Claudio Ranieri

“Yesterday my dream died.” ~ Claudio Ranieri

In this fast moving era of replacing football managers, the sacking of Claudio Ranieri this week as the Leicester City Football Club manager would seem a routine event.  But to someone like me, who tends to have little interest in football, it is the culmination of a touching story.

“…Lineker admitted he shed a tear when he heard the news, and that very human reaction will have been replicated all over the country, even by those with no Leicester affiliation.”

~ Paul Wilson, writing in the Sunday Observer today

The Dream

Last year, Leicester F.C. (“The Foxes”) won the league title, in an amazing rise to fortune.  The team seemed to unite as one, playing consistently throughout the season.   In recent years, the City of Leicester itself had been in the spotlight from the unearthing of the body of King Richard III, and there was speculation that the boost in morale was a contributory factor.  There certainly seemed to be something magical going on.

Birth Chart

Claudio Ranieri has 5 Cardinal planets, a sign of leadership.  As a Libran, and known as a “nice guy”, he is not as colourful or tempestuous in his emotions as the stereotypical Italian.  Indeed, he has been described as having a modest English temperament.  As a past life therapist, it is tempting for me to imagine that he does indeed have positive past life links with Leicester itself, giving rise to this dream-like episode in his life.

A criticism which has been levelled at him in the past, and which may have a hand in his current demise, as well as Leicester’s poor  performance  in the current season, is that he tends to tweak the formulae too much, earning him the nickname of “The Tinkerer”.  This may be seen in his natal Venus/Mars conjunction in Virgo – we do not have his birth time, so we do not know what House this falls in.  But Jupiter was in Virgo last year, and would have brought out the most positive side of this trait.  In his chart, the Venus/Mars conjunction falls on his South Node of past life karma, and as you will see his transits did trigger the Venus of his chart in the success last year. Natally he has Mars conjunct his South Node, indicating warriorship or sportsmanship as a past life pattern.

“After the euphoria of last season and being crowned Premier League champions, all I dreamt of was staying with Leicester City, the club I love, for always. Sadly this was not to be.”

~ Claudio Ranieri

Another feature of “The Tinkerer”, which could be looked upon as an Archetype, is his natal Jupiter closely opposing his natal Saturn, constantly trying to bring about a balance, which with the Libran indecisiveness, is at least a consistent feature of his chart!  He could be considered a perfectionist.

Transits

In the initial win of the 2015/6 season, on 8th August 2015, Ranieri had Jupiter trine exactly his Chiron, his “wounded healer”.  His Inner Healer was thus kicked into touch, if you’ll pardon the pun.  His natal Chiron, the way in which he heals, is placed in Sagittarius, a sign associated with sport, foreign lands and philosophy.  The Chiron in Sagittarius individual heals through finding the right philosophical tone, something which may have inspired his team during that period.  He also had a powerful trine from Uranus to his natal Pluto, as well as some oppositions to balance.

Leicester won the Premier League on 2nd May 2016, and the transit picture for this time shows Jupiter exactly conjunct his ruling planet Venus (great personal success) in Virgo (The Tinkerer) plus Jupiter sextile exactly his natal Uranus in Cancer (surprise success).  Uranus was still powerfully trine exactly with his natal Pluto.

From the first match of the 2016/2017 season, Leicester started to lose.  At this time Saturn (defeat) was exactly square his natal Mars (will to win).

The transits for the time of his sacking this week were Mars opposing his natal Neptune (confusion and a wound to his sensitivity), Saturn sextile his natal Sun (the ability to take this news with some equanimity), Uranus again trine his Pluto (now just having left this exact trine for the last time – the end of a cycle), and Pluto square his natal Neptune (some chaos in his affairs).  I hope that he will enter a new and happy era, but his time at Leicester is likely to be the stand-out pinnacle of his career.

