Mel Gibson has long been one of the most likeable and bankable stars in Hollywood. His charming and amusing character in the Lethal Weapon series brought women streaming into the theaters, something unheard of for action films. However, during the promotion and distribution of his film the Passion of the Christ a couple of years ago, chinks began to appear in the armor of his well packaged presence as stories of Gibson’s extremist views began to appear in the press.
Although these views and the fear of the spread of anti-semitism that surrounded the release of the Passion of the Christ subsided, they erupted again this week when Gibson was arrested for drunk driving while speeding in Malibu. A leaked police report has now surfaced at tmz.com, revealing Gibson’s statements including his saying over and over “My life is f*&cked.” He also ranted about Jews being responsible for all the wars in the world (the arresting officer is Jewish) though he later apologized, saying that he has battled alcoholism throughout his life. Yesterday he issued a very peculiar statement, asking Jews to help him with his recovery in a frantic effort to salvage his reputation.
Mel Gibson has a Capricorn Sun, with a strong focus in responsibility and hard work. The Capricorn nature is to lead and to seek authority and respect, and Gibson’s Sun falls right on the cusp of his seventh house of marriage and partnerships, showing that these partnerships are very important to him and fuel his personal growth. (He has been married to the same partner for over 20 years, a rarity in Hollywood).
Gibson has some challenging planetary systems in his chart, including a conjunction of Pluto (power issues) to Jupiter (philosophy and shared values). The combination of these two planets can indicate a person who seeks to impose through power and manipulation (Pluto) their values and ideology (Jupiter) onto others. Mars is conjunct Saturn in Gibson’s chart, both in Scorpio which is ruled by Pluto and deals with issues of power and secrecy. Mars in Scorpio is extremely charismatic and sexy, but conjunct Saturn, which tends to be more repressive, it often doesn’t find its full expression. The combination of Mars with Saturn can indicate a frustrated individual who is unable to activate the assertive urge of Mars, it’s like driving with the brakes on.
These combinations create a huge challenge as they constantly conflict and create a buildup of energy that needs to be released. Gibson’s films have provided this release for him; they have tended to portray characters who are tortured emotionally and face physical abuses in order to attain their noble goals. Evidently Mel Gibson has battled alcoholism throughout his career as he attempted to keep these emotional challenges in check.
Everyone now knows that Mel Gibson was arrested for drunk driving in Malibu California on July 28, and that the transcript of the arrest record shows that Gibson is currently experiencing a transit of Pluto in square to his Midheaven. The Midheaven is the point of highest aspiration in the birthchart; it also shows how our life is played out in the public eye. This cycle began for Gibson back in December and is currently in the second phase of the cycle. The television film on the Holocaust which was announced when Pluto first aspected Gibson’s Midheaven has now, during the second phase, been canceled. The last phase of this cycle will take place in December, coinciding with the release of his next film Apocalypto (since Pluto rules death and rebirth, this is perfectly symbolic).
The current scandal over Gibson’s remarks in the current climate of religious conflict has already affected his career (Pluto transiting the Midheaven), but it may create an environment for him where real transformation can take place, and I suspect that what we are seeing is only the tip of the iceberg. But in the Midheaven, particularly since he is a public person, that transformation will take place squarely in the public eye.
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