A second Scottish independence referendum has become more remote with the latest economic figures showing a glaring deficit in the Scottish budget – spending £14.8 billion more in 2015-16 than was raised in taxes. This is equivalent to 9.5 per cent of Scotland’s Gross Domestic Product, more than double four per cent for the UK as a whole, and treble what the EU expect. Scotland contributed 7.9 per cent of UK tax and received 9.1 per cent of UK spending, which is £1,200 per person greater than the UK average.

Nicola Sturgeon’s Term chart 12 May 2016 9.35am Edinburgh, has a high-hopes-dashed Neptune opposition Jupiter squaring onto a setback-prone Mars Saturn conjunction. There is a fairly solid Earth Grand Trine of Pluto trine Jupiter trine Venus Mercury – but that is being undermined at the moment by tr Saturn square Jupiter; and worse in 2017/18 as tr Neptune opposes Jupiter and then moves on to square Saturn.

Her own personal chart, 19 July 1970 3.16pm Irvine, Scotland, is sagging and under pressure at the moment with tr Saturn square tr Neptune in hard aspect to her Solar Arc Sun through into early 2017; and a frustrated, stuck tr Pluto trine Solar Arc Mars through till early December. With a major jolt from Solar Arc Saturn square her Uranus, exact in three months which may put the nail on her reformist instincts. Plus an angst-ridden, argumentative Solar Arc Mercury conjunct Pluto, exact in 8 months. Tr Saturn still in her lower-profile first quadrant is having the expected effect of making success elusive.

There are major problems affecting Scottish education, the NHS and the Police, which will all take money and better management to fix.

 

The earthquake in Italy this morning at 3.36am local time, near Perugia, has left at least 73 dead with 150 missing.

It happened as the tr Mars tr Saturn was close to exact (11 minutes, approx. one sixth of a degree) and conjunct the Fixed Star Antares, which is thought to have a destructive side.

This quake was similar in intensity to the 6 April 2009 Italian l’Aquila quake which killed 309, and occurred on a Saturn opposition Mars Uranus.

And the catastrophic series of quakes in 1703 which set off on 14 Jan 1703, and may have killed as many as 10,000, started with Mars conjunct Saturn Jupiter Neptune in Aries.

So Mars Saturn certainly a signature – and there was another earthquake today in central Myanamar that was felt as far away as India and Thailand.

The even more devastating 13 January 1915 Avezzano earthquake did not have a Mars Saturn signature, except in the 18^th Harmonic (and 9H) where there was a Mars Saturn North Node sextile Uranus with Uranus conjunct Pluto). The 18H is reflective of natural disasters. This quake happened on the approaching tr Saturn conjunct tr Pluto which is redolent of deprivation, hardship and war-like conditions.

On the 1703 and 2016 charts the Saturn/Pluto and Mars/Pluto midpoints are conjunct, 9 Gemini and 27 Sag respectively; and in the 2009 quake chart they are square. So down in the minutiae there’s a build-up of high-risk, destructive energy.

 

Nicolas Sarkozy has bounced back into French political life running in the primary for the centre-right party leadership, which votes this November, in preparation for the Presidential election next April/May. He’s running on a nationalist ticket, emphasising French identity and way of life, hoping to eat into Marine Le Pen’s far-right vote. His limp legacy from his last term in office tells against him, as does a complicated series of legal investigations against him; and it’s by no means certain he’ll be the chosen one.

Born 28 January 1955 10am Paris, he has an attention-seeking 5^th house Aquarius Sun sextile a fiery (seven impossible things before breakfast) Moon Mars in Aries in his 7^th. Plus a relentlessly Fixed Mercury in Aquarius opposition Pluto square Saturn in Scorpio; with Saturn trine a lucky Uranus Jupiter in Cancer. (He was born three days before Carole Middleton, who has the same chart though with a Taurus not Aries Moon.)

