Royal siblings – status stirs primitive rivalry

Harry & Wills are hardly the first Royal brothers to be at daggers’ drawn. Throughout the past five generations there have been competitive Martian feelings running hot and strong between the top two in the monarchy.

The relationship chart between King Charles and Prince Andrew, who was initially the ‘spare’, has a composite Sun Mars conjunction. When Mars is involved only one can win.

Back a generation, Princess Margaret indulged in a lifelong sulk at having to walk behind her sister and her relationship chart with Queen Elizabeth had a composite bitterly-resentful Mars square Pluto – the power imbalance ground deep.

 King George V1 who unexpectedly was elevated from spare to monarch when his errant brother, the Duke of Windsor, absconded from duty, had a resentful, unkind composite Mars square Saturn in his sibling relationship chart. Duke of Windsor was a Sun Cancer square Mars; while George was a Mars conjunct Moon and widely opposition Pluto

King George V who stepped up from spare to heir when his elder brother Prince Albert Victor died aged 18, had a stressed composite Mars inconjunct Pluto in their relationship chart, with Mars widely opposition Sun and Neptune. George was a Mars square Pluto and Albert a Mars opposition Uranus – both determined and assertive.

King Edward V11 and his nearest sibling Prince Alfred, Victoria’s second son, were also Mars opposition Pluto relationship warriors amplified by a square to Saturn opposition Moon in their relationship chart. Victoria did not foster a happy family mood.  Edward was a Mars square Pluto. Alfred had an exact Sun Mars conjunction in Leo.

  Harry and William’s relationship chart has a composite Sun square Mars with a composite Moon inconjunct Mars which was always going to blow up at some point as two egos clashed.

  Both are on a short fuse and quick to flare with Harry having an 8th house Virgo Sun square Mars and William having a Mars Saturn conjunction and Mars square Moon.

  All the usual family dysfunctions amplified a hundred-fold by matters of status, power and money. Succession, the Murdochs and Dynasty all rolled into a snarling hyenas’ nest. Hyenas come out of the womb fighting with their sibling rivals. Baby owls knock off the weakest in the nest by depriving it of food and then eating it. Nature in the raw.

Kevin McCarthy – Jupiter Neptune misplaced hopes

  The witless, uncharismatic Kevin McCarthy is struggling to gain his party’s votes to replace Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker with the Republican Party in disarray. His problem appears to lie with the Freedom Caucus, the most far-right and conservative bloc of the GOP, despite him having been – and remaining – a fervent pro-Trumper.

  What intrigues me is that he is one of the mid 1960s Jupiter in Taurus opposition Neptune in Scorpio brigade which in the UK saw Boris Johnson stride across the stage until he didn’t – and ditto David Frost, the Brexit EU negotiator.

  Jupiter Neptune has a tendency in high office to attract scandals caused by instability or because of wildly unrealistic over-optimism.  This particular Jupiter Neptune opposition of 1964/65 has been rattled by recent Eclipses in 2021/22 and by the tr Saturn square tr Uranus exacerbating its undependable streak and bringing it down to earth with a thud as false hopes lead to disappointment.

  Not to grind axes, but the 2016 Brexit vote was a Jupiter opposition Neptune event as was the run up to Trump’s election.  Hope over experience, avoidance of reality. The debris left behind after imprudent decisions.

  McCarthy, 26 January 1965 12.40pm Bakersfield, California, is a Sun Aquarius heading for his Second Saturn Return in 2023.  He does have an Earth Grand Trine of Jupiter trine Venus Mercury in Capricorn trine Uranus Pluto in Virgo, which should ground him in the real world, but it forms into a Kite with Neptune being the driving planet. So it all dissipates into a sea fog.

  With tr Uranus wobbling his Jupiter Neptune seesaw through 2023 he’ll be on a dizzying circuit of highs and lows, mainly the latter. Plus his Solar Arc Neptune in a confused conjunction to his Mercury and a disappointing one to his Venus now. And by 2024 into 2025 it looks as if his goose is cooked with tr Neptune opposition his Mars, flagging up a dented ego and failure.

