Leona versus Letter Ten
Zip Dobyns
Another treasure which reached me from both Fran McEvoy and from Lois Rodden in her Data News is the birth data for Leona Helmsley, the self-styled hotel queen of New York. Leona was convicted of tax evasion on August 30, 1989, in a New York trial. She will be sentenced on November 14, 1989. Lois Rodden got the data from Dana Holliday who got it from the book Palace Coup by Michael Moss. Moss quoted official records for an estimated time of 6 A.M. EDT on July 4, 1920 in Marbletown, NY. There are two Marbletowns in NY but the right one is given as 41 N 51 and 74 W 9.
The chart is a dramatic example of a “theme” in astrology, demonstrating how many different ways it is possible to say the same thing, in this case, to point to a “one-ten” confrontation. As our readers know, I believe that all forms of letter one (Mars, factors in the sign of Aries, rulers of the signs in the first house, the nodes of Mars, the perihelion and aphelion positions of Mars, the Arabic Part of Mars, midpoints involving Mars, Aries dwads, etc.) symbolize our right and power to do what we please. Letter ten (all of the above variations on Saturn, Capricorn, and the tenth house rulers) symbolizes the limits of our personal will and the consequences of what we actually do. A conflict between personal will and the limits of personal will can take many forms, including fighting the LAW (of nature or of our society or authority figures who enforce the law), ignoring or trying to run away from the LAW, giving up and not trying to do what we want due to fear of failing or falling short, saying “if I can’t do it my way, I won’t play,” etc. Some of these variations on the twelve sides of life, including the MC, Ascendant, East Point, Antivertex, midpoints and Arabic Parts depend on an accurate birth time. In view of the dramatic repeated one-ten theme with all of these factors, I think Leona’s time of birth is “right on.”
Leona said that taxes were for “little people” and she did not consider herself one of them. Eventually, the law proved that it was bigger than she was. From all accounts, Leona was a hard person to work for, arrogant, self-centered and lacking in any empathy for the feelings or needs of others. There seems to have been general rejoicing when she was convicted. The chart is a good example of one with an emphasis on water which was manifested as clutching for personal security needs. Water is either dependent or nurturing; either very self-centered or very protective of others. Leona also has several trines in fire signs in earth houses which can indicate a “steam roller,” someone with great drive who can go after what is desired and often get it. Of course, the fire conviction that we have a right to what we want and the power to get it needs to be integrated with the earth practicality about the limits of personal will. If a compromise is not worked out, we may deny our desires and end up very frustrated and sometimes ill, or we may defy the rules and end up against a stone wall or in jail.
Since this issue of The Mutable Dilemma is already over-full, I am mostly just going to emphasize the many ways in which Leona’s chart features the one-ten issue. However, we can note that her worship of money is suggested by the presence of Neptune and Jupiter in the second house and by Uranus, the ruler of the eighth house of joint funds and return on investment being placed in the ninth house in Pisces. Mercury, ruler of the fourth house of real estate, is on the cusp of the second house of personal earnings, and the Moon, the natural ruler of real estate, is in the eighth house, again pointing to income from the land and buildings. Of course, the Moon may indicate feeding people as well as housing them or meeting their needs in other ways. Mars is a ruler of the Aries in the tenth house, and its placement in the fourth house again fits a possible career of housing the public. Mars conjunct Juno also fits a career of marriage. Her present husband is her third. The opposition of Saturn to Uranus in the ninth house of moral judgments and law courts is also very appropriate. The establishment (Saturn) finally took her to court for judgment (Jupiter and the ninth house). If she does go to jail, as seems likely, Mercury rules the twelfth house cusp and its position on the second house fits her handling of her personal finances as the reason for the event. Progressed (P) Jupiter has been opposing P Uranus in recent years as one of many keys to the trial and judgment.
