Two Funerals & a Memorial
The Sun’s annual opposition to Pluto (in 2025 extending from July 15 to August 5) cast a bright spotlight (Sun) on themes of death and mortality (Pluto), showcasing the passing of two iconic ‘80s figures, and the unveiling of a memorial to commemorate the passing of a third. On Sunday 20 July, actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, part of the ensemble cast on the megahit “The Cosby Show,” accidentally drowned while on holiday in Costa Rica. On Thursday 24 July, WWE pro wrestler Hulk Hogan died at his home of cardiac arrest. And on Saturday, 19 July, a mural was unveiled in Paris to honor Jazz era American-French dancer, singer and actress Josephine Baker, marking the fiftieth anniversary of her passing.
Sun opposed Pluto is the underpinning energy of the timeframe, but the devil’s in the details, as they say, and the application of minor bodies to the star map for the period reveals the particulars of why these individuals became the avatars of this linkage.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner died on July 20th while swimming in the ocean at the Playa Cocles resort in Limon Province, Costa Rica, after a strong current caught him and his daughter, dragging them out toward sea. Surfers noted the Warners and another man in distress, and came to the rescue; Warner’s daughter and the other man were saved, but it was too late for the 54-year-old actor.
A T-Square from Pluto at 2 Aquarius, modern lord of death, to asteroid Lachesis 120 at 7 Leo (conjoined the Sun at 29 Cancer), named for the mythic Greek Fate who determines the span of life, with asteroid Ophelia 170 at 7 Taurus on the fulcrum, named for the tragic character in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” who goes insane and drowns herself, points to a death (Pluto, Lachesis), by drowning (Ophelia). Warner was at particular risk, with asteroid Warner 8734 at 10 Gemini squared to Mars (ruler of violent death) at 19 Virgo with asteroids Actor 12238 and Atropos 273 (named for the Fate who severs the thread of life at death) at 11 and 12 Virgo respectively. Warner is also broadly conjunct Uranus at 0 Gemini and asteroid Anubis 1912 at 1 Gemini, named for the ancient Egyptian deity governing funerary rites, portraying the sudden, unexpected (Uranus) death (Anubis) by accident (also Uranus).
As well, the pairing of Saturn and Neptune at 1 and 2 Aries, squared Jupiter at 9 Cancer, speaks of a death (Saturn, ancient lord of death) of a celebrity (Jupiter) due to an excess (also Jupiter) of water (Neptune), at the seashore (also Neptune). More specifically, a triple conjunction of Mercury at 15 Leo with asteroid Requiem 2254 (named for the funeral mass for the dead) at 12 Leo and asteroid Malcolmjozoff 91870 (only asteroid beginning with “Malcolm”) at 16 Leo, squared by asteroid Osiris 1923 (named for the ancient Egyptian god of the dead) at 20 Taurus brought news (Mercury) of the death (Requiem, Osiris) of Warner (Malcolmjozoff).
The venue of Limon province is represented by asteroid Lima 10867, which at 20 Libra exactly conjoins asteroid Nemesis 128, named for a Greek deity noted as the bringer of destruction, and squared asteroid Rip 7711 at 13 Capricorn, which functions as a death indicator in the form of the acronym RIP, “Rest In Peace,” a common tombstone inscription. Lima is also broadly squared to the 28 Cancer Sun, spotlighting the area for the period.
Born 18 August 1970 (no time available), a famous death in Limon is prefigured by asteroid Lima at 7 Aquarius squared a grouping of Jupiter at 0 Scorpio with asteroids Osiris and Rip, at 5 and 10 Scorpio. A natal T-Square of asteroid Nemesis at 12 Libra opposed asteroid Anubis at 15 Libra, with asteroid Warner on the fulcrum at 14 Capricorn, was activated by the transit Nemesis/Lima pairing atop natal Nemesis and transit Rip atop natal Warner, becoming a Grand Cross with the inclusion of transit Jupiter at 9 Cancer.
In addition, transit Osiris at 20 Taurus conjoined natal Saturn at 22 Taurus and opposed natal Atropos at 18 Scorpio, in a T-Square with natal Mars/Sun at 20 & 25 Leo; transit Ophelia at 7 Taurus conjoined natal Requiem at 10 Taurus and exactly squared natal Lima at 7 Aquarius; transit Venus at 17 Gemini conjoined natal Ophelia at 18 Gemini; the transit Requiem/Mercury/Malcolmjozoff grouping clustered over natal Lachesis at 17 Leo (also squared by transit Osiris); and the transit Saturn/Neptune conjunction conjoined natal Malcolmjozoff at 3 Aries.
Terry Gene Bollea, better known in his pro wrestling moniker of Hulk Hogan, died at his Florida home on 24 July 2025 of cardiac arrest. Hogan was one of the megastars of the WWE pro wrestling scene in the ‘80s, and parlayed that into a modest acting career in the years to follow.
The Sun/Pluto opposition was exact the day he passed, at 2 Leo/Aquarius, with the Sun also conjunct asteroid Lachesis (lifespans) at 9 Leo, as well as asteroid Hulkower 4285 (closest to “Hulk”) at 29 Cancer, also opposed Pluto. In addition, retrograde Mercury was making its exact conjunction to asteroid Requiem (funeral mass for the dead) at 13 Leo, propelling death (Requiem) into the news (Mercury).
