Stella McCartney – high hopes on taxpayer money

         

“Everything will be OK. We are all in this together” trills fashion designer Stella McCartney’s website promoting high-end (very expensive) fashion. She’s all for sustainability, supporting eco-green and animal causes except when it comes to nurturing the furloughed staff of her company with its £500 million a year turnover. She will claim up to 80 per cent of their wages to a maximum of £2500 a month from the government (taxpayers) and doesn’t plan to top up their wages. She’s worth around £60 million.

Born 13 September 1971 in London, she’s an intense, workaholic Sun, Venus, Pluto in Virgo; with a wobbly, up-and-down and very scattered Mutable T Square of Saturn opposition Jupiter Neptune in Sagittarius square Mercury in Virgo. And she has a hard-edged, emotionally cool Air Grand Trine of Mars in obstinate Aquarius trine Uranus trine Saturn; with the head-in the-clouds, super-optimistic Jupiter Neptune being the driving planets of the Trine from the opposition to Saturn.

She’s facing a disappointing run of Neptune transits in opposition first to her Sun from exactly now, on and off into 2021, followed by oppositions to her Venus and then Pluto up to mid decade. At the moment she has a frustratingly trapped, dead-halt Solar Arc Mars opposition her Pluto, and a highly-strung Solar Arc Uranus conjunct her Neptune. Into 2021 tr Uranus will rattle her Grand Trine as it squares her Mars for more nerve-wracking events. Since it elbows her Grand Trine it will shift her life onto a different track, and presumably not one of her choosing. She’s not used to being slated, having built up a Mary Poppins and super-successful reputation.

The incorporation of her company on 28th February 2001 also indicates a financially blocked and sticky three years ahead.

Switzerland – wincing from historic bank shock

Even Switzerland is not immune from the economic landslide with the Swiss National Bank suffering its worst quarterly loss since its 1907 foundation.

The SNB, 20 June 1907, is showing stress this year with the financial Solar Arc Venus in a blocked square to the Pluto. And there’s no indication of a let up from challenges for several years ahead. 2021/22 has the car-crash Solar Arc Saturn and Sun both impacting on the SNB Mars; as well as an undermining tr Neptune starting a three year dip squaring the Pluto, then the Sun and conjunct Saturn. It’ll be early 2025 before the downturn lifts.

The Switzerland, 12 September 1848 12.55 pm Bern chart, is similarly moving into confused, disappointing and swampy territory with tr Neptune opposition the Virgo Sun this year and conjunct the Saturn in Pisces in 2021/22; with a disruptive Solar Arc Pluto opposition Uranus in late 2021 and forced change with great difficulty with tr Pluto moving to square the Pluto. There’ll be some good news in 2021 but it’ll be a long haul which fits the other indicators – that the economic downturn will, not surprisingly, run on until almost mid decade.

Liechtenstein, which is interwined financially with Switzerland, is also showing panic on its Central Bank chart, 5 December 1861, which shows tr Uranus conjunct Pluto and opposition Mars picking up late May into June, and repeating till early 2021, which will be fairly disastrous and insecure; with uncertainty stretching on for three years with tr Neptune opposition the Saturn Jupiter in Virgo.

Abigail Disney – shining a spotlight on executive greed

 

Abigail Disney, granddaughter of the co-founder of the Walt Disney Company has criticized the company management for furloughing 43,000 employees during the lockdown without first cancelling plans to pay shareholder and executive bonuses. Top executives have taken pay cuts during the crisis, but their bonuses are worth way more. Disney’s USA theme parks have been closed since March, costing it $1.5 billion in revenue per month. She has been outspoken about growing income inequality in the USA, repeatedly criticizing Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger’s pay package. In 2018, Iger earned a $66 million, while in 2019, his compensation package was estimated to be $35 million. She said “there is nobody on Earth worth 500 times his median workers’ pay.” She inherited $120 million from her parents.

