Marjorie

Rex Tillerson pushes for diplomacy over North Korea and is promptly contradicted by his White House boss. Presumably he just chooses the ignore the views of the man he reputedly called ‘a moron’ and do what seems sensible. Though this is the third time in several months he’s been publicly at odds with Trump. One wonders how far Tillerson’s sang froid will go before the elastic snaps?

He looks depressed at the moment with tr Neptune square his Sun/Pluto and at a very low ebb with Trump with tr Neptune opposing the composite Mars/Pluto midpoint. By mid January 2018 tr Saturn will square his Aries Sun and the Mars on his Swearing-In chart (1 February 2017 7.25pm). February into late March he looks martyred and confused. With a blow-out of bad temper with Trump in February. His Term chart as Secretary of State will go into an even more unstable phase from late March onwards. Though he, personally, looks fairly bullish at that point as well as ready to make radical changes.

He may hope to stay lashed to the mast, praying fervently for a change at the top before his stamina and self-control give up. But it’ll be a close run thing.

Muddle and mayhem wherever you look. May wins and then loses. Merkel still can’t form a government. And the great Juncker is getting snarled up in an old wiretapping scandal from his Luxembourg PM days, refusing multiple dates to turn up to give court evidence claiming he’s too busy.

Want to see Neptune in action out in the real world? Look at Theresa May’s government, launched on a Full Moon of Gemini Sun opposition Moon square Neptune. A focal point Mutable Neptune is disorganized, absent-minded, refuses to face facts, lacks will-power, is credulous and constantly shape-shifting – and the Full Moon suggests a constant struggle to pull two opposing forces together. Admittedly May’s obsessive Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto gives her stamina, but her natal Neptune and its midpoints hook into many of her other planets – she’s quite a chameleon herself. She has more swampy, ground-dissolving-under-her-feet Neptunian transits to come in 2018/19/20. Plus some truly catastrophic Pluto transits to Mars midpoints in 2018/19 (see post December 2017).  Though oddly enough the May Government chart apart from a gigantic hiccup in May 2018 and again in Nov/Dec will be keeping its spirits up courtesy of two Jupiter midpoints.

Merkel will continue to slide in energy, motivation and popularity, with a major jolt after mid 2018 and a facing-failure few months in late 2019. Martin Schulz, the pro-EU more-integration SDP leader on the other hand has a good deal going his way at least over the next two years. This despite the fact the German business/financiers and voters will resist strenuously any prospect of being drawn into a closer union that forces them to foot other country’s financial losses.

Jean-Claude Juncker had to resign as Luxembourg prime minister in 2013 in the wake of the scandal in which Luxembourg intelligence chiefs were accused of the unauthorised tapping of phones, bugging politicians and keeping some 13,000 secret files. Hot denials all round but fresh evidence has emerged suggesting that members of his staff had tampered with crucial evidence.

He’s got tr Neptune square his Sagittarius Sun from early May 2018, on and off into 2019, which won’t improve his morale, but his lucky Uranus Jupiter in Cancer may fish him out of some sinkholes. His presidency chart has a ruthless Mars Pluto conjunction which is catching the tr Saturn conjunction from late January 2018 which will throw a few obstacles in his path, returning late in the year into 2019. And Pluto squares Uranus on that chart which was always going to make it a crisis-ridden term.

The EU is muddling its way towards a worrisome, financially- disastrous and blocked 2019 when it picks up tr Saturn conjunct Sun, Solar Arc Pluto conjunct its 2^nd house Neptune, and Solar Arc MC conjunct Pluto, followed in 2020/21 by a hugely uncertain tr Neptune square Saturn. 2019 also sees tr Uranus start to tug mightily on the EU Fixed T Square when it opposes the 2^nd house Neptune and moves on to square Uranus and conjunct the 8^th house Moon in 2020/2021. With 2021 also having the Solar Arc Mars square the Moon and opposition Uranus. And that looks like a whole heap of financial woes, in a rolling series of disruptions, shocks and upheavals.

