Sunday, May 29, 2011

Sarah McLachlan on Motherhood

In a recent interview at Spinner.ca, Sarah McLachlan shared her journey through motherhood, divorce, and baring her soul on another album. She also let readers get a glimpse into the personalities of her growing daughters, India and Taja:



"My oldest, India, is 8 and she is an amazing teacher and the great leveler. She's very truthful and loves an opportunity to take the piss out of me and put me in my place. She's fierce! I tend to bulldoze through things and she's always there making me more present and thoughtful in everything I do. She has made me a much better person."
India has a Sun and Mercury conjunction in the sign of Aries, which is a strong signature for being outspoken and direct. India knows how to say what she means without holding back, a trait that has probably been quite unsettling for mom Sarah, at times, because India's Sun and Mercury fall on Sarah's north node in Aries. Sarah's north node in Aries means her south node is in Libra, a sign's energy she knows a little too well. A Libra south node can indicate a tendency toward too much niceness or carefulness, so Sarah is learning how to just let it rip, and not check in with everyone to make sure what she does or says or is is ok with them.

It sounds like India's the perfect teacher for that! However, India can certainly learn from mom, Sarah, a little finesse and compassion in her delivery.

Sarah continues:
"My second, Taja [3], is just joyful. She takes fistfuls of her sister's hair every chance she gets but they're girls so that's what happens. She wakes up singing and skipping and dancing and she's always happy."
While Taja may reveal more of her complexity in time, it sounds like she's embracing life with Jupiter in the sign of Sagittarius--optimistic and expansive to balance the sweetness and depth of her Cancer Sun. She also has Venus in Leo, so she may have a creative flair for the dramatic and a natural desire to express herself. The 'fistfuls of her sister's hair' may illustrate her Mars in Aries--acting on impulse when she's passionate is instinctual (not to mention toddler-like!)




*Birth times are unknown, so noon charts have been created.
**Photo of Sarah courtesy of Anthony Quintano, under the Wikimedia Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Signature Gemini Star Child: Shiloh Jolie-Pitt & Kingston Rossdale

Since Gemini is the sign of the twins, Mlle. Kiddie is delighted to make Shiloh Jolie-Pitt AND Kingston Rossdale the featured Gemini "Star Children" and is sharing Shiloh's entire Kiddiegram with you. The Kiddiegram reports are the heart and soul of Kiddiegram, because they were created out of a desire to help you understand and nurture your precious one. A Kiddiegram is truly a "user's manual!"

"Your Kiddiegram ... simply without being simplistic got to the heart of the matter in clear, layman's direct language. The parents were thrilled, here was a reading they could understand which led them to a new understanding of their child."
Since Shiloh and Kingston were born so close together, their charts have much in common, although, unlike actual twins, they were probably born at different times of day, so while their planets will be in the same signs, they will probably have different Ascendants (also known as the Rising sign), since a different signs 'rises' as a day progresses.

Shiloh and Kingston were not only born while the Sun was in Gemini, but Mercury was in the sign of Gemini as well. Mercury is the planet of thinking, learning, and communication, and it naturally rules Gemini, which means Mercury loves to be in Gemini, the sign of thinking, learning, and communication. Mercury in Gemini children usually have a quick and curious mind, able to pick up on things rapidly and move on to the next thing in a blink of an eye. They can sometimes have such rapid thought processes that they can jump from topic to topic in their mind faster than those listening can keep up!

This might be especially true for Shiloh and Kingston, as both of them have Mercury in a square (a challenging relationship) with the planet Uranus. Uranus accelerates the quickness of Mercury in Gemini to the extent that not only is it challenging to keep up with their thought processes, but they might actually have a hard time slowing themselves down enough as well!

Occasionally this can bring challenges in learning, because the child thinks so rapidly that they can't slow down, connect dots, and demonstrate how they know what they know--even sometimes skipping over information when they're reading instructions. On the plus side, Uranus connections with Mercury emphasize rapid insight; instead of connecting the dots one by one, they can understand abstract and complex ideas easily, and seem to have a strong, intuitive sense of knowing.

