Poet Francis Thompson and a Foreshadowing Lunar Eclipse

In my recent article concerning poet Francis Thompson as a possible Jack the Ripper suspect, I included a speculative, symbolic natal horoscope for him, born December 16, 1859 in Preston, England. With no known birth hour for setting up a natal chart I used the exact moment that the Moon (often used as a timer in astrological work) opposed Neptune in its own sign of Pisces, a signature of paranoia, dreaminess, drugs, otherworldliness, the Collective, and deep creativity. The Moon represents, among other things: mother, family, women, emotions, childhood, the Unconscious, and the native’s ‘reigning need’ (Tyl.)

Francis Thompson’s reigning need is described by the sign of Mercury-ruled Virgo, the Virgin, with its purification, cleanliness, orderliness, and discernment issues.

Since posting the previous article, I am now reading Richard Patterson’s book Francis Thompson and the Ripper Paradox which is chocked full of information on the poet and on the Ripper cases thanks to Patterson’s 20 years of research. The book also cites and quotes several other sources and has informed me that Thompson’s occult interests (as mentioned in my previous article) also included the ancient art of Astrology.

I have also learned that Thompson’s mother, Mary Morton Thompson, died on the poet’s 21st birthday, a tragically lousy birthday gift for anyone to bear–having your mother ‘eclipsed’ from earthly life by an eclipse on that particular day. The image you see below is the Lunar Eclipse which manifested on Thompson’s 21st birthday.

>>Dec 5, 2015 Update: in my subsequent readings on Francis Thompson and the crimes of 1888 since posting this chart and article, I find that some sources give December 18, 1859 as the poet’s birth date. There may also be some conflict as to which date his mother actually died on–possibly the day after his birthday. None of the dates (within 2 or 3 days of one another) affect the influence of the Lunar Eclipse you see here–still a picture of a ‘mother’ ‘eclipsed’ by death. Thompson could still have been aware of the eclipse, its tragic meaning, and its degree at the time or later on.

Speaking as one whose mother also died under the auspices of a Lunar Eclipse which conjoined my natal Moon (which conjoined my mother’s natal Moon in Pisces!), I belatedly sympathize with the poet’s bereavement on that day and suspect that he was at some point completely aware of the Lunar (mother) Eclipse after, if not before, it occurred on December 16, 1880 @25Gemini08 which placed the Sun conjunct his natal Sun in Sagittarius since it was his birthday. Also note that the eclipse degree of 25Gemini squared Thompson’s natal Neptune @24Pisces (loss) and perhaps squared his natal Moon in Virgo if the two are within orb of opposition (180 degrees, a Full Moon of awareness, relationship, and culmination or ending) and which relates specifically to the poetic and mystical talents he inherited from his mother Mary via Moon-Neptune:

Gemini Lunar Eclipse Dec 16, 1880

That the eclipse manifested in Gemini, sign of The Twins, seems significant as well since Francis had a twin who died at birth. Death doubled! You see the Moon rising in Preston with Luna’s own South Node, a Saturnian point of separation. His father Dr. Charles Thompson and he quarreled over what I’m learning was dad’s plan to remarry (Sun conjunct North Node, a Jupiterian point of encounters, new associations, and future direction.) Afterwards, Francis left the family home for London and a life of opiate use and homelessness on the city streets, suffering which abated in Autumn 1888 when some of his poems and essays were published in the magazine ‘Merry England’ — but then his prostitute ‘girlfriend’ broke off their relationship and used his expectant fame as a poet as justification, if memory serves correctly.

Now as I go further into Richard Patterson’s book (it’s quite long!) there will be discussion of the five Whitechapel murders of Autumn 1888 and their correlation with certain dates on the Catholic calendar; plus, the ancient concept of ‘Holy Ground’ seems to have applied as far as the killer was concerned. As a Protestant I shall have to depend on such sources in this but one thing I do know and plan to further investigate are correlations between planets and the dates of the murders (August 31 — November 9, 1888) beginning with the Lunar Eclipse you see here. Why? Because the Ripper’s first victim, Mary Ann Nichols (‘Polly’) was found at 3:40 am on August 31, 1888–with the Moon @25Gem14! Mother Mary and Mary murder victim–did astrology user Francis Thompson realize this precise correlation from the heavens to earth? I would say probably so for As Above, So Below is a first principle of the ancient art.

