Veronica's broken toe

[Jim Eshelman]

Veronica wrote yesterday about an unfortunate (and thankfully relatively minor) accident she had May 16, 2024, 4:00 PM, Mendon Center, NY. (Her birth data are posted elsewhere in the usual location on the forum.)

I wrote a lot about it on her original thread, then today wanted to ensure that the event was preserved for study. It's an unusually good example of how various charts pile on to bring about an explicit event (which was clearly outstanding - unusual, out of the ordinary - in her life but likely will not stand out as one of the most important few events in the entire course of her life). In other words, it's a great example of the kind of things we normally expect to be able to anticipate and predict.

In brief, the event was that she slipped on water, skidded, in the course of her fall broke a toe. "I heard a definite crunch pop snap kinda noise," she wrote, "and felt my little ring toe scream in pain." Fortunately, with just a little bit of care, broken toes heal pretty well, but I expect she'll notice it a lot for three or four weeks, and notice it a bit for a few months.

I will use this thread to record the astrological analysis of this event against a number of more important and less important confirmed techniques, and then maybe add a bit about more experimental things at the end. (I'm mostly reposting and editing my comments from the other thread.)

[Jim Eshelman]

Transits clearly singled out the time, though one might have expected things a day or so later if we went JUST by transits. (It's when we let the solunar returns get involved to focus and sharpen the maturation of the event that we get exacting precision.)

Three transits jump off the charts. First, there is the long-term, drawn out Neptune opposition to her Pluto, which usually marks a stage in life of reflection and psychological reframing of things.

4°17' Pis - t Neptune
4°46' Vir - r Pluto

Next, there is Saturn's square to her Mars, the obviously big deal transit for the event. Easy to miss, transiting Saturn is octile transiting, which intensifies the matter more (including often requiring medical intervention).

6°58' Cap - t Pluto
22°21' Sco - r Mars
22°48' Aqu - t Saturn

Third, Mars was opposite her Uranus. However, it wasn't yet partile. This is the most direct aspect for having an accident and the transit alone didn't peak for the accident. (But wait until you see what the returns and progressions do with it!)

17°20' Pis - t Mars
18°47' Vir - r Uranus

If we were in a pre-Sidereal time, before Cyril Fagan's discoveries, we'd be please with the clear showing, with transits by all three malefics, though a little peeved that one important aspect was a bit off. I correctly wrote that I suspected other charts had brought the Saturn, Neptune, and Mars transits to angles. Indeed they did, usually in the simplest ways with the most important techniques.

[Jim Eshelman]

It all began in the SSR. The main feature of Veronica's February 19 SSR was natal Mars 1°14' past Ascendant and natal Uranus 3°20' before MC. This can mean many things - including drawing out anything in this Aquarius-Scorpio that wants to take the world by storm - but one very typical result of Mars-Uranus combinations is having an accident. (As it is natal Mars-Uranus, this would be due more to personal recklessness rather than outside events.)

This SSR unfolded in exactly that way when both of these planets received malefic transits at the same time. This is such a clear showing that we could be happy stopping here - with transits to the SSR. (But there is a lot more.)

Transiting Saturn (within a degree of SSR Nadir) squared that rising natal Mars. Transiting Mars (within a degree of SSR IC) opposed natal Uranus. It's hard to describe the event better than a solar return with natal Mars-Uranus on angles and transiting Mars-Saturn on the same angles and on the Mars-Uranus.

22°21' Sco - r Mars
22°48' Aqu - t Saturn [t Pluto 6°59' Cap]
23°28' Sco - SSR Asc

16°39' Vir - SSR MC
17°20' Pis - t Mars
18°47' Vir - r Uranus

Notice that once this was set up by natal Ma + Ur on angles, the triggering transits are partile to the SSR angles themselves (orbs -40' and +41', averaging 0°00') more than to the natal planets (orbs +0°27' and -1°27', averaging 0°30').