Keith Chegwin, a much-loved children’s TV presenter with a cheeky grin, high-pitched enthusiasm and psychedelic jumpers has died aged 60. He turns out, like many comic characters who are the life and soul of the party, to have been fighting demons. He was an alcoholic much of his life and a heavy smoker. His career sagged after he grew too old to fit the kid’s scene and he sank to playing in the reality TV show Naked Jungle – without his signature knitwear.

Born 17 January 1957 1.35pm Walton, England, he had an intense 8^th house Capricorn Sun inconjunct Pluto; square Mars in Aries and Neptune in his entertaining 5^th house – so well suited to showbiz, starting in end-of-the-pier entertainment. His Mars was trine a 4^th house Pluto hinting at a stressed childhood which left him with lingering deep-seated frustrations and resentment. Saturn in his 6^th house of health hints at a constitution which would not cope with excess.

But his 7^th house Mercury Venus in Capricorn would make him a charming companion; and his well-aspected Uranus in the 3^rd sextile his Jupiter and trine his Saturn would make him mischievous.

Evidently he was self-deprecating, always putting himself down as he entertained others.

Sarah Paulson, playing in The Post as the Editor’s wife and much-awarded for American Horror Story, has been opening up about her relationship with 74 year old actress Holland Taylor, known for The Practice and Two and a Half Men. They got together in 2015 and she was warned it might not be career friendly, but it doesn’t seem to have stopped her getting juicy roles. Her next, Ocean’s 8, is due out in 2018.

Helps to get birth date right.  Sarah Paulson was born 17 December 1974 11.05 pm Tampa, Florida and grew up with divorced parents. She has an enthusiastic and confident 7^th house Jupiter in Pisces on her Descendant making her fun company. Her Sagittarius Sun sits in her 4^th house which makes her private and family-oriented, along with Mars Neptune in Sagittarius straddling her IC, so she’ll want a glamourous dream home but will be a fairly restless bird in the nest with dynamic Mars there. Her Aquarius Sun is trine Pluto making her fairly possessive and also edgy about being controlled.

Holland Taylor, 14 January 1943 in Philadelphia, is an expansive and earthy Sun Capricorn opposition Jupiter in Cancer with a Taurus Moon. They are very different types with Sarah being Fire Air, so constantly rattling along on ideas and enthusiasm. Where Holland is an Earth Earth type, more grounded, more physical, which may not suit Sarah’s Aquarius Moon over time.

There are plus points with Holland’s Sun falling in Sarah’s entertaining/romantic 5^th house, so they’ll play well together. Their Jupiters chime in two Water signs; and Sarah has an Aquarius Moon and Venus in Capricorn to match Holland’s Venus Aquarius and Capricorn Sun. But that apart it isn’t easy. Holland’s Saturn Uranus in Gemini opposes Sarah’s Mars Neptune which is gritty and confusing. Holland’s Mars is conjunct Sarah’s Sun which can spark up passion initially but usually turns argumentative and competitive.

Their relationship chart has a highly positive Earth Grand Trine of Sun to Jupiter and Pluto, so it will be mutually supportive, and quite the power couple. But the Mars aspects aren’t great, bringing underlying aggravations or perhaps fears.

Sarah said in an interview:  “There’s a poignancy to being with someone older. I think there’s a greater appreciation of time and what you have together and what’s important, and it can make the little things seem very small.”

Charles Jenkins, a US soldier who defected to North Korea in 1965 from the south expecting to be returned to the USA and ended up incarcerated there for four decades, has died. He was later forced to marry a Japanese abductee, who had been kidnapped to teach locals the language, and they fell in love, bonded by their hatred of their captors. Latterly both returned to Japan.

Born 18 February 1940 in North Carolina, he was a Sun Aquarius on one leg of a Yod sextile Saturn in forced-to-be-self-reliant Aries and both inconjunct Neptune which would tend to fog his rational thinking. Often this placing leads to a life of seclusion. He also had a trapped and frustrated Mars in Taurus square Pluto.

North Korea’s Saturn is exactly opposition his Sun, so not a place he warmed to; and his Mars square Pluto is entangled with the NK Mars in Scorpio opposition Node square Venus, which emphasises his anger.

