Jacinda Ardern revisited

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, kept her cool this week when an earthquake struck.  She has also been praised recently for her exemplary handling of the pandemic in her country.  I last wrote about her in March of last year after the massacre in Christchurch, so it may be time to revisit the astrology around this amazing woman.

It has also been pointed out that female leaders (e.g. Angela Merkel) are prominent among the nations which have produced low casualties in the epidemic.  In India, K.K. Shailaja a female health minister and former teacher produced a remarkably proactive regime in her state of Kerala. Could this be a sign of things to come, the rise of the wisdom of the divine feminine, replacing the age old patriarchy?

Birth Chart

I wrote, last March: “Jacinda has an unaspected Sun in Leo, indicating a very  individualistic leader.  Her North Node in Leo also indicates leadership as a karmic path.  I pointed out last week that she has Neptune trine her North Node, like Greta Thunberg the subject of last week’s blog, showing spiritual leadership.  With Mercury trine Uranus she is also a very independent thinker.  Venus is closely sextile with the North Node in Leo, depicting her warmth.  Jupiter trine Chiron describes her positivity, the ability to see solutions.”

The Last Year

On March 15th 2019 a white supremacist opened fire in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Jacinda Ardern really showed the world what she was made of.  I wrote: ” Not only did she demonstrate empathy and compassion, but she exemplified what we all need at the head of our nations, that spiritual leadership and integrity so often lacking.”

She took active steps on gun law, and initiated reforms around social media excesses and problems.  She has also taken a lead on worldwide climate change:

“We’re small, and our contribution to the global emissions profile is even smaller, but we are surrounded by island nations who will feel the brunt of climate change acutely. I see ourselves as having a responsibility to demonstrate that we can and we will lead the charge.”

She stands firm on her nation’s nuclear free policy.

In September 2019 she was included as an inspirational woman in the issue of Vogue magazine which was guest edited by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

In December 2019 she had to deal with a volcanic eruption on White Island.  Saturn at the time was squaring her natal Pluto, an extremely heavy transit, which would have weighed on her mind considerably.  Uranus (the unexpected) was square her Sun, events out of her control.  Neptune was trine her natal Mercury, so she was able to show compassion through her communications at the time.  She was praised around the world for her response to this crisis.  Pluto was sextile her natal Uranus, so dealing with more change, and more growth and transformation required within herself.

Pandemic Response

On 14 March 2020, Jacinda acted promptly on the threat of the Pandemic, announcing the “widest ranging and toughest border restrictions of any country in the world”.  Mars was square to her natal Pluto in Libra, indicating bold and courageous action. Transiting Jupiter was also sextile her natal Uranus in Scorpio, showing enterprise.  Uranus was squaring her natal Sun, meaning that she was taking the initiative on the element of the unexpected (which she was more able to do than during the volcanic eruption).  Her actions proved inspired, as the subsequent health records for New Zealand testify.  She closed all borders to all non-citizens and non-permanent residents at 11.59 p.m. on 20th March.  Her resolve at that time showed in a transit of Mars/Jupiter trine her natal Saturn in Virgo at that time.  The Washington Post has praised her use of social media and high level communication throughout the crisis.  By 11.59 p.m. on 25 March she had put the nation on full lockdown, which was at a similar time to lockdown in the U.K. (but with very different results).  Jupiter at that time was still trine her natal Saturn, and steady progress was being made. On the financial front, she took a 20% pay cut in solidarity with those suffering as a result of the economic results of the pandemic. Her practical response to this crisis has been hailed as a model.

Earthquake

On Monday (25th May) Jacinda was giving an interview for breakfast TV from the parliament building in Wellington.  As an earthquake struck, she calmly stated “We’re just having a bit of an earthquake here”.  I could be reading too much into it here, but perhaps this was a symbol from Gaia of how tuned in Jacinda has been, designed to show how strong she is.  At the time, Chiron was opposing her natal Mars.  That is a transit which can rock your world, Chiron representing crisis and Mars representing the response of her energies.  She was unshakeable, and cool, in the best manner of her Mars in equable Libra.  That is the Mars in Libra which tried to bring peace to communities in the wake of the Christchurch massacre.  She had been asked by Donald Trump how he could help, and she replied “Sympathy and love for all Muslim communities.”  That seems very poignant now, considering race relations have erupted in the United States this week over the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

In other transits: Neptune is trine her natal Uranus, her open sensitivity combines with her intuition, and Neptune squares her natal Neptune, a transit which would find many feeling at sea in her situation.  It is a measure of her strength and evolvement that she is able to stand firm in these times.  Her current popularity rating would be the envy of any politician: she is riding high in her approval rating at 65% of the voting public.

