Peter Shaffer, the playwright, has died who was a towering figure in both British and American theatre. His best known works were Equus about a damaged boy and his horse; Amadeus about Mozart and Salieri; and The Royal Hunt of the Sun. One obit said: ‘His daring, often deeply disturbing, plays plumbed the psychological depths of conflicts between opposing states of mind.’ He himself described the sense of struggle in his work as that of Apollonian and Dionysian forces. “There are those who are touched by the gods and others who are firmly rooted to the earth.”

Born 15 May 1926, a week after naturalist David Attenborough and two weeks after HM Queen, he had the same inordinately enduring, fixed chart as them. In his case his Taurus Sun opposed Saturn square Jupiter in Aquarius opposition Neptune.  So he would be continually playing with the idea of opposition and complexity.

Neptune would give him vision. Jupiter in Aquarius humanitarianism and a broad canvas for his rich creativity. Saturn in Scorpio an obsessive drive to get it right.

His chart is replete with quintiles and septiles – 5^th and 7^th Harmonics which are both highly creative.

Like David Attenborough, he had a talented brother, a barrister who also became a playwright with Sleuth.

Revisiting Muhammad Ali now that I’ve read more about his life, what is striking is how universally loved and admired he was despite his flaws. Top-class sportsmen tend to be deified and expected to be transcendent human beings, until such time as they start losing and turn out to be less than divine. As he disintegrated into Parkinson’s syndrome caused by years of taking punches, he seemed to become even more of an icon, his earlier transgressions airbrushed out.

There’s no doubt in his earlier years he was abusively unpleasant to Joe Frazier, Floyd Patterson and others before fights; he was vehemently against mixed marriages given his vocal dislike of the ‘white man’, the latter admittedly for good reason; and was a serial adulterer.

But he hit the zeitgeist at the right time in the 1960s in the midst of the civil rights and Vietnam War turmoil, when television was beginning to make its mark and stood up for his right to be himself and take charge of his own destiny, no matter the cost.

Hugh McIlvanney wrote in the Sunday Times: ‘His appeal owed at least as much to the effect of a beautiful and magnetising physical presence and an essentially unsophisticated but uniquely captivating personality.’

‘Ali was never remotely convincing as a hater and his admirers didn’t feel they were being naive in claiming to recognise, beyond what they saw as outrageous role-playing, the lovable core of an intrinsically good man.’ ‘He could be genuinely witty and his best comedic rifts were extraordinarily, lyrically, imaginative.’

Additional thoughts to the previous post. His three planets in Aquarius – Moon Mercury Venus would lend him a quirky humour. Initially it had a sledgehammer punch with Mercury widely opposition Pluto square Mars, with the rougher edges smoothed out by the trine to Jupiter and no doubt by maturity. Though Frazier never forgave him for his insults.  Venus in the 7^th gave him great charm.

There’s a sense of tremendous control and endurance in his chart with that Earth Grand Trine, onto a Kite focal point Pluto, which would stand him in good stead through tough years of training and fighting. As would those seven Fixed planets.

Fixed planets by their nature have an acquisitive streak, as does an Earth Grand Trine. It’s arguable his fighting on, against medical advice that he was heading for irreversible brain damage, was the downside of his striving and indeed his stubbornness. He couldn’t stop. Even in latter years when he wasn’t running his own affairs, he was wheeled out as a kind of brand commodity as a symbol of goodwill.

His Neptune is well aspected in his chart, trine his Sun and Saturn Uranus and sextile his Pluto and he undoubtedly was a force for good, coming to represent the embodiment of self-determination, which encouraged and motivated others.

Apart from his fight wins, the two key moments in his life were his refusal to serve in Vietnam when tr Neptune was opposing his Saturn Uranus (and thus shaking his Grand Trine). And his Solar Arc Neptune was moving to square his Sun.

The second was the moment when he shakily lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta in 1996 and all his past controversial behaviour was forgiven. That was when tr Neptune was conjunct his Sun (and rippling round the Grand Trine again) and his Solar Arc Pluto was conjunct his Neptune.

