Roger Federer, currently ranked as No 3 in tennis, and regarded as one of the greatest players ever, is beginning to feel the strain of his age after two decades of punishing his body. He’s withdrawn from the French Open, having pulled out of the Madrid Open earlier this month as well, due to injury.

Born 8 August 1981 8.40am Bale, Switzerland,  he’s got a run of disappointing and unsettling transits to midpoints through this year and in some ways worse in 2017. In 2016 he’s got the enthusiasm-dampening tr Saturn square tr Neptune hitting his Sun/Jupiter and Sun/Saturn; with an insecure/operation and accident-prone tr Uranus square his Mars/Node.  In 2017 tr Pluto moves on to square Sun/Neptune and trine Sun/Pluto – so much confusion and pressure.

Plus his progressed Moon is now moving through his 6^th house of health for another 18 months, which is often when health issues emerge.

His Progressed Pluto will conjunct his Uranus, exact in 6 months which does suggest a major change in his life. That added on to tr Uranus opposition his Pluto this year – would all point to difficult decisions being faced.

Jordan Spieth, American pro golfer who had stratospheric success in 2015 suddenly lost form through this year’s Masters.

Born 27 July 1993, he is a Sun Leo sextile Jupiter in Libra, so a warm-hearted, enthusiastic personality.  But he’s highly strung with Uranus Neptune in Capricorn trine Mars in Virgo and opposition Mercury in Cancer.

What’s wrong this year is his Solar Arc Saturn opposing his Mars which does suggest a major setback and gnashing of teeth.  Plus tr Uranus has been squaring his Neptune Uranus nad Mercury which may have also been a distraction.  His midpoints also are not great in 2016 with tr Saturn square tr Neptune hitting on his Mars/Saturn and tr Uranus opposing his Mars/Pluto – so it’ll feel like a catastrophe.

The next two or three years won’t be that easy with tr Pluto opposing his Mercury and conjunct his Neptune Uranus and trine his Mars from 2017.

This one is for me since I just adore geometric charts – and eccentrics.

David Snellgrove, who spent his life studying, writing about and learning the language of a Tibet, has died.

Born 29 March 1920 in Portsmouth, England, he has seven maybe eight planets all in early degrees. He had a Water Grand Trine of Pluto trine Mars in Scorpio trine Uranus, formed into a Kite by Uranus opposition Saturn in Virgo. And his Aries Sun was on the focal point of a Yod to Saturn sextile Mars; as well as being square Pluto and trine Neptune Jupiter (Moon) in Leo. Very interconnected though not easy.

A Water Grand Trine especially a heavy one would lock him into his own bubble, exploring, exposing himself to risk and seeking adventure. He’d be quite autocratic with Saturn Uranus but also a meticulous academic with Saturn in Virgo as driving planet, which helped him make copious notes and hand on his findings in books. Sun onto Neptune Jupiter might have attracted him to exotic places; and square Pluto would make him utterly determined to overcome the tremendous obstacles in visiting and surviving in Tibet post-WW11 and after the Chinese invaded. Aged 75 when he has retired from academic life, he went to Cambodia and learnt Khmer.

There are shivers of horror within Israel, never mind on the international scene, at PM Netanyahu’s decision to offer the Defence Ministry to extreme right-winger Avigdor Lieberman, who seems keen to bring back the death penalty and has hard-line views on the Palestinians.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s 2^nd Term chart, 18 March 2013 7.54pm, looks very precarious this year with tr Saturn still on the opposition to Jupiter through August and tr Neptune square Jupiter till the New Year. So confidence at an all-time low; with the even more unstable Solar Arc Uranus square Pluto exact in four months’ time.

His personal chart looks no better with tr Saturn square tr Neptune hitting on the 10 degree Virgo MC all year as well as his Venus in Sagittarius making him uncertain, indecisive and unpopular as well as suffering setbacks. With tr Saturn now moving through his 1^st house into his lower-profile, less successful, first quadrant for several years to come he’s likely to make major misjudgements.

His relationship chart with Israel is filled with disappointment this year. And his relationship chart with Avigdor Lieberman, looks set to sag badly from late this June onwards, so whatever benefits he thought the appointment would bring, won’t happen.

Lieberman, 5 June 1958 Moldova, looks upbeat at the moment with tr Uranus opposition his Jupiter; but tr Saturn is opposing his Gemini Sun through this year; with tr Neptune square Sun in 2017; as well as a failure-ridden Solar Arc Neptune square Mars in 2017 – so slipping and sliding badly.  His relationship chart with Israel similarly looks under aggravated influences this year and disappointing ones in 2017.

Israel, 14 May 1948 4pm Tel Aviv, has tr Saturn square tr Neptune hitting on the 8^th house Mercury in Gemini all year, so much confusion and uncertainty. With an escalation of problems in 2017 with tr Saturn conjunct Jupiter and opposition Uranus dampening enthusiasm and causing tensions. Plus Solar Arc Mars square Moon and Solar Arc Moon conjunct Neptune suggesting an aggravated and unhappy population. With tr Uranus square MC bringing an abrupt change of direction. And after mid 2017 tr Uranus trine Mars which could be explosive and will certainly be insecure.

