Reframing The Trine: Don’t Believe The Hype

This may be welcome news for some of you and potentially unwelcome news for others. But only if you subscribe to the “trines = goodWOWawesome” version of astrological reality.

Yes, trines represent planetary interactions that feel second nature, that are well integrated and run smoothly. They run so smoothly that they can operate in the background of our awareness. That’s why they produce talents or success— we don’t have to try. The goodies are just *there.*

But what if that background processing has been compromised? What if malware has inconspicuously started running the show?

To make sense of this, I think of a newsletter Steven Forrest once wrote about the nature of trines. In it, and to paraphrase, he likened the potential sneakiness of the trine to two alcoholics supporting each other’s drinking habit by agreeing that neither of them drink too much. Yes, technically in that hypothetical interaction, the two parties agreed. That’s a harmonious interaction. But the result of that interaction isn’t actually that great. It’s actively damaging even.

It is possible that planets involved in a trine can aid and abet each other in manifesting as negative behaviors. Planetary enablers. Unlike a square or an opposition, there is no friction to jam up the airwaves, no internal struggle, no negotiation, no pause. Even conjunctions relay a heavy vortex of energy that sticks out in our awareness. With a trine, the faucet is always running without obstruction.

If you’ve heard the idea that “difficult” aspects can create very successful people, then you may understand that some level of internal conflict or struggle can help push us to overcome. And sometimes with stellar results.

But with trines, there is no adversarial force that can emphasize or make obvious a potentially damaging behavior (or perspective, belief, attitude, etc.). There is no struggle.

As a result, some trines manifest as major blind spots. Unless there is a proactive hijack of the background processing, by understanding the nature and potential of the planets, signs and houses involved, some trines can infect your life with malware, and you wouldn’t even know it.

And yes, I know the totality of a person and their chart is more than just one aspect. But understanding parts of the chart in isolation cand build towards better understanding of the chart as a whole.

Let’s look at some examples, hypothetical and real.

Trines involving Jupiter are perhaps the most illustrative. Left unchecked, Jupiter trines can manifest as flagrant excesses. Let’s say someone has Jupiter trine Mercury. Their mind is chalk full of inspiring ideas and vast amounts of knowledge. Maybe they can easily convey their messages to the masses or wrap their head around abstract or philosophical concepts.  But the trine that supports their intellectual growth is the same trine that can contribute to unchecked idealism, rigid and dogmatic perspectives, or constant spiritualizing. You may imagine that this person thinks big but easy spirals when their ideas don’t play out well in reality, or when their intellectual talents are questioned by others, or when they cannot spiritualize themselves out of real-world problems. The blind spot? Potentially thinking that you know it all and thus closing your mind to other perspectives. Potentially deluding yourself or thinking with unfounded grandiosity. Sure, this may not ruin their lives – but it may periodically jeopardize their relationships, reputation, or mental health.

Let’s look at a Moon – Saturn trine. In popular astrological literature, these folks are responsible and mature down to the bone. That is true and it is a handy asset for survival in the material world. But if trines are free-flowing faucets of energy, we can imagine that the more gnarly archetypes of Saturn bleed into a person’s emotional landscapes too. They are hard on themselves, deny themselves, or suffer from chronic inadequacy that makes them feel unlovable. These lemons can become lemonade. Or they can sour a person’s spirit with a practically automatic and constant stream of negative feelings.

Kurt Cobain had both trines mentioned, between the signs of Cancer and Pisces. And let’s also throw his Pisces Venus into the mix (he had a Pisces stellium with Mercury, Venus and Saturn forming trines to his Moon and Jupiter in Cancer. His Sun was also in Pisces but wasn’t, by degree, as tightly involved in these trines). It goes without saying that Cobain was supremely gifted and influential. But also supremely troubled in ways that appeared inescapable. He had an unquenchable desire to love and be loved by others, a romanticism that led to much heartache. His struggled with his attempt to just be a bachelor and was pulled into the orbits of women he was infatuated with for better and worse.

His mother’s divorce and unstable childhood also impacted him greatly. With the Moon (nurturing, childhood, mom) as his most elevated planet and trine his chart ruler Mercury, this early seed of unhappiness imperceptivity directed his life. Moon – Mercury trines contribute to great artistic and creative talent, but also muddy a person’s ability to think objectively. Feelings can become facts for these folks, and negative impressions can easily infect the way you view yourself and the world.

