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There must
be something in the water in Los Angeles—either that, or the heavens are
playing musical chairs with Hollywood's hottest couples. One way or another, the music stopped for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman on February
5 after ten apparently delightful years together. Just two days later,
Cruise filed for divorce, a move that People magazine's
February 26 issue states was quite the blow to Kidman. That same article
asserts that Cruise's motivation in filing first was to "block Kidman
from making any alimony claims," a puzzling idea to those of us who
aren't worth over $120 million, Kidman's estimated fortune—and only half
of her soon-to-be ex-husband's worth.
Although
Cruise's Scientology beliefs clashing with Kidman's Catholicism has been
cited as one reason for the break-up, friends of the couple have also
been quoted as hinting that dissimilar choices for a "permanent"
homestead may also have been a factor. Kidman was raised in Australia,
but Cruise is fond of Los Angeles, and although the two have homes in
both locations, as well as a third residence in Telluride, Colorado, the
amount of time spent in each country is rumored to have been part of the
problem. All that said, let's turn to astrology to see if there might
be more to the story than what's already been suggested.
Venus
in Leo Meets Venus in Leo
 First
of all, what kept them together this long? He's a Cancer, and she's a
Gemini—not ordinarily a "classic" astrological coupling, for
Sun signs, at least. Although Sun signs are often the first thing judged
when the long-term success of a relationship is examined, it's Venus,
the planet of relationship, that's really the placement to examine. Venus
is in charge of who we love, what we love, how we love it and how we attract
it. In the case of this celebrity couple, that attraction is obvious.
Cruise was born with Venus at 19 degrees of Leo, and Kidman's is at 15
degrees of Leo. That's a pretty tight connection—but then, Venus in a
sign as lavish as Leo wouldn't have it any other way. It's all or nothing
with Leo planets—and that goes double for Venus.
As a result,
owners of this planet in this sign classically pay an amazing amount of
attention to their beloveds, especially in public situations—which certainly
was the case with Cruise and Kidman. Venus in Leo also needs to feel pride
when they're with their mate, and wants that pride reciprocated. So if
you both happen to be glamorous movie stars with a multitude of adoring
fans, it's easy to experience non-stop pride in your partner. In short,
putting two celebrities as good looking as this pair together seems the
perfect recipe for success—for a pair of Venus in Leos, at least.
Leo is also
known as the sign of the performer, so it's pretty darned good at acting
as if it's in love when it's not. Consider the fact that our past president,
mega-Leo Bill
Clinton, was described once by a woman he dated in high school
as being "so charming and attentive" he "ruined her for
anyone else"—all that after one date. In other words, the
show's the thing with Venus in Leo, and these two were famous for showing
off their affections. As recently as last November, they were seen
partying in Manhattan at a nightclub, where one friend says they were
"all over each other." Even at the Golden Globe Awards, just
a few days before the split was announced, they posed backstage together
for the cameras, the very picture of a couple in love—or was it the work
of two seasoned actors toting matching Venus in theatrical Leo?
Uranus
Pulls A Surprise Visit
Of course,
as with all astrology, there's more than just an individual's natal chart
to consider—but we won't have to leave Venus to do it. Since his is at
19 and hers is at 15 degrees of Leo, they've both been laboring under
a very tough transit almost simultaneously. Uranus in the heavens has
been traveling in an opposition to those degrees for the past couple of years,
and Uranus is known for abrupt, sudden reversals. When he spends time
opposite to Venus, our feelings literally turn on and off like a light switch,
so it's not at all unusual to be amazingly in love on Tuesday and filing
for divorce on Wednesday. That seems to be pretty darned close to what
actually happened in January, when Uranus was exactly 180 degrees from
Cruise's Venus.
Of course,
now that Uranus has moved along past their Venuses, the shock has over,
but the really difficult part hasn't. Cleaning up after the astrological
equivalent of a tornado in your private life isn't easy, after all.
Religious
Differences?
As to the
question of religious preferences and their effects on the couple, it's
easy to see how Cruise's beliefs may have factored into the end of this
story, too. He was born with what's known as a "grand trine"
in his chart, tightly linking three planets—and three human needs—in a
giant triangular configuration. Two of those planets are Jupiter and Neptune,
the planets astrology classically looks to for a description of the owner's
beliefs and principles. The third is his Cancer Sun, and Cancer looks
for safety and security above all else. It's easy to see how becoming
part of a shared doctrine that felt more like a "family" arrangement
would appeal to him more than an organized religion ever could.
Kidman, on
the other hand, has traditional Saturn connected to philosophical Jupiter
in her own chart—a fact that makes sense given that she's described herself
as being "basically a Catholic girl," which is how she was raised.
Regardless
of what the "real" reasons for this divorce are, however, if
the couple sees their split through with as much attention to privacy
as they led their lives together, we'll probably never know. One thing
is for certain: Neither Cruise nor Kidman will be out of the public eye
for long—or out of work. Names as big as theirs, joined or separate, represent
dollar signs for Hollywood—lots of them. And being single certainly won't
hurt either's popularity with movie-going admirers all over the world,
either.
Advanced
Notes
There's more
to any relationship's chances for endurance than just Venus—there's
also the condition of both partner's Moons, the astrological indicator
of what's behind the scenes. The Moon shows what we need to feel safe
and secure in a relationship—and it also has a lot to do with how we prefer
our home-life to be lived. In this case, on the days Cruise and Kidman
were born, the Moon changed signs, so without a birth time we can’t be
certain of the correct Moon sign for either of them.
In charts
set for noon, Kidman's Moon appears at the end of Sagittarius, while Cruise's
turns up at 1 degree of Leo. If those Moon signs are right, that would
mean they were both the proud owners of fire sign Moons, but fire sign
Moons don't ordinarily shun publicity. On the other hand, if Kidman had
been born during the late evening, her Moon would be in Capricorn—and
directly opposite to Cancer, where Cruise's Moon might be, if he'd been
born a few hours before noon.
Both Cancer
and Capricorn are intensely motivated by family structure, and they both
tend to be rather private, too. This seems to better reflect a couple
described as "intensely private" who "shut out intruders
with strict staff confidentiality agreements." Since Capricorn and
Cancer are opposite signs, however, opposite choices in nesting arrangements
may well have been at least one reason for the split if these two Moons
are indeed the correct ones.
If Kidman
was born with the Moon in Capricorn, the sign that Saturn owns, this would
be another indication of her religious preference being deeply connected
to the faith she knew from childhood.
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