Jesse James was born on September 5th, or Was He?

American outlaw Jesse James was born at “midnight” between September 4th and 5th 1847 (Local Mean Time) in Kearney, Clay County, Missouri. James was likely born at home, and the time was local mean, or sun, time. This was before standardized time zones in the USA. So the translation of “middle of the night” to “midnight: 12:00 AM” is full of error. And we can see that when we look at the chart set for one minute after midnight on September 5th. The chart features a Cancer Ascendant and is more the chart of a shopkeeper or cook than that of a notorious outlaw. If he was born on September 4th or 5th with a Cancer Ascendant, his ruling planet would be the Moon located in its home sign of Cancer in the 1st House, widely conjunct Jupiter in Cancer. At the top of the chart is Saturn in Pisces conjunct the Midheaven. This describes a man who is law-abiding, poetic, emotional, sentimental… Not a man considered the most famous outlaw of the Old West.

So, let’s step back and see what chart would be a famous outlaw. Wikipedia describes James thus, “Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847 – April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary figure of the Wild West after his death.” Outlaw, gang leader, robber. Okay, ONE of the planets, Mercury, is called the God of Thieves. Perhaps if James was born just a little bit earlier, with Gemini rising, we could bring in some of the thievery. So, we back up the chart, and after some fine-tuning, set a chart for September 4th at 11:08 PM. This chart fits James the man and James the legend. It also dramatically ties in to James’s death by shooting.

Notice that at 11:08 PM, we have the opposition of Mercury and Neptune, ruling opposing signs, lined up with the MC/IC axis. This is a chart for a Legendary (Neptune) Outlaw (Mercury)! To become a legend, one needs an outer planet, particularly Neptune, the planet of dreams, myths and fables.

But if that is not convincing enough, look at the tri-wheel for James’s death. Both secondary progressed Ceres, and transiting Ceres are lined up right on that MC/IC. Ceres, seen as the Goddess of Mothers, is also the Goddess of Death.

Also from Wikipedia: “Jesse James remains a controversial symbol, one who can always be reinterpreted in various ways, according to cultural tensions and needs. Although some of the neo-Confederate movement regard him as a hero, renewed cultural battles over the place of the Civil War in American history have replaced the long-standing interpretation of James as a Western frontier hero. Recent historians place him as a self-aware vigilante and terrorist who used local tensions to create his own myth among the widespread insurgent guerrillas and vigilantes following the American Civil War.”

James has been portrayed as the main character in over twenty films, and numerous television shows, books and songs.


Lalia Wilson

Lalia Wilson sees astrology as a way to understand one’s own life, one’s relationships and current patterns. Astrology is not deterministic, but rather has patterns of symbolic meaning which will be expressed in some fashion as the pattern unfolds. Contact Lalia at Lalia W /at/ aol dot com. Astrology consultations require a person’s name, birth date, time and place. All astrology consultations and Kofutu Healings are pre-paid. Consultations are by telephone to US clients, or by e-mail anywhere.