Jeremy Renner – a Mars Saturn accident ++ others, Chris Reeves etc

Actor Jeremy Renner has been seriously injured when his snow plough ran over him as he cleared a roadway at his Nevada home. He caught attention in Dahmer and more recently in Marvel movies.

  He does have an accident-prone chart with an 8th house Mars in Scorpio opposition Saturn in Taurus – both ends of which are being rattled at the moment by tr Uranus conjunct his Saturn and tr Saturn just across the square to his Mars. So a definitely tricky time. Mars Saturn is renowned for broken bones and general mishaps.

  He was born 7 January 1971 11.06am Modesto, California, and has an ambitious 10th house Capricorn Sun which is trine Saturn and sextile Mars. He also has Jupiter, Venus, Neptune in the 8th adding to the intensity of his temperament and they oppose a Gemini Moon. He has Pluto on his Descendant and Uranus in his 7th house making him emotionally changeable.

  His Solar Arc Midheaven is conjunct his Aquarius North Node – which could suggest this ‘fated’ change of direction in his life will give him a cause to devote himself to in future. Tr Pluto is also poised to move into his 11th house for many years ahead which will alter his plans, his outlook and the friends he mixes with. Jupiter crossing his Ascendant will give him a minor lift in the near future but he’s got a challenging year ahead of recovery.

Add ON: Other accidents.

Prince Johan Friso, 25 September 1968 8.48 am Utrecht, Netherlands was skiing off piste and buried by an avalanche in Austria on 17 February 2012. He suffered massive brain damage and died 18 months later.

There wasn’t much showing on transits except for tr Uranus opposition his Sun exactly, which is strong enough but not usually for a life threatening accident; and no high-risk Mars midpoints being triggered. The only thing showing was his Secondary Progressed Mars conjunct his Uranus – which can be a major danger flag. His Solar Return wasn’t especially illuminating. Progressed Mars is well worth a look when nothing else is showing.

Christopher Reeves, 25 September 1952 3.30am New York was paralysed in a riding accident on 27 May 1995. At that point tr Uranus was exactly conjunct his Solar Arc Mars, then in his 6th house of health; and his Progressed Mars was exactly opposition his natal Uranus. Tr Neptune was exactly conjunct his Solar Arc Moon; and tr Mars was exactly conjunct his Solar Arc Uranus. Mars Uranus was clearly the main flash point. His natal Saturn was sextile his Mars which is not overly stressed but it did form the legs of a Yod onto an over confident Jupiter in Taurus, so more prominent than a sextile would suggest. Like Jeremy Renner his North Node was in Aquarius.

  Actress Natasha Richardson 11 May 1963 5pm London died on 18 March 2009 as the result of a ski-ing accident near Montreal two days earlier.  Tr Pluto was exactly square her Solar Arc Mars when it happened which is another collision marker. She did have a Mars opposition Saturn natally tied into a Fixed Grand Cross. Relocated to Canada it puts her Mars on her Ascendant with Saturn in her 7th near her Descendant. Not a good location for her Mars Saturn.  Astrocartography is also worth looking at if relevant.

Prince Alfonso, Duke of Anjou, 20 April 1936 4pm Rome, killed skiing 30 January 1989. Tr Uranus was approaching the opposition to his Solar Arc Mars, with tr Saturn having been opposition just before. Solar Arc Saturn was conjunct his 8th house Mars/Uranus midpoint. Tr Neptune was exactly opposition his 8th house Uranus. And his Solar Arc Pluto was exactly square his Neptune/Saturn midpoint with Saturn in his 6th.

Tom Cruise – talent and popularity trump odd beliefs

Tom Cruise is still hitting the hot spot at sixty with yet another box office blitz in Top Gun: Maverick which is his highest-grossing movie yet. He has been going strong since his breakthrough in the 1980s with the original Top Gun, and The Color of Money, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July and then in the 1990s he starred in A Few Good Men, The Firm, Interview with the Vampire and Jerry Maguire. Since then, he has largely starred in science fiction and action films – six of the hugely successful Mission: Impossible films amongst others. All of this despite his involvement with the scandal-ridden Scientology Church which has had no impact on his popularity.

