‘In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row.’ John Macrae

The Armistice for World War 1 was agreed 100 years ago this Sunday at 11 am November 11 1918 at Compiegne, France. One of the deadliest conflicts in history it was known then as the “war to end all wars” and involved 70 million military personnel. An estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilians died as a direct result and it is also considered a contributory factor in a number of genocides and the 1918 influenza epidemic, which killed between 50 and 100 million worldwide. In certain countries it wiped out almost an entire generation of young men.  It pitted Germany and Austria-Hungary against France, Russia and Britain and later Italy (who switched sides), Japan and the USA.

Given the magnitude of the cataclysm that followed the shooting of Archduke Ferdinand on 28 June 1914 you would think the astrology would have been screaming headlines. But, as in WW11, the signs were not that clear. Pluto has just moved into Cancer with an approaching conjunction to Saturn, exact in the autumn, which is often a harbinger of a more major war than usual. But these come around every forty years or so – 1947/48 and 1981/82 – so not epoch-making.

There were certainly indications on the individual country charts.  The Germany 1 January 1871 chart has its military-minded Mars square Saturn moved by Solar Arc to hard aspect its’ power-hungry 8^th house Pluto in 1914, with the Solar Arc Saturn exactly square the Pluto and Solar Arc Mars in Scorpio moving to oppose the Pluto two and a half years later as the destruction grew and defeat loomed.  At the start tr Neptune was also conjunct the Germany 10^th house Uranus for a fanatical mood of high excitement and misjudgement.

France, 21 September 1792, who suffered the worst losses of all, at the start had a ‘shocking collision’ of Solar Arc Mars opposition Sun; tr Saturn conjunct the Solar Arc Pluto; tr Pluto just off and tr Saturn approaching the square to the France Sun – all of the latter suggesting either war or deprivation.

The UK 1801 chart had tr Uranus square the 8^th house Mars; and tr Saturn Pluto just before and after the conjunction to the Solar Arc Pluto – risk and hardship. The UK Declaration of War 4 August 1914 at 11pm was certainly ferocious with an Earth Grand Trine of Mars trine Algol on the Ascendant trine Moon Midheaven, formed into a Kite opposition Neptune; with the Leo Sun sitting exactly on the Saturn Pluto and Mars midpoint and opposition Uranus – so an unholy mix of all the outer planets.

The Austria, 18 October 1221 JC chart (astrotheme) gave strong indications of brutality, along with delusional optimism and megalomania.

So all the country charts showed up massive strain.

The Cancer and Libra Ingresses of 1914 do link Mars Uranus and Pluto – and Saturn Pluto and Mars – respectively but those will also occur for passing disasters. And the Eclipses aren’t much help either.

The relationship chart between Germany and France shows a strong undermining Neptune square to the composite Mars, pointing to a failure in the bond; tr Uranus opposing the composite Uranus upending the connection between them; and tr Saturn Pluto was square the composite Pluto during the course of the war.

The relationship chart between Germany and the UK had tr Neptune square the composite Saturn exactly at the kick off but not much else.

So really difficult to see how an absolute prediction could have been made in advance.

Comments gratefully received.

As expected astrologically it wasn’t quite the blue landslide that had been poll-predicted a month ago in the US Mid Terms but the Democrats took the House comfortably. This will deadlock some of Trump’s policies ahead and open up the possibility of more legal forays into any possible Russia campaign connection and his financial  affairs.

Nancy Pelosi is likely to be Speaker and intriguingly her Mars in Taurus (conjunct Algol) are conjunct Trump’s Midheaven so that will turn very competitive and argumentative. Her Neptune squares his Sun so he’ll find it difficult to pin her down. Born 26 March 1940 in Baltimore, she’s a tough Sun Aries trine Pluto, with her Pluto in an unyielding square to Saturn in Taurus.

Where Trump’s chart shows real signs of trouble is from mid February 2019 onwards with tr Pluto opposition his Mars/Uranus midpoint, which could be health related since Mars Uranus can indicate an operation, but it can also be a major test of nerves. He’ll respond with his usual bragadaccio, but that will run out by the final day of March. After that he faces two months of savage quarrels, high frustration and discouragement as tr Pluto opposes his Saturn and his Mars/Node midpoint. With retrogrades these influences run until early July, repeating later across the New Year, till late 2020. By which times he’s picked up another dose of aggravating and trapped Pluto transits to his Sun/Mars midpoint till late 2021.

