Gaza – ‘a moral calamity’ for Israel

    

 

12 Palestinians have been killed and dozens wounded as 30,000 gather on the Gaza-Israel Border for peaceful demonstrations for the ‘March of Return’ running for six weeks. May marks the 70th anniversary of the founding Israel and what the Palestinians call ‘Nakba Day’ – the day of catastrophe, when three quarters of a million Palestinians were expelled and forced to flee their homes, becoming lifetime refugees. 250,000 of those uprooted flooded into Gaza.

Haaretz, the liberal Israeli newspaper, describes Gaza as the largest open-air prison in the world and ‘a moral calamity for Israel.’ Even military leader Moshe Dayan in the 1950s understood what they had done: “What we can say against their terrible hatred of us? For eight years, they have sat in the refugee camps of Gaza, and have watched how, before their very eyes, we have turned their lands and villages, where they and their forefathers dwelled, into our home.”  Jean-Paul Sartre visiting in the 1960s was appalled by the refugee camps. He told an Israeli politician that “they   will be a heavy burden on Israel’s future.”

The sense in Israel is that this is what the leaders have always most feared: ‘The marching of uprooted Palestinian refugees on Israel.’ Although intended to be peaceful, the risk of escalation is high; and  Trump’s crass decision to declare Jerusalem capital of Israel has only exacerbated an impossible situation where the Palestinians have nothing to lose.

https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-gaza-s-refugees-have-always-haunted-israel-now-they-re-on-the-march-1.5958265

The Israel chart does look on high alert with tr Uranus moving to trine the Mars in Leo from April 12th till late month and returning into early 2019. Uranus Mars is explosive, overly-excitable with rash decisions likely. The Solar Arc Saturn is also conjunct the Israel Ascendant bringing a sombre mood and with Solar Arc Pluto following so there will be a bleak obstinacy prevailing in the years after.  Tr Uranus opposing the Mars/Jupiter midpoint until mid April will bring hasty decisions, maybe not wise ones; with pushy confidence in June though confusions and uncertainty after that.

The Gaza, 9 November 1917 9am, chart, looks enlivened by the idea of the demonstrations, though also uncertain and fearful, with setbacks in April; shocks in July and disappointments. The next three years look, even in their terms very tough, with tr Pluto square the Saturn/Node in 2019/2020 and opposing Saturn/Pluto in 2020/2021.

The relationship chart with Israel gets a severe jolt from late April, worsening mid May and those influences return into early 2019.

Israel has walked itself up a cul-de-sac from which there is no exit. Most Israelis you talk to think there is no solution to the problem. And the Palestinians will continue to pay the price.

Julian Assange – Saturn boxing him in

 

 

Julian Assange has had his life’s blood cut off with Ecuador blocking his internet connection at its London embassy where he has been holed up in cramped accommodation since 2012. He recently put posts out questioning accusations that Moscow was responsible for the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy and his daughter which broke an agreement that he would not interfere in other countries’ affairs. The Swedish authorities have dropped their investigation into sexual assault allegations, but he still faces charges in the UK for bail-jumping and fears he’ll be extradited to the US over WikiLeaks.

Tr Saturn is moving to square his Uranus from April 2nd, returning in December at which point it opposes his Cancer Sun. And tr Saturn is also moving through his low-profile First Quadrant, which can sometimes bring up unresolved psychological issues as well as not supporting earlier successes. Tr Uranus is also about to move into his 6th house of health, which could exacerbate the strain he is under. He’ll have a couple of confident months in September/October and some lift in 2019 but his way ahead is a winding road; with major aggravations in 2021.

From a previous January post:

Julian Assange has moved from being Ecuador’s shining badge of honour in the fight for freedom to being ‘more than a nuisance’ and an ‘inherited problem’ by the new President. An attempt to get him diplomatic immunity as an Ecuador representative failed and they are now actively seeking a way of getting him out of the tiny London Embassy – with only one bathroom and murmurs that he doesn’t wash too often.

Tr Saturn is sliding down his 1st house and quadrant, pulling him away from his glory days. Tr Saturn is also aiming to make a jolting square to his Uranus in April and December and thence to oppose his Cancer Sun before the New Year. He will be on edge and more discouraged than before.

