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Madeleine Albright, a Czech refugee, who became the first female US Secretary of State under Bill Clinton has died aged 84. Her early life was challenging as her diplomat father took the family to London months before World War 11, only to live through the blitz, and returned to Czechoslovakia briefly after the war before fleeing the communist regime to seek asylum in the US. By the age of 11 Albright had already lived in several countries and spoke four languages. She was brought up Roman Catholic and only discovered in the 1990s that she was born Jewish, with three grandparents killed in the holocaust.  

  Her father taught at the University of Denver, where one of his later students was Condoleezza Rice, the second female Secretary of State under GW Bush. Madeleine Albright married a philandering publishing executive, had three daughters moved into academic life and then when her marriage split into politics. Her reputation as a tough operator followed her into the UN where she was US Ambassador, constantly championing US power.

In a later interview, Albright said the US had a problem with women in politics. “I don’t understand it, frankly,” she said. “We are very good at being No 1 in many things and yet we are not in this and I don’t know the answer. Because there are certainly very qualified women.” When she was professor of International Relations she made a point of putting women into the male-dominated roles, teaching them the importance of speaking up and interrupting to have their voices heard.

Because of her familiarity with communism and fascism, she was a fierce proponent of human rights and opposition to authoritarianism on the international stage, even if it meant military intervention. Though she was against the Iraq invasion.

  She used her jewellery to diplomatic effect, wearing an antique snake pin after she was called an “unparalleled serpent” by the Iraqi media after the first Gulf war. A giant insect brooch came out when the Russians were embroiled in a “bugging” scandal; and her monkey broach was worn to a frosty encounter with Putin in a subliminal “see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil” reprimand over Russia’s activities in Chechnya. 

   She was born 15 May 1937 in Prague (no birth time) and had a dogged, enduring, stubborn chart, which reflected the dangers and stresses of her formative years. It’s the kind of chart that could easily have gone bad but she used her toughness to good use. She had a Taurus Sun conjunct Algol and conjunct Mercury with her Sun opposition a formidable Mars in late Scorpio; with her Mars was in an even more redoubtable Grand Trine involving Pluto and Saturn in forced-to-be-self-reliant Aries. Her Sun was trine a lucky Jupiter in Capricorn on one side and Neptune on the other. Her Pluto was in a pushily confident opposition to Jupiter tempered by being square a diplomatic Venus. Complicated, talented, courageous and massively strong-willed.    

   Her spiritual-seeker 7th Harmonic was strong as was her ‘master number’ 11H and most marked was her breakthrough/exploration 13H.

Putin’s close family will be on high alert given the pressure he is under and the risk of him being deposed or dispatched out of a window. They may not like him but their own position, financial and otherwise, may be jeopardized and undermined if he were toppled.

Maria Putin, 28 April 1985, St Petersburg, his eldest daughter, a paediatric endocrinologist, is according to reports splitting from her husband, a Dutch businessman. She is a stubborn, controlling Sun Taurus opposition Pluto trine Neptune. Her Neptune sextile Pluto is on the base of a Yod inconjunct Mars in Gemini. Such a Yod is overly forceful and impulsive. Certainly she’ll have had major power and anger issues – both doing and been done to.  Father comes across as dominating.

  Mid June onwards looks especially hazardous for her with tr Uranus square her Mars/Pluto midpoint, with her standing being diminished as tr Neptune squares her Jupiter/Pluto midpoint – 2023 will see her on high alert. Though her greatest challenges will come after mid decade with tr Pluto in Aquarius bearing down on her Sun opposition Pluto.

 Katerina Putin, 31 August 1986, a scientist and former acrobatic dancer, his second daughter, is a Sun Mercury in Virgo sextile Pluto, square Saturn in Sagittarius and trine Neptune Mars in Capricorn – controlling in her own way and forceful. She looked rattled and unsettled in January when the Ukraine build up started; and is in a flat panic at the moment until mid April with tr Neptune square her Mars/Saturn midpoint, repeating later in the year into early 2023. Her Progressed Mars in late Capricorn is catching the tr Pluto conjunction, which will be scared and trapped into 2023.

