Review of the Year 2017

 

For those who like Retrospectives – Selections from the blogs…

January

29th:

John Hurt (1940 – 2017)

Actor John Hurt died on Friday, he of that beautiful, craggy, vulnerable face which never failed to move me. As an Aquarian, I always felt he had an aura of untouchability too.  His birth chart is very indicative of that exquisite combination of sensitivity and detachment.

Birth Chart

His Sun was at 1 degree Aquarius, the essence of the trailblazer and the groundbreaker, ahead of his time in the roles he undertook.  But Pluto was exactly opposite the Sun in his chart – not an easy life, and he didn’t take on easy roles either.  With Chiron and Pluto in the 12th House of Unconscious, he used the power of his unconscious as a resource to convey the subtlety of his roles.

February

26th:

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

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.

March

26th:

Westminster Terror

On Wednesday, Westminster Bridge was the scene of a terrorist incident and Parliament and its surrounding buildings were in lockdown. A British born man, Khalid Masood, drove into passersby then tried to enter the gates of Parliament, and stabbed a policeman to death.  Five people died in total, including the perpetrator, and fifty people were injured.  Though many potential attacks have been foiled since, this was the first attack of its scale in London since 7/7/05.  There are many questions yet to be answered and issues raised, such as whether he was acting alone, what were his motives, and how far he was influenced by radicalization by ISIS, whether police in the City should be armed, and how far the police can keep tabs on all suspects. I will have a brief look at the charts of some of those involved, though crucially some important dates are currently missing, such as the birth date of the brave and heroic policeman who lost his life, Keith Palmer.

Khalid Masood

The birth date of the killer, Khalid Masood, was clearly announced on the evening news on Thursday as 25th December 1964.  His age of 52 was remarkable as being untypical of the usual young radicalized Moslem involved in incidents of this type.  So far they have not established that he was working with a team, and there may be a strong element of mental illness involved. These rogue factors make it difficult for the police to identify who constitutes a strong risk.  Over the last year or two, there has been a pattern of cars or lorries on the continent driving into pedestrians, a method of killing which does not require sophisticated planning.  There was a copycat such incident the next day in Antwerp.

April

23rd:

Emmanuel Macron

France goes to the polls today, in the first round of their national elections. Following on from my blog two weeks ago about Marine Le Pen, I would like to concentrate on the other front runner, centrist Emmanuel Macron.  Since that blog, the other two candidates have come up in the ratings, and now there is only 4% in the polls between the top four candidates.  However, there is a chance that Emmanuel Macron may be the next French President.

“A victory for Macron would be the best outcome for the French and the least worst option for us too.” – Martin Kettle, writing in the Guardian.

Emmanuel Macron is only 39 years of age, which is very young for a French candidate for the presidency.  He has had a meteoric rise in politics over the last few years, and while he worked within the socialist sphere (he was a former adviser to President Hollande) he now declares that what France needs is for someone to bring the country together in the centre.

Martin Kettle goes on to say:

“There is a Macron-shaped hole in the centre of British party politics.  Corbyn doesn’t want to fill it.  May probably can’t.  Tim Farron isn’t strong enough.  yes somehow, some time, someone will have to fill it.  At least a Macron victory would prove it can be done.”

Marine Le Pen, leader of the Front National is an extreme right politician, Francois Fillon is also to the right, and Jean-Luc Melenchon is to the far left (the Corbyn and Bernie Sanders territory).  Needless to say, the choice of French President will be crucial for the EU, the Brexit process and globally.

Birth Chart

Mercifully for the Astrologer, all four French candidates have available birth times, so you can see the full picture of their chart.  Emmanuel Macron has an extremely strongly integrated chart in my view, with 10 exact aspects between planets and with angles.  The Sun is conjunct exactly with Mercury, giving him the capacity for concentrated thought, at the end of Sagittarius in his 12th House of Inner Vision. He studied Philosophy (Sagittarius) at University, and in debate has a considerable mental agility.  The capacity for application and hard work is further accentuated by the Sun/Mercury trine Saturn.  His Ascendant is in Capricorn, the sign of Politics.

May

14th:

Eurovision Song Contest 2017

As you may know, there is a tradition of writing about the Eurovision Song Contest on this blog, and this year is no exception.  So look away now if you are not an enthusiast!

Salvador Sobral

The winner of this year’s contest last night was Salvador Sobral, from Portugal.  It was a sensational win for several reasons.  It was the first win ever for Portugal (in 53 years), he won by a mile (gaining 758 points), and he had been unable to perform the first rehearsals because of a serious heart condition, plus the performance and presentation was stripped down to the basics.

Salvador has 6 of his 10 planets in Capricorn (Uranus, Moon, Sun, Neptune, Saturn and Mercury), and certainly managed to convey the pathos of that sign in his performance.  He was born on a New Moon in that sign.  He has the Rebel Archetype (Sun closely conjunct Uranus), but also great sensitivity and vulnerability (Sun conjunct Neptune).  His heart condition (or at least strain on his heart) shows up in his chart through difficult aspects to his Sun (the heart): oppositions from Jupiter and Chiron, and the complex conjunction with Uranus and Neptune.  His emotional sensitivity, which comes through in his singing, comes from a conjunction of the Moon and Neptune.  His Mercury is unaspected, and I suspect that enables him to bypass the mind when he is singing.  He has Jupiter exactly opposite Uranus, the mark of the Opportunist, who knows when to promote himself.

