On September 18, 2020 we lost an icon. Ruth Bader Ginsburg served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death. She was 87 years old. Born March 15, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York. She has no known time of birth so for this we will be using her Moon as her Ascendant. She lost her older sister when she was a baby and her mother died just before she graduated from high school. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Cornell University. She started her law degree at Harvard University and then transferred and graduated from Columbia Law School. She tied for first in her class. After graduation she became a professor at Rutgers Law School and Columbia Law School. She was an advocate for gender equality and women’s rights. She was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. She served there until her appointment to the United States Supreme Court in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. She passed away at her home in Washington, D.C. from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer.
What in her chart shows the success in her career? What triggered her passing? Let’s take a look at her chart and see what we see. Remember she does not have a known time of birth so we will be using the Moon to set up her chart and as her ascendant.
Her Moon is in Libra. This becomes the first house of her chart. The Moon in Libra makes her very diplomatic and persuasive. She could be very balanced in her thoughts and opinions. The Moon rules her tenth house of career. Gaining success through her career gave her a sense of self-esteem. She was determined and had a strength and fortitude that gave her a healthy body. She was a trailblazer and leader and someone who could attract many followers. She was someone who was capable of leading big projects and able to undertake challenging tasks. She was tenacious and persistent in getting what she wanted to the point of pestering others to go on that path. Her Moon is in the lunar mansion of Vishakha which made her clever and determined. It gave her the ability to concentrate on her goals and to overcome any obstacles that she came across. She was someone who wouldn’t give up until she had achieved her goals. This also blessed her with a good partner in marriage. She was someone who could appear soft but was very powerful underneath – especially in her younger years.
In her fourth house, Capricorn, is Saturn. Saturn is comfortable and at home in Capricorn as it rules it. Being in the fourth house she was someone who took responsibility for family matters. This placement can be an indicator of cancer as well as lung and heart problems. Family may have been colder or detached. Saturn being in Capricorn made her hardworking, serious, responsible and practical. She was contemplative and had a capacity to do work or be alone as necessary. Saturn is in the lunar mansion Shravana. This made her quest for knowledge and information. It could make her a great teacher and someone who is a perpetual student. She had the ability to truly listen. She was drawn to working for social and humanitarian causes.
In her fifth house, Aquarius, are Rahu and Venus. Rahu in the fifth house gives deep mental powers and ability to control many aspects and people in life. It gives the ability to be a powerful advisor through her deep intelligence. She was someone who would need to socialize more to be successful. She may have had a compulsive and obsessive mind that kept her in constant anxiety or mental worries. Venus in the fifth house can make her an advisor or lawyer. It gave her social skills and the ability to be very persuasive. It can give her talented children as the fifth house is the house of children. Venus rules her first house and in the fifth house gave her a powerful need for self-expression. This placement gives many blessings carried over from past lives also known as purva punya. The ruler of her eighth house is Venus as well and in the 5th gave her a mind that was penetrating with a desire to solve mysteries. Rahu and Venus being conjunct made her unique and talented in a distinct, out-of-the-ordinary way. Her Rahu is in the lunar mansion of Sharabhishak. This lunar mansion is known for diseases that are difficult to heal or cure and with Rahu here it is even more expansive. She was concerned with healing the human condition and could be very philosophical and visionary. She could be prone to depression and when opinionated or stubborn she may have thought she knew it all. Venus is in the lunar mansion Purva Bhadrapada. This gave her good logical skills, excellent speaking abilities, the ability to be good at “reading people” and the potential to live a long life. She is someone who enjoyed more serious conversations. Sacrifice would be undertaken for a higher cause in order to make a difference in the world.
In her sixth house, Pisces, are Mercury and the Sun. Mercury is at its weakest in Pisces and hers is within one degree of its exact debilitation and it is not getting uplifted. Mercury in the sixth made her clear-minded, and gave her the ability to outsmart any opposition. She had a quick mind and speech. She likely enjoyed picking intellectual fights. Mercury in Pisces gave her an analytical and mentally probing mind. Sun in her sixth house indicates a strong vitality. It gave her a powerful work ethic and drive to achieve. It can indicate that she would work in government. Sun in Pisces made her a dreamer, respectful, sociable, well liked and contemplative. Sun and Mercury being conjunct makes her analytical and clever. Mercury as ruler of her ninth house in her sixth house indicates her desire to seek out the legal profession as a career. It can indicate the connection to the justice system. She is someone who wanted to take a stand against unjust and unethical behavior. In school she likely was someone who challenged knowledge and knowledge givers. Sun as ruler of her eleventh in the sixth show us that friends and associations would come through work. It gives her a good physical constitution with good recuperative powers. She will get opportunities through legal work. Mercury as ruler of her twelfth in the sixth can indicate a career dealing with legal matters. She is able to win legal battles. The Sun is also in Purva Bhadrapada with Venus. Mercury is in the lunar mansion Uttara Bhadrapada. This gave her discipline with her writing and speaking abilities. She had the ability to control her anger and aggression. She was self-sacrificing and protective of her loved ones. She had a good problem-solving ability and was ethical.
