New to ATEEZ, but I’ve decided to try an astrological chart reading anyway. Happy to announce that Hongjoong and his chart are wonderfully complicated.
✦ Disclaimer
I do not know him personally, no harm intended, others may interpret differently. I’ve been studying astrology for six years, and I take this seriously and try my best. Feel free to ask any questions you have!
✦ Note
I will not be discussing parents, family, or earlier life to preserve some privacy. This is not a full chart reading, just some highlights I found to be fascinating. He should contact me, I have questions I want answered.
✦ Overview
Before everything else, so many placements and aspects in his chart scream the need to consistently transform his sense of self—Sun in Scorpio in 9H, Midheaven in Scorpio, Uranus in Aquarius in 1H, Neptune conjunct Ascendant, Mercury conjunct Pluto, Mars in Virgo in 8H. Whoever he was a year ago is not necessarily who he is today. He loves to see how he has improved himself over time because he is obsessed with bettering himself. There’s a battle of dark and light, black and white, trying to remain open-minded while sticking to his instinctual duality.
Another large portion of his chart is concerned with distrust of authority and the craving of freedom. Sun in 9H, Uranus in 1H, Saturn in Aries—he wants control. It’s a sore spot. But he’s also really good at getting these authority figures to like him? That Venus, man…
This is very much an artist’s chart, and I can’t see him doing anything not involved with creativity. Sun conjunct Venus, Venus conjunct MC, Venus quintile Neptune, Saturn square Neptune, Moon in 5H, Uranus in 1H—all of these are creative and artistic. He needs to put his whole heart into what he loves or he’ll be miserable. Creativity is his emotional outlet.
He’s an intense person. He sort of won the jackpot when it comes to a lot of placements great for idols and creatives in general.
✦ Neptune conjunct Ascendant in Capricorn (First House)
Ironically, he is whoever you want him to be. Idols and celebrities in general with Neptune aspecting the Ascendant do very well in the limelight because they’re able to adapt themselves to whoever is around them at any given time. One great way to look at it is that Neptune rules over mirrors, so his identity reflects like a mirror whoever he needs to be at that time. Wonderful for actors and idols. Another idol with this aspect is Soyeon from (G)I-DLE, except she’s a Virgo Sun.
His sense of self is fluid. He’s able to read the room and act accordingly without thinking much about it, or perhaps even overthinking it and worrying about it. He’s aware of others’ emotions and “vibes” if you will. Not that he’s necessarily good at handling them (Gemini Moon, Capricorn Neptune), but if someone is upset, he knows it.
He’s sensitive and emotional…but this is in Capricorn, the great suppressor of everything. Keep that shit on lockdown. All the mutable signs… He is running from that! We’ll get to that in a bit. He’s INFP, right? He doesn’t feel in a “your emotions are my emotions” way (um, Seonghwa Cancer Moon in 12H), his way is very…difficult to quantify, almost sideways or backwards to others. Makes sense to him, though!
Capricorn Neptune quintile Scorpio Midheaven
About a year ago, I went on a deep dive into quintiles and discovered their usefulness—specifically in that they describe an innate talent for something. This is something inherently within the person that they don’t necessarily notice about themself except through thorough introspection. It forms connections and has a deeply human quality to it. It is, at its most basic form, pure joy and creativity, like Leo. With Neptune ruling over everything from deception to transcendence to lack of boundaries to enchantment… Oh, yeah, she’s a mystical planet, but it’s not all terrifying. The way I would interpret it is that he is innately talented in projecting a certain persona to maintain his outward image. Inside could be turmoil, outside looks fine and dandy, or vice versa. Like I said, he is who you want him to be in that moment. Unlike someone with Sun in 12H, he does have a firm sense of his identity. But it is always in flux. Does this make sense?
✦ Uranus in Aquarius (First House)
Now here is where we start seeing the cravings of freedom and a continuation of the constant shifting of the self. Uranus is the drastic revolutionary of the planets, changing at the drop of a hat, and having it in 1H makes for an eccentric person who doesn’t want to conform to others’ or society’s expectations. Again, contradictions because all that Capricorn Ascendant wants to do is conform. He will do whatever the fuck he wants. He’s not chill about it. Just let him do his thing. He’ll figure out a way to do it anyway because he’s so fucking stubborn.
Having this, along with his Sun conjunct MC, is a great quality for a leader. He would not do well if someone else was in charge of this group.
