Denzel Washington – a creative Capricorn

Actor and director Denzel Washington in Cannes to collect a Palme D’Or  reacted angrily to an over-eager paparazzi on the red carpet, catching unwanted headlines. Normally regarded as steady and self-controlled, he’s had an award-strewn career and a long marriage. Recently he’s been best known for The Equalizer trilogy (2014–2023) and Gladiator II (2024) but what brought him to prominence .were his evocative roles in Cry Freedom (1987) and Malcolm X (1992). The New York Times named him the greatest actor of the 21st century in 2020.

 He was born 28 December 1954 12.09 am Mount Vernon, New York, and was sent to military school after his parents divorced which he says saved him from a criminal life on the streets.

  He has a quick-witted and articulate 3rd house Capricorn Sun and Mercury; with an Aquarius Moon in his performing 5th house. His 10th house of career has a lucky, confident risk-taking Jupiter Uranus conjunction in Cancer in a creative though can-be-stubborn square Neptune in Libra in his 1st. He has a wide-ish creative Water Grand Trine of Mars in Pisces in his hard working 6th house trine Uranus Jupiter trine Venus Saturn in Scorpio in his financial 2nd house. His Venus Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto.

   He has endurance as well as initiative though Mars in Pisces is his only Mutable sign. Which may be relevant to his uncharacteristic outburst since his Solar Arc Sun is exactly conjunct his Mars at the moment putting it under pressure. His Progressed Mars has also just moved into his intense 8th house.

  He is a different personality to Malcom X but their charts do mesh. Denzel’s Sun and North Node sit on Malcolm X’s Ascendant and Denzel’s Neptune on Malcolm X’s Midheaven  – so he captured the image, appearance and ambitions of Malcolm X.

  Malcolm X’s frustrated and angry Mars Pluto sat on Denzel’s Midheaven so he would tune into the underlying rage which drove the activist.

Malcolm X – a dream born out of rage

Malcolm X, a celebrated though controversial figure within African-American and Muslim American communities for his pursuit of racial justice was born 100 years ago. He was a divisive force in the civil right movement, preaching racism and violence and was assassinated when he was only 40 in the midst of the febrile 1960s which also saw the killings of JFK, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King.

  He was born on 19 May 1925 at 10.25pm Omaha, Nebraska, (birth certificate) with a Baptist minister father who belonged to the United Negro Improvement Association which  advocated that blacks return to Africa because they could find no peace in America. The Klu Klux Klan harassed his father and their Omaha home was burned down. He recalled that his father gave rousing sermons – but beat his wife and children. He attributed this to his father’s self-hatred, a result of brainwashing by whites. His father died a violent death when young Malcolm was six as the result of an accident though Malcolm blamed his death on the Klan. His mother then had a breakdown and was institutionalised which meant Malcolm was separated from his siblings and fostered out.

  As a youth, he became a gambler and thief, dealing in bootleg liquor and illegal drugs and eventually landed in jail. While in prison, he joined the Nation of Islam, which believed in the racial superiority of blacks and emphasized scrupulous personal habits. He left the group ultimately and formed his own religious sect. He was publicly assassinated while giving a speech in New York City allegedly by three members of the Nation of Islam, on 21 February 1965, though there is doubt that the correct perpetrators were caught.

 What is of astro-interest is how similar in many ways his chart is to that of Yuri Grigorovitch, the tyrannical Bolshoi ballet choreographer (see post below) – both had dominating temperaments and were also dreamers. Malcolm X had an ultra-determined, angry and can-be-ruthless Mars Pluto conjunction in his 7th trine Saturn in Scorpio in his 10th. With an emphasized Neptune on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Jupiter sextile Uranus. Where Grigorovitch was driven towards a creative ideal, Malcolm X was focused on a social ideal.

 Malcom X also had a Taurus Sun in his performing 5th house sextile Uranus inconjunct his Midheaven – with Midheaven opposition a ‘reaction point’ Aries Moon on on his IC. And his Sun square Neptune. His roots were what drove him.