Let’s look to his Venus – Jupiter trine. Again, responsible for behemoth creative talents and adoration from others. But this trine also inflames indulgence and the need to feel good all the time. In a person like Cobain, this made drugs an obvious and easy escape hatch. In everyday people, it may create shopping, gambling, or food addictions. Or straight up laziness.  

Pluto trines are also tricky. Yes, for instance, a Moon – Pluto trine can endow a person with deep emotional resolve and resilience, even a psychic capacity that can be used suss out helpful information others would miss. The capacity for positive transformation of self and others is tremendous. But Pluto deals in darkness. A constant flood of subliminally intense material can easily overwhelm a person and create a gloomy outlook on life or make them act on their darkest impulses.

Pablo Escobar had Moon in Aries trine Pluto in Leo and is obviously known for the lengths he went in order maintain his drug empire, with some biographies estimating he killed people in the thousands. He grew up in poverty and resolved to, in response, become a powerful person. This evokes the Moon’s involvement—early childhood experiences which compel one to overcorrect or cope in extreme ways (Pluto).  And with trines, that reaction is natural and automatic. Vladmir Putin and Kim Jong-Un, two famous dictators, have Mars – Pluto trines, which has an enabling influence on coercive or violent actions, and can spur powerful propaganda machines and cults of personality.

In our own lives, Mars – Pluto trines can manifest as steely willpower that helps us beat the odds and accomplish great feats. Or as profoundly destructive behaviors like substance abuse, a trigger-happy temper, or taking masochistic pleasure in self-sabotage.

This is in no way an attempt to subvert the nature of squares or oppositions, to paint them as universally positive or easy to deal with. Rather, this is about correcting the trine PR machine, and all machines that deal in this = good or that = bad binaries. But I also don’t intend to spook you out about your own trines. When a simplistic and blindly positive narrative is counterbalanced by a more cautious and thoughtful one, I think neutrality, or at least perspective, can be achieved. And from there, chart analysis becomes less paint-by-numbers and more coloring in the shapes, shades and shadows that actually match your life experience.

In my own life and astrological practice, I’ve found it helpful to work with the entire universe of possibilities that aspects can create. This means not biasing myself or my clients into thinking anything about their chart is overwhelming good or bad – but rather, looking at the chart as a complex and malleable matrix of potential.

 😊

We Failed Amber Heard: An Astrological Portrait of Mass Deception and the Failure to Believe Women

With the ash having settled from the Depp v. Heard trial, I want to explore a loaded question: why don’t we believe women? The natal chart of this trial paints an evocative portrait of the grotesque intersection between public opinion, misogyny, and deception.

 Before diving in, here is a brief retelling of the circumstances: Johnny Depp (Depp) sued Amber Heard (Heard) for defamation arising from a 2018 article in the Washington Post titled I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change. While Heard’s name is listed as author, it would later come out that the ACLU penned the piece (to which they later testified). Depp is not mentioned by name in the article. Previously, Depp lost a libel lawsuit against British tabloid The Sun, who printed in 2018 that he was a “wife beater”. Note that in the U.K., it is notoriously hard to win libel suits if you are a publication. As part of the trial, evidence of Depp’s abuse (as provided by Heard’s team) was found to be “substantially true.”  The Sun continues to label Depp a “wife beater” in all articles run about him.

 So, Depp sued Heard for defamation because of an article in which is he not named and sued Heard (not the ACLU or The Washington Post) to the tune of $50 million dollars, money he knew she didn’t have. Depp asserted that Heard partook in a years-long, elaborate hoax against him, and that she had violently abused him.

 The trial began on April 11, 2022, in Fairfax, VA. Based on the Fairfax County Circuit Court’s scheduled start times for civil cases that commence on a Monday, we can reasonably assume a 10:00am event time.

 Here are the most notable observations of the chart, paired with a recounting of the climate and media blitz surrounding the case:

 Gemini ASC. The amount of documentation, recordings, soundbites, testimony, etc. speaks to the energy of Gemini. Like most cases, this was information heavy. It also represents how, months later, views on the trial are shifting. Views on the case shifted in real time as well. An absolute flurry of opinion, which I must note substantially differs from fact. Gossip is also firmly in the Gemini ballpark.

