Alex's Asteroid Astrology

On 10 April 2024, news came of the death of sports legend O.J. Simpson, once known as one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.  The Buffalo Bills star, a celebrity on and off the field, was the first player to rush for more than 2000 yards in a single season, winning the NFL MVP award in 1973.  Known as “the Juice” in reference to his OJ initials, after retirement in 1979, Simpson went on to a marginally successful acting career, appearing in “Roots,” “The Towering Inferno,” “The Cassandra Crossing” and three films in “The Naked Gun” series, as well as several dozen film and TV roles.

Of course these accomplishments, noteworthy as they are, were totally eclipsed by the real-life drama Simpson became embroiled in after he was arrested and tried for the brutal murder by stabbing of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman at her home in 1994.  The case, which began with a ten-hour-long slow-motion pursuit by police viewed by 95 million people, as Simpson attempted to avoid arrest for the crime, brought out the ever-present racial divide in America, with many black people thinking he was being framed, and white people assuming he was guilty. 

Simpson was acquitted of murder in 1995 after a controversial eleven-month trial that screamed headlines across the globe.  In 1997 he was found guilty of wrongful death and battery in a civil suit brought by the Brown and Goldman families, and ordered to pay $33 million in damages (most of which they have never collected).  But Simpson did serve jail time, albeit for an unrelated crime, a robbery, assault and kidnap offense in Las Vegas in 2007.  Found guilty in 2008 and sentenced to 33 years in prison, Simpson was paroled after nine years.

Born 9 July 1947 at 8:08 AM PST in San Francisco, California (Rodden Rating AA), much of O.J. Simpson’s destiny seems written in the stars.  In particular, Simpson had five points at station, about to change direction, in his birth chart, all bearing on the most famous event of his life.  Stationary points exert a much-greater-than-typical power and influence on the individual, becoming pivotal elements of character or biography. 

For Simpson, these are asteroids Hera 103 at 24 Scorpio, named for the Greek goddess of marriage (turning direct two days after his birth); Brown 1643 at 10 Pisces, for his murdered ex-wife’s maiden name (turning retrograde July 20^th, but already at its station degree); Stabia 152481 at 12 Scorpio (turning direct on July 3^rd), alluding to the stabbing means of her death; d’Arrest 9133 at 4 Pisces (turning retrograde July 11^th), indicating a potential for arrest or indictment at some point in the life; and Clarke 4923 at 0 Pisces (turning retrograde July 13^th), for prosecuting attorney Marcia Clark.  Based on these points alone, we can safely say that, yes, O.J. did it.

But much more of that later.  To begin at the beginning, “O.J.”’s given names were Orenthal and James.  It’s quite common for PNAs (Personal-Named Asteroids) related to one’s own name to show prominently in the birth chart, typically in connection with the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Mercury (as governing the naming function), and O.J. Simpson is no exception.  As you might expect, there’s no asteroid approximating “Orenthal,” but asteroids James 2335 and Simpson 4788 are exact matches for his middle and surname, and conform to the normal rules.  James at 21 Leo conjoins the 24 Leo Ascendant, while Simpson at 24 Virgo tightly opposes his natal Moon at 25 Pisces. 

The Moon also conjoins TNO Chaos 19521 exactly, a point which represents exactly what you’d expect, given its name – confusion, turmoil or disorder.  The Moon governs the domestic environment among other things, and turmoil does seem to have been a theme of his home life.  Simpson’s father Jimmy was a drag queen in San Francisco, who abandoned the family when O.J. was five, leaving their mother to raise his four children alone.  Simpson joined a street gang and came into conflict with police on several occasions, another marker of a troubled youth.  Arrested three times and briefly incarcerated once, we see the early stirrings of that stationary asteroid d’Arrest, later to be so prominent in his biography.

