All fingers point to Iran as being behind the Hamas attack on Israel though motivations are likely to be complex. They includes decades of occupation worsening with a right-wing Tel Aviv government in place, Hamas attempting to display its power in the face of a lacklustre Palestinian Authority and grab internal control and a Hamas wish to insert themselves into the wider political shift in the region with the ongoing US-brokered normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia.  Iran has been recruiting allies in Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Islamic Jihad aiming to create an “effective deterrence belt” around Israel and thus to deter the USA. See post 29 May 2023

  In the midst of this live the poor Gazans, two million of them, stuck in a virtual open-air prison, 25 miles long and a few miles wide, with constant electricity and water cuts, a coastline reeking of untreated sewage. It is incredibly difficult to get permission to leave, either via Egypt or Israel, even for those seeking medical care such as cancer treatment. Many of the people there hate both Israel and Hamas, whom they credit with destroying the education system and imposing a brand of extremely conservative Islam.

  For the first time Hamas has kidnapped many civilians hoping to use them as human shields, betting that Israel will hold their fire to spare their people’s lives.

  Both Iran charts do have some contacts with this Libra Solar Eclipse. The 7 October 1906 chart has Mercury at 22 Libra with Solar Arc Pluto at 21 degrees about to reach the conjunction within months which will step u the rhetoric of nothing else. The Iran 1 February 1979 chart has Pluto at 19 Libra which will also be triggered, bringing an urgency to changes they want to put in place.

  There are stresses and strains on the relationship charts with the USA, Saudi Arabia and Israel at the moment and in 2024. But when the aggravation peaks will be between 2025 and 2027.

  Hezbollah, a Lebanon terrorist group formed as a result of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, has a hazy history of its beginnings but the chart I have is 16 February 1985.  That points up 2024/25 as years of extreme disruption leading into violence and more turbulence by 2027.  Though this month’s Lunar Eclipse will also impact its Pluto at 4 Scorpio ramping up the pressure.

 Two points in general seem pertinent. One is the poor downtrodden inhabitants of Gaza and Iran, both at the mercy of fanatical bullies.  Secondly there is a strange irony about the Gazans and West Bank Palestinians being enclosed by a hostile Israel when the prison warder Israel itself is enclosed by hostile neighbours.    

Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympian and member of the Kardashian clan who transitioned to being a woman in 2017, has been criticizing those she describes as “trans Nazis”. Ahead of a launch of a new documentary about the Kardashians she said trans issues had become “way too big”. “Everybody’s talking about it, and it’s such a small part of society. It is such a small group of people that are actually, truly, gender dysphoric.”

  She believes that trans girls should not compete in girls’ sports at school. “It just isn’t fair,” and believes gender ideology should not be taught in schools. Such involvement from schools is “wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong”, she said. “Schools cannot be involved in this. Stay out of their lives. Kids will figure this stuff out. It’s so few of them, but they’ll figure it out.” “A lot of kids will get forced into it,” she added. “You see a lot of de-transitioning, a lot of people are just confused.”

  The documentary The House of Kardashian has been getting good reviews – “It’s the opposite of the jarringly hectic, shamelessly shallow reality show that made its subjects famous: an engrossing, fascinating portrait of a family – whose cultural impact and economic might are undeniable (their combined fortune is estimated at more than $2 billion, $25 million of which — some £20-plus million — is Jenner’s).” Caitlyn is the only family member contributing to the film.

  Caitlyn, born 28 October 1949 6.16 am Mount Kisco, NY, has her Scorpio Sun conjunct the Ascendant catching the late October Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio tied into Mars opposition Jupiter giving her confidence a boost as she steps out on a round of publicity gigs. Jupiter is moving through her 7^th house of social contacts and partnerships. She has an influential (and controlling ) 10^th house Pluto in a charming trine to Venus. Her determined and exuberant 1^st house Scorpio Sun trines a maverick Uranus in the 9^th and sextiles onto a hard-working Mars in Virgo.  

Her Aquarius Moon is on the focal point of a yod to Mars sextile Uranus hinting at an emotional life which starts disorganized and needs gradual adjustment until he/she is able to nurture others.

  Her needs-to-stand-on-her-own and take-the-lead Aries North Node opposes her Mercury Neptune and those are being keyed up by this October and next April’s Solar Eclipses. So she’ll be at a significant crossroads in her life. 2025 looks stuck with SA Pluto conjunct her Sun as does 2026 with SA Mars square her Pluto. But she’ll keep making money along the way and heading upwards career-wise.

