BRAD PITT AND ANGELINA JOLIE

The relationship between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie has captured the attention of the public like no other celebrity relationship ever before. Two of the world's most beautiful people, their relationship was shrouded in mystery from the beginning resulting in unparalleled speculation and fascination. So what does astrology have to say about these two?

Brad Pitt has a Sagittarius Sun and Sagittarius rising - light hearted, generally optimistic, intent on enjoying life and seeking adventure. Sagittarians are hard to pin down, and generally seek a great deal of freedom in their lives. Interestingly, his Sun makes no aspects to any other planet (we say it is "unaspected"), a phenomenon that is fairly rare. Unaspected Sun people tend to operate alone - they may be in relationships with others, but they don't form attachments easily and often feel isolated. His Sun falls in his first house of personality and identity, showing us that developing his persona and expressing his own reality is his mission. This is someone whose radiance shines best unadulterated by inteference from others.

On the other hand, he has four planets in Capricorn, the sign of responsibility, hard work and discipline, including all of the personal planets: Mars, Mercury, Moon and Venus. On the other, he is a "double Sagittarius) (Sun and rising sign) with its associated need for freedom and adventure. Jupiter in his chart, his chart "ruler" since it rules both his Sun and rising sign/ascendant, falls in Aries and squares Mars which it rules. This is a "double whammy" associating the the search for meaning and ones innate faith in life with the god of war (Aries/Mars), demonstrating an individual who has a courageous nature, and whose desires and drives (Aries/Mars) are expansive and tends to be impulsively expressed. Jupiter is in the fourth house of the home and family, showing Brad Pitt's desire to build a home both literally and figuratively.

Pitt has an exact opposition (180 degrees) of Chiron (the wounded healer) to Uranus (electromagnetic energy) which is also conjunct Pluto. The Uranus/Pluto conjunction of the early 1960s brought about a tremendous shift in the power balance between men and women, blacks and whites. Those individuals born during that time bear that challenge within them of integrating the revolutionary urge of Uranus with the need to establish a strong power base of Pluto. Adding the opposition of Chiron opens up another dimension of thought and the potential of wisdom, but also a tendency towards nervous issues.

Balancing all of these differing influences can be quite difficult: he has a strong need for commitment (Capricorn) in order to feel emotionally secure (Moon), he has a strong drive (Mars) to be successful and achieve something lasting (Capricorn), he is a practical and detailed thinker (Mercury) and he longs in relationships (Venus) to be responsible to his friends and romantic partners. Yet he also feels a need to be free, to avoid being tied down.

Brad Pitt started filming Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Angelina Jolie in the fall of 2003. By March 2004 filming had to be stopped because both stars kept coming down with the flu. (Chiron conjuncted his Moon and Venus in February and throughout the spring of 2004, bringing up emotional issues (Moon) which can easily turn into health problems. The pressure of Chiron on Venus also would have brought out any unresolved problems in his marriage to Jennifer Aniston and exacerbated the difficulty inherent in keeping any on-screen romance from turning into reality.)

In August of 2004 and throughout the spring of 2005, Saturn opposed Pitt's Moon and Venus, adding even more pressure to the relationship realm. It is during this period that Brad Pitt separated from his wife and began openly dating Jolie.

Also in early 2005 he entered into one of the challenging "midlife crisis" transits, the "Neptune Square" where transiting Neptune makes a square (90 degree aspect) to Neptune in the birthchart. This can be a very disorienting time, where your view of reality becomes shaky and it is very easy to become caught up in illusion, delusion and confusion. Neptune casts a glamor on us and while it brings us great imagination and creativity, it can also make it difficult to determine what is truly real in our lives. During this same period (from May of '05) he went through the next of the midlife crisis transits, the Uranus opposition, where transiting Uranus opposes Uranus in the birthchart and creates within us an urgent need to break free of the routines that are keeping us from following our life's dream.

Throughout 2006 and 2007, the conjunction of Pluto (god of death and rebirth) to his Sun facilitated tremendous transformation in his life. This is a period where we become turned inside out and recreated from within. It can be a tremendously exhilarating time if we are able to let go to change, but it can be difficult as well.. At the same time Uranus made an opposition to Pluto in his chart, another intense time of emotional shifts and change.

