Oscar 2010 and Pluto in Capricorn

What I have noticed in the last couple of years regarding the film industry is that a new film genre is gaining popularity, at least in award ceremonies, if not in ticket sales. That of the film/documentary feature. While this kind of film cannot be called a documentary, it is still quite a long way from the type of film we are used to. The emphasis is on real-life events or events that resemble real-life as much as possible, which means that there is a trend in Hollywood to de-glamourize story-telling and present the story in a more factual sort of way. Last year, we had Frost/Nixon and Milk, two films nominated for the Academy Award, and this year we have The Hurt Locker, District 9 (partly) or even Precious, whose overly dramatic story is presented in a more matter-of-fact way, in an effort to shy away from intense melodrama. Is there an astrological explanation for this?
I believe Pluto in Capricorn has a lot to do with this. All the above films are trying to show the dark side of society and what life is really like if you strip away the melodrama and the happy endings. Even Precious doesn't really have a happy ending, but instead the girl has simply succeeded in coming to terms with her dark reality and moving on. All these films are trying to do is show how sick society really is and what it does to the people who live in it. In Frost/Nixon we witnessed the dark side of politics, in Milk and in District 9 we saw how minorities are treated, in The Hurt Locker we saw what war is like on an everyday basis and in Precious we saw how cruel and abusive families can be.
All this is very well, but I fear that this is not a direction the film industry should go to. What most of these films lack (with the exception of Precious), is a plot, a story with characters that could get you emotionally involved in what you are watching, because films and documentaries are two completely different genres and it is very difficult to blend them successfully. The fact that Saturn is strong in Libra and Neptune is still in Aquarius, another Saturn-ruled sign, doesn't help much either. There's too much Saturn in the heavens. I believe that things will gradually begin to change when Neptune moves into Pisces. At least, I hope so.

Solar arc directions and midpoints

It seems impossible to use all predictive methods while reading a chart, even all the widely used ones. At some point, you have to make a choice. It's not an easy one, because every astrologer swears by the method they use and treats it like gospel. At the same time, however, the most common advice they usually give in their books is "use the one that works for you". The same as house systems. I've never heard more useless advice. All this says is that we haven't tested anything, so we cling to our methods and try to find something in the chart, no matter how trivial, to explain every event in the life of a client.
I'm not placing any blame on other astrologers, since I, too, haven't done any extensive research and I know how boring research can be. Consequently, I've based my choice on whether or not I like the concept behind each method. For this reason alone (which means I can be completely wrong), I've more or less excluded solar arcs and midpoints from my readings.
I don't like solar arcs, because, unlike secondary progressions, they are not "real" charts. They do not exist in the heavens. A secondary progressed chart for your 20th year, for example, is the natal chart of a person born 20 days later. It is real, it is based on the actual movement of all planets at their own particular pace. Which means, that the aspects you have in the natal chart can change in the progressed one, which, in my opinion gives it more subtlety. A square can become a trine or vice versa. Not so in solar arcs, because all planets are moved at the same pace, that of the Sun, so the aspects remain the same. You will never have a progressed New Moon or Full Moon in the solar arc chart, quite important moments in your life, because the distance between the Sun and the Moon always remains the same. I have a look at the solar arc chart, only to check if a progressed planet has reached a natal angle. Nothing more. Of course, one can argue that the solar arc progressed planets form aspects to the natal ones and these may be important. Again, not real ones. It is for the same reason that from the traditional predictive methods, I prefer primary directions to profections or firdaria.
What I find extremely funny about midpoints is that it is a method used by modern astrologers, who hate traditional astrology, even though the concept of midpoints is entirely traditional in its origin. The logic behind it is more or less the same as that of Arabic Parts. You take two planets that, when combined, produce a specific result. What I also find interesting is that the Mars/Saturn midpoint very often equals death. Why so? Haven't we cleared the name of these two planets? Aren't they considered "good" nowadays? So, it seems that the ancients were right after all in calling them "malefics". What is also very funny is that modern astrologers hate to mention death or illness when it comes to the 8th and 6th houses and they use words like transformation and service. But when it comes to midpoints, they have no problem whatsoever in pronouncing death.
What I personally don't like about Arabic Parts and midpoints is that we use the same two planets in every chart and say that they indicate the same thing. Yes, all planets have some natural rulerships (again very traditional in concept), but I don't feel comfortable with that and I prefer to also check the houses they rule. What if Mars is the ruler of my Ascendant and Saturn the ruler of my Midheaven? Why would the midpoint of these two planets in my case indicate death? Furthermore, shouldn't we evaluate the two planets? Is it the same when Mars is in Aries or when it is in Cancer? In Arabic Parts at least, we usually check the condition of the ruler of the Arabic Part, but not so in midpoints.
I must stress again that these are my personal views, which may change in the future. Learning astrology is a lifelong process and we've witnessed many top astrologers take a radical turn in their beliefs. Moreover, since I'm not a specialist in either of the two methods, feel free to comment on what I have written and who knows, I may have a change of heart. I have done so in the past, more than once. I strongly believe that in astrology we must never speak ex cathedra, like the Pope, but instead always keep saying: "I can be wrong".

