Wealth (2nd house) based on Keanu Reeves' chart

I'd like to close the subject of the 2nd house and wealth by reading a natal chart of one of my favourite actors - Keanu Reeves. If this name doesn't ring any bell, I heartily encourage to read his biography, like the one on wikipedia :-)

His first serious acting debut began in 1986, but his true success came in 1999 after playing in The Matrix trilogy - series that made him recognizable worldwide. Now lately I've stumbled upon a short description of his life and it stated that a significant portion of his income from every Matrix series (tens of millions of dollars !!!!! and more for every subsequent movie) Keanu has devoted to charity and all members of the team working on the film (mainly to the special effects team and choreographers).

So what's up with the $$$? Generosity, extravagance or maybe something else? Let's take a closer look at Keanu Reeves' silhouette and see how The Matrix influenced his development and personality.

And as always, enjoy the reading :-)

History and the background of events

When Keanu was 3 years old, his father left the family, heading in an unknown direction. To be frank, the whole of Keanu's childhood lacked stability and firm roots. Lots of movement, going from country to country, absence of father and mother frequently changing partners - none of those built a sense of security.

Ultimately Keanu lands in United States of America and this is where his career begins. Reeves' first serious acting debut was in 1986, him playing a minor role in Young Blood. Gradually Keanu moved from smaller roles i.e. in River's Edge (1986), to more serious at Point Break (1992), Speed (1994) and The Devil's Advocate (1997). But the true success was achieved after playing in The Matrix trilogy, giving Keanu a worldwide notoriety and splendour. And at this peek moment of his vocational life, he decides to devote many millions of dollars to charities and to the movie crew behind The Matrix.

The sheer amount of money is staggering in itself, not to mention that Keanu was not a widely known actor at that stage of his life. He certainly would have found a use for the cash, i.e. spending it to improve his status of life. This whole story fascinated and encouraged me to look and find out how Keanu Reeves sees the world. How does the value system of a person willing to spend a great sum of money on charity look like?

There is a dark side to this story though. One can find various comments on the internet saying Keanu did not devote all this money on his own free will nor inspired by the hard work of others in such an important film project. The money would go to the film crew's pockets due to the nature of the signed contract that mentioned Keanu had to give up a portion of his income to the team working on The Matrix. Such enclosure was to act as a safeguard against a possible failure of the first part of the movie, so that the remaining two parts could be produced.

I do not know which version of the event is true, but none of them shows a greedy person, careless hulk or a scrooge. On the contrary, what I see is an image of a person who is able to devote a large part of his salary to ... well, a good movie? To wonderful people? To those in need? Or is everything just an calculated attempt to gain popularity?

That's not all. When Keanu got a role in The Devil Advocate, he decided to cut his salary by several million dollars to guarantee Al Pacino's salary. In addition, Reeves dropped a role in the second part of Speed, worth $11 million in that time. Yet another situation of Keanu casting away a role in the Heat (1995) choosing not to play alongside Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro in order to play in a small Hamlet production at one of the theatres in Winnipeg, Canada.

This whole situation with devoting money sums up to this - personal wealth is not defined by money, or at least more important matters exist than financial wealth.

Source: http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Reeves,_Keanu

Where did the idea to manage one's wealth in such a way come from? By looking at Keanu's natal chart I think the answer lies in the movie (Matrix) itself and its message to people. 

In Keanu's natal chart the 2nd house cusp is in Libra, thus wealth and attitude towards money will be defined by the quality of close relationships with people. And by that I mean not only the romantic relations, but every relation i.e. close friendships that are about doing something together and with harmony. People with this sign in the 2nd house earn (and attract) money thanks to courtesy, art and everything related to good manners.

The ruler of the 2nd house, Venus, is in the 11 house that is associated with acting for and supporting larger groups of people. Such house connection suggest a vision (11th house) strongly influencing money management habits (2nd house); this vision could be about creating harmony among people (Libra) or supporting them and being around people with similar convictions and goals. In the context of what can I make money on, Keanu earned a large sum on The Matrix portraying a group of humans sharing a similar ideal (11 house) of being free from the control of the machines. The movie is also about awakening, getting to know the truth about the world and making direct actions towards a better future. Keanu connected with the scenario of The Matrix and that caused his natal chart's potential to activate and attract money. If Keanu had known astrology, he could have used the knowledge to pick films with a 11th house theme to make sure they are profitable! 