Though with a lucky break coming late March for two weeks lifting his hopes and flashes of his old bullish self-confidence through the autumn.

Relocating his chart to Ecuador does put the MC in early Capricorn so it will catch the tr Saturn conjunction, perhaps bringing a series of reality-checks through this year.

London was always going to be his nightmare location since it puts his Pluto on his IC, with his Sun in the hidden 12th; and his infuriated and trapped Mars in the 8th. If and when he gets out, if free he certainly won’t be returning with any glee.

Sean Penn – ‘cloaked in crazy’

  

 

Actor and activist Sean Penn has been getting excruciatingly bad reviews for his novel Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff, a dystopian thriller about a hitman, featuring a Trumpian President. The NY Times described it as “a riddle wrapped in an enigma and cloaked in crazy.” And the Guardian said – ‘repellent on one level, but stupid on so many others. Penn doesn’t just swing and miss with his ambitious vocabulary; he swings and cracks a hole in reality as we know it.’

Penn has had an award-winning career, though nothing too recent and his present film, Mel Gibson’s The Professor and the Madman is mired in legal trouble and may never see the light of day. In it he plays a doctor who contributed over 10,000 entries to the Oxford English Dictionary in 1857, when he was a convict at an asylum for the criminally insane. Maybe explains the word salad in his novel.

Born 17 August 1960 3.17 pm Burbank, California, he does have a strongly communicative 9th house with his Leo Sun conjunct revolutionary Uranus there, as well as opinionated Pluto conjunct Venus in Virgo.  His Mercury in Leo hovers on the cusp from the 8th in a muddled square to Neptune, sextile Mars in outspoken Gemini and an awkward inconjunct to Saturn. His Cancer Moon is trine Neptune and opposition Saturn; with Saturn trine his Venus Pluto – so a mixed emotional life, married at one point to Madonna, and an on/off several times match with Robin Wright.

He’s not in at his most successful with tr Saturn moving below his Ascendant through his 1st quadrant for some years to come.  His Solar Arc Mars is square his Neptune at the moment, indicative of plans not working out and usually an ego-dent. And he’s heading for his Second Saturn Return early in 2019 which is usually a sobering reality-check about what comes next. He’ll recover some of his old mojo in 2019/2020. But it’ll be a while before he gets back to his old form.

Vladimir Putin – into the breach without his spies

    

 

Vladimir Putin facing the dismantling of much of his intelligence network abroad will be sworn in for his 4th Term on May 7, usually around noon. It is not as successful as his previous 2012 term which had Jupiter Sun in the 10th and looks fractious and downbeat with a 10th house Sun trine both Saturn and Pluto in the 5th house of speculation and entertainment; with an explosive Mars Pluto square Mercury Uranus. It won’t be without significant crises and high-risk situations, especially in 2021/22. The Sun does oppose a 4th house Jupiter which points to a settled domestic mood. Neptune in the 7th is slippery where neighbours and agreements are concerned, though also indecisive. That’s all depending on a noon swearing in time.

His own personal chart (birth time unverified) has the panicky-failure Solar Arc Neptune opposition Mars still in effect, though fading. Tr Pluto is square his Neptune now till late 2019, which is uncertain, confusing, devastating; with an intense, mental-strain tr Pluto square Mercury in 2019/2020. He’ll be bullish at points this year with tr Pluto trine his Jupiter though lacklustre at others with Neptune around.  His midpoints point to major aggravations and frustrations in 2019/2020/2021; with an accident-prone, disastrous setback Solar Arc Saturn conjunct his Mars in 2021.

His relationship chart with Russia 1917 does hint at quite a turnaround in late April/early May, November and February 2019 with tr Uranus square the composite Pluto and opposition the composite Mars Pluto – which looks exceptionally fraught and risky.

