Month: June 2019

Upsetting figures pointing to a shrinking economy made South Africa President Cyril Ramphosa’s pledge to root out corruption and revive private and state industry a faint hope. He took over in May after a disastrous decade rife with mismanagement and corruption under Jacob Zuma with the ANC’s majority heavily dented. About half of South Africa’s population live below the poverty line, with unemployment nearing 28%. The nation’s income inequality ranks among the highest on earth.

The modern South Africa 27 April 1994 11am chart hints at a nerve-stretched and sticky few years ahead with some ups and more downs. Tr Uranus will conjunct the Taurus Sun from this July, on and off for a year, which can be unsettling though also liberating if a new path is chosen and tr Uranus goes on to square the Sun/Jupiter midpoint and oppose the South Africa Jupiter in 2020 into 2021 which could bring good lucky and fortunate turns of circumstance. But there’s also a devastatingly confused tr Pluto conjunct Neptune in 2019/2020; and then considerable upheaval from tr Pluto conjunct the South Africa Uranus which could also bring civil unrest. Plus a shock collision from Solar Arc Mars conjunct the Sun in late 2021.

This mirrors the SA 31 May 1910 older chart which indicates a considerable blockage by late 2021; with following that there seems to be better luck.

It was always going to be an uphill struggle for Ramaphosa who is facing resistance from rival and corrupt factions intent on hanging onto the old Zuma days. He took over on 25 May 2019 at 11.30 am with the deprived/hardship Saturn Pluto in place and a less than inspiring Neptune in the 8^th house of business finances.   He is an ultra-determined New Moon in Scorpio square Pluto but has a hair-raisingly difficult series of Pluto transits in hard aspect to his Neptune, Saturn and then Mars in Capricorn between now and 2023.

It’ll almost certainly defeat him but with some luck what follows might make a real difference.

Hillary Clinton’s younger brother Tony Rodham has died.  He was at times during Bill Clinton’s administration in the White House accused of “leveraging his ties” for his own business advantage though he also helped with her campaigning.

Born 8 August 1954 he led a fairly wandered life, known for his general consulting work but he was also a prison guard, a private investigator, a repo man, an investor and an insurance salesman. He was a Sun Pluto in Leo (slightly similar to Bill) with his Pluto trine Mars in Sagittarius so not exactly a flexible personality.

Like most (many) family relationships there were good crossovers and not so great ones between himself and Hillary. His Venus in Virgo sits comfortably with her Pisces Moon and his Mercury was trine her Jupiter with possibly his Sagittarius Moon conjunct her Jupiter; and his Jupiter trine her Venus.  But both are/were exceptionally strong personalities and with his Sun conjunct her Mars Pluto Saturn conjunction  he’d find her defensive; and his Saturn in Scorpio was conjunct her Sun bringing another barrier.

Their relationship chart has a composite supportive morale-boosting composite Sun, Jupiter, Mercury but Saturn was also close by – so it also points to the up and down quality of their connection.

She has tr Saturn just on the cusp of her 3^rd house which rules siblings at the moment (8 am birth time being accurate) which would make sense and confirm that time.

Katherine Schwarzenegger, eldest daughter of actor Arnold and JFK’s niece Maria Shriver, yesterday married actor Chris Pratt – Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame; Jurassic World 11 – in California. Hollywood gold. He’s been married before with one child. The bride sported a $400k engagement sparkler.

She was born 13 December 1989 6am Los Angeles; he 21 June 1979 4.31pm Virginia, Minnesota (both birth times astrotheme).

She’s a Sun Sagittarius with a home loving Moon Jupiter in Cancer; the constantly-changing triple conjunction of Uranus, Neptune, Saturn in Capricorn all conjunct Mercury; and an ultra-determined Mars in Scorpio widely conjunct Pluto, both in her 12^th if the birth time is accurate. Not an easy or a settled personality with a good deal bubbling below the surface.

