The Democratic convention will kick off at 3pm on 25 July and has nothing like as tricky a chart as the GOP one. For one thing it has lost the Sun opposition Pluto square Uranus. There’s a successful Jupiter in the 10^th with a stable and charm-offensive Sun Venus Leo trine Saturn trine a 5^th house showboat Aries Moon. With a confident Jupiter trine Pluto, sextile the Scorpio Ascendant.

There’s still the Yod in place with Mars in late Scorpio sextile Jupiter inconjunct Uranus in the 6^th – so some strain and 6^th is health and employment.

There’ll be arguments with Mercury square Mars, some dissatisfaction with Neptune in the 4^th. But generally a much easier and smoother convention.

Bojo ‘The Clown’ in as UK diplomat to the globe does sound like a Monty Pythonesque joke. He has sprayed insults around as befits his Mars in Gemini on the focal point of a high-wire, overly excitable Mutable T Square to disruptive Uranus Pluto opposition Saturn. And he has Mercury Sun Venus also in scattered Gemini – serene and settled he is NOT. It is a very odd appointment.

On the plus side, he is very charming, witty and articulate in his bumbling way when not putting his foot in his mouth.  And he seemed to make not a bad fist of being Mayor of London, much against expectation. He is fairly internationalist having been born in New York with a Turkish great-grandfather and related to the Hanoverian King George 11 centuries back.

From Theresa May’s point of view, it isn’t as hair-raising as it sounds. The Foreign office is a pale shadow of what it once was. MI6 is now under No 10. Brexit negotiations will be handled by David Davis (mind you he’s something else, a mouth without the charm); and new trade by Liam Fox. All three will share Chevening House, the country pile for visiting foreign dignitary meetings. And it keeps Boris racing round the world and out of Westminster’s way, which with his Sun Venus Mercury in the 9^th he will adore.

His appointment was announced at 7.49 pm 13 July 2016, which produces a very complicated chart. The crisis-ridden Pluto opposition Sun square a 3^rd house Uranus could suggest some overly-blunt opinions leaping out; especially since Uranus is also on the focal point of the Yod to Jupiter sextile Mars. Jupiter in the 9^th is helpful for amiable international discussions. Though Neptune in the 3^rd highlighted in the other T Square opposition North Node square a 12^th house Saturn – suggests muddles in everyday ongoings and lack of practicality.

His Mars midpoints are horribly stressed and high-risk from the start of 2017 for three years or so; and tr Saturn will oppose his Mercury Sun Venus – so not a cakewalk.

His relationship with PM Theresa May is under hugely heavy pressure right through her term in office, with some explosions early next year.   He and Liam Fox really dislike each other with a composite Sun Mars opposition Saturn square Neptune in their joint chart – angry, unkind feelings, suspicion.  He is strained and argumentative with David Davis, though there are glimmerings of possibilities of a potential for (maybe) a better outcome.

Please post below, on whatever ………….

When will life be calm and peaceful again, without the terrifying deluge of carnage and mayhem saturating the media channels on a daily basis? What in part magnifies fear is 24 hour news looking for images – if it bleeds, it leads – for stories which fifty years ago might have made a paragraph at the bottom of page 10 of the Times. Plus we all tend to idealise the past – the way life never was – and wipe out unpleasant memories. For some, somewhere, at all times, life has always been a grim business. The difference is we now have it thrown in our faces.

However there was always an astrological expectation of major upheaval at the moment. The Uranus square Pluto has been causing global mayhem since 2012 and is pulling apart now, with no more exact aspects, though it will stay in orb through 2017.

Life is never exactly as it was in the past since other planets are also cycling –  you cannot step twice into the same river. But there are enough similarities to draw comparisons with previous Uranus Pluto hard aspects.

The mid 1960s Uranus Pluto conjunction opposition Saturn – oversaw civil rights and anti-Vietnam war demos in the US; the assassination of JFK and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King.  Parisian students in revolt; and it oversaw the start of Mao’s deadly Cultural Revolution which almost destroyed China and killed countless numbers.

