Astrology Of The Screen Actors Guild Strike

When a Jupiter Return is of little to no help

For the first time since 1960, both the writers union (WGA) and actors union (SAG-AFTRA) are on strike at the same time, bringing TV and movie production to a sudden halt over (among other things) not getting paid properly for the use of their work on the relatively new medium of television. This time around, writers and actors are demanding just payment for the use of their work on the relatively new medium of streaming services.

(Fun Fact: the president of SAG in 1960 was Ronald Reagan. That's right... Mr. Trickle Down Economics was a union leader in 1960. Wrap your head around that if you can.)

We don't have a time of birth for the Screen Actors Guild chart, so we can't say much about its Midheaven, Ascendant, or House placements. Even so, it's pretty obvious that this chart is taking a beating from the current transits.

Transiting Saturn in early Pisces is retrograding back to the conjunction with natal Neptune. Take a good look at that Neptune. It's in the Sign that it rules but is not receiving any obvious close aspects, either good or bad or indifferent from any other major point of the birth chart. Yes, I know there is an opposition to Mars, but six degrees of orb is a bit much for my tastes. Since Neptune is the general ruler of "showbiz," any transits to it in this chart will be particularly important.

On top of that, we also have transiting Pluto at 29 degrees Capricorn, rolling back to take its last shot at the Screen Actors Guild's natal Saturn at 28 degrees Libra. The transiting South Node is also conjunct natal Saturn. That indicates a time when old ideas or old karma will be shaken off. In this case, that may work out to be a good thing.

The official chart for the strike features a Void of Course Moon. It's not that everything attempted or finished during a Void of Course Moon has to go astray -- but it's usually something you should avoid if at all possible.

One thing that strikes me as unusual about these transits is that the Screen Actors Guild is coming off of its exact Jupiter Return. This transit might naturally mess with the expectations of a lot of astrologers and astrology fans. Everything about Jupiter is supposed to be big and bouncy and fun, right?

Unfortunately, without a time of birth, I don't want to say too much about what I think the outcome of this is going to be or when that will be. I have a hunch that it will be within about two months, but I have to admit that based on the evidence, that's just a hunch. That, and in the battle between artists and producers, I have a clear favorite side.

Maybe the big question presented here is "Why should we care about actors anyway? They all live well-paid, glamorous lives, don't they?" Not so fast there, buddy. Yes, someone with the stature of Tom Cruise can make $10 million by rolling out of bed in the morning. But the average working actor doesn't get paid that well. And it's not like you see many jobs in show business that pay solidly and steadily for 40 years until there's a retirement package. An example of this is actress Denise Crosby, best known as Tasha Yar on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Recently on Twitter, she showed us her residual payments for an episode of Ray Donovan. Ray Donovan (which is still streaming) has earned her a whopping 21 cents in royalties. That's right: 21 cents. And this is Denise Crosby, who is an established talent in Hollywood. So imagine what it's like for the struggling actor trying to get by with minor parts.

So why should peasants like you and me be concerned about what actors and glamorous people want? Consider this: one of the main things that SAG is angry about (other than getting screwed over pay) is Artificial Intelligence.

One of the things that the major studios want to do is to pay an actor for one day of work, in which that actor comes in and has their appearance, physical body and voice thoroughly scanned by an artificial intelligence. That scan can then be used over and over and over again, long past the lifespan of the actor. AI is complex enough that this is a distinct possibility, so it's not just actors who need to be concerned about this sort of thing. It's the writers too. And ultimately it's you and me.

If you're thinking this all sounds a little like an episode of Black Mirror, I heartily recommend the episode June Is Awful, which begins season six of that series. Go ahead and watch it. You will thank me later.