Solunars by Aldebaran Sidereal Academy

Dec 14, 2008

With the recent successful release of the high-visibility film Milk, and having just past the 30th anniversary of the Moscone-Milk murders, it seems a good time to review the horoscopes of the principles.

We have birth data for Harvey Milk that he personally gave to the late Jim Lewis, and birth certificate times for George Moscone and Dan White. Here are the three horoscopes.







The murders occurred in San Francisco on November 27, 1978. White entered Moscone's office at 11 AM. A few minutes later, gun shots were heard. Shortly after, Milk also was killed. I've used 11:15 for the approximate center of all of the activity.

First, let's take a look at the natal horoscopes of the three men to get a general sense of their characters.

We have an amazing set of three connected charts, and all three were double Hubs. Milk was a Taurus-Aquarius, Moscone a Scorpio-Leo, and White a Leo-Scorpio. The charts interlock in some remarkable ways - not surprising, perhaps for three men who worked together and had their fates so interconnected in the end.

Harvey Milk was a Taurus-Aquarius - and the traits of those two luminary positions can be seen well represented in the substantially accurate movie depiction of the man. His Sun conjoined Mercury but, more exactly and more importantly, precisely squared a foreground Neptune. His Moon exactly trined, and Mars closely squared, Pluto. There is a moderately-orbed Venus-Jupiter conjunction in the middleground, and Mars was in partile sextile to Jupiter.

Among other things, these factors portray an individual a deep compassion, both pleasure-driven and heavily motivated to aid others. The Neptune emphasis (in the context of the Taurus-Aquarius) shows many personal traits including the kind of issues-driven idealism and enormous power to move and inspire others - and (as a colleague just pointed out to me), someone who lived the first 40 years of his life heavily closetted and veiled. Mars-Pluto is one of the classic "gay indicator" aspects, though such aspects are probably more reflective of secondary factors such as living on the periphery of social acceptability, a radical and disruptive combat with bigotry, ferociously driven sexual needs, and simply an eventual confrontational willingness to be true to oneself regardless of other consequences. - As I've written elsewhere on this forum, Mars-Pluto folks are usually more or less "outside the norm" on social patterning. Those who are doing well with their lives (as in Milk's case) show a mark of genius and distinctive creativity, seem gentle but energetic, acutely alive but with a quiet energy.

George Moscone was a Scorpio-Leo. An accomplished and highly respected political leader, he showed both the testosterone-driven executive temperament of Scorpio and the respected and admired dignity of the Leo Moon (the same Moon-sign as several Kennedys, and with similar political results). That Moon was also 15' from exact square to Jupiter - an aspect which lends almost a mythic and irrational protection and success even to politicians such as Adolf Hitler and George W. Bush, and in the best cases grants nobility and service-mindedness. His Sun closely conjoined Mercury and Mars and (as with Milk) squared Neptune - and all of this was given greater emphasis by sitting squarely on his Vertex axis (Sun on Antivertex within minutes). Moon closely sextiled a dignified Venus granted the charisma and charm (and simple physical beauty) useful to any successful politician.

Milk's horoscope's most dynamic, activist, rebellious - and, for that matter, simply the most "out" configuration - is his Mars-Pluto square (with relationship to Uranus). This is a moderately close aspect in the natal, with Pluto background and Mars middleground. However, when he moved from New York to San Francisco, Harvey relocated his IC to 27°02' Pisces, exactly conjunct his Mars, and his Westpoint to 23°57' Gemini, exactly conjunct his Pluto. (And his Venus was less than 2°from the Descendant.) This brought all of that unexpressed natal Mars-Pluto potential out of it's nonangular closet and into the forefront of his life and character.

Dan White has a chart oh-so-similar yet oh-so-different when compared to the two above ... giving us a remarkable example of what actually makes the difference in a horoscope. White was a Leo-Scorpio (the reverse of Moscone's Scorpio-Leo). He has Mars and Neptune rising (Mars closest, and also on the Eastpoint). A partile (tenth of a degree) Venus-Jupiter conjunction in Libra means, as far as I can see, a love of or craving for a better life and, combined with his Leo Sun, seemed to drive him to crave a life of greater distinction and success. A very close Moon-Mercury sextile rounded out the most important aspects.

For an example of how little a change can make such a great difference, compare White's chart to that of Pres. Bill Clinton: In both cases there is a Leo Sun, Mars-ruled Moon, and rising Neptune and Pluto - but Clinton had Venus rising with them as well. That's probably the most important distinction between Clinton's chart and White's - but the outcomes were hugely different.

