{"id":4731,"date":"2017-12-31T12:14:59","date_gmt":"2017-12-31T12:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=4731"},"modified":"2017-12-31T12:21:04","modified_gmt":"2017-12-31T12:21:04","slug":"review-of-the-year-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=4731","title":{"rendered":"Review of the Year 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

For those who like Retrospectives – Selections from the blogs\u2026<\/p>\n

January<\/strong><\/p>\n

29th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

John Hurt (1940 \u2013 2017)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Actor John Hurt died on Friday, he of that beautiful, craggy, vulnerable face which never failed to move me. As an Aquarian, I always felt he had an aura of untouchability too.\u00a0 His birth chart is very indicative of that exquisite combination of sensitivity and detachment.<\/p>\n

Birth Chart<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

His Sun was at 1 degree Aquarius, the essence of the trailblazer and the groundbreaker, ahead of his time in the roles he undertook.\u00a0 But Pluto was exactly opposite the Sun in his chart \u2013 not an easy life, and he didn\u2019t take on easy roles either.\u00a0 With Chiron and Pluto in the 12th House of Unconscious, he used the power of his unconscious as a resource to convey the subtlety of his roles.<\/p>\n

February<\/strong><\/p>\n

26th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Claudio Ranieri<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday my dream died.<\/em>\u201d ~ Claudio Ranieri<\/p>\n

In this fast moving era of replacing football managers, the sacking of Claudio Ranieri this week as the Leicester City Football Club manager would seem a routine event.\u00a0 But to someone like me, who tends to have little interest in football, it is the culmination of a touching story.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026Lineker admitted he shed a tear when he heard the news, and that very human reaction will have been replicated all over the country, even by those with no Leicester affiliation.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

~ Paul Wilson, writing in the Sunday Observer today<\/p>\n

Birth Chart<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Claudio Ranieri has 5 Cardinal planets, a sign of leadership.\u00a0 As a Libran, and known as a \u201cnice guy\u201d, he is not as colourful or tempestuous in his emotions as the stereotypical Italian.\u00a0 Indeed, he has been described as having a modest English temperament.\u00a0 As a past life therapist, it is tempting for me to imagine that he does indeed have positive past life links with Leicester itself, giving rise to this dream-like episode in his life.<\/p>\n

March<\/strong><\/p>\n

26th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Westminster Terror<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Westminster Bridge was the scene of a terrorist incident and Parliament and its surrounding buildings were in lockdown. A British born man, Khalid Masood, drove into passersby then tried to enter the gates of Parliament, and stabbed a policeman to death.\u00a0 Five people died in total, including the perpetrator, and fifty people were injured.\u00a0 Though many potential attacks have been foiled since, this was the first attack of its scale in London since 7\/7\/05.\u00a0 There are many questions yet to be answered and issues raised, such as whether he was acting alone, what were his motives, and how far he was influenced by radicalization by ISIS, whether police in the City should be armed, and how far the police can keep tabs on all suspects. I will have a brief look at the charts of some of those involved, though crucially some important dates are currently missing, such as the birth date of the brave and heroic policeman who lost his life, Keith Palmer.<\/p>\n

Khalid Masood<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The birth date of the killer, Khalid Masood, was clearly announced on the evening news on Thursday as 25th December 1964.\u00a0 His age of 52 was remarkable as being untypical of the usual young radicalized Moslem involved in incidents of this type.\u00a0 So far they have not established that he was working with a team, and there may be a strong element of mental illness involved. These rogue factors make it difficult for the police to identify who constitutes a strong risk.\u00a0 Over the last year or two, there has been a pattern of cars or lorries on the continent driving into pedestrians, a method of killing which does not require sophisticated planning.\u00a0 There was a copycat such incident the next day in Antwerp.<\/p>\n

April<\/strong><\/p>\n

23rd:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Emmanuel Macron<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

