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.