Donald Sutherland whose extraordinary range as an actor glided him smoothly from Fellini art house dramas, through Sylvester Stallone prison lockup fare, Jane Austen adaptations to raunchy slapstick, has died. He started with eccentric parts in war films, like the “The Dirty Dozen”,  as Sgt. Oddball in “Kelly’s Heroes” and then his breakout part in “M.A.S.H.”. And continued on to appear in 150 screen roles over five decades, winding his way between art-house and mainstream.  “Klute”, “Animal House”, “Ordinary People”, “Backdraft”, “JFK” “Six Degrees of Separation” and “The Hunger Games”. Described as shape-shifting and chameleon-like he brought a presence to every role he played but always as part of an ensemble.

 His early romantic life was tumultuous with two marriages and divorces, multiple affairs including with Jane Fonda, before he settled with Francine Racette, whom he was married to for more than five decades.

 He was born 17 July 1935 11.30am St John, NB, Canada, and as a child, he had rheumatic fever, hepatitis, and poliomyelitis. He had a challenging, super-determined but fairly tortured Cancer Sun conjunct Pluto square Mars in Libra. He also had a wide innovative Water Grand Trine of Saturn in Pisces (in his 6^th house of health) trine Mercury in Cancer and trine Jupiter in Scorpio  – with a creative Saturn opposition Venus Neptune in Virgo and Jupiter widely opposition an 8^th house Uranus. 

 His Aquarius Moon in his 5^th house on the point of a wide-ish T square to his Jupiter opposition Uranus would direct him towards a career of performing.  His accentuated 8^th house Uranus would give him the ability to play oddball, slightly mad characters – and since it also was conjunct his Sun/Moon midpoint would make committed one-to-one partnerships tricky to maintain.

  A hugely complex personality, multi-talented but not altogether at ease with himself.

 His son Kiefer Sutherland, 21 December 1966 9am London, England, also a talented actor, best known recently for 24 and Designated Survivor, like his father has had a complicated relationship life, and alcohol problems.

  He has a 12^th house Sagittarius Sun on the focal point of a Mutable T Square to an 8^th house Uranus Pluto opposition Saturn so he will be driven by chaotic impulses. His 10^th house creative Neptune is trine his Saturn; and his Aries Moon in in a volatile opposition to Mars and square a charming Venus in Capricorn on his Ascendant.  His Neptune is also square his Sun/Moon midpoint which will give him problems settling down to marital togetherness.

Justin Timberlake, the erstwhile Prince of Pop, hugely influential in his day is having a problem segue-ing through his midlife crisis. His recent album is not selling well, he was arrested a day or so back for driving under the influence and last year Britney Spears fessed him up as persuading her to have an abortion when they were together two decades back.

 Born 31 January 1981 6.30pm Millington, TN, he has a hard-working 6^th house Aquarius Sun trine Jupiter Saturn in Libra; with an ultra-determined Mars in Aquarius trine Pluto, sextile Neptune Moon in Sagittarius  on the cusp of his performing 5^th house.  

  He has a shock-to-the-system tr Uranus square his Mars exactly now and heading to oppose his Uranus in 2025/26 for his midlife crisis. Last year his Solar Arc Sun was square his Moon Neptune for a lacklustre dip. And late this year into early 2025 he will have a major setback from his Solar Arc Mars opposition his Saturn which may be a financial as well as an emotional shock. 

  He will pull out of the mire at some point with tr Jupiter moving him across his 10^th until mid 2025; and tr Saturn moving upwards in his chart – though he’ll have a sticky two or three years after this one. He looks in better form by 2026 into 2027.  But it will take a considerable upheaval and maybe relocation before he gets his head and his act together.

French actress Anouk Aimee, best known for the European cinema classics La Dolce Vita with Mastroianni, Fellini’s 8½ and a Un homme et une femme (A Man and a Woman) with Jean-Louis Trintignant, has died at 92.

 She was nominated for an Oscar and known for “her enigmatic beauty”. “Her look combined the playful seductiveness of Brigitte Bardot, the charming melancholy of Audrey Hepburn and the aloofness of Marlene Dietrich.” In reality she struggled with fame and her lack of ambition held back her career.