June

18th:

Grenfell Tower – Emotional Responses

It has been an intense few weeks in the U.K. and we are recovering from the Manchester bombing, closely followed by the London Bridge terror attack, then an extraordinary election, and now this week the horrifying spectre of the Grenfell Tower, black against the London skyline.  There has been so much emotion around it all, and the emotional responses of public figures especially have been under scrutiny.

There are so many angles and layers to the Grenfell Tower disaster, which will go on being analyzed for a long time to come.  There are so many stories yet to be told, identities of bodies to be unearthed, and responsibilities and blame to be attached.  I was unable to obtain birth dates for the new Labour MP, for the talented upcoming artist who died, the date of the building, and other possible subjects, and so I thought I would look at the emotional responses of key figures.

Chart of the Fire

On the morning of the disaster, I wrote:

“A chart drawn up for 1 a.m. shows the Mercury-Neptune square on the Ascendant and 4th House cusp, and the Sun-Saturn opposition on the Midheaven-I.C. axis, so these two difficult aspects of the week are not to be underestimated. The 1824 chart for London has transiting Saturn square its Sun (loss).”

July

2nd:

Wimbledon 2017 – Week 1

It’s that season again!  May the sun shine on Wimbledon lawns this next fortnight.  I  hope to be on hand to catch every astrological nuance, starting here with the first four seeds in the ladies and men’s game.  Look out for extra information under comments as we go along, and possible extra blogs.

Roger Federer  – No. 3 Seed

By the end of Wimbledon, he has Jupiter sextile his Sun (an excellent prospect), he still has Pluto strengthening his Venus, Jupiter square his Mars has lifted, Neptune still trines his Mars (you could see some stunning work if he is in the final), the Nodal Axis still squares his Uranus, Saturn still sits on his Neptune, but in addition Saturn is sextile his Pluto.  That could be a winning combination!

August

27th:

Diana, Princess of Wales (1961 – 1997)

The 20 year commemoration of her death

 Diana is probably the most photographed woman and style icon there has ever been in the world, and acres of material have been written about her.  Unprecedented tears were shed at her death, and this year at the 20th anniversary of her death on 31st August, it’s a chance for us to re-evaluate how we feel.

Birth Chart

Diana had all the textbook traits of  her Sun in Cancer: shyness, emotionality, maternal qualities, and a special fondness for children.  The Sun in her chart was placed in 7th House, emphasizing the importance of her marriage.  Great sensitivity, a mystical bent, plus a talent for dance, were added to this Sun by a trine from Neptune.  She had a special healing Grand Trine in the Water element, consisting of Sun/Mercury, Chiron and Neptune.  Shaking hands with AIDS patients at a time when it was unheard of comes to mind with this. In her own words: “HIV does not make people dangerous to know. You can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it. What’s more, you can share their homes, their workplaces, and their playgrounds and toys.”

September

24th:

Strictly Come Dancing 2018 – Part 2

No apologies for another Strictly blog so hard on the heels of the last one!  Last night’s first display of dance was a feast of talent, with some outstanding performances which I think surprised the judges.

Joe McFadden

Now to my favourite programme Holby City, and we have two stars from Holby this series, not forgetting that Tom Chambers from Holby won the series in 2008 (the year Alexandra Burke won X Factor!)  Joe plays Scottish doctor Raf di Lucca in Holby, but he threw himself into the Jive in the first round on the Strictly dance floor last night, and inspired  a score of 8 from one of the Judges.  His character in Holby is described as “A dedicated, driven and passionate doctor” and Joe describes himself as “over-enthusiastic”.  But what does his birthchart tell us?  He has an exact conjunction of the Sun and Mercury in Libra, so he is musical and eager to please, with an intelligent way of going about things.  The extra enthusiasm, and the smile which won praise, may be a product of his Moon in Sagittarius and Jupiter opposite the Sun …  At the end of the series, there is a distinct lack of transits, so despite his brilliant start, circumstances may see him out of the competition before the final.

He is paired with Katya Jones, who was responsible for the sensational dance act of last year together with Ed Balls, so without looking at her chart I can say she has tremendous ingenuity and flair!  She is a solid dependable Taurean, with the nimbleness of a few planets sprinkled in Gemini.  She has a very positive mindset from Mercury conjunct Jupiter, which together with Joe’s positivity can move mountains…  At the end of the competition, she still has Neptune squaring her Jupiter, but Jupiter sextiles her Saturn (an uplifting and steadying factor), Mars sextile her Uranus (electrifying moments), Neptune still sextile her Neptune, but the added bonus of Jupiter conjunct Pluto, so if the planets don’t come forward for Joe maybe her planets might pull them both through.

October

8th:

Jupiter into Scorpio

Jupiter moves into Scorpio on Tuesday (10th) at 13.20 Hrs in the U.K., a giant leap for mankind.

