Murder in the First Degree

by Robin Armstrong

Mass Murderer Marc Lepine

14 Female Engineering Students Murdered

13 others injured

MARC LEPINE, Mass Murderer

Born: October 26, 1964 (time unknown)

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

                Marc Lepine, alias Gamil Gharbi was born in Montreal, to a French Canadian mother, and an Algerian father who beat his son severely ……. a times he was bruised for weeks. He was terrified of his father. His parents divorced in 1976 when he was twelve. At the age of 18 he disowned his father and changed his name legally to Marc Lepine.

                Marc was socially awkward, shy, and courteous, but became hostile when rejected. His apartment was super clean. Everything had its place. And there was a swastika on the wall. He was not allowed to serve in the military when he applied at the age of 18. He then tried to become an electrical or computer engineer. Unfortunately for Marc, he would fail whenever he got close to achieving his goals. He excelled at college but quit after failing a couple of courses in his last year. He quit a major computer programming course at Control Data Institute several months before completion. He upgraded his chemistry marks enabling him to enter l’Ecole Polytechnique”. This was the school he wanted to attend, but at the last minute he gave up and didn’t send his application in. He bought a gun permit in August and on Nov. 21, 1989 he purchased a semi-automatic rifle.

Horoscope of Montreal Massacre

On Dec. 6, 1989 at 5:15 PM Marc walked into the university with his rifle. Thirty minutes later, 14 female engineering students were dead and 13 others were injured! Marc Lepine then shot himself.

                He walked into a classroom and told all the men to leave and they did. He asked the remaining students if they knew why he had come. Some said no. He began to scream, “You’re women. You’re going to be engineers. You’re all feminists. I hate feminists.” He was answered “We are only women who are studying engineering.” Marc didn’t reply. He just started shooting.

                The shooting started just after 5:15 PM. Police arrived at 5:23 PM followed by four other cars and ambulances. The police stayed outside and waited for orders. The shooting continued until close to 5:45 PM when Marc Lepine shot himself. The police did not enter the building right away. They stayed outside and waited until it was more-or-less over. Who knows what might have happened had the police rushed into the building sooner?

                In any case 14 female students were murdered, and 13 were wounded. Marc Lepine was dead.

Because we do not have a time of birth the chart used for Marc Lepine was for noon. This means that we do not have an Ascendant, Midheaven, or reliable degree position for the moon. These have not been used.

MARC LEPINE’S SUN is at 3°18’ SCORPIO (4th degree):

SC 04° (Charubel) The double triangle. Denotes great will power; a magician.

SC 04° (Chandra) A LOUD ROAR AS A TORNADO APPROACHES. Ability to perceive forewarnings. Unleashing of one’s passions. -Mental turmoil.

SC 04° (Jones) A Youth holding a lighted candle. This is a symbol of a true contact with inner and transcendental realms of reality, and of the rewards to the spirit which come from a realization of the continuing ties between the least of individuality and universal life as such. There are always evidences of higher meaning and immortal value in each moment’s detail of everyday living, and there is an enthusiasm which arises from an ever-clear vision to bring every possible sustainment to man in his outer and practical world. The keyword is RELIANCE. When positive, the degree is an unquenchable and irresistible confidence in the goodness and integrity of all things, and when negative, a simple-minded impracticality if not a very unhealthy self-obsession.

SC 03°-04° (I Ching)  OBSTRUCTION: W.39, Line 4: Receptive, passive, yielding.

     “A dark abyss lying before and a steep inaccessible mountain rising behind …… surounded by obstacles …….. the way to deal with them is to keep still. ……. An individual surrounded by obstacles that cannot be overcome directly. It is wise to pause in view of the danger and to retreat, as a preparation for overcoming the obstacles. …….. One must join forces with friends of like mind and put himself under the leadership of a man equal to the situation, then one will succeed in overcoming the obstacles.”

     (-This Marc was unable to do, perhaps because of the abusive relationship to his father. )

     “Difficulties and obstructions throw a man back upon himself. While the inferior man seeks to put the blame on other persons bewailing his fate, the superior man seeks the error within himself.”

