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ON THE TRAIL OF LEONARDO AND THE SYMBOLIC

The case for Leonardo da Vinci creating the Shroud of Turin is a plausible one. Even Ian Wilson, a prominent believer in the authenticity of the Shroud, at one time seemed to concede something to it - though like numbers of people he has rather gone back and forth on the evidence. In the wake of ABC 1’s belated showing in Australia of a British docu Da Vinci’s Shroud, I got round to reading Picknett and Prince’s closely argued, updated version of their book/thesis on the subject. Turin Shroud: How Leonardo de Vinci Fooled History (2006).

I shan’t attempt to summarize the thesis. It expertly covers innumerable, often technical points from carbon dating and early photography to the politics of popes and the House of Savoy, who likely commissioned the fake, and anomalies of the Shroud like its gigantic size with its measurements back and front out of harmony, the dislocated head out of proportion with the body and so on.

Curiously, however, though the impetus given the authors to pursue the trail leading to Leonardo originally came through a tip off from a figure in Europe’s occult underground, they did not look for any added confirmations of the more symbolic kind in the occult fields they associate with the artist. We have Leonardo’s birth details as records were kept during the Renaissance, not least for precisely astrological purposes. These can well be read along with the rest - especially now that we have name, concept and place asteroids for remote dates to fill out the picture. Asteroid Leonardo, conjunct the fated nodes, rises in the first house of the artist's chart. The person is already suitably indicated and as for all the rest, at least cumulatively it surely amounts to something.

There are four places to look for clues and confirmations.
1) Leonardo’s natal chart
2) Christ’s natal chart (which I claim to know and maintain works for Christ issues to this day – see my Testament of the Magi
3) The charts for the Crucifixion and Easter
4) A chart for first display of the Shroud as we know it - Good Friday 1494 (it was made in 1492 if Giovanni, Picknett and Prince have got things right).

In the following where I cite asteroids it must be understood the rule accepted by astrologers who use them, and do so because they find they seriously work, is that that they will signify trans-lingually on a sound/sense basis (with affinities almost for Finnegan’s Wake one feels!). Thus Tempel, which is German for Temple, will work for Temple. Prinz equals Prince, and until recent times asteroids were registered in feminine form so that Nelsonia will signify Nelson, Christa equals Christ etc. This means that in the restricted lexicon of the skies, the only available word in any language that could possibly signify Shroud, and which I have found does, is the name Sinden. This equals Sindon (an alternative spelling of the English name) while Sindon means linen cloth in Greek. Also, perhaps because at some level all time is one, though asteroids have been named only since 1800, in the same way as they work trans-lingually they will significantly work for all times too.

1) LEONARDO’S CHART – correctly timed.

First it must be understood that Picknett and Prince supply the birth date of April 15th 1492 at 10.30 pm and I have worked on that. This corresponds to “3 o clock of the night” according to Florentine time which counted from sunset, so that 15th April is still 14th April. To this date one then adds 9 days to arrive at NS Gregorian date 23rd April which is what one normally sees on charts for Leonardo. Astrologers normally use 9.30 or 9.40 pm which supplies early degrees of Sagittarius rising. This could well be correct, but back in those days the given time could well be something like half an hour out. Both an early 6 degrees of Sagittarius rising or a later mid degree 16 degrees could have significance in this particular case.

The time as given is nonetheless relevant enough. It sets the Midheaven angle (career, reputation, destiny) in late Virgo near to conjunction with a visionary, artistic Neptune in the house of the career on a world point at 0 Libra. This does sound like an artistic Leonardo who, besides, can produce a great deception as any afflicted Neptune can produce confusion. Leonardo's Neptune is in close affliction aspect (quincunx) to the register of truth in any chart and the general planetary symbol of philosophies and religion, Jupiter. This artist could produce a memorable religious deception. An element of fantasy favouring deception along with urges towards the mystical and etherial is in any case also assisted by a natal moon in dreamy Pisces in which even such as the Mona Lisa partakes.

Many people have Saturn in the 10th house of career like Leonardo and it can be helpful for their long term advancement, but this Saturn is in Libra where it favours a career in the arts. Although Saturn like all planets and unlike asteroids is symbolically polyvalent, at one level it is significator of any tombs and shrouds. We have no reason to imagine that this should be relevant to Leonardo's natal chart - except for one rather crucial thing. Saturn in specifically Libra and in the career house for the artist is quite likely to relate not only to art - it just so happens that this Saturn is in opportunity aspect from the career house to Sinden, our shroud asteroid!