Congress – and presumably the Senate – will kick off on January 3 2019 (time still to be decided) when the sombre Sun Saturn conjunction in Capricorn is in place, three days before the Solar Eclipse – so a significant time.  With Pluto opposition the North Node square Uranus which looks disruptive for both, with changes being spearheaded and perhaps some chaos ensuing. There’s also an over-hopeful Jupiter Moon square Neptune which may be a financial bubble bursting. The Mercury is trine Uranus and square Mars which again looks like a war of words.

See previous post October 11 2018. Democrats – so so result.

George Soros has become the favourite bogeyman among white nationalists and neo-Nazis with claims that describe him as a dangerous “puppetmaster” behind a variety of alleged global plots, including the migrant caravan. Even Trump, when asked, added his tuppence-worth of vague support to the latter notion. He’s become anchored at the centre of anti-Semitic and conspiracy theories in the USA and Europe that used to exist in dark corners but have now gone mainstream. A campaign advertisement for Trump in 2016 targeted Soros along with former US FedRes chair Janet Yellen and Goldman Sachs’ Lloyd Blankfein, who are also Jewish, and suggested that the billionaire was among those who controlled “the levers of power in Washington”. Orban, Hungary’s prime minister further accused him of trying to flood the country with Middle Eastern migrants.

Born 12 August 1930 in Budapest, he and his family survived the war and Nazi occupation by pretending to be Christian and he fled in 1947 to the UK, did odd jobs, started in merchant banking as a clerk and worked his way up. He is a well-known supporter of progressive and liberal political causes, influenced the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s; and emerged as a major player in the US political scene in 2004 promoting Democratic candidates.

He is a Sun Leo trine Uranus, sextile Mars in Gemini – innovative, a communicator, keen on freedom of speech. Born into the time of the Great Depression he has Jupiter Pluto in Cancer square Uranus with Saturn in Capricorn and Venus in Libra – too wide to be a Cardinal Grand Cross, but certainly spilling over with initiative. The Jupiter opposition Saturn square Venus would give him the drive to involve himself in interpersonal affairs with a drive for fair play.

I wondered what – apart from his extraordinary wealth which always attracts vitriolic envy – what had put him up as the key hate figure of the age. His Sun does aspect his Mars/Pluto midpoint, his Pluto is conjunct his Sun/Mars and his Mars aspects his Sun/Pluto – Mars Pluto has a tendency to attract venom whether justified or not.

His strongest harmonics also link Mars Pluto or Mars Saturn. His creative-businessman 5^th harmonic has a Yod of Sun sextile Mars inconjunct Pluto. And his victim/helper, scapegoat 12^th harmonic is especially notable linking Mars Pluto to Jupiter; and an innovative Saturn Uranus to Jupiter as well. His success would be boosted by that do-or-die determination of Mars Pluto but it also draws in the kick back. His 9th Harmonic, often common amongst the money-minded, links Mars Pluto  to Jupiter; with an autocratic Saturn Uranus; and a visionary Neptune.  The 9th is supposed to be humanitarian as well if handled correctly.

His relationship chart with Trump is horrendous with a composite Sun conjunct Mars square Saturn; and Mars conjunct Pluto – anger, aggravation, bitter dislike and power-struggling. It’ll be under even heavier pressure from early 2019 onwards.

Soros’s Mars is conjunct Trump’s 10^th house Sun Uranus and Soros’s Sun sits exactly midway between Trump’s 12^th house Pluto and Mars.

He is in his late 80s now so predictions are moot, though he does look cheered just after the midterms for one reason or another.

ADD ON: Known famously or infamously as the man who broke the Bank of England, his currency speculation and short selling of the pound in 1992 cost the UK Treasury £3.4 billion and caused the UK to withdraw from the ERM. His profit was estimated at £1 billion. In the aftermath, the UK’s forced exit was seen by some as a merciful relief from the straitjacket of the ERM, which had been blamed for prolonging the recession.

Soros’s Pluto is exactly conjunct the UK’s 10^th house Moon; with his Uranus conjunct the UK 7^th house North Node and opposition the UK’s relationship Sun/Moon midpoint – the first is highly controlling; the second arguably exacerbated the UK’s independence tendencies.

In 1992 when Black Wednesday happened, tr Pluto was exactly conjunct the UK’s Solar Arc Mars and nearly conjunct the 2^nd house financial Neptune. Tr Saturn was also retrograding back towards the exact square to the UK 8^th house Mars for what was a cataclysmic financial upset.

Soros’s relationship chart with the UK has an exact composite cold, business-like Sun Saturn conjunction. And a Yod of Neptune sextile Venus inconjunct Pluto which fairly describes a coercive, manipulative relationship. Tr Saturn was exactly square the composite Pluto in the days after the crunch.

