Thursday, October 28, 2010

Happy Birthday Scorpio Kids!

The Sun is in Scorpio this year from October 22nd to November 22nd. Happy birthday to all those Scorpio kiddos (and their mommies and daddies)!

Kids with prominent Scorpio planets in their charts, especially the Sun and/or the Moon, tend to be very perceptive. Scorpio loves a mystery: whether it's figuring out a traditional 'whodunnit' story, or researching a topic to figure out the elusive answers, they have a need to know that's not so much out of curiosity as out of a desire for truth.

Their 'sixth sense' ability also makes them good at picking up on the sometimes hidden and non-verbal signals that happen in every-day interactions between people and figuring out what's going on beneath the surface. Therefore, one of the most important things a parent can do for their Scorpio child is tell them the truth. Scorpio needs straight talk and honesty, appropriate for their age of course, but not the sugar-coating that might be tempting when parents find themselves on the end of an uncomfortable question from their child!

Willow Smith celebrates her 10th birthday this Halloween! More about Scorpio from Willow's Kiddiegram:

Willow is a child of powerful feelings, emotional extremes, and great sensitivity and depth, sometimes marked by a rather quiet demeanor. At heart she is a very private, even secretive, soul, and her need for a room of her own, or a hideaway in the backyard, or some other personal, unassailable place where she can be alone at times, is quite strong. She may well be sociable and friendly enough, but she likes to be the one in control of when, and with whom, she shares herself.

Her feelings tend to run hot or cold - she loves you or she hates you (sometimes both!), with equal fervor. There is a rather dramatic emotional side to her, and it may seem that she exaggerates her feelings. She is rarely lukewarm.
Do you have a Scorpio kiddie in your life? Treat their parents to a tailor-made Kiddiegram!

Scorpio Sun kids
Willow (Will & Jada Pinkett Smith)
Bronx (Ashlee Simpson & Pete Wentz)
Deacon (Ryan Phillipe & Reese Witherspoon)
James (Matthew Broderick & Sarah Jessica Parker)
Ruby Sweetheart (Tobey Maguire & Jennifer Meyer)
Matilda Rose (Heath Ledger & Michelle Williams)
Francesca (Jason Bateman & Amanda Anka)
Sunny (Adam & Jackie Sandler)
Ever Gabo (Milla Jovovich & Paul Anderson)

Scorpio Moon kids
Miley (Billy Ray & Tish Cyrus)
Lourdes (Madonna & Carlos Leon)
Rhys Edward (Joey & Barrett McIntyre)
Leni (Heidi Klum & Seal)

Monday, October 25, 2010

Celine Dion's Double Baby Boy Bliss

It's a mini baby boom this month in Hollywood! Matt Damon and his wife Luciana just welcomed Stella Zavala on October 20th; Lance Armstrong and his wife Anna welcomed Olivia Marie on October 17th; Alicia Keys gave birth to Egypt Daoud on October 14th (with husband Kaseem Dean), and of course Neil Patrick Harris and his husband David Burtka brought home twins via surrogate: Gideon Scott and Harper Grace.

But perhaps the most thrilling news is the birth of Celine Dion's twin boys on Saturday, given her difficulties in the recent past in conceiving and carrying a baby to term.

Entering the world just one minute apart, the twins were born just after the full moon, so it still shows up in their chart: their Sun, just barely into Scorpio is opposite the moon in Taurus. Full moon people are said to be built to bring things to fruition - to take the enthusiasm, naivete, and idealism of the first half of the waxing lunar cycle and thrust it forward into life, to get 'out there' and make a mark, make a difference. These kids are on a mission!

And it doesn't stop there, but is echoed in the fact that their Sun, Mercury, and Venus are all in Scorpio in the 11th house. Scorpio takes what it's passionate about and follows it through to almost obsessive ends. In the 11th house, the house of the 'public, groups, and community', their mission will no doubt be far-reaching. They will obviously be well-known because of their parents, but they are not likely to be reaching for fame as much as they are to want to make a valuable difference in the world (Scorpio doesn't really like to be in the spotlight too much!)