So Neptune softened down what is potentially quite a hard chart, bringing his healing energy to the fore, boosted by the tremendous strength which underpinned his personality.

Born around the same time as him were: Rene Angelil, the husband/manager of Celine Dion, born the day before.  And singing star and actor Michael Crawford born two days after. Stephen Hawking, the physicist with motor neurone disease, was born a week earlier.

Muhammad Ali has died, renowned as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, with fulsome tributes flowing in universally, led by Barack Obama.

He was larger than life in personality as well as physically, stood up for his beliefs in refusing to fight in the Vietnam War, joined the Black Muslims and ranted like an ego-maniac to psych himself up before fights; and had a complicated emotional life. But he was still loved and admired and gained an iconic status even after he retired from the ring, too late to prevent brain damage.

Born 17 January 1942 6.35 pm Louisville, Kentucky, he had a very Earthy and Fixed chart. His hard-working 6^th house Capricorn Sun was trine Saturn Uranus in Taurus in the 10^th trine Neptune in Virgo, formed into a Kite by Sun opposition Pluto – so powerful, influential, controlling. His Pluto was also opposition an Aquarius Moon Mercury square Mars in Taurus – so he packed a very solid punch.

He also had Venus in Aquarius in his 7^th so exceedingly charming, despite a chart which could have turned him bad. The Moon Mercury Venus in Aquarius trine Jupiter in Gemini in the 10^th undoubtedly helped to soften the edges of what was quite a brutal chart.

His get-it-together 5^th Harmonic was strong with an accented Uranus and he did try to make a difference, and succeeded in bringing racism to public attention. His determined 8H and his victim/healer 12H were also strong; as was his genius 13H. But most notable is his leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17.

What a tragedy he didn’t retire from the ring earlier.

Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones and Faces received a birthday present a day early in the form of twin daughters, to add to his already large collection of children and grandchildren.

They were born 30 May 2016 at 10.30pm in London and have 6^th house Sun Venus in Gemini opposition Saturn square a 9^th house Jupiter opposition Neptune in Pisces; with Moon also in Pisces in the 3^rd. So hard-working though exceptionally restless, flying off in all directions at once.  What will help to anchor them is an Earth Grand Trine of Jupiter trine Pluto trine Mercury in Taurus, focussed into a Kite with musical Neptune leading – so perhaps moving into the organisational side of the music business and travelling a good deal.

The Australian election is due July 2 2016 when the uncertain, anxious Saturn Neptune square is exact and pulling in Jupiter in Virgo and a Gemini Moon to make a scattered Mutable Grand Cross – so it’s likely to be going in all directions at once. There will also be emotional intensity and hope for a change with Venus (Sun) in Cancer opposition Pluto square Uranus; and a confident Jupiter trine Pluto. So a complicated mood.

Neither of the two main candidates has birth times which doesn’t help.

The present Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, 24 Oct 1954, a bullish Sun Scorpio square Mars in Aquarius opposition a lucky Jupiter Uranus, has little showing apart from a Solar Arc Pluto square Jupiter, sometime this year. That could make him successful; or make him overplay his hand and it backfires. Whatever happens will likely show up on his chart axis which we don’t know.

Bill Shorten, Leader of the Opposition, 12 May 1967, is a determined, innovative and idealistic Sun Mercury in Taurus opposition Neptune, trine Uranus Pluto in Virgo, with a hard-edged Saturn in Aries square Venus in Cancer and opposition Mars.

He has a real mixter maxter set of influences. Tr Pluto will be square his Mars which is deeply frustrating and aggravated. The tr Saturn square tr Neptune is in hard aspect to his Sun/Venus which suggests unpopularity and loss. And his Solar Arc Sun Mercury is square his Saturn around this year. But he’s also got a successful tr Jupiter conjunct his Pluto a few days after the election; and a couple of useful, though mild, Uranus transits to two Jupiter midpoints.  So he won’t be wiped out. His great time comes in two/three or four years when his Solar Arc Jupiter will conjunct his Pluto and Uranus.

Julian Castro is a Democrat politician, former Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, and in Obama’s Cabinet since 2014, who is being talked of as a possible running mate for Hillary Clinton.

