Actor Jeff Bridges after a run of disasters is in contemplative mood, releasing an album recorded years ago with Malibu friends. The songs are described as “loose, playful and lightly surreal. They sound like Creedence Clearwater Revival jamming with Frank Zappa, or some particularly stoned outtakes from Bob Dylan.”

 Best known for movies like The Big Lebowksi and The Fabulous Baker Boys, he has had an award-strewn career, but was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, now in remission, followed by a devastating attack of covid which almost killed him and then this January he lost his house in the Los Angeles fire. Despite which he isn’t feeling sorry for himself. “Only when you get to rub up against that shit,” he says, “do you see the magic of life.”

  He was born 4 December 1949 11.58pm Los Angeles, the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and an actress/writer mother, brother of actor Beau Bridges. He has been married to his wife, Sue, since 1977 and they have three daughters.

 He has a communicative 3^rd house Sagittarius Sun conjunct Chiron and Mercury square a tricky Mars Saturn in Virgo in his 1^st house. I wonder whether that Mars Saturn is connected to a brother who died of Sudden Infant Death syndrome the year before his birth having only lived for a few weeks. Jeff arrived as the family would still be grieving.

He has an entertaining and charming Venus in Capricorn conjunct Jupiter in Aquarius in his performing 5^th house and his creative Neptune is conjunct his Midheaven, A 9^th house Moon will make him knowledgeable and widely read. A 10th house Uranus would have prompted him towards an unconventional career offering freedom.

  His Mars Saturn in Virgo has been troubled in recent years by Solar Arc Uranus moving across the conjunction and square his Mercury in recent years; with his Progressed Moon moving through his 6^th house of health.  He may have a few challenges to face still with several midpoints being jangled for two/three years ahead as well as a highly-strung SA Neptune opposition his Uranus this year. Picking up the pieces from a destroyed house will take time.

Trump’s tariffs might spell the end of China versus Why China is not afraid of a trade war with Trump. Economic commentators are grasping at complete opposites as the unknown unknowns mount.

 One scenario says if the US leverages the rest of the world to close off their markets to China it could spell trouble for China’s economy, which is already battling extraordinary debt, slow growth, deflationary pressures and a failing real estate market and could be the downfall of Xi Jinping.

  Another scenario where China invades Taiwan and threatens to cut off Western access to its rare earth minerals is not a far-fetched one and demonstrates the unhealthy reliance we have created on critical Chinese supply chains.

China has already raised its own tariffs against the US, restricting Hollywood movies, probably banning the import of American poultry and other agricultural products, hitting back against American services companies like law and consultancy firms, and suspending co-operation in the fight against fentanyl smuggling.

China could out-tough Trump given that it is a totalitarian state and thus less concerned about their people suffering. And it has recently made a drive to diversify its markets, bringing growing markets in south and southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America into its economic orbit.

  Xi Jinping, 15 June 1953, has a similar Gemini Sun to Trump, 14 June 1946 10.54 am New York, and their relationship chart has an emphasized power-struggling-for-the-upper-hand composite Jupiter Pluto conjunction which sits midway between Venus trine Neptune. The highly-strung mood of the moment will continue into 2026 with tr Neptune and then tr Saturn square the composite Uranus giving rise to tensions and eruptions with more stand-offs in 2028.

 Trump’s chart relocated to Beijing puts his Mars in Leo in the 7^th house of allies and enemies with his Pluto also conjunct the Descendant from the 6^th for a combative mood. The China 1912 chart also has its bulldozer Mars in Taurus sitting exactly on Trump’s Midheaven for a competitive clash; with its Neptune conjunct his Saturn for deep suspicion.

 Xi Jinping’s Saturn Neptune is conjunct Trump’s 2^nd house Jupiter raising red flags about Xi’s motives when it comes to undermining Trump’s finances.

 Trump’s relationship chart with China 1 January 1912, looks exceedingly stressed, undermined and at odds right through his coming term till late decade with tr Neptune Saturn conjunct the composite Sun from this May onwards, worsening in 2026 and on as both planets make hard aspects to the composite Sun Uranus opposition Mercury square Mars.

