A peaceful activist for women’s rights is still imprisoned in Saudi Arabia along with nine other women who say they have endured torture. Loujain Al-Hathoul campaigned for years to allow women the right to drive. The Crown Prince Bin Salman was applauded by the west when he granted women such rights but shortly beforehand he mystifyingly had her and other campaigners rearrested. “She said she had been held in solitary confinement, beaten, waterboarded, given electric shocks, sexually harassed and threatened with rape and murder. She was shaking uncontrollably, unable to hold her grip, to walk or sit normally,” said her sister, Alia al-Hathloul.

Born 31 July 1989, she’s an ultra-determined Sun Leo square Pluto in Scorpio; with the triple conjunction of Uranus, Saturn, Neptune in Capricorn which can have a focus on improving society and bringing in reforms.

Her Pluto is conjunct the Saudi Arabia 10^th house North Node and Midheaven in vengeful Scorpio and squares the Saudi Mars in uncompromising Aquarius – so she will pose a threat to the country’s archaic attitudes.

Her chart also clashes with MBS’s controlling Fixed Grand Cross of Jupiter opposition Venus square Pluto opposition Taurus North Node; and their relationship chart has an argumentative, competitive composite Sun Mars conjunction.

She’s looking at a low ebb at the moment with her Solar Arc Neptune opposing her Sun with Solar Arc Saturn following behind in a year’s time. She will get some cheer from a couple of transits to Jupiter midpoints this month and in July but on the whole looks very discouraged.

Mind you even if international pressure forced her release from prison (unlikely) she’d still be a broken woman for a long time after these experiences.

“Loujain’s abuse exemplifies the methods of Saudi thuggish and lawless leadership, hellbent on exacting sadistic vengeance against any citizen who dares to think freely,” Sarah Leah Whitson of Human Rights Watch said.

The Saudi Arabia Sun, Saturn, Jupiter in Capricorn will get pounded by the tr Saturn Pluto conjunction over the next couple of years which might crush some of their arrogance; and tr Neptune is moving round their Mutable T Square involving the Moon from this year till the mid 2020s which might – or might not – see an end to their mediaeval attitudes to women.

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Michel Legrand, the French composer, who won three Oscars during a career spanning more than half a century, has died. He first won for The Windmills of Your Mind from The Thomas Crown Affair, and again for his music for Summer of ’42, and  Yentl.  He worked with everyone who was anyone in the music business, popular as well as jazz and latterly in classical music writing a piano concerto and a ballet. He was indefatigable and had been scheduled to hold concerts in Paris in April.

Born 24 February 1932 12.21 pm Paris, France (astrotheme)  with a composer father who left when he was young and a mother herself the daughter of a conductor, he turned to music very young. He refused to go to school and taught himself to write music while left alone at home.

He was a Sun and midheaven in Pisces opposition Neptune so well-suited to a musical and filmic career; with flamboyant Jupiter in Leo in an adventurous trine to Uranus Venus in Aries. His Venus Uranus also squared Pluto, so he’d be constantly seeking change and excitement both emotionally and creatively.

Michael Jackson’s legacy will never be the same again say film critics who sat through Leaving Neverland, a gruelling four-hour documentary about sexual abuse allegations against the late King of Pop at the Sundance Festival. It features interviews from two men and their families, who detail “a portrait of sustained exploitation and deception, documenting the power of celebrity that allowed a revered figure to infiltrate the lives of starstruck children and their parents”. They talk of being made to watch hardcore porn and given alcohol aged seven, were persuaded women were evil; and as they grew older were replaced as the ‘special ones’ by younger boys. The Michael Jackson estate is shrieking blue murder and denying everything, calling it character assassination and pointing to the not-proven trials that were held.

It would have to be said I thought this argument had been categorically proven beyond all reasonable doubt years ago. Clearly not.

Jackson was born 29 August 1958 in Gary, Indiana with various birth times though 11.43pm is feasible with a scary-father 4^th house Sun Pluto in Virgo – given the stories of his childhood with an abusive father. He had a 10^th house musical Moon in Pisces in an emotionally chilly square to Saturn in defensive Sagittarius. With a sensual and determined Mars in Taurus in a none-too-sensitive square to Venus Mercury in Leo And an entertaining Jupiter in the 5^th which is also the house ruling of children.

A 4^th house Pluto would give him an obsessive need for control in his adult home life.

His superstar 22^nd harmonic is strong and creative; but his what-brings-him-pleasure 9H is stark and ruthless.

For some posthumous predictions given the chart reflects his image – tr Uranus is opposing his 5th house Jupiter exactly now, shining a light in hidden places; and tr Pluto is about to trine his Mars from mid February on and off till late 2020 which can be a crushing, humiliating experience. And last but not least tr Neptune is about to conjunct his 10th house Moon within a few weeks, hanging around into 2020 which is undermining where status is concerned.

