Are you one of those people rolling their eyes at the seemingly never-ending “Sisi” mania? Don’t despair! Netflix has knocked the proverbial dust off the celluloid legacy of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Hungary, for a six-part drama entitled “The Empress”. The series includes plenty of intrigue, rebellion at the palace, and a glimpse of skin.

She’s back: Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Hungary – whose pet name is Sisi with just the one “s” in the middle, more on that later. From Corsage featuring the award-winning Vicky Krieps to Frauke Finsterwalder’s Sisi & Ich – in past years the eventful life of the monarch has been a popular choice for filmmakers. So it was only a matter of time until Netflix got in on the act. The Empress (Die Kaiserin) is one of the most successful non-English productions to come from the Netflix stable last year, revealed the US streaming service – usually so tight-lipped where viewing figures are concerned. Showrunner and head writer Katharina “Kati” Eyssen (Holiday Secrets; Zeit der Geheimnisse) is already working on a second season. This success comes as no surprise. The Empress makes clever use of the ongoing “sexy costume drama” hype that made hits of productions like Bridgerton (also Netflix). Was the rebellious title hero an actual person or not? That’s completely irrelevant, the main thing is she’s young, sassy, smart and sexy.

The other factor is that the name Sisi is recognised across all generations in German-speaking countries. The story in the first season should seem familiar to them: the Bavarian Duchess Elisabeth (played by Devrim Lingnau) loves her life spent between the stable and the great outdoors, until she falls in love with her cousin Franz Joseph (Philip Froissant), Emperor of Austria. However he was initially engaged to marry Sisi’s sister. That’s not an ideal start to the joys of love and marriage, especially as it messes up the plans made by Franz’s influential mother Sophie (Melika Foroutan), and Franz’s brother Maximilian (Johannes Nussbaum) also has a soft spot for his pretty cousin. Meanwhile trouble’s brewing in the kingdom, the people are rebelling. Foreign affairs aren’t running smoothly either – there’s a threat of war from several directions.

A pompous wedding that’s anything but a dream, with plenty of added scandal, forbidden love and excessive parties – Sisi’s life Netflix-style. | Photo (detail): © Netflix

A Royal Popstar

It’s not always historically flawless, but how many Sisi films are totally without artistic licence? The real Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, who was stabbed on 10th September 1898 in Geneva, had already served countless creative artists as a template for novels, films and TV productions. The monarch became a celluloid hero for the first time in 1920. In the silent film Kaiserin Elisabeth von Österreich (Empress Elisabeth of Austria), Carla Nelsen played Sisi under the direction of her husband Rolf Raffé. There’s even a musical and an operetta. The libretto for Sissi by Fritz Kreisler was written by Ernst Marischka, scion of an Austrian creative dynasty who was responsible for an impressive three classics in the German-language film genre: not only did his Sissi trilogy make stars out of Romy Schneider and Karlheinz Böhm. For many Germans Christmas wouldn’t be complete without Schneider’s soulful “Franzl!”.

Incidentally it was Marischka as director who gave his title character a second “s”, a fact that gives rise to confusion to this very day. Which spelling is historically correct? Just one “s”. This is attested by a tobacco tin that was a birthday gift to Elisabeth from the Bavarian King Ludwig II in 1881. The engraving reads: “Angebetete, aufrichtig geliebte Sisi. Niemand auf Erden ist mir so teuer als Du” (Adored, truly beloved Sisi. No one on Earth is as dear to me as you).

I want a man who will feed my soul Sisi – The Empress

Current Sisi productions attempt to paint a more complex picture of the woman once described by British paper The Guardian as “a Habsburg popstar, the first royal celebrity, the earliest example of a woman body-shamed by the media and a long undiscovered 19th century feminist icon”. Before the Netflix production The Empress, the German TV channel RTL+ screened a series in December 2021 starring Dominique Devenport and Jannik Schümann as the Austrian imperial couple. Sisi – which depicts scenes of an eventful marriage with plenty of drama, pomp and passion – is now in its third season.

Tightly laced into her corset: life at the imperial court consists of bizarre, antiquated rituals and traditional rules. | Photo (detail): © Netflix

Tightly Laced Into Her Corset

The Empress is in the same vein. It also portrays an unorthodox woman who questions the rules and struggles with conventions. She utters statements like “I want a man who satisfies my soul”, she writes poems and narrowly escapes being bundled off to the so-called lunatic asylum by her own mother. The imperial court turns out to be a snake pit with bizarre, antiquated rituals, including a degrading virginity test. The role of the young Empress was to keep quiet, emanate glamour, beguile the people, and produce an heir to the throne. And to make sure everyone really understands that the six-part drama focuses on the fight against traditional rules, Elisabeth is regularly laced into her corset so tightly that she can’t breathe.

Admittedly The Empress doesn’t work as a flagship for female emancipation – but the ladies do have the upper hand in terms of power. Bothersome husbands are unceremoniously shipped off to country estates, where they get to chase after wild animals and potential mistresses. Incidentally sex and passion abound; The Empress is not from bygone days in this respect either. Add in plenty of scandal, forbidden love and excessive parties, garnished periodically with a smattering of kitsch, along with a wedding that’s anything but a dream. The story of Sisi’s rebellion is told through beautifully composed images – although history buffs will search in vain for original film locations. Plus the fact that showrunner Eyssen has taken some liberties by including modern elements such as earrings on men, tattoos, and expressive dance. Welcome to the present, Sisi.

The Empress was Netflix’s second-most-watched series worldwide for two weeks and the seventh most popular non-English series of 2022, with over 150 million hours streamed. Netflix renewed it for a second season, which premiered in November 2024. Netflix also commissioned a companion novel, The Empress: A Novel, by Gigi Griffis, which was published two days before the series premiered on the streaming service. In January 2025, the series was renewed for a third and final season.

