“George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin this year. Amal is a human rights lawyer who worked on the Enron case; was an adviser to Kofi Annan regarding Syria; and was selected for a three-person UN commission investigating rules of war violations in the Gaza Strip.

So tonight, her husband is getting a lifetime achievement award.” 

—Tina Fey, Golden Globes 2015 

I’ve admired George Clooney’s history of making smart films, but my opinion of him went up when he married lawyer Amal Alamuddin. Amal’s work on behalf of women is admirable in many ways. Let’s take a look at her natal chart.

Her exact birth time is unknown. Let’s try a birth time of 10:30 a.m. This puts Mercury right on the Midheaven in the 10th house, and her Venus-Sun conjunction also in the 10th. Rectification (pinpointing an unknown birth time) is a time-consuming task—one of the more difficult in astrology. There are arguments I could see for other natal times, particularly in terms of progressions, but let’s roll with this one and see what happens. In some ways, Mercury on the Midheaven and Venus conjunct Sun in her 10th would explain her remarkable work and career in ways other aspects of her chart do not. Without knowing a birth time for one side, of course, aspects of the following analysis must remain speculative.

Amal means “hope” in Arabic: she was born during a momentary break from civil war in Lebanon, from which the family was forced to flee. Given her childhood, I’d also expect to see something like Mars or Uranus in the 4th house. Indeed, this birth time puts Mars in the 4th, right on her IC, reflecting perhaps a fraught relationship with home while lending particular weight to that Midheaven by Mars’opposition, putting much of her external focus on career.

This all seems a plausible enough argument to me to warrant having some fun looking at their charts. As we’ll see, the 10:30 a.m. chart makes some striking interaspects with George’s, both natally and by progression.

Amal

To start with the planet of intellect, Amal definitely has her Mercury in Capricorn, the hardest-working sign of the zodiac, which gives her intellectual authority. This is someone we’ll naturally listen to.

Her Moon in Sagittarius is always going to be close to Neptune in a more or less exact conjunction (up to a max of about 8 degrees apart depending on time of birth). This would account for Amal’s sensitivity to suffering and high ideals, as well as go some way toward explaining the ethereal quality apparent in many of her photographs.

She has Mars in Cancer—a highly emotional sign. This Mars makes Amal a gracious interlocutor and gives her that compassionate demeanor. Stephen Arroyo suggests those with Mars in Cancer are sympathetic, but also “capable of fearless action to protect” those they care about, so watch out—that Mars is whip smart. With her Mars opposing Mercury in Capricorn, she’s a quick thinker, at ease with a quick retort, and very difficult to shake.

Mercury directly opposing Mars and Neptune-Moon opposing Jupiter feel like strengths to me in this chart: Jupiter will increase her devotion to fairness, equality, and fellow women (Neptune-Moon), while Mars will increase her ability to fight intelligently with words (Mercury). Of Mercury-Mars connections, Sue Tompkins writes, “the mind is the chief weapon and there is a need for ample opportunity to sharpen it”—a perfect fit for a legal mind.

On the whole, despite some sensitivity—which is really a strength—Amal’s strong Mercury, Saturn, and Uranus tilt her overall balance toward the mind and action. Her Moon in Sag, a mutable Fire sign, is also more inclined to get to work on solving problems than to dwell—in this case, on philosophical, big-picture issues, reflected in Amal’s work in establishing legal recourse for victims of violence, genocide, and rape. She’s writing a forthcoming book on the topic with a former colleague, Philippa Webb—“a real page-turner!” as Amal describes it in a 2018 Vogue interview (content warning at that link about the experience of a client Amal is defending). Her Sun sextile Moon adds to this stability: she follows her instincts, and her overall personality and ego are generally integrated with her emotions. This is not someone who hesitates or second-guesses.

Add the square from Uranus to her Sun-Venus conjunction, and the point is further emphasized: her mind is not only quick, but it’s also, in the Uranian sense, inventive, future-directed. She’s not interested in the old, but in building the new. Her Jupiter in Gemini keeps her focused on the biggest issues: the establishment of international legal processes is a frontier that will continue to be constructed over coming decades and could have tremendous impact on global peace and stability, not to mention victims of violence and war.

Gravitas established, let’s look at the aspects that point to her now charmed life. Her Sun-Venus conjunction is generally a highly favorable placement, and she’s certainly dazzling; Arroyo also observes a “marked kindness” with this conjunction. With a Taurus ascendant at the 10:30 time, she’ll share a taste for the finer things in life with George’s Taurus Sun. In Vogue, she describes the two attempting to go on a cleanse—they gave up wine and coffee—that lasted 11 days of a planned three weeks. “We’re like, Aren’t we supposed to be feeling amazing?” she said. Taureans just don’t see the point of deprivation.