Israeli intelligence was caught by surprise this morning as Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets into Israel from Gaza and gunmen infiltrated the south of Israel. Mohammed Deif, the leader of the Islamist militant group, said it was the launch of what he called “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm”. “We’ve decided to say enough is enough. The occupation has committed hundreds of massacres against civilians. Hundreds of martyrs and wounded died this year due to the crimes of the occupation.”

  Benjamin Netanyahu retaliated by saying “we are at war.” It is the first major outbreak in the more than 15 years since Hamas took control of Gaza and comes after months of violence and rising tension between Israelis and Palestinians. See previous post 3 July 2023 – Violence breeds violence with no end in sight.

  It erupted as the Mars Pluto square draws to exact echoing the December 2008 Gaza War which lasted three weeks, kicking off on a Mars Pluto conjunction in Capricorn and resulting in an Israeli win.

  The rage and anger of this October 14 Solar Eclipse (see Eclipse below post) is clearly in evidence though the Libra Eclipse degree itself does not impact on the Israel, Hamas or Gaza charts. Though it does on the Hamas/Israeli relationship chart which has a composite North Node at 21 Aries exactly opposition the Solar Eclipse with a 19 degree Saturn in Libra conjunct.

  Israel, 14 May 1948 4pm, has been brewing up for trouble throughout this year politically as well as militarily, see previous post 30 December 2022 Israel – on a dark road backwards.

  Israel’s deeply entrenched and impossibly obstinate 8^th house Taurus Sun picked up the first tr Uranus conjunction in the middle of August and this jolting, forced-change influence runs on and off till early 2025. Tr Neptune square the Israel Jupiter is also in effect undercutting confidence and enthusiasm and also runs until early 2025. In 2025 and 2026 tr Uranus will make a violent, insecure, over-reactive square to the Israel Mars which will be reverberating at the moment since it squares the Israel Sun – making for a longish phase 2023 to 2027 when there will be high risk, shocks and upsets. 2026 also has the Solar Arc Midheaven conjunct the Neptune which will bring disappointment and indecision.

   There is also a tricky run of Israel having a dead-halt SA Mars square Pluto in 2025 and then square the war-mongering Saturn/Pluto midpoint in 2027 alongside SA Mars conjunct the South Node the same year; and SA Mars square Saturn by 2029. Plus tr Pluto opposition the Moon in 2026/27. A relentless pounding for years and years ahead and the 2030s don’t look much better with tr Pluto opposition Israel’s Saturn and Pluto and all the Mars midpoints thereafter until it opposes the Mars in 2041.

  Not that Hamas, 14 December 1987, are looking upbeat with tr Neptune in square to the Uranus this year and next; with a deadlocked or ruthlessly suppressed SA Mars Pluto crossing their Sun in 2025/27.

  Gaza, unsurprisingly, looks rattled mid December 2023 to mid March 2024 with tr Uranus square its Uranus and opposition Mercury. The Gaza chart, 9 November 1917 9am has an exact SA Sun opposition its Mars at the moment for a collision-type event.

I suppose it is too much to hope that Mohammed bin Salman gets involved who evidently said an Israeli deal was dependent on the Palestinian problem being settled. The USA won’t step up to the mark and no one else makes an impact.  The Israel/USA relationship chart has the composite Mars square this Solar Eclipse and the Lunar Eclipse is exactly conjunct the composite Pluto – which looks irritable and stuck.    European leaders have condemned the attack.

The Scottish by-election produced a 20% swing to Labour with the SNP losing the seat and the Tories losing their deposit. This recent upsurge of nationalist support beginning with Alex Salmond’s elevation to First Minister in 2007 coincided with Pluto poised to move into Capricorn. One cycle later with Pluto moving out of Capricorn, the SNP is back to the drawing board for a rethink.

  The SNP chart, 7 April 1934, with its warrior Sun Mars in Aries in an over-confident opposition to Jupiter was always going to run into trouble now ( and indeed from 2021) as the Solar Arc Pluto first opposed the Sun and is now opposition the Mars. 18 months ago also the SA Uranus was conjunct the Pluto and tr Pluto square the Uranus for a complete collapse in leadership and morale.

  [An astro point to note. SA Pluto is presently conjunct the SNP Jupiter which on its own should be successful but opposition Mars definitely not. The same happened with those who had the Jupiter opposition Neptune in their chart – influences to the Jupiter were negated as Neptune came in to play bringing scandal or failure.]

