On August 22, 2025, tragedy struck in Charlotte, North Carolina. Iryna Zarutska, a young woman who had already endured so much by leaving her home country of Ukraine during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, lost her life after being attacked by a man on Charlotte train. Even writing these words feels heavy. She was only 23 years old.
Iryna was born on May 22, 2002, in Kyiv, Ukraine. That already places her under the curious, airy sign of Gemini — a sign of youth, ideas, and restlessness. Her Moon, meanwhile, was in Libra, bringing a softer, artistic, and relational side. Unfortunately, we don’t know her exact birth time, so much of what I’ll share here is speculative. But looking at her natal placements and what the transits were at the time of her passing, some striking patterns emerge.
Iryna’s chart shows three major placements at critical 0 degrees: her Sun, her Moon, and her Lilith. Zero degrees of any sign is considered a critical, powerful, sensitive threshold — a beginning that carries extra intensity.
Her Lilith, in particular, stood out to me: Lilith at 0° Aries, in the 12th house. The 12th house is hidden territory — exile, isolation, emigration, or things beyond our control — while Aries represents raw, forceful energy, sometimes aggression. This symbolism alone can speak to a life marked by both escape (running across the ocean from war) and danger (the threat of attack).
On August 22, 2025, the sky seemed to mirror her story. Transiting Saturn and Neptune joined together over her Lilith, weighing heavily on that sensitive point in her chart. Their opposition to her Moon — most likely in the 6th house of daily routines and health — re-ignited a vulnerable natal pattern, bringing it painfully to life.
The picture is haunting: the area of ordinary life (6th house) colliding with hidden, unconscious forces (12th house). Adding to this, the transits squared her natal Venus in Cancer, her probable chart ruler. Venus in Cancer is sensitive, nurturing, deeply tied to home and family — and to see it pressured like this feels especially cruel.
On top of that, another powerful influence was Uranus conjunct her Gemini Sun in the 1st house of self and the physical body. This transit to her luminary carried the signature of sudden shocks — something abrupt, destabilizing, and deeply impacting her sense of self and even her physical safety.
Sometimes, astrology manifests quite literally, and with her Sun, the planet of vitality and selfhood, placed in the 1st house, this influence could also suggest a shock/attack to the throat or lungs, the areas traditionally ruled by Gemini. And beyond the body, we can’t forget that Gemini also governs communication, short-distance travel, and modes of transport, everything from planes to cars and trains.
I honestly can’t imagine enduring transits of this magnitude all at once — Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus pressing on her luminaries. It’s horrifying, almost beyond comprehension…
And yet, within the heaviness, there is also support. Saturn and Neptune oppose her Moon, but Uranus offers it a trine. Uranus sits on her Sun, but Saturn and Neptune extend sextiles in return. This clearly suggests there was a window of possibility… and then we see the video, where no one around Iryna seemed to care, as if nothing had happened. The pain of that is immeasurable.
Even her natal chart speaks of difficult life lessons. Saturn opposed Pluto in Sagittarius in her 8th house. The 8th house is traditionally associated with endings, transformation, and mortality. Sagittarius points to themes of travel, migration, and long-distance journeys. Saturn opposing Pluto across these houses suggests a life shaped by heavy transitions — moving countries, facing loss, and carrying the weight of forces larger than herself. And tragically, Saturn has long been tied to themes of fate and death.
I don’t pretend astrology can explain everything, nor should it be used to justify violence. But sometimes it shows us archetypes — mirrors that reflect back the struggles a soul may endure. Iryna’s chart reads like a story of resilience, displacement, and sadly, a young life cut short by forces beyond her control.
I’m still deeply shocked and heartbroken by what happened to her. My thoughts are with her family, and I can only hope they find some measure of peace as they grieve. Iryna endured so many heavy transits, and yet there was still a chance… but no one around her seemed to care, and even the media stayed silent for far too long. It’s an unimaginable situation. May her beautiful soul finally rest in peace.
