Eliud Kipchoge, the Kenyan reckoned the best distance runner of all time will compete in tomorrow’s Berlin Marathon. He has won nine of the 10 marathons he has entered, including Berlin twice, is the reigning Olympic champion and has never sustained a serious injury. His formula is –  Motivation + Discipline = Consistency.

Born 5 November 1984 in rural Kenya, he ran to school since there was no transport and was helped into competitive sport as a teenager by a local athlete who had returned home from the US to run training programmes.

He has his Sun in Scorpio conjunct Saturn with Pluto and Mercury also in Scorpio – so he’s not short of determination or endurance, despite his slight size and weight of 5 foot 6 and 115 pounds. His Saturn is in a disciplined sextile to Mars in Capricorn; and his Pluto is in a confident sextile to Jupiter, with his Mars in aspect to his Jupiter/Pluto midpoint. His Uranus is conjunct his Mars/Pluto midpoint and his Pluto aspects his Sun/Mars – all of which make sense for a brutal sport requiring a punishing training schedule and extreme mental discipline to overcome pain and fatigue. Which just goes to show there are ways of using difficult aspects in a chart and turning them to constructive ends.

His chart has some similarities to Dennis Kipruto Kimetto, the present marathon world record holder, 22 January 1984, who has an Aquarius Sun square Pluto Mars in Scorpio with Saturn also in Scorpio. He also has Jupiter sextile Pluto; and his Pluto aspects his Sun/Mars midpoint.

Of the other four marathon champions’ charts I looked at – Kiprotich, Tergat, Bikla, Gebrselassie – all have their Jupiter/Pluto midpoint in aspect to one of their planets, as well as either Mars/Saturn or Mars/Pluto.

Kiprotich has a formidably tough-minded Mars, Saturn, Pluto in Libra inconjunct his Pisces Sun which squares Neptune. And Tergat has a powerhouse Pluto, Jupiter, Uranus in Virgo square his Gemini Sun, with his Sun inconjunct his Neptune.  Neptune also surprisingly often turns up in athletes’ charts, giving the lie to its reputation for wimpy low energy.

Daniel Kaiser-Küblböck, a former German Pop Idol phenomenon, known as Wacky Daniel for his androgynous appearance and Rosa Luxembourg alter-ego has disappeared overboard off a cruise ship in Newfoundland waters. His family says he was likely larking about on the rail and fell though other passengers say he was acting oddly beforehand, seemed lonely and had an ‘incident’ with a bartender. He took the cruise to recover from what he claimed was bullying at an theatre acting school he was attending.

Born 27 August 1985 2.47 am Hutthurm, Passau, Germany, he had a Virgo Sun trine Neptune and sextile a 4^th house Pluto in Scorpio; with a 4^th house Saturn in Scorpio square Mars – so a stressful, cold and scary childhood. One brother, a neo-Nazi, died from a heroin overdose.  He had maverick Uranus in his performing 5^th in a high-wire and overly excitable trine to Mars Mercury in flamboyant Leo. His Capricorn Moon opposed Venus in Cancer on his Ascendant, perhaps inclining him to his female alter-ego as an escape from the overly-tough masculine energies in his chart, stemming from his father.

His Sun was square his Neptune/Pluto midpoint which can be fairly off-the-wall and prone to delusions. He also had an expansive Pluto opposition Taurus Node square Jupiter in Aquarius in his 7^th so he did have confidence and the ability to please. But it wasn’t strong enough to balance out his stressed emotional life.

It’s been a tricky year for him: Tr Uranus had been opposition his Pluto for several weeks running into last weekend, which would make him feel he was sitting on an earthquake, not so much of anger, but a seismic shift, which would make him feel out of control. Tr Uranus was also opposition his Sun/Neptune midpoint which wouldn’t help him think clearly. Tr Saturn was in a heavy sextile to his Pluto; having been in a blocked square to Sun/Pluto and Mercury/Saturn in the weeks before which would be discouraging.

Relocating his chart to Newfoundland put his Moon on his midheaven and Saturn in his 7^th, with Uranus and Neptune in his 8^th, so not a great region for him.