Born 24 January 1960 in Los Angeles, she is a Sun Mercury in Aquarius in an idealistic and creative square to Neptune; with a tough-minded Pluto trine Mars Saturn in Capricorn; and a sociable Venus Jupiter in Sagittarius trine Uranus.

Oddly enough Bob Iger, who has returned as Disney CEO to cope with the coronavirus crisis, 10 February 1951, is also an Aquarius with his Sun in an ultra-determined controlling opposition to Pluto and a visionary trine to Neptune – Neptune Pluto can be megalomaniac and capable of handling huge enterprises. He’s also got an enthusiastic Mars Jupiter in filmic Pisces; plus a can-be-autocratic Uranus square Saturn. He’s in for a jolting and swampy couple of years ahead. Bu he won’t exactly be queuing at a food bank.

The Abigail Disney/Bob Iger relationship chart is argumentative with a composite Sun Mars- very widely square Saturn; with a high-tension composite Mercury opposition Uranus square Neptune. It’ll continue to be downbeat this year and more combustible in 2021 with first tr Saturn producing more criticism and then tr Uranus lighting another fuse next year in square to the Sun Mars.

Disney, founded 16 October 1923, is running into the greatest crisis of its history over the next two to three years with tr Pluto square the Sun Saturn in Libra and then the Solar Arc Pluto moving across the conjunction to Sun and Saturn in 2022/23. In 2024 tr Neptune opposes the Mars for a sense of panicky failure. Crowd-attracting venues are going to really feel the pain.

Jane Goodall – a hope for the future

 

Jane Goodall, the cheerleader for chimpanzees and ardent conservationist, is the subject of a documentary The Hope transmitting for Earth Day tonight.

She started with no scientific training but went on to spend 60 years studying man’s closest relative in Tanzania until more recently switching over to become an advocate for the natural world.

She was born 3 April 1934 at 11.30 pm in London and went to Africa in her 20s. She has a successful though not easy chart with a 10th house Jupiter, which usually brings increasing respect with age, opposition a pro-active Aries Sun Mars and a restless, adventurous Uranus in her 5th squaring onto Pluto in the 8th. That Pluto would give her research abilities and the capacity to be ahead of her time, and for that reason would run her into resistance from stick-in-the-muds in her profession. Mars Pluto would also give her the courage to live and work in high-risk situations.

She also has a scientific Saturn in Aquarius conjunct Venus; and a Mercury in Pisces trine Pluto and opposition Neptune. A Neptunian slant is often found oddly enough amongst scientists.

She was married twice, the first time to a wildlife photographer, the second to a member of the Tanzanian government and head of their national parks.

An amazing lady who still travels extensively despite her age.  She has a marked superstar 22nd Harmonic; a creative 5H; humanitarian 9H and an enduring 11H.

Richard Branson – the spirit of Brass Necker

Richard Branson is finding out the hard way that another coronavirus side effect is the visceral dislike of people whose businesses don’t pay UK taxes and then have the gall to expect to be baled out by taxpayer. He is looking for £500 million in government aid to help stricken Virgin Atlantic, rather than dipping into his £4billion fortune. Dragon’s Den Duncan Bannatyne and Simon Cowell have hit out at the mega-rich, like Victoria Beckham and Branson, for leaning on the state. Simon Cowell says he will continue to pay his staff.

Tom Bower, his unauthorised biographer, says ‘Branson must rank as the least deserving tycoon in the Treasury’s long list of casualties asking for financial help. He wants a loan from the same tax system he has spent his entire career avoiding.’

What Branson has been superb at is building a media brand image through countless business set-ups and a fair number of failures. One commentator wrote: ‘He is a salesman who breaks rules not out of any radical impulse but because he has always got away with it.” Another described him as a “chancer” and a ‘vacuum.’ He advocates ethical transparency and accountability despite the veil of tax-haven secrecy over his businesses; and campaigns for a fairer world, flying his private jet into climate change summits.

