Please note: Subject headings in this paper are almost identical to those in the Simpson, Arien, and Family A papers until we get to the actual chart comparisons. That is, material under subject headings titled Introduction, Method, Mars and Saturn in Synastry, and Some Chart Definitions are nearly identical. Material thereafter, beginning with the subject heading Starting Compound Mars and Saturn Sets Between Michael and Carol, is unique to the Damons.

Introduction
I have written a number of papers demonstrating the difficulty people experience who have mars and saturn influencing Angles in their charts. By "influencing" I mean they are either "on" Angles (within 2°) or they are in a set which has a light (sun/moon/node) and one of the planets in the set rules an Angle. For instance, see the paper on Financial Loss. Or see the one on Mental Retardation. I have also written papers on the good fortune experienced by those whose charts have Angular venus and jupiter. For instance, see the paper on Gurus. Or, see the one on Lottery Winners Or, just look at O.J. Simpson’s life before his wife’s death. (He has venus conjunction jupiter on his birth 4th house cusp, that is, opposite B MC. Astrologically, that is the reason he will never spend much time in jail. When he does, he will always attract devoted women.)

Here are links to all the synastry papers. If you want to see the greatest venus/jupiter vs. mars/saturn contrast read the Browning and Simpson papers. The links: . Comments on Synastry--Astrological Compatibility--Using This Form of Astrology

Synastry, The Astrology of Venus and Jupiter Between Charts, the Sixth Couple: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward

Synastry, The Astrology of Mars and Saturn Between Charts, the Sixth Couple: Michel and Francoise Gauquelin

Synastry, The Astrology of Venus and Jupiter Between Charts, the Fifth Couple: the D Family

Synastry, The Astrology of Mars and Saturn Between Charts, the Fifth Couple: the F Family

Synastry, The Astrology of Venus and Jupiter Between Charts, the Fourth Couple: Ronald and Nancy Reagan

Synastry, The Astrology of Venus and Jupiter Between Charts, the Third Couple: Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst

Synastry, The Astrology of Mars and Saturn Between Charts, the Third Couple: Sandra and William A. and Her Homicide

Synastry, The Astrology of Venus and Jupiter Between Charts, the Second Couple: Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince of England

Synastry, The Astrology of Mars and Saturn Between Charts, the Second Couple: David and Jonelle Arien and Homicide/Suicide

Synastry, The Astrology of Venus and Jupiter Between Charts, the First Couple: Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Synastry, The Astrology of Mars and Saturn Between Charts Using the Charts of O.J. Simpson and His Deceased Wife, Nicole

This paper is about the problems mars and saturn create when they exist in two separate charts but are conjunct, square, or opposition each other and an Angle. If I was writing about this condition within one chart, I would state mars and saturn were “in the same set.” But since here we are comparing planets in two charts (also known as synastry), I cannot call them sets. I will have to call them something else. I have chosen the term, “compound set.”

A compound set consists of planets and usually an Angle, from the charts of two individuals, that are conjunct, square, or opposition each other. Allowable orb is 2° (unless a light—sun, moon, or node—is involved, in which case the orb can go up to about 3-1/2°).

In the Simpson paper I stated the follow-up paper would be about a couple involved in murder who died in a locality different from their births. The Ariens were born in Louisville, Kentucky. Both died in San Francisco, California. Carol Damon was born in Groton, Connecticut. Michael Damon was born in Pierre, South Dakota. They both died in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Therefore this paper will present data on compound sets involving the Damon’s locality Angles.

To illustrate compound sets here, I have used the astrology between the Damons for their marriage and at the time of their deaths. Information from my data source is scant:

On Carol, from Astrodatabank:American homicide victim killed by her husband, Michael, during the early morning hours of 9/23/1990, Fort Collins, CO. They had married 5/12/1989 after a year together. In less than a year the intensity and frequency of their arguments escalated and she left him early May 1990. She took a job as an exotic dancer. He visited her at her apartment to talk about their future, and they made love. When they concluded, he knocked her unconscious and smothered her to death with a pillow, then killed himself.

Their divorce was final 9/10/1990.

