Iceland is on tenterhooks as volcanic activity has been shaking the coastal town of Grindavik, tearing homes and roads apart. Iceland’s Met Office has said that the ‘likelihood of a volcanic eruption is high’ and could happen at anytime in the coming days. The region has been rattled by more than 800 new earthquakes since midnight, with experts warning that magma is rising ever closer to the earth’s surface fueling fears of an imminent volcanic eruption. According to scientists it could be the beginning after 800 years inactivity of a new era of volcanic eruptions that will last for centuries. The seismic swarm started on October 25. There is not absolute certainty since certain indicators do not point to an eruption but the presence of sulphur dioxide is usually strongly suggestive.

  If it erupts it is expected to result in a lava flow so won’t be a repeat of the chaotic aftermath of the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption, which produced a huge ash cloud and led to the biggest shutdown of global aviation since the Second World War, with 50,000 flights cancelled and eight million passengers affected.

 Iceland proclaimed independence from Denmark on June 17, 1944 at 2:00 pm and has a cool, chatty Gemini stellium of Sun, Venus Saturn conjunct in the last decan and Uranus Mercury in the first. There’s a determined Mars Pluto in Leo and a confident Jupiter Mars – so plenty of grit, self-assurance and courage. The 11th house Jupiter Mars square an 8^th house Taurus Moon – emotionally secretive and friendly at the same time.

  There is not much showing immediately though what is upcoming is tr Pluto trine Neptune on the Ascendant which in hard aspect is a classic natural disaster signature,  picking up from late February 2024 running off and on till late 2025. Alongside that is an uncertain, worrisome tr Neptune square the Sun and then Saturn which picked up this September and runs off and on until January 2026. Which may or may not be volcano connected.

 When the Eyjafjallajokull eruption took place ion 20 March 2010 tr Saturn was exactly conjunct the Iceland Neptune with Sun Uranus in opposition and tr Mars conjunct the Pluto in the days following.

 Neither of the recent Lunar and Solar Eclipse had planets close to the axis which is usually the case for major incidents. But a thought struck me about the powerful 1999 August Solar Eclipse which triggered events two years later when Mars returned to its same position in Scorpio for the first time. Its return coincided with the devastating Gujarat earthquake in 2001 and the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the UK. Half a cycle of Mars later in Taurus a major earthquake in Afghanistan erupted. (details below). So Eclipse charts appear to have a validity on into the future – which is irksome for astrologers since you end up drowning in charts and would need to take up astro-quakes as a full time study.

  Back to Iceland. The 19 November 2021 Lunar Eclipse set for Iceland had the explosive Mars in Scorpio opposition Uranus sitting on the Ascendant/Descendant axis with Neptune conjunct the IC. Mars has now come full circle back into Scorpio to oppose Uranus for this recent Lunar Eclipse. So it does appear to indicate heightened activity now.

Details: 1999 Solar Eclipse.

The path of the August 1999 total solar eclipse in the 1 North Saros cycle series (see below) which rose in the Eastern seaboard of the USA, then crossed the UK, curving down across Afghanistan, Pakistan to finish in southern India. It may seem too far back to connect this eclipse to events in 2001 OR 2002. Except there were major aspects to that 1999 Leo eclipse from Saturn in Taurus, Mars in Scorpio, Uranus & Neptune in Aquarius. At the time there was little outward sign of the kind of events such a powerhouse of influences might have suggested. But in January 2001 the same aspects recurred with Mars returning for the first time since 1999 to Scorpio, and along with the Aquarian Sun picking up the tale end of the waning, disruptive Saturn Uranus square.

  At precisely the time those aspects repeated the devastating Gujarat earthquake in central western India on January 26 2001 – exactly on the 1999 eclipse path – occurred as these aspects all came together again. The catastrophic national foot & mouth epidemic in the UK, also started around this time. Both UK and India have very fixed charts with major planetary configurations in Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius, which were especially triggered off by the eclipse and these transitting planets in fixed signs. Even later still in late March 2002, when Mars again in a fixed sign – Taurus – running into the square to Uranus, coincided with a major earthquake in Afghanistan, also on that 1999 eclipse

Barry Manilow, a blast from the past who never went away, is back on Broadway with a passion project about a singing male sextet, the Harmonists formed in Germany and popular throughout Europe in the early to mid-1930s. Their run was ended by the Nazis because some of the singers were Jewish. The Washington Post describes it as ‘overly earnest’ and the Guardian ‘an over worked tizzy.’ He may be disappointed that his pet project is not being better received but he is still working at 80, in the 14th year of a Las Vegas residency with concert dates through December 2024.