France goes to the polls today, in the first round of their national elections. Following on from my blog two weeks ago about Marine Le Pen, I would like to concentrate on the other front runner, centrist Emmanuel Macron.\u00a0 Since that blog, the other two candidates have come up in the ratings, and now there is only 4% in the polls between the top four candidates.\u00a0 However, there is a chance that Emmanuel Macron may be the next French President.<\/p>\n

\u201cA victory for Macron would be the best outcome for the French and the least worst option for us too.\u201d \u2013 Martin Kettle, writing in the Guardian.<\/em><\/p>\n

Emmanuel Macron is only 39 years of age, which is very young for a French candidate for the presidency.\u00a0 He has had a meteoric rise in politics over the last few years, and while he worked within the socialist sphere (he was a former adviser to President Hollande) he now declares that what France needs is for someone to bring the country together in the centre.<\/p>\n

Martin Kettle goes on to say:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a Macron-shaped hole in the centre of British party politics.\u00a0 Corbyn doesn\u2019t want to fill it.\u00a0 May probably can\u2019t.\u00a0 Tim Farron isn\u2019t strong enough.\u00a0 yes somehow, some time, someone will have to fill it.\u00a0 At least a Macron victory would prove it can be done.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Marine Le Pen, leader of the Front National is an extreme right politician, Francois Fillon is also to the right, and Jean-Luc Melenchon is to the far left (the Corbyn and Bernie Sanders territory).\u00a0 Needless to say, the choice of French President will be crucial for the EU, the Brexit process and globally.<\/p>\n

Birth Chart<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Mercifully for the Astrologer, all four French candidates have available birth times, so you can see the full picture of their chart.\u00a0 Emmanuel Macron has an extremely strongly integrated chart in my view, with 10 exact aspects between planets and with angles.\u00a0 The Sun is conjunct exactly with Mercury, giving him the capacity for concentrated thought, at the end of Sagittarius in his 12th House of Inner Vision. He studied Philosophy (Sagittarius) at University, and in debate has a considerable mental agility.\u00a0 The capacity for application and hard work is further accentuated by the Sun\/Mercury trine Saturn.\u00a0 His Ascendant is in Capricorn, the sign of Politics.<\/p>\n

May<\/strong><\/p>\n

14th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Eurovision Song Contest 2017<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

As you may know, there is a tradition of writing about the Eurovision Song Contest on this blog, and this year is no exception.\u00a0 So look away now if you are not an enthusiast!<\/p>\n

Salvador Sobral<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The winner of this year\u2019s contest last night was Salvador Sobral, from Portugal.\u00a0 It was a sensational win for several reasons.\u00a0 It was the first win ever for Portugal (in 53 years), he won by a mile (gaining 758 points), and he had been unable to perform the first rehearsals because of a serious heart condition, plus the performance and presentation was stripped down to the basics.<\/p>\n

Salvador has 6 of his 10 planets in Capricorn (Uranus, Moon, Sun, Neptune, Saturn and Mercury), and certainly managed to convey the pathos of that sign in his performance.\u00a0 He was born on a New Moon in that sign.\u00a0 He has the Rebel Archetype (Sun closely conjunct Uranus), but also great sensitivity and vulnerability (Sun conjunct Neptune).\u00a0 His heart condition (or at least strain on his heart) shows up in his chart through difficult aspects to his Sun (the heart): oppositions from Jupiter and Chiron, and the complex conjunction with Uranus and Neptune.\u00a0 His emotional sensitivity, which comes through in his singing, comes from a conjunction of the Moon and Neptune.\u00a0 His Mercury is unaspected, and I suspect that enables him to bypass the mind when he is singing.\u00a0 He has Jupiter exactly opposite Uranus, the mark of the Opportunist, who knows when to promote himself.<\/p>\n

June<\/strong><\/p>\n

18th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Grenfell Tower \u2013 Emotional Responses<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It has been an intense few weeks in the U.K. and we are recovering from the Manchester bombing, closely followed by the London Bridge terror attack, then an extraordinary election, and now this week the horrifying spectre of the Grenfell Tower, black against the London skyline.\u00a0 There has been so much emotion around it all, and the emotional responses of public figures especially have been under scrutiny.<\/p>\n

