Marjorie

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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Mark Hamill is back as Luke Skywalker. The new Star Wars, The Last Jedi, has just premiered in Los Angeles with murmurs of good reviews coming.

Born 25 September 1951 2.43pm Oakland, California, into a naval family which moved constantly during his childhood, he is one of seven children. In his early 20s he worked in TV dramas and then aged 24 landed the role in Star Wars since Lucas preferred young actors without too much experience.

He has a serious Libra Sun Saturn in his well-read and well-travelled 9^th house along with Neptune and Mercury in Virgo. And has a megaton Mars Pluto in Leo in his intense 8^th house as well as Venus. Many film stars have that uncanny 8^th house capacity to project a powerful aura – and he has it in spades. His Saturn Neptune oppose an upfront Jupiter in Aries squaring onto a 7^th house Uranus – he’ll be a catalyst and a reformer. Though not I imagine all that easy to live with. Despite which he’s been married for forty years, perhaps a gift from his Venus being exactly conjunct his Sun/Moon midpoint. Just goes to show Mars Pluto does have a constructive side.

The late Carrie Fisher, who had just finished her role as General Leia before she died last year, had the movie dedicated to her. She also had a strong 8^th house with Pluto, Venus Jupiter there, which brings its own demons but serves stars well. And now that I look, she like Hamill had a Libra Sun in the 9^th house as well as Mercury and Neptune. Very similar.

See Posts – Carrie Fisher: December 24 2016; and Star Wars November 10 2017.

One of the CIA’s more damaging and hair-brained schemes in the 1950s/60s was master-minded by a Scots-born psychiatrist Ewan Cameron, who was born under a Jupiter Saturn conjunction in Capricorn, as we have coming up in 2020. MK-Ultra was a CIA Mind Control programme which illegally tested drugs, electro-shocks and other brutal methods on unwitting mental patients to enhance interrogation and torture techniques; and may also have been directed to producing a ‘Manchurian Candidate’ – an artificially created multiple personality disorder – the end result being a spy capable of hiding secrets in a split-off part of their mind which would not be retrievable except by a trigger code under hypnosis.

Netflix have been reviving interest with their sci-fi series Stranger Things 2; and a docu-drama Wormwood about a military analyst who end up mysteriously dead when he tried to blow the whistle.

None of the programmes worked and unwilling participants were left irretrievably damaged psychologically. Compensation has been paid over the years to victims and families.

Cameron, born 24 December 1901, Bridge of Allan, Scotland, studied at Zurich, John Hopkins, Albany NY and later Canada, sat through Nuremberg and developed a view that mental illness was contagious, much like measles. His work in MK-Ultra produced no positive results and much long-term damage.

He was a Sun Capricorn opposition Neptune; with the Jupiter Saturn in Capricorn conjunct Mars – Jupiter falling exactly on his cruel Mars/Saturn midpoint. Josef Mengele, the Nazi doctor, who did medical experiments in the concentration camps also had a Sun square Neptune; and Mars square Saturn in an earth sign. Neptune in its cosmically cold guise, putting the delusional ideal above human compassion. One of the leading Tuskegee Syphilis Experimenters on black Americans also had a strongly aspected Neptune, conjunct Pluto trine a Libra Sun Saturn trine Mars in Aquarius. When Neptune goes wrong, it is terrifying’ and allied with afflicted Mars Saturn goes perverse if not downright cruel..

My slight impression is that Jupiter Saturn conjunctions, despite their reputation for practical idealism, can be less than wonderful in Earth signs – viz Dick Cheney with Jupiter Saturn in Taurus.

Born close to Ewan Cameron were: Walt Disney, another psychiatrist Milton Erickson, physicist Werner Heisenberg involved in the Nazi nuclear programme, Marlene Dietrich. President William McKinley was assassinated under this Jupiter Saturn in Capricorn. And JFK was elected on the next one in Capricorn forty years later. Though he wasn’t shot till late 1963.

JK Rowling has attracted a twitter storm with her statement explaining why Johnny Depp has remained in the title role of the new film, The Crimes of Grindelwald, after he was accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife Amber Heard. Part of the billion-pound Harry Potter franchise, the film is set to be a huge box-office success. She said the terms of his divorce were kept private by both sides and she felt that should be respected. Normally outspoken on social issues, she’s clearly been caught in a tight spot, which is always the case when there’s a personal friendship – and money – involved.

On the face of it, their chemistry is not that easy with his volatile Uranus Mars Pluto in Virgo conjunct her own Mercury, Venus, Uranus Pluto in Virgo; and his Moon squares her Mars – so it wouldn’t work in close emotional space. But his Gemini Sun is conjunct her Jupiter for good feelings.

Their relationship chart has a friendly and affectionate composite Sun Venus with filmic and deceptive Neptune trine Sun Venus, and conjunct the composite Moon opposition Jupiter. Sometimes tricky to see relationships clearly when Neptune is putting everything into soft focus.

