Talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres,  who was also a judge this past season on “American Idol,” surprisingly resigned from her duties on “Idol” last week, citing, among other things, that it was hard for her to judge people and “sometimes hurt their feelings.” She also said that her work schedule “became more than I bargained for.”

A quick look at Ellen’s natal horoscope (born 1/26/58) shows that she is a freedom-loving Aquarian with a restless, trailblazing Aries Moon, with the Moon governing her emotional nature. She also has her Aquarian Sun, denoting her ego and basic sense of self, in a close conjunction with peacekeeper Venus, the love principle.  This Sun-Venus aspect gives her a real flair and strong need for diplomacy, as well wanting to connect with others in a friendly, yet more impersonal, detached way, characteristic of airy Aquarius.

This same appeasing Sun-Venus aspect, however, is also likely the very thing that made her feel “out of sorts” as a judge on “Idol,” as in that role she had no choice but to deliver honest assessments to candidates, which in some cases, meant possibly hurting contestants’ feelings by having to tell them that they were not as talented enough as they needed to be for the big time.

Now, for someone like Simon Cowell, who I personally love dearly, who has his loving Venus deposited in more critical Virgo, and also exactly conjunct “toxic Pluto,” the planet of death and destruction (also rebirth and regeneration), it’s much more natural and effortless for him to unabashedly “pick apart” candidates and shred them to pieces.

I believe he also feels that when he is doing so, that he is being of “real service,” because I think he feels he is only being honest with contestants and just “telling it like it is,” so they will not continue to delude themselves into thinking they have talent, when in fact they don’t.

Of course, Simon is only human, and not infallible, but most of the time he does seem to be spot on with his assessments.  Venus Pluto is very perceptive, especially when it comes to sizing up musical talent, which is also ruled by Venus. Pluto confers “X-ray” vision into things.

Ellen, meanwhile, while she prefers to “preserve the peace,” simultaneously she is not beyond engaging in some measure of controversy at times. Especially when it comes to seeing others receive “fair and equitable treatment,” as her Sun-Venus aspect is opposed by innovative, change-agent Uranus, the planetary ruler of Aquarius, which governs equality issues, as well as such impulses as originality and taking radical, individualistic stands.  Especially when such stands are needed to empower the disadvantaged or downtrodden. Aquarius is intrinsically humanistic in outlook and generally concerned with issues “outside of self” that pertain to the collective.

Uranus can be “quirky acting,” however, and is also likely the main catalyst that fuels Ellen’s more wacky, creative, electrifying sense of humor.  Uranus is associated with “genius,” and in this astrologer’s eyes, I definitely would rank Ellen as a “comedic genius,” although her math scores may be less than desirable and her aptitude for physics, lacking.

All kidding aside, Ellen probably would have also made a good teacher, as she has an outgoing, upbeat, scholarly Sagittarius Rising, a sign that rules higher education, with both energizer Mars and disciplined Saturn conjoined her Rising sign. One’s Rising sign, or Ascendant, governs one’s outward personality and also shows how others tend to see us.

(Important Note: This Sagittarius rising is also assuming that Ellen was born around 3:30 am which was the time that was listed on Astro.com, but it is a birth time that has not been verified, although it certainly seems to fit her, especially with her just quitting “Idol.”)

Also, with Mars and Saturn on her Rising, she is very determined and very ambitious for herself and definitely not a quitter when it comes to going after what she wants.  She can be “very competitive,” but also in a nice, “Sun-Venus” way.

From the looks of Ellen’s horoscope, too, I think a big part of the original appeal and lure for Ellen about “American Idol,” was the perceived opportunity, on her part, to personally be able to help inspire the contestants, in an idealistic, Sagittarian way, so as to hopefully goad them on to reach their loftiest potentials.

Ruled by expansive Jupiter, Sagittarius Rising perennially wants to “impart knowledge” and “help facilitate growth,” including even giving a tendency towards “evangelizing.” I can even see Ellen standing behind a pulpit on TV someday, can’t you?  Perhaps imparting some non-traditional type of gospel message.

Plus, if you’re on Twitter, you already know how driven Ellen  is in wanting to keep getting more and more “disciples” to follow her on Twitter. Anyway, I believe that Ellen probably feels most fulfilled when she is able to help others “move forward,” in addition to obviously wanting to entertain people as a comedian and talk show host.

Ellen’s Sun-Venus conjunction, too, is highly creative, both artistically and musically, and no doubt it has helped to make her a very gifted performer and artist. Venus, and its higher octave Neptune, rules music, art, as well as general aesthetic sensibilities. She also loves dancing and Sun-Venus can give an ability in that department, too.

According to reports, Ellen actually told Fox and “Idol” producers a couple months ago that the show was “not the right fit for her.” She also supposedly told them then that she was going to hold off doing anything, until they decided on a direction for the panel. Late last week there was also word that Kara DioGuardi has been fired from the show, with the additional rumor widely circulating that Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler would be joining Randy Jackson and that the show was returning to a three-judge panel.

