Canary Island eruption – rumbling on

The volcanic eruption on La Palma of the Canary Islands shows no sign of subsiding with further “intense” activity from a “much more aggressive” Cumbre Vieja volcano, opening up two new fissures, sending molten rock toward the sea. Hundreds of properties have been destroyed since September 19th and thousands had to flee their homes. Scientists estimate it has so far emitted 80m cubic metres of molten rock and a new area of solidified lava extends over more than 20ha (50 acres).

  The previous Lunar Eclipse in late May located to the Canaries has disruptive Uranus on the Midheaven, which makes sense of such an event, square Saturn on the Descendant; with the brutally destructive Pluto opposition Mars in place as well.

   There are two possible dates for the Canary Islands though they should be treated with caution – 4 September 1479 and 12 January 1503, both JC.

  The 1503 chart has the Solar Arc Jupiter opposition Pluto squaring the Sun now – which would describe a mega-powerful event.  And on a previous eruption, 24 June 1949, the Solar Arc Sun was square the Neptune – Neptune often being found around natural disasters which leave confusion in their wake.

  The 1479 chart was more precise about the 1949 eruption having tr Neptune square the Solar Arc Pluto. At the moment – or at least this year – tr Pluto is trine the Solar Arc Uranus Neptune.

  The two classic volcano/earthquake signatures are Pluto Neptune and Uranus Neptune.

Dita von Teese – defying convention

Making a joke out of strip tease has been a serious business for Heather Sweet, a small town Michigan gal, who morphed into Dita von Teese, burlesque dancer extraordinaire. She grew up fascinated by the old, Golden Age-era Hollywood films, trained as a ballet dancer, indulged her fetish for lingerie by selling it in a store before moving on to become a stripper. Her career has been varied with her famous stage routines winning her the ‘Queen of the Burlesque’ title, as well as appearing in softcore and hardcore porn films, and as a bondage model as well as bit parts in mainstream TV, well-received films, music videos and fashion modelling.  

  There’s now a streaming film Night of Teese, going out tonight with guest performers male burlesque artist Jett Adore, hula-hoop virtuoso Marawa and the not-so-young Dirty Martini and Perle Noire.

  Heather was born 28 September 1972 in Rochester, MI, and has an intense chart with a Libra Sun conjunct Pluto and Mars in late Virgo square Jupiter. The Jupiter Pluto will give her confidence which a suppressed Sun, Mars, Pluto would otherwise have lacked. Mars Pluto with her Mars square Saturn as well will also boost her interest in bondage.

She’s got a highlighted Venus in flamboyant Leo on the focal point of a trine of Saturn (Moon) in Gemini trine Uranus – innovative, showy, emotionally cool.

  Clearly smart with a sense of humour, she’s made the best out of a difficult chart which could have sent her off down a very different track into dangerous territory.

 She was admittedly with Marilyn Manson at one point for seven years, married for one, but it fell apart due to his drug-taking and infidelity.

 That connection fed into her attraction for high-risk situations with his Pluto conjunct her Mars and his Uranus Jupiter conjunct her Sun Pluto. But it was always a volatile match with a composite no-compromise Mars Uranus conjunction and a blow hot, blow cold composite Venus Saturn opposition Jupiter Sun.

Princess Mako – shameful treatment in Japan

The Japanese Royal Family, who make the Brit bunch look like a walk in the park, are doing little to relieve the pressure on Princess Mako, the Emperor’s niece, in her bid for freedom in marrying a commoner. The wedding due on October 26th has been delayed since 2018 largely because her intended, a Japanese lawyer with a career in the US, Kei Komuro, has been under attack for his mother’s financial affairs. It’s a nonsense scandal but has deluged tabloid disapproval on his and their head. According to Mako’s psychiatrist she is now suffering complex PTSD after years of negative coverage.

  Mako is the third generation of women in the imperial family to have suffered mental health problems. Her aunt, Empress Masako, 57, withdrew from public duties and was diagnosed with adjustment disorder after intense pressure to have a son. The former empress, Michiko, 86, suffered a nervous breakdown after alleged bullying by her mother-in-law, Empress Kojun, the latter a steely Pisces square Pluto; with a fearsomely chilly Air Grand Trine of Mars trine Pluto trine Mercury.  

  Princess Mako, 23 October 1991 11.41 pm Tokyo, has a shockingly difficult chart with her Taurus Moon on the Midheaven opposition Mars in Scorpio conjunct a late Libra Sun square a 6th house Saturn – that that is one cruel childhood – scary, angry, suppressed.

