Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, is profuse in his apologies about not nailing down child abusing barrister John Smyth when his offences became known a decade ago. His “horrific” and violent abuse of more than 100 children and young men was covered up within the Church of England for decades, according to the conclusion of a damning report.
Smyth QC, who died aged 77 in Cape Town in 2018, was accused of attacking boys at his Winchester home who he had met at a Christian summer camp in Dorset during the 1970s and 1980s. Welby said Smyth had “manipulated Christian truth to justify his evil acts”. Smyth had also worked as a barrister representing morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse whilst he ran the camps for young evangelical Christians.
Welby, 6 January 1956, himself the product of a ‘messy’ childhood really should have known better. His own chart describes a ‘cruel treatment’ childhood with Saturn Mars in Scorpio square Pluto in Leo conjunct Jupiter in Virgo. He also has a vague, indecisive, spiritual Mercury opposition Uranus square Neptune (Moon) in Scorpio. He looks devastated exactly now with tr Pluto square his focal point Neptune and a shocking tr Uranus opposition his Mars also now with more eruptions and setbacks through 2025.
The Anglican Church, 3 November 1534 JC, is also at the moment facing both its Pluto Return and its Neptune Return – for which this wretched business is hardly likely to be a trigger event but it does suggest far reaching changes taking place.
Smyth, 27 June 1941, Calgary, Canada, was a Sun Cancer with a Half Grand Sextile of Mars in Pisces conjunct the South Node opposition Neptune sextile/trine Venus in Cancer and sextile/trine Saturn, Algol, Uranus in Taurus. Probably charismatic with Mars Neptune and Venus with a brutal streak from that Taurus collection. A likely Moon conjunct Pluto also would not help. Mother issues writ large with a Cancer Sun, Moon Pluto and the Black Moon hooked into Saturn, Algol, Uranus. Intriguing that the destructive segment of his chart with Algol, BML etc hooked into Welby’s Mars Saturn in Scorpio.
Across the water, the USA Roman Catholic churches abuse have paid out an estimated $4 billion in compensation to those abused by priests with 28 Catholic dioceses and three religious orders or thereabout so far filing for bankruptcy.
The Vatican chart, 7 June 1929 11 am Rome, Italy, is not showing as obvious signs as the Anglican Church for a complete renewal. But its 8th house Uranus in Aries is catching the recent October and next March’s Solar Eclipses – which would suggest financial and a psychological pressure for change. Tr Saturn Neptune in Aries is also poised to move into the Vatican 8th house of finances from 2026 for several years thereafter, to be joint soon by the SA Saturn which won’t help the money flow.
The Vatican out-of-element Grand Trine of Saturn trine Neptune trine Venus is also under stress with the outer three planets poised to change sign tugging on all three legs – tr Uranus square the Neptune, tr Neptune conjunct the Saturn and tr Pluto square the Venus in 2025. With tr Uranus conjunct the Midheaven in 2025/26 and square the SA MC also in 2025/26.
A change of direction will be on the cards, wished for or not, with financial disillusionment part of the package. Which may not all be about a bankrupt North American wing but it surely won’t help.
Religious institutions will be no less buffeted by the upcoming celestial changes than any other.
Though I am still puzzled about what it is that links religious beliefs (Neptune?) and sexual offences, especially involving children, and an underlying dislike of women.
Add On: Welby does look to be in meltdown with tr Pluto not only square his Neptune but also in an upending opposition to his Uranus. Interestingly Smyth’s Pluto is conjunct Welby’s Uranus so his underworld activities would have the capability of disrupting Welby’s life. Tr Uranus is also opposition Welby’s Mars in Scorpio for a massive ego-dent and shock. His perceived steadiness stemming from his immoveably Fixed Mars Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto Jupiter will make it difficult for him to let go. But if he does not resign now it won’t get easier through 2025 with tr Uranus still to square his Pluto and oppose his Saturn.
Welby’s relationship chart with Smyth has a composite Sun at 10 degrees Aries opposition Neptune suggesting illusion, delusion and ultimately disappointment. Intriguingly it is catching the recent Solar Eclipse and the coming March one – a challenging crisis.
ADD ON: Of interest – Welby was enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury on March 2013 but had sworn the oath a week previously on March 13th, the day Francis was elected Pope. Both the 13th and 21st charts have an explosive Mars Uranus in Aries catching the recent Solar Eclipse and the one next March. More pointedly both have two yods onto Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter on the point of a yod can have an effect on society and its values but over confidence and arrogance can bring the house of cards tumbling down. Perhaps more true in Welby’s case.
