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William Wordsworth, the Romantic poet, was born 250 years ago today on 7 April 1770. His poetry is some of the most quoted in the world; and along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge he launched the Romantic Age.

His mother died when he was eight and he was separated from his nearest sibling, his sister Dorothy, who was sent off to live with female relatives. When they were reunited in their late teens they formed an obsessively close attachment especially on her side which remained throughout his life. Initially she kept house for him, transcribed his poems and he described her as ‘the sister of my soul’ who ‘made me a poet.’ He fathered one child with a French woman, but later married his childhood sweetheart Mary which sent his sister into a hysterical fugue. She accompanied them on their honeymoon and stayed throughout his married life as he and Mary produced five children. By 40 Dorothy had become insane although she lived to 84, just after William died.

William Wordsworth had a pro-active Sun Venus in Aries in his entertaining and creative 5^th house square a bleak Pluto opposition Saturn in Cancer. He would have had a dark side, suffering from depression; but he balanced it with a lighter, more hopeful facet to his character from his Sun Venus trine Jupiter. His creative Neptune on his midheaven was in an inspired trine to Uranus and also trine Pluto for an Earth Grand Trine, a pointer to his inspiration from nature. ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud – a host of golden daffodils.’

He had a Yod of Jupiter sextile Mars in Aquarius inconjunct Saturn, which would present him with challenges, since it demanded a good deal in terms of maturity and discipline.

His third house of siblings did have an intense Pluto and unconventional Mars in Aquarius there. Dorothy, 21 December 1771, was a Sun Mars in Sagittarius which was conjunct his Jupiter for a mutually supportive connection. With her Gemini Moon in opposition in his 8^th house, so she would feel deeply attached to him. Her Saturn opposed his Mars so there would be aggravations – not the least for his poor wife, who regrettably doesn’t have a birth date.

Dorothy possibly had a Mutable Neptune in Virgo on the point of a T Square to Moon opposition Mars which might explain some of her nervousness and instability.

Their relationship chart had a power-struggling Mars Pluto and a power-couple Jupiter Pluto conjunction; with an unsettled composite Saturn square Uranus; and a wide affectionate Sun Venus. It was not remotely an easy relationship for a 24/7 lifestyle, or menage a trois as it turned out.

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

 

Continuous as the stars that shine

and twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretched in never-ending line

along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

 

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not be but gay,

in such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

what wealth the show to me had brought:

 

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

 

Honor Blackman has died, who played the iconic Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, the third Bond movie. Her status as innovator of tough feminine leads had been cemented in the television Avengers series as the leather-clad Cathy Gale. She regretted her typecasting from Pussy Galore, but it fitted her kick-ass character. She had had an abusive father and dispensed with husbands after two failed attempts saying they were a ‘hindrance.’

After TV and film she moved into the theatre and built a fresh reputation as a musical star in productions of Mother Goose, The Sound of Music and On Your Toes. She worked into her eighties, touring in My Fair Lady and in West End stint in Cabaret as well as appearing in a one-woman show.

Born 22 August 1925 6 am Plaistow, England she credited her father with instilling discipline despite his beatings. She took boxing lessons with her brother Ken and at one point knocked out two male bullies in the school playground. She thought about becoming a gym teacher but opted for acting instead. During the war she volunteered as a motorcycle dispatch rider, tearing around London at top speed, taking little notice of the falling bombs.

She had a filmic and entertaining Sun Neptune in Leo on her Ascendant; with a confident and tough Half Grand Sextile from a super-determined Pluto opposition a performing 5^th house Jupiter, sextile/trine Mars Mercury in Virgo and Saturn in Scorpio. Her Virgo Moon was conjunct Venus and both opposed Uranus. Her actors’ 15^th Harmonic was exceptionally strong; as was her creative 7H.

