Syria is sliding back into the fog of war, just as it seemed to be coming to an end, albeit unhappily with Assad still in charge. Israel has launched raids against Iranian targets in Syria after saying it had intercepted an Iranian drone crossing the Israel border. Syria has accused the US of carrying out a “brutal massacre” with US air and artillery strikes killed an estimated 100 pro-government fighters. And the Kurdish battle for freedom seems to be escalating, which is unsettling Turkey. There appear to be myriad different groups fighting who have support from the US or Russia or Iran. All an unholy mess that could start up again.

Israel does have tr Uranus square its midheaven exactly now, suggesting a sharp change of direction; with the Eclipses colliding with their 10^th house Saturn Pluto (Lunar, January 31) and their Mars (Solar on February 15th). The Mars Eclipse link is combative and explosive. The late July Lunar Eclipse will oppose the Israel Moon; and the August Solar Eclipse will catch the Israel Saturn, so it will be a fraught year. Israel is feeling more isolated than before with tr Saturn moving through their 3^rd house.

The Israel relationship chart with Syria, 1 January 1944, will be undermining, suspicious, under huge pressure and worsening from early May onwards.

The relationship chart with Iran, 1 Feb 1979, has the composite Saturn opposing the Solar Eclipse this week, for a major jolt; with a further slide from April onwards.

Bashar Assad’s Presidency chart, always did look to be hitting its riskiest and most challenging phase from this month onwards for several years ahead, which didn’t make sense when I first looked at it, but now does. (See post Dec 15 2017). Tr Pluto is opposing Mars for the first time now, and repeating on and off till late 2019; then squaring the Sun/Mars midpoint and finally opposing the Sun until late 2021. That will be frustratingly and scarily trapped.

A heart-warming and heart-stopping story from the Winter Olympics. Red Gerard, a 17-year-old snowboarder from Cleveland came from last to win gold in a dizzying routine of a “Backside triple cork 1440”—  turning backwards off the take-off, four full rotations in the air (four times 360º is 1440º), and three off-axis dips to make it a triple. Televised when the result came through, all he could utter were several swear words and “Hoooly shiiiiit!”

He said he hadn’t expected to make the finals and crashed on his first two attempts. Then he stepped up to the podium to collect the US’s first gold of the games, became the youngest snowboarding gold medallist ever, and the country’s youngest male gold-medallist at the Winter Olympics since 1928.

Born 29 June 2000, the second youngest of seven, he’s a Sun Mars in Cancer on the focal point of a Yod inconjunct Pluto sextile Neptune. What’s fascinating about his chart is that it is similar to Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, 30 June 1985 who is also a Sun Mars in Cancer with Mars on the focal point of a Yod inconjunct Uranus Moon sextile Jupiter in Aquarius. If anything Phelps is the luckier chart, especially with that odd mid degree Aquarius placing which top athletes often have. Though Gerard does have Jupiter conjunct Saturn in Taurus square Uranus, so he’ll be nothing if not determined and adventurous.

Michael Barnier, chief EU negotiator for Brexit, has been issuing dire threats about a punishment clause that would allow Brussels to ground aircraft and block trade if the UK failed to obey EU rules during the transition period. Not only is he making himself even more unpopular in the UK, he’s becoming a serious concern to other EU countries, who worry if he pushes too hard it’ll turn into a no-deal Brexit. At that point the EU would lose a considerable sum of money and the damage to several EU economies would be considerable, with French farmers, German manufacturers, Spain’s tourism industry etc taking a hit. The Eastern European countries and Italy are also less than pleased about his bull-in-a-china-shop approach.

Born 9 Jan 1951 4.40pm La Tronche, France, he’s a Sun Capricorn square Neptune both of which are under assault from tr Pluto hard aspects this year, so it could turn into the worst time of his life. He’s also got a ruthless, unsubtle 8^th house Mars Moon in Aquarius opposition Pluto. He looks overly-stressed and on the edge this month with tr Uranus opposition his Mercury/Pluto midpoint. By early 2019, birth time being accurate, tr Neptune will conjunct his midheaven into 2020, so he won’t be celebrating a resounding success.

