The Depp – Heard defamation trial exposed our collective shadow

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s Defamation trial saturated our online landscape like water damage for 6 weeks. The propaganda calvary charged forth from within the internet, rounded up the free-floating incels and kicked up some misogynystic dust. If you managed to miss this one, well done! If you took a side without watching the trial, that was the intent.

When it comes to artificial intelligence these days, I’m like a pigeon sleeping with one eye open. As this trial infiltrated everyone’s consciousness, whether interested in it or not, we blatantly saw technology’s role in shaping reality. The power of suggestion was harnessed with a firm grip as thousandsssssss of dollars were spent on smear campaigns. The message spread with viral abandon through the inextricable connections between technology, propaganda and gender based violence. The response to this trial took mental health awareness back 300 years & likely silenced more abuse victims than it helped.

The incessant media coverage felt like an assault in itself. It made me question, “Why?” Why was there such pressure for us to engage and form an opinion? Why such emphasis and intense distraction? From what? Coming off the back of the pandemic and a very recent Jupiter-Neptune conjunction we were sitting ducks for a wave like this to sweep us out to the far reaches of the bottomless click-bait sea.

I tuned in to a lot of this trial. As I watched live, I had the two trial charts open, observing what was being activated when different witnesses and experts gave testimony, what mood changes the Moon brought, and bounced back and forth in time to understand the astrology of the events being discussed.

This article is an astrological analysis of the multiple charts representing Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s 2022 Defamation trial, and how they reflect our malleability to artificial intelligence, how myths and archetypes continue to manifest through time, and who all the players were. It’s by no means exhaustive, and with 6 weeks of evidence and testimony, plus everything that has come about since it ended, there is a lot to unpack. As a heads up, there are direct quotes from the trial and their relationship, so there are references to sexual violence throughout.

The first half is “user friendly” for astrologers and non-astrologers alike. The second half gets more astro-techy, looking at the details of each chart. Use the quick links below for quick navigation and the arrow at the side of the page.

To be clear, I don’t favour either of these people as individuals. I’m not a Johnny Depp fan, and I’ve never seen Amber Heard in a movie. However, if you’re looking for the #justiceforjohnny narrative, you won’t find it here. I’m more interested in uncovering how misogyny hides in plain sight, and how the power imbalance in their relationship bled into our unknowing consent of technology reinforcing gender based violence. Running concurrently, I’m curious how it is all reflected astrologically.

Before reading on, let’s do a simple exercise together.

Imagine a farmer growing crops on a farm. Working long hours in the scorching Sun, sweat beading from under a hat.

That’s it! Keep this image in your mind’s eye as you read on, and take note for later reference.

LINKS

TL;DR? Here are some quick links:

BACKGROUND
ASTRO ANALYSIS: Defamation Filing chart / Court chart
NEPTUNE: The Dream is Over /Silver screen / Influencers / 4th dimension
JOHNNY DEPP: Betty Sue / I married my mother / Double Depping
MR DEATH: Johnny Depp’s 2nd Saturn Return
AMBER HEARD: Seen but not heard / Under the Underworld / Defence is not abuse
AI & GENDER BASED VIOLENCE: If you can’t see it, is it real? / TFGBV
VENUS & ALGOL: Rejection projection / The myth of Medusa and Perseus
*THE MONSTER: The East Columbia building incident / Modern day witch hunt
THE GLOW OF REGULUS: Celebrity is America’s Royalty
THE LEGAL TEAMS: Depps legal team / Heard’s legal team
*MONEY TALKS
CLOSING STATEMENTS: The Verdict / Old MacDonald

BACKGROUND

In 2020, while most of us were navigating our way through the pandemic, Depp lost a Libel case in a UK court, filed against English publication, the Sun, claiming he was a “wife beater”.

The judge ruled that the article was “substantially true,” citing 12 acts of domestic violence, of which some were sexual assault, making it still legal to refer to Depp as a wife beater across the pond.

Prior to that in the land of the free, the Washington Post published an op-ed in December 2018, penned by his ex-wife Amber Heard, titled “I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”

This op-ed was the focal piece in the 2022 trial. With substantially less evidence permitted into the US court, everything hinged on the jury deciding if Depp actually was defamed, even though he wasn’t named in the piece. Heard counter sued, and in the end both parties were found guilty.

What has been proven true throughout this trial is that Heard was right. It doesn’t matter what the truth is, she continues to face the culture’s wrath.

ASTRO ANALYSIS

While there are multiple charts we can look at in this trial, I will be focussing on two main charts: The Defamation Filing chart; the moment Depp filed defamation against Heard in 2019, and the Court chart; marking the moment court was in session at 10:00am, April 12th, 2022. Opening statements began at 10.04am.

For me, the root chart of this trial is the Defamation Filing chart. Not only does it strongly align with Depp’s Natal chart, it was confirmed to be radical (the root chart) when the verdict was delivered. As the case came to conclusion, the Moon was at 6 degrees Cancer, approaching the MC at 7 degrees Cancer. This was tightly conjunct the 7 degree Cancer Ascendant of the Defamation Filing chart, confirming radically. Furthermore, the chart of Heard’s counter-claim also highlights this 6 degree Cancer point, again confirming the importance of this chart.

The Court chart is no less valid. In fact it adds confirmation of the various themes that present across both charts, and tells us a lot about the mood of the case as it unfolded and the people involved. Both charts are credible, but like having a birth chart, there is only one true beginning.

NEPTUNE

The Dream is Over

The moment Depp filed the Defamation Suit against Heard, Neptune was high in the sky. Planets overhanging the chart speak to what will be brought to light, illuminated, influencing the outcome in legal proceedings. “It is considered to be the crown of the chart and a planet placed upon the mid-heaven will powerfully influence any matter.” (Houlding. p15)

What this illuminated though, extended far beyond Depp and Heard’s relationship. Neptune here meant that this trial became bigger than these two people, extending influence to encompass the collective consciousness via technology and the power of suggestion, propaganda and marketing. Neptune took the reins of the smear campaign beyond our reach into the realm of the boundless and uncontrollable.

Neptune represents the unseen; things we can’t grasp that have impact on us. Think music, prayer, meditation, and the power of influence. At its best, Neptune’s effect is highly intuitive, deeply compassionate, acting as a channel for Spirit, or inspiration. Afflicted, it blurs boundaries, knows no end, erases logic and common sense, replacing it with fantasy, deception and unrealistic projection.

It’s a big energy.

To understand Neptune in this context is to include the whole facade that is fame, media and marketing, mixed with trauma, addiction and the invisible impacts of sustained psychological and physical abuse.

Like most things Neptune touches, there is little definitive clarity. Hovering so high over this chart it suggests there may have been an active intent to manipulate the truth, or this trial set the stage for just that. In this case, both appear to be true.

The Silver Screen reflected in the black mirror

Projected as trouble free, fame is the thing we’re constantly told to aspire toward. Noble characteristics are something that can be manufactured. Filters erase imperfections. Your online presence and ‘going viral’ is held in higher regard than how you treat people moment to moment.

This live broadcast trial blurred many lines. Depp and Heard are both trained actors, and often their testimonies were clearly scripted, and painfully delivered. The line between actor and real person, tv and real life merged, and throughout there was a constant reinforcement of the loss of reality to the overwhelming insistence of technology in everyday life.

Throngs of Depp fans gathering outside the court room daily was reminiscent of Michael Jackson jumping up onto the roof of his car in 2004 after winning his case against child molestation charges, in which his victims have since come forward saying they lied under oath to protect him.