Patrick Macnee, whom she starred opposite in the Avengers, 6 February 1922 1 am London, had his Midheaven exactly on her Ascendant for a good career connection with his charming Sun Venus in Aquarius in her 6^th house of work; and his Taurus Moon in her 10^th conjunct her Midheaven. It wouldn’t all be sunshine and roses since his Mars in Scorpio (opposition his Moon) fell in her 4^th and his Saturn squared her Jupiter and Pluto. Their relationship chart mirrored the pluses and minuses with an easy-going composite Venus, Jupiter, Sun and a power-struggling Mars square Pluto.

Sean Connery, 25 August 1930 6.05 pm Edinburgh, had his Sun Neptune on her Ascendant for a high-profile connection; though with his Midheaven on her IC, reminding her perhaps of her father, with his Mars in Gemini in an irritating square to her Moon and Uranus. The irrelationship chart hints at a good deal of attraction with a composite Venus opposition Jupiter square Pluto; though with some aggro from a composite Mars trine Uranus trine Saturn. But it clearly sparked off a good deal of creative tension.

She didn’t have an uncomplicated life with a difficult father and abusive first husband who was a financial fraud, had a nervous breakdown; nursed her former second husband through stomach cancer; and lost a good deal of her savings in a pension fund collapse. But she made it to 94. Patrick Macnee died at 93 and Sean Connery is still golfing in the Bahamas at 90 – so hardy specimens all.

Queen Elizabeth’s inspirational talk to the nation, watched by 22 million, produced a flood of thanks and compliments. She acknowledged the dedication of front-line staff, counselled co-operation and evoked the wartime spirit. Her first ever public address was on radio during World War 11 when she was fourteen during the blitz with the Royal Family staying in London and Windsor.

During the London blitz which ran from the autumn of 1940 to mid-1941, following the Battle of Britain, when the Luftwaffe bombed the capital and subsequently other major cities, there was considerable loss of life and millions of homes and buildings were destroyed. It started as the triple conjunction of Jupiter Saturn Uranus in Taurus was drawing closer. At that point tr Uranus was conjunct the young Princess Elizabeth’s IC, the lowest part of her chart, so it must have felt that her foundations were being severely shaken.

She has an extraordinarily Fixed chart with not just a Taurus Sun, but also Mars Jupiter in Aquarius opposition Moon Neptune in Leo square Saturn in obsessively conscientious Scorpio conjunct her Midheaven. It gives her incredible endurance and staying power, can be stubborn, not overly adaptable. She prefers to plough the same furrow and not deviate. So tr Uranus rattling her Fixed planets must have been a severe test of her ability to stick to the same course. When WW11 broke out in 1939 tr Saturn was exactly conjunct her Sun with tr Pluto just past the square to her Sun – challenging times indeed.

At the moment she does have the discouraging and serious tr Saturn exactly square her Sun until early April along with tr Saturn conjunct her Mercury/Midheaven midpoint, returning mid-June to early July; with some insecurity from tr Uranus square her Mars/Node exactly now for a few days; and more worries from early April to mid-June with tr Saturn square her Mars/Pluto midpoint. A fair number of her friends, including family, Princess Anne etc – were at Cheltenham Races which will have been a CV hotpot, with Camilla’s ex-husband already down with it.

The UK chart had Uranus Jupiter and Saturn in the 8^th through these darkest days of WW11 in 1940/41; with tr Uranus opposing the Solar Arc Midheaven. The UK’s financial planets in the speculative 5^th, financial 2^nd and 8^th were also being seriously jolted; as was the legislative Saturn in Leo in the 11^th. The Solar Arc Sun had just passed the conjunction to the UK Sun and the Solar Arc Pluto to the 10^th house ‘ruling’ Moon; with Solar Arc Mars approaching the conjunction to the UK Mars. So it was immensely stressful.

