Trump’s U-turn on Afghanistan, sending more troops into America’s longest running war, not only broke a campaign promise, it also threw a hand grenade into relations with Pakistan, which could provoke a blowback. He quite rightly called Pakistan out for playing to both sides by supporting NATO and at the same time harbouring Taliban terrorists. But he also asked for India’s help, which according to commentators would put the wind up Pakistan, whose greatest fear is India with whom it has already waged three wars. An Indo-US-Afghan pact would put Indian troops on two sides of Pakistan’s borders, which could well spark another conflict between the two nuclear nations.

Taking the USA/Afghan war first: It started on 7 October 2001 at 4.25pm on an Air Grand Trine of Sun trine Uranus trine Moon Saturn, formed into a Kite by the war-like Saturn Moon opposition Pluto. And an opportunistic Jupiter opposition Mars.

The Vietnam War also started in 1965 with a Pluto opposition Saturn and finished ignominiously when tr Saturn had moved to square Pluto, with tr Neptune undermining the central planets by square.

There’s a relatively similar set of aspects to the Afghan war chart with tr Neptune square Moon Saturn and Pluto in 2017/18 and the Saturn Pluto conjunction in 2019. Nothing that looks like spectacular success.

Relocating Trump’s chart to Kabul does put his Jupiter on the midheaven, so there’s a degree of hope. But it also puts his Pluto and Mars in the 8^th which looks very trapped.

The story going around is that in order to persuade him, HR McMaster showed him a photograph of mini-skirted girls in Kabul in the 1970s, when Afghanistan was moving towards a liberal and westernised lifestyle; with an attempt at an elected parliament, freedom of speech, a largely secular legal system and political parties. That was all wiped away as the country descended into the horror of the Soviet invasion, then the Bush/Blair fiasco, with the Mujahideen and then Taliban taking advantage of the chaos.

The more likely reason for his change of heart is someone floated Afghanistan’s mineral wealth under his nose – gold, silver, platinum, iron ore, uranium, zinc, tantalum, bauxite, coal, copper, natural gas and lithium for batteries – though experts say that extracting it is a pipe dream, given the lack of paved roads and rail links needed, pervasive corruption and a messy bureaucracy, never mind the insurgencies.

Since Trump’s Jupiter natally is in his financial 2^nd house that might make sense of the glint in his eye when he considers Kabul.

The Afghanistan country chart, 19 August 1919 12 am Kabul, was given a jolt by this August’s Leo Eclipse conjunct its Leo Sun opposition Uranus square Taurus Moon opposition North Node. It will soldier on with some events of explosive insecurity early September to early October this year, and again in early 2018. With some relief and luck in 2019; but it’ll be the mid 2020s before there is any significant shift. Relations with the USA look to be slogging on in a discouraged fashion in 2018/19 with increasing divergence. So 2019 may well be an exit point for the USA, as costs in money and lives mount up.

Relations between the USA and Pakistan are sagging badly in 2017/18 with tr Neptune opposition the composite Jupiter Saturn; upset in 2018 with tr Uranus square the composite Sun, and more so in 2019 as tr Uranus opposes the composite Pluto and is conjunct the composite Moon. So tensions will escalate.

The India/Pakistan chart will be aggravated around late December this year and across 2018; more so in 2019/2020 with feelings running very high as tr Pluto opposes the composite Moon.

The theory is that Pakistan’s fall-back is an alliance with China but that relationship looks under even more serious stress in 2019/2020 and isn’t exactly supportive before then. China is already in a border dispute with India (see post July 7 2017) – so the whole situation could turn exceptionally messy.

Mavis Wanczyk, a Massachusetts nurse, has won the $758 million Powerball. She was born 23 April 1964, Southbridge, Massachusetts with a rectified time of 6.10am by Isaac Starkman (rectified birth times are always a guesstimate to be treated with caution.)

