Jennette McCurdy & The Blessing of the Saturn Return

I’ve previously written about singer JoJo, and how her Saturn Return ended up being a prosperous time in her life. (Humble brag: she read it!)

Anyway, I wanted to examine Jennette McCurdy of Nickelodeon fame (Sam & Cat, iCarly, etc.). Her name has been buzzing around a lot lately due to the imminent release of her memoir: I'm Glad My Mom Died

TW: mentions assault

Here is Jennette's chart, Rodden rated A. Below is a listing of biographical events from her memoir matched up against what I've seen in Jennette's chart.

1) Let's address that title. McCurdy has Pluto in Scorpio in the 10th house, as the most elevated planet (closest to the midheaven). In some way, this indicates a public life, a career, and an image that is Plutonian in nature. Death is Plutonian--specifically humor around death, which McCurdy has used as a coping mechanism. There is something distinctly taboo about the paths 10H Pluto individuals take. Unfortunately, this raised up Pluto also predisposed her ascent into celebrity and status to be mired in controversy, control, and criminally abhorrent behavior. (Out on the other end, a public life that is transformational and healing for those on the receiving end of McCurdy's gifts)

2) Her Mom. McCurdy has a Moon-Pluto opposition between Taurus and Scorpio, respectively. This opposition can manifest as a mother or childhood marked by extreme control, abuse of power, and in more abject cases, sexual and physical assault. It at the very least indicates a degree of intensity always at play. With this 4H Moon-10H Pluto configuration, her mom and childhood inevitably factor heavily in her career trajectory. And such was the case--McCurdy's mom intended for her daughter to become an actor, a failed dream of her own that she forced upon her daughter and then lived vicariously through. Her mother was sexually abusive, emotionally abusive, and encouraged McCurdy to restrict calories, leading to anorexia and bulimia that began at age 11. Her mom also had anorexia, untreated. She also forced McCurdy to work very long and grueling hours and to undergo invasive physical "exams" to make sure she didn't have cancer (McCurdy's mom had breast cancer when McCurdy was 2, and subsequently died when the cancer recurred 19 years later).

The Taurus Moon opposing Pluto can present as an obsessive need to control one's body--how it looks, how it is being nurtured, how it is perceived. It can also present as anxiety around death and illness, with hypervigilent Pluto always directing the Taurus Moon (where the physical body reigns supreme) to look after the body and maintain the health/beauty of the body in excessive and dangerous ways. That this behavior wad made manifest through her mom speaks to the exalted nature of the Moon in Taurus (insistent) in the 4H. Exalted planets can become caricatures, and can represent both our tendencies and the way others show up in our lives. Especially so as oppositions tend to manifest outwardly in relationship dynamics. (Taurus caricatures: obsessed with beauty, the body, hedonism, materialistic, etc.)

McCurdy also has Mars in Taurus in the 4H--the battlefield was home (mother threw things at her and her siblings, etc.). Taurus things, like rest, food, beauty and self-care, were weaponized against McCurdy. (Note: Mars is debilitated in Taurus, which may not incline one to fight back or assert themselves. Mars in Taurus fights to maintain peace and stability, which sometimes means becoming passive)

Both Mars and Moon answer to Venus in Cancer in the 6th house, a sensitive and loving placement that can long to please and serve others to the detriment of caring for itself.

Also, McCurdy was forced into acting, among other reasons, in order to support her family monetarily. It also turns out her small fortune was mishandled (by...her mother?) (Taurus caricatures).

3) Holy T-Square. The Moon-Pluto opposition in McCurdy's chart is being square by Saturn rising in Aquarius, conjunct the degree of the ascendant forming the stressful T-square aspect, which between fixed signs is among the most difficult to deal with. Harder to deal with as both Saturn and Pluto can represent malefic energy, and because the Moon is involved--emotional well-being. Saturn's influence also looks like control, but where Pluto deploys psychological and emotional weaponry, Saturn's control comes to us in the form of real-world structures. Also, authority figures. Her mom played the role of one authority figure, who McCurdy recalled she was eager to please. But Saturn also came in the form of the patriarchal and predatory conditions at Nickelodeon, on the set of Sam & Cat. Forced to drink, called obscenities, bikini photos taken without consent. Her mom never stepped in, resigning it all to normal Hollywood dynamics.

So, she was failed by the industry and left unprotected. Also, she wasn't allowed to pursue other projects, in stark contrast to her co-star Ariana Grande. In her memoir, McCurdy's states that Nickelodeon offered her money, to the tune of 300k, to keep quiet about her experiences (Saturn square Pluto and the depths authority can sink to in order to maintain power), but she turned it down. (Yas!)