  Putin’s reported mistress and maybe mother of further children, a former Olympic gymnast, Alina Kabaeva, 12 May 1983, is a New Moon Mercury in Taurus with an alarming, hair-raising Mars in Taurus exactly conjunct Algol on the focal point of a Yod to a bleak, unyielding Saturn Pluto in Libra sextile Neptune. That is one tough and angry chart.

   February (last month) saw her in calamity territory and this month till mid April is no better. The rest of the year has one upbeat influence and several knocked-sideways ones. But it is 2023 which shows up as the major enthusiasm dampener. At that point her lucky Jupiter Uranus in Sagittarius is under a dark Saturnine cloud. In 2023 as well tr Uranus will conjunct her Sun and Mercury for forced changes against heavy resistance; and 2024 will be worse as tr Uranus is conjunct her Yod focal point Mars giving her a considerable shock and forcing her life onto a different trajectory.

 Lyudmila Putina (as was), his former wife and mother of Maria and Katerina, 6 January 1958, has gone on to marry a younger husband. She’s a Sun Capricorn with a stressed Mars in Sagittarius square Pluto, trine Uranus with her Uranus opposition Venus. She would have attracted herself to a domineering husband with Mars Pluto though may, as she has matured, turned it round to become the one holding the reins. Her fortunes are mixed ahead with hostile arguments and discouraging challenges this year; but more confidence and luck in 2023/24 interspersed with a few setbacks.

  Kiril Shamalov, ex-husband of Maria, a billionaire, former economic adviser to the government and son of a Russian bank owner, confidante of Putin, was born 22 March 1982. He’s a Sun Aries with a formidable collection of Mars, Saturn and Pluto spread through Libra. His Progressed Mars is exactly square his Sun at the moment for a setback and shock; and his Solar Arc Uranus is also square his Mars now for much the same effect in a double whammy of unwished for thunderbolts.

   He looks suspiciously upbeat this August to November with tr Pluto square his Mars/Jupiter midpoint. 2023 will be so-so. 2024 he will find his mojo again with more confidence and luck though 2025 with tr Saturn Neptune conjunct his Sun won’t do his prospects much good.

  Not all the influences on these charts will relate to the evil overlord’s prospects but the ripples are bound to be felt.

Ingress charts erected for the moment the Sun enters one of the four Cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn – were once deemed important in traditional astrology. But are not much used nowadays since they are not altogether enlightening. Opinions varied as to which was the important one for giving an overview of the year ahead. Some thought Cancer, others Libra and some Capricorn.

  The recent Aries ingress located to Kyiv puts a disappointing Neptune on the Descendant square the Midheaven, suggesting a deceptive neighbour, lack of support, and uncertain direction. There is also an explosive Mars in Aquarius square Uranus but it doesn’t leap out as a harbinger of war.

 The previous Capricorn Ingress last December does have a power-struggling neighbour with Pluto on the descendant opposition Moon for Kyiv, but again not much that is too hair-raising. Although digging deeper the Sun is sitting conjunct the ruthless/brutal Mars/Pluto midpoint.

 The coming Cancer Ingress looks more destructive with Mars square Pluto and sextile Saturn; with again an unsupportive, slippery Neptune in the 7^th.

 The Libra Ingress has Uranus on the Midheaven for Kyiv – pointing to a sharp change of direction if it means anything.

  I would have to confess I don’t find Ingresses useful.  Eclipses are usually more indicative of what’s happening and where.  See post Eclipses March 5 2022.  

The carnival that is Sylvio Berlusconi’s life aquired another roundabout on Saturday as he added a not-quite bride to his extensive list of liaisons. His children evidently objected to a legal hitch with his latest squeeze, some 53 years younger, which might affect their legacy from his £5 billion estate. So he went ahead and had all the trappings of a white wedding without the expensive ‘I do.’

 Born 29 September 1936 5.40am Milan, he started life as a cruise ship crooner, built a media fortune, became prime minister, saw off innumerable scandals, has suffered various bouts of ill health and is still standing and singing at 85. His ‘bride’, reportedly unhappy at not getting the full works, is a heavily-peroxided blonde Italian MP, Marta Fascina, 9 January 1990.

