Marjorie

Playwright and artist John Byrne, who wrote the BBC series Tutti Frutti, Your Cheatin’ Heart and plays including The Slab Boys, has died. He had a prolific career, writing comedy as well as painting and designing; and married actress Tilda Swinton whom he met while she was performing in one of his series.

  He was born 6 January 1940 8.10am Paisley, Scotland, into an Irish Catholic family, and only learned later in life that his biological father was his mother’s father. He insisted that his mother really did “love” her father, and regularly walked eight miles from the family home to see him. Later in life, she suffered from mental health problems and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The incest taboo is not lightly broken.

 He had a 1^st house Capricorn Sun trine a 4^th house Uranus in Taurus which in turn was trine Neptune – creative in a tangible way. Capricorn is known as the stander on the threshold, able to dip into the unconscious realm of imagination and ideas and turn them into reality. Which Charles Munger did in one way making money – and Byrne instead producing entertainment and art. He had an exuberantly enthusiastic Mars Jupiter in Aries in an inspirational Fire Grand Trine to a Sagittarius Moon trine an 8^th house Pluto.

  His Pluto in the 8^th hints at a dark ancestral past but his ever-cheerful Sagittarius Moon would keep him looking on the bright side. A Fire Grand Trine would give him self belief.  

  He was married to Tilda Swinton, mother of his twins, for a decade plus, but it did not last. She was born 5 November 1960 and had her Scorpio Sun, Neptune, Mercury congregated around his Midheaven so a good work connection; with her upbeat Jupiter conjunct his Ascendant lifting his image and giving him confidence. But her Mars in Cancer fell in his 7^th conjunct his Chiron with her Saturn in opposition which in turn was conjunct his Sun. A scratchy interface as each of their wounds, however buried, did not sit comfortably together. Her Uranus and Pluto also fell in his 8^th which would stir up some deeper issues for him and her Pluto was in a possessive square to his Moon. There were positive aspects to their togetherness but also over-optimism and a simmering, underlying power struggle from composite Mars square Pluto.

  Growing concern in Germany and France about an influx of immigrants from cultures at odds with western democracy and individual freedom especially for women have led one German  national newspaper to print a list of house rules of how to behave, in the wake of violent pro-Hamas, anti-Semitic demonstrations. In France Michel Houellebecq’s novel Submission about a France ruled by Islamists stirred up a storm and landed just as the cartoon publisher Charlie Hebdo’s office was attacked with several killed in retaliation for a satirical cartoon about Mohammed. France’s rigorous approach to maintaining a secular society with strictures against Muslim woman wearing headscarves and veils attracts praise from some and criticism from others about Islamaphobia.

  Henry Kissinger just before his death  said “It was a grave mistake to let in so many people of a totally different culture, religion and concepts.” A mistake which Sweden is belatedly regretting and struggling to find a solution. A report on Germany’s migrant population produced by Harvard University warns that, instead of adapting to the liberal way of life in their new host nation, many remain attached to the austere conservative Islamic customs of their countries of origin. Women are often controlled by their menfolk, or face domestic violence. Some have ‘never even learned how to hold a pencil’, the report says.  France has most Muslims, around 9%, Sweden around 8% while Germany and the UK have around 6%.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”  “The law of unintended consequences – why things bite back.” Both truisms and both true.

  Disentangling religion from culture is not a simple matter. Many of the more extreme fundamentalist Salafist beliefs -derogatory views towards women, homosexuals, non-believers, and an edict against integration  – would not have gone amiss in the mediaeval Vatican. So they are part of the west’s past but progress was made and more civilized attitudes developed, though it did take several centuries.  

  I was trying to find an astrological timeline not so much for Muslim immigration as for the clash of cultures which has arisen in recent years. There have been Muslim intakes at various stages through the past century; with the 1970s seeing an uptick which was when Neptune moved into Sagittarius  and Pluto into Libra. Neptune can be surprisingly fanatical in its opinions and Sagittarius with its 9^th house rulership can lean towards self-righteous religious beliefs.  Al Quada emerged when Pluto moved into Sagittarius in the mid 1990s.  Pluto in Libra – should have improved relationships though what it did was shot the divorce rate up and expose flaws in cooperation.

