Will Smith and Chris Rock

The course of Will Smith’s life was altered at the 94th Academy Awards, an occasion which represented both the zenith and the nadir of his life and achievements, the consequences of which are yet to unravel.  For Chris Rock, the host whom he slapped in response to a joke about his wife’s bald head, the reception has broadly been kinder, and so far seems to have raised his standing.  Responses have been varied.

Birth Chart of Will Smith

Will Smith has the Sun in peace-loving Libra, and four planets in his 4th House of Home and Family.  This emphasizes his early life, which by his own account was difficult (there is a chaotic Uranus/Pluto conjunction in that mix), his parents separating when he was 13.  His Ascendant in Gemini gives a clue to his first profession, that of a rapper.  He has an exactly conjunction of  Mercury and Venus (the “Writer Archetype”) in his 5th House of Creativity; Mercury sextile Mars also points to the quick mental reactions and expression of a rapper.  The name “Will”, title of his autobiography, is interesting, since he has the Sun on his South Node, indicating that the expression and development of his will would have been important in past lives.  Jupiter conjunct Pluto also points to the pursuit of power.

Life and Career of Will Smith

As mentioned, Will Smith started his career as a rapper, in a hip hop duo with DJ Jazzy Jeff.  In 1990, and for six years thereafter, he wrote and starred in the huge hit autobiographical comedy show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.  He starred as a street wise teenager who moves into the Bel-Air mansion of his aunt and uncle, after a childhood in West Philadelphia where he was bullied at school.  The transit for this new stage of his life was Uranus squaring his Nodal Axis.

The film Men in Black of 1997, based on the story of two secret agents who supervise extraterrrestrials who live on earth, earned him an award for the title song.  He subsequently earned his first nomination for Best Actor in the Academy Awards for his portrayal of Muhammad Ali in the film Ali (2001), though the award itself eluded him until last week.  In her excellent new book “Mirror Mirror The Astrology of Famous People and the Actors who Portrayed Them“, Astrologer Alex Trenoweth writes:

“Within a two degree orb, Will Smith’s MC in Aquarius is conjunct Ali’s Moon and Mercury.  It’s almost like Ali was whispering in his ear for this career-changing role.”

In 2006 he received a second nomination, for a film in which his co-star was his own son Jaden, “The Pursuit of Happyness”.  Fast forward to 2022, and he won an Oscar for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father and coach for his tennis champion daughters Venus and Serena, in the film “King Richard”.  His connection with Richard Williams’ chart is Williams’ Neptune conjunct Smith Uranus, so the role will have stretched his sensitivity.  In his acceptance speech for Best Actor, he began “Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family”, in explanation, though not excuse or apology for his actions.

The transits for the event show up Saturn square his natal Moon (unhappy regarding the woman in his life), Pluto square his natal Mercury (a destructive decision), Jupiter opposite his Jupiter (a step too far, but at the same time representing a high), the South Node on his Neptune (karmic confusion) and Neptune opposite his Pluto (deep psychological confusion). Since last Sunday, Will Smith has resigned from the Academy, and acknowledged that he may face further sanctions.  As a pacifist, I could not condone his slapping (and can see that his removal would have been justified), but feel that the consequences are harsh, as will probably be the future repercussions.  It has been suggested by some that the explosion is due to unresolved trauma around his childhood.

Birth Chart of Chris Rock

This was the third hosting of the Academy Awards by Chris Rock, obviously chosen for his edgy comedy style.  As it turns out, on this occasion, he took  a step over the edge.  His style has been compared to that of another chosen host, Ricky Gervais, and their wikipedia entries both list “insult comedy” under their genres – who knew that was even a thing? With the Sun in Aquarius closely square Jupiter, there is a tendency for everything to be sacrificed for the joke.  The Sun is in a tight T-square with an opposition between Jupiter and Neptune in his chart, which can be confused about moral issues.  His path as a performer is clear from his chart: the Sun from his 10th House of career is exactly sextile the Ascendant, and closely trine his North Node, introducing a karmic element into his performance related karmic mission.  Like, Will, he has Mercury conjunct Venus, but not exact.  He has the Entrepreneur Archetype, in the shape of Jupiter trine Uranus, and a fair deal of luck as Jupiter also closely trines his Pluto (a love of power), trines his Midheaven (lucky breaks in career) and sextiles his Chiron (helpful for healing).  Saturn unaspected in his chart can mean having no filter.  He too, like Will, has the anarchic conjunction of Uranus and Pluto, but in closer orb. It appears in his 5th House, so is a feature of his creativity.  Uranus also closely trines his Midheaven – indicating sudden successes in career, e.g. the way he “took” the incident has benefited him, selling out his comedy tour.  His Ascendant is exactly sextile the North Node on his 3rd House cusp, giving a karmic flavour to his communications.

