Introduction
As I have stated in other twin papers, twin births are especially useful to this astrology. Why? Parents of twins usually know before birth they are having twins, so they pay especial attention to birth time. They do so because later those time differences are a conversation piece as well as forming part of the identity of the twins. So, birth time for twins is likely correct to the minute and the charts cast from them are also close to exact. Comparisons made between them are then based on correct astrology. That means twin births are especially good for testing a major principle of this astrological method, that planets on (≤2° orb) Angles are of primary importance in describing all our lives.

When one twin has a different sign on an Angle, their births are also useful for demonstrating the principle that astrological sets (aspects) ruling an Angle are of far more importance than those which do not.

Examples of this are shown in the samples below and in all of the twin papers on this site.

In this short paper, using astrology, we are going to identify the significant difference between twin girls. Nearly two years old, the second-born twin drowned in the family pool, while her sister did not. Born only one minute apart, their charts are very close to identical.

One chart turned out to be significant in allowing astrological separation of the two twins. The 7th chart shows what appears to be both their deaths. However, there was some astrology in that chart only for the twin who lived that implied that the death was that of her sibling.

Both were born healthy.

All the biographical data on twins has been slim. For twin No. 2 (#14791), the one who drowned, Astrodatabank had:
American second-born twin, made her way out of the house while her family slept on 5/01/1982. She was found floating face down in the pool and declared dead at 1:50 p.m.

For twin No. 1 (#14790), the twin who lived, Astrodatabank had:
American first-born twin.

I do not usually use harmonics of Angles because birth time has to be very close to correct in order for them to be valid. Here, however, their use was justified. Harmonics of their Angles were the only astrology that truly separated the deceased from the living twin.

I have written other papers on twins with the goal of identifying the differences in their astrology which accounted for the differences in their experienecs. Below are links to each of them :

Below I have given a short summary of the area of life covered by the 7th chart, here used to differentiate between the deceased twin and her sister who lived:

The 7th chart, the main chart of this method, contains a great deal of information about our lives. Theoretically, it is concerned only with matters pertaining to the 7th house, such as our relations with significant others, including marriage and business partners and close friends. However, it, too, contains information about health. As well, it is the chart that most frequently, but not always, reflects when death occurs.

Astrological Method
Before looking at their charts I have to explain how this astrological method works. It is not traditional:

This astrology uses the sidereal positions of the planets based on the Fagan-Bradley’s SVP.

Harmonics are taken from the sidereal position of the planets. The Egyptian harmonic, discussed in the paper “About This Method” (link below), is used.

”Lights” include suns, moons, and moons nodes.

This method uses only conjunctions, applying and separating squares, and oppositions. Orbs for planets with lights is 5°; without lights, about 2.5°. Orb for MC/planet or Asc/planet is 2°. Planets so related to each other are referred to as in the same “set.” A set, then, is two or more planets (or an Angle) connected to each other through conjunction, square, and opposition within the defined orbs. The set is more active if it contains a light, and less active without one. Learning to look in terms of “crosses” can be helpful in rapidly finding planets that are in the same set.

Because this approach uses both a birth and conception chart and they share the same axis, birth houses usually overlap different houses of the conception chart. These are called “house overlaps.” House overlaps play an important part in this astrology as investigation of the charts below (and in other papers) will show. Throughout this paper I use the convention when writing about house overlaps of putting the birth house first, then the conception house. So, for instance, a “5th/1st” overlap refers to an overlap of birth 5th house with conception 1st house in that order.

Birth planets (including their harmonics) rule only birth houses. Conception planets (including their harmonics) rule only conception houses.

For a more thorough explanation of this astrological approach, refer to the following papers

About This Method

Chart Reading Rules

In the partial charts shown below, birth planets and their harmonics are inside the circle. Conception planets and their harmonics are outside the circle. Conception sidereal planets are red; conception harmonic ones, black. Birth sidereal planets are blue; birth harmonic ones, green. Occasionally, because of space limitations, I have had to violate this inside/outside arrangement, but the color coding remain constant.

