Aspects for the week beginning 16 June 2024

Wes Streeting

“One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up” – Hodder & Stoughton 2023

This is a blog about the Shadow Health Secretary, who in a few weeks’ time may become the actual Health Secretary.  I was given his autobiography for Christmas, and recently got round to reading it.  It impressed me in various ways, so this is also a book review.

Birth Chart

Wes’ book is an astrologer’s dream, because he gives all the birth dates of his family, and intimates one or two birth times as well.  On his birth, he wrote:

“Just before lunchtime, the nurses came in en masse like an SAS squad mounting a rescue with the same bedside manner.”

From that, I have given him a Gemini Ascendant to his Aquarian Sun and Aries Moon.

Wes has the Sun square Saturn/Pluto, which can indicate a difficult childhood.  It would certainly indicate significant struggles in life, of which he has had plenty.  People may wonder why he has written an autobiography so early in life, but he was persuaded to by Tom Perrin, an Editor at Hodder & Stoughton, and encouraged by Jess Phillips (one of my favourite politicians) and it seems he did have much to relate.

His Moon in Aries has emotional directness, but is trine Neptune, adding sensitivity.  Looking at his childhood experiences, this sensitivity laid him open to suffering but at the same time helped him understand and accommodate some of his harsh experiences.

Venus conjunct his Midheaven in Aquarius in 8th House means that he puts a lot of love into his career choices, but a square between Venus and Chiron may be the source of his kidney health weakness, as Venus represents the kidneys.  He was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2021, a story he begins with in his book.

Mars closely square Jupiter/Uranus gives a keen enthusiasm allied with electrical energy, which he is able to direct through his trine between Mars and Saturn.  Mars trine Pluto provides a powerhouse of energy.  Two Archetypes pop up: The Warrior (Mars trine the North Node), which goes well with the Sun in Aquarius rabble-rouser; and Jupiter conjunct Uranus, The Entrepreneur.  His exceptionally difficult childhood (on a par with Alan Johnson’s in his book “This Boy”) can be seen in the conjunction of Saturn and Pluto, as alluded to earlier.

Life and Career

Wes was born and brought up in Stepney, to two teenagers, who separated early in his life.  Decoding the title of his autobiography “One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up” the two Bils were his grandfathers (as different as chalk and cheese).  It should be said that the female members of the family were strong characters, although they are omitted from the title.  The Fry Up describes a story which meant the difference between being born, or not.  I don’t want this blog/book review to be too much of a spoiler, in case you should choose to read the book!

On reviewing the book, Rachel Cooke of the Guardian commented that it was: “both a little bit boring and unexpectedly fascinating…But on the other hand, it’s also transfixing, albeit in a way I struggle fully to explain.”  I know exactly what she means.  The first half of the book details every family member going back at least two generations.  If you are not interested in people, you might find it boring (Anyone who has tackled my first two novels, will realize I enjoy a bit of boredom).  But if you skipped all the family stuff, you wouldn’t realize just how excruciating his experiences in a life of poverty were, and how he reacted with love for his family every step of the way: admiration for his single mum, and fondness for his mother’s father who spent much time in jail, for instance.  In addition, you were able to see that however dire and disrupted his childhood, there were guardian angel figures who appeared along the way, often in the guise of schoolteachers, who looked out for him and tried to guide him into his best future.  Perhaps these are evidence for pre-natal contracts (I write as a past life therapist).  His closest ally was his father’s father, one of the Bills, who was a staunch Christian, a Virgoan, and who informed many of Wes’ values growing up: “For me, and for dad, he was the rock upon which our family was built and the single biggest influence on my life to this day”.  It was a sad day, when he passed away.  That Wes had the ability to negotiate his way through such a start is, astrologically I feel, down to a Water Grand Trine between Saturn/Pluto, Mars and the North Node.

He went to the Westminster City School for his secondary education, followed by Selwyn College Cambridge in his further education, in a miraculous path from his deprivation (helped along by the right teacher at the right time).  He studied History at University, but got involved with politics and became President of the National Union of  Students.  He worked for Stonewall on leaving University, but took his time to come out of the closet with his parents (having thought his sexuality was at odds with his religion).  That story was one of the most moving in the book.

He became a Labour councillor in Redbridge in July 2010, and became elected Member of Parliament for Ilford North in 2015.  In 2016 he campaigned for remaining in the EU, and later for a People’s Vote.  He was a critic of Jeremy Corbyn, and works on anti-semitism and also against Islamophobia.  In an interview last year, he stated:

“One of the great things about my job as the MP for Ilford North on the London–Essex border is, I’ve got such a diverse constituency in terms of not just ethnicity, but religion. I’ve got a really big Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh community. We’ve got – not so much in my constituency – but in Redbridge as a whole, we’ve got a Zoroastrian community.”

When Keir Starmer became Leader of the Labour Party, Wes was appointed to various positions in the shadow cabinet, including Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasurer, Shadow Minister for Schools.  In November 2021 he was promoted to Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

It seems to be an area close to his heart, especially as he was diagnosed early that year with kidney cancer, and underwent surgery for this.  The cancer was caught early, and on 27th July 2021 he announced that he had been declared cancer-free.  Mars was trine his natal Neptune in Sagittarius in the 7th House (recovery), Jupiter was trine his natal Pluto in Libra in 5th House (another chance at life), and Neptune sextile his natal Chiron (a health correction).

Health Policies

In an interview with the Guardian in April, Wes defended Labour plans to use the private sector to help cut the waiting lists in the NHS, and emphasized that the NHS would not be privatised.

