Roman Polanski's Pluto-Moon Conjunction

The brilliant-as-always astrologer Bill Streett has recently written about Pluto's station at the Galactic Center, and notes several famous people who embody the Plutonic archetype to the hilt. He has an interesting few paragraphs on how Polanski's elevated Pluto-Moon conjunction manifests in both his films and his personal life.

Mr. Streett regrettably does not archive his shorter planetary cycles essays, so you should read this now while it's hot, or better yet, barrage him with emails requesting that he preserve all of his writings for eternity so that we can all benefit from his wisdom.

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An Inconvenient Truth

Morgana Seawalker of Astroworld.us analyzes the event chart for the release of An Inconvenient Truth, about Al Gore's quest to educate the public about climate change.

Lindsay Lohan's 8th Harmonic Chart

For those of you whom have already ready my Linsday Lohan essay, I have updated it to include her 8th harmonic chart.

Celeb Astroblogy

I was wandering around blog directories, and happened to find my "sister" site in the astrology and media world: Celeb Astroblogy. Much more snarky than yours truly, and quite enjoyable.

Lindsay Lohan's Difficult Year

Lindsay Lohan -- born July 2, 1986 -- has been hit hard. Not by trash-talking Brandon Davis or a car, but by Saturn and Neptune.

When a planet apparently stops moving in the sky to go in the other direction, it is said to be stationing. On April 5, Saturn stationed direct --meaning moving forward after having gone backwards -- at 4 Leo. Yesterday, May 22, Neptune stationed retrograde -- meaning moving backwards after having moved forward -- at 19 Aquarius.

These degree areas -- 4 and 19 -- are prominent in Lindsay's chart.

The "4" Planets

• Mercury -- planet of communication -- at 4 Leo
• Saturn -- planet of hardship and responsibility -- at 4 Sagittarius
• Neptune -- planet of transcendence and image -- at 4 Capricorn
• Pluto -- planet of power and regeneration -- at 4 Scorpio

Her Mercury is square Pluto, trine Saturn, and quincunx Neptune. Lindsay's Mercury is in Leo, which is the sign of the star, the drama queen. Hence, she communicates in a flamboyant, attention-grabbing manner. However, in stressful relationships with three planets, there's more to the story.

Mercury in a 90-degree angle to Pluto results in a probing mind, a thinker who wants to get to the bottom of things -- Pluto is lord of the underworld, ruler of all things secret and hidden. Pluto is also concerned with power and taboos, so in square to Mercury, Lindsay can be a powerfully persuasive speaker, and can have a dirty mouth, willing to speak of things that make people uncomfortable.

In a 120-degree angle to Saturn, there is a level of maturity brought to her thinking. She has the ability to focus on what needs to be done, to be detailed and particular when need be. Saturn brings a degree of authority to how she communicates.

In a 150-degree angle to Neptune, there is a capacity for deluded thinking, for communicating ineffectively or deceptively. A potential exists for imaginative flights-of-fancy, but in general there is a difficulty integrating her dramatic style of communication with her need to tap into the realm of imagination.

When Saturn stationed at 4 Leo, many things were going on. In the big picture, she was undergoing Saturn trine Saturn, which is a phase of mature growth during everyone's development. On a personal level, her thinking and communication (Mercury) would have been restricted (Saturn), leading to negative thoughts or words, a difficulty expressing herself. Or worse, Saturn could have brought out the worst in her sign, eliciting arrogance and self-centeredness. Saturn square Pluto leads to a general feeling of intense hardship; Saturn also manifests underground stuff (Pluto) that is ready to come to the surface.

