Strictly Come Dancing 2018 – Part 3

Here is the last blog analysing the remaining contestants in this competition.  Maybe I have saved the best till last, as it happens.

Seann Walsh

Over the last two weeks, Seann and Katya have been the talk of Strictly, and to some extent have diverted attention from the main event, i.e. the dancing.  His outstanding dance with Katya on Saturday 6th October also coincided with the breaking of the story about their public kiss.  Then his ex-partner Rebecca Humphries described his controlling behaviour, calling her a “psycho” for suspecting something.  Then the public were left to arbitrate on the matter, and voted to keep them in last week.

Seann has the Sun in Sagittarius sextile Jupiter, which absolutely fits the Comedian Archetype.  He also has the Sun loosely conjunct Uranus, which adds the Rebel Archetype.  It’s a very freedom-loving combination.  His stand-up comedy style has been described as “impressively universal”, a quality of Sagittarius.  Mercury is conjunct exactly Saturn in his birthchart, which can sometimes make schooling difficult – he left school with one GCSE (in Drama). He has Venus conjunct Saturn too, which can make it difficult to access his feelings.  Jupiter squares Pluto in his chart, which can use power unwisely.  And Pluto is conjunct closely with the South Node – which can indicate some harsh past life karma.

At the time of their best dance (the paso doble), and the height of their controversy, Mars was square Seann’s Nodal Axis (in karmic hot water), and Saturn was conjunct his natal Neptune (perhaps contributing to an error of judgement).  Also, the North Node (karma) was trine his Mercury/Saturn conjunction, so he was very focussed during that dance.  At the end of the contest, Jupiter will be close to his natal Sun towards Christmas and into the New Year, so he may still be trusting to luck, but I don’t think he’ll be in the running for the Glitterball.

His dance partner, the immensely creative Katya Jones, won last year, with Joe McFadden.  Here was my verdict early in the tournament on Joe’s chances:

“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…

…At the end of the competition, she [Katya] 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.”

Katya’s genius may therefore have been a large factor in Joe’s success (but not to take away from Joe’s own brilliance).

So what is the sizzling, irresistable chemistry between the two of them?  Katya’s Venus opposes Seann’s Saturn/Venus, she warms that lack of feeling.  Her Mars sextiles his North Node, again she brings warmth, and they do make a spark.  Their Jupiters are exactly trine, so they make a successful partnership.  And her Jupiter is conjunct his Chiron, healing for them both.

Her transits at the time of the controversial kiss, and the inspired dance, were the North Node sextile her Venus (a karmic relationship), Neptune sextile her Saturn (letting go of inhibition) and Neptune trine her Pluto (a deep experience).  In the week leading up to that, Jupiter had been opposite her natal Sun (throwing caution to the wind, and being swept off her feet by a Sagittarian!).  At the end of the contest, she still has Neptune sextile her Saturn and Neptune trine her Pluto.  Pluto is moving to trine her natal Sun, which peaks in early February next year, signalling important changes in her life.  Perhaps it will be around that time that she hears whether she will be taking part in next year’s contest.  Interestingly, Seann Walsh will have Jupiter conjunct his Sun at that time, so it will be an important time for him, too.

But what of Katya’s husband, dancer and choreographer Neil Jones, and Seann’s ex-partner, actress Rebecca Humphries?  We do not have a birth date for Rebecca, but we do have a birth chart for Neil.  His transits at the time of the crisis were Neptune sextile his Sun, and Mars sextile his Uranus, which were not too damaging, though Neptune can still create scandal and illusion even when well aspected.  According to Katya, all was well between them at the time.

They don’t have an easy chemistry as a couple, with her Pluto opposite his Sun (a psychological challenge).  But they have two steady, stable and sober interaspects, in her Saturn trine his Sun, and her North Node trine his Saturn.  His transits for early February 2019 (which look like an important time for Seann and Katya) are Uranus trine his Neptune, and Pluto trine his Mars.  They are powerful transits, and also indicative of change.

Vick Hope

Vick is a radio broadcaster with Sun/Mercury in Libra square Uranus, so is very individualistic, and not afraid to be controversial.  Her Moon in Leo likes to put on a show.  She has a very challenging birth chart (I counted 13 squares), so may have overcome a good few hurdles in her life to arrive where she is now.  Her Mercury conjunct Mars gives her quick mental reactions, which is very useful when picking up moves and when a fast pace is required, such as in last week’s quickstep, when it became clear that from an unpromising first appearance she had made the greatest progress. Mercury/Mars also gives her the gift of the gab as a broadcaster, the ability to speak spontaneously (she can speak French, Spanish and Portuguese).  She is not risk averse (Jupiter opposite Uranus) and that may also help her process in the competition.  There is a really caring side to her (Jupiter conjunct Chiron in Cancer) and she is involved in humanitarian work, as a human rights activist and ambassador to Amnesty International.

