Gary Oldman gives a universally praised performance playing Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, which has won him a Golden Globe and may yet land an Oscar. The film is about that crucial period when Hitler looked like winning World War 11 and cigar-smoking, brandy-swilling Churchill refused to be browbeaten.

Oldman, 21 March 1958 10.56 am London, England, has had an illustrious career on stage and screen, though a chequered and controversy-strewn private life with five marriages and an alcohol problem. He has an impulsive Aries Sun trine Uranus and sextile Mars in uncompromising Aquarius as well as being inconjunct Pluto.

Indeed his Sun is on the focal point of a Yod being inconjunct Neptune as well, so he will have had problems with low self-esteem and then the opposite. Asserting himself in a steady way won’t be easy for him. Either too little or too much. His Sun sextile Mars forms another Yod, both being inconjunct Pluto, which will have given him problems with wielding power; in unrefined form this can be coercive and manipulative, though also has the capacity for great depth of insight. Two Yods will definitely stand him out from the crowd,; he’s not a natural fitter-in.

His Mars in the 8^th (on this uncorroborated birth time) is in an explosive opposition to Uranus squaring onto Neptune – he’ll be stubborn, sticking to his opinions even in the face of evidence that he’s wrong. Though helpful clearly for Neptunian filmic talent.

He’s got a hard-working Saturn in can-be-self-righteous Sagittarius, which no doubt contributed to some of his over-the-top support for Mel Gibson and others. His Moon Mercury are in Aries trine Uranus and sextile Venus in freedom-loving Aquarius, so no surprises it has taken him time to settle down.

Hugely complicated, he’s found his metier in acting where he can be someone else and he looks like having a good many years ahead of him.

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Andy Murray is wrestling with a hip problem which has seen him miss all tournaments since Wimbledon last year and may require surgery. He’s had a sterling career with three grand slam wins, two Olympic gold medals and reached the No 1 ranking in the world. But he’s at an age when many great players have retired and an operation would require a long convalescence.

He looks more upbeat and confident come late March with tr Pluto trine his Mars/Jupiter midpoint. But his Progressed Moon is due to hit his 6^th house of health within six months; and the July Cancer Solar Eclipse will rattle up his Solar Arc Mars opposition Solar Arc Uranus Moon Saturn. Into 2019 he has fairly aggravated influences through till 2020 when his life will change radically. It will obviously be an agonising decision for him though it may come sooner rather than later.

With Venezuela at starvation point and the world’s fastest inflation rate, President Nicolas Maduro is flailing around to find a solution to a problem caused largely by his own and his predecessor Hugo Chavez’s left-wing policies. Hundreds of thousands have fled to nearby Colombia with the economy near collapse and food and medicines out of reach for most of the population.

His Presidency chart, 19 April 2013 2.05pm Caracas is heading for an inflammatory collision come late April into May this year and again in early 2019 as tr Uranus is conjunct the Sun Mars in Aries. He’s under sanctions by most governments and described as a dictator.

Venezuela, 5 July 1811 3pm Caracas, if the time is sound, is certainly at its nadir financially and tr Saturn will soon conjunct the 2^nd house Moon within weeks, making the population even more deprived. There is a Solar Arc Pluto square the Cancer Sun, exact now, which is a dead-halt; with the country continuing to be fractious throughout this year. With regrettably more Neptunian slumps over coming years. There’ll be a high in 2020 and then more setbacks with even more disenchanted citizens in 2020/21.

There’s no real indication from the charts of Maduro, 23 Nov 1962 9.03 pm – a reckless and chaotic Sun Sagittarius square Jupiter opposition Uranus Pluto – disappearing soon. Though he’ll continue to slide from mid 2018 onwards for eighteen months.

The Justice Department has launched a new inquiry into whether the Clinton Foundation engaged in any pay-to-play politics or other illegal activities while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of State according to The Hill. Denials are flying along with accusations of political pressure from the White House. Though there have been stories in the New York Times and elsewhere for several years about donations to the Clinton Foundation or speech fees that fell around the time of favorable decisions by Clinton’s State Department.

Hillary never did look happy, astrologically speaking, around now with Solar Arc Saturn conjunct her Sun, within two minutes of a degree, so exact exact. Tr Pluto is also opposition her Mars/Uranus midpoint this month for a ‘violent intervention’ and high-stress. And tr Uranus is moving in February to oppose her Solar Arc Mars Pluto, which will be a hugely unsettling jolt; at the same time as an undermining and disappointing, power-eroding tr Neptune opposition her Jupiter/Pluto midpoint. A confused and devastated phase courtesy of tr Pluto as it starts to oppose her Sun/Neptune midpoint from late March, on and off for two years. With tr Uranus starting the disruptive opposition to her Sun from July onwards into 2019. All in all not a great year or two for her.

