Marjorie

Catalonia’s forced election hasn’t gone the way the Spanish government hoped with separatist parties holding a slim, though reduced, majority in the new assembly. PM Mariano Rajoy’s hard-line tactics have backfired, with Spanish stocks falling and the euro weakening on the result. It’s not clear who will be given the right to form a government, with Catalonia at the moment under direct rule from Madrid and the separatist leader, Carles Puigdemont, still exiled in Brussels. The majority of Catalonians would probably opt to stay in Spain with more autonomy for the region, but his heavy-handed approach (Saturn in Scorpio opposition Mars Moon in Taurus square Pluto) increased local resentment amongst a proud and stubborn people against the central government. 16% of Spain’s population live in Catalonia, and it produces: 25.6% of Spain’s exports; 19% of GDP; 20.7% of foreign investment.

Carless Puigdemont, 29 December 1962, Gerona, is a Capricorn Sun trine a rebellious Uranus Pluto in Virgo, which in turn is in a pushily-confident and opportunistic opposition to Jupiter. He looks generally bullish in the year ahead, especially from early January. Though less certain of his prospects from mid May as tr Uranus opposes his Sun/Mars and will be less sanguine about his cause in two years time when he’s hit by Solar Arc Saturn square his Sun; and tr Pluto conjunct his Sun/Saturn for two years.

The Spain, 22 Nov 1975 12.45pm chart, looks set back on its heels exactly now with tr Saturn opposition Mars; with tensions rising from July 2018 onwards as tr Uranus squares the Saturn; and financial worries in 2019.

South Korea’s most famous pop singer. Kim Jong-Hyun, has devastated his fans in a suspected suicide with thousands lining the streets crying. South Korea has one of the world’s highest suicide rates in the world and it is the chief cause of death for under 30s, due it is thought to a highly competitive education system and a corporate culture that has little tolerance for failure. The entertainment is notoriously tough and K-pop singers can face demanding lifestyles with every aspect of their lives – from their musical style and fashion to diet and even mobile phone use – dictated by powerful management agencies. He had been in the public eye for 10 years, his music making inroads across Asia and into Europe. In a note made public a day after his death, he said he felt “broken from inside. The depression that gnawed on me slowly has finally engulfed me entirely,” adding that he “couldn’t defeat it any more”. The fear is now for copy-cat suicides.

Born 8 April 1990 in Seoul, he had an Aries Sun square Saturn, Neptune and Uranus in Capricorn, so he was part of the highly-strung triple conjunction generation of that period, who can be tinged with genius, but are also chaotic and can be obsessive. The Saturn square his Sun would make him feel he was never good enough; and Saturn Neptune can be neurotic. More pointedly he had an intense Pluto in Scorpio square Mars in Aquarius which would give rise to acute frustrations. His sensitive, musical Venus in Pisces was trine Jupiter in Cancer; and he had an over-worrying Virgo Moon probably trine his Capricorn planets which would exacerbate his tendency to brood. His Mercury in Taurus was also trine Uranus Neptune, with much the same effect.

Tr Pluto had been squaring his Sun through 2017 which would ramp up the pressure on him; and he had been through high-stress in 2016 with his Solar Arc Saturn conjunct his Mars; as well as tr Pluto and tr Uranus hitting on his Neptune and Uranus before that – so his inner turmoil would have been building for some years.

South Korea, 15 August 1948, does have a bleak, hard-driving chart with the Leo Sun conjunct Pluto on one side and Saturn Mercury on the other – so not much room for compassion for for those who can’t match up to Saturn in Leo’s demand for great accomplishments. Given that his crushing Mars Pluto square collided with the SK Sun Pluto Saturn it’s not a stretch to suggest it was the country’s ethos which finally defeated him.

The Last Jedi, universally praised by critics with a soaring box office, has run into a hostile backlash from some fans who are burning their Star Wars shirts in disappointment. The fandom world is bizarre at the best of times, with fans having an unhealthily-obsessive investment in their fantasy characters and the actors who play them. It can easily turn toxic when they aren’t given what they want and expect. In this case part of the gripe appears to be that what was a white guy franchise has now diversified in the new younger generation with a wider racial spread and, heaven forfend, more women.

