Jack Draper, the UK tennis No 1, has admitted that “I get out of bed and I feel so angry some days” after smashing his racket during his recent win. “I’ve got to lose points, so I’ve got to go through those emotional ups and downs.” “It’s sometimes difficult to always be perfect.”
Mars is what gives a competitive drive and it hates to lose so flare ups are difficult to avoid though some professionals manage better than others.
Draper, 22 December 2001, has a Capricorn Sun and a peculiarly difficult Mutable T square of Saturn in Gemini opposition Pluto square Mars in Pisces. Mars Pluto is do-or-die-determined; Saturn Pluto won’t give in; and Mars Saturn is fractious, inclined to blow fuses every so often. He’ll give his all but find losing impossibly difficult.
John McEnroe, famous for his on-court meltdowns in days gone by at umpires etc, 16 February 1959, 10.30 pm Weisbaden, Germany, has an 8th house Mars opposition Jupiter square Pluto opposition Sun Mercury. A volcanic temper was hardly surprising given his burning need to stay on top and in control.
Another young player of the moment French Corentin Moutet, 19 April 1999, Neuilly Sur Seine, is also renowned for his explosive temperament and he has Mars in Scorpio opposition Saturn with an intense Venus opposition Pluto.
Andy Murray, 15 May 1987, now retired, who also looked less than delighted if he played below his best has Mars opposition Uranus, Moon, Saturn.
Mars makes for great sportsmen but it can be like holding a tiger by the tail when things go wrong.
The cultural obsession with Princess Diana, still ongoing nearly three decades after her death, is the subject of a new book – Dianaworld. Author Edward White gives ‘a deeply-researched account of the public fascination from royalists, republicans, lookalikes and sex workers and approaches Diana’s story through the people who saw themselves in her – the doppelgangers, opportunists and superfans who found parallels between the princess’s life of extraordinary privilege and their own.’
Were they all “parasocial relationships”, one-sided, delusional versions of love or did she have an ability to mirror the problems of everyday people through her family dramas and connect through her outreach to AIDS suffers, the homeless and landmine victims. She was an antidote to the British stiff upper lip so stalwartly adhered to by the Royal Family and her death was a watershed moment for good or ill which unleashed a hidden reservoir of overwhelming sentiment.
‘Some grieved, while others found the public spectacle coercive, seeing it as synthetic as the plastic wrapping on all those flowers.’
When she died on 31 August 1997, there were two astro-influences of note on the UK chart. The first was tr Saturn in Aries square the 10th house Cancer Moon, representing the ruling classes, which would bring grief for the loss of a ‘maternal’ figure who dominated the national culture.
Even more significantly – which was my strong sense living in London at the time – was the Solar Arc Neptune exactly square the UK Pluto. Ebertin describes it as ‘manias, self-torment, obsession, confusion, a grievous loss, peculiar states of soul experience.’ Neptune Pluto accompanies events of total devastation and has connections to the supernatural. There was a feeling in London as if something not quite real was ongoing – almost a psychological disintegration as emotional controls collapsed, which can sound healthy, but is not a good outcome if the boundary walls with the unconscious are breached.
Princess Diana, 1 July 1961 7.45pm Sandringham, England, (birth time Debbie Frank, her personal astrologer) did have her Mars in Virgo opposition the UK 5th house Pluto. Given that her ‘leadership’ North Node in Virgo and her ‘desperate, trapped’ Mars Pluto opposition Chiron also connected strongly with the UK Pluto her plight would arguably trigger strong feelings within the country. I confess I tend to overlook the UK’s Pluto but since it sits on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Jupiter sextile Uranus, it clearly plays a powerful role in the country’s psyche and destiny. [All the more important to pay attention to it since tr Uranus will square it in 2026.]
And now that I look her relationship chart with the UK also has a Plutonic yod of Moon Jupiter sextile Mars inconjunct Pluto – perhaps one reason the ‘relationship’ with her is so hard to let go. Pluto relationships never split easily or quickly. And the composite yod makes it a peculiarly fated connection.
Diana’s Cancer Sun also sat exactly on the UK’s Midheaven opposition the Sun and square the Libra Ascendant so she was a pivotal figure in other ways as well for the country’s direction and image.
