Astrology of Today’s News

The 2021 Inauguration chart has an explosive and disruptive Moon Mars Uranus conjunction in the hidden 12^th house square a Sun Saturn Jupiter conjunction (assuming 12 noon swearing in). The theme of these administration start charts can indicate internal political challenges or external events.

George W Bush’s First Term, 20 January 2001, which kicked off after a deeply flawed election result, and led into 9/11, the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars had a dirty-dealings behind-the-scenes 8^th house Moon Pluto; with an explosive Mars opposition Saturn square Uranus Mercury – so reflecting internal and external events.

Abraham Lincoln’s Term chart, 4 March 1861 which led into the Civil War and then his assassination had a brutal Mars Pluto in Taurus trine Saturn; with a Saturn square Uranus reflecting the conflict between conservative and progressive.

Franklin D Roosevelt’s 3rd Term, 20 January 1941, leading into Pearl Harbour and World War 11, had a stark Sun opposition Pluto square Jupiter Saturn in Taurus; with Mars trine Pluto, which is warlike enough.

George H Bush, 20 January 1989, oversaw the first Gulf War, and that inauguration chart had an argumentative Sun square Mars, with a volatile and disruptive Mars trine Uranus Saturn.

John F Kennedy, 20 January 1961 12.45pm was another Jupiter Saturn conjunction in Capricorn with a stressed Yod of Mars sextile Pluto inconjunct Midheaven. Though was a good deal less challenging than any of the above.

Ronald Reagan’s First Term, 20 January 1981, which was followed by an assassination attempt from which he nearly died, has yet another Jupiter Saturn conjunction this time in Libra – with a potent Mars Mercury trine Pluto as well as trine Saturn Jupiter.

Jupiter Saturn conjunctions have a bad reputation for US Presidents. Every American president in the past 200 years who has been inaugurated on a Jupiter–Saturn conjunction has either been assassinated or survived an assassination attempt or died in office with only two exceptions, Thomas Jefferson and James Munroe. See post 3 January 2019, Tecsumeh’s Curse.

Richard Nixon’s Presidency, 20 January 1969, which ended in his resignation after Watergate is curiously free of aggravating aspects; with a lucky Sun trine Uranus Jupiter and Pluto and an unengaged Mars and little aspected Saturn. Though the Sun is conjunct the Mars/Saturn and Neptune/Node midpoints suggesting setbacks and deception; with Saturn opposition the Mars/Pluto midpoint which is catastrophe-prone.

Add On: In fact his 2nd Term chart (above) 20 January 1973 is more illuminating with an 8th house Mars opposition Saturn, always a sure sign of a setback and ill-luck – which also figures in Trump’s Term chart from 8th to 11th houses.  In Nixon’s case there is also an unstable Uranus square Midheaven (assuming 12 noon))

From the above I’d kind of assume that not all of the stressed aspects of the 2021 Inauguration chart will come from internal political strains. There could well be global events involved as well. The 2021 Uranus square Saturn is redolent of the 1861 Civil War  in the conflict between conservative and radical, and although angry and potentially violent nowhere near as destructive as 1861. Also if the swearing in time is not noon for any reason then the Mars Uranus may not be 12^th house.

Some of the above charts have 12 noon start times since there was no information to suggest otherwise.

From Lincoln Inaugural Speech 1861: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

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This is only a flying look at the near future of some of the Democratic top candidates as they trail round the endless and stultifyingly tedious campaign trail.

Bernie Sanders appears to be leading just at the moment. Tr Neptune square his Jupiter from late March and through April may puncture his enthusiasm since it tends to deflate over confidence. He’ll have some ups late April but he’s struggling against tr Pluto square his Mars all year and indeed his Solar Arc Pluto opposing his Mars on the same degree within weeks – both of which are blocked.

Peter Buttigieg has the usual swings and roundabouts of a long and punishing campaign with a disappointing tr Neptune square his Sun/Jupiter from late February to late March at the same time as tr Saturn is conjunct his Capricorn Sun. He’ll get some lift from tr Uranus opposition his Jupiter (on his Midheaven) in late May/early June and across the election.

Mike Bloomberg, has one sparkler of success and that comes in July with tr Uranus conjunct his Jupiter/Midheaven midpoint (birth time being absolutely accurate). But he’s also got a failed-plans tr Pluto opposition his Mars/Neptune midpoint on and off all year which isn’t great.