Angelina Jolie is one of the most fascinating women of our time. Aside from her natural beauty which is spectacular, she has a powerful presence and a passion that causes her to throw herself into everything she does. She also has the actor's ability to lose her own identity in a role and that seems to have spilled over into her personal life as well. While she was married to Billy Bob Thornton she reportedly checked herself into an institution because she was so in love she thought she was losing her mind. Over the past few years Angelina has morphed from a punk girl who engages in self-mutilation to a sleek and sophisticated UN representative who has snagged Brad Pitt. What makes her tick?

Angelina's Gemini Sun and Mercury gives her an ability and desire that is common among Geminis to try on different lifestyles like they were sets of clothing. Gemini is a mutable (changeable) air sign that is concerned primarily with the mental realm. The sign of the twins, there are often two personalities in the Gemini individual - one dark and one light. Geminis often switch between the dark and light side so quickly that you don't see it coming. The challenge for Gemini is to integrate the dark and light sides so that they function more as a whole, but often this takes a lifetime to accomplish.

She has four planets in the Warrior sign of Aries: Mars (ruler of Aries), Moon (emotional nature), Jupiter (our search for meaning and opportunity in life) and Chiron (the wounded healer). This tremendous Aries influence gives her the passion for which she is famous: she is a fiery woman who can't be tamed. It's not easy for a woman to bear the sword of the Warrior, and it can be a challenge for men who are not supremely confident.

Because Geminis are so fond of trying on different personas, bisexuality is not uncommon among them and Angelina is known for having pursued relationships with women. With her warrior energy that may have been easier than trying to coddle the male ego as well. Angelina's chart is mostly fire and water, although she does have Venus in Cancer, the sign of nurturing and motherhood (hence her passion for children). The earth element is not represented in her chart which normally indicates someone who is not well grounded and who is not what we call a "physical" person.

Angelina has retrograde Pluto (god of the underworld, intensity and passion) in her third house of mental stimulation, a placement that often brings a fascination with death. In addition, Pluto in her chart opposes (180 degrees) her conjunction of Mars/Moon/Jupiter, giving her that powerful smoldering sexual charisma for which she is known.

Brad and Angelina are totally different astrologically - each offers the other what is lacking in their own chart. Brad Pitt is a Sagittarius and has Jupiter in Aries which conjoins Jupiter in Angelina's chart, giving them a sense of opportunity and fortune when they are together. However, Brad has a stellium of planets in responsible earthy Capricorn which can feel heavy and burdensome and Angelina's fire provides stimulation and excitement. All that earthy Capricorn helps to ground Angelina and gives her a sense of security that she lacks in her own chart. However, all of Angelina's Aries planets square (conflict with) Brad's Capricorn planets, creating an environment that is passionate and exciting but could ultimately be destructive. Mars represents our drive and desire and gives a clue to sexual compatibility. Angelina's Mars is in Aries, which is all fire energy and no body--Brad's Mars is in Capricorn which is all body and no fire. Their Mars are exactly square (conflict with) each other, which creates a very dynamic sexual attraction but doesn't hold up over time without a great deal of effort and communication.

The saying "opposites attract" is true in astrology, but we often see that although opposites attract initially, it can be difficult to sustain that attraction over time. Quite often in relationships we are attracted to traits in others that we lack, but that isn't always effective in long term relationships. Angelina has Mercury in Gemini, which is flighty and doesn't like to be tied down and Brad has Mercury in Capricorn, which is practical and very disciplined. This could lead to communication (Mercury) issues along the way.

Still, the composite chart (the combination of their two charts) accurately describes the relationship to a "T" - Libra is rising in the chart, mirroring the partnership that Brad and Angie strive for in the various projects that they become involved in, and Uranus (independence and innovation) is sitting right on the ascendant of the chart which is indicative of their refusal to conduct their relationship in a traditional manner. The exact opposition between Uranus and Mercury reveals that communication between them (Mercury) can be challenging and that they each have their own ideas and find it difficult to agree. Their craving for children is reflected in the Fifth House Moon (the fifth house is the arena of creative self expression, which includes children as well as acting and sports), and Neptune in the second house suggests the desire to use their money (second house) for altruistic causes (Neptune).

These two have been through a lot over the past few years, and it appears their commitment to each other continues to grow over time. The astrology between them isn't easy, but they are dedicated to their children and their commitment to improving the world they live in is beyond doubt.