What’s significant about the above is that tr Uranus was square the UK’s 7^th house North Node in Aries and opposition the UK’s North Node over Brexit. Soros lit the touch paper for his own mercenary reasons and the UK avoided joining the euro, which made a Brexit a more feasible proposition.

Pic: Niccolò Caranti

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“This kidney stone can wait… doing it for my team!” So tweeted Simone Biles, known as the best gymnast in the world ever, all four foot eight inches of her, from a hospital bed on the eve of the World Championships in Doha. She refused to be operated on and couldn’t be drugged to ease the agony, so she just decided to compete against the pain. And, while not at her best, swept the boards, winning her thirteenth gold and a record fourth world all-around title.

Born 14 March 1997 in Columbus, Ohio she had an inauspicious start in life with a drug and alcohol addicted mother and never knew her father. She was rescued from foster care by her grandparents, who despite their modest circumstances indulged her drive to succeed. Earlier this year, she came forward to testify that she, like so many of her fellow gymnasts, had been sexually abused by the US team doctor Larry Nassar.

She’s a Sun Venus Mercury in Pisces opposition Mars Node in Virgo – well-suited to an energetic yet artistic sport. She’s got a tough Saturn in self-reliant Aries trine Pluto, sextiling onto a focal point Jupiter Uranus in Aquarius.  Sakoian & Acker describe Jupiter Uranus as the ‘power of positive thinking’. Her Pluto is exactly conjunct her exuberant Mars/Jupiter midpoint.

Her superstar 22^nd Harmonic stands out as tough and unique; as well as super-confident. Her signature vault – ‘the Biles’ – has never been attempted in competition by any other woman. Former Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci said: “You have somebody who can do something we cannot even design on a paper.”

She’s certainly not in her easiest year with her Solar Arc Saturn square her Neptune; and tr Uranus about to hard aspect both within days. By the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 she’ll have her Solar Arc Jupiter square her Pluto for another confident push. What an extraordinary life and talent.

English adventurer and endurance athlete Ross Edgley has become the first person to swim 1,780-miles around Great Britain. He left Margate on 1 June, and has not set foot on land since, swimming for up to 12 hours a day and eating more than 500 bananas. He has battled strong tides and currents in cold water, braved storms and jellyfish, leaving him with shoulder pain, wetsuit chafing and a tongue partially disintegrated from salt water exposure.

He is already in the Guinness Book of World Records after completing a rope climb the equivalent height of Mount Everest in 19 hours in April 2016, two months after doing a marathon while pulling a car.

He prepared by eating 15,000 calories a day to bulk up and swimming 30-50 km a day. All his food on the journey will be liquidised and fed to him in a piping bag because his tongue and throat are likely to swell in reaction to the salt water; and the temperature of the water could give him acute jaw-lock.  He swam for six hours, slept for six hours on the support boat and then swim for six again; and seemed sanguine about the dangers of the trip. ‘Inevitably, the body is going to break down after a so many days at sea. I’m making peace with that. I’m probably going to return a broken man.’

Born 13 October 1985, he’s a Sun Libra, a sign surprisingly often found in athletes, giving the lie to the ‘lazy Libra’ tag. His maverick Uranus is sextile his Sun and square a high-octane and passionately enthusiastic Mars and Venus in Virgo.  His Mars Venus are also sextile an obsessive Saturn in Scorpio. And an ultra-determined Pluto Mercury in Scorpio is in a confident and rules-don’t-apply-to-me square to Jupiter.  His get-it-together 5^th harmonic is well aspected and innovative; as is his can-be-fanatical 11H. His stamina-giving 16^th harmonic is also marked.

He started out with the challenging tr Pluto square his Sun and finished up with tr Jupiter conjunct his successful-enterprise Mars/Jupiter midpoint.

When he set out on June 1^st (no time that I can find) Uranus was opposition the North Node squaring onto Mars in Aquarius which has caused so much disruption out in the world during his swim. He just found a better way of handling it to set a new record. Plus fittingly enough a Water Grand Trine which could have been delusional with Jupiter trine Neptune, but it was tied into a Kite with Pluto the driving planet, so determination turned a dream into reality.

Pic: Red Bull.

Jupiter moves into Sagittarius this coming Thursday November 8^th to stay for a year. Given that Jupiter’s shift into Scorpio last October coincided to the day with Ronan Farrow’s New Yorker expose of Weinstein, kicking the #metoo campaign into gear, it’s worth looking out for a zeitgeist moment.