From Shiloh and Kingston's Kiddiegrams:
Mercury square Uranus (Strength: 2.99)
Shiloh (and Kingston) have an inventive, creative, original way of thinking and are apt to be suddenly inspired with a new idea or way of understanding a problem. They are likely to come up with unusual solutions to problems, but their mind works in an intuitive, non-linear way, and they cannot always give a logical explanation for their ideas.

They are often bored and restless in a conventional, highly predictable, structured learning environment. Hastiness or nervousness can be a problem at times.

Read more about Shiloh in her full-length Kiddiegram. Then click to instantly get a personalized Kiddiegram of your own!

Create your child's Kiddiegram report instantly online now!



Since a time of birth is not known for Kingston, a noon chart has been created for him, which will tell us where his planets are in the signs, but not the houses, therefore a full Kiddiegram report has not been shared.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Happy Birthday Gemini Kids!

The Sun is in Gemini from May 21st to June 21st this year. Happy birthday to all those Gemini kiddos (and mommies and daddies)!

While all children might be said to be 'sponges' who absorb whatever they learn rapidly and eagerly, that goes double for Gemini children. They are born with heightened curiosity and a love of asking questions, which can come out in many ways, from the classic "why is the sky blue?" to the mischievous "what does this button do?"

This questioning doesn't always come verbally, but can also come out in their actions. Many parents of Gemini children have observed how much they like to take things apart to see how they work, and put them back together again (or attempt to!). Geminis often love puzzles of all kinds, be it mechanical, word, or jigsaw.

Geminis also tend to be very playful, appreciating cleverness and wit, and hearing as well as telling and making up their own jokes. They are also usually very quick and observant and can be great mimics (sometimes to their parents' dismay!)

Sammy & Thomas Black, the 4-going-on-five and 3-year-old sons of Jack Black, were both born during the sign of Gemini. Sammy, with his Gemini Sun and Sagittarius Moon, can be quite playful and expressive, although he may not always want to be center stage. His Mars and Saturn together in Leo reveal a tendency to hang back a bit before he decides to come forward with what he wants to show off about himself, sometimes waiting for another's lead.

Thomas, the youngest, can be quite the charmer, with Venus (the planet of charm!) so close to his Sun, and also quite expressive and clever, with Mercury in the sign of Gemini. Others will soon be surprised to find out how dry and sarcastic his wit can be with that Moon in Capricorn. Capricorn's humor can often be so deadpan that they can sneak humor in under the radar, letting it dawn on their audience a couple of moments later for a great effect.

In a USA Today interview, Jack Black and Angelina Jolie, voice stars of Kung Fu Panda 2, talked about the film and what their kids thought of it. Jack said:

"The kids just think Kung Fu Panda is an actual bear," he says. "But we act out our own scenes, go on our own adventures. The story gets a little disjointed; we usually forget our mission by the time we get in the living room. But we don't care. I'm learning my kids are funnier than I am."
Just wait, Jack! Thomas will probably be able to get some good zingers on his humorous and quick dad as he grows up!

Do you have an Gemini kiddie in your life?
Treat their parents to a tailor-made Kiddiegram!

Gemini Sun Kids

May 23 Thomas (Jack Black & Tanya Haden)
May 26 Kingston (Gavin Rossdale & Gwen Stefani)
May 27 Lily-Rose (Johnny Depp & Vanessa Paradis)
May 28 Shiloh (Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt)
May 31 Henry (Rachel Weisz & Darren Aronofsky)
May 31 Agnes Lark (Paul Bettany & Jennifer Connolly)
June 1 Lola (Charlie Sheen & Denise Richards)
June 2 Willow Sage (Pink & Carey Hart)
June 7 Honor (Jessica Alba & Cash Warren)
June 9 Stella (Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott)
June 9 River (Keri Russell & Shane Deary)
June 10 Sammy (Jack Black & Tanya Haden)
June 13 Coco (Courtney Cox & David Arquette)
Jun 15 Harper Renn (Tiffani Thiessen & Brady Smith)
June 18 Sam Alexis (Elin Nordegren & Tiger Woods)
June 18 Henry (Julia Roberts & Danny Moder)
June 19 Maddie (Jamie Lynn Spears & Casey Aldridge)
June 21 Clementine (Rachel Griffiths & Andrew Taylor)

Gemini Moon Kids
May 28 Shiloh (Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt)
June 21 Clementine (Rachel Griffiths & Andrew Taylor)

