Allegra Stratton

As newly appointed press secretary for 10 Downing Street, we’ll be hearing a lot more from Allegra Stratton, especially now that Dominic Cummings has left the building, and is not standing in her way.  Apparently she will be fronting regular news briefings.  Ever since her departure from news programme “Peston on Sunday”, I had wondered why she had left, and what she was doing: it turns out she was building her career towards Downing Street.  She has not made an impact yet, but promises to play an important role in Boris’ “re-set”.  She did, however, play a role in the departure of the pantomime villain.

Birth Chart

So what sort of a woman is Allegra?  Her birthchart states categorically that she is a Warrior!  She has Sun in Aries (warriorship) with Mars exactly conjunct the North Node (karmic mission as a warrior), with the Sun also trine the North Node (a leader, too).  The North Node at 26 degrees Leo is exactly trine the Galactic Centre, a centre of great power.  Her Sun is also trine Mars (more guns blazing) and exactly opposite Pluto, which is deep and powerful, but not always to her advantage (power struggles can ensue).  There is a sense that while she loves power and is attracted to it, she may also become a pawn in its game.  So warriorship, power and leadership are prominent components of the core of her birthchart.  We do not have a birth time/Ascendant, so we don’t know how much that would mitigate or soften the picture. But she is a definite go-getter.

The Sun and Mars are in a Grand Fire Trine with Neptune, which provides some softness and sensitivity.  This might provide some skill in what she does, because she has the fight (Mars) but the sensitivity (Neptune) to understand the opponent.  However, she was taken to task during her career (2012), in upsetting a single mum who she interviewed, and ended up having to apologize.  An outstanding talent she does have for P.R. and communications is shown by her Mercury exactly trine Uranus: she is in the right profession.  She also has Mars conjunct Jupiter, energy allied with enthusiasm.  Jupiter square Uranus in her chart reveals that she can be a risk-taker, and an opportunist: she certainly bagged an opportunity here.

Her New Appointment

The Observer this morning has an article about cronyism within government appointments, specifically over appointments related to the management of the coronavirus crisis.  It seems that Allegra has been part of the circle of society, for when she married in 2011 Rishi Sunak, our present Chancellor of the Exchequer, was best man at her wedding.  And just prior to becoming press secretary she was director of strategic communications at the Treasury from April 2020.

Her appointment as press secretary was announced on 8th October this year, with transits of:-Mars trine her natal Neptune, activating her Grand Trine (triggering a dream come true), Saturn sextile her natal Uranus, (an opportunity for ambition) and Mercury (solidifying intellectual ambition, linked with communication); and finally, Pluto trine her natal Saturn, taking a serious step towards power.

The Coup de Grace

Everybody was wondering how long chief adviser Dominic Cummings could continue his reign of fear…but no one knew how it might end.  He was brought down by a circle of feminine power in the end, who would have thought it?  While he and Director of Communications Lee Cain (who left office a few days before Cummings) hurled insults at Allegra Stratton, and apparently reduced her to tears, she was supported by the Prime Minister’s fiancee Carrie Symonds, Priti Patel and political advisor Munira Mirza.  Boris was forced to choose, and Dominic was the loser.  Allegra’s transits at the time Dominic left were North Node sextile her natal Sun (a karmic triumph), and Chiron sextile her natal Venus (support from females), plus the Nodal Axis square her Saturn (a difficult time).

Dominic’s Departure

The interesting transit for Dominic Cummings at his departure was Uranus exactly squaring his Nodal Axis (a sudden karmic departure).  This is the same transit as the Prime Minister’s brother Joe had when he was forced to leave office (under very different circumstances) as he described it “torn between family and national interest” last year.

Carrie Symonds

Carrie Symonds has Sun in Pisces, and was born close to a New Moon in Pisces, with the North Node between the Sun and the Moon, indicating that she can be an agent of karma.  She also has Mars conjunct Neptune, which means that she is capable of being strategic, and behind the scenes!  An interesting feature of her chart is that she has no planets in two Elements: Fire, and Air.  This gives her a great deal of concentrated feminine power (all Earth and Water).  She has an interest in power and leadership (Sun conjunct North Node), however.  She can be very balanced in her judgements (Jupiter exactly trine Saturn/Uranus), and it would be a mistake to underestimate her, as Dominic Cummings might have done.  Finally, her Nodal Axis squares her Chiron exactly, so she is used to handling crisis on a daily basis.  At the time of the Cummings departure, transiting Saturn was sextile her natal Sun in Pisces, a settling of affairs.  Just prior to this, earlier in November, Mars was square her natal Mars, presumably when the battles were taking place.

