Welcome to the COSMIC UPDATE

My COSMIC UPDATES are a way of looking at items and people in the news from an astrological perspective. And while I try to make the text as understandable as possible I realize that some of the astrological jargon baffles the general reader. 

COSMIC UPDATE: 22^nd October  2001

Included in this week’s Cosmic Update: 

• O.J. SIMPSON – a case of deja vue all over again?

During the last ten days I have been travelling almost non-stop, which is one of the reasons why it has been ten days since the last Cosmic Update appeared. The other reason is that while there has been a lot going on in the news most of it has been linked to the ongoing ‘New War’, which I have covered to the exclusion of everything else since mid-September. This is not to say that I am disinterested in the astrological angle of the current anthrax scare, or unconcerned that ground troupes have gone into Afghanistan (19^th October) and that relations between Israel and Palestine are heading towards a new low but that it is difficult to set up charts to look at these events. I mean, do we have the time the first letter containing the anthrax spores was opened by the man in the post room of the Globe newspaper? No. And do we know exactly when the ground troupes hit the turf in Afghanistan? No. And without a time, a chart of the event cannot be erected.

I am quietly satisfied that the astrology held up in regard a) to the military activity that started in the first week of October when Venus and the moon triggered the prevailing Saturn-Pluto opposition and b) that there has been no major terrorist response between then and 21^st October when the alignments have been largely harmonious. Mercury, of course, has been retrograde during this same time-span so, on the one hand, we can expect to see some more definitive action from the middle of next week onwards and, on the other, the question marks raised by the anthrax-loaded letters may well be eradicated. And we may learn about other developments that have been cloaked in secrecy and shrouded in dis-information during the past three weeks.

Clearly, biological war-fare is a worry but in some ways the current spate of anthrax attacks in the US have made it clear a) that this disease is curable and b) preparations are being made to create extra vaccine and treatments for anthrax, smallpox and other extreme nastiness. Thus, I believe the biggest threat to the West remains terrorist strikes of the Twin Towers kind in major US and European cities. And while the first week of November looks somewhat explosive it is December that concerns me most.

But, onward and upward.

O.J. SIMPSON – a case of deja vue all over again?

Given that the news is dominated by the war on terrorism it has been something of a challenge to find a suitable subject for discussion here. But on Friday I found it – O.J. Simpson.

Unless you were a child in the mid-nineteen-nineties you should remember the sensational trial of this famous ex-footballer that took place in 1996. O.J. Simpson was accused of hacking to death his wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ron Goldman, but through a combination of a superb defence team, some corrupt policemen and a controversial jury decision he was acquitted.

The generally held view continues to be that OJ is guilty of the murders of his ex-wife and her friend. And the civil suit brought about some years later by Ron Goldman’s father did succeed in finding him liable for their deaths. Since the trials O.J. has been forced to maintain a low profile – indeed, every time he so much as pops his head up to utter an opinion ridicule and antagonism are heaped upon him.

Some would say that he is lucky to be alive. Others believed it was only a question of time before his anger got the better of him again. That moment has indeed come. But is it possible that history will repeat itself and that for the second time he will walk away a free man from a criminal court?

The Background to the current case

At approximately 7.30 pm on 4 December 2000 in Kendall, Florida, O.J. Simpson apparently drove through a red light at an intersection inspiring a neighbour, one Jeffrey Pattinson, to sound his horn in protest. According to Pattinson Simpson came to a dead stop and leapt out of his car. Then, in what seems to be an act of incandescent road rage, Simpson reached into Pattinson’s car and while verbally blasting his neighbour, tore off his glasses and left the scene with them. OJ was subsequently charged with auto-burglary and battery.

Although originally scheduled for June the case was moved to October 9^th .

Jury selection duly began on 9^th October but on the first day testimony was heard (18^th October) the proceedings came to a grinding halt when it was disclosed that members of the jury had been discussing the case amongst themselves – behaviour strictly forbidden by Florida law.

Thus, at the time of writing (21^st October) it is distinctly possible that a mistrial will be declared and OJ will once again walk away from a court a free man.

O.J. Simpson – the natal chart

O.J. SIMPSON - The Natal Chart
9^th July 1947,  08:08hrs, San Fransisco
(Click For Enlarged View)

Here we have water-sign man – sun in protective and nurturing Cancer and the moon in dreamy and sensitive Pisces! Could any astrological factors seem more incompatible with this aggressive, trigger-happy and egotistical man?

Well, he does have fiery Leo rising and Leo is renowned for solipsism and a star complex. And he does have an elevated Mars. But Mars is in airy Gemini – hardly consistent with physical violence – and furthermore Mars is trine compassionate and spiritual Neptune.

I would go as far as to say that on first impressions this is not the chart of a man capable of road-rage and certainly murder. However, his frequent batterings of his late ex-wife, Nicole, are well documented and this recent road rage incident clearly happened, even if there is a difference in opinion as to what exactly took place. So we must look a little deeper into what drives such a man and what astrological factors contribute to his near divine good fortune.

