Marjorie

The haunting and haunted life of leading World War One poet Siegfried Sassoon is being re-examined in Terence Davies’ Benediction, a biopic about personal loss, wasted life and talent unfulfilled – a man betrayed by himself. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front and described as recklessly  courageous, Sassoon turned against the war, writing poetry about the horror of the trenches and his 1917 Soldier’s Declaration against the continuation of the war became a cause celebre. Though also earned him a stint in the Craiglockhart psychiatric hospital, engineered by a friend to avoid charges of treason, dramatized in Pat Barker’s Regeneration novels and films.  There he met Robert Graves  and another leading war poet shell-shocked Wilfred Owen with whom he shared a strong bond.

Owen’s Anthem for Doomed Youth “What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?” became even more poignant when he was killed within a week of the Armistice in 1918.

 After the war in the 1920s Sassoon wrote the Sherston Trilogy of novels, really a fictionalised autobiography  – Memoirs of a Foxhunting Man etc – and conducted a series of homosexual affairs including one with Ivor Novello. He married when he was forty and had a son though the marriage split after 12 years.

   An earlier biographer remarked of him that he had lived posthumously since the war.

  He was born 8 September 1886 Tunbridge Wells with a rectified time of 5.22am.  He was a Sun Virgo sextile Saturn in Cancer on one side and sextile Mars in Scorpio on the other, with his Sun sitting on his Mars/Saturn midpoint – which suited him for a military career but would also be inclined to depression. His parents split when he was four and his father died five years later. His hard-working Capricorn Moon opposed his Saturn which would exacerbate his tendency to the glooms though a lucky, adventurous Uranus Jupiter in a confident trine to Pluto would help to add a counter-balance. His Venus Mercury square Neptune would foster his creative talents.

  I must admit to struggling to pinpoint the effects of the war on him astrologically-speaking. The two outermost planets Pluto and Neptune were both on the cusp of a sign shift as the war began and in the early stages – Pluto at zero Cancer as war broke out and Neptune into Leo shortly after. One partial clue may be his North Node in Virgo, maybe in the 12^th, which would make him unusually open to others’ pain. He was on a  Half Nodal Return in 1914 when the war began with the Eclipses in Pisces.

By 1917 when his tolerance for the horror had gone the transiting Node was conjunct his Moon and opposition his Saturn.  He did seem to be unduly sensitive to his Node. His Progressed Mars did oppose his Pluto which is more suggestive of a catastrophic and soul-searing phase but that was not until 1919/20. Though it may have been a delayed reaction.

  His friendship with Wilfred Owen, 18 March 1893, was close though probably not sexual. Owen was born two months after Ivor Novello, a later liaison, 15 January 1893, with both having the Neptune Pluto in Gemini on Sassoon’s Midheaven. And Owen like his wife Hester Gatty, 16 March 1906, had a Pisces Sun in Sassoon’s relationship 7^th house.

   All a muddle – as if each relationship offered him part of what he needed but it was never enough.

  His wife, Hester Gatty, had her Saturn conjunct his Pisces South Node which suggests at some level she may have pulled him back into the past. Though (his birth time being accurate) her Sun Venus in his 7^th would help to give him an uplift.

Not sure I am much the wiser.

Add ON:

Sassoon’s 12^th harmonic of the victim is prominent with a Grand Trine, formed into a Kite by a war-like Saturn opposition Pluto and destructive Pluto square Mars.

 Sassoon quotes:

“Sneak home and pray you’ll never know

The hell where youth and laughter go.

Look down, and swear by the slain of the War that you’ll never forget.”

“I died in hell. They called it Passchendaele.”

“Soldiers are citizens of death’s grey land, drawing no dividend from time’s tomorrows.”

“For death has made me wise and bitter and strong;

And I am rich in all that I have lost.”

“I know that he is lost among the stars,

And may return no more but in their light.”

Whatever fairy godmother or wizardess stood over Boris Johnson’s crib, she’s had her work cut out through decades of disgraces, scandals, lies, indolence, irresponsibility, negligence, unprincipled and dishonourable behaviour. Teachers at school complained of his sense of entitlement in expecting results with no effort, which continued later through a car-crash journalistic career, rife with complaints from colleagues about his delinquent conduct and on in similar vein through his subsequent roller coaster political stint. (See wiki)

  Despite all of which, with egregious missteps every inch of the way which would have sunk ordinary mortals, he has continued to rise and survive – and so it goes on.

