Astrology of Today’s News

Racial frustrations and violence have broken out across many major cities in the US with curfews being imposed, sparked off by the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a black man, who died after being knelt on by a white police officer.

Los Angeles is one of the worst affected, where memories of the 1992 Rodney King beating are still raw, with the National Guard being called out. Nearly 1,000 protesters circled the perimeter of the White House grounds for the second night running, facing law enforcement vehicles, rows of armoured Secret Service, D.C. police, U.S. Park Police officers and National Guard.

Race riots happen not infrequently in the USA usually after police anti-black violence with a litany running backwards through 2016 Charlotte, NC; 2015 Baltimore; 2014 Missouri; 2001 Cincinnati; 1992 Los Angeles; 1980 Miami; 1968 – widespread after the assassination of Martin Luther King; 1967 Newark; 1965 LA etc etc. The Red Summer of 1919 triggered by white supremacist terrorist attacks spread out across the USA with hundreds of deaths.

But the recent mood has been inflamed by a divisive Trump with a history back to a Klu Klux Klan father, action against black tenants in their rental properties, his full-page ads condemning the Central Park 5 in New York which coincided with the wrongful imprisonment of five young black men on little evidence, his Obama “birther” smears and his refusal to condemn white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va.

Minneapolis, 10 July 1847 10.54am, Minnesota, has a Cancer Sun and Jupiter like the USA 1776 chart so is fairly representative of the nation. This month’s Cancer Solar Eclipse located there puts the New Moon on the IC, so it was always going to be a critical region. With the Eclipse also falling conjunct the Minneapolis Cancer Midheaven almost exactly. The July Lunar Eclipse at 13 degrees Capricorn/Cancer will also impact the Minneapolis and the USA respective Suns.

George Floyd, 14 October 1974, had a six-planet stellium in Libra of Sun, Uranus, Mars, Venus, Moon, Pluto in Libra most of those planets squaring onto Saturn in Cancer; with an idealistic, sympathetic Jupiter in Pisces square Neptune. According to press reports he was ‘an amiable, gentle giant’.

Derek Chauvin, the police officer who has been charged with his manslaughter has a long record of brutality complaints, none of which had led to action against him. Born 19 March 1976, he’s a last degree Pisces Sun square Mars at zero degrees Cancer and trine Saturn. His Mars is trine Uranus and widely square Pluto, so he is impulsive and overly excitable; with an adventurous and opportunistic Jupiter opposition Uranus. Plus an intense Scorpio Moon.

Floyd’s Pluto was opposition Chauvin’s Sun and square his Mars – so a gritty interface. And their relationship chart had a struggle-for-the-upper-hand composite Pluto opposition Jupiter square Sun.

Chauvin’s chart has his volatile Sun square Mars moved by Solar Arc to aspect his Scorpio North Node exactly at the moment; as well as this month’s Cancer Eclipse stoking up his natal Mars in Cancer into a more aggressive mood than usual, spoiling for a fight.

George Floyd had his Sun Mars moved by Solar Arc to approach within a degree of the conjunction to his Neptune. Two Mars and two different outcomes.

There’s nothing much new to say about the USA chart except that tr Pluto is sitting exactly on the opposition to the USA Mercury at the moment and will repeat on and off till late 2021, with more as the Pluto Return follows till late 2023 – that will produce more toxic and bitter debates even than usual. Tr Neptune has just moved to 20 degrees Pisces within a few minutes of a degree to the square to the USA Mars. By late this month it moves to within a hair-breadth of the exact aspect, though it won’t reach the same degree until late March 2021. Neptune hitting Mars usually evokes a sense of panicky failure.

If the USA birth time of 11am is sound (and there are various USA start times which is a running irritation) then the Solar Arc Mars is exactly conjunct the Moon which would point to a combustible situation and an angry popul

Lies and slander have a Neptunian feel but when they are delivered with toxic intensity as poison-spreaders with destructive intent they are more of a Plutonic attack – a venom that lingers. Trump’s playbook was out in force this week with a slanderous reprise of an old alt-right conspiracy theory about the accidental death of Lori Klausutis, who died a decade ago when a faulty heart valve caused her to faint and fatally hit her head on a desk. Trump insinuated her death involved MSNBC reporter Joe Scarborough, her employer then, who wasn’t even in the state when she died.

It follows a Trump pattern of targeting his critics by going after their families or friends, who are wholly unconnected to his grievance but become collateral damage, as his rancid followers then keep up the assault month after month and year after year. The NY Times mentions the Khans, parents of a dead veteran, who appeared at a Democratic Convention making a stand against Trump’s immigration policies, who were slagged off by Trump and are still getting hate mail four years later. Mr Khan said: “We have realized that this is a very calculated scheme, a very deliberate way of causing pain in others: ‘I will utter this, then I will go quiet and then I will let my followers take it from there. This is in his operating manual — this is not unintentional or in the heat of the moment.”