This makes her a Sun Jupiter Mercury in Taurus trine Uranus Pluto in Virgo, so she clearly has the potential to be lucky, though it hasn’t appeared in spectacular fashion before now. The only thing that does show up of note at the moment is that her Pluto has moved by Solar Arc to oppose her Jupiter Sun at the moment – which certainly suggests a mega event. Taurus is the sign of acquisition and possessions, Pluto is super-powered especially in aspect to Jupiter. And this year into early 2018 she has tr Uranus conjunct her Mars/Jupiter midpoint which will also bring luck, high confidence and an urge to be free.

However there are risks. Experts recommend that winners keep quiet and don’t take a lump sum, but spread it out over 30 years. She leapt into a press conference immediately and is now sinking under soliciting requests and media attention. She also requested a lump sum which after taxes comes to around $336 million. About a third of lottery winners eventually go bankrupt.

She does have tr Pluto square her Mars in Aries this year and next which will put her under acute pressure till late 2018. Although next year she also has tr Uranus conjunct her Jupiter followed by tr Uranus conjunct her Sun in 2019 which points to major and probably positive changes in her life. Emotionally she’ll be all over the place with tr Saturn square her Moon this November and by 2019 tr Neptune is square her Venus which can be disappointment in love or financial matters. By the mid 2020s her Solar Arc Saturn will be conjunct her Jupiter Sun, for a downturn in her enthusiasm and maybe fortune.

If the rectified birth time is accurate then her Solar Arc Jupiter Sun are just on the cusp of her 2^nd house of personal finances in which they’ll stay for the next two decades which should keep her afloat. Tr Saturn is preparing to go into her 8^th for the next two years which will force her to cope with financial affairs and at times feel lonely. It is a staggeringly large sum of money for someone not used to wealth, will split her away from friends and she hasn’t been well advised up to now.

On her harmonics: She has a has a well-aspected healer’s 12^th harmonic as to be expected from a nurse. Her 13H is especially strong which is associated with upheaval, change and rebirth. Her 19H which brings prosperity though not necessarily happiness is also marked. Though it is her 7^th Harmonic and multiples thereof, 14H and 21H, which are most striking. Usually these aspects are associated with creativity – musicians, painters, writers. David Hamblin says it is the number which contains cosmic secrets and points to man’s fantasies and inspiration and thus has the ability to turn imaginings and visions into reality. Her natal Jupiter trine Pluto gives the same flavour since it known for the ability ‘to turn thoughts into things’. Though seven is a number of transience not permanence. Which doesn’t mean she’ll lose her fortune, merely that the ‘creative act’ which inspired her choice will be difficult to replicate.

Donald Trump used the cover of the Texas hurricane to pardon former Joe Arpaio, the hardline Arizona lawman, recently convicted of contempt of court in July for defying a judge’s order to stop racially profiling Latinos. And to sign in the bill banning transgenders from enlisting in the armed forces. Arpaio called his own jail while still sheriff a “concentration camp”, serving inmates just two ‘inedible’ meals a day and forcing them to wear pink underwear and socks and old-fashioned black-and-white striped prison jumpsuits. He revived chain gangs and made the inmates live outdoors in sweltering Arizona desert temperatures. He became a national figurehead for the virulent xenophobia that Trump embraced in his presidential campaign, and was at the forefront of the so-called birther movement against Barack Obama.

Arpaio, 14 June 1932, is a Sun Gemini like Trump; with Arpaio’s Mars in obdurate Taurus exactly conjunct Trump’s midheaven, so he threw his raging-bull temperament behind Trump’s ambitions. His Mars squares a flashy Jupiter in Leo and is sextile Pluto, so opportunistic as well as can-be ruthless. With his Sun sitting on the midpoint of Mars and Pluto which adds another level of forcefulness.

He certainly disliked Barack Obama, with his Mars square Obama’s Uranus and his Sun squaring Obama’s Mars.

His relationship chart with Trump has a composite Jupiter Neptune square the Sun and trine Uranus – which suggests alongside the fanaticism of Uranus Neptune a degree of delusion. They don’t look an altogether happy duo moving ahead, especially this October when tr Saturn opposes the composite Sun; and mired in confusion in 2018.