Please post below ……

The EgyptAir plane which crashed off the Egyptian coast today took off from Paris on 18 May 2016 11.09pm local time and is being pointed up as most likely a terrorist attack.

This gives a 10^th house Libra Moon opposition a 4^th hour Uranus squaring onto Pluto. There’s also a Jupiter opposition Neptune square Saturn in Sagittarius T Square. So Saturn and Pluto highlighted plus the Earth Grand Trine, focussed onto Neptune. It’s not that stark a chart except for Moon and Uranus both being = Mars/Saturn and Mars being semi-square Pluto – both of which suggest accident/brutality.

There are some numerical degree similarities to the Russia crash from Sharm El Sheik airport on 31 October 2015 5.51am – 3 Sagittarius, 25/26 Libra, 13 Earth, 17 Cardinal – but it’s a bit of a stretch.

What is more obvious are the accompanying aspects on the Egypt country chart, 14 March 1922 10.43pm, Cairo, as it faces yet another and perhaps terminal, blow to the tourist economy which is already badly damaged.

Tr Neptune is square the Egypt Mars in Sagittarius exact now which is panicky. Tr Saturn and tr Neptune have both been zig-zagging cross that Egypt Mars square Uranus in Pisces this year and that runs on into early 2017.  Plus a final hit of tr Pluto square the 10^th house Moon in Sept/Oct.  The March Pisces Eclipse was conjunct the Egypt Sun. The tricky upcoming September Virgo Eclipse (New Moon opposition Neptune square a Mars Saturn conjunction in Sagittarius) will hit on the Egypt Uranus; and the September Lunar Eclipse in Pisces catches the Sun again.

And it won’t get better into 2017 with a bleak/deprived Arc Saturn opposition Pluto

President Al-Sisi’s term chart, 8 June 2014 11.18am was always going to throw up recurring, persistent and high-risk crises since it started on the Cardinal Grand Cross of Uranus opposition Moon Mars in Libra square Pluto opposition Jupiter. There’s a great deal of strain in this chart with a Yod of Sun sextile Uranus inconjunct Saturn in Scorpio; and Mars inconjunct Venus. And again there’s an Earth Grand Trine, focussing via a Kite onto Neptune – so nothing clear-cut and straightforward. This chart is even more stressed in coming months with tr Pluto square Moon, then square Uranus right through till the New Year and beyond. With even more instability in 2017 as the Pluto square Uranus comes exact by Solar Arc.

Austria has a new Social Democrat Chancellor, Christian Kern, who replaced the retiring head. He could stay in power till 2018 but the rise of the far right anti-immigration party, expected to win this weekend’s Presidential election (a largely ceremonial role), may make that impossible. Neither two major parties made it through to the final of the Presidential election which is unheard of.

He was born 4 Jan 1966 so is a Sun Capricorn trine Uranus Pluto in Virgo and sextile Saturn.  It’s a very Mutable chart (seems to be a week for them!) with that opposition widely square Mercury in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Gemini.

He has tr Neptune conjunct his Saturn from this June onwards which is confused and uncertain; with an extremely challenging and risky Solar Arc Pluto square Mars this year; and an undermining Solar Arc Neptune conjunct Sun in 2017.

This mirrors the Austria chart, 12 Nov 1918 4pm Vienna, which also has Solar Arc Neptune conjunct its Sun in 2017; and a sharp-change-of-direction tr Uranus square MC this year; followed from 2018 with a meltdown tr Pluto conjunct MC.

His swearing in chart, 17 May 2016 5pm, has an intense, hidden Taurus Sun conjunct the destructive fixed star Algol and conjunct Venus Mercury. Mercury is trine Jupiter trine Pluto in the Earth Grand Trine so there will be a confident push but that forms onto a Kite with the Jupiter opposition Neptune which isn’t great.  Plus there’s a divisive Uranus in the 7^th so co-operation with other parties will be difficult to accomplish.

The Bank of Austria is certainly having a nervy and discouraging year with the tr Saturn square tr Neptune hitting on the Gemini Sun opposition Uranus into early 2017.

France born out of a bloody revolution – 21 September 1792 3.30pm Paris – has an intense and rebellious chart with an 8^th house Sun, North Node, Mercury in Virgo and Venus in Libra also 8^th. Plus most noticeably Uranus in Leo in the 7^th opposition Pluto squaring onto Mars MC in Scorpio. The 8^th house makes them secretive and self-protective; the Virgo emphasis gives them a love of small dogs and their vastly expensive but excellent Health service; and the Fixed T Square makes them revolutionaries at heart but bizarrely resistant to change.   Hence the present troubles as Hollande attempts to force much needed labour reforms on pitch-fork wielding workers.

