The death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick fifty years ago in 1969 was yet another dark chapter in the Kennedy family melodrama and an enduring mystery. The story told by Senator Edward Kennedy was that he was driving Mary Jo to the ferry after a party and had run off a bridge into a river. He swam free but didn’t report the incident for 10 hours, during which time she drowned after staying alive for several hours in an air pocket. There was no autopsy done.

The tragedy and scandal ruined his chances of the presidency but he stayed a senator until his death four decades later. A more recent story suggests he was driving another girl and didn’t know Mary Jo was asleep and drunk in the backseat, and only discovered that next morning. It would make more sense of the 10 hour silence but not why he claimed what was a more incriminating story.

He was born 22 February 1932 3.58 am Brookline, Massachusetts and had a see-saw chart with his Pisces Sun opposition an 8^th house Neptune and Moon in Virgo, his Mars Mercury in Aquarius were also on the opposite side of his chart from his Moon Neptune and Jupiter in Leo; and his Saturn opposed a 7^th house Pluto – his emotional responses would always be erratic, veering from one extreme to another. He also had an excitable Venus Uranus in Aries in his 3^rd – his ‘romantic life’ would always be fast-changing and unpredictable.

When the event occurred his Solar Arc Pluto was exactly opposition his Mars with tr Neptune square both which fairly describes a brutal and devastating situation surrounded by a smokescreen.

Mary Jo, 26 July 1940 1pm (unverified) Forty Fort, Pennsylvania, was a determined Sun Pluto in Leo with Mars also in Leo square Jupiter Saturn in Taurus with Uranus also in Taurus – very fixed and stubborn. She had an upfront Aries Moon in an intense square to Pluto Sun and a social-butterfly Venus in Gemini square a romantic Neptune. She’d be a strong personality.

On the night in question tr Neptune was exactly opposition her Uranus which Ebertin describes as loss of consciousness; tr Pluto was exactly conjunct her Neptune which is associated with disasters and considerable confusion; and tr Saturn was in an accident-prone and high-risk square to her Mars/Pluto midpoint.

Their relationship chart did have a passionate and fun-loving composite Mars Venus Sun conjunction. When the accident happened the transiting Sun was exactly conjunct the composite Pluto which is rather spooky – a fated moment – with watery, alcoholic tr Neptune exactly trine both. Tr Pluto was opposition the transiting North Node and sitting on top of the composite Saturn.

1969 was one year after his brother Robert Kennedy’s assassination and six years after JFK’s – so it was one rolling catastrophe after another for him. I never had much time for him but a political friend said his great skill was in cross-party negotiation and deal-making which was why it was such a loss when he died early in Obama’s presidency. So perhaps the see-saw chart had its uses since the urge is to pull too opposites together or at least into balance.

Philip Hammond, for the time being still Chancellor, has hinted that along with other rebels he would do “everything in my power to make sure that Parliament blocks a Brexit without agreement”. Even to the extent of bringing down the next government in the “interest of the country”. Boris Johnson hasn’t left himself any wiggle room at all in his blustering, blundering campaign rhetoric about exiting on October 31^st no matter what.

Hammond, 4 December 1955, nicknamed ‘Spreadsheet Phil’ and not renowned for his exuberance may be about to let his explosive Mars in Scorpio square Uranus out to play. His super-confident Jupiter in Virgo conjunct Pluto does square Boris’s focal point Mars in Gemini – so it’s always been a simmering competition between them with Hammond being the more heavyweight of the pair. His Sagittarius Sun Mercury are also at cross purposes with Boris’s Saturn Uranus Pluto – not a match made in heaven. And last but not least Hammond’s unforgiving Mars in Scorpio is conjunct Boris’s Scorpio Moon with Hammond’s Uranus in square – which will lead to heated emotional reactions.

