Astrology of Today’s News

  The endgame or grand finale to the Montecito worldwide privacy tour is upon us. Despite all proclamations to the contrary Omid Scobie does appear to have an inside track at least into ancient gripes, not all of which pass the veritas test.

   Reviews of his eagerly anticipated doom-laden treatise on the state of the present British monarchy have been scathing. A “press release cooked up by ChatGPT” read one. “A hit job that reads like a Mumsnet post about the world’s worst in-laws” another. “The reporter’s much-trailed study of the Royal family is laughably partial, devoid of insight and bizarrely misogynistic.”

 And Hilary Rose in the Times witty as ever: “Sit down when I tell you this, but did you know that the royal family are beastly and doomed? Are you as astonished as I am that Harry and Meghan emerge glowing with goodness, like extras from a Ready Brek ad?”

  What intrigues me is not that any of the Monarchy-wrecking four – Princess Diana, Harry, Meghan and Scobie – are Republican, which might at least be understandable. They are driven by ?? payback for family slights. In Scobie’s case payback for being cold-shouldered by his former Royal contacts since his attachment to Meghan mean he burnt his bridges with his Finding Freedom book.

  It’s envy or jealousy that drives them, plus in Meghan’s case an emotional pathology which appears to unleash destruction on any inclusive family relationships in her orbit.

  Scobie’s birth date according to company records is July 1981 and he had a twitter birthday announcement for the weekend of July 4^th some years back. But it could be July 3^rd or 5^th – so thereabouts. That makes him only four weeks older than Meghan, with a Cancer Sun and the same North Node and Venus and in his case Moon in Leo and Jupiter Saturn in Libra.  

  What strikes me is that both he and Meghan have their ‘leadership’ Leo North Node conjunct the UK Jupiter and their Pluto square the UK 10^th house Cancer Moon. The UK Jupiter in Leo can be grandiose and superior; the 10^th house Moon refers to the ruling classes and monarchy.

 Meghan could have hitched her leadership skills to the UK when the Queen handed the young married couple the Commonwealth. Her astrocartography suggests the UK gives her status and a reputation boost. Meghan’s Mars is conjunct the UK Midheaven and her Jupiter sits on the UK Ascendant so it could all have ended very differently.  But it turned into a competition because she wasn’t Queen Bee and then a wrecking mission.

  Harry’s Pluto in Scorpio squares the UK’s Jupiter in Leo so he too has been drawn into a Don Quixote windmill-jousting exercise to try to boost his own damaged self-esteem by deflating the UK’s historical jewel.  

 Diana’s Jupiter in Aquarius opposed the UK Jupiter. Her Uranus was exactly conjunct the UK’s 11^th house Saturn representing the legislature and national institutions as well as hopes for the future. Her rebellious and unorthodox views were bent on upending the old order in a slightly different way.

  All of this is stretching a point but it is always interesting to see what people attack and where it fits into their pathology.

 Scobie’s birth date is iffy but assuming it is there or thereabouts is relationship charts are: dire with King Charles, almost as bad with Camilla, power struggling with Kate and William. If the birth date is sound then his connection to Meghan is under strain as of now and will fall apart from mid 2024 and worse in 2025/26.  

A grim trial is on in France to establish whether the widow of the late Michel Fourniret, France’s most infamous murderer known as the “Ogre of the Ardennes”, was a participant in his crimes or just an enabler. He was eventually caught and jailed for life in 2008 for the murder of seven girls and admitted to three more victims before he died in 2012. Monique Olivier is already serving life from her role in the 17 year campaign of kidnaps and killings since she would entice girls into their van. She met Fourniret after she had written to him in jail while he was serving a previous sentence for sexual assaults.

 She was born 31 October 1948 4.40am Tours, France and is a Sun Scorpio conjunct South Node in Scorpio trine Uranus on her Midheaven. Her Venus in Virgo and Libra Moon would not suggest criminal tendencies but her Mars in Sagittarius trine Pluto, sextile Neptune might.