What’s around at the moment isn’t as stark. Tr Uranus is moving through the UK financial 8^th, from exactly now, for several years ahead which will be changeable, unpredictable and jolting in terms of economics – worse from 2021 to 2023 as tr Uranus rattles the UK Mars, Venus and Neptune. With a major blockage come 2023 as Solar Arc Pluto squares the UK Sun.

More immediately there’ll be a discouraging blip from early April to mid-June when tr Saturn opposes the UK Jupiter, dampening enthusiasm and confidence.

But still the legend of the stiff upper lip Blitz spirit, while undoubtedly over-embellished from the reality of the time, does stiffen peoples’ spine and provides a helpful dose of grit from a tougher generation.

Boris Johnson has been hospitalised with coronavirus symptoms continuing into the second week. He does have tr Saturn square his Scorpio Moon until April 4^th; and his Secondary Progressed Moon exactly conjunct his Neptune at the moment; as well as tr Neptune now well into his 6^th house of health. That last doesn’t necessarily indicate major issues but does suggest that health may be less robust than in the past. Since the 6^th house also rules work, tr Neptune there for many years ahead does point to ego-driven ambitions not bringing success. Neptune demands selfless service and the necessity to put aside hopes of personal glory.  He also has tr Uranus exactly now square his Sun/Pluto midpoint late March until early April which usually coincides with a sudden change of circumstance, including arrest (confinement).

His Solar Return located to his birth place New York has his Sun in the 6^th widely square Neptune and Jupiter. Though whether NY or London, the Solar Return has a completely blocked Mars Mercury opposition Saturn Pluto. And his Lunar Return for the four weeks from March 12 located to London is severely curtailed and locked in with Saturn Pluto Jupiter Mars in the 8^th; and a directionless Neptune in the 10^th.

Although his aides insist he’ll continue running the country from his hospital bed, his deputy may have to take over. Dominic Raab, 25 February 1974, raises derision amongst commentators. He’s a Sun Mercury in Pisces square Neptune, so not exactly a dynamo; though he does have a more stalwart Mars in Taurus trine Venus in Capricorn. He has an ideologue’s Air Grand Trine of Jupiter in Aquarius trine Saturn trine Uranus, as befits a true believer Brexiteer. His Progressed Mars is exactly conjunct his South Node at the moment which will pull him back into a disorganised, scattered frame of mind. There’s not much showing on his chart minus a birth time until 2021 when he’s into a downhill slide.

Ditto Dominic Cummings, who shares with Jeremy Corbyn, a mystifyingly blank chart where major events are concerned. He looks upbeat in May and seriously rattled in June. 2021 is his disaster year.

Matt Hancock, Minister for Health, 2 October 1978, a New Moon Pluto in Libra with Mars, Uranus, Venus in Scorpio, is panicky and frustrated this year with tr Pluto square his Sun/Mars midpoint until late year; tr Neptune in a panicky-failure square to his Solar Arc Mars – with upheavals, disruptions and road-blocks from 2021 onwards for a few years.

Of the health chiefs with birth dates.

Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS, 4 August 1966 (net sources), has been roundly criticised for his control-freakery slowing the widespread availability of testing. He’s a Sun Leo with an excitable Mars, Venus, Jupiter in Cancer trine Neptune, sextile Pluto Uranus – so although in mild aspects that Pluto will make him insist on holding the reins. His Chiron is conjunct his Saturn in Pisces; and at the moment his Solar Arc Saturn is exactly conjunct his stubborn Taurus North Node. He’s not having a good year from heavy transits to several midpoints. Most notable exactly now, tr Saturn opposition his Sun/Jupiter midpoint denting his confidence; and tr Pluto conjunct his Saturn/Neptune (epidemic and illness associated) midpoint through until late 2021.

Patrick Vallance, 17 March 1960, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government, is a Sun Pisces with Venus Mercury also in Pisces trine Neptune; with Mars in obstinate, contrary Aquarius in a brooks-no-interference opposition to Uranus. That Mars opposition Uranus has moved by Solar Arc to exactly square his Saturn in Capricorn bringing a hard reality check and a mammoth setback.

