Astrology of Today’s News

Please add below. Older posts under News on top bar or in Search.

Henry Moore’ sculptures are having a spectacular at Kew with Monumental Nature being the largest ever outdoor exhibition of his work. The greatest British sculptor of the 20th century, his works when they are on sale go for many millions.

  His story is a fascinating one. Born on 30 July 1898 in Castleford, England, the seventh of eight children, to a father who was under-manager at the local colliery, but self- educated with an interest in music and literature, he was pushed through formal education to ensure he did not end up in the mines. Moore is said to have decided to become a sculptor when he was eleven after hearing of Michelangelo’s achievements though his family were against it, seeing sculpture as manual labour. Injured during WW1 in a gas attack, on getting out of the army, he took an Arts degree.

 His wife Irina Radestsky, 26 March 1907 Kiev, in contrast, had wealthy parents, spent her early childhood in Moscow and St Petersburg, lost her father in the 1917 Russian revolution, was deposited with her grandmother in Crimea who died of cancer, leaving Irina, aged 11, suffering terrible deprivation and hunger. Her flighty mother appeared a year later and took her pitifully thin daughter to Paris and thence to her boyfriend’s parents in the English Home Counties, from where she made her way to the Royal College of Art where Henry was the sculpture tutor.

  What is striking is that both had strong Mars Pluto Saturn aspects in their charts. Wildly different backgrounds yet a shared experience of deprivation, hardship and fear instilling resilience and a steely determination.

 Henry Moore was known for his boundless energy and ‘his striking combination of focus and restlessness’.

  He had a Leo Sun which sat on one leg of a talented Half Grand Sextile from a hard-edged, disciplined Mars in Gemini opposition Saturn, sextile/trine Jupiter in Libra and his Sun. His Mars trine Jupiter sextile Sun would give him enthusiasm and confidence; his Sun trine Saturn sextile Jupiter added a balancing seriousness to his actions.

  His creative Venus in practical Virgo was in a passionately enthusiastic square to Mars, an intense square to Pluto and an imaginative square to Neptune. The combination of Neptune Pluto, of that generation, was not only ambitious it was also given to psychic or super-intuitive abilities. In Vedic astrology Venus is the significator of the eyes. His daughter describes him as “a kind of human, three-dimensional photocopier”, with a knack for measuring weights and distances by eye and instinct, an invaluable skill in a sculptor who might start with a tiny hand maquette that has to be scaled up to stand 40ft tall in a plaza.”

His Saturn was conjunct Uranus in final degree Scorpio which can be autocratic but can also combine inventiveness with practicality so necessary in creating sculptures.  His Moon was late Sagittarius or Capricorn.

 Irina, born 26 March 1907 in Kiev, was a Sun Aries square Jupiter Neptune in Cancer with a Leo Moon which would chime with his Sun Leo; with a friendly, detached Venus in Aquarius which would echo his workaholic Venus in Virgo. Most strikingly she had Mars opposition Pluto square Saturn, a hint of her terrifying and deprived childhood.  His Mars Pluto Saturn experiences were different but they would understand each other’s mindset.  Their relationship chart was replete with Jupiter aspects which would smooth round rough edges.

 Henry Moore’s harmonic charts are illuminating with strong creative 5^th and 7^th harmonics, humanitarian 9^th, helper 12H, genius/breaking with the orthodox 13H and global star 22H.

  Mars Pluto Saturn does have a resonance with ‘monumental’ at the better end of its effect.

Once the dust and hysterical predictions of political earthquakes dies down, it is worth noting that Reform’s projected vote in a General Election based on this result would be 26%, way short of a Commons majority. A win usually needs close to 40% (Keir Starmer got in with 33.7%). And local elections are often an opportunity for a protest vote which evaporates when faced with a parliamentary election. The rest of the vote was bunched in a 16 to 19 per cent band between Labour, the Conservatives, Greens and Lib Dems.

The SNP’s national share of the vote, at 38.3%, was its lowest since 2007, suggesting voters had drifted away; and leaves FM Swinney short of winning the overall SNP majority he argued would be a mandate for holding a second independence referendum.

  Plaid is now the largest party in Wales with 43 of the 96 seats. Under Wales’s new representative electoral system, at least 49 seats are needed for a majority. These results mean Plaid Cymru can comfortably form a minority government.

