Russia v USA – we’ve been here before

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The USA and Russia are in a new standoff over Syria, with the US breaking off talks and recalling its negotiators from Geneva, and Russia suspending an agreement on the destruction of plutonium and insisting on an end to Ukraine-related sanctions. The German Foreign Minister Steinmeier says that strained relations are worse than during the Cold War.

However there are less apocalyptic voices saying not so. They argue domestic politics are partly to blame for the present tensions. It is important for Obama’s legacy and for Hillary Clinton’s prospects that he does not appear spineless. Putin is struggling to raise national morale in the face of falling in living standards for many Russians. Plus there is a realisation behind the scenes that the two super-powers alone can’t control the Syria situation.

Having said that the relationship charts between the USA 1776 and Russia 1917 and 1991 do indicate deteriorating diplomatic relations especially from mid May 2017 till late 2018 with tr Saturn opposing the composite Sun Saturn on one and opposition Mars on the other. And that could be cued up in the final days of this October into early November with tr Saturn square the composite Sun Saturn and Mars respectively. Plus all manner of other discouraging separating Saturn transits through 2017.

Putin’s personal and Presidency charts are looking very confident and pushy over coming months and through 2017/18 with tr Pluto trine Jupiter in both cases, which may prompt him into taking decisive steps that won’t sit well with the West. He’s coping with myriad problems beside so it won’t all be plain sailing for him. But he certainly doesn’t look as if he’s withdrawing within his own borders and bunkering down.

The Russia 8 Nov 1917 2.12am chart has a financially worrisome tr Neptune square its Jupiter till early 2017; and a seriously stuck, deprived Solar Arc Saturn opposition Pluto by 2018. With a good deal of agitation from 2019 with Solar Arc Uranus square the Russia Mars; and tr Uranus moving to square the Saturn Neptune and then oppose the Sun in the early 2020s – so very unsettled.

The Russia 8 Dec 1991 7.45pm chart has a financial and enthusiasm denting tr Neptune opposition Jupiter through 2017 into 2018; and tr Neptune then moves on to the undermining square to the Sun in 2018/19; plus a jolting shock from Solar Arc Sun conjunct Uranus in mid 2017.

There’ll be a good many internal problems but that is often when leaders look to stir up trouble on the outside as a distraction and to pull national esprit de corps together.

USA Presidential Election Debate – Round Three sinking even lower

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The Mars Pluto conjunction’s brutality, hostility and bad-temper is certainly showing its ugliest face and the  conjunction doesn’t come exact until October 19th, so there’ll be more and possibly worse to come. With a couple of Uranus thunderbolts mid month and on the 29th.

Re-running part of the August 28th post which was headlined ‘Gladiatorial contest gets more vicious into October’ – and how.

The tr Mars tr Pluto in Capricorn will fall in Trump’s grandstanding 5th house so he’s likely to be incandescent with rage and hostility.

Hillary is in worse shape for the two October debates than for the September one. For the October 9th debate: she’s got tr Saturn square her Mars/Neptune which is weak-willed, low energy, feeling inferior or unstable – so not on top confident form. The October 19th debate sees her with tr Saturn square her Jupiter/Uranus – disadvantages, losses, obstinate, inhibited; and square her Neptune/Pluto – pessimistic, muddled, tormented. These midpoint Saturn transits are relatively minor but she’ll be sagging slightly and she’s not a good extempore speaker at the best of times.

Donald Trump has tr Uranus opposition his Mars/Uranus midpoint through October which is inclined to over-react and become aggressively argumentative. Like Hillary he is sagging over October 19th with tr Saturn square his Jupiter/Pluto = unable to make progress, for a few days up to October 28th.

If I may be allowed a personal, non-astro-thought. I’ve walked through the wall of worry on this election. Not that UK politicians are exactly covering themselves in glory. But if the US wants to elect Trump, on their own heads be it. Just remember to pull up the drawbridge after November 8th and protect the rest of the world from the fall out. Hillary may be many shades of awfulness but she has a smidgeon of competence and experience. A dodgy businessman with a hair-trigger temperament and zero political track record really doesn’t cut it.