  Despite the contemptuous put downs by music critics, Manilow has had a sterling career over a half-century, with 50 plus albums, 15 number one singles and more than 85m records sold. Amongst his hits – “Could It Be Magic”, “Looks Like We Made It”, “Mandy”, “I Write the Songs”, “Can’t Smile Without You”, “Weekend in New England” and “Copacabana.”

  He was born 17 June 1943 9am New York, with his parents divorcing when he was two and his stepfather later introducing him to music.

  He has a stellium in Gemini – a sign much populated by popular singers – his Sun is conjunct Saturn and his Mercury conjunct Uranus. He has a Fire Grand Trine of an ever optimistic Sagittarius Moon in his performing 5^th house trine a charming though secretive Venus Pluto in Leo on his Ascendant trine Mars in Aries. Despite his downbeat Saturn, a Fire Grand Trine will give him self-belief and confidence, the faith that he will succeed and attract attention. His Moon opposition Saturn is the driving rod of a Kite funnelling the inspirational Grand Trine energy, giving him endurance and a way of coping with inner loneliness.  His Sun is square a musical Neptune. His 12^th house Jupiter in Cancer sits relatively close to his Pluto Venus, sextile his Neptune and square his Midheaven emphasizing his schmaltzy qualities.  

 His chart is predominantly Air and Fire with only one Water and one Earth planet (Neptune) – idealistic, positive, not always realistic.

 He does have tr Neptune square his Sun now and for a few weeks ahead as well as SA Neptune conjunct his Moon so he may be less than delirious about the reception his Broadway show is getting. But tr Jupiter is moving through his 10^th until mid 2024 which will bring success and a boost for his image, maybe elsewhere.  

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Tony Blair, never one to duck an opportunity to stick his head above the parapet, has let it be known that he is available if needed to help end the crisis in Israel and Palestine.

 He did work as a special envoy for the Quartet – the UN, the US, the EU and Russia – after leaving Downing Street in 2007, trying to increase humanitarian aid, strengthen the Palestinian economy, and bolster governance in the occupied territories. ‘Ultimately the scale of the Israeli blockade, born out of Israel’s security fears, made the job untenable since without political coexistence, there was little chance of economic progress on the West Bank.’ Given the Iraq debacle for which he has never expressed remorse his appointment to the Middle East envoy job was regarded as a bleak joke.

  It is unlikely Blair would take on a role unless there was a shift from the Israeli belief that this was a conflict that could only be won militarily.

  Born 6 May 1953 6.10am Edinburgh, Scotland, he has a 12^th house Sun square a controlling Pluto and a 10^th house Aquarius Moon (conjunct North Node) – inordinately stubborn and enduring. His upbeat Jupiter in late Taurus conjunct Mars in Gemini are conjunct his Ascendant giving him a can-do image. He has a hope-for-a-better society Neptune Saturn in Libra in his 5^th opposition Mercury Venus square a trailblazing Uranus.

  There is nothing in his astrocartography suggesting Israel/Gaza would be in any way noteworthy for him. His success lines run through China/Beijing, Singapore region.

  He is not at such a low ebb as he was for the Iraq invasion in 2003 when tr Saturn was abseiling in a downward direction through his less successful First Quadrant and his Solar Arc Mars was in a panicky-failure square to his Neptune, getting worse in the following two years. But his Secondary Progressed Mars is about to square his Neptune in 2025 and his Saturn in 2026 which will see a run of considerable setbacks and acute frustration.

  Tr Jupiter into his 1^st from the middle of 2024 for a year will give him a boost and tr Uranus following suit in 2026 will see him rebranding his image and setting out on a changed path. But Progressed Mars will continually trip up his best laid plans until it clears in 2027.

