Actor and activist Sean Penn has been getting excruciatingly bad reviews for his novel Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff, a dystopian thriller about a hitman, featuring a Trumpian President. The NY Times described it as “a riddle wrapped in an enigma and cloaked in crazy.” And the Guardian said – ‘repellent on one level, but stupid on so many others. Penn doesn’t just swing and miss with his ambitious vocabulary; he swings and cracks a hole in reality as we know it.’

Penn has had an award-winning career, though nothing too recent and his present film, Mel Gibson’s The Professor and the Madman is mired in legal trouble and may never see the light of day. In it he plays a doctor who contributed over 10,000 entries to the Oxford English Dictionary in 1857, when he was a convict at an asylum for the criminally insane. Maybe explains the word salad in his novel.

Born 17 August 1960 3.17 pm Burbank, California, he does have a strongly communicative 9^th house with his Leo Sun conjunct revolutionary Uranus there, as well as opinionated Pluto conjunct Venus in Virgo.  His Mercury in Leo hovers on the cusp from the 8^th in a muddled square to Neptune, sextile Mars in outspoken Gemini and an awkward inconjunct to Saturn. His Cancer Moon is trine Neptune and opposition Saturn; with Saturn trine his Venus Pluto – so a mixed emotional life, married at one point to Madonna, and an on/off several times match with Robin Wright.

He’s not in at his most successful with tr Saturn moving below his Ascendant through his 1^st quadrant for some years to come.  His Solar Arc Mars is square his Neptune at the moment, indicative of plans not working out and usually an ego-dent. And he’s heading for his Second Saturn Return early in 2019 which is usually a sobering reality-check about what comes next. He’ll recover some of his old mojo in 2019/2020. But it’ll be a while before he gets back to his old form.

Vladimir Putin facing the dismantling of much of his intelligence network abroad will be sworn in for his 4^th Term on May 7, usually around noon. It is not as successful as his previous 2012 term which had Jupiter Sun in the 10^th and looks fractious and downbeat with a 10^th house Sun trine both Saturn and Pluto in the 5^th house of speculation and entertainment; with an explosive Mars Pluto square Mercury Uranus. It won’t be without significant crises and high-risk situations, especially in 2021/22. The Sun does oppose a 4^th house Jupiter which points to a settled domestic mood. Neptune in the 7^th is slippery where neighbours and agreements are concerned, though also indecisive. That’s all depending on a noon swearing in time.

His own personal chart (birth time unverified) has the panicky-failure Solar Arc Neptune opposition Mars still in effect, though fading. Tr Pluto is square his Neptune now till late 2019, which is uncertain, confusing, devastating; with an intense, mental-strain tr Pluto square Mercury in 2019/2020. He’ll be bullish at points this year with tr Pluto trine his Jupiter though lacklustre at others with Neptune around.  His midpoints point to major aggravations and frustrations in 2019/2020/2021; with an accident-prone, disastrous setback Solar Arc Saturn conjunct his Mars in 2021.

His relationship chart with Russia 1917 does hint at quite a turnaround in late April/early May, November and February 2019 with tr Uranus square the composite Pluto and opposition the composite Mars Pluto – which looks exceptionally fraught and risky.

Roseanne has re-launched, the sit com about a working class white family from suburban Illinois, which catapulted Roseanne Barr and John Goodman to fame in the late 1980s/1990s.  To add to the family’s dysfunction this time round is a political divide with Roseanne a Trump supporter (as Barr is in real life) and her sister wearing T shirts sporting ‘Nasty Woman’. In a way it’s an admirable attempt to reflect the reality of the toxic arguments in many American families.

Roseanne Barr, born 3 November 1952 1.21 pm Salt Lake City, Utah, is a confident, opinionated 9^th house Sun Scorpio opposition Jupiter in indulgent Taurus. That opposition sits in a Mystic Rectangle to a volatile and angry Mars in Capricorn opposition Uranus which squares onto a cae-be-neurotic Saturn Neptune in Libra.  She has a fierce Pluto in her 7^th and a complicated emotional life to go along with it; with Pluto opposition an Aquarius Node square Jupiter – so not short of pushy confidence. Her restless Gemini Moon opposes her Mercury but is otherwise unaspected.

She has talked of having mental problems in the past and being on heavy psychotropic medication; and undergoing considerable plastic surgery.

