The EU is bracing for a rocky ride ahead if the French election swings to the far right with Marine Le Pen and her protegee Jordan Bardella leading the charge. Leaving the EU and the eurozone no longer feature on her RN party’s electoral manifestos and polls do not suggest an outright majority for RN. But it will probably be the largest force in the national assembly. France might well be unable to engage in EU decision-making with a hung parliament; and if the right holds sway it would affect climate, migration and gender equality policies.

 The EU, 31 December 1957 11pm Brussels chart, is floundering through tr Neptune (and Scheat) square the Midheaven and opposition the Ascendant this year and on and off till early 2026 – inducing indecisiveness about direction and an undermining of its image. And there will be extreme stress with almost unsurmountable obstacles as the Solar Arc Pluto opposes the Moon and squares Uranus through mid to late 2025. With a disruptive, applecart-upsetting tr Uranus square the Pluto by 2026 and on.  

  The Maastricht Treaty chart, 1 November 1993 12 am Brussels, started showing unease as Macron decided on a snap election with tr Uranus opposition the Mars Pluto and that will continue to cause upsets and disruptions across the New Year and into March 2025. Tr Pluto will continue to bear down on the 1 degree Taurus Midheaven through this year till late 2025 in square, causing a forced shift in direction. With cataclysmic turbulence through 2028/9 as the Solar Arc Uranus Neptune is conjunct the Saturn and square the Mars Pluto.

  France’s relationship charts with both the EU 1957 and EU Maastricht do hint at major disagreements this year and on. With the EU;  tr Uranus squares the Saturn this month and opposes the composite Pluto this July onwards into 2025; and then opposes the Mars in 2025/26. That looks very fractious. France with Maastricht – has much the same with aggravation this month and into early 2025 and a tug of war for the upper hand.

 Germany is also on high alert and edgy. With the EU 1957, there is a composite Venus opposition Uranus square Mars opposition Moon all in early Fixed signs which is being forced through grinding change with high frustrations peaking in 2025/26 but extending on till late decade. With the Maastricht Treaty and Germany relationship chart 2026/2027/2028 look nerve stretched and highly disruptive.

  Italy is faring no better in finding contentment  within the Brussels monolith with tr Uranus in late Taurus causing havoc this year and next to both the Italy/EU relationship charts.

  Nothing settled anywhere. The irony is that some of the above may be a direct result of Macron’s ill judged calling of an election. He is robustly pro-Europe but may unwittingly have set in motion events which will undermine his European ideal.

Julian Assange appears to be on his way home to Australia after a US deal in which he pleaded guilty to one count of espionage, carrying a sentence  of 62 months in prison, with the five years he has spent in a UK prison counting towards it. James Clapper, who was US director of national intelligence when Assange leaked documents in 2010, told CNN: “I actually think this came out pretty well… critical to this was his plea of one count of espionage. The law enforcement and intelligence community would not have bought into this without that. He’s paid his dues. There was a damage assessment done at the time – there was concern but I don’t recall direct proof that assets in Afghanistan and Iraq supporting or helping US were exposed.”

  Born 3 July 1971 around 3pm Townsville, Australia (biography) he has an 8^th house Cancer Sun square Uranus. His liberating and rebellious Uranus is being triggered by the coming October Libra Solar Eclipse as well as his Solar Arc Midheaven; and his Solar Arc Uranus is conjunct this Neptune and Ascendant at the moment moving to oppose his Saturn in 2025.   The transition won’t be easy with a discouraging SA Saturn square his Saturn at the moment which is being pressured by tr Pluto in trine to Saturn till late 2025.  But tr Uranus opposition his Jupiter this August and on and off till early 2026 will make freedom taste very sweet.

Add On. Assange married the mother of his two children in Belmarsh Prison on 23 March 2022. Stella Assange, 20 November 1983 Johannesburg, South Africa, is a Spanish-South African lawyer and human rights defender, who has been working on Assange’s various cases since 2011. She has her Scorpio Sun conjunct his Jupiter exactly as well as conjunct his hope-for-a-better-society Neptune and opposition his Saturn – for hard work, high hopes and a few disappointments. Her Sun is also in a competitive and argumentative square to his Mars and her obsessive and possessive Pluto Saturn in Scorpio sits on his Moon which is not exactly warm and cosy. Her idealistic Neptune is opposition his social-butterfly Venus in Gemini which sits in a seductive square to his Pluto.

