At least 99 people have died and nearly 4,000 wounded in protests in Iraq over unemployment, poor public services and corruption in the country. There appears to be no leaders of the uprising but living conditions in many areas are dire as the country struggles to recover after a brutal war against IS, despite having the world’s fourth-largest reserves of oil.

Iraq does appear to be peculiarly sensitive to Saturn Pluto influences – the coup which established the Republic in 1958 happened on the back of a Saturn Pluto square in the run up; and the Iraq attack launched by George Bush and Tony Blair in 2003 happened on the final exact aspect of Saturn opposition Pluto, which also oversaw the Afghanistan War and 9/11.

This time round the tr Saturn Pluto  conjunction is trine the Iraq 1921 Jupiter Saturn in Virgo through 2019 to 2021 which suggests there will be little let up from pressure. With challenging Solar Arc Pluto opposition the Iraq Moon and square Venus for intense emotional reactions in 2020/21 along with a jolting Solar Arc Sun square Uranus; and a debilitating tr Neptune opposition Jupiter Saturn 2021 to 2023. With an explosive and can-be-fanatical tr Uranus square the Iraq Mars, Neptune at the same time.

The Iraq Sovereignty 28 June 2004 10.28 am Baghdad looks no more upbeat with an angry, argumentative Solar Arc Mercury conjunct Mars now; a blocked Solar Arc Pluto opposition the Sun in late 2020/21; and major setbacks and accidents in 2022 from Solar Arc Saturn conjunct the Mars.

Baghdad was once the centre of civilization, though with a roller coaster history, rising and falling often during Pluto in Capricorn phases. Such a tragic waste of a special place and a disaster for its poor people. And part of the recent catastrophe a result of the Bush/Blair/Cheney/Rumsfeld misplaced retaliation for 9/11 which had zero to do with Saddam Hussein.

The Trump impeachment is winding up an ominous head of steam and Brexit is hurtling towards 3 seconds to midnight witching hour – or maybe not. Hong Kong and Iraq are in revolt, the EU is hovering on the brink of a recession and the Middle East is bubbling more obviously even than usual. When everything feels like too much of too much it’s always a minor relief to point to the astrology for an explanation. Especially since the USA and the UK appear to be moving in lockstep on major events. It doesn’t change anything but for some odd reason it does reduce the anxiety levels.

So just a reminder that the recent July Cancer Solar Eclipse was in a Saros series which causes worry often at an obsessive level. And interestingly (and don’t ask me how it works because I’ve no idea) it is connected to Mercury Pluto which does create excessive mental pressure – as well as lies, manipulation and verbal bullying. And will be a pervading feature for the USA from 2020 to 2023 with tr Pluto opposition the USA Mercury and then conjunct the USA Pluto for its first ever Pluto Return since it was founded in 1776, which will be a definite staging post in USA history.

It was around in 2001 (9/11 and the Afghanistan War), 1983 (AIDS spreading, IRA, plane bombs), 1965 (revolutions, riots and demos), 1947 (post-WW11, India-Pakistan bloody independence, Marshall Plan), and 1929 (Great Depression)– all of which were significant.

The next four Eclipses all six months apart look fairly fraught and the first one to look cheerful will come in late 2021. So a ray of sunshine at the end of the tunnel, just not quite yet.

Cult television classic Monty Python’s Flying Circus is 50 tomorrow. It launched against internal resistance within the BBC from senior management who found it unfunny, “disgusting”, “nihilistic and cruel” and thought it pushed across what was acceptable. The first episode of the late-night nutty comedy which promised crazy antics only attracted 1.5 million viewers and a less than rapturous appreciation response. The second series was commissioned but all the regions opted out – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. And now it’s regarded as the height of comic genius.

It launched at 10.50pm on 5 October 1969 which gives a risk-taking and confident Libra Sun, Jupiter, Uranus in an explosive and outrageous square to Mars. There’s also an Earth Grand Trine of sorts of Saturn in Taurus trine Mars trine IC and Venus in Virgo which would ground it though on the edge of cruelty from Mars Saturn. Mars is also inconjunct an entertaining Leo Moon fuelling a few angry responses.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson took her first global outdoor title by winning the heptathlon gold at the World Championships in Doha, setting a British record. It’s the UK’s third medal in Doha, after Dina Asher-Smith’s 200m gold and 100m silver. The heptathlon is seven events – 100 metres hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 metres, long jump, javelin throw, 800 metres – competed for over two days.

She was born 9 January 1993 in Liverpool with a Bahamian father and a dancer mother and has an amazing chart. Her Capricorn Sun is closely conjunct Uranus Neptune opposition Mars and square Jupiter – so quite a power-house of pent-up energy. Her ultra-determined Pluto is sextile/trine her Sun Uranus Neptune opposition Mars and square Saturn – so even more drive from that.

The only aspect showing in her chart (without a birth time) over her momentous achievement is tr Saturn square her focal point Jupiter – which doesn’t sound like a whoopee-of-triumph moment, but may indicate the effort and discipline involved in powering through such an endurance test.

Pic: filip bossuyt

Prince Harry’s rant against the media has sparked off a critical backlash, ruining the generally positive publicity from his and Meghan’s Africa trip. No one objects to a legal response to the printing of a private letter between Meghan and her father, since there are copyright infringements involved. But the additional screech, against all internal Buck House advice it is said, comparing Meghan’s situation with his paparazzi-hounded mother Diana is pushing the envelope.