There are so many angles and layers to the Grenfell Tower disaster, which will go on being analyzed for a long time to come.\u00a0 There are so many stories yet to be told, identities of bodies to be unearthed, and responsibilities and blame to be attached.\u00a0 I was unable to obtain birth dates for the new Labour MP, for the talented upcoming artist who died, the date of the building, and other possible subjects, and so I thought I would look at the emotional responses of key figures.<\/p>\n

Chart of the Fire<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

On the morning of the disaster, I wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cA chart drawn up for 1 a.m. shows the Mercury-Neptune square on the Ascendant and 4th House cusp, and the Sun-Saturn opposition on the Midheaven-I.C. axis, so these two difficult aspects of the week are not to be underestimated. The 1824 chart for London has transiting Saturn square its Sun (loss).\u201d<\/p>\n

July<\/strong><\/p>\n

2nd:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Wimbledon 2017 \u2013 Week 1<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s that season again!\u00a0 May the sun shine on Wimbledon lawns this next fortnight.\u00a0 I\u00a0 hope to be on hand to catch every astrological nuance, starting here with the first four seeds in the ladies and men\u2019s game.\u00a0 Look out for extra information under comments as we go along, and possible extra blogs.<\/p>\n

Roger Federer \u00a0\u2013 No. 3 Seed<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

By the end of Wimbledon, he has Jupiter sextile his Sun (an excellent prospect), he still has Pluto strengthening his Venus, Jupiter square his Mars has lifted, Neptune still trines his Mars (you could see some stunning work if he is in the final), the Nodal Axis still squares his Uranus, Saturn still sits on his Neptune, but in addition Saturn is sextile his Pluto.\u00a0 That could be a winning combination!<\/p>\n

August<\/strong><\/p>\n

27th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Diana, Princess of Wales (1961 \u2013 1997)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The 20 year commemoration of her death<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Diana is probably the most photographed woman and style icon there has ever been in the world, and acres of material have been written about her.\u00a0 Unprecedented tears were shed at her death, and this year at the 20th anniversary of her death on 31st August, it\u2019s a chance for us to re-evaluate how we feel.<\/p>\n

Birth Chart<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Diana had all the textbook traits of\u00a0 her Sun in Cancer: shyness, emotionality, maternal qualities, and a special fondness for children.\u00a0 The Sun in her chart was placed in 7th House, emphasizing the importance of her marriage.\u00a0 Great sensitivity, a mystical bent, plus a talent for dance, were added to this Sun by a trine from Neptune.\u00a0 She had a special healing Grand Trine in the Water element, consisting of Sun\/Mercury, Chiron and Neptune.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/strong>Shaking hands with AIDS patients at a time when it was unheard of comes to mind with this. In her own words: \u201cHIV does not make people dangerous to know. You can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it. What\u2019s more, you can share their homes, their workplaces, and their playgrounds and toys.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n

September<\/strong><\/p>\n

24th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Strictly Come Dancing 2018 \u2013 Part 2<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

No apologies for another Strictly blog so hard on the heels of the last one!\u00a0 Last night\u2019s first display of dance was a feast of talent, with some outstanding performances which I think surprised the judges.<\/p>\n

Joe McFadden<\/span> <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Now to my favourite programme Holby City, and we have two stars from Holby this series, not forgetting that Tom Chambers from Holby won the series in 2008 (the year Alexandra Burke won X Factor!)\u00a0 Joe plays Scottish doctor Raf di Lucca in Holby, but he threw himself into the Jive in the first round on the Strictly dance floor last night, and inspired\u00a0 a score of 8 from one of the Judges.\u00a0 His character in Holby is described as \u201cA dedicated, driven and passionate doctor\u201d and Joe describes himself as \u201cover-enthusiastic\u201d.\u00a0 But what does his birthchart tell us?\u00a0 He has an exact conjunction of the Sun and Mercury in Libra, so he is musical and eager to please, with an intelligent way of going about things.\u00a0 The extra enthusiasm, and the smile which won praise, may be a product of his Moon in Sagittarius and Jupiter opposite the Sun …\u00a0 At the end of the series, there is a distinct lack of transits, so despite his brilliant start, circumstances may see him out of the competition before the final.<\/p>\n

