Frank Auerbach, known for his encrusted canvases, a Holocaust orphan, who lived a monkish, solitary life in Camden, London has died aged 93. Seven days a week, 10 hours a day, for decades, he painted and said “I’ve certainly never been lonely by myself. I’m far more likely to be lonely in the company of people who haven’t understood.” He said he had no choice in his career. “If I hadn’t become a painter I would die.”

 He was born 29 April 1931 in Berlin and was sent by his parents to England in 1939 and educated at a Jewish-Quaker school. He never saw them again.

  Art was everything to him, “not a craft, but a philosophical inquiry”.

 One reviewer said ‘All his work was abstracted reality, with the energy of the artist written across the surface in broad, thick swathes of paint, often applied straight from the tubes. His colours were dramatic and the works were often displayed in glass cases, heightening the impression that they were sculpture. One had the desire to touch a painting by Auerbach, as much as look at it.’

 He was a Sun Mercury in Taurus square Mars in Leo giving him a stubborn determination, artistic talent and despite his self-chosen isolation a capacity to attract attention. He also had a confident Jupiter Pluto in Cancer in the tough and inventive generational opposition to Saturn square Uranus and an independent-minded North Node in Aries.

 One could argue that the physicality of his paintings stemmed from his Taurus Sun. But other Taurus painters had different styles – Turner, Gainsborough, Rossetti, Salvador Dali, Braque, Willem de Kooning, Jasper Johns, Joseph Beuys.

  An early and seminal influence was painter David Bomberg, an upbeat Sagittarius whose Jupiter in Aquarius connected with Auerbach’s Sun and Mars. He ‘impressed upon Auerbach the seriousness of the artist’s vocation, a necessary respect for tradition and an obligation to be true to the world as he saw it.”

 His global name 22^nd harmonic and leaving-a-legacy 17H are strong but most notable is his creative ‘seeking soul’ 7^th harmonic with a stressed yod of Saturn sextile Mars inconjunct an influential Pluto.  

One of my favourite painters.

Add On: Added above. Self portrait from 2020 and Julia his wife 2021.

Despite the drift away from institutionalised religion it continues to fascinate with Robert Harris’s spellbinding Conclave about the election of a new pope now out as a movie with Ralph Fiennes starring.

 Reviews are good – “A self-contained and intricate story that uses God’s representatives on Earth to show us at our most human, filled with jealousy, betrayal, forever jostling for power.”  

“What Conclave suggests – is that the church is a business now and the spirituality that will draw clergy in has been usurped by the more political traps of pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust and sloth.”

   Pope Francis has attempted to duck those accusations but has seemingly made few inroads into the problems that have always tainted the Vatican.

  Born 17 December 1936 9pm Buenos Aires, Argentina, he has a hope-for-a-better-society Neptune opposition Saturn square his optimistic Sagittarius Sun which in turn is conjunct an upbeat Jupiter. His innovative, reforming Uranus prompting him to make a break with the past is in his 10^th house.

  His election chart, 13 March 2013 7.06pm Rome,  has a charmingly sympathetic and hard working 6^th house Sun Venus in Pisces. Though a mutinous 4^th house Pluto and a disruptive, explosive Mars Uranus on the Descendant suggested the road ahead would not be smooth for internal relationships.

 There are also two yods on his Election chart – one onto Jupiter inconjunct Saturn sextile Pluto which does suggest a capacity for having a positive influence out in the society; the other onto Saturn inconjunct Uranus sextile Jupiter which hints at the need for a strong backbone.

  Tr Neptune Saturn moving into Aries from just before mid year in 2025 will be undermining and problematic for his time as Pope.

  His views on astrology stick close to the internal rule book, despite the Vatican itself being replete with astrological artefacts from days gone by when all Popes had their own astrologer. All forms of divination are to be rejected. With that torturous double think so beloved of those of fixed beliefs he suggests consulting a horoscope will cause you to sink whereas a strong faith in Jesus will allow you to walk on water like St Peter.  

“Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers.”

Tertullian reminds us, “Nothing of God costs money.” Astrologers charge fees so are inherently immoral.

  One Catholic website writes: “Imagine the kind of wishy-washy deity in which astrologists and their fans believe.”

