Wimbledon 2018 – Week 2

The women’s Seeds came tumbling down last week, with none of the top four left in the tournament.  In the women’s tennis, either Serena Williams will have an uninterrupted pass, or at the other extreme we could have an outsider take the trophy, so I will be keeping an eye on who comes up in the ranks.  In the men’s tennis, Federer and Nadal do indeed seem to have held sway, as predicted, and predictably.  Their transits were strongest in the top four.

As usual, I will take a look at the next 4 Seeds from the women’s and men’s listings, but will have to look at Serena’s transits, though she does tend to defy the astrology anyway.

Women’s

Karolina Pliskova – No. 7 Seed

The highest women’s seed left in the running, Karolina Pliskova has a largely unaspected Sun in Aries with few personal aspects, so she is independent and free-spirited.  Her transits are very lack-lustre at this time, almost imperceptible.  Though this might possibly mean she has a free hand in life, it doesn’t paint a strong or definite picture.

She will play No. 20 Seed Kiki Bertens in the next round, an enthusiastic Sun in Sagittarius with the Sun square Jupiter natally.  Kiki knocked out Venus Williams, and has most excellent transits (four sextiles): Saturn sextile her Venus, Mars sextile her Mars, Jupiter sextile her Jupiter, and Chiron sextile her Saturn.  By the end of the tournament, she only loses the Mars sextile, which still leaves a good picture.  So she may beat Pliskova, and may even reach the final.

Angelique Kerber – No. 11 Seed

Angelique Kerber is a steadfast Sun and Moon Capricorn.  Her transits at the moment are not bad, but not particularly distinguished either.  She has Jupiter square her Mercury, so she will be upbeat, but possibly subject to some unforced errors.  The North Node trines her natal Mars, encouraging her to be the best athlete she can be.  By the end of Wimbledon, she retains these two transits, and has an added sextile of Mars to her natal Mars, which gives her a little extra oomph.  I doubt she will get to the final, but if she does, she will be playing at her best and displaying great athleticism.

She plays the unseeded Bencic in the next round.  Belinda has Mars sextile her natal Saturn, Jupiter trine her natal Venus, and Pluto sextile her natal Sun, but disruptive Uranus opposite her Chiron.  At the end of Wimbledon, Mars is on Belinda’s Uranus (tricky), Jupiter still trines her natal Venus (she’s having a good time), but that Uranus still opposes her Chiron.  Curiously, Pluto exactly to the minute sextiles her Sun on the finals day, so it will be an important time for her.  I would go for Kerber for tomorrow’s match, but if Bencic gets through she could cause further disruption and upset in the tournament, and who knows might go all the way.

Jelena Ostapenko – No. 12 Seed

With Sun exactly sextile Saturn, Jelena can be very precise.  Mercury trine Mars gives her good co-ordination, and quick reflexes.  Mars trine her Neptune means she is capable of inspired strokes.  She also has a very spiritual mind, with Mercury exactly trine Neptune.  The Neptune aspects  portray an earlier skill in dancing, and indeed she credits her co-ordination and footwork to the dancing years.  She is also a Warrior, with Mars exactly conjunct her North Node.  She is actually known for highly aggressive play.  And unaspected Venus and Uranus make her a free spirit indeed.  A fascinating birth chart!

Her current transits include a difficult personal opposition of Saturn to her natal Venus, and Mars on her Uranus (which could bring excitement, shock,  upset or even injury).  Her current strength comes from Chiron trine her Pluto, bringing out deep resources.  If she comes through the Mars/Uranus transit, she still has the other two influences by the end.  I don’t think these transits would get her to the final.

She will play the unseeded Sasnovich in the next round, who is playing strongly at the moment with Uranus sextile her Saturn.  But her subsequent transits do not add anything significant, so I assume that Jelena will go through.

Julia Goerges – No. 13 Seed

Julia Goerges has a very Scorpionic chart with great depth of character, with Sun conjunct Pluto in Scorpio sextile Neptune and trine her North Node, completing a Grand Water Trine with Chiron.  Apparently her parents worked in Insurance (a Scorpio province) and when her half-sister also began to work and talk insurance, Julia sought distraction in tennis!  She also has a challenging Grand Cross in her chart, but a socially skilled exact trine of Venus and Jupiter.  Electrical energy (Mars square Uranus) and enthusiasm (Mars sextile Jupiter) abound, and personal earthquakes (Saturn exactly conjunct Uranus) fill in the picture of a strong and capable, possibly formidable character.

At this stage of the tournament, Julia has Saturn square her Venus (personal difficulties, like Ostapenko), but Chiron sextiles her Jupiter (bringing out her best) and Jupiter conjuncts her Pluto (all power to her elbow).  She should get through the next round, but by the end she loses the Jupiterian impetus which may see her out before the end.

She plays Donna Vekic, and I wrote on the first day of Wimbledon:

Donna Vekic

We have a new girl on the radar. Donna Vekic, the No. 55 Seed, has beaten Sloane Stephens in the opening round at Wimbledon. She declares that grass is her favourite competing ground. She has a challenging Cardinal Grand Cross in her chart composed of the Sun opposing Jupiter and Chiron/North Node opposing Saturn. But as so often happens, she has the other extreme, a Grand Trine (in Air) composed of Mars trine Uranus and Chiron. Her life may be a series of ups and downs.

She is the girlfriend of Stan Wawrinka, as of three years. Their Suns are exactly square, and Donna’s Saturn is exactly conjunct his Sun (which keys into her Grand Cross). Her Mars is trine his Jupiter, which is good energetically. Her Chiron trines his Jupiter too, so his Jupiter keys into her Grand Trine as well, which is quite an involvement.

Her winning transits today were Jupiter sextile exactly her Jupiter (winning transits indeed, which I might have predicted…), North Node trine Saturn, and Chiron sextile her Uranus. Looking at the picture at the end of Wimbledon (though she has not yet progressed further than the third round of a Grand Slam), Mars sextiles her Saturn (perseverance), and Jupiter still sextiles her Jupiter (though beginning to wane). She definitely has a chance of progressing further than the third round, and I would not rule out getting to the final. But she herself is cautious about her prospects. Interviewed after today’s match about having a clear draw in front of her, she said she would take one match at a time.

Plus Serena Williams

Favourite to win, currently seeded No. 25 due to taking time out to have a baby, here are her transits:

Currently, Serena has Chiron opposing her Sun, a time of a healing challenge (whether she can win Wimbledon coming back so quickly from the physical demands of childbearing).  Mirroring that transit, Pluto trines her natal Moon, showing a rebirth after the dawn of motherhood.  Strong stuff, both in tennis and life!  Added to that, Neptune trines her Venus, producing her namesake quality, Serenity (amazing!)  And as if to further underline the point, Uranus is on her Ascendant –  A dynamic change in life.  How can she lose?  This is such a time of flowering in her life.  One commentator was saying that if anything motherhood has added an extra dimension to her play, and astrologically I would agree.

She plays unseeded Rodina in the next round, who has Chiron squaring her natal Uranus, a healing crisis, but maybe it is just a privilege to play such a great legend.

Men’s

Juan Martin del Potro – Seed No. 5

I said last year “Juan Martin del Potro is a charming Libran, with a very powerful conjunction of Saturn and Uranus at the Galactic Centre in Sagittarius, natally.”  I would like to add that his name is my favourite at the moment, rolls off the tongue…(irrelevant, I know, but do try it).

His current transits are the North Node trine his natal Mars and sextile his Jupiter (it is good to have the karmic backing of the Universe!).  At the end of Wimbledon the North Node trine to his Mars becomes exact to the minute, and he still has the North Node sextile his Jupiter.  His star is still shining, and the final looks a possibility.

He plays unseeded Gilles Simon tomorrow, who has difficult personal transits of Saturn on his Sun, and Pluto on his Jupiter.  On his side is Saturn sextile his Pluto, giving him some strength (he must have got here somehow!)  I don’t think he poses a threat to Juan Martin del Potro.

Kevin Anderson – Seed No. 8

I wrote back in 2015:

“Kevin Anderson is a Taurean from South Africa, with a persevering Mars in Capricorn closely trine his Taurus Mercury – quick mental and physical reactions, and a great deal of stamina.  He has 5 of his 10 planets in Earth signs.”

His transits tomorrow show Pluto on his Mars (powerful and strong but possibly dangerous and injury prone), North Node trine his Saturn (his karma holding up within exacting standards), Saturn sextile his Neptune (dampening circumstances) and Saturn sextile his Pluto (some more strength).  That is a confusing picture, but not all that upbeat.  He may have some dramas going on in his personal life.

By the end of the tournament, Pluto is still on his Mars, Mars sextiles his Saturn giving him extra strength, and Saturn is still very active in his chart.  He has lost the karmic support from the North Node.  I think he could leave the tournament soon.

His opponent tomorrow will be the hugely popular Gael Monfils, a colourful character who in his last match went off court with an injury only to come back and win the match.  He’s a Sun in Virgo perfectionist with a flamboyant Ascendant in Leo.  He’s also a bit of a chancer, with Jupiter square Uranus.  His current transits include Pluto sextile his Jupiter (he is in his power), Uranus trine his Neptune (is able to grasp hold of complexity) and Saturn sextile his Pluto (he has plenty of strength).  The groin injury he suffered on Friday may have been a minor passing transit of the Sun opposing his natal Mars in 6th House.  At the end of this tournament Saturn trines his Mercury (he is able to knuckle down and concentrate if he is there at the final), Jupiter sextiles his Mars (he’ll have the enthusiasm), Pluto will still sextile his Jupiter, Chiron will trine his Saturn but square his Neptune, and Saturn will still sextile his Pluto).  The planets are not letting him down, but I am not sure he can carry through.  He may, however, beat Kevin Anderson tomorrow.

John Isner – Seed No. 9

I have written about John Isner:

“John Isner has the Sun in determined Taurus, and Mars conjunct Gemini in fleet footed Gemini.  That proved to be a recipe for taking part in the longest ever match at Wimbledon, agains Mahut in 2010.  Taurus is an unusual sign for a tennis player, but it does have endurance.”

At this time he has the Nodal Axis square his Sun, which is not easy karmically (a test of his power), but North Node trine his Venus (his personal karma going well).  But Chiron squares his Neptune, which is messy from a healing and spiritual point of view.

At the end of Wimbledon he still has these transits, plus Uranus opposite his Pluto, which could be upsetting.  I don’ think he will go much further in the tournament.

He will play No. 31 Stefanos Tsitsipas tomorrow, a young Greek Lion, whose transits are not very distinguished at the moment.  The end of Wimbledon brings him a trine from Saturn to his natal Saturn, which will give him a quiet sense of satisfaction about the tournament as a whole, but Isner will probably beat him tomorrow.

Novak Djokovic – Seed No. 12

And last but not least, Novak Djokovic, who has been relatively out in the wilderness for a couple of years, but seems to be returning to form.  He was very determined against our Kyle Edmund yesterday.  He seemed a little out of sorts at the beginning of the match, dropping the first set, but then rallied round.  Neptune was square his Mercury, which would account for some mental vagueness.

Tomorrow Mars squares his Pluto, which may be a danger point.  He may not find it easy to control his emotions. Mars also sextiles his North Node, which will give him some self-belief.  Saturn trines his Venus, which may benefit his private life.

He plays unseeded Karen Khachanov tomorrow, who has Pluto trine his Mercury (a strong mental fitness) but Saturn square his Saturn (will reach the limits soon of his expectations).  At the end of Wimbledon, Khachanov has Neptune sextile his Jupiter (he will have enjoyed the experience) but Saturn will still be square his natal Saturn.

So, at the end, will Novak be up there with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?  There isn’t enough room for three on Centre Court!  Djokovic will have mixed emotions, with Venus trine his Venus (harmony) but Mars square Midheaven (anger).  The Nodal Axis will be square his Venus, so he may be feeling that something was not quite fair for him.  Mars will still be square his Pluto, but on the wane.  I don’t think he will make the final, but I think he will get through the next round.

Djokovic was born a week apart from Andy Murray, who has also been in the doldrums, and has not been able to play at Wimbledon this year.

That leaves the question of who has the best transits on the men’s side.  Of the four I have just discussed, Del Potro stands out and may face Federer or Nadal in the final.  But I think Federer has the edge, if meeting Nadal in the final.

To rewind to their culminating transits:

For Roger: “By the end of Wimbledon, Mars will be trine his Jupiter, again, keeping his energy levels buoyant.  The red planet will also be trine his Saturn, so he will have more control, and it trines his Midheaven, so he will be confident and assertive.  Jupiter will still be trine his Mars and square his Mercury (see above), and Pluto will still be sextile his Moon (see above).  As well as being trine his Jupiter, the North Node will also trine his Saturn, so his karma will be steady.  Not a bad set of aspects at all.”

For Nadal: ” His transits for the end of Wimbledon show again Neptune trine his Venus, Pluto sextile his Jupiter, Saturn on his Neptune and sextile his Pluto, Pluto still sextile his Ascendant, but newly in the picture the North Node trine his Saturn (a stabilizing transit, one which Roger Federer also has).”

I think that does give Roger the edge.

Aspects

Chiron went Retrograde last week, joining Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto (we might feel we are pushing against the grain in some respects).  But Jupiter will go Direct this week.  Mercury will not go Retrograde until 26th.  Chiron’s retrograde passage will see us retrace some steps on our healing pathway.

Today, there is a beautiful trine between the Sun and Neptune, so take advantage of this to make progress on your spiritual path.  The intense heat this week was reported to be globe wide, and cited as evidence of global warming. Some feel drained by the intensity of the Sun at the moment, but the work of “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld reminds  us of its life giving qualities: “Has the ability to assist individuals with past-life recall in a more clear and direct sense, particularly along lines of emotional understanding.  Ability to present great amounts of vigour and strength to all parts of the body, to align all 12 chakras, to increase food absorption, and to more easily draw a greater balance of minerals into most cells of the body”.  Many people these days are taking Vitamin D for depression, but spending a little time out in the Sun each day, if you can, may save you some of your supplement allowance at the moment.  I am trying to get a tan on my lily white legs for my daughter’s wedding, but if I don’t make it in time, my neighbour has promised to lend me her fake tan.

