Astrology of Today’s News

Priti Patel, the UK Home Secretary, is knee-deep in rumours of spats with her senior civil servants with the Times reporting multiple Home Office sources accusing her of bullying, belittling officials and presiding over an “atmosphere of fear”. There has also been a leak (hotly denied) that MI5 has been keeping intelligence away from her. There was general surprise she wasn’t dumped at the recent reshuffle since she’s generally regarded as weak and not up to the role. Though it is a monstrous job in a dysfunctional department.

Sim Jenkins writes in the Guardian: “Patel’s greatest fans would not laud her subtlety and sensitivity. A lack of experience and chequered ministerial career restored her to high office only because Boris Johnson wanted a right-wing loyalist who would carry his anti-Europeanism to extremes. Patel has set about this with a bludgeon.”

She was born 29 March 1972, of second-generation immigrant Ugandan-Indians, and is a longstanding Eurosceptic. Under Theresa May she was Secretary of State for International Development though was forced to resign after a political scandal involving unauthorised meetings with the Government of Israel. Patel has been criticised by political opponents for defending the tobacco and alcohol industries.

She is a Sun and Mercury in pro-active Aries opposition both a controlling Pluto (Moon) and a rebellious Uranus in Libra square Jupiter in Capricorn so she will be ambitious for money and success, as well as status, is lucky, overly excitable and wayward and given to over confidence. She also has a short-tempered Mars Saturn in Gemini opposition Neptune – shades of Dominic Cummings.

Though oddly she doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Cummings and that relationship is more unstable through this spring than with Boris. And Carrie Simmonds seriously doesn’t get on with her – not that there’s any suggestion Carrie is running No 10 but she’s likely to be throwing in the odd comment.

Priti Patel’s own chart looks in for a very rocky ride over coming months with tr Uranus bouncing off various Sun, Mars, Mercury and Saturn midpoints. April and May look like months of rapidly sinking personal confidence and career losses. And those influences repeat later in the year.

Add ON: Sir Philip Rutman, 19 June 1965, Patel’s top civil servant in the Home Office at the centre of the allegations, has resigned and taken the highly unusual step of announcing he intends to claim against the government for constructive dismissal. He said there had been a “vicious and orchestrated” campaign against him.

Patel is pushy and overly confident with her Sun opposition Pluto square Jupiter, never mind short-tempered from Mars Saturn in a slippery opposition to Neptune. Her Pluto is conjunct Rutman’s Mars and square his Gemini Sun, so it was never going to be a peaceful partnership.

Their relationship chart is an eye-opener with a tricky Yod of Neptune sextile Uranus Pluto inconjunct Saturn; and a Grand Trine of Mars Jupiter and Neptune formed into a Kite by Neptune opposition Mercury (Sun). Such a Yod suggests a fated connection which will have far-reaching consequences for both. Tr Pluto is just this week picking up the square to that composite Saturn.

And an emphasised Neptune would be evasive and ultimately disappointing.

Rutman himself looks fairly short-fused with a Sun square Mars in pernickety Virgo; and wouldn’t be short of pushy-confidence himself with his Jupiter square Pluto. Two egos colliding.

Pic: Richard Townshend

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The battle Royal within the Windsors is getting tetchy with the Harry/Meghan camp suggesting the Queen doesn’t have jurisdiction over the word Royal when the edict that they have to drop their SussexRoyal branding was handed out. Normally dirty laundry is kept out of sight but it’s clearly not the Hollywood way with whining and puffing from the young couple that others in the family have earned money commercially while retaining their titles. Which is undoubtedly true but in their case was going to be so blatant that it clearly crossed a line that even the family-friendly Queen wasn’t going to accept.

While Meghan will undoubtedly get the blame, Harry should know better, having been brought up to understand the rules and protocols.

His relationship with his father is particularly dire over the next two years – with tr Neptune square the composite Mars for a longish phase of significant disappointment from later this month on and off till late 2021 as well as being opposition the composite Uranus. Tr Pluto is also in a challenging square to the composite Sun this year; and there’s an emotionally upsetting tr Uranus conjunct the composite Moon from July onwards. All of which looks as if it’ll get worse before it gets better.

