“At 21.59 and 59 seconds on 7 May 2015, anything seemed possible.  Outside of opening exam results, or waiting on news from a doctor, there aren’t too many moments in life where your whole future hangs on what you’re about to see or hear… I thought there was a chance I’d be delivering Britain’s next budget. A second later, my political career was over”

~ Ed Balls

Lives will be changed overnight on the 8th and 9th June this year.  Although I wrote about the astrological prospects on 23rd April, the astrological picture has not changed.  But the relative positions of Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have shifted.  At the time of the council elections, Labour and Jeremy Corbyn’s lack of popularity justified Theresa May’s calling of an election.  But since then, his position has strengthened, the hollowness of Theresa May’s policies and promises have become more transparent, and the heart and conscience of Jeremy Corbyn’s idealism has begun to appeal to more people, especially the younger generation.  Much may depend on their turnout.

The media, newspapers and broadcasters, have continued to play games, and broadly exhibited their right wing bias.  Even the reporting of narrowing polls made more of by the right wing press may be a ploy to frighten people into toeing the line.

Much of what I write as we stand on the brink of our future reality, be it more of the same, worse, or an improvement, is a re-hash of my earlier blog plus an attempt to fine tune the picture of that moment of change.  With 52% of the population having voted for Brexit, and the Conservatives having taken their brief from UKIP, it still seems most likely that the majority will stay with the Tory government.  The most we Remoaners, and those who wish for a fairer society, can hope for is a hung parliament, realistically.  Apologies to those readers who see things from the other side of the fence.

“They say it’s the hope that kills you.  And for a long time before the 2015 election campaign, I’d almost deliberately stayed pessimistic about whether it was really possible for Labour to win.”

The moment the result is read out, or sometimes a little before, optimism can give way to despair, or pessimism can give way to elation (sometimes the candidates are given the result just before they go on stage, giving them time to compose themselves).  But there is little variation in the astrological picture, especially in relation to the outer planets.  The movement of the Moon and Mercury may give a slight nuance.  The Moon can represent the mood of the electorate.

In fine-tuning the astrological transit picture, I looked at three readings:

The first one, which I call the Hope picture, is 7.30 a.m. on the morning of the election.  Every candidate, and every voter, will be at their maximum state of optimism, unless they are naturally pessimistic.

“Although it was obvious from the exit poll that it was going to be a terrible result for Labour, I hadn’t really computed the local implications.  I was worried for the party, but not yet for myself.”

My second reading is of Midnight between the two days.  Everything is in a state of flux, some results have come in, but all is still to play for, except for in the most extreme of elections.  Most results are not in by then, so there is still some hope, if you are on the side that looks to be losing.

“When the exit poll emerged, it felt like falling into a big black hole.  It wasn’t just that our hopes were dashed, it was that dreadful feeling that everything we thought we knew was wrong.”

My third reading is broadly the Results as far as they have come in at 7.30 a.m. on the day after the election.  This shows pretty much what the result is.

“We went onstage.  I was conscious of not wanting to give the cameras their picture by looking ashen-faced or annoyed.”

Moments when fortunes change drastically, such as that of Ed Balls in 2015 and memorably Michael Portillo in 1997 (I can still see his face now) traditionally would be thought of as the action of Uranus or possibly Pluto (though Pluto can be slow acting sometimes). At the time of Ed Balls’ enforced retirement from politics, Saturn was trine his Venus, and Neptune was sextile his North Node (a more spiritual change of direction). For Michael Portillo, Pluto was the transition: it was exactly opposite his Sun/Jupiter, bringing about the death of his political career, but as we know it was the start of a whole new career travelling the world on the railways (the fulfilment of his natal Mercury conjunct Sun and Jupiter in Gemini).  Of course, many M.Ps will retain their status quo.

Theresa May

Theresa and the Conservative Party did well in the council elections in May.  She was still regarded as a strong hand on the tiller, in her own words “Strong and Stable” government.

from the 23rd April blog:

“Moving forward to the big Election itself, the following day of results shows a Full Moon (polarizing emotions again), but Jupiter turning direct, showing a new intake of breath and more momentum.

Theresa will have Saturn trine her Venus, which could bring her new commitment, and Neptune still on her Mars (so she will still be drawing on her inner inspiration for her action).

The Conservative Party has Jupiter square its Uranus and opposite its Neptune, so there may be new divisions and battle lines drawn.  Saturn will square its Chiron (new headaches), but Neptune sextiles its Pluto (so there will also be new sources of inspiration).  Pluto will still be sextile its Sun (stronger power, perhaps).  For the U.K. (1922 chart) Jupiter opposes its Chiron, so division will still be rife (the Brexiteer versus Remoaner feelings may still be running high), Saturn will be square its Nodal Axis (a grim task ahead and hard work for the prime minister), Uranus sextile its Mars (momentum) and Neptune square the U.K. Sun (more uncertainty).  As much as the election will solve things for some, there will be more frustration it seems.”