Tomorrow (9th) Mercury squares Jupiter, which will be mind-broadening, but perhaps a little overstretching.  You might be complaining of information overload, or may deliberately decide to extend a journey to take in more experiences.  It could be an important day for exam results or testing, or for education in general.  There may be some careless mistakes in the execution though.  In spite of this, the general mental tone is quite upbeat.  Sometimes long-term resolutions can take place under this transit.

On Tuesday (10th) Venus enters Virgo in the early hours of the morning, and we may become more fastidious in our tastes, be they in food, fashion or friendships.  Under Venus in Leo we have been large-hearted and magnanimous, and may have let more people into our lives.  Now we need to focus and specialize in our artistic, music and relational endeavours, as well as being more discerning about the food we are selecting for our nourishment and ecological sensibilities.

Some measure of relief from the retrograde planet vibe of “beating your head against a brick wall” in the late afternoon, when Jupiter is Stationary, prior to going Direct.  Something may signal to you that you are on the right track, and not wading in water (sorry to mix my metaphors).  In one of your recent endeavours, you see that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and can comfortably walk towards it.

On Thursday (12th) we get to experience the benefits of Venus in Virgo as it trines Uranus in early Taurus.  Projects can suddenly come together under this aspect, and socially sublime meetings can occur.  The right people can appear out of the blue (and of course with Venus in Virgo we’ll be able to vet their suitability effectively).  It is a good day to step out of context, especially in matters of beauty, art and music.  But it is a day when the early bird catches the worm, and you need to seize the day (which will become clear).

We have, the same day, an opposition between the Sun and Pluto, so something or someone will be challenging us, or we will be putting up our own challenges.  There is a deep need for transformation, and you may identify where that need is, and how it needs to be fulfilled.

The next day, Friday (13th) we don’t only have Donald Trump visiting the U.K, we have an Eclipse!  In the early hours of the morning here (which will be late night on 12th in the U.S.), there is a Solar Eclipse, a New Moon at 20 degrees Cancer).  That tell us, however way we look at it, the visit is a Big Deal, and may affect our national fortunes for at least up to 6 months to come.  In our personal lives, we would be especially affected if we have planets or angles in our chart very close to that degree.  Otherwise, it may be as a New Moon in Cancer usually presents, that is a good time to signal your intentions in home and family matters.  Donald Trump may find himself more emotionally affected than he would expect (especially reuniting with his beloved golf course).  For Theresa May, desperate for future special trade deals, she will be desperate not to show her desperation, and not to look like the Libran people pleaser of her original visit to the U.S.

Saturday (14th) gives us a trine between Venus and Saturn, which is helpful of itself, but completes a Grand Trine in Earth with Thursday’s trine between Venus and Uranus.  That, together with the direct motion of Jupiter, gives us a good holding core in the week for making progress with our plans.  They say that life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.  Well you may be able to turn that on its head (despite Sun opposite Pluto and the Eclipse, or maybe in tandem with their power), and can feel that you have had a direct hand in manifesting or accomplishing something you set out to do.  Relationships should show loyalty at this time.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – spiritual
• Tomorrow – busy
• Tuesday – discerning and progressive
• Thursday – socially dynamic, but some drama
• Friday – turning point in home and family affairs
• Saturday – solidifying gains, and loyalty

 

Wimbledon 2018 – Week 1

Here we go again!  It’s the height of summer, and the tennis season here in the U.K.  We can manage without the carbonated drinks in this time of shortage, but it looks like we’ll have the vitamin D from all the sunshine of the next fortnight, while enjoying the tennis.

As usual, I will set off by outlining the top 4 women’s and men’s seeds, and then comment here and there as the tournament progresses.  For the first round, I will not look at the opponents for the top seeds, as they should be expected to go through.  I will, as usual, endeavour to answer any questions about your favourite players as we go along.

Women’s

Simona Halep – No. 1 Seed

Earlier in June, Simona won her first grand slam at the French Open, against Sloane Stephens.  She had lost the first set (Mars was opposite her Chiron) but Jupiter was sextile her Neptune (a dream come true) and Jupiter was sextile her North Node (her time had come).

How do her transits fall during Wimbledon fortnight?  At the beginning of Wimbledon, she still has Jupiter sextile her Neptune, so she still has dreams, but not the karmic back up of the previous line up of transits.

At the end of Wimbledon Mars (having retrograded) is again opposite her natal Chiron (causing some nerves), Jupiter is till sextile natal Neptune (keeping alive the dream), but Saturn squares her natal Sun (some self-doubt perhaps creeping in), and Uranus is trine her natal Jupiter (she can still pull the rabbit out of the hat if she gets there).

Caroline Wozniacki – No. 2 Seed

Caroline Wozniacki won her first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, on 27th January 2018.  Her winning transits were Pluto opposing her natal Sun (she rose to a supreme challenge), Jupiter trine her natal Jupiter (with some luck), Neptune was sextile her natal Neptune (spiritually in tune with her Higher Self) and Nodal Axis squaring her Pluto (despite a difficult karmic transit).  So one should not underestimate her ability to play and win under difficult Plutonian transits.

Yesterday, she beat Sabalenka to win at the final in Eastbourne: Venus was sextile her Venus (a harmonious day), and Jupiter sextile her Neptune.

At the beginning of Wimbledon this year, she has Jupiter sextile her natal Neptune (living the dream, similar to Simona Halep), and this stays in the same position in relation to her chart at the end.  Simona Halep has a little more going on, but Wozniacki does not have the Plutonian challenges she won under (she may thrive under pressure).  At the end of Wimbledon, she still has Jupiter sextile her Neptune, so the picture is the same right through Wimbledon.  That is helpful.

Caroline got engaged for the second time on 2nd November 2017.  Her first engagement in 2014 to golfer Rory McIlroy was broken off when he realized he wasn’t ready for all it entailed.  He had three “end of an era” transits at the time: Pluto trine his Sun, Pluto on his Saturn and Pluto sextile his Pluto.  Both men are Taureans to her Cancerian Sun.  Let’s hope her plans for happiness with retired American basketball player David Lee come to fruition.  Their Venuses are exactly conjunct, which is a romantic plus.

Garbiñe Muguruza – No. 3 Seed

Muguruza reached the semi-finals at the French Open, where she lost to Simona Halep, who went on to win the tournament. She was the winner of the women’s final at Wimbledon last year.  With Venus and Chiron in Virgo, she has been called a perfectionist.

Her general style is explosive, and she has some fiery transits beginning and culminating at Wimbledon.  That should make for some colourful play.  At the start of Wimbledon, Mars squares her Mercury (irritability), Pluto trines her Venus (depth of play), and the Nodal Axis squares her Mars (karmically she needs to bring her energies under control).  At the end of Wimbledon Mars squares her natal Mars: that does not favour her reaching the end of the tournament, but she could end with a flourish however far she goes.

Sloane Stephens – Seed No. 4

American Sloane Stephens distinguished herself at the French Open, taking the first set in the final against Simona Halep, though conceding the match after three sets.  Her transits at the time were Jupiter trine her Mars (which propelled her into the final), and Pluto on her Uranus/Neptune conjunction in Capricorn (a bit more of a challenge).

Sloane Stephens has her Sun cusping Pisces and Aries, trine Pluto (a powerful personal natal aspect).  We do not have her birth time, so her Moon could also be in one of two signs: Aquarius or Pisces.  Her Mercury is trine Mars, giving her good co-ordination, and quick mental reactions.  She does have a loose Grand Cross in her chart, which is quite a challenging feature: Venus in Aries opposes Jupiter, and Mars opposes the Uranus/Neptune conjunction forming the Grand Cross.  The difficulties of her chart are mitigated to some extent by Uranus sextile Pluto, and North Node trine closely Chiron.

Her transits for the beginning of Wimbledon still include Jupiter trine her Mars, but on the wane, plus Neptune squaring her Nodal Axis (some issue may be draining her concentration) and Pluto still on her Neptune (complex inner issues to deal with).  By the end of the tournament, she has lost the Jupiter trine Mars uplift, the square of Neptune to her Nodal Axis will be absolutely exact (she may be quite exhausted) and Pluto is moving away from her Neptune.  Again, not promising aspects for a prospective win.

Out of the four top seeds, I feel Caroline Wozniacki has the smoother set of transits.

Men’s

Roger Federer – Seed No. 1

The last couple of years have seen an outstanding resurgence of Roger Federer’s form, after a few years when it looked as though he was beginning to struggle. At the age of 36 (going on 37) he is still a force to be reckoned with, still as popular as ever, and breaking numerous records.  He beat Marin Cilic (winner of Queens this year) in the final of the Australian Open in January, but decided not to compete at the French Open.  He skipped the French Open last year, and went on to win at Wimbledon.

At the beginning of Wimbledon this year, Jupiter will be square his Mercury: mentally, he will be enthusiastic, though his form may be slightly off beam, exaggerated, overstretched.  Jupiter will be trine his Mars, so he will have plenty of energy, enthusiasm and vitality.  Saturn will still be square his natal Saturn, so there will still be some frustration.  Pluto will still be sextile his Moon, so he will have plenty of emotional drive.  The North Node will be sextile his Jupiter, so he will have self-belief.

By the end of Wimbledon, Mars will be trine his Jupiter, again, keeping his energy levels buoyant.  The red planet will also be trine his Saturn, so he will have more control, and it trines his Midheaven, so he will be confident and assertive.  Jupiter will still be trine his Mars and square his Mercury (see above), and Pluto will still be sextile his Moon (see above).  As well as being trine his Jupiter, the North Node will also trine his Saturn, so his karma will be steady.  Not a bad set of aspects at all.

Rafael Nadal – Seed No. 2

Nadal won comfortably at the French Open in early June (with the power to surprise from Uranian transits, and added strength from Neptune and Pluto), but is more comfortable on clay, and has not done so well in recent years at Wimbledon.

At the beginning of Wimbledon, he retains Neptune trine his Venus from the French win, Pluto sextile his Jupiter and Ascendant (a great strength), Saturn is sextile his Pluto (more strength), but Saturn is on his Neptune (some sort of a dampener, but not enough I think to make too much of a dent in his initial performances).

His transits for the end of Wimbledon show again Neptune trine his Venus, Pluto sextile his Jupiter, Saturn on his Neptune and sextile his Pluto, Pluto still sextile his Ascendant, but newly in the picture the North Node trine his Saturn (a stabilizing transit, one which Roger Federer also has).

Marin Cilic – Seed No. 3

Marin Cilic won at Queens, just prior to Wimbledon, so he is on good form.  He beat Novak Djokovic, who is on the up after a low key year or two.  His winning transits at Queens were Saturn square his Sun and opposite his Chiron (so is mastering those difficult aspects).

Novak lost despite having Mars sextile his North Node (fighting spirit), and Saturn trine his Venus (personal strength).  Neptune was square his Mercury which may have unsettled his mind.  Novak is now seeded No. 12.

At the beginning of Wimbledon Marin Cilic has Saturn still square his Sun (absolutely exact), plus Saturn square his Mars.  He may be experiencing problems right now, and they may be on a personal front.  He no longer has Saturn opposite his Chiron, however, or it is at least on the wane.

At the end of Wimbledon, Saturn has moved away from the square to his Sun, but squares his natal Mars, sapping his energy.  A compensating transit is the North Node sextile his Jupiter, so he may have a little luck along the way, though I am not sure whether that will be enough to get him to the final stages.

Alexander Zverev – Seed No. 4

Alexander Zverev, seeded No. 10 last year at Wimbledon, has moved up the ranks and had some success in the intervening year.

I wrote last year: “His Sun is right at the beginning of Taurus, and he has 0 Water planets (so may not be so emotional) and half his planets in Earth so is practical.  He is sensitive, though, with Neptune exactly square his Sun, and Chiron exactly opposite his Sun.  He has Mercury conjunct Venus, which may give him writing or diplomatic abilities.  With Mercury exactly square Uranus, he is not afraid to be controversial.”  Since then, I have obtained a birth time for him, which reveals a very driven Scorpio Ascendant to add to the picture.

At the French Open he demonstrated his Scorpio endurance, winning some five set matches from two sets down, eventually succumbing to Dominic Thiem in the quarterfinals.  Neptune was opposing his Mars, and continues to do so throughout Wimbledon, as Neptune is slow-moving.

Starting out at Wimbledon he also has Mars trine his natal Moon, energy combined with emotion; Mars on his Uranus (excitement), Saturn trine his Venus (some containment and steadiness in his feelings).  That’s a promising start, but he finishes Wimbledon with that Neptune opposition to his Mars still lurking, and only a trine from Venus to his Venus as back up.  I don’t think that would take him to the final.

Of the top four men’s seeds, Federer and Nadal have the best transits for the final, which sounds predictable…but I will have a look at the prospects for other players along the way.

Aspects

The planetary aspects are concentrated on one day this week: Thursday.  Therefore I am sprinkling a few Fixed Star seed thoughts around, for those who like to work with them.

Today our Sun is aligned with the Fixed Star Alhena in Gemini.  “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld provides the following information:

“This star appears to offer individuals the ability to rapidly change modes of thought and to shift context  …  Use of this star elixir will stimulate the chakras in the feet.

This message has a certain level of underlying strength, a certain perseverance and ability to push and continue when the going gets rough.  This is done by shifting perspective, seeing new ideas,  and bringing in another way of doing something so that you can make progress.  The perseverance of this energy affects the Sun, which then transmits this to the Earth to stimulate the feet.”

As I was typing this, I suddenly found that the new shoes I am breaking in for my daughter’s forthcoming wedding, suddenly and unexpectedly became more comfortable!

Eric Morse in “The Living Stars” writes: “This star should show up our artistic skills, especially with the written or spoken word, and our ability to negotiate a peaceful solution to disputes among people”.

Now to Thursday (5th) itself, starting with a trine between the Sun in Cancer and Jupiter in Scorpio, one of the best aspects of the year.  This brings out the principle of expansion, especially applied to creativity and self-expression.  Emotion is heightened, as this trine takes place in the element of Water.  A touch of luck could prove very welcome for your endeavours.

Not only are the two aspects this week concentrated on one day, but they also take place in the same hour.  Sun trines Jupiter at 11.04 a.m. in the U.K. and at 11.48  a.m. Mercury opposes Mars.  The combination could produce a heat spike, weatherwise.  Heated debates could be another feature of this aspect.  Irritability is another possibility.  It brings to mind the Noel Coward song: “Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun”.  From a practical point of view, keep cool, and avoid verbal confrontations.