Astrodatabank also gave us the following information on Michael Damon :American homicide; he killed his wife during the early morning hours of 9/23/1990, Fort Collins, CO. They had married 5/12/1989 after a year together. In less than a year the intensity and frequency of their arguments escalated and she left him early May 1990. She took a job as an exotic dancer. He did not want her to do exotic dancing, however they had started dating again in August 1990. He visited her at her apartment to talk about their future, and they made love. When they concluded, he knocked her unconscious and smothered her to death with a pillow.

He had been studying astrology as an apprentice to Jim Tyndall.

Unusually, I heard from one of the relatives of the Damons. Here, from an email I received March 7, 2013 is what Carol Ann's mother had to say about the couple: I just read your essay on the lives/deaths of Michael Damon and Carol Anne Damon.

I have a sheaf of letters Mike wrote....and I can attest to his admission he was wrong to be so controlling and physically abusive, and she was better off without his influences. Also the fact he stated she needed to move on and they were never going to be good together. Yet he stalked her, relentlessly.

I have discussed the problem caused the study of astrology by incomplete and even untrue biographical facts (which occurs all over the place, not just in the short sketches provided by Astrodatabank) in my paper on this site that looks at what I think are the implications of the results of this astrology. Here is the link: Paper on Implications.

Contining with this paper, like the Ariens, the Damons were married only a short time (less than two years) when Carol Damon became her husband’s homicide victim. Like the Ariens, the Damons disagreed intensely. Like the Ariens, the Damons died in a locality different enough from their birth locations to produce locality Angles good for comparison. We want to see what, if any, similarities there are in the synastry of these two couples.

Before we get to those comparisons, I want to say something about this astrological method.

Method
This astrological method is not the traditional Western one. It is not traditional, period. True, it uses sidereal astrology, the predominant (traditional) astrology of the East. It also uses the Egyptian harmonic. Both are quite old. This method started with me in 1983. Its working rules were not inherited. They were uncovered gradually through years of research. As they were uncovered, a system which at first seemed too complex became almost too simple. Here are those rules:

Chart Rules

And here are links to my comments on the practical differences between sidereal versus tropical astrology as well as a paper discussing the origin of this method:

Tropical vs. Sidereal Astrology

About This Method (This paper also includes a discussion of the Egyptian harmonic.)

In this paper we want to look at the negative synastry between two people (1) as a given between their birth charts, and, (2) at a certain moment in time. The” time” for (2) is the day of Sandra A’s death (October 3, 1993, time of day unknown). For the most part their negative synastry involves looking at their compound sets involving mars and saturn, the lesser and greater malefics of astrology.

Mars and Saturn in Synastry
Mars and saturn in the same compound set produce one of the most difficult synastry situations that exist between two people. Here I have used the synastry of a couple, but these sets work the same among any two people—boss and employee, siblings, parent and child, friends, co-workers, and so on.

In astrology, mars is the symbol for aggression, assertion, cutting, tearing, breaking down, martial, penetrating, and so on. Saturn is the symbol that represents our deepest fears and our least understood limitations. Saturn also stands for deficiency, want, deprivation, darkness, depression, crystallization, sterility, and old age. In old age we become brittle and crystallized, i.e., unable or unwilling to change our ways. In youth, our crystallization (that is, fragility, rigidity, vulnerability) as it is represented by saturn is hidden deep in our personality where it was unconsciously cast during our early childhood. Generally, we are not aware of it, nor do we want to know it exists.

For the purpose of discussion about compound sets, let’s call the individual who contributes mars to the set the “mars individual,” and the one who contributes saturn, the “saturn individual.” It should be easy to see from the defining words used for mars and saturn that when they operate between two individuals some one (the saturn individual) is going to feel aggressed—cut and penetrated—in the most vulnerable, least understood part of his psyche. It almost always starts out that the mars individual inadvertently steps on the delicate toes of the saturn individual. This can go on for a long time (years), but not forever. Eventually the saturn individual “rises up” and figuratively, if not literally, flattens the mars person. At that point, the mars individual can wonder, “what did I do to deserve this?” The mars individual had seen his aggression as “natural” and the other individual’s sometimes apparent discomfort as “weakness.” Seen it, that is, if he has bothered to notice it at all. He wasn’t intending harm, he was just “being himself.” After all, what are you supposed to do if by just being yourself you are making another individual uncomfortable—stop being yourself?

