17
Deb, I just emailed you privately but wanted to add something here.

Now I get here I don' t know what to write. Sue made me laugh a lot when we were in France on your course, she had such a dry sense of humour. We looked through the various horary books we'd brought with us and I wished I had a bit of her knowledge. I still wish I had a bit of her knowledge.

I can't bring myself to look at the chart yet, but I know it reasonably well already (I don't know why, but I seem to have a photographic memory for charts............ why not something more useful?!?) She just WAS so Capricorn/12th house. (That is not an insult by the way, I'm fairly 12th house-y too!)

I don't write a lot on this forum, lack of time generally, as everytime I come in I get too engrossed in too many things and lose myself for hours (which I do not have!) But about ten days ago I was here reading stuff, and of course Sue had contributed towards pretty much every thread that I read.

I'm at a bit of a loss. Deb I know you must be so upset. I am so sorry.

Sian
xx

Sue's passing

20
It is sad when someone passes on, especially when so young. I sincerely hope that all of us who knew Sue in one form or another will strengthen our hearts (as we say here) and feel better very soon. Sue's spirit (or consciousness) lives on. I received an email from a friend last week about the work of cardiologist Pim van Lommel, regarding consciousness and death. Then I read the news about Sue, so I thought the two connected, which is why I'm sharing it with you. No psycho-babble, just consciousness investigated in near-death experiences, and how these people who experienced it were no longer afraid of dying. This should comfort us, who are left behind. Sisi x

21
Farewell to Sue Toohey, dear and genuine friend!

Sue has been so generous, kind, helpful and ? as Deb said ? an inspiration to so many of us. Her life on this planet has left a valuable mark, and a beacon to all who aspire to truly learn their topic and to share of their knowledge so freely, as Sue has done.

I thank Sue most sincerely for a wonderful friendship! Sue has been so giving to me, as well as to many other fellow students and friends. We met at the same time as Sue met Deb ? and Deb, I send you my sincere condolences in particular, as I know what a deep and binding friendship you had, both personally and as colleagues ? it was something very special, which I know Sue valued very, very highly! I also share my condolences with all you folk on the forum, who have also enjoyed a relationship of sorts with Sue over a long period of time. And to any family members or other friends who have found this website. As well as to Sue?s fellow students, colleagues and tutors at Mary White College where she lived and studied. I know that Sue had many friends there: on her birthday last month, Sue had no less than 20 college friends take her out to dinner to celebrate!

On Sue as an astrologer, I can only concur what Philip and Tom and Mark C have said. The astrological world has lost a brilliant mind ? but luckily for us all, not before she managed to share so much of it with us, in leaving a lasting legacy. Sue also had a tremendous dry wit, as many of you probably experienced on the forum.

On a personal level, I have always felt privelaged to know Sue, for she is one of the most genuine and selfless people I?ve ever known. My husband Dan is also much saddened by this sudden news (we only found out yesterday ? alas, too late to attend her funeral); he described Sue as having ?the purest heart, the most giving nature, and one of the smartest people he?d ever met ? someone who would never hurt a soul, and who just didn?t deserve to die so young!? We felt honoured that Sue made the long interstate journey down to attend our humble wedding in our back yard, (it was her birthday, too). We?ve very much enjoyed our times with Sue, both in person and over many, many long and stimulating phone conversations and ? selfishly - we will truly miss this friendship!

At least Sue is no longer plagued with ill-health. Though it overcame her physically in the end, it never once diminished her indominatable spirit! Sue was, to the end, a brave and funny, yet self-depracating individual, who never complained at her ?lot? in life, and tried always to hide her own frailties, whilst always showing a genuine interest in and regard for other people.

And Astraea, I think you're right about Sue waving goodbye. Herpatia was very close to her.

Sue Toohey, Thank you for being you! They broke the mould with you, my friend.

With fond and loving memories,
Gina (and Dan).

22
It has been really touching and moving to read through these tributes to Sue. Grief tends to come in waves and whenever I have felt really low, reading through these posts has genuinely helped. I also received a thank you from a member of her family, for the lovely sentiments that have been expressed here.

Last night I uploaded one of Sue?s unpublished papers to the site, with an introduction about the details of its publication ( www.skyscript.co.uk/snc.html ). I think that the comment at the end of my introduction, illustrating how Sue battled to have the right to express her respect for astrology, is a telling statement on why her commitment to astrology was so very special.