  Michael Fourniret, 4 April 1942 1am Sedan, France, had a yod of an Aries Sun sextile a high vitality Mars Jupiter in Gemini inconjunct a Scorpio Moon in his 12^th – emotionally disorganized and psychologically maladjusted. He had a dreamy/delusional? Neptune on his Midheaven trine a stubborn Saturn Uranus in Taurus which in turn was square an Venus in Aquarius. A chaotic individual in terms of attachments with his Sun/Moon midpoint opposition Pluto attracting him to intense, power-struggling one-to-one relationships. I have seen more brutal charts but his serial-killer 18H was strong and even more so his pleasure-seeking 9H which can go badly wrong.

  Her Sun/Moon midpoint was close to her South Node and square his Pluto so her primitive tendencies would draw her into his orbit. Her Uranus Midheaven fell in his 8^th so her rebellious instincts would attract her into his darkness.

  Their relationship chart had a volatile composite Mars opposition Jupiter square Uranus opposition Venus so affection would be interlinked with excitement, even violence. There was also a possessive, controlling Moon square Pluto.  Her 9^th and 18^th harmonics are also marked and if anything more aggravated than his.

  The 8^th house not surprisingly shows up in the other two infamous killer couples.

 Clyde Barrow, 24 March 1909 10.55am Telico, Texas, another Aries, had Mars Uranus in his 8^th and his wife Bonny Parker, 1 October 1910 6.02 pm Rowena, Texas, had her Uranus falling in his 8^th – again she would be drawn into his depths. Her Sun Mars in Libra opposed his Sun Saturn in Aries so not exactly a harmonious mix – but with his Sun/Moon midpoint square his Mars Uranus he would not be looking for a peace-loving goody two shoes housewife.  Her Sun/Moon midpoint was conjunct his Mars so she’d enjoy the adrenaline rush.

  Their relationship chart had a difficult and perverse composite yod of Saturn sextile Venus Pluto inconjunct Mars – passion intertwined with cruelty.

  Again their 9^th and 18^th harmonics were strong.

  Child killer Ian Brady, 2 January 1938 12.40pm Glasgow, Scotland, was a New Moon in Capricorn with a pushily confident Jupiter opposition Pluto and a neurotic Neptune opposition Saturn. His Capricorn Sun fell in his girlfriend Myra Hindley’s 8^th – 23 July 1942 2.45am Lancaster, England – and his 4^th house controlling Pluto was conjunct her Cancer Sun conjunct Pluto. She would grew up knowing dominating men and not surprisingly fell in with another of the same ilk. Brady’s Mars in Pisces was conjunct her South Node and her Uranus Saturn was conjunct his South Node   Each brought out the worst in the other. Her Midheaven was conjunct his 10^th house Jupiter so she would revel in his confidence. With her Scorpio Moon in his 7^th there would be a perverse partnership hewn out of it all.

  Again their relationship chart has a composite yod in this instance of Moon sextile Sun inconjunct a lawless Uranus; with a passionate and ruthless Pluto trine Venus sextile Mars. Both died in prison.

Hardly a cheering subject but folie a deux relationships more even than most attract similar to similar.

Fred West, 29 September 1941 8.30am Ledbury, England, who died in prison before he could be tried for at least 12 murders, including family members. His wife Rosemary, 29 November 1953, was imprisoned for her part in the later murders. He was a 12^th house Sun Libra conjunct Neptune; with a troubled 8^th house Saturn Uranus conjunction; and a controlling 10^th house Pluto. My recollection is that Pluto in the 10^th is not infrequent amongst sexually predatory males – it suggests a controlling mother who sets off a defensive pattern in the son to become controlling himself.

