Alex's Asteroid Astrology

On 19 May 2024, Ebrahim Raisi, president of Iran since 2021, was killed when his helicopter crashed in a remote region of the country, near the village of Uzi.  Dense forests and thick fog impeded rescue efforts for up to twelve hours; by the time the wreckage was reached, there were no survivors.  Also among the eight who died was Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.  A former cleric and Muslim jurist, Raisi had been nicknamed the “Butcher of Tehran” for the part he played as deputy prosecutor general during the infamous 1988 “death commissions” and executions of Iranian political prisoners; for this and other offenses United Nations special rapporteurs accused him of crimes against humanity.

Finding asteroid matches for non-Western places or persons can be a difficult task, and often compromises need to be made with the cosmos to effect meaningful referents for these.  In this case, no exact matches exist, but with Ebrahim being a regional variation on “Abraham,” we can look to asteroids Abramov 3409 and Abramson 24520; asteroid Raissa 1137 is closest to Raisi; asteroid Irani 18987 will suffice for Iran; and asteroid Uzan 35391 stands in for Uzi, the closest populated location to the crash site.  Sometimes these sideways matches work, sometimes they don’t.

This time we got lucky, and in very emphatic terms.  On the 19^th, when the crash occurred, we saw a remarkable quadruple conjunction of the Sun with Jupiter, asteroid Lachesis 120 and asteroid Raissa, all at 28 Taurus.  The Sun brings focus, for good or ill; Jupiter rules politicians, clerics and jurists (all of which Raisi was); Lachesis is named for the mythic Greek Fate who determines the span of life; and Raissa represents Raisi.  Also within orb of this cluster are Uranus at 23 Taurus (ruling accidents), Venus at 24 Taurus (Raisi was returning from a diplomatic meeting with Azerbaijan’s president), and asteroid Karma 3811, suggesting a fated circumstance.

More, these points combine with two others in a T-Square, comprised of an opposition to asteroid Rip 7711 at 27 Scorpio (which acts as a death indicator in the form of the acronym “RIP”, “Rest In Peace,” a common tombstone inscription) and asteroid Anubis 1912, named for the ancient Egyptian deity ruling funerary rites.  Having three death indicators linked to an energy known for accidents while spotlighted by solar intensity surely commends asteroid Raissa as a cosmic equivalent for Raisi.  Mars at 14 Aries in semisquare to the Solar stellium suggests a violent death.

The T-Square becomes a synastric Grand Cross when key natal placements for Raisi are factored into the equation.  Born 14 December 1960 (no time available), Raisi sports an exact conjunction of Uranus with asteroid Raissa, filling in the transit pattern.  This pairing strongly associates Raisi personally (Raissa) with a life-affecting accident, as well as extreme radicalism (both Uranian traits).  Raissa in trine to the 22 Sagittarius Sun also confirms its validity as a celestial moniker for Raisi, as one’s own PNAs (Personal-Named Asteroids) typically interact with the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Mercury in the birth chart, a placement pattern to which Raissa conforms.  As well, asteroid Abramov at 4 Scorpio is semisquare the Sun, also fitting the rule.

A second major pattern in effect the day of the accident is a Grand Cross which incorporates both asteroids Abramov at 9 Sagittarius and Abramson at 6 Virgo (tying Raisi personally to the pattern) with asteroid Irani at 7 Gemini (identifying Raisi as somehow emblematic of the country, as its president) and Damocles 5335 at 5 Pisces, representing the threat or doom hanging unseen overhead, about to descend at any moment.  With this pattern overlaying a natal polarity from a conjunction of asteroid Requiem 2254 (named for the funeral mass for the dead) and Pluto (modern lord of death) at 2 and 8 Virgo opposed asteroid Irani at 6 Pisces, that moment had come.  Natal Mercury feeding into the Cross from 10 Sagittarius affirms that the crash and Raisi’s death would be a newsworthy event.

An additional aspect symbolizing the story is found in a conjunction of asteroids Atropos 273 and Uzan 35391 at 22 and 18 Gemini, squared both Saturn and Neptune at 18 and 29 Pisces (though these are too wide to be considered conjunct each other).  Atropos is named for the Fate who severs the thread of life at death; Uzan is our cosmic referent for Uzi, the nearest town to the crash; Neptune represents the foggy conditions which contributed to it; and Saturn is both the ancient lord of death and indicates the isolation of the crash site. This pattern becomes a T-Square with the inclusion of Raisi’s natal Sun at 22 Sagittarius.

Uzan plays a prominent role in Raisi’s nativity as well, appearing at 20 Scorpio conjoined asteroid Lachesis at 27 Scorpio.  This conjunction lies at the fulcrum of a T-Square with the Uranus/Raissa exact conjunction at 25 Leo opposed asteroid Abramson at 28 Aquarius.  Together, it spells a deadly (Lachesis) accident (Uranus) for Ebrahim (Abramson) Raisi (Raissa) in Uzi (Uzan).  Again we have confirmation of Uzan’s utility as a marker for Uzi:  even when the cosmos is restricted by man’s nomenclature inadequacies, it always finds a way to express itself.

Ebrahim Raisi’s eventual status as a leader of Iran’s militant quasi-religious state is foreshadowed by an “off-kilter” Grand Trine Kite pattern in the birth chart.  This is comprised of asteroid Irani at 6 Pisces trine to asteroid Abramov conjunct Neptune at 4 and 10 Scorpio, with Mars at 14 Cancer forming a loose Grand Trine.  The String of the Kite, guiding its manifestation, is a Jupiter/Saturn conjunction at 10 and 17 Capricorn.  Mars opposed Jupiter and Saturn indicates a leader (Mars) of a militaristic (also Mars) theocratic (Jupiter) state (Saturn) known for its repression (Saturn again), of which he is President (Saturn also); Neptune provides the fanatic religious element, while asteroids Abramov and Irani identify the specifics of Raisi and Iran.

Activations from the transit sky to pertinent natal factors resonating to the theme of death include natal asteroid Lachesis at 27 Scorpio, exactly conjoined by transit asteroid Rip, and squared by transit asteroid Anubis at 25 Aquarius, opposed by transit asteroid Lachesis at 28 Taurus (all these points also interact with natal asteroids Abramson at 28 Aquarius and Raisi at 25 Leo); natal asteroid Requiem at 2 Virgo conjoined by transit asteroid Abramson at 6 Virgo and opposed by transit Damocles at 5 Pisces; and natal asteroid Anubis at 25 Pisces conjoined by transit Saturn at 18 Pisces and transit Neptune at 29 Pisces, also squared by transit asteroid Atropos at 22 Gemini.  Transit Mars at 14 Aries, ruler of violent death, was exactly squared its natal degree of 14 Cancer.

Ebrahim Raisi was widely viewed as a frontrunner for successor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, now 85.  But there are other contenders, and no significant changes in Iranian domestic or foreign policies are foreseen.