The importance of the natal chart

Imagine being a Leo with a Sagittarius ascendant and Jupiter also in Leo. Let's say you are interested in astrology and at the end of 2006 you decide to read various predictions about the following year. You will read the predictions for your sun sign which, naturally, will be great, as Jupiter, the great benefic, will trine your Sun. Suppose you have some basic knowledge of astrology and know that you have to read the prediction for your ascendant sign as well, to get a more accurate picture of the year ahead. Things are even better there. Jupiter will enter Sagittarius, the sign it rules, your ascendant sign, and all in all a great year is promised with lots of opportunities for expansion, happiness etc. However, it turns out that this is the year you are going to die.

I'm not trying to launch an attack on sun sign predictions. A lot of astrologers are doing a wonderful job at it, with predictions that go beyond generalities like "this is a good time for love" or "beware of accidents". However, they should also stress that if you want to get a more or less reliable prediction, you must ask for a natal chart reading and share personal information with the astrologer.
This is the chart I'm talking about. It's the chart of James Alenson who got stabbed at school when he was 15 years old.

Jupiter in this chart is the chart ruler of course, which makes it perhaps the most important planet and it is located in the 8th house. You can make an argument that this is a 9th house Jupiter, because not only does it trine the ascendant, but it's 5 degrees away from the 9th house cusp, so it becomes much less dangerous. It doesn't really matter. You also notice that James has an 8th house Sun, so his mission in life is an 8th house matter. Again, nothing to worry extremely about, as lots of people share this placement and the Sun is strong by sign. You also notice however, that the Moon's last aspect, and still in orb, was an opposition to Jupiter, the Moon being the 8th house ruler and in the 3rd house, the house of school.

James Alenson was killed on the 19th of January, 2007. At the time, his progressed Sun was exactly conjunct his natal Jupiter (himself) and transiting Jupiter in Sagittarius was exactly on his Ascendant. The Saturn/Neptune opposition was also transiting natal Jupiter. This is too much Jupiter and even more so, considering we are talking about the chart ruler. His solar return chart for that year had a Leo ascendant, loosely conjunct natal Jupiter, with the Sun in the 12th house conjunct Saturn and square Jupiter, the SR 8th house ruler. His lunar return for the month of his death had a Cancer ascendant with the Moon in the 8th house, opposite Saturn, the Moon being the natal 8th house ruler and Saturn the LR 8th house ruler. Not a very good month and not a very good year, which of course we wouldn't have known had we relied exclusively on transits.
It's easy to be wise in retrospect, which means that it's very difficult to make an accurate prediction even when you have all the information at your disposal. So, whenever you come across sun sign predictions (mine included), you must keep in mind that they are only basic guidelines which can go horribly wrong, if your natal chart says otherwise.

