Answers in the Sky

On January 15, 2009, U.S. Airways Flight 1549 en route to Charlotte N.C. from New York City's LaGuardia Airport crashed into the Hudson River. Due to the skill of Captain Chelsey B. Sully Sullenburger and his crew, everyone on board miraculously survived. Was there an astrological reason for this? Using the techniques of traditional astrology and the traditional rulerships (Mars ruling Scorpio, Jupiter ruling Pisces, and Saturn ruling Aquarius), I will try to address that question.

According to astrologer Barbara Watters[i], in questions about travel, the time that a plane takes off constitutes the natal chart for that journey. She writes that the first house rules the plane; the Moon rules the passengers; the Sun rules the pilot; the 4th house rules the point of departure; the 7th house rules adventures along the way, and the 10^th house rules the final destination. The 10^th house is also known traditionally as “The House of Fate” signifying events when people place their lives into the hands of another person.

According to the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety Board, who read the transcript from the flight recorder.[ii] The plane was cleared for take-off at 15:24:54 (3:24:54 PM) and by 15:25 (3:25PM) the plane was in the air. Most accounts use the 3:26 PM chart which is extremely close, and gives similar results. The entire event lasted approximately five minutes from take off to landing in the Hudson River, I will be using the chart for January 15, 2009; 3:26PM; New York, NY Lat. 40°N42'51'' Long. 074°W00'23'' and Regiomontanus Houses.

In studying the charts of ships embarking on long journeys, William Lilly studied the ascendant ruler and lord of the eighth for unfortunate happenings on a journey. In this chart, the first house ruler (Moon) conjoins the ruler of the eighth house (Saturn) in the fourth house. Lilly wrote that a badly aspected first house ruler under the earth and in the fourth house is “. . . assured testimony of sinking of the ship.”[iii] According to Lilly, a successful voyage has benefics in the angles and malefics in weaker succedent or cadent houses. In this chart there are both malefics (Mars, Uranus, and Saturn) in angles and benefics in angles, the first house ruler (Moon) in the fourth house and exalted Venus in the 10^th house. Venus is in the 9^th house but on the cusp of the 10^th house and planets within 5 degrees of the cusp of the next house can be read in the next house. Therefore, Venus can be interpreted as being in the 10^th House. This mixture shows that the plane would not make it to it’s destination but that it’s fate, or 10^th house ruled by Jupiter and holding exalted Venus and Uranus would end shockingly well.

The fourth house rules the point of departure for a trip; its cusp is also referred to as the IC (Imum Coeli). Saturn, the planet of obstructions and falling from great heights is retrograde and moving towards a conjunction to the IC from within the fourth house. Only a couple of minutes after take-off the pilot reported a “bird strike” in both engines. The Moon is conjunct Saturn indicating the state of fear that the passengers were in and damaged state of the plane. Moon and Saturn are in Virgo, natural ruler of the 6^th house of small animals. Saturn conjunct the Moon in Virgo indicates the suffocation of the engines by small animals like the Canadian Geese that are speculated to have been the culprits of damaging the engines and rendering the plane powerless. Saturn rules black birds and Canadian geese are black/brown colored.

The engines failing resulted in the plane losing all of it’s power – Pluto, planet of power was opposing the ascendant (the plane) and the Moon’s (plane and passengers) next aspect was a square to Pluto. Mars, the planet of energy also opposed the ascendant and the midpoint of Mars/Pluto was exactly conjunct the descendant at 8 degrees of Capricorn and opposing the ascendant. The Pluto/Mars midpoint falling precisely on the 7^th house cusp of “adventures along the way” shows that power, or lack thereof, would be a major event in this voyage. Fortunately, Jupiter (ruler of 10^th house of destination, Almuten -planet of most essential dignity at that degree of sign- of first house) forms a semi-sextile to Pluto which, along with exalted Mars trining the IC and sextiling the MC, enabled the plane to land to its new destination by gliding successfully onto the Hudson River.