There is alarm on his relationship chart with the EU this month with tr Uranus opposition the composite Neptune; a weakening of confidence through this year as tr Saturn is conjunct the composite Jupiter; and a definite chill early in 2019 and on with tr Saturn conjunct the composite Sun Mars.

His relationship with Emmanuel Macron is showing signs of slippage from early this May onwards for two or three years with tr Neptune first opposing the composite Saturn, then Pluto; with increasing chill and separation through this year as well from tr Saturn conjunct the composite Sun.

With Merkel, now semi-established in a coalition government, there’s major confusion and aggravation between them from this March onwards as tr Pluto squares their composite Sun Neptune, moving on in 2019 to conjunct the composite Mars.

No one likes him or his bullying methods, which, if left unchecked,  could backfire into a spectacular shoot-in-the-foot exercise.

There’s been a mystifying Instagram spat between two Sex and the City stars Kim Catrall and Sarah Jessica Parker. Kim’s brother died this week after she had reported him missing and when Sarah sent her condolences, presumably publicly, she received a blast back from Kim: “Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now. Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven’t already) You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona.”   Even given her upset over a family death, it does seem an over-reaction, no matter what how strained their working relationship had been.

Kim Catrall, 21 August 1956, Liverpool, England, is an intense Sun Pluto in Leo in a bleak square to an obsessive Saturn in Scorpio; with her Saturn in a gritty trine to Mars in Pisces; and her Mars in an argumentative opposition to Mercury.

Sarah Jessica Parker, 25 March 1965 9am Nelsonville, Ohio, will be tricky as well. She has a charming and upfront Sun Venus in Aries; but also a tumultuous Uranus Mars Pluto in Virgo in her 4^th opposition Saturn and trine her 8^th house Capricorn Moon, so will bubble like a volcano with emotional undercurrents.

Their charts are not too badly aligned, though Kim’s Sun Pluto falls in Sarah’s 4^th which will put her on edge and squares Sarah’s confident Jupiter which may lead to one-upmanship games; and Kim’s Saturn is conjunct Sarah’s Descendant and opposition her Jupiter, so she will make Sarah feel put down.

Their relationship chart has a competitive composite Sun Mars inconjunct Saturn and widely square Pluto – all of which is very ratchety. And the composite Saturn opposes Jupiter for difficulties maintaining balance in their relationship. It’ll worsen from now onwards with tr Neptune squaring the composite Sun Mars in 2018/19.

The fallout from the resignation of White House staffer Rob Porter over domestic abuse charges continues to damage John Kelly, Trump and Hope Hicks. Abusive husbands are hardly confined to Republicans but the handling of the affair couldn’t have been worse. Porter had been refused security clearance because of his former wives’ statements so the White House must have known for months. Then Kelly supports him up to the hilt when the allegations surface, only to go into sharp reverse when it blew out of control. Trump naturally is inclined to disbelieve the women. Hope Hicks, evidently Porter’s present squeeze, is boot-faced. Trump has form on this since several of his choices have suffered similar claims – Steve Bannon, Corey Lewandowski, Andrew Puzder and even POTUS himself (Ivana Trump) – as well as endorsing child molester Roy Moore and being a long-term friend of Steve Wynn. (See URL below).

John Kelly comes out of it badly since he was there to impose control and sanity. Yet one commentator said: ‘He’s been a real failure. Kelly has reinforced Trump’s worst instincts. Trump is a human wrecking ball and Kelly is his biggest enabler.” (URL below)

There’s nothing much on Kelly’s relationship chart with Trump to suggests a split (without his birth time) though he evidently wouldn’t be unhappy to leave and he will be exceptionally enraged/frustrated (more so) from March onwards until late 2019. He’s a stalwart Taurus Sun trine Saturn and Mars in Virgo, so not one for bending in the breeze or making impulsive moves. It’s a restrictive crossover for Trump, since Kelly’s Mars squares Trump’s Sun and Moon; and Kelly’s Saturn squares Trump’s Uranus.

