Roman Abramovich

Roman Abramovich, erstwhile and longterm owner of Chelsea Football Club, was among the seven Russian oligarchs sanctioned this week by the U.K. government.  He has been part of the fabric of our football scene since 2003, almost twenty years.  But he has also been a close friend of Vladimir Putin (although he has tried to play this down in the last few years) and implicated in the infiltration of our financial system by Russian “dirty money” in all this time.  That has been known about, wondered about, but never tackled.  Our government have courted the Russian Oligarchs (e.g. Eugeny Lebedev, a U.K. newspaper owner, who was given a peerage at the urging of Boris Johnson), and turned a blind eye to the consequences.

Birth Chart

Roman has half his planets (5) in water signs, making him deeply emotional (as well as notoriously partial to yachts!).  He also has half his planets in the Mutable, adaptable signs.  His Sun is in Scorpio, a sign which some find secretive, and certainly intense and deep.  With the Sun trine Moon in his chart (although we do not have a birth time, so we don’t know its intensity), he knows what he is doing.  His Sun is square Jupiter, so he is capable of great enthusiasm, a passion that obviously finds expression in his investment in football.  His Moon is in Pisces, another enigmatic sign, so one question in everybody’s mind at the moment is, “What is he thinking?”.  Passion for football is also in evidence in his Mars-Moon opposition, which also gives him quick emotional responses.  He has Mercury in Scorpio, so can have a forensic mind, and there is certainly a lot going on in that mind, judging by its aspects: Mercury exactly trine Saturn (calculating by any other name), Mercury sextile closely Uranus (futuristic thinking), Mercury conjunct Neptune (possible deceptive communication, a conjunction he shares with Putin), Neptune on his South Node (intrigue in past lives) and Mercury trine Chiron (he is a problem-solver).  Venus square Jupiter means he doesn’t always follow social mores.  He also has a plethora of Saturn aspects: Saturn closely opposite Uranus (personal earthquakes, of which this is one), Saturn trine Neptune (an ability for subtle planning), Saturn opposite Pluto and Saturn closely conjunct Chiron (both problematic aspects).  Born in 1966, he has the high energy, anarchic, conjunction of Pluto and Uranus.  He has the ability to work with complexity, via his close Uranus sextile with Neptune.  Neptune is exactly trine Chiron in his chart, a healing ability he used in his dealings with Chelsea.  And he also had Pluto trine his North Node, meaning that his karma powerfully impacted others.  An additional difficult aspect is Pluto opposing his Chiron, so his chart is not plain sailing.

Life and Career

Roman comes from a Jewish family, and his maternal grandmother fled from Ukraine to Russia in the early period of the Second World War.  His paternal grandparents came from Belarus.  By the age of four, he had lost both parents, and had to be raised by other relatives.  He began a life of entrepreneurship in his early 20s, and was aided in that success by the break-up of the Soviet Union, and the opportunities that afforded.

It’s not always what you know, but who you know: in 1996 he was invited to move into the Kremlin by friend President Boris Yeltsin.  He became a politician, and  between the years 2000 and 2008 he acted as Governor of the constituency of Chukotka for two terms.  When Yeltsin was looking for his own successor, Abramovich put forward Putin’s name.  It is unlikely that he knew at that time the extent of Putin’s future ambitions.  Subsequently, when asked in 2007 by Putin who should succeed him as president, Abramovich put forward the name of Medvedev.  It is undeniable that he influenced the course of Russian history (that natal North Node trine Pluto).  It is said that Putin and Abramovich remain close.  The enigma remains how close, and whether Abramovich knew of Putin’s plan regarding Ukraine, and what he now thinks about it.  He and other oligarchs may have been acting as financial middle men for Putin.  It has also been claimed that Putin instructed Abramovich to purchase Chelsea Football Club, a claim vehemently denied by Abramovich himself.

Problems surfaced for Abramovich after the poisoning of the Skripals in Salisbury in 2018.  Transiting Uranus, purveyor of change, was exactly opposite his natal Sun.  The U.K. withheld the renewal of his Visa, as they negotiated their position with Russia over the incident.  By virtue of his religious status, he was able to gain Israeli citizenship, and has contributed to Israeli cultural and social projects since that time.  Later still, in April 2021, he became a Portuguese citizen, though a rabbi is currently being investigated in connection with that.  Abramovich is currently the richest individual in Portugal.

Synastry with Putin

Just how close is he, astrologically, to Putin?  Surprisingly, very close indeed.  They have a warm personal sextile between Roman’s Venus and Putin’s Mars.  His Mars forms a supportive trine to Putin’s Chiron.  His Pluto exactly trine’s Putin’s Jupiter, so he can be a tremendous boost and support to Putin.

