Before Snowden disclosing the existence of the PRISM project, most of us may still innocently believe that Internet surveillance only exists in certain less democratic countries; the disclosure awakens these innocent people to the issue of their freedom of speech online. “A nation’s security VS personal freedom” is absolutely an issue under the square of Pluto in Capricorn and Uranus in Aries. Some people found the birth data of Snowden, and it would be his thirtieth birthday on 21st June. I wish our hero who fights for our Internet freedom a happy birthday, and now I would like to share my reading on his natal chart. (Pic 1)
Although he was born on the Summer Solstice, Sun had not entered Cancer yet at the moment of his birth – it actually located at the very last degree of Gemini. There is a suggestion that Planets that locate at the last degree of a sign usually possess an urgency to manifest itself （ Inferior function ）.
There is a satellitium of Sun, Mars and Mercury in Gemini in Snowden’s natal chart, and his Ascendant is also in Gemini which conjuncts Mercury. From this, we can see how emphasised interpersonal interaction is to him. There are several features in his chart that we should pay attention to. First, none of the personal planets are in Earth Sign. Most people under this may seek for grounded and stable feelings all through his life and for association with body, financial issue and land. The only point related to Earth Sign in his chart would be Chiron in Taurus in his 12th house, which further emphasises that there could be some reasons that he does not really understand behind his unfamiliarity and inexperience in regard to issues of Earth element. One of the possibilities of these reasons could be ancestral inheritance – our linkage to their unknown sufferings in the past (Reincarnationists may believe that this could be karmic or related to past lives, but I am not going to dig into it here as it is not where my strength lies in).
Second, we can see that Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are all in retrograde. This symbolises that he needs much time to think when it comes to issues related to the public, and he may not be willing to follow suit – which is also supported by Uranus’s conjunction with the Descendant and Mar’s conjunction with Sun. Uranus has an important weight in Snowden’s chart., for its conjunction with the Descendant in Sagittarius (Uranus also conjuncts Jupiter) and its location at the midpoint of Sun and Moon which reflects his deep desire to freedom and his immense value to space and freedom. The Mercury-Uranus and Mercury-Jupiter oppositions would further reveal the importance of the freedom of speech in his life. (The US government really should consult an astrologer when recruiting people to perform these tasks which violate the freedom of speech, shouldn’t they?)
With Sun, Mars and North Node conjunct in Gemini, Snowden’s appearance resonates with people’s vivid desire to personal freedom and freedom of speech online in this generation. He is not alone in this path, as many people are attracted to fight together. Snowden appears as a fighter to defend freedom of speech, and when there are chances, it is possible for him to exert the leadership and creativity of Sun in similar circumstances. This conjunction also involves an opposition with Neptune: sometimes it is not easy to make clear who the enemies are – the authority or the citizen? Is it a must to take refuge in a country who cares less about freedom of speech? This opposition also allows him to stand out against the government and fight, out of his empathy, for those who are harmed or sacrificed.
Saturn and Pluto play the role of the authority in this chart, and narrate Snowden’s relationship with it. I have no doubt that he may agree with certain power and authoritative control of the government, but the sesquisquare of Mercury and Saturn also describes his frustration brought out by the conflicts with a disappointing authority. Remember that the opposition of Sun and Neptune may also symbolise a lying leader, and at the moment this image seems branded on the US government. Snowden possesses a complicated love-and-hate feeling towards the authority, and his MC is at the midpoint of Moon-Chiron, Saturn-Ascendant, Pluto-Ascendant and Venus-Chiron.
The Sun-Neptune opposition could also explain how the US government starts spreading rumours and defamation to damage Snowden’s credibility and makes some groundless accusations against him. The Scorpio Moon also has a stressful aspect with Neptune which will strengthen such effect, and his life could soon be in the mist to be the public. Once he reveals the PRISM project, there is a gossip circulating about his girlfriend being a pole-dancer, which obviously is a tactic to attach a lower-level identity to him and weaken his credibility. This resonates with MC being the midpoint of Moon-Chiron and Venus-Chiron, and at the moment, transiting Neptune is at his chart’s Sun-Moon midpoint at 6 degree of a mutable sign.
Transits, Progressions and Lunar Eclipse
Let’s observe the effect of the transits. We have just mentioned about transiting Neptune being at the midpoint of his natal Sun and Moon, and forming a square with his natal Jupiter and Uranus – a crucial implication that he must hide and immerse himself in the public in order to defend for the freedom of Speech and Internet. Besides, the Lunar Eclipse in April this year (Pic 2) happened to take place at 4 degree of Sagittarius, forming a square to the transiting Neptune and a conjunction to Snowden’s natal Jupiter and Uranus. Lunar Eclipse is a revelation or manifestation which allows us to see certain results or outcomes; Snowden lets us see the many facets and aspects that we need to confront and consider regarding the development of freedom on the Internet.
What’s interesting is that there was a lunar eclipse which took place 4 days after Snowden’s birth, and, according to Dr Bernadette Brady, that particular lunar eclipse belongs to the SS North 3 Eclipse family, which is related to “a circulation of information that worries people”
Also, the sextile of transiting Uranus and natal Ascendant allows him to fight for freedom successfully, and it symbolises the practice of freedom itself. The quincunx of transiting Pluto and natal Mercury symbolises the astonishing secret; through Snowden, people’s fantasy towards their freedom online or towards the freedom of America vanishes or gets cut off. In the Solar Arc Progression chart, progressed Chiron closely conjuncts with progressed Sun (and progressed Sun forms a sextile with natal Chiron) – projecting an image of a fighter to his disadvantage, or a wanderer who gets banished or self-exiled. Progressed Neptune-Pluto / Saturn square also manifests in lies from the authority.
A figure like Snowden plays an important role in affecting the States’ influence over the world and its own citizens. If we cast a natal chart for US, we will find that the natal Ascendant Axis of Snowden overlaps the one of US (Snowden’s Ascendant is at 12 degree Gemini, and 12 Sagittarius for US). His natal Uranus and Jupiter conjuncts US’s Ascendant, and natal Uranus of US conjuncts Snowden’s Ascendant. Uranus, which symbolises Internet and freedom, invokes the confrontation between Snowden the US government; however, Snowden receive much support from the Americans, for his natal Venus manages to conjunct with the North Node of US, and his MC forms an opposition to US’s moon, which symbolises the people of America. It looks like the government needs to spend much more effort if it really wants to defame Snowden.（Pic 4)
If we cast a relocation chart for Snowden for his move to Hong Kong, we will find that the Ascendant will be in 27 Scorpio (hiding), and Moon will also be in the twelfth house, a house which also symbolises hiding. Jupiter and Uranus in the first house imply “freedom”, but Chiron being in conjunction with the Descendant also imply his being isolated, another feature of being exiled. His Solar Arc Saturn progress on 26 Scorpio right on his relocated Asc, a meaning of seeking protection. If we refer to the ACG map, we can find that Chiron is over Hong Kong, and Venus is over Iceland, another location which people think would be Snowden’s next destination; and I personally wonder if those countries in South America, like Venezuela and Columbia where Jupiter, Uranus and Chiron are right over them, would be more compatible with these features. (Pic 5)