She died three days before a Solar Eclipse in the 18th North Saros Series which has particular relevance for the Royal Family, not all negative . Its most recent occurrence in 2015 saw Queen Elizabeth break Victoria’s record as the longest monarch on the throne.
In 1997 when Diana died tr Pluto was also exactly square the UK yod focal point Pluto, having just squared Diana’s Mars with the UK Solar Arc Neptune in exact hard aspect as well. So quite a pile up of devastating influences.
Helpful to revisit old events and spot other angles.
Stephen Miller, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, has stirred up another dust storm suggesting the Trump administration is considering whether it can suspend habeas corpus, the right of an individual to challenge their detention in court. Trump has repeatedly asserted the U.S. is facing an “invasion” requiring the deportation of undocumented migrants under the Alien Enemies Act, a law that would allow the deportation of noncitizens with little to no due process. Stephen Miller has been known as far-right and anti-immigration since his student days and was a speech writer during Trump’s first term.
He was born 23 August 1985 4.53 pm Santa Monica, California, with his great-grandparents having emigrated from Belarus to the States in the early part of the 20th Century, not speaking any English.
Miller has an 8th house Virgo Sun trine Neptune in his 12th; with Mars Mercury in Leo also in his 8th, hinting at a strong intergenerational bond. His upbeat and restless Sagittarius Moon is conjunct Uranus and he has a controlling and influential Pluto on his Midheaven in a confident square to Jupiter. His conscientious, well-organized Saturn in Scorpio in his 10th squares his Mars for a hard-edged, unsympathetic streak. A 4th house Taurus Node suggests that he would do better to focus less on his career and more on building realistic emotional foundations for his life.
He’s not having a great year with three fairly negative solar arcs almost exact. SA Neptune conjunct Jupiter = disappointment, undermining great expectations. SA Saturn conjunct Neptune = uncertain, panicky, the dream is not delivering. SA Pluto conjunct Moon = emotionally fraught, divisive team relationships – which moves onto a period of significant upheaval with SA Midheaven conjunct his Uranus followed by SA Pluto conjunct his Uranus in 2026/27. Tr Uranus will also square his 8th house Virgo Sun with jolts, jangles and sudden surprises from this July into 2026. Through 2026/27 tr Pluto squares his Midheaven which could bring a career meltdown or at the very least intolerable pressure giving way to forced change.
His relationship chart with Trump is not showing anything too obvious except for tr Uranus moving into the composite 8th which may hint at subterranean forces bringing tensions to the surface.
Gertrude Stein, the controversial American novelist and playwright, an eccentric and colorful figure in the post-World War I literary scene has had her life and talents spotlighted in a well-reviewed biography After Life. She was a character of “bewildering contradictions”. Depending on who you spoke to, she was either a genius or a charlatan.
She was born 3 February 1874 7.55am Allegheny, Pennsylvania, the youngest daughter of an upper-middle class Jewish family and became one of the first female students admitted to Harvard to study medicine and psychology under William James, but rapidly tired of the field. A successful older brother Michael gave her a generous stipend to live comfortably for the rest of her life. Along with her brother Leo she became a central figure of the Roaring ’20s in Paris, presiding over an artistic salon. Without their patronage, Matisse and Picasso might have floundered early in their careers. She was a mentor to Fitzgerald and Hemingway so was at the cutting edge of the aesthetic revolution.
She is described as ‘a genius, imprimatur and often quite difficult person.’
Four years after she moved to Paris in her late twenties she met Alice B. Toklas, part of the Paris avant-garde and it was love at first sight for both. They ended up devoted life partners, with Toklas missing Stein for 21 years after her death.
Stein’s reputation was damaged in World War 11 by her admiration for Petain, head of the collaborationist Vichy government, responsible for the deportation of over 75,000 Jews to Nazi Germany. Both Stein and Toklas of Jewish heritage, survived in large part thanks to the refusal of their neighbours in Bilignin to shop them to the Nazis.
