This entry is titled Rudy Giuliani, but it really should be: “What The Hell Is Happening With This Guy? Can I See It Astrologically?” This is an interesting case for the impact of the approach and departure of the planets when they’re in aspect. The concept is that when you have an approaching aspect, the influence gets stronger as you get older and if they’re departing, they tend to lose influence.

There are also complex aspects that involve two or more planets and the theory is that a planet departing an aspect with one planet and approaching an aspect with a third planet can carry or combine the influence of itself and the other to the third planet. I’m a bit of a novice with that but will try to work out some of that in the analysis.

For the birth time, I used Astrodatabank but the Regiomontanus house system, and for the bio I used Wikipedia. The Wikipedia entry is long but reading through the lines, you start to notice hints of opportunism and hunger for power that have been on display quite prominently in the past few years.

If you read my post on Kamala Harris, it’s pretty obvious that I am not a fan of a certain ex-President, but I moved to the NYC area in 2000 and had a certain respect for Giuliani after 9/11, when we were all a little bit more innocent (or I was just young and not as politically-minded). The transformation of him from respected leader to, to put it bluntly, a punchline, has been surprising.

**Giuliani’s ASC & MC showing with house distortion**

First, let’s look at the chart as a whole. We see Virgo on the Ascendant and Gemini on the MC, so automatically Mercury and the idea of mutability is going to be a focus. We also see all 10 planets above the horizon, an early indicator that this guy is really intent on building up his own future. We also have 6 planets on the east, including a stellium in Leo so it reinforces the sense that he’s really only focused on his own needs. Another thing I noticed is that none of the planets are in water which, unless there’s other mitigating factors in the chart, can mean this person lacks empathy for others. Water has to do with emotional connection so the lack of it in a chart can make relationships difficult. Maybe not for him, but I bet if we ask one of his 3 ex-wives, they’d have a lot to say on the subject.

As an aside, it’s also interesting that 9 of the 10 planets are in spring and summer signs. This can give a lot of energy but also a certain level of immaturity or impulsiveness. Given his Sun in Gemini approaching unpredictable Uranus in Gemini, this becomes more destructive as he gets older, but we’ll get to that soon. In contrast, fall and winter signs give maturity and gravitas, but can also prevent you from taking action. The spring signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, the summer signs are Cancer, Leo and Virgo, the fall signs are Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius, and the winter signs are Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.

Notice also that because of the time and location of his birth, there is house distortion. He has the same signs on 1/12 and 6/7, meaning the affairs of these houses are yoked together lifelong. Somehow his life (ASC) will always be associated with 12th house affairs, while his partnerships will always be connected to 6th house affairs. In addition, this causes the signs of Capricorn and Cancer to be enclosed on his 4/10 axis, meaning he has trouble expressing the qualities of those signs. I’d say the care and concern for others associated with Cancer and the responsibility and foresight of Capricorn.

One of the things that really surprised me when I first looked at this chart was that he has so many planets in high honor: Venus in domicile, Mercury, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter in Triplicity, and Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, nicely placed in air. Typically, a planet in high honor expresses the more refined qualities of a sign and provides stability of action so I would expect this guy to be less shady than he appears.

**Giuliani’s planets in domicile and triplicity**

So, what accounts for such a hard fall from grace? Clearly this is a powerful chart. You don’t receive the level of notoriety he has without strong motivation, drive and help along the way. He’s strategic, determined, and adaptable and has influential friends in his corner. He’s managed to leverage these strengths into a long list of accomplishments and honors. The problem here is exaggeration. There are parts of this chart that are so strong that they drown out the more subtle and constructive influences, especially as he gets older. The outsized ego and the insatiable need for more (money, power, influence, love, etc.) are, in my opinion, what do him in. The key factors I’d call out are:

Stellium in Leo

The strength of this stellium in Leo in his 11th house gives an insatiable lust for power and an oversized ego
It also represents his powerful friends who succeed in overpowering his will (the Sun)

Corrupted Mercury, ruler of his ASC & MC

The destructive influence of the stellium in Leo on both Mercury & its dispositor, Venus

The destructive influence of Neptune

Neptune affects critical parts of his chart which makes him easily seduced by others
On his ASC, it also gives him the ability to be cagey and, in my mind, slippery

The Sun separating from Neptune and approaching Uranus

As he gets older, he becomes more involved in the affairs of government, foreigners and the law
This is also one explanation for his increasingly erratic behavior

Multiple of connections among Sun, Neptune and planets in the stellium

It’s hard to discuss these out of context to his overall motivation (Ascendant, Midheaven, Sun & Moon) so I’ve included the full analysis below.