When two individual share more than one compound mars/saturn set interaction gets tricky, indeed. Then the same individual can be both aggressor and the victim, depending on which set she is operating out of at the time.

My understanding of compound mars/saturn sets comes from experience as well as research. Some times when I hear of a long, drawn out, bitter divorce between two people I imagine they have at least one compound mars/saturn set between them. When two individuals share one or more compound mars/saturn sets, we have happened upon the astrological situation in which each individual believes himself sincerely in the right as well as sincerely wronged by the other individual. Each tells himself or herself that it would take little for the other individual to make things “right.” Each believes the other individual, therefore, meanly holding out. Each is in pain. Each ends up believing the other individual is fortuitously augmenting that pain. This leads to endless mutual recriminations, both imaginative and verbal. And, of course, it can escalate to violence.

One can live with another with whom they share a compound mars/saturn. It happens, unfortunately, between some parents and their children. Too, it happens among couples when they also share strong positive sets. The positive sets provide the motivation—the liking, loving, pleasure, comfort, laughter, highs—to be together. At first, the quarrels, hurt feelings, and rifts sponsored by the mars/saturn set are ignored or patched up quickly. In fact, healing the rift provides the couple with some fairly dramatic experiences of intimacy, convincing them of the depth of their attachment. The “good” feels really good especially when compared with how awful the “bad” feels. As time goes on, however, healing is less pleasurable and their differences have become more painful. Unresolved differences lead to the accumulation of bad feelings and resentment.

At the beginning of relationships we all tend to put our best foot forward, emphasizing the positive both consciously and unconsciously. With couples who fall in love, their fairy tale happiness is helped along by the strong positive astrology active when they met. So, it is not surprising no one wants to welcome discord when and if it happens. No one wants to see herself the snarly, defensive, child-like partner that is represented by a wounded saturn individual.

Even if a married couple did not start out with a compound mars/saturn set, they are together so long that sooner or later they usually experience some through progressions. When that happens, the pain starts with the saturn individual experiencing the previously loving spouse as thoughtless, insensitive, crude, and possibly even cruel. Mutual blame, anger, resentment, and even disbelief begin to accumulate. But, since the condition came about through progressions, it will pass and the relationship will improve. From the point of view of the individuals experiencing it, their temporary pain was a fluke in a usually good relationship. And, since they did not start out with the problem, they would be right. They experienced as passing a difficult condition which some couples experience as part of their life together.

So, it is difficult enough for a relationship to survive intact through a progressed mars/saturn set. It is best not to go into a relationship which starts out with strong one.

It can get worse. A couple can start out with a compound mars/saturn set. Then, one or more sets are formed between them during one period of time.

This can happen in several ways. As stated above, it can occur through progressions. It can also occur through a change in locality. The couple move and one (or both) of them provide new locality Angles for mars/saturn sets that were previously in the background (i.e., without a light or Angle). Or the locality Angles coincide with new, progressed mars/saturn sets.

Since she died in a locality close to her birth, the A’s were not influenced by locality astrology at the time. They were, however, under the influence of a powerful progressed compound mars/saturn.

Some Chart Definitions
In the tables below, b stands for birth, c stands for conception, and p for progressed. T stands for transiting. A number following the letters identifies the harmonic chart from which the harmonic planet was taken, e.g., b7 pluto identifies the harmonic of pluto for the 7th chart. All harmonics used are +2 greater than the number of the chart they are applied to. Therefore, the harmonic used for the 7th chart is the ninth, or novienic, harmonic.

MC stands for Midheaven while Asc stands for Ascendant. B-Loc identifies the locality chart for birth, while C-Loc identifies the locality chart for conception. Reasonably, then, pB-Loc MC identifies the progressed locality Midheaven for birth while pC-Loc Asc identifies the progressed locality Ascendant for conception.

Now we can look at some of the synastry in the compound sets which existed between the Damons.

In this paper most of the chart comparisons are between 7th charts because the 7th chart (partnerships) is strongest in showing relationship, I occasionally include comparison of 5th charts (sexuality and children).