Born 16 Sept 1974, Texas, he’s a Sun and Venus in Virgo (not conjunct); with Venus opposition Jupiter square Neptune in Sagittarius; and his Sun sextile Saturn.  Sensible, hard-working, idealistic, at times over hopeful or gets carried away with his dreams (Jupiter Neptune).  He’s also got a powerhouse Mars Pluto in Libra, perhaps conjunct a Libra/Virgo Moon; with Mercury Uranus also in Libra. So a curious mix of understated Virgo, slightly over-charming Venus; plus a do-or-die determined Mars Pluto.

He doesn’t look too upbeat this year with tr Neptune conjunct his Jupiter opposition his Venus; and tr Saturn square both. So muddled, uncertain and not sure of his popularity. He looks agitated in September to mid October with tr Pluto square Mars/Uranus which will be a real test of nerves.  And stuck in 2017 with Solar Arc Sun conjunct Pluto.

He’s a so-so match with Hillary.  His Venus Sun fall in her 10^th which is good career-wise (HC 8.01am bt); and his Saturn is trine her Venus Mercury in Scorpio which is also practical for work. But his Neptune falls in her first conjunct her Jupiter; and her Neptune is conjunct his Mars Pluto – which is less great, slippery and unfulfilled. Plus his Sun is square her Uranus which wouldn’t bode well for a close relationship.

Their relationship chart has a friendly composite Sun Venus; and the powerful composite Mars Pluto, which latter can turn hostile, though if they keep it together they could move mountains. However tr Saturn square tr Neptune is hitting on that Pluto and the Mars/Pluto midpoint through this year and over the election. Tr Uranus will square the composite Jupiter in December this year which will provide some luck, but too late to matter, unless HC wins.

The Madeleine McCann case drags on with no end in sight, cheering or otherwise. Goncalo Amaral, the original Portuguese police chief investigator has had his libel conviction overturned. He wrote a best seller called The Truth of the Lie which suggested the McCann parents were responsible for a  cover up. They are now appealing the reversal of their case in the Supreme Court.

He was born 2 Oct 1959 so is a Sun Moon Mars Mercury in Libra as befits a justice-seeker; though he also has Saturn trine Pluto, sextile Neptune – so could get carried away with a sense of mission with idealistic/delusionary Neptune leading. His Mars is badly affected over 2016/17 with tr Pluto square and then Solar Arc Uranus conjunct in 2017. So his hopes of ducking out of hefty libel damages may be dented.

Kate McCann, 5 March 1968 6.50am? Liverpool, has been through a punishing time with the tr Uranus square tr Pluto bouncing off her Saturn Mars in Aries over the past three years. Tr Neptune will conjunct her Pisces Sun from mid 2017 till late 2018 which is usually lacklustre. Though there’ll be some uplift from tr Uranus trine Jupiter in 2018/19.

Gerry McCann, 5 June 1968 7.45 am, Glasgow, Scotland, has a heavy chart with a Yod of Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct Saturn in Aries in his 10^th, which suggests a difficult life with out-of-the-ordinary events. That focal point Saturn has tr Uranus conjunct this year into early 2017 which will knock him onto a different track. Even more so from 2019 when tr Pluto is square his Saturn which will make 2019/2020 significantly challenging and discouraging.

Before then he has tr Neptune square his Gemini from mid 2017 till late 2018 and tr Neptune square his Mars in 2020 – so a longish run of panicky failure.

The strain on their marriage must be intense and there could be ruptures in 2017/18.

Madeleine McCann, 12 May 2003 6.14pm? Leicester, England. There are some emotional ups and downs on this chart in 2017; but the next major disruption will be around 2020 when Solar Arc Uranus squares Pluto. On the disappearance chart, 3 May 2007, there is some movement come late 2018/2019.

It is an extraordinary case which has caught the public imagination and polarised opinions like no other in recent years.  Madeleine’s 12^th Harmonic (= victim/sacrifice) is horrifically strong with a Fixed Grand Cross of Mars opposition Saturn square Pluto opposition Moon. Not an easy furrow to plough, poor little mite.

Please post below ……….