     (-Marc was an inferior man who blamed women for his failures. Too bad he could not find good advice, nor an inner path.)

SC 03°-04° (Alexandrinus) b Mercury

     The Mercury rulership of this degree implies an empowering of his ideas, right or wrong. He would sense that there was a purpose to his goals and his ideas. Unfortunately the negative side of Scorpio prevailed.

LEPINE’S MERCURY is at 10°22’ SCORPIO (11th degree):

SC 11° (Charubel) A lamb at a distance from its dam, but looking towards her. Denotes one with strong filial affections; he cannot be happy without one to love or to cling to.

SC 11°(Sepharial) A hare seated upon a knoll above its burrow, behind it is the rising Moon. It is the indication of a timorous and watchful nature, apprehensive of dangers that are not apparent and unmindful of those which are inevitable as the nightfall. Such an one is liable to be taken unawares and deceived in the chief affairs of life; and while showing astute-ness in all that he has regard to, he will yet prove himself to be more watchful and cautious than wise and far-sighted. It is a degree of INSECURITY.

SC 11° (Chandra) GNARLED TWISTED TREES AGAINST AN OVERCAST SKY. Exposure of all the twists and turns of reality and experience.

SC 11° (Jones) A drowning man rescued.This is a symbol of the soul’s personal immortality, and of its unabated eagerness in returning to the various phases of its experience again and again. There is here a consistent partnership between man and nature, so that the very accidents of circumstance can be counted on to serve him as long as he maintains his underlying enthusiasm of being. His consciousness has a continuity through his sense of responsibility for his own creative powers. The keyword is SAFETY. When positive, the degree is the inherent courage which constitutes a protection from the vicissitudes of life, and when negative, a tendency to hysteria on the least occasion and a lean on transient excitement for all self-realization.

SC 10°-11° (I Ching) KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN: W.52, Line 5: Receptive, passive, yielding.

     “Here the male principle is at the top, the female principle is below. ….. here is the problem of achieving a quiet heart. …… This hexagram signifies the end and the beginning of all movement. …… When a man has become inwardly calm, he no longer sees the world as the struggle and tumult of individual beings. …… The superior man does not let his thoughts go beyond his situation.”

     “Line 5: A man in a dangerous situation, especially when he is not adequate to it, must be sparing of words. Injudicious speech leads to situations that subsequently give much cause for regret.”

     (-Marc criticized feminists, hated feminists. Someone said “We are only women students”. Marc didn’t answer but started shooting. She might have fared better with silence. Her arguement was interpreted as a rejection, making her one of the feminists! …….. BANG!)

SC 10°-11° (Alexandrinus) b Mercury.

     Again the Mercury degree rulership accentuates the mental focus and the need for learning, communicating, and being a student.

MARC LEPINE’S VENUS is at 24°26’ VIRGO (25th degree):

VIR 25°(Sepharial) Crossed swords, over which is seen a crown. It indicates a person of a military, aggressive character, and who will take things by force and cut his way through life by dint of energy and executive ability. He will have many and powerful enemies, but will overcome them. Yet peace will not abide with the man of war, and the native, while gaining fame, will lose his happiness in life. It is a degree of AGGRESSION.

Virgo 25 (Chandra) A GOLD RING IN THE FORM OF A SNAKE SWALLOWING ITS TAIL. Understanding how giving and receiving are cyclic and depend on each other. This is an alchemical symbol. The snake swallowing its tail sig-nifies the cyclic processes of nature, and the zodiac as well.

VI 25° (Jones) A flag at half-mast. This is a symbol of the inevitable judgment which life must pronounce on itself, and of the sure rewards that stand ready for whatever proves of worth in the course of effort. The highest of everyday values for the common man are created in a public service which has its first compensation in the individual’s self-fulfillment, and its ultimate justification in some measure of immortal contribution to history. Reputation is the subtle coin by which personality creates an enduring wealth for everyone, to be preserved no less in death than life. The keyword is RESPECT. When positive, the degree is achievement in a full transcendence of selfhood, and when negative, superficial self-dramatization.