  Trying to unravel the above – starting at the end – “Nothing of God costs money.” Surely a bad joke given the churches rapacious appetite for such.  Ditto the Vatican’s power hungry reach. One reason the priest classes so disliked astrology was that it took power away from them.

  Walking on water is a weirder supernatural belief than anything put forward by astrology.

  Since on their theory God created the universe what is wrong with the notion that he is OK with David Attenborough studying nature and astrologers studying the parallels between planetary movements and events on earth?

 The Roman emperors used bread and circuses to placate the peasant/plebeian classes. Religious leaders use other inducements to subdue their congregations into submission and leave the entitled priest cohort in charge.

As a footnote:

Novelist Robert Harris, 7 March 1957, is also like the Pope a Sun, Venus in Pisces; with an inventive, inspired Uranus square Neptune. His Mars (Moon) South Node in Taurus square Pluto will draw him to explore the darker side of humanity across a range of novels focused on the Second World War and then Ancient Rome.

Actress Susan Sarandon, 35 years into a prolifically successful career, has found herself backlisted for remarks made last year at a pro-Palestinian rally. She later apologized but was dropped by her agent and reckons she’ll never be employed in a big budget Hollywood movie again.

 Leaving aside the rights and wrongs of what she said, her astrology shows up an unwelcome turning point in her life.

  Born 4 October 1946 2.25 pm New York, she has a dreamy, sympathetic and intense Sun Neptune in Libra in her 8^th house with an emotional Capricorn Moon conjunct her Ascendant. Her opinionated 9^th house has Mercury in Libra and an enthusiastic Jupiter Mars in strong-minded Scorpio which is square a stubborn Saturn Pluto in Leo in her 7^th. Not a lady who does things by halves or gives way easily.

She is in the midst of a perfect storm on the astro front with tr Saturn now moving through the nadir of her low profile First Quadrant, not usually a successful time career wise. Plus tr Pluto conjunct her Ascendant for a wrecking ball moment image-wise. Tr Uranus has been opposing her Midheaven for another forced change of direction. And on top of all of that the recent Libra Eclipse and the March 2025 Aries Eclipse are in hard aspect to her Sun Neptune bringing an existential crisis of sorts.

  One bright spark on the horizon is her Solar Arc Pluto moving to conjunct her Jupiter, exact in early 2025. She won’t bounce back to previous heights but will get a morale boost.

The momentous rift between England’s King Henry V111 and Rome in 1534 is an integral part of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, first televised a decade ago and now dramatising a much praised follow up – Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. Focusing on his adviser Thomas Cromwell, a Putney blacksmith’s boy risen to high office, closely involved in the break with the Vatican, the latest BBC offering covers the final stages of Cromwell’s life before his execution.

 Henry’s decision stemmed in part from his desire to be  Supreme Head of the Church of England, with the power and revenues that would bring and remove external allegiance; partly the influence of the reformers at court, including Cromwell and Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer (a Sun Cancer opposition Uranus Saturn).  But the principle reason was the crisis over the succession to the throne with his then wife the Spanish Katherine of Aragon having only produced one son who died young. Declaring his marriage had never taken place, freed him to marry Anne Boleyn. 

 Henry V111, born 28 June 1491 JC 8.45 am London, was a Sun Cancer with an Aries Moon.  With an over-hopeful and reckless Jupiter in Gemini opposition Neptune square Mars in Virgo; and an intensely stubborn Mercury opposition Saturn square Pluto.

 When the split came in 1534 he was on a Saturn Half Return and more crucially a Uranus half return marking his midlife crisis.  His Progressed Mars was square his natal Uranus and transiting Uranus. And his Solar Arc Mars was square his Saturn and his Mercury with tr Saturn square his SA Mars as well.  A high-stakes moment with tempers rising sharply.

 That was also reflected in the England 11 May 973 JC chart with the Solar Arc Uranus conjunct the Mars and square the Pluto for an explosive and epoch-making parting of the ways.

  What is intriguing is that the late Hilary Mantel, twice a Booker winner, born 6 July 1952, has her Sun in Cancer exactly at the same degree as Henry V111, though in her case it is conjunct a freethinking, unconventional Uranus and a charming Venus. Her Mercury in Leo is also close to Henry’s Mercury in Leo with her Mars in Scorpio square. Her (maybe) Sagittarius Moon may be conjunct Henry’s Neptune and hooking into his Mutable T square. Small wonders she was drawn to write so movingly about his court.