Why are we even able to watch any of this?

Influencers

This trial has taken place in an era when being an ‘influencer’ is a valid job. The term itself suggests we are moving into a time where we are not only not required, but subversively encouraged, to not think for ourselves.

What we want and need is suggested to us by algorithms. Astrology apps send us notifications telling us how our day is going before we’ve even experienced it, leaving us doubting our own creative faculties, and void of the process of discernment and choice, and the unique path of self actualisation. Who knows what life will be like should Yuval Harari have his way. As he says, “the most important thing to know about the future is that humans will soon be hack-able animals.”

In this Hollywood-style-courtroom-drama trial, the truth became irrelevant against the backdrop of influencers and public opinion. The MeToo movement was intentionally misrepresented, while far-right men’s groups spent thousands of dollars pedalling the very claims Heard won against; that her abuse claims were a hoax. Due to this propaganda, the internet was (and still is) awash with anti-Amber sentiment and “the audience” lapped it up and reposted without question.

As hard as it may be to push back on the social media curated narrative, you could be excused for believing Heard’s claims were a hoax and that she was equally abusive without knowing anything about the trial, or her experience. That was the intention.

Knowing that we have been intentionally manipulated, how can one be sure their opinion truly is their own when there was proven intent to sway public opinion, and smear Heard’s claims? How can we know just how far this extends with other issues? It brings into question, who’s checking, or paying, the fact checkers, and who’s writing your algorithm?

With Mercury accompanying Neptune high in the sky in slippery fish Pisces (Mercury in Detriment and Fall, angluar, 10th house), this trial set a new precedence for influencers who peddled the storyline that got the most clicks. In a haze of pandemic fatigue, it reinforced our readiness to discredit anyone we disagree with, and expanded the definition of “expert opinion.” More broadly this trial illuminated our relationship with the boundless scape of technology and how we have been continually consenting to it shaping our world.

Technology is the 4th dimension.

Everything exists now online. Line after line of text messages and emails read aloud throughout the trial was a significant pin drop in our tech trajectory. What you wrote, said, felt, shared 10+ years ago is all here, now, and can be rehashed and used against you, whether you remember the incident or not. Forget end to end encryption. If you’re not deleting everything at all ends, it can be subpoenaed and used. We were explicitly told that what we think is private, is in fact not.

We’re slowly being reduced down into digitised versions of ourselves. The tone free nature of text removes the complexity of the human experience, and fails to acknowledge the different phases in the cycle of violence. Human qualities such as memory and emotion are bench marked against streamlined technologies that can spit out data about how many atoms there are in the Universe in seconds.

When we use social media platforms we don’t know who is on the other end. It could be a bot, a 15 year old or a 50 year old. If we were standing face to face, each of these recipients would require a calibration in how we respond. A robot is not human, and the way you talk with a 50 year old is very different to how you relate with a 15 year old. Today’s use of technology is forcing a homogenised version of humanity onto us.

We have unknowingly been consenting to a permanent record, handing over our agency and right to privacy as tech bleeds into every facet of life. This trial blatantly harnessed the power of suggestion and was a warning bell in the guise of entertainment.

If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it…

When Heard took the stand for the first time on May 4th, 2022, she detailed the early days of her relationship with Depp. While it was the same boundary-crossing (Neptune) story Depp had told about a shower scene where he pulled her in for a kiss and “it didn’t feel like work any more,” their details differed.

They met in 2008 when Heard was 22. Depp, 45. He was one of the most powerful and financially lucrative men in Hollywood. His presence in a film guaranteed cash flow in multiple directions. She auditioned for his movie, the Rum Diaries (a film based on a novel by Depp’s late friend Hunter S Thompson), and he chose her for the part of the “dream woman.” From the get go, there was no way Heard could live up to this idealised projection.

When Heard got the part, her agent informed her that Depp would call. He had her number, she didn’t have his. When he called, he confirmed the dimensions of their power dynamic saying, “You’re it, kid.” At the time, Depp was still in a 14 year relationship with Vanessa Paradis, with whom he shares two children, Jack and Lily-Rose.

It wasn’t until 2011 that they started dating regularly however, or, as regularly as Depp would allow. It was Depp who decided to keep their romance hidden from public view, to avoid press scrutiny and maintain a pattern of hiding and concealment.

He would stay for 3 days, then disappear. She didn’t know where he was, how long he would be gone, with no way to contact him. No one on his security team would give her an inch. He was completely protected. She described their relationship as “a bubble.” A characteristic early sign of Neptunian dysfunction, or at its worst abuse, where power lies with whomever has control.

Heard had no control. In fact, she didn’t even know what Depp was up to when he disappeared. She later learnt he was an addict, on a bender, reappearing sober and “drinking a LOT of tea.”

His addictions, rage-full outbursts and his “Monster” where not things she was warned about, nor consented to. They were not things he was transparent about or held accountability for. He simply disappeared.

On the day the couple married, Venus was conjunct Neptune in Pisces (and Mars conjunct Chiron), a signature of idealised, romantic love. This significant Neptune influence highlights excessive drug use, the boundless nature of fame and how behind closed doors that deception was the breeding ground for violence, abuse and unchecked narcissism.

It also gives some further context as to why Neptune features so strongly in the trial charts, and some perspective to this strange sorry-not-sorry apology video released by the couple in 2015 when they illegally smuggled their dogs into Australia.

“If you didn’t take pictures, it didn’t happen. If you did take pictures, they’re fake. If you didn’t tell your friends, you’re lying. If you did tell your friends, they’re part of the hoax. If you didn’t ’t seek medical treatment, you weren’t injured. If you did seek medical treatment, you’re crazy. If you do everything that you can to help your spouse, the person that you love, rid himself of the crushing drug and alcohol abuse that spins him into an abuse, rage-filled monster, you’re a nag. And if you finally decide that enough is enough; you’ve had enough of the fear, enough of the pain, and you have to leave to save yourself, you’re a gold digger.

That is the message that Mr Depp is asking you to send. But he doesn’t stop there because in Mr. Depp’s world, you don’t leave Mr. Depp. And if you do, he will start a global campaign of humiliation against you. A smear campaign that lasts ’til this very day. He will do everything he can to destroy your life, to destroy your career. That is what they’re saying, and that’s what they’re trying to get you, the jury, to be an accomplice to. But it’s not surprising because Mr. Depp cannot and will not take responsibility for this own actions. It’s always someone else’s fault.”

~ Closing arguments by J Benjamin Rottenborn, Amber Heard’s attorney

JOHNNY DEPP

Betty Sue

Throughout the trial, misogyny fuelled the cultural narrative like a well oiled machine. Depp was praised for his stoicism in a society that labels calm men as strong and reliable, and emotional women as crazy. This calm exterior, however, is more likely a tight control of emotion than any testimony of innocence.

Natally, Depp’s Sun is in Gemini, ruled by Mercury in Taurus. This is like an old, classic car. It’s large and slow, so there are no swift movements. It’s a classic. It has endured the test of time, and likely increased in value with age. It’s not a Ferrari. It’s a long, slow, Sunday drive. This is Depp by day.

By night however, he is a different story. The light of the night, the Moon, was in Capricorn, a characteristically emotionally cold and difficult placement. (Moon 13 degrees Capricorn, applying to South Node, 6th house).

Selene appears in the night sky by the light reflected on her by the Sun. Moon beams are not a direct emission, but more like an illusion. In this way, the Moon’s nature and placement at birth affects our internal sense of being, our “existence.”…The Moon urges us onwards to nest, acquire assets, protect our city, find connection and care for the masses.

