Ayatollah Al-Sistani is the spiritual leader of the Shia Muslims in Iraq. He has avoided getting embroiled in politics and hopes for a civil not a religious Iraq which puts him at odds with Iran, who are the financiers and weapons suppliers to Iraq’s main Shia parties and their militia.

Born 4 August 1930, he’s now 87 with no obvious successor. His Leo Sun is conjunct the Iraq 1921 Mars Neptune and his Neptune is conjunct the Iraq Sun – so the religious connections are clear. And his Venus in Virgo is conjunct the Iraq Jupiter Saturn, bringing a helpful cross over. He is coming up to his 3^rd Saturn Return in 2018 and with tr Neptune square his Mars in Gemini may not have the strength to stand up to whatever forces, physical or otherwise that are ranged against him.

   

 

Terry Fox was a Canadian athlete and cancer research activist whose astonishing feat of running 3500 miles across Canada with a prosthetic leg to raise money and awareness has resulted in a lasting worldwide legacy. He lost his leg to bone cancer when he was 18 and vowed he wouldn’t give up his distance running and basketball. Sadly the spread of the cancer to his lungs stopped his Canadian east-west marathon after 143 days and he died nine months later, just before his 23rd birthday. But the Terry Fox annual run now involves millions of participants in 60 countries and is the world’s largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research.

Born 28 July 1958 7.30am Winnipeg, Canada, he had a rebellious Sun Uranus in Leo on the focal point of a Fixed T Square to an unyielding Mars in Taurus conjunct his midheaven opposition Neptune, so utterly determined, ambitious, a crusader with a 9^th house Mars, willing to take risks with Uranus Mars. There’s no way he could have sat in a wheelchair and moped. He also had an achievement-oriented Capricorn Moon in his performing/sporty 5^th house in an Earth Grand Trine to Pluto Mercury in Virgo and Mars MC so physical, grounded, and able to push himself through crisis situations.

He also had an ever-optimistic Jupiter in his 3^rd which was sparsely aspected making him marginally less sociable than he might otherwise have been and also making him idealistic and naïve. He did have a strong chart with Mars in Taurus on one leg not only of a Grand Trine but also a stubbornly enduring Fixed T square.

His get-it-together 5^th Harmonic and his ‘seeking soul’ 7^th were strongly aspected; as were the to-be-expected ‘inner strength’ 8H and ‘obsessive dream’ 11H. His leaving-a-mark-on-history 17H tied together an exuberantly successful Mars Jupiter to a never-give-in Moon Pluto and Sun. His 12H – victim/healer – was starkly difficult.

   

 

Lest Americans feel they are the only ones drowning in chaos here’s a Brexit update. Who’d know where we are heading? Theresa May makes opaque and cryptic utterances that make little sense to English-speaking Brits, so no surprises the EU-ers are perplexed. The international tower of babel, inhabited by politicians and commentators of varying hues, spews contradictory noise from all quarters – from Davis’s cheery ‘lightning speed’ negotiations to dead-halt-and-off-a- cliff-edge from others. December appears to be the next deadline which may or may not see progress.

Theresa May looks setback on her heels in November and irritable with it as tr Saturn is conjunct her Sun/Mars; depressed end dented in December  with tr Saturn square her Sun/Jupiter and Mercury; and in a complete and devastated muddle from tr Pluto square her Sun/Neptune from December 8th into early January 2018, returning on and off through 2018. Though she does have a great sigh of relief from tr Uranus opposition her Jupiter/North Node in December/January 2018 which is either good news, or she gets let off the hook and sent out to pasture. Somewhere along the way since her birth time isn’t known, she gets a massive jolt from Solar Arc Uranus conjunct her Sun.

If she sticks around, then it gets considerably worse in 2018 with tr Neptune returning to conjunct her Mars for a panicky feeling of failure from early February (returning late October into early 2019). From mid March onwards tr Pluto is conjunct her Mars/Saturn midpoint which is calamitous – though that could be a disaster of another variety such as a major atrocity. That returns on and off through 2019 as well, joined in 2019/2020 by a frustratingly-trapped tr Pluto conjunct her Mars/Node. By 2019 tr Neptune is in a bubble-bursting, false-hopes-dashed opposition to her Jupiter; and is exactly square the Sun and Moon in her government chart. If I was facing those influences I’d retire to a meditation centre and hide.

The UK chart surprisingly has moments of considerable cheer as well as angst from tr Pluto opposition the Cancer Moon and opposition the Solar Arc Mercury throughout 2018. This December and January 2018 look on edge and insecure; but from mid February there’s a run of tr Pluto opposition the Jupiter/MC, then Mars/Jupiter midpoints and square Sun/Jupiter running till late 2019. So there may be a devil-may-care mindset – or perhaps even a Royal wedding as as upbeat distraction.

