The Challenge Corner
Zip Dobyns
I don’t know whether any of our readers tried their skill with our triplets from the Gemini issue of The Mutable Dilemma, but they presented an interesting challenge. I was particularly interested in noting how each chart symbolized the suicidal death of the mother when they were only 12 years old. For the first-born with an MC of 20 Libra, the progressed MC opposed the fourth house Moon; a highly appropriate aspect for the separation from the mother and change in the home situation. At the same time, her progressed Ascendant was trine the natal Moon and semi-sextile natal Saturn, but though both of those aspects are theoretically harmonious, we have to note that the angle set off the Saturn-Moon quincunx, a classic aspect for a separation of the two parents. The second-born triplet had the progressed MC square the Chiron-Uranus opposition across the second and eighth houses; again a very fitting aspect, and it was also quincunx natal and progressed Ceres, another key to the mother along with the Moon. At the same time, the progressed Ascendant was square natal Ceres and quincunx Uranus, two more very appropriate aspects. For the third-born triplet, the progressed MC had just reached an octile (semisquare) to natal Sun and progressed Mars was quincunx the natal MC. Her progressed Ascendant was also octile natal Sun, so it was at the midpoint of the two angles, adding to the importance of the aspects. Her progressed south node of the Moon was also within the one degree orb of a quincunx to her natal Ascendant while progressed Jupiter was still in orb of a square to the natal Ascendant. The quincunx suggests a possible separation from a relationship, while the Jupiter aspect can symbolize a challenge to her faith and a test of her potential for independence. Of course, the mother’s death was a shared experience. The challenge was to see whether you could differentiate the three women on the basis of the information presented. One was married; the one with Venus closest to the MC, within one and a half degrees. The other two had Venus more than three degrees from the angle. I find aspects within three degrees more important; of course aspects within one degree are the most important. This first-born individual is a secretary (fitting her Gemini dwad on the MC for a career involving mind and hands) and she was also described as the most serious and stable one of the three, fitting her Virgo dwad on the Ascendant. She also had her Vesta farther from her Ascendant, so less emphasized than in the other two charts. I find a prominent Vesta often present with delays in marriage or parenthood. Consciously or unconsciously, the individual feels that work is important and relationships may suffer, either from the time and energy devoted to the career or from the critical work attitude. A variety of aspects involving the potential for marriage were present when this first-born triplet took the action, including progressed Sun aspecting her natal MC; progressed MC aspecting her East Point and just short of a Venus aspect; progressed Ascendant aspecting natal Venus and Pallas; progressed Juno crossing the second house cusp; progressed Antivertex aspecting Jupiter and Mercury, rulers of the Ascendant and Descendant, etc.
The second-born had Vesta in the closest conjunction to the Ascendant, and in the first house. She was the one with a variety of health problems, without a firm relationship, and dissatisfied with her career; all Vesta associations. When she moved to Los Angeles, her progressed MC was aspecting natal Venus so she had the potential for choosing relationships or travel, noting the ninth house position of Venus. The problem in predicting details is obvious in such circumstances. Her progressed Ascendant was crossing the natal East Point, which could have marked any kind of new action, and it was also just coming to an octile to progressed Saturn in Sagittarius, a possible clue to a new job (Saturn), a new country (Sagittarius) and new friends (the eleventh house). Her progressed Ascendant was also just about to conjunct Juno, so we could have anticipated marriage, but though she wants it, she has not yet established a satisfactory relationship. The tension over wanting marriage and being unconsciously ambivalent probably lies behind the weight gain. In addition to the closest Vesta-Ascendant conjunction, she has the closest square of Jupiter to the Ascendant. The third-born with Vesta just inside the twelfth house is the one working in an artistic profession (hairdressing). With her Scorpio dwad rising, she has been involved in past-life hypnotic sessions and chose to be hypnotized to try to conquer her fear of spirits. She also has a steady boy-friend with her East Point exactly conjunct natal Juno, but her strong Vesta may be one of the major clues to her delay in actually getting married. She is described as independent and adventurous. Of the three individuals, her MC forms the closest aspects to the Jupiter-Vesta square which all of them share, and her MC also has the closest aspects to Mercury, fitting her love of travel. Many more details might be noted, but in this case, the traditional planets along with the original four asteroids seem to be enough to give us a reasonable picture. I do find Vesta, Ceres, and Juno highly valuable in this case.