He’s a Sun Gemini with a heated and stubborn Taurus Moon conjunct Mars (conjunct Algol). His Venus in Gemini in the intense 8^th opposes filmic Neptune and squares onto Saturn in Virgo  – undoubtedly creative and hard-working though also neurotic and critical.

His Venus and Sun fall in her 7^th house of close relationships which is perfect; with his Sun conjunct her Moon Jupiter which is also highly positive. His Venus in Gemini chimes with her Venus in Aquarius.  But it won’t be the most harmonious of matches since his Neptune is conjunct her Sun so she’ll find him tricky to pin down; and her Pluto is conjunct his Uranus so her possessive streak may cramp his style. And both have megaton Mars so there may be standoffs.

Their relationship chart has a showbizzy composite Mars trine Neptune sextile Pluto; a mutually supportive Sun sextile Jupiter and a needs-space Moon opposition Uranus.

The wedding chart has a head-in-the-clouds Sun opposition Jupiter square Neptune; and a truly difficult Mars opposition Saturn Pluto.

This one will take work to make it work.

Neil Woodford, a few years ago described as the rock star of pensions and fund management, has lost his mojo. After 23 consecutive months in which withdrawals from his fund has been greater than the new money coming in, Woodford closed it to withdrawals for 28 days, causing concern amongst the tens of thousands whose pension savings and investments are at risk. His flagship fund at its peak worth more than £10 billion has shrunk to about a third of that.

He was born 2 March 1960 and became renowned for his horse riding, Porsche driving and ostentatious lifestyle as well as his canny stock picks. He is a Sun Pisces opposition Pluto and trine Neptune, so has stratospheric ambitions. He has Fixed planets in all four signs –  an indulgent Taurus Moon opposes Neptune square either Mars or Venus in Aquarius with Mars opposition Uranus. Fixed signs are acquisitive, especially a Taurus Moon; a strong Uranus is impulsive; and a visionary Neptune can be delusional. Though they do bring stamina and endurance.

He’s on his Second Saturn Return at the moment which usually brings a reality check; and his Solar Arc Sun had been opposing his Neptune as the slide began. He’ll be in for jolts, jangles and high insecurity from this July as tr Uranus squares his Mars, off and on into 2020 by which time tr Uranus opposes his Neptune so it’ll be a long nerve-stretched run. Though he’ll pick up a head of steam from late February 2020 as tr Pluto squares his Jupiter/Pluto midpoint running into 2021.

His most recent companies, set up on 11 April and 9 May 2016 – both kicked off with the head-in-the-clouds Jupiter opposition Neptune square Saturn and Mars in Sagittarius – so the ingredients for a bubble-burst with multiple setbacks was there from the start and exacerbated since then by Neptune moving by transit and Solar Arc to close aspects to exact. Plus the 11 April company had the unstable Sun Uranus in Aries square Pluto, which is under heavy assault from tr Pluto exactly now.

If it sounds too good to be true in the money arena – it usually is.

One of the most high profile miscarriages of justice in the USA in recent times in 1989 was the Central Park Five – five underage black and Hispanic teenagers were charged with rape and attempted murder despite their DNA not being found on the victim; and confessions were coerced out of them. Trump took out a full-page ad calling for the death penalty. Republican commentator Pat Buchanan insisted that if only “the eldest of that wolf pack were tried, convicted and hanged in Central Park and the 13- and 14-year-olds were stripped, horsewhipped, and sent to prison, the park might soon be safe again for women.”

They were imprisoned and only set free when another rapist imprisoned for other crimes admitted to it 12 years later and his DNA matched. He said he was the only attacker. Michael Bloomberg, then Mayor of New York, resisted paying the five compensation but subsequently the next Mayor Bill de Blasio did agree.

A recent Netflix series When They See US has brought it back into the spotlight again.  The head prosecutor who oversaw the case and observed the police interrogations at the time was Linda Fairstein, now a crime novelist. In light of this recent publicity she has had her publishing contract withdrawn. Her wiki write-up contains another case in which malicious prosecution was alleged; and her part in not having Dominique Strauss Kahn charged with sexual assault in 2012.