 Rosemary has a Sun Sagittarius opposition his Uranus Saturn with her Uranus opposition his Moon and square his Mars in Aries. Her Pluto was square her and his Venus in Scorpio and trine his Mars. She was no innocent enabler and may well have been the stronger of the two. Her North Node in Capricorn was conjunct his Moon and her Virgo Moon was probably conjunct his North Node – tying them into the spirit of the age or at least the tawdry scandal of the decade. I remember her trial which left the UK public sickened by revulsion at the horrific details of torture and murder. She was sentenced just after a Scorpio Solar Eclipse in the dying days of Pluto in Scorpio – which had its final revenge by exposing the depths that human nature can sink to.

  Marc Dutroux, 6 November 1956 7.35am Ixelles, Brussels, serial rapist, killer and child molester, was no better. His girl friend Michaelle Martin, 15 January 1960 9.55am Brussels, was given a lengthy prison sentence for helping him.  He has a 10^th house Pluto with a Scorpio Sun, Mercury and Neptune conjunct his Ascendant with a Sagittarius Moon.

  She is a Sun Capricorn with Saturn Mercury and Mars in Capricorn with her Mars trine her and his Pluto and sextile Neptune.  Her Moon is conjunct his Uranus for a bond which required constant excitement. Their relationship chart had a volatile 8^th house Uranus opposition Mars square Venus.

  It is notable how many of these perverse couplings have afflicted relationship chart aspects. Not soulmates so much as attracted by the other’s and their own damage.

  The Belgian police botched handling of the Dutroux affair brought a White March of protest, again in the mid 1990s as Pluto had just exited Scorpio.

New Zealand has a new government after six weeks of wrangling to form a coalition. Christopher Luxon, the new PM is former CEO of Air New Zealand, an evangelical Christian and social conservative, against abortion, euthanasia, legalising recreational cannabis, against affirmative action for Māori and co-governance, for strong government, low taxes and establishing military-style boot-camps for young offenders. Once installed today it was announced that there were plans to scrap the nation’s world-leading smoking ban to fund tax cuts.

 The swearing in took place at 11.18am 27 November 2023 giving an ambitious, combative Sun Mars in Sagittarius in the 10^th but that squares Saturn, so forward progress will be hindered by setbacks and delays. Mercury squares Neptune for indecision or evasion. And there are two yods – one onto focal point Uranus and the other onto Venus. The Uranian yod suggests more than a usual degree of strain with outer events blowing the best laid plans awry, which may in part be a reaction  to the government’s intolerance of convention.  The Venusian yod could suggest a government out of step with the social goals of the electorate. Tr Uranus moving into Gemini in 2025 will give the government chart a sharp elbow in the ribs as it squares the Saturn and opposes the Mars and Sun.

 Luxon was born the same day as Scotland’s Nicola Sturgeon so has an assertive Cancer Sun conjunct Mars at zero degrees Leo trine Neptune, sextile Pluto – super-ambitious though he is hitting an awkward patch for his premiership with tr Pluto opposing his Sun/Mars now and then opposition his Mars in 2024 which will be stuck and frustrating; with tr Neptune undermining his power and influence opposition his Pluto. And with tr Uranus conjunct his Saturn and then opposing his Neptune he’ll be tossed around by events for the next two years and not rising to the challenge.

 New Zealand, 17 January 1853 12 am Wellington, is going through a massively difficult phase with tr Pluto conjunct its Capricorn Sun Mars and square Pluto over last, year and 2023/24.  Setbacks and difficulties are arriving exactly now with the SA Saturn square the Mars exactly which does not augur well for a government carrying the same accident-prone Saturn Mars signature.

 Luxon’s relationship with NZ indicates the next fourteen months will be aggravated and unpopular with tr Pluto square the composite Mars.

  It would be really heart-warming to see a country that is doing well over the next few years.

500,000 sheep and 3600 inhabitants on the UK colonial outpost the Falkland Islands cost the UK £60 million a year to defend, roughly £2.5bn for the 40 years since the war with Argentina. What is all the more idiotic was that a diplomatic handover was in the works in the 1970s which would have saved hundreds of lives and a war costing £2.8bn (£9.5bn in present value). But the fates would have it that bellicose Margaret Thatcher ran headlong into sabre-rattling General Gautieri. The UK lost its wits and turned the deadly fracas into a cheer-leading exercise.

