Appointment
For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,
though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him.
Since no man knows the future,
who can tell him what is to come?
No man has power over the wind to contain it;
so no one has power over the day of his death.
As no one is discharged in time of war,
so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
Ecclesiastes 8:6-8
A merchant in Baghdad sends his servant to the marketplace for provisions. Shortly, the servant comes home white and trembling and tells him that in the marketplace he was jostled by a woman, whom he recognized as Death, and she made a threatening gesture. Borrowing the merchant’s horse, he flees at top speed to Samarra, a distance of about 75 miles, where he believes Death will not find him. The merchant then goes to the marketplace and finds Death, and asks why she made the threatening gesture. She replies, “That was not a threatening gesture, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.”1
I first read the above parable–Appointment in Samarra–in a junior high English class. Appointment describes how a servant’s efforts to avoid his fate are the very means for accomplishing it. Appointment would serve as an appropriate stimulus for discussion in a junior high Sunday school class. For example, what would have happened if the servant’s attitude toward Death was one of calm acceptance? Perhaps he would have stayed in Bagdad and missed his appointment in Samarra.
Appointment would be appropriate for a science class as well, since it reflects the underlying philosophy of hard determinism upon which modern science is based. Science and religion have much more in common than most people think. Most astrology buffs recognize the metaphysical science of astrology as a bridge between science and religion. Cosmopsychology starts with the insights provided by astrology (and other metaphysical sciences) and looks for the deeper connections. It goes beyond the descriptions of personality and the predictions of events that astrology provides. It brings together astrology, psychology, and metaphysics, and, perhaps, spirituality.
In this tome I will present real life examples from the three perspectives of astrology, psychology, and metaphysics. In the spirit of Appointment, I will begin with some real life appointments with Death. A working knowledge of astrology as well as some familiarity with the lives of the individuals discussed will be helpful.
My first subject is the brutal and infamous, American, serial killer Ted Bundy. Ted has been the subject of many astrological analyses. Like these analyses, I will examine Ted’s natal chart. Unlike most of these analyses, I will also examine the astrological connections between Ted and one of his victims–Susan Rancourt—and go beyond the natal indications to what brought them together at that fateful time and place. Ted from Burlington, Vermont, and Susan from Anchorage, Alaska—an appointment in Ellensburg, Washington, on April 17, 1974 at 10:00 pm.
I will examine the possible psychological motives behind this appointment as well as the hypothetical, behavioral transactions that may have occurred that night, and then explore the possible metaphysical implications. In short, I will perform a cosmopsychological analysis. Let’s start with a brief introduction to the antagonist Ted Bundy:
Theodore Robert “Ted” Bundy, born Theodore Robert Cowell (November 24, 1946 – January 24, 1989), was an American serial killer active between 1973 and 1978. He twice escaped from county jails before his final apprehension in February 1978. After more than a decade of vigorous denials, he eventually confessed to over 30 murders, although the actual total of victims remains unknown. Estimates range from 26 to over 100, the general estimate being 35. Typically, Bundy would bludgeon his victims, then strangle them to death. He also engaged in rape and necrophilia. Bundy was executed for his last murder by the state of Florida in 1989.2
Theodore Robert “Ted” Bundy’s Basic Nature.
Ted’s Sun and Moon occupied Sagittarius and his 4th house. They were 15o apart—just beyond the conventional orb for a conjunction, but close enough to symbolize the New Moon/New Crescent phase of personality development. The New Moon signals opportunities to actualize or bring forth new aspects of the inner Self. The momentary union of the Sun and Moon temporarily suppresses one’s awareness of previous incarnations, so that a new self-quality can emerge unhindered. This new self-quality is initially expressed without conscious awareness. It springs forth spontaneously, possibly impulsively, and without any regard for how it will be received by others. As the individual gradually becomes aware of these new aspects, he may feel overwhelmed or be overbearing to others. His vitality is strong, but objectivity is poor. Ted was strong-willed and blind to his affect on others. Ted was preoccupied with discovering new, but poorly understood impulses.
