Eubank v Benn – fighting within the family

Chris Eubank Jr versus Conor Benn tonight has boxing fans enthralled as the bitter rivals face up to each other 35 years after their respective fathers punched it out with Eubank Snr emerging the winner.

 The Juniors were due to fight two and a half ago but that was cancelled at the last minute because Benn failed two drugs tests.

 It is all the more tense since Conor Benn has an undefeated record to defend and has publicly said his father does not support him.

 Just to add to the family spirit the promoter is Eddie Hearn whose father Barry is also prominent in the world of sports management.  

Chris Eubank Jnr, 18 September 1989, is a fiery Sun Mars in Virgo in a volatile square to Uranus, Saturn, Neptune in Capricorn with a seductive Venus Pluto in Scorpio – quite a personality.

 His father Chris Eubank Snr,  8 August 1966, a Sun Leo square Neptune has his Saturn in Pisces opposition Conor’s Sun Mars which is an aggravated chemistry, with Junior constantly feeling thwarted by father’s criticism.  Their relationship chart has a similarly fractious composite Mars opposition Saturn; with a power-struggling for the upper hand composite Jupiter square Pluto.

 Conor Benn, 25 September 1996, Greenwich, England, is a Sun Libra opposition Saturn in Aries square Jupiter in Capricorn; with the Sun sextile Pluto and trine Uranus in a talented Half Grand Sextile. And Venus and Mars in Leo.

 His father Nigel Benn, 22 January 1964, has a fiery Sun Mars in Aquarius which is opposition his son’s Mars; and his Saturn in Aquarius is opposition his son’s Venus. There will be a few arguments and rough edges but their relationship chart has softer aspects that the Eubanks.

Eddie Hearn, 8 June 1979, is a Sun Mercury in Gemini opposition Neptune and trine Pluto; with Mars and Venus in Taurus opposition Uranus Moon in Scorpio and Jupiter in Leo. Super-ambitious, oodles of endurance and perseverance, stubborn.

 His father Barry, 19 June 1948, another Sun Gemini though in his case conjunct an independent-minded Uranus and in a lucky, risk-taking opposition to Jupiter. Plus Saturn Pluto in Leo which will clash at times with his son’s Fixed Taurus/Scorpio opposition.

 Their relationship chart shows a tight and controlling Sun Venus square Pluto and an exuberant Mars square Jupiter. As long as they are not in competition it will be sort of OK.

Virginia Giuffre – a tragic life ends badly

Virginia Giuffre who accused Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse, has apparently committed suicide. Relatives said in a statement on Friday that she had been a “fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse”, and that the “toll of abuse… became unbearable”. She was one of the most outspoken accusers of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, alleging they trafficked her to the Duke of York when she was 17, which Prince Andrew has strenuously denied.

 Born 9 August 1983 5.52 am Sacramento, California, she had an upbeat Leo Sun on her Ascendant along with a Leo Moon. But her chart also had Mars in Cancer in her 12th in a square to Saturn Pluto in late Libra conjunct her IC describing the abuse and cruelty she suffered in childhood and afterwards.

See previous post 4th April 2025: Virginia Giuffre & Prince Andrew – both in crisis.

“Aged 7 she was molested by a family friend, ended up living on the streets as a 13 year old, then in foster homes, was abused by a 65-year-old sex trafficker, who was later imprisoned for alien smuggling for prostitution. She returned to live with her father aged 14, who was a maintenance manager at Mar-a-Lago. She met Ghislaine Maxwell there when she was 16 and was offered a job working for Epstein as a traveling masseuse with the assurance that no experience was necessary. Between 2000 and 2002, she travelled between Epstein’s residences in Palm Beach and Manhattan, his New Mexico ranch  and island Little Saint James, being trafficked, she said in her autobiography, by Epstein to provide massages and sexual services for him and a number of his business associates over a two-and-a-half-year period.”

 Her 22 year marriage to martial arts trainer Robert Giuffre with whom she had three children appeared to have split this year with some evidence she was distressed at being separated from her children. She married at 19 only ten days after meeting her prospective husband which allowed her to escape Epstein’s clutches.

