Spike Lee was born on the cusp of Pisces and Aries. Brought into the world on March 20, 1957 in Atlanta, GA, he'd be a Pisces unless he was born after 4:20 pm, in which case he'd be an Aries. Contrary to misconception, one does not embody the qualities of both signs if one is born on the cusp. Mr. Lee is either a Pisces or an Aries, not a little of both. The question, then, is Which One? (Or rather, since he's got an upcoming heist/hostage film, Inside Man, opening March 24, when the Sun is in Aries, should I write this piece for the Pisces or Aries issue?)
Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, and embodies the qualities of beginnings, assertiveness, impulsivity, and a lack of concern for how one's actions impact others. Pisces, being the last sign of the zodiac, is about compassion, letting go, merging with the All, and expressing the ineffable through music and art. If Aries likes football, Pisces likes poetry. War...meditation. Starting a business...smoking a joint. See, it's pretty easily to tell the difference.
Although Pisces and Aries are easily distinguishable, other factors in Lee's chart make answering this question problematic. (Of course, I could just call him and ask, but I'd have to get through his entourage.) Lee does demonstrate both Piscean and Arian qualities. Pisces rules film, images and music. In addition to his obvious talents as a director, Lee's father, a jazz musician, wrote some of the scores for his earlier films--the Sun represents the father. Also, Lee has made powerful use of photo montages at the end of some of his films. Pisces also rules slavery, and many of his films are about African-Americans' fight against oppression. On the other hand, Lee's films are not boundary-less meditations on God. His films express an in-your-face aggressiveness better associated with Aries. There's seems to be too much anger and violence in his films to be the work of a Pisces.
Even the topics of his films relate to both signs. He covers Arian themes like sports (He Got Game), militantism (Malcolm X), and sex (She's Gotta Have It, Girl 6, She Hate Me). Piscean themes include jazz (Mo' Better Blues), drugs (Clockers), prison (The 25th Hour), and being complicit in one's own oppression (Bamboozled).
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Matters get complicated, because other aspects in a chart can mask one's Sun sign. For example, Lee could be a Pisces and still have an angry, aggressive edge, because he has Mars, the planet of sex, assertion and aggression, square (a tense 90 degree angle) Pluto, the planet of power, intensity and transformation. Mars rules Aries, so this planetary combination can make him come across like the Ram. Pluto brings to the surface with volcanic force the cast-off elements of society or one's psyche. One could say that Lee aggressively digs up America's shadow concerning issues of class, race and sex. Moreover, the square is an angle that creates a tremendous amount of friction, as the two planets feel like they are working against each other, so Lee puts quite a bit of energy into resolving this tension.
An additional aspect that contributes to Lee's Arian vibe is that his Sun (identity) sextiles Mars. The sextile is a 60 degree aspect that blends these two planets in a beneficial manner. Lee's Mars is in Gemini, which rules language and communication. Someone with Mars in the sign of the twins expresses anger through barbed words. Gemini planets can also flip-flop between two alternatives, and it does seem that the messages in Lee's films are not clear and direct. His Mars attacks an issue from both sides. Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the communication planet. Mercury is extremely close to the Sun in Lee's chart, so it too can be in either Pisces or Aries. If Mercury were in Aries, Lee would talk in an impulsive, direct, I-don't-care-about-your-feelings manner. If Mercury were in Pisces, he would communicate more indirectly, poetically, with flow. I associate Spike Lee with a certain spoken-word musical quality, which fits more with Pisces than Aries.
Neptune, the modern ruler of Pisces, does not make any aspects to Lee's personal planets, which have to do with his personality. It does square Uranus, another outer planet. Although this aspect occurs for everyone born in Lee's time period, it does relate to the awakening of the imagination. Jupiter, the ancient ruler of Pisces, sits in Virgo, opposing (180 degrees) his Sun, Mercury and Venus (his love planet is definitely in Pisces). The planet of philosophy and meaning expands whatever planets it touches; since the Sun is one's ego, Lee comes across as intelligent and somewhat full of himself. Additionally, being the planet of Big Ideas, Jupiter likes to make a statement about the African-American experience in Lee's films. Lee often has a message, although it is sometimes unclear what it is (see Gemini and Pisces...).
Lee's Uranus is trine (120 degrees) his Sun and Mercury. Uranus is the planet of revolution and innovation. With Uranus in a flowing aspect with the planets of identity and communication, Lee likes to be provocative. In a trine, this role comes easy to him, integrating well with his identity. Certainly, he must see his role not only as an entertainer/artist, but as one who makes his audience question their worldview. He likes to shake up the status quo.
So, Pisces or Aries? I see Lee as an artist who channels his rage (Pluto-Mars) and rebelliousness (Uranus-Sun) into films, powerfully using a combination of photographs and moving images, flowing dialogue, and music. If he were an Aries, there'd be little in his chart to give him the ability to make art instead of war. So Pisces gets my vote.
This article originally appeared in the Pisces 2006 issue of Constellation.Technorati tags:
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'Felicity' will be on the big screen with Mr. Scientology in M:I:3, and to celebrate the occasion I have written an extensive analysis of Ms. Russell's personality and how the dynamics in her natal chart manifest in her WB character. JJ Abrams, director of M:I:3, is also the creator of 'Felicity' as well as 'Alias' and 'Lost.' Gosh, how I wish I had his birth info!