Just a quickie on a rising superstar in Irish steeplechasing, teenage jockey Jack Kennedy. Yesterday at Clonmel in a novice chase, he was nearly unseated at the fourth jump, turned upside down and back to front, and managed to haul himself back in the saddle – and then proceeded to win.

Born 22 April 1999, his chart is a wonderful mix of supremely confident with Jupiter in Aries trine Pluto and sextile Uranus; and grimly determined from a Taurus Sun Saturn opposition Mars in Scorpio squaring onto Neptune. By the seat of his pants and the skin of his teeth – his lucky Jupiter fished him out of trouble.  Lester Piggott, the flat jockey supremo also had a Jupiter trine Pluto – it helps.  See the video on twitter @attheraces

Elton John’s mother has died, happily just reconciled to her son after a seven-year feud. She had refused to drop old friends with whom he’d fallen out, and said “I’m not a person to be controlled or told what to do.” As a result of their estrangement Elton did not attend the funeral of his stepfather in 2010, of whom he had previously been fond. His mother was exceptionally supportive of his early musical career and accepting when he came out as gay.

Sheila Farebrother was born 25 March 1925 to a mother born in the workhouse and her father was a WW1 veteran and groundsman. She was a rebellious Sun Uranus in Pisces sextile a determined Mars in Taurus; with a tough Moon Saturn in Taurus.

Elton, 25 March 1947 4pm London, has an 8^th house Aries Sun, a pointer to his much-loved grandmother. His Sun is trine a tough-minded and depressive Saturn Pluto in Leo in his 12^th and opposition a musical Neptune in his 2^nd house of finances. He has a happy-childhood Jupiter in Scorpio in his 4^th, which makes the rift all the more surprising.  His 7^th house fiery Mars Mercury in Pisces is in a volatile square to Uranus in his 10^th, so he is liable to erupt when anything interferes with his plans.

His mothers’ Mars in Taurus is conjunct his midheaven, a testament to her efforts on his behalf to get his career rolling. But her Sun Uranus were conjunct his Mars which would make for a fairly combustible mix at times; and her stubbornly determined, never-let-on-when-she-was-hurt Scorpio Moon conjunct Saturn opposed his equally stubborn Moon in Taurus.

Their relationship chart was a real mix of pluses and minuses with the composite Sun opposition Saturn square Jupiter and trine Pluto, so it would always blow hot and cold.  With Pluto also square Mars indicating an underlying power struggle for the upper hand.

When the rift happened she was on her Uranus Return with tr Pluto square their composite Sun and tr Uranus opposing Saturn and about to conjunct the composite Sun – a testing time.

The jinxed Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, has found a new director after Bryan Singer was ousted and still seems on track for a late 2018 release. Since 2008, it has suffered from two changes in writer, three different lead actors and now the second director.   Bryan Singer appears to have gone because of unreliability due, he claims, to family illness; and there were differences with the lead actor Rami Malek.

Singer was born 17 September 1965, the same day as the Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and a week after Bashar Assad of Syria.  He is a Sun Virgo, with fairly chaotic Uranus Mercury Pluto in Virgo opposition Saturn in Pisces probably square a Gemini Moon, and sextile Mars Neptune in Scorpio. He also has Venus in Scorpio. Not an easy personality, that’s for sure. Over the years various allegations have been made against him from underage boys (see wiki) which were dismissed but have revived with the Spacey scandal erupting. He’s got tr Neptune conjunct his Saturn which is disorientating in 2017/18 and tr Neptune then moves on to oppose his Uranus, Mercury and Pluto. So an undermining time in his life.

He’d certainly be a bad fit with Rami Malek, the American-Egyptian actor, much awarded for his lead in Mr Robot. He was born 12 May 1981 8.41am Torrance, California and is a Sun Mars in Taurus. His Sun is on the focal point of a Yod inconjunct  Pluto sextile Neptune with his Sun opposition Uranus. He’ll stand his ground in discussions and not give way easily. His Virgo Moon is conjunct Singer’s Uranus Pluto and opposition Singer’s Saturn; with his Taurus Sun Mars opposition Singer’s Mars Neptune. He’d find Singer less than comforting to be around and inflexible.

Their relationship chart has a composite Sun square Uranus, which requires each give the other space and the freedom to be who they are without interference.  Not conducive to co-operation. Tr Uranus has been square the composite Sun and opposition Uranus this year, so it would be rocky and has now finally split, no doubt to Malek’s relief.  Rami Malek is a twin, only four minutes different from his brother who is a teacher. Same astro-energies but focussed in different directions.

Malek’s life will alter radically at the end of 2018/early 2019; and he looks to be pushing confidently ahead through 2018/19; with a good deal ahead for him.

Freddie Mercury, 5 September 1946 5.10am Zanzibar, had a Virgo Sun on the exact degree of Malek’s Moon – so a definite resonance; with Mercury’s Jupiter conjunct Malek’s Pluto.