Kim Jong Un has thumbed his nose at the USA, China and the rest of the world by firing what he said was an intercontinental ballistic missile which landed in the Sea of Japan. North Korea, his officials proclaimed, was now “a full-fledged nuclear power that has been possessed of the most powerful inter-continental ballistic rocket capable of hitting any part of the world”. Though experts doubt whether NK has the capability or technology to back his wild (Trumpian) assertions.

But for all he’s testing patience in several directions which will bring consequences. The NK/USA relationship chart does have the composite Mars in conjunction with the August Solar Eclipse which can only inflame relations; with high tensions this Sept/Oct when tr Uranus retrogrades to trine the Mars. China looks exasperated and is distancing itself through the rest of this year.

Kim Jong Un’s leadership chart, 29 Dec 2011 11.57am Pyonggang, is moving towards its most precious phase with the Solar Arc Uranus square the Sun, exact in six months time, followed by a square to the Pluto a few weeks after. The August Eclipse will oppose the leadership Neptune leading to delusions and self-deception; and the trapped/cornered tr Pluto trines the Leadership Mars come January 2018.

The North Korea 9 Sept 1948 5.27pm chart, is being jolted into heightened anticipation at the moment with tr Uranus trine the Saturn; plus a false-happiness/delusionary Solar Arc Neptune conjunct Jupiter which generally leads to a sharp fall. It looks thoroughly demoralised in 2018 with tr Neptune opposition the Virgo Sun (difficult to see how it could get worse); and really knocked sideways with a risky and explosive tr Uranus opposition Mars in 2019.

South Korea has been on extreme tenterhooks over the past year with a fearful, trapped tr Pluto square Mars. That returns from next week, July 16^th to early September, and again late October to early December. Their Saturn Mercury in late Leo and the composite Saturn Sun with North Korea will catch this August’s Eclipse head on; with this November and next February looking on a knife edge with their northern neighbour. South Korea – 15 Aug 1948 12pm Seoul.

Nicola Sturgeon is feeling the downward drag of tr Saturn through her first quadrant, which was always going to make a continuing roll of success tricky. And she’s lost the bounce of tr Jupiter through her 10^th and 11^th houses which kept the last two years optimistic. Even tr Uranus opposition her 12^th house Jupiter didn’t give her the lucky break she was hoping for over the recent disappointing (for SNP) UK election.

A second Scottish Independence Referendum has been put onto the back burner for now and attention has been turned with increasing criticism onto the SNP’s track record in government. Literacy and numeracy have fallen sharply in what used to be a world-renowned education system; the NHS is missing its targets; a troubled IT scheme has delayed payments to farmers for the second year in a row; and a respected think tank has warned Scotland could tip into recession any day. One commentator remarked: “The wages of Scotland’s ten-year romance with the politics of identity are all around. For a nationalist party, the SNP is remarkably unambitious for the country it professes to love.”

Her Term chart, 12 May 2016 9.35am Edinburgh, always did indicate a troubled run with an over hopeful Neptune opposition Jupiter squaring onto a setback-attracting Mars Saturn. Tr Saturn was exactly square the MC over the June 2017 election. And that chart will limp along, undermined by Neptune transits till late 2018.

Her own chart, 19 July 1970 3.16pm Irvine, Scotland, has tr Saturn square the 11^th house Pluto putting a block on future plans, on and off till mid November; with a disruptive Solar Arc Uranus opposition Saturn, exact in 4 months time; plus tr Uranus zig zagging in square to her Cancer Sun and opposition her Jupiter till early 2018. She will get a lift from tr Jupiter across her Ascendant from mid November; but her Progressed Moon through her 12^th (a la Trump) for another 14 months will make her feel isolated. 2018/19 look like a dreary slog with tr Pluto trine her Saturn; and an insecure tr Uranus square her Mars in 2018; and then square Mercury Moon in 2019, which will bring irritations and shake her confidence.

The two SNP charts – 14 Dec 1933 and 7 April 1934 – look a mix of acute frustration and rage alongside a bullish determination to remain confident, at least till late 2018. But will suffer badly from tr Saturn in Capricorn hard aspects in 2019; and may lose their drive. They were buoyed up by the rebellious, revolutionary tr Uranus square tr Pluto but that is waning fast.