  The other date which seems more plausible was the late 1980s when the triple conjunction of Neptune, Saturn, Uranus in Capricorn was in place.  Triple conjunctions which have only occurred 10 times in the past two thousand years can cover specific events over a decade or more. But they more essentially point to major civilization shifts, whose effects ripple out for decades and sometimes centuries to come.

 In the 5^th century AD, a quadruple conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto followed by a shattering Uranus–Saturn–Pluto triple conjunction oversaw a huge civilization shift as the Roman Empire declined, Britain was invaded by the Picts, Scots and Anglo-Saxons, and the Dark Ages began. This last 1989 triple conjunction was nothing like as strong but it did have a particular impact on the UK, Germany and the EU – all with Capricorn Suns.  I suspect we are still seeing the tsunami waves from that conjunction.

  Al Quaeda which became the poster boy of the least palatable side of Islam was founded in 1988 as well. It in part developed out of frustration with western interference in the Middle East which had for decades propped up autocracies – and it campaigned for an equally totalitarian wish to impose a Caliphate on the entire world. Which to be fair is hardly dissimilar to Christian missionaries in South America and elsewhere trying to impose their faith on unbelievers.

  None of which gives any indication of when this particular problem will find closure.

 Hamas having lit the touch paper in Israel has set off a firestorm way beyond the Gaza borders.

As a non-astro-addendum I remember being infuriated when Labour Minister Jack Straw whose constituency  was in the Midlands with a large Muslim population was jumped on for suggesting Muslim women dispense with the full face veil. The squalling this perfectly reasonable and sensible suggestion attracted was never satisfactorily countered. As neither was the Ayatollah’s fatwa issued against Salman Rushdie in 1989 which aroused great fervour in the UK Midlands. I thought at the time that should have been slammed down on hard – you do not threaten to assassinate people in the UK and the country has no laws against heresy or blasphemy. Any imams or others heard repeating the threat should have been straight into prison. As TV commentator Joan Bakewell said at the time. “When basically tolerant countries let in intolerant elements they don’t know what to do with them.”

  Another imponderable problem. Any ideas do pitch in.

Die Bild: A manifesto in 50 points

1. For everyone living in Germany, Article 1 of the Basic Law applies: “The dignity of man is inviolable.”

2. For us, there are no infidels! Everyone can believe in whatever they want – even Santa Claus.

3. Anyone who considers our constitution and our legal system as a collection of non-binding recommendations should leave Germany as soon as possible.

4. Anyone who wants to live here permanently must learn German. Only when we speak the same language will we understand each other.

5. Everyone can demonstrate peacefully in Germany for their convictions. Free speech does not include threatening people, assaulting them, throwing rocks, burning cars, or celebrating murderers.

6. We don’t wear masks or veils; we look each other in the face (unless it’s Carnival or Corona).

7. Respect and charity sustain our free society.

8. Against the backdrop of the darkest chapter in our history, Israel’s security is a matter of German national interest! This means: Standing up for the security of the Jewish people is non-negotiable. Criticism of Israel’s politics is, of course, allowed.

9. We say please and thank you.

10. We gladly shake hands as a greeting or farewell.

11. We see the police as “friend and helper,” not as a repressive force or an enemy.

12. Many Germans eat pork. Of course, not everyone does. By the way: We have 10 million vegetarians or vegans because freedom also goes through the stomach.

13. The state has a monopoly on violence. Apart from the state-appointed agencies, nobody has the right to use violence against people or things.

14. We accept that our freely elected parliament sets the rules for our coexistence, which can be checked by independent courts.

15. Men are allowed to love men and women women. Whoever has a problem with that is the problem himself. Love and let love!