 Born 27 April 1932 at 12 noon (birth certificate), Paris, France, with actor parents, she had a 10^th house Taurus Sun square Moon Saturn in Aquarius in her 6^th house and square Jupiter in Leo on her Ascendant. She also had a difficult Mars Uranus in Aries square Pluto in her 12^th, perhaps in part a legacy of her Jewish family who had to change their names to avoid problems.

 She was much married and divorced – four times, the last with UK actor Albert Finney – and had multiple affairs with amongst others Mastroianni, Omar Sharif and Ryan O’Neal.  Latterly she lived alone in Paris with ten cats.

  She would be volatile with Mars Uranus and much affected by the traumas of her youth; with a tendency towards’ mood swings from a strong Jupiter and an equally strong Saturn.  In her day she was more than memorable.

Add On: Albert Finney, 9 May 1936, no birth time, UK, had a notable film career in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Tom Jones, Annie, The Dresser, Miller’s Crossing, Erin Brockovich and the James Bond movie Skyfall. But he was an odd choice for Anouk Aimee having four planets in Taurus including his Sun, Mars, Uranus and Venus – which would be a stubborn combo with her Taurus Sun and Aquarius Moon Saturn. His upbeat Moon Jupiter in Sagittarius did fall in her sociable 5^th house so he would lift her spirits but his Saturn in her 8^th does not suggest intimate bliss. They were together for eight years from 1970 to 1978 and I would imagine that tr Uranus moving into Scorpio in 1975 would be what started it unravelling in a serious way.

  Her 8^th house Pisces North Node was tied into the liaison since tr Pluto was conjunct her South Node when she married him and she was on her Half Nodal Return when they split.

 Taurus are an extremely tactile and indulgent sign since there may have been a sexual buzz, stronger than usual, about the attraction which turned out to be a mistake.

David and Victoria Beckham, the UK’s answer to the Kardashians (almost) are finding their brand image is ricocheting from the upswing of last year’s Netflix documentary boost to a definite downer in a snidey Tom Bower unauthorised biography about the couple, known unkindly as ‘Thin and Thick.’ Reviews suggest it is not one of Bower’s best, merely rehashing old scandals about David’s infidelities and hinting at their opaque tax affairs. But despite constant stories about impending splits they roll on smiling gamely for the cameras. They’ve been married for almost 25 years and together are worth £455 million.

  Whether or not this resurrection of old scandals is likely to undermine their money-making brand and socially ambitious yearnings is what is intriguing reviewers.

  I’ve always wondered about Victoria’s Mars Saturn conjunction in Gemini  – 17 April 1974 10.07 am (unverified) Hereford, which will give her a capacity to absorb punishment and put up with less than ideal situations, almost masochistic – but it is being undermined this year and next by tr Neptune square (backed next year by tr Saturn). She looks rattled but will march valiantly onwards through the end of this year at least. She is a Sun Aries opposition Uranus.

 David, 2 May 1975 6.17am London, is a Taurus Sun with (on this birth time) an uncommitted, evasive Neptune in his 7^th house of relationships. He looks less than thrilled at the moment now into 2025; with his Solar Arc Neptune conjunct his Midheaven and Moon plus a disruptive tr Pluto square his Uranus.

  As mentioned in previous post (see October 13 2023) his Chiron is conjunct her Sun which will bring a strong connection. And their relationship chart is a complicated entanglement of two yods – one a stratospherically ambitious one onto a go-ahead Mars Sun; and the other a teeth-gritting Mars sextile Saturn in conjunct Neptune hinting at the fantasy image of happy families they project.

  Composite yods do hint that the pair have a fated connection, not necessarily happy, but one which moulds both their lives significantly.  Their togetherness underwent a serious strain when tr Uranus moved into Taurus in 2019/20 and will face another as tr Pluto squares the composite Venus, Mercury, Sun and Mars between now and 2028.

All a nonsense and hardly important but the astrology is worth absorbing.

Despite suffering a dip in popularity at the recent elections forcing him into a coalition Narendra Modi shows no signs of easing up his totalitarian grip. India’s most famous author Arundhati Roy is to be prosecuted under the controversial new anti-terrorism law over remarks she made in 2010 about Kashmir. In recent years she has become an outspoken critic of Modi’s government and the laws targeting minorities.

