The Astrology of the TV show Supernatural

The end is nigh – well, it is for Supernatural fans in the US. The TV show Supernatural is due to air its final episode ever on November 19, 2020. I am writing this on November 18, and currently only on episode 15 of Season 14 as I started doing a re-watch from the beginning again whilst UK television programmers lazed over air dates for season 15. So, I’m a little behind the times but consciously putting off the buckets of tears I will no doubt shed when this show ends. Supernatural has been my constant for the past 15 years. It’s been there through the dark times of deaths, loss, disability and health issues, and deep depression. It’s been there in the year long solitude of lockdown 2020. It’s been there when I’ve needed to laugh or cry. The characters are old friends, a soft blanket that I put on when I need comfort and the stories sing in my mind giving me endless creative inspiration for my own writing and work. Yes, I’m a fan of cast, crew, writers, characters, set designers – the whole shebang as they say.

My patrons know of my guilty pleasure and one of them asked me recently whether I had ever cast the charts of Sam and Dean so here we are. Seriously, I didn’t need that much encouragement! If you’re a fan of the show then this post will make sense to you, if you’ve never seen the show, then A. you won’t understand most of the references here and B. you need to start watching right now!

This post is of course a bit of fun but still an exercise in understanding astrological language and dynamics and for seeing correspondences between planetary stories and fictional ones. Note that I have chosen interpretations of the aspects that resonate with the storyline so please don’t assume that what happens to these characters will happen to you if you’re having a similar transit or natal aspect! Remember, this is a fictional tale that is larger than life, so we need to go big with our astrological interpretation too. It’s known that the charts of actors often correlate strongly with the characters that they are most famous for but the charts of the characters themselves work too. How? Well, that might be a question for Chuck…

Everything, every moment in time has a chart. The moment for when creator Erik Kripke came up with the birth dates of Sam and Dean was perhaps blessed with a little magic. Everything is connected, past, future and present. The stories we write down here on planet Earth are a reflection of the stories played out by the planets. Astrology is an archetypal language which speaks to the collective unconscious. In olden times it was stories of Gods and monsters, religious tales like those of David and Goliath and Paradise Lost. In modern times, we have Battlestar Galactica, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Game of Thrones and Supernatural. All these tales say something of our experience of being human and endeavour to help us make a connection to one another and ourselves, as well as to entertain.

Supernatural first aired at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on September 13, 2005. The chart for that moment in time puts the Moon on the Midheaven, at the highest point in the sky. This means that the symbolism of the Moon is elevated, uppermost. The Moon rules emotions, home, belonging, mother, family. The show is about family. The two main actors, Jared and Jensen met their partners on the show, married and had children. And, as conventions and fanbase grew, another family was born, the SPN family. One of the key quotes from the show is ‘Family don’t end with blood’.

Out of interest, Jared Padalecki, show headliner who plays Sam, has the Sun, Moon, Mercury and the North Node all in the sign of Cancer (the sign ruled by the Moon). Jensen Ackles has his Sun, Venus and Mercury in Pisces. Both Cancer and Pisces are water signs. I love how this dynamic is reflected in the chemistry between the two actors. Pisces is the ocean, Cancer, the Moon – just as the sea responds to the pull of our satellite , so these two fine actors respond to one another with powerful emotional gravity. It’s compelling to watch them, whether they are joking around or comforting one another through the depths of despair.

The first episode of the show surrounds the death of Mary, the mother of our protagonists and the catalyst for our boys into the world of hunting demons. The motto of Sam and Dean Winchester is ‘saving people, hunting things, the family business. Note that the Moon and the MC are in Capricorn, the sign of business. The Moon is close to Chiron, the wounded healer, demonstrating that whilst we will get to know these boys as ‘helpers/healers’ in this world, we will also see their suffering. The loss of their Mother is a wound that cannot be healed. I spot the Sun in the 5^th house of actors and entertainment and Mars (the Warrior – perfect for our hunters) in a Grand Trine with the Moon. Venus (the Goddess of Love) rules the chart suggesting a warm reception to new viewers as well as potential riches. The elevated Moon rules the 3^rd house, the part of the chart associated with siblings! In the 3^rd house, we find Saturn too, a planet of longevity and also a planet that tells us that this is going to be a long running story about brothers.