Additionally, Mary Ann Nichols was born on August 26, 1845 when the Moon was in Gemini and her Sun in early Virgo which echos her murder’s Sun Virgo-Moon Gemini blend of energies which describe the atmosphere of August 31, 1888. This Sun-Moon blend may tell us something about the crime and the killer. You may even agree that the following traits describe Francis Thompson, the eternal youth and puppet master who was never self-sufficient in his life!

Sun Virgo-Moon Gemini: a perennial student with mental ingenuity, a thinker; youthful; moody; analyser of minutiae; detached observer; nervous; a worrier; quick-witted; emotionally superficial and fickle; a romantic but not emotionally available; writer, linguist, teacher, journalist; shrewd and clever; critical; an organizer; a pessimist.

And my favorite for Sun Virgo-Moon Gemini: a jack of all trades!

~:~

Astrology source: Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Charles and Suzi Harvey; Thompson source: Francis Thompson and the Ripper Paradox by Richard Patterson.

Updated Nov 30, 2015 9:15 pm est

‘no drug charge’ for Amy Winehouse

Stemming from her infamous drug-using video, no charges are to be filed against singer Amy Winehouse who seems to be under some sort of Magical Elf protection:

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3932746.ece

If it were you or me, which prison would we prefer? ;p

You’ll find Amy’s Natal Chart in my Pages list (time of birth unknown) but a possible creative Moon-Neptune conjunction seems a big part of her charmed life and tremendous talent.

Glamorous Neptune’s negative escapism tendencies are on display in the video but she’s out of trouble on this one…what you won’t view, if you follow the article’s link, is a Flattering photo of unrehabilitated Amy with the perfectly Neptunian last name!

Craig Ferguson May 17, 1962

TV’s Craig Ferguson, May 17, 1962, Glasgow Scotland; pictured: natal chart = Sun to Midheaven = ‘fame and prominence’ with Sun 26Tau07, Moon 1Sco48 (which means Moon could be in the last degrees of Libra and conj asteroids, Toro and Minerva if Sunrise (Solar/creative/ego recognition) chart is used.

Click to enlarge image and you’ll be crestfallen to see that I’ve scribbled some notes–hopefully not too many to be readable–upon the chart. Some things will be discussed later in an Update to this post, if all goes as planned.

So! if you watch CBS’ The Late Late Show with TV’s Craig Ferguson as do I, you’ve heard his oft-repeated “I KNOW-W-w-ww!” which sounds like a bit of Sag to me (with a lot of Aquarius) yet natal Mercury (communication; thinking; language ability) is placed in Gemini who also wants to Know and broadcast it (Sag is more nearly, The Seeker who Believes), and nearby is creative Venus 23Gem14. 

Plus, there’s a personal name asteroid, FERGUSON, in the 19 Gemini area of the zodiac…I KNOW-W-w-www!

Mercury/Venus when entwined create lovely and skilled writings, as does ‘our Craig.’ Perhaps writing and story-telling talents have been passed down in the Ferguson clan, ya think?

Moon approaching Neptune (of negative escapsim fame) reminds me of Amy Winehouse’s natal chart (you’ll see it around here somewhere.) Scars of past emotional deprivations run deep within us all, but some astrological significators are more problematic and difficult to manage well. Glad to say, Craig gave up self-defeating alcohol use years ago and now has Success at his beck and call!

I say ‘our Craig’ because Mr. Ferguson is now an American citizen but retains his Scottish citizenship as well. Colossos!

Wishing my favorite TV host-comedian a good show tonight as he hosts the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as bullishly transiting Toro culminates in Washington DC at 8 pm…Ole!

Who’s Coming to Dinner?

Dick, George, and so many more–the in-cahoots, the outta-the-loops, and the whoop-de-whoops will be perching their imminent balasts upon dinner chairs, crisp napkins underchin and really really wanting to like Craig Ferguson and to get one ot two of his jokes. Not to fret–Craig has pretty much promised to take it easy on ’em, but I hope he won’t. 

