Month: January 2026

David Bowie has been graced with a documentary about his final years a decade after his death in January 2016 from liver cancer. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians ever, he constantly reinvented himself, being dubbed the “chameleon of rock”. And he influenced more musical genres than any other rock star, from glam rock, folk rock and hard rock, to electronic, industrial rock and synth-pop, to hip hop and indie rock as well as fashion. He “brought sophistication to rock music” and the intellectual depth of his work was frequently acknowledged. The BBC’s arts editor Will Gompertz likened Bowie to Pablo Picasso, writing that he was “an innovative, visionary, restless artist who synthesised complex avant garde concepts into beautifully coherent works that touched the hearts and minds of millions”.

 After his death the German government thanked him for his contribution to ending the Cold War division. His 1987 West Berlin concert near the Wall galvanized East Berliners to protest, chanting “The Wall Must Go,” and his iconic song “Heroes,” written in Berlin and inspired by love in the divided city, became an anthem for freedom.

  Born 8 January 1947 9.15 am, he showed musical talent early and was supported by a father who had unrealised dreams of being an entertainer. His schizophrenic half-brother was a substantial influence and introduced Bowie to modern jazz, Buddhism, Beat poetry and the occult. A significant proportion of Bowie’s extended family members had schizophrenia spectrum disorders, including an aunt who was institutionalised and another who underwent a lobotomy.

 He had a creative 12^th house Sun Mars in Capricorn sextile Jupiter in Scorpio in his far-travelled 9^th inconjunct Uranus in his 4^th. A yod apex Uranus would certainly indicate an unusual family of birth; and also a trailblazing spirit which allowed him to break down conventional barriers.  His Sun Mars were also square an 8^th house Neptune again pointing to an intergenerational legacy of a connection to other worlds, a deep well of creativity and an (unconscious) ability to project a mesmerising image.

 His 6^th house Leo Moon conjunct Saturn and Pluto made for a bleak emotional life certainly in childhood – and intense though unpredictable and changeable relationships in his adult life with Uranus demanding freedom when too much commitment was demanded.  

His second yod of Uranus sextile Pluto inconjunct his Sun Mars was fascinating given what a global and disruptive influence such a private man had.  

Long time since I looked at his chart – fascinating.

With a midheaven on his Gemini Sun Trump gave the order to extract Maduro at 10.46pm on January 2nd. When the mission landed at 2.01 am the midheaven was conjunct his secretive, duplicitous and double-dealing 12^th house Pluto. The swampy and ill-starred Neptune Saturn Scheat in late Pisces was prominent in both; and Uranus conjunct the destructive Fixed star Algol was also in play.

  His intention is to take over the country’s oil production for America’s benefit and to control the cheap oil supply that China, which buys 80% of Venezuela’s output, has relied on. Russia is a also a crucial oil partner. For Cuba it could be existential since it gets much of its oil from Venezuela and has thousands of paramilitary “advisers” stationed there.

 Analysts were doubtful that investors would rush to the country given decades of instability and the scale of the investment needed in Venezuela’s unconventional heavy oil sector. “The capital we are talking about is massive – billions of dollars in investments. This is not something American companies will be running towards just hours after an intervention.”   

  The lessons of Iraq are weighing heavily and Libya. Never mind the Vietnam quagmire.

 In his first term, Trump spoke of a pivot to the western hemisphere that would see the US switch focus to its own backyard from Greenland and the Arctic down through Canada to the Panama canal, and then Latin America and the Pacific. He sees drugs, migration, organised crime and political instability to the south not as foreign policy problems but as domestic ones with a foreign address.

  The Venezuela 22 September 1830 chart which has three stressed yods onto Mars, Saturn and Venus respectively  – with two of them colliding at the moment by Solar Arc. The SA Pluto from the leg of one yod (sextile Uranus inconjunct Venus) sparking off another yod of Saturn sextile Mercury inconjunct Mars. Sounds obscure but two configurations meeting like these usually points to a life-changing moment in time.  

 The late Virgo Venezuela Sun was triggered by the recent solar eclipse; and the early February 2026 solar eclipse will oppose the Saturn with the August Soar eclipse being conjunct the Saturn – all of which look depressed and tough going.

