PATRICK BATEMAN – “AMERICAN PSYCHO”

“ . . . And although I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours, and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable . . . I simply am not there.”

Patrick Bateman is a 27-year-old serial-killing Yuppie, living in NYC of the 1980s.

His Sun is in Aquarius, the Moon is in Virgo, and the Ascendant is in Pisces.

The Sun in Aquarius is mentally detached and objective in its approach to reality, has a need for social interaction and belonging to a group of like-minded people (“ . . . Because I want to fit in!”), and is generally expressed in one’s genius/eccentric/intellectual tendencies and behavior. Communication with others and in one’s head, like with the other Air signs Gemini and Libra, is central to one’s being. Aquarius is the sign that’s associated with society at large, and here, it is depicted through NYC’s Yuppie lifestyle of the 1980s (trendy restaurants, coke, pop music, Walkman, videotapes, and the Wall Street culture of the time).

The Moon in Virgo is also mental in its approach, but leans toward the real, practical, and pragmatic sides of life, since Virgo is an Earth sign. One’s emotional nature revolves around health, habits, service to others/volunteering, pets, and/or diet and nutrition. Finding emotional security in knowing that a routine is in place is of great need for this Moon’s sign position, which explains our character’s exercise and beautifying daily regimens. Negatively, this Moon placement can be quite nervous, worried, and anxious. One’s emotional expression is serious, reserved, and unenthusiastic in general. But of course, the Moon’s aspects and ruler’s sign position and house placement will need to be considered as well in order to understand one’s full emotional state. 

The Moon’s ruler is Mercury in Aquarius, which additionally emphasizes the mental nature of this individual and adds to his cerebral emotional needs and instincts. The Aquarius and Virgo energetic connections to the Sun and Moon imply of a person whose ego desires to express itself in original and unconventional ways, but whose emotional needs are inclined toward practical avenues and conventionality; two energies that don’t merge well together at all (form a quincunx aspect of adjustment in the natural wheel).

It must be noted that the Moon’s placement in the 6th house – the natural house of Virgo – as well as its being the natal ruler of this house and within the house that it rules in this horoscope extremely highlight this 6th sign of the zodiac and all its energies. The presence of Patrick’s co-workers and secretary in the movie, his daily routine that includes the improvement of his physical body and general looks, and his systematization in the execution of his victims, are only some of the manifestations that are expressed in this film which represent the Virgoan energies within the man’s personality. (At other times in his life, pets, health, other jobs, and/or service toward others/volunteering – all other Virgo/6th house matters – could be pronounced.)

Pisces Rising reflects the native’s masked, hidden, and unseen expression in regards to his surroundings. Illusion, delusion, and a chameleon-like persona are common, and here, Patrick shows a totally different face to his peers than the one he puts on behind closed doors and to the audience. The mask that he peels off his face at the opening sequence is a very proper reflection of Pisces on the ASC. that unveils itself and gets naked only in private. Neptune, the ruler of the chart in the 12th house adds another clandestine facet to a life that is already operated behind the scenes, through private affairs, hidden weaknesses, and general confusion. 

 Additionally, Jupiter, the Traditional Ruler of Pisces on the ASC, should not be overlooked. In the 8th, it points to a life direction that involves crises, transformations, psychological matters, secrets, and even death on all levels – physical, included (of oneself and/or others; especially with Jupiter in Scorpio, the sign that is associated with all 8th house matters) – but also to a possible active sexual nature (the Mars-Pluto conjunction may add to that 8th house feel in a raw way), as well as to financial support from others. (The 8th is the house of shared/other people’s resources.)

In addition, there are four standouts in this chart that must be addressed:

1. Elemental Distribution: Lack of Fire
2. 12th House Stellium
3. Aquarius and Leo Intercepted 
4. Three Sets of Exact Conjunctions – Sun-Neptune, Moon-Saturn, Mars-Pluto – and their Relationships with one another

Upon observation of the elemental distribution in this horoscope, we can see that the Earth Element consists of five planets, while Air consists of three. The Water Element is occupied by Jupiter in Scorpio and Venus in Pisces, and Fire is totally missing. The lack of Fire from the native’s personality is not really difficult to detect in Patrick’s general expression and behavior: He hardly ever laughs or gets excited; he is not spirited or enthusiastic about anything; he is uninspired or inspiring by any means; and he is not a fun person in general. He just goes about life with his daily routine, exercise regimen, a good job only because he is the boss’ son, and associates with whom he constantly hangs, but whose company he does not enjoy whatsoever.