Chaos followed Simpson into his marriages as well.  In 1967, he wed Marguerite Whitley; the couple had three children, the youngest of whom drowned in the family pool.  Asteroid Whitley 4779 at 1 Sagittarius conjoins asteroid Hera (marriage) at 24 Scorpio (and is also at station, turning direct July 19^th); asteroid Margarethe 220495 (for Marguerite) at 5 Cancer conjoins Venus at 1 Cancer, planetary ruler of partnerships, and is sesquiquadrate Hera.

In 1977 Simpson met Nicole Brown, a waitress at a local restaurant, and began an affair, divorcing his first wife two years later.  Simpson and Brown were married in 1985, and within four years the police had been called to their residence eight times for domestic violence complaints, continuing the Moon/Chaos theme of turmoil and disruption in the home.  Asteroid Toro 1685 at 23 Leo conjoins James and the Ascendant; Toro is noted for bullying, aggressive behaviors and machismo attitudes, and these placements make this energy a self-defining characteristic for Simpson, who was arrested (d’Arrest again) in 1989 and pled no contest to spousal abuse.

We have already seen that asteroid Brown at 10 Pisces is stationary, showing a pivotal importance for Nicole Brown in his life, as his wife, the mother of two of his children, and his likely murder victim.   Brown forms a T-Square with asteroid Nicole 1343 at 9 Virgo and Mars at 6 Gemini.  Mars is the ancient ruler of homicide, also ruling attacks, violent behaviors and, significantly as events played out, knives.  (Asteroid Kniepp 18286, from the Middle High German, meaning ”knife”, appears at 24 Taurus, conjunct his 18 Taurus MC – reputation – and exactly opposed natal Hera, the wife.)  There is a loose Grand Cross with Brown’s wide square to asteroid Juno 3 at 19 Sagittarius, named for the Roman goddess of marriage; Brown is also trine Venus at 1 Cancer, indicating a love match at some point in their relationship. 

But perhaps most tellingly, Brown forms the Apex of a Yod, or Finger of Destiny, with inconjunct aspects to TNO Ixion 28978 at 11 Libra and a Saturn/Pluto pairing at 9 and 12 Leo.  Ixion is named for the first murderer in Greek myth, Saturn is the ancient lord of death, and Pluto rules criminal acts, particularly homicide.  Yods are “fated” patterns, revealing predestination and inevitability; Brown at the Apex indicates that these energies will be funneled toward Nicole in virtually unavoidable ways.

Asteroid Nicole is conjoined by asteroid Apophis 99942 at 8 Virgo, named for the ancient Egyptian personification of pure evil, and a point often active when horrific crimes are committed; the other point with this reputation is asteroid Tantalus 2102, named for a mythic Greek king fabled for his heinous deeds.  Tantalus at 17 Aries closely squares Simpson’s 16 Cancer Sun, making it a potential element of his core essence.  The couple divorced in 1992 after a volatile union.

Simpson’s pro sports career can be seen in a sextile from natal Mars at 6 Gemini, ruling sports and athletes generally, to Saturn at 9 Leo, ruling career.  Mars also appears in the Tenth House, another career marker.  Simpson’s foray into acting is reflected in asteroid Actor 12238 at 10 Capricorn, opposed his Sun at 16 Cancer, in a T-Square with Neptune at 8 Libra, ruling films.  Actor is also inconjunct to Saturn.

Which brings us to 12 June 1994, the night that Nicole Brown Simpson lost her life, slaughtered in the walkway of her condominium with Ron Goldman, a waiter at a local restaurant she had met six weeks previously, and with whom she had become friendly.  On the day in question, Brown’s mother had forgotten her sunglasses at the restaurant, and Goldman offered to return them after his shift ended, walking the ten minutes to Brown’s home.

It appears to have been a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for Goldman; both were found dead by police at about midnight, victims of stab wounds.  Brown’s throat was cut so deeply as to almost sever her head. 

