Christian Bale was taken in for questioning today on a verbal assault charge filed against him by his mom and sister. I should be locked away for life under the 3 strikes law, if I had been arrested every time I got into it with my mum and sister.

So Christian’s mum is a small-time circus performer and his step-mum is Gloria Steinham; no wonder the dude has some issues.

The altercation took place on Sunday when Bale’s Venus was exactly opposite his Sun and squaring his natal Mars, the planet of aggression and violence. This was probably not the most loving day, and deep-seated issues with loved-ones could have pushed buttons to extreme bahaviour. Moreover, the Sun, which represents identity, was squaring his natal Moon, which represents the Mother. If his mother is in any way domineering or passive aggressive, his need to assert his independence and identity would have been really strong on that day.

Bale is also undergoing some serious long-term transits from Neptune, with Neptune conjuncting his Jupiter and Mercury. Mercury rules communication, so misunderstandings could flare up into major ruptures.

I’ve also been talking a bit on this blog about the upcoming eclipses (there are two in August), and mentioned how eclipses can be felt in the month leading up to the event. Surprising events may over take you, especially if you have planets in the same degrees that the eclipses take place.

The upcoming solar eclipse is exactly opposite his Venus and squaring his Mars (mimicking Venus’ position on the day of the incident). The upcoming lunar eclipse is conjunct his Jupiter / Mercury conjunction (mimicking Neptune’s placement on the day of the alleged).

The fact that Neptune will be conjunct the upcoming lunar eclipse, makes this time period especially intense for people with planets in the 23rd degree (give or take a degree or two) of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius). There are possibilities for serious mis-understanding over the course of the next month, that could have long-lasting effects. It is of course, necessary to see where the eclipses land in your chart to see what area of your life will be affected.

There should be clarity and resolution for Chris in this situation when Chiron passes over the Neptunian eclipse point in early March, and a more honest relationship with his mother and sister may be possible, even if that honesty requires some kind of detachment. The wounds will heal, even if scar tissue remains.

Make sure to send the Leos in your life a fun and free astrology detective ecard. They feature other famous Leos (besides themselves, of course) as well as astro-insight into the Leo psyche.

Just click on the above link and go to the ecard section.

Matt Munro: Born Free
Moon square Pluto, Moon into Aries, Moon trine Sun

The day may start with the need to break out and prove your own identity and freedom. It’s not a good day to live by someone else’s rules. If you can break free, there is a lot of energy to explore, brainstorm and create with today. This isn’t a day of follow-through but of new initiatives, so try for new beginnings. Today’s vibe is here to get you back in tune with the fact that life is worth living, but only worth living, because you’re born free.

In honor of the first full day of Leodom, as well as today’s transits, here is the theme song of the Leo-born, as well as the 1966 movie. Enjoy the above montage depicting full Leonine glory, with same truly dazzling special effects thrown in. The lyrics are pretty inspiring, though, and pretty much describe the Leo philosophy on life.

I’ve never seen the flick, but it looks incredibly dramatic. That dialogue is priceless.

Slash: Guns and Roses Guitarist
Sun: Leo
Ascendant: Unknown
Moon: Taurus

Stephanie Seymour: Model Who Marries Well
Sun: Leo
Ascendant: Unknown
Moon: Cancer

I never really understood the appeal of Guns and Roses, they were seen as the Messiah’s of Rock and Roll, and to me they just seemed kind of cheesy in a This Is Spinal Tap kind of way. I think this vid captures that vibe kind of well.

Anyways, today we move into definite Leo territory. Leo’s have the ability to be really loved or really hated, with not much in-between. People will either idolise them or find them incredibly annoying, and I think there are quite a few examples of this amongst today’s birthday twins. Leo’s also have this wierd seductive energy that is really extroverted and charismatic, yet aloof at the same time. Barack Obama is a pretty good example of this. Leo is the sign of the individualist, and part of the pack and parcel of being an individualist that stands out from the crowd, is also being kind of alone and misunderstood.

Leos have this certain integrity, too, about them, that they are carving out their own special niche and can do things that other signs would never dare because they need approval from the group or society too much. This is also the key to the Leo personality. They normally could care less what people think of them, and spend very little time trying to follow etiquette or social conventions to please others. This really frees them to live their lives in an extremely creative manner. What some take as self-centeredness, is really more of it’s my life and I’ll live it on my terms. The fact that Leos can enjoy life so easily and effortlessly, really gets under the skin of a lot of haters, who tend to dwell on the negatives.

Leos are generous to a fault and are often burned by passive aggressive, introvert types that leech like vampires onto their sunny orbit, but are secretly jealous of them. If you are a Leo, you are probably safer hanging with people with identities equally as strong as yours, to keep you from being betrayed.