In a night chart, Saturn is her out-of-sect malefic, making it her most difficult planet. On the ascendant, the maleficence plays out through the identity and the body. Symbolically, Saturn rising represents a lack of expression or agency over one's life, and a type of life that is weathered and eroded by constant difficulty. Saturn limits. Saturn says NO. Saturn also represents that which shrinks...also: bones, teeth, and aging. So anorexia and bulimia (which rotted McCurdy's teeth) were evocative embodiment's of Saturn influence over the house of appearance and vitality. McCurdy notes that she was afraid of aging, because she thought her mother would not love her anymore (Saturn square Moon).

4) Saturn as apex. Saturn is the apex planet in this T-square, indicating that it is a point of release and mitigation out from the all-consuming intensity of the Moon-Pluto opposition. Positively, Saturn represents self-discipline, doing the work on yourself, and finding the practical and sustainable middle-ground out from the hysterics of Moon opposite Pluto. In 2013, when McCurdy's mother died, she quit acting. Around this time, transit Saturn was forming the opening square to her natal Saturn. It is also around this time (ages 21-23) that we start the process of striking out on our own (i.e. graduating college and entering the workforce). This period of time bears a semblance to the Saturn Return, with certain themes repeating (the Saturn cycle). It wasn't until McCurdy's Saturn Return (currently still in progress) that she penned this memoir, after years of therapy. (McCurdy's 8th house Jupiter can, among other things, represent the expansion and reclaimed joy that comes as a result of talk therapy).

Saturn Returns are an opportune time to look back in order to move forward. In fact, a lot of public figures end up writing memoir's during their first or second Saturn Return--coincidentally. The first Saturn Return marks a period of time where childhood (0-28/29 in Saturn speak) needs to be reckoned with. This reflection ushers in a new phase of adulthood with the clarity of a sobered and mature mind. Many endings, but also many beginnings. And most importantly, you have a huge chunk of lived experience that can contribute to wisdom and self-acceptance.

In McCurdy's case, the work she has put into reevaluating who she is out from under the influence of her mother appears to have at least partially paid off--with a popular new book on the way and a reemergence into the spotlight on her own terms. Plus, the love, support and adoration of fans and colleagues. Career-wise, she is finding success in being a TV-writer, a playwright, a podcaster, and novelist. All of this, finally, self-directed and chosen by herself, for herself.

On a more global scale, McCurdy's revelations about working at Nickelodeon, and outing a popular producer as a predatory (the internet sleuths found out who it was), will contribute to the on-going reconstruction of an exploitative industry, and lend testimony to other victimized women. Pluto in the 10H--she is a transformer.

Though, not without regret, McCurdy admitted how ashamed she is of her iCarly and Sam & Cat roles, calling them "embarrassing and cheesy". That, too, is part of the Saturn Return--owning up to past misgivings, mistakes, and regrettable actions. Hopefully intending not to make them again. (In her case, clearly had no control over it one way or another)

This Saturn Return has given McCurdy the gift of identity and dignity. To seriously work on yourself, to face the shadows in your life, in yourself, and to resolve to become stronger for them--all a testament to Saturn,. You are responsible for your life, no matter the cards dealt. And that is...freeing. Emotional and mental stability naturally arise, Saturn's influence fortifying what we strive towards. The intensity of her Moon-Pluto opposition has found solid landing ground, more able to do the transformational emotional work and (generational) healing potentialized in this configuration. The intensity now lives inside a very capable adult, and can be channeled cathartically.

Her next 30 years look bright :) And FWIW I think she is an emotional warrior badass (as Cancers are :) Very inspiring.

TDLR: Jennette McCurdy is glad her mom died, has overcome a LOT, and is kicking absolute ass at her Saturn return.

Princess Diana of Wales and the Posthumous Saturn Return

Princess Diana is such a behemoth public figure and will probably live on for centuries in the zeitgeist and culture. Very rarely does a human being seem to have a legacy that continues on for hundreds of years. Its a specific condition of some celebrities. I believe Princess Diana will be one of those few. So does examining current planetary transits against her chart make sense or seem weird? Her natal energy seems to continue on. This is the Saturn Return of a legacy.

Specifically, Princess Diana would have been in her second Saturn Return right now, having been born with the planet at 27 degrees of Capricorn. The Saturn Return is a time of taking stock, making hard but necessary adjustments, and acknowledging the passing of time. Looking back on how you spent the last 27-31 years, and how you intend to move forward. Both Saturn Returns, and the rare 3rd one, are maturing factors.