Amy Klobuchar may spring a surprise or two as she picks up a ‘lucky break’ tr Pluto square her Jupiter/Uranus midpoint late February to early July. Though she also has less useful influences as well.

Joe Biden isn’t in a happy situation and has a raft of unsupportive influences ahead including tr Neptune opposition his Midheaven from the spring onwards which look ominous for any recovery.

Elizabeth Warren is also falling back in the polls and is limping badly through late March to late August with various stuck and unsuccessful transits ahead.

 

The US Department of Justice appears to be heading deeper into the White House sink hole with interference in the sentencing of former Trump adviser Roger Stone, causing four federal prosecutors to resign. They had requested a sentence of seven to nine years in prison which evoked a stream of hysterically condemnatory tweets from Trump after which the DOJ sought to lessen the sentence. The Stone case was one of the most high-profile criminal prosecutions emerging from the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller.

Barr’s downhill trajectory picks up a head of steam from later this month. From February 27^th to March 24^th, and again October 3^rd to late January 2021 tr Neptune opposes his Mars/Saturn midpoint which Ebertin describes as: ‘a grievous loss, waning powers, self-torment, weak vitality.’ This coincides with a period when his relationship with Trump is at its most nerve-stretched. Never a moment to soon.

See longer post on Barr see post January 17 2020 on separation of Church and state.

 

Peter Phillips, the Queen’s grandson, is splitting from his wife Canadian Autumn Kelly after she announced she was leaving. Although the media are making a great fuss he comes from divorced parents – Princess Anne and Mark Phillips – and there have been a handful of marital splits close to the Queen from Princess Margaret onwards and two of her other children as well.

Peter Phillips was born 15 November 1977 10.46 am London and doesn’t have an easy chart. He’s a Sun Scorpio square an 8^th house wannabe-important Saturn in Leo; with an uncompromising and not always co-operative 10^th house Uranus in a volatile square to an 8^th house Mars. Although he has a helpful Jupiter on his Descendant attracting supportive partners, he would not find intimacy or flexibility easy in a close relationship.

Autumn, born 3 May 1978 in Canada, is equally stubborn with a Taurus Sun opposition Uranus square Mars in Leo, which is quite a bulldozer of determination with an independent-minded streak. She has a Pisces/Aries Moon and Venus in Gemini; while he has a Capricorn Moon square Pluto and Venus in Scorpio – in many ways both are too similar and too different.

Their relationship chart does have an affectionate composite Sun (maybe Moon) opposition Venus and Saturn; with a disruptive and argumentative Mars opposition Mercury square Uranus. Pluses and minuses. Tr Saturn in Scorpio in 2014/15 would put a damper on affection as it squared the composite Sun and Venus; with the tr Uranus square Pluto tugging vigorously as the composite Pluto. From this June onwards for a year tr Uranus squares the composite Mars which will bring outbursts and noisy arguments with a rocky patch thereafter with tr Uranus opposition the composite Uranus and square the Mercury and then Sun over the next few years – so it won’t be a quick n’ easy process.

He has tr Neptune square his Sun/Moon midpoint in 2021/2022 for a disheartening and disappointing marital experience; with a soul-searching and anguished Progressed Moon through his 8^th from exactly now for the next three years. He’s also moving into his low profile phase with tr Saturn now in his 1^st house and staying in his First Quadrant for several years ahead. He’ll have a few emotional issues to sort out during this time.

He’s always been involved in financial wheelings and dealings which don’t always come off from the splashy Hello wedding which raised eyebrows to more recently promoting Chinese milk.

Bong Jong-Ho, the South Korean film director, achieved the first non-English language film Best Picture Academy Award ever at the Oscars last night for Parasite which also took Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. The BBC described it as: “a vicious social satire about two families from different classes in Seoul – one who live in poverty in a semi-basement, and another rich family residing in a large home.”

Bong Joon-Ho, born in Daegu, South Korea on 14 September 1969, comes from a cultured family of designers, writers and academics. Although unknown in the west he came up through a long film training, making his name over the past twenty years with increasingly commercially successful films. His last two movies were entered at Cannes and Parasite last year won the Palme D’Or.

