What Astrology Tells Me About the Johnny Depp & Amber Heard Verdict

People had asked me to write an analysis on the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial. I couldn't because I was too busy, and quite frankly, I was trying (and failing) to avoid the whole thing because on a personal level, I found it too triggering. That said, after actually seeing their astrological charts, it is (as you will see) amazing how much they line up with the current transits, and upon realizing that it was Johnny Depp's birthday yesterday (at the time of me writing this), I just couldn't resist writing about it now that I finally have some free time.

As I wrote in my previous article, this past Mercury in Retrograde (which interestingly enough, passed through both Johnny and Amber's Sun Signs - Gemini & Taurus, respectively) stationed Direct at 26 degrees Taurus on June 3rd. This is significant considering that the Lunar Eclipse on May 16th took place on the opposing degree. Well it just so happens that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard also both have their Venus at 26 degrees Taurus (!), which may have very well been what brought these two otherwise incompatible folks together. The trial started on April 12th and went on for six weeks, but throughout the three and a half weeks Mercury was in Retrograde, it was all anybody could talk about.

Greek Myths Playing Out Before Us

The fixed star Algol is located at 26 degrees Taurus. This star, located in the Perseus constellation, has quite a bad reputation amongst astrologers. It is known to cause violence, misfortune and even death (and I mean, look, perhaps Algol had a part to play in why the United States - where the total eclipse in Scorpio was visible - experienced such an increase in rampant gun violence within the past couple of months). With Algol conjunct Amber's Venus, she is seen by obviously biased pro-Depp astrologers as the personification of evil, a witch that must be burned at the stake, but these same astrologers take it to mean something different in Johnny's chart. They take it to mean he is a sweet, innocent victim of an evil bitch devil woman. I interpret it a little bit differently...

Algol is the Head of Medusa, the snake-headed gorgon with a stare that turned men into stone. The thing is, Medusa wasn't always like this. Medusa was once a beautiful woman, the desire of all men, but tragedy struck when sea-god Poseidon decided to rape her inside of Athena's temple. Instead of blaming Poseidon for such a disgusting action, Athena directed her rage solely at Medusa for desecrating her sacred space and/or breaking her vow of celibacy, depending on which version of the myth you subscribe to. In any case, Athena cursed Medusa due to circumstances already out of her control. A victim of victimhood, Athena's curse turned her into a "hideous" figure with a head full of snakes and a dangerous gaze, and this is the Medusa we are all familiar with - not only was her appearance cursed but her reputation, her story, as well. Viewing the Amber Heard trial through the lens of this myth, we can clearly see that she is a Medusa-like figure. A beautiful woman blamed for being a victim, her reputation is being torn to shreds, demonized by the media as a personification of evil, but throughout it all, she remains standing strong.

Johnny Depp, on the other hand, is clearly Perseus. Perseus, immortalized in the constellation where Algol is located, was the Greek Hero who killed Medusa by cutting off her head, which he later used to rescue Andromeda (turning her capturers into stone). According to AstrologyKing, in a nativity, Perseus "gives an intelligent, strong, bold and adventurous nature, but a tendency to lying." As my Facebook friend, astrologer, Alan Wyrick put it, Johnny Depp is being typecast as the "hero" who "rescued" his career.

One last point: the North Node is not too far from the 26th degree of Taurus, as well, a possible sign that their relationship is "karmic" in nature.

Mercury and Saturn Retrograde on the Same Day!!!

As you may or may not already know, Amber Heard has decided to appeal the verdict, and honestly, the fact that this trial - and the jury's decision to vilify her - took place during Mercury's Retrograde through Gemini & Taurus makes me think that the chances of winning her appeal are more likely than they would be if this trial had taken place at a different time. Mercury Retrograde is like Murphy's Law: everything that can go wrong will go wrong, which is why most astrologers would advise against making legal decisions during this time, if so possible, particularly if it is affecting your chart. All the little things, like paperwork or evidence, can go wrong or get missing. Things get delayed, the jury falls asleep. Details are misunderstood and the truth is turned on its head. The possibility of making the wrong decision at this time is probable, meaning that Amber has a lot on her side to back her up. After all, the jury's decision seems more personal than legal in nature, considering the defamation suit concerns an article that 1. did not mention him by name, and 2. was only published after he had already lost his contract with Disney. Even if she does not win the appeal, I think something will change. Maybe it's a matter of Depp allowing her to keep the money. Or perhaps, this means more evidence coming out in her favor and turning the direction of public opinion over to her side.