Andy Murray, having hit the heights in 2016 with a Wimbledon win, his second Olympic Gold and the coveted No 1 ranking in tennis, has been struggling against injury this season.

He’s through to round two of Wimbledon, but there’s another five after that to the final, so his fans are on tenterhooks.

He’s just through his first Saturn Return, finishing late 2016; and tr Saturn is now wending its way backwards and forwards conjunct his Moon Uranus and opposition his Saturn till November this year – so it’ll be a considerable effort to keep his morale high. Saturn opposition Mars is anyway quite accident prone and requires gritted-teeth determination.

He and Kim are expecting their second baby which fits his Secondary Progressed Moon going through his 5^th house of children for the next year; and tr Uranus conjunct his Venus. He says his family in now his priority.

Mel B, in the middle of a rancorous divorce from Stephen Belafonte (see post April 4 2017), has had the beleaguered state of her finances laid bare. A wildly extravagant lifestyle has depleted her multi-million pound fortune from the Spice Girls down to almost nothing.

According to the Daily Mail her purchases included an attack-proof motor, able to withstand bullets, bombs and chemical attacks, for £200,000 plus several other high-end vehicles; a vastly expensive jewellery collection, one ring worth over £400,000 and another £200,000 and a £20,000 Rolex; at least four Birkin handbags, each worth around £20,000, and dozens of other designer bags totting up to £500,000. She has an agent, a publicist, a PA and a nanny, plus housekeeper, gardeners and pool technicians, adding up to an estimated staff bill of at least £250,000 a year. The kids school fees are £24,000 a year; and last year they went by private plane from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to watch Jennifer Lopez in concert, at a cost of £12,000 for the evening. Plus lavish holidays to butlered luxury villas; and she bought her about-to-be-ex a £1 million private island. And at the end of the year they couldn’t afford to pay their tax bill.

Insanity or what?

Born 29 May 1975 6pm Leeds, England (from memory) she does have an 8^th house Gemini Sun opposition a 2^nd house Neptune, so emphasising an extreme vagueness about money. She’s also got an Air Grand Trine of Moon, Sun and Pluto, which will put her up in her head rather than keeping her feet on the ground. Plus a ruthless, can-be-selfish Mars opposition Pluto which is sextile/trine her Sun opposition Neptune – and that so-called Mystic Rectangle can be tricky to balance.

Her 9^th Harmonic, nominally idealistic, but really pleasure-seeking has Mars opposing Pluto Saturn squaring onto Jupiter in Leo which says it all really. Way over the top.

Adele has upset fans by cancelling two Wembley concerts because of vocal chord problems, which have left many out of pocket with pre-paid travel and hotel bookings. There’s a feeling she may not perform in public again.

Born 5 May 1988 8.19am London (biog), she has a powerhouse chart with an expansive, indulgent and stubborn Sun Jupiter in Taurus in a super-confident opposition to Pluto in the performing 5^th squaring onto an energetic, uncompromising and opinionated Mars in Aquarius in the 9^th. Not a lady to tangle with. Plus the Neptune, Saturn, Uranus conjunction in Capricorn is hovering around her Descendant; with Uranus conjunct a 6^th house Sagittarius Moon and both opposition Venus in Gemini in the 12^th squaring onto a 10^th house Pisces Node.  Despite tricky Moon and Descendant aspects, she seems happily settled with a partner and baby.

She does have tr Saturn moving through her 6^th house of health at the moment and crisscrossing over her Moon and opposition her Venus, so she’ll be feeling some strains on her health and emotional life. She’s also heading for her First Saturn Return from this New Year and the run up is always very pressured. Uranus moving into her 11^th also now will change her plans for the future; though she’ll go through an anguished 18 months ahead with her Progressed Moon moving through her 8^th, as she decides what really is of value to her in life.

The war of words, if not worse, is escalating between China and the USA, as a US warship sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea which the Chinese called “a serious political and military provocation”. The US has repeatedly warned China against its occupation and aggressive reclamation of islands in disputed waters. Beijing says it is within its sovereign rights to do so. The US does not recognise those territorial claims.

