To Strike or Not to Strike, that is the Question

It seems likely this week that Parliament will make a decision whether to join the airstrikes in Syria, as David Cameron advocates, or whether to seek an alternative route, as Jeremy Corbyn suggests.

The situation regarding Syria is as complicated as ever, with the various vested factions at loggerheads with each other: Assad, the Rebels and Daesh fighting within the country.  Russia is at loggerheads with Turkey as a result of their plane being shot down.  Then in the region there is the involvement of Iran, and the Kurds.  Finally, the wider world including the U.S., and Europe with France at the forefront.

Moderates are urging caution about the U.K. entering the fray, often citing our involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq (where we notably failed to have a plan, destroyed a country, and in the ensuing chaos Al Qaeda thrived and Daesh was born).  But we don’t even need to go back that far in time: in recent years, we toppled Gaddafi in Libya, chaos ensued, and African migrants began to flee across the Mediterranean in earnest.

It seems likely that the majority of MPs will vote with Cameron for strike action.  The Tories are canvassing disaffected Labour MPs on the matter, some of whom wish to remove Jeremy Corbyn from office.  He will debate with his Shadow Cabinet further early this week, and possibly opt for a free vote, whereby each MP can vote with their conscience, on what is a crucial and delicate matter.  If so, that would be a democratic way of doing things, in line with Jeremy Corbyn’s new approach to politics.  Many view this style of leadership as a weakness, but it can also be viewed as a strength.

So this morning, I would just like to survey the current transits to the chart of the U.K., and the charts of David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn.

David Cameron

On the surface of things, David Cameron has a peaceful birthchart.  After all, he is a double Libran, with the Sun and Ascendant in Libra, and Venus rising!  He certainly has a smooth personality befitting one so Libran.

However, it seems that every Prime Minister wants to make their mark in a foreign war, from Margaret Thatcher in the Falklands, and Tony Blair in Iraq, and now Cameron in Syria (even after the Libyan debacle).  The clue may lie in his Leo planets, for he has Mars in Leo (glory in war) plus Moon conjunct Jupiter in Leo (self-confidence).  He wants to feel proud in his country’s achievement, without regard for the consequences or the fact that it may not go to plan (if he had a plan).  He may even envy Hollande’s current standing and strategy, tragic but with a tinge of glamour.  His stated aim is protectiveness (Leo qualities, admittedly) but there may be other more subconscious drives.

Currently, Saturn sextiles his natal Venus, so he is trying to do the right thing, as he believes it.  Jupiter conjuncts his natal Uranus, which is part of a natal conjunction with Pluto which seeks excitement.  There is a mixture of excitement, anticipation and optimism about his intended action.  Jupiter sextiles his natal Neptune currently too, so there may also be a sense privately of a religious mission.

Jeremy Corbyn

The media continue to skew the values of Jeremy Corbyn’s politics, focussing on trivial and petty details while ignoring the integrity of his broad aims.  They have fostered and whipped up the divisions with his fellow Labour party members, to the point where, as the story goes, his very leadership is threatened.  He was as cool as a cucumber when being interviewed by Andrew Marr this morning on the subject.

Jeremy Corbyn does represent a new style of politics, and a new way of being in politics.  Democracy and negotiation are his guiding principles, but maybe the majority of MPs are too set in their ways to embrace it.  On the issue of airstrikes, looking at the polls this week it seemed that a high proportion of the British public were not in favour of bombing Syria, whether it is fear of reprisals or fear of entangling our military forces once again in protracted foreign wars.  However a more recent YouGov poll has seen opinion rise to 59% in favour of joining the war.

In the interests of looking at the astrological profile of the new kind of politician (one who espouses the Aquarian Age values rather than the Piscean way of doing things), I compared his chart this morning with that of America’s Bernie Sanders.  The broad similarity that I could see was that they were both Mercury-ruled (Jeremy has planets in Gemini, and Bernie has planets in Virgo).  So they are both very analytical and rational.  I think  Jeremy could explain himself more sometimes, as he can assume that people understand him.  His views are simple and straightforward, but I think people misunderstand his motives because they expect them to be more convoluted.  As Astrologer Larry Schwimmer wrote in the Huffington Post of Bernie Sanders: “there are no hidden agendas with Bernie: what you see and hear is what you get.”  I think this is also true of Jeremy Corbyn.  The other more startling comparison between their charts is that both of them have 0 planets in the Water element, so neither are swayed by emotions from their intellectual assessment of things.  I am not sure that is an altogether favourable quality, but they do both have an authenticity and shared values which are similar and desirable for improving the political culture.

