Astrology of Today’s News

Dracula, the novel by Bram Stoker, published on May 26 1897, started a genre of gothic horror vampire books, comics and fantasy movies that still send a shiver down susceptible spines today. The original has lurid tales of blood-suckers who transform their human victims into the undead, a term Stoker at one point considered for the title. It wasn’t a best-seller in its day only becoming famous in later years.

Stoker, born 8 November 1847 in Dublin, no birth time, was a civil servant and theatre critic who became actor Sir Henry Irving’s personal assistant and manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London. He was friendly with Oscar Wilde and was thought to have been a closet homosexual whose anguished inner conflicts led him to begin writing Dracula only weeks after Wilde was sent to prison.

Stoker was a New Moon in Scorpio sextile Jupiter in Cancer; with a rebellious Uranus Pluto in Aries and a creative Neptune Saturn conjunction. But what marks out his chart as different is a Yod of Saturn sextile Mars in Taurus inconjunct Venus, which would give him the potential to make a contribution to Venusian creative activities.

When Dracula was published his Solar Arc Sun had moved to square his focal point Venus, triggering the Yod onto a new path; with tr Uranus Saturn in Scorpio conjunct his Solar Arc Venus. Although he made little money from it and in his latter years was poor, it did establish him after his death as a household name. His leaving-a-legacy 17^th harmonic was strong as was his writer’s 21H.

Dracula was published with the Neptune Pluto in Gemini of the time in place with the Sun in early Gemini. Neptune Pluto is associated with the supernatural and has blood-drenched associations as well given its presence during Attila the Hun’s reign of terror and the barbarous 20^th Century leaders born under it – Hitler, Mao etc. Count Dracula isn’t quite on their scale but he’s murderous enough.

Dominic Cummings, Boris’s chief aide, is facing increasing calls even from senior Tories to quit after reports emerged that he drove 250 miles with his ill wife and son to relatives in the north during lockdown. His arrogant dismissal of criticism hasn’t done much to dispel the suspicion that the No 10 inner circle feel rules don’t apply to them.

It’s one of the astrological mysteries of Boris that he and Cummings, his Svengali, are seemingly locked at the hip. Cummings is a self-righteous, dogmatic and suspicious Sun Neptune in Sagittarius opposition Saturn square an irritable, nervy, scattergun Mars in Pisces. All of which sits on top of Boris’s disorganized Saturn opposition Uranus Pluto square Mars in Gemini.

DC’s Mars is conjunct Boris’s Mars with DC’s Pluto in trine; and DC’s Mars is conjunct Boris’s Saturn and opposition his Pluto etc etc. All too exhausting to contemplate the anger issues and undercurrents that must infest No 10.

Their relationship chart has an unkind (cruel), one-sided composite Mars Saturn indicating a relationship where one partner has to sacrifice a good deal to keep it together. And that unhappy combination is inconjunct the composite Pluto and inconjunct Neptune. Matthew Parris, the Times columnist, said right at the start that when this duo split and it would, there would be a poisonous and damaging aftermath.

It’s not clear that Cummings will be forced to walk the plank since Boris and he have a Trumpian disregard for legitimate criticism. Their relationship (without DC’s birth time) has an edgy midpoint right now but nothing too substantive until October when a downhill slide starts in earnest – both on their relationship chart and on Boris’s Government chart which latter is flashing disaster for four months thereafter till late January 2021.

Cummings’ own chart hints at a considerable upset from 9^th June onwards into early July, and repeating in the autumn; with worse in 2021, but nothing too conclusive. The December Sagittarius Eclipse will conjunct his Venus Mercury for what could be an emotionally disruptive phase which damages his self-image. Not feeling the love. Which is also when that Eclipse catches Boris’s Sun Venus in Gemini.

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Actress Lori Loughlin and her husband fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli have finally pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to secure “fraudulent admission” of their two children to the University of Southern California (USC. She gets two months inside, her husband 5 months plus fines and community service. This follows actress Felicity Huffman’s two-week sentence for a similar offence which she served last year having owned up immediately. One of the Giannulli daughters, Olivia Jade, had a successful YouTube business prior to the scandal to which she has recently returned.