Harry’s relationship with brother William is also severely stretched through this year with tr Pluto opposition the composite Mercury and tr Uranus square the composite Venus this year, Sun next year and Mars the year after – which again doesn’t look like a rapprochement any time soon.

Harry’s chart looks edgy, nerve-stretched and panicked this year; with tr Saturn moving downwards through his First Quadrant pushing him deeper into unresolved psychological issues and then he picks up heavy duty emotional and negative Solar Arcs in 2022/23.

His relationship chart with Meghan is already running into serious strains. That peculiar composite Moon square Saturn Pluto is under pressure from tr Saturn opposition the composite Moon from the final day of this month, on and off all year; with tr Pluto in a discouraging square to the Saturn from late this month as well, on and off till late 2021, followed by tr Pluto square Pluto in 2021/22 and then opposition Moon in 2022/23.

Her delusional dreams of a multi-billion dollar charity along the lines of the Gates, Obamas, Oprah Winfrey will run into the sand after a year or so when the untitled Royal schtick loses its glister.

 

Roger Stone, longtime Trump associate, convicted last year on multiple counts of lying to congressional investigators and on a count of witness intimidation, was handed a 40 month prison term after scathing comments from the Judge. Four prosecutors resigned after the Department of Justice countermanded their request for a longer sentence. Stone’s lawyers moved to disqualify the judge in his case, claiming her remarks at his sentencing rendered her unable to fairly rule on his bid for a new trial. There is also a fair probability that Trump would pardon him.

Justice in America!

Stone isn’t looking remotely cheerful with a couple of Neptunian sinkers through this month and March, followed by a disastrous tr Uranus opposition his Mars/Saturn midpoint in April plus a loss making tr Saturn opposition his Jupiter/Saturn at the same time. Some of these influences run on and off into 2021 as well.

But he does have a ‘lucky’ chart with a string Jupiter opposition Moon Mars square Sun – and a Jupiterian connection to Trump. Though his relationship with Trump is looking a touch separated this year with tr Saturn opposition the composite Sun Mercury.

Previous post: JAN 25 2019

Roger Stone, a political strategist and long-time ally of Trump, has been arrested in Florida, charged with seven counts in the Mueller probe – for obstruction of an official proceeding, five counts of false statements, and one count of witness-tampering.

The charges are linked to an alleged Russian-led hack into the emails of Democratic Party officials and their subsequent release by WikiLeaks in the run up to the 2016 US election. According to BBC’s Anthony Zurcher, ‘The move marks a significant development in this nearly two-year legal drama. For the first time a member of Mr Trump’s inner circle, albeit an informal one, is facing charges directly related to Russian election meddling – the central thrust of the special counsel’s investigation.’

Born 27 August 1952 in Connecticut, Stone is a political lobbyist and consultant having worked for Nixon and Reagan and other Republicans; and is a long-time business associate of Paul Manafort. He is a self-confessed ‘dirty trickster’ and says his MO is ‘Attack, attack, attack—never defend” and “Admit nothing, deny everything, launch counterattack.”

He has a Virgo Sun but his chart is dominated by a fearsome, controlling and opportunistic Fixed Grand Cross of Mars (Moon) in Scorpio opposition Jupiter in Taurus square Pluto opposition North Node in Aquarius – ultra-controlling, not given to social niceties, will cut corners to get what he wants, stubborn to the nth degree and vengeful.

He’s unlikely to roll over and play nice for the authorities and giving in is hardly his style. But for all that despite a bullish front from tr Pluto trine his Jupiter through 2019, he looks disheartened, untypically panicked and facing a run of disastrous setbacks this July and onwards into 2020.

His relationship chart with Trump isn’t as beneficial as their long connection would suggest with a mutually unsupportive composite Mars Neptune conjunction; though that is balanced by an expansive Sun Jupiter. It looks on high alert at the moment till mid-February with tr Uranus square the composite Sun; and stressed from tr Neptune in hard aspect to the composite Mars/Pluto; with some relief in April, but mounting concern in June and on.

