Under Construction

Voyagers - Christopher McCandless - Into The Wild

And so it turned out that only a life similar to the life of those around us, merging with it without a ripple, is genuine life, and that an unshared happiness is not happiness - Boris Pasternak - Doctor Zhivago

Happiness is only real when shared - Christopher McCandless

Index

Christopher McCandless's background

What makes Christopher McCandless such a great example?

Christopher McCandless's background

Christopher McCandless was a wild walker, subject of the Sean Penn film, Into The Wild.

Christopher walked off into the wilds in Alaska, it is believed hoping to live off the land. He was last seen alive on 28 April 1992, and his body was found on 6 September 1992. It appears from his journal that he attempted to leave the wilds on 3 July 1992, but failed due to high river water. He then seems to have eaten the wrong forage on 30 July, and seems to have died on 18 Auguat. His body was found by hunters on 6 September 1992.

What makes Christopher McCandless such a great example?

19680212 Birth of Christopher McCandless

Christopher McCandless had a remarkable birthchart, unfortunately perfectly suited to his apparent character, lifestyle and final demise in the wilds of Alaska.

The aspects at the time of Christopher McCandless's birth were

Venus trine Pluto

Mars conjunct Chiron

Mars opposite Uranus

Mars trine Neptune

Chiron trine Neptune

Chiron opposite Uranus

Uranus sextile Neptune

The chart shown is Christopher McCandless's birthchart. Aspect lines [traditional] are between the birthchart planets.

What has to be appreciated is that although we would always expect less aspects than with a transit chart, which has so much more potential through effectively being two charts together, Christopher's chart is remarkable for its simplicity, and the immense desire to do his own thing, shown by Mars conjunct Chiron, opposite Uranus, and bound to the idealism, some may say delusion, of Neptune.

19920609 Christopher McCandless Kills a Caribou

Having run out of food Christopher McCandless finally shot and killed a caribou, however he had no means to preserve the meat and it soon spoiled.

The aspects at the time Christopher McCandless killed the caribou were

Transiting Mercury trine natal Mercury

Transiting Mercury sextile natal Jupiter

Transiting Mercury square natal Uranus

Transiting Chiron conjunct natal Moon

Transiting Pluto sextile natal Venus

Transiting Pluto sextile natal Pluto

The chart shown is Christopher McCandless's birthchart, together with transits for the day of killing the caribou around the outside. Aspect lines [traditional] are between the transits and his birthchart.

This looks like a clear case of kill or die, although we can also see that it likely went against his beliefs or knowledge in some way, because of the square from Mercury to Uranus. Otherwise the question was easy, and all consuming, as shown by the trine to Mercury, and the issues shown by sextiles were relatively easy.

19920614 Christopher McCandless

Christopher McCandless soon regretted killing the caribou - he calls it a moose - and records wishing he hadn't shot it.

The aspects at the time of Christopher McCandless's regret were

Transiting Sun trine natal Sun

Transiting Mercury square natal Saturn

Transiting Venus trine natal Sun

Transiting Pluto sextile natal Venus

Transiting Pluto sextile natal Pluto

The chart shown is Christopher McCandless's birthchart, together with transits for the day he started regretting killing the 'moose' around the outside. Aspect lines [traditional] are between the transits and his birthchart.

19920703 Christopher McCandless

By early July Christopher McCandless had decided to return home, and he started the 30 mile hike back to the highway. Unfortunately Summer snow melt had made the river impassable and he had to turn back.

The aspects at the time of Christopher McCandless's starting the journey home were

Transiting Pluto sextile natal Venus

Transiting Pluto sextile natal Pluto

The chart shown is Christopher McCandless's birthchart, together with transits for the day he attempted the 30 mile walk back to the highway around the outside. Aspect lines [traditional] are between the transits and his birthchart.

19920730 Christopher McCandless

Christopher McCandless eventually resorted to eating some seed that made him extremely ill.

The aspects at the time of Christopher McCandless's illness were

Transiting Pluto sextile natal Venus

The chart shown is Christopher McCandless's birthchart, together with transits for the day of becoming extremely ill around the outside. Aspect lines [traditional] are between the transits and his birthchart.

19920818 Christopher McCandless Dies

suffering badly from starvation, Christopher McCandless eventually died. His body was found some days later, on 6 September 1992, but calculations from his journal suggest that he died on, or shortly after, 18 August.

The aspects at the supposed date of Christopher McCandless's death were

Transiting Pluto sextile natal Venus

The chart shown is Christopher McCandless's birthchart, together with transits for the supposed day of his death around the outside. Aspect lines [traditional] are between the transits and his birthchart.