Gertrude Stein had a stellium in Aquarius of Saturn, Venus, Mercury, Sun opposition Uranus square North Node in Taurus; with her Sun Mercury square Pluto in Taurus. Fixed, enduring, stubborn, quite autocratic, unconventional, defiant. An emphasized North Node would draw her to the zeitgeist, the spirit of the time in the social order. Her Mars in creative Pisces was opposition Jupiter for high enthusiasm though lacking in common sense. An unaspected Virgo Moon in her 7th would give her vulnerability and sense of emotional disconnection although she desperately needed a partner being in the 7th.
Her writing style often met with derision but her biographer argues for an understanding of what she was trying to do. ‘You may feel baffled by the repetitions, the anchorless strangeness: but what helps the wary reader is that Stein wanted to do to language what Picasso, who owed her so much, was doing to visual representation in Cubism.’
Alice B. Toklas, 30 April 1877, San Francisco was not an intuitively good mix with her. She had a Taurus Sun, Venus and Neptune square Mars in Aquarius which tangled fairly noisily with Stein’s Aquarius planets and her Uranus. Although Toklas’ Sun was exactly conjunct Stein’s North Node drawing them into the centre of the social action of the day. And Toklas’s Taurus Sun, Venus, Neptune trine Stein’s Moon would help with her South Node conjunct Stein’s Moon as well. Toklas’s eternally optimistic Sagittarius Moon falling in Stein’s 10th would be helpful on the career front.
Their relationship chart has an affectionate composite Sun Venus conjunction; with a power-couple Pluto opposition Jupiter square a dutiful Saturn – with Jupiter Pluto square an unconventional Uranus. Saturn Pluto would chain them together. Saturn conjunct Mars suggests one partner would have to constantly bite their tongue to fit in which presumably would be Toklas.
Not an easy bond but it clearly worked well enough to hold them together for decades.
Louis Theroux’s documentary on settler violence in the West Bank follows on from Basel Adra’s Oscar winning documentary No Other Land – both focusing on the worsening situation in the West Bank. After the October 7th Hamas attack settlers have been armed by the government and granted policing powers and have forced at least 18 Palestinian communities – more than 1,000 people – to flee their homes
“The line between settler and state violence has blurred to a vanishing point,” the UN Human Rights Office said last year.
Theroux interviewed one settler who declared in his view that the Palestinian people “don’t exist”. Another Daniella Weiss, described as the “godmother” of the settler project who promotes a vision of an entirely Israeli-ruled region, with the Palestinians pushed to either accept it or leave – to Turkey, to Canada – anywhere else. She explained that Lebanon, Jordan and parts of Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq were all part of Greater Israel. A prominent rabbi, Dov Lior spoke of the need to “cleanse” the land of “camel riders”.
Louis Theroux, 20 May 1970, Singapore, has a Taurus Sun square the Israel Mars and close to the Israel 8th house Sun so does have a deep insight into the situation and Israeli mindset. His Mars Venus square Pluto also collide with Israel’s defiant and devil-may-care Uranus opposition Jupiter.
Basel Adra, 13 June 1996 Yattah, Israel, also has Mars in Gemini opposition Pluto and his Gemini Sun conjunct the Israel Uranus so will have a similar reaction to Israeli actions.
I am intrigued by their synastry with the Israel 9th house Uranus opposition Jupiter. At best that could suggest an open-mindedness about alternative philosophies and an upbeat, adventurous streak. Sakoian & Acker however say although it can be idealistic and well-meaning, it can also be ‘one of the most dangerous of all aspects.’ With unbridled flights of imagination with no basis in reality. Blunt and undiplomatic leading to disharmony and unpopularity. Uranus in the 9th in its negative mode can be fanatical.
Daniela Weiss, 30 August 1945, a Sun Virgo has her excitable, uncompromising Mars (Uranus) conjunct the Israel Uranus exactly; with her Saturn on the Israel Midheaven and her Pluto Mercury in the Israel 10th with her Neptune Jupiter in Libra conjunct the Israel 12th house Neptune. She shares the strong views of Israel, wishes to be a respected leader and influential in Israel’s direction and her idealistic/unrealistic Neptune Jupiter hooks into Israel’s 12th house dream.
Dov Lior, 30 October 1933, a Sun Scorpio square Saturn in Aquarius has his Pluto conjunct the Israel Midheaven and his Jupiter conjunct the Israel 12th house Neptune, with his Venus in Sagittarius opposition the Israel Uranus.