  Tr Uranus was exactly square her Moon at the moment for an emotionally upsetting period continuing on from last year; with her Solar Arc Sun square her 5th house Neptune for disappointment and uncertainty.  Tr Uranus was also in hard aspect to her Neptune/Pluto midpoint and her Saturn/North Node – which would bring maximum confusion and high tensions. Her Solar Arc Saturn Pluto had also recently been square her Venus for emotional loss and challenges.

 Her Progressed Moon moving through her 7th and tr Saturn through her 8th both point to her feeling the lack of a partner’s support keenly. 

 Australia was not her best place to live since it put her deprived Saturn Pluto in her 8th, her Moon in the 6th house of delicate health; and Neptune on her Midheaven.

   He relationship chart with Prince Andrew has a composite Sun Uranus conjunction in Libra catching the recent Solar Eclipse in opposition with the late September Solar Eclipse being conjunct – so the tremors will extend on. There is also a composite Sun conjunct Algol; and an ominous yod of Neptune sextile Pluto inconjunct Mars which would bind their destinies together for good or in this case for ill.

 He has tr Uranus less than a degree over the opposition to his Scorpio Moon and with SA Pluto still conjunct his 4th house Neptune – for an emotionally troubled few months with domestic and family uncertainties.

 Lady Victoria Hervey,  6 October 1976, London, a staunch supporter of Prince Andrew, has been heavily criticised after suggesting Virginia Giuffre’s death was due to her ‘lies catching up’. She is a socialite and model, with a Sun Pluto in Libra which is in the line of fire of the recent Aries Solar Eclipse and the autumn Libra one as well. Her Neptune is conjunct Andrew’s Moon for a delusional glow of appreciation.

Kashmir – a beautiful conflict zone

A deadly attack on civilians in Indian-controlled Kashmir has threatened to reignite one of Asia’s longest-running conflicts after New Delhi blamed the violence on Pakistan, which aroused fears of a renewed confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Twenty-six people were killed and 17 wounded on Tuesday when suspected militants opened fire in a scenic tourism destination which India blamed on Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based armed group, though Kashmiri secessionists claimed credit.  There has already been an exchange of fire on the border and India has suspended a major treaty governing water sharing of six rivers in the Indus basin between the two countries.

 Kashmir has been a point of contention since the violent partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 and there have been several conflicts over the decades as tensions erupted into the open.

 Pakistan declared independence at 9.30 am on 14th August 1947 and India at midnight going into the 15 August 1947 so both have relatively similar planets placings though in different houses. Most notably at the moment their Mars at zero degrees Cancer will be on edge as tr Saturn squares the Mars from June 10th onwards, joined at intervals by a retrograding tr Neptune square into 2026 and until early 2027 – bringing aggravation and then a sense of failure.

 Pakistan has their Mars in an explosive, excitable conjunction with Uranus sitting at their midheaven so it will affect their direction over the next two years – and with tr Saturn Neptune in Aries moving through their 7th, neighbourly squalls were to be expected.

 India has its Mars Uranus in its financial 2nd house so there may be economic repercussions.

 Both countries were ‘born’ when the tough-minded, enduring and super-stubborn Saturn Pluto conjunction in Leo was in place with Venus, Sun and Mercury also in Leo and Jupiter in Scorpio – very Fixed and unbudgeable.

 Both also have Neptune in Libra catching the recent Solar Eclipse and the late September Eclipse, hinting at a need to choose between greater understanding or self-deceit – with the latter being the more likely.  Pakistan has its Neptune in the 1st for a tricky-to-pin-down image. India has its Neptune in the 5th possibly a reference to its inclination towards speculation.

  India is much more money-minded and to a degree inward looking with a lower hemisphere chart. Pakistan is independent with a left hand chart but has more connections elsewhere.

 Mars Pluto looms large on Narendra Modi’s chart, the India prime minister. Born 17 September 1950, no verified birth time, he is a Sun, Mercury, Saturn in Virgo; with Mars in Scorpio square Pluto on one side and square Jupiter in Aquarius on the other. At the moment his Solar Arc Uranus is conjunct his Sun for an unsettled year with sudden changes, and his Solar Arc Pluto (square SA Mars) is catching the tr Pluto square – so will be in a belligerent mood.