Lori Loughlin, 28 July 1964 New York, no birth time, is a Sun Leo with a head-in-the-clouds Jupiter in indulgent Taurus opposition Neptune; the Uranus Pluto conjunction tied into Mercury and Saturn and an enthusiastic Venus Mars in Gemini.

Her husband, 4 June 1963 9.36am Los Angeles, is a Sun Gemini sextile Jupiter in pro-active Aries and in a controlling square to Pluto; with his Pluto in a volatile conjunction to Uranus Mars in Virgo. His Moon Neptune in Scorpio in the 4^th opposes a 10^th house Venus Mercury in Taurus squaring onto a 7^th house Saturn in Aquarius. He’ll be the toughie in the family and keen on keeping up appearances with Venus in the 10^th as well as prone to sacrificing himself for his family.

He looks more rattled ahead than Lori does with a run of sticky Pluto and Neptune transits to midpoints; and a reputation-denting tr Pluto square his Aries Midheaven as well as tr Neptune square his Solar Arc Midheaven. Though in lawless LA it’s questionable how much difference a short prison sentence will make.

Olivia Jade, 28 September 1999 12.09 am Los Angeles, has a private, family-oriented 4^th house Libra Sun trine Neptune Uranus in the 8^th – highly strung, but also inventive. Her Mercury in Libra trines Uranus and sextiles Mars in colourful Sagittarius giving her a tendency to take risks and fly ahead. Her Jupiter, Moon, Saturn in Taurus and a 2^nd house Venus in Leo suit her for the business of fashion and design. Her Pluto is conjunct Mars so she has inherited her father’s do-or-die-determination. She’s looking jittery through this year especially from July onwards, discouraged through 2021/22 and directionless for a couple of years thereafter.

I realise it’s unfair buying places which keeps more deserving students out  – but didn’t Trump’s father and many others do much the same in the past?  And given the overtly criminal acts which go unpunished it does seem an enormous fuss.

The name Warren Buffet is still synonymous with investment genius despite the fact that his picks in recent years have been lagging behind. One calculation put a $100 invested by his firm in 2014 being worth $112 today; whereas on the S&P 500 would be worth $154. But another reckoning was that $10,000 invested in 1964 in his Berkshire Hathaway stock, would now be worth circa $274 million by 2019, a compound annual return of 20% plus – double that of the standard stock market.

But he is ninety years old and his partner Charlie Munger a whopping 96 so they might be forgiven for losing focus.

Born 30 August 1930 Buffett is an intuitive Sun Neptune in Virgo sextile Mars on one side and trine Saturn in ambitious Capricorn. His tough-minded Saturn opposition Mars squares onto a clear-thinking Mercury in Libra. He also has the signature 1930 pushily confident and determined Jupiter Pluto in Cancer in an innovative square to Uranus. A substantially Cardinal chart overflowing with initiative

His partner, Charlie Munger born 1 January 1924, is a Sun Capricorn in a controlling opposition to Pluto and on the focal point of a mini-Grand Trine to an inventive Uranus trine a seriously determined Mars in Scorpio. Their relationship chart has an opportunistic, adventurous, lucky composite Uranus opposition Jupiter; an assertive Sun sextile Mars and an argumentative, hard-edged Mars square Saturn.

Neither of them will be looking for breakfast nor personally concerned about their short falls since they can’t take it with them. But Warren Buffet’s chart looks due for an uptick in terms of luck and success from this July on and off into spring 2021; and Charlie Munger’s ditto from February 2021 onwards.

Joe Rogan, the podcast king, whose chats are downloaded nearly 200 million times per month on Youtube has been persuaded to shift over to Spotify in a deal worth more than $100 million. His guests have included Elon Musk, Bernie Sanders, Jack Dorsey, Robert Downey, Jr. and alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. He claims to be widely libertarian but has been criticised for making transphobic and racist remarks and for his choice of guests.

Born 11 August 1967 in Newark, New Jersey, his parents divorced when he was young and he has had no contact with his abusive father since. He started in martial arts, gravitated towards being a stand-up comedian, an actor and a sports commentator. Since 2009 his podcasts have grown in popularity, bringing in a reputed $30 million last year.