Granted, Mercury Retrograde is a rather over-hyped transit. It does not affect everyone and everything, but as stated before, it does affect the natal charts of both individuals involved, which makes it no coincidence that their trial dominated the media at this point. Furthermore, this trial took place during a period in Johnny Depp's life when Mercury's transits were particularly important. Johnny Depp was 58 at the time of his trial. Thus, he was going through his 11th house profection year. As a Leo Rising, his 11th house his ruled by Gemini and his 1st house ruler (the Sun) is located there, as well. Gemini is ruled by Mercury, therefore making Mercury's transits essential for the year. More on this in a bit, but first, I want to talk about Saturn:

It just so happened that on June 3rd, the same day Mercury went Direct, Saturn stationed Retrograde at 25 degrees Aquarius. Saturn in Aquarius, the sign of its domicile, is all about the ideas and social structures that govern society. With Saturn Retrograde in this fixed air sign, these ideas or structures are changing or perhaps reverting back to how they were before; did we outgrow everything or can some information from the past remain useful? Given the effect it has on Johnny Depp's natal chart, in particular, I think that while Saturn Direct may have seemed beneficial for Johnny, Saturn's Retrograde will bring out any flaw of his that may have been overlooked, begging him to take accountability for his actions. Here's why:

Johnny Depp was born with Saturn Retrograde at 23 degrees Aquarius. Thus, he is in the midst of experiencing his second Saturn Return, which went exact some time in mid-April, around the same time this trial first started. It will go exact again at the end of July. The Saturn Return is seen by many astrologers as the most significant transit that we'll ever encounter. As the "Great Malefic," Saturn's Return is often a period full of trials and tribulations, bringing loss and restriction to whatever house it inhabits in the native's chart. On occasion, Saturn Returns can also bring rewards, but ultimately, this transit is about responsibility, maturity, and it serves as a much-needed reality check: have we been doing what we are supposed to be doing? have we been living up to our full potential? If the answer is "yes," that's where recognitions and rewards may come in, but usually the answer is "no," or "not fully" in which case, you can prepare for all hell to break loose. Johnny Depp was born with Saturn in the 7th house, the house of marriage and intimate relationships, a difficult placement for partnerships in general, but as the focal point of his Saturn Return, now is an especially difficult time for them, hence going to court.

To get a better understanding of what's going on now, it may be helpful to take a look at what happened to Johnny Depp, during his last (first!) Saturn Return, which took place in November 1993. To list one event, Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder broke up that year, possibly as a result of problems with age difference. Rumor has it that Johnny Depp was quite in love with her - getting engaged to her only five months after their first break - and consequently, quite heartbroken over their break-up, changing his tattoo "Winona Forever" to "Wino Forever." So, it makes sense that once again, relationships - controversial age-gap relationships with intense media interest - would be the central issue. Another event concerns the Viper Room, a bar owned by Depp, where River Phoenix died on Halloween night that same year. While I am not personally making any accusations, some of River Phoenix's fans accused Depp of giving him the drug cocktail that lead to his fatal overdose. Rumor has it that Depp was jealous because Phoenix was going to star as Ryder's love interest in a movie entitled "Broken Dream:" production was shut down after his death.

Johnny Depp's 59th Year: why his reputation is at risk

Johnny Depp is a Leo Ascendant - charming, charismatic, and confident, always ready to take center stage, although he may also be a bit narcissistic at times. Leo is ruled by the Sun, center of our solar system, which is located in the 11th house of Johnny Depp's natal chart. The 11th house is the house of friends and social groups, alliances, and also fans, making him quite the popular person. Because 58 is an 11th house profection year, all these themes were highlighted and no wonder he had a successful trial: he had the public on his side! The Solar Return, much like his natal, contained a Leo Ascendant with Sun in the 11th, and Mercury (the 11th house ruler) Retrograde applying to a conjunction with it. In other words, a lot of his former fans and friends came back. While a few years back, he received some blows to his reputation, not only because of Amber Heard but because of his own problems with alcoholism, he seemed to "win" back the public's support with this verdict.

