Marjorie

A bloodless coup in Zimbabwe has effectively corralled the ageing President Robert Mugabe and his profligate wife Grace, who was being lined up as successor. Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose firing as vice-president precipitated the army takeover, told Mugabe that the party was “not personal property for you and your wife to do as you please”. Nearly forty years of disastrous Mugabe rule has left the resource-rich country in economic ruin with money from diamond mines rolling into the pockets of many of his senior aides.

Grace Mugabe, 23 July 1964, is a Sun Leo with Jupiter in indulgent Taurus in a grandiose opposition to Neptune. She has bought homes in Dubai and South Africa, spent £3million of state funds on her daughter’s wedding, acquired a £300,000 Rolls-Royce and her three sons flaunt their wealth while seven in ten citizens are stuck in poverty.

Mugabe took over as president on 4 March 1980. This year tr Neptune has been conjunct the Presidency Pisces Sun, undermining his power. There’s also a Fire Grand Trine of Neptune trine Venus in Aries trine North Node, with Venus opposition Pluto – so controlling and entrepreneurial – though the only people benefitting were those close to the seat of power. Tr Uranus is at the moment hitting on both Pluto and Venus

Zimbabwe became independent at midnight on 18 April 1980 and this was always going to be its most unstable period with tr Uranus conjunct the Aries Sun, having been opposition Pluto in recent times, and about to oppose the MC from early 2018. It’ll be a long haul back to economic prosperity with tr Pluto trine the 8^th house Saturn in 2018/19; and a downbeat Solar Arc Saturn opposing the Zimbabwe Sun within months. The risk is that the replacement rulership will have its own flaws.

Mnangagwa appears to have been born in 1942 or 1946, so no help there. The army General Constantino Chiwenga, 25 Aug 1956, is a confident and tough Sun Jupiter in Virgo with Sun conjunct Pluto; and Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto and triune Mars. Grace Mugabe is popular with younger voters so there’s real danger of a civil conflict on the streets. And she does have tr Pluto trine her Jupiter in 2018/19 so she’ll be in a bullish mood.

Bryan Cranston is getting rave reviews for his performance at the National Theatre as an ageing news anchorman going nuts in Paddy Chayefsky’s prescient 1976 Oscar-winning satire on the state (and future) of American TV.  Told he is being given the sack Howard Beale blithely announces during the ensuing bulletin that he intends to kill himself on air. He becomes a ratings sensation with his catch phrase “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore”. It’s a tilt at the corporate power of the networks, whose only priority is – guess what? – money.

Cranston, 7 March 1956 10.52 am Los Angeles, was brought up mainly by grandparents, and he has described his actor parents as ‘broken people’ who should never have had children. He had a jobbing, low-key career until landing in his fifties the lead of Walter White, chemistry teacher turned meth manufacturer, in Breaking Bad which became a gargantuan hit

He has a 10^th house Pisces Sun, good for movies and a career that brings him public attention. His Moon aspects, not surprisingly with such a disrupted childhood, are stressed with an 8^th house (grandparent nurture) Capricorn Moon opposition Uranus square Neptune opposition Venus in late Aries. Luckily he also has a confident Jupiter Pluto in Leo opposition his MC Mercury in Aquarius squaring onto a 6^th house Saturn in Sagittarius. So very hard working, conscientious, suited to a career with a good deal of variety. A focal point Saturn also often brings success later in life.

When Breaking Bad launched in 2008 tr Uranus was moving through his 10^th house conjunct his Pisces Sun. Uranus is a wild card bringing jolting and unwanted changes of direction for some, and for others a game-changing role. His Solar Arc Mars was also opposition his Pluto which would be challenging with the pressure of work; but whose criminal intent he turned to good use in the role of good guy gone rogue.

He now writes, directs and produces – and is able to pick and choose his roles. He looks set for a long career ahead of him, though with a few emotional bumps and jolts now till the early 2020s with tr Uranus and tr Pluto bouncing off his Moon, Uranus and Venus; and a career dip or two as tr Neptune is conjunct his Moon in 2019.

Jelena Dokic, the former World No 4 tennis player, has revealed in her autobiography Unbreakable how her coach father beat her to the point of unconsciousness when she lost matches, drove her almost to the point of suicide and made her sign all her winnings over to him. Questions are being raised about why more wasn’t done by the tennis authorities to stop him. He was banned from the tennis circuit for six months in 2000 after a series of outbursts, including a physical altercation with a camera crew and smashing a journalist’s phone. He was jailed in 2009 for threatening the Australian ambassador in Serbia with a hand grenade.