The combination of the prominence of Earth and Air generally makes for a very dry and detached individual; someone who is not really inspiring, but who can actually come-up with ideas and execute them on the physical sphere: A point that could hint to the actuality of the murders in the movie’s reality and not only in Patrick’s imagination.

The Sun’s placement in the 12th house, along with four other planets – a 12th-House Stellium – highly emphasizes this domain, the last house in the zodiac. This is the house of seclusion, hidden matters, agendas, affairs, and even enemies. It is the most impersonal domain in which the Sun and other planets can be placed, and is considered to be the house of karma and reincarnation. This is also the house of dreams, guardian angels, and our connection to the hidden spiritual world – the collective unconsciousness. Having many planets here is quite common for life to be expressed through some or all of the manifestations mentioned above: In our case, those are stimulated by the approaching and almost exact square of the Sun-Neptune conjunction in the 12th to Mars-Pluto in the 3rd, and the quincunx to the Moon-Saturn conjunction in the 6th (more on that later). In general, many placements in the 12th can be certainly referred to as a ‘mental prison.’

All the Aquarian planets in Patrick’s chart are intercepted in the 12th. An interception is compared to being locked in a room without having any access to the rest of the house. Uranus, the ruler of the Aquarius planets, in also in the 12th house, but in Capricorn, and as such, it is not intercepted. Therefore, the man’s eccentricity (Aquarius) manages to stay camouflaged (12th house) in the outside world, through the native’s status as an executive (Capricorn) in a Wall Street Firm.

When Aquarius is intercepted in the horoscope, especially if the Sun is in this sign, one may find that he comes across obstacles in accessing his uniqueness, originality, and unusual identity. Patrick’s eccentric behavior (whether imagined or not) remains locked behind closed doors, suppressed, and repressed; no one knows of the man’s sadistic expression (imagined or actual). When Aquarius is intercepted, belonging to/being part of a group of like-minded people may also be hard for the native to achieve. In the movie, he participates in activities with his work associates, but he doesn’t truly feel part of the group and none of his peers know of his private life.

When Leo is intercepted, one may find it difficult to express his charisma and/or find fun things he can enjoy in life. (This adds to the lack of Fire in this chart.) In our case, the Sun, the ruler of the intercepted Leo, is also intercepted, which clearly shows that the the native’s creative self-expression does not come to the fore for all to see. The fact that the Sun is intercepted in the 12th and is exactly conjunct Neptune extremely accentuates this. One feels like he cannot shine, as if someone always steals the spotlight away from him (like in the business card scene, his perception of Paul Allen’s better apartment than his, and being mistaken for someone else a few times throughout the movie).

Patrick’s Sun’s condition is possibly in one of the most miserable states that one can experience astrologically; again, especially when the Fire element is totally lacking in the chart! The ego is very wounded and weak: “There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me: Only an entity, something illusory. And although I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours, and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable . . . I simply am not there.”

An intercepted Sun has been compared to a caged lion (as the Sun rules Leo). Also since the Sun represents one’s father, access to him may have been denied on some level. And as the Sun is conjunct Neptune in this chart, this aspect additionally hints of an unavailable, missing father-figure from one’s life. Patrick’s father practically owns the company of which he is one of the executives. He might have always been expected to go the business route professionally, which would possibly have dismissed his own desires and will to be altogether.

There are three sets of exact conjunctions in this horoscope that also in aspect with one another:

Sun conjunct Neptune (similar in energies to the Sun in Pisces and the Sun in the 12th house) may point to a lack of definition of one’s ego, insecurities, and over sensitivities to outside energies which can affect the body and/or mind to some extent. However, on a more positive note, this aspect also reflects one who possesses great imagination (are the events in the film real or not?), developed artistic skills (the hidden illustrations in his desk are not bad at all), and musicality: Patrick’s attentiveness to and appreciation of contemporary pop music and the artists of the time are definite manifestations of this aspect in his chart. (Venus in Pisces accentuates all those characteristics, and very much so with the trine to Jupiter.)

Moon conjunct Saturn (can be compared to the Moon in Capricorn) reflects fear, pessimism, and emotional reserve and insecurities to name a few. One is too serious and is oftentimes born with a nagging sense of responsibility, as well as a tendency to work extra hard in order to feel somewhat emotionally safe (presented in the movie in his arduous daily exercise routine). One is quite rigid with his reactions (very cautious), and emotionally gloomy and even cold. For a native with the Moon in nervous, unexpressive Virgo and in a chart that lacks Fire altogether, this aspect is really unnecessary and only weakens the ego and takes away from one’s sense of fun and enjoyment out of life even more.