As these two aspects occur on the same day and same hour, somehow you may need to bring them together, to enhance the best angles of the Sun/Jupiter trine (optimism and positivity) and minimize the difficulties of the Mars/Mercury opposition (minor accidents).  You can be bold in your ambitions, up to a point.  Check health and safety loopholes, before the abseiling or sky diving.

Friday’s (6th) Fixed Star link up is one of the most important in the year, Sirius in Canis Major.  This star was important in the ancient Egyptian culture, and forms an important ritual for the Dogon tribe of Africa.  I have found in doing star meditations with people that this star, the nearest and brightest to Earth, is an ingrained part of the collective unconscious.  It comes up for people in meditation even if they do not have conscious knowledge of it.

“Starlight Elixirs” says of this star:

“The physical vehicle is the place to begin is the underlying message, and its brightness is then simply to remind you of this.  On the highest level of such work there is energy for the ability of the person to shift vibration – to change the vibration of the physical body to match better that of the spirit, to be able to change the vibration to higher dimensional levels.

…

An excellent time to utilize this star elixir is just before falling asleep.  During sleep the healing capacities of the body are increased and the ability to absorb healing energies is also increased.  There may be a dream with insight, understanding, and deeper awareness of the life’s lessons involved.”

M.C. Cooke writes in “Tapestry”: “This star is excellent for anyone actually suffering some physical affliction, for its curative vibrations are able to penetrate all of the various bodies of the human being”.

The Fixed Star to work with on Saturday (7th) is Canopus in the constellation of Argo Navis.  “Starlight Elixirs” offers:

“Canopus is a powerful radiator of the light of generosity.  This light can encourage the interchange of loving acceptance and service between beings…Individuals who are seeking to create communities based on service would benefit by using this star.  There is also a sense of gentleness and power combined that can be the roots of healing for those individuals who have been given too much responsibility or too much power and have used it to make mistakes in which others were harmed.”

Take note, Theresa May and cabinet.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – shifting perspective, looking after the feet
• Thursday – luck, and minor confrontation, possibly at the same time
• Friday – looking after the physical body
• Saturday – generosity and gentleness

 

Fleetwood Mac – A Soul Group – Part 1: Origins

“And if, you don’t love me now
You will never love me again
I can still hear you saying
You would never break the chain”

~ Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood , Christine Mcvie, John Mcvie, Stevie Nicks, 1977

This may be a subject of niche interest, as either you think Rumours is one of the best music albums ever made, or you don’t.  The history of the band Fleetwood Mac is rife with karma, especially when the females Christine Perfect (later McVie) and Stevie Nicks entered the scene and introduced romantic complexity.  One of the members of the group, Danny Kirwan, died earlier this month.  But this is a long term project, and I am beginning with the origins of the group.  The founder members of Fleetwood Mac, in 1967, were Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, Jeremy Spencer and Bob Brunning.

Origins

Peter Green originally made a name for himself in the blues band John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers.  He introduced Mick Fleetwood, who he had previously worked with, to the Bluesbreakers.  Peter and Mick, together with John McVie of the Bluesbreakers, recorded some songs together, and later Peter and Mick formed a new band.  They named the band Fleetwood Mac, being a combination of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, but the latter declined to follow them at this stage.  They did find a slide guitarist, Jeremy Spencer, and a temporary bassist Bob Brunning who would fill in for John McVie.  This band debuted on 13th August 1967 at Windsor, playing at a festival.  This date may be considered as the “birth” of the group.

This chart shows Sun in Leo, conjunct Jupiter, which betokens performing success.  The Sun is also closely square Neptune, indicating the confusion and complication which was to come, plus Jupiter squared Neptune, showing spiritual confusion, excess and the addictions of the group.  Venus conjunct Pluto showed the intensity of the relationships, and Mars squaring Jupiter the over-the-top energies which sometimes characterized their interactions.

Peter Green

Peter Green’s chart echoes in some fundamental ways that of the group’s chart.  Like that of the group, his chart has over half (6) of his planets in Fixed signs, showing strength of will.  As with the group chart, his Sun is conjunct Jupiter, which betokens success.  His Sun/Jupiter conjunction however is in Scorpio, showing an intense and deep emotional nature.  His performing zeal lies in his Leo Ascendant.  Mercury conjunct Venus shows songwriting talent.  Green was behind early hits such as “Albatross” and “Black Magic Woman”.

Mick Fleetwood: :”I can say without hesitation that Peter Green was the most brilliant musician I have ever played with. When he was well,  he was on a par with a genius like Miles Davis .”

Mick Fleetwood

Mick Fleetwood has the Sun in Cancer, which has a compelling desire to belong.  He writes in his autobiography “This period of transition taught me what it means to be a band. A true band is a family and, like any family in crisis, a band must gather together privately, devoid of outside influence when under duress. It is the only way to re-establish the bonds that exist, for that family to remember who they are, and to decide their next steps together”.  He has a keen mind, with Mercury sextile exactly Mars and trine Jupiter. He has the musically sensitive and inspired trine of Venus with Neptune, deepened with an exact sextile of Pluto to Venus.  Mars conjunct the North Node gives him the Warrior Archetype.  Jupiter square Pluto gives a love of power.

Jeremy Spencer

Mick Fleetwood described Spencer thus: “Jeremy was something to see, a tiny chap, pretty quiet off-stage, who became a whirlwind of raw power once he plugged in”. Spencer had Sun in Cancer square Neptune, like Mick Fleetwood.  The chart for the group also had Sun square Neptune (“The Sun is also closely square Neptune, indicating the confusion and complication which was to come”).  So there is a lot of affinity there.  Mercury was closely conjunct Venus in his chart, indicating a talent for  songwriting.  He also later in life has been a book illustrator and story writer.  He was a gifted mimic: Moon, Uranus, Venus and Mercury were all in Gemini, the sign of Mimicry.  Apparently,  his behaviour on stage was sometimes suggestive or inappropriate, expressing his T-square of Venus conjunct Uranus, square Mars and opposite Jupiter.

Bob Brunning

It was made clear at the outset to Bob Brunning that he would be replaced as soon as possible by John McVie.  Nevertheless, Brunning did play at the band’s first gig in Windsor, and historically is part of the first line up.  He is the third member of the original quartet to have Sun in Cancer, giving the band a distinctively introspective flavour.  The prominent zodiac signs for music are Taurus and Libra, but Cancer is especially connected with rhythm in musicality.  He also had the Sun loosely square Neptune.  His true calling, however, lay elsewhere, as is clear from his birth chart.  After he left Fleetwood Mac he underwent teacher training at Chelsea, and taught for 30 years: natally Mercury sextile exactly North Node (Teacher Archetype and karmic mission), with Uranus and Mercury/Saturn in Gemini, sign of the teacher. He died in 2011.

Synastries

The chemistry within the original line up…

Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood

The interconnections between these two core founder members are very strong, and I would especially pick out Mick’s Venus exactly conjunct Peter’s North Node (a shared musical karmic link), and Mick’s Saturn trine Peter’s  Midheaven (Mick giving shape to Peter’s career).

Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer

This was another strong link, with Jeremy’s Pluto exactly sextile Peter Green’s North Node (another profound karmic link).

Peter Green and Bob Brunning

These two had Suns exactly trine, with Brunning’s  Sun also exactly trine Peter Green’s Jupiter.  A more challenging interaspect was Brunning’s Pluto exactly square Peter Green’s Sun, perhaps reflecting the fact that from the outset Peter Green intended to replace Brunning.

Mick Fleetwood and Jeremy Spencer

There certainly was a spark there, with Spencer’s Mars exactly square Fleetwood’s  Uranus.  Spencer’s Pluto was also exactly sextile Fleetwood’s Venus, a deep musical interaction.

Mick Fleetwood and Bob Brunning

Brunning’s Venus was sextile exactly Fleetwood’s Uranus (he lent his music to Fleetwood’s new group), and Brunning’s Uranus was sextile exactly Fleetwood’s Saturn – not quite such a strong link as Fleetwood had with the others.

Jeremy Spencer and Bob Brunning

Brunning’s Venus trined exactly Spencer’s Jupiter, a fine social and musical link, but again not so many links between them, perhaps indicating the fleeting nature of Brunning’s involvement.

Transits at the First Gig

These show the impact of the event on each member…

Transits for Peter Green

Mars squared Peter Green’s natal Pluto in Leo in 1st House, which would have made quite an explosive impact on Green.

Transits for Mick Fleetwood

Saturn sextiled his natal Venus in Gemini and trined his natal Pluto in Leo, laying foundations for what was to be his life’s work.  Uranus also squared his natal Uranus in Gemini – radical excitement and change in his life.

Transits for Jeremy Spencer

Mars was trine his natal Sun and Uranus transiting exactly conjunct his natal Mars, firing him up, and Mars square his natal Pluto, as with Peter Green.

Transits for Bob Brunning

These were a difficult set of aspects for Bob Brunning: Neptune exactly square his natal Venus, Pluto exactly square his natal Saturn and Chiron exactly opposite his natal Neptune.  He knew this was a temporary phase of his life, and was yet to find his true calling.

In Part 2, the next few members of the group will be introduced, and I will move the story on a little.

Bibliography:

“Play On” by Mick Fleetwood

 

Aspects

Monday (25th) brings us a square between Venus and Jupiter, which is not an ideal relationship between them, but nevertheless convivial.  In the office, you might have your mind more on the weekend’s social implications than on the task in hand, so it might be difficult to settle.  Some “inappropriate”, or indulgent, behaviour may ensue or threaten to erupt.  Someone may bring cream cakes into the office.

Mars is stationary prior to going retrograde on Tuesday (26th) and energy, movement and activity could experience some stuckness.  Mars is currently having a long stay in Aquarius, where it is flighty and unpredictable, but team minded and active on behalf of the underdog.  Quite a fitting placement for the duration of the World Cup.  Don’t be surprised if it’s stop-go on some of your active projects.  You may be required to hop from one activity to another, taking a step here and a step there, wherever you can.  Spinning plates come to mind…

Delay or frustration could also be a theme for Wednesday (27th), with Saturn opposing the Sun.  “Be patient” could be your mantra for the day, in between sighs…  That doesn’t mean you can’t try though, or try, try again.  With every attempt you may understand the underlying blocks or reasons for delay, and perceive steps to remedy the situation.

Some of the tension on Wednesday could be the build up to the Full Moon at 6 degrees Capricorn which occurs in the early hours of Thursday (28th).  If you feel that part of your frustration is coming from the power wielded by authorities, then this may be your Full Moon issue.  Work out your own relation and feelings towards authority, institutions or those in power, and then you may see the higher picture and higher philosophy needed to proceed in the right way.  Then find a way to make your voice heard, feel less helpless, or cast a vote.

There’s a change of mental focus on Friday (29th) with the entry of Mercury into Leo.  During the period of Mercury in Cancer our emotions have coloured our thinking, but Mercury in Leo brings a much bolder mental outlook, one which loves to compete, debate and have fun, revel in the summer holiday season.  Mercury will be in Leo until September 6th, because there is a Mercury Retrograde interval which prolongs its stay in that sign (for those who like to be prepared, that happens between 26th July and 19th August).  There you have it, too much information perhaps.

Communications do suffer a disruption, despite Mercury still moving direct, on Saturday (30th), as Mercury squares Uranus.  This bears a resemblance to the effects of Mercury Retrograde:  travel and communications may not run smoothly.  Words and actions may be controversial.  Protest marches may occur. Technology may fail, and snail mail prevail.  Nervous systems could be frazzled.  But we may be open to new vistas – the Universe may be trying to introduce new learnings to us.

The week in bullet points:

• Monday (25th) – convivial
• Tuesday (26th) – a red light
• Wednesday (27th) – delay
• Thursday (28th) – emotional tension
• Friday (29th) – party time
• Saturday (30th) – disruptive

Cristiano Ronaldo

“Not a great fan, but boy did I enjoy Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance last night” said hubby over breakfast yesterday.  I was intrigued, as the same day it was announced that Ronaldo had had to pay a huge bill for tax evasion.  That was an interesting enough juxtaposition of events to attract even the most unsporty astrologer.  Ronaldo had scored three goals for his team of Portugal, against Spain.  So this blog is a nod to the World Cup.

Birth Chart

Ronaldo was born on a Full Moon, and characters born under this placing tend to elicit strong feelings from others.  He has the Sun in Aquarius exactly sextile Uranus, giving him mental brilliance and a strong essence of Aquarius.  With the Moon in Leo, he has flair, but wants to dominate emotionally.  In his chart Mercury is conjunct Jupiter in Aquarius, giving him mental success and a very positive mental attitude.  He also has a problem-solving Mercury trine Chiron.  Venus squares the Ascendant exactly, which can demonstrate vanity.  Mars in Aries sextiles Jupiter, which is a driven energy combined with enthusiasm: his special talent is goal scoring.  The Mars trine Saturn he has is useful for precision in activity.  His Jupiter square Pluto loves (and sometimes misuses) power.  There is a strong generally evasive streak, with Neptune exactly conjunct the Ascendant, plus Venus/Mars exactly square to Neptune.  Venus exactly square Neptune would exactly describe tax evasion, although he has denied evading tax.

Relationship with Alex Ferguson

In 2003, Ronaldo was signed for Manchester United, and became its first Portuguese player.  He said of the manager Alex Ferguson: “He’s been my father in sport, one of the most important and influential factors in my career.”  Their synastry reveals many interpersonal challenges, such as their Plutos being squared, and antagonistic aspects from Ronaldo’s Uranus.  But there is a beautiful exact trine between Ronaldo’s Jupiter and Ferguson’s Neptune which may describe Ronaldo’s idealistic recollection of the relationship.  On his debut with Manchester United, Pluto was sextile his natal Sun in Aquarius in 2nd House and exactly conjunct his natal Uranus, a powerful and stunning moment in his life.  George Best commented that it was “undoubtedly the most exciting debut” ever.

