Astrology of Today’s News

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What goes up must come down. In the rollercoaster of history, empires and superpowers rise and ultimately fall, sometimes to rise again, sometimes not. Nothing lasts for ever. Spain, France and England/Britain once had empires of unimaginable size – and now they don’t. But they still exist and in varying ways attempt to reconcile themselves to the loss of their former status. Pluto Returns occurring roughly every 250 years can be one indicator of rises and falls. The USA is moving into its First Return in 2022/23. Below are examples from countries which have old enough charts to have experienced Pluto Returns. Thanks to Hugh for a detailed looked at the Roman Empire’s turbulent history over many centuries through the lens of its Pluto Returns.  

England 11 May 973 JC AD chart – Pluto 27 Leo. Pluto Returns in 1956; 1709/10; 1463/64; and 1217/18.  The Pluto Return of 1709/10 propelled the British Empire into existence after the Act of Union with Scotland in 1707 – at its height it was the largest empire in history. The Suez Crisis in 1956 was the consummate humiliation for Great Britain, signalling its fall from world super-power with the empire crumbling fast in the years before and after.

Spain 19 January 1479 JC – Pluto 1 Libra. The Spanish Empire was one of the largest empires in history. From the late 15th century to the early 19th, Spain controlled vast overseas territories. One of the superpowers of the 16th and 17th centuries, it was known as “the empire on which the sun never sets” and reached its maximum extent in the 18th century. It moved through its first Pluto Return around 1724; and began a slow decline at a Pluto half Return in the 19^th Century. The most recent Pluto Return around 1972 saw the dictator Franco gradually relinquishing power, nominating a monarch as successor and handing over the Prime Ministership by 1973.

France 19 August 843 JC – Pluto 29 Pisces. Previous Pluto Returns: 1577, 1332, 1088. Around the second Pluto Return in 1337 and the start of the Hundred Years War, France was at the height of its mediaeval glory. The most recent Pluto Return in 1821 saw the death of Napoleon on the exact aspect and the government of France moved into instability thereafter, though the Second French Colonial Empire built up post-1830 became one of the largest empires in history.

Russia 28 March 1462 JC – Pluto 22 Leo. Previous Return 1708/9. The most recent Pluto Return was exact when Stalin died in early 1953. Previous Pluto Return was 1706.

Switzerland 26 May 1231 JC – most recent Pluto Return joined the Council of Europe. Before that 1726.

Austria 18 October 1221 JC – was angling to join the EEC on the most recent Pluto Return, managed it 6 years later. Before that 1714, 1468.

Scotland March 25 1005 JC – the second Pluto Return in 1745 saw the Jacobite Rebellion crushed by the English with savage repercussions. The next Pluto Return in 1991/2 saw Alex Salmond take over leadership of the Scottish National Party which led later to its rise to power. The Pluto Return first was 1252.

Sweden 1523 – Pluto 14 Capricorn. In the 17^th Century Sweden became a great power but had started to lose land and status fifty years before the next Pluto Return in 1768/9. The latest Pluto return of 2015/16 was during European refugee crisis.

Thanks to Hugh for the Roman Empire ups and downs of Pluto:

Rome – the traditional founding date is 753 BCE – Pluto 17 Leo.

The first Pluto Return in 509 BCE the Roman Republic was founded.

The Second Pluto Return coincided with the start of the Punic Wars circa 269 BCE.

The Third Pluto Return oversaw the second settlement of the Augustan Principate around 23 BCE.

The Fourth Pluto Return – 220s CE – the end of the Severan dynasty and the beginning of the 3rd Century Crisis of the Roman Empire which saw near constant civil wars.

The Fifth Pluto Return – 470 CE which saw the end of the Western Empire.

The Sixth Pluto Return – 717-718 CE oversaw the failed Second Arab Siege of Constantinople in (one of the most important events in European History).

9^th Pluto Return – 1204 – the Sack of Constantinople by Latin armies in 1204 (an event that fatally weakened the Byzantine world).

10^th Pluto Return  – 1453 CE when the former Christian capital Constantinople fell to the Ottomans.

Hugh: “I find that a remarkable set of repeated major turning points stretching over 2000 years. I would say those run of events indicate that Pluto Returns played a not insignificant role in the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.”

