Category Archives: Celebrity News

Two Weddings and a Divorce

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer in True Blood. Photo courtesy HBO, Inc., all rights reserved.

Celebrity weddings, infidelities, and divorces happen all the time, but it sure seems like they’re more extreme lately. Could the cardinal T-square have anything to do with it?

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, co-stars in the acclaimed HBO series True Blood, were married on Saturday. Just as they managed to keep their relationship secret until they announced their engagement last year, they kept their wedding plans out of the public view and opted for a low-key ceremony. It sure was big-time celebrity news after the fact, though.

No matter what they did, it would have been impossible to top the wedding of Chelsea Clinton, who married long-time boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky on July 31 in a gala affair that cost anywhere from $2 million to $5 million. The true cost was a closely guarded secret, but suffice it to say that it was one of the most expensive celebrity weddings in history, inviting the inevitable comparisons to the $2 million that Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren spent on their Barbados bash in October 2004.

Tiger and Elin on Monday announced their divorce, although reports of their separation began circulating in December 2009. Let’s see … October 2004 to December 2009 is just over five years. Divided into $2 million, that comes out to well over $1,000 per day of marriage. Make a note of that, Chelsea.

In June, I wrote about Harrison Ford and Callista Flockhart, who finally tied the knot after eight years together. The same month, Al and Tipper Gore announced they were separating after 40 years of marriage. Each in their own way was impacted by the T-square.

So what about these latest unions and separations? Is the T-square a function or not?

In the case of Al Gore and Harrison Ford, I had a birth time to work with, so it was easier to see the evidence of the T-square at work in their charts. We have a birth time for Chelsea and Tiger, but not the others. Still, we can look at their natal charts for transits to key planets.

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer have a concentration of planets in Virgo and Libra, with a lot of conjunctions to draw them – and keep them – together. Diane wrote a great post on their synastry back when they announced their engagement. Most of their Libra planets are in the mid-degrees, including Anna’s Saturn. So she is coming up on her first Saturn return, which is a time that many people “settle down” in love and in life overall.

Nevertheless, it does appear that the T-square is in effect here, as it is forming a precise aspect to Anna’s Venus at 4 degrees Cancer. I’ve advised all summer that the “out” for any T-square challenges you may be facing is the spot in your chart opposite transiting Pluto. For Anna, that’s Venus, the planet of love! Moreover, the lunar eclipse of June 26,  which connected directly into the T-square, was right on her natal Venus, too. Eclipses often deliver their results at 30, 60, or 90 days. She was married 60 days after the T-square eclipse on her natal Venus.

Chelsea and Marc simply have great synastry, especially in terms of durability. They have a few challenges, too, but what would marriage be without them? The T-square doesn’t seem to be heavily impacting Chelsea’s chart, and without a birth time for Marc, we don’t know which of his houses are being affected. He does have Jupiter at 2 degrees Cancer, which may account for the extravagance of the wedding, but not necessarily the timing.

The T-square definitely is implicated in the fall of Tiger Woods. Although his Ascendant is in Virgo, the T-square is taking place in all four of his cardinal houses, with transiting Saturn now in his first house. For many people, Saturn crossing into the first house is a time when their life falls apart and they start going downhill professionally. Under the T-square, the pressure has been unbearable … and very public.

Tiger and Elin both have Sun in Capricorn – he at 8 degrees and she at 10 degrees. The lunar eclipse on Dec. 31, 2009, fell directly on Elin’s Sun and not far from Tiger’s. A Full Moon lunar eclipse represents endings that are final and irrevocable. According to press reports, Elin moved out for good right before the eclipse, and the divorce was filed on the grounds that the marriage was “irretrievably broken.” Those are fitting words for a lunar eclipse.

In general, it seems that there is an increase this summer of break-ups and unions. It’s as though the whole universe is realigning itself, and we on earth are doing likewise. Stay tuned, because this series most definitely is to be continued.

Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Birth Data:
Anna Paquin – July 24, 1982, Winnipeg, Canada, time unknown
Stephen Moyer –Oct. 11, 1969, Brentwood, England, time unknown
Chelsea Clinton – Feb. 27, 1980, Little Rock, Ark., 11:24 p.m., per Astrodatabank
Marc Mezvinsky – Dec. 15, 1977, Philadelphia, Pa., time unknown
Tiger Woods – Dec. 30, 1975, Long Beach, Calif., 10:50 p.m., per Astrodatabank
Elin Nordegren – Jan. 1, 1980, Stockholm, Sweden, time unknown

Harrison Ford and Callista Flockhart, Married at Last

Blame it on the cardinal T-square.

On June 15, Harrison Ford married Callista Flockhart, his girlfriend of eight years. Why now? It’s the same question I asked earlier this month, when Al Gore, former vice president of the United States, announced that he and his wife, Tipper, were separating after 40 years of marriage.

I always start by looking at the synastry chart, a technique astrologers use to determine compatibility between two or more people. For both couples, the charts show clear indications of long-term commitment. Still, that doesn’t explain the timing.

In the case of the Gores, Pluto is on Al’s Moon, in the “hot spot” at the apex of the T-square. There are other aspects as well, but the heavy pressure on Al’s Moon, the seat of the emotions, suggests a deep-seated urge to move in another direction for spiritual and personal growth.

For Harrison and Callista, the timing can be explained by the T-square’s position in his chart. Indeed, it is quite dramatic, as all four of his chart angles are in the early degrees of the cardinal signs. As I’ve noted previously on my blog, the T-square is having a particularly powerful influence on people with personal planets or chart angles in the early cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn).

Harrison has 2 degrees Libra Rising, with Saturn approaching a third and final conjunction to his Ascendant. This is a significant milestone in life and a time when we often change our relationship status and take on more duties and responsibilities.

At the same time, Jupiter and Uranus are dead on his Descendant. Transiting Jupiter on the Descendant and in the seventh house traditionally is associated with marriage and long-term commitment. Uranus, meanwhile, has helped Harrison move out of his fear of entering a third union after two failed marriages.

Pluto is crossing his IC, or fourth-house cusp, representing dramatic changes in his home and family life. According to reports in the media, Harrison is a wonderful father to Callista’s adopted son, Liam. With their marriage, this relationship is official. Pluto in the fourth house also tends to help us grow out of early childhood programming.

The coming solar eclipse on July 11 will be within a degree of Harrison’s Sun at 20 degrees Cancer and not far from his natal Moon at 22 degrees Cancer. This nicely illustrates the point that eclipses are often felt months before or afterward, especially when they are in such a prominent position in the chart.

While I was at the supermarket the other day, I flipped through a copy of People magazine, in which friends of the couple were quoted as saying their relationship was based on an honest approach to life and to each other, and on equality. It took eight years for them to get to this point, which is a wonderful reminder that true love requires constant tending and nurturing.

Even soul mates have to work at it.

Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Interested in how the T-square is influencing your life and relationships? Explore a personal consultation with Pat.

Splitting After 40 Years:The Synastry of Al and Tipper Gore

Al and Tipper Gore at the inaugural ceremonies in Washington on Jan. 20, 2009. Photo by Susan Walsh for The Associated Press.

Al Gore, former vice president of the United States, and his wife, Tipper, announced today that they are separating after 40 years of marriage. Why now?

First of all, we have to commend anyone who can make a marriage last for 40 years. That is a miracle in today’s disposable world, and there is no way we can call this marriage anything but successful. We can imagine that a lot of hard work and perseverance went into their relationship. Of course, they were preoccupied with a lot of external pressures, and that does tend to take the focus off the problems in a marriage.

According to media reports, the decision was mutual. The ostensible reason is that the couple “grew apart.” After looking at their synastry chart, I am taking their statement at face value.

Synastry, for those not familiar with the term, is the astrological technique of comparing the positions of the planets and houses in one person’s chart with those of the other person. The first thing I look for is a favorable aspect between Sun and Moon. Equally important, I look for evidence of a strong sexual connection. Although sex isn’t everything, especially as we advance in age, physical “chemistry” is a powerful bond and can act as a motivator to encourage couples to work through problems instead of calling it quits.

