Starcatsastrology’s Blog

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (“UFA”) is a 23-year-old Nigerian who attempted to detonate explosives he’d secreted in his underwear on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25, 2009.

Flight 253 is a regular passenger flight shuttling between Amsterdam and Detroit every week. The flight generally leaves Amsterdam at 11:40 am local time and arrives at approximately noon local time in Detroit.

On Christmas Day, this Northwest Airlines stole the spotlight from Santa Claus to become known as the carrier who brought the Underpants Bomber to America.

PETN (Pentaerythritol tetranitrate) is one of the most powerful high explosives known. “It is more difficult to detonate than primary explosives, so dropping or igniting it will typically not cause an explosion . . .” so the 258 passengers (some of whom bravely went up against the bomber) were spared an unthinkable fate.

December 22, 1986, 12:00 PM (CET-1), Lagos, Nigeria (no birth time known – click image for larger view)

UFA’s horoscope reveals several easily identifiable triggers for violence; the kind most commonly associated with the psychology of the true believer that relies on the philosophy of the ends justifies the means.

His Mars-Jupiter conjunction in Pisces translates to extreme (Jupiter aggressive (Mars) expression of belief (Pisces). Both planets square erratic Uranus in theological/doctrinaire Sagittarius. Religious law Saturn and letter of the law Mercury in Sagittarius further enhance the aforementioned incendiary setup also in square to UFA’s natal Mars-Jupiter conjunction.

UFA’s Sun at 0 Capricorn conjoined to mystical Neptune reveals that by the time of December 22nd’s Winter Solstice (and his Solar Return), UFA was under significant pressure from transiting Pluto’s conjunction to his Sun in square to transiting Saturn in Libra. Saturn and Pluto in stress aspect are the two roughest energies fragile humans are called to confront and contain. Without a good support system and grounding in a friendly reality, these hard energies can result in destructive reactions.

UFA has been aligned with the “new” Osama bin Laden located in Yemen, the U.S. born Anwar Al-Awlaki. (April 22, 1971, Las Cruces, New Mexico. No birth time known).

Al-Awlaki “is a Muslim lecturer, spiritual leader, and former imam who has been accused of being a senior talent recruiter and motivator “for al-Qaeda and all of its franchises,” . . . Full BIO here.

Al-Awlaki has the distinction of being well educated. “Al-Awlaki returned to Colorado in 1991 to attend college, and holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University (1994), which he attended on a foreign student visa and Yemeni government scholarship, and an M.A. in Education Leadership from San Diego State University; he also worked on a Doctorate degree in Human Resource Development at George Washington University Graduate School of Education & Human Development from January to December 2001.[4][17][19][20][21][22] His Islamic education consists of a few intermittent months with various scholars, and reading works by several prominent Islamic scholars.”

Al-Awlaki’s Jupiter conjunct Neptune in Sagittarius reiterates the same mystical “true belief” themes displayed in UFA’s chart. Al-Awlaki also has an exalted Venus at 28 Pisces (recently square by transiting Pluto at the end of his tenure in Sagittarius). Without a birth time we don’t know the degree of his Moon in Pisces, but I suspect that it is most likely in opposition to UAF’s Virgo Moon (again no birth time prevents us from knowing UFA’s Moon degree).

If UFA’s Moon is anywhere from 16 Virgo to about 20 Virgo, he has the lunar opposition to his natal Mars-Jupiter conjunction. That would set up a T-square to his Saturn, Mercury and Uranus in Sagittarius. Al-Awlaki’s Moon in Pisces, if within range of 16 to 20 degrees, would feed into UFA’s t-Square serving as support for UFA’s already unstable Mercury-Uranus square Mars configuration.

Republic of Yemen, May 22, 1990, 0:00 am BAT -3:00, Sanaa, Yemen. Asc. 22 Aquarius. (Click image for larger view)

The unholy mix of UFA and Al-Awlaki with the Republic of Yemen chart is one scary brew. Yemen’s Ascendant at 22 Aquarius takes the full weight of a long Neptune transit, Jupiter is there and so is wounding/wounded Chiron. Neptune’s 7 year mutual reception with Uranus in Pisces supercharges Yemen’s Mars at 23 Pisces, the position of transiting Uranus!

Yemen is described as being a police state and is a rather closed system. Not many people visit the country so there aren’t many cross-cultural release mechanisms. The population is distressed by poverty, high unemployment and many are strongly supportive of Islamic extremism. The combined Republic (created from what was once South and North Yemen) is only 4 years younger than is UFA!

Yemen’s Midheaven at 0 Sagittarius takes on the full projection — and sends its own out — to both UFA and Al-Awlaki through their Pisces, Virgo and Sagittarius cross-chart planetary sets.

Both UFA and Yemen are of the Pluto in Scorpio generation. Yemen has a grand water trine comprised of fight-for and-against-a-cause Mars in Pisces, Jupiter exalted in love of homeland Cancer and submersion into underworld Pluto in Scorpio.

These immersions into feeling are harder for UFA to bear because his chart has no air in it. Hence, it becomes nearly impossible for UFA to mobilize the rational (intellectual) component of his psyche that is lying dormant.

UFA would need to compensate for the lack of the air element by aligning himself with a thinking type who could help him develop this aspect of his consciousness.

UFA can recite much of the Koran by heart, but recitation is not necessarily an indication of mental comprehension. UFA’s chart shows him to be gifted artistically and deeply intuitive, but without steady guidance provided by a well-grounded personality, he wouldn’t be able to cope in the wider world.

Mars in square to Uranus is also an aspect of sexual excitation. With Jupiter conjoined to UFA’s Mars, one can only imagine what this devoted Islamist practicing celibacy must have been trying to endure.

Mars-Uranus results in nervous irritability but with his Venus conjoined to Pluto in Scorpio, one would have to assume that UFA is an erotic, passionate, sensual young man struggling against his natural instincts. Perhaps he tried compensating by recruiting his Virgo Moon to act as “chastity police.”

The beleaguered Moon by herself is unable to withstand the strength of Mars conjunct Jupiter in square to Uranus and Venus conjunct engulfing Pluto.

UFA struggled hard to sublimate his intense sexual desire into the sacrificial passion of the true believer. Such extremes and violence against the laws of one’s being are destined to fail.

Starcats — January 7, 2010

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