by Marilyn J. Muir, LPMAFA
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On July 1, 1964, at 6:47 AM EDT, seven minutes past the scheduled departure, the first auto/passenger transport ferry launched from Lewes, Delaware. This marked the official beginning of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, a seventeen-mile bay run between Cape May, MD and Lewes, DE1. Much planning, investment (four huge vessels), time and machinations had gone into forming and growing the company that became CMLF, but the actual first launch was of the SS Cape Henlopen. The ship was lightly loaded with only eight vehicles and fifteen passengers aboard, but this effort was the actual birth of the ferry run. The voyage was not without incident; there were problems arriving in port, but it was successfully completed. Problems were not surprising with a tight four-planet (Mars/Saturn/Uranus/Pluto) mutable T-square and a nearly perfect (four minutes) applying square between chart ruler Moon and fourth house (destination) ruler Venus in the launch chart. That’s six of ten planets requiring ‘adaptable, flexible, changeable’ qualities from the crew and ship.
For many years, the ferry service was vital and valuable to that area. Over time, advances in highways, bridges, etc. changed the need and use of the ferry. Several ships were introduced, retired and/or sold. One of the original four ships recently made news as it was sold, salvaged of anything valuable, and sunk 26 miles off the MD/DE coastline as part of the Del-Jersey Land Inshore Artificial Reef. The 320-foot ship was not the largest, but was the third ship scuttled to help build the undersea artificial reef2.
The scuttled ship was the SS Twin Capes, not the SS Cape Henlopen of launch fame, and was a sister ship from the original fleet. I wondered what we could see astrologically from the history of the service and the deliberate scuttling of a ship from that initial grouping. Could I compare apples to oranges astrologically? I was not disappointed.
The launch chart has five planets and the Ascendant in water signs, appropriately, with chart ruler Moon 22 Pisces 17 in almost exact trine to the Ascendant 22 Cancer 47. Since houses move faster than even the Moon, this aspect is separating. Note the ship was scheduled to leave port seven minutes earlier: was scheduled time or actual time correct? We ask questions to learn. The launch Midheaven (purpose and goal) was 6 Aries 41 ruled by Mars 9 Gemini 53 in the eleventh house of groups and associations (as in a passenger and vehicle transport ferry). As I read the history of the ferry, I could see the strong mutable T-square working behind the scenes (not angular), affecting the business ups and downs of the ferry service over the years, constant juggling of resource and application. Fast forward to the sink charts.
The date the SS Twin Capes was sunk3 was June 15, 2018 and the time was 11:55 AM EDT, 26 miles off the Atlantic Coastline: 38N30.90, 74W30.90. See what a little searching can turn up? That means we have the event (a transit chart) itself, plus we can use the launch progression and solar arc directions… plus I chose to set the diurnal for the date of sinking to obtain the personal transit positions for the launch chart. The diurnal and event charts will be similar, so we will focus on one and only use the fast moving Ascendant, Midheaven and Moon for the other.
Immediately the event Midheaven popped up: 9 Gemini 46, seven minutes from conjunction to the launch Mars at 9:53. The event Ascendant is 12 Virgo 18 conjunct the launch Pluto at 11 Virgo 59 (1/4 degree). Event Moon 20 Can 24 conjunct launch Ascendant 22:47. Event Sun 24 Gemini 30 conjunct launch Venus 22:21 retrograde. Event Jupiter 14 Scorpio 16, a wide four degrees opposite launch Jupiter 18 Taurus 03. Event Pluto 20 Capricorn 39 retrograde conjunct launch Descendant 22: 47. Consider Neptune… event Neptune is four degrees from event Descendant. Sinking a 320-foot ship takes time from when it is scuttled to when it fully submerges beneath the surface of the sea, five minutes according to one source. This chart shows both event and process.
What can we see from the other three charts: launch progression, direction and diurnal?
Progressed Pluto is 13 Virgo 31 conjunct the event Ascendant 12:18. Progressed Ascendant 5 Virgo 17 is conjunct launch Uranus 6:57. Progressed Uranus 9 Virgo 51 is square launch Mars 9 Gemini 53 (two minutes). Progressed Jupiter is 25 Taurus 23 conjunct Fixed Star Caput Algol (losing one’s head or perhaps identity).
Solar Arc Midheaven 28 Taurus 19 conjunct Fixed Star grouping The Pleiades (something to weep about). SA Jupiter 9 Cancer 41 conjunct launch Sun 9:36 (5 minutes) could indicate a re-purposing for the ferry. SA Mercury 6 Virgo 15 conjunct launch Uranus 6:57 can indicate newsworthy headlines.
Diurnal Midheaven 19 Pisces 26 conjunct diurnal Neptune 16:29, separating 3 degrees which equals 12 minutes on the day’s clock – part of the process. Diurnal Ascendant 9 Cancer 29 is tightly conjunct launch Sun 9 Cancer 36. For diurnals, pay particular attention to any planet conjunct a diurnal angle as it tends to designate activity for a specific day in the life of… This diurnal has Neptune on the Midheaven, Mercury on the Ascendant and Saturn on the Descendant, of which Mercury and Saturn are in tight opposition and applying, present to future in application. This definitely was a key day in the life of the launch.
Remember this comparison is apples to oranges. We are using the first launch of the sister ship Henlopen for the ferry run birth itself, the first company sailing. The SS Twin Capes was sold out of inventory, picked clean of value through salvage, and then scuttled. This is a conclusion but not necessarily a death per se. The company continues in operation, plus the ship has taken on a new manifestation as part of an artificial reef – both event and process.
Sources:
1 https://www.cmlf.com/cape-may-lewes-ferry-history
2 https://www.blackdogsalvage.com/new-episode-salvage-dawgs-twin-capes-ferry/
See Wikipedia for overall general information on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry
Published in AFA Today’s Astrologer Jul 2018 vol 80#7, republished with slight editing.
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