The Man
Enron Corporation and its CEO, Ken Lay, have been highlighted in international news for months. The huge energy corporation, based in Houston, Texas, filed for bankruptcy on December 2, 2001. In the several years preceding bankruptcy, upper management sold its stock; most of their employees had not. Upper management made millions; their employees and shareholders lost millions.

Questions have surfaced. Did management knowingly mislead their employees? Even if it turns out management mislead people, did they break any laws? If they broke laws--whichever ones--will they have to pay for their crimes?

Astrology has something to say about business. It also has something to say about guilt or Innocence. While it cannot conclusively determine guilt, it can establish certain facts. First we look at business.

Success and failure of privately owned businesses are reflected in the astrological charts of their owner(s). Such, for instance, is the case with Bill Gates, and his corporation, Microsoft, before it went public. Gates has a very powerful, very positive money chart. It reflects his potential to become a very rich man. Therefore, it reflects the likelihood his would become a very rich corporation.

Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer, does not have as good a money chart as Gates. Wozniak’s implies doing too many things, mixed focus: ill-considered spending of time, money, or energy.

The reason Microsoft--and not Apple--dominates the computer market is Gates had the better money chart. He did not necessarily have the better product. Whoever won the race to dominate the exploding field of computer software had to have a great financial chart. The potentially gargantuan computer market implied a potentially gargantuan profit. Huge profits implied a very successful business.

As it turns out, the well-being of even big corporations is reflected in the charts of its major officers (and probably major shareholders), especially if they stick with the corporation while in the process of experiencing their personal decline. That, at least, is the case with Ken Lay.

So, what is it about Lay? Does his chart show the power necessary to become CEO of a large corporation like Enron? Does it show the money and perks such success implies? Yes, it does. If it shows those things, how, then, does it show Enron’s bankruptcy?

First I'll show Lay’s indicators for success.

An individual's harmonic chart for his 7th house shows his relationships with others. It is the defining, and therefore major, chart in this system. It contains information about all areas of his life, including his career. In addition to the 7th, the 10th chart also contains career information.

If success implies wealth, Lay’s harmonic chart for his 2nd house (money and personal assets) needs to be considered. It does happen--examples are the Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.--that people are successful without being wealthy. Usually, however, the two are positively correlated. This is especially true in business and markets.

Before looking at charts, I must first mention a few things about this system:

(1) In the partial charts shown below, birth planets and their harmonics are inside the circle. Conception planets and their harmonics are outside the circle. Perhaps an easier way to see them is: if they are inside the circle and blue, they are birth planets; if they are not blue, they are birth harmonic planets. If they are outside the circle and red, they are conception planets; if they are not red; then they are conception harmonic planets.

(2) For an explanation of the astrology used on this site, go to “About This System” listed among other papers on the Home Page. For those who do not want to do that, there is this note: this system uses only conjunctions, applying and separating squares, and oppositions. Orbs with lights is 5°; without lights, about 2.5°. Birth planets (including their harmonics) rule only birth houses. Conception planets (including their harmonics) rule only conception houses.

We can now take a look at Dr. Lay’s charts.

I continue with more on Lay’s civic and financial status:

(b), above, shows Lay has a second light/venus/jupiter influence. None in this set rules Angles, so it is not as powerful as (a). B7 moon does influence Lay’s 10th house of social status because it influences nearly half of it. Both venus and jupiter--lighted by this moon--are influencing 2nd houses of money. This set again suggests success and wealth.

All this success--light/venus/jupiter--by the way, gives Lay charisma. It is the charisma of the very successful. We believe such people. After all, look at how successful they are.

Successful, however, at what?

(a), (b), and (c) above are all excellent indicators for a successful mover and shaker in the business world. As well, they indicate some one skilled in understanding shared assets.

In order for success to by unalloyed, Lay’s 10th house within his 7th chart and his whole 10th chart need to agree.

Looking at Dr. Lay’s harmonic chart for his 10th house, we note he still has sun/venus/jupiter, [the same venus and jupiter as in (a) above]. This time the sun involved is b10 sun at 16 Taurus 47. None of these rule Angles. Moreover, the set now includes c10 saturn at 14 Taurus 13, and c10 neptune at 15 Taurus 07. This is not unalloyed success. In fact, saturn/neptune imply a possible downfall. (Saturn=downfall;neptune makes it grandiose). What else?