Abbreviations used are b = birth, c = conception, and t = transiting. Even though the harmonic used for each chart is always two more than the chart’s number, in these papers I write the harmonic number the same as the chart number. For example, the 5th chart uses the 7th harmonic, but I have established the convention of writing harmonic planets for the 5th chart as, e.g., c5 mars, which reads, “the harmonic for the 5th chart for conception mars.

Now we can look at those charts.

Since the main difference between them occurs with their Angles, below each time I present only the partial chart for twin No. 2, the one who drowned, with the position of her Angles shown in the partial chart. Below the chart are her other house cusps. The Angles and house cusps for Twin No. 1 are below that.

Let’s take a look at the part of their astrology that implies a death might occur.

I included a little more in the above partial chart because we want to look at the emphasis on 3rd and 8th houses. The 3rd house, the house of ordinary mind, is also the house that shows our connection to siblings. The 8th house shows transformations. Death is one of the more radical transformations. While the 8th house shows all kinds of transformations, inclusion of the 4th with it suggests a transformation right out of physical reality.

We see that B MC is in c3rd house. C Asc is in b 8th house. There is a 3rd/8th overlap between birth and conception houses. In the set involving MC/venus/saturn/pluto, c7 venus co-rules (17 of 33°) c 3rd house. In the set involving B Asc (shown above), c moon rules C Asc in b 8th house.

The strong reference to 3rd and 8th houses here shows a possibility of an important transformation (8th) of a sibling (3rd). C MC in b 4th house suggests that the transformation could be physical death.

Examining the Angles in this chart, we see that the twins are headed for a kind of “bipolar” life. B MC is in the same set with saturn/pluto [Set (1)], which shows withdrawal. C Asc is in the same set with mars. On the cusp of the 7th house, it can definitely be used positively, especially since it is in Capricorn. Nonetheless, mars is still a malefic, and can bring harsh experiences into life. "Summed," (see "Chart Reading Rules" for definition) B MC and C Asc show a type of “ongoing” death (mars/saturn/pluto), or, a kind of ongoing awareness of death and a feeling of deflation. Obviously, if only one of the twins lives, then that will be the twin who some times experiences that kind of consciousness.

C MC is in the same set with jupiter. C Asc is in the same set with venus [Set (2)], which is very active because of receiving many lights. Moreover, venus is in Gemini, a sign which often shows the proclivity (especially in youth) for an emphasis of quantity over depth. Summed, C MC and C Asc show life of fun and success, a high place emotionally, because they contain the greater and lesser benefics.

The planets of manic-depression are saturn and uranus in different sets and forefront in 1st and 3rd charts (see papers on Patty Duke and Robert Schumann, links on Home Page). But, forefront venus/jupiter does a fair job of mimicking the mania produced by uranus, both tending to produce feelings that life is all wins. Venus and jupiter do not, however, produce the states of high energy and eccentricity that comes with forefront uranus.

Note that b venus in Set (2) is conjunct c7 SN in b 7th house. This suggests the twins have been together before and formed a strong, loving (venus), communicative (Gemini) connection (7th house).

So, both negatively and positively, that is, through afflictions as well as through benefic sets, we can see that if one of the twins dies, the other is going to feel bereft of something important for the rest of her life.

This is further emphasized by house rulers in Set (1). It shows B MC/saturn/pluto, where saturn rules the 2nd house. Saturn shows lack or deficiency. This set shows a lifelong sense of having lost an important “possession,” that is, a twin sister. Note that I put in c mars in Gemini, but did not include it in the set. By orb it is not part of the set, but it could become so through progression.

Set (1) becomes more sinister when we realize that the saturn in it is progressing toward the exact opposition to B MC. Angle/saturn and lighted saturn/4th (it is lighted by the B MC) comprises almost half of the significators for death. By itself, however, we should not conclude they are headed for death. Timing, that is, the inclusion of the other necessary astrological conditions at a particular moment in time, is key in producing our deaths.

If their Angles show their greatest astrological differences, what are those differences? The difference between Twin No. 2’s birth Midheaven and that of Twin No. 1 is only 16’. Between their birth Ascendants, 14’. Between their conception Midheavens, 14’, and between their conception Ascendants, only 11’. On the whole, those values fall in that area of ¼ of one degree, around 15', which we stated above was equal to one minute difference in time.