He’s a tough Sun Pluto in Virgo sextile Neptune, opposition a Pisces North Node square Mars in Sagittarius – so a powerhouse of high energy. He has Venus in flashy Leo and Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus and Moon in more equable Libra.

Without a birth time there’s not much of note showing in his chart though the Capricorn planets trining his Sun Pluto may be helping. Tr Jupiter is square his Mercury for a confident lift; and all his midpoints are showing is Neptunian fog – which clearly plugs into his startled reaction to a highly unexpected Hollywood accolade.

Pic: Georges Biard

 

Talented actor Christopher Eccleston has written a moving and tortured autobiography about his struggle with anorexia, depression and his hero-worship of his father. What’s intriguing astrologically is that he was born three days after Sarah Palin and has the same Sun, Mars, Saturn in Aquarius widely square Neptune. His father was clearly an angry man, tough and overly exacting in his expectations of his son.

Born 16 February 1964 6.58 pm Salford, England, his Sun, Mars, Saturn fall in his 6^th house of health which has resulted in a lifelong struggle with dysmorphia, feeling that his bulky figure needed to be fined down. His Aries Moon is conjunct Venus hinting at an easier relationship with his mother though it is on one leg of a Yod sextile Mercury in Aquarius in his performing 5^th inconjunct a 12^th house Uranus (conjunct Pluto). His supportive 8^th house Jupiter is also in an inconjunct to Neptune, so no surprises he has experienced a fair amount of strain in his life.

His Solar Arc Saturn was conjunct his 8^th house Jupiter when he had a mental collapse and went into the Priory Clinic with the worst case of depression the doctor had seen. His Progressed Moon is going through his 8^th at the moment but will emerge in a year’s time when he’ll bounce with more enthusiasm and a stronger sense of where he is going.

A complicated man who hasn’t had his troubles to seek. And while one shouldn’t diagnose off a chart without being asked, I have a sneaking feeling that if he peeled away his idealisation of his father he might shed some of his psychological burden.

Intriguing also to see how roughly the same chart can be lived in different ways viz the rootin’ tootin’ Alaskan cowboy Sarah Palin.

 

Rumours about the mysterious disappearance of Jean Spangler, an American dancer, model, and actress in 1949 have surfaced again with the death of Kirk Douglas. Her most recent work beforehand had been in a film in which he starred. He claimed he was in Palm Springs at the time and nothing further was ever discovered about her. She had been pregnant and intending to have an abortion, illegal in those days. and it could have gone wrong. Another theory was her connection to Los Angeles gangsters, another of whom vanished in the same week.

Born 2 September 1923, she was a Sun, Venus, Mars in Virgo; with a tumultuous Water Grand Trine of Jupiter in Scorpio trine Pluto trine Uranus in Pisces, with her Uranus opposition her North Node Sun in Virgo. When she disappeared on 7 October 1949 there was a brutal and ruthless Mars Pluto conjunction in Leo conjunct her Neptune; with an enthusiasm-denting Solar Arc Saturn conjunct her Jupiter and a jolting tr Uranus square her Solar Arc Sun and a high-anxiety tr Saturn conjunct her Solar Arc Neptune. For her it looked extremely scary, depressing and panicky.

Kirk Douglas only admitted to kidding around with her on set and there’s no proof – though persistent allegations – that he had any further contact with her. Their relationship chart has an accentuated Mars which is conjunct the composite Sun, trine Pluto and sextile Saturn; as well as on the focal point of a composite T Square of Jupiter opposition Neptune. Mars in relationship charts starts off with sparky passion but tends to lead to arguments, sometimes violent. And that is a pretty heavy chemistry.

Her Sun, Venus, Mars fell in his 8^th house which would provide an initial attraction, hooking by trine and sextile into his dominating Mars opposition Pluto.

He was undoubtedly rattled around the time of her death with the transiting Mars Pluto moving through his 7^th house of relationship opposition his Uranus and trine his Sun; and tr Neptune hitting on two of his darker midpoints. Which doesn’t prove anything since there could be other reasons. Unless anyone spills the beans, if there are any, it’ll remain a mystery and a question mark.

