Month: July 2016

The story of Mark DeFriest would melt down your brain. Aged 19, his father died having bequeathed him his toolbox which he picked up before probate, was reported to the police by his stepmother for theft, and got a four year jail sentence despite five out of six court-appointed psychiatrists reporting he was mentally ill (the sixth later changed his mind and supported his appeal).

His original sentence has extended into 34 years (27 of them in solitary confinement) for 13 escape attempts —seven of them successful — and hundreds of disciplinary reports for minor infractions. He is apparently an autistic savant so astute that he was able to memorise the shape of jailers’ keys and fabricate copies, but so mentally disordered that he had to act out his compulsion to escape. In prison he was raped by fellow inmates, beaten by guards and denied the treatment he needed.

Born 18 Aug 1960 in Gadsden County, Florida, he’s a maverick Sun Uranus in Leo with two trickier-even-than-usual Yods – Mars sextile Mercury inconjunct Saturn; and Neptune sextile Saturn inconjunct Mars. The first of these brings a heavy karma – and my recollection is it was in the chart of another unjustly imprisoned (maybe executed) individual.  The other gives him a high-wire need to be pro-active. His Mars is also square Pluto Venus which would intensify his emotional reactions especially to being trapped and powerless.

What an indictment of the US legal and prison system.  He is now being transferred for two years to a California prison to prepare for parole as tr Uranus trines his Uranus Sun.  Though nothing will be easy for him at this late stage.

As expected (astrologically), hard-line Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s life has not got easier. An attempted military coup last night was put down with 161 people dead, around 3,000 soldiers arrested and 2,700 judges fired. The Turkish military has traditionally been secular and factions are unhappy about Erogan’s increasing Islamisation of the country and his prioritising attacks on Kurdish insurgents rather than focussing on eliminating ISIS.

The Turkey chart has tr Uranus exactly in opposition to the 4^th house Mercury Saturn at the moment, so a major jolt. And with tr Saturn moving to square the Uranus and MC late Oct/Nov this year there may be more high tension situations to come. The September Eclipse will oppose the Turkey Uranus. Then tr Neptune will conjunct Uranus in 2017 which will be nervy, high-wire and fanatical. Almost exact at the moment also is Solar Arc Neptune conjunct the 5^th house Jupiter which will undercut speculation and enjoyment, and presumably undermine the tourist trade, after the recent bombings and now this. Around mid 2017 there’s a dangerous and devastating Solar Arc Mars opposition Pluto which can only suggest it’ll get a good deal worse.

Recep Erdogan’s Term chart always did look weak with a Sun opposition Neptune; and an unpleasantly brutal Saturn Mars in Scorpio. This September’s Solar Eclipse will conjunct the Term Sun and opposition Neptune; with next Feb’s Pisces Solar Eclipse reversing the order in the same place.  Plus tr Pluto is sextile the Saturn Mars in Scorpio from 2016 to late 2018, which given that Mars Saturn does have military associations, suggests ongoing headaches.

It will also add to NATO and the West’s worries given that Turkey was deemed to be a relatively stable bulwark against the chaos of the Middle East.

Donald Trump has chosen Mike Pence, Governor of Indiana, as his running mate. He is deemed to have discipline, experience in government, conservative principles and credibility among Christian evangelicals. He crusaded against abortion, gay rights and Planned Parenthood. An early advocate of the Tea Party movement, he is on the far right of the Republican party, with close ties to billionaire donors Charles and David Koch,

Born 7 June 1959 he is a Sun Gemini like Trump with Mars in Leo also like Trump; and a Gemini/Cancer Moon. Pence has Sun Mercury, maybe Moon in Gemini and three planets in Leo, so a good deal of hot air, though backed by a tough Pluto trine Saturn in Capricorn.

Running mates don’t have to be soul-mates since they tend to be brought in to fill gaps in the candidates resume/personality. But it’s an odd match. MP’s Sun is conjunct DT’s Uranus, so he’ll find him wayward. MP’s Mars Uranus (and Venus) in Leo conjunct DT’s Pluto so there will rough edges of power-playing in there. And MP’s Pluto is conjunct DT’s Mars and Ascendant, so he’ll attempt to control DT’s flamboyance and his image – not a simple task, nor one which will endear him to Trump. MP’s Saturn is opposition DT’s Mercury – so a definite communication blockage.

Their relationship chart has a ferocious, can-be-hostile composite Mars Pluto conjunction sitting on the focal point of composite Sun trine Saturn Neptune – there’s a whole store of trouble in there if it hits the skids. It’ll certainly be slogging through heavy mud from mid Sept to mid Oct with tr Pluto square the composite Saturn. There’s a tr Pluto opposition the composite Uranus over the election which could go either way, Uranus being a wild card, but it certainly suggests a complete upheaval in their relationship – either parting of the ways, or moving to the White House.

