More on O.J.

Zip Dobyns

After the last Mutable Dilemma went to the printer, I added more asteroids to my list and acquired the birth data for another of O.J.’s lawyers. My son, Mark, the primary source of asteroids for astrologers, pointed out that there were asteroids named Nicole, Brown, Simpson, Shapiro, and Kathleen, covering both of Nicole’s maiden names, O.J.’s last name, his primary lawyer, and the first name of the Judge who ruled after the preliminary hearing that O.J. would have to stand trial. Of course, I immediately added the asteroids to my list and ran them for O.J. and Nicole. We still lack birth times for the rest of the players in this Greek tragedy. As usual, I was blown away by the positions of the asteroids. I never get used to the way they appear in appropriate places in the horoscopes.

Nicole was born in a little town close to Frankfurt, Germany and she moved to Brentwood, CA. In her birth town of Rollwald, Nicole was on her MC. In her local chart in California, Brown was on her MC. The aspects were exact within one degree, my normal orb in working with the huge numbers of new asteroids. Those two longitudinal areas, approximately 8 to 10 east longitude and 117 to 119 west longitude, are the only places in the world where Nicole Brown Simpson could have her two original names on the respective MCs. As mentioned in the Gemini 1994 issue of The Mutable Dilemma, O.J.’s Libitina, the Roman goddess of death, was on Nicole’s California MC so it was also on her natal Brown.

Nicole’s Simpson was at 20 Aries 31 with an octile to her eighth house Icarus, a key to overreach. Letter eight in our astrological alphabet symbolizes our ability to share money, possessions, pleasures and power with a mate. O.J. was reportedly very angry about Nicole’s financial extravagance and flirting though he was reportedly a womanizer himself. The “last straw” may have been her plan to move to New York to a guarded building where he would not have access to their children. Nicole had hired a New York interior designer to find a suitable (defined as safe) apartment for her and to decorate it. P Simpson in Nicole’s chart was in 9 Taurus 36 aspecting all three keys to partnership: Venus, Pallas, and Juno. Though it was sextile Venus, a harmonious aspect, it was quincunx Pallas and Juno and it activated their natal and progressed squares to Venus. P Simpson was also square Nicole’s natal Vesta and her P Moon had just ended a square to P Simpson but was still connected through its opposition to Vesta. P Simpson was also octile Nicole’s local (California) East Point, equivalent to an Ascendant, and just two minutes of longitude past a one-degree octile to her local MC so it was conjunct the midpoint of the two local angles.

Nicole’s P Shapiro was conjunct her south lunar node, which shows lessons in relationships, opposite her Juno, P Juno and P Pallas and square her Venus, all of which are keys to peer relationships, and octile her local Antivertex, another auxiliary Ascendant. The aspects certainly suggest a problematic relationship between Nicole and anyone named Shapiro. Kathleen was conjunct Nicole’s P Uranus, square her P Ceres, the mothering asteroid, and trioctile her natal Shapiro. P Kathleen was trioctile Nicole’s south lunar node and P Shapiro, octile her Venus, Juno and P Pallas, and square the midpoint of her natal and P Jupiter. The network of interlocked aspects fits both a conflict between Nicole and lawyer Shapiro who is defending her former husband, and between lawyer Shapiro and Judge Kathleen Kennedy-Powell who ruled against Shapiro when she decided that his client would have to stand trial for Nicole’s murder.

