Birth Time Rectification: WikiLeak’s Julian Assange

I’ve put together a birth time rectification for Julian Assange that I feel has a great deal of merit and potential. Julian Assange was born on July 3, 1971 in Townsville, Queensland, Australia (birth time unknown).

We always begin the rectification process by finding a strong starting point with a sign on the Ascendant. After researching many articles and interviews with Assange, I felt two very strong possibilities for his Ascendant sign: Aquarius or Sagittarius.

Assange has been described as: tall and lanky, nomadic, cynical, weird, elusive, cautious, paranoid, highly intellectual, non-conformist, having altruistic motives, charming yet cagey, forgetful, and masking details about his life.

This description lends strong corroboration for Sagittarius rising, colored by its ruler Jupiter in Scorpio sitting in the 12th house, and receiving a tight conjunction from natal Neptune. Further, Assange’s Moon in Scorpio would also fall into the 12th house, a perfect placement for a man who works “behind-the-scenes.” The natal Sun would be situated in the 8th house reinforcing his elusive nature and hard-to-reach personality. That was enough to convince me of a strong starting point for the birth time rectification process.

Now I had to find unequivocal corroboration from Solar Arcs and outer planet transits to the Angles of the horoscope (or to the natal Sun or Moon) during major life events. Everything needs to fit throughout his life development. The horoscope needs to sing from birth throughout the present.

Assange was born into domestic upheaval. A childhood and lifestyle pretty much described as Tom Sawyer. No mention of his biological father. Within the first 6 months of his life in 1971, his bohemian single mother moved with Julian to Magnetic Island in Australia. As she described, “living in a bikini and going native with my baby and other mums on the island.” Working with my proposed birth time of 3:01 PM (Ascendant 2 Sagittarius 16, Midheaven 20 Leo 13), transiting Neptune was conjunct the Ascendant and transiting Saturn was opposed the Ascendant in 1971, with Solar Arc (SA) Saturn opposed the Ascendant (exact February 1972).

Shortly after turning age one (roughly around August/September 1972; exact date unknown), his mother married with SA Midheaven opposed Mars (November 1972) and SA Neptune conjunct Ascendant (February 1973).

Four years later in 1976 (age 4 or 5), the family moved back to Magnetic Island with SA Jupiter conjunct Ascendant (September 1976).

In 1979 at age 8, his mother left her husband to start a tumultuous relationship with a musician. The Secondary Progressed (SP) Moon was opposed the Midheaven, and transiting Uranus was square the Midheaven in 1979.

This new relationship gave birth to a baby boy (born c. 1980 or 1981), however in 1982 when Julian was 11 years old, the relationship with the musician was over. Julian’s mother feared that the father would take her baby from her, so she told Julian, “Now we need to disappear.” They went into hiding in 1982 (moving back again to Magnetic Island) and lived on the run for the next 5 years. In 1982, SA Midheaven was square Neptune, SA Mars was square the Ascendant, and transiting Uranus was conjunct the Ascendant.

In 1987, they stopped living on the run. After turning age 16 in 1987, Julian began his early professional life “hacking” computers with transiting Pluto conjunct his Scorpio Moon.

In 1989, at age 17, Julian fell in love with a sixteen-year old girlfriend, moved into a squatter’s union in Melbourne together, until they learned she was pregnant (April ’89). When Julian was 18 in 1989 they married in an unofficial ceremony, and gave birth to a son on January 26, 1990 in Melbourne. Transiting Neptune and transiting Saturn were opposed Julian’s natal Sun throughout 1989.

Problems hit on September 29, 1991 when Julian was arrested for hacking computers. Over the next few months in 1991, his wife took their son and left Julian. The following year in 1992, Julian pled guilty to charges and was fined. It is also reported that he had an emotional breakdown, fell into a depression, and was hospitalized in 1992. In 1991 and 1992, transiting Pluto was square the Midheaven for an extended transit. Transiting Uranus was opposed his natal Sun in 1991.

In 1993 and 1994, Julian was working as a computer programmer in Melbourne. The following year in 1995, Julian wrote “Strobe,” a free open-source port scanner. As well in December 1995, he was arrested and fined again. The Solar Arc Moon was conjunct Neptune in the 12th house (exact August 1995). Transiting Pluto was approaching conjunction with his Ascendant (first hit exact January 10, 1996).

