The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was one of the worst labor disasters in the United States. On the afternoon of March 25, 1911, 146 garment workers died in a fire. When the fire started, most of the workers were unable to leave because the factory owners had locked the doors to prevent any unauthorized breaks. Almost all of the dead were women, and most of them were immigrants, from Jewish or Italian families. There are several documentaries about this event, and the wikipedia article gives a solid overview.
I decided to look at the chart to see what it would reveal about the tragedy. The chart is deceptive. At first glance, it doesn’t look like much because there are so few aspects. Yet, digging in we see it really does tell a story.
The rising sign is Virgo. Virgo has a strong relationship with women, and women’s rights. Nearly all of the victims of the fire were women or girls – 123 out of the 146 lost in the disaster.
We begin the analysis with Mars, which is squaring the lunar nodes. Mars is at the bendings, as we say. In this position, Mars is a focal point for change, and even crisis. Mars has muscled his way into the forefront of this chart. This is a day chart, meaning that Mars is the out-of-sect malefic, capable of causing the most harm. Mars is pivotal in this chart.
The 6th house is the house of labor, servitude, and hard work, known as “Mala Fortuna” or Bad Fortune to the ancients. Mars in the 6th house means the planet of war and violence is able to destroy laborers, or those in service to another. Some astrologers, myself included, believe that Mars becomes more malefic in this house.
Mars is in the sign of Aquarius, which is the sign of the collective and arguably the most radical sign. Aquarius orients itself with the needs of the many, rather than the desires of the few. Mars is exalted in Capricorn, which is ruled by Saturn. Aquarius is also ruled by Saturn. If Mars is exalted in Capricorn, then it stands to reason that Mars is also exceptionally powerful in Aquarius as well. Being in Aquarius doesn’t slow the warrior planet one bit. This all makes sense when we consider that the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire brought about significant labor reforms. Three months after the fire, the Governor of New York created the Factory Investigating Commission which investigated nearly 2000 factories. Eight laws were enacted covering fire safety, inspections, sanitation, and employment rules. In the end, this tragedy changed the legal landscape for workers and brought real improvements.
From the 6th house, Mars rules Aries, on the cusp of the 8th house, and Scorpio, on the cusp of the 3rd. The Sun and Mercury are both in Aries, in the 8th house of death. From his place in the House of Bad Fortune, Mars disposes the light leader and the chart ruler in the House of Death. Mars is the war-mongering, Commander in Chief of a terrible planetary hierarchy.
Mercury is the chart ruler, ruling both the 1st house and the 10th. The 1st and the 10th houses are the most visible houses in any chart. This aligns with a public sort of death. A large crowd appeared while the building burned. Members of the crowd reported seeing some trapped workers choose to jump rather than be consumed by the fire. After the fire, the bodies were taken to Charities Pier for identification. The fact that their ruler is in the 8th, ruled by a dignified malefic in the 6th cannot be overstated.
The Sun in the 8th house rules over the 12 house of isolation and sorrows. Mars and the Sun are the two hot planets of the zodiac. Mars rules over the Sun, located in a fire sign, in the house of death. Meanwhile the Sun rules over the 12th house of sorrow and loss, another fire sign, from its position in the 8th.
At the same time, Mars disposes Jupiter and the South Node in the 3rd house of Scorpio. The south node is reactive and spontaneous while Jupiter amplifies what it touches. The conjunction between Jupiter and the South Node shows a sudden, and large point of releasing.
All in all, despite the lack of many exact aspects the chart delineations speak to a terrible tragedy. Mars at the forefront of a day chart is capable of reflecting terrible and sudden tragedy. I think Mars’ position in Aquarius is the saving grace of this chart. If Mars had been in a sign less concerned with the wellbeing of the collective, legal reforms might never have occurred.