[Jim Eshelman]

This was already good enough to call it a day, but the other most known-reliable technique for unfolding the SSR - it's quotidian progression - made it all even more impressive. (Some less reliable but known-good other techniques also joined in.)

Specifically, SQ Asc was 18°12' Pisces, meaning transiting Mars was 0°52' earlier than the angle and natal Uranus was 0°35' after the angle. Mars' opposition to natal Uranus was on the SQ angle for the day with an average orb of 0°09' for the time of the accident.

17°20' Pis - t Mars
18°12' Pis - SQ Asc
18°47' Vir - r Uranus

The PSSR wasn't very involved, though. It did have solar Uranus 0°28' from Ascendant (Surprise!). Also, transiting Mercury was 0°59' from EP-a. This was not contradictory; was consistent with a surprise event that could include an accident; but not bringing in the critical factors that appear in every other chart. I think the PSSR wasn't really a player.

Less reliable in my experience, but still a known-good chart - and, theoretically, timing the major events of the SSR year - the Sidereal Anlunar Return (lunar return of the solar return) had great symbolism especially regarding Saturn-Mars, though not the slammed-close orbs for every interesting aspect. Saturn was less than 1° from Asc (square natal Mars). Neptune and Mars conjoined mundanely 6° and 9° below the angle (you'd miss so much of this in an ecliptic-only chart, without the mundoscope: it would miss the entire point of the chart). In the list below, I lead with mundoscope positions (remember that natal Mars is 22°21' Scorpio):

26°52' H12 - s Saturn - 13°32' Aqu
0°00' H1 - Anlunar Asc - 24°44' Aqu
0°42' H1 - t Saturn - 22°24' Aqu
3°45' H1 - s Neptune - 1°17' Pis
4°55' H1 - t Neptune - 4°08' Pis
8°36' H1 - t Mars - 13°07' Pis

[Jim Eshelman]

As usual, lunar returns served us well, too. As usually happens, since the event occurred in the second half of the personal lunar month, the Demi-SLR was the dominant chart, having transiting Mars and Pluto closely angular (along with a moderate natal Venus 4° below Asc).

11°28' Pis - t Mars
12°00' Sag - SLR Asc

7°01' Cap - t Pluto
8°29' Lib - SLR MC

Though I'm not sure if this is important, that exactly angular t Mars was also 0°29' from mundane square to natal Moon (natal Moon was deeply background).

The prior SLR might be regarded as an setup for this, having indications of a high-impact event and such things as error, bad choices, and slips, but it's a little too protective. As usual, the Demi owned its own half-month.

[Jim Eshelman]

Veronica's progressions have been queuing up for an event. Progressed Moon (21°56' Libra) was within a degree of opposite natal Saturn and square natal Mercury. While "serious study" might have been a more fun way to spend the two months of this progression, "fall while in motion" is what she got.

For the date and time of the accident, progressed (SNQ) angles rotated to touch progressed Mars. I took this opportunity to test my conviction that secondary ("day for a year") progressions should be based on the Sidereal year, not the Tropical year used by Solar Fire and all other software at the moment. With progressed Mars 24°16' Sag, the SNQ straight from Solar Fire (Tropical year) had Asc 25°10' Virgo, orb 0°52'. Calculating from formula using the Sidereal day gives 24°38' Virgo, orb 0°20'. One more point for the Sidereal year theory!

NOTE: There were no solar arc directions. This is consistent with our current solar arc theory since I doubt this is an outstanding event for Veronica measured against her life as a whole. There are a few midpoint directions but, then, there are always plenty of midpoint directions.

