Ted Bundy
Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2021 4:07 pm
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.
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.