Watch “The Empress” worldwide on Netflix

Angela Zierow From screenplays to wild parties – Angela Zierow spent years in Los Angeles experiencing the everyday craziness of Hollywood life at first hand. Before turning her back on Hamburg and its bad weather, she worked as an editor on the German TV and movie magazine “Cinema” and wrote for lifestyle magazines such as “Max”, “Galore”, and “Vanity Fair”. These days, she shuttles between Los Angeles, Hamburg, and London, always in search of new film stories and the perfect post-movie cocktail, and is as convinced as ever that hers is the best job in the world. Translation: Jo Beckett Copyright: Text: Goethe-Institut, Angela Zierow. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution – Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.

Season 1, 6 Episodes @ 51 – 62 min.Created by Katharina Eyssen, Lena StahlDirectors: Katrin Gebbe, Florian CossenShowrunner: Katharina EyssenExecutive Producers: Jochen Laube, Fabian MaubachProducer: Annie SchillingScreenplay: Katharina Eyssen (Head-Autorin), Bernd Lange, Jana NandzikCamera: Christopher Aoun, Christian Almesberger, Moritz SchultheissCostumes: Gabriela ReumerSet Design: Matthias MüsseCast: Devrim Lingnau, Philip Froissant, Melika Foroutan, Johannes Nussbaum, Almila Bagriacik, Wiebke Puls, Elisa Schlott, Jördis TriebelProduction: Sommerhaus Serien GmbH / Netflix

FIRST PERSON

Lauren Crosby Medlicott decided to stop buying presents when she saw how many birthday parties were costing her – now the cost of living crisis is forcing more parents to considering doing the same

email WhatsApp link share Share bookmark Save

email WhatsApp link bookmark

We were at the 20th kids’ birthday party of the year last weekend. Lined up alongside the far wall of the soft play area were around 30 glossy, perfectly wrapped presents, piled high, all to be opened by the six-year-old birthday boy when he got home.

Instead of bringing a gift, my three children, ages four, six, and eight, had made cards as tokens of appreciation for having been invited along. We didn’t forgo a gift because we couldn’t afford to buy one, but because we have decided that £350 (plus) every year to be spent on birthday presents for other people’s children just isn’t on our list of priorities. When I discussed it with my kids, we decided we would only buy presents for their closest friends and give everyone else handmade cards.

My children each have 20 to 30 kids in their class and since Covid lockdowns have ended, the birthday parties have come back in full force. Even though my kids love them and I’m grateful the parents invited us, I still feel a sense of guilt each time we turn up with a token gift – a homemade card or colouring book – rather than a bag brimming with Lego or Playdough sets.

No parent has ever judged me – at least not while I was present – for the choice we’ve made, but it doesn’t take away the slight feelings of awkwardness for not going along with the crowd.

Lauren Crosby Medlicott has opted out of buying presents (Photo: Supplied)

If you’re a parent, you’ll know that the typical present or cash offering – yes, this really happens – is between £5 and £10 for each birthday party your child attends. It’s the cultural norm, and a kind gesture of generosity and appreciation, but the pressure to deliver can be a pressure for parents who may be feeling a financial squeeze.

There are parents in my social circle who are refusing invitations to parties because they simply cannot afford to buy a present. In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, when parents are more likely than ever to be struggling to pay for necessities like heating and eating, is it time to challenge the assumption that birthday presents need to be brought as tickets for entry?

“My daughter has been to 10 parties recently,” Katy* told i . “Every time I go, I’ve used a bit of our food budget to buy a gift.” Katy remembered when she was growing up, her family never gave gifts, believing friendship was the best present they could give. After the most recent string of birthday parties, Katy has decided to follow suit. “I’m not going to continue buying gifts, and I’m going to teach my daughter the same.”

Princess, 25, a London-based mother of two under the age of three, says: “There is a lot of pressure to come with a gift for parties. If you don’t bring something, it seems like you haven’t put in the effort. I have a lot of anxiety about it because I don’t want to seem like I don’t care for the parents or child by not bringing something.”

As Princess points out, etiquette demands that you bring a gift. “There is no question about it unless stated otherwise on the invite,” she said. “But I feel the pressure more especially with the cost of living rising.”

“It is an age-old conundrum that parents feel obliged to give presents for every birthday their kids go to,” Maddy Alexander-Grout, Founder of money-saving app My VIP Rewards, told i . “But parents shouldn’t feel pressured, after all, it’s showing up and being present that matters. Not the present you give.”

Princess says ‘there is a lot of pressure to come with a gift for parties’ for both children (Photo: Supplied)

Renee* told me her son is invited to at least 18 parties a year. When she recently held a party for her own son, some of the gifts he received were worth more than £50. “I was embarrassed by it and felt like I’d been stingy just getting a book for each party last year,” Renee said. “I can’t and don’t want to spend that reciprocally.”

In the past year, Renee started buying books as presents for the parties her son attended. “Right now, I’m torn as I want to stick to my guns and buy books instead of plastic crap that will live on the planet forever, but maybe everyone thinks we are really stingy or joyless?”

Renee and Princess both touched on the issue at the crux of this conversation: the worry about what other parents will think if we don’t bring a present. Will they assume we are poor? Miserly? Forgetful? Taking advantage of a free party?

As a parent myself, I would not mind if a child came to a party without a present. Their primary goal is to facilitate a fun few hours for their child, not to acquire a toy store. In fact, I’d be relieved: the last thing I need in my home is more plastic – and that’s a lesson I’d like my children to learn too.

*Some names have been changed

Are you one of those people rolling their eyes at the seemingly never-ending “Sisi” mania? Don’t despair! Netflix has knocked the proverbial dust off the celluloid legacy of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Hungary, for a six-part drama entitled “The Empress”. The series includes plenty of intrigue, rebellion at the palace, and a glimpse of skin.