The "19" Planets

• Venus -- planet of beauty and relationship -- at 19 Leo
• Mars -- planet of assertion and drive -- at 19 Capricorn
• Uranus -- planet of rebellion and innovation -- at 19 Sagittarius

• Additionally, the Moon may have been at 19 Taurus had she been born sometime before noon, and Jupiter is "in the area" at 22 Pisces

Linday's Venus is also in Leo, symbolizing the starlet, the young, beutiful woman who wants all the attention. Her Venus is electrified by a 120-degree angle to Uranus, giving her an extra charge of excitement. This trine also relates to a need for independence and unconventionality in romance and relationships. Venus quincunx Mars can contribute to a tense form of erotic energy, although there is difficulty integrating her receptive and active natures. Finally, there is a possibility that Venus is square the Moon, indicating a tense relationship between the archetypes of the beautiful, young woman and the wife/mother. Her Moon is in sensual Taurus, contributing to an earthiness in her demeanor. However, she may have difficulty embracing both of these feminine roles in herself. Mars trine Moon may contribute to a certain combativeness with other women or her mother, although ideally this trine gives her a good amount of go-for-it energy when it comes to getting her emotional needs met.

When Neptune stationed at 19 Aquarius, it's opposition to Venus would have resulted in an idealization, a mythologizing of love and relationship, a difficulty seeing clearly when it comes to romance and femininity. This is also a powerful transit for creativity, for tapping into the ineffable realm that Neptune represents. However, Neptune also relates to deception, to images. One wonders if Brandon Davis' remarks relates to the tension (opposition) between her media image (Neptune) and her own sense of her femininity (Venus). [However, his words smack of the Plutonic -- perhaps transiting Saturn a few degrees past her Mercury-Pluto square relates to this incident.]

Her Neptune transit will be going on for a long time, and Saturn will reach 19 Leo in September 2006. The Saturn-Neptune opposition in the sky is about busting illusions, bringing the ideal back down to earth. This is a dark combination, and it will be sitting right on Lindsay's Venus, and possibly her Moon as well. One can expect much hardship in all areas related to Venus in Leo. What difficulties will the young starlet undergo? It is well known that she is wanting to transition from teen star to serious actress. Saturn is the planet of seriousness and maturity, and Neptune rules film. This summer/fall will be very difficult for romance -- feeling like nothing is coming her way or that her relationships are all illusion -- but it could signal a significant period of growth, resulting in our perception of her as a more grounded Lindsay.

Addendum: Lindsay's 8th Harmonic Chart (updated May 25, 2006)

Degrees 4 and 19 are of course 15 degrees away from each other, so all of these planets are also making hard (although not Ptolemaic) aspects to each other. For example, Mars is semi-square Saturn; Venus is sesquiquadrate Neptune. So, really, both of these transits are impacting all of her planets at the 4th and 19th degrees. See her natal chart and her 8th harmonic chart -- you'll see a beautiful triangle, indicating that all of these planets are closely linked to each other. When 15 degrees is multiplied by 8, you get 120 degrees -- hence, the Grand Trine.

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The DaVinci Code, Saturn-Neptune, & Shattered Illusions: That's Entertainment!

The following article by Shelley L. Ackerman (karmicrelief.com) first ran in NCGR's e-newsletter. She has kindly given me permission to reprint it here:

On March 18, 2003 Uranus had just gone into Pisces and the Jupiter-Neptune 'Grand Illusion' opposition was in full swing as Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code was published. Just two days after that, the USA strike on Iraq began on March 20.

Now more than 3 years later, the war rages on and those mysterious weapons of mass destruction were never found, but the search for the holy grail continues full-steam ahead with the release of the film version of the 'are you sure what you believe about Jesus is true?' best-seller The DaVinci Code. With spectacular advance publicity, "The Code" is already the most talked about film of the 2006 Summer Movie Season.

As this highly controversial paradigm challenging epic debuts on the silver screen, it makes fine astrological sense to first place this cultural phenomenon under the heading of Pluto in late Sagittarius at the Galactic Center (in its rare mutual reception to Jupiter in Scorpio - so delectably useful for delving deep into life's mysteries) bringing this past decade of religious intensity to a thrilling climax. But what adds a special blend to the mix here, is the approaching illusion-shattering Saturn-Neptune opposition, an alignment that has been at play several times in the last century (1900, 1936-37, 1971-72) always with an interesting correlation to films and plays released and players born during those years.

