Astrology of Today’s News

The eccentric new King of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn, has not improved his image by sitting out the CV crisis in a luxury hotel in the Bavarian Alps with his entourage of 100 including a harem of at least 20 women. While the pandemic hasn’t claimed many lives, it has hit the vital Thai tourism trade badly.

“The king’s behaviour during the coronavirus crisis has been a disaster for the reputation of the Thai monarchy,” said journalist and activist Andrew MacGregor Marshall, adding that the king is a “troubled, sadistic and authoritarian monarch who should have no place in the 21st century.” Not that such comments would be allowed within the borders, since criticism is severely punished under a draconian lese-majeste law, forbidding disparaging opinions about the king.

Since taking over from his much-revered father in 2019, Maha has successfully pushed the kingdom towards absolute monarchy, acquiring an elite unit of soldiers and police, and taking over direct control of the assets of the Royal Family, upwards of fifty billion dollars.  The military-backed government that took power after the 2014 coup protects him; and both prop each other up so it’s difficult to see any challenge to his position in the near future.

He was born 28 July 1952 5.45pm Bangkok and was a playboy prince, with a rackety reputation, three failed marriages and an explosive temper who made his pet poodle an Air Chief Marshal in the Thai air force and gave him a four-day Buddhist funeral when he died.  He has a flamboyant Leo Sun and his chart is dominated by an ambitious and vengeful 10^th house Mars in Scorpio opposition a super-indulgent Jupiter in Taurus square Venus Pluto in Leo opposition an Aquarius North Node. No surprises he revels in a life of excess of wine, women and wealth. His Aquarius North Node hints at a karmic journey through life which demands he gives up pride and dominating ways, aiming instead for a life of humanitarian service – and paying his way by his own efforts. Not much sign of that or Buddhist detachment kicking in anytime soon.  And with a Fixed T Square involving an 8^th house Pluto square Mars in Scorpio he won’t be inclined to volunteer for a life of austerity and selflessness.

However he does have tr Uranus moving towards his Fixed T Square upending a few certainties from 2021 onwards for two years; with a reputation-denting and possible fall from grace when tr Pluto squares his Midheaven in 2023/24. Plus he has tr Saturn moving downwards through his 1^st Quadrant for almost all of this decade, which is not successful and will throw a few banana skins his way.

His Coronation chart, 4 May 2019 at 12.10pm does hint at disappointments and jarring changes in 2021/22 with tr Neptune square the opportunistic Mars opposition Jupiter and tr Uranus conjunct the Midheaven and Sun.

There’s nothing on his Solar Return chart for this year to show much disruption. But where Thailand itself will be subject to a major shift will be when the outer planets start to change sign from 2023 to 2025.

What is bizarre is how many of these Western-tourist paradises in Asia and the Arab Emirates have hair-raising political setups which no one seems to bat an eye about.

See previous posts: November 8 2019 and 16 October 2016.

Jenni Murray, the much loved presenter of BBC Radio Woman’s Hour for an incredible 33 years, is to retire from the programme though she won’t give up working or even leave the BBC. Her mellifluous voice and understated but straight-shooting style of interviewing brought her legions of fans as did her honesty about her struggles with her weight and breast cancer.  She has been described as “a feminist, campaigner, humanist, confessionalist and sometimes a bit of a controversialist, but always above all a forensic, listening journalist: curious and self-possessed.”

Born 12 May 1950 10pm Barnsley, England, she has a hard-working 6^th house Sun Mercury in Taurus trine an even more workaholic Mars in Virgo as well as Saturn (not conjunct).  Her Neptune in the 10^th is caring and helpful and her Jupiter in Pisces in her 3^rd will give her a soothing and confident way of speaking. But that doesn’t stop her voicing strong opinions with Pluto, Saturn, Mars in her communicative 9^th.

Her Moon Venus in Aries in her 4^th will make home and family her comfort zone.

Taurus can veer towards weight problems and in the 6^th maybe more so. Moon Venus will also give her a tendency towards sweet and rich food.

Her Uranus in the 8^th is emphasised being square her Midheaven and Moon Venus, which will give her a discreet reforming streak. It can act as a catalyst for social change; as well as giving a need for space in close relationships.

There’s nothing hugely dramatic affecting her chart apart from tr Saturn moving through her 1^st Quadrant which will give her a yearning for more personal time and a change of inner direction so that what she does next will fulfil parts of her that have been pushed to one side. The Eclipses are also landing in her 1^st and 7^th house over the next year or so pointing to changes in image and relationships.

Pic: NHS Employers.

