Alex's Asteroid Astrology

On 7 January 2023, another traffic stop gone horribly wrong claimed the life of Tyre Nichols, when Memphis police pulled over the 29-year-old for “reckless driving.”  After an initial confrontation involving pepper spray and a taser, Nichols broke free and fled on foot.  When apprehended by five officers, he was beaten so badly that he died three days later.  Body cam footage release by Memphis PD after the officers themselves had been arrested on January 26^th and charged with second degree murder, among other offenses, reveals a shocking level of brutality and escalation of a situation that had never placed any officer in danger.

Born 5 June 1993, Tyre Nichols’ chart shows an eerie presentiment of his tragic end.  I’ll be using asteroids Tyr, Nichols and Nichol for him, Copland and Polizzi for the police, and various PNAs (Personal-Named Asteroids) for the officers charged.

What stuck out immediately for me as I reviewed the birth chart was a close conjunction of the Sun at 15 Gemini with asteroid Tantalus at 14 Gemini.  Tantalus is named for a mythic Greek king noted for the commission of heinous crimes (including the murder and dismemberment of his own son, whom he then fed to the gods).  I always look for Tantalus prominent in the chart of a perpetrator of horrific acts, but have not remarked upon it in its “passive” voice, that is, in the chart of the victim.  “Heinous” was a term actually used by the Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis in describing the beating.  When the traffic stop occurred, transit Tantalus at 20 Sagittarius was opposing its natal degree and Nichol’s Sun, reinforcing its natal potential, and sadly, as a “Full Moon” placement, fulfilling it.

Also of note, asteroid Toro, which relates to brutal, bestial behaviors, from verbal bullying to outright beating.  Nichols’ natal Toro at 28 Aries conjoins asteroid Photographica at 24 Aries, representing visual imagery of all types, including the police body cam footage that recorded his beating.  This pairing provides a preview of the fact that the assault would be videoed.  At the traffic stop, transit Pluto at 27 Capricorn, modern lord of death and planetary ruler of criminal activity, conjoined transit asteroid Nichols at 0 Aquarius, and was squared natal Photographica/Toro.

A bit earlier in Aries we find asteroid Atropos at 1 Aries, named for the mythic Greek Fate who severs the thread of life at death, conjoined asteroid Memphis at 8 Aries, the city where he died, another warning signal present from birth.  This pair squares natal Mercury at 5 Cancer, suggesting that the death would be newsworthy.  It is also part of a loose Yod pattern, also known as a Finger of Destiny, sextile to asteroid Copland at 2 Gemini, both base points inconjunct to asteroid Polizzi at 6 Scorpio on the Apex, combining the venue (Memphis) and the theme of death (Atropos) with both indicators of police activity (Copland, Polizzi).

That Nichols would end his life in homicide is foreseen by natal asteroid Nichols, which at 24 Taurus opposes Pluto at 23 Scorpio, planetary ruler of homicide, and TNO Ixion at 26 Scorpio, named for the first murderer in Greek myth.  A T-Square is formed with Mars at 20 Leo, indicating violence and brutality.  A second presentiment of the manner of his death is seen in asteroid Beate (for beating), which at 25 Taurus conjoins Nichols and opposes Pluto/Ixion.

But what was particularly stunning was the number of stationary asteroids directly related to the assault and subsequent death.  Stationary points indicate energies which are of major impact and meaning in the individual’s character or biography.  When a PNA is involved, the person or place which resonates to that name will be exceptionally influential or formative.

In this instance, we have five Memphis police officers charged with the second-degree murder of Tyre Nichols:  Tadarrius Bean (represented by asteroid Bean), Demetrius Haley (asteroid Dmytria and Halley), Emmitt Martin III (asteroids Emita and Martina), Desmond Mills Jr (asteroid Millis), and Justin Smith (asteroids Justino and Smith).  Four of the five have asteroids at station which represent them, and the fifth has asteroids conjoining Mars, planetary ruler of attacks and violent death.

Asteroid Bean (Tadarrius Bean) is stationary at 18 Libra, turning direct a week before Nichols’ birth; asteroid Halley (Demetrius Haley) is stationary at 24 Libra, turning direct five days after his birth.  They conjoin each other, as well as asteroid Anubis at 28 Libra, named for the ancient Egyptian deity governing funerary rites, also at station, turning direct June 18^th.

Asteroid Millis (Desmond Mills Jr) is stationary at 10 Aquarius, turning retrograde six days before Nichol’s birth; asteroid Martina (Emmitt Martin III) is stationary at 11 Aquarius, turning retrograde a week after.  They conjoin each other, as well as asteroid Rip at 6 Aquarius, which acts as a death indicator in the form of the acronym RIP, “Rest In Peace” a common tombstone inscription.  As well, this cluster squares Polizzi at 6 Scorpio, Rip exactly, identifying police generally and these officers specifically, as the cause of Nichols’ death.

Asteroids Justino and Smith (Justin Smith) at 16 and 21 Leo bracket Mars at 20 Leo, with asteroid Requiem, named for the funeral mass for the dead, also here at 10 Leo.  Asteroid Dmytria, another referent for Demetrius Haley, appears here as well, at 15 Leo, while asteroid Emita, also for Emmitt Martin II, appears at 6 Virgo, exactly sextile Polizzi and exactly inconjunct Rip.

