Death Transits of John Denver

THE DEATH OF JOHN DENVER
Born 31 December 1943, 1555, Roswell, New Mexico
Died 12 October 1997, 1728, Pacific Grove, California*
*Moon is at 5 Pisces 48 at time of death.

Cause of Death: Crashed into ocean from about 500 feet while flying a kit-made experimental aircraft. The body was dismembered from the impact; official cause of death was “multiple blunt trauma”. Plane ran out of fuel in one tank, and Denver lost control while trying to turn the fuel tank valve behind him, causing his foot to press the rudder control and send the plane into a wild spin to starboard.





THE TRANSIT CHART

1. T. Mars opposes the natal Asc to degree (+47’).
Natal Mars, retrograde, is partile conjunct natal Uranus, both conjunct the Asc (+5°), of itself indicating possible death by sudden, unexpected, accidental means. The conjunction is in the Air sign of Gemini (cf. the position of Uranus in the event chart for Hiroshima, where the explosion occurred at 2000 feet above surface – aerial explosion). This is one of two contacts with natal angles; T. Neptune is octile the Descendant (46°25’) while conjunct lord of the horoscope (life ruler) Mercury in the natal 8th.

2. T. Venus is partile opposition the natal Mars-Uranus conjunction, brought to high intensity (extreme) by accompanying Pluto.
Venus rules Libra, which is intercepted in the natal Fifth House, governing “risk-taking.” Venus also rules the natal 12th, which is always associated with death, or “self-destruction;” thus, Venus suggests “self-destruction through assumption of excessive or unwise risk.” Note that Pluto is within 2° of the natal conjunction, applying; if we don’t consider Pluto yet within orb, his influence is carried forward by Venus.

3. T. Saturn opposes the transiting Sun-Mercury partile conjunction.
Sun is anaretic from first position in natal 8th (and Sun lord of end-of-life 4th). He is accompanied in that house (same sign, Capricorn) by Mercury, who is conjunct 9th cusp. Both planets are disposed by retrograde Saturn in 1st. The confluence of life-ruler Mercury in 8th with death-ruler Saturn in 1st is suggestive of death caused by the native himself. The two planets are in mutual reception, and may be considered as in quincunx (3°). The transiting opposition with Sun-Mercury partile occurred after the exact opposition, awaiting the conjoining of anaretic Sun with life ruler Mercury, both carrying the lethal influence of Saturn forward to their own meeting. The NTSB investigation concluded the crash was due to “pilot error.”

4. T. Moon is partile square natal Mars-Uranus conjunction.
This square repeats the less exact natal square. In the radix Moon is square the midpoint of Mars-Uranus/Saturn, linking the explosive, accidental nature of the conjunction with death lord Saturn. Moon is always co-ruler of the Ascendant. Notice that the T. South Node applies to the conjunction with natal Moon, in the shadow of the node.

5. T. Uranus is stationary direct (Rx) and within degree of trine to the natal Mars-Uranus conjunction from his sign of Aquarius. Uranus is thus very powerful in the transit.
Notice also that an exact transiting grand trine is formed here, completing the formation with natal Mars-Uranus and Neptune in the risk-taking 5th, with his lord Venus active in the transit (see 2.) and he himself tri-octile the Ascendant (see 1.) The grand trine is brought to focus (kite formation) on the transiting Venus-Pluto pair, which adds exceptional emphasis to the opposing natal conjunction of Mars-Uranus (which is the tail of the kite).

Every transiting planet except Jupiter participates in this web of death. There are a couple of other features in this chart that are of interest here, such as the conjunction of Pluto with the N.Node in the radix, and the yod formation pointing at Mercury.

Those interested in pursuing this interesting case should examine primary directions, secondary progressions, the annual profection and the solar return (probably not possible at this late date). Is the pre-natal eclipse involved? (Note that the New Moon before birth occurred precisely on the 8th cusp, thus implicating Moon in death.)

Here is the transit chart.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy!

Any chance you could pick a more cheery event chart Greybeard? Next lesson.

my only thought was NN transit to 4th house ( house of death) and that mercury (virgo's ruler) in 8th house(also a shadowy house) and that neptune by transit is just on edge of 8/9th H.

mercury style of communication - it sounds like this went awry at the end. he was a heavy drinker at one time wasnt he? neptune is like a fog around the sign - not allowing you to see ahead. He wasnt focused or able to focus.

Hi, greybeard.

I enjoyed John Denver very much and look forward absorbing your analysis and understanding more clearly what was going on at the time of his death. Thank you both for selecting this topic and also for your continued generous sharing of experience and expertise.

Caro -- In the context of this chart Mercury is not "style of communication" but Lord of the Horoscope, Ruler of the Life. See #3.

As an entertaining exercise, what is it in this chart that makes John Denver a songwriter and singer, and famous and wealthy?

