Donald Trump – Paul Manafort trying to introduce gravitas

Paul ManafortManafort Trump compDonald Trump

 

 

Donald Trump has parted company with his excitable campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. The seasoned republican strategist Paul Manafort will take over.

Manafort, 1 April 1949 Connecticut, has been brought in to focus Trump more on policy than personality, which certainly fits with PM’s Saturn in Virgo sitting on Trump’s Ascendant and conjunct Trump’s Mars in Leo. It’s a tough, fairly volatile relationship with a chained-together composite Sun square Saturn Pluto; and an explosive Mars Uranus conjunction.

Manafort is a fiery, go-getting Sun Mars Venus Mercury in Aries opposition Neptune, trine Pluto so he’s no slouch when it comes to selling and marketing. His Aries planets fall in Trump’s 8th house which may not be too comfortable, but he’ll be more of a behind-the-scenes operator than Lewandowski.

There’s not much transit wise on their relationship to give much of a guide, without PM’s birth time. On midpoints they look very down at the moment and aggravated September to mid October; with one up and one down influence over the election. Tho’ the up could be relief at not having to work together anymore.

Spain General Election re-run – far-left pulling together

Spain

 

It isn’t just the UK EU referendum which is worrying Brussels, the Spanish General Election due on June 26th could also drop a bombshell on their lap. The non-result in last year’s election with no coalition agreed has seen months of a caretaker government. Now the left and far-left parties have joined in a united front against the former ruling People’s Party, led by Mariano Rajoy.

The Spain, 22 Nov 1975 12.45pm chart, has a 10th house Neptune at 11 Sagittarius which has tr Saturn conjunct and tr Neptune square late this month. So not a result which will inspire the country’s confidence.

The Bank of Spain, 2 June 1782, has an 11 degree Gemini Sun and the Madrid Stock Exchange, 20 Oct 1831, has Saturn at 11 Virgo – and they are also suffering from an all-round financial panic.

Alberto Garzon, 9 Oct 1985, and Pablo Turrion, 17 Oct 1978, are the main leaders of the new party, both communist in background. Both charts look marginally disappointed on the day itself, but definitely on the upswing through July.

Mariano Rajoy, 27 March 1955 12 noon Santiago di Compostela, looks confused and uncertain this month with tr Pluto conjunct his Sun/Neptune into mid July. He’s not a man to budge easily with Mars Moon in Taurus opposition Saturn square Pluto. But he now has tr Neptune just across his MC into his 10th for years to come which is usually not ego-supportive for political ambition; with tr Uranus moving into his 11th next year shifting his future plans considerably.

Bob Geldof – doesn’t do moderation

Bob Geldof

 

Bob Geldof, singer-songwriter, political activist and now entertainment business mogul worth a reputed £32 million, didn’t make himself popular this week by staging a crass demo on a Thames cruiser for the Remain campaign, V-signs and all.

Born 5 Oct 1951 2.20pm Dublin, he always knew how to rock anyone’s boat with a spear-carrying Uranus on the point of a T Square to Jupiter in upfront Aries opposition Sun Saturn Mercury and Neptune in Libra. His intervention in the famine in Africa and subsequent Band Aid gained him plaudits, though also some criticism. Uranus can be a torch-bearer, lighting the way into the unknown but it can also be chaotic and overly honest. In his case he also has a packed, communicative 9th house with his four Libra planets there and a passionately enthusiastic Venus Mars in Virgo – so when he wants to spread the word, he doesn’t hold back. He also has an influential Pluto in the 8th.

He’s still recovering from the death of his daughter, Peaches, two years ago from an overdose, when his Solar Arc Saturn was conjunct his 12th house Moon, so a sore loss.  Tr Neptune and tr Saturn have been in hard aspect to his Moon through this year so not a great time for him emotionally. With confusion from tr Pluto square Sun/Neptune and similar from tr Pluto square his Neptune in 2017/18.

With tr Saturn aiming for his Ascendant at the end of this year, he’ll want to draw back from too heavy a work schedule and find that his efforts bring less success thereafter. Tr Uranus moving across his IC in 2018 suggest a major domestic upheaval.

Rick Astley – returning to his musical roots

Rick Astley

 

Pop star Rick Astley has returned to the top of the UK album chart after a gap of 29 years. His last success in 1987 was a hit in 25 countries and overall he sold 40 million records. He retired from his public music career aged 27, fed up with the business side. But has been a You Tube phenomenon in recent years and has migrated from pop to a more mature, soulful sound.