All of which got me pondering about what it was in his chart that leads to such behaviour.

Gemini can be wayward, uncaring about tramping on others’ sensitivities and while admittedly it does turn up as a serial killers’ sign, it’s not usually thought of as malevolent. A Sagittarius Moon can be overly blunt but not usually devious.

His Pluto in the 12^th has always struck me as a key planet and one which is often triggered by targets of his vituperative ravings. Pluto in the 12^th does indicate an inner raging storm of emotions of the darker hue – hatred, greed, lust – and since it is unconscious tends to act without moderation.

His midpoints are also illuminating in this regard.

His Pluto is conjunct his Mars/Saturn midpoint – described by Ebertin as ‘the fury of destruction and brutality.’

His Saturn is conjunct his Mercury/Pluto midpoint = a quarrelsome nature, exposed to bitter attacks. Mercury/Pluto is associated with slyness, cunning, misrepresentation.

His Saturn is conjunct his Sun/Mars midpoint = also quarrelsome, hot-blooded, violent,

His Saturn is conjunct Mars/Node = difficulties in co-operation, depression.

Plus his Midheaven is conjunct the destructive Fixed Star Algol – associated with the snake-covered decapitated head of Medusa, whose death stare turned men to stone.

His 9^th Harmonic, supposedly what gives him pleasure, has a stressed Yod of Saturn sextile Mars inconjunct Pluto – which indicates a coercive, manipulative temperament, for whom the wielding of power is an end in itself.

The answer is there in his chart though maybe not obvious at first glance.

He may have met a more bullish opponent than usual in Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, 19 November 1976, who is finally putting his foot down about Trump false facts and calls to violence. Dorsey is a Sun Mars in late Scorpio opposition Jupiter in Taurus widely square Saturn in Leo – not a man who’ll budge in a hurry. (With the caveat that business considerations may cause him to back off somewhat.) Dorsey’s Uranus is square Trump’s Pluto so he will have the capacity to unsettle him. Their relationship chart has a controlling composite Sun Pluto conjunction. When operating in unison this gives them influence as a pair, but when differing agendas crop up it turns nasty.

Joe Scarborough who has crossed swords with Trump since he was elected, 9 April 1963, has his Mars in Leo conjunct Trump’s Pluto for a combustible interface.

Just as a footnote. The USA’s Mercury in Cancer opposition Pluto in Capricorn which is an enduring strand of the American psyche is being triggered this year by the tr Saturn Pluto conjunction and the next three years by tr Pluto in hard aspect. So heated and toxic debates will be even more foreground than usual.

The New York Times has helpfully pulled together various examples of Trump’s slanderous attacks..

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/29/us/politics/trump-scarborough-klausutis.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

  

Royal feathers have been ruffled by, of all things, a true-blue Tatler piece suggesting that Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, feels exhausted by her increased workload after Harry and Meghan scarpered. It said she felt her children had been thrown under a bus since they would get less of her attention. Flat denials have been issued by Kensington Palace which may well be justified since it sounded like a brew-up-a-controversy article. Though it could also be that friends talked out of turn and the Cambridges do feel overwhelmed given that they are the only seniors (in rank) able to be out and about. A moment of panic as they contemplate a future where they aren’t three steps away from the throne but much closer. Tatler are standing by their tale.

Kate is in the midst of quite a challenging and punishing few years of transformation from 2017 to late 2022 with tr Pluto ploughing its way round her Cardinal T Square which started by opposing her Moon in 2017/18, then was conjunct her Sun and square Saturn and from early 2021 square her Pluto. It has been and will be exceptionally tough going and will change her life and her responses to it out of all recognition but she seems to be rising to the task with great aplomb, especially recently.

Assuming her birth time of 7pm is sound she does have the tr Saturn Pluto conjunction moving into her 6^th house of work and health now with Saturn staying there through a slog-on two years ahead and Pluto there for the long term. It will put work and duty up as a foreground issue. And with tr Uranus now starting to move through her 10^th house for the next decade it does suggest a radical change of direction from what went before.

Prince William of the pair looks more likely to be feeling overwhelmed since tr Saturn is now moving through the nadir of his First Quadrant moving into his 2^nd house. For ordinary mortals that can have financial implications but for those with a significant career it suggests low energy and motivation where ambitions are concerned, with a desire to do less and find more time for personal interests. The approaching June Solar Eclipse in Cancer is conjunct his Cancer Sun exactly and his Moon and Solar Arc Venus so he will feel he is at a critical stage in his destiny.