David Cameron springs back into the public arena as UK Foreign Secretary as Rishi Sunak pulls to the centre, facing up to the far-right and averting his eyes from Cameron’s past misdeeds – Brexit, Greensill financial scandal, cosying up to China, crashing into Libya.  Cameron for all his flaws does have international standing which will help with the two major foreign policy crises of the moment – Ukraine and Gaza.

  In 2010, Cameron sparked fury from Israel after saying its blockade had turned Gaza into a “prison camp”. In 2015, he sent British troops into Ukraine to help train its military after Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014. He will be in charge of Britain’s aid budget, having criticised the recent decision to cut spending.       

  He was born 9 October 1966 6 am London, from memory, though I have 5.30am which I think made sense of events in his life back then.

 Either time gives him a charming, diplomatic 1^st house Sun Venus in Libra with a friendly, showy and laid-back 11^th house Moon Jupiter in Leo square Mercury. His Mars in late Leo is in a publicity-attracting square to Neptune. What cuts across his chart and sits awkwardly with his smarm and charm superficiality is Saturn in Pisces on his Descendant opposition a 12^th house Pluto Uranus in Virgo – determined, obstinate, chaotic.

  He won’t have much of a honeymoon running into his new job with an uncertain, panicky tr Neptune conjunct his Saturn from late this week to late December. Though at the same time with tr Pluto trine his SA Jupiter he will push ahead with vigour. 2024 sees him with tr Pluto opposition his Jupiter for a self-assured push running into 2025; with patches of good luck even through that tricky mid year patch from June 2024 onwards (affecting many Middle East and US charts).  Although August 2024 will be less sanguine for him with a shock and insecurity from tr Uranus square his Mars – and those plus and minus influences run on in tandem into 2025.

  Uranus moving into his 9^th house now suggests ‘adventurous’ travel and with Jupiter and Saturn heading in the right direction in his chart he’s likely to regain credibility.  A commentator remarked that accepting the position would help Cameron “rehabilitate” his political reputation and put him “back in the game” for senior roles at multinational organisations in future. A win win.

  His astrocartography does suggest a high profile role for him with both Ukraine and Israel – so he may do a smidgeon of good. His relationship chart with Netanyahu has a hostile Mars Pluto conjunction which tr Uranus is severely rattling come next August. 

  That mid year 2024 patch looks ominously unsettled across a range of charts including Anthony Blinken’s.

Napoleon – “lover, tyrant, legend” – is the most famous Frenchman in history though in reality he was Italian. He was known as a great military commander with ambitions to conquer Europe though he lost millions of men and ended a failure in exile. He was renowned for his passionate marriage to Josephine who cuckolded him constantly with other men. All in all a conundrum who is about to feature in yet another movie, this time a Ridley Scott blockbuster starring Joaquin Phoenix.

  Known as the little corporal, he was born in Corsica on 15 August 1769 at 11am Ajaccio, came to prominence during the French Revolution and led successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. He rose from being First Consul from 1799 then Emperor of France. He initiated reforms that have persisted through the years, but has been criticized for his authoritarian rule. The Napoleonic Wars led to the deaths of between three and six million people. He was forced to abdicate in 1814 after a catastrophic military invasion of Russia ended in defeat with one million soldiers and civilians killed. He was exiled to the island of Elba, escaped and his army was again defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. He died on Saint Helena in the Atlantic where he had been exiled for a second time.

  His unlikely wife Josephine was six years older, a widow with two children, blackened stumps for teeth and not attractive but he was obsessed. She cheated on him within weeks of their wedding, yet he refused to give her up.

  He had a 10^th house Leo Sun square Jupiter in his 1^st house so  not short of showmanship or confidence. But what cemented his military capabilities was an Earth Grand Trine of Mars in Virgo trine Pluto in Capricorn trine a 7^th house Uranus, formed into two talented Kites – one with Uranus opposition Jupiter, giving him bountiful luck and self-assurance. The other was Pluto opposition Venus which would fuel his obsessive romantic passions.