The 1929 to 1934 Uranus in Aries square Pluto in Cancer oversaw the Great Depression with much hardship in the US and Europe. It was worse in Russia under Stalin where a Soviet famine killed 5 to 10 million people; and the forced famine in the Ukraine in 1932/33 killed 3 to 5 million. Admittedly Saturn was also in Capricorn then opposing Pluto which would be part of the extreme deprivation felt.

The 1898 to 1904 Uranus in Sagittarius opposition Pluto in Gemini, also had Saturn involved, conjunct Uranus and opposition Pluto over the first two years. But it’s worth absorbing what went on then, to put the present into perspective. There were several wars started: US v Spain over Cuba; US v Philippines; Brits v Boers in South Africa; Russo-Japanese war over Manchuria; Brits v Tibetans. There was the Boxer Rebellion in China which was anti-foreign and anti-Christian, killing missionaries and 30,000 Chinese RCs etc. Anti-Jesuit riots in Spain; anti-Jewish riots in Budapest. 4 Monarchs and a US President were assassinated mainly by anarchists – Empress of Austria, King of Italy, King and Queen of Serbia and President William McKinley.

This time round the emphasis has been more on the Middle East with the Arab Spring, and the rise of fundamentalist Islamic terrorists waging a guerrilla war against unbelievers. That has been ongoing since the 1990s, but is much more widespread now.

Pluto in Capricorn (2008 – 2024) and Neptune in Pisces (2012 – 2026) have both been associated historically with significant times in Muslim history. Suleiman the Magnificent ruled as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, during the 16^th century with Pluto in Capricorn and Neptune in Pisces. He annexed most of the Middle East and fought against the Christian West. He spread fear across Europe until he was stopped at Vienna in 1529.

What is interesting is that the chart for the Islamic Calendar, 16 July 622 AD JC (OS) was being affected by similar influences when Suleiman was pushed back from Vienna, as it is in 2019 to 2022. Tr Pluto will be square the IC Pluto and opposition the IC Sun and tr Neptune opposes the IC Mars. Though Suleiman did reappear a decade later to recoup some of his losses.

The most fraught Republican Party convention in decades starts at 1pm this coming Monday in Cleveland, Ohio. The police are bracing for trouble as tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected, with white supremacists and skinhead gangs pledging “make sure that the Donald Trump supporters are defended”.  Civil rights activists and militant black groups will be there as well. With Ohio’s “open carry” gun laws, many will be armed; the police have spent $20 million on riot gear and American news crews have prepared as if they are about to enter a war zone. The Dallas and other shootings have racked up tension, and the Nice atrocity has only exacerbated the febrile mood.

The chart has an excitable, no-compromise Cancer Sun square Uranus; with Uranus still on the explosive, anarchic focal point of a Yod to Mars in Scorpio sextile Jupiter; and another Yod of Moon (Pluto) sextile Neptune quincunx Mercury Venus in Leo.  So a great deal of strain inside and outside the convention centre.

Trump who will be the GOP nominee, unless there’s a dramatic turnaround, does not look good humoured or calm with tr Mars square his natal Mars in Leo through the three days; as well as an over-excitable, over-stressed, accident-prone tr Uranus square his Sun/Mars midpoint; a nervy, fanatical tr Uranus square Mercury/Pluto; and a quarrelsome, emotionally out-of-sorts tr Uranus square Venus/Saturn which can lead to relationship splits.

Rolling Stone Mick Jagger is to become a father again in January, at 72 with his partner, Melanie Hamrick, a former ballerina. This will be his eighth child, the others ranging in age from 17 to 45. He also has five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Born 26 Jul 1943 2.30am Dartford, Eng, he’s never been known to do anything by halves with a Sun Jupiter Pluto Mercury in Leo square Mars in Taurus – flashy, flamboyant, ego-centred, over-confident, wild and wayout. His Leo planets sit on the cusp of his 4^th so he’s quite family oriented, as Leo is anyway; with a slippery Neptune in the 5^th which often suggests bizarre circumstances around children, as well as musical performing talent. His Moon is in earthy Taurus trine Neptune.