Traditionally, astrologers consider it best for the woman’s Moon to be favorably aspected to the man’s Sun, although nowadays the reverse is viewed positively as well, especially for power couples such as Al and Tipper. Her Moon at 21 degrees Aquarius makes a very wide sextile to his Sun at 10 degrees Aries, perhaps enough to cement a friendship. Al’s Moon at 3 degrees Capricorn makes a wide, out-of-sign trine with Tipper’s Sun at 26 degrees Leo. This is a little better. Still, I’d say that these two indicators are more of an easy friendship than anything else.

Al and Tipper never had the classic markers for sexual chemistry. The strongest link is an opposition between her Moon at 21 degrees Aquarius and his Mars at 18 degrees Leo. This suggests that sexual attraction may have been based on an emotional dependency. We might guess that an adult woman has worked through these issues and healed the underlying wound, which then dissolves the bond.

They do, however, have very strong aspects for longevity, primarily the tight trine between his Jupiter at 28 degrees Sagittarius and her Sun-Saturn conjunction at 26 degrees Leo. His early Cap Moon also plays into this connection. Their synastry suggests that the strongest glue in their relationship was working together toward mutual interests, which we can guess probably related to their (especially his) political and professional aspirations. There’s nothing wrong with this arrangement, in my book, as long as both parties agree to it … and they apparently did.

With all of that in mind, it’s logical that they would separate now that their “work” together apparently is complete. It is time for them to keep growing in other ways.

Looking at transits, the cardinal T-square with Pluto at the apex is making tight contact with Al’s natal Moon. Pluto conjunct the Moon often signifies the end of a committed relationship, and we can feel totally changed inside emotionally after this transit is done (see my Ask Real Astrologers post on this disturbing transit.) In short, he’s growing and transforming, and it’s no surprise that he’s moving in a different direction from his wife of 40 years, especially when you throw the Saturn-Uranus opposition into the mix.

Of no less importance, the current series of eclipses in Capricorn and Cancer is taking place in Tipper’s seventh house of committed relationships and first house of self. This is often when committed relationships begin or end.

Also, the cardinal T-square is occurring in a wide square to Tipper’s Ascendant and her natal Venus at 11 degrees Cancer. This suggests a change in a committed relationship. I’m guessing that she is going to feel liberated and will launch into a new professional venture from which she will gain not only material rewards but some public acclaim.

After looking at their charts, I think they’ve made a sound decision, and for that they should be commended as well. Even when you do everything “right,” sometimes a relationship has to end. When it has reached its logical conclusion and outlived its purpose, letting go is the best and wisest choice.

Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Saturday Extra! Mars Retrograde and Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods. Photo courtesy official website.Back in mid-December, when Mars went retrograde in Leo, I had a discussion with a friend about how this might manifest in the collective. We agreed that we needed to watch the news headlines for big egos being brought down.

Mars is the quintessential ego planet and symbol of the universal masculine, and Leo is the sign of pride. It made sense that male pride would be wounded in some dramatic way with Mars retrograde in Leo, and we wondered whether there would be some accountability and perhaps, ultimately, deep healing.

U.S. President Obama, a Leo, certainly has had his share of humbling moments in the past few months. But no one has had a more dramatic public shaming than pro golfer Tiger Woods, who has been making news headlines since late November, when a minor car accident at his home in Florida led to a full-blown scandal involving the revelation of extramarital affairs with several women.

There are plenty of things going on in Tiger’s chart to suggest major challenges, especially involving his marriage. For starters — and this alone would account for just about all of his troubles — the past year’s Saturn-Uranus opposition has been taking place tightly conjunct his Ascendant and Descendant, the most important angles in the birth chart. When Saturn crosses the Ascendant, it can feel as though our lives are falling apart, especially if we have been ignoring deep personal issues and neglecting the well-being of our soul.

Mars has been transiting Tiger’s eleventh house, which rules the collective. On February 19, with Mars closing in on an exact conjunction with his natal Saturn at 1 degree Leo, he bit the bullet and issued a public apology. Opinion polls showed that most of the television-watching public believed he was sincere, but a majority said that if they were his wife, they wouldn’t forgive him.

