The Mystery Surrounding the Dolfijn

To continue our watery theme this week, we have an event chart by Karin Verhoeve, a Dutch traditional astrologer. She arrives at a startling insight regarding the mysterious sinking of a French boat in 2004. Enjoy!
--- Gryphon, AKA Nina

On Monday, June 13^th 2005, the Dutch television program Netwerk discussed a fishing-boat accident. The mystery surrounding the sinking and the possible link with a submarine of the Navy drew my attention.

Here's a summary of what happened:

Early last year a French cutter, the Bugaled Breizh (“Child of Brittany” in Breton), was wrecked near the coast of England. The reason remains a mystery. According to relatives the accident was caused by a collision with the Dutch submarine, the Dolfijn. An independent Navy expert supports that view. But the French as well as the Dutch Navy both strongly deny this.

The Bugaled Breizh sank on January 15 2004, around noon, near Lizard Point. Five crew members died. Three bodies of these five victims have been found. The submarine HMS Dolfijn, close by for an international exercise, was one of the first to respond to the S.O.S.

What exactly caused the accident is a big mystery. At first the authorities assumed that the fishing-trawler had been sailed over by a freighter. At least ten ships have been examined for traces of a collision, but this investigation gave no proof.

According to the fishermen and relatives, underwater film footage of the wreck proved that the ship was hit from underneath. They laid the blame on the Dolfijn. The fishermen claim that the submarine has been repaired after the rescue operation.

A report of two French experts on accidents at sea shows that it is apparent that a submarine has caused the accident. Possibly a cable or net has been twisted in the rudder of the submarine, which made the submarine pull the cutter under water. (According to Netwerk)

The program mentioned the date, time and location of the accident, and based on this information I've erected an event figure.

In William Lilly's work we find a chapter dedicated to ships: contents, safety etc. (Christian Astrology, page 157). The body of the cutter is the Ascendant. In the chart it appears conjunct the fixed star Rana. According to Robson, the latter has a Saturn-like quality and it is a star from the great river Eridanus. This star provides love for knowledge and science, lots of traveling…but it's also responsible for accidents at sea.

This fixed star gives the boat (Ascendant) a Saturn-like quality; the cutter is slow, overloaded and has no speed or is moored.

This confirms the announcement that the cutter wasn't sailing during the accident. Taurus, an earthly and fixed sign, shows the quality of the cutter: strong, small and solid. The television item showed a small cutter, with a solid and well maintained construction that had been clearly damaged after the collision, having two firm dents on both sides.

The North node, which has a Jupiter-like quality, dominates through its conjunction with the Ascendant. Jupiter, Lord 8 and 12, dispositor of Lord 1, is destroyed, runs retrograde and trines the Ascendant. This Jupiter does not bode well for the ship – in a big, Jupiterian way.

Venus, Lord 1 in the 11^th house, has only just entered the sign, is in exaltation and her own term and in the 11^th house accidentally well placed. [She has just entered a watery sign, surely not a good omen for a boat! – Ed.] She has recently made an aspect with Mercury in the 8^th house and this significator of communication rules the 6^th house. Mercury has just entered the sign, comes out of fall and is now peregrine. Saturn is his dispositor. Venus is in mutual reception with retrograde Jupiter, conjunct cusp 6 in detriment placed in a weak reception (exaltation - face) with Saturn, also detriment. Both damage Lord 1.

The Moon, significator for fishermen, is located in the 6^th house and the Via Combusta, in an air sign and intercepted. Lilly says if the significators of the question are unfortunate, if a malefic planet is placed in the Ascendant and is dignified in 8 or when Lord 1 is in 8, in a difficult aspect with Lord 8 or 12 or 4 or 6, or if the Moon is combust or below the horizon, it means that the ship is lost and the men have drowned (except when there's a mutual reception between them). Though the Moon is placed antiscion to Venus, this antiscion hasn't much to offer since the Moon is peregrine and accidentally not placed well.

Uranus is exactly conjunct Venus, which indicates the abruptly changed condition of the cutter.

[We think this "Uranus" may have wandered over from a medical horary...and will send it along presently. -Ed.]

The prominently placed South node (Saturn-like quality) conjunct cusp 7 shows the affliction or damage. Saturn signifies the part of the cutter that has been affected.

Saturn is in Cancer, according to Lilly the lowest point or bottom of the ship! At that point the cutter has severe bumps on both sides.

Has the cutter been hit by a submarine?

Mars Lord 7, 'the other', in this case the submarine, is a malefic, not well placed in the 12^th house but strong in its own sign. The planet and the sign confirm that we're dealing with the right significator; the submarine belongs to the army, specifically the Navy!

The 12^th house represents revealed matters, things that we can't perceive directly. The cusp is in Pisces, according to Lilly: fishing spots, rivers full of fish. This shows that the submarine was close to, or involved in the disaster. Mars has also to do with steel. Intercepted: a cage of ‘steel’ encloses the submarine. Mars, 'the young one', can signify young inexperienced sailors.

The TV-program exposed a navigation map that mentioned that the Dolfijn came above water twelve minutes after the shipwreck. This has also been confirmed by a British trawler and opposes the statement of the submarine crew that the submarine had been above water all day. At the time of the accident the submarine had been west of the cutter, which we can find here through the location of Mars in the 6^th house (turned); the west.

Mars is not in mutual reception or aspect with Lord 1. Mars is in reception with the Sun, dominantly placed on the MC. Under protection of a powerful person or authority?

At the time of the event a fisherman on the bridge had just laid out a fishnet. The cables of the fishnets have been thoroughly investigated. It appeared that one cable had been fully unwound, a safety measure to get the boat back in balance in case a cable hooks to an object (rocks for example). If this failed, the cutter would sink within 2 minutes. The chart shows the Moon, significator of fishermen, in the 6^th house. Literally: the fishermen are at work. The Moon will change signs within two degrees and will be in its fall under the rulership of Mars. The last aspect of the Moon was made with the Sun. The Moon in Scorpio will make an aspect with Mercury within 2 degrees and with Venus as Lord 1. The cardinal sign of Libra as well as cadent house 6 illustrate a fast time unit: within 2 degrees = within 2 minutes or 2 hours. The Moon is also lord 4: the end! The aspect with Lord 1 says: the end of the cutter.

Pluto plays an important role, conjunct cusp 8, death. Pluto's dispositor is retrograde Jupiter, also dispositor of Lord 1 and Lord of the 12^th house. Pluto makes aspects with Mars and Jupiter, Lord 8 and makes a contra-antiscion with Saturn.

[We do not claim to know what this “Pluto” object is, and include it for the sake of novelty only. Don’t try this at home, kids! – Ed.]

A second reason that has possibly caused this shipwreck is inadequate communication or the complete lack of it. The condition of Mercury is bad. He has just emerged from a sign in which he was in fall and is now peregrine.

All this could confirm that the submarine did play a role in this shipwreck.

We have to wait for the investigation to receive confirmation of this astrology case. The question is whether the actual truth will 'break the surface'.

Thanks to Erik van Slooten, astrologer and teacher of Dutch, for his editorial advice.

© Karin Verhoeve is a classical astrologer in the Netherlands.

She studies astrology with Martien Hermes, Oscar Hofman, Robert Zoller.

Workshops: Robert Hand, John Frawley ea.

E-mail: verhoevk@xs4all.nl