 

Roseanne – portraying a split USA

   

 

Roseanne has re-launched, the sit com about a working class white family from suburban Illinois, which catapulted Roseanne Barr and John Goodman to fame in the late 1980s/1990s.  To add to the family’s dysfunction this time round is a political divide with Roseanne a Trump supporter (as Barr is in real life) and her sister wearing T shirts sporting ‘Nasty Woman’. In a way it’s an admirable attempt to reflect the reality of the toxic arguments in many American families.

Roseanne Barr, born 3 November 1952 1.21 pm Salt Lake City, Utah, is a confident, opinionated 9th house Sun Scorpio opposition Jupiter in indulgent Taurus. That opposition sits in a Mystic Rectangle to a volatile and angry Mars in Capricorn opposition Uranus which squares onto a cae-be-neurotic Saturn Neptune in Libra.  She has a fierce Pluto in her 7th and a complicated emotional life to go along with it; with Pluto opposition an Aquarius Node square Jupiter – so not short of pushy confidence. Her restless Gemini Moon opposes her Mercury but is otherwise unaspected.

She has talked of having mental problems in the past and being on heavy psychotropic medication; and undergoing considerable plastic surgery.

Tr Jupiter is aiming to cross her midheaven and 10th house later this year which is generally successful.  But it looks like a rough, tough ride ahead with tr Pluto opposing her Uranus this year and squaring her Saturn in 2018/19; then squaring her Neptune in 2019/2020. All of which looks fairly devastating and confusing. Plus a run of disappointing Neptune transits to several of her midpoints in 2018 to 2020. Plus a shocking, jolting Solar Arc Sun opposition her Uranus, exact in 20 months’ time.

Boris Johnson & Michael Gove – glum tweedledums

    

 

Heat is being turned on Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, Leave campaign leaders, about whether they knew additional funds were going via a subsidiary youth group BeLeave to a Canadian offshoot of Cambridge Analytica – which would have run them over the legal funding limit. Guido Fawkes says Remain was doing much the same in terms of spending so it may all fizzle out.

Or not, as the case may be. Both have the blocked tr Pluto hitting on their Mars/Pluto midpoint in 2018/19. And both look panicked and logjammed at the moment and seriously unnerved in April. Boris with tr Neptune square his Sun/Mars midpoint and Gove with tr Neptune square his Jupiter/Saturn. Both these influences tend to bring disappointments and losses. With worse to follow in June. When Boris is in a state of nervous tension with crisis around with tr Uranus conjunct his Sun/Saturn midpoint; and tr Neptune in the deceptive, relationship-denting square to his Mars/Node. July to mid December sees him afflicted by aggravating, trapped Pluto hard aspects to two Mars midpoints. Some of those influences run through 2019, though he’ll have one Jupiter around to boost his morale.

Gove in June will be assaulted by tr Uranus in an accident-prone square to his Mars/Saturn midpoint; with more angst and hair-tearing in 2019.

Not happy Easter bunnies at all in the immediate future.

Michael Cohen – a loyal Trump foot soldier taking the flak

    

 

Michael Cohen, the fiercely loyal, pitbull lawyer for Trump, formerly an Executive VP for the Trump Organization, has been accused of “using intimidation tactics in trying to step on little people” in his efforts to protect his master and idol over the Stormy Daniels allegations. Lawsuits and counter-suits, accusations and denials are flying around.

Born 25 August 1966 (wiki), he’s a Sun Virgo with a lives-inside-a-bubble Water Grand Trine of Jupiter in Cancer trine Neptune trine Saturn; with Mars, Venus, Mercury spread out through flamboyant Leo.

He’s an odd mix with Trump with his Saturn square Trump’s Sun and Moon; and his Uranus Pluto square Trump’s Uranus.

Their relationship chart has a chained-together Saturn square Pluto; and more interestingly, a slippery composite Sun Mercury square Neptune. The latter is being nerve-stretched and seriously jolted, now into April with tr Uranus square the Sun Mercury and opposition Neptune.

Stormy Daniel’s Pisces Sun is conjunct Cohen’s Saturn; her Uranus conjunct his Neptune; her Pluto square his Jupiter; and her Mars opposes his Pluto Uranus – so a worthy opponent who won’t budge and will make him feel vulnerable. Their relationship chart has a cold composite Sun Saturn, which tr Neptune is undermining in 2018/19/20 – so this may run and run. If anything, 2019 looks more aggravated with tr Pluto trine the composite Mars.