From the chart, I believe White was an alcoholic. I can't find any confirmation of this, but I bet it's the case. For a Vietnam war vet and ex-cop, it would be more surprising if he weren't than if he were. From the chart, we look for various emphases and interrelationships of Mercury and Mars, and we find: A Scorpio Moon; this Mars-ruled Moon closely squared Mercury; and Mars rising and in Virgo. - And, more broadly, every Leo-Scorpio I've ever known has been a violent and abusive drunk. (This doesn't mean it's always going to be the case - I'm not commenting on any particular Leo-Scorpio reading this - I'm just citing my personal experience. In all cases known to me, there was a deep dissatisfaction with the life they felt they had been dealt, a tenacious sense of entitlement, and a wicked need to strike out and hurt that often amounted to maliciousness, fueled by alcoholism.)

His career path certainly was shown by that rising Mars: Soldier in the war, then a cop, then a fireman. When he was elected supervisor, it was this particular pattern that he brought with him.

Regardless of where in the world something was going to happen, November 27, 1978 (or just a little before) was primed for something ugly. (And remember, this was in the immediate aftermath of Jonestown.) For one thing, the three outer planets were lined up at exact 30° intervals. For another, the pattern has just been triggered by Mars crossing Neptune, and a retrograde Mercury was about to converge from the opposite direction. Here are some planet positions for the time of the killings:

Pluto 23°55' Virgo
Uranus 23°24' Libra (with Ne/Pl = 23°31' Libra)
Neptune 23°07' Scorpio

Mars 24°22' Scorpio (with Me/Ne = 25°00' Scorpio)
Mercury 26°53' Scorpio

San Francisco had experience a pretty rough week, between Jonestown and these murders. It isn't any surprise to me, therefore, that the Libsolar then in force has a San Francisco Descendant of 26°46' Scorpio (among other interesting features - look, for example, at transiting Uranus and the general planetary disposition listed above, and compare the Libsolar Moon at 23°54' Aries). The SQ of the Capsolar had a Midheaven of 21°57' Sagittarius, and ingress Pluto was 22°15' Virgo.

Comparing the natal charts via synastry reveals or confirms details of the relationships between the three men.

Milk and Moscone were born six months apart, with their Suns nearly opposite and (remarkably) their Moons nearly opposite. This made them complementary types and also likely forged a significant instinct of alliance between them. See Harvey's Sun-Mercury-Neptune interface with George's Sun-Mercury-Mars-Neptune for more technical specifics. Milk's Mars was on Moscone's Descendant - he did manage to move the mayor in some key directions and fire his activism (and, I suppose we could say in retrospect if not in advance, Milk was a significant contributor to Moscone's death). Additionally, Moscone's Mars and Jupiter, though not really in aspect themselves, were brought together by Harvey's Midheaven being proximate to both - so Milk pulled a further motivation, enthusiasm, and even (again) a kind of activism from the mayor.

Milk and White. This was a less pleasant interchange. It was marked, though, by several indications of sexual attraction which leads me to believe that Milk's suppositions that White was a heavily closetted gay were likely wishful thinking. (White's chart doesn't fit Milk's reported theory in the matter.) Each has his Moon in the sign opposite the other's Sun, with the closest aspect being White's Moon exactly opposite Milk's Sun. In brief, they were definitely connected, and it isn't surprising they sought each other out for possible alliance. (Add the Mercury linkages to that pattern.) White's Mars exactly opposed Milk's Uranus (right across White's horizon), an aspect that tends to be sexually attractive when gender-preference permits, and competitive and even destructive otherwise. More broadly, when we look at Milk's planets around the outside of White's chart, we also see the wider opposition of their Marses in White's immediate foreground, Milk's Saturn on White's IC and his Pluto on White's MC. - White's perception that Milk was blocking him, making his life worse, contributing to (or at least not helping solve) White's practical personal problems was apparently a correct perception (though I hardly think it justifies murder! LOL). From White's point of view, Harvey Milk was the focus of his personal and professional ruination.

Moscone and White had reciprocal luminary signs - each had the Sun in the other's Moon sign (and vice versa, of course). One would expect from this some friendship or mentorship, and it does appear (from what information I can find) that the two had a mutual respect in the beginning. Most remarkably, White's partile Venus-Jupiter conjunction is right on Moscone's Ascendant! He loved and respected the mayor and would have done more or less anything to help him. (Much more widely, his Saturn was near Moscone's MC.) His Sun was on the mayor's Moon-Jupiter, which says much the same thing (and infers reciprocation from Moscone and the wish to help and encourage). But White's Moon-Mercury tying into Moscone's Mercury, Sun, Mars, and Neptune had a more complex pattern, even while it tightened the sense of connection between the two.