Angles and House Cusps for the Damons
I have not included drawings of partial charts in this paper, therefore, house cusps are not shown. They are shown below for those who might want to refer to them

House Cusps for Carol Damon:
Placidus: C MC—27 Leo 44, c11—28Vir, c12—21Lib, C Asc—10 Scorpio 29, c2—13Sag, c3—21Cap B MC—23 Sagittarius 35, b11—17Cap, b12—20Aqu, B Asc—8 Aries 29, b2—10Tau, b3—3Gem

House Cusps for Michael Damon:
Placidus: C MC—9 Scorpio 18, c11—30Sco, c12—20Sag, C Asc—16 Capricorn 59, c2—8Pis, c3—15Ari B MC—4 Pisces 46, b11—12Ari, b12—22Tau, B Asc—26 Gemini 17, b2—15Can, b3—7Leo

Starting Compound Mars/Saturn Sets Between Michael and Carol
By “starting sets” I mean sets that existed between their charts prior to any progressions. The Damons started with two compound mars/saturn sets:

Set (1) also includes his c venus at 17 Sagittarius 50. It boils down to he shares a highly afflicted venus (by light/mars/saturn) with her mars. His more tender feelings (venus) are getting beat up on (mars/saturn) in this set. She gets “paid back” by his saturn to her mars (his disapproval [saturn} or her automatic behavior [mars]). This set influences three Angles—her b7 mars rules her B Asc, her c7 mars rules her C Asc, and his c7 mars rules his C MC.

Note the disadvantage of having Angles rules by mars or saturn. Her B and C Asc are ruled by mars. His C MC is rules by saturn, while mars rules his C Asc. Each time one of the rules of these Angles participates in a compound set, it brings it forefront.

Mr. Damon contributes three lights to this compound mars/saturn. Set (2) influences an Angle through her c mars, which rules her C Asc.

Sets (1) and (2) above show that the Damons started with 2 compound mars/saturns.

They also started with several lesser compound malefics in which either mars or saturn was part of the compound set, but not both. Every body has these, so unless predominant, they are not so important. Below I show two of their more difficult ones:

Set (3) shows her moon/saturn/saturn being brought forefront by his B Asc (which also happens to include his saturn). When they are in this consciousness, it is like a deep pit they have fallen into, signifying a lot of depression and lack mutual appreciation. Here, both feel poverty-stricken emotionally, and neither can help the other.

At the time of their death, her progressed c7 NN, at 26 Sagittarius 04 (coming from 29 Sagittarius 55) had entered the set. They were both experiencing double node/saturn, a sense of darkness, foreboding, difficulty, depression, and insufficiency (all saturn).

I would think this compound set reflects that they are able to have pleasant (mercury/venus) and serious (mercury/saturn) discussions. The problem is that her b saturn is retrograde, therefore progressing toward her B Asc and he is providing a moon right there. Her Asc/saturn is the symbol for her potential (early) death. Her progressed b saturn was 8 Aries 21R on the date of her death, providing the close Angle/saturn we expect in death. He not only provided a light for it, he was the instrument of her death.

It is possible for some one to live through progressed secondary saturn to an Angle [such as Carol experienced in Set (4) above]. The ones I have seen have been mostly very young children, and even then it is significant of a very dark childhood. Progressing secondary saturn moves so slowly it takes years to move off the Angle once it has hit it. During all the time it is there (let’s say it is operative ½° before exact conjunction and ½° after exact conjunction) it provides the individual with the Angle/saturn that is so life-depressing, working through health, accidents, homicide, and so on. Carol’s progressing saturn moved only 1° 16’ in her 21 years alive—about 3 and ½ minutes per year.

Progressed Compound Mars/Saturn Set
Their progressed compound mars/saturn sets—two of them—are really the result of a tightening up of sets coming from Set (1) above. Set (1) as is represents a compound mars/saturn, but tighter, or closer, usually means even less capacity for objectivity in this area:

Set (5) is shows a very close (in orb) compound mars/saturn with influence to two Angles. His saturn rules his C Asc and her mars rules her B Asc.

In Set (6) her progressed C MC provided an Angle—brought forefront—their close mars/saturn set, which already had influence to an Angle through her mars (ruler of her C Asc).

Progressions, then, broke these last two sets out of Set (1), turning them from loose areas of disagreement and mutual blame into fiery hot areas of distress.

What Drew Them Together?
It would be reasonable to wonder what drew this couple together. What positive sets did they share?

