Bombing resumed as usual in eastern Ghouta – hell on earth – a day after the UN ceasefire agreement. Which is down to Assad with Putin looking increasingly on the wrong foot.
Putin leapt in to prop up Assad in 2015 and prove his muscle as global player. Now his claim of ‘victory’ in December is looking meaningless, and he’s mired in an intractable and expensive conflict from which there is no easy exit, no investment benefit to Russia and is domestically unpopular as a waste of money and men.
An ex-Syrian diplomat in exile said. ‘The only winner so far is Iran. It achieves what it wants without too much noise.’ Another commentator said: ‘alliances that were more or less predictable are now splintered and opaque. A chessboard once easy to read could now outwit a grandmaster of global geopolitics.’
Putin has an election coming up in March, which should be a foregone conclusion. But he does have tr Pluto square his Neptune on his personal chart picking up from election day and running across the second round (if there is one) and on to late May, repeating on and off till late 2019 – that is confusing, can be devastating. His 2012 Presidency chart looks bullishly confident; though sagging into April.
There are uneasy tensions in the Russia/Iran relationship charts, peaking in March/April/May. When Israel’s chart is also on high alert, repeating late in the year as well.
I’m not a great catastrorpherian or given to apocalyptic fears, but another World War fought in the Middle East, isn’t too much of a stretch given the chaos out there.
The ‘eloquent, purposeful, and clear-eyed’ response from the pupils of Stoneman Douglas School to the killing of 17 of their friends has evoked admiration (mainly). The reaction does seem different with this mass shooting, as if teenagers have had enough. An insightful piece in Slate (URL below) notes some of their tactics:
*Give Donald Trump Precisely 5 Percent of Your Mental Energy
*Don’t Waste Time Fighting People Who Don’t Share Your Values and Goals
This generation is known as post-Millenial, Generation Z, the Plurals or just the Internet generation, since they grew up with it – mid 1990s to mid 2000s – though the dates are fluid.
They all have Pluto in Sagittarius which spanned those years, so will hold strong opinions. Sackoian & Acker are on point for this: ‘An ability to perceive the fundamental causes of problems connected to the wider social order. Have little tolerance for hypocrisy and social injustice. Sometimes they become revolutionaries if they feel that existing institutions are unworthy of their respect.’
The late 1990s to early 2000s also have Uranus Neptune in Aquarius so are keyed into high-tech communication and have a broadly humanitarian outlook, with not much concern for tradition or approval.
The ones who have been speaking out at Stoneman Douglas are 17 and 18, so will have the redoubtable Saturn in Taurus square Uranus in Aquarius; and in 1999 square Neptune in Aquarius. Those born mid 2000 have Saturn Jupiter in Taurus. Plenty of Fixed planets give staying power. By 2001 the Saturn opposition Pluto was in place, which gives a different kind of endurance.
I’d think the Pluto in Sagittarius combined with Uranus in Aquarius is what marks them out as different.
There is, of course, always a negative side to any energy. Pluto in Sagittarius can be over-opinionated, ‘a religious fanatic bent on imposing his view on others.’ (Remember Al Quaeda kicked off under Pluto in Sag). Self-righteous and strident (Maggie Thatcher had Pluto in the 9th which has same effect.)
The negative side of Uranus in Aquarius can make them erratic and unreliable in friendships; not keen on conventional committed relationships; and prompted to hold impractical social ideals.
Jupiter Saturn in Taurus isn’t all good – Dick Cheney has one.
Uranus square Saturn – can be autocratic, dictatorial and inconsistent.
What is certain is that Generation Z will make their views known with considerable force. Sometimes they’ll be right and sometimes they won’t.
Who are Generation Z and why are they different?
Their formative experiences have been the post-9/11, post financial crisis and increasingly globalised world. The way they communicate, consume information and search for answers is totally dominated by the digital world – they are utterly dependent on IT and could not envisage a workplace without smartphones, streaming media and cloud computing (even if it’s a manufacturing environment they’ll still expect to be able to WhatsApp their friends at work – why wouldn’t they)?
Theirs is a world where communication is instant, bitesize and informal. Use of email in an office environment will seem to them like writing a letter would be for those in their 30’s and 40’s.
Their idea of the workplace and work is more flexible, less permanent, career focused but less traditional and more about having experiences and being involved in the zeitgeist. There will be no stigma attached to moving around multiple employers, they’ll do it seamlessly as ‘career multi-taskers’.
They will crowdsource information and answers, they won’t want the bloke in the pin-stripe suit who says he’s an “expert”, they’d rather ask Suri or their followers on Instagram.
English actress Emma Chambers, best known for playing oddball roles in Nottinghill and The Vicar of Dibley, has died aged 53 from natural causes. She suffered from asthma and serious allergies.
