men Who Fall from the sky - the astrology of Bernie madoff, his sons Andrew and Mark and the mythology of Icarus and Daedales

 

 

After analyzing the New Moon chart this week/last week (when was that?!) - whose prominent asteroids spoke of flying/falling, I was thinking about men who had fallen from the sky/from grace and what asteroid Icarus, in particular, (who has been and will be interacting with the United States birthchart at major times over the next couple years) might look like in their charts, especially during the time of their falls to earth. 

 

I was thinking about Trump and Clinton (Hillary's hubby), Nixon, etc, when I turned to the news and saw that Bernie Madoff (mega crash-lander of the 1980's whose downfall coincided with Pluto's move into Capricorn) had died in prison, three days after the New Moon, never having really apologized or repented from his financial crimes that had destroyed so many lives including those of his two sons. 

Let's recap Bernie's story first.

As gleaned from Wikipedia - fresh out of Hofstra University in 1960 with a political science degree, Bernie founded a penny stock investment house with a $50,000 loan and the $5000.00 he earned working summers as a lifeguard and sprinkler installer. In order to compete with firms that were members of the NYSE trading on the stock exchange's floor, his company invented innovative computer technology to disseminate its quotes (not sure just what this means but it certainly sounds very Sun/Uranus in Taurus which Bernie has). The technology later became NASDAQ which Bernie would go on to eventually chair. The Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC grew into a multi-billion dollar investment house in New York City producing astounding returns on the investments of their wealthy, "happy-to-not-take-too-close-a-look-I-would-suspect" clients, although this probably isn't fair since things were not so simple to look into in those days and his reputation was stellar. The who's who of New York/Hollywood all wanting Bernie to invest their money. His firm prospered for decades. Employees included his two sons, Andrew and Mark. 

Move ahead to December 10, 2008 (at this point Pluto - destruction/transformation/truth - had been in Capricorn - societal structures/big business/capitalism - for a couple weeks, and was at 0 degrees Capricorn, in Bernie's 5th house of children. Eris - whistleblower among other things - was conjunct Mars - young men - in Aries).

 

Bernie's sons' Mark and Andrew, both of whom worked for legitimate departments of the firm, questioned their father about the early disbursement of holiday bonuses to the staff. Bernie confessed to his sons, that the security's investment part of the business was one giant Ponzi scheme which was collapsing under the weight of the global financial crisis (remember this is December 2008) - he had been basically robbing Peter to pay Paul for years. The money that was supposed to be there wasn't there. The 'astounding' earnings he had been producing for his clients for many years, were lies, based on fake documents. 

 

Stunned, scared (probably furious and certainly heartbroken), brothers Mark and Andrew went immediately to the FBI and their father, his house of cards finally collapsing, was arrested the next day. Having bilked investors out of billions of dollars (some their life savings, at least one investor committed suicide), Bernie was tried, found guilty of securities fraud/theft and sentenced to 150 years in prison. Neither son ever spoke to their father again

 

(there is a very good Robert De Niro movie or mini-series based on this time in Madoff's life).

 

Although his sons were innocent of knowing about the Ponzi scheme - suspicions followed them. His son, Mark, committed suicide (hung himself from the ceiling) exactly two years to the day after Bernie was arrested - December 11, 2010. His other son Andrew, who had previously beaten cancer, saw his cancer return in 2011 (he blamed this on the stress of his father's crimes and the aftermath including his brother's death). He died on September 3, 2014. Bernie, outliving both his children by many years, died in prison this week - April 14, 2021.

Let's unpack the charts with an eye toward asteroids Icarus and Daedales (Icarus's dear old genius dad) and we'll take a closer look at how their mythology comes alive in this family. 

 

Bernie is a 28 degree Leo rising (conjunct king-maker fixed star Regulus when he was born, one degree from Donald Trump's own ascendant, their charts carry multiple similarities). Born on a New Moon, his chart ruling Sun in Taurus (money, values) conjunct reckless/rule-breaking Uranus (tech, the public). His Taurus stellium, which includes the South Node, ruled by a 29 degree Venus in Taurus. He has Neptune (lies, deception) in his first house of himself, ruling his 8th house of other people's money and squaring his natal Narcissus, and Jupiter (generosity, bigger-is-better, grandiosity) exactly conjunct his descendant (probably making him attractive to other people's 'greed/hope'). Jupiter squares his North and South Nodes making the expansion of other people/generosity of other people something he was charged with working out in this lifetime (there are many way to interpret this and since Jupiter is alot of hot air, maybe this is just what he did). Jupiter rules his 5th house of risk, gambling, children. He is arrested with transiting Saturn (authority, limits, reality checks) on his natal Neptune (lies) and transiting Neptune on his natal Icarus (which is conjunct his larger than life Jupiter) - dissolving those 'fake' wings he has been flying so high with. At the time of Bernie's death he has alot going on in his chart including five major asteroids returning to their natal positions including transiting asteroid Icarus - conjunct his natal Icarus. Pluto opposing his natal Pluto. Transiting asteroid Daedales is conjunct his mid-heaven - the top of his chart, public life and career. The transiting North Node - fate catching up with him - is conjunct his natal Daedales (in dualistic Gemini and conjunct his natal Mars - a Daedales-style father of two sons).

