Marine Le Pen

The first round of the French presidential election is due to be held on 23rd April 2017, and Europe is holding its breath.  After last year’s triumph for Brexit and the election of Donald Trump to the White House, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that the far right could take over the government of France.  This would be a huge game-changer, cementing the populist attitude on immigration in the world, and sounding a death knell to the E.U.  What in the heyday of her father Jean-Marie Le Pen seemed unthinkable, is now thinkable.

2012 Election

For the 2012 French Election, I wrote:

“In France Marine Le Pen who was handed the baton by her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, is still going strong.  Certainly, she has had to tone down her politics a little, as in the recent race-linked violence at a French synagogue.  Her father created and founded the party out of a hard-line but deeply patriotic mindset of Mercury-Pluto conjunction in Cancer.  There are congenial personal astrological bonds between father and daughter, but the baton was passed on through some tight karma: her Mars conjunct his Moon,  her Saturn conjunct his Mars, and her Nodal Axis square his Mercury.  The Guardian wrote last year that she has inherited his bigotry and intolerance, but she still has a great following in France.  She has a wide anarchic conjunction between Uranus and Pluto, and in her own way wants to overturn the existing order.”

Since 2012 her influence has gained steadily, and her message has become more fashionable for our times, especially among the growing poor in France, who it is reported in this morning’s Observer say that her party the Front National is the only party listening to them.  In November 2016, she sent a supportive tweet to Donald Trump on his election as U.S. President.

Birth Chart

Taking a closer look now at her chart, we are blessed to have a birth time, as they are recorded on the continent.  A Sun Sign Leo, Marine has 0 Air planets, and thus relies heavily on instinct, though she does have an analytical conjunction of the Sun with Mercury in Leo.  Her chart has many strengths, and ambition is a strong feature: the Sun/Mercury in Leo is competitive, is suited to leadership, and is placed in her 10th House of career.  The Sun strengthens her Ascendant and personality with a sextile, and the Sun also sextiles her North Node exactly, so leadership is part of her karmic mission and she has a strong sense of destiny as being born to lead.

Her Ascendant is in Libra, exactly in the middle of Libra to be precise, and she studied and practised law, the traditional occupation for that sign.  Her Moon is strong, and the female principle strong in her life: she is the youngest of three sisters (Moon in 3rd House of Siblings), and has two daughters of her own (and a son).  Her children have 7 female cousins.  Her Moon is in the early degrees of the ambitious sign of Capricorn, trined with Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.  On the more difficult side, her Moon squares Uranus and Chiron.  Her Mercury in Leo likes to win an argument, and is closely trine her North Node, giving her extra conviction.  Mars in Cancer in 10th House describes a warriorship role in the world, and squares Saturn, bringing some coldness in these dealings.  However, her warriorship has some effectiveness, with Mars sextile Uranus and trine Neptune and Chiron.  Saturn square the Midheaven could bring some level of infamy, depending on which side you are looking at – very much a marmite situation, when you are looking at extreme politics!  She has the anarchic energy of the Uranus/Pluto conjunction in Virgo of the mid-60s, pulling away by 1968 when she was born.  Pluto closely sextiles the Midheaven in her chart, which is undeniably powerful.

Jean-Marie Le Pen

Head of the Le Pen dynasty, Jean-Marie founded the Front National in 1972.  He was born on 20th June 1928, and we also have a birth time for him.  Although Marine has followed him into the family business, their charts do not show a lot of strong similarities, and indeed she has distanced herself from him and tried to make his policies more acceptable.  He had been convicted of xenophobia and anti-semitism, and of inciting racial hatred which included Holocaust denial.  He is a Sun sign Gemini, with Ascendant in Taurus and Moon in Cancer.  He has 5 planets in Cardinal signs, which shows leadership, as well as the North Node sextile Uranus.  He also has Mercury conjunct Pluto, which can turn thoughts to negative interpretations of facts.  According to Wikipedia: “His controversial speeches and his integration into public life have made him a figure who polarizes opinion, considered as the ‘Devil of the Republic’ among his opponents or as the ‘last samurai in politics’ among his supporters.” Emotionally, he is quick to react, with Mars square his Moon, and in fact he has a very strong Mars (Warrior) in his chart.  Mercury square Uranus makes him unafraid to be controversial.  Like Marine, he has power, which is shown by an exact sextile of Pluto to his Ascendant.  He has 4 planets and the Part of Fortune in his 2nd House of finance, and in 1977 Le Pen inherited 30 million francs, with Jupiter transiting his 2nd House of Gemini.

In his relationship with Marine, which has been both symbiotic and stormy: Her Mars is conjunct his Moon, touching off his touchy emotions, her North Node squares his Mercury which makes their relationship an ongoing karmic debate, and her Saturn conjuncts his Mars bringing out her cold Mars/Saturn square.  There is an emotional bond as her Venus makes good contacts with his chart, but his Pluto exactly square her Ascendant also blows up the relationship in their life interaction.  Interestingly, her chart keys into the chart of the Front National which he founded in numerous significant ways, most tellingly her South Node on its Sun, a past life karmic bond.  Jean-Marie probably set up something similar and involved her in a past life.

So the politics of hatred can be seen in some of the policies of the Front National, as well as within the family dynamic, and she expelled her father from the party on 20th August 2015.  Jupiter was strengthening her emotionally with a trine to her Moon.  Uranus was squaring her Midheaven, describing a political estrangement in her life.  Neptune was opposing her Jupiter, so she may have been experiencing some poignant inner conflict.  Pluto was exactly square her Nodal Axis, another huge ending shown in her life path.  Mars was square his Chiron (a healing crisis for him), and Neptune squared his Nodal Axis (a spiritual severance).  For the chart of the Front National, it looks like a repair job and a strengthening, with Jupiter trine its Jupiter: it allowed the Front National to forge ahead.

