We have arrived at the decisive moment, where we review the nominees for Best Picture and choose one based on astrological data.

We have our limitations here because, unlike being at a midnight showing or a premiere where we can check our watch, we don’t have an exact time for the actual first screenings of the films. But we do know the dates they opened, and thus we can take their basic astrological energy, as well as their storyline, and determine if the energy patterns correspond to victory in the Oscar ceremony’s chart.

Here again is the chart for the 2012 Academy Awards:

To review: Astrologically, this is a year where the Academy rewards films that pull at our heartstrings. The emphasis is on emotion and personal issues of wounds and healing (represented by the Sun and the dwarf planet Chiron sitting close together).

Relationships are also emphasized (Sun in the 7^th House of partnerships), while Pluto—facing the darkness and being transformed—occupying the 5^th House of love and creativity. Heavy dramas are not in their astrological element this year. Jupiter (fun, fizz and lots of it) sits near the Midheaven, the chart’s apex, so buoyancy rules.

Which films correspond to these elements?

“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” cannot be called a lighthearted film. The storyline involves a young boy’s experiences after losing his father in 9/11…not exactly a day at the beach. It also opened on Christmas, which makes its Sun-sign Capricorn…and Capricorns are renowned for being ultra-serious. Ultimately inspiring, but too heavy for a statuette.

“War Horse” has the magical touch of Steven Spielberg, so don’t ever count him out. But this film, also a Sun-sign Capricorn, suffers from the same problem—a lack of fun. Animal lovers found great poignancy here, but Spielberg’s meditation on the cost of war is a fish out of water when it comes to Oscar this year.

“The Tree of Life” is actually in alignment with Jupiter’s placement near the Oscar ceremony’s Midheaven, because one meaning of Jupiter is grandiosity. It’s hard to get more grandiose than the creation of the universe. Terrence Malick’s brooding masterpiece was released in late May, which makes it a Gemini—highly intelligent but somewhat scattered. Billy Crystal should have great fun with the dinosaurs, but that’s about as close as the film will get to Oscar.

“Midnight in Paris” is more magical realism than anything else, in addition to being quite charming. This also fits with Oscar’s desire this year for fantasy and imagination. Woody Allen’s biggest box office hit fulfills much of Oscar’s yearning except that it has competition that one-ups its ambitions. Released as the Sun was in Taurus (a fixed sign), this film will have a long and fruitful life on home media.

“Moneyball” is something of anomaly in that it represents quality work that can’t be ignored, even in a year of willful enchantment. Brad Pitt’s baseball-centric film is less about sports than stepping up to the plate personally, and that fits with the theme this year. But lack of robust emotionality hurts it awards-wise. Released on the cusp of Virgo and Libra, it makes statistics lively, but strikes out when it comes to exuberance.

“The Descendants” has much of the quality Oscar is looking to honor this year. Led by George Clooney, this family dramedy has pathos galore, personal transformation, an exotic setting (Jupiter rules the foreign) and entangled relationships. The depiction of the coma-stricken wife is certainly in alignment with the Sun-Chiron conjunction in the Oscar chart, and its release date makes it a Scorpio, which rules death and rebirth. This film has a real shot at winning.

“The Help” also fulfills a part of the Oscar chart’s desires this year. Mars in Virgo (symbolizing action and service to others/employees) is the first planet seen after the Ascendant on the eastern (left) side of the chart. This is an indicator of prominence. Oscar has Leo on the Ascendant and the film’s release date makes it a Sun-sign Leo. Self-actualization and overcoming obstacles tie in with Oscar’s themes. In short, I like its chances.

“Hugo” has the most nominations and covers a lot of territory in the Academy’s psyche right now. Its Sun-sign is Sagittarius—known for fun and internationality. (The film takes place in Paris.) The yearning for lightheartedness and nostalgia finds fulfillment here along with a sense of wonderment (Oscar’s Sun being in Pisces, the sign of imagination).

Martin Scorcese has fashioned a film that is bubbly, technically-minded, personally transformative for the young protagonist, and also has a foreign setting. (Prominent Jupiter in Oscar’s chart.) It fits the Academy’s needs this year like a glove. It’s tempting to pick “Hugo” as the winner. And I won’t be surprised if it happens.

But I believe the envelope this year will contain the title of the only film we’ve not yet named, because it seems to completely fulfill the potential in Oscar’s chart.

That film, of course, is “The Artist.”

It’s quite courageous (or mad, take your pick) to make an almost-silent film almost 90 years after the silent film era ended. To appreciate it calls for attention on the audience’s part, too, and that also is rare these days. But the Moon-Jupiter conjunction in Oscar’s chart speaks to foreigners being prominent this year and “The Artist” stars a French actor and an actress born in Argentina. It also speaks to the abundance (Jupiter) of unspoken emotion (Moon) contained in the movie.

In fact, the Academy Awards chart is like a mirror for “The Artist.” Jupiter is the ruler of the film’s Sun-sign, Sagittarius, and is the most elevated planet in the Oscar chart. Emotional nostalgia is a centerpoint in both the film’s and in Oscar’s chart (the prominent Moon), and they both contain much personal pathos. (Pluto in the 5^th House of creativity can signify transformation in the entertainment industry.)

The film also includes a good deal of dance: Pisces rules the feet and is the Oscar chart’s Sun-sign. And it has the romance and glamour that Pisces and its ruling planet Neptune represent when placed in the 7^th House of relationships.

“The Artist” fits the 2012 Oscar chart precisely, and is therefore my choice for Best Picture.

As far as who takes home Oscar, it is not just the Academy voters who have a say in this, but the planets and stars above. This year, the celestial bodies have selected a frothy gift that moves the heart rather than forcing us into heavy intellectual brooding. The heavens are telling us that this is what we need.

Astrology helps us understand that aspects of our world correspond to aspects of our psyches, both individually and in the larger mind of humanity. Our dreams come out in our art. And our dreams are bigger than ourselves. Perhaps the heavens are saying that we need to rest from the tension of these harsh times and to re-dream our beautiful world.

It is certainly no accident that just as Neptune (associated with film) has moved into its home sign of Pisces—a vessel of creative imagination—that we have before us a movie that celebrates film history…and also contains a story of personal reinvention. That, my friends, is how the Universe works.