I wake this morning to the shocking and truly appalling news that British taxi driver and humanitarian Alan Henning has been brutally beheaded by ISIS. Words cannot describe how devastated I felt when the news came through, as this was a man who was just 13 days younger than myself, a fellow Leo born in 1967 who did what I do, help people in trouble and who needed guidance, assistance or aid. Off his own back, he sacrificed his own Christmas in December this year to drive all the way to Syria in a van packed full of humanitarian aid as part of a convoy with a group of Muslim friends. His motivation was just to assist the sufferers of the civil war there and give them basic supplies and food. He had been inside Syria just a matter of minutes when he was abducted.
Alan was born on 15th Aug 1967 in Eccles, England (no birth time) and had a natal chart I knew well as my one is very similar. The chart above is one I have rectified to the time of 6.45 am so the house positions are speculative but I feel that on the information I have of him it is close to being a true representation of the time he was born.
This natal chart has a Virgo Ascendant, so he would have been a person who wanted to work and to serve people. His character would have been wonderfully jovial and charitable as he had a Sun Jupiter Mercury conjunction. This sat in his 12th house square to his Midheaven so that there is a link to his work in the transport industry through the Mercury square. The 12th house is also one of suffering and that triple conjunction is at the point of a multi t-square connecting a Mars and Neptune opposed to the Midheaven. Mars in the 3rd house seems correct as his nickname was "Gadget", very adept at fixing things and Mars in the 3rd house in Scorpio shows someone who would love playing around with engineering and mechanical stuff, the third house is the one of the mind, of the hands and it indicated he had good technical ability. Unfortunately, that t-square also indicates suffering (12th house) abroad (Jupiter) at the hands of a militant (Mars) religious (Neptune) group in the most public (Midheaven) manner shown internationally (Jupiter) on a vicious (Mars) video (Neptune). As you see Mars and Neptune on my chart are clamped around the IC, the point of endings.
His rectified chart also sees Saturn the planet of loss and restriction in the 8th house of death and enforced change at the point of a yod connecting Mars and Venus. Chiron the planet of wounding also is in the 8th house as part of a t-square, opposed to Uranus and square to his Moon in the 4th house in open and generous Sagittarius. This was a family man who would have has tons of friends and he would have had a very generous and emotional reaction (Moon) humanitarian (Uranus) reaction to suffering (Chiron) of any kind. Yet again the Moon has a double meaning showing international emotional (Moon in Sagittarius) wounding (Chiron) in a shocking manner (Uranus) at the hands of a group - the Moon sign Cancer is intercepted on this chart in the 11th house of groups.
Uranus, the planet of shocks and rebellion at this time was conjunct to his natal Saturn in the 8th house of death also at the point of a Yod to his natal Mars and Venus, thus at a critical point in his chart. Transiting Mars and Jupiter part of the fire trine in the sky were also making aspects to this spot and to Saturn. It is ironic that he was having his Jupiter return at this time, showing a journey because of suffering (12th house) - Jupiter is often prominent at the time of death as you travel to the world of spirit. Jupiter was square to Mars and the Midheaven showing public suffering at the hands of violence. Chiron makes a nasty and separating inconjunct to the Jupiter return from the 7th house of open enemies as well as an opposition to Venus, ruling his Midheaven. Also notice transiting Saturn opposing his natal Neptune on the IC opposing his potential Midheaven. That's a most unfortunate transit especially with Neptune (via Pisces) ruling the 7th house of open enemies and the 8th house of death. Saturn conjunct Neptune is a horrid transit where the whole structure of your life can be "disintegrated", and I know as I am suffering it myself right now. For him, his life and fate was at the hands of a disparate, nasty and spiritually motivated collective (Neptune).
My heart goes out to Alan's family, friends, work colleagues, the people he travelled with to Syria who must be heartbroken now, as well as all the people he helped in a most unselfish manner. He seemed like a wonderful man with a huge Leo heart. God bless him..
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