Strictly Come Dancing 2018 – Part 2

We are being served our first opportunity to see the contestants compete this weekend, and so it is time to take a look at the next four with their eye on the glitterball.

Lee Ryan

Lee Ryan, member of the boy band Blue, has Sun in Gemini conjunct North Node exactly, and so is a born performer.  He also has Verbal Warrior energy, as Mars is added to make this a triple conjunction.  Many times his Verbal Warrior has landed him in hot water, not least when the 9/11 attacks took place and he stated: “What about whales? They are ignoring animals that are more important.”  With Mercury opposite Uranus, he is not afraid to be controversial.

Having Venus trine Uranus, he likes novelty and variety in his love life; with Mars in Gemini, he likes to have two strings to his bow; and with Sun opposite Neptune intrigue follows him.  He currently has a girlfriend but already much is being made of his closeness to his new dance partner Nadiya.  Although he has a powerhouse of energy (Mars trine Pluto), on the dance floor his Mercury opposite Jupiter may expose a difficulty in concentration.

His partner Nadiya Bychkova finished in 6th place in the competition last year.  She’s a very perfectionistic Sun, Mercury and Mars in Virgo, with all the brilliance of Sun exactly trine Uranus, and all the energy of Mars sextile Pluto.  Although they are already “close” their astrological compatibility is not remarkable, with her Mercury square his Neptune.

This weekend Lee has Mars sextile his Jupiter (he’ll throw himself into proceedings with enthusiasm).  Uranus trines Nadiya’s Sun, forming a Grand Trine with her Uranus-Sun natal trine, so she will be on sparkling form.  At the end of the contest Lee has Uranus opposite his Saturn (pushing him out of his comfort zone) and Uranus trine his Neptune, which may be inspirational for him.  She has Jupiter sextile her natal Venus at the end of the contest, so she will be enjoying life socially or romantically, and Neptune will be trine her Chiron (she will be in good shape and highly tuned physically), but Saturn will be on her natal Neptune, so there may be some inner conflict going on, and Neptune will be opposite her natal Mars, so her footwork may not be as sharp as usual.  Overall prospects of this duo? Not outstanding.

Faye Tozer

Excuse me while I do a little jig…for Faye Tozer has an available birth time!  This means we have her vital statistics, which are Sun in Scorpio, Moon in Pisces and Ascendant in Scorpio.  Like Lee Ryan, she has Sun conjunct exactly the North Node, marking her out as a born performer.  His conjunction is in Gemini, so he could be quite light on his feet, and hers is in Scorpio, so her performance may have more depth or emotion. Both have very striking charts, in different ways.  Though they can both sing and dance, her chart is more emphatically geared to dancing, and reached fame as a member of the band Steps.  Her Moon at 29 degrees Pisces shows a special aptitude and sensitivity to dance, with Neptune closely trine Midheaven ensuring a career in dance, and a vehicle for that talent.  Jupiter also trine her Midheaven, provided lucky career breaks, most crucially teaming up in a band which specialized in choreographed moves.  When Steps were formed, Neptune by transit was sextile exactly her natal Moon at 29 degrees Pisces in 5th House.  Venus conjunct Pluto in Libra provides musicality and depth of artistic performance.  I think she will earn some special praise from Craig Revell Horwood.  She has electrical energy, personality and good co-ordination  (Mars closely trine Uranus/Ascendant).  She may also have great inspiration from Jupiter trine Neptune.  She claims that she can get a bit distracted – if that is true, it would possibly be due to her Mercury being virtually unaspected.

Her partner Govanni Pernice is by now a veteran of Strictly Come Dancing.  Astrologically, they would communicate well, as his Neptune and Sun sextile her Mercury.  His Mars sextiles her Saturn and his Jupiter squares her Uranus, so he can coax her to overcome any lack of self-confidence.  This weekend, Faye has Jupiter conjunct her Sun, which is lucky, but she also has some blocks, in Saturn opposite her Mars and Mars opposite her Saturn.  Something is holding her back a little.  Uranus sextiles her Mars, so she’ll be extra electrical in her energy and performance.  However, Uranus opposite her Ascendant may make her prone to injury, especially in the ankle region early on in the contest.  My guess is that she will make a sparkling entrance to the competition.  Giovanni will be very focussed with Pluto trine his Mercury and Mars trine his Mars, plus the North Node sextile his Mars and conjoining his Jupiter.  The end of the contest does not look so spectacular for Faye, despite a trine from the North Node to her Moon which will make her feel generally mellow.  Giovanni too seems to lose momentum for some reason by the end of the contest, with only a mildly encouraging Mars trine to his Saturn.  They will start well, and on paper they seem a good partnership, but their finishing transits do not stand out.

Katie Piper

Katie Piper is well known for having survived an acid attack prompted by a former boyfriend (Danny Lynch), and emerged despite this trauma as a philanthropist and television presenter.  She has Sun in Libra, as befits her original profession as a beautician and model.  She has an original mind (Uranus exactly sextile her Mercury), her North Node (karmic mission) is in Gemini, and her Mercury is sextile Jupiter, which describe the media element of her career.  She has some disruptive energies in her natal chart, (Mars square Uranus, Venus square Uranus and Chiron, and Mars square Jupiter).  But the transit which occurred when she was attacked was Saturn square her natal Chiron.  She may have some strange past life karma, with Neptune conjunct the South Node in Sagittarius.