Ted’s Sun and Moon emphasized Sagittarius and the 4th house—which are not easily reconciled. His Sagittarian Sun symbolized the expansion of awareness or consciousness in the search for identity. Such expansion comes through interests in travel, sports, higher education, philosophy, religion, law, and foreign cultures and countries. Some Sun in Sagittarius individuals expand materially through sports, travel, exotic adventures, and lusty appetites. Others expand spiritually through studying and participating in the areas of religion, philosophy, law, or anthropology. Some do both. The Sun in Sagittarius individuals are described as athletic, broad-minded, care-free, energetic, enthusiastic, exploring, far-reaching, frank, freedom-loving, generous, honest, jovial, meaningful, optimistic, philosophical, profound, religious, roaming, searching, and spontaneous.
Ted’s 4th house Sun symbolized a search for identity through personal feelings and sensitivities, the mother, the home, foundations, one’s background, ancestors, the past, traditions, one’s country, the land, substances under the land such as oil, coal, or minerals, water, the ocean, and one’s own soul. There could have been a very strong attachment to his mother or home, but this attachment may have been ambivalent due to issues of control. Alcohol use could have been a problem. Seeking nurturance and/or providing nurturance for others may have been emphasized. Such an individual focuses on the home, family, and mother as well as on issues of security and control. The Sagittarian drive for an expansion of consciousness conflicted with this emphasis on personal feelings and sensitivities.
Ted’s Moon in Sagittarius signified the need to identify with ever-widening social systems. His emotional responses were optimistic, enthusiastic, generous, and jovial, and they amplified the characteristics of his Sagittarian Sun. He would have been spontaneous, care-free, frank, and honest. The intellect was idealistic, broad-minded, and far-reaching as well as profound and deep. Energy was available for educational, philosophical, and religious pursuits. Movement manifested as searching, exploring, and roaming in all spheres of existence—physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual. Similar individuals may chase athletic goals, others may travel or visit distant lands and foreign cultures. Personal growth comes through synthesizing and integrating knowledge in efforts to attain greater understanding and show more universal compassion.
Ted’s 4th house Moon symbolized a special sense of attachment and bonding with his home, mother, background, family, cultural traditions, ancestors, or past. There may have been issues of security and control. Moon in the 4th house individuals may fluctuate between periods of strong energy and assertiveness and periods of low energy and withdrawal. As children, they seek emotional security by attachment to mother or the person responsible for providing nourishment. Later in life, the home base provides their sense of security. This lunar position indicates that, whatever the source of security, it is subject to frequent fluctuations to which they must continually adapt.
Taken together, the house positions of Ted’s Sun and Moon suggest that due to changes in the home and with his mother, he felt very insecure. The sign positions of his Sun and Moon indicate that he attempted to overcome these feelings of insecurity by looking far security in what lay far beyond the home.
Ted’s Leo Ascendant symbolized someone who was eager to express himself creatively and leave an impression on his environment. Self-expression comes naturally with this persona. Some may have genuine artistic, musical, literary, or theatrical talent. Ted’s Leo Ascendant allowed him to present himself in a confident, bold, and dramatic fashion. He could come off as warm-hearted, kind, and giving. He could be generous with gifts and expressions of affection and may have seemed to be having a love affair with the world. Many children with Leo Ascendants are initially very shy. Once they discover their own, unique style for commanding attention and grabbing the limelight, it’s difficult to turn them off. The Leo Ascendant individual likes attention, appreciates recognition, and enjoys control. Some such individuals come off as bold, bossy, domineering, ego-centric, extravagant, powerful, proud, regal, and willful.
Ted’s Ascendant makes no definite aspect with either his Sun or his Moon. It is just beyond squaring his Sun and just past trining his Moon. However, it is highly compatible with the signs of his Sun and Moon and could further their expression. That is, he could use the qualities of his persona in his search for security and control. His Ascendant was in conflict with his personal planets—Mercury and Venus. Normally Mercury and Venus function as instruments of communication with others. However, their placement in Scorpio indicates that their need for secrecy conflicted with Ted’s expressive and dramatic Leo Ascendant.
Ted’s Darker Nature.