The tabloids, of course, have been having a field day speculating on the response and inner turmoil of Tiger’s wife, Elin Nordegren, a former swimsuit model born in Sweden. By the way, they are both Capricorn, the sign of responsibility and obligation. Capricorns are noted for being able to endure pain and suffering in order to reach their lofty goals. On the downside, Capricorn can be entirely too fixated on material success, to the exclusion of spiritual growth.

There are times when our personal story is no longer our own, and I believe this to be the case for Tiger and Elin. Their personal relationship is making headlines not just because of the public fascination with lurid details, but because it is a story that everyone can identify with. And because this story is now deeply embedded in the collective, how the couple handles their problem holds great potential for healing a collective wound caused by the separation of the divine masculine and feminine. A public apology and a commitment to enter family therapy is a good start, and it’s entirely consistent with the energy of Mars retrograde in Leo.

It will be interesting to see what happens once Mars begins moving forward again, with Venus, symbol of the universal feminine, in Mars-ruled Aries. I have a feeling he’ll have to meet some personal demands, and he has a lot of work to do before he’s out of the woods. And, they are young (he’s 34 and she’s 30) and are surrounded by a lot of pressure to equate success with material possessions, when success as a couple depends on something entirely different.

Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Anna Paquin & Stephen Moyer of True Blood – Life Imitates Art

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer of True Blood

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, who play lovers in the HBO Series True Blood, announced their engagement in early August, and I immediately had to look at their synastry chart. It appears that their real-life romance is every bit as passionate as their on-screen affair!

The series is based on Charlaine Harris’s wonderful novels about vampires, werewolves and things that go bump in the night, set in rural Louisiana. I am a huge fan of her writing and consider the Southern Vampire series among her best works. Anna plays heroine Sookie Stackhouse, while Stephen plays her vampire lover, Bill Compton.

Unfortunately, all I have to work with is their birth dates and places, but no times. Stephen is a Libra’s Libra with Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and Mercury in this fair-minded sign. Anna is a brilliant Leo Sun-Mercury person with her Moon in analytical Virgo. Anna’s Sun-Mercury conjunction is closely sextile Stephen’s Mercury and Uranus in Libra, creating the basis for good communication — always helpful.

But it is the role Pluto and Saturn play in their synastry that promises to keep them together as a couple. Taking into consideration Anna’s natal Mars-Pluto conjunction in Libra and Stephen’s Venus-Pluto conjunction in Virgo, you have two people who are intense and passionate as individuals. Then to find that both of their Moons are involved, it is easy to understand the deep emotional connection between them. Even without knowing the exact degrees of their Moons, I feel a case can be made for including them partly based on the nature of the roles they play as a vampire and his telepathic lover – a great representation of the dark undertow of Pluto flirting with intense emotions.

Her Saturn in Libra conjoins his Sun and Jupiter exactly, and his Saturn in Taurus closely squares her Leo Sun. In light of them publicly announcing their engagement, I see these Saturn aspects as a very good indicator the relationship will prove durable. As I have said before, Saturn is happiest when the legalities are met. It will be interesting to see when they choose to marry, because it is highly likely to happen during her Saturn return, when transiting Saturn in Libra hits one of his many planets in Libra. There is little doubt in my mind this will be a very equitable arrangement with willingness to compromise on both sides.

Another one of those little synchronicities astrology is so fond of revealing involves Neptune, which is frequently highlighted in the charts of artistic types, especially actors. Stephen has Neptune sextile his Venus and Pluto, and Anna’s Neptune is sextile her Mars and Pluto. I can’t imagine a better set of aspects for playing lovers on screen. The chemistry between them is almost visible.

In an interview in The New Zealand Herald, Stephen said they were immediately drawn to one another but kept the relationship off the set as much as possible to prevent problems with their cast mates. Their on-screen romance definitely benefited from their personal chemistry, and True Blood has become a huge hit. The show is in its second season with a third in the works.

So . . . which came first, the on-screen romance, or the private one? You guess!

Libra seeks balanceposted by Neith . . .

RELATED POST: Find out how the cardinal T-square of 2010 impacted the wedding of Anna and Stephen.