He looks downcast late this November when the primary is run – Nov 20/27^th – with tr Saturn opposition his Mars/Pluto over the second stage. And right through the 2017 general election looks completely deflated with the hopes-dashed tr Pluto conjunct his Mars/Neptune midpoint from mid March to June.

Marine Le Pen, 5 Aug 1968 11.20am Neuilly Sur Seine, who is expected to get into the second round of next April/May’s election, has a 10^th house Sun and Mercury in Leo with a Capricorn Moon; and an ambitious Mars in Cancer in the 10^th – so definitely pro-active. She has a challenging Yod of a 12^th house Uranus Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct Saturn in self-reliant, unsentimental Aries in the 7^th. That’s a really difficult Yod to handle well and tr Uranus will be conjunct the focal point Saturn exactly over the final round in early May 2017 – impossible to tell whether this will click her Yod into place into speedy fast-forward or derail her altogether.  Tr Pluto is also conjunct her IC opposition her MC; and her Solar and Lunar Returns over the election don’t look too ecstatic. If past experience is anything to go by, she’ll peak, give the country a fright at the prospect of a cleaned-up neo-nazi winning and then fall back.

 

The Clinton Foundation started relatively small, incorporated 23 Oct 1997, and has grown into a multi-billion dollar charitable organisation which does a great deal of good. But there are persistent questions about the privileged access major donors were given to Hillary Clinton during her time as Secretary of State.

It was incorporated with a Scorpio Sun Mercury square an enterprising, innovative and lucky Neptune Uranus Jupiter.

The CF Sun is, of course, conjunct Hillary’s; and the CF Jupiter opposes her Mars Pluto; with its Pluto conjunct her Jupiter – so it will be close to her heart; though with a tendency to over-expansion or unwise over-confident judgements.

The relationship chart between herself and the Foundation has a composite Uranus opposition Mars square North Node; and Pluto square Jupiter – so there will be some risk attached as well as a tendency to go too far. There will be issues over her involvement with the Foundation at the moment till Sept 9^th as it becomes a headline issue again with tr Pluto square Mars and Uranus; and that returns mid October into November across the election. So the likelihood is it will cause her continuing angst.

 

Attacks on Hillary Clinton are mounting with Trump finger-pointing at the Clinton Foundation and raising old conspiracy theories about the 1993 death of Vincent Foster, an Arkansas lawyer and Clinton friend, who became Deputy White House counsel to Bill Clinton.  Anti-Clintonites are determined it was  a murder, despite five investigations  categorically saying it was suicide.

Foster had been involved in several controversies, a failed nomination for attorney general and the firing of the travel office staff so business could be steered to the president’s allies. In 1993 he was being treated for depression. In his briefcase there was a torn-up note, which said: “I was not meant for the job or the spotlight of public life in Washington. Here ruining people is considered sport.” The goldfish bowl got too much for him, especially with his family still living in Arkansas to finish the children’s schooling. A focal point Neptune can have a deep inner sense of loneliness, never mind being overwhelmed by Mars Saturn which would tend to attract setbacks and unkind treatment.

[For those like me a touch hazy about Clinton back story detail: The Washington Post on Foster’s death:  goo.gl/8QsLRC.

WP on Foundation history: goo.gl/tdBXz0.

Daily Beast on Clinton Foundation and why the Foundation should be shut:  goo.gl/pEoscQ]

Vincent Foster, 15 Jan 1945, Hope, Arkansas, was a Sun Capricorn trine Jupiter in Virgo; with a difficult Mars Mercury in Capricorn opposition Saturn square Neptune which would suggest an over-worker with a depressive side. On the day he died there was an exact tr Uranus conjunct Neptune in Capricorn exactly opposition tr Mercury in Cancer – which would create a very highly strung and obsessive mood.

His relationship with Hillary, while close in certain respects, though not in others, doesn’t look remotely romantic. There was an enthusiastic composite Mars Jupiter though that was held in check by a square to Saturn – so it would be argumentative and rough-edged at times; with a needs-space Sun opposition Uranus; and an intensely  determined Sun trine Pluto.