Life and Career of Chris Rock

Chris Rock is a stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and has also worked behind the camera: multi-talented, like Will.  His perpetual wide-eyed startled look was enhanced after the slapping (which he says he is still “processing”), and he also has a perpetual startled voice (which too was heightened by the slapping).  He first hosted the Academy Awards in 2005., and in his second hosting in 2016, he spoke about the lack of diversity in the awards.  Writing in the Los Angeles Times, he was praised by critic Mary McNamara:

“Rock’s Oscars had some of the most powerful moments seen in the telecast’s history. His decision to honestly answer the question ‘Is Hollywood racist?’ was brave and effective,”

He also made a jibe on that occasion about the Smiths (Will and his wife Jada) and their hints at an open marriage.  This may have rankled with Will Smith, and been festering in his subconscious mind.  So they had form.  Which makes it surprising that it is claimed Chris Rock did not know that Jada’s shaved appearance was connected with this health issue, which she had broadcast, and talked about on her chat show.  Even so, it was a tasteless and cruel remark.  If he did not know about it, it seems strange that he did not know that females can be very self-conscious about their hair, or lack of it.

As a child, he had to be bussed to his school in a white neighbourhood, and like Will Smith was bullied.  He had to leave school early, because of this.  He began working as a stand up comedian in 1984.  His career credits include Saturday Night Live, the Steve Martin comedy film Sgt Bilko, and a 2012 comedy film with Cameron Diaz What to Expect when You’re Expecting.  He was married in 1996, has two children, and divorced in 2016.

In 2018, he was diagnosed with a non-verbal learning disorder, which is neurological, and makes understanding non-verbal social cues difficult.  Could this be a factor in his lack of tact towards Jada Pinkett Smith?  He does, curiously, have a chunk or square of central connections missing in his aspect grid, which may be connected to this issue (a point to be borne in mind when further researching non-verbal learning disorders, astrologically).

But, when slapped, he behaved afterwards with dignity, and has won admiration for that.  He has declined an invitation to press charges.  His transits last Sunday show Mars square his Jupiter (a slap for a joke), Jupiter trine his Neptune (emerging with dignity), Jupiter squaring his Nodal Axis (a joke too far), Uranus trine his Midheaven (may be a turning point in his career), and Pluto trine his Mars (violence).

Jada Pinkett Smith

Will Smith’s wife, the butt of the joke last Sunday, has her own chat show, entitled Red Table Talk.  This is exactly portrayed in her chart as Mars (Red) exactly conjunct the North Node (her karmic mission) in Aquarius in her 3rd House of Chat Shows.  She has talked about her alopecia and alluded to a possible “open marriage” on the show, but the show is a vehicle for self-healing, as Mars/North Node is exactly sextile her natal Chiron (her Inner Healer) in Aries in her 5th House of Creativity.  Over the last year, she has been experiencing her Chiron Return.  She describes her and her husband as “private people”, and they each have four planets in Virgo, the sign of privacy (she was wearing the Virgo colour, green, on the night!).  Her element balance shows no planets in Water (not especially emotional), and 7 planets are in her Quadruplicity balance, indicating great adaptability.  She has Jupiter exactly conjunct Neptune in her birth chart, so will be very much in tune with what we all have in store for us when they are conjunct on 12th April.  Maybe she will make a statement at that time.  The Oscars will have been a painful situation for her, although some claim that it has given more publicity to the condition of alopecia. Having married in 1997, her marriage to Will Smith has proved enduring, and they have two children together.  Jada and Will have some good connections, including three positive aspects from his Chiron to her planets, which would make him protective.  The transits last week for Jada included Uranus square her Mars (an explosive episode involving the man in her life) and Chiron opposite her Uranus (an unpredictable healing crisis).

One of the regrets is that the mood of the Oscars could have been very different this year, for example highlighting the win for the film “CODA” about the deaf community, which won Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor Awards (the latter for Troy Kostur), whose stars are on the rise.

“There but for the grace of God go any of us” ~ Denzel Washington

Aspects

On Tuesday (5th) Mars will be conjunct Saturn at 22 degrees Aquarius, which may be difficult for some.  If you already have a Mars/Saturn connection in your natal chart, you may be more used to working with it.  There may be blocks to practical action under this conjunction, but action can be deliberate, slow and sure (and even thorough).  Some elements of society may act harshly under this influence.  Under this conjunction, obstacles can rear their head(s), and one way to work with this might be to connect with the Hindu elephant-headed god Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles.  A mantra which can be used for Ganesha is: “Om, gam, Ganapataye, Namaha!”

On the same day, Venus enters Pisces in the afternoon, bringing in a greater component of compassion.  You may have been looking at things in a mental or practical way, and may be able to relax a little and allow the heart greater expression.  The trend towards tenderness lasts until her entry into Aries on 2nd May.  Charities can be honoured and prioritized, and the Arts can be especially inspired during this period.

The Nodal Axis also squares Mars on that day, so there may be group battles and skirmishes.  Prepare preparing your lines of action.  Karma may dictate that you cannot sit and lounge around, you’ll be prompted to action, whether willingly or unwillingly!

On Thursday (7th) Mercury sextiles Saturn, which is practical, studious, and ideal for planning.   This favours exacting mental work and documentation.

In contrast, Mercury sextiles Mars on Friday (8th) leading to brisker action.  Note that Will Smith’s natal sextile of Mercury with Mars “points to the quick mental reactions and expression of a rapper”.  So your mental reactions may be heightened, but rapping would be a better mode of expression than slapping.

The week in bullet points:

  • Tuesday – obstacles; compassion; skirmishes
  • Thursday – exacting mental work favoured
  • Friday – brisk action
Date: Apr 3rd, 2022 · Comments RSS · Tags: Book Review · Celebrities · Film