Alex's Asteroid Astrology

 “It was like an asteroid fell from the sky.” — Eric Paddock, brother of the Las Vegas shooter, on his stunned reaction to the news

Unfathomable. The amount of carnage one determined human being can wreak, in ten minutes of indiscriminate shooting into a crowd, is simply unfathomable. 59 dead, 527 wounded, in the worst mass shooting in US history. The appellation “worst” is becoming increasingly meaningless, and has a short shelf life – the last “worst” shooting was just 15 months ago, at a nightclub in Orlando.

At 10:08 PM PDT on October 1, 2017, 64-year-old realtor, professional gambler and multi-millionaire Stephen Paddock opened fire from his hotel room on the 32^nd floor of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, into a crowd of 22,000 gathered below him, attending an outdoor country music concert. Using assault rifles, some mounted on tripods, within approximately ten minutes Paddock had killed or wounded almost 600 people, before shooting and killing himself at the approach of police. After his death 32 guns were found in his room, another 19 at his residence.

Paddock doesn’t fit the profile of a typical mass murderer: older, college educated, professional, wealthy, and unaffiliated with any religious or political organization, Paddock’s decision to perform this heinous act baffles FBI investigators. But Paddock does fit the profile from an astrological perspective, which we will explore shortly. And it is indeed, in the words of his shocked brother, as if an asteroid fell from the sky.

Let’s begin with the shooting itself. The basics are plain to see: asteroid Las Vegas at 19 Sagittarius is setting on the 21 Sagittarius Descendant, providing the temporal spur for the crime. Moreover, it is accompanied by Saturn, the ancient lord of death, at 22 Sagittarius, TNO (Trans-Neptunian Object) Ixion, named for the first murderer in Greek myth, at 23 Sagittarius, and centaur Pholus, notable in mass death events, by whatever cause, at 26 Sagittarius. This remarkable combination requires absolutely no powers of astrological deduction to interpret; it is plain black-and-white English for the circumstances. There is an ongoing extended conjunction of Ixion and Pholus, which have been within five degrees of each other since 2008 and will continue in orb through 2043; this is a lead factor in the rise of such mass shooting incidents globally in recent years. Also in the mix is asteroid Jason at 25 Sagittarius, here representing country singer Jason Aldean, who was performing on stage when the shooting began.

All these points oppose TNO Chaos at 23 Gemini on the 21 Gemini Ascendant. Chaos is surely the right way to describe the ensuing scene of panic and mayhem, as thousands of people struggled to flee the scene, help the wounded, or find shelter. Paddock emptied clip after clip of ammunition from his rifles, spraying the crowd indiscriminately, creating an almost incomprehensible number of casualties, with a death toll not only greater than any from similar incidents in US history, but even exceeding the worst days for loss of American life in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. With Chaos, also on the Ascendant, is asteroid Mandolin at 15 Gemini, a suitable phonetic stand-in for Mandalay Bay, the resort hotel where the shooting occurred.

Completing a T-Square is centaur Chiron at 25 Pisces, squaring the horizontal axis and all the points listed above. Noted for wounding, Chiron’s involvement here may help to explain the phenomenal numbers of wounded, well over 500.

Shooter Stephen Paddock, responsible for 59 deaths and the wounding of more than 500

Before we look at additional minor body factors, let’s examine stationary points. Bodies at station exert a disproportionately great influence, powerful embeds into the energy of the time. Incredibly, asteroid Gunn turned retrograde at 2 Gemini that very day! And surely the availability of guns, and the incredible power of the weaponry currently available, is a major factor in the story. Just as incredibly, asteroid Paddock was also at station, having turned direct September 27, just four days before the shooting! This establishes a quite literal “turning point” for Stephen Paddock in the recent past, and the resumption of forward motion of his celestial referent was cosmic impetus for Paddock to enact what was obviously a well thought-out, carefully detailed plan. Paddock is not alone in the heavens, but is accompanied by Damocles, representing the doom hanging unseen overhead. This played out quite literally, with Paddock taking a position to fire from his hotel room on the 32^nd floor, well above the unsuspecting crowd.

