The royal handshake which anointed Boris as PM happened around 3.12 pm this afternoon. He then went onto to make a rabble- rousing speech declaring it would be a do-or-die exit on October 31^st. Whether this is a calculated negotiating strategy to force the EU into re-setting their demands isn’t clear, but it’s high-risk, since they may not budge and all the advice about tumbling out on Halloween, with precious little prepared, points to major problems – logistical and economic.

His Government chart doesn’t have the unbelievably will-sapping and lacklustre aspects which Theresa May’s had with its Full Moon opposition Neptune. But this one is pressured from the heavy-duty Saturn Pluto in the 3rd house of communication and transport and a heavily populated 9^th house of foreign affairs and legal arguments.

Two key configurations are worth pondering – there’s a Cardinal T Square of Mercury Venus in Cancer opposition Pluto square a 6^th house Aries Moon which suggests an overly-emotional approach to problems, extreme defensiveness, impulsiveness, bad-temper and an insistence on following a chosen path whatever the consequences. The 6^th house rules health, workers, civil servants and the armed forces.

There’s also a Yod of Neptune sextile Saturn inconjunct Mars in flamboyant Leo pointing to a tendency to plunge ahead without necessarily having a sensible plan or direction. It can be self-defeating though it can also be decisive about cutting ties with the past.

The Leo Sun is in no-compromise square to Uranus which can be wilful and erratic as well as helpful for forging a new path. Uranus is trine the midheaven pointing to ingenuity about new paths to be followed.

Expansive Jupiter is an over-spender in the 2^nd house of finances in an enthusiastic trine to Mars and a head-in-the-clouds square to Neptune.

The midpoints aren’t overly encouraging with the Sun in a setback-prone square to Mars/Saturn and conjunct an argumentative Mars/Node; and Neptune = Mars/Pluto which could induce paralysis or be surrounded by deceit.

Boris’s relationship chart with Ursula von der Leyen, the new EU President, is implacably hostile since both have Mars square Pluto; and that’s repeated in Boris’s relationship chart with the EU which has a Mars opposition Pluto, not surprising given the lies he’s told about them over the years.

His relationship with Trump is certainly premised on joint super-ambition with a composite Sun trine Neptune sextile Pluto, veering to the fanatical with Neptune square Uranus; and a possessive, controlling Moon square Pluto. Both birth times being sound, tr Neptune will square the MC through this year and next and square the Ascendant next year – undermining the ties that bind.

On Boris’s astrocartography – Iran is not well favoured having his Mars on the IC there.

His Solar Return for this year June 2019 to June 2020 is horrendous with  a trapped, scary, enfuriatingly frustrated Mars Mercury in the 7th opposition Saturn Pluto and an afflicted mis-communicating Neptune in the 3rd.

Boris’s relationship with Leo Varadkar, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland, crucially involved in the backstop and frictionless border with Northern Ireland talks, is grim at the best of times with a hostile, resentful, power struggling composite Mars opposition Pluto and a differing-agenda, needs-space, uncompromising composite Sun opposition Uranus. September 8^th to 29th looks especially chilly between them with tr Saturn square the Sun and Uranus. Even before then, August 13^th till late September is on a downward spiral; and mid October to mid November over the putative no-deal exit is at daggers-drawn and in disaster-mode.

Dominic Cummings, a ‘career psychopath’ according to David Cameron, has been appointed as Boris’s adviser in No 10. He masterminded the Leave campaign, was behind the infamous ‘£350 million-a-week for the NHS’ claim on red buses, and the ‘take back control’ catchphrase. He was later found in contempt of Parliament for refusing to answer MPs questions about the campaign and declined to assist the Parliamentary investigation into claims that Cambridge Analytica used illegally harvested Facebook data of millions of users that used to sway the Brexit vote. Sharp tongued, he doesn’t hold back from insulting even his own side. In 2017 he described David Davis, then the Brexit secretary, as ‘thick as mince, lazy as a toad and vain as Narcissus’.

He ought to be a weathervane for what comes next.