VI 24°-25° (I Ching) THE ARMY:W.7, Line 6: Receptive, passive, yielding. “The image of danger within and obedience without. …… requires a strong man who captures the hearts of the people. ……. War is dangerous and brings with it destruction and devastation. …… Line 6: Inferior people should not come into power, lest power be abused.”

     (- Marc loved the military. He thought that women were the inferior people, but it was himself! He was able to obtain a rifle and then like most inferior people, he went ahead and misused the power.)

VI 24°-25° (Alexandrinus) e Jupiter.

     With a Jupiter rulership of his Venus degree, Marc was challenged to understand the implications of love and appreciation. When his emotions turned negative, so did his principles. He needed to understand his critical sense of self worth and his criticism of women as the seeming cause of it all.

MARC LEPINE’S MARS is at 24°22’ LEO (25th degree):

LE 25° (Charubel) An orange tree loaded with fruit. Denotes one very fond of pleasure, and who indulges rather freely in luxuries. Let him beware! The sun does not always shine! The longest day ends in night! In the meantime, he is a person of fine tastes, and the possessor of many accomplishments.

LE 25°(Sepharial) A reversed triangle upon a red ground.It denotes a person of. a very passionate and emotional nature, who will suffer through the allurements of the other sex, and at some time in his life will be liable to suffocation or drowning. The native will certainly be in danger through the watery element. The fortunes will be in danger of reversal, and that through the passional nature of the native. The nature is incapable of any steady effort, and is, in short, as soft and unstable as water. It is a degree of INSTABILITY.

Leo 25 (Chandra) A CIRCLE OF NEAT HOUSES, EACH ONE IDENTICAL. Regimentation. Compelling self and others to conform. The pleasure of sharing that which one has in common with others. . There is a town just like this one in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Devil in the Belfry.” In Poe’s short story, the name of the town is Vondervattimeitiss “wonder what time it is”). The story is a satire on regimentation.

LE 25° (Jones) A large camel crossing the desert. This is a symbol of man’s capacity to overcome the handicaps imposed on him by the normal limitations of the world in which he elects to function, and of his underlying and basically inexhaustible endurance. Here is a psychological integration of human character, revealing an effective self-mobilization which the least of men may accomplish. His achievements in the face of the difficulties to be overcome are the real foundation of his self-refinement and ultimate self-discovery. The keyword is ADEQUACY. When positive, the degree is uncompromising persistence and uncomplaining self-expenditure in any course to be followed, and when negative, ruthlessness in an unintelligent self-interest.

LE 24°-25° (I Ching) BEFORE COMPLETION: W.64, Line 6: Creative, active, firm. “The conditions are difficult. The task is nothing less than leading the world out of confusion and back to order. …… Fire over water ….. opposite effects. The superior man is careful in the differentiation of things so that each finds its place.”

     (- Marc had no place he could find for women.)

     “Line 6: One must stay within proper bounds. If a man gets drunk he forfeits the favorableness of his situation.”

LE 24°-25° (Alexandrinus)        a Moon.

     With Mars in this degree of lunar rulership, Marc would have basic anger due to his family. He would feel the need to be a winner with this Leo moon but would get exceptionally hostile when rejected. This could easily transfer anger towards women if he was unable to establish intimacy.

MARC LEPINE’S JUPITER is at 23°22’TAURUS (24rd degree):

TA 24°(Charubel) I seem to be above the earth; I see the sun ascending above the horizon while it is yet dark on that hemisphere towards which it is approaching. The signification of this strange phenomenon, in part, is: A man, yet one greater than a man! His mission is a world mission, but present conditions will scarcely admit of such a development.

TA 24°(Sepharial) A bed of a dried-up river, wherein crows (black birds) are feeding.It signifies one who will take his course through useless tracks, and by too much trust in others will suffer depletion. Yea, though all his life long he may minister to the wants of others, yet, in his advancing years, he will be abandoned to the mercy of wayfaring and deceitful men. This illustrates virtue misapplied . It is a degree of DECLINE.

TA 24°(Muir). One who serves and is inclined to be ser-vile. A patient worker who should free himself from the thraldom of others and develop his latent ability.

