theforensicastrologer

For me, the way I practice it, Forensic Astrology is a  mix of traditional astrology, horary, progressions, fixed stars, arabic parts and special configurations.  In short, it is my chosen field because it embodies all of the aspects of astrology that I have both loved and specialized in.  Not all elements are used in every case but most are used at some time or another.  The main thrust of the work is to allow the chart to do the talking, to go into it with no assumptions and to be open to new interpretations.  In Astrology, as in any other practice, method is an evolving art as study brings new insights.  Nothing is written in stone.  Each event must be handled individually and in some cases more information is needed than in others.  For instance, in looking at a chart that seems to show the subject in a relationship, then the question must be asked and the truth must be known in order to make the chart viable.  And then this brings me to a salient point:  some charts are just not viable and they must be sorted out and left alone.  In the natural order of things, I have certain basics that apply at various times in many different charts and sometimes apply in whole.  I will list these elements here as general rules of thumb or, better put, the basics of the study.

BASIC CHART SET FOR THE HOUR

The first thing you do with the forensic chart is to cast one for the hour, day, year and place of the event, just as you would a horary chart.  Whichever system you choose to use is up to your own experience, although I use traditional Placidus.  But there is no rule of thumb and any method that works for you in other cases will no doubt work for you in the forensic chart as well.

PLACING THE PLANETS

I often stir controversy because of the choices I have made in what planets I consider in a chart.  Because of the nature of the forensic chart, I eschew using new or newly discovered planets merely because none of these are assigned houses in a hourly chart.  In this sort of chart, the only planets that matter to me are those that rule the angles.  Therefor, planets like Chiron have no meaning because they do not rule a sign on the dial.  In other charts, the use of Chiron is acceptable to me and can be very useful.  In forensic charts, I just do not see it as having play.  I also stir controversy in my insistence on considering Pluto, which everybody now disclaims as a planet because NASA has said it isn’t one.  But this is not about NASA or Astronomy or even science.  It is about those planets or entities that have traditionally been assigned houses and rulerships and it is through the archetypes defined by these houses and/ or rulerships that the forensic chart comes alive.  Pluto, as an archetype for various images including violence, mass hysteria, change, disruption and death, is a must have symbol in the death chart and just cannot be discarded.  If they want to come up with another planet to which we can assign these archetypes I would be amenable to working it in and phasing Pluto out.  But, as of today, I still use Pluto for it’s imagery and meaning.

So with these controversies set aside, I will  move into the phase of placing the planets in a forensic chart.  This is done exactly as a natal chart, with planets placed around the dial as they fell at the hour in question.  The planets used are the traditional 10, including the satellite known as the Moon, and they are simply placed in the houses by the chart as already cast.  So, in this, there are no surprises.  Simply place the traditional 10 “planets” in their respective houses and leave it at that.

PLANETARY POSITIONS IN RELATIONS TO THE ANGLES

Here is where the planets begin to have value.  In the forensic chart, aside from the natal or progressed charts, you will be looking for those planets that fall in the angles.  This means the first, fourth, seventh and tenth houses.  You will also be looking the planets that rule these angles.  You must keep the chart interactive at all times, considering each planet in it’s place and how it relates to planets that rule those houses, as well.  For instance, Pluto in the first house while it also rules the fourth house cusp makes it a big player in the chart.  Aspects to and from Pluto in this instance have extreme importance to the outcome of events.  However, Pluto is not always a player, regardless of how much weight you may believe it has in traditional charts.  Pluto in the third house while ruling the eleventh is not very important in the forensic chart.  So what you are looking for as you put the chart together is for the signs on the angles, the planetary ruler of these signs, the planets placed in the angles and aspects to and from these planets.  Venus in the sixth house while ruling the ninth does not seem to have much importance until you realize that it is applying to a trine to the first house ruler.  At this point, Venus takes on importance in it’s aspects to and influence on the chart or angular ruler.