  A complicated relationship which has thrived on publicity with a composite Sun square Mars Neptune and to a degree the crisis-nature of his situation.  That repeats in the wedding chart with a passionate but disruptive Mars Venus square Uranus and an obstructive Saturn conjunct the Venus.

 Relationships which thrive in high crisis situations often flounder when they enter calmer waters. The wedding chart will sag in 2026/27 with tr Neptune Saturn conjunct the Sun.

J.K.Rowling has taken no hostages in her full-on attack on Keir Starmer for Labour policies on the rights of women in the transgender debate and his failure to defend the gender-critical Labour MP Rosie Duffield who has, like her, faced credible threats of violence over her views. She said the party had ‘abandoned’ women and she would ‘struggle to support them’; adding she had a “poor opinion” of Sir Keir’s character and claimed he was “dismissive and often offensive” of women’s concerns about sex-based rights.

  The Labour stance on self-ID is muddled and flip flopping; and plans to ban conversion therapy would risk stopping parents, teachers and therapists from “comforting and counselling” children and adults “in gender distress”.

Rowling’s birth time is unverified at 9.10pm 31 July 1965 Bristol, England,  but she undoubtedly has the rebellious, boundary-pushing Uranus Pluto in Virgo opposition Saturn and square a confident Jupiter in Gemini. With her Jupiter in an enthusiastic trine to Mars (on this birth time deeply buried in her 8^th) and square her Moon.

  What is intriguing is that her attention-demanding Leo Sun is exactly conjunct Starmer’s ‘leadership’ Leo North Node opposite his Saturn and square his Neptune for a complicated clash. Brought to a head at the moment since her Solar Arc Pluto is conjunct his Neptune and her Solar Arc Uranus is exactly square his Sun. Plus her Mars may be conjunct his Libra Moon.

 Starmer, 2 September 1962, no birth time, Southwark, England, also has the mould-breaking Uranus Pluto conjunction strongly in his chart conjunct his Sun and opposition his Jupiter.

 Their relationship chart has an inflammatory, aggravated, competitive composite Sun Mars conjunction opposition Saturn suggesting a real dislike on both sides. She could have a damaging effect on the vote and will continue to cause waves through July, August and the autumn and throughout 2027. She won’t give up.

 Rosie Duffield, 1 July 1971 has her Cancer Sun exactly conjunct Starmer’s Mars – so another clash. And that does not look like dying down anytime soon either with tr Pluto square the composite Mars till late this year and tr Uranus upending the composite Mercury, Venus into 2025; followed by a sinking tr Neptune conjunct the composite Saturn in 2026/27.

  Not that Labour were ever good about women having always had a fairly macho working-men’s-club culture.

See previous Trans posts 12 April 2024 – and where it started 10 March 2024.

As the Tory Party heads for what looks like being a humiliation, a name from the past intimately connected to another electoral embarrassment has surfaced. Christine Keeler, a young model/showgirl had affair with John Profumo, secretary of state for war, along with a simultaneous fling with a Soviet naval attaché which nearly brought down the Tory government under Harold MacMillan. Profumo lied in the House of Commons about the affair (which seemed a bigger sin than the security breach) and resigned when he had to own up. Macmillan retired shortly after through ill health and the Tories lost the election a year later.  

  She is now dead but her appointments diary for 1962 is heading to Sotheby’s for auction.

  None of which is of much other than historical interest except that her chart is vibrating with intriguingly similar energies to the present. Born 22 February 1942 11.15 am London, she had a Pisces Sun on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Pluto sextile Neptune. But what ties her into the Tories and this election is her Uranus and Moon conjunct Algol in Taurus with  Mars Saturn in Taurus close by. Both the Tory 1867 and 1912 charts have strong Taurus planets which her potentially-destructive Algol and Uranus would rattle up.  This mid July’s conjunction of Mars, Uranus, Algol will also trigger her chart.

