Joe Biden’s Family Tragedy
Former Vice President and current Democratic presidential nominee frontrunner Joe Biden is often credited with having an authentic, “folksy” style, especially when interacting with individuals who have suffered great personal tragedy or loss. There’s a reason for this: when it comes to suffering and loss, Biden has a lifetime of experience.
Just after winning his first Senate race in 1972, Biden lost his first wife and their infant daughter in a devastating car crash, which also severely injured their two sons. Biden was in fact sworn in for his Senate seat at his sons’ bedside in the hospital. Forty-three years later, the Grim Reaper picked up where he left off, and claimed one of those boys, Biden’s eldest son Beau, who lost a two-year battle with brain cancer.
I wondered what might be the astrological underpinnings of such a tragic saga; this article is the result of that investigation.
There are a number of points in the chart which symbolize death, and Joe Biden has an exceptional number of them in prominent placement, suggesting an outsized importance for that theme in his life. To begin with, asteroid Atropos, named for the mythic Greek Fate who severs the thread of life at death, appears at 22 Cancer, in a stationary stance, turning retrograde on 14 November 1942, just 6 days before Biden’s birth*. Stationary points indicate an embedded, enmeshed energy which colors character and biography. Atropos is also conjoined Jupiter at 25 Cancer, also at its station (which occurred five days after he was born), granting it enhanced importance and energy, and suggesting that there would be a great deal of death to contend with. Both are trine the 27 Scorpio Sun and 28 Scorpio Venus, indicating death as a formative factor in Biden’s character (Sun), as well as one which affected loved ones (Venus).
Perhaps most importantly, Atropos is tightly inconjunct asteroid Child at 21 Sagittarius, and trined asteroid Hera at 26 Scorpio, linking the embedded theme of death with his offspring (Child) and his spouse (Hera).
A young Joe Biden with his first wife, nee Neilia Hunter; asteroid Huntress is stationary, in a Kite pattern with trines to the Sun, Venus and asteroid Hera, as well as a stationary asteroid Atropos, opposing asteroids Anubis and Carr at the string, for this spouse (Huntress/Hera) who died (Atropos/Anubis) in an automobile (Carr) accident)
But there is much more. Asteroid Lachesis, named for Atropos’ sister who determines the span of life, squares the Sun from 23 Leo, as does asteroid Requiem at 22 Leo, named for the funeral mass for the dead. These conjoin Chiron at 28 Leo, reiterating the theme of severe wounding from loss, and validating Biden as someone who can authentically commiserate with others in similar distress.
Asteroid Osiris, named for the ancient Egyptian god of the dead, falls at 2 Virgo, also conjunct Chiron and in an out-of-Sign square to the Sun, but also squared the 3 Virgo Ascendant and asteroid Juno, named for the Roman goddess of marriage, at 9 Sagittarius. This alludes to the death of a spouse, in addition to further reinforcing the general death theme’s importance to Biden personally (Sun) and as others see him (Ascendant). Juno is also exactly opposed Saturn, ancient lord of death, at 9 Gemini, and trine Pluto, modern lord of death, at 7 Leo. The resulting T-square of Osiris/Juno/Saturn also incorporates Uranus, exactly squared Osiris, at 2 Gemini, suggesting death from an accident. Asteroid Anubis at 22 Virgo, named for the ancient Egyptian deity governing funerary rites, conjoins the MC at 19 Virgo, granting it angular force and power.
The Bidens with their children, less than a year before the fatal crash, which featured Pluto conjunct Hera and squared asteroid Child, for the death of his wife and daughter
Several PNAs (Personal-Named Asteroids) tie to these points as well. Biden’s first wife was Neilia Hunter, represented by asteroid Neally, which at 7 Taurus is exactly squared Pluto and in a T-Square with Mars at 12 Scorpio, ruler of violent death. Neally/Pluto forms an exact T-Square with asteroid Senator at 7 Aquarius, and it is ironic that as this asteroid was about to become Biden’s job title, the tragic potential of Neally/Pluto was also enacted. Neally is also inconjunct Juno, at the apex of a Yod, or Finger of Destiny, with asteroid Kama, also relating to predestination, at 8 Libra.