  This is grinding old axes astrologically speaking but since the local elections have clearly not put a stake through his premiership and Partygate looks to be going the way of his previous 10,000 misdeeds, it probably requires an update.

  His relationship chart with the Conservative Party 1912 is on a steady downward slide from now (mid May), till early August, most likely as a result over the cavalier declaration about ditching the Northern Ireland Protocol – and that tr Neptune square the composite Mars returns in April 2023, as well as late in the year.  2023 will also see relations under a dark cloud with a ‘separating’ tr Saturn square the composite Venus and Sun.

  His relationship chart with the UK is similarly into swampy territory this year with tr Neptune square the composite Jupiter and aggravated and disrupted through 2023/24.

  If the past experience with Maggie Thatcher and Tony Blair holds good then the original PM chart is the one that holds clues about the exit.

  Boris became prime minister on 24 July 2019 at 3.12pm and that chart while rattled and facing hostile criticism this year isn’t terminally challenged until 2024 when tr Pluto starts to oppose the Sun and the Solar Arc Sun squares the Uranus.

  His personal chart is not showing much on the midheaven or Solar Arc Midheaven which tells about career and life’s direction. Though if his birth chart is relocated from New York to the UK it puts the Midheaven in line for an undermining tr Neptune opposition in 2023 and a tr Uranus square the Solar Arc Midheaven in 2023 as well.

  In 2023 tr Saturn in Pisces will make a ratchety, bad tempered trip in hard aspect round his Mutable T Square – square his Mars in March and then conjunct his Saturn and opposition his Uranus. Saturn Returns are always heavy years.

   And in his case his Scorpio Moon is also taking a pounding. It was keyed up when his mother died last year; and will be facing considerable pressure from Solar Arc Saturn opposition exact in three months but in effect now. For a politician the Moon represents not only women in his life but also the public and thus approval or popularity. Into 2023 from March onwards tr Pluto will square his Moon on and off till late 2024 which will be extremely challenging emotionally, domestically and even physically.

  Like Blair he may drag on and on despite the country’s exasperation.

See previous post January 13 2022 on Maggie Thatcher and Blair’s exit from No 10.

Add On: May 27

Peter Hennessy, the political historian in the FT on Boris:

“ British politics is reduced to the psychology of one man. For Johnson, the state is “an adventure playground”. On any given issue, “the overwhelmingly important prism for him is: what does it do for me and my reputation?”  

“Britain’s political system depends on the acceptance that “good chaps of both sexes don’t do certain things”. “If the prime minister is the number one wrong ’un, you’re in deep, deep trouble.”

“Boris does it (lies), you get the impression in the bad weeks, almost daily.” It has led to “a bonfire of the decencies”.

“The one thing I’m sure is whoever replaces Boris, whatever the circs, he or she will make great play of being anybody but Boris in terms of due process and care and attention.”  

‘It took Britain 12 years to get into Europe in 1973, it will take a similar time to get out. “The curse of Brexit will be with us for a long time.”

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Turkey’s unpredictable and authoritarian president Recep Erdogan has thrown a spanner in the works of Finland and Sweden’s desire to join NATO which require a unanimous agreement from all 30 members before it can go ahead. He is aggrieved by what he sees as Sweden’s failure to crackdown on members of the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK), an armed militia that has fought the Turkish state since the 1980s and of harbouring exiled members of the Gulen movement, a secretive Islamic sect that Ankara blames for a violent coup attempt that rocked Turkey in 2016. He described Sweden and Finland as “incubators” for terrorist groups. He is struggling with a troubled economy ahead of elections due before June next year and has a record of playing hardball with the west.

  One of his officials said they may agree but only if their conditions are met including the return of terrorists and perhaps getting the go ahead to buy fighter jets from the USA.