 Yods would give him a singular purpose and probably a sense that he was a man of destiny, driven towards a dream by any means necessary.  

  He did have a leadership Leo North Node which sat close to the USA Leo North Node but with his Mars Pluto in Cancer sitting on top of the USA Sun Jupiter Venus, what he strove to achieve ran counter to the USA’s sentimental view of itself. His rebellious/reforming Uranus was also opposition the USA Neptune and square the USA Mars for an explosive and edgy interface.

 When he died his Solar Arc Sun was conjunct his Mars exactly for a sudden collision;  his Solar Arc Pluto was conjunct his Neptune for confusion; and his tr Pluto was conjunct his Solar Arc North Node for a fated moment.  The brutality and violent Mars Pluto gave him drive and motivation but ultimately was his undoing.

  What a messy, anguished life.  

Yuri Grigorovich – a tyrannical focus on beauty

Yuri Grigorovich, known as the greatest living choreographer in the world of ballet, for his leadership of the Bolshoi from 1964 for thirty years, has died. He was a tough operator who was accused of being a tyrant but was clearly talented and able to put his stamp on Soviet ballet as it came to prominence as the showpiece of the classical dance world.

 Born 2 January 1927, he started dancing young but was too short in stature to become a leading man.

 What is wonderful about his chart is how it expresses both strands of his personality and life. He had an ambitious Capricorn Sun in a controlling opposition to Pluto (North Node), trine and sextile Mars in Taurus, which is where his autocratic streak came from. He also had a yod of Venus in Capricorn sextile Uranus inconjunct ethereal Neptune with Neptune exactly opposition Jupiter in Aquarius. That creative Neptunian yod gave him a purposeful direction in life – with his Jupiter on the ‘reaction point’ of the yod being especially sensitive.

 A hard-driving personality focused on beauty, helped along by Jupiterian luck. Marvellous.

BBC, Lineker and Israel – another blunder

Gary Lineker, the former footballer and  highest-paid on-air BBC star, presenter of Match of the Day for 26 years, will leave this weekend without a payoff. He apologised after it emerged he had reposted a pro-Palestine video on Instagram that criticised Zionism and included an illustration of a rat,  which was a Nazi anti-semitic trope.

 Two years ago he was temporarily suspended over comments he made criticising the Conservative government’s asylum policy. And earlier this year he called on the BBC to rebroadcast a documentary on Gaza, narrated by the son of a Hamas politician.

 The BBC has come under increasing criticism for its anti-Israel stance recently with internal Jewish staffers saying they feel betrayed.

  The BBC, 14 November 1922 6pm London has a stubbornly opinionated house Mars in Aquarius in the 9th house of international affairs; and when relocated to Israel that Mars moves into the even more intransigent 8th with a formidably determined Pluto on the Ascendant.

  The BBC Scorpio Sun is opposition the Israel Taurus Sun with the BBC Neptune square and conjunct the Israel Saturn; with the BBC Saturn conjunct the Israel Neptune. An intransigent, suspicious and doubting interface.

The BBC/Israel relationship chart is angry/competitive, power-struggling and uncertain with Sun Mars, Jupiter Pluto and Saturn Neptune composite aspects.

 Gary Lineker, 30 November 1960, a sporty, clearly outspoken and determined Sun Sagittarius square Pluto North Node; with a Taurus Moon, maybe opposition Neptune and trine Pluto. Plus a short-tempered Mars in Cancer opposition Saturn Venus in Capricorn.  His relationship with Israel has a composite Mars square Saturn, so the issue clearly hits his toxic hotspot.

 What is intriguing is also his relationship chart with the BBC which has an admittedly successful Jupiter trine Pluto; but also a yod onto Mars inconjunct Sun sextile Neptune. Sport may have soaked up some of the fiery Mars energy but there was clearly enough to spill over into heated arguments.

