London has been around for at least two and perhaps three thousand years, with no charter dates that I can establish. The Romans named it Londinium around 50 AD when Pluto was in Capricorn and Neptune in Pisces, so it is returning full cycle at the moment.

There are two dates which may be significant in more modern times. 1 April 1965; and 9 September 1835.

The 1965 chart does have a difficult and volatile Mars Uranus Pluto opposition Saturn square North Node in Gemini; and a high-finance Jupiter in Taurus opposition Neptune. Tr Neptune has been undermining that 1965 Mars Uranus and Saturn by opposition and conjunction through 2016, perhaps an indication of the Brexit panic, since 60% of Londoners voted to remain. And those influences recur mid October this year to early Jan 2018. At the moment tr Neptune is opposition the 1965 Pluto, at the same time as the Progressed Mars is conjunct the 1965 Pluto – so a double whammy from a destructive and dangerous Mars Pluto along with high confusion from Neptune. The progressed Mars will take its time in moving off that conjunction since it only moves at a degree every two years. In addition, the February 2017 Pisces Solar Eclipse was conjunct the 1965 Saturn and opposition Uranus Mars. Eclipses on Saturn are usually when chickens come home to roost and a price has to be paid for past mistakes.

The 1835 chart, which was a previous reorganisation of the city, has tr Pluto square the Solar Arc Mars, exact at the moment. And is in a longish run of difficult aspects with tr Pluto square the 1835 Mars last year over Brexit and moving across the square to the Mars/Saturn midpoint now, and thence onto square the 1835 Saturn in 2018/19 as economic woes start to build. So a time of high-risk and hardship.

The Great Fire of London in September 1666, which destroyed 90% of the houses of the 80,000 inhabitants, followed on from the plague of the winter before which had killed a quarter of London’s population. When the 1666 fire occurred, the Sun was opposition Jupiter square Pluto; with Mars in Scorpio trine Jupiter, sextile Neptune Saturn in Capricorn and square Uranus. With Mars just a degree away from an opposition to Algol. So Jupiter again acting as a fuel for disaster, amplified by Pluto; with a malignant Mars causing additional havoc.

London has survived with stalwart resilience through many horrors during its long history. In the 20^th Century: the Blitz in WW11 (started with Uranus conjunct Algol); the years of the IRA bombings; into the 21^st Century the Islamic fundamentalist attacks. Both the 1965 and 1835 charts have Mars Saturn and Pluto in aspect, which gives grit and perseverance, resourcefulness in the face of danger. Admittedly those aspects will tend to attract situations which draw on exactly those characteristics, but it will always rise to the challenge.

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Disney’s live-action, musical movie, Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, has grossed almost $1.25 billion since its launch earlier this year. Since it cost $300 million, it was quite a gamble but it has paid off handsomely.

The movie to the US has certainly also paid off for Dan Stevens, who rocked the Downton Abbey boat by baling early and causing his role as Matthew Crawley to be summarily killed off. Born 10 October 1982, he has Sun, Venus, Mercury and Saturn Pluto spread out through Libra so charming as well as tough-minded; with Jupiter in money-attracting Scorpio and a Cancer Moon. He’s got a Fire Air chart so inspirational and confident, though not always practical with a tendency to over-stretch himself since he won’t recognise his physical limits.

When he got his big break in Downton Abbey his Progressed Sun was conjunct his Jupiter; and as this monster success was shooting, his Progressed Sun was conjunct his Progressed Jupiter. He’s at present in the Noah Hawley’s TV series Legion; with no shortage of stage and screen offers ahead.

Emma Watson, 15 April 1990 6pm Paris, France, best known initially for Harry Potter, is a fountain of energy. In between finishing her education at Browns University, she’s been making movies, and acting as a highly visible spokesperson for women’s rights globally.

She has an intense and pro-active 8^th house Aries Sun in an energetic sextile to Mars in Aquarius and a hard-working square to Saturn in Capricorn; with a talented and successful Jupiter in Cancer in her 10^th opposition Uranus Neptune in Capricorn in her 4^th; with a Sagittarius Moon on her IC. She’s a curious mix of opposites – confident and lacking self-esteem; designed to be constantly on the move domestically yet yearning for a settle home life. She has a Water Earth chart, so will be serious and self-protective, with great inner strength and determination.

She’s on her Progressed Moon return exactly now, so a new chapter in her life beginning at an emotional or inner level; with her progressed Jupiter having moved very slowly to now oppose her Uranus exactly. Her life will never be as easy as it looks especially this year and for the next few with tr Uranus conjunct her Sun and square her Saturn; with tr Pluto following along from 2021 to 2023. But she’s going to be around for many years ahead career-wise, getting more respected the older she gets.