Born 12 April 1983 at 9.23am Osijek, Croatia and now an Australian citizen, she has an Aries Sun opposition Pluto which does suggest a controlling, dominating father. Worse her Pluto conjunct Saturn in early Scorpio is opposition Mars in Taurus, which points to a violent, cruel father. Her Sun is trine Neptune and her Aries Moon is trine Uranus Jupiter in Sagittarius, which gives her a healthy dose of Fire signs to give her inspiration, optimism and faith. Like Prince William, she has a Yod focal point Venus in Taurus inconjunct Neptune sextile Pluto, which initially could make her feel awkward and out-of-place in social situations. But ultimately will suit her for a positive role in society, helping others to adjust their values and attitudes.

Nowadays she coaches and commentates on tennis; and is still in contact with her father – her Neptune putting a gloss on the worst of times? She does have a thyroid condition and 2018/19 look fairly challenging with tr Pluto square her Sun and tr Uranus opposition her Pluto Saturn and then conjunct her Mars in 2019. She’ll be a long time healing from that kind of emotional and physical abuse.

American elections are a way of life. No sooner out of one grindingly drawn-out and obscenely expensive steeplechase of a campaign, than everyone is panicking about the next.

The last three presidents, Obama, GWB and Clinton, all had two term stints, before that not so much. What won Trump his first surprise victory in 2016 was a congregation of aspects to his lucky Jupiter. Those influences have now moved away. In November 2020 he does have tr Jupiter Pluto trine his Sun/Moon midpoint (popularity for a politician) and trine his exuberant Mars/Jupiter midpoint; plus a nerve-stretching tr Pluto opposition Mars/Uranus exactly on the election and a deeply frustrating/enraging tr Pluto opposition his Sun/Mars midpoint through 2020 and over the 2021 Inauguration. If his birth time is accurate then the triple conjunction of Jupiter Pluto Saturn are trine his 24 degree Taurus midheaven just after the election and across the inauguration. So he has probably more positives than negatives.

But he still has to get there, physically as well as in career terms. The Solar Arc Uranus conjunct his Mars in early 2018 will rattle him up considerably and could, in a person of his age and unhealthy lifestyle, result in physical problems. Tr Uranus is also square his Pluto through 2020 into 2021 which again can bring massive jolts. And from early 2019 through 2020 he has a hugely discouraging and stressful tr Pluto opposition his Saturn and then Venus in Cancer. Plus a highly-strung tr Neptune square his 10^th house Uranus.

Mike Pence is walking into a swamp from May 2018 onwards till late 2019 with tr Neptune square his Gemini Sun; with a poleaxing Solar Arc Sun conjunct his Uranus in late 2019/2020. Though he might be in better form over the 2020 election with the tr Jupiter Pluto in Capricorn conjunct his Solar Arc Jupiter and opposition his Sun/Pluto midpoint.

Joe Biden will be 78 at the next election, and although hugely determined with Sun, Venus, Mercury and Mars in Scorpio with Mars square Pluto, he’s not in his best of times (birth time being accurate) with tr Saturn still buried in his 1^st quadrant. He looks deflated and sad in 2019 with a couple of difficult Solar Arcs. And although tr Jupiter Pluto will trine his Virgo MC beforehand and impact on his Jupiter in Cancer just after, he does have tr Pluto square his Mars. Neptune midpoint over the election which is usually not great news.

But it’s ways too soon to worry about what may or may not happen in three years time. What is certain is that the USA is going through a hugely challenging, stressful and neurotic time around then. The tr Jupiter Pluto Saturn in Capricorn are all conjunct the USA Pluto and opposition the USA Mercury and trine the US Neptune in Virgo, which will, with hindsight, be a turning point in US history. The USA Mercury opposition Pluto does tend to bring fanatical and right-wing beliefs to the fore.    2019/2020 tr Neptune is in a panicky, uncertain square to the US Solar Arc Saturn – and from spring 2021, even worse, is square the US Mars through into 2022, which will bring a pervasive sense of failure.  So whoever gets in will not be overseeing a happy country. The 2021 Inauguration chart for the next administration, assuming normal dates and times, looks control-freaky and explosive.