ASCENDANT (ASC)

The last degree of Virgo is on the ASC with Mercury in his 8th house in Taurus. Mercury is the planet of commerce in the house of other people’s money and in the very practical, money-oriented sign of Taurus. There’s a strong desire for him to be associated with wealthy individuals and to somehow be involved with their money. There is of course a very sharp intellect and shrewdness as well that we can’t discount. His career has been extremely successful and punctuated by multiple honors which provided financial success and notoriety.

Look at Mercury’s dispositors, the Venus in Taurus in his 9th and the Moon in Leo in his 11th as part of his stellium. These two planets become more important as he ages, connecting his life to government (Venus in earth in the 9th) and powerful friends (Moon in Leo in his 11th). As we look at the stellium, we’ll see that this Moon in ego-centric Leo is having a negative effect on this Venus. They’re in an approaching square aspect, and when we add in Jupiter, there’s a sense of a growing lust for power and, notably, vanity (hello, melting hair dye!).

**Giuliani’s ASC & ruler Mercury + dispositors**

I’ve mentioned this in some of the other case studies, but I’ve learned to take into account the next sign if a cusp is in the last 3 degrees. In this case, I’d also look at the rulers of Libra – Venus by domicile and Saturn by exaltation – by house position and sign position to see how they further modify the ASC.

Venus is in his 9th in domicile in Taurus, while Saturn is right on the cusp of his Midheaven (MC) working for his 10th house in the sign of Gemini. Venus in Taurus gives a love of material comforts and a strong sensual nature. It’s the beauty-for-commerce side of Venus vs. the partner-dependent Venus in Libra. This Venus is also the dispositor of Mercury so the proverbial “good life” must have enormous appeal to him. Read through his early life section on Wikipedia and this makes sense given his working-class and seemingly unstable background. Financial security would be extremely important, especially as an earth sign with his ruler in an earth sign. In his 9th house, we see how it strongly colors his entire outlook.

Saturn in Gemini provides concentration and can curb the more flighty, immature behavior of Gemini. The connection to his 10th house also shows that his career and standing in the public eye is extremely important to him.

**Venus and Saturn as co-rulers of the ASC due to the influence of Libra on the ASC**

Adding another layer to this is the fact that both Venus and Saturn are aspecting the cusp of his ASC, Venus sends a trine and Saturn sends a square. Venus is in domicile so I’d guess he’s very good in social situations. Not only is he able to turn on the charm, but he has the social graces to fit in with those of a certain stature. Saturn squaring adds motivation and the mutability signals multiple careers or interests. (Not only was he a lawyer and Mayor of NYC, he has held a variety of other positions and had his own law firms and consulting businesses.)

**Venus and Saturn sending aspects to the ASC**

NEPTUNE

Now let’s look at this Neptune. It’s sitting right on the cusp in the sign of Libra in his 1st house. Any planet in the 1st house has a tremendous impact on our personality, our body and the way we behave. Neptune can give imagination, creativity and compassion, but it’s also the sign of deception, fantasy, confusion and seduction. One thing I’ve learned from my teacher is that it’s not a benefit to have Neptune sitting on your ASC. Notice that Neptune is the ruler of Pisces, the sign on the cusp of his 7th (and 6th) house.

With the ruler of 7 in 1, people come to him for his expertise, but I’d say he’s easily seduced by them as well. We can definitely see this in his multiple affairs and marriages, but also those entities that appeal to his greed and desire for power. There’s more to come on that when we get to this stellium in Leo.

If we think of Neptune as coming from the 6th, we get a sense of the health issues that have affected him as well. My teacher likes to say that wherever you see the sign Pisces in your chart is where you’ll suffer. For example, I have it on my 2nd house and I can tell you that, along with Venus square Jupiter, my love of shiny, pretty things hasn’t always led to the best financial decisions.

**Neptune on the ASC as ruler of his 7th and 6th houses**

The planet most closely aspecting this Neptune is Mars in Leo sending a sextile from the 11th house. I’d read this as power fantasies and the need to be elevated. Mars in Leo is excellent for energy, motivation and creativity, but is very self-centered. There’s no consideration for others, zero desire to share the spotlight, and definitely no pity. Combine that with the sextile from Pluto in Leo and you can get an explosive intensity and scorched earth effect in order to get what he wants. If we take Neptune as signifying his partner, it can’t have been easy being married to him.

If we flip this idea and take the Mars and Pluto as representing his friends and “network” because of the 11th house placement, the people in his orbit are extremely powerful, power-hungry, ego-centric, and merciless. Sound like anyone you know? In the Archetype, Virgo is the 6th sign and follows Leo, signifying that Virgo serves the King as a counselor which to me reinforces this idea that he serves his powerful friends. These friends are connected to the government if we derivate* and take Pisces ruling Giuliani’s 7th as the 9th of his friends.

* Derivation is a technique that uses a house in the chart to represent the Ascendant of a particular person or event in that person’s life. For example, if I want to know about my husband’s family, I’d start with my 7th house, representing my husband, and count 4 signs counter clockwise to find his 4th house. So, my 10th house would represent his 4th house.