The day that shook a nation, with stiff upper lip disintegrating under an avalanche of flowers, teddy bears and tears is being remembered 20 years on. Princes Diana died on 31 August 1997, one day before a Virgo Solar Eclipse in a Saros series which is associated with illness or accidents and is given to obsessive worry. There was an unprecedented outpouring of grief in Britain and around the world. An estimated 2 billion people watched her funeral on television on 7 September.

The novelist Hillary Mantel writes today in a deeply thoughtful piece about the Diana phenomenon: ‘The princess we invented to fill a vacancy had little to do with any actual person.’ ‘She no longer exists as herself, only as what we made of her. Her story is archaic and transpersonal. “It is as if,” said the psychotherapist Warren Colman, “Diana broadcast on an archetypal frequency.” (URL below)

Diana was born 1 July 1961 7.45pm (from memory) Sandringham, England. Her Cancer Sun was exactly conjunct the UK 1801 midheaven, which partly explains her significance for the country. Her lively, mischievous Aquarius Moon fell in the UK 5^th house of entertainment and children; her pleasure-loving and affectionate Venus fell in the UK 8^th house touching a deep chord; with her rebellious Uranus conjunct the UK 11^th house Saturn setting her against the staid establishment.

When she died tr Pluto was in a heavy, destructive square to her Solar Arc Saturn, and oddly tr Jupiter was opposition her Solar Arc Sun, and tr Uranus was exactly conjunct her Jupiter which usually brings relief.

The UK chart was rattled with tr Saturn in Aries exactly square the 10^th house Moon in Cancer, which signifies the ruling classes, as the country mourned their fairy princess and turned against the Queen. Quite unfairly since she was only trying to protect the young princes from the voracious mob’s need to gawp.

It was a seminal moment for the Queen, as tr Saturn squared her dutiful 6^th house North Node in Cancer and tr Uranus was conjunct her Solar Arc MC, as she struggled to cope with the pressures of 24 hour rolling news hyping up the mood, and subjects desperate to be part of the reality show.

Prince Charles looked devastated and discouraged, with tr Pluto conjunct his Solar Arc Neptune, tr Saturn just into his 10^th which often brings chickens home to roost, and tr Uranus exactly on his Descendant.

Prince Harry, as he explained recently, withdrew into himself, with his Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his secretive Saturn in Scorpio; tr Neptune exactly on his Ascendant beginning a decade plus of confusion about his identity; and tr Pluto heading to oppose his Solar Arc Moon, burying his feelings.

Prince William grieved his loss with tr Saturn square his Solar Arc Moon exactly, and his Solar Arc Saturn moving to conjunct his Jupiter and midheaven in coming months and the following year, which would bring on depression.

Eclipses are, not surprisingly for times of symbolic importance in the zeitgeist, woven into the royals’ lives. Charles and Diana married two days before the 1 North Leo eclipse of 31 July 1981 in a Saros series not seen as a luck-bringer, putting pressure on personal relationships; hasty decisions are advised against since information is distorted and possibly false; health problems are associated with it. That’s the same series as this August’s Eclipse. The following year Prince William was born on the day of a Cancer solar eclipse. This series is challenging, dealing with separations or the ending of a union.

In the 1 North series which oversaw Diana’s death: On the previous occasion in 1979, just five days before the eclipse Earl Mountbatten, the Queen’s uncle, was killed by an IRA bomb in Ireland. Rolling back one in this series to 1961, the Leo solar eclipse was the closest to the birth of Lady Diana Spencer (in July). Back two cycles in 1925, the eclipse was nearest to Maggie Thatcher’s birth in the October of that year.

Through 2017 and 2018 tr Pluto is opposing the UK’s 10^th house Moon, so again stirring intense emotions and strong reactions.

For all her flaws Diana was an extraordinary figure. Her chart, although not pass remarkable at first glance, at a deeper level reveals hidden abilities. Her super-star 22^nd is exceptionally strong; as is her humanitarian and indulgent 9H. Her leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17H is well aspected, as if her healer/victim’s 12H; and her wheel-of-fortune, rise and fall 10H.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/aug/26/the-princess-myth-hilary-mantel-on-diana

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Jessica Chastain, the ever-busy American actress – past successes include Zero Dark Thirty, Interstellar, The Martian, The Tree of Life, Zookeeper’s Wife – has seven up and coming projects, including in the X-Men film series and playing Tammy Wynette in a biopic, as well as running her own production company, which promotes diversity in film. She is reticent about her private life and childhood having been brought up poor by a single mother until her stepfather turned up; though after her sister’s suicide from drug abuse she is vocal about mental health issues, as well as gender and racial equality.