See November 18 2018 post for more detail on England.

Sweden is under pressure not just from their lax Covid strategy resulting in worse rates of infection and death but from burgeoning internal crime and an external Russian threat. Having opened their doors to refugees five years ago, they unwittingly let in about 40 criminal clans from the Middle East, north Africa and the Balkans who are pushing up crime, with 257 bombings and 300 shootings last year. In these clans, the extended family raises the children to take over the organized crime activities and they have no ambitions to become integrated into Swedish mainstream society. It’s grist to the right-wing politicos but is also a genuine problem which the standard Swedish libertarian approach is not well designed to root out.

  Sweden is also upping military spending by 40% in the next five years as it aims to strengthen its defence amid concerns over increasing Russian activity in the Baltic Sea and heightened tensions in Belarus following a disputed election.

  The Sweden chart, 7 December 1865 3.30 pm Stockholm, is in a scarily tight corner exactly now with a totally blocked and risky Solar Arc Mars conjunct the Sweden Pluto; and an explosive, insecure Solar Arc Uranus conjunct its 6^th house Mars, exact in two months.

  Tr Uranus started to oppose the Sweden Saturn from late May this year for a series of tension-erupting jolts and that repeats across late this month to late November and will then increase in strength through 2021 and 2022. Tr Uranus will conjunct the 11^th house Sweden Pluto from late May 2021 suggesting not only a radical change of trajectory as far as future plans are concerned; but also a serious shake-up in the structure of their once peaceful society. Tr Saturn will also add its own downbeat reality checks along the way. That extends into 2022 by which time tr Uranus will be square the 4^th house Moon with tr Saturn in opposition which suggests more domestic upsets and outbursts of emotion as safety and security become priorities.

  The Sweden Russia relationship chart  also looks under discouraging influences with tr Pluto trine the composite Saturn in 2021/22 with a significant diplomatic upset as tr Pluto also squares the composite Uranus at the same time. And the Eclipses from later this year and throughout 2021 rattling the relationship chart brewing up crises.

Margaret Ferrier, the MP condemned for travelling by train from London to Scotland despite testing positive to Covid, is still sitting though ousted from the SNP. She describes her actions as a “blip” and “out of character”. After being tested but before results came in she attended church, then travelled for five and a half hours on the train to London. Then having found she was positive she reversed her journey since she didn’t want to self-isolate in a hotel.

  Born 10 September 1960, she has an ego-centric and nervy Virgo Sun and Mercury on the point of a T square to an adventurous/opportunistic Jupiter in Sagittarius opposition Mars in Gemini. She also has an unyielding Pluto trine Saturn in Capricorn; and a stubborn and indulgent Taurus Moon. Her Jupiter is also in a risk-taking and lucky trine to Uranus.

   At the moment she has tr Uranus opposition her Saturn/Pluto midpoint which Ebertin describes as “the ability to make sudden decisions in the most difficult situation”. From late November for a few weeks she has a mix of luck and stress; with more upbeat Jupiters into 2021. 2022 may be a different matter with more of a slide downhill thereafter.

  Nothing succeeds like brass neck. This does appear to be the era of shamelessness. It’s difficult to embarrass those who don’t have a sense of honour or integrity.     

Nigeria’s youth are out on the streets protesting against police brutality, in particular the federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a notorious unit long accused gross human rights abuses, including extortion, harassment, torture, and extrajudicial killings and demanding justice for victims. President Muhammadu Buhari has now promised to disband Sars and enact police reforms.

  Nigeria gained independence on 1 October 1960 from British colonial rule with a stark chart of a tough Mars in Cancer on the Ascendant in a hard-edged opposition to Saturn square a Libra Sun and sextile/trine Pluto. It is Africa’s largest economy with the world’s third largest youth population; and has been through civil war and military coups in the past sixty years. It has a reputation for political corruption and high crime, some of it international as well as a thriving economy.

   Transiting Uranus in Taurus is moving to form an Earth Grand Trine to the Nigeria Pluto and Saturn this year and next, so could arguably be well placed to get a grip of practical problems and build on its commercial talents though with some disruption as well. There will be more mutinies and arguments come 2022 when the Solar Arc Mars is conjunct the Pluto for a major setback few months.  Even before then there will be anti-social or activist uprisings, again involving the young with Solar Arc Pluto conjunct the 5^th house Neptune in 2021.