In October 1900, Saturn opposed Neptune at 29 Gemini-Sagittarius just as the movie age began. Born in October of that year were Alastair Sim (who played Ebeneezer Scrooge in the definitive 1951 film version of A Christmas Carol), first lady of American Theatre Helen Hayes, and legendary producer- director Mervyn LeRoy. Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell was born on November 8, 1900 and The Wizard of Oz was published in 1900 with Saturn opposing Neptune. The 1936-37 opposition in Virgo-Pisces brought us masterpiece films such as Modern Times, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Grand Illusion, Poor Little Rich Girl, A Star is Born, and Camille as well as the births of Robert Redford, Albert Finney, Glenda Jackson, Mary Tyler Moore, Warren Beatty, and Sir Anthony Hopkins. Interesting that many of the aforementioned actors first made their marks in the mid 60's at their Saturn returns as the transiting Uranus/Pluto conjunction hit their natal Saturn-Neptune opposition.

The Judy Garland-James Mason remake of A Star is Born was filmed during the Saturn-Neptune conjunction of 1953.

But the 1971-72 opposition in early Gemini-Sagittarius is most fascinating with the Broadway debuts of Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar bringing the marriage of religion and entertainment to new heights -or lows -depending on your taste, but certainly taking them farther then they'd been before.

Leonardo DaVinci was born (April 22 1452 @ 9:40 PM- astrodatabank) with Saturn at 13 Libra, just past a conjunction to Neptune at 0 Libra (his Saturn is conjunct US Saturn at 14 Libra), and DaVinci Code author Dan Brown was born on June 22, 1964 with Jupiter in Taurus opposite Neptune in Scorpio. His Saturn opposite Uranus/Pluto in early Virgo-Pisces is part of a mutable grand cross to the Moon in Sagittarius opposite Mars in Gemini.

The film opened on May 18, 2006 with Saturn at 5 Leo in Quindecile (165 degree aspect) to Neptune in Aquarius. Astrologer and author Noel Tyl (www.noeltyl.com) known for his exceptional work with quindeciles, said, "The quindecile between Saturn and Neptune reflects the obsession with the mystique of ancient mysteries".

Clearly we are at a time when we on planet earth should question all of what we believe to be true. Astrologer Jacob Schwartz (www.asteroids.com) is optimistic about the timing of this film, its message and its potential positive impact for astrologers and our work. "The ancient truth that the world has order, and the church's disdain for astrology could encourage people to question those who trivialize symbolism and could expose the church for its 'bi-polar' attitude towards astrology." I asked Prof. Schwartz to elaborate and he said, "The church embraces and rejects astrology depending on how its used: with a vast astrological library in the Vatican, it is interested in how astrology describes and correlates to world events but rejects its use in personal counseling. The church doesn't welcome the competition."

Hmmm.

And while this Sun-Neptune-Saturn astrologer with Mercury in Scorpio never met a conspiracy theory she didn't like, the one served up in The DaVinci Code is especially good and juicy.

Technorati tags: the da vinci code - astrology - movies - dan brown

The Da Vinci Code and Pluto in Sagittarius

So ... The Da Vinci Code has received tepid reviews at Cannes. If we look not at the quality of the film but at the zeitgeist into which it taps, we see that it comes at the right time. Pluto has been transiting Sagittarius for many years. Sagittarius rules religious beliefs, and Pluto exposes that which has been hidden, breaking down our beliefs to build them anew, notes NewWorldAstrology.com.

The truth put forth by Da Vinci is that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were lovers, and that their progeny carry on their 'royal' blood in southern France. There is an interesting article on AOL Horoscopes showing how the Magdalenic Mysteries carry on in the imagery of some Tarot cards (full disclosure -- I produced this page in my work for tarot.com).

Technorati tags: the da vinci code - astrology - movies - dan brown

Wolfgang Petersen and 'Poseidon'

Wolfgang Peterson -- born Marchy 14, 1941 at 7:10 am in Emden, Germany -- must be attracted to water. He became famous in the US with the submarine thriller Das Boot, and in addition to other films like In the Line of Fire, Air Force One and Troy, he has helmed two other big water pics -- The Perfect Storm and the current remake of Poseidon.

Not surprisingly, his chart "speaks" water. His Sun and Venus are in Pisces, a water sign ruled by Neptune, god of the seas. His Sun -- which represents his conscious identity -- is opposite Neptune. This powerful outer planet gets channeled through Petersen's creative will.