 

 

Al Pacino has been unkindly dubbed old and stingy by his erstwhile girlfriend, Israeli actress Meital Dohan. She said 79 was too much of an age gap to her 40 years and he didn’t like spending money – despite his reputed $150 million fortune.

Pacino, born 25 April 1940 11.02 am New York, has a 10^th house Sun Saturn in Taurus square Pluto – so probably is a touch ungiving at a material level. He grew up poor with a single mother so will have been all too aware of financial insecurity from a young age. Saturn in Taurus can be miserly. He’s got a lucky and confident Jupiter in Aries on his midheaven which trines a flamboyant Sagittarius Moon in his performing 5^th house.

Meital, 24 August 1979 in Israel, is a Sun Venus in Virgo with Saturn maybe conjunct Moon also in Virgo and all these planets of hers fall in his 2^nd house so his money would be an issue for her. Her ultra-determined and unyielding Mars in Cancer square Pluto are in a tricky aspect to his Mercury – so communication wouldn’t be easy without flare ups. Her creative but evasive Neptune is conjunct his Moon and opposition his Mars Venus – initially ethereal, but illusions, delusions and disappointment.

Their relationship chart has a cool composite Sun Saturn (which may reflect the age gap) sextile Pluto so was always going to be a heavy-duty connection. There is an unrealistic Moon Neptune; and an adventurous Jupiter Mars conjunction which often appears in fleeting relationships that seemed a good idea on the spur of the moment but with nothing stronger to bind them together don’t last.

He has never married but has had a string of relationships and three children by two different mothers. None of his liaisons has lasted long so I doubt he’ll care overmuch.

 

 

Deutsche Bank, Trump’s lender of last resort, his bolt hole when no other financial outfit would touch him with a bargepole after multiple bankruptcies, has a hair-raising record of malfeasance. They have been fined $17 billion in the last decade on an array of criminal and civil charges in the US and UK for money laundering, with Russia a key component and rate-fixing amongst other sins. They are being investigated for the $1 billion Malaysian Development fund scandal, have been named in Australian criminal cartel charges, did business with Jeffrey Epstein up to 2019 etc etc etc. The bank’s shares lost more than half their value in 2018 and have continued to underperform the broader industry this year.

By this June the Supreme Court will rule on whether subpoenas issued by congressional committees to Deutsche Bank for Trump’s financial records can be enforced along with other cases concerning Trump’s tax returns.

A new book by the financial editor of the New York Times David Enrich In Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction, delivers what has been described as a ‘master class in financial sleuthing’, tracing the history of the bank up to present day including the Trump connection.

Deutsche Bank was founded on 10 March 1870 in Germany which gives a slippery Sun Mars in Pisces square Saturn in Sagittarius; with a super-confident, rules-don’t-apply-to-us Jupiter Pluto in Taurus on the focal point of a mini-Grand Trine of Sun Mars to Uranus.

Their downhill slide will continue and accelerate this year from late March onwards till late 2021 with tr Neptune conjunct the Sun and Mars bringing a panicky sense of failure.

Trump’s relationship chart with them looks edgy at the moment, undermined late March onwards, jolted in April with tr Uranus conjunct the composite Sun and into disaster territory by June onwards. It’s too much to hope the Supreme Court might do the decent thing but you never know – the impossible might happen. His upset with them continues into 2021.

Ivanka, Don Jnr and Ivanka were also mentioned in paperwork as well as Steven Bannon’s throwaway remarks about Jared Kushner’s connection.

Ivanka’s relationship chart with the bank looks uncertain and panicked this month; very up and down all year; with a tussle for the upper hand so she won’t give in easy.

Don Jnr and Eric look agitated vis a vis the bank through 2020/2021 with worse in the two years to follow.

Jared will be tossed this way and that from March onwards and will be feeling the pain on into 2021 as well.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/feb/16/dark-towers-review-deutsche-bank-donald-trump

https://www.npr.org/2020/02/18/806984703/dark-towers-is-a-cautionary-tale-of-pursuing-profits-at-any-cost?t=1582109498847

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Bank

 

Caroline Flack, the Love Island presenter, tragically killed herself just hours after hearing the domestic assault case against her for an alleged attack on her boyfriend in early December was to go ahead. He called the police, then withdrew the complaint and was forbidden by the judge from having contact with her. There appears to have been evidence of her self-harming that night as well as indications that she might commit suicide later.

