Chart ruler Mercury, in close adherence to Mars in Scorpio, imbued Jack Whiteside Parsons’ personality with the puer aeternus archetype. In his pursuits as a pioneering rocket engineer, chemist, and occultist, Jack’s youthful exuberance was brimming with idealism and enthusiasm for his work. His grand vision of space exploration was almost utopian, and he dedicated himself to it with a great sense of adventure and spontaneity. His personal life, on the other hand, was marked by tumult and instability, including his relationships, which could be interpreted as a reluctance to fully embrace the interpersonal responsibilities of adulthood. Again, quite typical for the puer.
Mercury’s close trine to an exiled Saturn in Cancer is also an indicator of Jack’s nonconformist personality and disregard for societal norms. If the 6th house planets in the joy of Mars already reveal some rebelliousness, Saturn sends a grin of confirmation. Whatever the contemporary status quo may be, this is the chart of someone likely to challenge it.
Five months after Jack’s birth, his parents broke up after his mother found out his father was visiting prostitutes. In a 6th house profection month, the dynamic between Mercury and Mars was activated. Mercury, who represents the father as the ruler of the 4th house, is about to conjoin Mars, the natural signifier of conflict and severance. Another clue that echoes a possible divorce is the fact that the Sun and Moon are in an aversion preventing the parents from staying connected.
After being publicly exposed as an adulterer, his father joined the armed forces, which is another event so well described by Mars’s rulership.
A Lone Wolf’s Quest
In a tight trine to Saturn, Jack, portrayed by Mercury in Scorpio, epitomizes the loner archetype. Spending most of his time reading, he developed an interest in mythology and the Arthurian legend. In addition to the natural curiosity of Mercury, the Great Interpreter, a Scorpionic environment can breed diligent researchers and passionate explorers, perhaps even up to the point of obsession.
With philosopher Jupiter in the 9th house by a whole sign square, Jack must have felt constantly on the verge of discovering mind-boggling secrets. Associated with the seed that brings forth life, Jupiter is the spark that initiates all sorts of grand undertakings. In the Air sign Aquarius, Jupiter is oriented towards intellectual and futuristic conceptions. No wonder writers like Jules Verne kindled Jack’s love for science fiction, leading to his early interest in rocketry.
Fueled by the darker realm of the Scorpion, as well as Mercury’s pending enclosure by the malefic planets and rulership over the mysterious 4th house, aka the Subterranean Place, Jack began to investigate occultism. Legend has it that, at age twelve, under a Dark Moon in the 4th house squaring the malefic planets in his Solar Return chart, he performed a ritual to invoke a demon in his bedroom. Something extraordinary did happen, and whatever it was, it frightened him so much that he no longer wanted to continue his occult experiments. Not for a while, at least…
Another expression of Mercury about to aspect Saturn and move into an enclosure is Jack’s undiagnosed dyslexia which prevented him from doing well at school, even though he was very bright. Note that Saturn rules the 9th house of education. On top of that, Jack was unpopular with his classmates. He was seen as an outsider, so typical of Saturn. Nevertheless, he became close friends with Edward Forman, who shared his interest in rocketry. Jack’s 11th house of friends is ruled by Mars in the 6th house. Their motto was per aspera ad astra: through hardship to the stars!
Danger is no obstacle for planets in the 6th house, which is traditionally associated with accidents, conflicts, violence, and injuries. Venturesome (and noisy!) Mars is not only in his joy here; he’s also residing in his domicile Scorpio, equipped with all the tools he needs to express his essence. Jack’s Mercury/Mars character exhibited thrill-seeking tendencies. While seeking excitement and adrenaline rushes, there was also an insatiable desire to master complex skills and solve practical problems. His homemade gunpowder-based rocket experiments left craters in the family’s back garden. Fencing and archery were some of Jack’s other passions. His mother sent him to the Military Academy in San Diego where he got himself expelled for blowing up the toilets.
A Change of Fortune
A prominent Moon in the sign of the benefic planet Jupiter governs Jack’s 2nd house of financial resources. No matter how promising this may look, the elephant in the room is the Moon’s guest, an exiled Saturn. In a nighttime chart, Saturn in Cancer often deprives a person of some fundamental necessities, such as safety and basic comfort. Although Jack was born into a wealthy environment, the family fortune, which was mostly his grandfather’s fortune, quickly dissolved with the onset of the Great Depression in October 1929.
Jack was 15 years old. Saturn, the troublesome wild card in Jack’s house of financial resources, was prominently activated in his 1929 Solar Return chart.
As the malefic ruler of the natal 9th house of education, Saturn’s natal promise speaks to the fact that Jack’s mother was no longer able to afford his education. He took the Saturnian responsibility to earn his own money and started his first job at the Hercules Powder Company. This is where he learned more about explosives and their potential use in rocket propulsion. Plagued by headaches caused by exposure to nitroglycerine, well-described by the Mercury/Mars adherence in the house of illness, he hoped to continue his academic studies in chemistry but again found the tuition unaffordable. When Saturn says “no,” it’s “no”!
Notice the Balsamic Moon in the Solar Return chart, pointing to the end of an era, the family legacy. Ruled by a fallen Venus in Virgo, this ending is not a happy one. Because Libra is located in the natal 5th house, we can see his carefree childhood coming to an end as well.
The Suicide Squad
It didn’t stop Jack from pursuing his ambitions, however, and he and his Mars-y 11th house allies went on to develop rockets. People started calling them the “Suicide Squad.” His friend Frank Malina later wrote that Jack "lacked the discipline of a formal higher education, [but] had an uninhibited and fruitful imagination." Planets in Water signs tend to be very creative and prolific. Mercury’s sextile to Neptune generously embellishes his imagination. Jack was said to be “eager to try whatever idea happened to spring to mind."