Jupiter will uplift and support whichever House (sphere of life activity) it occupies in your chart, bringing luck and expansion to those affairs.  Collectively, it will support and enhance a deepening of relationships and a sharing of resources, in the nature of the sign of Scorpio.  If your birthday falls within the sign of Scorpio, then at some point or points you will reap some sort of bonanza, the like of which comes round once every twelve years.  If you have several planets in this sign (a satellitium), it could be the gift that keeps on giving.  If your Ascendant is in Scorpio, it will also be your year, beginning from when Jupiter transits the degree of your Ascendant.  For all of us it will be an intense ride, as Scorpio may bring out the best and the worst of this sign, and this sign is known for its excesses.

Jupiter last entered Scorpio in November 2005, and left the sign in November 2006.  How was that year for you?  You may expect some similar experiences, though you have grown and moved on, and the world has changed, so you will need to make a translation accordingly.

Jupiter in Scorpio

Scorpio among other things rules the world of finance, and various factions around the world, including our own Labour Party, are hoping to overturn the neo-liberal regime as promoted from the time of Margaret Thatcher, as an outdated system which does not work.  Jupiter in Scorpio may address this.

Scorpio also rules Psychiatry, and so there may be the long-awaited improvements in mental health services, the poor relation of the poor National Health Services.  Politicians in recent years have paid lip service to the need to put more resources into this area, so there is a possibility that they may put their money where their mouth is while Jupiter is in Scorpio.

November

19th:

Robert Mugabe Revisited

There were extraordinary scenes on the streets of Harare and Bulawayo in Zimbabwe yesterday, as the hitherto repressed populace marched in favour of a new regime and in favour of replacing the long time dictator Robert Mugabe, watched on by a friendly militia who seem to have engineered a bloodless coup, the outcome of which is still uncertain.  Is this a new model for how to replace a tyrant peacefully, or will they be unable to sustain the peace?

Robert Mugabe Record

93 year old Robert Mugabe has been in power in Zimbabwe for 37 years, and began as a freedom fighter against white minority rule, winning the battle against Nkomo to found a government.  The initial years of Mugabe’s government was characterized by social and economic reforms.  After two years, Nkomo fled the country, when Mugabe denounced him as a “cobra in the house”.  Since then, Mugabe has had a reputation for unpredictability.  In recent years, and increasingly, Mugabe’s regime has come to be known as one of repression, poverty and economic failure. He and his wife have become embroiled in accusations of corruption and profligacy.  In the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, he has become “a cartoon figure of an archetypal African dictator”.

Birth Chart

I wrote about Robert Mugabe’s chart in August 2013:

” Robert Mugabe, in power since 1980 in Zimbabwe, unsurprisingly has power issues brought in from past lives, with his natal Sun conjunct the South Node (past lives), though maybe in other scenarios, such as Egypt.  His Sun exactly trines Saturn, making politics and ambition major themes of his personality and life…

Another interesting feature of his chart is his Mars conjunct Jupiter (indefatigable energy and enthusiasm combined) squaring his Uranus (changeable, unpredictable and incident-prone).  Note that he and Zimbabwe share the Mars square Uranus instability.”

December

3rd:

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Royal Engagement

“All the stars were aligned…This beautiful woman just . . . tripped and fell into my life.”

~ Prince Harry

Prince Harry

Prince Harry has grown into one of the most beloved of the royal crew.  From a gawky young prince of the faux pas (e.g. wearing a Nazi uniform at a party), he has become a responsible supporter of worthwhile causes like his late mother, with a special fondness for Botswana.  Harry’s chart is quite grounded, with Mercury, Part of Fortune and the Sun in Virgo, the Moon in Taurus and Ascendant in Capricorn!  He is probably growing into his potential for serious purposes, shown in his Ascendant  and Jupiter in Capricorn, and Midheaven, Pluto and Saturn in Scorpio.  His Sun ruler Mercury is in the 8th House, which may be the emphasis on the death of his mother in his life.  He is creative, with Moon, North Node and Chiron in his 5th House.  The North Node loosely conjunct his Chiron could point ultimately to a healing karmic mission.  He is fond of foreign travel, with the Sun in 9th House, and could make a loving and profound contribution to the world with Venus and Pluto in the 10th House.  With Saturn in 11th House he may have few true close friends, but can co-operate in large group enterprises with Uranus later in that House.  Mars, Neptune and Jupiter in the 12th House of the Unconscious means he has a lot of inner drive, vision and dreams.

Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle has been an actor in a Canadian TV series Suits since 2011, showing commitment, skill and steadiness.  In addition she has undertaken responsible roles outside the acting profession, in raising awareness of various causes, such as feminism, and clean water in Rwanda.  Some have found her mixed race background controversial, but many see this as an asset, bringing diversity to the royal table.  Some have made comparisons between her, an American divorcee, and Wallace Simpson, but times have moved on and Meghan is a different proposition.  Meghan has Sun in Leo, so she is at home with royalty, and has pursued the Leo profession of acting, having a degree in theatre studies.  She also has the Sun, Leo’s ruler, in the 1st House and trine exactly the Midheaven, reinforcing the Sun/Leo theme.