Joatch Out, Joaquin!

On Thursday, Jan. 26 at 2:50 PM PST in L.A., Joaquin Phoenix flipped his car and walked away unscathed. Urgently concerned about this, I rushed to my computer a mere five days later to see what's going on in his chart. A Scorpio born in 1974, Joaquin (like myself) has a Jupiter-Neptune square in mutual reception, meaning each planet is in the sign the other rules, so they vibe off each other. Right now Uranus is passing over his Jupiter, which can bring unexpected good luck and opportunities (like his multiple award nominations) but also startling reversals of fortune -- in this case, literally turning him upside down. Jupiter's connection with Neptune can create a tendency to overindulge in alcohol or other forms of escapism and/or self-medication. Joaquin recently did a stint in rehab so he is obviously in touch with this tendency. With Uranus upending his life, the pressure, frenetic pace and unpredictability of fame might tempt him to fall off the wagon. One of my very fave gossip columnists, The Awful Truth's Ted Casablanca, has frequently commented recently on how broody and morose Joaquin seems at premieres for someone who ought to be enjoying his success and accolades. Well, first of all, as a fellow Scorpio Ted should know from brooding for brooding's sake. But more particularly, Chiron, the "wounded healer" planetoid, in Aquarius, the sign of mass communication and public relations, has been squaring Joaquin's Scorpio stellium of Mars, Venus and the Sun, thereby reopening old wounds associated with being in the public eye. The attention of the masses and the media is quite possibly painful for Joaquin. With Uranus activating his Jupiter-Neptune square, life may be feeling chaotic and out of control; even when the universe hands him good fortune, like nominations and awards, he's probably experiencing it as out of his hands, determined by forces totally independent of his volition. (Scary for a Type-A Aries Moon native, who likes to act immediately and directly on his emotions.) Perhaps flipping his car was an unconscious manifestation of his experience of life careening out of control. Certainly an alcohol relapse, not that I am suggesting or implying one because this is pure idle speculation and I really can't afford a lawsuit, would exacerbate the problem of feeling chaotic and out of control. Hopefully Joaquin can find a constructive outlet for his need to take direct action to feel in control of his life.

BTW, one of the archetypal symbols of Scorpio is, fittingly, the phoenix. Scorpio is the sign of transformation, and the mythical bird rising from its own ashes to begin a new life represents Scorpionic energy in its most highly evolved, transcendent form. Scorpios really are capable of completely changing their lives, shedding their old ways and never looking back.