His wife, Hitomi Soga, born 17 May 1959 and abducted when she was 19 with her mother, who has never been seen since, is a Sun Taurus opposition Jupiter in Scorpio. Her Jupiter would keep her husband’s spirits up and both of them with Fixed sign Suns would have endurance. Tr Saturn was square her Sun and her Jupiter when she was dragged away from home.

Her relationship chart with Charles has a possessive composite Sun trine Pluto and a heavily aspected Neptune, giving them the vision one day of freedom.  Neptune isn’t always good in everyday living but for extraordinary circumstances can be a blessing.

Rapturous excitement from fans greeted Taylor Swift’s smoochy dance in public with her latest beau, Brit actor and model, Joe Alwyn, whom she’s been keeping under wraps for several months.

Born 21 February 1991 he’s a Sun Pisces square Mars in Gemini with probably a Taurus Moon and Venus in late Pisces. She’s a Sun Sagittarius with a Cancer Moon Jupiter, an ultra-determined Pluto and Mars in Scorpio, and a highly-strung collection of Uranus, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn in Capricorn.

Her Watery Cancer Moon Jupiter certainly chimes with his Pisces Sun; and his Venus is trine her Mars for sparks of passion.  But that apart it doesn’t look too harmonious a match. His Taurus Moon will oppose either her Mars or Pluto or both, so there will be some stubborn battles. And his Saturn is conjunct her Venus, which will create a block and cut down on warmth.

Their relationship chart echoes the plus and minus points with a hot-romance composite Venus opposition Mars; and a mutually supportive Jupiter opposition the composite Sun. But the Sun is also conjunct Saturn, which is more common in a business relationship – or one where circumstances get in the way of commitment. It puts up blocks; and with Jupiter opposition Saturn, it will blow hot and cold. The composite Moon doesn’t get much of a look in, maybe being on the focal point of a Yod to Neptune sextile Pluto – certainly favours being in the public eye, but not much personal comforting long term.

See also longer post on what makes Taylor Swift tick. August 12 2017.

Alabama has some of the worst conditions of poverty seen in the developed world according to a UN official. ‘People in the region frequently suffer from E. Coli and hookworm, a disease associated with extreme poverty and which was thought to have been eradicated in the US more than 100 years ago but which was recently found to persist in pockets of Lowndes County, located just 20 miles from the state capital, Montgomery, where many residents are too poor to afford a septic system and make their own sewer lines using PVC piping. The lines run from the people’s homes some 30ft above the ground before emptying into ditches or waste ground.’ (Independent). Known as the ‘heart of dixie’ and the ‘cotton state’, until relatively recently it leant heavily on Jim Crow Laws to disenfranchise and discriminate against African-Americans, although that has been mainly rectified at the end of the 20^th Century.

It became a US state on 14 December 1819, which gives a Sun Uranus Neptune in Sagittarius square Saturn Pluto in Pisces – ornery, fanatical, hard. A Scorpio Moon probably squares Jupiter in Aquarius and maybe Mars in Leo.

There has been significant unease and confusion recently over the Roy Moore underage-sex publicity as tr Saturn moved in conjunction to the Sun, Uranus, Neptune and square Pluto.

In many ways Roy Moore fits the tone of the state better than the Democratic, pro-choice Doug Jones. Moore  Moore’s Mars Sun n Aquarius is conjunct the Alabama Jupiter; both have Scorpio Moons, both have Venus in Capricorn and both have Saturn Pluto conjunctions. It’s not all a perfect fit since his Uranus opposes the AL Sun and his Saturn Pluto is conjunct the AL Mars. His relationship chart with the state has an upbeat Venus Jupiter trine Mars; and Neptune trine Uranus, sextile Sun – both of which lean heavily in the direction of airbrushing out unpleasant realities. Plus a chained-together Saturn Pluto, which gives the staunch Alabamian Republicans the sense that they have no choice, since voting for a liberal Democrat would be worse than voting for a paedophile. A rock and a hard place.