I also notice a yod in this chart between Pluto, Jupiter and Mars with Mars at the apex. All the planets are at 21 degrees of their respective signs. Pluto is Lord of the Underworld (hell). Jupiter is the great sky God Zeus (Heaven) and Mars is the warrior – our hunters. Yods are associated with family karma and as we will learn later down the line, the brothers are linked right back to Cain and Abel, their paths destined since the dawn of time. Seriously, it’s such a perfect signature for this chart it makes me wonder whether there was an astrologer on the payroll ?

Before I get to the boys, I’m just going to start with…

Baby

O come on, I couldn’t not pull the chart of Baby could I, considering we know the date that she rolled off the production line.

Here’s Baby’s chart. We don’t have a time of birth so to speak, so I put Mars on the Ascendant given that she is a car and Mars rules engines. By perfect heavenly synchronicity, this puts Jupiter, the planet of long-distance travel on her Midheaven. Libra is on her Ascendant, another sign ruled by love Goddess Venus – and we all know how beautiful she is, certainly in Dean’s eyes. Venus is in Gemini, the sign of siblings in the 8^th house of mysteries. I love that the Moon is prominent again, this time conjunct the South Node of the chart. It seems perfect for a car passed from generation to generation. Perhaps with the North Node on Baby’s Sun, one day we’ll see them all ride off into the sunset.

The Boys

So then, what of the boys themselves? I played a little with these charts. There is no time of birth alluded to for either Sam or Dean but as we have the birth dates and a timeline for their lives I did a little chart rectification to come up with a possible birth time. Rectification is the art of deriving a time of birth from a list of events in a person’s life along with observation of their personality.

Dean Winchester

Dean Winchester was born on January 24, 1979.  I figured that given that he was the first born and also how family orientated and protective Dean is, he must have a strong Cancerian trait so I went for Cancer on the Ascendant. This puts his ruling planet, the Moon, in his 6th house, a house of service and duty square the Nodal axis. It tells us that matters around emotions, mother and family are critical to his karmic journey.

Putting Cancer on the Ascendant places Dean’s Sun in the 8th house of mysteries, death, hell, darkness, the occult – kinda perfect huh! The Sun is conjunct ‘hunter’ Mars demonstrating Dean’s physical strength, bravery and courage and the life of fighting that he leads. Note that this duo is opposite Jupiter, a planet that magnifies what it touches. We know that sometimes Dean is impulsive (Jupiter amplifies Mars) and he also tends towards excess when it comes to wine, women and food – think pie! His Moon, Venus and Neptune are all conjunct in Jupiter ruled Sagittarius too – a sign that likes a free rein and a lover in every port. But this trio also shows Dean’s capacity for unconditional (Neptune) love (Venus) for his family (Moon). The strong Sagittarius and Jupiter notes to his chart also speak of being well travelled. This is Dean out on the road driving Baby, Sam by his side, travelling from coast to coast, notching up thousands of miles. Asteroid Impala by the way is at 0 Leo in his chart, opposite his Sun and Mars. I also note asteroid Thalia, the Muse of Comedy. is conjunct Dean’s Sun. We all know how funny Dean can be…cue scream from Yellow Fever and “Fight the fairies!”.

Dean’s Sun is in Aquarius, as is Mars, a sign associated with being on the fringes, being different, experimental, unique and occasionally rebellious. Whilst Dean will firmly follow the rules of his father, he doesn’t have much truck with anyone else’s rules. Cue “all angels are dicks” commentary.

Saturn, the co-ruler of his Sun is placed in the 3rd house conjunct both the North Node and the IC (the root of the chart and the self). It perfectly describes how he practically raised his younger brother Sam and the huge responsibilities heaped on him from a young age. Saturn beside the North Node tells us that there is some serious destiny at work here. This aspect also makes me think of Dean meeting the Grim Reaper himself (Saturn) and for a time becoming Death when Death gave him his ring to wear for a day. Over on the MC at the top of the chart, the point that illustrates our life path, we find asteroid Winchester, just two degrees away.

I note that Dean has a yod, also called a ‘Finger of God’ between Pluto (Hell), Black Moon Lilith (Lilith/Rowena) and the South Node (Old Karma). Dean probably wouldn’t like that. Asteroid Atropos sits in his 9th house square his Ascendant/Descendant. Dean killed Atropos, refusing to believe in Fate. But a yod in the chart can express the idea of carrying family karma – and it is often the carrier of karma who must break the pattern once and for all. Also the ‘finger of god’ makes me think of Castiel’s fingers burned into Dean’s skin – “I am the angel who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition”.