Image of Jack Black courtesy of Justin Blackburn via Creative Commons License 2.0 Generic

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Sheryl Crow on Teaching Her Kids to Give Back

In an interview with Ladies' Home Journal Magazine, Sheryl Crow talks about the 7 rules she tries to follow for a happy life--many of them in relation to being a mom, of course. Rule 7 is "Teach Your Kids To Give Back."
"Moms come in for boxes of food just to keep their families going -- they inspire me with their determination" ... "I want to help my kids learn about volunteerism. When we pass people in need on the street, I always let Wyatt give them money. It's important for him to understand -- even though he's just 4 -- that we are so blessed."
It's a lesson that's sure to stick with both kids, especially Wyatt. With Mars and his North Node in the altruistic sign of Pisces, he'll be naturally motivated (Mars) by empathy, so the more Sheryl can help Wyatt connect with others that he wants to give to, the more emotional the experience of empathizing with others will be.

But with Uranus right next to Mars, also in Pisces, it'll be important that he finds his individual style when it comes to giving and especially in ways that are not fueled by guilt. With his South Node in Virgo, he has an urge toward service but Virgo is very prone toward letting the urge for service become something that's a burden, not a joy. Compassion and forgiveness, especially of the self, is an important Piscean lesson. If Sheryl can help Wyatt tune into the good feelings that both the giver and receiver get from helping, he'll be hooked!

*No birth time is known for Wyatt; noon chart shown.
Photo courtesy of TrueJustice via Wikipedia Creative Commons License

Monday, May 16, 2011

Michael J. Fox's Daughter Esme Spends Time With Greek Gods

Gemini Michael J. Fox appears on the June 2011 cover of Good Housekeeping Magazine, as he prepares to celebrate his 50th birthday in June. In a long interview, he shares some of the things his 4 kids enjoy, including the 'book' that his daughter Esmé is writing!
"She spent the past two weeks writing a book about Greek gods. And when I say she's written a book about Greek gods, I mean she's written a book about [them]. She's broken it down: Demeter and Apollo...she's got every Greek god listed, and a description of them, and then pictures she found on the Internet. She's a really interesting, bright 9-year-old girl."
Whether it's a hobby or a school project, it's no surprise to Mlle. Kiddie that Esmé enjoys mythology. Esmé has three planets in her 9th house of education, but the 9th house experience isn't just about learning the A-B-C's of something, but about seeking the meaning of the big questions and answers to life; it's the house of the philosopher. So what better way to philosophize than by hanging out with stories of the Greek gods?!



Storytelling is a meaningful and ancient way to explore the big questions, but Esmé will probably especially love this kind of storytelling for it's poetry, as Mercury, the planet of the mind, is exceptionally close to Venus, planet of love and beauty, in Esmé's chart. Information becomes art with this planetary combination, especially in the sign of Libra, also a sign of beauty and art. Esmé's Moon is also in the sign of Gemini, so she'll never stop wanting to learn! With her Moon also close to practical Saturn in the 6th house of work and tasks, you can be certain she knows how to organize what she's learned like a pro.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Virgo Charlotte Grace Loves Books

At 19 months, Virgo Charlotte Grace (Freddie Prinze Jr. & Sarah Michelle Gellar) is already an avid lover of books, no doubt thanks to the entire family as mom, dad, and grandma read to her several times a day.

Charlotte has Mercury, the planet of the mind and learning, in Virgo, very close to the Sun (also in Virgo). Mercury is never terribly far away from the Sun, but when it's in a close conjunction, it indicates someone who identifies (Sun) with the planet Mercury and all that it represents. This can show up in various ways, depending on the sign, as someone who is highly verbal, intellectual, creative, analytical -- the list goes on and on. In Virgo, the mental capacity for taking in information and analyzing it will be strong in Charlotte.


Her Mercury is also retrograde, which means she was born when Mercury, because of its position in the sky in relation to Earth, appeared to be moving backward through the zodiac, instead of forward. When planets are retrograde, they tend to draw the energy inward, rather than outward. With this 'yin' Mercury, it's likely that Charlotte will be more soft-spoken, thoughtful, and developing more of an internal awareness of things and imagination. She is no doubt already highly observant, noting and remembering everything around her. With serious Saturn also close to this combination, her reading skills and interest may very well transfer to strong study skills and high intelligence.