  The issue is about to resurface with firebrand Javier Milei in situ however briefly and although Rishi Sunak maintains there is no question of handing the islands back in order to pacify his little Englander right wingers, he is no Maggie.

  The astrology of the war, 1 April 1982, was spot on with a war-mongering Saturn Pluto conjunction in place. Tr Saturn at 19 Libra was exactly square the UK (ruling classes) patriotic 10^th house 19 degree Cancer Moon and square the UK Solar Arc Moon. Tr Jupiter was stirring up a crusading spirit being conjunct the UK SA Mars and opposition the 8^th house Mars.

 The previous Lunar Eclipse of January 1982 at 19 Cancer elbowed the UK’s 10^th house Moon as well. And that Full Moon was square the destructive Saturn Pluto conjunction.

  Maggie Thatcher, 13 October 1925 9am Grantham, England, was full-on at the best of times with a pushily confident Pluto in Cancer opposition Jupiter square Mars and her Sun at 19 degrees Libra. What is extraordinary (or not) is that relocating her chart to the Falklands, a smudge in the south Atlantic, put her Sun exactly conjunct the Ascendant with her controlling Pluto in the 10^th.

  Her government chart, 4 May 1979, had a ruthless and bullying Mars at 21 degrees Aries conjunct Mercury at 19 Aries opposition Pluto at 17 Libra – all fired up by the Lunar Eclipse and spine-stiffened by tr Saturn conjunct the Pluto.

  When she decided to set sail into combat tr Pluto was conjunct her Solar Arc Moon exactly, rousing her passionate beliefs in the rightness of her actions. Tr Saturn was exactly conjunct her Sun, and tr Mars was exactly conjunct her natal Mars.

  Leopoldo Gautieri, 15 July 1926, was an equally implacable and bullying Sun Pluto in Cancer square Mars at 20 degrees Aries; and sharing Maggie’s obsessively stubborn Saturn in Scorpio. Their relationship chart had an exact composite Mars Pluto conjunction trine Saturn – so no chance of  peaceful outcome. Destroy or be destroyed. He was removed from power after Argentina’s defeat.

  The UK/Argentina 1810 relationship chart has a composite Saturn Neptune conjunction at 18, 21 degrees Libra – again picking up that hyper-sensitive/trigger-happy zodiac. Carter has 21 Aries/Libra as ‘abscesses’ – a toxic eruption, which makes sense of a nonsense war.

  It won’t happen again though spookily the recent Solar Eclipse at 21 Libra was back to rattle a few bones. And there may well be upsets between Argentina and the UK from mid 2024 through 2025 with tr Uranus conjunct the composite Mars and opposition Neptune. That is a classic if one wins the other loses aspect – in this case losing the running costs might well be a loss/win for the UK.

  I recollect at the time one of Maggie’s ministers saying later that she was spoiling for a fight and did not much care who she had it with. Then Gautieri put his hand up.  

[The only date for the UK’s colonization of the Falklands I can find is May 1840 – which may well have Mars Sun conjunct in Taurus with similarities to the England 11 May 1973 chart which has Sun Mars in Taurus square Pluto.]     

Oscar Pistorius, once lauded as a hero, the ‘blade runner’ who overcame birth defects to six Paralympic gold medals, is to be freed from prison after serving nine years for shooting his girlfriend on St Valentine’s Day in 2013. It became the trial of the century in South Africa as he claimed he was firing at an intruder and was sentenced to a relatively short term in prison which was subsequently extended on appeal.

  Now ‘fat, bearded and a smoker’ he will be free in January but it is unclear what comes next for him.