 There is no birthdate for Thomas Cromwell, sadly, apart from 1485. Though sticking a finger in the middle of 1485 would give him a Jupiter in Sagittarius conjunct Henry’s North Node which could have been a support to Henry’s spiritual path.  And Cromwell’s Uranus in Sagittarius square his North/South Node axis would rattle up Henry’s impulsive Mutable T square – Cromwell’s reforming instincts propelled Henry into action.

Actor Damien Lewis, a serious Sun Aquarius square Saturn with a Virgo Moon plays Henry in this adaptation, not an intuitive casting at first glance but he pulls it off. Lewis’s Jupiter Neptune in Sagittarius is conjunct henry’s North Node and his Mercury in Aquarius keys into Henry’s Saturn opposition Mercury Pluto T square – enough connections to key into the spirit of Henry.

 Mark Rylance, 18 January 1960, who plays Cromwell, a Sun Capricorn with a Virgo Moon, has his North Node conjunct Cromwell’s South Node and his Jupiter in Sagittarius conjunct Cromwell’s Uranus. A link across the centuries.

“To find a form that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now.” Samuel Beckett

  The panicky uncertainty of this time of celestial transition was in place before recent US election results with many/most stumbling through a fog of unknowing with rising levels of anxiety. How to cope when it is not clear what the future holds is often more difficult that facing up to reality-based hardship.

“Where I am, I don’t know, I’ll never know, in the silence you don’t know, you must go on, I can’t go on, I’ll go on.” Samuel Beckett.

  Irish playwright Beckett’s tragi-comic, bleak view of life has a resonance for this time.

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” Samuel Beckett

  As does Austrian psychologist/philosopher Viktor Frankl’s search for meaning after the Holocaust.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Viktor Frankl

“There is nothing in the world, I venture to say, that would so effectively help one to survive even the worst conditions as the knowledge that there is a meaning in one’s life.” Viktor Frankl.

  It was always said that those who survived the concentration camps best were the ones with a strong belief system. The content did not matter – marxist, religious or whatever. A belief in a meaning beyond themselves gave them an inner resilience that others lacked.

  Therapists working with trauma survivors echo Frankl’s thinking and say one key response to ‘the shattered self’ of a personality fragmented by destructive life experiences is a determined search for meaning.

  Astrology does not necessarily point to a meaning in terms of a belief system, since it has no moral content or political or philosophical bias. But what it does offer is a context of sorts, some reassurance that life is not just random chaos.

  Both nihilist/minimalist Beckett and Frankl have relatively similar charts. Both are Sun Aries with Moon in Sagittarius. Both have a prominent Uranus opposition Neptune. And both have Jupiter in the 8^th.

 Beckett, 13 April 1906 8.14pm Dublin, Ireland, had a hard working 6^th house Aries Sun trine his Moon and sextile an influential, deep-thinking Pluto in his 8^th. His inspired Neptune in his 9^th house of meaning opposition Uranus formed a Half Grand Sextile linking Saturn in regretful Pisces and a seductively charming Venus in Taurus on his Descendant. Neptune opposition Uranus also squared closely onto his Mercury in Aries. He had another two Half Grand Sextiles from the North/South Node opposition to Sun and Pluto; and Moon opposition Pluto to IC and Sun. Multi-talented and complex.

  He fought for the French Resistance during WW11 and appeared to have conducted a parallel affair alongside a long marriage.

 Frankl, 26 March 1905 5.46pm Vienna, Austria, practised as a neurologist/psychologist before being sent in 1942 to a concentration camp, where his father died of starvation and pneumonia. In 1944, his mother and brother were murdered in the gas chambers and his wife died of typhus. He spent three years in four concentration camps. After the war he worked with patients until his retirement in 1970.

 His Neptune in Cancer on his Midheaven, indicated a healing career and it opposed an unsettled Uranus in his domestic/family 4^th house square an Aries Sun. He also had a Half Grand Sextile from Moon opposition an opinionated 9^th house Pluto linked to Mercury in Aries and Saturn in scientific Aquarius on the cusp of his 6^th house of health.