He was born 18 July 1950 7 am Blackheath, England, with an entrepreneur mother who told him he could become anything and a barrister father who paid for his first sexual experience with a prostitute, was dyslexic, apparently cheated at exams and left school at 16. He has a 12th house Cancer Sun exactly conjunct the Fixed Star Procyon, which raises to great heights and can come crashing down, associated also with rashness and temper. His Sun squares an impulsive Mars in Libra conjunct a publicity-attracting Neptune. His secretive Pluto sits on his Leo Ascendant making him both an enigma and a showman. His Jupiter in Pisces is on the cusp of his 8th house of business finances giving him luck and opposes his Moon, describing the indulgent mother; on the other side of his chart Saturn in Virgo in the 2nd, makes him ‘careful’ about his personal finances.

If his birth time is right then his Solar Arc Midheaven and his Uranus will catch the mid year Solar and Lunar Eclipses for a crisis and forced change of direction.  Tr Saturn also opposes his Sun this year and squares his Midheaven. But even more significantly tr Pluto is aiming to oppose his Sun and square his Aries Midheaven in 2021/22 which will put him under tremendous pressure for change and could see a major dent in his reputation. Plus his Solar Arc Pluto is in a blocked square to his Sun in 2021. He’ll push bullishly ahead as he always does supported by a couple of Jupiter uplifts. But if anything his 2022 is worse with a severely jolting Solar Arc Uranus conjunct his financial Saturn; a car-crash Solar Arc Mars square Moon; and possibly a Solar Arc MC conjunct his Uranus.

It may be that the pay-no-tax Leviathans also become a casualty of the CV 19 bug – Amazon, Apple, etc etc never mind Branson. It’ll become a much more mainstream issue given the economic pain of the lockdown and health costs.

Beckhams – the Instafan love affair with celebs waning

Victoria Beckham is the latest celebrity to fall foul of public outrage as she stands to rake in taxpayer money to support her loss-making fashion business in the CV lockdown. Staff have been put on furlough which allows her to reclaim 80% of their wages.

The Beckham’s conspicuous wealth, much of it flaunted on Instagram, includes a newly acquired £17 million Miami penthouse, a £25 million mansion in London and a £6 million barn conversion in the Cotswolds. Her handbag collection is reportedly worth £1.5 million; a recent birthday party for their son knocked them back £100k etc etc. Her fashion business, effectively a hobby, hasn’t made a profit since it opened in 2008, lost £12.3 million in 2018 and has been propped up by cash injections from her husband.

Maybe just maybe this is a coronavirus effect that will stick as the punters fall out of love with the crass 1 per centers with their private jets and their obscenely bloated lifestyles, which they display with “don’t you envy-me?” arrogant insensitivity to the downtrodden masses.

She was born 17 April 1974 with an unverified birth time of 10.07am in Hereford, England, and is a sparky Aries Sun opposition Uranus; with her Mercury in an intense opposition to Pluto; her Venus in a frivolous, superficial conjunction with Jupiter in Pisces; and a hard-edged Saturn Mars in Gemini, and an Aquarius Moon.

David, 2 May 1975 6.17 am London, is more practical with a Taurus Sun and Capricorn Moon and an emphasised Saturn on the point of a Cardinal T Square to Jupiter opposition Pluto.

Both of them look to be in for major changes in their lives from 2021 onwards. She has tr Pluto square her Sun and Uranus in 2021/22 which will bring a complete turnaround; with financial hopes sagging more than somewhat. Though she’ll get a lift when her Solar Arc Jupiter moves to oppose her Uranus and conjunct her Sun in 2022/23. That’s followed by a serious downer from tr Neptune square her Mars Saturn in 2024/25.

He’s also got upheavals from tr Uranus conjunct his Sun and an insecure and overly-excitable Solar Arc Mars opposing his Uranus in 2021. But he’ll be pushing ahead confidently nonetheless with tr Pluto square his Sun/Jupiter midpoint in 2021/22. Then tr Pluto squares his Uranus for more turbulence in 2023/24.