On the charts for start of principal photography in early 2016 and release this month, apart from the tumultuous Uranus square Pluto, and priggishly self-righteous Saturn in Sagittarius, both have Mars in Scorpio. Mars having just returned on its two-year cycle as the movie opened.

This is an obsessively driven placing for can-be-aggressive Mars, which loves and loathes with equal intensity and will carry a grudge to the ends of the galaxy and beyond when it doesn’t get its way. It can turn rancid in individuals who don’t have much of a life or much self-confidence. Instead of sorting themselves out, they make other peoples’ lives a misery by acting out their resentment, venting their spleen and sarcasm and dreaming of revenge.

The shame is that when properly directed the do-or-die determination of Mars in Scorpio can move mountains and achieve the impossible. Though sitting in a multi-plex chucking popcorn at the screen isn’t exactly the arena where it can showcase its talents. The guys who made the movie Yes; the passive watchers NO.

Feel the fear and do it anyway is pretty much Saturn’s motto. Getting to grips with it will be crucial as it moves through Capricorn, its own sign, from now till 2020.

One of the most misunderstood signs of the zodiac, Saturn is two-faced, not in the sense of being devious or slippery, quite the contrary. It rules Capricorn, so presides over the New Year, facing backwards to lament the dying year and looking forward to plan for the next 12 months. Mourning and celebrations go hand in hand. Utterly realistic, it demands an acceptance of time’s inexorable march, of mortality and inevitable loss and, at the same time, rewards self-discipline, self-control and brings a bounty for conscientious effort.

It also contains within it the sinner and the saint – the horned god of lust and indulgence; and the bringer of rules and justice, order to society. Now in its own sign for the first time in 29 years, which doubles up the energy, it’s worth considering its strengths. Capricorn itself is dual-faceted, dubbed unfairly as exclusively coldly ambitious and materialistic, it is also highly creative. The old astrological glyph was of a goat body with a fish tail pointing to its symbolic role as the ‘stander on the threshold’ between the watery realms of the unconscious and inspiration, and the grounded earthy realm where dreams are made real. Capricorn takes an idea and turns it into a viable business or an artistic achievement.

Saturn is essentially about structure; it plans, prepares, thinks long term to a feasible goal, then gets foundations laid, builds slowly and securely so the end result stands the test of time. It won’t necessarily be aesthetic, since Saturn isn’t concerned with cosmetic fripperies, but it is enduring. With the same steady ambition as Capricorn, it is willing to forego instant gratification for long term goals. Like the symbolic mountain goat, it starts in the foothills and works its way up to the peak, along a winding path if necessary.

Saturn restricts, so oversees limits and boundaries which may not feel like fun but are essential, psychologically as well as practically, in life. Neptune dissolves boundaries, Pluto invades across them to grab all the territory, Uranus blows them up, but Saturn stands firm for order, delineation, marked borders. In action, it is like a gardener who prunes plants back, lopping off overgrown branches, to stimulate fresh growth and produce a more manageable shape. It is concerned with material security and can come across as a money-grubbing scrooge, so less than generous and open-hearted. It can be cold, putting up a defensive wall against any encroachment, tending to put things above feelings, and is better at ‘doing’ than ‘being’.

There have been financial recessions during the last three Saturn in Capricorns which occurred in the 20^th Century but none are much of a guide. The late 1980s was tied into a triple conjunction with Uranus and Neptune, so was an immensely complex time. The 1960 one was a Saturn Jupiter conjunction, somewhat similar to 2019, but the recession passed over quickly. The 1930 Saturn in Capricorn was tied into Pluto and Uranus, resulting in the Great Depression, to which again 2019 bears some similarities though Jupiter will help to soften the effect.

The key lesson to be learnt from Saturn is that you reap what you sow. Resounding pats on the back for work well-prepared and punishment for sloppy, wing-and-a-prayer, half-hearted efforts. Go for quick fixes and cutting corners and chickens will come home to roost with a loud squawk.

Actor Matt Damon has been putting his foot in his mouth again about the sexual harassment furore. To be fair he was attempting to make a valid point about there being a spectrum of offences but he does seem to be constitutionally gaffe-prone as well as tone deaf to hot topics. In the past he has blundered into mis-speaks about diversity, gays keeping their sexuality quiet, whitewashing in the Great Wall (starring in a Chinese movie) etc. Never mind dumping a girl-friend on Oprah – the first time she’d heard he had made himself single.

