The trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd last May by kneeling on his neck until he stopped breathing, is transfixing the US. The crucial question is will it end in acquittal as so many such trials have before? The Rodney King beating by police in 1992 resulted in the LA Riots of 1992 after a court whitewash – that was the previous time Saturn was in Aquarius though Uranus Neptune was also in place which is nervy and highly strung.

   Black Lives Matter came into being in 2013 after the death of teen Trayvon Martin at police hands in 2012 with an exoneration for those responsible; others followed with the same result.

  There’s no official start date for BLM but somewhere around mid July 2013 which gives a Cancer Sun and a deeply frustrated and activist Mars Jupiter in Cancer opposition Pluto square Uranus; with Mars Jupiter trine Saturn trine Neptune – a strong chart which, if the date is about right, will face its greatest challenges over the next two years.

  Derek Chauvin, 19 March 1976, is a Sun Pisces trine Saturn in Cancer trine a Scorpio Moon (and North Node). With oddly enough his Mars in Cancer on the same degree as the BLM Mars and his North Node in Scorpio is also the same degree as the BLM North Node.

  More pointedly Chauvin’s Mars is conjunct George Floyd’s South Node and Saturn which is an indication of a regressive connection.

[See post Feb 27 2021 – South Nodes Joe Biden/MBS and Woody Allen/Dylan Farrow].

  Chauvin has tr Pluto exactly opposition his Saturn now till late June and again through 2022 which will put him under strain and is usually discouraging. His Solar Arc Sun is also exactly conjunct his South Node now – facing him up to his more primitive instincts? Chauvin had a record of complaints against him in the police force and a nightclub where he worked as security said he was ‘overly aggressive’ especially with black clientele.

From previous post: USA race tensions – the never ending saga

31st May 2020

Racial frustrations and violence have broken out across many major cities in the US with curfews being imposed, sparked off by the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a black man, who died after being knelt on by a white police officer.

Los Angeles is one of the worst affected, where memories of the 1992 Rodney King beating are still raw, with the National Guard being called out. Nearly 1,000 protesters circled the perimeter of the White House grounds for the second night running, facing law enforcement vehicles, rows of armoured Secret Service, D.C. police, U.S. Park Police officers and National Guard.

Race riots happen not infrequently in the USA usually after police anti-black violence with a litany running backwards through 2016 Charlotte, NC; 2015 Baltimore; 2014 Missouri; 2001 Cincinnati; 1992 Los Angeles; 1980 Miami; 1968 – widespread after the assassination of Martin Luther King; 1967 Newark; 1965 LA etc etc. The Red Summer of 1919 triggered by white supremacist terrorist attacks spread out across the USA with hundreds of deaths.

But the recent mood has been inflamed by a divisive Trump with a history back to a Klu Klux Klan father, action against black tenants in their rental properties, his full-page ads condemning the Central Park 5 in New York which coincided with the wrongful imprisonment of five young black men on little evidence, his Obama “birther” smears and his refusal to condemn white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va.

Minneapolis, 10 July 1847 10.54am, Minnesota, has a Cancer Sun and Jupiter like the USA 1776 chart so is fairly representative of the nation. This month’s Cancer Solar Eclipse located there puts the New Moon on the IC, so it was always going to be a critical region. With the Eclipse also falling conjunct the Minneapolis Cancer Midheaven almost exactly. The July Lunar Eclipse at 13 degrees Capricorn/Cancer will also impact the Minneapolis and the USA respective Suns.

George Floyd, 14 October 1974, had a six-planet stellium in Libra of Sun, Uranus, Mars, Venus, Moon, Pluto in Libra most of those planets squaring onto Saturn in Cancer; with an idealistic, sympathetic Jupiter in Pisces square Neptune. According to press reports he was ‘an amiable, gentle giant’.

Derek Chauvin, the police officer who has been charged with his manslaughter has a long record of brutality complaints, none of which had led to action against him. Born 19 March 1976, he’s a last degree Pisces Sun square Mars at zero degrees Cancer and trine Saturn. His Mars is trine Uranus and widely square Pluto, so he is impulsive and overly excitable; with an adventurous and opportunistic Jupiter opposition Uranus. Plus an intense Scorpio Moon.

Floyd’s Pluto was opposition Chauvin’s Sun and square his Mars – so a gritty interface. And their relationship chart had a struggle-for-the-upper-hand composite Pluto opposition Jupiter square Sun.