Fittingly for a movie about a hideous monster, (secretly a handsome prince who had been cursed), it started principal photography on the day the Sun was conjunct Algol, the Fixed star. Algol is associated with Medusa, who was so ugly she turned all who looked directly at her to stone. Astrology King remarks: “a strong Algol placement in the natal chart corresponds to very distinctive facial features and hair. The teeth, nose or ears may also be striking in some way, either extremely beautiful, large or deformed.” And quotes Diana Rosenberg: “Algol, like other stars, confers tasks upon us which, if comprehended and accepted, offer great rewards of power and creativity.”

There you are – coincidence or what? 

Thanks to Loretta for the further thought that this myth is often associated with Taurus. The original tale was published by Le Prince Beaumont, who had Neptune and Sun in Taurus with Venus in late Taurus widely conjunct Algol. The most famous previous Beauty and the Beast film was made in 1946 by Jean Cocteau, who had his Ascendant and Venus in late Taurus, also around the Algol mark. Cocteau was certainly drawn to the dark side in his novel Les Enfants Terrible and his Orpheus trilogy of films, and although multi-talented, was a lifelong opium addict.

Raging forest fires, started by very dry and hot conditions (40C+) and sparked by a lightning strike, have killed over 60 so far in central Portugal, many burnt in their cars as they tried to escape. It’s the worst fire in many years with hundreds of firefighters involved in tackling multiple fires.

We seem to be lurching from one horror to the next at the moment. With Mars now in Cancer moving towards a square to Jupiter next weekend and then, more especially, opposing Pluto on July 2^nd, it is a high-risk, hugely pressured time. So there may be more disasters. Both the London fire and the Scalise shooting occurred in the early stages of this and it often does trigger early, rather than on the exact date.

The February 11^th Lunar Eclipse located to the Portugal fire zone did have the Sun closely conjunct the IC with the Moon on the MC, so very prominently on the axis.

“Events, dear boy, events” was what former UK PM Harold MacMillan probably never said in response to a question about what blows governments off course and they most fear. But like most clichés it holds more than a grain of truth. Theresa May, already tottering after a series of political blunders, has been almost certainly sunk by her abject handling of the Grenfell Fire disaster, her Katrina moment. In a more minor way, the collision of the US warship in Japanese waters, is throwing an unwelcome spotlight on the deficits of the Trump administration with no Navy Secretary or US Ambassador to Japan yet appointed.

Theresa May had the February Pisces Eclipse conjunct her Mars; and the late Leo Solar Eclipse this August is conjunct her Pluto. The first brings a shock and failure with tr Neptune conjunct. A Solar Eclipse conjunct Pluto can either bring empowerment/transformation or, in the face of refusal to change – decay and destruction.

Donald Trump has the Eclipse conjunct his Mars and Ascendant, which will make him even more combative than usual. The key to an Eclipse on Mars is to learn how to handle anger sensibly otherwise it leads to physical strain and/or accidents, never mind volcanic arguments.

Jeremy Corbyn and Emmanuel Macron both have the August Eclipse conjunct their Saturn – paying the price for decisions and having to shoulder heavier responsibilities.

The UK has its 11^th house Saturn also conjunct the Leo Eclipse, which will put pressure on the legislature at Westminster. The EU’s 12^th house Pluto is also conjunct the Eclipse – as they face the crisis of Brexit, amongst whatever else fate throws their way, as they try to hold together an untenable structure.

Iraq’s Leo Sun is almost exactly conjunct as they struggle to regain control of territory from ISIS and bridge the sectarian divide.

Israel, worryingly, has their Mars conjunct the Leo Eclipse, which could send them into aggressive overdrive out of insecurity.

The path of this 2017 August Eclipse does run across middle USA, so may have more impact there, though not necessarily instantly, see below for Delayed Effects. It is in the 1 North Saros Series that seems to accompany major events in the USA when it falls due.

The US dropped the Hiroshima atomic bomb, four weeks after the 1945 eclipse in this series. In 1963, next time round for 1 North, Martin Luther King was delivering his rousing civil rights speech in Washington to 200,000 African-Americans campaigning for Black civil rights, four weeks after. Three months later President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas. The same cycle repeating in 1981 saw US forces shooting down two Libyan planes, and the US air traffic control strike. Then in July 1999, JFK’s son John was killed in a plane crash three weeks before a 1 North solar eclipse. And NATO forces were at war for the first time since 1945, trying to reverse the Serbian ethnic cleansing and genocide of Albanians. In previous 1 North eclipses: Charles Lindbergh made the first solo, non-stop transatlantic flight, from New York to Paris in 33 hours, in 1927; and in 1909 a major earthquake destroyed Acapulco, two weeks after the eclipse.