  The present Libra Solar Eclipse and Aries Eclipse next spring will be triggering the SNP Sun Mars and Jupiter – so the crises and pressure for change will continue at peak strength.

Humza Yousaf’s First Minister chart always indicated a term full of setbacks and aggravations with the Saturn trine Mars Moon, sextile a Taurus North Node.

 Humza Yousaf’s personal chart, 7 April 1985, Glasgow, suits the SNP with a Sun Mars Venus Mercury in Aries trine Uranus and sextile Jupiter. His Jupiter is catching the Solar Arc Neptune conjunction as hopes get dented and the bubble bursts.

The Age of Aquarius may be upon us or still to come. The roughly 2000 year long epochal ages are reckoned from the earth’s tilt on its axis, putting a line drawn through the centre of the earth against a different constellation in the heavens. Since the constellations are of varying sizes with no start and finish boundary it is never precisely clear when one Age starts and ends. 2034 has been suggested for the Age of Aquarius but who knows?   

The age of Leo: 10,000–8000bc This is the age of the hunter-gatherer, and the dawn of agriculture, with the cultivation of wild cereals and the end of the last Ice Age. Rock paintings record early man’s need to create a lasting record of his presence.

The age of Cancer: 8000–6000bc Cancer is home, family and tribe-oriented, worshipping the Great Mother and the Moon as the fertility providers. Communities gather into protected settlements.

The age of Gemini: 6000–4000bc Gemini, ruled by Mercury the communication planet. This is the age of the development of writing, starting with cuneiform, pictographs and hieroglyphs. Initially devised for trade and barter, it was increasingly used for administration.

The age of Taurus: 4000–2000bc Taurus, sign of the farmer, coincided with the start of settled agricultural communities. Taurus is associated with culture, comfort and security. Its Venusian aspects are seen most clearly in the Egyptian civilization, which by 3500bc was flourishing along the fertile Nile Delta. The great bull sarcophaguses of ancient Egypt pointto the reverence in which this animal was held.

The age of Aries: 2000bc–ad 0 Aries, the warrior sign, is associated with iron and coincides with the development of metal, which replaced stone and wooden implements. Aries’ entrepreneurial talents were put to good use: trading increased dramatically. Sporting prowess became the greatest achievement in Greek culture. Bronze technology gave way to iron, with an increase in military activity.

The age of Pisces: ad 0–20?? An age of artistic and religious inspiration, with the great messiahs — Christ, Mohammed and Buddha — carrying the vision of mankind. Pisces concerned with individual sacrifice for the greater good is lived out in the Christ myth. The early Jesus cults had the fish as their secret symbol. Buddhism is the passive facet of Pisces, caring, opposed to killing, aspiring to nirvana, a blissful state removed from earthly suffering. Pisces is connected to realms beyond, so revelations from God come directly to the prophets like Mohammed, who bring those revelations to the people. Pisces’ darker side is orgiastic, devouring, savage, impersonal, inhumane.

The age of Aquarius: 20??–4000 Aquarius is the sign of knowledge, scientific breakthroughs and discoveries. Man takes on god-like powers, manipulating the environment and our species. What he does runs against biology, so the old gender-specific categories and cultures will no longer hold. A world that George Orwell and Aldous Huxley uncannily foresaw. Some have spoken of a golden age coming. But Aquarius can be uncompromising in its demand for complete freedom without interference. The old social glue no longer works. What the Prometheus myth, often associated with Aquarius, tells us, however, is that playing with the power of the universe carries with it dangers. There will be a physical price to pay for an over emphasis on the intellect and scientific supremacy. The emotions, the body and the earth, split off from natural roots, may rebel.

The upcoming 14^th October Solar Eclipse at 21 degrees Libra is in a powerful Saros series described by Bernadette Brady as channelling immense force and anger. Either obstacles will suddenly clear or potential crises will blow up and move quickly through.

  It was around before in:

October 2005: Just weeks after Hurricane Katrina and five days before the Kashmir Earthquake which killed 86,000. With terrorist bombings also weeks before. Pluto was on the IC for the devastating New Orleans hurricane.  Kashmir had Pluto in the 10^th and Uranus conjunct the Ascendant.

September 1987: The Great Storm in England with hurricane force winds. With the Hungerford Massacre weeks before as well as mass deaths in Mecca amongst pilgrims.