 A Westminster coalition government ahead is not regarded with enthusiasm and as Andrew Neil points out would not allow for “tough-love welfare reform, massive rearmament, scrapping the Net Zero lunacies and prioritising policies that produce cheap, secure energy.”

  It was an election undoubtedly driven by the unpopularity of Keir Starmer but with an electorate not exactly enchanted with the possible replacements.

 Robert Shrimsley in the FT suggests it is likely in this flux that a broad left-right political balance will still hold in future with reach party taking in their close rivals. “The question is whether this moment marks a permanent shift to fragmented politics or simply a transition to two new but still similar power blocs. Is this the end of the duopoly or merely the end of the duopoly we are used to?”   

  Having absorbed all of the above it is still true that Farage has a talent for acting as an agent of change firstly in Brexit and now this. With his 8^th house Aries Sun conjunct the UK’s 7^th house (= close partnerships) North Node he clearly serves a purpose in wakening up the UK and forcing it to develop. Not that he himself is a beacon of light given his capacity for in-fighting, lack of staying power and more. He helicopters in for a reason, does the needful and disappears – a trickster. His Sun is conjunct Eris, the dwarf planet known as a conflict bringer and catalyst.

  His Saturn in Pisces sits on the UK’s Pluto, both due for a shake-up, in his case mid to end of this month, and the UK in June onwards. It will be interesting to see what transpires, especially with the UK since that will rattle its yod hinting at a significant change in the UK’s destiny. Farage has tr Neptune conjunct his Mars late May to mid August and again on and off till early 2028 which is usually associated with failure. Tr Uranus crossing his Midheaven August to October this year and again in 2027 does suggest a radical change of direction in his life and career. His midpoints with one exception this month are less than upbeat for a couple of years ahead.

 The Reform Party, 23 November 2018 has an adventurous Sun Jupiter in Sagittarius getting buoyed up by tr Uranus in opposition at the moment but it moves on to square Mars in Pisces which will start to get rattled from this July onwards. Very up and down, unstable, racketing around from highs to over-reaches and backfires.  2028 looks highly uncertain and confused.

 Zack Polanski, 2 November 1983, Salford, England, a superficially charming and determined Sun, Venus and Jupiter in Scorpio with a publicity-attracting Neptune Mars conjunction may well have peaked with his Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct Mars keeping him afloat early this year. Ahead he faces an undermining Solar Arc Neptune square his Sun now and a Solar Arc Sun conjunct his Neptune in the next year or so.

 His leadership from 2 September 2025 is upbeat at the moment though less so this autumn and on a sharp downhill slide later this decade.

 The Labour Party, 12 February 1906 chart is descriptive of the mood of the moment with its Solar Arc Sun conjunct Pluto for a total blockage; and worse to come  through 2027 to 2029.  Keir Starmer’s relationship with this chart is rattled at the moment and threatening to split asunder with tr Uranus opposition the composite Sun later this month and again early in 2027.

 Though the fear for Labour would be that a leadership change would not bring any better fortunes.

 The Conservatives are still wrestling with old demons and attempting to rebrand their image for at least another year before they haul their feet out of the past.  

 The extraordinary life and talents of naturalist and global icon David Attenborough has reached the 100 mark. From an early age he was interested in wildlife and fossils, going on to do a degree in zoology and geology. A foray into the BBC saw him make programmes on his chosen obsession and although he reached the top as Controller BBC2 and Director of Programmes, he soon resigned to return to pursuing his main interest in making a natural history epic Life on Earth.

  The scale of his achievements are legendary, travelling to the four quarters of the globe and deep into the oceans as well as high up in jungle canopies, he filmed what had never been seen before and pioneered new camera techniques to show the most intimate features of animal life. His mellifluous voice and obvious enthusiasm and empathy for his subjects whom he never upstaged made him celebrated world wide. In recent years to turned to advocacy promoting environmental protections.

 He was born 8 May 1926 in Cambridge, no birth time unfortunately but 12 noon works well. Like Queen Elizabeth 11 born just before him, he had an earthy Taurus Sun opposition a determined Saturn in Scorpio which in his case squares Neptune on a (maybe) Leo Ascendant opposition Jupiter in Aquarius. His Neptune is conjunct Ceres (Demeter), the minor planet which represents the “Earth Mother”, ruling the growing of plants and food crops, natural resources and the environment.

