Vivienne Westwood, the pioneering British fashion designer who made a name for herself as the queen of punk in the 1970s, with her androgynous designs and irreverent anti-establishment attitudes has died.

  She brought her eccentric and provocative creations into the mainstream, being worn amongst others by Princess Eugenie for  various elements of the wedding of William and Kate Middleton; and her designs were featured in the movie Sex and the City.

She caused a stir in 1992 when she collected an OBE from the Queen, without wearing underwear, and twirled round in the courtyard to reveal all. And in 2006 when she was made a Dame, she opted again not to wear underpants and went to Buckingham Palace wearing a pair of silver horns.

  She was born 8 April 1941 1am (unverified) Glossop, England into relative poverty and started in fashion creating jewellery which she sold at a market stall as a sideline to teaching. She left an early marriage when she met Malcolm McLaren, band manager of the Sex Pistols, who spear headed the 1970s social-rebel, shock-tactics protest movement in the music business.

  She had a Sun and Venus in pro-active Aries and a flamboyant Leo Moon so was always going to make her mark with a statement. She was one of the Jupiter Saturn in Taurus generation with Uranus close by, so was earthy, stubborn, idealistic (sometimes) and materialistic at others. She had the inspirational Uranus trine Neptune of that era which produced many creative types.

  Although her Uranus was reasonably prominent being also square her Moon and sextile Mercury it is not as highlighted as I might have expected from her status-quo upsetting tendencies. What does stand out is a volcanically angry Mars in Aquarius opposition Pluto which would give her a deep dislike of authority figures and she built a career around taunting them and what they represented.

  Malcolm McLaren tapped into this underground reservoir of compulsive rage with his Aquarius Sun conjunct her Mars and opposition her Pluto; add in his Mars Saturn in Cancer square her Sun Venus and it adds up to a very scratchy relationship – a masochistic twosome. Though their relationship chart did indicate a good deal of affection with a composite Sun Venus as well as a power-couple Jupiter Pluto combination which would help them have a considerable impact. That they lasted a decade together is a miracle but they did shift the culture. For the past thirty years she has been married to another fashion designer, 25 years her junior. He is another Sun Aquarius.

 Her activism in later years focused on climate change and support for Julian Assange.

The death of Brazilian footballer Pele, known as The King, has brought an outpouring of grief and adulation. He was regarded in his own country as a demi-god and Brazil’s iconic monuments, Christ the Redeemer and the Maracana were lit up on the news of his passing. He is thought of as the greatest footballer of all time and scored a record 1,281 goals in 1,363 career appearances. He was the only man to have won the World Cup three times – in 1958, 1962 and 1970. He married three times – the last when he was 75 – and had many affairs, producing at least seven children by different mothers.

  Born 21 October 1940 3am Tres Coracoes, Brazil (birth certificate) into a poor family with a footballer father he started playing professionally from his mid teens.

  He had a Libra Sun (oddly enough quite an athletic sign) in his financial 2^nd house trine a public-career 10^th house Moon Gemini. What gave his chart weight was an exact Jupiter Saturn conjunction in Taurus in a determined square to Pluto with his Pluto also square his Sun. His Mars was in Libra (same as Kylian Mbappe) and in Pele’s case was conjunct his North Node in Libra, tying him into the zeitgeist.  He also had a prominent Neptune in his 1^st house in an inventive trine to Uranus in the international 9^th house, square his Moon and sextile his Mercury.

  His global super-star 22^nd Harmonic was notable. He died at 3.27pm in Sao Paulo, Brazil on the 29^th December when the transiting Node had just crossed over his Jupiter. In certain cases Jupiter Saturn conjunctions have a capacity for giving the individual an iconic status out in society as Jupiter’s expansive, zeus-like energy combines with Saturn’s ability to ground the vision and make it real. John Lennon was born earlier that October.

Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer and alt-right-influencer who describes himself as the “king of toxic masculinity” and has been banned from Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube for his misogynistic commentary still depressingly remains one of the most searched people on the planet. He has now crossed swords with Greta Thunberg who takes no hostages when it comes to slamming back at jibes. He taunted her about his 33 cars and their enormous emissions to which she replied “Yes, please do enlighten me. Email me at smalldickenergy@getalife.com.”

  He was born on 1 December 1986 in the US, came to the UK with his mother when his parents divorced, became a chess prodigy, took up kickboxing with notable success and then became a social nuisance with his provocative, attention-grabbing me-macho-male brand and ran financial scams as a sideline.

 He has a New Moon in Sagittarius conjunct Saturn square a super-charged Mars Jupiter in Pisces. Sagittarius is renowned for being outspoken and Saturn in Sagittarius can be self-righteous. Saturn square Mars is angry and Saturn Sun Moon has problems with self-esteem, emotional as well as talent-wise. Plus he has a sharp-tongued Mercury in Scorpio is an over confident square to Jupiter – and a manipulative Venus Pluto in Scorpio.