But 11th house planets often take a long while to manifest, needing to gather up momentum, self-knowledge, and lengthy life experience so as to reach a crescendo of sorts. In the meantime, the twins will probably be working on getting to know themselves as individuals--something that any person, and especially twins, must do, but for these twins, that work takes center stage. They entered the world with a Cancer south node in the 7th house, which speaks of a tendency to think in terms of 'us' rather than 'I', and Cancer can be prone to giving much more than it allows itself to receive. With Pluto and the north node in their 1st house of Self and in Capricorn, a sign known for self-sufficiency and independence, they will be moving ever toward the goal of understanding and owning identity.

Once they start to get their feet under them in this regard, their second half of life should gain even more momentum, having them branch out into the world to show it their stuff! Their enthusiastic Sagittarius rising knows no bounds, so it should be a good show!

Congratulations to the happy family!


At this writing, the twins' names have yet to be made public.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Dancing with the 'Stars': Meet Kristi Yamaguchi's Kids

Kristi Yamaguchi is best known for winning the gold in the 1992 Olympics as a figure skater, and most recently for winning the 'gold' on Dancing with the Stars in 2008, but Mlle. Kiddie is especially interested in the dance of her and her family's personal stars--their astrology!

Kristi has described herself as shy, not really fitting in but feeling like she belonged when she was on the ice. She's said she didn't mind missing out on social things in school because she had such a focus and a plan. Her life was skating. Off the ice she just tried to 'do her thing and not be noticed', but on the ice, it was "music and freedom and self-expression."

Kristi entered the world with a shy Cancer Sun and Leo south node, which comes with it a big desire to express oneself, often through creative pursuits. But it's also tucked away in the private 12th house, so even though pop astrology may tell us that Leo likes to be the life of the party, Kristi's party was always on the inside, shining through her skating dreams.

Her work with the Make-A-Wish foundation after the Olympics inspired her to open her own foundation in 1996: the Always Dream Foundation, an organization dedicated to giving support to children so they can reach for their own dreams. Kristi says in the opening line of a welcome video at the Always Dream website: "I think a hero is someone who gives from the heart into the community." This sums up perfectly her Sun in Cancer in the 11th house: a hero (Sun) is someone who gives from their heart (Cancer) to the community (11th house). Her basic identity is about nurturing (Cancer) children to achieve their dreams (also 11th house).

Starting with her own kids! When she had her children, Keara and Emma, in 2003 and 2005, respectively, her priorities changed. Of her kids, she says:
"After the first one is born, you think the second one will be the same—but she’s not. Keara is very social, outgoing and adaptable. I see a lot of myself in Emma. She’s Mommy’s girl, like I was. She’s a little shy in social situations until she gets comfortable. Keara is more artistic. She loves imaginary play. Emma has really good athletic ability. She’s physically tough. It will be interesting to see what they choose to do."

Keara is a sociable Libra, with both her Sun and Venus in the sign of Libra. Libra is ruled by Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, and many Librans have a knack for knowing what's beautiful and how to create it. Keara has an extra ace in the hole, however, with the planet Neptune in a harmonious trine with her Sun. Neptune is a planet that connects us to 'the other world' in some way, be it through spirituality, intuition, or imagination.

Keara also has her moon in Sagittarius, a sign that wants to expand as much as it can and experience all it can, so she'll be mostly unstoppable in her enthusiasm. However, she'll benefit from her mom's example of dedication and hard work to make dreams come true since the asteroid Chiron is exactly opposite her Saturn. When we work with our Saturn, we commit to something and make it happen in the real world through our dedication, but with Chiron pulling on it, she may have some trepidation to work out surrounding her own capabilities to accomplish what she dreams.

