Nikki Sixx: Chart Breakdown

Nikki Sixx has held a special place in my heart since my early teenage years, so today I’m looking at his chart and will be breaking it down for you.

First let’s start with his stellium in Sagittarius in the 1st house, featuring the Sun, Saturn, Venus and the Moon. This indicates someone with loads of confidence (to the point of arrogance) and overall good health, but prone to depression and moodiness thanks to Saturn and the Moon. Sagittarius is a very reckless sign, and it shows with Sixx. Sagittarian ruled people are often prone to overindulging in drugs and escaping to other planes. Traditionally these topics are ruled by Neptune, however, I believe Sagittarius to be connected to Pisces and Neptune because Pisces is a lower vibration of Sagittarius, and Neptune is a lower vibration of Jupiter. Like Pisces, Sagittarius is also very intuitive, and Sixx has many other placements like Uranus in the 8th, Moon in the 1st, and Mercury in the 12th to support this intuitiveness.
A 1st house Venus makes him very fashionable, and he was quite the trendsetter back in the 80s. In fact, he’s actually become a fashion designer as well in his later years. Venus in the 1st gives him a love of beautiful things. He decorates his house with his taste in beautiful gothic art. Saturn conjunct Venus indicates a withdrawal of love early on, particularly from a father figure, and with the Sun also in the 1st house, his father was very important to him growing up, even in his absence. His mother was also very influential on him, even in her absence, with his Moon in the 1st house. She had a huge effect on his overall well-being, and it hurt him deeply when she abandoned him. His Moon in Capricorn indicates serious and depressive emotions as well.
That Venus trine Pluto could bring up some obsessive female fans for him, which in fact was the case many times in his career, well-received or not. Sixx was in fact in a very self destructive relationship during his peak of fame with the model Vanity. Her chart has Jupiter right on her Descendant, indicating a Sagittarian influenced partner (Sixx) and an abundance of relationships with unrealistic standards. Sixx reported that their relationship was very codependent and abusive. With Mercury, ruler of Sixx’s 7th house in the 12th house in Sagittarius, I imagine many harsh words were said impulsively in the heat of the moment. Venus is also aspected by Saturn and Pluto, indicating intense relationships, perhaps negatively influenced. However, his most recent marriage to Courtney Bingham was made official when Jupiter was in Sixx’s 7th house, house of relationships and marriage. This is a very beneficial transit for marriage, and this seems to be his happiest marriage yet.
A major point of interest for me looking at his chart was Uranus in Leo in the 8th house, house of death. As some fans know, Sixx has died before and come back to life. On December 23, 1987, when Mars was conjunct Pluto in Scorpio, sign of death, squaring his Uranus and opposite his Mars, and when Jupiter in Aries was trining his Uranus, he was pronounced dead by heroin overdose, but a faithful fan in the ambulance was able to revive him. Mars square Uranus can be a dangerous and accident-prone transit, and blending with the intensity and transformative energy of Pluto involved in the transit, can be a time of radical change. Sixx reports that this moment was crucial for him in his decision to quit drugs. He claims to have seen things that he shouldn’t have seen, like his body being wheeled out into the ambulance. This hints again at his intuitive and spiritual abilities, with Mercury in the 12th house in the intuitive Sagittarius, Moon in the 1st, Neptune in a water sign, and Uranus in the 8th house. His Moon is trine Pluto as well, giving even more intuitive ability.
Jupiter and Neptune in his 11th house are very positive in terms of groups of people. Fame is achievable through groups involving art (hence, Motley Crue… the music group Sixx began his career with). Jupiter in this placement makes it very likely to make a huge amount of money in the career, as Sixx has. This placement is also very humanitarian, dedicating time to those less fortunate and to humanitarian causes. Sixx has supported several charities, and began his own branch that aids low income kids by encouraging them musically and providing them with instruments and production equipment.

Family Astrology

I’ve been reading a book lately, called The Astrology of Fate, by Liz Greene. In this book, there is a chapter about astrology and the family. It features the charts of an anonymous family, including the parents, children, grandparents, and even an aunt. These charts had many similarities, surprisingly enough. Similar aspects and signs showed up prominently and repeatedly throughout the family’s charts. So this got me curious.

I’d looked at my own family’s charts before, but had never really compared them in this sort of way. After some research and studying up on my family’s charts, I found multiple “hereditary” astrological influences in my family.