  Born 3 July 1962 New York, without birth time, he is a Sun Cancer in a creative, self-protective Water Grand Trine to Neptune trine Jupiter opposition Pluto – making influential and super-confident Pluto his driving planet. His filmic (and evasive) Neptune is also in an imaginative though can-be-neurotic square to Saturn in Aquarius opposition a ‘leadership’ North Node in Leo.  He’s well designed for the fantasy business. And his action-man tendencies come from a heavyweight Mars in Taurus in an adventurous and adrenaline-junkie square to Uranus. At the moment his Solar Arc Jupiter is opposition his Neptune giving his movie ambitions a tremendous boost.

 2024 may be less buoyant with tr Saturn in Pisces undercutting his Jupiter opposition Pluto; and 2025/26 will be slow going with his Solar Arc Saturn square his Sun.

 His best buddy David Miscavige, who took on the mantle from Ron Hubbard to run the scientology business has seemingly disappeared out of sight as lawyers have been trying for four months to serve a federal trafficking suit brought by former members but have failed to locate him. Three ex-Scientologists refer to repeated sexual assault of children by senior Scientology officials, and allege human trafficking, forced labor, and other forms of child abuse.

  Miscavige, 30 April 1960 Brogan, OR, is a Sun Taurus with an Earth Grand Trine of Sun trine Pluto trine Jupiter formed into a Kite by Sun opposition Neptune  – materialistic, a good businessman, super-confident with Neptune in Scorpio as a driving planet which covers the spectrum from spirituality to outright cons. He also has a Yod onto wayward, maverick Uranus which will be rattled up mid this March onwards with tr Uranus square his Uranus and more so by 2025/26, potentially pushing his life onto a different track.

  He’ll face some jeopardy from this June; though his greatest trials will come in 2024 to 2026 with his Solar Arc Uranus square his Saturn and his Solar Arc Saturn conjunct his Mars which will be a considerable setback.

  It’s a highly controlling and possessive relationship with Cruise with the relationship chart having a composite Sun square Pluto though the Sun is also trine Jupiter so reassurance and morale-boosts are included. But there is also an irritable, resentful composite Mars square Saturn which usually occurs in a one sided relationship where one partner has to suppress their identity to make it work. That has been under strain over the past two years and more so through 2023/24 with tr Pluto in hard aspect. Be interesting to see if any cracks show.

Michelle Obama – hard choice of family versus career

Michelle Obama has been coming clean about the extent of her resentment at the sacrifices required of her as a wife and mother which allowed Barack to build his career at the expense of her own. It rang a lot of bells with many women especially her definition of toddlers as ‘terrorists’ and her wry admission she couldn’t stand her husband during those years. Princeton and Harvard educated, she was a trained lawyer but  had to cut back her legal work to part-time as he eyed a run for the presidency. The children were ten and seven when the family moved into the White House after years on the campaign trail.

 Now her books outsell his and she attracts rave audiences for her appearances. Her recent “The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times” had an initial print run of nearly three million copies.

  Born 17 January 1964 Chicago, with parents who had not been to college she fought her way up through intelligence and dedication.  She is an ambitious Sun Capricorn but what is eye-catching is her stubborn Mars in Aquarius and coolly insightful Saturn in Aquarius probably conjunct an Aquarius Moon. In some ways she is a harbinger of what is to come – an intelligent, self-assertive, independent-minded individual, not content to be boxed into an apple-pie-baking, stay-at-home mom. Both her daughters who were born during Neptune Uranus in Aquarius have Moon Uranus aspects (probably) so she brought them up to value their independence as well. Both are also argumentative with Mars in Gemini and Sagittarius respectively and would be noisy, boisterous children.