Verified Birth Data: Anna Paquin – 24 July 1982, Winnipeg, CAN, unknown time; Stephen Moyer – 11 Oct 1969, Brentwood, UK, unknown time.

Saturday Extra! Susan Boyle: Prepare To Be Transformed

Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle's magic moment on Britain's Got Talent. Official photo from ITV.

How did Susan Boyle skyrocket to global superstardom overnight?

At last count, the various Internet versions of her heart-stopping three-minute performance on the reality TV show Britain’s Got Talent had been viewed well over 100 million times. So the first explanation was that new media made her famous. Then why didn’t other talented contestants, notably the precision dance troupe Flawless and 12-year-old singing sensation Shaheen Jafargholi, achieve similar results? Was she that much more accomplished than they?

Most of the commentary on Susan’s performance and the response to it emphasizes the disparity between her appearance and her angelic voice. There are theories that we all love the ugly duckling and root for the underdog. Her plain looks, age, and background all make her an unlikely celebrity, and that alone has mass appeal. Some economists explain the phenomenon as a reaction to tough financial times.

Of course, astrologers weighed in, too, starting with her birth chart and examining transits and progressions. I was amused by the confusion over Susan’s birth data. Tseka and I saw a lot in the April 1 chart, and when the Sunday Times reported that her birthday was June 15, we were left scratching our heads. It now appears that the April 1 chart was correct and that the newspaper got it wrong.

Before I comment on her chart, I’d like you to see the complete lyrics of her song. She didn’t sing the whole thing, presumably due to time restraints. The words are key to understanding what this is really about:

There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he’ll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I’m living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

In all the analysis I’ve read, there hasn’t been much mention of the song she chose, other than that it was about a dream that died, how this strikes a chord in many people, and so forth. Sure, it fits her life: a difficult birth, learning disabilities, bullied by other kids, later giving up her career to care for sick parents and winding up as an unemployed church worker, living alone with her cat. So the theory goes, we’re touched that her dream didn’t die, and that means there’s still hope for us, too.

I won’t discount that. But it’s still not the whole story. Need another hint? Let’s look at her choice of songs for her interview with Larry King, “My Heart Will Go On,” from the film Titanic, and the song she recorded 10 years ago for a charity fundraiser, “Cry Me a River.”

These songs are about lost love and the wound that results. I’ve been writing about this theme for years, and I’ve felt a growing awareness that we are in a period of deep healing. The separation between the divine masculine and the divine feminine is one of the deepest rifts in the human heart, and it’s so much a part of us that most of us don’t even realize it. Susan is singing about a wound that is many millennia old, that dates back to the time “when men were kind.” And yes, something went terribly wrong.

If astrologers need to stretch to find indicators in her chart of her great success, it’s because this isn’t just about her. It’s about all of us, and it’s about a karmic moment in time. Susan was just the vehicle. That is what angels do. They bring us messages, and these messages can change the world.

There’s a lot I could say about her natal chart, but I’m going to confine my remarks to her lunar nodes, which are one of the leading markers of destiny. With Pluto on the North Node in Virgo, her role is to serve as a transformer. Chiron on the South Node in Pisces speaks of the ancient wound that pervades the collective conscious. She carried it into this incarnation and has lived it for all these years. Her voice came not from her but through her and went straight to the depths of our being. That is why we cried.

Looking at transits, the Jupiter-Neptune Chiron conjunction, boosted by Uranus in mutual reception with Neptune, gives us a clue about the healing power in this moment. The weekend that Susan burst into the collective conscious, Mars was about to conjoin Uranus.

But the biggest factor I see here is Venus retrograde in the last degree of Pisces, the “weeping degree.” Although it’s hard to know the circumstances of the original separation, mythology and religion inform us that the divine masculine abandoned the divine feminine. Now the divine feminine is returning to the world, and with her she brings love. We might think of it as the Second Coming, the opening of the heart.

Susan opened millions of hearts, and the world is going to be transformed as a result. Many of us have felt it coming, but did we ever imagine it would happen this way?

Over the next couple of months, as Susan advances in the competition, Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron move toward exact conjunction and then go retrograde together. At the same time, Venus and Mars will move together toward yet one more conjunction, the third in less than a year. It’s a fair bet that a lot more healing is going to take place.

