At least 164 people have been killed and 971 injured in two Venezuela earthquakes which struck at 6.04/5pm La Guaira last night. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes which struck within a minute of each other were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century.

 The disaster happened with Mars in late Taurus conjunct the destructive Fixed Star Algol; and a potentially damaging yod onto Pluto inconjunct South Node sextile Sun. Pluto was also trine Uranus conjunct Sedna sextile Neptune – the new era with a few unfortunate additions.

  The Venezuela 5 July 1811 3pm Caracas chart has Solar Arc Neptune conjunct the Cancer Sun with tr Saturn just one degree over the conjunction to the Sun – bringing high uncertainty.

 This years two Lunar Eclipses set for the quake zone did indicate problems. The March 2026 has the unfortunate Scheat conjunct and emotional Venus on the Ascendant and the Black Moon on the MC.

 The approaching 28 August 2026 Lunar Eclipse has the Moon on the Midheaven opposition Sun IC square Uranus on the Ascendant.

   Usually notable events occur when planets sit close to the axis of the chart; and eclipses can trigger events earlier than the set date.

  The August 2026 Solar Eclipse also has Uranus on the Descendant.  

ADD ON:

One of the world’s largest known earthquakes occurred on January 26th, 1700, on the Cascadia Subduction Zone, 1000-kilometer long,  spanning Vancouver Island, British Columbia to Cape Mendocino, California. This resulted in an approximately magnitude (M) 9 earthquake that likely caused strong ground shaking throughout the Pacific Northwest and also generated a devastating tsunami that affected the coastline and areas throughout the Pacific Ocean.

It happened when Uranus in Cancer was square Neptune in Aries with Neptune trine Pluto.

 The San Francisco 1906 earthquake happened when Uranus in Capricorn opposed Neptune.

 The Venezuela 1900 quake had Uranus in Sagittarius on the opposite side of the zodiac to Pluto and Neptune in Gemini – though out of orb.

 The devastating Lisbon earthquake of 1 November 1755 had Uranus inconjunct Neptune and square Pluto.

 Uranus Neptune seems to be a hallmark with extra boot from Pluto in many cases.

 At the moment Uranus Neptune Pluto are in milder aspect but still clearly capable of shaking the earth.  

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Oprah Winfrey has caused an upset by relating an uncalled for story that showed the late Whitney Houston in a bad light (and herself with halo polished) which has prompted the Houston family to respond with a denial. Evidently she fell on stage, due to bad lighting according to those close and not because she was high on drugs as Oprah claimed. Whichever – the question remains as to why it was an appropriate story to dredge up at the Cannes Lions Festival. Oprah further said she urged audience members at the time not to release photos or footage of the incident because she feared it would severely damage Houston’s reputation.

Whitney Houston, one of the best-selling artists of all time, died in 2012 at age 48.

 Oprah, 29 January 1954 4.30am (from memory) with a well charted story from an abusive and poor childhood to become a billionaire, is best known for her tabloid talk show which ran for 25 years until 2011. Oddly she is known for going lightly on celebrity friend guests so why she decided to drop this bombshell isn’t clear.

 She has a Sun, Venus and Mercury in Aquarius in her financial 2^nd house so money will be a driving force for her; and lucky with it since they trine Jupiter. Her Sun Venus also squares Saturn in obsessively determined Scorpio; her not-great-with-relationships 7th house Uranus is trine a can-be-vengeful Mars in Scorpio, sextiling creative and helpful Neptune in her career 10^th house. A Sagittarius Moon on the cusp of her 12^th is sextile her Sun Venus so she can be sugary sweet but tends to hide her feelings. What is most noticeable is her influential 8^th house Pluto in a hard-driving, can-be-ruthless square to Mars.

  She has a do-or-die determination which has got her to the top but it will have its downsides in less than wonderful personality quirks.

  Her Progressed Venus is exactly opposition her Saturn now for a hint of unpopularity; with her Progressed Mars and SA MC conjunct her Ascendant for a prominent argument.