  Tr Pluto sextile the Pisces Midheaven in 2022/23 might give hope of a more stable direction for what should be a prosperous and thriving country.

  What’s interesting in parallel are the protests in Thailand against the bizarre young king against whom no criticism may be voiced – except it is. See previous post July 29 2020.

It’s almost as if Pluto in Capricorn is gearing up for a blowout to leave its mark before it exits Capricorn in 2023/24 – and not before time.

The USA stands on the brink, facing a historic fork in the road, with the most polarised climate since 1860. It won’t matter much whether Biden wins outright and then faces a hostile Supreme Court and perhaps Senate as Obama did, road-blocking his agenda; or Trump finagles in via the skewed and undemocratic Electoral College system. The challenge is whether a much overdue overhaul of the revered and ancient Constitution is faced up to in coming years.

  Legal brains suggest three possibilities ahead – 1) civil war; 2) the break-up of the USA via peaceful secession of various states a la Scotland’s possible exit from the UK; or 3) stagnation similar to the decline of the once mighty Turkish Ottoman Empire over the final two centuries of sclerosis.

  This prologue, above and below, is a precis from an excellent piece by Edward Luce in the FT.

https://www.ft.com/content/b159bce5-83e7-4f8e-ab0d-4123660ab539

 Trump’s actions have shattered faith in the idea of checks and balances and the Barrett SCOTUS nomination could light the fuse that ends in a full-blown crisis over America’s founding creed.

    Some think the third option is the most likely, as America drifts into becoming the “sick man of the west and reconciles itself to the fact that renewal is not possible. Rather than providing a blueprint for modern reforms, the constitution acts as an entrenched roadblock to change.”

  Norman Ornstein says: “If the system is the same in 2030 as it is now, America will start to fall apart.” “The US Senate is an affirmative-action programme for white, rural, Christian conservatives, who have an increasingly powerful veto over America.”  

  The Constitution, 4 March 1789, is beset by major confusion exactly now, running on from 2019 with tr Pluto square the Neptune; and continues on an increasingly disruptive track with tr Uranus throwing in firecrackers and causing upheavals in square to the Pluto in 2022 and moving on to square Venus and then the Mars in 2025; with tr Saturn dampening enthusiasm and erring on the side of conservatism – with aggravated arguments – from 2022 as it is conjunct the Pluto, Venus, Mars and then crosses over the Sun Saturn in Pisces in 2024.

  All of which coincides with the USA 1776 Pluto Return in 2022/2023 with lingering after effects.

   The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) 2 February 1790, is in a state of acute uncertainty in 2021 with tr Pluto square the Neptune from late January (till late 2022) and tr Neptune conjunct the Saturn from March onwards for a year; plus a troublesome, rebellious and defiant tr Uranus square the Uranus late this November into December and repeating next spring, and facing even greater instability and challenges to its direction as tr Uranus square the Sun after July 2021 and Pluto in 2022. 2022 is also picking up the downbeat tr Saturn in Aquarius conjunct Sun and Pluto and a high-tension Solar Arc Saturn square Uranus in 2022 as well.

   The USA First President chart, 30 April 1789 12.45 am New York, is also in for an exceptionally rough ride with tr Uranus conjunct the Taurus Sun in April and again over the New Year; at the same time as tr Neptune continues to conjunct the Saturn through into January 2022 as well.  2022/3/24 have a raft of roller-coaster difficulties as tr Uranus is conjunct the Pluto and then tr Pluto opposes the Uranus in 2023/24 which could upset the applecart.

The USA 1776 chart shows 2021 as a time of panicky failure with tr Neptune square the Mars with the hostile and toxic debates running on as tr Pluto continues to oppose the Mercury. Then the Pluto Return in 2022/23, followed by setbacks from Solar Arc Saturn conjunct the Mars and square the Neptune in 2024/25.