She’s back: Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Hungary – whose pet name is Sisi with just the one “s” in the middle, more on that later. From Corsage featuring the award-winning Vicky Krieps to Frauke Finsterwalder’s Sisi & Ich – in past years the eventful life of the monarch has been a popular choice for filmmakers. So it was only a matter of time until Netflix got in on the act. The Empress (Die Kaiserin) is one of the most successful non-English productions to come from the Netflix stable last year, revealed the US streaming service – usually so tight-lipped where viewing figures are concerned. Showrunner and head writer Katharina “Kati” Eyssen (Holiday Secrets; Zeit der Geheimnisse) is already working on a second season. This success comes as no surprise. The Empress makes clever use of the ongoing “sexy costume drama” hype that made hits of productions like Bridgerton (also Netflix). Was the rebellious title hero an actual person or not? That’s completely irrelevant, the main thing is she’s young, sassy, smart and sexy.

The other factor is that the name Sisi is recognised across all generations in German-speaking countries. The story in the first season should seem familiar to them: the Bavarian Duchess Elisabeth (played by Devrim Lingnau) loves her life spent between the stable and the great outdoors, until she falls in love with her cousin Franz Joseph (Philip Froissant), Emperor of Austria. However he was initially engaged to marry Sisi’s sister. That’s not an ideal start to the joys of love and marriage, especially as it messes up the plans made by Franz’s influential mother Sophie (Melika Foroutan), and Franz’s brother Maximilian (Johannes Nussbaum) also has a soft spot for his pretty cousin. Meanwhile trouble’s brewing in the kingdom, the people are rebelling. Foreign affairs aren’t running smoothly either – there’s a threat of war from several directions. A pompous wedding that’s anything but a dream, with plenty of added scandal, forbidden love and excessive parties – Sisi’s life Netflix-style. | Photo (detail): © Netflix

A Royal Popstar

It’s not always historically flawless, but how many Sisi films are totally without artistic licence? The real Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, who was stabbed on 10th September 1898 in Geneva, had already served countless creative artists as a template for novels, films and TV productions. The monarch became a celluloid hero for the first time in 1920. In the silent film Kaiserin Elisabeth von Österreich (Empress Elisabeth of Austria), Carla Nelsen played Sisi under the direction of her husband Rolf Raffé. There’s even a musical and an operetta. The libretto for Sissi by Fritz Kreisler was written by Ernst Marischka, scion of an Austrian creative dynasty who was responsible for an impressive three classics in the German-language film genre: not only did his Sissi trilogy make stars out of Romy Schneider and Karlheinz Böhm. For many Germans Christmas wouldn’t be complete without Schneider’s soulful “Franzl!”.

Incidentally it was Marischka as director who gave his title character a second “s”, a fact that gives rise to confusion to this very day. Which spelling is historically correct? Just one “s”. This is attested by a tobacco tin that was a birthday gift to Elisabeth from the Bavarian King Ludwig II in 1881. The engraving reads: “Angebetete, aufrichtig geliebte Sisi. Niemand auf Erden ist mir so teuer als Du” (Adored, truly beloved Sisi. No one on Earth is as dear to me as you).

Current Sisi productions attempt to paint a more complex picture of the woman once described by British paper The Guardian as “a Habsburg popstar, the first royal celebrity, the earliest example of a woman body-shamed by the media and a long undiscovered 19th century feminist icon”. Before the Netflix production The Empress, the German TV channel RTL+ screened a series in December 2021 starring Dominique Devenport and Jannik Schümann as the Austrian imperial couple. Sisi – which depicts scenes of an eventful marriage with plenty of drama, pomp and passion – is now in its third season. Tightly laced into her corset: life at the imperial court consists of bizarre, antiquated rituals and traditional rules. | Photo (detail): © Netflix

Tightly Laced Into Her Corset

The Empress is in the same vein. It also portrays an unorthodox woman who questions the rules and struggles with conventions. She utters statements like “I want a man who satisfies my soul”, she writes poems and narrowly escapes being bundled off to the so-called lunatic asylum by her own mother. The imperial court turns out to be a snake pit with bizarre, antiquated rituals, including a degrading virginity test. The role of the young Empress was to keep quiet, emanate glamour, beguile the people, and produce an heir to the throne. And to make sure everyone really understands that the six-part drama focuses on the fight against traditional rules, Elisabeth is regularly laced into her corset so tightly that she can’t breathe.

Admittedly The Empress doesn’t work as a flagship for female emancipation – but the ladies do have the upper hand in terms of power. Bothersome husbands are unceremoniously shipped off to country estates, where they get to chase after wild animals and potential mistresses. Incidentally sex and passion abound; The Empress is not from bygone days in this respect either. Add in plenty of scandal, forbidden love and excessive parties, garnished periodically with a smattering of kitsch, along with a wedding that’s anything but a dream. The story of Sisi’s rebellion is told through beautifully composed images – although history buffs will search in vain for original film locations. Plus the fact that showrunner Eyssen has taken some liberties by including modern elements such as earrings on men, tattoos, and expressive dance. Welcome to the present, Sisi.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Russell M. Nelson, 100, leaves the afternoon session of General Conference with wife Wendy on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Nelson is the oldest prophet-president in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ 194-year history.

The biggest question looming as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints entered General Conference weekend was whether its 100-year-old president, Russell M. Nelson, who has been alive for more than half the faith’s history, would be present at the proceedings.

That query was answered soon enough. Saturday’s morning session started with Nelson viewing the meeting from home. Henry B. Eyring, his 91-year-old second counselor in the governing First Presidency, conducted the session while seated in his chair. His first counselor, 92-year-old Dallin H. Oaks, also was in attendance.

Nelson, the oldest-ever Latter-day Saint prophet, did, however, go to the afternoon session, arriving in a wheelchair. Apostle Gerrit W. Gong conducted.

For the evening session, Nelson and apostle Jeffrey R. Holland (both of whom used wheelchairs Saturday) watched the day’s final meeting from home. Apostle Ronald A. Rasband conducted.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Russell M. Nelson arrives for the afternoon session of General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

In April, Nelson attended two sessions at the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City and viewed the remaining three remotely — just like millions of fellow members around the world.