Thank heavens for the Queen. She at least exudes calm, common sense and competence.  Methinks the fall out from the virus won’t just be economic.  These political charts above hint that by the time it settles (cross fingers) several careers will disappear into the dust.

ADD On: The National Health Service (NHS) was founded on 5 July 1948. The Cancer Sun has been rattled by the Eclipses of late, including the Lunar Eclipse of this July; with even more challenges from the December 2020 Sagittarius Eclipse and the June 2021 Gemini Solar Eclipse which will be shaking up its T Square of Venus Uranus Mercury (Moon) opposition Jupiter square Mars in Virgo. 2021 looks its most testing year with panics from an undermining tr Neptune opposition the Mars and square Jupiter; and a forced-upheaval and disruption from tr Uranus square the Pluto. The pressures will stay in place till mid decade; and it looks as if it will struggle mightily to cope with the workload.

 

Koo Stark, actress and photographer, former girlfriend of Prince Andrew, has lost her court battle to claim substantial sums from the father of her daughter born in 1997. The judge called her ‘evasive and combative’ and her former partner banker Warren Walker insisted that she was a “gold-digger”.

She always seemed a sensible sort though her reputation was sullied early on by her appearance in the film Emily, which was avant-garde but written off by the tabloids as pornographic. She was widely deemed to be the serious affair of Andrew’s life, and after they split she went on to have a one year marriage to a gallery owner, before getting together with Walker. Her life has been fairly drama-filled – she was knocked down by a taxi and injured; in later years suffered breast cancer; and has sued various media outlets for slurs.

Born 26 April 1956 in New York, she’s a Sun Taurus square an argumentative Mars in Aquarius with her Sun also opposition to filmic Neptune. Her Mercury in stalwart Taurus is square a super-confident Jupiter Pluto in Leo and maybe opposition a Scorpio Moon, so she’s not short of get-up-and-go.

Her Sun falls in Andrew’s 10^th with her Jupiter Pluto in his 1^st so she would inspire him to greater heights of ambition and confidence. Both have a Scorpio Moon. But her Uranus square Neptune collides with his Mars Venus in social respectable Capricorn, so what worked as an affair might not have translated well into a walk up the Royal aisle.

Their relationship chart has an affectionate composite Sun Venus conjunction and a reasonably well-aspected Jupiter so had a good deal going for it. Though there’s also a composite Mars opposition Uranus square Neptune which suggests two divergent paths. But for all that it’s a better relationship chart than he had with Sarah, whom he picked up with two years after the split with Koo. With Sarah, the relationship chart has an impulsive composite Mars Jupiter, a needs-space Venus square Uranus; and a power-struggling Mars square Pluto.

 

Keir Starmer has been elected Labour leader after the first round with 56% of the vote; with Rebecca Long-Bailey, the Corbyn choice, coming in second at 26%.

He was Opposition Brexit spokesman and before becoming an MP in 2014 was formerly a defence lawyer with an interest in human rights and Head of the Crown Prosecution Service. He is reputed to be the inspiration for Colin Firth’s character in Bridget Jones’ Diary.

Born 2 September 1962, he does have an influential and powerful chart with a ‘healing’ and private Water Grand Trine of Mars in Cancer trine Neptune trine Jupiter, formed into a Kite by Jupiter opposition a Sun Pluto (Uranus) conjunction in Virgo – so he’s not short of drive, confidence and determination. His Moon and Venus are in Libra; and he has a Fixed T Square of Saturn in cool, intellectual Aquarius opposition a Leo leadership North Node square Neptune in Scorpio. And a Yod of Mars sextile Sun inconjunct Saturn.