Simpson was immediately named a person of interest in the case.  Through his lawyers, Simpson agreed to surrender himself for questioning on June 17^th, but when he failed to appear for the 11 AM appointment, police were sent to retrieve him, resulting in the famous low-speed pursuit in the white Bronco, lasting ten hours.

Incredibly, on the day of the murder, asteroid Brown is once again at station, as at his birth, marking a pivotal turning point for Nicole; in this case, from life to death.  At 14 Aquarius, Brown is conjoined asteroid Sphinx 896 at 17 Aquarius (indicating riddles, puzzles and enigmas), adding to the mystery surrounding her death.  Sphinx is also at station, turning retrograde three days before the murder, with Brown following suit a week later.  Brown also conjoins Damocles 5335 at 6 Aquarius, a point representing the peril or doom hanging unseen overhead, and squares a pairing of Mars (violent death) and asteroid Stabia (stabbing) at 14 and 18 Taurus, connecting to Simpson’s 18 Taurus MC (his reputation).  These points are moving into the “hot zone” of the recent Solar Eclipse on May 10^th at 19 Taurus, which conjoined natal asteroid Kniepp (“knife”) at 24 Taurus, also widely opposed Simpson’s natal asteroid Stabia (stabbing) at 12 Scorpio.  (The subsequent Lunar Eclipse of May 24^th at 3 Sagittarius opposed natal Mars – attacks, knives, violent death – at 6 Gemini.)

Asteroid James (for Simpson) is also at station; at 19 Libra, James conjoins a stationary asteroid Juno (the wife) at 17 Libra (James turned direct on the day before the murder, Juno ten days later, already at its station degree).  James and Brown form a Grand Trine with the 21 Gemini Sun, which clouds the issue further by exact conjunction with Simpson’s natal asteroid Sphinx.  The transit Sun also conjoins natal asteroid Lachesis 120 at 17 Gemini, named for the mythic Greek Fate who determines the span of life, and natal Uranus at 23 Gemini, noted for explosive, erratic behaviors; and opposes natal asteroid Juno, the wife, at 19 Sagittarius.  Highlighted by the Sun, Simpson was fulfilling the potential for setting a term to his spouse’s (Juno) lifespan (Lachesis) conferred by the natal chart. 

Simpson also shows as asteroid Simpson, which at 27 Cancer is conjoined Venus at 26 Cancer and trined a combination of Pluto with TNO Ixion, at 26 and 27 Scorpio.  Here the cosmos obligingly identifies the culprit as Simpson (Simpson), directly involved in the murder (Pluto, modern lord of death and planetary ruler of homicide; and Ixion, named for the first murderer in Greek myth) of his former wife (Venus).

We see an activation of Apophis as well; at 12 Cancer, this point of irredeemable evil was exactly conjunct Hera (the wife again) and also conjoined Mercury (news) at 8 Cancer, in a T-Square with asteroid Nicole at 7 Aries and an exact pairing of asteroid Rone 8680 (closest to Ron) and Nemesis 128 (bringer of ruin and destruction), both at 11 Capricorn.  Asteroid Goldman 10153 at 13 Pisces also reflects Ron Goldman’s demise, conjunct Saturn (ancient lord of death) at 12 Pisces and asteroid Osiris 1923 (named for the Egyptian god of the dead) at 16 Pisces, all points squared the 21 Gemini Sun and asteroid Atropos 273 at 12 Gemini, named for the Fate who severs the thread of life at death.

Ron Goldman appears in O.J. Simpson’s natal chart as asteroids Rone and Goldman, which at 21 and 26 Leo conjoin not only the Ascendant and asteroid James at 24 and 21 Leo, but also Toro at 23 (brutality), Atropos at 27 (death) and asteroid Rip 7711 (another death indicator, as “RIP”) at 28 Leo.  Rone and Goldman also square asteroid Kniepp (knife) at 24 Taurus, identifying the means of his death.  But sadly, a conjunction with asteroid Themis 24 at 26 Leo and square to asteroid Justitia 269 at 26 Taurus (named for the Greek and Roman goddesses of justice, respectively) would not be fulfilled as justice for Goldman in a criminal court.  Perhaps the presence of asteroid NOT 2857 (a general disqualifier) at 26 Leo on the day of the murder, exact with Themis and exactly squared Justitia, precluded justice being done.

