Aspects for the week beginning 22 February 2015

UKIP

This is the second in my pre-U.K. General Election series.  It is also my second blog on the subject of UKIP, the first having been posted on 5^th May 2013.  This week the Tories have nudged ahead in the opinion polls, but the bid for electoral power is still all to play for, with the minority parties in with a chance to affect policies and in line for possible alliances in the event of another hung parliament.  Since I wrote my original piece on UKIP two years ago, I managed to lose a friend over the subject – and I am not usually that careless!  In the political arena, since that time, UKIP have acquired two bona fide MPs, and altered Conservative policy through Cameron’s fear of their further success.

Nigel Farage

My astrological portrait from 2013:

“As a Sun sign Aries, Nigel Farage cuts an individualistic and almost self-sufficient figure.  On the Andrew Marr show this morning, he was very confident, straight speaking and focussed.  He has leadership qualities through that sign, but also from an exact sextile from Uranus to his North Node (karmic mission).  He has the capacity to surprise.  We do not have his birthtime, but I suspect Pluto is prominent on the angles of his chart, because of the way he rose from the ashes of the plane crash on the day of the last election declaring that he was lucky to be alive.  On that day Pluto squared his Mars (the near death experience), trined his Natal Uranus (surprise survival), and conjuncted his South Node in Capricorn  (karmically facing death)”.

At the time I wrote that, I did not have a birthtime for him, but having acquired one, I found Pluto exactly on his Ascendant (the ability to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes)!  Another extra point to note is that he has no aspects to his natal Sun in Aries, which makes him even more of an individualistic, almost maverick, figure.  He also has no Air planets, and though intelligent (Mercury conjunct Jupiter), he does not primarily operate in the mental sphere, but more on instinct.  This individuality is both the source of some of his charisma, but it is at the same time a factor in failing to organize a party properly, because you cannot replicate the personal success across a motley crew of a party.

So, what are his transits like on the day of the General Election?  As reported in my new year blog:

“Nigel Farage (UKIP): [High] Jupiter trine his natal Sun (A stroke of luck).  Well, at the last election he survived a plane crash.  I am hoping the UKIP bubble will burst before the election, but he could get a seat.”

Transiting Pluto will also be sextile his natal Chiron, also putting him in a strong position psychologically.

Douglas Carswell

UKIP seem to have a particularly strong presence around Essex and Kent, and are apparently also coming up strongly in the North East of England.  Douglas Carswell was the first ever UKIP MP (representing Clacton), thus giving the party some presence and more respectability in parliament.  Like Nigel Farage, he has no aspects to his natal Sun (an unusual feature in a chart) and this points to operating independently.  He left the Conservative party because he wanted to see fundamental political change in Britain.  His ruling planet Venus exactly opposes Uranus, and this may be a driving force in that aim.  Mars trines his Pluto natally, so he has plenty of driving force generally.  He has no Water planets, so may be low in emotion.  At the time of the UK General Election this year, his transits are not remarkable.  He has Saturn transiting his Neptune, and may find things tough going or disappointing.  He may not do as well as he hopes.

Mark Reckless

Mark Reckless defected from the Tory party last year, and gained a seat in Rochester and Strood.  His is another very independent chart (Sun closely sextile Uranus – the Rebel Archetype, Mars trine the North Node), with leadership qualities but not as charismatic as Nigel Farage.  He had been notoriously rebellious while still a Conservative MP.  At the time of his re-election in November as a UKIP MP, he was experiencing his Uranus Opposition (which is the mid-life rebellion in terms of astrological cycles).  Like Nigel Farage, he has transiting Jupiter trine his natal Sun (which is in Sagittarius) at the time of the UK General Election.  So another lucky UKIP result on the cards!  His and Nigel’s natal Suns are exactly trine within a minute (13 degrees 55 minutes Sagittarius for Mark, and 13 degrees 54 minutes Aries for Nigel) giving them good working prospects together, and on election day Jupiter at 13 degrees 51 minutes Leo creates a Grand Trine with their natal Suns, magnifying the luck factor.  The stars certainly seem to smile on them that day.

UKIP chart on Election Day

Transits to UKIP’s own chart on Election Day are a mixed bag, but overall strong.  Uranus squares its Uranus, so there may be upsets, but Pluto trines its Mercury, indicating a positive shift on a deep level for their electoral machine.

Policies

One of the problems with UKIP is the lack of development of their policies, other than the prominent attitude of being anti-immigration and anti-Europe.  Here is a summary of some of their aims:

• Pulling out of the European Union
• Slashing the foreign aid budget
• Bringing back smoking in pubs
• Abolishing the Human Rights Act
• Boost funding for the NHS
• End involvement  in foreign wars

I can go along with their NHS policy, but the smoking policy seems a retrograde step.  Other than that, no comment!

Immigration

I am straining hard not to show my anti-UKIP bias, but have to concede that the immigration issue is of concern to many in this country, and that is the main reason for their popularity.  Nigel Farage denies that the party is racist, but it did inherit members from the BNP and even the National Front, and many UKIP supporters have embarrassed Nigel by making racist comments.  Tonight there is a documentary about UKIP, in which Rozanne Duncan, a former UKIP councillor, is seen to explain why she has a fear of “negroes”.