  She has the triple conjunction of Uranus, Neptune, Saturn conjunct her Mercury and Sun all in his 4^th so home life won’t be too settled.  Her fun-loving Venus in Aquarius is in his playful, sociable 5^th and her Jupiter (maybe Gemini Moon) are close to his Midheaven, so she’ll be drawn to his status and he may well regard her as an asset. Though his children are probably correct about the money since her controlling Pluto falls in his 2^nd which will tempt her to get a grip.

  Their relationship chart has a power-couple Jupiter Pluto conjunction sextile Sun Mercury which will give both a boost – until it doesn’t and descends into a tussle for the upper hand. There is a one-side composite Saturn trine Mars sextile Venus which may be a reflection of the age gap but it isn’t a match of equals for sure.

  His relationship prospects don’t look too rosy ahead with tr Neptune square his Sun/Moon midpoint before mid year and tr Neptune heading for his 7^th. But he’s having fun so probably doesn’t care. She’s also into a Neptunian year or two of some disappointment. So not much of a honeymoon.

PS The pic is the previous arm candy, aged 28, who like this one, pursued him.

The Duke of Windsor was always known to have Nazi sympathies but a documentary this coming weekend based on Andrew Lownie’s recent book Traitor King goes further and says he knowingly passed information to the Nazis that aided in the fall of France in 1940 and encouraged Germany to bomb Britain into submission to be followed by his return to the throne.

   Some historians are sceptical but Lownie says everything is based on primary sources from the Royal Archives and from German and Portuguese police reports of the time. It reveals a telegram from Winston Churchill to the Duke in July 1940, following the fall of France, in which the he appears to threaten the ex-monarch with a court-martial. During the invasion, the Duke and duchess fled to Lisbon, Portugal, where they continued to socialise with German agents and sympathisers. Not long after, Churchill made the Duke the Governor of the Bahamas, removing him from Europe.

  Born 23 June 1894 9.55pm Richmond, England, the Duke had a Cancer Sun in an impulsive square to Mars in his financial 2^nd house. His Pisces Moon, also 2^nd house, was square a 4^th house Pluto (conjunct Neptune Jupiter) in Gemini.  He evidently remained an adolescent all his life, collecting childhood toys (shades of Prince Andrew’s teddy bears). His Jupiter was in his sociable 5^th. Relocating his chart to Berlin put his ‘comfortable/spoilt Jupiter on the IC, so a place where he could relax and feel supported.

 Hitler’s Jupiter in Capricorn opposed the Duke’s Cancer Sun and square his Mars which would provide a veneer of good feelings though there was no underlying compatibility.  

  The Duke was certainly a terrible match with Churchill with his Pluto opposition Churchill’s Sagittarius Sun, his Mars on Ch’s Descendant and his Sun on Ch’s MC for a competitive interface; and his Saturn conjunct Ch’s Mars Jupiter for outright dislike.   

  And he had an even worse fit with the UK since that relationship chart had a bitterly hostile composite Mars Pluto opposition Uranus, inconjunct Saturn – and that was never going to work.

  King George V1, his reluctant successor, wasn’t exactly stable with a 2^nd house Sagittarius Sun and Mercury opposition an 8^th house Neptune Pluto; but his Midheaven and Jupiter in Leo fell in the UK’s 10th which would provide a morale-boosting relationship.

  Churchill’s relationship chart with the UK had not surprisingly a ‘fated’ yod of Jupiter sextile Saturn inconjunct Pluto – the man and the moment came together.

  At the fall of France in 1940 with the war in full swing, tr Pluto was conjunct the Duke’s Solar Arc Jupiter and trine his Mars, pumping up his amour propre and determination. On his relationship chart with Churchill there was high alarm and anxiety which had been building for a year or so with tr Pluto square the composite Uranus and tr Uranus conjunct the composite Neptune.