  The Bank of China chart 1 December 1948, is showing signs of loss and disappointment as an undermining Solar Arc Neptune will conjunct their Mars Jupiter in 2026; with tr Neptune Saturn adding to the downward slide in square to Mars Jupiter in 2026/27. With further financial pressures in 2027. But they are hardly alone in facing difficult headwinds where their economy is concerned.

  The China 1912 chart is in trouble in 26/27 from Solar Arc Pluto square their Neptune (which could be a natural disaster)  and will be facing an explosive and insecure 2028 with SA Uranus conjunct their Mars in Taurus.

  Clearly Trump reacts to China like a bull to a red flag.

Add ON: Useful facts courtesy of the FT. More than half the smartphones sold in America are iPhones and 80 per cent of those are made in China. “Liberation day” was not supposed to mean liberation from their smartphones.”

80 per cent of the world’s air conditioners are made in China; along with three quarters of the electric fans America imports. 75 per cent of the dolls and bicycles that the US imports are also made in China. China makes almost 50 per cent of the ingredients that go into the antibiotics that Americans depend on. The F35, the backbone of the US Air Force, requires rare-earth components sourced from China. The Chinese are also the second-largest foreign owners of US Treasury bonds — which could matter at a time when the market is under strain.

Barack and Michelle Obama’s marriage is under scrutiny in the popular media because of her non-appearance at a couple of events with him. Although she has come out recently to defend her right to choose what she does for herself. Standing behind her husband’s political ambitions was a sacrifice for her, requiring she cut back and then give up on her previous legal profession.

  Theirs is a Saturnine relationship giving longevity and endurance though cutting back on warmth as duty gets in the way of indulgence; with strong indications that both are independent-minded individuals  Her Capricorn Sun falls on his Saturn and her Saturn is conjunct his Ascendant opposition his Uranus, which latter will throw up some tensions. He has Uranus, North Node and Pluto in his 7^th house of close relationships which will make togetherness tricky since he’ll find it easier to slide back into doing his own thing.  Her Uranus Pluto conjunction fall in his 7^th – which may work in giving each other space most of the time.

 Barack, 4 August 1961 7.24pm Honolulu, Hawaii, is in a low profile, less successful time in his life since early 2022 as tr Saturn moved below his Ascendant which is often when unresolved or unattended to emotional matters surface. Tr Uranus will move across his IC through this year which does suggest domestic upheavals or house moves; and then from 2026 tr Uranus is conjunct his 4^th house Moon which again suggests domestic changes. His Sun/Moon midpoint will catch the tr Saturn square in 2026 and the tr Neptune square by 2028 – both of which will be questioning phases where their marriage is concerned.

  In general he looks discouraged in 2025/26 and rattled in 2026/27; but in better spirits in 2027/28.  The 2032 election looks more upbeat for him than the 2028 election.

   Michelle Obama, 17 January 1964, no birth time, Chicago, is ploughing through deep frustrations and feeling blocked with tr Pluto conjunct her Mars in Aquarius through this year until late 2026, muddled in 2027 and blocked in 2028.

  Their relationship chart has an affectionate composite Venus opposition Saturn which squares onto a cool Saturn and an adventurous power couple Uranus Pluto opposition Jupiter. Tr Pluto wending its way round in hard aspect to Venus, the composite Sun and Saturn now and until almost the end of the decade will bring pressures to bear and be a challenging time emotionally. There will be high points as well as tr Uranus squares their composite Uranus Pluto and Jupiter in 2026/27.

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Britain’s age of excess started as stuffy Queen Victoria died in 1901 and her pleasure-loving son, ‘Dirty Bertie’, King Edward V11 took over as monarch for nine years along with his style-icon Queen Alexandra.

  An exhibition devoted to The Edwardians: Age of Elegance will be on display in Buckingham Palace, showing paintings, sculpture, jewellery, furniture, books, photographs and ceramics.

  Born 9 November 1841 10.48am London, playboy Edward was not known for his restraint, having Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance, Land of Hope and Glory played at his coronation, and pronouncing cigars were back in fashion after the tobacco intolerance of his mother’s reign. He had a Fabergé-designed cigarette case decorated with a diamond-encrusted snake given to him by a favourite mistress, one of the dozens of women he notoriously indulged himself with. He had glamorous royal mistresses such as Lily Langtry and Alice Keppel (the ancestor of Queen Camilla) though none as sophisticated as his spouse the Danish Alexandra who presented him with six children. She was hailed by Vogue as “the legitimate head of fashion throughout the British dominions with high collars and jewelled choker necklaces that she wore to disguise a scar on her neck.   

