Texan Beto O’Rourke has topped a new poll as the most popular choice among Democrats to challenge Donald Trump in 2020. He narrowly failed to win the senate seat of Republican Ted Cruz last month but his charismatic campaign has raised his profile. In the poll, he came in first with 15.6 per cent, followed by Joe Biden at 14.9 per cent and Bernie Sanders 13.1 per cent.

O’Rourke was born 26 September 1972 El Paso, Texas, into a family with political connections and after a muddled early adult life including a stint in a band, he settled down to a steady job, served on the city council and then became a congressman. He is an exceptionally determined and confident Sun Pluto in Libra conjunct Mars in late Virgo, all square Jupiter in Capricorn. His Saturn in Gemini is square Mars and which will make him hard-working, short-tempered. His Saturn is also trine Uranus, sextile Venus in sociable Leo – innovative, charming, a good networker.

What will stymie his chances in 2020 is tr Neptune square his Saturn from late April onwards which is uncertain, confused, perhaps a scandal popping up. And from late May 2020 tr Uranus starts to square his Mars/Saturn midpoint which suggests rolling crises. Both these influences run into early 2021.

He has said he doesn’t intend to put himself forward in 2020 though presumably if the pressure is there he might give in. But he’d be wise to stay out.

Another gangster-jihadist shooting in Strasbourg, France at the Christmas market on Tuesday left three dead, with a fourth brain-dead, and 12 more injured, several seriously.

The shooter Chérif Chekatt, 4 February 1989 Strasbourg, has not yet been captured. He was born into a poor immigrant family with Moroccan roots, graduated from petty crime to drug dealing and robbery. By the time he was 29 he had 27 convictions on his sheet and became radicalized in prison; and was on an Islamist terrorist watch list.

He is a Sun Aquarius square a formidably ruthless Mars in Taurus opposition Pluto – ego-centric, obstinate, drawn to a cause, driven and controlling; with his Mars trine the highly-strung and chaotic Neptune, Saturn Uranus triple conjunction in Capricorn – hard-edged, explosive, uncompromising. His Jupiter in Taurus is conjunct the destructive Fixed Star Algol.

It’s a strong chart which had he been born into better circumstances and made different choices could have given him a decent life.

His can-be-dictatorial 5H is heavily aspected, tough, bleak, adventurous; and his 9H – what brings him pleasure – is violent.

A recap on EU’s astro-state of play as they face myriad problems – Italy’s bolshie populist government facing down Brussels economic strictures heads the list; Macron, the shining hope for the future with Merkel fading, is beset with domestic woes and about to do damage to France’s deficit by buying off the ‘yellow vests’ and not pushing ahead with reforms; plus problems with Hungary, Poland – and an economic system ill-designed to cope with a recession which is heavily forecast. Brexit is a minor irritation tho’ a hard exit which robbed them of many billions would hurt. Plus elections coming in May which may not go the way the technocrats would like.

Most notable is the Solar Arc Pluto conjunct the EU 2^nd house Neptune, exact in six months’ time, though likely in effect before then – financial confusion and devastation, grievous loss, perhaps scandals.

The other Solar Arc to watch for is the SA Midheaven conjunct the 12^th house Pluto exact in a year’s time – which will be challenging, bring a major power struggle, perhaps the technocrats (secretive, unelected, 12^th house) versus politicos –  and perhaps drag dirty dealings out into the open. This is especially likely since the 12^th house Pluto is in a ruthless square to Mars.

The EU chart is aggravated exactly now being landed with Theresa May on a hopeless boomerang trip; and confused with a teeth-gritting slog through 2019. Tr Uranus will start to severely shake the EU’s very inflexible Fixed Grand Cross from mid May 2019 which will affect its finances, economic prospects and future plans. By 2020/21 the sh** will really hit the fan with tr Uranus in hard aspect to the financial 8^th house Moon, and the 11^th house Uranus. And tr Neptune in 2020/21 will be square the 3^rd house Saturn for high uncertainty, muddles and paranoia.