Born 25 November 1971 in Durham, he got an Oxford First in Ancient and Modern History, spent three years in Russia on a failed business venture and then moved into politics. He’s regarded as part brilliant part mad and tricky to get along with.

He has an exact, slippery Sun Neptune in Sagittarius in a neurotic opposition to Saturn in Gemini squaring onto a scattered, high-wire Mars in Pisces. Shades of Boris’s focal point Mars in Gemini. It’s not an obvious pairing since Boris’s Saturn, Uranus, Pluto and Mars collide with Dominic’s Mars Sun, Neptune, Saturn. Though Dominic’s Venus Mercury in Sagittarius do chime with Boris’s Gemini Sun Venus. Both are exceptionally fragmented, disorganised and find focus difficult.

Their relationship chart is tricky with a controlling composite Sun Pluto which can be helpful for a joint transformative venture but can also run all too easily into power struggles. There’s also a gritty, bad-tempered composite Mars Saturn conjunction on the apex focal point of a Yod inconjunct Neptune sextile Pluto – that suggests a relationship critical to both lives which will completely alter their destiny – for good or ill. Plus a delusional, head-in-the-clouds Jupiter square Neptune.

Their connection is mightily strained now till late August with tr Pluto square the composite Mars, and on a slide from mid November to mid December which is a time that also looks ropey on Boris’s personal chart.

Cummings’ own chart doesn’t look remotely upbeat at this promotion – if anything he’s in a meltdown panic of bad-temper and anxiety with tr Pluto conjunct his Sun/Mars, his Mars/Neptune and square his Mars/Saturn midpoints. That looks catastrophic. He’s got another exceedingly jangled and worrisome patch mid-December to early February. Not exactly running to plan.

It’s ironic – maybe not – that the Netflix documentary The Great Hack exposing Cambridge Analytica and election manipulation airs tonight. Aaron Banks the chief Leave donor has been trying to get it shut down.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jul/23/the-great-hack-review-cambridge-analytica-facebook-carole-cadwalladr-arron-banks

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Boris Johnson was announced as new Tory Party leader at 12.05 today though he technically does not become Prime Minister until he has seen the Queen tomorrow after Theresa May’s exit. He won by a 2 to 1 majority though it wasn’t quite as much of a wipe-out for Hunt as had been anticipated.

Johnson inherits a considerable mess, much of it his own making, having flannelled and lied his way through the Brexit referendum and more recently has been making all manner of promises which have little hope of being delivered – on Irish backstop, leaving come hell or high water on October 31^st, easy-peasy trade deals etc. And he has even less of a slender majority than Theresa May with ministers resigning over his NO-Deal strategy and coups being planned left, right and centre.

Rachel Sylvester in the Times says what will undo him is his need to be loved. She quotes an MP who says he seems terrified at the thought of having to take responsibility for the consequences of his own actions. “Through his whole life Boris has had somebody who makes things OK. He’s always had a fixer but Brexit is unfixable. He knows he’s in trouble. I saw it in his eyes. He’s scared of failure and of being found out. He sold something that he knows he can’t deliver and now the facts are going to catch up with him. He can see the train coming down the track that’s going to destroy him.”

That pretty much sums up most of the comments about his elevation. He does have charm as well as a ferocious temper and a vengeful streak, but is bad with detail and invents facts to suit himself. He’ll be very exposed in Downing Street.

The chart of his election will be superseded tomorrow by his acceptance as PM by HM Queen, which will be the more significant, but for what it’s worth – there’s an unsettled, divisive Sun square Uranus with Uranus also in a volatile, argumentative square to Mars in flashy Leo. A vulnerable, dependent-on-support 7^th house Aries Moon does trine Mars and Jupiter in the 3^rd which could be inspirational, will certainly foster a strong sense of self-belief, is vitality plus, attention demanding, not humble, adventurous. There’s also a head-in-the-clouds, over-hopeful, over-promising Jupiter square Neptune. What will pull away from all the enthusiasm and general charm being sprayed around by a 10^th house Venus, is Saturn on the IC conjunct Pluto and opposition the North Node. Domestic hardship and mutinous, resentful natives will take the shine off the hot air. And the Sun square the Mars/Saturn midpoint and conjunct Mars/Node does suggest major setbacks and running arguments.