   He had a 10^th house Scorpio Sun trine an independent-minded Uranus in a volatile sextile to Mars in Capricorn. He also had an emphasised Jupiter in Sagittarius in his 12^th square a Virgo Moon opposition Uranus hinting at his love of indulgence with no limits, His Venus in Libra was in an intense and seductive opposition to Pluto square Mars –  nothing would hold him back from satiating himself in the delights of seduction, even when he grew obese in later years.

  Surprisingly he had a defensive Saturn on his Ascendant – though from all accounts he was hardly reticent when heading for enjoyment – perhaps Saturn in its goatish guise.  

 Alexandra, born 1 December 1844 6.30pm Copenhagen, Denmark, was a fun-loving Sun Sagittarius in her 5^th house (also house of children) with successful Jupiter conjunct her Midheaven on the focal point of a yod inconjunct a Leo Moon sextile Mars in Libra in the 4^th – the pomp and display of the Royal lifestyle would suit her despite its sacrifices. Saturn in her 7^th square Venus and Mars hints at a marriage that would require effort and self-control. Her Mars was also opposition a 10^th house Pluto so she’d be used to biting her tongue and putting up with having to be submissive. An 8^th house Neptune opposition her Moon would give her an aura which caught attention.

  Needless to say their relationship chart was focused on duty with a 10^th house Saturn square Venus opposition Pluto. The composite Moon was square Mars Mercury; and an 8^th house Sun was trine a 12^th house Uranus, plus an 11^th house Jupiter Neptune – all adding up to intense feelings both positive and negative, chained together, irritable with turbulent undercurrents.

  Different days for Royal marriages then.

  Edward was succeeded in 1910 by George V who faced World War One in 1914 bringing a sharp end to Edwardian excess.

Add On: His mother Queen Victoria had a tough personality with a cool, self-sufficient New Moon in Gemini and Saturn Pluto in late Pisces which would not suit Bertie with his Scorpio Sun.  Her Mars in Aries and North Node were conjunct his Pluto for a hostile relationship of dominate and submit.

  It was no better with his father Prince Albert, a Sun Virgo with a volatile, explosive Mutable Grand Cross onto Mars in Gemini opposition Uranus Neptune square Saturn Pluto opposition Mercury. His relationship chart with his son had a composite Mars Pluto conjunction opposition the Sun. Both parents were cruel to him.  

David Hockney regarded as among the world’s greatest living artists is opening his biggest ever show in Paris, filling 11 room across four floors. Two years ago, when they started planning the exhibition, “I just thought I probably wouldn’t be here”, he says. “I’m still a smoker, a happy smoker fed up of bossy people telling you what to do.” He is in poor health, having two full-time carers but still paints for four to six hours every day.

He was a significant contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s and several years ago one of his swimming pool paintings broke the world record for a living artist selling for $90 million in New York.

 Born 9 July 1937, no birth time, in Bradford, England, he has a chart replete with high confidence, ultra-determination and rebelliousness.  He has a creative Cancer Sun, forming part of a talented Half Grand Sextile from an unconventional Uranus opposition Mars in intense Scorpio, sextile Neptune and Sun. Not a man who appreciates interference or being told what to do.  His Jupiter in a wide, nature-loving Earth Grand Trine to Neptune and Uranus is in an assertive opposition to Pluto – he pleases himself and ignores rules set for ordinary people.

 He’s always stuck to his guns about what he’ll do and not do, disregarding his Royal Art College diploma requirements, which later caused them to change their regulations.

  Long may he continue.

Pluto is the other half of the story in the final week since it squares the Sun on the 23rd before opposing Mars on the 27^th – and will be in effect for a few days before since slow-moving Pluto builds up a head of steam before the exact aspect.

 From a previous post:

Pluto, the planet of transformation, ruler of inexorable and seismic changes, a wrecking ball and a reconstructor, moved into Aquarius in late March 2023 to stay for two decades.

 On an individual chart it will have an effect depending on the chart house which it moves through and which planets it aspects. Transiting Pluto through a chart house makes the strongest impact at the start of a house transit so for the moment it will be worth paying attention where a house cusp is in early degrees.