  He was born 22 November 1986 10.30am Johannesburg, South Africa and not surprisingly has a super-determined chart with an ambitious 10^th house last degree Scorpio Sun square Mars in contrary/obstinate Aquarius.  He also has a charming though manipulative Venus Pluto and Mercury in Scorpio conjunct his Midheaven trine Jupiter in Pisces. His Leo Moon in the 6^th is square Pluto Venus. Not only did his temperament brook no interference with his driving ambition it would also make him inflexible in emotional relationships; doubly/triple so with Pluto controlling his Venus and Moon.

  His girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a well-known model and television personality, the face of an anti-bullying campaign, was born 19 August 1983 in Cape Town with one website having 2pm as a birthtime.  Her Leo Sun and Venus in Virgo fell in his 7^th which is ideal for a romantic bond; but her Sun was also opposition his Mars and square his Scorpio Sun and her Mars (maybe in her 8^th) was conjunct his Moon exactly. A tinderbox connection. She also had her Sun trine Neptune and sextile Saturn Pluto so could be stubborn and unyielding herself. If her birth time is accurate then her Sun/Moon midpoint, the close relationship signifier, was exactly square her Mars, attracting her to high vitality and competitive partners.

  Their relationship chart did have an affectionate composite Sun Venus conjunction but was marked by an ‘accident-prone’, can-be-cruel Mars opposition Saturn, suggesting one partner had to be completely compliant for it to work.

  When the murder took place tr Saturn in Scorpio was just across his Midheaven about to move through his high profile upper quadrant. For some this means success; for others it means retribution for past mistakes.  As he went into prison tr Pluto was heading into his trapped 12^th house where it will stay for another few years ahead.

 Although his Solar Return from November 2023 has a ‘relieved’ Jupiter Uranus in the domestic 4^th, the year following does not look so easy with Sun in the 8^th, Pluto in the 10^th opposition Mars in the 4^th. Frustrated, aggravated and stuck.

  Tr Uranus elbowing his Mars after mid 2024 and then opposing his Sun in 2025 will turn his life upside down. Tr Saturn will progress through the lowest point of his First Quadrant in 2024/25/26 which is usually a financially sticky and psychological fraught time.

There is a morality tale in here somewhere. What made him successful was also his tragic flaw. His greatest strength was his greatest weakness.

Leonard Bernstein, the great American composer, conductor and humanitarian, renowned for West Side Story as well as classical pieces and his orchestral career, is under the spotlight in Bradley Cooper’s Maestro.

 Less of a biopic, it is more a study of the unknowability of celebrity with the focus being on his complicated marriage to Felicia, mother of this three children, his homosexuality, and his conducting, all of which are emotionally intertwined.

 A review says: “She seems to understand Lenny even better than he understands himself. “I know exactly who you are,” she says early on. “Let’s give it a whirl.”  Though in his frenzied, explosive public performances — we sense an inner restlessness, a man yearning to break out of his skin and his persona to find himself.”

  Throughout his life, Bernstein had affairs with both women and men. In a private letter written after their marriage, Felicia acknowledged her husband’s sexual orientation. She wrote him: “You are a homosexual and may never change — you don’t admit to the possibility of a double life, but if your peace of mind, your health, your whole nervous system depend on a certain sexual pattern what can you do?”

  He did leave her for a period to live with a research music scholar but the following year Felicia was diagnosed with lung cancer and he moved back in to care for her until her death in 1978. He continued to have relationships with men until his death in 1990.

 He was born 25 August 1918 1pm Lawrence, MA, and had his Virgo Sun conjunct his Midheaven from the 9^th with an Aries Moon in his performing 5^th house. His Sun opposed Uranus to give him an original experimental streak with a communicative Mercury in his 10^th lending itself to his educator inclinations, as did a full 9^th house. His Musical Venus Neptune and Saturn in Leo and his Sun would give him the ability to spread his views to a wide audience. Most significant of all was a confident Jupiter Pluto conjunction in his 8^th. He would not always understand what drove him on but he would have an innate sense that his guardian angel was there for him.