He’s an entertaining and confident Sun Jupiter in Leo square a showbizzy Mars Neptune in ultra-determined in Scorpio. He’s also got a tricky Yod of Venus in Virgo sextile Mars inconjunct Saturn in forced-to-be-self-reliant Aries. And the boundary-pushing, changeable Uranus Pluto in Virgo.

When he started his podcast in late 2009, tr Jupiter Neptune were square his Solar Arc focal point Saturn giving it a boost; with his Solar Arc Pluto opposition his Taurus North Node exactly; and he was in the midst of his (tr Uranus opposition Uranus) mid-life crisis, keen to try a new project.

What lies ahead won’t be entirely straightforward or successful with his Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Mars in late 2021/early 2022 for a dead-halt; but he’ll then zip up again with Solar Arc Uranus square his Jupiter in 2022/23. He’s clearly good at reinventing himself and has the lucky touch so he’ll no doubt shapeshift in another direction.

Wilson Jerman, a poor North Carolina farmworker’s son, who became an indispensable and much-loved figure in the White House under eleven respective presidents, has died aged 91. He started during Dwight Eisenhower’s administration as a cleaner, was spotted later by Jackie Kennedy and promoted to butler. He had a close relationship with her according to his granddaughter: “She trusted him with her children, and he would ensure they had everything they needed in the White House.” When his wife was dying in 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson flew his personal doctors to help treat her and sent lobsters and filet mignon from the White House kitchen.

He was born January 21, 1929, in Seaboard, North Carolina and left school at 12 to work on a farm. He moved to Washington in the mid-fifties and catered parties in Georgetown before being hired at the White House.

He had a Sun Aquarius in an exact and lucky, laid-back square to Jupiter in Taurus; and even more significantly he had a Yod of Sun sextile Uranus in Aries inconjunct Neptune in Virgo. Yods are otherwise known as ‘the finger of destiny’ and usually mark out a unique path in life. Often there is a phase of wandering before they click into place as major planetary influences exert pressure on them.

When he first moved into the White House tr Pluto was conjunct his Yod focal point Neptune which would certainly pump a transformational energy through the Yod. And his Solar Arc Uranus, on one leg of the Yod, had moved to conjunct his Jupiter, bringing a lucky break. That period brought together the two major configurations in his chart together by Solar Arc – his Sun square Jupiter and his Yod.

His birth chart also had the harsh conditions of his childhood which gave him guts and self-discipline, reflected in a Mars opposition Saturn square Venus in Pisces. With a focal point Venus and a focal point Neptune he would come across as charming, sympathetic and good at PR. When JFK was assassinated in 1963 Wilson Jerman’s Solar Arc Saturn had moved to conjunct his Sun for a depressive setback.

A fascinating life’s arc.

The jury is still out about whether the Merkel-Macron recovery fund of half a trillion euros will: a) be enough to make a difference: and b) will fly in the face of opposition from the ‘frugal four’ of the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Denmark who have all held out against direct subsidies. Never mind the German Constitutional Court, who have already made their displeasure known – see previous post May 6. Repayment would be the responsibility of the entire bloc but it would primarily benefit the poorer south. Though not oddly enough Italy who is a net contributor and would gain nothing from agreeing and their budget chief has described it as a ‘gimmick.’  Pro-EU optimists see it as a major step toward a more unified Europe. Sceptics take the alternative view.

The timeline on the EU chart ahead: There’s a seriously-blocked Solar Arc Midheaven conjunct Pluto through 2020; with the worrisome, panicky tr Neptune square the 3^rd house Saturn, around in April and returning September and early 2021, making negotiations and discussions, never mind transport and communications tricky. But what will have most impact is tr Uranus in a jolting conjunction to the 8^th house financial Moon and square the forward-planning 11^th house Uranus from July 4^th this year running till late September and returning through the spring of 2021 and across the New Year into 2022. It then moves on to square the 5^th house speculative Venus in 2022 into 2023 – so an extended period of extreme turbulence on the money front.

The previous time tr Uranus was in hard aspect to these planets was in 1998/99 when the single currency of the euro was agreed and European Central Bank was set up. So it is likely to signal a shift in financial arrangements. Uranus is usually more of a separating than a merging influence but it can also have a catalytic effect.

