{"id":8230,"date":"2025-01-12T15:08:49","date_gmt":"2025-01-12T15:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=8230"},"modified":"2025-01-12T15:17:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-12T15:17:06","slug":"aspects-for-the-week-beginning-12-january-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=8230","title":{"rendered":"Aspects for the week beginning 12 January 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jean-Marie Le Pen (1928 \u2013 2025)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

“We knew, by fighting him, what a fighter he was”<\/em><\/p>\n

~ Francois Bayrou\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the \u201cFront National\u201d in France, died this week at the age of 96.\u00a0 He founded the movement in 1972, long before Nigel Farage took us into Brexit and Europe was hit by a wave of (far-right) populism and nationalism. \u00a0You could say he was ahead of his time\u2026<\/p>\n

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

Jean-Marie was born on 20th<\/sup> June 2028.\u00a0 Whatever the natal picture of his birth chart (with a time and an Ascendant) tells us, it cannot predict the nature of a soul\u2019s choices.\u00a0 Many of us would look at his preaching of hatred and xenophobia as being wrong-headed, but he had a vast following, and one that grew when his daughter Marine took over his party.\u00a0 Whatever the set of aspects etc. in the birth chart, and I have known people born around that time who did not take such a path, it is up to the individual what they make of their inherent birth chart.<\/p>\n

Two Archetypes stand out prominently straight away when looking at the chart: The Warrior, and The Patriot, responsible for much of his mindset, attitudes and policies.<\/p>\n

The Warrior<\/u><\/p>\n

The evidence for this Archetype: the Sun sextile Mars, the Moon square Mars (hot-headed and quick to react emotionally), Mars in Aries, and Mars square the Midheaven (a negative form of warriorship on his career path).\u00a0 In his time he was accused of assault and battery, torture, and the like.\u00a0 He went to war, serving with the Foreign Legion.<\/p>\n

The Patriot<\/u><\/p>\n

The evidence for this Archetype: Moon in Cancer (with Mercury and Pluto also in that sign), and Moon conjunct the I.C. in Cancer.\u00a0 His ideology was not only based on patriotism, but he was also a monarchist.<\/p>\n

Other features of his chart include the Sun in Gemini, Mercury square Uranus (not afraid to be controversial \u2013 in fact, he courted controversy). He had Saturn conjunct his South Node in Sagittarius, so may have brought in a lot of bitterness (and hatred?) from past lives.\u00a0 He also had Uranus closely sextile North Node, a strong Inner Rebel linked in with his Karmic Mission.\u00a0 His Midheaven was in Capricorn in 9th<\/sup> House, giving him a leaning towards politics and ambition in that arena.<\/p>\n

He was talented, intelligent and charismatic, though.\u00a0 His qualities included Mercury sextile Chiron (problem-solving abilities), Mars loosely conjunct Jupiter (a passionate enthusiasm), and Saturn loosely trine Uranus (a strong ability to combine the old and the new).\u00a0 His Ascendant in Taurus gave him steadfastness, strength of will and perseverance.\u00a0 Stephen Jessel in the Guardian Obituary credits \u201cthe brutal power of his oratory\u201d (this shown by Mercury conjunct his Pluto).\u00a0 This is far from an exhaustive analysis of his chart, but enough for now.<\/p>\n

Life and Career<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jean was born in a small town in Brittany, later hyphenating his name to Jean-Marie.\u00a0 He was an only son.\u00a0 He had Neptune in the 4th<\/sup> House of Home and Family, and the family lived by the sea.\u00a0 His father was a fisherman, and Jean-Marie left school and began working on a transatlantic vessel at the age of 13.\u00a0 Though his education was disrupted, he later caught up by studying at the Faculty of Law in Paris, where he sold a monarchist newspaper on the streets.\u00a0 Subsequently, he became head of the student union in Toulouse, and president of an association of law students whose main activity was street-brawling with the communists (engaging fully with the Inner Warrior Archetype!).\u00a0 \u00a0On gaining his law degree, he joined the Foreign Legion, engaging in French Indochina (now Vietnam), and in 1957 went to Algeria as an intelligence office, where he was accused of the torture of Algerian prisoners.<\/p>\n

By 1962 he was creating a company in the music industry specializing in historical recordings, among which were songs of the Popular Front and Nazi marches.\u00a0 And on 5th<\/sup> October 1972, he founded the Front National.\u00a0 With Mars exactly conjunct Pluto on that date, it was founded on violence!<\/p>\n

[If I might be allowed a personal digression here, the National Front in England was founded on 7th<\/sup> February 1967, which was a few years before the Front National, but with a similar ethos. One of its founders was Martin Webster, who owned a bookshop in St. Albans at that time.\u00a0 Sixth formers at the time would buy their books there, not knowing the sinister background.\u00a0 I still have history books from his bookshop, some I bought and some gifted by a friend.\u00a0 Martin Webster continued to be associated with the movement, until he was ousted in 1983.]<\/p>\n

Jean-Marie began to run in presidential elections, starting in 1974, with varying success.\u00a0 His focus was on immigration, the European Union, and unemployment, very much of his later English counterpart Nigel Farage who founded UKIP much later in 1993.\u00a0 However there is a story that at school in 1981, a teacher was worried about his alleged fascist views.\u00a0 Nigel, like Jean-Marie, has Mars in Aries.<\/p>\n