Western religion facing a joint crisis.
Welby’s support for the shamed head of the Post Office, involved in the Horizon scandal which sent innocent workers to prison and on occasion to their death because of a tech glitch, Paula Vennells, 21 February 1959, is all the more mysterious looking at the astrology. Her car-crash Mutable Grand Cross of a Pisces Sun opposition Pluto square Mars opposition Jupiter connects into/collides with Welby’s Fixed Mars Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto Jupiter. Their relationship chart has a differing-agendas composite Sun opposition Uranus. Plus an over-loaded, emotionally over-wrought, love-and-hate composite Venus opposition Mars Pluto. And a yod of composite Saturn sextile Jupiter inconjunct the composite South Node hinting at an association that pulled them back into their less evolved selves.
What a pile up.
Regarding Neptune and spirituality, remember that Neptune rules addiction, alcoholism and drug addiction. It’s why organisations such as Alcoholics Anonymous put an emphasis on faith in a higher power and why some reformed addicts turn to religion. The aching void that addiction leaves has to be filled somehow when the substance is renounced. With Neptune comes the lack of boundaries and the pull to merge with something greater. Justin Welby’s early childhood was chaotic since both parents were alcoholics which reflects in his focal point Neptune/Moon T Square. Moreover the man who he thought of as his biological father, Gavin Welby was in truth not his real father. When his parents divorced in 1959, the 3 year old was placed in the custody of Gavin Welby. In fact Gavin Welby became engaged to the actress, Vanessa Redgrave in 1960, the engagement eventually called off when Lady Redgrave wrote to Vanessa’s father, Sir Michael Redgrave, that Gavin Welby was “a real horror … a pretty rotten piece of work”. Gavin died from the effects of alcoholism in 1977.
Welby discovered his true paternity when he learned that his mother had had an affair with Sir Anthony Montague Browne, British diplomat and Churchill’s secretary prior to her marriage to Gavin. Curiously Browne also has a natal T-Square on Neptune in Leo, part of a fixed Grand Cross as well as (probably, since we have no tob) an Aquarian Moon opposition Neptune, plus a talented Kite formation focal point Neptune.
Fwiw, I have a friend who was born one day after Justin Welby in 1956. He shares that hardline Mars/Saturn/Moon in Scorpio. Describes himself as a ‘giddy goat’ Capricorn and was a roofer by profession. His father was a war hero, decorated for both World Wars and a ferocious fighter with Irish Traveller ancestry. My friend loathed his father, partly for his father’s brutishness and partly because of his violence towards his mother, driving her into a breakdown and openly cheating on her. He’s survived this hardship remarkably, naturally bright with Mercury in Aquarius, self-taught and very knowledgeable in war history, particularly history of WW2 and fiercely loyal with that Scorpio Moon in a happy long term relationship. But that Saturnian Scorpio stellium that both men have is a marker for a pretty hard childhood and a problematic, even brutal father figure.
Nice points VF
The Reformation chart for the beggining of Protestantism as a whole may be useful here; https://i0.wp.com/oxfordastrologer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/astro_2gw_189_reformation.36666.14001.gif
It feels like all organised religion, or at least Christianity is going to be affected by Pluto moving into Aquarius; the reformation chart has it’s moon on the first degree of Aquarius. Welby is an ex oil salesman, old etonian and very much not interested in the Christian values of protecting those with less power.
‘Though I am still puzzled about what it is that links religious beliefs (Neptune?) and sexual offences, especially involving children, and an underlying dislike of women.’ To me it’s not about there being a link between religion and sexual depravity, it’s about there being a link between ALL institutions that become too powerful in society being a magnet for monsters who thrive there – BBC, Government institutions, big NGO’s etc. And I am sure ther will be stories about mutinational companies, them being the new real power brokers in society.
The reflex response to most institutions to all types of internal problems seems to be to cover up, obfuscate, delay and deny. This can be seen in the Post Office scandal where the business preferred to see innocent people jailed than admit its own failures. Sexual predators are able to exploit this institutional response to enable them not only to carry their crimes but also to evade timely punishment for them. In the cases of child abusers they will actively seek out places such as schools, youth organisations, churches and sports clubs where they will find victims. These institutions are therefore constantly under attack from such bad actors and need to be fortified in ways that allows them to identify and repel such interlopers. The problem with such organisations as the Church of England is that they have been unable or unwilling to take such steps. One suspects that a proper profiling and a decent intelligence network would help in this process but too often various religious bodies have not done this basic work and when abuse has been identified they are too slow to respond as the Smyth case has made clear.