Starting around 1997 (final hit, tr. Pluto conjunct Ascendant), Assange co-invented the Rubberhose deniable encryption system. He originally intended the system to be used “as a tool for human rights workers who needed to protect sensitive data in the field.” Transiting Uranus was square the Moon, and SA Moon was conjunct the Ascendant.

In 1999 (age 27/28), after a lengthy custody battle over the past seven years, Julian finally settled in court on a child custody agreement with his wife. It was also in 1999, that Julian registered the domain name, leaks.org, although at that time he did not start anything with it. SA Mercury was conjunct the Midheaven. Transiting Saturn was opposed his Moon.

It was shortly after settling the custody court cases that his hair (which had been dark brown) started to lose its color and turned prematurely grey. Assange was burned out and motorcycled across Vietnam, holding various jobs to earn money as a computer consultant in order to support his son. In 2000, transiting Uranus were opposed his Midheaven, SP Moon was conjunct his Ascendant, and SA Uranus was conjunct his Moon.

From 2003 through 2006, Julian studied physics and mathematics at the University of Melbourne, although he never graduated.

It was in 2006 that he started to formulate his ideas for WikiLeaks, barricading himself in a house near the university to begin the work. WikiLeaks was launched in December 2006 posting its first document with the SP Moon opposed the Midheaven, and transiting Saturn conjunct the Midheaven.

In 2007, he left Australia permanently, and went to Kenya for several months. Assange claims to have swung the Kenyan presidential election in 2007 by exposing corruption at the highest levels. While in Kenya, staying inside a guarded compound in Nairobi, six men with guns entered the compound but fled when Assange started shouting alerting the security team. He was sure they were after him as he says, “there was not anyone else worth visiting in the compound.” Transiting Neptune was opposed his Midheaven throughout 2007.

In 2009, he received the Amnesty International UK Media Award for his work in Kenya. SA Sun opposed Node (October 2008), SA Uranus square Node (December 2009).

On March 30, 2010, he moved to Iceland where he rented a house to run his operation. In April 2010, his most explosive leak: a secret video shot by an American attack helicopter of Iraqi civilians being killed in cold blood. SA Midheaven was conjunct Pluto (exact March 2010).

In June 2010, pentagon officials were trying to find his whereabouts with SA Ascendant square Uranus (July 2010). In November 2010, Interpol placed Assange on its red notice list of wanted persons with the first hit of transiting Saturn square his Sun.

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Further corroboration for a birth time around 3:01 PM:

Natal Mars conjunct North Node in Aquarius, angular opposed the Midheaven: “Assange preaches [Sagittarius Ascendant] a radical democracy that is taking online activism into a new and uncharted territory.”

Natal Saturn in Gemini opposed his Ascendant: his youthful face, his premature grey hair, his cautious nature, his sense of humor, his business of communications. His mother’s description of him as a child taken from the Herald Sun newspaper, “He was a lovely boy, very sensitive, good with animals, quiet and has a wicked sense of humor.”

Corroboration using Sabian Symbols, taken from Blain Bovee’s book, The Sabian Symbols & Astrological Analysis:

Ascendant 3 Sagittarius: “The ocean covered with whitecaps:” “Apply this degree-pair with a mind to an awareness of deeper issues lying below the surface appearance; the motives for apparent generosity; suspicions about being fooled. Watch disguises. Be alert for gifting anonymously; stealth under cover; organizations that wear the hat of charity. A knack for detecting undercurrents.”

Midheaven 21 Leo: “Chickens intoxicated:” “Dispelling notions of being the chosen one; Think of the effects of poison: one drop induces a healing crisis; too much of the wrong poison really takes the life out of a dream, and sometimes literally takes a life. Be alert for youthful, naïve illusions; mature and sober perspectives; matters that turn sour; matters that soar beyond inhibitions.”

Moon 8 Scorpio: “The Moon shining across a lake:” “Apply this degree-pair with a mind to the clever guile to slip around an issue; to retrieve a lost matter. Consider slippery stories; slippery slopes that can get one into deep water; mere reflections of the truth; being ahead of one’s time; ahead of the law; clever delays and diversions; quick wits; finding forgotten treasure; smoothing over frictions; a moonshine state of mind.”

Julian Assange describes himself as the kind of person who he says, “can hack into the most sophisticated computer system. But can forget to show up for an interview. Or cancel at the last minute.” Sounds to me like a Sagittarius Ascendant with Neptune conjunct the Ascendant ruler, Jupiter in Scorpio in the 12th house.

Life events fit the proposed birth time, and the horoscope starts to sing.