DESIGNATION OF CHART RULERS / CO RULERS

After casting the chart and placing the planets, you then should separate out those planets that rule and reside in the angles.  The first house ruler is the actual chart ruler and designates the subject in question in most cases.  The exception is in a chart drawn for a small child, in which case, the fifth house ruler becomes the first.  In all cases, in EVERY SINGLE forensic chart, the Moon acts as co ruler of the chart and this is regardless of which sign it occupies, what house is it in or it’s relation to the angles.  The Moon is always treated as a ruler, along side and with as much impact as the planet on the first house cusp.  You then establish the seventh house ruler, or descendant, as the “person they are next to meet” or any other person who was present at the time and influential on events.  Again, this is fluid and interactive.  It could be the subject’s husband or wife, close relative, business associate or even a stranger.  It depends on many variables, which you learn to determine with practice.

Once you have the first house, or chart, ruler and the seventh house ruler, you should also establish the fourth and tenth house rulers.  The fourth house designates either the family or the home.  Again, this interactive and fluid and can refer to their family home or relatives, the place where they are currently, or a foundation for the matter as it evolves.  The tenth house ruler designates the public and can mean anything from the public announcement of their death to the fact that they are hanging out in a public place. Again, this is fluid and interactive and changes with interpretation.  These are sensitive points in a forensic chart.  The first house describes the victim, the seventh house often describes the abductor or killer, the tenth house describes what is known about the event and the fourth house describes that hidden place where everything occurred.

I realize that many believe the twelfth and eighth houses have special meanings in forensic charts.  In fact, they don’t.  They come into play where there is interaction between these houses, the cusps, their rulers or planets in these houses ONLY when they interact with planets that rule or reside in the angles.  If you notice that the first house ruler is square to the degree on the cusp of the eighth, then this aspect has meaning and brings the eighth house into play.  But without aspect or interaction with the rulers of the angles, other cusps, house rulers or planets mean nothing.

ASPECTS OF PLANETS IN RELATION TO THE ANGLES

You must then sit down and outline which planets have actual interplay with the angles, the rulers and planets placed there.  List each one as you find them.  The cusp of the sixth house is square to the tenth house ruler.  Mars in the ninth is opposite the seventh house ruler..  ETC… Go around the chart and do this until you have all the aspects noted.  These are the aspects you are concerned about.

APPL.ICATIONS OF ASPECT BETWEEN PLANETS AND DIRECTIONS

Now, once you have sorted out aspects to the cusps and the planets in the chart as they relate to the angles, then you must consider whether these aspects are sinister or dexter.  Only sinister aspects (faster moving planets aspecting slower moving planets) are to be considered.  Dexter aspects, or aspects waning from impact, should be discarded.  In particular, you should be concerned with the applying aspects of the Moon and make careful note of which these are and where these are in the chart.

DISPOSITION OF PLANETS IN RELATION TO THE ANGLES

You should always designate the dispositors of all planets that have been sorted out as angular rulers.  If the first house ruler, for instance, is Mercury in Libra, then this is disposed of by Venus, which is the ruler of Libra.  The position and sign of Venus should be noted in relation to the actions of Mercury.  The dispositor reflects and enlarges upon the interpretation given to any singular planet.  It is often a “shadow” of the original position.  You will see me often giving meaning to a planet in this way, such as saying, “Venus disposes Mercury from the ninth house, so this might have happened at school”.  This is interactive and fluid as always and subject to variables.  For instance, if the child went to school then this is a possible angle.  If not, then perhaps it’s referring to a lawyer or a preacher or a foreigner.  In other words, the position of the dispositor lends color and depth to the original placement.  From the ninth house, Venus would give Mercury elements of the ninth house.

POSITION OF FIXED STARS

This is sometimes used but not always.  Certain fixed stars stand out prominently in their influence and should be thought about.  But what you are really looking for, once again, is aspects to the chart ruler or angular rulers.  If you find that the cusp of the fourth house is close to the fixed star, Spica, then this has some influence over that house.  In that event, Spica would give some dimension to the chart reading.  In most forensic cases, I am most concerned with Caput Algol (25 Taurus), Pleaides (19 Taurus), Spica (22 Libra) and Via Combust (15 Libra - 15 Scorpio).