There was nothing much affecting the relationship chart when he died (without a birth time). Though her personal chart does register a major shock with the tr Uranus Neptune opposing her Mars/Uranus and tr Saturn opposing her Sun/Uranus – so a tremendous jolt for her. And she had been under great pressure before, highly frustrated and bad-tempered.

Please post below ………..

 

Gaza is on tenterhooks waiting to see whether new hard-line Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman will escalate border tensions. Hamas is blaming recent rocket attacks on Al Quaeda cells in Gaza whom they clearly don’t have control over. Israel has retaliated more robustly than at any time over the past two years, both sides until now having been holding to an uneasy truce.

The Israel/Gaza (9 Nov 1917 9am) relationship chart does indicate a radical shift from early September with tr Uranus square the composite Pluto and conjunct Uranus after that, running on till April 2017.

The Gaza chart itself isn’t under quite the same strain as it was in Dec 2008 when a full-out Israeli assault took place. Then there was Solar Arc Saturn conjunct the Scorpio Sun and tr Pluto conjunct the Gaza Venus North Node. But it does look on edge with the Gaza Jupiter picking up the opposition from tr Saturn Mars, and tr Neptune returning in late September to square the Jupiter for three and a half months. So uncertain, disappointing. If that start time of 9am is accurate the Virgo Moon will get tr Pluto trine through this September, tr Saturn square in October, and tr Neptune in opposition in 2017 – none of which looks like happy news for the Gaza population.

Avigdor Lieberman, a provocative and controversial appointment by Netanyahu, was born in Soviet Russia on 5 June 1958 to a writer father, who’d served in the Red Army and spent years in exile in Siberia under Stalin. He has a Sun Gemini conjunct his ruthless Mars/Pluto midpoint, in a chart riddled with strained quincunxes. There’s a Yod of Pluto sextile Jupiter inconjunct Mars in Pisces; with Saturn inconjunct Mercury in Taurus, as well as being square Mars and trine Pluto – so definitely tough and aggressive. Tr Saturn opposes his Sun this Oct and tr Neptune squares it in 2017 which doesn’t look successful; but he does look revved up this September with tr Pluto conjunct his Mars/Node and in the mood for taking risks in Oct/Nov though they are likely to result in confusion and dashed hopes.

His relationship with Israel looks aggravated in Oct; and very stressed in Nov/Dec; and worse in 2017. Much the same in his dealings with PM Netanyahu with disruption, tension and upheaval in September and on, bad-tempered in October; and sagging badly in 2017.

Netanyahu, 21 Oct 1949 9.30am, now has tr Saturn sinking below his Ascendant, which is usually a less successful time for several years, with misjudgements more frequent. He looks stressed this month till early September and again mid Oct to end of Nov with tr Pluto trine his Saturn and square his Neptune, so discouraged and confused; he’s also feeling less popular with the tr Neptune square tr Saturn hitting on his Venus and Sun/Jupiter on and off at the moment and into 2017. 2017 will be challenging emotionally and in terms of his political standing with tr Pluto square his 11rth house Moon.

The Israel chart, while not facing catastrophe, looks very uncertain over the coming year with the Solar Arc Moon coming to conjunct the 12^th house Neptune – undercurrents of an unhappy population. With Solar Arc Mars square the 10^th house Moon in less than a year’s time which is a shock of some sort, creating an angry response. With tr Uranus moving to cross the Descendant into the 7^th from early this September, which points to rifts with neighbours and relationships with close supporters for several years to come.

 

Dramatising a life that was stranger than fiction seems to have worked for the movie on Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, on which Rotten Tomatoes has poured accolades.

A prodigiously bad vocalist known as the ‘diva of din’ and “the worst goddamn singer in the world”, “she had and was blissfully unaware of, the worst set of pipes in the world of music … Be afraid, be very afraid”.