Undoubtedly Harry and Meghan didn’t pick a great time to bale – frankly for themselves as well as for the Royal Firm. And equally undoubtedly the chemistry between the two ladies isn’t great. Their relationship chart has an irritable and argumentative composite Moon Mars in an evasive trine to Neptune, sextile a struggle-for-the-upper-hand Jupiter Pluto; and an explosive Moon Mars square Venus Uranus. And there’s no fixing that. Ahead, most of the relationship charts of the close family with both Harry and Meghan look rattled and undermined. There are separating aggravations with Kate and William for several years. Camilla and the Queen don’t seem to be making much headway with Meghan either for several years ahead.

The Queen will be especially on edge with Harry through this June and several months thereafter with the Cancer Solar Eclipse conjunct the composite Moon in their relationship chart, and the July Lunar Eclipse colliding with their composite Sun as the ‘Finding Freedom’ book purporting to show how ‘woke’ the Harry Meghan couple are in their efforts to modernise the monarchy comes out. The Queen has devoted a lifetime to duty, sacrifice and servitude so it’s a considerable kick in the shins for everything she has ever stood for.

PS: According to various reports Harry and Meghan are alarmed about paparazzi drones buzzing low over their LA rented chateau. Quelle surprise. There has been something really bizarre about their choices as if they couldn’t foresee the blindingly obvious.

The loaded Eclipse season approaching fast with two Lunars and one Solar spread out through June and early July appears to be stirring the celestial ether ahead of time, as is often the case. Coronavirus may be ebbing pro tem but there are crises flaring up left, right and centre.

Hong Kong is descending into violence with angry demonstrations against China’s move to tighten control of the territory. There’s an escalation of tension between China and India over their Himalayan border with troops massing on both sides. The EU are caught between a rock and a hard place trying to put together a multi-billion euro recovery fund against heavy resistance from northern nations who won’t stomach a debt union. The UK is in political turmoil with the ruling party tearing itself apart over a ministerial aide. Trump is falling out as per usual with everyone, but most notably Twitter, on whose platform he relies for his rancid OCD spoutings.

The June 5^th Lunar Eclipse at 16 degrees Sagittarius will oppose Trump’s 10^th house Uranus which will give him a considerable career jolt. It also impacts the Twitter 21 March 2006 start chart with considerable aggravation, stirring up the Twitter Mars at 16 Gemini opposition Moon square Uranus Mercury. The EU’s 3^rd house Saturn in Sagittarius and UK’s 3^rd house Mercury in Sagittarius are also in the line of fire so will be respectively gloomy and highly strung – with veritable tower of babel discussions raging. It’ll shake up Canada’s Venus in Gemini for an emotional shock; and Australia’s Uranus in Sagittarius opposition Pluto in Gemini leading to financial disruptions.

The 21st June 2020 Solar Eclipse at zero degrees Cancer is associated with difficulties, restrictions, inhibitions, separations and illusions. Bernadette Brady remarks in The Eagle and the Lark that this eclipse brings blocks and ’the individual is prone to misjudging his or her strength and is best advised to wait before taking any real action.’ It was around previously in 2002, 1984, 1966, 1948, 1930 and 1912.

Located to Leh, Ladakh, India this chart puts an aggressive Mars on the Descendant and the New Moon conjunct the Midheaven, so it will be a critical region. This Eclipse is conjunct the India Mars exactly so will tend to bring a combative mood. See previous post May 19 2020.

This June Solar Eclipse also falls opposition the Hong Kong Midheaven at 2 Capricorn stirring up domestic woes in the months thereafter. It is also conjunct the EU last degree Gemini Midheaven for a good going predicament about future direction. Boris Johnson’s Government chart from December also catches it in opposition to the Jupiter which could suggest a laissez-faire approach will cause problems and an arrogant dismissal of criticism even more. Canada’s late Gemini Moon will also be conjunct which does suggest an emotionally unsettling few months ahead, taken together with the Canada Venus being rattled as well.

The second Lunar Eclipse on July 5^th at 13 degrees Capricorn will be pivotal for the USA since the Full Moon is exactly on top of the USA 1776 Cancer Sun. And located to Washington, DC it puts an aggressive Mars on the Ascendant square Mercury on the IC, so what follows will be running controversies and heated debates. Located to London it’s also marked up as noteworthy with a lacklustre, dithery Neptune on the Midheaven – as key Brexit decisions are due.

These are just a few pointers. Do pitch in with any others and I’ll add them in and keep an eye through the next several months to see how they play out.

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.