  Not for nothing is the phoenix the symbol for Pluto. It arises out of the ashes of the past. First a rendering to dust and then a rebuild.  

Pluto through the houses – both natal houses on the chart or solar houses from Sun sign on the Ascendant:

1^st – most useful transit of them all since it brings deeper self-knowledge and an understanding of where the individual fits into their environment. Though it won’t come without some pain. It often starts with an urge to over control, which is the anti-Pluto resistance to change. Letting go and opening up to new attitudes and accepting that a total image makeover is overdue will make it run more smoothly.

2^nd – personal finances can start with a breakdown phase before building up financial security in the years ahead. Requires a new attitude to handling cash.

3^rd – deep thinking and intense where everyday communications are concerned with a tendency to take every encounter and word spoken as deeply significant. Can be dogmatic leading to stalemate in discussions. Need to lighten up at times. Relationships with workmates, neighbours, siblings can get conflicted.

4^th – changes at home and the family, sometimes starting with an older relative passing on, or with domestic problems of cracking infrastructure as Pluto gets to undermining what is outworn and needs replaced. Pulling away from childhood past is also part of it. Troubled family relationships may split initially but can come back together from a more mature standpoint later on.

5^th – creative, attention-seeking, wanting to be accepted as a person of substance. Can become possessive where loved ones and children are concerned.

6^th – need to regenerate the body and fitness, get ailments seen to and improve old damaging lifestyle habits.  Work relationships can become tense since there will be a drive to put changes in place and be in control.

7^th – change on close relationships will be inevitable but one or other partner may fight for control, to hang onto the old status quo. Can be a time of break ups though not necessarily. At best can lead to more depth in the connection.

8^th – the chart area of transformation, rebirth and joint finances. Can start with the passing of an older relative or friend. Having to dig deeper for answers to fundamental matters, reaching out beyond the rational world for solutions and insights. Can feel like purgatory. Not a time to owe money or be obligated since will feel trapped.

9^th – chart area of beliefs, the higher mind and travel. Slow, gradual shearing away of old opinions and attitudes to find a new outlook on life. Tendency to be dogmatic or self-righteous ending up in intense discussions.

10^th – change of career and reputation. Pluto can bring a dead- halt and need-to-rethink-direction phase. In certain cases can damage public image and career status with a need to rebuild on the far side. Often begins a longish period of seeking and searching until a meaningful direction is found.

11^th – change in future plans and goals as old ambitions and indeed friendships fade away. Intense connections with groups that want to make a difference in society. Team and group activities take foreground. Cooperation not always easy with Pluto setting up tensions and tugs of war for control.

12^th – an inward-looking phase of exploring the unconscious and trying to understand why certain actions are self-defeating.

Pluto in Aquarius will also affect the sign in which the Sun as marker of identity sits. It will be most noticeable immediately where the Sun falls in early degrees and on the cusp.

  The greatest effect will be felt by the Fixed signs – Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius.   

   For Taurus, it falls in the Solar 10^th house of career and life direction, bringing a long phase of seeking and searching for meaning and purpose at work and in life. The ultimate aim is to find a true vocation. But it may be a question of try, try, try again before you succeed. Along the way there may be power struggles with authority figures.

Leo will be prompted to alter their approach to close relationships. Pluto can throw up tensions as one or both partners resist letting go the old ways and fight for control. It can be scary to open up to deeper connections with intense emotional reactions surfacing. But the end result will be to forge stronger bonds if the problems can be overcome and trust established.

Scorpio will sense the winds of change blowing through their home life, family relationships and altering their attitude to their roots and origins. Pulling away from old emotional foundations can bring a sense of loss but the gift is the prospect of reattaching in future to more mature connections as childish patterns are eliminated. It can also be a time of rebuilding literally at home as the domestic shell shows signs of requiring renovations.

Aquarius could regard this as a transformational phase comparable to caterpillar, chrysalis into butterfly. Though another analogy might be the crustacean – like a lobster or shrimp.  They are armour-coated which protects them but what fends off danger also stops them growing. When they need to evolve to a larger size they go through a vulnerable phase when they cast off the old shell. At that point they hide under a rock for safety. Grown in size, they put on a suitably enlarged overcoat and sally back into the fray. Pluto’s change always requires a step backwards into an exposed or defenseless stage before an empowered move forward.  Aquarius will emerge renewed and regenerated along the way.