  His accentuated Mars Pluto trine would make him ruthless, courageous and ultra-determined with an inventive streak as Uranus joined in. His Jupiter may have been his Achilles Heel with over-confidence bringing him down.

 Josephine, 23 June 1763, whose first husband died at the guillotine, was a fearsomely determined Sun Mars in Cancer opposition Pluto. Her Neptune in Leo was conjunct Napoleon’s Sun so she would mesmerise him, with her Venus Jupiter falling in his 8^th house of money and sex. She overspent wildly as well as being unfaithful but he was hooked.  Her Mars Sun and Pluto were tied into his emphasised Venus but it was hardly a match of soulmates.  Their relationship chart has a composite Sun square Uranus and Uranus tied into a Grand Trine to Neptune and Moon Pluto – a highly-strung mix of defiant independence and possessiveness. There is also a Venus Saturn conjunction which is hardly emotionally warm but may have contributed to the highly sexualised nature of their relationship.

Joaquin Phoenix, 28 October 1974 does not echo much of Napoleon’s chart though his Mars, Venus, Sun in Scorpio do fall on Napoleon’s Ascendant (on this birth time).

Reviews: ‘Joaquin Phoenix makes a magnificent emperor in thrilling biopic.’

‘Phoenix is the key to it all: a performance as robust as the glass of burgundy he knocks back: preening, brooding, seething and triumphing.’

Demands for a humanitarian, political response in Gaza are falling on deaf ears as two determined adversaries refuse to cease hostilities.

 Benjamin Netanyahu with his ruthless, do-or-die determined Pluto Mars in Leo is well matched by Hamas’s Mars Pluto in Scorpio and their leader Yahya Sinwar’s Mars in Leo opposition Saturn square a Scorpio Sun. A recipe for deadlock. Curiously, or maybe not, Sinwar, 29 October 1962 (wiki), has a relationship chart with Netanyahu with an almost certainly composite New Moon = more whole when together, conjunct Neptune and square Uranus. In some twisted way, with opposing agendas, they need each other.

  David Steel, former Liberal leader and ex-President of Medical Aid for Palestinians writes in today’s Times: “ Peace can only be reached in the region by a new effort that should include the de-militarisation of Jerusalem, possibly with a permanent UN peacekeeping force.”

“Netanyahu has failed and should go, along with the lacklustre Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, to be replaced by negotiators who are willing to revive the idea of a corridor between Gaza and the West Bank, backed firmly by the US, UK and others, including the Arab states led by Saudi Arabia.”

  There is precious little in the astrology to back up any hopes of a cessation of antagonism any time soon.

 Netanyahu’s lacklustre Term chart from 2022 appears to be limping along with a revival of confidence running alongside failed plans in 2024. Where there is an indication of major shocks is from mid 2024 onward into 2025. Uranus at 26 Taurus from July 2024 into 2025 – comes up in various related charts in the region – Israel, Netanyahu, MBS etc so that could be when another bonfire is lit.

 The Israel/Netanyahu relationship chart also indicates mid 2024 and just after for major disruption and aggravation with tr Uranus square the composite Mars, before it moves on to square the composite Saturn in 2025. Neither of which necessarily suggest a parting of the ways.

  The Israel/Hamas relationship chart which at the best of times is fraught and hostile with a composite Uranus opposition Pluto Mars is nerve-stretched over the next few months and on and on for several years.

  All the indications from the Israel chart is that they are into the riskiest phase of their existence extending on into the 2030s. Tr Uranus is conjunct their 8^th house Taurus this year on and off till early 2025, presumably trying against the odds to uproot them from old attitudes. Their Solar Arc Mars is in a depressing square to the Moon/Saturn midpoint at the moment; then moves to a destructive, potentially deadhalt square to the Pluto in 2025; when there is also an explosive tr Uranus square the Mars. Nothing that looks remotely like peace or even a reversion to the status quo ante. Constant turmoil and danger ahead.

 Hamas, equally, or on a similar trajectory with successes and failures over the next year and more – with 2025/26 looking like the end of the road when their Solar Arc Mars Pluto cross their Sun.