September 1969: The Stonewall Riots, Chappaquiddick death involving Senator Edward Kennedy and the Manson murder of Sharon Tate came weeks before. In the September Gaddafi comes to power. Lt Wm Calley is charge with My Lai massacre.

 Before that this Saros Series in 1951, 1933, 1915.  In 1933 the Ukrainian genocide by starvation was at its peak.

This month’s Solar Eclipse is peculiarly tricky with the high-risk, overly forceful Mars Pluto square (exact on October 9^th) in place with the Libra New Moon square Pluto and on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Uranus sextile Neptune. A Sun focal point can lead to abuse of power and ego-centricity; a Moon to self-defeating, overly emotional reactions. Its path runs across south western USA from Oregon to Texas and then south.

  It looks highly pressured located to Brussels with Pluto conjunct the Midheaven and Uranus conjunct the Ascendant- and also a great deal of activity through the USA.

  The Lunar Eclipse of 28 October has a 5 degree Taurus Moon conjunct Jupiter opposition Sun conjunct Mars which could result in over-the-top actions and comments. Jupiter Mars can be impulsive, opinionated, bombastic, not always ethical, has a tendency to extravagance especially with other people’s money. It lacks the stress of the Solar Eclipse but a yod with a South Node focal point does not suggest progressive reforms.

Located to Adelaide, Australia, it puts Pluto on the IC and the Mars opposition Jupiter closely conjunct the Asc/Desc.  So a significant zone. Wild fires and floods are already causing great concern in that region of Australia with fears of what comes next as summer approaches.

  For Kiev this month’s Lunar Eclipse puts Chiron on the Midheaven which one can only hope  means a chance to heal. It will affect Zelensky’s chart with his Sun Venus in Aquarius opposition Mars in square to the Eclipse.

ADD ON:  The Lunar Eclipse located to Afghanistan has a disruptive Uranus exactly on the Midheaven occurring just before a strong earthquake hit Afghanistan leaving at least 2000 dead.

  For Israel,  the Lunar Eclipse has Chiron Midheaven line running directly through Tel Aviv – the unhealable wound.

The Solar Eclipse has Neptune Midheaven running through Afghanistan and  Saturn Midheaven running through Israel. Usually Lunar Eclipses are more descriptive in location terms.

Princess Martha Louise of Norway, whose alternative therapy school taught clairvoyance and communication with angels seems determined to marry her shaman fiance Durek Verrett. This despite the hair-raising stories of his life – imprisoned, bisexual, conspiracy theorist, multiple factual claims about his life that don’t check out, as well as comments from previous relationships which describe him as controlling and manipulative. See his wiki page.

  She was born 22 September 1971 5.07 pm Oslo, Norway and has a difficult and challenging chart with a packed 8^th house containing a Virgo Sun, Pluto conjunction conjunct Venus in Libra which in turn is conjunct Uranus with her Scorpio Moon also in her 8^th.

  Her clairvoyant and occult interests will stem from her 8^th house and she will be driven by unconscious forces she does not understand and will not have control over.

Martin Sebastian Moritz in his book Pandora’s Box, The Mysterious 8^th House, points to entanglement as being an 8^th house phenomenon – as well as it being a gateway to another world.

  Her previous husband Ari Behn, 30 September 1972, father of her three children, who committed suicide in 2019, had his Mars in Virgo conjunct Pluto falling in her 8^th as well as his Libra Sun, Mercury, Uranus.

  Durek Verrett, 17 November 1974 11.25 am Sacramento, California, a 10^th house Sun, Venus in Scorpio with his ambitious Mars in Scorpio conjunct his Midheaven from the 9^th, has his Pluto, Uranus, Mercury, Mars all falling in her 8^th.  Such subterranean connections will feel fated and meant but can also be trapped, conflict-ridden and obsessive.

  Her relationship chart with Durek echoes the 8^th house theme with the composite Pluto, Mercury, Uranus and Sun as well as Venus all deeply buried there. There is a 10^th house Moon Neptune which will be soaked up by their spiritual therapy interests. But what is damaging and destructive is a composite Mars opposition Saturn square Pluto. Mars Saturn is unkind, can be cruel and suggests a relationship where one partner has to grit their teeth and suppress their identity and needs to make it work. And that is before it locks onto the 8^th house compulsively controlling Pluto. Tr Neptune will be chiselling away at the Mars opposition Saturn in 2023/24 and opposing the Pluto in 2025/26.

  I never thought this relationship was workable though 8^th house individuals can be exceedingly stubborn and impervious to either advice, argument or evidence.