The two far-right Israeli politicians also have notable synastry.
Bezazel Smotrich, 27 February 1980, has his Neptune in Sagittarius square Saturn in Virgo tugging on the Israeli Uranus and his Pluto on the Israel Ascendant.
Itamar Ben Gvir, 6 May 1976, has his Mars Saturn conjunct the Israel Midheaven and his Pluto conjunct the Israel 12th house Neptune.
All the far-righters are driven to control Israel’s direction and image. But also home in on the 9th house can-be-fanatical Uranus and 12th house Neptune which can be neurotically preoccupied with the problems of the past and mentally confused.
The USA has been one of Israel’s most fervent supporters – with the USA Mars in Gemini square Neptune in Virgo aspecting the Israel Uranus which might suggest that any friction is glossed over by Neptunian sympathy. The USA Pluto is also conjunct the Israel IC – hinting at foundational support. But even that alliance is beginning to sag.
‘A Gallup survey taken in March this year found only 46% of Americans expressed support for Israel (the lowest level in 25 years of Gallup’s annual tracking) while 33% now said they sympathised with the Palestinians – the highest ever reading of that measure. Between 2022 and 2025, the Pew Research Center found that the proportion of Republicans who said they had unfavourable views of Israel rose from 27% to 37% (younger Republicans, aged under 49, drove most of that change).’
The USA/Israel relationship chart will feel the effect of tr Saturn Neptune in Aries keenly as it opposes the composite Neptune Jupiter now into 2026 and squares the composite Mercury Venus on into 2027; with tr Pluto and tr Uranus trine the composite Neptune Jupiter. It does not suggest anything like a split but a pulling away from past solidarities as the stark reality of right-wing Israeli policies are dragged centre stage.
See previous post: Israel and Palestine – no end in sight to suffering. 3rd April 2025
Add On: From today’s Times May 11 2025 Matthew Parris:
“Why are we closing our eyes to Gaza’s horror?
We have reached the point at which Israel’s western allies must say ‘enough of this savagery’ — and actually mean it
Why does the world look away? Are we simply bored, or do we flinch from the wreckage, the famine and the blood in Gaza? Are these horrors beyond the bandwidth of modern Britain as we burble about the woes of Prince Harry or the loss of heating allowances and wallow in a military victory that almost nobody today can even remember? VE Day was 1945.
This is 2025. As we speak, two million human beings face starvation at the hands of our close ally, Israel. As we speak, all hell is being rained down — rained down now. Within days, new atrocities may be imminent in a promised new offensive. Yet this hell on Earth has all but dropped from our headlines and we British continue to supply military kit, share intelligence and more. Why?”
Peter Pan and the Admiral Crichton are the two memorable successes of novelist and playwright J.M.Barrie whose birthday was yesterday in 1860.
Born at 6.30am in Kirriemuir, Scotland, he was the ninth child of ten in a Calvinist family of a modestly successful weaver. He was, in the way of those days in Scotland, exceptionally well educated at school, spending some time away from home. The significant event of his childhood which marked his life and paradoxically led to his greatest triumph was the accidental death of an older teenage sibling, his mother’s favourite, when he was six. In order to reassure his grieving mother and perhaps gain her attention he tried to become the brother who would never grow old. She found comfort in the fact that her dead son would remain a boy forever, never to grow up and leave her.
Barrie himself left home twice in his childhood to go to different schools, always wanted to be a writer and started early as a journalist after university, moving ultimately to London and mixed with the litterati of the day – H. G. Wells, Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, P. G. Wodehouse, Jerome K. Jerome, G. K. Chesterton, A. A. Milne and others.
He had an 11th house Taurus Sun and Pluto with a creative Neptune in his career 10th. His 7th house Capricorn Moon opposition Venus and trine Pluto spoke to his close affectionate bond with his mother.
But the key configuration in his chart was an 8th house Mars in Capricorn opposition Jupiter square Mercury in Aries. When his brother died, tr Pluto in Cancer was opposition his Mars and tr Uranus in Aries was square his Mars and conjunct his Mercury – so turning his life upside down with a massive explosion which affected him at the deepest level. He only grew to five foot 3 inches and was said to suffer from a psychosocial dwarfism -a rare form of growth disorder, caused by emotional deprivation or stress which leads to growth failure due to hormonal disruptions. If true it clearly did not affect his intellectual development.