16. Even if someone feels neither male nor female, they are not persecuted or punished. In our country, citizens are allowed to think freely and live queer.

17. We don’t see social services as employers but as institutions that help people in financial need, people who can’t work. Not people who don’t want to work.

18. We respect the judiciary because it judges without prejudice.

19. Women wear bikinis or bathing suits in the swimming pool. And if someone wants to swim naked in the Baltic Sea – that’s okay too!

20. Women and men are equal in every respect.

21. Equality also in payment for work (we still have to catch up there)!

22. We discuss controversially and passionately, but we don’t insult those with different opinions.

23. We are tolerant with the tolerant.

24. And we have no tolerance for intolerance!

25. We only use fireworks on New Year’s Eve, so when it’s allowed.

26. We don’t burn flags of countries we dislike. That’s a crime!

27. We respect every religion, but we clearly separate religion from state.

28. Women who have affairs are not ostracized, let alone beaten or stoned! In the event of a divorce, joint custody applies to the children. It doesn’t matter who caused the marriage to fail.

29. You don’t have to be a virgin to get married!

30. Those seeking protection from political persecution or war in Germany will find it. Even those who have no claim to it can often stay. We don’t expect gratitude, even if it would be appropriate. But we do demand strict adherence to our laws and respect for our values and way of life.

31. We don’t marry off children. And men can’t have more than one wife.

32. Women decide – like men – for themselves how they dress, who they’re friends with, whom they love, whether they’d rather go to a club or church, whom they vote for, and what profession they choose.

33. Germany is a country of grillers. After a picnic in the park, we take our trash with us.

34. Knives belong in our kitchens, not in our pockets.

35. We pay taxes because we know they are the foundation of the state.

36. When a woman says no to a man, it is final and absolute. Anything else constitutes sexual harassment or rape.

37. We expect everyone who can and is allowed to, to seek employment and provide for themselves – even if social assistance or citizen’s income might initially be higher than the salary.

38. There is compulsory schooling in Germany. We believe in the importance of education and learning.

39. We give up our seats in buses and trains for the elderly and disabled.

40. Cheers, Germany! Beer and wine are part of our culture here. Respect it, and if you don’t want to drink, don’t.

41. How long or short a skirt is, is decided solely by the woman wearing it.

42. Those who cannot tolerate the caricature of politicians, celebrities, gods, or prophets are not in the right place in Germany.

43. The media question politicians, but we generally trust that the elected officials decide truthfully and for the people’s welfare.

44. Honor does not mean the right of the strongest.

45. Respect and appreciation are just as natural in social networks as they are in supermarkets or offices.

46. We try to protect the environment and conserve resources. Sustainability is the future.

47. Germany has a heart for children. They are not beaten but promoted.

48. Catcalling, like whistling or calling out to women, is harassment.

49. Boys and girls can go on school trips together, participate in sports, and swim classes together.

50. We love life, not death.

You have to hand it to the Markle effect for its talent (unerring instinct, spooky capability) in grabbing the headlines with a relentless ground hog repetition. Saturation point gets reached, everyone sighs with bored exasperation,  looks the other way and up it pops again.

  Harry having vented his spleen over brother Will, it is now Kate’s turn as the Meghan/Scobie proxy levels up the paint gun.

  Meghan has form with sisters and not of the amiable variety being presently sued by her half-sibling Samantha for deleting her from historical record.

  Two astro-thoughts on siblings – on Meghan’s chart she has that odd Libra Moon, Saturn, Jupiter in her 3^rd house of siblings square Mars – they aggravate her, females especially given the Moon. The other is Meghan’s 4^th house Pluto which hints at a childhood where she felt overly controlled or at least not in control. In adult life as a defence she has become the controlling one in the domestic arena, brooking no interference. Cooperation is not easy for her within families, though her mother who was mysteriously absent during chunks of her childhood appears to avoid this trap.