Going back to Venus conjunct Neptune in Dean’s chart, this could be an apt description of having the protective love of the angel Castiel. Asteroid Cas is just 3 degrees away from Neptune, wider than the orb I normally use but still, it catches my eye. Asteroid Angel is at 25 Virgo in his chart, trine to Mercury, the ruler of his 12^th house of spirituality. Mercury also rules brothers and Dean eventually refers to Castiel as being like his brother. Dean first met Cas in September 2008, just when asteroid Angel was conjunct his natal Venus and Neptune was forming a trine to his natal Venus. Also, Uranus was conjunct his IC rocking him to the core as angels revealed themselves to humankind for the first time in 2000 years.

At this point I mourn the fact that I can’t cast a chart for Cas because he’s too darn old. I don’t have an ephemeris that goes back to primordial times, sorry. But if I did, I would put Cas as a double Pisces ruled by Neptune, maybe with Mars in his 12^th house – a spiritual warrior, compassionate and kind, a soldier of God who occasionally loses the plot and gets easily duped by others. But his love for Dean is pure and abiding.

Sam Winchester

Sam Winchester was born on May 2, 1983 in Lawrence, Kansas. In rectifying his chart, I thought about how tall Sam is, how he loves to go running and how he went off to study law before becoming a hunter. All these points lead me to consider Sagittarius as his rising sign, a sign also associated with faith. Of the two boys, earlier in the series, Sam is the one who still prays at night and believes in God and heaven. It is Sam who also says, ‘I believe in us’, words spoken in desperation as he tries to stop Dean from committing suicide.

Putting Sagittarius on the Ascendant brings Uranus conjunct the Ascendant along with Jupiter. Uranus is also the ruler of his 3rd house of siblings so this combination seems to express how Dean is almost larger than life to him. Anything on the Ascendant is magnified. In fact, Sam expresses this in one of the episodes, saying he studied Dean for years because he wanted to be like him.

Sam is well read, good with technology, philosophical and knows ‘the lore’. All expressions of Uranus conjunct Jupiter. Dean regularly refers to him as a nerd.  Yet, there’s a strong rebellious edge to Sam. Despite his sensitive, practical Taurus Sun, sometimes he is unpredictable. It was Sam who rebelled against the family business and went off to study law. It was Sam who hooked up with demon Ruby. I’ll note right here that in his chart, Lilith is conjunct Sam’s Venus and Lucifer is conjunct his Black Moon Lilith! It’s Sam who deep down feels like he can never fit in. Sam feels different. With his Moon square to Pluto, we see the feeling that deep down his soul is marked by the Devil himself (he was fed demon blood as a baby). The Moon square Pluto also represents the death of his mother which still haunts him. In a callous recreation of his Mother’s death, the demon Azazel killed Sam’s girlfriend Jessica in 2005. At the time, Sam was undergoing Pluto (death) opposite Venus (love).

Sam’s gathering of planets in the 6th house feels like a reflection of Dean’s strong 6th house placements. Sam has his Sun here along with Mars, Mercury and Chiron. I note that Mars is only two minutes away from the orb of a conjunction to the Sun so even though it’s wide, we get a repeat of Dean’s Sun-Mars conjunction. It tells us then that Sam identifies with being a hunter too, only for him it was more of a stretch, a label he didn’t want to wear. Perhaps Chiron in this part of the chart also demonstrates the suffering he goes through to be of service to the world. Mercury conjunct Mars shows how he uses his sharp mind as a tool. We also know that Sam loves dogs and a strong 6th house can often manifest as a love of animals. It’s more muted in Dean’s chart but then there was that time in Dog Dean Afternoon, with Dean and the poodle but I digress…

Sam’s Moon is in Capricorn which also suggests someone who has an old head on young shoulders. He was 8 years old when he found out demons exist. His father gave him a gun. In that year, Pluto (evil, demons, monsters) was opposite his natal Mars (fighting, warrior, tools). Whilst Sam’s chart doesn’t contain the sense of heavy responsibility that Dean’s does, his 6^th house emphasis shows that he has a need to feel useful and Sam himself often reiterates that he just wants to help.