His own chart, birth time of 2pm being accurate or thereabouts, does have his Solar Arc Midheaven moving to oppose his Saturn this year and then conjunct his Uranus (conjunct Pluto) which will be very stop-start and prone to sudden jolts and changes of direction. There’s nothing too secure or stable from that career-wise. And he’s got a considerable emotional shock coming next year with his Solar Arc Uranus conjunct his Moon.

On transits to midpoints he does look marginally unnerved at the moment as well as trapped until late August; really tossed around mid September to mid October; and in a meltdown of panic mid November to mid December.

Best wait for tomorrow for the new Johnson Government chart.

The trail of damage left behind by ‘fantasist’ Carl Beech’s lies about sexual abuse is considerable, not just for those who were falsely accused, but also for those struggling to get their genuine stories heard and believed. He claimed various high level political and military individuals in a paedophile ring were guilty of heinous abuse, which stories were swallowed hook, line and sinker by a gullible police force, over-reacting against their earlier wilful blindness of abuse cases – and Deputy Labour Leader Tom Watson stirring up a media storm.

Certain of Beech’s stories involved physical torture which could have quickly been disproven by the simple remedy of a medical examination as could other details of his stories. That there will be abusers amongst the highest and mightiest in the land is hardly a stretch of the imagination, given Cyril Smith, Jimmy Savile etc. Pinning down solid evidence is something else even when stories are common currency amongst the gin-drinking classes and regularly appear lightly-fictionalised in crime novels.

Beech, 23 January 1968, Wrexham (cps.gov) grew up overly attached to his mother, with his father disappearing earlier on and being replaced by an alcoholic, violent military stepfather. Beech learnt he could gain his mother’s sympathy by lying; and went on in adult life to have a middle-class career as an NHS manager, was a school governor and assisted the NSPCC, all of which helped give him credibility when he decided to exploit the post-Savile hysteria. He received financial compensation for his alleged abuse; and was found to have a stash of child porn when he was arrested.

Beech is a Sun Aquarius on one leg of a Yod, sextile Saturn in Aries inconjunct a self-aggrandising Jupiter in Virgo which in turn is in an opportunistic, chancer’s opposition to Mars in Pisces. His Venus in Sagittarius squares Uranus Pluto making him emotionally erratic and unpredictable. His intense Scorpio Moon is possibly trine Mars adding another scratchy edge to his emotional responses. His Neptune is on the focal point of a mini-Grand Trine to Sun trine Uranus, giving him a fanatical streak. His Sun is conjunct the neurotic/hysterical Saturn/Neptune midpoint and is also in aspect to his ruthless Mars/Pluto.

His Solar Arc Mars squares his Sun exactly this year for a considerable shock.

Tom Watson, 8 January 1967, a Sun Capricorn square Mars in Libra with Saturn opposition Uranus Pluto square a Sagittarius Moon does have some cross overs with Beech since Beech’s Sun is conjunct Watson’s Venus; and Beech’s Venus is conjunct Watson’s Moon. Though their relationship chart is highly stressed with a composite Saturn opposition Uranus Pluto square Mars; and prone to illusion/delusion with an emphasised Neptune.

There are times one despairs of the police – either they look the other way or they run with the wrong story which isn’t checked out for too long.

A reluctant Robert Mueller has been dragged by subpoena to appear before two Congress committees on Wednesday. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said this week: “The report presents very substantial evidence that the president is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors.” But Mueller ducked when he could have made a real difference speaking out against AG William Barr’s misleading obfuscations at the time of publishing and the expectation is he‘ll not make a resounding difference at these hearings.

Jerry Nadler’s personal chart looks seriously blocked, aggravated and discouraged until late this month. And his relationship chart with Mueller shows signs of extreme irritation and separation with tr Saturn opposition the composite Mars exactly now and moving into oppose the composite Sun later in the year; with an uphill-struggle tr Pluto opposition the composite Saturn also now. Not productive, that’s for sure.