Early adverse publicity was down to Meghan’s family and badly handled at Harry’s end and all the recent brickbats have been their own doing – expensive home renovation at taxpayer expense, frequent air jaunts while wearing virtue badges about saving the planet etc.

If he pushes it much further he’ll be smartly told to give up his Royal title and privileges and retreat into quiet anonymity. Everything comes at a price and being Royal requires at least a truce being signed with the media.

He does have a fairly dogmatic and over-reactive chart with a deeply buried 8^th house Mercury in Virgo trine Jupiter, sextile Pluto and square Uranus – so he will tend to amplify situations and speak before he thinks; and the same goes with an 8^th house Virgo Sun in an impulsive and combative square to Mars and trine Neptune.

He is in an unusually intense mood at the moment with his Progressed Moon going through his 8^th house for another two years; plus a panicky, undermined tr Neptune square his Mars till mid November and for a final time mid December to late January 2020. His Progressed Mars is now sitting on his Ascendant which will also ramp him up. And earlier this year, when Archie was born, he had an aggravated Solar Arc Saturn conjunct his Mars – when the bizarre birth and baptism ducking-and-diving raised eyebrows.

He also has tr Saturn moving into his lower profile First Quadrant from this year until the late 2020s so he will want to step back anyway and might be well advised to steer clear of the limelight. Meghan, on the other hand, is just winding up a head of steam with tr Saturn moving above her Descendant to take on more responsibility and become more visible.

She’ll end up with the same problem as Diana – wanting to use the media to publicise her good causes and privacy for anything that doesn’t suit her – which isn’t how it works.

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Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah’s trainer Alberto Salazar, has been banned for four years for “orchestrating and facilitating prohibited doping conduct”. Farah is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history, with gold medals for both 5000 m and 10,000 m. He trained with Salazar for nearly seven years during which time he went from being just outside elite level to virtually unbeatable; and he stuck with him after allegations first surfaced in 2015 and left only in 2017. Questions are also being asked about the support of Sebastian Coe, the IAAF president, who had a long friendship with Salazar. Nike, who sponsor Salazar say they will back his appeal.

Salazar, born 7 August 1958 in Havana, is an innovative Sun Uranus in Leo in a volatile square to Mars (Moon) in Taurus. He doesn’t look too upbeat in 2020/21 with an uncertain tr Neptune square his Saturn; and tr Uranus opposing his Neptune across this New Year; though he may regain his enthusiasm come 2021/22 with tr Pluto square his Jupiter.

Salazar’s Sun Uranus are trine Mo’s Jupiter Uranus in Sagittarius which makes for a lively crossover and there’s a good fit also with Mo’s Aries Sun and Mars.  Salazar’s Mars (Moon) in Taurus is conjunct Mo’s Venus and opposition his Saturn – so it was a relationship with a good deal of drive and determination. Last but not least and probably most importantly Salazar’s Jupiter was conjunct Mo’s Pluto giving him a confidence boost.

Their relationship chart has a friendly composite Sun Venus (Moon) trine Uranus; with an awkward, stressed Mars inconjunct Pluto – it was a high-pressure relationship pushing to the limits of endurance.

Mo himself, born 23 March 1983 in Somalia, is looking very stressed over the next three years with tr Pluto square his Mars opposition Pluto. He had retired from track events to focus on marathons but recently was talking of going back to some track events.

Pic: Tim Hipps, U.S. Army IMCOM Public Affairs

Bernie Sanders has pulled out of campaigning for a short while after having emergency surgery putting two stents in to ease artery blockage. Although he’s still raising substantial quantities of money, his campaign was already in some disarray with Elizabeth Warren eclipsing him as the progressive standard-bearer. He’s sunk to third place nationally, behind Warren and Joe Biden.

He never looked that sanguine ahead with tr Neptune in a debilitating opposition to his Sun for the final time mid this November to mid December and a frustratingly blocked tr Pluto square his Mars in Aries from late January 2020 on and off till December 2020. Plus his Solar Arc Neptune is moving to square his Sun in 2020 as well and square his Jupiter – suggesting high hopes would be dashed.  And worse still his Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Venus now and opposition his Mars in 2020 which is blocked every which way.

Despite his best efforts, William Barr, the Attorney General, is being dragged down into the rapidly expanding Ukraine impeachment affaire. It appears he and Mike Pompeo, according to multiple reports, ‘collectively participated in contacts between Trump and leaders of at least four foreign countries.’ These contacts were variously aimed at producing stories that could damage Joe Biden or undermine the US intelligence community’s assessment from 2017 of Russian election tampering in the last election. Barack Obama’s former speechwriter Jon Favreau tweeted “The America First crowd is jeopardizing our national security by pressuring foreign governments to help them discredit our intelligence officials and rig our elections.”

Barr always did look in for an exceptionally panicky and uncertain term (see posts April 18 and May 1 2019). From distorting the Mueller report to make Trump sound exonerated, he’s obviously continued along the same path in a job that is supposed to be non-partisan but using his position to support Trump’s political ends.

Mid November onwards looks rocky, with some lucky breaks, but they’ll disappear through a high-stress phase in late December and through January on both his personal chart and his relationship chart with Trump. Where the real calamitous aggravations crop up – which shows on the Pence and other related charts as well – is March/April 2020 and September 2020 to February 2021.