Trying to figure out the best way to describe this placement, and I guess you could say… He feels like there is no one like him…
Scorpio Sun square Aquarius Uranus
A lot like Uranus in 1H, an overall strange and unique personality and not afraid to do his own thing. The square makes this somewhat difficult because it’s a challenging aspect after all, so it becomes that desire to rebel/desire to conform once again, fluctuating between the two at odd moments. Touchy—not physically but temperamental and anxious. I guess you could associate this aspect with that of the mad genius trope, determined that they are right with their innovations too grand for current society. He doesn’t like to be compared to others. Extremely willful and stubborn. He’s lucky he has a lot of mutable signs, otherwise he would be more overbearing and wouldn’t “go with the flow” as easily. That being said, he will still resist and find his own way to do things if he really doesn’t want to do them.
Scorpio Venus square Aquarius Uranus
He runs hot and cold with people, very either/or, and I would say that someone else in the group who acts a lot like this would be Seonghwa(!), who has Venus in Aquarius in 8H. One day he’s your best friend, then he won’t talk to you for three weeks, then he’ll come back and act like nothing has changed. Values his freedom in his relationships with others. He’s very attached to those he considers himself close with (Scorpio Venus, Descendant in Cancer), but he still needs his space to do his own thing. Deeply afraid of rejection and will appear aloof or unreachable emotionally because of this. Unconventionality, beauty in the diverse, unique sense of style.
✦ Jupiter Rx in Pisces (Second House)
Once again with the eccentricities… Jupiter is domicile in Pisces, meaning it operates best there, but the retrograde gives it an introspective twist. Everything has value to him. Truly just seeking deeper meaning than what lies on this mortal plane. He would be so fun to have a philosophical conversation with because he would take it so seriously and yet be very silly about it. Very inspirational, likes to give and receive what he considers worthy, such as love. Bit backwards in showing his affections, but it’s important to him.
Virgo Mars opposite Pisces Jupiter Rx
One of my books describes this as a Holy Crusader, fighting for a belief or against one; I personally describe Mars-Jupiter contacts as obsessive overachievers. Completely enamored with whatever he deems is his for the time. There is a need to go out and do everything, to continue to heap on to his pile of tasks, consistently adding more and more, and if there’s nothing or no one stopping him, he won’t stop.
The Virgo-Pisces opposition is incredibly fascinating because this adds an innately sacrificial component to him, the serviceable and boundary-setting Virgo combined with the compassion and boundary-dissolving of Pisces ends up creating the perfectionistic martyr of sorts. If it’s not perfect, it’s not seeing the light of day.
Side note: Lots of Mars-Jupiter hard aspect energy in ATEEZ. We have some fighters here. Calm down. Hongjoong has Virgo Mars opposite Pisces Jupiter, Yeosang has Libra Mars opposite Aries Jupiter, San has Scorpio Mars opposite Taurus Jupiter, Wooyoung has Capricorn Mars square Aries Jupiter, Jongho has Virgo Mars square Gemini Jupiter.
Seonghwa has Mars conjunct Saturn in Aries, Mingi has Scorpio Mars opposite Taurus Saturn, Yunho has the same aspect as Mingi but as a very weak opposition (10° orb). Saturn the constrictor is sort of the contrast to Jupiter the exacerbator.
It’s fascinating to see these dynamics at play. They’re all extremely hard workers, and their charts show that.
✦ Saturn Rx in Aries (Third House)
This is his chart ruler, the most important planet in his chart besides Sun and Moon. Saturn is called the greater malefic because of its rulership over authority and control, and when placed in the third house of communication, it can manifest as someone who is afraid to communicate or rather lacks the capabilities to communicate effectively. The fact that it’s in Aries (in fall), and 29° (itchy and unstable), and retrograde… Sorry to this man. He’s not a small talker. And he says the wrong thing at the wrong time and has to live with the mortifying concept of being known. Really dry and direct sense of humor. He is just…awkward. 😭 That’s okay! His Sagittarius Mercury both emphasizes and contradicts this. He’ll say a lot of things, but not necessarily say what he truly feels unless he’s poked and prodded enough.
Aries Saturn Rx square Capricorn Neptune
This aspect is really good for fighting (square) to create the ideal (Neptune) into reality (Saturn). It also deals with guilt and fears, especially the fear of losing control. A materialist with karmic guilt that he absolves by creating and dissipating it to the collective. For instance, a writer or musician.