Meanwhile, the discussion has turned to her makeover. I can understand wanting to preserve that karmic moment, but it can’t stop there, and we can’t and shouldn’t control it. Let her blossom. Even if our heartstrings are being played by marketing experts, she is a real woman and a real healer. Let yourself be transformed.

Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Synastry of John and Cindy McCain

John & Cindy McCain With Sun signs in Virgo and Taurus, John and Cindy McCain are an earth duo. They share an appreciation for the here-and-now reality of the physical world and a generally conservative approach to life.

Although Sun signs are not necessarily that important in synastry, two people with Sun signs in the same element generally tend to understand one another. Moreover, John’s Moon is in Capricorn, the third earth sign, and Cindy’s Moon may be in Capricorn, too, depending on what time she was born. As with the other political couples I’ve written about, missing birth data makes it tough to achieve a 100-percent precise reading.

The one air element in their synastry, appropriately, is a trine between John’s Mercury in Libra and Cindy’s Mercury in Gemini – invaluable for communications. Since they have a Saturn-Mercury intra-aspect, with John’s Saturn squaring Cindy’s Mercury and her Saturn semi-sextile his Mercury, he can come across as rather authoritarian on occasion, causing her to step back and close down. Without the benefit of the harmonious trine between their Mercury signs, it would be more difficult to open the door to understanding.

They do have good chemistry, with his Leo Mars sextile her Gemini Venus and her Mars in Capricorn trine his Venus in Virgo. John’s natal Mars is square Uranus and trine Jupiter, giving him impulse control issues, so Cindy’s ability to respond to his needs with understanding has no doubt been very good for their relationship.

Because of their 18-year age difference, they both have the North Node in Capricorn, South Node in Cancer. The synastry aspects to the lunar nodes show a deep connection, with her Venus-Jupiter in Gemini forming an out-of-sign conjunction with his South Node in Cancer. This aspect may show how her wealth allows them to live comfortably with several homes around the country. Her Mars conjoins his North Node in Capricorn, providing active support for his need to serve his country and its traditions.

Chiron is another active element in their synastry, with her Venus conjunct his Chiron in Gemini and his Moon conjunct her Chiron in Capricorn. The question here is whether these two sympathetic personal planets have provided a comfort level allowing for the healing of old wounds. Chiron often shows us where we feel most insecure, and John has a square between natal Chiron and Venus, reflecting doubts about being loveable. Cindy’s Chiron is closely trine her Sun, suggesting that she experienced positive reinforcement of her self-esteem growing up, thus making it likely she has been able to help John sort through his issues in this area.

They both have Juno in Leo, with Cindy’s Pluto in Leo closely conjoining them. Their idea of an ideal marriage and household is thus very similar, and this particular aspect has no doubt stood them in good stead with all the entertaining in support of John’s political career over the years. With Pluto adding his two cents, discussions about jealously and possessive behaviors had to have played a role behind the scenes.

With the strong Capricorn element in both charts and their favorable synastry aspects in general, it is easy to understand how they are both drawn to politics and serving their country in very traditional ways. They both share a desire to live within a conventional framework, and it has obviously worked for them as a couple, because John and Cindy were married for 29 years as of April.

Libra, an Air signposted by Neith . . .

Verified Birth Data: John McCain 29 August 1936, Cocosolo, Panama; Cindy McCain 20 May 1954, Chicago, IL

Todd and Sarah Palin, Latest Power Couple

Todd and Sarah PalinIf there ever was a couple whose synastry was defined by the inconjunct (150°) aspect, this is it. These are two strong-minded individuals, he with the Sun, Moon, Pluto, and Uranus in Virgo, and she with the Sun, Mars, and Saturn tightly conjunct in Aquarius.

In this instance where we have no good birth times to work with, we can only speculate about their chart wheels and the possibility that Sarah’s Moon may be in late Capricorn rather than early Aquarius. A late Capricorn Moon would be much happier with Todd’s Virgo Moon and Venus-Mars in Cancer, but we may never know. And it’s doubtful we will ever have a good birth time for Todd. He was born in Dillingham, Alaska, in 1964, the year a 9.2 earthquake devastated the Anchorage area.

