Stellar Antipodean Newsmakers !!
Gemini 'Golden Glamour Girl' Stephanie Rice has Neptune conjunct Aussie Sun
click to see chart |
With her world-record-breaking victory in the 400m individual medley at Beijing, Rice has secured
Australia's 400th Summer Olympics medal. Her killer instinct in the pool comes from Mars (the competitor) in Pisces (The Fishes)
on her North Node (the soul's purpose). Moreover, her Mars is ruled by Neptune (at 9° Capricorn in her chart) which is within
one degree of Australia's Sun (at 10° Capricorn). Neptune is the planet most associated with glamour while the Sun is associated with all things
gold, and so the photogenic Rice (a multi-talented Gemini) has been dubbed the country's 'new golden girl.'
[August 2008] |
Astro-Trivia: Olympic swimmers Eamon Sullivan (born in Perth) and Leisel Jones (born in Katherine) are Virgo "Star Twins": both born on the same day! I don't have Jones' time of birth but like Sullivan
she has her Sun conjunct Australia's Mars, plus the all-important Mars-Saturn square to give her added strength in the pool!
Virgo Eamon Sullivan wins Olympic Silver thanks to Saturn-Mars & Moon!
gold trunks |
The champion sprint swimmer (and underwear model) remains the fastest swimmer in history. He
was born with his Virgo Sun conjunct Australia's Mars, indicating that he might one day compete to win Gold for his country. Sullivan has a 17° Scorpio Ascendant with Saturn
rising at 22° Scorpio, respectively in square aspect with Mercury at 18° Leo and Mars at 23° Leo on his Midheaven. He
put that angular combination of intense (Scorpio) self-discipline (Saturn) and agile (Mercury) strength (Mars) to
the test at Beijing, winning a Silver medal - reflecting the conjunction between his Moon and the Ascendant of the Beijing Games. [see his astro profile] |
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click to see chart |
Indigo Packer has Deep Blue Planet on South Node
The Leo daughter of James Packer &
wife Erica - an heir to her father's $6 billion+ fortune - has Pluto (inheritances) and Jupiter (large fortunes) rising either
side of her Capricorn (old money) Ascendant. Her colourful name may derive from the indigo (dye) plant or refer to the New
Age belief that some children, especially those born after the late 1970s, represent a higher state of human evolution. At
least we know astrologically that she was born with the blue planet Neptune conjunct her South Node and Chiron. And if her
reported birth time's correct: Neptune is also semi-square her Ascendant. |
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Libran Paul Hogan thinks ATO has had its fair share
The
expatriate actor has spoken out against the Australian Taxation Office's investigation into his tax affairs, telling it to
"bugger off, you've had your share." Librans usually prefer to keep the peace, but clearly Saturn (the taskmaster) has rubbed
'Hoges' up the wrong way during its tight semi-sextile with his natal Moon, the ruler of his 8th House (of tax matters). With
Saturn now on his midheaven, Hogan has become the highest-profile target of the Operation Wickenby tax probe. |
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Casey Stoner: wins German Grand Prix under Mars transit
Gold
Coast-born motorcycle racer Casey Stoner was named Young Australian of the Year in 2008 while his Solar Arc progressed Jupiter
at 29 Aquarius formed an exact sextile with Australia's 29 Aries Ascendant. Natally, Mars is his most angular planet - making him a tough opponent in his chosen sport. Yet now
- this July - he has won the German Grand Prix in wet conditions, as transiting Mars (at 7 Virgo) quincunxes his natal Jupiter
(at 7 Aquarius). During this transit his competitive skills must have been pushed to the limit! |
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Pamela Anderson: sexy Gemini saves animals & Big Brother ratings
The former Baywatch star boosted the ratings of the flagging BB reality series with her "tricks of the
trade" meanwhile protesting against KFC (a major sponsor of the show). Some people might see her actions as paradoxical but
not the busty Gemini blonde. Cancer-Rising Anderson is a sensitive soul who rightly points out that people (and big companies)
shouldn't be cruel to chickens or any other critters for that matter. Join her in supporting People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). |
click to see chart |
Sunday Rose Kidman Urban has sunny Leo rising & mystic rectangle
Speculation abounds about the
naming of Monday's child. Was her moniker inspired by Sidney Nolan's muse, artist Sunday Reed, or by Queensland's Whitsundays
island chain where mother Nicole Kidman spent her 40th birthday, or by an ancient African tradition? Anyway, we know astro-logically
that Sunday Rose is a 'born performer' with sunny Leo on her Ascendant and a mystic rectangle involving her Moon, Sun, Jupiter
& Uranus. Her parents' composite Jupiter is conjunct her Leo South Node, so Sunday Rose should have inherited a promising
set of creative genes. |
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Bindi Irwin: bright little Leo captures hearts to win 2008 Emmy
A popular and playful 'Double Leo' (born with both Sun and Moon in the sign of the Lion), child star 'Bindi' is truly
a little queen of the jungle, complete with her own 26-part Jungle Girl television show (for which she won the 2008
Daytime Emmy Award as most Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series). In Bindi we see an adventurous and forthright spirit
that's typical of an Aries Ascendant in action. Moreover, with her Chiron-in-Scorpio conjunct Steve Irwin's natal Neptune,
this ambassador for sunny Queensland is following in her famous father's footsteps as another 'wildlife warrior' conservationist.