Their relationship chart has a volcanic composite Mars Uranus with a see-saw, up-and-down Jupiter opposition Saturn. It’s sagging badly with tr Neptune opposition the composite Mercury in November/December when Boris’s own chart is in a flat panic of paralysis. (See previous post July 10 2019). And worse in 2020/21 as tr Neptune undermines the composite Sun by opposition.

Hammond looks fired up with confidence now till late August; will sag from then till late September; and be back on battling form from mid November and more so in 2020/21. It looks a bumpy ride for him with tr Uranus opposition his Mars and square his Uranus from mid November to early March 2020. That looks like high insecurity with radical forced changes. Not that finding another lucrative job will be a problem for him – better paid probably in the City and elsewhere.

Pic: Chris McAndrew

Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman has been whipped off to a supermax high-security prison within hours of being sentenced to life for drug offences after an escape plan was allegedly uncovered. A former drug cartel boss he’s already escaped twice from Mexican prisons where he was serving long sentences for murder and drug trafficking. He exported more drugs to the US than any other trafficker in history; and descriptions of his killing chamber at home and other tales are stomach-churning.

Born 4 April 1957, he’s a Sun Venus in pro-active Aries sextile/trine a hard-edged Mars opposition Saturn, which latter was the old astrological signature for an assassin.

His get-it-together and can-be-dominating 5^th Harmonic is strong with a fanatical T Square onto Neptune fittingly enough. His ‘serial-killer’ 18H is marked by a stressed Yod.

Although the Mexican President is unbelievably calling his sentence ‘inhumane’ and he complained his solitary confinement during the trial was ‘torture’, he looks in reasonable form ahead. Confused a touch this year and next and stalled, he also has moments of high confidence with more picking up in 2020/21. He’s been ordered to forfeit nearly $13 billion. If he tucked some of that into the wrong pocket he might well be breathing fresh air at some point down the line.

Rory McIlroy, the golf professional, had the all-time horror start to the British Open in Northern Ireland, his home territory, with an “inexcusable” eight over par. Born 4 May 1989 he had won three majors before the age of 25 and was world number one for 95 weeks; though he was off in 2017 with a rib injury.

He’s a Sun in Taurus opposition Pluto so should be steady though he’s known for having erratic first rounds. He’s also got the triple conjunction in Capricorn of Uranus, Neptune, Saturn opposition Mars in Cancer. And it’s that latter opposition which was badly rattled by the recent Cancer Solar Eclipse. He’s got a sticky two or so years ahead with his Solar Arc Saturn and then Neptune squaring his Sun and Pluto but should find his mojo again by 2022/23.

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Nazanin Zhagari-Ratcliffe, the Iranian-British prisoner in Teheran, on trumped up charges of spying, has been moved to a psychiatric hospital after going on hunger strike. Initially it was thought this might be positive but she appears to be held by the Revolutionary Guard and is out of touch with her lawyer which is not good news.

Her husband believes her release is dependent on the interest on a £450 million debt the UK has owed to Iran since the 1970s for a cancelled arms deal. The UK Ministry of Defence is reportedly unwilling to release settlement funds because it believes the Iranian Government would use the money to extend Iran’s military activities in Yemen, Syria and Lebanon.

Boris Johnson when Foreign Secretary instead of helping made her situation worse by suggesting she was training Iranian journalists, when in reality she was there with her daughter on holiday visiting her parents.

Born 26 December 1978 (wiki), she looks uncertain and worried now until late August with tr Neptune opposition her Saturn/Node midpoint; but in better spirits from late August to mid November. The one really bright spot is tr Uranus square her Jupiter from early May 2020, on and off into 2021, which could suggest a hope of release – so there is a sliver of hope.

The Eclipses this year are bouncing off her Mars in Capricorn now and her Capricorn Sun in December so it will be a critical turning point.