Film director Oliver Stone, described as one of the most feted and most-hated filmmakers in Hollywood, has written a memoir ‘Chasing the Light’ taking his life up to 1997. That was when he was at the top of his game with an Oscar for Platoon, the first of his Vietnam trilogy and the successful movies JFK, Nixon and Wall Street amongst others under his belt. But his career has been littered with controversy, with accusations of him stoking conspiracy theories and more recently being an apologist for Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Vladimir Putin and Edward Snowden.

He has fallen out of love with the Hollywood machine, preferring documentaries or indie productions, with another on JFK in the pipeline and one on energy.

Born 15 September 1946 9.58 am New York. He has an 11^th house Sun Mercury in Virgo square an 8^th house Uranus Node in Gemini – interested in society and a natural-born rebel. His Uranus is also trine a super-enthusiastic Mars Jupiter in Libra in the 12^th; with Jupiter conjunct his Scorpio Ascendant as is a charming Venus in Scorpio.

What gives his chart heft and an obsessive quality is the determined Saturn Pluto in Leo on his Midheaven. A good organiser, controlling and influential, he won’t like sharing the driving seat with anyone. Traditional astrology sometimes describes Saturn Pluto as the ‘black magician’ – capable of unseen powers. What’s for sure is it has grit, perseverance, endurance and a bucket load of stubbornness. In his case, all the more so, since it sits on the focal point of a Fixed T Square of a 7^th house Taurus Moon opposition Venus. He can turn on the charm but when he decides to dig in his heels nothing budges him.

He credits his father for encouraging him to write and his mother of whom he says he was exceptionally fond (Moon Venus) for his directing flair.

He served in Vietnam for two years and was wounded in 1967/68 when tr Uranus Pluto in Virgo was conjunct his Sun Mercury and square his Uranus – so it was a game changing moment in his life which he turned into memorable movies. Relocating his chart to Vietnam upends his chart putting his immoveable Saturn Pluto on the IC at the base of the chart, with Moon on the Ascendant.

His all-consuming attachment to the JFK story won’t resonate with younger generations and even oldies will wonder if it hasn’t been milked of every possible angle and shred of evidence.  JFK’s Neptune is conjunct Stone’s Midheaven which may explain part of it; and JFK’s Virgo Sun trine Mars, Mercury, Jupiter in Taurus sits well with Stone’s Virgo Sun trine Taurus Moon. The relationship chart between Stone and JFK has a possessive composite Sun Pluto in a rebellious square to Uranus; as well as composite Sun Mars Saturn which has associations with assassinations. So he’ll be continually drawn back to it.

He’ll slip and slither through this year and part of 2021 with Neptune hanging around. But is due a major success in 2022 with his Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Jupiter. He won’t give up easy and retire into bored old age.

Peter Green, the guitarist who founded Fleetwood Mac and was regarded as the foremost white blues guitarist of his generation has died. In 1969 his band sold more albums than the Beatles and the Stones combined, and in its first three years the group’s best-known hits were all written by Green. Then constant LSD trips turned him into an acid casualty and for 25 years Green drifted in and out of psychiatric hospitals, being treated for drug-induced schizophrenia, and outside, living destitute at times and surviving in menial jobs. He surfaced again in the mid-1990s, threw away his anti-psychotic medication and put a new band together. But the LSD had permanently damaged his mind and mood and after a few years he disappeared again.

He was born 29 October 1946 9.59pm London and had a packed 4^th house with Neptune in Libra, Sun Jupiter conjunct in Scorpio and Mercury Mars conjunct also in Scorpio – private, self-protective, mega-intense. He also had the heavyweight and depressive Saturn Pluto in Leo in his 1^st square his Jupiter Sun which would give him highs and lows of mood swings. His Moon in Sagittarius was in his performing 5^th opposition Uranus and he also had Venus in his 5^th.

It’s a curious chart with six out of the ten planets in Fixed signs and three Mutable – so he’d be contradictory and erratic, rooted and stuck at times and a wild free spirit at others. And with no Earth planets he’d be out of touch with his body and physical needs, presumably assuming it didn’t matter what drugs he threw in to his system.

When he melted down in 1970 tr Saturn was then moving through his 10^th house which can be a time – for some – when chickens come home to roost rather than being successful.  More significantly perhaps tr Uranus was moving across his IC upending his life from the foundations. And tr Pluto was midway through a phase of colliding with his Uranus opposition Moon – so he’d be emotionally all over the place.  When he re-emerged 25 years later tr Saturn was almost a cycle further on, heading for his 10^th house.