Tr Jupiter is aiming to cross her midheaven and 10^th house later this year which is generally successful.  But it looks like a rough, tough ride ahead with tr Pluto opposing her Uranus this year and squaring her Saturn in 2018/19; then squaring her Neptune in 2019/2020. All of which looks fairly devastating and confusing. Plus a run of disappointing Neptune transits to several of her midpoints in 2018 to 2020. Plus a shocking, jolting Solar Arc Sun opposition her Uranus, exact in 20 months’ time.

Heat is being turned on Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, Leave campaign leaders, about whether they knew additional funds were going via a subsidiary youth group BeLeave to a Canadian offshoot of Cambridge Analytica – which would have run them over the legal funding limit. Guido Fawkes says Remain was doing much the same in terms of spending so it may all fizzle out.

Or not, as the case may be. Both have the blocked tr Pluto hitting on their Mars/Pluto midpoint in 2018/19. And both look panicked and logjammed at the moment and seriously unnerved in April. Boris with tr Neptune square his Sun/Mars midpoint and Gove with tr Neptune square his Jupiter/Saturn. Both these influences tend to bring disappointments and losses. With worse to follow in June. When Boris is in a state of nervous tension with crisis around with tr Uranus conjunct his Sun/Saturn midpoint; and tr Neptune in the deceptive, relationship-denting square to his Mars/Node. July to mid December sees him afflicted by aggravating, trapped Pluto hard aspects to two Mars midpoints. Some of those influences run through 2019, though he’ll have one Jupiter around to boost his morale.

Gove in June will be assaulted by tr Uranus in an accident-prone square to his Mars/Saturn midpoint; with more angst and hair-tearing in 2019.

Not happy Easter bunnies at all in the immediate future.

Michael Cohen, the fiercely loyal, pitbull lawyer for Trump, formerly an Executive VP for the Trump Organization, has been accused of “using intimidation tactics in trying to step on little people” in his efforts to protect his master and idol over the Stormy Daniels allegations. Lawsuits and counter-suits, accusations and denials are flying around.

Born 25 August 1966 (wiki), he’s a Sun Virgo with a lives-inside-a-bubble Water Grand Trine of Jupiter in Cancer trine Neptune trine Saturn; with Mars, Venus, Mercury spread out through flamboyant Leo.

He’s an odd mix with Trump with his Saturn square Trump’s Sun and Moon; and his Uranus Pluto square Trump’s Uranus.

Their relationship chart has a chained-together Saturn square Pluto; and more interestingly, a slippery composite Sun Mercury square Neptune. The latter is being nerve-stretched and seriously jolted, now into April with tr Uranus square the Sun Mercury and opposition Neptune.

Stormy Daniel’s Pisces Sun is conjunct Cohen’s Saturn; her Uranus conjunct his Neptune; her Pluto square his Jupiter; and her Mars opposes his Pluto Uranus – so a worthy opponent who won’t budge and will make him feel vulnerable. Their relationship chart has a cold composite Sun Saturn, which tr Neptune is undermining in 2018/19/20 – so this may run and run. If anything, 2019 looks more aggravated with tr Pluto trine the composite Mars.

Much the same scenario for on his relationship chart with Michael Avenatti, Daniels’ lawyer, with jousting continuing into a real slog in 2019/2020.

On Cohen’s personal chart, he looks uncertain in April with a crisis of will-power, and that influence repeats into 2019. With a shock which will provoke misjudgments in May when tr Uranus is square his Mars, again repeating into 2019.

Please add below. Older posts under News on top bar.

Mass protests with many injured in Catalonia followed news that the former separatist leader Carles Puigdemont has been taken into custody in Germany on a European arrest warrant. He faces charges of sedition, rebellion and misappropriation of public funds over last year’s Catalan banned independence referendum, which could result in up to 30 years in prison. Spain’s Supreme Court has ruled 25 that Catalan leaders should be tried for rebellion, embezzlement or disobeying the state. They all deny the allegations.

If ever there was a way of inflaming a situation which a diplomatic compromise could have settled in the first place this is it.

Carles Puigdemont, 29 December 1962, is an ambitious Sun Capricorn trine a rebellious Uranus Pluto in Virgo, sextile Jupiter. With a flamboyant Mars in Leo, Saturn Moon in Aquarius and Venus Neptune in Scorpio – so stubborn and enduring.

He’s not looking cheerful in 2018/19/20 with a run of blocked, discouraging and risky influences. But then he’ll get into a better gear and may be back in for a fight through the early 2020s.

What’s interesting is the Independence Vote 27 October 2017 3.26pm chart looks more upbeat this year and in 2019 with Jupiter well-starred; and getting back into revolutionary gear come 2021.