In this case, transits for the event tell us so much by themselves, that I'll treat them all together.

Dan White was the first of these three to be affected by the day's events. Starting with Pluto and moving inward (the best way to see building, developing patterns in a transit assessment) we immediately see that Pluto, at 23°55' Virgo, was exactly on White's Eastpoint. Over the two years prior, it had crossed his Ascendant and conjoined his Mars, indications of substantial life change and building stress. (For many people, Pluto to Mars is the breaking point for health or psyche.) The Pluto transit to his Eastpoint alone shows a profound existential confrontation with the truth about oneself, the disintegration of old truths and the need to embrace new ones. (I don't think he handled the embracing very well.)

Though I wouldn't the sextile of transiting Mars-Neptune to the Eastpoint, I would count their sextile to the Pluto - it conditions the Pluto which, in turn, is transiting the natal angle. And Mars-Neptune expresses the psychological conditions under which murder is committed.

Transiting Saturn was 3° past conjunction to his Sun. This doesn't have a direct bearing on the day's events, but does emphasize that he had been under burdens, loss, and stress (including loss of dignity) in recent months. - Mercury was transiting in opposition to natal Uranus (and more exact the night before, when he presumably was planning it all). But of particular interest, Mars was less than half a degree from sesqui-square his natal Saturn, an aspect of forcibly relieving stress and stagnation as one confronts whatever skeletons remain in one's closet.


George Moscone was affected next. Transiting Pluto was just barely still within partile orb of semi-square his natal Sun. Saturn conjoined his Moon within 13' and squared his Jupiter within 2' (his abundant luck ran out!). Transiting Sun conjoined his Mars.

What I see most consistently in Moscone's transits is that it was a day that he wasn't likely to let personal feelings trump pragmatic decisions. He was likely to be stubborn, firm-willed, and unyielding. Since, by all reports and evidence, White entered Moscone's office to make one last demand for his old job back, and Moscone persisted in his refusal, this adamantine posture likely cost him his life.

The most important transit for Moscone, though, was that the Sun had just passed his Sun - he'd just had a birthday and, therefore, a solar return. More on that later.


Harvey Milk was the last of the three affected that day. Pluto, again, was involved - it was square his natal Pluto. This isn't usually an overly personal transit - the standard interpretation of "confrontation with a new reality" is usually not nearly so objective as in Milk's case! The Mars-Neptune transiting conjunction was square Milk's Moon - the attack on Milk was especially emotional and personal.


One remarkably thing in all three charts, by the way, is the extent to which Jupiter stays entirely away from the action! It was in the very degree of its exaltation, 15° Cancer, and avoided contact with the natal horoscope of all three.

Dan White's Sidereal Solar Return prior to the murders occurred on September 2, 1978. Transiting Neptune is broadly in the rising foregorund (about 6° below the Ascendant in mundo). His Sun was on the Zenith straddled by the Moon and Saturn:

10°20' Leo - s. Saturn
13°35' Scorpio - s. Ascendant
15°36' Leo - r./s. Sun
17°52' Leo - s. Moon

Notice that the solar Moon is in the same degree as Moscone's natal Moon.

Transits to the SSR on November 27 included: Pluto conjunct s. Mars (23' ap.). Saturn conjunct s. Moon (57' sep.). Sun square s. Saturn (25' sep.). A man already under stress was not likely to feel any less stressed on this day - quite the opposite! It's a case studied in cumulative weight, burden, and tension.

The Solar Quotidian for the hour of the killing is a classic!

17°52' Aquarius - SQ Ascendant
17°52' Leo - s. Moon
18°49' Leo - t. Saturn

24°22' Scorpio - t. Mars
25°32' Scorpio - SQ Midheaven (Me/Ma = 25°38')
26°53' Scorpio - t. Mercury

The precision of this is startling even when I'm used to this stuff working!

The wonders don't stop when we check the Sidereal Lunar Return of November 2:

15°07' Leo - SLR Ascendant
15°36' Leo - r. Sun
17°06' Leo - SLR Saturn

Also, peripherally in the lower foreground (several degrees from the 12° Scorpio IC) were:

4°17' Scorpio - SLR Mercury
5°22' Scorpio - SLR/r. Moon
5°48' Scorpio - SLR Mars

I have no doubt from all of this that White considered himself the most afflicted, offended, unfairly treated, etc. Again, it is a pattern of mounting extreme pressure and personal/emotional affliction.

