A very sad case

Some of you may be aware of the case of Susan Torres the premature baby born on 2nd of August in Arlington, Virginia . From what I understand the situatation is as follows:

Susan's mother fell into a coma seven months ago
due to an undiagnosed melanoma which had spread to her
brain. The husband opted to keep his wife's body
alive on machines until such time as the baby became
viable. On August 2, the mother's blood pressure
dipped dangerously low and doctors took the baby by
C-section; she weighed only 1 lb 13
oz.

She was born 8:18 AM EDT, August 2
2005, in Arlington, Virginia. (77W07 and 38N53). Arlington is a rather large area so these coordinates may not be precise.

The case was mentioned to me in an email by a good friend in the US. When I cast the chart for the birth I forgot that I had been playing around with whole Sign Houses, rather than my usual Placidus cusps. I was part the way into the analysis before I noticed, so I continued using the Whole Sign approach. For those intrested in the Charts I have posted both the Whole Sign Chart and the Placidus Chart at:

http://minderwiz.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/HWA/Charts.htm

My friend, a retired professional Astrologer, said that the chart clearly showed the peril that the baby was in. I'd be interested in any comments and insights you have on the chart or any feelings about how Astrology could indicate such a peril. In particular - Do you think that she will survive?

Here is the interpretation that I did using whole sign approaches. It's quite traditional in approach but does make use of the outer planets.

Mercury as Ascendant ruler, is combust and retrograde, indirectly afflicted by Saturn, via the Sun. Saturn rules the sixth House in my chart – just to add to the suffering. Saturn is in detriment and combust, which might make it more malefic but is also in Hayz – the latter should reduce the malefic effect but is still demonstrates a sickly birth, and the life threatening circumstances.

Worse still, Mars rules the eighth in my chart and Mars squares Saturn and the Part of Fortune (and indirectly the Sun). Mars does trine the Ascendant but a trine from a malefic is simply not a good sign. Mars out of sect (according to the Arabs) being diurnally placed, in a feminine sign and also in detriment in Taurus. If we take weak malefics as being inclined to be more malefic still, this is not good. So we have an Ascendant ruler indirectly (through the Mercury / Sun / Saturn conjunction) afflicted by the ruler of the sixth and the ruler of the eighth and through combustion, the ruler of the twelfth!!! This does not suggest survival. Mercury is also opposed by retrograde Neptune. Establishing an identity is likely to be difficult.

There is some support from the trine from Jupiter, but Jupiter in its own terns in Libra but it is conjunct the South Node (which also sextiles Mercury). Jupiter also rules the fourth House of father – a father’s love but not really enough to have a major impact on the outcome. Jupiter also rules the ninth – the father probably has strong religious feelings and with Pluto in the fourth these may be very intense. Indeed Pluto opposes the MC (also sadly ruled by Mercury).

The Sun is conjunct the malefic Saturn, though the Sun is in Leo and Saturn is in detriment and the Sun is also placed in the unfortunate twelfth. A Leo Sun will not give up easily, so there is something of a ray of hope here. The Mars / Saturn square may have an indirectly negative effect through the Saturn / Sun conjunction. The opposition of Neptune again stresses the difficulty facing Susan, in becoming an individual part of creation. The twelfth House also birth symbolises not so much the birth in a hospital (common place) but the birth in intensive care (or even higher level of care).

The Moon is diurnally placed (a sign of some weakness) in a diurnal chart but in Cancer gains essential dignity. I’ve taken the diurnal placement as symbolising the dying mother but the Cancer placement as providing the nurturing that has led to at least a limited survival. The Moon / Uranus trine is a symbol of the unusual not to say revolutionary (unprecedented) nature of the birth.

The only really favourable sign I see is Venus. Venus is in the first House, nocturually placed (below thehorizon) and in a feminine sign (Virgo). She is oriental of the Sun (Venus is the Evening Star). and rules the Earth Triplicity in day births. Venus sextiles the Moon and is conjunct to the Ascendant. She has a fair amount of essential and accidental dignity. Her rulership and friendship with Mars, and Jupiter may weaken the malefic nature of Mars and increase the benefic value of Jupiter.

