Canadian athlete and humanitarian Terry Fox would have celebrated his 64th birthday this year, but unfortunately, he had to leave us when he was still very young, just a month before turning 23. I chose this chart to demonstrate how Terry’s natal promise plays out so literally, and how the basic symbolism of the planetary significations is never to be underestimated. I’m also briefly introducing some timing techniques. For some of you, this article might be too advanced, but nevertheless, I hope everyone will be able to catch a glimpse of the striking imagery hidden in plain sight in Terry’s chart.
Terry loved playing basketball, and he was captain of his school soccer team. Athletic Mars is tightly connected to his Helm-ruler, the Sun, in the 1st house representing his body, appearance, and health. We need to keep in mind that this is a daytime chart, which tends to make Mars express himself a little less in favor of Terry. That warrior up there in that powerful 10th house is going to do whatever he wants! Mars, who is said to be debilitated in Taurus, overcomes the Sun through a superior square. Translated into plain English, Mars’s challenging agenda can be expected to exact a toll on Terry’s health and vitality. Some of Mars’s natural significations are action, courage, and independence, but also strife, violence, and cutting or severing.
Terry was involved in a car accident when he was 18 years old. I’m including his Solar Return chart of that time period, which is a picture of the planets in the sky around Terry’s 18th birthday, more precisely, at the exact moment the Sun returns to his original position of the birth chart, in this case, 4°55’ Leo.
This chart will point to important life events starting from July 27, 1976, until Terry’s next Solar Return in 1977. Notice that, in this Solar Return chart, Mars is demanding attention through his conjunction with the MC. This is a clear sign, warning us that Mars is going to speak up this year. In other words, whatever fate Mars describes in the natal chart, is likely to be activated during this particular period in Terry’s life.
In the accident, Terry injured his right knee but decided to ignore it until the end of the basketball season. Four months later, the pain became unbearable. He went to the hospital where it was discovered he had a very dangerous form of bone cancer in the right knee. In medical astrology, the knees are signified by the 10th house, as well as by Saturn. Mars is of course in the 10th house of the natal chart, and Saturn happened to be the Time Lord by Profection at that time.
Profection is a Hellenistic timing technique that breaks up the native’s life into distinct periods by activating one whole sign house per time unit. Annual profections take one sign per year while monthly profections take one sign per month. In this particular case, Terry was in an annual 7th house profection year. Aquarius is in the 7th house which means that ruler Saturn’s significations in the natal promise were activated.
A lot is going on with Saturn in Terry’s chart. First of all, Kronos is placed in Sagittarius, a sign associated with marathons in ancient Greece. Saturn is the host of the Moon, which is always an important signifier for the physical body. In this case, the Moon is in detriment in the sign of Capricorn and she is in the 6th house of illness, accidents, and injuries. The Moon is in the process of meeting with the mirror point or antiscion of Saturn. So, even though the Moon and Saturn are not connected in the chart through a classical aspect, their significations are closely intertwined. The same goes for Venus, who is also involved with the body because she resides in the Moon’s temple and is applying to reach the contra-antiscion of Saturn. This type of relationship between Venus and Saturn is said to be a secretive opposition.
Saturn as well as his ruler Jupiter make a close degree-based aspect to the ascendant. All of this is starting to paint a clearer picture of how the malefic planets Mars and Saturn are both impacting Terry’s body, but directly or indirectly, all of the planets are tied to Terry’s health. Even Mercury, the only traditional planet I haven’t mentioned so far, sees Mars by a trine. Since Mercury is slowing down to turn retrograde, Mercury will never reach Mars. This phenomenon is called refrenation. Instead, Mercury will return to the 1st house of… body and health.
“I just wish people would realize that anything's possible if you try; dreams are made possible if you try.” - Terry Fox
There is more. Lord of the Year Saturn is a guest of Jupiter who is conjunct the lunar North Node. Since Jupiter is connected to the degree of the ascendant, as mentioned above, his role in Terry’s life is highlighted. His Jupiterian optimism is a wonderful addition to his heartwarming Sun in the 1st house and ancient astrologers believed the North Node to amplify the good that a benefic planet can do.