His creative though can-be-unstable 7^th Harmonic was strong; as was his ‘victim’ 12H. A troubled soul who had his five minutes of fame but couldn’t sustain his success.

Princess Diana’s lover, Islamic art expert Oliver Hoare has died. He was the most passionate of her string of liaisons as her marriage cracked and she dreamed of running away to Italy with him. He was married with three children, luckily for him to a French wife more laid back about extra-marital flings than most, and he wouldn’t leave them. He was a friend of Prince Charles before and after the affair in that odd laissez-faire aristo way. It came to public notice after she and Hoare broke up when he reported obsessive numbers of nuisance silent phone calls which were traced back to Princess Diana.

Born 18 July 1945 (Times obit) he was a Sun, Saturn in Cancer with a Scorpio Moon. His Mars in Taurus was conjunct her 5^th house Venus in Taurus so there would be a powerful attraction; and his Moon was conjunct her Neptune, trine her Sun Mercury and square her Jupiter so he would stir up her dreams and fantasies.

Their relationship chart had a frivolous, indulgent composite Jupiter opposition Venus with Jupiter square Pluto, so for a while it would feel empowering. But there was an insurmountable composite Neptune opposition Saturn square Sun Mars Uranus conjunction. Neptune Saturn can give rise to paranoia and Uranus Neptune can be fanatical. The tr Uranus Neptune in Capricorn was stirring up that T Square when they split in 1994 and she clearly went into meltdown. Tr Pluto would also be opposing her Venus which would stoke up the intensity of her feelings.

Prince Charles’ Scorpio Sun opposed her Venus which would give a frisson of attraction, but his Uranus fell in her 7^th house of one-to-one relationships, so it was never going to work. Plus a dose of competitiveness from his Mars on her Ascendant; and the relationship chart had an exact composite Mars Neptune which leads to only-one-can-win-games. One succeeds, the other feels diminished, so the opposite of mutually supportive.

Will Carling, the rugby player – a lively Sun Sagittarius opposition Jupiter square Uranus Pluto –  and Hasnat Khan, the heart surgeon – a Sun Venus in Aquarius with a Cancer/Leo Moon – who were also her lovers, both had Venus in Aquarius conjunct her Jupiter which would  boost her confidence. Dodi Fayed would have offered her a home with his Aries Sun on her IC, but that wouldn’t have worked either.

She seemed destined not to find a committed partner who would suit her Gemini Descendant.   Searching but never finding.

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Hungary under Viktor Orban has been accused by the EU parliament over breaches of the EU’s core values – attacks on the media, minorities, and the rule of law. All hotly denied. More than two-thirds of MEPs backed the censure motion – the first such vote against a member state under EU rules – and it now has to go to national leaders with the likelihood of a split between conservatives and nationalists on whether to pursue punitive measures.

Hungary joined the EU on 1 May 2004 which chart has a hostile Mars opposition Pluto; as well as a beneficial Sun trine Jupiter, sextile Saturn; plus an opportunistic Jupiter opposition Uranus. So benefits from EU funding but resentment about interference in internal affairs.

The EU/Hungary relationship chart has tr Pluto square the composite Uranus in 2018/2019 so there were always going to be ructions, though nothing terminal, at least for a few years ahead.

Orban’s 3^rd Term chart, 10 May 2018 12pm has a lucky, talented, super-ambitious and controlling Half Grand sextile of Sun opposition Jupiter, sextile/trine Pluto and Neptune. But it also has an explosive (Pluto) Mars square Uranus Mercury which will create rolling crises.

The Hungary, 23 October 1989 12pm Budapest chart, is downbeat and edgy at the moment with tr Saturn conjunct Uranus, Saturn, Ascendant and Neptune and opposition Jupiter, all before the end of this year. And is also being jangled this year into early 2019 by tr Uranus opposition the Scorpio Sun. Exactly now tr Pluto is square the 9^th house Mercury for nervous irritation over criticism and sharp responses. Tr Neptune is also in an undermining square to the financial Venus in 2018/2019.