I would add that Saturn trine Venus in Ed Balls’ case was the effective ending of his political career!  But transits can vary a great deal in the way they manifest, and a lot can depend on the person’s relationship with the planet Saturn. This transit peaks a couple of days later, around 11th-12th June. Chiron opposes Theresa’s natal Mercury (literally, a headache) around 15th June: if she is elected, it may be the headache of Brexit, the headache of a hung parliament, or the headache of re-arranging her cabinet.

Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn did worse than expected in the council elections, and his transits for the general election are not better, but his polling is becoming much higher, as mentioned.

From the 23rd April blog:

“Going forward to the big Election day, Pluto is still trine Corbyn’s Mars (he will give his all), but Chiron will be square his Uranus (ultimate solutions may be lacking), though Jupiter will be on his Neptune (he will feel he has been true to himself). For the Labour Party (mark 1) Mars opposes its Saturn (stuckness and abrasiveness), but Uranus sextiles its Jupiter (maybe there will be surprising gains in Scotland), disappointment from Saturn opposing its Neptune, and more confusion with Neptune square its Pluto.  The Nodal Axis squares the Jupiter of the second chart, which could be buoyant, but not enough to ensure the success they need, I feel.   It could be that the Brexit issue will completely dominate the result.”

I would add that he’ll feel bright and breezy on the day of the election, with the Sun on his Mercury (which is his ruling planet), and Mercury trine his natal Jupiter.  That trine from Pluto to his Mars, which has given him great strength, is starting to ebb away, unfortunately.  If he loses the election, this does not necessarily mean he will stand down as leader.  Indeed, there were encouraging signs of his “electability” coming through latterly in the campaign.  Pluto is currently retrograde, and forms the exact trine to his Mars next January 22nd (2018).  This could mean a resurgence of purpose for him at that time, and effectiveness in opposition if appropriate. The Chiron squaring his Uranus becomes more problematic next April.

Tim Farron

The results for Tim Farron and the LibDems were reasonable in the council elections, when you consider how bad they were at the last general election; they at least gained some ground.  He will be popular with Remoaners who still cling on to the hope of avoiding Brexit, with his policy of giving the nation another chance to fine tune their decision.

from the 23rd April blog:

“For the main event on 8th June, Neptune will be sextile Tim Farron’s Mercury, so he will be more focussed than in the local elections, his antennae will be sensitive.  Uranus opposes his Jupiter on that day, which can bring shock or upset, but the North Node sextiles his Jupiter, so in some areas he will have the credit due to him.  Chiron will be trine his Neptune, and so he will be able to rise above the smaller picture in some ways, and may even bring about some healing, e.g. to the reputation of the LibDems.  More disappointment shows up in Saturn squaring his Pluto, which sounds overall as though it bears defeat.  But that of course depends on expectation.”

I would add that the Neptune to Mercury transit, though exact, peaked late May, then with Neptune retrograde and moving again forward returns to the exactness at the beginning of July.  This may refer to a sensitive recalibration of his relationship with his party.  His transits (4 major ones) are remarkably similar to those of Nicola Sturgeon, born two months after him in the same year.  Interestingly, for the special Question Time with David Dimbleby today (Sunday 4th June) the Uranus opposition to Jupiter is exact: an opportunity to showcase his wares, and Nicola Sturgeon/SNP coincidentally appears on the same programme showcasing her wares. The Mean North Node gives him a karmic blessing to his Jupiter on 21st/22nd June, though the True North Node transit peaks just before the election (6/7th June).  Something may boost his morale just before the election. Something triggers excitement around the midnight time frame with Mercury trine his Uranus.  But reality or depression sinks in 12-13th June with Saturn exactly square his Pluto, but Chiron trines his Neptune exactly next April.

[See and compare transits for Nicola Sturgeon]

Paul Nuttall

UKIP fared very badly in the local elections.  With their many changes of leadership, their loss of Nigel Farage, and their main aim fulfilled in the Brexit decision, they have little raison d’etre, but still they try.  They have allowed some negative emotional undercurrents to surface in our society. As with the European referendum, there may be many closet UKIP voters who do not want to admit their leanings, for fear of being seen as racist.  This would apply to a few Tory voters as well, and it means that they are below the radar of the opinion polls.

from 23rd April blog:

“For the main election, Pluto conjuncts his Venus, which could be personally damaging, Neptune squares his Neptune (disillusioning), but on the plus side Jupiter (his ruling planet) sextile his Neptune (keeping his faith) and conjuncts his Pluto (he may get a seat if he chooses his location well – he says he will be selecting a location this week).  The performance of UKIP in the election may be quite complex, with Pluto on its Uranus and Neptune.”