O.J. Simpson was defended at his trial by a legal team including Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro, Robert Kardashian and F. Lee Bailey; Judge Lance Ito presided, Marcia Clark was the lead prosecutor.  When the trial began on 9 November 1994, the Sun at 16 Scorpio conjoined natal Stabia (stabbing) at 12 Scorpio and natal Jupiter (ruling courts, also his celebrity status) at 17 Scorpio, squared by transit Mars (violent death) at 18 Leo, in a Grand Cross with asteroids Marcia 269484, Clarke (Marcia Clark) and Brown (Nicole Brown) at 6, 8 and 13 Aquarius, and asteroid Lancelot 2041 (for Lance Ito) at 19 Taurus.  Quite remarkable to see the victim, the judge and the prosecutor all highlighted by the Sun that day.

 

Asteroid Justitia at 16 Cancer was an exact match for Simpson’s natal Sun, and came to its retrograde station just three days prior.  A grouping of Jupiter with Pluto and Ixion at 23, 27 and 28 Scorpio, squared to transit Themis (justice) at 27 Aquarius and Simpson’s natal James/Ascendant conjunction at 21 and 24 Leo, depicted the celebrity (Jupiter) Simpson (James) seen in a new light by the public (Ascendant), in a criminal (Pluto) trial (Themis) for murder (Ixion).  A Lunar Eclipse at 24 Taurus on the 18^th (exactly conjunct natal Kniepp) brought out the synastric T-Square, while the Solar Eclipse of November 3^rd at 10 Scorpio spotlighted natal asteroid Stabia (stabbing) at 12 Scorpio.  Transit Stabia at 19 Gemini exactly opposed natal Juno at 19 Sagittarius, the wife.

Due to intervening retrogradation, transit asteroid Nicole finds itself back at 7 Aries, exactly where it was for her murder.  From there, Nicole now opposes asteroid Simpson at 5 Libra, in a wide Grand Cross with Justitia (justice) and asteroid Rone (for Ron) at 14 Capricorn, combining both victims with their killer, and the outcome they seek.  Nicole is also exactly conjunct asteroid Bailey 449922, for F. Lee Bailey, one of her former husband’s defenders, and opposes Simpson’s natal TNO Ixion (murder) at 11 Libra. 

Asteroid James at 4 Sagittarius is squared to Saturn at 5 Pisces with asteroid Goldman at 11 Pisces, portraying Simpson (James) being held accountable (Saturn) for Goldman’s (Goldman) death (Saturn, ancient lord of death).  Transit Goldman is just one degree from Simpson’s natal asteroid Brown at 10 Pisces, and his natal Mars at 6 Gemini and asteroid Nicole at 9 Virgo fill in a synastric Grand Cross.

We’ve already noted Lance Ito as asteroid Lancelot opposed the Sun; asteroid Itoh 5737 (for Ito) at 28 Virgo conjoins asteroid Simpson, opposed by asteroid Bailey.  Conjoined Itoh is asteroid Shapiro 3832 (for defense counsel Robert Shapiro) at 24 Virgo, with asteroid Cochran 4551 (for defense counsel Johnnie Cochran) at 25 Capricorn (conjunct the volatile Uranus/Neptune conjunction and Damocles at 20, 23 and 28 Capricorn) in trine.