His talented and creative 5^th Harmonic was strongly aspected; as was his self-defeating, rise-and-fall 10H; and his leaving-a-legacy 17H. A tragic waste.

QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory detailing a supposed secret plot by an alleged “deep state” against Trump. It was first posited on an anonymous message board on 28 October 2017 by one individual but then was probably taken up by many using the same tag and expanded across multiple media platforms for monetization. It has falsely accused liberal Hollywood actors, Democratic politicians, and high-ranking officials of being members of an international child sex trafficking ring.

Trump has amplified QAnon messaging by retweeting or mentioning QAnon-affiliated Twitter accounts. The FBI has determined QAnon to be a potential source of domestic terrorism — the first time a fringe conspiracy theory had been so rated by the agency. Twitter has banned thousands of QAnon-affiliated accounts and changed its algorithms to reduce the spread of the conspiracy theory.

QAnon’s precepts and vocabulary are closely related to the religious concepts of millenarianism and apocalypticism. According to Travis View, who has studied the QAnon phenomenon, the essence of the conspiracy theory is that:

“…there is a worldwide cabal of Satan-worshiping paedophiles who rule the world, essentially, and they control everything. They control politicians, and they control the media. They control Hollywood, and they cover up their existence, essentially. And they would have continued ruling the world, were it not for the election of President Donald Trump…..”

It has been accused of containing “striking anti-Semitic elements” and “garden-variety nonsense with racist and anti-Semitic undertones”. Followers in the QAnon community often talk of becoming isolated from family and friends, leading it to be dubbed a cult, which implants and promotes ‘groupthink’ – hence its’ motto – “Where we go one, we go all.”

It has been widely characterized as “baseless”, “unhinged”, “evidence-free” and “a deranged conspiracy cult”.

The start chart does have an attention-demanding, none-too-practical, can-be-inspirational and entrepreneurial Fire Grand Trine of Saturn in opinionated Sagittarius trine Uranus trine North Node in Leo – in different circumstances that might have suggested a reasonably progressive outfit.

But Neptune is heavily aspected being trine a money-minded and obviously dirt-digging Sun Jupiter in Scorpio. Neptune is also trine Mercury in Scorpio sextile Pluto – which will add another layer of intensity as well as a controlling tendency when it comes to debate. Mercury Pluto can be penetrating; Mercury Neptune evasive and delusional. The focal point Pluto plus three Scorpio planets will accentuate the inclination to walk on the dark side and dig down into the sewers – hence the obsession with deep state, perverted sexuality, and extreme wealth.

The midpoints on the QAnon chart are instructive especially the QA Neptune being square the Sun/Pluto midpoint and the QA Mars opposition the Uranus/Neptune midpoint – both of which point to off-the-wall ideas.

The wiki entry for QAnon connects it to a paper on “The Paranoid Style of American Politics” written when Barry Goldwater brewed up conspiracy theories to get the Republican nomination for the 1964 election (which he then lost to Lyndon Johnson.)  And that was only a decade after the mad McCarthy rampage. Both Goldwater and McCarthy were born with the highly-strung, not-always-rational Uranus in Capricorn opposition Neptune in Cancer in place in 1909/08.

So it has been a recurring factor in US political life. The USA chart’s Mercury in Cancer opposition Pluto sextile/trine Neptune will be part of it. And that replicates the QAnon Mercury trine Neptune sextile Pluto. QAnon also picks up the Uranus/Neptune connection from Goldwater/McCarthy.

Trump’s relationship chart with QAnon is striking with a ‘power-couple’ composite Jupiter Pluto conjunction on the focal point of a trine of Sun and Neptune. That will only work well when there is agreement on a common goal. If it descends into internal argument it can get nasty. There is a noisy, angry composite Sun Mercury; and more significantly a ‘fated’ Yod of Jupiter Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct Uranus. They are tied together in some mysterious way by a destiny that will have far-reaching effects for both.  That relationship is being damped down by tr Saturn between now and this December as well as unsettled as tr Pluto trines the focal point Uranus.

The QAnon chart will be in for radical upheavals in 2021 from March onwards with tr Pluto square the Uranus on one leg of the Grand Trine, prodding it onto a different track; with a debilitating and undermining 2022/23 as tr Neptune squares the Saturn.

The Meghan Harry breaking-free-of-the-Royal-prison book is out, with protestations from the couple that they had no hand in it. The concern of courtiers and the Royal inner circle is it will exacerbate the family rift as it airs what Meghan and Harry see as their rightful grievances.  Though early reports that the Sussexes felt upset because Prince William and Prince Charles were given priority over them is only likely to increase public bewilderment. And the notion that they were done down because everyone feared they would become more popular than the Royal family itself is risible.