Natal Mars, retrograde, is partile conjunct natal Uranus, both conjunct the Asc (+5°), of itself indicating possible death by sudden, unexpected, accidental means

Click to expand...

I think one should always be very careful in making such statements, even when using the saving of grace word, 'possible'. It can scare the daylights out of those learning astrology and live with such an aspect.

I have always understood that 'nothing can happen that is not written into the natal chart.' Mars and Uranus are not in, nor do they rule houses associated with 'death'...by accident or otherwise. Would the rule still apply?

The adverse and highly volatile aspects aspects to the conjunction are not shown on the chart offered. Neither is the position of Chiron on 15* Virgo, directly opposing natal Moon and both square Ascendant.
Therefore, could it not be that it is the Mars-Uranus-Asc. inconjunct(stress) aspect to an 8th house Sun (in Capricorn!), as well as Mercury in 8th house sesquiquadrate (and ruler of) Asc., and (within orb) inconjunct Saturn, ruler 8th house, that are more promiment towards showing any 'possibility' of death through (a manner other than?) acccident.
(I've personally always had question marks regarding an 'accident'.)

My husband is Sagittarius born in the same month as Denver, thus sharing similar planetary placements including the Mars-Uranus conjunction that straddles his M.C, and Mercury (ruler his Virgo Ascendant and MC) in Capricorn. Morevoer, Uranus is 'modern ruler' of his 6th house(physical injury), Mars rules his 8th house(surgery/death).
He fell off a high roof, shattering an (Uranus-ruled)ankle of one limb and breaking the plateau of the knee of the other. He could have been killed had he not consciously 'saved himself'(Neptune?) and broken his fall, yet following several surgeries he eventually walked out of the hospital, albeit with a permanent metal plate and s-c-r-e-w in the ankle.

Did his Sag. sun against Denver's 8th house Capr. Sun square Neptune make all the difference regarding 'possible death by sudden accident'?

Gee....scared of dying? May I explain the nature of life?

Cowards die many times before their death. The valiant taste of death but once. -- William Shakespeare

Invisible before birth are all beings and after death invisible again. They are seen between two unseens. Why in this truth find sorrrow? -- Bhagavad Gita, 2:28

Besides, I delight in telling small children about ogres and goblins and other creatures of the night just at bedtime. And then going outside and running my fingernails across the glass of the window.... And then I whip them for peeing the bed.

When Mars is conjunct Uranus, and both are posited on the eastern horizon
THERE IS A STRONG POSSIBILITY OF A SUDDEN, UNEXPECTED, ACCIDENTAL DEATH
as opposed to falling asleep in your bed while dreaming of flowered fields and just not waking up....or being eaten alive by cancer.
Either way you end up dead.

They "apply" because they "touch" the Point of Life, which is at the Ascendant. It is true that 'nothing can happen that is not written into the natal chart.' What I said is written into the chart....of itself indicating possible death by sudden, unexpected, accidental means.

I don't use Chiron, which is nothing more than space junk.

Please see item #3.

You do not have to agree with what I said. Feel free to picket my house. (P.S., don't forget the donuts.)

I recently watched Arnold Schwarzenegger's epic blockbuster The Sixth Day. Has that guy ever taken an acting lesson?

But despite a lot of corny, contrived moments in the movie, it does stimultate some thought on the moral, ethical, philosophical and practical aspects of human cloning (that is, on the idea of Life itself). As in the movie, real-life human cloning makes "immortality" a very real possibility.

No longer will we have to worry about Mars and Uranus attacking our Ascendant from above, while Saturn crunches it from below.

Frisangel interesting about your husband and his accident. glad he is ok.
was the accident the same time as this fatal accident?

greybeard said:

Besides, I delight in telling small children about ogres and goblins and other creatures of the night just at bedtime. And then going outside and running my fingernails across the glass of the window.... And then I whip them for peeing the bed.

Click to expand...

have you thought of working as a goblin. the hobbit 3 is looking for people and hey u would not need to learn how to act. YOur a natural!

on the light entertainment side. the talent triangle. with pluto in 3rd sextile the veryhighly creative mars conj uranus(but explosive) and also sextile neptune in libra. Pluto in leo ruled by sun which is in cap. I do think there needs to be some grounding in a singers chart. And he was popular over a period of time.

country road lyrics : life is old there, older than the trees - very saturn!

what is interesting - dont get a sense of darkness or brooding about his music. so maybe he saved that side of himself(8th h) for his toxic personal relationships.

For me, I do not accept that DEATH can be specifically predicted, however I absolutely and very strongly accept that critical periods (potentially threatening to life) CAN be predicted, and in fact are predicted by the various techniques evolved by the different schools of astrological investigation; I do believe that transits (especially conjunctional transit) can act as a trigger to directions (progressions) in activating such critical periods.