Lilly wrote:” . . . If the Ascendant and the moon be infortunate, and the Lord of the Ascendant fortunate, the Ship is like to be drowned but the men will be saved.”[iv] In this case, Moon is badly aspected by Saturn and Pluto and the Ascendant badly aspected by Mars and Pluto but the Almuten ruler of the Ascendant, Jupiter, is beneficial and trining the Moon, saving the people but not the plane.

Jupiter is the Almuten of the Ascendant or first house cusp as well as the 10^th House cusp in Pisces. The Ascendant is in another water sign, Cancer (Jupiter’s exaltation sign), and is ruled by the Moon. Jupiter, the greatest benefic, trines the ruler of the first house – Moon; this was very fortunate for the plane and passengers. Although the plane did crash, it remained intact and able to float on the water long enough for the passengers to stand on the wings until they were rescued. The Sun (pilot), which is co-ruler of the first house, is also trining the moon (passengers and plane.) The Sun trine Moon, and gave the pilot added ease in maneuvering the plane and saving the passengers. The Sun in Capricorn accurately describes the pilot who was experienced, disciplined and mature.

The 10^th house cusp rules the final destination of this trip and is in the watery sign of Pisces ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter rules the 10^th house of final destination and fate of the trip. January 15^th 2009 was a Thursday, which is Jupiter’s day. It is not surprising that Jupiter would play a large part in the incredible luck of this crash. Even with an experienced and talented pilot, a lot of other things could have gone wrong, but didn’t thanks to Jupiter’s grace. Kitty Higgins of the NTSB said Friday [one day after the crash],” We’ll not only celebrate what worked here, but also learn what worked. So many times you're only focused on what went wrong. A lot of things went right yesterday."[v]

Lilly does not consider the Moon Void-of-Course when she is within aspect to another planet in the next sign. In this case, the Moon is within orb (or Moiety) to a trine to Jupiter in the next sign. This alone would give reason to predict that everything would end well and the passengers would be rescued.

This is a miraculous plane crash chart since all of the passengers and crew survived. The fact that this was a spiritually uplifting event is shown by the religious, mystical sign of Pisces on the 10^th House Cusp, the Fate of this trip. Also, since Mercury and Saturn are in mutual reception, they can be seen to exchange places which would put retrograde Saturn moving towards a conjunction to Jupiter. Jupiter and Saturn are considered very spiritual and fateful planets. It is believed, by some, that the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurred at the time of the birth of Jesus, and was the “bright star” over Bethlehem.

Exalted Venus in Pisces is conjunct the 10^th house cusp, or MC – Midheaven. Benefic Venus, conjunct the Part of Fortune, also ensures that the end of this voyage will be successful. Although Venus cannot overcome the hardships that malefic Saturn, Mars, Pluto, and Uranus threw their way, she did get everyone home alive. Many praise how well many different people cooperated (Venus) to get everyone out of the plane and freezing water safely.

Barbara Watters stressed that planets or points in the same degree as the Nodes, in this case the Ascendant was within a degree of the Nodes, indicates a fateful journey or an accident.

Having important points at the same degree as the Nodes, “. . . may bring sudden fame or fortune in a fateful manner which cannot be foreseen.”[vi] The pilot, Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, is suddenly being offered book deals, keys to the city, statues, endorsement opportunities, and all kinds of awards. This sudden status of American Hero was completely unexpected.

One of the most interesting things in this chart is that Mercury, 6 degrees of Aquarius, is exactly conjunct the next Solar Eclipse occurring on January 26^th – eleven days away. Eclipses sometimes bring out secrets of some kind. I don’t know what will be revealed but something may come out of this that will surprise people. Then again, what hasn’t been surprising about all of this?

Less than a month after the miraculous U.S. Airways plane glided onto the Hudson River, Continental Flight 3407 en route to Buffalo, N.Y. crashed outside of Buffalo N.Y. with no survivors.
According to the Associated Press, Continental Flight 3407 took off at 9:18pm[i] from Newark, NJ heading for Buffalo NY. Unlike the miraculous US Airways flight that ended well, this chart has no planets are in dignity or exaltation.

