The Chancellor of the Exchequer

Boris Johnson reshuffled his cabinet on Thursday, but did not reckon on Chancellor Sajid Javid doing the right thing and resigning.  This resulted in a new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak.

Sajid Javid

Sajid Javid was not my favourite politician, but he went up in my estimation on the integrity barometer, by refusing to sack his advisers as a condition of staying on as Chancellor (“No self-respecting chancellor would accept such conditions”, he said).  What was going on in his astrological life on Thursday?  Mars was square his Pluto (a dangerous dilemma) but sextile his natal Jupiter (he did the right thing).  Jupiter was also sextile his natal North Node, so he also passed a karmic test.  Saturn was trine his natal Pluto, so the decision was clear to him.  There was also a wrench (Uranus on  his Saturn) and confused direction (Neptune on his North Node).

Rishi Sunak

So what is the new Chancellor made of?  He was the deputy for Sajid, and has married into Indian wealth.  He has the Sun, Mercury and Chiron in Taurus, the sign of money.  With the Sun/Mercury trine Saturn, he has a great deal of common sense.  But will he be a mere puppet of Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings?  He has a preponderance of planets in the Mutable signs (adaptability and flexibility), but he also has Uranus opposite his Sun (so is capable of rebellion).  It is an intriguing combination, in terms of his future role.  He has Mars closely conjunct Jupiter, energy allied with enthusiasm, which I feel has contributed to his success (at 39, he is a very young age for a Chancellor).

His rise to fame took a steep upward curve on 24th July 2019 when he was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury.  At the time, Pluto (life-changing) was exactly trine his natal Sun/Mercury in Taurus (his talent with money).  His transits this week show Uranus trine his natal Mars/Jupiter – a sudden breakthrough, plus Pluto sextile his natal Uranus (major changes in his favour, propelling him into power).

Boris Johnson

Boris’ determination to “get things done” has resulted in him sweeping away the checks and balances involved in independent advisers, and replacing them with members of his new cabinet who he hopes will be compliant, and put up no resistance to what he is determined to do.  The constitution of the new cabinet has been said to increase the likelihood of our going out of the E.U. without a sensible deal at the end of the year, as one of the consequences of this reshuffle.  His transits for the reshuffle were Mars opposite his natal Sun/Venus (hasty and rash), Jupiter trine his natal Jupiter (the luck is still with him), North Node trine his Saturn (decisiveness), North Node sextile his Uranus (the power of surprise), and Jupiter sextile his natal Neptune (he is feeling upbeat and serene).

Dominic Cummings

It has been said that Boris is the weakest man in his cabinet, as he is controlled by Dominic Cummings, architect of this new controlling regime.  One wonders what are the limits to his ambitions…  His current transits are Chiron sextile his natal Saturn (the ability to re-shape his life, if not that of others), Jupiter square his natal Uranus (a magnification of his desire for change), and Chiron trine his natal Neptune (self-healing).  So there is not a lot to block his will at this point in time.  He wants to overhaul the civil service and truncate its powers.

I wrote last July:

“He is known as a slippery character, and remarkably 8 (out of 10) Mutable planets, and no Fixed planets, so slippery by astrological nature.  He has the Sun exactly opposite Saturn, so can be very strict in what he believes in.  His Sun is exactly conjunct Neptune, so he is very Piscean too.  His Sun sextile exactly Pluto makes him a very powerful character.  Jupiter sextile his Uranus gives him the Entrepreneur Archetype.  North Node sextile Chiron makes him a ‘Fixer’.”

UK Chart

How significant were events this week in the way they impact the chart of the United Kingdom?  Pluto opposes its Moon (very significant changes, and Storm Dennis is around), but Saturn sextiles its Venus and Mars sextiles its Mars, which are more congenial and less damaging transits.  There may be factors softening the impact of the events of the week.

In a salutary article by Polly Toynbee in the Guardian, she commented: “But there is scant sign that the money will flow to restoring the greatest damage done by almost a decade of austerity.”  Boris promises to level up the North with the South with the go-ahead for the HS2 rail project, but the country is crying out for more basic repairs, and there may be better ways to help the North.

Aspects

This morning Mars enters Capricorn, which represents a change of energy from gung ho to quietly determined.  The philosophical approach of Mars in Sagittarius gives way to more practicality and greater action and ambition.  There may be a greater theme of the individual (Mars) standing up to authorities (Capricorn).

Tomorrow (Monday 17th) sees Mercury Stationary, prior to turning Retrograde (everybody’s favourite bete noir).  Cultivate your relationship with Mercury further by maximizing your alertness (e.g. get more sleep) and your mindfulness, especially around communication.

Affirmation: “With each Mercury Retrograde, my communications improve”

Crystal: Clear Quartz (the clearest you can find)

Let me know of your progress!

We have another ingress on Wednesday (19th), which is the Sun’s entry into Pisces.  With the Sun in the previous sign Aquarius the emphasis is on social media and so forth, but we become more introspective and aware of our deeper emotions with the Sun in Pisces.  We become more aware of the sentience and oneness of all life, especially the plight of the creatures of the ocean and the state of the water (whether it is the purity of the water we drink, or the pollution from plastic).  The Sun in that sign shines a light on such matters.  The coronavirus epidemic also comes under this sign and its ruling planet Neptune, so there may be a concentration on this issue during the month of Pisces.

A favourite aspect of mine occurs on Thursday (20th) when Jupiter sextiles Neptune.  This allows religion and spirituality to work together well.  Higher solutions can be found to even practical problems, filtering down into consciousness from the causal planes.  The Dalai Lama has this sextile in his natal chart, and one of his quotations is: “My religion is very simple.  My religion is kindness.”  That could solve many social ills.  Yesterday’s tragic news of the suicide of  Caroline Flack reminded us of her plea to “be kind”.

A dynamic vibe awaits us on Friday (21st) when Mars trines Uranus.  You are likely to see, or initiate, bold and controversial moves.  It favours mechanical and engineering enterprises, but also social engineering, and sporting interests.  There could be surprises in connection with men, cars and dogs!  If you have had technical problems due to Mercury Retrograde, you may be able to upgrade.

More benefits accrue from Uranus on Saturday (22nd), with Uranus sextile the Sun.  Spontaneity and innovation rule the day.  It’s time to do something different, or do something differently.  Think outside the box.  Your creativity will be firing on all cylinders.

The week in bullet points:

  • Today – ambition and determination
  • Tomorrow – care around communications
  • Wednesday – more compassion
  • Thursday – religion harmonizes with spirituality
  • Friday – dynamic
  • Saturday – surprises
Date: Feb 16th, 2020 · Comments RSS · Tags: News