Taurus 24 (Chandra) A MAN WITH NO MOUTH. Ability to rise above the limits of verbal expression. Secretiveness. Inability to receive nurturing. Many people who have reported having contact with extrater-restrials have said that the extra-terrestrials had no mouth

TA 24°(Jones) A mounted Indian with scalp locks.This is a symbol of pride in personal prowess, and it suggests an excep-tional capacity for gaining and administering authority among men. There is here an appreciation of the potentials in nature herself, and of the senses as they can be brought to the full service of an individual’s aspiration and ambition. The con-quest of an enemy becomes not so much a momentary suprem-acy over him as an acquisition and subsequent use of his particular genius. The keyword is COMMAND. When positive, the degree is an unimpeachable control over life through a disci-pline of the self and its powers, and when negative, a ruthless-ness or complete inhumanity in dealing with others.

TA 23°-24° (I Ching) TAMING POWER OF THE GREAT: W.26, Line 1: Creative, active, firm. “This hexagram suggests the need to ‘hold firm’, ‘hold back’, and ‘to hold to proper nourishment and care’. ….. not eating at home brings good fortune …… needs daily renewal of character.” (-I wonder what a little daily meditation, Tai Chi, or yoga would have done for Marc.)

     Line 1: Danger is at hand. It furthers one to desist. …… A man wishes to make vigorous advance, but circumstances present an obstacle. He sees himself held back firmly. If he should attempt to force an advance, it would lead him into misfortune. Therefore it is better for him to compose himself and to wait until an outlet is offered for the release of his stored up energies.”

TA 23°-24° (Alexandrinus) a Moon.

     The Moon rulership of his Jupiter degree puts focus on how his understanding of closeness and nutrition developed from the family…… abusive upbringing, parents divorced at 12 (puberty). In Marc’s case negative upbring fostered negative moral judgements.

LEPINE’S SATURN is at 28°23’ AQUARIUS (29th degree):

AQ 29° (Charubel) A man with open breast showing enlarged heart overflowing with blood. A degree of sorrow. Denotes one who will be subject to most harrowing trials through life, and who will die heartbroken.

AQ 29°(Sepharial) Two crossed swords surrounded by a wreath of laurels. Whoever has this astral signature will be remark-able for his powers of attack and defence. He may be a clever barrister, a successfull diplomat, or a man of the sword. In the passage of arms which will constantly fall to his lot, he will prove himself capable and skilful to a degree. He will show considerable powers of execution, a pointedness and directness of speech, an incisive manner, and sharp, acute, penetrating mind. He will gain honours in his special walk in life, and should he take to the sword either in the defence of his own country or the conquest of another, he will meet with distinction and honours. Yet he will hold but little of this world’s goods and must rely continually on his power of cutting his way through life by his own continuous exertions. It is a degree of EXECUTION.

Aquarius 29 (Chandra) THE SOUND OF DRIPPING WATER ECHOES THROUGH A GREAT STONE ROOM. Realization of the reality of eventual freedom even in confining or lim-iting circumstances.

AQ 28°-29° (I Ching) AFTER COMPLETION: W.63, Line 2: Receptive, passive, yielding.

      “At the beginning good fortune, at the end disorder!… Water over fire … the superior man takes thought of misfortune and arms himself against it in advance.  Water and fire generate energies that are by nature hostile to each other. Only the most extreme caution can prevent damage! ….a woman loses the curtain of her carriage. Do not run after it. ….. If a man’s superiors withold their trust from him, he will seek ways and means of getting it and of drawing attention to himself.” This is an unworthy proceedure. Do not seek it.

AQ 28°-29° (Alexandrinus) f Saturn.

     Saturn rulership of a Saturn degree placement bodes well for responsibility and work but implies severity in judgment.

LEPINE’S NORTH NODE is at 24°13’ GEMINI (25th degree):

GE 25°(Charubel) A balloon. A person capable of performing  remarkable feats, yet he will never succeed in any one great enterprise.

GE 25°(Muir). An occultist who has a mission to perform in enlightening others as to the purpose of life. One who perceives a new light.

Gemini 25 (Chandra) A CAVE IN DEEP OCEAN WATERS. Love of mystery. Hidden sources. Desire to explore versus fear of what may be found. Unnecessary fear of sharing the self.