In this chart, the moon and ascendant are in the same degree (10 Libra) which is within one degree of the nodes. Barbara Watters writes” Never start a journey when the moon is in the degree of the Nodes.” Accidents and other tragic events occur when significators are in the same degree as the nodes. The moon partile conjunct the ascendant shows that the aircraft and the passengers share the same fate. The ascendant rules the plane and the moon rules the people, both perished together that evening. There were no survivors of the crash which killed 50 people.

The ascendant (plane) is ruled by Venus in detriment in the 6^th House. Venus also rules and 8^th house of death. Venus is within 4 degrees of the next house cusp house so she may also be read as in the 7^th house, which strengthened her detrimental effect on this journey. Unlike the exalted Venus in the chart of the miraculous US Airways flight, the Venus in flight 3407 was in detriment in Aries, a cardinal, fire sign. Aries is a warlike sign ruled by malefic planet Mars and is known for being fast and fiery. The demise of the people and plane was quick and ended in a huge fire which also destroyed a house where one person died. So not only were the moon and ascendant in the degree of the nodes but their dispositor Venus was fallen in a violent sign and opposing the moon and ascendant as well as squaring the MC/IC axis.

At first glance of the chart, it might seem that things would be all right with the moon trining Jupiter; but the moon is separating from the trine to Jupiter which indicates that it is in the past - it leaves good fortune behind. The final aspect that the Moon makes in the sign she is in shows the final outcome of the journey. The last aspect that the moon makes in Libra is a square to void-of-course Mercury at 28 degrees of Capricorn. (or Saturn with switching the planets in the mutual reception) showing that the plane (ascendant) and passengers (Moon) would reach an unfortunate ending or fate (moon ruling 10^th House) The moon is also applying to a square to the MC/IC axis along with Venus which forms a Grand Cardinal Square in the chart showing that the journey would be under enormously stressful activity during this flight.

Jupiter is the natural ruler air travel is peregrine and afflicted by being besieged (in-between) malefics mars and the North Node. Bonatus and Lilly found that planets conjuncting the nodes (North or South) had a malefic influence. “. . . when the significators or moon goes towards them [the nodes] . . . the mischief is at its full heights, like a man in a ship that is split in the sea, where there is no hope.”[ii] Jupiter and Mars both conjunct the North Node, and Mars is in the exact degree on the recent Solar Eclipse point of 6 degrees of Aquarius, indicating a significant event of an extremely violent nature would occur.

The 10^th house of final destination is ruled by the Moon placed in the 12^th house of peril. Saturn is also in the 12^th House and rules the 4^th House of departure, the flight was delayed two hours. Saturn, the most elevated planet in the chart, is in mutual reception with Mercury. This reception ties together the 4^th and 12^th houses.

The Sun rules the pilot and is closely conjunct Neptune indicating that the pilots were unaware of the ice (Neptune rules water) that had formed on the wings. Some believe that the apparatus used to remove the ice from the wings of the plane may have been malfunctioning. The ice is the main culprit in changing the shape of the wings which is known to cause the plane to become uncontrollable at a lower speed. The accident occurred when the plane was slowing down and preparing to land.

While many flights come and go with both types of aspects, these two crashes within a month of each other, are good examples of astrology at work.

[i] Barbara WattersHorary Astrology and the Judgement of Events; pg 164; Ascella Press ISBN:1898503206

[ii] http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/nyregion/18plane.html

[iii] William Lilly, Christian Astrology Books I and II pg 166 CA; pg79 CA ISBN 1898503990 Ascella Publications 1999

[iv] William Lilly, Christian Astrology Books I and II pg 158 CA; pg75 CA ISBN 1898503990 Ascella Publications 1999

[v] http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/16/hudson.plane.crash/index.html?eref=rss_topstories; Plane in Hudson tells story of what went right, NTSB says CNN's Mike Brooks, Jeanne Meserve, Richard Davis and Mike Ahlers contributed to this report.

[vi] Barbara WattersHorary Astrology and the Judgement of Events; pg 122; Ascella Press ISBN:1898503206