Three Goals and Tax Evasion

So another memorable day in the life of Cristiano Ronaldo was Friday 15th June 2018 (this week).  Apparently he was the oldest player to score a hat trick in a World Cup match.  At the age of 33, that must be his lucky number!  The tax headline was actually the settlement of an issue which had been going on for some time.  In July 2017 he was charged with evading 15 million euros in tax.  He offered to pay 14 million euros, which was rejected.  But immediately preceding Friday’s match he received a two year suspended jail sentence, and fined 18 million euros.  His main transits at this time are Neptune from Pisces in his 3rd House square his natal Uranus in Sag in 12th House: a complicated situation, with the past catching up with him. Pluto from Capricorn in his natal 1st House squares his natal Midheaven in Libra in 10th House: in some respects his reputation is severely compromised.  But Jupiter from Scorpio in his 11th House of teamwork squares his natal Sun by 2 degs in Aquarius in 2nd House: he had the bounce to score those three goals, and enough cash in his coffers to pay, on Friday, 21 million dollars restitution for past tax frauds, thus avoiding jail time.  He can work out his sentence under probation.  Last transit but not least, Uranus from Taurus in 4th House squares his natal Jupiter at in 1st House, the unexpectedly brilliant performance won the day.

Comparison with Lionel Messi

Pundits debate who is the greatest footballer currently between Ronaldo and Lional Messi, who did not have a good start to the tournament yesterday. “I’m a Messi man” said hubby, over this morning’s breakfast, when pressed.  Messi by name, but by all accounts he is a cleaner, silkier and more fluent player.  How do their charts compare?  Do they have any astrological features in common, from which we can learn what is needed to make a great footballer?

In 2014, I wrote:

” Lionel Messi Is being hailed as Argentina’s finest hope now.  His footballing brilliance chartwise is shown by Jupiter (success) exactly sextile Mars (football).”

This is the same aspect as Ronaldo has, except Messi has it exact, Ronaldo’s is within 2 degrees.

They both have the emotional intensity of Moon square Pluto), but again Messi has this exact, whereas in Ronaldo’s chart it is loose.

In addition, Messi has an inspirational exact conjunction of Neptune and the Part of Fortune in Capricorn in 8th House.  At this time, Messi may not be playing or feeling at his best, as he has Neptune square his natal Chiron in Gemini in the 1st House.  But perhaps he has the astrological edge in the overall debate.

Aspects

Neptune goes retrograde tomorrow, representing some retracing of steps on our spiritual path.  It has been direct since November 2017, so you may have been inspired at that time by a new spiritual area opening up. Now is the time to consolidate on what you have learned, put it into practice, and walk your talk.  Neptune goes direct again this November.

On Tuesday (19th) Venus conjuncts the North Node, which brings out the karmic aspects of love (or the loving aspects of karma).  This conjunction takes place in Leo, the sign of large-heartedness and magnanimity, so big gestures of affection may be displayed.

Also on Tuesday Mercury trines Jupiter, adding to the buoyancy of the day.  This is a superb aspect for business, teaching and learning, travelling, and employing the power of positive thought.  It is a good holiday aspect, so if you are not currently on holiday, planning one is the next best thing.  Planning future education courses, or taking exams, is also favoured.

Another trine is sent for our delectation on Thursday (21st) in the early hours (U.K. time), Mercury trine Neptune.  If you felt the pull backwards of Neptune going retrograde on Monday, this aspect will help you to at least keep on track with your current highest spiritual level.  Listen to your favourite meditation tape or CD, or practise your favourite Tai Chi or Qijong moves.  Perfect your best yoga asana.  Chant your most effective mantra or affirmation. Remember your peak experiences.  Channel your highest guides or Ascended Masters.  Give yourself a benchmark to see you through the Neptune retrograde period.

Mid-morning the Sun enters Cancer, the moment of the Summer Solstice, the official beginning of Summer.  Smell the roses, hug the trees, and connect with the tribe or family.  Feel your roots.  For many, it is a time of celebration, and the waxing of the light is to be enjoyed as much as anything: we endured a long winter to get to a late spring, and need to savour the summer.

Mid-afternoon finds Venus opposing Mars, and there may be tension between the sexes, or a tussle between your own inner male and female.  Both may be wanting different things: Venus, in Leo, wants to be the centre of love and attention.  Mars, in Aquarius, wants to honour the team and support the underdog.  The battle for the remote control may centre around the soap operas vs the World Cup.  Who is being the selfish one?  Is there a win win position?

Saturday (23rd) brings a sparkling sextile between the Sun and Uranus.  Remember, that’s what gives Cristiano Ronaldo much of his sparkle.  It is a day which could bring pleasant surprises, and the flashing forth of creative and original ideas.  Electricity may flow in social encounters, and science and technology flourish.  Certainly the day promises much, early on, in terms of anticipation.

However, a mental challenge in the shape of Mercury opposite Pluto is also operational on that day.  It doesn’t cancel out the benefits of Sun sextile Uranus, but it does remind us to take care over what we say.  Words have weight and consequences.  At the party, that extra prosecco could cost you – a jovial quip may be taken the wrong way, for instance.

This aspect is followed by a square between the Sun and Chiron.  Healing intentions are helpful, because someone may be in crisis.  You may try (and you may succeed) in repairing the damage straight away, especially if you are alert to verbal cues and body language.  Some sensitivity could save the day.  It is a day for everyone to hone their Inner Healer.

The week in bullet points:

• Tomorrow – retracing your spiritual path
• Tuesday – unconditional love, and infinite possibility
• Thursday – sublime thought, celebration of summer, sensuality
• Saturday – excitement and anticipation, weighty conversations, and healing requirements

G7

An extraordinary photo was shared on instagram by Angela Merkel yesterday from the G7 summit, of a seated Donald Trump (arms folded) being confronted by Angela Merkel with the other members of the summit looking on, with Japan’s Shinzo Abe’s arms also folded.  You didn’t need to be able to read body language: the unsmiling looks told all.  Later, Donald Trump left the summit early to engage with Kim Jong Un in Singapore.  The main bones of contention were trade tariffs and relations with Russia.  But President Trump is also at odds over climate agreements.

The Group of Seven

The membership of the Group of Seven, representing more than 62% of the global wealth, consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.  The European Union as a whole is also represented.  Meeting to discuss joint economic policies, the concept of the G7 was founded in 1973.  Russia joined in 1998, when it formed the G8.  But following Russia’s annexation of the Crimea, the Russian Federation was ejected.  This 44th summit was hosted by Canada.

Heads of State

The summits are attended by the heads of government, and I will look at the countries in alphabetical order.

Canada, represented by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  Geographically and traditionally, Canada is a natural ally of the United States, but like the U.K. and France there is also a neighbourly rivalry.  He delivered the joint communique for the summit advocating a “rules based trading system”, which Trump rejected. Trudeau stated “Canadians are polite and reasonable but we will also not be pushed around.”  The transits for Canada at the moment include Neptune squaring its Venus (bizarre developments in relationships). For Capricornian Trudeau, who has a patriotic chart, his transits include two difficult aspects from Chiron, bringing crisis and possible health challenges.

France, represented by Emmanuel Macron.  The U.S. President and Emmanuel Macron of France have exchanged warm visits in the last year or so.  This weekend, their handshakes seemed firm as ever.  However, what they say does not always tally with the staged body language, hence on Macron’s last visit he delivered a scathing speech after all the camaraderie.  But Trump was on record as saying this weekend “We have a great relationship – Angela and Emmanuel and Justin”.  Current transits for France show Pluto trine its Mercury (power in speech and the written word) and Uranus on its Saturn (extreme testing).  The transits for Emmanuel Macron himself show Jupiter opposite Macron’s Moon in Taurus in 4th House (promoting the cause of his country in the world), Uranus sextile his Jupiter in Cancer in 6th House plus Jupiter on his Uranus in Scorpio in 10th House (the power of surprise is with him), and Neptune square his Neptune in Sagittarius in 11th House of Summits (despite the bravado, he may have inner uncertainties).

Germany, represented by Angela Merkel.  The arresting and eloquent photo was put on instagram from her official account.  The chart for Germany has Chiron opposite its Venus (relationship crises) but North Node on its Jupiter (some luck on its side, and humour on display), plus Neptune trine its Pluto (a healthy psychological strength).  Angela Merkel, having recently re-established herself in pole position politically in her own country, has few transits at the moment, the strongest being Jupiter square her natal Moon in Aquarius in 3rd House.  She is in reasonably buoyant mood and a bit cheeky (Jupiter = humour, Moon in 3rd House = instagram).  She certainly looks very confident in the photo.

Italy, represented by the President of the Council, Giuseppe Conte. Brand new president Conte (as of 1st June) after much turmoil in Italian politics, has Sun in Leo and a triple conjunction of Mercury/Uranus/Pluto in Virgo. His transits on coming to power were Jupiter square his Sun (aggrandisement), and Jupiter on his Neptune (elation and elevation).  For the summit, Chiron was square his Venus (relationship crises) but he is still uplifted by Jupiter on his Neptune.  He was the only member not to oppose Donald Trump’s effort to have Russia reinstated on to the group.  Italy’s chart has a Solar Return, with Uranus sextile its Mercury (not afraid to be controversial).

Japan, represented by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Virgoan Shinzo Abe has a genial and entrepreneurial Moon/Jupiter/Uranus triple conjunction in Cancer (which also makes him patriotic), but a Warrior’s Mars/North Node conjunction in Capricorn.  He is the one in the photo matching Donald Trump for arm folding.  For the chart of Japan, Mars squares its Sun currently, which is a bit dicey, but there is balance because Saturn trines its Sun.  The Nodal Axis squares its Sun, so this may be a crucial time in the state’s karma.  Pluto squaring its Neptune is also very tricky and complicated at present.  Some of these transits may refer to its internal politics.  For Shinzo Abe personally, Pluto squares his Mercury bringing some mental turmoil, and Mars this weekend squared his Saturn, so he may have found it hard to practise self-restraint.  Saturn sextile his Saturn kept his arms folded.

United Kingdom, represented by Prime Minister Theresa May.  Facing dissension within her cabinet over Brexit, notably from David Davis and Boris Johnson, she might have been hoping for a better profile at the G7 summit.  She wanted to talk about post-Brexit trade deals with Donald Trump, who apparently sidelined her.  She was also wanting to shore up support over Russia after the Salisbury poisoning, and a motion was passed in support, but Donald Trump was promoting the idea of bringing Russia back in the fold.  There is a distinct lack of transits to the U.K. chart at the moment, which bears out the sidelining and the cold front of Brexit negotiations.  For Theresa personally, Mars is trine her Sun at the moment; she came out fighting in an interview about the cabinet dissensions, the North Node is sextile her Sun holding her karma steady at the helm of the nation and the steering of Brexit (her main preoccupation).

United States, represented by President Donald Trump.  Trump came into the summit threatening a trade war, and left for Singapore hoping to be bound for glory and the enticement of a Nobel Peace Prize.  He evaded discussions on climate, on which the other members are in accord.  According to the Observer this morning Thomas Wright, a director at Washington’s Brookings Institution has said: “He is anti free trade and allies, and pro strongmen and authoritarian regimes”.

This weekend, Chiron was squaring the U.S. Venus (again, relationship crises; the third time this aspect has come up in this account!), but the North Node sextiles its Uranus (a chance for unpredictable tactics to work).  The picture for Donald Trump was a Venus Return (happy ploughing his own furrow; Donald Trump first; an eye on the Peace Prize).  I expected to see a confrontational Mars transit, but Mars is two degrees off a very confrontational opposition to his natal Pluto, which does not explode until 10th October, because Mars turns retrograde before then.  It may be worth flagging up that date for your diary.

Of the Singapore summit with Kim Jong Un in two days’ time, I have written:

“Mercury enters Cancer that day, which will ensure they each put their countries first!  Transits for Trump include the Sun and Venus close to the natal positions for him (he’ll be himself!), and Mars close to a trine with his Neptune – he may be motivated towards peace but also could be agitated.  For Kim Jong Un, Jupiter is on his Saturn (softening his stance), Uranus is still trine his Mercury (surprise negotiations and communications), Neptune sextile his Sun (which might make him a little more spiritual), but Uranus opposes his Pluto (so he may still be destructive).”

European Union, represented by Council President Donald Tusk and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.  We haven’t heard much about the role of these two at the summit, but I expect they have been watching Theresa May closely (or am I being paranoid?).  For the European Union, Jupiter squares its Venus (minor problems in relations) and Uranus trines its Pluto (strong and stable, but also dynamic, with the power to surprise). Tusk has a powerful chart, with natally Ascendant at the Galactic Centre trine almost exactly trine Pluto in his 9th House of International Relations.  He notably currently has with Uranus currently transiting his Sun in Taurus (Change), Uranus square his Moon (personal change), Chiron trine his Uranus (sudden healings) and Uranus opposite his Neptune (complicated wrangles).  Jean-Claude Juncker is a Sagittarian Sun with a cold Venus/Saturn conjunction  in Scorpio, but an entrepreneurial Jupiter/Uranus conjunction at the end of Cancer like Shinzo Abe.  [Aside: with that conjunction conjunct in their synastry, plus their Venuses conjunct, they could do a great deal all on their own].  Juncker currently has Neptune square his Sun, so his judgement could be a bit flaky at the moment, although he has other transits going for him.  The North Node trines his Mercury, so his communication seems good, Jupiter is on his Venus (he is enjoying his relationships), and Neptune trines his Saturn (it is a good time to be pulling the wool over Theresa May’s eyes – oops, here goes that paranoia again…).

Aspects

Mercury enters Cancer on Tuesday (12th) on the day of the much anticipated summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.  Donald has assured us that he will use his instincts to weigh up Kim Jong Un’s intentions immediately on meeting.  Mercury in Gemini mentally focuses on facts, but Mercury in Cancer does tend to employ the instincts more than the mind, especially the gut instincts.  Patriotic, family and clan affairs come to the fore.  In making an argument, people may approach the subject sideways, as in the crab’s gait.  As with Mercury’s stay in Gemini (which I notice, did produce some marathon verbal ramblings), Mercury will pass rapidly through Cancer, spending roughly a fortnight in that sign.  So if you want to “look after your own” and put your family first, let charity begin at home, this next fortnight is ripe for favouring such conditions.

On Wednesday (13th) Mercury sextiles Uranus, which is excellent for technology, upgrading electrical equipment, and receiving brilliant ideas, thoughts, and exchanges of communication with others.  It is the best aspect of the week, please note.

