Sometimes being an astrology enthusiast is tough. There often isn't anybody around to dig into all the things you're learning about––from asteroids to Mars out of bounds. Unluckily for my very logical partner, Jay, that means he has to listen to my philosophizing about the stars and aspects and planetoids and centaurs.
On the flip side, I have to listen to him deeply analyze his favorite teams, players, dunks, jerseys, sports moments, bloopers, and on and on. I love to learn and listen to people who are passionate about something, even if I myself do not share that passion. It's exciting to see your favorite person lit up by something important to them.
So, being the Virgo that I am, I sought to strategically combine my passion with Jay's passion into an analytical and intuitive look at the horoscope of one of Jay's favorite NBA players: Damian Lillard.
Now, sports astrology is not new. I did not event this, (LOL I wish). But every astrologer comes at a reading with their own interpretations and intuitions. That, combined with the four years worth of stories and factoids from Jay, has become a profile I'm rather proud of. And a new series I'm hoping to continue on and off over the coming months as ALL OF THE SPORT start to ramp up once again.
Have a player/coach/owner/mascot/team you'd like me to investigate? Tweet me at @adchristiano and I'll add them to the list.
So without further ado, a deep dive into Damian Lillard.
The Natal Chart
First things first, Lillard has a strong presence of planets and asteroids in Cancer: The Sun, Jupiter, Chiron, and Pholus. On top of that, his Sun, Jupiter, and Chiron are all pretty much on top of each other, aka conjunct in traditional astrology lingo. What does this all mean? Well, in my interpretation, Cancer is a sensitive and home-oriented sign. The sun is tied to his identity and the way he sees himself, integrating that emotional intelligence into his day-to-day presentation. Plus, with Jupiter on top of his sun, that identity and persona is magnified and writ large in his life. Lillard has been extremely loyal to his first and only NBA franchise: The Portland Trailblazers. He’s made this city, and team, his home in a way typically not seen in sports today, where players are traded from team to team or navigate their way to their best chance for a title win.
But, with Chiron in the mix, this loyalty may also be his wounding. Chiron is an asteroid that represents our inner wounds, or even our ability to help others heal from traumas we ourselves are still suffering from. I think this is interesting for Lillard because he’s been so loyal to a franchise that just has not been able to put together the right team around him to bring that trophy home. This sense of loyalty may be misplaced, or a source of insecurity.
On top of this, all of this Cancer energy is opposite Saturn in Capricorn. Saturn acts as a barrier, a roadblock, but also a container for his more watery Cancerian energy. Portland might represent that safety and stability he craves, and an anchor keeping him rooted and focused on what matters to him.
On a more personal note, this Capricorn/Cancer opposition may represent a push and pull between feminine and masculine elements in his life, or even some parental/authority drama. Whether this is tied to his actual family, or differing opinions and dynamics with authority is unclear. Or it could be both. But interesting to note that push and pull so inherent in his chart.
A few other interesting tidbits before we dive into some fun forecasting for the 2021-2022 season. Lillard's Mars is in Taurus. Mars is the fiery planet of action, aggression, drive, and passion. Taurus is the sign of work-hard-to-nap-hard. Taurus will go out and plow the field, and then return to the nest to bask in the comforts of life’s luxuries. To me, these two energies create a beautiful sort of balance that reflects in the lack of controversy and drama in Lillard’s public persona. He’s here to do a job. He want to make headlines for his work, not his relationships.
He also has his Sun in Cancer square his Moon in Aries. The moon represents our needs and desires and the things that fill us up, which are ever-changing and move through us in cycles. His Moon is in Aries, which is the zodiacal sign that dives into things headfirst, that acts before it thinks, and that might butt heads with those around it. A moon in Aries may feel strongly driven by passionate emotions and a sense of independence. But this Moon-in-Aries independence may often be challenged by the Sun-in-Cancer loyalty. How does somebody stand out and push forward while also trying not to rock the boat? This inner tension may be a driving force for a very focused sort of ambition, but one that is slowed down by a series of tests or requirements that need to be fulfilled or met first. This aspect is also part of a larger T-Square in his chart connecting to that Saturn in Capricorn, building a constant source of conflict and tension that will force Lillard to be adaptable and ever-evolving. He’ll find the source of that adaptability through his Aries Moon.
Some Upcoming Transits
Training Camp Begins: 9/28
On the day Training camp begins and things really start to ramp up again, Lillard has some interesting aspects in his chart. First, he has an exact trine of the transiting sun to his Natal Mercury. To me, this means he’ll be sharing some very good news, or speaking up publicly about something important to him personally, likely something about fairness or equality or justice or something else culturally relevant (since the sun will be in Libra at this time). Maybe he’ll get a huge magazine cover or make headline news. With his natal Mercury in Leo, he does not shy away from speaking out. This is nicely balanced with the harmonious, transiting Libran sun. It also gets a bit of structure and support from transiting Saturn in Aquarius, which has been opposite his natal Mercury on-and-off all year. Saturn adds boundaries and guardrails to our lives, and Aquarius asks us to innovate on behalf of the collective.
The transiting sun will also, however, be Square his natal Uranus in Capricorn. This aspect will be exact on the 29th, and may mean some kind of shake-up or sudden change. This could be a brief moment or chaos, but something interesting to look to for sure. Especially since transiting Mars in Libra will also square his natal Uranus, amplifying and adding some extra fire and courage to whatever this change-up may be.
But there’s even MORE Uranian energy in this moment, too. This energy has been effecting him for some time now: Transiting Uranus in Taurus aspecting his natal Pluto in Scorpio. Uranus in Taurus asks all of us to rethink and change how we engage with the material world around us (i.e. climate change, late-stage capitalism). So this societal-level shake-up is staring right at at Lillard’s generational Pluto in Scorpio, stimulating an intense and transformation metamorphosis happening deep with him. Taurus and Scorpio form the axis of intensification and stabilization of the self. So there has been some serious inner change happening for Lillard, as stimulated by external circumstances.
