Angela Merkel swallowing her party’s second electoral defeat within two weeks and apologising for her migrant policy, seems to be hinting she’ll stand again in the German Federal elections next autumn.

She’s certainly been a blessing for Germany with her Jupiter Mercury conjunct the Germany 1871 MC and her Sun Uranus in the Germany 10^th. And much the same for the EU, where she’s been the de facto leader with her Sun Uranus Jupiter Mercury falling in the EU 10^th. Though tellingly her cautious, conscientious Saturn in Scorpio falls in the EU 2^nd, conjunct the EU pie-in-the-sky Jupiter Neptune, so she has put the brakes on their wilder financial fantasies.

For all her protestations about continuing for another term, she does have tr Saturn moving across her Ascendant this October down into her first quadrant for years to come, so she will be pushing against the grain of what her psyche really wants and is likely therefore to be less successful over the next few years. She also has some major jolts upcoming, specifically from late March as tr Uranus starts to oppose her 10^th house Neptune, trine her Pluto, and then square her 8^th house Uranus Sun on and off through the year. Plus tr Pluto will square her MC from January 2017 right through till late 2017, which is usually bad news on the career front. She’ll plough bullishly on in her calm way but her relationship chart with Germany is very unsettled from January onwards and ditto with the EU. So nothing is certain.

At the moment over her growing unpopularity, her Solar Arc Pluto is conjunct her 10^th house Neptune and is moving on to put down a blocking square to her Sun, exact in the autumn of 2017.

The Germany 1871 chart is showing a sudden change of direction from late April 2017 with tr Uranus square the 10^th house Uranus. It will include shifts in relationships with close neighbours. Tr Uranus is moving through the Germany 7^th with tr Pluto square the 7^th house Neptune from March 2017 onwards for two years, so there will be considerable confusion about commitments and trust. Part of that may be Brexit, but there’s a whole host of problems elsewhere involving Hungary, Italy, MedSud broken finances etc.

The Germany/EU relationship was under considerable strain around 2012 with tr Pluto conjunct the composite Sun and tr Uranus square the Sun. That was when I thought if the EU was going to split it would. But Germany is more tied into the EU than the UK, since the Germany/EU composite Sun opposes a 10^th house Pluto; and there’s a Fixed composite Grand Cross as well. All of that will come under renewed and significant pressure when tr Saturn moves into Capricorn from 2018 hitting hard aspects to the composite Sun Pluto; and tr Uranus into Taurus will start to conjunct and seriously rattle the Fixed Grand Cross of Venus, Uranus, Mars, Moon for two/three years. So there’ll be potential for a major rift.

The Chinese economy is in serious trouble with bad bank debts ten times higher than officially admitted. According to the Telegraph: ‘The damage eclipses losses during the global financial crisis in UK and US – it would be closer to the trauma suffered by Ireland, Greece, and Cyprus when their banking systems collapsed, but on a vastly greater scale.’

Fitch (one of the big three rating agencies) doubts that there will be a Lehman-style meltdown since the four big lenders are instruments of the Communist Party. But lost decade may lie in store. The fear is for an economic slowdown in early to mid 2017, which could be the trigger point for China, with knock-on effects for the rest of the world. See: goo.gl/u2lxsO

The China country chart does have tr Pluto square the 8^th house Neptune this month for the final time, so there will be panic about the country’s financial state. In some ways worse will be tr Neptune opposition the 8^th house Saturn from April 2017 till late 2018, which will produce a sinking feeling of confusion and insecurity. With a massive jolt from Solar Arc Uranus conjunct the China Saturn, exact this time next year, but in effect before that.

The Bank of China chart, 1 Dec 1948, looks very shaken at the moment with Solar Arc Uranus square Sun; and in worse trouble as it moves through a swampy, disappointing, confidence-eroding 2017; coming to a dead halt in 2018 with Solar Arc Saturn square Pluto.

Xi Jinping’s Presidency chart, 14 March 2013 11.51am Beijing, has a strained Yod of Jupiter inconjunct Pluto sextile Saturn – that Jupiter is being afflicted at the moment by tr Saturn just over the opposition and tr Neptune staying on the square to Jupiter till January 2017 – which suggests over-grandiose plans being undercut with an unpleasant reality creeping in. Even more damaging, by 2018 the Solar Arc Neptune will be square the Presidency Jupiter, which is associated with financial bubbles bursting.