I would add that Paul will start election day in stoical mood, with the Sun sextile his natal Saturn.  Some of his transits peaked during the election campaign, so there may be a feeling of anti-climax, or going off the boil.

Caroline Lucas

from 23rd April blog:

“That stalwart for the environment Caroline Lucas, joint leader of the Green Party, wrote a brilliant account of her first five years in parliament (“Honorable Friends?”) and continues to uphold the need to consider the environment, policies which seem to be low down in the priorities of other parties.

The transits for the General Election are not enormously encouraging for  Sagittarian Caroline, though a friendly sextile from Chiron to her Venus ensures that she is able to uphold her central message about the Earth.”

I would add that on the day of the election, she starts out with the Sun opposite her Sun (and on her Earth), and Mercury opposite her Mercury.  As I believe she is an evolved Soul, she will start out balanced and grounded with these transits.  The sextile of Chiron to her Venus is pretty close right now, but will soon retrograde and return to be in exact aspect late March of next year, when she may make headway on an environmental issue.  Hopefully she will retain her seat in Brighton.

from 23rd April blog:

“For her Co-Leader Jonathan Bartley the North Node will sextile his Mercury, so he will be prominent in campaigning and the public will get to know him better.  But there are no stand out transits for him.”

I would add that the main transit for Jonathan Bartley,  North Node sextile his Mercury, will have just passed (both for the True Node and Mean Node reading), so his main purpose will have been to strengthen the profile of the Green Party during electioneering, in this period.  On 27th June, Uranus opposes his natal Mercury, so he may be prompted to speak out and even be controversial in getting the Green message out.

Nicola Sturgeon

Nicola Sturgeon of the Scottish National Party did reasonably well in the council elections, at least there were no major upsets recorded.

from 23rd April blog:

“Uranus squares her Sun at Election time, which could bring a huge upset, e.g. she may well lose some ground.  Uranus also opposes her Jupiter, so her hopes may also be bruised.  The Nodal Axis squares her Neptune, which is disillusioning, and Saturn squares her Pluto, which is disappointing.  She is a plucky lady, so may pick herself up and dust herself down, but certainly the planets are not very supportive at the crucial time, and she may have a lot of thinking to do.”

As mentioned earlier, her transits are remarkably similar to Tim Farron’s (who was born a couple of months before her in the same year), with slight time variations.  Of course their political positions are different, and the state of their parties.  But Tim was not leader of his party at the last election, so this is a new scenario for him.  By the time of the election, the Uranus square to Nicola’s Sun is starting to ease, so although she will have found campaigning a bit of a strain, the shock value of Uranus may not sting so much at election time.  The Uranus opposition to her Jupiter is also easing, as it occurred two days ago.  The North Node sextile to her Jupiter is approaching more closely (22nd-23rd June, a good time for re-organizations within her party).  Mercury trines her natal Uranus on results day, so there may be some excitement, and some of the surprise results may actually be in her favour.  Mercury will also be squaring her Nodal Axis, so she may have some karmic reckoning to do, such as balancing out input into policies such as education which may have suffered from a concentration on electioneering and the issue of Independence.  The very difficult transit of Saturn squaring her Pluto peaks right before the election, on the evening of 6th.  She may even feel some relief this phase is over, whereas Tim faces this difficult square a few days after the election.

Brexit Leaders

I will briefly look at the fortunes of the Brexit leaders from the Conservative Party (David Davis) and the Labour Party (Keir Starmer):

At the outset of Election Day, David Davis will feel engaged with the issues and the public.  He’ll be in warrior mode with Mars sextile his North Node.  The major transits do not look lifechanging for him, so it could well be business as usual for him.  At the end of June Chiron squares his Uranus, so he may face tough Brexit negotiations.

For rising star Keir Starmer, Labour Brexit spokesman, Saturn sextiles his natal Venus.  He is a steady hand on the tiller, and will approach the election sensibly.  Neither do his transits look lifechanging, so he will probably just continue serving and supporting the causes he believes in, and taking the government to task on the Brexit process.

There is a weird conspiracy theory out there that Theresa May is trying to sabotage her own campaign because Brexit is a poisoned chalice.  But it may be that because this is Conservative karma (Cameron’s fear of UKIP), the Conservatives have to see Brexit through.

Quotations from “Speaking Out” by Ed Balls, 2016