Emma's Sun is in the sign of Scorpio, a sign that's more about the inner world. Scorpio likes to observe before it acts and with a calculating eye, sum up any situation so it knows what it's in for. With her Venus in Capricorn, she is likely to make friends more easily in structured situations where she knows what's expected of her and relationship foundations are defined rather than just free play, but her curious and talkative Gemini Moon will certainly reveal itself 'once she's comfortable,' as mom has said.

Emma has Mars in the sign of Taurus, which can definitely contribute to strength and physical 'toughness', and which also brings a natural ability toward perseverance and steadiness. Emma's challenge may be keeping focused, as her Gemini Moon will find lots of reasons to be distracted by new interests.

What a beautiful family!

Photo: Jim Wright
Reference: article by Suzanne Riss, Working Mother Magazine

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka Welcome Libra Twins

A boy, Gideon Scott and a girl, Harper Grace are now the proud owners of two happy fathers, Neil Patrick Harris and his partner, David Burtka.


While Mademoiselle Kiddie does not know the twins' time of birth, it is likely they have a Sagittarius Moon, just like daddy Neil. Sagittarius is a playful energy, that likes to goof off and not take themselves so seriously.

Co-star Alyson Hannigan says of Neil: "He's definitely a kid at heart and I think that really helps. He can get into the kids' energy easily. He's fantastic with my daughter, and she just loves him." She also adds: "He has this phenomenal song that he has made up and it makes my daughter laugh every time he does it. It sticks in my head for days. It's so brilliant, and it's the perfect baby song. He's definitely going to be so creative and fun." Sounds about right!

Gideon and Harper have their Sun and Mercury in Libra, so they're likely to charm more than just their parents! Librans tend to know just how to make others comfortable and happy, so they can easily wrap their loved ones around their little fingers, and with that joyful Sagittarius Moon, they will certainly brighten up the Burtka-Harris home, times two!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Happy Birthday Libra Kids!


The Sun is in Libra this year from roughly September 22nd to October 22nd. Happy birthday to all those Libra kiddos (and their mommies and daddies)!

Kids with prominent Libra planets in their charts, especially the Sun and/or the Moon, are primarily concerned with fairness and peacekeeping. They are the little charmers of the zodiac because they always have an innate sense of what others want and need from them. They don't tend to be competitive in general, because they feel more comfortable when everyone is getting along and happy, so conflict can be difficult for them. Showing them how to get through conflict with an eye for a fair resolution for everyone involved is immensely helpful.

Heidi & Seal's baby Lou recently turned 1 year old. More about Libra from Lou's Kiddiegram:
Lou has a highly developed sense of symmetry, balance, and fairness, and all her life she will be striving to find a happy medium (between herself and other people, between work and relationships, between her heart and her head, and so on). She tends to be moderate, avoiding extremes, seeing both sides of an issue, sometimes unable to commit herself wholeheartedly to anything for fear of excluding something or someone. Indecisiveness is likely to be a real, ongoing problem for her, and it is best not to offer her choices that require an immediate, definite response. She usually needs time to think about it, or she wants both of the options, or she does not feel strongly about either one but she will sift and weigh them indefinitely.
Do you have a Libra kiddie in your life? Treat their parents to a tailor-made Kiddiegram!

Libra Sun Kids
Lou (Heidi Klum & Seal)
Kal-el (Nicholas Cage)
Mathilda (Molly Ringwald)
Lourdes (Madonna)
Ramona (Maggie Gyllenhaal)

Libra Moon Kids
Kal-el (Nicholas Cage)
Easton (Jenna Elfman)

Friday, October 08, 2010

Mary-Louise Parker Sets the Stage

Mary-Louise Parker's 6-1/2 year old son William Atticus looks like he's following in his mom's footsteps. She says:

“My children are putting on shows all day long,” the 46-year-old actress says. “I have a stage in my home actually because I was tired of them using the coffee table and the dining room table. So all day long it’s, ‘Ladies and gentleman, turn off your cell phones.’"

And of her son's creative genius:

“There was a musical the other day called The Absent Spaceman that my son wrote. And he thought the song 'Hello, Dolly' was about Salvador DalĂ­. I swear to God, my hand to God he did. So he kind of rewrote that and made a paper mustache. It’s really cute.”

