Aster-Obit:  Patrick Stewart

By Alex Miller

On 28 October, actor Patrick Stewart, best known for his portrayals of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on TV’s “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and Professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” film franchise, passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by family and friends, after a brief battle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewey body dementia. 

The 86-year-old, recipient of two Laurence Olivier Awards and a Grammy Award, as well as nominations for a Tony Award, three Golden Globe Awards, four Emmy Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to drama in 2010.  His charity work included support for domestic abuse survivors and advocacy for pit bulls, which he considered a much-maligned breed.

Born 13 July 1940 at 4 PM BST in Mirfield, England (Rodden Rating B), it’s no surprise that Stewart’s claim to fame came via his role as captain of the Starship Enterprise, with his Sun (21 Cancer) conjoined asteroids Patrice (17 Cancer), one of two female variants of Patrick, for which there is no exact asteroid match, and Enterprise (also 17 Cancer), named for the spacecraft he helmed in “The Next Generation.”  The dual connection from his Sun and an asteroid representing him to the series’ venue allowed for an authentic, genuine portrayal of the character, which became self-defining (Sun) for him.  A square (90 degrees) from the Cancer stellium to asteroid Jean-Luc (16 Libra) provides further celestial resonance to the Jean-Luc Picard role, with asteroid Picard (29 Taurus) angular on the Descendant (25 Taurus) underscoring the prominence of that name in his life.

The stage was set for his October 28^th passing by transit asteroid Stuart (21 Gemini), an alternate spelling and phonetic match for his surname, which came to its retrograde station (1) on October 17^th in sesquiquadrate (135 degrees) to transit Pluto (3 Aquarius), simultaneously semisquare (45 degrees) natal Pluto, asteroid Patricia (both at 2 Leo), Mercury (4 Leo) and Mars (6 Leo).  The station of his PNA (Personal-Named Asteroid) signals that a crisis or major turning point has been reached; Patricia is the second feminine form of Patrick, combining both first and last names in the pattern; Mars/Pluto reflects the battle (Mars) with a fatal disease (Pluto, modern lord of death); Mercury suggests the newsworthiness of the event.  The mental and physical deterioration Stewart briefly experienced can be seen in Neptune’s prior retrograde station (ruling erosion, disintegration and mental breakdown) on July 7^th (4 Aries), which was trine (120 degrees) the Leo grouping, with transit Pluto’s direct station (3 Aquarius) in opposition (180 degrees) on October 15^th as the final coup de grace.

At his death on 28 October, multiple celestial markers of the event were present.  A triple conjunction of asteroids Enterprise, Stewart and Jean-Luc (at 1, 5 and 6 Libra respectively) identifies Stewart in his most famous role, while a T-Square (2) formed with an opposition to Saturn (9 Aries), ancient lord of death, and square to asteroid Libitina (12 Capricorn), named for the Roman goddess of burials, ushers in the topic of his mortality.

As well, a pairing of asteroids Anubis (10 Virgo), named for the ancient Egyptian deity governing funerary rites, and Patricia (11 Virgo) is squared (90 degrees) asteroids Picard (8 Sagittarius) and Steward (16 Sagittarius), a second alternate for “Stewart.”  This overlays a powerful duo of death-related asteroids in Stewart’s natal chart, both at station:  Osiris (6 Sagittarius), named for the Egyptian god of the dead, and Anubis (9 Pisces), creating a T-Square, which fills out into a full-fledged Grand Cross (3) with the addition of natal asteroids Stewart (12 Gemini) and Libitina (14 Gemini).  Natal Anubis and Osiris had been activated by the Lunar Eclipse of August 27^th (4 Pisces), further stressing Stewart’s innate indicators of mortality.

Notes:  (1) Stations are periods when, from our perspective on Earth, a planet appears to slow its movement, come to a standstill, and reverse course.  This is an optical illusion created by the triangulation between the sun, Earth, and any third celestial body; astrologically, it represents a focusing of the energies associated with that point, and often coincides with major life events or a radical recalibration of how that point has functioned previously.

(2) A T-Square is a dynamic pattern composed of two or more planets in opposition (180 degrees), each squared (90 degrees) a third.  It represents stress and conflict, with the fulcrum point (at the square) offering a possibility of resolution.

(3) A Grand Cross is a major pattern comprised of four or more points at roughly 90 degrees equidistant from each other; this dynamic interaction can create stress, but also prompts action and motivates growth.

Sources:  reporting from MS NOW, Wikipedia; chart data from serennu.com

Title Image Credit:  drawn by ChatGPT