Born 19 July 1868, she was a New York socialite and enthusiastic patron of the arts who gave private recitals to sycophantic friends and admirers and made her public debut finally in 1944 aged 76 at Carnegie Hall, which met with excoriating reviews. She had a heart attack days later and died a month after.

She contracted syphilis from her first husband, left him and hooked up with her manager/partner actor St Clair Bayfield, the grandchild (illegitimate) of an English earl, a founder member of Equity, who managed her ‘career’ for 36 years, mainly by never telling her the truth about how bad she was.

She was a New Moon in Cancer conjunct Venus Mercury with Uranus also in Cancer; her Sun (Moon) were trine an obsessive Saturn in Scorpio; and her Uranus Mercury Venus were square a head-in-the-clouds Neptune Jupiter in Aries. Certainly very self-protective with so much Cancer and very Neptunian, as well as hugely determined with her Mars/Pluto midpoint in aspect to her Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus.

Her Mercury aspected her Mars/Saturn midpoint which might give a clue to her fractured vocal chords (or ear) as well as being conjunct Uranus and square Jupiter Neptune – so what she lacked in talent she made up for in delusional confidence.

St Clair Bayfield, 2 Aug 1875, was a quirky Sun Uranus in Leo; with his Venus and Mercury in Cancer conjunct her Venus Mercury New Moon; and his Leo Moon perhaps conjunct her North Node. Though his Saturn in Aquarius opposed her North Node and his Pluto squared it, which might be a clue to his determined efforts to nurture a talent that ran so much against the grain of public taste.

He also had a Yod of Pluto sextile Mercury Venus inconjunct Mars, which found its direction when he met Florence in 1909 as tr Saturn was trine his focal point Mars; and both tr Pluto and tr Uranus were conjunct legs of the Yod in their Solar Arc positions. He’d finally landed the role of his life.

Their relationship chart may have had a composite New Moon – a perfectly complementary pair, more whole when together. Plus never-say-die composite Mars trine Mercury Venus, sextile Pluto; a chained-together Saturn trine Pluto; and an idealistic and confident Saturn Jupiter. A folie a deux that made it into history.

 

Harold Henthorn, dubbed the black widower, is now serving a life sentence for pushing his second wife off a cliff, having set her up with a hefty life insurance policy made out to him. When the FBI investigated they discovered his first wife had also died in mysterious circumstances out in the wild with only him present and again he got a substantial inheritance. When he was finally nabbed, he’d already set lady number three up with a life policy on which he’d forged her signature.

He was born 14 November 1955 and is a Sun Saturn Moon in Scorpio square Jupiter Pluto in Leo – so certainly determined and an odd mix of depressed and over-confident. What seems telling is that both wives died 12 years into the marriage which suggests a repeating pattern. Often childhood trauma gets lived out on the same timeline (not that that is any excuse at all) and can be seen from Progressions. In his case his Progressed Mars had moved to conjunct his natal Neptune exactly when he was 12 years old, sextiling his Jupiter Pluto. I’ve no idea what happened but would be interesting to know.

He married Toni, his second wife, a successful opthalmologist, on 30 Sept 2000 when there was a Saturn opposition Pluto square Mars in place, which was a hint of the very controlling and ultimately murderous marriage that followed.

Toni was born 10 Jan 1962 and was a Sun Venus Mars in Capricorn; with Mars Venus trine Pluto, sextile Neptune – her family describe as not having great success in picking suitable boyfriends and her Mars Venus Pluto Neptune might have had something to do with that.

Their relationship chart had a composite Sun Saturn Venus conjunction with Venus Saturn trine Pluto; and Pluto square Mars – certainly dominating, scary from Mars Pluto, cold from Saturn and the addition of Pluto can turn that perverse.

When his first wife died on 6 May 1995, crushed by a collapsed car, tr Pluto was conjunct his Solar Arc Mars; and His Solar Arc Neptune Uranus conjunction was straddling a square to his Neptune.

