Alex's Asteroid Astrology

 

Poor Harvey Weinstein! He just can’t get a break! You’d think with Donald Trump in the White House, being a crass, bullying, serial sex abuser would be all the rage, but apparently some people still value common decency.

 

The powerful movie mogul producer of films which have garnered more than 80 Oscars over his nearly forty year career, Weinstein’s fall from grace was stunning and complete.   In less than ten days after a New York Times article exposed his decades-long history of inappropriate sexual advances, coercion and possible rape of budding starlets, Weinstein has lost his company, his seat on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and his wife of ten years. France is even trying to revoke his Legion of Honor medal!

 

As of this writing, upwards of 50 women have come forward to charge Weinstein with absolutely abysmal behavior, typically when they were just starting their careers, including such luminaries as Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rose McGowan, Mira Sorvino, Ashley Judd, Kate Beckinsale, Lysette Anthony and Roseanna Arquette. Allegations range from inappropriate propositions and partial nudity to sexual harassment, coercion, threats of professional destruction, assault and forced sexual relations.

 

Weinstein’s pattern of aberrant sexual behavior was perhaps the worst-kept secret in Hollywood (host Seth MacFarlane even joked about it onstage at the 2013 Academy Awards), begging the question of why it took so long to call him out and end his reign of sleaze.

 

As ever, the answer to that lies in the dynamics of power, popularity, and hetero male misogyny. This dynamic is as old as civilization, and has a few gasps left before it breathes its last. But as to why Weinstein acted the way he did, that we can easily resolve, using our astrological lens to bring his issues into clear focus.

 

There are a number of minor bodies which can suggest sexual misdemeanor, anything from inappropriate language to full-on rape. These include a centaur body called Nessus, named for a mythic creature, half-man, half-horse, who offered Heracles’ wife Deianeira safe passage across a river, carrying her piggyback to the other side, only to attempt to rape her when they reached the farther shore. Heracles may have been trapped on the wrong bank, but he intervened nonetheless, shooting Nessus with a poisoned arrow. Astrologically, Nessus refers to “men behaving badly” and has been prominent in any number of sex scandals, usually involving politicians.

 

Another point noted for sexual assault and battery is asteroid Aristaeus, named for the would-be rapist of Eurydike, Orpheus’ wife, who became impassioned when he came upon her unawares in a field. As she fled his unwanted embraces, the hapless Eurydike trod upon a poisonous serpent, was bitten, and died. Disconsolate, Orpheus traveled to the underworld to win her release, but that’s another story. Asteroid Eurydike is also useful in describing victims of rape.

Also of note is asteroid Ganymed. Whether or not this boy, reputed to be the most beautiful ever born, welcomed Zeus’ advances or not (mythic details vary), it’s indisputable that the asteroid named for him represents just the sort of unequal relationships among partners of widely disparate social standing which the Weinstein story evokes, taking advantage of his immense power to coerce individuals just starting their careers, fearful of how he could ruin them before they began. The imbalance of power, wealth and status between him and his victims is an important element of Weinstein’s actions.

 

And of course, asteroid Persephone, named for the maiden who was abducted and taken to the Underworld by Hades, who forced her into marriage and kept her a virtual prisoner in his realm (until Zeus decreed a six-month annual probation). Hades is represented astrologically by Pluto, his Roman equivalent, which rules coercion, manipulation and rape on a planetary energy level.

 

For sexual deviancy in general, we can look to TNO Salacia, named for the wife of Neptune, Roman god of the sea, from whose name we derive our word “salacious”, meaning “intended to titillate or arouse people sexually, usually by having an explicit erotic content”, and “having or showing explicit or crude sexual desire or interest.” Yeah, that works here. For sexual exuberance and insatiability, we’ll use asteroid Pan, named for the goat-legged leader of the satyrs, avid sexual predators, and asteroid Nymphe, named for the satyrs’ female counterparts and most common playmates (the root of our word nymphomaniac). Another point denoting extreme sexual appetite is asteroid Lust.

 

And lastly, there is a plethora of points which euphemistically represent the male member, colloquialisms for “penis”: Dick, Dong, Pecker and Wiener.

 

So let’s take a little walk through Weinstein’s chart and see just how these points impact his psyche. Born 19 March 1952, Harvey Weinstein’s natal Sun at 28 Pisces is exactly semisquare Nessus at 13 Taurus, intimately linking aberrant sexual behaviors with Weinstein’s core essence. It’s an integral part of him, not something peripheral or fringe. Note the similarity of Nessus’ and Weinstein’s modus operandi: both appear initially to be helping, but led their victims into a situation where they are helpless and isolated. Nessus also often indicates an inherited pattern, something inter-generational or familial; it’s possible Weinstein had an early role model for this treatment of women in his immediate family.

