Alex's Asteroid Astrology

The name may be unfamiliar to many of you, but for fans of the cult horror classic series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Nicholas Brendon’s passing on March 20^th left a gaping hole in our collective unbeating hearts.  Brendon played wisecracking sidekick Xander Harris for seven seasons of what I still consider one of the best-written shows TV ever produced, in any genre.  Clever, witty, groundbreaking (it featured the first long-term LGBTQ relationship between two main characters in TV history, portrayed in a positive light), the millennium-straddling series (1997-2003) is eternally entertaining, chockfull of Easter eggs and grace notes for diehard fans.

Brendon’s character evolved from a nerdy, sex-starved outsider to an accomplished, determined, self-starting, engaged-to-be-married contractor (albeit he literally left his fiancée, ex-vengeance demon Anya, at the altar).  Such character growth was typical of the series, with titular hero Buffy transforming from a lollipop-licking, fashion-obsessed Valley Girl into a twice-dead, twice-resurrected undead-killing machine; and gentle, self-effacing Willow becoming a witch strong enough to threaten all human life, when grief temporarily pushed her over the edge to the dark side.

Born Nicholas Brendon Schultz on 12 April 1971 (no time available), Brendon conforms to the First Rule of PNA (Personal-Named Asteroid) placement, which is that one’s own PNAs will appear in connection with the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Mercury (as ruling the naming function).  Despite the ack of a birthtime to confirm Moon and Ascendant placements, Nicholas is doubly represented here, as asteroid Nichols 68410 (surname variation) at 24 Aries conjunct the 21 Aries Sun, and asteroid Niccolo 6952 (Italian version) at 19 Libra opposed it.

Brendon had little life direction, interested first in becoming a professional baseball player, then trying his hand at acting, working at a string of menial jobs to keep afloat while struggling to establish himself in the profession.  A competent asteroid astrologer could have told Brendon to put his focus on acting, with asteroid Actor 12238 at 20 Capricorn, closely squared the self-defining Sun at 21 Aries and trine career-minded Saturn at 21 Taurus.

By the mid-‘90s, Brendon’s efforts had garnered little more than bit parts in cinematic horror franchise sequels and TV series, in roles which lacked full names (such as “Baseball Player One” in “Children of the Corn III,” and “Guy in Ray-Ray’s Gang” in “Married … with Children”).  At a point where Brendon has said he had hit “rock bottom,” he was drawn to the pilot script for “Buffy” in 1996, largely because of how much he had disliked high school, where the series is initially set.

The connection with series creator Joss Whedon was immediate.  Cast as Alexander (“Xander”) Harris, the transformative nature of the role is seen as a stationary asteroid Harris 2929, which at 27 Leo turned direct three days after his birth, trine the Sun and squared Saturn.  Points at station are powerful embeds in consciousness, imbued with much greater influence and effect than typically, and become formative agents on character or biography.  For an actor, a PNA representing a role which aspects the Sun will provide an authentic, genuine connection to the character, allowing for a performance that garners attention and accolades.  Brendon was thrice nominated for a Saturn Award (given for work in sci-fi and horror genres) for his portrayal of Xander Harris.

Further identification with the role is seen in asteroid Alexander 296907 in trine to asteroid Schulz 3524 at 0 Taurus (alternate spelling of his given surname), and asteroid Brenden 74439 at 15 Virgo (alternate spelling of his middle name, adopted as a professional surname), widely conjoined asteroid Nicky 4755 at 23 Virgo (a diminutive of Nicholas), both of which formed additional personal links with the character he portrayed.  Also with Nicky, asteroid Buffon 7420 at 25 Virgo (closest to “Buffy”) and Pluto at 27 Virgo, symbolizing the hugely transformative effect (Pluto) the series (Buffon) had in his life.  Brendon continued to act after “Buffy”’s final demise in 2003, but never again reached the fame and popularity he had achieved there.

When “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” premiered on 10 March 1997, Nicholas Brendon was celestially revealed to be at the heart of the enterprise, with asteroids Nicky and Nichols (at 15 and 18 Pisces respectively) conjoined the 20 Pisces Sun.  Just out of orb is a pairing of asteroids Brenden and Niccolo at 6 and 10 Pisces, squared by transformative Pluto at 5 Sagittarius, denoting the life-altering change of circumstance this would be for Brendon.