GE 25° (Jones) A man trimming palms This is a symbol of the pride in effort by which man seeks to leave his immortal stamp on the world around him. There is here the bending of all natural resources to the will of the individual, and an enlistment of every beauty and capacity of nature for a continuing revelation of the self’s aesthetic sense. The harmony between the workman and his materials becomes gratifying evidence of the soul’s powers on the more objective side of a selfjustification. The keyword is ENHANCEMENT. When positive, the degree is an exceptional gift for bringing all things to an effective service in some special aspect of over-all achievement, and when negative, an empty display of trivial excellencies.

GE 24°-25° (I Ching) THE CREATIVE, INDIVIDUAL: W.1, Line 6: Creative, active, firm, independent.

     “Line 6: Arrogant dragon will have cause to repent. ….. danger of titanic aspirations that exceed ones power. A precipitous fall would follow.

GE 24°-25° (Alexandrinus) e Jupiter.

     Much of Marc Lepine’s tests of life seem to involve education and principles. Maybe he felt that success should come to him more easily.

LEPINE’S URANUS is at 13°31’ VIRGO (14th degree):

VI 14°(A.Leo) Inclinations towards oriental customs, reserved in speech: danger on short journeys.

Virgo 14 (Chandra) A LONG STEEL SCREW. Ability to draw accurate conclusions. Deeply penetrating analysis. Inability to let go.

VI 14° (Jones) A family tree. This is a symbol of the ever-effective dynamic with which an established tradition endows mankind, dramatized here by the extent to which an individual will live the lives of his forebears or accept the guidance stemming from them through their spiritual presence in his blood. Men are swayed and torn by the demands of the interweaving relationships which form among them or hold them in varying complexes of common experience, but yet each person looking to his endowment may reveal an integrity peculiarly his own. The keyword is GENTILITY. When positive, the degree is exceptional fidelity to some unique promise of self and so an ultimate achievement of distinction, and when negative, a false sense of heritage.

VI 13°-14° (I Ching) THE ABYSMAL, WATER: W.29, Line 5: Creative, active, firm.

     “The principle of light is enclosed in the dark. …… a man in a dangerous ravine with dangerous water …… Danger comes because one is too ambitious.”

VI 13°-14° (Alexandrinus)c Venus.

      With Uranus occupying a Venus ruled degree it seems to point to sudden upsets due to women and many emotional shocks and let-downs. He will be challenge to find his own sense of self worth and satisfaction.

LEPINE’S NEPTUNE is at 17°02’ SCORPIO (18th degree):

SC 18° (Charubel) A man holding a pair of scales in one hand and a sword in the other. Ajust person, but prone to become too severe.

SC 18°(Sepharial) A woman charming snakes, one of which is  twined about her neck. It is the index of a watchful, brave, but suspicious and jealous nature. Such an one will brave many dangers for the sake of mastery over the passions of others, and will be active in the attainment of the arts of conquest. Nevertheless it is probable that eventually the life will be endangered thereby, and, beyond the loss of power where it is most to be desired, the danger of a poisoned love, or a yet more sinister folly, will threaten to crush and obliterate this person. It is a degree of JEALOUSY.

SC 18°(le) A yielding and voluptuous nature, prone to sin, yet well-disposed: trouble in love.

SC 18° (Chandra) PEOPLE HOLDING HANDS AROUND A TABLE. ONE CAN-DLE IS BURNING IN THE MID-DLE OF THE TABLE. Intimacy with a group as an expres-sion of worship. Pooling of collec-tive energies to accomplish a pur-pose. Reminiscent of a seance.

SC 18° (Jones) A woods rich in autumn coloring. This is a symbol of nature’s high ministry of service to every function and purpose of individual living, and of the varying manifestations of a reality supported and brought to its genuine fruitage by the eternal and illimitable resources on every hand. There is here an exaltation of every ideal potentiality, dramatized in the form of inevitable and universal consummations of order and beauty. Life achieves its ultimate promise in a personal excellence, which may be found compounded a thousandfold. The keyword is FULFILLMENT. When positive, the degree is high success in every area of true self-interest, and when negative, a perverse delight in permitting worth-while things to go to seed.

