Speaker Paul Ryan’s surprise announcement of his resignation come November to spend more time with his family has sent shivers down the GOP, already facing sagging poll numbers.

Born 29 January 1970 2.37pm Janesville, Wisconsin, he was never a good fit with Trump, but hung around to see the tax cuts through.  He has had tr Saturn moving below his Ascendant since late 2015 which always ushers in a few years of old ambitions fading as well as lowered motivation, energy and less success. Finding a better balance with personal life is always part and parcel of Saturn through the 1^st Quadrant.

He has a sharp-witted, communicative 3^rd house Aquarius Sun Venus on the point of a T Square to Jupiter in Scorpio opposition Saturn in Taurus – does have stamina, is charming though ego-centric, fairly up and down with Jupiter Saturn in opposition. He’s also got a controlling and influential 10^th house Pluto which is square Trump’s Sun and Moon, so Ryan would find being a submissive courtier rather than an equal partner in the US political system difficult to swallow. His Pluto and Uranus in early Libra both oppose Mars in Aries, so he does have a steely backbone at times and a volatile streak. Trump’s 12th house Pluto opposes Ryan’s Sun so it would be a tussle for the upper hand with underhand tactics from the 12th house.

Tr Neptune is moving to oppose his midheaven come 2019/2020 so he’ll be directionless. Even   before then with tr Neptune square his Sun/Moon midpoint from May this year onwards into 2019 he’ll be lack lustre, less motivated to co-operate and be feeling unpopular and discontented. Tr Uranus conjunct his Saturn will give him a jolt come July onwards; though with better luck in 2019 when tr Uranus opposes his Jupiter.

His relationship chart with Trump has a mutual-dislike and unfair-treatment composite Mars Saturn conjunction which is being eroded by tr Neptune in square from 2017 to 2019; with upsets come July and more in 2019. Maybe he’ll write a spill-the-beans memoir to add to the pile.

Mark Zuckerburg has been gritting his teeth through two days of Senate hearings on Facebook misdemeanours over data, his delivery described as ‘robotic with a smile that looks as though he’s more used to using emojis.’

Born 14 May 1984, White Plains, NY with a putative time of 2.39pm (astrotheme), he’s got a very locked-down, intensely secretive, stubborn to the nth degree and enduring temperament. His Sun and Venus in Taurus oppose Mars, Moon, Saturn in Scorpio with Pluto also in Scorpio. Very see-saw but not much give in there and he will have great difficulty with change.  He assumes the world will adapt round him.

His get-it-together, can-be-dominating 5^th Harmonic is strong though strained with a Uranus focal point Yod – which fits with Uranus ruling all things high-tech but it can be unstable. His ‘obsessive dream’ 11H is also heavily aspected but a difficult one to live up to. Interestingly his 10H is possibly his strongest – “The wheel of Fortune”. Contains innovation and creativity bringing prosperity and abundance, but it also contains the seed of both rise and fall, of the good and the bad.

He’s getting a jolt from Uranus as it moves first to conjunct his Mercury in Aries late this month and then as it goes into Taurus mid May it starts to oppose his Pluto for an uncomfortable and jolting year ahead. His Solar Arc Jupiter is moving over the next few years to form a T Square to his Venus Sun opposition Moon Mars, which could suggest more humanitarian activities – though it could also point to over confidence leading to a fall.    Tr Neptune is undermining his confidence from May this year, on into 2019; and then dissolving high hopes and plans in 2019/2020. He’s got endless stamina but it won’t all be going his way.

Like a bad penny which keeps boomeranging back, Tony Blair pops up again with thoughts from his lofty perch about Brexit, the Good Friday Agreement, Syria. There also word that his son Euan is involved in a potential new centrist party, hoping to launch. The Blair name would be the kiss of death before it got off the ground.