Born 24 March 1977 10.44 pm Carmichael, California (astro com) she has a pro-active Sun Aries as well as Mercury and Venus in Aries in her performing 5^th house; with an entrepreneurial, inspirational Fire Grand Trine of Saturn in Leo trine Neptune trine Mercury, with Mercury opposition Pluto – confident and intense. She has an easy-going Jupiter Moon in her 7^th opposition her secretive Scorpio Ascendant.

She married this year in June to her long time boyfriend Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, an Italian sports-fashion executive which fits with her having tr Saturn now moving through her first quadrant, often when there is more focus on a personal life. She’s clearly not cutting back on her work schedule but may be less high-profile for a while.

If his birthdate of 10 Nov 1982 is accurate, then he’s an ultra-charming Sun Venus Jupiter in Scorpio, ideal for his career, though an odd mix with an Aries. His Mars squares her Sun, Mercury and her Saturn squares his Mercury Sun which is also less than ideal. Their relationship chart has a passionate composite Venus Mars conjunction; a power-couple and idealistic Jupiter trine Neptune, sextile Pluto; with a possessive and transformational Pluto square the composite Sun Mercury and probably Moon.

The wedding chart hints at too much work, not enough warmth.

A “manipulative” fantasist has been jailed for ten years for falsely claiming she was raped or sexually assaulted by 15 different men over three years in a bid to make her girlfriend jealous. Her lies resulted in one innocent man serving two years in prison and cost the police more than £250,000 and about 6,400 hours of work. A judge warned that her “grotesque” string of lies would increase the likelihood of guilty men going free and prevent real victims from reporting such crimes.

Jemma Beale, 29 December 1991, is a Sun Capricorn close to the highly-strung conjunction of Uranus and Neptune, in a confident trine to Jupiter in Virgo; with Jupiter in a can-be-opportunistic square to Mars Mercury; with a possessive Venus Pluto in Scorpio. Her Saturn, bringer of decency and rules, is unaspected. Bil Tierney says of a such a Saturn: ‘indifferent or unconcerned about processes outside of its own singular sphere of operation; self-discipline may be markedly lacking as well as caution; one’s conscience may be less applied; no set guidelines for living or abiding by few inner laws; without the benefits of the normal brakes and controls of an aspected Saturn.”

One harmonic which stands is the victim/healer 12H. She sought to make herself a victim, falsely, with brutal unconcern for the real sacrificial victims of her lies, the men she accused and slandered. Not surprisingly her 12H pulls together Mars Pluto opposition Sun square Jupiter – making her feel powerful by destroying others. Her 10^th Harmonic is also notably aspected which contains the seed of good and bad, the rise and fall – it has a shielded-from-reality Water Grand Trine; with the delusional Neptune Pluto tied in.

Prison might force her to develop a better sense of discipline.

“Brexit is England’s biggest policy blunder since George III fumbled away the American colonies,” pronounced a Nobel economist at a Geneva gathering of money wonks. Given how accurate economists’ predictions have been in the past that might be taken with a pinch of salt. [More and more I read strident opinions and think ‘what do they know?’]

But interesting to see whether the astrology bears it out. When the American colonies broke free in the extended struggle before and after 1776, on the England 11 May 973 AD chart, tr Pluto in Aquarius was trine the England North Node and tr Neptune conjunct the North Node. Tr Pluto aspects to the North Node do appear to have a significant effect – the English Civil War a century earlier had a similar tr Pluto trine Node (see post August 17 2017) – a key moment in destiny.