  Ceres conjunct Neptune combines the nurturing energy of Ceres with Neptunian empathy.

His vocal Mercury in upfront Aries is softened in trine to Neptune Ceres and sextile his enthusiastic Jupiter.

  His Mars in Pisces is unaspected apart from a wide ultra-determined trine to Pluto and a conjunction with Juno. An unaspected Mars would give him boundless energy, strength of focus and an uncompromising attitude. June would add a  passionate streak of commitment, loyalty and devotion, both in relationships and obviously to his life’s task.

 His Chiron in Aries is described by Melanie Rhinehart as giving a rugged pioneering spirit and perhaps an identification with the ‘wounded healer’ whose focus here obviously was on mother earth. It can also have the gift of being able to empower others.

 His Jupiter opposition Neptune is marked which can be prone to unrealistic ideas, promising more than can be delivered. In his case it would be helped by having an anchoring Saturn in place and would exemplify Ebertin’s description of ‘an abundance of richness of feeling or emotional expression.’ His obvious empathy with all species whose lives he explored is what makes him such an enjoyable watch.

His harmonics back up his super-star status with an innovative 22H; and a particularly powerful leavy-a-legacy 17H. A ‘master-builder’ 5H with Mercury and an inspiring Uranus Neptune highlighted. A tough-minded, humanitarian 9H. And a talented 11H.

 There won’t be anyone of his stature to fill his shoes anytime soon.

Ted Turner, the media mogul who changed the face of news broadcasting with 24-hour rolling news on his cable channel CNN has died. A flamboyant character he was variously described  as “the Mouth from the South”; “a bulldog that won’t let go”; “a mixture of genius and jackass”; and “probably the most competitive guy you would ever meet.”

  He was also a world class yachtsman, winning the 1977 America’s Cup and the 1979 Fastnet Race after storms wrecked many other competitors and caused the loss of 19 lives.

  He also found the time and energy to be a serial philanderer, marrying Jane Fonda along the way of a complicated romantic life. But it was not obvious that wealth and celebrity had brought him happiness or peace of mind. One friend observed his life had been spent wrestling with “three bears… an insecurity that can be traced back to his abusive father; a manic, restless nature; and lust.”

 After the dotcom bust wrecked his AOL-Time Warner merger, costing him $8 billion in 2000, he devoted his energies to (as he modestly put it) “saving the world”. He gave $1 billion to the UN and his Turner Foundation supported environmental initiatives, policies to curb population growth and he worked to reduce the peril from nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

 He was born 19 November 1938 8.50 am Cincinnati, Ohio, with a depressive, overbearing father, owner of a successful billboard advertising company who later committed suicide when Ted was in his mid twenties.

  He had a 12^th house creative and seductively charming Sun Venus in Scorpio square an expansive Jupiter and in an intense trine to an 8^th house Pluto; with a friendly and humanitarian 11^th house Libra Moon. A chatty outspoken Mercury on his Ascendant added onto an enthusiastic 3^rd house Jupiter in Aquarius would make him a turbo-charged talker. What dominates his chart is a yod of an ambitious 10^th house Mars sextile communicative Mercury Ascendant inconjunct Uranus in his 5^th house of entertainment and sport, as well as romance. Such a apex Uranus would make him a trailblazer, though also wayward and defiant. Not surprisingly his Uranus opposed the North Node tying him into the spirit of the time as he pushed forward with new advances in communication.  His Mars opposed a 4^th house Saturn giving him a hard-driving edge, a legacy of his damaged father. His Sun/Moon midpoint, significator of close relationships, was opposition his inconstant Uranus.

 When the 2000 dotcom crash led to his untypically understated  retreat from global communication into philanthropy, tr Pluto was crossing his Ascendant bringing a slow transformation of his image. Tr Uranus was square his yod apex Uranus and tr Saturn was conjunct his Uranus as well and opposition his North Node – prompting him onto a new track.

 Jane Fonda, 21 December 1937 9.14 am New York, is a Sun Venus in Sagittarius with a Leo Moon, which would suit his Sagittarius Ascendant if not his hidden Sun Venus in Scorpio.  Their relationship chart had its light hearted, affectionate side but was never destined to settle into togetherness with an errant composite Uranus inconjunct Sun Venus and an irritable Moon square Mars.