Wonder when she'll get around to reading Charlotte's Web?

*Charlotte's birth time is not known. The chart shown is known as a sunrise, or solar, chart.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Ian Ziering Welcomes Daughter Mia Loren

Ian Ziering (original 90210 series) and his wife Erin welcomed their first child, Mia Loren, on April 26th. That's just a few days before Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon met their twins, Monroe and Moroccan. When babies are born just a few days apart or even on the same day, how different can they be?

Plenty! Besides the obvious environmental, family, and cultural differences between two babies born to different families on the same day, the time of day each child is born can greatly alter their natal chart. Take a look at Monroe & Moroccan's shared chart, compared to Mia Loren's chart born just four days earlier:














They both share that same tremendous stellium (grouping of planets all in one sign or house) in the sign of Aries: Uranus, Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter, but because they were born at opposite times of the day, the same planets in the same signs are now on opposite sides of the chart. Monroe and Moroccan are likely to thrust most of their initiating and bold Arien traits outward into the world, as shown by most of their planets lying in the 10th and 11th 'public' houses. The bulk of Mia's planets lie in the very private 4th house, so much of her initiating and bold behaviors will be turned inward, exploring the territory of her inner life and soul. The twins' arena will be the great expanse of the world, but Mia's will be the depth of her self, her family, and her own back yard.

They also share different moon signs. The moon moves rather quickly compared to the other planets, taking only 2 or so days to go through a sign while the sun takes around 30. We can see that on April 26th, when Mia was born, the moon was in the sign of Aquarius, whereas the twins' moon was in the sign of Aries. Aries is a fire sign, so it dives right in and engages, immersing itself head first into life. Their emotional orientation (moon) will be toward that of reacting quickly and impulsively, while Mia, although she has a great deal of Aries planets in her chart, has her moon in Aquarius, so her emotional orientation will be more toward curiosity and detachment. Aries engages to experience and express, but Aquarius disengages, to objectively experience and express.

Each child, like their natal chart, is utterly unique, and each Kiddiegram reflects their uniqueness. Would you like to get your very own 'user's manual' for your unique child? Order their Kiddiegram today!

Thursday, May 05, 2011

Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon See Double

Mariah Carey will be getting double the Mother's Day love today, just over a week after giving birth to twins on her 3rd wedding anniversary! On April 30th, Taurus twins Monroe and Moroccan, daughter and son, respectively, arrived on the scene. Nick and Mariah renewed their vows in the hospital.

The twins arrived around 9:07 am, which gives them a Gemini Ascendant, the sign of the twins. But the bulk of their planets all lie in Aries: Uranus, Moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter all line up across their 10th and 11th houses. Aries is all about learning initiative and to take leaps to go after what one wants. Aries is learning not to be shy or hesitant, but to allow themselves to boldly and unapologetically be a force in the world. That goes double, at least, for these twins, with that many planets in this sign.


The 10th and 11th houses represent the public arena of our lives, ranging anywhere from our chosen career, to fame, to being involved in groups or causes, to simply finding our destiny 'out there in the world'. Most striking is the tight Venus and Moon conjunction in their 10th house. Venus is a planet of creativity as well as the planet of relating, and having the goddess of love and beauty here reveals a likelihood of these two being very charming, and able to use their grace and talents to charm others, possibly even making a career out of the arts as mom and dad have done, especially since it lies rather close to Mercury, the planet of the mind and voice.

Also striking is their Mars and Jupiter conjunction. Mars is quite comfortable in Aries and ready to shoot off into the stratosphere, especially with Jupiter adding it's 'bigness' to the mix. These two will be able to accomplish whatever they dream, with the Mars initiative and Jupiter's desire to aim high.

As children in the meantime, Mariah and Nick can expect to have their hands very full! These children will have an overload of energy and endless curiosity, so their ability to get themselves quickly into trouble will probably surprise them. Congratulations to the happy family!

