Marjorie

 

Birth of a Nation, a movie loosely based on the life of Nat Turner, an African-American, who led a slave rebellion in 1831 in Virginia, was sold for mega millions at Sundance, has won two awards already and goes on release this October. The star and director, Nate Parker, is mired in controversy over a 1999 college allegation against him of raping a drunk, unconscious woman who suicided in 2012. He was found not guilty, having had a relationship with her before and has been supported this week by former classmates upset at “the gross and blatant misinformation campaign” against him.

Nat Turner, 2 Oct 1800, was highly religious and had visions which he believed were God’s message to tell him what to do. In 1831 the February Aquarius Solar Eclipse was a visible from Virginia which he thought showed a black man’s hand moving across the Sun; shortly after the August 1831 Leo Solar Eclipse which showed up blue-green, he started his revolt against slavery, gathering together slaves and free blacks, armed initially with farm implements and later with horses and guns, which resulted in the deaths of around 60 white people; and in retaliation more than 200 blacks were killed by white militias and mobs. Turner was eventually captured and hanged. Legislation, at the time and subsequently, denied free blacks trial by jury, or education, withdrew their right to bear arms, and to vote.

Nat Turner was a Sun Libra; with a Fixed T Square of Neptune in Scorpio opposing Mars in Taurus (conjunct Algol) square Saturn in Leo – certainly angry, wanting respect with Saturn in Leo; and with executive ability with a focal point Saturn. He also had a Yod of Jupiter in Leo sextile Uranus (Mercury) inconjunct Pluto, which would make him intense, given to extreme views, an obsessive seeker after new ways of organizing society, with a tendency to undermine authority.

When he launched the rebellion he was just passed his First Saturn Return which is always a significant turning point; with the Feb 1831 Solar Eclipse in Aquarius opposition Saturn in Leo triggering his angry and ambitious Fixed T Square; with a challenging tr Pluto opposition his Sun; and a discouraging tr Saturn conjunct Solar Arc Jupiter (on one leg of the Yod). The second Leo Solar Eclipse that year in August was square his Neptune, with the tr Node about to conjunct his Saturn. So it would trigger his mission to change the world.

Nate Parker, 18 Nov 1979 Norfolk, Virginia, a former college wrestler and major in management science and information systems, is a super-determined and rebellious Sun Uranus Mercury (and Moon) in Scorpio square Mars in Leo. His Sun opposes Algol and his Mars is conjunct Regulus.  Not a small personality and he clearly identifies with Turner.

When the alleged rape happened in Aug 1999, tr Pluto was square his Jupiter and tr Mars in Scorpio was square his Mars – so a hyper and over-confident time.

He’s got the tr Neptune square tr Saturn in hard aspect to his Mars/Saturn midpoint at the moment and through into 2017 which will induce depression and concern. But he’s also got a couple of strong tr Pluto aspects to Jupiter midpoints and his Solar Arc Jupiter, so he’ll pick up and push on. He’s married now with five daughters.

Whatever his misdemeanours (or not as the case may be) the Birth of a Nation is a forgotten piece of the American story that deserves a telling. The Daily Beast has a useful piece: goo.gl/idQuZY

 

South Africa is not only teetering on the brink of being downgraded economically to junk status, with soaring unemployment and zero growth; but of heading into a protracted period of political and social turmoil. In recent elections the ruling ANC had its worst result in 22 years since the end of apartheid, losing control of all major cities to the opposition.

President Zuma has reacted by refusing to interfere in what most say are trumped up charges against the Finance Minister and seizing control of the economy himself. A South African commentator wrote in Business Day, based in Johannesburg: “This unschooled man has pronounced himself commander-in-chief of the economy. In doing so, he has grabbed control of all the big state feeding troughs on which the ‘tenderpreneurs’ have been engorging themselves since he came to power seven years ago. There will now be no restraining them.”