 Modi’s Third Term chart, 9 June 2024, has a close ruthlessly determined Mars in Taurus square Pluto in Aquarius which is catching this weekend’s tr Pluto opposition Mars exactly, repeating till the end of the year. So he won’t back down.

 The Pakistani leader General Asim Munir has varying birthdates – 1968 or 1966. His administration chart, 29 November 2022 has an excitable Mutable T Square of Mars opposition Mercury square Neptune Jupiter in Pisces which is not at the best of times overly steady and will be undermined by tr Neptune Saturn conjunct the Jupiter this year and into 2026.

 If he was born 6 June 1966 10.15pm Rawalpindi, as one astrology site suggested, then he is a Sun Mars in Gemini square Uranus Pluto in Virgo with his Solar Arc Mars catching the tr Pluto opposition now.

  The Kashmir Accession chart, 27 October 1947 when it was handed to India, has a Mars, Pluto, Saturn conjunction in Leo; which has moved with the Solar Arc Mars conjunct the Scorpio Sun at the moment. Though much has changed in the interim 80 years.  

Mars Pluto – choosing how to channel raw power

Mars opposition Pluto which has been a constant and baleful celestial presence since late last October meets its final aspect exactly this Sunday but will hang around in effect for a few days after since the Taurus Sun will hook it into a Fixed T square.

 As above so below. Not only does Mars Pluto in hard aspect tend to accompany certain types of events – see previous posts, Pluto – adding power to energy 7th April 2025; and Mars Pluto – testing courage and confidence 7th April 2025 – it also marks those born under its influence.

[The brewing trouble between India and Pakistan over Kashmir being a case in point – with the Kashmir Accession Signing of 26 October 1947 having a Mars Pluto conjunction with Saturn close by – of which more anon tomorrow.]

 Mars Pluto has an ominous reputation being often connected to ruthless, if not downright criminal behaviour – Richard Nixon and Ho Chi Minh exhibited its do-or-die determination.  Though it can have a more productive outcome giving courage and determination in the face of danger as with astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Mahatma Gandhi.

 With women, it can produce either a submissive temperament and/or a tendency to attract bullying behaviour from outside – poor little JonBenet Ramsay, (mini-murdered beauty queen), Tippi Hedren (bullied by Hitchcock whose Venus was conjunct his Mars/Pluto midpoint). Ian McKellen, born in 1939, spent his early years in wartime conditions which left their mark in a Mars opposition Pluto. Actor Patrick Stewart who grew up with an abusive father has a Mars Pluto conjunction.

 In the Mars Pluto opposition column there are a mix of personalities – some pushy, others finding another outlet for their compacted anger – Bruce Lee, Russell Brand, Woody Allen, Michel Barnier, Justin Trudeau, Rush Limbaugh – as well as Prince Edward, Prince George, Mary Shelley, Cindy Crawford.

 Amongst the Mars Pluto conjunction types – Hillary Clinton stars, as does Paul McCartney, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cher, Ringo Starr, George Michael and the tragic Natalie Wood.

  The most glaring and negative example of Mars Pluto in conjunction was Nero, 15 December 37 AD JC 7.30am Anzio with Mars Pluto Sun conjunct in Sagittarius and admittedly square Saturn which doubles up on the nastiness. The litany of his crimes including the murder of his mother, wife and brother plus a fair few extras and demonstrate the damage an afflicted Mars Pluto can do when allowed to run rampant.  

  Mars Pluto squares – Muhammad Ali, Genghis Khan, Oprah Winfrey, Harvey Weinstein, Andrea Bocelli, Roman Polanski, Martin Scorsese, Justin Bieber.

  Different personalities but all determined, some finding positive outcomes for the demon which drives them and others taking the low road.    

Liz Hurley & Billy Ray Cyrus – a curious match

Liz Hurley has sent the gossip columns into a flutter as she announces an unlikely romantic hook up with three times married plus plus country singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus, who performed at Trump’s second Inauguration.

  Having had four well-publicised partnerships with Hugh Grant, Steve Bing, Arun Nayar and Shane Warner,  she seemed in recent times to have settled to maternal status squiring her son (and clone) Damian.