  Having looked at various charts I’m not sure I am any the wiser.  The Nato chart, 24 August 1949 11.42am Washington, is certainly due for an upheaval and change of direction from tr Uranus square the 10^th house Pluto from the 29^th of this month to mid June and repeating in November and March 2023. Tr Neptune is also in a confused and indecisive opposition to the Mercury exactly now and repeating on and off till late 2023. 2023 looks downbeat with tr Saturn opposition the Sun, Moon, Saturn. There’s a jolt or shock of sort involving future direction from Solar Arc Sun square the Mars which might well be the result of an overly confident push.

  The Turkey country chart and all its relationship charts with Russia, Finland and Sweden are awash with Scorpio planets which are catching this year’s Eclipses and the tr Uranus oppositions in 2023. So nothing too settled.

  Turkey’s relationship with Nato is disappointing this year with a dashed-hope tr Neptune square Jupiter, raising intense emotional reactions with tr Pluto square Venus till this December; stressed in 2023/24 and not too happy in the three years following.

  Though neither Finland nor Sweden look exactly on an even keel vis a vis Nato either through 2023 to 2025. And the Nato/Russia connection looks most stressed around 2024/25 rather than now.

 Who’d know? It’s the problem with international cooperation when opportunistic politicians with an eye to the main chance use any leverage they can to get themselves attention and kudos from their domestic audience.

 Erdogan 26 February 1954, is a Mars in Sagittarius opposition Jupiter square Venus, Mercury, Sun in Pisces – aggressive in pursuit of his own self-importance, slippery, with a tendency to cosmeticize his motives – trying to sound moral when in reality being motivated by self-interest.

“One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.”

For Turkey previous post see: April 17 2022

Teflon Mark Rutte in for a fourth term as prime minister of the Netherlands despite a string of scandals, is relying on his winning Jupiter to see him through this year. It may not hold him up through 2023 but will be back with more unmerited bounty by 2024.  Whoever said life wasn’t fair?

   Born 14 February 1967 6.53pm, The Hague, he has a hard-working 6^th house Aquarius Sun in a slippery square to Neptune. His Neptune is in a Water Grand Trine to Jupiter in Cancer trine Saturn in Pisces, with his Saturn opposition Uranus Pluto in Virgo – so a talented Grand Trine formed into an influential and innovative Kite. He also has an ego-centric Yod of Jupiter sextile Uranus inconjunct Sun.

  Tr Pluto will oppose his Jupiter for a final time this August to early December which is mirrored on his 4^th Term chart, 10 January 2022 with tr Pluto conjunct the Mars/Jupiter midpoint. So a confident push ahead.

  It won’t be all upbeat since he also has this year tr Saturn conjunct his Sun and square his Neptune this year. And 2023 looks tough going with tr Uranus jolting his Sun and Neptune; and Solar Arc Saturn opposition his Neptune in 2023 and then square his Sun in 2024. Plus a frustratingly trapped tr Pluto in Aquarius  square to his Mars from March 2023 on and off until late 2024, with a panicky uncertain tr Neptune conjunct his Saturn from May 2023 onwards as well. That timeline is also mirrored on the 4^th Term chart with panics, uncertainty, indecisiveness and unpopularity in 2023 into 2024.

  His Jupiter will, as per usual, pick him out of a hole and by 2024 he has Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct his Uranus for a lucky break and more so by 2025 with his Solar Arc Midheaven conjunct his Jupiter. It may be he exits parliament and moves to greater triumphs elsewhere given he has tr Uranus conjunct his Midheaven from 2025 onwards indicating a change of career.

  Luck is distributed whimsically by the gods and is rarely earned.  

Actress Selma Blair has written “a jaw-flooring memoir of alcoholism, suicide attempts, being raped, multiple times” and getting a late diagnosis of multiple sclerosis which explained symptoms she had suffered for decades. Titled Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up she describes herself as arriving in the world scowling. Having been landed with the family label she set out to fulfil the legend taking to alcohol aged 7, promising herself she would be “the best alcoholic a girl can be,”  and acting out venomously and at times violently. Her first boyfriend died at college and after a split from her second she attempted suicide.  Her blackout drinking led to multiple rapes and she only gave up when she had a young child a few years back.

