Russian spies – short on intelligence

    

 

A degree of black comedy (very black) is emerging from the Sergei Skripal bungled novichok poisoning in Salisbury in March. The two GRU operatives (Russian foreign intelligence, the equivalent of CIA, MI6) have been identified by Bellingcat, a citizen journalist website, and appear to have been equally inefficient about hiding their identities. An irate Putin, according to reports, ticked off the GRU head personally.

One of the Salisbury poisoners, Alexander Mishkin, 13 July 1979, is a military doctor, who was given a Hero of Russia Award for his work in Crimea/Ukraine. He’s a Sun Cancer square Pluto trine Uranus, inconjunct Neptune; with an afflicted Mars in Gemini opposition Neptune, square Saturn North Node, trine Pluto and probably square a Pisces Moon – well-suited to tough conditions, cruelty and acting under orders.   Tr Pluto was exactly opposition his Sun in March when he came across to the UK and will be so again this December.

Anatoliy Chepiga, 5 April 1979, reportedly his partner in crime, is a colonel in the GRU, also highly awarded for his service in the Chechen War (which was very brutal) and in Crimea. He is a pro-active, controlling and ambitious Sun Aries opposition Pluto trine Neptune. His Mars in Pisces is trine Jupiter in Cancer trine Uranus and his Mars is opposition his Saturn/Pluto midpoint described by Ebertin as violence, ruthlessness.

Assuming it’s all true, it’s a humiliation for Putin, whose 4th Term chart, 7 May 2018 11.05 am Moscow, always did look crisis-ridden with Uranus Mercury on the midheaven square Mars Pluto – and that is being rattled this November and February 2019 as tr Uranus returns to its natal position; with considerable pressures, which mounted through this year, continuing and escalating in 2019/2020 as tr Pluto starts to square the Mars/Pluto midpoint for high frustration and rage; much worse in 2021/22 when tr Pluto is conjunct the Mars.

His own personal chart is being shaken at the moment with tr Pluto opposition his Uranus for the final time and in November to mid December squaring his Saturn/Neptune midpoint which is seriously depressive or ill. He also has another year of the confusing/devastating tr Pluto square his Neptune and ditto for the undermining tr Neptune square his Sun/Node midpoint; plus in 2019/2020 tr Pluto road-blocking a couple of his Mars midpoints; and worse in 2020/21 when tr Pluto squares his Mars/Pluto midpoint.  He looks hemmed in every which way. Though it won’t stop him meddling in Eastern Europe.

Peter Dinklage – a talent to overcome all

  

 

Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister in the fabulously successful Game of Thrones now heading for its final season, has had a sterling career with 58 nominations and 12 awards, including three PrimeTime Emmys and a Golden Globe for GOT.

Born 11 June 1969 1.37 am Point Pleasant, New Jersey, he has a powerfully confident and successful chart with a quick-witted 3rd house Gemini Sun in a Mutable Grand Cross opposition MC square a super-charged Pluto, Jupiter, Uranus in Virgo opposition a Pisces North Node on his Ascendant. Jupiter Pluto gives him luck, drive and determination; Jupiter Uranus a willingness to take risks and adventurous; aspecting the Node and his midheaven ties his career into the zeitgeist.

He’s got an outspoken Mercury opposition Mars in lively Sagittarius. And a Venus, Saturn, Moon conjunction in Taurus giving him staying power and stubbornness at holding out for what he wants. He was born with dwarfism and refused in his career, even at the start, to play stereotypical roles.

His latest venture My Dinner with Herve, which he spent several years co-producing and writing as well as starring in, will air on HBO on October 20th .

He’s got a good deal of mileage ahead career-wise with tr Saturn in his upper quadrant for the next seven years keeping the work rolling in; with another major success in the early 2020s when tr Pluto trines his Jupiter.

His actor’s 15th Harmonic is, not surprisingly, well aspected.

 

Thomas Harris – attached to the flesh

    

 

Thomas Harris, the novelist best known for Hannibal Lecter is publishing a new book next year to much excitement, his first for over a decade.

A notoriously private man, not much is known about his life. He was born 22 September 1940, became a journalist covering the police beat and produced his first novel Black Sunday in his mid 30s which was only a moderate success. He wrote Red Dragon six years later which introduced Hannibal Lecter but it was the sequel, Silence of the Lambs, in 1988 which shot him to prominence. According to wiki he talked to his mother every day and discussed his books with her. He’s been married twice; and is a Cordon Bleu cook.

