A picture of happier times. I don’t know when this picture was taken, but at this point in their lives Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp looked very content in each other’s company. They appeared the perfect couple and in South Africa they were seen that way, but now their relationship will remain infamous for evermore. I have waited a few days to let the dust settle before having a closer look at how they related as people on the astrology chart and what activated the awful events of Valentine’s day at Oscar’s home.
First up, a look at the synastry between them. Oscar has a watery and intense Scorpio Sun and Reeva was an ebullient and proud Leo and both these Suns were in a square aspect. These were essentially two different people, one quiet and emotional and one loving the highlife and full of optimism, but for sure they were both very strong willed. Now fire and water don’t normally mix, however with Oscar’s Moon in Leo complementing her Sun and her Moon in steady Capricorn a good and stable companion for his Scorpio Sun, these placements would have made this fire and water mixture a little more bearable. With Reeva’s Venus in Virgo sextile to his Venus in Scorpio and trine his natal Neptune, there was definitely compassion and friendship that they shared. Her Jupiter was conjunct his Sun and his Moon could well have been sextile his Mercury and/or Jupiter (we don’t know what time she was born) so these were potentially optimistic, expansive and fun connections between them. Were they able to communicate? With his Mercury in Scorpio and her Mercury in Virgo, he would have been quiet, probing and secretive and she would have been modest, practical but also somewhat critical. At least these signs are in sextile aspect so the relationship between these Mercury’s although not perfect would have been quite satisfactory for them to get on.
Now there were three aspects here that made me raise my eyebrows. Firstly Oscar’s Moon was square to Reeva’s Saturn/Pluto conjunction and her Mars sat on Oscar’s Moon. Trust me this was not an easy combination to deal with. Saturn tends to pour cold water on the proud Leo Moon, Pluto shows control and together they would have taken the fun out of the relationship between then. At times, being together would have more like an obligation that an enjoyable experience. Yes Saturn brings stability, but these were two high profile people, and would Oscar have been willing to accept Reeva dominating the partnership as Saturn/Pluto square to the Moon is apt to do? Remember, Oscar is a Scorpio himself, and Scorpios fear being dominated and losing control of any situation.
The combination of this Saturn square as well as the Mars conjunction to his Leo Moon would have been annoying and frustrating to Oscar in equal measures, and adding in the effect of her critical Mercury in Virgo would have added fuel to the fire if she disagreed with something he did. Oscar in the meanwhile because of his Scorpio nature, would have bottled up his emotions until he was ready to explode. When that explosion came, it would have been quite violent as his Mars opposed her Sun, so he would be very direct in his anger towards her. So in time it came to pass. One other aspect takes my eye. Oscar’s Uranus is in conjunction with Reeva’s South Node. This is an association that often begins and ends suddenly, often in unusual circumstances. With Reeva’s Mercury square to his Uranus, she would have been fascinated by him but their relationship would have constantly been “on edge”, and this could have lead to sudden arguments.
With Uranus’ nature for shocking events on her point of detriment, the South Node, the constant state of tension between them through Mercury and Uranus, the critical Saturn/Pluto square to his Moon, the angry Mars Moon conjunction and Mars Sun oppositions and the fact that they were different people with different objectives, this was not the easiest of relationships despite some of the more favourable aspects and optimism that I explained earlier.
So what was happening astrologically the night that Oscar shot Reeva? I have included 2 charts above, their composite chart and the composite chart against the planets at the time of the murder. I am a great believer that the picture of the chart tells the story and in the composite chart, Mars sits alone as an anchor point, counterbalancing the rest of the planets. It suggests to me that this was a competitive couple, active yes but also argumentative. Composite Mars was opposed by composite Saturn conjunct the composite South Node so this would have acted as a restrictive blocker, all that energy and spirit would have drained away in damaging disputes. It’s like when one wanted to do something positive, the other would refuse and say no. This would set off the disagreements. With composite Jupiter at the point of a wedge formation those disagreements may have escalated and got out of hand.
It’s a shame that this composite chart was compromised by this difficult opposition as it also showed a Sun Moon conjunction that was really settling and appreciative of each other, a Sun Venus conjunction which showed love and friendship, a Mars Jupiter trine that was active and adventurous, and a Uranus sextile to Mercury and the Sun which was sparky and individualistic. Oscar and Reeva would have really liked each other, but I believe that an uneasy truce would have kept the deeper disagreements at bay for only so long.
That Mars Saturn opposition was being hit by the North Node on Valentine’s day, so fate was going to play it’s part in their relationship in some manner around this time. As has been hinted in the bail hearings so far, I think an argument set off the events of the day that lead to the shooting. Transiting Mercury, the planet of communication was inconjunct their composite Sun and was square their composite Uranus, and knowing from their synastry chart that this was a relationship that lived on the edge, Mercury would have triggered the trip wire.
Transiting Venus was at this point square their natal Mars (by 0:08 degrees) and was approaching a square to Saturn too, thus activating that nasty Mars Saturn opposition on their composite chart, so in my estimation the relationship had hit a critical point. Transiting Uranus was opposed to composite Venus (although separating) so instability had been in the air I think for a little while, and transiting Pluto was approaching a square to their composite Sun, so this relationship would have been transformed in a big way anyway, had not this tragic event happened first.
The critical point however which was almost exact on this chart lies yet deeper. Transiting Saturn at the time of the event was 0:04 degrees from the composite Saturn/Pluto midpoint for them. This point Reinhold Ebertin calls a place of place of “hard labour, cruelty and violence”. Transiting Saturn was also conjunct the composite Sun/Uranus midpoint and Ebertin says that this connection shows “rebellion against limitation of freedom, Inhibitions and difficulties overcome through extraordinary efforts. Sudden separation, sudden loss, separation from another person carried out in haste”.
Put it all together. I think that an argument set off a series of events in their relationship which on the surface looked fine but beneath was unstable at best. Along comes transiting Saturn and Mercury to set off Oscar’s already boiling emotions. The midpoints tell the story of what happened next…
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Posted 14th Feb 2013 Oscar Pistorius – Arrested for shooting his girlfriend and charged with murder.
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