Other July 23 Birthday Twins:

Emil Jannings, Actor: 1884
Raymond Chandler, Author, Creator of Sam Spade: 1888
Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia: 1892
Arthur Treacher, Actor and Namesake of a Fish n Chips Franchise: 1894
Michael Wilding, Ex-Mr Elizabeth Taylor: 1912
Calvert DeForest, aka Larry “Bud” Melman: 1921
Hubert Selby, Jr., Author, Last Exit to Brooklyn and Requiem for a Dream: 1928
Bert Convy, Game Show Host and Actor: 1933
Don Drysdale, Baseball Player: 1936
Charles Harrelson, Ex-Freelance Hitman, Father of Woody Harrelson: 1938
Don Imus, Annoying Radio Show Host with Bad Hair: 1940
Myra Hindley, Moors Murderess: 1942
Edie McClurg, Actress: 1951
Theo van Gogh, Dutch Director Murdered by a religious terrorist: 1957
Martin Gore, Musician, Depeche Mode: 1961
Woody Harrelson, Actor: 1961
Eriq La Salle, Actor: 1962
Slash, Guns and Roses Guitarist: 1965
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Actor: 1967
Stephanie Seymour, Supermodel, Ex of Axl Rose of Guns and Roses: 1968
Charisma Carpenter, Actress: 1970
Alison Krauss, Singer: 1970
Marlon Wayans, Actor: 1972
Omar Epps, Actor: 1973
Monica Lewinsky, White House Intern: 1973
Francis Healy, Lead Singer of Travis: 1973
Michelle Williams, The One in Destiny’s Child Who Didn’t Go On To Solo Success: 1980
Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter: 1989

Funkadelic: I Got a Thing
Moon opposite Mars, Moon sextile Jupiter, Sun into Leo, Moon trine Mercury, Moon conjunct Uranus, Mercury trine Uranus

The day starts off on an emotionally combative note, when the Moon opposes Mars. People could have a short trigger and go off on a rant with very little provocation, so be careful not to push too many buttons.

As the day progresses, the energy picks up, especially after the Sun moves into its ruler, Leo. For those in the Northern Hemisphere, the summer really starts as of now. Today is a great day for spontaneity and eureka! moments. Try to think outside the box and open yourself up to new vibes and experiences.

Today is George Clinton’s b-day. In this clip from his Funkadelic days, he appears on a show on the same day as his fellow birthday twin, Bobby Sherman. Back in those days, everything was so mixed up and wonderfully creative. This video is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. I mean these days could you imagine a stoned-off-his-head black guy in a purple satin KKK outfit on some Wonderbread teen music show singing, “You don’t smoke what I smoke, Everyone’s Got A Thing.” This vid is one of my all time favorites, a perfect storm of sound and vision: great song, funky dance moves, and mind-blowing outfits.

Edward Hopper: Painter
Sun: Cancer
Ascendant: Unknown
Moon: Libra

Today is one of those cusp-y days. People born today could either be Cancer or Leo, depending on the year, and sometimes even time of day.

Opinion differs on what it means to be born on a cusp, which means the days when the Sun is changing signs. Some astrologer feels that people born on the cusp portray traits of each sign, while others feel that you are the sign you are born in.

The confusion arises because alot of sun sign horoscope columns are pretty basic and don’t go too far into “real” astrology. They often give dates for signs, with the first and last days of the sign often changing from column to column. Since they can’t give deep explanations and full ephemerides listing the ingress of the Sun into the following sign, which changes from year to year, they say to read both horoscopes.

For me, I believe that you are the sign you are born into - astronomically you are definitely one sign. If there is any blending of characteristics, it is because the personal planets are always found in the signs next to the Sun. So if you have Sun in Leo, there is a good chance you have Cancer in Venus, making you a bit of a hopeless romantic and fool for love. I also believe in this method because the last degree of a sign and the first degree of the sign are the most intense. So if you are born with the Sun in the first degree or two of a sign or the last degree, this makes this energy much more concentrated, than if you were born with the Sun in the middle-degrees, when the energy is a bit more comfortable in its own skin.

Today, we have two great artists, Hopper and Calder, sharing birthdays as well as the man who directed Frankenstein and the man who had a hit with the song Dr. Funkenstein.

Tomorrow, I will go more into Leo characteristics, so check back then.

Other July 22nd Birthday Twins:

Alessandro de’ Medici, Duke of Florence: 1510
James Whale, Director of Frankenstein: 1889
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, Kennedy Family Matriarch: 1890
Stephen Vincent Benét, Author: 1898
Alexander Calder, Artist: 1898
Bob Dole, American Politician, Republican Nominee for Prez vs Clinton: 1923
Orson Bean, Actor: 1928
Oscar de la Renta: Fashion Designer: 1932
Louise Fletcher, Actress: 1934
Tom Robbins, Author: 1936
Terence Stamp, Actor: 1938
George Clinton, Godfather of Funk: 1941
Alex Trebek, Who is the host of Jeopardy?: 1940
Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Senator from Texas: 1943
Bobby Sherman, Singer: 1943
Danny Glover, Actor: 1946
Paul Schrader, Director: 1946
Albert Brooks, Comedian: 1947
Don Henley, Musician: 1947
SE Hinton, Author, The Outsiders: 1948
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum: Ruler of Dubai at the same time as being both Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirtes, wow: 1949
Willem Dafoe, Actor: 1955
Keith Sweat, Singer: 1961
Rob Estes, Actor: 1963
Emily Saliers, Indigo Girl: 1963
John Leguizamo, Actor: 1964
David Spade, Actor: 1964
Rhys Ifans, Actor: 1968
Rufus Wainwright, Singer: 1973
Franka Potente, Actress: 1974

Today’s posts will be delayed going up. Check back later, or subscribe to my feed, by clicking on the little orange button below, to be notified each time a new post goes up.