[Jim Eshelman]

The May 10 NSR (which was also the current 10-Day Solar) had Mars 2° below Asc, Neptune 1° above Asc, and a close Moon-Saturn square on natal Mars. All three transiting malefics were foreground and involved with the exact aspects to natal planets at the time of the accident. Here they are with PV longitude given first

24°41' H12 - t Saturn - 22°13' Aqu
[PVL n/a] - r Mars - 22°21' Sco
[PVL n/a] - NSR Moon - 24°04' Tau
28°58' H12 - t Neptune - 4°07' Pis
0°00' H1 - Ennead (NSR) Asc - 9°31' Pis
2°18' H1 - t Mars - 12°22' Pis

[Jim Eshelman]

This occurred in the last half of the KLR month. Matching what we see with the SLR, we expect the Demi-KLR to perform best. (Our expectations are met.)

The May 7 Demi-KLR had Saturn closely conjunct IC and natal Venus, with progressed Neptune rising and natal Mars on EP (squared, again, by that transiting Saturn). The chart also highlighted the peaking progressed Moon-Saturn aspect. Unlike the other charts, this one does have a small amount of protection, though the dual Jupiter angularities are not the strongest (most angular) factors.

0°42' Tau - t Jupiter
4°00' Sco - Demi-KLR Asc
5°05' Aqu - r Sun
7°44' Sco - r Moon
8°21' Sco - p Neptune
8°46' Sco - r Neptune
10°26' Sco - r Jupiter
11°28' Sco - p Jupiter

20°25' Leo - Demi-KLR MC
22°09' Aqu - t Saturn
22°21' Sco - r Mars
22°38' Sco - Demi-KLR EP-a
22°49' Aqu - p Venus

21°39' Lib - p Moon
21°39' Ari - DKLR Moon
22°19' Ari - r Saturn
22°42' Cap - r Mercury
22°52' Ari - t Sun

In contrast, the April 24 full KLR doesn't seem descriptive. Yes, it had transiting Pluto on IC, but not nearly as close mundanely as ecliptically. Transiting Venus was setting conjunct natal Sun. Transiting Sun was on WP-a. It seems not connected to this event.

The recent (April 12) Kinetic Solar Return also doesn't seem descriptive. The main elements that seem to fit are farther from angles than we have been seeing in the above charts. The overall tone is more positive on balance. Historically, I've not found KSRs very useful. Nor were transits to it useful.

[Jim Eshelman]

I turn now to more experimental techniques. Tertiary progressions are hardly new and don't exactly count as experimental, but I'm not as impressed with them as others have been and I almost never check them anymore.

In this case, I find no partile aspects tert-to-tert, tert-to-natal, or transit-to-tert that fits the event. (Tert Venus and Uranus are in partile square). It's truly worthless. (Swapping out different theories of how to progress the angles and considering the small difference in birthplace vs residence made no difference.)

[Jim Eshelman]

The NLR aka 18-Hou Lunar, an experimental technique, wasn't overly impressive. It's main mark was correct symbolism, though:

4°16' Pis - t Neptune
4°46' Vir - r Pluto
5°59' Sag - NLR Asc

This would have been better symbolism if she had hit her head and been stunned or even had a concussion. (I'm glad she didn't, of course, even though it would have been better symbolism.)

It's not clear if these charts work on a basis similar to NSRs, where the 40° multiple is a main chart and the others are sub-sets. (Actually, it's not clear that these charts are legitimate.) To explore that possibility, the last 40° multiple (full NLR) occurred May 13 at exactly noon (within a few seconds) and has a partile Moon-Pluto conjunction across EP-a axis, with natal Mercury-Saturn minutes from other angles:

6°57' Can - NLR EP-a
7°00' Cap - t Pluto
7°44' Can - t Moon

21°59' Can - NLR Asc
22°19' Ari - r Saturn
22°23' Ari - t Venus
22°42' Cap - r Mercury

[Jim Eshelman]

These are two additional techniques that will get a solid statistical testing when the right tools are available. At present they are experimental.

The Soli-Lunar occurred November 25 and is an extremely positive chart, with Venus rising (+3°45'), Pluto on IC (-2°22'), natal Uranus barely foreground (8°+), and a 0°31' Moon-Jupiter conjunction. It does have some difficult aspects outside the foreground that might be activated over the course of the year, though neither lunar progressions, transits to its angles, nor quotidians produced anything this time. (Transiting Mercury crossed it's WP-a for the fall.)