  The other Air signs – Gemini and Libra – will benefit from Pluto in Aquarius. 

Gemini has been labouring since 2008 with Pluto moving through its Solar 8^th house, which is a financial and emotional drag. Some have used Pluto’s subtle manipulation of power and influence astutely but it hasn’t been easy. Pluto moving ahead through their Solar 9^th will find them opinionated and wrestling to a degree with sorting out their beliefs and philosophy of life but they won’t be as tied down.

Libra has been sorting out home, family and domestic matters for the past fifteen years and is now ready to step out into a longish phase of Pluto moving through their Solar 5^th house. This will help them make their mark creatively and be an influential presence on the social scene. Less helpfully it can make them more possessive and controlling about children and loved ones. Resisting that temptation and turning their attention to building up their self-confidence and getting their achievements out on display will make more sense.

The fire signs – Aries and Sagittarius – will be less burdened moving ahead with Pluto moving out of materialistic, earthy Capricorn into airy Aquarius.  A mix of Fire and Air can be hot-air-balloon time, exciting but not always realistic or practical. But will appeal to their adventurous spirit.

  Aries will throw their energy into activist movements with Pluto moving through their Solar 11^th house, wanting to make a difference. Friendships will become more intense and mixing with influential types out in society will be more frequent.

Sagittarius can now turn their attention away from Pluto in Capricorn’s obsession with money to considering how to reorganize their everyday schedule and routines at work and in the neighbourhood. Altering their way of communication will be key to Pluto in Aquarius. Everyday encounters may take on a significant tone, though too much may be read into small glitches. Becoming opinionated, dogmatic or negative are risks but real insight into the core of situations and problems will be the gift.

Cancer is still moving through a challenging phase of revisioning close relationships. Pluto in Capricorn has been a longish time of adjusting to a different balance in interchanges with one-to-one partners. Pluto moving into the Solar 8^th house can bring a sense of restriction either financial or emotional, but in rethinking attitudes to influence, power and control, there can be a surprisingly positive outcome. For sure, best results will come from altering ways of sharing, caring and relating and being firstly more adaptable and secondly accepting of what can’t be changed.

Pisces will adapt to Pluto moving through Aquarius, the sign before theirs, by disappearing into a private space to ponder. For some, they will drift and daydream through a time where they feel marginally hemmed in. For others they will rise to the challenge of understanding what is going on deep within themselves. They will explore their unconscious or their past for clues to how to change the pattern of their lives.

Virgo facing Pluto moving into their 6^th house of health and work will be unperturbed at the prospect of exploring better ways of upgrading and regenerating their fitness and physical well-being. Being hypochondriacs at heart, they will relish the thought of researching new diets, exercise plans and supplements to keep them on peak form.  There may be tensions in the work place since their determination they know best about new methods and approaches may not meet with universal agreement.

Capricorn likewise won’t be unduly unnerved by the prospect of Pluto moving into its chart area of personal finances, since money and materialistic matters fall within its comfort zone. Though they may not appreciate Pluto’s tendency to start with a breakdown phase as an old financial base or methods are deconstructed before the reconstruction begins.  Staying in control of cash and security will be key to their peace of mind.

  These are the rule of thumb Solar effects of Pluto in Aquarius. Not to be regarded as tablets of stone since other planetary influences will also be in play. But helpful as an overview.

Mars Pluto is hoving back into view aiming for a direct opposition on the 27^th; with the Sun squaring Mars and Pluto in the days before. All of which will add up to an aggravated and frustrating finish to what has already been a tumultuous month. The edgy mood will run into the middle of May when the opposition wanes.

Mars Pluto hard aspects (conjunction, square, opposition) tend to coincide with ruthless actions or disasters. The Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 had Mars in Libra square Pluto.  The Ukraine Invasion of 23 February 2022 a Mars Pluto in Capricorn conjunction.