Sagittarius is the 7th house, in part representing how the case was viewed from the perspective of the other. While the public forum lives in the 11th house, the collection of personal perspective in the 7th galvanized how the trial came to be viewed by the masses (trine). Sagittarius operates on belief, specifically societal/overarching belief, which also substantially differs from fact. The reactions to Heard were mostly formed from gut. And the collective gut reaction to a woman alleging abuse against a publicly admired man is to not believe her. And to place upon her the burden of having to be the “perfect” victim in order to be taken seriously. (Recordings of Heard criticizing and belittling Depp were justifiably awful to hear. Descriptions of her own erratic and violent behavior were also justifiably appalling. But policing a woman’s response to abuse, limiting her to a narrow set of expectations, represents a metastasized societal tendency to silence women who speak up.)

Mercury in Taurus in the 12th house. Ruler of the ASC in the 12th house exacerbates difficulties around understanding. In Taurus, Mercury has a slow and thorough approach to information, antithetical to the Gemini rush. Mercury is the only personal planet in Earth here, and hanging in the 12th, indicates that information spread born out of practical application of the facts was hard to come by. Mercury in the 12th can also indicate a degree of hidden information, lies, mistellings, and misgivings. The public couldn’t know all there was to know but postured as if it did anyway. Declarative statements of Heard’s guilt, her sociopathic tendencies, her body (Taurus) language (Mercury)—all contributed to Heard’s now damaged reputation.

Many times, Heard was called a liar, her words picked over with a finely judgmental comb. For instance, the kerfuffle around whether Heard “donated” or “pledged” money to the ACLU. She used these words synonymously. Yet in cross examination, she was unfairly grilled about if she actually gave all of what she intended to give to the ACLU. She pledged several million to the ACLU, to be donated over the course of many years. ACLU would later confirm this agreement and confirm that they had already received one million from Heard. This was not a gotcha moment. But the public ran with it as if it was.

So, see, in the 12th house, Mercury is subject to subterfuge and vagaries. A simple semantic error, despite evidence to the contrary, was held against Heard. (Note how Depp’s sarcastic remarks and smirks were publicly lauded, while Heard’s testimony and delivery was routinely mocked).

Mercury forms an out of sign square to Pluto, which deepens cruelty of speech and spiteful bandwagoning. Men’s rights groups and sympathizers, formed in the fallout of the Me Too movement, used this trial and the public humiliation of Heard to strengthen a fundamental tenet of their cause: women lie, and men are the real victims. The corrosive nature of Pluto undermined a Venus narrative. (Men can be victims of domestic abuse. But anti-Heard groups campaigned less on that legitimacy, and more on vitriol for women and reclamation of power over them.)

Jupiter and Neptune conjunct in the 10th house. This is perhaps the most telling area of the chart. On this day, Jupiter and Neptune were in an exact conjunction at 23 degrees of Pisces. They were also forming an exact square to the Gemini ASC at 23 degrees. In my view, this set up ensured there was no way Heard would have a fair trial. The Jupiter-Neptune conjunction is one of hype, mass confusion and ubiquity. The way this trial played out on social media was the most evocative manifestation of this planetary mirage. No matter where you went on the Internet, you were bombarded with footage of this trial. On social media particularly, campaigns against and jokes at the expense of Heard went viral. Jupiter is an expansive energy, made even more powerful by its dignified placement in Pisces. Jupiter is the bully pulpit.  And Neptune infused that platform lies and falsehoods that spread quickly. There was no seeing anything clearly or objectively. Jupiter with Neptune created both the negative hype around Heard, and the positive, almost hero-worship, hype around Depp. In the 10th house, this conjunction forms the legacy of this case.

The square to the ASC from both planets worsened misunderstanding and fueled the media circus. With Jupiter square a Gemini angle we see both information overload and aggrandizement. With Neptune square a Gemini angle we see glamorization and deception. The collection of small lies and misconceptions (Gemini) over time can be regarded as the truth (Jupiter).