If it should happen that Leonardo was born a bit later with 15 or 16 Sagittarius rising, then this same Sinden is not even hidden away in the secret twelfth house. It would be conjunct the ascendant which is body, face and persona – a closer identity of Leonardo and his appearance with this shroud?
There certainly looks to be such an identity. The ascending sign filters or modifies whatever the sun sign gives and it will affect the face, body and persona. If the Salvator Mundi portrait of Christ attributed to Leonardo is a self portrait as Christ and linked to the Shroud, then it must be admitted there is something Sagittarian of a distinctive type about it. It has something of the bold featured and flamboyant yet effeminate kind of gay Sagittarian male who has a penchant for drag, and whatever his personal style it is generally accepted that Leonardo was gay while the true gender of Mona Lisa has been disputed.

However, even if it is not the case time-wise that Sinden is on the ascendant, and it may well not be, nothing alters that this Sinden asteroid at just 16 Sagittarius stands in close, direct opportunity aspect to Leonardo’s workman’s Mars in shocking, surprising Aquarius. Since Leonardo’s natal Mars is at 15degrees it is somehow significant by being on another of the world points. This allows for doing something rather famous and extraordinary such as a piece of workmanship that is almost an attack on religion. And according to the astrological theory of trans-historical sensitive degrees and the inter-relation of chart patterns it necessarily is so, because at the foundation of Christianity at Pentecost in AD 30 we find the Christ asteroid is at 15 Aquarius.

We have no notebook revealing work on or negotiations around the Shroud, but a notebook of Leonardo’s bought by, and lost by, the House of Savoy could be assumed to detail any controversial issues in relation to it. Work on the relic is believed to have been done in 1492 at the behest of the House of Savoy but Leonardo worked, according to Picknett and Price’s theory and to Giovanni (their occult underground contact), the unscrupulous Pope Innocent V111 who authorized the forgery.

A new fascination with the blood of Christ had begun with Innocent’s immediate predecessor Sixtus IV who wrote a treatise On the Blood of Christ. It is the blood marks on the Shroud which sets it apart from the earlier Savoy owned Shroud thought of as a representation or painting. Leonardo, who exceptionally for his times dissected and examined corpses could provide realistic injuries and blood to any forgery. (Blood should however not be still flowing from a corpse as portrayed and of course since presumably Leonardo did not kill off someone to make the forgery its head had to separate from the injured body used). What if any is the astrology?

There is no asteroid for Pope, or Sixtus, or Innocent, but there is one Vaticana (read Vatican and hierarchy). Assuming a correct birth time it is surprisingly strong for Leonardo by being angular, challengingly and suggestively opposite Sinden too. Fascinatingly, and as though to point to illegitimate papal interest in the Shroud, Vaticana conjuncts an asteroid Trueblood which means that Trueblood also opposes Sinden in its secretive hidden place. (It should be noted that Trueblood in this chart is not related to this same asteroid in either the natus of Christ or his crucifixion for both of which they are expressive, and under the rules we should expect to see a connection if the Shroud retained anything as important as traces of Christ’s blood from the crucifixion itself).

LEONARDO AND VATICAN ENDORSEMENT?

Vaticana in its partnership position for Leonardo betokens some measure of agency and patronage such as we know was the case. The Church, despite Leonardo’s heretical opinions, could still act as some kind of agent/benefactor for him. Leonardo’s personally pained, alienated feelings towards the Church are reflected in the direct difficulty square of his Church asteroid to Chiron (the wounded healer planetoid). This Chiron and the Vatican in conjunction do so in double-minded Gemini so Leonardo can be in two minds about his patron the Church and the Church authorities represented by Vaticana, be in two minds about him in turn but they can and will cooperate.

The data is thus:
Church 19.23 Virgo, square Chiron 19.25 Gemini
Chiron 19.25 Gemini, conjunct Vaticana 17.31, Gemini
Conjunct Trueblood, 15.47.Gemini opposite Sinden at 16.00 Sagittarius.

Can the chart tell us how Leonardo might go about his approved fakery? Picknett and Prince, or rather two Princes, writer Clive and photographic expert Keith Prince (remember this Prince emphasis) maintain the shroudman figure was achieved by an early form of camera obscura photography. The body photographed is supposedly that of Christ, or shall we say Jesus? Astrology offers us two asteroids here, Christa which works for Christ and Isa, the Arabic, Koranic name for Jesus. I find Christ works more for faith issues, Isa is more like “the historical Jesus”, Jesus’ body, and that is what the Shroud points out. So…..