 Similar elements, different inclination.

 The Uranus opposition Neptune of the early 20^th Century is interesting since it is partly echoed in the 1990s generation with their Uranus Neptune conjunction. It can be inspired, intuitive and insightful, though also escapist, neurotic and prone to fanatical beliefs.

  Jupiter in the 8^th which both Beckett and Frankl had can also point to a compulsive search for understanding in the realms beyond the real world. As did their Sagittarius Moon.

  Both in different ways stressed the need to go on in the face of suffering, uncertainty and the unknown.

  To add anther layer of complexity to the paradoxes of coping with uncertainty are two thoughts from psychoanalyst Erich Fromm.

“The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers.” Erich Fromm

“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” Erich Fromm.

   In biology there is a vital balance to be struck between structure and change. For stability, same must follow same to build up a viable species. But when outer circumstances change, there must be a ‘creative’ adjustment to allow the species to survive in the new climate. Too much sameness leads ultimately stagnation and extinction.

 Erich Fromm, 23 March 1900 7.30pm Frankfurt um Main, Germany, was another Sun Mercury in Aries with a Sagittarius Moon. His chart is dominated by Uranus opposition Pluto which is essentially revolutionary. Uranus Pluto’s instinct is to upend the status quo and force through change. But too much constant turbulence and turmoil with no stabilizing end-game can be damaging and destructive.

  No solid answers but straws to hang onto in troubled times. Who would have thought Aries was such a philosophical sign?

  Another thought before I finish. Life goes in pendulum swings – sometimes it has to get much worse before it triggers an equal and opposite reaction. (Not always mind you viz Tibet etc). One small example was the determined push in the 1990s to bury allegations of child abuse which provoked a flurry of research from the therapy world which up till then had largely ignored the subject. Good came out of bad, which might not have happened without the outrage that the denial lobby created. Sometimes the imperfect status quo needs an almighty dunt in the ribs before it wakens up.

  A point Americans might wish to consider vis a vis their political system.   

“The tears of the world are a constant quality. For each one who begins to weep, somewhere else another stops. The same is true of the laugh.” Samuel Beckett

“You’re on earth. There’s no cure for that”. Samuel Beckett

“When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves”. Viktor E. Frankl

“Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for. Viktor E. Frankl

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, is profuse in his apologies about not nailing down child abusing barrister John Smyth when his offences became known a decade ago.  His  “horrific” and violent abuse of more than 100 children and young men was covered up within the Church of England for decades, according to the conclusion of a damning report.

Smyth QC, who died aged 77 in Cape Town in 2018, was accused of attacking boys at his Winchester home who he had met at a Christian summer camp in Dorset during the 1970s and 1980s. Welby said Smyth had “manipulated Christian truth to justify his evil acts”. Smyth had also worked as a barrister representing morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse whilst he ran the camps for young evangelical Christians.

 Welby, 6 January 1956, himself the product of a ‘messy’ childhood really should have known better. His own chart describes a ‘cruel treatment’ childhood with Saturn Mars in Scorpio square Pluto in Leo conjunct Jupiter in Virgo. He also has a vague, indecisive, spiritual Mercury opposition Uranus square Neptune (Moon) in Scorpio. He looks devastated exactly now with tr Pluto square his focal point Neptune and a shocking tr Uranus opposition his Mars also now with more eruptions and setbacks through 2025.

 The Anglican Church, 3 November 1534 JC, is also at the moment facing both its Pluto Return and its Neptune Return – for which this wretched business is hardly likely to be a trigger event but it does suggest far reaching changes taking place.

 Smyth, 27 June 1941, Calgary, Canada, was a Sun Cancer with a Half Grand Sextile of Mars in Pisces conjunct the South Node opposition Neptune sextile/trine Venus in Cancer and sextile/trine Saturn, Algol, Uranus in Taurus. Probably charismatic with Mars Neptune and Venus with a brutal streak from that Taurus collection. A likely Moon conjunct Pluto also would not help. Mother issues writ large with a Cancer Sun, Moon Pluto and the Black Moon hooked into Saturn, Algol, Uranus. Intriguing that the destructive segment of his chart with Algol, BML etc hooked into Welby’s Mars Saturn in Scorpio.

