Kris Allen sped ahead of the pack last night to take home the American Idol crown in a surprise upset over Adam Lambert, who had been expected to win. Allen's surprising victory echoed last year's surprise win by David Cook (profiled by me in this earlier article).
Kris has an interesting astrological chart that should blow away a few concepts. First of all, five planets are retrograde in his chart, a phenomenon that is relatively rare but which has traditionally been associated with bad luck and an inability to achieve one's goals. While it's true that retrograde planets can make it more difficult to move forward in one's life because we are always being pulled back into the past, a strong intention and focus can overcome any planetary difficulty in the birthchart.
Kris has the Sun in Cancer, the sign of family ties and caring for others, and it opposes Neptune almost exactly. Neptune/Sun aspects are often connected to an affinity for music and sometimes, depending on the rest of the chart, musical talent (David Cook has a Sun/Neptune conjunction). When Neptune and the Sun combine there is also usually a strong spiritual component in the life.
With the Sun in shy Cancer and a Neptune/Sun opposition which can make it difficult to forge a strong identity, we would not have expected Kris to be someone who seeks the limelight. His Leo Moon inspires a craving for fame and recognition, and to be celebrated for his talents, but it is squared by Saturn which inhibits him from seeking this kind of recognition. Saturn also opposes Venus, which enhances this sense of inhibition and shyness. But according to the judges, it was just that low-key sensitivity that won him the American Idol crown.
Evidently Kris only auditioned because his brother Daniel talked him into coming along with him, and Kris may never have gotten to the American Idol stage if it weren't for Pluto. Pluto is in a trine formation to the Sun in Kris's birthchart which helps to keep him on a steady path of transformation in his life despite the retrograde planets and Saturn T-square system with the Moon and Venus.
Pluto is the planet of transformation, and transits of Pluto are often feared for their intensity and power to change our lives completely. Pluto first began an opposition cycle to Kris's Sun back in January of 2008, and the second hit of the cycle occurred in June, just before the auditions in July 2008. By the time the results were announced in February of 2009, transiting Pluto was in a harmonious sextile formation to Pluto in his chart.
The harmonious Pluto cycles bring opportunity to let go of the past and begin a completely new phase of our lives. Harmonious cycles are usually pleasant but they don't normally bring about huge events like winning American Idol, but a combination of a harmonious Pluto cycle with a challenging one like the opposition of Pluto to Kris's Sun create a dynamic force of events.
The victory by the soft-spoken Christian with conservative values over the more flamboyant
and probably gay glam-rocker have raised a few eyebrows. Is this a symptom of the culture war going on as symbolized by the ongoing opposition of Saturn in the sky (conservative values) to Uranus (change and innovation)? Or is this just a question of American Idol voters preferring someone who is more like them, a really nice guy from America's heartland with simple values, to a more flamboyant artist with clearly exceptional talent but who is less approachable?
Adam Lambert has the Sun in Aquarius, and it conjuncts Mercury which is often seen as a planetary combination which signifies a desire to take on many roles including a more androgynous personality. Aquarius has an open mind and embraces that which is different and new, and where Kris has that Saturn T-square which contracts and creates a desire for conservatism, Adam has a square of Jupiter (expansion, confidence) to his Sun. He is not afraid to be who he is and to have that sense of Self be as large as possible.
Adam's chart is being torched right now by the triple conjunction of Jupiter (good fortune), Chiron (wounding and healing) and Neptune (confusion and creativity) in a harmonious aspect to both Neptune and Pluto in his natal chart. This is a significant time for him, and while he may not have won the competition I suspect that this is just the beginning for his career.
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What pleases me most about this, Lynn, is the friendship the two guys and their families have formed over the course of the competition.
they are an example to us all. Chalk and cheese, yet they can find common ground, through love and friendship.
These are two sweet guys. Adam was really too good for Idol - and too far ahead in his styling for much of the USA. He'll be a big, big star, and internationally, over the coming years.
Lynn, What do you see coming up astrologically for Adam in the next year? Just a quick scan of his transits on astro.com shows he has a trine from transiting Jupiter to his natal Pluto that starts around now and runs through the end of the year. So I'm assuming that Adam will gain in power and money through the rest of 2009, but I wondered if there was anything else that stood out to you.
Mercury Retrograde - yes, I meant Adam. I used Adam all the way through the article, and messed up the title! which I corrected. :)
I don't watch American Idol, but I'm always interested in the personalities. David Cook really fascinated me last year, what a sweet guy. These two are so different, that they really resonated with the Saturn/Uranus opposition for me.
gbs, you can't really predict money and power with Jupiter- Jupiter opens the door but we always have to walk through it. There's very little earth in Adam's chart (we don't know his time of birth which might give him an earthy ascendant, but I doubt it) except Venus in Capricorn which squares Jupiter. He has a lot of talent and won the critical acclaim, but I don't know if he has the penchant for hard work that real stardom requires. I could be wrong, and he has a lot of Jupiter juju going on this year so the doors are definitely open.
I think that the natal Mars / Saturn conjunction in Adam's chart indicates a lot of determination and staying power. He is in it for the long run. In studying horoscopes of sports champions, there is almost always a harmonious transit from Pluto to the personal planets, as has Kris right now. Thanks Lynn.
Adam Lambert from the American Idol was born in Indianapolis, IN. His family moved to San Diego, CA about a year later. He was asked this on the Regis and Kelly television show on the 27th and I taped it for reference.
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