Trump is pushing China hard to get a firmer grip on North Korea; and he is expected to make an announcement soon on restricting the import of Chinese steel that will only exacerbate tensions, as well as rupturing global trade rules.

The China/US relationship chart has a hostile and aggravated tr Pluto opposition the composite Mars exact at the moment, returning in December this year and through till late 2018; with significant strains from late this July to late September with tr Saturn opposition the composite Uranus; and further lowering of trust with perhaps financial implications this October to early Jan 2018 as tr Neptune opposes the composite Venus.

Canada is celebrating its 150^th anniversary in buoyant mood as the younger Trudeau, now PM, has managed to propel Canada onto the world stage again, courtesy of Trump’s election. Trump bans Muslim immigrants and Trudeau instantly tweets them a welcome. Yet Trudeau has still managed to keep harmony with the White House, persuading Trump not to cancel the NAFTA trade agreement; and managing to turn Trump’s protectionist attack on Canadian commercial interests across the border into an opportunity to unify Canada, seeking support across party lines. Where initially Trudeau was seen as light-weight, now he’s being viewed as a steady pair of hands.

Canada, 1 July 1867 12 am, has moved through troubled times several years back with tr Uranus square tr Uranus hitting on the Cancer Sun Pluto square Neptune; and tr Neptune hard-aspecting the Mars opposition Jupiter. But that’s all finished; with only a few dreary trails from tr Pluto sextile Saturn to go before finishing later this year. There have been some major jolts this year and one to come over the next three months with first Solar Arc Sun Uranus square Mars, exact six months back; and the upcoming Solar Arc MC square Mars, exact in 3 months time. But there’s also an exuberantly confident Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct Mercury this year to boost morale. Living next to the elephant of the US, as the older Trudeau described it, does carry its risks for the younger, especially with Trump being massively unpopular north of the border. There will be a patch of major uncertainty with Solar Arc Saturn conjunct the Canada Neptune, exact in 6 months; and then conjunct the Ascendant in 18 months. Both of which may damp spirits and the country’s image somewhat.

The relationship between Canada and the USA, is always ambivalent with a composite Jupiter opposition Saturn, an argumentative Mercury Mars and a trapped Mars trine Pluto. There will be some rifts and jolts through this year and next with tr Saturn square Pluto and opposition the composite venus Uranus across this summer into fall; and jangles and jolts, probably accompanied by outbursts with tr Uranus square the Mars Mercury now and through 2018, opposing Saturn as well.

And the relationship chart between Trudeau and Trump is sagging badly and getting chillier late this year; with less tolerance next.

Justin Trudeau’s Swearing In chart, 4 Nov 2015 10.45am Ottawa, looks confident this year apart from a few blips; though is definitely transitioning into a new phase.

His relationship chart with Canada starts to lose its glitter through 2018 with tr Saturn square the composite Venus opposition Sun Mercury; and is sliding downhill with lack of confidence in 2019 as tr Neptune squares the composite Mars.

And his personal chart certainly indicates a less than wonderful 2018 with tr Saturn in hard aspect to his Pluto opposition Mars square Capricorn Sun, which will make him feel stuck and at a loss.

Never has Plato’s thought, that the problem with democracy is that it elevates opinion above knowledge, seemed more true. What with Trump being elected by precisely those voters his policies will damage most. Macron shoehorned into the Elysee Palace with no experience, but spurred to victory because he wasn’t like his rivals (except he is). And an avuncular Jeremy Corbyn being lauded to the heavens at Glastonbury after a surprise surge in popularity at the recent UK election, his young, mainly pro-EU, admirers having failed to notice that he has always seen the EU as a capitalist conspiracy. So he’s very much for a hard Brexit, which conveniently didn’t get a mention during campaigning. A recent poll found that ‘Six out of 10 Britons want to keep their European Union citizenship after Brexit – including the rights to live, work, study and travel in the EU – and many would be prepared to pay large sums to do so. ‘Support for retaining the rights is particularly strong among 18- to 24-year-olds, 85% of whom want to retain their EU citizenship in addition to their British citizenship. Around 80% of people living in London also want to maintain the same rights.’