You go Girl! |
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Cate Blanchett Mercurial star shines in androgynous roles
This multiple award-winning
Melburnian plays Bob Dylan in Todd Haynes' I’m Not There plus a boyishly-bobbed villain in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
She's the only female actor to be nominated for an Oscar twice for playing the same role in two separate films: she played
Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth (1998) and in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). Astro-logically fittingly, the
gifted Blanchett's North Node at 29 Pisces (the last degree of the zodiac) occupies the same degree as Elizabeth I's Neptune.
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Elle Macpherson: subject of kiss-&-tell memoir (& Neptune transit)
With both her Moon and Ascendant in gorgeous Taurus, supermodel 'Elle' possesses the sort of physical assets that can
only inspire a nickname like 'the body.' Yet this Sydney-born beauty also has plenty of brains: Her Mercury-Sun conjunction
in Aries plus Saturn on her Midheaven have blessed her with a shrewd head for business, and indeed (besides 'selling herself'
in typical Aries fashion) Macpherson has made a considerable fortune from marketing her 'intimates' brand of lingerie. |
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Eric Bana: surprise! Sun-in-Leo star to share billing in Funny People!
True to his look-at-me Sun-in-Leo (that acts as 'final dispositor' in his chart), this talented dramatic actor and
comedian is just as happy in low-budget films as he is in major studio productions - just as long as he gets to perform in
the leading role!! With Leo Sun opposite Aquarian Moon both squaring his Neptune-in-Scorpio, Bana's film and television work
ranges from romantic comedies and drama to science fiction and action thrillers. Meanwhile he puts his leftover energy (like
his unaspected Jupiter-in-Virgo) to good use as a motor racing enthusiast and keen supporter of Australian rules football.
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Heath Ledger: 'the Joker' tipped to win him posthumous Oscar
When
asked about his acting technique, this unique Perth-born actor let his 'final dispositor,' the Moon-in-Cancer, speak for him:
"At the end of the day, it all comes down to my instincts." With Mercury/Mars-in-Pisces squared and ruled by Neptune-in-Sagittarius
giving him a distinctive 'edge,' this young man who was named after Emily Brontė's Heathcliff became an accomplished character
actor, earning popular and critical respect for his craft, including a nomination for the 2005 Oscar for "Best Actor in a
Leading Role" for his portrayal of bisexual cowboy Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain. |
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Hugh Jackman: Australia hunk to get star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
With Mercury-in-Libra ruling his Gemini Moon, this versatile and good-looking Sydney-born actor can easily switch between
roles: successfully playing the all-action hero (Wolverine, Van Helsing), the song-and-dance man (Curly in Oklahoma!,
Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz), or the romantic lead (Jack Willis in Paperback Hero, The Drover in Australia).
Venus conjunct Neptune in tall-dark-and-sexy Scorpio just adds to his magnetic appeal. Phew Hugh! |
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Judy Davis: turns from a tragic Judy into a troubled Joan
A
'Double Taurus' (born with both New Moon and Sun in the Sign of the Bull), this NIDA-trained Perth-born actor comes across
as a down-to-earth and no-nonsense (and no bullshit!) sort of person. Yet Venus-in-Pisces rules her Taurus luminaries from
the apex of a Yod pattern, explaining her repeated portrayal of brittle, neurotic women. Women like Judy Garland (whose Sagittarian
Moon conjoins Davis's North Node) and Joan McAllister (will she return to rehab in the next season of The Starter
Wife?) |
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Julian McMahon: beware the dark charms of his Libran South Node!
The only son of Australian Prime Minister, Sir William 'Billy' McMahon (and his glamorous scene-stealing wife, Sonia),
handsome Libra-Rising Julian started out as a florist & fashion model. Success in a jeans commercial led to a recurring
acting role in Australian soap Home and Away and later to parts in popular American TV series. With his 8th House and
South Node ruled by Venus-in-Leo, McMahon is in his element playing evil but lovable characters like the demonic Cole Turner
in Charmed, seductive playboy plastic surgeon Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck and supervillain Doctor Doom in the
Fantastic Four films. |
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Nicole Kidman: gives birth to Cancerian 'Sunday Rose' (on a Monday!?)
With Sun in the last degree of Gemini ruling Jupiter-in-Leo on her midheaven, Honolulu-born Kidman is one of the world's
most versatile, prolific and highest-paid actors. Criticised by some people for her 'Ice Queen' exterior (and admired by others
-like me- for being 'pretty cool'), Kidman has nevertheless made the most out of her icy Scorpio Ascendant and its ruler,
Pluto-in-Virgo. After all, she tapped into her colder and more virginal side to play Virginia Woolf in The Hours, scoring
the 2003 Oscar Award for Best Actress! (BTW: Kidman's North Node is exactly conjunct Woolf's Saturn. Now that's spooky). |
website updated March 2009 |
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