Henry Worsley, a former army office and explorer, died this week while just 30 miles short of his goal of a solo, unassisted crossing of the Antarctic. He covered 913 miles in 69 days, hauling a 148 kilo sledge and raised over £100,000 for injured soldiers.
Born 4 Oct 1960, England, he was a Sun Libra on the point of a T Square to Mars in Cancer opposition Saturn in Capricorn, perhaps formed into a Cardinal Grand Cross by an Aries Moon. So restless, bubbling with initiative, tough.
Mars Saturn is associated with the military and also the ability to endure cruelty, whether directly or survive in cruel conditions. He also had a focal point very determined Pluto in Virgo midway of a trine of Mars to Neptune Venus in Scorpio.
His Mars Saturn Sun T square had moved by Solar Arc to hard aspect his natal Pluto this year – so bringing together the two central elements of his chart, always a significant crisis point.
His chart in aspects is not dissimilar to Ranulph Fiennes, another ex-army, English explorer, who holds endurance records for walking to the North and South Pole, and crossing Antarctica. Born 7 March 1944 he is a Pisces Sun square a Mars Saturn conjunction in Gemini; with Pluto North Node in Leo on the midpoint of a Neptune trine Uranus. So the same accentuated Saturn Mars as well as an emphasised Pluto.
Another ex-army, English explorer of hotter though still dreadful conditions was Ralph Bangold, 3 April 1896, who pioneered desert exploration and walked across the Libyan desert in the 1930s. He also had a striking Mars square Saturn Uranus in Scorpio.
Just goes to show that even the most ‘afflicted’ of aspects can be turned to good use in the right context.