Poor California. Several monstrous wildfires are raging in different locations in the state, one close to Thousand Oaks where a gunman killed 12 earlier this week. More than 250,000 have been forced to flee their homes, including celebrities living in Malibu. Earlier this year the Carr Fire in July and August 2018 caused $1.659 billion of damage. And this on top of 2017 which was described as the most destructive wildfire season on record.

The California chart is pretty much under assault at the moment. It has had tr Pluto square the CA Saturn in Aries thro’ 2017 till mid November this year (exact now) which usually denotes hardship, deprivation and a tough slog. And this year and next there’s tr Neptune opposition the CA Virgo Sun, which is panicky and undermining; and much the same from the Solar Arc Sun conjunct the CA Neptune this year. The Solar Arc Uranus Pluto is moving to oppose the CA Saturn from this New Year till late 2019 which looks disruptive and discouraging ahead. And tr Uranus is exactly now conjunct the CA Uranus Pluto in Aries.

The previous Uranus Return (hitting on Pluto as well) came in the mid 1930s with California struggling with the Great Depression. There was a major earthquake in 1933 in Long Beach, just before the Uranus Return with over a hundred fatalities and multi-million dollars’ damage.

The Eclipses this year did have significant indicators for California – the Aquarius Lunar Eclipse in late July had Uranus on the Descendant located to Thousand Oaks squaring onto Midheaven Sun opposition IC Moon Mars North Node; the August Leo Eclipse had Pluto on the IC; and the mid July Cancer Solar Eclipse had Neptune on the midheaven and Saturn on the Descendant.

ADD ON: Gary Newsom, the Governor-elect of California will be the one overseeing what comes next after he’s sworn in on January 7th. He’s a former Mayor of San Francisco and has been Lieutenant Governor since 2010. Born 10 October 1967 5.13 am San Francisco, he was severely dyslexic as a child, and ran successful winery and restaurant business before moving into politics. He’s a national progressive figure, a prominent early advocate for same sex marriage, universal healthcare, and the legalization of cannabis.

He has a hard-working Sun Libra opposition Saturn in Aries square a Capricorn moon in the 4^th – an emphasised Moon helps in politics and also in catering/domestic businesses being in the 4^th. He’s also got a tough Mars in Sagittarius square Pluto Uranus on his Ascendant, so will be resourceful in crises.

He’ll be coping with confusing situations in 2019/2020 with tr Pluto sextile his Neptune; and worse in 2020 when tr Neptune squares his Mars and his midheaven – it’ll be a fairly roller coaster and debilitating ride ahead.

His Governorship chart has the Sun conjunct Pluto on one side and Saturn on the other – so a tough haul requiring perseverance and grit; with setbacks from Mars square Saturn Mercury; and rolling crises from an emphasised Uranus Pluto. He’ll need all his stamina and courage.

A US Marine Corps veteran with suspected mental health issues killed 12 young people in a busy bar in California, including a policeman and was himself killed. The shooting began at 23:20 local time on Wednesday in Thousand Oaks about 40 miles (65km) north-west of Los Angeles.

Ian Long, born 27 March 1990 (net sources), served in Afghanistan and had several medals and commendations.

He was a Sun Aries on the point of a Cardinal T Square to a Jupiter opposition Uranus Neptune in Capricorn – ego-centric, confident, highly-strung.  His Mercury in Aries was square Saturn as well as Uranus Neptune so he would have problems keeping his thinking straight and not sliding into depression. He also had Mars, North Node and Venus in Aquarius square Pluto, which would ramp up emotional responses, making him volatile, hugely frustrated and angry.

At the moment his Solar Arc Neptune was denting his self-esteem in a conjunction to his self-willed Mars in Aquarius, tugging on his intense emotional reactions. Transits to his midpoints also point to extensive confusion with tr Uranus square his Neptune/Node; tr Neptune square his Uranus/Pluto; and tr Pluto conjunct his Saturn/Neptune, which last would exacerbate paranoid tendencies.

The shooting happened just after the Scorpio Full Moon with an aggravated Mars in Aquarius in the 7^th; and a pro-active, amped-up Cardinal Grand Cross of disruptive Uranus opposition Venus square Pluto and square the North Node; with Pluto also sextile Neptune and the Sun.

The California state chart, 9 September 1850, is exactly on its Uranus Return now with Uranus also conjunct its Pluto – so on high alert for major changes; with a discouraging tr Pluto square its Saturn; and a debilitating Solar Arc Sun conjunct its Neptune.

Incredibly sad for young lives to end so uselessly especially at the hands of a veteran who clearly needed more help than he got.

‘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.