Reviewing Ellen’s horoscope with respect to the planetary “transits” (what’s occurring now in her chart), we see that on July 25th is when things really began “heating up” for her most recently, astrologically.  That is when the Full Moon in Aquarius fell smack on her Sun in her money house, an aspect often denoting a “change in status and income,” as well as generating a “full awareness” of one’s life situation and perhaps what to do about it. Full Moons “illuminate” our consciousness.  They also signify endings.

Also on that very same day, assertive, warrior Mars conjoined and moved into her tenth house of career, a major, short-term influence that often correlates with sudden “job changes,” as Mars is the planet of action and moves matters and events forward aggressively and often very swiftly. Mars stays into Ellen’s career house till mid-September, making some harmonious career aspects to both her Sun and Venus this month, especially around August 6th through the 9th and again the 12th through the 15th. It should be good and energizing for new beginnings, new strategies.

Additionally, Ellen has had major, major long-term Saturn and Uranus aspects affecting her Virgo career house strongly for the past year, really ever since she first got involved with “Idol.”  When Ellen first signed on to be a judge on the show, she had Saturn, often billed as “The Taskmaster,” sitting smack on her tenth house career cusp.  It was also separating from more challenging aspects to her natal Mars and Saturn, both in her first house of new beginnings.

Saturn  has basically not strayed far from that position at the top of her chart for the past last year, due to its prolonged retrograde (backward) motion, which finally came to an end at the end of May, when Saturn finally stationed direct, which was ironically the same exact time the last “Idol season” ended.

That would have also been around the time, too, that she alerted the “Idol” producers and Fox to the fact that the show was not the right fit for her. Saturn probably made her internally aware of that fact. Like the Full Moon, Saturn is also symbolically associated with endings.

While Saturn will stay for another two years in the career sector of her horoscope, it’s affect during this time period may not seem as psychologically “onerous” or “heavy” to her, as it probably did to her this past year, when it was steadily within a close range of conjuncting her tenth house cusp, which has the similar affect of a doorbell ringing non-stop, driving you batty.

Planetary energies often have their greatest impact when they are exactly on the house cusps, which is like being positioned on the front porch entrance of a house. Then you also usually feel the planetary energies again later when they meet up with other planets inside the houses, or throw aspects to planets in other houses.

Saturn, which represents duties and achievement, is often associated with an increase in “heavy responsibilities,” especially when aligned with the tenth house. At the same time, Saturn transiting here is also often correlated with important career accomplishments and finally being rewarded and recognized for one’s past efforts, which is why Ellen was likely signaled out and approached for the show in the first place.

Also, I wanted to backtrack again, for a minute, to when Ellen was originally recruited for “Idol.” She not only had the demanding Saturn influence prominent at the top of her horoscope then, she also had unpredictable Uranus simultaneously at the bottom of her chart, in opposition to her career house, and also squaring her Mars and Saturn in her first house of new beginnings (again assuming the 3:30 am birth time here.)

That volatile Uranus influence was sort of the equivalent of being thrown a “career curve ball,” as Uranus can bring in sudden, disruptive changes out of the blue, changes which may seem really exciting and liberating at the time, but later they can make you feel disoriented and pressured when you realize that you maybe reacted too hastily in making new moves.  Then add heavy Saturn to the mix and you’re needing serious liquor to get through the days and nights.

Ellen is not really out of the reach of Uranus yet, either, in terms of its more erratic influence on her career, as this planet will be very prominent in opposition to her career house starting again in September and pretty much continuing all the way through early spring of 2011. Uranus during that period is retrograding back into the sign of Pisces, going back to 26 degrees of Pisces, and Ellen’s career house cusp is 27 Virgo, so it will be exactly opposing it.

During this same span, too, Ellen also has some very harmonious, stabilizing Saturn aspects involving her career the first three weeks of September and then also roughly mid-October.

It could be, too, however, that Uranus will be affecting her through early spring on more of a psychological level, this time, versus on an outer level. She may be internally feeling the need to yet do something different again with her life.  Uranus again governing change. She may even also want to move or make changes in her surroundings, as Uranus is in the area of her chart dealing with home and family issues.

Also, then when Uranus re-enters Aries and begins expansively trining her Sun late April and all May of 2011, magical things could really begin opening up for her, as she begins to embark on even more exciting new chapters in her life, minus the more frictional sorts of energies that have been stalking her as of late. So she should be feeling pretty good and her financial aspects are very positive then.

Too, astrology is only a road map, and essentially only shows archetypal energy patterns.  What we decide to do with them, is strictly up to us. Some people screw up perfectly good aspects, just because they can.  Others thrive when the stars are the dimmest.

Patrice Thompson

copyright 2010

Source Notes:

Ellen news: http://news.celebritywonder.com/2010/07/30/Ellen_DeGeneres_Quits___American_Idol__.html

doorbell: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/738202

pulpit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/459937

ellen degeneres photo: http://www.blingcheese.com/graphics/1/ellen+degeneres.htm

Butterfly picture: http://www.weforanimals.com/wallpapers/butterflies/page-1/butterflies-1.htm

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