Of the May 15 Luni-Solars, the Demi-LS would be expected to have the best showing. It does show impact, though (as with another chart above) it would have fit better if she'd lost consciousness or had some kind of head injury (which she did not). Transiting Pluto 0°28' from IC, transiting Mercury 2°02' from Descendant, and they have a 1°34' mundane square.

The full LS, from Mauy 2, was much better. Transiting Saturn was 1°-7' from Descendant in 0°38' square to natal Mars a few degrees off IC. This is much more like the best of the other charts above. There is also a 2°56' natal Mars-Pluto mundane square and FWIW her 1°49' Jupiter-Neptune conjunction foreground.

[Jim Eshelman]

This is another experimental technique for us, especially now that we have an easy way to calculate the micro-periods.

Veronica has been in the splendid 20-year VENUS major period since April 30, 2007. As of February 5, 2023 she has been in the two-and-a-half-year VENUS-MERCURY bhukti. These show the broader context of her life, according to this system.

She is presently in a three-month VENUS-MERCURY-MOON sub-period. This would be expected to be quite positive overall. From here, we start zeroing in on shorter term periods: During the two weeks May 11-25, she's in a SATURN mini period. Beginning 10:14 AM on the 16th, she entered a Venus micro-period; then, at 4:04 PM she entered a Sun micro-period (the approximate time of the fall but maybe just after it). From what I've seen, both of these should have indicated a predominantly positive period despite grumbles in the middle. At worst, it ends with symbolism of Venus transiting natal Saturn or Sun transiting natal Saturn (and I can't tell which applies).

I'd give this a minor (+1) thumbs up if the fall occurred after 4:04 PM (Sun-to-Saturn fits well enough). Otherwise, I don't think this was correct symbolism.

[Jim Eshelman]

The converse techniques have come up again recently, so I thought I'd check them as a final test.

The angles of the converse-SNQ did not trigger any of the expected aspects, nor did it show much at all. It's single strongest feature is regressed Moon 28°35' Scorpio on cSNQ Ascendant 28°53' Scorpio. However, Moon is unaspected, which doesn't tell us a great deal. An exact contact isn't any good unless it fits the event. (She didn't even have an audience for her pratfall.) Worse, converse transiting Venus is 0°09' from square cSNQ MC. This is distinctly wrong symbolism.

We do get converse transiting Pluto opposite regressed Sun 0°33'. That's not bad. However, there is nothing to link it to this day and no sense of it ripening into anything.

I'm not impressed with this.

[Jim Eshelman]

So, with all of this, what would have led us up to the event?

The starting point was clearly the Sidereal Solar Return, showing a Mars + Uranus year. Transits to the natal were good and nearly perfect, but transits to the SSR (and to the natal within the context of the SSR) exactly timed the event with excellent symbolism.

One of the main transits came to the angles of the SQ for the day of the accident. This was in the context of the Anlunar which, this time, involved all the key transiting planets (though in a slightly relaxed way). At its worst, the Anlunar had Saturn's square to natal Mars fall with Saturn in the exact degree of Ascendant (and nothing else in the chart contradicted it).

While the transits, quotidian, and lunar return of the SSR really handled it all themselves with the same highly appropriate aspects repeated, the Sidereal Demi-Lunar Return (the SLR version in effect for the fortnight) also described the aspect very well (but using different planets).

Secondary progressions set the stage in the most straightforward way of having a malefic progressed Moon aspect coming to head during this time. (The SNQ then brought a Mars to an angle for the day, though Mars crossed several angles in surrounding days.)