  Born 23 June 1972 8.45am Southfield, Michigan, she was the youngest of four daughters of the ‘dazzling, ambitious but acid-tongued judge Molly Ann Beitner.’ Her mother often told her how she’d wanted to have her aborted and didn’t expect her to amount to anything. And when little Selma admitted to feeling sad and anxious, her mother assured her that if things ever got too bad the pair of them could go out to the garage, run a hose from the exhaust into the window, and stop breathing together. What is astonishing is that she “studied and revered” her mother, describing her as beloved when she died.  

 Selma is a Sun Cancer opposition Jupiter in Capricorn in her performing 5^th house square Pluto – such a strong Jupiter would be one of her saving graces, since it inculcates optimism when dark clouds close in. The Jupiter Pluto will make her a rule-breaker.

   It is her Moon aspects which are eye-dropping and savage. A 4^th house Scorpio Moon conjunct Neptune trines a 12^th house Mars South Node sextile Pluto – and that describes one dysfunctional and unpleasant mother.  

  Her mother Molly Ann Breitner, 25 January 1938, was a confident Venus Sun Jupiter in Aquarius in a controlling opposition to Pluto. Her Pluto was trine a cruel, hard-edged Mara Saturn conjunction probably trine a Scorpio Moon. Like her daughter she was saved from debilitating depression and the effects of destructive mothering from the generation before by her strong Jupiter and Pluto.

 Their relationship chart was understandably aggravated to an extreme degree with an afflicted and integral angry Mars.  And down the generations the family pattern rolls until someone stops and unpicks the negative chain.

  At the moment Selma Blair has Jupiter moving through her 8^th which is often a time of clearing out the past and opening up a brighter future so the book may act as a release and bring new understandings. What a depressing story though I suppose she has pulled herself out of it.

Apocalyptic warnings about inflation and the cost of living in the UK should theoretically involve a punishing of the wicked and rewards for the faithful. Given that the last bout of high inflation in the 1970s resulted in Margaret Thatcher’s election to power, it might seem to some a misnomer.

  Inflation now stands at 9% the highest since the 1970s oil crisis when a sudden supply shock sent the oil price soaring by 300%. Inflation climbed to 12.9% in 1974, 24% in 1975. By 1976 Labour PM James Callaghan was forced to go cap in hand to the IMF for a loan. Maggie was elected in 1979 and by 1983 inflation had sunk back to 4%.

   In the early 1970s when the economic woes kicked off, the UK 8^th house Mars was – as ever – heavily challenged by tr Saturn in Aquarius in square; and by the Solar Arc Neptune just into the UK financial 8^th house heading to conjunct the Mars as the economic crisis escalated. Tr Pluto was in a blocked square to the UK Solar Arc Midheaven and moving to a disruptive conjunction to the UK Uranus; with a panicky, devastated tr Neptune square the UK Pluto. And the Solar Arc Pluto was moving to conjunct the UK 11^th house Saturn across the mid 1970s as well. By the time of the 1976/77 bailout tr Uranus in Scorpio was opposing the 8^th house UK Mars. If not apocalyptic, certainly catastrophic.

   Not all of that is repeating now but there are enough red flags of similarity to raise alarm. The Solar Arc Uranus moving through the UK financial 8^th house will conjunct the Mars by 2025 for an economic shock of considerable proportions. Before then there is a stuck, powerless, image-denting Solar Arc Pluto square the UK Sun within the next six months; followed by Solar Arc Saturn in a disruptive, economically-destabilizing opposition to the UK Uranus by late 2023 at the same time as a lacklustre, undermining Solar Arc Sun square the financial 2nd house Neptune. And the Solar Arc Midheaven is catching the tr Uranus hard aspects this year and will square the Neptune by 2024.

  This year and next the tr Saturn square tr Uranus will rattle up the UK’s Fixed Venus, Neptune, Saturn which will also make for a rocky ride.

  Andrew Bailey, Bank of England chief has been sounding warnings and getting blamed for the Covid money-printing spree and low interest rates. His own chart and that of his term both have heavy Neptunian swamps writ large this year into a discouraging 2023/24. Not a walk in the park.