 What is also worth noting is that the two recent high profile scandal exits – Huw Edwards, Philip Scofield, have their Uranus and Pluto in the BBC 4th house causing internal ructions. Edwards especially since his Sun Uranus conjunction sat close to the BBC IC, with the potential to cause significant instability.

 Two earlier sex scandals with Jimmy Savile – Neptune in BBC 4th; plus his Scorpio Sun square the BBC Mars and his Saturn conjunct the BBC Sun. Rolf Harris, his Neptune in the BBC 4th.

  Not much insight to be gleaned from all of this apart from interesting astro-synastry. And a wonder that the BBC has held it together this long with such unsettling personalities in key positions.

Scottie Scheffler – Mars in Gemini outpaces rivals

Scottie Scheffler, winner of the USA PGA Championship and world number one, is another Mars in Gemini. Born 21 June 1996 in New Jersey, he started golfing at 3 and never looked back. His parents were not rich and had to borrow $50,000 to join him to the Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas when he was only 7 or 8 years old. (See average costs below).

He is a Sun Cancer square Saturn in self-reliant Aries; with his Sun on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Pluto sextile Neptune, making him seriously ambitious. His Mars is also opposition Pluto adding another layer of determination.

 Tiger Woods, 30 December 1975 10.50pm Long Beach, California,  is another Mars in Gemini in his case trine Pluto; with his Capricorn Sun square Pluto and Jupiter – strong willed and confident.

Rory McIlroy, 4 May 1989, has his Mars in Cancer opposition Uranus; with his Taurus Sun opposition Pluto.

 Older golfers like Jack Niklaus also had strongly marked Pluto, in his case opposition his Aquarius Sun with Mars in Aries. Arnold Palmer had his Mars in Libra square Pluto.

  I am not sure whether Mars in Gemini is more marked in younger golfers because the game has changed or whether it is coincidence. See also previous post on tennis player Jack Draper 12th May – with Andy Murray and John McEnroe both with Mars in Gemini. Strong Plutos abound amongst top tennis players as well especially Mars Pluto aspects.

Golf Info: The average cost for a golf club membership in the USA is around $6,000 per year. However, this can vary significantly depending on the club’s exclusivity and amenities. Some clubs may have initiation fees ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, with monthly dues starting at $550 for a modest club. More exclusive clubs might have initiation fees of $10,000 and monthly dues of $2,000. Very exclusive, invitation-only clubs can have initiation fees of $1 million or more. 

Joe Biden – cancer diagnosis raises questions

Joe Biden has been diagnosed with aggressive advanced prostate cancer which has metastasised to his bones with puzzled medical experts saying ‘For even with the most aggressive form, it is a five to seven year journey without treatment before it becomes metastatic.’ ‘Meaning it would be malpractice for this patient to show up and first be diagnosed with metastatic disease in May 2025.’ ‘Last summer, White House Physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor swore to the American people that Joe Biden was “completely fit for the presidency”.

 Biden has previously battled cancer before and in 1988 had two brain aneurysms that threatened to end his political career.

 Born 20 November 1942 6.32 am Scranton, Pennsylvania, he has three pointers to potential health issues. Tr Pluto has been squaring his Taurus Moon since March 2024 on and off till late 2025; plus his Solar Arc Pluto is exactly opposition his Moon at the moment (within four minutes of a degree = one fifteenth of a degree) which will put even more pressure on his Moon. The Moon can represent the body as well as home/domestic life and childhood past. It won’t always point to health issues but it can do.

 His Progressed Moon is also exactly now moving into his 6th house of health to stay for two years plus, joining tr Uranus which moved into his 6th in 2020 and stays for another two years.

 He also had a calamitous tr Uranus square his Mars/Saturn midpoint recently late this April and early this month; with tr Uranus now opposition his Scorpio Sun and then Venus till mid June and repeating on and off till April 2026 hinting at a significant upheaval.