Jeremy Corbyn currently has Uranus sextile his natal Mercury, so his speech needs to be extra sharp to match his thinking at the moment.  Andrew Marr was unable to trip him up this morning, if that was his intention.  Mars is also transiting his natal Neptune, so he is being challenged to fight for what he believes in spiritually (although he is an atheist, but many atheists are actually great humanitarians who are living their spirituality and do not think in those terms).

United Kingdom

Natally, we have Mars in the 9th House of Foreign Relations in Aquarius, so as a nation we like to take a lead in wars, but we also like to defend the underdog.

The current struggle in the U.K. is represented in its transits by Uranus opposing its natal Saturn.  That represents a rupture and a nation divided.  That unfortunately does not guide us to the correct course of action, would that it did.  Some transits coming up seem significant:

On New Year’s Eve,  the North Node Returns to its natal position in Virgo in 4th – a karmic reckoning, but possibly more relevant to home affairs.  The natal position indicates a natural integrity in relation to home affairs, but karma needs to stay in alignment.

On 27th February 2016 Neptune transits the natal 10th House cusp, indicating confusion over direction.  It then transits the natal Uranus in 10th House on 8th March, which may bring sudden complications arising out of confusion.  Our identity on the world stage may undergo changes at that time.

Aspects

Chiron’s turning direct yesterday brings more momentum into our healing projects at the launch of the week, though there may be a slight setback on Tuesday.

Today we are beset by a square from Neptune to the Sun…but bear with me, all is not as it seems, and there is some good news later this week.  You may harken back to Thursday’s Saturn/Neptune square, which seemed to be controversies over whether or not we should join in the war in Syria.  The Prime Minister said he would not be able to act unless he had the majority of parliamentary opinion on his side.  Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership looked  disempowered (a Saturn-Neptune word if there ever was one) if viewed from the perspective that everyone should have the same view.  Each person has an individual conscience.  This theme of hands being tied and things not being as they seem is likely to continue today and tomorrow, while the Sun is contacting the Saturn-Neptune square.

Neptune also rules drug usage, and last week I noticed that in two cases people who were advised to take drugs (Neptune) for health conditions refused to do so (Saturn), so that may be another theme.  As I pointed out last week, the current (well-founded and legitimate) panic over antibiotic resistance may also be a phenomenon of the Saturn-Neptune square.

So tomorrow brings a conjunction between Sun and Saturn (at 7 degrees Sagittarius), realities have to be faced, something has to be borne gracefully.  For me, it is a partial denture, which has been a long time in the making.  It may be a day of reckoning, in some way, or a calling to account.  There may be a closing door (preparatory to an opening of another door) – I will also be attending a retirement dinner that day.

The good news arrives on Tuesday (1st December) in the shape of Mercury trine Uranus – beneficial changes come in unexpected packages.  New ideas flourish, telepathic exchanges bring people closer together, and minds are on the ball.  If you are planning a dynamic meeting for this week, pencil in Tuesday morning or lunchtime.  This aspect occurs at 14.00 Hrs in the U.K., and milk it for all it is worth.  If ideas are flashing forth in your mind, quickly make a list, get them down so that you can work with them later.  Your Future Self may be trying to communicate with you.

Later that day, Mercury goes on to square Chiron, so there may be more mental puzzles to solve, and there could also be mental overload.  Switch to a heart-centred activity, or earth-based pursuits such as gardening, which can bypass the mind.  If you need to attend to health matters, try thinking outside the box.

On to Friday (4th), and a square between Mercury and Jupiter.  Geminis and Virgos may feel a bit frazzled between Tuesday afternoon and Friday lunchtime due to these two squares to their ruling planet.  However, the Friday square is much easier to deal with and could be an opportunity to let off steam, or bend someone’s ear.  This square allows for more mental expansion and the thought of new possibilities.  You may for instance be able to expand on some of the ideas which flashed into your mind on Tuesday morning and lunchtime.  Some new ideas could be really viable to work with in the future.  You might be able to stretch your current reality and go out on a limb.

Saturday (5th) brings a change of focus.  Venus, which has been luxuriating in her own sign of Libra, moves into Scorpio and feels under more pressure to relate more meaningfully.  Relationships could become more intimate, and those you know well could reveal more dimensions of themselves and bring about a deeper sense of connectivity.

The week in bullet points:

  • Today – continuing to try to see through the illusion
  • Monday – knuckling down to reality
  • Tuesday – mental gymnastics
  • Friday – new mental horizons
  • Saturday – new emotional dimensions
Date: Nov 29th, 2015 · Comments RSS · Tags: News