Robert Badinter – shining a light into darkness + R J Lifton, Scott Peck, Simon Weisenthal ++ more on Scott Peck

Robert Badinter has died, the former French justice minister, who went up against considerable public opposition to ban capital punishment in 1981, which was then still carried out by guillotine. Emmanuel Macron said he had been the “moral conscience” of the nation. He also scrapped a law that discriminated against same-sex relationships on the age of consent; and fought for prison reform.

  He was born 30 March 1928 6am Paris, France with immigrant parents from Moldova, with his Jewish father deported from Lyon in 1943 and killed in the gas chambers in Poland, along with many of his other relatives. He and his mother sheltered in the French Alps for the rest of the war. In 1983, he succeeded in making Bolivia extradite to France Klaus Barbie, “the butcher of Lyon”,  a former Gestapo chief, the Nazis’ secret police. He was put on trial for crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment in a landmark case during which Holocaust survivors took the stand for the first time in France.

 Robert Badinter had a 12^th house Aries Sun conjunct Jupiter and Uranus; with his Sun Jupiter in a confident square to Pluto in his 4^th. His Jupiter and widely his Sun were trine a knowledgeable Saturn in Sagittarius in the 9^th house ruling legal affairs. He also had a notable Mars in Aquarius opposition Neptune which can be inspirational and sat across the France chart’s revolutionary (and bloodthirsty) Pluto in Leo opposition Uranus in Aquarius square Mars in Scorpio. He would have a softening effect on France’s more murderous tendencies.

 His ban-the-guillotine legislation came in as the tr Jupiter Saturn conjunction in Libra was in place.

 What motivated him apart from his difficult and suppressed childhood with Pluto in his 4^th would be his Chiron in his 1st in Taurus. Melanie Rhinehart is eloquent about Chiron in the 1^st – making for a sense of not quite having the right to exist, knowing what it is to be powerless, inducing self-sufficiency and a pioneering quality (like Albert Schweitzer). His childhood experiences were his springboard.

 His 17^th harmonic – leaving a legacy for future generations – was notable with Jupiter opposition Mercury square Sun opposition Neptune Pluto. He left his mark.

A quick look at others who tried to shine a light on the darkness of the human condition.

Robert Jay Lifton, May 16, 1926, New York, an American psychiatrist and author of studies of the psychological causes and effects of wars and political violence. Death in Life: Survivors of Hiroshima ; Home from the War: Vietnam Veterans—Neither Victims nor Executioners; and The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide.

 He has a Taurus Sun conjunct Algol opposition Saturn in Scorpio square Jupiter in Aquarius opposition Neptune. A Fixed Grand Square gives him endurance. Saturn Neptune – hope for a better society. Saturn in Scorpio – obsessive. Jupiter in Aquarius – broadminded. He had his Chiron in last degree Aries, somewhat similar to Badinter’s 1^st house Chiron.

M Scott Peck, 22 May 1936 New York author of People of the Lie about evil, who started life as an army psychiatrist is a Sun, Mars Mercury in Gemini with Neptune in Virgo opposition Saturn in Pisces; with his Jupiter on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Pluto sextile Venus in Taurus. Such a Jupiter can bring about positive social change though need to watch a tendency to over confidence.

  One of his views was that people who are evil attack others rather than face their own failures.  His best known book The Road Less Travelled sold 10 million copies.

 Simon Weisenthal, 31 December 1908 11.30pm Bucas, Ukraine, a Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor, Nazi hunter, and writer who survived in various concentration camps for four years and after the war, dedicated his life to tracking down fugitive Nazi war criminals so that they could be brought to trial.

 He had a 4^th house Capricorn Sun, Mercury, Uranus trine Jupiter (slightly similar to Badinter) opposition Neptune in Virgo and his Sun square Saturn. He had an influential Pluto on his Midheaven inconjunct Mars in Scorpio which was opposition Algol.  His Chiron in Aquarius would make him seek out likeminded others to fight for his people (his soul tribe) and his collective ideal would be strong.

  What stands out for me about these disparate charts is that they are all strong in idealistic Neptune and optimistic Jupiter. Not that Neptune is always saintly, it can go the other way. Ditto Jupiter. But they clearly hooked into the better end of both.

   Aiming to light a path into the heart of darkness, while admirable at one level can be perilous since the darkness is corrosive.  The siren call of evil can eventually contaminate and corrupt if it doesn’t drown the individual.  

Add on:  Scott Peck for all his wise words had a chaotic personal life, conducting multiple affairs and estranged from two of his three children. He had a stellium in Gemini including his Sun and maybe Moon, a sign notorious for its wandering habits amongst the male of the species. He also had Neptune in Virgo opposition Saturn in Pisces square Jupiter in Sagittarius perhaps in opposition to his Moon – so he had an overdose of Mutable signs. This makes for extreme restlessness, a tendency to scatter his attention and interests and be uncertain of his commitments in close relationships. His Venus in indulgent Taurus was also on the midpoint of Saturn trine Pluto which arguably gave him a cold streak when it came to affection. His Venus was also sextile Pluto inconjunct Jupiter which would allow him to have a considerable social impact but also gives a tendency to arrogance/over confidence. A good/great mind but not always a brilliant human being.