There’s nothing much helpful on Pence’s personal chart (without time) to give a hint about the likely result. He’s got tr Saturn opposition his Sun in the aftermath of the election but that could just be hard work, or it could be a setback.

The Nice attack lorry driver has been named by a local paper as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, born 3 Jan 1985 in Tunisia. He didn’t appear to have been religious, was depressed at the break-up of his marriage and family, and was a bad-tempered weirdo and loner. Most of the other armaments/explosives in his truck appear to have been fakes.

He was a Sun Capricorn which sat midway between Neptune and Jupiter also in Capricorn, – he’d be ambitious for the good life. His Mars in Pisces was trine Pluto and square Uranus – so angry, frustrated, volatile. His Solar Arc Pluto was square his Mars this year, ramping up his angst; Solar Arc Jupiter was square his Saturn in Scorpio – perhaps lifting his depression as he found an outlet for his aggression; Solar Arc Venus was square his Neptune – emotionally confused; his Solar Arc Neptune was approaching a square to his Pluto – megalomania/devastation. Tr Pluto was exactly square his Mars/Node when he went on the rampage; and within two days of being conjunct his Mars/Saturn which certainly describes his brutal actions.

He certainly had issues with France with his Saturn conjunct the France Mars MC in Scorpio, so he’d want to dent their aggression and put them down. In a different way his emphasised Jupiter on their Ascendant could have made for a positive pairing but in this case obviously brought out the self-righteously arrogant side of Jupiter wanting to make the country feel small. His Pluto was conjunct the France Jupiter – a struggle for the upper hand; and opposition the France Saturn – unyielding struggle.

The relationship chart has an explosive composite Mars opposition Node square Uranus – with tr Pluto conjunct the Mars exactly at the moment.

Another unstable loser wanting his five days of twisted glory on the back of the deaths of people enjoying themselves.

Encore l’horreur. Carnage in Nice on the Cote D’Azur to add to the Bataclan bombings in Paris last November, and the Charlie Hebdo and Jewish supermarket attacks in Jan 2015, as well as a tsunami of terrorist atrocities in Turkey, Baghdad, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Mogadishu, Orlando, Somalia, Pakistan, Belgium, Ivory Coast – and that’s just this year.

84 are dead in France with 18 on the critical list this morning after a local resident, a French-Tunisian, around 11 pm last night drove a truck at speed into beachside crowds watching the traditional Bastille Day firework display with their children. He was shooting as he drove, had explosives and other arms in his trick and was shot dead by police.

The Scorpio Moon was within less than a degree conjunct Mars in vengeful Scorpio; and both were moving to conjunct the France Mars MC in Scorpio in the immediate aftermath in the case of the Moon, and coming days for Mars – and oppose the destructive Fixed star Algol, which tr Mars gets to exactly around the 22^nd of this month.

That would be the trigger though they are minor enough influences. What in France’s case is being activated this year is their revolutionary, aggressive and unsettled Uranus in Aquarius opposition Pluto square Mars MC in Scorpio – with tr Uranus sextile the France Pluto and trine FR Uranus through 2016 into early 2017. That’s more major than it sounds, since on country charts, soft transits act like hard.

France is more at risk than many EU countries because of large numbers of immigrants from the old North African colonies, Algeria and Tunisia, who include swathes of disenfranchised, resentful, radicalized youth, especially on the Med coast, which is also where the far-right (Le Pen) have their stronghold. It’s going to get ugly.

Spain should have a problem, but after the Madrid bombings, Azar pulled troops out of Iraq and they’ve had not had too much trouble since. Whereas France has been actively involved in Syria and elsewhere. President Hollande said this morning they would redouble their efforts to defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

What covers all three France attacks is the Saturn square Neptune and the Uranus square Pluto – paranoia and neurosis, deep uncertainty from the first; and subversive violence from the second.

Although this sounds like a lone-wolf attack with no overt connections to ISIS or radical groups, ISIS are following Al Quaeda’s strategy of franchising out their ideology to motivate localised attacks. The ISIS 2006 chart has Neptune in Aquarius opposition Saturn square Jupiter in Scorpio which sits exactly on top of France’s Uranus Pluto Mars MC T Square – so France would be a favoured target.

Neptune Saturn aspects have historically been associated with epidemics of illness (amongst other things) – and in an odd way this is like a difficult-to-diagnose-and-treat-malady. Like trying to pin down a poisonous shoal of jelly fish. Very Neptunian.