The European Central Bank (ECB) chart, 1 January 1999, also shows 2020/21 as a time of maximum jeopardy with Solar Arc Mars square the ECB Uranus; and tr Uranus square the Uranus. It’s under pressure now and for the next several years with tr Pluto just off the square to its Mars, and moving in hard aspect to the Mars/Saturn midpoint for a crisis-ridden 2019/2020; with worse to follow up to 2023 as tr Pluto is conjunct the financial Venus and then square the 8^th house Saturn. It’ll keep up a bullish front on 2019/2020 with tr Pluto sextile Jupiter but it’s not enough to offset the rest.

Mike Bloomberg, 11^th richest man in the world and three-time mayor of New York, is considering pitching his hat into the ring as Democrat candidate for 2020. The news has not been greeted with much joy since he’s seen as out of touch with the political moment – white, centrist Wall Street billionaire, not entirely in tune with #metoo – while the party is moving leftwards.

Born 14 February 1942 3.40 pm Brighton, Massachusetts, he has four planets in Aquarius – his Sun in the financial 8^th conjunct the Moon, as well as Mercury and Venus which all sit in his 7^th. He’s also got a heavyweight collection of Mars, Saturn, Uranus in Taurus in his 10^th – aggressively ambitious, good executive material, quite autocratic.

He looks frustrated and blocked exactly now, with dashed hopes through 2019 and 2020 – so looks unlikely.  His Solar Return from February 2019 looks successful, but from February 2020 his career/life’s direction is directionless and undermined.

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“I am the way into the city of woe,
I am the way into eternal pain,
I am the way to go among the lost.’

Dante’s circles of torment as he descends into everlasting hell is a touch melodramatic as an analogy for Brexit. As is Prometheus chained to his rock for eternity. But it’s much how it feels.

The Westminster vote forced on Theresa May against her wishes is now postponed indefinitely. If she leaves it long enough till the due date of March 29 2019 there’ll be no chance of any Plan-B Norway type deals. It’s my way or the highway – I’m really starting to dislike her more and more.

The chart for the maybe-exit has an Aries Sun exactly opposite her Libra Sun. with the Ascendant/Descendant and Mars in Taurus within orb of the conjunction/opposition to the destructive Fixed Star Algol.

The Sun is opposite the Fixed Star Vindemiatrix, the widow maker, associated with falsity, disgrace, stealing, wanton folly.

And Pluto and the Moon as well as the North Node are in aspect to Procyon, which can raise to great heights and then bring crashing down again. Pluto doesn’t get to the exact aspect until 2021.

Saturn will be exactly opposite the UK 10^th house Moon for a sense of loss or separation.

That apart the Sun is square the Jupiter/Pluto midpoint for a surge of confidence and empowerment.  And Uranus will be exactly square the UK Jupiter for a feeling relief.

Jupiter is square Neptune for ‘false happiness’ – over confidence.

But who knows? It may come and go as so much in this tediously dragged out shambles has to stretch the agony out for another aeon of time.

I must say this week didn’t have much going for it in terms of the vote – felt like an empty space and so it transpired.

Serial killers aren’t exactly a cheering diversion from political mayhem but there have been two in the headlines.

Mikhail Popkov, 7 March 1964, Angarsk, Russia, known as “The Werewolf” one of Russia’s most prolific serial killers was convicted of 22 murders in 2015 and confessed to 59 additional homicides recently.

Samuel Little, 7 July 1940, Reynolds, Georgia, claims to have killed as many as 90 people; investigators claim to have linked him to at least 34 murders.

The victims in all cases were women.

Popkov is a Sun Mars in Pisces with a Sagittarius Moon; and most significantly has Pluto – and Uranus – opposing his Mars which is also trine Neptune.

Samuel Little is a Sun Cancer with a Mars Pluto conjunction in Leo square Jupiter; with a Leo Moon which is either square Jupiter Saturn or Uranus – or all three. .

Mars Pluto is the marker you’d expect to see with brutality and ruthlessness.

Both have exceptionally marked 18^th Harmonics, which is often the case with multiple murderers. The 9^th Harmonic is what gives pleasure, multiplied by 2 the number of conflict.

In alchemy at the end of the process of turning lead into gold (symbolically) there was always matter left at the bottom of the crucible, which they called the ‘terra damnata’ – that which had no hope of redemption or transformation.  It was thrown away as useless.