His focal point Saturn is getting a sharp prod from tr Uranus in square exactly now, shifting him onto a different track, as is customary with Yods. That plus tr Uranus sextile/trine his ‘driving rod’ Sun Pluto opposition Jupiter within weeks did always point to a lucky year for him.  See previous post April 7 2019. Though there’ll be a catastrophe or two to contend with late May to mid June, late October to early November and early 2021 when tr Uranus squares his Mars/Pluto midpoint. So it’ll be up and down.

2021/22 look emotionally intense with tr Pluto square his Venus; and highly-strung with tr Uranus opposition his Neptune with tr Saturn in square. Mid decade looks exceptionally stuck and devastated with his Solar Arc Sun Pluto crossing his Neptune and his Solar Arc Mars colliding with his Sun Pluto.

He certainly suits the Labour Party 27 February 1900 chart well with his Jupiter conjunct the Pisces Sun; though there’ll be a few fireworks from his Uranus opposition the LP 1900 Mars in late Aquarius. He’s an edgier mix with the Labour Party 12 February 190 chart with his Mars conjunct the Neptune and opposition Uranus square Moon; though his Venus in Libra chimes with the Aquarius Sun Venus.

Both relationship charts have emphasised Uranus suggesting innovations and almost certainly rolling crises and constant change.

His relationship with the outgoing (but not intending to be forgotten) Jeremy Corbyn is both confused and coolly business-like. There’s a disappointing composite Sun square Neptune; and a teeth-gritted Saturn. Their partnership looks pressured this year, with outbursts after mid year; and messy through 2021/22. His relationship with John McConnell is, if anything, worse. There’s a controlling, chained-together Pluto square Saturn and a cold Saturn square Sun; with an ego-clash Mars square Neptune. And his chemistry with Jon Lansman who represents the far-left Momentum is aggravated in 2020/21 and bumpy thereafter for two years.

Pic: Chris McAndrew

The epithets describing Jared Kushner’s elevation to a senior role in masterminding the USA coronavirus response are excoriating, the most pungent calling his squad a “frat party” that “descended from a U.F.O. and invaded the federal government.” Politico said “This is dilettantism raised to the level of sociopathy.” It follows on the heels of his much vaunted and long-awaited Middle East Peace plan which was dubbed “the Monty Python version of Israeli-Palestinian peace.”

His biographer said time and again people who’d dealt with Kushner told her that whatever he did, he “believed he could do it better than anybody else, and he had supreme confidence in his own abilities and his own judgment even when he didn’t know what he was talking about.”

Like Trump his previous career is littered with failures including a massive overspend on a Manhattan skyscraper, the debt from which has been a crushing burden for his family; and a bungled foray into newspaper ownership.

What did America ever do to deserve this?

His Mars in contrary, ornery and doggedly stubborn Aquarius opposes the USA’s leadership North Node in Leo – so he pulls in the opposite direction. His Pluto in Libra square his Capricorn Sun hooks into the US can-be-fanatical Pluto opposition Mercury; and his slippery, evasive Neptune in Sagittarius opposes the USA Mars, as his faux charm undermines the country’s assertiveness.

The relationship chart has a one-sided composite Sun Mars opposition Saturn – which suggests a relationship where only one partner gets what they want, while the other has to grit their teeth and suffer.

His confidence will get a serious elbow in the ribs come late May into June and again late October to mid November, and early 2021 with tr Uranus square his Mars. The first half of July and late December are also bad-tempered times of significant setbacks. The USA isn’t looking too fondly on him through this year and less so next.

Donkeys and dimwits wherever you look. Mind you the UK isn’t short on that score, but not quite so dramatically.

Add On:

His brother Joshua Kushner, a financier and co-founder of a high-tech health insurance company, which is providing data for CV, was born 12 June 1985. He’s a Sun Gemini trine Jupiter opposition Uranus; with a Rectangle of a publicity-seeking Mars in Cancer opposition Neptune which is sextile/trine Venus in indulgent Taurus opposition Pluto. His Mercury in Gemini is in a vague and evasive opposition to Neptune. He’s confident, innovative, a risk-taker, ruthlessly determined and super-ambitious. His relationship with Jared isn’t altogether cosy with a power-struggling composite Mars opposition Pluto in their relationship chart.