Emmanuel Macron has been one of the few voices up to now calling for a ceasefire, which may be motivated by France having the largest Muslim population of any European country because of its historical Algeria and North Africa connection. On his astrocartography, Gaza sits on his Sun Mercury Midheaven, so it could be an area where he takes the lead and comes to prominence. Ireland and Brazil have also demanded a ceasefire.

  Tony Blair has also volunteered his services though there’s nothing on his ACG to suggest it is a success region for him.

  David Cameron, on the other hand, may come into his own since Gaza puts his Jupiter and Moon close to his midheaven. He is a former UK prime minister who steps up as a surprise Foreign Secretary with Braverman gone and Cleverly moved to the Home Office.

A new documentary now on show made by two Jewish filmmakers is trying to put the record straight as they recall their early indoctrination into a one-sided story of the creation of Israel.  The film argues that some American Jews are told a story – about Jews escaping persecution and genocide to return to their ancestral homeland – that almost entirely erases the existence of Palestinians. It’s a narrative that has been incredibly influential in shaping global attitudes about the Israeli state and US alliances in the Middle East.

 They say the process reminded them of what they’d learned in school about the history of the US, “in terms of a people who came to a new country that were refugees or immigrants and created a city on a hill, a beacon of light and a democracy. That narrative is incredibly empowering until you hear about the Native Americans and you realize it lacks some really basic points.”

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/nov/12/israelism-documentary-american-jewish-israel-palestine-conflict

ADD ON:

     Chaim Silberstein, a Jewish settler, can see only one response to the Hamas attack of October 7 — expanding the settlements and solidifying Israel’s already tight grip on the occupied West Bank. He is one of 500,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, which has had a huge upsurge in violence in the weeks since the rampage by Hamas militants through southern Israel sparked war in Gaza. 167 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since the war broke out, a further eight had died at the hands of settlers. Nearly 1,000 people have been forced from their villages, the UN said.

 Some settlers consider the West Bank to be part of the Land of Israel. “The battle isn’t just about territory — it’s a religious conflict between Judaism and Islam.”

 Some settlers now feel so emboldened that they even envisage expanding into Gaza, from which Israel withdrew in 2005. Daniella Weiss, head of the radical settler organisation Nachala, spoke recently  of “our movement’s efforts to return to Gaza, the entire Gaza, and build settlements”. Weiss’s dream is not widely shared. But in the West Bank, the settlements which most of the international community consider illegal have been gradually expanding, which Palestinians say is destroying all hope of a two-state solution.

 The recent violence is down to an expanded IDF presence and to militant settlers. One western diplomat said, “We’re seeing a blurring of the division between the IDF and the settlers, who are often accompanied by soldiers in IDF uniform when they go on the rampage.” They have also been buoyed by the presence of settlers in the Israeli government, widely seen as the most rightwing in Israeli history. These include finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has said the Palestinian people do not exist.

 The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has reported incidents recently of settlers attacking Palestinian residents, “in some cases threatening them at gunpoint or firing at them”, as well as damaging property, stealing livestock, felling trees and vandalising water tanks.

Add On: November 18

‘Too many taking sides in this conflict miss the true nature of Hamas – and Netanyahu.’

‘Both those calling for a ceasefire and those opposing it are making assumptions that don’t stack up.’

  A sensibly nuanced piece on the Gaza mess by Jonathan Freedland in the Guardian.

‘Biden and co are overlooking the fact that Netanyahu and his coalition are utterly opposed to the very arrangement (a political solution) Israel’s western allies advocate. This is the most rightwing government in Israel’s history. It includes junior ministers who fantasise about flattening Gaza with a nuclear bomb or repopulating it with the Jewish settlements that were uprooted in 2005, and senior ministers who are, even now, wrecking any chance of cooperation with the only body that could plausibly fill the vacuum in a post-Hamas Gaza: the Palestinian Authority.’

‘Washington, Brussels and London currently back Israel because they agree that no peace is possible without the removal of Hamas. They are much less clear that no peace is possible without the removal of Netanyahu and his henchmen. Yet both can be true.’

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/17/hamas-benjamin-netanyahu-ceasefire

“The potential solutions to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-solve-israel-palestine-war-conflict-map-middle-east-ggzg72r2k

 Background piece in today’s Sunday Times (paywall).  Does rather back up my gloomy astro thought that there is no solution.