Across the water, the USA Roman Catholic churches abuse have paid out an estimated $4 billion in compensation to those abused by priests with 28 Catholic dioceses and three religious orders or thereabout so far filing for bankruptcy.

 The Vatican chart, 7 June 1929 11 am Rome, Italy, is not showing as obvious signs as the Anglican Church for a complete renewal. But its 8^th house Uranus in Aries is catching the recent October and next March’s Solar Eclipses – which would suggest financial and a psychological pressure for change. Tr Saturn Neptune in Aries is also poised to move into the Vatican 8^th house of finances from 2026 for several years thereafter, to be joint soon by the SA Saturn which won’t help the money flow.

  The Vatican out-of-element Grand Trine of Saturn trine Neptune trine Venus is also under stress with the outer three planets poised to change sign tugging on all three legs – tr Uranus square the Neptune, tr Neptune conjunct the Saturn and tr Pluto square the Venus in 2025. With tr Uranus conjunct the Midheaven in 2025/26 and square the SA MC also in 2025/26.

  A change of direction will be on the cards, wished for or not, with financial disillusionment part of the package. Which may not all be about a bankrupt North American wing but it surely won’t help.

  Religious institutions will be no less buffeted by the upcoming celestial changes than any other.

  Though I am still puzzled about what it is that links religious beliefs (Neptune?) and sexual offences, especially involving children, and an underlying dislike of women.

Add On: Welby does look to be in meltdown with tr Pluto not only square his Neptune but also in an upending opposition to his Uranus. Interestingly Smyth’s Pluto is conjunct Welby’s Uranus so his underworld activities would have the capability of disrupting Welby’s life.  Tr Uranus is also opposition Welby’s Mars in Scorpio for a massive ego-dent and shock. His perceived steadiness stemming from his immoveably Fixed Mars Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto Jupiter will make it difficult for him to let go. But if he does not resign now it won’t get easier through 2025 with tr Uranus still to square his Pluto and oppose his Saturn.

 Welby’s relationship chart with Smyth has a composite Sun at 10 degrees Aries  opposition Neptune suggesting illusion, delusion and ultimately disappointment. Intriguingly it is catching the recent Solar Eclipse and the coming March one – a challenging crisis.

ADD ON: Of interest – Welby was enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury on March 2013 but had sworn the oath a week previously on March 13^th, the day Francis was elected Pope. Both the 13^th and 21^st charts have an explosive Mars Uranus in Aries catching the recent Solar Eclipse and the one next March. More pointedly both have two yods onto Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter on the point of a yod can have an effect on society and its values but over confidence and arrogance can bring the house of cards tumbling down. Perhaps more true in Welby’s case.

Western religion facing a joint crisis.

 Welby’s support for the shamed head of the Post Office, involved in the Horizon scandal which sent innocent workers to prison and on occasion to their death because of a tech glitch, Paula Vennells, 21 February 1959, is all the more mysterious looking at the astrology. Her car-crash Mutable Grand Cross of a Pisces Sun opposition Pluto square Mars opposition Jupiter connects into/collides with Welby’s Fixed Mars Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto Jupiter. Their relationship chart has a differing-agendas composite Sun opposition Uranus. Plus an over-loaded, emotionally over-wrought, love-and-hate composite Venus opposition Mars Pluto. And a yod of composite Saturn sextile Jupiter inconjunct the composite South Node hinting at an association that pulled them back into their less evolved selves.

  What a pile up.

Eddie Redmayne is receiving positive reviews for his performance as the reptilian assassin in a remake of Frederick Forsyth’s best selling The Day of the Jackal. The previous 1973 Fred Zinneman movie based on the book about the attempted assassination of French President Charles De Gaulle had Edward Fox in the lead. This version ‘swaps the French political intrigue — for a modern world of dark-web activity and high-tech communications, all the while retaining its old-school suspense.’

 Scanning across the charts there are odd coincidences. Eddie Redmayne, 6 January 1982 8pm London was born three days before the Princess of Wales and Tory MP Robert Jenrick with a mid degree Capricorn Sun square Mars and also square Saturn Pluto, in Libra.