I know that a few astrologers rectify charts to the nearest second. I have always presumed they knew what they were doing. I myself have never felt comfortable trying to rectify a chart to seconds of accuracy. In part, that is because this method is so different. A light near (square, conjunction, or opposition) an Angle will increase the orb of all planets also near that Angle. But that is beside the point. Neither of us, I am sure, could state with assurance that we could see the difference between the lives of these two twins by citing the difference in their astrology.

Twin No. 2 died on May 1, 1982. Let’s look at progressions, transits, and the return for that period, starting with the one involving birth Midheaven. Here I should make clear that while orbs for progressed planets are always one degree (and should be less, and will be when we are always working with rectified charts), return lights and Angles have an orb of two degrees. So, in the set below, shown for the twin who died, the return moon energizes, or increases the potency of, the progressed set.

As discussed earlier, progressing b7 saturn has moved closer to an exact opposition of B MC. It is actually closer to the B MC of the twin who lived (07' from exact opposition for the twin who lived as opposed to 23' for the twin who died), but the return moon renders this set functionally the same for both twins. We do not have to rely on an exact opposition of saturn to B MC because that temporary moon increases orb and strengthens the set.

What else?

As it turned out, pc mars did not have time to join Set (1) above before that set was closed in by pb7 saturn. Instead, it made a set of its own, Set (4).

Set (4) has the influence it has because c mars is so important. It rules an Angle and influences both 4th houses. Mars’ influence to both those areas is necessary in a death. With it, the twins now have light/mars/saturn influence to an Angle and 4th houses—the precursors (necessary but necessarily sufficient) for the final transformation from this world.

The return, in which saturn had a value of 22 Virgo 56R, occurred on April 28, 1982. Saturn was in the process of turning stationary-direct, which it did on June 18, 1982, at 21 Virgo 00. During all that time it was in the same set either with pc mars or c mars.

Important transits were few in number. The transiting node remained at 21 Gemini 15. Transiting sun was at 16 Aries 37, conjunct C MC in b 4th house. More important, transiting uranus was at 22 Capricorn 10, 15' away from an opposition to Twin No. 1's (the one who lived) C Asc.

Prior to my study of aviation deaths (see link on Home Page, the Lockerbie paper), I would not have credited the return with so much power as it receives here. In this case the return completes the significators for death when the full set was incomplete in progressions. Normally our charts, that is, pre-progressed and progressed, contain all the significators for death before death can occur. Returns "orient, emphasize, and add," but usually to already completed significators in the main chart. There are, however, times when that is not totally true.

Death that returns may complete appear to be the sudden ones, such as occur with aviation disasters like Lockerbie and 9-11. Apparently they can also complete those of the very young, when a fatality can occur during only minutes of conditions that would not kill an older individual. A vulnerability exists for both these cases that makes a few minutes very important. But, it would be wrong to conclude that returns are that important (that is, complete the necessary significators) in all sudden deaths, or even all aviation deaths. They are not, even though they are almost always helpful and germane.

Our returns act somewhat like strobe lights. Whatever they highlight, that is, their positions of the planets and Angles, in the moment they occur stay available to combine with progressions during the next forty days covered by the return. So, with these twins, the return completed the significators for death for both twins.

So far, it appears both twins will die.

Before we look at harmonics of Angles, I want to comment on their use. In the twenty-seven years I have worked with this method, I have never resorted to using them. They were never needed. My astrology did fine without them. I was also reluctant to use them. Any error in birth time is magnified many times by the fast-moving Angles multiplied by the harmonic. Research astrologers have a hard enough time being relatively sure of time of birth. Absolutely sure does not happen that often. So, harmonics of Angles do not promise much dependability, and, therefore, should normally not be used.

But, as noted above, we can usually count on birth to the nearest minute in the case of twins. Certainly, in twin births separated by only one minute, that one minute should be fairly exact. So far, this astrology--which usually does a superb job of separating twins--has not differentiated between these twins. Therefore, now we are going to look to see if harmonics of Angles make sense of their very different experiences.