SC 17°-18° (I Ching) STANDSTILL, STAGNATION: W.12, Line 1: Receptive, passive, yielding.

     “Heaven moves up, the earth moves below; man above, woman below. …. heaven and earth are out of communion and all things are benumbed. What is above has no relation to what is below. On earth confusion and disorder prevail. ….. The dark power is within, the light power is without…… I f the possibility of exerting an influence is closed, one should remain faithful to one’s principles and withdraw into seclusion. ……. only through retirement can we spare ourselves humiliation.”

SC 17°-18° (Alexandrinus)  b Mercury:

     Neptune occupying a Mercury ruled degree does bring question to the state of the mind.

LEPINE’S PLUTO is at 15°36’ VIRGO (16th degree):

1VI 16° (Charubel) A man wading through mud knee-deep. The opposite bank towards which he is struggling is enveloped in fog. Denotes a hard life, a struggling life, a life bestrewn with the wrecks of perished hopes and abortive speculations, the final one of all being a plunge into the dark.

VI 16°(Muir) A deep thinker who devotes much time to seeking a solution of present-day inequal-ities of life.

Virgo 16 (Chandra) A JAR OF CAMPHOR CRYSTALS. Ability to purge the atmosphere of negativity. Cleaning away of many different forms of ignorance. Camphor is supposed to neutralize negative psychic energy. There is an American Indian naturopath in Kansas City who is over 100 years old. In her waiting room she has a very old jar of camphor crystals which has never been opened. When I asked her what it was for, she said, “it’s a blessing.”

VI 16° (Jones) An orangutan.This is a symbol of the primitive power which the processes of evolution have brought into leash with the development of mankind, and which each person must refine for his own use in meeting the demands of higher life. There are always unmobilized resources in self to meet the exigencies of any unique situation in which an individual may unwittingly be involved, and maturity at root is a continual discovery of these and a consequent increasing facility for rising to any possible occasion. The keyword is DEXTERITY. When positive, the degree is man’s ability to strip himself to fundamentals and there stand proudly on his own, and when negative, self-justification in crudity or violence.

VI 15°-16° (I Ching) THE ABYSMAL, WATER: W.29, Line 3: Receptive, passive, yielding.

     “Forward and backward, abyss on abyss. In danger like this, pause at first and wait, otherwise you will fall into a pit in the abyss. ….. Everything, forwards and backwards, leads to danger. Escape is out of the question. …. Don’t be misled into action. Action will only bog you down deeper into danger. ….. Wait, even though circumstances are not agreeable. Wait until a way out shows itself.”

VI 15°-16° (Alexandrinus) a Moon.

     With his Pluto in a Moon degree it furthers the fear of closeness and nourishment. It could imply hate of the maternal processes and of his failure to find security.

PROGRESSIONS:

     Progressions reveal the inner development of a person across their life. They show the implication of where the soul is at and what are the spiritual challenges at any specific time. They seem to measure inner attitudes as distinct from outer transitory challenges. Sometimes the inner and outer worlds meet, some times they don’t. At other times the inner and outer dimesions collide into each other, while at other times they are mutually supportive.

     The degree symbols come alive and are very potent indicators when applied to the planetary positions in the progressed chart.

MARC LEPINE’S PROGRESSED SUN was in 29° SCORPIO

29° Degrees of SCORPIOSC 29° (Charubel) A man with a bow and arrow in the act of taking aim at some object in the distance. Agood marksman; very expert; fond of the chase, yet noble and humane; generally prosperous in life.

SC 29°(Sepharial) A man seated at a table holding a pen. Before him are some pebbles on a sheet of paper. This denotes a mind that is studious and of serious bent, delighting in the higher problems of the intellect, and disposed to the more serious studies, such as literature, science and especially mathematics. He may become the originator of some new methods of com-putation, or the demonstrator of a new science. He will lead a sedentary life and fortune will at length wait upon him. It is a degree of FACULTY.

SC 29°(A.Leo) Comprehensive mind and wide interests: attached to friends.

