Marjorie

Ernest Shackleton, the polar explorer, who inspired Henry Worsley to make his nearly-successful walk across Antarctica (see post below), was born 15 February 1874 5am Kildare, Ireland.

On his third polar expedition his ship Endurance became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed before the shore parties could be landed. Shackleton took four men in a 20 foot lifeboat on a stormy ocean voyage of 720 nautical miles to get help, returned and rescued the entire crew. He suffered, it is thought, from a congenital hole in the heart incredibly and he died aged 47 of a heart attack.

He had a Sun Venus in Aquarius square Pluto in Taurus and sextile Neptune in Aries. That Sun aspect to Pluto and Neptune is often seen in the charts of highly successful individuals – puts determination behind a vision. He also had a (so called) Mystic Rectangle of an adventurous Jupiter opposition Mars in Aries and Moon Saturn in Aquarius opposition Uranus, which was interlinked by sextiles and trines. So a risk-taker and quite autocratic. His Moon Saturn opposition Uranus was also square a Taurus North Node – tying him into the zeitgeist.

When the Endurance became stuck in early 1915 tr Pluto was square his Jupiter, triggering his Mystic Rectangle, and ensuring he had the confidence to push on through intolerable conditions. Over the next gruelling eighteen months tr Pluto opposed his Mars/Jupiter midpoint and Solar Arc Pluto squared his Jupiter – again giving him a crazy hope of survival and luck.

The Endurance was completed 17 December 1912 which made it a Sun Jupiter in Sagittarius opposition Pluto in Gemini – overloaded with a touch too much confidence, especially with the tr Saturn conjunct tr Pluto in late Gemini approaching. Tr Saturn was exactly opposition its Jupiter when it became trapped in ice.

Shackleton’s fellow explorers and rivals were principally Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott.

Amundsen, 16 July 1872 5am Borge, Norway, led the first expedition to reach the South Pole amongst others and died in an air rescue crash aged 56. He had a Sun Venus in Cancer opposition Saturn in Capricorn square Neptune in Aries; with his Sun Venus sextile Pluto.  So again a strong visionary Neptune and Pluto. His Saturn was in a tough trine to Pluto and widely opposition Mars in Cancer. Plus he had an adventurous, lucky Jupiter Uranus in Leo.

Scott, 6 June 1868, was a Sun Gemini sextile Neptune Jupiter in Aries, and semi-sextile ruthlessly determined Pluto Mars in Taurus. With Jupiter Neptune square Uranus.

So prerequisites appear to be Sun aspecting Neptune and Pluto; a heavy Mars; and Jupiter Uranus for good fortune and a love of risk.

Scottish singer Lulu, who has had a long and successful career, is making a charity single. She has revealed that a childhood, living with her parents’ violent relationship caused her to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder so she has sympathy for other sufferers who will benefit from the profits of the single. She says: “There was a lot of violence. My mum and father hammered each other nightly. And I was the eldest. I never slept properly. I was afraid my parents would accidentally kill each other. So that fear has ruled my whole life.“

Born 3 November 1948 1.30am Lennoxtown, Scotland, she has a quick-witted 3^rd house Sun in Scorpio square a 12^th house Pluto. In her 4^th house of home and family she has a Moon Mars in Sagittarius conjunct and also Jupiter in Sagittarius. Her Moon Mars is square Saturn; and her Mars trines Pluto.

The anger in her childhood home is clear from an afflicted Mars in aspect to both Saturn and Pluto – Mars Saturn is cruel, bad tempered and Mars Pluto is ruthless, violent. But there was obviously love there as well with Moon Jupiter in the 4^th.

Her Mars trine Pluto sextiles onto Neptune in the 2^nd so she channeled her fears into a creative, musical career which earned her money.

Her optimistic Jupiter in Sagittarius is in an adventurous opposition to Uranus squaring onto creative and charming Venus in peacemaking Libra.

Tr Saturn is now across her IC into her 2^nd quadrant pushing her into a higher profile role than she has had in recent times. That plus tr Pluto moving into her performing 5^th for many years ahead will make her more visible.

Henry Worsley, a former army office and explorer, died this week while just 30 miles short of his goal of a solo, unassisted crossing of the Antarctic. He covered 913 miles in 69 days, hauling a 148 kilo sledge and raised over £100,000 for injured soldiers.

Born 4 Oct 1960, England, he was a Sun Libra on the point of a T Square to Mars in Cancer opposition Saturn in Capricorn, perhaps formed into a Cardinal Grand Cross by an Aries Moon. So restless, bubbling with initiative, tough.

Mars Saturn is associated with the military and also the ability to endure cruelty, whether directly or survive in cruel conditions. He also had a focal point very determined Pluto in Virgo midway of a trine of Mars to Neptune Venus in Scorpio.

His Mars Saturn Sun T square had moved by Solar Arc to hard aspect his natal Pluto this year – so bringing together the two central elements of his chart, always a significant crisis point.

His chart in aspects is not dissimilar to Ranulph Fiennes, another ex-army, English explorer, who holds endurance records for walking to the North and South Pole, and crossing Antarctica. Born 7 March 1944 he is a Pisces Sun square a Mars Saturn conjunction in Gemini; with Pluto North Node in Leo on the midpoint of a Neptune trine Uranus. So the same accentuated Saturn Mars as well as an emphasised Pluto.

Another ex-army, English explorer of hotter though still dreadful conditions was Ralph Bangold, 3 April 1896, who pioneered desert exploration and walked across the Libyan desert in the 1930s. He also had a striking Mars square Saturn Uranus in Scorpio.

Just goes to show that even the most ‘afflicted’ of aspects can be turned to good use in the right context.

Donald Trump continues to soar in the polls, which might make one question the value of democracy. Nothing he says or does appears to dent his popularity. He’s been slating Hillary’s personal life saying he has no secrets.

Cue a documentary out tonight in the UK – The Mad World of Donald – which, amongst other things, airs the claims that he ‘violated’ his former wife Ivana on one occasion. When this appeared in print last year his spokesman said (I paraphrase) ‘it never happened and anyway by definition you can’t rape your spouse.’ Ivana backtracked the claim made during the divorce to an ‘emotional violation.’

The documentary will also include UK television presenter Selina Scott, who upset Trump when she fronted a TV profile on him, questioning some of his business dealings. She claims that his behavior changed when he realised he couldn’t control her and he became ‘extremely abusive’ and ‘pathetic’ and he bombarded her with letters.

Ivana Trump, 20 Feb 1949, is a Sun Mars in Pisces opposition Saturn in Virgo so used to gritting her teeth and getting on through difficulties. That opposition falls exactly across Trumps Descendant/Ascendant with her Saturn conjunct his Mars in Leo – so there would be sparky arguments.

He certainly has a terrible relationship chart with his daughter Ivanka from that marriage, 30 Oct 1981 – a composite Sun Mars Saturn Uranus conjunction and that is hair-raising.

Selina Scott, 13 May 1951, would certainly fall outside his comfort zone, since despite her sophisticated charm she’s quite a toughie – a Sun Mars in Taurus square Pluto. Her Sun Mars are conjunct his MC so definitely competitive. And her Saturn in Virgo squares his Gemini Sun so not a match made in heaven.