Much the same scenario for on his relationship chart with Michael Avenatti, Daniels’ lawyer, with jousting continuing into a real slog in 2019/2020.

On Cohen’s personal chart, he looks uncertain in April with a crisis of will-power, and that influence repeats into 2019. With a shock which will provoke misjudgments in May when tr Uranus is square his Mars, again repeating into 2019.

Catalonia – inflamed by draconian tactics

    

 

Mass protests with many injured in Catalonia followed news that the former separatist leader Carles Puigdemont has been taken into custody in Germany on a European arrest warrant. He faces charges of sedition, rebellion and misappropriation of public funds over last year’s Catalan banned independence referendum, which could result in up to 30 years in prison. Spain’s Supreme Court has ruled 25 that Catalan leaders should be tried for rebellion, embezzlement or disobeying the state. They all deny the allegations.

If ever there was a way of inflaming a situation which a diplomatic compromise could have settled in the first place this is it.

Carles Puigdemont, 29 December 1962, is an ambitious Sun Capricorn trine a rebellious Uranus Pluto in Virgo, sextile Jupiter. With a flamboyant Mars in Leo, Saturn Moon in Aquarius and Venus Neptune in Scorpio – so stubborn and enduring.

He’s not looking cheerful in 2018/19/20 with a run of blocked, discouraging and risky influences. But then he’ll get into a better gear and may be back in for a fight through the early 2020s.

What’s interesting is the Independence Vote 27 October 2017 3.26pm chart looks more upbeat this year and in 2019 with Jupiter well-starred; and getting back into revolutionary gear come 2021.

Puigdemont’s relationship chart with Spain 1975 is dissolving under Neptune in 2019/2020; but from 2021/2022 getting back into fighting mode.

His Mars squares the Spain’s late degree Scorpio Sun Mercury so it is an argumentative combination; with his destabilising Uranus Pluto in the Spain 8th so he obviously hits a deep chord of fear. Especially since Spain already has a hidden Pluto in the 8th leading to a determined fight for control.

In addition to three Scorpio planets, Spain has an autocratic Saturn square Uranus which is being severely jangled from this July into 2020, which could be other dilemmas.  But it looks unsettled.

The crazy thing is most Catalonians without all this hooha would probably vote to stay as long as they were given more autonomy. But creating martyrs is not the way to go.

Australia wincing over balls

    

 

Australia is cringing in shame after the cricket ball-tampering scandal by their team in South Africa. Even the PM was impelled to speak sternly about being “shocked and bitterly disappointed.” “It seemed completely beyond belief that the Australian cricket team had been involved in cheating. Our cricketers are role models and cricket is synonymous with fair play. How can our team be engaged in cheating like this? It beggars belief.”

Sporting events often show up on a country chart especially when they are national sports. The Australia 1 January 1901 1.35pm chart has a dynamic Mars in the 5th house of sport squaring a determined Pluto opposition Uranus – and that T Square is being undermined by tr Neptune now and ahead till late 2019.  Tr Saturn is also conjunct the Sun/Saturn conjunction. Not ego-boosting, that’s for sure.

Stevie Smith, the team captain, 2 June 1989, is a confident Sun Jupiter in Gemini on the focal point of a Yod inconjunct Pluto sextile Saturn Neptune, so he will wobble between under and over confidence. Tr Neptune is square his Sun/Jupiter midpoint now and moving to square his Jupiter from May onwards for eighteen months which will take the shine off his enthusiasm. He also has a do-or-die determined Pluto square Mars in Cancer; with Mars being road-blocked by a tr Pluto opposition in 2018/2019.

The vice-captain David Warner, 27 October 1986, is a grimly and relentlessly determined Sun Pluto in Scorpio square Mars in Aquarius. Winning won’t be a game to him. He’s also got tr Neptune in hard aspect to his Jupiter this year and tr Uranus opposing his Sun in 2019, Pluto in 2020.

Both face losing millions in sponsorship deals.