American royalty of yesteryear is being highlighted in a biography of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, wife of John F Kennedy Jnr, who was killed with her husband in a plane crash in July 1999. A review describes it as ‘cloying’ and more hagiography than a balanced view of her life.
John was born in November 1960 three weeks after his father was elected and was only three when his father was shot in Dallas in 1963. His mother took him and his sister out of the USA for safety in her short-lived, unhappy marriage to Greek shipping magnate Ari Onassis. John as an adult was a paparazzi magnet and constantly in the headlines with multiple liaisons with models and other beauties including actress Daryl Hannah, finally settling for Carolyn Bessette who worked in the fashion business.
They married on 21 September 1996 and were killed three years later on 16 July 1999 when a plane he was piloting crashed. Their marriage was troubled mainly it is said because she felt besieged by the constant media attention.
What is astro-interesting is the solar eclipse close to the plane crash had resonance both for the Kennedy family and the USA.
Saros cycle 1 North – USA
The world’s first atomic bomb was dropped by American forces on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, four weeks after the 1 North solar eclipse with an exact conjunction of Saturn squaring onto Neptune. It killed 130,000 people and led to the Japanese surrender.
On the next cycle of this eclipse 18 years on, John and Jackie Kennedy’s premature baby son, Patrick Kennedy, died on 9 August, two weeks after the solar eclipse in 1963. Martin Luther King was delivering his rousing civil rights speech in Washington to 200,000 African-Americans campaigning for black civil rights four weeks after the solar eclipse. Three months later President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas. The same cycle repeating in 1981 saw US forces shoot down two Libyan planes, and the US air traffic control strike. Then in July 1999, with tragic and eerie synchronicity, J. F. Kennedy’s son John was killed in a plane crash three weeks before the 1 North solar eclipse.
In previous 1 North eclipses, Charles Lindbergh made the first solo, non-stop transatlantic flight, from New York to Paris, in 33 hours, in 1927; and in 1909 a major earthquake destroyed Acapulco, two weeks after the eclipse. The next eclipse in this series occurred in August 1999, in the midst of the Balkans Kosovar crisis, with NATO forces, at war for the first time since 1945, trying to halt the Serbian ethnic cleansing and genocide of Albanians. One further on in August 2017 was in the midst of Trump turmoil and Charlottesville ‘Unite the Right’ rally including neo-nazis and klansmen which exploded into violence and was not condemned by Trump. North Korea was also on red alert with the USA but backed down.
John F Kennedy Jnr 25 November 1960 12.22am Washington, DC, had a 3rd house Sagittarius Sun square Pluto in his 12th; with an Aquarius Moon opposition a 12th house Uranus and a can-be-destructive Mars opposition Saturn. Not a settled temperament, for sure, feeling trapped and desperate to be free as well as resenting the inherent unfairness of his life.
When he was killed on 16 July 1999 at around 9.39pm Martha’s Vineyard, his Solar Arc Midheaven was exactly conjunct his Mars tugging on his accident-prone opposition to his Saturn; with his Solar Arc Pluto approaching the square to his Mars -very high risk. His Solar Arc Mars was just over the conjunction to his Uranus and exactly opposition his Moon. And tr Pluto was conjunct his IC, arguably tapping into his family’s past. A fraught period.
Carolyn Bessette, 7 January 1966 8.45am White Plains, New York, despite her cool, sophisticated appearance was not an easy temperament either. She had a 12th house Capricorn Sun opposition a 6th house Cancer Moon (a hint of her parents’ split marriage) and her Moon was in a self-protective, private Water Grand Trine to Neptune trine Saturn. That Grand Trine focused onto two Kites with an 8th house Uranus Pluto opposition her Saturn and a 6th house Moon as the other driving planet. Quite a complicated personality with a good deal of inner turmoil. Though all fronted up with an outgoing, confident Jupiter in her 5th and a passionately enthusiastic Venus Mars conjunct her Ascendant.
When she died her Solar Arc Sun was square her Neptune and she had two mixed yods – of Uranus Pluto sextile Moon inconjunct her Solar Arc Sun; and SA Sun sextile SA Saturn inconjunct Uranus Pluto – so she’d be in the midst of a lost phase of her life not knowing what she wanted or what would come next.