The South Africa 27 April 1994 12am chart has tr Neptune conjunct its 2^nd house (financial) Saturn now until early 2017; with this September Virgo Eclipse in opposition from the 8^th – which looks critical for business finances. With the Solar Arc MC conjunct Pluto, exact in 6 months’ time, which looks blocked and could be some kind of government meltdown. Tr Uranus will be in a highly strung square to Neptune and Uranus in 2017/2018 – so high anxiety and disruption. Then tr Pluto moves to conjunct Neptune and Uranus between 2019 to 2022 which looks like a catastrophic upheaval, so nothing sorted anytime soon.

The South Africa 31 May 1910 chart looks worse if anything in the coming years. The 9 degree Gemini Sun is picking up the tr Saturn square tr Neptune through coming months as well as being squared by the September Eclipse. Then from January 2017 tr Pluto is opposing the SA Neptune Mars till late 2018 which is high-risk, devastating, stuck every which way; and tr Uranus returning to square Uranus early 2017 and on till early 2018 which could see civil strife breaking out. Plus a dangerous, high-anger Solar Arc Mars opposition Saturn in late 2017/18. Then tr Pluto will follow to conjunct Uranus in 2020/21, having moved across the square to the Mars Neptune Pluto midpoints inbetween.

Jacob Zuma’s 2^nd Term chart, 24 May 2014 11.35am launched on a rolling-crises Cardinal Grand Cross of a pushily-confident, unconcerned-with-rules-and-regulations Pluto opposition Jupiter square Uranus Moon opposition Mars. The Solar Arc Pluto has moved to square Uranus exactly this year so it is at its most unstable; with tr Pluto also square Uranus at the moment and again Oct/Nov; though he’ll likely try to brass-neck it out with even more outrageous behaviour as tr Pluto hits the Jupiter/Pluto midpoint and Jupiter now and across 2017/18.

His own personal chart has a 21 degree Aries Sun which tr Uranus will conjunct again in Feb 2017 which might just unseat him. Though he does look suspiciously upbeat through 2017/18.

 

A second Scottish independence referendum has become more remote with the latest economic figures showing a glaring deficit in the Scottish budget – spending £14.8 billion more in 2015-16 than was raised in taxes. This is equivalent to 9.5 per cent of Scotland’s Gross Domestic Product, more than double four per cent for the UK as a whole, and treble what the EU expect. Scotland contributed 7.9 per cent of UK tax and received 9.1 per cent of UK spending, which is £1,200 per person greater than the UK average.

Nicola Sturgeon’s Term chart 12 May 2016 9.35am Edinburgh, has a high-hopes-dashed Neptune opposition Jupiter squaring onto a setback-prone Mars Saturn conjunction. There is a fairly solid Earth Grand Trine of Pluto trine Jupiter trine Venus Mercury – but that is being undermined at the moment by tr Saturn square Jupiter; and worse in 2017/18 as tr Neptune opposes Jupiter and then moves on to square Saturn.

Her own personal chart, 19 July 1970 3.16pm Irvine, Scotland, is sagging and under pressure at the moment with tr Saturn square tr Neptune in hard aspect to her Solar Arc Sun through into early 2017; and a frustrated, stuck tr Pluto trine Solar Arc Mars through till early December. With a major jolt from Solar Arc Saturn square her Uranus, exact in three months which may put the nail on her reformist instincts. Plus an angst-ridden, argumentative Solar Arc Mercury conjunct Pluto, exact in 8 months. Tr Saturn still in her lower-profile first quadrant is having the expected effect of making success elusive.

There are major problems affecting Scottish education, the NHS and the Police, which will all take money and better management to fix.

 

The earthquake in Italy this morning at 3.36am local time, near Perugia, has left at least 73 dead with 150 missing.

It happened as the tr Mars tr Saturn was close to exact (11 minutes, approx. one sixth of a degree) and conjunct the Fixed Star Antares, which is thought to have a destructive side.

This quake was similar in intensity to the 6 April 2009 Italian l’Aquila quake which killed 309, and occurred on a Saturn opposition Mars Uranus.