  It certainly fits the thought that suggests this election won’t resolve much, indeed may exacerbate tensions and strain with the liberal push for change running into entrenched conservatism. It also fits Kissinger’s thought that Trump is the kind of figure who turns up at the end of an era. A Pluto Return can bring about the Icarus-like fall of an empire which rose on the previous one and he might just the unwitting exposer of the flaws in the USA governmental system (a la Pluto in Capricorn). Given the Cancerian nature of the USA – shining a critical light on the past and revered forbears, and letting go the old traditional way won’t be easy.

Phil Collins, drummer with Genesis and solo artist, is involved in a matrimonial muddle with a difference. His third wife, the much-botoxed and back-combed Orianne Cevey, whom he married and then expensively divorced some years back and then got together again, appears to have married again unbeknownst to him. She is still living, presumably with new hubbie, in Collins’ Miami house, has changed the key codes and is refusing to move out. Much legal wrangling to follow.  They have two late teenage sons.

  Collins, 30 January 1951 12.05 am London, has a 4^th house Aquarius Sun trine a 12^th house Saturn; with an enthusiastic Mars Jupiter in musical Pisces in his performing 5^th, trine an intensely emotional Scorpio Moon in his 1^st house trine Uranus.  So a Water Grand Trine which is talented, healing for others if not himself, but tending to make him live in his own bubble of reality. And he has a controlling and influential Pluto in his career 10^th.

  Orianne Cevey, formerly a translator, born 24 March 1974 in Switzerland, is a New Moon in Aries trine Neptune and opposition Pluto – super-ambitious and controlling. She’s also got a showbizzy Mars opposition Neptune.

  Apart from both sharing a Venus in Aquarius and Jupiter in Pisces it’s not that obvious what the attraction was for a double stint at togetherness. Her Sun opposition Pluto sits on top of his 12^th house Saturn; her rebellious Uranus is conjunct his Ascendant and Moon.  Her Mars is in his 8^th and her Neptune in his 2^nd, so money would have been an issue.

  Their relationship chart does have an optimistic and supportive composite Sun Jupiter though it opposes a needs-space Uranus and a struggle-for-the-upper-hand Pluto. The composite Venus is in a cool opposition to Saturn with a hint of passion from a sextile to Mars.  It’s a so-so chart which would be fine as long as they could live out the power-couple Jupiter Pluto but once that went adrift it would be a tussle.

  Tr Pluto is moving to square the composite Mars perhaps as early as this New Year but certainly extending on and off through next year which will be a bitter and aggravated barney.

The Affair meets Downton Abbey in a bizarre luvvie-land headline-grabber with Dominic West canoodling more than openly with actress Lily James in Rome over the weekend. This resulted in friends saying his wife and mother of his four children, Catherine Fitzgerald, was devastated since she thought they were still happily together. Next photo-op is West plus a hesitant lady wife appearing together, with forced smiles and kisses to say their ten year marriage is strong.

   West, 15 October 1969, is a laid back Sun Jupiter in Libra with a seductive, manipulative Venus Pluto in Virgo; a Sagittarius Moon; and a hard-edged Mars in Capricorn trine Saturn in Taurus.

  His wife Irish landscape gardener and aristocrat Catherine Fitzgerald, 18 May 1971, is an odd mix with him, being a stalwart and serious Sun Saturn in Taurus trine Pluto; with a Moon in Aquarius/Pisces. Her Sun Saturn opposes his elusive Neptune and her Venus in Aries/Taurus is conjunct his Saturn. Their relationship chart has an expansive and optimistic composite Sun square Jupiter; with Jupiter in a superficially affectionate trine to Venus; with Venus in a needs-space square to Uranus.

It’s not exactly overflowing with affection and is moving through turbulent times with tr Uranus square the composite Sun and opposition the Jupiter through this year till spring 2021; and tr Saturn is conjunct the composite Mars and trine the Pluto later this month into early November, which will be downbeat and angry. Even worse from late February 2021 onwards there is a seriously aggravated tr Pluto conjunct the composite Mars (maybe Moon). Methinks it may not survive the pounding. Though Mars trine Pluto relationships do not split easily or without a great deal of rancour since one partner will always have exerted control and won’t appreciate being forced to let go.