  Kate 9 January 1982 7pm Berkshire, England, has a Capricorn Sun opposition Cancer Moon square Saturn Pluto in Libra so will come across as cool, defensive and controlling. Her accentuated Saturn Pluto falls in Meghan’s 4^th house which would not help. Despite her butter-wouldn’t-melt manner and looks, Kate is one steely lady, having been brought up to conform to parental wishes – and will become more so the older she gets.  Kate’s Mars sits on Meghan’s IC and her Moon is conjunct Meghan’s Mars – so a scratchy, irritable interface.

 The Kate/Meghan relationship chart has a composite Sun Pluto conjunction (as Meghan does with half sister Samantha) for a tussle for the upper hand. Even more so with Kate since the composite with Meghan also has Pluto conjunct Jupiter which is a real oneupmanship battle. Used constructively they could have become a power couple had their aims been the same. But there is also a volatile, combustible Moon Mars square Uranus Venus – and that was never going to be cooperative.

  But the issue is much more Meghan’s with her flamboyant, attention-seeking 1^st house Leo Sun and explosive 12^th house Mars than it is battened down Kate’s. A Middleton childhood having to toe the line moulded her for a Royal life where she learned the rules and kept her head down. Meghan waltzing in expecting to take on Diana’s mantel and ???? topple Kate and Will and install Harry as heir?  Heaven knows what her dream and delusion was. Or maybe she just wanted to make her stay in the UK untenable so she could escape back to Hollywood with money, titles and guaranteed status.

She was six down the cast list of Suits, her only series of note, and not too memorable a presence in that. I watched it from the start before all this hooha and she was effectively playing a piece of arm candy. Why/how she expected to upstage the future Queen and grab the spotlight for herself is a mystery.

 The Meghan/Kate relationship (and with Will) will blow even more fuses from May 2024 onwards as tr Uranus collides with the composite Mars Moon and opposes the Venus, running into 2025 as well. And with Kate tr Pluto will continue as earlier this year to square the composite Sun, putting the Meg/Kate chemistry under great pressure.  

  The wedding chart, 19 May 2018 12.39pm Windsor, always did look an explosive omen for the future with a Uranus square Mars catching the tr Pluto hard aspects this year and 2024/25. Plus a controlling Pluto. Emotional disappointments loom large when tr Neptune squares the Venus from May 2024 on into 2025.

Trevor Phillips, a leading UK equalities campaigner stepped into the argument dismissing claims that discussions over skin colour should be considered racist, declaring: ‘There is no family of colour anywhere in the world where that conversation doesn’t take place’. He said that his family had the same conversation about his youngest grandson and believes that discussing skin colour in a mixed race home should be viewed no differently to discussing the colour of a child’s eyes or hair.

 Oprah can take part of the blame for sounding as if it was the worst thing she had ever heard in the infamous interview with Meg and Harry. Having had her television moment of glory she may well now be regretting being too closely allied with what turned out to be half truths and over-egged whines. The link with Meghan has been sagging since then and will get another sharp jolt come May 2024 and on.  Harry and Oprah’s relationship chart also shows a downward slide with chills, irritability and setbacks.

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet’s famously frugal long-time business partner, has died aged 99. His net worth was an estimated $2.2 billion, decreasing over the years as he donated much of his money to universities. In a partnership that spanned six decades, the two men grew Berkshire into a colossus valued at about $785 billion (£617 billion), with 383,000 employees at the end of 2022. While Buffett became a household name, Munger shunned the spotlight. He was reportedly taciturn, held firm opinions and was unmolested by self-doubt.

 He was born 1 January 1924, 6.55am Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and from square one dreamed of being rich, honing his number skills playing poker in the army during the war, followed by a Harvard Law degree.

  He had an inflated 1^st house Capricorn Sun which was the driving planet of a Water Grand Trine/Kite of Pluto in Cancer trine Mars in Scorpio trine Uranus in Pisces, with Pluto opposition Sun. Ruthless and ego-centric.  His Pluto was also on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Jupiter sextile Venus – power was what drove him on.