SC 29°(Muir) In tune with the higher thought currents, he fearlessly expresses himself and is pro-tected from those who dislike exposure.

SC 29° (Chandra) AN UMBILICAL CORD. Intimacy of connection with others. Intense direct giving of self. Thriv-ing on one’s associations.

SC 29° (Jones) An Indian squaw pleading to the chief for the lives of her children.This is a symbol of the stark sacrifices the self must make in the common interest and of the high responsibilities the group must accept for the welfare of each individual, as these factors together create a functioning society and enable man to control his everyday world. Here is emphasis on the give-and-take in human allegiances, and a call for a balancing of rights and wrongs as a result of direct experience with the problems of self-fulfillment. The keyword is EFFECTIVENESS. When positive, the degree is personal accomplishment and satisfaction through an exceptional gift for holding first things first, and when negative, na-ive willingness to truckle to others.

SC 28°-29° (I Ching) PROGRESS: W.35, Line 2: Receptive, passive, yielding.

     “ The real nature of man is originally good, but it becomes clouded by contact with earthly things and therefore needs purification before it can shine forth in its native clarity. … Line 2: Progress in sorrow. Progress is halted. One must persevere one one’s own until support comes.”

SC 28°-29° (Alexandrinus) d Mars :

     With his Progressed Sun in a Mars degree certainly there would be an accentuation that could become violent, if rejection was taken deeply. Certainly the focus on sex and personal advancement and his need to strike out against feminists reveals that he was not dealing well with this degree.

MARC LEPINE’S PROGRESSED MERCURY was in 18° SAGITTARIUS

SA 18°(Sepharial) A man’s face painted with grotesque scrolls, and surrounded by a mass of tangled hair. It is the index of a mind that is without proper balance, given over to vain and wild projects, neither useful nor fortunate. Such an one is in danger of losing his reason by disappointment of foolish and inconsequent efforts. His mode of life will be eccentric, and the expression of his thought touched with a singular grotesque-ness and peculiarity. There may be genius; but, if so, of an unpractical and fruitless type: more probably there will be lack of reason. It is a degree of DISORDER.

SA 18°(Muir) Feeling deeply the sufferings of others yet seeking and applying a philosophy to al-leviate his own sufferings and privations. He sees the unity of all life.

Sagittarius 18 (Chandra) ROSE PETALS SCATTERED ON A PATH. Recognizing the beauty of proc-esses. Giving loving encourage-ment.

SA 18° (Jones) Tiny children in sunbonnets This is a symbol of man’s very common self-cloistering on the practical side of experience, or of the individual’s capacity to give primary and needed attention to his own personal affairs. Normality is idealized as a corrective for the self-diffusion or frustration which follows from any inadequacy of contact with others. Here is a happy and full participation in everyday living, aided by some suitable and chosen role in life. The keyword is INNOCENCE. When positive, the degree is a continual and complete protection of self through its exploration of its own potentials and its exploitation of its opportunities, and when negative, witless retreat to a wholly infantile self-assertiveness.

SA 17°-18° (I Ching) HOLDING TOGETHER, UNION: W.8, Line 1: Receptive, passive, yielding.

      “…Holding together brings good fortune. ….. Those who are uncertain gradually join … Whoever comes too late meets with misfortune …….”

     (He got to school too late! He did not register in time for this year. He even arrived at a late hour of the day of the massacre!)  “ …. to be a centre of people holding together is a grave matter fraught with great responsibility……” (Marc did not fit in and did not hold topgether with others, but it was probably on his mind.)

SA 17°-18° (Alexandrinus) c Venus:

      With his progressed Mercury in a Venus ruled degree shows Marc’s concern and mental focus on self worth and women.

MARC LEPINE’S PROGRESSED VENUS was in  25° LIBRA:

LIB 25°(Sepharial) An elevated promontory, illumined by the noonday sun and crowned with many and variously coloured flowers. It indicates a nature that is prone to self-conceit, amenable to flattery, proud in heart but light-headed and trifling in many relationships of life. It may confer consider-able personal charm and attractiveness, and will render its subject the recipient of many of fortune’s favours. It is a degree of ELEVATION.