2018 sees tr Saturn moving into Capricorn for two/three years and crossing the conjunction to Pluto in 2019, which is always a sign of deprivation and hardship. The likelihood is that it will coincide with the third leg of the recession which kicked off in 2008 with tr Pluto moving into Capricorn, since lessons have not been learned. Economic forecasters are always catastropherians, but it fits the astrology. Pluto will grind on slowly till it rams its message home.

The USA Congress by tradition meets for the first time for the new term on 3 January at 12 noon. The chart for 2017 has a Sun Pluto conjunction beside the MC squaring onto Uranus Ascendant opposition Jupiter Descendant. This looks over-controlling and rebellious – certainly indications of a radical change. But whether that means a Democrat majority intent on pushing through a new agenda, or horror/resistance at a Trump win isn’t clear.

The 2013 Congress chart also had Sun Pluto MC square a 12^th house Uranus; and the 2009 Congress had Mars Pluto conjunct the MC from the 9^th and conjunct a 10^th house Sun; with a bad tempered Saturn square Mars.

So to some extent the 2017 Congress looks an extension of the same but this chart is much more tied together and focussed on rail-roading through its agenda, with some charm, confidence and people-pleasing skills – but it will aim for change no matter what the resistance.

The Inauguration chart for Jan 20 still has the adventurous Uranus opposition Jupiter square Pluto but not in the 10^th. There’s an economic-drag 8^th house Saturn square Mars which suggests more economic woes and possibly more military interventions, especially with Pluto in the 9^th, though that could also be legal wrangles.

The USA Supreme Court, 24 Sept 1789, for which the Senate has refused President Obama’s nomination for one vacancy, will probably face at least one more vacancy in 2017. Its fortunes look mixed in 2017 with a dreary tr Pluto sextile Saturn, extending into 2018; plus a tense, insecure tr Uranus opposition Mercury Neptune in Feb/March and a further jolt with significant arguments in April from tr Uranus square Mars. So there’ll certainly be wrangles about appointments.

South America’s longest running war is coming to an end with Colombia’s FARC left-wing guerrillas about to hang up their guns – or at least so the theory goes, since some dissidents have refused to demilitarize.

FARC’s founding is generally put at 27 May 1964 which gives the revolutionary Uranus Pluto in Virgo opposition Saturn square a Gemini Sun; with a determined, enduring Mars Mercury Jupiter in Taurus opposition Neptune; and those three Taurus planets trine Uranus Pluto. So elements of brutality and ruthlessness, as well as a vision. The central Mutable T Square is being hard-aspected by the tr Saturn square tr Neptune as FARC decides how to make the tricky transition from war into politics.

Though it won’t be easy as President Santos has said their illicit fortune would be seized and used to pay reparations to war victims if voters approve a peace agreement in an Oct 2 plebiscite.

President Juan Manuel Santos’ 2^nd Term, 7 Aug 2014, doesn’t look that stable at the moment with a discouraging Solar Arc Mercury square Saturn; and tr Pluto moving to square Uranus in December and through 2017.

Born 10 Aug 1951, he’s a controlling Sun Pluto in Leo in a confident trine to Jupiter; square a Scorpio Moon; with an excitable Mars in Cancer on the point of a T Square to Neptune opposition Jupiter. He’s perhaps over confident this month with tr Pluto square his Jupiter, heading into confusion in early 2017; with explosive eruptions and insecurity from May 2017 onwards. He has exceptionally high risk and damaging Solar Arc Mars conjunct Saturn late 2017/18 as well as a deeply frustrating and dangerous Solar Arc Pluto square his focal point Mars in 2018. That may not all be the FARC issue but he’s pushing it very hard.

Colombia, 17 Dec 1819, has a tough chart to start with – Sun Uranus Mercury in Sagittarius square Saturn Pluto in Pisces. Tr Saturn will be in a discouraging conjunction to the Sagittarius planets through 2017, and square Pluto Saturn; with difficult Solar Arcs to their financial Venus in 2018. The relationship chart between FARC and Colombia looks disappointing to put it mildly for a few years ahead, so it may take time to wind down decades of aggravation.

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Angelina Joli’s lawyer says she has she filed for divorce from Brad Pitt, adding that the “decision was made for the health of the family”, and seeking custody of the six children. They’ve been together since 2004 but only married in on 23 August 2014, when there was a harsh Mars Saturn in Scorpio inconjunct Uranus and on the focal point of a mini-Grand Trine to Mercury trine Pluto – so not a good augury for what was to follow. Anger, arguments and one side feeling ill-done to.

