Gaza – suffering without end

 

 

In Gaza, they are fearful of the USA’s latest move to slash funding to the UN Relief Agency which brings food aid to Palestinian refugees. Just as VP Mike Pence is in Israel talking blithely about a peace plan. Observers say the situation unfolding now is unprecedented, with the backdrop of a 10-year blockade by Israel. “Nobody has ever taken away their bread and that is precisely due to UNRWA’s presence in all Palestinian camps,” said a senior UN official. They give aid not only to Gaza, but to Palestinian refugees in camps in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan – where five million refugees rely on their basic services, including health and education.

Gaza, 9 November 2017 9am, does have their Neptune Saturn in Leo in the line of fire of the late January Lunar eclipse, as well as the mid-year one, which will bring high anxiety. Tr Neptune is opposing the Virgo Moon through this year, undermining the population; and tr Saturn is in hard aspect to the Venus opposition Pluto, especially marked this February and returning later in the year, bringing anguish and depression.

The USA is the biggest contributor to UNRWA and one might wonder whether UK and indeed EU foreign aid might not be better deployed to those in dire need, instead of sending it into countries who are capable of feeding their own poor.

Cracks in the inner circle – Miller, Kelly, Melania

       

 

There are rumblings from the mare’s nest in the White House that Trump is falling out of love with John Kelly, his chief of staff, who recently said POTUS was ‘uninformed’ over the border wall issue. And he won’t be best pleased as senior advisor, Stephen Miller, is being given media credit for pulling Trump back from a deal that would have avoided the government shutdown. Bannon was pushed off the plank because he was labelled as the ‘great manipulator’ and ‘the real president’ which might have been a warning that a similar fate befalls any who dare to steal the narcissist’s thunder.

John Kelly looks untypically confused and uncertain this month with tr Neptune opposing his Saturn and losing hope and confidence in February with tr Neptune squaring his Mars/Jupiter. From mid March onwards he’ll be under assault, trapped, enraged and fuming from tr Pluto opposition his Sun/Mars and that runs on and off till late 2019.

His relationship chart with Trump has a chained-together and resenting it Saturn Pluto conjunction; and though there’s a friendly Sun Venus conjunction that is in an argumentative square to Mars and in a disillusioning trine to Neptune.

Miller, 23 August 1985, is known as a ‘racist nativist’ which in English-speak means anti-immigrant, who previously worked for Jeff Sessions and whose views are lauded by white supremacist Richard Spencer. His relationship chart with Trump appears to be hitting a major hiccup in February and especially March with tr Uranus square the composite Venus, Mercury, Sun; with high-tensions and miscommunications in April. The pressure will mount. From mid year his Virgo Sun and then his Pluto in Scorpio get a Uranian jolt, so he won’t be on a steady trajectory upwards.

The lovely, melancholy Melania appears to be free to make her own rules, with her delayed arrival in DC and now ducking out of the Davos jamboree. From reports, it has been an open secret that they have led separate lives for several years; and she was certainly at daggers drawn with him through the campaign and up until last autumn. At that point tr Saturn was hitting his Sun/Moon midpoint which is usually a significant separating influence. Though their marriage may have effectively ruptured years back. Rumours of him having a present affair; and indeed one with the porn star when she was pregnant with Barron can’t have gone down well. She certainly looks in a rebellious mood through February. But with her Sun, Saturn, Mercury and Venus in Taurus, she’s not one for impulsive decisions.

The upcoming January 31st Lunar Eclipse will catch the composite Uranus on their relationship chart, which may in part be the present unpleasant publicity with more to come. Her Solar Arc Pluto is opposing her Saturn now and probably for a few months ahead so she will be feeling stuck in a bleak place. It was never a great love match to start with; a heavily Plutonic relationship power and control connection.

Princess Eugenie – an Aries, Aquarius/Taurus, Pisces match

   

 

Princess Eugenie is to marry her long-time beau Jack Brooksbank in the autumn. He was born 3 May 1986, son of an Eton-educated accountant, and related to Eugenie about six generations back through the Earl of Leicester. He worked his way up through London’s trendy bars and nightclubs, meeting Prince Harry along the way, and now runs a wine merchants business, being a brand ambassador for George Clooney’s tequila.

His Taurus Sun falls in her 8th for a deep connection, in an affectionate square to her Venus in Aquarius and opposition her Pluto in Scorpio and square her Mars. Both have quite Fixed charts, so there will be the odd stubborn stalemate. But his Venus in social-butterfly Gemini chimes beautifully with her Moon Venus in Aquarius in the 5th. His Moon in Pisces is possibly conjunct Jupiter making him amiable and his Jupiter trines her midheaven so he’ll be supportive and lucky for her.

There will be some rough edges since his Mercury in Aries squares her 4th house Saturn, so she may not always let him into the inner secrets of her stressful family. His Mars is also conjunct her 4th house Uranus, Neptune, Saturn which could set a fire sparks flying at times.

Eugenie suffered more from an unhappy home atmosphere than Beatrice, being two years younger, with her parents splitting when she was six. She has a hard-working Aries Sun Mercury in her 6th; and Neptune (Uranus) Saturn in Capricorn and Mars all in her 4th house of home and family.

Their relationship chart has a wide affectionate composite Sun, Mercury, Venus conjunction; with the Sun in an argumentative though also passionate square to Mars. There’s also a power-couple Jupiter opposition Pluto, which could lead to a few one-upmanship games within the relationship. With his Taurus Sun opposition Pluto, he may be the one to exert most control. He gets on well with Prince Andrew, marginally less so with the future mother-in-law, who is all gushing on twitter at the moment but there may be a few ructions there before the wedding. Beatrice, who must be feeling left out, isn’t sure he’s her cup of tea at all.

Nicolas Cage – a rampant Jupiter that knew no limits

 

 

Actor Nicholas Cage, in the 1990s at the peak of his game, with successes galore and paychecks to go with them, went on a spending spree which spliced through his fortune. At one point he owned 15 residences and made a string of expensive and eccentric purchases – $150k for a pet octopus, shrunken pygmy heads, a dinosaur skull and $450k for a lamborghini. The IRS landed him with a bill for $6.3 million in unpaid taxes and ever since he’s been scrambling for work to keep himself afloat.

Born 7 January 1964 5.30am Los Angeles, to a literary academic father and a dancer/choreographer mother, he’s the nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola, has been married and divorced three times (Patricia Arquette, Lisa Marie Presley + one), no doubt totting up hefty alimony settlements as well.

He has Sun Mercury in Capricorn in his 1st trine the can-be-chaotic Uranus Pluto in Virgo; and Mars in Capricorn in his 2nd house, along with Venus Saturn in Aquarius. His Libra Moon is in the 10th as befits a public figure. Both Capricorn and Libra can be extravagant, though not usually to vast excess. His Mars in the 2nd may have added a touch of compulsion, ditto his Venus. Though his Saturn there might have given him some common sense; though square Neptune might undercut that.

He has Jupiter in upfront, go-ahead Aries on the focal point of a T Square to Mercury opposition a 7th house North Node in Cancer, so he will relish a comfortable home and was possibly spoiled growing up. I’d almost be inclined to say he had a Yod, though it’s wide, of Neptune sextile Pluto inconjunct Jupiter, which if mishandled can give delusions of grandeur and lead to fateful consequences. His Jupiter is probably the key to his problems with imposing limits on himself.

His Moon is square Mars for an irritable approach to domestic life and women; that plus a 7th house Node would indicate that forming long term commitments is a challenge for him.

He’s not moving into an easy time career-wise or financially with tr Saturn now moving below his Sagittarius Ascendant, with losses from mid this year onwards. And tr Pluto is in a trapped conjunction to his Sun/Mars in 2018/2019 before moving on to conjunct his 2nd house Mars by 2021/22 which looks like meeting-a-brick wall-time where cash is concerned. With his Solar Arc Sun opposing his Pluto in 2021 as well.

What a pity he didn’t have a sensible manager, who doled him out pocket money and stashed the rest away. His 9th Harmonic, often super-indulgent with money is very marked.

Sarah Ferguson – piling on the Royal agony

 

 

Sarah Ferguson, former spouse of Prince Andrew, has reportedly demanded £45m ($62.5m) from Rupert Murdoch, claiming his now defunct newspaper News of the World wrecked a series of business opportunities for her when she was caught in a sting offering to sell access to Prince Andrew for £500,000. She claims to have lost out on a private equity deal and work on a film project that would have made her millions of pounds; and had planned to make millions working as a celebrity endorser and launching products under the name House of Ferguson, all of which vanished on her ‘international humiliation.’

Words fail me. Even for her, this is a head-twister too far. Such a case, if it isn’t laughed out of court early on, would turn into a media circus taking the spotlight away from a happy-Royal-weddings-year, with her own younger daughter Eugenie aiming up the aisle in the autumn, after Harry/Meghan. With the exception of her close family, she’s been all but exiled from Royal circles and this isn’t going to put her high on anyone’s invitation list.

Born 15 October 1959 9.03am (from memory) London, her impulsive Sun Mars in Libra is taking a rattling from tr Uranus opposition her Mars now, and tr Pluto starting the square to her Sun from March which will drag her through a trapped, frustrating several years ahead as it squares the Sun/Mars midpoint and then her Mars. On top of that, birth time being sound, her Solar Arc MC is conjunct her Neptune later this year with Solar Arc Pluto following along behind, which is devastating and confusing, certainly not a win. Plus tr Saturn is now moving through her belt-tightening 2nd house, so less successful, cash-strapped and probably psychologically on edge. As if that wasn’t enough, tr Saturn is moving to square her Aries Moon in the 5th, which may involve froideur with her one of her children, whom she tends to use as comfort blankets.

Even the long-suffering Andrew looks well-fed-up especially from mid year with tr Uranus square their composite Moon. Ditto her children, especially Eugenie, with increasing unease from both her daughters in 2019.

HM Queen looks disappointed and alarmed with her at the moment; with Prince Philip gearing up for a tussle. Camilla loathes her at the best of times as does Charles which never augured well for future inclusion. But now all bets will be off as they harden their stance, which may well exacerbate Charles’ always strained relationship with brother Andrew – this year looks like widening that rift for several years ahead.

Prince Harry looks out of sorts with her as does Meghan this year.

What would we do without our own Dynasty on the doorstep to keep us amused and distracted from dreary, inept politicians?

 

Lunar Eclipse – mature women extracting vengeance

   

 

The upcoming Lunar Eclipse (Full Moon) on January 31st at 11 degrees Leo/Aquarius has Venus tied in but none of the outer planets, bar mild aspects to Neptune (inconjunct and semi-sextile) so looks reasonably amiable. I’m informed that the Moon is exactly conjunct the minor planet Ceres, though I can’t verify that.

Ceres was the Roman name for Demeter, goddess of the harvest, whose daughter Persephone was carried off by Pluto to his underground lair. She was so grief-stricken and enraged by her loss, she laid the earth barren until a deal was struck to allow Persephone to come back to her for six months of the year. One version is that Pluto groomed, then raped Persephone, but she also married him and remained happily wedded for part of the year. So it can be seen as a maiden’s initiation into sexuality and mature womanhood. It’s a complex story involving agriculture and food, fierce maternal instincts and vengeful possessiveness. Mama Demeter was a worthy opponent of the masculine Pluto and struck a hard bargain. #metoo, #timesup and Women’s March all fit the picture.

The Partial Solar Eclipse (New Moon) of 15 February at 27 degrees Aquarius is square Jupiter and sextile Uranus and in a Saros Series that is concerned with the enthusiastic expression of ideas, which will flood out. Follow the new with speed should be your motto. (Bernadette Brady: The Eagle and the Lark.)

Neither eclipse looks malefic. Though it will affect those whose charts it impacts. For example, Trump’s Pluto in Leo catches the Lunar Eclipse and his Mars in Leo opposes the Solar, so both will rattle him, challenging him to change. Theresa May is also likely to get a jolt with her Venus, Pluto, Moon in Leo getting shaken. The USA chart’s Aquarius Moon will be triggered, depending on the start time, by either Eclipse; as will the UK chart and the EU, both with heavily Fixed charts.

Pluto in Aquarius – marching towards the future

 

 

Pluto has been grinding its way through Capricorn since 2008, pulling down old structures, financial and political, and constructing new ones. Past experience might suggest we are overdue the justice and culture which flourished on previous Pluto in Capricorns (every 230/240 years). From 2024 to 2044 Pluto moves into Aquarius ushering in a new phase. Events during previous occurrences are naturally steeped in the history of their times, and since planets never move in isolation but are affected by the other outer planets, there are unlikely to be exact matches.

1778 -1797 saw a rebellious Pluto in Aquarius since it opposed Uranus. The USA was in its early struggles after the Independence Declaration of 1776; most notably the bloody French Revolution of 1793 dominated that period, having an effect outside of France. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing having got under way during Pluto in Capricorn with James Watts’ improved steam engine revolutionising production. As to be expected under Aquarius, science made strides forward as well, especially in chemistry. And William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus, which rules Aquarius. Explorers, another Aquarian strength, were also out and about with Captains James Cook and William Bligh leading the way to ‘new’ lands. It was a productive period for philosophical and social thinkers – Emmanuel Kant and Thomas Paine (Rights of Man); with cultural highpoints from Mozart and Scottish poet Robert Burns, who later established a global footprint.

1532 – 1552 was another Pluto in Aquarius opposition Uranus with Neptune in Aries. Henry V111, King of England and Wales, declared himself head of the Church in 1531 and was excommunicated in 1533 by the Pope. The RC versus Protestant schism got under way in earnest, which led to centuries of conflict.

1287 – 1307: Welsh Rebellion against the English. Edward 1 of England put John Balliol on Scottish throne with William Wallace rebellion following.

1041 – 1061: Saturn Pluto in Aquarius, Neptune in Aries opposition Uranus. Macbeth succeeds to throne of Scotland. Great schism between the Western RC church and Eastern Orthodox churches. In the aftermath came the Norman Conquest of England (Battle of Hastings 1066.)

796 – 816: Pluto square Uranus, trine Neptune Saturn in Libra. Charlemagne becomes Holy Roman Emperor in 800. He unites most of Western Europe, laying the foundations for modern France and Germany. He dies just as Pluto is about to exit Aquarius.

551 – 572: Pluto in Aquarius, Uranus in Sagittarius, Neptune in Aries. Mohammed is born.

So world-changing events during Pluto in Aquarius.

This next time round tr Pluto in Aquarius will march in time to Neptune in Aries (2025 to 2038) and initially to Uranus in Gemini (2025 to 2033) – so early on there’ll be a Uranus trine Pluto sextile Neptune after the mid 2020s – innovative and creative. Of the earlier historical happenings which might repeat, we can expect more advances in science and exploration (outer space/bottom of the sea/under Arctic ice?). For the rest – the US and France will have come full circle back to their first Pluto Return or the immediate aftermath, so significant shifts/adjustments, epochal events in both countries. Sometimes empires that rise on one Pluto cycle, fall on the next.

An add on from Hugh Fowler who commented below the previous August post (summarised): The Roman province of Britain was created by an invasion in 43 CE when Pluto was in Capricorn and Neptune in Pisces; and was completed by 61 CE, when Pluto ingressed into Aquarius and Neptune into Aries. This transition does seem to echo down the centuries for the inhabitants of Britain. If the past is anything to go by Pluto moving into Aquarius and Neptune into Aries in the mid 2020s signals some sort of transformation of English identity and its relation to the world if the 1530s is anything to go by since that is the last time it happened. Moreover it all be generated internally (ie the English nation will do it to themselves for good or ill).

Christopher Hemsworth – Mars Pluto rides into battle

 

 

Christopher Hemsworth gives his best performance yet, according to previews for his latest movie 12 Strong, a post-9/11 war drama about US special forces soldiers in Afghanistan who rode into battle on horseback, forming a close bond with an Afghan warlord.

After years of blockbuster success in Thor, and other movies, he’s in a position to make his presence felt in the decision-making process; has the full A-list paraphernalia of Sexiest Man Alive awards, gzillions of social media fans and a more than healthy bank account. He’s returned to his native Australia to give his three children the kind of carefree childhood he had, growing up part of the time in the outback where his father worked as a social-services counsellor. He and his two brothers were left to their own devices. He said in an interview: “We were rabid dogs sent out into the forest to forage for food. We were very physical, very competitive. We lived in the bush, not the suburbs – and we’d entertain ourselves by hurting each other. Or hurting ourselves.”

Born 11 Aug 1983, Melbourne, Australia, he is a Sun Leo; with a fierce and fiery Mars in Cancer in a formidably tough square to Saturn Pluto and trine Jupiter Uranus. He looks a touch downbeat over the next two or three months with Neptune transits to midpoint, but will be set for a mega-success after this in 2019 when his Solar Arc Pluto is conjunct his Jupiter. Next year he stars in Marvel’s Avengers Infinity Wars with another planned for the following year.

Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta Jones – a united front, so far

   

 

Catherine Zeta Jones has hastened to defend her husband Michael Douglas over allegations of sexual harassment thirty years ago. A former employee has claimed that he used sexual language in front of her, including openly discussing extra-marital affairs, while she was running the firm’s New York office, and commented about her body; and allegedly masturbated in front of her during a one-on-one script meeting in his apartment. The last is certainly way across the line; but the rest of it? For heaven’s sake, it was showbusiness. Sexual banter went on all the time and in both directions across the genders. My recollection is that he came out publicly years ago saying he suffered from ‘sex addiction’ and went into rehab to be treated for it.

Whatever Mr and Mrs are saying, they are both alarmed at this turn of events. Both are early Sun Libras with Michael having Sun Uranus in Libra and Catherine Sun Neptune square Mars in Capricorn. All of these planets are being assaulted by tr Saturn, causing a considerable setback at the moment. And Saturn will return from July to November to repeat the discouraging mood. He’s also got tr Uranus moving to oppose his Venus in Libra this March for an emotional upset; and tr Pluto will continue to square his Mars for major frustrations in Sept and October this year. Plus he has tr Saturn moving through his 2nd house, the nadir of his first quadrant, which is often a psychologically trying time and certainly less successful.

Catherine has tr Uranus about to conjunct her IC in April, moving into her domestic 4th house for an unsettled few years ahead. It will put a strain on their relationship with tr Saturn square the composite Sun now and tr Uranus in a disruptive trine to the composite Pluto from July onwards. They did split a few years back for a brief time but came back together, since it’s a strong relationship with a composite Sun, Venus, Jupiter in an enduring trine to Saturn; and a tied-together Saturn square Pluto. Though there are volatile sides to their connection which will be triggered by this – especially with careers at stake.