The same Venus is conjunct the ruler of the 8th house - Mars. I'll again refer to The Matrix and the main character "Neo" that needs to wake up from the dream of the virtual reality (you might think of it as a hidden world, led and controlled by a mysterious forces - doesn't it sound like the 8th house?), in order to fight for what is valuable, true and is the core of humankind. One could say the battle motive (Mars connected to the ruler of the 2nd house) for one's ideals (Mars in the 11th house) is an excellent chance to earn money.

In my opinion the message of The Matrix was so universal for everyone (11th house) and in harmony with Keanu's life attitude that the possibility itself to play in something so grand was more important than money. 

The Matrix is not all there is to it though.

It is very easy to idealize Keanu (Moon trine Neptune), praising his generosity and goodness of the heart. But a noble person may also like to earn money. Something else has to hide in Keanu's history and personality (in relation to the 2nd house) that made him realize money is only a tool for tangible accumulation of something truly valuable.

As I mentioned, the rulers of the 2nd and 8th house are conjunct. The 8th house (in relation to the 2nd) symbolizes the qualities we absorb from others and then weave into our value system. Mars ruling the 8th house points towards inspiration of how others are fighting for their goals and how they use their will to achieve what they want. Because Mars is in a water sign, Keanu is impressed by how his loved ones are able to transform themselves, fight in spite of the hidden yearnings of the psyche, or use their will in a delicate, non-aggressive and empathic manner. 

Observation of all that mars-type behaviour will give Keanu the energy, determination and self-confidence when it comes to earning abilities.

Venus and Mars in a water sign (Cancer) are about Keanu's emotions affecting his financial decision - a simple but very meaningful conclusion. Emotions can be a powerful ally, providing intuition and sensitivity to help in self-motivation towards earn and being more confident about one's financial needs, but unaware emotions resemble a hidden, underground river with  waters that over time escape to the surface through instinctive reactions (i.e. fear) hindering the ability to earn.

To sum it up: the key to understanding the motivation behind Keanu's money-related decisions (2nd house) is to analyze his relations with other people (Venus), the transforming experiences resulting from emotional bonds with close ones (Mars, the ruler of the 8th house, with Venus) and especially with people Keanu considers family (Venus and Mars in Cancer).

Keanu's biography has many emotionally painful experiences...

The beginning of success - life reminds Keanu of the spiritual development 

The first major event that changed Keanu's value system was the death of his close friend (privately and professionally) - River Phoenix.

River died of a drug overdose. It was nothing like a "golden shot", while lying in bed. River met with his girlfriend and siblings in one of the clubs; the fun was so great they decided to go for drugs. Unfortunately, River overdid it and despite people trying to save him, died.

With an emphasis on the 12th house, Keanu will be attracting experiences related to retreating or looking for meaning in life. The subject of drugs or other intoxicants will be present in Keanu's life, because drugs are the simplest way to escape the unpleasant reality (and escapism highly interests people with strong 12th house).

Keanu with his 12th house will express a large part of his personality through connecting with other people, especially at the spiritual level. The death of a friend impacts Keanu in two ways - the first is associated with loss of a bond and the pain caused by it; the second means a confrontation with death by loosing oneself. And even though it was not Keanu that "lost himself", these experiences could have spurred fears and desires present in Keanu's inner world, exacerbating the internal confusion. It could have been Keanu that had lost himself there.

At the news of River's tragic death, Keanu said¹:

„All I can say is that I have never felt a thing like that before in my life. I was very sad and something beyond sad. I don't know what it is, just that you sob for hours ..."

¹ http://www.myriverphoenixcollection.com/keanu.html

Keanu Reeves' relocated chart for the place he frequently worked at - Los Angeles.

A comparison of Reeves' relocated chart (inner wheel) with the day of River Phoenix's death (outer wheel) - hour unknown. 