Mars conjunct Pluto (a very Scorpionic energy) generally points to raw sexuality, intense aggression, and sadistic inclinations within oneself, and/or people, and/or incidents in one’s life. It is a very severe aspect to have in a chart that can add negative vibes to one’s personality, and/or the people around, and/or life in general. Here, though, it may be a little helpful, as Mars, the action planet in conjunction with intense Pluto, is very willful and reflects one who pushes himself to the limit with all his might. Mars’ executive powers are heightened tenfold with this conjunction, as are compulsive actions, but also resilience (here in the enduring sign of Taurus as well), and an extremely strong drive to achieve. This is a great aspect for competitive sports, for example, where one can put all his energy in competing with others for the win. And in a chart with weakened Sun and Moon, this aspect actually adds a little push to the otherwise faint ego and gloomy emotional life. But then again, it can also be murderous and represent issues that involve rape, killings, and/or matters of power and control. 

The Sun-Neptune imaginative and illusory combination comes in exact contact – a quincunx – with the Moon-Saturn too real of an aspect. Since this relationship between the two sets of planets is one of imbalance, adjustments, and tension that cannot be resolved (the nature of the quincunx; like an itch that can’t be scratched as Astrologer Steve Judd describes), it feels like either the native’s fantasy world (Neptune) or reality (Saturn, Virgo) can be expressed at any one time. As the Sun represents our conscious being and the Moon reflects our instinctive reactions, the quincunx between the luminaries indicates a strong difference between one’s behavior in the outside world which is not in sync. at all with that of his emotional, inner life; both aspects of one’s personality act independently from one another, like two different people. 

The conjunction between the Sun and Neptune is also in a tightly approaching exact square to the Mars-Pluto conjunction, and as such, the latter aspect’s severe and intense expression is now connected to one’s being and will to be; to the man’s self. Through the square aspect the native seems to have an urge to express the deadly, sadistic tendencies of the Mars-Pluto union, or at least execute them in his head. The involvement of the Sun with both Mars and Pluto, which also in exact conjunction with one another, is a very harsh aspect to have in one’s chart that may point to extremely violent, raw, and/or sexual nature (as in rape) to/from the native, and it cannot be overlooked when analyzing one’s horoscope!

Interestingly, these three sets of aspects are placed in the Cadent Houses of the mind (3rd, 6th, and 12th; the 9th is not occupied), while two of them are also placed in the mental signs of Aquarius and Virgo. The Sun and Neptune in the 12th hint to Patrick’s possible fantasy life or actual expression of the murders behind the scenes. The Moon and Saturn in Virgo and in the 6th present the native’s systematization in the practice of his slaughters – again, either in his mind or in reality. And Mars and Pluto in the 3rd make it local; bring it to his NYC neighborhood.

This chart is very dark (Mars-Pluto, Mars-Pluto square Sun-Neptune in the 12th, Jupiter, the co-ruler of the chart, in the 8th and in Scorpio), highly mental (Aquarius, Virgo, Sun-Neptune, Cadent Houses), and quite melancholic with elements of insecurity (Moon in Virgo, Moon conjunct Saturn and both quincunx Sun-Neptune). The lack of Fire doesn’t help at all in adding a little bit of spark and confidence to the personality or life in general, let alone to the Sun’s very poor condition, including its interception. There aren’t many elements here that one can lean on and enjoy, excluding Jupiter in Scorpio in the 8th, its trine to Venus in Pisces, and the almost exact Earth trine between Moon-Saturn and Mars-Pluto that can certainly reflect material abundance, love of music, and sexual prowess, respectively.  

The ending of this film is quite ambiguous: The viewer is uncertain whether the events actually happened in reality or only in the protagonist’s head. The analysis of this horoscope may lead one to believe that the native might have the tendency to commit severe crimes, but this cannot be concluded as he is given free will after all. The dominant Mars-Pluto square with the Sun-Neptune conjunction in the 12th may hint to having a deep urge to be doing really bad things. But then again, with Pisces Rising and Neptune, its ruler, in the 12th house, even if the murders did take place, the native himself might not be clear about them. 

And on a final note, the stimulating astrological developments for these events to come to the fore in the life of our protagonist specifically at this time may be evident in the Solar Arc Direction of Jupiter (one of the chart’s rulers) to 00 Sagittarius (27 years later; one degree per year) to now square Natal Venus at 00 Pisces in the 12th, the ruler of the 3rd and the Mars-Pluto conjunction in Taurus, in addition to a transiting activation, maybe of a Solar/Lunar Eclipse that stimulated the effect of this SAD square.