 She will be running into a major fork in her life’s road come 2028/29 as her Solar Arc Pluto square SA Mars hard aspect her Sun Venu square Saturn. When two major configurations collide by Solar Arc it usually produces a life-changing crisis extending over two or three years depending on the planets involved.

 Whitney Houston, 9 August 1963 8.55pm Newark Heights, NJ, had an entertaining Sun Venus in Leo in a downbeat opposition to Saturn square an other-worldly, creative 8^th house Neptune.  The opposite to Oprah’s hard driving personality.

 Their relationship chart hints at a superficial friendliness with a composite Sun Venus opposition Jupiter.  But a composite Sun square Uranus and an aggravated Saturn trine Pluto sextile Mars Neptune  points to an ego-clash (or envy) as well an undercurrent of annoyance and exasperation.

Odd and ends on Burnham.

  Not much can be known with certainty until the day of his elevation which is seemingly in three weeks maybe around July 14^th. The explosive Mars Uranus conjunction in Gemini will still be in orb trine Pluto which hints at considerable aggravations ahead. The Jupiter opposition Pluto sextile/trine Uranus and Neptune being widely regarded as a miraculous turn for the better between 17^th and 20^th July would be better. Earlier between the 4^th and 6^th July there is a turbulent, bad-tempered exact Mars Uranus conjunction trine Pluto followed by a downbeat Sun square Saturn. So not an easy road in, assuming a July coronation.

  What is certain is that his relationship with Trump will be toxic with a deep-dislike and determined power struggle composite Pluto square Mars; with a fractious Mars Saturn conjunction; and a yod of composite Sun inconjunct Pluto sextile Neptune. Bound together by destiny for good and ill.

  Their relationship will rock n’ roll till the end of this month and again late November to mid December this year; and sag badly with tr Neptune conjunct the composite Sun now and on and off till early 2028. With more tensions erupting in 2027.

 There are yods also in his synastry and composite chart with the UK which I am puzzling over. At this point he looks as if he could be yet another cipher in the revolving door at Number 10. But his Uranus sits on the UK Ascendant hinting at radical changes he will bring to the country’s image. So he may be a force to be reckoned with ahead.

  His Saturn in Taurus itself natally on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Neptune sextile Pluto is also tied into a synastic yod (if such a thing exists) sextile the UK Pluto inconjunct the UK Uranus. Hs relationship chart with the UK has a yod of Saturn inconjunct Neptune sextile Venus.

  Saturn on the focal point of a yod is spine-straightening and demands discipline and maturity to work well. Mishandled it can lead to frustration and failure.

  One should not make too much of this number crunching but there is a slight sense that he might be a more radical instrument of change in the UK’s path ahead than his pleasant grin and lack of experience suggests at the moment.

   Which might fit with the tr Uranus square the UK Pluto, on one leg of a yod, bringing significant change running through this year.

  I am also puzzled as to why he seems unpopular with the rank and file members given he is further left than Starmer, though appealing to the Labour Parliamentary types (see previous post 19 June). Much remains to emerge.

ADD ON: Burnham and the left wing do seem at odds. His relationship chart with Jeremy Corbyn has a stressed yod of Neptune sextile Pluto inconjunct Mercury and North Node in Aries – all legs of which are being challenged with a turbulent tr Uranus square Pluto from this August into 2027. Tr Saturn in a downbeat conjunction to the focal point Mercury this December; with tr Neptune conjunct the North Node now. And a meltdown, confusing tr Pluto square the Neptune in 2027/28; plus a bad tempered tr Saturn conjunct the Mars also in 2027. There is a composite Sun Venus North Node and Mercury square Saturn hinting at a chilly chemistry.

 But it is not quite as bad as Burnham’s relationship with John McDonnell which has naked dislike from a composite Mars square Pluto and Uranus.

