I feel for Charlie Sheen.  He’s paid $1.8 million an episode to play himself.  Then, when he gets off work, he acts like himself and gets in trouble.  Then he arranges TV interviews where he acts like himself (and his character on Two and a Half Men) and people think he’s a jerk.   Then the show where he plays himself is canceled because of all this.  Charlie Sheen is confused.  If his character, Charlie Harper, which is essentially Charlie Sheen, is so attractive to the television audience, why isn’t he attractive in real life?

Charlie Sheen is a Sun-sign Virgo.  There was another famous Sun-sign Virgo who also had this trouble with identity – Michael Jackson.  Is this a Virgo problem?

Virgos born during the late-1950s through the mid-1960s have been blessed or cursed, depending on how you look at it, with Uranus and Pluto transiting Virgo at the time they were born.  That means in the charts of these Virgos, Uranus and Pluto are conjunct their natal suns.  Many years ago I pondered why the Virgos around me seemed so extreme, a quality I associated more with Aquarius than Virgo.  I then remembered that Uranus, the planet of sudden awakenings and Pluto the planet of transformation, were conjunct and sitting on the top of the sun-sign Virgos of my generation.   Virgos born during this time will experience lives of awakenings and transformations.  Since Virgo isn’t a sign necessarily seeking these kinds of extreme experiences, it can be difficult for them.

Virgo born during the late-1950s through mid-1960s have the typical qualities of discrimination, perfection, service and interest in health & diet, but in extreme.   If these Virgos go on a diet, they don’t merely count calories.  They eat celery and cranberry juice only for six days then have a seven-course meal on Sundays.  Now you know where the weird diet fads have come from.  As I write, I realize anorexia and other eating disorders have increased with this generation.   Anorexia is perfection in extreme.

So how does this relate to Charlie Sheen?  In addition to Sun in Virgo, Sheen has Moon in Sagittarius, Saturn in Pisces and Jupiter in Gemini.  The astrologers out there recognize this as a very intense mutable grand cross.  Sheen has most of his chart in mutable signs indicating he is moody, changeable and unpredictable.  When in trouble, Sheen avoids.

The public image Sheen is creating relates mostly to the Moon in Sagittarius, a freedom-loving fire sign that is not known for responsibility and boundaries.  The open drinking, sexing and partying is Moon in Sagittarius talking.  I’m sure Sheen’s moon is having a good time.  But how is Sheen’s Sun in Virgo feeling?

I suspect that Sheen’s Sun in Virgo does seek perfection in extreme and because perfection is not truly achievable, he reacts by becoming the bad boy.  I’m guessing his internal talk goes something like this, “Since I can’t be perfect, I may as well be bad.  Entirely bad.  Perfectly bad. ”

Also involved in this grand square is Saturn in Pisces, opposing the Virgo wall of perfection. While all this partying and reaction against perfection is in place, Saturn is whispering in Sheen’s ear that he is really worth nothing, and that true spiritual connection with those around him will never occur.  With a message like that, it is difficult not to feel what is called “depression.”

This generation of Uranus conjunct Pluto opposing Saturn occurred during the Hippie Movement.  Remember when people dropped out and fought against the establishment?  Those born during these times have this energy in their DNA.  Sheen has an inner hippie, fighting against authority.

This is complicated stuff.  Virgo and its opposite sign Pisces do not have the strong egos of other signs.  I believe that is because both signs relate to service and to be of service to others, you can’t carry a strong ego with you.

So why do we like Charlie Harper but not Charlie Sheen?  My guess is that we use television to vicariously live and feel aspects of ourselves we don’t want to create in daily life – which I consider a good thing.  I can watch a horror film of someone being chased with a knife, feel the fear and scream my own inner fears and frustrations into the movie theater.  I’d prefer not to have the actual knife and masked pursuer in my life.

Charlie Harper the character can help Charlie Sheen the person express and feel the negative aspects of his personality before he self-destructs.  Hopefully Sheen can learn the difference before it’s too late.  Sheen’s recent interviews suggest he doesn’t understand that Charlie Harper will never die, but Charlie Sheen will.