Astrology of Today’s News

Bill Gates, second wealthiest man in the world after Jeff Bezos, has just celebrated his 64th birthday, and occupies himself with philanthropy in his charitable foundation as well as indulging a rich man’s fancy in cars, houses, art and other collectibles. He’s worth over $100 billion.

His Solar Return for this coming year – for an ordinary person – might suggest financial headaches with Saturn Pluto in the 2^nd square an ambitious Mars on the Midheaven. But all things are relative and a few billion up or down is hardly likely to worry him over much. Jupiter in his 1^st will keep him buoyant and his outlook will be about forward planning with the Sun in his 11^th.

On his personal chart he is in a changing year with tr Uranus square his Uranus and opposition his Scorpio Sun, so he will be giving serious thought about how he wants to spend the next portion of his life and the changes he wants to make. He is conflicted with tr Pluto conjunct his Sun/Moon midpoint, unsure what he really wants and will be frustrated and irritated late December and through January 2020. And he will have his panicky moments in 2020 with tr Neptune opposition his Mars/Jupiter and Mars/Pluto midpoints.

The Saturn Pluto conjunction is focussed on his 6^th house of health which may be soaked up in his charitable work fighting HIV, polio, and malaria around the world as well as Alzheimers from which his father suffers.

It may be scant consolation but all that money doesn’t iron out all the wrinkles in life.

The BBC is mired in more disputes about equal pay as a dozen women prepare to take their cases to tribunal. That in addition to running bad publicity over highly-paid stars and top-heavy management; and the competition now from Netflix and other streaming channels with suggestions that the BBC itself could be switched over to a subscription service in future, makes it an even more critical time than usual.

The BBC launched 14 November 1922 6pm London and has a full entertainment and performing 5^th house with a Scorpio Sun there square Neptune in Leo; as well as Jupiter Mercury in Scorpio on one leg of a creative Grand Trine to Pluto in Cancer trine a 10^th house Uranus in Pisces. There’s also an uncompromising, contrary and combative 9^th house Mars in Aquarius square Mercury. The Grand Trine especially in Water can act like a bubble within which there is a degree of separation from the outside world and reality. But it’s a strong and successful chart.

It has tr Neptune slipping and sliding through the 10^th house of career direction for most of this coming decade, so may not commit to any decisively different plans for the time ahead. Financial wrangles will continue with tr Pluto (until 2025) and now tr Saturn (until 2021) moving through the 8^th, creating shortages and sticky situations.

There’ll be major arguments from July 2020 onwards and high insecurity as tr Uranus squares the BBC Mars; and a ‘car-crash collision’ of sorts in 2021/22 as Solar Arc Mars opposes the Sun. By 2023 change will be in the air with tr Uranus opposes the Sun.

But there’s nothing that looks terminal about any of these humps and bumps along the road.

The BBC’s Pluto is conjunct the UK’s Midheaven so it is influential and highly significant for the country; with the BBC Mars and Midheaven in the UK’s 5^th house of entertainment. However much politicians of all shades dislike the BBC and however blinkered the grotesquely over-weighted and overpaid management are, it’s difficult to see it disappearing totally. Although it will be on a popularity slide for a few years till 2024 with tr Neptune undermining the central configuration of the UK/BBC relationship chart..

California is being devastated by state wide wild fires which have destroyed wineries and homes in the north and are now also raging in Los Angeles. A million people are without electricity, the biggest blackouts in the state’s history, and another million have been told they could lose supplies. Nearly 200,000 have been told to evacuate their homes north of San Francisco and many thousands in LA similarly. There are fears the blazes could enter areas that have not seen wildfires since the 1940s.

The California Virgo Sun is being undermined by a panicky, uncertain tr Neptune opposition exactly now to mid November and returning mid December to late January 2020; with the immensely pressured Solar Arc Uranus Pluto opposition the California Saturn exactly now creating major disruption. Plus an emotionally intense tr Pluto square the CA Venus until late December.

The recent Lunar Eclipse set for San Francisco had Mars in Leo conjunct the Midheaven square Uranus conjunct the Descendant which certainly looks volatile.

The Golden State isn’t short of trials and tribulations with fires worsening considerably in recent times and mud slides, never mind the prospect at some point of a quake.

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Argentina lurching through yet another financial crisis has elected a centre-left president Alberto Fernandez, whose chances were boosted by support from former president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. She’s seen as an Eva Peron figure, a populist favourite despite allegations of corruption and economic irresponsibility with her high social spending leading to debt. “Populism is an easier sell but Argentina is broke,” says a political analyst. “Opposition voters who expect a return to the easy spending of the Kirchner era will be quickly disillusioned.”

The Argentina 9 July 1816 chart does indicate financial woes with the Solar Arc Neptune conjunct Venus this year. And tr Neptune moving round the Mutable T Square of Node opposition Neptune square Pluto will 2023 also suggests a long trough of disappointment.