Then in 2019/2020 tr Pluto squares the Hungary Mars for a deeply frustrating and enraging phase. Being 9^th house it is likely to be centred on legal matters and relations with neighbouring countries. By 2020 tr Uranus moves into the 4^th, opposing the midheaven and starting six years of domestic unrest.

They are facing a tough few years ahead.

The full-scale trade war Trump is ramping up with China may be rooted in justifiable resentment about unfair practices as  China has aggressively undercut the global market with state subsidies and systematic cyber theft and forced technology transfer. But he’s playing his usual game of chicken which is making the markets and companies like Apple, Cisco, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and General Motors extremely nervous. One commentator said: “I don’t see any off-ramp. There is going to have to be a lot of pain before anybody backs away.”

Trump’s trade war strategy completely overlooks modern-day interlocking global supply chains. If he charges ahead as he has promised he will be shutting down Sino-American Pacific trade. Playing who blinks first could be playing with fire.

Trump’s relationship chart with China has an awesomely difficult composite Pluto, Sun, Saturn, Mars conjunction so no surprises it presses his hot buttons. And his chart relocated to China puts his explosive Mars and hostile Pluto straddling the Descendant.

His relationship chart with Xi Jinping has a power-struggling-for-the-upper-hand composite Jupiter Pluto, so for either to back down won’t be a palatable option.  It will get heated come this December and January 2019 with tr Uranus square the composite Mars.

The USA/China relationship chart looks fraught this month and next; and will be edgy and deflated in 2019 but nothing too dramatic.

Trump’s view is if he slaps on trade tariffs that China will bend the knee and give in. Though as per usual he’s almost certainly under estimated his opponent and once Wall Street starts showing the effects he may have to back off.

See China economy post August 16 2018.

Hurricane Florence is brewing up to be the “the storm of a lifetime” as it heads for the Carolina coast in the USA. Reckoned to be the worst storm for at least 25 years in the region it has led to nearly 2 million people being evacuated with fears of catastrophic impacts, from damaging winds to flash flooding to widespread power outages.

The recent 11^th August Solar Eclipse set for that location has the focal point Uranus on the midheaven squaring Node on the Ascendant opposition Mars – and that is an explosive energy.

South Carolina, 23 May 1788, looks more badly affected than North Carolina, with a swampy, devastating tr Pluto and Solar Arc Sun both square the SC Neptune this month and next. And the SC Pluto in Aquarius (opposition Mars) was also triggered by the August Leo Eclipse.  Solar Arc Saturn is also approaching within less than a degree to a jolting, high-tension square to the SC Uranus, so the aftermath will be long drawn out and troublesome.

The previous late July Lunar Eclipse has Neptune on the IC; and the 13 July Cancer Solar Eclipse has Neptune on the Ascendant.

Neptune, god of the ocean, on full throttle.

Ryanair’s pessimistically cautious outlook for the year appears to be accurate with 450 flights cancelled in August from strikes and more planned tomorrow in Germany. They are in a better position than some airlines, having reported record annual results with a 10% hike for last year. But they are running into headwinds with higher costs.

The Ryanair chart, 5 July 1985, is in a state of high nervous tension this year with tr Neptune square the Uranus plus a disruptive tr Uranus opposition Pluto. But 2019 looks worse. With an agitated, insecure and shocked Solar Arc Uranus opposition Mars; and Solar Arc financial Venus in a disappointing opposition to Neptune; plus tr Saturn opposition the aggressively go-ahead Sun Mars which hints at more setbacks.

Michael O’Leary, the mouthy CEO, 20 March 1961, similarly looks shell-shocked in 2019 with a dead-halt and acutely frustrating and enraging Solar Arc Mars conjunct Pluto; and a debilitating, panicky-failure Solar Arc Neptune opposition his Mars in late 2019/early 2020. He may buck up in 2020/21 with Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct his Sun.

His relationship with David Bonderman, non-exec chairman, looks jittered and jangled this year and next as well.

Brazil’s National Museum fire earlier this month was like “a lobotomy of the Brazilian memory” said a curator, as much of its archive of 20 million items of historical and scientific importance is believed to have been destroyed. Often when there is a disaster of this magnitude it precedes, with eerie syncronicity, a seismic change in the country.