Theresa May – a wing and a prayer won’t be enough

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The pound may have chuted south last week because of a technical market fault (though it has been drifting down since June anyway and is unlikely to go back up in the short term). But there’s no doubting that UK and global business leaders and others are beginning to get seriously worried about the direction Theresa May’s policies are heading. A hard Brexit means losing half of the UK’s export market, never mind blowing holes in the City of London’s prosperity (and thus decimating tax revenues). And anti-foreigner rhetoric is only likely to harden the EU’s already flinty hearts.

Her birth chart over the next two years shows a mix of great confidence side by side with panic about dashed hopes and plans dissolving under her feet. Her steady-pair-of-hands image may be an illusion which events drive a spear through. She has a singleton Mars in Pisces in an opportunistic opposition to Jupiter natally and that is being seriously shaken first by tr Saturn square Mars from the 19th of this month for about eight days; much worse is tr Neptune conjunct her Mars from April next year on and off till late 2018. That latter is usually straight failure, weak-willed and an inability to make progress. She has on the upside tr Pluto trine her Jupiter and sextile her Solar Arc Jupiter through 2017 which will keep her confidence up and bring some successes. But it will be a struggle. She’ll suffer a major shock of sorts with her Solar Arc Uranus conjunct her Sun in 2018, maybe early or late in the year depending on her birth time.

In addition, transits to her midpoints next year are with one exception bad news – disasters in February and total confusion. That latter rolls on and off till late 2018 and is described by Ebertin as a ‘tragic delusion or deception.’

The CBI (Confederation of British Industry), 30 July 1965, are up in arms and at daggers drawn with her. The relationship chart between the PM and the CBI has a composite Sun Pluto trine Mars, so a brutal and hostile power struggle. The CBI chart looks hugely stressed through 2017 with tr Pluto square their Mars and sextile their Saturn; with a discouraging Solar Arc Saturn square Sun in 2017; a stuck Solar Arc Pluto square Sun in 2017/18; and a real jolt from Solar Arc Uranus square Sun in 2020.

Theresa May has already indicated she’s not overly happy about the Bank of England’s policies and her relationship chart with chairman Mark Carney, much like the CBI is fraught with a Pluto square Mars and that is being steadily undermined by tr Neptune in2017/2018; and ploughing through exceptionally heavy seas (if he stays the course) in 2017/18 with tr Pluto conjunct the composite Saturn.

The Chancellor Philip Hammond, who is murmuring words of caution, is anxious about the buccaneering Brexiteers – Johnson, Fox, Davis – making negotiations more difficult with inflammatory and delusional claims. He clearly favours a ‘soft Brexit’ with access to EU markets. His relationship with Theresa May is inherently friendly but under disappointing, unsupportive influences through till January next year. His own chart is sagging badly right through until late 2017 with tr Neptune square his Sagittarius Sun Mercury.

Theresa May had some real disasters as Home Secretary but seems to have a Teflon knack of emerging unscathed. Whether that will last through her term is questionable.

Donald Trump – unreconstructed and unpenitent

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What’s to say? The lewd sex tape from 10 years back which has Donald Trump boasting about groping women’s genitals and describing women as sex objects who could not resist his advances, has sent the GOP into a tail spin. Even his chosen running mate Mike Pence has backed off. Though it’s a touch late in the day to be thinking of throwing Trump overboard.

Trump even made suggestive comments about his daughter Ivanka’s body. She’s a redoubtable Sun Scorpio with an ambitious and tough-minded Saturn Pluto Jupiter in Libra – 30 Oct 1981. But her relationship chart with her father is beyond difficult with a composite Sun Mars Saturn Uranus – that’s a bucket load of aggravation, unkindness and a volcano waiting to blow.

