The Challenge Corner
Zip Dobyns
We had two very interesting responses to the Virgo challenge. I hate to say that they were both wrong since I’m afraid readers will stop sending in guesses. One response correctly guessed that the first twin was the female giving as reasons, Mars and Sun closer to angles in the second twin. Since I’ve seen plenty of charts for women with Mars and Sun much closer to the angles, I’m afraid we could not depend on that principle. That reader looked at quintiles, biquintiles, and septiles to the angles, which impressed me as I tend to neglect those “hard to see” aspects. He also pointed out the more exact Pluto aspects to MC and Ascendant for twin l, and I do think that would support a guess of # l for the psychic. The other responding reader at first thought that twin 2 might be the psychic because Neptune was more closely conjunct the Antivertex, but she decided instead to put emphasis on the dwads of the angles and felt that the Aries dwad rising and the Gemini dwad on the Antivertex would be more enterprising than the Taurus dwad rising and the Cancer dwad on the Antivertex; the latter two signs suggesting the conservative twin.
I think the reasons given are quite reasonable, and really feel that this challenge is pretty impossible. In fact, the male twin is the second born and he is the professional psychic. I noted a variety of changes, limiting orb to one degree. The Mars/Saturn fell at 20 Virgo and 11 minutes, closely conjunct the Ascendant of twin 2, and his Part of Saturn (Ascendant plus Saturn minus Sun) was conjunct the south node of the Moon, while the south node of Saturn and Pluto were quincunx the MC for the first twin and trine the East Point for the second twin. The added emphasis on Saturn in this case points to his need to work and support himself and his family while his sister is supported by her husband. The quincunx to the MC can mean changing jobs or separation from career in general. Twin 1 also has the midpoint of Moon/ Venus on the IC and the south node of Pallas as well as the Pallas/Jupiter midpoint on the Descendant, the combinations suggesting more focus on family life and mate. But twin 2 has Sun/Ceres on the IC so is also family oriented, and we could have interpreted the Pallas prominence as a counseling role as a psychic. One other interesting difference is the Part of Status (MC plus Moon minus Sun) which I interpret as a key to past life career or status. Twin l has it conjunct Venus while twin 2 has it conjunct Mercury, suggesting one more involved in relationships and the other more in the mind and talking to people. But I really think it was an impossible challenge. If I just looked at the psychic planets (water plus Uranus) I would probably guess twin 1 like our readers, since she had Pluto in closer aspect to her MC and Ascendant, and the midpoint of Uranus/Neptune conjunct her MC. So don’t give up. We need to know what we don’t know and what doesn’t work as much as what does work.
The new challenge is female twins, born March 7, l966, at Alamogordo, N.M. one at 8:05 and one at 8:09 A.M. MST. Both were involved in a critical auto accident on July 26, l966. One was killed, and the other survived, though she sustained serious injuries. Any brave readers who want to take a guess?
Twin data thanks to the quarterly journal of The Fraternity for Canadian Astrologers; 14 Howick Pl, #1; Ottawa K1S 3S6; Canada.