In Ted’s natal chart the personal planets—Mercury and Venus—were conjunct in Scorpio in his 4th house, retrograde, and rising before the Sun. This conjunction suggests that whenever he expressed his thoughts, his feelings came with them, and whenever he expressed his feelings, they were accompanied by his rational thinking. Mercury made no aspects with his Sun or Moon, but Venus semisextiled his Moon. This Lunar-Venetian aspect suggests that he was experiencing stress regarding nurturing and love—Moon versus Venus. He was also experiencing stress in regards to needs to be secretive and needs to share himself with others—Scorpio versus Sagittarius.
Mercury in Scorpio symbolizes a mind that penetrates to the heart of a matter. Such an individual could be capable of ferreting out information and all kinds of secrets. He can be research-oriented and security minded. Such a person has a shrewd and penetrating mind. He may have possessed great psychological instincts and have been capable of getting at the causes beneath the surface of life. When stressed, Mercury in Scorpio may also indicate someone who keeps his thoughts to himself and who is preoccupied with sex, death, and violence. Being in a different sign than the Sun suggests that Ted’s words did not typically convey the desires of his inner Self.
Mercury in the 4th house reinforces the concerns of his 4th house Sun and Moon. It emphasizes the home, foundations, background, and mother. It tends to settle on issues of security—home, family, and such. This placement indicates thoughts have great substance and feeling. There may be a lifelong interest in history, the past, and nostalgia in general.
Since Mercury was rising before of the Sun, it suggests that his mind is eager and quick, and that he may come across as curious, quick, smart, and witty. However, Mercury was also retrograde. Mercury retrograde suggests that Ted could turn inward, away from ordinary social stimuli and conventions. Such an inward turn may have resulted from some form of perceptual or intellectual deficit. A person with Mercury retrograde may be attempting to think independently. He may be fascinated with his own thoughts and ideas. Autism, autistic thinking, or psychosis may be present if other difficult indications are present as well.
A person born with Mercury retrograde may appear to think strangely or peculiarly. He may appear to be withdrawn, introverted, or limited in their thinking, communicating, or perceiving. His thoughts may be disorganized, or he may appear to be uncertain as to what he wants to say. The purposes behind this inward turn may be to seek new ways of thinking, new ways of adapting to one’s environment, a new understanding of one’s own mind, or new ways to contact the inner spiritual world.
Venus—also in Scorpio in the 4th house, retrograde, and rising before the Sun—fortifies the symbolism of his Mercury. However, Venus is in detriment in Scorpio—inhibiting the expression of his feelings as well as espousing values typically rejected by others. Like Mercury, Venus in Scorpio can indicate an obsession with sex, death, and violence. In the 4th house, Venus contributed to his need for security. Being in a different sign than that of the Sun, suggests that his values and desires and his manner of expressing affection conflicted with the purposes of his inner Self. This placement indicates that the how, when, and why of his feelings and values were complex and colorful, and that he may never have expressed exactly how it felt.
The retrograde movement of Venus symbolizes that he was using this lifetime either to re-evaluate his values and desires, to transform the way or manner he attracted what he wanted, and/or to develop a different approach to interpersonal or romantic relationships. The purposes behind Venus retrograde are to seek out new values, new ways of being, new ways of relating, and/or new ways of expressing love and affection. His values, desires, and affections may have been different from those of ordinary social stimuli and conventions. He may have appeared withdrawn, introverted, or limited in communicating affection. In love he may have appeared as conceited, narcissistic, or selfish. The manner in which he attempted to attract people, relationships, romance, and wealth could be self-defeating.
The conjunction of the Mercury archetype—the Trickster—with the Venus archetype—the Lover–in Scorpio in the 4th house suggests the presence of a complex regarding love, sex, and bisexuality that Ted preferred to keep hidden. It is possible that his psyche relegated to his Shadow self. Ted’s Juno—the Wife/Spouse/Queen archetype—is in Scorpio in the 4th house conjoins Ted’s Mercury. His Vesta—the pure Virgin—is in Pisces and his 8th house and trines his Mercury and Venus. Juno and Vesta are both female archetypes located in emotional water signs and reclusive houses. They contribute their form and energy to Ted’s his Mercury-Venus complex.
