Mitt Romney, former Republican presidential candidate against Obama in 2012 and about to be Utah senator, has written a scathing op-ed about Trump and his inability to rise to the mantle of the office. “A president should demonstrate the essential qualities of honesty and integrity, and elevate the national discourse with comity and mutual respect. … And it is in this province where the incumbent’s shortfall has been most glaring,” he wrote.

Which has given rise to the thought that Romney might pitch himself in again for the Republican 2020 candidacy instead of Trump (or replacing him if he disappears in a puff of smoke).

What is intriguing is how upbeat Romney’s chart looks over the election and inauguration. It doesn’t mean he’ll stand or win but he surely looks in good spirits over the Inauguration.

Born 12 March 1947 9.51am Detroit, Michigan, he’s a Sun Pisces trine Moon Jupiter in Scorpio and square Uranus – confident, intuitive, innovative. Though he’s also cool with three planets including Venus in Aquarius in Air signs, and he has a stubborn Saturn Pluto in Leo.

In January 2021 tr Pluto will conjunct his Sun/Jupiter midpoint as it has been doing on and off since early 2020 which is mega-successful. Tr Jupiter will be conjunct his midheaven at the Inauguration as well as conjunct his 10^th house good-for-PR Venus. And between the election and the inauguration he has the in-luck tr Uranus trine his Jupiter/Uranus. Even if it isn’t him for the WH hotseat it looks less likely that it’ll be Trump, given Romney’s good humour.

His relationship with Trump looks rattled till mid February 2019 and is jolting and jangling thereafter. With major upheavals in 2020.

One of the UK’s worst maritime disasters, occurred 100 years ago yesterday and was doubly tragic with the loss of 201 lives, most sailors returning home after the end of World War One. HMS Iolaire sank just off Stornoway Harbour on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland in bad weather, perhaps because of a navigational error. The impact on the small island community, which had already lost more men than most other UK regions, was devastating.

It occurred at 2.30 am on 1 January 1919 when watery Neptune was exactly conjunct the Midheaven opposition Mars. There were two other oppositions – a high tension Saturn opposition Uranus; and an over-the-top the Sun opposition Jupiter Pluto.

The early December 1918 Solar Eclipse located to Stornoway had the Sagittarius New Moon conjunct the Descendant and it was also conjunct the Scotland 1034 Sagittarius Sun – so critical for the location and the country. The Lunar Eclipse of mid December 1918 had Neptune conjunct the Ascendant set for Stornoway. Planets on the chart axis usually indicate a crisis for that geographical region.

It would have been bad enough at any time but to come after the end of the war makes it all the more heart-rending, wiping out practically a generation of young men.

Nicola Sturgeon and Prince Charles attended a memorial service with 201 carnations were cast into the sea in remembrance.

Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s new far-right President, a deeply divisive figure and infamous for his racist, homophobic and misogynistic remarks, was sworn in at 4.50pm on January 1^st in Brasilia. A former army captain he was voted in on a ticket of promising to free the country of corruption, crime and economic mismanagement. He was shot and wounded during the campaign and still has further surgery to come.

His Term chart isn’t inspiring with a nebulous Neptune in the 10^th in an over-hopeful square to Jupiter, hinting at promises made and not delivered.  With a hidden Sun Saturn Pluto in the financial 8^th suggesting not only considerable economic problems but also dirty dealings out of sight. Pluto opposes the North Node squaring onto innovative, revolutionary Uranus – so there will be radical changes for good or ill.

Born 21 March 1955 2.45pm Sao Paulo, he has a formidably strong, power-hungry and ruthless chart with an ambitious 10^th house Mars in a hard-edged opposition to Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto opposition Venus and Moon in Aquarius.

His chart sits exactly on top of the axis of the Brazil 7 September 1822 4.08 pm Piranga chart, so he clearly strikes a chord with an essential strand of the country’s psyche.  That chart does have the same military/cruel Mars opposition Saturn which is sextile/trine Neptune Uranus in Capricorn and is no stranger to military regimes.

The Brazil chart shows signs of upheaval, disruption and aggravation from May 2019 onwards with tr Uranus opposition Mars; and a swampy sense of confusion till late 2019 with tr Neptune opposition the Virgo Sun.

Bolsonaro looks conflicted over the next few months which could be health as well as other issues from a couple of unhelpful Solar Arcs; but will push ahead bullishly nonetheless and will start throwing his weight around in 2020 with a perhaps over-confident series of initiatives. This will lead into a sharp change of direction in 2020 as tr Uranus is conjunct his midheaven.

