John Hinckley’s horoscope

This week John Hinkley Jnr is released from 35 years in custody for attempting to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan in March 1981. John Hinckley’s horoscope (I’m dropping ‘Jnr’ from his name for this post) provides astrological clues to motivations behind his crime.

For instance, his idolatory of actress Jodie Foster in the lead-up to the attack. This was one motivation for Hinckley attacking President Reagan.

Since watching the movie featuring Foster, Taxi Driver, Hinckley had become obsessed with her.

His attempts to contact Foster came to nothing. In his worldview, Hinckley thought the assassination would ‘impress’ Foster and gain her attention.

Hinckley had mental health issues. At his trial, he was found ‘not guilty by reason of insanity’. Mental health challenges are visible in his horoscope, as we shall see.

In this post I’m going to take a brief look at John Hinckley’s horoscope. And then connect his horoscope with events of March 30th, 1981.

His birth data is accurate, rated ‘AA’ (birth certificate) by astrodatabank.com.

7th house ruler, the Sun, in the 4th

This planetary signature is suggestive of ‘idolatory.’ It involves Hinckley’s 7th house and the placement of its ruling planet.

The sign on his 7th house cusp is Leo. This is shown by the green arrow above. The Sun rules Leo. And the Sun in Hinckley’s horoscope is in the Gemini 4th house, shown by the purple arrow.

The 7th house has several astrological meanings. But essentially, it’s the house associated with ‘other people’, both individually and collectively. It’s the house of relationships, partners and partnerships.

It’s about ‘the other person’ in relation to ourselves. This is because the 7th is opposite the 1st house. And the 1st house in a horoscope denotes — among other things — ‘me.’ Not only me, but how I come across to other people; my outward ‘personality.’

Leo is associated with: one’s sense of self, pride, ego, honour. These are all Sun or solar qualities.

The 4th is an angular house. Planets in angular houses are usually the ‘loudest’ in a horoscope (as I mentioned in a previous post about astrological houses).

In other words, angular planets express more powerfully than those in other (cadent, succedent) houses. The 4th is also about one’s family, foundation and mother.

Self and other

Putting this all together, the story goes something like this: Hinckley’s sense of self (Sun) has a strong connection (or projection) with other people (7th).

And particularly other people with a perceived heroic or solar (Leo, Sun) quality (7th).

This projection or idolising is a way for Hinckley to get a sense of personal foundation or family (Sun in 4th).

His Sun is in Gemini. This sign is ruled by Mercury. And Mercury is the planet to do with thinking and communication; mental processes. More on this shortly.

Another angular planet in John Hinckley’s horoscope is Pluto. Pluto is in the 7th house. Pluto in this house brings a powerful transformational flavour how he perceives and experiences relationships.

He is someone who takes relationships seriously. Because for Hinckley relationships offer potential for powerful tranformative experiences (Pluto).

South Node, Mercury and Mars

South Node, Mercury and Mars are all close together (‘conjunct’) in John Hinckley’s horoscope.

This is shown by the orange oval, above. And they are in square aspect (about 90°) to his Virgo Moon, shown by the blue arrows. Furthermore, Hinckley has three planets (Sun, Mercury, Moon) in the Mercury-ruled signs of Virgo and Gemini.

Let’s go through this signature one step at a time.

The South Node in a horoscope indicates instinctual and habitual behaviours. South Node behaviours are ones we’re ‘good at.’ But we need to move on from them, evolve.

And in doing so embrace, however uncomfortable, the challenges respresented by the North Node. The North Node is always opposite the South Node in a horoscope.

Astrologer Michael Lutin has a nice metaphor for the Nodes. He likens the South Node to chocolate (unhealthy but delicious). And the North Node to tofu (healthy but bland).

In Hinckley’s case, the inclination towards ‘chocolate’ behaviour will be most noticeable in the way he thinks and communicates (South Node conjunct Mercury).

His South Node is situated in the 5th house of creativity and fun. That’s an area of life he’s probably good at.

But North Node in the Sagittarius 11th house indicates finding friendships (11th) and generally ‘getting out there’ and exploring life (Sagittarius) are beneficial activities.

Square aspect to Moon

Hinkley’s instinctual (South Node) creative (5th house) thinking (Gemini/Mercury) are shaped by his emotions (Moon).

This is due to the square aspect between the South Node, Mecury and Mars conjunction and his Moon. This is shown by the red arrows, above.

