Jack's widow gave me much reason to think that the usual story wasn't true - that this actually was murder. That's not my impression from the SLR, at least on first impression.

[Jim Eshelman]

And you left out transiting Saturn exactly square the Ascendant.

Absolutely! SLR Saturn conjunct natal Sun square Ascendant! I stopped upon seeing it background. Too soon.

I must say that your analysis rings true for me - just from the chart. I qualify it thus, because Jack's widow gave me much reason to think that the usual story wasn't true - that this actually was murder. That's not my impression from the SLR, at least on first impression.

I wrestled with the murder interpretation. It has seemed to me that Mercury gets involved with murder cases, perhaps due to its ability to rationalize ethics. I went with the stronger Mars/Uranus with its general sense of recklessness. I am open to be instructed on this, since Wikipedia might not be expected to carry all information, unless someone contributes it.

-Derek

[Jim Eshelman]

Transiting Mars-Uranus is going to show a fiery explosion regardless of the cause. The rest is... not 100% certain to me, so I'm sticking with the most straightforward interpretation (yours) for now.

I'm not sure that any of the murder-oriented information was public. Cameron was out shopping for their trip when the explosion occurred. She returned to the commotion. A fireman present (was it the chief? I don't recall for sure) was IIRC her uncle, and told her that reports and evidence both suggested two separate explosions, one beginning underneath the floor. There were also circumstances that she told me, about why they were leaving, which could have led to a government assassination.

But I don't see the factors I would expect if the latter assessment were true - at least, not in the SLR.

Cameron also found it incredible that Jack could have an accident of that sort. (Of course, that's why they call them "accidents," right?) Her point was that Jack was the preeminent rocket fuel chemist in America - arguably, in the world. (His fuels were still being used at least as late as the early '90s.) People in that category know how to handle fulminate, and know not to take any chances. As a result of hastiness, he could have tripped and fallen down the stairs, but it stretches credulity that he would have been so hasty with that particular substance.