Below, in table form, I show harmonics for all four of their Angles. In order to always differentiate them from regular (non-harmonic) Angles, I put them in brackets. These are harmonics for the 7th chart.

Twin No. 2 (who died) has one significant harmonic Angle. Her harmonic C Asc at 23 Taurus 25 is closely conjunct her b sun at 23 Taurus 59. With this method, sun conjunct Asc often (but not always) occurs with death. It shows the escape (through the Ascendant) of the individual’s essential essence (sun). In the situation of an older individual who is in the process of dying, it shows they have become more essential. By itself, this set means little. Summed with an Angle/saturn/pluto and an Angle/mars (not numbered in the partial chart above, but shown), it has potential significance.

Twin No. 1 (who lived) has two significant interactions of planets with her harmonic Angles. Her harmonic B MC at 11 Sagittarius 25 is conjunct her (both their) b7 pluto at 11 Sagittarius 31. And, her harmonic C Asc at 21 Taurus 48, is in the same set with her (both their) c saturn, ruler of c 7th house, at 21 Leo 40. Initially, I would have thought these two harmonic Angle sets predisposed Twin No. 1 to be the one who died. They, however, have another interpretation.

Summed, Twin 1’s (lived) sets with harmonic Angles show Angle/saturn and Angle/pluto that Twin No. 2 does not have. So, Twin No. 1 has more emphasis on a sense of separation (saturn/pluto), something one would experience having lost a twin (near age two).

Finally, we must look at the harmonics of their progressed Angles.

There is only one significant, close set involving the above harmonics of progressed Angles. It occurs for Twin No. 1, the twin who lived. Below I show the full set involved:

B7 uranus started out at birth at 12 Libra 30R. It was still approaching b7 SN. On the date of her sister’s death, it had matured for both twins into a close set with node/mercury/uranus with multiple influences to 3rd houses (including through the mercury). But only Twin No. 1, the twin who lived, had a progressed harmonic Angle which joined the set.

Twin No. 2’s [pB Asc] on May 1 was at [13 Libra 56], well past the node/uranus. And it had passed it before the return which contributed so devastatingly to his death.

Except for harmonic Angles, both twins had the same devastating progressions and return. Set (5), however, identifies that the loss referred to by the [Angle/saturn] and [Angle/pluto] in the chart of Twin No. 1 was the loss, by death, of Twin No. 2. It was to Twin No. 2 for several reasons. Harmonic nodes in the 7th chart refer to strong conditions involving significant others. Only Twin No. 1 had such a forefront set. Set (5) also states, astrologically, that the sudden loss (uranus), the strong event happening to a significant other, happened to Twin No. 1's sister (mercury and multiple 3rd house influences stand for the sibling).

Conclusion
It was only by using harmonics of Angles and progressed Angles that it was possible to separate Twin No. 1’s (lived) life from the very different one of Twin No. 2 (died). I did not resort to them lightly. One minute’s difference in birth, however, made looking at them reasonable. The results gave us an astrology which made the death of Twin No. 2 make sense.

I still have not shown why Twin No. 2 died as a result of drowning, but (1) I cannot because I do not yet know what astrologically distinguishes drowning from other sudden deaths, and (2) that was not relevant to the aim of this paper.

Twinflower, a member of the honeysuckle family
From Wildflowers of Michigan Field Guide, by Stan Tekiela

Data Acknowledgments
Letters following each name show the Rodden rating for data reliability.


Twin No. 2 (Female, Drowned, #14791) (AA)
Birth: 6/08/1980, 8:29 p.m. PDT, 33 N 27, 112 W 04. From Astrodatabank by Lois Rodden and Mark McDonough. Velma Ritter quotes B.C. in MH, 10/1983.
Conception:9/1/1979, 4:23:17 a.m. PDT, 33 N 27, 112 W 04.

Twin No. 1 (Female, Survived, #14790) (AA)
Birth: 6/08/1980, 8:28 p.m. PDT, 33 N 27, 112 W 04. From Astrodatabank by Lois Rodden and Mark McDonough. Velma Ritter quotes B.C. in MH, 10/1983.
Conception:9/1/1979, 4:23:17 a.m. PDT, 33 N 27, 112 W 04.





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