Ellie Simmonds, the retired Paralympian swimmer, winner of gold medals at three Olympics, who suffers from dwarfism, has opened up a discussion on disabled babies in a documentary Should I Have Children?
Her previous 2023 documentary Finding My Secret Family on tracking down her birth mother who had given her up for adoption when she was two weeks old, overwhelmed by her condition, won a Bafta.
Born 11 November 1994 in Manchester, she was lucky enough to be given to loving and supportive adoptive parents who nurtured her talent as a swimmer. And she clearly had the drive to cope with a punishing training schedule for years on end. She has a determined stellium in Scorpio with her Sun conjunct Jupiter and Pluto and square Mars in Leo, with Mercury, North Node and Venus also at earlier Scorpio degrees.
What intrigued me was her weighted Scorpio Sun square Mars, which is not dissimilar to Oscar Pistorius, the South African paralympic sprinter, who had his lower limbs amputated because of a congenital defect when he was months old. His Scorpio Sun is square Mars in Aquarius and he also has Mercury, Pluto, Venus in Scorpio. His Pluto is trine Jupiter giving him added confidence.
In astrology Scorpio used to be known as the miracle maker for its ability to set goals and make them happen. In both cases overcoming disabilities must have taken extra drive and motivation.
Pistorius, of course, ended up notorious for killing his girlfriend and spending a decade in prison – which is the other side of a Fixed (Scorpio) Sun Mars. But the single-minded determination of both charts is what would bring them success in their respective sports.
In Ellie’s chart, name Ellie aspects Moon-Saturn; name Simmonds conjuncts Merc-Venus,
and aspects Moon-Saturn, and aspects Asc, body, stature.
From C.E.O Carter’s book, he quotes Gadbury on Stature, Shortness, Dwarfism……
“Capricorn ascending and Mercury and Venus joined unto Saturn therein, the native
will be a dwarf.” Supporting this, Ellie has Neptune, ruling swimming/swimmers
in the first House with Cancer, water, for Public Performance in her 7th.
Moon in Pisces, water, joins Saturn, shortness, with both aspecting her Asc, body.
Here is her speculative chart based on the above. Using the 3 dots
on your computer screen enlarge the chart to 125%.
https://postimg.cc/sQMKfZM5
That’s an interesting contrast. I suppose a traditionalist would say that Ellie’s square is different as it’s also a mutual reception, so a bit easier to work with.