Andrew, the son who died from cancer, born in 1966 with Pluto and Uranus a hair's breadth away from each other, has a natal Daedales/Venus conjunction (father/money) and died with transiting Venus conjunct transiting Daedales. His natal Icarus was conjunct his father's (so when Bernie dies, Icarus is also on Andrew's natal Icarus). He died with transiting Pluto (death) squaring his dad's Saturn (another stand-in for father) and transiting Neptune (illness/death) conjunct his natal Daedales (his father). 

 

Transiting Icarus was conjunct his father's natal Narcissus when Andrew died.

 

Mark, the son who died from suicide, also born with the 60's signature Uranus/Pluto conjunction (chaos/death), although not as tight as his brother's dies with transiting Daedales conjunct his natal Uranus and inconjunct his natal Icarus (he is born with an exact Daedulas/Icarus inconjunct). Transiting Neptune (suicide) and Chiron (unhealable wound) conjunct his natal Saturn (father) which at 28 degrees Aquarius is Bernie's EXACT Descendant/Jupiter conjunction. Transiting Uranus/Jupiter are conjunct his Sun (son). Transiting Eris (whistleblower) is conjunct his natal 10th house Jupiter and squaring a transiting Icarus/Sun conjunction (Icarus flying too close to the Sun). 

 

Transiting Icarus was conjunct his father's natal Narcissus when Mark died.

Transiting Icarus was conjunct a newly minted Pluto in Capricorn in December of 2008 when the sons turned their father in to authorities. 

 

Keep in mind what myths actually represent/are - the ancient language of archetypes (the stories that connect us by re-tracing the shared pathways of our collective unconscious, there are parts of us/our DNA that remembers, and so reacts, to these stories). The physical asteroids themselves being discovered, when we are #ready/#notready to work with them, and synchronistically named.

 

The sins of the father visited on the sons. The story of Icarus and Daedalus.  

The Unpaid Sins and Cunning of A Father Who Falsely Holds Himself Out as Experienced Guide, Gives His Son No Authentic Power to Choose to Be Different or Opposed to His Father, Thereby Binding The Son Into A Small World of Unquestioning Obediance… Even When Logic Alone Would Press for Inquiries at Depth  - from the Icarus archetypal writings of Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés (Women who Run with Wolves)

 

Much more to the story than the man who flies too high and falls to his death -

 

(although, yes that’s part of it and in fact transiting Icarus was conjunct the United States natal Icarus EXACT on Trump's 2nd impeachment date)

 

it’s also the story of a self-interested genius father, who instead of teaching his son how to be great via an example and teachings of ethics/strength/greatness tells him that he IS great

 

(this is actually a very common, and damaging thing we do to our children).

 

Also, Daedalus’s unpaid sin (he'd earlier tossed another young man, in some tellings a son whose own genius/inventive/Uranian gifts he was jealous of, from a tower to his death) visited upon his young son Icarus, who flies first too low - wetting his wings in the ocean - and then too high - in an attempt to dry them in the sun - with the ‘fake’ wings his father has made for him, as Icarus and Daedales attempt to escape the prison his father's narcissism has captured them in, only for Icarus to fall to his death – the father flying on/outliving him. 

 

So many stories of men who fall from the sky have their roots in trying to live up to (narcissistic maybe?) parental expectations!

 

Anyhoo, this is not a Saturday night mystery and I have multiple series of posts to finish up, but I thought I would pop this up here. Icarus is going to play an important role in some upcoming United States transit posts, so it might be good for us to get to know his story a wee bit better. Keep in mind we all have Daedales and Icarus somewhere in our charts, but it is interesting, in light of this family's very public story, to see the way these asteroids' natal positions and transits have interacted with Bernie's high-flying and far-falling life and this impact on the lives of his children.

xo all

 

 

artwork by the amazing Rachel Favelle