None of his relationships with three wives are exactly harmonious. With Melania and middle-wife Marla Maples there are strong Pluto Sun aspects on the composite charts – so very controlling marriages. Melania has a Sun Saturn conjunction natally so would be used to being put down as a child. Marla has a Venus square Saturn so attuned being unloved. Ivana, the first wife, has a Sun Mars opposition Saturn natally probably square her Moon – so again used to hard-edged relationships where her needs weren’t considered.

Even Kellyanne Conway’s relationship chart with Trump has a Mars Saturn aspect – which is negative, destructive energy. I’ll bet she’s regretting the move big time since it won’t help either her or Pence’s career for that matter going forward.  Pence’s relationship chart with Trump has tr Pluto moving to oppose the composite Uranus just after mid this week, which could upset the entire applecart.

Warren Beatty – Aries Sun Scorpio Moon with an Airy wife

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Warren Beatty has emerged from family seclusion to make his first movie in a decade – Rules Don’t Apply, described as a biopic about the eccentric, reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes but in reality about two would-be lovers coping with the money and misogyny in late-1950s Hollywood. Beatty plays Howard Hughes in a supporting role.

He is described by Vanity Fair as “one of the most famous actors of the second half of the 20th century, the most talked-about wooer of women in his day and one of Hollywood’s more successful filmmakers.” During nearly 60 years as an actor, director, screenwriter, and producer, he has been nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won best-director Oscar for Reds in 1981. At 54 he married actress Annette Bening and settled down to domestic bliss, raising four children.

Born 30 March 1937 5.30pm Richmond, Virginia (with Shirley MacLaine as an older sister) he grew up in a Baptist family. He has a 7th house Aries Sun and Mercury trine a crusading Mars in Sagittarius; and an experimental Venus Uranus in indulgent Taurus in the 8th. His Scorpio Moon is in a creative, self-protective Water Grand Trine to Saturn Descendant in Pisces trine Pluto, formed into an even more talented Kite by a confidently pushy Pluto opposition Jupiter, making lucky Jupiter the leading planet. His Fire Sun with Water Moon combination is not a comfortable mix – that plus Uranus Venus and in the 8th probably points to why he took so long to settle down.

His wife Annette Bening, 29 May 1958, is a Sun Gemini with probably a Libra Moon conjunct Jupiter opposition her Venus in Aries. She has an inspirational and tough Fire Grand Trine of Venus trine Pluto trine Saturn in Sagittarius; and a disciplined and used-to-hard conditions Saturn square Mars. Her Venus falls on the cusp of his 8th house so there will be a deep emotional connection. Plus a few sparks from her Sun opposition his Mars; and rough edges from her Mars in Pisces conjunct his Saturn.

Their relationship chart is very complicated but knit together. The composite Sun is in an affectionate conjunction to Venus Mercury possibly opposition Moon. There’s a challenging composite Saturn opposition Pluto square Sun and possibly square Moon – so it will be enduring though not always a picnic. The composite Sun is also on the focal point of a Yod to Jupiter sextile Neptune, so although strained at times, there’ll be enough lift from Jupiter Neptune to make it manageable. And given he has a strongly aspected Saturn he will have mellowed and become more sensible as he matured into his older years.

Sarah Jessica Parker – Aries Aries match

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Sarah Jessica Parker has shrugged off her Sex and the City persona to play lead in HBO’s comedy Divorce, about a middle-aged woman, juggling debts, teenage kids and a hang-dog husband negotiating a split.

Born 25 March 1965 9am Nelsonville, Ohio, she’s another Sun Aries conjunct Venus with a deeply buried 8th house Capricorn Moon; with her Moon sextile/trine Saturn in Pisces opposition Uranus Mars Pluto in Virgo, so a challenging emotional life. She was a child actress on stage and screen along with some of her eight siblings.

In real life Parker has been married to actor Matthew Broderick since 1997 and insists she has no plans to leave. Broderick, born 21 March 1962, is another Sun and Venus in Aries with a Libra Moon. Their relationship chart has an affectionate and supportive composite Sun Venus Jupiter trine Mars – so lots of sparks but also morale boosting; though there’s also composite Mars square Pluto Uranus which suggest an undercurrent of aggravation.