She is teamed with Gorka Marquez, and at the pairing described their “great chemistry”.  His Mercury squares her Nodal Axis, so they may have a strong brother/sister relationship.  His Mars is on her Chiron, bringing out her Inner Healer, but his Saturn squares her Sun which implies that he will be quite a disciplinarian in their relationship. This weekend Katie has Pluto square her natal Sun, so she will find the regime quite demanding and challenging, at least initially.  Perhaps she will have difficulty balancing her personal life with the rigours of dance practice.  Gorka has quite a mixture of light and shade transits: Mars trine his Mars and opposite his Jupiter, Neptune trine his Pluto, Pluto trine his Mercury (good concentration and focus) and Pluto on his Saturn (challenges for him, too).  At the end of the Strictly season, Katie will have Mars square her Nodal Axis, Jupiter square her Mars, Uranus opposite her Pluto (all challenging), but the blessing of a Jupiter Return, so she could be one of those players who  gradually improve and ease into the contest.  At the end, Gorka will have Mars opposite his Mercury (fractiousness), but to balance that out Mars sextile his Saturn (a fairly supportive transit).  Again, I don’t think this is a pairing that will continue to the finish.

Charles Venn

Playing the senior nurse Jacob Masters in Casualty since 2015, actor Charles Venn has a dramatic birth chart to match some of the dramatic storylines he has been given since he joined the programme.  He is very much an action man, with a tight T square between Mars, Pluto and the Sun.  So he’ll excel in the fast and furious dances!  He previously starred in two footballing dramas, early on in his career.  With Mercury trine Mars, he has good co-ordination and quick reflexes.  Helpful aspects for dance are Mercury loosely trine Neptune and Mars trine Neptune, which may help him get into character and master the footwork.  He’s impatient though, and with Mars opposite exactly Pluto may feel like giving up at some point.

He is partnered with Karen Clifton, and they have an interesting synastry, as she has aspects that bring out his explosiveness (her Mars squares exactly his Sun; their Marses are closely opposite each other; her Mars is closely conjunct his Pluto) and other aspects which may help to control and shape his fiery T square energies (her Saturn conjoins his Uranus; her Pluto trines his Saturn).  It looks like a stressful but energetic partnership.

This weekend he has Saturn opposite his natal Sun, so he may not enjoy the discipline of the dance, and Saturn squares his natal Mars, so his energies are challenged.  But Mars sextiles his Mars (strengthening his energy in other ways) and  the North Node trine his Mars (he needs the experience karmically!).  Other challenging transits include Pluto square his natal Uranus (a shock to his system) and Chiron opposite his natal Pluto (although he enjoys fitness, he may overdo things physically).  So not an easy start for him, overall.  Karen has Neptune on her Venus (so may be confused romantically), Mars trine her Mars (also energized), Saturn square her natal Mars (as has Charles, so they may have a similar block), the North Node sextile her Mars (again, she needs the experience, karmically!) and Pluto square her natal Saturn (hard work).  At the end of the contest, he has the North Node conjunct his Mercury – he will have learned a lot, and will take a keen interest in proceedings; and Chiron will be trine his natal Mercury, so he will be feeling balanced healthwise.   Karen will have Saturn trine her Mercury, so she will be feeling philosophical, or stoical.  I don’t see this pairing enduring to the end, either.

So an interesting mix of couples here, and some may do very well, but I don’t think the winning pair are in this batch.  I will be along with Part 3 in a few weeks’ time, when the contest is more embedded.

Aspects

The Sun swans into the beautiful sign of Libra on Sunday 23rd September at 1.54 a.m., in the annual event known as the Autumn Equinox.  We will be required to wave the summer goodbye and look for the colours of the new season, and the fall of leaves.  The leaves have been turning colour already, on trees which, like all of nature, are currently confused by global warming.  There is a theme of balance with Libra, not least in its inception with the night and day hours being equal.  So it is a good time to take stock, and ponder what is in balance in your life and what may be out of kilter and needing attention.

It’s an up and down week, and the afternoon may bring communication or travel difficulties, with the flattening effect of Saturn squaring Mercury.  Weather could also be disruptive, and patience may need to be your mantra.

Monday (24th) brings a brisker vibe, in the shape of Mars trine Mercury.  In contrast, communications may zip along, and the day could be very productive.  So what you lose in delays and obstructions on Sunday, you may recoup on Monday.

You may feel the sap rising, or the emotional temperature, on that day, because there is a Full Moon at 2 degrees Aries in the early hours of Tuesday (25th).  This Full Moon presents a tussle between self-interest (Moon in Aries) and catering for the needs of others (Sun in Libra).  Emotionally, you may connect with aspects of your Inner Child which demand the attention.  So the balance of Libra is still important, but there may be more personal considerations you may have ignored for a while which you have to take into account.

At the other end of the day, nearly midnight, the Sun squares Saturn, which may again bring a flattening of mood, and complicate the contemplations of the Full Moon (to be selfish or not to be selfish), because guilt or other negative emotions may creep in to test you further.  It is important to release negative emotions therefore, and see them for what they are.

Our energies will be revived again on Thursday (27th), when the Sun trines Mars.  The weather may turn warmer, too.  Sun trine Mars favours all energetic pursuits, such as keeping fit, sporting activities, training for marathons and dog walking.  It’s a rousing time to start an active project.

The week in bullet points:

  • Sunday – equilibrium; communications delayed
  • Monday – brisk business
  • Tuesday – weighing up alternatives; a flattening of mood
  • Thursday – energetic revival
Date: Sep 22nd, 2018 · Comments RSS · Tags: Celebrities