As a personal aside, I, and maybe you, fell victim to the narrative spins of this trial. Tweets and Tik-Toks inundated me with a one-sided take: Heard was the villain. Regretfully, I ran with that. Under a Jupiter-Neptune conjunction, it is easier to drink the Kool-Aid. While I never steeped so low as to publicly mock her, sign petitions against her, or engage passionately in her humiliation (that I know of…we all absent-mindedly ‘like’ questionable takes on Twitter)—I still regret second guessing her. I was an unwitting accomplice in a culture that bashes women. Even pretty, white, and wealthy women. That’s just the programing we absorb. I am happy I exposed myself to information that in turn exposed my blind spots and inspired this piece.  

Sun in Aries in the 11th house, with Chiron. The life of this case was firmly steeped in public opinion and spectacle. The razzle dazzle of a celebrity trial. But the presence of Chiron amplified a public pain. In one interpretation, this can represent Heard having to re-live difficult events for the entire world to see. Heard’s own natal Mercury in Aries formed a conjunction to Chiron, representing speaking about and reflecting upon one’s own pain. Heard’s natal Chiron in Gemini is another astrological avenue through which we see salting of her wounds—on display in the 1st house of the trial chart. In another more symbolic interpretation, Chiron here can represent a societal wounding—what humanity still must heal. And that is the way that we treat women.

Moon in Leo in the 3rd house. This Moon placement underscores the entertainment element of this case. The soulful purpose of this case having been to bring things into visibility, to give them attention (Leo). The Moon can also, at least here, point towards the embodiment of the feminine. So, the Moon’s opposition to a dignified Saturn in Aquarius, representing the patriarchy at large, insists upon a contentious relationship between these polarities—what is traditional in a man’s world, and what is suffered as a woman in a man’s world. The Moon’s need for care is neglected when facing off with Saturn like this. Law, order, and courtrooms are a 9th house topic. Strengthen by a rigid Saturn, Heard ultimately fell victim to the larger patriarchal industrial complex (remember those rigid and narrow expectations mentioned above?) . The soul of this case was fundamentally weakened by long-standing system that reinforces the subjugation of women. Note also that the 9th house can be where we find firmly entrenched belief (especially with Saturn-rulership and presence), and the 3rd house is where we find individual perception that can run counter to these beliefs. In the end, Heard’s testimony wasn’t sufficient enough to crack a centuries-old, cemented view on women and the legitimacy of their stories.

Mars and Venus conjunct the MC. The midheaven of this chart sits between Venus and Mars. Instantly I thought of the classic he-said, she-said dynamic, with both Venus and Mars elevated and insistent on telling their sides of things. Also, this case hinged upon domestic abuse. Mars is violence and Venus is relationship. Venus is exalted in the sign of Pisces, which you may think is good here. But remember that close-by, Jupiter and Neptune sat in their intoxicating conjunction, sending tumultuous waves through the waters Venus found itself in. Mars on the other hand was conjunct Saturn in Aquarius. Venus’s placement in Pisces may have been more influenced by Jupiter-Neptune falsehoods, subjecting Heard (the woman) to widespread disbelief. Pisces is also far more impressionable than Aquarius, becoming whatever you view it as, or at the very least inspiring confusion. So, Venus was also subject to misconception and projection. We saw Heard how we wanted to see Heard. Venus was also unaspected by any other major planet, creating a quality of elusiveness that could be read as deceit. Mars on the other hand is in a fixed sign and supported by conjunction to Saturn. Mars also sees and influences the ASC via trine. The Saturn-tinged Mars outlook flowed more smoothly. Mars also formed a sextile to the Sun in Aries and ruled the 11th house. In the most basic terms, the man’s perspective won here through simple dominance of energy. And it didn’t matter if that perspective was founded upon misogyny and malice. We are more keen to believe that Heard was the evil mastermind behind a complex and years-long scheme to bring down Depp than we are to believe that Depp abused Heard point blank.

To add, asteroid Juno, which symbolizes marriage and partnership, was between Mars and Saturn at the time, giving a leg up to Depp’s experience of the marriage over Heard’s experience.

Saturn square the North Node (NN) in Taurus. Saturn sat at 22 degrees of Aquarius and formed an exact square to the NN in Taurus, also at 22 degrees. In short, Saturn could be seen here as obstructing the free flow of collective growth towards Taurean ideals. Amplification of the divine feminine is one of those. And that can include respecting women, security for women. With the NN in the 12th house, no doubt this case had and will have a continuing impact on the collective, even if imperceptible for now…with the Saturn square representing a kind of harsh redirect of fate. When Depp won, many feminist activists warned that his victory could start a slow regression of woman’s rights, that it could mark the end of what has been achieved under the Me Too movement. It was not only a loss for Heard, but a loss for women everywhere.

