Damascus are claiming that Jordanian forces, backed by the USA, are preparing an invasion of southern Syria. This may be a propaganda line punted by Assad to firm up Russian support. Jordanian planes are already bombing ISIL targets and their forces have recently built a buffer zone of about 9 miles just inside the Syrian border. But the Jordanian military chiefs have been firm in their denials about any ground forces moving in and the war is unpopular domestically in Jordan.

The Jordan/Syria relationship chart shows signs of a deeper freeze from this July to October as tr Saturn squares the composite Sun opposition Jupiter; with a marked deterioration through 2018/19.

The relationship chart between King Abdullah of Jordan and Bashar Assad also shows the July to October period this year as aggravated; worsening through 2018 and more so in 2019/2020.

The USA/Russia relationship chart looks strained across this July to October patch as well, though there could be other reasons for that. Even before then it is sagging badly as tr Neptune opposes the composite Sun Saturn from now onwards till late 2018.

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Roger Moore, the suave, consummate English gentleman with a twinkle in his eye, who played James Bond after Connery and before that Simon Templar in the Saint, has died.

Born 14 October 1927 12.45am London, he was, not surprisingly, a Sun Libra with a 10^th house Gemini Moon opposition Saturn square Venus in Virgo. Lots of soft charm and a way with women, seeing him through four marriages. He had a wide Yod of Mars in Libra (Sun) sextile Neptune inconjunct Jupiter in Pisces in his 8^th, so he would have the ability to project an expansive manner – and accumulate a good deal of money. He owned rights latterly in the Saint, which set him up for life with its global distribution and rolled through four high-paying Bonds.

But he also had steel in his spine, grit and determination from Sun Mars square Pluto.

Ariana Grande, the American singer who had just come off stage when the Manchester bomb went off outside the arena, was born 26 June 1993 9.15 pm Boca Raton, Florida. She is immensely successful with No 1 albums and singles galore and 7 billion viewers for her music videos. She is of Italian origin and started singing and acting as a child.

She has a hard-working 6^th house Cancer Sun in an expansive square to Jupiter Moon in Libra, and a sensible trine to Saturn. She’s got a Mystic Rectangle of a 10^th house Pluto opposition Venus in Taurus trine/sextile Mercury in Cancer opposition Uranus Neptune in Capricorn and Ascendant – so passionate, ultra-charming, quite controlling and highly strung.

What she also has is a Grand Trine, formed into a Kite with Saturn opposition Mars – so not dissimilar to the signature of the bombing (see below). In her case, the Grand Trine of Sun, Saturn and MC, is in Water which is creative and healing; and the Mars Saturn gives her drive and discipline to bring out its potential. Though her afflicted/emphasised Mars is in the 8^th which can bring fairly tragic and risky experiences into her life.

There’s nothing much sparking up on her chart apart from tr Pluto trine her Moon/Mars midpoint, which would bring a great surge of anger and intense reaction. She will feel it badly given the water in her chart.

Relocating her chart to Manchester puts her highly-strung Uranus Neptune exactly conjunct on the midheaven; with an intense Pluto in the 7^th – so it will be a location which evokes a storm of feelings in her. She has cancelled the rest of her tour.

Her Progressed Moon is about to go into her 8^th house within weeks, staying for nearly three years, which will be a difficult time psychologically for her, as she tries to get her bearings. Though tr Jupiter moving across her midheaven later this year and through chunks of 2018 will bring her success.

Twenty-two people, including children, have been killed and 59 injured in a suicide attack at Manchester Arena. The blast happened around 22.30 pm local time yesterday at the end of a concert by US singer Ariana Grande. Police said the lone male attacker, who died in the blast, detonated an improvised explosive device.

What’s around at the moment is a Fire Grand Trine of Saturn in Sagittarius trine Uranus Moon in Aries trine North Node in Leo, formed into a Kite by Saturn opposition Mars. The Fire emphasis makes it attention-seeking, brashly confident and Mars Saturn makes it cruel, associated in older astrology with assassinations and the military. Set for the time of the explosion Uranus Moon were on the IC located to Manchester with the Saturn opposition Mars across the horizon line (Ascendant/Descendant axis).

This above configuration stays in place for a while, though the Mars Saturn opposition will peak from the 29^th of this month and then start to fade. Atrocities often occur before the exact aspect.

The February 2017 Pisces Solar Eclipse, set for Manchester, has an explosive Mars Uranus in Aries conjunct the MC opposition Jupiter IC square Pluto – so descriptive of the worst terrorist bombing in the UK for 12 years.  In July 2005  52 were killed and 700 injured in co-ordinated terrorist attacks on London transport. At that point there was also a wide Fire Grand Trine involving Mars in Aries and an approaching Mars square Saturn.