Neither have especially easy charts. She’s a Sun Gemini opposition Neptune, trine Pluto; with fairly horrific Pluto opposition Mars Moon Jupiter square Saturn in Cancer, a legacy from her angst-ridden childhood. He’s a Sun Sagittarius with a volatile Mars Mercury in Capricorn trine Uranus Pluto.

Her Sun is in his 7^th and his Venus Moon in Capricorn is conjunct her Descendant from her 6^th so it would fit for a while. His Sun is in her 5^th so he’d bring a sparkle to her life, want her to be sociable and living the high life, and be child-oriented. But her Pluto is in his 10^th so she’d tend to over control him and her Saturn falls in his 8^th which isn’t good for intimacy.

Their relationship chart does hint at over-possessiveness with a composite Sun opposition Pluto. There is a passionately enthusiastic composite Venus trine Mars; and an adventurous Jupiter opposition Uranus which often occurs in spontaneous relationships that seemed a good idea at the time. Most damaging is a composite Mars square Neptune, so an ego-imbalance which is fatal in showbiz marriages since one’s success makes the other feel diminished, so not mutually supportive. It did get stretched to breaking point around 2009, but hung on as Plutonic relationships tend to. Tr Saturn is moving to square the composite Sun this December and square composite Pluto in 2017. This is quarter of a Saturn cycle on from 2009. Plus tr Uranus will oppose their composite Venus in 2017.

His Sun/Moon midpoint, usually an indicator of marriage splits, has been through the mill since 2012, but isn’t much affected at the moment; and her Sun/Moon won’t pick up major aspects until about 2021.

He’s moving into a lower profile, less successful phase of his life with tr Saturn sinking below his Ascendant now; and looks financially on edge. Plus he has tr Uranus square his Moon Venus in early 2017. Tr Uranus is moving into his 5^th as well – all of which suggest a wish for more freedom, romantically and socially.

She’s been wading through thick treacle and fairly depressed also since about 2012 with the tr Pluto square tr Uranus hitting on her Mars and then Moon, when she had a double mastectomy and focussed on her humanitarian work. She’s got tr Pluto opposition her Saturn and square her Jupiter till late 2017, so very up and down.

The DM reports he is allegedly having an affair with French actress Marion Cotillard, 30 Sept 1975 4.50am Paris, but that doesn’t look a great mix with her Sun Pluto in Libra square his Mars Mercury and her Mars in Gemini opposition his Sun. That match looks good for work but explosive otherwise.

I wouldn’t be totally surprised if they danced backwards and forwards over the divorce and it took some years to finalise. Maybe that’s wrong but there’s nothing too startling showing up exactly at the moment.

Khloe Kardashian, third sister of the brood, was born 27 June 1984 10.55pm Los Angeles. Despite a party-loving and flamboyant 5^th house Sun Venus Mercury in Cancer in a glitzy and confident opposition to Jupiter in money-attracting Capricorn, she does not have an easy chart or life. Her Sun squares Pluto in last degree Libra as well as Saturn Mars in Scorpio in the legal 9th. With her Venus square Mars Saturn. That’s a whole load of problems and unhappiness, unkind treatment in childhood, especially from father figures, who later included Bruce (now Caitlyn) Jenner – and potential for bitter legal wrangles.

Her parents divorced when she was 7, and her mother instantly remarried the then athletics star. When Khloe was 17 she had a serious car crash, resulting in traumatic brain injury with long term memory loss. She married basketball player Lamar Odom, who after their separation ended up unconscious from a drug overdose in a Las Vegas brothel and is still recovering. Mars Saturn is accident-prone; and in Scorpio has an unsavoury feel.

Mars Saturn also occurs in both her relationship charts with her father and stepfather, so she’d feel constantly thwarted and irritable. Her Gemini Moon opposes Neptune and trines Pluto, with Uranus conjunct her Midheaven – so mother comes across as scatty, unpredictable, possessive, kind but difficult to pin down. And indeed Kris Jenner’s Scorpio Sun is conjunct Khloe’s Mars Saturn – so a bubbling cauldron of complications. Who’d want to be a Kardashian?

The named suspect in the NY and NJ bombings, Ahmad Khan Rahami, is an Afghan-born US resident for 15 years, born 23 Jan 1988, according to the FBI. His fingerprints were found on one of the unexploded devices and he has been taken into custody, injured, after a shoot-out.

He’s a Sun Aquarius widely sextile Mars in Sagittarius and widely square Pluto in Scorpio. He has Uranus Saturn in Sagittarius trine Jupiter in go-ahead Aries; and Venus, North Node in Pisces and if born before 1pm also a Pisces Moon. The Pisces theme appears in most of the fundamentalist Islamic terrorists’ charts. And the Saturn Uranus in Sagittarius especially appears to produce rebellious types (see Lauri Love below). In its negative form it can be autocratic and acutely stubborn.