 The Bank of England chart, 27 July 1694 JC, is in for a gruelling few years with the uncertain, undermining tr Neptune conjunct Neptune and square Saturn now till 2025; a logjammed and scary tr Pluto trine Mars in 2023/24; and the tr Saturn Neptune in Aries moving to oppose the Mars in 2025 and then square the financial Venus until 2026.  By 2026 tr Uranus is preparing to exit the UK financial 8^th house which will bring to an end an unstable and unpredictable economic phase. See previous post May 14 2020 for parallels with the 1970s.

All that money wasted on covid loans and reckless Boris largesse. Sigh.

ADD ON: FT May 19 2022:

Britain has the highest inflation in the G7 of advanced economies  —– and the country’s inflation problem has more signs of persistence than in many other European countries.

David Milgaard’s chilling story of being imprisoned for 23 years between the ages of 16 and 39 for a crime committed by someone else stands as one of Canada’s most egregious wrongful convictions. He was living a hippie lifestyle when he was banged up in 1970 for the sexual assault and murder of a nursing assistant and was only freed after his mother’s tireless efforts in 1992. Her search pointed to a serial rapist who lived nearby and subsequent DNA tests proved it. Over the years, lawyers accused police of having “the worst kind of tunnel vision” during the investigation of the case. In prison he was raped and attempted suicide.

 After his release David Milgaard became a passionate and effective defender of the wrongfully convicted, pushing to create an independent commission to review wrongful-conviction applications. After his release he settled down and had two children.  Those close describe him as a gracious man who did not hold onto anger or animosity. “He wanted to live life to the fullest with the time that was available to him and not carry a grudge,” said Dr. Patrick Baillie, a psychologist who testified on his behalf at the inquiry into his wrongful conviction in 2006.

  He died at the weekend from pneumonia.

  Born 7 July 1952 in Winnipeg, he was a Sun, Uranus, Venus in Cancer square Neptune and Saturn in Libra and opposition a Capricorn Moon. He also had Mars in Scorpio which must have made living with injustice doubly difficult. And an upbeat Jupiter in Taurus sextile his Sun, Uranus, Venus and square his Pluto – which almost certainly kept his optimism alive through those gruelling years.

   His Pluto was conjunct his South Node which Sakoian & Acker describe as ‘learning how it feels to be a victim of circumstances beyond his control.’ And being forced to build a life without the help of others. It can foster resourcefulness, self-reliance and the ability to survive under hardships. Not much to disagree with there.

  When he was incarcerated there was significant pressure on his Mars in Scorpio with a panicky, undermining conjunction from Solar Arc Neptune and square from Solar Arc Venus; as well as the tr Saturn in Taurus opposition Jupiter sitting on top of it. And tr Uranus was conjunct his Saturn with tr Pluto conjunct in the years following for a jolting and then deeply depressing time.

  Around the time he was released in 1992 tr Uranus Neptune in Capricorn was moving in opposition to his Sun, Venus Uranus in Cancer in the run up, maybe conjunct his Moon. The tough tr Saturn in Aquarius square Pluto in Scorpio were tugging on his Pluto NN/SN so it would not be an instant celebration but a sobering moment as he reflected on what he had lost. It was another five years before he was exonerated so he would be facing that further challenge.

Urrgh. Bless DNA and mothers. I don’t suppose the police who were largely responsible for the miscarriage of justice were ever brought to book. But they should have been.

The unstoppable Tom Cruise is picking up rave reviews for his latest mega-blockbuster Mission Impossible 7 (Part One) – “thrilling, moving and gloriously Cruisey —- the best studio action film in years.” He also managed to collect the top billing for the Queen’s Jubilee feste for reasons no one can fathom. Most interestingly of all he appears to be drifting away from Scientology, the much maligned cult church which he has stuck to through thick, thin and damaging publicity for decades. Reasons given appear to be differences over Covid vaccination at a time when he was under heavy financial pressure to deliver a movie with strict film-set protocols in place.

  Born 3 July 1962, no verified birth time, Cruise has a Water Grand Trine of a Cancer Sun trine Neptune trine Jupiter with Jupiter in a confident opposition to Pluto, making influential Pluto the driving planet. He clearly knows what the public wants and has talent as an actor which balances out his Ron Hubbard thetanesque obsession. The Water Grand Trine will wrap him in his own private bubble of reality and won’t always connect him to knock-on-wood common sense.