  Ivanka and Jared Kushner have triggered a revolt in Albania with a planned 10,000 room luxury sea-side complex on a wildlife site. The ‘flamingo revolution’ is rapidly widening since bulldozers began clearing clusters of forest and ancient dunes which are important habitats for flamingos, monk seals and loggerhead sea turtles, a major migratory route for hundreds of rare birds and more than 70 endangered species. It has turned into defiance against the establishment and perceived excesses of “a rotten oligarchic class” just as Albania hopes to complete accession talks with the EU.

 Albania remains one of Europe’s poorest after a chaotic transition from repressive Stalinist rule but to date has no tradition of civic unrest.

Edi Rama, the four-term prime minister, is a politician, artist, writer, and former professional basketball player. During his tenure, Albania has seen economic growth and judicial reform, but there has been sustained criticism over democratic backsliding, corruption, public procurement, media freedom, and the concentration of political power around the ruling Socialist Party. Various sources have described his rule as autocratic. He argues that the €1.4bn investment is vital if Albania is to become the Mediterranean’s “most attractive high-end tourist destination”.

 Born 4 July 1964, only a few days after UK former PM Boris Johnson he is a Sun Cancer with the same chaotic, hair-trigger impulsiveness from Uranus Pluto in Virgo opposition Saturn square Mars in Gemini. He will be rattled, more so from July 7^th onwards for several years ahead as tr Uranus starts to move in hard aspect to his Mutable T square which hints at a hair-raising and turbulent time ahead. He looks blocked in at the moment with his Solar Arc Sun conjunct his Pluto.

 His Term chart, 11 September 2013, does not necessarily indicate a departure instantly but it will be a time of high anxiety, slippery words and increasing tension over coming years.

Albania, 28 November 1912 10.42am Valona, has a Sagittarius Sun conjunct Mars in late Scorpio opposition Saturn, so is used to hardship but could have a short fuse. There is a can-be-fanatical, independent-minded Uranus in the 1^st opposition Neptune Moon and a confident Jupiter Mercury opposition Pluto. It is a chart with a good deal of potential which has clearly been untapped before now.

 What is intriguing is that both Ivanka and Jared Kushner have their Uranus in Scorpio conjunct Albania’s Mars setting off an explosive crisis.  Ivanka’s Mars in Virgo is also in an inflammatory square to the Albania Sun; with Jared’s super-determined Mars in Aquarius falling in the Albania 1st house – all designed to light the touch paper. It looks a sticky path ahead with a few bends in the road between the happy Trump couple and Albania over the next few years.

 Shades of the Gaza Riviera, which was Jared’s last bright thought. Utterly no shame.

Keir Starmer resigned this morning, starting his speech at 9.33am which gives an 11 degree Taurus Midheaven exactly conjunct the UK’s 8^th house Mars; and an Ascendant of 23 Leo conjunct the UK’s 11^th house ( = the legislature) Saturn. Time will tell exactly what transpires but that looks to be shaking the UK at a deep level – with financial implications since the bond markets will not take kindly to a spending splurge on welfare and privatisation adding to the already massive debt pile.

 The astrology was classic with tr Pluto exactly square his Leadership Uranus – 4 April 2020 10.45 am – which is de-stabilising and has anyway been under massive pressure since Pluto moved into Aquarius.

 His own personal chart has tr Pluto conjunct his Saturn which is on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Mars sextile Sun Pluto – so force majeure he was always going to be shifted (under great pressure) onto a different trajectory.

  Tr Uranus will square his Jupiter and Sun Pluto in Virgo in 2027 which should produce a lucky break or two and more change.

 With no challenges to his leadership bid Burnham will step into his shoes relatively quickly. Of which more anon.

 The hotch up in the Middle East has left no one happy with lingering anxieties about future flare ups.

 Egypt, 14 March 1922 10.43pm Cairo, will be directionless this year with uncertainty lingering through 2027 with tr Neptune opposition the MC and Saturn; but it is 2028 that looks explosive and insecure with tr Uranus square their Uranus and opposition Mars; and under considerable pressure and stuck in 2029 with Solar Arc Sun conjunct the 7^th house (friends and enemies) Pluto.