However, his 11th house profection year is over. On June 9th, 2022, less than a week after Amber Heard's decision to appeal, he turned 59, entering into a 12th house profection year. In contrast to the positive themes of the 11th house, the 12th house is associated with more "negative" themes such as exile, isolation, and hidden enemies. Johnny Depp's 12th house is ruled by the Moon, which is not located in a very strong position in his nativity. Depp's Moon is in Capricorn, the sign of it's detriment, signifying a very difficult home life and relationship with his mother, in particular. Moon in the 6th house is also not a great sign and can potentially signify health problems of some kind, possibly mental, given that it is the Moon, lady of lunacy. This leads me to believe he's going to fall out of the public's favor. I'd have to look at his Solar Return, to be sure (and I will in a moment) but first, I'd like to mention that it's something similar that lead me to correctly predict Donald Trump's loss to Joe Biden, back in 2020: while the 11th house was prominent in Trump's 2016 Solar Return chart (leading to victory), the 12th house was prominent in his 2020 Solar Return, leading to loss.

The Moon is in 1st house of his Solar Return, in the sign of Libra, making it a very emotional year, full of ups-and-downs. Furthermore, the Moon is applying to a close opposition with Jupiter (L6 of the SR) and Mars (L7 of the SR) indicating trouble getting along with others and possibly even health difficulties. He may have trouble managing his anger, potentially leading to physical conflict and definitely leading to legal battles (7th house overlaps with the 9th in his natal chart). The 12th house of the Solar Return is ruled by Mercury, which is located in the 8th house, the house of death and debt. Venus, the Solar Return's Ascendant ruler, is located here, as well. It overlaps the 10th house (career) in his natal, and it is making a square to Saturn in Aquarius/the 5th house, overlapping with the 7th house (relationships) in his natal, indicating a debt to pay (or a loss of some kind - like a loss of favor with the public) regarding his career, as a result of relationship difficulties. At the very least, it looks like a very anxious year for Johnny: perhaps, he's paranoid about being "found out" and losing fans as a result. Furthermore, his natal 12th house (Cancer) overlaps with the 10th house of his Solar Return chart, indicating that his career, reputation and public image is the area of life where his "exile and isolation" will take place. The 12th house is associated with secrets and scandal, and when it overlaps with the 10th house, it's a sure-fire sign that these will be made public, causing controversy and a turn-for-the-worst in public opinion.

Johnny Depp & Amber Heard Synastry

Unfortunately, we cannot say much about Amber's chart because she has no known birth time. However, she does have a rather significant t-square between an Aries Mercury, an exalted Capricorn Mars, and a Libra Moon. Her haters love to use this against her, but I have Mars square Moon in my own chart and I can speak firsthand about its significations. This aspect can be indicative of aggression, sure, and there is no doubt that Amber has a bit of an aggressive personality, made even stronger by her Aries Mercury. However, the Moon rules family and Moon square Mars is even more likely to be a sign that she grew up in an aggressive household. This need not necessarily mean an abusive one, but I would guess that her upbringing might have involved frequently listening to her parents fight, and because people who grow up in these dynamics know nothing else, they often grow up to confuse anger with love and wind up in abusive relationships as a result of it being familiar to them. Moon square Mars can also be a sign of domestic violence on its own, without any parental involvement, suggesting that she is a victim. This is particularly true if involving the 7th house, which I'm convinced might be the case for her. Mercury's involvement suggests verbal abuse, in particular, which Johnny's text to her surely are. It could also suggest being a victim to malicious lies and slander, which she unquestionably was. We cannot say anymore than that without knowing the house significations but if I had toa wager bet, I would guess her to be a Cardinal Ascendant. Lots of people are suspecting her to be a Leo Rising like Johnny and I could see it, but taking this configuration into consideration and what a major part it plays in her relationships (7H) and career (10H), I suspect her to be a cardinal rising, most likely Aries, Cancer or Libra.

Considering this lack of birth time, I cannot go deep into this couple's synastry. However, there are a couple of important things I'd like to point out regarding some of the aspects I have already touched upon.

1. Amber Heard's exalted Mars is conjunct Johnny Depp's troubled Moon in Capricorn. This is a sign that she "triggered" his "mommy issues" and a sign of domestic difficulty.

2. Amber Heard's Venus in Taurus is square Johnny Depp's Saturn in Aquarius, both planets in their home sign. This is a sign that Amber felt trapped in the relationship, possibly even controlled.

In Conclusion...

While the relationship may have been destined, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard clearly were no good for each other, and most likely, triggered each other's attachment or family issues.

Amber Heard has a better chance of winning her appeal than she would have, had this verdict been decided at a different date. Even if she doesn't win, however, the court of public opinion that decided on Depp's victory is likely to change their mind, once more secrets and scandals involving his personal life are leaked to the public.