Chauvin’s chart has his volatile Sun square Mars moved by Solar Arc to aspect his Scorpio North Node exactly at the moment; as well as this month’s Cancer Eclipse stoking up his natal Mars in Cancer into a more aggressive mood than usual, spoiling for a fight.

George Floyd had his Sun Mars moved by Solar Arc to approach within a degree of the conjunction to his Neptune. Two Mars and two different outcomes.

There’s nothing much new to say about the USA chart except that tr Pluto is sitting exactly on the opposition to the USA Mercury at the moment and will repeat on and off till late 2021, with more as the Pluto Return follows till late 2023 – that will produce more toxic and bitter debates even than usual. Tr Neptune has just moved to 20 degrees Pisces within a few minutes of a degree to the square to the USA Mars. By late this month it moves to within a hair-breadth of the exact aspect, though it won’t reach the same degree until late March 2021. Neptune hitting Mars usually evokes a sense of panicky failure.

If the USA birth time of 11am is sound (and there are various USA start times which is a running irritation) then the Solar Arc Mars is exactly conjunct the Moon which would point to a combustible situation and an angry populace.

Charles Saatchi has three strands to his public persona – one is as a successful businessman in advertising; which allowed him to build up an extensive modern art collection of the controversial Damien Hirst/Tracy Emin style of paintings and sculptures. The third is a chequered relationship life with talented women. He’s had three marriages – for 20 years to Doris Lockhart, described as a sophisticated multi-lingual woman, and art and wine expert, who became a design journalist. Thence onto Kay Saatchi, a Conde Nast ad executive, who produced him a daughter and split after a decade. Nigella Lawson, the TV cook, was next which also parted company messily after a decade when he was filmed with his hands round her throat. In recent years he’s been with Trinny Woodall, a fashion expert and TV celebrity. 

  He was born 9 June 1943 in Baghdad to a Jewish Iraqi family who fled persecution to settle in London in 1947, so he was born into tough times which would leave their mark. He’s a Sun Saturn in Gemini with an innovative and ferociously determined Mars in Aries trine Venus Pluto in Leo, sextile Uranus. He can turn on the charm when it suits him but will push hard to get what he wants. His father, Nathan 24 December 1907, was an Iraqi businessman, who was also tough with his Pluto square a hard-edged Mars Saturn in Pisces.

   All of the women he married or was with have tricky charts – the first had a stark Saturn trine Pluto trine Mars which doesn’t suggest a remotely easy father; the second had Mars opposition Pluto which would acclimatise her in childhood to being dominated. Nigella Lawson had a depressed mother who was according to her at times violent; and Trinny Woodward has a Sun Mars Saturn in Aquarius, reflecting her unhappiness at being abandoned in boarding school from six onwards.  So one way and another they were all used to an over-heated and/or deprived domestic atmosphere.

  Mars opposition Pluto is a repeating theme through the personal charts and relationship charts with Charles Saatchi – which isn’t an easy energy to handle. Indeed it is there between Nigella and her father Nigel Lawson, of whom she is fond though there are ameliorating aspects as well and an affectionate relationship chart.

  It’s not there in the Trinny/Charles relationship but that is not an easy relationship chart with a constant-worry, workaholic, cool Sun Saturn opposition Neptune square a needs-space Uranus and trine Pluto.

  It is an odd dynamic – being attracted to strong, though emotionally fragile women – and then insisting on having the upper hand. His Moon is late Leo or early Virgo, which doesn’t help to pin down his approach to lunar matters.

  As a slight thought – he is immensely litigious so worth tread lightly before putting out strong opinions.

  On a personal note I have never taken to him since a friend visited his house pre-Nigella days and saw foetus sculptures (I think) and others similar in his sitting room. Why would you want to live with that?

Myanmar’s bloodiest day since the military seized control last month has left at least 114 people across the country dead,  including children, some killed at protests, others in their own homes. Opponents of the 1 February coup call the dead “fallen stars”. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused the military of “a reign of terror” that was “sacrificing the lives of the people to serve the few” and UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called it a “new low.” The EU delegation to Myanmar said Saturday would “stay engraved as a day of terror and dishonour.” The defence chiefs of a dozen nations issued a joint statement Saturday calling for an end to violence against unarmed civilians in Myanmar; and sanctions have been imposed against high-ranking military personnel. Russia and China have so far not commented.

  The coup took place in the early hours of February 1^st when Saturn Jupiter Sun in Aquarius were square the explosive conjunction of Uranus Mars in Taurus. A Virgo Moon was almost certainly opposition Neptune and square the Nodes – and Neptune showing its cosmically chilly and inhumane face.