 Frederick Forsyth, 25 August 1938 has his Venus in mid degree Libra exactly opposition Saturn in Aries. And Jean Bastien-Thiry, 10 October 1927 8.15pm Luneville, France, who was the initial inspiration for the killer in Forsyth’s book had  a mid degree Libra Sun and Mars opposition a mid degree Aries Moon. He was a French Air Force lieutenant-colonel and military air weaponry engineer, who objected to De Gaulle giving Algeria independence and was the last person to be executed by firing squad in France, on 11 March 1963. It happened in great haste despite an appeal about to be heard which might have overturned his death sentence. He evidently refused a blindfold and was clutching a rosary when he was shot within days of tr Jupiter being conjunct his 10^th house Jupiter. And how’s that for a ‘successful’ tr Jupiter through the 10^th?

 The only one missing those mid degree Cardinal signs was De Gaulle, 22 November 1890 4am Lille, France, who had the same Neptune Pluto conjunction in Gemini in his 8^th like Hitler, in his case opposition Mercury and Venus in Sagittarius with a final degree Scorpio Sun.

  Eddie Redmayne has had a steady career with successes on stage and recently notably playing the transgender artist Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl (2015), followed by the Fantastic Beasts film series; and The Good Nurse about a serial killer.

 He has tr Jupiter moving across his 10th now for a successful few months; with his Solar Arc Uranus conjunct his Sun for a major change as well; and his SA Neptune conjunct his Venus, good for film projects; and a revved up Mars in Libra being propelled by the eclipses in Libra/Aries to move into higher gear.   His Air Grand Trine of Mars trine a 10^th house Gemini Moon trine Venus, formed into a Kite by Moon opposition Uranus, will get a bolt of lightning from tr Uranus opposition his Uranus in 2026 and conjunct his 10^th house Moon so his career will be moving into a speeded-up phase.

Ukraine now nearly at the end of three years intense and exhausting conflict with Russian invading forces will be at the sharp end of Trump decisions as he takes up the reins.

 The Ukraine, 24 August 1991 2.31pm chart, has ups and downs ahead. On the bright side tr Uranus square the Jupiter this April 2025 will bring some relief. But tr Uranus moving through the Ukraine 4^th (which started this upheaval) to square the Virgo Sun from July onwards hints at more disruptions and unrest. Tr Pluto conjunct the Saturn also has another year to run of hardship and deprivation and maybe war time conditions.

 The Invasion Declaration chart, 23 February 2022 9pm might even suggest the conflict could run on till 2026/27.

Zelensky’s Term chart, 20 May 2019 10am Kiev, is heading into its most turbulent phase with abrupt changes from May/June 2025 onwards with tr Uranus conjunct the Mercury and Sun; with a perhaps exit come late 2025 with SA MC square Saturn and more disappointment if it survives into 2026.

  Zelensky’s personal chart is looking totally deflated  after the US Inauguration right through 2025 with his Solar Arc Neptune conjunct his Sun Venus. Tr Uranus will square his Saturn from June 2025 onwards for eruptions, disruptions and a forced change of direction  with a road-blocked tr Pluto square his Sun/Mars all through 2025.

 The Zelensky/Trump relationship chart has clear signs of dislike on both sides with a composite Saturn Mars square Neptune. But what is intriguing is a yod of Neptune sextile Pluto inconjunct Mercury Sun which suggests a coming together which is fateful for both. It is more obvious what Trump means to Zelensky. But it slightly suggests the outcome of this argument will have a long-lasting effect on Trump as well. The composite Mercury is catching the March 2025 Solar Eclipse which will heighten tensions between them.

 The Ukraine/Russia 1991 chart shows a disappointing and discouraging slog through 2025 with perhaps glimmerings of relief in 2026.

 The Ukraine/USA relationship chart shows up late March/April 2025 as blocked and edgy though not much after that. 

The Ukraine/EU chart is logjammed with the Libra/Aries Eclipses recently and in March 2025 putting pressure on the intransigent composite Saturn Pluto. Change is needed but may not come easily. 2026 will be the real test with the possibility or not of a transformation or split in the relationship.

Add On: Murmurs from Kyiv hint that the UK’s new Labour Government have worsened relations with Ukraine. Keir Starmer the UK prime minister is yet to visit Ukraine four months after taking office. Sunak visited Kyiv within a month of becoming prime minister. Boris Johnson, his predecessor but one, enjoyed a close relationship with Zelensky.