She was born 9 November 1979 1.30am Enfield, England, and had a packed 3^rd house with a Scorpio Sun Uranus square a 12^th house Mars in Leo; with Venus Mercury also in the 3^rd. The Sun Uranus Mars would make her volatile and impulsive, prone to outbursts. And the 3^rd house is the chart area which rules siblings as well as mental functioning. She appeared to have a complicated relationship with her non-identical twin, always feeling less talented and able than her. She had two other siblings. Her sensitive Cancer Moon was in an intense and possessive square to Pluto and trine her Sun Uranus. Plus she had a paranoid, neurotic Neptune square Saturn in Virgo.

Her Pluto sat exactly on her Sun/Saturn midpoint which is bleak and depressive.

Notwithstanding prosecutors all rushing to say domestic assault cases have to go ahead despite the complainant withdrawing allegations, which sometimes happens out of fear, it does seem an odd decision on the evidence to push ahead with the court case. It sounded more of a mental health issue and she clearly lived on the edge. But there again letting jealousy get out of hand, if the genders were reversed, would not be a defence. The fracas apparently erupted when she read what she assumed were flirtatious texts on his phone in the middle of the night.

From what I’ve read she didn’t seem good about taking responsibility for her reckless choices viz dating Harry Styles when he was 17 and she was 31. She got hurt and reacted badly when people pointed out how creepy it looked.

Her Solar Return for the year from November 2019 was sombre and trapped with Pluto and Saturn in the 8^th and a directionless Neptune in the 10^th. And over the New Year the tr Saturn Pluto was opposing her Solar Arc Midheaven which would be challenging.

See also post December 24 2019

 

Trump’s female acolytes – Melania, Ivanka and Hope Hicks – are in a year of fluctuating fortunes and events. Melania’s five degree Taurus Sun and Ivanka’s seven degree Scorpio Sun will both be elbowed into sudden changes by tr Uranus hard aspects in April and May respectively, with Ivanka having a rerun from mid November into December this year and early 2021.

Hope Hicks, a late Libra, has a downbeat tr Saturn square her Sun on and off all year, with a series of jolts from tr Uranus opposition her Sun/Pluto midpoint in April; and as that influence finishes in late April she picks up an emotionally disappointing and unhappy tr Neptune opposition her Venus in Virgo, running till late August and repeating on and off into and through 2021.

Melania has a very Fixed chart with Sun, Saturn, Mercury, Venus in Taurus and Jupiter in Scorpio plus a controlling Pluto so she doesn’t find change easy but with tr Uranus battering away at her Sun, then Sun/Saturn midpoint in May/June this year and again into early 2020 by which time it is conjunct her Saturn through into 2022, there’ll be no way of avoiding major disruptions and upheavals.

Her relationship with Trump will have a sense of panic, uncertainty and loss this month with tr Neptune square the composite Saturn alongside nervous strain into March, with some Saturnine downers through the year; and a disaster-prone tr Uranus square the composite Mars/Pluto in June, October and early 2021.

Her relationship with Ivanka, never easy at the best of times. will be at super-stress level from late this month to July with tr Pluto opposing their composite Mars/Saturn midpoint, tr Saturn square the Sun/Mars midpoint, tr Uranus square the composite Sun and two undermining Neptune transits to composite midpoints. The ‘car-crash’ Pluto on Mars/Saturn repeats on and off till late 2021. Expect to see the ripples of a few outbursts between them as tr Uranus squares the composite Mercury and then the Sun in March and April.

Ivanka’s relationship with her father is already a major mystery being overloaded with anger issues which never appear to chip her elegant smile, and that twosome will continue to rattle along uneasily from March onwards. She’s also not on the same page as Hope Hicks with an obvious gulf from late March as tr Neptune starts to square the composite Mars. Ivanka does have tr Pluto square the Jupiter Pluto in Libra on her birth chart from later this month on and off till late 2021 which will tend to make her wildly over-confident. It can be lucky and successful but it can also backfire when the individual thinks rules don’t apply to them and runs them into resistance from authority figures.