Emanuela Orlandi was a young Vatican State resident who disappeared in 1983 aged 15. She left behind not just a bereft family but also a string of fantastical theories ranging from kidnapping by the group supporting the Turkish would-be assassin of Pope John Paul to her murder after a sex orgy involving Vatican police and foreign officials. Recently there has been an attempt to exhume some Vatican tombs in the thought she might have been buried there but to date nothing has been identified as her.

Born 14 January 1968, she was a Sun Capricorn trine Uranus Pluto sextile Neptune and thus not without ambition; she also had an adventurous, risk-taking Mars in Pisces opposition Jupiter square a social-butterfly Venus in Sagittarius.

When she disappeared on 22 June 1983 three days before a Lunar Eclipse there was a high-risk, ruthless Mars trine Pluto Saturn in Libra with an attracted-to-glamour Mars opposition Neptune. The Lunar Eclipse had that can-be-perverse Mars opposition Neptune trine Saturn (Pluto) all three in exact aspect so very strong.

There wasn’t much going on visibly in her chart, with no birth time, apart from tr Neptune square her Mars/Node midpoint suggesting falsehoods were around – and she had a fairly susceptible nature with her Sun square her Neptune/Pluto midpoint. Tr Saturn was also conjunct her Uranus/Neptune midpoint which can suggest loss of consciousness and great confusion.

I’m not sure why investigations have re-started this year after so long but for what it’s worth tr Pluto is conjunct her Sun and trine her Pluto (Uranus – indicating some shift in her ?? – story.

Ursula von der Leyen has been confirmed by a slim vote to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the EU Commission, though it has left a sour taste – at home in Germany amongst her critics and in Brussels at yet another Franco-German stitch-up.

Her term starts 1 November this year which gives a divisive Sun opposition Uranus on the Midheaven, hinting at a radical change of direction. But there’ll be a stream of setbacks, mishaps and missteps with an argumentative Mars in the 3^rd square Saturn Pluto in Capricorn. Plus an over-hopeful, head-in-the-clouds Jupiter square an 8^th house Neptune which might point to financial mismanagement.

Born 8 October 1958 (see previous post July 3 2019) she’s a Sun Libra on the focal point of a mini-Grand Trine to an innovative Uranus trine Saturn; with an ultra-determined Mars square Pluto. She is widely thought to be a European federalist and anti-Brexit but her policies are difficult to pin down.

Her chemistry with Boris Johnson will be exceeding scratchy since both have the never-say-die Mars in Gemini square Pluto with, in Boris’s case, Uranus and Saturn added in. Her Saturn is also opposition his Sun Venus – so his boyish charm won’t work. Their relationship chart has a differing-agenda, disruptive composite Sun Mercury Uranus conjunction; and the hostile Mars square Pluto.

Her relationship chart with the UK is no better with a power-struggling composite Sun Pluto and a combative Sun opposition Mars which is being stressed by tr Pluto till late 2020. Mind you it’s not as complicated and aggravated as her interface with Donald Trump – with another tussle-for-the-upper-hand Sun Pluto and an explosive Mars Uranus square Saturn and Neptune.

The EU don’t look too charmed either with a composite Mars opposition Pluto in that relationship chart so there will be objections to her control-freakery.

Her own chart indicates one major triumph around 2021 when her Solar Arc Pluto is conjunct her Jupiter; but there’s a run of Neptunian disappointments and swamps between now and then; and Saturnine setbacks towards the end of her term.

Her term chart looks exceedingly jangled in 2020 with tr Uranus opposing the Sun and moving towards a major blockage around 2022 as the Mars moves to close to the square to Pluto by Solar Arc.

Scotland has overtaken the USA as the drug death capital of the developed world. Fatalities rose in 2018 after a 27 per cent increase to almost 1,200, three times the UK average, and 50 times higher than Portugal, which decriminalised drugs in 2001. The biggest increase was in users aged 35 to 54 with the sharpest increase in the intake of benzodiazepines known as “street valium”. Amazon evidently sell pill presses which can churn out thousands of pills an hour.