One day I will bump onto Marjorie’s opinion and experiences around Mercury and Venus squares to Neptune.
The astrologer Charles Carter said that Mars in hard aspect to Neptune “often produces cruelty of a subtle and even diabolic kind”, John Smyth had them in opposition right on his North/South Node axis with the Mars conjunct the traditionally unfortunate fixed star Scheat.
That configuration then trines his Moon conjunct Pluto (mother/women issues) in Leo. Carter again, said that Leo is the sign most often seen in religious horoscopes, particularly the Moon in that sign.
It seems to me as if the spiritual promise within Smyth’s chart was perverted by those negative aspects and afflictions. A particularly fated chart, perhaps.
This almost completely contradicts the thoughts in my previous comment ! Oh well, life is a journey.
On further reflection I don’t think it does contradict what I said further down, in fact I think the astrological analysis illustrates how the spiritual potential for goodness in a chart, eg, the Moon in Leo (Carter) can be affected and spoiled by other negative, even destructive, aspects, with the result of the potential for evil to occur.
Respectfully disagree- you look right across the board and it doesn’t matter which religion we are talking about – RC, Anglican, televangelists, gurus, Tibetan Buddhists and you will find a weird cross over between ‘spirituality’ and sexual and financial misdemeanours.
Thank you Marjorie. I’m still not sure it’s ‘spiritualty’ we’re dealing with, rather than any institution which children and young people are part of, eg, schools, orphanages, clubs, even families occasionally I’m sorry to say, and where predators or disturbed people can take advantage of their positions of power.
Just as there are many schools, orphanages and clubs where children are/were kept safe and treated well, the same is true of churches and religious associations.
I still think it is,
1. a problem of individual perpetrators and 2. the problem of a corrupt institution at either the micro or macro level.
Spirituality is such a universal part of human existence, I do not think there is in fact a link, except that to be spiritual is human and to behave badly is also human.
It is worth noting that both Welby and Paula Vennells, who as head of the Post Office saw innocent Post Masters sent to prison because she said she wasn’t fully aware of the situation, were both from “big business” backgrounds and fast-tracked through the C of E to senior roles. He supported her as a candidate for being Bishop of London. I read a quote, made before her downfall, where he was praising her input on various issues. Both putting the reputation of their employer (and their own) above their duty to protect the vulnerable from criminal behaviour.
“She also has an unyielding Saturn in Capricorn inconjunct Mars (maybe on the focal point of a yod involving a flamboyant, attention seeking Leo Moon) and trine Pluto, sextile Neptune. The yod with Saturn on the focal point sounds more than feasible since it always bring an element of karmic payback for failures of decency and responsibility.” – Marjorie on Paula Vennells, 26 May, 2024.
I noticed that on the chart for Justin Welby’s installation as AB of C, 21 March 2013, there’s Mars conjunct Uranus in Aries, sextile Jupiter in Gemini, and inconjunct Saturn in Scorpio. Another yod with Saturn on the focal point bringing karma? Uranus and Mars are also square Pluto in Capricorn for the AB of C line-up.
Thanks Jane. I had not realised Welby was ‘enthroned’ the same week Francis was elected Pope. What an uncanny coincidence.
Thanks for the added weirdery, Marjorie! Just to add to it a little – Henry VIII’s natal Moon is 10 Aries. Since he’s responsible for the Reformation, this may be relevant. Would England have embraced the Protestant faith at that time without Henry’s devices and desires?
On Astrotheme, there’s a natal chart for puritanical Oliver Cromwell contributed by Lois Rodden. It has Mars 10 Aries opposing Saturn 10 Libra. Jupiter at 15 Cancer would then oppose Welby’s natal Sun in Capricorn, and align with Henry’s Sun in Cancer. The accuracy of the chart is apparently in question, however it seems a curious coincidence.
Nick Campion’s chart for the English Republic, 1649 has the Sun at 7 Aries. As, I think, Hugh pointed out, clever ill-fated Thomas Cromwell was related to Oliver Cromwell via his brother.
Not sure what any of this might mean, but something is resonating through the centuries. An obvious possibility could be proposals for ridding the House of Lords of all those bishops?
I’ve just been reading Pope Francis’s condemnation of astrology in his General Audience on 25 September, discussed in the November/December 2024 issue of The Astrological Journal. I was saddened to read such a narrow minded and bigoted view of the subject, how can such an attitude help peace and understanding in these troubled times? It was not so long ago that the Catholic Church claimed they were the only true religion, yet recently this same Pope said he thought all religions lead to God. Perhaps he’ll change his mind about astrology in due course.