On the synastry between them his Mars conjunct her Moon would lead to scratchy domestic arguments. Her Uranus Pluto in his 7th and his Saturn in her 7th would not make for harmonious togetherness. Her Sun conjunct his Saturn in the 5th and opposition his Mars would not improve her self-confidence. His Sun conjunct her Midheaven and South Node and her Jupiter in his 10th hint that status and appearances would be an important part of the attraction between them.
Their relationship chart does not have much going for it either.
What is fascinating – in a grim way – is his Mars opposition Saturn which in traditional astrology was associated with assassination. In modern times it can appear in the charts of those who lose a parent early on (for non-violent reasons, I mean). His Mars Saturn opposition would have drawn to exact by Solar Arc when his father was shot in 1963. And when he died himself in 1999 his Mars was triggered by his Solar Arc Midheaven. His wife was also intimately tied into his Mars Saturn having her Capricorn Sun opposition Moon sitting on top of it. And his Sun/Moon midpoint at 15 degrees Capricorn, his marriage signifier, was in close aspect to his Mars Saturn as well hinting at marital disharmony.
A fated entanglement.
I wondered if a station of Mercury, ruling JFK Jr’s Virgo ASC, might be involved in his July 16 accident timing…
Check out transiting Mercury (Leo) turning retrograde, on July 13, as it squared JFK Jr.’s natal Neptune (Scorpio). Adding trigger potential with a fitting reflection for problematic confusion, misunderstanding, or his spatial disorientation (the official cause of the crash).
I don’t know – he didn’t seem like a bad guy. It is just that he doesn’t send that kind of vibe, especially when he smiles.
Any thoughts on Robert Kennedy jnr? who is running for president.
I’d like to know more about Robert Kennedy jr too. Especially as he has his Jupiter return around the election date.
I read an analysis of this crash years ago. My understanding is that he exceeded the limits of his flight ability and tempted the fates. He had no business flying at night, not sure if he was even rated for it. They got a late start. It ended badly. Low hours, limited ability, combined with overconfidence is a bad end. Understanding limits – entirely preventable – I would put that back to Saturn. Icarus – too close to the Sun.
https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/john-f-kennedy-jr-s-limited-flying-skills-may-have-led-to-death/
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2003/08/john-f-kennedy-jr-carolyn-bessette-divorce-drugs-scandal
I remember this article being pretty accurate about their temperaments and lifestyles, or so said those in the fashion world that knew them.
Her parents actually sued the Kennedy’s for wrongful death, even though their daughter was demanding and delayed the flight — gossip about a manicure or something at the time, but everyone said she was trying to score cocaine for the weekend.
I find something very Neptunian about their “glossy” image, not to mention the watery deaths.
Thanks for posting that – its really interesting.
I stand corrected; it appears that it was CBK was the secretive one with all the problems. Looking at the natal chart of Bergin, strikes me that she was almost certainly keener on Bergin than her husband. Caps do seem often to be enamoured of Pisces.
I felt exactly the same about the neptunian quality of their relationship – an awful lot of self-deception and illusory self-imagery reaching a kind of foggy final climax in the sea at night. A real Greek tragedy.
The occult Crowley-esque numerology is also pertinent – 7/16 = 7/7 = major transition or flight from one state of being to another.
There is also her sister on the flight. Would also be an interesting chart. My mother became seriously ill about the time of this and it affected her speech..it was the last comment she made to me regarding current events..Her words…me “what do you think about John Junior”….her words “terrible.”
The dwad chart is created by multiplying all natal planets by 13. This gives the
12th part of each natal chart. Here is a biwheel of Kennedy Jr’s natal with the
dwad chart on the outer wheel. The number 12 gives sorrow, undoing.