And the catastrophic series of quakes in 1703 which set off on 14 Jan 1703, and may have killed as many as 10,000, started with Mars conjunct Saturn Jupiter Neptune in Aries.

So Mars Saturn certainly a signature – and there was another earthquake today in central Myanamar that was felt as far away as India and Thailand.

The even more devastating 13 January 1915 Avezzano earthquake did not have a Mars Saturn signature, except in the 18^th Harmonic (and 9H) where there was a Mars Saturn North Node sextile Uranus with Uranus conjunct Pluto). The 18H is reflective of natural disasters. This quake happened on the approaching tr Saturn conjunct tr Pluto which is redolent of deprivation, hardship and war-like conditions.

On the 1703 and 2016 charts the Saturn/Pluto and Mars/Pluto midpoints are conjunct, 9 Gemini and 27 Sag respectively; and in the 2009 quake chart they are square. So down in the minutiae there’s a build-up of high-risk, destructive energy.

 

Nicolas Sarkozy has bounced back into French political life running in the primary for the centre-right party leadership, which votes this November, in preparation for the Presidential election next April/May. He’s running on a nationalist ticket, emphasising French identity and way of life, hoping to eat into Marine Le Pen’s far-right vote. His limp legacy from his last term in office tells against him, as does a complicated series of legal investigations against him; and it’s by no means certain he’ll be the chosen one.

Born 28 January 1955 10am Paris, he has an attention-seeking 5^th house Aquarius Sun sextile a fiery (seven impossible things before breakfast) Moon Mars in Aries in his 7^th. Plus a relentlessly Fixed Mercury in Aquarius opposition Pluto square Saturn in Scorpio; with Saturn trine a lucky Uranus Jupiter in Cancer. (He was born three days before Carole Middleton, who has the same chart though with a Taurus not Aries Moon.)

He looks downcast late this November when the primary is run – Nov 20/27^th – with tr Saturn opposition his Mars/Pluto over the second stage. And right through the 2017 general election looks completely deflated with the hopes-dashed tr Pluto conjunct his Mars/Neptune midpoint from mid March to June.

Marine Le Pen, 5 Aug 1968 11.20am Neuilly Sur Seine, who is expected to get into the second round of next April/May’s election, has a 10^th house Sun and Mercury in Leo with a Capricorn Moon; and an ambitious Mars in Cancer in the 10^th – so definitely pro-active. She has a challenging Yod of a 12^th house Uranus Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct Saturn in self-reliant, unsentimental Aries in the 7^th. That’s a really difficult Yod to handle well and tr Uranus will be conjunct the focal point Saturn exactly over the final round in early May 2017 – impossible to tell whether this will click her Yod into place into speedy fast-forward or derail her altogether.  Tr Pluto is also conjunct her IC opposition her MC; and her Solar and Lunar Returns over the election don’t look too ecstatic. If past experience is anything to go by, she’ll peak, give the country a fright at the prospect of a cleaned-up neo-nazi winning and then fall back.

 

The Clinton Foundation started relatively small, incorporated 23 Oct 1997, and has grown into a multi-billion dollar charitable organisation which does a great deal of good. But there are persistent questions about the privileged access major donors were given to Hillary Clinton during her time as Secretary of State.

It was incorporated with a Scorpio Sun Mercury square an enterprising, innovative and lucky Neptune Uranus Jupiter.

The CF Sun is, of course, conjunct Hillary’s; and the CF Jupiter opposes her Mars Pluto; with its Pluto conjunct her Jupiter – so it will be close to her heart; though with a tendency to over-expansion or unwise over-confident judgements.

The relationship chart between herself and the Foundation has a composite Uranus opposition Mars square North Node; and Pluto square Jupiter – so there will be some risk attached as well as a tendency to go too far. There will be issues over her involvement with the Foundation at the moment till Sept 9^th as it becomes a headline issue again with tr Pluto square Mars and Uranus; and that returns mid October into November across the election. So the likelihood is it will cause her continuing angst.