Turning now to the one-ten theme, a superficial glance sees only a very wide octile between Mars and Saturn. Most astrologers consider a five degree orb on an octile (also called a semisquare) to be too wide to count. Aries (letter one) in the tenth house (letter ten) is the same principle as Mars conjunct Saturn, as is a factor (in this case Pallas) in the Capricorn (letter ten) dwad of Aries (letter one), but these are weaker forms of the one-ten combination than planetary aspects. For new readers, dwads are divisions of each sign into 2 1/2 degree sections which carry overtones of each of the twelve sides of life so they are like a whole zodiac in each sign. Mars in Libra is also widely opposite Pallas in Aries so we have Mars (letter one) opposite a factor in the tenth house (letter ten) but the orb is still too wide to carry an emphatic message. I think that Pallas mostly has the meaning of Libra, so this combination adds a one-seven issue to the one-ten; personal will versus the rights of other people. Notice that with a single aspect, we get the same message repeatedly. Mars (letter one) is in Libra (letter seven) while Pallas (letter seven) is in Aries (letter one) in addition to the opposition between the two signs.
It is only when we examine the minor forms of Mars and Saturn that we start to see the dramatic repeated theme. All of the aspects mentioned in the balance of this article will be limited to one-degree orbs since they involve alternative (minor) forms of Mars and Saturn. Continuing with the one-ten theme, the midpoint of Ascendant/Mars (two forms of letter one) is on Saturn (letter ten). The center point between two factors (their midpoint) has the same meaning as a conjunction of the two factors though of course it is not as strong as an actual conjunction of the planets. Heliocentric positions of the planets are their positions in the zodiac as seen from the Sun while our normal geocentric positions show the planets where we see them from earth. The heliocentric position of Mars (letter one) is square geocentric Saturn (letter ten) and both heliocentric Saturn and the Arabic Part of Saturn (two forms of letter ten) are octile geocentric Mars (letter one). The Arabic Part of Saturn is calculated by adding the longitudes of the Ascendant and Saturn and subtracting the longitude of the Sun. Heliocentric Mars (letter one) is also trioctile natal Pallas in the tenth house (letter ten).
Many progressed (P) factors are currently adding to the message. P Ascendant (letter one) is conjunct natal Saturn (letter ten) and for most of the interval between the conviction and the sentencing, P Moon (Ascendant ruler so letter one) is also conjunct natal Saturn (letter ten). P MC (letter ten) opposes P Mars (letter one). P MC (letter ten) is also conjunct the natal Antivertex (letter one, since it is like an auxiliary Ascendant). For years, P Saturn (letter ten) holds a quincunx to natal Moon (ruler of the Ascendant so letter one). The Moon is in the eighth house (letter eight). There is also a very long opposition of the midpoint of P Neptune/natal Jupiter (corulers of the Pisces MC so letter ten) to the natal Moon (ruler of the Ascendant so letter one).
Planetary nodes are another form of the twelve letter alphabet of astrology where a planet’s orbit crosses the plane of the earth’s orbit. They progress very slowly. For many years, the P south node of Saturn (letter ten) along with the P south node of Pluto (letter eight) have both opposed the natal Ascendant (letter one). In recent years, P heliocentric Mars (letter one) has been conjunct both P south node Saturn (letter ten) and P south node Pluto (letter eight). P north node of Mars (letter one) opposes the natal Aphelion of Saturn (letter ten). The perihelion of a planet is the point in its orbit when it is closest to the Sun and the aphelion is the point when it is farthest from the Sun. To repeat again my basic theory, I think that all of these factors which are derived from the orbit of a planet are minor forms of the same principle. P perihelion of Saturn (letter ten) is quincunx heliocentric Mars (letter one). It is also conjunct Pluto which rules all joint resources, what we receive and what we owe, including taxes. P Arabic Part of Saturn (letter ten) is square P Mars (letter one). P eighth house cusp (letter eight, like Pluto) opposes the natal Saturn/Mars midpoint, a neat three way combination of the issues: personal power, the LAW, and joint resources, debts etc.
The preceding are probably enough to get the message across. There are also some fun asteroids in the chart, but our space is running out. I will just mention Godiva which was named for the lady who rode naked through Coventry to protest taxes. Leona had natal Godiva square her second house Jupiter in Leo and P Godiva is square natal Saturn!