Doug Jones has Saturn in Scorpio possibly close to the AL Moon which is chilly; and his Mars is conjunct the AL Mercury for arguments. But on the plus side his Jupiter does oppose the AL Sun, so he may offer them a way of redemption. Maybe. His relationship chart with the state is aggravated with possibly a Full Moon, certainly a Sun square Pluto; and a gritty Mars square Saturn.

The result all depends on turnout and an act of grace, otherwise Alabama will be mired in more shame than usual. Open sewers kind of sums it up.

Veteran actor Christopher Plummer who stepped in as a hasty replacement for a disgraced Kevin Spacey to play J Paul Getty  has been nominated in the Golden Globes for best supporting actor for his performance in Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World. Scott is also nominated for best director and Michelle Williams for best actress. It had finished shooting when he took over the role and isn’t yet released.

Born 13 December 1929 in Toronto, Canada, he’s had an illustrious career in serious theatre and in film, garnering him many awards, including the Sound of Music (which he loathed).

He has a lively Sun Mars in Sagittarius with Venus also in Sagittarius in a charming opposition to Jupiter squaring onto filmic Neptune. Sagittarius can be a well-read and thoughtful sign which would be born out by his meticulous Mercury Saturn in Capricorn in a creative trine to Neptune. He’s got a Taurus Moon, perhaps in an Earth Grand Trine, so it’s a Fire Earth chart, giving him formidable energy.

He’s on his third Saturn Return before the end of this year, so should be hanging up his dancing shoes. But he looks likely to continue for a while yet. At the Golden Globes on January 7^th  tr Jupiter Mars in Scorpio is within a whisker of being trine his Pluto, so he’ll be in with a shout. Though with a couple of less friendly influences as well. Tr Jupiter will continue to boost his influence through 2018; and even better when it crosses his Sagittarius planets in 2019.

Another intifada in Palestine over Trump’s unthinkable and almost certainly un-thought-through proclamation of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital seems unlikely at present. Those on the inside say that: Gaza is hopeful of an easing of the siege imposed by Israel and Egypt, which will bring a much-needed boost to the local economy. The West Bank wants to maintain security coordination with Israel, which helps keep Hamas out and President Abbas in control. At least half the families in the West Bank are reliant in some way on the Israeli economy. There is plenty of Palestinian despair and anger at lack of any prospect of an end to the occupation. But there is also a war-weariness and the necessity of making a living.

Gaza, 9 November 1917 9am, could be into a more hopeful phase with tr Pluto trine the Solar Arc Jupiter at least economically in 2018/2019. There’ll still be disappointments aplenty for the population who look emotionally underwhelmed but nothing too violent.

Hamas, 14 December 1987, were certainly shaken up badly by the announcement and although they’ll have moments of bullish confidence in 2018 and feelings are certainly running high in 2018/19, they don’t look as if they have the will for an all-out attack.

The Palestine Independence Declaration, 15 November 1988, is on its Saturn Return so pragmatism will reign, despite setbacks later this month and a fair amount of emotional angst through 2018. But they should feel as if they are getting their act together by 2019/2020 with tr Pluto sextile their Scorpio Sun.

Hezbollah, located in the Lebanon, are in a different ball game, supported by Iran. They are facing an extremely disconcerting and undermining 2019 with Solar Arc Sun square Neptune and Solar Arc Saturn conjunct Neptune. So they may be part of the larger strategic push by Mohammed bin Salman to push Iran into a corner. Aided and abetted by Israel who don’t want Iran proxies on their doorstep.

Which brings us back to the initial mystery of what MbS, best buddies with Kushner, who made an unrecorded visit to Riyadh before this declaration was made, is up to. Despite Saudi Arabia’s criticism of Trump, it seems unlikely it would have gone ahead without his say so. Trump couldn’t care less about Jerusalem or biblical prophecies, except in so far as they please his wealthy donors and some lunatic Rapture supporters.

MbS’s relationship with Kushner will start to fray from April 2018 onwards – though that could be because of Kushner’s domestic problems catching up with him, as well as a changing situation on the ground.

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