Mueller’s relationship with Adam Schiff, Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, if anything is even worse in essence with a composite Saturn opposition Neptune square Mars Uranus – and all of that as well as the composite Sun Venus is catching hard aspects from this month’s Solar and Lunar Eclipse and tr Saturn in opposition and square throughout this year and early next. So they’re not exactly singing off the same hymn sheet.

Not that Mueller is supposed to be partisan. But he was expected to sift through the evidence and publicise an unbiased conclusion, not leave it to Trump’s hand picked Attorney General to flannel round. The UK experience of getting senior lawyers to chair political inquiries isn’t encouraging. It usually turned out to be a damp squib. Either they whitewashed the truth or delivered their conclusions in such obtuse legalese it took six months to be understood – by which time the moment had passed.

There’s not much happening on Mueller’s chart apart from mild irritation at the moment though there’s disappointment and failure writ large over the next two years.

Trump looks on edge about Mueller this month and next with tr Uranus trine their composite Mars;  and more concerned November/December this year; with major hiccups in 2020 – so Trump will continue to feel the ripple effects of the Mueller Investigation fairly strongly throughout this term.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/07/22/congress-robert-mueller-hearing-227415

The seizure of a British-flagged tanker in the Gulf has ramped up tensions between Iran, the UK and USA. It is possibly in retaliation for an Iranian tanker being detained off Gibraltar by Royal Marines which was thought to be carrying oil for Syria in breach of EU sanctions. The USA have tightened sanctions after unilaterally withdrawing from the nuclear deal, which the UK and EU still support.

The indications from both Iran charts suggest a degree of panic, delusion, disappointment or failure in the near future. The 7 October 1906 chart had the recent Cancer Solar Eclipse conjunct its over-hopeful, head-in-the-clouds Jupiter Neptune conjunction in Cancer; with tr Neptune moving to oppose the Mars which can be paralysing as plans fail mid November to mid December this year.

The Republic chart of 1 February 1979 9am chart has the Solar Arc Mars exactly square Neptune at the moment for the same effect. So whatever the future brings, this phase looks swampy for Iran. But countries in desperate straits which Iran is economically – can do desperate things.

The UK relationship charts with both Iran charts are in a tug of war for the upper hand on one chart – now and for the next three years. And considerably troubled with heightened reactions on the other again for several years ahead.

Getting the UK dragged into Trump’s wild foreign policy gestures just to keep him sweet for a trade deal is going to bring considerable risks. It will also presumably affect the price of oil if the Gulf of Hormuz becomes hazardous.  See also post May 8 2019.

The death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick fifty years ago in 1969 was yet another dark chapter in the Kennedy family melodrama and an enduring mystery. The story told by Senator Edward Kennedy was that he was driving Mary Jo to the ferry after a party and had run off a bridge into a river. He swam free but didn’t report the incident for 10 hours, during which time she drowned after staying alive for several hours in an air pocket. There was no autopsy done.

The tragedy and scandal ruined his chances of the presidency but he stayed a senator until his death four decades later. A more recent story suggests he was driving another girl and didn’t know Mary Jo was asleep and drunk in the backseat, and only discovered that next morning. It would make more sense of the 10 hour silence but not why he claimed what was a more incriminating story.

He was born 22 February 1932 3.58 am Brookline, Massachusetts and had a see-saw chart with his Pisces Sun opposition an 8^th house Neptune and Moon in Virgo, his Mars Mercury in Aquarius were also on the opposite side of his chart from his Moon Neptune and Jupiter in Leo; and his Saturn opposed a 7^th house Pluto – his emotional responses would always be erratic, veering from one extreme to another. He also had an excitable Venus Uranus in Aries in his 3^rd – his ‘romantic life’ would always be fast-changing and unpredictable.

When the event occurred his Solar Arc Pluto was exactly opposition his Mars with tr Neptune square both which fairly describes a brutal and devastating situation surrounded by a smokescreen.

