When Mercury has too close a conjunction to the Sun, it is said to be “combust” or “under the Sun’s rays” and tends to make the ego outweigh the brains. However, when it is a totally exact conjunction, within only a few minutes of arc, it is said to be “Cazimi” and has the opposite effect, of heightening the mind to the level of genius. Some astrologers scoff at the distinction, but Giorgio Armani might be the example that helps prove this odd rule. A lot of ego? Absolutely. But brains? Totally! You don’t get to be worth $4 billion-plus by goofing off on an ego trip.

There are other indicators, too. A tight Sun-Moon conjunction (New Moon) in Cancer makes for super-high intensity, and an added square to Jupiter makes him continually expand, adding new ideas upon old until there’s hardly room. That could bankrupt some, but he’s got a strong, Saturn-led locomotive chart so he really knows how to play hard ball and he makes a science out of his business. It’s not surprising that he was originally educated to be a doctor and has that kind of solid, methodical approach that makes his ever-increasing spirals of fashion stay right on the mark and seldom get away from him. The Saturn trine from Mars makes him indefatigably energetic, and the Venus trine to Jupiter keeps him esthetically ebullient so his designs stay elegant but clean. Together, they have enabled him to move out of clothing fashion alone and into an aggregation of design and consumer lines, from cosmetics to dining.

With Uranus next to the Midheaven, the highest planet in the chart, Armani is known for his inventiveness and leading-edge approach to both design and business. He was the first to do Internet fashion shows, the first to ban dangerously emaciated models, and he is a leader in ecology-friendly product philosophy. And with typical Leo-rising good looks and flamboyance, in his 70s he’s still wearing speedos on the Riviera and carries it off with radiance and sheer animal magnetism.

Current events: Is he going to divest himself of his product lines after holding on so tightly to the reins all these years? That’s the question everyone is asking. Saturn has been transiting his Ascendant for over a year and the pressure is on, but with Jupiter passing through his fifth house, he’s more concerned with creativity than money. In the next year or so, however, as Saturn moves on into his second house, and Jupiter rolls into his sixth, cash flow and the need to expand his workforce may have him ready to trade off something important to increase his capital fluidity.