Astrologers love to report to scrumbling, grumbling clients that the disciplinary planet Saturn pays off hard work, commitment, integrity and good living. “Yeah, right,” clients retort. “Easy for you to say. You ever had one of these?”
Funny, sometimes even astrologers wonder if it’s really true. Want a second opinion? Ask Dontrelle Willis (see chart), ace pitcher of the Florida Marlins.
On May 11th Dontrelle won his seventh game of the 2005 campaign two years and two days after his major league debut. This feat surpasses the accomplishments of all the other pitchers in baseball, including the megabucks veterans. At this juncture, he is undefeated in the season with a staggeringly low earned run average of 1.08 (anything less than 3.0 is considered fantastic). To start the season, he completed two games of nine innings shutting out the potent bats of Washington National and Eastern Division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies. Even baseball pundits wonder what’s behind his success. Simple. It’s a matter of as strong dose of Saturn and a dash of Jupiter.
Dontrelle, a Capricorn by birth, natally and naturally submits to Saturn rule. The rule is: Capricorns in compliance with Saturn go far and experience an abnormal longevity. In his chart the Sun makes a tense, motivated, success-oriented aspect to Saturn in Libra (a square, widely conjunct Pluto). Add the South Node aligned with the natal Sun and also angling up to Saturn, some astrologers might have given a black child born in Oakland, California in 1982 a less than rosy prognosis for life.
In homes without two parents maintaining supervision over a child, one parent takes on the role of disciplinarian, support giver and life fan. Dontrelle’s mother, a steel worker in Oakland known as a regular on the Bay Bridge and other Bay Area landmarks, kept her lad out of trouble with baseball. Probably fatigued and worn thin from her physically demanding work, she showed up at his baseball games as he grew, kept him out of gangs and instilled a devout religious background. That, in astrological books, fits the image of Saturn.
Dontrelle, with his Juan Marichal like leg kick entered the majors with the Marlins in 2003 absolutely wowing baseball. He figured prominently in the Marlins World Series victory that year. Could it be better than this? Astrologers might have snickered that Saturn was yet to oppose Capricorn from Cancer. True. In 2004, he had an off year, losing more than he won. During the season, Saturn stressed his Mars in Libra from its position in Cancer. The sophomore pressure was on. Was he just another flash in the pan with a dramatic (a possible Leo Moon depending upon birth time) windup? Even in all this adversity, his strike out to walk ratio was a totally respectable 2.27 (2 is the desired minimum), maintaining quality and a sense that he would rebound.
His mother stood by him. In their nearly daily phone calls she encouraged him, loved him and gave him emotional gas until his pitching gas came back around. During the off season, he used her support, pitching disciplines with the marginalizing nature of Saturn to reduce his leg kick for better control - a perfect use of lord Saturn.
This year Saturn opposes his Sun, South Node and it Squares his own Saturn. True, it aligns with his North Node, which astrologers will note as karmic payoff. Mix hard work, discipline, dedication even under nasty Saturn aspects and what do you get? You get pitches that batters call filthy, nasty and unfair (just to bring in the scales of justice associated with Libra). The difference a year makes might be assisted by fortune waving fan, Jupiter. This year, Jupiter in Libra engages his Mars and Saturn during the season, and later takes on Pluto more toward playoff time.
Willis could not be a better astrological poster boy for the methods and remedies of Saturn. He even has his own commercial with Major League Baseball teaching children to pitch. This passes along the parental images of Saturn and notes again the karmic implication of the nodes. What goes around comes around. Those well guided and taught naturally return the favor.
Another amazing astrological model in his chart undergoing current stimulation is that of his Chiron in Taurus. Chiron is the healer. He’s the one who can resolve wounds. This season the newly discovered Sedna, portraying rifts between parent and child (mythologically father and daughter) comes to pass over Chiron. On the day of Dontrelle’s amazing 7th win this season an article posted describing the intense and impeccable bond between this man and his mother. One of the interesting side notes is that while they speak less frequently now, Dontrelle’s mom now wears a necklace he gave her after the 2003 World Series. She didn’t wear it before because she thought it was too ostentatious. According to the story, Dontrelle was a bit hurt. Now she sports it proudly fulfilling the healing of Chiron and providing a parent-child model worthy of great emulation.
Maybe astrologers are right. All the duty words of Saturn do pay off for those putting in their time and paying their dues, karmic and otherwise. Ask Dontrelle. He’s likely to tell you, “If there’s a Willis, there’s a way,” as he flashes that million-dollar smile.