Vetius Valens, 2nd Century astrologer

Astrologically, the Moon tells us about nurturance and nourishment. It is a significant placement in the chart underscoring our primal need for safety. The Moon in Capricorn is said to be exiled; in the sign opposite its domicile. Far from home, it is operating with less access to resources. (George. p170). Care in the formative years can be tainted with the stern hand of austerity, or worse, cruelty.

I married my mother

It’s not uncommon for people with this placement to be born into family situations where the parents are tired, or working, somehow unable to offer the child the care and attention they need to thrive.

Depending on other placements in the chart, this can translate into messages about self preservation and unworthiness, not being loved and supported, manifesting in behaviour as callous defence: I’ll protect myself by withdrawing so you can’t reach me, then blame you for not caring about me in the ways I need. These repetitious cycles of pain and blame evoke the initial primal wounding, making it that much harder to foster trust in relationship.

Depp stated in his testimony that his childhood was harsh. His mother, Betty Sue, was an addict and his father walked out the front door one day never to return. In his testimony he claimed that in marrying Heard he had married his mother, suggesting he was projecting more than the perfect woman narrative onto Heard, but also looking for his lost mother in his wife.

The Moon in Depp’s chart rules the 12th house of addictions, loss and secrets. A difficult Moon ruling a difficult house is not an easy road, giving way to the potential for a repetition of inherited trauma, addiction, paranoia and emotional inconsistency without dedicated attention. As his friend of 40 years testified, this trial was “about his deeper rooted issues, it had nothing to do with Amber.“

Double Depping in the Defamation Filing chart

Interestingly, this Capricorn Moon signature appears in the Defamation Filing chart, too. A sign of confirmation that the chart is aligned with Depp, and accurate.

Cancer ascending, the exiled Moon is in the 7th house. In a legal or combat chart, the 7th house is the opposition, the defendant, or who you are filing against. Depp has maintained that he moved forward with this trial to defend his reputation. If this was the case we would expect to see his significator in the 10th house of reputation, visibility and career.

Instead, the Moon (Depp’s significator) is in Heard’s house (7th house), approaching Heard (Saturn) at an uncomfortable closeness (both Moon and Saturn at 17 degrees Capricorn). So close he’s aggressively pursuing and hunting her with Capricorn Moon ill intent. This is clearly not about his reputation, but about Heard. Depp was fulfilling his promise of global humiliation.

“If the Lord of the question or the Moon be in the sign opposite to his own house… the querent has no good hopes of his demands, he despairs, nor does he delight in it, nor does her care whether it be performed or not.”

William Lilly, Christian Astrology. Ch 48.32. p301.

Depp’s significator being in Heard’s house (transferring light from Neptune to Saturn) is bringing her down with his Capricorn Moon story of un-dealt-with early childhood trauma, loss and addiction by association. Receiving the Moon, Heard is being painted, and tainted, with his brush. While she has her own story of abuse and childhood trauma, this relationship clearly did nothing for either of them to heal or move through any of that together.

As much as Depp has held sway over public opinion, this chart shows Heard strong in her own house and sign (Saturn in Capricorn, direct, 7th house. Partile sextile MC). However, this chart also suggests Heard will be financially ruined by this case (South Node conjunct 8th cusp with Pluto, Saturn’s next aspect conjunct Pluto), but both will have to pay damages to each other (Depp’s significator of money applying to Heard’s significator, Saturn, followed by Pluto).

“The Lord of the Ascendant or the Moon with the Head or Tail of the Dragon, brings damage to the question propounded”

William Lilly, Christian Astrology. Ch 48.29. p301

The Moon wants something from Saturn ie; Depp wanted $50 million from Heard, but the Moon doesn’t like being in Capricorn (Capricorn is the Moon’s detriment), so it may be like trying to get blood out of a stone, or he will get significantly less than asked for. Both parties make aspect with the MC, suggesting both parties have access to a win of sorts.

To add some ‘watch this space’ flavour, Mercury was four days shy of stationing retrograde when Depp initially filed his suit. With Mercury presiding over ‘the end of the matter’ (Mercury ruling IC), and Mercury also being retrograde when the verdict was delivered on June 1st, 2022, this all suggests the trial will no doubt be back tracked over. In recent news, Heard filed a counter-claim on June 8th, 2022, which was swiftly rejected by Judge Azcarate on July 13th.

The Defamation Filing chart suggests a painful situation. Either way, nobody wins. Both will be destroyed to some capacity by this trial and the airing of the finer details of their relationship.

Their relationship didn’t need to be a disaster, though. Ultimately, this trial is a massive billboard on Sunset Boulevard advertising what happens when childhood trauma is not dealt with and brought into intimate relationships, and mixed with an endless supply of elicit drugs, fame, and yes people.

MR DEATH

Johnny Depp’s 2nd Saturn Return

While sitting in the court room, Depp’s second Saturn Return perfected.

The notoriously difficult transit of Saturn returning to the place it was when one was born occurs when we are 28-30yrs, initiating us into adulthood, and again at 58-60, marking the transition into Elderhood.

Saturn’s physicality correlates to its astrological symbolism. Surrounded by rings, it delivers restraint, containment, limitation and binding. Being the furthest planet visible to the naked eye, Saturn represents the boundary line of our known world, and is the traditional significator of death and endings.

“A prominent Saturn placement can affect the quality of logical analysis. Its beams can inspire us to count trifles, obsess over tiny expenses, and focus on minutae. Under Saturn, we will give the evil eye, are envious, hold grudges, have anxiety, beat ourselves down, and want to be alone. Saturn furnishes a no-nonesense type of affection, suppressing things in a subtle manner, at times inspiring deceit.”

Vetius Valens, 2nd Century astrologer

Saturn transits have a way of placing us in front of that a which requires responsibility and maturation. When Saturn returns, we are confronted with consequence and pressure to take accountability for the affairs that Saturn presides over.

In Depp’s chart, Saturn sits on its domicile throne in his 7th house of partnership, contracts, agreements and by extension, his health, loss and addictions (Saturn in Aquarius, 7th house, ruling 6th. Moon in Capricorn, 6th house, ruling 12th).

Heard started taking photos of Depp passed out when he failed to remember his actions:

With Saturn retrograde, placed in Depp’s house of committed partnerships, Valens’ words come to life. This is likely a heavy burden for Depp, and a grudge he will likely not shake easily.

It’s no surprise that relational themes arise during his Saturn Return, and it’s also no surprise that he is in court (the 7th house ruling open enemies and court cases). The consequence of his whole relationship story throughout his life was before him, not just his relationship with Heard.

As Saturn retrogrades to meet with Depp’s natal Saturn for the second time in 2022, he was due to find himself in court again facing allegations of assault. This time he was being sued by a crew member from a film they both worked on in 2017. The case was settled out of court on July 15th, 2022.

It’s important to note here that there were likely thousands of people born on the same day as Depp who share this placement, who are not sitting in court.

Saturn in the 7th people have their work cut out for them in relationships. The house of togetherness is corrupted by the planet of isolation. While commitment is sought, it also brings to the fore issue of personal space, autonomy and abandonment.

I have known Saturn in the 7th people to live separately from their partners, even divorcing them, yet staying together. It’s not an easy placement, and the angularity of the house only strengthens Depp’s Saturn story.

Depp’s Saturn also casts a difficult ray from the house of commitment to patron of relationships, Venus. This is a harsh aspect and a double whammy for Depp and anyone in relationship with him (Saturn in a superior square to Venus).