Jupiter in mythology is Zeus, King of the Gods who sits on top of Mount Olympus.  As an astrological influence it is idealistic, expansive, a bringer of knowledge, emphasises morality and honour – can also be self-righteous, narrow minded or overly confident. Scorpio, of course, rules sexuality and money.

Sagittarius, Jupiter’s natural home, is a different energy, concerned with legality, social order, widescale communication, international affairs.

Looking back to the two previous times of Jupiter in Sagittarius – keep in mind there will have been other planetary influences running as well. November 23 2006 to late 2007. In the UK it started badly with Alexander Litvinenko’s death from Kremlin-orchestrated polonium poisoning; a bomb attempt at the North Ireland Assembly; and a run of prostitute murders by the Ipswich killer; with the cash-for-honours scandal in 2007 and Tony Blair standing down. In the USA in the Mid Terms the Democrats took control of both houses. The USA housing bubble burst leading to the great 2008 crash. Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker; Obama announced his candidacy.

The previous time: December 1994 to December 1995. There was a major LA earthquake (though that was more likely connected to a Uranus Neptune conjunction and Saturn square Pluto). Nicole Brown was murdered leading to the subsequent OJ Simpson trial in October 1994, known as the trial of the century.  In the UK, Barings Bank collapsed because of a rogue trader. Princess Diana shocked the nation with her Panorama interview. And the UK had its own grisly trial of Rosemary West for sexual abuse and murder of girls, after the suicide in prison of her equally culpable husband Fred (again that was at least as much connected to a virulent Mars Pluto conjunction in late Scorpio).

Anyways, interesting to see what Zeus’ thunderbolt will produce.

David Cameron, former PM who pressed the button on the Brexit referendum then resigned in the aftermath of a result he hadn’t expected, has let it be known that he’s bored witless and would like to return to front line politics – to loud guffaws from the media and cartoonists.

I would have to confess I never quite ‘got’ Cameron either in the political flesh or astrologically. The charm and smarm is obvious from a Sun Venus in Libra and a Moon Jupiter in Leo in an over-promising square to Mercury in Scorpio. What runs across that grain is a leading-edge, revolutionary Uranus Pluto in Virgo is a persevering and depressive opposition to Saturn, sextile/trine Neptune – and if his birth time of 5.30am is accurate, square a Gemini midheaven. With Neptune opposition an 8^th house Node in Taurus widely square a 12^th house Mars in Leo.  It’s almost as if he has three completely different strands to his character which have never quite integrated – all that showed was the outer shell with no real inner substance.

What certainly didn’t help him, birth time being sound, is he was elected PM when tr Saturn was on his Ascendant moving downwards through his First Quadrant which is usually a time of mis-steps on the ambition front and ego-dents.  He’s out of that from late last year so will want to be more visible in the outside world in the years ahead.

But feeding his ego isn’t where it’s at until tr Neptune heads out of Pisces in the mid 2020s since it’s moving through his 6^th and opposing his Pluto, Uranus, conjunct his Saturn and square his midheaven from 2020 till 2024. He be better advised to go down the David Milliband route onto an international humanitarian track.

Cameron looks discouraged and nervy this year and next; seriously jangled in 2020. He’ll get some lift from tr Uranus square his Jupiter in early 2019 but that’s about it.

He isn’t quite as disliked by the UK as Tony Blair – Blair’s relationship chart with the UK makes you wonder how he ever got elected with a composite Uranus opposition Mercury square Mars Pluto. Cameron’s relationship with the UK show some positives and a resentful stuck-with-him-for-now but there’s no indication of a shit there. His relationship charts with the Conservative Party 1912 and 1867 are definitely in the never-again category.

It’s not that he doesn’t have talent with a strong 5^th and 17^th Harmonic; though he’s also got an equally strong self-defeating 10H.

Add on: Two things of astrological note:-

His 2^nd Term chart 8 May 2015 12.30pm had bulldozer Mars in Taurus in the 10^th conjunct Algol, the destructive Fixed Star, which makes sense of Brexit. Plus a Yod of Neptune sextile Pluto inconjunct Jupiter in Leo, of which Tierney says: ‘Allows a strong impact on mass consciousness but ultimately with fateful consequences often brought by the individual’s self-aggrandizement.’ Plus the uncertain Saturn square Neptune; and disruptive Uranus square Pluto Moon. And a very accentuated 7^th house Neptune hinting at lack of commitment to agreements.