Born 5 May 1947 Fairstein is a tough Sun Taurus square Pluto, with Pluto conjunct Saturn and her Sun most likely opposition a Scorpio Moon so very intense and stubborn. Plus she has a fairly brash Venus Mars in Aries with Venus opposition Neptune and trine Pluto, and Mars sextile Uranus and trine Pluto – she enjoys power and high excitement.

At the time of the rape the tr Uranus Saturn Neptune was in place in Capricorn and the tr Saturn Neptune were conjunct hr Solar Arc South Node exactly, which is fairly obscure but suggests something in the spirit of the times was playing on her inferior instincts. Tr Neptune Saturn was also square her Venus so she’d be emotionally upset.

This year she has tr Uranus in a jolting and unsettling square to her Saturn and tr Saturn square her Mars producing setbacks; with worries and concerns in 2020 from tr Neptune square her Uranus.

Trish Meili, the victim, 24 June 1960, who still suffers memory loss and some long-term damage from the attack which nearly killed her is reportedly unhappy about the Five being paid compensation since she says there was more than one attacker and supports the police.

Born 24 June 1960, she is a Sun Venus in Cancer which is part of a talented Half Grand Sextile from Neptune opposition Mars in Taurus, sextile trine Sun Venus and Pluto. When the attack happened the tr Uranus or Saturn Neptune in Capricorn may have been opposing her Cancer Moon; and her Solar Arc Neptune was on the apex of a Yod to her Sun Venus sextile Mars – so pulling on the fraught energy of that Half Grand Sextile involving Mars and Pluto.

She isn’t looking too happy this year with tr Uranus conjunct her Mars.

I’m not sure at what point the Trump ad or Buchanan rant came out but the USA justice system is worse than the UK’s (which can be exceedingly ropey in its own way) in allowing what would be contempt of court utterances to be sprayed around publicly prejudicing proceedings.

Dr John, the wild, wayout and hugely talented New Orleans musician, singer and songwriter has died. Though given his forty year heroin habit it’s a miracle he survived as long as he did. The Guardian obituary describes his ‘innovative, brilliant and at times unsettling synthesis of New Orleans musical traditions – jazz, funk, rhythm and blues – made by a man steeped in both the city’s culture and the darker side of life.’ ‘Singing songs about Louisiana voodoo thick with New Orleans slang and Creole patois, clad in a flamboyant Mardi Gras headdress and facepaint.’

Born 20 November 1941, his maternal grandfather sang and danced in minstrel shows and his father repaired sound equipment in the clubs around the city’s French Quarter. His son accompanied him, learned guitar and piano, and by the age of 14 was playing with local bands in bars and juke joints, sharing the stage with strippers and magicians. He lost a finger from a gunshot wound, intervening in a fight which meant he couldn’t play guitar and focussed on piano as his principal instrument. In his teens he picked up a heroin habit which at one point ended him up in the Fort Worth penitentiary in Texas. To support his habit he dabbled in pimping and petty crime and worked briefly as the assistant to a backstreet abortionist.

A life and a half.

He was a Sun Scorpio opposition Uranus Saturn in Taurus, so immensely stubborn with stamina, and with clearly all of Scorpio’s tendency to the dark side. His Uranus was  in a creative trine to Neptune; and his Mars in impulsive Aries was in a bull-headed trine to Pluto attracting him to risk as well.

His creative 5^th harmonic was exceptionally strong; as was his breakthrough/genius/exploring the unorthodox 13H. They don’t make em like they used to.

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The Cuba freeze is back on in earnest, upending Obama’s normalizing of relations in 2014 after 54 years of hostility. Trump’s slash-and-burn approach to anything his predecessor achieved has now resulted in further travel and other restrictions being slapped on. Not only is it contemptibly petty-minded, self-defeating and stupid as a policy driver, it’s downright pathological.

