General Franco – Spain’s fascist past bites the dust

 

The remains of dictator General Franco, still glorified as a heroic figure by the right-wing in Spain, are being relocated to a low-key grave to fulfil a key pledge of the socialist government. In 1939 Franco won the civil war, which had claimed almost half a million lives, extending his dictatorship to the whole country. What followed was a period of repression of political opponents and dissenters, with between 100,000 and 200,000 dying in forced labour and executions in concentration camps. He ruled for almost four decades, nurturing a cult of personality, initially as a totalitarian regime though that gradually softened and he introduced social and economic reform which brought prosperity. Many believe Spain has never faced up to its fascist part while others still hold him up as a figure of reverence.

Born 4 December 1892 at 12.30 am, he certainly had an unpleasant and cruel chart. His Sagittarius Sun opposed an alarming collection of Neptune Pluto Moon in Gemini in a hyperactive square to Mars in Pisces; with a Mystic Rectangle of Saturn in Libra opposition Jupiter in Aries sextile/trine his Sun and Pluto Neptune Moon.

Sun Neptune Pluto gives stratospheric ambitions and in square to Mars goals are accomplished through violence and publicity (Mars Neptune). It’s a surprisingly scattered chart for a personality who seemed enduring. Though the unyielding Saturn trine Pluto and sextile his Sun would help to anchor him.

His wife, Carmen Polo, was an influential figure in Francoist Spain, appearing at her husband’s side, always elegantly dressed with jewels. Born 11 June 1900, she had the same Gemini Sagittarius emphasis he did. Her Gemini Sun was conjunct Pluto and Neptune; and she had Jupiter Uranus, maybe Moon in Sagittarius. Her Mars was in rock solid Taurus. Their relationship chart had an affectionate Sun Venus conjunction in a wild and way out square to Neptune Pluto; plus a power-couple Jupiter trine Pluto Neptune sextile Mars.

That Neptune Pluto at the end of the 19th Century had a lot to answer for in terms of the brutality of the century that followed. From my Astrological History of the World.

“These two planets together in the same sign coincide with the rise of great powers, often led by brutal dictators, and a consequent dissolving of previous empires, starting with the fall of the Roman Empire and Britain’s decline into the Dark Ages in the fifth century.

Attila the Hun (born c. 406), who devastated the Eastern Mediterranean in a campaign of terror in the fifth century, and Joseph Stalin (born 1879), the revolutionary Marxist whose brutal purges led to the death of some 20 million Russian peasants by execution or famine in the 1920s and 1930s, were born 1400 years apart but both under the sway of a Neptune–Pluto conjunction in Taurus. Adolf Hitler (born 1889) and Mao Tse Tung (born 1893), the other two major destructive power figures of the 20th century, were born with Neptune close to Pluto in Gemini. When the 14th-century conjunction was at its peak, Tamerlane the Great was terrorizing the Middle East.

More recently, in the final 20 years of the nineteenth century, the Englishman Cecil Rhodes was forcefully attempting to create a British colonial African super-state from south to north. In a chilling pointer to the holocaust of the next century, the British invented concentration camps during the Boer War. In North America, the Native American Indians were finally driven into total submission, and America was established as an imperial power, having won the Spanish-American War. Germany, now reunified, was rising steadily under Bismarck to become a super-power.

Neptune in its visionary aspect, mixing with Pluto’s power drive, creates a delusional though often devastatingly effective megalomania. Both planets in their negative roles are chillingly inhumane. Neptune puts the dream above reality, writes off human sacrifice as a necessary cost to gain the end. Pluto as the arch controller reduces individual humans to objects, pawns on the chessboard; the puppet-master reigns supreme.”

 

Cameron Douglas – the sins of the father and grandfather

Cameron Douglas, former drug addict and con, scion of the leading Hollywood dynasty of Kirk and Michael Douglas has written a frank memoir Long Way Home. It winds through his seemingly privileged but in reality tumultuous childhood with inadequate and erratic parenting, both parents being unfaithful and his father doing drugs. He started on marijuana as a young teen and graduated to heroin, liquid cocaine and crystal meth, was dried out myriad times and ended up in prison for dealing, with his sentence lengthened when he was found with drugs inside. He eventually served seven years with two in solitary confinement.

Born 13 December 1978 in Santa Barbara, CA, he’s a Sun conjunct Neptune in Sagittarius in a creative and neurotic square to Saturn in Virgo and perhaps opposition a Gemini Moon – very scattered and unfocussed as well as addictive prone with Sun close to Neptune.