 The Venezuela Saturn is conjunct Trump’s Mars and Ascendant so may be a tougher nut for him to crack than his wild fantasies envisage. The Venezuela Sun falls in DT’s 2^nd house of money so no surprises there, though in final degree Virgo it flags up tr Neptune moving into DT’s 8^th house in opposition, not generally considered good for solid financial deals. The Venezuela Uranus opposes DT’s Pluto so there is potential for a major Trump upset. The Venezuela Jupiter Neptune in Capricorn parlay into DT’s Jupiter Neptune in Libra will magnify his over-hopeful streak.  The Venezuela Mars and Pluto falls in DT’s 8th – which does not suggest an easy partnership.   

  Of the other countries on his potential hit-list and this is only a cursory glance – Mexico and Greenland look most agitated vis a vis Trump. I will do South America later this week and Canada etc.

 But I would imagine/hope that his megalomaniac streak might start to dissipate after that Progressed Moon on his bully-boy administration chart starts to move away from the Inauguration Pluto Sun opposition Mars T square from spring 2026 onwards. Though the USA’s travails and nightmares will roll on into 2027.

  The US has attacked Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.  Attorney General Pam Bondi says he has been indicted in New York on drugs and weapons charges and  Secretary of State Marco Rubio anticipates no further action against Venezuela. Reports say that Maduro earlier this week wanted to reach a deal with Trump, which would have given him immunity from prosecution, allowed him to keep his vast wealth and significantly would allow the US to access Venezuela’s oil. No deal was made.

This morning, air strikes were finally launched.

Many share the fear that the attack and Maduro’s departure could trigger even greater destabilisation in a country already battered by years of political, economic and social crisis.

 There is not a great deal to add to previous posts except that the Venezuela 22 September 1830 chart appears to work better than the 1811 one which is in general use. It marks the second independence of the country from the Spanish. It has a final degree Virgo Sun (like France) which is being opposed and undermined by tr Neptune exactly now into February 2026; with maybe an early Sagittarius Moon in line for the tr Uranus opposition in 2026 or further on.

 Trump has a visceral dislike of Maduro with a composite Mars Pluto trine Saturn trine Jupiter with Saturn opposition Neptune. Though there is nothing too dramatic showing up on Maduro’s chart which might make me wonder if it is accurate.

  Trump does not interface well with the Venezuela 1830 chart either with a composite Uranus trine Saturn Sun sextile Mars Pluto.  His birth chart relocated to Venezuela puts his Mars closer to the Ascendant with tr Uranus square the Mars/Ascendant midpoint now and moving to square the relocated Ascendant by mid March 2026.  

 The Venezuela, 5 July 1911 chart would indicate turbulence ahead with the Solar Arc Uranus square the Pluto in 2026 so a people’s revolt or a coup might be in the offing.

 The attack described by Trump as “brilliant” happened around 2am this morning in Caracas with the pro-active Sun, Venus, Mars in Capricorn in the 3rd and the Saturn Neptune Scheat conjunction along with Nessus in the attention-seeking 5^th house – and divisive Uranus in the 7^th.

  It reminded me slightly of the Iraq Attack chart of 20 March 2003 which when relocated from Baghdad to Washington DC had the final degree Pisces Sun Mercury in the grandstanding 5^th , Mars in Capricorn in the 3^rd and Jupiter in the 9^th. Some similarities. And that did not end well.

 It is also exactly 36 years since Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega surrendered on January 3 1990 after the US invasion under President George H Bush and spent decades later in prison for drug trafficking and racketeering offences despite his previous longstanding ties with American intelligence agencies.

[See previous posts in Search: Venezuela – in Trump’s crosshairs 6th December 2025

Venezuela – a narco-terrorism target 17th September 2025]

Add On: Have put up chart for first oil strike. Will try to check it against highs and lows later.

In death as in life and the aftermath Jeffrey Epstein has/had an intriguing way of casting a sinister and lingering smokescreen over events. His misdeeds earned him a brief holiday-camp prison sentence. His legacy has left a swirling cloud of suspicion but as yet only the hapless (and unpleasant) Ghislaine has been nailed. And his death in odd circumstances has led to myriad conspiracy theories – was it suicide or murder or is he not dead at all?

 I am allergic to conspiracy theories, tending to lean towards incompetence and coincidence as a way of discounting them. But to have him taken off for suicide watch in prison, have his cellmate removed and the guards fall asleep, with the cameras down, does seem a stretch too far.