**Mars and Pluto representing Giuliani’s friends**

This Neptune is also, because of its retrograde action and placement near the ASC, influencing his Sun and all 4 major house cusps (1, 4, 7, and 10) through aspects, AND sending an approaching trine to Venus and an approaching square to Saturn, co-rulers of his ASC. We have to lessen some of the impact because some are out-of-sign aspects, but the sense is that this Neptune becomes more powerful as he gets older as it makes a tighter aspect with his ASC.

**Additional impact of Neptune on critical parts of Giuliani’s chart**

MIDHEAVEN/MC

Moving on to the MC, we see Gemini at 29 degrees with Cancer enclosed so we’ll need to look at Mercury again as well as the Moon and Jupiter. We’ll also need to take the Saturn into account again since it’s working for the 10th house and conjunct the cusp.

Gemini on the MC gives the sense of a career focused around ideas and intelligence, but instead of, say, teaching, Mercury in Taurus in 8 makes him very practical, prioritizing commercial and financial aspects instead. Since Mercury is also the ruler of his ASC, it has a double-determination on his life and strengthens the connection between him and the 8th house. The mutability of Gemini hints at multiple careers and interests. See also Neptune in Libra forming an out-of-sign square, again connecting 1 & 10 in a significant way and adding to this sense of being under the influence of others.

Next, we look at the Moon in terms of his MC and we see it in the 11th house in Leo. His career is going to be very involved with the hidden motivations of his friends, which in Leo denotes supremacy. Leo doesn’t share power so we can see the beginnings the strong influence of his associates on his career.

Jupiter is also in Leo and conjunct this Moon, so he definitely has skill and luck (Jupiter being in high honor). His job is to make money for his boss, which we can see if we take Giuliani’s career (the MC) as the 1st house of his boss. The rulers are in his 11th which is their 2nd house, so he’s very good at it.

This Jupiter, along with the Moon, is also in an approaching square to Mercury, forming another connection between his career and the money of other (very powerful) people. In fact, we see that Mercury and Jupiter are the rulers of all 4 angles as well, if you take Jupiter as the traditional ruler of Pisces. There’s an increasing motivation to achieve, the pressure from his friends, the insatiable need for power and the money/resources of others, etc. In general, I’d say that there’s a feeling of never being satisfied, which becomes expressed through his career, relationships, money, etc.

**The impact of Cancer and its rulers on his MC**

Finally, we need to take a look at this Saturn as both a planet in the 10th and in aspect to the house cusp. We mentioned this Saturn in Gemini is connected to his ASC and gives a steady and concentrated intellect, further helped by Mercury in Taurus. The feeling I get here is he’s able be pick information apart in precise detail, and he’s been able to use that skill to his advantage in his career with great success.

Saturn also comes from his 4th and 5th houses as ruler of both Capricorn (intercepted) and Uranus. I’d also take his 2nd house into account since Saturn is the ruler of Libra by exaltation. His resources and background have helped him achieve. The connection to the 5th house may seem benign, but if we look at it from the perspective of his friends and network (Rudy’s 11th), his 5th house is their 7th. They bring their partners to him through his career. In Aquarius, I’d say they’re unpredictable and connected to the government through the Uranus in his 9th.

MOON AND SUN DYNAMIC

The connection between the Sun and Moon in a chart is very important because they show what you crave (the Moon) and how you organize your life to try to achieve it (the Sun). In Giuliani’s case, what he craves is power. Not the Scorpio power of emotional control, but the Leo power of absolute supremacy. To achieve it, he organizes his life around ideas and knowledge (Gemini). Knowledge becomes a commodity to him, especially when we consider Mercury, dispositor of the Sun, in the 8th in Taurus.

The Moon is already important because it’s co-ruler of his MC and connected to both his Mercury and Venus by dispositorship, but when we look closer, we see that Rudy’s Moon is at the disposal of this Sun. The Sun rules his 11th house, which we could read that he/his career is under the control of the others, especially in government or from other countries (9th house – foreign places & people). However, the Sun in Giuliani’s 9th is also the 12th of his bosses. He knows the boss’s secrets.

His Sun is at the disposal of Mercury, which as ruler of the 1st signifies him, so you would think he’d ultimately have the upper hand, but we need to account for the approaching square between Mercury and Jupiter. He becomes increasingly involved in the work of powerful friends (Jupiter as ruler of his 4th/friends’ 6th) and their money. Is it a happy-go-lucky trine? No, it’s a square, denoting pressure, and the Jupiter has the potential to overwhelm the lighter Mercury.

This is where we also come back to the departing trine between the Sun and Neptune. The trine denotes ease or identification so my interpretation here is a slipperiness or shape-shifter type of effect. It’s easy for him to justify his actions when there’s something he wants.

