Snowden is a whistle-blower and his
act of civil disobedience was designed to expose a clandestine program that
deserves public debate. “This is what is happening,” Snowden said. “You
(American people) should decide whether we need to be doing this.” It’s a valid
point.
The astrology of this story is
fascinating. Eric Francis obtained a copy of Snowden’s birth certificate and the
natal chart is shown below (Chart 1). If we focus on the nodes, they clearly
describe the motive, circumstance, and timing of the leak. Natally, Snowden’s
North Node is in Gemini conjunct Mars (within 1°)
and the Sun (widely at 4°). Although the two
bodies reside in the 1st house and are therefore able to act, they
are far from the cusp, which decreases this capability. However, since the
North Node behaves—actually is—an
angle, the energy of both Mars and Sun is easily expressed outwardly and he is able to act with willful purpose. Snowden sees himself (Sun) as a
fighter (Mars) and his weapon is information (Gemini). The ruler of the North
Node is Mercury, conjunct the Ascendant and ruling the chart. This is a doubly
powerful Mercury, strong in its own sign, and contributing intelligence and a
propensity to gather information. Despite a lack of formal education, Snowden
was a well-paid computer expert who dealt with data.
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| Chart 1 (click to enlarge) |
The South Node is in the 7th
house in Sagittarius conjunct Neptune, and Snowden martyred himself, sacrificing
his life by leaking what he viewed as a necessary truth. Jupiter, the South Node
ruler, brought both loss and service. In the 6th, conjunct Uranus, and
ruling the 7th, through his daily work with software, he accessed (unspecified)
data, which he leaked in the interest of a higher good, and in so doing, invited open enemies into his life.
Snowden is of the generation with
Saturn conjunct Pluto in Libra, sextile Neptune in Sagittarius, which reflects
his utopian vision of an accountable, transparent government that has an open
relationship (Libra) with the truth (Sagittarius). He is both willing to fight
for this (Sun, Mars trine Saturn-Pluto) and sacrifice himself for it (Neptune sextile Saturn-Pluto).
The timing of the leak (Chart 2) is
related to the Lunar Eclipse on May 25, 2013 at 3°58
conjunct natal Jupiter (the South Node ruler). The time came to release his
secret knowledge to the world On the day
of the leak (June 5, 2013), a grand cross had formed, with transiting Mars
opposite the eclipse degree at 3°43, transiting
Neptune square the eclipse degree at 5°22, and progressed
Venus square it at 6°19. Mars activated
the eclipse, and information was leaked that compromised Snowden’s happiness
and left him in limbo (Neptune), ultimately without a country to call home; he
is in a tight place, backed against a corner, with limited options. Transiting
Jupiter (carrying the energy of natal South Node ruler) was conjunct natal Mars
and the North Node, an indication that Snowden’s act was conducted for what he believed
would be the greater good. The transiting North Node was conjunct the natal
Moon in Scorpio, further describing the release of secret information (Moon
ruling the 3rd), as well as Snowden’s fear for his life. With natal
Venus at the South Bending of the transiting nodes, his level of personal
happiness was at an all-time low.
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| Chart 2 |
The government’s response is also
shown in the astrology (Chart 3). Snowden’s Mars is conjunct the U.S. Mars,
activating the natal U.S. Mars square Neptune; and the government, helped by
the media, has painted a bleak and likely disingenuous picture of the hacker,
who has reputedly put the country in sudden peril. With Snowden’s Mars landing
in the U.S. 7th house, he has become a formidable enemy. For at
least the moment, Snowden’s goal to initiate a conversation has been over-shadowed
by a grand chase across the globe, with the U.S. government lobbing threats and
warning of dire consequences to any country willing to provide him a safe
haven. But with Pluto coming to oppose the Sibly Sun (the President in a
mundane chart) and forming a grand cross with natal Saturn and transiting
Uranus, like Snowden, the President, who ran for office on a promise of
transparency, will find himself backed into a corner and trying to defend top-secret
programs, while explaining, once again, why telling the truth is an imprisonable
offense, and why undisclosed mass surveillance in a so-called free world is
both constitutional and legal.
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| Chart 3 |