Regular Season Begins: 10/20
The Regular Season for the Blazers kicks off on October 20th with a home game against the Sacramento Kings. At tip off, the transiting Moon will be conjunct his Natal Mars, stimulating his competitive, work-hard nature. Transiting Venus in Sagittarius trine his natal moon brings the game an optimistic vibe that will be helped out by his competitive and passionate personality.
On the more challenging side of things, transiting Mars in Libra will be square his heavily Cancerian natal aspects. Libra is represented by the scales, and is a symbol of justice and harmony and fairness. So the driving energy of this point in time is not necessarily all about win-win-win. This is a pretty lack-luster feeling for game day, and one that may become even more watered down when square to all that watery Cancerian energy. Will his loyalty to Portland pan out poorly on this first game day?
TV game: 10/23
A few days later, the Blazers have their first big televised game of the season against the Phoenix Suns. With only a few days having past, the transiting energies won’t have changed too much, but let’s take look!
First big change is that the transiting sun is now almost directly opposite his natal Mars. The Sun is now in Scorpio, an intense and powerful sign, adding a little fuel to the fire of his determined and diligent moon. Plus, this faster transit may be stimulating the Uranus/Pluto transit we talked about for training day. This game for Lillard may feel symbolic of a larger moment or energy happening in his life and in the world.
Transiting Mercury is Square his Natal Neptune, which may be adding some paranoia or insecurity to the mix that will either be deeply effecting his thoughts or even be something he openly speaks about that day. This could serve to propel him to compete at an even higher level.
Regular Season Concludes: 4/10/2022
With the conclusion of the regular season on April 10th, the weighting and distribution of the transiting chart has dramatically changed. Lillard will be experiencing one of his annual sun square sun aspects, giving him a boost of energy and self-confidence that gets magnified by the transiting sun square to Jupiter and focused by the Sun square to Saturn. Things may be looking up, but there will still be a few key hurdles that need to be leaped first.
Transiting Mercury will be conjunct his Natal Mars, adding an analytical vibe to his already hard-working ethics. This feels like a moment of inter-team communication and planning, and time to hunker down and figure shit out.
Interestingly, he also has transiting Venus sextile his natal Uranus. This feels like some kind of inner change will add some helpful energy to his team. There will be some harmony within the team that is assisted by his own willingness to change and experiment.
Plus, his natal Venus is getting a lot of helpful aspecting at this time. It feels like his place on the team and his relationship to those close and important to him is getting a lot of energy from this present moment. First, the transiting Sun in Aries is pushing him to lead. Jupiter in Pisces is challenging him to expand his role (could this also be related this his music career, since Pisces is one of the most creative of signs?). Saturn in Aquarius is asking him to set boundaries and create direction. And Neptune in Pisces is allowing him to dream big.
Play-offs Begin: 4/16
As the play-offs begin a week later, things haven’t changed too much. But there are a few transits to highlight.
The transiting Moon in Scorpio will be opposite his Natal Mars, activating his intensity and driving him to pull from his energetic depths. Mercury will be trine Neptune, helping him communicate on an almost non-verbal level. He may be extremely intuitive and inspired at this moment in time, making him see the world (and the game) in a spiritual way. This is sweetened by transiting Venus sextile to his natal Neptune, too, helping the team to vibe on a sublime level.
He’ll also be experiencing a Mars sextile Mars moment in his life, again giving him a gift of energy and drive that will help him succeed with ease.
Some challenging aspects are here, though. Including Jupiter square Venus, which could represent his emotions clouding his judgement and ability to read the field or sense emotional undercurrents.
Transiting Chiron will also be square Neptune, clouding this very spiritual and intuitive moment for him with some deep doubts and fears. The universe may be conspiring in his favor, but will his own insecurities hold him back?
Finals Begin: 6/2
As the finals begin, the energy in Lillard’s chart has taken a turn.
Wounded Healer Chiron is making several challenging aspects to his natal chart. Chiron is almost exactly conjunct his natal moon, revealing something about what he wants. It may be a low point energetically, as if he’s fully depleted. Chiron is also square natal Neptune, representing dreams deterred. But while this is a bit of a downer, squares can also propel us to make changes in our lives, too, if harnessed appropriately.
Lastly on the Chiron front, Lillard is experiencing his second Chiron-Chiron square, which is an extremely activating time in a person’s life. For a little bit of insight on how this might play out, let’s look at what was going on in Lillard’s Chiron-Chiron opposition (his first Chiron-Chiron square happened when he was only 6 - could this be tied to his childhood in Oakland, which he credits for the skills he developed and his diligent work ethic?). Lillard was 14 at the time of his Chiron-Chiron opposition (around 2004). This would have been when Lillard was a freshman in high school. As a Freshman, Lillard was a varsity player, and one of only two black players on the team. He comments in interviews about the complaints of parents within the school district, because they felt the Black coach was favoring Lillard as one of the few Black players. So when the coach left, Lillard left, too, transferring to another school for sophomore year. He made varsity there, but didn’t play because he had struggles with his new coach on this new team. This coach discouraged him from dreaming of the NBA. Lillard again transferred.
Notice a theme here? I won’t make any predictions for fear of rabid Blazers fans, but the pattern seems clear enough that you can figure it out for yourselves.
This second Chiron-Chiron square will be exact in January 2025. So the Blazers have some time to shape up before this aging but ever-loyal star gives up on them. However, the energy of this aspect in Lillard’s chart will be in effect between Summer 2022 and Winter 2025, so the window is closing in quickly.