  The Royal family has always been a coach crash in terms of personality failings but he does seem to have been worse than most. His mother, the ramrod straight Queen Mary never forgave him for the abdication and his brother George V1 had an aggravated interface with him which was being exacerbated as war broke out – with the composite Saturn square Mars catching the tr Pluto square tr Saturn.

  Exile was the least he deserved.  

Add On: The Duke’s Venus was in late Taurus conjunct the can-be-destructive star Algol. His brother Prince Henry, the Duke of Gloucester, also had Venus in Taurus conjunct Algol – he conducted a famous affair with married pilot Beryl Markham until his father put a stop to it.  Prince Diana’s Venus in Taurus was conjunct Algol which would make sense of the damaging side of the Fixed star. But so is Prince William’s Venus in Taurus, which sits within 15 minutes of a degree to Algol (= closely conjunct) and on the apex of a Yod. It’s less obvious in his case where the Algol effect operates.

  There are earlier degree Venus in Taurus in the charts of George V, Queen Mary of Teck, and the Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood ( the Duke of Windsor’s sister.)

 And of this generation – Zara Phillips has her Taurus Sun conjunct Algol. Princess Charlotte has her Mars in last decan Taurus; and her younger brother Prince Louis has his Venus in late Taurus, neither conjunct Algol.

 A family signature.

The romance of the century – tempestuous, turbulent, tumultuous and heartbreaking – is a label that fits several iconic marriages, none more so that the ill-starred match between the two Hollywood legends Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh.  ‘Truly Madly’ is the latest book, by a former Hollywood Reporter editor, to rake over the details.

  Leigh is etched in public memory for her Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind and Blanche du Bois from Streetcar Named Desire; Olivier for Shakespeare and a raft of screen hits. Their marriage lasted on paper for twenty years, during which she had breakdowns diagnosed as “manic depression”, which sent her into rounds of electroshock therapy, a cycle of excited derangement followed by suicidal depression. Both drank excessively and both had affairs, she with Peter Finch and he with Dorothy Tutin.

 Both came out of dysfunctional backgrounds, he the son of a tyrannical and eccentric clergyman with his mother dying when he was 12; and Leigh never recovering from being sent aged six to boarding school by her parents in India. They both abandoned their first spouses to be together and then set out on a high-profile stormy marriage with two careers and her illness constantly pulling them apart.  

 Olivier was born 22 May 1907 5am Dorking, England with a 12^th house Sun Mercury in Taurus. He had a Virgo Moon opposition Saturn in Pisces square Pluto which hints at a bleak emotional life and battened down feelings. His explosive Mars Uranus in his 8^th house would do nothing for his stability or ability to relate at an intimate level.

  Vivien Leigh was born 5 November 1913 5.16pm Darjeeling, India and had a Scorpio Sun on her Descendant square an Aquarius Moon and Uranus on her Midheaven which is an awkward combination, even without the erratic Uranus thrown in for good measure. She had a wide Air Grand Trine of Moon trine Saturn trine Venus in Libra; and Mars Neptune plus Pluto in Cancer – so she’d wobble between Water and Air, emotionally intense and then detached.  

  Despite all the protestations of lifelong passions there is remarkably little in the way of affectionate compatibility between them. Both may have been mesmerised by the other’s career since her Moon fell on his Midheaven; and his Midheaven in her 10^th. His Sun was in her 1^st which is helpful though her Saturn sat on his Ascendant which was less so.  Her Venus Sun were in his 5^th so for a romantic fling and fun it would be OK but her Venus also squared his 8^th house Mars Uranus which would produce fireworks.

  It was the tangle of their Nodes which probably cemented the ‘meant-to-be-together’ feeling. His Moon was conjunct her South Node and his Saturn conjunct her North Node with his Pluto square – so his neediness would prevent her developing. Her Neptune was conjunct his North Node in Cancer so his journey towards being a more caring personality would have been distracted by her delusional behaviour.  

  Their relationship chart didn’t have much going for it either. There was an illusory and ultimately disappointing Venus Neptune in a highly-strung opposition to Uranus in a volatile, angry square to Mars. And a ‘fated’ Yod of composite Sun sextile Pluto inconjunct Uranus.