More couples have same the sun sign than you might imagine, although traditionally only Scorpio and Aquarius respectively were supposed to be the ones who homed in on the same.

UK economy & politics – TMay and TBlair (urgh)

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The noise around the Brexit-will-it-bankrupt-the-UK debate has an irritatingly low sense-to-sound ratio. I wondered whether Solar Returns for the UK might give any pointers. The 1993 Solar Return when the UK crashed out of the ERM certainly showed up strongly with Uranus Neptune in the financial 8th opposition Mars; with Sun also in the 8th, and Saturn in the 10th square a 6th house Pluto.

Looking back over the recessions of the 20th Century, the Solar Returns do seem to point up a financial crisis with most often Mars in the 8th, sometimes Uranus; though there were a couple which didn’t show up much.

This year the UK 2016 SR (from January 1) has a successful (or confident) Jupiter in the 10th, plus a pressured Sun Pluto in the 2nd. The 2017 SR looks upbeat where international and business finances are concerned with Jupiter in the 8th; though there’s an erratic, insecure Mars Uranus in the 2nd; plus a get-serious Saturn in the 10th. 2018 looks enthusiastic on the speculation front with Mars Jupiter in the 5th; hostile relations with neighbours from Sun Pluto in the 7th which figures; a directionless Neptune conjunct MC and unpredictable Uranus also in the 10th. 2019 looks marginally more ominous with Uranus in the 8th and a worrisome Moon in the 2nd; with a depressed population Saturn in the 4th. 2020 looks challenging but basically OK, as does 2021.

So not much of an indication of a total nosedive there. Where financial unpredictability kicks in will be as tr Uranus moves into the UK 8th in 2019 to stay until 2026/7. That’s not necessarily disastrous, just roller coaster. Especially when tr Uranus meets the conjunction to the UK 8th house Mars in 2021/2 and then continues to rattle round the other UK Fixed planets for several years. That will certainly start with a financial shock of sorts (as well as other effects). The EU is also in serious shtook at the same time as tr Uranus hits their 8th house Taurus Moon and squares their Uranus.

With major aftershocks in 2023/2024 with Solar Arc Uranus conjunct the UK Mars; and Solar Arc Sun square the 2nd house Neptune.

Previous times of tr Uranus in Taurus are not much help since the previous one was conjunct Uranus and square Pluto during WW11; and the one before that in the mid 19th Century was part of a triple conjunction with Pluto and then Saturn.

Before Uranus moves into Taurus in 2018, the UK chart does have some questionable Solar Arcs hitting on the 8th house UK Mars with tr Neptune square the Solar Arc Mars; plus the Bank of England looks to be in some disarray in 2017.

The state of mind of the population is either 4th house or Moon aspects. Tr Pluto now in the 4th until the end of the next decade and tr Saturn moves through the 4th from 2019 to mid 2021 – both of which suggest a fairly tough time then, especially during Saturn’s stay. And even before then tr Pluto opposing the Moon in 2017/18, followed by tr Saturn opposition the Moon in 2019 also points to a challenged and discouraged electorate.

But all in all it doesn’t look like a terminal meltdown. And these influences would still have been in place with or without Brexit, though perhaps taking a different form.

Theresa May’s Government chart will have some wobbles in February 2017 with tr Uranus square the Sun; and a fair amount of confusion and uncertainty through 2017 with tr Neptune square the focal point Saturn; but it’ll also be bullishly confident and probably successful to a large degree with tr Pluto trine Jupiter in 2017/18. The challenges will start to mount with tr Pluto opposition the Govt Sun in 2018/19; and the most likely fall-off-perch-time will be mid 2019 when the Sun moves by Solar Arc to square Uranus exactly.

