Arnold Palmer, one of the greatest golfers of all time who popularized the sport and turned it into a glitzy money-earner, has died. Born 20 Sept 1929 7.30am Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to a green-keeper father whose own golf ambitions had been thwarted by childhood polio, he spent his early years strengthening his arms by mowing greens manually. Commentators said of his  electrifying style. ‘He held a club like his life depended on it and hurled the ball off clubface like his arms were the cannon. ‘ ‘A grip that could strangle a bison.’ ‘His only thought was to swing as hard as he could and, when he found his ball, to swing as hard again.’.

No surprises then, that he had Mars in Libra on his Ascendant along with Mercury opposition an Aries Moon (Uranus) squaring onto Pluto Midheaven. That’s a power-house of assertion and do-or-die determination. A marked Pluto in the 10th can give individuals great influence and making them ‘a living legend’.

He also had an inspirational and entrepreneurial Fire Grand Trine of Venus in Leo in the friendly 11^th trine Saturn in Sagittarius trine Moon, formed into an even more talented Kite with Saturn in a hates-failure opposition to Jupiter. That made lucky, enthusiastic Jupiter the driving planet. His 12^th house Virgo Sun square Saturn partly reflects the father held back by ill-health, and also his own understated temperament and common man touch.  It held him back from becoming an attention-demanding monster which the rest of his chart could easily have made him.

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Bruce Springsteen, ‘the ‘Boss’, American singer, song-writer and activist, is in his late sixties but still out on the concert tour (the present one is 75 gigs globally, each lasting three and a half hours and is his highest grossing tour ever, $135 million last count). He’s also just published a mammoth memoir Born to Run in an effort to shake off demons that have haunted him for years, including a ruptured relationship with his hard-drinking father. His father said “fewer than 1,000 words” to him through most of his childhood, he says in the book. “He loved me, but he couldn’t stand me. He felt we competed for my mother’s affections.” He’s very anti-Trump, pro-the working man, anti-combat weapons being sold, pro-LGBT.

Born 23 Sept 1949 10.50pm, Freehold, New Jersey, he has a 4^th house Libra Sun square a first house Uranus in Cancer, so a born rebel, not an image normally associated with diplomatic Libra. He does have a high-energy, outspoken and deeply frustrated Mars Pluto in his 3^rd which added to his 4^th house Saturn in Virgo fits with a cold, angry father. His mother was the main breadwinner in the family and his Libra Moon in the performing 5^th squares an 8^th house Jupiter, so she would be a supportive figure for him. He also has musical Neptune, Mercury in Libra and Venus in Scorpio in the 5^th  – a born entertainer, despite his depressive streak. His Venus is square Mars Pluto, so he would get tortured at times by his feelings.

He’s been married since 1990 to singer/song-writer, guitarist, Patti Scialfa since 1991 with three children. Which given the pressures of that lifestyle is amazing. She’s a feisty Sun Leo conjunct Mars in late Cancer or Leo; with a charming, light-hearted Jupiter Venus in Gemini which sits on his Ascendant, so she’d cheer him up, though her Saturn Neptune are conjunct his Moon and her Sun is conjunct his Mars – so there would be a fair few arguments about boundaries of behaviour.

Their relationship chart has an affectionate composite Sun Venus probably trine Moon and opposition Jupiter; and an adventurous and morale-boosting Mars trine Jupiter, so there’d be enough pluses to smooth round the rougher patches.

Both President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have been voicing forcible criticisms of Israel’s expanding settlement programme which they say makes a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue well-nigh impossible.

The Times of Israel says: ‘Officials in Jerusalem have expressed concern that Obama will use his last few months in office (after the November election) to facilitate a UN resolution to impose a deal between the two nations.’ Though the liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz says Netanyahu has won, having stood up against Obama so far, and the rest of the world is disinclined to get overly invested in the issue, given everything else that is going on.

Obama’s relationship with Netanyahu is certainly on a downward slide with tr Neptune opposition the composite Mars until mid Jan 2017 (which also picked a square from the September Solar Eclipse) – so there’ll be not much going right and an upsurge of anger. And tr Saturn will square the composite Sun in late December into Jan 2017. So it’s just possible there might be a gesture of sorts, which would deepen the rift between them.

