Zodiaxe: Cleave the Heavens and Find Your Destiny

A constant point of contention among ancient astrologers is whether or not to use Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Personally, I think it's a silly debate: unlike more recently discovered bodies like Quaoar, there's been ample research going back centuries into what these "modern" planets do. We can use them with confidence. Now, how do I, personally, use them? They're not sign rulers: I still use Mars for Scorpio, Saturn for Aquarius, and Jupiter for Pisces. Furthermore, in many charts, I view them as a minor influence: they have to become "personalized" by being in aspect (preferably conjunction) to important bodies like the Sun, Moon, or Chart Ruler, or an angle, or by being singleton (only representative of an element or mode). For those charts where these planets are personalized, however, they're very important. I've noticed that most of the notable charts I've delineated feature at least 2 of them prominent, often all 3. The outer plane

 Here you get a two-for-one celebrity analysis: Jennifer Jason Leigh (one of my favorite actresses), and Axl Rose (one of my favorite rock stars). They were born one day apart, February 5th (JJL) and February 6th (Axl), in 1962, under a Grand Stellium in Aquarius. Axl's birth time is unknown, so I made a hypothetical chart for him with Aries Rising, which seems to fit, but I won't delve into his house or Part placements. To the chart that we know is correct: JJL has all 7 traditional planets in Aquarius! All in the 9th house, with Gemini Rising. In addition, all 3 outer planets are singleton: Uranus the only Fire placement, Neptune the only Water, and Pluto the only Mutable AND only Earth, making houses 3, 6, and 10 emphasized (Axl, with the Moon in Pisces, ends up with only Uranus and Pluto singletons, and Pluto only singleton once over). Let's dig into that stellium, which cannot be ignored: in the 9th, the Sun rejoices, and Aquarius is Saturn's home (maki

 An obvious stand-out quality is that all 7 traditional planets are in Water and trine by sign. Furthermore, 4 planets are either in domicile or exalted, 4 are angular, 2 are in the 11th (the next best house), and only Mars is cadent. His 4 Arabic Parts of eminence are a little less dignified, but all have very strong rulers, Fortune is tightly conjunct the North Node, and Exaltation is right on the Moon, in the 11th. Furthermore, Spirit, while in the shitty 6th house, is in the 10th derived house from Fortune, which is important since Spirit correlates with career, as does any 10th house derived position. He's also got 2 planets in hayz (completely in sect): Moon and Venus, with Venus also being tightly conjunct the Descendant (and exalted). Also close to the Descendant were Mercury and Saturn, with Mercury the only debilitated planet, but also in phasis, emphasizing it. Even more tellingly for his level of fame with the collective, the Uranus/Pluto conjunction was tightly on

A more positive example of a chart featuring prominence, and tragic death, Amy Winehouse. The only celebrity death I've ever felt really touched by (not even Prince, despite him being far more of an idol to me). Winehouse was a night birth, with Gemini Rising, so both the Moon and Mercury are very relevant. Moon is at 0 Capricorn, debilitated, 8th house, but in hayz and in its own triplicity (Earth, primary ruler). Its other triplicity lords are Venus in the 3rd house, Leo, retrograde, and pretty badly out of sect (though it should be noted Venus, being so close to the Sun, is almost never truly in sect). Mars is tightly conjoined Venus, and identically situated. The Moon (an indicator of health) in the 8th, being its own primary triplicity lord (the first half of life) is right there a sign of poor longevity, though it is at least in hayz and thus relatively well-behaved (and sextiled by its ruler in the 11th sign from it).  Mercury is an interesting one: 23 Virgo, retrograde

 Bruce Lee's chart. This is an unusual one, in that it's a noteworthy person with a profoundly afflicted chart. He also died at 32 from an utterly freak allergic reaction to an ingredient in a headache remedy. Sagittarius Rising, day birth. Sun is one degree above the Ascendant, so he was going to be a noteworthy personality no matter what. Jupiter is chart ruler, in the 6th, retrograde, tightly conjunct Saturn (also retrograde). Both are largely out of sect. The 6th house is a bad one for the Chart Ruler, especially considering its associations with health. Uranus (the sudden and unexpected), it should be noted, occupies this house too, also retrograde. Four planets in Scorpio, in the 12th house: Venus, Mars, the Moon, and Mercury, all rising ahead of the Sun. Mars is a final dispositor. Venus, Mars, and Moon are also in bad relation to sect. Notably, the Moon is also a planet of health indications. This is made worse by the Part of Fortune (my third health indicato

Birth chart of Jeffrey Dahmer, the notorious serial killer, himself murdered in prison. What went wrong here? He had FOUR planets in domicile: Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn. Let's get down to it, by my pseudo-classical method. Day chart, so Sun is sect light. It's in Gemini, in the 9th (its Joy; Sun is enhanced), conjunct its ruler. Good for the Sun, but bad for the ruler, as it's too close and thus debilitated by the Sun's blinding light (this is called "combust" when within 8 degrees, "under beas" when under 15 degrees apart). Sun's triplicity lords are Saturn (4th, retrograde, domicile, and pretty out of sect), Mercury (9th, domicile, combust, contrary to sect being an evening star in a day chart), and Jupiter (4th, fallen, retrograde, conjunct its ruler which is bad when that ruler is Saturn, and also fairly out of sect). Libra's Rising, and Venus is in Taurus (yay!), but the 8th house (not yay). Venus is ALSO too close to the Sun,

A look at the eminence in Arnold Schwarzenegger's chart. This is an interesting case because when he relocated to Los Angeles, his chart pretty exactly flipped, from 16 Cancer Rising to 23 Capricorn. For stardom, you need not only a strong chart, but may also need a strong chart for the location in which you hope to find fame (in America, that means NY and LA). We'll get to the relocation in a minute; let's look at his natal chart first (on the left). The Moon is far and away the most important planet, being not only the sect light (his is a night birth), but also the Chart Ruler and a singleton (only Earth), well-placed in the 7th house (interestingly, a Placidus placement is in the 6th house, of health; often the whole sign placement shows how strong a planet is, but a Placidus house can indicate the "flavor" of the planet, where it's felt). The Moon may be in Capricorn, but it's not weak; this sign puts it in its own triplicity (Earth), and being