Natalie Wood-Fated and karmic love bonds
Happy Birthday Natalie-Born July 20, 1938
Natalie Wood, Hollywood’s Splendor who died of an apparent accidental drowning, off the coast of Catalina Island in California, November 29, 1981 while spending time on their yacht, was in the news in the last year with a reopening of her case and further investigation around her death as there was information that came forward that was kept quiet surrounding the incident. I wrote and did my research at that time however it has been very quiet and seemingly put to rest since then although it was reported recently that her death certificate was changed from accidental death to undetermined.
The revisiting of this case is a vivid and very indicative case of a Saturn return cycle of 28 years as her death occurred during the last Saturn in Libra cycle. This cycle represents a reaping period of what was sown back during its cycle in 1981. Saturn in Libra represents the reaping connected to relationships (Libra) and balancing the scales-something is being required to bring fairness. Saturn Pluto reached a critical juncture at the time of Natalie’s death. Saturn and Pluto were in Libra in a conjunction in 1981 and in the last year have just passed the critical marker of a square. This indicates the past coming back to haunt the present with a crisis regarding an event that began during the Saturn Pluto conjunction.
The reopening of this case November 2011 and revisiting of a death of the past also comes up during a Mercury retrograde period just as Mars moved toward a retrograde and being in eclipse energy. This shows tremendous focus on the past coming forward. There are so many striking pieces to this puzzle and gaps in the story as there never seemed to be complete closure related to her death. Looking at Natalie’s chart alone is enough to show many points related to the event. The eclipse energy is focusing on Natalie’s 8th house (death) and the lunar eclipse in her 9th house (legal)3rd house (siblings) Sagittarius and Jupiter rules her 3rdhouse of siblings showing her sister coming forward wanting some type of justice as the Captain of the boat also had confessions from the past.
The transits in 2011 shine some light on the interest to revisit this event. The transit of Uranus at 0 Aries. The Sabian Symbol: A woman rises out of water, a seal rises and embraces her”. Keyword is “Realization”. Reminds me of the movie “What lies Beneath” where a ghost comes back to haunt her murderer’s wife to reveal her drowned body. Transit Neptune just moved direct. Neptune represents secrets, hidden agenda and the past and here may reveal hidden information from the past about a Neptune event-drowning. Neptune had been stationing at 28 degrees Aquarius-The Sabian Symbol-“A Butterfly emerging from the chrysalis…a nascent eagerness of the conscious self for a complete or effective grasp of all possible knowledge”.
Natal Jupiter is in Pisces in Natalie’s 5th house of recreational activity-boating. Transit Chiron and Neptune are over her 5th house Jupiter Pisces-Pisces represents the past and secrets and you can see how secret wounds (Chiron) of the past around something water related (Neptune Chiron Pisces) are brought forward. The eclipses are also impacting Robert’s (RJ) Neptune showing issues coming up regarding water/drowning/the past/hidden. Natalies’s progressed Moon at the time of the drowning was at 13 degrees Sagittarius, the degree point of the nodal axis in the eclipses in 2011 which indicates the present pulled to the past as well as the past moving to the present. Transit Dark Moon Lilith was in Aries just edging to square her Cancer stellium which can show the dark ugliness of the truth and finding justice, coming back to haunt from the past.
Studying a chart in hindsight is always enlightening as you see energy patterns manifest although energy can manifest in a multitude of ways and usually it’s rare to see the most dire results. This event demonstrates the hand of fate even though it seems it may have been prevented with all the markers. It was no secret that Natalie had a deep fear and phobia of dark waters and couldn’t swim and was apparently told by a gypsy then quite young she would die as a result of drowning which gave her nightmares throughout her life. It is unfortunate this kind of information was given to a young child at such an impressional age. It makes you wonder about a self fulfilling prophecy.
Natalie apparently drowned after falling out of a dingy which is what is being questioned making you wonder how she ended up in a dingy late at night with that fear or phobia. Especially puzzling is who would go out on a boat in late November with this type of fear when it is so dark and cold although with transiting Saturn and Pluto straining her Cancer stellium-you can see the astrological reasoning. She was found in her PJ’s and housecoat and apparently she was pristine about her appearance never going anywhere without her makeup or being dressed well.
There are several charts to look at such as Natalie’s natal chart, the relationship/synastry chart with RJ (Robert Wagner), the event chart and the transits/progressions at the time. Looking at every chart with every angle combing over all the clues puts all the pieces of the puzzle together. Natalie was born with a very intense stellium in Cancer -Sun Mars Pluto in a square to Saturn in Aries/Moon Taurus in her 7th house pointing to difficult and complicated-challenging relationships. This stellium and many markers comes up continuously throughout all the charts whether in the synastry, composite, event chart or the transiting/progressed charts. Natalie’s chart becomes a symbol of the times where we see how Mars Pluto can manifest so tragically.