Even Bill’s customary aplomb may slip when tr Saturn squares his Ascendant, Mars, Neptune in February/March and on and off till late year, which will feel like a worrying setback. Plus he has an ‘emotional shock’ Solar Arc Venus opposition his Uranus now. Plus a drift of undermining Neptune transits to midpoints through this year and next. Assuming this is not health related, he’ll reboot his confidence in 2019 when his Solar Arc Pluto is conjunct and tr Pluto square his Jupiter.

Misha Glenny is steeped in the ways of a dangerous world. His book McMafia has been turned into a rip-roaring, quality BBC series but this isn’t fiction. He’s an investigative reporter and his thesis is that organised crime is a greater threat to the world than terrorism and now accounts for 15 per cent of the world’s economy. He said in a Times interview: “The McMafia culture has broken out of the confines of crime to politics and the whole super-rich culture. Leaders everywhere — Putin, Erdogan, Trump, the entire elite of Brazil — are engaged in financial dealings and activities which are absolutely outrageous but seen as the way of the world. Enron . . . was organised crime on a grand scale. What was going on in Fifa was mafia-style behaviour.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/mcmafia-culture-has-spread-to-politics-and-the-super-rich-says-misha-glenny-kz038qht8

He is convinced Russia interfered with both the US election and the Brexit referendum in order to spread chaos, especially in the EU, which is Putin’s greatest economic fear.

Born 25 April 1958 in London with a Russia studies academic father, he became a war reporter, covering the Yugoslav Wars, before turning his focus onto crime. After his McMafia book was published he advised several European governments on policy issues and has written another book, DarkMarket, on cyber criminals.

He’s a stalwart Sun Taurus opposition Neptune and trine Pluto in late Leo, so has that Neptune Pluto instinct for ambitions which hit the zeitgeist and in this instance also hook into Neptune Pluto’s propensity for scandal. He has a tough-minded Saturn in philosophical Sagittarius trine Pluto and more significantly Pluto opposition Mars in uncompromising Aquarius. Mars Pluto if mishandled could have sent him walking down a very dark road. But he chose to live out its ruthless energies in observing a brutal war at first hand; and then moved on to focus on the scary world of ferocious criminal masterminds.

There’s a hissy fit going over at the Bronte Society over Cambridge Double First Lily Cole’s inclusion as a ‘creative partner’ for the bicentenary celebrations of Emily Bronte’s birth. She has made a short film about Wuthering Heights and its anti-hero Heathcliffe, which also focuses on women’s rights. All of the Bronte sisters initially published under pseudonyms for fear they wouldn’t be taken seriously. Lily Cole’s sin appears to that she was once a supermodel and is now an actress.

Emily Bronte was born 30 July 1818 at 2.49pm? Thornton, England and died aged 30 only a year after Wuthering Heights, her only novel, was first published. It’s now taken to be a classic of English literature.

Lily Cole was born 27 December 1987 in Torquay, England and is a creative and ambitious Sun, Mercury, Neptune in Capricorn with a fearsomely determined Pluto and Mars in Scorpio.

Emily Bronte’s Jupiter is conjunct her Sun, Neptune, Mercury so they are a good fit. Lily has an innovative Saturn Uranus in Sagittarius which is conjunct Emily’s highly-strung Uranus Neptune in Sagittarius; and Lily’s North Node in Pisces is conjunct Emily’s Pluto.

When Wuthering Heights came out it was assumed the author was a man because of the sex and violence. Victorian readers were ‘shocked and confounded by a tale of unchecked primal passions, replete with savage cruelty and outright barbarism.’ Lily Cole certainly tunes into that with her Mars Pluto in Scorpio. And with tr Mars now back in Scorpio, boosted by Jupiter, it’s clearly stoking up the same angst and fury.

Nothing like the literati for getting on their high horse about irrelevancies, when they perceive an outsider moving onto their patch.

“Be with me always – take any form – drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! it is unutterable! I can not live without my life! I can not live without my soul!” Emily Bronte: Wuthering Heights.

Michael Wolff, who has lit a fuse under Trump with his Fire and Fury expose, is known as a ‘provocateur and media polemicist’ with a liking for stirring up arguments and is not above adding his own creative touches to his tales and inventing quotes. Not all of what he writes can be taken as gospel, however appealing the juicier titbits are.

Born 27 August 1953, he is, as befits a sort of journalist, a Sun Virgo. But what drives his chart is a ruthlessly determined, angry and flamboyant Mars Pluto Mercury in Leo, sextile expansive Jupiter on one side and Saturn Neptune on the other. When push comes to shove, he’ll bulldoze his way ahead.