Two state solution: There are nearly half a million Jewish settlers in the West Bank, 60 per cent of which is directly run by Israel, another 200,000 settlers live in east Jerusalem. The settlers believe they have a biblical imperative to live on the land between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean Sea. They are unlikely to move.

One state solution, peaceful coexistence. It could call into question the Jewish identity of Israel and is not supported by Israeli government.

  Goes back to James Cameron’s thought that ‘the aspirations of the Jews and Arabs are irreconcilable’ – ‘no compromise any mortal man can devise is going to —–’

 And that was written fifty years ago.

Tracy Emin, the artist, is in soulful mood on the brink of her first New York exhibition in eight years.  Diagnosed with cancer three years ago she underwent major surgery leaving her without a bladder, lymph nodes, half of her vagina and part of her intestines. In an interview she said ‘I’ve always been alone. I really hope to find a soulmate before the end.’

Known as  the enfant terrible of the Young Brit Art scene, she was born 3 July 1963 at 6.50am London with an unwed mother of Romani traveller descent and a Turkish-Cypriot father who had another family. She left school at 13 and said she was raped at 13. Her work has been analysed in terms of childhood abuse and assault. She later had two traumatic abortions and went through a suicidal phase.

  She  came to public attention in 1997 when her work Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995, a tent appliquéd with names, was shown at Charles Saatchi’s Sensation in London. Two years later she won the Turner Prize with her installation My Bed –  consisting of her own unmade dirty bed with used condoms and blood-stained underwear.

  She has a creative 12^th house Cancer Sun trine Neptune in her 4^th house with an emotionally intense Scorpio Moon also in her 4^th which rules home and childhood. Her Moon squares an 8^th house Saturn which in turn is trine Venus Mercury in Gemini – so not much emotional nurturing.

  Her chaotic and turbulent life will be partly linked to a volatile collection of Uranus Pluto and Mars in Virgo, with assertive Mars in her 3rd. This is offset by a talented, lucky Jupiter in her 10^th which suggests growing respect for her abilities the older she gets. And given that her Jupiter is on the apex of a Yod to Mars sextile Neptune she has the potential to be influential out in society – as long as she keeps her ego and grandiosity under control.

  She does have her Progressed Moon moving through her 7^th house for another year which will make the lack of a partner more poignant. And her Progressed Venus is conjunct her Pluto also over coming months which will make her emotional reactions and yearning more intense. Tr Neptune square her Venus until late this December will being romantic dreams though perhaps also disappointment. Her Solar Arc Venus is opposition her Saturn this year which will also heighten her sense of being cut off from a supportive relationship.

  A different chart to Barbra Streisand but the same dilemma – all the success in the world and what they really want is a meaningful emotional connection.

  It reminds me of a friend, now gone, also with Saturn in the 8^th who was extra keen to find a soulmate and yet everyone she lighted on through dating apps was discarded as not right. She passed away without ever finding what you needed. Not that Saturn in the 8^th is necessarily partnerless – I have known long marriages in individuals who have it but it does seem to give a sense of never quite finding the depth of intimacy they would like.

Add On: Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, born 6 July 1907 8.30am Coycacan, Mexico had a fairly similar chart and an extraordinarily dramatic life with mind boggling health problems. She contracted polio as a young child and then had a bus accident in her late teens, which broke a vertebrae, her pelvis, ribs, legs, feet and a handrail pierced her abdomen and uterus. She had 35 operations in later years and was in constant pain throughout her life.  She married Diego Rivera, another Mexican painter, who supported her talent, who was 20 years older and obese. She was bi-sexual and both had multiple affairs.

 She was a Sun Neptune Jupiter in Cancer opposition a 5^th house Uranus Mars in Capricorn – so volatile, explosive, highly strung, showy, full of initiative but constantly pulled in opposite directions. Her 8^th house Saturn in Pisces was trine a Cancer North Node, sextile Moon MC in Taurus; and Saturn was also square Pluto Venus in Gemini.

