Battle of the Sexes:

Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs

by Liz Houle

Published in June-July 2001 NCGR Memberletter

On the evening of September 20, 1973, in Houston, Texas, 29- year-old Billie Jean King, one of the top U.S. female tennis players of all time, was thrust into worldwide fame after winning a tennis match against a chauvinist, out-of-shape, 55-year-old, former male tennis pro named Bobby Riggs. This match which was telecast live to thousands of viewers (some who had never before been interested in nor seen a tennis match), became known as The Battle of the Sexes. Not only did this match become a symbol for the feminist movement which was taking the country by storm, but it alerted the public to take women's tennis more seriously.

By looking at Billie Jean King's Vedic natal chart, Mahadasa/Bhukti periods and transits, one can easily tell that she was born to win, and destined for fame and fortune. (Mahadasa meaning "Great Age" is one of the nine planetary periods into which our life is divided. Bhukti is the sub- period of the main period.) Billie Jean King was born on November 22, 1943 at 11:45 A.M. in Long Beach, CA. She has a Capricorn lagna (Sanskrit for ascendant) which means she has a pragmatic approach to life, and is very patient and hard-working. She may have a tendency towards depression but is also able to face obstacles in her ambitious climb to the top. Her lagna ruler, Saturn, is in her sixth house of open enemies. (In Vedic and Hellenistic astrology, the sixth house signifies open enemies, while in modern astrology it is the seventh house.) Saturn's placement there may present her with more obstacles but, as she gets older, she will get better and better at overcoming them. This is because in Vedic Astrology the third, sixth, tenth and eleventh houses are known as Upachaya, or growth, houses so conditions improve over the course of her life.

The placement of a malefic planet like Saturn, actually allows her to overcome problems and competition. It also means that her enemies will respect her. Because the sixth house is also the house of health, Billie Jean King's obstacles included poor eyesight, knee injuries which required surgery, sinus trouble and breathing difficulties. Even when setting world records at Wimbledon, she said that she was never entirely healthy.

Besides health problems Billie Jean King received no support from her peers for the Battle of the Sexes. The other top female tennis players did not believe that she could beat Bobby Riggs and this affected her quite deeply. The lack of confidence shown by her teammates is another manifestation of having the first house ruler placed in the sixth house which signifies that the native may be more appreciated by foreigners than people from her own country, or put an other way - your own people won't support you but outsiders will.

Transiting Mars was in Aries in her fourth house of happiness - also making the Battle very difficult emotionally. Since the fourth house signifies the mother, it also shows that her mother was not supportive; in fact, her mother felt Billie Jean should not play against a man. Although it might have seemed otherwise to the general public, Billie Jean King was, in fact, not very convinced that she had the ability to beat an overly confident Bobby Riggs and, as a result, she trained exceedingly hard in preparation for the match. Her lack of confidence may be attributed to the Nakshatra (Moon Mansion) that her Moon is in. Billie Jean King's natal Moon in 7°40' Virgo is in the Uttraphalguni Nakshatra. (Nakshatras, or Moon mansions, are the 27 star groupings of 3° 20' into which the zodiac is divided.) The Nakshatra's ruling deity is called Aryaman and he bestows good leadership skills as well as the ability to recognize one's limitations in the face of adversity.2 It also makes one a good communicator, liberal yet with fixed principles, happy, friendly and likeable, and socially smart.

Billie Jean King was quite savvy about handling the overwhelming public attention. She never lost her composure before, during, or after the match. An indication of great success in her Rasi (natal) chart lies in the position of Venus, the ruler of the tenth house of career, which is very strong and well-placed in the Vedic chart. Venus, a natural benefic, is the ruler of the fifth and tenth houses, and is placed in the ninth house which is considered extremely powerful. Whenever a planet is the ruler of both an auspicious trikona (tri- angular) house - first, fifth or ninth - and a Kendra (angular) house - first, fourth, seventh, or tenth - it is the most beneficial planet in the chart and called a Yogakaraka. If the planet is not afflicted and is placed in another trikona or Kendra house, then it is extraordinarily powerful creating a Raj Yoga (Royal Union) and manifests as fame, fortune, happiness, and wealth. King's Venus, as lord of the fifth and tenth houses, is placed in the ninth house of opportunities, and rewards. Planets occupying or ruling trikona houses are considered to be very fortunate.