 

In an act of cosmic wryness, Nessus itself is exactly conjunct asteroid Holly, for Hollywood, defining Weinstein’s sphere of influence and sexual predation. (There’s also an asteroid Wood, Hollywood’s second half, but also a euphemism for an erection, which we’ll explore later.) Further, the Sun is conjoined TNO Chaos at 29 Pisces, planting the seed for turmoil and disruption further down the road, and squared asteroid Karma at 27 Sagittarius, implying that a karmic comeuppance would one day ensue. The Sun/Chaos conjunction is also inconjunct asteroid Lust at 0 Scorpio, suggesting the potential source of that anarchy. The final cosmic coup de grace in this pattern is asteroid Nemesis, named for the goddess of divine retribution, representing self-undoing, at 24 Libra, conjoined Lust and inconjunct the Sun.

 

That Sun is also exactly conjunct a Black Hole, indicating an insatiable lust for power, the ability to craft an alternate reality, to remain hidden when so desired, to project a false image or front, but ultimately, to be susceptible to the volte face, the sudden, startling reversal of fortune which pulls the rug out from under one, and completely disrupts the status quo.

 

Aristaeus, too, is in a powerful position. Representing the passion suddenly conceived and impulsively enacted, at 8 Pisces Aristaeus conjoins Venus, arbiter of romance and relationship, at 3 Pisces, and closely opposes asteroid Eurydike, the original source of his misdirected lust, at 9 Virgo. This basic polarity forms a T-Square with asteroids Achilles and Nymphe, at 4 and 11 Gemini respectively. Achilles signifies an inherent flaw or weakness, something which threatens to undermine or destroy the native, while Nymphe, as we have seen, represents one who is over-sexed. Uncontrollable sexual desire is surely the source of Weinstein’s troubles, and with a forty-year history of such abuses, it’s likely an ingrained factor.

Ganymed, that point describing sexual involvement between persons of widely disparate social standing, falls at 12 Leo, conjoined Pluto, ruling coercion, manipulation and rape, at 19 Leo, both squaring Mars at 18 Scorpio, which is stationary in the sky, about to turn retrograde less than a week after Weinstein’s birth. This shows sexual matters generally to be deeply embedded in Weinstein’ psyche, as stationing points exert an inordinate influence, vastly out of proportion to their typical impact, and the Mars/Pluto square also suggests intense, possibly violent sexual responses. Also with Ganymed is asteroid Pecker, a common euphemism for penis, which at 10 Leo is also stationary, turning direct a day after the Mars station. Having these prominent sexual indicators both at station suggests the inescapable hold that carnal activity has on Weinstein. Nessus is drawn into this pattern, creating a T-Square, which becomes a loose Grand Cross when we incorporate asteroid Icarus at 21 Aquarius, noted for rash, reckless behaviors, heedless of the consequences. Ganymed is also exactly sextile natal Saturn at 12 Libra, bringing in the element of career to Weinstein’s sexual manipulation.

 

Asteroid Persephone at 4 Taurus is exactly trined TNO Salacia at 4 Capricorn and asteroid Dick, another penis euphemism, at 3 Capricorn, with Venus roughly on their midpoint, at 3 Pisces. Salacia/Dick is also involved in an out-of-Sign square to the Sun, and opposes asteroid Toro at 5 Cancer, which represents bullying, aggressive behaviors. Weinstein’s pattern of essentially ambushing these women, forcing them into compromising situations and coercing sexual favors, is well symbolized by Toro’s belligerent nature.

 

Toro is also part of a cluster of points, including asteroid Askalaphus at 3 Cancer and Dong at 7 Cancer, as well as Uranus at 9 Cancer. Askalaphus, named for the gardener of Hades who informed on Persephone’s ingestion of six pomegranate seeds while in the Underworld, thus dooming her to an eternal return there, represents tale-bearing, informing on others, the exposure of wrongdoing. Its aptness to this story should be obvious, especially when we consider that Dong is another penis placeholder, and Uranus rules shocking, extreme behaviors.