Unemployment in Scotland at 3.3% is close to the lowest on record and 0.5 lower than the UK.

Scotland has never been the healthiest of places especially in Glasgow, part of which is the effect of economic deprivation, but that alone won’t explain higher levels of heart disease, cancer etc. Alcoholism and depression tend to be associated with countries in the northern climes – Russia, Scandanavia etc – and Scotland. Scottish teeth are fairly rotten (to which I can testify) and I always assumed it was too much sugar in the diet along with less calcium in the water.

Of the charts for ancient Scotland:- the 16 March 842, 25 March 1005 and 25 November 1034 all have strong Neptunes. The 842 chart with Mars opposition Saturn Neptune square Uranus (Moon) in Aries with the Sun at zero degrees Aries. The 1005 chart has an Aries Sun Venus square Neptune. And the 1034 has a Sagittarius Sun, Mercury Jupiter square Neptune; with Neptune on one leg of a Yod sextile Mars (Pluto) in Capricorn inconjunct Saturn. Neptune can explain some of the tendency to escape through the bottom of a bottle or off on a drug high. But the UK also has a strongly aspected Neptune and isn’t affected in the same way. Though admittedly the UK Neptune is not tied into the UK Sun.

The rise in Scottish drug deaths has come since the late noughties when Pluto moved into Capricorn and has since been wending its way round all the Cardinal planets, so it has been a strenuously challenging time on the Scotland charts. But that’s just a wild guess.

The Portugal experience is clearly the one to pursue.

That Trump is racist is hardly new news given his track record from way back being sued by the Federal Government for discrimination against persons of colour in rental properties with his father; and more recently his Charlottesville reactions and pandering to white supremacists. The silence from the Republican Party has been deafening and shaming over this recent spat telling congresswomen of colour they should go ‘home’. It’s reckoned because the GOP share similar views and they also think they are a vote catcher.

It’s a pact with the devil which will start to unravel in 2020/21. Trump’s relationship chart with GOP February 1854 has tr Neptune squaring and dissolving the ties-that-bind Pluto from late April into 2021; followed by a confused, disastrous tr Neptune square the Saturn in 2022/23 – so a long drawn out phase of counting the cost of the tainted deal. His relationship chart with the 1856 GOP also hints at an undermining of the connection and aggravation from early 2020 onwards with tr Neptune square the composite Pluto and tr Pluto trine the Mars through 2021 as well.

Trump’s relationship with the USA chart is stretched to breaking point with underground rage surfacing with tr Pluto opposition the composite Mars right through 2019 till December 2020.

Of the four Congresswoman who make up The Squad, whom he suggested should go back from whence they came, three were born in the USA and the fourth is a naturalised American. All are feisty and well capable of looking after themselves. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a Sun Mars in Libra with Jupiter in Cancer opposition the triple conjunction in Capricorn. Ilhan Omar is also a Sun Libra conjunct Saturn Jupiter and Pluto as well, with Mars in flamboyant Leo in a volatile square to Venus Uranus in Scorpio. Ayanna Pressley is a Sun in Aquarius square an immoveable Mars in Taurus, with an Air Grand Trine of Jupiter in Aquarius trine Saturn in Gemini trine Uranus. Rashida Tlaib is a Sun, Saturn, Mercury, Venus in Leo.

They are all strong women unlike the submissive Trump wives, two of them also immigrants. His relationships charts with all The Squad are at cross purposes with inflammatory and argumentative composite Mars strongly marked, especially with AOC and Rashida.

Nancy Pelosi has also had her problems with them as she attempts to pull the Democrats into line not always successfully. Pelosi is not that easy a personality herself with an Aries Sun Jupiter. Four planets in Taurus including Mars on Algol and an unyielding Saturn square Pluto. She does have a tussle for the upper hand with AOC but the interface with Ilhan is more scratchy and won’t get easier. Both Ayanna and Rashida chafe at the bit and dislike the controls Pelosi exerts over them.