  Astrology is not a proof of anything but it seemed worth looking to see what was on his chart which I did not do at the time.

 What stands out is his Solar Arc Mars square his 8^th house Pluto exactly. That could be expected to turn up for either murder or suicide. Tr Uranus was exactly conjunct his IC suggesting an emotional upheaval and perhaps change of residence. Tr Pluto was exactly opposition his Mercury, pulling on his Cardinal T square of Mercury opposition Uranus square Saturn Neptune – and that certainly could suggest immense mental strain.

 Tr Saturn was just across his Ascendant pushing him gradually into a low profile few years, soon to form a bleak conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn also in his 1^st. And at the point of his exit tr Saturn was exactly conjunct his Chiron and opposition his Uranus which would produce tensions, perhaps at being closeted in a prison. His Solar Arc Sun was exactly conjunct his Moon (and Eris, star of discord) which would suggest a coming-together in his life and, leaving Eris aside, would not be depressing.

  I might have expected to see more flagged up on his Solar Return or his Lunar Return for that month. But apart from Saturn and Pluto in the 12^th in both there is nothing much to point definitively to any of the three scenarios.

  What does strike me, given that there was a reasonable possibility he could have got off in a trial because of an immunity agreement from earlier deal in Florida, was there might have been more at play in the background. He was not facing a hopeless situation of a long prison sentence ahead. But the murkiness around the origins of his money might well have brought other players into the scenario so he could have been in jeopardy for other reasons and decided to bale. Or the decision was taken out of his hands.  With the Solar Arc Mars square an 8^th house Pluto it would look likely to have been suicide or murder rather than an airlift a la Lord Lucan off elsewhere. But no doubt it’ll be fifty years before it all becomes clear.

China having pushed the Trump-tariff offensive to one side without blinking, is surrounding Taiwan in a simulation blockade and talking up China’s future role in global governance. Xi’s third five-year term of office expires in 2027 and he has given no hint that he has any intention to step down.

 The policy ahead seems to be relying on its export-led growth model in steel making and toy manufacturing and also future technologies, such as robotics and artificial intelligence.

But even as trade surplus hit $1tn in 2025 there are vulnerabilities in the domestic economy. ‘A prolonged property market slowdown has undermined local government finances, household sentiment and domestic demand, leading to deflation and falling wages. Policymakers are trying to balance keeping the country’s export machine running while issuing ever more debt to prop up the weakening domestic economy.’ The IMF’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, said that such a large country cannot survive on exports alone.

 The aim of the leadership is to build “an economic fortress”,  achieving self-reliance in everything from food to tech but keeping trade open for Chinese exports and to absorb foreign technology. It also plans to fortify its export machine by setting up factories in other countries. Its main focus is tackling the USA, on the assumption the EU will fall in behind.

     In addition to rare earths, another of China’s supply chain chokeholds from a western perspective are active pharmaceutical ingredients used to make medicines.

  Of all the relevant charts the most striking is the Bank of China, 1 December 1948, which has worked well in the past. It has a bubble-bursting tr Saturn Neptune square the Mars Jupiter conjunction in Capricorn this year and next (for Neptune) with the Solar Arc Neptune also rapidly approaching a conjunction to Mars Jupiter. All of that suggests a financial meltdown from over confidence or an unsustainable debt burden hitting crunch point. At the moment tr Neptune is in a nerve-stretched square to the Uranus so the cracks are beginning to show; with tensions erupting in a major way after mid 2026 into 2027.

 The China 1 January 1912 chart, no time, shows late 2027 into 2028 as fairly calamitous as the Solar Arc Uranus makes an explosive conjunction to the Mars in Taurus (so could be finance related or a conflict). Before then tr Uranus opposition the Jupiter mid 2026 into 2027 will provide a dash of luck.

 Relations with the USA this year will be edgy but the real friction will come in 2027/8 with tr Uranus conjunct the composite Mars. The EU is never on good terms with China and vice versa with a composite Mars Saturn at zero/one degree Pisces which is being rattled this year – so there will be flare ups. With Russia there will be moments of aggravation as Uranus moves into Gemini in April and continuing upheavals for several years ahead.