Ted’s natal Mars occupies Sagittarius in his 4th house. Mars works well in Sagittarius and places even more emphasis on this particular sign. Mars conjoins Ted’s Moon and his South Lunar Node. It forms a wide—11o–conjunction with his Sun. It semisextiles his Jupiter, trines his Pluto, and squares his Part of Fortune. It forms a wide—5o–trine to his Saturn. Its 4th house placement can dampen its energies—Ted’s aggressive, Martian tendencies are found in a house that is more compatible with passivity and receptivity. A 4th house Mars is said to be accidently in its fall.
His Mars-Moon conjunction is similar in nature to a 4th house Mars, but far more intense. Whenever his archetypal, lunar drives were activated, his aggressive, archetypal drives were activated as well. Lunar activities–nurturance, nourishment, dependency, defense, and adaption—were combined with Martian ones—assertion, aggression, and fighting. This combination of archetypes suggests a maladaptive Mother complex. That is, the mother figures in Ted’s life were aggressive and warlike—the Bad Mother who eats her children. The conjunction of his South Lunar Node with his Mars adds to the maternal nature of this complex and makes it more compulsive and self-defeating. The placement of this complex in his 4th house, suggests that he tried to keep it hidden or that it, like Mercury-Venus complex, belonged to his Shadow.
Ted’s Uranus in Gemini at the end of his 10th house opposes his Moon. Uranus is the Great Transformer. It symbolizes the nature archetypes of lightening strikes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well. Uranus breaks down walls. The Moon binds things together. In Ted’s chart, Uranus opposes and breaks up his lunar walls. His feelings erupt suddenly, explosively, and powerfully. The Bad Mother complex hidden in his Shadow raised her ugly head without warning.
Ted’s Pluto and Saturn in Leo in his 12th house form a wide—5o—conjunction and suggest the presence of a complex resulting from the simultaneous activation of the Saturn archetype—the Lord-Father—and the Pluto archetype—the Underworld-Lord. Their location in the 12th house suggests that this complex was also part of Ted’s Shadow. His Saturn and Pluto trine his Moon, Mars, and South Lunar Node.
Ted’s Jupiter—the Great Father archetype–is in Scorpio at the end of the 3rd house. His Jupiter squares his Pluto and Saturn—the Lord of the Underworld and the Lord-Father. Saturn and Pluto are supported by the trine from Mars but challenged by the square from Jupiter. Ted’s masculine/paternal archetypes manifested as competing and conflicting complexes—split and at war with one another. Furthermore, Ted’s drives for personal growth and expansion—Jupiter–conflicted with his drives for structure and consolidation—Saturn—as well as with his drives for power and regeneration—Pluto.
The interplanetary aspects among Ted’s Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto, and South Lunar Node link them together so that when one was activated, all were activated.
Ted’s Triggers.
Extremely close aspects are called partile aspects and possess much power. The closer the aspect is to being exact the more compulsive it is. That is, when an aspect is partile, the individual has very little choice when it comes to expressing the nature of the aspect. The wider the orb of an aspect, the more choice the individual has as to how he will manifest it energies. You might think of two planets in aspect as two points or poles carrying an electric charge. When the orb is tight and the aspect is partile, the wire connecting the two poles is secure at both ends and the current passes easily from one pole to the other. When the orbit is wider, the wire is loosely connected to one or both of the two poles, and the current has to jump through the air. The time necessary for completing the jump provides moments during which the individual can reflect and choose an alternate response.
For example, the square is often expressed as a frustrating conflict or an undesirable struggle. When it is exact, the individual tends to feel overwhelmed fighting against powerful, external adversaries. When the orb of the square is wider, it becomes easier for the individual to identify with his inner struggle symbolized by the square, discover its positive intention, and complete the action of the square in a favorable and satisfying manner.
Ted’s Jupiter is within 1o of an exact square to his Pluto, and his Mars is within 1o of an exact trine to his Pluto. Of course, his Mars and Jupiter form a partile semisextile. When any one of these three planets was activated by direction, progression, or transit, all three were activated.
Susan Rancourt: aka Victim Number 5.