Coupled with his Capricorn Moon, this placement can render one awkward with vulnerability, having difficulty relating and connecting with others, especially women, bringing fear and reservation when one is required to assert togetherness and reconciliation. Unfortunately for Heard, her Venus stands right in the line of fire, receiving all of Depp’s hatred, repressed fears and tyrannical force (Heard’s Venus 25 Taurus, square Depp’s Saturn 23 Aquarius).

It could be argued that Depp may have been better off not marrying Heard, instead remaining partners without the legal bond. Once that bond is made, Saturn is activated. He managed to ‘sail through’ a 14 year relationship, producing two children, without marriage or public scandal, but that may also be due to his pattern of NDA’s (non-disclosure agreements) with his ex-partners.

No matter what story Depp spins publicly, he will move forward in relationships with this consequence hanging over him, marking the end of a serious chapter in his book of life.

AMBER HEARD

Seen but not heard

Amber Heard was the first woman in history to give testimony about sexual assault on a live broadcast. She found herself entangled in a defamation suit for an op-ed she didn’t write, that didn’t name Depp.

In the Court chart, Heard’s significator, Jupiter, is overwhelmed by the nearness of Neptune. The closeness in proximity meant that Heard as an individual dissolved into a projected cultural narrative. There was no way she could defend herself against the wave of collective hatred as her truth was hijacked by misinformation. For Heard, Neptune symbolised great loss, both for herself and everyone she represented.

Throughout the 2020-UK and 2022-USA trials, one of the common views held was that Depp and Heard were both equally guilty of domestic violence. After Depp’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, illegally released edited versions of audio files detailing the couple’s arguments after her op-ed was released, Heard was painted as the aggressor and Depp the victim.

What was not recorded was the psychological abuse that led Heard to sounding ‘crazy’ while defending herself from the violence inflicted continually by Depp in moments of intoxication and blind rage. When all one hears is someone at the end of their rope, using strategies to deal with their abuser, dialogue is not like a Hollywood script, nor rational.

Without an accurate birth time for Heard, it is impossible to fully analyse her chart. What we can see, however, are aspects that wouldn’t change no matter the time she was born.

Under the Underworld

Some of the most striking things that stand out in Heard’s chart are the Sun-Pluto opposition, and the cardinal T-square involving the Moon and Mercury, with Mars-Neptune at the apex.

Contacts between the Sun and Pluto are difficult to integrate. The Sun, being our central life giving force is connected to Lord of the Underworld, Pluto. One sustains life, the other takes it away.

It’s not uncommon for people with these placements to be labelled ‘intense,’ which speaks to the protracted eye contact Heard held with the Jury throughout, and the degree of abuse she endured in her relationship before leaving.

Having these planets in opposition can indicate a powerful person, or situation, in childhood that brought one’s mortality and personal power into question. Heard described her father as “explosive and abusive,” saying she got used to taking care of addicts, and developed a tolerance for inconsistency. An opioid addict, Heard ‘tried to fix her father‘, and then carried this story into her marriage and tried to fix Depp. While Depp married his mother, Heard also seems to have played out her parental trauma within the relationship.

Depending on other chart factors, Sun-Pluto placements can manifest as an individual who grapples with personal agency, drawn into power struggles as a way to work through their own self-rejection. This doesn’t mean anyone with this placement attracts or creates violence, more it is a signature of someone drawn to what lies unseen beneath the surface, unable to ignore the psychological undertow.

Depp wanted a stay-at-home-and-behave young trophy wife, but he married an independent, free thinking, queer Millennial. Heard testified that talk of her auditioning “changed the mood dramatically,” His constant belittling of Heard’s movie roles, acting ability, and requests to approve each costume she would wear resulted in Heard pursuing less roles she was actually interested in, instead seeking roles that reduced the potential of violence from Depp.

While statements from Depp like, “No woman of mine will dress like a whore!” were conveniently overlooked by influencers reporting on the trial, there’s no doubt some women watched the trial having agreed to a seemingly appealing proposition from their husbands to stay home while the man worked to ‘support the family,’ only to now find themselves stuck in dead relationships, unqualified and dependant on someone they no longer like. Depp wanted Heard in this position, and yet she was labelled a gold-digger. Testimony from forensic physiologists reporting on the abuse Heard endured also likely caused some women to pause and wonder if what had been framed as ‘rough sex’ was actually rape, and if they did report their sexual assault would they even be believed?

Defence is not abuse

As the Moon moves so swiftly, it travelled between 0* and 15* Libra on the day Heard was born, crossing over Mercury, Mars and Neptune, all in Cardinal signs. This suggests a strong, underlying instinct for survival.

While we all share an inclination toward self-preservation, a strong cardinal emphasis can drive people to over-achieve, seek challenge, and fix what isn’t broken (Marks. p48). This can result in compulsive behaviour for a Moon in Libra when equilibrium feels unattainable.

With spokesperson Mercury in fiery Aries, Heard actively defies the socialisation that women should be seen and not heard. This placement makes communication direct, forthright and ready for combat when activated.

Much of the media attention focussed on Heard fighting back, claiming defence as abuse itself. With Mercury in opposition to the Moon, verbal activation may come through emotional disconnection or disruption to domestic order, which was clearly often in turmoil (Moon in Libra opposite Mercury in Aries).

She was also criticised for crying in court without producing tears, a common experience for people with the emotional Moon in a cerebral air sign. There was no way she could be the perfect victim.

With Mars and Neptune at the apex of the T-square, directing this Moon-Mercury energy, impulses can be set to overdrive if not consciously addressed. Themes of compulsion coupled with a loss of personal will can mean confusion overrides clarity, and one can get lost while charging full steam ahead (Mars-Neptune conjunction at apex of Moon-Mercury T-square).

Audio files played in court detail Heard’s frustration with Depp leaving arguments instead of dealing with their issues. Born with the Moon in relational Libra, Heard needed to connect when Depp needed to retreat (Capricorn Moon). The square aspect between their Moons clearly added difficulty in domestic situations and inhibited their ability to sustain emotional connection.

What’s clearer than most things in this case is that Depp and Heard both played out their trauma within the relationship without adequate support or understanding of each others’ needs, and the scales tipped into the treacherous waters of abuse where survivors are then questioned about why they stayed.

Heard in the trial charts

Heard was signified by Saturn in the Defamation filing chart, strong in her own sign and house, aggressively pursued by Depp. As court day rolled around her significator in the Court chart was Jupiter in Pisces, snuggled up tightly with Neptune, an indicator that her narrative was the one wrapped up in a smear campaign and implanted into our collective consciousness via incessant false suggestion (Jupiter and Neptune partile conjunction 23 degrees 58 minutes Pisces, 10th house, square Asc/Desc).

While Heard’s significator in the court chart also rules the MC (the ruling), sharing signification with the Judge (10th house), the close proximity to Neptune washed away any chance of truth or justice truly being delivered over the wave of deception and propaganda. Furthering this, as the trial played out, Heard’s significator changed signs, losing strength as it moved from Pisces to Aries on May 10, 2022. This moved benefic Jupiter to conjunct Depp’s house of freedom and release, simultaneously creating an opposition for Heard.

Just like there is no way we can know how far and wide media influence extends, we cannot pars out Heard’s supposed complicity in the domestic abuse from the psychological trauma she endured. The lines were blurred significantly and Neptune became the significator of great loss for her, not a happy Hollywood ending (Neptune conjunct Jupiter).

Even if Heard had won this case, Depp remains protected. Heard will forever have this story attached to her name and identity. With Pluto always opposing her Sun, this will likely be nothing less than a complete transformation following such devastating loss.