Parenting with Astrology: Aggression

Amy Herring has been a professional astrologer for 15 years and a proud mother for 5 of those years. She has joyfully accepted Mlle. Kiddie’s gracious offer to share her thoughts once a month here at Kiddie Star Signs. To find out more about Amy and her personal readings for parents and children, visit her website at http://heavenlytruth.com.

Money and fame don’t solve every problem. Celebrity moms have their hopes and worries for their children too. However, Mlle. Kiddie would like to offer ‘everyday’ moms a chance to see astrology put into action to answer their parenting questions. After all, famous or not, you’re the world to your kids! If you’ve got a question about your child that you’d like Amy to answer, send your questions any time to amy@heavenlytruth.com.

Janine writes:
We are having great difficulty with our 13-year-old son. He is extremely rude, rebellious, hyperactive and attention seeking! It has intensified since November of 2012. I am feeling exhausted by his constant refusal to merge with the family, and am wondering what we can approach from our side, as far as dynamics in the astrology of parent-child goes.


Amy answers:
There are a couple of astrological triggers that I think are stirring this pot. The first is his progressed moon moving through the sign of Aries. The progressed moon is sort of a general emotional barometer for us and it changes signs every couple of years. In Aries, it can mean a time of feisty, fierce energy, especially on someone so young where emotions run so charged and at such a pure concentration of the emotional force (before it's diluted by, oh, maturity and life's wear and tear!)

His natal moon is in the sign of Libra, which is sometimes motivated by keeping everyone happy and generally avoiding confrontation or unpleasantness. So his natural emotional instinct to protect himself is to pretend like nothing is wrong and just keep the peace. But since we can't go through life without ever getting frustrated or angry at someone or something, that anger has to go somewhere. For a Libra Moon, he's vulnerable to stuffing it, so this latest Aries progressed moon passage probably has him releasing years of pent up frustration that he hasn't wanted to deal with in the past. Obviously when it's pent up (coupled with being a teenager), it has to create a lot of force to push past it's blockade, so I think that's why you're seeing such intensity.

Aries is a very naturally combative sign. It's the sign of the warrior, the fighter, the defender. When it doesn't have something to fight, it tends to look for a fight to use some of that spent energy. If you can get him interested in something that is active and has a safe avenue for letting out some aggression like martial arts, for example, that might be a good place to channel it. What he's mainly learning right now is how to handle his anger and to make room for himself, but everything can feel like a threat or a competition right now to him.

The key, and it's never an easy one, may lie in trying not to dis-empower him or belittle him, but at the same time defending your boundaries and your rights as he oversteps and defends his. If you go head to head, upping the ante, he'll probably just push back harder. Being firm and calm is probably your best bet. I say this also because Saturn is currently in Libra right now and has recently, and will again, opposed his own Saturn in his chart. You mentioned these problems starting to intensify around November of 2010, which was the last time moving Saturn opposed his own Saturn. It did so again in April (which is what probably prompted you to write me at your wits end!) and will do so one last time in late July/early August.


Saturn lessons bring lessons of responsibility and maturity, but usually through circumstances or feelings of being thwarted, restrained, or limited. Saturn represents 'the authority' in our lives--the rules and the people who enforce them. For a teenager, that can be parents and teachers, primarily. These Saturn oppositions may feel like he's trapped, like he doesn't have any freedom, or like everyone's always telling him what to do. His emotional response, of course, is to fight, with that progressed moon in Aries.

This may be one of those situations where natural consequences will need to be the teachers, so that he will find it harder to blame negative outcomes on the authorities who treated him 'unfairly'. This can mean giving him a little more room to screw up, which is never easy. It's sort of 'stealth parenting,' as in don't let them know you're parenting them by pretending to be staying out of the things they did or didn't do that caused them their own problem.

The hard news is that he's going to chafe at his restraints, whatever form they may take, regardless of how easy or hard you try to make it for him. Saturn oppositions teach a hard lesson with reality: head meets wall, and the wall doesn't yield, so the person must if they don't want to give themselves a headache. The good news is that it will not be so intense for much longer. The confrontation with Saturn may be the most frustrating and that will be over by the end of August. His progressed moon will move into Taurus after the new year, which should lessen the aggression in general as well.

Good luck and thanks for your question!

Would you like some input on how to understand and nurture your child in the most effective way for their unique needs? Amy offers readings for parents and children; find out more at her website.