Given that England was the chief voter for Brexit it seems reasonable to see what’s showing on the England chart at the moment. And believe it or not, this particular aspect is repeating though not until 2024/25 when Pluto moves into Aquarius for the first time since the late 1770s; by 2025 tr Neptune will be opposition the England North Node; and by 2026 tr Uranus in Gemini will also be trine the Node. That may well be at the end of a long transition period of separation, but whatever accompanies it there will be a sense of a major shift in the country’s history. By then, both the EU and the UK 1801 charts will have undergone/survived the battering from tr Uranus in Taurus hitting on their central Fixed and mainly financial planets.

The UK 1801 chart has the North Node at 14 Aries, so has already undergone an assault from tr Pluto square and tr Uranus conjunct in the run up to and over Brexit, with nothing much ahead.

The Bank of England 27 July 1694 JC 10 am chart, looks discouraged, edgy and stressed as it heads for a Saturn Return later this year; in some upheaval in 2018 although pushing ahead with confidence; devastated in 2019; but into a good phase with great relief in 2020 to 2022 with tr Uranus square Jupiter and Sun/Jupiter. Where it runs into real problems is 2024 with Solar Arc Pluto opposition Saturn and Solar Arc Uranus square the Sun.

The stock market charts aren’t always that great a guide. But for what it’s worth, the FTSE 250, 12 October 1992, looks to be hitting setbacks and panics from late this year through till 2020. The FTSE100 3 January 1984 10am is having similar wobbles late this year, ups and downs in 2018, a depression in 2019 but nothing too cataclysmic in the mid 2020s.

Who would know? Economies have a lag before the real impact shows up. There is certainly quite a financial collision with great insecurity in 2024 on the UK 1801 chart when Solar Arc Uranus is conjunct the 8^th house Mars. But the UK is resilient and some trimming of the City of London’s financial services may be no bad thing, if the energy is redirected into diversifying into other areas, like technology.

A week is a long time in politics and several years can change the landscape altogether, which will undoubtedly be true of the EU, which has its own ruptures, conflicts and economic hazards to face quite apart from Brexit in the years ahead. And if it’s any consolation the 2030s will be more aggravated and financially stressed as tr Pluto moves into mid Aquarius.  The previous time when the UK Fixed planets took a pounding from tr Pluto was when it was in Scorpio 1985/95 and that oversaw a major recession with a fallout from the ERM – which ultimately turned out to be no bad thing.  Life goes on despite the noise from pundits.

Hurricane Harvey, the most powerful weather system to hit the US in almost 12 years, is hurtling towards Texas. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, oil refineries are expected to shut down and the National Guard is being called up, with mandatory evacuations in low-lying areas. It is due to make landfall late on Friday and is likely to bring up to 3ft of rain, 125mph winds and 12ft storm surges. Landfall is predicted for late Friday or early Saturday.

Texas does look rattled this month and next. On the state chart, 2 March 1836, the Mars Mercury in Aquarius caught the opposition from Monday’s Leo Solar Eclipse which tends to bring up intense emotional reactions and shocks; and tr Neptune is reversing towards the undermining conjunction to the Texas Pisces Sun.

Locating the Solar Eclipse to Texas puts the New Moon within one degree conjunct the midheaven and the North Node Mars also conjunct the MC. The 7^th August Lunar Eclipse for Texas again had the Sun Mars straddling the Midheaven opposition Moon IC.

Planets on the angles usually are present when significant events occur in that location.

Competitors swapping insults and curses, whipping huge crowds into a frenzy is all part and parcel of the promotion of major boxing matches. The upcoming fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor this weekend had a four-city media tour to bring in the money and seemed even more raucous than usual. Doctors are concerned that McGregor, an Irish mixed martial arts champion fighting in his first professional boxing bout, is overmatched by Floyd Mayweather, considered the best boxer of his generation.

McGregor, 14 July 1988, is a Sun Cancer trine Mars in Aries with Mars square Neptune as well as Saturn Uranus in Sagittarius.

Mayweather, 24 Feb 1977, is a Sun Pisces, with a tough Saturn in Leo opposition Mars in Aquarius square Uranus in Scorpio. Both have Jupiter in Taurus and both have a high-octane Mars.

There’s little to suggest any real rancour between them. Indeed the relationship chart has a composite friendly Sun Venus. But needs must to keep the fans and the promoters happy. So they’re talking up a storm.