Rob Porter, 25 October 1977 is a Sun Mercury in Scorpio square Mars in last degree Cancer – so will be volatile, and on a short-fuse. He’s also got an intensely emotional Venus Pluto in Libra perhaps opposition an Aries Moon, which sits as a singleton planet.

It’s an odd relationship with Hope Hicks, 21 October 1988, since her Libra Sun is square his Mars, which can provide sparks early on then turn argumentative later. Their relationship chart is worse with a bleak, controlling composite Sun Saturn Pluto inconjunct Mars; with a passionate composite Mars trine Venus. It doesn’t look like surviving much longer with tr Uranus moving to oppose and square the main planets within weeks.

The relationship chart between Hicks and Trump is basically friendly and affectionate with a composite Sun, Mercury, Venus though also based on illusions leading to disappoint with a Neptune square. It’s hitting a low this month with tr Neptune square the composite Mars; and is essentially an unstable link with a composite Uranus opposition Pluto. She looks shaken up come this April as tr Uranus starts to oppose her Sun, on and off into 2019.

Never a dull week in the Oval office.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/09/john-kelly-from-the-designated-white-house-grownup-to-trumps-enabler

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/09/why-domestic-abusers-trump-white-house

Kim Yo Yong, the Dear Leader’s sister, has been shipped into South Korea to grace the Winter Olympics. Locals are doubtful about the North Korean peace initiative, being suspicious about what comes next.

She was born 26 September 1987 (on best evidence) making her a charming and elusive Sun Venus in Libra square Neptune; with a confident Mercury in Libra opposition Jupiter in Aries; and an tough, volatile Mars in Virgo square Saturn Uranus in Sagittarius. She looks stressed and challenged from March onwards and panicky come April as tr Neptune starts to square her Saturn; with worse in 2019 as tr Uranus is in a high-risk opposition to her Mars/Saturn midpoint.

She certainly fits as the diplomatic face of Kim Jong Un’s administration since her Sun Venus fall in the 7^th house of the leadership chart. Her slippery Neptune is conjunct the Leadership 10^th house Sun Pluto, as she has tap-danced into a position of power; with her Moon Pluto in the leadership 8^th giving her behind-the-throne control.

On that chart Uranus has moved by Solar Arc to close the square to the Sun to exact, exactly now. That is often a destabilising influence. Though Uranus, the trickster, can sometimes bring the opposite result, with new opportunities opening up. Solar Arc Uranus will then move to square the Pluto  exactly in two and a half months’ time. There will be tensions and outbursts come mid April onwards with tr Uranus opposition the Saturn; and pressure along with risk from mid July.

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Black Panther, the latest Marvel offering, premiered in LA to rave reviews with a 98% from Rotten Tomatoes and 4/5 from Den of Geek. The Variety review called it: “a giddily enjoyable, convention-bucking 134-minute epic that somehow manages to simultaneously be a comic-book blockbuster, a pulsating espionage thriller and an Afro-futurist family saga.”

Production started by 21 January 2017 with a powerfully confident Jupiter opposition Uranus square Pluto which augured well; and it premiered with a Pluto Jupiter sextile, so the stars were aligned.

Ryan Coogler directed, 23 May 1986, whose previous movies have earned him several awards. He’s a multi-talented and serious Sun Mercury in Gemini opposition Saturn (Moon) in Sagittarius. He’s looking upbeat this month for the premiere with tr Uranus trine his Sun/Jupiter midpoint; certainly in year of tumultuous change. Though along with the ups there’ll be a few setbacks ahead as well.