The Labour manifesto, which was issued this week, follows this line, pledging to cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 more appointments every week, and “use spare capacity in the independent sector to ensure patients are diagnosed and treated more quickly”, among many other features.

Election Date

How does 4th July look for Wes Streeting?  His partner Joe Dancey is, incidentally, also standing, for Stockton West, but we have no birth date for him.

Wes’ transits show:

Jupiter square his natal Mars in Pisces in 9th House (high energy; it is a square he has natally)

Saturn sextile his natal Mercury in Capricorn (Politics) in 8th House (serious intent)

Saturn square his natal Ascendant in Pisces on 10th House cusp (serious political responsibility, Pisces rules hospitals)

Pluto exactly on his Sun in Libra in his 5th House, as serious as it gets.

If he gets to be Health Secretary, he will hit the ground running, from these transits.

Another reviewer of the book, Jason Cowley of The Sunday Times, credits Wes with “emotional intelligence”.  For me, the value of reading his story is to know what makes him tick, what shaped him, and to see the sincerity of his political aspirations.  But for all his earnestness, he does have a good sense of humour, which often emerges in his interviews.  I will leave you to guess which parts of the book had me in tears.

“And for me, the sorts of things that really motivate me, are a deep commitment to tackling inequality and injustice in our society.”

~ Wes Streeting

Aspects

There are three squares to Neptune this week, so the week may carry an air of surrealism or illusion.  Be alert to that.

Tomorrow (Monday 17th) brings us five features of note, and therefore I am resorting to a timetable, to help you navigate these:

3.46 a.m. – Venus square Neptune, the first of the Neptunian aspects, so a time when you may become aware of this feature of the week.  As it is sleep time in the U.K. you may receive impressions through your dreams which point to its meaning for you.  It could be could be socially confusing.  You may get paranoid about how other people are voting, for instance!  There may be a a sense of intrigue, involving relationship or money.  Maybe another political scandal…You need to look behind the illusion.  There could be uncertainty in the Arts or the world of Music.  You could experience frustrating flaws in creative works. Tread softly.

6.20 a.m. – Venus enters Cancer – We place our love on the home and family, and appreciate our locality.  We need to be conscious about our emotional boundaries during this period (to 11th July).  Find novel ways of cherishing the home and family.

7.41 a.m. – Mercury square Neptune – the second in this Neptunian wave: a challenging aspect to deal with. Perhaps you are grappling with a mystery in your life, such as why you have a leak somewhere.  Some undefinable snag may be nagging at you.  If so, allow your subconscious to bring it up in its own time, but don’t shut up shop until you have identified the rum note.  Then you can deal with it, move on and let it go.  There may be an emphasis in the news on the issue of boat people trying to cross the channel, or blustery weather.

9.07 a.m. – Mercury enters Cancer – The collective mind will be more able to encompass emotion when considering an argument.  Mercury will be staying in Cancer until 2nd July (it’s a short and quickfire stay), so we have to get with the programme.  Family matters are under the mental microscope throughout Mercury in Cancer, and examining our emotions about our roots.  Under this transit, you have to take emotions into account when making a rational judgement.

12.43 Hrs – Mercury conjunct Venus – this takes place at 0 degrees Cancer.  It may enable some of that sunburst of ideas to be communicated, discussed, and start the ball rolling towards making practical use of what has come to you.  This conjunction is ideal for socializing, conversation, artistic or literary endeavours, or negotiations.  Your communications will have an artistic flair, so it’s a good time to get creative.  I associate this conjunction with Cafe culture, but it has come to my notice that some people prefer pubs, so a pint may be more suitable in that case.  Conversation will flow just as easily…

Thursday (20th) brings the third of the Neptunian squares, the Sun involved this time.  By now, you might be becoming wise to the smoke and mirrors of this process.  “.  There are new considerations and issues arising, more sensitivity to consider.  You may be feeling a little confused, lost, or even  dizzy.  If you are on a journey, take a moment to stop and reflect, over coffee at a service station on the motorway for instance.  It’s a good moment to surrender to the divine, and ask what you are supposed to be learning from the experience, seeking out where the illusion lies.

In the political arena, there is a Question Time special in the evening, featuring party leaders.  We have hustings, locally.  Politicians lying is very much a Sun square Neptune province, and so is seeing through that.

In the evening, the Sun enters Cancer (the third ingress of the week): this is the Summer Solstice, the entry of the Sun into the sign of Cancer.  Smell the roses, and celebrate the moment of maximum light.  Many people will enjoy the benefits of nature, and hopefully the weather will allow us to make the most of it.  I run down the same road every day, but there are always changes to observe in the gardens and grass verges!  On long drives now, it is heartening to observe the wilding that is being allowed everywhere, flowers blossoming freely.

Mercury sextiles Mars on Friday (21st) which may bring about brisk action.  You may receive ideas to implement into your day.  Your mental reactions may be heightened, and this can lead to enhanced productivity.

The week ends with the crescendo of a Full Moon at 1 degree Capricorn, on Saturday (22nd), although you may feel the crescendo build on Friday evening.  This Moon represents the pull between authority and individual needs.  If you feel that part of your frustration is coming from the power wielded by authorities, then this may be your Full Moon issue.  Many people are feeling angry and frustrated by the current political climate, and may need to focus on what they can do for themselves at this point in time, especially with government being in a state of flux.

The week in bullet points:

• Tomorrow – most eventful day: much illusion; love of home and family; conversation and negotiation
• Thursday – illusion; the peak of the light
• Friday – brisk action
• Saturday – emotional high tide