Mademoiselle Kiddie does not know William's time of birth, but what we can see of his chart doesn't seem to show that 'a star is born' at first glance. He's got a conservative, practical Capricorn Sun and a keep-to-himself, gentle Cancer Moon. His Scorpio south node shows a flair for a bit of intense drama and his Mars in Aries shows enthusiasm, but where's the bug that gets him to perform on coffee tables and write musicals? Mademoiselle has a couple of suspects:

Venus
Venus lies in the sign of Aquarius, and it is in a square to his north and south nodes of the moon, indicating that it is a strong desire of his, as well as a soul imperative, that he express his creativity. In Aquarius, he must learn to allow himself to express freely, with no judgment (self-imposed or otherwise) on whether or not his creative product is good or bad according to some artificial standard, but merely whether or not it brought him joy and expressed something true and authentic from inside of him. Aquarius isn't about fitting in, it's about the freedom to be yourself (and in this case, his creative self). It's involvement with the nodes elevates it's importance in his chart somewhat.

Mercury
Mercury is in Sagittarius, so he comes with a passion for learning and experiencing, but what's more important here is its conjunction to Pluto. Pluto intensifies anything it touches, and also brings up qualities of the under belly of things. Pluto conjoined with a planet asks "what's really going on here?" Pluto's involvement with Mercury is the difference between smarmy love novels or murderous mysteries, between limericks and dramatic odes, or the playful and innocent tone of 'Hello Dolly' or the disturbing and unusual tone of 'Salvador Dali'. Mercury likes questions, and with Pluto conjunct it, it likes the deep questions, yet in Sagittarius, there is going to be an (edgy) silliness, even absurdity in the way William's mind works.

Mercury and Venus are in a sextile relationship with each other, which means they work very well inside of William and can easily bring out the best in each other. The unique creativity of William's Venus coupled with the silly but penetrating wittiness of his Mercury/Pluto in Sagittarius might find him less on the stage in his life and more behind the writer's desk, shocking and amusing us with his insights!

Monday, October 04, 2010

Dylan Douglas' Dyslexia

In an interview with the UK Guardian, Michael Douglas revealed that his 10 year old son, Dylan, has dyslexia and that it "runs in the family" (Michael's brother has it). Michael and his family recently relocated to New York so Dylan could attend a special school to assist him.

Dyslexia can produce any number of challenges that are mostly focused around reading, writing, and speaking, so it tends to be Mercury's terrain. The condition of Mercury in a natal chart indicates how we'll think and process information, communicate, and the way our mind works in general, both symbolically and literally to some extent.

Dylan's Mercury is in Leo in the 7th house of his chart, not necessarily indicative of any learning disabilities. Any planet in a sign or house alone can manifest a number of ways. Aspects between planets typically show more of the action and dynamic qualities of a chart, so any tension or difficulty a planet is under is often more easily seen in its connections to other planets.

In Dylan's case, his Mercury is conjunct Mars, indicating that a lot of passion, fire, and energy is running through his mental circuits. He may find himself wanting to respond quickly or off the cuff, almost as if his mind and mouth are running faster than he is. Someone with this configuration might simply talk very quickly, so we wouldn't see dyslexia in even the majority of the cases, but where we know it's present, we might suspect that the nature of the Mercurial challenge in Dylan's case is an issue of speed, as in, too much of it. Mars can also illustrate where people hold their stress and anxiety in general, where burnout or overwhelm can happen if stress levels get too high, and it's said that both stress and anxiety can exacerbate dyslexia symptoms (although there's precious little in this world that stress and anxiety don't worsen!)