This in response to your last sentence Marjorie, not very astrological I’m afraid.
Perhaps our mistake when trying to understand the astrology with regard to these criminals is to give too much weight to the spiritual aspect. Essentially each one was an individual with a background and history of his own, each one opportunistically perpetrated abuse as to their inclination within a church which turned a blind eye. In other words on the one hand there is the criminal and his horoscope, on the other there is the C of E and it’s utter failure as the house of God, with it’s own horoscope presumably. Essentially, crimes committed within a corrupt institution.
I doubt that spirituality or faith come into this issue much at all except as rationalisations.
Both the abusers and the church are of the material human world not the spiritual.
Not sure if that makes sense but those are my thoughts on the matter.
On the contrary, it is all about the spiritual aspect. It is called evil. Liberal denial of its existence only strenghens it. Trump is a false Messiah and an Antichrist. Evil is rampant in this world.
I expect Francis to be the last pope. The Catholic church is far too corrupt to survive. No wonder the money will dry up. The 8th house is also about hell breaking loose.
I saw the Mexican film last night, Pedro Paramo, an adaptation of that country’s greatest novel. Mexico knows a thing or two about evil and money-loving priests. Now Latinos have voted for Trump.
Evil is indeed always with us, but that aspect of the spiritual was not the point I was making.
I was referring to Marjorie’s pondering how these criminal’s claim to be men of God might appear in their horoscopes.
Steve Bruce’s newish book ‘British Gods’ is a curious document on church in Britain. The idea of the book did strike me that it would be dull as dish water, I could not put it down, as it happened. Bruce uses a lot of statistics of church going in the UK from the British indigenous times to the resurgence of church from African and Polish migrants in recent times. The conclusion Steve Bruce draws, ‘The British have never liked going to church’. He states, “The British like things to be ‘nice’. Learning other people’s languages, for example, is not ‘nice’, so the British don’t do it. Church and its necessity for detailed learning are also not ‘nice’. So the British don’t do it.’. It is interesting that he alludes that ‘the British put on a good show’ but it is cosmetic. There is a dislike of detail, not because of laziness exactly, but the disturbance of interpersonal harmony between people that not ‘nice’ activities threaten. This was an ingenious observation to myself. I also learned that the creation of Church of England and Northern Ireland were response, again, to the imbalance between the believers and secular the British observed in France that led to the revolution. Protestantism was seen as less of a threat to the British Way, hence The Reformation of The Church. Finally, Bruce leads us to a fascinating conclusion, the British disliked church because it was imposed from the outside and in a foreign language, Latin, with a lot of complexity. All of which were not ‘nice’ for the British. And that Church was an imposed institution upon mystical poly-religiosity that Britain had before Catholicism and Protestantism. Hence the British never properly adopted Church. In other words, there was a religious and mystical diversity in Britain that was disturbed by Church. The Church was not a British entity so its demise is simply a return to the diverse religiosity and mysticism that the British had before. Secularisation is the removal of the imposition of Church as an artificial entity allowing the British to return to their own private Faiths. The conclusion is that the British are very Spiritual but not Religious. Cracking book.
I don’t know what to say to that. Britons don’t like things that are nice? What on Earth does that even mean? And how is learning languages not nice?
@Bartholomew Thank you for your contribution, I had a jolly good laugh, it is so true, the British do like things that are “nice”. Now I am racking my brains to think of the astrological connection, it probably involves Neptune with the capacity for dissimulation and looking the other way, I think I’ll buy the book.
Bartholomew, you say ‘I also learned that the creation of Church of England and Northern Ireland were response, again, to the imbalance between the believers and secular the British observed in France that led to the revolution’.
Not sure how you equate your comment above with facts, but King Henry VIII threw out catholicism when the Pope (catholic) refused to let him divorce his first wife. The French Revolution came much later and had nothing to do with the Church of England i.e. already being a Protestant country since the time of Henry VIII.
Prior to christianity, the British did have their own beliefs, which followed the natural cycles of the universe rather than those the church imposed (and were separated from those cycles) which were dictated by others wanting power over the people and did not follow the original principles.
Well, Christian churches not following natural cycles is not really correct, is it? There is a reason Christmas falls around Saturnalia and the winter solstice.
Thank you El Azner for your reply, ‘Well, Christian churches not following natural cycles is not really correct, is it? There is a reason Christmas falls around Saturnalia and the winter solstice.’
