Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on Tuesday, January 15, 1929, at 10:45am (CST), in Atlanta, Georgia. He was born with the Sun in Capricorn, the Moon in Pisces, and his time of birth gives him Aries rising. In other words, Dr. King is a Capricorn with a Pisces personality, who saw the world through the eyes of an Aries...
The planetary positions in Dr. King’s horoscope reveal the personality of a great humanitarian and visionary. Perhaps one of the most remembered of his speeches was the one in which he spoke of “going to the mountain top,” and there communicating with God. Capricorn is the sign of the goat – the mountain climber – and the position of the Sun in Capricorn in the 10th house of careers, status and professionalism certainly reveals the prominence that Dr. King would attain in the world. (The earth sign Capricorn rules the 10th house on the natural zodiac.)
Dr. King’s Moon in Pisces occupies the 12th house of silent suffering and secret enemies, and this lunar placement relates to the paying of a delinquent karma. The Moon conjuncts Venus in Pisces, and this aspect attains one to the plight of his fellow man, and indicates a deep love for humanity. Venus, the planet of love and the ruler of Dr. King’s 7th house of relationships, is exalted in his horoscope – by sign and house position – and forms an exact sextile (60° aspect) to his Capricorn Midheaven (i.e., the cusp of the 10th house, the highest point in the horoscope).
With Aries rising Dr. King was born to lead. In astrology the sign Aries is symbolically depicted as a ram, a rash animal noted for butting its head when engaged in conflict. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac; the first fire sign and the first cardinal sign, and with this sign on the Ascendant of a rare, natural-zodiac horoscope, Dr. King was bold and dynamic, and possessed the inherent attributes of pioneering and leadership.
Dr. King’s horoscope also reveals a highly evolved, extremely intelligent and spiritually motivated individual. Mercury,the planet of the mind, is in Aquarius, the sign of its exaltation, and occupies the 11th house, where it is accidentally exalted! It sextiles his Ascendant and trines (120° aspect) Mars(his life ruler) and the Part of Fortune. With Mercury exalted by sign and house position, and favorably aspected, Dr. King was a great thinker and intellectual – one of the most brilliant minds of our time...
Jupiter, the planet of good fortune, tenants the 1st house, in the earth sign Taurus, indicating a deep religious and philosophical nature. It forms a powerful trine with Neptune in Virgo, indicating a great desire to relieve oppression the world over. (Taurus is also the Sun-sign of his wife Coretta, who also has the Moon in Pisces, which accounts for the strong bonds of their marriage.)
Mars is in Gemini and occupies the 3rd house of communications. It forms a powerful opposition (180° aspect) to Saturn (his ruling planet) in Sagittarius, which occupies the 9th house of the higher mind, religion, philosophy, and long journeys. This position of Saturn shows that Dr. King was not only aware of human suffering, but (1) could establish certain plans to relieve that suffering due to an understanding of the socio-economic structures underlying it; (2) could create and implement new socio-economic structures to take the place of the old; and (3) possessed the personal power and drive to lead African-Americans to realize the plans he envisioned.
Pluto, the planet of regeneration, is in Cancer, and occupies the 4th house of the home and ancestral roots. It opposes his Capricorn Sun and trines his Pisces Moon. This combination of planetary influences points to Dr. King’s identification with the collective consciousness of African-Americans, and his need to constantly improve their condition in this country. His struggles would lead to his own evolutionary growth, as seen by the Sun’s position and its relationship to the Moon and Pluto.
Cancer and Pisces are the signs that rule African-Americans, consequently we witnessed the evolutionary growth of African-Americans as a result of Dr. King’s strong and inspiring leadership. The two destinies – both personal and collective – are thereby seen as joined in Dr. King’s horoscope.
The tendency toward the violent death that would curtail his visions can also be seen in Dr. King’s horoscope. Saturn, his ruling planet, is adversely aspected by an out-of-sign square (90° aspect) from Uranus in the 12th house and opposed by Mars, his life ruler. An unseen enemy or assassin also involved in politics would be the likely assailant. Mars is the dispositor of Uranus in Aries, and as such is linked to its effects. The South Node in the 8th house also indicates sudden or violent death. Pluto in opposition to a 10th-house Sun can cut short one’s career, while Mars opposing Saturn, ruler of the 10th house, certainly indicates the possibility of the curtailment of one’s ambition through some sudden and/or violent act.
This is further emphasized by the Saturn-Uranus square, as well as the position of the Moon in relationship to the malefics, Mars and Saturn. This powerful T-square in the mutable signs indicated that Dr. King’s hopes and wishes would not reach fulfillment, and that they could be curtailed through sudden violence.
On April 4, 1968, the day Dr. King was assassinated, his horoscope – already afflicted at birth – was being besieged by several powerful, negative influences that indicated portending danger:
The transiting Sun and Saturn – conjunct in Aries in the 12th house of secret enemies and on his Ascendant – were squaring his natal Sun in the 10th house of careers and Pluto in the 4th house of all endings...
Transiting Mercury and Venus – conjunct in Pisces and also in the 12th house – were forming powerful oppositions to transiting Uranus and Pluto in Virgo in the 6th house, and these oppositions were squaring his natal Mars and Saturn. Thus the ill-fated "grand cross" in the mutable signs on that day...
Transiting Neptune, ruler of the 12th house of secret enemies, was in Scorpio, the sign of death, and in the 8th house of death. With these powerful negative influences besieging his afflicted horoscope, it would have been advisable for him to do no traveling the week of April 4, 1968...
Pluto occupied the angular 4th house in Dr. King’s horoscope but was retrograde and in a close square to his Aries Ascendant – only five minutes from being exact. His close Mars-Saturn opposition in Gemini-Sagittarius attracted a great deal of publicity, mostly unfavorable. In fact, it may have been the negative influence of this aspect which prompted him to pursue a dangerous course of action which ultimately led to his assassination. This same opposition – formed by his progressed Mars – was only 14 minutes from its exact phase on April 4, 1968...