It is true that most of the authoritative astrologers maintain that death can't be specifically predicted.

However, as examples to the contrary, Lewi, Culpepper, Kepler, Houck, Rudhyar, Morin ... all predicted their own deaths correctly. There is the famous trial of Evangeline Adams, in which she was acquitted of "fortune telling" charges because she told the judge, who had given her his own son's birth data as a test of astrology's veracity and her skill, that the person was dead. Kepler predicted Wallenstein's death many years beforehand (about 30 as I recall).

A look at Denver's transit chart shows massive (9 of the 10 planets significantly involved) indications of the possibility (the "setting of the stage") for death to occur. In other words, the moment of Denver's actual death corresponded to a "critical period (potentially threatening to life)" as shown by transits alone.

I did not review directions and so on, which of course are the primary indicators of any sort of life occurrence, including personal death. But notice that Denver died just a couple of months before his 54th birthday. If we use the simple "one degree equals one year in the life" method, the Sun moves to 4 Pisces (and by actual progression a bit further because his was a winter birth when Sun's motion is faster), putting it in square to the Mars-Uranus conjunction.

One of the things notable about this particular chart (and applicable to most charts) is that there are multiple indications all pointing in the same direction. Of the 5 transit features I mention (and there are more than 5 -- and I have not pointed out many significant details), the first 4 are all "death-dealing". It is the cumulative effect, very powerful in this particular chart, that would suggest to the predicting astrologer that a critical period (life-threatening) was at hand.

Addendum --

I offer threads such as this one because I would like to assist the serious student by providing what I never had -- the opportunity to see astrology at work. There is only one way to learn astrology, and that is by the concentrated study of actual charts compared with the actual lives they represent.

In John Denver's death we have an excellent case study, because his birth time is accurately recorded and the circumstances of his death are very well documented. Witnesses on the beach noted a time of 1728; the death certificate records 1730 as the time of death. The exact location is known ("150 yards south of Lover's Point, Pacific Grove"), and the circumstances of the death were investigated thoroughly by a federal body [NTSB]. It don't get no better than that.

So here's a chart, and a life event (death is part of life) that provide an excellent study opportunity. If you take advantage of it, good; if not, good.

Second Addendum --

I think I am being remiss and discourteous. Frisiangal deserves an answer to her post. First, please accept my apology.

I think one should always be very careful in making such statements, even when using the saving of grace word, 'possible'. It can scare the daylights out of those learning astrology and live with such an aspect.

I have always understood that 'nothing can happen that is not written into the natal chart.' Mars and Uranus are not in, nor do they rule houses associated with 'death'...by accident or otherwise. Would the rule still apply?

Nothing can happen that is not foretold in the natal chart. Mars and Uranus may "not be in or rule houses associated with death", but they do affect very directly the Ascendant, which is the Point of Life. They are violent malefics and therefore, although we may say they do not promise death, they do threaten life -- which is the same thing. We also notice several other things related to this. The Moon stands at the square to the midpoint of Mars-Uranus and Saturn (14 Gemini). Also, the Ascendent is "besieged" by the conjunction above it and Saturn below, both close enough to the angle to say that it is "under duress". In horary astrology, when Saturn is rising near the Ascendant and is retrograde it is said to "kill the question." This does not apply to natal charts; nevertheless it is worth noting. The entire situation of the Ascendant is difficult. Its lord is found in the 8th House and although near the cusp of the 9th is retrograde and has turned back into the house of death, and he is in mutual reception with the lord of the 8th. Furthermore, Mercury is quincunx Saturn -- and he is at the point of a yod formation (within about 30' of the Jupiter-Saturn midpoint)...and, although a bit more subtle, Jupiter rules the Descendant, which is a point of Death (the light of the Sun is extinguished there each evening, and the 7th is the house of war and opposes the Life shown at the Ascendant. In Hindu astrology the houses of death are specifically the 2nd and 7th). Jupiter is in the 4th, also associated with death, and so this formation has some relevance. Mercury is also ruler of Mars-Uranus, which indeed ties them to the 8th House. Although, as you point out, they are neither in nor rule a house of death, they are themselves ruled from the house of death; and furthermore, the 12th house where they are posited is a house of death.

The adverse and highly volatile aspects aspects to the conjunction are not shown on the chart offered. Neither is the position of Chiron on 15* Virgo, directly opposing natal Moon and both square Ascendant.

I don't use Chiron, so can't really answer this one. I assume your "adverse and highly volatile aspects aspects to the conjunction are not shown on the chart offered" refers to the transit chart compared to the the natal chart. Those aspects are all very close. I do not allow wide orbs in predictive work. If you will examine the chart closely, or better yet cast it on your own software you will see this.