 She stayed lifelong friends with her first husband Leigh Holman, 3 Nov 1900, another Scorpio who was a better match for her with his Jupiter in her 7^th; and her final partner Jack Merivale, a Sagittarius, looked after her with care.

  Olivier moved latterly onto actress Joan Plowright, 28 October 1929, for a thirty year match. Like Vivien Leigh, she had a Sun Scorpio with Venus in Libra and like him a Virgo Moon though it wouldn’t all be smooth sailing. The key plus point was her Jupiter sitting on his Ascendant which is mutually supportive, fosters friendship and would boost his image – in contrast to Vivien Leigh’s Saturn in the same place.  

  Not sure why this is a fascination especially in such grim times – put it down to displacement activity. But I’m always intrigued by the myths of unattainable bliss sold by the influencers of the time which turn out to be gratingly different from the reality.  

Ron DeSantis, up for re-election for Florida governor this November, is viewed as a potential GOP 2024 presidential contender instead of Trump. A Tea Party conservative, he has caught the headlines recently  for his hands-off approach to the pandemic, despite an infection surge, and more recently for a push to ban students from learning about sexuality or gender identity in schools.

  He was born 14 September 1978 in Jacksonville, Florida. What is intriguing are his negative influences running over the November election this year, though all the indications are the Democrats would have an uphill struggle to win. But he has the tail end of the blocked, frustrated tr Pluto square his Mars still running as well as an undermining tr Neptune opposition his Jupiter/Uranus midpoint and a loss-making tr Saturn square his Jupiter/Saturn midpoint. Which doesn’t mean he’ll lose but he’s certainly not delirious with joy. From May to early August this year he has a crushing and dispiriting tr Neptune opposition his Saturn/Pluto midpoint, repeating through 2023, on and off till February 2024.

 Once he loses that debilitating influence, 2024 is a different matter. He will pick up the upbeat, super-confident tr Pluto opposition his Jupiter in March 2024, repeating June/July and across the Inauguration in 2025. Plus a ‘lucky break’ tr Uranus square his Sun/Jupiter midpoint running from July to late October 2024 and April 2025. Plus a charming, popular Solar Arc Sun conjunct his Venus in 2024.

  He’s also getting a major triumph in 2029 when his Solar Arc Jupiter is conjunct his Sun, which may be connected to electoral successes or other events in his life.

See previous post July 18 2020.

Another despot acting badly and creating mayhem is causing a flutter out outrage in the UK. 800 workers on the Dubai-owned UK P&O ferries were summarily sacked on zoom without notice and ordered to disembark by ex-Special Forces security contractors who arrived on board various ferries with handcuffs to ensure they complied. Passengers were told to disembark.

  DP World, the owner of P&O Ferries, is a port and cargo corporation owned by the Dubai government, ruler Sheikh Maktoum, operating in 69 countries, including deep sea terminals in London and Southampton. It has been losing money on ferries over the pandemic but did collect many millions in furlough hand-outs from the UK taxpayer and managed a £270 million dividend to shareholders in 2020 while 1,100 jobs were being cut.

   Part of the strategy may have been a union-busting exercise since the RMT (Rail Maritime, Transport) are radical and militant. DP World intend to replace the union workers with agency workers, presumably at far lower rates of pay and with greater flexibility. The other semi-explanation for what has been a spectacularly crass exercise is payback against the UK, after a divorce judge ordered a quarter of a billion pound settlement to a former wife, in late 2021 partly to pay for protection against him. His two daughters were also involved in high profile kidnaps with critical media coverage of him as his thugs dragged them back to Dubai. He appears to have 30 children by several different wives. See post December 22 2021.

  Despite all of which the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made an official visit to Dubai last month, meeting Sheikh Maktoum; and DP World donated £1 million to the royal couple’s Earthshot environment competition. Sigh.