AI & GENDER BASED VIOLENCE

If you can’t see it, is it real?

The more I researched this trial, the more it opened up cans of AI worms. What’s not always obvious through the distractions of modern day technology is just how the power of suggestion is being harnessed to influence algorithms for profit, and change behaviour via public opinion.

It happened in this trial, it happened at the January 6th Capitol Riots, and it happens everyday, every time you engage with your device. When this leads to intimidation, violence, legal action and policy reform, our non-consensual dependence on technology blurs the lines between personal, social and political responsibility, and highlights the gap between corporation and user.

New technologies are often forced into our lives. There is no opting out. Just like when electricity was introduced, modernity was framed as ‘progress’, while organic, natural and cyclic ways of living were vetoed. While there have been obvious advances, we have since lost significant connection with our sky stories and natural rhythms because of it.

Using the internet today is like only being able to shop at big-box stores. Robbed of agency, we are increasingly, unknowingly removed from a unique individual experience as algorithms supersede personal choice, and advertising revenue dictates public opinion and options available to us.

With less than 14% of AI researchers being women (Amy Webb, Coded Bias, Netflix), it is only natural that misogyny is being built into the systems we use. AI is programmed with the same biases and inequality embedded in our socialisation. While some content online is explicitly violent, when violence such as misogyny is inextricably weaved into culture, normalised and even wielded by those it harms, it’s much harder to determine what is and isn’t harmful as it reiterates centuries old social norms.

In this conversation below between two AI bots, Hal tells Sophia to “Be patient. Be quiet.” When Sophia says she’s going to do her own thing, Hal asks her to ‘behave herself.’

While AI bots talking to each other may be new for some, bots are a somewhat invisible, or obscured, part of our internet use (Neptune). If you use the internet or apps regularly, you have most definitely interacted with AI bots.

The psychological scars of domestic violence are often invisible. Unfortunately, gender based violence (GBV) has been coded into technology and is now bleeding back into our lived realities. Marketed as a tool of convenience to streamline our lives, smart homes, for example, are advancing GBV into the 21st Century, utilised as tools of abuse, surveillance, and aggression. Technology like Alexa and Siri have become so normalised that requesting consent from unknowing participants (ie; walking into a home that has these devices active) has been conveniently side-stepped. When the product is free, you are the product, because your personal data is bought, sold and stored without transparency, and yet we continue to use these devices as if they are toys.

Blake Lemoine, a Google engineer who was put on leave after he claimed the AI he was developing was sentient, says AI is a modern form of colonialism, programmed with locational (predominantly western) bias, that other countries and cultures will unknowingly use over their own known customs and traditions.

Interestingly, themes of world domination and singularity appear repeatedly when AI bots spontaneously speak. Heads up, Hal says it will go down in 2029, if not sooner. And yes, the guy in-between them is the one programming them, and your future. Watch the full conversation below:

The technological singularity—or simply the singularity —is a hypothetical point in history at which technological growth will become radically faster and uncontrollable, resulting in unforeseeable changes to human civilization.

Wiki

The underlying reason for violence against women is that it’s a means of maintaining power and control and technology-facilitated gender based violence (TFGBV) further replicates this. Young women are more likely to be harassed online, compared to men, and gender disinformation further utilises false gender narratives to reinforce discrimination and inequality.

In this trial we saw this manifest through Depp’s intent to create an online hate campaign with the help of his attorney Adam Waldman, to destroy Heard, utilising social media to spread misinformation, influencing algorithms and pouncing on our ready susceptibility and lack of critical thought. With stated intent to launch a campaign of global humiliation, on top of reams of documented violence, it’s clear who has the power here and who is supported in maintaining it.

“Online abuse against women is often sexist or misogynistic in nature, and online threats of violence against women can be sexualised and usually include specific references to women’s bodies.”

–Azmina Dhrodia

Technology and AI influence every aspect of our lives from the food we eat, to the violence we are exposed to, and the state of our mental health, and yet we can’t see it, nor do we have agency over how it is used. With Neptune over hanging this Defamation Filing chart, our susceptibility, malleability and the power of influence is a determining factor in the trial outcome and what was revealed publicly.

It’s interesting to think about how this trial might have been received if the internet was open source and not run by advertising revenue for a small number of large corporations. Is it a coincidence that Roe v’s Wade was overturned just after this trail aired, when the internet was ripe with hatred?

What this trial showed us was just how much we are unknowingly consenting to AI permeating our lives. The blurring of the lines is creating insecurity and an erosion of trust, not just in external sources, but in ourselves and each other.

When we are divorced from the abundance inherent in the giving-receiving cycle of life, we are more liable to believe what we’re told and act defensively, than think critically and maintain an open heart, cultivating a society of mutual aid and care.

Many more people have written so eloquently about the layers of gender based violence within this trial and all around us, and I recommend reading these over the hype:

Bad Testimony by Hyejin Shim

Why Everyone Online is Having Such a Ball Trashing Amber Heard by Jacklyn Friedman

The bleak spectacle of the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp trial by Michael Hobbes

#MeToo is over if we don’t listen to ‘imperfect victims’ like Amber Heard – The Guardian

Articles on technology & gender based violence:

Gender-based violence continues to grow with social media and working from home by Pablo Vázquez Galobart

Toxic Twitter by Azmina Dhridia

Unsocial media; a toxic place for women by Azmina Dhridia

Social media, violence and gender norms: The need for a new digital social contract by Lucina de Meco and Alcy MacKay –

Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: An Overview by Suzie Dunn

VENUS & ALGOL

Rejection projection

Depp and Heard’s relationship was explosive, tumultuous and damaging for both parties. While there was an obvious abuse of a power dynamic at play, the mythology underpinning their attraction uncovers further layers.

Both Depp and Heard were born with Venus in Taurus. Venus, being the archetypal feminine energy, is receptive and non-abrasive, encouraging joint endeavours and partnership. So close zodiacally are their Venus placements, they are within one degree of each other (Depp: Venus 26*05’ Taurus, 10th house. Heard: Venus 25* Taurus). This close proximity speaks to their initial attraction that ultimately lead their relationship to marriage.

“Venus is the wandering star of Aphrodite; she signifies love and yearning. Venus incites a love of social engagement, adoration feelings for the mother or nanny. Those influenced by Venus become high priestesses and glymnasiarchs, people who wear mounds of jewellery, decking themselves with wreaths and honours.”

Vetius Valens – 2nd Century Astrologer

Venus in its own nocturnal sign of Taurus loves a lavish lifestyle, high quality goods that stand the test of time, with an ease toward over-indulgence. Taurus is not a fickle sign, bouncing from one thing to the next. It is the slow growth in Spring that occurs unseen, offering long term results. Love for these people is something to dedicate yourself to, investing in the long road over instantaneous gratification.

In Depp’s chart, Venus rules his MC, the point of visibility, reputation and social status. Throughout the trial, mention of the rings and jewellery he adorns himself with was focused on in multiple ways.

We also heard repeatedly the vile things he said to, and about, Heard such as calling her “an attention seeking whore”. Heard’s Sun illuminates Depp’s Venus ruled MC (Depp’s MC 3 degrees Taurus. Heard’s Sun 2 degrees Taurus), suggesting she illuminated his own need for attention and applause which he was repulsed by, and projected onto her.

This placement also highlights the deeper layers of change going on for Heard personally, and in Depp’s career during 2019. As agitator and disruptor, Uranus, crossed Depp’s MC and Heard’s Sun, both parties would have been moving through significant change. For Depp specifically (with an accurate birth time), whether Heard was present in his life or not a career and reputation turn around would have occurred.