His father Michael Douglas, 25 September 1944 10.30 am New Brunswick, New Jersey, is also a Sun conjunct Neptune, in his case in Libra, square Saturn. He’s got more Cardinal planets with Mars Venus also in Libra, a Capricorn Moon and Saturn in Cancer, so is blessed with more initiative and a self-starting drive. Michael’s partial excuse for not being a better role model for Cameron was that he was trying to get out from under the shadow of his own father Kirk Douglas.

Kirk, 9 December 1916 10.15 am New York, is a hard driving and aggressive Sun Sagittarius, with a ruthlessly determined Pluto opposition Mars in Capricorn which falls on Michael’s Capricorn Moon  and square Michael’s Libra Sun Neptune – so he would make Michael feel trapped and scared.

What may not have helped, though they are very different temperaments, is that Cameron shares several of his grandfather’s planets – Sagittarius Sun, Mars in Capricorn and Venus in Scorpio. And Cameron’s Saturn is also conjunct Michael’s Jupiter in the 10th, so he’d dent Michael’s confidence and undermine his reputation.

What a complicated family. Kirk Douglas’s tough beginning in a poverty-stricken New York childhood, son of a ragman, straightened his spine but it didn’t make life easier for what came next.

Frank Lloyd Wright – a cruel genius

 

Frank Lloyd Wright, America’s greatest architect whose ‘Prairie Style’ brought nature indoors had the most hair-raising private life. He abandoned his first wife and six children to live with the wife of a client, who was subsequently murdered along with her two children by an axe-wielding servant who set fire to the house that Lloyd Wright had designed for himself. His second wife was a morphine addict, and during his third marriage the house was burnt down for a second time because of an electrical fault.

Born 8 June 1867 5pm Richland Center, Wisconsin, he had an intense 8th house Gemini Sun square a 10th house Virgo Moon – so he would be wayward and never sure what he wanted. The grass would always be greener with a Sun square Moon. He also had a passionate, possessive Venus Pluto in Taurus opposition Saturn in obsessive Scorpio squaring onto a flamboyant Mars in Leo. Talented he may have been, amiable he wasn’t. He’d be cruel with Mars Saturn, insensitively determined on his own needs with Venus square Mars, ruthless with Mars Pluto. He also had Uranus in the 8th which would not help to keep him stable emotionally either. His Moon was trine Venus Pluto, a hint of the relationship with a mother who spoilt him.

His leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17th Harmonic was strong and his breakthrough/genius 13H.

He’s the subject of a new biography by Paul Hendrickson.

Christina Hendricks & Geoffrey Arend – splice and separate

 

Christina Hendricks of Mad Men, more recently Tin Star and Good Girls, is divorcing her husband of ten years Geoffrey Arend of Body of Proof and Madam Secretary. They put out a ‘conscious uncoupling’ piece of Hollywood schmooze on Instagram saying they “will always work together to raise our two beautiful dogs.” They don’t have any children.

She was born 3 May 1975 at 8.12 am Knoxville, Texas and is a Sun Taurus square an Aquarius Moon on her Midheaven. She has an influential and controlling Pluto in the entertaining 5th in a pushily-confident opposition to Jupiter in pro-active Aries square Saturn in Cancer. She’ll be quite a toughie and not always good at sharing the driving seat.

He was born 28 February 1978 in New York and is a charming, adaptable though elusive Sun, Mercury, Venus in Pisces square a filmic Neptune; with his Moon conjunct Uranus in Scorpio.

It was always an odd match with his Uranus opposition her Sun, his Saturn in her 4th and his Mars in her 3rd square her Uranus. It would be sparky at the start with her Mars conjunct his Venus and superficially sweet with his Jupiter conjunct her Venus.

The relationship chart has a possessive composite Sun opposition Pluto; a needs-space Venus opposition Uranus squaring onto a high-tension and chilly Saturn. With a high enthusiasm (seemed like a good idea at the time) Mars Jupiter conjunction.   It’ll have been in trouble for some years with the tr Uranus square tr Pluto hammering away at the composite Sun Pluto – and now tr Uranus is upending the Venus Saturn T Square.

Tr Neptune is conjunct her Mars at the moment till early 2020 so she’ll feel the failure deeply; and tr Neptune is also conjunct his Venus this year and next for a sense of emotional loss and disappointment.