Cuba was given nominal independence on 20 May 1902 which gives a revolutionary Uranus opposition Pluto Mercury which sits very uncomfortably with the USA Mars in Gemini and indeed Trump’s Gemini Sun opposition Sagittarius Moon. The Cuba Mars in Taurus squares Trump’s Pluto and the Cuba late degree Taurus Sun squares Trump’s Mars – so all in all it was never going to be his favourite holiday destination.

The remainder of Trump’s term (first) look undermining for relations with tr Neptune square the Cuba Uranus and Mercury; and there are tough economic times ahead in 2022/23 with tr Pluto conjunct the Cuba Saturn.

Miguel Diaz-Carnel who took over as the first non-Castro President in decades on 19 April 2018 is seen as a continuity candidate having been deputy for some years under Raoul Castro. His term chart looks crises-strewn with an unstable, constantly-changing Sun Uranus in late Aries square Pluto with Pluto conjunct Mars and Mars conjunct Saturn – very unsettled    and high-risk with the potential for violence and sharp setbacks.

Diaz-Canel was born 20 April 1960, a few months before Obama so with certain similarities, but he isn’t a good match for Trump with their relationship chart having a power-struggling, one-upmanship T Square of Sun, Jupiter, Pluto; and a suspicious, highly strung Saturn Neptune square Uranus which is being challenged strongly till the end of this year.

English singer-songwriter Oritse Williams has been having a very up and down week, having been cleared of a rape charge in two hours by a jury that had been hanging over him for three years. And then seeing a house he owned go up in flames from arson. It had previously been owned by Ronnie Corbett and Williams didn’t live there. It was on the market for sale and vandals broke in shortly after his not guilty plea was handed down.

Born 27 November 1986, he has a complicated chart with a serious Sun Saturn in Sagittarius; his Saturn in a wobbly square to Jupiter in Pisces and his Sun square Mars in Pisces.  With a charming and passionate Venus Pluto in Scorpio. His Pluto has moved by Solar Arc at the moment to conjunct his Saturn now which is depressing and restrictive; with tr Uranus opposing his Venus exactly now as well for an emotional release and upset. His life will continue to rock n roll through this year with more mishaps to come but he’ll get his confidence back for a run of successes in 2020/21; though with some dips as well. Not a chart that’s designed for life on an even keel.

The ceremonial remembering of the 75th anniversary of the D Day Invasion of France on 6^th June 1944 by Allied Forces started today in Portsmouth with the Queen surrounded by 16 world leaders paying tribute to those who died.  It was the largest seaborne invasion in history, beginning the liberation of German-occupied France (and later western Europe) from Nazi control, and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.   It had been in planning for over a year with a decoy plan being leaked to the Germans to confuse them about the date and place of the landings.

The 6^th June 1944 had a brutal Mars Pluto conjunction in Leo sextile Uranus Venus so it well described a dangerous military exercise that could easily have gone the wrong way.  Tr Jupiter in Leo was exactly conjunct Uranus and opposition Pluto on the France chart giving it a better chance of success; and the Solar Arc Uranus was about to cross the France Ascendant exact within months for total freedom.

On the USA chart Uranus was on a full return with the Mars Pluto conjunct the US leadership Leo North Node as it took the lead. On the UK chart tr Neptune was in a highly-strung conjunction to the UK Uranus; with tr Jupiter moving through the hopeful 11^th to conjunct the UK Saturn within weeks as the invasion slowly made headway.

One of the many stories told of the day is of Bill Millin, Lord Lovat’s personal piper, who stepped off the landing craft into the water and marched up and down the beach playing his bagpipes to rouse morale, with soldiers dying all round him. The Germans later said they hadn’t shot him because they thought he was mad. A sculpture of him now stands in Normandy. He was the only piper there since they had been banned in England after too many pipers died in WW1.

He was born 14 July 1922 in Glasgow and was a Sun in Cancer with his Pluto and Mercury also in Cancer square Saturn Jupiter in Libra and trine Uranus – patriotic, creative, tough-minded, confident. On D Day, his Solar Arc Mars was exactly square his Saturn and North Node for high risk; and in the weeks following when he returned home unscathed tr Jupiter was trine his Uranus bringing elation and relief.