Mary Jo, 26 July 1940 1pm (unverified) Forty Fort, Pennsylvania, was a determined Sun Pluto in Leo with Mars also in Leo square Jupiter Saturn in Taurus with Uranus also in Taurus – very fixed and stubborn. She had an upfront Aries Moon in an intense square to Pluto Sun and a social-butterfly Venus in Gemini square a romantic Neptune. She’d be a strong personality.

On the night in question tr Neptune was exactly opposition her Uranus which Ebertin describes as loss of consciousness; tr Pluto was exactly conjunct her Neptune which is associated with disasters and considerable confusion; and tr Saturn was in an accident-prone and high-risk square to her Mars/Pluto midpoint.

Their relationship chart did have a passionate and fun-loving composite Mars Venus Sun conjunction. When the accident happened the transiting Sun was exactly conjunct the composite Pluto which is rather spooky – a fated moment – with watery, alcoholic tr Neptune exactly trine both. Tr Pluto was opposition the transiting North Node and sitting on top of the composite Saturn.

1969 was one year after his brother Robert Kennedy’s assassination and six years after JFK’s – so it was one rolling catastrophe after another for him. I never had much time for him but a political friend said his great skill was in cross-party negotiation and deal-making which was why it was such a loss when he died early in Obama’s presidency. So perhaps the see-saw chart had its uses since the urge is to pull too opposites together or at least into balance.

Philip Hammond, for the time being still Chancellor, has hinted that along with other rebels he would do “everything in my power to make sure that Parliament blocks a Brexit without agreement”. Even to the extent of bringing down the next government in the “interest of the country”. Boris Johnson hasn’t left himself any wiggle room at all in his blustering, blundering campaign rhetoric about exiting on October 31^st no matter what.

Hammond, 4 December 1955, nicknamed ‘Spreadsheet Phil’ and not renowned for his exuberance may be about to let his explosive Mars in Scorpio square Uranus out to play. His super-confident Jupiter in Virgo conjunct Pluto does square Boris’s focal point Mars in Gemini – so it’s always been a simmering competition between them with Hammond being the more heavyweight of the pair. His Sagittarius Sun Mercury are also at cross purposes with Boris’s Saturn Uranus Pluto – not a match made in heaven. And last but not least Hammond’s unforgiving Mars in Scorpio is conjunct Boris’s Scorpio Moon with Hammond’s Uranus in square – which will lead to heated emotional reactions.

Their relationship chart has a volcanic composite Mars Uranus with a see-saw, up-and-down Jupiter opposition Saturn. It’s sagging badly with tr Neptune opposition the composite Mercury in November/December when Boris’s own chart is in a flat panic of paralysis. (See previous post July 10 2019). And worse in 2020/21 as tr Neptune undermines the composite Sun by opposition.

Hammond looks fired up with confidence now till late August; will sag from then till late September; and be back on battling form from mid November and more so in 2020/21. It looks a bumpy ride for him with tr Uranus opposition his Mars and square his Uranus from mid November to early March 2020. That looks like high insecurity with radical forced changes. Not that finding another lucrative job will be a problem for him – better paid probably in the City and elsewhere.

Pic: Chris McAndrew

Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman has been whipped off to a supermax high-security prison within hours of being sentenced to life for drug offences after an escape plan was allegedly uncovered. A former drug cartel boss he’s already escaped twice from Mexican prisons where he was serving long sentences for murder and drug trafficking. He exported more drugs to the US than any other trafficker in history; and descriptions of his killing chamber at home and other tales are stomach-churning.

Born 4 April 1957, he’s a Sun Venus in pro-active Aries sextile/trine a hard-edged Mars opposition Saturn, which latter was the old astrological signature for an assassin.

His get-it-together and can-be-dominating 5^th Harmonic is strong with a fanatical T Square onto Neptune fittingly enough. His ‘serial-killer’ 18H is marked by a stressed Yod.

Although the Mexican President is unbelievably calling his sentence ‘inhumane’ and he complained his solitary confinement during the trial was ‘torture’, he looks in reasonable form ahead. Confused a touch this year and next and stalled, he also has moments of high confidence with more picking up in 2020/21. He’s been ordered to forfeit nearly $13 billion. If he tucked some of that into the wrong pocket he might well be breathing fresh air at some point down the line.