Agatha Christie ~ Time After Time
- Emily Layng
- Mar 16
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 21
By Emily Layng
Introduction
Agatha Christie, Britain’s most famous mystery writer was born in 1890 in Torquay, England to an upper middle class family. Her childhood was idyllic, although her father’s passing in 1901 did cause a financial strain on the family. By age 18, she had written her first book which was finally published in 1920 after several rejections. After the publication of The Mysterious Affair in Styles, Agatha did not look back, being both prolific and popular. She was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1971 for her contribution to literature.
Up until very recently her accepted birth time was 4:00 am on September 15th, 1890 in Torquay, England. Steven Forrest recently published an article with a new time, 2:14 pm, the same day.
A bill was found in an old ledger from a local midwife stating that she had delivered a baby, (Agatha) at 2:14 pm September 15th, 1890 at the family home in Torquay.
Steven Forrest, in his summer newsletter of 2024, describes the new 2:14 pm chart as follows:
Her Venusian art was language – specifically, words spiced with the naughty edge of Scorpionic and Plutonian rawness. More specifically, there’s the fact that she made her living writing about “murder most foul.” Once again, it’s no surprise that Mars is not only very prominent, being conjunct her Ascendant – but also wildly Out of Bounds at over 26 degrees of southerly declination, well into “criminal territory.”
Very compelling, although a case could also be made for the 4:00 am chart. With the chart ruler Mercury in the 2nd house, making a living through writing is plausible, and Venus in Scorpio in the 3rd house also fits, seeing that her mysteries often take place in sleepy English villages, familiar territory for Agatha. The conjunction of Neptune and Pluto in the 10th speaks to the allure of mysterious murders seemingly unsolvable, keeping the reader guessing to the very end.
When we look to the configurations of the natal charts, we see two, a relatively rare Mystic rectangle and a Grand Trine, with the asteroids in their usual roles of assistance, forming a Kite.
The oppositions in the centre of any Mystic Rectangle are contained in a layer of trines and sextiles. The tension may be hidden but is always present. In the 4:00 am chart the energy of the two oppositions is focussed on the 5/11 axis of love given/love received and the 4/10 axis of foundation and social standing. Given the early death of her father at age 11 and the subsequent financial strain, this placement is understandable.
In the new 2:14 pm chart we also see the 5/11 axis and now the 1/7 axis, personal identity and the status of a partnered relationship. Given the untimely death of her father again we see the effect that may have had on Agatha and her desire to be in a secure committed relationship.
Since the energy of the Mystic Rectangle is often internalized we cannot say for certain how Agatha handled the tension generated by the oppositions, but both charts do seem relevant to her experiences.
The Grand Water Trine is perhaps the most erratic of the Grand Trines and still has the lack of urgency that accompanies trines. The Grand Trine in the 4:00 am chart is scattered between houses that do not share a modality, while in the 2:14 pm chart the houses of life are the focus. The opposition that forms provides direction and purpose to the configuration moves from the 4/10 axis of foundation and social status in the 4:00 am chart, to the 5/11 axis of love given vs love received in the 2:14 pm chart.
The 5/11 axis is also associated with the creative process, and in the 4:00 am chart it is part of the Mystic Rectangle part of the energy that is contained, restrained somehow. In the 2:14 pm chart it is an integral part of the Kite, giving purpose and direction to the energy of the trines.
The Grand Trine incorporates elements of the Mystic Rectangle, with the added elements of the asteroid/kite. In the 4:00 am chart, the 2nd house is triggered, reflecting her need for security, while in the 2:14 pm chart the 9th house is activated. This most likely indicates the allure of foreign shores that so dominated Agatha’s life and writings, and could also be a nod to an instinctive flight or fight response when under stress.
From the distance of time, we definitely see the appeal of the new chart, but the accepted time went unchallenged for years. There are indicators in the 4:00 am chart that fit the known narrative. The 4/10 axis is focussed here, and although the 5/11 focus in the 2:14 pm may not echo her career, it is indicative of insecurities in her relationships. Even the Moon that has moved 7 degrees is still within orb of aspects made.These two charts exemplify how an inaccurate birth time is not easily detected by natal analysis.
Looking deeper at a specific event through the lens of directed and return charts we can see if the timing of the event, the transits that occur, and the tale we weave are indeed accurately reflected.
The Event - December 3, 1926
On December 3rd,1926 Agatha’s husband revealed that he had fallen in love with another woman. After this startling revelation, Archie left to spend the week-end with friends, without Agatha. That evening, Agatha disappeared from their home and her car was found the following morning, parked above a local quarry, with a small suitcase packed with essentials for a few day’s trip. The local police were afraid that in a fit of emotion, she may have drowned herself. The story quickly caught the attention of the press and a massive search for Agatha was underway. She was found 10 days later, in a Spa Hotel, registered under the name of her husband’s mistress.
She claimed to have no recollection of the 10 days she had been missing, and a doctor’s examination concluded that she was in a fugue state. The mystery was never explained; Agatha refused to speak of it. The marriage did end, Agatha’s husband could not get over the scandal of her disappearance and the associated publicity, which undoubtably painted him in a bad light.
Looking at quad-wheel for December 3rd, 1926, for each of the birth times:
There are three configurations associated with the day of the disappearance, visible in both charts, not surprisingly. Relationships do not end in a day. The affair developed over time and undercurrents of dissatisfaction led to the affair. We do, however, have an exact day of Agatha’s impulsive action, and I don’t believe we see that in these configurations.
In predictive work, big events have big impacts and they more often than not involve the angles. In these charts we see the tension of the T-square, the choices of the Yod and the yearning of the Kite. The Yod in the 2:14 pm chart is the only nod to the angles that we see, with Natal Uranus conjunction the MC until we look a little closer:
In addition to the afore-mentioned configurations, the 2:14 pm chart has two additional Grand Trines, a Fire trine with opposition of transiting (TR) Pallas and TR Chiron forming the “spine” of a Kite.
The Kite involves both the MC and the ASC, and triggers the natal conjunctions to the angles: Solar Arc Pallas triggers the natal conjunction between Mars and the ASC, while TR Pallas, triggers the Natal Uranus MC conjunction. conjunct natal Uranus.
The Grand Air trine with Natal moon,Progressed (PR) Moon and PR Neptune echoes the impulsiveness of Agatha’s action and triggered her flight response.
Conclusion
The exercise reveals the fragility of a natal chart on its own, and reaffirms Steven Forrest’s simple but profound statement “The angles don’t lie”. The 2:14 am natal chart not only resonates with Agatha’s life and experiences, the Quad-Wheel captures the traumatic disclosure and her dramatic response. Mystery solved and case closed!
I have often encountered clients who resonate with their natal charts but also find that transits don’t seem to pan out, and timing is off with Solar Arc. Progressed charts seem less problematic perhaps because we evolve and grow over time; change is not necessarily event driven. The real test of a natal chart are the derived and progressed charts. I myself had a similar experience finding out that my birth time was inaccurate. Elaine Pond, my teacher at the time, told me that even discovering so far into my studies that my natal chart was inaccurate, there is something to be learned from the “old” chart, and the true chart often reveals itself at an appropriate time. I very much agree with that sentiment, and share that with clients or newer astrologers, who often feel deflated by learning that the chart they’ve identified with is not the correct one. I find working with both charts for a time and slowly transitioning to the new one, makes it easier.
Emily Layng
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