Astrologer Chris Brennan pointed out that Michael J. Fox and Barack Obama, both Saturn in Capricorn, have recently released memoirs. This is one function of a Saturn Return--the act of constructive retrospection. It got me thinking of how Princess Diana has been all over the news recently because of the newest season of The Crown. Don't get me wrong, I know Princess Diana is a permanent fixture in tabloids and other media outlets. But there is a clear uptick in articles re-examining her relationships, her fashion, her motherhood, her demise, etc., now that The Crown's 4th season is available. Princess Diana's natal Saturn was at 27 degrees of Capricorn. This is where Saturn is now, and where Saturn was when The Crown premiered its 4th season two days ago.

Is Princess Diana getting a posthumous Saturn Return? The media is doing the retrospection for her, clearly, but it is very symbolic nonetheless. Saturn also rules her Aquarius 3rd house, bringing in the theme of written communication.

In looking at her chart to support this narrative, I saw Saturn sitting in her 2nd house making a trine to Venus in Taurus in her 6th house. Venus also rules her Libra mid-heaven in the 11th house. The sign of Capricorn is all about legacy, hierarchy, how we establish in ways that stand the test of time. The trine to her Venus in Taurus is emblematic of things that just stick. Could this trine echo how Princess Diana is forever loved and remembered for her style, her beauty, her duty to causes, her work in the world, her daily life--what she did in it, what she wore during it?? How she is stuck in time, young forever? By itself, can Venus in Taurus come to represent her fixed, solid, and reliable nature in the eye of the public as it relates to her love affairs, her beauty and her fashion? This Venus rules her Libra MC in the 11th house of humanity. The only other aspect Saturn makes in her chart is a square to this MC, mitigated in part because Saturn exalts in Libra.

Season 4 of The Crown has just premiered with Mercury at 8 degrees of Scorpio. Princess Diana's natal Neptune was at 8 degrees of Scorpio as well. In thinking about romanticization of a person, other- worldliness, fame, scandal, television shows, binge watching, living on in the zeitgeist, and having a saintly kind of legacy--one must look at Neptune. For Diana, it was in her 12th house. Nothing interesting is happening to Neptune in her chart regarding this theory, but the current transits of the time seem to support my narrative. Transit Mercury in her 12th house conjunct her Neptune at the exact time a television series (a very popular one) seems to dredge up and examine (Mercury in 12th) her life again is compelling. The 12th house is one of loss, death, tragedy--and her Neptune there can cement that her particular loss of life in mortal form seems to takes on a spiritual quality, a porous and imaginative quality, and most importantly, one that embeds into the culture for eons to come. Neptune does things on that scale, it can transmute physical life forms into immaterial and immortal ones. Scorpio as her 12th house cusp also explains, sadly, our morbid pre-occupation with her tragic life, why films and documentaries and, now, television shows continue to be made about her. Mercury blew all of this into an observable and rather tidy form (a series), and also manifests as the increased media coverage of her life.

The Astrology of Weight Loss ft. Adele

This post has nothing to do with my opinions on her weight loss, or her weight at all. No value judgments. Just objective observations ft. astrology.

1. Some predispositions for indulgence/weight issues for Adele: Sun conj Jupiter in Taurus (Lizzo has this as well, and so does food-loving comedian Jim Gaffigan), and Moon in Sag. Much is said of the Taurus appetite, but Jupiter is the planet of true indulgence, going overboard, etc. Now put all that in Taurus... Her Moon in Sag (Jupiter again) is also in her 6th house of diet. Her 2nd house (which rules over material possession and sustenance i.e. food) is Leo, ruled over by this Sun. So there is a theme of using food to feel secure, deriving confidence from 2nd house themes. Jupiter/Sun also opposes Pluto, so eating for a sense of control.

2. Adele started her weight loss journey during her Saturn Return, as all big changes tend to happen during this period! Her natal chart, rated B (so more than likely reliable), has her Saturn in Cap in the 7th sitting in a direct opposition to her ASC in Cancer. So anything that happens to Saturn invariably affects her appearance as well. Adele also celebrated a divorce during this period, freeing her up to work on herself. Saturn is the planet of restriction, and its transits have a lot to do with weight loss. Thin and grim planet.

