The Colorado Shooting July 2012-A tragedy waiting to happen
James Holmes. The Colorado Theatre Shooting July 20 2012. A tragedy waiting to happen.
I have been asked by a few to look at his chart and frankly, I haven’t really had the interest as I was particularly traumatized from this event feeling rather sick before and after and feel like I have to scrub myself after studying these brutal charts however they are pressing with all the strong energy and always a good exercise to understand the dynamics surrounding such horrendous cases. As pointed out in my New Moon in Cancer post July 18 just before the shooting and after the fires in Colorado, the Sabian Symbol “A storm in a canyon” really resonated with tragedy in Colorado known for its mountains and canyons.
I anticipated something violent could transpire with the Mars Uranus Pluto tsquare. I had indicated that one should consider staying out of dark alleys but never would I have imagined a dark theatre. But of course with Mercury retrograde in Leo-Leo = performance and the Moon Leo triggering the event, it now all makes perfect sense. The night of the event I couldn’t sleep- I had pain in my chest and felt very ill- a strong heaviness that felt like a sense of foreboding. My dreams were terribly chaotic. I have witnessed and been around enough violence in my life and I understand the reality around it. I know what can happen and I know what humans are capable of when pushed whether emotionally, psychologically or mentally.
James natal chart and aspects speak volumes of a very difficult emotional nature. The first place I look at in any chart reading is the nature of the Moon as it colors the entire barometer of the chart. Our emotional nature holds the cards in how we react and respond to life and challenges. The thought of how difficult it must have been for him to contain that Moon Virgo energy square almost every place with only a trine to Venus.
Moon squares to Sun, Chiron, Saturn, Uranus have got to be the most difficult aspects to have natally but to have all of them with the Moon on his south node is enough to understand the anguish going on internally. It doesn’t surprise me the genius or intelligence of this energy. I am very curious as to when it began to snap.
Anytime you look at a chart you have to look at both sides. Every energy has a light and dark side however James multiple afflicted aspects add up to a disaster. Obviously everyone born during this time is not going to exhibit the same behavior. Each individual has a choice how they use their energies and each come from unique environments that shape their development.
We don’t have the time of birth for James either but if I saw this chart I would be interested to know how this person was managing the energy as it is truly energy that could be very toxic -an internal pressure cooker. Sun Saturn Uranus creates a grand square with Chiron and the Moon and the nodal axis, Mars conjunct Pluto, Venus square Jupiter-these are major afflictions.
Sagittarius dark side is extreme over the edge if given the right triggers. The Sun Saturn signature alone points to a serious and reticent nature-Saturn tending to a solitary nature square Moon in Virgo which further tends to a hermit existence and isolation. The Sagittarius Sun Saturn adding Uranus just adds the explosive and rebellious side to the quiet calculating side in expansive and overstepping bounds while percolating twitchy boiling points revealing an erupting volcano.
Sun Saturn Uranus stellium in Sagittarius. Many at first look at this fiery energy with all the trines to Jupiter and aspects to Jupiter and think-happy go lucky, open, expressive, unique, disciplined, expansive, honest, truth seeking…and not so dark. The truth is that is a dangerous assumption. I have seen more murderers and serial killers with many trines and easy aspects that just give an easy way to let the energy slide into gear. Give that energy a shove and its free reign territory.
With his Sun Saturn Uranus trine Jupiter you can see where the hard energy had a moving least path to resistance. Anytime you see a chart with such hard energy between Sun Moon, Moon Saturn or Moon Uranus and then you see an easy out with a trine to all with Jupiter-his chart ruler that-you can see where the energy can let loose. Venus square Jupiter further amps the Sagittarius fervor-Jupiter ruling Sagittarius in a square aspect to Venus showing further over the top stepping over the edge, lacking in boundaries.
Mars Pluto in Scorpio is at the midpoint between the Sagittarius stellium and the Moon in Virgo. Mars Pluto unto itself is a very tricky energy. Mars and Pluto are the planets of primal aggression, anger, fear and destruction. Pluto ruled Scorpio, in its home -a fixed energy that once it sets itself on a path, it’s a ruthless mission. Mars Pluto is the signature dark night energy which can work for both good or ill. This energy has to be channeled and transformed.
The transiting Mars Uranus Pluto tsquare was activating his natal signature of Mars Pluto Scorpio. Usually the transits that transpose a natal signature bring out dormant energies-here the sleeping serpent of Mars Pluto Scorpio. His Mars Pluto has no hard energy to stop it as it sextiles Neptune again showing how this energy had a free run/ no strong challenging energy to stop it-a fallout to let it fly free unencumbered.
Such potent energy as this is a walking time bomb as anytime there are transits or progressions to it, its explosiveness bursts with no mitigating energy to harness it such as soft trines or sextiles. Transit Pluto was edging to sextile Mars Pluto-raring to go-transit Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto created two YODs to his Pluto Mars-something had to give.