His Demi-SLR was of no particular interest.

White's Sidereal Anlunar Return occurred November 23. With a 25° Aquarius Ascendant and 30° Scorpio Midheaven, the Mercury, Mars, and Neptune patterns we have been witnessing were all in the general foreground, both of the return and of the day of the killings.


With that, let's move to his Secondary Progressions. Within the secondaries themselves, we find the following remarkable and EXACT aspects:

12°57' Libra - p. Mars
12°57' Cancer - p. Saturn
27°47' Taurus - p. Uranus (it semisquares 12°47' Rim)

Wow!

Add to that: Transiting Venus at the time of the killings was 12°54' Libra! We must conclude that he took a perverse, hurting pleasure from the acts. (To his demoralized, disenchanted state, add p. Venus -45- p. Neptune 15' separating.)

Enjoyed it?! Well, here's a bizarre twist. I actually will score this as a miss, as contradictory - though I bet there's a psychological way in which it would be deemed squarely right. Progressed Mercury at 1°27' Libra was conjunct White's natal Venus-Jupiter conjunction.

Switch to treating secondaries as quotidians - the Sidereal Natal Quotidian (Q2) - and the Eastpoint is 12°34' Capricorn, bringing that 0°00' Mars-Saturn square exactly to the angles!! Additionally, r. Pluto squares the Midheaven within 1°.

The Q1 angles place r. Neptune 2' from the Midheaven (maybe he really was a little whacky that day? - but he was certainly in an excited and overwrought emotional state). But, more importantly, the SNQ1 Ascendant was 24°34' Scorpio, meaning that it brought t. Mars mere minutes from the Ascendant, and centered the whole transiting Neptune-Mars-Mercury pattern there. (And, of course, t. Mars was thus in active paran with r. Neptune.)

The Kinetic Lunar Return wasn't very impressive. It occurred November 6 and did have late-Hub angles, but they were at 29° Hub, not really hitting anything squarely. (Natal and progressed Uranus were near the MC.) The Demi-KLR November 19 had p. Sun on the Nadir conjunct p. Neptune 3°, and r./p. Uranus on the Eastpoint - not very much like the charts shown above, and not really impressive to my eye.


In summary, almost every main tool was phenomenal in this case. Excellent indications were provided by the SSR and its transits, the SQ, the SLR, SAR, Secondary Progressions, SNQ2, and SNQ1.

George Moscone's Sidereal Solar Return occurred November 24, 1978, three days before he was slain. The Ascendant was 21° Taurus, with transiting Mars at 22° Scorpio. More broadly, the Mars-Mercury-Neptune trio were foreground, and his 19° Taurus natal Jupiter (exactly square natal Moon) was rising. The chart is straightforward and clear. He was attacked (in this case, mortally), and in particular his esteem and political identity were the focal point of the attack. (Solar Moon also squared natal Saturn.)

No transits matured to the SSR three days later, but the slight rotation of the quotidian angles had their say. The Solar Quotidian Ascendant reached 23°27' Taurus at his death, conjoining s. Neptune at 23°01' Scorpio, t. Neptune at 23°07' Scorpio, and t. Mars at 24°22' Scorpio.

Moscone's Sidereal Lunar Return occurred November 23. Transiting Pluto was on the Westpoint. Also, transiting Saturn's conjunction to natal Moon was only 2' wide - though it was in the immediate background. Not a hugely interesting SLR compared to what else we've seen, but it meets the minimum requirements. - Progress the SLR by the Quotidian rate and, at his death, the Midheaven was 23°29' Sagittarius, mere minutes from square SLR and transiting Pluto.


Secondary Progressions are a bit strange. The main aspect structure among the secondaries themselves is a trine-sextile pattern among progressed Mercury, Jupiter, and Uranus. (Uranus is 8' from the Mercury/Jupiter midpoint.) Also, p. Sun is just within orb of a sesquisquare to p. Jupiter. But ah! - here it comes - p. Ascendant at 9°53' Scorpio squares r. Neptune within 6' and p. Neptune within half a degree. Furthermore, that p. Asc is within a degree of Moscone's natal Mars. - It's all the right planets but not quite in the right relationships - and danged if p. Mercury at 14°28' Capricorn doesn't manage to go and get itself opposed by that transiting Jupiter that has been appropriately M.I.A. until now.

