This article is a follow up to one I wrote last year where I examined Simone’s chart and
in particular highlighted Venus as her Atma Karaka planet. I will be discussing Venus
in this article, so please refer back to that article for more details. You can do so HERE.
As of this writing on July 31st, Simone Biles and her fellow teammates have already won the Gold in team competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Though every girl put forth amazing performances, without a doubt Simone is the star of the show, which is nothing new for her. However, being the star can be a mixed bag. With so much attention on one person, the pressure can be daunting, which can lead them to the highest of highs or to the lowest of lows. This time around, it definitely seems to be the former rather than the latter. At 27, Simone is participating in her 3rd Olympics, and now holds the record for the most medals won by a US Gymnast in the Olympics.* She has been stellar in every performance so far, and she is glowing in the limelight. Considering how it went for her at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the contrast could not be more stark.
In 2021, Simone was also the star of the show, but not for her athletic prowess. Even though she put forth some amazing performances - good enough for the US team to bring home the Silver team medal - the main headlines had to do with Simone dropping out of the competition after experiencing what is known as the “twisties” while performing a vault. In gymnastics, the “twisties," is a sudden mental block which causes a loss of spatial awareness while performing aerial skills. This drew negative widespread attention to her and sparked conversations about her mental well-being. There was speculation at the time about whether or not Simone’s gymnastics career was over.
What happened to Simone between these two Olympics? The tale can be told through her dasha cycles, transits and how they were affecting her in dramatically different ways. Three years can make a huge difference!
Simone began her Rahu mahadasha at the end of 2012. Rahu Mahadashas, quite deserved sometimes, are known to be quite difficult periods in one’s life. Rahu, the north node, is erratic in nature and, as is the nature of the nodes, can cause confusion wherever they are placed in the chart. When one of their dashas run, it can be particularly intense, as their energy is concentrated in one area of life. Contrast this to a dasha cycle of one of the planets, where the lessons and karma come through not only the planet itself, but the houses they rule. With Rahu being in her 8th house of shocking and unexpected twists (pun intended?) and turns, this time of her life so far has been a roller coaster ride for sure. She has had some of the best experiences of her life happen during this time (she got married in April 2023) and some of the darkest, as we will discuss further.
At the time of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Simone was in her Rahu/Mercury dasha. Mercury is the ruler of her 5th house of creativity, and the 8th house of unexpected changes. Rahu is in her 8th house natally, so with this dasha running, she was getting the karmas from both of her dasha planets at the same time. Her debilitated Mercury in the 2nd house is also active. Mercury is the indicator of our mental state, connected to the intellect and the ability to make sense of things. Her weak Mercury combined with the erratic nature of Rahu in the 8th (unexpected misfortune) is one reason her natural creativity and ability (5th house) was stunted by the shocking event of experiencing the “twisties,” doing a vault she had no doubt practiced hundreds of times.
By transit, Jupiter was in her 1st house alongside her Venus and Ascendant in Aquarius. Jupiter was also retrograde, which can mean a reversal of fortune. Since the 1st house represents her body, this had an effect on her ability to perform, and Venus being her Atma Karaka, this put into question the entire narrative of her identity and sense of who she is to herself and also to the public. Being an Aquarius rising, Saturn is her ruling planet, and at that time Saturn was also retrograde in her 12th house of loss where her debilitated natal Jupiter is. Perhaps if she had been able to properly assess her mental state before the Olympics, she might have not decided to commit (Saturn retrograde) to compete this time around. Jupiter is the indicator of hope, but since hers is debilitated, it was tough to overcome this loss with the heavy weight and pressure that Saturn was giving it.
Lastly, Rahu was transiting her 4th house of the mother. Due to the Covid rules of the Olympics that year, for the first time in her entire gymnastics career, her mother was not there to nurture and prop her up emotionally during the competition. This added to her feeling of not being grounded, and she wasn’t able to talk to her (debilitated Mercury in the 2nd house) as she normally would. In fact, she had a hard time talking about this to anyone. Lastly, her debilitated dasha planet Mercury was transiting her 5th house which is active due to her dasha. This was further indication of how her creativity and mental state was chaotic during that time in her life.
Contrast this to the dasha she is currently experiencing. Although Rahu mahadasha is still active, this time she is in the subdasha of her Atma Karaka - Venus. One thing to remember is that no planet, node, house or configuration is inherently “good” or “bad.” While Rahu can cause things to go awry seemingly out of nowhere (especially since Simone’s is in the 8th house) he can also award someone with great tenacity, even borderline obsession to overcome difficulty. He can also bring flashes of insight and innovation. The 8th house can also be a place of transformation through facing vulnerabilities. An example of this would be in September 2021 when Simone mustered up the courage to give testimony in Senate hearings regarding the abuse she and other gymnasts experienced under their former doctor.