Imagine that – four of five murderers represented by asteroids which were standing stock still in the heavens at Nichols’ birth, exerting maximum influence on his life story.  Truly, the cosmos is an unfathomable place.

But it’s not just the fact of the officers’ names that appear in the birth chart.  The location is specified as well, again via stationary bodies.  Although he was pulled over blocks away, the primary beating of Tyre Nichols occurred at the intersection of Bear Creek Cove and Castlegate Lane.  For this location we have several markers – asteroid Crick for “creek” (a regional variation), as a referent for Bear Creek Cove; asteroids Castillo (Spanish for “castle”), Castello and Castelli (Italian singular and plural forms of “castle”) and Lane, as referents for Castlegate Lane.  Four of the five are at station. 

Asteroid Crick at 7 Aquarius joins Millis, Martina and Rip; it turned retrograde the day before Nichols’ birth.  Asteroid Castelli at 26 Libra joins Bean, Halley and Anubis; it turned direct five days before Nichols’ birth.  Asteroids Lane and Castillo conjoin each other, at 10 and 11 Libra, trine the Sun; Castillo turned direct six days prior, while Lane turned direct the day Nichols was born.  The final point, asteroid Castello, falls at 12 Sagittarius opposed the natal Sun/Tantalus conjunction.

Body cam footage pegs the initial contact of traffic stop at 8:24 PM CST on 7 January 2023.  It will perhaps not come as a shock that the MC/IC axis for that moment shows 25 Taurus on the MC, conjunct Nichols’ natal asteroid Nichols and Beate at 24 and 25 Taurus, and 25 Scorpio on the IC, conjunct his natal Pluto/Ixion at 23 and 26 Scorpio.  This highlights the natal potential for being murdered in real time as the incident unfolded, albeit the actual death came three days later.

Moreover, conjoined the MC, as the focus of all eyes, is a grouping of transit asteroids Anubis, Toro and Requiem, at 21, 25 and 26 Scorpio respectively, with brutish, brutal Toro exact on the MC, and Requiem and Anubis showcasing a death from a beating.

We’ve already discussed transit asteroid Nichols conjunct Pluto and transit Tantalus opposing itself and the natal Sun, but there are other strong connections to the birth chart as well.  Such as transit asteroid Memphis at 24 Aries, exactly conjoined natal Photographica with Toro, for the images (Photographica) of the brutal beating (Toro) by Memphis police (Memphis). 

Two PNAs for the arrested officers, Martina (Emmitt Martin III) and Justino (Justin Smith), are conjunct at 9 Leo, atop natal Requiem at 10 Leo, with a third officer referent, asteroid Millis (Desmond Mills Jr), in square from 2 Taurus.  Asteroid Bean (Tadarrius Bean) is once again at station, as it was at Nichols’ birth; from 17 Virgo, it would turn retrograde a week later, and squares Nichols’ 15 Gemini Sun with Tantalus.

There is an astounding cluster of eleven points relevant to the story, stretched out across the last twenty degrees of Aquarius, all of which had crossed the Descendant within 75 minutes of the traffic stop, giving them angular force and momentum.  The parade kicks off with asteroid Smith (Justin Smith) at 10 Aquarius, followed by Polizzi (police) at 12 Aquarius; Copland exact with Atropos at 13 Aquarius (death by police); Emita (Emmitt Martin III) exact with Nichol (Tyre Nichols) at 19 Aquarius; Halley (Demetrius Haley) exact with Saturn (police, law enforcement, death) at 23 Aquarius; Lachesis (named for the Greek Fate who determines the span of life) at 25 Aquarius; Damocles (the doom hanging unseen overhead) at 26 Aquarius; and Dmytria (Demetrius Haley) exact on the 19 Aquarius Descendant.  What can be said of such incredible synchronicity and celestial timing, to bring all these factors together in such proximity?

The place name asteroids reflecting the location of the beating are significant as well.  Asteroid Castillo at 29 Taurus conjoins the 25 Taurus MC, the focus of all eyes, and opposes asteroid Castello at 23 Scorpio, on the IC with Anubis, Requiem and Toro.  Asteroids Crick at 29 Aries and Castelli at 16 Aries join Memphis at 24 Aries, all on Nichols’ natal asteroid Photographica.  Asteroid Lane at 19 Sagittarius conjoins Tantalus, both opposed natal Sun/Tantalus.

Also of note, transit asteroid Tyr at 21 Libra is squared both transit Mercury and the Sun at 16 and 17 Capricorn (spotlighting Nichols – Sun – and putting him in the news – Mercury) and also transit Pluto (homicide) at 27 Capricorn.  Transit Beate at 5 Scorpio squares Nichols at 0 Aquarius.  Transit Photographica at 7 Pisces squares transit Mars at 8 Gemini, at its own station degree and within orb of Nichols’ Sun/Tantalus, for images (Photographica) of the violent attack (Mars) on Nichols.

If there can be such a thing as a saving grace in such a tragedy, it’s the fact that justice came so swiftly for the offending officers, immediately suspended, quickly fired, and then charged with the crime in less than three weeks.  What is staggering to contemplate is that these officers knew they were being filmed, and brutally beat Tyre Nichols to death regardless.  For an alleged traffic violation that has yet to be confirmed.  What can be said for such reckless contempt for human life?