There are now mutterings about a breakaway party being formed if Corbyn and comrades push ahead with the deselection of MPs they regard as outside the pale, with a view to forming a tightly disciplined hard-left Labour Party.

His leadership chart certainly indicates a triumph in about 14 months as the Solar Arc Sun moves to conjunct Jupiter; though with some sinking moments later this year and at least one major setback.

The Labour Party 27 Feb 1900 chart, looks panicked and sinking with a Solar Arc Mars conjunct Neptune in 2018; with discouragement and uncertainty this year as well with tr Saturn square Mercury and opposition Neptune; and tr Neptune square Pluto.

The LP 12 Feb 1906 looks on high alert this year with its central T square of Uranus in Capricorn opposition Neptune square Mars in Aries having moved by Solar Arc to pick up tr Uranus hard aspects this year into early 2018. Then through 2018 tr Saturn in Capricorn is in hard aspect to that natal T Square for more squabbles and ruptures. With the Uranus Return in 2019, perhaps returning the LP to its working-class revolutionary roots.

His relationship chart with both LP charts is fairly fraught at heart and under significant pressures over the next two to three years. His own personal chart hints at discouraging challenges mid this month to early September and again in November. With some high hopes biting the dust. But again some lucky breaks in 2018.

Momentum, the grassroots Corbyn-support movement, was formed 8 October 2015. Like its forerunner Militant, it has revolutionary Uranus Pluto strongly in its chart (square and opposition a Libra Sun); and is undergoing radical shifts over the next three years. There’ll be disappointment this year and next with tr Neptune opposition Jupiter and then Solar Arc Jupiter, which tends to bring false happiness and then a let-down. With more of the same in exaggerated form in 2020 to 2022.

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Emmanuel Macron, newly elected president of France, is rapidly gaining a reputation for hubris. His team have developed a “Jupiterian” concept to illustrate his vision of the presidency – Jupiter being the supreme god of Roman mythology, god of the sky, thunder and lightning. This Monday he has insisted MPs traipse out to Louis XIV’s sumptuous Palace of Versailles to hear him present his state of the nation address. He has issued a symbol-laden official portrait in boss-like posture, attracting a torrent of parody on social media. His aim is to return to the monarchical presidency of Charles de Gaulle in 1958. He has given no domestic interviews and appeared only in stage-managed photo opportunities. Then he cancelled a traditional Bastille Day TV appearance, because his aides said that the presidential thoughts were “too complex for journalists”. That had Le Monde spluttering into its coffee.

Born 21 December 1977 10.40am Amines, France, he does have four planets in Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter – and his Sun and Mercury oppose Jupiter in patriotic Cancer. So he’s certainly not short of grandiose ideas, soaring confidence or wild optimism.

He’s also got a focal point Taurus Moon on the point of a Yod to Neptune sextile Pluto, which latter pair often have a connection to megalomania when emphasised in a chart. Taurus like Cancer (his Jupiter) has a strong attachment to the past and tradition. His Moon also opposes Uranus and squares onto a flamboyant Mars in Leo, so he’ll revel, like Trump in glitter, pomp and pageantry. This year’s Bastille Day celebrations marking the French Revolution will also commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the USA’s entry into World War 1, so US troops will join French soldiers in the annual display of military might on the Champs Elysées. At the moment his Solar Arc Jupiter is conjunct his Mars, which spurred him to his unexpected electoral wins and it will certain inflate all his love of display.

In Greek mythology the punishment for hubris was nemesis – shame or a correspondingly dramatic fall from grace, like Icarus who flew too near the sun.

His presidency chart does have a panicky-failure tr Neptune square the 11^th house Mars through 2018/19, perhaps when he discovers that his ideas for labour reform (much needed but almost impossible to implement given the French temperament) runs into a barricade of pitchforks. He looks fairly deflated by this December, if not before, as tr Saturn, always a great pruner back of over-confidence, is conjunct his Sun and Mercury. And his relationship chart with France does run into bitter aggravation and jolting setbacks from January 2018. So that will tarnish his glitter somewhat. He’s certainly not De Gaulle, who was a stalwart Sun Scorpio opposition Neptune Pluto, with Mars Jupiter in Aquarius.