The 12th house highlights marginalized communities, segments of society that are thrown over to the margins. There is no light in the 12th. And if this sounds dramatic, think about all that has been stripped away from women this year alone, from the Roe v. Wade reversal to the stripping of rights from women in Afghanistan to the gender-based violence resulting from the war in Ukraine. When the nodes are in play, these individual events add up in remarkably important ways.

***

Reader, I hope this has been a valuable intellectual and spiritual exercise for you. I hope that you were able to learn more about how Astrology works in real life, through humans and events, and ground some of what can feel abstract at times. Moreover, I hope this has poked a restless nerve in you, that it can help you rewrite or at least think more critically about the narratives we hold about and against women. May this trial be a critical learning moment that helps embolden, not erode, women’s rights, women’s value, and women’s stories.

The Fall of Chrissy Teigen

If you've been keeping up with celebrity news, you may know that Chrissy Teigen is in hot water for a past of cyber bullying. To date, Courtney Stodden, model, and Michael Costello, fashion designer, have come forward with visual proof of Chrissy’s mean girl past. In both cases, Chrissy urged that her targets ought to kill themselves. That's pretty harsh. As an astrologer, I'm always interested in the inner workings of planetary energies that underpin this kind of acute news. While some don't agree with looking at celebrity charts, I find that it is tremendously helpful in learning planetary archetypes, timing techniques, and the general effect that planetary movements can have on us mere mortals. So, in this take, I investigate the natal chart of Chrissy Teigen, and pinpoint some of the planetary energies that could be at play for her now.

But first some housekeeping. Whenever you are looking into the chart of a politician, or a musician, or any other kind of public figure, you're going to want to make sure that their birth data is accurate. There are a lot of websites out there that purport to have the accurate natal charts of certain celebrities, but some of them are less reputable than others. I suggest using Astro.com. There you can find the rating of a chart. Chrissy’s chart is rated A, meaning there is a strong likelihood of accuracy. (The best rating is AA!).

The first thing in Chrissy Teigen’s chart that is of note is, of course, or Scorpio ascendant. People born with a Scorpio ascendant are in some way seen or known for their intensity. Where that intensity goes depends on a myriad of factors. But one way to start delineating the effect of Scorpio energy is to look to the placement of Mars, which rules the sign of Scorpio. Chrissy Teigen has her Mars in the sign of Libra in her 12th house. To me, this is a set-up of secrecy. For one, it explains why Chrissy was able to get away with this type of behavior without it reaching the public. The 12H tends to rule spaces that are private or unseen. Second, Mars is a malefic force. So it is not surprising that Chrissy’s own maleficence was something that was shielded from our eyes. And because it is in what is called aversion to (or, cannot “see”) the ascendant, sometimes the way this malefic energy comes out can be extremely disproportional. There is also something morbidly resonant about urging someone to kill themselves, when you have the ruler of your ascendant, or your embodiment, in the 12H of self-undoing—especially when that ruler is Mars—a planet that enjoys violence, a planet that severs and harms. Mars in Chrissy’s chart is also sextile Uranus, revving up the excitement and speed with which Chrissy made her own cancellation grave—off the cuff remarks and inappropriate sarcasm. Uranus also adds a certain quirk and irreverence to Chrissy’s demeanor, which certainly inflames the desire to say or do things to get a rise out of others.

Chrissy is 35, meaning she is in a 12H year (everyone at 35 is!), kicking up all those Mars-related issues.

“As you know, a bunch of my old awful (awful, awful) tweets resurfaced. I’m truly ashamed of them. As I look at them and understand the hurt they caused, I have to stop and wonder: How could I have done that?”

That is a potent question to ask. When the ruler of your ascendant is in the 12H, having a sense of whiplash or delayed realization about the ways your actions have affected others is certainly par for the course. Mars is essentially, for Chrissy, operating in a blind spot.

Why now? Transit Mars in Leo is in her 10H, the most visible part of the sky. Her martial mean girl behavior and other cringe celebrity-obsessed behavior is being publicized. Mars is also squaring her natal Pluto, so let’s go there next.