In a classic Trump distract-and-divert-attention from bad news elsewhere (Cohen, Manafort, Flynn) he has put his long suffering chief of staff John Kelly out of his misery and ended his contract.

Kelly, 11 May 1950, a steady, disciplined Sun Mercury in Taurus trine Saturn and Mars in Virgo, was brought in to restore order to the chaos in the White House but fell foul of Trump’s need for constant turmoil and dislike of being hemmed in. Kelly’s Sun Mercury are conjunct Trump’s MC so he could have made a difference; but his Mars squared Trump’s Sun so it was always going to be a fractious interface.

Kelly looks frustrated and down-hearted at the moment, more so through 2019, so he’s clearly a glutton for punishment, or is unhappy at what he’s being forced to spectate as the year rolls on.

The next question is will James Mattis go? Trump has been muttering grumpily about him for months and has just appointed a new Chief of Joint Staffs who was not Mattis’ preference.

Born 8 September 1950, he’s a serious Sun Saturn in Virgo sextile Mars in Scorpio. His Saturn squares Trump’s Sun and Moon and will make Potus feel put down which is guaranteed to put his hackles up. Mattis has been looking terminally gloomy through this year with tr Neptune opposition his Sun and tr Pluto trine his Saturn and those influences run through 2019 as well.  He’s looking peculiarly irked and discontented now till January and on through the year he’ll be getting more frustrated and blocked in. His relationship chart with Trump has a composite Mars Neptune which is not mutually ego-supportive – one wins the other feels they lose. And in Trump’s kingdom only one ego is allowed.  That aspect is being drenched by Saturn right through this month. If Mattis survives that long in situ,  late May 2019 looks like crockery-flying time.

Running around like headless chickens, their wits fraying, the British political panjandrums across the spectrum are an embarrassment. Brexit alliances, such as they are, have fractured the left/right norms – with none of them having a coherent plan of how to resolve the most significant decision in decades.

The populace are bored, confused and just want it done and dusted. No one relishes a second referendum which would drag the agony out further and might well end up with the same result, the EU top brass having not exactly covered themselves in glory with their performance.  If no deal was always an option then civil service preparations should have been made from square one. Shades of Tony Blair not letting the military prepare before Iraq in case it gave the game away and then left them at risk because they weren’t up to speed on armoury.

What strikes me about the UK chart, apart from all the before mentioned in earlier posts, is the 3^rd house Mercury and Solar Arc Mars, both of which are catching the tr Neptune square from February 2019 onwards – the all pervading fog and muddle, misspeaks and evasions will continue on till early 2020; with major aggravation and arguments and perhaps transport problems with the Solar Arc Mars conjunct the UK Mercury, exact in late 2020.

The Conservative Party 10 May 1912 chart, which is the one which works best, has a deeply-frustrated tr Pluto opposition Mars till the middle of this week; then tr Pluto opposes the Mars/Neptune midpoint – panic, paralysed activity, lack of will – until mid January; after that tr Pluto square the Neptune till mid February (repeating later in the year) – for devastation and more chaos. From mid February there’s a grim slog tr Pluto trine the Saturn in Taurus which runs on and off till late 2020. With a few emotional shocks and upheavals from May 2019 onwards into early 2020. So they’re not dragging themselves out of the mire.

Neither of the Labour Party charts looks any better. The 27 February 1900 has a panicky-failure Solar Arc Mars conjunct the Neptune now and tr Neptune is in a disempowering square to Pluto in January 2019. The late December 2019 Solar Eclipse crashes into the Saturn in Capricorn in this chart for a sharp reality check.

The 12 February 1906 LP chart looks highly-strung, maybe irrational, from now till mid February; and fairly logjammed until 2022. Which is not too surprising with an executive whose sentiments have always been anti-EU and their voters who are largely pro.

For all that the old Brit blitz spirit will manage a few blips of cheer in 2019 as they wish their politicians to perdition.

The UK/EU relationship chart will sag and struggle onwards with less and less enthusiasm through 2019 with tr Neptune square the composite Moon and opposition Jupiter; and tr Pluto square the composite Saturn.

I may be entirely wrong but I kind of stick to my earlier assessment of a crash-out in 2020.