Born 8 October 1970 3.22pm Boston, Massachusetts, he has a jam-packed and intense 8^th house with a Libra Sun conjunct outspoken Uranus there as well as Mercury in Libra conjunct Pluto which in turn is conjunct Mars. And that is quite a collection. His Mercury picks up all of Uranus’s tendency to speak without considering the consequences; plus a dose of Pluto’s dogmatism – with Pluto bring revved up by Mars.

He has an Earth Grand Trine of stubborn Saturn in Taurus in the communication 3^rd trine a Capricorn Moon trine Mars Pluto so is good in organization and accumulating wealth. That forms into an even more talented Kite with Saturn opposition Venus, MC, Neptune in Scorpio, so all that formidable energy is channelled into the creative movie business.

Damon’s chart does have similarities to Mark Hamill (see previous post Dec 10 2017), another Libra, with Mars Pluto in the 8^th, though Hamill’s Libra Sun is in the 9^th conjunct Saturn endowing him with a degree of caution and tact.

Damon has a 9^th house expansive Jupiter so he will regard himself as somewhat of a philosopher about social issues and that is being boosted at the moment by his Solar Arc Mars in conjunction; perhaps an indication of why one blunder, which attracted criticism, led to another.

Pope Francis, now 81, is approaching a fraught time in his papacy. On his election chart, 13 March 2013 7.05pm Rome, tr Saturn is about to square the Mars in early January for one setback and then square the 7^th house divisive Uranus on and off throughout 2018. With the Solar Arc Pluto squaring the 7^th house Moon, exact in 8 months’ time, which might suggest high emotional tensions with his close colleagues and indeed public.

Many of his much-vaunted reforms within the Vatican – financial, bureaucratic and the child abuse inquiry – have stalled, because of the resistance of conservative senior clerics who appear to be waging a bitter war against him. He is much loved outside amongst his 1 billion followers for his humility, and vilified within, some believing he is veering towards heresy with his views on marriage for the divorced etc.

His personal chart, 17 December 1936 9pm Buenos Aires, shows him up against huge obstacles and hostility in 2017/18 with tr Pluto square his Mars; tr Uranus has also been rocking him on his axis in square to his Pluto in 2017 continuing through 2018. With an even sharper change of direction come mid May 2018 onwards into 2019 as tr Uranus is conjunct his midheaven, moving on to make a Uranus Return in 2019. I wouldn’t be remotely surprised if he followed Benedict’s path and resigned at some point. He looks disheartened by all the arguments and lack of support.

He was always going to be a difficult fit with the Vatican, 7 June 1920 11am, since his hope-for-a-better-society Saturn opposition Neptune squares onto the Vatican New Moon in Gemini; and the Vatican’s rigid and self-righteous Saturn in Sagittarius is conjunct his Sun. The Vatican chart itself looks demoralised at the moment and more so in 2018/2019 as tr Neptune squares the Moon and then Sun.

Hopes are high in South Africa that Cyril Ramaphosa’s election as head of the ANC, putting him in line to be the next president, will be a turning point to clear out corruption and reboot the economy. A politician, businessman, activist and trade union leader, he was born 17 November 1952 in Soweto, and was Mandela’s choice as his successor. Although there are some questionmarks over his financial associations, he is publicly against the corruption which has burgeoned under Zuma and stagnated South Africa.

He has a redoubtably strong chart with a Scorpio Sun and Moon square Pluto and an Aquarius North Node. He’s also got a pro-active Mars in Capricorn opposition Uranus squaring onto Neptune Saturn in Libra, which last aspect often pushes for a fairer society. There is nothing remotely easy about his next few years with upheavals and disruptions in 2018 with tr Pluto opposing his Uranus; and tr Uranus having one more insecure square to his Mars early on. Then tr Pluto in 2019/20 continues the long haul round his T square, squaring Saturn Neptune – devastating, confusing and requiring endless perseverance. Finally tr Pluto is conjunct his Mars in 2021/22 which is hugely frustrating, trapped and high-risk. All of this may be the gigantic task of getting South Africa onto a better track, which won’t be easy. But he’ll be up against vested interests and a good deal of resistance.