A mover and shaker with an interesting chart.

The “epic-level stupid” lawsuit brought by Blake Lively against Justin Baldoni, as described by a Hollywood studio executive, has ended out of court without damages or even an apology. The co-stars reportedly spent $60 million combined to sue and countersue one another, according to Page Six after the filming of It Ends With Us.

  She claimed in court filings she lost nearly $300 million in earnings and income after being the victim of an alleged ‘smear campaign branding her as a ‘mean girl’ and a ‘bully’; and was a necessary stand against asking for a safe working environment. Critics saw it as an act of hubris and legal overreach.’

   The film was a commercial success, making $351m (£259m) from a budget of $25m. Though she was criticised for what appeared to be a flippant attitude to its promotion, given its domestic abuse storyline.  Studio sources have suggested that Lively has gained a reputation as a “backseat director”. One film executive told the Daily Mail: “This lawsuit has ruined her in Hollywood… She had a reputation for being difficult, one of those toxic people who always thinks she knows best.”

  Blake Lively, born 25 August 1987 5.07 am Tarzana, California, into an entertainment business family, has a high vitality, upfront Mars, Sun, Venus and Mercury in Virgo all conjunct in her 1^st house – she’s full on. Her Moon is also in Virgo in a chilly square to Saturn. In addition to a pernickety overdose of Virgo what stands out is her Pluto in Scorpio sitting on her IC in the middle of a trine between Neptune in her performing 5^th house trine her Virgo stellium. She will be controlling and tending to be overly defensive about anything that feels like interference. Doubling up on that, her Pluto is also opposition Jupiter in latest degree Aries, giving her an overdose of confidence and a sense that rules don’t apply to her.

 Which makes it all the odder that her husband Ryan Reynolds, 23 October 1976 4.30am Vancouver, Canada is a New Moon in Scorpio conjunct Uranus Mars also in Scorpio. And Justin Baldoni, 24 January 1984 8.30pm Los Angeles, has Pluto, Moon Mars and Saturn all in Scorpio with his Aquarius Sun square.

  Studio sources say she will not be working again in a hurry after this litigation car-crash and it is likely to negatively affect her husband Ryan’s career as well.

 She has tr Uranus moving to make a jolting square to her Mars, Sun and Venus picking up within days and sticking around all year, after which in 2027 and on Uranus rattles up her Mercury and Moon; with heavy pressure from tr Pluto square her Pluto in 2027/28 bringing challenges on the home front and maybe just maybe trying to let self-awareness in through her overly protective shield.

 Her husband also looks under considerable stress through this year right through till the turn of the decade with tr Pluto square his Moon, Uranus and Mars in Scorpio. The whole debacle and its aftermath will put a good deal of strain on their marriage.

 Not that Justin Baldoni will be jumping for joy since his Aquarius Sun and Scorpio Moon are both catching tr Pluto had aspects until late 2027 which may grind him to a semi-halt by which time tr Pluto will be in a frustrating and trapped square to his Mars until early 2029.

Never go to law.

  The Met Gala where haute couture meets high society used to be the unmissable event of the New York social calendar. No more, as scantily and bizarrely dressed trash celebrities and z-listers turned it into a giant flop with new sponsors and co-chairs Jeff Bezos and wife Lauren Sanchez getting most of the heat.

  The icy Anna Wintour, Vogue editor until 2025 and a leading light heretofore for the Gala, spoke highly of Bezos and wife, but with her Solar Arc Saturn square her Mars for a major setback at the moment she may be regretting her decision.  Bezos’ ambitious Sun Mars in Capricorn is conjunct her Jupiter which would boost her hopes and finances. But his Uranus Pluto sitting on her Mars Saturn might have been a warning.  

   Wintour, 3 November 1949, is a Sun Scorpio with an innovative trine to Uranus – and Mars Saturn in workaholic, critical Virgo.

 Bezos, 12 January 1964 in NM, US, has tr Saturn moving to conjunct his Jupiter in Aries in the final ten days of this month which will damp his confidence; with even greater sinking feelings in 2027 from his Solar Arc Neptune conjunct his Sun and SA Pluto conjunct his Neptune.

