A birth certificate has just emerged for Edward Snowden, the NSA leaker, and I will be posting about that shortly.
photo credit: NY Times. James Gandolfini died yesterday at the age of 51. As an astrologer I am always drawn to the ages of people who are in the news: 51 (Chiron return), 29 (Saturn return), 41 (Uranus opposition), 62 (Uranus square). The death of James Gandolfini at the age of 51 during his Chiron return is especially critical because Pluto opposed Chiron in his chart.
Chiron is the planet that governs the healing of energy blocks in the psycho-emotional system that take root in the body and create distress and disease. Its route to healing is through release of emotional wounds that are denied and repressed so that they can be fully processed and digested.
Someone who has an aspect of Pluto to Chiron in their chart is doing what I call “soul surgery” during this lifetime. Pluto, as god of the Underworld, takes us deep within the psyche to excavate the darkness that lies there so that Chiron can do its work of healing and bringing wisdom to the soul.
Gandolfini is suspected to have died of a heart attack although no details have yet been provided. His astrological chart (born September 18, 1961, Westwood NJ, time unknown) shows that he has the Sun in Virgo and a retrograde Saturn. Virgo is known to be the sign of the perfectionist, and when Saturn (the voice of self-doubt) is retrograde in the natal chart it tends to show someone who is particularly self-critical. Combined with the Pluto/Chiron opposition, this puts a lot of pressure on an individual to achieve and to make something of oneself in the world while dealing with emotional issues that can be somewhat crippling with Pluto/Chiron.
When he was 19 Gandolfini’s girlfriend at the time died in a car accident. He said in an interview with GQ that in acting he attempts to “vomit my emotions out of me.” Over the past couple of years transiting Chiron has been returning to its place in his birthchart as well as opposing his natal Pluto, likely dredging up old wounds to be processed. Gandolfini has long been reputed to battle cocaine addiction and it is not unusual for someone doing “soul surgery” to seek pharmaceutical assistance to dull the pain and certainly cocaine has been demonstrated to cause negative health effects.
In any case, Gandolfini was a genius in the acting field and he will be greatly missed.
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I am sorry James died so young as well. My friend shares a birthday with Rosie O’Donnell (3/21/62), and her Pluto is also opposite Chiron, which is sandwiched between Mars and Mercury, all in the 12th house. Further, Uranus opposes Jupiter from the 6th, which I think indicates her mental illness from PTSD and schizophrenia. She is very bright but shattered. A very troubled soul that could desperately use some professional help (soul surgery!)
Your article is very insightful, Lynn. Thanks.
Edward Snowden’s birth certificate ’emerged’ thanks to the hard work of Eric Francis of Planet Waves: credit where credit is due.
I am certainly planning to give my friend Eric credit when I write the article.
Elouise, Eric gave credit for the “hard work” to Stephanie Gailing for the Birth Certificate of Snowdon. Eric publicized it as so many read his wonderful work on Planet Waves. We all benefit from the work of everyone in the astrology community cooperating and sharing data together. Lynn ALWAYS gives credit where the source is known. Not that Lynn needs defending but… just saying before you go criticize someone you might have YOUR facts straight.
Thanks for your support Anne!
Just to clarify and give credit where due: I talked to Stephanie about this because I want to be sure to give appropriate credit for the data. Stephanie says that all she did was tell Eric what Patrick Watson had told her, that North Carolina would send anybody’s birth certificate. She doesn’t want any credit for the discovery of the birth certificate.
The minute I saw his age the Chiron return came to mind. I hope his family is okay; it’s an awful jolt to lose someone at all, more so when it seems long before their time.
I was born June 1961 and have this opposition too, have just completed my chiron return @ 5 Pisces, with pluto at 5 Virgo and it was hell on earth at times with the no let up to do or die, purify the mind set or suffer acccordingly, how I am still breathing with so much threatening my physical life and losing all that was material still amazes me, I honestly think that although saturn over my 12th house moon in libra added to it like putting salt in the wound, I actually think it saved my life, panic attacks aside, it is definitely abiout facing ones deep fears, remembering they are your own and finding forgiveness for the wounding at others and ones own hands albeit unknowlingly. I am slowing recovering my health again now, emotional first, then mental and now physical, here’s hoping :)
I also have sun @ 0Cancer and merc at 8Cancer, so had pluto opposing at the same time from capricorn, I actually do pinch myself some days to make sure I am alive and not lost in the ethers thinkin I am…
Happy birthday then. Hope the new solar return improves life for you. :)
A great deal of letting go is required under these circumstances – and great inner strength is the ultimate reward.