Since both of them likely have their Sun, Moon, and Mercury in the same sign, it is the essential differences between Aquarius and Virgo that are highlighted. Aquarius is fixed air and is noted for being quite stubborn about their quirks, while Virgo is mutable earth, a more subtle, service-oriented sign. The key to understanding how these very different people have sustained a marriage lasting 20 years with five children may be in the known conjunctions in their synastry chart.

The nitty-gritty of any compatibility chart comparison is to be found in conjunctions, a major indication of shared experience. Todd’s Virgo stellium is conjunct Sarah’s Uranus and Pluto. Her Sun, Mars, and Saturn in Aquarius form an out-of-sign conjunction with his Saturn in Pisces. Over the course of the next few weeks, Saturn in Virgo will continue transiting their shared planets in Virgo, an indication of the stress of being in the public eye.

Because of the role Neptune has in both their individual charts and in their synastry, their Neptune in Scorpio conjunction moves beyond a generational aspect in importance. Neptune squares Sarah’s Sun and is sextile Todd’s Sun. This means they have a Sun-Neptune intra-aspect. An intra-aspect in synastry is one with the same planets from both charts in aspect by degree, e.g., her Sun is square his Neptune and her Neptune is sextile his Sun. Their shared religious beliefs are one of the important factors in their marriage. This intra-aspect can create a sympathetic bond and soften the edges of the harsher differences.

Another intra-aspect with Neptune involves Mars. Since Todd has a Venus-Mars conjunction in Cancer, and Sarah’s Mars is in Aquarius and her Venus is in Aries, they can use a little help from Neptune’s rose-colored glasses to keep the romance alive.  Cancer and Aquarius are also inconjunct and have about as much in common as apples and oranges. Neptune may create illusions, but also may represent strong religious beliefs that have kept them from straying.

Of course, one can never underestimate Saturn’s role in supporting a lasting relationship.  She has a natal Sun-Saturn conjunction, and he has a Mercury-Saturn opposition and his Saturn conjoins her Aquarius stellium. They have a Mars-Saturn intra-aspect, underlining their need to honor their vows and behave according to the “rules.”

The transpersonal planets (Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) have a fascinating role in this chart comparison. In Sarah’s chart, Uranus and Pluto do not form aspects to her personal planets, but Todd’s Sun is conjunct both of those planets as well as being square to Neptune. As often happens, when we have unaspected transpersonal planets, we meet those archetypes in the form of another person. It is very possible Todd has a powerful impact on Sarah, although neither may be consciously aware of it. He is her means to tap into the darker side of her nature.

The picture of this relationship I see emerging is of Saturn and Neptune playing key roles – Neptune in the form of their common faith, and Saturn with his insistence on following the rules and respecting legalized bonds. Otherwise, these two would have gone their separate ways long ago, because practical earthy Virgo has little patience with airy Aquarius visions for humanity. It is easy to see Todd as the ultimate self-sufficient Alaskan happily spending hours in the solitude of the back country, a natural for Virgo. And it is also easy to understand Aquarius Sarah wanting to be deeply involved in her community, working with like-minded people for what she sees as the greater good.

Libra, an Air signposted by Neith . . .

Verified Birth Data:  Todd Palin   6 Sept 1964, Dillingham, AK; Sarah Palin 11 Feb 1964, Sandpoint, ID

Saturday Archives: Second Thoughts on Pluto in Synastry

New Extra-solar Planet by David HardyHere is another post on Pluto in synastry from the Archives. One of the reasons I feel people find Pluto so daunting in both the natal chart and in synastry is because of the Pluto paradox of wanting to control and being unable to.

That is a deliberate play on words because if you see Pluto playing a major role in a chart comparison, i.e., conjunct the other person’s Moon or Ascendant, second thoughts about pursuing the relationship are in order. My reasoning here has to do with the reality that for most people, Pluto acts through them in an unconscious manner. For someone deep in a Plutonian obsession, it takes a pretty big smack on the head to get their attention, and you can’t be sure you’ve got it for very long either.