When Peter Pan was put on stage in 1904 to become a world-wide success tr Jupiter in Aries was conjunct his Mercury and breathing new life into his Cardinal T square – with tr Saturn also heading for his Midheaven.
His personal life was fairly stunted with a short lived marriage to an actress, reportedly unconsummated; and his friendships with a variety of children which later raised questions about his motives. Though one of them later said “He was an innocent which is why he could write Peter Pan.”
He was a generous benefactor to friends and their families, even his divorced wife. And he handed over the rights to Peter Pan to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.
Antarctica explorer Robert Falcon Scott was amongst his many friends. Barrie was godfather to Scott’s son Peter and was one of the seven people to whom Scott wrote letters in the final hours of his life during his expedition to the South Pole, asking Barrie to take care of his wife and son.
His secretary latterly was Cynthia Asquith, the daughter-in-law of the British Prime Minister. In the 1930s, Barrie met and told stories to the young daughters of the Duke of York, the future Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. After meeting him, the three-year-old Princess Margaret announced, “He is my greatest friend and I am his greatest friend”.
Despite his elevated circle of friends – courtesy of his 11th house Sun and influential 11th house Pluto, his Admiral Crichton was a socially subversive play (later film with Kenneth More) which elevated a shipwrecked butler to become ‘the governor’ and the aristocrats and erstwhile employers were reduced to underlings.
The white smoke announcing Pope Leo XIV’s election at 6.08 pm in Rome sent the crowds of the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square into wild expressions of delight and surprise. An American pope had not been expected though Leo’s South American missionary work has led to hopes of a unity head of the church, bringing together disparate factions.
He has taken the name of the previous revolutionary Pope Leo X111, regarded as the founding father of Catholic social doctrine in modern times. He positioned himself on the side of the working class, affirming such things as the right of workers to decent working conditions, a just wage, labor unions and the right to strike. He went on to serve as pope for 25 years.
This Pope Leo XIV, born 14 September 1955 in Chicago, no birth time as yet, is a Sun Venus in Virgo sextile Saturn in Scorpio with Mars and perhaps Moon also in Virgo. His Jupiter in Leo is in a confident conjunction to Pluto square Saturn. Flexible, knowledgeable and tough.
Though he does not have his name predecessor Leo X111’s revolutionary drive. He was born 2 March 1810 7pm Carpineto Romano, Italy and had a determined Sun Pluto in Pisces square Neptune Saturn in Sagittarius and trine Uranus. He was elected on 20 February 1878 when there was a revolutionary Pluto square Uranus and Uranus on the focal point of a wide-ish yod inconjunct Jupiter sextile Saturn.
Nor does he have the recent Pope Francis’s Uranus square Pluto in his birth chart and even more obvious in his election chart.
What he does have is an uphill-struggle Pluto in the 4th opposition a 10th house Mars on his election chart pointing at internal resistance to change. Uranus Algol in the 8th hint at financial entanglements which are difficult to resolve. The Jupiter falls in the far-travelled 9th so his greatest success may come away from Rome.
He has already raised the ire of the MAGA zealots for his views on gun control and immigration and previous criticism of JD Vance and a number of key Trump policies online. Laura Loomer, a Trumpian conspiracy theorist said: ‘He is anti-Trump, anti-MAGA, pro-open Borders, and a total Marxist like Pope Francis,’ she went on, later. ‘Catholics don’t have anything good to look forward to.’
His synastry with Trump is dire. Pope Leo’s Pluto is conjunct DT’s Mars in Leo and Ascendant and square DT’s Midheaven. With Pope Leo’s Sun Venus square DT’s Uranus Sun. Pope Leo’s Sagittarius North Node is conjunct DT’s Moon and opposition his Sun North Node hinting at ‘spiritual’ journeys going in opposite direction.
This election chart is not an easy one for making substantive progress but he will clash with the pro-Trumpers.
Add On: The three previous Popes election charts. John Paul with Mars Pluto in the 8th is ominous with a good deal of buried dirt and secrets, glossed over by a popular Jupiter on the Descendant.