He delivered a recorded address at the two-day gathering’s close, announcing 15 new temples. If the recent conference pattern holds, Nelson will again name new locations for the faith’s most sacred edifices.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Dallin H. Oaks, left, President Russell M. Nelson and President Henry B. Eyring at General Conference on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 5, 2024.

The centenarian church leader attended a globally broadcast celebration on his 100th birthday on Sept. 9.

Here are the latest speeches and announcements from Saturday’s three sessions:

Evening session

Apostle David A. Bednar: The spiritual danger of pride

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle David A. Bednar speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

The Book of Mormon, the church’s foundational scripture, is not “primarily a historical record that looks to the past,” apostle David A. Bednar said. “Rather, this volume of scripture looks to the future and contains important principles, warnings and lessons intended for the circumstances and challenges of our day.”

The ancient stories “plead with us today to learn this everlasting lesson: prosperity, possessions and ease constitute a potent mixture that can lead even the righteous to drink the spiritual poison of pride,” Bednar warned. “Allowing pride to enter into our hearts can cause us to mock that which is sacred, disbelieve in the spirit of prophecy and revelation, trample under our feet the commandments of God, deny the word of God, cast out, mock, and revile against the prophets, and forget the Lord our God.”

If members are “not faithful and obedient, we can transform the God-given blessing of prosperity into a prideful curse that diverts and distracts us from eternal truths and vital spiritual priorities,” the apostle said. “We always must be on guard against a pride-induced and exaggerated sense of self-importance, a misguided evaluation of our own self-sufficiency, and seeking self instead of serving others.”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Apostle David A. Bednar, with wife Susan, at General Conference on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 5, 2024.

Apostasy can occur to institutions and individuals, he said. “At the institutional level, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will not be lost through apostasy or taken from the earth.”

He cautioned: “If you or I believe we are sufficiently strong and stalwart to avoid the arrogance of pride, then perhaps we already are suffering from this deadly spiritual disease. … In the space of not many days, weeks, months or years, we might forfeit our spiritual birthright for far less than a mess of pottage.”

General authority Jorge M. Alvarado: Embracing repentance

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Jorge M. Alvarado speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5. 2024.

Turning to the Lord in prayer and asking for his forgiveness can help members overcome their feelings of unworthiness and inadequacy, general authority Seventy Jorge M. Alvarado told listeners.

The Puerto Rican church leader said church founder Joseph Smith experienced similar doubts about his abilities and imperfections, which motivated him to turn to God and “ponder, study, learn and pray” — and repent.

“Joseph’s sincere desire to repent and seek the salvation of his soul helped him come to Jesus Christ and receive forgiveness of his sins,” Alvarado said. “This continuous effort opened the door to the continuing restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Repentance, he added, is a daily process in which people learn “line upon line, precept upon precept” about how to live a life centered on the Savior and his teachings.

Alvarado also recounted the story of a woman in the church who was taking a Book of Mormon to a friend, only to have a thief grab her purse and would-be gift and run.

A few days later, the Seventy said, the woman received a letter from the thief saying the book had touched his soul and changed his life. He enclosed $5 he had stolen from her.

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Jorge M. Alvarado speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5. 2024.

“I want you to know that you will see me again, but when you do, you won’t recognize me, for I will be your brother,” Alvarado quoted the man as writing.

“What a miracle!” Alvarado said. “One faithful sister, one Book of Mormon, sincere repentance, and the Savior’s power led to the enjoyment of the fullness of blessings of the gospel.”

General authority Kyle S. McKay: Forgiveness and direction

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Kyle S. McKay, the church historian and recorder, speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5. 2024.

As a young man, Mormonism’s founder and first prophet prayed to God about his sins and about truth. Joseph Smith’s mystical experience became known as the “First Vision,” which helped launch the Utah-based church.

For Joseph, though, “the experience was also personal and preparatory,” said general authority Seventy, Kyle S. McKay, now serving as the church historian and recorder. “All he wanted was forgiveness and direction. The Lord gave him both.”

It gave him “confidence to ask for forgiveness and direction for the rest of his life,” said McKay, who followed emeritus Seventy Steven Snow in the historian position. “His experience has also given me confidence to ask for forgiveness and direction for the rest of my life.”

Smith prayed again and again for divine forgiveness of his sins, and always felt the love of God, the general authority said. “It is neither his mission nor his nature to condemn. He came to save.”

Relief Society leader Kristin M. Yee: The joy of redemption

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Kristin M. Yee, second counselor in Relief Society General Presidency, speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

To illustrate the power of the Savior’s love and atonement to save people from their mistakes, Kristin M. Yee, second counselor over the faith’s worldwide women’s Relief Society, recalled the time she tried to paint a portrait of Jesus.

Alas, she explained, she applied a varnish to protect the painting from dirt and dust, which wiped away part of the picture and threatened to ruin it altogether. Yee said she felt she had destroyed what God had helped her create, causing her to feel sick inside. She wept.

In desperation, she turned to prayer, pleaded for help and painted through the night to repair the work. To her delight, she related, the redone painting looked better the next morning than it did before.

“What I thought was a mistake without mend,” Yee said, “was an opportunity for his merciful hand to be manifest — he was not done with the painting, and he was not done with me.

“What joy and relief filled my heart,” she added. “I praised the Lord for his mercy, for this miracle that not only saved the painting, but taught me more about his love and power to save each of us from our mistakes, weaknesses, and sins, and to help us become something more.”

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Kristin M. Yee, second counselor in Relief Society General Presidency, speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Through sincere repentance, Yee said, people can be forgiven of their sins. “Repenting allows us to feel God’s love, and to know and love him in ways we would never otherwise know.”