Fernandez, an Aries trine Uranus looks limp, lacklustre and panicked in 2021/22 with Solar Arc Neptune conjunct his Saturn followed by a failure-ridden tr Neptune square his Mars. Even Cristina de Kirchner, looks at the end of her tether and confused with tr Pluto square her Neptune and then Saturn through from this year to 2023.

The Bank of Argentina, 28 May 1935, is certainly undergoing a few shocks and upheavals with tr Uranus on its First Return now into early 2020; a tumultuous Solar Arc Uranus conjunct Pluto in coming months and a grinding, forced-change tr Pluto opposition Pluto in 2020/21.

One voter said: “The most important thing is stability. I’ve been through all the cycles, dictatorship, everything. What I hope is that at some point we will leave this cycle of stagnation and poverty and that we have the model of country we all want, regardless of party.” Another country sick of incompetent politicians.

The death of the ISIS leader Baghdadi still hasn’t been confirmed by DNA corroboration but Trump is already grandstanding his final moments in graphic detail. The Kurds claim it was a joint effort with USA while Trump thanked the Russians who weren’t involved. He’s also angling to have it seen as a bigger event than Bin Laden’s capture (to do down Obama); and appeared along the way not to have notified the relevant Congress chairmen who would usually be informed. Putin always, Adam Schiff never.

If wiki is to be believed Baghdadi was born 28 June 1971, five days earlier than Julian Assange; with the same Cancer Sun in a square to rebellious Uranus; and an uncompromising Mars in Aquarius. His chart is bedevilled by undermining Neptune transits to midpoints at the moment.

The ISIS 15 October 2006 chart did indicate 2019 to 2021 as the point at which it would hit major setbacks as tr Pluto squares the Libra Sun and then Mars. The Scorpio New Moon opposition Uranus tomorrow will hit their Solar Arc Sun in Scorpio exactly which seems apt.

It was always a more brutal chart than Al Quaeda, which was nasty enough with an afflicted Mars in Aries quincunx Pluto. But the ISIS chart has Saturn in wannabe-important Leo in an unyielding trine to Pluto, sextile Mars Sun – ruthless and brutal. With a lucky Jupiter in acquisitive Scorpio square Neptune and Saturn.

It remains to be seen whether another leader will step into his shoes – if he is truly dead this time – and how the group will reorganise itself, since there are now sleeper cells spread around the Middle East and Europe, as well as fundamentalist groups opposed to ISIS who could cause headaches in their own way. It’s a hundred-headed Hydra – chop off one and others appear.

An unusual friendship between Queen Elizabeth and her personal dresser Angela Kelly has given rise to an unusual book which details their 25-year working relationship, with unseen pictures and “charming” anecdotes about their friendship. Normally Royal servants publishing books are frowned on, but the Queen once famously remarked “We could be sisters” so permission was given in this instance.

Angela Kelly was born 4 November 1957 (net sources) with a docker father and has worked at Buckingham Palace since 1994, first as the Queen’s Senior Dresser before rising to the role of Her Majesty’s Personal Advisor and Curator and In-house Designer. She is known inside as AK47 for her famously short-temper and her position as the Queen’s confidante has attracted a good deal of jealousy.

She’s a Sun Mercury in Scorpio so will give as good as she gets. She probably has an inspirational and entrepreneurial Fire Grand Trine of an Aries Moon trine Saturn trine Uranus; and a super-enthusiastic Jupiter Mars in Libra.

Her synastry with the Queen isn’t too pass remarkable apart from her Jupiter Mars being trine the Queen’s Mars Jupiter in Aquarius. But the relationship chart is a different story with an affectionate composite Sun Venus conjunction in a possessive opposition to Pluto which forms a Mystic Rectangle in sextile/trine to Saturn opposition Uranus. With a morale-boosting and exuberant composite Mars Jupiter.

Their relationship will be going through some major shifts ahead with tr Uranus square the composite Sun Venus and then Pluto over the next year; as well as an undermining tr Neptune square the Jupiter.

PS The Daily Mail appears conflicted about her birth date but now seems to have settled on 61 years old which fits 1957.

A street protest yesterday of a million people brought Santiago, the Chilean capital, to a halt as they demanded the resignation of President Pinera and urgent economic reforms in response to spiralling inequality. It was the largest in a week-long series of demonstrations across the country that have left 19 people dead and hundreds injured.

The Chile country chart 5 April 1818 has an explosive and uncompromising Solar Arc Uranus conjunct Mars now and for weeks ahead. Emotions are running high with tr Pluto square the Chile Venus till mid-December as well. The mood will continue highly strung through 2020/21 with tr Neptune in a can-be fanatical square to the Chile Uranus before moving on to conjunct the Chile Pluto in 2022/23 which can be devastating confusion and can sometimes accompany natural disasters of some magnitude.

Sebastian Pinera, a right-winger was formerly president 2010 to 2014 and ended up with a 22% approval rating, the least popular leader since Pinochet, so it’s all the more surprising he ended up voted in this time round. Born 1 December 1949 he’s a Sun Sagittarius square an unpleasantly hard-edged Saturn Mars in Virgo and widely trine Pluto. He’s having a nose-diving couple of years with tr Neptune in a debilitating and failure-ridden opposition to his Mars Saturn this year and on end off till January 2021. With cataclysmic glitches come 2022 as his Solar Arc Uranus is conjunct his Mars Saturn.