When Toni was killed on 29 Sept 2012, his Jupiter Pluto had moved by Solar Arc within a degree of the conjunction to his Neptune; with tr Saturn conjunct his Neptune. On both occasions tr Mars was in hard aspect to his Sun Saturn, which is a minor influence, but clearly was sparked up when his months of planning came to a tragic conclusion.

His natal Neptune (conjunct Mars) does seem key though would need a birth time to see quite how it fitted into his killer con-man mentality.

 

Stephen Bannon, the aggressive roustabout brought in as the new CEO of Trump’s campaign was born 27 Nov 1953 in Norfolk, Virginia and has been a naval officer, investment banker (Goldman Sachs), minor Hollywood player, and political impresario. He described himself last year as coming from “a blue-collar, Irish Catholic, pro-Kennedy, pro-union family of Democrats.” He’s CEO of Breitbart News, the crusading right-wing populist website which has supported Trump to the hilt and is ‘a haven for people who think Fox News is too polite and restrained.’ He’s virulently anti-establishment and set out last year to undermine Jeb Bush and was behind the damaging Clinton Cash expose.

A mile-a-minute talker who thrums with energy, he’s a Sun Sagittarius; with Jupiter in Gemini trine Neptune Mars in Libra, sextile Pluto (Moon) in Leo – keen on publicity-generating businesses, pro-active, controlling, flamboyant. His Pluto is square Venus (Mercury) in Scorpio so he can turn on the charm when needed. His Uranus in Cancer opposes his North Node squaring onto Neptune Mars – which will certainly give him a vision which he’s fanatical about as well as huge amounts of energy and aggression. Not for the faint hearted.  It does suggest Trump intends to ‘double down on the unabashed and unpolished populism’ of his early campaign.

There’s as much good as tricky in his interface with Trump. Bannon’s Jupiter is conjunct Trump’s Sun; and his Mars conjunct Trump’s Jupiter – so a good deal of morale boosting going on, though it could go over the score and lead to overly confident decisions. On the downside Bannon’s Uranus is conjunct Trump’s Saturn Venus which hints at differing objectives with tension resulting. Worse, Bannon’s powerfully aspected Pluto is conjunct Trump’s Mars and Ascendant, so Bannon will put his forceful personality behind dominating Trump which isn’t likely to go down well.

Their relationship chart has a workmanlike composite Sun Saturn Mercury conjunction. Though that is also conjunct the composite Mars, which looks very rough edged and argumentative. Plus a composite Jupiter Pluto which will start well, with each egging the other on, but can switch to a definite struggle for the upper hand. Neither is a personality who likes being outshone. Tr Saturn is in a discouraging square to the composite Mercury in October and square the Sun Saturn into early November. Plus there’s tr Pluto square the composite Neptune now till early Sept and again mid October across the election which is confused.

Bannon’s relationship with the new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway has the same mix of friendly and not-so-friendly crossovers with a composite Sun Venus; but also an irritable, argumentative Saturn square Mars which is certainly under strain through September.

Bannon’s personal chart throws up a mix of great and not-so-great transits ahead. In general he’s in a highly frustrating couple of years with tr Pluto square his Mars, but that’s not exact again until December. He looks upbeat at the moment with tr Uranus square his Jupiter/Pluto midpoint; marginally relieved in September with tr Uranus sextile his Jupiter, and exuberantly confident with tr Pluto trine his Sun/Jupiter though also under strain and confused with tr Pluto hitting on his Sun/Pluto and Sun/Neptune. Tr Uranus squares his Uranus (and Neptune Mars Node T square) through October which may put him onto a different track, and will bring sudden decisions or changed circumstances.

Although Trump started with his new team last week on an apology, I’d imagine Bannon will propel him towards upping his personal attacks on Hillary. Bannon’s Saturn is conjunct Hillary’s Scorpio Sun which certainly fits with him exposing her shadow. Their relationship chart has a power-struggling Sun square Pluto; and tr Pluto is trine the composite Mars now and in October and November; with tr Saturn square the composite Jupiter Mars in Oct/Nov – so it could get very nasty up to and after the election.