Actress Keira Knightley has been letting fly in all directions with some fruity and forthright opinions on the status of women, banning her daughter from watching Cinderella – waken yourself up, don’t wait for a rich guy to come along. She’s been acting since she was six, was a tomboy as a child, had a breakdown after too much success in her early twenties and doesn’t see why she shouldn’t tell it like it is. She was in Stars Wars at 13, Pirates of the Caribbean at 17, then Bend it Like Beckham, then Pride and Prejudice.

Born 26 March 1985 in Teddington, London, she’s not surprisingly a feisty Sun Aries square Neptune; but what drives her chart is a do-or-die determined Mars in Taurus opposition Pluto square Jupiter in Aquarius (similar to Antarctic solo explorer Colin O’Brady: see post Dec 27.) Plus her Mercury in upfront Aries conjunct Venus is trine Uranus, which will give her a charming and direct way of speaking.

The interview below is worth reading.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/dec/28/keira-knightley-i-cant-act-flirt-or-mother-to-get-voice-heard

Nasa’s New Horizons space probe has survived its attempt to carry out a record-breaking exploratory mission four billion miles from Earth. The probe has made contact with Earth to confirm its successful flyby of the icy Ultima Thule space rock, a new record for the furthest object ever explored in the Solar System about a billion miles beyond Pluto, which was until now the most faraway world ever visited up close by a spacecraft. Ultima Thule is unique because it is a relic from the early days of the solar system and could provide answers about the origins of other planets.

The initial launch was on 19 January 2006 from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 19 hrs UT. This gives a final degree Capricorn Sun trine a Virgo Moon; with an adventurous Mars in Taurus opposition Jupiter squaring appropriately onto cosmic Neptune in Aquarius which is opposition Saturn – a Fixed Grand Cross for endurance and perseverance.

The harmonics are descriptive with a strong get-it-together 5H; an even more notable seeking-and-searching 7H; genius/exploration/breakthrough 13H; stamina 16H; and superstar22H.

Brian May, lead guitarist, with Queen released a new song celebrating New Horizons’ spirit of inquiry, adventure and discovery.

Scotland is standing on one foot watching the Brexit vote(s) with anxiety. Almost two thirds voted to remain within the EU and a shambolic exit might well tip the balance for a second Independence Referendum.

The Act of Union between Scotland and England took effect on 1 May 1707 (JC) and has a controlled and controlling Sun square Jupiter Pluto in the 8^th (assuming a midnight start), which would give rise to power struggles, but is nonetheless well-knitted together and will be difficult to separate.

Tr Saturn in Scorpio was putting the dampers on good feelings in 2014 for the first referendum conjunct the MC, opposition Sun and square Pluto Jupiter but wasn’t strong enough to cause a split. Tr Uranus might be the catalyst for a more obvious parting of the ways as it conjuncts the Sun and squares Pluto in 2023/24. The last time tr Uranus was in Taurus was in the 1930s when the Scottish National Party was formed. At the very least it will bring the issue centre foreground again with major disruption.

The relationship chart between Scotland, 25 November 1034 JC, Perth and the UK – again with a chained-together-and resenting-it chemistry from Saturn opposition Pluto square Node –  starts to show major wobbles from 2020 onwards with tr Uranus square the composite Pluto, culminating in 2022/23 with tr Uranus square the Saturn.

On the Scotland chart, 2021 is a key moment since tr Uranus will square the focal point Saturn on the apex of a Yod to Mars sextile Neptune, which points to a fated change of direction, starting with a jolt.

The England 11 May 973 JC chart is in for a phase of major confusion/devastation from 2021/22; being forced to take stock of what comes next with tr Uranus opposition Uranus; and being rocked on its pedestal by tr Uranus conjunct the Sun Mars and square Pluto in 2024/25. The last time tr Uranus came round to elbow the England Sun Mars and Pluto was over the Battle of Britain in 1940, the most dangerous phase of World War Two when a German invasion was a real possibility. The Royal Air Force fought off Luftwaffe planes and gave rise to Churchill’s memorable “Never was so much owed by so many to so few” speech.

A rocky ride ahead more, so for England in many ways than Scotland. Though the possibilities of an independent Scotland stepping rapidly back into the EU look remote with major disappointments between Scotland and the EU through 2022/23.

