Who are you? Is it my job to tell you that? Is it your job to tell me who I am? Probably not. Caitlyn Jenner — formerly known as Bruce Jenner — has left us with no doubt as to who she thinks she is, and has generally received high praise for it.
Observation and experience inform who we think people are… and who they say they are and what they really are do not always line up perfectly. The inner truth and outer truth of who a person truly is almost never a completely perfect match.
Example: Two people say they love you. One of them uses those three words all the time yet constantly degrades and disrespects you. The other one doesn’t use the words but is always kind and decent to you and always does their best for you. Which one really loves you? It’s possible they both do, but one is much better at showing it than the other. Or maybe neither one of them does and they both have reasons for their behavior that you weren’t aware of.
I can look at a birth chart and see a person’s potential for violence, but not how they will use it (or not). I can see the potential attraction between two people, but not necessarily the appropriateness of the relationship. I can see potential for substance abuse, but not how out of control it may get.
And I could see the bold transformation of Bruce Jenner coming for a while now.
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So now having said that: let’s set aside any of our preconceptions and have a look at the astrology of Caitlin Jenner, formerly Bruce Jenner. Astrology can give us a remarkable insight into who a person is, and the transits they experience can show us the circumstances they are facing. Although the notion of “who you are” is complex, in astrology The Sun in your birth chart is the single factor most matching that identity. Sun Signs can be divided into “masculine” and “feminine,” but that’s hardly a determiner of gender identity.
As I have written here before, the former Olympic champion athlete has been undergoing a transformation for a few years now. Undoubtedly if Bruce was uncomfortable with the gender role he was born into, this has been an issue for a long time, but it is only under the transits of the last few years that we have begun to see the physical manifestation of that. Pluto is considered to be the planet of “transformation,” and it rules Caitlyn’s Sun and Ascendant — the Ascendant being the part of your chart most involved in how others perceive you at first glance. We don’t usually see as dramatic an example of “transformation” as this in a birth chart… but there it is anyway.
Furthermore: Bruce Jenner picked such a good day to reveal his transformation into female form that I almost suspect an astrologer was involved. The Sun, Mercury, and Mars were making highly positive aspects to Caitlyn’s Midheaven (public image), but perhaps even more importantly: transiting Jupiter (which tends to bring good cheer and good fortune) was conjunct his natal Pluto (the planet of transformation), which (again) is also the ruler of his Sun and Ascendant… which is how we perceive others. Well played, Caitlyn!
That, and: if you ever decide to publicly announce you have changed your gender identity, get your first photos taken by Annie Leibovitz. No matter how you were born or how you look now, she will make you look great.
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Astrology can reveal a surprising depth of information about a person, but if there is one thing I have learned over the years, it’s that a birth chart can tell you many astounding things about a person… but gender is impossible to spot. You don’t need to know if someone is male or female or straight or gay to read their birth chart — you need to honor their inherent humanity AND how to read a birth chart in order to do the job properly.
Let’s all respect our inherent humanity. If you simply can’t stand the thought that an Olympic champion and American icon is now going by a different gender, let’s focus on something I think we can all agree on. The publicity from Caitlyn’s announcement completely overshadowed the news that her stepdaughter Kim Kardashian and Kim’s husband Kanye West are expecting a second child. And no matter where you stand on the whole gender identity issue, I think we can all agree that Kim and Kanye getting a little less attention is just what the world needs right now.
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