The first thing I noticed, was that my dad has a stellium in Pisces. For those of you who don’t know, a stellium is a term describing a cluster of 3+ planets in the same sign. My dad is very much a Pisces, with his Mercury, Sun and Moon all in this sign. My Saturn, the planet that symbolically represents the father, is in Pisces, and my Neptune, the planet that rules Pisces, is on my rising sign in a 1 degree conjunction. In turn, I also have a very Piscean influence that softens my Scorpio/Sagittarius/Capricorn combination.

It gets even more interesting though with my grandma’s chart, my dad’s mother. In her chart, she has a stellium in Aries. And in my dad’s chart, his Mars (the planet ruling Aries) is on his rising in a 1 degree conjunction. Are you seeing a pattern here? I’ve read that a lot of times, parents will have a prominent sign that shows up somehow in their child’s chart. This is definitely true for my family.

Another thing I noticed, in my family at least, is that my dad’s IC is in Aries, reflecting his mother’s stellium in Aries once again. My IC is in Taurus, reflecting my mother’s Taurus stellium. The IC typically relates to your childhood and early home environment, and also can point towards the mother, as the 4th house cusp/IC is ruled by Cancer and the Moon generally.

In families, aspects can also be inherited. For example, in my family, my mom and I both have Mercury conjunct Venus both square to Uranus. This is the only exact inherited aspect I’ve come across so far, but we also share aspects between the Moon and Venus, Mars and Saturn, Moon and Saturn, Mercury and Neptune, and Saturn and Neptune. My grandmother and I also share a very close conjunction between Mercury and Venus.

One thing that’s particularly interesting to me about my family is that my grandma, my brother and I all have Sagittarius moon signs. In this sense, we understand each other emotionally. My grandmother and my brother and I are very close as well.

My brother and my dad also share the same Libra midheaven, though their other angles are different. They both excel at computers, with my brother having Uranus and Jupiter in Aquarius, and my dad having Venus, Mars and his Ascendant in Aquarius (Aquarius/Uranus rules technology advancements generally speaking).

Often times in family astrology, there can also be a lack of particular signs consecutively in the charts of each member. In my family, we are lacking Cancer and Gemini energy in our charts. On the flip side, we have an abundance of Sagittarius, Scorpio, Pisces, and Aquarius in our charts.

Unfortunately I only have the chart information of my immediate family and my paternal grandmother, but if you’re lucky enough to know the birth data of your family, study up on those charts! See what you find! Your findings may surprise you and give you a better understanding of your family.

Psyche & Eros in Synastry

I’ve recently met someone special, and immediately did our synastry chart (because duh) only to find that my Psyche is conjunct his Eros AND his Moon in Gemini. I’ve heard before about the wonderful “soulmate” love attraction between Psyche-Eros aspected people, but now I finally get to witness it firsthand! Eros has definitely struck me with his love arrow, and I’m not complaining one bit.

There’s a powerful sexual and romantic attraction here that has strong potential to grow into a long-term relationship. We met recently, and it was an immediate connection. A “love at first sight” kind of thing, despite how cheesy that sounds. We have other good aspects to each other too, but for now I’m going to talk about how Eros and Psyche come into play. Eros is all about sexual attraction, desire, passions, especially lust, but when in aspect with Psyche, it can relate more to romantic love as well as sexual relations. Eros is how we pursue our romantic desires. Psyche softens Eros and his strong sexual needs, seeing right through to his soul. Psyche is the soul, she represents thoughts of the mind as well as emotions of the soul. She represents how we support and show dedication in relationships, and how we inspire love in others.

Because my Psyche is in Gemini, an air sign, I look for a mental connection when in love. And with his Moon conjunct my Psyche, that definitely exists in this relationship. We finish each other’s sentences and talk a lot, and just seem to “get” each other. His Moon and Eros are also trine my Venus, adding even more romance to the equation. We seem to be very well-suited for each other.

To find Psyche and Eros in your own chart, go to http://www.astro.com to generate a chart and under “other asteroids and stars,” type in, “433,16” with no spaces.

Jupiter & Saturn: Optimism vs Pessimism

Jupiter and Saturn, optimism and pessimism, rising son and aging father. These are the things that come to mind when I think of these two planets. In mythology, the Romans based Saturn and Jupiter off of the Greek Cronus and Zeus, father and son battling it out for control over the heavens.

Jupiter is the planet of expansion, of higher education, and of luck. In your chart, Jupiter shows where you are able to expand, or grow. (To find out your Jupiter placement, go to Astro.com and fill out your birth information.) Jupiter rules over spirituality and religion, optimism, morals and serving justice, so these are also themes that may show up regarding your Jupiter placement. In Sagittarius, where my Jupiter resides for example, Jupiter feels very at home. It expands on higher learning, compelling me to absorb any information thrown my way, and to dive into my thought processes and explore the many aspects of religion. Jupiter in Pisces is another comfortable position for Jupiter because of it’s traditional rulership over this sign. In this position, Jupiter explores spirituality in a deeper way, maybe a darker way. Jupiter in Pisces people are highly creative, expanding on the Neptunian artistic nature, and also highly intuitive. These people may have experienced the paranormal firsthand in some point in their lives.