Born 11 March 1964, she was a Sun, Mercury, Mars in Pisces trine filmic Neptune; with her Mars in a high-tension opposition to Pluto (Uranus) in Virgo. Her Venus in Taurus was also trine Pluto Uranus, so a lively spark. Her Moon was in maverick Aquarius and she had an upfront, go-ahead Jupiter in Aries. Tr Pluto had been making heavy weather conjunct her confusing Sun/Neptune conjunction in January; with tr Neptune making a tranche of hard aspects this year, some last year, some up and coming – to her Pluto, square her Mars/Pluto and Sun/Uranus, conjunct her Mars. Not an easy time.
Sridevi, the Bollywood superstar has died suddenly aged 54. She appeared in almost 300 films over five decades and was considered one of the few Indian female stars capable of box office success without the support of a male hero.
Born 13 August 1963 in Madras at 5,30am (unverified), she started acting aged four, working in five local languages. Her screen image was a glamorous one, but her private life, relentlessly exposed in gossip columns, ‘spoke of her lack of conversational abilities, her romantic liaisons and heartbreaks as well as her bouts of cosmetic surgery.’
She was a charming and flamboyant Sun, Venus, Ascendant in Leo opposition Saturn in Aquarius square Neptune (Lilith) opposition MC with a 10th house Taurus Moon – so the birth time looks feasible. A 7th house Saturn does suggest a hard struggle to find a supportive partner in life; and a 10th house Moon is well-designed for a public career, with much nourishment from her audience. Her filmic Neptune was also heavily aspected. Her Sun Venus were in a high-fashion, glamourous trine to Jupiter in Aries.
She was exactly on a Progressed Moon Return when she died, pushing her back into the spotlight of publicity. Tr Pluto was already in her 6th house of health, with tr Saturn heading for the cusp. Her Solar Arc Mars was due to square her Uranus in 2019, which is often a heart signature, though usually in older people. Tr Neptune was undermining two of her midpoints as well this year – Sun/Mars and Mars/Saturn.
Her superstar 22nd harmonic was confident and successful; as well as her 11H. As were her 5H, 7H, 11H and 13H – so a talented lady.
“It was 50 years ago this month, and yet, almost every night, I lie in my bed remembering Hue. More than any other experience I had in more than five decades of covering war, it haunts me.” And the Tet Offensive in Vietnam was the location for some of war-photographer Don McCullin’s most searing and memorable images – of wounded and battle-shocked soldiers and civilians.
Described as one of our greatest living photographers and a photojournalist without equal, he spent 60 years documenting the poverty of London’s East End, and the horrors of wars in Vietnam, Cambodia, Lebanon, Congo, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Iran. Recently, aged 81, he travelled to Iraq to photograph the Battle of Mosul and took another trip to Palmyra in Syria in early 2016. He has vowed to continue with his work until he “can’t press that button any more”.
Born 9 October 1935 in London he had a tough upbringing with a violent mother, a sick father, evacuation during the war, frequent truancy and a youth of street fighting and local gangs. He described Finsbury Park in north London where he grew up as a place of ignorance, bigotry, poverty and violence. During his National Service he became a cameraman but couldn’t pass the theory exams (he’s dyslexic). A commission from the Observer picture editor when he was 23 got him started on his long and distinguished career more by accident than design. He covered wars in Vietnam, Biafra, Cyprus and Northern Ireland but focused on its terrible effects on people rather than on the fighting.
He says: “Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.”
Actor Tom Hardy will reportedly play him in a film, based on his autobiography, Unreasonable Behavior.
He’s a Sun Libra sextile Mars in adventurous Sagittarius; with a confident Jupiter in Scorpio trine Pluto in Cancer; and a Mystic Rectangle of Venus in Virgo opposition Saturn (Moon) in Pisces which is trine/sextile Uranus opposition Mercury in Scorpio. His Neptune is in a publicity-seeking square to Mars. Mercury in Scorpio is often found in research journalist’s charts and has the ability to dig deep and see below the surface.
His chart is replete with creative quintiles and septiles. His get-it-together 5th Harmonic is focussed on Mercury and the war-signature Saturn Pluto. His 7th Harmonic is pulled to military/situations of cruelty with Mars Saturn prominent focussing onto filmic Neptune. His enduring, endless-struggle 8th Harmonic is enormously strong. He also has a marked and brutal 13H – breaking with the orthodox, genius; and a leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17H.
From unlikely beginnings he pulled himself away from his roots with a world-class talent and a mix of determination and guts. Though admittedly Jupiter Pluto has a reputation for creating its own good fortune.
Matt Pritchett, the delightfully funny Telegraph cartoonist is celebrating his 30th work anniversary. His deceptively simple line-drawings pack a real punch and raise a smile.
Born 14 July 1964, he’s from a family of newspapermen but went to Art School, so came into the business from a different direction. He works in the office, first reading all the morning papers and then producing several rough sketches for approval, often homing in on the important story of the day before the editor.
He’s a Sun Cancer, which sign often has a nose for the public mood, which is trine Neptune and in a confident sextile to Jupiter in practical Taurus. He has a passionately enthusiastic Mars Venus in Gemini and the tough-minded signature Uranus Pluto opposition Saturn of the 1960s generation.