Billy Ray Cyrus, 25 August 1961 5.52pm Bellefonte, Kentucky, has had an even more chequered emotional life with three marriages, several children in and out of marriage, and his final match in 2023 with Australian singer Firerose lasting less than a year with accusations flying in both directions.

He is a controlling Sun Pluto in Virgo with Pluto on the cusp of his 8th conjunct Mercury and Mars also in his 8th in Libra, so a heavyweight personality. His Moon is final degree Aquarius conjunct his South Node opposition a 7th house Uranus which perhaps explains his changeable (needs freedom) relationship life.  He also has Venus in Cancer opposition Saturn Jupiter in Capricorn.

 Quite a contradictory temperament.

  Liz Hurley, 10 June 1965 London, no birth time, is not an obvious match though her Sun Mercury in Gemini and her Venus in Cancer all fall in his fun-loving 5th house and her easy going Jupiter in his domestic 4th house.  But her Uranus conjunct his Pluto Mercury with her Saturn in opposition; and her Mars Pluto falling in his 8th house do suggest tumultuous undercurrents. Her intense Scorpio Moon will not sit comfortably with his Aquarius Moon.

 Their relationship chart has an enthusiastic composite Mars opposition Jupiter and an ethereal, illusory Venus trine Neptune sextile a constantly changing Uranus Pluto.

  Unless the birth dates are wrong it hardly seems a match made in heaven.

Pic Instagram.

Jerome Powell – flying the flag of independence

Alarm bells are ratcheting up to defcon level amongst the money men as Trump threatens to take down Jerome Powell, Chairman of the heretofore independent US Federal Reserve. Since his tariff ‘policy’ boomeranged he needed someone else to blame.  The Trump playbook adopted at the feet of Roy Cohn, a McCarthyite and corrupt lawyer, is ‘always be on the attack, to counterpunch whenever punched and to never apologize.’

‘Any move to undermine the independence of the Fed, which manages inflation and has a mandate to support full employment, will spook financial markets.’ ‘The president’s comments have already rattled investors, after his sweeping global trade tariffs roiled markets, sending global equities sharply lower and causing the price of oil to fall below the $60-mark.’ The dollar is down to a three year low and gold is up. ‘With a week to go, April is turning into the worst month for the US stock market since the 1930s Great Depression. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Dow Jones Industrial Average is headed for its worst April performance since 1932.’

  Jerome Powell, 4 February 1953, has said he intends to stay till the end of his term in 2026 and there is apparently no constitutional mandate for a president to remove him. He is a steady Sun Mercury in Aquarius opposition Pluto with his Sun Mercury square Jupiter in Taurus so not easy to budge; with a determined Uranus square Neptune Saturn; and an enthusiastic Venus in Aries conjunct Mars in Pisces. His Solar Arc Sun is opposition his Saturn now and his Solar Arc Uranus is opposition his Mars – discouraged and agitated. His midpoints hint at turmoil and disappointment all this year into 2026.

 His relationship with Trump is essentially aggravated with a composite Mars square Saturn as well as distrustful. Gripes and groans, snipes and snarling will go on through May and June and across the summer and beyond.

  Trump’s relationship chart with the Federal Reserve Bank, is also inherently hostile with a composite Mars opposition Uranus square Saturn Pluto – and they don’t come much worse than that. 2026/7 looks even more fraught than at the moment.

  On Trump’s chart, tr Neptune is just into his 8th house of joint finances to stay for many years which points to flawed financial judgement, evasion, can bring uncomfortable secrets into the open – not helpful where handling money is concerned. Tr Pluto is also just into his 6th house of health and work which can bring tensions and power struggles with workmates over differing methods as he insists he is right. It also puts strain on health if not handled sensibly.

 His Lunar Return from April 17 for a month has a grandstanding Pluto in the 5th opposition Mars square an 8th house financial Sun; with uncertainty in relationships and cooperative ventures. The Lunar Return from 14 May for a month has an ominous Mars in the 8th opposition Pluto which looks completely trapped; though a 5th house Sun and Uranus won’t calm his attention-seeking urges. Plus the unknown shock of tr Uranus square his natal Mars running April 28 to May 13 for the final time.