Catherine Zeta Jones, 25 September 1969 2.40 pm Swansea, Wales, Kirk Douglas’s daughter-in-law, has a tough chart with an Earth Grand Trine of Mars in Capricorn trine Saturn trine Venus; with her Mars square a Libra Sun, Uranus – so quite volatile and used to difficult men. Her love life before Michael Douglas was peppered with tricky boyfriends – John Leslie, TV presenter who has a Mars Pluto Uranus in Virgo and seems to attract unproven rape allegations; Jon Peters, Mick Hucknall, before she landed with Michael, who had a reputed sex addiction.

She wouldn’t find Kirk Douglas remotely easy since his Mars opposition Pluto squared her Sun Uranus; and his disturbing Neptune Saturn fell in her 8^th – not a warm connection. She’d find him teeth-grittingly irritating and a touch scary even at his advanced age.

Philip Schofield, one of the UK’s best-known TV presenters, has come out as gay after nearly thirty years of marriage with two grown up daughters. His family and the public are being supportive and it would take fair courage to speak out publicly as he has.

He was born 1 April 1962 2am Oldham England (from memory). He has a quick-witted and communicative 3^rd house Sun with Mercury in Pisces also in his 3^rd. He does have a tricky chart with his Sun inconjunct an 8^th house Pluto and inconjunct Neptune – so sitting on the focal point of a Yod. This would make him feel he never quite fitted into his environment. His Pluto opposition Mars would give rise to frustrations and deep-seated anger issues; and his Uranus also in the 8^th is trine a 4^th house Venus in Aries so emotionally unpredictable.

Sexual inclinations can’t be seen on a birth chart. Although Uranus in the 8^th can be experimental sexually; and Pluto there as well would suggest a degree of inner turmoil.

He’s been under strain recently because of his working relationship with his co-presenter – see post December 9 2019. At that point I wrote: “If Schofield’s birth time is accurate then I’d imagine he is struggling with a few unresolved issues courtesy of tr Saturn heading into the nadir of his chart.”

Just so. Tr Saturn now moving through his First Quadrant from late 2016 – a phase of around eight years – is when he would be forced to sort out personal issues. This time can be less successful because the psyche is intent (even against conscious will) to look at unresolved psychological tangles and find a solution.

Add On: Other indications of a major turnaround in his life are his Solar Arc Uranus moving to conjunct his Midheaven now with tr Pluto square both – and that heralds a massive change. Tr Neptune is also exactly square his Ascendant dissolving his old image and bringing a period ahead of uncertainty about his identity. It won’t be easy with his Solar Arc Sun in a blocked square to his Pluto this time next year with his Solar Arc Mars in a panicky opposition to his Neptune later in 2021. And maybe some financial costs with Saturn moving through his 2^nd fairly soon for three years thereafter.

Oddly enough I know someone else whom I discovered recently had come out as gay after a longish marriage with children and he also has Uranus Pluto in the 8th and a stressed Mars – not that this is proof of anything but interesting.

 

Nathalie Wood’s name has emerged after the death of Kirk Douglas with stories of him raping her violently when she was sixteen. It was never proven and she didn’t report the fact that was raped by an ‘older actor’ for fear of hurting her career. But the allegations have never gone away.

She had the nightmare stage mother to end all nightmares who cruelly and relentlessly drove her through a scary life as a child star (see below). Nathalie eventually died in mysterious circumstances off a boat when her husband Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken were present. Questions have lingered but nothing has ever been proven in any direction.

Her synastry with Kirk Douglas was stark with his Saturn in Cancer and Neptune in Leo conjunct her 10^th house Sun, Mars, Pluto so he would tune into her deepest fears and be attracted by her vulnerability. His Pluto opposition Mars would also home in on her 5^th house Jupiter in Pisces.

TheIR relationship chart had an affectionate, spark-of-attraction composite Sun conjunct Venus which was conjunct Mars, but there was also a brutally dominating composite Mars square Pluto – so not a match of equals for sure. He’d have been 38 at the time.

 

From previous post: FEBRUARY 1 2018.

Natalie Wood was a radiantly beautiful actress who managed the transition from child to adult star and then drowned aged 43 in mysterious circumstances in 1981. Her husband Robert Wagner, who was with her that night, is ‘a person of interest’ in the renewed investigation into her death.