Vick’s transits this weekend are Mars square her Venus (sensuality) and Saturn square her Mars (some inhibition), so she may dip slightly in parts of the dance.  But Uranus is trine her Uranus, so she is well capable of surprising us at this time – this aspect peaked at the beginning of October, when her game started to pick up.  Neptune trines her Pluto, so she is having a rich and deep experience.  At the end of the contest, Saturn will be opposite her Jupiter, and on her Neptune (not easy) but Neptune will still be trine Pluto.

Sizzling Sicilian new boy Graziano di Prima (he’s just 24) partners Vick, and from a disappointing first round the pair of them have impressed the judges with the progress they have made.  Graziano is a Taurean, so he should be quite supportive in nature.  He has a deep North Node/Pluto conjunction  in Scorpio sextile a conjunction of Neptune/Uranus in Capricorn, so can be complex in a constructive way.  He is very grounded, with half his planets in the Earth signs, and strong willed with half his planets in the Fixed Quadruplicity.  His talent for dance is shown by Neptune trine his Sun and sextile his North Node.

Chemistry-wise, they have their Jupiters exactly trine, so if they should get to the final it may be their chemistry which is the key to their success.  Strangely enough, Seann and Katya also have that interaspect.  This weekend, Graziano has Pluto trine his Sun, so will be capable of displaying his skill in a thorough way.  Chiron will be sextile his Mercury, so mentally he will be on tip top form too.  Pluto squaring his Mars may make him accident-prone though.

By the end of the contest, the North Node will be sextile his Mercury (his karma will be helpful), Chiron will still be sextile his Mercury, and Saturn will be sextile his Jupiter (sound judgement).  So his final transits are quite promising, and as we saw last year with Katya and Joe McFadden, that can tip the scales.

Joe Sugg

Born on a New Moon in Virgo, Joe is a real perfectionist, with an attention to detail (no sloppy Joe!).  He is also strong willed, with half his planets in the Fixed signs.  He likes to be quirky (Sun trine Uranus), and Bruno and Claudia have commented on this trait. He has definite ability when it comes to dance (Sun trine Neptune).  He also has a penchant for performing (Sun exactly trine North Node, and North Node closely conjunct Neptune), and electrical energy (Mars  square Uranus).  He could be the dark horse of the competition, currently riding at the middle of the road on the scoreboard.  With Mercury conjunct Venus he also has writing talent, being the author of graphic novels.  He is most known as a You Tuber.

Joe’s transits this weekend show Saturn squaring his Mars (some inhibition), Uranus square his Saturn (difficult energy), South Node on his Saturn (having to work on his weaknesses), but on the plus side Neptune sextile his Neptune (spiritual serenity) and Pluto sextile his Pluto (empowerment).  It may not be his best week, but the Neptune and Pluto transits may outweigh the other difficulties and keep him in the contest.  For the end of the contest, Saturn will be on his Uranus (a clashing energy, but may bring out extra discipline), Uranus will be trine his Jupiter (a wonderful surprise, there is another hint that he may be the dark horse), and Neptune will still be sextile his Neptune.

His partner, Dianne Buswell, appeared briefly last year partnered with the Rev. Richard Cole, but now has a better hold in the competition.  She is another supportive Taurean, with Chiron, Mars and the Moon in Cancer (the sign of musical rhythm).  Like Joe, she has Mercury conjunct Jupiter, so they will communicate well between them.  She has the North Node at 0 degrees Pisces (the sign associated with dance).

There may be an element of their relationship which is a huge challenge, especially to Dianne, as Joe’s Pluto opposes her Sun.  His Mars also squares her Uranus, so physically they may not always be in sync. Her transits for this weekend are Pluto trine her Sun (a moving performance), Neptune sextile her Saturn (capable of nuance), Saturn on her Uranus (some clashing energy) and Neptune trine her Pluto (a rich and deep experience), so she will enjoy the performance.  At the end of the contest Mars will be sextile her Sun (an injection of energy), Neptune will still be sextile her Saturn and trine her Pluto, so that’s looking good for her.  I wouldn’t rule out this pair getting to the semi-finals, or even the finals, but for Dianne particularly the whole season will likely to be transformative for her.