✦ Moon in Gemini (Fifth House)
Long story short, Gemini is a mutable air sign, and a lot of astrologers can interpret air sign Moons as unemotional. WRONG. He is a very passionate and emotional and thoughtful person; he processes his emotions differently and likes to put them into words and rationalize them. Meanwhile, Saturn in 3H that affects his ability to communicate effectively exists. Moon sextile Saturn, which impacts this further. Do you see the vision here? I do think he tries his best, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out the way he wants it to, and he has to figure out a different way of doing things.
If there’s one thing mutable signs love to do, it is avoid. He has five mutable planets in his chart (Gemini Moon, Sagittarius Mercury, Virgo Mars, Pisces Jupiter, Sagittarius Pluto), which is half of the planets, so you can see why avoiding can be a major issue here. Luckily he’s a Capricorn Ascendant, reliable and steady, and he has enough passion and drive to keep him going due to his Mars placement and the massive amount of Scorpio influence.
Gemini Moons are everywhere at once…petty and playful and curious. You know the drink dispensers at fast food places and there’s that one person who will hit every flavor to get a chaotic blend of every drink that tastes the absolute worst because Hi-C and Coca-Cola were not meant to be mixed together? Ask him a weird fact he’s learned recently, I’m sure he’ll have at least five on hand. Great at mimicking others, if not literally mimicking then through trying to become others, like idolizing an older sibling. Shoutout to Yunho and San, the other two Gemini Moons in ATEEZ. Seonghwa, Yeosang, Mingi, and Wooyoung are all Cancer Moons. Jongho is either Pisces or Aries, likely the latter.
Gemini Moon square Virgo Mars, square Pisces Jupiter Rx + Mars-Jupiter opposition
This is what astrologers call a T-square (because it looks like a T, two squares connected by an opposition), fueled by activity and acting before thinking. The planets locked in this (Moon, Mars, Jupiter) are also extremely active. Mars is drive, aggression, action, impulse, the need to do rather than sit idle. This is a very volatile aspect, very quick to respond to any sort of perceived attack and sensitive to conflict. Moon and Mars are in signs ruled by Mercury, there’s so much rationalizing going on here, so he’s likely overthinking every little aspect. “Act first, think later” planets in “think fast” signs. Jupiter is aspected to these two as well, so it’s exacerbated. Ah… Overwhelmed… The apex planet is the Gemini Moon in 5H—turn to creativity to let those deep-seated feelings loose.
Moon square Mars indicates lots of coming and going in his home life, nothing’s ever really stable—ironic considering all that IC in Taurus wants is stability. Moon square Jupiter can be extreme, emotionally fighting on behalf of his beliefs. Defensive over those he cares about. He can make fun of his friends, but you as an outsider can’t.
Gemini Moon sextile Aries Saturn Rx
Security and long-term goals (Moon and Saturn) meet in active and short-term signs (Aries and Gemini). Dependable, reliable, direct, loyal. This is a fairly serious aspect, but the Aries and Gemini make it more playful and full of banter. He will keep his promises…the Sagittarius Mercury might make them a bit later than you anticipated, though. I think that this aspect calms down a fair amount of the Moon-Jupiter aspect, makes him more chill.
His Moon is important in his chart, really brings together who he is. He has planets in Houses 1, 5, and 9—associated with the fire signs of Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, these bring passion and spirit to everything he does. His sense of self (1H) influences his creativity (5H) which in turn influences other people through his visions (9H). Fantastic for an entertainer.
✦ Mars in Virgo (Eighth House)
This placement is part of why his stage presence is like that. You know what I mean.
Eighth house, as well as its associates Scorpio and Pluto, tends to scare or intimidate people because it rules over everything from death, rebirth, and surgery to taxes, legacies, inheritances, and anything hidden or taboo. At its core, 8H rules over base instincts, the primal drive within us all. Whatever is buried will eventually surface, sometimes in explosive or drastic ways if not channeled into constructive outlets. This house also symbolizes “that which is shared”—the opposite of 2H, which is what you alone possess. It’s the give and the take, the you and I merging to become we. 7H is initial one on one interactions, and 8H adds depth to these relationships.
Unfortunately, the fact that Mars is in Virgo exacerbates his nitpicky and perfectionistic tendencies, and he’s hypercritical of others (and himself!) if they don’t meet his unachievable standards. “You need to do it this specific way.” And he will do it over and over and over again until it’s right. If he can’t figure it out one way, he will approach it from another way and see if that works instead because he won’t give up and he won’t give anything less than his best.