They had two compound golden benefics, but only one of them had Angular influence :

Saturn in the above set plays the important role of providing the Angular ruler—his c7 saturn rules his C Asc. So even though it puts some brakes on the positivity of the set, it also helps its expression.

Set (b) has no Angular influence.

Locality Angles
The Damons had two locality Angles which fit into Set (6) above (which already includes her pC MC), one of which occurred through progressions: (1) his B-Loc Asc was at 19 Gemini 53, and (2) her progressed B-Loc Asc was at 20 Pisces 10.

Conclusion
The Damon’s started out with two compound mars/saturn sets. Set (2) contained a light and influenced one Angle. Set (1) not only contained a light, it influenced three Angles through rulers.

At the time of their deaths, progressions in Set (1) had turned it into two very close compound mars/saturn sets—sets (5) and (6). Set (5) had influence to two Angles. Set (6) influenced one Angle through standard progressions, included a planet that ruled an Angle, and had acquired one Angle each through locality and progressed locality Angles.

Summing, [dropping out Set (1) but including Sets (5) and (6)] through birth, progressions, and locality at the time of their deaths, the Damons had three compound mars/saturn sets with influence to six Angles.

By contrast, they started with two compound benefic sets, only one of which influenced one Angle. At the time of their marriage (not shown here) they had two additional compound benefics with Angular influence which had disappeared by the time of their deaths. At the time of her death, Mrs. Damon had two progressed Angles to venus, so I suspect she was involved in, or about to be involved in, a romantic attraction to another man. At that same time, Mr. Damon had pc mars at 12 Pisces 38 and pb NN at 12 Pisces 26, with mars ruling C MC which was in b 5th house. He, therefore, was also feeling sexually wounded.

Discussion
Although other astrological factors play a role in determining the quality of a relationship, the synastry of mars/saturn and venus/jupiter between charts cover the range from very difficult to very harmonious. In that sense, they are good indices of failed and successful relationships.

Summing for our 8 couples:

William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies, whose love affair lasted over 35 years, started with two compound malefic sets, one lacking both light and Angle influence, and the other lacking Angle influence. They also started with at least two—possibly three—compound golden benefic sets and seven more sets comprised of Angle/venus, light/venus, Angle/jupiter, or light/jupiter.

Since neither of their malefic sets influenced an Angle, the troubles represented by them tended to stay in the background even when a progressing light entered either set.

All of their benefic sets contain lights, and all but one of them [Set (5)] influences at least one of their Angles.

Queen Victoria and her Prince started with zero compound malefic sets and seven compound benefic ones, at least one of which approached being a compound golden benefic.

Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning started with one weak compound mars/saturn set (it did not contain a light and had no influence to Angles). They started with eight compound benefic sets, one of which was compound golden benefic. (This number does not include any progressions or their locality Angles for Florence.)

David Arien killed his wife, Jonelle, and then himself. They started with four compound mars/saturn sets—before progressions, and before locality Angles. In earlier papers I referred to mars/saturn sets as dark malefics. I am not happy with the term but use it to represent, so-to-speak, the “opposite” of golden benefic.

O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson started with two compound mars/saturn sets, one lighted and both with Angular influence. They experienced a confluence of them (four) through progressions and locality Angles at the time of her death. All four influenced at least one Angle, often more. They started with two very weak compound benefic sets. A third compound benefic was strong—Nicole’s San Francisco locality Angles picking up O.J.’s venus/jupiter.

Our third “afflicted couple—the A’s—started with three compound mars/saturn sets (all with influence to Angles) and gained one through progression (with influence to two Angles) at the time of her death. As discussed above, they had one Angular compound golden benefic and a number of lesser sets (light/venus and light/jupiter) (influencing two Angles) that showed a skew toward attraction for him and forbearance (jupiter) from her.

Finally, our fourth “afflicted” couple, the Damons, started with two compound mars/saturn sets (independent of locality) with influence to three Angles (one of the same ones twice). At the time of their death, it could be said they had acquired tighter and more influential sets such that they had three compound mars/saturn sets with influence to six Angles.

These eight couples have shown a strong separation of happy couples from unhappy couples that correlated strongly with number of compound benefics for the former and number of compound malefics for the latter.

Star Flower, a rare 7-petaled flower
From Wildflowers of Michigan Field Guide, by Stan Tekiela

Contact the author at sleeweidner@yahoo.com