 It was a shameful affair with the establishment throwing shade both onto Stephen Ward, the osteopath who organized the girls and parties – who committed suicide; and Keeler herself who ended up unjustly imprisoned for six months for obstructing the course of justice and perjury in another case. Profumo skulked off to ‘do good works’.

  Her post-prison life was not prosperous with two failed marriages and relative poverty.

  The Tory Party 9 May 1912 chart showed up losses in October 1964 though the result was close as Harold Wilson defeated Alec Douglas Home. Tr Neptune was opposition the Taurus Sun and square the Solar Arc Pluto which was also blocking the Sun. Though oddly enough transiting Jupiter conjunct Algol was just over the Tory Party Saturn Sun which clearly worked on Jupiter’s tendency to amplify minuses as well as pluses.

  At the moment the Tory Party 1912 chart is bedevilled by a disruptive Solar Arc Uranus conjunct the Sun/Saturn midpoint and a lengthy undermining from tr Neptune square the Pluto this year – but nothing like as strongly undermining as in 1964. As ever with elections hindsight may bring illumination – or not.

Please add below. Older posts under News on top bar or in search.

Princess Anne is in hospital for minor injuries and concussion after what appears to be a horse-related incident at her home with reports saying it is not serious.

  She always did look in for a high stress four years from 2022 when Queen Elizabeth died – when her Solar Arc Sun was conjunct her Mars in Scorpio; with the Solar Arc Sun/Pluto midpoint conjunct her Mars now; and her SA Pluto conjunct Mars by late 2026/early 2027. Plus transiting Pluto square her Mars this year and on and off till late 2025. Which is not to say this accident is more than a standard horse mishap of which all riders have more than several. But she is clearly in a high stress few years with King Charles undergoing cancer treatment and the Princess of Wales also hors de combat at the moment. And this is one more thing.

  She will get a morale boost come this August/September and more on and off into early 2026 from two of her Jupiter midpoints. But she does look marginally directionless this year with her Solar Arc Midheaven conjunct her Neptune; and revising her career plans (or being forced to) by tr Pluto square her Midheaven in 2025/26; and will be stuck come late 2026 into 2027.

  The changes ongoing within the Royal Family and losing both her parents in 2021 and 2022 have taken their toll on a life that seemed endlessly resolute.

Whither Israel? Fighting a war of attrition against Hamas in Gaza which is exhausting its military, damaging the economy, never mind denting its international reputation with thousands of Gazans dead and injured, it is now threatening to take on Hezbollah based in Lebanon. Uttering threats could be seen as a deterrent but a miscalculation could prove disastrous.

Hezbollah is “armed to the teeth, better trained and better equipped than Hamas”  with an estimated 30/50,000 fighters available and a similar number in reserve, plus between 120,000 and 200,000 unguided missiles and rockets, plus attack and reconnaissance drones. Any Israeli attempt at a solution would require “the whole of the IDF’s available forces”, allowing only a limited presence in Gaza and a security presence in the West Bank.

Hezbollah is regarded by Tehran as its forward defence line, the staging post for an attack on Israel should it ever carry out raids on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

  Netanyahu has still not issued any post-war Gaza plans and a military occupation of the Strip is an unattractive option for a variety of reasons. Hamas is depleted but will probably survive as a crime syndicate and guerrilla movement.

   Nothing looks settled or remotely like a solution to Israel’s siege situation with the disruptive tr Uranus crossing the 8^th house Israel Taurus Sun one more time from mid this December to mid March 2025 and then moving to an explosive square to the Israel Mars from June 2025 into 2026. With a discouraging run thereafter of tr Pluto opposition the 10^th house Moon in 2026/27; Solar Arc Neptune eroding confidence as it opposes the Uranus and then is conjunct the financial Jupiter between 2025 and 2028; and a directionless SA MC conjunct Neptune in 2027.