I height don Quixote, I live on peyote, marijuana, morphine and cocaine. I never know sadness, but only a madness that burns at the heart and the brain. I see each charwoman, ecstatic, inhuman, angelic, demonic, divine. Each wagon a dragon, each beer mug a flagon that brims with ambrosial wine. - Jack Parsons
Engaging in dangerous interests can also serve as an escape or distraction. This pattern returns in the form of Jack using alcohol and marijuana, and later cocaine, amphetamines, peyote, mescaline, and opiates. The fallen Sun in the 5th house of pleasure, ruled by an exiled Venus in the 6th house of conflict, and in a trine to Jupiter and Uranus reveals Jack’s complicated relationship with pleasure and sexuality.
When the Magick Happens
Four years into his marriage to Helen Northrup, his high school sweetheart, he was invited by a friend to witness Aleister Crowley’s Gnostic Mass in the Church of Thelema. This event made a lasting impression, and soon, the couple joined the Agape Lodge, the Californian branch of Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO). A year later, around his progressed lunar return, accompanied by a reversed nodal transit in 1942, Jack was promoted to leader of the Lodge. The Moon plays an important role here in the 10th house of social status and career. Ruled by High Priest Jupiter in the 9th house of spirituality, we can clearly see his official title of “Master of the Temple.” He was responsible for overseeing rituals and esoteric practices, including sex magick, aimed at harnessing the transformative power of sexual energy to achieve spiritual and magical goals. This speaks to Jack’s fallen Sun in the 5th house of sexuality ruling the 3rd house, a place often associated with cults and rituals.
Being in love we create love, being in hate we create hate, and, the image of the universe being in ourselves, the love or hate we create acts equally upon us. This is the great pragmatism of Magick. ― Jack Parsons, Freedom Is a Two-Edged Sword
Encouraged by the sexually permissive philosophy of the OTO, Jack began a relationship with his wife’s 17-year-old sister, Sara. Encouraging her to take up other lovers, he engaged in sexual relations with multiple women. In April 1945, Jack met L. Ron Hubbard, who would later become the founder of Scientology. In that same year, Sara left Jack for Hubbard. They went on to defraud Jack of his life savings in early 1946 while both of the malefic planets were retrograding through his 2nd house.
The Babalon Working
But before that, Jack and L. Ron Hubbard conducted a series of magickal rituals known as the Babalon Working. They started on January 4th, 1946, under a Capricorn Moon opposed by an exiled Saturn and fallen Mars. Neptune was about to station retrograde within 1° of his natal Sun. The ritual aimed to conceive a spirit-world child – a Crowleyan “Moonchild” - who was meant to usher in the Thelemic goddess Babalon, a potent symbol of divine feminine energy, embodying aspects of sexuality, creativity, and spiritual liberation. First, Jack performed sex magick to summon his ideal partner. In February, she appeared at his door in the shape of artist and occultist Marjorie Cameron, who created artworks based on her apocalyptic visions. Jack and Marjorie’s charts connect in many interesting ways; the almost exact same lunar placement is what stands out the most, especially considering they were creating a Moonchild. Marjorie did become pregnant but kept it hidden from Jack and had an abortion.
Some practitioners view the Babalon Working as a symbolic or psychological endeavor rather than a literal attempt to bring about the birth of a supernatural being. Others argue that the ritual had unforeseen consequences or effects. There was speculation that a surge in reported UFO sightings and paranormal activity were linked to the ritual. Regardless of its tangible results, the Babalon Working remains a significant expression of the Mercury/Mars combination as a powerful alchemical principle, disintegrating the modern boundary between spiritual exploration and scientific experimentation.
To the man who knows this Will, there is no why or why not, no can or cannot; he is! – Jack Parsons
Jack had to deal with some undesired effects of his rituals, such as persistent haunting phenomena, and some of the Elementals that he had invoked became lingering and troublesome. Considering the Babalon Working had failed, Jack focused on his rocketry experiments, but he came under investigation by the FBI, officially because of his interest in communism. Others think gossip about him leading a black magic cult spurred the investigations. Because of this, his career went downhill.
Jack’s Untimely Demise
On June 17, 1952, Jack died at the age of 37 in a home laboratory explosion. As soon as she heard the news of Jack’s death, his mother took her own life.
Deemed an accident by the police, many people suspected suicide or even foul play. Jack’s work habits were described by some of his colleagues as "scrupulously neat" and "exceptionally cautious." They believed Jack was murdered. In the transit chart, we can see an exalted Saturn that has turned direct 7 days before Jack’s death, in a very tight conjunction with his natal Sun, the general signifier of vitality. This longer and potentially dangerous transit is activated by transiting Mercury. At the same time, transiting Mars is in the process of translating the light from natal Mercury to the ruler of his 8th house of death, Saturn.
What do you think? Do you see any clues in the chart of foul play? Or do you think Jack’s death was an accident? Let me know in the comments.
Michelle Corbesier is an astrologer and artist residing in Belgium with her beloved husband and furry companions. Offering natal, horary, and synastry consultations, Michelle is passionate about guiding others on their journeys of self-discovery and empowerment. Sharing her love for the starry craft, she also provides private tutoring and mentoring to aspiring stargazers. Get in touch with Michelle at Michelle’s Midheaven, or on Substack, Instagram, YouTube, MeWe, and Facebook.
Wow. I do see transiting Mars opposing the moon and Jupiter in his 12th house. He could definitely have been murdered. Excellent article! Fascinating.
Explosive: transiting Mars conjoined natal Mars in the 6h.