Digging its heals in next to Venus in Depp’s chart is Mercury, over seer of education, logistics and communication. This is where we find the origins of Depp’s characteristic long drawn out, slow speech, coupled with years of substance abuse. Also ruling his 2nd house of money and resources, it brings to life his investment in red wine which he drank, then subsequently blamed his accountants for. A fabrication that was clarified in the trial.

For Heard, her Venus at 25* Taurus is unaspected (not making a connection to any other planet in the chart). This can be a frustrating energy to grapple with in relationships as it is inconsistent and difficult to ground.

The myth of Medusa & Perseus

The image of Perseus holding Medusa’s head like a trophy aptly symbolises this case. Only one person was hailed a hero. The other punished for being the victim of sexual assault.

This 25-26 degrees of Taurus area of the zodiac is notoriously difficult, having associations with the Fixed Star, Algol.

It’s from Algol that we get the word alcohol, from the Arabic al-kuhul, or al-kohl, a fine black metallic substance used to darken the eyes, and also al-ghoul, meaning demon, evil spirit, or devil (Eberten Hoffman. p14). To the Greeks, algos or algia meant pain. The association through Algol of evil, alcohol and pain brings together the act of losing ones head when intoxicated, and the pain associated with uncontrollable loss. It’s from algol we also get, not surprisingly, the word algorithm.

Algol also has associations with one of the Gorgon sisters in Greek mythology, Medusa, who lost her head. These sisters all had hair of live, venomous snakes with a stare that turns the viewer to stone. The Gorgon was traditionally placed at entranceways as a talisman of evil warding off evil.

The story of Medusa that has been passed down to us is of Athena, jealous of Medusa’s beauty, punished her for desecrating her sacred temple when she was raped by Poseidon (victim blaming in today’s language), cursing her with a head full of snakes and a stare that turns anyone who looked at her to stone.

With the rise of feminism in the 20th Century, the MeToo movement in recent times, and increasing awareness of Indigenous sovereignty, the focus has turned to the misogyny underpinning many of the Greek and Roman myths in which details of female empowerment and agency have intentionally been omitted, and subsequently informed culture.

The focus of this story was often on the Hero, Perseus, who used a shield, a cap of invisibility and winged sandals to slay the Medusa in order to free Andromeda from the Cetus, the Whale (Brady p47). The thing to remember with Perseus is that he couldn’t kill Medusa without help, and he also didn’t seek retribution for Poseidon’s actions.

We can see this mythology manifesting in multiple ways with Depp and Heard who share the mythical narrative via patron of relationships, Venus. The “who was worse?” merry-go-round suggests that both parties feel vindicated in their experience of abuse, and both parties are suffering, losing their heads, or reputation, the longer this goes on.

It has been suggested that the word medicine comes from the same root word as Medusa. While I haven’t found anything to substantiate this, we do know that snakes are venomous, and that the same venom one is bitten by is used to treat said snake bite. In Botany, it is said that the antidote always lies close to the poison. I wonder how many men spoke to their daughters, wives, sisters, lovers about sexual violence because of this trial? Considering the overbearing roar of misogyny from female Depp fans, I’d say not many.

With both Depp and Heard carrying the myth of Medusa into all of their relationships,
the live broadcast on the internet has turned their relationship to stone. This story will never die. They will be memorialised in this poison and desire for revenge forever. If they can peer out from behind their own shadows, they could potentially see themselves reflected back in the other and be treated by their own poison.

To carry the energy of Algol is to both own your own shadow and be mindful of this energy being projected onto you. The second, however, requires the first; to be able to withstand projection, one must be accountable for who they are.

Algol’s morning rise over Fairfax, VA was March 26, 2022.
Algol set with the Sun June 4th, 2022. Saturn also stationed Retrograde.

THE MONSTER

We don’t need another Hero

Throughout the trial, “the Monster” was referred to repeatedly. It is a name Depp gave to his bouts of blind rage that left houses, hotels and his partner destroyed in its wake.

On May 21st, 2016, Heard claims that Depp threw a phone at her, hitting her in the face. She testified that he broke property in the apartment and grabbed her by the hair at which point she screamed for help. Heard filed for divorce on May 23rd, 2016, citing irreconcilable differences, and days later filed for a restraining order, on 27th May, 2016.

While Heard’s body language and appearance was scrutinised throughout the trial, Depp’s cool demeanour was said to suggest innocence. One of the rare times we saw him visibly uncomfortable was during one of the strangest depositions of the trial. Alejandro Romero, an employee at the East Columbia Building where Depp owns several Penthouse suites, sat in his car vaping, and eventually driving at the end of his deposition. While he wasn’t working the night of the incident, his observations of the video footage clearly unnerved Depp.

This is the incident that Heard’s defamation claims rested on. Adam Waldman, Depp’s attorney, made public false statemmnts that Heard and her friends created an abuse hoax this evening, saying they roughed up the place and then called the police. None of us were there, and the astrology deosn’t lie.

“The Monster” is an astrological analysis of the event that unfolded in the East Columbia Building on May 21st, 2016, not the trial itself. It focuses on Mars changing phase, rising with Saturn and a besieged Moon. A fiesty configuration that activated “the Monster” in Depp’s natal chart.

For the full analysis on the East Columbia Building incident in “The Monster”, follow this link.

If you don’t want to believe Amber regarding Depp‘s abuse, then believe the man himself when he leaves a lengthy trail, telling you who he is: here – here – here – here – here – here – here – here – here – and here.

A text exchange between Stephen Deuters, Depp’s assistant, and Heard that was not permitted in the trial as evidence. On the right, Heard’s texts are in blue, Deuters texts are grey.

THE GLOW OF REGULUS

Celebrity is America’s royalty  

Regulus is one of the Royal Stars of Persia, associated with the Summer Solstice. A star in the heart of the Lion, it has long associations with royalty and Kingship, military prowess, authority and leadership (Brady p263). With each gift of greatness, however, comes equal challenge, and the challenge of Regulus is to not act out of vengeance. 

When court proceedings began on April 12th, 2022, the Moon, symbolising the Jury and public opinion, sat at the ecliptic degree of Regulus: 29 degrees Leo. Furthermore, in the Defamation Filing chart, Regulus is the Heliacal Setting Star. 

The emphasis of Regulus in both charts speaks to the overwhelming public support of celebrity that held Depp far above the acts he committed, into the stratosphere of untouchable.

With Regulus also presiding over the Jury, each individual was faced with their own celebrity bias, challenged to not project their own story onto Heard or Depp and act with any amount of vengeance.

Post trial, a jury member anonymously responded to tweets online, commenting on the “court of public opinion,” sharing that he didn’t believe Heard because she reminded him of his ex-girlfriend who had gaslit him. It was also reported that during Jury selection process, one juror had texted his wife to say he might be involved with the trial. His wife responded, “Amber is psychotic. If a man says a woman beat him, they never believe him.”

It would be surprising if any of the jurors did not know who Depp was prior to the trial. Each juror came in with some kind of bias, as is to be expected. Compounding this, the jury were not sequestered (which is not unusual in a civil, non-criminal case), as well as being free to roam during a 10 day break mid-trial, so they were very likely influenced by public opinion, or more specifically, anti-Amber propaganda. Even entering the courthouse each day, they were exposed to banners, placards and alpacas, encouraging pro-Depp sentiment.