 Xi Jinping’s 3^rd Term, 23 October 2022 5.08pm Beijing, for all his trumpet blowing does look stuck with the Solar Arc Pluto closing the square to the Sun to exact within months – which could ramp up his need to be in control, but usually does not end well. Tr Saturn Neptune will also oppose the 6^th house Moon through 2026, hinting at a discontented populace and government workers, perhaps health issues.  

 His original presidency chart from 14 March 2013 11.51 am, hints at an unstable 2027 with sudden surprises sending him off course.   

His own personal chart, 15 June 1953, with his Mars at zero degrees Cancer assailed by tr Saturn Neptune in square and his Solar Arc Saturn Neptune in opposition to his Mars throughout 2026 does not look progressive and successful, anything but.

 A stray thought – the China 1912 chart and the EU and UK all have a 9 degree Capricorn Sun which will not appreciate the tr Neptune square in 2029. No great conclusions and not warlike, just droopy.  

The Switzerland night club fire has claimed at least 40 lives with over a hundred injured, many with third degree burns, though it could take days or even weeks to be sure of the numbers.

  It broke out at 1.30am in Crans, Switzerland, on January 2026 with Jupiter in Cancer conjunct the Midheaven (as was the case for 9/11) indicating the expansive planet’s propensity for turning up at disasters as well as successes. There was a high vitality Sun, Mars, Venus in Capricorn which suited an entertaining night out for the young; with the unfortunate and worrisome Saturn Neptune Scheat in the 6^th house of health; and a shattering Uranus Algol as well as a Gemini Moon in the 8^th all in an unsettling trine to Pluto in the 4^th – the last hinting at a trapped environment.

 The Switzerland 12 September 1848 12.55pm Bern chart has a yod of Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct Mars Venus in Libra on the apex which will be undermined soon by tr Saturn in opposition and then tr Neptune, but not exactly at the moment. So either the repercussions will take time to sink in, or this is one of these events which presages major events to come for Switzerland which will put it on a new trajectory.  The Switzerland Solar Arc Mars in final degree Pisces is catching the tr Neptune Scheat in opposition exactly now which does hint at disasters; and Nessus is square the SA Sun exactly as well. Three accident-prone Mars midpoints are being triggered.

 The recent September solar eclipse at 29 degrees Virgo was highlighted for Switzerland – with Pluto on the Midheaven and Uranus on the Ascendant, and being triggered at the moment by tr Neptune Scheat in opposition to the eclipsed New Moon. So that fits regrettably. What a horror.

Tiger Woods has turned 50 still recovering from multiple injuries sustained in two car crashes, and a recently  ruptured Achilles tendon plus his seventh back surgery last year to replace a disk in his lower back that caused pain and mobility issues. He hasn’t said whether he intends to play on the Senior PGA Tour. Last month he said he had only recently started putting and chipping and wasn’t close to being able to take full swings.

 In the 2021 car crash, he had multiple “open fractures” to his lower right leg, with a rod placed, screws and pins inserted during emergency surgery. He later said that surgeons nearly had to amputate his right leg.

  Born 30 December 1975 10.50pm Long Beach, California, he has a 4^th house Capricorn Sun square a super-confident Pluto in his 1^st opposition Jupiter in Aries so there is no doubting his ambition,  He has Mercury in Capricorn in his sporting 5^th house opposition Saturn in wannabe-important Leo with his Saturn in a can-be-autocratic square to Uranus and trine a charming Venus in Scorpio.

  His Sagittarius Moon on his IC (opposition Mars) was triggered at both his car crashes. In February 2021 his Solar Arc Uranus was conjunct his Moon exactly with his Midheaven and SA MC being assailed by tr Neptune and tr Uranus. The November 2009 crash occurred when tr Uranus was square his moon and IC.

  At the moment he has tr Jupiter crossing his 10^th to boost his confidence, though his Solar Arc Sun into his 6^th and his SA Uranus into his 4^th since the last crash will have changed his perspective. Tr Pluto now moving through his 5^th will give him a desire to be still seen as a ‘player’ in whatever scene he choose to perform. But a slow moving yod of SA Sun sextile SA Uranus inconjunct his Saturn over the next four years may leave him in a quandary about what his strategy and gameplan should be.

 A Scorpio North Node which he has. brings tough lessons about leaving the past behind.