Author Salman Rushdie was attacked on Friday in New York State, while preparing to give a lecture. https://www.rt.com/news/560734-salman-rushdie-stabbed-stage/
Salman Rushdie is an Indian writer, a Moslem famed for the condemnation by the Ayatollah of Iran along with his death sentence given on 2/14/1989, for writing his book "Satanic Verses," 1989. The Muslim community accused him of blasphemy over certain parts of the book, creating such a storm that a death contract was put out on him. Naturally the publicity created a best-seller as he fled incognito to England. The danger was real; his Japanese translator was murdered; his Italian translator was beaten and stabbed; his Norwegian publisher was shot and wounded.
In this post we will look at relevant portions of his horoscope [1] in an attempt to understand the news. Rushdie has his radix Sun-Moon-Uranus conjunction in a Gemini 3rd house (a revolutionary writer) conjunct the star Al Hecka: About Al-Hecka Nick Fiorenza writes:
Al Hecka, Zeta Taurus, the south horn, is of stalemates, standoffs, and brick walls--fighting old and antiquated crusades--particularly of a religious-political nature--and blindly or automatically continuing the fight out of habitual pattern even though the original purpose behind what we were fighting for is long gone.
The radix Sun-Moon-Uranus conjunction makes a hard semi-square aspect to radix Pluto. A Uranus-Pluto combination is an explosive one that can easily spin out of control. Pluto represents vast stores of primal energy (e.g. taboos that society avoids); Uranus is a detonator by nature, given to sudden unexpected action
In 1989 when the blasphemy issue flared up, Rushdie’s solar arc directed Pluto [22vi] was square to his radix Uranus [22ge]. Since the Sun-Moon-Uranus conjunction triple conjunction is in the 3rd house, it is not surprising that his book "Satanic Verses" was at the center of the controversy.
Martha Wescott delineates a Uranus-Pluto interaction thus:
I'm sure you've noticed already how people can "break the rules" (of a relationship, friendship, society) almost JUST TO GET OTHER PEOPLE "GOING"--just to set up a struggle. They do it too by... being indifferent... insisting on their own way of doin' things... presenting something new... or questioning tradition. Now, sometimes these things won't be JUST to create a struggle--sometimes the struggle will get going almost all by itself; others will feel that their power or pocketbooks are threatened! And sudden incidents can be/feel almost life-threatening/life-changing!
With his Sun-Moon-Uranus combination in Gemini, Rushdie is certainly an intelligent person. But it is important to recognize that intelligence is not necessarily linked to the moral grounding of an individual. There are a number of scenarios where people have used their intelligence to break the law or hurt those around them. When intelligence transforms into wisdom it also includes the power of compassion and understanding. When you show these to others, they’re less likely to feel threatened by you, more likely to open up and be honest with you, and more willing to share your ideas.
With Jupiter, the ruler of his South Node (inherited tendencies from past), opposite Mars, we begin to see where Rushdie is coming from:
Your direct and sometimes coarse nature can cause relationship difficulties. You can be too overpowering in getting your own way, ignoring the needs of loved ones, and coming across as selfish or a bully.You may also overestimate your abilities and bite off more than you can chew, having to back down later which would cause an embarrassing loss of face. https://astrologyking.com/mars-opposite-jupiter/
The South Node symbolizes those patterns from past lives that we need to leave behind. Rusdie’s South Node [1sa21] in Sagittarius (religious issues) is what he needs to avoid. The Sabian symbol of his S.Node explains why.
Sagittarius 2 (1° - 2°): The ocean covered with whitecaps [2]
Accepting the need to flow around obstacles that are beyond our capacity to influence.
We must learn that we are subject to the forces of higher and lower energies, super-conscious and unconscious, spiritual and animal aspects of self, and these are dominant streams of evolution that we can hardly control. Our task is to become subtle enough to surf the waves of change and stay with it all.
Having broadly understood Rushdie’s natal chart we turn our attention to the current progressions and transits. His progressed solar arc Pluto [23li] is square the MC [22cp]. The MC represents our “social identity” (here a writer). When Pluto turns negative we are at the receiving end of “revenge from others whose personal interests are threatened by things we have done without adequate consideration” [3].
Next we look at the current transits in Rushdie’s chart. Readers will be aware of the recent much talked about Mars-Uranus-North Node conjunction [18ta] - a time of heightened energy, intensity, impulsivity, enthusiasm, inspiration, and instability.
This conjunction took place opposite Rushdie’s natal Jupiter [18sc] with transit Saturn at [21aq] square his natal Mars [21ta]. Mars-Saturn interactions especially when accompanied by Uranus have been known to produce murder and assassination attempts.
The final trigger came from the event chart of the transit Sun [21le] opposite Saturn [21aq] at NY. The Grand Cross becomes especially significant since it aligns with the meridian. And let us not forget, the angles - the horizon and meridian - are everything in astrology.
Finally, the secondary progressed Moon [24pi] is conjunct the asteroid Hopi [24pi] in the 12th house of Karma. It is also squaring Rushdie’s natal Sun-Moon-Uranus conjunction in the 3rd house (publications, speeches/debates) [4]. On Aug. 12th , the date of the attack, Rushdie’s diurnal Ascendant is [27ge] conjunct the combination. For the asteroid Hopi, Martha Wescott includes “knife attacks”! [5]
[1] https://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Rushdie,_Salman
[2] https://www.jamesburgess.com/the-ocean-covered-with-whitecaps.html
[3] http://www.uranian-institute.org/bftnevolution.htm
[4] http://www.skyscript.co.uk/temples/h3.html
[5] http://www.linda-goodman.com/ubb/Forum24/HTML/000655.html
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