Asteroid Huntress, for maiden surname Hunter, is stationary at 26 Pisces (turning direct five days before Biden’s birth, indicating an inordinate influence on Biden’s life), exactly trine Hera and also trine Sun/Venus, in a Grand Trine with Atropos/Jupiter, which becomes a Kite pattern with Anubis at 22 Virgo at the string, opposing Huntress. Also in this region is asteroid Naomi, the name of their daughter who was also killed in the accident, which is itself stationary at 1 Aries, conjoined Huntress (and turning direct four days after Biden’s birth). Naomi exactly opposes Neptune at 1 Libra, another potent symbol of loss, absence or disappearance.
The crumpled wreckage of the Biden family car after the accident, which occurred while they were Christmas shopping in December 1972; transit Mercury, ruling cars, had just crossed Biden’s natal Ascendant and conjoined natal Juno; transit Carr was exactly on his natal MC, in a Grand Cross with asteroids Karma, Rip, Josefa, Josephina and Saturn
When the fatal crash occurred on 18 December 1972, the transit Sun at 26 Sagittarius was exactly squared natal Huntress, T-Squared with natal asteroid Carr (homophone for “car”) at 29 Virgo. The Sun was also in an out-of-Sign square with transit Hera at 0 Libra, opposing natal Huntress/Naomi. Hera is also conjoined transit Pluto at 4 Libra, which is itself exactly squared transit asteroid Child at 4 Capricorn, bringing in the element of the death of his daughter. Transit Mars at 21 Scorpio is an exact match for natal Mercury, bringing together the themes of violent death and cars; transit Juno (spouse) joins this from 28 Scorpio, conjoined Biden’s natal Hera/Sun/Venus, with transit Venus and Requiem conjunct each other at 29 Scorpio.
Joe Biden’s direct, personal connection to Fate that day is further depicted by a T-Square from transit Karma at 15 Sagittarius, opposed one Joseph variant, asteroid Josephina, which at 16 Gemini exactly conjoins Saturn, and in square to another, asteroid Josefa, which at 15 Pisces conjoins not only transit asteroid Rip (a death indicator in the form of the acronym RIP, “Rest In Peace”, a common tombstone inscription) at 14 Pisces, but also asteroid Naomi, for his deceased daughter, at 10 Pisces. The addition to this pattern of transit asteroid Carr at 19 Virgo creates a Grand Cross, with Carr exactly conjoined Biden’s natal MC at the time of the accident.
Joe Biden was first sworn as a US Senator at the hospital bedside of his critically injured sons, Beau and Hunter; asteroid Senator was exactly conjunct Pluto at the accident, exactly squared Child; natally, Senator exactly opposed Pluto, linking Biden’s career with death
Transit Uranus – accidents – at 22 Libra exactly squares natal Atropos, and forms a T-square with transit Lachesis at 23 Capricorn. Amazingly, both transit Atropos at 23 Leo and transit Bida at 7 Virgo are again at station, as in the natal chart (Bida, already at its station degree, will turn retrograde 9 days later, while Atropos turned retro four days earlier). Transit Bida is exactly semisextile natal Pluto and exactly trine natal Neally, for wife Neilia. Transit Neilly at 11 Cancer conjoins transit Osiris at 7 Cancer, in a wide T-Square with transit Pluto and Child. Not only has Atropos come to its station exactly atop Biden’s natal Lachesis, but it opposes natal Damocles at 25 Aquarius, the doom hanging unseen overhead, and T-Squares the natal Sun and Mercury at 21 Scorpio, ruling cars. Transit Mercury at 6 Sag closely squares transit Bida and more loosely squares transit Naomi. Transit Huntress at 16 Scorpio bisects the natal Mars/Mercury conjunction at 12 and 21 Scorpio, placing Neilia Hunter Biden in the real-time crosshairs of that potential for a violent death involving an automobile which is latent in her husband’s chart.
Biden’s ability to speak authentically about tragic loss, earned in the harsh circumstances he has endured, is supported astrologically by asteroid Veritas (Latin for “truth”) at 18 Aries in exact sesquiquadrate to the 3 Sag Ascendant, while squaring that stationary Atropos at 22 Cancer. This creates a “Thor’s Hammer” pattern, another fateful configuration, which can also denote resilience and staying power. By itself, Ascendant/Veritas allows Joe Biden to project a genuine, sincere and unaffected persona, so critical to success in American politics, and never more so than when he speaks eye-to-eye and heart-to-heart with a fellow traveler in this vale of tears.
*Joseph Biden, born 8:30 AM EST, 20 November 1942, Scranton PA, Rodden Rating A