However tr Uranus moving through the EU 8^th house of international trade until 2025 will be an erratic time economically. The global recession-bringing tr Uranus square tr Saturn in 2021 will hit those EU financial planets hard, so it will be in the eye of that particular storm. With major shocks from Solar Arc Mars square the Moon, exact in May 2021, and even more explosive setbacks in opposition to the Uranus, exact in late 2021 into early 2022. By 2023 the Solar Arc Neptune moves to undermine the EU Sun by conjunction. In 2024 tr Neptune squares the EU Midheaven and opposes the Ascendant, which will be directionless and not committed to co-operation, with close relationships sagging. That’s followed in 2025/26 by a dead-halt Solar Arc Pluto opposition the EU Moon and a disruptive square to the EU Uranus.

The key country is Germany since without it the EU boat won’t float. This June’s Cancer Solar Eclipse will oppose the Germany Saturn in Capricorn (square Mars) which intriguingly often carries a lesson about shouldering responsibility for others, though, as ever, the challenges of Eclipses are often ducked with crises forcing the issue in the months thereafter.

Even more interesting astrologically is tr Pluto moving to oppose the Germany 10^th house Uranus from early 2021 to late 2022. This could indicate a radical change of direction, certainly a period of upheaval and turbulence. Previous hard aspects of transiting Pluto to the Germany Uranus heralded strong leaders taking over. In 1934 tr Pluto was conjunct the Germany Uranus as Hitler rose to power; and in 1982 as tr Pluto in Libra was in square to the Germany Uranus Helmut Kohl, described as “the greatest European leader of the second half of the 20th century”, took over as Chancellor. He was committed to European integration, French–German cooperation and was a steadfast ally of the USA. He oversaw the end of the Cold War, the reunification of Germany and with François Mitterrand, was the architect of the Maastricht Treaty.

The above could argue for a more integration-friendly Germany but the anti-bailout right-wing opposition and the constitutional court would be an enormous hurdle to overcome – and times have changed.

All of the principal EU countries and not just the ‘frugal four’ look in turmoil vis a vis the EU’s direction right through till the middle of this decade as tr Neptune in last decan Pisces and tr Uranus moving through Taurus undermine and rattle all of the composite charts.

Mind you that includes the EU/UK relationship chart as well and with a Tory Government in place I can’t imagine that Brexit won’t move ahead, given that staying would double the contribution with no obvious benefit.

The Maastricht Treaty chart, 1 November 1993, a symbol for further EU integration, has Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct the Mars Pluto and opposition the Moon – perhaps an indication of the present push for further unity. But there’ll be hitches and glitches from tr Uranus opposition the Sun later this month and on and off into 2021; with cataclysmic changes coming in 2023/24 as tr Uranus is conjunct the Moon and opposition Mars Pluto and square Saturn. That last set of Uranian firecrackers coincides with grinding changes, mountainous obstacles and serious disturbance on the EU chart itself.

There won’t be anything straightforward or clear cut about what lies ahead in an extremely stormy few years.

Anne Glenn has died at 100, the widow of the astronaut and fighter pilot John Glenn who was the first American to orbit the earth in 1962. She was his childhood sweetheart and suffered from the most severe level of stuttering which prevented her communicating until she took a course in her mid-fifties which cured her. In later years, during her husband’s four stint term as Senator, she campaigned tirelessly for those with speech disorders.

Born 17 February 1920 in Columbus, Ohio, no birth time, she was a Sun Aquarius with her Mercury in Pisces conjunct Uranus and opposition Saturn in Virgo and trine Pluto and Mars in Scorpio. So she had an overloaded and frustrated Water Grand Trine of Sun Mercury Uranus trine Mars trine Pluto formed into a Kite by the Saturn opposition.

Ebertin describes Saturn Mercury as leading sometimes to ‘defective speech’ and a blocking of the functional relationship of the nervous system to the organs of speech and hearing. Mercury Pluto can also lead to nervous irritation as does Mercury Mars.

When she was finally able to leave her stutter behind in 1973 tr Pluto was in a successful and confidence-boosting conjunction to her Solar Arc Jupiter; and tr Uranus was in a life-changing opposition to her Solar Arc Sun and Uranus. Tr Neptune was also square her Saturn and Mercury for a healing event which must also have felt quite disorienting after half a century.