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Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law was to be the boy wonder of the new administration fixing a Middle East peace that had defeated multiple presidents, sorting the opioid crisis, reorganising government IT and another ten impossible things before breakfast. Vanity Fair acidly remarked “Given his track record, it’s unclear whether Kushner is even qualified to work as a White House intern — his only two professional achievements of note have been buying and running a newspaper into the ground and running his family’s real-estate business while his father was in prison, striking a deal that a decade later is still haunting his family.” The 5^th Avenue building he bought for $1.8 billion on the eve of the financial crisis, has a 30 percent vacancy rate, an expected loss of $24 million this year, and a $1.2 billion mortgage that is due in February 2019. Despite scouring the world for foreign financiers to fend off his gigantic problem he’s come up empty handed so far. And he’s hovering on the periphery of the Mueller investigation, which could prove an unwelcome distraction from saving the world and refinancing his family empire.

Born 10 January 1981, he’s a Sun Capricorn square Pluto, a chip off daddy’s block; with a stubborn Mars in Aquarius trine Jupiter Saturn in Libra, and a Pisces Moon. This December/January 2018 tr Uranus will oppose his Pluto for some radical changes in his life, and tr Pluto will conjunct his Capricorn Sun from February 2018 to late 2019 which will see him facing a punishing series of challenges. He’s also due an almighty jolt from Solar Arc Sun square Uranus anywhere from mid 2018 into 2019.

His relationship with Donald Trump has a friendly, overly confident composite Sun opposition Venus Jupiter; but also an ego-clashing Mars Neptune conjunction; and more significantly an exact Yod of Pluto sextile Mars (Neptune) inconjunct Mercury. That Yod suggests a relationship that will bring extreme alterations in both of their lives. For Kushner that has already been the case. Though there may be other consequences to come. As if they were fated to be together and fate will dictate what comes next. There’s a fair amount of strain this month with tr Pluto square the composite focal point Mercury; and more of a rift from early 2018 as tr Saturn squares the composite Sun.

There are also indications of a disruption in the relationship chart between Jared and Ivanka this Dec/Jan 2018 with tr Uranus opposing the composite Pluto with a continuing strand of disappointment and failure in 2017and 2018 as tr Neptune squares their composite Sun. Tr Uranus will oppose her Jupiter/Pluto at that point which could suggest some positive outcomes, but she’s on edge through next spring; and generally feeling she’s not on the winning side in 2018/19. With a major shift in their relationship with her father from April 2018 onwards.

The Tweedledum and tweedledee of UK politics, Michael Gove and Boris Johnson, appear to be over their knife-in-the-back mid-2016 spat when Gove wrecked Boris’s chances of running for the Tory leadership, only to run himself and lose. They are back together and have evidently sent Theresa May a secret letter dictating how the cabinet should sharpen up over the Brexit negotiations, i.e. toe their line. A source described it as a “soft coup” against Theresa May and said she was now “their Downing Street hostage”.

To make matters worse, Gove this morning on television muddied the waters over the imprisonment in Iran of Nazanin Zagari-Ratcliffe, by suggesting the government had no idea why she was in Iran, rather than insisting she was on holiday to visit her parents.

Gove, born 26 August 1967 in London, is a Sun Mercury in Virgo, with Uranus Pluto also in Virgo; and a determined and vengeful Mars Neptune in Scorpio. He was born two weeks before Louis CK the US comedian who has admitted to the sexual harassment allegations made against him, with the same Virgo Sun and Mars in Scorpio. Two years earlier in 1965 when Mars was also in Scorpio conjunct Neptune, another two Virgos are also catching the headlines – Kim Davis and Bashar Assad. It makes for an unpleasant combination with alternative outcomes, many of them deeply negative.

Gove looks seriously stuck from early 2018 to late 2019 with tr Pluto square his Mars/Pluto; with a long run of undermining Neptune transits to midpoints from now onwards, the most damaging of which picks up from April next year through 2019.Plus in 2019/2020 tr Pluto squares his Mars/Uranus for a series of disasters.

His relationship chart with Theresa May is fraught and hostile at the best of times with a composite Mars trine Pluto, Mercury, Sun – so an ongoing tussle for the upper hand. It’s at daggers drawn this month, jangling through 2018; with worse in 2019.

His superficially friendly relationship chart with Boris Johnson, with a composite Sun Venus also has an ego-clash Mars square Neptune (one wins, the other feels damaged). Their bubble will burst a touch over the New Year; and a major rift will widen the cracks mid 2018 onwards.

Theresa May’s relationship with Boris, definitely a marriage of inconvenience, is in the mire this month with tr Pluto conjunct the composite Saturn; at odds in March 2018 and spitting teeth by 2019/2020 with tr Pluto square the composite Mars. They were never destined to occupy the same space with comfort with a differing-agendas composite Sun Uranus and an outright-dislike Mars square Saturn.

