Arnold Schwarzenegger has had a tough time recently. First he split from his wife Maria Schriver in May after a 25 year marriage, and then in the past week his 13 year old son Christopher was severely hurt in a surfing accident and the estranged couple broke off divorce proceedings to be at the bedside of their son in intensive care. Luckily he is in recovery now but in the words of Schwarzenegger, it has been a “scary week”.
Arnold was born on 30th July 1947 in Graz, Austria at 04.10am. He is a proud Sun sign Leo in the first house with a hardworking Capricorn moon and a protective Cancerian ascendant. Immediately one can sense that this is a man who would work like a trojan to get to the top at whatever he set his heart on. The Leo Sun wants to be number one, to rule is his “raison d'être”. With Venus also in the 1st house this is a friendly, kind big hearted fellow, a larger than life character for sure. One with a love of a sentimental side, a love of his family and of his nation. With Venus in the first house also a love of his own beauty, definitely someone who would look adoringly at himself in the mirror, yes Arnold would have a touch of vanity. Once he got to the top, he would protect his position with gusto. The Cancerian ascendant is always a little paranoid of anyone impeding on one’s territory, putting barriers up around one to protect what one has.
The Moon sits in the 6th house of everyday work in Capricorn. Here is the need to administrate combined with huge ambition. These type of people can handle several jobs at the same time, they are true workaholics. The feelings are stifled, well at least on the outside and Arnie may appear tough and business like, while inside he is as emotional as the next person. Moon in Capricorn people are afraid of showing emotion. This is a very practical position for the Moon and Arnie will instinctively act to make the lives of those around him better.
The Moon makes two quindecile aspects to Mercury and Mars (conjunct to Uranus) all in the 12th house. The 12th is the house of service. The Moon/Mercury quindecile shows that when he does speak, and I don’t think he enjoys public speaking, he speaks from the heart in tune with his emotional state at the time. Mercury trines onto Jupiter giving Arnold a philosophical mind as well as a flair for law and diplomacy. This endears him with the public and he will instinctively know how to deal with them, and what they want from him. The Mars/Moon quindecile is emotionally charged. Mars in the 12th in Gemini is busy, wanting to know everything going on, doing several tasks at the same time. It is also a position where one wants to help others and with Uranus adding extra impetus to this, Arnold will work tirelessly on behalf of other people, putting his own needs a distant second. The proud and emotional tie to his community as well as the notoriety and drive that Arnold showed in service to others propelled him to the post of Governor of California. Not bad for a boy from a poor family in Austria. Arnold is not without is impulsive side and when frustrated Mars conjunct Uranus can also be indicative of a sharp temper.
The Moon also make a square aspect to Neptune in Libra in the 4th house. Neptune rules Arnold’s Midheaven through Pisces being on the cusp, and also makes a powerful quindecile aspect to the Midheaven. This Midheaven is connected to most of the planets on the chart, you can the aspect radiating out from the top. Neptune and Pisces (as you will know if you read my blog regularly) rule creativity, TV and films. The powerful square from Mars and Uranus to the Midheaven show his ambition and determination to be a unique talent on the silver screen. This was always going to be his initial career path.
Neptune makes a sextile to a heavy Saturn/Pluto conjunction in the 2nd house which is also conjunct to that first house Sun. The connection between the Sun and this conjunction shows that the young Arnold would have been dominated by his controlling father. Saturn and Pluto in the 2nd house of self worth indicate that Arnie would have felt completely unworthy. Neptune sort of confirms this fact in the 4th showing that the home was a confusing, destabilizing place. Saturn and Pluto in the 2nd also confers a huge need to build up wealth and possessions, because of a fear of not having enough. There is a huge motivational force here if Arnie could find it as Saturn Pluto can move the earth and achieve incredible feats, however it can also bring one crashing down to earth in a huge way (see my post on Rupert Murdoch and his family).
So we have a young lad who feels inferior and wants to prove himself to his father, who has a streak of vanity within himself and has a dream to get to the top. What did he do? He took up bodybuilding to increase his confidence. There is square from Saturn/Pluto to Pluto in Scorpio in the 5th house. The 5th house is the house of sport, games, exercise and creativity. Arnold always like sport and Jupiter here makes one go to extremes. The Scorpio influence would have increased the effect, making Arnold compulsive about developing his physique and doing heavy workouts. As we all know, Arnie became a champion body builder eventually winning the Mr Universe competition. Jupiter trines to the ascendant too and confers a love of children and a rather risky attitude to affairs of the heart. The revelation that Arnie was fathering two children with 5 days of each other with two separate women back in 1997 just goes to show the dangers of Jupiter and it’s need for excess.
Through the transits of today you can see the see directly the problems Arnie has been suffering. Transiting Pluto has been conjunct to Arnold’s natal moon for the past few months, so this is a breakdown in his emotional life. The Moon rules his ascendant through Cancer so this hits him personally and Pluto through Scorpio sits on the cusp of the 5th house of children. The discovery of the previously unknown (Pluto) child (5th) he fathered has broken his long standing marriage. Transiting Uranus is opposing natal Neptune and is square to natal Moon. As we know, there has been an accident (Uranus) affecting his family (4th house) on water (Neptune) bringing him and his wife (Moon) unexpectedly (Uranus) back together as one, just for a while in support of their son. However this reunion will not last for long and when Saturn squares his ascendant in October this year and not long after squares natal Venus, the divorce process will be complete and Arnold will at last be able to move on with his life.