 His wife, Lauren Sanchez, 19 December 1969 NM, US, an upfront and exuberant Sun and Venus in Sagittarius has Jupiter in money-magnet Scorpio in an up-and-down opposition to Saturn; and an earthy Taurus Moon. She has her Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct her Sun at the moment for a confidence high but ahead will hit a major setback in late 2027/28 and disappointment by 2030.

 Their relationship chart is focused on fashion-and-beauty (surface appearances) with an emphasised composite Venus Jupiter on the focal point of a trine between Saturn and Neptune; and trine Uranus Pluto.

 Their wedding chart of 26 June 2025 in Venice, Italy, showed a complex mix of high confidence with a Sun Jupiter conjunction in Cancer though that squared Saturn Neptune in Aries – which might have suggested that charitable good deeds could have been a better way to go. What was more problematic were two yods onto Pluto and Mars respectively – which would certainly point to an influential, power-couple, though also a degree of ruthlessness and a tendency to attract hostility ahead.

 The first Met Gala was held sometime in December 1948 when Jupiter was in early Capricorn so being undercut by tr Neptune Saturn in Aries at the moment.

Rudy Guiliani, former New York Mayor over 9/11, is in hospital recovering from pneumonia. Sad though it is for those close to him, his interest here is because he fits an astrological pattern which has been pervasive in personalities in the news  recently. What he exemplifies is Mars Pluto in three of its ways of working.

  He was born on May 28, 1944 2.31pm New York, with a Sun conjunct Uranus in Gemini and more notably a Mars Pluto conjunction in Leo which latter is under strain from tr Pluto in opposition now until 2028. His father was convicted of felony assault and robbery and served prison time in Sing Sing. Once released, he worked as an enforcer for his brother-in-law Leo D’Avanzo, who operated an organized crime-affiliated loan sharking and gambling ring in Brooklyn.

 Mars Pluto = a criminal, violent father. Ruthlessness personified. So young Rudi grew up in a scary atmosphere which toughened him.  When 9/11 came, he was in his moment of glory since Mars Pluto is custom-built to display courage in a crisis. Even before then, having switched from Democrat to Republican in the 1980s as US Attorney General he indicted organized crime families and had a Mafia hit put out on him. He was later accused of prosecuting cases to further his political ambitions. Mars Pluto = fearless and ruthless.

  Latterly he has gone full Trump and lost his license to practice law because of his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

  Others in the Trump circle with strong Mars Pluto aspects are: Curtis Yrvin – Mars opposition Pluto. He spouts extreme views applauding authoritarianism and elitism; wants to replace American democracy with a techno-monarchy since he sees liberalism as creating a Matrix-like totalitarian system. He has defended the institution of slavery and has suggested that certain races may be more naturally inclined toward servitude than others; argues that whites have inherently higher IQs than black people and opposes U.S. civil rights programs.  He is a notable figure in American conservatism, having influenced people like Steve Bannon, JD Vance, Michael Anton and Peter Thiel. Pluto is about power and control and needs to heap contempt on others especially those who are unlike them.

Leonard Leo – Pluto (Uranus) square Mars. Until recently a pro-Trumper who played a key role to shape the conservative Supreme Court (until they fell out over tariffs).

Steve Witkoff – Mars square Pluto. Envoy to the Middle East. Alex Karp and Peter Thiel: Mars square Pluto Uranus.

 There is no doubt that Mars Pluto can ratchet up will-power to an extraordinary degree, giving energy and power. A willingness to face danger and take risks, the do-or-die determination can bring rewards. Though in negative mode it leads to a bullying, no scruples approach, with greed and egotism to the fore which can be destructive.

  Other notables with the mid sixties Mars square Pluto Uranus conjunction are Gavin Newsom, tv loudmouth presenter Piers Morgan and artist Tracy Ermin. Tracy Ermin shows another face of Mars Pluto in her screams of agony and rage paintings. Princess Diana had a Mars conjunct Pluto which was highlighted by the prevailing eclipse when she was killed. She had power but always felt herself to be a tortured victim.

  Women often get the flip side of the coin with the submit-or-die side of Mars Pluto.  Audrey Hepburn being one example with horrific war time experiences; and even more so Edith Eiger who has just died, who was sent to Auschwitz in 1944, lost her entire family in the Holocaust and emerged barely alive. Empowering herself in middle age she became a specialist in trauma recovery and was still writing in her late 90s.