 

Attacks on Hillary Clinton are mounting with Trump finger-pointing at the Clinton Foundation and raising old conspiracy theories about the 1993 death of Vincent Foster, an Arkansas lawyer and Clinton friend, who became Deputy White House counsel to Bill Clinton.  Anti-Clintonites are determined it was  a murder, despite five investigations  categorically saying it was suicide.

Foster had been involved in several controversies, a failed nomination for attorney general and the firing of the travel office staff so business could be steered to the president’s allies. In 1993 he was being treated for depression. In his briefcase there was a torn-up note, which said: “I was not meant for the job or the spotlight of public life in Washington. Here ruining people is considered sport.” The goldfish bowl got too much for him, especially with his family still living in Arkansas to finish the children’s schooling. A focal point Neptune can have a deep inner sense of loneliness, never mind being overwhelmed by Mars Saturn which would tend to attract setbacks and unkind treatment.

[For those like me a touch hazy about Clinton back story detail: The Washington Post on Foster’s death:  goo.gl/8QsLRC.

WP on Foundation history: goo.gl/tdBXz0.

Daily Beast on Clinton Foundation and why the Foundation should be shut:  goo.gl/pEoscQ]

Vincent Foster, 15 Jan 1945, Hope, Arkansas, was a Sun Capricorn trine Jupiter in Virgo; with a difficult Mars Mercury in Capricorn opposition Saturn square Neptune which would suggest an over-worker with a depressive side. On the day he died there was an exact tr Uranus conjunct Neptune in Capricorn exactly opposition tr Mercury in Cancer – which would create a very highly strung and obsessive mood.

His relationship with Hillary, while close in certain respects, though not in others, doesn’t look remotely romantic. There was an enthusiastic composite Mars Jupiter though that was held in check by a square to Saturn – so it would be argumentative and rough-edged at times; with a needs-space Sun opposition Uranus; and an intensely  determined Sun trine Pluto.

There was nothing much affecting the relationship chart when he died (without a birth time). Though her personal chart does register a major shock with the tr Uranus Neptune opposing her Mars/Uranus and tr Saturn opposing her Sun/Uranus – so a tremendous jolt for her. And she had been under great pressure before, highly frustrated and bad-tempered.

Please post below ………..

 

Gaza is on tenterhooks waiting to see whether new hard-line Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman will escalate border tensions. Hamas is blaming recent rocket attacks on Al Quaeda cells in Gaza whom they clearly don’t have control over. Israel has retaliated more robustly than at any time over the past two years, both sides until now having been holding to an uneasy truce.

The Israel/Gaza (9 Nov 1917 9am) relationship chart does indicate a radical shift from early September with tr Uranus square the composite Pluto and conjunct Uranus after that, running on till April 2017.

The Gaza chart itself isn’t under quite the same strain as it was in Dec 2008 when a full-out Israeli assault took place. Then there was Solar Arc Saturn conjunct the Scorpio Sun and tr Pluto conjunct the Gaza Venus North Node. But it does look on edge with the Gaza Jupiter picking up the opposition from tr Saturn Mars, and tr Neptune returning in late September to square the Jupiter for three and a half months. So uncertain, disappointing. If that start time of 9am is accurate the Virgo Moon will get tr Pluto trine through this September, tr Saturn square in October, and tr Neptune in opposition in 2017 – none of which looks like happy news for the Gaza population.

Avigdor Lieberman, a provocative and controversial appointment by Netanyahu, was born in Soviet Russia on 5 June 1958 to a writer father, who’d served in the Red Army and spent years in exile in Siberia under Stalin. He has a Sun Gemini conjunct his ruthless Mars/Pluto midpoint, in a chart riddled with strained quincunxes. There’s a Yod of Pluto sextile Jupiter inconjunct Mars in Pisces; with Saturn inconjunct Mercury in Taurus, as well as being square Mars and trine Pluto – so definitely tough and aggressive. Tr Saturn opposes his Sun this Oct and tr Neptune squares it in 2017 which doesn’t look successful; but he does look revved up this September with tr Pluto conjunct his Mars/Node and in the mood for taking risks in Oct/Nov though they are likely to result in confusion and dashed hopes.