Harry has been sliding into a Neptunian dip since the wedding which happened when tr Neptune was square his Mars, usually a sign of panicky-failure; and it is now approaching the opposition to his Virgo Sun and square his Solar Arc Midheaven from April next year, on and off for a year or so – which will be indecisive, confused and lacklustre. He’s also got his Progressed Moon moving through his 8^th house for another year which is conflicted, often anguished, and feels like being stuck in purgatory.

On top of all of that he has tr Saturn heading downwards in his First Quadrant which is a low-profile, less successful time, which can bring up unresolved psychological issues and will bring some financial cutbacks from 2022 for three years thereafter.  He looks especially jangled and nervy now till late this September with tr Uranus opposition his Sun/Neptune midpoint. With the final hit of tr Pluto opposition his Sun/Moon midpoint from mid this August to late November, which points to inner turmoil and will put strain on his marriage – and indeed relationship with parent figures.

His Solar Return for the year from his birthday this September points to a challenging and acutely frustrating year ahead with the pressured and restrictive Saturn Pluto in the 3^rd square an angry-partner Mars in the 7^th with a needs-space Uranus also in the 7th.

Meghan had the recent Lunar Eclipse elbowing her 12^th house Mars in excitable Cancer so she will be on red alert and arguing the toss at every turn especially with that on top of tr Pluto opposition her Mercury/Mars midpoint through this July and August. Like Harry she has the conflicted and stuck Progressed Moon moving through her 8^th for another year. Her irritable streak will roll on in 2021/22 with the trapped tr Pluto opposition her Sun/Mars midpoint. 2021 will also see tr Uranus square her Leo Sun from May onwards ; with a couple of awkward Solar Arcs of Solar Arc Uranus square her Moon in late 2021 and then square Saturn in late 2022 which will cause family upsets.

Like Harry she’ll experience a minor blip upwards of her finances in 2021 and then an extended two/three years of setbacks and cutbacks thereafter from 2022 onwards.

On Royal relationships:

Prince Charles and the Queen appear to be most upset with Harry through this year and next. Prince William and Kate are none too happy but will be more stressed from mid 2021 for a year.

With Meghan it is much the same, with Prince Charles and the Queen feeling undermined, confused and concerned this year and more so next. The Kate/Meghan strain will roll on, worsening if anything in 2023/24 as tr Pluto squares their composite Sun.

The Meghan/Harry relationship chart is labouring under discouraging Saturn transits conjunct the Midheaven and opposition the Moon and square Pluto through till this December – no sense of positive progress and a reality check. With a hint of stress-testing tr Pluto hard aspects this year and on until 2024.

Never was a relationship chart more illuminating with their composite Moon opposition Midheaven square Saturn Pluto pointing to an internal dynamic of emotional tension and pressure which will tend to get projected out onto the family.  If both their families dematerialised they would be left facing each other forced to work out their own issues.

Erik Prince, the private security contractor with aspirations to being the maestro of mercenary warfare has in recent years aided the Trump Administration. According to reports he runs a secretive intelligence-gathering operation that infiltrates groups considered hostile to Trump to undermine them.

Between 1997 and 2010 when Prince was CEO of Blackwater, it was awarded $2 billion in government security contracts, some of it classified work including for the CIA. After Blackwater became embroiled in mounting legal problems, Prince sold out and relocated to the Arab Emirates to work for the ruler; and started a private equity firm whose focus is oil and gas investment in Africa, with a state-owned Chinese group as the principal investor. He is the younger brother of Betsy De Vos, the much criticised Trump Secretary of Education.

Prince, born 6 June 1969 in Holland, Michigan, has a scattergun Mutable chart with a Sun and Mercury in Gemini opposition Mars in Sagittarius square a Pisces Moon. With a super-confident and adventurous Pluto, Jupiter, Uranus in Virgo. His Mercury is in an evasive opposition to Neptune; and his indulgent Venus is conjunct an ungiving Saturn.  His BML is conjunct his Sun.

What’s intriguing is that Prince’s megaton Pluto Jupiter is conjunct the USA Neptune (on 11am start) in the 12^th – classic for behind the scenes secret missions and nefarious schemes.  His Jupiter Pluto also squares the USA Mars –  descriptive of high-risk military/mercenary contracts in dangerous locations.