He is paired with Katya Jones<\/u>, who was responsible for the sensational dance act of last year together with Ed Balls, so without looking at her chart I can say she has tremendous ingenuity and flair!\u00a0 She is a solid dependable Taurean, with the nimbleness of a few planets sprinkled in Gemini.\u00a0 She has a very positive mindset from Mercury conjunct Jupiter, which together with Joe\u2019s positivity can move mountains…\u00a0 At the end of the competition, she still has Neptune squaring her Jupiter, but Jupiter sextiles her Saturn (an uplifting and steadying factor), Mars sextile her Uranus (electrifying moments), Neptune still sextile her Neptune, but the added bonus of Jupiter conjunct Pluto, so if the planets don\u2019t come forward for Joe maybe her planets might pull them both through.<\/p>\n

October<\/strong><\/p>\n

8th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jupiter into Scorpio<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jupiter moves into Scorpio on Tuesday (10th) at 13.20 Hrs in the U.K., a giant leap for mankind.<\/p>\n

Jupiter will uplift and support whichever House (sphere of life activity) it occupies in your chart, bringing luck and expansion to those affairs.\u00a0 Collectively, it will support and enhance a deepening of relationships and a sharing of resources, in the nature of the sign of Scorpio.\u00a0 If your birthday falls within the sign of Scorpio, then at some point or points you will reap some sort of bonanza, the like of which comes round once every twelve years.\u00a0 If you have several planets in this sign (a satellitium), it could be the gift that keeps on giving.\u00a0 If your Ascendant is in Scorpio, it will also be your year, beginning from when Jupiter transits the degree of your Ascendant.\u00a0 For all of us it will be an intense ride, as Scorpio may bring out the best and the worst of this sign, and this sign is known for its excesses.<\/p>\n

Jupiter last entered Scorpio in November 2005, and left the sign in November 2006.\u00a0 How was that year for you?\u00a0 You may expect some similar experiences, though you have grown and moved on, and the world has changed, so you will need to make a translation accordingly.<\/p>\n

Jupiter in Scorpio<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Scorpio among other things rules the world of finance, and various factions around the world, including our own Labour Party, are hoping to overturn the neo-liberal regime as promoted from the time of Margaret Thatcher, as an outdated system which does not work.\u00a0 Jupiter in Scorpio may address this.<\/p>\n

Scorpio also rules Psychiatry, and so there may be the long-awaited improvements in mental health services, the poor relation of the poor National Health Services.\u00a0 Politicians in recent years have paid lip service to the need to put more resources into this area, so there is a possibility that they may put their money where their mouth is while Jupiter is in Scorpio.<\/p>\n

November<\/strong><\/p>\n

19th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Robert Mugabe Revisited<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

There were extraordinary scenes on the streets of Harare and Bulawayo in Zimbabwe yesterday, as the hitherto repressed populace marched in favour of a new regime and in favour of replacing the long time dictator Robert Mugabe, watched on by a friendly militia who seem to have engineered a bloodless coup, the outcome of which is still uncertain.\u00a0 Is this a new model for how to replace a tyrant peacefully, or will they be unable to sustain the peace?<\/p>\n