Chrissy Teigen has Pluto in Scorpio in her 1H. One of the ways that Pluto in the 1H can manifest is someone desperate to be seen as important or consequential. This is a placement that comes with a lot of power, but the way one wields that power or approaches that power or homes that power, is completely individual. In the case of Michael Costello, Chrissy essentially delighted in being able to blacklist him within the industry. That means that she was able to pull some levers in the background using her influence to derail this person’s career. And that is all Pluto. In her chart Pluto is conjunct her south node, meaning that she is coming into this lifetime with some unresolved Pluto issues. In my practice of astrology, I assume planets conjunct the south node showed up maladaptively in prior lifetimes. That Christy appears to be working through this, realizing her mistakes, and apologizing, is certainly reminiscent of the growth one makes from their south node to their north node. But it is clear that she wielded that Plutonian power in less than desirable ways in the past. I also want to mention that Mars is the ruler of her Aries 6H. And so, using her energy or her power against individuals in her same industry, or in her same work environments, is extremely appropriate here. The square transit Mars is making to this natal Pluto placement sets Chrissy up for a battle of wills—where on one hand she is trying to regain her public persona in the face of extreme backlash for that public persona.

“In reality, I was insecure, immature and in a world where I thought I needed to impress strangers to be accepted. If there was a pop culture pile-on, I took to Twitter to try to gain attention and show off what I at the time believed was a crude, clever, harmless quip. I thought it made me cool and relatable if I poked fun at celebrities.”

Let’s talk about those quips. Chrissy has a retrograde Mercury in Sagittarius—double homicide! Not only is Mercury in detriment in Sagittarius, it’s retrogradation makes things even more tricky. Mercury here is classic foot-in-mouth syndrome, where the expansiveness, boundarylessness, and affable nature of Jupiter (which rules Sagittarius), can certainly get you in trouble. Chrissy explains in the quote above and the larger apology, that she was essentially joking around. Even more, Mercury is the ruler of her Virgo midheaven. The midheaven (MC)         the highest point in one’s natal chart, usually conflated with the 10H. And while the thematic similarity is there, the MC can float between the 9H, 10H and 11H. Chrissy has her MC in the 11H. The 11H can capture communities at large that share like-minded goals or interests, and for a celebrity, this house represents other celebrities. The 11th also carries connotations of social media—where you can interface with a lot of people at once. Chrissy’s love for Twitter is indicated here, yet so is her ultimate downfall. Those Sagittarius Twitter fingers echoing across the 11H can be problematic—picking on peers, always trying to be seen as “edgy” or funny. You run the risk of being known for what you write (Virgo 11H), and without intention behind your words, Chrissy has become an example of our increasingly cringe public foibles—post something once, it stays on the Internet forever. Her Mercury has a loose opposition to and rules her Chiron in Gemini in the 8H—that she used words to mask a deep personal pain makes sense. Chiron in Gemini folks tend to have pain around communication, both as an internal complication and as an external coping mechanism. Word’s hurt—and Chrissy’s certainly did.

Chrissy’s sensitive Moon in Cancer forms a square by sign to her Mars in Libra. I have no doubt that girl is probably GOING THROUGH IT right now. The issue at play is that Mars in Libra and Moon in Cancer are working at cross-purposes. Cancer wants desperately to belong and is vulnerable to even the most transient emotions. But Mars in Libra is a cool, brute force of social savvy and intellect, desperate to assert in the 12H. The stabbing imagery and mentions of physical sensitivity to the pain one has caused that Chrissy mentions is Mars square Moon incarnate:

“Now, confronted with some of the things that I said, I cringe to my core. I’ll honestly get sharp, stabbing pains in my body, randomly remembering my asshole past, and I deserve it.”

The transiting NN is in Gemini, right on top of Chrissy’s primordial Chiron wound. The NN appears to be amplifying, or making ravenous, the legacy of Chrissy’s hot takes and the pain they have caused. The transiting SN is in Sagittarius conjunct her natal Sun and approaching her Mercury. This is a karmic sea change around the way Chrissy’s words and identity have been misappropriately used. The amplified Gemini energy also represents the medium through which Chrissy has reckoned with her past—sound bites, news articles, gossip rags, and blogging. (She published her self-written apology on the website Medium no less!). Transiting Saturn is also conjunct her natal Jupiter in Aquarius, severely restricting or even providing karmic receipts for Jupiter’s past behavior as ruler of her Mercury.

