While you are learning astrology, you require the charts of real people to practise on, but you don't always want to use friends or family. So, celebrities are a very good alternative, mainly because after you've made predictions, you can 'monitor' what happens to them via the media. It's usually very straightforward - unless the celebrities you use are from the world of drama..... Many years ago, when I was still a student of astrology, I decided to do a forecast for a famous television actor. He had a very interesting chart, but something really worried me - there were indications that he would become aggressive, commit an act of violence, be arrested and go to jail. I was shocked. The prediction was for almost a year in advance, so as the months passed, I began to search newspapers and watch news programmes on TV - this was before the internet. When the year was almost up, still nothing had happened, but then one evening I was watching a drama on TV - and there he was! The character he was playing was very aggressive, and by the end of the story, he had been arrested, charged with a violent crime, and was on his way to prison.
It was at that point that I suddenly realised something very important..... Actors spend a large amount of their time 'being' someone else, and when they do, whatever is happening in their astrological charts is 'lived out' or expressed through the character they are playing during that period. In other words, the planetary energies taking place in an actor's chart are manifested in the form of dramatic art. So, for example, if I was doing a forecast for an actor and the planetary influences suggested that they would be involved in a dangerous situation, then it's highly likely that the 'dangerous situation' would appear on TV, film, or stage as part of the story. Of course, it's also possible that the danger could come directly into the actor's life from an actual source - falling scenery on stage, or an exploding spotlight, for example. This is a very curious situation that I'd never expected to encounter. Everyone experiences their current chart activity in various areas of life, including work, but for people whose career actually involves becoming another person, it seems as if they are living half of their existence in a parallel universe.
This phenomenon arose again recently when, through curiosity, I decided to glance at the chart of Harry Styles. I'd seen photos of him on the set of his new World War 2 movie 'Dunkirk'. His forecast chart for 2016 contains Solar Arc Mars square natal Pluto, and Annual Degree Projection Mars in opposition to natal Pluto. These planetary influences tend to bring explosive and destructive energy which can result in traumatic experiences. Acts of violence and the need to overcome difficult situations through sheer effort and willpower are also indicated by the effects of these planetary aspects. If I hadn't known about Harry's current activities, I would have been seriously worried about what might be about to happen to him. But, as he is living out this potentially destructive energy in a safe environment - i.e. a film set/studio - it should have minimum impact on his personal life.
Another curious scenario associated with actors and astrology is that the characters they portray always have a strong astrological connection to their own charts. Also, the character an actor is most associated with will be described in the actor's natal chart. For example, if you have read my astrological profile of British actor Aneurin Barnard, you will have seen this mentioned. If you haven't read it, this is what I said:
"Mars is in an opposition aspect to Saturn in Aneurin's natal chart. This is really interesting for many reasons - particularly as it is also present in the birth chart of King Richard III, whom Aneurin so beautifully portrayed in the TV drama 'The White Queen'. I have come across this phenomenon frequently when studying the charts of actors. Particularly if the role they play involves the portrayal of a real person, the actor's chart resonates with that person's own chart. In Richard's chart, Mars is in a Fire Sign opposite Saturn in an Air Sign - in Aneurin's chart Mars is in an Air Sign opposite Saturn in a Fire Sign. A mirror image of the same elements with exactly the same planetary aspect. Not only that - Richard's Saturn is located at 20 degrees, and so is Aneurin's!"
It's a well-known fact among astrologers that any actor who has played - or will play - the role of the Timelord in the BBC sci-fi drama 'Doctor Who', always has strong astrological connections to the chart of the very first episode - which, of course, is the natal chart. I suspect this would also be true of the actors who have played 007 in the Bond movies.
In a curious twist, the chart of a fictional character will also show their personality and destiny - even though that person is not real. A traumatic story in the BBC serial drama 'EastEnders' has just reached it's conclusion after more than two years. It involved the murder of a character called Lucy Beale who was killed by her 10-year old brother Bobby. The identity of the killer was not revealed until the first anniversary of Lucy's death. After two years of his family's vain attempts to keep him 'safe' and avoid seeing him being punished for the crime, Bobby was sent to prison a few weeks ago after confessing everything - murdering his sister, attacking and almost killing his friend, as well as his own step-mother. When Bobby Beale was in court he stated his date of birth - 22nd July 2003. That was all I needed to set up a chart (obviously it's very rare to get a birth time with a fictional character), and it was absolute dynamite!
The character of Bobby Beale - brilliantly portrayed by talented young actor Eliot Carrington - is a Sun sign Cancerian which indicates that he is a very sensitive little boy who feels very deeply both his own emotions and those of the people around him. His Moon is in Taurus and shows that he needs security and comfort, and can be stubborn and obstinate. Mercury in an opposition aspect to Neptune reveals that Bobby is very clever but has a very troubled mind capable of serious deception. But the most interesting of all is the conjunction of Mars and Uranus. When someone has this planetary influence in their natal chart, it brings a high level of tension and impulsive urges. Wilful and undisciplined, this planetary aspect is potentially explosive.
When Bobby Beale killed his elder sister Lucy (she was 20 years old) the date of the murder was 18th April 2014. On that day, the transiting Sun was in a square aspect to Bobby's natal Sun. This tends to bring annoyance and irritation. Transiting Mars - planet of physical aggression - was in conjunction with natal Vesta, one of the asteroids which symbolises 'sisters'. Transiting Uranus - planet of sudden and unexpected events - was in opposition to Vesta. So, it showed in Bobby's chart that his sister would encounter a sudden, physical attack on that day. Add to that transiting Pluto - planet of crime and death - in a square aspect to Vesta, and a definite indication of potential murder is revealed.
Also very interesting are the astrological connections between Bobby and his sister Lucy who was born on 9th December 1993. Bobby's Pluto is conjunct Lucy's Sun indicating power games. People with this planetary connection between them often have their lives changed on a very deep level - for better or worse. With his Uranus in a square to her Mercury, Bobby would have rebelled against Lucy and they had many arguments. Bobby's Mars in opposition to Lucy's Chiron suggests she would be physically wounded by him. And amazingly, Bobby's natal Mars is conjunct Lucy's natal Vesta - triggered on that fateful day by the transit of Mars in conjunction to Vesta in his natal chart.
They say that 'truth is stranger than fiction' but when you combine them, that's the strangest of all.....