Turning to the new asteroids in O.J.’s chart, his natal Nicole in 9 Virgo 40 in his first house opposes his natal Brown in 10 Pisces 19. At the murder, P Nicole had moved to 28 Virgo 49 to form octiles to P Pluto and natal East Point. P Brown had retrograded to 6 Pisces 28 to square natal Mars. The aspects certainly fit anger and conflict with Nicole. O.J.’s natal Simpson is in 24 Virgo 38 to complete a mutable grand cross with natal and P Moon and P Uranus. As I wrote in the Gemini 1994 Mutable Dilemma, P James (O.J.’s middle name) and P Atlantis (often associated with the abuse of power) were at 23 Virgo square natal Uranus so the position of Simpson just reinforces the mutable conflict. The mutables are keys to general intelligence, practicality, and faith including values, morals and ethics. P Pan at 25 Virgo was also in the network of aspects. Pan, like Dionysus, was associated with religious frenzy which could lead to “crazy” actions. As mentioned in the previous article about O.J., P Dionysus was conjunct Saturn and opposite P Part of Death while P local Antivertex was square natal Mercury and Dionysus. The patterns fit emotional irrationality. P Simpson at 12 Libra 1 is octile O.J.’s local Ascendant so, of course, it is also trioctile his local Descendant, describing the potential for conflict with a partner. To repeat the message of tense relationships, P Simpson is also octile-trioctile the P lunar nodes which form a fixed cross with the Los Angeles Ascendant-Descendant.

O.J.’s natal Shapiro was retrograding at 17 Capricorn 12 with sextiles to Pallas (often prominent in lawyers and other consultants) and Jupiter (key to law courts and judgment which is supposed to be based on truth and moral principles). Shapiro was also quincunx O.J.’s local East Point and natal Part of Death and opposite his natal Sun. Opposite signs and houses represent natural polarities and can function as partners, each providing something the other needs. The quincunx is typically associated with the attempt to improve things or to move in a new direction. It is often manifested by separating from current activity. Though no one expects O.J. to receive the death penalty even if he is found guilty of murdering both Nicole and Ron Goldman, it remains a legal possibility. The asteroid Shapiro suggests that his lawyer could be a partner helping O.J. avoid that possibility.

P Shapiro in 10 Capricorn 35 opposes O.J.’s local Antivertex. squares his P Antivertex, is trioctile his Ascendant, and trines Nicole. The combination suggests that lawyer Shapiro has a tough job ahead of him, though to date the defense has been quite skillful. Natal Kathleen, the first name of the judge in the preliminary hearing, is in 23 Cancer 55 on O.J.’s natal Mercury and Dionysus while P Kathleen at 12 Leo 12 had moved to conjunct his natal Saturn marking consequence time.

There are always more asteroids and aspects which are relevant and could be listed, but this is enough to show the amazing way that they work. I have listed the exact positions of the new asteroids so readers can insert them into the charts if they wish.

I have been traveling much of this summer, so have not been able to keep close tabs on the O.J. case. My impression is that it continues to be highlighted in the media. Alan Dershowitz is one of the famous trial lawyers, along with F. Lee Bailey, who has been engaged as a backup to Shapiro. I recently got the birth data for Dershowitz from Dorothy Oja who got it from Lorraine Walsh. I do not know Lorraine’s source. According to her, Dershowitz was born in New York on September 1, 1938 at 23:28 EDT. Though he may not be involved in the case unless there is a guilty verdict and it is appealed, his chart shows the usual amazing asteroids. He has natal Nicole on his IC to the degree and P Simpson on his MC to the degree, putting the former marriage partners in confrontation to each other on the angles associated with power (MC) and death (IC, among many other meanings.) Water is the element of closure, finishing a chapter, so the water houses all have the potential of signaling endings. Dershowitz’ natal Simpson is conjunct Hel (the Norse goddess of death) and Dolores (sorrow) in 12 Aquarius and P Hel has returned to its natal degree. P Nicole has moved to conjunct the natal Sun in Dershowitz’ chart as he receives new fame from the O.J. case. Natal James (O.J.’s middle name) is over one degree from an opposition to Saturn but Skuld, one of the Fates, is on James and opposite Saturn so the overlapping orbs connect them. P James squares the Dolores-Hel-Simpson conjunction. What are the odds for that kind of pattern?