 The US Federal Reserve, 16 November 1914 9am Washington, DC, is moving into troubled times with an undermining tr Neptune Saturn square its Saturn Pluto in Cancer from the final days of this April right through till January 2027. Tr Uranus will also oppose its Mars through 2026 into early 2027 which will bring insecurity, sudden shocks and high tension.

  The USA country chart also has tr Neptune Saturn square the financial Venus in 2026 which suggests losses and disappointment where money is concerned; with a further dip in confidence as tr Saturn and then Neptune square the US Jupiter in 2026/27.

Previous posts:

Trump tariffs – a shoot self in foot decision 3rd February 2025

Trump’s Tainted Touch – SCOTUS, Netanyhu, Fed Reserve 19th March 2025 

Stock Markets in shock as tariffs loom 31st March 2025

Trump tariffs – sound the trumpets for a disaster? 3rd April 2025

Australia election – waiting for inspiration

Australia looks uncertain as it heads for a May 3 election with polls showing 47% of voters on the fence. The day itself will be every bit as fraught as the Canada election with the Mars in Leo opposition Pluto square the Taurus Sun in place for maximum frustration and divisive intensity. Uranus will be exactly conjunct Algol and Saturn close to Scheat.

 Though tr Saturn will clear the discouraging, indecisive square to the Australia country chart Neptune opposition Mercury Jupiter just as polls open and the Mars Pluto will gradually wane in the aftermath.

The choice is between Anthony Albanese and his Labor government and Peter Dutton leading the Coalition opposition.

Anthony Albanese, 2 March 1963, is a Sun Pisces opposition Uranus Pluto in Virgo possibly square a Gemini Moon – flexible, changeable, difficult to pin down. With a serious Mercury Saturn in Aquarius in a keen-to-do-good square to Neptune which in turn is in a publicity attracting square to Mars in Leo. Half Fixed and Half Mutable, lacking in Cardinal planets which give initiative.

 Tr Jupiter is square his Jupiter immediately after the election which will be a fleeting moment of cheer. He’ll be rattled perhaps by global events  late May and first half of June; and on a successful run in the second half of June to early July, which repeats in November and early 2026. But further into July and onwards he looks trapped and infuriated.

 Peter Dutton, 18 November 1970, is a charming, determined Sun, Jupiter, Venus in Scorpio in an up-and-down opposition to Saturn in Taurus; with a volatile, impulsive Mars Uranus conjunction in Libra.

 Just to be really unhelpful to astrologers looking for answers he has over the election tr Pluto square his Sun/Uranus midpoint and his Mars/Jupiter midpoint and opposition his Mars/Saturn midpoint. The first could go either way sending his life onto a new track. The second spells success and luck. The third indicate setbacks and calamities and a definite loss. In May he’s looking stuck and confused.

The usual mish mash of maybes and mights.  Both look less than thrilled in 2027/28 whatever is going on – facing mountainous obstacles and not making much headway.

Pope Francis – hope for a kinder future ++ Rome chart

Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope, a vocal champion of the world’s poor, dispossessed and disadvantaged, and a critic of corporate greed and social and economic inequality has died. He was a divisive force within the Vatican speaking out against extravagance and privilege, calling on church leaders to show humility. ‘His views riled significant numbers of cardinals and powerful Vatican officials, who often sought to frustrate Francis’s efforts to overhaul the ancient institutions of the church. But his compassion and humanity endeared him to millions around the world. His death is likely to exacerbate sharp divisions within the curia, with conservatives seeking to wrest control of the church away from reformers.’

  His death came at 7.35 am this morning after a respiratory crisis in February that developed into double pneumonia; and he already had chronic lung disease with part of one lung removed as a young man.

 He died at the exact moment Pluto was conjunct the Moon and the Midheaven with Algol exactly conjunct the Ascendant and Uranus. Amazingly precise.

  Born 17 December 1936 9pm Buenos Airies, Argentina, he had a Sagittarius Sun and Jupiter in his hard-working 6th house with progressive, reforming Uranus in his 10th square Pluto on one side and Venus Moon in Aquarius on the other. His Sun was in a compassionate, idealistic square to Neptune opposition his Saturn in Pisces on the cusp of his religious 9th house. His Mars in Libra in his outspoken 3rd house was square Pluto giving him courage and determination.