  But what is worrisome in the shorter term is what will happen across July/August this year and on. With this July having an explosive and destructive Mars conjunct Uranus conjunct Algol in Taurus midmonth.

 The Hezbollah chart, 16 February 1985 (if accurate) has tr Uranus opposition the Saturn and square the Sun this August and September, on and off till early 2026 – so will be in a state of high tension with sudden changes. And challenges.

 Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal chart has tr Uranus square his bombastic Mars in Leo from 9^th July into early August, again October and late April early May 2025.  That is when his relationship chart with the Hezbollah ruler Hassan Nasrullah also looks inflamed with tr Uranus square the composite Pluto for a major upheaval.

 The Hezbollah/Israel relationship chart is under a dark cloud this year and next with tr Saturn square the composite Mars and opposition the Uranus Pluto. That chart has a fated yod of Venus opposition Neptune square Chiron – which is being upended particularly this August and again December to March 2025 and on.

  In the midst of all the flux and chaos Netanyahu hangs on. His Government chart, 29 December 2022 4.30pm will be rattled this month, more so in August, with dashed hopes from tr Neptune Saturn moving into Aries from May 2025 onwards. But there is nothing that looks like a definitive finish at least not until 2026.

 His personal chart, birth time being accurate to the minute, has his Solar Arc Uranus conjunct his Midheaven by 2026 – but that could come earlier (or later) if the time is out by five minutes or so.

  Gaza is to all intents and purposes destroyed, its people starving, dead and injured, lacking all basic facilities – and sliding down the news agenda since public compassion has a cut off point when no solution is in sight. All a deeply depressing morass.

For previous posts see Israel in Search.

Add On: Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader inside Gaza, 29 October 1962 (wiki) is at higher risk than usual at the moment and on alert in July with the Mars Uranus Algol conjunction opposing his Venus in Scorpio. His relationship charts with Israel and Netanyahu are particularly jolted this month and again in August – and on into 2025.  

  If his birth date is accurate, then 2026 might look to be his moment of greatest jeopardy – but that should be treated with caution.

 Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas Party leader who lives in Qatar, 29 January 1962, is more unsettled with Israel than usual this July and on and off into April 2025. He is looking increasingly pressured and discouraged in 2025/26 with tr Pluto conjunct his Saturn; and devastated around late 2025 from SA Pluto conjunct his Neptune.

  These birth dates could be iffy but on the face of it looks like dragging on and on.

Brexit is one topic which has mysteriously been blanked in the election run up despite well over 50% of voters thinking it has been bad for the economy. Keir Starmer is on record as being against rejoining but economists are clear that going back into the EU single market and customs union would remove some of the obstacles to growth. This week Rachel Reeves, Labour’s shadow chancellor said in an interview “We would look to improve our trading relationship with Europe, and do trade deals around the world.”  EU leaders, beset by their own multifarious problems, are said to be determined not to allow a Starmer government to “cherry pick” its way to a preferential economic relationship without paying into the EU budget and accepting freedom of movement.

 The UK/EU 1957 relationship chart shows both discouragement and resistance initially into early 2025 as well as positive pressure for change with tr Pluto trine the composite Pluto until late 2025. With a more significant realignment from tr Uranus conjunct the Pluto in 2026 and then square the Uranus – though it is by no means certain this would indicate amiable cooperation.

  The UK/Maastricht Treaty relationship hints at much the same of downbeat influences into 2025 along with high-tension, outspoken negotiations.

 The Brexit referendum chart is also showing signs of a radical shift exactly now with a non-Tory government presumably about to take over – as the Solar Arc Pluto closes the square to the Uranus to exact. There will be ructions and aggravation into early 2025; and from 2026 tr Neptune Saturn in Aries will square the Brexit Sun hinting at an undermining of the 2016 vote.

  There does look to be movement in most of the relevant charts hinting at the very least at challenging negotiations on a topic the Tories would never go near.

  Much will hinge on ‘black swan’ global economic hits coming in 2025/26 which will change attitudes. And internal pressures within the EU, with Germany’s economy sagging, France in meltdown and populists getting the upperhand.  