 Her fiancée Kei Komuro, born only 18 days after her, is also a Sun Libra with his Mars in Libra conjunct her Sun; and his Virgo Moon Jupiter Venus conjunction chiming with her Jupiter Venus and her Taurus Moon.

   The relationship chart has a veneer of good feeling with a composite Jupiter Venus trine Uranus. But the Saturn square Mars hints at rough edges and a lop-sided partnership with one having to sacrifice a good deal to maintain cooperation.

    There is nothing easy about the wedding chart if it does go ahead – with a hostile, trapped Mars square Pluto and a discouraging Sun square Saturn.  And the relationship chart is facing mountainous problems ahead with a frustrated, blocked tr Pluto square Mars in 2022/23, followed by a discouraging tr Pluto conjunct the composite Saturn in 2023/24. Which is also mirrored in both their individual charts, especially hers with tr Pluto conjunct her Saturn in 2023/24 and then square her Mars the following year.

   Poor kids, they can’t even escape to the relative freedom of the US without having the demons of the past haunting them. See previous post 9 July 2018.

Andre Barbault – a legendary Libra

Andre Barbault, the renowned French astrologer, was born 100 years ago today and astonishingly only died in 2019. His in-depth study of mundane astrology and the great conjunctions of history led him to predict a major transformation of the Soviet system a year before Stalin’s death and its ultimate collapse in 1989. He also predicted the global economic crisis of 2008-2010. And said in 2011 that another pandemic was likely in 2020-2021.

  He had an intelligent view of what the outer planets coming together foretold. The impetus for change is strong but could be beneficial or the opposite depending on which viewpoint you take. The present pandemic has been destructive of life and businesses but from the point of view of global warming, biodiversity, excessive activity and travel, uncontrolled consumption, the quality of the environment and closer family relationships, could be seen to have brought silver linings.

  He was born 1 October 1921 at 5pm in Champignelles, France, on the day of a Solar Eclipse with the New Moon in Libra in his 8th house conjunct Jupiter in his 7th. The 8th house would give him almost psychic abilities, certainly an interest in what ran below the surface of life – and a need to retreat into peace and quiet to shut out noise. His Jupiter was conjunct Saturn in the final degree of Virgo – so he had a balanced idealistic/practical drive. He also had a passionately enthusiastic and hard-working Venus Mars in Virgo in his 7th house. He wrote more than fifty books.

  He also had an attention demanding and creative Pluto in his 5th in an inventive and rebellious square to a maverick Uranus in his 1st.

 His get-it-together and creative 5th harmonic chart was strong; as was his breakthrough/genius 13H; and more so his leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17H.

Wayne Couzens – a disgraced police force

  The deeply distressing tale of the gruesome rape and murder of Sarah Everard by policeman Wayne Couzens has been dominating the UK headlines since he was sentenced to life. It’s also dragged out of the woodwork a culture of misogynist, homophobic, racist and sexist attitudes amongst a section of the working police force, some of whom may now be investigated. And serious questions are being asked – again – about the Metropolitan Police, who employed (and continued to ) Couzens despite allegations of flashing.

  It hardly bears lingering on except for a few astrologically significant points. Couzens born 20 December 1972 is a Sun Sagittarius almost certainly opposition a Cancer/Gemini Moon square Pluto – a control freak. He also has Mars in vengeful Scorpio which was being triggered by his Solar Arc Pluto moving to conjunct this year. So the full weight of the central, power-hungry T square of his chart was brought to bear on his Mars in Scorpio, which was never going to be a happy state of affairs.

   Tr Jupiter was conjunct his Solar Arc Sun raising his confidence which is often seen with perpetrators around the time of an atrocity.  And tr Pluto was conjunct his Solar Arc Neptune for confusion, perhaps a hint of megalomania.

   Sarah Everard, 14 June 1987, was a Sun Gemini opposition Saturn Uranus in Sagittarius. When she was killed tr Pluto was opposition her Solar Arc Sun. Her Mars in Cancer was conjunct Couzens’ South Node and his Pluto was conjunct her South Node – so a strong pull backwards for both.

  Her ‘relationship’ chart with Couzens, though they had never met, has a stark Mars opposition Saturn Sun square Neptune which has overtones of cruelty and perversion. A fated connection that ended in a terrible tragedy for her.