   

 

The Trump lash-back reflex appears to be misfiring spectacularly as he digs himself a crater-sized hole over presidential condolences to the families of soldiers killed in action. Following Roy Cohn, his mentor’s advice – ‘always be on the attack, counterpunch whenever punched and never apologize. Never, ever, ever apologize’ – he blames everyone else in sight, proclaims as lies what has been corroborated by several witnesses as the truth. And on he stumbles, thrashing wildly around.

His astro-timeline again:  He’s just got rid of tr Saturn conjunct his Sagittarius Moon, making him feel unloved and under-nurtured; and square his Sun/Moon midpoint which indicates a marital freeze; and in a politician unpopularity; and tr Saturn to opposition his Gemini Sun (finished October 13^th) which tends to bring reality checks, setbacks and discouragement, as well as opposition his Mars/Jupiter midpoint which is no cheerier – difficulties in making decisions, termination of relationships, letting good opportunities slide. Though Saturn does tend to have a delay factor inbuilt so doesn’t necessarily disappear instantly. During September up to October 23^rd he has also the depressing, confusing tr Pluto hitting on his Mercury/Saturn, Sun/Pluto and Mars/Neptune midpoints.

Regrettably from October 24^th to early December tr Pluto returns to square his Jupiter for the final time which will bring a surge of over-confidence, a ‘might makes right’ forcefulness, and rules-don’t-apply-to-me mindset which could see him stepping even further over the line. 2^nd November to December 1^st tr Uranus is square his Venus in Cancer, which will make him more emotionally impulsive than usual, intolerant of and kicking against restrictions.

In December/January 2018 tr Uranus will be whipping up a storm as it crashes into his Sun/Mars, Mercury/Pluto and Venus/Saturn midpoints – 1) impulsive, over-excited, overtaxing strength (military call-up?); 2) fanatical, great mental strain; 3) emotional stress, acute loneliness.

There seems little likelihood of him acquiring any self-control at this late stage and with his Solar Arc Mercury approaching the square to his Uranus over coming months he’s likely to become even more incontinent with his scattergun tantrums. And his Solar Arc Uranus is now on the same degree as his Mars, approaching the exact conjunction in eight months’ time, which is intemperate, hot-headed and determined to prove its machismo by wild actions.

His Admin chart pinpoints late Oct/early Nov as one crisis/setback phase with tr Saturn square Mars; even before then from early October to early January 2018 there’s likely to be a run of disappointed hopes with tr Neptune square the Sun/Jupiter midpoint. With Dec/Jan 2018 looking especially fraught as tr Uranus squares the Sun/Pluto. Where it starts to look more cheerful is from late March 2018 onwards with a sudden lucky break and positive change in circumstance.

Melania is plodding stalwartly on; with Sun, Saturn, Mercury Venus in Taurus, she’s not one for reckless actions. Though she looks even more trapped than usual, certainly in November with tr Saturn square her Pluto; and a Solar Arc Pluto opposition her Saturn sometime soon, extending over several months. She does look more upbeat this December/January with tr Pluto square her Jupiter/Uranus midpoint. But into 2018 from February onwards it looks all tough going for her for about three years thereafter; with jolting changes in 2019 and onwards.

[Roy Cohn, see post March 7 2017]

   

 

A historic moment for China yesterday as President Xi Jinping strengthened his control over his 1.4 billion population and had his Thoughts written into the constitution, an honour previously reserved only for Mao Tse Tung and Deng Xiaoping. He stands for a socialism that is in contrast to western liberalism, democracy and capitalism; and the likelihood is he will try to remain on the throne for as long as his health holds out.

Xi Jinping, 1 June 1953, has a much more Mutable/flexible and Cardinal/got-initiative chart than his predecessors with Sun, confident and lucky Jupiter, Mercury and Mars in Gemini and a Cardinal Grand Cross of Saturn Neptune in Libra opposition Venus square Uranus opposition a Capricorn Moon. Mao, a Sun Capricorn had a ferociously determined Mars in Scorpio opposition Jupiter in Taurus; Deng Xiaoping was a Sun Mars in Leo with Saturn in Aquarius and Jupiter in Taurus so much more Fixed and enduring.