His Solar Arc Moon will conjunct his Jupiter in 2017 giving him an emotional lift.

If Melanie Hamrick’s birth date of 17 July 1986 (Time Out) is correct then it’s an odd relationship with her Uranus falling in his 7^th opposition his Saturn, which doesn’t suggest too much togetherness. She’s a Sun Cancer like Jerry Hall; with her Sun trine Jupiter in Pisces which may help to give Jagger a boost of moral support. Though her Neptune Mars fall in his 8^th which again suggests an uneasy duo.

Their relationship chart is mind-boggling with a composite Venus Saturn opposition Uranus Mars in Pisces – emotionally cold and explosive. Though the composite Jupiter does sextile the Sun and square maybe Moon which will help. It doesn’t look too happy now  and certainly in 2017 with tr Neptune square tr Saturn hitting on the Mars Uranus opposition Venus Saturn. With a definite upheaval come 2018 when tr Uranus squares the composite Sun.

He did look upset, astrologically and from reports,  when Jerry Hall, his former significant other, married Rupert Murdoch in March, which was the time this baby must have been conceived.

The story of Mark DeFriest would melt down your brain. Aged 19, his father died having bequeathed him his toolbox which he picked up before probate, was reported to the police by his stepmother for theft, and got a four year jail sentence despite five out of six court-appointed psychiatrists reporting he was mentally ill (the sixth later changed his mind and supported his appeal).

His original sentence has extended into 34 years (27 of them in solitary confinement) for 13 escape attempts —seven of them successful — and hundreds of disciplinary reports for minor infractions. He is apparently an autistic savant so astute that he was able to memorise the shape of jailers’ keys and fabricate copies, but so mentally disordered that he had to act out his compulsion to escape. In prison he was raped by fellow inmates, beaten by guards and denied the treatment he needed.

Born 18 Aug 1960 in Gadsden County, Florida, he’s a maverick Sun Uranus in Leo with two trickier-even-than-usual Yods – Mars sextile Mercury inconjunct Saturn; and Neptune sextile Saturn inconjunct Mars. The first of these brings a heavy karma – and my recollection is it was in the chart of another unjustly imprisoned (maybe executed) individual.  The other gives him a high-wire need to be pro-active. His Mars is also square Pluto Venus which would intensify his emotional reactions especially to being trapped and powerless.

What an indictment of the US legal and prison system.  He is now being transferred for two years to a California prison to prepare for parole as tr Uranus trines his Uranus Sun.  Though nothing will be easy for him at this late stage.

As expected (astrologically), hard-line Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s life has not got easier. An attempted military coup last night was put down with 161 people dead, around 3,000 soldiers arrested and 2,700 judges fired. The Turkish military has traditionally been secular and factions are unhappy about Erogan’s increasing Islamisation of the country and his prioritising attacks on Kurdish insurgents rather than focussing on eliminating ISIS.

The Turkey chart has tr Uranus exactly in opposition to the 4^th house Mercury Saturn at the moment, so a major jolt. And with tr Saturn moving to square the Uranus and MC late Oct/Nov this year there may be more high tension situations to come. The September Eclipse will oppose the Turkey Uranus. Then tr Neptune will conjunct Uranus in 2017 which will be nervy, high-wire and fanatical. Almost exact at the moment also is Solar Arc Neptune conjunct the 5^th house Jupiter which will undercut speculation and enjoyment, and presumably undermine the tourist trade, after the recent bombings and now this. Around mid 2017 there’s a dangerous and devastating Solar Arc Mars opposition Pluto which can only suggest it’ll get a good deal worse.

