Bernie Sanders has been pushing for a new Medicare government-run healthcare plan, cutting out private insurance, in which everyone would be covered, although it isn’t clear how the trillions of dollars in new spending would be financed. It’s a European/socialist type scheme which is unlikely to play well in the US and which even countries who’ve been running such a setup for decades are now finding overly expensive.

Sanders, born 8 September 1941 with a speculative time of 12.27 pm New York, came up through old-school socialist activism, had a complicated early emotional life about which he dislikes comment and did not hold down a steady job until he won his first election aged 40. He had a brief first marriage, then a son out of wedlock and has been married to Jane Sanders for thirty years.

He has a 10^th house Virgo Sun in an expansive, idealistic square to Jupiter in Gemini. With Neptune in an innovative, creative trine to Uranus Saturn. His Venus in Libra is trine Jupiter and opposition Mars (Moon) in Aries.

Not having an accurate birth time doesn’t help. But on this one there’s a lack of solidity and substance about him with a 10^th house Sun in hard aspect to Jupiter – good with words certainly; and outspoken with his Mercury in Libra trine Uranus and Saturn. But it’s the Moon Mars opposition Venus which points to a lack of emotional sensitivity and consideration for the other. That stands in contrast to his political views which purport to be caring about poverty and inequality; and Venus Jupiter can be fairly shallow, all surface charm and not much underneath.

The birth time may be out and there’s nothing much on this one that suggests great secrecy about his emotional life which he’s always been keen to keep screened from public view.

He looks disheartened through this autumn with tr Saturn square his Neptune; more so with tr Neptune opposing his Sun in 2018; and blocked in by 2020 with his Solar Arc Pluto opposing Mars.

The worst movie ever made or a masterpiece? The jury is out on Darren Aronofsky’s mother! starring Jennifer Lawrence. A gonzo horror movie, a paranoid nightmare, claustrophobic, panic-inducing, hyperventilating, surrealist cinema that starts out like Polanski’s Repulsion and winds up closer to Apocalypse Now. And some of those descriptions are from reviewers who liked it, unlike audiences who walked out en masse from screenings. According to the star, it’s about the massive biblical theme of the rape and torment of mother earth condensed into a narrative about a house and a couple.

Jennifer Lawrence, 15 August 1990 8.17pm Louisville, Kentucky, has found her niche in dystopian movies like Hunger Games or playing deeply troubled women. She grew up tough and hyper-active, unsettled until she found acting. She’s a Sun Leo in square to a fearsomely angry, bulldozer Mars in Taurus opposition Pluto. With a practical, business-like Earth Grand Trine of Saturn in Capricorn trine Mars trine Mercury in Virgo, focussed into a Kite, making influential and controlling Pluto her driving planet. So well-designed for cult movies which are ahead of their time. Her lighter-hearted Gemini Moon is in her performing 5^th house, with charmingly frivolous Venus Jupiter in her 6^th for good working relationships.

Darren Aronofsky, 12 February 1969 9.30am New York, has an award-strewn cv with horror, sci-fi and surrealist movies – Pi, Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, Noah – and some flops. He also has a forceful chart. His Aquarius Sun squares onto ultra-determined Mars in Scorpio in a showbizzy conjunction to Neptune. His tuned-into-public-taste Sagittarius Moon is on the focal point of a T square to Node Venus in Aries opposition a lucky, adventurous, risk-taking Uranus Jupiter in Libra. And he has a fated, ‘finger of god’ Yod of Mars sextile Pluto inconjunct Saturn, which brings with it a heavy karma, requiring maturity and self-discipline if it is not to self-destruct.

They’ve been together as a couple for year and with his Air Sun and Fire Moon and her Fire Sun and Air Moon, there should be quite a connection. But it won’t be easy since both are stubborn with clashing Fixed planets so neither will give way easily. Their relationship chart does have a Yod from a Neptune MC sextile Pluto inconjunct the Sun – so it is an encounter that will transform both their lives, though it won’t be remotely peaceful.

The irrepressible Judi Dench is getting laudatory reviews for her latest Queen Victoria portrayal – Victoria & Abdul – about the elderly monarch’s dalliance in the final fifteen years of her reign with an Indian clerk raised to a status which raised courtier’s eyebrows. Her Highland ghillie John Brown had died four years before Abdul Karim arrived.