  Digging through my event file: A devastating Iran Iraq earthquake of 12 November 2017 had a Mars in Libra square Pluto. The Zebrugge ferry sinking which killed 193 on 6 March 1987 happened on an exact Mars in Taurus opposition Pluto; when tr Pluto was already hovering around the opposition to the UK 8^th house Mars. The Andres Plane crash of 13 October 1972 happened on a Mars Pluto in Libra conjunction. The Titanic sinking of 14 April 1912 happened with Pluto in late Gemini conjunct Mars in Cancer (with Mars inconjunct Uranus). The Titanic Hull laying of 31 March 1909 which is effectively its ‘birth chart’ had Mars (Uranus) inconjunct Pluto.

  Not all disasters or conflicts have Mars Pluto hard aspects; and since they come round usually three times a year they are part of the roller coaster of life and do not portend the end of times.

  The recent ones: Mars Pluto conjunct in Aquarius on 13 Feb 2024 – Israel launches an airstrike on Lebanon on the 14^th. A Kansas shooting also on the 14^th. Trump is fined $354 million in a New York Civil Fraud case on the 16^th.

Mars in Taurus square Pluto in Aquarius June 11 2024 – Hunter Biden is convicted on gun felony charges; with Florida floods on the 12^th.

4 November 2024 Mars in Cancer opposition Pluto in Capricorn. Trump was elected on the 5^th.

From a previous September 2024 post:

Mars will dominate this winter as it moves through Cancer in opposition to Pluto from late October, going retrograde early December and staying within orb till after the USA Inauguration in late January. It goes direct late February and moves into Leo from mid April picking up the Pluto opposition until mid May.

 Mars opposition Pluto tends to feel blocked, frustrating, trapped, powerless and infuriated. On occasion it brings high-risk and crises. Progress will only come after superhuman efforts, meeting force with force. Mars Pluto can move mountains but it will take courage and unrelenting determination.  

Understanding the nature of Mars, also a previous post.

Mars, god of war, testosterone-fuelled and so competitive he would kick his father out of the way to get ahead, may have had a heroic image in ye olden times. But he/she is struggling to revision themselves in these non-binary, tree-hugging, #metoo sensitive days.  

  Broken down into simple words Mars is 1) assertive; 2) argumentative and competitive; 3) bolsters identity in ‘I want’; 4) provides forward gear; 5) is an essential factor in decision-making); 6) necessary for sex drive; 7) generates will-power and the life force. Without Mars there would be no life, no reproduction, no progress.

  Mars is usually thought of as angry. But anger is only stored up assertion. When ‘I want’, ‘I intend’, ‘I will do’ – all of them reflecting the core identity of the individual – gets blocked or remains unexpressed Mars slowly starts to boil until it erupts. Synonyms for assertion are – decisive, believing in oneself, self-assured, confident, forceful. All of those can be subtly conveyed – or not – depending on the sign Mars sits in.

  Mars in the Fire signs – Aries, Leo and Sagittarius – will be loud, inclined to flare up, outspoken and unselfconscious about demanding their own way. In Aries and Sagittarius squalls never last long and are soon forgotten. In Leo, being ego-centric and Fixed, there can be a prickly defensiveness hanging around after arguments.

 Mars in the Earth signs – Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn – can be slow burn and is usually focused on a practical or financial outcome. Mars in Taurus is slow to anger but earth-shaking when the lava erupts. Money will be what motivates them into action. Mars in Virgo, the workaholic, is a perfectionist. In Capricorn is super-ambitious, climbing ever higher up the ladder with steely determination.

Mars in the Water signs – Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces – is more problematic. Fire makes Water boil is quintessentially true of Mars in Cancer, which is volatile and gets over-emotional when provoked. Scorpio, secretive as ever, harbours a grinding resentment which is kept under control until the time is right and then the scorpion sting is let loose. In Pisces, Mars gets flummoxed since Pisces hate confrontations. Where the pair come together most effectively are in artistic ventures especially dance and yoga. Forward march to Pisces means taking the roundabout route.

 Mars in the chatty Air signs – Gemini, Libra, Aquarius – pumps fire into thinking and speaking. All good debaters and adept with words. Mars in Aquarius can be ornery, awkwardly stubborn.

 How Mars integrates in the chart and which planets it sidles up to or clashes with makes a difference. The essential nature of Mars in its chosen sign gets modulated, watered down or the opposite, depending on which other planetary energy it has to work beside.