They’ve been through the mill post-the 2008 crash with the economically stressed tr Saturn opposition tr Uranus hitting on the Sun and then the tr Uranus square tr Pluto in hard aspect to the 8^th house Venus – so financially all bad news. But that is now over and with tr Uranus moving out of the 2^nd house they might just have turned a corner.  Plus this year tr Uranus is trine the France Uranus and sextile Pluto – so there will be some steps towards positive change, albeit against mighty reluctance. Plus tr Jupiter is now going through the 8^th till 2017 which should produce some good news for business.

The tr Saturn square tr Neptune caused some upset to the 10^th house Sagittarius Moon last year but that’s finished.

The tr Saturn Pluto conjunction of 2019 will fall in their 12^th house so will cause concern but may not manifest in any obvious way.  Then tr Saturn moves across the Ascendant as tr Jupiter catches up with tr Pluto in 2020 and both move into the France 1^st thereafter which will does suggest a complete revisioning of France’s image in the world. Tr Jupiter Saturn and Pluto will all sextile Mars and the MC around this time which could suggest constructive changes under great pressure.  Tr Pluto moving across the Ascendant from 2021 will bring to an end a long, rather draggy phase since 2009 when the country felt trapped.

Tr Saturn through the France 1^st from 2020 onwards is normally a lower profile on the world stage, internal-get-it-together phase for several years.

They will catch a flicker of the tr Uranus in Taurus problem come 2018 when it is conjunct their Saturn, but it then moves on to oppose their Jupiter – so bad news, followed by relief. And they are then untrammelled by tr Uranus until late on, around 2023/24 when it opposes Mars MC and squares Pluto and Uranus. That will cause a major shake-up which may be long overdue as well as some risk and insecurity.

So a good deal going on but some of it very domestic and if the time is accurate perhaps not as financially unsettled as the EU/UK.

Award-winning actor actor Bryan Cranston, who became a global hit playing Walter White, the chemistry teacher turned meth manufacturer in the stratospherically successful long running TV series Breaking Bad, was born 7 March 1956 10.52am Los Angeles, California (AstroDataBlog).

His parents were both actors and described by him as ‘broken people’ who should never have been parents. He was raised partly by his grandparents.

He has a 10^th house Pisces Sun, fitting him for the creative film business and for a career which brings him public attention. His Moon aspects, not surprisingly, are stressed with an 8^th house (grandparent nurture) Capricorn Moon opposition Uranus square Neptune opposition Venus in late Aries.  So a disrupted childhood with Uranus and highly strung Neptune in there.

Luckily he also has a confident Jupiter Pluto in Leo opposition his MC Mercury in Aquarius squaring onto a 6^th house Saturn in Sagittarius. So very hard working, conscientious, suited to a career with a good deal of variety. A focal point Saturn also often brings success later in life.

He was 53 when Breaking Bad launched on 20 January 2008 with a reasonably solid though not totally hot career behind him. At that point tr Uranus was moving through his 10^th conjunct his Pisces Sun.  Uranus is a wild card bringing jolting and unwanted changes of direction for some, and clearly in his case a game-changing role. His Solar Arc Mars was also opposition his Pluto which would be challenging with the pressure of work; but whose criminal intent he turned to good use in the role of good guy gone rogue.

He’s got a well aspected actor’s 15^th Harmonic.

He’s got a long way to go career-wise with tr Saturn now moving above his Descendant, peaking in the 2020s.

Troubled Irish singer Sinead O’Connor appears to be having a major mental meltdown, after disappearing for a day and thought to be suicidal and then letting off a rant on facebook about her first husband.

She was born 8 December 1966 in Dublin with an unattributed birth time of 7.37 am (astrotheme).   This gives her a highly Mutable chart of Uranus Pluto in Virgo opposition Saturn in Pisces square Venus Sun in Sagittarius. An excess of Mutable can make for a highly strung, disorganized temperament. Sun Venus Pluto will make her emotionally intense and possessive.  Sun Venus Uranus will make her feel abandoned as will Saturn, and she’ll also be erratic and unpredictable in her moods.

That opposition is also sextile/trine Neptune Mercury in Scorpio in the 12^th – wedges are tricky to balance so the focal point planet(s), in this case Neptune Mercury, will tend to act in a lop-sided way.

Her late Libra Moon (if BT accurate) is unaspected apart from a sextile to Venus and a quincunx to Saturn so she’ll find it difficult to express her feelings in an integrated way.

Her Mars in Libra is conjunct her MC and conjunct her Uranus giving her an ambitious streak but also a tendency to flare up angrily when she feels insecure.

Not surprisingly she’s had a chequered emotional life with four marriages (I think) and four children with different fathers, none of whom live with her, the youngest is in care with an Irish family agency.

At the moment tr Saturn is moving below her Sagittarius Ascendant through her first quadrant which is often when public figures go into a lower profile phase; and is also a time when unresolved psychological issues emerge to be addressed.

She does have her Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct her Uranus, almost exact now, which should bring luck and relief but it may be Jupiter’s amplifying effect that has sent her Mutable T Square into hyper-mode.  In addition she has the undermining Solar Arc Mars conjunct her 12^th house Neptune, exact in a few weeks’ time, which could be exacerbating her mental problems.

A sad life and sad for her kids.