Philip Hoffman Analysis
Although the world may find it hard to understand why Hoffman passed away so suddenly at the young age of 46 when everything seems to be fine, astrology gives a clear indication of the reasons why he felt so tormented.
Having Mercury in Cancer and Jupiter in Leo, he was able to portray sensitive roles with a natural flair and gift for acting. Venus in Virgo makes him very unselfish but also a bit reclusive and very understated. In fact, with his rumpled clothes, he looked more like an out-of-work actor rather than an Oscar-Winning star.
Blues and Jazz and country singers often remind you of Venus in Virgo sentiments (my wife left me, my mistress is not talking to me, I slipped on a banana peel..). There is a tendency towards self-pity and a poor-me attitude and the only way for them to get out of it is to save others. Volunteer work and their need to help others can be used to motivate them. If something happened to them then who will look after all the people you are helping?
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt also has Venus in Virgo and has always been known to play the sad parts very well. Hoffman usually played roles of those living on the fringe of society and played the downtrodden and tormented characters brilliantly as he most likely personally identified with them and put his own low self-worth in them.
Women who have very low self-esteem also often have Venus in Virgo and are extremely unselfish. They are always giving but have difficulty accepting from others and are often used and abused.
Cancer Leo on the 3rd house cusp (communication) gave him the ability to emotionally portray the roles and he won many awards and was one of the best actors for sure. However, Jupiter in Leo and Venus in Virgo can also give a bit of a defeatist attitude. The Leo side wants to project the best impression while the Virgo side is aware of every one of the defects. On the positive side, Venus in Virgo is excellent for organic food, natural herbal remedies, and a simple lifestyle. In women, they don’t care for a lot of makeup and prefer cotton to silk. I used to co-host Miss Orient in Los Angeles and was surprised to find so many top models with Venus in Virgo. However, it is easy to understand as they were quite concerned about the fat content of their body!
Mercury sq Saturn makes it difficult for people to communicate and they tend to be quieter. No wonder he didn’t communicate his problems very well nor did he care to look after his own health (Venus in Virgo). Ironically, they are so good at understanding health issues but just don’t for themselves enough to remain healthy. The best way for them to offset their negative theme is to change their self-pity into compassion for others.
Mars in Scorpio 20 degrees away from Neptune in Scorpio points to self-destructive and addictive tendencies even though it is 19 degrees off. I have always considered wider aspects when adverse Mars and Neptune aspects are involved. this is the hallmark of obsessions but excellent for acting where you can project your fantasies on the screen.
What Hoffman was Going Through
By Transits, Saturn was squaring his Moon in Aquarius and the Sun sign. An Adverse Saturn-Moon transit often makes one very unhappy and is one of the sings of deep depression. Being away from his home and children probably made him give up on himself and actually, the Saturn-Moon transit would have continued throughout 2014. Not having hope makes one gives up as and although I can understand why his wife got fed up with his addictions, her giving up at this time was very critical. He probably felt he didn’t have anything to look forward to.
Saturn-Moon transit also indicates a lack of iron when people become anemic. it also coincides with unhappiness in family and home as well as weak eyesight and when people start looking older as well. This happens approx every seven years but it is actually a 29-year cycle of Saturn. Saturn was also conjunct his Neptune (which is happening to everyone born in the ’60s) which made him feel very insecure about his own abilities and gives unwarranted fears and phobias.
The main aspect was the Saturn square Moon (depression) and lack of will to do anything about it and Pluto opposing his Mercury from last year which would have made him think a lot about life and death. This is the time people tend to go through a complete change in their attitude towards life and death.
It is remarkable that nobody really noticed the underlying causes of his depression and only astrology seems to give us a very good insight into the tragic loss of such a talented actor.