  He also had Neptune in the 8^th house of business finances which perhaps gave him strong hunches and a magician’s touch when it came to gold. He had a well-organised and stubborn Moon Saturn in Scorpio in his career 10^th house.

  There are several placings which don’t appear to work as they might be expected to. An ego-centric 1^st house Sun isn’t usually retiring. Venus in the 2^nd can be spendthrift on luxury items which he clearly was not. Neptune in the 8^th can be slippery in financial dealings or impractical.  He wasn’t any of those things apparently. Maybe the Water Grand Trine made him retreat within his own bubble plus three planets in secretive Scorpio. And Saturn in Scorpio damped down any spendthrift tendencies.

  His partnership with Buffett was not exactly a soulmate connection. Though Buffett’s Jupiter conjunct Munger’s pumped-up Pluto would add a magic touch to his power-ambitions. Buffett’s Sun Neptune was conjunct his North Node in Virgo. And Buffett’s Venus South Node in Libra were conjunct his Midheaven – arguably not a bond that did much for Buffett’s spiritual development.

  Their relationship chart did have a lucky, risk-taking composite Jupiter opposition Uranus square North Node – putting them in the centre of the zeitgeist for luck and prosperity.

Interesting that Neptune is highlighted in both charts – and indeed appears counter-intuitively often in top class mathematicians’ charts.

  Interesting chart though I suspect not an altogether pleasant human being.

Lyrical reviews of the the rambunctious life of the late, much lamented, Shane McGowan marvel at his rackety lifestyle while eulogising his songwriting talents. He was celebrated as leader of the folk punk pioneers The Pogues in the 1980s and went the way of many rock wild men down the drink and drug abuse route, losing all his teeth along the way. Despite his grunge Irish image he was born in England and the product of a public school education, winning a literature scholarship to Westminster School and subsequently expelled for being found in possession of drugs.

  He was born 25 December 1957 in Tunbridge Wells, no birth time sadly, though the noon chart does not look unlikely.  He had a Capricorn Sun Mercury trine Pluto sextile Neptune – so did have Capricorn’s driving ambition though also regrettably its overly-indulgent streak (think Elvis Presley). His 6^th house Pluto would hint at a need to look after his health which he blithely ignored, having started on alcohol according to him aged five.  His Pluto square an 8^th house Mars, hinted at a life of gothic drama and aggravation. His Uranus in the 5^th (a classic rock music placing) opposed Venus (Moon) in Aquarius giving him a capacity for friendship though little staying power.

  Tr Saturn has been earlier this year squaring his Mars and opposing his Pluto as he was laid low with encephalitis.  Oddly his Solar Arc Jupiter is conjunct his Mercury as praise is heaped on him with the spotlight of fame bringing him back centre stage.

The death of Henry Kissinger has brought obituaries that stepped across the usual plaudits to describe him as a “notorious war criminal” and “state murderer” according to Rolling Stone, responsible for every death in the final seven years of the Vietnam War. Elsewhere he was described as a  “colossus on the world stage”, a “dominating and polarising force in US foreign policy”. Fox News said he was “revered and controversial, praised by supporters as a brilliant strategist and condemned by critics as a master manipulator”. In France, Le Monde said Mr Kissinger was “scathing, even contemptuous, but he knew how to charm those he needed”, and used a diplomatic technique “between cynicism and seduction, brutality and skill”.

  He was born 27 May 1923 5.30am Furth, Germany, with German-Jewish parents who fled Nazi persecution with the family in 1938. He studied political science at Harvard after doing military service and stayed in academia before becoming Secretary of State under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. 

  He had a 12^th house Sun Mercury in Gemini, making him adept at backroom dealing. But what marked his chart were two other placings. One was a sparsely aspected Mars in Gemini just below his Ascendant, making him adept at communication, uncompromising and a tendency to go non stop. The other even more significant was a Water Grand Trine of an unconventional 10^th house Uranus trine Pluto trine Jupiter in his 5^th, formed into a Kite by Jupiter opposition Venus. Water Grand Trines can be creative or healing or wrap the individual in their own bubble of reality. The Jupiter opposition Venus would give him superficial charm even if his underlying motives were not so amiable. Neptune in the 3^rd would definitely be slippery and evasive.