“You may feel at times that it’s not possible to be redeemed, that perhaps you are an exception to God’s love and the Savior’s atoning power because of what you are struggling with or because of what you’ve done,” she said. “But I testify that you are not beneath the master’s reach. The Savior ‘descended below all things’ and is in a divine position to lift you and claim you from the darkest abyss and bring you into ‘his marvelous light.’ Through his sufferings, he has made a way for each of us to overcome our personal weaknesses and sins.”

Apostle Gerrit W. Gong: Holiness in everyday life

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Gerrit W. Gong speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Holiness presents life with a sacred purpose, said apostle Gerrit W. Gong. “But holiness also invites us to infuse daily living with the sacred — to rejoice in daily bread, manna as it were, amidst this world’s thistles and thorns.”

Such ordinary holiness to the Lord rejects the profane, snarky cleverness at others’ expense, and “algorithms that monetize anger and polarization,” Gong said. But it says “’yes’ to the “sacred and reverent, ‘yes’ to our becoming our freest, happiest, most authentic best selves as we follow him in faith.”

Such a sense of the sacred “draws us closer and happier to the Lord and each other,” the faith’s first Asian American apostle said. “Holiness to the Lord in the House of the Lord prepares us to live with God our Father, a man of holiness, Jesus Christ, and our loved ones.”

In holiness, Latter-day Saints can feel God’s love as they center their daily lives in Jesus and “covenant belonging,” Gong said, “communion with God; connection and commitment with family; compassion and community with all around us.”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Apostle Gerrit W. Gong conducts the afternoon session of General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Afternoon session

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints listen to speakers during the afternoon session of General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Apostle Ulisses Soares: Submit heart and soul to God

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Ulisses Soares speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Brazilian apostle Ulisses Soares warned listeners against “people becoming consumed with themselves” and pursuing “self-centered” lifestyles that “don’t match God’s loving plan.”

Such thinking, “often justified as being ‘authentic,’” he continued, can create “significant stumbling blocks.”

He drew contrasts with this mindset to the examples of a young man who, despite his fears, decided to serve a church mission, as well as a young woman who refused to conform to work dress standards she deemed immodest.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Attendees arrive for General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

He acknowledged that an array of factors — from genetics and geography to mental and physical challenges — “influence our journey.”

However, he was emphatic: “In things that truly matter, there is an inner space where we are free to choose whether or not we will decide to follow” God’s plan.

“The ultimate test of our discipleship is found in our willingness to give up and lose our old self,” he explained, “and submit our heart and our whole soul to God so that his will becomes ours.”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Apostle Ulisses Soares and his wife, Rosana, exit after a session of the 194th Semiannual General Conference in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

General authority Aroldo B. Cavalcante: No one is ever forgotten

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Aroldo B. Cavalcante speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

There are many ways to serve in the church. Whether helping nursing home residents, proselytizing as a missionary, or just reaching out to fellow members, said general authority Seventy Aroldo B. Cavalcante, Latter-day Saints can bring hope and guide others to the covenant path.

“Though you wear a nametag, sometimes you may feel unrecognized or forgotten,” said the Brazilian church leader. “However, you must know that you have a perfect Heavenly Father who knows you personally and a Savior who loves you.”

General authority D. Martin Goury: Be thou clean

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy D. Martin Goury speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

“Through the Savior’s redemptive sacrifice, each of us can repent and seek forgiveness and become clean,” general authority Seventy D. Martin Goury said. “Repentance, a foundational principle of the gospel, is essential for our spiritual development and resilience as we navigate life’s challenges.”

Goury, an Ivory Coast native, said repentance is essential if we are to become clean and be ready for the Savior’s arrival when he comes again. He noted that his wife wears hearing aids that she must clean regularly if the device is to work properly throughout the day.

“When she overlooks this daily ritual,” the leader said, “her ability to hear suffers throughout the day, spoken words gradually fade and eventually become inaudible. Just like her daily hearing aid cleaning allows her to hear clearly, daily repentance allows us to discern the guidance of the Lord through the Holy Ghost.”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Attendees arrive for General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

By repenting and becoming clean before the Lord, Goury continued, members can have the Holy Ghost to serve as a spiritual connection with their Heavenly Father.

“In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost,” Goury said, quoting church President Russell M. Nelson. As members “consciously choose to follow the guidance of prophets and apostles,” their capacity to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost grows and they are better able to understand the spiritual promptings they receive.

General authority David L. Buckner: The holy calling of friendship

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy David L. Buckner speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Growing up, general authority Seventy David L. Buckner said his father would often remind him that “simply sitting in a pew on Sunday doesn’t make you a good Christian any more than sleeping in a garage makes you a car.”

Jesus, Buckner noted, repeatedly refers to his followers as his friends. Extending this same hand of friendship to others is one way disciples can, he said, truly be like him.

“I see the Savior’s declaration ‘ye are my friends’ as a clarion call to build higher and holier relationships among all of God’s children ‘that we may be one,’” he said. “We do this as we come together seeking both opportunities to unite and a sense of belonging for all.”

Apostle Patrick Kearon: Jesus Christ is joy

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Patrick Kearon speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

As Latter-day Saints, apostle Patrick Kearon said, “we are members of the church of joy. And nowhere should our joy as a people be more apparent than when we gather together each Sabbath.”

Weekly sacrament meetings offer those who assemble with their ward and branch families, he said, “to celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, our deliverance from sin and death, and the Savior’s powerful grace. Here we come to experience the joy, refuge, forgiveness, thanksgiving and belonging found through Jesus Christ.”

Everyone who comes together can “contribute, no matter our age or our calling, to making our sacrament meetings,” Kearon said, “the joy-filled, Christ-focused, welcoming hour they can be, alive with a spirit of joyful reverence.”

And reverence is not merely “folding our arms tightly around our chests, bowing our heads, closing our eyes, and holding still — indefinitely,” said Kearon, demonstrating that pose. “This might be a helpful way to teach energetic young children, but as we grow and learn, let us see that reverence is so much more than this.”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Apostle Patrick Kearon, with wife Jennifer, at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Worshipping is so much more than simply attending, the British apostle added. “There is a significant difference between the two. To attend means to be present at. But to worship is to intentionally praise and adore our God in a way that transforms us.”