3. Adele was in a 6th house profection year when she started her weight loss journey, finished a 7th and 8th house year, and is now in a 9th house year, having celebrated her 32nd bday a few days ago. The 6th house year is where we can establish new health routines. Her ruler of the 6th, Jupiter conj. her Sun, and her Moon, in Sag, were all planets at play. The Moon being comfort, Sun being identity, and Jupiter being excess--perhaps Adele had a realization about her health and weight and her relationship to food. The Sun in the mix, very visible in the 11th, means, of course, opinions from the public at large about her. Her weight loss is very much an identity overhaul, for better and worse.

Everyone undergoing their Saturn Return experiences a 6th house year. That is why Saturn Returns often become about getting better, healthier, and establishing productive habits. That is why Saturn Returns are also often about responsibility and duty--themes of the 6th. Planets and rulers of the 6th very by chart, as do the flavors of the SR.

3 cont'd) Adele's 7th house year was a compounding activation of Saturn. She was in her SR, in a Capricorn 7th year, with Saturn in Capricorn. With Mars in Aquarius, Mars was also activated because Saturn rules Aquarius. Mars adds in the willpower component,. It also trines her Venus, so the pursuits of Mars aid in feeling beautiful for her. And then when she entered her 8th house year, Mars was activated again, ruling over her 5th house Scorpio (remember her Pluto Jupe opposition above), and her 10th house Aries. Her 8th house year, 2019, is when she would show off her results, posting sporadically to Instagram. That's a 10th house activation. Maybe the 5th house activation is that she was always photographed at parties, at the beach, and just having hella fun.

4) Adele has Venus in Gemini opposite her Moon in Sag. That's kind of an obvious indicator that her relationship to food and her sense of beauty and esteem are always at odds. She's stated that she's felt very insecure about her weight. Venus in the 12th can also be why her love life is often very private, but also why she chose to undergo this transformation privately. Some celebrities opt for the all-in show n tell approach.

5) She lost weight with the Sirtfood Diet. This is just so hilarious to me. This diet allows red wine, dark chocolate, olive oil, and other very rich foods. DO NOT TAKE AWAY WINE AND CHOCOLATE FROM A TAURUS!!! These are all foods that contain the protein sirtuin. Sirtuins work on the body's inflammation response (Jupiter Venus tings). Its reportedly "inspired by nature" and also includes foods such as kale, walnuts, barely, coffee--aka things that grow from earth. Very Taurus.

6) The Nodes. The North Node in Cancer was transiting her 1st house, while the SN in Capricorn was transiting her 7th. The clear manifestation of this was her divorce. But NN playing in the 1st is a growing sense of confidence. The Cancer seeps in with care and nurturing of yourself, which can be done through food and activity and health, but also an intangible self-love. Cancer is also a vulnerable place, so her posting pictures of herself was an act of bravery, especially for a celebrity. Putting more emphasis on who you are as in individual versus who you are in a relationship. SN in Capricorn for her could also mean retreat from public life, as Capricorn can be where we accomplish and do business things.

All the best to her xx

JoJo & The Blessing of a Saturn Return

Random but it had to be written. UPROXX recently uploaded a short documentary on JoJo and it resonated so well with what I saw in her chart, rated AA.

At 13, JoJo experienced massive success (2nd house profection year, hers ruled by expansive Jupiter, which trines her MC--more on that later), but was subsequently held hostage by a greedy (and now defunct) music label. As a result, she couldn't release music for more than a decade.

JoJo is an Aquarius Rising, and her Saturn is at 24 degrees of Capricorn, placing it in the 12th. When the ruling planet of the ASC is averse or "hidden" from the ASC, a theme of "delay" can prevail, as the steersman of your ship cannot see where it is going. Very frustrating. In JoJo's case, it is further compounded by the fact that her ASC ruler is the planet of delay and restriction. And that is further compounded by the fact that its a 12th house placement of loss. Whew!

In the midst of recording additional songs, her label dissolved (12th), yet she was still bound (Saturn) by the terms in her contract. She continued to record music but was not allowed to release any of it. We need to note that JoJo has a massive 12th house Capricorn stellium--Mercury RX, Venus, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and NN. That she was forced into relative obscurity reinforces 12th house themes of things hidden, things ending, doing things in secret. Music studios are also the 12th house--forced creative isolation. She remarked in the documentary that she would constantly read articles that proclaimed she must have died. She recalled how frustrating it was to see musicians who started after her start to pass and out-pace her. (Personally, this is such a huge Saturn struggle. It is the bane of my existence. Anyway....)