A New Moon follows in the evening, at 22 degrees Gemini, so it is a good day generally for the mind and mental pursuits.  The Cancerian colouring of Mercury may take a back seat, and pure logic can prevail over instinct if that is what is required for your pursuits that particular day.  Or you can combine your mental prowess with your instincts to great effect. Set your intentions on the intellectual front (e.g. in learning a new language), and if you know the House that 22 degrees Gemini falls in chartwise, then you can fine tune your intentions further.

Still later that day, Venus enters Leo, and it could be time for some fun (after all that mental activity).  It is a good evening for socializing, and favours performance-based activities.  Holidays beckon, either in actuality or in the planning.

On Friday (15th) the spanner in the works, Uranus, squares Venus.  This could be disruptive to relationships, arts projects, or even financial concerns.  If you are planning such activities, and need to press on with them, then examine possible loopholes in advance and take steps to deal with them.

Saturday (16th) brings a different sort of problem in the shape of Mercury opposite Saturn.  There seems to be a blockage of communication, or delays on the railways (Transport Minister Chris Grayling may need to go in hiding).  There may be more criticism about the environmental effects of a new runway at Heathrow Airport, too.  Mars will be on Chris Grayling’s Saturn, trying to move him on, and Neptune will be on his Mars (speculation about his position), but Uranus sextile his Jupiter may just save him (does he have a cunning plan?)  If you are planning an important journey, allow an extra hour or so…

The week in bullet points:

• Tuesday – using your instincts (in negotiations?)
• Wednesday – brilliant ideas, mental intention, have some fun
• Friday – disruption
• Saturday – delay

 

 

Jeremy Thorpe (1929 – 2014)

Jeremy Thorpe, erstwhile leader of the Liberal Party, has been in the public eye lately.  With the production of A Very English Scandal, starring Hugh Grant as Thorpe and Ben Whishaw as Norman Scott, portraying the scandal which ended his career, and a new investigation into the scandal under way, it is worth a look at the astrological picture.

Birth Chart

Jeremy Thorpe had a very earthy chart, with the Sun/Chiron, Ascendant/Jupiter/Mercury and North Node in Taurus.  Half (5 out of 10) of his planets are in Earth, with Saturn/Moon, Part of Fortune and Midheaven in another Earth sign, Capricorn.  Mars squaring his ruling planet Venus increased the sensuality of his Sun sign.

He was born close to sunrise, with the Sun closely trine Moon, which gives you the impression he knew what he was doing.  The Sun in his chart is exactly conjunct Chiron in Taurus in 12th House – he clearly had not developed his Inner Healer in any compassionate sense, and was still in the wounded stage of the Chironic process.  With the Moon conjunct Saturn in Capricorn in 8th House, he may have been depressive and even morbid, though masked by the flamboyant and debonair appearance of Jupiter on the Ascendant.  His Mars conjunct Pluto can indicate a streak of violence.

He was well known for his quick wit, and that shows up in Mercury closely sextile with Mars in his natal chart.  Mercury is also closely conjunct Jupiter, pointing to his success in his chosen academic subject, Law.

Interestingly, Jeremy Thorpe had Mercury/Jupiter on his Ascendant trine his Midheaven in Capricorn (ambition in politics).  When he took over as leader of the Liberal Party in 1967, Pluto (power) formed a formidable Grand Trine with these two points in his chart, thus fulfilling this ambition.  He had been a keen admirer of David Lloyd George growing up, as Lloyd George had been a family friend.  Lloyd George’s Pluto was conjunct Jeremy’s Sun/Chiron, making a deep impression on him.  Jupiter sextile Pluto in Jeremy’s chart shows a love of power.

Norman Scott

Under Thorpe’s leadership, the Liberal Party thrived up until the election of February 1974.  But the allegations made by Norman Scott that they had been lovers in the 1960s (when homosexuality was illegal) and that  Thorpe had mistreated him were becoming public knowledge  (Scott had first aired the subject in 1971).  In May 1976 Thorpe was forced to resign as leader of the Party, as he recognized the damage it had incurred.  Pluto (destruction) was opposing his natal Uranus in Aries in 11th House (the Party) at the time, which is quite descriptive.

Norman Scott (alive, and living in Devon) is an Aquarian and has a fiery chart, with over half his planets in that element.  We do not have a birth time for him.  Uranus square his Sun makes him more unpredictable even than the average Aquarian.  He also has the free-speaking feature of an unaspected Mercury.  Venus opposite Neptune describes him having a “scandalous” relationship in his life.

Mars conjunct Saturn can show victimhood, as can his Mars square Pluto.  But he does not like this portrayal.  He has said: “I’m portrayed as this poor, mincing, little gay person… I also come across as a weakling and I’ve never been a weakling.”  He may have an ambivalent attitude to power, as he has Jupiter trine Pluto (love of power), but in an interview with Tom Mangold he liked to portray himself as a lowly stable hand.

He and Jeremy share a karmic factor: they both have Mars on the South Node, indicating they may have been linked in warrior lifetimes, and that the events of this lifetime may be a repeating pattern from their past lives.

Scott had mental health issues, which probably did not help his case. He did suffer from recorded episodes of depression, on one occasion spending time in a Psychiatric Unit. A judge referred to him as “a fraud, a sponger, a whiner, a parasite”.  Thorpe’s biographer referred to him as a liar and a fantasist.   A prominent Neptune in his chart would bear that out, but a chart for noon on the day of his birth does not have a particularly high-profile Neptune, apart from in relationship (Venus opposite Neptune is particularly prone to projection).  Therefore, either a birth time would reveal Neptune on one of the angles of his chart or some other prominent placing, or he was not such a fantasist as portrayed.  Though Neptune may be a factor in his mental health issues.

The synastry (astrological relationship) between the two men shows a dramatic karmic pattern of Thorpe’s Nodal Axis (his karmic path) exactly square Scott’s Sun, a karmic power struggle.  There is also a “double whammy” of Thorpe’s Saturn square Scott’s Venus and vice versa, a relationship which is perhaps bound to bring grief to both.  Thorpe’s Uranus conjuncts Scott’s Jupiter, which brings a compelling element to the relationship.

Crime and Trials

Apparently, as early as 1965 Thorpe had sought help in dealing with Scott’s behaviour, which had become obsessional.  He enlisted the assistance of Peter Bessell, a parliamentary colleague. Bessell warned Scott that his behaviour was tantamount to blackmail.  According to Bessell’s later account, by 1968 Thorpe was desperate to silence Scott permanently, and another friend David Holmes was drawn in to assist this.  It was Holmes who enlisted Andrew Newton as a hitman. In October 1975 Holmes tried to shoot Norman Scott, but shot his dog instead.  Saturn was on Norman Scott’s Pluto at the time (sad death of his dog).  Was Jeremy Thorpe astrologically implicated?  Mars was opposite his Saturn, so possibly.

At Exeter Crown Court on 16 March 1976 Newton was put on trial, and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.  Scott testified and accused Thorpe, but Thorpe was cleared of association with this crime.  At the time, Thorpe was protected by a trine of Jupiter to his natal Neptune.  For Scott, there was more frustration: Saturn was squaring his natal Mars/Saturn conjunction.  However, later that year Bessell confessed that he had lied to protect Thorpe, and that led to Thorpe’s resignation of his party leadership.  When Newton was released from prison in October 1977,  he sold his story to a newspaper.

On 4th August 1978 Jeremy Thorpe, along with others, was charged with conspiracy to murder, and the trial began on 8th May 1979.  Interestingly, at the time of the charge, Jeremy was experiencing his Chiron Return in Taurus in 12th House.  This reinforces the fact that his Chiron principle had not developed positively: for many people it is a time when they embark on a healing journey.  For Jeremy, it exposed his wound, or weakness.  The period of the trial itself brought another classic astrological cycle in his life: the Pluto square (Pluto square its natal position).  Again, it is often a time of testing but can bring psychological awareness.  For Jeremy it was a new nadir in his reputation.  In a strategy which proved fortuitous for them, Thorpe and his co-defendants chose to stay silent and not to offer any testimony, and they were acquitted.  At his acquittal, transiting Jupiter was exactly trine his natal Uranus, a classic liberation transit.

Parkinson’s and Death

Jeremy Thorpe’s first wife Caroline died in a car crash in 1970, and he re-married Marion Stein a few years later.  In the mid-1980s Jeremy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and though he still held out for a peerage and turned up to various memorial services, he was very much enfeebled.  An article by Martin Kettle in the Guardian yesterday told of Paddy Ashdown’s last meeting with him on such an occasion:

“I put my arm around his shoulders.  He was just a bag of bones.”

At his death, the Nodal Axis was squaring his natal Pluto, and transiting Saturn was square his Neptune.  In his birth chart, he had a tight-lipped trine of Saturn and Neptune, and with these transits he was taking his secrets to the grave.  His wife died a few months before him in the same year.

A Very English Scandal

The series aired at 9 pm on 20th May 2018.  The transits for Jeremy Thorpe (posthumously) were Jupiter trine his Pluto (empowerment) and Saturn trine his Sun/Chiron (a rigorous portrayal of his nature, and an important evaluation and expose of his strengths and weaknesses).  Pluto trine his Mercury/North Node informs us at a deeper level, and prompts reflection on his karma.

The transits for Norman Scott are not easy: Mars opposite his Pluto, and Saturn square his Jupiter.  He has had some reservations about certain issues of the filming, but in some way it may have been cathartic for him.  For Hugh Grant, it was a personal triumph (Jupiter sextile his Sun), but Saturn squared his Venus (he was playing an unflattering role), plus Neptune was opposite his Sun (the scandalous nature of the film) and conjunct his South Node (a karmic nuance).  For Ben Whishaw, Jupiter was on his Mercury which denotes a success, but Pluto was square his Pluto (some psychological soul-searching; but at any rate more positive than Thorpe’s Pluto square which occurred at the time of the beginning of the second trial).

Hugh Grant

Hugh Grant has excelled himself in his portrayal of Jeremy Thorpe.  He looks like him, has all the nuances of his mannerisms, and is utterly believable in the role.  He recently declared he was not going to play the romantic comedy leads which typified his earlier acting roles.  When he played a villain in the film Paddington 2, he said he enjoyed the change.  He is now proving his talent as a serious actor.  In his personal life, he has grown: coming through the scandal with Divine Brown, then championing the right to privacy through the Hacked Off campaign, becoming a father and on 26th May finally committing himself relationship-wise in a marriage ceremony.  He has gone through a lot of changes.

Like Thorpe, Grant has half his planets in Earth signs.  He has the Moon in Jeremy’s Sun sign Taurus, so is enable to portray his emotional tone.  Grant has his Sun in Virgo, and is perfectionistic in his craft as an actor.  American film critic Dave Kehr has written that Hugh Grant “is known in the film industry as a meticulous performer who takes his time to prepare a role – someone who works hard to make it look easy – though that isn’t a trait he admires in himself.”

Hugh Grant’s own Chiron Return was a much more positive and healing event than Jeremy’s, incidentally.  It was the birth of his first child, which seemed to take his personal life on a new trajectory.  At the time Grant appeared in the Paddington film, Uranus was trine his natal Midheaven (Careerpoint), showing a shift in his persona in the world.  Pluto was also trine his natal Sun, bringing about internal psychological changes as well.  He is fairly fulfilled at the moment, with Jupiter sextile his Sun/North Node at the time of his recent wedding.

His synastry with Jeremy Thorpe is interesting: there is a sextile between Grant’s Sun and Jeremy’s Pluto – possibly depicting the posthumous portrayal.  His chart is generally sympathetic to Jeremy’s, with his Jupiter trine Jeremy’s Venus, his Neptune sextile Jeremy’s Moon, and his Pluto trine Jeremy’s Moon.

Ben Whishaw

I thought Ben Whishaw was the definitive John Keats in the film “Bright Star”.  But of course he has defined a lot more roles since then, and now he makes a very authentic Norman Scott.  Whishaw went to see Scott before they started filming the series, and Scott was reportedly pleased with his personal portrayal (though he had other issues about which he was more reserved).  Director Stephen Frears has stated:  “He was very pleased, he laughed and cried”.

Whishaw has the depth to portray such varied characters and make them real, in his exact conjunction of the Sun and Pluto in Libra, sextile Neptune.  With Venus trine Chiron, you could say he is particularly adept at portraying heart-wrenching lovers!  His synastry with Norman Scott includes a trine between their Suns in the Air element, and Whishaw’s Mars trine Scott’s Pluto, bringing life, realism and energy to his psychological portrayal, and apparently Scott was moved by it.

Current Investigation

Yesterday it was announced that Andrew Newton, the hit man hired to kill Norman Scott, and who did kill his dog Rinka, was still alive, and the case has been re-opened.  An investigation by journalist Tom Mangold which was shelved in 1979 is the basis for a new documentary, to be shown at 10 pm tonight on BBC 4 after the last in the series of “A Very English Scandal”.  It is rumoured that Andrew Newton has changed his name to Hann Redwin. But we do not have his birth date, that is the first thing I would like to know!

Aspects

There are no planetary aspects until Wednesday, and therefore I will look at the alignment of our Sun with one of the Fixed Stars early in the week, providing two seed thoughts in each case from “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld.

On Tuesday 5th June, our Sun is aligned with the Fixed Star “Cursa”, the beta star in the constellation of Eridanus (“The River”).  The name Cursa comes from the Arabic name for a group of three stars and is portrayed as “the Chair (or “Footstool”) of the Central One”.  In Chinese it is known as “the third star of Jade Well”.

I will quote from two facets of this star:

“This star has a capacity to increase endurance and strengthen the ability to do work of a mental nature with many individuals.  Some enhancement of thinking process will take place.  Physical stamina will be enhanced where concentration or direction of the energy flows in the physical body by the mind are necessary.  Any sort of physical action where danger is involved can be influenced by this star elixir in a positive way.  When working with biorhythms, individuals may find that a coordination of the valleys or switch-points between two or more cycles would be excellent times for utilizing this star.”

and

“… this sense of patience may also be transmitted to some individuals who work with this star elixir.  This star does not directly enhance patience, but when someone is involved in a concentrated pursuit which combines mental and physical, they may begin to understand patience better as a direct result of the elixir.”

On Wednesday (6th) the Sun is conjunct Mercury at 15 degrees Gemini, a placement which can bring crystal clear thought, depending on which House area of your life it falls in.  If you don’t know where it falls, you may experience it as pure thought.  If you know which House it falls in, you can apply that clarity of thought.  It will heighten the performance of any teaching projects.  That conjunction occurs at 2.02 a.m., so you may awaken in the morning with some bright ideas or clear dreams.