With her Venus dasha running, her super powerful Atma Karaka, Venus is now in play. On top of that, Venus is involved in not one, not two, but three major raja yogas which will be activated by this dasha. These raja yogas are also being activated by this dasha. Even though she began her return to gymnastics the previous year, the Simone Biles we are now seeing compete was on full display during the Olympic trials in June 2024, just one month after she entered her Venus subdasha in May.
Simone’s Venus subdasha activates her 1st house, which puts her body in the spotlight. Venus is the planet of grace, beauty, pleasure and how we share that with others. During this dasha she will be celebrated for her athletic abilities and her smile and charm will be on display for everyone to see. It also activates her 4th house of heart, home and mother, as well as her 9th house of hope, beliefs and inspiration. In stark contrast to the 2021 Olympics, her mother is there (along with her husband and father) cheering her on and their comfort (4th house) and inspiration (9th house) will prop her up on all levels. These are the planets involved in the raja yogas with Venus, which exponentially multiplies their positive impact on her during this time. On top of this, Jupiter, the planet of luck and grace is transiting her 4th house, expanding her feelings of being held and supported, especially by her mother.
Another transit working in her favor is the current Rahu/Ketu half return which began at the end of 2023. This means her Ketu in Pisces is being transited by Rahu and her Rahu in Virgo is being transited by Ketu. This is an opportunity for tremendous growth with many “full circle” moments. Rahu is the future we obsess over and Ketu is the past we don’t want to acknowledge. Under the influence of this transit, Simone is being forced to face head on (Rahu) the things of her past (Ketu) which have been holding her back. With her natal Ketu in the 2nd house, she is really coming to appreciate even more the influence her family has on her. She is realizing that even though she has obvious talent, this could not have been realized without the family structure and values she was raised in. With the stellium of three planets along with Ketu in the 2nd, this is even more pronounced. In the reverse, Simone is able to let go (Ketu) of thinking about what the future holds (Rahu) and to be more in the present moment. With her natal Rahu in the 8th house, she can enjoy life instead of being obsessed with “what’s around the corner.” Also with her natal Rahu in Virgo, she has a tendency to be her own worst critic. This transit is quieting that voice inside her, allowing her to relax. There is a saying “where attention goes, energy flows.” Because she is not focusing on perfection, perfection (or close to it) is coming to her much more easily. In Paris, it has been quite noticeable how she has been much more relaxed and is very much enjoying the experience of her third Olympics, yet she is executing her routines with almost flawless precision.
Lastly, Saturn is transiting over her 1st house, bringing pressure to her identity. This might be more of a difficult transit for many, but in Simone’s case this is her ruling planet, and she is up to the challenges of discipline and commitment that Saturn is asking of her. This transit began in April 2022 and by September 2022 she ended her two year hiatus from gymnastics and began training again. This time, instead of the pressure of Saturn weighing heavily on her, she used the pressure instead to help shape her into someone both physically and mentally (she was still dealing with her Mercury subdasha at that time) strong and beautiful, much like a diamond. She was up to the task to do the work of healing her identity and came out on the other end better than before.
Will she return to the Olympics in 2028? The dashas and major transits appear to be indicating other thing. For one thing, she will be on the other side of her Saturn return by then. Saturn return is a time when we “level up” so to speak, and if taken in the proper mood, a time of maturity and growing in wisdom. She will enter her Sun subdasha in May 2027, activating her 2nd house of values as well as her 7th house of partners. She has already commented that her attitude about life has shifted dramatically in recent years. She said “now I have a husband and a dog to consider,” when being asked about what role gymnastics plays in her life. During this time she will be reconsidering what is important (2nd house) and in particular how it impacts her husband (7th house). The Sun dasha is a time of purification where we can discover what our true purpose in life is. To define herself beyond the label of “gymnastics legend” will be important to her during this time.
Even more important to her personally though is at the time of the Olympics in 2028 she will be in a Moon subdasha. starting in April 2028. If you remember from my previous article, she was born in and discovered gymnastics during her Moon mahadasha. The importance of her mother in her life and career cannot be understated. While her natal moon is exalted in Taurus in her 4th house of the mother, it also rules the 6th house of illness. Simone’s mother will be 78 at that time and Simone will consider the emotional and physical toll that Simone’s career has taken on her mother, and by this time may have given up actively competing. A Moon dasha for a woman is also a strong indicator of becoming a mother, and since Simone’s natal moon is exalted, she may very well either have a baby by the next Olympics, or be totally committed to becoming a biological mother.
Another way to look at this Moon dasha could be that she will assume the role of a mother to all the young gymnasts who have taken up the sport because of her example and grace. No matter what the future holds, Simone Biles will always hold a place in the public's heart.
*As of this writing, the number of Olympic medals Simone has won is 8, though she is certainly in the running for medals in the individual competitions which haven’t happened yet
