Eclipses are about challenges since they link into the North Node, a so-called karmic point, which lays out a path of development each individual hopefully follows in life – becoming more at the end than the beginning. It prompts us to move away from a line of least resistance. The test is to see whether we can find the courage to learn from our weaknesses and turn them into strengths. Avoidance tactics can lead to crisis later which force us into actions we would have been better to volunteer for. So it’s about getting ahead of the game and to some degree trying out the unknown, finding a new mindset.

The Lunar Eclipse on Wednesday is an especially powerful Full Moon – with the Aquarius Sun on the opposite side of the zodiac to the Leo Moon, both at 11 degrees. Here the lesson is to find a balance between head and heart, not being too single-minded. If you’re a workaholic then you need to find time for home and emotional life. If you’re a rugged individualist, you need to find a way of co-operating in partnership as well as maintaining your independence. If you drown in details and trivia, then you need also to stand back and see a broader picture. If loved ones are your mainstay then you need to find time for friends as well.

The Solar Eclipse in late Aquarius which follows in two weeks’ time, is focussed on one area. But for this week it’s about balancing opposites. Life shouldn’t be a conflicted choice of Either Or. There is a third way, which requires maturity to rise above the ambivalence, and become more whole, better rounded.

It will have more effect on people who are Sun Aquarius or Leo, born 11 days after the sign change. Or where planets in a chart fall around this degree.

The Lunar Eclipse itself is not badly aspected only being tied into Venus, but it may be more emotional than some – overly excitable, passionate and mystical.

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Can Trump get the better of his inner demons? This is the week we’ll get a hint. The Leo Lunar Eclipse on Wednesday,  only a day after his State of the Union speech, is conjunct his 12^th house Pluto and so is his Progressed Moon, which is a double whammy. Pluto rules the shadow, especially in the 12^th – rage, jealousy, greed, fear, envy, selfishness, the need for power and control, the seven deadly sins. When it is triggered people can go over to the dark side and wallow in their baser nature or become crippled by shame and feelings of unworthiness. The Eclipse effect lasts for six months so he will be challenged to overcome his compulsions and obsessions in the time ahead and indeed it’ll be stoked up again by the July Lunar eclipse.

Pluto is, of course, the planet of transformation so there is a faint possibility he’ll finally start to grapple with a lifetime of bad habits and semi-pathological behaviour. He didn’t disgrace himself at Davos, but they were his kind of people. The speech to Congress on Tuesday will be a tougher test. Worth watching for signs.

The drum roll for Theresa May’s departure is growing louder as the Tory Party grows ever more exasperated and desperate about her lack-lustre performance. A new leader need not mean another general election, but there’s no obvious unifying or even half-decent candidate. Given that the party has been in meltdown conflict over the Brexit issue, the 12 Nov 1867 CP chart never seemed to be that informative. My thanks, therefore to Astrologyresearch.co.uk (url below), who have come up with another date for a manifesto which set the party policies of midnight 18 December 1834.

It certainly shows up the turmoil at the heart of the party with tr Pluto square tr Uranus hitting on the Cancer Moon Mars over the recent past; and dragging on for with tr Pluto squaring the Saturn in 2018/19. I would have to confess I wouldn’t have immediately leapt to predict Maggie Thatcher’s win in 1979 from it, but that’s only on a cursory look.

What’s for sure is that Theresa May is now putting her foot onto the longest and worst banana skin of her career from early February onwards with tr Neptune conjunct her Mars and tr Pluto aiming to make a catastrophic conjunction to her Mars/Saturn midpoint from March onwards till late 2019. In mid-April there’s a separating tr Uranus opposition on her relationship chart with both the CP 1867 and 1834, to Venus and Sun respectively. So if the charts have some validity that might be a crucial turning point, returning in Dec/Jan 2019.

Of the main contenders: Michael Gove looks seriously aggravated and frustrated from March onwards, maybe even suffering a job loss in April. That last influence repeats on and off into 2019.

Boris Johnson equally looks to be infuriated, restricted and stuck and won’t recover his mojo until 2019.

Jacob Rees Mogg is less afflicted, with a lucky break in May but will suffer badly after mid year as tr Uranus opposes his Mars/Pluto. Though he’s on a high in 2020/2021.

The Conservative Party – A Cancer at the Heart of British Politics

IKEA’s founder, Ingvar Kamprad, has died aged nearly 92. Born 30 March 1926 in Sweden, he started retailing early aged five selling matches, the moved into fish, Christmas tree decorations, seeds, and later ballpoint pens and pencils. IKEA was founded when he was just 17. Despite his great wealth, he seemed to live simply.