 Kevin O’Conner, the White House physician is coming in for criticism, 4 April 1961, a Sun Aries square Mars in Cancer. He is looking rattled ahead though putting on a confident face. If anything his relationship with Jill Biden looks most stressed.

 Jill Biden, 3 June 1951 8.58 pm Hammonton, New Jersey, is a hard-working and feisty New Moon Mars in Gemini. Her chart is not showing much obviously except down in the midpoints which do have calamities writ large running alongside a determinedly upbeat Jupiter influence as well.

 Her relationship with Joe has been rattled over the past few months especially recently.

12th house – being true to the inner self

  The 12th like the 8th house is not well understood or well written about in traditional astrology – dismal pointers to prisons, hospitals, forced seclusion used to be the norm.

Below random thoughts from various posts over the years show a different picture.

  Michael Gauquelin’s statistical research of successful people found that the 12th along with the 9th houses were the peak zones of intensity and not the 1st and 10th as tradition would assume. He proposed a new system of astrology which was to reverse the ordering of the houses so that the ‘First House’ actually starts at the Ascendant and then runs *clockwise* towards the Midheaven. And there’s a thought for you.

  However Gauquelin only worked with ‘successful’ charts not the charts of ordinary people. Most astrologers know people who never really live out their 12th house planets or indeed their chart’s potential to the full. The 12th house temperament may be more to do with ‘faith’ than other placings – not just in a religious/spiritual belief but a faith in themselves. Where that faith is lacking then people just get lost in their Piscean/12th house inner world.

  It can be very protective having an inner world to retreat to with 12th house planets but it can also lead to delusion or failure to reality check with the world outside. GW Bush with a Cancer Sun and Saturn in his 12th evidently said recently he didn’t listen to advice but only ever checked with his inner convictions or something along those lines. And Tony Blair, Sun Taurus in 12th, also sailed along on the same lines oblivious to anything the world had to reflect back to him. So you need to be in touch with your unconscious and be conscious of it, not driven by it compulsively.

  I’ve always understand the 12th house Sun to be the unavailable father, perhaps through the pregnancy as well as after. GWB certainly had an inaccessible father and Blair’s was unwell for most of his childhood.

What the 12th house can do is lead to a tricky relationship with the ego. The ego being the outer defense and the vehicle through which the inner identity is lived out. Often 12th house Suns don’t get the ego satisfaction that some other placings might give. And a strong ego is the gift at least in part of a good role model father. Being too ego-centred and selfishly ambitious backfires on 12th house Suns.

Evidently Dane Rudhyar said that the twelfth house is the one house that represents not just the unconscious, but the essential person who does not take his identity from relationships or family, career or friends. One significant trait he thought of the persons born with Sun in the 12th is that they are not easily influenced by other people and will stay committed to their own convictions. If early childhood experiences have squashed the person’s self-confidence, they will withdraw inside themself and become introverted or shy.

  That makes sense since it is thought that the 12th house does represent to some degree what happened during the mother’s pregnancy. A 12th house Sun suggests a personality formed early in utero, with less input from the  mother so better able to stand on their own two feet outside conventional norms. The mark of a success is usually someone who stands out from the crowd and can think out of the box.

  Planets in the 12th house often point to what was going on pre-natally. Understanding them can be very helpful since it often explains what is ‘known’ at a subliminal level but is not really conscious.  Foetuses soak in a good deal more than is realised from the atmosphere around them.

  There is now a growing field of study in pre-natal psychology. Anecdotal stories from the past – of musical mothers playing a tune to a foetus which in childhood can then play it sight unseen; as well as later consequences of more traumatic events in pregnancy  – are now being back up by solid research evidence. Heavy stress on the mother during pregnancy leads to the womb being flooded by stress hormones and can lead to dyslexia, stammering, emotional dysfunction and in some cases mathematical genius since the emotional right side of the brain becomes damped down.