Or here’s an idea: he could host the soiree dressed in his masterful impersonation of Prince Charles.

He’d be reasonably safe–they wouldn’t dare jail him now, he’s too visible and freshly recruited and all.

And yet…

…no matter how easy Craig makes being hilarious look, Mr. Suave European will be in attendance, too. Although adept with funny accents, TV’s Craig Ferguson will have his mits full tonight trying to keep Mr. Bush from perpetrating his own (groanworthy) comedy routine upon the audience.

Yep, George fancies himself as a comedian but this may be where Letterman’s regular feature, Great Moments in Presidential Speeches, should be used instead of any monologue from W, for Letterman (Ferguson’s boss) always shows Bush babbling to disadvantage…and well-deserved. imo.

Uncomfortable for Craig tonight? Nah! He’s European.

Besides, wouldn’t That be a cushy job finding video of Bush flubbing the English language with bored people slouching in the rows behind him? Are they wondering if the lowballed $30 payment was worth becoming ensnared beyond belief within one man’s world of maniacal make-believe? As we know, it’s three hours they’ll never get back.

And Who Else is Coming to Dinner Tonight in Washington?

Cheeky monkeys so-o-ooo cheeky…they think they’re news reporters!

(cred: basically, from TV’s Craig Ferguson with a bit of Mike Myers tossed into the cheeky monkey cage. But I thank Craig for teaching me that it’s called the ‘interweb.’)

Break a leg, Craig!

~:~

For more Astrology info on Craig Ferguson here’s an article from John Townley who uses 6:10 pm as Craig’s birth time: 

http://www.astrologysoftware.com/community/stars/getstar.asp?ID=41&orig

UPDATE Sep 3 2008: now that our tickets have been procured for seeing Mr. Ferguson in concert in a couple of weeks, I’ll add the Images for Integration for the Sun Tau/Moon Scorpio personality blend – and three are quite dramatic!

“The Mating Season…Persephone and Pluto…’The Phantom of the Opera…Dennis Potter’s ‘The Singing Detective” (‘Sun Sign-Moon Sign’ by Chas & Suzy Harvey.

If you’ve never seen the charismatic and multi-talented Craig’s impersonation of Jessica Fletcher ( Angela Lansbury’s detective character in ‘Murder She Wrote’) saying, “Has there been a muhrrrduh?” well, I don’t know what to say for you except you’re missing out!

Mating? No comment on the drama of divorces although his Pre-Natal Eclipse is in the 18 South Series: ‘separations, endings, and partings but leading to positive outcomes.’ (Brady’s ‘Predictive Astrology’.) 

This Eclipse Series last occurred in Feb 1998 and I’m snoopy enough to attempt to find dates/s of Mr. Ferguson’s break-ups or divorces. Suffice it to say, positive outcomes seem now to be on his menu,  and I’m glad!

UPDATE Jan 7, 2009: on tonight’s show Craig announces his wedding last week to Megan (Cunningham, I assume since they’d been dating) at her family’s farm in Vermont.

During his opening monlogue, Craig showed a lovely photo of the two lovebirds, he in his sexy kilt, Megan in her elegant wedding gown – standing in several inches of snow.

He said there was a blizzard and the weather was so bad they had to cancel the reception – now that’s bad weather – especially in Vermont.

Sending out Happy Congratulations and Best Wishes to Craig and Megan Ferguson!

However,  if I find the actual date of their wedding, I’ll post a Wedding Day Astrology article for them on this blog because that’s just the way inquiring astrologers roll…rather a nosy bunch, aren’t we?

After all, a horoscope chart has four main points to it  and they correspond to the four questions: What? (Ascendant); Where? (Descendant); How? (Ic); and WHY? (Mc) which reminds me of journalism’s article-writing rules of old.

Well, I’ll close now with the hope that Craig continues to appreciate  having the GPS he says is embedded in his wedding ring. Hilarious, yes, but that’s a pretty good idea for wandering spouses if I ever heard one.

And yet I’m sure ‘the third one will be the charm’ for the Scottish-American charmer!