  Sheikh Maktoum, 15 July 1949, is one of the UK’s largest landowners, many properties owned through off-shore companies, and a prominent racehorse owner, often seen in years gone by in the Royal carriage with the Queen at Ascot. He’s a Sun Cancer in an expansive opposition to Jupiter in Capricorn; with a charming and manipulative Venus Pluto in Leo and a Pisces Moon probably square Mars (= anger against women).   He’s sagging badly from mid this April onwards with tr Neptune square his Mars so significant plans will hit the skids, denting his confidence and his reputation. P&O ferries are likely to be the least of his concerns.

  His monarchy chart, 4 January 2004, flags up financial upsets from this June onwards; and his own chart has tr Uranus square his Venus Pluto from mid May for the rest of the year.  The Dubai 1820 chart looks in chaos ahead for several years; and the Dubai 1833 will also be heavily disrupted.

  Back in the UK – the seafarers and transport union, RMT, amalgamated on 10 September 1990, has a highly-strung Sun Mercury trine Saturn, Neptune, Uranus in Capricorn sextile Pluto. It is being upended by tr Uranus opposition the Pluto  from mid May onwards into 2023.

  They have already made themselves less than popular by their intransigent stance again change in the London Underground and railways. And one commentator remarked this could be the most dramatic piece of union-busting since Rupert Murdoch moved all his newspaper titles from Fleet Street to Wapping in 1986, breaking the power of the print unions in the process.

  Employment lawyers do say there will probably be a case to be brought against DP World’s draconian actions though it will be complicated by them having reflagged its UK fleet from Dover to Cyprus in 2019, citing “operational and accounting reasons” in the wake of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union. Sigh, Brexit again.

   The poor workers. Words defy me. Though if the next few years do anything I’d fervently pray the Royals and political brass stop drooling over these obscenely rich throwbacks to mediaeval times.  

Nailing down the definitive chart for modern Russia isn’t easy in the chaos which followed the collapse of the USSR. Astrologers argue endlessly and often bitterly that one symbolic moment means more than another. Since working charts have to be just that – produce illuminating answers – I tend to ignore pronouncements about which start date makes political or historical sense and check subsequent events against a range of charts to see which works best.

  Not surprisingly key moments in a country’s history will share astrological similarities to earlier incarnations in the same way that an individual’s chart will highlight lifechanging moments in future years. So where there are charts erected for different times in a country’s history, they often have and should have markers which echo the earlier ones. On the whole older charts work better than more recent ones though there’s no rationale for that.

   The revolutionary Russia 8 November 1917 2.12am chart is fairly established and makes sense with a 14 degree Scorpio Sun square a 14 degree Saturn in Leo opposition 1 9 degree Uranus in Aquarius. When the Russo-Afghan War ended in ignominy in 1989, followed by the collapse of the USSR, tr Pluto was then in mid Scorpio conjunct the Russian 1917 Sun and square Saturn.

 At the first Chechen War, 11 December 1994, the tr North Node was conjunct the Russia Scorpio Sun; at the second Chechen War, 26 August 1999, tr Uranus was square the Scorpio Sun with tr Pluto crossing the IC into the 4^th house.

  The Beslan School siege of 1 September 2004 which was a humiliating debacle ending in over 300 dead, occurred when tr Neptune was square the Scorpio Sun. Ten years on Putin grabbed the Crimea when tr Pluto was crossing the Russia 1917 10^th house conjunct the Pluto – successful and consolidating power. This Ukraine invasion occurred when the tr Saturn at 18 Aquarius square tr Uranus at 11 Taurus was triggering the Fixed T Square on the 1917 chart.

  The two modern charts mainly used are 12 June 1990 9.45 am Moscow and 8 December 1991 7.45 pm Moscow.

  The 1990 chart is appealing since it has Pluto at 15 degree Scorpio exactly opposition Venus in Taurus which was impacted during both the start of both Chechen Wars, the Beslan siege and this Ukraine invasion.

 Though the 1991 chart does have its merits with indicators during both Chechen Wars, Beslan and Crimea.

  Start times which set the chart axis and houses positions are almost as tricky as dates but for the ones which seem to be accepted – the 1990 chart with a 9.45am time has tr Pluto square the Midheaven this year which is often a damaged image and lack of progress; with the Asc/Desc axis as well as the Solar Arc Neptune (Uranus) catching the high-tension, erratic tr Saturn square tr Uranus.