He certainly had a horrendous childhood, not only being beaten, but also being made to perform as a singing act in strip clubs. And clearly his emotional development got stunted. Which is no excuse for the celebrity mad parents who put their children in harm’s way, nor the general public’s inability to see what’s staring them in the face.

George Clooney has firmly denied rumours that his marriage is to split after tabloid stories emerged about Amal fleeing to Sardinia with their twins after an explosive row. It’s a par for the course with celebrities who according to fan mags are either getting hitched to people they barely know or are constantly on the brink of divorce.

However the explosive row might well be true. Their relationship chart has an exceptionally close and tied together Grand Trine of Sun trine Neptune trine Mars, formed into a Kite by Sun in a possessive opposition to Pluto. Since early December running till early February tr Uranus has been square the Mars on one leg of the composite Grand Trine, which would lift the lid off feelings which had been simmering in a fairly inflammatory way – and shifting the relationship onto a different track in the time ahead.

It’s not an intuitively easy match since she is a Sun Venus in Aquarius with a Sagittarius Moon, while he is a Sun Taurus with a Moon Saturn in Capricorn Moon – she’s emotionally detached and outspoken; while he’s indulgent, practical, probably quite self-centred since Taurus likes life to revolve around their needs and pleasures.

Her Uranus squares his Sun Mercury and her Mars opposes his Saturn Moon, so there will be rough edges and flare ups along the way.  His Neptune squares her Sun Venus so he’ll be evasive, not easy to pin down at times.

He does look rattled in February (next month) and the recent Lunar Eclipse fell exactly on his Mars at zero Leo, so it would create both insecurity and bad-temper.

There’s nothing on his personal chart that would suggest a terminal split; or on their wedding chart which has been under a Saturnine cloud recently but that will lift soonish. And their relationship chart while wilting a touch with some disappointment this year with tr Neptune conjunct the composite Venus, should ease up after Uranus moves off the Mars aspect in the first week of next month.

Life in the goldfish bowl.

Roger Stone, a political strategist and long-time ally of Trump, has been arrested in Florida, charged with seven counts in the Mueller probe – for obstruction of an official proceeding, five counts of false statements, and one count of witness-tampering.

The charges are linked to an alleged Russian-led hack into the emails of Democratic Party officials and their subsequent release by WikiLeaks in the run up to the 2016 US election.  According to BBC’s Anthony Zurcher, ‘The move marks a significant development in this nearly two-year legal drama. For the first time a member of Mr Trump’s inner circle, albeit an informal one, is facing charges directly related to Russian election meddling – the central thrust of the special counsel’s investigation.’

Born 27 August 1952 in Connecticut, Stone is a political lobbyist and consultant having worked for Nixon and Reagan and other Republicans; and is a long-time business associate of Paul Manafort.  He is a self-confessed ‘dirty trickster’ and says his MO is ‘Attack, attack, attack—never defend” and “Admit nothing, deny everything, launch counterattack.”

He has a Virgo Sun but his chart is dominated by a fearsome, controlling and opportunistic Fixed Grand Cross of Mars (Moon) in Scorpio opposition Jupiter in Taurus square Pluto opposition North Node in Aquarius – ultra-controlling, not given to social niceties, will cut corners to get what he wants, stubborn to the nth degree and vengeful.

He’s unlikely to roll over and play nice for the authorities and giving in is hardly his style. But for all that despite a bullish front from tr Pluto trine his Jupiter through 2019, he looks disheartened, untypically panicked and facing a run of disastrous setbacks this July and onwards into 2020.

His relationship chart with Trump isn’t as beneficial as their long connection would suggest with a mutually unsupportive composite Mars Neptune conjunction; though that is balanced by an expansive Sun Jupiter. It looks on high alert at the moment till mid-February with tr Uranus square the composite Sun; and stressed from tr Neptune in hard aspect to the composite Mars/Pluto; with some relief in April, but mounting concern in June and on.

Danny Cipriani is an English Rugby player, capped sixteen times for the national team, but out of favour at present, perhaps because of a couple of offences involving drinking.

Born 2 November 1987 in Roehampton, London, he’s an intense Sun Pluto in Scorpio; with a risk-taking and adventurous Mars in Libra opposition Jupiter in pro-active Aries which is sextile/trine a fiery Saturn Uranus conjunction in Sagittarius.  He also has Venus in Scorpio and a Pisces or Aries Moon. So he’s a Fire Water mix – combustible and volatile. Fire makes water boil – so his emotional reactions will get heated.

His Sun is close to Pluto and in aspect to Uranus, so he will like to upset the status quo; and his Mercury is conjunct both the Mars/Pluto and Sun/Mars midpoints so he’ll express himself forcefully.

His can-be-self-defeating 16^th harmonic is very strong; as is his victim 12H. From interviews he comes across as relentlessly cheerful and unresentful but I could well see the possibility of personality clashes with coaches.