The aura of perfection she portrayed on a screen and projected onto the public could not have been further removed from the reality of her life. Born 20 July 1938 11.18am San Francisco, CA, to Russian-Ukrainian immigrant parents, she had a cruel mother who forced her to undergo frightening shoots and pimped her out to increase her chances of success. She was pushed into acting aged 4; and according to legend her mother told her to remember the day her dog was killed by a truck to evoke emotions for a film scene. She also lied to young Natalie about a film scene where a footbridge over rapids had been rigged to fail – she fell in with cameras rolling and could have been drowned, leaving her with a lifelong fear of water.

This is reflected in a ‘brutalised’ collection of Sun, Mars, Pluto in Cancer in her 10^th with a forced-to-be-self-reliant Saturn in Aries in her 7^th. Her sensitive Jupiter in Pisces was in her performing 5^th house; and she had the creative Uranus trine Neptune of the time, though with both planets in hidden houses, making her highly strung and fairly erratic.

When she died in the early hours of 29^th Nov 1981 the transitting Saturn Pluto conjunction was moving through her 1^st house pushing her deeper into her emotional issues and away from career ambitions. The tr Saturn Pluto conjunction had just finished opposing her natal Saturn and would soon be square her 10^th house Sun, Mars, Pluto which is heavy duty, depressing, highly stressful. I doubt she’d have survived the next two years even if she had not drowned.

There was little happening on her Solar Arc directions vis a vis her natal chart – though transitting Saturn was conjunct her Solar Arc Venus and tr Pluto conjunct her Secondary progressed Venus, so a highly emotional and not easy time. Tr Uranus was square her Jupiter; and tr Jupiter was conjunct her Solar Arc Neptune and opposition her natal Moon – which might point to a merciful release.

Robert Wagner, whom she married twice, doesn’t have an easy chart, 10 February 1930 1.45am Detroit, Michigan, being part of the Saturn opposition Pluto Moon square Uranus generation – so used to very tough times and difficult emotional relationships with women. Plus he was a Sun, Venus in Aquarius so would be fairly detached. There’s almost no cross over in their chart – he certainly had a Cancer Moon but not conjunct Natalie’s Cancer Sun. His Sun squared Natalie’s 8^th house Uranus and Natalie’s Moon squared his Mars – so it was hardly a meeting of souls. Their relationship chart has a cool Saturn Venus square (= work getting in the way), an argumentative Mercury opposition Mars Uranus – nothing much that sounds like deep affection. Though she’d probably not be capable of really accessing her feelings because of her mother. And he is pretty battened down as well.

Like Natalie, his chart didn’t have much going on directly at the time of her death from transits – though it was a heavy time in his life with the tr Sat Pluto just off the square to his 8^th house Pluto – so tremendous financial and psychological pressures. Tr Pluto was just off a conjunction to his SA Neptune so the previous months would have been devastating. Tr Uranus is opposition his Solar Arc Uranus suggesting a definite jolt and break with the past. Tr Uranus had just crossed the conjunction to their composite Venus which would have pulled them apart emotionally over the previous months as well.

Their relationship chart was exceptionally argumentative with a Sun Mars conjunction opposition Mercury and a passionate Venus Pluto trine as well as a cool Venus square Saturn. It would blow very hot and very cold.

Her own chart had a fair amount of Neptune around at that point on the midpoints – hinting at confusion, drink, poor judgement and possible poor physical co-ordination.

The only thing on Wagner’s chart which is notable is tr Pluto square Mars/Pluto which is trapped anger, frustration – and could as easily be explained by having to cope with a tragic accident.

He certainly had a short fuse with a 3^rd house Mars Mercury and she of course had that mind-blowing Mars Pluto Sun conjunction in her 10^th so she’d not be backwards about stamping her foot either.

On the astrology I’d think an accident was the most likely explanation – though it has a shivery feel of the finger of fate given what her mother put her through early in life.

He’s now 87 so tricky to say whether adverse influences are health or otherwise related. But he looks devastated this month and on and off to late 2019 with tr Pluto conjunct his Mars/Saturn midpoint. That coincides with CBS 48 Hours documentary digging it all up again this Sunday. His Solar Return for this year has an angry/trapped Moon Mars in the 8^th, an image-denting Pluto in the 10^th and a disruptive Uranus on his Ascendant.