Blair senior is ploughing through heavy seas 2018 to 2020 with tr Pluto square his Neptune Saturn – confused, devastated, discouraged. Though he does have a gung-ho tr Pluto trine his Sun/Jupiter midpoint in 2019/2020 as well so he won’t be totally deflated. And he does have tr Saturn ominously moving upwards in his chart, heading for his next career peak from early 2020 onwards for eight years thereafter. 2020 has the Jupiter Saturn conjunction moving through his 10^th which should be successful; though 2021/2022 sees tr Pluto conjunct his MC which can mean a fall from grace, loss of reputation and having to find a new path. 2023 however will see tr Pluto trine his Jupiter in Taurus giving him renewed confidence. The old rubber ball will bounce back again,

He’s got a pretty unbudgeable chart with Sun Jupiter in Taurus, Pluto in Leo and Moon North Node in Aquarius. Plus a Cardinal T Square – so he’ll be constantly reinventing himself and stubbornly trying to make his mark.

Euan Blair has quite a chart though less well tied together than his father’s.  He’s a late Sun Capricorn with a ferocious determined Mars Pluto in Scorpio and Saturn also in Scorpio, some of which may square a Leo Moon. Plus a high-finance, head-in-the-clouds Jupiter Neptune Mercury conjunction.  He’ll be shaken up from this July with tr Uranus opposition his Pluto and then Mars in 2019 so quite a rocky ride ahead; with hints this year of a dream that may prove a mirage as his Solar Arc Jupiter Neptune squares his Mars.

Fleetwood Mac have fired Lindsey Buckingham, their lead guitarist and a vocalist, who had already baled out once before for a decade only to come back.

Fleetwood Mac described by Rolling Stone: ‘The crew that loves breakup drama more than any other six or seven bands combined.

It’s a new dysfunctional chapter for the fivesome who wrote the book on packing up and shacking up.

Any band can explode a time or three, but only these guys could break up continuously for 40 years, putting each other through untold agonies and then always coming back together for more punishment.

Permanently mismatched, yet permanently linked.’

They are a strong-minded and argumentative bunch. Mick Fleetwood, 24 June 1942, a Sun Jupiter in Cancer has Mars Pluto conjunct in Leo. Christine McVie, 12 July 1943, also a Sun Cancer has Jupiter Pluto in Leo square Mars in Taurus maybe opposition a Scorpio Moon. Stephanie Nicks, 26 May 1948, a Sun Gemini square Mars in Virgo, has a Saturn Pluto conjunction and her Mercury conjunct outspoken Uranus. John McVie, 26 Nov 1945, a Sun Sagittarius trine Mars Pluto in Leo.

Lindsey Buckingham, 3 October 1949 1.53am Palo Alto, CA is a Sun Libra with Mars Pluto in Leo on his Ascendant.  He’ll be fine, indeed bouncing come 2019/2020 with tr Pluto conjunct his Jupiter in Capricorn. His relationship with Mick Fleetwood was always fraught with a hostile composite Pluto, Mars.  He was solo for his missing decade and will no doubt be so again.

As to the others, it looks a bumpy ride through 2028/19. But for them that’s normal.

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‘A Quiet Place’ has had an astonishing opening for an original horror movie with rave reviews and a hugely successful box office.

Directed by John Krasinski and starring himself and his wife Emily Blunt, it’s about an Apocalyptic earth over run by sightless aliens with hyper-sensitive hearing who are on a mission to kill remaining humans. Essentially it’s about parents protecting their family and having to do so without talking or making any noise. An almost silent movie.

John Krasinski, 20 October 1979 8.44pm Brighton, Massachusetts, is best known for The Office, and is clearly now making his name as a director. He has a New Moon in Libra in the performing 5^th house which also contains Pluto in Libra and Venus, Mercury, Uranus in Scorpio. He has a flamboyant Mars in Leo in the 3^rd; and Jupiter, North Node and Saturn in Virgo in his 4^th. Entertainment will be his passion with a tendency to slide away from domestic concerns. This sees him taking a step upwards with tr Saturn moving above his Descendant and he’s got a long run of work ahead.