While Jupiter is optimistic and expansive, Saturn is restricting and more pessimistic. However, Saturn is a very important planet in your chart, so be sure to embrace the negative with the positive, as they say. Saturn shows your suffering and fear, restrictions in your life that may hold you back. My Saturn is in Pisces in my 2nd house (ruled by Taurus), so for me, the restriction is related to hardships with monetary gain and financial stability. A trick I learned for translating points on my chart is to make an equation with the pieces you’re given. This is how I do it – this equation is very helpful so make sure to remember this. Energies at work (Planet) + How you express these energies (Sign) + Where they show up in your life (House) = Interpretation. So with this, we can plug in the keywords of each element. Saturn, representing restrictions and the stern fatherly figure that tells you what to do and how to succeed + Pisces, representing spirituality, secrets, suffering and sensitivity + 2nd House (Taurus), representing finances, the material world and stability. That gives me my translation = a person who faces financial difficulties, maybe difficulty gaining money or material items, because of their sensitivity to the harsh world around them. To overcome this difficulty, this person must give up their fear of the world and accept responsibility in the manner appropriate. This is the lesson of Saturn – to accept responsibility for your struggles.

So where Jupiter shows you how you can make an impact and expand on whatever it touches in your chart, Saturn shows you how to overcome obstacles in your way and be successful. Remember the image of father and son – Saturn is the scolding father, who just wants you to be successful but can see your flaws and wants to show you how to beat them. Jupiter is the growing son, eager to see the world and learn as much as possible, and to make an impact on the world in some way.

The Greek Muses in Astrology

The Greek Muses were the daughters of Zeus, and inspirational figures of creativity to many artistic types. In astrology, they often show up prominently in the charts of creative people. Here is a list of the 9 muses… (credits to Nic Gaudette at AstrologyWeekly.com for writing this out so well that I simply couldn’t rephrase any better)

Calliope: Muse of Epic Poetry – good for those of you who are writers
Clio: Muse of History – obviously focused on history, but can also be tied to fame
Euterpe: Muse of Music, Song, and Elegiac Poetry – especially linked to music
Erato: Muse of Lyric Poetry – the poet, of course, but also linked to romantic writing
Melpomene: Muse of Tragedy – the thespian! connected to acing and the theater, as well as darker writing
Polyhymnia: Muse of Hymns – also linked to acting and poetry, but especially linked to creative spirituality and the natural metaphysic
Terpsichore: Muse of Dance – often prominent in the charts of dancers, choreographers, those known for their moves
Thalia: Muse of Comedy – often prominent in the charts of comedians or anyone who deals with comedy in their work, including cartoonists
Urania: Muse of Astrology – often prominent in the charts of astrologers, psychics, mystical types

In order, here are the asteroid numbers to plug into your own chart at Astro.com – 22, 84, 27, 62, 18, 33, 81, 23, 30.

So! I’m going to begin by looking at my own chart and my muses’ positions. To start, there are two muses that are in conjunct with my Midheaven – Clio and Urania. The Midheaven (or MC) generally represents the career path and the outward expression of self, the reputation, etc. My Midheaven is at 12 degrees Scorpio, with Clio and Urania tied in at the same point. This would translate to me as a person very well inclined for research-based career paths, especially having to do with history and topics of the occult/metaphysics and astronomy or astrology. There is potential for fame, thanks to Clio intertwined with the Midheaven, though this person is likely more antisocial because of the strong Scorpio presence. Perhaps this could mean a more “underground” type of fame. If Clio and the Midheaven were in a sign like Leo for example, fame and glory would be much more likely due to the fiery outward-focusing energy of the sign.

These points around my Midheaven form a trine with my Saturn retrograde at 20 degrees Pisces in my 2nd house, with Melpomene also in retrograde conjunct Saturn at 18 degrees Pisces. Melpomene is the muse of tragedy, so translated directly, this could be a negative placement for me, suggesting hardships. In the 2nd house, this could relate to difficulties around monetary and materialistic gain, which has proven true in the past. However, it is also a highly creative placement. I do write lyrics that tend to be of the darker variety, and I have a hard time writing positive upbeat lyrics. Saturn represents discipline and restrictions. My Saturn placement in Pisces gives me a tendency towards being a recluse. I’m very quiet and secretive, not necessarily in a scheming way, like a Scorpio might be, I just don’t talk much about myself when it isn’t necessary. I’m very sensitive to the harsh realities of the world, and it shows up in my writing, thanks to Melpomene. I’m inspired by tragedy to say the least.