Marion Marechal-Le Pen

Up comes the third generation, in the shape of Marine’s niece Marion, and as sometimes happens, the main alliance is with the first generation, i.e. Marion’s closer bond is with her grandfather Jean-Marie, and she did not support his expulsion from the party.  She was elected as an M.P. in 2012 for the Front National, at the tender age of 22, the youngest M.P. in modern France.

There are some family parallels in their birth charts.  Her Mercury/Uranus conjuncts Marine’s Moon in early Capricorn.  Like Marine, she has 0 Air planets (instinctual, rather than mentally focussed), and like her grandfather Marion has 6 planets in Cardinal signs indicating leadership, with the Sun sextile closely her North Node (leadership with a karmic basis).  She has a controversial Mercury/Uranus conjunction, exact in her chart.  Both grandfather and granddaughter have a conjunction of Jupiter and Chiron.

More individually, she has 6 planets in Earth, so is more grounded than her aunt and grandfather.  She has been quoted as saying:

“Contrary to what everyone thinks, in my family we didn’t talk about politics at home and we were free to make our own choices. I became interested in politics around 15 or 16 and in various approaches, not necessarily FN”. After hearing Nicolas Sarkozy speak publicly, she said “I very quickly came down to earth.”

Mars is exactly sextile her Ascendant, which is the Warrior, and loosely conjunct Pluto adding power.  Sarah Palin has compared her to Joan of Arc, and Trump colleague Bannon has called her a rising star.

Cecile Alduy, writing in The Guardian on April 2015:

“With Marion, you have a paradoxical character”

[Opposition between Jupiter /Chiron and Saturn/Neptune/Uranus].

“While she projects an image of a young woman who is modern, friendly, nice and smiling, her discourse is much more conservative than that of even Marine Le Pen: very strong, sometimes aggressive.”

[She has 4 planets in Capricorn]

In her synastry with Jean-Marie, there is a telling exact sextile between their Plutos: a sure fire sign of the legacy of the generations being passed down.

Election Day

On 23rd April Mars is sextile Marine’s Mars and Chiron, giving her plenty of fighting spirit.  Jupiter will be on her Ascendant, giving her a good share of luck.  Saturn squares her Uranus and Uranus conjuncts her Saturn, so there may be some shock too.  Uranus trines her Venus, bringing an upbeat personal confidence.  However, Pluto shakes her foundations with a transit to her I.C., so while influences are mixed that may be the deciding factor.  If she wins, there may be public riots.  Marion’s transits are not so dramatic: Neptune gently sextiles her Saturn, so she may do well but not ground-breakingly at this point in history.  Jean-Marie, looking on from his place of expulsion, does not look so happy, with Jupiter squaring his Pluto, Saturn opposing his Sun, and Uranus on his Mars.

Emmanuel Macron

Marine’s main opposition, Emmanuel Macron, an interesting character in his own right who has experience a meteoric rise politically, has a lot going for him, transit-wise on the first round of the elections.  Depending on what this week throws up, I may take a more in-depth look at him next Sunday as well as a look further on to the astrological picture of the second round of the elections in May.

Aspects

It is quite a dramatic, heart-wringing time emotionally, with the Sun square Pluto, and Venus conjunct Chiron.  The good news is that the Sun squared Pluto in the early hours of this morning, so whatever the issue is, or was, you know what you are dealing with, and may have been dealing with it in your dream life overnight.  There may have been a dilemma disturbing your night hours, and profound in its importance, coloured by a poignancy from Venus conjunct Chiron.

There is a new focus this evening, which is more mental than emotional, and that is the changing gear of Mercury stationing before turning retrograde.  I always try to advocate a calm atmosphere going into Mercury retrograde (whether I manage it, I am not sure) regarding frustrated communications and being clear.  This week I watched a short You Tube video by Robert Ohotto, a colleague of Archetype pioneer Caroline Myss.  His approach is quite sensible, advocating a non-Victim mentality, and pointing out that we are working with the energy of the Archetypes of the Trickster and the Saboteur.  To work with him on this in greater depth, you are invited to subscribe to his programme.

On Tuesday (11th) the Moon is Full in Libra, and opposes the Sun in Aries.  This may result in a stand-off between your own needs and another’s, and possibly your own conflict over your own needs and wanting to be there for another.  How far do you need to look after your own needs, and how far do you need to look after the needs of the relationship unit, and how far will the other compromise?  You will always need to be authentic, so that may be the bottom line.

Friday 14th (Good Friday) brings a fresh energy, in the shape of a conjunction between the Sun and Uranus at 24 degrees Aries.  Change will definitely seem to be in the air, and that may be very dynamic.  New frontiers may be crossed, and it may bring out your Inner Rebel or Inner Pioneer.  You can bring something fresh to the table, such as a raw food menu.

Saturday (15th) brings a welcome change of direction for Venus, or a restoration of the natural order in relationships, with the end of her retrograde period.  You may breathe a sigh of relief with the return of the prodigal son, or some such symbolic reunion in your life.  Saturday 15th should be good for the heart.

The week in bullet points:

  • Today – some lingering emotional processing; communications need attention
  • Tuesday – emotions at a peak
  • Friday – innovation
  • Saturday – more peaceful