His desire is to control and to destroy to create something new. In the overview, I mentioned the need to transform himself, but it’s likely he pushes these ideals of transformation onto others as well—”I can be better than I am now, and you could be better than you are now. Let’s do it together.” Mastery over the self.
Sun, Venus, Midheaven conjunction
✦ Sun in Scorpio (Ninth House)
The best way to describe any Sun placement in this house is that “life is best viewed as a journey”—it’s about the experience rather than the end result. People with this placement are also the wise counsel and advice givers, however they never follow their own advice. Always seeking, always striving, always attempting to be something more. And this is in Scorpio, the transformer and regenerator. Scorpio gets a bad rep for reasons associated in the Mars section (Scorpio-Pluto-8H connection); he’s simply not afraid to seek out his own vision of the truth, whatever that may be. Intense, loyal, deep.
✦ Venus in Scorpio (Ninth House)
Love is something all-encompassing… He has strong morals and ideals and a good sense of judgment. Especially since his 9H starts in Libra! This placement appreciates the diversity of life and all the adventure it can bring, including the parts others would love to bury. He keeps the peace—until it needs to be reformed.
Once someone breaks through the billion walls he has in place to protect himself, he will keep you. Unless you betray him, which is the ultimate offense. Scorpio Venus people find it so difficult to trust others, and when betrayed, you are done for.
He can get along with anyone as long as you let him be his authentic self. If you try to change him against his will, he’ll lock up and shut you out, but you have to accept whatever changes he goes through.
Some other idols with Scorpio Venus placements are SHINee’s Minho (unknown house with Sagittarius Sun) and Stray Kids’ Bang Chan (sixth house with Libra Sun). All very devoted people.
✦ Sun-Venus conjunction
Sun and Venus together creates a person who wants to love and be loved, somewhat materialistic, concerned with their relationships to others, concerned with value and worth. “Am I good enough? I must be good enough.” I think this is where his light/dark battle really struggles because he has so much raw intensity inside of him, but this conjunction makes it difficult for him to confront anything too harsh, and he would rather not show himself in an unpleasant light.
✦ Midheaven conjunction
If the IC is where you come from, the MC or Midheaven is where you are going. It’s often used to interpret someone’s career path as well as how they are perceived by the outer community. Having Sun and Venus altogether here in Scorpio is deeply ambitious and persistent, and he wants to be known for something, for being himself (Sun) or for being fashionable in some regard (Venus). This is indicative of great success in life and receiving massive amounts of love. Sun conjunct MC is indicative of a leader in his field while Venus conjunct MC is indicative of the peacemaker, public popularity, the charmer over the voice of authority. However, this is Scorpio. It’s obsession and power. He will fight to get what he wants. It’s not a steady road or an easy road, but one he’s willing to face.
✦ Mercury conjunct Pluto in Sagittarius (Tenth House)
To put it simply, words are power. No one can keep a secret from him because this, along with his Mars in 8H, make him able to dredge up any secrets. Good luck hiding fan spaces from him. He likely sees everything. Very persistent.
He’s extremely motivated and driven to achieve his goals, career-oriented, intellect (Mercury) and instinct (Pluto) aligned in higher meaning (Sagittarius) and social status (10H). I honestly don’t know if he’s ever talked about when he decided to become an idol? Once he decided his career path, it’s likely he went all in and used his practical skills to achieve his dreams. (Though with Pluto here, he could end up switching his vocation someday, complete reversal.) His career needs meaning. He likes to be seen as intelligent and reliable. And he is! He is just also doing fifty million things at once.
✦ Words of advice to him
You are not who you were yesterday, and that’s okay. It’s also okay to let others in and ask for help because you have North Node in 7H—super easy to fall back on emotional distance and selfish behaviors when what you need to excel in life is tapping into your qualities of living life to the fullest surrounded by those whose company you enjoy most. It’s okay to doubt and to destroy and to resurrect something from the ashes. And it’s okay to be yourself because no matter who you are, love will find you.
Thank you for reading if you’ve made it this far! I will say it was hilarious to read his chart because I have an incredibly similar chart to him… I’m talking all planets in the same signs except Sun and Jupiter. Anyway. Hope you enjoyed. :)
Cross-posted on Twitter.