Jupiter in Pisces - sign predictions

Jupiter is the Great Benefic and all of us are looking forward to its transits and progressions. Naturally Jupiter, like every other planet can behave well, very well or badly even. Its favourite signs are Sagittarius, Pisces and Cancer and the signs in which he feels terribly uncomfortable, are Gemini, Virgo and Capricorn.
Which tells us, first of all, that the jupiterian principle is antithetical to the mercurial one. Mercury represents empirical knowledge, the knowledge that can be tested and is formed through trial and error. Jupiter, on the other hand, represents intuitive knowledge that comes from within. It's the kind of knowledge, for example, like when you read a book and even though it's just a theory of a certain author, suddenly you feel it, you know it's true, you don't care if it's proven or not. Which means that Gemini and Virgo have a problem with that and this may be a bizarre transit for you, regardless of what you might read in predictions elsewhere. Depending on which natal house is affected, you may, for example, fall in love with a person that you would normally find unsuitable or find a job that satisfies you but doesn't offer any assurance or stability. This may be a time for expansion of consciousness, but this expansion in your case is going to come from a source that you are not used to. It can be quite beneficial in the long run, but only if you can succumb, albeit temporarily, to Jupiter's charms.
Leo, Aquarius, Aries and Libra are signs that are inconjunct to Pisces, so your Sun at least, is not affected by this transit. You should check your natal chart and find which planets will be form strong aspects with this Jupiter and which house Jupiter will be transiting this year.
Pisces is by far the sign that will benefit the most from this transit. Jupiter is their ruler and now it's coming home. If your Sun is angular, you also have natal Jupiter in Pisces and you are born around 28/02, then this could be a year to remember in the area(s) affected. The third decanate of Pisces, especially those born on the last days of the sign, will receive three Jupiter transits, but the downside is that you still have Uranus there and Saturn is going to return for a brief amount of time to Virgo, around the same time as your first Jupiter transit. First of all, this means that Jupiter will intensify Uranus and Uranus is not a planet that can easily be discarded. At the time of the Jupiter/Saturn opposition, try to keep your head on your shoulders and don't surrender completely to Jupiter.
What Jupiter usually brings about is hunger. Suddenly, you want to do stuff. Things that were on your mind but you thought you could never accomplish or you simply didn't feel that it was the right time, you can now develop the necessary optimism and courage. All of a sudden, you want more, what you already have is not enough. That's why Jupiter suits the water signs, because they are eternally hungry, literally and metaphorically. Cancer, therefore, is a sign that absolutely loves Jupiter. This is a very good transit for them, especially for the third decanate. The second decanate will have a Saturn transit from the autumn onwards, so keep in mind that your luck may run out at the end of the year, if you are not careful. The first decanate is already going through the Saturn/Pluto square and they would have preferred to have this wonderful Jupiter transit at another time. However, this transit can give them hope that whatever difficulties you are experiencing at the moment will go away eventually.
Scorpio may be a water sign. but find it difficult to open up, as it doesn't trust people that much. Which means that Jupiter will have a lot of work to do in order to make them relax. Should it succeed, this can be a very fruitful year for Scorpios and Scorpio Ascendants.
Sagittarius is a sign ruled by Jupiter, so they always follow the jupiterian principle, no matter what kind of aspect it forms with their Sun, so this transit is not going to be a problem for them. Again, the third decanate needs to be extra careful with the Saturn and Uranus transits. Taurus and Capricorn are going to receive a sextile from Jupiter, which is fine. Taurus, being a Venus-ruled sign is very much motivated by pleasure and Jupiter doesn't have a problem with that. For Capricorns, this could be an even better Jupiter transit than in 2008, when Jupiter was transiting their sign, because Jupiter suffocates in Capricorn and cannot show its true face.