LI 25°(A.Leo) Complaisant, yet impulsive, at the mercy of desires and rather weak in will.

Libra 25 (Chandra) IN THE MIDST OF A FOREST, A GREAT CIRCULAR OPEN AREA. Ability to protect one’s freedom. Realization that knowledge is all around one.

LI 25° (Jones) Information in the symbol of an autumn leafThis is a symbol of man’s stark resourcefulness on the side of imagination or inner experience. Human intelligence becomes a fundamental sensitiveness to the final ends that may be served, and to the efficient means that may be shaped for the welfare of self and others. There is here a capacity to see the world and the individual in continual interdependence, and to understand the mutual contribution to each other of all the varying aspects of life. The keyword is TACT. When positive, the degree is spontaneous adaptability and an unswerving and instinctive fidelity to ultimate goals and meanings, and when negative, fascination with the trivial and delight in unbridled fancy.

LI 24°-25° (I Ching) DEVELOPMENT, GRADUAL PROGRESS: W.53, Line1: Receptive,passive,yieldng.

      “…. the situation is that of a lonely man who is just starting out to make his way in life. Since no one comes to help him, his first steps are slow and hesitant, and he is surrounded by danger. Naturally he is subjected to much criticism …..”

LI 24°-25° (Alexandrinus) f  Saturn:

     With his Venus in a Saturn ruled degree we find one more factor of dissatisfaction and diminished self worth. This would stem from or include his difficult emotional relationship with his dad and with women. This reveals difficulty in sharing.

     (Marc’s progressed Saturn and Neptune stayed in the same degree throughout his life. See natal degrees. Progressed Mars and Jupiter have been left out as they were not as poignently accentuated, and to keep the size of this article down.)

MARC LEPINE’S PROGRESSED URANUS was in 15° VIRGO

VI 15° (Charubel) A man standing, resting lightly on the end of his bow, with his quiver full of arrows on his back.A mind capable of grand achievements. A warrior, yet not exclusively such; a quick observer; a designer; a prompt and a skilful executant.

VI 15°(Muir) A traveller, scientifically inclined. A stud-ent of the deeper mysteries.

Virgo 15 (Chandra) A MAN INHERITS A VAST FORTUNE. The anesthetizing aspect of materialism. Release from hardship. Need to be responsible for the use and development of one’s assets.

VI 14°-15° (I Ching) THE ABYSMAL, WATER: W.29, Line 4: Receptive, passive, yielding.

     “ ..danger doubled … in times of danger, ceremonious forms are dropped.”

VI 14°-15° (Alexandrinus)b Mercury:

     Progressed Uranus in a Mercury ruled degree implies unstable and easily excitable thoughts. Radical thoughts.

MARC LEPINE’S PROGRESSED Pluto was in 17° VIRGO

VI 17°(Muir) One who, able to contact Divine truths spreads these among the masses of man-kind.

Virgo 17 (Chandra) AN OLD BALD WOMAN TALKING TO HER DOG. Communication with the instinctual self. Being unafraid to appear foolish. Direct expression of feeling.

VI 17° (Jones) A volcano in eruption This is a symbol of that constant expansion of self and nature which constitutes reality in its most fundamental terms, emphasized here on the side of physical force and the blind urge of life to continue to be. Implicit in the wonder and destructiveness is man’s ease of self recovery in the critical phases of his experience, often aided by the sheer violence with which he acts to meet some major issue. His irresistible outbursts may be merely the total mobilization of his deeper potentials. The keyword is EXPLOSION. When positive, the degree is creative passion as a rejection of superficiality and a genuine ordering of self, and when negative, petulance and tantrums.

VI 16°-17° (I Ching) THE ABYSMAL, WATER: W.29, Line 2: Creative, active, firm, independent.

      “The abyss is dangerous, strive to attain small things only. When in danger, don’t attempt to escape immediately, regardless of circumstances. At first try not to be overcome by it.

VI 16°-17° (Alexandrinus)  Saturn:

     With progressed Pluto in a Saturn ruled degree it seems that confrontation with and over authority became highlighted. There is here a power struggle with tradition and rules.