It just hasn't
been a great month for Alec Baldwin. Just days before the man he vehemently
opposed in our last election was due to be inaugurated as president, his
wife of seven years, actress Kim Basinger, filed for divorce. Long thought
of as one of Hollywood's "perfect couples," the two have been
spotted in "heated public spats" recently, according to both
Mr.Showbiz.com and E! online, who also report that Basinger's father
mentioned to People magazine recently that Alec had a bit
of a temper. Although the reason for their split may be the issue of anger,
however, I'll bet it's not just Alec who slammed doors in that household.
 Astrologically
speaking, the fact that Basinger, a Sagittarius, and Baldwin, an Aries,
would create fireworks together—for better and worse—is no surprise.
They're both packing fire Sun signs, for starters, and fire signs aren't
called fire signs for nothing, folks. Debate, passion and self-assertion
are a fire sign’s business—and they're all very good at it. Okay, and anger.
And aggression. And maybe just a little bit of egotism.
Sag
and Aries: "Combustible But Compatible"
So what happens
when you put two of those fire Sun signs together in a romantic relationship?
Well, as Linda Goodman wrote in her classic astrological text, Love
Signs, these two in particular end up being "combustible
but compatible." Apparently, Basinger and Baldwin are at the "combustible"
stage.
As if that's
not enough to turn a relationship hot, and possibly quite volatile, too,
both Basinger and Baldwin have pretty darned serious Mars situations in
their birthcharts. Now, Mars is the ancient god of war, the "red
planet" who also didn't earn his name and reputation for nothing.
Mars is the "owner" of Aries, and the two are associated with
each other in astrology, so Baldwin's Aries Sun is already working quite
closely with this red-hot bullet of a planet.
In addition,
Baldwin's Mars is opposed shocking, electric Uranus, and oppositions classically
reveal themselves in our one-to-one encounters with others. Unpredictable?
You bet—and that's not to mention the fact that Mars is in Aquarius, Uranus'
own sign. Both the planet and the sign's reputation for suddenness are
famous, and well deserved, too. Uranus is the perfect, unexpected "trigger"
for a weapon like Mars. In fact, often that trigger is pulled before the
individual has time to realize it, much less stop it. In short, Baldwin
can go off at any time, at a moment's notice, then wake up wondering what
that was, and/or who that was just then.
Before
you start feeling bad for Basinger, however, keep in mind that her own
temper probably rivals Baldwin's. She was also born with a strong connection
between Mars and Uranus, the same two planets responsible for Baldwin's
fiery disposition. In Basinger's chart, however, rather than being in
opposition, the two are in a tense square, putting them in a relationship
that's the astrological equivalent of two adversaries "squaring off."
Planets in square irritate each other, and like any opponents in close
proximity, when they both have their buttons pushed, the results are potentially
quite volatile. In other words, she's equally capable of raising her voice
and her partner's blood-pressure every now and then.
On the other
hand, there's more to Mars-Uranus combinations than explosions. Really.
They're also the planetary recipe for fervent political activists, which
may have been part of the "glue" that kept this relationship
together for the past seven years. Baldwin was quoted as saying he'd leave
the country if George
W. Bush was elected. If Baldwin's cause of choice is politics,
however, Basinger’s is animal rights. She's so into PETA, PAWS and other
animal groups that, in addition to owning fifteen dogs and cats of her
own, she spearheads campaigns to save animals in labs, and gets the job
done, too. Her recent efforts to stop a lab in New Jersey from literally
breaking the legs of 40 beagle puppies were quite successful. The dogs
were eventually released, and adopted, too.
From
the Ashes: What's On the Horizon?
What's next
for these two fireballs? Well, for Baldwin, it may actually be that overseas
move he threatened. He's certainly going to do some wandering, both internally
and externally. Neptune, the purveyor of such heady things as alcohol,
drugs, sleep, trance states and depression, has already moved into an
opposition with his Uranus—a tough combination to work with, and, once
again, the type of energy that often manifests itself in relationships.
Classically,
this comes off as a time of confusion, full of sudden changes that seem
to arrive almost invisibly, and that certainly could involve changes in
a committed relationship. As Neptune makes her way closer to Baldwin’s
Mars, the more pronounced the opposition between the red planet and startling
Uranus will be, and the more urgent Baldwin's urge to "get lost"
will become. With no wife and family to ground him, this spontaneous,
impulsive "fire-man" will undoubtedly be doing a bit of discovery
on the inner and outer sides of himself, too.
As for Basinger,
she's been described as being extremely attached to her daughter, Ireland,
now five years old. That makes sense, too. Basinger’s
earthy Capricorn Moon is the very soul of duty and responsibility to whom and what it loves,
especially a child. Capricorn Moons are completely and totally dedicated
to maintaining the family structure. In fact, they often take on more
responsibility for family members than is necessary. Baldwin once said
his wife wouldn't even leave the child to take a weekend away with him,
even when he said he'd pay her "an appearance fee" if she would.
I don't think
that trait is going to change soon, either. Responsible Saturn will be
in solid, fixed Taurus for the next few months, encouraging anyone with
an emphasis on earth planets to hunker down and take care of duties. Basinger’s
Capricorn Moon's natural tendency to feel "responsible" for
any discomfort her child is feeling will probably cause her to stay pretty
close to home.
Regardless
of where their personal lives lead, as with any couple, Basinger and Baldwin
will both be spending a lot of time trying to get used to life in the
single lane again. Of course, given that they're both fast-moving, fun-loving
fire signs, as well as Hollywood "sex-symbols," I'll bet neither
of them will be spending Saturday nights alone for long.
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