Danny John-Jules

I had never watched Red Dwarf (or Death in Paradise) and so was unfamiliar with Danny John Jules, but he won me over from his first steps.  There is something very charismatic about his energy and unique dancing style.  In his birth chart, he has fewer aspects than average, and maybe that makes for a free spirit.  He has the Sun in Virgo, so is another Virgoan  perfectionist.  The Sun is in a T-square with Mars and Jupiter, so he possesses high energy, not always controllable.  He has Mercury square Saturn, and Saturn in his chart, unusually, is exactly Stationary.  So mentally he is disciplined; Craig implied he was stuck in one style.  But he has got style.  His musicality comes from Mercury and Venus in Libra.  Darcy and Shirley have praised him for his “extraordinary posture” and “amazing vertical line”.

His partner Amy Dowden debuted last year with Brian Conley, but I have not been able to obtain a birth date for her.  His transits this weekend and for the end of the contest are quite low key.  Possibly because he has few natal aspects, he has fewer transits.  He has his Second Saturn Return early in the New Year, which will be an important time for restructuring his life.  So with Danny John-Jules having few natal aspects, and few transits, and no birth date for Amy Dowden, sadly I cannot properly evaluate this couple!

Lauren Steadman

Lauren, a Paralympian, is a sporty Sagittarian.  She has a huge portion of her chart unoccupied, a chart shaping known as “Locomotive”.  This is a shaping which lends energy and drive to the individual, for which Astrologer Margaret Hone gave the description: “The temperament reveals a self-driving individuality”.  She also has the chart of a leader, with half of her planets in the Cardinal signs, and the Sun being conjunct the North Node.  Apart from this conjunction, and a trine with Chiron, her Sun is unaspected, again making for a great deal of independence and individuality.  She loves people, with her Venus trine exactly Jupiter –  but at the same time has Venus conjunct Saturn which Seann Walsh has (which can make it difficult to access feelings).  Mars is trine exactly with Pluto giving her access to a powerhouse of energy – Darcy has described her as having a “strong core”.  She is, of course, superfit, for a Strictly contestant.

Her partner A.J. Pritchard did very well on Masterchef recently, I must say!  I described his chart in 2016: “He has Venus, Sun, North Node, Jupiter and Pluto in Scorpio.  He also has the sensitive and complex conjunction of Neptune and Uranus which occurred in the early 1990s.” There is some friction between their charts: His Mercury squares her Mars, and their Venuses are square.  But there is also some healing: His Mercury sextiles her Chiron.  It is not a remarkable synastry.  Her transits this weekend are Mars on her Saturn (fighting spirit), but she may not have the greatest of weeks.  If she gets through this week, at the end of the contest Jupiter is in her sign and on her Mercury, which could bring her a real high.  His transits at the moment also are low key, but more promising at the end if they make it: Neptune will be close to a trine with his Sun (inspiration), he will have a Venus Return around then (I don’t know the exact date of the end of the series), Saturn will be sextile his natal Venus (controlled artistry), and Pluto on his Neptune (a profound experience).

Having looked at all the contestants now, none of them really stand out for final transits!  My own favourites are Faye Tozer and Ashley Roberts.

Aspects

Monday (22nd) begins the week with a sextile between Mercury and Pluto, which is a helpful day for combining rational thought with deepest feelings.  They may not always coincide but together they may come together in a useful blend of mind, body and spirit.

The Sun enters Scorpio on Tuesday (23rd), so a happy birthday season to all Scorpios!  Under the Sun in Libra, we will have been exercising our diplomatic and peacemaking skills, but now we need to confront the deeper issues and find more lasting solutions which treat the causes and not just the symptoms of a situation.  For this we need more insight, resolve and conviction, qualities of this sign.

The next day (Wednesday 24th) the Sun immediately encounters an opposition from Uranus, and you will need your new insight, resolve and conviction.  The element of the unexpected will be testing those very qualities.  Be open and flexible, and use your intuition to the max.

At lunchtime, Venus sextiles Saturn, which may stabilize matters, at least matters of the heart, art or money.  Loyalties and alliances may help to reorganize the day and possibly minimize any disruption from the Sun-Uranus opposition.  The two issues however may be entirely separate.

The Full Moon  at 1 degree Taurus arrives at 16.45 Hrs in the U.K.  It should make some impact, as it conjoins Uranus while it opposes the Sun.  Altogether, this could be an emotionally demanding day, despite the stabilizing sextile between Venus and Saturn, so make sure you have some extra emotional resources handy, whether that be meditation, a friendly ear, or an artistic project.

A very congenial conjunction graces the end of the week, for the Sun conjoins Venus Retrograde at 3 degrees Scorpio on Friday (26th).  This restores emotional warmth if it was lacking earlier in the week, and may bring some financial ease or a minor windfall.  The Arts are favoured, as are cultural trips, or if spending a domestic day you may be inspired to a spot of cake baking.

The week in bullet points:

  • Monday – profound thought
  • Tuesday – profound being
  • Wednesday – eventful
  • Friday – love and light