On the UK chart at the moment tr Pluto is still opposition the Cancer Moon, which invokes intense emotional reactions – and that sticks around till late 2018. The Solar Arc MC is also drawing closer to the exact square to the UK 8^th house Mars, which as well as having financial connections, also tends to accompany dangerous situations when triggered. It is exact in three months.

Amid the febrile and probably misplaced rumours about an imminent Trump impeachment, VP Mike Pence has raised eyebrows in launching his own PAC (political action committee). VPs don’t normally do it this early into a run and it is denied it has anything to do with his future political ambitions vis a vis the White House in 2020. Even barring an impeachment, health problems for Trump are not an outside possibility, given his age, unhealthy lifestyle and high-voltage Solar Arc Uranus Mars in 2018.

There’s no birth time for Pence, so timings are iffy, but he does have Solar Arc Sun conjunct his Uranus anywhere from 15 months to two years ahead. This will certainly send an electric shock through his life, and that could be good or bad. Plus he has tr Uranus opposition his Solar Arc Pluto in 2018 which is also a major upheaval. This year is majorly fraught with tr Pluto square his Mars/Saturn (= rolling catastrophes) and trine his Mars/Neptune (= dreams dissolving) – and both of these run till late 2018. Plus he has tr Neptune square his Jupiter/Saturn running from now till late July, and on and off till late 2018, which usually accompanies career losses. Plus a really lacklustre, not-winning tr Neptune square his Gemini Sun from May 2018 till late 2019. Though tr Pluto conjunct his Solar Arc Jupiter will give him some cheer in 2018/19. But even if he did step up, he would not be a happy camper. He’ll recover by 2020/21 with tr Pluto sextile his Jupiter.

His wife Karen, also no birth time, is also facing a major setback, possibly in 2019 with Solar Arc Saturn square her Scorpio Sun. Though that can also be too much work. Some highs in 2018/19 with tr Pluto sextile her Sun/Jupiter; and considerable frustrations by 2019/2020 as tr Pluto trines her Mars in Taurus.

Pence’s relationship chart with Trump is aggravated at the best of times, though no doubt kept firmly under wraps, with a hostile, power-struggling Mars Pluto conjunction – so when it blows apart it will be nasty. It looks highly confused between them this year, worse in 2018/19; though 2019 could bring relief from the chains that bind.

Karen dislikes Trump even more obviously with a composite Mars Uranus square Saturn Neptune. Their chemistry is bubbling uncomfortably through this year; in the freezer late this year; and into devastation territory by 2018.

Two thoughts strike me. One – in the event of the Trump campaign being discredited over Russia, Pence might well be implicated since he’s been in since the start. Two – if Trump gets a whiff of disloyalty or any perceived attempt to oust him and install Pence instead, the daggers and blunderbusses will come out.

Politics has overtaken the Kardashians, Royal romances and sporting hostilities as the toxic topic causing uproar at water coolers and tearing apart family relationships and friendships. The degree of polarisation is worrying both in the USA and the UK.

Trump supporters are still standing by their man, dismissing all criticism as ‘just noise’, and blanking out most opposing opinions by only getting their ‘news’ from nakedly ideological outlets, which makes it less likely that they’ll encounter any other viewpoint – or be able to distinguish truth from falsehood.

In the UK, the Brexit campaign, run on the basis of outright lies, with no voting rights for UK ex-pats, was won by the slimmest of majorities (hell mend David Cameron, doubly so for punting the referendum in the first place and not putting a 60% threshold on it.) The Remainers think the Brexiters are delusional as well as mendacious, harking back to the glory days of empire – which aren’t coming back. The Brexiters think the Remainers’ fears are of no consequence – more noise. Neither side listens to the other.

The USA is in some ways is easier to understand given the tr Uranus square the US Mercury opposition Pluto in 2017/18, which historically has inflamed far-right views. And the US anyway has always had a unique strand of virulent anti-government sentiment, which has now become more mainstream, blossoming into paranoia about the ‘deep state’.

Much is being made in the liberal media about the present Trump campaign Russia connection having parallels with Watergate, though Trump is no Nixon. Where the connection exists is that Trump got elected on the back of Fox News support, which is largely the brainchild of Roget Ailes, a Nixon adviser (heavily Taurus). Another Nixon adviser, Pat Buchanan, was a great polariser, who recommended using race and class conflict as a campaigning tool (Scorpio with a divisive Uranus in Taurus on his MC). So Trump’s victory was re-running the old script. When Watergate pulled Nixon down, Buchanan said – it goes against the political will of the people.

Watergate escalated through 1973, ending in Nixon’s resignation in August 1974. This was the period some see as the most significant time in the UK’s 20^th Century history. Over the 1973-74 winter, under Edward Heath’s government, there was a State of Emergency, the Three-Day Week and endless power-cuts with trades unionists rising to prominence. The middle-classes were in a state of mounting paranoia about the UK becoming a proto-communist country.

