When Tiger Woods ran over a fire hydrant with his Escalade 10 days ago, it quickly became clear that he had lost control of more than his vehicle. Not only was his marriage possibly off the rails, so was his near-perfect public image, that of the world’s most attractive and wealthy product endorser.
Tiger Woods was born 30 December 1975, at 10:50 pm PST in Long Beach, California.
(Note that, in the enclosed natal chart and the transit chart later in this article, all planetary positions are sidereal as per Vedic astrology, rather than tropical as in western astrology.)
In Vedic astrology, this gives him a Virgo ascendant with barely one degree rising, so early in the sign that we might worry whether an actual birth time of only five minutes earlier could have given him Leo rising. As a first test, let’s consider the big picture. Fixed signs have a bias for holding onto relationships; mutable signs have an ambivalent attitude toward long-term commitment. In the case of the latter, they typically avoid or have issues with long-term commitments, and/or they pursue or attract relationships that are prone to instability.
Need examples? How about John F. Kennedy, Hugh Hefner, Warren Beatty, Bill Clinton or David Duchovny, all of whom have a Virgo ascendant and a known predilection for a varied love life?
In other words, whether by conscious inclination or unconscious “fate” they find themselves in situations that don’t bode well for a long-term monogamous marriage the like of which society continues to hold up as a model of virtue.
Tiger has Pisces in the 7th house. A dual sign indicates duality, suggesting ambivalent feelings, and the prospect of more than one partner. Jupiter’s presence in the 7th simply amplifies that possibility. On the one hand, Jupiter’s benefic status can bequeath marital good fortune, while on the other hand it may offer up a virtual smorgasbord of available partners. Facing a buffet table, who wants to stay on a diet?
Tiger has been in the dasa (major period) of the Sun since 2004, and the bhukti (minor period) of Venus since June 2009. The Sun occupies a nakshatra of Venus and therefore gives its results in its period. Venus thus becomes central to understanding this period, both generally throughout the Sun dasa, and epitomized within the Venus bhukti.
Venus sits in the 3rd house, which is associated with physical prowess in the form of athleticism, artistry and desire. The 3rd house is one of the three kama (desire) houses. His Venus is associated with the Moon, who owns the 11th, another kama house, and is aspected by powerful Jupiter, who owns and occupies the 7th, the primary kama house.
Venus itself is a karaka (significator) for pleasurable activities. It is associated with two key yogas: (1) the Parivartana Yoga wherein Venus and Mars exchange signs to provide fortunate adventures, (2) the Dhana Yoga wherein Venus and Moon combine to generate income via athletic prowess. By association, Venus also participates in the Chandra Mangala Yoga wherein the Moon/Mars opposition generates heat, passion and raw energy.
At the time of Tiger’s car crash (2:25 am, 27 November 2009, Windermere, Florida), Virgo was also rising, with Saturn in the Ascendant tightly opposing Moon in the 7th house. When luxury car met fire hydrant, two worlds had already collided – the marital and the extra-marital.
Given the astrological state of affairs, Tiger probably shouldn’t expect any rapid rescue. Saturn’s transit through anyone’s first house typically takes the shine off the image, and generally reflects a lack-luster 2.5-year period. Transiting Saturn in Tiger’s 1st house aspects (a) his 7th house, (b) his 7th lord Jupiter, and (c) Venus the karaka of marriage.
Meanwhile, transiting 7th lord Jupiter won’t be much help for awhile. At the moment, it’s debilitated in Capricorn. Later in December it’ll go into Aquarius and the litigious 6th house. Not until late May will it return to the Pisces 7th house, and perhaps his marriage can be buffed up a little with some hand-holding in the public spotlight.
Long-term prognosis, not so good. If Tiger’s birth time is accurate, this Sun-Venus period may break the back of his marriage, since both planets fall in the 8th house of his navamsa (marriage) chart. Moon dasa will follow immediately, and with a dark and debilitated Moon in his natal chart, both friends and corporate sponsors may start to feel uneasy as his secret life emerges from the shadows. Since the Moon also occupies the negative 3rd house of the navamsa under stress from malefics, the next decade will probably not be a happy one for Tiger, at least as far as marriage is concerned.