Emily Blunt, 23 February 1983, is a Sun Pisces square an adventurous and lucky Jupiter Uranus in Sagittarius; with her Sun falling in his 10^th house of career; with her Mars in Pisces conjunct Venus in Aries also in his 10^th – so designed to be a working partnership with her motivating him. Her Pluto is conjunct his New Moon in Libra with her Saturn in Scorpio also conjunct, which will be possessive but very work oriented.

They are very different personalities since she has a Water Cancer Moon and a Water Sun, while he has an Air Sun Moon. Her Venus is in Aries while his is in Scorpio.

Their relationship chart does have a power-couple composite Jupiter Pluto square Venus; but there are (maybe) tricky Moon aspects with a volatile Mars opposition Uranus probably square the composite Moon. Not an intuitive match and not all sweetness and light.

Patrick Reed won his first Masters two days ago in the front of a hostile crowd of golfing fans who dislike his brash and boastful personality but withstood the pressure to finish ahead. He’s had a stormy life and a much-publicised split from his parents.

Born 5 August 1990 he was a boyhood prodigy, then a college bad boy who was kicked off his University team, and nearly voted off his Augusta State team by his schoolmates, for offenses that ranged from alcohol-fueled misbehavior to an arrest for underage drinking to constantly talking down to lesser teammates to alleged cheating infractions. A charmer. He hasn’t seen his parents since before his marriage, with his wife accusing them of abuse, and his sister defending them as model citizens.  Another family drama.

He has a ruthlessly determined Mars in Taurus opposition Pluto square a Leo Sun opposition North Node in Aquarius – a Fixed Grand Cross, making him stubborn to the nth degree and giving him a killer ambition. His Saturn in Capricorn opposes Venus Jupiter in Cancer – superficial charm on one end and low emotional self-esteem on the other. His Mars is in an Earth Grand Trine to Mercury in Virgo trine a highly-strung Uranus Neptune in Capricorn; with his Mars also trine Saturn – very physical, materialistic, tending to lack charisma.

It would have to be said that his father as he experienced him from his Mars aspects was not exactly a bundle of sweetness and light – domineering and a disciplinarian.

His Moon, if after 10am birth, is Aquarius and if a late day birth will be tied into Mars and Pluto. If an early morning birth then a Capricorn Moon, possibly conjunct Saturn.

What is always amazing in these family feuds – is how the two sides have polar opposite views of the same situation and indeed themselves. Different football match played on a two pitch altogether. And both can’t be right.

An “extremely rare” search warrant, requiring a considerable burden of proof, was issued for the offices and records of Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime fixer and attorney. “It’s a tactic generally used against organized crime, against very serious, very serious criminals and lawyers who are operating outside of the protections of the law.” — Alan Dershowitz. Cohen appears to be under federal investigation for possible bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations, presumably involving the Stormy Daniels affaire. It was apparently referred by Robert Mueller to the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

That suggests the matter is not directly related to the Russia investigation. The risk for Trump is if Cohen caves for a deal and tells what he knows about Trump’s business and personal dealings over the years. It could potentially expose Trump’s Emperor-has-no-clothes finances never mind the multiple Non-Disclosure Agreements over the years for various dalliances. (See Daily Beast below – The Most Dangerous Day of Donald Trump’s life.)  Firing Mueller or Rod Rosenstein or Sessions would not affect any of this.

Cohen, 25 August 1966, described as having a strip-mall law degree, sees himself as a fixer in the mould of television’s thuggish Ray Donovan. He did look to be on a downhill slide of panic this month with tr Neptune square his Sun/Saturn, which returns on and off till late 2019. With a ‘shocking’ electric jolt coming from mid May with tr Uranus square his Mars in Leo bringing high levels of insecurity,  recurring in the autumn and again in early 2019. He’s in meltdown panic in September/October and in deep depression in 2019/2020.

The Trump/Cohen relationship chart is seriously unsettled now with tr Uranus square the composite Sun Mercury, opposition Neptune and trine Pluto. They are pretty chained-together but Trump won’t foot his legal bills and Cohen may find loyalty is a one-way street. Mid May looks jolted and jangled between them. And if anything there’s more degrees of separation in 2019.

