Marjorie

Barack Obama’s attempt to fulfil his promise to close Guantanamo Bay has moved a small step forward with 15 detainees going to the United Arab Emirates. It leaves 61 there but with the Republican Senate and Congress against closure and transfer of prisoners to US prisons, he may not manage it. Since 2002, 779 have been held there with the majority being released in GWB’s time, of whom a definite 21% went back to terrorism, with another 14% probables. Of releases under Obama, 5% were confirmed to have returned to militant activity and 8% suspected of having done so. Obama says it is  contrary to US values, undermining the nation’s standing in the world and it fuels the recruitment of jihadists; as well as being expensive – $445m annually.

Guantanamo Bay was established by executive order on 12 December 2001 under the war-conditions Saturn in Gemini opposition Pluto, with Pluto conjunct Sun and Venus – so repressive, controlling, bleak. Saturn opposition Venus square Mars in Pisces – gave it a military flavour, along with a cruel streak.

The Guantanamo Sun Pluto squares onto Obama’s 8^th house Mars so will stir up deep feelings of anger; with the Guan Saturn square his Pluto; and the Guan Mars opposition his Pluto – so a matter of huge frustration, an obstacle that maybe can’t be overcome.

He’ll keep pushing mightily with tr Pluto squaring the composite Pluto on the relationship between him and Guan through this December.

The Guantanamo Bay chart, has tr Neptune square to Saturn chipping away at the Venus Pluto Saturn from now till November; with tr Saturn conjunct the Sagittarius Sun in December – so who knows? He might just make it; or close enough to ease his conscience.

Radical UK cleric Anjem Choudary has finally been convicted and may face a 10 year jail sentence for inviting others to support ISIS, under the Terrorism Act. Counter-terrorism chiefs have spent two decades trying to bring Choudary, to trial, blaming him, and the organisations he helped to run, for radicalising young men and women. The killers of soldier Lee Rigby were amongst his supporters. He is a Salafi Wahabi Islamist, who preached that the Muslim faith should “dominate the whole world”.

Born 18 January 1967 in London, from a family of Pakistani origin, he partied and drugged his way through a year of Med school, before switching to law.

He does have an extraordinary chart with a three-quarter Grand Sextile, a Mystic Rectangle and a Cardinal Grand Cross – so undoubtedly has abilities, though clearly channeled in the wrong directions. His Sun Mercury in Capricorn opposes Jupiter squaring onto Mars and probably opposing an Aries Moon. He has two oppositions Sun Jupiter as well as Saturn in Pisces opposition Uranus Pluto which are trine/sextile each other; with a sextile/trine to Neptune making up the other leg of the almost Grand Sextile. His Venus in Aquarius is trine Mars and may be sextile his Moon – for a hugely complicated chart. Overflowing with restless initiative, a chancer with an emphasised Mars Jupiter; controlling, rebellious and determined.

His Neptune aspects almost every other planet, exacerbating his visionary tendencies, which are fuelled by his aggressive and power-hungry drives to destructive ends. His Neptune is also conjunct the ISIS focal point Jupiter; and his Venus in Aquarius is conjunct the ISIS Neptune. The ISIS Sun Mars in Libra is conjunct his Mars and in hard aspect to the rest of his Grand Cross, triggering his urge to aggressive action. A cross-over of perverted spirituality and blood lust.

Worryingly, his chart looks remarkably cheerful, lucky and go ahead over the next three or more years with tr Uranus squaring his Jupiter in 2018 along with a super-confident Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct Pluto. Either what’s going on out in the world pleases him or he’s busy brewing up more trouble inside.

Superlatives were being heaped on Charlotte Dujardin for her flawless display in the esoteric sport of equestrian dressage, winning her a third Olympic Gold on Valegro (known around the stable as Blueberry).

“She is the Simone Biles of the parade ring, the Usain Bolt of horse disco, the Michael Phelps of the piaffe. She is less a sports person than an artist show woman of finesse, dexterity and absolute, total control.”

“She has raised the bar for the sport and confirmed her status as its great innovator and current all-round superstar.” She’s the most successful British dressage rider in the history of the sport and the winner of all major titles and world records in the sport.

Born 13 July 1985 just outside London, she grew up in a pony-mad though not rich family, joined a dressage stable as a groom and went on from there.

She’s got an enormously determined, disciplined and obsessively conscientious chart as befits this most exacting of sports. Her Sun Mars in Cancer are trine Saturn in Scorpio; with Saturn in a Fixed Grand Cross opposition North Node (Moon) in earthy Taurus square Mercury opposition Jupiter in Aquarius.