 His wife, actress, Felician Montealegre, played to high praise by Carey Mulligan, was born 6 February 1922 12.40 am San Jose, Cost Rica. She had a friendly, detached 3^rd house Sun Venus in Aquarius with a 4^th house Uranus, suiting her for an unconventional domestic life full of constant changes. She had an aggravated Taurus Moon opposition Mars in Scorpio square Mercury, so would be resentful even if she didn’t show it.  Probably most significantly she had an 8^th house Pluto anchoring her in a life where she would feel restricted by forces beyond her control. Her Saturn Jupiter, North Node in Libra in the 11^th again emphasises her friendly side. A crucial piece of the jigsaw of her choices was her Sun/Moon midpoint, the close-relationship significator, which was conjunct her South Node opposition Saturn and square Pluto – hinting at a marriage which demanded a great deal in terms of stamina and endurance.

  Her Moon fell in his 7^th which would provide a supportive prop in his life, with her easy going Jupiter opposition his Moon; and her communicative Sun Venus in his 3^rd.

  But it would not be easy to keep on an even keel with simmering resentment under the surface. The wedding chart from 9 September 1951 had a composite Mars Pluto conjunction trine Jupiter and Jupiter opposition Neptune – a power couple infused with high optimism, a dose of unrealism and an underlying power struggle.  The relationship chart echoes these themes with the composite Sun square an adventurous Jupiter opposition Uranus; an affectionate Moon Venus opposition a fiery Mars; and Mars in a tug-of-war Mars trine Pluto.  Pluses and minuses.  A prominent Jupiter can allow for imperfection and smooths round rough edges as well as adding a dose of it-will-get-better hopefulness.  

  I would imagine she railed less against him and more against the unfairness of life which had landed her in such a challenging relationship.  Though if she had been honest she would never have been attracted to a relatively normal one.

JFK was shot on 22 November 1963 sixty years ago this week, an event which shook the USA and the world and gave rise to innumerable conspiracy theories. Astrology won’t solve the mystery but the aspects of the moment were extraordinarily apt.

  The previous Solar Eclipse in July 1963 at 27 degrees Cancer was exactly opposition the USA Pluto, which triggered the USA Pluto opposition Mercury which is prone to getting facts twisted to suit obsessive viewpoints.

  There have been a handful of Solar Eclipses around this degree through the 20^th century, not all of which coincided with such a devastating event. Though several of them did. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake.  1944/45 end of WW11 and Hiroshima. The 1963 Martin Luther King ‘I have a Dream’ speech. 1990 Gulf War as Iraq invades Kuwait. 2009/10 – recession.

 The 27 degree Cancer Eclipse was also exactly conjunct JFK’s 10^th house Saturn in Cancer conjunct Midheaven. Eclipses on a natal Saturn can be a time of paying the price for past actions. Especially with Saturn in the 10^th, any infractions from the straight and narrow path tend to bring retribution. [The Mafia?}

 The Lunar Eclipse of July that year in Capricorn was exactly square the USA Saturn and opposition the USA Cancer Sun – so sparking a major crisis for the USA; again a Saturnine comeback about falling short on societal responsibilities and awareness, as well as fair-mindedness in relationships. Which could point to the Civil Rights battle being fought. Although it might also point to the reality of JFK’s marriage.

  Relocating JFK’s chart to Dallas puts Pluto conjunct his Midheaven, which is always deemed as indicating a high risk area.  Though it needs additional back up from transits to the natal chart before activating. The tr Uranus Pluto conjunction in Virgo had been hovering around his Solar Arc Saturn (Pluto conj Sat exactly in the September). His Solar Arc Mars was within a degree conjunct his Pluto, which would considerably elevate the danger; doubled in intensity with his SA Pluto being square his Mars as well. And transiting Saturn was within a degree of squaring his 8^th house Mars which again is accident/disaster prone.