  The relationship chart with Israel looks on high alert and turbulent at the same time with tr Uranus square the Moon, Saturn, Neptune in 2028; which follows a bad-tempered and divisive 2027 with tr Saturn in hard aspect to the composite Sun Mercury opposition Mars square Pluto.

Jordan, 25 May 1946, Amman, is changing course this year and unsettled with a double whammy of tr Uranus conjunct and Solar Arc Uranus square their Gemini Sun. By 2029 there will be heavy challenges with tr Pluto square Pluto and a Uranus Return. Relations with Israel will continue to be an uphill battle with tr Pluto opposition the composite Saturn and Pluto from now till the end of the decade.  And more ructions in the 2030s.

 The other Middle Eastern countries show roughly similarly stresses.

Oman – acutely frustrated and aware of the danger of the situation this year; worried in 2027; blocked in by 2028 with SA Sun conjunct Pluto.  Their relationship with Israel confused and seriously undermined till late 2027 and worsening dramatically around 2031/32.

Qatar – high tension with outbursts of aggravation as both transiting and Solar Arc Uranus hard aspect their Saturn; with a turbulent 2028/29 and completely logjammed and at risk into the start of the 2030s. The relationship with Israel – pressured and discouraging through this year, especially from August inwards, worsening through 2027.

 Saudi Arabia, 15 January 1902 3.45am Riyadh, is also heading for a risky, trapped, frustrated tr Pluto conjunct its Mars in 2029/30; with some ups and downs the year before. Relations with Israel will be chilly in 2027 and more disturbed around 2031 with a divisive tr Uranus square the composite Uranus Sun.

Relations with the UAE will be aggravated and bad-tempered in 2027 with tr Uranus ratcheting up their inherent dislike as it hard aspects their composite  Mars square Pluto.

Bahrain likewise will be struggling to be anything other than uncertain and discouraged in their contacts with Israel through the rest of this decade.

 Noting that looks like settling anytime soon – though some of the above influences on the natal charts may also be internal pressures within those countries.

  Israel is trapped, furious, scared and uncertain at the moment with the Solar Arc Mars square Pluto, tr Neptune square Venus and tr Pluto opposition the Moon. Boxed in every which way and feeling emotionally significantly out of sorts. The Solar Arc Midheaven will conjunct Neptune late 2026/27 for a lack of direction and hopelessness; with optimism dent by SA Neptune conjunct Jupiter in 2027/28; and further signs of a depressed populace and stuck government in 2029 with SA Saturn square the 10^th house Moon.

   Nothing will ease up soon as tr Pluto continues on its inexorable path in opposition to the Israel Moon/Pluto and Moon/Saturn midpoints and then Pluto and Saturn; and well as the Mars midpoint to Moon, Pluto and Saturn from the early 2030s throughout the decade. The Solar Arc Mars will square the Saturn by 2030 for a considerable setback – and on and on into the early 2040s.

  There is a savage irony in a situation that started with widespread support and compassion for the horrors of the holocaust and ended up in “the most intractable conflict of our times.” (James Cameron)  I do not see even a glimmer of light at the end of this tunnel and I am normally good at extracting a sliver of optimism out of even unsolvable problems. My only thought is that the English slaughtered the French on the battlefields of Europe for centuries before declaring peace. One can but hope.

Prince William celebrated his 44^th birthday with a happy snapshot of himself in Welsh Guards uniform with daughter Charlotte.  It will be a less tense and withdrawn year ahead than from his birthday in 2025 when Catherine was still emerging from her illness. But he still has the tail end of tr Neptune square his Sun Moon conjunction which has been running since early 2025. Neptune will continue to square his Cancer Moon exactly now and on and off till early 2028. It can be undermining or confused where family and domestic relations are concerned; and low energy.

  Alongside that he is in his mid-life crisis of Uranus opposition Uranus, running on and off till March 2027 which usually brings a restless urge to fulfil old ambitions which have been pushed to one side – and is a time for reviewing life to see what changes needs to be made to revitalise it.