  The other minor thought is that Cressida Dick, the benighted Met Police commissioner who seems to survive despite a litany of blunders over the years, started her term of office on 11 April 2017 when Mars was in Taurus conjunct Algol and in opposition to Couzens’ Mars; Saturn was in late Sagittarius conjunct Couzens’ Sun; and the Sun Uranus in Aries was opposition Couzens’ Uranus. In an eerie way her term is inextricably linked with the Couzens’s story. 

  Too much to hope at this late stage that she might fall on her sword and do the decent thing. See previous post on Met Police and Cressida Dick March 15 2021.

The Met Police chart has tr Neptune opposition the Mars till January 2023 so continuing to slide.  And exactly of this moment has its Solar Arc Venus at 23 Taurus conjunct Algol. Coincidences abound.

Germany – into the political melting pot

Germany is heading into a radically different political landscape ahead as Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc slumped to its worst ever defeat and the centre-left Social Democrats claimed a narrow victory. This would fit with tr Pluto opposing the German’s 10th house Uranus this year prompting a significant change of direction.

 But there will still be months of wrangling ahead to form a coalition government with third and fourth parties, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, who do not agree across a range of issues.  In 2017 after a close German election it took six months; the Netherlands is still wrangling over its government after March elections and Belgium saw negotiations dragging on for 541 days in 2010.

Olaf Scholz has been congratulated by Merkel and looks the most likely to be the next Chancellor. I wrote him off initially since his Gemini Sun opposition Saturn had the undermining tr Neptune square earlier this year, which returns mid February to mid March 2022 and again in November/December 2022. What would buoy him up is his Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct his Saturn and opposition his Sun and that could cast a ray of sunshine over coming months. But he’s still heading into calamity country from October 5th to 30th with tr Uranus hitting his Sun/Mars and Mars/Saturn midpoints, repeating in early 2022. This December also looks a touch rattled with tr Saturn opposition his Uranus; with 2022 being a year of slog and plans not working out.  Though that could be his first year in power discovering that he’s taken on a load of problems.

  His chart does have some positive crossovers with Germany since his Gemini Sun is conjunct the Germany Jupiter – and his Venus in Taurus and Moon are conjunct the Germany 8th house Pluto. Those latter planets are being rattled up by the tr Uranus conjunction in 2022/23 – so he may be the man for the moment – as something profound and deep-rooted stirs in the German psyche. The tectonic plates will shift.

  But the relationship chart is a good deal less successful than Merkel’s with Germany. In his case there’s a hostile, power-struggling Mars Pluto conjunction with Mars opposition Saturn square Sun which looks anything but progressive and popular.

 Merkel will stay on as chancellor until a new government is formed and she looks under pressure with tr Pluto opposition her Sun till late November.

John Hinckley Jnr – drawn to the darkness

John Hinckley Jnr who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan in 1981 and injured three security guards in order to attract Jodie Foster’s attention on whom he was fixated has been granted unconditional release from psychiatric care, starting next June. He pled guilty by reason of insanity at the time and has spent 35 years in care, in recent years being partially released to stay with his mother who has now died.

  He was born into a wealthy family on 29 May 1955 at 11.42pm Ardmore, OK, USA. He was a drop out from university and hoped to become a songwriter.

  He has a 4th house unaspected Gemini Sun and a deeply buried 8th house Virgo Moon square Mercury and a Sagittarius North Node. An unaspected Sun tends to produce an overly independent, closed-in and self-centred personality. He has an attention-seeking 5th house Mars in Cancer square his Moon, so he would have/will have issues with women; and an intense and possessive 7th house Pluto sextile Mercury and sextile Neptune. His Venus in Taurus is in a chilly, unloved opposition to Saturn in obsessive Scorpio; and he has a lucky Uranus Jupiter in a can-be-fanatical square to Neptune. It’s not an especially brutal chart but it would give him a driven personality with strong emotional reactions.

  Jodie Foster’s Scorpio Sun sits on his Midheaven which would provide a link and he was evidently drawn to her having seen Scorsese’s violent 1976 movie Taxi Driver in which she controversially played a trafficked 12 year old child prostitute. His can-be-perverse and obsessive Venus opposition Saturn in Scorpio would be stirred by her Venus Neptune in Scorpio square Mars.

  When the shooting occurred on 30 March 1981 at 2.27pm in Washington, tr Uranus in Scorpio was retrograding towards the conjunction to his Midheaven (and Jodie Foster’s Sun) and tr Pluto was moving to conjunct his Neptune and square his Uranus for a devastating set of life changes.