Chelsea Football Club

Chelsea Football Club was founded on 10th March 1905.  In our family, hubby has been a Chelsea (and Fulham) supporter from a young age, by virtue of being born in Hammersmith.  When I got together with him in the 1970s, he took my younger brother to their matches, and he in turn has been a lifelong supporter.  Abramovich, when he took over the ownership of the club in 2003, quickly turned around its fortunes, and the club went from strength to strength, earning some 18 major trophies since then.  Chelsea fans have a lot to thank Roman Abramovich for.

The football scene itself may have been tainted by the normalization of financial investment by billionaires from other nations – not just Russians, but Qataris and Saudia Arabian interests for instance.  It is said that the enormous amounts paid for the top players has distorted the transfer market.  His tenure at Chelsea has been known for a rapid turnover of managers.  That he transformed the Club may be seen in their synastry: his Pluto exactly opposes its Sun/Mercury.

In June 2003, Saturn was sextile Chelsea’s Jupiter, and Uranus sextile Chelsea’s Venus, upbeat transits.  But Pluto was exactly square Chelsea’s Sun, an interesting sign of transformation, albeit that a square is usually a disadvantage.  Pluto in this case may show the take over by a Scorpio individual (Plutonian).  Saturn was trine Roman’s natal Sun, indicating a serious new venture.

Equally, his current crisis will transform their fortunes adversely.  His Chiron trines its Mars, and, maybe most tellingly, his Pluto squares its Pluto (transformation being the bottom line).  He raised them up, and his downfall is now likely to be a demise for them.  It depends on whether and how Chelsea can be sold, and current transits (Neptune trine natal Mars, and Saturn trines its natal Pluto) imply all may not be lost, but a fateful time is shown by the transit of the Nodal Return squaring its natal Saturn.

Marriage

As a Scorpio, Abramovich plays his cards close to his chest, but he has had a rich personal life in terms of relationships, being married and divorced three times, his most recent divorce being in 2018.  He has seven children.  One wonders about the effect on his family of his changes in fortune.

Current Transits

In this week of sanctions, Mars was opposite his natal Jupiter (a blow to his luck), but Jupiter was sextile his North Node (something may be cushioning him).  The challenging transits are Neptune opposite his natal Uranus (extreme complications), and Neptune on his Chiron (confusion and wounding, possible health implications).

The secret thoughts of Abramovich are still just that: locked away in his own mind. There is speculation about why it took so long to sanction the oligarchs and allow them extra time.  Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said the sanctions were the: “right decision but should not have taken the government weeks”.

Marina Hyde, writing in the Guardian yesterday, is convinced of his continued close relationship with Putin, and observes:

“Football doesn’t make society, it reflects it. The game is really just a small part of a much bigger British industry of servicing, laundering and enabling dirty money that is so large these days as to appear almost respectable.”.

Aspects

Today may be characterized by mystery and enigma, as the Sun conjoins with Neptune at 22 degrees Pisces.  We may wonder where we are, struggling to get our bearings.  If we can establish where we are, we may be able to access higher inspiration for whatever we are engaged upon.  It is a day when progress can be made on subtle and spiritual issues, with memorable ethereal experiences.

The Sun will be sextile the North Node tomorrow (Monday 14th), which favours and supports creative plans.  It is a good day to settle on your direction in life, or for the week at least.  You may find that everything falls into place.

On Thursday (17th) Mercury will be sextile Uranus, giving rise to spectacular and unusual communications.  This encourages us to use all the new technology for our communications, and brings new ideas, heightening intuition and telepathy.   This aspect can amaze you and help you find that “wow” factor.

Friday (18th), brings a Full Moon at 27 degrees Virgo around breakfast time.  There may be some strangeness in the air, building up from the previous evening, resulting in insomnia for some.  Things may not be all they seem, and emotions may be running high.  Or people may be looking industrious, but underneath their desks they may be paddling nervously. If you have health issues, or ecological interests, focus on your best outcomes, and release negativity and paranoia.

In the evening, Pluto sextile the Sun can bring powerful help.  If you dig deep, you can find the treasure you need.  It is a profound aspect which may help to show us the direction we need to solve our collective problems, and understanding the meaning behind our dilemmas.  This sextile can bring a profound air of quiet contemplation.

Venus squares Uranus on Saturday (19th) which could make it an abrasive day for meetings.  The way through is to use your intuition, and stay one step ahead.  Relationships can be disrupted, and subject to misunderstandings.

The week in bullet points:

  • Today – decoding the mystery
  • Tomorrow – favourable power karma
  • Thursday – brilliance in communication
  • Friday – emotional high tide; powerful help
  • Saturday – relationships disrupted