Tory tempers are getting very rattled and ratty as the Referendum date approaches (dear Lord make it soon before we all keel over from boredom, important though it is.) David Cameron is coming in for increasingly toxic criticism from his own party of the Brexit persuasion with open talk of a post-referendum leadership challenge, no matter what the result.

The Tories have always been better at beheading unwanted leaders than the Left, but when Maggie Thatcher was ousted there were obvious indicators on the Conservative Party chart, 12 Nov 1867 – tr Pluto conjunct the Scorpio Sun and in the run up conjunct the Solar Arc Uranus; with tr Neptune opposition Uranus. So turmoil, radical transformation and high anxiety.

There’s nothing remotely similar at the moment.

If I had to hazard a guess it would be 2018 when David Cameron’s 2^nd Term chart, 8 May 2015 12.30pm, has the Solar Arc Pluto exactly square Uranus; with a year of rumbling discontent prior from tr Pluto square Uranus.  David Cameron’s relationship chart with the Conservative Party also has tr Uranus opposition the composite Sun in 2018 which looks like a definite separation.

There’ll certainly be some poisonous arguments and tensions through this summer and until late year with tr Pluto square the composite Mars on that relationship chart, but probably not terminal.

He’s having a slipping and sliding, panicky year with tr Neptune square his Mars/Saturn at the moment though that disappears from early June. He’s got that lucky Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct his Uranus, exact in 3 months time but in effect now; and a minor uplift from tr Uranus sextile Jupiter/Node from June 25^th.  And buoyant Uranus transits to Jupiter midpoints through 2017.  Though I’d imagine post-No 10 he’ll not feel that deflated since a whole new world beckons with more global travel, more money and less hassle, no matter what he chooses to do.

When George Papandreou exited the Greece PM job his chart looked positively elated, which could have been mistaken for success in an election but was just sheer relief at being out of an unfixable mess.

Elizabeth Warren, Democratic Senator, former lawyer and consumer protection advocate is being talked of as a potential VP for Hillary Clinton. She’d bring a much needed anti-Wall Street slant.

Born  22 June 1949, Oak Hill, OK, with a possible rectified time of 1.51pm, she’s an innovative Sun Uranus in Cancer in a sensible sextile to hard-working, meticulous Saturn in Virgo; with Jupiter trine Mars (Mercury) in Gemini. The Cancer Sun will tune her into the public mood and she’ll be a good communicator.

In addition she’s got a Yod of Saturn sextile Sun Uranus inconjunct Jupiter which has the potential to make her a force for good out in society. And the Solar Arc positions of that Yod put her Sun Uranus on HC’s MC (8.01am BT). So it might just be – stretching a point – that Hillary gives her the opportunity and platform that she needs to get her ideas across.

Her Saturn is also conjunct Hillary’s MC which will give gravitas and an element of practicality and common sense. EW’s Jupiter is square H’s Scorpio Sun which will be morale-boosting.  But it’s a very intense, slightly unsettling relationship with EW’s Sun Uranus in H’s 8^th; and EW’s Taurus Moon square H’s Mars Pluto Saturn in Leo, so wouldn’t make EW feel that comfortable especially where HC’s 8^th house issues are concerned – business finances etc.

The relationship chart does have an adventurous Jupiter opposition Uranus so at one level it might appeal. But there’s an exact composite Mars square Neptune which suggests an ego-mismatch, so when one succeeds the other feels diminished. Though having said that candidates don’t necessarily have to get on with their running mates since they are picked for reasons other than compatibility.

Just to be tricky on election day Elizabeth Warren has two contradictory influences.  One is tr Neptune square her Mars which is a definite lose-lose, panicky indicator.  The other is a ‘lucky break’ tr Pluto square Jupiter/Uranus which has been seen over election wins.

Other favourable influences: – If the rectified birth time is sound, then her Solar Arc Moon is just into her 10^th and her Solar Arc Pluto is sitting on her Ascendant, both of which suggest prominence and influence. Plus tr Jupiter will be crossing her Ascendant just before the Inauguration which is also a confidence plus point.

So there are some encouraging signs but I’d still have  considerable worries about that tr Neptune square Mars.