Dylan also has Neptune in Aquarius opposed his Mercury and Mars. Dyslexia has no bearing on intelligence or vice versa: it is simply a matter of how information is processed and communicated, not whether it's understood on a conceptual level. Neptune has an 'other-worldly' quality to it; it represents the part of us that is least attached to the logical, 3-dimensional, shared 'reality' world and more connected to things like the dream world (waking or sleeping), intuition, imagination, and the part of us that understands symbols and metaphors. Neptune is often thought to have a 'foggy' influence on life, but that is only when we are trying to rigidly define our world. In our imagination or our dream world, we would have no problem saying 2+2=22 if it made a kind of creative sense to us, for instance. With Neptune in a difficult relationship to Mercury, he processes messages in a way that is outside the rigid rules of '2+2=4 and nothing else' thinking. His mind is free, for better and worse, to process information outside of typical constraints.

Something that can help him master and manage symptoms of dyslexia is his Saturn in Taurus, in a sextile relationship to Mercury, indicating that Saturn and Mercury can work well together. Slowing it down (Taurus) and steady practice (Saturn) are his best tools, but he'll also benefit from finding ways to incorporate the imagination and symbolism of his Neptune into his mental processes in a way that doesn't just lead to confusion, but a new way of looking at things entirely! Inventive and imaginative greats such as Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, and Mozart were all said to have some form of dyslexia.

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Parenting with Astrology: Sibling Hierarchy

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.

Erin writes:
My daughter, Anastacia, is being ... not bullied, but she SO wants to please her sister that she'll do or say anything for her. She hasn't even worn any of her new clothes that she got for her birthday because Madison guilt trips her about it, that it's "not fair" because Madison doesn't have new clothes.

We've been trying to work with Anastacia to not be such a doormat to her sister. She's VERY creative and imaginative but her little flame seems to be quite dimmed when she's around Madison. If she's asked a question, she looks to Madison either for the answer or to see if it's ok to answer. She just loves and idolizes Madison so much that she won't/ can't stand up to her.
In general, Madison is a VERY sweet girl. She's been having a hard time with her biological mom lately and feeling guilt about wanting to live with her dad and me. She just wants to please everyone. I guess I'm wondering if there's anything that we should be doing for her that could make the transition easier or make her feel less guilty.

This is a dual question with multi-faceted answers, so I’ll try and concentrate on the primary influences at work in the situation between the sisters. First, we’ll take a look at each daughter in their own right, learning about their individual motivations and needs, and then look at some of the connections between the sister’s charts that might illuminate the dynamic between them.

Madison entered this life with a south node in Aquarius, and Uranus very close to her south node. The south node in a chart reveals something about the condition of our soul’s perspective as we enter this life. The rest of the chart shows us how to get some perspective and loosen up some of the challenges that the south node carries with it. Aquarius means a lot of wonderful things, one of them being that she can be rather independent and individualistic, but there’s also a likelihood, especially in hearing her situation, that she inherently feels like an ‘outsider’. She literally is in the situation with you – she is the ‘other mother’s daughter’ while everyone else in the family is fully biologically related. This is not at all necessarily indicative that you don’t love her as your own—it is a function of Madison’s inherent makeup upon entering this life and how it interacts with any situation she finds herself in life. This may not be different as in being weird or deformed, just a subtle feeling of being set apart from others.

One way she may cope with feeling different or like an outsider, especially if she feels like she’s not in control or she’s powerless in anyway (like she might feel at her biological mother’s house), she will defend herself with Mars in Scorpio in her 2nd house. Scorpio is a sign that often sees more than others do and can see what’s going on beneath the surface of a situation or a person’s behaviors to see through to their true motivations. It doesn’t mean they can read minds or that they’re necessarily ‘evil geniuses!’ But they can sense there is ‘something more than there appears to be’ and will poke at the surface to see what lies underneath. She may be good at manipulating others, even if there is no malicious intent, just curiosity and self-protection.

In general, over her lifetime she’s learning more authentic self-acceptance and self-celebration which will make her less insecure about what others think of her or feeling different and not measuring up.

