Ray Rice is a professional American football player and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2008. Rice was indicted for third-degree assault on his wife on March 27, 2014, when he punched his wife unconscious. There was some provoking as his wife also tried to spit and punch him. Although the incident took place in February 2014, the video went viral in September 2014 and his contract with the Ravens was terminated, This incident has obviously transformed every facet of his life but his wife Janay Rice still continues to live with him.
In any violence of this sort, the first thing that comes to mind in astrology is the planet Mars, the God of War and then the relationship between Mars and Pluto which is often related to intense force. In Ray’s chart (below), Mars is well placed in Aries – its home base and in this position the action of the person is supposed to be direct but also protective. So what went wrong? A Mars that is supposed to protect ends up using mean force on a woman? Mars may be well placed but the aspects made by Mars need to be considered in how this Mars could act in certain situations.
Ray Rice’s Mars in Aries is quincunx Pluto in Scorpio, and square Black Moon Lilith in Cancer. There has been a lot of research and articles written on Mars and Pluto. This aspect is often related to situations involving violence and abuse. The person has intense energy that needs to find a positive release or turns negative. Read more on Mars Pluto Aspects. It is also good for dealing with challenging situations that require a lot of energy and his involvement in football was probably a positive outlet for this energy. However in quincunx aspect, the hazard is in the inability of the planets to see or sense each other. So Ray may not have really understood his potential for intense anger or could be in denial about it. In quincunx aspect the planets are blind to each other’s strenghts and pitfalls, and this lack of awareness can put the native in the wrong place at the wrong time, or trigger negative behaviors and attitude. Also with any quincunx aspect there is a karmic energy involved wherein the person is put in situations where they are pushed to express the energy of the aspect. In Mars Pluto quincunx, the person could attract an environment where this intense anger is provoked. They may choose close relationships that trigger this anger repeatedly in order for them to become aware. Not sure about the details of the dynamics between Ray and his wife Janay but there was for sure some provoking involved before he came out and punched her (still not an excuse to hit a woman) and this could by typical of their dynamics. This is very reflective of Mars Pluto situations in general which can sometimes be seen between Aries (ruled by Mars) and Scorpio (ruled by Pluto) relationships wherein the Scorpio person’s passive aggressiveness can trigger the Aries’s direct anger and vica versa.
Black Moon Lilith (BML) on the other hand is a dark intense vindictive feminine energy but can also be powerful if used in the right manner. The Mars square to BML shows that he can bring this dark energy in the manner in which he expresses anger, or it may also show the kind of people that may trigger his Mars to go crazy.
Ray Rice’s horoscope is an example where a planet can be exalted and still function negatively due to the aspects it makes with other planets.
Transits to Mars Triggering the Mars Pluto and Mars BML Aspects : He was first indicted in March, 2014 and this was the time of the grand square between Uranus, Pluto, Jupiter and Mars all in the cardinal sign, and this whole group of planets were triggering his natal Mars and hence also triggering the aspect to Pluto and Black Moon Lilith. He was obviously feeling a lot of pressure with this transit in early 2014 just like many others who have planets in the Cardinal, and in the right situation (or the wrong) his apsects were triggered to cause sudden anger and explosion. In a way this was an opportunity for him, to look at the hidden anger and its potential to cause damage in his life.
Progression and Solar Arc Transit to Natal Mars: Ray Rice’s Natal Mars-Saturn midpoint = Astraea which is an asteroid related to legal action and justice. So the chart show potential for legal involvement with negative or cruel action on his part (saturn mars in a negative expression). In 2014 Solar Arc Astrea moved right to his Mars Pluto (intense energy) midpoint triggering the energy of both Mars and Pluto where the justice system got involved.
I have only looked at Mars aspects, and transits and progressions involving Mars. There are other aspects in his chart, and current transits and progressions that may throw more light on his present situation. Also, there is a disadvantage that his birth time is not know because angles (Ascendant and Midheaven) are very often involved during important events in one’s life.
What else do you see in Ray Rice’s Birth Chart that may have contributed to the problem? Please share your observation.
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