Twenty minutes later, at 2.25 a.m., Venus opposes Pluto, which is a very different experience.  This aspect is much more in the feeling and psychological realms, and may work to distract the other aspect of the day, or make a surreal juxtaposition with your experience of Sun conjunct Mercury.  You will probably have to multitask!  There may be some confrontation in relationships, or ultimations given and received.  You might hear or say the words “I can’t do this any more” in relation to an aspect of an ongoing relationship.  Other ways need to be found to negotiate a way forward.  Again, being early in the morning in the U.K. the depth of feeling may invade your dreams, and create some colourful landscapes which you will remember in the morning.  The aspect may result in a change of values.

When the day is well under way, at 14.07 Hrs, and after you may have found benefit from the mental clarity and processed some of the emotional depth of the previous two aspects, Mercury squares Neptune, producing a further challenge.  This actually fogs up the mental picture, so that you may initially lose some of the clarity you had gained earlier.  But it will increase your sensitivity, which may help paradoxically with the processing of emotional issues.  You just need to ensure that you are seeing through the illusions which have come up, or the psychological masks which people may have brought up, if that is not too dramatic to contemplate.  You could spend part of the day in meditation and bypass some of the drama, extend the mental clarity, or rise above the emotions.  An intense day!

It is a good plan to deal with as much as you can on Wednesday, and not evade the issues that come up, for more obfuscation occurs on Thursday (7th) in the shape of Sun square Neptune.  This time the illusionary qualities are more generalized and not so mentally focussed, and could involve paradoxes needing to be solved within your creative endeavours.  You will need to do something grounding that day, to counteract the overload of Neptune in the middle of the week, so that if you are confused the grounding will take some of the edge from that.  Despite the fact that conundrums may occur in your creative work, creativity is a good activity for that day, if you look upon it as a challenge of problem-solving.  You may then be able to turn the square into a trine and produce an inspired creation.

The week in bullet points:

• Tuesday – endurance, and patience
• Wednesday – intense: clarity, emotional depth, and then confusion
• Thursday – more fog and illusion, but can be channelled into creativity

 

Kim Jong Un

At one time, I thought of Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, but recently I have become intrigued by Kim Jong Un’s behaviour.  Whereas Donald Trump has not changed his personality and tactics on the world stage, Kim Jong Un has, outwardly at least, gone through changes, from enthusiastically promoting nuclear testing to possibly looking at other options now.  In looking at his chart again, I am pondering the reason for these changes: is he changeable by nature, has he grown, are these changes genuine or just tactical play?  Do his transits  indicate these changes, and where have they come from?  Does he have more hidden agendas? From past researches, it seems the 1984 date of birth is much more accurate, so I will use that as a basis for my study. Kim Jong Un was said to be favoured by his father Kim Jong Il and like him in character, and comparing charts, the 1984 birth chart for Kim Jong Il looks the most compatible.

Birth Chart

We do not have a birthtime for Kim Jong Un, which makes interpretation more difficult.  Even so, it is worth having a look at the character of a man born on 8th January 1984.  The Sun was in Capricorn, showing someone who plays their cards close to their chest, and can be strict and rule bound. (Open, free-flowing Capricornians, look away!). However, he has 5 (half) his planets in the Mutable signs, meaning that he can be flexible.  This is possibly one component of his ability to be changeable.

The Sun sextiles the Moon in his chart, meaning that he knows his own mind and can co-ordinate his conscious and subconscious minds.  The Sun is also sextile Saturn, strengthening the perseverence and resolve of his Capricorn nature.  The Moon also trines Saturn, giving him an emotional resilience and resolve, too.  The Moon squares his Nodal Axis, and possibly squares his Venus/Uranus, so this may bring in unresolved karma with the public, and possible poor relationships with women (or mysogyny).

Mercury sextiles his Mars, so he is capable of incisive words which can hit their mark.  Mercury is conjunct Jupiter, so he is confident about selling himself and his brand.  Neptune between his Mercury and Jupiter, forming a triple conjunction, gives a veil of illusion over all the communication he puts out.  Mercury sextile closely Pluto gives him some psychological insight (something which Donald Trump may not have). Venus conjuncts Uranus on his South Node, bringing in some strange social karma from past lives.

Mars sextiles his Jupiter/Neptune, and that may help to evolve his aggression over time, to soften it or appear to.  This too may be a clue to his recent conciliatory behaviours towards the U.S., China and South Korea.  With Jupiter in this mix, whatever he does, he does with enthusiasm and zeal, bordering on fanaticism.  Mars conjunct Pluto gives a volatile explosive energy, one which might have a predilection for nuclear explosions.  He blew up some tunnels at a nuclear test site this week and invited a few select foreign reporters to record this event.  This was ostensibly as a prelude to his possible talks with Donald Trump on June 12th, but the significance and extent is not clear, and neither do we know what nuclear resources are situated elsewhere.

Moon Jae-In

President Moon Jae-In of South Korea met Kim Jong Un within the last day, in an effort to glue back together the possibility of the summit with Donald Trump for June 12th.  They have been engaged in a few friendly meetings this year, with hugs and smiles.  North and South Korea have been separated for decades, but at this point in time they both seem keen on some form of reunification.  This spring period, there is an emphasis for Kim Jong Un of Uranus trine his natal Mercury (surprise and bold negotiations).  For a meeting on 27th April with Moon Jae In, the latter seems to have had some powerfully helpful transits: Neptune trine his Uranus, Neptune sextile his Chiron and Pluto sextile his Venus.  At that summit they announced hopes for denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and peace in the region.

President Moon seems to have been a stablizing force in the region, and indeed needs to be in his geographical position as North Korea’s nearest neighbour.  He came to power in 2017 for a five year term, but in his early years had been a student activist.  He established friendly relations with the U.S. during Donald Trump’s first year in office.

This week’s meeting seemed to be in response to Donald Trump’s sudden announcement that the proposed June summit was off (which was followed by some more conciliatory moves).  The Observer article by Benjamin Haas and Lauren Gambino this morning makes some interesting points about both Kim Jong Un, and Moon Jae In.  They make the point that North Korea’s response to Trump’s outburst this week was unusually restrained, saying “it was still willing to sit for talks with the US “at any time, [in] any format”. He needs relief from sanctions and would like more legitimacy on the world stage.  Of Moon Jae In, they quote Adam Mount, who is a senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists:

“Trump says ‘everybody plays games’.  Moon Jae-in is not playing a game: he must keep his people safe from war.  Each of Trump’s whims shakes the walls of the Blue House”.

Moon’s synastry with Kim Jong Un is mixed: a square between his Mercury and Kim’s Mars, a trine between his Mercury and Kim’s Chiron, and a sextile between Moon’s Saturn and Kim’s Jupiter.

Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping of China is another crucial broker for peace in the region, and on the world stage.  He too has held friendly meetings with Kim Jong Un lately.  In their first meeting in Beijing, Kim Jong Un had transiting Uranus trine exactly his natal Jupiter – a surprise foreign trip (Jupiter) breaking (Uranus) with tradition.

In his synastry with Jong Un, Xi Jinping’s Venus trines Kim Jong Un’s Jupiter, which is an amiable combination, but Xi Jinping’s Uranus opposes Kim Jong Un’s Sun, so Jinping is very wary of him at the same time, and on his mettle.

Donald Trump

Trump and Jong Un announced the possibility of a peace summit in March, subsequent to which Trump was hailed in some quarters as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.  At that time, Neptune was trine Kim’s Saturn, but Chiron was squaring his Jupiter.  Donald Trump had equally contradictory transits: Jupiter trine his Saturn (a reasonably stable outlook), Saturn opposite Trump’s Mercury, Uranus square Trump’s Venus, and Uranus trine Trump’s Mars.

Trump’s synastry with Jong Un is high in energy: Kim’s Sun square exactly Trump Jupiter, and Kim’s Jupiter trine exactly Trump’s Mars.  Their connection is also communicative: Jong Un’s Mercury and Neptune are trine Trump’s Ascendant.

In the Observer again today (27/5/18) Will Hutton finds Trump’s behaviour concerning: “His waywardness is offering the chance to create new Russian and Chinese spheres of influence.  China is being given the chance to dominate Asia, Russia the chance to recreate the Soviet Union’s influence inits old borderlands.”

Proposed Date for Summit

For 12th June 2018, the date of the proposed summit in Singapore between Trump and Jong Un, if it goes ahead, Mercury enters Cancer that day, which will ensure they each put their countries first!  Transits for Trump include the Sun and Venus close to the natal positions for him (he’ll be himself!), and Mars close to a trine with his Neptune – he may be motivated towards peace but also could be agitated.  For Kim Jong Un, Jupiter is on his Saturn (softening his stance), Uranus is still trine his Mercury (surprise negotiations and communications), Neptune sextile his Sun (which might make him a little more spiritual), but Uranus opposes his Pluto (so he may still be destructive).

Aspects

Tomorrow (Monday 28th), the Sun sextiles the North Node, which favours right action on a karmic level.  Psychological healing may be empowered, as well as creativity.  You may have insights about the reasons behind events, and your own motivations.

There is a Full Moon at 8 degrees Sagittarius on Tuesday (29th) around late lunchtime in the U.K.  Foreign affairs may come to a head, e.g. Brexit matters nationally, and foreign links may also be on your mind on a personal level.  You may become more aware how your philosophy links with your emotions, as this peaks.

Mercury goes into Gemini late on Tuesday.  Mercury, representing our communication, is at home in chatty Gemini, and free to express verbally or in writing whatever comes to mind.  The communication will come thick and fast, but the consequences of the communication is another matter entirely.  Do you trust yourself to be in the moment with your words?  How accurate is your channelling voice?  Would your observations stand scrutiny in eternity? Not only that, but Mercury will be travelling very fast in June, taking in Gemini and Cancer.  You may find yourself gabbling…!

Talking about fast talking – Mercury trines Mars late lunchtime [14.13 Hrs] on Friday (1st June), and communication and travel are superfast and efficient around then.  If you are to benefit from the snappy communicative vibes of Mercury in Gemini, now’s the time.  Perhaps you have advertising to promote, flyers or leaflets to deliver, people to see and places to go.  Much can be accomplished.

Sixteen minutes later [14.29 Hrs in the U.K.] Venus trine Jupiter.  This could be a powerhouse of positive energy combined with the previous one.  Venus trine Jupiter is of itself one of the best aspects of the year.  It is a social blessing, and congenial for engagements and weddings, or any social celebration.  Feel the unconditional love.

Saturday (2nd June) favours love and charity, so if you are promoting a worthwhile cause, they have the planetary blessing of Venus trine Neptune.  The Arts are inspired, including music and dance displays. Britain’s Got Talent, and similar enterprises will dazzle.

The week in bullet points:

• Tomorrow – right karmic action
• Tuesday – emotions at full flood, communications free and easy
• Friday – powerhouse of positive energy
• Saturday – love and charity

 

Michael Curry

“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is as strong as death, passion as fierce as the grave, its flashes of flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it out”

~ Song of Solomon

I am not a fan of pomp, circumstance and pageantry.  But I do like a good royal wedding, and yesterday’s marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was beautiful, and full of surprises as would befit the aspect of the day, Venus sextile Uranus.  I was touched by the simplicity of her dress, moved by the gospel choir, touched and moved by the dignity of her mother sitting alone. There were so many highlights and sights, including the colourful fashions, but the standout surprise of the day, and one which it seems divides opinion, was the address by African American Michael Curry, the presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.

Birth Chart

Curry has Sun in Pisces, a sign traditionally associated with Christianity.  This gives him a deep well of compassion, which led him to make a plea for more love in the world, that we all might become good neighbours to each other.  His Sun does not have much in the way of aspects, but is sextile Chiron, which accentuates the fact that his is a healing mission.  Jupiter trines Chiron, reinforcing his desire to bring healing.

There are several signs of forcefulness in his chart: he has 6 (out of 10) planets in Cardinal signs, he has Mars in Aries, and he has Mars trine Pluto (a powerhouse of energy, enabling him to sustain a long impassioned speech!).  And he was definitely on a mission yesterday.  The service started out sedately, presided by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.  Then the wholehearted performance of Michael Curry seemed to come from nowhere, waking up the congregation.  The startled look of Zara Phillips said it all.

Curry’s Mercury (speech) is in Aries, and he gave a fiery speech, and a speech about fire.  He has an unaspected Mercury, which carries a freedom of speech.  I was totally with him on the first half of his speech, about love, channelling Martin Luther King on its redemptive power.  But he lost me slightly when he started to give a history of Fire.  That’s when quizzical comments started appearing on Facebook, with people wondering if he had wandered off message  (Fire is, by the way, the element most represented in his chart, with 4 planets).  But on the whole, I loved it.

He has a double opposition in his chart, between Venus/Mars in Aries, and Saturn/Neptune in Libra, giving him an understanding of society’s struggles, and angst.  Other features of his chart are Jupiter sextile Uranus (The Entrepreneur), and Jupiter square Pluto (a love of power).

Transits for Royal Wedding

The transits for his explosion into our collective consciousness yesterday include Uranus on his Venus (electrifying feeling) which keys into the Venus/Uranus sextile of the day, and Jupiter opposite his Jupiter (making a name for himself across the pond).

His chart has deep connections with that of Martin Luther King, and like Lady Diana, his presence was in evidence on the day, nodding approval at the changes helped along by Uranus in Taurus.

Aspects

Mars is sextile Chiron today, and rather like Bishop Michael Curry, you could be on a healing mission, with plenty of Fire, and gusto!

Early tomorrow (Monday 21st) Venus squares Chiron, and we need to be more sensitive about our healing approaches. It is a day for looking at our relationship issues, where we might be looking at the source of any separations and longings.  Acceptance and forgiveness may be key processes.

This is followed, also early in the day, by the Sun’s entry into Gemini.  Earthy preoccupations may give way to a need for Communication and lightness of heart.  If you’re a gardener, you’ll still want to garden, but may be more talkative about it, over the garden fence.

Early on Tuesday (22nd) the Sun will sextile Chiron (as in Michael Curry’s chart) so there will still be some zeal to get to the root of healing matters, and find the right remedies and approaches.  Creativity could be especially healing on that day.