Sun, Venus and Mercury in Cancer

Cancer men are complex. Many writers, politicians and, yes, sportsmen belong to this sun sign group. Cancer is a Cardinal sign and Cardinal individuals are self-motivated, ambitious and strong. But since Cancer is the sign of motherhood and all things feminine, Cancer men often feel they have to prove themselves to be real jocks. They have a strong feminine side to their nature, which they either cover up with extreme demonstrations of machismo or they relate to by becoming ‘new-men’, ‘house-husbands’ and stay-at-home fathers. (Is it any surprise, therefore, that O.J. fought his in-laws for custody of his two children – and won!)

The relationship with the mother is key to the emotional well-being of the Cancerian man. With a healthy and happy mother-son relationship Mr Cancer goes on to have healthy and happy relationships with women when he is an adult. And vice versa. Although O.J. has the sun and moon in broad trine aspect to each other, which bodes well for both his relationships with his mother and his girl-friends/wives, all was clearly not well with his upbringing. I would suggest that O.J. witnessed his mother being beaten by men or at least witnessed other women being regularly battered, since this is a learned behaviour. And he too may have been punished physically as a child.

I suspect that despite his height, build and handsome looks O.J was an insecure little boy and deeply needy. Thus, if he was encouraged to ‘act like a man’ every time he felt vulnerable he would have had to develop a thick skin to protect that vulnerability. And I guess I am not the first psychologist or astrologer to suggest that his fear of the feminine within himself turns itself into rage, especially against a woman or a weak individual, if he is hurt, frustrated or disapproved of.

Mars in Gemini

Mars in Gemini may have an arsenal of verbal weapons to draw from when angered but this is not a physically aggressive Mars, unless it is hooked up to Uranus, Saturn or Pluto. Now, O.J.’s Mars does indeed connect with Saturn and Pluto (in fact these two are in conjunction in the hidden twelfth house) but not by square, conjunction or opposition but by sextile – normally an aspect of ease and harmony.

I am of the school of thinking that a connection between two planets links their relevant themes, whatever the nature of the aspect. Fir instance even if Venus is square to Jupiter these two planets are essentially good news however they are connected. Thus, the fact that Saturn and Pluto may be in harmonious contact to Mars does not mitigate the aggressive tendencies of this planetary trio. These three planets are tough cookies. A Mars-Saturn-Pluto connection suggests that O.J. cannot handle the frustration of his energies and desires. No matter how many anger-management courses he may take, his rage continues to be very trigger-happy. Yet at the same time this combination can work like a time-bomb so he is just as capable of letting his anger ferment and planning a devastating revenge.

The placing of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in the twelfth house means this dyad works in an unconscious way. O.J. may have no idea what sends him into outer-space when presented with an unwelcome set of circumstances. He is probably baffled by his own behaviour. And what do people do when they do not understand why they do something? They head into denial, of course.

Until the murder of Nicole and Ron Goldman, those who socialized and worked with O.J. thought him a very congenial fellow. And, indeed, most of the legal team who defended him considered him to be a thoroughly engaging individual. But some people saw the other side of O.J.

In a man’s chart Mars and the sun are the two main expressions of his masculinity. Thus, Mars, like the sun, gives the individual a Jeckyl and Hyde quality. Most of the time the Gemini twin in charge is the easy-going, witty, sociable and articulate one but every so often the dark twin emerges. Usually this dark twin is a brooding, icy character, not given to assault and battery but to devastating displays of passive aggression. Without the connection to the twelfth-house Saturn-Pluto conjunction O.J. may have flipped into the ice-man when provoked but it is clear that this combination turns him instead into a raging bull.

Moon in Pisces

Moon in Pisces people are artists, mystics and dreamers. They can also be terribly liars and deceivers. However, they do not set out to deceive. It just kind of happens. Piscean Moons are not responsible for their actions – circumstances, other people - you name it - they are to blame. And no one can deceive himself as well as someone with a Moon in Pisces. Moon in Pisces people are also prime candidates for martyrdom.

Now, does this sound familiar? O.J. has maintained that he was ‘framed’, that he was a ‘victim’ of racial discrimination and that the media has crucified him.

Tragically, O.J. has the capacity to convince himself that he has done nothing wrong. He is not only capable of seeing a situation from a whole other, wholly false, perspective but denying it altogether.

Jupiter conjunct the IC

If you were to customize a chart for luck and success, your first choice would be to place Jupiter on an angle – preferably directly overhead (on the Mid-heaven) or rising (on the Ascendant). But, actually, Jupiter on any of the four angles (Descendant and IC being the other two) is a great boon.

Jupiter is particularly protective when it is situated at the base of the chart, so if you need a reason for O.J’s near miraculous ability to escape a life sentence, or worse, execution, it is this. And for good measure Jupiter also happens to be trine the sun (the ruler of the chart) and Mercury.