Other relevant asteroids for Dershowitz include California on his Ascendant and P California trine his MC and opposed to P Juno, a Plutonian asteroid. His career should profit in California. His P Antivertex in Los Angeles is conjunct his natal Angelina which may “work” for the city of the angels, and P Angelina is on his south node/Saturn midpoint, a key to major lessons. P Sun is on natal Brown with P Angelina quincunx both of them. P Brown is just past a square to P Jupiter but it is in orb of a square to Jupiter/P Jupiter as well as trioctile P East Point and natal Chiron. I continue to find Chiron strongly aspected in charts dealing with legal matters, and think astrologers who are only associating it with a “wounded healer” may be missing many of its potentials as another Jupiter in the chart.

Dershowitz has his natal Shapiro in 6 Leo 1 conjunct Helio (a sun god for fame) and Pan (the irrational nature god). P Shapiro, for his law associate in the case, squares P Brown and is octile Chiron. Many other asteroids might be mentioned like P Toro and P Blarney on Dershowitz’ Descendant. His oratorical skills (Blarney) will be paid for (Toro, Spanish for a bull like Taurus) by his client who is symbolized by the seventh house. P Gaea (earth) is conjunct Dershowitz’ natal Moon as the world public watches the show. Photographica is on natal Mercury, Siva (destruction) and Hispania (for the Latin people of the western hemisphere). P Photographica is semisextile them at 0 Libra. Despite what sounds like a relatively small role in the case, Dershowitz has an incredible number of aspected asteroids. Maybe his career needs a shot of publicity and we will be seeing more of him?

I progressed Dershowitz’ chart to the opening day of the trial on September 19, 1994. On that day, his P Moon has just entered Capricorn and it is still conjunct Vesta, our asteroid for a high focus on work. Vesta is a key to devotion to one’s job, to tunnel vision which can produce great success but can also encourage alienation from relationships. An asteroid named Delila is also progressed on P Vesta and P Moon. It was named for the seductress who conned Sampson into revealing the secret of his strength and cut his hair while he was asleep. If O.J. needs a “silver tongue” to plead his case, it looks as if Dershowitz is prepared to provide it.

Normally, I discuss the standard factors in an individual’s chart before I plunge into the asteroids, but Dershowitz is being done in reverse order. Our initial impression in looking at his chart without the extra asteroids is an emphasis on mutable signs and houses and fixed signs. His Gemini rising, Mercury and Sun in Virgo, and Moon and two of the “first four” asteroids in Sagittarius, show much mental ability including verbal fluency. A grand cross in fixed signs is formed by his stellium in Taurus, Mars in Leo, north lunar node in Scorpio, and Jupiter in Aquarius. The Taurus Antivertex and Pluto in Leo provide another square in fixed signs but mutable houses. The emphasis on fixed and mutable qualities is often manifested as a relatively stable life which involves constant mental activity, possibly including travel.

Saturn in Aries, Venus in Libra, and Chiron in Cancer provide some cardinality which is supported by factors in the cardinal (angular) houses. Saturn in Aries can express as “My will is Law” or as “the world has all the power and I might as well give up and not try.” Of course, the safer place in the middle is the ability to develop personal power but also to recognize its limits and stay within them voluntarily. When Mars in Leo is added to the Saturn in Aries, the individual is more likely to tilt in the direction of developing and using personal power. Mercury, the ruler of the Ascendant, so carrying the same meaning as Mars, is conjunct both Mars and the Sun, the ruler of Leo, a combination which again tilts toward personal power. Jupiter in the tenth house can also place a high value on power, seeking a high status role in the society.

Other keys to ideals include any factors in Sagittarius so Dershowitz’ chart repeats the likelihood of a high value placed on his work and/or on relationships since Juno is in the sign in the sixth house. Since Jupiter and its sign are related to our beliefs, and as an outgrowth of that principle, to law courts where decisions are made based on what is considered true and morally right, the connection of both of the work houses (6 and 10) to letter nine (Jupiter and its sign) fits Dershowitz’ choice of law as a career. Idealism is also associated with the house of partnership with the Moon in Sagittarius in the seventh house. This can be manifested in many ways including looking for the ideal mate which we never find or counseling clients about the law.