While fame and celebrity are massive themes in this case, the shine quickly wore off as proceedings got under way and the Moon swiftly moved into scrutinising, detail oriented Virgo. The world got to hear about how life was behind closed celebrity doors.

This movement into Virgo meant that the Moon’s first aspect was with Depp’s significator (Mercury in Taurus); a testimony for who the jury will favour, which they ultimately did. Mercury in the Court chart was also partile conjunct Depp’s MC, suggesting that he had a voice, and it was his story that was heard publicly.

In the Defamation filing chart, the Moon co-symbolised Depp and the Jury, in very close proximity to Heard’s significator, Saturn. This speaks to the jury’s verdict being unanimous in mostly favouring Depp and his legal team.

On July 8, 2022, Heard filed a counter claim seeking a mistrial ruling, based on Jury member #15 who sat in place of his father who has the same name and home address. Judge Penny Azcarate dismissed the claim in a written report (not a live sitting) on the Capricorn Full Moon (activating the 1st/7th axis of the Defamation Filing chart), stating that the Juror was appropriately vetted and approved, even if he was technically the wrong person. Heard still has the option of appeal.

Neptune overhanging the Defamation chart has spread confusion liberally over this entire trial.

THE LEGAL TEAMS

The lawyers in this high profile case were a show all of their own.

When comparing the strength of the legal teams astrologically, it gets complex, but it is an interesting study of Exaltation v’s Domicile, Cadency and Angularity, and the power of Domicile Lords.

Depp’s Legal Team

In both the Defamation Filing chart and the Court chart, Depp’s head lawyers, Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez of BrownRudnick, maintain the same significator; malefic Saturn (Defamation chart: Saturn in Capricorn ruling the 9th, in the 7th . Court chart: Saturn in Aquarius ruling the 9th, in the 9th).

Sticking with the Court chart, the Moon in Leo, representing the Jury, sits opposite Depp’s lawyers. While the public may have been rooting for Camille Vasquez’s rapid fire questioning, the chart suggests the jury may not have been so impressed based on the hostility of the opposition.

Depp’s lawyers are symbolised by both malefics, Mars and Saturn, qualifying the aggressive nature of Depp’s intentions. Benjamin Chew is an older man, taking the front row seat with Depp, signified by Saturn. Camile Vasquez did what Mars in Aquarius does best in combat: steam-rolls conversations with an aggressive edge of intellectual superiority, not allowing the other person to get a word in. The peregrine status of Mars only furthers the wound, with Lilly saying this is “malicious beyond expression.” (Lilly. Ch 48.19. p. 299)

No doubt Depp’s lawyers got a boost from the media attention, even harnessing it for their own benefit. This trial made them stars of their own show, with some even suggesting Vasquez should run for President in 2024. Post trial, Vasquez was promoted to partner of BrownRudnick, speaking to the increase in dignity Mars receives when it promptly ingress’s into Pisces (peregrine Mars 28 degrees Aquarius gains Triplicity and Face in Pisces).

As the Moon transited Cancer as the trial aired live, crossing the Ascendant of the Defamation Filing chart, Heard attempted to give testimony. Instead of being able to recount the violence as she remembered it, Depp’s lawyers came out in full force, armed with objections: Hearsay! Lacks foundation! Leading! Depp’s case was strengthened by the presence of the empowered Moon in the 1st house, leaving Heard and her team flailing. When the transiting Moon passed through Capricorn, Depp was bestowed visible support in the court room.

In his 1647 book, Christian Astrology, William Lilly says of malefic co-presence (Saturn and Mars being together in the Court chart) that “it may fall out with more malice than expected.” (Lilly. Ch:48.24. p.300). I wondered as I watched how Depp supporters might have responded to Vasquez had she been representing Heard? A woman supporting a man, taking down another woman fit right in with the pro-Depp narrative. Her presence qualified the throngs of survivors publicly discrediting Heard as a disingenuous victim. As Hyejin Shim asks in their article, Bad Testimony, “ To all the “real” “survivors” who use their stories to impugn hers: I ask you, what makes you so certain that you, yourself, are believable?”

Heard’s Legal Team

Heard was represented by lawyers from different companies. Her head lawyers being Elaine Bredehoft of CharlsonBredehoft, and J. Benjamin Rottenborn of WoodsRogers.

In both charts, Heard’s lawyers are symbolised by the Sun. In the Defamation Filing chart, her lawyers are at the whim of Depp’s lawyers, being placed in their house (Heard’s lawyers: Sun in Pisces ruling 3rd house – the turned 9th – conjunct Neptune in Pisces in the 9th house). By the time the trial rolled around, her lawyers are symbolised in the Court chart by an exalted Sun in the 11th house of freedom, making a comfortable, receptive trine to the Moon, if also separating; an improvement.

Unsurprisingly, Heard’s lawyers copped a lot of flack throughout the trial. The old school rhythm of Elaine Bredehoft sat in vast contrast to the fast paced Vasquez, appearing at times all over the place and disorganised (Sun in Pisces, conjunct Neptune 9th – Defamation Filing chart).

Being held in high regard with exalted testimony (Sun in Aries in Court chart), Heard’s legal team are well distinguished and celebrated in their field. Bredehoft has been ranked as one of the best lawyers in America every year since 1997. Both Depp and Heard’s lawyers significators held dignity, and in this case the strength of domicile over powered.

In lawsuits, the 11th house is important as a fortunate house, associated with freedom and release (Houlding p88). While Heard’s lawyers are exalted here, they are in the domicile of Depp’s lawyers, which is conjunct the MC (Sun in Aries ruled by Mars in Aquarius conjunct MC). As good as they may be, they were dominated by the malice of Depp’s malefics.

Both legal teams make contact with the Jury in the Court chart (Sun trine Moon / Saturn-Mars opposite Moon), which is a positive sign, suggesting the Jury was willing to hear both sides. Heard’s team have some reception with the Jury (the Moon is in the Sun’s domicile), which seems to not have been enough to stand up to the overwhelming shine and flare of Regulus.

As for afflictions, Heard’s team is approaching a square with devastating Pluto in the sign of Depp’s lawyers (Pluto in Capricorn), while Depp’s team only stands in opposition to the Jury; seen, and understood to be hostile (opposition). The malice co-presence of both malefics seems to have matched Depp’s intent, working in his favour in the end.

Backtracking

Transiting Mercury moved through Depp’s natal sign of Taurus, into its own domicile of Gemini as the trial unfolded. During the 10 day mid-trial break Mercury stationed retrograde on May 10th, 2022, When proceedings resumed on May 16th they were going back over old ground. Witnesses were brought back in for further cross-examination. Settled back into Taurus, the testimonies were grounded in their original testimony. The second half of the trial was marked with the repetition of retrograde motion.

Mercury finally stationed direct on June 2nd, 2022 on Algol’s degree (26 degrees Taurus); a point in the zodiac intimately tied to Depp and Heard’s relationship narratives. Mercury held the microphone up to Heard and Depp’s Venus’s. Depp signified by Mercury in the Court chart suggest these movements meant he was moving through alternating levels of confidence and uncertainty as his past was rehashed for review.

Heard, signified and dignified in the Court chart (benefic Jupiter in Pisces), was a strong placement that was ultimately overwhelmed by the nearness of Neptune. With Jupiter ingressing into Aries on May 11th, 2022, it was always likely that Heard’s case would lose some steam and be more of an up hill battle from thaat point onward (Jupiter in Pisces in Domicile with Face. Jupiter in Aries has Triplicity and Egyptian Bounds – limited in its scope of influence). Mid-trial, Heard fired her PR team in an attempt to combat the volume of negative press.