There are three points at station in this chart (1), signifying prime importance and pivotal transitions:  asteroid Nicole 1343 at 7 Scorpio (another Nicholas variant), turning retrograde on the 7^th, indicates a major shift for Brendon personally; asteroid Alexander at 17 Cancer, turning direct on the 8^th and indicating the character’s pivotal role in the series; and asteroid Buffon at 23 Cancer, turning direct on the 12^th, indicating the series’ ability to make an impact and embed itself in the consciousness of a generation.

Nicholas Brendon passed quietly in his sleep on the morning of 20 March 2026, likely of complications from a congenital heart defect.  The Sun at 29 Pisces conjoined asteroid Brenden at 28 Pisces and asteroid Buffon at 27 Pisces, propelling Brendon and the series into the spotlight (Sun) once more.  An opposition to asteroid Lachesis 120 at 23 Virgo, named for the mythic Greek Fate who determines the span of life, brings in the element of mortality; its conjunction with asteroid Alexander at 18 Virgo spells “RIP (Lachesis) Xander (Alexander)” in astrologese.

Underscoring the importance of the role for Brendon’s bio, asteroid Harris at 14 Leo is once more at station, as at birth, and conjoined asteroid Alexandra 54 at 8 Leo, a feminine version of Alexander, uniting both character names.  Asteroid Nichols at 24 Scorpio is also at station (turning retrograde two days prior), suggesting this most important shift of all for Brendon, that from life to death.

News of the actor’s death was brought by Mercury, on its station direct day, which at 8 Pisces conjoins asteroid Rip 7711 at 6 Pisces (acting as a death indicator in the form of the acronym RIP, “Rest In Peace,” a common tombstone inscription) and opposed asteroid Nicky at 4 Virgo, squared asteroid Nicole at 0 Sagittarius, in a wide Grand Cross with asteroid Osiris 1923 at 12 Gemini, named for the Egyptian god of the dead.

Multiple contacts from the transit sky to natal death indicators appear.  The late Pisces transit solar stellium conjoined Brendon’s natal asteroid Atropos 273 at 25 Pisces, named for the Fate who severs the thread of life at death.  This sets off a natal Grand Cross of the Nicky/Buffon/Pluto stellium at 23, 25 and 27 Virgo (with Pluto the modern lord of death), asteroid Nicole at 27 Gemini, and asteroid Nemesis 128 at 26 Sagittarius, representing ruin and destruction.  The transit stationary asteroid Harris for his passing squares natal asteroid Anubis 1912 at 16 Taurus, named for the ancient Egyptian deity governing funerary rites, and opposes natal asteroid Osiris at 13 Aquarius, forming a T-Square.  Both transit Anubis at 18 Gemini and transit Osiris at 12 Gemini conjoin natal asteroid Requiem 2254 at 11 Gemini, named for the funeral mass for the dead.  Transit Saturn at 4 Aries, ancient lord of death, squares natal asteroid Rip at 5 Capricorn.

Fans of “Buffy” have a second cause for mourning the actor’s death – Nicholas Brendon’s passing likely puts paid to efforts for any revival of the series, already in doubt when a projected Hulu reboot, “Buffy:  New Sunnydale” died the same week.

Notes:  (1) There are actually five asteroids at station, but the other two don’t pertain directly to Nicholas Brendon.  They are, however, worthy of note in the context of the series itself.  Much of the drama of the first three seasons occurs around Buffy’s growing infatuation with and romantic attachment for Angel, who is eventually revealed as a vampire himself, but one with a soul, doing good.  Buffy and Angel forge a bond of love, as reflected in asteroid Vampilov 3230 – a sort of cosmically-foreshortened version of “vampire love” – which at 3 Cancer turns direct two weeks before the premiere, on February 28^th, and remains at that degree in the series’ birth chart.  (Buffy also later knocks boots with Spike, a former archenemy vampire who is smitten with Cupid’s arrow, if not exactly through the heart, making sex with vampires something of a “Buffy” leitmotif.)  Asteroid Angel 11911 is also at station, turning retrograde at 9 Scorpio on February 26^th, reflecting not only that character’s pivotal role in “Buffy,” but the eventual spinoff series of that name, chronicling Angel’s further adventures sans his Slayer girlfriend.