  Greta Thunberg is well-equipped to submerge his teenage grandstanding with her unyielding Pluto in Sagittarius opposition Saturn hitting his wayward Uranus.  And her can-be-vengeful Mars in Scorpio is conjunct his Mercury.

  As a human being he is irrelevant but what he represents in the culture is worrisome – an upsurge of immature, violent anti-everything-that-is-not-me hatred.   

Pope Benedict XVI, the retired prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the head of the Church from 2005 until his surprise resignation in 2013, now 95 is seriously ill. Known as a conservative intellectual and rigorous theologian he was not as popular as his predecessor John Paul 11 and caused controversies with his comments about homosexuality being an ecological disaster, his complicity in the cover up of child abusing priests, support for a Holocaust-denying Bishop and his antipathy towards Muslims.

  Born 16 April 1927 4.15 am Marktl, Germany, he is a Sun Aries with an intemperate, argumentative Mars in Gemini square a 1^st house Uranus Mercury which would give him an impulsive tendency to speak in haste and then have to rethink. His verbally combative Mars in Gemini is sextile both his Sun and Neptune as well as being in an overly confident square to Jupiter. His  4^th house Mars, ruler of his Sun, is his driving force. This is a chart that sits on a small volcano. He also has what I always thought was his trademark – an intellectually rigid, self-righteous Saturn in Sagittarius in the 9^th.

  His composite/relationship chart with the Vatican was aggravated with a power-struggling Mars Pluto conjunction and a Yod of Sun sextile inconjunct Saturn which would make his term of office hard going.

  He was an unsettling ever-present companion in the background for Pope Francis, with their relationship chart hinting at a chained-together by circumstance and resenting it Saturn Pluto and a competitive/argumentative Sun opposition Mars.

 Add On: Pope Benedict died at 9.34am 31 December 2022 in Rome with the Aries Moon exactly conjunct his Sun and tr Saturn moving to oppose his 6^th house Neptune within days.

Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo are escalating, ditto China and Taiwan, India-Pakistan and Israel-Palestine, never mind Russia-Ukraine. Neighbourly spats and identity wars (e.g. Taiwan is China’s) rumble on constantly but there does seem more unrest than usual. There are no hard Saturn Pluto aspects which usually accompany major wars until 2028. Which doesn’t mean there won’t be outbreaks of military violence.

    The China-Taiwan standoff from past experience is highly sensitive around 28 degrees Cardinal which Pluto in Capricorn hits early, mid and late 2023. Any conflict there would deal a devastating blow to the global economy with the car, tech, pharmaceuticals and fashion industries all suffering badly. Which might be one possible reason for many central banks flagging up disasters as Pluto moves into Aquarius from March onwards.

  Serbia also appears to resonate to the dying days of Pluto in a sign through its long history. It declared independence on 5 June 2006 with Pluto at 25 Sagittarius and Kosovo unilaterally declared independence as Pluto moved into Capricorn on 17 February 2008. Serbia previously declared Independence in 1878 with Pluto in late Taurus.

   I’m not that convinced by the modern charts but for what it is worth neither Serbia nor Kosovo is looking too confident this coming year. Kosovo especially looks trapped this month into January and facing disasters from late March 2023 to June. Serbia is nerve-stretched and not empowered this year with tr Neptune square the Pluto but its major headaches come in 2024 and beyond as tr Pluto opposes the Mars, then Mars/Saturn/ midpoint, then Saturn for several years thereafter.

  This is all straws-in-the-wind but I wonder whether the Serbian high-alert is a weathervane for the global tectonic shift. From a previous post. “It stands on the frontier between east and west and throughout its long and troubled history has always seemed to be a place of great significance. 17 Roman emperors were born there; 140 wars have been fought around its capital Belgrade in the past two thousand years. And it was home to the renewed fervour for gnostic Christianity in the 8th and 9th Centuries which sent the Cathar heresies out into Europe. It was swallowed up in the Ottoman Empire, then incorporated into Tito’s Yugoslavia and suffered through an exceptionally destructive break up a decade after his death.”

   This is a non sequitur really but I wonder whether the east-west tensions which had seemed a relic of the past but are now resurgent because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (Crimea) leading to grave uncertainty about globalization and the security of supply chains involving autocratic countries are in some way sending tremors through the countries at the crossroads like Serbia. Sounds silly in a way but Serbia has always played an outsize role in world history.

  No great conclusions except the world is achanging which will re-set the political landscape force majeure or by bad actors upsetting the status quo. Some countries will be more caught in the middle than others.

Charles gave his first Christmas message with heartfelt sympathies being offered to “those at home finding ways to pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm;” and thanks to those who give generously with time and money to help out those less fortunate.