His Second Presidency chart, 11 March 2018, indicated an angry, volatile, crisis-ridden term with Mars square the Sun and trine Uranus; and Uranus in an unstable square to Pluto. It’ll also be slipping and slithering through 2020 with tr Neptune conjunct the Sun from late April.

His Cabinet choices were heavily criticised for including pro-Pinochet members as well as pro-Nazi sympathisers.

Melania Trump was flying solo this week on behalf of her anti-drugs campaign in Washington, brushing aside questions about impeachment. She’s a mysterious figure as First Lady, often invisible, away presumably at Mar-A-Lago, or as an adjunct to the president as a spectacularly chic piece of silent arm-candy. Stories from Mar-A-Lago have her locked in conversation with Trump for three hours on their own over dinner; while one celebrity who dined with them said she spoke for 0.1% of the time which sounds more likely.

That she likes the good life is not in doubt with an acquisitive Taurus Sun opposition Jupiter in money-magnet Scorpio; and a super-indulgent Venus Mercury in Taurus trine Pluto.

Her relationship with Trump is based on control and possessiveness with a composite Sun square Pluto and perhaps Moon trine Pluto as well. Plus there’s a superficially frivolous Venus trine Jupiter. There’s a fair amount of disappointment and concern coming up between them from mid November, worsening in February 2020 with tr Neptune square the composite Saturn. And there’ll be a sense of major crisis come June 2020 with tr Uranus square the composite Mars/Pluto midpoint, which runs into 2021.

Her own chart has tr Uranus conjunct her Taurus Sun which was around earlier this month when impeachment proceedings ramped up; and that repeats next April. And she’ll be seriously aggravated late this December and on and off throughout 2020.

Her relationship with Ivanka, never good at the best of time, is under heavy strain with tr Pluto opposition the composite Mars exactly now till mid November; and then into disaster-territory from late March 2020 for two years as tr Pluto opposes the composite Mars/Saturn midpoint.

She’ll do OK though there will be forced changes for a year or two. She signed the contract, got the gilded life, got her parents’ visas and almost certainly has the back-up exit plan that will leave her well off.

All is well in Euro-land as highly respected Mario Draghi exits the Presidency of the European Central Bank, with internal appreciation of the single currency at a high. But behind the rosy facade is the reality that none of the underlying problems have been fixed since the 2008 crash. The divergences between efficient, high-earning, high-saving countries such like Germany and inefficient nations with low GDP-per-capita such as Italy and Greece have widened not narrowed. Christine Lagarde, Draghi’s replacement on November 1, will soon either have to cut back the recent quantitative easing programme which will shock the already fragile economies of the poorer nations. Or persuade the Germans they need to pay out more towards the Mediterranean economies, which is hardly likely to go down well with the country in technical recession. If there is another global downturn which seems likely the euro is not well placed to withstand the crisis.

There are tremors of early quakes running at the moment, through 2020 but it’s really 2021 to 2023 that the real pain bites. The Euro 1 January 1999 chart is muddled at present; has a catastrophic tr Pluto square Mars/Saturn from late March 2020 till late 2021; is under assault from Solar Arc Mars square Uranus in early 2021; with a financial bubble-bursting, false-confidence-denting tr Neptune conjunct Jupiter square Mercury from 2021 into 2022 by which time the deprived, grinding-struggle tr Pluto square Saturn picks up for two years.

Christine Lagarde’s Term, 1 November 2019, has a relatively similar timeline – with jolts and jangles from tr Uranus opposition the Sun from mid 2020; a frustratingly blocked tr Pluto opposition Mars/MC in 2020/21. But the real agony comes by 2022 with a totally trapped Solar Arc Mars square Pluto; a disappointing tr Neptune square Jupiter; and a cornered and scary tr Pluto square Sun/Mars midpoint in 2022/23.

The EU chart itself, labouring at present under the financially devastating Solar Arc Pluto conjunct the 2^nd house Neptune; and a blocked Solar Arc Midheaven conjunct Pluto; moves into an uncertain and panicky 2020/21 with tr Neptune square the EU Saturn. Where the real financial hitches and glitches will come is from July 2020 into 2021 as tr Uranus is conjunct the 8^th house Moon and square the Uranus suggesting major jolts and forced changes of direction. By 2021 the recession-attracting tr Saturn in Aquarius square tr Uranus will also be affecting those two planets; and in 2022/23 tr Uranus will square the EU’s 5^th house (of speculation) Venus.

So it looks like a rough ride with economic and financial jeopardy. Christine Lagarde is exceptionally tough, 1 January 1956, a Capricorn with a Saturn Mars in Scorpio square Pluto Moon Jupiter. But she’s not reckoned as smart an operator as Virgo Draghi.