The upcoming October elections are in chaos with the left-wing mired in corruption scandals and the right-wing candidate suffering life-threatening injuries last week from a stabbing while on the campaign trail. The Brazilian currency is on a fast downward slide and the economy at extreme risk.  There is even talk of a possible military takeover at some point.

The Brazil 7 September 1822 4.30pm Piranga chart has been undermined this year by tr Neptune opposition the Virgo Sun, which will be in place across the election (October 7 to 28) repeating till early 2019; as well as tr Saturn square the Pluto conjunct the Neptune Uranus, the latter also across the election first round.

2019 and 2020 look extremely unsettled with major confusion then a considerable jolt with Solar Arc Sun square the Brazil Neptune and then Uranus; and tr Uranus opposition the Mars in 2019 and then conjunct the Saturn in Taurus in 2020. That looks prone to violence and military interference.

The military coup of October 1930 also had tr Saturn in early Capricorn; and the coup of 1964 has Solar Arc Saturn square the Brazil Neptune Uranus. Conditions don’t look quite as severe at the moment as either earlier coup but the country won’t be finding its feet until at least the early 2020s.

Royal biographies are notoriously sanitised. The Quest for Queen Mary is a new book compiled from the unexpurgated interview notes from an earlier biography of the Queen’s grandmother. Max Hastings describes it as ‘arguably the most riotously funny volume published this year.’ ‘The book conveys, in a fashion that no republican could improve upon, the tedium, ghastliness and sheer battiness of life around monarchs.’

Ramrod straight and imperious, Queen Mary was a renowned kleptomaniac, demanding pieces she liked from the grand houses she visited. During the war she took over Badminton House with 55 servants, forcing the Beauforts who owned it to live in two rooms and watch aghast as she had their trees felled. She enjoyed being read to, sometimes for up to seven hours at a stretch by a hapless lady-in-waiting who was eventually sacked for lacking fortitude.

Engaged to be married to Queen Victoria’s eldest son, she stepped down a brother after he died of flu, and married George V whose main excitement in life was stamp collecting.

She treated her children with coldness, typical of the day, which sent the Duke of Windsor into the arms of Wallis Simpson and rendered King George V1 into debilitating nervousness. Prince George, Duke of Kent, had a drug problem and strings of affairs with men and women, including Barbara Cartland and the later Duchess of Argyll; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester had a scandalous affair with Beryl Markham. Three of her sons including the young epileptic Prince John predeceased her; and she died weeks before Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.

Born 26 May 1867 11.59pm London she was a Sun Gemini with Moon Jupiter in Pisces trine Uranus, which might have made her fun. What dominated her chart, however was Saturn in Scorpio opposition Pluto square Mars in Leo – and that is hard, unyielding, bound to a life of duty. Her Uranus in the 5th house of children does hint at the wayward bunch she produced. Her Venus in Taurus would give her a love of beautiful things.

Her husband George V, 3 June 1865 1.18am London, with whom by all accounts she had a steady marriage, was not dissimilar to her being a Sun Gemini with (also like her) Venus, Pluto, Mercury in Taurus. Though it was hardly a match of great passion since both their Saturns fell in the others 8^th house of intimacy.

Their relationship chart had a chained-together composite Saturn opposition Pluto Venus square Mars opposition Jupiter – an overload of duty, aggravation, the forced sacrifice of individual identity and a good deal of largesse.   Mars in the composite 5^th might also point to boisterous children who provoked anger.

Scraps from a bygone era. But she was a powerful influence in Queen Elizabeth’s childhood, perhaps re-enforcing the obsessively dutiful Saturn in Scorpio they both share. Though in HM Queen’s case it is conjunct her midheaven and devoted to work first and foremost.  The Queen’s Taurus Sun was conjunct Queen Mary’s Venus and the Queen’s Venus in Pisces was conjunct her grandmother’s Moon Jupiter so there would be affection.  But that relationship chart was tough going with a composite Sun, Uranus, Mars, Moon opposition Saturn square Jupiter – not exactly playful.