Trump naturally has gone off on a scatter-gun tirade like a cornered animal against Sessions, Rosenstein et al and against the rule of law. All escalating towards his Solar Arc Uranus conjunct his Mars. And indeed towards tr Uranus squaring the Aquarius Sun of his Term chart from mid May which will rattle it up considerably. Tr Saturn is now into the Term legal 9^th house, which is weighted down by an afflicted Pluto on the point of a T square to an overly confident, opportunistic Uranus opposition Jupiter. Tr Saturn won’t get to the conjunction with Pluto till 2019, but that may well be the cruncher, if it doesn’t come sooner.

(See also post March 27 2018 – Michael Cohen)

https://www.thedailybeast.com/fbi-raid-on-michael-cohen-is-the-most-dangerous-day-of-donald-trumps-life?ref=home

https://www.thedailybeast.com/feds-are-treating-michael-cohen-like-a-mob-lawyer-trump-allies-say

A snippet on the hip hop musical Hamilton about US founding father Alexander Hamilton which swept the board at the Olivier Awards, picking up seven gongs from its 13 nominations. Its creator Lin Manuel sadly couldn’t attend, having been diagnosed with shingles. [See December 18 2017 post.]

Born 16 January 1980 11am (astrotheme) New York, he does have, on this birth time, Mars in the 6^th which is picking up the tr Neptune opposition exactly now, which would make sense of a debilitating ailment. Regrettably that hangs around on and off till late 2019, which doesn’t mean his shingles will go on and on, though it can do. He’s just had his second child, which is perhaps why tr Pluto is square his 7^th house Pluto, with added pressures and the need for change in his close relationships.

He’s got a strong and innovative chart with a 10^th house Capricorn Sun Mercury trine Saturn, sextile Uranus. And there’s every indication he’ll be working just as hard and successfully for years ahead.

Agatha Christie’s Ordeal By Innocence, her 50^th novel, has been dramatized by the BBC and is one of her more powerful. She draws on her own family experiences for her portrayal of the fictional Argyle family,  an ill-assorted, incestuous household ‘like a buttoned-up, English version of a family in a Tennessee Williams play’ as one reviewer put it.

Christie is the best-selling writer of all time with 80 detective novels. Only the Bible has sold more than her four billion copies. No mean achievement for someone known as slow as a child, possibly dyslexic.

She was born 15 September 1890 4am Torquay, England and had an isolated childhood, home educated with her two elder siblings off at boarding school. Her mother was nervous and reclusive, partly a result of having been farmed out to an aunt as a child after her father was killed, leaving her with lifelong feelings of rejection. Christie’s eldest brother on whom Jacko in the novel is probably based, was wildly unpredictable and irresponsible and squandered away his fortune.

Agatha Christie was a Sun Virgo square Mars in Sagittarius, so hard-working and feisty. She also had a communicative Air Grand Trine of a Libra Moon trine a creative, slightly paranormal Neptune Pluto in Gemini in her 10^th trine Jupiter in Aquarius. Pluto in the 10^th makes for influence, Neptune is artistic and the combination of the pair can be larger than life as her output and achievements showed.  Her 2^nd house Mercury in Libra was widely trine Pluto Neptune and the North Node in Gemini. She was clearly designed for a money-making and ambitious life from unlikely beginnings.

What’s interesting in light of the new information about her family is that her 10^th house (= mother) Neptune Pluto squares Saturn – which describes a neurotic, bleak, locked-in maternal influence. She was fond of her mother and protective – Moon trine Jupiter trine Neptune Pluto – but it left its mark. As well as laying the seeds of her future talent.

Venus in Scorpio is in her 3^rd house of siblings square Jupiter, sextile Saturn and inconjunct Neptune Pluto – Venus Jupiter applied to her brother would make him a superficial charmer, emotionally detached, controlling and unreliable.