There were specific influences then to the UK chart – Solar Arc Pluto conjunct the 11^th house Saturn in Leo (= the legislature, testing the power of parliament). But what both the UK and the USA were facing was tr Saturn in Cancer square tr Pluto in Libra – with tr Saturn in hard aspect to each country’s Sun.

At present tr Saturn is moving towards the end of its Sagittarius stint and heading to join Pluto in for Capricorn from this New Year, though not reaching the exact conjunction to Pluto till 2019. Before then tr Saturn will oppose the USA Venus Jupiter in 2018 and then the US Sun in early 2019 – so relatively similar to 1974, though not exactly so, since tr Pluto is further on. Tr Saturn will conjunct the UK Sun in December 2018, when the detail of Brexit will be clearer.

So 2018/2019 are likely to be the years when the sh** hits the fan after a time of trial requiring endurance and perseverance.

Pippa Middleton was married yesterday to hedge-funder James Matthews, around midday. She looked wonderful in a classic wedding dress with mini-pages and bridesmaids and sister Kate in attendance to make last minute adjustments.

The wedding chart has a grandstanding Pluto in the 5^th square Jupiter in the 2^nd (no expense spared) in an indulgent and slightly frivolous opposition to Venus in Aries. So definitely for show.

There’s also an inspirational and attention-grabbing Fire Grand Trine of North Node in Leo trine Uranus trine Saturn, formed into a wide Kite by Saturn opposition Mars – so a mix of vitality plus, quite self-involving, adventurous and hard-edged.

There’s also an oddly out of sync Moon Neptune in Pisces in the 7^th which can be ethereal, and squaring Mars, also showbizzy and publicity seeking as well as glamorous, but is more for show than substance emotionally.

They are a good match with his Venus in Virgo conjunct her Sun, and his Sun in Leo conjunct her Venus (maybe Moon); and his Moon on her Descendant and his Sun in her 1^st (if her 4.40am birth time is correct).

Their relationship chart has an affectionate composite Sun Venus in an enthusiastic sextile to Mars; with a confident Pluto trine Jupiter, so in the minor power-couple league. The composite Saturn is conjunct Mercury, sextile Uranus, square Neptune and inconjunct Jupiter. A dollop of Saturn does give longevity. Too much suggests work gets in the way of personal time. Tr Neptune opposes the composite Saturn in 2017/18 so some worrying and undermining situations, perhaps to do with his business. He does look in for a rocky ride in 2017/18 with tr Uranus square his Saturn and then opposition his Uranus.

Julian Assange is in a defiant mood as Swedish authorities drop his rape charges saying he won’t forgive his incarceration in the Ecuador Embassy for five years. Though he’s not free and clear yet since he still faces charges in the UK for ducking bail which can carry a one year jail term, never mind any US moves to extradite him.

He’s got a successful and bullish tr Pluto trine his Sun/Jupiter through this June, and on and off till late 2018. But he’s also got tr Saturn square his Pluto and opposition his Venus now up to November this year which will damp his ardour.

2018 has some exuberant highs and some extremely anxious moments as well; with 2019 seeing tr Saturn opposition his Sun and square his Uranus; and tr Uranus opposition his Moon – so very jangled and discouraging.

Plus tr Saturn is now moving through his low-profile first quadrant for several years, with money shortages looming large in 2018/19/20, which is also a time when unresolved emotional issues tend to surface.

His relationship chart with the US looks insecure and volatile this year and more so in 2018/19 – deeply frustrating, quite scary and undermining. And his bad-tempered relationship chart with the UK also indicates 2018/19 as trigger points for more dislike and hostility.

Chris Cornell, 20 July 1964,  singer/songwriter and one of the architects of the grunge movement has died in an apparent suicide, although his widow has suggested it may have been more to do with his anxiety medication than a deliberate attempt to end his life.

He was a late Sun Cancer with a Sagittarius Moon; Saturn in Pisces opposition Uranus Pluto in Virgo; with a Fixed T Square of Jupiter in Taurus opposition Neptune square Mercury in Leo; and Mercury sextile a passionately enthusiastic Venus Mars conjunction in Gemini – so a curious mix of light and shade, high spirits and depression.

The Saturn opposition Pluto does have a tendency to the glooms; and a focal Fixed sign Mercury on the point of a T Square can be very one-track minded, and finds it difficult to recognize alternatives, or listen to feedback.

This year he has had his Solar Arc Uranus square his Sun which would be a major jolt; and his Secondary Progressed Mars was moving to conjunct his Sun, so a time of high-stress.

Houses will make a difference which we don’t know without a birth time.