This looks a year of high excitement, lots of publicity and some major disruptions for him. His Solar Arc Mars is conjunct his Neptune and square his Uranus, around now – which will certainly draw him into the public eye, though he may be quaking in his boots with trepidation since Mars Uranus can be insecure. February looks bullishly confident. In March tr Pluto will start to oppose his Uranus and square his Neptune from late month which looks confused, devastated and a complete turnaround in his life. That will run on through 2019, when he’s up against all manner of obstacles. April looks very jangled but also confident at the same time. These Uranus influences can go either way, perhaps tipping him into the history books as the man who brought down a president; or collapsing his life as it stands at present. It certainly won’t be the same by the end of this year.

His Pluto Mercury is conjunct Trump’s Mars, so a mighty clash of personalities – mind you they don’t seem that different. Wolff’s Uranus is conjunct Trump’s Saturn with Wolff’s Neptune Saturn square – so he homes in on Trump’s fear of being unloved. Their relationship chart does have a friendly composite Sun Venus, but that is being blown to smithereens come March/April this year. More pointedly it also has a megaton composite Pluto Jupiter Mars – plenty of scope for one-upmanship games in there.

This was always going to be Trump’s month from hell, running on from December, with tr Uranus whipping up a storm as it crashes into his Sun/Mars, Mercury/Pluto and Venus/Saturn midpoints – 1) impulsive, over-excited, overtaxing strength; (2) fanatical, great mental strain; 3) emotional stress, acute loneliness. Mercury/Pluto especially is usually highlighted when there are huge psychological pressures bearing down.

His Progressed Moon is now in his 12^th house, always an introspective and can-be-discouraging time especially for those with no insight into themselves. It will be conjunct his 12^th house Pluto in less than a month, bringing dark thoughts and a sense of being humiliated and trapped; and the Progressed Moon stays in his 12th for another 18 months.

Also building up a head of steam for him are two Solar Arcs – Solar Arc Uranus conjunct his Mars, exact in less than six months’ time and Solar Arc Mercury square his Uranus in about 7 months. Both of those will put considerable strain on his self-esteem, perhaps to breaking point, given what we can see at the moment; and could trigger early. He’s likely to continue to be intemperate, hot-headed and determined to prove its machismo by wild actions – unless he’s stopped by colleagues or Mother Nature.

An astrologer spotted that Prince Harry would have a significant connection to America years before he proposed to Los Angeles-born Meghan. He does have Venus in his 9^th house, suggesting that he would pick a bride from another country. And often one of the Venus lines on an astrocartography chart (birth chart plotted onto the world map) does indicate where love is likely to be found.  In Harry’s case, relocating his chart to Los Angeles puts his Venus on the Ascendant.

Yoko Ono born in Japan had her Venus midheaven line through Liverpool where John Lennon was born.

Relocating to a new place can highlight the energy of planets in a way that brings out a new side to the personality. In Meghan’s case, her entertaining and showy Leo Sun moves to the midheaven located to London, giving her an even greater chance to shine in the spotlight. Though suppressing some of her emotional needs since her Moon Saturn Jupiter Pluto all disappear into the hidden 12^th house.

Lest you’re suffering Trump withdrawal symptoms, now that everyone has got bored with same as same as/mine’s bigger than yours, there’s going to be renewed excitement with the publication next week of Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. Leaks to date suggest that Steve Bannon is getting his vengeful boot in describing Don Jnrs’ June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer in Trump Tower as treasonous.

Letting Bannon go was always a risk (better inside p***ing out, than outside p***ing in) and he’s making the most of it, pouring venom over Don Jnr and Ivanka/Jared. Relationship charts with all three have a tumultuous composite Sun square Uranus Pluto which is adept at collapsing structures, turning everything upside down and generally creating havoc. Ivanka especially since in her and SB’s case a vicious Mars is added into the mix. And on cue, both Jared and Don Jnr’s relationship with Bannon is taking a sharp dip this month with tr Neptune square the composite Mars, causing panic. With Jared ploughing through very heavy seas vis a vis Bannon come mid March onwards. Jared does, of course have tr Pluto grinding its way across his Sun from next month on and off till late 2019.

Himself, the overlord, is certainly not enchanted with Bannon this month with tr Neptune returning to oppose their composite Mercury, moving on to oppose the composite Sun Saturn from early March, so relations can only deteriorate.

Just to add to the madhouse mood, the Foreign Policy team (is there one?) are evidently at each other’s throats with National Security adviser HR McMaster and Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State, warring constantly. That is hardly surprising since their relationship chart has a hostile, power-struggling Mars Pluto square Sun – and that was never going to work. It’ll come to a head by mid April, if Tillerson stays around. Not that Donald Trump finds McMaster an easy bed-fellow with a composite Mars Uranus square Neptune as their chemistry, which was at boiling point in December and again through this year.