Also of note is asteroid Isis, which turned retrograde the day before at 3 Gemini, conjoined Gunn. The eponymous terrorist group ISIS has claimed Paddock as one of their own, though as of this writing, there is no evidence to support this, and it seems likely that Isis is piggybacking on the tragedy to garner media attention. Nevertheless, their celestial referent’s placement in the chart bears out their claim of responsibility, legitimate or not.

As well, asteroid Mandolin is approaching station, and will turn retrograde October 17^th. Mandolin is accompanied by centaur Asbolus, stationary at 18 Gemini, also on the Ascendant, which turned retrograde on September 18^th. Asbolus is named for centaur seer who read the future by the flight patterns of birds, and represents the zeitgeist, a sign of the times. Again, an eerily apt metaphor for gun violence in general, which has become so pervasive in the US, with an average of 90 deaths by gunshot on any given day.

Additional angular points include the Moon at 25 Aquarius (in this representing the crowd), on the 0 Pisces MC, and asteroid Atropos, named for the mythic Greek Fate who severs the thread of life at death, which at 8 Virgo conjoins the 0 Virgo IC. The Moon is also squared to asteroid Icarus at 25 Scorpio, representing rash, reckless actions heedless of the consequences, and opposes asteroid Paddack, a close match and secondary indicator for Paddock, at 22 Leo, as well as asteroid Mando, another referent for Mandalay, at 21 Leo. Paddack/Mando brings Paddock into direct contact with the scene of the crime.

Concert attendees flee the scene amid a hail of bullets.

Active death indicators include the Sun’s opposition to asteroid Osiris, named for the ancient Egyptian god of the dead, from 9 Libra to 8 Aries, and a solar conjunction with asteroids Anubis at 15 Libra, named for the Egyptian deity governing funerary rites, and Rip at 5 Libra (a death indicator in the form of the acronym RIP, “Rest In Peace”, a common tombstone inscription; Rip also conjoins Mercury at 3 Libra, representing the planning for the attack). The Sun is also conjunct asteroid Apophis at 13 Libra, named for the ancient Egyptian personification of pure evil, as well as asteroid Stephania, feminine form of Stephen, at 17 Libra. This brings Apophis and Stephania into close proximity, associating Paddock personally with heinous actions, and Stephania’s solar conjunction brings Paddock into bold relief for the day, a focus of public attention.

Just past this solar stellium lie asteroids Karma, Stevens, and Jupiter, at 19, 21 and 28 Libra respectively, all opposing Uranus and TNO Eris at 27 and 23 Aries. This shows a fated (Karma) moment for Paddock (Stevens), one which grants him renown and fame (Jupiter), based perhaps in some mental disturbance or extreme outbursts of anger (both Uranus), or sense of being disrespected or slighted in some way, someone with a grievance to redress (all Eris). Uranus also rules explosives, everything from a nuclear bomb to the pop-pop-pop of a handgun.

The final death indicators are Pluto, modern lord of death, which at 16 Capricorn opposes asteroid Requiem at 14 Cancer, named for the funeral mass for the dead; and asteroid Lachesis, named for the Greek Fate who determines the span of life, which at 13 Pisces conjoins Neptune at 12 Pisces (confusion) and opposes Venus and Mars (attacks, guns, violent death) at 14 and 17 Virgo.  Both Neptune and Venus are associated with music and entertainment events, so the pairing of Venus/Mars suggests an attack or violence at such a venue, while Neptune paired with a lifespan determinant repeats the theme of death and music.  T-Squaring this latter opposition is asteroid Tantalus at 12 Sagittarius, another point noted for the commission of heinous acts. With Tantalus is asteroid Euterpe, named for the Muse of Music, further identifying the concert venue for the atrocity.

As we mentioned above, while Paddock’s motive and demographic profile may baffle traditional investigators, astrologically there is much to explain the rampage.

Las Vegas police respond to the shooting.

Born 9 April 1953, Paddock’s 19 Aries Sun conjoins asteroid Las Vegas at 23 Aries and opposes TNO Ixion at 17 Libra, Mando at 19 Libra, and Saturn at 24 Libra. This establishes Paddock as a potential murderer (Ixion), an agent of death (Saturn), as well as identifying the specific venues for his crime, in Las Vegas and Mando (for Mandalay Bay). A theory has been promulgated that Paddock, a professional gambler, may have gotten into financial difficulties, and chose Las Vegas as his target in some form of revenge; with transit Eris exactly on Paddock’s natal Las Vegas, this seems plausible to me, allying Eris’ sense of grievance, which has been developing over the past few years as Eris transited his Sun, with Las Vegas, giving a geographic outlet for Paddock’s rage.