Simpson’s lawyers appear significantly in his nativity as well.  Asteroids Bailey and Cochran at 5 and 8 Leo conjoin Pluto (crime) and Saturn (death) at 9 and 12 Leo, while asteroid Shapiro at 7 Capricorn squares TNO Ixion (murder) at 11 Libra.  We’ve made mention of asteroid Clarke at station in Simpson’s birth chart; from 0 Pisces it is sesquiquadrate the 16 Cancer Sun, conjunct Brown and opposed Nicole, and squared Mars.  Asteroid Marcia at 18 Capricorn opposes the Sun.  Judge Ito shows as asteroid Lancelot at 29 Scorpio, sesquiquadrate the Sun, and asteroid Itoh at 28 Libra, sextile asteroid Themis at 26 Leo and inconjunct asteroid Justitia at 26 Taurus, both markers of justice, judges and courts.

The verdict on 3 October 1995 was watched by an estimated 100 million worldwide, as O.J. Simpson was found “not guilty” of the crime.  A stunning combination of asteroids Goldman, Clarke (both at 17 Cancer), Nicole (19 Cancer) and Bailey (25 Cancer) cluster atop Simpson’s natal 16 Cancer Sun, with asteroid Cochran just out of orb at 5 Cancer.  Surely, after eleven months together, this grouping depicts the “inescapable” quality of their interactions.  Most of these points (except Bailey) square the Sun with Mercury (the verdict itself) at 9 and 13 Libra, atop Simpson’s natal TNO Ixion (murder) at 11 Libra.  Given Mercury’s retrograde status at the time, we may well wonder if the right decision was made.

Asteroid Simpson at 20 Scorpio says it all – conjunct Mars (attacks, violent death) at 17 Scorpio and a Pluto/Ixion (doubly homicide) pairing at 28 Scorpio.  This grouping forms a T-Square, with asteroid Marcia at 27 Taurus (for Clark) opposed and asteroid Lancelot at 23 Leo (for Ito) in square.

Asteroid Themis at 12 Taurus is sesquiquadrate asteroid NOT at 29 Sagittarius, again calling into question the validity of the verdict, suggesting justice (Themis) has not been done (NOT).  Asteroid Justitia at 5 Virgo is trine NOT, adding to that sense.

When O.J. Simpson died on 10 April 2024, just months shy of the thirtieth anniversary of his ex-wife’s murder, the Sun at 21 Aries was conjoined exactly by asteroid James, with Mercury (news) and asteroid Simpson also within orb, at 13 and 29 Aries respectively, spotlighting (Sun) O.J. Simpson (James, Simpson) one final time.  James and Simpson square asteroid Osiris at 27 Capricorn (Egyptian god of the dead), with Simpson also exactly semisquare Saturn (death) at 14 Pisces and James exactly semisquare asteroid Atropos (death) at 6 Gemini.  Asteroid Lachesis (lifespan) at 14 Taurus conjoins Jupiter and Uranus at 19 and 21 Taurus, portraying the end of the life (Lachesis) of a controversial (Uranus) sports figure and celebrity (both Jupiter).

As always, connections from the transit sky to the natal chart abound.  Transit asteroid Anubis 1912, named for the Egyptian deity governing funerary rites, appears at 15 Aquarius, opposed Simpson’s natal Saturn, Pluto (death, death) pairing at 9 and 12 Leo and natal Anubis at 6 Leo, also squared by transit asteroid Lachesis at 14 Taurus.  Transit Atropos at 6 Gemini exactly conjoins natal Mars, once again bringing out that deadly T-Square with Brown and Nicole, which becomes a temporary Grand Cross with the addition of transit Rip at 3 Sagittarius.  Transit Saturn at 14 Pisces squares natal Lachesis at 17 Gemini.  Transit Simpson at 29 Aries is exactly inconjunct natal asteroid Requiem 2254 at 29 Virgo, named for the funeral mass for the dead.

In addition to its moniker as “the trial of the century,” the Simpson trial inaugurated a new era of obsessive media coverage, with newly established 24-hour cable news networks going full throttle at the story.  The culture was in flux, and would never be the same again.  Perhaps that is O.J. Simpson’s most enduring legacy.