Aspects

If you have felt this week that you were in the middle of a storm, then maybe it is because Mars has been triggering a T-square of Pluto, Jupiter and Uranus, with an Eclipse in the middle.  You might have needed to concentrate your mind on all the wisdom at your disposal.  In addition, Saturn is entering the zone of the Galactic Centre, a transit whose influence may last at least two months, urging us to identify what is really important in our lives.

Today, the New Moon and Eclipse at 8 degrees Pisces is a spiritual turning point, one in which we may lose and find ourselves in the vast possibilities of the collective mind.  “And in practical terms?” I hear you ask…Well there are no practical terms.  We are spirits having an experience in physical form, and this Solar Eclipse is that profound.  What did you enter incarnation for in this lifetime?  That may be the real question.

If you want practical, tomorrow’s (Monday 27th) aspect of Mars conjunct Uranus may be the answer.  It is likely to be an active day, as active as it gets.  You may be galvanized to action by a problem requiring a solution, or by the spirit of inventiveness itself.  Engineering projects especially benefit, but sparks may fly both electronically and etherically.

This conjunction is followed by an opposition between Mars and Jupiter, which again is high energy, this time with the emphasis on enthusiasm and sporting interests.  There may be a surge in gym membership and attendance, for instance!  Keep fit regimes will be re-ignited.

Both of tomorrow’s aspects occupy the position of 22 degrees of the signs (Aries and Libra), and so if you have a planet in your chart in this degree, you will be highly stimulated in some way.

The third aspect in tomorrow’s line-up is Mercury conjunct the South Node.  This brings to your attention information about karma or past lives, especially connected to the Teacher Archetype, or siblings.  There may be a gathering around this time, which entails pooling information.  You may learn something which is beneficial to your evolution or that of a group.

On Thursday (2nd March) the Sun conjuncts Neptune at 11 degrees Pisces.  This is another nebulous, sensitive, spiritual and emotional influence, and you may carry on where you left off in your ponderings from Sunday.  Perhaps you took the first steps towards your dream, then lost the mood a little in the realities of the new working week.  You may now be able to recapture its subtleties, and the fine threads of thought.  So again it is a day when progress may be made on the higher planes of your ideals, or the visions of your dreams.

Friday (3rd) sees the most important and major aspects of the week, in the form of Jupiter from Libra opposite Uranus in Aries.  This aspect occurred first on Boxing Day, so if you can think back now to recovering from Christmas pudding…I described the initial hit as one of the prankster, but by now we have been wrestling with it in the background for a couple of months, and may actually have a hold on the slippery eel.  Instead of falling prey to the unexpected, we may actually be able to harness it for our own purposes.  Since it is an opposition, it involves balancing on some level, in this case one’s own needs (Aries) with one in relationship (Libra).  Because of the nature of the planets Jupiter and Uranus, there is a sense of needing to put something into place which can be adaptable, and switch places as required, rather like the AC/DC current.  That may be something you are aiming for in some aspect of your life or social concerns.  If you have found a loophole, make it serviceable in your life somehow.

Saturday (4th) finds Venus stationary prior to turning retrograde.  This may be an important or pivotal moment for relationships, or one relationship specifically in your life.  You may need to start sifting over old ground, or look inward into your truest and deepest feelings, in order that the relationship may be enriched.

The other aspect of the day is Mercury conjunct Neptune at 11 degrees Pisces, favouring inspired thought, channelling, and understanding spiritual processes.  The entire week seems to be about deep exploration of the psyche, interspersed with the contrasting demands of “real life” intruding.  Like birds building their nests, we are required to immerse ourselves in our soul nature and then bring back the materials or “twigs” to interweave with our practical lives.

The week in bullet points:

  • Today – turning point
  • Tomorrow – action, sometimes forceful; and karmic information
  • Thursday – spiritual retreat
  • Friday – opportunity and risk
  • Saturday – relationship review; mental inspiration

 

Date: Feb 26th, 2017 · Comments RSS · Tags: Sport