Judi Dench has had a prolific, successful and enduring career on stage and in television but is best known for playing Victoria in Mrs Brown, Elizabeth 1 in Shakespeare in Love, and M in several Bonds.

Born 9 December 1934 with a speculative time of 7.55pm (astrotheme) she’s a bubbly, colourful, outspoken Sun Venus in Sagittarius. Though it’s not an easy chart with three Yods onto focal points of Pluto, Saturn and Mars (see post December 31 2016) so she’s more troubled than she appears. Though on this birth time she has a 4^th house Jupiter which would provide a bedrock of domestic security to keep her afloat.

Queen Victoria, 24 May 1819 4.15am London, had Mars and North Node in Aries, which sits exactly on Judi Dench’s Midheaven, with Victoria’s Venus, Mercury, New Moon in Gemini also in Judi’s 10^th –  good for a career boost. With Victoria’s Aquarius MC conjunct Judi’s North Node and Moon –  quite a connection.

Queen Elizabeth 1, 7 September 1533 JC, 3 pm London, is also well-linked, with Elizabeth’s MC conjunct Judi’s Jupiter, and Elizabeth’s Pluto conjunct Judi’s North Node, and Elizabeth’s Jupiter in Sagittarius conjunct Judi’s Sun and Venus.

Both composite charts are strongly Saturnine, which suggests a positive business relationship.

There’s no birthdate for Abdul Karim except 1863. That would give him, like John Brown, Jupiter in Libra which chimes well with Victoria’s 10^th house Jupiter in Aquarius and her Gemini New Moon. Abdul’s Sagittarius North Node was in Victoria’s 7^th, as was John Brown’s Sagittarius Sun – so good companions.

The astrological chemistry rolls on down through the centuries.

Boris Johnson, the UK Foreign Secretary, has recently looked as lack-lustre in the role as his US counterpart Rex Tillerson. Now Bojo has bounced back to form with an ‘optimistic, positive and glorious’ vision for Brexit, just days before Theresa May is due to give a definitive speech on same. Not a coincidence, as he implicitly dares her not to soften her stance and sets out his stall for the next leadership election.

She’s in a real bind since firing him would: a) improve his income as he went back to highly-paid journalism; and b) free him up to speak his mind as trenchantly as he pleased.

Their relationship chart is a mish-mash of conflict. There’s a definitely-needs-space and non-cooperative composite Sun Uranus; with a see-saw Jupiter opposition Saturn in an outright-dislike square to Mars. That T Square is being pounded by tr Pluto through 2017 to 2020 as it opposes Jupiter this month and next for a who’s-going-to-have-the-last word tussle; then returning to a discouraging conjunction to Saturn; and moving towards open warfare in 2019/2020; and squeaking emotions up to an ear-splitting screech in 2021/22.

Theresa May’s Saturn in Scorpio opposes Boris’s focal point Mars in early Gemini with her Pluto square his Mars – so her slow, stubborn, control-freakery will enrage him.

He’s on a downer late this year with tr Saturn opposing his Sun Venus, but aiming to make more money in 2018 to keep him cheerful. By 2022 tr Uranus is conjunct his Jupiter and if his 2pm birth time is accurate his Solar Arc Jupiter is nearly conjunct his MC, so he should be in luck. Though with tr Neptune moving through his 6^th house for years to come, ego-centred ambitions won’t work well. He’ll need to develop a more idealistic, selfless approach, which might be unlikely.

Jockeying for position in the rival Royal Households has apparently led to the Queen losing her most senior courtier and deputy to appease her sons. Charles wishes to be more established in centre-stage roles by his 70^th birthday next year, and Prince Andrew disliked the aide because he curtailed his extravagant travel plans.

The Queen has always indicated she would never abdicate, though in her 90s she will clearly cut back more and more, especially with Prince Philip having retired.

Prince Charles facing falling popularity in the polls, accelerated by the Diana remembrances, does have tr Uranus conjunct his 10^th house Taurus Moon in mid May 2018, on and off for a year afterwards, which might suggest a major change in his status and direction. That’s exactly at the same time as tr Uranus is conjunct the Queen’s Sun, so there may be a more substantial handover coming during that twelve months. But he looks less than enthusiastic through this autumn and winter, with disappointments and frustrations extending till late 2018. The next really major turning point career-wise for him happens in 2023 when his Solar Arc MC is conjunct his Uranus and opposition his Jupiter.