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There’s a ‘you-broke-it, you-own-it,’ feel to Theresa May’s new cabinet as she lands the pro-Brexiteers with the task of handling the complex and fraught negotiations with the EU and self-starting trade elsewhere. David Davis, Brexit; Liam Fox, international trade; Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary. The major great departments of state go to Remainers – Philip Hammond, the Exchequer; Amber Rudd, Home Secretary; Fallon stays in Defence.

It’s a ‘put your money where your mouth is and deliver on your promises’ strategy which could backfire on her if it goes toes up. And also brings into her tent, personalities with whom she has seriously negative issues.

David Davis, 23 Dec 1948,  a Capricorn Sun opposition Uranus, is looking seriously jangled over the next few months into 2017 as tr Pluto square his Neptune and tr Uranus squares his Mars in Capricorn; and he picks up the tr Pluto conjunction Mars in 2018/19 which is trapped, frustrated, enraged.    His relationship chart with May has a hostile, power struggling composite Mars opposition Pluto square Sun Mercury. 2016/17 look times of high tension, upheaval and disruption between them.

Liam Fox, 22 Sept 1961, is a Virgo Sun trine Saturn Jupiter in Capricorn; with Mars Mercury in Libra square Saturn Jupiter and sextile Uranus – so argumentative and volatile. His Mars Mercury and Saturn all get tr Uranus hard aspects till early 2018, so insecure, argumentative, prone to hasty judgements. His relationship chart with May has an impatient and unkind Mars Saturn square the composite Sun and trine Venus Pluto – so stuck together and resenting it, superficial smarm masks dislike and significantly divergent opinions. It’ll get noisy.

May’s relationship with Boris is no better with a wobbly and bad-tempered composite Saturn opposition Jupiter square Mars and a needs-space composite Sun Uranus. Relations between them will be massively challenged over the time ahead with tr Uranus square tr Pluto bouncing off all ends of that T square for some years to come.

Philip Hammond, the new Chancellor, 4 Dec 1955, known as a steady pair of hands, is a Sun Sagittarius trine Uranus, with Pluto Jupiter sextile Mars Neptune and square Saturn in Scorpio. He’s more of a free-marketeer than she is, reflected in their relationship chart by a composite Sun square Uranus; but there’s also a confident Jupiter trine Mars, sextile Mercury which will help to smooth rough edges.   He’s got tr Saturn conjunct his Sun again this Oct, and tr Neptune square his Sun till late 2017, so a not entirely confident early run. He does have an upbeat Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct his Mars in 2017; but then runs seriously into the buffers in 2018 with Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Mars and Solar Arc Saturn square his Neptune.  If his chart reflects the economy, it’s not great.

Amber Rudd, 1 Aug 1963, is a charming and vibrant Sun Venus in Leo sextile Mars; with a serious Mercury opposition Saturn in Aquarius.    Her relationship with May is quite controlling with a composite Sun Pluto but that is in a Half Grand Sextile with Jupiter opposition Saturn, sextile Neptune, sextile Sun Pluto so could be a reasonably productive duo with some flare-ups in 2017.

Theresa May was formally anointed PM by the Queen at 5.44pm today in London.

The Cancer Sun is in the international-finance and hidden 8^th, so much focus on foreign investment and haggling over negotiations – with some difficulty and rolling crises since the Sun opposes Pluto in the 2^nd, which isn’t too positive for internal economic health squaring onto a 5^th house Uranus.  Pluto is however trine Jupiter North Node in the 9^th which will help to bring confidence and positive results.

Uranus is further emphasised being also on the focal point of a Yod to a 12^th house Mars in Scorpio sextile Jupiter. At best Uranus can be a trail-blazer for radical change – it certainly fits a government that has arrived because of a strange turn of fate and is having to take extraordinary steps to become more independent. But it can also be divisive and disruptive. 5^th house is associated with a country’s children, entertainment and speculation.

Saturn in Sagittarius is conjunct the Ascendant which will give a serious, meticulous, rather schoolmasterly/marmy feel to the administration. Neptune in the 3^rd hints at either miscommunications or evasiveness or difficult in getting a clear message across; or transport problems. The Jupiter opposition Neptune square Saturn will give a see-saw effect – high expectations and disappointments, uncertainty, confusion, mental strain, ups and downs.

The 11^th house Scorpio Moon is not well integrated – only a trine to Neptune, wide square to Venus and sextile to Pluto as well as semi-sextile Saturn – perhaps a fairly disconnected population.

Overall it feels a secretive chart with a hidden Sun and 12^th house Mars in vengeful Scorpio.

It’ll get an uplift in 2019 when the Solar Arc Pluto closes the trine to Jupiter to exact.  Though before then, late 2017 looks quite swampy with Solar Arc Saturn square Neptune.  And there may be a few unwelcome surprises with this September’s Solar Eclipse falling opposition Neptune and square Saturn.

It won’t be an easy run in for her. Though she does have tr Pluto trine her Jupiter through till late 2017 as well as a less-than-successful tr Neptune conjunct her Mars. Tr Pluto will also trine Jupiter in this Government chart in 2017/18 – so she’ll keep the ship afloat with a few sinking moments along the way.

Dan Cooper is a mythic character, a real man who hijacked a Boeing 727 on 24 Nov 1971 but who has never been identified. He said he had a bomb and demanded $200,000 in currency and four parachutes. On landing at Seattle, the airline paid the ransom, the passengers disembarked, plane refuelled and took off again. He left by the back exit in mid-air with the money and was never heard of again. 9 years later a few bundles of bills were found, but despite an intensive FBI investigation, which has just been wound down, nothing has ever been found.

On best guesses, he parachuted out at 8.13pm somewhere close to Ariel, WA.  This gives an Air Grand Trine of a tough-minded (with some associations to black magicians) Saturn trine Pluto trine Node in Aquarius, formed into a Kite by Saturn opposition Sun Neptune – so slippery Neptune in adventurous Sagittarius was the driving planet conjunct the Sun. Sun Neptune and Jupiter all in Sagittarius were in a gambler’s square to Mars. And Mars in Pisces was on the focal point of a T Square to Saturn opposition Sun Neptune – so certainly foolhardy and impulsive.

Mercury Venus were also in Sagittarius, making five planets in all – as a sign it tends to rely on its lucky guardian angel turning up at the eleventh hour.

The conjunctions to Fixed stars seem fairly spot on, of which a few examples:

Sun & Neptune to Dschubba is in “the forehead” of the scorpion, connected to secrecy and investigative work, as well as violence and immorality.

Saturn to Mirfak – A bold but dishonest nature.

Neptune to Graffias – a malefic star associated with malice, theft, crime.

Ascendant conjunct Procyon – Hasty and single-minded but also strong-willed and capable of putting thoughts and plans into action. Can take people to great heights and bring them crashing down.

As the file is finally closed on the case the tr Neptune square tr Saturn are conjunct/square the focal point Mars; and tr Pluto is square the 4^th house Uranus.

What a fascinating mystery. The man was in his mid forties in 1971 according to eye witness descriptions, so he’d be in his mid 80s if he’s still around.

Back in the real world away from the infants’ playground of domestic elections, Brit and US, and the snake pit of EU apparatchiks, there are a war-like noises coming from China over the disputed South China Sea. Beijing and Washington are on a collision course over this shipping lane for 60pc of global trade.

What is ominous is the build-up of global armaments which commentators say echoes the late 1930s. China spent $215bn on defence last year, a fivefold increase since 2000, and more than the whole of the European Union combined. Japan has been increasing military spending for the last four years, more so under its nationalist leader Shinzo Abe, who has just been re-elected.

Europe has also seen defence spending escalate after the Russian invasion of Crimea. The worry being that if the US was focussed on the Far East, Putin would take the opportunity with Russia’s beefed-up capability to test Nato solidarity in the Baltics.

http://goo.gl/oyTGCc

NATO, 24 Aug 1949 11.42am Washington, DC, does look very tense in Nov and Feb 2017 with tr Uranus square its Mars; with tr Pluto moving to oppose its Mars in 2018/19 which will be a time of acute pressure, risky and trapped. [The NATO Kosovan intervention came when tr Uranus Neptune in Capricorn were opposing that Mars.]

The USA/China relationship chart is also heavily stressed through 2017/2018 with tr Pluto opposition the composite Mars; and an undermining and increasingly chilly tr Neptune square tr Saturn hitting on the Venus on and off from now till late 2017.

Pin-pointing wars between nations is more difficult astrologically than it sounds. The composite Venus is often involved and even soft transits seem to act like hard. But there isn’t the headline horror you would expect to see.

The China/Japan diplomatic interface looks at breaking point in 2018 with tr Uranus square the composite Venus; and trine the composite Saturn Uranus.

2019/2020 occurs on several of the charts including the USA as a game-changer.

The USA 1776 has a North Node at 6 Leo. At 9/11 tr Neptune was opposition the Node. At Pearl Harbour tr Pluto was conjunct the North Node. In 2019/2020 tr Uranus is square the Node. The Korean, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq Wars didn’t – they were all much more Mutable, hitting on the USA’s 9^th house Mars Uranus in Gemini.

Still, all worrisome, since it could indicate the approaching Saturn Pluto in Capricorn inevitable-war-someplace, might well not be in the Middle East after all.