  Modi was sworn in as prime minister for a 3^rd Term around 7.30pm on 9 June 2024 which gives a Gemini Sun in a downbeat square to Saturn; a deeply buried financial 8^th house Cancer Moon trine Neptune and possibly most significant a ruthless Mars square Pluto.

  The Mars Pluto hints that the move away from liberal policies is likely to continue though how well it succeeds is open to question.

  Modi’s own personal chart, 17 September 1950 also has a ruthless Mars square Pluto which is being upended by tr Uranus opposition the Mars exactly now and repeating on and off into early 2025. Though he may get an uplift from tr Uranus square his Jupiter after mid 2025. His relationship chart with India  hints at increasing problems for him from 2026 onwards with tr Uranus in Gemini causing upsets.

 Arundhati Roy, 24 November 1961, is a Sun and Mars in outspoken Sagittarius square Pluto Uranus, so has courage, grit and a rebellious spirit. Her Jupiuter in Aquarius  is conjunct Saturn in Capricorn and inconjunct Uranus so she will be adventurous, a risk-taker and humanitarian.

  Her Solar Arc Mars is exactly square her Neptune now for a panicky, undermining moment; with hints of setbacks to her activist campaigning in 2026 with her SA Mercury conjunct her Saturn. 2025/26 look particularly fraught with risk for her with tr Saturn Neptune square her Mars/Saturn midpoint. Then tr Uranus starts to rattle up her Sun Mars square Uranus Pluto for several years – a bumpy road ahead.

 Roy’s relationship with Modi is similarly rattled this year and on till 2026 with tr Uranus opposition the composite Saturn, square the composite Pluto; tr Pluto square the composite Neptune and then tr Uranus opposition the composite Mars. Nothing that will be resolved soon.  

NB. Kashmir does seem to be a peculiarly sensitive subject for India, being one of the unsolved partition muddles after the botched British exit in 1947.

Please add below. Older posts under news on top bar or in Search

Rabble-rousing, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones amplified the appalling suffering of the parents of the 20 Sandy Hook children killed by a mass shooter in December 2012 by claiming it was a “false-flag operation” and the parents were paid ‘crisis actors’. What was worse was that he did not believe a word of his hoax claims but knew that spouting the damaging nonsense would bring a spike in his radio audience and a boost in his revenue stream. And that is evil.

   Even more unbelievable is that 24% of Americans actually believe what he said was true. The parents suffered years of harassment, death and rape threats. They sued Jones and won but to date he has paid nothing and continues to broadcast. A documentary The Truth v Alex Jones just out was described by one reviewer as “a harrowing, borderline unbearable watch.”

 What is of astro-note is that the Sandy Hook mass shooting occurred with Neptune at zero degree Pisces starting its 13 year reign of terror, intent on twisting the truth – mind-bending, reality-distorting, politically damaging with Trump at its core. Neptune exits Pisces in 2025. and not before time. with a faint hope that sanity might be restored.

  Alex Jones, 11 February 1974 11.43pm Dallas, Texas, has his Sun Jupiter in Aquarius sitting on his Midheaven in a heavyweight square to a bullyboy Mars in Taurus; with an attention-demanding 5^th house Pluto. He has an Air Grand Trine of Sun Jupiter Midheaven trine Saturn in Gemini and South Node trine Moon Uranus in his 5^th. He is a thinker and communicator, not a feeler – and while seemingly not overly avaricious, he craves an audience and ego-boosts. The Tr Uranus square tr Pluto of 2012 were tugging on his prima-donna 5^th house Pluto. And transiting Neptune into Pisces was moving across his 10^th for a decade of spreading damaging fabrications.

  Both Pisces and Aquarius tend to get distorted in soundbyte astrology – Pisces = mushy compassion and Aquarius = humanitarian idealists.  In action Pisces can be chillingly inhumane, evasive and downright dishonest when in negative mode. Aquarius can be hustlers, out for their own benefit, not spilling over with unconditional love for their fellow brothers and sisters with some having a tendency to become true believers and fanatics.

Born around the same month as Jones was right-wing Sarah Palin and John Gotti Jnr, an American former mobster, acting boss of the Gambino crime family from 1991 to 1999. An earlier Aquarius was Jorg Haider, the Austrian Nazi politician, 26 January 1950, who was a Sun Jupiter Venus in Aquarius trine Mars Neptune in Libra so relatively similar to Jones.