Puigdemont’s relationship chart with Spain 1975 is dissolving under Neptune in 2019/2020; but from 2021/2022 getting back into fighting mode.

His Mars squares the Spain’s late degree Scorpio Sun Mercury so it is an argumentative combination; with his destabilising Uranus Pluto in the Spain 8^th so he obviously hits a deep chord of fear. Especially since Spain already has a hidden Pluto in the 8^th leading to a determined fight for control.

In addition to three Scorpio planets, Spain has an autocratic Saturn square Uranus which is being severely jangled from this July into 2020, which could be other dilemmas.  But it looks unsettled.

The crazy thing is most Catalonians without all this hooha would probably vote to stay as long as they were given more autonomy. But creating martyrs is not the way to go.

Australia is cringing in shame after the cricket ball-tampering scandal by their team in South Africa. Even the PM was impelled to speak sternly about being “shocked and bitterly disappointed.” “It seemed completely beyond belief that the Australian cricket team had been involved in cheating. Our cricketers are role models and cricket is synonymous with fair play. How can our team be engaged in cheating like this? It beggars belief.”

Sporting events often show up on a country chart especially when they are national sports. The Australia 1 January 1901 1.35pm chart has a dynamic Mars in the 5^th house of sport squaring a determined Pluto opposition Uranus – and that T Square is being undermined by tr Neptune now and ahead till late 2019.  Tr Saturn is also conjunct the Sun/Saturn conjunction. Not ego-boosting, that’s for sure.

Stevie Smith, the team captain, 2 June 1989, is a confident Sun Jupiter in Gemini on the focal point of a Yod inconjunct Pluto sextile Saturn Neptune, so he will wobble between under and over confidence. Tr Neptune is square his Sun/Jupiter midpoint now and moving to square his Jupiter from May onwards for eighteen months which will take the shine off his enthusiasm. He also has a do-or-die determined Pluto square Mars in Cancer; with Mars being road-blocked by a tr Pluto opposition in 2018/2019.

The vice-captain David Warner, 27 October 1986, is a grimly and relentlessly determined Sun Pluto in Scorpio square Mars in Aquarius. Winning won’t be a game to him. He’s also got tr Neptune in hard aspect to his Jupiter this year and tr Uranus opposing his Sun in 2019, Pluto in 2020.

Both face losing millions in sponsorship deals.

Arnaud Beltrame, who traded places with a hostage and ended up dead in a terrorist shootout by a French-Moroccan Islamist near Carcassonne in the south of France, was a senior gendarme with a military parachuting background.

Born 18 April 1973 in Etampes, France, he was a charming, late Sun Aries conjunct Venus in Taurus; with an Air Grand Trine of Mars Jupiter in Aquarius trine Saturn in Gemini trine Uranus in Libra; with an intense Mercury in Aries opposition Pluto sextile/trine Jupiter – talented, pro-active, confident, used to high-adrenaline situations, a strong idealist. His Moon was in determined Scorpio.

Pic: By MissionNumeriqueGN – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67700881

An inspirational story from Venezuela where the much revered Jose Abreu, founder of a renowned music programme that changed the lives of thousands of poor children, has died. He started El Sistema (the system) in 1975 in a garage with just 11 musicians which eventually grew to 300 choirs and orchestras, inspiring similar systems in other countries. One of the programme’s founding principles was to combat poverty through music, teaching classical works in the poorest areas of the country. Children are taught from the age of three to play music during free afternoon classes, with a focus on orchestral practice. “They are boys that we are taking away from drugs and violence,” he said.

Born 7 May 1939 in Valera, he came from a musical family and started his own classical musical education young. His chart is staggeringly strong. His Sun and innovative Uranus in Taurus were in a creative Earth Grand Trine Trine to Neptune in Virgo trine Mars in Capricorn, formed into a Kite by Mars in a never-give-up opposition to Pluto. Making influential and controlling Pluto the driving planet. The Mars opposition Pluto was also square a self-reliant, hard-edged Saturn Mercury in Aries, giving him organising and executive ability. His can-be-compassionate Jupiter opposition Neptune was in a Mystic Rectangle to the Mars opposition Pluto.

A complex man with killer determination and the courage to mix in violent areas. Not the easiest to get on with, mind you. But you can’t produce results like that by being sugary sweet.

His creative 5^th and 7^th Harmonics were well aspected; and as well his ‘obsessive dream’ 11H; his breakthrough 13H; and leaving a legacy for history 17H.

Pic: © Leo Ramirez, AFP