Meg Ryan & Daisy: A "Crazy Meeting"

Meg Ryan is the mother of 5 year old Daisy True, whom she adopted from China in January of 2006. In 2008 she gave an interview describing the meeting between her and Daisy for the first time. 

"She was red-faced, screaming and crying." When placed in Meg’s arms, however, Daisy was instantly calmed. "She checked me out and then she went to sleep. The next six to eight hours, she’d wake up and be very afraid and then she’d cry and then relax and play with you. I’d do the same thing. Just get really afraid, then really expanded. It was this metaphysical kind of labor, this crazy meeting."

Meg — who still carries in her wallet the first photo of Daisy sent to her by the orphanage — dismisses the notion that she somehow saved her daughter. Instead, she believes that she was always meant to be Daisy’s mom. "I just saw that face and I knew we were just related," she says.

The astrology of families is often very striking. It's common to find patterns running back generations, amongst siblings, and between parents and their children. While the birth date of Daisy is not publicly known, Meg adopted her in January of 2006 when she was 14 months old, which would have had her born around November of 2004 making her most likely to be a Scorpio, which is Meg Ryan's sun sign.

Their meeting undoubtedly shows up in Meg's chart in January of '06. Venus was moving back and forth over her Ascendant, showing that her perspective on the world was about to be changed due to a relationship. Her progressed moon was in the 10th house, which often signifies changes in the role(s) we play in the world. We often think of 10th house activity as career developments, but it is quite common to see changes in 'titles', formal or informal, take place when the 10th house is activated. The progressed moon illuminates where your heart's attention is, and clearly it was on the new role she was undertaking of becoming a mother again. Her moon was also in a harmonious relationship with Saturn at the time, which represents a commitment. Venus soon moved over Saturn as well, indicating a relationship commitment, specifically.

Venus & Kiddie Style

Venus is the planet of love & beauty, just like it's goddess namesake. We humans are usually pretty caught up in all that love stuff, so it's sometimes easy to forget that by looking at Venus our charts, we can find out so much about our personal style and decorative preferences: how we like to decorate our homes and especially our bodies. It is our Venus sign that reveals what we find beautiful, and how we go about making ourselves beautiful and appealing to others (or ourselves!) 

See how different Venus signs can express themselves in fashion with these celebri-tots Venus signs:

Suri Cruise:Venus in Pisces

With her Venus in Pisces, Suri is going to love the flowing dresses and beautiful colors. Fantasy is a strong love of Venus in Pisces, so anything that makes her feel out of the ordinary and a little magical is for her. Playing dress-up is not only fun for her, but a real expression of her individuality, since Uranus is right on top of Venus in her chart. As we see her style evolve, she's likely to go for unusual or avant-garde things that are cutting edge - still embracing the fantasy of Pisces but a little out-of-this-world altogether. Since Grier Hammond Henchy (daughter of Brooke Shields) shares the exact same birthday as Suri, we are likely to see something similar from her as well (although Brooke says Grier is much more into the makeup!)

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt:Venus in Aries

Although she's been criticized (at such an early age, tsk!) for her tomboy looks and it's been speculated that her parents are dressing her 'like a boy' on purpose, it's likely that Shiloh's short haircut and gender-bending fashion is more her preference than her parents'. Aries is a strong and straightforward kind of energy, so it's often categorized as more 'masculine'; therefore, with Venus in Aries, Shiloh may prefer styles that aren't over the top girly and not prefer dresses or heels that might get in the way of her ability to relax and play.

 

Photo credits: Just Jared, INF

On Looking Handsome for One's Sisters: James Wilke Broderick

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick brought home twins via a surrogate last year. Sarah Jessica says:

"I came back into the room and saw James Wilke combing his hair down in a certain way and standing in front of the mirror. And he doesn't know that I heard him say, 'I have to be handsome when I meet my sisters.' It killed me."

Precious! James' Sun is conjunct Venus. Venus is the relationship planet; it is how we go about relating to others. Since Venus wants to connect with others, it represents how we go about making ourselves attractive so that those we want to connect with will want to connect with us! Since it's on top of James' Sun, part of his central makeup is to have a natural interest and awareness about what makes him likable. He's gonna grow up to be one smooth sweetheart!

Suri Cruise is 4 years old

Suri Cruise, daughter of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, will turn 4 years old on Sunday. Her 2nd birthday party was a backyard shindig complete with a 4 tier birthday cake. Her 3rd was a smaller princess party for family and friends. What will 4 years old bring?