Additional thoughts.

Before I move on to the current time and the road rage case I thought it worthy of mention that Gary Condit (who has figured in these pages before) and Peter Sutcliffe (The Yorkshire Ripper) share some of the features of O.J.’s chart. And while only Peter Sutcliffe (sun Cancer, Mars-Saturn conjunction in Cancer and Leo rising) has been convicted of murder, O.J. has been accused of murder and Gary Condit (Mars conjunct Saturn-Pluto in Leo) remains a prime suspect in the disappearance of Chandra Levy. Of course, I am not implying that everyone with a Mars-Saturn-Pluto combination is given to murder but this combination always carries traces of violence, even if they translate into becoming an investigative journalist, criminologist, psychologist or detective.

Will O.J. go to gaol?

I am tempted to say no, even before consulting a chart. First, even though auto-burglary and battery carry a potential sentence of sixteen years, in the opinion of several respected legal beagles this is unlikely to happen here. And second, although no one can say it is perfectly OK to intimidate, shout abuse at a fellow road-user and snatch his glasses off his nose, this is hardly a crime worthy of sixteen years in gaol.

But let us look to see if the astrology can give extra support to this thesis.

 
O.J. SIMPSON - The Incident
4^th December 2000: 19 00hrs, Kendall, FL
(Click For Enlarged View)

The most immediately arresting feature of the road rage incident is the placing of the moon at 22 degrees Pisces on the Mid-heaven of the chart.  Not only is the moon the ruler of the chart, which suggests that the perception of what happened is going to be highly subjective to say the least but the moon is within a couple of degrees of O.J.’s natal moon. Clearly, there is a huge amount of creative imagery at work here. O.J. may simply not have seen the red light (or arguably it may have been fading from orange as he crossed the line). Pattinson, on the other hand, may have been in a bit of a dream and was jolted into consciousness as O.J. shot across his path. Thus, his hitting the horn may have been a knee-jerk reaction. Poor Mr Pattinson does not look like the kind of man who regularly sounds off or takes on anyone bigger than him. And, of course, we are not informed whether those glasses were rose-coloured…

In this chart Jupiter is almost exactly conjunct O.J.’s Mars, thus Jupiter’s tendency towards excess and inflation turned the risky manoeuvre, or the mistake, into the reason for an incendiary exchange.

The sun was also closely conjunct Pluto at that time – an aspect which tends to breed climates of confrontation. Indeed, all the astrological ingredients were present for any incident where feelings and instincts could interfere with good judgement and diplomacy.

O.J. SIMPSON - The Trial
9^th October 2001,  09:30hrs. Miami, FL
(Click For Enlarged View)

Now, the chart of the court case is an astrological gem.

Choosing a jury on a retrograde Mercury is bound to lead to problems, not least delays, misunderstandings and reversals! And poor little Mercury is hidden away in the twelfth house to boot. Scorpio rises so this is bound to be a case that digs up some old issues and brings out the best and worst in everyone concerned. There may also be a sting in the tail…

Since a court case is a) about justice and b) law, both the 10^th and 7^th houses of the chart are of consideration. Here, the sun rules the 10^th house and is closely square Jupiter (which just happens to be O.J.’s natal sun.) The sun is also square Mars in Capricorn, thus creating a Cardinal ‘T’- square. Taken in isolation this ‘T’- square is likely to make the proceedings highly contentious. However, the sun is also trine Uranus and sextile Saturn and Pluto so there is some hint of justice being served. (Remember Saturn and Pluto are all about chickens coming home to roost!)

We could say that the sun and its aspects represent the prosecution while Venus and her aspects represent the defence. And since Venus trines Mars – in fact it is her only aspect – the defence is likely to be a good one.

But is that defence enough to win the case? Could a mistrial be declared?

The Jupiter Factor

Jupiter is a key player in this case. We have already spotted that transiting Jupiter at 15 Cancer on the opening day of the trial is closely conjunct O/J.’s sun – a sign of success and protection if ever there was one. And at the moment the trial began, 17 degrees of Scorpio was rising and this just happens to be O.J.’s natal Jupiter. So, on balance I would say that O.J. is unlikely to go to gaol. He may pay a hefty fine and perform some community service, but I imagine that will be the extent of it.

However, the case will raise old issues in the sense that the media will rake up the ashes of the Nicole/Goldman murders and O.J. will be tried and convicted on television and in the newspapers once again.

The mistrial issue is a tricky one. With Mercury turning direct on Tuesday, 23^rd there is a case to be made for a reversal of the proceedings. In other words, the trial cannot proceed. However, it could also be argued that after a series of blips and delays the trial goes ahead as planned. Either way, we cannot rule out the protective and fortunate presence of Jupiter, which benefits O.J. one way or another.

Recommended Reading:

Click To Order

	The Astrologer's Handbook Frances Sakoian, Louis S. Acker
	Planets in Transit Robert Hand
	The Final Prophecies of Nostradamus Erika Cheetham