Born 6 Feb 1966 in Warrington, England, he has a Sun Mercury in Aquarius trine Jupiter in Gemini; and his Sun is quincunx Uranus Pluto in Virgo and square Neptune in Scorpio – so quite a mix of light, lucky, musical and feeling he never quite fitted in.  His Saturn in Pisces opposes Uranus Pluto squaring onto an expansive Jupiter in Gemini – so even through his low-profile years he would always maintain his optimism. Tr Uranus is sextile his Jupiter this year, into early 2017.

There’s no birth time so no way of knowing what comes next but a couple of his Jupiter midpoints get a real boost in 2017/18, so maybe there’ll be more to come.

Michael Chong – a new kind of Canadian Conservative

Michael Chong

 

Michael Chong, 22 Nov 1971 Windsor, Canada, has thrown his hat into the ring for the leadership of the Canadian Conservative Party, to replace the much disliked Stephen Harper who has resigned. The son of immigrants, Chinese and Dutch, he is for an inclusive country and known as a politician who will stand up for his principles.

He’s a last degree Sun Scorpio conjunct Neptune in Sagittarius; with Jupiter Mercury Venus also in Sagittarius.  His Neptune opposes Saturn squaring on to Mars in Pisces, so he will be idealistic, go-ahead, vibrant though also overly restless and highly strung.

He’s got pluses and minuses in the run up to the election next year with some setbacks and some boosts.  I’d worry about his Jupiter in Sagittarius especially picking up the tr Neptune square next year which can cause high hopes to collapse. Though he does have tr Uranus square his Mars/Jupiter over the election which certainly looks lucky.

Jurgen Klopp – a bright spark not quite crackling at Liverpool

Jurgen KloppLiverpool FCJKlopp comp LiverpoolFC

 

Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool FC since last October, had a successful playing career in Germany followed by an equally productive managerial one. He’s a much loved figure, known for his weird and wonderful quotes.

Born 16 June 1967 7.28am Stuttgart, Germany, he has an 11th house Sun Gemini square a 3rd house Uranus Pluto in Virgo so a good team person, but also a rebel, with a quirky way of communicating. He has a charmingly frivolous Jupiter Venus in Leo on his Ascendant. But more pointedly a rigorously disciplined, self-reliant Saturn in Aries on his MC opposition Mars square Mercury in Cancer – I imagine he won’t be backwards about expressing his irritation when things go wrong.

Tr Saturn is moving through his 2nd quadrant so he looks to have a long career ahead of him. Though tr Pluto is square his Mars in 2016/17 which can be exceptionally frustrating at the same time as tr Pluto in in a discouraging, tough-slog trine to his Sun/Saturn. So not all good results will come easily.

He looks fairly understated for the next year, maybe two, with his Progressed Moon going through his 12th for another 14 months as well as all that unhelpful Pluto. Where he really begins to bounce again is late 2018 with tr Jupiter moving into his sporting 5th.

Liverpool FC was founded on 3 June 1892 which makes it a Sun Gemini and its confident Jupiter in Aries sits at his midheaven so it should be a good mix. But the Liverpool FC Saturn in Virgo is square his Sun and conjunct his Uranus Pluto so their approach will damp his innovative spirit.

And he has taken over at a tricky time for them with tr Saturn opposition their Sun this year and tr Neptune square their Sun in 2017 which is a downer. Admittedly tr Pluto will be squaring their Jupiter in 2016/17 so they won’t lack drive.

The relationship chart has a gung-ho, lucky composite Sun Jupiter opposition Mars which should be good but again it is beset by tr Saturn hard aspects this year and tr Neptune hard aspects really from 2016 to 2020, so it won’t be all upwards and onwards.

I wouldn’t be surprised if his stay at Anfield wasn’t relatively short lived.

Tim Peake – designed for a space adventure

Tim PeakeTim Peake Takeoff

 

 

UK astronaut Tim Peake landed safely, if a touch bumpily, this morning after a six-month stay on the International Space Station. He is the first Brit to fly in space since Helen Sharman in 1991; and he made the first spacewalk by a UK astronaut. His mission took him on 3,000 orbits of Earth, covering a distance of about 125 million km.

Born 7 April 1972 in Chichester, England, he was a former Army Air Corps helicopter pilot and latterly a commercial test pilot. He certainly has a go-ahead chart designed for high-risk adventure. His fiery Aries Sun opposes Uranus so he’d always want to be different. That probably squares onto an ambitious Capricorn Moon.

All his other planets are joined together in an Air Grand Trine of Pluto in Libra trine Mars Venus Saturn in Gemini trine North Node in Aquarius, formed into two Kites by Saturn Venus Mars opposition Neptune; and Pluto opposition Mercury squaring onto Jupiter in Capricorn. So with Neptune one of the driving planets, he would certainly have a cosmic vision, backed up by a powerfully confident Pluto Jupiter.