He had a pro-active Sun, Mercury in Aries in a dynamic sextile to Mars in innovative Aquarius, and a determined square to Pluto. Added to that was a fixed, enduring, stubborn T Square of Neptune in Leo opposition Jupiter Venus in Aquarius square an obsessively conscientious Saturn in Scorpio. Saturn gave him executive ability though not much inclination to share the driving seat; Aquarius is multi-cultural; Jupiter Neptune tuned him into high finance.

Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ingvar_Kamprad_Haparanda_June_2010.jpg#/media/File:Ingvar_Kamprad_Haparanda_June_2010.jpg

Joseph Kennedy 111, grandson of Robert, a Massachusetts Congressman, will give the Democratic response to Trump’s State of the Union speech this coming week. It’ll be the first time Trump has spoken in front of the full Congress and it is expected he will unveil his immigration and $1.7 trillion infrastructure plan.

Kennedy, was born 4 October 1980 9.42pm Boston, Massachusetts, grew up steeped in politics; after college he joined the Peace Corps, working in the Dominican Republic, speaks fluent Spanish, then studied law at Harvard, working pro bono in legal aid, became an attorney and was elected to Congress in 2012. He’s teetotal, married to a lawyer with two children.

Hs chart is tightly knitted together with a Half Grand Sextile from a 4^th house Leo Moon opposition his Aquarius Midheaven, sextile Pluto in Libra, trine Neptune in Sagittarius. Sextiles and trines give free flow of energy and talent – and Neptune Pluto appears in the charts of those with far-reaching ambitions. His Libra Sun and Pluto as well as Mercury in Scorpio are all in his ‘performing’ 5^th house so he revels in being on a public platform, though is essentially fairly private.

His Moon opposition MC also squares Mars Uranus in Scorpio in the hard-working 6^th house which will make him self-willed, a law-unto-himself type, who is an innovator though not a rebel. He will be headstrong with dogged persistence, not too adaptable, harbouring vengeful thoughts at times, but with strong executive ability. His ‘family’ 4^th house is not surprisingly marked with Moon, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn there, so his roots and family background have been a principal influence on shaping who he is.

Tr Saturn is now just over his Descendant rising upwards which will push him into more prominence; and he’ll reach his first career peak in time for the 2024 election with tr Saturn hitting his midheaven. Though his natal Saturn isn’t strong so he may not resonate to that quite as much as some.

He looks excited and pleased by his lucky break at the moment being chosen for a high-profile speech; and even more energised in February in the aftermath.

He’s certainly one to watch for.

Steve Wynn, known for casinos and real estate, and as finance chair of the Republican Party, has been denying allegations published by the Wall Street Journal about decades of sexual misconduct with his employees. The WSJ interviewed 150 former current and former employees; Wynn says it’s all a dirty tricks campaign by his ex-wife. It gives the GOP a headache since he’s been a prominent donor as well as a senior official. They may be regretting their shrill denunciation of the Democratic Party over Weinstein and their insistence that his donations be returned. No statements have been issued to date.

Wynn was born 27 January 1942, New Haven, CT with a bingo-parlour owning father who died with heavy gambling debts. He moved to Las Vegas, became the youngest casino owner there, made a bomb, expanded his resort and gambling chain into other states and Macau; and is now worth an estimated $2.5 billion.

He’s a Sun Aquarius opposition Pluto square Mars in Taurus, which is eye-wateringly determined, a real bulldozer, power-hungry and materialistic. Mars in Taurus can be preoccupied with sex and sensuality. He’s also got Venus in Aquarius square Saturn in Taurus and widely square Uranus – Venus Saturn can also hint at an inclination for multiple partners; with Saturn Uranus in an innovative trine to Neptune in Virgo – a very earthy chart. His restless Gemini Moon is conjunct Jupiter and trine either his Sun or Venus (or both) in Aquarius.

He’s in for a setback or two of considerable proportions with his Solar Arc Saturn opposition his Sun around now and moving to square his afflicted Mars. And his trenchant Sun, Pluto, Mars T Square has moved by Solar Arc to pick up tr Pluto hard aspects from this February onwards for several years ahead.

What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander and all that.

Elton John has announced his retirement – after an upcoming 300 date, three-year world tour.  Thereafter he’ll stop travelling but still sing when in the UK. So he says. A health scare last year when he nearly died and his mother passing caused him to reconsider his lifestyle with a husband and two children now at home.

Born 25 March 1947, London, with varying birth times from 2am to 3.28pm, he’s a Sun Aries opposition a musical Neptune and trine a bleak Saturn Pluto in Leo, which gives him staying power but also contributed to his early depression/drug habit. His Moon is in indulgent Taurus; and he has a volatile, restless Uranus square Mars (Mercury) in Pisces and trine Venus in Aquarius. His Venus is also in an extravagant, frivolous square to Jupiter in money-magnet Scorpio.