Prince Charles relationship with his mother has never been easy. A composite Sun square Uranus suggests wildly differing temperaments and agendas, not designed for close co-operation. Plus a Mars Mercury Jupiter opposition Pluto bringing arguments and a struggle for the upper hand. There will be significant changes in their relationship in 2018/19 with the aggravating tr Pluto conjunct the composite Mercury Mars; and tr Uranus square Jupiter and Pluto – plenty of simmering resentment, differences of opinion and a strong desire to be free of the constraints of each other. 2021/22/23 look the most unsettling as tr Uranus squares the composite Sun and is then conjunct the composite Uranus.

Camilla, who never sought the limelight, looks under pressure in 2019/2020 with tr Pluto opposing her Cancer Sun, and indeed before then with tr Pluto opposing her Mercury this year and next. Her relationship with Charles looks deflated at the moment and more so from mid 2018 to late 2019, so she may not appreciate being shoehorned into an unwanted barrage of criticism. The really major upheavals for her come in 2020 to 2022.

Whatever détente there was between Charles and Andrew over this matter won’t last, sagging badly from this year-end across several years ahead. Even the Queen looks less than enamoured of her supposedly favourite son across this New Year and in 2018.

The ousted courtier, Christopher Geidt, a Sun Uranus in Leo with Jupiter Saturn in Capricorn, had a business-like and friendly connection with the Queen, but not either of the Royal sons.

Shame to upset her life at this stage.

Chelsea Manning has had her visiting fellowship at Harvard withdrawn after criticism that her disclosure of classified documents for which she was convicted had endangered lives. Manning had leaked 700,000 military and state department documents to WikiLeaks because of the human toll of the “death, destruction and mayhem” she had seen as an army intelligence analyst in Iraq.

She started to transition to female in 2015 with hormone treatment and although given permission for surgery while inside military prison, it never happened, so she is arranging her own private medical care.

Born 17 December 1987, she has Sun Uranus Saturn Mercury in Sagittarius in a confident trine to Jupiter in Aries; with an emotionally stressed and anguished Mars Pluto in Scorpio conjunct her Moon. Both parents were alcoholics, his mother drank through her pregnancy and didn’t care for her as a baby; and Chelsea reportedly shows signs of fetal alcohol syndrome. Jupiter in Aries will make her impulsive; Saturn Uranus can be autocratic though also innovative; Sun Saturn is prone to depression; Sun Uranus is rebellious.

She’s coming up to her First Saturn Return this year, which is extraordinary given how much she has packed into her twenties. It’s a maturing transit, though with tr Saturn also conjunct her Mercury, Sun, Uranus before the year end, it will also be deflating. And with her Solar Arc Saturn conjunct her Venus it doesn’t look a morale-boosting year, certainly where her feelings are concerned. But she’s also got the super-confident tr Pluto square Jupiter to run till late 2018 which will buck her up.

Where she’s likely to run into major problems is in her late 30s, which is a not-often-recognised major turning point of the mid-life crisis with a Uranus opposition Uranus, Pluto and Neptune square their natal positions running over three years. At that point her Mars Pluto (Moon) will have moved by Solar Arc to start moving across her Mercury, Saturn, Sun, Uranus. And that won’t be an easy transition to make.

It does make you wonder given her background how on earth she was screened for intelligence work.

George Osborne, the former UK Chancellor, famously dubbed ‘one of the posh boys’ by Theresa May, has been getting his own back since taking over post-Brexit as editor of the London Evening Standard, describing her as ‘a dead man walking.’ A fervent Remainer he’s become almost the voice of opposition to the government, given the chaotic not-quite-decided strategy of the Labour Party. But he’s letting his vengeful streak get the better of him with a reported comment about wanting her chopped up into freezer bags.

There’s certainly terrible chemistry between them with her Pluto in Leo square his Saturn in Taurus and Gemini Sun and square his Jupiter Neptune; her Mercury is conjunct his Pluto, and worse her Saturn in Scorpio is conjunct his Jupiter Neptune and opposition his Sun. She completely squelches his head-in-the-cloud confidence; brings out his dogmatic streak and he brings out his control-freaky side. A clash of dinosaurs, neither giving an inch.

Their relationship chart has a hostile-dislike Saturn Mars conjunction which along with the composite Mercury, is being stoked up over coming months. Though there’s the wild card of tr Uranus opposition the composite Jupiter this December and January 2018, which will be worth watching for.

