The Passing of Edward Aschoff

There was a sad story this week about the unexpected passing of ESPN reporter Edward Aschoff at age 34 after a bout with pneumonia. Aschoff was born in Oxford, MS, on 24 December 1985, time unknown. He died on his 34th birthday. In cases like this I typically find that the true Lunar Nodes in the Solar Return are moving very slowly and are either stationary or about to make a station within 24 hours. In addition, there are usually other striking symbolic connections in the Solar Return chart.

Because the time of birth is unknown, I cast a birthplace chart for sunrise in the tropical zodiac with Placidus houses:

[image error]Birth Chart of Edward Aschoff set for sunrise

In the sunrise chart, his Sun/Neptune conjunction lies on the Ascendant, and the Sun rules his 8th house of death. Mercury rules Gemini (a sign associated with the lungs) on the 6th of illness. Next I cast the current Solar Return of this sunrise chart for his birth place.

[image error]Solar Return of sunrise chart at the birth place on 24 December 2019, also the day of his demise.

The Solar Return as a stand-alone chart is quite striking. Uranus, the planet of the unexpected, almost exactly conjoins the Ascendant. Saturn almost exactly conjoins the MC degree where it is united with Pluto, both Saturn and Pluto being symbols of death. The lunar nodes are moving very slowly and will make a station within 19 hours of the time of this Solar Return, indicating sudden, unexpected and very challenging conditions during the period covered by this Solar Return.

In addition, the solar eclipse of December 26th, within two days of his death, will occur at 4 Capricorn 06, which is almost exactly on his natal Sun/Neptune conjunction, with the Sun ruling the 8th house in the sunrise natal chart. In the Solar Return, the eclipse conjoins Jupiter, which rules the 8th house of the return chart. Typically, close contact from eclipses to natal planets indicate dramatic and unexpected events.