What is certainly true is that the USA will be increasingly disheartened with Israeli Government policies right through the next USA Presidential Term with tr Neptune opposition the composite Saturn first and then square Uranus Sun until 2020. With an eruption of bad-tempered criticism from April 2017 till early 2018 with tr Uranus square the composite Mars. And more downers in 2018 with tr Saturn square the composite Neptune Jupiter and opposition Venus.

Leftwing Jeremy Corbyn has been re-elected as Labour leader (UK Opposition), with 61.8% of the vote, a larger margin than last year, in a poll forced on him after more than 170 MPs supported a motion of no confidence in him. Though it’s not clear what comes next since only about 20% of Labour MPs support him and he is regarded as holding to an old-fashioned, marginalised, leftwing ideology.

The result was announced at 12.51 pm in Liverpool today which puts a successful Sun Jupiter in Libra in the 10^th square Mars in late Sagittarius – so a touch reckless and over-confident, can be self-aggrandizing, hypocritical, revelling in arguments, fanatical. There’s an intense 8^th house Cancer Moon opposition Pluto square a 5^th house Uranus – so it will be reformist, could be an agent for progressive change but could just as easily be anarchic, ‘an outer fringe rebel whose compulsive activities shock and jolt conventions.’ (Bil Tierney). Plus a paranoid Neptune opposition North Node Mercury square Saturn in Sagittarius – so much self-righteous crusading.

It’s not quite as bad tempered or stressed as his 2015 victory, 12 Sept 2015 11.42am London, though it also had Jupiter in the 10th, which kept him afloat. But this one will be even more emotionally anchored in the dim and distant past with nostalgic yearnings for the old days of left-wing glory with that Cancer Moon in the 8^th.

Where his leadership term runs into real trouble will be from late 2017 as the Saturn square Neptune draws exact by Solar Arc; and tr Saturn is conjunct the Mars and then moving into Capricorn squares the Sun Jupiter. And even before then with tr Neptune squaring Saturn it’ll be riddled with suspicion and doubt.

There are two possible Labour Party charts – 26 Feb 1900 and 12 Feb 1906. Both of them look undermined and confused in 2016/17; and both indicate an even more major meltdown in late 2018/19. The 1906 chart does show signs of success around 2022/23, so towards the next election but one. The red rose will continue to wilt for some years ahead.

Jeremy Corbyn’s personal chart, 26 May 1949, is picking up the tr Saturn opposition his Venus Mercury this November which will be less than lyrical but will move on quickly. But into 2017 he’s got a double whammy of tr Pluto in a deeply frustrating trine to his Mars in Taurus (which is natally square Pluto); and a discouraging tr Pluto opposition Sun/Saturn which is a dreary slog, feeling isolated and ill-done to. He’ll lose the uplifting tr Pluto square Jupiter/Uranus of this autumn. By 2018 tr Neptune will be square his Venus Mercury which will not improve his morale.

John McDonnell, 8 Sept 1951, the Shadow Chancellor and even further left than Corbyn, is looking similarly slumped by events through 2017 with tr Neptune opposition his Virgo Sun; as well as a panicky-failure Solar Arc Mars conjunct Neptune; and a dead-halt Solar Arc Sun square Pluto. So nothing much going his way. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a falling out between Corbyn and McDonnell sometime around April and onwards next year with tr Uranus square their composite Sun Venus.

Tom Watson, 8 Jan 1967, Deputy Labour Leader elected on a separate ticket and not a Corbyn fan, is facing a challenging and transcendentally aggravating 2017 with tr Pluto conjunct his Capricorn Sun and square his Mars in Libra. He may be freed of Corbyn in 2018 with tr Uranus conjunct their composite Jupiter.

JonBenet Ramsey, the miniature beauty queen murdered 20 years ago is back in the news with TV and chat show reconstructions of her death and theories about whodunnit. Her brother Burke is suing over suggestions he hit her with a flashlight, aged nine, and his parents staged a cover up.

The family initially reported a kidnap and the house was over-run by police setting up for a ransom demand; and when the body was discovered, it was moved by the father, further contaminating any evidence that may have been left. The initial call to the police was deemed odd and rehearsed, as was the ransom note. The parents John, a multi-millionaire business man, and Patsy, now dead, were always under suspicion but never charged.