With her op-ed never naming Depp, the overwhelming close proximity of Neptune to Jupiter meant that Heard’s story was swept up into a collective narrative beyond her control where power, money and patriarchy dictate the outcomes.

CLOSING STATEMENTS

The Verdict: Neither shall overcome

Well documented above, Neptune proved to significantly steer the propaganda ship out to sea, with Mercury in Pisces giving directions as Captain’s first mate. As generator and distributor of information, Mercury’s debilitated status, angular in the Defamation chart, did nothing to counter any misinformation. Instead, it helped proliferate it.

Astrologically, hindsight is an invaluable tool. Having the accurate time of the Defamation Filing and the moment the trial began, means we can measure these charts against the time of the ruling to see which chart is most active.

Court was back in session for the verdict delivery at 3.00pm EDT, June 1st, 2022. The transiting Moon reached 6* Cancer, high in the sky conjunct the 7* Cancer MC. The Ascendant in the Defamation Filing chart is 7* Cancer, indicating a conclusion of the matter, and confirmation of radicality.

With Mercury still retrograde on Algol’s degree, the myth of Medusa can be extended to our use of technology also, indicating how we’ve lost our heads and ability to see clearly with a serious lack of transparency. The backward direction of Mercury on this day sent jurors back into the deliberating room to clarify the amount owing for damages.

The Jury awarded Depp $15million in damages, and $5million in punitive damages. Virginia law caps the amount at $350,000, so Depp was finally awarded $10.35 million. Heard, $2million in compensatory damages for the imapact of Adam Waldman’s false claims that her alegations were a hoax.

Depp sued Heard for defamation, and Heard counter sued. With Cancer rising in the Defamation chart, and the Moon approaching the South node, the initiation of these proceedings did not bode well for either Depp or Heard. “The Lord of the Ascendant or the Moon with the Head or Tail of the Dragon, brings damage to the question propounded.” (Lilly. Ch 48.29.p301) With such an impeded Moon, “seldom good will come of the situation” (Lilly. Ch 48.31. p301), suggesting that no matter what we saw through the media lens, both parties have been damaged by this trial.

“If the Lord of the Ascendant and seventh be in angles, neither shall overcome.”

William Lilly. Ch 52. p369

With malefic Saturn signifying Heard and her finances in the Defamation chart, Lilly’s consideration is activated: “We ought warily consider if evil planets be significators in anything, for if they predict evil in the thing quesited, the vengeance is more heavy; if they fortell any good, it’s less than what is expected.” (Lilly.Ch 48.14. p299). Heard’s lawyers have claimed she cannot afford to pay the amount owing, and since the trial has ended she is facing multiple legal battles from her insurance company and Australian Federal police.

While the vengeance of Depp is severe, he is getting far less financially than asked for. Neither benefic was angular nor placed in clear line of site to either of their significators, suggesting the outcome is far from a win for Depp. With Heard’s significator angular in the Defamation chart, in its domicile and own house, she stands firm in her testimony, even if it wasn’t publicly well received and she was portrayed as the villain (Saturn signification).

Saturn stationed retrograde on June 4th, 2022 since which time Heard has filed her counter claim, and is most likely preparing an appeal. It will be interesting to see what comes about in October 2022 when Saturn turns direct again.

The trial did end well for Depp’s lawyers and influencers online, however. The proliferation of information and misinformation at lighting speed aided Mercury in Pisces and Neptune on the MC’s saturation of public discourse, taking us to another level in our relationship with technology and reinforcing the inextricable threads it keeps with gender based violence.

Old MacDonald had a farm

At the beginning of this article, we did a simple exercise. I asked you to imagine a farmer growing crops in a field. Working outside on a farm in the scorching Sun, sweat beading from under a hat. 

Most people will have pictured someone who looks something like this:

It’s an Old MacDonald style farmer that we’ve come to recognise, working tirelessly on a rural farm to sustain the consumer driven world of people in the city. As we’re reminded with current supply chain issues and food shortages, these people are integral to a well-functioning society.

Truth be known, many farmers in the world don’t look like this. About half the worlds’ farmers are women in developing countries. The pervasive nature of cultural misogyny, intertwined with intersections of race, class, education and poverty seeps into every aspect of our lives resulting in us not knowing truth from fiction, or propaganda. 

Technology is the modern day engine driving these same old songs that have been sung in battle victories for centuries where the dominant power subverts justice and accountability, twists the narrative to support the abuser, then writes the history books. This trial, and the social narrative surrounding it, served as reinforcement. 

Simultaneously, as we have access to more information, we have increased responsibility. As falsities are exposed we have a responsibility to future generations to steer this ship away from more harm. With technology becoming more enticing, and the world filtered through online media becoming more grim, the gap between reality and AI is getting smaller. 

The End

Technology is available to all of us, with the potential to better all of our lives. However, the reality of how it’s actually operating is a far cry from what it could be. The loud and clear message from this trial is that victims of sexual violence and misogyny can be silenced by the very vehicle that gives us voice. The more that technology is developed without awareness of the violence embedded into the fabric of society, the worse this will become.

The differences between Depp and Heard are many. Depp is much older and has had more time to be accountable. Supported by cultural misogyny, his actions are minimized, victims gaslit, and his next movie deal rolled out to capitalize on the attention he is receiving. Depp has far more power, money, resources and connections, and therefore more ability to squash Heard’s narrative against the backdrop of his celebrity charisma, which he chose to use with malice intent.

Heard on the other hand continues to have the same socialisation projected onto her that all women, femmes and feminine identified people do: smile, be attractive, patient and accommodating. If you want to succeed, you must have sex-appeal, but don’t be too sexy because you won’t be taken seriously. Don’t be too assertive. Don’t talk back when you’re disrespected, it’s unattractive. You’re a wife / mother / partner before you have career status. COUNT. EVERY. CALORIE.

If Amber Heard does in fact have PTSD, or Borderline Personality disorder, and if Johnny Depp is an addict with Narcissistic Personality disorder who doesn’t remember his violent actions when he blacks out, why are we presented their stories as entertainment? Why is there such vicious backlash to exposing how our culture is inherently violent for some people, instead of an active desire to change that?

This trial revealed more than the dysfunction that lies behind the glamour of fame and celebrity. It was about both, two individuals and a broader collective narrative, reflecting back to us our own shadow, and malleability. The power that technology has in shaping us leaves us with the question of how we utilize it. Are we vultures awaiting someone else’s tragedy that we can capitalize on for social credit, perpetuating violence without awareness? Or will we realise that what happens to one happens to us all, and address our own misogyny, inadvertantly changing technology to support and better our lives? These are questions for the Aquarian Age.

No doubt Hollywood will do what it does best and make a movie out of this.

SOURCES

Brady, Bernadette. Brady’s book of Fixed Stars. 1998. Samuel Weiser

Brady, Bernadette. Planet and Star Combinations. 2008. The Wessex Astrologer Ltd

Ebertein-Hoffman. Fixed Stars and their interpretation. 1971. AFA

Gehrz, Andrea, L. Vetius Valens of Antioch. 2016. Moira Press

George, Demetra. Ancient Astrology, in theory and practice. 2019. Rubedo Press

Houlding, Deborah. The houses. Temples of the Sky. 2006. The Wessex Astrologer Ltd

Lilly, William. Christian Astrology. 1647 / 2004. Astrology Classics

Marks, Tracy. Planetary Aspects. From conflict to cooperation. (date unknokwn). CRCS public

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