Pluto in aspect to the personal planets either natally or in synastry can show us the type of obsession. The Sun/Pluto contact is about “finding” our selves, usually by jumping in the deep end. The Moon/Pluto is obviously about exploring emotional entanglements and taking them to extremes. Mercury/Pluto can find us taking a particular line of thought to the bitter end. Venus/Pluto contacts can lead us to sacrifice our selves for what we are calling ‘Love’ and Mars/Pluto . . . well, that’s where we find out about rage. These are my personal key phrases – Mars/Mercury conjunct in Scorpio at work, going for the essence.

Pluto too wants to plumb of depths of experience . . . and he’s not fussy about whether that experience is positive or negative. When transiting Pluto was conjuncting my Moon in Libra, the relationships drawn into my life were with very different types than I had been involved with either before or after. I am a pretty typical well-educated middle class woman who happened to grow up on a farm and Pluto pulled alcoholic, drug addicted cons and ex-cons into my life for a period of about two years. These were all obsessive relationships where I behaved in a manner quite different from my usual calm and cheerful self.

That I survived the experience without too much damage is most likely due to a very hardworking guardian angel, and a natal Moon sextile Pluto/Saturn. The way out was in the form of drug & alcohol counselor, who asked the right questions, educated me as to what was going on and pointed out the direction to my usual habitat. I was very lucky and there are many people out there right now who are not . . .

Saturn placements can play a big role in how we handle Pluto – either in our own charts or in synastry. He can represent the solid bottom we can hit spiraling down in the grip of a Pluto inspired obsession. Sometimes we need Saturn’s willingness to deal with a problem one step at a time to find our way back. Perhaps it’s because I have the Saturn/Pluto conjunction (in the 9th House) natally sextile my Moon/Neptune conjunction (in the 11th House) that I understand how those two working together can support, protect and teach so much.

Libra, Venus ruledposted by Neith . . .

Ellen DeGeneres, Quirky Aquarius

Ellen DeGeneres at her casual best  Ellen DeGeneres recently picked up her fourth Daytime Emmy for hosting her own TV show with humor and style. An Aquarius born January 26, 1958, Ellen has combined the charm of her Venus-Sun conjunction in Aquarius with an innate zaniness amplified by the opposition of Uranus, Aquarius’s ruler.

Playing host to a wide variety of celebrities and others comes easy to Ellen with Jupiter conjunct Neptune in her eleventh house. The eleventh house falls under the aegis of Aquarius, her Sun sign, expanding her ability to relate to a broad cross-section of humanity and see them as kindred spirits. The Jupiter-Neptune combination can act as a mirror for her viewers, allowing them to project their expectations of Ellen as a genial host to all and sundry.

Her Sagittarius Ascendant contributes to her sense of comedic timing and her relaxed sense of style – she almost always wears tennis shoes with everything from jeans to a tux. Mars and Saturn are conjunct in Sagittarius in the first house and give her the drive and energy needed to achieve her goals.

Ellen has been able to use all of her differences and natural quirkiness to her advantage. She was the first woman to play an openly lesbian character on TV in April 1997. At the same time, she disclosed that she was a lesbian in her personal life. Her Moon is in adventurous Aries supported by a trine from Mars and Saturn, giving her a strong sense of independence.

Conversely, her Mercury in conventional Capricorn squares her Moon, so she may have difficulty expressing how she feels, especially to those close to her.

Ellen also is making headline news for her impending marriage to her longtime significant other, Portia de Rossi. Portia is a fellow Aquarian, with Uranus aspecting her Venus-Jupiter conjunction. It is no surprise she, too, is willing to publicly express her individuality. Ellen and Portia both have Mars in Sagittarius within a few degrees, contributing to their compatibility. It’s a safe bet to say that life is never boring around these two.

Saturn in Virgo will be transiting Ellen’s Midheaven in the latter half of this year, then will move back and forth over it before moving deeper into her tenth house. It is likely she will continue to focus time and energy on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and most likely pick up a fifth Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show in 2009.

Ellen DeGeneres Natal Chart

Libra hereposted by Neith . . .