Lay’s mercury in Pisces, also part of this set, can be read at least three ways: (1) it represents his own fanciful thinking, and (2) it shows his sensitivity to what others want to believe, and (3) it represents the vulnerability he feels under public scrutiny for his questionable corporate practices. Mercury in Pisces rules both birth Angles. Even if we do not consider B MC part of the set, (d)’s influence still extends to two Angles. It represents a “must happen.” Still unknown is its scope and severity .

Where did Lay learn this type of behavior? Since our 10th chart also shows our experience of our nurturing parent, he likely learned it from his mother, directly or in reaction. Our mothers are practically the sole creators of our first world. As infants and toddlers we are remarkably impressionable. Whether she intends it or not, even minute aspects of Mom’s behavior refract multitudinous ways throughout our adult identity. Traits represented by (d) are an old, ingrained pattern of Lay’s.

Do we know absolutely that Lay did not fool himself or get duped? Not absolutely. It is entirely possible he thought Enron’s machinations would work out all right. This condition says he will be known as one who is a habitual (south node) distorter (neptune) of facts (Gemini and mercury) about shared assets (8th house). It doesn’t say he actually did it, and it doesn’t say he intended it. When it comes to actual guilt, there is no substitute for facts, facts, facts.

Lay’s situation is similar to that of a convicted murderer. All we know for sure is the facts available, presented under special circumstances, lead a jury to convict him. We do not know if he was actually guilty. His reputation--this time established by a jury--convicts him and sends him to jail. Quite a few individuals (especially poor ones) have been found guilty of murder or rape when they were innocent of both.

On the other hand, when it comes to crimes of passion, astrology can establish the plausibility the suspect did it. Likewise, with a set like this, I do not believe Ken Lay was exactly innocent. Duped by others? By analogy, what is the probability a master used car salesman would be hoodwinked by other used car salesmen? At his own dealership? Not high. This set (d) is perfect for some one who misrepresents reality. (c) above is perfect for the wheeler-and-dealer. Lay would have to be constantly on the alert in order not to mis-use such powerful powers of persuasion. If he was duped at all, it wasn’t by others, but by the evidence of his own past. He had always been brilliant and successful. How could he fail?

These show us the major indicators for Lay’s reputation. They do not show us the timing for his, and Enron’s, present trouble. What precipitated his fall and, by implication, the fall of Enron? Returning to Lay’s birth Angles:

There is, however, something else to consider. He has the same B MC and B Asc in all his charts. So, they are the same in his harmonic chart for his 7th house. What is going on there?

Until I have dates with which to correct, if necessary, Dr. Lay’s time of birth, I have to stick with his given birth time. If it is correct, the scandal he has so far experienced is now showing up in his 7th chart. The scandal he may yet experience (in 2003) if tried on criminal charges has not happened yet.

Timing for events in charts is exacting. To do them right, one must have the correct time of birth. This paper will be updated if events usable for verifying Lay’s birth time become known. From what has happened (scandal, resignation, corporation collapse), 6:00 p.m. CWT appears correct, or at least close. “Appears,” but speculation is no substitute for conviction.

Lay, Death from Heart Attack (Added November, 2014)
The ambulance was called from the Lay estate in Old Snowmass, Colorado at 1:41 a.m. MDT. Taken to the hospital, Lay was pronounced dead that same morning. Cause of death was a heart attack.

[November 2014] There is now a whole paper on heart deaths. Here is the link: 28 Cases, Newborn Serious Heart Defects, Adult Deaths from Heart Attack and Heart Failure.. I will shortly also be publishing a paper on another set of twins--one died of a heart attack and the other of cancer. That link will be Kray Brothers, Ron Died of Heart Attack, His Brother Reginald of Cancer.

Also available is the astrology of the death from heart attack of twin June while her sister Jennifer lived. Here is that link: The Silent Twins--June's Death from Heart Disease (Myocarditis). And a paper showing that both twins died of heart attack ten months apart: The Picard Brothers Deaths Months Apart from Heart Attack.

The chart indicating Lay’s death is his 7th chart. Sun was found on an Angle at birth in the significator chart in 19 of the 28 charts of that paper. Lay’s 7th does not contain sun on an Angle. Sun on an Angle does occur in his 6th chart of health, with b6 sun at 11 Virgo 11 on both B MC at 12 Gemini 07 and B Asc at 11 Virgo 28. So far I have stuck to the principle that the Angle/sun must occur in the same chart that shows cardiac death. Lay’s 6th chart does not show his death.

He does, of course, have sun on an Angle by progression for date of death in his 7th chart for death.