Astrologically, Suri's progressed moon is right on top of her Neptune in her 12th house. Neptune in the 12th house represents the world of dreams and imagination. Here's hoping whatever the Cruise's do to celebrate Suri's 4th birthday, that it's out of this world!

Photo: INFdaily.com

Twins: Identical Astrology Charts but How Alike Are They?

Hollywood is full of twins, identical and fraternal, young and not as young. Twins, typically born just minutes apart, will have nearly identical birth charts, with the exact degree of the ascendant sometimes being ever so slightly different. If the birth chart describes one's personality or fate, how can twins actually be any different from each other with the same chart?

Gemini twins Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen are arguably one of the most well-known twins in Hollywood (let's take a moment and have a giggle that these twins are also symbolized by the sign of the twins, Gemini!) While their lives are greatly intertwined both professionally and personally, there are some obvious differences, even to the general public. Ashley seems to have a more classic style and her preferences seem to be on the sweeter side, while Mary-Kate likes things a little more on the edge (she prefers Halloween, to Ashley's Christmas preference), with her style being more bohemian. They even have a different dominant hand: Ashley is right-handed and Mary-Kate is left-handed. Ashley is older by 2 minutes.

They have plenty in common though. Looking at their chart, they have Leo Rising, which reveals their shared love of using their outer appearance and fashion to express themselves. With a Virgo Moon and Mars in Capricorn in the 6th house of work, they will both share a strong work ethic and a desire and ability to work tirelessly to achieve their goals. With their Sun in the 11th house, their public identity is and will continue to be a strong anchor for their sense of self, yet with Uranus in the opposite position from the Sun, they will always need to strive to pull back into themselves and re-authenticate when the pull of the public and its expectations threatens to overtake their sense of individuality. Because their own sense of identity (Sun) is kept in balance by their desire for individuality (Uranus), they will always be modifying their answer to the question Who Am I? An interesting tidbit: apparently they like to refer to themselves as 'an individual pair' rather than twins.

So how does the chart reveal the similarities but the differences alike? There are a few theories, such as the idea that twins 'split up' the chart's energies and express some traits stronger than their twin or that environmental factors make up the other half of the astrological picture, that external stimulus and life events dictate how each twin uses their chart to respond to life. Or is it the core of modern astrology and the belief in free will: that no one can predict what an individual soul's choices will be, only their lessons, struggles, and strengths?

You decide! But here's some reading to investigate these creative ideas.

• The Zodiac Master, Twins and Astrology
• Lynn Koiner, Astro-Twins and Biological Twins 

Hollywood's baby boom brought on several cases of twins. Here are just a handful of celebrity parents of twins:

• Jerry O'Connell and Rebecca Romijn have Capricorn fraternal twins Charlie & Dolly, 15 months
• Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have Cancer fraternal twins Loretta & Tabitha, 9 months
• Brad and Angelina have Cancer fraternal twins Vivienne & Knox, 20 months
• Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have Pisces fraternal twins Emme & Maximillian, 2 years old
• Marcia Cross and Tom Mahoney have Pisces fraternal twins Savannah and Eden, 3 years old
• Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller have Pisces fraternal twins Bob & Max, 1 year old
• Marcia Gay Harden and husband Thaddeus have Taurus fraternal twins Julitta & Hudson, 5-1/2 years old
• Molly Ringwald and husband Panio have Cancer fraternal twins Adele & Roman, 9 months old
• Patrick Dempsey and wife Jillian have Aquarius fraternal twins Darby & Sullivan, 3 years old

Wanda Sykes, Sean Combs, Denzel Washington, Muhammad Ali, Michael J. Fox, and Angela Bassett also all have twins!

Twins: got a set or know someone who does? Get their kiddiegram here!

Gracie knows best!

2-1/2 year old Grace, the daughter of television actress Megyn Price (Rules of Engagement, Grounded for Life) is a gal who knows what she wants. Megyn says she's dealing with a case of the "wicked-smart twos" instead of the terrible twos. 

“She put her foot down in her princess panties and said, ‘Mama will not drive a racecar. Mama will play dress up!’

"She speaks really clearly and she’s very logical,” says Price. “I told her that she couldn’t do something, and she goes, ‘Mama’s answer is no. Gracie’s answer is yes!’ I was like, ‘Yeah, but Mama trumps you, honey!’ She doesn’t get that part yet.”

 That's the power of Mars in Taurus! Mars is how we go after what we want, and in Taurus, Gracie's determination will be difficult to match. Once you get her pointed in a direction, her tenacity will likely see her through and she won't change her mind easily; she'll put her foot down! Here's hoping Megyn is a big fan of dress up, at least for the time being!

