A memorial service is being held for the July 7 2005 London bombings which killed 52 people and injured 800. Four co-ordinated suicide attacks on London’s public transport during the morning rush hour were carried out by Islamist terrorists.
The attacks happened when the Solar Arc Mars was square Pluto on the UK 1801 chart which does describe a brutal, deadly event and the explosions happened at 8.51 am when the transiting Midheaven was conjunct the UK’s 8th house Mars which is a sensitive trigger point for calamities.
London 7/7 bombings. What is intriguing is that the Fixed Star Alphard was conjunct the 26 degree Leo Ascendant when the bombings took place. Alphard is in the Hydra constellation, the single star in the neck of the Water Snake. It has also been called the heart of the snake. On the positive side it can give wisdom, musical and artistic appreciation but in negative mode can lead to turbulence, lack of self-control, immorality, revolting deeds and self-destruction. ‘The danger is marked if either Sun, Moon, Mars, Neptune, Ascendant or MC are linked up with this star.’ (Astrology King.)
Looking through the archives at other disasters, man-made and natural, Alphard does crop up in some through not all.
The Fukushima nuclear meltdown of 11 March 2011 was precipitated by an earthquake which resulted in a tsunami 50 minutes later which overwhelmed the nuclear power station around 3.36pm when Alphard was conjunct the Ascendant.
The Bhopal gas tragedy, considered the world’s worst industrial disaster, when 500,000 people in the vicinity of the Union Carbide pesticide plant in India were exposed to a highly toxic gas. It eventually poisoned more than half a million people and caused as many as 16,000 deaths. Children have become second and third generation victims suffering from cerebral palsy, autism, muscular dystrophy and serious disabilities. Support groups estimate as many as 150,000 people were suffering chronic, debilitating diseases such as cancer, lung problems and neurological disorders.
The first hint of problems at the Bhopal factory occurred around 11pm on 2 December 1984 when gauges recorded abnormal levels. At that point Alphard was conjunct the Leo Ascendant.
The Gujarat earthquake of 26 January 2001, 7.6 on the scale, killed at least 20,023 people, injured another 166,000 and destroyed about 400,000 buildings. Timed at 8.46 am, it had Alphard closely conjunct the Descendant.
Alphard is relevant at the moment because of its prominence in Donald Trump’s chart – natally conjunct his Mars and his Ascendant – and equally natally conjunct Netanyahu’s Mars and the Israel Mars in Leo as well.
The Bhopal disaster registered on the India 15 August 1947 chart with a panicky tr Neptune exactly opposition the India Mars, Solar Arc Mars conjunct the Mercury and it was on a Nodal Return which should have been a wake up call though it did not seem to have that effect in terms of damage clean up on the site and help for those affected which was very slow in coming.
[What intrigues me astrologically speaking and I don’t know what to make of it. Both the Bhopal Disaster and the Gujarat earthquake show up clearly as damaging events on the united India 1 January 1877 chart, which politically no longer exists after the 1947 partition. It has a a fearsome Mars in Scorpio opposition Pluto Algol square Uranus in Leo conjunct Alphard.
At the Gujarat earthquake tr Saturn in Taurus opposition Mars in Scorpio square Uranus Moon Mercury in Aquarius was colliding with the India 1877 Fixed T Square. At the Bhopal disaster tr Saturn in Scorpio was in hard aspect to the 1877 Fixed T square with Solar Arc Neptune square Mars; and two South Node aspects as well.]
And that odd but seemingly significant accident in London on 24 April 2024 when two cavalry horses were injured and a blood-covered white and black horse took off galloping through traffic. It happened at 8.40am when Alphard was closely conjunct the IC and opposition the Midheaven.
As mentioned above Alphard is not always prominent at calamities but it was conjunct the Ascendant when Laki, the Icelandic volcano started to blow on 8 June 1783 and continued for several months sending a haze across Europe, and killing people and livestock in Iceland.
The Afghan War began 10 October 2001 with Alphard conjunct the IC.
The My Lai massacre in Vietnam on 16 April 1968 had Jupiter conjunct Alphard. William Calley, the officer responsible for the unlawful killings of 22 civilians, 8 June 1943 6.12pm Miami, Florida had Alphard conjunct his Midheaven.
Worth looking out for.
Thanks Marjorie. I remember this day in London very clearly, and how terrible and horrible it was.
Interesting re Alphard in Hydra. Elsbeth Ebertin had this to say about it. Of interest is the link with poison – both nuclear and gas accident charts here reflect that. Regarding D Trump, see her remarks about ‘poisoning’ between a man and woman in marriage….Also, it occurs to me that DJT is famously germophobic, and avoids alcohol – another potential ‘poison’, which killed his beloved brother.
“Of a Saturn nature, however, there is a measure of influence of Venus and Neptune. This combination is of a disadvantage in most cases. Particularly matters connected with ‘poison’ are accentuated badly, e.g. blood poisoning, murder by poison, attempts of poisoning, poisoned hatred in women, gas poisoning, danger to life by wrong use of drugs and over indulgence of good living, smoke inhalation and danger of suffocation, snake bite, bites by poisonous insect bites, or bites from dogs with rabies. Danger is marked if either Sun, Moon, Mars, Neptune, Ascendant or MC are linked up with this star. A ‘poisoning’ is also possible in a relationship between man and woman in marriage. This is especially true in a male chart. On the material plane, nearly always unhelpful, though if the native is able to conceive it in the spiritual sphere, the Saturn-Neptune combination may give enlightenment.[Fixed Stars and Their Interpretation, Elsbeth Ebertin, 1928, p.50, under the name Alphard.]”