The Execution of St. Francis Capilla of Fu'an
A proposed expanded meaning for Chiron
St. Francis Capilla is the protomartyr of China, that is, he is considered the first Catholic to be martyred in China. He was arrested while en route to give a Chinese Christian Last Rites, and then was chained in prison and tortured for a winter and later executed.
“On January 15, 1648, the judge came and ordered that he be flogged again and put into the sentry box of the city wall. When they ordered him to step from the box, the executioner gave him a heavy blow with the sword separating his head from his body. They threw his body outside the wall. Two months later, they found his body outside the city wall.”
However, as is often the case, the bodies of the saints are not like normal bodies. St. Capilla’s body was left to rot outside the city wall, with others who were executed. But, it did not rot. The other bodies were skeletons while his did not decay. He was incorrupt. This miracle was recorded in his cause for canonization, among other miracles.
His chart is below. I am not doing a natal read, but it’s here for the interested. Birth hour is unknown. One quick note: His Virgo Mercury and Neptune = “Teaching (Mercury) Catholicism (Neptune). He was quite the intelligent and methodical religious teacher and scholar. With the two trining Saturn (a Mercurial aspect) and in Capricorn (ruled by Neptune) we see a more harmonious aspect between Saturn and Mercury/Neptune. Studious (Saturn) + [courage and defense (Mars) of ideas (Mercury)] + [experiments (Uranus) + ideas (Mercury)] Teacher (Mercury). You get the idea. There is a Mercurial aspect between the discipline of Saturn and Mercury itself. The trine’s arms contain Mercury on both ends with Mars and Uranus. The trine is an aspect of trying new ideas and experiments. St. Capilla was someone who lived and died on his idea of evangelizing (Neptune + Mercury) China (Saturn). Saturn is also keyworded for “Martyr.”
Let’s now look at the biwheel between St. Capillas and the execution event. There is some dispute about the date of his execution, but this date’s chart shows an execution, well. It is the official date that his canonization gives as his death. Again, we don’t have a time of day for the event.
Mars is the planet of decapitation. So, I am most interested in it. Transit Mars is at a sesquisquare to his Mercury/Neptune conjunction. The aspect is obvious: Decapitate (Mars) Catholic (Neptune) Preacher (Mercury). The sesquisquare is Venus and Jupiter + Uranus and Pluto. So, you have a sudden (Uranus) death (Pluto) to appease (Venus) a magistrate (Jupiter).
There is also transiting Sun semi-squaring transiting Uranus & 135 to his Uranus/Moon conjunct. Exit (Uranus) Life (Sun). We’ve already seen the relevant interpretation of the sesquisquare, only now we add the Moon which shows something being viewed (he was executed before a crowd). The semisquare has the same substones as the sesquisquare, so the same interpretation applies: Exit Life with a Sudden Death to Appease a Magistrate.
There are other aspects showing a martyrdom. Transiting jupiter is 135 to transiting sun. Sudden Loss of a Religious (Jupiter) Life. This same Jupiter is conjunct his Mercury/Neptune conjunction and thus sharing the same aspects as them. We also have the transit Venus/Neptune conjunct that is opposing transit Pluto.
What I want to show, now, are the Chirons. The Chirons are in interesting oppositions. Transit Saturn is opposing his natal Chiron, and Transit Chiron is opposing Transit Mars. This is an example of how Chiron must mean more than psychological wounds (that become a strength, “Wounded Healer”). The interpreation can be made of “Death of a Wound” or whatever, but its reading into the chart, rather than letting the chart speak. Its not wrong, but its not precise nor insightful. Rather, I think something religious is going on here. I see Chiron show up in interesting ways in paranormal and religious experiences. So, Chiron must also mean something on the mystical or religious side. Chiron might be showing priests or religious (“Decapitation/Death (Mars/Saturn of a Religious (Chiron)”). Or it might be showing the unseen superantural assent that is a martyr’s death. Or, Chiron might signify a martyr.
When Chiron was first discovered, astrologers proposed it as a blending of Saturnian and Uranian energies. This makes sense as that is the orbit of the centaur and the object is a blend between a planet and a comet (it even has a comet tail). So “blend” and “mix” should be associated with it. It is also important to give the object associations other than what is useful for a natal read. We don’t look at anger management when observing a shipwreck chart, the planet needs more associations. Chiron must be able to be read in events.
If we give Chiron the meanings of both Saturn and Uranus (we wouldn’t want to give all, though, unless warranted) we can see the Transit Mars/Chiron opposition as “Decapitate (Mars) the Foreign Martyr (Chiron = Uranus+Saturn).” The Transit Saturn oppose Natal Chiron can be “Death of Foreign Martyr.”