True worship shows in facial expressions, in singing and in welcoming all to this “sacred time for spiritual renewal.”

And taking the emblems of the sacrament is more than “thinking only about all the ways we messed up during the week before,” Kearon said, but also to “ponder the many ways we have seen the Lord relentlessly pursue us with his wonderful love that week.”

In those moments, the faith’s newest apostle said, Latter-day Saints “can reflect on what it means to discover” the joy of daily repentance.”

He invited his listeners “to discover this joy, embark on its quest…to receive the Savior’s gift of peace, light and joy — to revel in it, to wonder at it, and to rejoice in it, every Sabbath.”

General authority Juan Pablo Villar: Giving us a helping hand

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Juan Pablo Villar speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Juan Pablo Villar, a general authority Seventy from Chile, recalled playing in the ocean off the coast of his South American homeland and being rescued by his older brother, Claudio, twice from powerful waves that dragged him under the water.

Just as he was rescued by his brother who extended his hand and pulled him out of the water, Villar said, so our elder brother, Jesus Christ, always stands ready to help. “During our mortal time,” the leader said, ”we are subject to the attacks of the adversary, like the waves that had power over me that summer day, we can feel powerless and want to give in to a stronger fate.

“Those malicious waves,” he added, “could jostle us from side to side. But do not forget who has power over those waves and, in fact, over all things. That is our Savior, Jesus Christ. He has the power to help us out of every miserable condition or adverse situation.”

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A children’s choir from northern Utah — under the direction of Leslie Walker, with Linda Margetts and Joseph Peeples at the organ — sings during the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Oct. 5, 2024.

As members think celestially, the Lord will always “be there, and in his time, he will be ready and willing to grasp our hands and pull us up to a safe place.” Having an eternal perspective, Villar said, can also help members receive revelation to help others who need help or rescue.

Seventy José A. Teixeira: On becoming the ‘salt of the earth’

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) José A. Teixeira of the Presidency of the Seventy speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Portugal’s José A. Teixeira of the Presidency of the Seventy invoked the New Testament instruction to become “the salt of the earth,” equating the commandment with “[being] the change the world needs today.”

To accomplish this great task, Teixeira called on this listeners to:

1. Make the temple “the center of our devotion.”

2. Strengthen others by living the gospel together.

3. Serve in a church calling.

4. Use “digital communications tools with purpose.”

“Striving to be the salt of the earth,” he said, “includes so much more than an endless scrolling of reels on a 6-inch screen.”

Apostle D. Todd Christofferson: Insidious ‘weapons of rebellion’

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle D. Todd Christofferson speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

There are many acts of “willful rebellion” against God, said apostle D. Todd Christofferson, but possibly more “insidious” is “passive” resistance, like “ignoring his will.”

“Many who would never consider active rebellion may still oppose the will and word of God,” Christofferson said, “by pursuing their own path without regard to divine direction.”

And some aspects “that may be neutral or even inherently good,” he said, “but that [are] used in the wrong way become ‘weapons of rebellion.’”

Speech, for example, “can edify or demean,” the apostle said. “There is much in public and personal discourse today that is malicious and mean–spirited…much in conversation that is vulgar and profane, even among youth. This sort of speech is a ‘weapon of rebellion’ against God,‘ full of deadly poison.’”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Attendees arrive for General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

A career may seem good but “could be turned against divine directives,” Christofferson said. “Still, it is possible that devotion to career can become the paramount focus of one’s life. Then all else becomes secondary, including any claim the Savior may make on one’s time and talent.”

Focusing on career might cause some to forgo legitimate opportunities for marriage, neglect a spouse or children. “Even intentionally avoiding the blessing and responsibility of child rearing solely for the sake of career advancement,” he warned, “can convert laudable achievement into a form of rebellion.”

While taking care of one’s body can be good, Christofferson said, “it would be a mark of rebellion to deface or defile one’s body, or abuse it, or fail to do what one can to pursue a healthy lifestyle.”

At the same time, “vanity and becoming consumed with one’s physique, appearance or dress can be a form of rebellion at the other extreme,” he said, “leading one to worship God’s gift instead of God.”

Burying weapons of rebellion against God, Christofferson said, “means yielding to the enticing of the Holy Spirit, putting off the natural man and becoming a saint ‘through the atonement of Christ the Lord.’”

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) President Russell M. Nelson waves to the crowd at the afternoon session of General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Morning session

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, acknowledges the congregation after the morning session of General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

President Dallin H. Oaks: Peacemaking in a time of division

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) President Dallin H. Oaks speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Speaking on the eve of a tense and tight U.S. presidential election, apostle Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency and next in line to lead the global church, lamented the state of public discourse, stating “this is a time of many harsh and hurtful words in public communications and sometimes even in our families.”

These “sharp differences on issues of public policy” have serious and harmful consequences, he warned (without overtly mentioning the election), including “actions of hostility — even hatred” between people both privately and publicly. Other times, it “paralyzes” lawmaking on urgent matters.

“We need to love and do good to all. We need to avoid contention and be peacemakers in all our communications,” he advised. “This does not mean to compromise our principles and priorities but to cease harshly attacking others for theirs.”

This commandment, he said, is a “permanent commandment,” and one that, like tithing, fully embracing “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” and using the “revealed” name of the church, Latter-day Saints have been perhaps a little slow to fully realize.

Such commandments stand in contrast to “temporary commandments,” such as the one early Latter-day Saint pioneers followed when they abandoned the United States for the frontier.

“As we pursue our preferred policies in public actions, let us qualify for his blessings by using the language and methods of peacemakers,” he urged. “In our families and other personal relationships, let us avoid what is harsh and hateful.”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Dallin H. Oaks waves to the congregation alongside wife Kristen at the conclusion of the morning session of General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Dallin H. Oaks waves, followed by President Henry B. Eyring, at General Conference on Saturday Oct. 5, 2024, 2024. Church President Russell M. Nelson viewed the morning session from home.