  The Burma 4 January 1948 4.20am Rangoon chart is in a high-risk phase with the Solar Arc Uranus conjunct the Mars, almost exactly exact within minutes of a degree; and the Solar Arc Mars within less than a degree of being conjunct the South Node sliding to the country back into the bad old days. Tr Neptune is aiming to start a highly-strung and none-too-rational opposition to the Uranus from late April on and off till January 2023. And there is a disruptive, rebellious tr Uranus square the Pluto from this July onwards; joined in early 2022 by tr Saturn in opposition.

 The 1962 coup which put the military in control for decades occurred the last time tr Saturn was in Aquarius and tr Pluto was conjunct the Burma Mars – so not dissimilar.

  Min Aung Hlaing, the General who masterminded this coup, evidently because he saw his chances of becoming president receding with Aung San Suu Kyi’s resounding victory in the recent elections, was born 3 July 1956. He’s a Sun Cancer trine Mars in Pisces; with the super-confident Jupiter Pluto in Leo in an unyielding square to Saturn in Scorpio. Neptune may prove his downfall with tr Neptune starting to oppose his Mercury and in 2022 his Venus, and more significantly tr Pluto in a devastating square to his Neptune in 2022/23. Plus a car-crash collision type setback late in 2022.

  There’s little the international community can do but financial sanctions against the leadership may have more traction nowadays than in the past.

See previous post 1 February 2021.

The celestial weather of 2021 with the disruptive ping pong match between the status-quo-upholding Saturn and innovative Uranus will run through 2022 as well. Saturn in Aquarius can produce scientific advances but can also be cold and unfeeling. Uranus in Taurus will be keen to upset the applecart in finances and to promote positive earth-centred change, but can be rigid politically – it’ll be mixed and not all plain sailing.

  The North Node is reversing into Taurus from January 2022, so the Eclipses will shift from a Gemini/Sagittarius focus onto Taurus/Scorpio – less scattered, more emotionally intense.

  The April 2022 Solar Eclipse in Taurus has the New Moon conjunct Uranus and Saturn square the Node and the Lunar Eclipse two weeks later in May has the Scorpio Full Moon square Saturn and sextile Pluto – so it will be pressured as well as having the potential for enlightenment or insight. Sudden changes are likely to dominate proceedings.

  Venus will glide in parallel to Mars in Capricorn through February and early March for high enthusiasm and extravagance. Jupiter moves into Pisces in January for a few months and thence swiftly into pro-active Aries in May for a year ahead.

  2022 won’t be anything like as deprived, depressing and stuck as 2020 was when the Saturn Pluto conjunction in place. The Eclipses through 2021 are both upbeat, especially the December 2021 Solar Eclipse which covers the six months following – joyful and happy, the benefits that appear will continue long after the eclipse effect passes. The April 2022 Eclipse is about accepting responsibility and a need to take control, if others can’t or won’t – a time to step up and be counted. The October 2022 Solar Eclipse is slightly manic, emotionally intense, can lead to falling in love or making significant efforts in group activities. [Bernadette Brady: The Eagle and the Lark.] This series was last around in 2004 and 2005.

   Although the Saturn Pluto conjunction has passed, its effects will still linger since both are slow-moving heavyweights and not inclined to ease up quickly. It’ll only be by mid decade that hindsight will be able to give a clear understanding of what has been stripped away.

 2022 will be the last full year of Pluto in Capricorn before it sticks a toe into Aquarius in 2023, so there will be loose ends to be tied up, old structures to tear down and no doubt trenchant resistance to any attempt to remove power from the old guard. Neptune is in late Pisces and moving into Aries come 2025. Uranus is proceeding at standard speed to exit Taurus in 2025 as well, so there may be a sense of heightened anticipation and trepidation about widespread changes to come. But not quite yet.  

Helpful thoughts:

“If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.” Lao Tzu

 “Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.” Dale Carnegie 

Royal babies are tumbling out at speed, most notably Zara Tindall, Princess Anne’s daughter, who delivered on the bathroom floor since her number three wouldn’t wait. Followed five days later by Princess Sofia of Sweden’s number three son. And last month Princess Eugenie, Prince Andrew’s youngest, produced her first, another boy.