Cat Stevens: Wide World
Moon into Pisces, Moon opposite Saturn

It’s a wild world, and it’s hard to get by just upon a smile. There isn’t much astro-activity going on today, but the Moon’s opposition of Saturn can lead to a certain philosophical melancholy. This isn’t a day of deep depressions, but more of realising the dog-eat-dog fights for survival that we must accept in order to navigate in the “adult” world.

Birthday Boy Cat Stevens is like a hippie P Diddy, he was born Steven Demetre Georgiou, then changed his name to Cat before finally settling into Yusef Islam. He converted to Islam after almost drowning off the coast of Malibu. While he was struggling to stay afloat, he made a pact with God that if he survived he would devote his life to doing God’s work. After much searching, he found his spiritual calling in Islam. Although, he did certainly have the look down years in advance.

Ernest Hemingway: Literary Genius, Conflicted Male, and Suicide
Sun: Cancer
Ascendant: Virgo
Moon: Capricorn

Hart Crane: Literary Genius, Conflicted Male, and Suicide
Sun: Cancer
Ascendant: Pisces
Moon: Capricorn

It is really interesting that two of the brightest lights of 20th century literary America were both born on the same day, same year, both had hang-ups with their masculinity and both committed suicide. They both have depressive Saturn opposing Pluto conjunct Neptune and forming a t-square with violent Mars. A depressive tendency and disconnect, as well as a certain shame in accepting their “female side” can be seen by their Capricorn Moons opposing Venus in Cancer.

Hart committed suicide by throwing himself off of a ship in the Gulf of Mexico after he had been beaten up for hitting on a male crew member. Hemingway died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after electroshock therapy deprived him of parts of his memory. Both Hart and Hemingway died when they had heavy outer planets transiting the early degrees of Virgo making a difficult aspect to their conjunction of Chiron and Uranus, the planet that rules suicide, in Sadge. Stressful aspects to Chiron can make situations where anything repressed is dragged to the forefront of our conscience to be dealt with once and for all.

Hart had watery Neptune triggering the aspect, while Hemingway had the more violent configuration of Mars and Pluto.

In any case, don’t use this info to look for Uranus in your chart and freak out. As they say, do not try this at home, kiddies. These configurations could manifest also in different ways, and the entire chart must be looked at.

Other July 21 Birthday Twins:

Paul Reuter, German-born British journalist and founder of Reuters Newswire: 1816
Marshall McLuhan, “The Media is the Message” Mastermind: 1911
Isaac Stern, Violinist: 1920
Don Knotts, Actor: 1924
Paul Burke, Actor (Lyon in Valley of the Dolls): 1926
Norman Jewison, Director: 1926
Janet Reno, 79th US Attorney General: 1938
John Negroponte, 1st US Director of National Intelligence: 1939
Edward Herrmann, Actor: 1943
Kenneth Starr, Crazy Repressed Lawyer: 1946
Yusuf Islam, aka Cat Stevens, Singer: 1948
Garry Trudeau, Doonesbury Cartoonist: 1948
Robin Williams, Comedian: 1951
Jon Lovitz, Comedian: 1957
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Actress and Love Child of astrologydetective.com Cover Couple: 1971
Josh Hartnett, Actor: 1978
Rory, The Littlest Culkin: 1989

Echo and the Bunnymen: The Killing Moon
Moon sextile Uranus, Full Moon in Capricorn, Moon into Aquarius

I am writing this in the moments leading up to the Full Moon in Capricorn. Capricorn Moons are never easy-going, as this is the Moon’s detriment. A detriment is when a planet is in the sign opposite its ruler, which for the Moon is Cancer. Capricorn, ruled by austere, moody Saturn doesn’t have the emotional, nurturing warmth that the Moon needs to truly thrive.

A Capricorn Full Moon can see harsh, cold emotional endings. It is really necessary to look into your chart to see where this Full Moon falls in order to know which sector of your life will be affected. Caps, Cancers, Libras and Aries will feel the pain of this lunar occurrence the most strongly.

If you are dealing with any of the above signs, they may seem a bit emotionally detached, perhaps a bit cruel, today, so try to bear with them. There is actually a lot of polarisation on the Cancer / Cap axis today, as Jupiter is also opposing Ceres and Mercury. Ceres is an asteroid that also deals with nurturing and has a kind of Mother Earth quality to it. This opposition, with Mercury at its side, only increases the lack of tact and empathy people may be having today.

If you have been having a rough patch with someone, today’s energy may force a confrontation. It may be best to avoid people you are go through a bumpy time with, so as not to antagonise things (unless that is what you want).