Wednesday (23rd) also has an early sextile, that between Mercury and Neptune.  The mind is sensitized, and you may even experience a spot of channelling (if you are so inclined), channelling from high ideals.

Still early, Mercury opposes Jupiter, which may benefit the early bird that catches the worm, the early market trader.  If you are looking for a good deal, this may be helpful.  Be aware though that you may be overstretching your mental resources that day, taking in or transmitting too much information, or literally geographically covering too much ground.

On Thursday (24th) – guess what, early – the Sun trines Mars.  I think you need a few early nights this week to cope with all these early aspects.  Sun trine Mars is highly energetic, and may bring high temperatures, weather-wise.  As long as you pace yourself, and you are not too hot-headed, you may accomplish much in the way of activity and productivity.  It could be helpful to fitness types, training for their next marathon.  And it can strengthen the quality of courage.

Friday (25th) brings the most important aspect of the week, a trine between Jupiter and Neptune.  Hope and Faith combine with Charity and Compassion, and you might really feel the beneficent message of the wedding address.  How deep is your Love?

At lunchtime, Mercury trines Pluto, which is also a deeply constructive force.  It ensures that communication, ideas and thought are thoroughly conceived, and reach their intended target.  There is no room for superficiality on Friday.

On the last day of the week, Saturday (26th), Venus opposes Saturn, which may feel deflating, especially after all those aspects of progress earlier in the week.  It is day when you may have to nurse a relationship, or someone may be needing tender loving care if they are sad or disappointed.  The message of the power of love may be more difficult to sustain in the face of testing.  But the cure for the situation is even more love.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – healing mission
• Tomorrow – sensitive healing issues; communication to the fore
• Tuesday – creativity allied with healing
• Wednesday – sensitive communication and brisk business
• Thursday – highly active
• Friday – hope, faith and deep communication
• Saturday – emotionally flat

Uranus Enters Taurus

“It’s been a long time, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will”

~ Sam Cooke [Sun in Aquarius]

This week’s arrival of Uranus in Taurus on Tuesday 15th May has been widely broadcast of late, and it probably hasn’t escaped your notice, especially if you use Facebook.  Uranus  takes 84 years to tour around the zodiac, and 7 years per sign and House.

Nature of Uranus in Taurus

Uranus, an Air planet is the planet of sudden change, sees no ideological reason why change should not take place, and the Earth sign of Taurus is resistant to change as it registers the practical obstacles and ramifications.  Thus, the combination of Uranus and earth can sometimes result in earthquakes, both climatic and personal.

Historic Considerations – Finance

On its last entry into Taurus, in 1934, we were in the throes of the Great Depression, a financial crisis which began in 1933 when Uranus was still at the end of Aries.  But Taurus is equated with finance, which is why many Astrologers predict a major overhaul in the area of finance. They also equate it with the rise in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

Raymond Merriman, an award winning Financial Astrologer, writes this week:

“…the interference of trading in bitcoin, or any market, by government regulators, fits with the symbolism of Uranus entering Taurus (disruption of monies), at the same time Pluto is in Capricorn (government interventions).”

Jessica Adams, who has been writing about this phenomenon for some time ahead, has done some impressive research into financial institutions which strongly indicate such changes.  She states:

“From May 13th on, if you are not completely across Bitcoin, Blockchain and the rapid rise of competing cryptocurrencies, you need to be. The astrology is really clear. We are seeing a crisis and transformation for the banks and the finance industry.”

Historic Considerations – World Politics

In 1934, Hitler was cementing his power, becoming president and chancellor of Germany.  His natal Sun at 0 degrees 49 m Taurus was transited by Uranus on 28th June of that year.  Uranus had entered Taurus on 7th June, and on 30th June he instituted the Night of the Long Knives, purging the “Stormtroopers”, in the pretence of restoring order.  Thus he managed to use Uranus on his Sun to enhance his power.

We have some crackpots and tyrants around the world leading our governments at the moment.  Putin has just arranged to add 6 more years on to his powerful regime.  The President of China has given himself a lifelong lease of power.  Erdogan of Turkey has clung on to power for years, and cemented his position, becoming more entrenched and hard line as time has gone on.  We have the wild and unpredictable Donald Trump heading up the United States of America, and the equally unpredictable Kim Jong Un heading North Korea with its nuclear aspirations.  Donald Trump has challenged the nuclear aspirant Iran (headed by Houssain Rohani and the Ayatollah Khamenei), but is seemingly forging links with former rival Jong Un.  They are to meet on 12th June.  Much of the world power play centres upon the increasingly unstable Middle East.

Do any of these leaders have significant planets at 0 degrees Taurus, or at 0 degrees of a sign?

Vladimir Putin of Russia has his Moon at 0 degrees Gemini in his 9th House of Foreign Relationships.  Uranus semi-sextile this point from his 8th House may deliver an emotional shock to his Moon, but he may quickly analyze it and incorporate it into his Philosophy of carrying on clinging to power regardless. A recent television profile of Vladimir Putin suggested that world domination might be on his wish list, but until the Russian economy improves this would seem unlikely.

Xi Jinping of China does not have any significant planets at 0 degrees of a sign.  However, we do not have his Ascendant, which could conceivably be affected.

Recep Erdogan of Turkey likewise does not have any significant planets at 0 degrees of a sign.  Neither do we have his Ascendant, which might be involved.

Donald Trump’s Ascendant is so nearly at 0 degrees, being at 29 degs 58 m Leo.  His actions may trigger changes, with Uranus going into Taurus. Uranus trines his Ascendant 14-15th May (Monday (tomorrow)/Tuesday), and this actually will put him in a position of power in relation to fashioning change (whether we like it or not).  Uranus enters his 9th House of Foreign Relationships, so Change will be a feature of this area of his life for 7 years (i.e. even when he leaves power), and some of that change will come from him, and some of that change may be successful.

Kim Jong Un of North Korea has two possible birth charts, one for 1983 and one for 1984 (both without times). In my previous researches, the 1984 has tended to look more accurate, but I will look at both:

For the 1983 chart,  Pluto is at 29 deg 21 m Libra.  On 3rd May Uranus opposed that point, and Jong Un was making peace around then with South Korea.  This is not a convincing transit, as he would be more likely to be antagonistic under this influence.

For the 1984 chart (my preference), Mercury is at 0 deg 52 m Capricorn.  This would see him around 2nd June making surprisingly lucid choices (Uranus trine his Mercury), and if he is limbering up to his meeting with Donald Trump, and continuing to spin the plates for China and South Korea, this does, again, look like the more convincing chart.

Hassan Rouhani of Iran has Uranus at exactly 0 degs 0 m Cancer!  He will register change precisely at the outset of Uranus in Taurus, at 15.16 Hrs our (U.K.) time on Tuesday.  Uranus sextiles his Uranus, giving him the power of change and choice, even more so than Donald Trump.  This is extraordinary timing, though we do not have a birth time for him to provide more information.

Ayatollah Khamenei, the religious leader of Iran, has two planets at 0 degrees, Saturn at 0 degs 37 m Taurus, squaring his natal Pluto at 0 deg 52 m Leo.  Again, we do not have a birth time.  This gives him double relevance, and maybe some influence, but it does not strike his chart in a constructive way.  Uranus transits his natal Saturn in Taurus on 27th May, which may affect his health.  Squaring his Pluto, it may also affect his overall wellbeing or psychology.  There is a danger that he may strike out unpredictably, if he is not preoccupied with health matters.  He may have disagreements with Hassan Rouhani, who would be in a stronger state of mind, but may not find it easy to deal with the relationship.

The Queen

A special mention must be made that Queen Elizabeth II’s Sun is early in the first degree of Taurus, at 0 deg 10 minutes.  The change will register very early for her, this week, 18/19th May, i.e. during the proceedings Royal Wedding itself. It may be a dramatic event, but equally it could be a realization that comes to her during the course of the day or weekend.  It may be pertinent to the history of the monarchy.

Chiron in Aries

Looking briefly back at the ingress of Uranus into the preceding sign Aries in 2010, it was equated immediately with the phenomenon of the Arab Spring.  Aries representing Energy and Force, combining with Uranus the Rebel, brought this phenomenon and the activism of the Occupy movement.  The movement started in Tunisia, and then spread to many other Middle Eastern countries which followed suit, rebelling against tyrannical rulers.  Some were removed (notably Mubarak in Egypt) and some proved obdurate (notably Erdogan in Turkey).  A great deal of turmoil followed; the removal of Gaddafi in Libya resulted in chaos, and the upsurge of refugee movement towards Europe. Hope gradually gave way to despair.  Tunisia was the last nation to admit that the Arab Spring movement had come to nothing, last year, just as Uranus was in the last degrees of Aries.  Yes, some tyrants were removed, but the rise of ISIS and increase in terrorism came to inhabit the vacuum which was created.  No great inspired leaders were able to bring coherence to their societies.  Aries is a sign noted for initiating ideas, but not always being able to follow through to practical reality – a province which does fall within the brief of Taurus.  Taurus tends to be determined to uphold the status quo, and needs to be persuaded that changes are necessary.  It can follow through the ideas and ideals of Aries, if there is anything for instance to be salvaged from the Arab Spring.  In other areas of life activism has had burgeoning success, notably in the “Me Too” movement, which came in at the culmination of this seven year sojourn.

Personal Impact

You will be most affected this month if you have a planet or angle at 0 degrees of a sign.  I myself have Ascendant at 0 degrees Taurus, so am expecting the unexpected.  Otherwise, you may feel the changes when the first transit from Uranus touches on one of your personal planets or angles. You will in any case see changes occurring for friends and family, or in society or the world, which may be thought-provoking or eyebrow-raising.  If you are Uranus-ruled, i.e. have Sun, Ascendant in Aquarius or Uranus on the Ascendant in your natal chart, you may experience a personal change of focus or character as Uranus changes sign.  For example, you may have been more spirited and fiery over the last 7 years, and may become more placid or earthy.

Thinking Positive

Taurus is a multi-talented and faceted sign.  As well as finance, it represents Art and Music, the Earth, and Food.  So innovations in all these areas can take place in this 7 year period, and some of these could be beneficial indeed.  Uranus represents science and technology, and so these advances will become more concrete in this Earth sign, and often directly linked to Taurean related themes.  Uranus has the power to shock, but it also has the power to surprise, excite and delight.  Your own reaction to such changes may be dependent on how in tune your intuition is with the flow of what is coming and what is needed.  Cultivating flexibility, we can enjoy the spontaneity of it all.  We can learn that we can deal with changes that arrive unexpectedly, and feel stronger in that knowledge.  It may also be that being pro-active in the changes you want to see will be more successful and empowering than standing about reacting to change when it arises.

Interaction between Chiron and Uranus

I wrote last month, for 17th April:

“More importantly, Chiron enters Aries that day: a major sign change.  Chiron has been journeying through Pisces in recent years, a sensitive crucible of healing.  Chiron coming into Aries will be more overt, and possibly more physical in its approach to healing.  If you have important points in your chart at 0 degrees, you may have healing issues come up.  If you have a difficult angle to one of your planets, then Uranus moving into Taurus in May may help, as it may counteract that difficulty.  And vice versa, if your Chiron transit is an easy angle to a personal planet, then the Uranian transit may be more awkward.  The two planets are performing a balancing act this spring.”

Reflections on Change

Some initiate change, and some have change thrust upon them.  As I have Taurus rising, if a change of plan occurs I tend to see it as a disruption to my plodding pace of life.  I hope to evolve my perception towards seeing it as an opportunity being created to do something differently.  I need to be ready for that instead of trying to revert to my default pace.

Phrases you might hear (yourself saying)

“Something’s got to give”

“I didn’t see that coming”

“That was a bit left field”

*Ooh, Betty!”

“Surprise, Surprise!”

Affirmation:

“I flow with Change”

“Surprise, surprise, the unexpected hits you between the eyes
The unpredictable, that’s the surprise you see, surprise! Surprise!”

~ Cilla Black [Sun exactly conjunct Uranus]

 

Eurovision Song Contest 2018

“We are back to caution for Saturday (12th), the day of the Eurovision Song Contest.  Don’t go out rashly and put all your money on the Royaume Uni entry, for instance.  The day could be incident prone, with minor upsets and abrasions.  One Eurovision entry may nearly have to pull out, for example!  Near misses may demand that you carry your sticking plasters wherever you are headed, and be prepared to issue kind words and soothe egos.”

(from last week’s blog)

Deconstructing the above, there is a lot that sadly proved true.  Our U.K. entry came 24th out of 26, the Czech Republic nearly had to pull out due to injury, we actually had an “incident” during our performance, and dear Graham Norton issued kind words and soothed egos over and over again, rightly praising SuRie’s brave handling of the crisis and her spirited performance, and affirming our pride in her.

Our SuRie is a late Aquarian, with transiting Uranus sextile her natal Sun, providing great excitement at this time.  She had two adverse transits from Jupiter, which can mean overconfidence (Jupiter square Venus and opposite Mars).  It is not clear how much the Brexit factor influenced the voting, though we did much better last year, after Brexit had already been triggered.

The winner, Netta, from Israel, is a very early Aquarian, with Mercury at 1 degree of the sign, and her Sun at 2 degrees.  Currently, Uranus is squaring her Mercury/Sun, and the working out of this will become clear in June and July.  But her “Me Too” message was clearly a sign of the times, and as quirky as Eurovision songs come.

Interviewed a week before the final by the Independent, she said:

“[I was told] dress like you have nothing to celebrate. Dress in black. Dress big. Short skirts are not for you. Short sleeves are not for you. You’re not sexy or beautiful. You’re funny – that’s what you are. And you are a good friend. Well I am here to break that because this is a great evil that is done in the world to so many people.”

That success has come when she has Uranus challenging her planets is a reminder that we should not have any fear about being ourselves, and reassures us that if change is meant to be, and is in the flow of positive social evolution, it can be personally empowering.  She said “I am very happy”.  Uranus can be a progressive force in your life.

 

Aspects

Mercury conjuncts Uranus today, so your mind may be bursting with information and ideas.  Your memory may still be bombarded by the spectacle of 26 Eurovision songs last night.  And then the voting from 43 countries…

But that’s enough about me.  Communication should be at the pinnacle of brilliance today, polishing the diamond that is your mind (unless you are nursing a hangover from last night, in which case you may not feel the full benefit).  It is a good day to welcome the power of surprise, and inspire others with your mental inventiveness.  Telepathy, too, thrives under this conjunction.