Valegro was foaled in the Netherlands on 5 July 2002, so has a Cancer Sun like Charlotte, and, even more helpful, his exuberant Jupiter Mars in Cancer are conjunct her Sun Mars. Their relationship chart has an affectionate composite Sun Venus conjunct pro-active Mars, all in a controlled, possessive trine to Pluto and opposition a creative Uranus Neptune conjunction. There may also be a composite Moon Jupiter trine Saturn – a great mix of closeness and discipline in a sport that relies on a working partnership.

Another success story from unlikely beginnings is Brit Laura Trott, 24 April 1992, a track and road cyclist, with three Olympic Golds to her credit and 20 golds in all. She was born prematurely with a collapsed lung and later developed asthma which stopped her trampolining but not, for some reason, scaling the heights in cycling.

She’s an earthy Sun Taurus trine Jupiter in Virgo; with a formidable mini-Grand Trine of Pluto trine Mars in Pisces sextiling onto Uranus Neptune in Capricorn; and a tough-minded Pluto square Saturn in Aquarius.

Just goes to show there’s little to stop those with drive and talent from getting to the top.

An unwelcome distraction for Donald Trump, with polls already falling, is a New York Times story which turns the focus on his campaign manager Paul Manafort’s business dealing with the deposed pro-Russian Ukrainian President Yanukovych. Ukrainian government investigators say Yanukovych ran a corrupt network which looted Ukrainian assets and influenced elections. Manafort’s name appears in a ledger of an illegal off-the-books cash system, though he denies ever receiving the $12 million which was itemised. Manafort has done business with Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch and close friend of Putin. And he helped Yanukovych’s administration draft a report defending its prosecution of his chief rival, Yulia V. Tymoshenko, in 2012, who spent nearly three years in prison on charges most thought trumped up.

Manafort, 1 April 1949, was an adviser to Gerald Ford, Reagan, GHW Bush, as well as a lobbyist for Congo’s Mobutu and Angola’s Savimbi (both African anti-communist leaders supported by the US); and Ferdinand Marcos, the corrupt and kleptocratic (= rule by thieves) dictator in the Philippines. Mobutu was also notorious for corruption, nepotism and embezzlement. Charming clients.

Manafort is a go-ahead Sun Mars Venus in Aries opposition Neptune and trine Pluto – so definitely ambitious on a stratospheric scale; with his Jupiter in money-minded Capricorn on the focal point of a Yod inconjunct Uranus sextile Saturn in Virgo, so an erratic risk-taker. Such a Yod focal point Jupiter can have a significant influence on society but can also be brought down by Jupiter’s Icarus tendencies to fly too high and then come crashing down.

He’s got nothing too catastrophic on his chart at the moment (without birth time) but does have a fair few mid-points as well as Solar Arc Venus, Mars, Sun picking up the tr Saturn opposition from late September and through the election, which will be deflating.

His relationship chart with Trump has a tough, bull-dozing composite Sun square Saturn Pluto – good for moving huge enterprises ahead, but not friendly, with the potential for strain and resentment. With a fairly explosive composite Mars Uranus conjunction though that’s not being much affected until next year. The composite midpoints look aggravated in September and downbeat in October.

Manafort’s Sun Mars Venus fall in Trump’s 8^th house so a very secretive relationship with the focus on joint finances; and Manafort’s Uranus is conjunct Trump’s Sun so not ideal for co-operation. With Manafort’s Saturn on Trump’s Ascendant, he’ll certainly try to damp down Trump’s impulsiveness tho’ it could work the other way as well – with Trump feel his image is being diminished by him.

Jamaica’s exuberant and crowd-adoring Usain Bolt became the first athlete to win three Olympic 100m titles by beating American Justin Gatlin, repeating his 2008 and 2012 successes.

He’s a flamboyant Leo, who according to his father hates to lose; with an adventurous Jupiter (Moon) in Pisces square Uranus.

He’s got a wide-ish Fire Grand Trine from his Sun trine North Node in Aries trine Uranus, with Mercury also in Leo and Saturn in Sagittarius – so overflowing with inspirational, confident and demanding-of-attention fire energy.

And the Somalian-born, Mo Farah, became the first British track and field athlete to secure three Olympic golds  by winning the 10,000 metres, repeating his 2012 success where he also won the 5000 metres.

He’s a Sun Aries trine a lucky Uranus Jupiter in Sagittarius; with Neptune also in Sagittarius and Mars in Aries opposition Pluto – so not short on Fire either.

What’s intriguing .is that both have their Mars/Jupiter midpoint in mid Aquarius, which is very much a top athlete’s placing. Mo Farah also has his Sun/Neptune and Mars/Uranus there as well.