General authority Gregorio E. Casillas: Making a positive difference in the world

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Gregorio E. Casillas speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Latter-day Saints should avoid “comparing ourselves to one another,” said Gregorio E. Casillas, a general authority Seventy from Mexico. “Your spiritual abilities are unique, personal, and innate, and your Heavenly Father wants to help you develop them. There will always be someone you can help feel the love of your Heavenly Father. Your potential is divine.”

As members help others, God will bless their lives, Casillas said. “He will bless your current or future family; and he will bless the lives of his children that you encounter. We live in a time of great opportunity. Although we face many difficulties, I know they are there in part to allow us to help others feel the love of our Heavenly Father.”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints listen to speakers during the morning session of General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

It is a “privilege to watch over people who need a helping hand, an embrace, a feeling of comfort, or simply for us to be with them in silence,” the leader said. “If we can help lighten their burdens, even if only for a moment, then we will be able to see the great manifestations of the Savior’s power in their lives.”

As disciples of Jesus Christ, Latter-day Saints can make “a positive difference in the world,” he said. “We can provide a sense of joy that is reflected in our countenance; a joy that we share with words of love and acts of kindness. Let us be good neighbors, good employers and good workers. Let us strive to be good Christians at all times.”

General authority David P. Homer: Truth is absolute

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy David P. Homer speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Contrary to what some might say, God’s “boundaries between right and wrong are not for us to define,” general authority Seventy David P. Homer told listeners.

“God has established these boundaries himself,” he said, “based on eternal truths for our benefit and blessing.”

Submitting to these boundaries does not limit but expands one’s potential, he argued, stating: “The choice to submit our will to God’s is an act of faith that lies at the heart of our discipleship. In making that choice, we discover that our agency is not diminished; rather, it is magnified and rewarded by the presence of the Holy Ghost, who brings purpose, joy, peace, and hope we can find nowhere else.”

Apostle Dale G. Renlund: The church is ‘ordinary…disciples of Jesus Christ’

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Dale G. Renlund speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct, 5, 2024.

The “Lord’s church” is not “a location or a building,” said apostle Dale G. Renlund. It is “simply ordinary people, disciples of Jesus Christ, gathered and organized into a divinely appointed structure that helps the Lord accomplish his purposes…the instrument through which we learn the central role of Jesus Christ in Heavenly Father’s plan.”

The church “offers the authoritative way for individuals to participate in ordinances and make lasting covenants with God,” Renlund said. “Keeping those covenants draws us closer to God, gives us access to his power, and transforms us into who he intends us to become.”

Just as dynamite without nitroglycerin is unremarkable, “the Savior’s church is special only if it is built on his gospel,” the apostle said. “Without the Savior’s gospel and the authority to administer the ordinances thereof, the church isn’t exceptional.”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Attendees arrive for General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Without this church, Renlund said, “there is no authority, no preaching of revealed truths in his name, no ordinances or covenants, no manifestation of the power of godliness, no transformation into who God wants us to become, and God’s plan for his children is set at naught.”

He invited listeners to commit fully to the church and Christ’s gospel.

“This power is far greater than dynamite,” he concluded. “It’ll shatter the rocks in your way.”

General authority Karl D. Hirst: God’s love is there, even when one might not feel it

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Karl Hirst speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

General authority Seventy Karl D. Hirst spoke emphatically of God’s love for all his children, regardless of whether a person may feel worthy of such love.

“However misshapen we might feel we are, his arms are not shortened,” the British church leader said. “No. They are always long enough to ‘reach our reaching’ and embrace each one of us.”

Still, he acknowledged there are times when individuals may not feel that love.

Why that might be, he acknowledged, “I don’t know.” Nevertheless, he reassured listeners that even when this happens, that love “hasn’t gone away.”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Marlen Davis holds his phone out for a selfie with Andrew and Karen Belanger as attendees arrive for General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

He then offered suggestions for how individuals might put themselves in place to increase their sensitivity to God’s love for them. These included time in nature, service and the temple.

Hirst closed: “We have every good reason to ‘rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men.’ Let’s get full.”

Young Women leader Emily Belle Freeman: Covenants ‘unlock’ divine power, not who officiates

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

It is not only the men who officiate in religious rituals that matters, said Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman, “what the ordinance and our covenant promise unlocks also deserves the focus of our attention.”

God ordained men to stand in his place through ordinances, Freeman said, but women can experience “inward sanctification and covenant connection.”

She cited the example of church founder Joseph Smith’s wife, Emma, who learned through “divine revelation” that “ordinances combined with the keeping of her covenant promises would increase her companionship with the Spirit and with angels, empowering her to navigate her life with divine guidance.”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Joi Norwood receives a kiss from her 10-year-old daughter, Kylie, attending her first General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Emma knew, Freeman said, that “through his divine power, God would heal her heart, enlarge her capacity, and transform her into the version of herself he knew she could become.”

The sacrament of bread and water, or Communion, is “a weekly reminder of his power working in you to help you overcome,” she said. “Wearing the garment of the holy priesthood is a daily reminder of the gift of his power working in you to help you become. We all have access to the gift of God’s power. Every time we partake of the sacrament. Every time we cross the threshold of a temple.”

Apostle Neil Andersen: The power of hope to sustain the faithful amid life’s greatest trials

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Neil L. Andersen speaks at General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Apostle Neil L. Andersen opened the Saturday session with a message of hope.

In contrast to the casual, everyday use of the word hope to express a wish, Andersen explained, “our sacred and eternal hopes centered in Jesus Christ and the restored gospel” have the power to bring reassurance even in one’s darkest hour.