Hope’s relationship chart with Trump is sagging badly from late this month through March and again October this year to January 2021 with tr Neptune opposition the composite Sun/Saturn; with a blow-up disaster in March and heavy stress in August to late November 2020.

Not for all the money in the universe would any sane person want to be in that goldfish bowl.

 

Dominic Cummings has become the transatlantic equivalent of Steve Bannon – the scary and unelected puppet-master who stands behind the political throne. There are various mysteries about him and his speedy elevation to the centre of power, not the least of which is his disjointed and fractious relationship with Boris, who appears to give him free rein.

Cummings’ Saturn in Gemini is conjunct Boris’s focal point Mars with DC’s Sun Neptune opposition Boris’s Mars; and square his Uranus with Cummings Pluto trine Boris’s Mars. Cummings’ Mars in Pisces is conjunct Boris’s Saturn and opposition his Uranus Pluto – and that is some heap of aggravation and potential for resentment.

The relationship chart does little to clear up the puzzle – there is admittedly a controlling composite Sun Pluto; but there’s also a highly stressed and over-heated Yod of Neptune sextile Pluto inconjunct Mars Saturn. It looks an exceptionally masochistic connection.

Tr Neptune is wending its way in opposition to the composite Sun (2019) and this year opposition the Sun/Pluto midpoint and then Pluto in 2021 – which would normally put the skids under a co-operative partnership. But then tr Pluto was bearing down heavily on the focal point Mars Saturn in 2018/19 and that didn’t blow them apart.

Cummings’ Mutable T Square of Sun Neptune opposition Saturn square Mars (Moon) has moved by Solar Arc to last decan Cardinal signs and is picking up the pressured tr Pluto hard aspects through this year but that was also true last year – so again plus ca change.

Cummings will have some setbacks and some successes this year with a mega-nervy few weeks in June and again in October and early 2021. But it’s 2021 when he faces his greatest jeopardy as tr Neptune starts to oppose his catastrophe-prone Mars/Pluto midpoint from March onwards.

Cummings does have a North Node in Aquarius tied into an Air Grand Trine of Saturn to Pluto. An Aquarius Node can be wedded to a cause; Saturn Pluto is unyielding, and a surfeit of Air can lead to a rigid ideology. If Uranus is his vocational indicator, since it rises before his Sun, then he will have a tendency to tear down established structures. Though with no Earth in his chart and an afflicted Saturn he’s unlikely to build a solid replacement.

Similarities have been drawn between Cummings and Thomas Cromwell and Cardinal Wolsey, political advisers to the king of historic note, neither of whom have definite birthday dates – but all three do have Jupiter in Sagittarius. As does Robespierre of the French Revolution. One of Cummings’ University tutors said of Cummings that he was “something like a Robespierre – someone determined to bring down things that don’t work”. That wouldn’t come from Jupiter in Sagittarius though it does give a self-righteous certainty about beliefs.

Evidently Machiavelli is one of his heroes who encouraged politicians to engage in evil when it would be necessary for political expediency. Machiavelli doesn’t have Jupiter in Sagittarius but he does have a Mutable T Square of Pluto opposition Mars in Pisces square Mercury and a Saturn opposition Neptune. So there are echoes of similarity. Though there’s more ruthlessness in Machiavelli.

One slight thought I have is Cummings’ Saturn Neptune – it’s usually thought of with a variety of meanings – hope for a better society, supporter of the underdog, as well as creative, neurotic and paranoid.

It is the central plank also of one of his other heroes, management guru, Andrew Grove, 2 September 1936, author of amongst other books ‘Only the Paranoid survive’. He had Sun Neptune opposition Saturn square Jupiter in Sagittarius – so a close parallel to Cummings. Saturn Neptune also appears in Peter Mandelson’s chart and Putin’s (birthdate being accurate). There is a deviousness about it.

Cummings’ harmonics are interesting. His get-it-together 5^th which can be dominating and try to impose the individual world-plan on others, pulls together Jupiter and Pluto into a pushily-confident conjunction; though it also recurs in his self-defeating, highs-and-lows 10H. Push too hard and it backfires.