Maggie Thatcher who idolised her father was no one’s idea of a helpless victim and she used her Mars square Pluto to power ahead and become the first woman prime minister.

Amanda Knox and Louise Woodward both with Mars square Pluto (see recent post) attracted the hostility that Mars Pluto can engender.

 Ronan Farrow with a Mars conjunct Pluto in Scorpio was fearless and determined in breaking the Harvey Weinstein story.

Reid Wiseman, commander of the recent Artemis space mission has Mars square Pluto = cool head in high risk (life or death) situation.

 Unsurprisingly Mars Pluto occurs as violent, dangerous conflicts erupt – the killing J.F.K; Gulf War 1; the October 2023 Hamas Attack.

 It is there when organisations are set up like the USA Supreme Court, the Iran Revolutionary Guard, and the Meta Rebrand. Disparate entities but all with the same underlying unshakeable determination – and the potential for using collective power for selfish ends.

 In a personal relationship chart strong Mars Pluto aspects are a no-no, pointing to an imbalance of power and simmering anger if not outright violence.   

 What always intrigued me was the Mars Pluto theme running through Queen Elizabeth 11’s relationships with close family. Her dedication to the institution of the monarchy rather than her temperament gave her the ultimate power.

 In less edifying circumstances Suzanne Blum, the French lawyer who oversaw the Duchess of Windsor’s final days had a coercive Mars Pluto relationship with her.  She financially abused and isolated the Duchess who was suffering from dementia in the waning years of her life, keeping her away from those close, selling her heirlooms for her own profit and assuming power of attorney over her estate. Mars Pluto = absolute power and control.

Add On: Angelina Jolie still fighting a toxic battle with ex Brad Pitt over a jointly owned French vineyard has an Aries Moon Mars opposition Pluto – not one to let go in a hurry.

 Russell Brand, born on the same day same year, has similar. He called his 2023 concert tour Messiah Complex and flipped from being a leftwing hero to an alt-Right anti-vaxxer ranting on about “the matrix”; and made a very public conversion recently to Christianity after being accused of sexual assault. Power is his obsession whether as an ambition or a deep fear.

 Thespians Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O’Neal both had Mars Pluto oppositions and produced children with serious drug addiction problems.

 Roman Polanski, imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto as a war child, later a renowned film director, was rightly condemned after it emerged he had sex with a 13 year old girl. His wife, Sharon Tate, was savagely murdered by the Charles Manson gang. Polanski has a Moon Pluto in Cancer square Mars opposition Uranus – a life of tragic and brutal melodrama.

ADD ON: Mahatma Gandhi, 2 October 1869  7.08am (unverified) Porbandar, India, has a chart I have never understood given his reputation as a saint. He undoubtedly made a huge difference and shifted a culture but ??

  A passionate and determined Venus Mars in Scorpio opposition Pluto Jupiter in Taurus square a Leo Moon gave him immense courage and endurance but with undertones or overtones which hardly fit with a celibate lifestyle.

  His experiments with Celibacy (Brahmacharya) in his 70s led him to sleeping naked in the same bed with young women, including his grandnieces Manu and Abha (who were in their late teens/early 20s). Critics, even in his time, found this perverted and abusive, arguing that the power imbalance between him and the young women made true consent impossible. He was also derogatory about Black South Africans, indicating a racist mindset, putting Indians higher than Black Africans on a “civilized” scale.

He refused to allow Western medicine for his wife when she was dying of pneumonia, despite the doctor recommending it, even though he had taken medicine for himself in the past. In later years some biographers describe him as a complex and flawed human figure.

Eddie Murphy has been graced with a biopic covering his extraordinary career from unlikely beginnings to become a teenage comedian through to a blockbuster movie star. Acting, stand-up and singing are all in his repertoire.