Jennifer Lawrence – a Leo Cancer match

Jennifer Lawrence, one of the highest grossing actresses for Hunger Games and much lauded for Silver Linings Playbook and Joy Mangano, has married her boyfriend, art gallery director Cooke Moroney. Born 15 August 1990 3.20 pm Louisville, Kentucky, she is a Sun Leo with a restless Gemini Moon and a highly-strung collection of Uranus, Neptune and Saturn in Capricorn; plus a fearsomely determined, bulldozer Mars in Taurus opposition Pluto squaring onto her Sun. She evidently grew up tough, hyper-active and unsettled until she found acting. She’s got a practical, business-like Earth Grand Trine of Saturn trine Mars trine Mercury in Virgo, focussed into a Kite making influential and controlling Pluto her driving planet. Quite a complicated lady with a charming 7th house Sun and a sugary-sweet, frivolous Venus in flamboyant Leo conjunct Jupiter added into the mix.

Cooke, 3 July 1984 (net sources) is a creative and home-loving Sun and Venus in Cancer in an expansive opposition to Jupiter and trine a hard-edged Saturn Mars in Scorpio. His Moon is in Virgo. His Sun Venus oppose her Capricorn triple conjunction which won’t always be easy with her jitterbug tendencies though his Jupiter may mellow her out a touch. His Mars conjunct her Pluto will lead to some deadlocks since both will be stubborn.

Their relationship chart has a wide-ish affectionate composite Sun Venus and probably a composite New Moon with Moon perhaps conjunct Venus – which is excellent suggesting a complementary pairing = more whole when together.

The wedding chart for Saturday has a Moon opposition Saturn square Mars which doesn’t sound exactly smooth-flowing, so there will be some wrinkles to iron out.

Harry and Meghan – pitted against an unfair universe

 

The Harry-Meghan duo appear to be struggling, not with each other, but against a threatening and under-supportive world at large. He seems afraid that his mother’s fate will be repeated, ignoring the fact that Diana roped the media in at every opportunity; and talks of his mental health struggles, which he seems to attribute solely to her early death, as being ongoing.

Blaming the UK media (which can be rancid) is a touch unfair since most of the initial troublesome publicity came from the USA and was stoked up by the disaffected side of her family. None of which was helped by their own choices – the obscenely expensive baby shower, a taxpayer-funded Frogmore Cottage renovation, a publicity-attracting Vogue edition; and South of France/Italy jet hopping while claiming green credentials.

What was always worrisome about he and Meghan’s relationship chart was the composite Moon square Saturn Pluto. Saturn Pluto in a relationship chart suggests a dynamic within the relationship of feeling trapped which is often projected outwards, so circumstances or other people’s actions are blamed. Whereas the key to resolving the pervading sense of being stuck in a deprived universe, is to sort out what is going on within the relationship that brings these feelings up – and which would be there whether they chose to live in a Botswana mud hut or rented a Clooney holiday mansion away from the public eye for five years.

It could also indicate heavy pressures from both families on the relationship. Moon Saturn can also feel unloved and Meghan has that natally with a Moon conjunct Saturn. And Harry has a wide Moon opposition Saturn.

Harry is emotionally intense at the best of times with an 8th house Virgo Sun as well as volatile with an impulsive Sun square Mars and impractical with Sun square Neptune. And he’ll be even more so at the moment with his Progressed Moon going through his 8th for the next two years which is a time of inner conflict, can be draining and will intensify his responses acutely at times. Plus he has tr Neptune square his Mars until February 2020 which will give him a sense of panicky failure. Tr Saturn is moving now through his lower profile First Quadrant for several years ahead so he is being nudged towards a quieter, less visible time. Though he’ll find any unresolved psychological issues come to the fore especially when tr Saturn goes through his 2nd from 2021 for four years.

Meghan’s Progressed Moon is also about to move into and through her 8th within three months, staying there for two years plus. And the tr Saturn Pluto conjunction will cross her Descendant and start moving through her 7th house of close relationships thereafter – so there will be a fair amount of adjustment needed in partnerships.

Life in the goldfish bowl isn’t easy which is why William and Kate disappeared off to Wales, the Queen and Philip went to Malta. And stayed silent.

Hillary & Tulsi – fire makes water boil

 

Hillary Clinton’s bizarre attack on the also-ran Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard for being a Russian asset, without offering any proof, only managed to improve Gabbard’s fund raising. While the congresswoman from Hawaii has some oddball and unsavoury associations (pro-Assad etc) and does spout Russian bot language at times, she would seem an unlikely Putin plant. And Clinton throwing the spotlight on her just raises her status.