Whereas Dean has Venus conjunct Neptune, Sam has Venus opposite Neptune and this aspect is across the Nodal axis. Venus opposite Neptune has a tendency to idealise others and to see the good rather than the bad – demon Ruby is a prime example. Neptune on the South Node sesquiquadrate his Sun also illustrates a potential to slide down a slippery slope towards escapism and addiction. I giggle here because the South Node can also represent a drain and Neptune rules the feet – cue ‘I lost my shoe!’. Ultimately, with Venus conjunct the North Node in Gemini (siblings) in the 7^th house of partnerships, we see that in Sam’s lifetime, he’s destined to live from the heart, side by side with his brother.

As I look at the charts of the boys right now, and having seen nothing of season 15, I see Dean currently has Pluto conjunct Mercury in the 7^th house of relationships and partnerships. It could represent the loss of a brother – uggh, is it Sam, or Cas? I dread to think. I also notice transiting Neptune is conjunct the South Node whilst the South Node is conjunct his natal Neptune. The South Node is an ending, a drain, giving up, release. Neptune is sacrifice, tears. Again, both of these point to a loss in the context of the storyline. Neptune too can represent God, and last time I looked, God was definitely not being the all loving one he’s cracked up to be. Chuck was mad as hell.

In Sam’s chart, Saturn is squaring Pluto suggesting he feels like he’s between a rock and a hard place. Progressed Pluto is closing to a conjunction to his progressed MC signifying an end of career or significant change in his life path, even death. Progressed Chiron is anaretic on a degree we associated with ‘the weeping sisters’ and Neptune is also coming up to a conjunction to his IC, another possible marker of a loss. Damn, I’m going to cry me a river if it’s Cas.

But aside from loss, the strong presence of Neptune in both the boys’ charts also represents something else – peace, quiet, paradise, heaven, the beach and beer. Maybe then, there really will be peace for Sam and Dean, when they are done. I hope so.

Thank you Supernatural for 15 glorious years from a real-life red-haired witch <3

***

Supernatural Planets, Signs, Points and Asteroids

Saturn (Grim Reaper) for Death and the God of Time Chronos

Gemini (The twins) and Mercury – Brothers, siblings.

Black Moon Lilith – Rowena. We know Rowena is over 300 years old. I’m thinking she must be a Scorpio with Leo Rising given her knowledge of magic, craving for power and regal posture. Leo Rising would absolutely suit her long red mane of hair too.

Pluto could stand for Crowley (as well as asteroid Hel or Ferguson below). I also think Crowley is likely to be a Capricorn as he wears a suit and sees himself as a businessman. I’d imagine there’s some Scorpio there too, perhaps Mercury with a dash of Jupiter, considering his humour and saucy, risqué comments.

Uriel doesn’t have an asteroid, but he is sometimes attributed to Uranus or Mars

Metratron, Balthzar and Gadreel have no named asteroids – heck we should start a campaign! But they would all come under the umbrella of asteroid Angel

Asteroids

11911 Angel
Note, I have an old article on delineating asteroid Angel in the chart here

100308 CAS (Castiel)

747 Winchester

11622 Samuele (Sam)

5860 Deankoontz (There are several asteroids named after a variety of people named Dean but I think horror writer Dean Koontz would be appropriate for Dean Winchester perhaps).

1320 Impala

18243 Gunn (The Colt)

5878 Charlene or 1252 Celestia (Charlie)

2779 Mary

5905 Johnson (for John)

1516 Henry

335 Roberta or 3428 Roberts (for Bobby)

1930 Lucifer

2791 Paradise (Heaven’s Garden)

19204 Joshuatree (Joshua)

355 Gabriella – Gabriel

708 Raphaela – Rafael

1348 Michel – Michael

60150 Zacharias (Zacharia)

265 Anna

6139 Naomi

21073 Darksky – The Darkness

949 Hel

1745 Ferguson or Pluto (Hades, Lord of the Underworld) for Crowley

1181 Lilith – Demon Lilith

1865 Cerberus (Hell Hound)

2174 Asmodeus

3449 Abell (brother of Cain)

13239 Kana (Cain – it is suggested that the etymology of Cain is rooted in the verb Kana meaning ‘to get’)

1923 Osiris

1912 Anubis

3811 Karma

2415 Ganesa (Ganesha)

3989 Odin

4862 Loke (Loki)

5731 Zeus

273 Atropos (Goddess of Fate)

1809 Prometheus

19 Fortuna

641 Agnes (writer of the Book of the Damned)

1303 Luthera (Vampire Luther)

99942 Apophis (Apocalypse)

763 Cupido (Cupid)

Promotional Image – fair use copyright from Warner Bros./CW Wikipedia.