  Seems unlikely but Pluto trine the Pluto on the EU/UK relationship chart might bring a shift of sorts.

Mark Rutte, the former “Teflon” prime minister of the Netherlands for 14 years, adept at ducking scandals, will be the new head of NATO from October 1. He won praise for building a rapport with Donald Trump during his presidency and calming his aggressive outbursts about European defence spending. He is known as an effective consensus builder and has supported Ukraine. NATO is moving into stormier seas with various problems, from lack of money to a lack of air defense systems, and questions about whether Ukraine should be allowed into NATO.  Trump has threatened to cut U.S. aid to Ukraine if he gets back into the White House. His re-election would almost certainly derail NATO’s plan to include Ukraine.

  Mark Rutte, 14 February 1967 6.53pm The Hague, Netherlands, has a surprisingly rebellious, innovative and mould-breaking Uranus Pluto in his 1^st house opposition Saturn in Pisces which is the driving rod of a Water Grand Trine onto Jupiter in his friendly 11^th trine Neptune in his 3^rd/4^th. He will be good in team situations with Jupiter in the 11^th and will be strong-minded and persevering with Saturn opposition Pluto. His hard-working 6^th house Aquarius Sun is in a slippery, evasive square to Neptune.

 He also has two yods – one from Jupiter sextile Uranus inconjunct his Sun making him erratic in exerting his will, wobbling between under and over confidence. And the other is Pluto Uranus sextile Neptune inconjunct his 8^th house Aries Moon, which may be connected to his singular family background. His father was nearly sixty when he was born, an internee in Jakarta during WW11 during which time his first wife died and he later married her sister. Mark Rutte is one of seven siblings from the two marriages. One of his elder brothers died from AIDS in the 1980s.

    Rutte’s Sun falls in NATO’s 4^th so there will be an ‘at-home’ feel about the relationship, though with his Uranus Pluto conjunct the NATO Mercury he will introduce reforms which may cause some disquiet. His ultra-determined Mars in Scorpio sits on the NATO Ascendant which could waken NATO up though may also suggest conflicts and impulsive reactions.

 His personal chart has tr Uranus conjunct his Midheaven from mid 2025 onwards (birth time being absolutely accurate) which does suggest a sharp change of direction. Though it could also include this move. At the moment he has two Jupiterian boosts from his SA MC conjunct his Jupiter and his SA Jupiter exactly conjunct his Uranus at the moment. But he will run also into a serious setback later this year with SA Mars square his Saturn; plus a fast-changing, nerve-stretching tr Uranus opposition his Neptune and square his Sun now until mid 2025. It will be a rocky start to a challenging job.

  His relationship chart with NATO also hints at upsets from mid 2025 with tr Uranus opposition the composite Sun and more in 2026/27 with tr Uranus square the composite Pluto.

 The NATO chart itself, 24 August 1949 11.42am Washington, DC, looks rattled at tr Uranus moves into Gemini in 2025/26 since it will square the Virgo Sun; stuck with Solar Arc Sun square Pluto in 2026 for a fight for control; and muddled/indecisive, disappointed in 2026/27 with tr Neptune opposition Venus square Uranus.

 Rutte’s relationship chart with Trump is very unsettled and aggravated with a disruptive tr Uranus conjunct the composite Saturn exactly now and then square the Pluto in 2025; with a disappointed tr Neptune opposition the Mars – one hopes that is Trump’s irritation from the sidelines.  

 The Cancer Ingress which is the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere occurred last night with the Cancer Sun close to Venus and Mercury. It is a pot pourri of contradictory influences. Charm from Sun Venus; ruthlessness, risk and frustration from Pluto square Mars; confidence and success from Pluto trine Jupiter; disappointment and confusion from Sun Venus square Neptune; unhappy, discontented populace from Moon square Saturn.  

 I never know how much use these Ingress charts are – but for those who are interested.

 On the astrocartography – north western Canada/Alaska looks favoured. Middle North America looks trapped; the UK is discontented and stuck;  India looks troubled; and New Zealand looks aggravated.  Whether any of that will play out I have no idea.