BBC and Equality

This week, the BBC was forced to reveal the salaries it pays to its highest earners (£150,000 p.a. and above).  Embarrassingly, the pay varied even within the same presenting roles, and the gender gap was especially noticeable.  In such an unequal society, between rich and poor, the sums (which often exceeded the pay of the Prime Minister) seen vastly over-inflated.  I also did wonder if the huge salaries might have been responsible for some of the biased reporting by the BBC in the elections, some reporters perhaps feeling out of touch with the plight of the poor.  Perhaps that is a little cynical.

It is amazing that the salaries have been kept quiet this long, and it is also amazing that 400 of the BBC’s workers earn less than £20,000.  Not surprisingly, there has been a huge uproar, especially by women presenters, and 40 of the top BBC women have written to Tony Hall, the director general of the BBC, to ask him to remedy the injustice.

BBC Chart

The birth chart of the BBC is dated 14th November 1922 (with a birth time of 18.00 Hrs), which is close in time to one of the charts for the United Kingdom (7th December 1992), a chart I often use.  With its outer planets in similar positions, that enables it to represent a very British institution.  The chart has a very creative set of planets in its 5th House of Creativity (Jupiter/Mercury and the Sun).  Jupiter conjunct Mercury is excellent for communications.  The Ascendant is in Gemini, the sign of Broadcasting, and interestingly exactly opposite the Galactic Centre, with the Nodal Axis exactly square the Ascendant/Descendant axis.  Mercury also trines Uranus exactly, enabling it to be innovative and embrace new technology as that progresses.  Uranus closely trine Pluto befits a grand national institution, in addition.

Current controversy transits

The prevailing transit to the BBC chart this week was Jupiter transiting its Saturn in Libra in 4th House.  Here, Jupiter is forcing a revelation of something stuck in time which needs to be shifted and changed.

Chris Evans

At a salary of £2.2 million, Chris Evans was revealed to be the highest earner at the BBC.  It would be easier to evaluate what marks him out as such a high earner, if we had a birth time, as one of the chief determinants of earning is the condition of the 2nd House, something which can only be revealed with a birth time.  What distinguishing marks in his birth chart show his great individuality?  He has an exact conjunction between Pluto and Uranus in Virgo, the Rebel Archetype to a high degree.  Mercury is exactly conjunct Saturn in Pisces and closely conjunct Chiron, so he has a problem-solving mind, ranging from extreme focus to great expansion, all at one time.  Physically, the carrot hair of his youth (which is now white) is depicted in his chart by the Sun conjunct Mars in Aries (also The Warrior). He does have an exact trine between his Venus (money) and Jupiter (luck and expansion).  Chris’ Neptune conjuncts the Sun of the BBC exactly, and he has some beneficial trine contacts with its chart.

This week, Saturn squared his Mercury exactly, requiring an accountability of sorts, and Saturn also squared his own Saturn/Chiron.  Pluto squared his ruling planet Mars, putting him in a pickle.  He was embarrassed by the revelation and had to go to his 91-year old mother for a retort:

“Tell them that your mum, who’s a nurse for most of her life, always told you after your dad died to try to find a job you loved, just like I love nursing, and earn what you can, when you can, while you can – which you did almost straight away from when you were a paper boy earning £1.50 a week for freezing your bits off and falling off your bike every two minutes, right through until what you’re doing now.”

Claudia Winkleman

Claudia Winkleman was cited as highest paid female, presenting Strictly Come Dancing and formerly the BBC Film programme too, as well as other shows.  She is still way behind Chris Evans, at £450,000.  With Claudia, we also have no birth time or view of her 2nd House, and in her case I think a lot would be revealed by a birth time, as a chart drawn up for Noon of that day does not yield much which is out of the ordinary, and which could account for her being the highest paid female.  She has no Water planets (emotion) and 6 Cardinal planets (leadership and enterprise).  She has an assertive conjunction of Mars and Chiron in Aries, and as we have seen with Chris Evans Aries is a sign which can express individuality to a high degree.  She has Moon (as well as the Sun) in Capricorn, which could be ambitious.  The Moon represents the mother, and in her case her mother is successful fashion writer Eve Pollard.  Like Chris, Claudia has a beneficial relationship between her Venus and Jupiter (in her case a sextile, 3 degrees apart), but perplexingly at the same time has Venus closely square Saturn (which I once noted may be her penchant for wearing black).

This week, Uranus was sextile Claudia’s Venus (a surprise revelation).  The North Node was trine her Jupiter (perhaps she was pleased to know she was the highest earning female).  Pluto was also square her Uranus (some shock publicity).  The BBC Chiron is exactly conjunct her natal Mars in Aries, perhaps enabling her to utilize the potential of her natal conjunction to its fullest capacity.

Emily Maitlis

One of the shock revelations this week was that Emily Maitlis did not make the £150,000 mark.  Her agent accused the BBC of deception over a period of years, and her skilled work as a presenter is way below those doing the same work.  She is a painstaking Virgo, with 0 Fire planets.  Again we have no birthtime for her.  She has a hardworking trine between Mercury and Saturn, which accentuates the calibre of her Virgoan qualities.  She earns well, and that is reflected by favourable aspects to her Venus, but somehow has not earned the commensurate financial recognition.  Could she have been held back by her natal Saturn-Neptune opposition, also reflecting deception from the BBC?