Feelings (Moon) will underpin his thoughts, and vice versa. Particularly given that his Moon is in the Mecury-ruled sign of Virgo.

And Mars is part of combination too. Mars is our assertiveness, will, drive. It is the urge to ‘do.’

In summary, Hinckley’s Mercury has many connections in his horoscope. It’s conjunct to the South Node and Mars. And it is in square aspect to his Moon.

Moon sextile Jupiter-Uranus

We’ve seen how Hinckley’s Moon (emotions) is connected with his thinking, communication (Mercury) and action (Mars).

But his Moon is also in a sextile (about 60°) aspect to his Jupiter-Uranus conjunction. This is shown by the blue arrows, above.

So he may be prone to grand, expansive (Jupiter) and sudden, changeable (Uranus) emotional cycles (Moon). Which won’t occur all the time, because a sextile is a ‘soft’ aspect. And soft aspects are sometime active, sometimes not.

Neptune’s influence

Hinckley’s South Node, Mercury and Mars are also in trine aspect (about 120°) to his Neptune, shown by the grey arrows above.

This adds Neptunian high ideals, fantasy or delusion into the equation. It brings a sense of unreality to all of the above. In some people, Neptune shows a grand vision. In others, grand illusion. Sometimes these can be one in the same.

Neptune is also in square aspect to the abovementioned Jupiter-Uranus conjunction (yellow arrows).

The end result is a Neptunian overlay to all of the planetary interactions mentioned above. Neptune can be like an anaesthetic, or the agent of an overall blurring of boundaries and a heightening of ideals.

Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan

This occurred on March 30th, 1981 in Washington D.C.

Below is Hinkley’s horoscope (inner circle). And on the middle circle, or wheel, are his Solar Arc Directions (SADs) for that day. The outer wheel shows transits on that day. I’m not focussing on transits in this post.

I am using the ’90° dial’ method to show this data. This displays planets and points in a different way. One that makes conjunctions, squares and opposition aspects all display simply as conjunctions. This makes analysis easier. I use this system or method throughout this site.

Two features are apparent. First, the SAD Sun to Mars (red oval).

As we’ve seen, the Sun in John Hinckley’s horoscope is about ‘other people’ and here it connects with his Mars. And Mars, the urge to do, is connected with his thinking instinctual behaviours. Because Mars not only squares his Moon, but it is in the Moon-ruled sign of Cancer.

Furthermore, Mars rules Hinckley’s 9th (travel, religion) and 10th houses (career, honour). Mars is the planet we associate with violence.

So what comes together at this time is his idolatory of another (Sun) combined with his wish to ‘do something about it’ (Mars).

SAD Mars to Jupiter

The second feature is SAD Mars to Hinckley’s Jupiter (blue oval). SAD Mars’ force and drive activates his Jupiter, adding a sense of grandeur and ‘larger than life’ (Jupiter) imperative.

And over on the right-hand side of the 90° dial SAD Venus applies to Hinckley’s Sun. According to Wikipedia, shortly after his trial Hinckley wrote that the shooting was “the greatest love offering in the history of the world.” And he was disappointed Jodie Foster did not reciprocate his ‘love.’

SAD Venus to Sun correlates with this statement, because SAD Venus (love, desire) connects with his Sun, ruler of his 7th house of relationships.

John Hinckley’s horoscope: conclusion

Hinckley had mental issues leading up to the assassination attempt. And he’s been in secure care ever since. Until this week, when he can live full-time at home, subject to stringent conditions.

His Mercury conjunct both South Node and Mars indicates a propensity to instinctual thinking. Square to the Moon (in analytical Virgo) brings an emotional dimension to this thinking. And the Moon’s Jupiter-Uranus aspect denotes sporadic irregular and grandiose feelings that flow-on to colour his thinking.

In my opinion it is the Sun (ruling the 7th) in the 4th house in a Mercury-ruled sign that is the most prominent feature of his horoscope.

Given his mental issues, he was inclined to see a particular person, Jodie Foster, as the vehicle for a powerful and tranformative (Pluto in the 7th) experience.

Many people will have similar horoscopes to John Hinckley. They will not do similar things to him. How astrological signatures ‘play out’ depends on many factors, particularly the context and opportunities. Would Hinckley have done what he did, if he’d never seen Taxi Driver? Or is he somehow ‘fated’ to the course of action that occurred?