Benedict, a serious Saturn in the 10th square Sun.
Francis had a 7th house Moon and Uranus with Mars conjunct the Descendant from the 6th and a 4th house Pluto – plenty of fire and divisive argument and pushback from the internal politics.
Political party charts are often a surprisingly opaque guide to wins and losses. The commonly used Democratic Party chart of 8 January 1828 is no different, checked against Clinton and Obama triumphs and Reagan and G.W. Bush’s defeats from a Democrat viewpoint. There is a slight hint of the Nodes being involved but nothing startling.
The chart does have a Sun Neptune in Capricorn opposition Saturn in Cancer which could point to a party keen on improving the lot of the underdog; with Venus in friendly Aquarius square an enthusiastic and determined Mars Jupiter in Scorpio. The North Node in Scorpio can be a hint that losing everything can be a way of finding their core purpose. Though there is no saying how long the stripping away of former glory lasts. And presumably is dependent on some self-awareness of what went wrong in the past.
This last painful loss to Trump and the Republicans recently did show up – which may be a coincidence since if you play with enough numbers some are going to fit whether relevant or not. Tr Pluto was conjunct the Dem Solar Arc Saturn opposition the Solar Arc Sun Neptune which reflects utter devastation. And tr Uranus was conjunct the Solar Arc Jupiter Mars and square Venus, which is quite a complex mix of an emotional upset, high insecurity and perhaps a dent in over-hopefulness. Mars Jupiter at a negative level can point to partnership difficulties – and the whole Biden/Harris imbroglio might be part of that.
On this chart 2026/27 look devastated and confused and by 2028 tr Saturn will oppose the Dem Jupiter which is less than ideal. Though I have seen wins with seemingly negative influences on the party chart so it is hardly a definite no. 2033 looks marginally brighter with tr Jupiter Pluto in Aquarius square the Dem Jupiter Mars; though by that time tr Neptune will be squaring the Sun Neptune opposition Saturn.
One problem in the USA is that the Democratic Party has changed radically since its early days that this chart may not be sound as the basis for prediction.
Cartoon: Thomas Nast, in Harper’s Weekly, from 1862 to 1886, America’s first great political cartoonist.
PS My slight impression is the Republican chart of 1853 works better than the Democratic chart and it had tr Jupiter conjunct Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct its North Node over the recent Inauguration.
“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” William Faulkner.
Groundhog Day rolls round in Palestine-Israel, Russia and Eastern Europe and now India-Pakistan with the old hatreds flaring up like volcanic lava.
One India commentator remarked about the recent Kashmir tit for tat violence: “These tensions are unlikely to subside anytime soon. They are rooted in longstanding historical faultlines and questions of national identity.” “At the heart of the tensions is the question of identity rooted in the scars of partition in 1947 that created the countries of India and Pakistan. The Pakistani state – and in particular the military and intelligence establishment – has derived legitimacy from maintaining a well-entrenched anti-India identity.”
And since Narendra Modi took over a decade ago in India with a pro-Hindu, anti-Muslim stance the antipathy has only increased.
There have been several Indo-Pakistan military conflicts since 1947, mainly over Kashmir and individual atrocities such as the Mumbai bombing in November 2008 by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Islamist militant organisation, and several others in the 1990s in retaliation for riots which killed many Muslims. LeT is thought to be protected by Pakistan Intelligence services and used as a proxy. Their ideology is the restoration of Islamic rule over all parts of India and in neighbouring countries. Indeed Hafiz Saeed, a scholar of Islam, has said that the purpose of Jihad is to carry out a sustained struggle for the dominance of Islam in the entire world. He considers India, Israel and US to be his prime enemies. The Lashkar-e-Taiba does not believe in democracy and nationalism.
Minimal astrology since it has all been said in previous posts:
India & Pakistan – remembering a bloody birth 8th August 2022
Kashmir – a beautiful conflict zone 25th April 2025
Kashmir – beautiful and dangerous 6th August 2019
The key figure in Pakistan appears to be Asim Munir, head of the Army who took over on 29 November 2022 at 11.30am, Rawalpindi (source: India astro website). That hints at failure towards the year end with high tensions in 2026 and a clash of opinions.