His two strongest Harmonics are the inspired-imagination 11H; and the unorthodox, genius 13H – which latter was also notable in Peter Sellers’ chart and seems to be significant amongst comedians.
After North Korea’s diplomatic triumph at the Winter Olympics, the jousting is back as the US administration redoubles its effort to starve Pyongyang of resources and force it to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Quite how Kim Jong Un will respond to Trump’s announcement of the “heaviest” ever set of U.S. sanctions against North Korea being imposed isn’t clear.
Observers say it may not make much difference, but Kim Jong Un’s leadership chart is showing significant upheaval over coming weeks as well as deadlock – with Solar Arc Uranus square the Pluto, exact in two months; and tr Saturn conjunct the 10th house Sun Pluto from this weekend to early March (returning twice again before the year end).
On the general astrology, mid March and April look the most fraught with tr Mars into Capricorn colliding with Saturn on April 2nd and Pluto in late April (on past experience perhaps triggering earlier). And the Aries Sun from late March makes hard aspects to Mars, Saturn, Pluto and Uranus till mid April. It may not be North Korea but it will be edgy, risky and at least accident-prone.
The NK/USA relationship chart is on high alert in the final ten days of March and the first ten days of April with tr Uranus trine the composite Mars; and there’s a real battle of wills picking up at the same time running on and off till late 2019, so the pressure will stay on.
Mid April Kim Jong Un’s leadership chart will get a considerable jolt from tr Uranus opposition the Saturn, and that returns later in the year into early 2019.
On his astrocartography Trump does have his Mars Descendant line through western North Korea. If presidents go to war it is often around one of their Mars lines. GW Bush has his Mars MC through Afghanistan – and who’d have foreseen that as a war zone, pre 9/11?
Trump’s Mars MC line runs through Libya in North Africa and due south, as well as due north up through eastern Europe. And his Mars Ascendant runs through Washington, which will hopefully soak up most of his warrior spirit.
Barnaby Joyce, Australia’s deputy PM has resigned after an escalating scandal about his affair with his former media adviser, now pregnant, which has broken up his 25 year marriage. Last week, he sparred publicly with Malcolm Turnbull who criticised his “shocking error of judgement” and declared that ministers would be banned from having sex with their staff. He responded by calling the PM “inept”. He is known as outspoken and a battler, once threatening to kill Johnny Depp’s dogs over a quarantine violation.
Born 17 April 1967 in Tamworth, Aus, he’s certainly got a fiery and over confident chart with an Aries Sun opposition Mars in Libra square Jupiter (Moon) in Cancer. Not a shrinking violet. His Sun is also on the focal point of a Yod to Uranus sextile Neptune, so he’ll veer between self-doubt and unmodulated pride. Tr Uranus has been battling its way round his Sun, Mars, Jupiter T Square in recent months, with the final tr Uranus conjunct his Sun putting paid to his chances.
He was never a good mix with Malcolm Turnbull, a dour and bulldozer-ish Sun Saturn Mercury in Scorpio; with Turnbull’s Neptune conjunct Joyce’s Mars and therefore undermining his central T square.
The justified furore over the Parkland, Florida school shooting is not abating, in part due to the upswell of outrage from young people, who are making their voices heard. The statistics on mass shootings by assault rifles are staggering (see URL WPost below). Since the ban was lifted in 2004 incidents using this type of weapon have tripled and deaths almost quadrupled.
Senator Marco Rubio had an uncomfortable ride at a CNN debate, faced down by a father of one of the dead children. The NRA has contributed around $3million to support Rubio’s campaigns and he has always been a staunch supporter of gun rights.
Born 28 May 1971 FL, he has a cool, unemotional Air Grand Trine of a Gemini Sun trine Mars in stubborn Aquarius trine Uranus, with his Sun opposition a high-finance Jupiter Neptune. He’s running into real trouble fairly soon with his Solar Arc Mars approaching the dead-halt opposition to his Pluto over coming months; with a few unpleasant jolts from tr Saturn square his Uranus.
He’s fairly locked into the NRA chart, with their relationship having a composite Venus Pluto opposition Mars square the North Node. Though that is coming under increasing pressure especially through 2019/2020 with tr Neptune conjunct the composite Saturn; and tr Pluto leaning heavily on Pluto, then Mars and Venus. It’ll be anguished and bloody.
Trump’s relationship chart with the NRA is warmly friendly and mutually supportive; but there’ll be a jolt or two in April; and even more so in July.
Wayne LaPierre, Vice-President of the NRA, has been shooting off his mouth defending the Second Amendment, voicing the usual alt-right paranoia about individual freedoms being impinged. He’s a trenchant Sun Scorpio square Pluto and square an Aquarius Moon, so will not budge easily, if at all. But tr Neptune conjunct his Mars from this May and through 2019 could well pull the rug from under his feet. Though he won’t go down with a fight back. But something may shift.