He’s not the greatest fit with Trump despite their Geminian similarities and their relationship chart is showing definite signs of a downward drift from late August through September and again in early 2021 with tr Neptune square the composite Sun; And a definite hiccup over the election with tr Uranus square the composite Uranus.

But Prince won’t be down and out since tr Pluto is trine his Jupiter Pluto in 2021/22. Since he’s hedged his bets every which way he can hardly lose – merely move to another warlord. With his skills he’ll always have a ready supply of offers.

His sister, Betsy De Vos, 4 January 1958, is not looking remotely upbeat at the moment till late August with tr Neptune square her Saturn and that returns on and off till early 2022;   with a serious jolt approaching from the December Solar Eclipse conjunct her Saturn as well.

China already reeling from the pandemic is experiencing historic levels of rain and flooding which are threatening their showpiece Three Gorges Dam, which they regard as a monumental social and economic success. The state-owned dam operator said some peripheral parts of the dam had buckled under the strain of holding back more water than it was designed to take from the Yangtze River in order to protect the mega-city of Wuhan amongst others downstream.

Construction was started 14 December 1994 and it took twenty years to finally complete. It has a Sagittarius Sun and more significantly a grandiose Jupiter Pluto conjunction on the focal point of a Saturn opposition Mars. There’s also an inspired and inventive but also anxiety-producing Uranus Neptune in Capricorn.

There have been rumours of an impending dam collapse through 2019/2020 which would have devastating effects on the lower Yangtze River.

The Dam chart is in an edgy few years with tr Pluto conjunct the Neptune Uranus from 2019 to late 2021 which can be associated with natural disasters; and an undermining tr Neptune square Sun Mercury in 2021.  Though the most concerning phase might be when the Solar Arc Sun Mercury are conjunct the Neptune Uranus in 2023/24.

Previous catastrophic floods in the area:- In 1931 which badly affected Wuhan and area were when Saturn in Capricorn opposed Pluto in Cancer and squared Uranus. And again in 1954 when Uranus in Cancer was square Neptune in Libra. There is no start chart for Wuhan but outer planets in final decan Capricorn and Cardinal signs do appear to be warning flags.

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Trump having found how much he can amuse himself aggravating mayors, governors and Democrats and at the same time give himself a law-and-order platform for his flagging re-election campaign is threatening to send in federal troops to several additional cities.

His Term chart, 20 January 2017 12 noon, does have one final blast of the might-makes-right, rules-don’t-apply-here T Square with tr Pluto square Jupiter from late this August to late November – so if anything there’ll be more to come.

His relationship charts with the USA and both Republican Party charts are all under immense strain and undermined at the moment and on for several months ahead into 2021. And his cheer-leading consigliere Attorney General William Barr is on a fast downward slide from late August (see previous post June 20 2020).  But if past experience is anything to go by, the more cornered Trump gets, the more he lashes out.

The USA chart has tr Pluto trine its Neptune late this August to late November which will induce an obsessive, tormented and confused atmosphere. Since the USA Neptune is tied into Mars in square, it’ll ratchet up arguments – and the December Sagittarius Eclipse in opposition to the USA Mars is likely to ramp up the combative mood even more.

I wish I could say the divisive rancour will subside after the election but the USA Mercury in Cancer opposition Pluto, which spawned McCarthyism and Watergate when triggered, will be under pressure for the next three years.  2021/22 looks just as beset by hostile and bitter debate and on through the Pluto Return in 2022/23.

See post October 29 2018 – USA Civil War comparisons.

The Department of Homeland Security is the over-arching body dragooned in by the president to do his bidding. It was set up on 25 November 2002 on the back of 9/11 when the unyielding Saturn opposition Pluto was still in place.

It has a chilly, unsentimental and harsh Air Grand Trine of Saturn trine Mars trine Uranus. The DHS Mars is exactly conjunct the Trump Term’s Midheaven but really he’s not personally a great fit with the organization. The DHS Uranus opposes his Mars, the DHS Mars squares his Saturn and the DHS Saturn sits on top of his Sun opposition Moon.

The DHS does look cornered and frustrated from March 2021 onwards for two years with tr Pluto square the Mars pushing it (against heavy resistance) onto a different track.

Roll on the June 2021 Solar Eclipse in Gemini which is in a Saros Series bringing sudden flashes of insight, a creative surge, prophetic dreams and should leave everyone feeling enriched – if not financially then in other ways. And the December 2021 Solar Eclipse should be joyful and happy, with good news and long-lasting benefits.  Not before time. They won’t entirely solve the USA’s or anyone else’s problem for that matter but at least there might be more cheer around.