By Alex Miller | August 31, 2009
On August 24, 2009 the Los Angeles County coroner’s office determined that the cause of Michael Jackson’s death on June 25 was homicide, a ruling which means that the death was caused by another, though not necessarily as a result of criminal action. Jackson’s demise was brought on by a combination of powerful sedatives, including propofol, a drug normally used as an operating anesthetic and never administered outside of a hospital setting. Jackson’s personal physician, Conrad Murray, who administered the fatal dose, is now under investigation for manslaughter.
Minor asteroids play a significant part in the astrological symbolism for the day. In particular, asteroids Conrada (#941) and Murray (#1528) show prominently, with Conrada at 27° Pisces retrograde conjoined Uranus at 25° Pisces retrograde, emblematic of accidents, unexpected surprises, and revelations. Asteroid Murray is at 17° Cancer, exactly conjoined asteroid Asclepius (#4581), which was named for a minor Greek god of healing. These two asteroids square Transneptunian Object (TNO) Ixion (#28978) at 22° Libra in Jackson’s natal chart (born August 29, 1958). Ixion is named for Greek mythology’s first murderer providing a picture of the physician (Asclepius) Murray (the eponymous asteroid) committing homicide (Ixion). For the 2:26 p.m. PDT official death time for Jackson on June 25, Conrada appears precisely on the cusp of the sixth house of health. At that time, asteroid Murray was at 20° Gemini, a degree now inhabited by transiting asteroid Nemesis (#128), a symbol of karmic comeuppance. Nemesis is now squaring Saturn at 22° Virgo, a signal of undoing (Nemesis) via a professional (Saturn). Conrada at 6° Leo in Jackson’s nativity is within orb of Uranus at 13° Leo, making a cosmic “threepeat” of the Conrada/Uranus energy also active at the death and the homicide ruling, and is tightly semisextile Jackson’s natal 5° Virgo Sun while square his 2° Scorpio Neptune, ruling drugs and pharmaceuticals. Panacea (#2878) is an asteroid named for another minor Greek healing deity, goddess of medicinal cures. Asteroid Panacea for the coroner’s ruling lies at 5° Leo, squaring Jackson’s natal Neptune and closely conjunct asteroid Murray in his birth chart.
The Greeks’ primary healing deity was Apollo, whose asteroid namesake (#1862) for the August 24 coroner’s ruling was exactly conjoined Venus at 27° Cancer, with asteroids Icarus (#1566) and Tantalus (#2102) both conjunct from 29° Cancer. Tantalus was another noted murderer in Greek mythology, responsible for the sacrifice of his child, a young boy entrusted to his care (much as Murray stood in medico loco parentis to his patient), while the Icarus myth conjures images of rash, foolhardy deeds. This mini stellium, therefore, depicts the homicide (Tantalus) of an artist (Venus), killed by the reckless (Icarus) actions of his physician (Apollo). Venus and Apollo are also exactly conjunct asteroid Murray in Jackson’s natal chart, which natally squares Jupiter at 28° Libra, bringing prominence to the name in Jackson’s life story.
Transiting Ixion for the ruling at 13° Sagittarius retrograde is tightly opposed by TNO Chaos (#19521) at 12° Gemini, a body associated with confused or disordered activity, actions reaping detriment or disaster. Transiting Mars at 29° Gemini, associated with death via his traditional rulership of Scorpio, opposes Pluto, Scorpio’s modern ruler, at 0° Capricorn retrograde. The pair thus forms a T-Square with asteroid Karma (#3811, the effect of our actions) at 2° Libra for Jackson’s death, with Mars approaching its conjunction with the 4° Cancer Sun of that event. The transiting Sun at 1° Virgo for the homicide ruling is trine to Pluto and sextile Mars, while conjoining Jackson’s natal Pluto (death) at 2° Virgo and approaching his natal 5° Virgo Sun.
Transit asteroids Polyhymnia (#33), named for the Greek Muse of Song, and Requiem (#2254), the funeral hymn for the dead, conjoin at 2° and 1° Aquarius retrograde, conjunct asteroid Michel (#1348) at 3° Aquarius in Jackson’s natal chart, while transit asteroid Jackson (#2193) is exactly conjunct transit Jupiter at 20° Aquarius, bringing prominence to the singer yet again.
Conrad Murray’s birth date has been given as February 19, 1953 (date unconfirmed); if so, his nativity sports a conjunction of asteroids Nemesis (undoing) and Michel at 2° and 7° Capricorn respectively, squared Mars (death) at 8° Aries and sextile asteroid Jackson at 6° Scorpio, with asteroid Jackson itself conjunct the King of Pop’s natal Neptune (drugs) at 2° Scorpio. Asteroid Panacea, representing the medicinal cure, is also conjoined asteroid Michel in Murray’s natal chart, from 11° Capricorn, and both Michel and Panacea were conjoined by transit asteroid Michel at 9° Capricorn for the coroner’s ruling. His natal Ixion (homicide) at 18° Libra retrograde is squared by the exact conjunction of asteroids Murray and Asclepius at 17° Cancer for the coroner’s ruling, while a natal combination of asteroids Tantalus and Icarus at 2° and 4° Aquarius, the reckless homicide, conjoin Jackson’s natal asteroid Michel at 3° Aquarius.
Quite the tangled web, but typical of the sort of pertinent involvement evinced by significantly named minor bodies at critical junctures.