Another Kennedy Sex Scandal
Zip Dobyns
The media was still analyzing the Thomas-Hill confrontation in October where two seemingly credible, educated people gave totally contradictory stories when the rape trial of William Kennedy Smith took over the stage. Smith, a nephew of Senator Ted Kennedy, was accused of raping a young woman on March 30, 1991. He insisted that she invited the sex. As with Thomas and Hill, the public (and in this case, the jurors rather than senators) were challenged to decide who was lying. Both cases provide extreme examples of the view presented in a recent book about the problems in communication between men and women due to their different attitudes and assumptions. Astrology can’t guarantee details. It can only say (as in the article on Thomas in this issue of The Mutable Dilemma) that an action looks possible, probable, or improbable. In Smith’s case, the testimony of three other women that they were raped by Smith does not leave much doubt that he is capable of the action. This testimony was not presented to the jury since the defense lawyers were smart enough not to claim “good character” for Smith. If the jurors had received the information on Smith’s past performance, they might have changed their verdicts, but he was found not guilty after little more than an hour’s deliberation on December 11, 1991.
According to Lois Rodden, Smith was born on September 4, 1960 at 3:47 P.M. EDT in Brighton, MA, 42 N 21, 71 W 9.4. His accuser, Patricia, was born on August 11, 1961 in Akron, OH—time unknown. The alleged event occurred at the beach-front Kennedy home in Palm Beach, FL, and the trial took place in West Palm Beach.
Smith certainly has an interesting chart with a loaded eighth house that fits his inherited wealth and his reported sexual activities. Pluto is in its own house widely conjunct the Sun, and Uranus, a ruler of the first house Aquarius, is in the eighth house in Leo, the Sun’s sign, so we have an Aries (first house ruler), Leo (both the Sun and its sign), and Scorpio (Pluto and its house) mixture. The Scorpio is further strengthened by MC and Neptune in the sign. The Antivertex, Ceres, and Chiron are in Aquarius and Taurus is included since there are four factors in the second house. The Taurus sensuality is connected to ultimate values by Pisces in the second house and Venus in the ninth house while it is marked as a lesson by the south lunar node in the second house. The preceding collection is enough of a fixed emphasis to show a high focus on money and/or possessions and/or sensuality and/or power. But the preceding list would not be enough to guarantee an abuse of power in the handling of money or sensuality.
Additional indications of power issues are shown by the massive Capricorn emphasis in the first house which includes Saturn in its own sign. One-ten combinations can manifest as either “the world has all the power so I might as well not try” or as “my will is law. I can or should control the world.” Of course, it is more effective to stay in the middle between those possible extremes, to exercise personal power but to stay voluntarily within the limits of natural and social laws. In contrast to the feeling of “I have the power,” placement of a ruler of the first house in either the seventh or eighth house tends to indicate the feeling that one’s own personal power is subject to the will and power of other people. We may react to that feeling by trying to please others, to win their approval or support. Or we may try to control them to regain our own power. Or we may retreat from closeness to protect ourselves. The positive alternatives include sharing the power, helping others (which reassures us that we are the stronger one), or healthy (game-playing) competition in which we can win, lose, and learn not to feel threatened.
In Smith’s case, he came into a very ambitious and competitive family, so he was undoubtedly provided with competitive outlets. He chose medicine as a career, an appropriate helping profession. But his sexual history suggests that he has not yet learned to cooperate—to share the power and pleasure. We have another hint that sex might be a challenge area from the prominent Vesta which conjuncts his Ascendant within 13 minutes of longitude. In general, Vesta especially and Virgo often mark a high focus on doing a good job which may accompany sexual problems. There are a variety of possibilities for the problems and they are certainly not inevitable, but they are common.
Work may be so important that sensual pleasures, including sex, are neglected. (Hestia/Vesta was the only Greek goddess who lacked a colorful personality. She was her work, and nothing more—a total dedication to her duty.) A total denial of sex is not likely in individuals with the strong Scorpio-eighth house emphasis found in Smith’s chart but it is quite possible to unconsciously avoid a lasting, committed love relationship because of the intense need to achieve in a career. The Virgo-Capricorn dominance in Smith’s chart, including Mars in the sixth house as another identification with work, would support such an interpretation. It tends to indicate someone who wants sensual pleasure (the fixed emphasis) but has to keep it secondary to career ambition.
In other cases, I have seen the work (critical) attitude directed into sex. It can be turned into a “job” that must be done “right” rather than a pleasure to be enjoyed. Or we may project this critical attitude and attract others who criticize our sexual techniques. (Sex may also literally become a job through prostitution or becoming a sex therapist etc.)
When idealism is connected (Venus in the ninth house, Juno in Sagittarius, Neptune in Scorpio in Smith’s chart), we may justify promiscuity by never finding the “perfect” lover hence never having to make a commitment. This can support the primary commitment to the career, so all of the preceding alternatives may reinforce the results.
In Smith’s secondary progressions, P Juno was octile Neptune in Scorpio in the tenth house and opposite natal Mars, a succinct statement of the potential for public stress and power struggles in relationships which could involve the law and Smith’s future status. There are asteroids with the personal names of both protagonists and one for Smith’s last name. Smith’s P MC was octile P Patricia which was opposite the midpoint of natal and P William(s) and the latter midpoint was trioctile P MC as William Smith skirted the edge of public disgrace. Asteroid P Smith was square Neptune and quincunx the Ascendant and Vesta. But Smith’s potential for an acquittal was shown by P MC sextile natal Venus in the ninth house while P Moon trined P Jupiter in its own sign, harmony aspects to the house, the planet and the sign of law courts. P East Point added to the letter 9 harmony with a sextile to P Jupiter and P Antivertex was trine P Neptune showing that unconscious faith was supporting Smith in addition to the more conscious faith of Jupiter. On the conflict side, Smith’s P Ascendant was square P Venus in the tenth house to indicate the power struggle. Smith also has a very long-term trine of Uranus in the eighth house to Jupiter, representing the financial resources which hired top lawyers to defend him. Newspaper analyses have pointed out that the public prosecutor was clearly outclassed in her handling of the case. The other asteroid I checked was Asmodeus, the “demon of lust.” Smith had it conjunct Uranus with P Asmodeus opposite his natal Moon. For the heliocentric buffs, Smith also had Helio Jupiter on his Ascendant and Helio Venus on his MC within one degree in his natal chart.
We have a date but no birth time for Patricia, the loser in the case. Her Saturn is within three degrees of Smith’s East Point, quincunx his P Uranus in Leo with her P Saturn trioctile her P Pluto in Virgo. If Patricia was born in the last half of the day, her Moon is conjunct Uranus. With her Leo stellium (Mercury, Sun, Moon, Uranus, north lunar Node), she seems to be struggling with a variety of Leo issues including an ill daughter she is raising without the help of a husband who abandoned her. The asteroids William(s) and Smith are conjunct in 1 Virgo in her chart and her P Mars has held an octile to them through 1991. P Smith has been trioctile Saturn while P William(s) has been trioctile P Jupiter. Her natal and P Patricia are both octile Chiron—suggesting poor judgment and possible problems with lawyers among many other Jupiter (Chiron) meanings. Both natal and P Oceana are square Saturn for lessons associated with the ocean. Both Patricia and Smith would seem to have lessons in handling love and sex. Only time will tell whether either has learned anything from this experience.