 I’d be interested in any 8^th houser’s comments since I don’t have any planets there and it has always been a mystery to me.

Kevin McCarthy has been removed as House Speaker on a little-used technicality by fellow Republican Matt Gaetz on a personal-spite and attention-grabbing mission. Gaetz is so disliked within the GOP that even Newt Gingrich thinks he should be expelled. The short-sighted Democrats, gleeful about McCarthy’s downfall, hastened his exit by voting with Gaetz, ignoring the possibility they may end up with worse.

  Gaetz, 7 May 1982 Hollywood, Florida, is a Sun Taurus with a self-aggrandising, arrogant yod of Venus sextile Mercury in Gemini inconjunct Jupiter in Scorpio; with Venus in an insensitive opposition to Mars in Libra. His Mars is catching the transiting Pluto trine in 2023/24 which will be blocked and frustrating. Alongside that, he does have a bullish tr Pluto square his Jupiter/Pluto so he won’t disappear down a foxhole without a fight. He’ll zip up in confidence and luck in 2025/26 with tr Pluto square his yod focal point Jupiter but that could bring poor judgement and self-defeating actions through his overwheening confidence. Self-doubt is not in his repertoire.

  He certain dislikes McCarthy with a vengeance with their relationship chart having a composite Sun Mercury opposition Mars square Saturn which will bring extreme aggravation and hostility.

 McCarthy, 26 January 1965 12.40 pm Bakersfield, CA, only emerged as Speaker after multiple rounds, so was never regarded by either side as inspiring. He is a Sun Aquarius with a Boris-Johnson-type scandal-prone Jupiter in Taurus opposition Neptune which is the driving rod of an Earth Grand Trine. Gaetz Taurus Sun is exactly conjunct his Jupiter and opposition his Neptune – bringing about his downfall.

 What next?  ‘It is not clear who in the House G.O.P. can earn the majority of votes needed to win a speaker’s race. Until someone can win 218 votes or more, the House will continue to hold elections in an ongoing speaker’s race. In the meantime, essentially all other action in the House will be halted.

One deadline is looming. The government will shut down in mid-November after the expiration of a temporary funding measure that Congress approved over the weekend. That’s unless Congress can pass all 12 of its yearlong spending bills or another stopgap funding bill — a tall task made even more challenging by the chaos of a speaker’s race.’

Please leave below. Older posts under news on top bar or in SEARCH

Barcelona’s famously unfinished Sagrada Familia cathedral designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi is nearing completion, 141 years after the first stone was laid. When the final tower is finished in 2026 it will be the world’s tallest church, at 172.5 metres. Gaudí’s works are individualized not to say eccentric art nouveau in appearance, influenced by his passion for nature and religion.

  The first stone was laid on 9 March 1882 when there was a super-confident Jupiter Pluto in Taurus with Jupiter in a spiritual (over-hopeful) conjunction with Neptune all square Mercury in Aquarius.  A creative Sun Venus in Pisces opposed a maverick, innovative Uranus which in turn was trine the Taurus planets. At the moment tr Uranus is just over the lucky (what a relief) conjunction to the Jupiter and in 2025 the Pluto as the finishing touches are put in place.  

 Gaudi, 25 June 1852 9.30am Reus, Spain, had a Cancer Sun conjunct North Node in a Water Grand Trine to Neptune in Pisces trine Jupiter in Scorpio with his Neptune opposition Mars in earthy Virgo and his Jupiter opposition Saturn – highly creative, lived in his own bubble of fantasy reality and would be healing for others if not himself – and up and down with Jupiter Saturn opposing. He had Pluto, Uranus, Saturn in Taurus in his religious 9^th house which made his fixed beliefs central to his life and increasingly an obsession. His 7^th house Neptune was also highlighted being on the focal point of a yod to a Libra Moon sextile Venus which would lead him to seek seclusion and an ideal of beauty.

  At the moment his posthumous Solar Arc Jupiter is conjunct his Pluto so wherever he is, he’ll be feeling pleased.

   He never married or had a relationship as far as is known. A complicated and unhappy man with health problems, some self-inflicted because of his odd food fads.  Latterly he lived like a tramp and when killed in a tram accident and taken to the mortuary he was first thought to be a vagrant. Sagrada was only a quarter built at that point.

  I went years ago on a week long Gaudi tour of Barcelona and I would have to confess by the end of it if I never saw another Gaudi building I would not be bothered. Not my taste.