And lastly, Chrissy’s Moon has newly progressed into Scorpio, conjunct that natal Pluto and SN. This is uncomfortable and corresponds to a chapter of Chrissy’s life where she is dealing with the emotional wreckage (Moon conjunct Pluto) of all her exposed skeletons. Moon in Scorpio periods are great for deep soul-searching, but that searching is likely always prompted by confrontation or crisis.

Will she bounce back? Maybe. The ruler of Chrissy’s Sun and Mercury, Jupiter, has newly entered Pisces where it can say YES to things again. This can shield her a bit or insulate the impact on her finances and sponsorships as a result of this fallout (Chrissy’s Sun and Mercury are in her 2H of personal resources). But Jupiter is slowing and will retrograde back into Saturn-ruled Aquarius. She may fall back into a quieter version of herself for now, focused on home and family. When she turns 36 in November, she will enter a 1H year, a period of life that is more face-forward. It’ll activate all her 1H Scorpio placements, and indicate, as Scorpio always does, some profound transformations regarding her identity. Jupiter will be in Pisces again on December 29th, making 2022 a year where Chrissy is more visible. But until then, the vibe is damage control.

Jupiter's Role in Ellen DeGeneres' Life, Legacy and Assholery

In light of Ellen’s announcement that she will be ending her show, I am posting a 2020 write up I did of her chart within the context of the bullying and negativity reported to run rampant on her set.

I want to explore, astrologically, what in the hell has been imploding in Ellen's life to completely reverse this "be kind" public image and replace it with an image of a person who seems to be callous, treat people poorly, and stage traps/jokes/scares for her own shits and giggles.

To be clear, I don't think there is anything inherent about Ellen's placements that suggest an ironclad route down the mistreatment-of-others road. A potent mix of power and platform can really distort planetary energies, making them rear in gnarly ways.

Let's talk about the dark side of Jupiter energy. Ellen is a Pisces Ascendant. And it feels odd, right? The sensitive and compassionate fishy capable of wrongdoing? Its ruler, Jupiter (traditionally), can manifest in problematic ways--grandiosity, hubris, dogmatic thinking, etc.

Jupiter has the real potential to proselytize, to go overboard with belief, to crusade for conversion of thought or practice, to become a zealot, moved by the "idea" of something noble versus the actual practice of it. Jupiter is also the principle of teaching others. And placed in a position of power, teaching becomes preaching. Give Jupiter a massive audience and it can really get high on its own supply. Jupiter is the televangelist.

Yes--I know Ellen was not trying to convert in the traditional religious sense. BUT--she was rather committed to this "be kind" front, performing tolerance, giving away checks and prizes, and virtue signaling--while the actual human beings employed by her were suffering (allegedly). Jupiter and Pisces so moved by the idea of compassion and kindness, creating a platform and celebrity around it (1st house), yet failing to actually practice it intentionally. It reminds me of famous preachers who do questionable and selfish things with their millions, whilst preaching every Sunday about charity to others. Much is said of the Pisces escape into substance, romance and art--but Pisces can also escape into unreality. That is where the dissonance between what you "talk" and what you "walk" creeps in. Pisces can also tether itself to spiritual superiority, which is just a front for Jupiterian arrogance.

For what it is worth, Ellen's producers are shouldering a lot of the blame about the toxic work environment, saying that Ellen was removed from the day-to-day running of the show. And that's Jupiter too--holding up a front and neglecting details. She appeared to be surrounded by Yes-men, and that too is Jupiter--a king/queen on its throne assured that the kingdom is running well.

Ellen's Jupiter (and Neptune) also trines her Pisces ASC. That means Jupiter effortlessly steers her ship. The sneaky trine! You never notice it. Like an inborn trait, a second skeleton. While this obviously made her generous, successful, a benefactor to many, it also provided a seamless route for Jupiter and Neptune delusions to creep in. Acting without accountability. Poor humor disguised as gregariousness. Misplaced enthusiasm. Arrogance. A former employee was allegdely told never to look Ellen in the eye or to say hello first, "but don't worry, Ellen won't ever be saying hello to you." Yikes.