Because I know that Sue would not have considered it morbid (but would have been bursting to point it out), I also want to make a couple of comments about the timing and astrology of her death. I have not looked at more than the obvious transits, but anyone who knows her chart (on p.1 of this thread) knows how much Saturn predominated in influence.

Sue complained of feeling unwell and subsequently collapsed around 10:00 pm on 10th Feb at Armidale NSW. The Sun was within a few minutes of its opposition to retrograde Saturn at 21 Leo, Saturn itself was transiting the degree of Sue?s 8th house cusp, whilst the opposing Sun ruled it. The Moon at 21 Scorpio, was exactly square the Sun-Saturn opposition afflicting her 8th house cusp.

In addition, transiting Mars (which sits natally in Sue?s 6th house) was at 18 Capricorn, within 1 degree of Sue?s natal Sun-Mercury conjunction, so afflicting the significator of her vitality and the ruler of her 6th house of illness. (It was also of course just a couple of degrees from her natal Saturn). This is a very powerful signature of a moment of bodily crisis. She remained unconscious until she died around 4:00am the following morning. At that time Saturn (opposed by the Sun) was still in the 8th house but Mars had become angular and was within a degree of the ascendant at her locality.

As for the cause of her death, her family believe that it was the indirect result of radiation treatment that saved her life many years before. Without going into too many details Sue was lucky not to have died when she was 25 and she was aware that in many ways she was living on borrowed time. Because Sue had proved herself virtually indestructible in her resistance to all the many problems that could have ?finished her off?, it still came as a great shock; but the reality is that Sue had stretched her natural life-span to the absolute limit of what she ought reasonably to have expected. I am feeling calmer as this realization settles in, and after reading some of the words in the reading at her funeral service, which I think she would have loved:

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?


As the grief passes I am remembering Sue as not only as the truly sincere person that she was (yes she was, but she would have squirmed at reminders of it), but also as the pragmatic, down-to-earth, dry-witted champion of ?cutting the crap? ? the side to her that I really loved and admired. She was independently minded, full of opinion, and she had a wonderfully mischievous sense of humour that always managed to whisper the most irreverently funny (but realistic) observation of what was really going on in superficial or pompous situations. At a personal level it is this, more than anything, that I will miss.

For those of us who would have liked to have been at her funeral and were not able to be - below is a poem from the booklet distributed at her funeral as a celebration of her life. There is something very appropriate about this poem. She would have felt so honoured by the testimonies in this thread, but this poem has the sort of ?thanks, but now get on with it? attitude that was so typical of her character.

When I come to the end of the road,
and the sun has set for me.
I want no rites in a gloom filled room,
why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little but not too long,
and not with your head bowed low.
Remember the love we once shared,
miss me, but let me go.
For this is a journey we all must take,
and each must go alone.
It is all a part of the Master Plan,
a step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick of heart,
go to the friends we know.
Laugh at all the things we used to do,
miss me, but let me go.

23
Deb, I so appreciate your posting this work of Sue's, and your introduction is a sparkling tribute to her and what she was about. I think that the paragraph which she fought so hard for is a model of clarity, a logically presented statement of fact, and even though in the end she was forced to remove it, the character of will behind the statement informs her body of work. There is so much integrity undergirding her words and ideas.

Thank you, too, for quoting some of the lovely passages and poems read at Sue's funeral. One senses the quality of her life and consciousness in them, and they resonate in the hearts of even those who did not know her personally.

24
Very sad news. Heartfelt condolences to you Deb for having lost such a dear, close friend and well-respected colleague and to all who had the good fortune to benefit from her generosity of spirit and passion for astrology.

I'm reminded of her article, "More than just a Footnote":
http://www.skyscript.co.uk/footnote.html

Indeed she also brought so much more than just a footnote to astrology, her knowledgeable contributions and lively spirit shone brightly and will be sadly missed. Thank you for uploading more of her work, Deb.

My prayers are with you and her family at this difficult time.

With kind regards,
TS.

27
Oh, I am totally shocked by this! I really, really liked Sue as a forum moderator; she was so helpful and had such sensible (and easily understood) advice. She will be greatly missed. I'm so sorry.