Recep Erdogan’s Term chart always did look weak with a Sun opposition Neptune; and an unpleasantly brutal Saturn Mars in Scorpio. This September’s Solar Eclipse will conjunct the Term Sun and opposition Neptune; with next Feb’s Pisces Solar Eclipse reversing the order in the same place.  Plus tr Pluto is sextile the Saturn Mars in Scorpio from 2016 to late 2018, which given that Mars Saturn does have military associations, suggests ongoing headaches.

It will also add to NATO and the West’s worries given that Turkey was deemed to be a relatively stable bulwark against the chaos of the Middle East.

Donald Trump has chosen Mike Pence, Governor of Indiana, as his running mate. He is deemed to have discipline, experience in government, conservative principles and credibility among Christian evangelicals. He crusaded against abortion, gay rights and Planned Parenthood. An early advocate of the Tea Party movement, he is on the far right of the Republican party, with close ties to billionaire donors Charles and David Koch,

Born 7 June 1959 he is a Sun Gemini like Trump with Mars in Leo also like Trump; and a Gemini/Cancer Moon. Pence has Sun Mercury, maybe Moon in Gemini and three planets in Leo, so a good deal of hot air, though backed by a tough Pluto trine Saturn in Capricorn.

Running mates don’t have to be soul-mates since they tend to be brought in to fill gaps in the candidates resume/personality. But it’s an odd match. MP’s Sun is conjunct DT’s Uranus, so he’ll find him wayward. MP’s Mars Uranus (and Venus) in Leo conjunct DT’s Pluto so there will rough edges of power-playing in there. And MP’s Pluto is conjunct DT’s Mars and Ascendant, so he’ll attempt to control DT’s flamboyance and his image – not a simple task, nor one which will endear him to Trump. MP’s Saturn is opposition DT’s Mercury – so a definite communication blockage.

Their relationship chart has a ferocious, can-be-hostile composite Mars Pluto conjunction sitting on the focal point of composite Sun trine Saturn Neptune – there’s a whole store of trouble in there if it hits the skids. It’ll certainly be slogging through heavy mud from mid Sept to mid Oct with tr Pluto square the composite Saturn. There’s a tr Pluto opposition the composite Uranus over the election which could go either way, Uranus being a wild card, but it certainly suggests a complete upheaval in their relationship – either parting of the ways, or moving to the White House.

There’s nothing much helpful on Pence’s personal chart (without time) to give a hint about the likely result. He’s got tr Saturn opposition his Sun in the aftermath of the election but that could just be hard work, or it could be a setback.

The Nice attack lorry driver has been named by a local paper as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, born 3 Jan 1985 in Tunisia. He didn’t appear to have been religious, was depressed at the break-up of his marriage and family, and was a bad-tempered weirdo and loner. Most of the other armaments/explosives in his truck appear to have been fakes.

He was a Sun Capricorn which sat midway between Neptune and Jupiter also in Capricorn, – he’d be ambitious for the good life. His Mars in Pisces was trine Pluto and square Uranus – so angry, frustrated, volatile. His Solar Arc Pluto was square his Mars this year, ramping up his angst; Solar Arc Jupiter was square his Saturn in Scorpio – perhaps lifting his depression as he found an outlet for his aggression; Solar Arc Venus was square his Neptune – emotionally confused; his Solar Arc Neptune was approaching a square to his Pluto – megalomania/devastation. Tr Pluto was exactly square his Mars/Node when he went on the rampage; and within two days of being conjunct his Mars/Saturn which certainly describes his brutal actions.

He certainly had issues with France with his Saturn conjunct the France Mars MC in Scorpio, so he’d want to dent their aggression and put them down. In a different way his emphasised Jupiter on their Ascendant could have made for a positive pairing but in this case obviously brought out the self-righteously arrogant side of Jupiter wanting to make the country feel small. His Pluto was conjunct the France Jupiter – a struggle for the upper hand; and opposition the France Saturn – unyielding struggle.

The relationship chart has an explosive composite Mars opposition Node square Uranus – with tr Pluto conjunct the Mars exactly at the moment.

Another unstable loser wanting his five days of twisted glory on the back of the deaths of people enjoying themselves.