A bunch of fifth-rate creeps, crawlers and losers intent on NOT governing the country while they fight their petty rivalries for the Tory leadership. What happened to the national interest?

Photos: Suleiman, the Magnificent. Peter the Great of Russia.

History doesn’t repeat itself exactly but it does dance in tune to the recurring cycles of the planets. Both Pluto in Capricorn (every 250 years) and Neptune in Pisces (every 165 years), have on past form been associated with significant Muslim or Middle Eastern rulers and territorial domination often on an astonishing scale by a charismatic leader, who fostered justice, art, learning and culture. Both are in place now till the mid 2020s.

The 16^th century Pluto in Capricorn with Neptune in Pisces also in place saw the rise of one of the greatest Ottoman Sultans – Suleiman the Magnificent of Turkey, who conquered Arabia, defeated Hungary, laid siege to Vienna, ravaged Croatia and conquered Iraq which prospered economically and culturally as does did the rest of his empire.

The largest land empire in history was created by the 12^th Century Mongol Genghis Khan, the Great Khan, during Neptune in Pisces, later expanded by Kublai Khan, his grandson, whose rule culminated in the 13^th century Pluto in Capricorn with dominions stretching from the Arctic to the straits of Malacca, Korea to Asia Minor to Hungary and China. He was renowned for the splendour of his court, Buddhism and learning.

During the 8^th Century Pluto in Capricorn, with the Arab Empire at its political and cultural peak, Haroun Al Rashid (the Upright) becomes the most famous of the Middle Eastern Caliphs with a fabulous court immortalized in the Book of 1001 Nights. He invaded Asia Minor, ruled the Arabs and Persians, defeated the Eastern Roman Empire. Bagdhad, founded as the capital for the Caliphate and flourished into the most splendid city of the period.

Under Neptune in Pisces in 878 the hidden Imam of the Shi’ites disappeared and his followers still await his return.

In the 6^th century, with both Pluto in Capricorn and Neptune in Pisces in place, Chosroes became the greatest of the Persian (Iranian) Kings, promoting agriculture, commerce and science.

Russia also rose to great power, prosperity and culture under Neptune in Pisces with Peter the Great; and under Pluto in Capricorn with Catherine the Great.

The rest of the world didn’t disappear during these periods, since Charlemagne united much of Europe under Pluto in Capricorn at the same time as Haroun Al Rashid. The European Renaissance started as Gengis Khan’s empire spread to the east. And the USA was born as Catherine the Great exerted her will over Russia. Neptune in Pisces also figures strongly in Christian and Buddhist history. But there was a definite upsurge in Middle Eastern confidence, power, prosperity and culture.

Nothing about the past experience of Pluto in Capricorn’s tendency to promote culture, learning and justice has been much in evidence since 2008, though the disruptive Uranus square Pluto, now waning, may have blocked out its finer tendencies. But it does put a different perspective on the rise of Putin in Russia and perhaps of Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.

History is always seen more clearly in hindsight – once rulers have succeeded in making their mark. And there’s no guarantee of an exact reprise, but intriguing to think we could see history in the making.

The indomitable franchise of Star War movies about to see The Last Jedi (number eight) launched this December, followed by SW number nine in 2019; and it is now announced there will be a further trilogy thereafter. Rian Johnson, who directed the Last Jedi has been picked to drive the juggernaut of the as-yet-unnamed new films – which will feature completely new characters in “a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored”.

The first Star Wars premiered on 25 May 1977 with a Gemini Sun opposition a filmic Neptune and trine an influential and lucky Pluto. The combo of Pluto and Neptune usually indicate stratospheric reach and tied into Jupiter and the Sun would make it a sure-fire hit that spread and spread. Plus there were planets in all three Fire signs, making it entrepreneurial as well as inspirational.

The phenomenon was the brain child of George Lucas, 14 May 1944 5.50am Modesto, California, who has seen it through its extraordinarily long run in a series of roles, though he is now in semi-retirement. He’s a stalwart Sun Taurus in a square to flamboyant Jupiter in Leo; with a singleton Aquarius Moon in his 10^th (designed for a public career) opposing Pluto (Jupiter) square Venus Mercury in Taurus. It’s a very Fixed chart, giving him endurance, the ability to last over time. His filmic Neptune is in his 5^th house which rules entertainment; and it is trine Uranus, sextiling on to a doubly influential Pluto. A strong and creative chart.