Euterpe is the next muse strongly aspected in my chart. She represents music and poetry, and in my chart, she’s tied to Mars in a 1-degree conjunction in Scorpio in my 9th house. These two also form a conjunction with my Midheaven and two muses discussed earlier, Clio and Urania. Mars is the planet of action, and of primal instincts or passions. My Mars in Scorpio gives me a lot of focused energy and the willpower to challenge myself. Tying this back to Euterpe, music has always been a passion of mine. I’ve written lyrics for as long as I can remember, and have dreamed of it becoming a career (reminder that it’s loosely tied to my MC, so there’s potential here!) However I think I’d be more suited for a behind-the-scenes position in music. I’m much more comfortable writing and recording than performing!

Erato, also linked to music and poetry, but more in the romantic sense, is conjunct my Mercury and Venus by a few degrees. Remember how I said I couldn’t write upbeat songs? Well, the exception is love songs. I write semi-sappy love songs all the time. Mercury is the planet of communication and intellect, and Venus is romantic and sensual. Combine these energies with Erato’s romantic musical talent and the Venus-ruled sign Libra, where they all reside in, and you have a formidable love song writer.

So there you have it. These are the major muses in my chart. The other muses that I haven’t gone over aren’t as prominent in my own chart, so they don’t have much of an effect on me. Feel free to shoot me an email in my contact page if you have any questions about the muses in your own chart! I’ll gladly give you a reading!

Walt Disney – A Man of Creative Legacy

I just watched the most amazing PBS documentary on Walt Disney. Those of you who know me will probably laugh or roll your eyes, knowing how much I love Disney and his movies. He truly was amazing, and his movies are an art form that will last through the ages, at least in my mind. Anyway, this documentary left me completely awe-inspired and determined to do something, to create a legacy of my own. So I turn to astrology and writing, of course!

 

What comes to mind when you hear “Disney”? The common household name has almost lost association with the man behind it, though he is still remembered today through his legacy of animated movie classics. Walt Disney was quite a character. He was a master of creative ideas. He had vision, drive, and a deep-seeded fear of failure.

While I was watching this documentary, within the first few minutes of it I was already captivated and curious of his natal chart. I had my theories – he was obviously driven, and had the determination to get things done, suggesting in my mind that he had a very strong Capricorn aspect in his chart. (I later found when I looked up his natal chart, that Capricorn is in fact his dominant.) Yet he had the playful energy of a strong fire sign. I kept thinking Aries might be his AC, due to his high-arching eyebrows and long nose and face shape. However, his Ascendant is in Virgo. I was surprised by this, but after reflecting more on the documentary, I realized that many interviews had described him as coming off as anxious – he would be tapping his thumbs and fingers on the desk in meetings, chain-smoking while the gears in his head were always turning. Virgo is a very critical sign related to the nervous system, so in his case, his fear of failure and his constant nervous activity could be related to this.

But I was right about the playful fire-sign energy! His sun sign is Sagittarius, and he’s very strongly influenced by his sun in his outward appearance. Sagittarius is also very dominant in my own chart, and all the Sagittarius people I know have a similar energy. They’re often reserved or somewhat nonchalant, but also are very playful mentally, and can show amazing active energy when need be. They are innocent and sweet-hearted souls with a passion for learning and teaching.

For a visual aid, here is Walt Disney’s natal chart, compliments of AstroTheme.com (GREAT website for anyone interested in astrology!)

His chart is very bucket-shaped, with the handle reaching up to the MC and Pluto/Neptune. Disney’s dominant signs are Capricorn, Sagittarius, and Gemini; and his dominant planets are Mercury, Neptune, and Pluto.

I particularly find it interesting that so much is centered around Mercury, the planet of communication, ideas, and generally quick-thinking. Specifically his Midheaven, relating to the career and outward public appearance. Also conjunct his Midheaven are Neptune and Pluto, which brings up his desire to tell stories relating to fantasy and nature, and thus giving us the dream-like worlds he created through his artistic communication abilities. See how I tied Neptune and the MC together like that? Cool, huh? Now watch me add Pluto into the mix.