Both Taurus rising and her Venus-Sun also explain her sweet fashion sense—with Uranus squaring her Venus, she likes to feel unique. George nails it when describing her style:

“It’s eccentric, but it’s a fun sense of fashion. How she does it while she’s got 11 cases she’s working on, and she was teaching at Columbia, and she’s still like, ‘I want to wear that dress.’ … It has been sort of fascinating to watch, because she has such great taste.”

Her ability to seemingly effortlessly pull off all the angles, from the Oscars to arguing a case before the UN, is part of what makes her an important advocate for women. No mistake, those angles are deliberate: “I hate the idea that you somehow, as a human being, have to be put in a box,” Amal told Vogue. “There’s no reason why lawyers can’t be fun—or actresses can’t be serious.”

Her South Node in Aries conjunct Eris suggests she’s comfortable fighting for women. Asteroid Amalthea, a close match to her own name, is also conjunct her natal Ceres: she will identify with the nurturing quality of Ceres, the grain goddess, and express it strongly. This woman was born to be an intelligent fighter, and women are naturally under her wing.

Mr. Clooney

With glamorous Neptune opposing his natal Sun, George Clooney’s matinee idol charm has made him one of the leading actors of our time. With that Neptune, he’ll also have a charming ability to divert us from the less pleasant aspects of anything at all, explaining his crowd-pleasing humor.

But George, with Mercury conjunct his Sun and a Moon conjunct Saturn, needs a partner he can respect and take seriously, emotionally and intellectually. If he were ever to marry again, it would have to be someone he admires. In Amal, he met his match. “I’ve never been happier in a relationship by any stretch of the imagination,” he said in 2016—which, considering his Taurean serial monogamy (has anyone been able to keep track?), says a lot.

I see his natal Mercury-Sun as central to his personality. It’s funny, because the sharp intelligence of that conjunction seems overshadowed by his looks, given the nature of Hollywood. But Up in the Air, Ides of March, Syriana are arguably among the best Hollywood movies of recent memory. Good Night and Good Luck, which Clooney co-wrote and directed—a tribute to Edward R. Murrow, a revered mid-20th century news broadcaster—was also a movie much admired among journalists. George’s father was a journalist, yet even with the vocation in the family, this is not the choice of a light mind. He’s clearly no stranger to award nominations.

Vesta-Venus: Sacred relationship

George Clooney has fascinating feminine asteroid and planetary placements. (His birth time is known.) Pallas and Juno are conjunct on either side of his Ascendant, adding a razor-sharp quickness to his intelligence (Pallas) and a strong commitment to fairness and social equality to his values (Juno).

His Venus, in his 1st house at 13 degrees Leo, is also surrounded by lady power: Eris, Vesta, and Ceres all conjunct Venus within 7 degrees. Eris is closest, at 3 degrees, suggesting he’ll admire feminine warriors: remember Stacy Keibler, the professional wrestler he once dated—as well as, of course, legal ace Amal.

These asteroids may make George inclined toward equal partnership, but it’s Vesta on Venus that seems most likely to astrologically explain his longtime bachelor status. Of Vesta combined with Venus, Dawn Bogrodi wrote for The Mountain Astrologer, “only the serious and the well-intended, the purest of heart, need apply.”

Amal herself has Saturn squaring her 7th house Vesta: for her to be interested, it also has to be the real thing. As she thoughtfully told Vogue, a committed relationship is

“the one thing in life that I think is the biggest determinant of happiness, and it’s the thing you have the least control over. …

Are you going to meet this person? I was 35 when I met him. It wasn’t obvious that it was going to happen for me. And I wasn’t willing or excited about the idea of getting married or having a family in the absence of that.”

Sheesh—35 isn’t old, not for someone with a career as all-consuming as hers (is a male bachelor old at the same age?). What’s inspiring is that she didn’t capitulate to societal expectations about life path, “settling,” “settling down.” That Vesta-Saturn likely helped.

Amal & George

They may be Aquarius and Taurus sun signs—fixed air and fixed earth may not always get along—but looking at other aspects of their charts reveals why they’re a pair. Amal’s independent Aquarius Sun and Sag Moon are going to give George plenty of freedom, while not even questioning the same for herself. A Taurus ascendant for Amal means they’d share many values and modes of natural expression, and with her Capricorn Mercury conjunct his Saturn-Moon (at just a 1-minute orb at the 10:30 time), she’s likely to get him to open up in ways few others have. These connections reflect the security and mutual understanding this match seems to have for them.