JonBenet was born 6 Aug 1990 1.36am Atlanta, Georgia, and had a truly difficult chart, so even before her murder, must have lived with high levels of anxiety, fear and anger. Her 4^th house Leo Sun opposed an Aquarius Moon, MC, North Node squaring onto Mars in Taurus opposition Pluto in Scorpio. So both parents have the Mars Pluto signature, which is dominating, angry, unbudgeable. Plus her superficially glitzy Venus Jupiter in Cancer opposed Saturn – so emotional coldness towards her; with Saturn trine Mars and sextile Pluto – all really bleak, unkind and deprived, trapped. It’s often the case with individuals who exhibit an exterior ‘beauty’ that they are driven by underlying dread and horrors. They put on a façade of pleasing in order to escape punishment or worse.

When she died her Moon had moved by Solar Arc to close the square to the Mars Pluto opposition to exact.

What struck me years ago when I first looked at the charts was how stressed/emotionally conflicted the parents’ relationship chart with each other were. John Ramsey, 7 Dec 1943 12.45am Omaha, Nebraska, is a volatile Sagittarius Sun opposition Uranus Mars in Gemini and widely opposition Saturn in Gemini; with Uranus Mars trine Neptune, sextile Pluto – so quite explosive and controlling. Patsy Ramsey, 29 Dec 1956, was a Sun Capricorn trine Pluto on one side and square Mars in Aries on the other; with a Sagittarius Moon conjunct Saturn trine Mars trine Uranus – certainly impulsive and ambitious with a Fire Grand Trine but also probably passive-aggressive.

Their relationship chart had a composite Venus opposition Mars square Pluto probably opposition Moon which is an unpleasant mix of sexuality and power.

No proof of anything, but JonBenet was a lotus growing in a swamp.

Burke, her brother, 27 Jan 1987, is a Sun Aquarius square Pluto with a Capricorn Moon probably conjunct Neptune square Mars in Aries; with Mars trine Saturn Venus (Uranus) in Sagittarius. So he’ll be bubbling with the family tensions and anger as well.

As in most dysfunctional families there would be sibling rivalry. The JonBenet/Burke relationship chart had a power-struggling composite Sun Pluto and composite Mars trine Uranus Saturn, so there would be tensions and aggravations.

As to when there might be a definitive answer? Short of a confession, there may never be one. Assuming her birth chart lingers on with the presence of her life, there is a Solar Arc Saturn exactly square the Mars opposition Pluto, as the 20^th anniversary of her death brings renewed interest. Though that feels blocked rather than enlightening. Tr Uranus will square her Saturn and Venus for a final time late Nov to Jan 2017 which might bring more insights; or from June 2017 onwards as tr Uranus square her Jupiter bringing relief of sorts.

One way or another, her life always was going to be a tragedy. All countries seem to have one case which catches the zeitgeist and remains an unresolved mystery.

Daniel Wozniak, a community actor, has been sentenced to death for the murder of Sam Herr, an Army veteran, whom he killed to steal $60,000 for his wedding/honeymoon cruise and to pay off his debts. He dismembered the victim’s body, and then cold bloodedly planned and murdered a girl friend of Herr’s, staging her death to look as if Herr raped her to throw authorities off his trail. Just grim. He was arrested the day before his wedding.

Born 23 March 1984 (internet sources) in Long Beach, California, Wozniak is an Aries Sun square Neptune Jupiter in Capricorn – so impulsive, over-confident, lazy, delusional, fond of money. His Sun was also inconjunct Pluto in Scorpio, giving him problems with power and control. Saturn and Mars are also in Scorpio, so vengeful and determined.

When he committed the murders in 2010 tr Pluto was in a pressured square to his Sun; and more pointedly his Solar Arc Pluto had moved to conjunct his Mars – so his resentful Mars was being pounded by dominating Pluto. Mars Pluto can be brutal, ruthless and destructive as well as hugely frustrated.

His natal Sun/Mars and Mars/Pluto midpoints are stressed with Mars/Pluto conjunct his Saturn and = Neptune; and his Sun/Mars square his Pluto and = Uranus. So undercurrents of great anger.

He wanted what he hadn’t earned and took it in the most inhumane and amoral way. His can-be-mad 7^th Harmonic is very strong; as is his love-of-money, and in his case power, 9H which ties together Neptune Pluto Jupiter Venus; and his self-destructive 10H is equally aggressive.

He’ll probably now sit on death row for years. Not that I approve of the death sentence but if anyone deserves it, he does.

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.