The Sun/Pluto aspect - James Cameron case study

Now that Avatar is breaking all box office records around the world, let's have a look at James Cameron's chart. We don't have a birth time, so I'm not going to do a detailed analysis, but I'll focus on the very tight Sun/Pluto conjunction in Leo instead. I've said a few things about this aspect and Pluto in general in older posts, so let's see if it applies to James Cameron as well.
Some key words for Pluto: Fear of extinction, psychological transformation, survival skills, emotional intensity, death, life's cruelty and loss of innocence, the law of natural selection, paranoia. All these themes are present in Cameron's work. In the two Terminators we had Judgement Day of course and the end of the world unless we do something about it. We witnessed the complete transformation of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) from the sweet, innocent girl of the first film to the female warrior of the second film. She had to develop survival skills due to the cruelty of her life's circumstances. In The Abyss (his best film to date, IMO) we have a benign alien species living at the bottom of the ocean threatening us however with extinction, because of our lack of respect for nature. The Titanic was of course about death, about how arrogance kills and an intense love affair. In the Avatar, his weakest film unfortunately, many of the above themes return. Respect for nature, extinction and we also have death and rebirth from one species to another.
He also seems to be very difficult to work with. Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (The Abyss) vowed never to work with him again and Kate Winslet (Titanic) said more or less the same thing. When you live in fear that everything can be lost at any moment, you can never relax and people around you can't handle your seemingly paranoid behaviour. They just can't keep up with the constant intensity and how Pluto seems to make a life or death situation out of every little problem.

Venus in Capricorn - The Venus/Pluto/Saturn aspect

Have you seen the film Sense and Sensibility based on the Jane Austen novel? One of the major themes of the film was that you have to be sensible in love matters. That fiery romantic passion or deep emotional involvement are all very well, but when there are unsolved practical matters, love can never be. This, I think, is the essence of Venus in Capricorn.
This is a Venus that receives a lot of bad press, because it doesn't exactly fit well with the Danielle Steele or Hollywood ending concept of love. We have been made to believe that only this kind of love can be called TRUE and that the Venus in Capricorn kind feels more like an "arranged marriage" than actual love. Yes, Venus is exalted in Pisces and this "two become one" notion is a part of Venus, but the exalted one, the mask that Venus wears when she wants to put on a good face. But what is Venus really like, when she's all alone at home?
Venus rules Taurus, an earth and pragmatic sign that wants to enjoy the material side of life and since love and sex are parts of that, it wants to enjoy them, too. This is not a sign that harbours any romantic fantasies and doesn't spend its life crying over unrequited love. Taurus believes that in order to be in love, there has to be another person beside you that you can touch and feel and who wants to touch you back. Otherwise, the whole thing is pointless. The feelings that Taurus has for another person are very much valid, but unless these feelings can take shape and form on a material level, it just doesn't bother.
Venus also rules Libra, which may be a more romantic sign than Taurus, but it is also a very Saturn-friendly sign. Since it is an air sign, it wants to communicate the love it feels and that's what it expects from the other person. Because Libra believes that love needs to stand the test of time (Saturn), the two people involved need to be very clear as to what they want, so that a compromise can be reached. Libra may dream of an ideal partner, like every other sign, but its saturnian nature doesn't allow it to dwell in this dream for long.
Which means that, from Venus's point of view, Capricorn is not such a bad sign for her. It is an earth sign and a Saturn-ruled one. The problem with this placement is that, very often, there is too much Saturn. There can be a belief that love has limits, that love is something that you need to work hard for and that feelings are not to be trusted because they will lead you astray. This is sensible, but perhaps TOO sensible, since it doesn't allow any room for the unpredictable, for those few wonderful moments when love sweeps you off your feet. Which, in turn, can lead to a dried-up emotional state, but that's not what Venus wants. Venus wants the materialization of feelings, no matter how hard that seems to be sometimes.
Too much Saturn can also lead to a lack of demonstrable affection. I may have feelings but I do not show them for fear of rejection. If I show you my feelings, then I allow you to invade in my private territory, which, for Saturn, equals death. Better to keep my feelings in check than risk my annihilation. But, alas, this sort of attitude is what drives other people away.
The current Venus transit in Capricorn, with its mutual reception with Saturn in Libra, offers an excellent opportunity to make sensible choices and decisions about love. Are you in a relationship that has ceased to function? Perhaps this is the time to end it. Are you feeling love that unfortunately is not reciprocated? Then perhaps this is the time to stop. Are you involved in a situation that you need to choose between two people? Then choose the one a healthy Venus would choose. Deep down you know who that is.
Venus, however, is also going to conjunct Pluto, so for some of you making the right decision is a matter of life or death. Or for others, a love affair has become so toxic, that it needs to end immediately. But whatever you do, you need to take into account that you are also animals who don't have the luxury to forget about the instinctual part of life. Calculate your move, by all means, but keep in mind what your primitive self wants as well. And if you start a new relationship with Venus/Pluto, don't get stuck in the throes of passion but try to keep your head on your shoulders, because Saturn is waiting in the wings.