Gabbard was born 12 April 1981 in American Samoa and is a toughminded, uber-ambitious and determined Sun Venus Mars in Aries opposition Pluto and trine Neptune. She’s in an extremely challenging phase with tr Pluto square her Mars and then her Sun/Mars midpoint this year bringing acute frustrations; and tr Pluto continues to square her Sun and Pluto in 2020 – so she’s under tremendous pressure.

What will be interesting to see how it shakes down is that at the election tr Jupiter Pluto are exactly square her Sun and Pluto which could bring her a major boost. Plus she has a Jupiter Saturn conjunction in Libra which is catching the tr Jupiter Saturn in Aquarius trine over the Inauguration.

She’s certainly a tricky mix with Hillary. Both are controlling women with strong Mars Pluto Venus contacts in their charts; and Aries is not a good mix with Scorpio –  fire and water.

Their relationship chart is horrible reeking with hostile dislike and bitterness. There’s a composite Mars square Uranus, Saturn, Pluto – and it doesn’t get much worse than that. Their connection will slip and slide through 2020 and beyond.

With odd murmurs that Clinton may throw her hat back into the ring – and she’s tone deaf enough to do it – be interesting to see what tr Uranus opposition her Scorpio Sun does in the final days of this December and through January.

Brexit – neither dead nor alive

 

The quagmire, train wreck, omnishambles and general clusterf*** that is Brexit sank deeper in the mud with Boris’s “do or die” plan to take Britain out of the EU on October 31 thrown into disarray. MPs voted to delay a crunch vote on his new Brexit deal and force him to seek an extension which he defiantly refuses to do, despite being told he’ll break the law if he doesn’t. He is expected to go for a speedy election. Though the final few days of this month and first week of November are bedevilled by disruptive Scorpio New Moon opposition Uranus, a major setback, accident-prone Mars square Saturn followed by a high-risk, exceptionally aggravated few days running into Mars square Pluto on November 5 – and a retrograde Mercury from October 31st to November 20th.

The chart for today’s high noon Brexit Debate today which fizzled out – is set for 9.30 am London and wasn’t too illuminating with a 12th house Sun trine a late 8th house Moon, oddly enough the latter being exactly conjunct Boris’s Sun Venus. The over-hopeful Jupiter Neptune square was in place but not well integrated; and Mars was in a road-blocked square to Saturn. Nothing much fits together.

To say Boris is not on a winning streak is putting it mildly. He’s got tr Neptune square his Mars/Node midpoint now till mid November and again mid December to late January 2020 which brings disappointments and undermining of relationships. From mid this November to mid December he has tr Neptune square his Sun/Mars midpoint which is more moments of panicky failure, losses, undermining of career position.

Mid November to mid December seems to be a crux time of unsolvable problems from all of the relevant Boris crony and government charts.

The UK chart looks bemused with tr Neptune square the Mercury and Solar Arc Mars now through till late February 2020; and saddened just before Christmas with tr Saturn opposition the 10th house Moon. There’ll be a shift of sorts late December to early February as tr Uranus is sextile the UK Pluto, which could act with the force of a hard aspect.

The UK joining the EEC chart, 1 January 1973 12 am, is similarly kerflummoxed with a fogged-up windscreen from tr Neptune square the Venus and square Saturn through till late January 2020.

It’s like being condemned to purgatory – stuck in eternal twilight. Can’t get in and can’t get out.

Suzi Quatro – still storming the stage

 

Suzi Quatro, a rock n’ roll blast from the past, appears amazingly to still be current on the global touring scene after 46 years and 55 million records. She stomps on stage in her iconic leather outfit with her electric bass guitar and wows her ageing audiences. Out of the public eye she lives in a moated 16th Century Essex manor house and flits across to Hamburg to see her present husband a German rock promoter who has his own establishment.

Born 3 June 1950 at 1.40pm in Detroit, Michigan, she has fittingly a Gemini Sun, a common sign amongst pop singers, in the far-travelled 9th house. Her Sun is on the focal point of a scattered Mutable T Square to a hates-failure Saturn opposition Jupiter. She will have her ups and downs having to balance on a Jupiter Saturn see-saw but there no doubting the ambitions driving her on with her Sun also trine Neptune and sextile Pluto.

Luckily she’s also got a grounded, bsuiness-like Earth Grand Trine of a dedicated and upfront Mars in Virgo on her Ascendant trine a Capricorn Moon trine Mercury in Taurus. And wayward, unconventional Uranus is conjunct her midheaven in her 10th so she was always destined to walk her own road and not fit into anyone else’s mould.

Her husband, Rainer Haas, 1 August 1956, is reasonably similar having an independent-minded Sun Uranus in Leo with his Venus and maybe Moon in Gemini.