The Sun is also broadly conjoined by asteroid Stevens at 11 Aries, and more closely squared by asteroids Paddock at 14 Capricorn and Stevin and Nemesis, both at 15 Capricorn. The contact between one’s own personal celestial referents and the Sun is quite common, but Nemesis here, named for the Greek goddess of divine retribution and self-undoing, increases the likelihood that Paddock saw himself as some sort of avenger, or agent of justice, righting some perceived wrong and encompassing his own destruction in the process. This is based on an internal sense, with Nemesis squared the Sun, his true essence, but also in the public sense, with Nemesis’ conjunction to asteroids reflecting Paddock’s legal identity. Regardless, he certainly acted the role of Nemesis to many hundreds of people.

Also squared the Sun is a pairing of Uranus with asteroid Achilles at 14 and 17 Cancer. This identifies Paddock as potentially explosive or hot-headed, impulsive and violent, possibly with mental health issues (all Uranus), and possessed of some inherent flaw or weakness which threatens to destroy him (Achilles, as in the phrase “Achilles heel”).

Mars at 14 Taurus, ruling attacks, shootings and violent death, conjoins asteroid Apophis at 7 Taurus, linking horrible evil with the planet of action. Where some people might never actualize their worst thoughts or urges, for Paddock, putting this into effect was natural. Paddock also sports a close conjunction of Damocles and Pholus at 4 and 5 Aquarius, making him a potential doom for masses of people. This forms a loose Grand Trine with natal Rip and Anubis at 28 Virgo and 0 Libra, and natal Requiem and Lachesis at 3 and 10 Gemini. This pattern becomes a Kite with the addition of asteroid Stephania at 1 Sagittarius, which opposes Requiem.

The synastric contacts between Paddock and his crime are phenomenal. That station of asteroid Gunn at 2 Gemini on the day of the shooting conjoins natal Requiem, igniting the Kite described above. Even more astounding, the moment the shooting began yields a 21 Gemini/Sagittarius horizontal axis, which exactly squares Paddock’s natal asteroid Gunn at 21 Pisces, forming a T-Square. That Ascendant also conjoins natal asteroid Mandolin at 18 Gemini, about to receive a “Mandolin Return” from that transit body, at 15 Gemini in the shooting chart.

Nemesis/Stevin/Paddock was conjoined by transit Pluto at 16 Capricorn; which also opposed Uranus/Achilles and squared the Sun. Pluto’s most recent retrograde station, last April at 19 Capricorn, exactly squared the Sun, which was exactly conjoined by asteroid Karma for the shooting. The transit Moon at 25 Aquarius, which had opposed natal Pluto at 20 Leo earlier in the day, was conjoined natal Icarus at 24 Aquarius, also squared by transit Icarus at 25 Scorpio. Pluto had also received an activation from the Lunar Eclipse of 10 February 2017, which conjoined it from 22 Leo, activating Paddock’s primal planetary connection to death and destruction. The subsequent Lunar Eclipse of August 7^th at 15 Aquarius opposed natal Pluto and closely squared natal Mars at 14 Taurus, bringing out the natal square between them which also speaks of uncontrolled anger and potential violence.

A makeshift memorial for the victims.

Natal Tantalus, that point noted for heinous crimes, at 0 Pisces is an exact match for the shooting’s MC, while natal Karma at 13 Pisces was exactly conjoined by transit Lachesis, the Fate who determines the span of life, a role enacted by Paddock for so many dozens. As well, the Lunar Eclipse of March 26th at 8 Pisces squared natal Lachesis at 10 Gemini, further energizing this theme for Paddock. Natal Ixion (murder) at 17 Libra was exactly conjoined by transit Stephania, with natal Mando (Mandalay) at 19 Libra exactly conjoined by transit Karma.

An incredible series of interlocking cosmic cogs, which all fell into place on October 1^st, 2017, at 10:08 PM, in Las Vegas, Nevada.