 

One final, intricate pattern remains. It is based in a conjunction of Pan, named for the horny goat-foot god, at 24 Taurus, conjoined Aphrodite at 25 Taurus, which rules affairs and sexual liaisons outside of marriage. Several of the other players already mentioned in this drama also collude in this pattern: namely, Icarus at 21 Aquarius in square, and Mars at 18 Scorpio broadly opposed. But also feeding into it are Nemesis, that source of undoing, inconjunct from 24 Libra, and Wiener, yet another penis stand-in, in trine from 25 Capricorn. Wiener itself is exactly squared asteroid Wood at 25 Aries, denoting the apparent permanently priapic state of Weinstein’s psyche, if not his actual penis.

 

Pretty stunning stuff, but it’s only half the story. Let’s turn now to the transits on October 5, 2017, the day the New York Times article blew Weinstein’s flimsy cover.

First off, we see the Sun at 12 Libra, an exact match for Weinstein’s natal Saturn! To say that the day illumined and affected Weinstein’s career, and will lead to severe penalties (both Saturn-ruled) is perhaps the understatement of the year. The Sun is also squared by Pluto at 16 Capricorn, intimating the devastation to follow for Weinstein, as well as bringing in the elements of coercion and rape. Neptune is exactly inconjunct from 12 Pisces, ruling the film industry and denoting the practiced deception by which he lured his victims, as well as his feeble grasp on reality, about what the disclosure truly meant for him, whereby Weinstein assumed he could just “get help” and everything would return to normal. Mercury, ruling the news and the Media, conjoins the Sun from 9 Libra, with Aristaeus nearby at 19 Libra.

 

Also connected to the Sun are asteroids Wiener, conjoined from 8 Libra; Dong, in opposition from 11 Aries; and Dick, in sextile from 13 Leo, all phallic identifiers, as well as Nymphe (insatiable sexual appetite), also in sextile from 8 Leo, and Persephone, exactly semisextile from 12 Virgo, resonant to themes of rape. Dick is accompanied by asteroids Harvey and Holly, at 20 and 16 Leo respectively, identifying the perp and his locale; these connect to Weinstein’s natal Pluto at 19 Leo and square natal Mars at 18 Scorpio. Persephone is traveling with Ganymed, Toro, Venus, Mars and Eurydike, at 15, 16, 18, 19 and 22 Virgo, a veritable smorgasbord of cosmic energies pertinent to the story.

 

Transit Nemesis and Wood conspire from 24 and 27 Capricorn, atop natal Wiener, providing a double dose of affirmation for the particular body part and function which caused Weinstein’s downfall (Nemesis). Nemesis, incidentally, is in exact waxing square to its natal degree of 24 Libra, suggesting a crisis of action in process regarding retribution and self-undoing.

 

A pairing of TNO Chaos and asteroid Pan at 23 and 25 Gemini illustrate once again the cause of the problem, rampant sexuality (Pan) leading to disorder and confusion (Chaos). These square the natal Sun at 28 Pisces, which is conjoined by transit Salacia at 0 Aries and Chiron (wounding) at 25 Pisces. Completing a T-Square is a conglomeration of asteroid Askalaphus, Saturn and asteroid Achilles at 19, 22 and 29 Sagittarius, squaring the Sun and conjoined natal Karma at 27 Sagittarius. Weinstein’s inherent flaw (Achilles) and his past has finally caught up with him (Karma), based on eyewitness revelations (Askalaphus), impacting his career (Saturn).

 

Weinstein’s Sun is also aspected by transit Jupiter, in exact inconjunct from 28 Libra, affecting his reputation; asteroid Icarus in trine from 29 Scorpio, showcasing his rash actions; and Uranus, evoking shock and surprise, which at 27 Aries is closely semisextile the Sun.

 

Transit Nessus at 4 Pisces closely conjoins natal Venus at 3 Pisces, blending bad sexual behavior with females generally, while asteroid Pecker at 5 Taurus emphasizes natal Persephone, reiterating the themes of coercion and rape.

 

Additional points making exact conjunctions to Weinstein’s natal chart are transit Lust, which at 5 Cancer aligns with natal Toro (as well as highlighting Askalaphus, Dong and Uranus); and transit TNO Typhon, battering natal Lust at 0 Scorpio. Typhon represents storms and tempests, which can be quite literal (as in the recent severe hurricanes, also Typhon-generated), or more metaphoric, akin to Shakespeare’s “sea of troubles.” Typhon is the maelstrom, in which Weinstein now finds himself deeply immersed, due to his inability to keep it zipped (Lust).

 

Truly, character is destiny, as Heraclitus said. And tragically, for both Weinstein and his victims, his character was fatally flawed.