The biwheel shows the promise of the natal for the demise of both father and son.
https://ibb.co/mB7RyyM
A total mismatch. His Merc/Mars placements were never going to vibe with her Merc/Mars placements. Her Merc (communication style) was in direct, and up-front Sagittarius whilst his was in Covert Ops Scorpio and the stealth-like debilitated Mars Cancer wouldve added to her confusion. All that Air of hers was never really going to enjoy that rather clingy and possessive emotional energy. Marjorie hit the nail on the head re ‘status and appearances would be an important part of the attraction between them’. It was as if they married each other because of an idea about the sort of person they thought they should be with and wanted to be seen with – trophy-esqe. They were aesthetically attracted but rather foolishly chose to ignore the painfully obvious lack of compatibility and kidded themselves that they could make it work. I guess they were both aware that they were not exactly spring chickens anymore either. They were often seen rowing in public. I suspect that she was more disgruntled with him than he with her. That Cancer moon needs some careful handling.
Tragic ending – so much unfulfilled potential and to have died just 5 years after his mother.
My husband and I met later in life.. he 56 and me 49. We had each, separately, been through a lot of tough stuff and each came to the table with a fair amount of emotional intelligence. I had looked at his astrology chart at the start… captivated by his Moon conj my Sun in Cancer (yay) and he a Cap, me a Cancer.. worked well. Felt fated, actually.
Around 18 months (always a key time in a newer relationship, I think), we smacked hard into communication troubles. A complete surprise and shocking for our hearts and that lovely Cancerian luminary connection!
My Mars in Aries is square his Merc in Cap. His Mars in Aquarius is opp my Merc in Leo!
His Merc is in Cap retrograde. My Merc is in Leo conj Uranus.
It’s been 16 years now and we have a very solid relationship. However, that Mercury/Mars connection will still bite us… I hear a “tone” in his voice… he in mine. He thinks soooo slowly!!!.. and me?… I’m like “220 volts” as one astrologer said! It’s a very good thing we have a great sense of humour between us.. plus that Moon/Sun in Cancer connection. We can find our way back to our centres fairly quickly now…. and?… We both recognize that this part of our relationship is a deep learning for each of us. It always comes as a shock… a blind side for sure. Our composite Mercury ends up in Libra next to Neptune, so we experience that as a kind of “goal”… a place that will happen eventually, if we hang in there together!
If we were not who we were, this would end the relationship for sure!
Add to this mix…
His Chiron is at 25 Sag, directly on my Asc.
My Chiron is at 22 Aqu, directly on his Asc!!
Before I saw this, my husband had commented once…
“I know what we are doing”, he said, “we are waking up each other’s wounds so they can heal.”
He’s quite the guy.
And astrology has been SO helpful to us in navigating this corner of our combined charts.
I think the Merc and Mars placements are often overlooked when thinking about relationships. The comms style is really important – like you say, its a tone and its so easy when its Fire with Air. I’m Merc in Sag so I get you. A fiery Merc goes at 90 miles an hour. Merc in Cap isn’t that bad – try Merc in Taurus! Its impossible! Like pulling teeth. I have to take a lot of deep breaths to stay calm! Lol.
merc in 12th house aries – I find myself tongue tied, jumbled, or pithy? Coming out of nowhere too. Less over the years 🙂
“In early 2004, Bergin published a book about his relationship with Bessette, The Other Man, claiming that they continued a sexual affair during the time Bessette was dating Kennedy and during their marriage.”
This is a line from Michael Bergin’s Wikipedia biography. He was a pretty famous model ans is now an estate agent in Beverly Hills.
18 March 1969, Waterbury, Connecticut, is his birth data.
Marjorie you have John marrying at three. A tad young even for the daredevils!
What do you think of their astrology?
The astrology might just be typed into words what I kind of got as an impression from the pictures of the two looking at them now, so many years after the plane crash happened. I don’t really think they were meant for each other or, better, that they were a good fit. And the astrology confirms it. I remember it as a big event when the accident happened and have this impression the two were seen as unfortunate and tragic lovers and immensely gorgeous people.
She really does have that difficult now for me to pin down quality of an Aquarius rising: pale, blonde, with these pale blue eyes, very airy, very ethereal, also slim and tall, with a certain otherworldly quality about her.
She had Venus (conjunct Mars) in Aquarius, yet her fashion choices seemed very Capricornian to me, something she was known for.
Hi. My child is Aq Asc and he is tall with an ethereal quality. Carolyn was not a natural blonde, though.