Robert Mugabe Record<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

93 year old Robert Mugabe has been in power in Zimbabwe for 37 years, and began as a freedom fighter against white minority rule, winning the battle against Nkomo to found a government.\u00a0 The initial years of Mugabe\u2019s government was characterized by social and economic reforms.\u00a0 After two years, Nkomo fled the country, when Mugabe denounced him as a \u201ccobra in the house\u201d.\u00a0 Since then, Mugabe has had a reputation for unpredictability.\u00a0 In recent years, and increasingly, Mugabe\u2019s regime has come to be known as one of repression, poverty and economic failure. He and his wife have become embroiled in accusations of corruption and profligacy.\u00a0 In the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, he has become \u201ca cartoon figure of an archetypal African dictator\u201d.<\/p>\n

Birth Chart<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I wrote about Robert Mugabe\u2019s chart in August 2013:<\/p>\n

\u201d Robert Mugabe, in power since 1980 in Zimbabwe, unsurprisingly has power issues brought in from past lives, with his natal Sun conjunct the South Node (past lives), though maybe in other scenarios, such as Egypt.\u00a0 His Sun exactly trines Saturn, making politics and ambition major themes of his personality and life\u2026<\/p>\n

Another interesting feature of his chart is his Mars conjunct Jupiter (indefatigable energy and enthusiasm combined) squaring his Uranus (changeable, unpredictable and incident-prone).\u00a0 Note that he and Zimbabwe share the Mars square Uranus instability.\u201d<\/p>\n

December<\/strong><\/p>\n

3rd:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Royal Engagement<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAll the stars were aligned\u2026This beautiful woman just . . . tripped and fell into my life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

~ Prince Harry<\/em><\/p>\n

Prince Harry<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Prince Harry has grown into one of the most beloved of the royal crew.\u00a0 From a gawky young prince of the faux pas (e.g. wearing a Nazi uniform at a party), he has become a responsible supporter of worthwhile causes like his late mother, with a special fondness for Botswana.\u00a0 Harry\u2019s chart is quite grounded, with Mercury, Part of Fortune and the Sun in Virgo, the Moon in Taurus and Ascendant in Capricorn!\u00a0 He is probably growing into his potential for serious purposes, shown in his Ascendant\u00a0 and Jupiter in Capricorn, and Midheaven, Pluto and Saturn in Scorpio.\u00a0 His Sun ruler Mercury is in the 8th House, which may be the emphasis on the death of his mother in his life.\u00a0 He is creative, with Moon, North Node and Chiron in his 5th House.\u00a0 The North Node loosely conjunct his Chiron could point ultimately to a healing karmic mission.\u00a0 He is fond of foreign travel, with the Sun in 9th House, and could make a loving and profound contribution to the world with Venus and Pluto in the 10th House.\u00a0 With Saturn in 11th House he may have few true close friends, but can co-operate in large group enterprises with Uranus later in that House.\u00a0 Mars, Neptune and Jupiter in the 12th House of the Unconscious means he has a lot of inner drive, vision and dreams.<\/p>\n

Meghan Markle<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Meghan Markle has been an actor in a Canadian TV series Suits since 2011, showing commitment, skill and steadiness.\u00a0 In addition she has undertaken responsible roles outside the acting profession, in raising awareness of various causes, such as feminism, and clean water in Rwanda.\u00a0 Some have found her mixed race background controversial, but many see this as an asset, bringing diversity to the royal table.\u00a0 Some have made comparisons between her, an American divorcee, and Wallace Simpson, but times have moved on and Meghan is a different proposition.\u00a0 Meghan has Sun in Leo, so she is at home with royalty, and has pursued the Leo profession of acting, having a degree in theatre studies.\u00a0 She also has the Sun, Leo\u2019s ruler, in the 1st House and trine exactly the Midheaven, reinforcing the Sun\/Leo theme.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 For those who like Retrospectives – Selections from the blogs\u2026 January 29th: John Hurt (1940 \u2013 2017) Actor John Hurt died on Friday, he of that beautiful, craggy, vulnerable face which never failed to move me. As an Aquarian, I always felt he had an aura of untouchability too.\u00a0 His birth chart is very […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","category-historical"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4731"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4734,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4731\/revisions\/4734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}