  Sun conjunct Mars is competitive and courageous; in square and opposition doubly so, headstrong, willful, reckless and noisy.

Moon Mars – comes from the angry mother who blocks the child’s assertion, leaving issues with women/domestic life behind in adult life, quarrelsome. Alcohol tends to lift inhibitions so flare ups follow.

Mercury Mars – quick thinking, fast-talking and sharp-tongued, inclined to argue endlessly and stir up controversies.

Venus Mars – in conjunction can be passionately enthusiastic and, in some, a tendency to promiscuity. In square and opposition it leads to strong ‘romantic’ attractions but not always sensitivity to the other’s needs.

Jupiter Mars – high vitality plus positive thinking = good luck. Helpful for starting new projects.

Saturn Mars – blocked assertion can have positive outcome in self-discipline and promoting a military turn of mind where suppressing personal needs and identity for a specific purpose is helpful. Can be destructive, violent. Tends to be passive-aggressive. Simmers with resentment and then blows a fuse.

Uranus Mars – rebellious and freedom-loving plus fiery zeal can be an explosive and self-willed combination. Good for high-risk ventures, adventure and thrills. Bad for tolerating interference and compromise.

Neptune Mars – can attract publicity and glamour, common in showbusiness types. Has a hint of Mars in Pisces so not always good at full-frontal demands.

Pluto Mars –  a challenging combination stemming from a dominating, scary father who at times would feel life threatening.  Leaves behind an adult who is good in crisis situations and is do-or-die determined. Some turn ruthless since it was what they knew, others remain suppressed and attract difficulties because they are unsure how to live out the super-charged energy.  

The ‘great American novel’ Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is celebrating its 100 anniversary this week. His take on the excesses of the Neptune in Leo Roaring Twenties has become for many a definitive statement on unaccountable elites today. “They were careless people . . . they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”

  A thoughtful comparison of his vision of the faultlines in American society a hundred years ago and today’s excesses by cultural historian Sarah Churchwell in the Financial Times deserves a wider audience.

 “He foresaw tragedy in the country’s impulse towards grandiosity and self-destruction in its reckless dishonesty.” “The novel’s prescience lies not in foretelling specific events but in diagnosing a culture where power enjoys impunity and cruelty rubs out its traces — a society run by careless people.” “Carelessness, in Fitzgerald’s vision, is more than negligence — it is a way of wielding power. It’s the certainty that the world exists to absorb your damage.     “

“Tom is a bully and bigot, a careless, foolish man who triumphs simply because the world permits it —- a society in thrall to raw power. “Flushed with his impassioned gibberish he saw himself standing alone on the last barrier of civilization.”

“People such as Thiel, Elon Musk and Donald Trump seem to find democracy vexatious because it is a theory of power-sharing. Tech moguls who advocate “exit” from democratic accountability imagine themselves natural rulers, reasserting hierarchies that protect their privilege.”

“Musk and Trump posture as saviours, but they are bent on extraction — stripping resources, exploiting labour.” Leaving devastation behind in the Valley of Ashes.

  “Fitzgerald saw society not as a historian, but as a novelist who felt the undertow of his own time. The Great Gatsby ends not with transformation but return. The forward motion exists, but the direction is an illusion. Beneath it is recurrence: the same hierarchies, the same betrayals, the same brutalities.”

https://www.ft.com/content/dd6f1a32-398e-47f2-85a3-41120c952554

 Scott Fitzgerald, 24 September 1896 3.30 pm St Paul Minnesota, oddly attracted little success during his short life, only becoming recognized after his death from heart disease aged 44 after a spell as an alcoholic.

  He had an intense, deep-thinking 8^th house Libra Sun inconjunct a Taurus Moon in his communication 3^rd so he would be constantly at odds with himself. He had Neptune Mars in Gemini in his creative and entertaining 5^th house with Pluto in Gemini in his 4^th; and Jupiter in flamboyant Leo conjunct his South Node in his 7^th drawing him to the glitz and glamour of the age. He had Venus Mercury in Libra in his 9^th house of publishing and writing, along with serious and innovative Saturn Uranus in Scorpio.

  His North Node in Aquarius opposition his Jupiter and square his Uranus Saturn arguably pulled him towards a more humanitarian outlook as he understood only too well the siren call of his Jupiter South Node in Leo – and the world of wealth and selfishness which it represented.