If his birth time is sound, then tr Neptune will conjunct his Sun/Moon midpoint from later this month through till early 2022, which suggests disappointments in close relationships and an undermining of bonds. There were reports of marital problems a while back. But this was always the year when there would be more aggravation with tr Uranus conjunct the composite Sun and Mars, on and off into 2021; with more instability in 2022/23 with tr Pluto square the composite Uranus.

It’s an affectionate relationship with a composite Sun Venus Mercury Mars and they’ve stuck it out through thick and thin and stormy patches before, so there’s no saying they will go their separate ways, but their lives do look in some turmoil for some years ahead.

Kim Jong Un – his grip on power severely tested

 

Kim Jong Un, the tubby North Korean leader with a heavy smoking habit, is reportedly unwell after heart surgery. News out of North Korea is always difficult to confirm and both he and his sidekick sister Kim Yo Jong have conflicting birth years so the individual charts aren’t much use.

What is definite is his leadership chart of 29 December 2011 at 11.57 am P’yonggang, NK. That has run into a road block exactly now and in effect across the year with the Solar Arc Midheaven having moved to conjunct the control-freak Sun Pluto; as well as a panicky-failure tr Neptune opposition the Mars, which latter influence repeats till early 2021. There’e also tr Saturn just over the confidence-denting square to the Jupiter when he was supposedly in for surgery and that repeats later as well.

The North Korea country chart, 9 September 1948 5.27pm has tr Saturn just past the opposition to the 6th house Venus at zero degrees Leo; with tr Uranus this year being in the insecure opposition to the Mars and about to conjunct the NK Taurus North Node, so a shake-up of the country’s destiny into early 2021. Plus tr Neptune square the NK Jupiter from later this month on and off till early 2022. This can either be financially undermining as false hopes implode or enthusiasm-denting for other reasons. The Solar Arc Venus is conjunct Neptune now which is again emotionally and/or financially troubled or both. With a discouraging Solar Arc Sun square Saturn late in 2021. 2022 will see major upheavals – with difficulty – from tr Uranus square the NK Pluto.

Although his sister has stepped up recently, the likelihood if he goes is that a more senior party member may take over.

Harry and Meghan – shooting themselves in the foot

 

The Harry Meghan show is turning into a slow-motion car-crash which couldn’t be less relevant in these challenging and tragic times. But they seem incapable of staying out of the headlines even if only to announce in the crassest way possible that they intend to block out a chunk of the UK’s most popular newspapers. Picking a fight with the Mail, Mirror, Sun and Express, is not only tone-deaf in the midst of the coronavirus crisis; it’s also bone-headed and counter-productive, unless they intend to disappear down a bunker and stay there. Which they show no intention of doing and indeed couldn’t finance their wannabe-glitzy LA lifestyle by being invisible.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge managed to cope with the wilder excesses of the tabloids, only firing the occasional shot across the bows, and stuck firmly to the ‘don’t complain, don’t explain’ approach even when her family was being dragged into the headlines.

Harry is, by all accounts, not the sharpest tool in the box which you can’t see from his astrology, but his chart certainly indicates an inflammatory and reckless temperament, prone to outbursts, and with his Sun square Neptune, not always too realistic. Add that onto an intense 8th house Sun and an obsessive Saturn (and Pluto) in Scorpio, he’s clearly not one to let go once he gets onto a train of thought, however muddle-headed. His hatred of the media is mainly because of his mother Princess Diana’s death which he attributes entirely to the paparazzi, but doesn’t take on board the part she played in stoking up publicity and indeed in deliberately staying in exposed locations. But there’s also an element of irritation at them poking their cameras into his Nazi-costume party years ago and naked billiards etc. He seems/seemed to want it all – the money and the privilege without the duty and exposure.