  The Starmer/Zelensky relationship chart has a blocked, chilly composite Sun, Saturn, Mercury trine Mars; with Mercury in an evasive conjunction to Neptune. The composite Pluto will be rattled by the 2025 Eclipses and by tr Neptune in opposition early on; plus a oneupmanship tussle from tr Pluto square the composite Jupiter all through 2025. So it is unlikely to improve.

[Talking to London friends who have ears on the inner circle the general conclusion is that Starmer is a basically decent man but out of his depth. And one call him ‘ a coward.’]

Donald Trump is the unquestioned winner of the election with Jupiter crossing his 10^th house natal Uranus and transiting Uranus conjunct his Midheaven pushing him across the line. His success comes despite a raft of imponderables ahead. His Solar Arc Neptune is conjunct his South Node exactly now, then conjunct his Moon in 2025 and opposition his Sun in 2026. And tr Neptune will square two of his Mercury midpoints throughout 2025. So word salads are likely to turn into word soup. Neptune does not enhance clarity of thought or speech, tends to undercut energy and motivation and can increase addictions and delusions.

 Not that the Inauguration chart looks anything but control-freaky and dictatorial with Sun Pluto in the 10^th opposition Mars in the 4^{th –} the latter hinting at a mutinous electorate. Though Neptune in the 11^th does suggest a lack of vision for the future. A defiant (lawless/reckless) Uranus in the 1^st points to significant changes being implemented that break with convention or the past.

  If his birth time is accurate then his Solar Arc Pluto is moving to conjunct his Sun – which can indicate a power play but as often ends with blocked progress.

 Looking at his relationship charts:

With the Federal Reserve which is entering a troubled phase in 2025 and on with tr Neptune Saturn square its Saturn Pluto plus plus – DT is producing a sinking feeling with tr Neptune conjunct the composite Sun, with confusion and then worse by 2026. So his fiscal and economic policies won’t bring peace of mind to the money wonks.

With NATO there are some tremors but not as much as you might expect from his rabble rousing beforehand.

Ukraine’s Zelensky he really dislikes and there will be tensions and an agenda shift through 2025 and more so in 2026.

With Putin, assuming his 1952 birth date is sound, there looks to be a confidence surge in 2025/26 which could lead to overconfident actions with tr Pluto opposition the composite Jupiter.

With Benjamin Netanyahu, which is an argumentative, competitive relationship at best, there will be jolts and jangles into early 2025.

J.D. Vance, 2 August 1984 8.11 am Middletown, Ohio, like Trump has tr Jupiter and tr Uranus moving across his 10^th house of career.  His relationship chart with Trump shows enthusiasm/success at the moment with tr Uranus opposition the composite Jupiter; and a few downbeat moments through January/February 2025 but nothing startling. Though their composite Mars is catching the March Aries Solar Eclipse in opposition to arguments are likely.

 Trump’s relationship chart with the USA is upbeat in spring 2025 but hitting disappointments and erupting tensions in 2026/27.

 The USA chart, 4 July 1776 11 am Philadelphia, having moved through its history-changing moment of a Pluto Return is poised on that crucial moment of either facing up to an erosion of its super-power status or of attempting a reboot.  There are risks and setbacks from SA Saturn conjunct the Mars now and square the US Neptune in 2025 bringing great uncertainty.  There will be a resurgence of morale and a confident (over confident) push in 2026 when the SA Pluto squares the US Jupiter.

  But I would pin point tr Pluto opposition the US North Node in Leo in 2027/28 as being the critical turning point. 9/11 happened when tr Neptune was exactly opposition the US leadership Leo North Node which dented US pride – and this may be the point where the future trajectory is decided.

Relations between the USA and Russia 1991 don’t look as upbeat through 2025 as expected from the Trump Putin bro-romance. Nor do the USA/Israel relationships look anything  but disappointing.

  This only a fast canter through the charts and more will no doubt follow follow. Trump’s relationship with General Randy George, Army Chief of Staff, if it is relevant, is fraught in the extreme in 2025.

