by guest author Eileen Grimes
A biography of Simpson was written, on his life just a few years into his pro career. His early years were marked with rebellion: his upbringing was poor, and he led a street gang (The Superiors - perhaps the first germination of his narcissistic personality?). OJ was the leader of this group, and most of the time was spent boosting cars, and the like. Once, after attempting to steal a car, he ran from the police. His buddies in the crime were amazed at how fast he got away from the law.
He later said “that was the most important run of my entire career.” The book’s title is Born to Run This would become a theme throughout his adult life.
He ran throughout his life He ran through the streets of San Francisco, even though he was battling ricketts. His mother made braces for his legs to straighten and strengthen them. He ran on the football field - setting running records almost every year he was playing - especially in college (culminating in the winning of the Heisman Trophy). In his last year of playing pro football with the Buffalo Bills, he broke Jim Brown’s rushing record, with a whopping 2,003 yards run in one season, which is something he swore he’d do- even to Jim Brown’s face.
His ability to start from a stand-still position and be in a full-out run was nothing short of legendary It was said that he could accelerate to full speed in four seconds. Because of that gift, he also ran track in college. HIs coaches knew he’d be a running back because of his ability to cut through lines, make holes when there weren’t any.
He kept on running - ran through airports for Hertz Rent-a-Car; he ran from one project to another - endorsing sports memorabilia, sportscasting for the NFL, playing golf - getting in as much as he could, and capitalizing on his fame.
Even after his football career was over, he still was an icon of American heroism. He was affable, and charismatic, and was still loved by the American public even after his football career was over. - the black man from the ghetto rising out of his poor beginnings, only to leave that life behind, and create for himself, the American Dream. Of course, that is how most of the world saw him, until the night of the murders. Up until then, he was a man with a sense of grace about him, on and off the field.
He ran through life with grace and agility. He ran from the ghetto and never looked back. Until the night of June 12, 1994.
That night, OJ’s ex-wife Nicole and an acquaintance, Ron Goldman, were murdered in the front courtyard of her condominium. Again, OJ “ran” to Chicago the same night, then running back again the next day to Los Angeles. Then he ran again from the law, when he was a no show to turn himself into the authorities a few days after the murders. Later that day, he was threatening to run away again, this time from himself, threatening suicide at Nicole’s grave, and then running down the LA freeways in the Bronco, finally ending up at his home, and finally arrested by the authorities for the two murders. For that moment, OJ had stopped running.
This man’s prepensity to run -- towards and away from anything -- what could we attribute that to, in his character? His ability for speed although legendary, could perhaps symbolize something more interesting in his character that kept him from getting into any real trouble, until the night of the murders. Astrology holds a lot of keys, for sure -- and in the case of OJ Simpson, might show us deeper motivations of his character. In successive installments, we'll take a closer look at the real OJ Simpson -- through the eyes of psychology and astrology.
This series continues with an astrological analysis of The Primal Three in OJ Simpson: Running for his Life, Part II
(c) Eileen Grimes