LEONARDO, “PHOTOGRAPHIC” FRAUD AND THE PICKNETT PRICE CONNECTION

Asteroid Photographia challengingly opposes, exact to the degree, Isa/Jesus in Leonardo’s ninth house of religion. (And we know Leonardo’s religious views incline to the whimsical, mystical or unusual because his only planet in the beliefs house is mystical Neptune, but very strong on a world point so making for fame and influence at 0 Libra). Photographia is, besides, emphasized by being in Pisces, nowadays deemed the sign of photography itself, while Isa is emphasized by being in Leonardo’s religion house and suggestively placed within a degree of the position of Jesus’ natal sun – the challenge (opposition) of Photographia and Isa being to capture the historical Jesus, however deceptively. Asteroid Church conjuncts Isa so that the Church at large is liable to be taken in by the forgery, even desires and reveres it even if some of the hierarchy, Vaticana, know the truth.

Who is going finally to see through this challenge to Leonardo’s reputation and art? Venus is a key planet for Leonardo because it rules his Taurus sun and his Libran Midheaven of reputation/destiny. His Venus, (itself in Taurus so further strengthened) at 25 Taurus, is directly opposed by Prinz at 26 Scorpio. This signifies the two Princes working against his reputation to mine his secrets, while although there is no Picknett asteroid there is one called Lynn.

Lynn interrupts the Photographica/Isa opposition setting up degree exact T square to it – in short, makes difficulty for the secret of the work by seeing through it. The reason that finally the Savoys never paid Leonardo much could include disappointment with the Shroud image, faint from the first due to its “photographic” basis and thus not so impressive to them as it would be to later, more scientific generations who could examine it.

The Picknett and Prince Shroud thesis is that Leonardo had unusual, probably hostile attitudes towards Christ. This does seem shown by the Christ asteroid at 21 Aries in tension square to heretical, or at least very different, Uranus at 22 of Cancer. His alternative belief is said to be the Johannanite one that the Baptist was the Messiah – the Shroud is even suggestively housed in Turin’s Cathedral of St John the Baptist. This theory is however less clearly shown, unless negatively as a major deception after the manner of Neptune afflictions, and so I note that Baptistina (the Baptist) at almost 0 of Cancer, a world point, is in tension square to Leonardo’s 0 degree Neptune in the religion house.

I should like to have found the asteroid Lie intervening in what I have so far detailed, (Lie conjunct Sinden would be ideal!) but perhaps it’s not necessary. I do note that for Leonardo Lie conjuncts the south end of his fated Nodes axis of which, as said, the positive North axis conjuncted his name, a placement that would assist ambition and fame. The south axis by contrast is believed to be what we do easily and habitually. Lie in this position is not too flattering and suggests a person who had few scruples doing whatever suited him, the Shroud deceit being only one among several!

2) CHRIST’S CHART.
This reveals a very close conjunction of Leonardo with of all things The Part of Misinterpretation. This is pretty much what Leonardo is offering the world especially as he is found in Christ’s fourth house of origins and endings, hence anything to do with the grave place and burials.

If work on the Shroud was indeed undertaken in 1492, it is interesting that during this year, Saturn would have been back and forth across Jesus’ reputation Midheaven angle. Polyvalent planetary symbol, Saturn, can at one level refer to any issues regarding graves, burials, shrouds if relevant. More typically it can be whatever hinders and restricts, even if for specifically Saturnian people it could advance their career. It can however only be negative in the case of Christ - it’s no use having believers revering falsehoods around your person!

3). CRUCIFIXION AND EASTER
Obviously Leonardo was not present then, but the astrology of these two events is astonishing because it reflects not just what was happening but the beliefs and theology that would derive from them. Hence, if there was a shroud from the time of Christ’s death that has been getting falsely attributed to Leonardo (or anyone else), or if Leonardo’s influence would intervene in Christian beliefs in some fashion, that should be shown. On both days Leonardo conflict squares the sun of the day placing him in some kind of disharmonious relation with events. He is not connected at all with Sinden at this time which plays its own role and is aspected in suitable ways for the given record.