Letter twelve is our other one of the twelve sides of life which is searching for the Absolute though more unconsciously than letter nine. Dershowitz has Pallas, the counseling asteroid, in Pisces, again reinforcing the high value he places on interactions with other people. The eleventh house placement of Pallas repeats this theme of valuing knowledge and peer relationships. Dershowitz’ stellium in Taurus in the Pisces house could range from artistic talent or just a love of beauty to a worship of money and material possessions. He has some kind of lessons in this area since his south lunar node is there closely conjunct his East Point, and the midpoint of south node/Saturn is also there closely conjunct his Antivertex. The latter also squares his Pluto. I do not know anything about his personal life, so cannot be more precise on the form that the lessons might take.

When Dershowitz’ chart is set up in Los Angeles, assuming that he may play a role in the O.J. trial there, his local MC is 4 Capricorn 1 and his local Antivertex, East Point, and Ascendant, are in 2, 4, and 6 Aries. As the Ascendant moves into zero Aries, the other two angles, the East Point and Antivertex, join it so they are exactly conjunct at zero Aries (and also at zero Libra). In the northern hemisphere, the Aries Ascendant moves faster and the Antivertex more slowly, while the East Point remains relatively constant at about one degree a year in progressions. Libra Ascendants are the reverse with the Antivertex the fastest and the Ascendant the slowest. In the southern hemisphere, these movements are reversed.

Dershowitz’ factors in early Sagittarius, including Juno, Vesta and P Venus, form trines to his local angles in early Aries. His P Saturn holds a long conjunction with the midpoint of his Ascendant/MC and his P MC will reach them in 1995, suggesting a period of major power issues. The O.J. trial will still be going. In fact, it may be the end of 1994 before the final jury selections are made. The latest word as this is written in August 1994 is that the prosecution claims that DNA analysis identifies O.J.’s blood as present at the murder site. The defense denies the identification and claims that the evidence is inadmissible. It seems more likely that the evidence will be presented at the trial but that the defense lawyers will describe the scientific controversy over its reliability and hope that at least some members of the jury can be led to doubt it. It only takes one person to hang a jury and force a new trial, and it tends to be harder to convict with each new effort.

A further complication may be presented by O.J.’s biopsy which was taken in a local hospital some weeks ago. If he is found to have cancer, it will be harder to convict him. He remains innocent until found guilty, but in light of the asteroids, I am glad that I am not on the jury.

I am including one additional chart which is relevant to the case. On June 20, 1994 at 11:57 A.M. PDT in a Los Angeles court room, O.J. was asked whether he was guilty of the murders. He replied firmly that he was 100% innocent! The chart for this moment is just one of a series in the ongoing drama, but it has some interesting patterns. When I am not going to do progressions on a chart, I often put the heliocentric planets in the outer circle around the geocentric chart. In such cases, I also run the heliocentric asteroids. In this chart for O.J.’s arraignment, the heliocentric asteroids are among the most fascinating. H Nicole is on the Descendant. Three others form a fixed cross if we fill in one geocentric asteroid and they are octile-trioctile the earth-Moon conjunction and the geocentric position of the Sun. H Moon-earth is always opposite G Sun. H Simpson is 14 Leo, H James is 14 Scorpio, G Brown is 14 Aquarius, and H Fantasia is 14 Taurus. The combination repeats the conflict theme we have seen in all the charts.

I was very curious to see the location of Aletheia, the goddess of truth in a chart for O.J.’s claim to innocence. G Aletheia was on Vesta sextile G Simpson and a few minutes out of my one-degree orb for an octile to the Saturn/south lunar node midpoint. H Aletheia was closely conjunct the true south lunar node and opposite the G Moon. These aspects throw some doubt on O.J.’s truthfulness since they point to it being a lesson for him. The sextile to G Aletheia from Simpson makes one wonder whether IF he did it, he has convinced himself that he did not do it, that he was “not himself,” temporarily insane, or whatever.

This drama will continue for many more months, so readers can expect to see additions in future issues of The Mutable Dilemma or the Asteroid-World.

Copyright © 1994 Los Angeles Community Church of Religious Science, Inc.

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