 He died as his Solar Arc Midheaven was passing over his Pluto and tr Saturn was one degree past the square to his Sun – and tr Jupiter was just into his 12th house of peace and contemplation.

 His election chart, 13 March 2013 7.06pm had a Jupiterian yod inconjunct Saturn sextile Pluto so had the capacity to change society for the better. Transiting Jupiter was almost conjunct the Solar Arc Jupiter as he passed, amplifying his record; with tr Saturn having been square recently.  More significantly tr Neptune was exactly conjunct the Mars and the Solar Arc Venus for disappointment and loss.

 Tr Jupiter was moving across the Vatican 10th when he was elected hinting at a time of promise ahead. But his natal Saturn in Pisces opposition Neptune was square the Vatican Gemini New Moon suggesting his compassion and criticism would not go down well.

 The Vatican, 7 June 1929 11 am Rome, is moving into a ferment of change with tr Uranus aiming to conjunct the Jupiter and Midheaven and square the Neptune through June into July.

See previous post: Pope Francis – facing Saturnine realities 20th February 2025.

Add On. The original Rome chart of 21 April 753 BC JC seems to work well against the sacking in 401 AD by the Visigoths and another sacking in 1527 and its liberation by Allied troops in 1944.

Turner, Caravaggio – healing madness + Audubon

JMW Turner, the pre-eminent English painter, was born  250 years ago this week. He is hailed as the father of modernism though other say he was a classicist prone to wild exaggeration.

 He was born 23 April 1775 at 1.10am in London,  Cockney son of a barber with an angry, impatient, violent mother who died in a Hospital for Lunatics when he was 19.

  One critic described him as ‘unbalanced to the point of madness, cussed and ungovernable, weird and creepy.’ His mother is given as a reason for ‘his tearing up of the rule book, his arrogant disregard of the laws of technique, composition and method, his ecstatic worship of what others view as nothingness.’

 ‘On paper, it is landscape art, but in reality it constitutes a delve into deep and melancholy fissures of the psyche: a swirling madness that found release and a safe way to emerge in paint.’

 He had an earthy, rooted Taurus Sun at odds with a likes-to-shock Aquarius Moon; and had two talented Grand Trines, one Earth and one Air. His Jupiter Venus in Taurus was trine Pluto trine Neptune in Virgo in the 8th; and an Air Grand Trine of Moon trine Uranus in the 4th trine Saturn in Libra.  Practical, rooted in nature and a thinker and communicator.

  A strong 8th house could be the intergenerational trauma inherited from his mother. He lived with his father for thirty years in his adult life, though formed a relationship with his housekeeper and died of cholera when he was in his 70s.

 Interestingly his Mars in Leo was inconjunct his Pluto as was the case with the Italian artist Caravaggio whose realistic, religious paintings could not have been more different. Born 29 September 1571 JC in Rome he also (probably) had an Air Grand Trine of Aquarius Moon trine as Libra Sun trine Neptune in Gemini. He was known as ‘a violent, touchy and provocative man’, continually involved in brawls and running from the authorities; perhaps veering towards madness. He died aged 40 either from fever, syphilis or was deliberately killed.

 Another artist born in late April was bird painter JJ Audubon, 26 April 1785 in Haiti. His major work, a colour-plate book, The Birds of America is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. He had a Taurus Sun and an Air Grand Trine of Venus in Gemini trine Pluto Saturn in Aquarius trine Neptune in Libra.

  I am intrigued by the Mars inconjunct Pluto in Turner and Caravaggio’s chart. A previous post on garden designers –

Piet Oudolf – gardens to soothe the soul ++ inconjuncts – healing 12th harmonic 8th April 2024

suggested that inconjuncts, reflected in the 12th victim/healer harmonic, is a healing aspect. Which may have been true with Turner. The 150 degree angles are constantly trying to find a way of merging incompatible elements to reduce discomfort.

 The Mars inconjunct Pluto natally turns out as a Mars Pluto conjunction in the 12th harmonic which in Caravaggio’s case appeared to have done little to heal his rambunctious temperament. But maybe his art was a way of channelling his darker, destructive feelings since he painted violent struggles, torture and death in line with the religious imagery that was acceptable at the time.