He’s now 70, heading for 71, and won’t find the next two or three years easy with tr Uranus in a jolting square to his Saturn and a panicky-failure, low-energy tr Neptune conjunct his Mars – both from mid this year on through 2019; then tr Uranus squares his Saturn/Pluto midpoint and will at some point conjunct his Moon. But for all that he’ll have moments of bullish confidence with tr Pluto conjunct his Mars/Jupiter midpoint from March onwards till late 2019 which is positive for a new projects.

The 13 Turpin children’s horror-filled lives makes grim reading – deprived of food, medication, washing or toilet facilities, chained to their beds. Their parents are now up on 40 charges, including torture, false imprisonment, abuse on a dependent, and child abuse; and have been ordered to have no contact with the children, aged from two to 29, who are now all hospitalized suffering from severe malnourishment. Once released, the six younger ones will be split between two foster homes, and the seven adults who have developmental issues, will be sent to an assisted living facility.

What makes it worse is that the father had a decent job; and that some of the kids were seen at school – and no one did anything about their condition, until one escaped and went to the police.

David Turpin was born 17 October 1961 (net sources) and Louise, 24 May 1968.

He’s a Sun Libra square Saturn Jupiter in Capricorn and sextile Uranus North Node in Leo. He also has Mars, Neptune, Mercury in Scorpio sextile Pluto; and Venus in Virgo trine Jupiter Saturn. His Moon is either Capricorn conjunct Jupiter Saturn, or in Aquarius opposition his Scorpio planets which might make more sense. It’s a chart that needs a birth time to make sense of his deliberate and depraved cruelty. Mars in Scorpio does have an exceptionally nasty side; and my impression of Jupiter Saturn conjunctions is they are less humanitarian when in earth signs, but not malefic to this degree.

His wife, Louise, has a more obviously stressed chart, with a combative Sun Mars in Gemini; and more pointedly a Yod of Neptune sextile Pluto Uranus in Virgo inconjunct Saturn (North Node) in Aries. A Saturnine Yod brings a heavy karma with it, needing maturity to get the best out of it; otherwise it is self-defeating with a good deal of inner frustration and despair. Saturn in Aries can be hard even on its own,  forced-to-be-self-reliant early on and unsympathetic to those that are struggling. Her Moon is probably Taurus; with her Venus also in Taurus in a frivolous, indulgent square to Jupiter in wannabe-grand Leo. In fact she has a second Yod of Saturn sextile Mercury in Gemini inconjunct Neptune which will make her escapist, emotionally disorganized, again self-defeating and prone to feeling unworthy – which she assuredly is.

It’s an odd relationship (obviously). But on the astrology, if the birth dates are sound – her Saturn opposes his Sun, her Sun Mars squares his Pluto and her Uranus Pluto is conjunct his Venus. They block and bully each other in various ways. In these circumstances it’s all too easy to think of her as the suppressed woman. But in these symbiotic relationships (lashed together at a pathological level) it’s usually half a dozen of one and the other.

Their relationship chart has the composite Sun in a delusional, grandiose square to Jupiter Neptune; with downbeat Saturn opposition Mercury, Uranus Pluto; and perhaps the composite Moon also opposition Uranus Pluto.

William Fichtner’s latest movie, out this week, The Neighbor is getting positive reviews as a stand-out suburban thriller, an 8/10 from Rotten Tomatoes. Fichtner is one of these actors who have worked constantly for decades, giving sterling performances, been a high earner and still managed to stay out of the superstar trap. He is worth mega-millions, from stock investments, property holdings, endorsement deals; owns several restaurants, a Football Team and has launched his own brand of Vodka, a top-selling perfume and a fashion line. Den of Geek has him pinned to the wall as a hero.

Born 27 November 1956 9.30pm, Mitchel Field Air Base, New York, he studied criminal justice before moving into acting and hasn’t stopped since.

He’s certainly got a tough, enduring, sombre and private chart with a 4^th house Sun Saturn in Sagittarius square Pluto and trine Uranus Ascendant in Leo. His Mercury in Sagittarius is in his performing 5^th house; with his Libra Moon in the 3^rd on the focal point of a mini-Grand Trine of Mercury trine his Ascendant. So a mix of light and shade. What will drive his business instincts is Mars in Pisces in the 8^th opposition Jupiter in Virgo in his 2^{nd  —} he’s a risk-taker and lucky.

He doesn’t look overly upbeat at the moment so perhaps the box office won’t be that great. He looks to be making a radical change of direction this year with tr Uranus moving across his zero degree Taurus midheaven from mid-May onwards, perhaps with some trepidation. Though good fortune will smile on him from July onwards with tr Uranus picking up two of his Jupiter midpoints for eighteen months.