His personal chart was odd at the time of Brexit with his Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct his 12^th house Uranus exactly and tr Jupiter in the aftermath conjunct his Pluto Uranus. That usually suggests a release of tension – ‘thank heavens that’s over.’ Which I rather took at the time for being a sign he’d got the result he wanted. But looking at it now, it’s arguable he actually wanted to give up. Tr Pluto had been squaring his Sun in the previous 18 months putting him under immense pressure to change. And at Brexit in June 2016 tr Pluto was also exactly trine his 8^th house North Node in Taurus, which is obscure but there were undoubtedly tectonic shifts going on deep in his unconscious.

I go back to my earlier point of him not having integrated his Uranus Pluto Saturn into his life. And that’s his challenge now. He’s like an addict having a relapse wanting to go back to what was familiar rather than striking out in a direction that would release his full potential. He’s got talent, but he became PM too young with not enough experience of life.

Liev Schreiber, star of Ray Donovan, is set to make his debut as host of Saturday Night Live next week. Ray Donovan is now into its sixth season, having broken viewership records for its pilot in 2013 and garnering Schreiber continuing acclaim for his role as a fixer who arranges bribes, payoffs, threats, and other shady activities for his clients. He’s had an extraordinary career, juggling roles in horror movies, blockbusters and indie films alongside highly praised performances on stage in classical drama; as well as directing and producing.

He was born on 4 October 1967 10.30am San Francisco, with a far-left hippie mother, a friend of William Burroughs, who after a bad acid trip was hospitalized and when threatened with being institutionalised, fled with him. His father kidnapped him but his mother got full custody and he grew up in poverty, having to adapt to her eccentricities. Her mother (his maternal grandmother) had been lobotomized. He lived in an ashram in his teens.

He has a friendly 11^th house Libra Sun and Libra Moon on the cusp of the 12^th. His Sun opposes Saturn in forced-to-be-self-reliant Aries in the 5^th. He has Jupiter Venus on his Midheaven, which will give him great charm and also can be an indication of a drama-queen mother. The rebellious, chaotic Pluto Uranus in Virgo is in his 10^th, again a hint of an unpredictable mother and suiting him for a constantly changing career. Uranus Pluto square Mars in Sagittarius in his 2nd, which has channelled his angst into making money.

A New Yorker profile of him said: ‘To a large extent, Schreiber’s professional shape-shifting and his uncanny instinct for isolating the frightened, frail, goofy parts of his characters are a result of being forced to adapt to his mother’s eccentricities. It’s both his grief and his gift.’

His long-term-relationship with Naomi Watts, mother of his two children, broke up two years back as the tr Uranus square tr Pluto was battering on his Sun/Moon midpoint. And he’s gradually easing out of a lower-profile phase which often brings up personal issues with tr Saturn now heading for his 3^rd house – and a good deal ahead for him. He looks upbeat and confident at the moment; with a few rocky moments as well as success in 2019/2020. With Saturn in the 5th the likelihood is he will more and more veer to the organizational side of the entertainment business.

His artistic and ‘seeking soul’ 7^th harmonic is strong; and his actor’s 15H very confident.

The rift between UK Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn and his Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, which has been growing in recent months, widened post the Budget. McDonnell, despite being even further left, didn’t oppose Hammond’s tax cuts with his eye on the road to power; while Corbyn stuck to his ideological guns. Corbyn avoids what his aides contemptuously call “the MSM” (mainstream media) and bristles about criticism of anti-Semitism. McDonnell on the other hand has gone on a media blitz recently and has been frank about his doubts about how the anti-Semitism allegations were handled.

They stuck together through the wilderness years with a common enemy but nearly winning the last election has sent them off on different trajectories.

McDonnell’s ultra-determined Mars Pluto in flamboyant Leo is conjunct Corbyn’s Pluto and square Corbyn’s equally do-or-die Mars in Taurus. Those are powerful energies and useful when focussed outwards; but once they start to creep into a relationship it ends in a bitter power struggle.

Their relationship chart is volatile at best with a composite Mars Uranus conjunction and that is getting knocked sideways this year with tr Saturn in opposition. Plus tr Neptune is undermining the composite Saturn till late 2019 for suspicion and doubts between them; and the pressures will increase probably to breaking point in 2020/2021 with tr Pluto opposition the composite Sun Mercury. It’s almost more conflicted than the Tony Blair/Gordon Brown relationship which did so much damage to the Labour Party.

McDonnell, 8 September 1951, looks seriously jangled this December and January 2019, and undermined till late 2019.

So close yet tantalisingly so far.

See Jeremy Corbyn post: August 15 2018