Rian Johnson, 17 December 1973, is a Sun North Node in Sagittarius trine Mars in Aries, which in turn opposes Uranus – so colourful, dynamic, risk-taking, enjoys excitement. His Pluto (Moon) in Libra is in a powerfully lucky trine to a charming Jupiter Venus in Aquarius, sextiling onto Neptune Mercury in Sagittarius. Plus he has a rock-solid T square of Saturn opposition North Node square Pluto – so he’s good for the long haul and copes well rolling crises. His chart is not dissimilar to Taiki Waititi’s, the Thor Ragnorok director. Directing a blockbuster movie is a mammoth task.

The Last Jedi, started Principal Photography on 15 Nov 2015 at Pinewood, Eng, which had a Jupiter trine Pluto, always an encouraging aspect. Though the release date of 15 December 2017 may not quite live up to expectation, or it may be damped down by outside circumstances a week after it opens, since the Sun then is conjunct Saturn as both move into Capricorn, making for a downbeat run into Christmas. But tr Jupiter will move to firm up a sextile to Pluto, and there is a Fire Grand Trine in place, which will help to keep it on track.

The Middle East is on tenterhooks, anticipating what comes next after a series of shock moves by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His sudden purge imprisoned high ranking Saudi princes and businessmen, and blew one out of the air while trying to escape by helicopter. He appears to have forced the Lebanon PM to resign on a specious excuse, it is thought as a way of moving against Lebanon-based Hezbollah who are funded by Iran. He is cosying up to Israel’s Netanyahu as an unlikely ally, possibly with an eye to getting Israel to fight a Lebanon war for him. Macron has shot across to Riyadh to argue support for Lebanon, since the French were formerly the colonial overlords.

His reckless and failed war in the Yemen, seen as a proxy dispute with Iran, has cost Saudi Arabia many billions and is not only unwinnable it has been inhumanely destructive, resulting in the worst outbreak of cholera in modern history, with a million cases expected by the end of the year and at least 600,000 children likely to be affected. Now he has blocked access to airports, seaports and land crossings into Yemen, which could bring millions of people closer to “starvation and death.” At the moment about two-thirds of Yemen’s population relies on imported supplies. 20 million people need humanitarian assistance, including seven million facing “famine-like” conditions.

And Bin Salman is best buddies with Jared Kushner with Trump as his cheer leader, who supported his earlier moves against Qatar and Al Jazeera.

Both Iran country charts, 1906 and 1979 look in for an uncertain, undermining two to three years ahead. With 2019 showing up for them, and on many of the regional relationship charts, as the key stress point, when the warlike tr Saturn Pluto conjunction is in place.

The détente between MbS and Netanyahu may not survive 2018, but that could be because of political changes in Israel. Israel and Saudi Arabia are not natural allies with a composite Sun opposition Uranus and a power-playing Pluto opposition Jupiter in their relationship chart. That link will be undergoing radical changes through 2018/19; with later 2018 and 2019 especially looking hugely unsettled and less than enamoured as time wears on.

Add on: Hezbollah has strengthened in recent years through the Syria War, backed by Iran, and improved its weaponry. Founded 16 February 1985, a few months before MbS, it has the same confidently-pushy Jupiter in Aquarius square Pluto in Scorpio, with Pluto trine a late Aquarius Sun, sextiling onto Neptune – a force to be reckoned with. The Sun Mercury are on the focal point of a Fixed T Square to Saturn in obsessive Scorpio opposition a Taurus North Node – strong self-belief and not inclined to give way. Plus a pro-active, excitable Venus Mars in Aries in a high-adrenaline trine to Uranus.

That chart will have an uptick at times through 2018, though moments of deep uncertainty at the start and finish of the year. But looks completely floored in 2019 with Solar Arc Saturn conjunct Neptune and Solar Arc Sun square Neptune; and a total-disruption tr Uranus opposition Pluto.

The relationship chart with Saudi Arabia look bumpy now and early 2018; with more obvious pressures and differences in 2019/2020.

The Hezbollah/MbS relationship chart gets more panicked from April 2018 onwards; with a sharp deterioration in 2019.

The Yemen is one proxy war; Syria was another with Russia pitching in its tuppence worth along with the Iranians for Bashar Assad. So the real risk is that the rest of the world will get drawn into yet another Middle East maelstrom which purports to be about the Sunni/Shia split but is in reality about territorial power plays.