Keanu learnt about the death of his friend while shooting Speed. The film was produced mainly in Los Angeles, so I've taken this city as a reference site for the relocated birth horoscope. Relocation is necessary because Keanu was born in Lebanon (Middle East), but most of his time he spends in the USA and Canada.

Keanu's important transit at that time:

- Uranus and Neptune opposite the natal stellum in Cancer (Moon, Venus and Mars), with Venus and Mars ruling the natal chart's 2nd and 8th house

- Saturn square Jupiter in the 2nd house of the relocated chart

- Pluto and Mars opposite Jupiter

Uranus and Neptune are perceived as destroyers, especially when they touch such an important element of the horoscope like the Moon. The transit of these two planets explains the emotional chaos Keanu mentioned in the quote cited above - such an intense and peace disturbing (Uranus and Neptune) way of feeling (Moon), that is also difficult to define. Uranus and Neptune drastically change the current situation, forcing Keanu to redefine himself and discover a completely new and subtle ways his sensitivity can express itself.

On top of that, there is the Saturn square from the 11th house of the relocated horoscope to Jupiter, indicating a smack to a head with a reality check. This time the lesson of humility was realizing who the real friends are - that they are people with similar goals, points of view and interests as ours; they are priceless.

Unfortunately Saturn's lessons are often ... difficult, inseparable from disappointments and ends or deep sadness, like Keanu's example has showed. Despite all these experiences, Saturn's transits have the advantage of integrating their lessons in our personality ... for good. Keanu has learned that certain friends are like family - we feel comfortable with them, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. And no money in the world will bring back the life of a loved one.

Saturn transits alongside the transits of universal planets are special ... 

Imagine a glass filled with water. The water is a symbol of our emotions and the glass is the shape that allows us to actually express our emotions in a aware matter. The transit of Uranus and Neptune causes the glass to shatter and the fluid begins to pour all over the place. Suddenly our water (emotions) have no direction, no point of reference and because of that we need to find a new shape. And when we do find it, the new glass will determine a new way of using our water (emotions). The fluid will stay mostly the same though.

Now when Saturn tags along to the Uranus/Neptune duo, the changes will also take place in the quality of the water itself, resulting in the process of the fluid's purification. So when we manage to restore the shape (our glass), nor the water or the container will be the same. With Saturn and universal planets, the changes will be profound and not a matter of few years of sudden illumination/strength/freedom moments.

Getting back to Keanu Reeves ... the situation of his natal Jupiter is the most interesting one. This planet is strictly tied to what one considers valuable in both natal chart (aspecting the rulers of the 2nd and 8th house) and relocated chart (being in the 2nd house, directly defining what is valuable). 

Jupiter symbolizes development and the need for self-improvement. In Keanu's relocated chart, Jupiter is in the 2nd house in Taurus, thus the development in general will be connected with his state of possession and financial security. Who would have thought that this "need for safety" will not play a big role later in life.

The transiting Pluto is opposite the Jupiter - one of the keywords for Pluto transits is "death and rebirth". Such a transformation of Jupiter in Taurus entails a destruction of an outer layer that focuses only on the material aspect of things. Under this layer of Jupiter in Taurus, lies a need for self-improvement through harmony and appreciation of the material world (especially the nature) that allows to build faith in benevolent and supporting life. The luxuries and money help to achieve all these goals, but one can easily forget about the subtleties of the material by indulging in the pleasures of life. Having a too materialistic life approach and the need to define and label (money = ultimate value) distracts from what is really valuable in life i.e. acquiring an actual skill of being able to earn to meet one's needs. Keanu is an example that the generosity of Jupiter in Taurus doesn't have to have his name on it. The purpose of money is not to hoard it for the sake of it, but for the money to be where it is tangibly needed - and that's a very practical approach to finance that Taurus searches.

River's death is a highly emotionally charged event that forced (like Pluto does) Keanu to face the more painful aspects of the outer and inner life. 

Finally a look at how River Phoenix's friendship influences Keanu. 

Source: http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Phoenix,_River

From wealth perspective, the most obvious planetary combination is the Jupiter-Saturn double whammy - River's Saturn is conjunct Keanu's Jupiter and Keanu's Saturn is trine River's Jupiter. The Jupiter-Saturn duo has something of ying-yang in it, perfectly complementing each other. It is about finding a balance between expansion, the will to "reach for stars" and realism and the ability of a cooled assessment of the reality. 