Bolt has his Sun trine Neptune; while Farah’s Sun squares Neptune; and both have Jupiter Uranus highlighted. How to grow a perfect athlete.  Farah’s Mars opposition Pluto is perhaps a testimony to the brutal training conditions he has to undergo for distance races as well as the mental stamina required, over and above the norm for top class sportspeople.

While all eyes are on Rio, tensions are mounting on the defacto border with Crimea, with the Ukraine government saying 40,000 Russian troops are massed there and sending their own tanks in response to their own side; and insisting that Russian claims about a recent incursion by saboteurs is just a pretext for escalating the situation. Russia annexed the Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 despite U.N. condemnation; and has announced military exercises there next week to simulate an attack by weapons of mass destruction.

Putin invaded Georgia during the Beijing 2008 Olympics over the separatist South Ossetia squabble; and annexed Crimea immediately following the Sochi Winter Olympics.

The Ukraine 24 Aug 1991 2.31pm Kiev chart looks on highest alert with a scary-collision Solar Arc Sun conjunct its Mars now; and a devastating and confused tr Pluto conjunct Neptune from Sept 8^th to early October. There’s an unsuccessful tr Saturn square Mars/Jupiter late Aug into September this year; extremely high-risk and fear in November and Feb 2017; and a good deal of anxiety and not much good news through 2017.

The Russia 1917/Ukraine 1991 relationship chart has a bitterly hostile composite Mars Pluto conjunction which tr Pluto was trine over the annexation of Crimea; and now the tr Saturn square tr Neptune is square and opposition that Mars Pluto, causing panic, fear and a shift in the balance of power. Tr Neptune runs right through till early 2019 opposing the composite Mars, so there’s nothing likely to be settled amicably anytime soon.

Vladimir Putin’s Presidency chart, 7 May 2012 12.10pm, looks very gung-ho at the moment with the Solar Arc Sun approaching the Jupiter over coming months, so he’s likely to be acting with great confidence; and his usual disregard for international rules and niceties. That chart looks very tense at the moment as well with tr Uranus opposition Saturn; and not altogether successful with tr Neptune square tr Saturn hitting on the Solar Arc Mars. Though the Russian economy is in trouble which may be part of the sense of failure with an unhappy internal population.

The September Virgo Eclipse tied into Mars Saturn and Neptune is conjunct Mars on the presidency chart which usually leads to outbursts of anger or aggression.

Putin’s personal chart is under immense, discouraging and destabilising pressure for several years with his Libra (Sun) Saturn Neptune Mercury square Uranus catching the tr Pluto square tr Uranus. What is worrisome is that from March 2017 for two years tr Pluto will trine his Jupiter in Taurus, bringing over-confidence as well, which is likely to push him a step too far. It’s likely to end in failure as his Solar Arc Neptune moves to conjunct his Mars in early 2018, but he could do a deal of damage before he gets there.

With better than expected results from the Olympics for Brit competitors – third to US and China at the moment, who’d have thought it? – and the PM off walking in the Swiss Alps, the Brexit panic has subsided temporarily. Except for a leaked letter from International Trade Secretary Liam Fox saying the Foreign Office (aka Boris Johnson) should give up future economic policy with other countries and presumably hand it over to him, and just focus on MI6 and GCHQ. According to reports, Boris demurred no doubt trenchantly, Whitehall went into shock and Theresa May was less than impressed. So the as-expected squabbling between the unlikely three Brexiteers – Johnson, Fox and Davis – has got under way more or less from the get-go.

Theresa May is now much more popular in the polls than Boris but it’s early days yet. Her Government chart, 13 July 2016 5.44 pm London, suggests a term of rolling crises with a Sun opposition Pluto square Uranus. That will get seriously unsettled from Feb 2017 onwards with tr Uranus square the Sun. There are already indications of No 10 micromanaging other departments which is not surprising with a secretive 8^th house Sun opposition Pluto but it will cause resentment, especially with a 12^th house Mars in Scorpio. And discretion is unlikely to be a feature of this government with a focal point 5^th house Uranus onto a T square and a Yod – there will be rebellions.

Even before then, from Aug 18^th tr Neptune moves to square the Saturn; with tr Saturn square Neptune from late September – so uncertainty and confusion, with tr Neptune around until Feb 2017. Plus a confidence-deflating tr Saturn square Jupiter after mid November this year.

None of the above relationships are remotely easy. In Boris’s case, Theresa May’s Saturn in obsessively conscientious Scorpio opposes his focal point Mars in Gemini; and her Mars opposes his Pluto – she’ll squelch his wayward tendencies which will arouse his resentment and hostility. Their relationship chart is the most fraught with her of the three Brexiteers with tensions mounting from January and exploding in February 2017.

Boris and Liam Fox certainly dislike each other with a composite Sun Mars opposition Saturn square Neptune in their relationship chart – bitterly argumentative and suspicious.