Her husband John, 18 July 1921 4pm Cambridge, Ohio, had a powerful, intense, secretive and influential chart with an 8^th house Cancer Sun conjunct Mars and Mercury Pluto also in the 8^th – not that easy a personality despite his charmingly light-hearted 7th house Venus in Gemini. There are shades of JFK with that hefty 8^th house which would make him courageous and attracted to high-risk situation.

Glenn had Jupiter Saturn conjunct in Virgo, sitting on his midheaven which would make him a good organiser and lucky. His adventurous and outspoken Uranus in the 3^rd was opposition Jupiter and trine Pluto Mercury. His domestic and emotional life wouldn’t be too straightforward with his Capricorn Moon opposing Pluto, Mercury and Mars – that’s quite a psychological legacy which wouldn’t always make for a comfortable family life. Though he’d soak a good deal of it up in his war years, as an astronaut and later a senator. And those were different days with different kinds of marriages.

It wasn’t an intuitively obvious match with her Aquarius Sun and his Cancer Sun though her three Pisces planets and Mars in Scorpio would provide some cross over with his water planets. Their relationship chart did suggest a rather one-sided relationship where one partner had to sacrifice a good deal to make it work. There was a composite Mars Saturn suggesting a fair amount of work and duty/discipline. Though her disability must have also added an additional strain in the early years.

But for all that it’s reasonably well-knit together relationship chart, despite having stress and strains, with the composite Uranus opposition Saturn providing a platform for a Half Grand Sextile in trine/sextile to the Sun Mercury and Pluto. The composite Sun was also square Neptune for idealism if not realism – though I’d imagine there were disappointments along the way. Plus the composite Venus squares Pluto for passion and attraction. The Sun was also opposition the North Node tying them as a couple into the zeitgeist.

He had no Fixed planets while she had a Fixed Sun, Jupiter, Neptune Mars and maybe Moon, so she’d be the one with staying power.

When he had his five hours in space in 1962 tr Uranus was conjunct his Solar Arc Mars for a high-risk, adrenaline-pumping experience with his Solar Arc Jupiter in a successful square to his Sun; and a game-changing tr Pluto opposition his Uranus, sending his life off in a different trajectory thereafter. He became friendly with the Kennedys who suggested he go into politics and after a stint in business he did win a Senate seat in 1974, the first of four re-elections. He retired in 1999 and died aged 95.

Ho Chi Minh, the North Vietnamese Marxist-Leninist President, is regarded as a historically important and influential 20^th Century figure, inspiring other leaders in Africa, Latin America and Asia. He led his country’s independence movement in successful conflicts against the French and then the USA, though he died before unification with the south came after the Vietnam War. His birth data is suspect but best guesses appear to be 19 May 1890 5am Hoang Tru, Vietnam. He was born into an educated family, travelled and lived abroad for many years in France, US, England and China if his reports are to be believed.

On this birth data he was a New Moon in Taurus square Saturn in Leo – practical, a good organiser, stubborn to the nth degree, with great perseverance. Even more significantly he had the signature Neptune Pluto conjunction in Gemini of his generation which in his case was in a ruthless opposition to Mars.

Mao Tse Tung had a Neptune Pluto conjunction in Gemini as did Hitler. Stalin had Neptune and Pluto both in Taurus (though not conjunct). Neptune gives vision, idealism and strong ideology while Pluto backs it up with a power-push.

Lenin and Marx were both Sun Taurus, Marx with a New Moon in Taurus and Neptune square Pluto. Both Mao and Stalin were Sun Capricorns which is a key dictators’ sign. Pol Pot, the barbarous revolutionary Marxist-Leninist of Cambodia was Sun Taurus  with his Sun Uranus trine Pluto and sextile Neptune. Capricorn and Taurus are definitely the heavyweight signs.

On this chart Ho Chi Minh had Jupiter in Aquarius on his Midheaven. Given that Marx was a New Moon in Taurus, one might suspect this birthdate was brewed up to fit.

After his death a personality cult has been nurtured by later governments to preserve a perfect image of the ‘father of the revolution.’