  While understandable and touching, he did veer closer to politics than the Queen ever did, which was always the concern, highlighted memorably in Michael Dobbs To Play the King novel and TV serial in the 1990s. In the fictionalised version the newly anointed Charles publicly opposed a Tory Government’s social policies and the serpentine prime minister Frances Urquhart ultimately blackmailed him into abdicating with the threat of exposing hidden Royal scandals.

  The Queen as head of a constitutional monarchy rarely put a foot wrong but Charles has a bleeding heart, is naïve, lacking in self-awareness – and open to serious question about not only financial ongoings in his charity, his friendships with questionable billionaires and also his own extravagances.

  Rishi Sunak is nowhere near as twisted as Frank Urquhart but he looks a touch cool towards Charles over this New Year into early January; and more so towards mid 2023 and on. 

  Charles has a successful tr Jupiter moving across his Midheaven and 10^th house from March 2023 till late 2024 which will keep his popularity afloat. But for all that he is facing a testing year ahead with a jolting and jangling tr Uranus square his Pluto mid March for three weeks and then opposing his Scorpio Sun from July on and off into early 2024. So his controlling tendencies will be severely challenged. 

  Pluto squares his 10^th house Moon from late this March as tr Pluto moves into Aquarius until mid June; and then returns in 2024. This will bring immense pressure on the emotional side involving family relationships, bringing up past suffering and can involve power struggles. It will also affect his career and reputation since his Moon is 10^th house and power struggles may encroach in this arena as well.

  Mid January to mid February looks disaster-strewn as does August to mid September and November to late December 2023 with his Mars/Saturn midpoint being triggered. Through 2024 tr Neptune will square his enthusiastic Jupiter opposition Uranus and Solar Arc Midheaven which will undermine his confidence and exuberance.

His relationship chart with the UK has smatterings of affection though is trickier and less successful than the Queen’s. In his case there is a resignation about this being the way it is and he will divide opinion. There will be a turbulent phase in his popularity and position through 2024/25.

  His relations with close relatives:- Oddly enough with his brother Prince Edward there will be most confusion and tension, picking up late this March and running on for several years.

Andrew is clearly unhappy with a blocked, frustrating, enraging tr Pluto conjunct his Mars Venus in Capricorn now till late 2023; plus a downbeat tr Saturn conjunct his Pisces Sun throughout 2023. And nothing to suggest a road back since Prince William seriously dislikes him.

The stand off with Prince Harry won’t improve and with Harry’s Pluto in Scorpio exactly opposition Charles’s Taurus Moon there won’t be any give, more likely an intensified tug of war. Tr Pluto is also conjunct their composite Midheaven from late March which is likely to be destructive to their relationship rather than constructive.

  With Meghan, Charles looks edgy in 2023 and most alarmed, disappointed and aggravated in 2024/25/26. I reckon the MegHaz dog and pony show will grind to a halt circa 2025/26. 2027 is when her chart looks to be in critical meltdown with possible relationship splits on both sides in the year or two before.   

“Change is inevitable, growth is optional” is a thought to hang onto as 2023 throws open its doors. Jupiter changes sign every year, Saturn every two years and Pluto every fifteen to twenty years. This year three sign shifts will require adaptability, resilience and resourcefulness.

  Jupiter will be in upbeat, fiery and enthusiastic Aries until May 17^th which should help to lift flagging spirits. It then moves into indulgent, earthy Taurus into 2024 which will allow for a few treats.

  Saturn moves through Pisces from March 8^th until May 2025, which is not its favourite sign bringing a regretful mood, one prone to anxieties and fearfulness, and a reluctance to let go past mistakes and hurts. It does induce humility and an understanding of the less fortunate with an urge to be helpful in discreet ways. But needs periods of quiet to operate successfully.

 What to be thankful for is that Saturn has moved away from the high-tension square to Uranus which has made the past two years exceedingly stressful and argumentative as well as disruptive.

  Pluto is the game-changer as it moves into Aquarius on 24^th March, staying initially until mid June; and returning in 2024 to stay till 2044. Pluto is the planet of transformation, which pulls down old structures and attitudes and provides an opportunity for a positive advance. It has been grinding through materialistic Capricorn since 2008. Financial systems and forms of government have been its principle focus and although one might have wished for more wholesale changes, there have been acute pressures in both areas and maybe more to come before it exits finally and for ever (well 250 years ahead) in January 2024. It now switches its laser beam onto a new arena. The start usually brings the most noticeable effects as the deconstruction begins.  

  Aquarius is an Air sign, a thinker and communicator, emotionally detached, friendly, better at group activities than one-to-one relationships, an explorer of ideas, scientific, inventive, can be dogmatic in defence of theories and beliefs. At best it can be enlightened and humanitarian, at worst a fanatic.

