I know that Ronnie Gardner is last week’s news, but I do want to comment on his case, and some of the spiritual issues surrounding it.
Ronnie Gardner was of course the condemned murderer, who was executed by firing squad, in the state of Utah.
By all accounts he had a dreadful childhood. Abandoned by his alcoholic parents, he was at the receiving end of massive abuse. While dreadful childhoods don’t automatically create murderers, they can certainly be a factor.
The fact that Ronnie Gardner’s early years were so bad is clearly indicated by his horoscope. Born on January 16 1961, his Moon was badly placed.
This is important, because in astrology the Moon is about nurturing, and has particular relevance to the early years.
Unless Ronnie Gardner was born late in the evening, his Moon was in Capricorn, the sign of its fall. Furthermore, he was born close to a New Moon, and this New Moon was conjunct Saturn. Astrologers are sometimes positive about New Moons, but in practice they’re a difficult influence – because, by definition, the Moon is close to the Sun, and the Sun burns what it touches. Throw in Saturn and you’ve potentially got big problems.
Ronnie Gardner and his lawyers tried to show that his upbringing helped shape his criminal behaviour, though his horoscope wasn’t used as evidence. But really, it should have been. The nurturing principle, as represented by the Moon, was in a terrible state. Of course that doesn’t mean that he should have been released from prison – it’s just that through no fault of his own, he became a grave threat to society.
Which brings us onto the the death penalty, and who it actually benefits. When Ronnie Gardner did his killings, in the 1980s, Utah was well-established as a death penalty state. It was Utah that had broken the moratorium on the death penalty, by executing Sagittarian Gary Gilmore in 1977. So it seems unlikely that the death penalty’s supposed deterrent function was or is protecting Utah’s citizens from people like Ronnie Gardner.
I suppose you could argue that the death penalty is benefiting the families of a murderer’s victims – whether it’s through ‘closure’ or through the satisfaction of a natural desire for vengeance. And yes, many people, however meek and mild, however liberal, however opposed to the death penalty, might be happy if someone who had killed a close family member was executed.
Yet to be satisfied by someone’s death, however superficially justified that death might be, could create Karmic consequences. The rage, and the desire for vengeance, could permeate into future incarnations. So a relative who rejoiced at the execution of a murderer has arguably been damaged twice – the crime tears away a loved one, the execution seals in the spiritual infection.
It’s then ironic that the one person who has the potential to really benefit from the death penalty is the executed murderer.
Ronnie Gardner had the North Node of the Moon in Virgo, conjunct Pluto, the planet of transformation.
The North Node is the way forward, and is regarded by many astrologers as being a pointer to future incarnations. Virgo is a sign that’s very organised, and as he approached execution Ronnie Gardner had an opportunity to get himself together on a spiritual and mental level, and to distance himself from the chaos of the past.
Apparently Ronnie Gardner had his last meal two days before his execution – because in the immediate run up to his death, he wanted to go on a fast. In other words he was organising himself and his body, in preparation for the transforming experience of the firing squad, which could potentially catapult him into a new life.
Copyright © 2010 Archie Dunlop
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