On a more personal level, asteroid Hogan 185744 at 8 Capricorn conjoined asteroid Rip (RIP) at 12 Capricorn, and squared Saturn, ancient lord of death, at 1 Aries, in a T-Suare with Jupiter at 10 Cancer reflecting his celebrity. Asteroid Terry 21952 (his given first name) at 27 Scorpio opposes asteroids Osiris and Anubis at 22 Taurus and 2 Gemini, as well as Uranus at 0 Gemini, indicating the sudden and unexpected (Uranus) death (Osiris, Anubis). This forms a T-Square with transit Valentine at 3 Virgo.
The potential for deadly cardiac arrest can be seen in the natal placements of asteroids Valentine 447 (for hearts) and d’Arrest 9133. D’Arrest at 17 Leo conjoins both the Sun at 18 Leo and Pluto, modern lord of death, at 22 Leo. Valentine at 22 Virgo lies on the precise midpoint of Pluto and Saturn, ancient lord of death, at 22 Libra, exactly semisextile to each. Valentine is also exactly sextile natal Lachesis at 22 Cancer, and squared natal Atropos at 23 Gemini. Valentine and Atropos were both activated by the Lunar eclipse of 14 March 2025 at 23 Virgo, by conjunction and square.
At his passing, transit Lachesis conjoined the natal Sun, as did the transit Mercury/Requiem pairing, with transit Osiris in square to the Sun, and exactly squared natal Pluto, exactly inconjunct natal Saturn. Lachesis was also exactly squared natal Hogan at 9 Taurus. The transit Hogan/Rip conjunction formed a T-Square with natal Terry/Venus at 8 Cancer, and natal Rip with Anubis at 8 and 12 Libra. Transit Pluto squared natal Hulkower at 27 Libra. Transit d’Arrest at 23 Cancer aligned with natal Lachesis at 22 Cancer, sextile natal Valentine and squared natal Saturn. Transit Atropos at 13 Virgo squared natal Osiris at 17 Gemini, also widely squared its natal place of 23 Gemini.
Death in retrospect was also in the news during the time period, with the unveiling of a wall mural in Paris on July 19th to honor American expat entertainer Josephine Baker, on the fiftieth anniversary of her passing. The black dancer, singer and actress fled to France from the US in the 1920s to escape racism, segregation and prejudice in her career. She became the darling of the pre-War Paris scene, and even did a bit of Mata Hari as a spy for the Nazi occupation resistance. Baker also became a civil rights activist, returning to the US to march with Martin Luther King Jr in the ‘60s. The mural in her honor, created by urban artist FKDL, is to mark the fiftieth anniversary of her passing in the City of Light.
The Sun at 27 Cancer opposed Pluto at 2 Aquarius and conjoined asteroid Murali 30183 at 25 Cancer (for “mural”) pulls focus (Sun) to wall art (Murali) commemorating someone deceased (Pluto). Just who this might be is made clearer with a T-Square pattern from Pluto to asteroids Baker 2549 at 6 Scorpio) and Singer 10698 at 9 Taurus, identifying chanteuse (Singer) Josephine Baker (Baker) as the honoree.
Jupiter at 8 Cancer forms a second T-Square with a pairing of Saturn and Neptune at 1 and 2 Aries and asteroid Memoria 1247 at 6 Libra, denoting someone famous (Jupiter) and musical (Neptune, also adding a dash of espionage to the mix) who is memorialized (Memoria) for her career accomplishments (Saturn). An opposition from Venus at 16 Gemini to asteroid Josephina 303 at 14 Sagittarius establishes the artwork (Venus) to honor Baker (Josephina).
Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald on 3 June 1906, and these earlier, pre-fame identities also appear active for the unveiling of her mural. Mercury at 15 Leo, ruling news, squares asteroid Freda 1093 at 18 Scorpio, which is embedded at station, giving it additional heft and influence, in a loose T-Square with asteroid Singer, marking one of her many talents. Meanwhile asteroid McDonalda 991 at 1 Virgo conjoins asteroids Actor 12238 at 11 Virgo and Terpsichore 81 at 6 Virgo, named for the Greek Muse of dance, identifying her other gifts. This triple threat is also active in her birth chart, with asteroid Singer at 14 Gemini conjunct her 12 Gemini Sun; asteroid Actor at 23 Leo conjunct her Ascendant at 2 Virgo and squared an exact pairing of asteroids Josephina and McDonalda (both 29 Taurus); and asteroid Terpsichore at 0 Sagittarius conjoined the IC at 28 Scorpio, the foundational Angle of the chart, opposing Josephina/McDonalda.
The Sun/Pluto opposition kept the Grim Reaper high-stepping during the period, which included the deaths of American singer Connie Francis (July 17); Australian daredevil Felix Baumgartner (July 17); Jazz trumpeter Chuck Mangione (July 22); British metal singer Ozzy Osbourne (July 22); Cecile Dionne, of Dionne Quintuplets fame (July 28); singer Flaco (“Rock Me Amadeus”) (July 31); British children’s author Allan Ahlberg (July 31); American director Jonathan Kaplan (August 1); and American actress Loni Anderson (August 3).
Title Image Credit: drawn by Chat GPT