For a prime example of the Delay Effect: the path of the August 1999 total solar eclipse in the 1 North rose in the Eastern seaboard of the USA, crossed the UK, curving down across Afghanistan, Pakistan to finish in southern India. There were major aspects to the eclipse from Saturn in Taurus, Mars in Scorpio, Uranus & Neptune in Aquarius. At the time, despite much excitement and trepidation, there was little outward sign of the kind of events such a powerhouse of influences might have suggested. But in January 2001 the same aspects recurred with Mars returning for the first time since 1999 to Scorpio, and along with the Aquarian Sun picking up the tail end of the waning, disruptive Saturn Uranus square.

At precisely the time those aspects repeated, the devastating Gujarat earthquake in central western India on January 26 2001 – exactly on the 1999 eclipse path – occurred as these aspects all came together again. The catastrophic national foot & mouth epidemic in the UK, also started around this time.

Even later still in late March 2002, when Mars was again in a fixed sign – Taurus – running into the square to the eclipse Uranus, it coincided with a major earthquake in Afghanistan, also on that 1999 eclipse path.

Japan is especially sensitive to this series of eclipses, and by early 2001 it was admired that Japan’s economy was at the point of collapse.

This 2017 August Leo Eclipse is not as heavily aspected at the 1999 one – though the Eclipse is conjunct Mars and trine Uranus and trine Saturn, with Uranus opposition Jupiter – so it could lead to restless over-confidence, risk-taking, impatience with restrictions.

Bernadette Brady in The Eagle and the Lark says of 1 North Eclipses: Unexpected events with friends or groups place great pressure on relationships. Hasty decisions will be unwise since information is likely to be distorted or false. Tiredness and health problems can occur.

Sadiq Khan took over as Mayor of London on 7 May 2016, sworn in at 11.49am – and has been coping this year with two terrorist attacks, at Westminster in March and London Bridge in early June, and now one of the worst fire and tower tragedies ever.

His Term chart does have the Taurus Moon conjunct the destructive Fixed star Algol; with a heavily aspected, accident and disaster-prone Mars Saturn conjunction square Jupiter opposition Neptune. So it was never going to be an easy run. There is a positive, confident and determined Pluto trine Jupiter trine Sun, though it focuses in on an 8^th house Neptune as the driving planet of a Kite – so financial muddles, maybe commercial scandals, subversion and deception. The 8^th house, along with its financial meanings, is associated with national death, rebirth and renewal.

He has a pretty tough chart himself, 8 Oct 1970, with a Mars Pluto in Virgo trine Saturn in Taurus, sextile Neptune Venus in Scorpio. So he won’t be rattled by much.

Jeremy Corbyn, UK Opposition Leader, is cementing his popularity after an unexpectedly good election result by turning up at the Grenfell House fire site and comforting residents. Unlike Theresa May who turned up flanked by security and avoided any interaction with victims. She is tone deaf, an emotional robot and very badly advised.

Corbyn’s chart hasn’t been much guidance without a birth time; apart from a frustrating but ultra-determined tr Pluto trine his Mars in Taurus in 2017/18; and some discouraging moments from mid July to early September, and November this year with tr Pluto opposition his Sun/Saturn. And the August Leo Eclipse will conjunct his Saturn, which will thrust heavier responsibilities his way in the months thereafter. For someone who never showed much ambition in terms of high office, maybe he will  have to push himself to step up now to his new found prominence.

What are more informative are his leadership charts, which at least have valid times – 12 September 2015 11.42 am, and 24 September 2016 12.51pm, London. Both charts have lucky, successful Jupiter in the 10^th which might be a clue – the 2015 Jupiter is conjunct Moon, and the 2016 conjunct Sun.

In the 2016 chart, which is this run of leadership, the Solar Arc Sun will conjunct Jupiter exactly by early 2018. This suggests his run of high hopes and popularity will rise further in coming months. It doesn’t necessarily mean another election, though it would indicate a great opportunity for him if it happened. [Putin’s Presidency chart from 2012 also has Sun Jupiter in the 10^th. That conjunction came exact in late 2016/early 2017 when his star was riding high on the international scene, but has now faded as the influence waned.]