Le Pen made statements downplaying the Holocaust as a detail of history, and discriminatory remarks about Muslims in France (witness his controversial Mercury square Uranus).\u00a0 His peak success politically came in 2002 when he got to the second round of the French presidential election (obtaining 16.86% of the votes in the first round), but was beaten by Jacques Chirac.\u00a0 The date of this event \u201c21st<\/sup> April\u201d has apparently become a well-known phrase and saying.\u00a0 Transiting Uranus was exactly trine his natal Sun at the time (a surprise success and breakthrough).\u00a0 From 1984 to 2019 he served as an M.E.P.<\/p>\n

Marine Le Pen<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In 2011 he handed the presidency of the Front National to his daughter Marine, but she expelled him in 2015 for making controversial statements (including reiterating that the Holocaust was a detail in history).\u00a0 At the time, Neptune (scandal) was squaring his Nodal Axis (karma).\u00a0 Marine tried to \u201cclean up\u201d the party and its views to make it more acceptable to a wider range of the public.<\/p>\n

I wrote in 2017:<\/p>\n

\u201cA Sun Sign Leo, Marine has 0 Air planets, and thus relies heavily on instinct, though she does have an analytical conjunction of the Sun with Mercury in Leo.\u00a0 Her chart has many strengths, and ambition is a strong feature: the Sun\/Mercury in Leo is competitive, is suited to leadership, and is placed in her 10th House of career.\u00a0 The Sun strengthens her Ascendant and personality with a sextile, and the Sun also sextiles her North Node exactly, so leadership is part of her karmic mission and she has a strong sense of destiny as being born to lead.\u201d<\/p>\n

As of three years ago, she has renamed her \u201cdetoxified\u201d party Rassemblement National or Rally National.\u00a0 Having fallen out with his daughter, he supported his granddaughter Marion Marechal-Le Pen, a niece of Marine.\u00a0 Suffering from ill-health in later years, he was placed \u201cunder legal protection\u201d by his family in April 2024, and died from heart complications on 7th<\/sup> January 2025.\u00a0 There were celebrations in the streets of France at the news.<\/p>\n

John Henley of the Guardian observed this week: \u201cMeanwhile Jean-Marie Le Pen\u2019s core political platform has been al but normalised, adopted by mainstream centre-right parties across Europe desperate to win back voters.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear that his impact has been immense on history, but whether for good or ill, it depends where you stand.<\/p>\n

“I’m not saying the gas chambers didn’t exist. I haven’t seen them myself. I haven’t particularly studied the question. But I believe it’s just a detail in the history of World War II.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

~ Jean-Marie Le Pen, 1987<\/p>\n

Aspects<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We start the week with two trines, which is good going.\u00a0 Take advantage this evening of the first one, Mars trine Neptune.\u00a0 Under this aspect the peaceful spiritual warrior can flourish skilfully.\u00a0 You can combine your passions with your spiritual path.\u00a0 Meditation with movement is favoured, e.g. yoga, tai chi and qijong.\u00a0 Peaceful demonstrations also chime well with this aspect.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow (Monday 13th<\/sup>) at breakfast-time there is a trine between the Sun and Uranus.\u00a0 It’s a veritable new broom of an aspect!\u00a0 This is a hopeful influence.\u00a0 It may bring an unexpected go ahead to forge on with innovative plans and original creativity. It is an ideal aspect for reinforcing your New Year\u2019s Resolutions and Affirmations for the coming year, updating them, or thinking up new ones to add to your list.\u00a0 You may be in a position to spring a happy surprise on someone.<\/p>\n

There may be a hint of tension permeating the day, for late evening brings a Full Moon at 24 degrees Cancer.\u00a0 This is one of the most emotional full moons of the year…time to watch that weepie movie on TV!\u00a0 The Moon in Cancer opposing the Sun in Capricorn may lead you to reflect on your work-life balance, ahead of the new working year.\u00a0 If interacting with elderly relatives, take a packet of tissues!<\/p>\n

Tuesday (14th<\/sup>) brings a square, but probably the most innocuous of squares, being composed of the two benefic planets \u2013 that\u2019s Venus square Jupiter.\u00a0 This is a very social and sociable aspect, but can be gauche, awkward, or inappropriate.\u00a0 Social non-conformists won\u2019t care, but conformists may lament the lack of sticking to the rules.<\/p>\n

Be wary of the opposition between Mars and the Sun in the early hours of Thursday (16th<\/sup>).\u00a0 Try not to retire the night before on an argument, and be prepared for some restlessness in the sleep hours.\u00a0 The day brings a contrast to the congeniality of Tuesday\u2026It’s more about dodging conflict, unless you are a seasoned Warrior and can take the heat (if you have strong Aries or Mars in your birth chart). \u00a0Energy will be high, so it is a good time to arrange activities which channel this energy constructively during the daytime hours.<\/p>\n

We end the week, as we started it, on a congenial note.\u00a0 The Sun will be sextile Neptune on Friday (17th<\/sup>). The saying goes that you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, but the Sun sextile Neptune gives you the best chance of creating beauty and inspiration in your life.\u00a0 If spiritual harmony and creativity are some of the goals and aspirations you have this year, you can safely and profitably cultivate them on Friday.<\/p>\n

The week in bullet points:<\/p>\n