Interesting too that he fulfilled his dream with the tr Saturn tr Neptune square in place, which fits his natal Saturn opposition Neptune. His Mars Saturn gives him toughness and military discipline; Mars trine Pluto gives him courage and resourcefulness in crises.

His leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17th Harmonic is strongly marked as is his obsessive dream 11h.

There will be concerns on his return about the physical effect on bone density and muscle after so long in space, so he’ll need time to recover. Everything hereafter will seem like a let-down and he does have some discouraging Saturnine Solar Arcs in 2017/18; but also some upbeat Jupiter midpoints till 2019, so some ups as well as down.

The launch chart has a scary Mars opposition Uranus square Pluto, so clearly a dangerous mission. Though Pluto trine Jupiter would help to inject confidence and luck.

Shawn Colvin & Steve Earle – unlikely but talented twosome

Steve EarleShawn Colvin

 

 

A heart-warming story for a change. Two singer-songwriters Steve Earle and Shawn Colvin, each with solid individual careers, discovered they sang together in perfect harmony and have now produced an album together. With nine divorces and two addictions between them, they were an unlikely professional mix. But they have blended their talents to great effect.

Shawn Colvin, 10 Jan 1956 Vermilion, South Dakota.

Steve Earle, 17 Jan 1955 Fort Monroe, Virginia, 12 noon.

Both are Sun in Capricorn, with her Sun conjunct his MC. Both have Mercury in Aquarius. Her Moon is Sagittarius as is his Venus. Her confident Jupiter Pluto falls in his performing 5th house.

Both have strongly Neptunian charts. She has a Mercury opposition Uranus square Neptune in Scorpio; while he has a Sun opposition Jupiter Uranus square Neptune.

Neither are especially laid-back personalities. Shawn was born two days before the late Marie Colvin, the formidable war correspondent, has Mars Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto Jupiter.  While Steve has a 7th house Moon Saturn in Scorpio. So emotional relationships wouldn’t be easy for either. But when focussed on their Neptunes, they clearly flow well together.

Eris – revelling in aggression and arguments

The dwarf planet Eris, named after the goddess of strife and discord (in mythology the opposite of Harmony), was discovered in 2005. It moves very slowly, entering Aries in 1926 and not exiting till 2047.

Almost exactly to the day when it moved into Aries General Franco became General of Spain, leading ultimately to the Spanish Civil War; against a backdrop of rising fascism in Germany and Italy. In the UK there was a general strike and martial law; and the Commonwealth was born, leading after WW11 to independence for British colonies.

Apart from tr Uranus which is conjunct Eris at the moment, the only other planet in the 20th Century to be conjunct was Saturn. Though reading the below, it’s important to note that it’s never simple to isolate which influence causes what, since there are always several running at the same time.

But in the months when tr Saturn was conjunct Eris in 1937/8:-

Japanese forces invade China (often seen as the beginning of World War II in Asia).

The Soviet Union commences one of the largest campaigns of the  Great Purge, to “eliminate anti-Soviet elements.” Within the following year, at least 724,000 people are killed] on order of the troikas, directed by Joseph Stalin.

The Spanish Civil War is ongoing

In Feb 1938, Hitler takes over high command of military and the following month Germany invades and annexes Austria.

Also in 1938 Mussolini takes over Italian military.

 

Similarly tr Saturn conjunct Eris, 1967/68

1967: -On the exact aspect the Six Day War starts.

In the USA there are race riots and Vietnam War demos.

Riots in Hong Kong.

Mao’s Red Revolution is wrecking China

1968 Jan: Tet offensive starts

Danny the Red riots in France

Martin Luther shot

NB. The Uranus Pluto opposition Saturn was also running which would be an exacerbating influence on rebellions and revolutions.

 

Tr Saturn conjunct Eris, 1997/98

Number of massacres in the Algerian Civil War peaked.

Hong Kong handed to China.

1998: A massacre  starts the Kosovo War.

The Second Congo War begins; 3,900,000 people are killed before it ends in 2003 making it the bloodiest war, to date, since World War II.

The bombings of four United States embassies in Africa, kill 224 people and injure over 4,500 and are linked to Osama bin Laden, as was the Luxor Massacre in Egypt in 1997.

 

Speed-reading through wiki’s events of specific years can be confusing since there’s always murder, mayhem, coronations and coups, successes and deadly weather events. But there are certainly enough significantly destructive events connected to Saturn on Eris to be worth considering. What’s also clear is that this present time is by no means as difficult as ones we’ve lived through in the past, if that’s any consolation.