Switch to the Quotidian rate (SNQ2) and we get... p. Jupiter exactly on the Descendant? All a bit bizarre and inappropriate, with the best hit being t. Mercury (of that Mars-Mercury-Neptune cluster) snagging a square to the Q Midheaven.

And the SNQ1 isn't really any better, except that it pulls... nothing at all. (OK, t. Moon was square the MC for the event. BFD.) They're both kinda out of the loop on a situation where transits and Solunars were quite on track.

But, in this case, the Kinetic Lunar Return redeems the Secondary Progressions. It occurred November 16, and has t. Pluto rising sq. r./p. Pluto at the Midheaven, and slightly wider square p. Venus and p. Sun on the IC. Good enough for a confrontation with mortality, death itself, an assault on one's self and authority by a former friend or ally, etc. (The Demi-KLR occurred November 30 - after his death - and appropriately shows the city mourning and honoring him, with the exalted transiting Jupiter at the MC square Venus on the EP.)


In summary, the best indications were from the proximate SSR, supported by the SLR, and the KLR.

Harvey Milk's final Sidereal Solar Return occurred May 22, 1978. It's most distinctive characteristic is the exact Full Moon across the horizon (Sun opposite Moon within 19'). Natal Mercury is also rising (slightly closer to the Ascendant than the Sun); and, of course, the solar Moon also squares natal Neptune. Solar Mercury is on the Eastpoint, so it's a double-Mercury chart.

There are no transits to the SSR at the time of his assassination.

The Solar Quotidian is an wholly unsatisfactory chart. Its main mark is t. Venus on the Ascendant!

The November 6 Sidereal Anlunar Return has s. Venus (and also r. Venus) on the Midheaven (and Jupiter nearby). But the Demi-Anlunar of November 15, a more immediate chart, has t. Pluto rising opposite r. Mars on the Descendant and square r. Pluto at the Midheaven - a more accurately descriptive chart by far.

A chart expected to be more directly implicated is the Demi-SSR of November 23. Natal Mars is on the IC, and natal Pluto on the WP. It could be better, but could also be worse. It's strongest point is the conjunction of Demi-SSR Moon at 16° Leo with t. Saturn.

Harvey's Sidereal Lunar Return of November 9 had almost the same angles as his SSR. It's not a homicide SLR. Natal Mercury is exactly rising, r. Sun is just below the Ascendant, t. Jupiter on the IC, and t. Venus on the WP. But two weeks later, on November 24, Harvey's final Demi-SLR occurred. With an IC of 25° Scorpio, it had t. Mercury, Mars, and Neptune clustered at the IC square the Moon at the horizon and EP. Here are the actual positions:

21°50' Scorpio - SLR Mars
22°53' Leo - SLR Eastpoint
22°59' Scorpio - SLR Neptune
23°45' Leo/Aquarius - Moon
24°50' Taurus - SLR Midheaven
26°03' Leo - SLR Ascendant
27°00' Scorpio - SLR Mercury
28°06' Taurus - r. Jupiter


Secondary Progressions: Not much...
P. Mars conjunct r. Mercury (40' ap.) - I've seen this pair in homicide charts before.
P. Venus conjunct r. Descendant (44' sep.) - I suspect this was more a measurement of his popularity (and perhaps personal matters) in the year prior. (Also, p. Venus was conjunct the p. Descendant relocated to San Francisco.)

Looking at this as a Sidereal Natal Quotidian (Q2), the picture changes entirely! With an Ascendant of 23°24' Leo, r. Moon is exactly setting where it receives the squares from transiting Mars-Neptune. Simultaneously, t. Saturn is mere minutes from the Q2 Eastpoint.

The SNQ1, however, is worse than disappointing this time. By aspects (where I don't find the Q1 to perform well anyway), p. Moon opposes p. Jupiter by 8'. Turning our attention to the quotidian angles (where I find the Q1 does perform as well as the Q2), t. Jupiter exactly conjoins the Ascendant. Though praise and honoring were heaped on Harvey in the days to follow, I'm not ready to accept this as a chart descriptive of the moment he was killed.

Finally, let's look at the Kinetic Lunar Return. The full KLR on November 4 has a Venus-Uranus conjunction (+ Sun on the periphery) at the Midheaven - I don't think it's the reigning chart. There was an intervening Demi-KLR November 17, and this - ugh! - put Jupiter, in the degree of its exaltation, precisely on the Ascendant with partile square from Venus. So I'm not happy with the Kinetics on this one.


In summary, the best indications were from the Demi-SAR, Demi-SSR, the exceptional Demi-SLR, and the SNQ2.