Natalie has Neptune in her 12th house (Neptune is the natural ruler of the 12th house-house of the hidden, water, secrets). She has Uranus in the 8th house on her south node (energy over the south node shows a weakness and undoing, unraveling of sorts and Uranus rules over sudden (freak) accidents. With a square to her Mercury you can see quite a bit of vulnerability around accidents. The fixed stars over her late Cancer stellium, especially Aludra point to fear and danger in the dark-her fear of dark waters. I am sure what the gypsy saw was this Neptune and Uranus signature.
The transits and progressions during the event were extremely harsh on Natalie. Eclipses were over Natalie’s Sun Mars Pluto in 1981 which show her Neptune in the 12th house (Neptune water-drowning 8th). The eclipses over her Cancer Sun Mars Pluto were strained by transit Pluto and Saturn in Libra. Eclipses over our personal planets signify turning points through a cycle that equate with cross roads and changing directions. The eclipses at that time square Pluto Saturn show extreme shifts. A Moon cycle would be very intense for Natalie who was strongly lunar with her Sun Mars Pluto in Cancer. That is a potentially volatile mix with Mars and Pluto in a very emotional sign of Cancer.
Mars and Pluto seem to regularly equate with some type of crisis and trauma and potential violence. This Cancer stellium has no support in her natal chart and is stressed by her Moon-further showing emotional trauma in her life. Venus is her chart ruler-the chart ruler connects to our physical body. Transit Venus was oppose the Cancer stellium. Most poignant is transiting Saturn Pluto in Libra in her 1st house showing potential trauma and force on her physical body. These transits were not only square her Cancer Sun Mars Pluto stellium but oppose her natal Saturn in the 7th house of relationships which shows how much this event was connected to her relationships. Because her natal Saturn is in the 7th house of partners square her Cancer stellium shows very strong tension/power struggles and anger (Mars) in her relationships as well. It shows attracting much passion and fireworks which has its love hate (Mars) cold, harsh (Saturn) components to it.
Transit Jupiter in Scorpio was also part of the stellium transiting in her 1sthouse as it opposed her Moon in the 7th. This would have shown further excess activity and something getting out of hand emotionally (Moon) in her relationships (7th house). Venus is the ruler of her chart as well as the ruler of her 8th house (crisis, jealousy, intensity, death). Progressed Venus was in her 1st house of her physical body also square her Cancer stellium over transit Pluto and Saturn which shows very powerful strain on her at the time . Being Venus rules her chart represents her in such stress with much angst psychically she was trying to grapple with-with Mars and, Pluto, anger and rage. Uranus rules accidents and in her 8th house showed her fate come to fruition.
Progressed Mars and Mercury were square natal Neptune in the 12th house showing vulnerability around water with drowning-Mars may have indicated some type of confusion and distortion in her actions in association with Neptune, Mercury square Neptune-not thinking clearly. Transit Chiron was in her 8th house over Uranus showing wounding and suffering. Transit Neptune and the Moon were in her 3rd house-the 3rd house is the house of accidents and both square her Neptune in the 12th, again showing accidents around water related circumstances. Progressed Mercury was oppose Jupiter and transit Mercury Uranus square Jupiter Pisces in her 5th –house of recreation- boating. Jupiter in the 5th house is in Pisces showing her recreational activity to be tied to boating (Pisces). Suffice it to say, this so called accident was the perfect storm.
It is no secret the complicated relationship and difficulties they had. RJ (Robert Wagner) wrote much about his experience in his autobiography and even blames himself for Natalie’s death. There are also strong rumors there were very hostile arguments the night of her accident. Mars rules her relationships and having Mars with Sun Pluto shows the nature of her relationships as very emotionally charged, passionate and intense, certainly blowing hot and cold with love hate and deep feelings. With the transits and progressions at the time, there was likely much tension around her relationships being easily angered and moved to fits of rage.
You can see the elements of a heated bond in their relationship with such extensive heavy aspects in their synastry (comparison). The connection being so powerful, they actually married twice. It was burdened with conflict and challenge yet a powerful bond hard to break, a fateful and karmic connection that unfolded and unraveled into a collision course toward a tragic ending. While I won’t say there was malicious intent to harm, there was certainly tension and potential problems that needed expression hard pressed to be subdued needing an outlet.
It’s not surprising the stress at the time of the accident. Adding to the fact that both of them have very edgy energy in their own charts and their comparison has many very heavy aspects albeit harsh and complex which are not only passionate but unfortunately antagonistic. Hard aspects are very energetic, dynamic and feel very compelling as well as demanding-in raw terms, dog on a bone. In the best of times the energy would be very exciting stimulating and chemically charged fireworks which explains the draw they had towards each other with the heightened sparks hard to ignore. Her Sun Mars Pluto is oppose his Mars and Mercury which would have added potent stimulating mental energetic exchanges in idealistic positive circumstances but indicate aggravating and volatile passionate arguments during the challenging worst of times.
His Neptune on her Venus would have felt very much like a soul connection, a bond hard to sever. His nodal axis on her Moon/vertex-emotional fulfillment, her nodal axis on his ASC-her direction merged with his identity, her Mercury oppose his Sun Venus-more mental stimulation, his Moon on her Chiron-emotionally wounding and sensitive, his Jupiter square her Venus where he spoiled and doted on her, her Uranus square his Sun Venus. Uranus adds the exciting and scintillating element to their connection and probably what made them separate and come back together adding the on and off erratic quality to the connection. Add the strong Saturn with his Saturn trine her Venus, her Saturn sextile his Sun Venus which would have added the commitment and longevity as well as the responsibility and commitment in their connection.