Anastacia entered this life with a Capricorn south node which can mean lot of things as well, but looking at the rest of Ani’s chart, it looks like she may tend to take too much responsibility for things onto her small shoulders, and feel like she has to restrict herself or keep herself in check. One of the archetypal images for Capricorn is the hermit because Capricorn tends to keep to itself and not be very demonstrative. She can also be very concerned about what others think of her – perhaps not in the same way that Madison is in whether or not she fits in, but more in the sense that she wants others to think she is good and respectable and appropriate. She’s sensitive to the rules and regulations, whether they are literal or cultural, about how to live life right and obediently. She can often impose judgments on herself about her simple natural expression of who she is and may hold back any exuberance or spontaneity with second-guessing and caution.

She has Saturn in Gemini in the 10th house opposite her Pluto, which can indicate a feeling of being fearful or wounded by “those in the know” – people who appear to be authorities (teachers, big sisters, what have you) and tell her ‘how it is’, overriding her own gut experience of her encounters with truth and her ability and confidence to decide for herself what she thinks is right. Learning to question authorities, not out of rebelliousness alone but out of a desire to get to the truth and respect her own truth-finding process is also on her plate as she grows. Just because someone has a college degree or is older or things like that, doesn’t mean they are smarter than her or that their opinions are more valuable than hers, necessarily—this is something she’ll be learning into adulthood.

The rest of Ani’s chart seems to point to her learning to let go of some of that self-imposed restriction, which will develop over time as she gains more confidence in herself (a lesson which will continue into adulthood), if that’s a comfort!

In the case of both girls, Mercury plays an important role in their own chart – which is the planet of the mind and voice. What our opinions, beliefs, and perceptions are as well as how we express them is governed by Mercury. In Madison’s case, it’s conjunct her Sun and right on the 7th house edge, indicating a need to be heard and feel validated by others. In Ani’s case, it’s square to each of her nodes and in the 2nd house, so she is learning to value her voice and her perceptions. However, in Libra, she may often hesitate before she speaks as if checking to make sure what she’s about to say will be agreeable and neutral enough to not offend anyone.

When looking at both of their charts together and how they interact, they each have Mercury opposed the other’s Mercury, so they’ll express their opinions and ideas in very different ways and styles, typically, but there may also be a subtle, underneath the awareness, energetic ‘tug-of-war’ between them about who gets to speak. Madison’s Sun is close to her own Mercury, so it’s also opposed Ani’s Mercury. The Sun has a lot of weight, so there may be a sense of a natural ‘dominance’ or ‘authority’ that Ani feels toward Madison, not to mention that Madison is older and so Ani may see her as an authority in that way as well (I refer you back to the previous paragraph about Saturn and Pluto in Ani’s chart).

So how to help? My hunch is to focus less on the dynamic between the girls when addressing the problem and work on the girls’ individual issues. I might be surprised to find that Ani only does this with her sister, for instance, so helping her build confidence and let go of fears that others’ won’t like or respect her if she ‘lets loose’ (without forcing her to do so) may help overall. Ani’s learning to be her own person but is a little afraid of the approval or disapproval of others, as well as stepping on their toes (Venus opposite Neptune). As for Madison, you may want to address, as much as you can, the feelings that might be prompting her to be inclined to ‘outshine’ Ani. Madison’s Moon and Jupiter in Aries can have her inclined to take up a lot of space, energetically speaking, and getting her to dim that will certainly backfire in several ways, but helping her empathetically understand what her subtle, though not malicious, manipulations of Ani do to her can get her compassionate Pisces Sun engaged and help her be more aware.

As far as helping Madison with feeling guilt, I'd also suggesting targeting her empathetic Pisces Sun: perhaps help her understand, not intellectually but through the heart, what it feels like to be a mom, and that most moms just want their children to be happy. I'm not sure what the specifics are with her biological mom, but perhaps if it's feasible, she can be made to see how punishing herself with guilt is the last thing a mom would truly want for their child. You can also speak directly to her Aries Moon by helping her to recognize that it's actually part of her job as a human being to take care of herself and her emotional needs, because she's the only person on earth most qualified to do so, and it's a good thing to do that job 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.