The iconic racing car driver Ayrton Senna was an ultra-Aries Mars Person. The 3x Formula One champion had Mars Rising in Aquarius and Jupiter amplified his Aries Sun. In Senna, the amazing doco about his life, he is described as “a deeply religious man whose need for speed was quazi-spiritual.”
“…There have been many champions in Formula One and all have uncommon skill, nerve and will to win. But in Senna these qualities seemed amplified, and they mixed a distinctive driving style and a level of emotion rarely seen in top-level racing drivers. On the track or in the pits, Senna seemed to be on fire, sometimes smoldering, often ablaze…”
The Wall Street Journal
Mars Rising is a signature astro-statement for accelerated people, soldiers and athletes. It makes action and competition their preferred mode of being. It is their comfort zone. Motion is poetry and if there are no rivals around to oust, they’ll compete with themselves.
Senna’s Mars was in maverick Aquarius, – the rebel- opposite Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius and his whole birth chart. While he bucked every system going, his fame and talent let him get away with it. That is, until the day he didn’t.
He died the way he’d lived, at high velocity and with a victory in sight. The fiery crash was unsurvivable and later found to be from mechanical failure – allegedly from a steering column he’d had modified. It was a merde few months to be modifying any machinery – Saturn was crossing his natal Mercury Retrograde in Pisces.
Ayrton Senna was born a few days before a potent Solar Eclipse in Aries and with Neptune precisely conjunct his Midheaven. It’s a combination which, along with his talent and glamor, guaranteed him enduring fame and the adoration of the public.
He had no idols, he said. “I admire work, dedication and competence.”
Interesting, will look for it at my library. My Mars in 11th Quintile Uranus, I love to drive fast. (see next post)
What is a “Chart Ruler” ?? How do you know who’s ruling your chart?
The planet of your rising sign – yours would be Pluto, if you’re a Scorp rising. Mine’s Mercury, since I’m a Gemini rising. And I’m too fuzzy-brained to think these days.
For some reason this post made me think of Stefano Casirighi, Princess Caroline’s second husband, who died in a speedboat accident. Ok, so I looked it all up because I am procrastinating about getting back to work tonight – but found out that it is fascinating, astro-wise.
Stefano was a businessman, a shy virgo, and a family man – but he was also a speedboat nut, who was on record as adoring speed, and who at the time of his death, was defending his the world offshort speedboat racing title. His boat flipped over in very high waves, in which many thought no one should have been racing. This sparked massive safety upgrades in that sport – both restrictions on races in high wave conditions, and mandatory canopies on boats, which were optional at the time. Of course, he didn’t have one.
What is fascinating is his natal chart, and the astro at the time of his death, which I checked out using a fave online ephemeris. Natally, like Ayrton Senna, Stefano had Mars rising too. His was in Gemini, which is known for loving fast means of transportation. His rising Mars natally opposed his Jupiter in Sagg (more excess) and both Mars and Jupiter squared his Sun, Pluto, Mercury, and NN in Virgo. He also had Saturn in Cap natally, in the 8th house of death, and a moon at 29 Aries.
And guess what? On the date of his death, Mars was ALSO conjunct his ascendant in Gemini, just as it had been at his birth. He died just after turning 30 – it was his Saturn return – and he had apparently very narrowly escaped death a week or two earlier, near his birthday, when his boat blew up. Caroline had begged him to give it up, and he had announced that this race (the race in which he died defending his title) was to be his last: he was going to retire from the sport
At the time of his death (October 1990), transiting Uranus (shocking surprises) and Neptune (water) were also in Capricorn, transiting his natal Saturn in the 8th house. Shocking surprise death through accident on the water.
The astro never lies, does it…
and I have been making an enormous amount of typos with this merc retro…d’oh!.
Good work Fi, a fun read! Love this blog..
My mars and rising are in Aqua (but not quite conjunct). One of my worst traits is my almost allergic reaction to being told what to do.
So he was just on one year younger than me, same sat in cap. I get him, in that at a young age fearlessness was something that I felt I had to prove to myself, note, not others. I had decided that physical fearlessness was the first step in conquering spiritual quests. I still feel the same way. When you trust in the universe to assist your survival and you do survive, its exhilarating, you feel invincible while falling madly in love with your creator who your sure is enjoying the ride as much as you..god bless Ayrton
David that is a great way to articulate Senna and how one uses their physical bodies & the connection with the spirit and mind. I loved Senna he was always exciting to watch, heart in your mouth kinda stuff. Another Aries back in the day that used to give me that feeling was cricketer Dean Jones especially when he was slashing dashingly at accurate bowling. But Senna was something else again.
Speaking of Aries males….I have my Aries brother working & staying with me at the moment, he took my Aries son to see Planet of the Apes yesterday in the hope that it would be 90 minutes of comedic mayhem. They were both pissed that only the last 10 minutes was there anything remotely action like. He described the movie to my son as “the monkeys go around killing all the humans”. LOL!! Bless him!
Like being putty in the hand of the God, he totally surrendered to the divine, it’s quite beautiful. We need more heroes.