He’ll be pushing hard through 2019/2020 with tr Pluto square his Jupiter, though at times running the risk of over stepping the mark; and running into uncertain times before mid 2019 with tr Neptune square his Saturn into 2020; with a really muddled phase coming up in 2021 as his Solar Arc Neptune squares his Sun Pluto and his Solar Arc Saturn squares his Jupiter. Not an easy time for him.

Nancy Pelosi has been making her presence felt since stepping up to become Speaker in the Democrat majority Congress by saying No firmly to Trump. She’s an experienced and seasoned politician having been first elected in 1987 and is the only woman to have been Speaker.

Born 26 March 1940 she’s a determined Sun Aries trine Pluto; with her Pluto in an immoveable square to Saturn in Taurus as well as a determined sextile to Mars in stubborn Taurus. Her Mars is almost exactly conjunct Trump’s Midheaven and both are conjunct the destructive Fixed Star Algol – so she’s definitely competitive and combative where he’s concerned. He’ll find her slippery with her Neptune squaring his Sun and Moon; but the same applies in reverse as her Sun opposes his Neptune.

Their relationship chart has a composite Pluto in an intense square to the Mercury and widely square the Sun – so an ongoing tussle for the upper hand and the last word. Plus a game-playing (who can outdo the other) Mars Jupiter conjunction which is under a Saturnine dark cloud for most of this year. There will be a considerable turnaround in their relationship with a major upset in June, late September/October this year and early 2020 as tr Uranus squares the composite Pluto.

On her personal chart, she looks less upbeat in 2020/2021 with various hopes dashed, plans not working out, and career losses.

See post November 7 2018

An internal Venezuelan political crisis is escalating into a full-scale international stand-off. Trump has come out in support of the opposition leader, Juan Guaido, along with Canada and other South American countries, which has provoked Putin to talk of breaches of international law and ‘a path to bloodshed’ as he sees his $25 billion investment in the inept President Nicolas Maduro looking very shaky.

Maduro, a socialist, was elected narrowly in 2013 and since then the Venezuela has been in a downward spiral with growing political discontent, fuelled by skyrocketing hyperinflation, power cuts and shortages of food and medicine. More than three million Venezuelans have left the country in recent years.  He theoretically won a  disputed and boycotted election in May 2018 with many opposition candidates barred from running, some jailed or fled the country for fear of being imprisoned. He chose only to be sworn in this month which brought the situation to a head with Guaido announcing himself the rightful president. Maduro is supported by the army.

Gaido, 28 July 1983, is a fiery Sun Leo trine Uranus Jupiter in Sagittarius; with a tough-minded, resolute and courageous Mars in Cancer square Saturn Pluto in Libra. He doesn’t look overly ecstatic this year with a couple of Neptunian sinkers till late year, though June will see a change in his fortunes; and he could be given a major boost with Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Jupiter sometime soon.

He’s a better fit with Venezuela than Maduro with the relationship chart having an affectionate composite Sun, Mercury Venus trine a reforming Uranus Saturn in a dynamic sextile to Mars – though that relationship is under considerable pressure from this year through till almost the mid twenties. Even if he consolidates his position he’d have a fair job dragging the country up from the pits.

The Venezuela chart, 5 July 1811 3pm Caracas, looks to be continuing its downhill slide through 2019/2020/21 with tr Neptune conjunct Pluto and square Saturn and Jupiter. This year is critical with its Cancer Sun in the line of the Eclipses, forcing change through and failing that bringing yet more crises.

See post January 6 2018

The tragically sad disappearance of young Argentinian Premier League footballer Emiliano Sala on a light aircraft flying between France and Wales last night has shocked the football world. He had just been signed on Saturday for £15m by Cardiff City from French club Nantes and was saying goodbye to his old team mates before flying in for the first day’s training in Wales. The police have suspended the search for the night and they said, “If they did land on the water, the chances of survival are at this stage, unfortunately, slim.”

He was born 31 October 1980 in Santa Fe, Argentina with Sun, Venus, Mercury and Pluto in Scorpio in a confident square to Jupiter in Leo; and he also had the triple conjunction in Capricorn, which can be chaotic and also tinged with genius; and probably an Aries Moon. What marked his chart out as different was a close Yod of Mercury (Pluto) sextile Neptune (Saturn) inconjunct Mars in Gemini.  An apex Mars especially in Gemini would give him a dynamic, energetic streak which needed a very specific outlet.

Monday’s Lunar Eclipse was conjunct his Aquarius North Node, so it was a key time for him. More pointedly his apex Mars had moved by Solar Arc to oppose his Neptune on one leg of the yod, constellating the fated feel of his chart. Mars Neptune can go two ways – one attracts publicity, the other leads to failed plans.

Such a waste of a talented young life.