The Stigmata in Astrology
A look at the reception of stigmata on Gemma Galgani and Padre Pio
The stigmata is the most famous and bizarre Catholic mystic phenomena. It has no parallel in other religion’s mystic practices. It is also widely derided as fake while at the same time something that should easily be verifiable.
Here, we will not verify through historical evidence nor medical, but rather astrological. Something as dramatic as the sudden appearance of Christ’s wounds on the body should show up on a chart. After all, just about everything else does. And the more dramatic, the more pronounced on a chart.
I will only look at two stigmatists. Gemma Galgani, and Padre Pio. Best I know at the moment, they’re the only stigmatists with both available birth charts and available time, place, and date for their initial reception of stigmata to create a chart.
First, my favorite and guardian saint: Gemma Galgani. Her stigmata appeared on dramatic night on June 8 1889. It manifested as the five wounds of Jesus and were full blown bleeding crucifixion wounds, plus a spear to her heart (yes. She had a spear wound in her heart). They were such that she had trouble moving around and was in immense pain. The wounds stayed until Sunday when they disappeared, and then came back every weekened since until her priest told her to pray them away so that she would only have the pain rather than visible wounds (in the manner of St. Catherine of Sienna). Thus, I could conceivably create a chart for each weekend to see stigmata, but I will only show a few charts, for now, until I get the motivation to do so.
First up: Transits on the stigmata date on Gemma:
As always, there’s alot going on in the chart. But, let’s focus on two key points:
First, there is an eclipse occuring. This eclipse started to move into place when the experience began, and came into full hours later, the morning after, when the experience ended.
The second is transit Mars on Natal Uranus. In medical astrology, this is sudden rupture of wounds. In fact, on it’s surface, that is the Mars/Uranus aspect: Sudden [Uranus] + Blood [Mars]. This is the astrological mark of stigmata. On Gemma’s natal chart, she has a perfect Mars/Uranus square. This is fitting of such a bloody mystic.
We also have natal Chiron aspects. Gemma’s Chiron is Taurean, in House 9, and conjunct Neptune. This creates a Chiron that is about using her bodily wounds (Taurus) to enlighten herself. Conjunct Neptune is the mark of a mystic. Most notably, Edgar Cayce had a Neptune/Chiron conjunct.
On the chart, there are multiple aspects to her Natal Chiron. T. Sun semisquare Chiron at 0’28. T. Jupiter oppose Chiron at 0’34. And t. Pluto semisquare at 1’14. Sun semisquare is about showing and expressing her bodily wounds. Jupiter oppose Chiron is seeing the purpose and bigger plans of the wounds. Pluto semisquare is about the sudden extreme of the wounds forcing their way to the surface. Also, Transit Pluto is right in the middle of the eclipse that is happening.
If the natal Chiron/Neptune conjunct of 4’10 degrees is too broad of an orb for you, on the tertiary progression chart for the stigmata P3 Chiron moves into perfect conjunct over her Natal Neptune.
Gemma obviously got attention for her stigmata. She had people wanting to see or investigate her stigmata. There is at least one recorded instance of it being witnessed that gives time, date, and place. This is where a priest saw the stigmata and then described in detail what he witnessed as it appeared.
Here’s the chart:
Mars semisquare Uranus. And broad T. Uranus oppose N. Mars. We then get Sun on top of N. Uranus which thus squares her N. Mars with the N. Uranus. Her prenatal eclipse highlighted this aspect as the hot spot on her chart. The Sun means something being public. Her stigmata is seen this day.
PADRE PIO
I can’t spend too much time on Padre Pio before doing my investigation of his life. I don’t know much about him past what most Catholics do. However, I did dig up his first stigmata.
Angle conjuncts. But we also get Mars/Uranus aspects. T. Mars semisquare N. Uranus and T. Uranus square N. Mars showing the sudden blood. I would love to spend more time on Pio, and I’m sure there’s more on this chart to be investigated that will come to light when I investigate his life. But this is what I got right now. Pio’s chart confirms that stigmata shows up astrologically as a Mars/Uranus conjunction.
There are many stigmatists in the church. Many are unapproved mystics and saints. Future posts will investigate both approved and unapproved to see whether their stigmata shows up astrologically or not in whatever fashion.