The broader question is whether these historical hatreds will ever run out of steam. The English and French fought each other for centuries until they finally backed off shooting each other and contented themselves with sharp comments.
There are no indications that the two significant astrological markers of the past fifty years – the triple conjunction in Capricorn of the late 1980s/early 1990s and this upcoming Uranus trine Pluto sextile Neptune Saturn – are going to make the slightest difference to the above standoffs.
Hollywood has passed its glory days having lost ground in the past two decades in a global battle with countries like Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Hungary and Morocco which attract filmmakers with tax incentives. Other countries also have lower labour costs.
The British Film Institute said spending on film and high-end TV production rose by almost a third in the UK to £5.6bn in 2024 and almost two-thirds spent on UK film production was from five big American studios and three US streaming platforms — Netflix, Apple and Amazon.
Whether Trump’s blunderbuss threat of 100% tariff on non-US-made movies would work is questionable. “How can you put a tariff on a Netflix show made in the UK and distributed worldwide over the internet?”
Though it is assumed the levy would damage production hubs outside of the USA. And the US film industry and cinema chains would also be hit hard, likely to have to swallow higher costs, and consumers could face higher ticket prices. Shares in Netflix fell 2 per cent on Monday.
The Hollywood chart, 1 February 1887, is not facing a good two years ahead with the Mars in Pisces square Pluto catching hard aspects from tr Uranus from this August and through 2026 for agitation, insecurity and alarm; with a calamitous setback from Solar Arc Mars conjunct Saturn in 2026 as well. Tr Pluto square the Jupiter may give a minor lift in 2026/27 at the same time but the minuses may outweigh the pluses.
Pinewood, the UK film studio, set up in 30 September 1936, home to many US movies, is looking rattled at the moment with tr Pluto square the Venus into 2026; and tr Uranus square Mars also in 2026; with a financial confident-dent in 2027 from SA Neptune conjunct the Jupiter.
Disney Australia, 1 May 1998, involved in the production of numerous major films, including The Matrix, Moulin Rouge!, Mission: Impossible 2, Star Wars Episodes II and III, Superman Returns, and Son of the Mask, is looking devastated this year as well with tr Pluto conjunct the Neptune.
Atlas Corporation Studios in Ouarzazate, Morocco, another film hub, founded 1983, – “Gladiator,” “Kingdom of Heaven,” “The Mummy,” and scenes from “Game of Thrones will also be affected.
As will Origo Studios in Budapest, Hungary, which opened in spring 2010 – Dune, Blade Runner: 2049 Inferno, The Witcher. Its biggest foreign partners include Warner Studios, Legendary Entertainment, SONY Pictures, Netflix Studios, Amazon Studios, Lionsgate, StudioCanal, Skydance, Gaumont, TNT, Paramount Pictures, Alcon Entertainment, Disney, FOCUS Features, Columbia Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox. Like the other charts it looks trapped, infuriated this year and uncertain in 2026.
Donald Trump and Hollywood are not a good mix with H’s North Node in Leo conjunct his Mars; H’s Neptune conjunct his Midheaven; and H’s Mars on his Descendant square Pluto in his 10th – very competitive. The relationship chart has a composite Mars conjunct Algol in line for a tr Uranus conjunction from the 28th of this month which looks anything but supportive – an explosive jab in the ribs – and uncertainty rolling through 2026/27. His relationship chart with Pinewood if anything looks worse.
Jon Voight, actor of yesteryear, Angelina Jolie’s father is reputed to be the instigator of this latest diatribe. Born 28 December 1938 11.50am, New York, he is a Sun Capricorn square Saturn in Aries with a forceful Mars in Scorpio opposition Uranus in Taurus. His Jupiter does fall on Trump’s Descendant but it is not a great mix with his Mars opposition Uranus square Trump’s Pluto which could destabilize the latter. Their relationship chart looks edgy and uncertain in the extreme moving forward with tr Saturn Neptune in hard aspect to the composite Mars opposition Mars Neptune and tr Uranus conjunct the composite Sun Saturn.
Another ill-thought-out, unrealistic manouevre which will backfire but not before it has caused maximum instability.