Black Moon Lilith is in Leo square his Mars Pluto aspect. This heightens the dark disturbing side to the retribution, revenge, rage and rampage. Transiting Lilith is sitting at 24 degrees Taurus close to Algol one of the most unfortunate fixed stars. This is a nasty line up of two of the most darkest energies coming together. Transiting Lucifer is at 17 degrees Scorpio-having transiting Lucifer in the sign ruled by Pluto adds further punch and mayhem to the mix.
Mercury Leo retrograde with the transiting Moon in Leo triggered the whole chart after midnight over his Black Moon Lilith (BML) during the shooting. Transit Moon Mercury was also semisquare his Chiron and the nodal axis and Moon over another midpoint – The Moon Mercury Leo triggered several stressful points in the chart.
The fact that this was planned, you have to wonder how the timing was so perfectly orchestrated. James sent a notebook of his plans to a psychiatrist a week before but it sat in the post room and didn’t reach the psychiatrist until a few days after the event! Talk about Mercury retrograde. The event chart further showed the rare diamond formation and 3 YOD’s – loaded aspects containing several aspects – a cradle, tsquare, sextiles, trines, oppositions, square, YODs. Jupiter was sesquisquare Saturn adding the stress between boundaries and excess.
This Sagittarius stellium was activated by eclipses in the last year –particularly June 2011. Something may have cracked at that point. – the recent New Moon in Gemini June 2012 was a very powerful trigger as it hit his Chiron setting off the entire grand square. The Solar eclipse in May hit his progressed Mars drawing out the rage.
When you look at the transits in the last few years you can see how this psychosis or mental instability could have developed. 2004-2012, transit Pluto over was over his stellium. Pluto is relentless and dragging over 5 points over such a long period of time for someone at such a ripe age would be extremely tense. 2008-2012, Transit Uranus/Saturn was square the stellium which would have been a time of radical, rebellious, stern and harsh circumstances and events.
Pluto square Uranus is now triggering his Neptune in Capricorn-the last point to his stellium-Neptune indicative of delusion and distortion and crash and burn which shows the slide his mindset took to dark and disturbing turns. Saturn has been square his Venus the last year also adding a layer of depressive and dismal reality tests. Further Neptune transiting square his progressed Mars the last year would have added further confusion. Transiting nodes square transit Neptune during the event added the final nail on the sinking coffin. Neptune’s influence unleashed and unraveled the tightly wound raging beast.
The progressed chart has a grand trine in fire-throwing gas on fire. Again the fire let loose into a frenzy of rash action. His behavior is akin to a fire out of control, run amok-trigger happy gun storm. The progressed chart is poignant with one point particularly. Lucifer has been coming up in my readings lately, the devil card in the tarot as well as the tower. I see these as warnings that often come up before a tragedy or traumatic event.
His Lucifer progressed to Sagittarius over his Uranus and square his nodal axis-that in itself tells much for shock and sudden violence. The signature of the event was Uranus with the sudden brutal shocking trauma-again bringing up the theme of transit Mars Uranus Pluto. Lucifer progressed to the point over of the fixed star (Galactic Center-27 degrees Sagittarius where his Uranus resides). This Galactic Center is what is coming up in many of the Mayan writings about the December 2012 event with the Galactic Center line up. This is a black hole in the center of our Universe. The earth is believed to be crossing the galactic equator. Earth sky article.
The studies on the fine line of genius and lunacy. There are also studies of a link of marijuana to schizophrenia especially in that age group. The studies indicate that marijuana when smoked by developing brains can later develop schizophrenia. I have a few friends whose children went through this- a very terrifying scenario. While I support usage of marijuana for medicinal and in some recreation purpose – safer than other drugs, the street marijuana is highly laced with THC. The problem is kids don’t just have a puff or two-they are smoking excess amounts.
The real tragedy is the fear being spawned and spurring such a rampage of gun purchasing. And not to intend to spin this off into a conspiracy theory but you have to wonder just as happened after the Great Depression in 1930-war was started that funded many operations and created jobs. What is disconcerting but not startling is how many are going out and buying guns now.
While I respect the need to bear arms to protect yourself (if we have rights to bear arms than why didn’t anyone have a gun at the theater and blow him down before things got out of control-where was the protection when you needed it?) What I don’t get is it seemed he was shopping at the bulk bin buying hordes of ammunition and military rifles (a shopping spree on his student grant money) with such lax control as to how much you can purchase? Is there no way to detect these purchases and limit them? But the worst seems to be all the desensitization to violence and why parents brought young children and babies to a violent film at midnight -excited and lining up to watch such violence. But I digress…Michael Moore.