Susan Rancourt is listed as Ted’s third known victim. It is believed that there may have been others prior to the first three discovered in the area of Washington University:
Susan Rancourt disappeared on April 17, 1974. She was last seen on a college campus where she attended school. It is believed that she attempted to help a man load heavy books into his car. The man was wearing a sling. Susan Rancourt would normally be a victim of medium risk; a student walking on campus with a certain destination in mind. However, the dynamics of her situation changed quickly, unbeknownst to her, when she walked upon a stranger whom she chose to help. She immediately became a victim of opportunity.3
Now let me acquaint you further with Ted’s modus operandi and introduce you to Susan Rancourt by way of Stephen G. Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth’s detailed account The Only Living Witness: The True Story of Serial Sex Killer Ted Bundy:4
Miss D’Olivo originally believed that the man was headed for the library, but as she walked along with him, carrying most of his books, he turned toward a dark area where he said his car was parked. She grew suspicious, but figured she could whack him with one of his books if he tried anything. They arrived at his car and he produced his keys. As he unlocked the passenger-side door, he suddenly dropped them. After a moment of searching on his hands and knees, he stood up and asked Kathleen if she could help. His sling and hand brace, he explained, made it tough to feel around on the ground for small objects.
On the way to his car, Kathleen D’Olivo made sure to keep the man in her sight, in front of her. Now, standing alone with him by the vehicle—she described to police as a shiny brown VW bug—the young woman wasn’t to drop her guard. “I didn’t want to bend over in front of him, she reported, “So I said, ‘Let’s step back and see if we can see a reflection in the lights.’ I squatted down, and luckily I did see the reflection. So I picked the keys up and dropped them in his hand and said, ‘Good Night.’”
Moments later Susan Elaine Rancourt wouldn’t be so fortunate. She was a freshman biology major, a blue-eyed, blond-haired former cheerleader and high school homecoming queen known for her wholesomeness (in her family, Susan was called “Prudence Pureheart”) and for her sensible ways. Her father had paid for a lot of dental work, and Susan had protected the investment by brushing and flossing her teeth religiously.
She was a sturdy girl five-feet, 120 pounds. She thought she wanted to become a doctor, or maybe a research scientist, professions that would require hard work, discipline and years of study. An A student, Rancourt had the drive and intelligence to make it, plus an engaging personal warmth and a concern for the well-being of others. The only thing that seemed to get in her way was her painful late-adolescence shyness—and Susan was working on that, too.
The night of April 17, 1974, she had attended a meeting for perspective dorm counselors. Shortly after ten—about the time Kathleen D’Olivo found the Volkswagen keys in the gravel and handed them back to the man in the cast—Susan left the meeting and headed back across campus to her dormitory. She was afraid of the dark and would have been walking gingerly, since she had left her contacts in her room. Any sudden movement or suspicious sound would have frightened her. But a cripple in need, helplessly trying to manage his books, might not have. With her mind on the counselors’ meeting, German-language film she wanted to see that night, and the load of laundry she’d left in the dormitory laundry machine, Susan Rancourt likely was less alert to trouble than usual. What is more, her determination not to be so shy could have led her to a bit more boldness than was her custom.
Susan Rancourt’s Basic Nature.
Susan’s Sun is in Libra in her 1st house, and her Moon is in Virgo in her 11th house. She was born during the Balsamic Phase of the lunation cycle. The Balsamic Moon symbolizes a time for taking what one has learned from recent experiences and putting them into some meaningful form. New forms that more accurately symbolize what one has learned about oneself are to be shared with others through creative interchange. This is a time to release the past and prepare for the future.
Susan’s natal Sun and Moon were 38o apart and about to form a waning novile. The novile symbolizes the birth of a new aspect of the Self. In Susan’s case, she was on the verge of discovering new ways of expressing her Self through her feelings. Susan’s Libra Sun symbolizes the search for identity through close, personal relationships. Libra is the fall of the Sun, i.e., the sign that is least compatible with the innate energies of the Sun. The Sun symbolizes one’s individual selfhood. Libra symbolizes a direct, acute awareness of others—the not-Self. In Libra the Sun must accept that it one of many stars and that no star is more important than any other. The Sun in Libra indicates the development of social awareness, social participation, social skills, and social functioning.