I feel that UKIP  is fuelled by fear, if not hatred in some cases, with its racist, homophobic and misogynistic tendencies (judging by quotes in the past from its membership).

A spiritual Perspective

Under comments in my last blog on the subject, my friend Laura posted a long commentary on the subject of people’s perception of immigration.  For me it stands the test of time and bears repeating:

“UKIP and its immigration policy” ~ Laura Dane:

“If there is one thing I have learnt from my years of spiritual work, it is that what we notice in the “world out there” and how we respond to it is a reflection of our “inner world”. The outer world is a reflection: the cause and solution lies in our inner world.

So, if we, for instance, are troubled by the idea of poor economic refugees flooding into the country, (as opposed to rich economic refugees like the Russian billionaires fleeing Russia after falling out with Putin and bringing with them, the extension of Gangster style Russian politics into the UK), what we are really experiencing is:

A new and foreign aspect of our personality nature (“the European foreigner”) is emerging into our lives (“coming into the UK”) and we sense that we have no barriers to keep it at bay (“open UK borders”) and no power to stop it because it is under the control of our higher or soul nature (“the EU”). We feel threatened by it because it threatens our sense of identity (“our sense of Britishness”) by undermining our sense of self. We perceive it as an act of impoverishment (“Migrants taking up our jobs, our benefits etc without contributing taxes etc”).

Our response to the EU indicates our response to our own higher nature or soul nature while our response to “being a European” indicates our response to the notion of an integrated personality. Each new European nation is, in this sense, a new unknown aspect of our nature to be integrated into our personality nature.

There is a deeper challenge at work. Do we believe that the role of our higher/soul nature (“the EU”) is to support the personality-focused life of material power, possession and dominance in the world – the life of the lower chakras, the world of the past ( “winning the economic race”) – OR is its role to uplift the personality into a soul-centred life – the life of the higher chakras, particularly the heart in which brotherhood and sharing are central, the life of the future?

We will tend to see one or the other as we look out into the world, particularly the world of the EU but sometimes, we will observe that what is happening is a shift from the personality-centred to the soul-centred life. When we can observe this state of shift, we are experiencing the same within ourselves and participating in a great national shift in which the British nation, as a whole, is moving from a personality/material centred life to a soul/spiritual centred life.

There are those who can move forward into this new way of living and there are those who can not. There must be room in the nation for both. It is not an easy shift to accomplish. We resist it with every fibre of our being every inch of the way. Today’s crises about membership of the EU, the meaning of what it is to be British, the UK’s role in the world are all reflections of our inner crises which form the path to a soul-centred life. Paradoxically, from a spiritual perspective, it indicates success and a guaranteed new role for the nation in the life of humanity.”

Aspects

Today is the real Valentine’s deal this month, with Mars exactly conjunct Venus (though they were travelling together last week).  A conjunction should be an equal match, but the cards are stacked unfairly against Venus in this respect.  Firstly, Mars has a tendency to overrule Venus, as he is the more forceful, and Venus the more diplomatic.  Secondly, Mars is right now strong in its own sign of Aries, so the Inner Warrior is fortified.  Thirdly, Venus is out of her comfort zone in Aries, and it is difficult for her to express herself.  So if there is a battle of the sexes today, Mars will win.  That can be a more Martian female, for instance.  It is a good day to read “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” by John Gray, and ponder.

Tomorrow, Monday 23^rd, the honeymoon (if it was a honeymoon) is over, and the shine is taken off the romance, with the Sun being squared by Saturn.  A mood of deflation (financial or otherwise) holds sway at home and abroad.  This is not a good starting position for the beginning of the working week, but you get a sense of what you are up against and what you need to do.  There is no chance of sleepwalking into the week.  It has to go onwards and upwards, from that point.  Practicality, rather than romanticism, wins the day.

On Tuesday (24^th) Venus trines Saturn, so a little romance may be creeping back in, if you need it.   It is more loyalty and commitment than romance, but at least it is more of a sense of connectedness.  The Arts will need to be seen to have some practical value.  Financially, the emphasis is on savings rather than spending.

The cautious trend continues on Thursday (26^th) with a trine between Mars and Saturn, where practical action is the order of the day.  Deliberate, constructive initiatives stand a chance of succeeding.

There is spiritual inspiration too on Thursday, a nice balance to the Mars-Saturn energy.  The Sun conjuncts Neptune, so it is a good day for meditation and dance, perhaps for starting a course in either.

On Friday (27^th) Jupiter is quincunx Pluto, a minor aspect but involving two major planets.  There could be minor power tussles in personal lives as well as globally, e.g. posturing between Putin and the West, and Greece and Germany.

A note about Pluto: I noticed this week that Pluto had been omitted from my grandson’s astronomy book.  Of course it has been demoted to a dwarf planet.  But I would just like to stand up for its gigantic role in our lives psychologically in astrological terms!  There have been moves afoot to re-instate it as a proper planet, but it will always be one in my eyes, whatever should happen.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – romantic interplay
• Tomorrow – a slight feeling of deflation
• Tuesday – loyalty and commitment
• Thursday – practical action; and spirituality
• Friday – power tussles