He’s probably a last degree Virgo Sun (unless born at ten to midnight) with his Sun conjunct Neptune and Mars in Virgo and all trine Uranus in Taurus. Neptune Mars attracts him to publicity and films; Uranus Neptune is inspired; Virgo is a writer’s sign; and can be reclusive. It’s a very earthy chart with a Jupiter Saturn conjunction also in Taurus which trines his Mars.  And he has a Gemini Moon.

There’s nothing especially brutal about his chart, though his creative 5th and 7th Harmonics join Saturn into a harder aspect to Mars, which has overtones of cruelty. That plus an overdose of Earth in his natal chart will incline him towards the flesh and baser reality. His writer’s 21st Harmonic links the Sun to a Neptune Pluto conjunction which points to great success.

Next year sees his Solar Arc Jupiter move to conjunct his Pluto which should bring a boost to his finances and status; though it’s quickly followed by Solar Arc Saturn conjunct Pluto – so an exuberant high and then a more sombre mood.

Brett Kavanaugh – no happy honeymoon ahead

    

 

Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in to the Supreme Court around 7pm last night 6 October. This puts a controlling/dominating Pluto in the 10th square the Libra Sun and trine a Virgo Moon – all of which makes sense of a confirmation rammed through with maximum force. There’s also an exact disappointed-woman Neptune opposition the Moon. Both the Moon and Neptune are in aspect to the Mars/Pluto midpoint – which Ebertin describes as ‘injury caused to a woman’ as well as ‘cunning and deceitful.’

For a man who’s got what he wanted he doesn’t look too exuberant from transits to his midpoints with a couple of tr Saturn downers in November; a disputatious and loss-making December/January 2019; and a continuing run of Neptune transits to midpoints, some of them damaging, right through from now till early 2020. Plus tr Pluto is aiming to undercut his best laid plans from April 2019, on and off till late 2020, to which he’ll respond with displays of confidence, but he won’t be happy. It’s unlikely he’ll be impeached though there are moves afoot to query certain of his confirmation hearing claims.

His relationship with SCOTUS itself looks uncertain, clouded in suspicion from late this month till late December.

And his relationship chart with the USA is ploughing through murky waters from early 2019 through till late 2020 with tr Pluto square the composite Venus and Neptune as well, which also tugs on the disruptive composite Uranus right through into the early 2020s. Plus a destabilising tr Uranus conjunct the composite Sun Mercury in 2019 and square Mars in 2020.

Not a popular appointment and the story may have a ways to run yet.

Jamal Khashoggi – exiled Saudi critic vanishes

    

 

Lurid tales of torture, murder and dismemberment are emerging from Turkish officials about the fate of missing Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS). He disappeared, last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday. Analysts say it is inconceivable that such a claim would have been made without firm grounds.

Born 13 October 1958 in Medina, Khashoggi has a Libra Sun under pressure from the tr Pluto square this year. More pointedly he has a Mars in Gemini square Pluto which has moved by Solar Arc to collide with his Neptune which is a nasty mix and would be expected to accompany very unpleasant experiences.

His relationship chart with MBS has a power-struggling composite Sun Pluto with tr Saturn exactly square the Pluto at the moment. And that Pluto is opposition Mars, so it is a bitterly hostile relationship.

MBS who was initially seen as a hope for constructive reform in Saudi Arabia has damaged that reputation with the humanitarian crisis in Yemen caused by his reckless military action; and his suppression of dissidents and activists.

MBS’s bro-romance with Trump and more so Jared Kushner look to be hitting a wobbly patch. With Trump from as early as mid this month with tr Uranus square the composite Sun and then Venus, with a Neptunian disappointment towards the New Year and running into early 2019. With Kushner, the bumps are occurring at the moment and more so in December/January 2019 and beyond with tr Uranus opposition the composite Saturn and square the composite Pluto.

MBS’s own chart is moving through a bumpy phase with a nervy, highly-strung tr Neptune square his Uranus until late this December; and into early 2019 he’s picking up the tr Uranus opposition his Pluto and squaring his Venus – which looks like upheavals, disruptions and emotional shocks. But his Pluto does square Jupiter natally so he’s lucky and not short of bullish self-confidence.