His relationship with Israel looks aggravated in Oct; and very stressed in Nov/Dec; and worse in 2017. Much the same in his dealings with PM Netanyahu with disruption, tension and upheaval in September and on, bad-tempered in October; and sagging badly in 2017.

Netanyahu, 21 Oct 1949 9.30am, now has tr Saturn sinking below his Ascendant, which is usually a less successful time for several years, with misjudgements more frequent. He looks stressed this month till early September and again mid Oct to end of Nov with tr Pluto trine his Saturn and square his Neptune, so discouraged and confused; he’s also feeling less popular with the tr Neptune square tr Saturn hitting on his Venus and Sun/Jupiter on and off at the moment and into 2017. 2017 will be challenging emotionally and in terms of his political standing with tr Pluto square his 11rth house Moon.

The Israel chart, while not facing catastrophe, looks very uncertain over the coming year with the Solar Arc Moon coming to conjunct the 12^th house Neptune – undercurrents of an unhappy population. With Solar Arc Mars square the 10^th house Moon in less than a year’s time which is a shock of some sort, creating an angry response. With tr Uranus moving to cross the Descendant into the 7^th from early this September, which points to rifts with neighbours and relationships with close supporters for several years to come.

 

Dramatising a life that was stranger than fiction seems to have worked for the movie on Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, on which Rotten Tomatoes has poured accolades.

A prodigiously bad vocalist known as the ‘diva of din’ and “the worst goddamn singer in the world”, “she had and was blissfully unaware of, the worst set of pipes in the world of music … Be afraid, be very afraid”.

Born 19 July 1868, she was a New York socialite and enthusiastic patron of the arts who gave private recitals to sycophantic friends and admirers and made her public debut finally in 1944 aged 76 at Carnegie Hall, which met with excoriating reviews. She had a heart attack days later and died a month after.

She contracted syphilis from her first husband, left him and hooked up with her manager/partner actor St Clair Bayfield, the grandchild (illegitimate) of an English earl, a founder member of Equity, who managed her ‘career’ for 36 years, mainly by never telling her the truth about how bad she was.

She was a New Moon in Cancer conjunct Venus Mercury with Uranus also in Cancer; her Sun (Moon) were trine an obsessive Saturn in Scorpio; and her Uranus Mercury Venus were square a head-in-the-clouds Neptune Jupiter in Aries. Certainly very self-protective with so much Cancer and very Neptunian, as well as hugely determined with her Mars/Pluto midpoint in aspect to her Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus.

Her Mercury aspected her Mars/Saturn midpoint which might give a clue to her fractured vocal chords (or ear) as well as being conjunct Uranus and square Jupiter Neptune – so what she lacked in talent she made up for in delusional confidence.

St Clair Bayfield, 2 Aug 1875, was a quirky Sun Uranus in Leo; with his Venus and Mercury in Cancer conjunct her Venus Mercury New Moon; and his Leo Moon perhaps conjunct her North Node. Though his Saturn in Aquarius opposed her North Node and his Pluto squared it, which might be a clue to his determined efforts to nurture a talent that ran so much against the grain of public taste.

He also had a Yod of Pluto sextile Mercury Venus inconjunct Mars, which found its direction when he met Florence in 1909 as tr Saturn was trine his focal point Mars; and both tr Pluto and tr Uranus were conjunct legs of the Yod in their Solar Arc positions. He’d finally landed the role of his life.

Their relationship chart may have had a composite New Moon – a perfectly complementary pair, more whole when together. Plus never-say-die composite Mars trine Mercury Venus, sextile Pluto; a chained-together Saturn trine Pluto; and an idealistic and confident Saturn Jupiter. A folie a deux that made it into history.