Moving to the synastry, his Venus-Eris exactly conjuncts Amal’s Eris: he’ll support her battles unhesitatingly. His Jupiter also falls in her 10th house of career, in a wide conjunction to her Sun: he’ll make her look better, on a broader stage, than she already does. As he told Vogue:

“She’s the professional, and I’m the amateur. … I get to see someone at the absolute top of their game doing their job better than anybody I’ve ever seen.”

In their synastry, Amal’s part of fortune nearly exactly conjoins George’s Juno (an asteroid that signifies marriage), while George’s part of fortune is conjunct her Jupiter: they’ll both be lucky with this pairing. With George’s Midheaven conjunct Amal’s Neptune and his Neptune on her Descendant, it’s likely they connected instantly, mutually a bit dazzled—and they’ll make each other even more glamorous (if that’s possible). From Vogue:

“Of course she was beautiful,” George says. “But I also thought she was fascinating, and I thought she was brilliant. Her life was incredibly exciting—the clients she was taking on and the superhuman work that she was doing. I was taken with her from the moment I saw her.”

Amalia and Georgeclooney: More romance

Here’s where the fun is—in the asteroids. Again, I’m using the 10:30 am birth time for Amal.

To begin with, Amal’s Eros exactly conjuncts George’s Ascendant, while his Eros exactly conjuncts her Descendant. The asteroid Eros, named for the Greek god of desire and son of Aphrodite, represents love and passion. To find it exact on an angle in both charts is relatively rare.

It’s also revealing to look at asteroids similar to or matching a couple’s respective names. There are three close matches for “Amal” among the asteroids: Amaldi, Amalthea, and Amalia. They are indeed all strikingly placed. Amaldi in George’s chart conjuncts asteroid Union in Amal’s chart—while Amalthea in Amal’s chart is within 3 degrees of George’s Union. Amalia in George’s natal chart also conjuncts his North Node within minutes, while Amalthea in his chart is conjunct Amal’s Ascendant. It’s like the universe is saying: she’s the one, George.

Of course, we can’t forget namesake asteroid Georgeclooney (the discoverer who named it apparently a fan): in the synastry, in George’s chart, Georgeclooney trines Amal’s Sun exactly, and closely aspects her Venus and Moon. George’s Georgeclooney is also conjunct Amal’s natal Pluto-Vertex conjunction, suggesting he’ll transform her relationships—while Georgeclooney in Amal’s chart exactly conjoins George’s Sun-Mercury conjunction: she might recognize him instantly, and he’ll feel the same. (Follow that? Heh. )

Finally, George’s Haumea falls on Amal’s Saturn: the Hawaiian goddess of fertility would suggest children for this pair, and in fact twins were born in 2017.

Proposal and marriage

On the date George proposed, April 22, 2013, the asteroid Loving was exactly conjunct Amal’s progressed North Node in the 10th house. Meanwhile, asteroids Georgeclooney and Amalia were just 2 degrees apart, 2 degrees from her Descendant.

In George’s progressed chart at the time, the asteroid Amaldi in his 11th house directly opposed Georgeclooney in his 5th. More impressively, progressed Lovejoy was sandwiched right in the middle of his natal Sun-Mercury conjunction, conjoining both, and the whole sandwich exactly sextiled Pluto—suggesting the transformations that love and joy do, well, tend to bring.

George’s progressed Eros was making aspects to other progressed planets as well—trining his Sun, squaring Jupiter, and sextiling Pluto, all exactly. Meanwhile, progressed Pallas and Juno were conjunct to one degree in his 11th house in Pisces—a poetic cosmic reference to his birth chart’s Ascendant, indeed, which as we saw is flanked by those two asteroids, and a remarkable signature of a steadfast bachelor (Pallas) finding fidelity and commitment (Juno).

At their marriage, on September 27, 2014, progressed Juno was exact on Amal’s natal Midheaven (marriage that propels career), progressed Ceres conjunct her natal Juno (nurturing conjunct commitment), and the progressed Vertex (a point that can signify important relationships) conjunct her natal Descendant. Progressed asteroid Destinn was exactly trine her progressed Mars and 2 degrees from an applying conjunction to her progressed Sun. Asteroid Fortuna was also squaring her natal Ascendant. Her fortune, along with the way she’s perceived in the world—which the Ascendant represents—had without a doubt changed.

Meanwhile, in their Davison composite (which can reflect the way a relationship feels from inside), Jupiter is conjunct the Descendant, squaring an Eros-Juno-Moon conjunction at the MC. It’s difficult to find a more romantic expression of happy pairing, one in this case very much in the public eye at the Midheaven.

As George said in 2015: “I couldn’t be happier right now. I wake up in the morning and I think, ‘This couldn’t be better.’”