  He had a reputation as a playboy which his Venus in Taurus Jupiter aspect would feed into. But he was emotionally edgy with his Moon widely conjunct a 5^th house Saturn and trine Mars – so not entirely at ease with women.

   He was an odd mix with Nixon, 9 January 193 9.35pm Whittier Junction, CA.  Admittedly Nixon’s Aquarius Moon was conjunct Kissinger’s Midheaven which makes sense of a political partnership. But Nixon’s ruthless Mars in Sagittarius opposition Pluto collided with Kissinger’s Mars which was mirrored in their relationship chart with a composite Sun Mars square Pluto – as long as the energy was turned outwards into ruthless/brutal/bullying actions their togetherness would be cemented. But if that energy ever turned into their relationship they would have killed each other. Nixon’s Midheaven fell in his 12^th and Nixon’s Capricorn Sun in his 8^th – so much going on in secret to suit Nixon’s Machiavellian tendencies.

  Kissinger was undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with with a strong and fairly brutal global superstar 22^nd harmonic; and a war-mongering 9^th harmonic – power was what he enjoyed wielding. His astrocartography points to Vietnam and China as being his key areas.

Michael Aspel, an amiable TV personality whose laid-back approach made soothing viewing in popular shows like Crackerjack, Ask Aspel, Aspel & Company, Give Us a Clue, This is Your Life, Strange but True? and Antiques Roadshow has an unexpectedly wayward and unconventional chart.

 Now 90 he is looking back on an illustrious career which he never considered a success story. And he regrets his inability to stay within the confines of any of his three marriages. What is more remarkable is that throughout he remained a good and constant father to his seven children from his various short lived matrimonial stints.   He said marriage made him claustrophobic which he put down to his war time evacuation for five years from aged seven to live with an old couple and returned in his teens to a violent parental home.

  Born 12 January 1933 4am London, he has a lucky, successful Jupiter in Virgo on his midheaven conjunct an upbeat and ambitious Mars trine a Capricorn Sun.  His Venus in optimistic Sagittarius was in a sugary sweet square to his Jupiter. All good to cement his guy next door image.

  What stands out in his chart is his Capricorn Sun opposition Pluto Moon in Cancer square Uranus in Aries in his 5^th house of entertainment and children. It could have made him explosive, rebellious, a status-quo upender – instead of which it gave him an unconventional approach to his children. While at the same time allowing him the freedom to pursue an independent emotional life.

  An intriguing astro-oddity.

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  The endgame or grand finale to the Montecito worldwide privacy tour is upon us. Despite all proclamations to the contrary Omid Scobie does appear to have an inside track at least into ancient gripes, not all of which pass the veritas test.

   Reviews of his eagerly anticipated doom-laden treatise on the state of the present British monarchy have been scathing. A “press release cooked up by ChatGPT” read one. “A hit job that reads like a Mumsnet post about the world’s worst in-laws” another. “The reporter’s much-trailed study of the Royal family is laughably partial, devoid of insight and bizarrely misogynistic.”

 And Hilary Rose in the Times witty as ever: “Sit down when I tell you this, but did you know that the royal family are beastly and doomed? Are you as astonished as I am that Harry and Meghan emerge glowing with goodness, like extras from a Ready Brek ad?”

  What intrigues me is not that any of the Monarchy-wrecking four – Princess Diana, Harry, Meghan and Scobie – are Republican, which might at least be understandable. They are driven by ?? payback for family slights. In Scobie’s case payback for being cold-shouldered by his former Royal contacts since his attachment to Meghan mean he burnt his bridges with his Finding Freedom book.

  It’s envy or jealousy that drives them, plus in Meghan’s case an emotional pathology which appears to unleash destruction on any inclusive family relationships in her orbit.