  Lucas Tindall, 21 March 2021 circa 6pm Minchinhampton, England, is a super-charming Sun Venus in Aries in his 7^th so he won’t be short of admirers or a jam-packed social and romantic life later on. His sporting 5^th house is also well populated which given a rugby playing father and equestrian mother is hardly surprising. He has a lucky, confident Jupiter in Aquarius there trine his midheaven and a disciplined Saturn trine Mars which could point to a career on the organisational side of entertainment or sport. A 10^th house Cancer Moon will suit him for a public role in life. Although he isn’t a titled Royal he will want to be a mover and shaker in some field that interacts with the public. And with a right-hand chart will definitely be a people person. He may well clash with oldest sister Mia, who is a determined Capricorn since his Pluto is conjunct her Sun and her Uranus is conjunct his Sun.  

  Princess Sofia’s No 3 son, 26 March 2021 11.19am has the sociably and diplomatic Sun Venus in Aries in his career 10^th, along with Uranus and Mars, so he’ll be focussed towards achievement and a public role, though with moments of rebellion. Jupiter in his 8^th suggests supportive and generous grandparents. Saturn in his 7^th and Neptune square his Sun/Moon midpoint suggest a later marriage and perhaps difficulty making a commitment.

  Princess Eugenie’s first baby, a son named August, 9 February 2021 8.55am London, has his Sun and four other planets in Aquarius in the 11^th – keen on friends and team activities, communicative and enduring. His volatile, excitement-seeking Mars Uranus in Taurus is square most of his Aquarius planets so he will be rebellious, disruptive, argumentative and very stubborn with seven Fixed planets. He has a Moon Pluto in Capricorn suggesting a possessive mother so he may be defensive about committing himself to relationships later, which is echoed with his Saturn conjunct his Sun/Moon midpoint. An emphasised 12^th house Neptune hints at escapist or addictive tendencies. He has a left-hand chart so will be independent-minded.

Pippa Middleton also had her second child on 15 March 2021 at 4.22am (Hello Magazine) in London, which makes her daughter a creative and dreamily charming Sun Venus Neptune in Pisces with a go-ahead Aries Moon sextile Jupiter Saturn in Aquarius and a can-be-autocratic Uranus square Saturn – quite a mix with four planets in her financial 2^nd house so earning money though art or design businesses is possible.

  She has Pluto conjunct her Ascendant with Saturn just below echoing her brother’s (15 October 2018 1.58pm) Saturn Moon on the ascendant with Pluto just below, suggesting that both births may have been problematic – and this tends to lead to a reserved personality in public or at least a secretive, enigmatic one. Both have Uranus in the 3^rd house of siblings so they’re likely to need space from each other.

Back to the bad old days of Jim Crow suppression of voting rights for historically disadvantaged groups in the USA is the ominous warning from several USA Republican dominated states gearing up to turn the clock back. Georgia has been the first off the starting block but others will follow unless Democrats in Washington can force through legislation setting federal rules for elections. Trumpist GOP-ers are ramping up allegations of fraud over early and mail-in voting but to outsiders it smells of corrupt and undemocratic self-interest, making voting difficult for those most likely to vote against them.

  The landmark Voting Rights Act was signed in on 6 August 1965 in the midst of the revolutionary 1960s which saw many of the post-American Civil War segregation indecencies of the 1870s onward banished. The pushing-back-boundaries Uranus Pluto conjunction in Virgo conjunct Venus was in opposition Saturn and square a Sagittarius Moon on one side and Jupiter in Gemini on the other; with an idealistic Leo Sun square Neptune; and an adventurous Jupiter trine Mars.

This chart isn’t well supported by the present influences with a disappointing tr Neptune square Jupiter from late this May on and off till early 2023; setbacks this year from Solar Arc Mars square Saturn; with further jolts, jangles and upsets from tr Uranus square tr Saturn upending the Sun square Neptune this year and next. 2024/25 doesn’t look too encouraging either with Solar Arc Saturn square the Sun.

  It was always going to be a rough ride for the Biden Administration with the toxic, lying/cheating/bullying Mercury in Cancer opposition Pluto in the USA chart catching the tr Pluto opposition Mercury and square the Mercury/Pluto midpoint this year. Thence onto the Pluto Return in 2022/23. Last December’s and this coming June’s Solar Eclipses in Sagittarius and Gemini are also colliding with the USA Mars in Gemini arousing fearsome arguments.

  All countries have their moral failings and their corruption, but what sits ill about the USA is the bombastic morality that is shoved down the world’s throat while political vandalism worthy of a dictator’s banana republic is routinely and shamelessly pursued.