Xi Jinping’s Presidency chart, 14 March 2013 11.51am Beijing, is also highly Mutable with the Sun and three other planets in Pisces and Jupiter in Gemini, plus a determinedly revolutionary Uranus Mars in Aries square Pluto. But what marks it out as special is a Yod of grittily-persevering Saturn sextile Pluto inconjunct Jupiter. Such a focal point Jupiter can have a significant impact on society, rarely doubts the rightness of their beliefs and actions, but can be undone by the need for personal power and glory.

Despite all the adulation, his presidency chart isn’t looking too cheerful with tr Neptune conjunct the midheaven till late 2018 and square the Solar Arc Jupiter through this year which can produce a bubble of ‘false happiness’.

His own personal chart looks confused and beleaguered through 2018/19 with tr Pluto square the Saturn Neptune; and on a panicky slide in 2020/21 with Solar Uranus and tr Neptune square his Mars.

The China 1 October 1949 3.15pm chart does have the Solar Arc MC conjunct the Ascendant exactly now which is a significant marker for the country’s image and direction. But there’s also Solar Arc Uranus opposition the 8^th house Saturn now, with tr Saturn aiming to square the 8^th house Sun, Mercury, Neptune and oppose Uranus from this New Year onwards until early 2019, which suggests attempts to get the China internal debt problem under control has a way to go. There will be a surge of confidence and success come 2019/2020 with tr Pluto conjunct the China Jupiter in Capricorn; but also emotional distress in 2020 as Solar Arc Moon opposes Neptune.

Xi Jinping has an argumentative interface with Trump with his Mars Mercury in Gemini conjunct Trump’s Sun Uranus opposition Moon; and Xi’s Pluto conjunct Trump’s Mars and square his MC. That relationship could flare from early this December through January 2018 with tr Uranus square the composite Mars; and is certainly on the slide through mid 2018 onwards.

More to the point the USA/China relationship chart does look aggravated this December and on and off through 2018 with tr Pluto opposition the composite Mars; and the present uneasy status quo will be overturned in 2019 with tr Uranus opposition the composite Pluto – though that can go either way, positive as well as negative.

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Irish stand-up star and BBC TV quiz show panellist Sean Hughes has died aged 51, from a heart attack after going into cardiac arrest following a flare up of cirrhosis of the liver. He had previously spoken about his declining health after years of “extreme hedonism” with heavy drinking and amphetamine use; and said he’d would not want to grow old. He never married or had children. All that humour and all that angst, how sad.

He was born in London on 10 November 1965 but moved to live with his grandmother from the age of six in Ireland. He had an emotionally intense and dreamy (and addictive prone) Sun Neptune in Scorpio sextile an exact Uranus Pluto in Virgo. That latter opposed Saturn in Pisces square Mercury perhaps opposition a Gemini Moon. His Mars in colourful Sagittarius was square Uranus Pluto. A high proportion of Mutable planets would make him highly-strung and his Mercury squaring both Saturn and Uranus Pluto, would give him a good deal of mental turmoil and a depressive streak.

It is almost a cliché that comedians, especially stand-ups are tortured souls but a fair number of them seem to be – Robin Williams, Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Peter Cook, John Cleese, Stephen Fry, Ruby Wax, Jack Dee, Caroline Aherne, David Walliams have all spoken of the emotional struggles against darkness inside them.

 

 

Arthur Janov has died, the American psychologist who promoted Primal (Scream) Therapy which became a cultural phenomenon of the 60s and 70s with John Lennon as an advocate. Primal therapy was used to re-experience childhood pain, expressing repressed anger or frustration through spontaneous and unrestrained screams, hysteria, or violence.

Born 21 August 1924 in Los Angeles, Janov, had a Sun Leo, conjunct a leadership North Node and forceful Pluto, with his Sun opposition Mars squaring (probably) onto a Taurus Moon – so plenty of aggression in there needing an outlet. His Mars was also trine Saturn; and his Uranus trined Pluto Venus.

He had a perfect chart for what he did – a Leo North Node putting him out as a leader; with a flamboyant Sun and a heavily aspected Mars, and a revolutionary Uranus Pluto. His technique raised a good deal of controversy and was written off as unscientific but he was at the cutting edge of alternative therapies of the time.

   

 

The Balfour Declaration, 2 November 1917, expressed the support of the British government during WW1 for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine, then an Ottoman region with a minority Jewish population. And it added: “it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine”. The British government later confirmed that the words “in Palestine” meant that the Jewish national home was not intended to cover all of Palestine. The raison d’etre for the declaration was to rally support against the Ottoman Empire. The British government acknowledged in 1939 that the local population’s views should have been taken into account, and recognized in 2017 that the declaration should have called for the protection of the Palestinian Arabs’ political rights.