Tina Turner – still climbing mountains

    

 

The irrepressible Tina Turner has written her autobiography called My Love Story from her earliest cotton-picking days in Nutbush, Tennessee through her rise to fame alongside Ike Turner, who beat her up for 20 years. It finishes with her finding her soulmate, getting cancer and nearly dying from kidney failure until her husband gave her one of his in 2017.

She has sold more than 200 million records and more concert tickets than any other solo performer.

She was born 26 November 1939 10.10 pm Nutbush, TN and had a fractured childhood, being separated from her sibling and farmed out to grandparents and then her mother left suddenly because of her husband’s abuse of her.

Tina has a 4th house Sun Mercury in Sagittarius opposition a 10th house Gemini Moon square a 7th house Mars in Pisces – a focal point Mutable Mars is a hint of why she has such an energetic, high-wire stage presence and act.  Her lucky 8th house Jupiter opposes Neptune squaring onto Venus in Sagittarius in her performing 5th house giving her a vibrant charm and a head-in-the-clouds streak that would see her through the bad days. Her Sun trines a 12th house Pluto and her Jupiter making for a confident, talented, though hidden Fire/Water Grand Trine, focussed onto musical Neptune. She also has the generational creative Neptune trine a 10th house maverick Uranus; with her Uranus also sextile Jupiter.

Her forced-to-be-self-reliant Saturn in Aries is in the 9th, a pointer to her religious grandparents and her later Buddhist beliefs.

Tina is inner wheel; Erwin outer.

Erwin Bach, her present German husband, an EMI executive, who has been by her side for over 30 years was born 24 January 1956, and is a Sun Aquarius opposition Uranus square Neptune in Scorpio so more fixed and steadier than she is. He shares a Gemini Moon with Tina and his Venus is conjunct her 7th house Mars softening her previous tendencies to aim for overly-assertive/angry partners. It won’t be the easiest of relationships since his Mars Saturn is conjunct her Sun Mercury and opposition her Moon.

But their relationship chart is extraordinarily strong with a composite Air Grand Trine of Jupiter (Moon) trine Saturn trine Neptune, formed into a Kite by a tied-together Saturn opposition Pluto.

Whereas her relationship chart with Ike Turner had a brutal, dominating composite Mars opposition Pluto (Moon).

Her recent run of serious illness was when her Progressed Mars was conjunct her Saturn.

She’ll be an unbelievable 80 next year and here’s hoping that she keeps on flowing.

Heidi Heitkamp – between a rock and a hard place

    

 

Heidi Heitkamp, a Junior Senator from the pro-Trump state of North Dakota is described as a centrist Democrat, though she’s voted often for Trump policies, is pro-NRA and pro-bank deregulation. She was formerly an Attorney General and Tax Commissioner.

She’ll have a problem whichever she votes on the Kavanaugh confirmation. She’s one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the midterms and risks alienating conservative voters if she goes against Kavanaugh’s confirmation; and voting for him would bring a backlash among her core supporters.

Born 30 October 1955 in Breckenridge, Minnesota, she arrived two days after Bill Gates, so has that formidably strong and confident Jupiter Pluto in Leo square Venus Saturn in Scorpio. Her Scorpio Sun is square Uranus so she’s a maverick and will go her own way.

Kavanaugh’s Neptune square Aquarius Sun is at odds with her Saturn Venus and Jupiter Pluto – so she’ll find him slippery, less than rigorous in his approach. His head-in-the-clouds, overly-confident and indulgent Jupiter in Taurus opposition Neptune will also jar with her more conscientious Saturn in Scorpio.

[Her chart on inner wheel; Kavanaugh’s on outer. I’m still struggling with Janus 5 update and haven’t had time to sort out the settings.]

 

Their relationship chart is good and bad – with a friendly composite Sun Venus in a needs-space trine to Uranus; and a very wobbly, blow-hot blow-cold Saturn opposition Jupiter in a wide square to Mars. That focal point composite Mars is getting the tr Saturn square exactly now till mid month which does look aggravated, irritable and blocked.