It needn’t come to an outright split with England/UK but there will certainly be ructions,  bitter arguments and a need to revise agreements.

Elizabeth Warren has become the first high profile Democrat to toss her hat into the ring for 2020, announcing she is forming an exploratory committee. A former law professor, she gained prominence for her critique of Wall Street after the 2008 financial crash, has been a senator since 2012 and gained fans for standing up to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell on the Senate floor. But she is seen as a divisive figure and may be too polarizing to fit the times.

Born 22 June 1949, Oak Hill, OK, maybe 1.51 pm (unverified astrotheme), she’s a rebellious and innovative Sun Uranus in Cancer in a sensible sextile to Saturn in Virgo.  Her Saturn is widely square Mars Mercury in Gemini, giving her grit and an argumentative streak.

She’s got an uphill battle at the moment with tr Pluto opposition her Mars/Saturn midpoint and that runs throughout  2019; but where she really starts to dip is between March 2020 and late September 2020 with tr Neptune in hard aspect to four of her key midpoints. She may decide to call it quits before 2019 is out and if she doesn’t I doubt with all that Neptune around that she’ll get the nomination.

She’d have more luck in 2024 when tr Pluto will conjunct her Jupiter.

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Hong Kong with an 8 degree Cancer Sun is another country in line for Eclipse challenges through 2019. They are under increasing pressure from the authoritarian Chinese government – ‘mainlandisation’ and clamp down on moves towards self-determination – despite the pre-1997 promises of “one-country, two-systems” protecting existing rights and freedoms.

On the 1 July 1997 midnight chart the January and December Capricorn Eclipses fall in HK’s 10^th house conjunct the midheaven, suggesting a crisis around direction and ambitions. With the Solar Arc  Sun opposition the HK Neptune this year and Solar Arc Mars opposition Neptune in 2022 there seems little hope of a move towards more freedom though there will be some efforts in 2020 with tr Uranus square the HK Uranus.  The Solar Arc Midheaven will catch the repressive tr Saturn Pluto opposition in 2019/2020 which suggests a standstill.

The 25 January 1842 HK chart, with Saturn Jupiter at 8 Capricorn,  is no more cheerful – with attempts at positive change as tr Uranus squares the Sun from May 2019 onwards for a year meeting with disappointment which will drag on. Tensions with China will escalate in 2021 and worsen towards 2022/23.

HK Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s Swearing in chart with a 9 degree Cancer Sun and 9 degree Libra Moon will also be considerably rattled through 2019.

A modern equivalent of the most febrile period in English political history in the aftermath of the 17th Century Civil War is being re-run in Westminster for the next several years. Simon De Montfort’s first parliament chart, 20 January 1265 JC, has the same Solar Arcs running from 2016 to 2024 as were in place in 1652 to 1659 after the Parliamentarians revolt against the monarchy, with a Republic briefly in place and Oliver Cromwell at the helm. This is the first time in 360 years that these influences have repeated.

The De Montfort chart seems to work well, showing up the start of World War 1 and WW11 clearly.

Solar Arc Uranus is conjunct the Parliament Saturn, exactly now as Westminster faces one of the most difficult decisions in its history. Uranus is rebellious, a risk-taker, especially sitting close to Jupiter, and will certainly give rise to considerable tensions and outbursts. It won’t resolve quickly or improve with Solar Arc Uranus moving to form a highly insecure and fractious conjunction to Mars in 18 months’ time, which is when the Solar Arc Mars and then Saturn start to oppose the Parliament Pluto through an exceedingly stressed, bad-tempered and trapped phase up to 2024.

On transits tr Pluto will continue the dreary, discouraging slog of 2018 as it trines the Parliament Saturn through 2019, joined in April by tr Pluto in an infuriated, frustrated trine to Mars, on and off till late 2020. A dis-empowering tr Neptune square Pluto picks up in 2020 into 2021 as the same time as tr Uranus begins a jolting series of squares to the Sun, Neptune and Venus for forced change of direction due to fast-changing circumstances; and by 2022 tr Pluto will square the Pmnt Uranus for more disruptions.

Republicanism is unlikely to be a forefront issue though a national government is possible to deal with a chaotic political and/or economic  situation. So there’s not going to be a quick n’ easy end to this saga.

What was around for Brexit in 2016 was Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct Mars, which is adventurous, risk-taking, a what-the-hell moment to waken up torpor.