In 1920 the Brits took over the mandate for Palestine, coping badly with rising tensions between the indigenous Arab population and an influx of Jewish refugees from fascist Europe. Initially the Jews in Palestine had been peaceful but under attack some turned militant; the British put down an Arab Revolt against Jewish immigrants (1936 to 39), weakened the Palestinian Arab leadership and de-weaponised them which hampered their efforts in the 1947 civil war. In 1946 Jewish terrorists blew up the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, killing over 90 UK embassy staff. The Brits then exited in disarray saying they could not settle the conflict between Arabs and Jews. On 14 May 1948 at 4pm Israel was born.

The Balfour Declaration 1917 chart has Sun Mercury in Scorpio square Neptune Saturn in Leo, trine Pluto inconjunct Jupiter; with Saturn opposition Uranus – idealistic, controlling, autocratic, over-hopeful. At that point Mars had just moved out of Leo into Virgo. When Israel kicked off, the bleak Saturn Pluto conjunct was in Leo, with the Moon and Mars also in Leo and Mars Saturn squared onto an 8^th house Taurus Sun. It is a formidably stubborn, aggressive and enduring chart.

The Balfour Declaration chart showed considerable concern and disappointment in 1949/50 as it became clear that the Israeli leaders were intent on belligerent self-protection and territorial expansion, with Arab Palestinians being driven from their homes and in some instances massacred.

At present the Israel-Palestinian conflict remains one of the world’s most intractable and unsolved problems. Tr Uranus in Taurus from 2019 to 2025 will elbow the Israel chart sharply, especially  2023 to 2025. But it is tr Pluto in Aquarius beginning the long haul in opposition to the Israel Moon from 2027 and especially through the 2030s, starting on a Pluto Half Return and then tr Pluto opposing Saturn and squaring the Israel Sun and then opposing Mars across into 2040 that will force changes on Israel and change its trajectory and priorities.

It always was an impossible dilemma given the Jewish people’s long history of persecution, culminating in the atrocity of the Holocaust. But as the Saudi King Ibn Saud (evidently) remarked it was unfair that the Arab Palestinians had to pay for assuaging European guilt. There should have been international policing from the start but the USA and Europe were trying to haul themselves out of the wreckage of WW11 so looked the other way. That plus the damage that superpower meddling always leaves behind  – Palestine, Iraq, Kashmir, India v Pakistan, Ireland, Africa – a goodly chunk of the turmoil there can be blamed squarely on the British Empire.

   

 

A political blogger who triggered an early election in Malta when her investigation of the Panama Papers pointed the finger at government officials has been killed in a car bomb. PM Joseph Muscat who won despite corruption allegations (all heavily denied) condemned the act as barbaric.

Caruana Galizia was born, aptly enough, a mere month before Malta got independence on 26 August 1964. She has a Virgo Sun opposition Saturn square a confident Jupiter in late Taurus; with her Sun conjunct Uranus which was in turn conjunct Pluto Mercury all in Virgo – communicative, keen to upset the status quo; she also had a passionately enthusiastic Venus Mars in cancer trine an idealistic Neptune in Scorpio.

At the moment her Solar Arc Mars Venus is exactly conjunct her Uranus; with tr Pluto moving to oppose her Mars within days, with tr Neptune opposition her rebellious Uranus/Pluto midpoint – so a high-risk, insecure and explosive time for her.

The Malta chart, 21 September 1964 12am, is very troubled, nervy and uncertain with tr Neptune opposition Uranus exactly now, moving on to oppose Pluto in 2018 and then conjunct the Moon in 2019/2020; with a disruptive and edgy 2019 from tr Uranus square Mars as well as a ‘shock-collision’ Solar Arc Mars conjunct Sun. Not much going right until 2021 when tr Pluto trines the Malta Jupiter.

Muscat’s 2^nd Term, 5 June 2017 12.10pm was always going to be a lame-duck, damp-squib administration with a Gemini Sun square a 7^th house Neptune. There’s also a hidden-surprises Uranus Venus in the financial 8^th opposition Moon – all of which is being rattled up uncomfortably at the moment by tr Uranus in hard aspect, returning late March 2018 and into early 2019.

Muscat himself, 22 January 1974, is a determined Sun, Venus, Mercury and Jupiter in Aquarius; with Sun Venus Mercury in a controlling trine to Pluto; and a Yod of Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct Mars in Taurus. He looks jangled and jolted at the moment and through 2018/19; and meeting his nemesis by 2020 when his Yod moves by Solar Arc to form a challenging-setback conjunction of Solar Arc Mars to his Saturn.

[Pic: Reuters]