Happy 4th Birthday Moses Martin!

Moses, the son of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, turns 4 years old on Thursday. No news on birthday plans yet but hopefully it'll be one with lots of friends. Moses' Sun is in the 11th house in his chart and in Aries, so he'll tend to have a lot of fun playing a bit rough and tumble with others. A park, playplace or some kind of sports activity would probably be a great way for this four year old to work off some of that Aries energy! 

Moving the party home by bringing some bouncy houses in might be an even better idea, since Moses' playful Leo moon is in his 4th house of Home. His home is definitely his castle and on his birthday, he'll definitely be the king!

Photo: INF

Parenting with Astrology: Role Playing

Amy Herring has been a professional astrologer for 15 years and a proud mother for 4 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, I’d 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 to amy@heavenlytruth.com.

Boston asks:

My girlfriend's son Rowan always has to wear a costume--not uncommon for 4 year olds, but it seems excessive for him. He won't go anywhere without a costume even if it's just a hat. He has tantrums or fits if he doesn't have a costume. He has to change his costume with each character he watches. So he must become Captain Jack to watch Pirates of the Carribean or put on his Spiderman shirt to watch that, etc. It's like he's "trying on" different personas, but he does it so much he never seems to want to be Rowan. What is behind this urge?

This is one of those questions where the astrological source just leaps out immediately. Rowan has his Sun and Saturn in the first house in Leo, and Mercury in Leo in the second (it's retrograde--we'll visit that in a moment).

Leo is a sign that's built for self-expression, but it's not just about constantly pouring one's every thought out into the atmosphere for everyone to see. The desire to express oneself comes from the urge to create, and the outward expression of something in a creative way comes from something deep within us, that lies in our quiet, inner selves far before it manifests outside of us. With his Sun in Leo, Rowan is learning about the self via the creative process. This is doubly significant because it is also in the first house of self. Trying on these roles and characters is a way to experience the self - he's literally creating it as he goes. This is typical Leo style; it's why it's the sign of drama and performance art. In some ways he may be taking pieces from what he likes in others, and in imagining himself as that character, he can find some part of him that identifies with it (unconsciously of course - he's only 4!)

Saturn here shows that this is not an easy thing for him - to figure out who he is. It's not an identity crisis as much as it is a blind spot. He's trying to experience himself; not just know himself, but create that self too. It's challenging work, so trying on the roles of others helps give him something to focus on as he tries to create himself. The reason it may be so extreme is that it may be the only outlet that he really understands, enjoys, and is working for him. Plus, Leos love to play. He's fulfilling two desires at once: play and bringing something inside of himself out, something he doesn't even understand yet.

A more subtle undertone is that Rowan has his south node in Libra in the 4th house, which can indicate he's more comfortable hanging back in among the support of his family and not typically taking the lead or fighting for something on his own as much (with the Aries north node in the 10th house, that's what he's come to learn). A 4th house south node may indicate a tendency toward shyness or simply introvertedness, and libra can have him oriented toward feeling safe when he gets others to like him. Cancer Rising echoes this. It's one of the reasons he has all the Leo he does-to learn to shine bravely on his own. 

However, in applying it to this situation, my hunch is that any shyness may be only minorly contributing, if at all. It may just be a red herring (pardon the pun!) If you find that he's very stubborn about continuing this behavior, you'll know he's working his Mars in Taurus: planting his feet and holding his ground. With that 4th house Libra south node, he's come from a place of blending in with the family as a peacekeeper, so to stand out and firm up his identity, he's going to have to learn not to acquiesce just for the good of keeping the peace with others.

A few small things that contribute: his Moon is trine Neptune, so fantasy is a way to access and express his feelings. Also, Mercury is retrograde in Leo. Later, that will show up as him trying to gain confidence in his voice, but for now, it may simply be a reinforcer that role play is an easier way for him to express himself than in a direct fashion. When Mercury is retrograde, sometimes it can take a little longer for thoughts to come to the surface. His Gemini Moon should help him with that, though. This may even be a great way for you to reach him if you are trying to teach him something: picking a character that he identifies with and using a scene from that movie to help him understand what you're trying to teach him or the point you're trying to make. Sometimes with Cancer Rising, you can't just go right at something because it can make them feel unsafe or invaded by the intensity. Coming at an idea through a character example might be a useful tool as a way for him to hear what you're telling him with a sort of buffer.

Thanks for a great 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.