Corbyn will get a significant jolt in December, which shows up on his personal and leadership charts. But it’s only a passing setback.

Leo Varadkar has become Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland – around 3.30pm 14 June 2017 in Dublin. And ran into early criticism when he failed to make radical changes in the cabinet. Though he confirmed there will be a referendum on abortion next year. This week the UN Human Rights Committee ruled for the second time that Ireland’s abortion laws currently violate women’s human rights.

His Term chart has an optimistic, fair-minded Jupiter on a Libra Ascendant in an Air Grand Trine to a tolerant Aquarius Moon trine Mercury in Gemini – so certainly communicative. Though possibly veering towards dreams and illusions with Jupiter also quincunx Neptune. There is a divisive Uranus in the 7^th suggesting neighbourly relationships may get tricky. Plus a Fire Grand Trine of Node trine Saturn trine Uranus, formed into a Kite by Saturn opposition Sun – so a Fire Air chart, lots of hot air and high inspiration, maybe not enough grounding and practicality.

It certainly looks a rocky ride ahead with not much of a honeymoon period as tr Uranus squares his Sun Mars and tr Neptune opposes his Saturn. [See post June 3 2017].

Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican congressman and majority whip is in critical condition after a shooting at a baseball game. Five others were injured after James T Hodgkinson, opened fire and was then killed after a firefight with police. Hodkinson’s Facebook account is filled with anti-Republican and anti-Trump posts; and he had campaigned for Bernie Sanders. In a tragic irony, Scalise and others were practising for the non-partisan annual baseball match with the Democrats in Congress.

Hodgkinson, 12 Dec 1950 (FBI net), had a history of domestic violence, anger and alcohol abuse. He was a Sun Venus in Sagittarius with his Sun trine Pluto; a publicity-attracting Mars in ambitious Capricorn square Neptune, and Mars in a hard-edged, angry trine to Saturn; and a T Square of Uranus opposition Mercury square Saturn. The last would give him some organisational skills but also high levels of impatience and a tendency to dominate.

2017 would have set off his hair-trigger responses with tr Uranus in an insecure, volatile square to his Mars exact now; and a mega-confused tr Pluto square his Neptune. And tr Pluto was also square his violent Mars/Uranus midpoint exactly when he opened fire.

Steve Scalise, 6 October 1965, New Orleans, is a Sun Mercury in Libra, as befits a lawmaker; with his Mars in Sagittarius quincunx Jupiter in patriotic Cancer; and Uranus Pluto opposition Saturn. He’s not in a great year though there’s nothing exact at the moment. Tr Uranus is just over the opposition to his Mars/Pluto and Mars/Uranus midpoints which are high risk; with tr Pluto trine his Uranus and Pluto, and square his Uranus/Neptune and Neptune/Pluto midpoints; and tr Neptune conjunct his Saturn. Confusion, uncertainty and major changes.

His relationship chart with Hodgkinson, whom he’d probably never met, and there is no suggestion of any personal animus, merely a generic political dislike – does have a heavily aspected Mars, conjunct Saturn, and trine Pluto trine Jupiter; with Jupiter opposition Neptune. So a powerful composite which is often the case in these oddly karmic interactions, even if it was just wrong time, wrong place for Scalise.

Like many terrorists/mass shooters, Hodginkson was a bubbling cauldron of rage looking for a target.

Puerto Rico’s plebiscite voted overwhelmingly in favour of pushing to become a full USA state. But the turnout was abysmal with fewer than a quarter of voters taking part, with mass abstentions after charges of corruption. And at the end of it all, there is no legal requirement for the USA Congress to consider the matter. When Puerto Rico was acquired from the Spanish in 1898 it was as a colonial possession (an unincorporated territory) not a future state. One of Congress terms in any event would be national solvency which is certainly not the case for Puerto Rico which has considerable government debts owing.

The constitution for Puerto Rico was celebrated on 25 July 1952 1.36pm, San Juan (astrotheme). That gives a fixed T Square of Mars in Scorpio opposition Jupiter square Pluto on the MC (time being accurate), with Pluto opposition North Node IC – so a country prone to being dominated. It looks exceptionally muddled in 2017/18 with tr Pluto square Neptune; and short financially with tr Saturn through the 2^nd. There will be some optimistic moments from July onwards for a few months; but it also looks very high-wire, explosive and in a state of upheaval with the Solar Arc Mars opposition Uranus.

There looks to be disappointment with the US before the end of 2017; with pressures mounting on the relationship in 2018 to 2020. 2019 could see a complete turnaround in the relationship, though it looks more separated than conjoined.