Reese and Ryan on the Rocks?

This is the part of the job I hate, folks. There's some gossip that it is my duty to investigate even as I pray it's not true. I mean, if Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Philippe can't make it work with their blinding collective hotness, successful careers, and endorphin-producingly cute mini-me kids, what hope is there for the rest of us?

But when a publication with the stringent journalistic standards of Life & Style is alleging that their marriage is in trouble, you kinda have to wonder. Plus, in her Oscar acceptance speech, Reese said "thank you to my wonderful husband and my two children ... for loving me so much and supporting me." [Source] Um, so basically she was saying "thanks for appreciating how great I am," which is a step up from full-on Chad Lowe amnesia but not necessarily the nicest compliment you could give your spouse.

An assertive Aries like Reese and a reserved Virgo like Ryan are a bit of an awkward fit -- you see the dynamic in the way he always seems to be walking two paces behind her. [See Reese Witherspoon's astrological chart (Astrotheme, no birth time) | See Ryan Philippe's astrological chart (Astrotheme, no birth time)] Still, I cling to hope that there may be life in the marriage yet, since other recent tabloid reports have the Philispoons trying for baby number three. What is really happening for this couple?

Astrologically, Reese and Ryan have some connections as well as some uphill battles. It's annoying that I don't have birth times for either of them, since I can't even tell what signs either of their Moons are in, but as I stated in my Best Actress predictions, I suspect that Reese has a Capricorn Moon because she is so relentlessly driven and ambitious (her production company is called Type A Productions, hello). I could see quiet Ryan having a Cancer Moon that would be opposite Reese's Capricorn Moon, creating a strong bond of emotional give-and-take between them. And their Venuses oppose each other, with his Jupiter in Pisces conjuncting her Venus -- nice aspects for romantic love. Her Mars in Cancer sextiling his Venus in Virgo brings romantic sparks, and also describes both of their obvious commitment to taking care of family and household -- they appear to be devoted hands-on parents who actually schlep their kids around every day, which is very remarkable to see in Hollywood.

But in some ways, they're kind of like oil and water. There are a couple of inconjunct aspects -- her Sun to his Venus, his Mars to her Jupiter -- that show it can be a struggle for them to see eye to eye. Ryan's Mars in late Virgo forms an out-of-sign T-square with Reese's temperamental Sun-Mars square, so this couple is prone to angry arguments. They have spoken of getting couples counseling, so at least they are aware of and engaging with their issues.

There have been some trouble spots for the marriage lately as Uranus in Pisces recently passed over Reese's Venus and is now headed toward Ryan's Jupiter. In both of them, this could bring urges to make a sudden break, disrupting existing relationships that suddenly feel stifling. Reese is also experiencing a groundshift in her life as Pluto inconjuncts her Saturn, depicting a process of adjustment to her newfound post-Oscar power and creative control.

But for the time being, I don't see these aspects being strong enough to break them up. As far as I can tell without their birth times, Uranus is not a very strong influence in either of their charts. Reese's Pluto-Saturn transit may just make her all the more determined to make her marriage a success. And with Jupiter retrograding back to form a grand trine with Ryan's Jupiter and Saturn, he is likely to find a creative way to express the pressures he's feeling. if Reese and Ryan are to break up, I think it will not be until mid-December 2007, when the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in late Sagittarius will square Ryan's Mars -- or early April 2008, when Pluto will enter Capricorn and form a T-square with Reese's Sun and Mars. This time period will be one of great transformation for Reese. Whether she and Ryan can make the leap together remains to be seen.