Letting Mars and Saturn Do the Driving (Part 2)
Back in September 2015 I wrote about Elizabeth Holmes, who was at the time a rising star in the tech world. She had developed a diagnostic tool that promised to do tests for multiple diseases with a minimal amount of blood. The device represented a major breakthrough in medical technology and had already made Holmes (then 31) the world’s youngest female billionaire.
In that article (click here to see the article and on Elizabeth Holmes to see a partial horoscope done for noon on her date of birth) I pointed out how her personality was driven by hard, 90 degree aspects to her natal Sun by her natal Mars and Saturn. Under the influence of these tough, uncompromising aspects Holmes had become a person who worked seven days a week, never took a vacation and had virtually no personal life. That is one side a combined Mars and Saturn square the Sun, one that can lead a person to great accomplishments. Unfortunately, there is another.
The other side of Mars and Saturn is adversity. Nothing comes to us easily when these two planets dominate. No matter how hard you work, no matter how much you sacrifice, Mars and Saturn are always going to call for more.
What makes this combination even more problematic is the fact that each planet brings us a different kind of adversity that requires a different kind of reaction. The adversity we encounter through Mars must be met by hard work and courage. A moment of weakness, or of fear and defeatism and it’s “game over”. The adversity we face through Saturn, on the other hand, is frequently more a test of our character than of our resolve to win. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to succeed? Your home? Your family? Your principles?
If you have been at all aware of the story of Elizabeth Holmes you know that she is currently facing a lot of adversity. She had been forced to relinquish control of the company she started and is being accused of lying to investors and misrepresenting the capacities of her technology. The Securities and Exchanged Commission recently released a 24 page complaint listing multiple instances of fraud and the F.B.I. is reportedly investigating.
How did this happen? How did a well-intentioned Aquarian visionary who thought she was going to change the world, mess things up so completely? A recent article written by Caroline Polisi, a lawyer familiar with cases like this, asserts that it was most likely a gradual process: a small lie here, a fudging of figures there, until there were too many unfulfilled promises and deceptions to hide.
With Mars square Sun, Holmes thought that all she needed was the courage to pursue her aims regardless of the limitations of her technology. As long as she was working harder than anyone else, what could go wrong? However, Saturn square her Sun was asking a different kind of question. Saturn was giving her a choice between the single-minded pursuit of success and sticking to her Aquarian principles of honesty and fair play. Here Holmes seems to have made the wrong choice.
Mars and Saturn are not just about adversity. They also bring us lessons. Through Mars we learn how to temper our courage and fighting spirit with strategy and intelligence. Through Saturn we learn our limitations and achieve the wisdom that can only come from age and experience. My guess is that Holmes will survive her current adversity and whatever punishment it entails (Saturn seldom lets us off easily) and, with time and hard work, find a new road to success. What that success will be, we cannot say without a complete horoscope, but with Mars and Saturn at work we know it will be well earned.