  He had a classic 8^th house chart, 29 May 1917 3pm Brookline, Massachusetts, with his Gemini Sun there as well as Jupiter, Algol, Mercury and Mars all conjunct in Taurus trine a Virgo Moon. His Sun was conjunct Venus on the cusp of the 9^th.  He had Saturn conjunct Neptune in his 10^th – hope for a better society and creative though also a worrier. He was an opinionated/influential speaker with a 9^th house Pluto and a romantically wayward Uranus in the 5^th.

  Mars in the 8^th is sometimes written up in old texts as a risky placing though I have known some with it live into their 90s so does not always follow.

 His 8^th house would weigh him down with his ancestral history with grandparents on both side being politicians and before that Irish immigrants who fled the Great Famine in the 1840s. It would also give him the ability to project an aura – the dream of Camelot which was more vision than reality, perhaps as a result of Jupiter’s lofty glow. And hiding many a dark family secret with Mars in Taurus.

A political earthquake in the Netherlands may see far-right, anti-Islamic, anti-migrant, pro-Putin Geert Wilders in power. His Freedom Party has doubled its previous record to win 35 seats though he will have a long drawn out struggle to form a coalition to rule in the 150 seat parliament.

 In the run-up to the elections, he focused on growing economic concerns, vowing to solve the housing crisis and tackle inflation while portraying climate action as a new form of tyranny by The Hague.

 There is precious little in his chart, 6 September 1963 (without a birth time) to suggest triumph immediately and there is disappointment, confusion and losses ahead in 2024.

 But it is a massive wake up call for the country. Wilders’ rebellious, status-quo-upsetting Sun, Pluto, Uranus in Virgo is conjunct the Netherlands Mars in Virgo for a stormy interface. His Saturn in Aquarius is conjunct the Netherlands Uranus and opposition its Sun Venus in Leo – with his Neptune in hard aspect to the same as well – so his reactionary and mistrustful views hit an uncomfortable note for the progressive inclinations of the Netherlands.

 The Netherlands chart, 26 July 1581 JC The Hague, is equally showing little as of this moment but looks discouraged and blocked in 2024 with SA Saturn square the Sun; jolted and jangled with tr Uranus square the Saturn after mid 2024 – and panicked in 2025/26.

  His Freedom Party chart, 22 February 2006, looks deflated this coming January and under-powered through 2024.

 I can’t decide whether the right wing populist surge of the moment is Pluto in Capricorn’s vengeful swan song or a harbinger of Pluto in Aquarius’s can-be-fascist tendencies.

Ousted OpenAI chief Sam Altman will return to run the company he co-founded under a new board days after he was sacked. Greg Brockman, the co-founder and president who quit the company after he was fired, will return alongside him. OpenAI is the leading generative artificial intelligence start-up whose brainchild ChatGPT kick-started a new era of artificial intelligence a year ago (exactly as Pluto entered Aquarius). It now has 100mn weekly users. The product’s popularity resulted in corporate giants like Microsoft, Google and Salesforce and a host of tech start-ups launching their own chatbots and AI-infused software products, much of it built with OpenAI’s underlying AI technology.

 One insider said of Altman: “His superpower is getting people onside, shaping narratives, pushing situations into the shape that work for him. It makes him impossible to oversee.” He has been described as “deeply, deeply competitive” and a “mastermind”, with one acquaintance saying there is no one better at knowing how to amass power.

See previous Post April 11 2023 ChatGPT.

 Altman, 22 April 1985, Chicago, has a chart not dissimilar to Mark Zuckerburg replete with stubborn and ultra-determined Taurus and Scorpio. Altman has an utterly unbudgeable and hyper-controlling Taurus Sun opposition Pluto and Mars in Taurus conjunct Algol opposition Saturn in Scorpio – that is off the map in terms of endurance, obstinacy and ability to withstand pressure. Zuckerburg has a Taurus Sun Venus opposition Mars in Scorpio with Moon Saturn and Pluto also in Scorpio.