Add On: Trump’s relationship with the present UK prime minister Keir Starmer is aggressively argumentative and competitive, as well as uncertain, suspicion-ridden and resentful. Not surprising when Labour sent activists across to help with the Harris campaign and the Foreign Secretary Lammy openly described Trump as a neo-Nazi sociopath. Ignoring the truth or otherwise of that last description there is a resounding lack of political commonsense amongst the present UK government. Like them or loathe them, other countries’ leaders have to be accorded a degree of respect for the position they hold and for the electorate who voted them in. Fouling the pitch before you start is plain stupidity.

 The Trump/Starmer relationship chart has a composite Sun Mars conjunction at 1 degree Leo which is catching the tr Pluto opposition through this coming January, repeating late August to early December 2025. Early this coming January will be especially fraught since the tr Pluto opposes tr Mars once again on that degree.  And their togetherness will be further upended mid March to early April with tr Uranus square the composite Pluto.

  Starmer’s relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu is also at degree daggers’ drawn over the same period with a composite Mars at 1 Leo in their relationship chart – so January 2025 and the second half of 2025 with see UK/Israel relations at an all time low; with 2026 being not much better.

  Trump also looks agitated with Netanyahu late this December to mid March 2025. And the Israel 8^th house Taurus Sun is catching the final tr Uranus conjunction then as well – so the Middle East may be one reason for mounting tensions and disagreements.

Add On: Trump’s relationship with the present UK prime minister Keir Starmer is aggressively argumentative and competitive, as well as uncertain, suspicion-ridden and resentful. Not surprising when Labour (in government) sent activists across to help with the Harris campaign and the Foreign Secretary Lammy openly described Trump as “a neo-Nazi sociopath.” Ignoring the truth or otherwise of that last description there is a resounding lack of political commonsense amongst the present UK government. Like them or loathe them, other countries’ leaders have to be accorded a degree of respect for the position they hold and for the electorate who voted them in. Fouling the pitch before you start is plain stupidity. Hedging your bets before an election is wise.

 The Trump/Starmer relationship chart has a heated composite Sun Mars conjunction at 1 degree Leo which is catching the tr Pluto opposition through this coming January, repeating late August to early December 2025. Early this coming January will be doubly fraught since the tr Pluto opposes tr Mars once again on that degree.  And their togetherness will be further upended mid March to early April with tr Uranus square the composite Pluto.

  Starmer’s relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu is also at degree daggers’ drawn over the same period with a composite Mars at 1 Leo in their relationship chart – so January 2025 and the second half of 2025 with see UK/Israel relations at an all time low; with 2026 being not much better.

  Trump also looks agitated with Netanyahu late this December to mid March 2025. And the Israel 8^th house Taurus Sun is catching the final tr Uranus conjunction then as well – so the Middle East may be one reason for mounting tensions and disagreements.

Add On 10 November 2024

 Thoughts from today’s Sunday Times by Mark Urban with pointers to where Trump’s actions may be more limited than hysteria suggests.

Five forces limiting Trump’s global influence.

Debt, the risk of a trade war and volatility in the Middle East and Ukraine may threaten Trump’s ability to get his own way.

Steering clear of foreign wars is a Trump pitch, but the US could get sucked in an Iran/Israel conflict.

The US is militarily weaker than it was during his last term. The strains of sustaining Ukraine or backing up Israel have undermined the US ability to train and stockpile for what is considered to be the main event: a possible confrontation with China.

Another constraint on Trump’s foreign policy is America’s ballooning government debt. It now stands at $35 trillion, or 123 per cent of GDP, and will rise still further if Trump cuts taxes again. Among those the US has relied upon to finance its debt are China, and Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Add together weakening US military clout and growing indebtedness and it’s apparent why America’s ability to call the shots is dwindling in many parts of the world.

Trump’s trade war could derail his entire platform. Campaign promises of 60 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods and 20 per cent on others could spark all manner of economic consequences. Such a step could send US inflation back up, while triggering retaliation from others and wrecking American supply chains. Musk says “You need to be careful with tariffs otherwise you shock the system and it breaks.”

‘Whatever the outcome of a Ukraine peace negotiation, a confrontation with Iran or a tariff war with China, the limitations on American power are evident. Bending other states to your will — while simultaneously rolling back military protection for friends, waging a trade war with almost everyone and expecting geopolitical rivals to finance your debt — is a tall order. Making America great again seems an even tougher challenge now than it was in 2016.’

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