Mariska Hargitay Has a Baby Boy

I don't even understand my own interest in Law & Order: SVU actress Mariska Hargitay, but I have a strange place in my heart for her. Maybe it's that I feel for her having famously witnessed the shocking and tragic death of her mother, Jayne Mansfield, as a child, and applaud her going on to lead such a happy and successful life. Maybe it's that she's so good at portraying a tough, butchy cop with a dark backstory on TV (mirroring her own real-life maternal drama, she plays a child of rape who went on to be a sex-crimes cop) and then seems so cute and sunny in real life in her pretty, flowery maternity dresses. Seriously, I don't know what it is, but Mariska was one cute pregnant woman.

Now that she has given birth to her first son (name unconfirmed as of, um, press time*) almost 40 years to the day after her mother's death, I am ridiculously happy for her. The coincidence of the dates seems like a symbol of the circle of life; with the birth of her own child, it's like Mariska's triumph over tragedy is on some level complete. {Source ~ thanks to Celebrity Baby Blog poster Emily for pointing out that today is the anniversary of Jayne's death.} On this joyous occasion, I thought I'd take a quick peep at Mariska's horoscope.

Mariska's Sun-Mars conjunction in Aquarius in the 1st house describes that vaguely butchy-androgynous vibe (Mars embodies the masculine principle in both men's and women's charts), while the Capricorn Ascendant fits her tough, serious image on SVU. ~ See Mariska Hargitay's birth chart (Astrotheme)

Her Moon (representing the mother) is exalted in Taurus but forms a difficult T-square with Saturn in Aquarius and Neptune in Scorpio. The Moon-Neptune opposition represents Jayne's status as an iconic sex symbol as well as the mystery and sensation surrounding her death, while Saturn speaks to the hardship and alienation Mariska must have felt losing her mother in such a public (Aquarius) way.

Further reflecting the pain in Mariska's past is the conjunction of Venus (relationships) in Chiron (wounding) in sensitive Pisces (the subconscious) in the 2nd house, opposing the volatile, powerful Uranus-Pluto conjunction in Virgo in the 8th house of loss and change. The stability and security that a Taurus Moon native like Mariska needs can be tenuous; in the back of her mind may be fears that anyone or anything she counts on for emotional support will be yanked out from under her. But with her strong Sun-Mars conjunction in fixed Aquarius and resilient, determined Capricorn Ascendant, Mariska has obviously not let the past hold her back.

Her new son has his Moon, representing the mother, in fiercely loyal Leo, possibly conjunct Saturn or Mars* and opposing Mariska's Sun-Mars. His Cancer Sun trines Mariska's Venus, while his Venus in Gemini trines her Sun-Mars. There will be a powerful bond between mother and child, with the Leo Moon describing her passionate protectiveness. While transiting Chiron passing over Mariska's Mars speaks to a lingering sense of pain over the anniversary of her mother's death, the T-square with Jupiter in Scorpio and Saturn in Leo suggests a deep, powerful process of growth and transformation spurred by her son's birth. Nurturing a new life is perhaps finally allowing her to fully heal.

There is also a possible physical manifestation of these aspects. I've found that transiting Chiron is prominent in the charts of women when they have C-sections (see also: Angelina Jolie), and indeed, Mariska required a Caesarean to bring her almost-11-pound (!!!) son into the world. I have to say I'm a little worried about her postpartum recovery with transiting Chiron on her 1st-house Mars being opposed by transiting Saturn. With that Mars-Saturn opposition, she should take it really easy in her recovery and not push herself to be up and about too soon. Hopefully Saturn in Mariska's 7th house of partnership means that she is leaning on her husband Peter Hermann to be her rock and take care of everything for her, rather than signifying pressure and stress on the relationship due to the new arrival.

Congratulations to Mariska and Peter!

*UPDATE: Mariska's son is evidently named August and was born at 3:21 PM (PDT) in Los Angeles, giving him a Scorpio Ascendant that conjuncts Mariska's Jupiter and a Moon-Mars conjunction in Leo. {Source ~ thanks again, CBB!}