He fits the South Africa 27 April 1994 12 am chart well since his Scorpio New Moon falls in the SA 10^th house.

That country chart looks very nerve-stretched and edgy through the years from 2019 to 2022 with tr Pluto conjunct the 12^th house Neptune Uranus in Capricorn. Though there will be a radical change of direction in 2019/2020 with tr Uranus opposition the MC, conjunct the Taurus Sun, and into 2020 opposition Jupiter for a better mood at times.

There’s a deal of implacable dislike between himself and Zuma, which will come to a head around 2019/2020. Zuma’s 2^nd Term chart looks bullish through 2018 so he won’t go easily; but tr Pluto is squaring his Aries Sun on his personal chart in 2018/19 so is under considerable pressure; with major disappointments in 2019.

Trump says he won’t fire Mueller, but his allies in the media and GOP are pushing hard to discredit the Russia probe as improper and politically motivated. Mueller has been accused of wrongfully obtaining thousands of emails sent and received by Trump officials before the start of his campaign; but other legal experts say they were acquired under the normal rules for a criminal investigation.

Nixon, of course, fired his special counsel prior to Watergate and his resignation. What is different this time round according to political historian, Julian Zelizer, is the massive propaganda effort on Trump’s behalf, via cable television, websites and Twitter. He said: “whatever Mueller does, Trump’s allies have a huge bully pulpit, where the message from his perspective is constantly circulating, regardless of what the investigators do. Nixon never had anything comparable to that.”

Mueller was appointed as Special Counsel on 17 May 2107 when the Sun was conjunct Algol, the destructive planet of painful confrontation, with a hard-edged Saturn opposition Mars which was always going to arouse bad-temper. It looks a mix of confident and confused through 2018/19, the latter stemming from tr Pluto square the Sun/Neptune midpoint, which suggests the smears and lies will continue.

Mueller himself, 7 August 1944 is a Sun Pluto in Leo; with a high-adrenaline Mars Mercury in hard-working Virgo square Uranus. He’s no-one’s push-over, though he looks less than confident in May/June/July 2018 with tr Neptune opposition his Mars, returning into 2019. Before then January/February look nerve-stretched and uncertain for him; with some major jangles in February and May. But he’ll catch a break after mid year from tr Uranus trine his Jupiter.

His relationship chart with Trump has a cool composite Sun Saturn conjunction which is under pressure from tr Pluto square till late 2018; and a stubborn composite Mercury Pluto.

Part of the worry is that Trump will blow his circuit board, since his close circle keep telling him ‘don’t worry. It’ll be fine and all go away soon.’ Mollifying the infant with platitudes may stop working at some point.

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The wonderful Mo Farah has won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year much to his surprise, since he was trailing in the polls.

From an earlier post: He is the most successful British athlete ever, with gold medals for the 10,000 and 5000 metres at two Olympics and ten global titles in all. He is now considering moving onto marathon running.

Born 23 March 1983 in Somalia, he came to the UK aged 8 with his father and family leaving his sick twin brother behind who wasn’t fit to travel. In recent years he has trained in Portland, Oregon where he has a house, with coach Alberto Salazar. Doping allegations against Salazar have never been proved and have left Farah bitter about the media damaging his legacy.

He has an Aries Sun square Neptune (very common amongst top sportsmen that Neptune); with his Sun trine a lucky Uranus Jupiter in Sagittarius and inconjunct an obsessive Saturn in Scorpio conjunct Pluto, so perseverance is what he thrives on. On top of that he has Mars in Aries opposition Pluto which has enabled him to undergo the most brutal training and challenging lifestyle to reach and stay at the top in distance running.

His switch to longer distances may not be that easy since his tr Pluto will pick up the frustrating, blocked square to his Mars from early 2018 for two years. Plus some accident-prone Uranus transits to two Mars midpoints into spring 2018. He will get a confidence lift from tr Pluto trine his Jupiter/Node midpoint in 2018/19. But he’s got a tough chart, is not short of determination and will certainly hit a high in about five years time, when he may have changed tack.