Elon Musk’s first self-funded private spaceflight civilian mission to fly a six day trip to the Moon and (hopefully) back, scheduled tentatively for 2023, has had all eight crew member seats bought by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. He’s now in process of interviewing applicants. In future Musk hopes to add Mars to the destination list.  

  Maezawa, 22 November 1975, is a determined Sun Mercury in late Scorpio; with a pushily confident Jupiter in pro-active Aries opposition Pluto Venus; and Saturn in wannabe-important Leo. His Uranus is square Saturn and trine Mars so he will be keen on experimental projects and appreciate an adrenaline-rush. His background is art and online fashion retail and he is estimated to be worth $2 billion.

 Quite what draws him to this lunar folly isn’t clear through his Mercury in Scorpio is on a degree that seems Moon-connected of which more anon. His astrology isn’t looking too crisp towards 2023 with his Pluto in a blocked conjunction to his Sun and tr Pluto inconjunct his Mars in 2023/24 which looks high-risk, logjammed and frustrated.

  Musk, 28 June 1971, was born at the start of the decade after the first Moon landings which may have inspired him and his mad-genius inventor brain no doubt latched onto an exciting project. He’s certainly on all-systems go in 2022/23 with tr Pluto sextile his Jupiter and square his Jupiter/Pluto midpoint; though he’ll run into major setbacks and accidents in 2022 with tr Saturn square his Mars in Aquarius with frustrations running into 2023; and disappointments from tr Neptune opposition his Pluto in 2023/24 and insecurity as well as disruptions from tr Uranus square his Mars in 2023. But he appears to live his life at such a pitch of hyper-nerviness with so many strings to his bow it’s impossible to say which will be affected.

  What is marginally   intriguing astrologically speaking is that the first uncrewed landing on the Moon on 13 September 1959 and the first Apollo (Aldrin/Armstrong) landing 20 July 1969, have Jupiter and Neptune respectively at almost the same degree of late Scorpio – Musk has his Jupiter there as well (conjunct his Solar Arc Uranus this year). And it’s also where Maezawa’s Mercury in Scorpio sits.

  Not sure if 25 or 26 degrees Scorpio have a great significance but is intriguing.

Thanks for intriguing input on this degree from

Maggy: Elias Lonsdales degree specifications on 26 degree Scorpio.

“Bearing within you something vast, wild and true. Your instincts given over to this seed. What can be, must be, impels sacrifice and renunciation. Being held in the grip of vast primordial forces. Taken over by depths that forge new worlds into being. Stunned into submission. Unconsciously obsessed with something that lives within you and cannot be forgotten, supercharged with energy, in tune with Earth’s cycles. Everything happening in a magnified and hypnotic atmosphere. The hidden worlds take charge, individuality is eclipsed and the surge of power dominates consciousness and life by its intensity and ruthless current right through the body, and there’s nothing to say about it.’

Jane: 25 Scorpio falls in the constellation Hercules, with Marsik at 25 Scorpio. Manilius said about “Hercules” in the 1st century AD: “….will inspire him with enthusiasm for risky callings, with danger the price, for which he will sell his talents: daring narrow steps on a path without thickness, he will plant firm feet on a horizontal tightrope; then, as he attempts an upward route to heaven, (on a sloping tightrope) he will all but lose his footing and, suspended in mid-air, he will keep a multitude in suspense upon himself” [Manilius, Astronomica, 1st century, AD, p.353.

Emma: PHASE 236 (SCORPIO 26°): AMERICAN INDIANS MAKING CAMP AFTER MOVING INTO A NEW TERRITORY. KEYNOTE: The ability to adjust swiftly to a new situation by tuning in to its requirements.

Elon Musk see previous post August 18 2018.

Please add below. Older posts under News on top bar.

The Suez Canal ground to a halt because of a stranded container ship is preventing goods worth an estimated $9.5billion per day from passing either way through the canal. Avoiding the canal by sailing around Africa, a 14-day 5,000 nautical mile journey, can add $450,000 in costs. A prolonged blockage could drive up the price of new cars by causing a shortage of computer chips, as well as furniture, homewares, clothing, footwear and toys.

   The ship, the Ever Given, wedged itself three days ago after the captain lost control during a sandstorm and Dutch experts say the rescue operation could take ‘weeks’. If efforts to refloat the boat fail, specialist cranes will need to be brought in to offload cargo to lessen the ship’s weight.