The complexity of their connection shows with so many strong binding aspects. The nodal axis is very strong in their connection which adds to their fated connection, a paradox of love and passion, yet torment and pain. The nodal axis is connected to eclipses and eclipses were strong the year of the event affecting them both. His Sun Venus square her nodal axis, particularly her south node on her Uranus in her 8th house which points to the cross current to her accident around her death. This type of connection shows how the influence of his energy straining her Uranus activates the potential in her chart-hence the Uranus accidental potential.
RJ has a very hard tsquare that also stresses her ASC/DESC with his Uranus over her DESC and his Saturn square her ASC/DESC. This shows how his energy strained her ASC (physical body)-with Uranus again the accidental influence. It’s akin to getting into a car with a drunk driver. His Pluto Cancer square her 7th house Saturn which also points to very difficult controlling and possible smothering energy that may have driven Natalie literally over the edge. At the time of the accident transit Saturn was exactly strain this point, oppose her Saturn and square his Pluto.
Looking deeper at RJ’s chart, he has his tsquare Saturn Uranus Moon up with transit Pluto moving into orb on his Saturn (June 2012) with his Uranus return. Transit Pluto will square Uranus, transit Uranus will square Saturn which shows sudden traumatic changes. If anything this could surely put alot of stress on him at this age. His chart ruler is Pluto which signifies his physical body. He also has eclipses impacting his Scorpio ASC next year as they strain his Sun/Venus. Neptune is also oppose his Neptune/MC which shows the very public nature of this as hidden, secret information becoming exposed. The nature of Neptune is dubious where he could also be used as a pawn or have to take a stab due to others seeking to profit. His chart ruler Pluto is in his 8th house- Pluto is notorious for power struggles, jealousy and dominance. His Pluto had eclipses the year of the event showing some type of crisis and trauma.
RJ progressed chart the year of the accident was highly stressed with his Sun moved to join Mercury and Uranus which stressed his Saturn. That shows potential to feel restricted, denied, resentful and rejected. With Natalie having popularity and attention with her movie at the time and a friendship with her co star on the boat that weekend, it all fits together as a cocktail of conflict of interest. His progressed ASC at the time is connected to the current transit of Pluto which ties a strong link from the past to the present. Venus is the ruler of his relationships which explains his relationship with Natalie with her having a Libra ASC/rising.
Mercury rules his 8th house and his Mercury was very strongly impacted during the event by transit Pluto and Saturn as well as eclipses particularly the south node point of the eclipse showing a loss. Mercury is key for RJ being he is under question. Mercury depicts communication and in Capricorn with so much strain from Saturn and Pluto could show angry and hostile communications where the information coming forward is he refused to take measures to have a search party go look for Natalie once she went missing.
The progressed composite relationship chart at the time of the accident was extremely ominous and is what would have sent alarm bells ringing for me. Venus Pluto in Cancer in the 8th house (passion, jealousy, emotional intensity) semisquare to Neptune exactly square by transit Pluto opposing RJ Mercury 24 Capricorn. Chiron was on the DESC (relationship cusp) exactly square Neptune which shows tremendous wounding around relationships tied into deception, dubious forces including anything surrounding water.
The lunar eclipse in July 1981 at 24 degrees Cancer/Capricorn hit the nail on the head. There are several fixed stars around this degree point indicative of drowning. Venus Pluto is also square Uranus which is in the 5thhouse –the 5th house represents recreational activity and Uranus accidents. The chart symbolizes the energy merged that pointed toward this type of incident manifesting. The Moon was square Mars indicating emotional frustration and possible arguments–the Moon in Pisces in the 3rd house of communication/accidents (Moon in Pisces can show the alcohol influence and Mars Gemini the aggravation and arguments)
The event chart clearly shows tension with Venus square Pluto-jealousy, passionate intense encounters. Venus is in the 5th house (recreational activity-boating). She was filming the movie Brainstorm at the time with Christopher Walken and apparently invited him onto the boat for the weekend-jealousy turned into a fateful love triangle. You can see the attraction and connection with their charts at the time with Christopher’s Sun on her DESC and stressing Robert’s Moon Uranus Saturn tsquare. Christopher’s progressed Moon was over her Cancer stellium. His progressed Sun over her 8th house Uranus -exact in 1981.
Transiting Sun and Lilith in Sagittarius would have shown exaggerated and extensive irritation. Transit Moon Neptune was oppose their composite Sun Mercury again showing much around Neptune energy. Mars was also square Neptune that night which also points to actions (Mars) around water (Neptune) – Mars squaring their composite Sun Mercury – more aggravation that was not tempered or regulated-excess consumption of alcohol that turned into arguments. Mercury and Uranus were joined in Sagittarius as well showing sudden movements and recklessness from heated communications gone amok.