As if life is not beset by enough horrors, the dreaded Tony Blair’s itchy-fingered megalomania is turning a focus on returning to UK politics, swooping in like batman to save the day. He’s dropping his money-earning work for third world dictators, partly because they’ve stopped piling cash his way, so will have a few hours to spare to save UK Inc. His chart certainly indicates a major change of direction in 2017 with tr Uranus square his Capricorn MC. Regrettably he’s not finished completely, with his peak starting in 2020 for a few years. Though he’s got some devastatingly stuck Solar Arcs across 2017/18 and 2021/22. But he might try.

His relationship chart with the UK is control-freaky to start with – a composite Mercury opposition Uranus squaring onto Mars Pluto; with Saturn trine Mars Pluto – that’s fathoms of hostility. It looks very limp and lacklustre until late 2018 with tr Neptune conjunct the composite Sun Venus, so he won’t make any headway instantly. But it’s just possible his narcissism is such that he throws caution to the winds and arouses a great deal of angst by pushing on in 2019 for a few years.

Twitter – into its swan song phase?

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Could you survive without Twitter? Despite a $15 billion capitalization from its 2013 IPO, it is struggling to find ways of making money on the 300 million who use it. Advertisers are lured away by the 1.7 billion users of Facebook and 500,000 on Instagram, with new competition coming up fast from Snapchat and others. Shares are today down by a fifth amid worries about a lack of takeover interest.

The 7 Nov 2013 10.52am New York IPO chart is certainly in trouble now and through 2017 with tr Saturn square Mars after mid this month; and tr Neptune opposing Mars through 2017/18. There’ll be some lift in Dec/Jan 2017 from tr Uranus square the IPO Jupiter, perhaps if they find an unconventional buyer, but it won’t help thereafter.

The original Twitter chart, 21 March 2006 1.02pm San Francisco, CA, is in no better shape with tr Saturn square tr Neptune hitting on Uranus Mercury square Mars, through 2016/17 with a worse dip in 2018.

Jack Dorsey, the founder, 19 Nov 1976 1.30 am St Louis, Missouri (Sly Schofield), who recently returned as CEO, hasn’t been making much headway with his ambition to monetize and retain control of the company. He’s very up and down through the next eighteen months, panicking at setbacks, but staying bullish throughout. But his relationship chart with Twitter 2006 looks mired in confusion at the moment and there’s a parting of the ways in 2017/2018.

Hurricane Matthew – Haiti & Florida reeling

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Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful Caribbean storm in a decade, has done considerable damage in Haiti, leaving at least 300 dead, and is heading now towards Florida as a Category Three storm (120 mph/190 km/h.)

Haiti is no stranger to tropical hurricanes but has still not recovered from the devastating 2010 earthquake. This September Lunar Eclipse located to Haiti had Pluto conjunct Ascendant square Uranus conjunct IC, so putting it in the centre of the disruptive Uranus Pluto effect.

The Haiti, 1 Jan 1804 independence chart, at the moment has the Solar Arc Saturn opposition the Haiti Jupiter with Solar Arc Mars square Jupiter – so battering at confidence and optimism. With tr Pluto moving this year backwards and forwards in square to the Haiti Uranus, so more jolts and upsets.

The country chart is tough to start with having a Capricorn Sun Mars square Saturn; and sextile Pluto. The January 2010 quake which killed anywhere between 50,000 and 300,000 people happened when the tr Pluto in Capricorn square tr Saturn in Libra was hitting on the Haiti Mars square Saturn, so a brutal outcome.

It isn’t clear who is running Haiti at the moment after the previous President resigned and an interim government was formed. With tr Pluto continuing to square the Haiti Uranus till late 2017 and picking up the conjunction to Mercury in 2017/18 it looks like endless wrangles and an unsettled period ahead.

Florida state, 3 March 1845, is now experiencing the effects of the hurricane with warnings about threat to life. The Solar Arc Mars is square the Florida Pisces Sun, which always accompanies a collision of sorts; with tr Saturn opposition the Solar Arc Mars now, before moving within days to square the Florida Sun. Tr Neptune follows in 2017/18 to conjunct the Sun as well. That may not all be hurricane damage, but it looks less than upbeat.