In her eleventh house, Leo, are Mars, Ketu and Jupiter. Mars in the eleventh can bring great wealth from her career that comes from a drive and ambition to succeed. It gives many links to influential individuals with many opportunities. It gave her the traits of being self-reliant, progressive, competitive and philanthropic. She was someone who would progress through the public but could be domineering. Jupiter here made her someone whose wisdom and wise council were revered and she could gain popularity. Influential people would be a great benefit throughout her life. She was inspiring. She was ethical and had staying power. She had the ability to lead and counsel others. Her Jupiter and Sun are in each other’s signs of rulership. This is called parivartana. This makes these two planets even stronger. Ketu in the eleventh house gave her a constant yearning to do something that had deep meaning and could help others. She may have had many surprises and sudden changes in life. The ruler of her second house of money being in her eleventh of great gains is a powerful placement. She can have plenty of opportunities and good breaks throughout life. Ruler of the seventh in the eleventh indicate that her partner could contribute to opportunities. It was important for her to have a partner with the same passions to help make the work a better place and they needed to be a friend as well as lover. Ruler of her third in the eleventh make it where her efforts would lead to greater opportunities. The more she put in the more she would get out. She was a good communicator and worked diligently to fulfill her desires. Mars is in the lunar mansion of Magha. She has self-respect and she expected respect from others. With this she had the ability to come into leadership positions. Ketu and Jupiter are in the lunar mansion Purva Phalguni. She had the ability to communicate and influence others. She was loyal, an advocate and preferred to “entice” someone rather than force them.
Let’s take a look at key events in her life and what transits triggered them.
Ruth married Martin D. Ginsburg on June 23, 1954. At this time transiting Jupiter was sending its energy to her first house. Transiting Rahu was sending its energy to her seventh house of relationships. She was in her Maha Dasha of Saturn and sub-dasha (Bhukti) of Moon. Jupiter was sending its energy to her natal Moon as well at this time.
On June 14, 1993 she was sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of America. At this time transiting Rahu was sending its energy to her tenth house of career expanding her opportunities. Transiting Jupiter was in Virgo sending its energy to her sixth house of work and the ruler of her eleventh house of great gains. Igniting the potential for a promotion. Transiting Saturn was in Aquarius sending its energy to her eleventh house of great gains. As mentioned before the Sun and Jupiter are parivartana which means they are in each other’s sign of rulership, empowering them more. The Jupiter and Saturn transit both activated her eleventh house creating a powerful point of manifestation. Transiting Mars, the planet of ambition, was in her eleventh house of great gains. One more hit of activating this house. She was in her Venus Maha Dasha and Mars sub-dasha. This sub-dasha activated her eleventh house and transiting Saturn activated her natal Venus.
Her husband of 56 years, Martin D. Ginsburg, passed away on June 27, 2010. At this time she was in her Sun Maha Dasha and Mercury sub-dasha. Mercury rules her twelfth house of loss and the Sun rules her eleventh house where her natal Mars and Ketu are conjunct. This activated Leo as Jupiter and the Sun are in parivartana or mutual exchange. At this time transiting Saturn was in her twelfth house of loss and this can show she went through a hard loss. With this placement she had just begun her Sadi Sati cycle. A seven and half year cycle that can be very hard for relationships. Transiting Ketu was in Gemini sending its energy to her natal Venus which is one of the indicators of her husband. Transiting Mars, the indicator of her husband as ruler of her seventh house was conjunct her natal Mars and natal Ketu which is loss.
On September 18, 2020 Ruth lost her battle to metastatic pancreatic cancer. She had overcome Cancer once before in 1999 and had fought pancreatic cancer since early 2009. At the time of her death she was in her Moon Maha Dasha and Venus sub-dasha. Transiting Ketu was sending its energy to her seventh house – one of her maraka houses (killer house) and was on the cusp of entering her second house, her other maraka house. Transiting Ketu was sending its energy to her natal Mars which is the ruler of both of her maraka houses as well activating the loss of life. She was beginning a Saturn return as transiting Saturn was in Capricorn and sending its energy to her first house and natal Moon. Saturn can indicate death. It was also sending its energy to her sixth house of loss. This activated her natal Sun which in turn activated her eleventh house and natal Mars (ruler of her maraka houses). Saturn also was sending its energy to her natal Mercury in her sixth house. Mercury is the ruler of her twelfth house of confinement and loss. Transiting Mars was retrograde in her seventh house, Aries, again a killer house. Mars is very strong in Aries as it rules it.
She was an inspiration and icon that will not soon be forgotten for her pioneering spirit and fight for gender equality and women’s rights. Rest in Peace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg!