Close, personal relationships provide the Libra Sun with most of the opportunities for learning the lessons of equality, harmony, and balance. The more intimate the better. The Libra Sun grows through relationships with close associates, marriage partners, and/or business partners. These relationships are not always harmonious. Differing interests, needs, and agendas lead to conflicts and anger. Libra is also the sign of open enemies. Clashes with competitors also teach lessons in negotiating and learning to give in order to get. The Libra Sun often expresses the qualities of equality, harmony, balance and beauty in social etiquette and in artistic endeavors. Individuals born with the Sun in Libra are usually described as artistic, attentive, balanced, beautiful, charming, compassionate, conventional, dependent, diplomatic, dishonest, false, formal, gossipy, graceful, indecisive, lazy, lying, peaceable, refined, scheming, social, superficial, and unassertive.
Susan’s Sun in the 1st house symbolizes the search for a strong, permanent sense of identity. There is an emphasis on one’s sense of personal identity, on discovering one’s uniqueness as well as on using one’s sense of personal power and one’s social persona to manage people, goals, and life in general. Physically, she may have been very much aware of her physical body, its appearance, and its health. Her vitality may have been strong enough that most people could sense her strength. Socially, she may have been aware of her persona, or social mask, to such a degree that she was capable of using her persona effectively in interpersonal relationships, especially those that required power. It is likely that she developed personal skills through hard work at an early age. On the psychological and spiritual levels, she may have developed insights into her personality and an understanding as to her place in society as well as in the universe.
A Libra Sun in the 1st house is a bit of a contradiction. As previously mentioned, Libra is the fall of the Sun. However, the Sun is accidentally exalted in the 1st house. Susan may have felt that she was not up to being all that she tried to be. Her Sun placement suggests that she was eager to please others, even when it was not in her best interests. Being helpful was one of her main motivations.
Susan’s Moon in Virgo indicates that self-improvement was important in her life. She was analytical, critical, discerning, discriminating, economical, detailed, and practical. At times, she could be perfectionistic, demanding, cold, and judgmental. Work, service, and health were important to her. She was good at attending to details, organizing tasks, perfecting techniques, and establishing routines. It is very likely that she was hard on herself and may have had some difficulty starting things because of her perfectionism. Her perfectionism may also have created some conflicts with others.
Susan’s Moon in the 11th house indicates that participating in group activities and accomplishing social ideals and collective goals were important to her. She was sensitive to the changing the needs of groups and social organizations. It is likely that she held ideas, opinions, and beliefs about how to improve on some social problems. It is also that she went through periods of social isolation due to feeling that she did not belong or fit in.
Susan’s Libra Ascendant symbolizes someone who is acutely aware of the opportunities for human interchange in his immediate environment. It was important for Susan to participate in relationships in particular and in society in general. She was interested in relationships, marriage, partnerships, and unions as well as in law, art, beauty, and harmony. A strong desire for acceptance motivated much of her behavior. It is likely that she reflexively or compulsively sought to please others and secretly expected them to please her in return. She would tend to come across as friendly, sociable, cooperative, charming, refined, graceful, artistic, diplomatic, and emotionally refined. In new situations, she may have come off as conventional, formal, and superficial. Under stress, she would have tended to be indecisive, dependent, placating, flakey, lazy, dishonest, gossipy, sarcastic, and scheming.
Susan’s Darker Nature.
Mercury and Venus are in Libra in the 1st house of Susan’s nativity. Mercury is retrograde and rises three degrees after the Sun. Venus is 11o behind the Sun and conjoins Neptune and the East Point.
Susan’s Mercury in Libra symbolizes impartial and balanced thinking. It is likely that she may have been easy to talk with—a great mediator or negotiator. She listened to the thoughts and ideas of others and was able to help them hear themselves. It is likely that Susan could handle interpersonal relations well, and she might have made a good politician, diplomat, lawyer, or salesperson. She was calm, considerate, courteous, and helpful. It is likely that she appreciated the arts, enjoyed many social activities, and stood for equality and similar virtues.
Dr Gene's Blog 