  Exactly at the moment he looks rattled and edgy with tr Pluto square his Mars/Uranus midpoint and downbeat with tr Pluto opposition his Venus/Saturn midpoint until later this month, returning on and off through 2027.

 Money will be on his mind with his Progressed Moon moving through his 2^nd house for another two years as his father prepares to open up on taxes paid by the Royals.   

 Jupiter through his 8^th from now until August 2027 should oddly enough prove to his advantage financially – and will bring positive emotional changes as well at an underling level.

 His Solar Return has a hard-working 10^th house Sun with an attention-grabbing (and sporting) Pluto in the 5^th which will also bring relations with his children closer. A friendly 11^th house Venus Jupiter means he will not go unsupported by his wider circle of best mates. Moon in the 1^st and Saturn Neptune in the 7^th could hint at a caring initiative.

 Much is being made of a supposed rift between himself and his father over the invitation to Harry, Meghan and family to visit this summer. There may be a ripple or two of tension with his father but nothing untoward in a relationship that is anyway always undergoing constant changes.

  There is nothing to indicate a warming of relations with his brother or indeed Meghan within the foreseeable future stretching years ahead.

ADD ON: Prince William’s relationship with Camilla is sweetness and light compared to Harry’s relationship with her. She has a Moon, Venus, Mercury and Sun in Cancer which is OK with Will’s New Moon in Cancer; though admittedly his Mars Saturn Pluto in Libra will block her out. But their relationship chart is not unduly stressed so they will have learned how to sidestep problems.

 Harry’s relationship chart with her is impossibly bad with a composite Mars opposition Uranus Pluto square Moon.

Chiron has now dipped a toe in Taurus for the first time in forty years and after a retrograde this autumn and winter, will be there until 2033.

Attaching a meaning to its years is tricky since life is continually churning through highs and lows and it may affect cultural trends rather than actual events. It is possible to look at Chiron in Aries of the recent past since 2018 as one when there was a crisis of self-worth and identity. The culture seemed to emphasis tribal identity as a way of binding people together in an outer cause as a way of giving them a pseudo-identity which goes along with feelings of individual powerlessness.

 Chiron in Taurus tends to undermine all Taurean attributes – a sense of solidity and endurance, safety and security. It could affect attitudes to fitness, health, the body or money. Although it may emphasise an inability to see events symbolically which is Taurus’ feet-on-the-ground approach, it can also be a creative force.

Chiron In Taurus: 19 June 2026 to 17 September 2026, then retrogrades into Aries until 14 April 2027. Thereafter stays in Taurus till 2033.

Previous Chiron in Taurus –

1976/77 to 1984

1927 to 1933

The Solstice Ingress of the Sun into Cancer on Sunday June 21^st occurs with the hoping-for-improvements Saturn Neptune conjunction almost out of orb and the new-era hoping-for-change Uranus trine Pluto sextile Neptune in place. Mars in heavyweight Taurus is sextile Jupiter in late Cancer for an enthusiastic and energetic lift, perhaps from the sporting arena. Though Mars conjunct Algol hints at undercurrents of trouble.

 What is more problematic are two yods – one of Sun sextile the South Node in Virgo inconjunct Pluto and the other Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct the South Node. Pluto is dominating and coercive and the Virgo South Node has problems letting go. Too much game playing and not enough trust can dissolve the best laid plans. Yods tend to produce a sense of paralysis until an outer event turns up to shift a stuck situation onto a better track.

 Located to Washington, it puts Mars and Uranus in the 12^th for a troubled undercurrent, with uneasy friendships and alliances from Saturn Neptune in the 11^th, also hinting at confusion about what comes next. Pluto in the 9^th and three planets in the 3^rd hint at lots of hot air and strong opinions; and a focus on expenses with Sun in the 2^nd.

Located to Teheran it puts the Sun on the Midheaven for prominence and a grandstanding 5th house Pluto.

 Located to London, Pluto in the 6^th for a heavy-slog; North Node in the 1^st needs support and will bring problems about national identity. Mars and Uranus in the 10^th, arguments and erratic progress.