JoJo has Neptune and Venus closely conjunct in the 12th. In the documentary, she was gaslit into taking medication to make her thinner, under the guise that her label just wanted her to be "healthy". The fogginess of Neptune playing out next to her creative planet, Venus, is also indicative of being sold a bill of goods that never comes to be. In the beginning, she was very glamourized by Hollywood, private jets, opening for Usher, etc.--but when the fog settled, she was completely and utterly screwed by signing that contract: Mercury RX in the 12th. RX Mercury begs of you to dive into the details, to double check, to be sure, transit or natal. And music contracts are complicated and obtuse already. Placed in the 12th, she became a victim of her own pen. (Not blaming her, by the way.)

What ensued were years of substance abuse, another 12th house theme, especially with Venus ad Neptune co present. Unable to release or perform music, JoJo became "a shell of herself" and had to be "buzzed" in order to function. Only the realization that her dad was an addict (who died of his addiction it seemed--went to sleep and never woke up) snapped her back into reality, and she begun to take control. She hired a lawyer and became embroiled in a bitter legal dispute with her former label. Her Venus, in the 12th and conj. Neptune, rules her 9th house Libra of contracts, law, legal endeavors. So she was in for an uphill battle. But she has Mars square her ASC, which, yes, can render one a victim to martial energies from others (her label), but also energizes you for battle as a result. In Taurus, it also meant/means she has to fight for her art.

In the meantime, she decided to release free mixtapes. A Saturn theme is stripping down to bare essentials. Ideally wanting to release music for profit, she had to settle for releasing music for free, and self-funding a lot of her creative endeavors. Though not firmly in her Saturn Return when she released these mixtapes, Saturn themes prevail for as it is her final dispositor.

Anyway, the story gets happier. In 2014, she was freed from her contract. It was a 12th house profection year, and during Capricorn season. So matters of the 12th house were doubly activated. And Saturn lurked still behind it all. Mars trine Saturn natives also never give up no matter how steep the odds are stacked. Go JoJo!

"Just imagine how the free bird will sing after being caged for so long," wrote one reporter. Holy 12th house! Only now, instead of entering a prison, she was leaving it. And thus began a new cycle for her, as she entered a 1st house year soon after. She signed to Atlantic Records.

Despite being away for almost a decade, JoJo still had very loyal fans. During her legal battles "#FreeJoJo" was used on social media as a means of support for the singer, and many media outlets and blogs publicized her struggle. Fans and celebrities alike stood in solidarity. And when she was finally able to tour and release music again--she sold out shows, was streamed/downloaded tens of millions of times, soared to #1 on iTunes, and recouped all her expenses. Why? Sun and MC in the 11th house in Sag, ruled and trined by benefic Jupiter in Leo in her 7th. The 11th house describes the nature of our fans and friends. Though a "victim" of her business relationships early on, Jupiter in the 7th and ruling the 11th ensured JoJo would always have support from others. It also ensured that her public image, career, and reputation would always remain afloat and gifted positivity and expansion. The Sun and Jupiter also have mutual reception, each in the sign that the other rules. That's a wonderful tag-team to have by yourself to mediate the 12th house loss. Jupiter and Sun inflate you up again---and again and again. Jupiter also rules her second house so: money.

As her Saturn Return started, JoJo re-recorded and re-released her first albums, as her former label removed all of her music from the Internet. Having to go back and re-do everything, and with precision and perfection, (Mercury RX) is Saturnian, but JoJo found it extremely cathartic. She also changed some of the lyrics to reflect that she was in her late 20s now, and not an adolescent. Saturn as ruler of time and maturity.

As her Saturn Return became exact in early 2020, JoJo won her first GRAMMY for a comeback single released in 2019. She went on to be nominated for several other awards, and is slated for bigger things in the future. She announced a new album and tour for Spring 2020.

Whew, won't Saturn do it y'all! After he hits you with 2 by 4 after 2 by 4.

I hope this is reflection for people with heavy 12th house, and retrogrades, and heavy Saturn. Or people just curious/afraid of the Saturn Return. Mine is exact today so I found JoJo's story extremely resonate and because I'm also a trapped musician with Saturn in aversion to the ASC. Yes, shit does end up sucking hard---but never forever. And usually for the better. Saturn came back around for JoJo and as a result, all the planets in the 12th were loosened up to express more freely, retribution was delivered, debts were paid and money was flowing, and most importantly, life purpose was solidified and confirmed.

p.s. One of her collaborators noted that she had a wise soul trapped inside the body of a young girl. Apropos for Saturn dominate people.