2010 sign predictions Part 2 - The mutable and fixed signs

So, you've finally said goodbye to Saturn. Some of you may have liked it, some of you may not, but what happened, happened. Saturn is going to make a brief return to Virgo, affecting primarily the last three degrees of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces), forming therefore another opposition with Uranus, so the ball is in the court of the third decanate. The other major event of the year is Jupiter in Pisces, which will also affect more strongly the third decanate with its three transits.
The first decanate of Gemini and Virgo will only have the Jupiter transit to think about, which will pass pretty quickly. These two signs don't particularly like Jupiter, because Jupiter represents intuitive knowledge, knowledge that comes from within. More often than not it ignores facts and it's not interested in proof. Gemini and Virgo, however, the two Mercury-ruled signs, are interested in external knowledge and pay great attention to detail. Gemini likes to accumulate every tiny bit of information and Virgo likes to extract knowledge from it. So, the jupiterian energy is foreign to them. For some of them, however, their life circumstances for a brief period of time will probably demand a leap of faith. Can they do it? The Virgo first decanate will also receive a trine from Pluto, but unless this transit involves an angular house or their progressions and returns point towards Pluto, then they do not have much to worry about. For Pisces and Sagittarius, however, it's a different story, especially for Pisces. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter and Jupiter will be in the second sign that it rules, Pisces, and even though it's going to form a square to their Sun, this transit will probably be more beneficial than otherwise. For the first decanate of Pisces, this could be a year to remember, especially for those of you born around the 28th of February. This is going to be one of those years with many opportunities offered, helping you to realize what you are here to do. It will all depend on the natal house this conjunction will take place and if it is also strong in the solar return chart. Bear in mind that Jupiter is interested in expansion. Does the life you've built so far allow any room for expansion or have you closed all doors? If it is the latter, you will be disappointed. Don't waste this wonderful transit by simply putting on weight.
For the second decanate it's more or less the same as above, only the beneficial effects for Pisces are a bit toned down. For the third decanate, things are quite different. You may be the lucky ones regarding Jupiter (Pisces mostly), in the sense that it will go over your Sun three times, but at the same time, Uranus and Saturn are still going to be breathing down your neck, particularly those of you born on the last 3-4 days of your respective signs. Saturn, however, will leave Virgo for good in late spring (and this is the time of year you need to be particularly careful about) and after that you will be left with Jupiter and Uranus, from the autumn onwards. Some of you will feel a tremendous burst of energy, especially Pisces, a sign more inclined to inertia. Something new and exciting can come out of this period, especially for Pisces and Sagittarius. Geminis and Virgos will probably feel a bit uneasy despite the excitement, because your well-ordered world will receive enormous pressure. You too, should check out your progressions and returns.

For the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), as far as transits go, this does not seem to be a memorable year, at least for your Sun. With the exception of the latter half of the third decanate, where Neptune will still exercise a strong influence, the rest of you will not receive any heavy pressure. So, you must check your birth chart and find out if you have any personal planets or the angles in the cardinal or mutable signs, because they are going to be the ones with the leading role this year. Those of you still affected by Neptune and Chiron, try reading my older posts on those planets.
The other thing, besides Neptune, that needs to be mentioned, is Mars in Leo for the first half of the year. The first two decanates have already experienced it and will experience it twice more. The third decanate will be influenced in late May. Again, read my older post on this transit.
Scorpios, however, will also receive a trine from Jupiter. Cancer and Pisces, the other two water signs, will know what to do with Jupiter, but will you? The darkness you like to dwell in is not what I would call Jupiter-friendly. This could be a year where a bit of opening-up will be needed. Are you ready to do that? It doesn't matter if you regret it later. Betrayal, after all, is part of your life story. But some of you will be given a chance to experience ecstasy, albeit briefly. Why waste this opportunity? Those of you who will take that chance will never forget it, despite whatever pain might ensue. Isn't that worth it?