  Since this in a sense is minus-astrology – i.e. before Day Zero – it does slightly presuppose the baby picks its moment of entry. Or perhaps the universe does in the case of caesareans etc.  Gauquelin found that babies who had natural births often had an astrological connection with one or both parents’ charts. Ascendant of one on Moon or Sun of other or other variations.

  Years ago I did research on some freeze embryo babies and at the point the embryos were frozen there did seem to be very heavy transits to midpoints involving Saturn and Pluto. That of course is plotting back on the original birth chart so again it is a minus calculation.  Doesn’t make rational sense but there might be something in it.  

  An astro-example from a friend now sadly gone who had Moon Mars in Scorpio in her 12th. Her mother had been left on her own at the end of World War 11 and had walked while pregnant out of Stalinist east Europe into the west. So the mother’s pregnancy must have been fearful, trapped and at an underlying level angry at the circumstances in which she found herself.

 It is not always easy to get information about the events/atmosphere around a mother’s pregnancy but is worth pursuing to understand 12th house planets.

It makes a difference which planets are in the 12th which does have an isolationist tendency. Roberto Assagioli who founded Psychosynthesis had a 12th house Pluto Neptune conjunction. He said: ‘We pay attention to the higher unconscious and to the development of the transpersonal self. We try to build an elevator which will allow a person access to every level of his personality. We want to open up the terrace where you can sunbathe or look at the stars’. His stated goal for therapy was “To live as well as possible, and to look at oneself with a smile.”

  John Addey, the great astrologer whom chronic illness forced into a more contemplative life with a positive outcome for astrology had Mercury in the 12th conjunct Pluto in late 11th.

  But even Sun and other inner planets in the 12th do have a need for inner space. Queen Victoria who had Mercury, Sun, Moon in the 12th withdrew into seclusion for years after her husband Albert’s death. Laurence Olivier, the actor, who was another Sun Mercury in the 12th had ‘stage fright’ for about a decade where he couldn’t force himself to appear.

  Liz Greene talks about the need to come to terms with the unconscious when there are 12th house planets. Being comfortable with inner space is crucial. Too external a life will run into the buffers at some point. 

  Another astrologer once said to me that she thought 12th house planets did not support the ego in quite the same way as other house placings. So individuals with strong 12th houses never quite got the recognition/ego-boost for what they did out of their centre which is where the element of sacrifice comes in. Life has to be lived for the sake of doing what feels right whether or not there is glory attached to it.

‘Their ego feeds off the collective’ is one way of looking at a strong 12th house.

  Everyone, even the healthiest psychologically has a False Self – it’s the face put on for the outside world, allowing for a compromise with inner feelings when necessary to tell a friend/the boss/mother-in-law they look great when they don’t. It oils the wheels of practical living.

 But where early mothering is badly flawed and the child has to put its True Self firmly into an inner sealed box and play nice for mother, adapting to her needs – essentially putting on a performance for her –  then the False Self takes on an undue and unhealthy significance. For some the False Self really is all there is since the inner connection to the True Self has been lost.

 Most high achievers and showbiz types (politicians amongst them) are still looking for that approval which wasn’t there when they were young.   

  Not all 12th house Sun types will be at the extreme end but I’d imagine all of them have a problem being truly themselves when out in the world – so they need to retreat from time to time into seclusion – to stop performing for others and be themselves, i.e. connect to their True Self.

  But where personalities have lost all connection to their inner True Self – and possibly even think it doesn’t exist then you get a hyper-active restlessness, a desperate drive to react to the demands of the external reality, while remaining uncomfortable with themselves.

  It’s where others get a sense of ‘no one at home’ because what you see with a 12th house personality isn’t actually what’s there deep inside.

   What is crucial for 12th house types, who tend to have more porous psychological boundaries than most, is that they get space and peace to themselves along the way, since they’ll easily get overwhelmed by having constant people around.