  Scobie’s birth date according to company records is July 1981 and he had a twitter birthday announcement for the weekend of July 4^th some years back. But it could be July 3^rd or 5^th – so thereabouts. That makes him only four weeks older than Meghan, with a Cancer Sun and the same North Node and Venus and in his case Moon in Leo and Jupiter Saturn in Libra.  

  What strikes me is that both he and Meghan have their ‘leadership’ Leo North Node conjunct the UK Jupiter and their Pluto square the UK 10^th house Cancer Moon. The UK Jupiter in Leo can be grandiose and superior; the 10^th house Moon refers to the ruling classes and monarchy.

 Meghan could have hitched her leadership skills to the UK when the Queen handed the young married couple the Commonwealth. Her astrocartography suggests the UK gives her status and a reputation boost. Meghan’s Mars is conjunct the UK Midheaven and her Jupiter sits on the UK Ascendant so it could all have ended very differently.  But it turned into a competition because she wasn’t Queen Bee and then a wrecking mission.

  Harry’s Pluto in Scorpio squares the UK’s Jupiter in Leo so he too has been drawn into a Don Quixote windmill-jousting exercise to try to boost his own damaged self-esteem by deflating the UK’s historical jewel.  

 Diana’s Jupiter in Aquarius opposed the UK Jupiter. Her Uranus was exactly conjunct the UK’s 11^th house Saturn representing the legislature and national institutions as well as hopes for the future. Her rebellious and unorthodox views were bent on upending the old order in a slightly different way.

  All of this is stretching a point but it is always interesting to see what people attack and where it fits into their pathology.

 Scobie’s birth date is iffy but assuming it is there or thereabouts is relationship charts are: dire with King Charles, almost as bad with Camilla, power struggling with Kate and William. If the birth date is sound then his connection to Meghan is under strain as of now and will fall apart from mid 2024 and worse in 2025/26.  

A grim trial is on in France to establish whether the widow of the late Michel Fourniret, France’s most infamous murderer known as the “Ogre of the Ardennes”, was a participant in his crimes or just an enabler. He was eventually caught and jailed for life in 2008 for the murder of seven girls and admitted to three more victims before he died in 2012. Monique Olivier is already serving life from her role in the 17 year campaign of kidnaps and killings since she would entice girls into their van. She met Fourniret after she had written to him in jail while he was serving a previous sentence for sexual assaults.

 She was born 31 October 1948 4.40am Tours, France and is a Sun Scorpio conjunct South Node in Scorpio trine Uranus on her Midheaven. Her Venus in Virgo and Libra Moon would not suggest criminal tendencies but her Mars in Sagittarius trine Pluto, sextile Neptune might.

  Michael Fourniret, 4 April 1942 1am Sedan, France, had a yod of an Aries Sun sextile a high vitality Mars Jupiter in Gemini inconjunct a Scorpio Moon in his 12^th – emotionally disorganized and psychologically maladjusted. He had a dreamy/delusional? Neptune on his Midheaven trine a stubborn Saturn Uranus in Taurus which in turn was square an Venus in Aquarius. A chaotic individual in terms of attachments with his Sun/Moon midpoint opposition Pluto attracting him to intense, power-struggling one-to-one relationships. I have seen more brutal charts but his serial-killer 18H was strong and even more so his pleasure-seeking 9H which can go badly wrong.

  Her Sun/Moon midpoint was close to her South Node and square his Pluto so her primitive tendencies would draw her into his orbit. Her Uranus Midheaven fell in his 8^th so her rebellious instincts would attract her into his darkness.

  Their relationship chart had a volatile composite Mars opposition Jupiter square Uranus opposition Venus so affection would be interlinked with excitement, even violence. There was also a possessive, controlling Moon square Pluto.  Her 9^th and 18^th harmonics are also marked and if anything more aggravated than his.

  The 8^th house not surprisingly shows up in the other two infamous killer couples.