One of the highest manifestation of Jupiter-Saturn connections is the need to impact the society, being able to lift people up (i.e. through inspiration, lofty ideals) while staying grounded enough to not be disconnected. Remember that Keanu and River were both actors and had the ability to influence the society in a broader matter through the roles they played and through the emotions and ideals they expressed.

The sudden loss of a friend was like having Jupiter (Keanu) without the Saturn (River), losing the balance and raising questions like: Will I be able to accomplish what I've dreamt about? (Jupiter without Saturn)

Remember when I was saying Keanu is inspired by other people's Mars qualities? Well River Phoenix's Ascendant ruler is Mars, dignified in the sign of Leo. River had a lot of the typical Mars energy to share :-)

Loss of close ones continues

Unfortunately the loss of a close friend was not the only painful loss in Keanu's life. In 2001, Keanu's ex-partner Jenifer Syme dies in a tragic car accident.

Earlier in 1999, Jenifer was pregnant and little Eva Archer Reeves was to be born. Unfortunately the newborn died shortly after childbirth. After that, the relationship between Jenifer and Keanu just wasn't the same and they eventually split, although still stayed close to each other. 

Source regarding the date of Keanu daughter's death: http://www.whoaisnotme.net/articles/2000_0111_kea.htm; time unkown

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Syme; time unknown

I've used Los Angeles again as the reference place. Didn't found a reliable source of information regarding the place Keanu lived at the time of Syme's death. 

Starting from the death of Jenifer Syme. Keanu's natal Jupiter is activated again, though this time through the Uranus transit. The whole value system of Keanu turns upside down (Uranus). The square from transiting Uranus suggests a difficulty in adapting to the changes - a hard to accept loss.

It's worth to mention the transiting Saturn in Taurus made a conjunction to Keanu's natal Jupiter just a few months before Syme's death. The energy of Saturn made Keanu think if the hopes he places (Jupiter) in the relationship are true. Was the relationship still full of faith and giving hope even after all what we (Keanu and Jenifer) went through? The Saturnic periods always show what will stand the test of time, and what will not ...

The Pluto transit - when everything burns out ...

Moments that change everything - that's how one can describe the Pluto transits.

Imagine how big of a change for Keanu were the news of his partner being pregnant, now having the possibility to form a real family. For someone with a strong Cancer sign like Keanu, it was to be a beginning of an extremely important stage of life. What's valuable for the Cancer sign is the ability to experience fatherhood, building a family and starting a tradition.

And indeed, Keanu entered a new stage in life, though it wasn't something he imagined it to be. Transiting Pluto was square do his Sun, totally changing the foundations of his personality (and each of his expectations) into ... ashes.

The events during the Pluto transit wiped out everything Keanu defined as his life. Practically every aspect of his life changed completely and irreversibly, that includes the way he expressed his individuality (Sun), how he expressed himself through words (Mercury), what he understand through personal freedom (Uranus). Keanu also confronted his darker side (Pluto), learning he cannot control life like he wanted it.

I believe at this point of life Keanu realizes that there is no greater value than relationships with people, the harmony that comes from the love of two people (Libra) and the desire to create a family (strong Cancer). So many losses - of a daughter, partner, a vision of family - made Keanu enter his inner world, just like great heroes were entering Hades, in order to find peace and understanding.

Keanu also has a stellum in Virgo, consisting of Sun, Mercury, Uranus and Pluto. Stellum means that the planets forming it mixed their meaning together in such a way they cannot be interpreted separately. Therefore the "Pluto transit" starts from the moment the first planet in the stellum (Sun, 9 degree Virgo) is aspected, ending after separating from the last planet (Pluto, 13 degree Virgo). Considering all of this, Pluto transit lasted from 1998 to the beginning of 2002.