The Murdoch-owned Sun, whom he’s suing for phone hacking, appears to be top of his hate list. Founded 15 September 1964, it has its Virgo Sun exactly on his; with their Uranus Pluto square his Mars Uranus; their Neptune conjunct his Saturn Midheaven and their Mars square his Pluto – all adding up to visceral dislike. The relationship chart has a hostile composite Mars Pluto square Saturn. It will be under serious pressure in 2021/22 with a disruptive tr Pluto square Uranus and tr Neptune opposition the Sun.

The Mirror, 2 November 1903, is similarly a mismatch with its Pluto opposition Mars Uranus in Sagittarius colliding with his Virgo Sun and its Saturn square his Pluto. That relationship chart with its Mars Saturn trine Pluto will be moving into deep swamp come 2021/22 as well.

The Daily Express, 24 April 1900, with Venus, Neptune Pluto in Gemini bouncing off Harry’s Virgo Sun and Sagittarius Mars Uranus, is a crotchety and at cross purposes connection. The relationship chart indicates trouble ahead there through 2021/23.

The Daily Mail, 4 May 1896, isn’t great with him since their Mars in Pisces square Pluto Neptune in Gemini hit his Sun and Uranus Mars. There will be ups and downs and hassles this year and in 2021 to 23.

Other minor European Royals stay off the radar by living quiet lives and doing occasional charity work. But if you’re trying to set up a Bill Gates/Oprah Winfrey/Obama-sized philanthropic project with a movie career for Meg, it’s lunacy to rile the media. There will be payback. There is recourse for egregious breaches of editorial conduct but getting prickly over every minor infraction and indeed wailing a Trumpian ‘I can only tolerate good publicity’ chorus is plain not going to work, indeed will only make matters worse.

Peter Beard – a character out of Hemingway but for real

 

Peter Beard, ‘the last of the adventurers’ and ‘great white hunters’ — a socialite, artist, photographer, naturalist, Lothario, prophet, playboy and fan of recreational drugs has died. He disappeared almost three weeks ago suffering from dementia and the after effects of a stroke and was found dead, where he was most comfortable out in nature near his Long Island home.

He was best known for his death-defying photographs of African wildlife, especially elephants. The New York Times obituary says: “Even by the dashing standards of wildlife photography, his résumé was the stuff of high drama, full of daring, danger, romance and tall tales, many of them actually true. Had Mr. Beard not already existed, he might well have been the result of a collaborative brain wave by Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Paul Bowles.”

Born on 22 January 1938, he was heir to both a railway and a tobacco fortune, but opted out to follow in Karen von Blixen’s footsteps in Kenya. With his matinee-idol good looks he was a relentless womaniser, romantically involved with, amongst many others, Candice Bergen and Lee Radziwill and married briefly to super model Cheryl Tiegs. He didn’t stint himself and partied voraciously until well into old age. His long-suffering third wife separated from him but returned after he nearly died having been gored by an elephant.

He was a charming and sociable Sun Jupiter in Aquarius conjunct Venus in final degree Capricorn, all in an intense opposition to Pluto, which would not only make him passionate but also convinced he could break rules and not be harmed. His Sun and Jupiter were in a rebellious and adventurous square to Uranus in Taurus. His Mars in filmic Pisces was in a courageous but high-risk trine to Pluto, conjunct an accident-prone conjunction with Saturn, and in in a publicity-attracting opposition to Neptune. Those two major oppositions in his chart form a Mystic rectangle – not so much spiritual as tricky to balance. He clearly fired on all cylinders all the time, was addicted to adrenaline and ignored advice.

Often death doesn’t show up in a chart. But when he exited his Solar Arc Uranus was exactly opposition his Sun; his Solar Arc Mercury was conjunct his Saturn; and his Solar Arc Jupiter squared his Venus and Pluto. There’s something fitting about how he ‘chose’ to go.

Giraffe pic: Peter Beard