Aspects

You have respite until Wednesday, so you can take the next few days off, or keep working on last Thursday’s ingress of Mercury into Cancer which integrates emotional understanding with mental processes.

On Wednesday (June 3rd) retrograde Venus squares Mars.  To recap, Venus is taking a rare retrospective and re-examining relationships and finance.  The square from Mars may trigger new challenges in this respect, and may bring inappropriate behaviour or misunderstandings in relationships.  This square can also re-ignite a battle of the sexes (e.g. do women make better Prime Ministers than men?).  The aspect occurs in the very early hours of the morning, so watch for its effects building the previous evening.

In the late afternoon of Wednesday, the Sun conjoins with Venus at 13 degrees Gemini, which brings more harmony to proceedings.  If you are an artist or a musician, it is a day when you may be able to produce your best creative output or performance.  If there was some awkwardness earlier in the day, Venus may be able to paper over the cracks seamlessly.

On Thursday (4th) the Mean North Node enters Gemini, which is a nuanced version of the True North Node’s entry to the same point on 5th May.  It is a different calculation of the same event, so the transition in a way has been happening throughout May.  You may notice slightly different spiritual or practical effects.  Have a look back at your diary for 5th May: I found that I completed Chapter 5 of my book “The Quiet Office”, on that day.  What you find in your diary may help you to make sense of the work to come for you under North Node in Gemini.

I wrote at the time of the True Nodal shift:

“The transiting North Node and Nodal Axis represents the collective karma, just as the North Node and Nodal Axis in our birth charts represents our personal karma.  Our North Node represents our karmic mission, and the transiting North Node represents our collective karmic mission, in the evolution of humanity.

The North Node will be leaving Cancer, where the last eighteen months have seen the rise in populism, Nationalism, Tribalism and Patriotism, as I mentioned when it was entering that sign…  But we are due for a change, not least because the world is now required to pull together, due to the coronavirus.  The South Node (part of the Nodal Axis, which is opposite the North Node) will be in Sagittarius, which represents a global outlook, and the North Node in Gemini represents friendlier relations with neighbours (whether on a national scale, or over the garden fence).  Gemini and Sagittarius also represent travel (short term and long distance respectively), something which is being affected (to a great extent karmically) at this time.  …Education is another area of Geminian interest, and our schoolchildren at present are learning new ways of being schooled, mainly at home and online….  As a mindset, the change of North Node in Cancer to North Node in Gemini may bring about a more communicative relating (out of necessity, karma) as distinct from a more emotional and subjective mindset (North Node in Cancer).”

It will be interesting to see how this plays out this week in the government’s new “back to school” initiative.  Remember, there is a karmic flavour to this placement; in other words every action has consequence.

Friday (5th) is the most important day of the week, astrologically.  First we have a sextile between Mercury and Uranus.  This encourages us to use all the new technology for our communications, and brings new ideas, heightening intuition and telepathy.

Then we encounter Mercury square Chiron, which may highlight teething troubles around new technology.  Although the general trend is onwards and upwards, with every new technical programme or gadget, there are new problems to be overcome and learnings to be absorbed.  Try to take them in your strides, technophobes (I am talking to myself, here) and trust that the answers will become available (even if you have to wait for hours on a helpline – sorry, that’s my inner technophobe intervening).  But it is also an aspect which encourages us to look after our health, and find alternative solutions if possible.  We are finding at this time where people would have turned to hospitals and GPs they are seeking health solutions closer to home, although of course no severe symptoms should go unheeded, and the health professionals are encouraging us to approach hospitals again.

Towards the evening, caution is again advised, as the Eclipsed Full Moon at 15 degrees Sagittarius brings an emotional high tide, and possible turning point.  Be clear in your direction of travel, both physically and metaphorically.  If you have natal planets at that degree, you may be more affected than most.  There is a global flavour to this Full Moon, and strong statements may be made for example by the World Health Organization regarding the progress of the response to the pandemic.

Part of the tension on Friday will be due to the approach of Mars to square the Sun, which takes place the following evening, Saturday (6th).  This introduces an element of conflict or aggression, which may not be helpful personally, and may inflame things internationally, e.g. in the ongoing conflict between Donald Trump and the World Health Organization.  So this square from Mars will have also exacerbated the effects of the Full Moon, and made it more difficult than usual for people to simmer down after it.  The energy, fire and enthusiasm which the Sun with Mars generates can be positively harnessed if you are especially mindful.

The week in bullet points:

  • Wednesday – social awkwardness then smoothing over
  • Thursday – karmic communication
  • Friday – a day of import; technology prominent; problem-solving needed; emotional tension heightened; turning point
  • Saturday – hot-headedness

 

Date: May 31st, 2020 · Comments RSS · Tags: News