He also has an Angle in Leo, ruled by the sun, so Set (1) below gives us his major indicator of the potential for a heart death.

Set (1) contains node/2sun/saturn/neptune. B7 sun rules b 12th house and c7 sun rules C MC. This is our “Angle/sun” influence, in fact it is an Angle/2sun/saturn influence. It is more like a set sponsoring heart failure than a heart attack since it weakens the heart over time—saturn is a drag on whatever it touches.. It may not do much damage if just around for a while—say, a year—but over a longtime—in Lay’s case, a lifetime, it does its damage. Saturn dries, dessicates, sponsors old age.

Set (2) initially has nothing to do with a heart death. It contains only mars and saturn, but they are conjunct, with b7 saturn co-ruling (15 of 33°) b 4th house and b mars ruling b 8th house. Containing both malefics and influencing both 4th and 8th houses, it certainly suggests it will someday play a part in his death. Or at least could. And it did. Here is what it looked like on July 5, 2006, the date Lay died. His return covering the event occurred on May 27, 2006, in Old Snowmass, Colorado.

Updated Set (2) contains the full significator (known so far) for cardiac death—Angle/sun/mars/saturn/4th/6th/8th. But there is usually more “supporting” astrology for death from heart attack. It occurred here, too.:.

Updated Set (1) shows that his heart is much weaker (saturn) than it was at birth. Containing, as it does, five lights, it is a very potent set. Return7 sun is counted because even though that sun is used, though the 7th chart, to find all 9 returns, it only occurs in that position in a 7th chart, so it is a valid addition to the b7 and c7 suns. And the return sun in Taurus also counts as an “extra” or “new” sun because it just happened that Lay;s return for death contained it. It could have been in any of 8 other return positions—for Lay, 21 Gemini, 1 Leo, 11 Virgo, 21 Libra, and so on.

Lay had additional supporting sets...

• pB MC was at 14 Leo 02, though very late, arguably a part of Updated Set (1) above. (This is a non-rectified chart for 6:00 pm birth).

• pc7 saturn, co-ruler of b 4th house, was at 11 Gemini 39R in a set with B MC aty 12 Virgo 07 and B Asc at 11 Virgo 28.

• return Asc at 8 Cancer 09 was in the same set with pb mars at 9 Cancer 11 and b pluto at 9 Cancer 32 (with a 2° orb allowed for return Angles; only 1° for progressed Angles).

• pc7 uranus, ruler of c 4th house, at 27 Gemini 46R was conjuncy b7 mrtvuty, ruler of B MC and B Asc, at 28 Gemini 19.

Lay’s astrology for death from heart attack is consistent with the astrology shown in the paper on heart attacks. Its link, again, is Paper on Newborn and Adult Heart Deaths.

• his usual good reputation
• his usual success
• his reputation as a brilliant idea man
• the fact his brilliance would be employed in the area of shared resources
• his tendency to misrepresent the truth
• the likelihood he would be caught at it
• the timing for his fall based on his given birth time
• his death from heart attack

I did not show or discuss his money chart (2nd) or shared assets chart (8th). His 2nd chart is, in fact, quite good for money. So is his 8th for shared assets.

Speculation on whether or not Lay is ever tried, convicted, and fined--at least beyond that already stated above--is not possible without first establishing beyond doubt his birth time.

Using his 6:00 p.m. charts, Lay was scheduled for this darker, less successful period in his life. Progressed saturn to Angles always represents a darker time. It also appears likely Lay believed he (Enron) could finagle himself out of Enron’s growing financial jam. After all, who wants to be involved in a scandal? Lay’s personal fall, however, could have been just that--his own, personal social demise. When he and other top managers chose to falsify and distort the reality of Enron’s viability as a corporation, bit by bit they chose to take Enron down with them. That’s the business aspect. Any one who has experienced the slippery slope and sudden bottom of successive rationalizations can have sympathy for all these people.

When, however, they decided to cash in at the expense of other investors, Enron’s executives made choices based in moral, ethical, and--possibly--legal realms. Sympathy for people who dupe and rob their investors is misplaced sympathy.

A considerable amount of conning occurs these days. It is ubiquitous and very slick. It occurs in areas from advertising to legal defenses to presidential elections. People have become skilled in the magic of keeping the audience’s eye on the wrong hand, the wrong person, the wrong event. I think the watchword for following this shell game is: keep your eye on the money.

I look forward to full disclosure of such money facts. Once known, if they support Lay as naive, hooray for him. In complicated cases like this, however, they will also be long in coming.