  In many ways he finds Lily James, 5 April 1989, easier for light hearted companionship since she is a Sun Venus in Aries which sits well with his Libra Sun and Jupiter. Though she’s also of the triple conjunction of Saturn Neptune Uranus in Capricorn generation so will be unpredictable and chaotic, unlike his more sensible wife. Their relationship chart isn’t too inspiring with only a flash of initial attraction from composite Mars square Venus; though there is a possessive composite Sun square Pluto which can exert a pull at the start.

  Lily James has just split from The Crown’s Matt Smith, 28 October 1982, a Sun, Jupiter, Venus in Scorpio. Her relationship with Smith looks a good deal cosier than with West with an affectionate composite Sun Venus sextile Mars. But tr Saturn conjunct the composite Sun clearly did for that – but who knows? It has been on and off for the past five years. It could even flare up again. Musical chairs in celeb relationships move at dizzying speed.   

Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State and before that US Ambassador to the UN, under Bill Clinton, has an excoriating piece in the FT about Trump whom she describes as “a president born with both a silver spoon and a forked tongue in his mouth” who has debased American democracy. His message that no one should fear the virus, she points out is “rebutted by the bones and ashes of 1m dead.” Her fear is that his allegations that the election will be rigged against him will incite chaos and the possibility of violent confrontations. “Should the outcome be close, the verdict may not be known for weeks and will likely be rejected as fraudulent by one side or the other.”

     She was born 15 May 1937, sadly with no birth time in the Czech Republic and has a stalwart Taurus Sun opposition and uber-determined Mars in Scorpio square Saturn in early Aries with Uranus Mercury also in Taurus. She also has a pushily-confident Jupiter in Capricorn opposition Pluto in Cancer which sits sextile/trine her Sun Mars opposition. A formidable lady, who has lived through dangerous and dramatic times.

  She’s not looking exactly upbeat for a few months ahead with two undermining Neptune transits to midpoints running now until late January; a downbeat November with tr Saturn in hard aspect to her bullish Jupiter and Pluto; and a confused, plans-not-working-out tr Pluto square her Mars/Neptune midpoint late November to late December.  She will pick up tr Pluto in aspect to her Pluto Jupiter from late next February onwards which will give her a boost.

  If the above are reactions to the election then she may be right about delays. Though there could be other factors in her personal life which are involved.  

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister, had a good run early in the covid wars but is losing the battle to keep numbers down despite draconian lockdowns of pubs and restaurants. And she is additionally entangled in a Holyrood inquiry into the Scottish government’s botched handling of complaints against Alex Salmond who was cleared in court of sexual harassment charges. Salmond supporters claim it was a conspiracy ‘to get Salmond’ who had been Sturgeon’s mentor in the early days – all hotly denied.

  Her Cancer Sun square Jupiter in Libra is under a dark, damp cloud through November with tr Saturn in hard aspect; plus an emotionally upsetting tr Uranus square her Moon mid November to mid December.

  But Alex Salmond looks no more cheerful with tr Saturn opposition his lucky Jupiter Uranus conjunction and square his Neptune also through November. He’s also got a scary, trapped, enraging Solar Arc Mars square his Pluto exact in three to four month’s time but in effect earlier which does not look successful. Plus a panicky-failure sinker of tr Neptune conjunct his 10^th house Mars late January to late February 2021.

  Their relationship always was an edgy one – part friendly with a composite Sun Venus; highly ambitious as a duo with a composite Jupiter Pluto conjunct but that can turn into a struggle for the upper hand when it goes sour; and a seriously aggravated Moon opposition Uranus square Mars – which last tr Pluto will be leaning heavily on from late January 2021 for two years. And before then for obvious reasons their connection is on a downhill slide at the moment till late January 2021; with an additionally explosive jolt late December to early February 2021.

  Nicola Sturgeon’s Administration chart, 12 May 2016 9.35am always hinted at a muddled term ahead with an over-hopeful Neptune opposition Jupiter square an accident-prone Mars and Saturn in Sagittarius; plus the crisis-ridden Uranus square Pluto. The first half of November looks testing and high-tension with late December to early February moving through emotional upsets. Pluto moves by Solar Arc to square the Uranus, exact in nine months, which is often a destabilising influence – which is around the time of the next Scottish election in May 2021, when the term finishes anyway. But it could suggest the result might not be quite the foregone conclusion is seemed earlier this year.

  See previous post March 24 2020