It can however be observed that Leonardo conjuncts Masi (Ar. Messiah) at this season. Conjunctions are very for or against something and the Da Vinci Shroud thesis is that Leonardo, through hidden symbolic features of his art, promoted belief that John, not Jesus, was the Messiah. (Despite this I remain to be convinced that Leonardo is rightly regarded as completely anti-Christian. Before his death he did ask to be instructed in Christian faith and took communion which suggests he had been lifelong religiously indifferent and/or opportunistically went along with and promoted those traditions he knew. It has been suggested he inherited Cathar views and habits like his vegetarianism from his mother who came of heretic line. He anyway moved in heretic underground circles in Florence).

4) FIRST DISPLAY OF THE SHROUD AS WE KNOW IT
(after a forty year disappearance and before which the Shroud was widely understood to be a painting or representation and not this new more realistic if faint image).
The chart is set for Good Friday, 1494 which was 28th March Julian, (6th April Gregorian – Astrodienst, a source for remote date asteroids, works on continuous Gregorian). As I can’t know at what time the Shroud was displayed a chart must be set like many political charts for noon but time doesn’t affect the most salient features which shows something like success for Leonardo’s ruse.

Coincidences are always possible, but the pattern does appear suggestive. The Leonardo asteroid at 16 Leo fortunately exactly trines the sun at 16 Aries at the same time as Lie in Cancer squares this Sun. The relic may be a lie but Leonardo’s forgery carries the day even if the sun’s opposition (to his 17 degree Libra) Midheaven hints at the possibility of slow recognition of what he has done and some undermining with it. Likewise supporting success for Leonardo’s work in the immediate, the shroud asteroid Sinden positioned in mysterious and intriguing Scorpio, the death sign, exactly and fortunately trines Mercury (news/information) in dreamy Pisces making for easy acceptance of the implied information.

To the extent a symbolic noon day chart is valid, the moon at 26 of religion sign Sagittarius aspects both Sinden and Moon but it conflictingly squares the moon (a significator for public feeling in such charts) suggesting as Moon square Mercury often does, wrong information and feelings. Charts interact over centuries and some degrees are deemed sensitive. One could speculate about the relevance of Neptune, so prone to illusion, this day being on the same degree of Mars as on the day of crucifixion. An illusion is created about the marks and nature of crucifixion?

A HORARY NO

Way back in January 1987 influenced by a press article speculating on future findings for the relic, I cast a chart I regret having lost which was a horary (question chart) “Is the Turin Shroud Genuine”? My reading distinctly followed accepted rules for this and which declared a resounding NO. I felt relieved as personally I can’t stand the Shroud image. Indeed I am constantly amazed that believers are so attached to it. Even granted that Christ’s beauty is understood to have been marred by the crucifixion, it looks odd for a Messianic figure and rather, horsey - horse sign Sagittarius rises in Leonardo’s chart and it doesn’t in Christ’s! - and anything but attractive and sacred. Today if the question chart could be retrieved it would be fascinating to see where Leonardo fell in it, but I had no access to such information at the time – nobody did. Rather laboriously I worked out against houses, rulers, aspects, Parts, etc that it seemed as though some underground group like Templars or Masons must be behind it. I am accordingly not surprised that Picknett and Prince should be encouraged to pursue a lead given them by someone from the occult underground.

In a way, I am not too surprised either that I should fall across this information at the time I have done and it’s likely to amount to something. Only after I had started on this did I tumble to what should be an obvious point for an astrologer, namely that the last lunation has fallen at 14.24 of Libra. Leonardo’s rather crucial reputation house Saturn falls at 14.04 of Libra, a very close conjunction. Not only that but the transiting nodes on their 19 year cycle are hitting the Leonardo/Lie axis. It’s a good time to discover, explore and say anything about Leonardo’s aims and intentions.

TEMPLE MYSTERIES

Actually, I only did veer towards this and made a point to watch the docu for its relation however uncertain to what I have been working on – namely my book for which I await proof shortly and which should be out in December, Temple Mysteries and Spiritual Efficiency. (More on this here and on my website later). This truly is a different and surprising work (even to me) ranging over everything from aspects of the new Temple theology, Masonic theories, Jung’s Red Book, gay issues, theories of creation and evolution and much more, but the Temple is central and it was thoughts on Temple and Templars had temporarily led me towards the Shroud and Leonardo. After all, Leonardo perfectly aspects the Temple asteroid in my natus. How could I miss it? A case of Leonardo on my mind but my admiration for the genius a bit diminished.