  A heavy Air concentration can lack empathy and produce ideologues – fanatically attached to a theoretical ideal.

  Jones ahead has tr Uranus square his Jupiter now and into early 2025 for a lucky break, plus tr Jupiter moving over his Ascendant this year also for an undeserved uplift.       Though tr Neptune square his Saturn also this year into next will bring uncertainty. It could be another three or four years before he gets a proper comeuppance with his SA Saturn square his Mars and opposition his Sun and following that opposition his Jupiter. But tr Neptune and tr Saturn moving out of his 10^th into his 11^th from 2025 onwards will shift his compass in a new direction which may leave him flummoxed about what comes next.

The South African election setback for the ANC, which has held power since 1994,  has led to a national unity coalition government to the relief of most voters, tired of high levels of poverty, inequality and crime, power cuts and corruption in party ranks. Though Cyril Ramaphosa of the ANC will remain president which is not altogether positive.

 Nelson Mandela must be despairing from beyond to see what his lifelong freedom struggle against apartheid has turned into.

 The South Africa, 31 May 1910, chart does have a lucky, sighs-of-relief Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct the Uranus this year. Though there is still a discouraging tr Pluto square the Saturn this year and next; with 2026/27 looking panicky and trapped with SA Pluto square the Neptune and then Mars.

 The new South Africa 27 April 1994 11am Pretoria chart, a Sun Mercury in Taurus, reflects disruptions from this August onwards into 2025 with a rebellious electorate from tr Uranus opposition the Pluto Moon. There will be a considerable setback in 9 months from SA Saturn conjunct the Mars; and instability in 2026/27 from SA Uranus square the Pluto; and major confusion up to 2030. Nothing that suggests this government will wave a magic wand to cure problems.

 The ANC, 8 January 1912, is facing a disruptive and insecure year with tr Uranus conjunct the Mars exactly now, running into early 2025; and an influence/power-sapping tr Neptune square the Pluto this year as well as a an enthusiasm-denting SA Saturn square its Jupiter. So remarkably descriptive of recent events. 2027/28 look troubled and unsuccessful years – so again nothing that looks like a sudden turnaround.  

 Cyril Ramaphosa, 17 November 1952, Soweto, is a controlling Sun Moon Scorpio square Pluto with a harsh Mars in Capricorn opposition Uranus square Neptune Saturn in Libra. He looks thoroughly rattled this year into early 2025 with tr Uranus opposing his Sun and square his Pluto.

 The modern 1994 South Africa chart looks more than unsettled inn the second half of this decade with tr Pluto square the Sun, tr Neptune conjunct the Mars and tr Uranus square the Saturn.  Maybe the 2030s will be kinder.

  Ramaphosa is due to be sworn in on June 19^th around 11 am which does not look inspiring, no matter the time, with a Sun square Neptune. Plus a risky/ruthless and frustrating Mars square Pluto. And if it is 11am there are several yods – hinting at strain.

Add On:

  Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in on June 19^th at 12.24 pm. This puts a charm-offensive Sun Venus on the Midheaven on the focal point of a yod inconjunct a Scorpio Moon sextile Pluto – the Moon is also opposition an 8^th house Uranus – all of which hints at a less than enraptured electorate and a good deal of strain as the government attempts to throw its weight around in a fairly erratic manner. The Sun square a lacklustre Neptune in the 6^th is not encouraging or progressive with hints of employment problems from Neptune Saturn in the 6^th – as well as financial/economic ones with Mars on the cusp of the 8^th and Uranus in the 8^th. There is likely also to be continuing problems with corruption with hidden Mars in the 8^th in a ruthless square to Pluto. The unrealistic, impractical, indecisive Sun square Neptune moves by Solar Arc to exact by late 2025 so the coalition may not survive for long.

Nigel Farage, scourge of the Tories and the cartoonists’ delight, is represented today in political entymology as the death-watch beatle as well as Saturn devouring his father. A confirmed eurosceptic, he has been a thorn in the Tories’ side since Maastricht, being a founder member of UKIP, a catalyst for Brexit, with a jack-in-the-box propensity for bouncing back from obscurity. He is now leading the right-wing populist, anti-immigration and anti-net zero Reform Party, which in one poll is overtaking the Tories.