Pluto is in his 9th house, corresponding to Sagittarius, which is ruled by Jupiter. This represents an expansive desire to learn. Sagittarius is the “eternal student,” essentially. Gemini learns in quick snippets – think that person always on the move that might watch the news here and there, but relies mainly on word of mouth for their knowledge. Sagittarius dives into the full experience. Sagittarius learns by doing, and with this placement of Pluto, he dives extra deep into his passions. Pluto represents life and death, sex, and the deeper issues that may lie underneath. Disney was known for bringing to attention issues of the human condition and aspects of life in America through his animation, usually very subtly through symbolism, or word-play. Disney knew exactly how to communicate deep emotions and fantastic stories.

With his Moon in Libra, Disney was a complicated emotional person. He tried to come off as happy and even-tempered, though he really was only that way half the time. Libra is the balancing scales, equal sides of yin and yang. Opposites meeting and balancing. Balancing his emotions (traditionally the Moon is the emotional self, the unconscious, the feminine side, mystery…) was hard for Disney. He was so full of them, with his Moon placed in his first house, relating to Aries. When I’m looking at houses in relation to what’s involved in said houses, I learned a trick somewhere along the way in my studying. I simply can’t remember where I read/picked this up, so forgive me for not citing this. But the houses are all aspects of the self. In order of the zodiac, starting with Aries, we read, “I am…I have…I think…I feel…I do…I serve…I love..” and so on and so forth. There’s a whole list of correspondences for all the signs, but here’s an idea.

I’ll probably use this image a lot on my blog, as I find it incredibly helpful for reference!

SO! Back to Disney! His first house is where his Moon is positioned. Moon being emotions, first house saying “I am___”, his first house reads to me as “I am emotions.” But his Ascendant starts out his first house in Virgo, quickly transitioning into Libra, leading me to believe that he calculated his deep emotions, and maybe tried to restrict them, but in the end, they served (again, key word for Virgo is service) him as incredible fuel for his career. He turned them into the ideas that shaped his work.

Disney also comes off as quite the work-a-holic. He was known for working long hours, dedicating much of his time to his animation ideas, working to make his dreams a reality. Again, his Midheaven conjunct with Neptune, planet of dreams and fantasy, that makes sense. His career and his dreams are directly linked. With his Pluto also closeby, a sign of dedicated studious depth, and Saturn/Mars/Jupiter in Capricorn, opposite all this at the Midheaven, you end up with one determined-as-hell man.

Disney had a very deep fear of failure when it came to his business ventures. The documentary described it as likely being related to his father. His chart also describes it as being linked to his father and his early home. His Saturn, Mars and Jupiter are all in Capricorn in his 4th house. The 4th house is associated with Cancer and the Moon – relating to motherhood, the household, and nurturing. This house being right in Capricorn, the “fatherly” sign of stern restriction and dedication, along with Mars and Saturn, puts high emphasis on restrictive action, and is even more emphasized with Jupiter in the mix, the planet of expansion. It seems all his life he had an internal conflict going on, thinking, “Am I good enough? Or am I a failure, like dad?” His father had such an influence on him, constantly uprooting the family to move from place to place after all of his business ideas had failed. Walt saw his father’s failure and it scared him. He did not want to end up like his father, so as a result, he was very determined with his creative work. He worked hard and he was good at it.

Moving slightly over to his 3rd house, represented by Mercury and Gemini – symbolic of childhood life and siblings – Walt’s 3rd house begins in Scorpio, an intense and tricky sign, but also passionate and deeply loving. It transitions into Sagittarius, where Walt’s Sun is, conjunct Uranus, with Mercury lingering back in Scorpio. Walt had many siblings – he was one of 4 boys and 5 total children. He was very close in particular with his brother Roy, who became a loyal business partner in his animation quest for a long time. Roy brought out Walt’s true self, and he knew Walt’s true self. They discussed business plans, creative ideas, and Roy advised Walt very often financial situations, becoming his business partner/manager when they formed Disney brothers animation company. His brother Roy was an essential part of his success, shown in his chart by the ties to the Sun and Mercury and his Midheaven area.

So here we have a rough overview of Disney’s natal chart! Hope this has been as informative for you reading as it has been for me doing the research and writing it!

Keep an eye out, I’ll likely get further into Walt Disney’s chart including asteroids soon – obviously the man is of interest to me – but for now it’s late and I’m getting on a bus at 6am so no time for that!

I’ll end this post with an image of Disney and his classic character creation, Mickey Mouse. Mickey is in many ways an extension of Walt that will live on forever as living, breathing art that playfully touched our childhood hearts. Think of it this way: Mickey embodies the Sagittarius-energetic, silly, and sometimes troublesome, Capricorn-determined, and successful spirit of Disney.

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