Therefore, could it not be that it is the Mars-Uranus-Asc. inconjunct(stress) aspect to an 8th house Sun (in Capricorn!), as well as Mercury in 8th house sesquiquadrate (and ruler of) Asc., and (within orb) inconjunct Saturn, ruler 8th house, that are more promiment towards showing any 'possibility' of death through (a manner other than?) acccident.
(I've personally always had question marks regarding an 'accident'.)

I don't consider the Sun as inconjunct Mars-Uranus (wide orb), but he is certainly inconjunct the Ascendant, and Mercury is sesquicuadrate. Here's some guidance to our thinking. Morin says that in evaluating any house, of first power are the planets in that house. Although Mars-Uranus are in the 12th by body, their effective conjunction to the Ascendant (5 degrees) puts them in this category. At the second level of power in evaluating a house are the planets in aspect to its cusp or to planets in it. Third is the lord of the house. But he also says that it is the lord that determines the final outcome of the affairs of that house. The lord of a planet or a house "determines" or "disposes" the planet or house; he is their ruler, their lord. The planet in a house (or in this case, closely conjunct its cusp) is the most powerful in terms of events because it is the most immediate influence, the most direct. That is why Mars-Uranus is so powerful in the question of death here.

My husband is Sagittarius born in the same month as Denver, thus sharing similar planetary placements including the Mars-Uranus conjunction that straddles his M.C, and Mercury (ruler his Virgo Ascendant and MC) in Capricorn. Morevoer, Uranus is 'modern ruler' of his 6th house(physical injury), Mars rules his 8th house(surgery/death).
He fell off a high roof, shattering an (Uranus-ruled)ankle of one limb and breaking the plateau of the knee of the other. He could have been killed had he not consciously 'saved himself'(Neptune?) and broken his fall, yet following several surgeries he eventually walked out of the hospital, albeit with a permanent metal plate and s-c-r-e-w in the ankle.

Did his Sag. sun against Denver's 8th house Capr. Sun square Neptune make all the difference regarding 'possible death by sudden accident'?

The MC and the Ascendant are not the same thing. The Ascendant represents the body itself, the life; the MC does not. A Mars-Uranus contact (any hard aspect between them) anywhere in the natal chart could indicate a sudden accidental death, simply because Mars-Uranus is prone to impetuosity and accident. The pair loves adrenaline, danger. Therefore they are more likely than most people to put themselves into positions and circumstances, and to carry attitudes, that make an accidental death more likely. The actual probabiity of such a death would be judged by aspects, houses, condition of the lords and the general tenor of the chart in the particular case.

What about looking at the charts of JFK Jnr and his wife Carolyn who died in a plane crash in July 99. JFK Jnr has pluto on asc and his wife Carolyn mars on her asc.

might be interesting to make comparisons on what may have occurred. He radioed in at 9.39 pm on 16th July 1999 and that was the last that was heard from them apart from wreckage found in the sea.

Seems to me more profitable to study one chart in depth than flit from one to another...

Certainly not all charts with Pluto or Mars on the Ascendant indicate violent accidental death. These two did. Question is, why these two but not all?

A clue is found in the chart of Denver, with its heavy interplay between the First and Eighth.

I fully support the investigation of death charts-I am doing a study right now of the Newtown mass-event situation from this perspective, and have also done so with the Challenger disaster mass-event charts (provided by Greybeard) Certainly one thing which stands out-as Greybeard posts earlier-and which has also been mentioned by authors in the past who have investigated this field, is that multiple disruptive (negative, critical) directions (progressions, transitsect ) MUST be present, simply one or two - factors, no matter how dramatic, just can't be relied upon in making such assessments.

Thank you dr. farr.

I look forward to seeing the results of your studies, if you choose to share them.

Mass events (school shootings, air crashes, ship sinkings, earthquakes, tsunamis...) are frequently the subject of questions about astrology by laymen. Do each of the victims in such events have death marked in their personal chart? they ask.

As for me, I have only seen one study of such an event (the Scottish school massacre of some years back), and it was done from a more or less statistical perspective. I really don't think such an approach is the most productive, or elucidating. But it really is a lot of work to study each one of many horoscopes individually. But if we want to "prove" that each person victim of a mass event had death marked in the horoscope, it really is the only way. People are not statistics, but individuals.

The very nature of astrology precludes, or severely limits, a statistical methodology because astrology charts the deviation from the norms rather than establishing them, and statistics seeks to determine norms, or the behavior of the mass.

While I plan to eventually present a detailed outline of my investigations regarding the Challenger and Newtown mass events, let me just remark that in the case of all 5 Challenger victims for which birth data is available, and also in the case of all 25 Newtown victims (for which at least date of birth data is available), ALL (each and every single individual) victims had (numerically) a net - total of directions plus conjunctional planetary transits (I basically only consider conjunctional transits of significance, but that's another matter), ie, all had more disruptive directions and conjunctional transits, than positive ones (or even neutral, ie compensated, ones)