  It may in a small way provide a helpful counter-balance to the mush of Neptune in Pisces in its swansong years up to 2026 which has in recent years pushed irrational beliefs to the fore.

  The Solar Eclipses are moving backwards at 29 degrees Aries and Libra for the year. The 20 April 2023 Solar has the Aries New Moon conjunct Jupiter and square Pluto so will have a powerful effect, with confidence and power-struggles prominent. Bernadette Brady says it is in a Saros series that is not subtle and brings deep and hidden passions to the surface.

  The 14 October 2023 Solar Eclipse at 21 degrees Libra is also square Pluto and in an even more forceful and fast-moving Saros Series – obstacles will clear suddenly or a crisis will blow up and escalate at speed.

 The Lunar Eclipses will remain as for 2022 in Scorpio/Taurus. The 5 May 2023 Lunar Eclipse at 14 degrees Scorpio will be opposition to Uranus for sudden surprises. The 18 October 2023 Lunar Eclipse at 5 degrees Taurus sits beside an upbeat, but overly impulsive and opportunistic Jupiter opposition Mars.  

  There are no major outer planetary aspects as there were for the Saturn Pluto conjunction of 2019/20 and the Saturn square Uranus of the past two years, which will be a help in terms of jangle or pressure.

  My final thought is that Neptune may have a few things up its sleeve before it exits Pisces in 2025 – often the ending is as significant in events as the beginning.

  Eclipses are generally thought to cast a shadow six months ahead until the next one so the start of 2023 will carry the mood for the October/November 2022 Eclipses – see previous posts October 25 2022 and 27 August 2022.

Previous Saturn in Pisces – 1994/95 – 1965/66 – 1935/36 -1906/07. These always coincided with other outer planet placings so not always easy to extrapolate what truly belonged to Saturn in Pisces.

 Though there did seem to be concern for the poor. 1935 in the recovery from the Great Depression the USA Social Security Act was passed, and Alcoholics Anonymous was founded the same year. The 1964 Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 authorized the formation of local Community Action Agencies as part of the War on Poverty.

There were also advances with TB vaccines, strep treatment, electronics, first vacuum cleaner – though they have have been boosted by Uranus Neptune and Saturn Neptune around then.

  There did seem to be larger natural disasters than usual; as well as atrocities – Stalin’s Great Purge, Romanian Peasant Revolt (11,000 died), Rwanda genocide, Srebrenica massacre. King George V dies in 1936 and Churchill dies on the next Saturn in Pisces.

  There were USA east coast earthquakes in 1906 and 1994 but both of them also had Uranus Neptune – in opposition and conjunct respectively, so more to do with that.

Please add below. Older posts under news in top bar.

Happy festivities all round. Hope the break is enjoyable and that 2023 will bring optimism, enthusiasm and resilience.

  Predictions for the year to follow.

  I am grateful to those who pitch in with astro-thoughts, illuminating background contexts and questions since it helps to form a clearer picture.

All the best

Marjorie

Canadian rapper Tory Lanez has been found guilty of shooting fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion in the foot after they left a party at Kylie Jenner’s home in 2020. He was charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. He will be sentenced in late January and is likely to get a hefty prison term.

  The prosecutor praised Megan  for “incredible courage and vulnerability” despite facing “repeated and grotesque attacks.” He said, “you faced unjust and despicable scrutiny that no woman should ever face and you have been an inspiration to others.” In her testimony, she said Lanez offered her $1 million to keep quiet about the shooting.

 Two things seem odd looking at the incident and aftermath as a reflection of current trends. Taking a semi-automatic to a party?? And treating the shooting as if it was a he said/she said domestic violence spat or worse suggesting she might have asked for it because of her sexual history.

   He was born 27 July 1992 in Ontario and had a fractured childhood, being thrown out when he was 15 to fend for himself. He’s a Sun Leo sextile Mars in Gemini; with the excitable, highly-strung Uranus Neptune in Capricorn of his generation; and an emotionally bleak Venus in Leo opposition Saturn square Pluto in Scorpio.  His Solar Arc Neptune Uranus are now starting several years’ trip in hard aspect to his chilly Venus Mercury, Saturn, Pluto T square so a devastating time ahead.

  Megan was born 15 February 1995 in Texas with a rapper mother and finished a college degree before launching out onto a full blow musical career herself.

  She’s a Sun Aquarius opposition Mars in Leo with Jupiter square Saturn in Pisces and the Uranus Neptune conjunction in late Capricorn. Her Pluto in Sagittarius is exactly opposite his Mars and his Pluto squares her Mars so sparks would fly; and her Venus in Capricorn is conjunct his Uranus Neptune.

  Not sure why any of this matters apart from the violent and misogynistic rapper culture and oddities of US gun lax control.