BASIC ARABIC PARTS

I am sure, as an Astrologer, you are familiar with the Part of Fortune.  This is the most popular of the arabic parts formulas and is often used to determine whether someone will make money or not.  It can be a sign of poverty or great wealth or just a bland living between the two extremes.  But this position has no meaning in a forensic chart as a person’s financial position rarely has impact on their death.  In the forensic chart, I often utilize the little known part of change (also called death),  the part of life, the part of sickness and sometimes also the part of danger.

SPECIAL CONFIGURATIONS AND APPLICATIONS

There are many special configurations used in both horary and forensic charts.  These are never used or even considered in basic natal charting or progressed charts.  These include mutual reception, translation of light between planets (especially the Moon), collection of light upon a certain planet (most often the Sun) and whether a planet is peregrine (in fall or detriment), combust (conjunct the Sun) or under the Sun’s beams (wide angle conjunction with the Sun).  I will cover all of these important considerations in various posts.

MOVEMENTS OF HOUSE CUSPS AND FAST MOVING PLANETS FORWARD

In reading the forensic chart, you must always keep in mind that the chart is actually in motion.  Just as the planets are moving forward, the houses of the chart are advancing moment by moment even as you read them.  Never forget that the chart is a living entity and not a still snapshot of time.  I know this flies in the face of ordinary thought but it is the only way to make the chart come alive.  You must always consider, while measuring the current placements, that these placements are always ready to change.  When looking at the first house cusp, never forget that within hours, minutes or even only seconds, the cusp of that house is going to change.  Therefor applying aspects both to planets and to cusps must be considered in relation to the probable window of time.  If you can see that Mars is in the eleventh house, having no real meaning or value, but that Pisces is moving off the Ascendant shortly, then you must also consider that shortly Mars will have tremendous influence as Aries moves onto the first.  Never stop looking forward in the chart, moving it forward as you assess it in the now.  Only by rolling the chart forward, allowing it to flow with the moments as they pass, can you then see the entire picture.  People don’t disappear, run away or get murdered in a vacuum.   Although a chart can be seen as a snapshot of time, it is best read as a moving picture.  Keep your eyes on the coming aspects and the chart will make sense over time.

RETROGRADE ACTIONS

Planets should be examined for retrograde motion.   This is an illusion created by the angle of declination of the Earth where planets appear to have stopped moving at all or are actually moving backwards.  As all Astrologers know, the appearance of planetary motion is what matters to the actions of man and not what they might be doing that we don’t know about.  When planets appear to be moving backward or even stand still, they have pronounced impact on events.  In the case of a forensic chart, once again it is the planets at the angles or as rulers of the angles that matter.  If the first house ruler is retrograde, this has profound impact on the outcome of events in the case, most often future events as yet to be seen.

BIRTH CHART, PROGRESSIONS AND TRANSITS

All of the elements of a traditional natal reading are always at play in the forensic chart.  If you have birth data for your subject, then use it.  If you look at the birth chart and see nothing aspecting it from the death chart, then perhaps it is not viable in the reading.  It is not always the case that some meaningful planet makes some meaningful aspect to the birth chart.  And from all the studies I’ve done, and believe me I have obsessed about it over the years, I have yet to find a meaningful placement in any single chart that defines the moment or style of death.  You are not going to find that all murder victims have Mars in the eighth or that all car accident victims have Uranus in the third.  That would be really tidy and neat and we could all just wrap Astrology up with a big fat bow and give the world an answer to all it’s problems.  But, unfortunately, that’s not the way it works.  Astrology is messy and variable and changes with the bat of any eye, which makes it a reflection of the material world as we currently experience it.  As an Astrologer,  you have to learn to deal with this and use a great deal of imagination, insight and intuition to make charts tell the truth.  That is your job as the Forensic Astrologer.  So dig it, give it your heart and soul and enjoy all the things you are learning and loving in the process.

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