  When Malia was born in 1998 tr Neptune was heading to conjunct Michelle’s Mars, undercutting her forward gear. And by the time Sasha turned up in 2001 tr Uranus was conjunct Michelle’s Saturn. By the time Barack fulfilled his ambition to move into the White House in 2008 tr Neptune in Aquarius was conjunct her Saturn. All of her Aquarius planets were floundering through these years.

  During the early toddler years her relationship chart with Barack was being undermined with the affectionate composite Sun opposition Venus square Saturn being swamped by tr Neptune in hard aspect.  

  There’s no birth time for her but on his chart his relationship needs and patterns are highly complicated – with a needs-space Uranus in his 7th as well as a possessive Pluto and a having-to-work-at-it North Node. At times flying solo would have been easier for him than cooperating with his South Node in his 1st. Her changeable Uranus Pluto conjunction fall in his 7th so to a degree she fits his pattern. Her Sun Mars is conjunct his 12th house Saturn Jupiter which is half great and half exceedingly tricky and scratchy. Her Saturn falls just below his Aquarius Ascendant so she would remind him of his duty and also help to ground him when his Leo Sun square Neptune threatened to take him off into the clouds.

  She has been a reassurance to many with her admissions about coping with self-doubt and being honest about the knots and wrinkles of any long running and imperfect relationship (as all of them are – and some more than others). Tricky keep a relationship running smoothly with two strong individuals.

Lula is back – Brazil floating on a sea of hope

Brazil has said farewell to “the nightmare” of the past four years under the Bolsonaro administration during which nearly 700,000 died of a mishandled Covid outbreak, millions were plunged into poverty, and Amazon deforestation soared. Lula da Silva the incoming president declared a war on hunger when he was inaugurated just after 3pm yesterday.

 The Brazil 7 September 1822 4.08 pm Piranga chart does have tr Uranus crossing the IC into the 4th house which suggests a decisive change of direction both domestically and in terms of future direction. But it won’t be easy with the global economic crunch undercutting Brazil’s finances with tr Neptune opposition the 8th house Mercury. And the Bank of Brazil, 31 December 1964, is coming down to earth with a bump as their over-optimistic Jupiter opposition Neptune is rattled by tr Uranus; with a panicky tr Neptune opposition Mars all year as well. There’s a chance of an ill-advised over-confident push to revive the economy in 2024 but it will be knife edge for some years to come.

 Lula was sworn in at 3.04 pm with practical, sensible, well-organized Saturn on the Midheaven. There will be unrest from subversive movements with Uranus in the 12th and the Bolsonarists will be in there fighting their corner. A 9th house Pluto suggests international tussles which may arise from Lula’s multipolar approach to foreign policy. He disapproves of sanctions and will clash with Biden’s push back against authoritarian regimes, wishing to have relations with everyone.  There may well be friction between Brazil and the USA over the next two years.

 Lula himself, 27 October 1945 8am (from memory) Ribeira, Brazil, who was president between 2003 and 2010, is a Sun Scorpio with a charming, if over-hopeful Jupiter, Venus, Neptune in Libra and a tough-minded Saturn Mars (Moon) in Cancer. He’ll run into the buffers by 2026 when his Solar Arc Sun opposes his Saturn Mars and his Pluto is conjunct his Sun – which is when the Bank of Brazil is flagging up major problems as well. But before then he’ll certainly be a major improvement on what went before.

US Fed Res chief Jay Powell – impossible economic choices

The coming (already here) recession appears to be acutely sensitive ahead to the decisions of Jay Powell, Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, described by one of the broadsheets as ‘the most important person in the world right now.’ “Money makes the world go round —- and he has his hand on the most important lever.” Central banks are stuck between rock and a hard place forced to choose between increasing interest rates to bring inflation down but in so doing suppressing chances of economic revival.  