On the day of the Battle of the Sexes transiting Jupiter, planet of abundance, aspected the ninth house Venus which helped it even more. (But it must not be forgotten that Venus, as lord of the 5th and 10th houses, is also in its fallen position in Virgo. Her public reputation (10th house) has also been controversial, and she never had children (5th house)). Additionally, Vedic astrologers view the Moon chart in much the same way Western Astrologers use the solar chart. By placing the Moon's sign as King's first house, Venus is also placed in the first house indicating that her image would become prominent in the world.

The Moon as Ascendant Chart is known as Chandra Lagna - Chandra means Moon, and Lagna is ascendant. The Moon's position in the auspicious ninth house alongside this strong Venus is extremely beneficial. A person with a ninth house Moon will build structures for the benefit of others, and is often found in the horoscopes of world leaders. Billie Jean King not only received personal glory from her win but she in turn helped other women athletes by campaigning for higher salaries, equal access to public sports facilities, and other causes supporting women's rights.

Since the ninth house represents the father in Vedic Astrology, this combination gave her the support she needed from him. Billie Jean King began playing tennis as a child because of her father's influence. Having the ruler of the fourth house (Mars) in the auspicious fifth house also contributes to a good relation ship with the father as well as the ability to gain from his good deeds. Billie Jean King's father was always supportive of his daughter's athletic skills and was at the Battle of the Sexes game cheering her on.

On the day of the famous match, King was in a Rahu-Venus-Venus period (three levels of planetary period, sub-period, and sub- sub period) making both Rahu (North Node) and Venus the most important influences in her life. During a Rahu Mahadasa, the native may gain success, earn money, and travel. Rahu, a material planet, is prominently placed in King's seventh house in her rasi chart, and in the tenth house of career in her navamsa (ninth harmonic chart). Rahu drives one to achieve their goals and is responsible for Billie Jean King's determination to win. Venus, the ruler of King's tenth house of career and social status, played its hand as ruler of the sub-period (Bhukti) and sub- sub-period (Antar).

Transiting Jupiter in Capricorn casts a seventh house aspect to Rahu, and helped make the Rahu dasa most beneficial. (In Vedic Astrology, we do not use oppositions. Rather, planets in the opposite signs and houses, form what is called a mutual aspect. In King's case, transiting Jupiter in the first house throws its beneficial light on Rahu, increasing the material rewards.) It's interesting to note that on the day of the Battle of the Sexes there was a mutual aspect (an opposition according to Western astrology) between transiting Mars in Aries and transiting Venus in Libra (only minutes apart). Simply stated, this opposition indicated that there would be a battle between men and women in the world on this day. Since they straddle King's Aries fourth house, and her Libra tenth house, she manifested this transit in the material realms of her home and career.

I don't know if anyone could have foreseen a tennis match becoming such an important event in the midst of the women's movement, but with Billie Jean King's chart one could determine that whatever vocation she chose would eventually lead to her becoming a major figure in improving life for others for generations to come.

Birth Data: Billie Jean King, November 22, 1943, 11:45 A.M., Long Beach, CA, 33N47, 118W11, Source: Birth Certificate Bibliography Braha, James, Ancient Hindu Astrology For the Modern Western Astrologer, Hermetician Ness, Hollywood, FL. 1986 Charak, K.S., Elements of Vedic Astrology, UMA Publications, Delhi, India. 1995 Dreyer, Ronnie Gale, Vedic Astrology, Samuel Weiser Inc., York Beach, ME. 1997 Levacy, William, Beneath a Vedic Sky, Hay House, Carlsbad, CA. 2000 Sutton, Komilla, Essentials of Vedic Astrology, Wessex Astrologer, Bournemouth, England. 2000 References 1. Essentials of Vedic Astrology, p.106 2. Essentials of Vedic Astrology, p.189