Will Brad and Angelina Ever Wed?

Reports that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have arrived in Namibia, Africa, have spurred rumors that Angelina will give birth to the season's most hotly anticipated celebrity baby there. [Source] However, Media-Darling.com's Brangelina bureau has astutely noted that, seeing as how they rented out the whole damn resort, they might actually be planning a wedding in baby Zahara's home continent. As faithful readers know, the baby is reportedly due May 18, and clearly Angelina thinks nothing of flying during pregnancy, so who knows where they could end up by the time of the birth. Hence, I was immediately drawn to the Namibia nuptials hypothesis.

However, upon glancing at their birth charts (Brad Pitt's astrological chart; Angelina Jolie's astrological chart - Astrotheme), I began to have my doubts that this couple will make it to the altar anytime soon. It concerns me that Neptune is passing over a most sensitive point in both Angelina's and Brad's natal charts, and that the rumors about Angelina's reluctance to make an honest woman of Brad could be all too true.

Neptune, the planet of fantasy, illusion and deception, entered Angelina's 7th house of partnership on December 30, 1997, and soon afterward entered Aquarius, the sign of mass media and public perception as well as unconventional, unpredictable behavior. A little over a year later, she divorced actor Jonny Lee Miller [Source] and began her ascendance as a sex symbol, tabloid magnet and crazy-in-love poster child. (Let's not even get into the whole Billy Bob Thornton/vials of blood thing.)

Neptune is now approaching the cusp between Angelina's 7th and 8th houses, the spot in the chart that represents (among other things) the relationship turning point when a partnership deepens and two people become one. With the planet of fantasy and illusion here, Angelina may vacillate between feeling like she's achieved her ideal union with her partner, and worrying that she has deceived herself or is being deceived. There have been many tabloid rumors that even as she and Brad approach the ultimate closeness point of having their first bio-baby together, Angie is tweaking out worrying that he'll abandon her and the kids just as her father, Jon Voight, peaced out when she was a tot. (Not to mention that Billy Bob took off as soon as she adopted Maddox.)

Fittingly, Brad's Saturn, signifying commitment, responsibility and fatherhood, is at 19° Aquarius, a hair away from Angelina's 8th-house cusp and right under transiting Neptune. So indeed it would seem that Neptune is clouding Angie's perception of Brad's ability to be a dad for the long haul -- and quite possibly casting doubt on Brad's belief in his own readiness to assume the paternal mantle. Going from zero to three kids in one year is a lot, especially for a freewheeling double Sagittarius like Brad.

I wish I could say that this uncertainty and lack of clarity clouding Angelina's view will evaporate as soon as those pregnancy hormones switch off. But Neptune will turn retrograde on May 22, a few days after the baby's due date, at 19°49" Aquarius, less than a degree away from Angie's 8th house cusp and Brad's Saturn, as well as sextiling Brad's Sun. (Not to mention that Pluto is retrograding toward his Sun, auguring transformation.) Could the birth of the baby bring a change of heart for one or both of them? Will Angie vent confusing postpartum feelings onto Brad? Will he run out for a quart of soy milk and never return?

We all hope these scenarios do not come to pass and that Brangelina will have many more beautiful children to populate the earth... but honestly, this couple has a long way to go before they can clarify their commitment issues. Neptune, which moves slowly and retrogrades often, is going to be oscillating back and forth over Angie's 8th-house cusp, and Brad's Saturn, for close to two years. Not until January 18, 2008, will Neptune enter Angelina's 8th house for good.

Brad and Angelina obviously have some strong connections, but it will take a lot of work for them to gain complete clarity on their relationship, especially in the glare of the Neptune-in-Aquarius spotlight. No matter what, their outlooks on life will be transformed by the birth of the baby. The challenge for these two changeable mutable signs is to trust enough in their bond to grow together, rather than apart.

Related: Does Brad and Angelina's Wedding Date Draw Nigh? (3/10/06)