 Decades back in the worst recession since WW11, Paul Volcker,  former chairman of the US FedRes raised interest rates from 11.2 per cent in 1979 to 20 per cent in 1981 and drove the US economy off the cliff with global repercussions. There was a recovery after three or more years, as there always is, though long-term effects contributed to the Latin American debt crisis, long-lasting slowdowns in the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan African countries, and the later failure in the US savings and loans businesses.

“ Will Powell change direction too early, too late or, by some miracle, at just the right time? The health of the US economy (and by extension that of the rest of the world) depends on the answer to this question.”

 Powell, 4 February 1953, Washington, DC, is a steady and stalwart Sun Mercury in Aquarius opposition Pluto, trine (Moon) Neptune (Saturn) in Libra. He has a Yod of Saturn Neptune sextile Pluto inconjunct Mars in Pisces. His Mars is being sucked into a swamp by tr Neptune conjunct from mid May 2023 onwards into early 2024. That is usually accompanied by a sense of panicky failure.

  Tr Pluto will continue to square his Saturn from 2022 till late 2023 which is an uphill slog and usually discouraging. With his Solar Arc Mercury and then Sun opposition his Saturn now till 2025. And 2023 also sees tr Uranus square his Sun, Mercury and Pluto from now into 2024. All in all a white-knuckle ride ahead for him with no signs of great success.

  His relationships with other top economic and political figures also reflect high anxiety. With Joe Biden, panic will set in through February and will peak as tr Pluto moves into Aquarius in late March through April.

 Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, looks very fraught and aggravated with Powell in March and onwards; as well as mighty confused by his decisions.

 Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, is equally floundering vis a vis Powell at the moment and throughout 2023 and stuck in late January.

  Kristalina Georgieva, IMF chief, is at odds with Powell from April onwards into 2023.

 Andrew Bailey, chairman of the Bank of England, is in turmoil with Powell from February onwards, descending into devastating confusion from late March as tr Pluto squares their composite Neptune.  UK PM Rishi Sunak, himself a financier by background, will be hopping up and down from March onwards in his relationship with Powell and that extends through the year. UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is not looking too supportive either throughout 2023.

  Transits to composite charts can show up splits in relationships and pressures; or a challenging situation both are facing jointly.  But one way or another it looks like a rocky road ahead economically.

See previous post: Pluto into Aquarius – shock waves through central banks. 10th September 2021.

George Santos – poster boy for political mendacity

Lying to look good is common enough but fabricating an entire fantasy around a never-happened CV and life history takes deception to a whole different level. George Santos, the newly elected Republican congressman for Long Island claimed to be  a wealthy, biracial, Ukrainian descendant of Holocaust survivors whose mother died in 9/11. He claimed to have worked at companies that never employed him and to be a graduate of two universities, only to admit later that he has no college degree at all.  In two previous political campaigns he pitched himself as a gay man of Brazilian descent and pro-Trump. His claims of wealth don’t appear to be backed up by evidence and his mother died in 2016.

  He recently admitted to being guilty of “résumé embellishment” but insisting the larger story about his life is true: “I’m not a criminal who defrauded the entire country and made up the fictional character and ran for Congress.”

  He was born 22 July 1988 in New York state with Brazilian parents from a family who had lived in Brazil for at least three generations.

  He is possibly/probably a Sun Leo at zero degrees and has two wide-ish yods in his chart. His Sun is sextile Jupiter in Gemini inconjunct Neptune; and his Jupiter sextile Mars is inconjunct Pluto (Moon) in Scorpio. A yod onto Pluto (Moon) does hint at a difficulty with wielding power; and a yod onto Neptune would certainly indicate illusion, delusion and possible deception. Neptune Pluto together as the markers of his chart hint at stratospheric ambition.

  He also has an emotionally changeable/unstable Venus in Gemini opposition Uranus Saturn in Sagittarius.

  There may be repercussions ahead for his wild claims and questionable tactics with tr Pluto opposing his Sun and tr Neptune squaring his Saturn Uranus this year.

  His mendacity is so flagrant it is almost funny and maybe even a wake-up call for a political class that has in recent years cut itself loose from truth, honour and decency.