The very same years (June 1999 - December 2001) fit well into the period of Keanu's progressive Moon entering the sign of Scorpio. This type of progression does NOT, in any way, suggest death, but it indicates emotions that are out of control. For Keanu, this specific progressive period was about learning to protect his privacy (being an actor meant being in the limelight of paparazzi) and having to deal with traumas. In the early stages of the progression, Scorpio's lesson meant protecting Syme from impudent journalists (also buying a secured house in the suburbs of Los Angeles), in later stages Keanu had to learn how to protect himself.

What's interesting is that the years 1998 - 2003 were the time of filming and releasing The Matrix - a movie that was to become a milestone in Keanu's career.

Enter the Matrix

The fact The Matrix was shot at this specific point in Keanu's life is a proof of an extraordinary importance of the movie for the actor. Whether Keanu realized it or not, The Matrix became a tool of his personal cleansing, mainly due to the values promoted in the film.

The Matrix acted like a mirror allowing Keanu to see his past experiences, thus making him subconsciously identify with the movie and its message. Although the Pluto's transit are extremely difficult and demanding, Pluto also makes us encounter people/circumstances that give us strength and perseverance to be able to rebound from the bottom.

What attracted Keanu Reeves to The Matrix? He says it was mainly the script²:

 „I was very lucky. Heh. Um, I got a call from my agent, saying that these directors, the Wachowskis, wanted to meet, and they sent me the script, and the script was absolutely amazing, and I went in to meet with them, and they showed me some artwork, of their vision, and an early version of "bullet time," and it was very exciting and inspiring, and we looked at each other, we ended up hanging out in a parking lot outside the offices just talking and riffing, and we basically just kinda shook hands - they told me they wanted me to train for 4 months prior to filming, and I got a big grin on my face and said: "Yes."

² https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2j4ce1/keanu_reeves_hello/

Why the values promoted in The Matrix reflect Keanu's internal state? Short description of the main story of the movie found on the internet:

"Neo (Keanu Reeves) is a brilliant hacker. One day he gets contacted by a mysterious Morpheus - a man who promises to give him knowledge of the reality which he lives in. To give the truth about two worlds: a real and generated one that only pretends to be real. Neo joins Morpheus' group and begins to see that the world he lived in was a fiction and his life was controlled by someone. The next steps of initiation make Neo ask new questions. What is the Matrix and who does it serve? And what role in Morpheus' plan he has to fulfil?"

Neo was forced to make a choice: to live on as he lived before in the unconscious state, or make his life more deep in order to see what he hasn't seen before. Neo chose the Truth.

Pluto transit surfaces all our fears and blocks and resembles making contact with the Truth. Usually there is no mysterious, black-haired Morpheus at our doorstep (that's a relief!), but we also have to make a choice - do we have the courage to confront our envy and sense of failure? Or shall we pick the comfort zone?

The Pluto transformation - the inner work with emotions and the outer film project - helped Keanu get in contact with himself and also pushed him to a completely new level of social life (Pluto aspecting the Sun in the Virgo stellum) with universal recognition and fame. Keanu's story is a proof that it's worth to confront life's adversities, because after falling there's always a rise.

A Life starts on the barren land

Summary

Keanu's definition of wealth consists of a broad, unifying ideal (the ruler of the natal 2nd house in the 11th house) reminding everyone they belong to one Family. Family in this case has a broad meaning; Keanu with Moon-Neptune aspect does not limit family only to something so "mundane" as blood ties. It is the bond that is the most important and the spiritual bond is a universal connection that can unite people regardless of blood.

Loss of all the close ones hurt (River Phoenix, Jeniffer Syme and Eve Reeves), leaving a void that could not be completely filled. At the same time, this kind of experiences shifted Keanu's perception about the true wealth - that it is in fact coming from rewarding relationships and the presence of people in his life. 

From the astrological point of view, Los Angeles became a place that helped Keanu expand his understanding of wealth (Jupiter in the 2nd house of the relocated chart). From a practical point of view, this Jupiter placement worked in Keanu's favour, giving him a chance to play in roles that not only brought popularity, but also big money. The Matrix trilogy was a major financial success, but also a history Keanu could reflect in and transform himself. Now that's luck.

The death of River (transiting Pluto opposite Jupiter), death of Jennifer (transiting Uranus square Jupiter) becomes a springboard for a higher awareness - it's good to have money, but it doesn't give you what is the most valuable.