80 Years of True Love

Alonzo and Beulah Sims just celebrated their 80th Wedding Anniversary in Alabama. He's 97 and she's 94 years old. They met when he was 15 and she was 12 and were married 2 years later on October 1, 1927 in Fayetteville, Tenn. They say they've rarely fought because they've been too busy. They credit their longevity to a lifetime of hard work on farms and eating vegetables.

I don't have a time for their Wedding but even so I can see absolutely no indicator for a successful marriage in this chart. On first look, it seems to only describe the event. This couple married against their parent's wills and this chart shows that feeling of independence and rebellion. Sun conjunct Mars in Libra opposite Uranus in Aries plus the Moon is in Sagittarius. Great planets for eloping to, but I might imagine a Sagittarius Moon to want to wander off. Maybe "Ornery" is a good ingredient in marriage. And, if as is the case here, it's combined with ability to cooperate with each other (3 Libra Planets) and to take the union seriously (aspects to Saturn and Venus), it could add a sense of adventure and levity.

Venus, the planet of Marriage, is Retrograde in Virgo; that might seem to show a lack of love in a relationship, but maybe it shows a desire to make the relationship work. A cooperative Libra couple that doesn't make great demands.

At any rate, one can see the work ethic and attention to nutrition which they say is responsible for their long lives. Venus is a singleton in Earth which emphasizes it's influence. Also, Venus squares Saturn which may have been conjunct Saturn in Sagittarius showing a serious commitment. Guess that's why they see their hard farm work as a major reason for longevity in the marriage.

There are multiple indicators for Fun and Joy to balance out these serious aspects. Jupiter 28 Pisces conjunct Uranus in Aries trining Saturn in Sagittarius. Sun-Mars in Libra would keep a cooperative, light hearted attitude. They say they almost never quibble. Mercury is also in Libra. The North Node is in Gemini. Some would find that an indicator for infidelity but they say that they were always too busy to fight. Busy = Gemini.

Here's a link to Wikipedia's list of longest lasting marriages: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_longest_marriages.

Interesting in this list is the fact out of the 10 Dates for marriages given, 4 occurred in 1924 with an additional marriage in June, 1925. This is probably due to the fact that you have to be married 80 years in order to get on the list and this is the first generation with extended life expectancy. It's still interesting to look at the planets. During 1924-25, Jupiter was in Sagittarius and Capricorn. Saturn, Uranus and Pluto were in the Water Signs maybe receiving the blessing of an Outer Planet Grand Trine. Pluto was in Cancer, Saturn in Scorpio, Uranus in Pisces. They were actually only within wide orb for a short time during this period. Neptune was in Leo and at times conjunct the North Node. Maybe that added a combination of just enough Glamour and sense of self-sacrifice to make a marriage actually work.