 He was on his First Saturn Return when The Great Gatsby was published with his Solar Arc Uranus opposition his Mars; and tr Neptune in Leo conjunct his South Node. Surprisingly it was a commercial failure at the time.

He would have understood Neptune moving into Aries only too well.

  Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s teenage acquisitions, who won a multimillion-pound payout from Prince Andrew after claiming she was trafficked to have sex with him at the age of 17, appears to be in a crisis. She claimed she  had only ‘four days to live’ after suffering kidney failure in the crash despite it being a minor collision and there also appears to be  an alleged breach of a family violence restraining order presumably related to her now separated marriage. The car was driven by someone described as a ‘carer’.

  There is no doubt she has been through harrowing times through 2022/23 when tr Pluto was opposition her Mars and square her Saturn Pluto, which would trigger memories of her  traumatized childhood.

 She was born 9 August 1983 5.52 am Sacramento, California, and aged 7 was molested by a family friend, ended up living on the streets as a 13 year old, then in foster homes, was abused by a 65-year-old sex trafficker, who was later imprisoned for alien smuggling for prostitution. She returned to live with her father aged 14, who was a maintenance manager at Mar-a-Lago. She met Ghislaine Maxwell there when she was 16 and was offered a job working for Epstein as a traveling masseuse with the assurance that no experience was necessary. Between 2000 and 2002, she travelled between Epstein’s residences in Palm Beach and Manhattan, his New Mexico ranch  and island Little Saint James, being trafficked, she said in her autobiography, by Epstein to provide massages and sexual services for him and a number of his business associates over a two-and-a-half-year period.

  Her early experiences of being trapped, scared witless not just of sexual abuse but also being killed/destroyed are well described by her Mars square Saturn and Pluto; her fear all masked by a sunny, outgoing 1^st house Leo Sun and Moon and  a lucky, adventurous Jupiter Uranus in Sagittarius conjunction.

  She does look rattled late this month with tr Uranus square her Moon and downbeat about children with tr Saturn square her 5^th house Neptune, though she has nothing like as shattering as the influences two years back.

 Her chart keyed into Prince Andrew’s, 9 February 1960 3.38pm London with his Mars Venus conjunction in Capricorn tied into her Capricorn planets square Mars.

 Despite a few murmurs about her being a fantasist there seems no inclination for Prince Andrew to question the settlement he made; and he is in trouble on another score with more documents about his relationship with an alleged Chinese agent of influence about to be released. The businessman, who denies wrongdoing, was accused of using his position as an influential businessman in Prince Andrew’s inner circle to clandestinely further the Chinese state’s aims.

Andrew’s chart relocated to Beijing puts his defiant, lawless Uranus (on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Saturn sextile Mercury), conjunct his Beijing Midheaven. Influential, controlling Pluto is also in his Beijing 10th though that can bring jeopardy. Neptune in Scorpio is on the Ascendant for smokescreens and scandal. Jupiter is in the financial 2nd – no surprises there.

  On his natal chart Andrew does have a bullish Solar Arc Jupiter square his Sun/Pluto midpoint at the moment so no doubt he will try to  brass-neck it out. But tr Saturn square his Jupiter in early May and on and off into early 2026 will dent his confidence. Tr Uranus is also about to oppose his Scorpio Moon within days running to late April which will bring an emotional/family jolt. Plus tr Neptune Saturn square his Solar Arc Midheaven all year into early 2026 for an uncertain, directionless phase. His Secondary Progressed Mars is conjunct his 8^th house Mercury all this year for an aggravated mood where finances are concerned. Late 2026/27 don’t look reassuring either.

 And starting from this July there is a run of tr Uranus square his Pisces Sun and then square his Pluto till early 2028 which will put his life through the wringer with a series of upheavals.

  Family relations are also running into a maelstrom with Charles throughout this month with tr Uranus square their composite Pluto; plus an undermining tr Saturn Neptune square the composite Jupiter all year.

Princess Anne likewise looks prepared to throw their connection up in the air with tr Uranus conjunct their composite Sun and square Pluto later this month into early May.

Prince William who harbours a definite dislike of his uncle will be more than exercised about the family scandal as tr Uranus moves into Gemini, making the next three years ones of vocal opposition.