One person he doesn’t get on well with is Carrie Symmonds, Boris’s present squeeze, whose six earth planets – four in Capricorn, two in Taurus – will be perplexed by all the hot air and dogmatism. That relationship chart is sliding downhill this year with tr Neptune conjunct the composite Saturn and tr Saturn square the Sun Mercury.

Cummings’ relationship with the UK is also sagging more than somewhat with tr Neptune square the control-freak composite Sun, Pluto, Mercury in 2020/21.

See also post July 24 2019.

The Boris Cabinet reshuffle has brought in even more malleable, jitterbug Mutable types. Like attracts like. From the Latin mutabilis “changeable,” from mutare “to change. Of which Boris is the walking example with a Sun Venus Mercury in Gemini and a T square to Uranus Pluto in Virgo opposition Saturn in Pisces square Mars in Gemini. Such an imbalance leads to extreme restlessness, an inconsistent and unmethodical approach, poor concentration, indecision, nervous strain. A focal point Mutable Mars is even more so – scattered, disorganised, easily bored, overly impulsive, taking no heed of consequences.

[Mutable signs are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. As opposed to Fixed Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius. And Cardinal (initiative) Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn.]

Boris’s Rasputin sidekick Dominic Cummings is a Sun Neptune in Sagittarius opposition Saturn square Mars (Moon) in Pisces – and he appears to thrive on destructive chaos for its own sake. What anchors him is a fanatical ideologue’s Air Grand Trine of Pluto trine Saturn trine Node.

Michael Gove is a Sun, Mercury, Venus in Virgo with Uranus Pluto also in Virgo.

Priti Patel, Secretary of State is a Mars Saturn in Gemini opposition Neptune, with her Aries Sun in a Cardinal T Square.

Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary, is a Sun Mercury in Pisces square Neptune.

And last but not least is the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Risha Sunak, 12 May 1980, of the billionaire father-in-law, who stepped into the effectively downgraded Treasury job when Sajid Javid refused to bow the knee to Cummings. He has Jupiter Mars in Virgo with a Mutable T Square of Neptune opposition Venus square Saturn in Virgo plus a stalwart and steadier Taurus Sun opposition Uranus.

He looks uncertain, discontented and panicked from late April onwards, on and off till late 2021 with tr Neptune opposition his Saturn with exceptionally tricky relationships with both Boris and Cummings, so conflict between No 10 and No 11 may not have been resolved with a change of cast.

It just seems strange to have so many chameleon, ‘windmill in a storm’ Mutable types in charge of a Fixed UK. Though what they all home into since their Mutable planets tend to be in early degrees is the UK Pluto at 2 Pisces which was elbowed by tr Uranus sextile as Brexit got underway in earnest this last New Year. The Mutable ‘going with the flow’ can be helpful in times of rapid change but is not helpful for building strong, stable foundations once the transition is accomplished.

It’s perhaps also indicative of their over adaptability and susceptibility to being pushed around by a strong figure, which the unelected PM adviser Dominic Cummings appears to be. He’s a man on a mission to turn everything on its head no matter how much he has to lie and deceive to achieve his aims. His Pluto (on one leg of his wedded-to-a-cause, true believer Air Grand Trine) sits on the UK Uranus and his Uranus squares the UK Moon opposition Sun and opposes the UK Node. Change for change’s sake appears to be his motto – which is the negative face of Uranus. Collapse the old structure with no ability to put better in its place.

Add on: A quick scan round another nine Cabinet members, some old and some new. Some like Robert Buckland, Grant Shapps and Brandon Lewis have five or six Mutable planets – the first two in Virgo, Lewis mainly Gemini. Ben Wallace and Stephen Barclay have Venus Mars in Gemini square Pluto in Virgo. Barclay, Lewis and Matt Hancock also have Saturn in hard aspect to Neptune in Mutables. Suella Braverman, the new Attorney General for England and Wales, 3 April 1980, has a Mutable T Square of Saturn in Virgo opposition Mercury square Neptune in Sagittarius.

Open the Cabinet doors and windows to let in a Force Nine Gale and they’d scatter to the four winds.