Current Events | Tiger Woods in a Return to Form

Tiger Woods

A few days ago, on April 14th, 2019, Tiger Woods won his first major championship in over 10 years. After a scandal pertaining to an affair broke in late 2009, Tiger’s career ebbed toward a low point. Over the last 10 years his performances have been marred by a series of injuries. Therefore, the recent win at the Master’s Tournament is an important turning point in his career. I’ll be examining the event in the context of traditional predictive techniques.

Tiger was born on 12/30/1975 at 10:50 pm in Long Beach, CA. This birth data has an AA Rodden rating (from birth record).

Mars as Planet of Actions

By the traditional approach to analysis of profession in the chart, Mars is Woods’s planet of action. This is because Mars is in the 10th place. It is the best placed of the potential indicators.

Mars is indicative of a competitive profession with a possible physical component, so it is fitting for an athlete. Mars is in Gemini in its own bound (and decan).  Gemini is an air sign ruled by Mercury, so the symbolism is fitting for a profession that is focused on delicate precision (Mercury) and a small air-borne ball subject to the whims of the wind.

Mars, Mercury, and the Lights

The rulers of the Ascendant show personal inclination and identification. The Mars bound of Virgo, nocturnal house of Mercury, was rising at birth. Therefore, we see a strong identification with the symbolism of Mars and Mercury in the chart. Tiger was even born on the day of Mars and the hour of Mercury.

Mars is in sect, prominent by place, and aspected by the sect light (Moon) and by a superior Jupiter to which it applies. By this Mars is associated with good fortune and importance, especially as concerns the career (10th house). Mars’s ruler, Mercury is in the 5th house of good fortune, with the Sun and the twelfth-part of Mars. That twelfth-part of Mars is in its sign of exaltation (Capricorn). Additionally, the Sun is antiscia the Moon (both are about 8 degrees from 0 Capricorn). Therefore, we have multiple indications of the importance of Mars in career matters and its link to publicity and fortune.

Planetary Years

The planetary years of Mars are 15. Therefore, at about age 15 and multiples of that, there are activations of Mars by planetary years. Interestingly, at age 15 Tiger Woods became the youngest U.S. Junior Amateur champion (a record broken 20 years later).

His 30th year (age 29) and age 30 were more complex, due to the activation of the planetary years of Saturn at 30. He regained his spot as the top golfer but his father’s death (Saturn in XII ruling the Sun), he took a little time off. He came back strong at age 30, breaking tour records for wins.

The next couple years will see similar activations as Woods hits his 45th year and age 45.

Mars-Jupiter Years

As Jupiter is in a close superior applying aspect to Mars, Mars-Jupiter combinations should mark favorable periods. These periods correspond to combinations of 15 (Mars) and 12, the years of Jupiter.

Woods’s first hot streak coincided with ages 26-27 (27th year and age 27). He hit something of a high point in 2002 with a decline afterward in 2003-2004.

Mars-Jupiter combinations by planetary years are not noteworthy at this time (age 43). However, understanding the way such activiations manifest can be informative when using other predictive techniques.

Mars-Gemini

Planetary years were also combined with the ascensional times of signs for activations of planets in signs. Woods is currently 43 years old (44th year). About age 44 will coincide with activation of Mars in Gemini. This is because the ascensional time of Gemini for his place of birth is 29.5, which together with the 15 years of Mars is 44.5.

Annual Profection

Age 43 is a profection to the 8th house. For Tiger this is an annual profection to the 8th house, Aries, occupied by Jupiter. Mars is the ruler of the sign and so becomes lord of the year. Therefore, we see an emphasis on the Mars-Jupiter configuration in the annual profection.

Solar Return

The last solar return features Jupiter in Sagittarius strongly advancing with Mercury. Return Mercury is conjunct the natal Moon. Return Mars is at 29 Pisces, just about to enter the sign of the annual profection, and with a twelfth-part that is in the 1st house of the return. Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury are the only three planets of the return in stakes of the natal chart, indicating their importance for events of the year.

Unfortunately, there is also some difficulty possibly shown in the return as the Sun applies a close conjunction with Saturn. Still, neither Saturn nor the Sun are particularly highlighted by time lord techniques at this time.

Transits

The transits on the day of his win are very telling.

The Sun, indicative of publicity and recognition, was in the sign of the annual profection (24 Aries) and in partile trine to Jupiter (24 Sagittarius). The Moon (21 Leo) applied in a grand trine to both transiting Jupiter and the Sun that afternoon.

Comparing the transits with the natal chart we can see that Jupiter was transiting conjunct Tiger’s Moon, Mars was in return, and Mercury and Venus were transiting on Woods’s descendant.

For me the most striking indications pertained to the grand fire trine and the Mars return. The fire trine involved the Lights and Jupiter, configured with Tiger’s own Moon and Jupiter. It indicates recognition and good fortune, setting off indications of such in Tiger’s natal chart and solar return. The Mars return in the 10th house highlights that this event is about Tiger coming back into his own in terms of professional performance.

Image Attribution

Featured image of Tiger Woods at the 2018 US Open by
Peetlesnumber1 [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons