Month: June 2018

Leslie Grantham, best known as Dirty Den in EastEnders has died. Born 30 April 1947, 9 days after Iggy Pop, at 4am London, he had a controversial and scandal-strewn life. He joined the army at 18, and aged 19 tried to rob a taxi driver in West Germany, who ended up shot dead. He claimed it was accidental but served 10 years inside where he acquired an interest in acting. His character was killed off in EastEnders though later resurrected but an online sex scandal put paid to that gig for good and sent him suicidal. Latterly he appeared to have been living in Bulgaria.

His Taurus Sun was in the quick-witted 3^rd in a heavy-duty square to Saturn, Pluto, Descendant in Leo and trine a Virgo Moon – he would be tough and fairly self-destructive. He also had an impulsive Mars in Aries conjunct Mercury which would put his temper on a chart fuse; with Mars in a showbizzy opposition to an 8^th house Neptune.

His actor’s 15^th Harmonic was heavily aspected – lucky, determined and aggressive. Even more so his rise-and-fall 10^th Harmonic.

Actress Priyanka Chopra has been stepping out with singer, songwriter Nick Jonas and attending family weddings together which has been getting the celeb mags in a tizz.

She’s one of India’s highest-paid and most popular celebrities, is best known in the US for playing the lead in Quantico, also acts as a producer and is a UNICEF ambassadress for children’s rights.

Born 18 July 1982 at 1.05am Jamshedpur, India, (astrotheme) with two army physician parents, she has a quick-witted 3^rd house Cancer Sun square a formidably determined Pluto Mars Saturn in Libra. Her Moon and Venus in Gemini give her a lighter-hearted side; and with a quirky Uranus in her 7^th she’s her own person. A film-star Neptune in the 8^th gives her quite an aura as it opposes her Venus and is inconjunct her Sun.

Nick Jonas, 16 September 1992 3.39am Dallas, Texas, formerly of the teen band the Jonas Brothers, is an enthusiastic and hard-working Sun, Mercury, Jupiter in Virgo in the financial 2^nd; with a 10^th house Taurus Moon widely opposition Pluto in the 4^th square a 7^th house Saturn in Aquarius. He has a 6^th house Uranus Neptune in Capricorn and suffers from diabetes.

Both of their Moon aspects are tough – hers Moon are in an overly-disciplined and angry trine to Saturn Mars, and his  tied into bleak Saturn Pluto. To some extent they’ll understand each other’s backgrounds and emotional glitches but it won’t be all sunshine and roses. She has a needs-independence Uranus in her 7^th house of close relationships; while he has Saturn in his 7^th, maybe why he’s opted for an older partner but partnerships will mean hard work for him. His Venus in Libra is conjunct her Saturn, Mars, Pluto which looks fairly downtrodden.

Their relationship chart, however has a wonderfully exuberant and affectionate composite Sun, Venus, Mercury, Mars conjunction trine Uranus; with a happy-home Jupiter in the 4th.  Admittedly the composite Moon is hidden and squaring Mars which will make for some heated moments, but overall it could be fun.

Ariana Grande, super-successful singer and  actress, appears to have slid out of two-year relationship last month straight into an engagement to actor and comedian Pete Davidson with a major sparkler on her finger to mark the moment. Her music videos have been viewed more than 10 billion times.

Ariana, born 26 June 1993 9.25pm Boca Raton, Florida, has a 6^th house, hard-working Cancer Sun trine Saturn in Pisces and square Moon Jupiter in Libra so she’ll be constantly dancing between her heart and her head, one moment enthusiastic, the next moment sombre. She has a controlling and influential 10^th house Pluto, a deeply buried Mars in her 8^th and a highly-strung Uranus Neptune in Capricorn on her Ascendant. A complicated lady who walks her own road and likes her own way.

Pete Davidson, 16 November 1993 New York, has a Sun Pluto conjunction in Scorpio square Saturn in Aquarius; with Venus Mercury Jupiter also conjunct in Scorpio, so he is very intense, tough-minded but probably prone to depression. His Moon is late Sagittarius or early Capricorn. He suffers from Crohn’s disease which in the past he treated with medical marijuana as a pain reliever and has recently also admitted to borderline personality disorder. He’s had a rough road to walk and isn’t exactly a lightweight personality either.

His charming Jupiter, Mercury, Venus in Scorpio are conjunct her midheaven, so career and status will be priorities. But his Sun Pluto is also conjunct her Pluto which could end up in a tussle for control.

Their relationship chart has a composite, highly-changeable Sun Mercury trine Neptune Uranus; with Neptune Uranus square an adventurous Mars Jupiter. Mars Jupiter often appears in the seemed-a-good-idea-at-the-time kind of relationships. There may be a possessive and emotionally intense composite Moon Pluto square Venus for a sparkle of passion; and with Pluto square Saturn it will be fairly chained-together for a while.  It’ll have a rocky rise ahead with tr Neptune opposing the composite Sun this year and Mercury next; with a disruptive and confusing tr Pluto conjunct Neptune Uranus till late 2019.

The much-trumpeted Trump-Kim Jong Un deal was signed at 2.45 pm Singapore, on June 12^th. The puts the Gemini Sun square Neptune which suggests a lack of clarity and indeed will to make it stick. There’s a good PR 10^th house Venus opposition a mutinous 4^th house Pluto; and an explosive, uncompromising North Node opposition an irritable 4^th house Mars in Aquarius square a 7^th house Uranus – which sounds divisive, rather than the basis for ongoing co-operation. Plus an over hopeful Jupiter trine Neptune trine the MC.

There’ll be highs and lows this year, but it’s 2019 where the real trouble will kick in with tr Pluto conjunct the Mars/Saturn midpoint which is usually fairly catastrophic, running till late 2020; plus a confidence undermining tr Neptune square Jupiter/Pluto.

There are various theories afoot, one of which is that John Bolton who was against any such deal capitulated because he reckoned it was a faster way to start a destroy-NK campaign when Kim reneges, than go through years of tactical negotiation.

Rick Wilson in the Daily Beast has his usual colorful response. ‘Ever wonder what the consequences of legitimizing a nuclear-armed madman who has used chemical weapons on his own family, starved his people, and engaged in systematic mass murder to retain power might be? Congratulations! You’re about to find out. Us too.’

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-negotiating-style-is-pure-art-of-the-moron?ref=home

PS: Any more accurate time of signing gratefully received.

PSX2: There’s a faint thought that fixer Michael Cohen might be about to flip and turn state’s evidence for Mueller – and that would certainly be a Mars Uranus jolt for Trump.

Iggy Pop, Godfather of Punk – singer, songwriter, musician, producer and actor, is still going strong aged 70. Vocalist with the Stooges, he was known for his outrageous and unpredictable stage antics; and did his fair share of drugs.  His advice now: ‘Don’t lose yourself. If you take enough dope, you lose your body, your mind or your life. Conversely, if you do everything everybody else tells you to do, you’ll be miserable and lose your self-identity. At some point you gotta figure out the balance.’ He has even given up smoking and now practises quigong, a holistic moving meditation.

Born 21 April 1947 11.34 am Muskegon, MI, he grew up in a trailer park with parents who nurtured his interests in music. He’s an earthy Sun Moon in Taurus square Saturn and Pluto in Leo – so he’s got endurance and sticking power. His upfront Mercury Mars in Aries is in a showbizzy opposition to Neptune; his Venus in musical Pisces is in a frivolous trine to Jupiter in money-magnet Scorpio with Venus also square Uranus – he’s been married three times.

His chart doesn’t reflect his wild man stage image but he’s definitely designed for a public career. His creative 5^th Harmonic does have a strongly aspected Mars Uranus which would bring out his high-voltage maverick streak.

Tr Uranus is conjunct his Sun and square his Saturn this year into 2019, so rocking on his axis somewhat.

Trump isn’t wrong about everything. His attack on allies for not pitching in with fair costs for NATO is sound. After the fractious G7 meeting he tweeted: “The US pays close to the entire cost of Nato — protecting many of these same countries that rip us off on trade.’ Starting a trade war is manifestly self-defeating, but he’s right to complain about western defence costs. Only Greece, UK and Estonia fork out the mandatory 2% of GDP. France is down at 1.79%, Canada 1.29% and Germany with Europe’s largest economy and a whopping trade surplus with the USA only contributes a miserable 1.24%.  The USA contributes nearly 4% of a much larger GDP. All of which is going to make the July 10 NATO summit in Brussels even more heated than the G7. Merkel has said she is more worried about Nato and the future of the western alliance than about the prospect of American tariffs though they will threaten the German automotive industry.

NATO, 24 August 1949 11.42am Washington, is being backed into a corner this year and next with tr Pluto opposition the Mars and feeling decidedly scared and frustrated. Exactly over the July summit, tr Saturn is opposition the Nato Uranus and square Venus, so it’ll be high-tension and discouraging. At that point Trump has tr Uranus square his Mercury/Mars midpoint which Ebertin describes as ‘loss of self-control (frenzy, delirium or insanity), emotional upset, making reckless decisions. Even allowing for Ebertin’s somewhat over-melodramatic interpretations he’ll certainly be in bad mood and in verbal combat-kit.

The Nato chart then continues to a blocked Solar Arc Saturn square Pluto, exact in six months, followed by Solar Arc Saturn square Moon by late 2019 – so not in forward gear.

Trump harbours a peculiar dislike of Nato with a composite Mars, Saturn, Pluto Mercury conjunction in the relationship chart. He’ll continue to exert maximum pressure, escalating in 2020 and if (heaven forfend) he makes a second term worse in 2021/22.

The EU/Nato chart which ironically enough has an emphasised North Node in Capricorn (= looking for a father figure) is in turmoil in 2019 with tr Pluto opposition Uranus and tr Uranus opposition the composite Sun; then tr Pluto wades on to a confusing and devastating square to Neptune and a depressing square to Saturn from 2019 to 2024. Another problem for them to worry about which might even make them more amiably inclined towards the UK, whose military expertise they are shunning at present.

The Germany/Nato relationship chart is on tenterhooks this year; and even more disrupted in 2019 to mid 2020 with tr Uranus opposition the composite Sun Saturn.

The times they are a-changin’.

Heavy denials about celebrity marriage problems accompanied by lovey-dovey red carpet cuddles are usually not a good sign. David and Victoria Beckham managed both which did nothing to quell the rumours.

The astrology always pointed to 2018/2019 as a danger point with tr Uranus conjunct first the composite Venus now, then Mercury in July and moving backwards and forwards over these into 2019 when tr Uranus will be conjunct the composite Sun and Mars. That looks exceptionally disruptive. Then tr Pluto will also square the composite Uranus in 2021 so it’ll be a rough ride ahead for several years. They are fairly lashed together because of the commercial brand mirrored in a composite Saturn square Pluto, which aspect is also being weighed down by tr Saturn this year, so a separation wouldn’t be simple.

Neither of them have their Sun/Moon midpoints affected which might suggest nothing too drastic will come. Though there’s likely to be separations during all those Uranian firecrackers.   His chart has tr Uranus square his 10^th house Moon through into early 2019 so he will be rethinking his domestic life as well as career direction. And he does look directionless and less than confident about future plans with tr Neptune conjunct his 11^th house Mars in 2018/2019.

Victoria looks under huge pressure around 2020 and just after as tr Pluto squares her Aries Sun opposition Uranus.

My impression is he’s supporting her fashion business which isn’t doing well financially and they have led fairly separate lives.

NB Her birth time is unverified. His is biography.is is biography.His

Trashing a western alliance that has won two world wars and the Cold War and cosying up to gangster despots, Trump is thundering ahead with a comprehensive revamp of America’s image. It’s partly to boost his contrarian narcissism – doing what has never been done before; and feeding his fanbase with a) lies about trade, and b) a facade of muscular leadership, neither of which are doing him harm in the popularity stakes, especially with the evangelicals and Mormons bizarrely enough.

The bling and blare of the North Korea summit is mainly for show since both sides need the appearance of a win. An actual deal would take months if not years of wrangling but Trump doesn’t do detail and Kim won’t denuclearize. The theory is that while the diplomacy is ongoing, neither side will lob bombs.

Haaretz, always tuned into the Middle East, says ‘the Trump administration hopes to ‘clear the table’ of the North Korean distraction before dealing with what it sees as the real threat: Iran.’ With Iran there’s no question of diplomacy and he’s now broken with G6 who are keen to keep the Iran deal going. With Bolton and Pompeo cheering him on, all bets are off as to what comes next with MBS of Saudi ramping up the rhetoric in his ear (and Jared’s).

On the USA chart, the tr North Node in Leo is on a Return exactly now. It was around before in April 1981, just as Reagan was nearly assassinated (in March). There in October 1962 for the Bay of Pigs Cuban Missile Crisis. There in the first half of 1944 with World War 11 being bitterly fought to a conclusion the following year. It is a critical juncture.

The USA North Node in Leo is the leadership node. When 9/11 happened tr Neptune was opposition the Node for what was not only a shocking atrocity but also a considerable dent to the USA’s self-esteem. In 2019 tr Uranus will also square the US Node. The last time Uranus was in Taurus square the Node, FD Roosevelt was in the White House, coping with a recession. That year there was a major heatwave in which thousands died. Also following a federal union strike, a corporate plan for strikebreaking was issued, which involved discrediting union leaders, scaring the public and using police and vigilantes to intimidate strikers. History never repeats exactly so it’ll be interesting to see what turns up this time round.

Pluto is, of course, also heading for its first Pluto Return since the founding in 1776, in 2022. Sometimes, though not always, powers that rise on one, falls on the next. Not immediately since empires tend to crumble slowly into decline.

In 2019/202 tr Pluto will also trine the USA Neptune; which hasn’t been around since 1874, With Ulysses Grant in the WH, when the Indian (Native American) Wars were being fought. The recessionary/hardship/maybe warlike Saturn Pluto conjunction draws close in early 2020, and exact in 2021, crashing into the USA fanatical Mercury opposition Pluto, which has been causing problems over the past year plus with tr Uranus in square.

All in all, testing times for the world’s greatest superpower.

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Ian Curtis, lead singer of the post-punk band Joy Division, who committed suicide in 1980, aged 23, was born three weeks after Anthony Bourdain. Despite suffering from severe epilepsy, he smoked and drank, and had attempted to kill himself once before.

Born 15 July 1956 at Stratford, England, he was intelligent and well-educated but graduated towards music early on. His Cancer Sun and Mercury were in a creative though escapist square to Neptune (maybe Moon in Libra/Scorpio) and in a heavy-duty trine to Mars in Pisces trine Saturn in Scorpio. His confident Pluto in late Leo conjunct Jupiter in Virgo was on the focal point of a mini-Grand Trine of musical Neptune trine Venus; and in a bleak, see-saw square to Saturn.

His Uranus was square Neptune and perhaps his Moon, so he would be excitable and changeable.  His Sun was conjunct the Fixed star Pollux,  which can sometimes indicates cruel twists of fate.

A complicated individual with a dark streak.

When he died he was on a Jupiter Return oddly enough; though with tr Saturn conjunct his Solar Arc Pluto and tr Uranus perhaps conjunct his Solar Arc Moon. Tr Pluto had been squaring his Mercury increasing his mental strain and was heading to square his Sun, so the pressure would be mounting. His epilepsy appeared to be getting worse with two seizures a week where he’d lose consciousness and have convulsions.