  Born 3 April 1964 4.30pm Farnborough, England, he has an intensely, determined 8^th house Aries Sun which is conjunct the UK’s 7^th house North Node, a key astro-influence at Brexit. He also has an exuberant 8^th house Jupiter in Aries trine his Sagittarius 4^th house Moon. His Saturn in Pisces is conjunct the UK’s Pluto, either giving him the ability to cooperate with the UK in significant matters of state and commerce – or his chaotic Saturn opposition Uranus (Pluto) blocks the UK’s capacity for constructive change  and gives rise to suspicion and political intrigue.

 He does have Jupiter moving across his midheaven exactly now for a year ahead for a boost. But tr Neptune conjunct his Jupiter/Saturn midpoint now to early September suggests losses and pessimism. Tr Pluto square his Venus/Mars midpoint until July 17^th will be aggravated and prone to grudge matches and outbursts. From the 17th of this month tr Pluto conjunct his Sun/Neptune midpoint = devastation, labouring under a tragic illusion, though it may not completely dent his good humour.  September on to early October looks undermining on the career-front.

  Not sure this adds up to him sailing into No 10 or even leading on the opposition benches. The Tories are terrified he’ll act as a spoiler, further diminishing their chances.

 What a muddle.

Add On:

Farage’s relationship chart with UK is dominated by a downbeat composite Saturn North Node opposition Neptune square Sun Mercury – so undermined by doubt and suspicion; though there is a ‘fated’ yod of Mercury sextile Mars inconjunct disruptive Uranus – which makes sense of him as the mischief-maker.

His relationship chart with Rishi Sunak also has a yod onto the composite Sun inconjunct Neptune sextile Pluto – again tied together in a spooky way by political ambition but destined to wobble around erratically. With a firm-dislike and chilly Mars Venus opposition Saturn.

Farage’s relationship chart with Boris Johnson has an over-hopeful/disappointing composite Sun opposition Neptune and an exuberant composite Mars Jupiter conjunction but the latter  sits uneasily in trine/sextile to a Uranus Pluto opposition Saturn – and the composite Mars is logjammed this year and next.

Singer Celine Dion who thought her career was over after contracting the autoimmune, neurological disorder Stiff Person Syndrome which has no cure, is preparing for a new show in Las Vegas. Although she will live with this condition for the rest of her life, the therapy she is undergoing to lessen the muscle spasms will help her to sing on stage again.

 She was born 30 March 1968 12.15pm Charlemagne, PQ, Canada, had an unhappy childhood but emerged as a teenage star under the tutelage of her future husband Rene Angelil, who was 25 years older. She is mother to his three children, all conceived with in vitro fertilization.

  She has an Aries Sun conjunct her Saturn and Midheaven from the 9^th but what is significant in her chart is a 10^th house last degree Aries Moon conjunct Mars in Taurus on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Uranus sextile Neptune. A 10^th house Moon suits her for a public degree especially beside pro-active and determined Mars and the Neptune Pluto adds a layer of stratospheric ambition. But it also suggests a vulnerability in the areas ruled by the Moon – body, motherhood, emotions. A yod apex Moon is super-sensitive, tends to be emotionally disorganized early on and is insecure.

  Her husband died in 2016 when tr Uranus in Aries square tr Pluto in Capricorn were colliding with her Aries Saturn and Midheaven. And from late 2018 tr Saturn moved into her 6^th house of health for two years to join tr Pluto which had been there since 2012; at a time tr Uranus was conjunct her Moon – putting considerable additional strain on her health. When she admitted the SPS diagnosis in 2022 she said her health problems had been around for some time.

  Over the past year and a half regenerative Pluto has been transiting square her Moon as it approaches the exit of her 6^th house. Into 2025 she should find health less of a forefront issue. She will have good luck financially coming from tr Uranus square her Jupiter this July and on and off into 2025. Though tr Pluto square her Mars this year and next will be slow going at times.  Her overly optimistic Jupiter square Neptune may tempt her to push herself too hard – and it won’t be quite as easy as she hopes. But still small steps in the right direction.