Odds and Ends

Zip Dobyns

Speaking of angles, asteroids, and psi among interesting tidbits gathered by the insatiable curiosity of a mutable dilemma: The Brain-Mind Bulletin reports that paranormal experiences are well on their way to becoming normal. “The National Opinion Research Center of the University of Chicago has found a steep increase in psi experiences. The center, which has polled Americans on their spiritual life since 1973, reports that 67 out of 100 Americans say they have experienced extrasensory perception. This compares to 58 per cent in 1973. And now 42 per cent report ‘contact with the dead’ (27 per cent in 1973).” p. 1, March 1987. Kurtz, take note! Your finger in the dike will not persuade people to deny their own experience.

Astrologers are sometimes accused of being morbid when they study the charts of accidents, but such events are highly useful to test the basic tools and techniques. It is possible to argue endlessly over personality definitions, but no one can argue over the collapse of a bridge buffeted by a raging river or the explosion of a grain silo due to the build-up of dust. The explosion occurred at 10:40 A.M., CST, on April 3, 1987 at Burlington, Iowa. The resulting fire was intense. Five people were injured; one critically. The chart points up the importance of the nodes of the Moon which are not used by some astrologers; they were exactly (within a one degree orb) square the Ascendant. It also shows the importance of the auxiliary Ascendants. Mars was exactly on the Antivertex while Saturn was exactly opposite the East Point. The bridge collapsed near Amsterdam, N.Y. on April 5, 1987 at 9:48 A.M. EDT. A truck with tractor-trailer and at least three cars are said to have gone down with the bridge, with no hope of survivors. Saturn was exactly opposite the Ascendant with Mercury exactly square the Ascendant. Mars was conjunct the East Point within a degree and a half. Vesta was conjunct the Antivertex within about two degrees while Pluto was opposite the Antivertex by a little more than two degrees. But the Antivertex was exactly square the midpoint of Pluto/Vesta as well as quincunx the south node of the Moon within one minute of arc. Of course there were traditional aspects as well. The Moon opposed Neptune with both square Jupiter, all within a one degree orb.

A chemical fire in Nanticoke, Pa. on March 24, 1987 which started just a half hour after midnight, had the East Point exactly conjunct the rising Neptune and trioctile Mars. The fire was very costly but did not result in any loss of life, just major inconvenience and anxiety to the thousands of people who had to be evacuated for some hours. The Mars-Neptune combination is perfect astrological symbolism for a chemical fire.

Then there are my favorites, the asteroids. During our recent “research week”, a couple of the participants shared my fascination with these minor planets. David Rice had a recent book giving birth data for the famous mystery writer, Agathe Christie. Our big asteroid program only works for people born between 1900 and 2000, but I was able to go back into the original disk when Agathe was calculated and print a small ephemeris for Christie’s birth year of 1890. At first glance, we were disappointed. The asteroid Agathe was at zero Virgo and the writer’s Ascendant was given as five Virgo. But when I dug out an English book with birthdates for famous people, the time given for Christie was “about 4 A.M.,” which gave her one Virgo rising. The current book was obviously using a rectified chart without telling the readers that the data had been tampered with.

A chart calculated for Leonard Nimoy who played Mr. Spock on TV and in movies, put the asteroid Mr. Spock on his third house cusp (media) and sextile Pluto in the fifth house (entertainment), just out of a one degree octile to his rising Sun in Aries. Progressed Mr Spock was square natal Pallas-Neptune in the seventh house in Virgo and octile progressed Uranus and progressed East Point, as well as coming into a square to Pluto when Nimoy first took the role.

Another case involves an unmarried friend named Juliette who acquired a puppy in late 1986 in a conscious decision that the dog would be a substitute for a child. The dog was part Sharpei, the Chinese wrinkled dog, and after debating a number of names, Julie decided to call him Rumples. When we ran our set of almost 400 asteroids for both the dog and his new human “mother”, we found his Rumpelstilz was conjunct her natal Ascendant, his Makover was on her Ceres (a key to a mother-figure), his Yazhi (Navajo for “little boy”) was on her Moon (key to a parent), and his Julietta was on his own Moon (mother) with both on her Saturn (the other parental key). Ain’t life wonderful?

Copyright © 1987 Los Angeles Community Church of Religious Science, Inc.

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