While her producers are taking some blame, many employees have already come forward to say that Ellen's pranks and jokes created a tremendous amount of stress. With her Jupiter in Scorpio, she can use her sense of humor to provoke people, to take it all the way to the edge of what is okay. She famously scares a lot of her celebrity guests, finding out their worst fear (i.e. spiders or clowns) and using that against them for a thrill. It pretty macabre. And while a lot of celebrities have come to her defense, the laymen behind the scenes were subject to Scorpio toxicity, an environment of racism, sexism and inappropriate harassment. While Ellen cannot be blamed for all of these occurrences, some perpetuated by producers and management, it says something about her Scorpio footing--there is a sense of drama, and crisis and complexity always prevailing. Even her coming out as gay and suffering the fallout from that back in the late 90s corroborates this Jupiter in Scorpio narrative of controversy, and transforming through it.

Jupiter also rules her Sagittarius MC, and without beating a dead centaur, this really just rounds out the strength of Jupiter in her chart, and how it is performed and perceived by the public. It has a high stake in her personality and career.

Oh wait, never mind. I have to talk about Jupiter again! It is the apex of a T-square she has. It is the outlet. Her Sun and Venus in Aquarius oppose Uranus in Leo, and both square Jupiter. First, we need to give Uranus its due shout out--having this planet in her 6th house of workplace environments says a lot about the chaos behind the scenes, it further supports her need for thrills and oddball humor and deadpan arrogance. Uranus in Leo is the rogue diva. The unsuspecting diva. It also represents how revolutionary and unconventional Ellen's show is in the culture--a gay woman with one of the longest running and successful talk shows of all time. Whodathunk? It also appears to corroborate why she was "hands off" in the running of the show, as Uranus doesn't do nuts and bolts planning or management. But it's opposition to her Sun invites in a tremendous amount of character, yes, and also irritability, being high strung, impatience, being demanding, an uncompromising attitude and ruthless adherence to one's idiosyncrasies and identity. (Aries Moon doesn't help). Put all this into the body of a celebrity with a huge platform, and we can understand why in March, a tweet calling her "one of the meanest people alive" vent viral, and attracted tales from people and former employees agreeing. It essentially snowballed into the controversy she is in now. The Sun square Jupiter person also has an unhealthy integration of Jupiter archetypes into their ego, creating "immoderate actions and attitudes, arrogance, and a lack of self-control." A wheeler and dealer.

"I made one of my employees cry like a baby on today's show. Honestly, it felt good." This is a tweet Ellen wrote in 2009 that has not aged well. While we do not know for sure whether it was a feel good cry moment or not, happy tears, it provides evidence of her Uranus and Jupiter need to stoke BIG reactions out of people--the immoderate behavior spoken about above. Even though some celebrities have come to her defense, a running list of cringe moments shows Ellen's need to put people on the spot, embarrass, shame, or otherwise invite a sense of chaotic tension under the guise of humor. Her Mars in Jupiter's Sagittarius can also do the most. Limits? I don't know her. In the 10th, this plays out for everyone to see.

FWIW, the Aquarius Sun is a people person, but not a person person. They can be very vocal about humane causes, and ideals that shape humanity for the better, yet lack an emotional involvement with the person right in front of them. So the dissonance between Ellen's humanitarian and philanthropic front and her alleged mean and distant behavior on set is further contextualized by her Sun placement in the 12th.

As far as transits, why is this happening now? Uranus in Taurus in her 3rd currently squaring her natal Uranus in Leo in the 6th. Sudden communications and changes in her work environment. People becoming vocal about mistreatment (6th house as the place of employees, slaves, open enemies), demanding a change in culture on the Ellen Show. Uranus transits are confronting, triggering, and alter your path going forward. If transit Uranus is involved in a square with her natal Uranus, that means it is affecting every planet in that T-square I mentioned. Also squaring her Sun, and loosely opposing that dang Jupiter. Ellen is being forced to consider how her actions and identity have shaped her world, and is being asked to create something new in place of it moving forward. The SN in Sagittarius is also acting as a vacuum, a drain, over her 10th house of reputation. The place she held in the world is really up for review, as tenets of her public image are being stripped away.

Can she recover? Probably. Her Jupiter signatures remain strong indications of comebacks, of future success. But she can no longer spend that Jupiter energy in callous and over the top ways. Her show is coming back to air in about a week, and she plans to address everything. So we will see..

Thanks as always for reading!