   Where 12th house personalities have lost the connection to their inner Self, they develop a hyper-active restlessness, a desperate drive to react to the demands of the external reality, while remaining uncomfortable with themselves.

Tracy Marks is good on the 12th house. Your Secret Self: Illuminating the Mysteries of the Twelfth House

Eurovision – a Jupiter Pluto in Leo extravaganza

Eurovision last night bombarded eyes and ears with what has become standard fare – ‘over emphatic, super colourful, gaudily camp’ in the words of the Telegraph’s insightful music critic. ‘ Eurovision has become a world unto itself, sealed off from the rest of popular culture, a camp and over-stressed absurdist magnification of particularly gaudy pop genres with everything dialled up to the max.’ ‘Austria won with 24-year-old JJ delivering his cinematically epic ditty Wasted Love. It is a peculiar kind of song, of a type that really only exists in the context of this ridiculous contest: a pop-operatic techno-electro ballad.’

  He reflected that in 69 years, Eurovision has only ever given one gold standard act: ABBA and suggested the UK, bottom of the league as per usual, do a Brexit hereafter.

  The first Eurovision 24 May 1956 in Lugano, Switzerland, happened on a Full Moon with a Sun Gemini opposition Sagittarius Moon conjunct Saturn in Scorpio. That sounds downbeat and none too inspiring as a start chart except that Saturn squares onto Jupiter Pluto in Leo opposition Mars in Aquarius – which is more descriptive of an event which has the potential to go way over the top – flamboyant, attention seeking and brash.

  This year perhaps more so than most with tr Uranus tugging on the Fixed T square of Pluto Jupiter Mars and Saturn. Though 2026 may not be too different with tr Uranus conjunct the Sun which hints at more surprises in store.

Duncan Campbell – crime was his passion

Duncan Campbell, the renowned Guardian crime reporter, writer and broadcaster whose work highlighted police corruption, the shortcomings in the justice system and miscarriages of justice, has died aged 80. He reported on high-profile criminal cases of recent decades, including the Rosemary West trial and the Hatton Garden heist.

  Born 15 December 1944, no birth time, in Edinburgh, he  developed a fascination with crime during his days playing football against a prison side. At University, he failed every subject apart from criminal law and moved into journalism, editing the university newspaper, and running features on abortion and homosexuality, which were both illegal at the time.

In 2016, reporting on the Hatton Garden burglary, he said he feared crime reporting was “disappearing in a world of tweets, budget cuts and 24-hour news”. He spoke in favour of the release of the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, stating that his “main offence is publishing the shameful secrets of the US government and its armed forces”.

 He had a New Moon in fiery, outspoken and knowledgeable Sagittarius conjunct Mars. An Air Grand Trine of Neptune in Libra trine Venus in Aquarius trine Uranus in Gemini was formed into two Kites by Uranus in an impulsive and uncompromising opposition to Mars and Venus in a passionate opposition to Pluto. Having an Air Grand Trine would make him a thinker and a communicator.

 His long-time partner and wife, actress Julie Christie, 14 April 1941 Shillong, India, is a Sun Venus in Aries which fitted with his Sagittarius New Moon Mars; and his Venus in Aquarius was conjunct her Mars for attraction.  Their relationship chart had Jupiter inconjunct Sun Mercury, South Node – and Mars inconjunct Saturn. Not yods (well maybe with houses/axis) but a relationship that would require constant adjustment. Plus Venus square Saturn.

 What is intriguing is comparing his chart to Andrew Norfolk, the journalist who exposed the Rotherham grooming gangs story (see post below). AF’s Capricorn Sun was exactly conjunct DC’s South Node and DC’s Sun Moon in Sagittarius was conjunct AF’s South Node.  This would bring a deep sense of familiarity so each could relax in the other’s presence. Both had Sagittarius planets which would give them an impetus to communicate. DC’s Jupiter in Virgo was conjunct AF’s Mars – Virgo being another of the communication planets.