   Her 10^th house Moon in Taurus would be the saving of her, bringing a public career that involved a tactile medium and involved a love of all things botanical. Her Venus close to Pluto and square Saturn suggests an emotional life both passionate and cold and inclined to promiscuity. She had affairs with everyone from Josephine Baker to Leon Trotsky.

She died aged 47, perhaps of an accidental overdose though she was in worsening health having had a leg amputated.

300,000 people marched through central London calling for a Gaza ceasefire in a peaceful demonstration apart from what the Met police called “extreme violence from right-wing protesters” who set out to confront the pro-Palestinian marchers. Nine officers were injured and 126 people arrested, the vast majority of them counter-protesters. Serious offences relating to anti-semitic hate crimes were also being investigated, presumably from both the far-right and the Hamas supporters.

  It saw the return of Tommy Robinson, the ‘opportunistic hero of the far right’, founder of the anti-Islamic English Defence League, who was on the front line, ringing with  chants of “England till I die” and “we want our country back with much waving of Union Jacks and the St George’s flag. But he departed before the Cenotaph and before he could be arrested.

 Robinson, 27 November 1982, returned to prominence a week after his return to Twitter/X from which he had previously been banned for five years. He founded the EDL on 27 June 2009 and along the way of his activist career he has been jailed six times, found guilty of libelling a fifteen-year-old Syrian refugee and convicted of prejudicing the trial of an alleged child-grooming gang. The catalyst for EDL was discovering Islamists were recruiting men from his home town to fight for the Taliban in Afghanistan. He is pro-Trump, praised by the Proud Boys and has a following among anti-Islam groups in Germany and Denmark.

  He’s a rebellious and outspoken Sun, Uranus, Mercury, Venus in Sagittarius with a tough-minded and angry Mars in Capricorn square Saturn Pluto in Libra.  His Uranus Sun are square the UK’s Pluto so upending the established order will be a trigger for him. Though he is nowhere as determined as Oswald Moseley, who found the British Fascist Party in 1932 who was a Sun, Uranus, Saturn in Scorpio.

 The English Defence League, 27 June 2009, has a controlling patriotic Cancer Sun opposition Pluto square a rebellious Uranus; with a crusading North Node in Aquarius; a passionate and doggedly obstinate Venus Mars in Taurus (like Hitler) – and a Jupiter Neptune Chiron conjunction in Aquarius. What it shares with the British Fascist Party, 1 October 1932, is a Jupiter Neptune conjunction which Liz Greene describes as messianic – on a divine mission to save. The EDL Pluto is square the UK’s Uranus – so again a clash of values with the EDL trying to impose theirs. Though they won’t be making much if any headway once Neptune moves into Aries and even before then their expectations will be disappointed.

The multi-talented Hannah Waddingham is on a roll, co-hosting this year’s Eurovision and recently Prince William’s Earthshot in Singapore and will be a constant presence in M&S and Baileys’ Christmas ad campaigns on TV. She is already laden with awards for Ted Lasso and has a substantial career as a stage actress and musical star on London’s West End and New York’s Broadway. She was described by one critic as the “Joanna Lumley of musical theatre”.

  She was born 28 July 1974 6am London with an opera singer mother and musical grandparents and grew up around the theatre.

  Her 12^th house Leo Sun is conjunct her Leo Ascendant trine Neptune and sextile Pluto making her an entertainer with an ambitious streak. She is lucky with Jupiter in Pisces in her 8^th, her gift from her ancestors. A 4^th house Uranus will keep her on the move domestically, despite her settled 4^th house Scorpio Moon. She’ll always have an ambivalence about staying in one place for long. Her Venus in Cancer conjunct Saturn gives her a sophisticated air though it won’t make finding romantic support easy, especially since both square Pluto. She’s used to emotional hardship.

 This year her Solar Arc Jupiter is square her Sun for a confidence boost. The recent Solar Eclipse was exactly opposition her Midheaven and conjunct her Uranus, which to all outward appearances seems to have brought all good news.

 Next year she will star in Tom Cruise’s next Mission Impossible – which may come with a caution warning given her Solar Arc Saturn square her Mars in 2024 which is accident prone.  His movies tend to be high on adrenaline rush and cliff edge stunts.