The 1991 8 December 7.45pm Moscow chart has tr Neptune just into the 10^th having crossed the Midheaven which suggests an undermining of career ambitions for years ahead; with the tr Mars Pluto which kicked off the conflict crossing the Descendant into a hostile-relations-with-neighbours 7^th house. The Solar Arc Neptune, Moon, Uranus are also now in mid Aquarius catching the tr Uranus square tr Saturn.

   The 1917 chart has its Fixed T square of Sun square Saturn opposition Uranus being tossed this way and that by the tr Saturn square tr Uranus – and that extends through 2023 as well. Followed by a major series of setbacks in 2024 as the Solar Arc Sun square Saturn collides with the 1917 Mars.

  The point to watch in the immediate future is when tr Uranus gets to 14 degrees Taurus April 24^th to May 8^th and again in January 2023. That seems to be a sensitive degree for triggering significant events.

  When Uranus was last in Taurus in the late 1930s, this degree in 1938 oversaw the tail end of Stalin’s Great Purge to brutally eliminate dissenting members of the Communist Party. Experts believe at least 750,000 people were executed between 1936 and 1938. By the time Russia invaded Poland in 1939 tr Uranus had moved to 21 degrees Taurus.

 Apologies to non-astrologers for the welter of stats but it was supposed to clear my thinking on which chart was best. Which it hasn’t.  They all reflect events ongoing so you can take your pick.   

Add On: An individual has a set birth chart which can’t be swapped in for a ‘nicer’ or luckier one. When a person does not recognize parts of their personality from their chart I  put it down to lack of self-awareness; and when transits/progressions don’t appear to be mirrored in life events, as an astrologer I would dig deeper to find out what has been going on. The explanation is almost always there somewhere. Many people do not live their chart out to its fullest potential which is why certain traits/talents lie hidden. For a tiny minority the birth date may be wrong but that would be rare. An individual birth chart is what it is and is not a matter of choice.

  Countries do not have a cut-the-umbilical-chord moment, apart from Israel for example. Unification dates can be sound, when smaller entities come together under one broad umbrella as happened with many European countries.

  Ancient countries will have several reincarnation moments, though they have to be treated with caution. South Africa for instance would have been better pleased to wipe the past clean and be reinvented in 1994, but that’s like saying you can have a new birth chart after you divorce from a bad marriage. Often sentiment or wishful thinking points to a cherished symbolic rebirth date. But that does not mean it coincides with the deeper reality of the country’s journey and new identity.

  Astrology has to work otherwise there would hardly be any point in it. So in trying to establish a new start date for  country the only sensible approach is to test alternative dates. For example with modern Russia from 1917 and circa 1990 – plot the astrological influences of major events like the Soviet breakup in 1989, two Chechen Wars, a disastrous school siege and the annexation of Crimea. ‘Picking’ one chart rather than others is not a matter of whim but of seeing which resonates to the destiny of the nation.   

  The Russia 1917 chart for example had tr Pluto conjunct the Scorpio Sun when the USSR broke up – which is a classic civil war indicator or accompanies a phase of destruction and reconstruction. I recollect Liz Greene pointing ahead to a split-up exactly like this some years before. The events of the late 1930s and more recent times are also flagged up which would suggest it is a chart that divulges pertinent information about the past, present and future.

  None of this is easy or clear cut. The 2001 Gujarat earthquake which killed 30,000 showed most clearly on the India 1877 chart, which was unification under Queen Victoria, the old Raj rejected after Indian independence in 1947 when it split from Pakistan. The quake also showed up in the modern 1947 chart but not as prominently.

 The coronavirus pandemic did not register markedly on the China 1949 chart but did on the 1912, end of the Chinese Imperial dynasty chart, which predates the split with Taiwan. What does this imply?  I have no idea. With astrology you sometimes have to observe and stick a post-it note on the question mark whiteboard. And keep tracking both or several charts though it is irksome.

Astrology is an ongoing learning-in-progress,