   His Neptune is further emphasized being in a creative though neurotic square to Saturn in Aquarius opposition a leadership North Node (and Moon) in Leo. His Mars in ultra-determined Taurus is conjunct Algol is in a high-adrenaline, risk-addicted square to Uranus and Venus in Leo.

  He shares a general pattern with Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, 13 March 1911, who was a Sun Pisces square Pluto and a Mars Uranus opposition Neptune – the outer planets are intertwined with personal planets, more than most and Hubbard also had a head-in-the-clouds, guru-chasing Jupiter Neptune Mercury Water Grand Trine.

  Cruise’s best Scientology buddy heretofore is/was David Miscavige, head of Scientology since Hubbard moved to a different astral plane in the late 1980s.

 Miscavige, 30 April 1960, is nothing if not a good businessman with an Earth Grand Trine of a Taurus Sun trine Jupiter in Capricorn trine Pluto in Virgo, with his Sun opposition Neptune. He also had a wide-ish Yod of Saturn sextile Mars inconjunct Uranus making him hard-edged, rebellious, intolerant of convention.

 This year will be testing for him as the Eclipses collide with his central Taurus Sun opposition Neptune – perhaps more secrets emerging, but certainly a life-changing set of challenges. Plus tr Uranus will be yanking at his focal point Uranus for disruptions and forced changes.

  He is chalk and cheese to Cruise and their relationship chart indicates a one-sided partnership with underlying resentment that was always going to blow at some point. There is a controlling composite Sun square Pluto and a bad-tempered Mars square Saturn. The Mars Saturn has been under severe pressure really since 2018 when tr Uranus in Aries set a fuse under it; and was followed in 2020/21 by a frustrating, impatient tr Pluto square Mars and moving on to conjunct the Saturn in 2023/24 for a discouraging set of pressures. Pluto tr Saturn in Pisces will hit the composite Sun square Pluto in 2023 as well.

  It would have a considerable ripple effect on Scientology never mind the financial hit if Cruise cut ties.      

Recovering from a potentially crippling injury to become a record-breaking Mount Everest guide is an inspirational tale of mind over matter. Kenton Cool shattered both heels when he was 22 in a climbing accident and was told he would never walk again without a cane. He had a year of surgery and therapy and went on to work in Rope Access – scaling tall buildings without scaffolding – and then co-founded a global adventure company before becoming a leading Alpine guide.

 He has helped Ben Fogle and Ranulph Fiennes, amongst others, to scale Everest and this weekend his 16^th climb broke the record for most ascents by a non-Sherpa. He charges a six-figure sum to amateurs who want to climb Everest and has the best success rate of any guide, with over 80 per cent of his clients making it to the peak.

  He also became the first person to complete the Everest triple crown, comprising Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse, in one push without returning to base camp, and previously led a client to the summit of K2, the world’s second-tallest mountain.

  When he had his accident his injuries had been so bad that the doctors were amazed he hadn’t broken his back. “But I was determined to prove everybody wrong, that I could climb again.” He defied doctors’ predictions though he still has chronic pain.

  Born 30 July 1973 in Slough, he has a chart reeking of initiative, a love for risk and excitement and confidence.  His Leo Sun (and Moon) oppose Jupiter in Aquarius, with Jupiter in turn in a positive-thinking trine to his Pluto. His adventure-seeking comes from a go-ahead Mars in Aries opposition Uranus square Mercury in Cancer – Mars Uranus relishes high-adrenaline-rush activities. Even more significantly he has Saturn in final degree Gemini opposition North Node square Pluto and that is tough and unyielding, drawn to difficult, deprived situations over which he can maintain control.

When he had his accident one of his T Squares had moved by Solar Arc to collide with the other – with his Solar Arc Pluto opposition his Mars which is usually catastrophic, made all the more so because it brought the full weight of two T Squares together. Tr Neptune was also in an undermining square to his Mars – all round bad news.

  His get-it-together 5^th Harmonic is enthusiastic and super-confident. His 16^th harmonic, usually a necessity for a life of extreme endurance, is also strong and lucky.

  I must admit to having a soft spot for adventurers, especially ones who ignore and disprove medical advice. Good to know there are some out there who aren’t malodorous whackjobs or shambolic politicos.