You wouldn't expect a Pisces to be obsessed with themes of war and the military, but Petersen has Mars -- the planet of war -- in authoritarian and disciplined Capricorn. This planet -- which is in its exaltation -- is supported by trines from Saturn (discipline), Jupiter (confidence, expansion), Uranus (rebellion) and Neptune (deception).

Petersen's South Node -- which relates to past karma -- is in Aries, hence he is obsessed with war and aggression. His Moon is in peace-making Libra, conjunct both Neptune (which makes him ultra-sensitive) and the North Node (also in Libra). With his Moon in the 8th house, he may be concerned with death. After all, an 8th house Moon conjunct Neptune could mean death by water. His Moon is also sextile Pluto, the natural ruler of the 8th house, repeating this theme. With the Moon in the 8th, he may have suffered some trauma (8th) as a child (Moon), as well as a lack of boundaries (Neptune); he may be working out some childhood issues metaphorically in his movies. In summary, Peterson's films revolve around the nodal axis, bringing together themes of violence (Aries), death (8th house) and water (Neptune).

An interesting aside: The day before Petersen's birth, there was a Lunar Eclipse. On this day, Hitler issued a directive for the invasion of the Soviet Union.

Technorati tags: wolfgang petersen - Poseidon - The Perfect Storm - Das Boot - astrology

Top 10 List!

Astrology at the Movies is featured on Top 10 Sources' list of top astrology weblogs.

Katie Holmes' transits for August 2006

Not only is transiting Pluto (planet of transformation) conjoining Katie's Sagittarius Sun (in the fifth house, which rules children [Suri!] and romance), but in August transiting Saturn will conjoin her twelfth house Leo Moon. Saturn is the reality check, the planet of boundaries and separation. Saturn-Moon combinations tend to result in feelings of loneliness, isolation, difficulties managing the balance between work and family. Her Moon is in -- and rules -- the twelfth house of secrets, self-destruction and seclusion. No doubt, Katie can afford a hundred nannies, but mothering (Moon) will be hard (Saturn) at this time, especially if she's feeling alone and lost (12th house).

Moreover, transiting Uranus (planet of surprises, rebellion and breakthroughs) has been opposing Katie's Saturn in Virgo, which sits on the cusp of her second house of financial resources. This is apt because her prenuptial agreement provides her millions of dollars (2nd house) from an older man (Saturn -- additionally, Saturn is the traditional ruler of Aquarius on her seventh house cusp [marriage]).

Transiting Uranus opposing natal Saturn usually implies a separation, (1) because the opposition itself is a make-or-break aspect, a decision point, a culmination; and (2) Uranus wants to break away from the authority of Saturn. Saturn rules her partner, and of course Tom Cruise has a reputation for being controlling (Saturn). Since Uranus is transiting her eighth house of other people's money as well as secrets within a marriage, perhaps August would be a good time to take the money and run. With Saturn transiting her Moon and Uranus transiting her Saturn, there is definitely a theme of separation going on.

Katie Holmes: 12/18/78 9:32 PM Toledo Junction, OH

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Pitt and Holmes at the Galactic Center

Lynn Hayes observes that both Brad Pitt and Katie Holmes seem to just sink into their partners, letting their identities become subsumed by Angelina Jolie and Tom Cruise. Pitt lags behind Jolie like a puppy dog, and Holmes disappears altogether under Cruise's megalomanicial control. Interestingly, both Pitt and Holmes were born with their Sun at 26 Sagittarius, which is conjunct the Galactic Center.

Perhaps because I am a meat-and-potatoes astrologer (although vegetarian), I have a hard time believing that the Galactic Center is a significant point astrologically. However, I have not observed it in people's charts enough to truly judge.

Anyway, Lynn notes that both Pitt and Hayes are undergoing a transit of Pluto over their Suns, so nevertheless they are undergoing intense transformation!

Dan Brown's AstroCartography

Kathryn Cassidy has written an interesting analysis of Dan Brown's astrocartography, specifically looking at the geocosmic hot spots where Jupiter and Neptune fall ... Paris, not surprisingly. She also notes that Saturn falls in Cannes, where The Da Vinci Code film will premiere.