These were the main indicators, the "old stand-by" methods - transits to the natal and SSR, the SSR and current half-month SLR, and secondary progressions, plus timing the SSR with its own progressions (and, in this case, the Anlunar)


A lot of secondary techniques performed well also. Some of these might need promoting to higher standing or, as in this case, their best use may be in reinforcing what we are seeing in other methods. Of these, the very best were the Ennead/NSR (which was also the 10-Day Solar), with a quite sound (but this time secondary) Demi-Kinetic.

What is on this list - and what is off this list - are not surprising. This helps narrow the focus of what we need to check.

[Danica]

These are two additional techniques

The SL-LS charts are not "two techniques", it is a single Technique - we could say "a tool-kit-set".

Since the event is not of life-long significance, nor such that it itself colors the whole pertinent year-of-life period, it is not something that we would look for to see as explicitly depicted on the annual level (the SL chart); BUT: since it is an event with a clear physical impact (and surely there is the non-physical and equally important emotional and generally-psychological "background", as the context), the situation of the progressed SL Moon would need to be looked at, too; and given for how-long in time (and in what specific manner) such an event/experience affects the Natus' day-to-day living, the pertinent trimester-chart (qSL in this case, but also the dSL which is to set in a few days from when I write this) needs be looked at.

That's the context - the wider tides; and then within this, the bi-weekly tides (LS & dLS charts) are examined.

[ --- The info booklet about the technique, in pdf format, is available online, easy to find via searching by the full title: Soli-Lunar (SL) and Luni-Solar (LS) Sidereal Astrology period charts Technique ]



@Veronica: I had the left-foot toe broken eight months ago; it healed well, but it did take its time of unpleasantry, and extra-mindfulness necessitated, on day-to-day & night-to-night basis; using the Symphytum officinale unguent was noticeably supportive for the healing process.

[Veronica]

Thanks for the run down on this for me Jim. Some of these methods like the ennead and kinetic charts are completely foreign to me, so I am grateful you went into them about this event so I can use this to learn more about them and if they are helpful for me to watch.
The toe is pretty discolored and sore, still very swollen.

I have had a general malaise for a while, an anticipation of pain coming my way, an almost waiting for the other shoe to drop feeling, which when strong I comfort myself with understand that's how things move about, with certain things accumulating and building up and other things letting go and that life is constantly moving on and if I needed a broken toe, then I trust it's for the greater good of our galaxy plowing through space.

I disagree with your remark about my unaspected moon and not having an audience to witness and hear the event. I was born with strong aspects to my moon and I dont think those aspects get left behind in progressed charts. It might not be aspected apparently in that chart, but in real time I was acutely aware of Patrick and Loki watching me and they were very concerned, Loki immediately asked. Are you ok, and I told him choking on tears, no I'm not I really hurt my toe, and and he said, aaawwweee, kiss kiss kiss.

[RingsOfSaturn22]

@Jim,

This is an EXCELLENT analysis! A lot to learn here. Like Veronica, I will need to look more into some of these techniques that you used. Thanks for sharing.

@Veronica,

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

[Veronica]

Thank you for the well wishes. Feeling better and stronger everyday, I even managed to hike up the big ridge yesterday with Patrick the pup, baby stepping my way to the beautiful scenic view of the landscape. The discoloration is pretty much gone as is most of the swelling.

I had a lovely lunar return the other day which came the day after a n extremely troubling and hurtful interaction with a child attacking me verbally, viciously, seemingly out of the blue which impacted me deeply but my supervisors, the teachers and the schools Drs let it be known they were on my side and support me, and were able to use this horrible event to get the family much needed care.

I know in the big picture of my life my little toe event is not a major crisis or a long term issue, but, well, you could say Im just a big baby, a big cry baby sometimes, most times, when I get hurt especially emotionally hurt, I just get so overwhelmed with What the hell just happened, why did you say that, why would you do that, how could you....the unexplained Mysteries....
I cried more over the mean and cruel words of a 4 year old, then the pain of my toe. My toe will heal just fine, but the world will have that child for a long time and he needs to have his needs met.