| On Tuesday, August 24, 2004, two planes crashed in Russia at about the same time. Both planes took off from an airport in Moscow, the first at 9:35 p.m. and the second 40 minutes later, according to Associated Press reporter Mike Eckel.
The two planes disappeared from radar screens about 11:00 p.m. Wreckage of both planes was found by Wednesday morning, and no survivors were found. One of the planes had activated a hijack or other emergency signal just before disappearing from radar. Witnesses heard explosions shortly before the second plane went down. Wreckage from one of the planes was scattered over a 25 to 30 mile area.
At the time of this writing, no determination had been made about the cause of the crashes.
Astrological Significance of the Crashes
Generally when you go on a trip, you would examine the chart for the time you leave home. For the flight of an airplane, you would use the time of the takeoff. In this situation the most interesting timing factor is that both planes crashed at the same time, or very close to the same time.
The nature of the flight for the first plane was primarily recreational (Sun in the Fifth House), while the second plan was possibly carrying people who were going home (Sun in the Fourth House).
For both flights, the Moon had just passed over Pluto in the takeoff charts. The Moon indicates the progression of events for the plane flights. Pluto has to do with power, and also acts of Providence. We can say that just before the time of takeoff there were issues of power or Providence for each plane. The most ordinary interpretation is that the jet engines had to start in order for the planes to take off. Conspiracy theory enthusiasts might conclude that bombs or weapons were put on the plane, or people boarded the planes carrying weapons they intended to use to hijack the planes. Within two days of the crashes, a third possibility emerged: that bad jet fuel was used by both planes. This would explain explosions or loss of power. It does not explain how two planes could crash almost simultaneously after takeoffs forty minutes apart.
We have to remember that at that same time, planes were taking off all around the world, and they did not crash. Therefore, we seek to identify something specific about the Russian planes. On the conspiracy line, we know there is civil unrest in Russia. There have been warnings concerning activities of Chechnyan rebels who are fighting for independence. However, representatives of the rebels deny any connection to the crashes. The planes were standard models in the Russian fleet of transportation aircraft, produced by Tupolev.
We don’t have an exact time for the plane crashes. I used a chart set for 11:00 p.m. in Moscow, where both planes departed. This is an approximate time for the crashes. The approximate locations of the crashes are 600 miles south of Moscow for the earlier flight and125 miles south of Moscow for the later takeoff.  In this chart the Sun is in the Fifth House. One interpretation of this position is that passengers were going on vacation. The action, represented by the Moon, involved the Seventh House, sometimes interpreted as open enemies.
Astrological Key to Interpretation of the Event
Many of your readers know about Mercury retrograde. About three times a year, Mercury appears to go backward in the sky. This appearance occurs because of the relative positions of Mercury and the earth, and the differences in orbital speed. Mercury was retrograde at the time of these crashes.
Planes fly all the time when Mercury is retrograde, so that is not the indicator of the crashes. However, while the Moon was still in the sign of Sagittarius, Mercury went from Virgo back into the sign of Leo. This is a fairly rare occurrence.
On an obvious level, Mercury went from an earth element sign to a fire element sign. That is what the plane did – it went from earth to fire (with air time in between). On a symbolic level, Mercury, which represents transportation – a form of communication – went from a sign depicting expert knowledge and specialized skill of the pilots and crew to a sign depicting enthusiasm, creative plans, and speculation. The destructive side of Virgo includes indecision. The destructive side of Leo includes an element of cruelty and arrogance.
Mercury going backward into the previous sign indicates the profound nature of the changes that occurred between takeoff and crash. If both crashes were accidental, then any pilot indecision or hesitation would not have made a significant difference in the outcome. If the crashes involved a hijacking, then indecision could have made a difference in the outcome. Except for the pilots and crew, no one else had any training in how to deal with hijackers, so indecision and hesitation would be completely normal. After the events of September 11, 2001, passengers may be slightly more willing to intervene in a hijacking, if they even realize what is happening.
Astrologically, I look to Leo. My thoughts keep going back to the fact that the planes fell off radar screens at the same time. Interfax news agency quoted an aviation source as saying the coincidence of both planes leaving from the same airport and disappearing at the same time would suggest it was "a planned action."
If this turns out to be a coincidence, I will be very surprised. If we never hear about the outcome of the investigation, I will not be surprised. Investigations into crashes take a long time due to the widespread wreckage, analysis of the black box recordings, and countless other factors. We may hear nothing until after Mercury has turned direct and entered Virgo again, which will happen on September 10. |
