~ Tribute to Lady Diana ~
Lady Diana

~ offered in the spirit of love ~
by Sandy Hughes

there is a silver lining

The sudden loss of someone who is loved in such immense proportion all around the world, as the Lady Diana Spencer, (see chart) is a shock none of us will ever forget. We don't know how to respond, other than stunned disbelief and horror, and we cannot fathom WHY such an exquisite human being would be ripped away, so senselessly. Most of us, in the depths of our pain, will want to blame someone, and the angles of attack are bound to be many. But there is always a bigger story than the obvious one. There will be a deluge of astrological analyses of the charts involved, including all the danger signals that could have been seen ahead of time. These will be helpful in assisting all of us to understand the active dynamics of astrology, but may not go very far to make us feel any better, or to make any sense out of such tragedy.

In hopes of shedding just a little bit of light on this very dark moment in our history, I am offering the silver lining to this cloud. Neither the personal nor the collective pain will be erased, but perhaps that very pain can add a valued dimension to this unprecedented event, and through that wholeness, find healing. There are many layers to astrological delineation ~ this is one of them. I will take you on a short journey, through the soul-path of a princess, as seen through the eyes of this astrologer. For those of you who want the short version, the end of the story is this:

We know Lady Diana to have been a devoted, sincere, and genuinely loving woman in all her roles, most especially as mother to her sons; who also extended that caring out to the far corners of the world. Her desire to invoke compassion in us all, in order to cure the ills of the world and end the interminable suffering, was paramount. She continued to feel trapped and restricted by the British hierarchy, and the press, in her ability to really make an impact. Her soul-self knew that through her death, as in no other way available to her, she would be able to fulfill her dream. She has invoked worldwide compassion and love, albeit through great sadness, that is far grander and more wide-spread than anything she could have accomplished physically, and to a degree that perhaps no other human being on this planet could have possibly achieved.

Our scientists are now discovering that even Chaos is not random; astrology teaches us the same thing. The continuous unfolding of patterns in the sky reveals the meaning behind the unfathomable. Let us begin at the end. The solar eclipse on the day following Diana's death was conjunct her natal Pluto in the 8th house, planet and house of death & rebirth, implying a destiny at work, Pluto representing the evolutionary intent of the soul.¹ The transiting Sun and retrograde Mercury were converging on her progressed Pluto one degree away, focusing the light on communication through death. Transiting Pluto was exactly quincunx (150 degrees) her natal Mercury and progressed Venus, again focusing the attention on communication (Mercury) of Love (Venus), through death (quincunx & Pluto). This aspect also shows her relationship (Venus in 7th house) being the vehicle for the event, and that, yes, it was fated, but it was indeed love! Pluto was also conjunct her progressed Part of Fortune on the 12th house cusp (doorway to spirit realms), and trine her natal Part of Fortune in the 8th house (death & rebirth). If that doesn't say that it was meant to be and with great benefit attached, what would?

The Nodes of the Moon show us the direction and characteristics of our soul's Path. The transiting nodes were astride her Midheaven/Nadir axis (more cosmic timing), showing a high integrity of choice (North Node in Virgo at Midheaven), in spite of appearances, and in spite of the huge personal sacrifice it would be, for her and her loved ones (South Node in Pisces at Nadir). Diana's natal nodes are truly profound. Her South Node (what she came in with) was conjunct the Moon in Aquarius, showing her inherent humanitarian spirit, and embodying the archetype of Universal Mother, and since she was a Cancer, this would be all the more relevant. Her North Node (where she was headed) was conjunct Uranus in Leo in the 8th house. On an entirely literal level that could mean a sudden, shocking death with huge impact. On a spiritual level it reveals her destiny of bringing illumination (Leo) to the world's people (Uranus), through death (8th house), and thus invoking transformation, because of her fame and popularity (Leo), and because of the gigantic shock waves (Uranus) her death has created. The Moon/Uranus opposition here is also indicative of the separation from her children and loved ones, for the sake of the higher good. Her Sagittarius Rising is an eternal flame, never to be extinguished.

Neptune, planet of spirituality, was transiting right on her natal Saturn, dissolving her old realities, in this case ending the restrictions of earthly existence, and allowing her spirit to fly free. Truly a blessed event, if we could but see it from above. The moment of the crash (see chart) was crowned by Jupiter (the Great Benefic of the ancients, bestowing blessings from above) in Aquarius (humanity) exactly on the Midheaven, as high as it can get, opposite the Moon in Leo on the Nadir
(going Home, in style).

Both her current Solar and Lunar Return (annual and monthly) charts show that her mission was complete, and that her soul's choice was to leave. Both charts have Libra Rising, with Mars in the First House, indicating the relationship focus and the new love in her life. The Solar Return (July 1, 1997) has Uranus (sudden departure) and Neptune (dissolution & spirituality) in the 4th house (home), showing her soul's intent to leave the earth plane, and work instead from the higher, angelic realms. The clincher comes with an exact trine (wide-open doors) to the Moon (Home) in the 9th house (far away places, higher consciousness and truth) from the Neptune. The Moon was at 29 degrees 58 minutes of Taurus, a sliver away from the end of the sign, with Taurus being the signature of the earthly body and physical reality. She was done, no matter what we might prefer to think. 29 Taurus is also the degree of the Pleiades, the sacred Seven Weeping Sisters. Perhaps Lady Diana is the missing one, who will now take her rightful place in the Heavens. The Moon/Neptune trine from the 4th (home) to the 9th (distant travel) tells me this was a soulful, peaceful, purposeful journey that had been long planned on the soul level.

The Lunar Return chart (Aug. 18, 1997) occurred exactly on a Full Moon (another completion), with the Moon, Jupiter and Uranus all in Aquarius in the 4th house. All this activity in the 4th (home), from agitated planets like Jupiter and Uranus, could certainly explain all her recent travelling, and her desire to get away, but also an unexpected departure on a grand scale. The final straw was cast by the placement of Neptune (spiritual transcendence) exactly on the Nadir, telling us she was GOING HOME! Saturn (Father Time) was just setting in the west (the close of Day), invoking the haunting strains of Taps, wafting past our ears on the breezes, and reminding us of all that she has been, and the huge contributions and sacrifices she made in her short time on this Earth, and hopefully reminding us of the necessity of keeping her vision alive! I emphasize vision, not image, lest we get caught again in the immortalization of a divinely inspired being, a truly beautiful soul, while forgetting to embody their essence by living their vision, and thereby perpetuating the truth of everlasting life, through Universal Love.

1. Green, Jeffrey; Pluto, Evolutionary Journey of the Soul, Vol. 1; see our Astro-Links Page.


~ Love is the answer to the final question ~

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©1997, 1998 Sandy Hughes