William James Sidis (April 1, 1898 – July 17, 1944)

This is one of those questions: nature or nurture? William James Sidis was considered a genius, but a huge part of that designation may be entirely due to his father’s approach to educating his son. I’m going to look at William’s birth chart to see how much ‘nature’ was to blame.

Most astrology sites list his birth time as unknown, so set at noon. However, one site moved the clock back 15 minutes, ostensibly to rectify the chart so that Saturn (structured learning) would occur at 11 year of age. That puts the Moon in his 1st House (of Personality). Hmm.

Strictly speaking, William has two dominating aspects: a double Grand Trine, linking the Sun/Midheaven, the Moon and Saturn/Uranus; and a T-square, linking Mars, Saturn and Pluto. (Saturn is the common denominator, usually representing the father.)

Jupiter is also in opposition to the Sun/Midheaven conjunction. This may represent his learning his numbers and alphabet by age 3, which opened his eyes (and mind) to the whole world of knowledge.

There is only one inconjunct, but it may be the key to his personality.

Moon Inconjunct Mars

If you have a good relationship with your mother, you will develop self-confidence and the ability to stand up for your rights against any obstacle. You will be courageous, and your strength will inspire others to follow where you lead. You will be independent and able to go your own way, even if others do not choose to follow. But this will happen only if you have healthy emotional experiences as a child.

Hmm.