 OpenAI was founded 10 December 2015 in San Francisco as a non-profit research outfit. Under Altman it has been transformed in eight years into a company reportedly generating $1bn of annual revenue. Customers range from Morgan Stanley to Estée Lauder, Carlyle and PwC.  It has a communicative Sagittarius New Moon with a creative though prone to doubt Saturn square Neptune; and most significantly  an explosively inventive (brooks no interference) Mars opposition Uranus squaring onto an influential, deeply creative Pluto, which will be instrumental in harnessing collective power – and will arouse great resistance amongst those not ready for its insights.

  Altman will be elbowed by tr Uranus opposition his Saturn and conjunct his Mars from mid 2024 into 2025 and tr Pluto bearing down on his Taurus Sun opposition Pluto through 2024/25/26. It is anyone’s guess how he will react to the winds of change blowing through.

  The company chart will be facing a moment of truth in 2025/26 when SA Saturn is conjunct the Sun which may lead to restructuring.

All families have them – the embarrassing relative who can’t stop blundering around causing chaos or worse. Sarah Ferguson, having proclaimed her miraculous money-earning powers would swoop in to save the day for-not-quite-hubby Andrew in dire need of many millions to upkeep his grandiose Royal chateau appears to be stumbling at the first fence.  Invited onto the morning TV show which has already been mortally wounded by a sex scandal followed by a murderous stalker threatening the lead presenter, she put on a toe-curling display of ineptitude. The Guardian review said the only saving grace were the main presenters who “managed to guide Ferguson through the show in the same way you help a drunk friend safely through their front door —– this stupid attention-seeking act would have fallen apart in seconds without them.”

  Not to be outdone the Telegraph this morning relates yet another tawdry financial tale of Prince Andrew, the Duchess of York and their daughters in receipt of £1.4m from former banker accused of stealing £40m from wife of a Turkish MP. The Duke of York has reached a confidential settlement with a Turkish millionairess. The details are unedifying to say the least but worth reading:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2023/11/21/duke-of-york-settlement-millionairess-alleged-fraudster/

  The Montecito miseries aren’t the only Royal grifters.

  Neither she nor Andrew look remotely upbeat ahead. She has her Solar Arc Uranus conjunct her Mars in 2024/25 for a sharp, short shock and at the same time a Solar Arc Mars conjunct her 2^nd house Saturn hints at yet another financial catastrophe. Part of this may be her recovery from breast cancer.

Andrew likewise has tr Neptune square his Solar Arc Midheaven through 2024/25 as well as an enthusiasm and confidence denting tr Neptune square Jupiter; a likely house-move tr Uranus opposition his rooted 4^th house Scorpio Moon (clinging on desperately) from mid 2024 into 2025; a secret (financial) shock from Progressed Mars conjunct his 8^th house Mercury in 2024; a devastating and confused SA Pluto conjunct his 4^th house Neptune end of 2024; and an uncertain, panicky, worried SA Neptune conjunct his Saturn in 2025/26. None of which will deflate his supreme self-confidence and sense of entitlement with two pushy Jupiter midpoints helping him dig in against the odds but even he will have to give way to gravity eventually.  

 Their relationship chart, not surprisingly, is floundering with an undermining tr Neptune square the composite Sun; a disruptive tr Uranus square Uranus; a cold shower from Saturn now into early 2025; and emotional/domestic challenges in 2024/25.

  One mystery was why the Queen overlooked his multifarious flaws; the second is why Charles has not booted him into oblivion.  If William had his way Uncle Andrew would be gone and that relationship is under massive pressure through this year and next. Charles may well have to upend the uncomfortable status quo from mid 2024 onwards.

  Another mystery is why the Daily Mail will insist on printing deeply unflattering pics of the Duchess and her two daughters, none of whom has fashion sense, while waxing lyrical about how elegant and stylish they are. Comments below each piece clearly indicate readers totally disagree. There must be a reason.