We also see this Sun is departing from both Pluto in the 11th and Neptune in the 1st while approaching Uranus in his 9th house. We mentioned Uranus in relation to his MC as ruler of his 5th, combining these power fantasies with pleasures, speculation, the government and foreign interests. And, we could this as he becomes more involved with the associates/partners of his friends, which leads to erratic behavior and disruption. If we derivate some more, Uranus rules the 7th of his 11th (Giuliani’s 5th house) strengthening the connection to these people through association. What is the result? Look to the dispositor – Mercury in Taurus in the 8th. He gets the money of other people.

STELLIUM IN LEO + THE 11th HOUSE

We’ve noted several times already the influence of these planets in Leo, but let’s take another look at how impactful these are to him and his life. First, we need to acknowledge that a stellium is a rare and powerful configuration, and in Leo it’s in marked contrast to his Virgo ASC. The signs Leo and Virgo are inconjunct so they don’t really have anything to do with each other. Does he come off as a practical and sensible Virgo? Maybe early on in his career, but he certainly has a large ego and desperately wants the power and authority of Leo that comes through his association with powerful people. In fact, this stellium is a major reason some of the more constructive influences in his chart are sidelined.

The planets in this stellium are Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and the Moon. Mars and Jupiter, as we mentioned, are in high honor, but this isn’t an easy group of planets. Together, these 4 are the rulers of Giuliani’s 8th house (money of others, obligations), 3rd house (communication, teachers), 4th house (home/family background, government), 7th house (partnerships), 6th house (work, skills), 10th house (career/honors) and 9th house (outlook, foreign travel, government). Pretty important, right? That’s 7 houses, so 50% of his affairs are connected to Leo and his 11th house of friends, networking and role in society.

I’d take Mars as the most important planet here for 3 reasons. First, it’s in high honor of triplicity. Second, it’s the planet closest to the cusp and approaching it, and third, it’s in aspect with the Sun, the ruler of the stellium. Notice this Mars rules both his 8th house through Aries and his 3rd through Scorpio. We can even say it’s connected to his 4th through Capricorn since Mars is the ruler by exaltation. If we put it together with what we’ve already covered about his powerful friends (11th) and his ASC (Mercury in 8), we can see that he’s learned to wield power through his relationships with his friends. Not only does it make him money, but he’s elevated through association.

Pluto adds intensity and an obsessive quality to this power-drive. Connected to his 3rd, his communication style can be bombastic and ego-centric. I’m sure he doesn’t like to be contradicted or told no, and he also probably has a hair-trigger on his temper. Notice also that Giuliani’s 3rd house is the 5th of his friends. His friends and associates are not gentle, peace-loving sorts. They enjoy power and control.

Jupiter adds energy and enthusiasm, plus a certain degree of showmanship. Jupiter also expands, however, so the desires of Leo can quickly become exaggerated and overwhelm. Jupiter also represents his business partners and their pleasures as well so it must take a lot to satisfy their needs. To add a splash of positivity, this Jupiter is also approaching his Saturn, leading to public honors.

The Moon we’ve looked at as representative of his cravings and his career, but the lightness of the planet means that it can quickly be overwhelmed by other planets. Here, I would say Mars, Pluto and Jupiter “corrupt” the influence of the Moon. It also overwhelms Mercury (him) and Venus through the square aspect. Whether taken as his oversized ego and desire for power or his dangerous friends, the effect is that this stellium overwhelms his relatively weak Mercury. This Moon is also separating from Mercury and approaching the Venus in Taurus, which I’d take as his increasing involvement in government and with foreign nations. Again, these square aspects denote energy and action as defined by the Mars in Leo (ego-based, very aggressive).

So, this is a complex formation, but we also need to look again at the Sun as the dispositor of the stellium and the fact that they’re in sextile by sign (Leo to Gemini). The mutability and youthful energy of the sign prevent the Sun (his will) from being strongly oriented one way or another. Saturn helps, but Mercury’s placement gives the sense is that his ethics and actions are dependent on what is in his best interest, financially and professionally.

Dispositorship also means that you basically bring that energy into each house, so Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and the Moon influence the 9th, while the Sun influences the 11th. You can read this in several different ways depending on what you want to know. For example, his powerful friends are connected to the governments of foreign nations, the boss makes money through Giuliani’s actions, and his will (the Sun) is extremely influenced by his friends.

**The Sun as dispositor of all 4 planets in Leo**

So here we are again…I feel like I’ve written a small novel and barely scratched the surface. There’s so much more to dig in to if we want to go into his 3 marriages (7th, 9th and 11th houses), his children (5th house), his health (6/12 axis) take a look at his karmic challenges (moon nodes, 12th house), etc., but all good things must come to an end.

Let me know if you have questions, or if you see even more in this chart. Thanks for reading.

RUDY GIULIANI

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