Recently, I have been watching the docuseries on JFK Jr.'s Love Story. It brought back some sad memories about that tragedy. In 1999, I had started divorce proceedings and moved into an apartment with two small children. It was around this same time, that I started studying Astrology with an astrologer. This tragedy really hit home for me when discussing Mercury Retrograde and the things you need to be aware of during a Mercury Retrograde period. Had John F. Kennedy Jr. shown a belief in the study of the stars, I think he would have taken several precautions before that fateful flight on July 16, 1999. Back in 1999, Mercury went retrogrde on July 12th. Astrologers always say the worst times of a Mercury Retrograde are the first three days. Mr. Kennedy and companions took their flight on the fourth day of this Mercury Retrograde cycle, still a time of extra caution, especially when flying.

   With a new interest in this sad chapter of American history, there have been several documentaries reviewing John F. Kennedy Jr.'s life and last days. I could not sit and watch them without shuddering at all the usual signs of a Mercury Retrograde period that went unnoticed by John Jr. First off, miscommunications. It was reported that John Jr. spent the night before that fateful flight in a hotel due to arguments with his wife, Carolyn Bessette. With Mercury Retrogrades, there are always miscommunications that can lead to arguments if one is not careful and clear in their communication skills. Add to that, he had a Neptune conjunct Mercury in Scorpio in his third house of Communications, definitely made communication for him at times, confusing. ln 1999, all Mercury Retrograde periods were in Fire signs, this one was in Leo. John Jr. was a Sagittarius which added extra impact during this Mercury Retrograde period in Leo, a fixed fire sign.

   The couple and Carolyn's sister were scheduled to take off from an airport in New Jersey the afternoon of July 16th. John Jr. was scheduled to meet up with Carolyn's sister, Lauren, and then drive from New York City to the New Jersey airport together. Carolyn would travel separately. But, John was delayed at the office of George magazine and he and Lauren did not leave the city uintil close to dinnertime. Traffic was heavier than usual. This is typical of Mercury Retrograde, delays in travel with lots of traffic snarls.

   Although John Jr. did check the weather earlier in the day as all pilots do, he did not recheck the weather since his takeoff was delayed by several hours. Being late to the airport by several hours, makes one forget some things. This is also common during Mercury Retrograde, forgetfulness and most astrologers always state, you need to check and recheck your travel plans during a Mercury Retrograde cycle. He also stated he did not want an instructor to go with him. Most pilots found this surprising since John Jr. was not cleared to fly solo at night. Also in his haste, he did not leave his flight plan with the airport, so no one knew the route he had planned to take to Martha's Vineyard. Then while flying to Martha's Vineyard, John Jr. had a choice of two routes. One route would hav been along the coast of Massachusetts where lights on land would help guide him to his destination. The other route was shorter by twenty minues, but went directly over the water where there would be no lighting to guide him. Because of the foggy conditions, all pilots would have taken the longer route, but the couple was late for his cousin's wedding that weekend.

   The rest of this horrific story we all know. Flying at night without much experience, led to spatial disorientation and during a Mercury Retrograde period this is not surprising. Miscommunication and not rechecking routes and bad weather conditions led to several mistakes in judgement that caused the plane to crash. There were even delays in finding the wreckage, five days later. It was at the encouragement of President Clinton, that the Coast Guard continued its search for recovery. No one knew where to look because the flight plans had not been filed. This is all standard aspects of Mercury Retrograde's confusion.

   But, after watching the latest round of documentaries, the eeriest part was not really about the accident or Mercury Retrograde. The strangest part that really hit home for me was learning, while Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was dieing of cancer in 1994, she made her son promise that he would give up flying. Talk about a mother's intuition. That part really got me, she knew something could or would happen. As I always say at my Tarot table, we all have intuition, it's just a matter of will you listen to that inner voice or will you shrug it off and continue on your chosen course.