He contrasted the example of two families — one faithful and one that “found pleasure in their intellect and the rejection of their faith.” When tragedy struck each in the form of a death in the family, the faithful family members found peace amid their heartache while the other were overcome with “despair and confusion.”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Young attendees walk the halls of the Conference Center during the morning session of General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.

Temples, a defining feature of the Nelson’s presidency, represent the ultimate symbol of hope, the apostle continued.

“There is no pain, no sickness, no injustice, no suffering, nothing that can darken our hope as we believe and hold tightly to our covenants with God in the House of the Lord,” he told listeners. “It is a house of light, a house of hope.”

He got rich without dying.

When it comes to epic hip hop stars, there are few who have gripped the world and conquered the music industry more than rapper 50 Cent.

With iconic hits since he took the world by storm in the early 2000s, 50 Cent, 47, has gone on to prove that his legacy isn’t just made with music, it’s a global empire built upon his entrepreneurship, personality and entertainment. With an immense high-net worth, the powerhouse is known for his unapologetic lifestyle—stirring the pot with major celebs like Madonna and Lil Kim as well as throwing down cash to tip big.

Then there’s his empire he’s built with shows like “Power,” which continues with the latest premiere of the spin-off in the series “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” which debuts August 14th, as well as products like Path of Kings (Chemin du Roi) Champagne, Branson VSOP cognac and his Green Light Gang fashion line. This titan just can’t be stopped. Having performed at the 2022 Superbowl and with a huge tour and many new projects in the works, 50 Cent has a very bright and mighty future ahead of him.

So what makes him such a king? Was he always meant to dominate and own his share of the world? Join me as we dive into his stars because I’m a pop culture astrologer and I can see it all.

3 50 Cent is a powerhouse Cancer Sun. Getty Images for Roc Nation

50 Cent’s birth chart shows how he conquered life’s challenges to conquer the world

50 Cent was born on July 6, 1975. This makes him a strong-willed Cancer Sun with an intelligent Gemini Moon. When it comes to elemental energy, he is heavily composed of both Air and Fire. When someone has a great deal of these kinds of energies, they often possess a dynamic, extroverted and witty personality. They tend to have a theatrical edge to them, as they thrive on passion, ideas and interaction. Keeping them boxed in a cage doesn’t work well because they thrive on spontaneity—and all of this can be seen within 50 Cent.

When analyzing his astrological aspects, we can see several different themes present themselves repeatedly throughout his birth chart. First, with the way his planets meet, we can see that ultimately 50 Cent is tremendously original and inventive. His Venus, the planet of art, links to Uranus, the planet of rebellion, which shows that he is immensely creative and thrives on having multiple interests and explorations. He demands freedom of expression and lifestyle and is boldly independent. He can be unconventional in some of his attitudes, but he is unbothered by the opinions of others because he knows he is a titan.

His Mercury, the planet of communication, links to Uranus, too, which allows him to have a brilliant and penetrating mind, granting him the ability to pick up new concepts rapidly and then make them his own. His Mars, the planet of energy, and Jupiter, the planet of luck, both stand opposite Uranus, too. He has immense resources of energy and demands to explore new horizons rather than ever being limited. He has an action-oriented personality, which makes him a nonconformist, totally living and abiding by his own code of ethics.

3 50 Cent has an intelligent and charismatic Gemini Moon. Getty Images for STARZ

Next, we can see why 50 Cent is also so charming and charismatic. His Mercury dances with Jupiter, making him very clever and generally good-natured, as well as having a bright sense of humor. His Sun, ruling his life force, smiles upon Jupiter, bringing him a courageous and loyal temperament, as well as fortune and favor especially in regards to the material realms of life. His Venus spins with Mars and Jupiter, granting him a lively personality with a genuine sense of kindness and magnetism, as well.

Yet, the last theme that can be seen running through his birth chart is that 50 Cent ultimately has faced significant challenges repeatedly in his life that have made him stronger. The stars above have not made it “easy” for him, as they have for many other celebrities out there. In fact, he’s had to face hurdles, enemies and drama time and again. First, we can see that his Moon stands obscured by Neptune, which has caused deception to sometimes stand before him. He may have idealized certain people, relationships and situations to only realize they were an illusion.

His Jupiter clashes with Saturn, which has made him very ambitious, but has often shown that his rise to the top has at times hit barriers that he has had to surmount. His Sun is crushed by Saturn, too, which has created blockages and at times made him feel like his energy has been drained and his sense of hope lost. His Sun then is attacked by Pluto, the planet of darkness and enemies, which has caused him to face insecurity on the deepest of levels so he could transform that pain into power. Overall, 50 Cent used these hurdles to drive him toward success.

3 50 Cent has bright stars ahead of him. Getty Images for STARZ

What are predictions for 50 Cent?

So what lies ahead for 50 Cent? More glory—or more challenges? Luckily, he has a brighter road ahead of him over the next several years. To be honest, one of his darker periods lasted between 2017 to 2020, when he felt the weight of the world. Mighty Pluto, the planet of rebirth but also shadow, has stood across the sky from him since 2008 and will soon leave this arena and will never return here again in his lifetime. Life will improve yet again. Mighty Jupiter, the planet of expansion, sings at the crown of his chart from May to October 2022 and will once again return in the first five months of 2023.

This ensures great success and more acclaim, as he revels in what he has built. But even better news comes beginning the summer of 2023, as he will see his fan base expand, as well as collaborates with many of his closest friends and business partners. This period will be as if he is lifted to the stars and celebrated in ways he hasn’t felt in over a decade. His income will also grow because of this, too. May he continue to thrive like the king that he is. You heard it here first.

Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars

Kyle Thomas is a globally recognized pop culture astrologer who has been featured in “Access Hollywood,” E! Entertainment, NBC & ABC television, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Hulu, Bustle, Elite Daily, Marie Claire and more. He is known for his cosmic guidance for celebrities, business executives and prominent influencers. His work harnesses the power of the stars in regards to entertainment lifestyle and trends affecting people worldwide. For more information, visit KyleThomasAstrology.com.