Chadwick Boseman, the star, 29 November 1977, Anderson SC, was previously the lead in the movie ‘Marshall’ about the first Afro-American Supreme Court Judge and James Brown in ‘Get On Up’. He is a Sun Sagittarius in a dynamic trine to Mars in Leo, sextiling onto Pluto, and his Sun square a hard-working square to Saturn in Virgo. He’s also looking chipper with tr Pluto trine his Sun/Jupiter and tr Uranus trine his Jupiter/Pluto this month. With even better ahead in 2019/2020. Though oddly both he and Coogler have tr Neptune opposition their Mars/Pluto midpoint this month as well which might suggest something isn’t going quite to plan.

George Soros, billionaire, philanthropist and a pro-active campaigner for democracy arouses strong reactions. Some applaud his fight against apartheid, his support for the LGBT community, for opponents of communist regimes, for persecuted minorities like the Roma and for freedom of expression and human rights. Others, especially right-wingers, nationalists and populists call him a “globalist criminal mastermind”. Now the UK Telegraph has run a heated piece, by Theresa May’s ousted sidekick Nick Timothy, accusing him of trying to fund a Brexit reversal.

Born 12 August 1930 in Budapest, he survived the Holocaust and came to the US, building up a fortune through investments. He’s a Sun Leo in an innovative trine to Uranus, sextiling onto a pro-active Mars in Gemini. But what marks his chart out as a go-getter is the tough-minded Saturn in Capricorn opposition Jupiter (Pluto) in Cancer square Uranus of the Depression generation, some of whom rose to be movers and shakers.

He is notorious for being ‘the man who broke the Bank of England’ in 1992 by taking short positions against the pound over the ERM debacle, and making himself billions in the process.

His chart is certainly keyed into the UK’s with his Pluto exactly conjunct the UK 10^th house Moon, giving him the urge to take control, with his Jupiter conjunct the MC and opposition the UK Sun. His Uranus is in the UK 7^th conjunct the UK Aries North Node, so he’s either divisive or he spurs the country on to new opportunities. Probably more the former since his focal point Mars opposes the UK Mercury; and his Leo Sun is square the UK 2^nd house Neptune, so not trusted especially where finances are concerned.

The UK/Soros relationship chart is strained and aggravated with a composite Sun Saturn inconjunct Mars – and that’s just the basic chemistry. From March there’ll be a tussle going on to see who’ll have the upper hand; with a blowout of tension in very late April/early May, repeating into 2019 with tr Uranus opposition the composite Sun Saturn.

At his age it’s difficult to tell what effect the influences will have. But if he’s still standing, 2019 looks deflating and less bullish with tr Saturn opposing his Jupiter Pluto and square is Uranus.

Billionaire Elon Musk made history this week when his SpaceX company sent Falcon Heavy, the most powerful rocket on Earth, up into space, with a Tesla car strapped on as payload. The intention is for Falcon Heavy to carry humans into space, though there are no plans at present for crewed missions to the Moon or Mars. The car, having been set free, is now drifting away from earth, having overshot the intended Mars orbit and will end up in the asteroid belt. Two out of the three rockets landed safely back on earth, the third malfunctioned and self-destructed as it hit the ocean at 500 mph.

The launch was at 3.45pm 6 February 2018 Merritt island, Florida, which puts innovative Uranus in the 10^th. There’s nothing too remarkable about the chart, apart from an adventurous Mars in Sagittarius in the flamboyant 5^th, but it’s blocked in a semi-square to Pluto and square the Uranus/Pluto midpoint, which Ebertin describes as fanatical and accident-prone. And the Sun is conjunct the Neptune/Pluto midpoint which can hint at confusion and strange ideas.

Back down on earth Musk’s electric car company Tesla has reported the largest losses to date as they struggle with production problems. He looks to be in a fairly discouraging year with tr Saturn opposition his Cancer Sun and square his Uranus; with a shocking-collision or setback Solar Arc Mars square his Sun as well. His luck will turn brighter in 2019 with tr Uranus opposition his Jupiter/Uranus midpoint though Neptune is trailing around until 2020 bringing a fair few disappointments. Where he kicks into a much better gear is around 2022/23 when tr Pluto is sextile his Jupiter and square his Jupiter/Pluto midpoint. So a ways to go.