Rahami has his Solar Arc Mars conjunct his Neptune this year, so arguably stoking up his wish for a publicity splash; and his Secondary Progressed Mars is conjunct his Uranus propelling him into violence. With tr Uranus conjunct his Jupiter within a degree of exact, giving him a surge of confidence. There’s nothing of cheer ahead for him.

His chart sits uncomfortably with the USA 1776 chart – his Uranus Saturn oppose the USA Mars and square the USA Saturn; and his Mars opposes the USA Uranus – a gritty and angry interface, on both sides.

His relationship chart with the USA has an explosive, unpleasant composite Uranus opposition Mars square Pluto; with a paranoid and hostile Saturn Neptune on one leg of a Yod in sextile to Mars inconjunct the composite Sun. The composite Sun has tr Uranus conjunct this month so shaking that strained Yod into destructive action (Mars Saturn).

Diane James, the new UKIP leader, 20 Nov 1959, is certainly an intense, tough, no-compromiser with a Sun Mars in Scorpio square Uranus, though perhaps a touch overly impulsive and forceful. She’s evidently a good media performer which makes sense of a confident Jupiter Mercury in Sagittarius sextile Venus in charming Libra. But there’s a very steely backbone behind the smiles and a disinclination to adapt to others. Her heroes are, she claims, Maggie Thatcher, Churchill and Vladimir Putin.

UKIP, 3 Sept 1993, who should be delirious at having pushed for over the years and finally won a Brexit vote, look very uncertain and highly strung in 2016/17/18 – the tr Neptune square tr Saturn is hitting on their Virgo Sun at the moment; and in 17/18 tr Pluto will conjunct their Uranus Neptune in Capricorn. So not all going as they expect.

She’ll be a tricky fit with UKIP since her Sun Mars is conjunct the UKIP Pluto and square the UKIP Saturn; with her Pluto conjunct the UKIP Sun – so a real tussle with hostility emerging. The relationship chart has an explosive composite Mars Uranus in a simmering-dislike square to Saturn; and a control-freak composite Sun Pluto. Not easy at all and it may blow asunder come tr Uranus into Taurus in 2018/19 when it squares the composite Saturn and opposes Mars Uranus.

But for all that her win was announced (I think) at 1.30am on 16 September in Bournemouth with Jupiter exactly on the MC which has to bring some luck to her term; though it’s right on the Lunar Eclipse square Mars, so likely to be very argumentative.

Her own chart has tr Uranus opposition her Solar Arc Uranus and square her Solar Arc Mars in 2017/18/19 which will make for a bumpy ride. With a slipping, slithering, muddled and unsuccessful tr Neptune square her Mars/Saturn through 2017. She’ll be deeply frustrated with Theresa May and a thorn in her flesh with tr Pluto conjunct the composite Mars through 2017/18. Government policy and progress on Brexit may not meet with UKIP approval.

The chief exorcist for Rome, Father Gabriel Amorth, has died. He claimed to have conducted tens of thousands of exorcisms, was against yoga because it encouraged Eastern religions; and against Harry Potter, since it gave children an interest in black magic and wizardry. He said people possessed by the devil vomited pieces of iron, glass and rose petals when being cleansed and embarrassed the Vatican with his wilder claims.

Born 1 May 1925 at 4.10pm Modena, Italy (ADB, BC), he had a chart that certainly fitted him for delving below the surface, and indeed could have made him clairvoyant. His Taurus Sun was conjunct Venus in the 8^th opposition Saturn in Scorpio and square North Node, Moon, Neptune in Leo; with his Sun Venus also sextile an influential and likes-to-be-in-control 10^th house Pluto.

He also had two Yods in his chart – Jupiter sextile Uranus inconjunct Neptune, and Mars sextile Nerptune inconjunct Jupiter. Both of those would, once he’d found the right path, suit him for a life of healing and a higher social purpose. Though the first can also be delusional and the second given to self-aggrandizement.

His healer 12^th Harmonic is not that strong. What is more marked is his 7^th Harmonic, which can be highly spiritual or creative, tinged with both genius and madness. In his case it brought together an unpleasant collection of Mars Pluto and Saturn, tied into the 7H Sun – violent, risky, brutal. He chose to work with other peoples’ madness, perhaps as a way of soaking up some of his own. He would certainly revel in the high-adrenaline flow of the excitement of the exorcism with his Uranus square Mars exactly.