The chart shows the reality – the odds are heavily stacked against survival, however there are a couple of rays of hope.

Addendum

I have made use of the difference between Day (diurnal) and Night (nocturnal) charts.

This is a Day Chart (the Sun is above the horizon). Some planets work more easily in Day time compared to Night. Saturn is a diurnal planet so in a day chart it is best above the horizon (which it is in this case) and best in a dirunal sign (Fire or Air) which it is. This situation where a planet is in a chart of its own sect, placed according to sect and in a sign of its own sect is called Hayz.

Other planets work better at night - Mars is a nocturnal planet and works best below the horizon in a day chart. Unfortunately here it is the most elevated planet. The Arab Astrologers would prefer Mars to be in a Masculine sign (Fire or Air) but it is in Taurus. This suggests that Mars energy will have difficulty being used.

Diurnal planets are Sun, Jupiter and Saturn. Nocturnal planets are Moon, Mars and Venus. Mercury is generally neutral.

Minderwz, this is indeed a very sad case and I think you have delineated the chart beautifully.

Yahoo News originally reported that the mother went into a coma seven months ago, but CNN reports that she actually went unconscious in May, and that information has since been corroborated by other news sources. This doesn't affect the baby's birth data in any way, but for the sake of correctness I want to amend my original e-mail to you about the case.

- Well, w/Placidus, the ruler of 8th changes to Jupiter which sextiles sun/Merc which is a sight better than having Mars as the ruler! Jupiter also loosely conj the south node. I'm not sure how to interpret this as I have also read that Jupiter transits are often emphasized in death charts.

- Mars trine ASC, Uran opposite ASC could point towards the surgical nature/emergency of the C-section.

- in a life or death situation, I'm going to look for Pluto's power of regeneration. Even though he's retrograde, he's in an angular house, making a wide trine to the chart ruler and north node. That's the ray of hope I see in this chart.

There might be some early development problems, hearing, eyesight, brain development in general associated with mercury retrograde in this situation, which is by no means any kind of indicator of what might occur down the road. She might not talk until a later time in her life and leo mercury retrograde promotes artistic endevours with jupiter in libra, there could be a great deal of gain for her at an earlier age than most.

Yes I agree Paradoxx - the aflicted Mercury (Mind and communication skills) and the Neptune oppostion to Sun (physical brain) and Mercury suggests that if survival occurs there's a good chance that there will be problems, possible brain damage at worst but difficulties in expressing the identity and that can mean difficulties with speech and other forms of communication. A remoter possibility might be Autism, as the Sun is the Twelfth ruler in both charts - a sort of self imprisonment.

Isthmus - some good points - the Plaacidus houses do alleviate a little but the main afflictions to Mercury remain - Combust, Retrogade, Conjunct Saturn, Squared by Mars indirectly.

Classically the physician is ruled by the seventh, which in both charts is ruled by Jupiter - Juptier has both some dignity and some affliction - the doctors are limited in what they can do but do have some power to intervene. The tenth shows the medicine or treatment. In both cases the tenth is ruled by the debilitated Mercury. The treatment is not particularly strong in these circumstances. The outcome is shown by the fourth - ruled by Jupiter in both charts - again not particularly good but on the other hand by no means totally hopeless. I'd take Pluto as representing some crisis here. The crisis could turn either way but it will be sudden, dramatic and life changing - for better or worse.

There are so many testamonies of death in this chart that a medieval or seventeenth century Astrologer would be in no doubt as to the outcome - and they would be right (if the birth was a seventeenth century one, or even a mid to late twentieth century one). The ability of modern medicine to sustain life or at least a semblance of life is the main reason that I'm not certain of the outcome and take the rays of hope as real possibilities.

The quality of any continuance of life is perhaps another matter - though again we might look for possible sources of spiritual strength.