Theresa May is as much at odds with David Davis (Brexit negotiater) as she is with Boris. There’s a power-struggling composite Mars opposition Pluto and a tension-erupting Saturn square Uranus, which latter will produce upsets from Jan 2017 onwards as tr Pluto opposes the Uranus and squares Saturn, repeating till late 2017.

The other relationship which is always/usually problematic is between the PM and Chancellor of the Exchequer, in this case, Philip Hammond. He’s known as ‘reassuringly boring’ and a safe pair of hands, much in line with her reputation. But his Sagittarius Sun does square onto her surprisingly adventurous Mars opposition Jupiter, which means he may put the brakes on some of her schemes, which is unlikely to go down well. He looks disheartened and uncertain at the moment until early 2017 with tr Neptune square tr Saturn in hard aspect to his 11 degree Sag Sun. That’s reflected in his relationship chart with Theresa May with the composite Jupiter at 9 Virgo, being undermined until mid Jan 2017. Thereafter (without birth times) there’s not much sign of trouble between them until 2018, when major differences will appear as circumstances change fairly dramatically.

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Queen Victoria, that iconic prude, seems to have had a truly eye-blinking love life. A new TV drama series focusses on the 18 year old Victoria, newly enthroned and enraptured with Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister, forty years her senior who mentored her until her marriage to Albert two years later. Her teenage diaries make it clear quite what a crush she had on Melbourne and she was taunted at one point publicly as ‘Mrs Melbourne’. He was described as a “man of easy virtue, indolent, living a life of fashionable gaiety, handsome, with a mellow voice, a cheerful temper and a cordial frankness of manner”. He was married to the infamous Lady Caroline Lamb who ran off with Byron and wrote a scandalous book about the affair.

Victoria was born 24 May 1819 4.15am London, had a dreadfully suffocated childhood under the iron grip of her ambitious mother from whom she escaped once crowned. She was a New Moon Gemini conjunct her Ascendant from the 12^th; with successful Jupiter in Aquarius in her 10^th; Mars and Venus both in passionate, upfront Aries; and a tricky, unstable Uranus Neptune in her 7^th house of close relationships square a bleak Saturn Pluto in Pisces. More of a wild child than history has deemed her to be.

Melbourne was born 15 March 1779 and was a Sun Mercury in Pisces square Uranus, and trine Saturn Mars in Scorpio, so his laid-back charm hid a good deal of anger, hurt and quite a dark streak. His seductively charming Venus Pluto in Aquarius was conjunct Victoria’s Midheaven in her 10^th, so he would be quite a dominant figure for her and more manipulative than she would understand. His Jupiter in Virgo and Neptune both fell in Victoria’s 5^th house of fun so he’d undoubtedly be good at morale-boosting the ingenue Queen who had never really enjoyed life before.

But with his Pisces Sun conjunct her Saturn Pluto and square her Uranus Neptune, it was never designed to last.

Their relationship chart has an electric composite Venus Uranus conjunction which often turns up for instant attraction, which switches off as quickly as it came – not designed for the long haul. The composite Sun was square Saturn, a hint about the age gap and also the focus on work. Plus a composite Jupiter square Pluto which often starts with a sense of adventure but ends up in a struggle for the upper hand. When she married in 1840, tr Saturn had moved to square the composite Venus Uranus conjunction, as Victoria fell deliriously in love with her new husband. Though that was never the picture book romance she made it about to be.

Thomas Gibson, lead actor in the TV series Criminal Minds since 2005 (previously Chicago Hope, Dharma and Greg) has had his contract summarily terminated because of scuffle with one of the show’s producers last month. According to Variety this is a third strike offence and he’s out, leaving the show writers with a headache.

Born on the same day as Tom Cruise, 3 July 1962 he’s a Sun Cancer in a confident, lucky trine to Jupiter in Pisces and trine Neptune in Scorpio, formed from that Water Grand Trine into a Kite with Jupiter opposition Pluto – creative, overly confident, at times a touch pushy with Jupiter Pluto, thinking rules don’t apply to him. His Mars in determined Taurus is in a volatile square top Uranus Venus in Leo – so he will have a short trigger and not always be sensitive, with Venus and Mars in hard aspect, to other’s needs. His Sun sits exactly conjunct his Mars/Uranus midpoint as well as being semi-square Mars and his Pluto is square his Mercury/Mars midpoint – so again a short fuse.

He’s had tr Pluto opposition his Solar Arc Mars and his Mars/Pluto midpoint this year, continuing into next, both of which produce major frustrations. But he’ll get an uplift from tr Pluto square his Mars/Jupiter from March 2017 onwards for two years, so it won’t be complete devastation.