Theresa May’s inner workings mystify most people. Rock-solid, not a lady for turning, yet she seems to lack a coherent vision that drives her actions, leaving the impression, in Matthew Parris’ memorable phrase, of ‘an enigma without a secret’.

Her strongest Harmonic is the 16^th – putting the 16H Sun square Uranus Saturn; and linking an uncompromising and adrenaline-rush combination of Mars Uranus.

David Hamblin describes the 16H as the ‘chart of conflict’ – in which the individual is drawn to conflict as a way of resolving internal dilemmas.

Charles Harvey talks of the 16H (and 4H, 8H etc) being will-driven with a goal of personal power and backs this up by pointing to dictators for whom hard Sun Uranus aspects are the norm in their 16th harmonic charts – Mussolini, Franco, Tito, Churchill, Louis XIV and Hitler.  The 16H gives super-human endurance and stubbornness but tends to be self-destructive; can attract catastrophes, disappointments, humiliation.

May’s 8^th Harmonic, (one down in the same series) is even more stark with Saturn Pluto trine Mercury trine Neptune Mars, formed into a Kite by Saturn opposition opposition Uranus. In numerology 8 is a fated number, giving an abundance of strength and stubbornness in the face of difficulties; but is generally thought unlucky, with a bumpy road to success, if it comes, which doesn’t bring happiness.

I can’t find the reference but I recollect reading (from I think Michael Harding) about a Scandanavian fisherman who survived hours in freezing waters, way beyond normal human capability. He had a strongly aspected 16^th Harmonic so it does have its uses. Though I have a sense May attracts herself to – and creates – symbolically similar situations in order to work out some internal conflict as Hamblin says.

All of that sounds a million miles from the douce, church-going, grammar school, vicar’s daughter image she projects. But she was born on the same day as Gina Haspel, now head of the CIA, who has clearly also been drawn to extreme circumstances.

May’s stonewalling, no other option, no Plan B, could be seen as almost pathological – the only way to not drown is to become totally tunnel-visioned. So she’s eternally locked into unwinnable arguments which is the way she likes it.

Even Maggie Thatcher didn’t have as strong or afflicted 8/16^th harmonics and she was excessively will-driven.

Additional thought: Her Mercury is conjunct the Fixed Star Scheat which can give intellectual ability though was always thought of as a malefic, related to Mars Mercury. And (thanks Hugh) her Progressed Mars is now conjunct her Mercury – and Scheat, which is associated with drowning amongst other disasters – presumably symbolically as well as literally.

Add on: Some descriptive comments after the Westminster meltdown, all from Telegraph journalists, who are Tory supporters, to flesh out the picture.

Allison Pearson: ‘a mule flogging a dead horse.’ ‘What kind of person is it who can do the most amazingly humiliating thing yet manage to show not one iota of humility? Theresa May, that’s who. “Does she not GET IT by now?’ demanded the DUP’s Nigel Dodds on Monday, expressing the widespread incredulity at the full-blown fiasco the PM had got herself – and us – into.

No, Nigel, she will never get it because she can’t. The notes on the keyboard are missing. Over the past few weeks, Mrs May has attracted supportive headlines for her formidable work rate and resilience. Fair enough, you might say, but there comes a point when the, “You have to admire her tenacity” argument gives way to, “There’s something really not right there.” To be so weirdly oblivious to how you are perceived, to stand up in Parliament and claim credit for publishing the full legal advice on the Irish backstop when you personally fought a bitter rearguard action to suppress that advice goes beyond politics into the realms of the pathological.’

Tim Stanley: “It was Mrs May’s mistakes and bad choices that led her to standing at the Dispatch box before a House largely stacked against her, rambling on about clarity like a high-operating Scientologist.“

Sherelle Jacobs: ‘The PM’s attitude to Brexit – the pathological procrastinating, the soviet-like surreptitiousness, the disgraceful lack of ambition.’ ‘For two years she has clung, white-knuckled at the coal face, committed to a mediocre deal, and for it been praised as “resilient”. ‘She has spent two years vacillating, capitulating and trying to cover up her mistakes. Her deal is 585 pages of passive resignation. It is Brexit without an active verb, change without the doing word; decline, debilitation, drift.’