The reason Christmas falls the time of year it does is that Christianity wanted to stamp out the Winter Solstice and Saturnalia celebrations. They did not follow the natural cycle of the year in the Solstice, their intent was to impose their own event in place of the existing celebration, regardless of when it occured in that cycle.
Sorry but you are mistaken. Yes, the Church did want to eradicate pagan practices for obvious reasons, but as far as the date is concerned historians think that the 25th December was chosen as the day Christ was born most probably because it fell 9 months after the Spring Equinox (25th March in the Roman calendar) when it is thought Christ was conceived.
Plus the fact that the Winter Solstice was the day light was born again, ie, symbolising the birth of Christ the creator of light.
There is a marvellous scene in the third part of Wolf Hall just out depicting Cromwell’s introduction of the Great Bible in english. It was once considered heresy yet one man Henry decreed it to bring people onside. I honestly don’t think the english were ever into religion after the puritans.Too independent minded.
Religion is a disease that can’t be cured.
Abuser priests ,wolves in sheep clothing
Thanks Marjorie. I appreciate the write up.
Smyth’s Parans: Facies setting as Sun rises..”a piercing focus to the point
of ruthlessness.” Alphard on IC as Mars sets…”ruthless attitude to life.”
Altair on IC as Venus culminates…”One who is sexually & sensually oriented.
Nineteen people are strong in empathy and usually go into religion.
But in Smyth’s case his strong 19th Harmonic was polluted by malefics
which grouped together. Uranus, perversion, in 9th, religion, was
the focal point of his KITE, trailed by Jupiter, religion, ruler of children,
young boys in his charge in religous camp outs.
https://ibb.co/rtLmqBK
But where are the West in their secularism? Most are ‘eating because they are empty’ as one observer said in the media. They are on consumption and exhibitionism. The ‘hugging of their bricks and mortar, loving their houses more than their families’ comes to naught. A new Quaker book, The Living Fountain, puts it, ‘You can choose secularism and all the glittering importance of your looks, career, money, status, family, sex etc. But at the end of the secular life, and all things pass, we are left with ashes and memories and no spiritual preparation for death. The choice of the spiritual life doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy gifts coming our way but that we savour the moment more and don’t depend or hold onto the validation from the external and prepare for the spiritual. The West now seem to be completely material and heavily overweight and an this affects a lot of their young people who also seem to have a lot of emotional and psychological afflictions that seem quite new.
@ Francis,
I don’t know where you live but in America over the past 40-50years the health and wealth movement has taken over American churches and turned them into the temples of the moneychangers in the Bible–you know the ones that Jesus kicked out the Temple and don’t get me started on the Catholic church and its cover-up of abuse and victim blaming.
These churches have become businesses and that is why more people are becoming secular.
Add on to write that I spoke to my parish priest in person about the election. And he was gutted and devastated as well. Not all Catholics support T. He was in shock, as well. He said he will be writing up many weekly prayers for refugees, migrants and immigrants and for the country as a whole. He also said something that was helpful that I will keep in my heart—“there will be some days that WILL not be dark.” This is helping me already. Hope this helps others.
Thank you, Aim. I’m totally secular with no ties to a church and no longer consider myself Christian. However, just after her devout Catholic scuzzy bank manager and attorney persuaded my even more secular, never-Catholic mother to leave a quarter of her estate to the Catholic Church and I was extremely angry, I was assigned a story to write about Casa Cornelia. It’s a genuinely altruistic immigration law firm founded by two lawyer nuns who help the most desperate of the desperate, immigrant children and women needing protection from the violence and sexual violence forcing them to flee their countries. Those two women are the closest to saints I’ve ever met. I do believe that assignment was synchronicity, designed to help me find the saintly amidst the corruption. I’ve also encountered that same goodness and compassion amongst the folks at the progressive Episcopal cathedral in San Diego. Although so many individuals associated with religious institutions are utterly corrupt and money-grubbing, there is genuine goodness if you search for it.
I visited the Vatican last month and as a Catholic viewed my entire time in Italy as a pilgrimage. I have a Sag stellium in the 8th. I tend to always start my travels on the day of an eclipse. I guess I need that push or something…Seeing the Sistine Chapel and the Duomo in Orvieto was otherworldly. Ironically, I became disillusioned with aspects of the Church while there. I requested masses for my late father from within St. Peter’s —done at a booth a few feet from where St. Peter was thought to have been crucified and had to pay $20 euro. It felt so wrong to pay amidst such wealth. I hope payment is no longer required (I have to pay at my local parish too) and of course, I fervently hope that women can become priests during Pluto in Aq. Thanks.