Michelle Kwan's Taurus Moon Dream Denied

Like all red-blooded American women, I loves me some figure skating. The triple threat of artistry, athleticism and pure cheese just gets me every time. Now, I have adored Michelle Kwan for years and was heartbroken that the stars did not align for her to snag the gold in the last two Olympics. With her injured and qualifying for Torino only via special dispensation, I was practically biting my nails to the quick with worry over Michelle's prospects for capping her career with the gold. I know I have no way of proving this to you, dear reader, but I was actually already at work on a post about ladies' figure skating predictions when I read to my horror on PerezHilton.com that Michelle cut her first practice short after not skating up to snuff. Then, this morning, a long-distance Libra friend awoke me with the dreadful news that our worst fears were confirmed: Michelle is withdrawing from the competition. [CNN/SI.com]

Born on July 7, 1980 in Torrance, California (33N50/118W20), Michelle is a Cancer with her Sun conjunct Venus, describing the beauty, grace and elegance she exudes both on the rink and in her poised presence off it. Zodiacal Zephyr's listing on Michelle gives a 1pm PDT birth time for her, with "Blades on Ice" magazine as a source, but the same page notes below that there is no birth time on record for her, and gives totally incorrect coordinates for Torrance, so the validity of the 1pm time is sketchy at best. (Pretty-please, email me if you have a confirmation or correction.) Plugging in the 1pm birth time would give Michelle a Libra Ascendant, enhancing the aura of grace, beauty and artistry Venus bestows on her, and would place her Sun/Mercury conjunction straddling the Cancer Midheaven (highest career aspiration). So it could be a plausible chart for her, although I must stress again that this is unconfirmed birth time and hence all house placements are conjecture.

Michelle's Moon, the ruler of her Cancer Sun, is elevated in Taurus and in mutual reception with Venus, i.e., the two planets reinforce and vibrate off each other. Taurus is the sign of wealth and value and is associated with gold. It also rules value in the non-material sense, of self-worth and moral fiber. With Mars conjunct Saturn in Virgo, she has a tremendous ability to discipline and harness her mental and physical energy; Saturn trines her Sun and sextiles Mercury and Uranus, so she is someone who plays by the rules, with strong internalized standards of right and wrong. Michelle has always been known for her poise and class, and her decision to step aside so that someone else can compete (even if it has to be Emily hUGHes) is testament to her rock-solid values. She has too much respect for the Olympics to put her own ego ahead of the team's chances for gold. As terribly painful as it must be to let go of her dream, it was better to bow out than push forward with an Olympic performance that didn't live up to her own inner gold standard. Interestingly, depending on her exact birth time, Michelle's exalted Taurus Moon could well be conjunct the planetoid Chiron, the "wounded healer," which may describe the paradox of how she has defined excellence in figure skating even while her personal dream of gold has remained perpetually elusive. She also has an unaspected Jupiter, the planet that conveys fortune and opportunity.

Since late last year, transiting Uranus in Pisces has been opposing Michelle's Jupiter in Virgo, creating an environment where anything is possible and reversals of fortune -- for better or worse -- can happen lightning-fast. Virgo rules physical health, and in some ways her fate has been out of her control and up to her body. And at the time of the announcement, transiting Jupiter was approaching a conjunction to her natal Uranus, fostering further instability and unpredictability. This is understandably a time when Michelle might feel like the rug has been yanked out from under her, as she faces life for the first time in memory without Olympic aspirations. These Jupiter/Uranus contacts can be whiplash-sudden in their emotional impact and can feel like the world is turning upside down. But when the shock is past they can also be liberating. It may be daunting for Michelle to redefine herself with her medalist days behind her, but she may also experience an almost giddy sense of relief that the pressure is lifted. At last she can ease up on some of that tight three-planets-in-Virgo self-discipline and allow herself to fully experience life as a creative, sensitive Cancer. Michelle may be moving on from the competitive phase of her life, but her life as an artist is far from over. Once she recovers from the heartbreak of letting her dream go, she may experience a new creative awakening. As if it weren't obvious from the slavish adoration of this post, I wish Michelle all the best of luck in beginning this new phase!!!

Stay tuned for a full figure skating prediction post, as soon as I get past my overwhelming grief. Also, while Googling Sasha Cohen's birth data I came upon birth data for Sacha Baron Cohen, a.k.a. comic genius Ali G. -- so his chart is on my to-do list as well.