Priti Patel

We need to talk about Priti Patel!  She is having her own battles to fight at the moment, but was notably supporting Allegra and Carrie at the time of the battles with Lee Cain and Dominic Cummings.  The big question on people’s minds is “why is Boris so loyal to Priti?”  Her recent role of support may be one factor in his loyalty, but he has been reluctant to force her out, ever since the exposure of her bullying of the civil servants.  At the time Dominic left office, her transits were:-  Uranus trine her natal Jupiter (a triumph), and Chiron trine her natal Neptune (a sensitivity weathered).  On Friday (20th November) the report was revealed of her conduct regarding the civil servants, an issue which was triggered by the resignation of Sir Philip Puttnam.  We do not have a birth date for him, but he resigned on 29th February this year over the issue.  Priti’s transits at the time were Mars exactly square her natal Sun (brought to book over aggression) and Pluto trine her natal Venus (issues of power in relationships).  Boris kept her on after that, and instituted an enquiry, the results of which apparently he sat on for months.

The row erupted on Friday, in the midst of Anti-Bullying week!  Boris is so far steadfast in his support for her, no matter what this does to the reputation of the government.  This protection is reflected in her transits: Jupiter (protection) trine her natal Venus (from a friend), and Uranus still trine her natal Jupiter (still going strong).  She issued an apology, making full use of the word “unintentional”.  I noticed back in the Spring when she issued an apology during a briefing, that even her apologies sound aggressive.  Remember when she was taken to task about smirking?  It was last October, on the Andrew Marr show, when she was smirking about the impact of a possible no-deal Brexit.  She has a buoyant chart, as you can see from a blog I wrote in 2017 (when she was forced to resign from Theresa May’s cabinet):

“Priti Patel is an individualistic, uncompromising Aries, who was the poster girl for the Brexit campaign… She is a gambler by nature (Sun square Jupiter)…An interesting feature of her chart is Mercury exactly conjunct Chiron in Aries: a mind suited to problem-solving, but unusual in its processes… she says she has received much support, and seems popular within her party, and has kept smiling…  Her chart has many aspects, and her Mercury also has a square to Jupiter (likes to travel) and an opposition with Uranus (not afraid to be controversial).”  To this I would add her forcefulness is shown by Mars trine Pluto.

When the report was finally released on Friday, it resulted in the resignation of Sir Alexander Allan, the Prime Minister’s Independent adviser on ministerial standards, who had complied the report which Boris studiously ignored. Sir Alexander’s transits include Chiron squaring his natal Uranus (a crisis triggering a sudden departure).  There have also been allegations that Boris tried to interfere with the wording of the report.  In its implication for the integrity of government, we live in extraordinary times.

Back to Allegra

Allegra’s actual statement on the matter of the report on Priti was:

“He loathes bullying. He takes it very seriously and recognizes that it is very difficult for people to come forward and raise concerns.  It’s a brave thing to do, he knows that, and he believes that this process has been thorough.  But it is also his responsibility to look at…the conclusions in the round.”

A private WhatsApp communication was leaked from Boris’s account urging fellow Tories to “form a square around the Prittster” to protect her.  This might be seen as a contravention of his quasi-judicial role as P.M.  He ought to be neutral when judging the conduct of officials, so this calls into question his whole role of arbiter.  Boris stated: “as the arbiter of the code…the prime minister’s judgment is that the ministerial code was not breached.”  Priti herself raised in her defence that she did not receive feedback on her behaviour.  But Sir Philip Puttnam had not been allowed to take part in the enquiry (which in itself is remarkable) but commented afterwards that he had warned her about the effects of her behaviour.

Allegra’s only comment about the “Prittster” exhortation was that it reflected an acknowledgement that “this is a testing day for her”.

So Allegra may be called upon to sometimes defend the indefensible, in her new role.

Aspects

My description of the Aspects begins on Tuesday (24th) with a trine between Mercury and Neptune.  This aspect brings the possibility of mysteries being solved, e.g. around health conditions.  Thus, more may be revealed about the covid virus and its mysterious ways.  In personal applications, things may fall into place spiritually, and you may be ready to talk about a sensitive subject.  This trine brings mental inspiration, transcendent wisdom, higher harmony, spiritual journeys, and insight.  A small kindness can bring about significant mental healing.

Further healing, both physical and psychological, ensues on Thursday (26th) when Chiron trines the Sun.  Healing is illuminated by clarity, and solutions may appear to conundrums which have been recently aired.  There is a sense of wholeness about this aspect.

Another win-win aspect occurs on Friday morning (27th) in the shape of Mercury sextile Pluto.  This can produce profound thought and communication,  honouring the gravity of a situation if necessary, and enabling meaningful debate to occur.  If you have something important lined up, you may be successful in getting your point across.  Try to act or communicate anything of significance in the early half of the day.

At 17.11 Hrs on the same day, Uranus opposes Venus, so any attempts to persuade another of your point of view may lead to intransigence or detachment on their part.  Someone around you may be displaying skittish behaviour.  There may be strange social encounters, too.  Be clear from your heart, to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, as cross currents and crossed purposes can occur.

The week in bullet points:

  • Tuesday – mysteries solved
  • Thursday – healings
  • Friday – profound communication; strange socializing
Date: Nov 22nd, 2020 · Comments RSS · Tags: News