  His relationship chart with Jodie Foster has a deeply buried, super-intense, possessive/controlling 8th house composite Sun Pluto conjunction. When the shooting happened tr Neptune was poised to conjunct the composite Ascendant, tr Pluto was aiming to square the composite Mars and tr Uranus was approaching a square to the composite Sun Pluto for a major disruption.

 The Lunar Eclipse this November and next late May will sit on his Midheaven, the latter just before the absolute release date of June 2022 – and will also impact Jodie Foster’s Sun so she will be on edge – maybe for other reasons, but she probably will be nervous.  

The price of fame – —-

Liverpool – the white stag myths

The shooting of a white stag running loose in a suburb of Liverpool by police against the advice of the RSPCA has brought a chorus of criticism. There are portents of doom as well from the old myths about ill luck following such a killing.  The Celts considered white stags to be messengers from the “other world” and their appearance was said to herald some profound change in the lives of those who encountered them. Their unnatural white colour has led to them being considered supernatural in various cultures.

 I’m not overly superstitious (most of the time) but sometimes symbolic events do precede periods of significant change and/or crisis. I remember thinking years back that a flock of the Queen’s swans flying into a low stone bridge and killing themselves wasn’t a good omen – and the annis horribilis with divorces and Windsor Castle fire happened not that long afterwards. Not immediately but certainly within a year or two.

 There are two Liverpool charts – the Royal charter founding on 28 August 1207 JC and the City status 11 May 1880.

  The one oddity which pops up is that both these charts have their Solar Arc North Node at 23 degrees Taurus now which given that their Nodes start from different positions is marginally coincidental.

   The 1880 chart is certainly gearing up for a period of significant turmoil and change around 2023/24 with tr Uranus conjunct the Sun and Pluto.  Though it’s building up a head of steam or a downward slide from now with tr Uranus conjunct the Neptune in Taurus.

  The 1207 chart also points to disruptions in 2024 with tr Uranus square Uranus – and more significantly is heading for a Neptune Return by 2026.

  This is a wait-and-see one.

James Bond – very much alive

 The much-delayed James Bond movie ”No Time to Die” has premiered to rave five star reviews (mainly) with a sparkling Royal send off in London. It is Daniel Craig’s fifth and last as 007 and the 25th in the series since the original Dr No with Sean Connery.

“It’s better than good. It’s magnificent. A huge thundering epic. Extravagant, satisfying and moving. An epic barnstormer. Startling, exotically self-aware, funny and confident, and perhaps most of all it is big: big action, big laughs, big stunts.”

Though rousing cheers may not be enough to bring in the box office with audiences still wary and lockdowns/and or social distancing still in place.

  Reception for Dr No when it first launched in 1962 was muted, though it made a profit and grew in popularity over the years. The London premiere on 5 October 1962 had a Libra Sun trine Saturn in Aquarius and sextile a ‘leadership’ Leo North Node; with a confident Jupiter opposition Pluto Uranus in Virgo.  

 It suited Sean Connery, 25 Aug 1930, with his Sun Neptune in Virgo and his quirky Venus in Libra opposition Uranus sitting on the ‘Do No’ Sun. And his successor Roger Moore, 14 October 1927, with his Libra Sun Mars and Venus in Virgo. Pierce Brosnan, 16 May 1952, brought a softer emphasis with his Taurus Sun and Venus opposition the ‘Dr No’ Venus Neptune.

  Daniel Craig, 2 March 1968, was born at the end of the Uranus Pluto conjunction in Virgo which spawned the series and his Mars Saturn conjunction in Aries opposes the original movie Libra Sun so he might seem an edgier fit. But he resonates with Ian Fleming, the novelist, 28 May 1908, who had Saturn in Aries square Mars in Cancer. The all brought their own take on the iconic character.

  Both the original producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman had their Jupiter in Virgo to boost its chances of success. Barbara Broccoli, 18 June 1960, who picked up the mantle and is now the organizational face of the franchise has her Pluto and North Node in Virgo. She’s not looking too ecstatic over the next two or three years with a frustrating tr Pluto square her Mars in 2022/23 followed by an undermining tr Neptune square her Gemini Sun Venus opposition Jupiter.

  Daniel Craig was reluctant initially to take on the role in 2005 because of the fame baggage that went with it and kicked against the physical toll the stunts imposed on him when the tr Uranus square tr Pluto was grinding down his Mars Saturn through the previous decade. Now he’s free to pick and choose his performances ahead though he may have a fallow several years before hitting his stride around 2025 when tr Uranus squares his Jupiter.