2019, running into the next election in 2022 (if the government holds that long),  Osborne looks highly unsettled with tr Uranus conjunct his Venus, Mercury; and tr Saturn square his Uranus. Then in 2021/22 tr Pluto is in a two-year discouraging slog trine his Saturn.

Singer, actress and most followed Instagram celebrity, Selena Gomez, has announced she has had a kidney transplant donated by her friend actress Francia Raisa. She suffers from lupus, an auto-immune disease, and has had career breaks to cope with depression and anxiety.

Born 22 July 1992 7.129am Grand Prairie, Texas (astrotheme), she was brought up poor by a single actress mother who was 16 when she was born, and grandparents, and started acting at 10.

She has a final degree Cancer Sun in the 12^th; with Venus Mercury conjunct her Leo Ascendant in the 1^st – so will bounce between seclusion and sociable charm. Her ambitiously determined 10^th house Mars in Taurus is sextile her Sun and opposition a 4^th house Pluto, so not an easy childhood. Saturn in Aquarius is in her 7^th square her Pluto, so close relationships will always take an effort. Her 9^th house widely-travelled Aries Moon is square Uranus Neptune in Capricorn in her a 6^th house of health, so she will be emotionally highly-strung as well as having a delicate constitution.

This year tr Pluto has been conjunct her 6^th house Neptune and Uranus/Neptune midpoint with tr Uranus conjunct her Moon – so a good deal to cope with physically. Tr Neptune is also opposing her Jupiter in 2017/18 which is not high energy either, perhaps also accompanying financial uncertainties. Luckily tr Jupiter is moving into her 4^th house for a year ahead from this October, giving her a chance to recuperate at home. Though she will have a sharp change of direction from spring 2018 onwards with tr Uranus conjunct her MC.

Francia Raisa, 26 July 1988, Los Angeles, is a Sun Leo which is conjunct Selena’s Sun, Ascendant and Venus; with her Jupiter in Gemini conjunct Selena’s Mars. Though there are less crossovers than you might expect from such a selfless act. The relationship chart has a friendly composite Venus Jupiter opposition Saturn which is fairly up and down. The only thing that really connects (if the birth dates are accurate) is Francia’s Pisces North Node opposition Selena’s Jupiter; and Selena’s Capricorn North Node conjunct Francia’s Neptune Moon, Saturn Uranus. So there are ‘destiny’ contacts though not as much as I might have expected.

The chef Marco Pierre White claims to be a country recluse despite being star of Australia’s MasterChef, two top rated UK kitchen series, a new Harvey Weinstein format for the US and hopes his autobiography will be filmed with Michael Fassbender in the lead. All the while heading a lucrative empire of restaurants and doing Knorr stock cube ads.

Born 11 December 1961 in Leeds with a chef father and an Italian mother who died when he was six, he left school without qualifications and trained in London under the classical cooking greats. He was the first British chef to win three Michelin stars and the youngest anywhere at 33. He’s short-tempered in the way of kitchen maestros and criticised by some for turning himself into a brooding celebrity.

He’s a Sun Mars, Mercury and Venus in Sagittarius so colourful and not short of outspoken opinions. His probably Aquarius Moon is conjunct Jupiter and maybe Saturn in late Capricorn; and his Venus is square Uranus Pluto in Virgo, giving him a fast-changing and volatile emotional life with three brief marriages and speedy divorces on his CV. His chart is mainly Mutable, so highly-strung, scattered, needing constant stimulation.

His ‘obsessive’ 11^th harmonic is strong, which gives inspired imagination but can also attract enemies. His 9^th harmonic is also notable which can bring strength, determination and creative ability and also has a liking for money.

Tr Neptune is squaring his Sagittarius planets on for a few years so not all going to plan; and tr Saturn in Capricorn will damp his enthusiasm a touch as he moves through his Second Saturn Return and dents his enthusiastic Jupiter through till 2021. But he’ll always have a Plan B in mind and move on smartly when certain projects don’t work out.

Of the other famous chefs: Jamie Oliver, Heston Blumenthal and Michael Roux are all Sun Geminis. Gordon Ramsay and Raymond Blanc – Scorpios. Nigella Lawson and Rick Stein – Capricorn. And the unsurpassable Ferran Adria of El Bulli is Taurus. All of them bar Adria, have a handful of Mutable planets in their charts – Virgo, Gemini mainly and in Nigella Lawson’s case Mars Jupiter in Sagittarius. Surprising there are no Cancerians.

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