September, 18, 2007
It’s A Bitch, Britney.

Life has been difficult for the clown pop princess: two children born quickly, a broken marriage, rehab(no, no, no), loss of management, loss of career, and now loss of custody of her children. As astrologers, where do we look in the chart, when loss is featured so heavily in one’s life?

Many astrologers would turn instantly to Neptune, and for good reason. Neptune can dribble away the flow of good things in a person’s life, leaving behind helplessness and despair. Neptune’s transit through the 5th house certainly facilitates the loss of her children.

But let’s think about this for a moment. We are not examining the life of someone who has suffered from the blows of uncaring fortune.  No, Britney Spears’s misfortunes come from herself, from her own actions.

And so, I nominate Saturn and Pluto to represent Spears’s ever-cumulating losses---Saturn culls for a reason, whereas Pluto wipes the screen for reasons we rarely understand (not in one lifetime, anyways).

Birth data: Dec. 2nd, 1981; 01:30 AM CST (+6); Mahon, MS, USA
Rodden Rating: A

As usual, we examine the natal chart first, before jumping over to dynamics.

Libra rising, with chart ruler Venus in Capricorn in the 4th house. Normally this placement would be hard working and ambitious, but since quitting an international concert tour (The Onyx Hotel) Spears has been criticized for her general lack of effort. Somehow this Venus or another planet connected with Venus, is malfunctioning.
Natally Venus has an exact square to Pluto, a separating square to Saturn, is conjunct the South Node, and makes a close trine to Mars in Virgo.
Mars makes an applying close square to Neptune.
Mars and Venus stand contained within those aspects.
So, the chart ruler Venus is associated with the merry trio of Mars, Saturn, and Pluto. Was the bright sparkly princess ever going to be more than a manufactured image?

The ruthlessness of Pluto, the “tit for tat” of Saturn, and the sheer self-will of Mars had to show itself eventually.
Venus also rules the 8th house of crisis.

The 5th house Moon in Aquarius indicates a “hands-off” sort of Mum, but the trine to exalted Saturn does show more constancy in mothering given some maturity. The Moon in the 5th shows someone who tends toward being child-like. Why hasn’t the Saturn contact made itself more known? She might be one of those people who needs to experience the Saturn Return before grasping the concept of parenthood.

And although Spears has a wonderful Sun---sitting on beneficial Fixed Star Antares and sextile to the Moon---it is placed in the 3rd house which is considered its “misery” in the old traditions of astrology. In Jupiter’s sign, the Sun finds itself a little too fascinating, and can be a bit of a bore because of that.

What is going on in the here and now?

Transits: Pluto has been squaring natal Mars. This is one of those “back against the wall” kind of transits. It can create circumstances that feel like “do or die.” Seeing that this transit is acting on a 12th house Mars, it makes sense that its self-undoing (trainwreck) potential has been activated.
 
                Saturn is now squaring natal Mercury. Look at this Mercury. It is in detriment, rash (Sagittarius) and combust. Characteristically hot and dry, this indicates someone who isn’t terribly sensitive to others, has little self-observation, and whose judgement is suspect. Not too surprising that Spears “mis-speaks” herself regularly. Saturn squaring Mercury is a transit that censures communications and encourages misunderstandings. Ignorance is courted. The wrong thing is said. People will judge what they hear (and judge poorly).

                Jupiter conjuncting natal Sun. Widely considered “lucky,” this transit can also blow up someone’s self-importance to a degree that they believe too highly in themselves to the detriment of everyone else around them.

                South Node sitting on the natal 12th house cusp. This node is considered to be unlucky (the dragon’s tail lashing back), and when it is coupled with the 12th cusp then self-destruction is likely to increase.

                Saturn is close to 12th house cusp. Generally Saturn brings maturity by way of the pains of life (if one can survive them). The Saturn transit through the 12th is a sobering journey through the area where one can destroy themselves through ignorance. The crossing over the ascendant is a life milestone, and seems to bring new discipline into the life. For Spears that will begin in about 2 years.

                 In May 2008 transiting Uranus will be in close orb to oppose natal Mars. Neptune is quincunx Mars. What was erratic before will become doubly so, and the temper will be very short indeed. Things done on an impulse will backfire (although, haven’t we seen enough examples of this already?). My conjecture is this: since this transit is coming from the 6th house toward the 12th, then the lifestyle issues will show their effect in no uncertain way. Neptune through the 5th: the rehab cover-up won’t help.

Progressions: Last year Spears went into a New Moon progression. She has shed the trappings of her old image. She is sowing her seeds for the next Full Moon period.

 Progressed Moon conjunct natal Venus and square natal Pluto. Bringing light to the Venus issues, which of course go back to the natal chart aspect set-up. In July the Moon was conjunct the South Node, illuminating the detrimental Capricorn issues (custody battle looming). Towards the end of October the progressed Moon will square both progressed ascendant and Pluto. This is going to get nasty.

So, what is the trend?

More of the same, getting somewhat worse from late October 2007. Spears may have a chance to regain custody in January 2008. The use of drugs/alcohol will definitely affect her income from March 2008. She will, however, have a chance to make a clean start of things by the Northern Spring. I think this is unlikely, since she seems to carry an inordinate amount of social mythology.

 In this way Britney Spears is a good example of “livin’ large”gone haywire. Not so good for her, but some sort of lesson for the rest of us.

 

                      

 Organic Divination for the Urban Jungle

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