  He was born 3 April 1961 1.30pm (unverified) New York, with his parents splitting when he was three, his policeman father murdered when he was 8 and he spent a year in foster care when his single mother became ill which is where he said he learned to crack jokes

  He has an Aries Sun and Venus (like Goya and Raphael) trine a rebellious and individualistic Uranus in Leo in his 1^st. His Sun is in a high-vitality and argumentative square to Mars. His Pluto in Virgo conjunct North Node are trine his Midheaven giving him drive to succeed. What stands out as a motivating factor in his life is a 4^th house Neptune Moon conjunction in Scorpio in a creative, self-protective Water Grand Trine to an 8^th house Mercury in Pisces trine Mars in Cancer. His Neptune in the 4^th house of childhood and father is square his Mars/Pluto midpoint describing his early experiences.  His Pluto North Node opposition Sun/Saturn and square his Venus/Mars will also have given him a tough streak as well as an over-energised romantic life – with (I think) ten children from five different women.  

 Reviews describe the biopic as “reverential” but for all his missteps he has had a memorable career of nearly 50 years. To name but a few – Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, and Trading Places, The Nutty Professor, the Shrek franchise to Dreamgirls. 

Sylvia Plath, the poet, has become embedded in the culture as a mythic figure of tragedy and talent, using her words as a confessional to speak directly to the reader.

 A new mammoth edition of 542 of her poems has the editors waxing eloquent about her ability to “combine raw emotional depth with humour and an uncompromising, unapologetic sense of vulnerability and strength.” In contrast Philip Larkin said her themes were “neurosis, insanity, disease, death, horror, terror”. Her focus on annihilation obviously strikes a chord through the generations.

  She did suffer a lifelong battle with severe depression, a bipolar-type illness, with multiple traumatic treatments with early electroconvulsive therapy. She attempted suicide at 20 and succeeded at 30 when her marriage to fellow poet Ted Hughes, whom she alleged to her therapist had been abusive, had disintegrated.  

Born 27 October 1932 2.10pm Boston, Massachusetts, with an Austrian-immigrant, academic father who died when she was 8. She had a doubly-intense 8^th house Scorpio Sun in a depressive square to Saturn in Capricorn in her 12^th which would weigh her down with a sense of the absent father who was nonetheless critical and guilt-inducing in her imagination. Her Saturn was in an opposition to Pluto which can be inclined to melancholy as well; and that was square an innovative but disruptive Uranus.

  A creative Water Grand Trine of Pluto trine Mercury in Scorpio in her much-travelled and published 9^th house was trine her North Node in Pisces in her 1^st. Her tendency to disappear into a bubble of her own reality would help her avoid facing up to need to build her sense of identity and her faith (North Node Pisces in 1^st).

 Her Mercury trine Pluto, square Mars in Leo and inconjunct Uranus would give her a sharp tongue and a highly strung nervous system.

  An unaspected Libra Moon in her 7^th would bring a constant sense of disconnection even as she craved the reassurance of a close relationship. Such an unintegrated Moon is thought to be the most personally traumatic of any planet. A solitary Moon lacks stability and would be exceedingly vulnerable.

 Her marriage significator, her Sun/Moon midpoint was opposition her Uranus and square her Pluto, which would do nothing to bring her the security she craved. She both wanted closeness and pushed it away.

 Her Chiron in Taurus close to Algol points to a constant sense of never being safe or secure; and in the 3^rd house as if her mind was constantly at risk of disintegrating, with recurring  self-defeating and destructive thought patterns.

 It is a talented, creative but desolate chart.

 Ted Hughes was born 17 August 1930, Mytholmroyd (with maybe ?? a 1.20am birth time). He was a Sun Leo with a Taurus Moon with a lively, adventurous Uranus square a confident Jupiter Pluto in Cancer.  There is nothing too dramatic sparking off his chart as it stands apart from chilly Saturn in Capricorn in his 7^th (birth time being accurate) hinting at troublesome relationships.

  But down in the midpoints both his Saturn and his Venus in Libra are in hard aspect to his destructive, ruthless Mars/Pluto midpoint. Mars Pluto looms large in his relationship chart with Plath, with the composite MP squaring Uranus opposition Mercury, which does suggest a bond that could turn abusive and was certainly one of domination.

  His next relationship was with Assia Wevill, 15 May 1927 who was a Taurus with a Scorpio Moon and she had a natal Mars Pluto in Cancer. She also committed suicide taking their four year old daughter with her.

  He latterly had a long marriage to a nurse. Feminists blamed him for both the early tragedies but both Plath and Wevill would have been attracted to impossible relationships no matter what. Which does not let him off the hook but the responsibilities cut both ways.