Amy Bishop

I had a look of the transits that are happening to Amy Bishop, a biology professor, charged with shooting three of her colleagues. The reasons for her actions are still unclear, one possible motive was that she was turned down for a permanent position, and that she expected to get a bad evaluation. However, she has also been suspected of murdering her brother, and sending a letter bomb to the University. If all this is true this is not the first time she has lost control and acted violently.

Amy's natal chart shows the element of earth and mutable to be powerful, she has Mars, Uranus and Pluto in Virgo. Amy has a practical nature, and Virgo has an obsession with details, and shows a systematic worker, there would be a self-willed and rebellious nature here (Mars-Uranus) highly original, and intensely focused personality. The configuration mirrors Diana Princess of Wales, I remembered her chart discussed in Inner Planets by Howard Sasportas and Liz Greene, Diana's configuration involved her 8th house, and Amy has the same tense pattern, but without a birth time the house placement/s is unknown. We can see that it is a potentially explosive energy, and according to Liz Greene "Mars in Virgo will not "sell out" in order to achieve a goal; there is a quality of integrity in the expression of one's competitive instincts, a willingness to work for what one gets. On the minus side, there is likely to be a certain lack of spontaneity, since so much self containment limits the expression of Mars fiery side. She must contend with a "rogue" Mars in Virgo, a powerful fighting spirit which will not compromise itself, flanked by two outer planets, which suggest a frustration of martial energy by collective principles of "right" behaviour (Uranus) and the unconscious effects of a difficult family history (Pluto).

Uranus will interfere with Mar's essential instinctual mode of operation, demanding she acts according to ideal principles rather than personal desires. This can be extremely positive since it gives Mars a brain, which he ordinarily lacks; there is a capacity for reflection and a broader viewpoint which helps to civilise the 300 foot brute. Mas can direct its energy towards humanitarian goals, but if she cannot get the right balance, she is likely to pay for too Promethean a use of Mars with a certain amount of personal frustration, resulting in periodic bouts of anger and depression. With Mars-Pluto, she cannot undo the past or eradicate whatever scars she might carry from it. Putting Mars together with Pluto in a creative way requires a certain amount of honest confrontation with that family background and the ways it has shaped her. Otherwise she might feel constantly thwarted by survival needs of the group around her, and may project the frustrations of her childhood on to whatever family she forms in adult life. The great intensity and urgency of the Mars-Uranus-Pluto reflect the possibility of tremendous character formation, if she stands up to the tempering process to which life will subject her, she will be a social force to be reckoned with". Liz Greene offers a brilliant view of Diana's chart in relation to her role as mother of the next heir, and often expected to shut up and behave in an appropriate fashion, rather than an individual in, her own right.

Of course, these two women are very different, and Diana didn't gun down any members of the royal family, even though she may have wanted to at times! Diana faced a huge amount of destructive (Mars-Pluto) criticism (Virgo). It has been claimed Amy never got the position of tenure, and she saw a list of names voting her out, and Virgo is the ruler of lists! One website covering the story wondered why she acted out her rage so self-destructively; he needs to look up her astrology chart! Astrologers do have more information on the inner motives of each individual, a Mars-Pluto aspect acts anger out destructively, and sometimes they sting themselves. Amy has Saturn in Pisces and one student, commented on her dis-organized structure and communication. Saturn rules rigid, organized forms and Pisces rules confusion, sacrifice and sensitivity.

I looked at Amy Bishops transit chart, and Transiting Jupiter in Pisces is opposite all those Virgo planets. Jupiter in Pisces is a completely different archetype to Virgo, and Jupiter in Pisces looks at the "big picture", to understand the universe at large, Jupiter in Pisces is about our belief systems, and it can throw Amy's Virgo perspective out of proportion and focus. Jupiter in Pisces is threatening to Virgo planets and Gemini planets. These are the discriminating factors in the horoscope; they collect and communicate information, organize and analyze. This transit can also represent the mutable energy becoming restless in the pursuit of knowledge, and an inability to fit everything into perspective with the pull of Jupiter in Pisces, the great sea. Pisces also represents our dreams and Virgo-Pisces works on self-improvement towards that ideal. Virgo can become hung up on imperfections, faults and self-improvement. Jupiter in Pisces encourages us to have a more holistic view. Virgo tends to tie their stomach up in knots with worry over every detail, analysis and the upcoming evaluation. Events are blown out of proportion, and there are some significant Pluto trines suggesting a time of self-empowerment and transformation. It is about the third time I have seen transiting Pluto trine Mars in a shooting and the ease one has in obtaining a dangerous (Pluto) weapon (Mars), trines can be facilitators.

Here are a list of transits to Amy's chart on the day of the shooting, with links to interpretations:

Transiting Jupiter in Pisces opposite Mars in Virgo, (approaching Mars 3 degrees)
Transiting Jupiter in Pisces square Jupiter in Gemini (leaving 5 degrees)
Transiting Jupiter in Pisces conjunct Saturn in Pisces (approaching 8 degrees)
Transiting Jupiter in Pisces opposite Uranus in Virgo (approaching 5 degrees)
Transiting Jupiter in Pisces opposite Pluto in Virgo (approaching 8 degrees)

Transiting Saturn in Libra opposite Mercury in Aries (approaching 7 degrees)
Transiting Saturn in Libra trine Jupiter in Gemini (leaving in 3 degrees)

Transiting Uranus in Pisces trine Neptune in Scorpio (leaving 5 degrees)

Transiting Neptune in Aquarius square Jupiter in Gemini (approaching 4 degrees)
Transiting Neptune in Aquarius square Neptune in Scorpio (leaving 6 degrees)

Transiting Pluto in Capricorn trine Sun in Taurus (leaving 1 degree)
Transiting Pluto in Capricorn square Mercury in Aries (approaching 7 degrees)
Transiting Pluto trine in Capricorn trine Venus in Taurus (approaching 1 degree)
Transiting Pluto in Capricorn trine Mars in Virgo (approaching 4 degrees)