This week’s revelations show in her transits by Neptune exactly opposite her natal Sun (a major deception!) and Mars square her Venus (a gender issue!).  In her relationship with the BBC, she has a conjunction between her Jupiter and its Jupiter.  Her problems with the BBC may stem from a conjunction between her Pluto (deep psychology) and its North Node (karma).

Derek Thompson

The highest paid actor, very surprisingly, is Derek Thompson who has played the popular, kind and modest character nurse Charlie Fairhead since the beginning of Casualty, at the current sum of £250,000.  The actor himself is an Aries Sunsign individual, but he has a solid and dependable North Node and Venus in Taurus (more in keeping with his Casualty persona).  No doubt a birth time would reveal much, such as the persona of the Midheaven, which often describes an actor’s roles.  Derek has a challenging and character-forming triple conjunction of Pluto/Saturn/Mars which is in Leo (the performing arts) but may relate to challenges in his personal life.  His Venus (money) is unaspected and as such may have slipped under the radar of recognition, until now.  His Saturn is exactly square the Nodal Axis, again showing up some possible karmic difficulties in his life.  This week Saturn squared his Mercury, as exactly with Chris Evans (an accountability of sorts).  He has mixed interaspects with the BBC, but a nice sextile between their Saturns, showing long term loyalty on both sides.

New Dr Who

Last Sunday afternoon, just after the men’s final at Wimbledon, the identity of the new Dr. Who was revealed.  This too elicited surprise, as it was a woman.  So the BBC took one step forward in women’s equality this week, and then many steps back.

Jodie Whittaker is a mentally focussed Sun/Mercury in Gemini, with half of her planets in the Air element.  There is some depth contributed by Jupiter and the Moon in Scorpio, and it may  be that her conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter has enabled her to strike a blow for the feminist cause.  Last Sunday Jupiter was on her Saturn, lifting the lid on her achievement.  Jupiter also squared her Nodal Axis, showing a karmic reward.

Old Dr Whos

Jodie’s Pluto (transformation) opposes Peter Capaldi’s Sun.  I have noticed that Pluto is prominent in the transformation between one Dr Who and another.

Peter Capaldi replaced Matt Smith, and Peter’s Jupiter was conjunct Matt Smith’s Pluto.

On 4th April 2010 I wrote:

“Time travel is a regular feature of my work as a past-life therapist, but I couldn’t help being fascinated by the metamorphosis from one Dr Who to another.  I have been fascinated ever since I incidentally saw David Tennant transform into Matt Smith at 9 pm on New Year’s Day…David Tennant at that moment had the North Node on his Moon/Mars and so fate decreed that he relinquish his title.  Matt Smith was of course destined to succeed with Pluto the planet of transformation opposite David Tennant’s Sun.  So when Matt (he of the Scorpio deep-sunken eyes) began his mission on our screens at 6.20 pm last night Saturn (the Lord of Time) was exactly on the Ascendant trine the Part of Fortune on the cusp of the 9th House (the Joys of Time Travel)…”

So Matt Smith’s Pluto was opposite David Tennant’s Sun, and the planet of regeneration had exactly the same relationship with the incoming and outgoing Dr Who as with Jodie Whittaker and her predecessor.

Aspects

This morning we were blessed with a New Moon in Leo, probably the most creative New Moon of the year.  It took place at 9.46 a.m. so if you are struggling to orientate yourself to a new beginning, and a new sense of intention, think back to what you were doing at that time and whether anything new was naturally occurring for you.

We have a brand new goldfish in our pond, who was introduced to the fish pond last night.  Her name is Ponyo and she belonged to the girlfriend of my nephew.  They brought her over because at 8 years of age she had outgrown her aquarium.  We hope she will be happy here, and safe.  If you may recall, a heron took some of our fish in the spring, and we had had them for a similar length of time.  Ponyo is much smaller than the remaining fish, but is already socializing and swimming happily near them.  The New Moon occurs in my 4th House of Home and Garden, so I feel she symbolizes a new beginning in that area.

Tomorrow we have a difficult opposition, followed by an easier trine.  Venus opposes Saturn, highlighting responsibility in relationships, and also possibly the need to let go.  Someone may disappoint you, but that may be equally a result of your own unrealistic expectations.

Then we have a nifty trine between Mercury and Uranus, bringing originality to our communications, and restoring harmony and bringing breakthroughs in technological areas.  If you have a writing project you want to inject some life into, you may suddenly come up with the ideas to do so.

Tuesday (25th) sees Mercury entering Virgo, an appropriate day to attend to work details and especially documentation or studies.  If you are prevaricating or procrastinating on some area of your paperwork, you might want to bring matters forward and make a start on this day.

Venus sextiles the North Node on Wednesday (26th) and if you have been trying to resolve a karmic issue in a relationship, this may bring balm to the soul.  It may bring the ease of connection you have needed and been waiting for.

Thursday (27th) may be tricky if you like to avoid confrontation, for the Sun conjuncts Mars on that day.  When a planet conjuncts the Sun the phenomenon is called a “combust”, and certainly the Sun and Mars is a fiery combustible combination.  It brings out the warrior (as in Chris Evans’ chart).  If you are sure that you are entirely justified and constructive, then go for what you want (e.g. pay equality).  If you are a peacemaker, then your work may be cut out.  It is not a day to take big risks, for either type of personality.

The week in bullet points:

  • Today – new beginning
  • Tomorrow – mixed fortunes
  • Tuesday – application
  • Wednesday – karmic harmony
  • Thursday – fiery
Date: Jul 23rd, 2017 · Comments RSS · Tags: Celebrities · News