   The Suez Canal built in the mid 19^th Century was opened on 17 November 1869 with a Scorpio Sun opposition Pluto and Jupiter Pluto in Taurus opposition Mercury in Scorpio – an ambitious project, built to last. Though there was also a hard-edged, accident-prone Mars Saturn in Sagittarius. The construction, a French/Egyptian operation, started on 25 April 1859, was carried out by forced/slave labour and many thousands died of cholera and other epidemics.

  The 1869 Opening chart does have a panicky-failure tr Neptune square the Mars exactly now till mid April, repeating later in the year and a ‘disappointing’ financially undermining Solar Arc Jupiter opposition the Neptune.

  The most notable of previous events affecting the canal was the Suez Crisis which blew up in 1956 when President Nasser nationalised the canal on 26 July. This led to the UK, France and Israel’s disastrous invasion of Egypt and ignominious withdrawal after US pressure. The trigger event of July occurred with tr Saturn conjunct the Canal Opening Sun with tr Pluto in square.

  Often with entities like the Canal or ships, the opening chart is on a par with the start-of-construction chart. If memory serves me correctly the hull laying chart of the Titanic was more descriptive of the sinking than the launch chart.

 The Suez canal started construction (wiki) on 25 April 1859 with an early Sun Pluto in Taurus square Saturn in Leo perhaps opposition an Aquarius Moon with an explosive Mars Uranus in Gemini and an over hopeful Jupiter in Gemini square Venus Neptune in Pisces. Fairly similar to the opening chart. 

   At the October 1956 invasion, there was a transiting Saturn square Pluto in hard aspect to the Construction volatile Mars Uranus and Solar Arc Mars Uranus.

  Over this blockage there is a disruptive Solar Arc Mars Uranus opposition the Construction Pluto and tr Neptune square the Jupiter for a financial hit.

 

Add On: The Ever Given was laid down in Japan on 25 December 2015 and launched 2 May 2018.  Both charts are problematic and hint at upsets and blockages now.

The 2015 chart has a crisis-attracting Mars opposition Uranus square Mercury (Pluto) which has moved by Solar Arc to close the Uranus to Mercury and over the next three/four years the Uranus and Pluto will collide with the Mars. Plus this year as well as financially-damaging tr Neptune opposition Jupiter.  

 The 2018 launch chart has a Taurus Sun at 11 degrees catching the tr Saturn square and tr Uranus conjunction this year – tr Saturn exactly now and tr Uranus by early May and onwards.  Plus it has a mega-determined Mars Pluto in Capricorn, whose Solar Arc positions are catching the tr Pluto conjunction now as well. Again three years hence looks high risk with the Solar Arc Mars square the Uranus.

Nawal El Saadawi, the outspoken Egyptian feminist, writer and campaigner has died. Born into a traditional family she underwent female genital mutilation when six and at ten refused to marry, eventually qualifying as a doctor. She rose to professional prominence but lost her position because of her criticism of female circumcision, honesty about peasant health and supporting domestic violence victims. She was told she had disrespected moral values and “incited women to rebel against the divine laws of Islam”. She never gave up fighting for what she believed despite losing her job, a ban on her writings, imprisonment, death threats and exile. Her books asserted that patriarchy and poverty – rather than Islam – oppress Arab women; wrote of a world where for a woman, husband and boss are interchangeable, and for a man, female self-determination is incomprehensible. She spent some time in North Carolina after appearing on a fundamentalist death list.

  On her return to Egypt she continued to fight against religious fanaticism and started a secular society petitioning to have Islam removed as the state religion. She was reported to have said the Muslim custom of making an annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia was “a vestige of pagan practices”. Her 2006 play God Resigns at the Summit Meeting caused more controversy.

  Born 27 October 1931 4 am (from memory) Banha, Egypt, she was custom-built as a rebel, destabiliser, trailblazer and influencer. She had the signature tough-as-nails, unyielding Pluto (in her 10^th ) opposition Saturn of that era squaring onto a Cardinal revolutionary Uranus in Aries in her 7^th.  Her Pluto was also in a do-or-die determined trine to Mars in Scorpio, so she didn’t lack courage. Her Sun, Mercury Venus in Scorpio opposed an 8^th house Taurus Moon, the latter a hint of an influential grandmother in her childhood.

  She was certainly not custom-built for easy relationships with a controlling Pluto in the 10^th, an unconventional, uncompromising Uranus in her 7^th and a Full Moon. But she battled on nonetheless and was married three times.

Female circumcision was banned in Egypt in 2008.