At lunchtime, Mercury enters Taurus.  The collective mental outlook moves from the direct and straightforward to more practical considerations, and earth-centred preoccupations.  It is prime time for being in the garden and working out the best way to plant your seedlings and in what order.  Whether or not rationalizing your gardening exploits is your thing, you’ll be bringing the focus of the mind on Taurean skills and occupations: Art, Music and Banking, to name but a few.  To Bitcoin or not to Bitcoin, that is the question.

Tuesday (15th) is the biggest event, starting with a New Moon at 24 degrees Taurus.  This is a new beginning for all Taurean related interests, and a chance to focus your intent on these for the next month, or year.  You may take inspiration from visiting gardens or art galleries for instance, and looking at the achievements of the highest potential in these areas.  You are helping to build the New Earth, as they say in New Age circles.

In the middle of the afternoon, Uranus enters Taurus: the unstoppable force meets the immovable object, as it were.  You may register this if you are sensitive to Uranus and/or Taurus (see above), or you may observe it in events in society or on the global stage.  For others, it may pass them by for different reasons, e.g. the timing is not critical in their charts or with their planets, at the moment.  But it will be the beginning of a new process, and a new way of seeing progress and the way forward.  We have exhausted the possibilities of Uranus in Aries, and must find new ways to circumvent and deal with new challenges, or new ways around old challenges we haven’t given up on.

Another ingress occurs on Wednesday (16th) with the entry of Mars into Aquarius.  We may be in the month of Taurus, but Aquarius is such a strong theme this week.  Mars breathes life and energy into social initiatives and projects, and especially those that support the underdog, and the vulnerable.  Team spirit works well under this influence, and people pulling together as communities.

Also that day Mars squares Uranus, which is more tricky and erratic energy, but does emphasize the combination of Mars and Aquarius from early in the day.  Mars plus Uranus/Aquarius spells Activism, but Mars squaring Uranus can bring awkward clashes.  The electricity in the air could be tangible with the day’s mix of astrological influences.  It is one of those days you need to proceed with caution, though you could be straining at the leash!

Better practise restraint and wait until Friday (18th) to make progress on practical plans and realities.  Mercury trine Saturn on that day will help you to steadily build on initiatives from early on in the week, and good ideas which you haven’t yet been able to get off the ground.  If you were bursting with ideas but unable to see where to start, things may fall into place in your mind regarding how to proceed and plan, even if just step by step.

And so we come to another big day, Saturday (19th), not so much an astrological big day, but certainly one full of vast expectations from football fans and royalists.

The service for the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle begins at Noon, with the royal sign of Leo rising.

Manchester United will take on Chelsea at Wembley Stadium at 17.15 p.m., when the Ascendant will have reached Libra.  I don’t do football predictions (only Wimbledon) but wonder if Libra is a clue that Chelsea (the Blues) will win.

In between these two events, Venus enters Cancer (the fourth ingress of the week), at 13.11 Hrs.  When the date of the wedding was announced, I wrote:

“Venus in Cancer is perfect for a sentimental occasion, and an excuse to buy a box of kleenex. However, with the Football Cup Final being held the same day apparently there will be household battles for the remote control.”

Venus in Cancer brings out our softer side, and sentimentality over family history and emotions held within its framework.

Just after the beginning of the football final, Venus sextiles Uranus.  I went on to describe that:

“The main aspects are more descriptive of and suited to a royal wedding, though I would not go as far as to say that women will win the battle of the remote (and I would not wish to make such a sexist assumption)! Venus sextile Uranus provides an air of romantic excitement: people may fall in love on that day, or realize they want to marry! That aspect too is perfect for the occasion, in providing an extra special social atmosphere.”

So it looks like the sentimentality will carry on through the day, and somehow permeate the football event.  Perhaps there will be a romantic proposal that day centred around the football world.  Certainly there will be a celebratory atmosphere, and dudes will be partying on.  Important new connections will be made.  Venus sextile Uranus usually delivers on excitement.

This blog has begun, and ended, with Uranus…!

The week in bullet points:

• Today – brilliant ideas; practical thinking too
• Tuesday – new beginning, and big changes
• Wednesday – action allies with revolution
• Friday – progress on practical plans
• Saturday – hope, sentiment and emotion; vivid social meetings

 

Kanye West

What is going on with rapper Kanye West?  He has stirred up another controversy this week, with an astonishing comment about black slavery.  He has also announced that he wants to build cities, as well as re-affirming his love for Donald Trump.

Birth Chart

There is a lot in his natal chart which is relevant to his extraordinary behaviour and life.  Firstly, he has Sun in Gemini (a wordsmith) conjunct Jupiter (bombast).  Sun conjunct Jupiter does not always show a bombastic nature, but his Jupiter is exactly opposite Neptune (spiritual confusion and sensationalism) and Jupiter also trines Pluto (grandiose designs).

“I will say that I’m spiritual. I have accepted Jesus as my Savior. And I will say that I fall short every day.”

His mother (as depicted by the Moon in Pisces in his chart) was a Professor of English, and his love of poetry and sensitivity to words may well come from his maternal influence.  The Sun in Gemini squares closely his Moon in Pisces – sometimes his left hand doesn’t know what his right hand is doing.  His parents separated when he was three years old, symbolized by the close square between the Sun (as father) and the Moon (as mother).

His “freedom” with speech may be attributed to an unaspected Mercury.  I recently did a blog about Winnie Mandela, and pointed out that her tendency to be a “loose cannon” in speech may be attributed to the same.

His musical success and  acclaimed talent can be seen in his triple conjunction between Mars and Venus (charisma) with Chiron in Taurus (the sign of art and musicianship), channelled into a 10th House of Fame and Career.  Indeed he also has a keen interest in fashion (another province of Venus), which he has translated into business projects.

Success

Although he achieved success as a music producer early in his career, it was his ambition to be a rapper.  Apparently, a car crash on 23rd October 2002 shattered his jaw which needed to be wired shut, but motivated him in his ambition, and led to him making a groundbreaking composition (“Through the wire”).  Jupiter was sextile his natal Jupiter, and trine his natal Neptune at the time (success) but Pluto was squaring his natal Moon in 8th House (crisis).  He expressed the fact that “the album was my medicine”, reflecting the conjunction in his chart between Venus and Chiron (the wounded healer).  Adele has Venus conjunct Chiron, in her 5th House of Creativity, and we all know that her emotional pain inspired her early success.

A plaudit in Entertainment Weekly from 2004 states:

“West delivers the goods with a disarming mix of confessional honesty and sarcastic humor, earnest idealism and big-pimping materialism. In a scene still dominated by authenticity battles and gangsta posturing, he’s a middle-class, politically conscious, post-thug, bourgeois rapper — and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Elon Musk has also praised him to the hilt, regarding his inclusion in Time’s 100 most influential people list:

“Kanye West would be the first person to tell you he belongs on this list. The dude doesn’t believe in false modesty, and he shouldn’t […] In his debut album, over a decade ago, Kanye issued what amounted to a social critique and a call to arms (with a beat): “We rappers is role models: we rap, we don’t think.” But Kanye does think. Constantly. About everything. And he wants everybody else to do the same: to engage, question, push boundaries.”

Kim Kardashian

Together with his wife, Kim Kardashian, he forms a power couple in this age of the cult of celebrity.  They married on 24th May 2014, but had known each other for a long time.  Kim’s own chart is a fascinating study.  She is of course a lynch pin of the reality television success “Keeping up with the Kardashians”.

She has Jupiter exactly conjunct the Midheaven – depicting a successful brand, in Virgo in 10th House (a style icon).  Her mother Kris (Kardashian/Jenner) has a similar successful signature, as I wrote in May 2017 in my blog about Caitlyn Jenner:

“Kris Kardashian, matriarch of the Kardashian empire, has an amazing exact conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto in Leo in 10th House conjunct her Midheaven (Careerpoint).  It is no wonder she carved out such a successful long running television slot.”

Kanye and Kim’s second child, Saint, also has Jupiter on the Midheaven in Virgo in 10th House, and could go on to achieve similar success.

Kim has Sun conjunct Pluto in Libra in 11th House (which speaks of “how to win friends and influence people”).  Her Moon is powerfully placed on her I.C. in 4th House of Home and Family, emphasizing the role of her mother and sisters in her life, and family roots.

In their synastry, Kim’s Saturn is conjunct Kanye’s I.C. – she may help a little to keep him grounded.  But her Neptune sextiles Kanye North Node, so she adds extra glamour to his karmic mission.  Her Pluto conjuncts Kanye North Node, so that is some power she holds in the relationship.  And his Jupiter is on her Descendant, adding to the success of the relationship.

At their marriage,  Jupiter was on his Ascendant, so that was an advantageous marriage for him.  Uranus sextile his Jupiter added an entrepreneurial element.  Jupiter was trine her Mercury, so it was also good for business for her, and Jupiter was sextile her Venus, which is a classic marriage transit.  Both Kim and Kanye have Venus in 10th House, showing their status as style icons.

Donald Trump

“You don’t have to agree with Trump but the mob can’t make me not love him.  We are both dragon energy.  He is my brother.  I love everyone.  I don’t agree with everything anyone does.  That’s what makes us individuals.  And we have the right to independent thought”

~ Tweet by Kanye West, 25th April 2018

Trump has retweeted some of West’s tweets.

It is easy to see from their synastry, what makes this relationship a mutual admiration society.  They are both Geminis, to begin with, and both have a swagger, and both like words.  Trump’s Moon is sextile Kanye’s North Node, Trump’s Mercury trines Kanye’s Uranus,  and Trump’s Venus sextiles Kanye’s Mercury.  Tellingly, Trump’s Jupiter trines Kanye’s Sun, giving him a feelgood factor, and Trump’s Uranus conjunct’s Kanye’s Sun (almost telepathic).

Controversies

Kanye’s controversies are too numerous to mention, but I will try to list some:

In 2004, he stormed out of the American Music Awards because he had not been awarded Best New Artist

In 2015 he said “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” at a concert for Hurricane Relief

In 2015 Kanye West said he was thinking about running for President. “When I talk about the idea of being president, I’m not saying I have any political views. I just have a view on humanity, on people, on the truth.”

In 2016 Kanye claimed to be in 53 million dollars’ debt, and demanded that Mark Zuckerberg help him.

This week (May, 2018) he said: “When you hear about slavery for 400 years…for 400 years? That sounds like a choice.  You was there for 400 years and it’s all of y’all?  It’s like we’re mentally imprisoned.”

An article this morning in the Observer written by David Olusoga describes his behaviour: “Like a pampered toddler, he keeps going because he has so often been reassured that his every utterance is of profound insight and earthshaking importance”.  Kanye has Pluto in the 3rd House of Communication, so he does strive to be profound.

State of Mind

Are his outrageous comments just verbosity, are they the outpourings of a narcissistic personality, or is there psychosis involved?  He has experienced psychotic states, notably in November 2016, and was admitted to hospital for “temporary psychosis” caused by dehydration and sleep deprivation (Saturn was square his natal Moon at the time, and Uranus was on his South Node in Aries).  He has also been addicted to opiates.  He is becoming more outrageous, so perhaps there have even been permanent changes to his brain from the use of drugs.  He has also experienced depression, paranoia, anxiety and suicidal thoughts in the past.

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres on Friday, Kim’s mother Kris gave him a sympathetic hearing.  She said: “Kanye has a lot of love for all of you, all of his fans, and everybody who’s been there to support him forever.  And, I know that he will explain himself in his own way.”

Current Transits

As well as his recent controversial remarks, he also released a record in April called “Lift Yourself”, the lyrics of which have been called nonsensical.

His current transits include the challenges of Pluto square his Nodal Axis (extreme karma) and Neptune conjunct his Moon in Pisces in 8th House (extreme confusion).  He does have some planetary support too, and presumably friends and family who will rally round.

He has a concerning transit coming up around 24th/25th June this year, when Uranus (newly entered into Taurus) transits his natal Mars, which can be destabilizing.  Jupiter returns to his 5th House cusp and trines his Ascendant around 6th/7th September, which could provide him with some help, hopefully of the right kind, that which he needs.  It may also bring him a creative renaissance, as his work seems currently in the doldrums.

Aspects

Spiritual inspiration is the order of the day today, with a sextile between the Sun and Neptune.  This can result in a highly creative day, and produce work of an elevated order.  It is also good for rekindling sensitive rapport with friends and family.

Tomorrow (Monday 7th) could be more rocky for starting the week, with Mercury square Pluto.  There may be problems to deal with going into the office, which bring the need to prioritize and be clear on your psychology and values.  The collective game needs to be raised (group meditation or hug) before discussion, if disagreement is to be avoided.  We also have been promised extremely hot weather for this UK Bank Holiday, and more people may be at the beach than in the office;  caution is advisable, and travel may be a source of discontent.

The evening brings different challenges, confusion in relationships for example, with Venus square Neptune.  That artistic project you may have started on Sunday may develop a flaw, and you may need to stand back and ask for further inspiration or guidance for proceeding.  Deception and illusion may be behind the conundrum of the evening, and you may want to wait for truth to emerge in its own way, before judging the situation or making your mind up.

Wednesday (9th) is more upbeat as the Sun opposes Jupiter, and at least people are in the mood for a joke and a laugh, even though you may not share exactly the same sense of humour.  Freedom may be a watchword for the day.

The most constructive aspect of the week is the Sun trine Pluto on Friday (11th).  After some of the nuances earlier in the week, you may feel clearer about what really matters, and where your values and priorities really lie, and can be empowered on Friday to put into practice the teachings of the week.  What you do on Friday can be meaningful and profound, satisfying and fulfilling, in a serious way.  Social workers and Psychologists can execute their work harmoniously.

We are back to caution for Saturday (12th), the day of the Eurovision Song Contest.  Don’t go out rashly and put all your money on the Royaume Uni entry, for instance.  The day could be incident prone, with minor upsets and abrasions.  One Eurovision entry may nearly have to pull out, for example!  Near misses may demand that you carry your sticking plasters wherever you are headed, and be prepared to issue kind words and soothe egos.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – spiritual harmony
• Tomorrow – different headaches
• Wednesday – upbeat
• Friday – psychologically sound
• Saturday – minor incidents