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The
NFL has done a head-spinning 180 during the past season. It was only a
few, short months ago that high-scoring, speedy offenses like the Rams
and Vikings
ruled the day. These polished point machines seemed unbeatable, even though
both defenses were a bit suspect. The forces of football evolution must
have hit fast-forward because suddenly we have seen the dawn of the ultimate
defense, grounding the high-flying favorites with the kind of no-scoring
trench warfare that has brought the Giants and the Ravens
to the Super Bowl.
No offense
to the Baltimore offense, but are they even necessary? The Ravens’ impenetrable
defense, in the course of setting a new league record for the least points
allowed in a season, generally outscores and outgains their offensive
unit. The Giants, under quarterback Kerry Collins, have a somewhat more
capable strike force, but that’s not how they shut out the Vikings and
shut down the Eagles.
An
Awesome Defense
There is
a definite astrological correlation to this striking turn of events, and
it centers on the planet Saturn. Currently in the stubborn, earthy sign of Taurus, Saturn is the planet of limits
and restrictions. Saturn’s favorite word is “no”, and in Taurus, it flatly
refuses to give ground.
Saturn is currently at a standstill, or station, on a crucial point within
the Ravens’ team chart. The Baltimore Ravens took the field for their
first game on September 1, 1996, at 1:00 pm in Baltimore. At that time,
the sign Scorpio was rising in the east, and Taurus was setting in the
west, putting the team Ascendant, or rising sign, at 25 degrees Scorpio.
Directly
opposite the Ascendant is the team’s Descendant, at 25 degrees Taurus.
The Descendant is the part of the chart that marks the place where the
Sun sets, or descends. It is the beginning of the Seventh House, and as
such, is associated with relationships, partners, encounters and open
enemies. It is that point where the individual comes into contact with
significant others.
Currently,
transiting Saturn, at 24 degrees Taurus, is slowing to a stop
on the Raven’s Descendant. As Saturn slowly grinds its way across this
point in space, the Ravens have displayed a mastery of the Saturnine arts
of limitation and restraint, specifically in contention with their opponents
and open enemies! Taurus is the primary earth sign, and the Baltimore
defense has been particularly efficient in stopping the ground game. Nobody
has been able to run on them all season, and they have faced the league’s
best.
Linebacker
Ray Lewis
The
undisputed leader of the Ravens’ D is the controversial middle linebacker,
Ray Lewis. Lewis is a Taurus, born May 15, 1975 in Lakeland, Florida,
and his natal Sun at 24 degrees Taurus is conjunct both the Ravens’ Descendant
and the current position of Saturn. This Saturn transit has united Lewis
and his teammates at this time into the leagues’ stingiest and most unforgiving
defense ever.
Saturn has
also united them through trials of a more serious nature. Saturnine circumstances
in the aftermath of last year’s Super Bowl left Lewis bound and shackled
with two charges of murder. He didn’t do it, and I never believed that
he did, but the stigma, and the painful need for self-justification, remain.
Quarterback
Trent Dilfer
With the
proper discipline and effort, Saturn promises mastery, but not always
success. Some of Saturn’s most painful, enduring, but ultimately, successful
lessons come through abject failure. Failure can strip a man of everything,
forcing him to start over from nothing. That’s how Ravens’ quarterback
Trent Dilfer started the season. Stripped of his job, his pride and his
starting position with the Tampa
Bay Bucs, Dilfer had to start all over as a backup on the Ravens’
bench. When Tony
Banks slid into a midseason swoon, they turned to Dilfer to
get the job done.
Dilfer
is a Pisces, born March 13, 1972, at 3:06 pm PST in Santa Cruz, California.
He may never be a “great” quarterback, but he is a great guy, and he has
proven his basic decency time and time again in some tough situations.
Back in 1995,
Saturn was in Pisces, and, like Ray Lewis now, Dilfer struggled with the
transit of Saturn over his natal Sun. That’s when (then) Bucs coach Sam
Wyche promoted the young quarterback to the starting position. In another
Saturn-related event, Dilfer became a father, and the responsibilities
were piling on. It was all too much at the time. He needed a few seasons
on the bench to mature and develop, but instead, he was thrust into the
fire. He struggled in Tampa for four disappointing seasons, finally losing
his job to rookie Shaun
King in 1999. Through it all, Dilfer was an affable and gracious
leader in the community, never resorting to bitterness or blame.
Now, in one
of the crowning ironies of the season, Trent Dilfer returns to his old
stadium in Tampa, quarterbacking the Super Bowl favorites. With a little
help from transiting Jupiter (currently conjunct his natal Saturn), he
has found a team (and a team chart) that fits him and his limited style
of play. Running more of a “prevent offense,” he doesn’t need to score
a lot of points, as long as he avoids mistakes and turnovers.
What
About the Big Game?
In
this defensive death match, where kickers can outshine quarterbacks, both
teams may struggle for enough points to get a result. The truth is, chicks
dig offense, but defense wins games. The big game is scheduled to kick
off at 6:25 pm EST, shortly after the Aquarius Sun sets. Mars, the planet
of competition and war, will be in passionate Scorpio, where it can get
pretty intense, and it is also finishing a tense 90-degree angle to the
wild card, Uranus in Aquarius. Since Uranus is the planet of surprises,
this could portend some unusual goings on, especially as Uranus sets on
the Descendant, probably during the latter part of the first quarter.
This
square between Mars and Uranus could particularly affect the Ravens’ quarterback
Trent Dilfer because his birth Mars at 21 degrees Taurus is at odds with
both planets, and that’s a pretty volatile combination. Expect the unexpected
with Uranus—odd turnovers or penalties are common with its transits—whereas
a difficult Mars aspect can actually hurt, and could signify a potential
injury.
The end of
the game should come around 9:45 pm EST, just as both Venus (the things
we love) and the Moon (emotions) in Pisces are setting on the Descendant.
This should be a big, emotional finish, and one that probably hinges on
the kicking game. Both teams’ kickers are locked into this end-of-game
configuration, and they both have some odd aspects. However, I would have
to give the edge to Brad Daluiso of the Giants. Even though the Ravens
are favored to win, the Giants have a real opportunity here.
The Moon
in Pisces at the end of the game happens to be occupying the same degree
(29) as it did when our recent presidential election went into overtime.
At the very end of the twelfth sign, the Moon must cross the invisible
border into Aries before it begins to interact with the other planets
again and form aspects. This condition is known as “void-of-course,” and
it is traditionally considered to be inconclusive or confusing. The idea
is that some time must pass, or something else must happen, before the
result can be determined. Overtime is certainly a possibility here, and
if that comes to pass, it again puts more emphasis on the kicking game.
In spite
of the many complaints about a boring match up, I suggest you don’t miss
this one, especially the finish. This looks like a tight match with a
thrilling climax, and while the Ravens are the obvious favorites, they
don’t have any kind of a lock on this thing. The Giants have a shot here.
Will they make the most of their opportunity? Let’s watch the game!
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