But really everything in the Kushner family relates back to father Charles, 16 May 1954, an acquisitive and utterly fixed, controlling Taurus Sun square Pluto; with Jupiter Venus in frivolous Gemini trine Neptune. Plus a wide Yod of Saturn in obsessive Scorpio sextile Mars in ambitious Capricorn inconjunct Mercury in Gemini – mentally highly-strung and disorganised. And an intense and vengeful Scorpio Moon. His parents were Holocaust survivors who came to the USA in 1949 from Poland.

Charles was imprisoned in 2005 after agreeing a plea deal with US Attorney Chris Christie on charges of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering. The final charge was because of an act of retaliation against his sister’s husband who was co-operating with federal investigators. Kushner arranged for a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, recorded the encounter and had the tape sent to his sister. A real charmer.

Jared evidently visited him throughout his prison sentence. They have an extraordinarily complex and tied-together relationship chart. There is an affectionate composite Sun Venus conjunction on the focal point of a Yod to Saturn sextile Jupiter; and opposition Uranus Pluto. The Sun Venus are also trine Neptune and sextile Mars; with Mars square Saturn. So it’s a bond with a good deal of friendliness, delusion, aggravation and sacrifice.

In a diluted form it has similarities to Jared’s relationship with Trump – with a friendly composite Sun opposition Venus Jupiter; a fated and stressed Yod of Pluto sextile Mars Neptune inconjunct Mercury; and a strained Sun inconjunct Uranus.

So not only has Ivanka married a similar temperament to her benighted father but Jared is adept at placating father-in-law’s monster ego since the dynamic is much as he is used to.

The charts of Joshua, Charles and the Charles/Jared relationship all have Gemini planets in line for tr Neptune squares from 2021 and on till almost mid decade; and Joshua and Charles will also be badly affected by the economically-challenged tr Saturn square tr Uranus of 2021. The Kushner family fortunes will be on a downhill slide for a while.

And the Jared/father Charles relationship chart even before then is under acute pressure this year with tr Pluto conjunct the Mars and square the Saturn.

 

Despite Trump’s happy-clappy claim that he had fixed the Saudi-Russia oil clash which has sent prices to an eighteen year low of $20, there seems little indication that either Putin or Bin Salman are going to budge. Demand has dropped because of transport restrictions during coronavirus and the two countries can’t agree on a production cut. Oil economies like Algeria, Nigeria and Libya need prices to be close to $100 per barrel to balance the government’s books. Saudi Arabia also could face a funding shortfall of more than £100bn. Russia is less vulnerable to a price drop.

OPEC, 10 September 1960 Baghdad, is looking shell-shocked this year with Solar Arc Mars conjunct its Uranus; and tr Neptune just over the opposition to its Virgo Sun. Tr Neptune is aiming for an even more undermining 2022/23 as tr Neptune squares the Mars (for panicky failure) and squares Jupiter (financial bubble-bursting). At the same time in 2022 there is a devastating and confused Solar Arc Pluto conjunct Neptune; and a financial slide in 2023 from Solar Arc Neptune square Venus.

The Petrodollar chart of 8 June 1974 9am Washington, DC, also has a 17 degree Mutable Sun in Gemini which has been catching the undermining and confused tr Neptune square earlier this year. There’s also an unstable and unpredictable tr Pluto square Uranus all this year as well as a ratchety and aggravated tr Saturn opposition the Mars and square Uranus just finished and which returns after the middle of the year. Plus a nerve-stretched earthquake from Solar Arc Uranus conjunct Neptune, exact in four months; and a seismic shock from Solar Arc Sun conjunct Mars. Followed by an even worse 2023/24 with tr Pluto in a trapped, scary, dead-halt opposition to the Mars.

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