She does look alarmed and under pressure at the moment with her Mars/Saturn midpoint getting the tr Uranus opposition so she’ll know she’s stuck between a rock and a hard place.  And she certainly doesn’t look on a winning streak over the midterms with tr Pluto square her Mars/Neptune which is generally a no-no for elections.  December/January 2019 look edgy and discouraged with frustrations through 2019/2020; but also a resurgence of her confidence at the same time.

She might just vote against him and take the consequences.

World debt heading for the buffers

    

 

Warnings of a possible financial meltdown in the world economy are mounting with the IMF being the latest to raise alerts that all the reforms needed to protect the system have not been put in place. Global debt levels are well above those pre-the 2008 crash. They pointed to the growth of global banks such as JP Morgan and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China which are now of a size that is too-big-to-fail and beyond anything around in 2008.

See previous post: Pluto in Capricorn – lessons not learnt. September 22 2018.

Last night’s BBC documentary on RBS: ‘The Bank That Nearly Broke Britain’ was timely. When the RBS management’s overwheening arrogance and cavalier disregard of caution sent the bank (the largest in the world at that point) into near bankruptcy in 2008, the Treasury had to step in with taxpayers’ money to save the country.

RBS, 31 May 1727 JC, at that point, had their autocratic Saturn square Uranus moved by Solar Arc to collide with their natal Mars in stubborn, acquisitive Taurus; with tr Neptune in a panicky-failure square to Mars as well. The economically-unstable tr Saturn opposition tr Uranus was also square the RBS Gemini Sun. So even their formidably resistant Mars in Taurus buckled.

The Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, 1 January 1984, has its Mars at 24 degrees Libra under exceptionally heavy pressure from the Saturn Pluto conjunction in square in 2020/2021. With bumps, glitches and disasters this December/January 2019 from tr Uranus opposition Mars/Pluto midpoint and the catastrophic tr Uranus opposition the Mars/Saturn midpoint from late May 2019 onwards for a year.

There are two charts for JP Morgan – 17 April 1837 and 31 December 2000.  The earlier chart has a panicky-failure Solar Arc Mars conjunct Neptune in 2019 and major-setback Solar Arc Saturn square Mars in 2020. The later chart has tr Uranus opposition its Mars from late May 2019 on and off till 2020; plus a grind-to-a-halt with ferociously-difficult-conditions Solar Arc Saturn opposition Pluto late 2019; and a major-setback Solar Arc Mars opposition Saturn in 2020, along with a tough-slog tr Pluto trine Saturn in 2020/2021.

2021/2022 has the economically unstable tr Saturn square tr Uranus in place. So the economic scrunch is likely to be a long drawn out affair after the Saturn Pluto conjunction has moved on in 2020 – right up to the final days of Pluto in Capricorn in 2023/24.

Lindsay Lohan – a tumultuous life in the spotlight

  

 

Lindsay Lohan appears to be in trouble again after posting a video of herself trying to remove children from homeless people whom she said were ‘traffickers’ which ended up in a punch up. Her life has been a catalogue of successes and mishaps since she moved from child star to teen idol to an adult multi-tasker in singing, acting, fashion designing and business ventures plus visits to rehab and brushes with the law.

Born 2 July 1986 New York with an unverified time of 4am, she’s a Sun Cancer opposition Neptune and trine Pluto – such Sun Neptune Pluto aspects are often seen amongst those who reach starry heights and/or notoriety. She has lucky Jupiter in Pisces in her 10th (on this birth time) on the focal point of a Taurus Moon trine Mars in Capricorn on the cusp of the 8th, which might make sense of her erratic moods and inability to handle drink. Alcohol doesn’t mix with Moon Mars.

And a Yod of Jupiter sextile Mars inconjunct Venus in flamboyant Leo, which will make her feel awkward and out of place on social occasions.  Her Mercury in Leo is square Pluto, trine Saturn and inconjunct Neptune, all of which will add to mental stress.

She has a strong actress’s 15th Harmonic; and very marked though stressed creative 5th and 7th harmonics.

This year she’s had tr Pluto conjunct her Mars which is heavy-duty, depressing and enraging, with another exact hit this November to mid December. Plus a Solar Arc Saturn conjunct Neptune which will have increased her neurosis; alongside a discouraging Solar Arc Pluto conjunct her Saturn. With tr Saturn making another hard aspect to her Sun opposition Neptune before the New Year – so not her easiest time.