The lunar nodes are the astronomical points where the Moon’s path cuts into the path of the Sun. In Indian astrology, Rahu, or the North Node, represents the severed head of a demon whereas Ketu, the South Node, represents the same demon’s detached body. The North Node tends to give us something initially but then takes it away again. In medical astrology, ever-expanding Jupiter rules tumor growth, as well as the thighs and feet. On March 9, 1977, less than 24 hours after Terry’s first Nodal Return, his entire right leg was amputated to prevent the cancer from spreading. Jupiter is ruled by Venus who is located in the 12th house of loss.
“I don't feel that this is unfair. That's the thing about cancer. I'm not the only one; it happens all the time to people. I'm not special.” - Terry Fox
After a long process of undergoing chemotherapy, Terry embarked on what we perhaps could call a kind of pilgrimage. On April 12, 1980, in a 10th house profection year, activating Mars and 10th house ruler Venus, Terry started his Marathon of Hope to raise money for cancer research. Mars rules the 9th house of long journeys. His goal was to run a marathon each day with the aid of an artificial leg, making it from the east coast to the west coast of Canada.
“Who would have thought it would be possible to run across Canada on one leg, eh? I wanted to try the impossible and show that it could be done.” - Terry Fox
Running to raise money is appropriately symbolized by Mars’s trine with Mercury in the 2nd house of money. Any type of connection between these two planets often points to sports and athletics. I typically do not consider the modern planets, unless they are tightly configured to a traditional planet. In this case, Pluto is located at the same degree as Terry’s evening star Mercury who is auspiciously located in his own domicile and exaltation Virgo. Pluto, or Hades, was the “Giver of Wealth”. To date, $850 million has been raised in Terry’s name. This birth chart is a great example of how the chart’s promise extends beyond the life of the native.
The Lord of the Year by annual profection is Venus. She rules both Mars and Jupiter, and of course, Jupiter in the 3rd house can also be interpreted in the context of ‘daily travel’. A Jupiterian, exaggerated kind of travel, namely 26 miles or 42 kilometers per day! Ambitious malefic contrary to the sect, Mars continues to exact a toll from Terry’s Sun who represents his vitality, and Lord of the Year Venus is placed in the 12th house of self-undoing. Terry’s Marathon of Hope probably cost him his life. He suffered from several types of Martian inflammation. He also developed cysts on his stump and experienced dizzy spells.
Finally, after 143 days of running, just a month into an annual 11th house profection year, activating Mercury as the Lord of the Year, Terry had to quit. This is where Mercury’s refrenation might come into play: the inability to make the aspect to Mars translates to Terry’s inability to finish the marathon.
“I got satisfaction out of doing things that were difficult. It was an incredible feeling. The pain was there, but the pain didn’t matter.” - Terry Fox
The cancer had spread to Terry’s lungs. In ancient astrology, the sign of Cancer was associated with the lungs. Again, the Moon’s guest, Venus, is in Cancer, and she is applying to a mirror point or contra-antiscion with the God of death Saturn. Notice that Saturn is the ruler of the descendant where the Sun sets, which is a powerful symbol for death. The lung cancer was discovered when Terry’s 12th house was activated through monthly profection.
I understand that Terry’s big-hearted Solar-Jupiterian personality didn’t want to use the term ‘sacrifice’, but with Mars’s sign-based trine to the Moon in the Place of Bad Fortune where the great warrior rejoices, it is hard not to think of sacrifice for the greater good. The Moon in the 6th house of endless toil and effort, with Saturn as her host receives all the endurance and persistence needed to fight until the bitter end. Both of the receptive, feminine planets opposing one another on the 6th house – 12th house axis reveal a self-effacing desire and commitment to act in an altruistic manner.
Terry died upon entering the monthly 10th house profection of that same cycle, on June 28, 1981. His courage, perseverance and hope continues to be an inspiration for many.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. One of our goals at Astrum Opus Collective is to provide educational material for beginning students of astrology as well as for experienced professional astrologers. We will explore these and more techniques in depth in future articles. Your feedback, suggestions and questions are welcomed!
Thank you so much Michelle. I learned so much from this chart. I absolutely loved it. I read this description several times. It is so rich that it takes a number of readings to really integrate it. Chart delineations cannot be done in haste. This is the most valuable feature of this group for me. The chart delineation.
Thank you so much Michelle. I learned so much from this chart. I absolutely loved it. I read this description several times. It is so rich that it takes a number of readings to really integrate it. Chart delineations cannot be done in haste. This is the most valuable feature of this group for me. The chart delineation.