I admit it, I was obsessed with watching the Olympics non-stop. Gymnastic, swimming, skateboarding, surfing . . . I loved it at. The best parts for me were the human interest stories and getting to know the competitors a little better. The most shocking of the stories was Simone Biles withdrawing from the gymnastics competition. This happened live and with the entire world watching.
Simone did her first vault for the qualifying rounds and seemed to lose herself mid-air and almost landed on her knees. She then abruptly walked off the floor with her coach. When she returned, she made the announcement to her three teammates that she withdrew from the competition and and it would be up to them to finish without her. They were of course stunned, yet did an admirable job. Russia won the gold medal while the heavily-favored USA team ended up with silver. A couple of days later, USA gymnast, Suni Lee, won the gold medal for women’s gymnastics all-around competition, which had been reserved for Simone. Suni had expected to be competing for silver.
After some confusion about the injury that suddenly stopped her from competing, it was soon announced that it was a mental health issue and not a physical injury. Simone posted on social media that she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders and it just got too much for her to handle. She later posted, “I say put mental health first because of you don’t, then you are not going to enjoy your sport and you are not going to succeed as much as you want to”.
Astrology is a great tool for explaining human behavior and I thought it was a good time to look at Simone’s chart. Her chart is fascinating and I wanted to share it with everyone. Simone was born on March 14, 1997 at 12:30 am in Columbus, OH. Simone’s Sun is in Pisces, her Moon is in Gemini with a Sagittarius rising sign.
Pisces is the sign of the Zodiac that is all about emotions, feelings and yes, mental health. Pisces are often in a dream world and have a hard time relating to normal situations. Even though there is a spiritual component to Pisces -- fear, doubt and insecurity are the challenges for this sensitive sign. Her Gemini Moon is perky and bright, but anyone with this placement could get stuck in their head. Simone has ADHD. I’m sure her Gemini Moon contributes to that anxious feeling. Her fiery Sag rising isn’t much help in calming her down either.
When you look at her chart, you can easily see the success she has had as an athlete. A powerful grand trine dominates her chart. Grand Trines often occur in charts of public figures. What planet is at the top or vertex of her triangle? None other than Mars, the athlete of all the planets. Mars, the competitor of the Zodiac is the cherry on top of her chart and is located in her house of career and reputation. Mars is paired quite closely to the North Node, or the point of destiny. Yes, it was destined for Simone to be an athletic superstar.
The other outstanding planet in her chart is Pluto rising in her 1st house. Pluto is the planet of power, which shows with her strong body. Remember the rising sign is how other people see you. With Pluto rising, you stand out in the world. You are noticed in a crowd. You seem invincible to others. Both Mars and Pluto give her an outside mask of strength, power and therefore, stardom. But as we will see, they is another Simone.
Her 4th house has the largest group of planets and is the other part of her dominant red lines. Where Mars is at the top of the chart, public image is highlighted. The Pisces planets at the bottom of her chart explain her inner life. The 4th house is her early upbringing and everything that she hides from the world. Simone and her sister were raised by her grandparents because of their mother’s addiction to drugs. Yes, Pisces is associated with drugs, alcohol and addictions. Pisces is also connected with mental health issues, especially those about insecurity, doubts and fears.
Simone has her Sun, sensitive Venus and mental Mercury all in Pisces. It is made much stronger with the presence of the infamous South Node. The North Node is destiny, which is right next to her athletic Mars in the public eye. Her South Node of karma is next to all her sensitive Pisces planets highlighting her internal conflicts. This means that her inner world is the hardest part of her chart. The South Node always points to unfinished business and is the most difficult part in almost every astrology chart. She has always used her prominent Mars to manage her internal conflicts.
Simone’s other red line is from intense Pluto to her Moon in Gemini in the 6th house. Pluto represents her strong image while the Moon is all about emotions. Even though she appears unbeatable to the world, her emotions can get the best of her. It is a theme that is repeated in her chart.
In summary of her red lines: Simone’s public image of strength is in contrast to her inner emotional nature, holding her back from accomplishing even greater goals.
Looking at her blue lines, Simone has a perfect grand trine with Mars at the apex. The blue lines in a chart show the talents and gifts of the person and Simone has an outstanding chart because of this major configuration. It explains her notoriety and fame and basically points like an arrow being shot from a bow to her dominant Mars. Her other blue lines are from her strong Pluto to her Pisces planets. She showed her strength in a new way during these Olympics as she revealed her mental health issues to the world in an incredibly dramatic way.
In summary of her blue lines: Simone’s exceptional athletic ability has propelled her to super stardom, which has allowed her to expose her inner conflicts.
To summarize her chart: Simone’s chart is a perfect balance between strength and insecurity. The public sees her power, while she handled her self-doubt threw athletics, until now. Her purpose might be to become a new spokesperson for mental health issues.
More than ever, during these Olympics, we saw the unrealistic pressure that the media and the public placed on these athletes. Their responses to these pressures are the stories that we will continue to read.