 Clyde Barrow, 24 March 1909 10.55am Telico, Texas, another Aries, had Mars Uranus in his 8^th and his wife Bonny Parker, 1 October 1910 6.02 pm Rowena, Texas, had her Uranus falling in his 8^th – again she would be drawn into his depths. Her Sun Mars in Libra opposed his Sun Saturn in Aries so not exactly a harmonious mix – but with his Sun/Moon midpoint square his Mars Uranus he would not be looking for a peace-loving goody two shoes housewife.  Her Sun/Moon midpoint was conjunct his Mars so she’d enjoy the adrenaline rush.

  Their relationship chart had a difficult and perverse composite yod of Saturn sextile Venus Pluto inconjunct Mars – passion intertwined with cruelty.

  Again their 9^th and 18^th harmonics were strong.

  Child killer Ian Brady, 2 January 1938 12.40pm Glasgow, Scotland, was a New Moon in Capricorn with a pushily confident Jupiter opposition Pluto and a neurotic Neptune opposition Saturn. His Capricorn Sun fell in his girlfriend Myra Hindley’s 8^th – 23 July 1942 2.45am Lancaster, England – and his 4^th house controlling Pluto was conjunct her Cancer Sun conjunct Pluto. She would grew up knowing dominating men and not surprisingly fell in with another of the same ilk. Brady’s Mars in Pisces was conjunct her South Node and her Uranus Saturn was conjunct his South Node   Each brought out the worst in the other. Her Midheaven was conjunct his 10^th house Jupiter so she would revel in his confidence. With her Scorpio Moon in his 7^th there would be a perverse partnership hewn out of it all.

  Again their relationship chart has a composite yod in this instance of Moon sextile Sun inconjunct a lawless Uranus; with a passionate and ruthless Pluto trine Venus sextile Mars. Both died in prison.

Hardly a cheering subject but folie a deux relationships more even than most attract similar to similar.

Fred West, 29 September 1941 8.30am Ledbury, England, who died in prison before he could be tried for at least 12 murders, including family members. His wife Rosemary, 29 November 1953, was imprisoned for her part in the later murders. He was a 12^th house Sun Libra conjunct Neptune; with a troubled 8^th house Saturn Uranus conjunction; and a controlling 10^th house Pluto. My recollection is that Pluto in the 10^th is not infrequent amongst sexually predatory males – it suggests a controlling mother who sets off a defensive pattern in the son to become controlling himself.

 Rosemary has a Sun Sagittarius opposition his Uranus Saturn with her Uranus opposition his Moon and square his Mars in Aries. Her Pluto was square her and his Venus in Scorpio and trine his Mars. She was no innocent enabler and may well have been the stronger of the two. Her North Node in Capricorn was conjunct his Moon and her Virgo Moon was probably conjunct his North Node – tying them into the spirit of the age or at least the tawdry scandal of the decade. I remember her trial which left the UK public sickened by revulsion at the horrific details of torture and murder. She was sentenced just after a Scorpio Solar Eclipse in the dying days of Pluto in Scorpio – which had its final revenge by exposing the depths that human nature can sink to.

  Marc Dutroux, 6 November 1956 7.35am Ixelles, Brussels, serial rapist, killer and child molester, was no better. His girl friend Michaelle Martin, 15 January 1960 9.55am Brussels, was given a lengthy prison sentence for helping him.  He has a 10^th house Pluto with a Scorpio Sun, Mercury and Neptune conjunct his Ascendant with a Sagittarius Moon.

  She is a Sun Capricorn with Saturn Mercury and Mars in Capricorn with her Mars trine her and his Pluto and sextile Neptune.  Her Moon is conjunct his Uranus for a bond which required constant excitement. Their relationship chart had a volatile 8^th house Uranus opposition Mars square Venus.

  It is notable how many of these perverse couplings have afflicted relationship chart aspects. Not soulmates so much as attracted by the other’s and their own damage.

  The Belgian police botched handling of the Dutroux affair brought a White March of protest, again in the mid 1990s as Pluto had just exited Scorpio.