Astrology of Today’s News

Gerard Depardieu, France’s favourite maverick actor, has been accused of rape and sexual assault by a young actress, which he denies vehemently. The investigation is only at the preliminary stages and could be dropped.

He’s a hugely prolific actor with more than 180 films under his considerable belt, now blooming at 21 stone, despite a quintuple heart bypass some years ago. After which he stalwartly refused to give up drinking and eating.

Born 27 December 1948 8am Chateauroux, France, he grew up in poverty and ended up as a petty criminal doing prison time for car theft, before starting his acting career in his mid 20s. Some years ago he became a Belgian resident because of high French taxes; and Vladimir Putin with whom he shares a close bond gave him Russian citizenship. He still owns his French vineyard and acts in France.

He has an ambitious and lucky Sun, Jupiter, Mercury in Capricorn in his 1^st house so he’s a larger than life personality; he has Mars in money-oriented Capricorn in his 2^nd; an emotionally intense Scorpio Moon; an influential Pluto in the 8^th; and an unsettled Uranus in his 7^th house of one-to-one partnerships.  His Sun, Jupiter, Mercury sits on the midheaven through Russia so he clearly feels appreciated there.  And his relationship chart with Putin has a close, friendly composite Sun Venus conjunction square Pluto.

He’s heading into a less successful phase with tr Saturn moving below his Sagittarius Ascendant for several years; and tr Saturn will conjunct his Sun and Jupiter through this autumn for a discouraging phase.

Tr Pluto is about to move into his 2^nd house and conjunct his Mars in 2019/2020 which may well be financial angst and he’ll certainly feel trapped.  But his health is bound to give out at some point and with his Progressed Moon about to move through his 6^th the warning signs may well be coming up.

Saad Lamjarred, a Moroccan singer with millions of fans, a favourite of Morocco’s king, Mohammed VI, was arrested in St Tropez accused of rape two days ago. This is his fourth rape charge. He was already wearing an electronic bracelet on his ankle, placed there following his release from custody on an earlier rape case in Paris, after the king hired and paid for a team of top lawyers to defend him.

He was born 7 April 1985 in Rabat, Morocco from a family of famous performers, his father is a singer, his mother an actress. Lamjarred is a pop idol with tens of millions of fans in the Arab world.

He has a pro-active Sun, Venus, Mercury in Aries with a Scorpio Moon, and a pushily confident Pluto square Jupiter. What is more problematic is his ultra-determined and can-be sexualised Mars conjunct North Node in Taurus which opposes his Pluto Saturn midpoint. Ebertin describes it as assault, brutality, ruthlessness.

His passport has been removed and he may find the French authorities marginally less amenable than last time round, though they might deport him just to clear their hands of the affair. He’s looking undermined, unsettled and agitated through into 2019 and beyond.

King Mohammed is a Sun Venus in Leo so they are a fiery match and the king’s Jupiter in Aries is conjunct Lamjarred’s Sun will bring a resonance. But their tie looks to be blocked this year and sagging badly into the early 2020s. So his protective patronage may disappear.

The USA is in for a challenging time, and a critical turning point, as the eclipses from this July onwards, through 2019 into late 2020, trigger key planets. It kicked off with an intellectual crisis from the recent Cancer eclipse, forcing a rethink of certain fiercely held opinions and beliefs.

The 2019 eclipses in Capricorn and Cancer will catch the USA Cancer Sun, then Jupiter and Venus, which usually accompany good going crises. The January 2019 one will bring a realisation that the country has got the wrong end of one stick and needs a fresh perspective. The July eclipse will be a chance to clear out garbage, knowing the time has come to take a new road. The late year eclipse will see an emotional crisis with Venus involved; and Jupiter will be up to its usual tricks of over-expansiveness and over-optimism as well as soaring confidence.

The December 2020 Sagittarius Solar Eclipse will oppose the USA Mars which will be combative, argumentative and perhaps even violent; repeating mid 2021. Give what the 2021 Inauguration chart with its explosive Mars Uranus square Saturn Jupiter says, it could be a very troubled election result.

The USA’s economy is trickier to pinpoint since there are varying start times for the national chart. Tr Saturn is opposing the Jupiter Venus this year and then the Sun through 2019 which can be downbeat and not financially expansive. But that could just be the national mood. On the USA 11am late Virgo Ascendant chart I use, tr Uranus is about to move into the 8^th – as it does for EU, UK, Germany etc – suggesting a fairly roller coaster few years as far as international and business finances are concerned.

The US Federal Reserve Bank chart, 16 November 1914 9 am looks nothing like as stressed as it did in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash in 1929 or the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008. Although it does look jolted, jangled with high-wire anxiety at times through this year and on till 2020. Tr Uranus is square the 8^th house Neptune this year, then opposition Moon Mercury in 2019 and square Uranus in 2020 – so rattling up their Fixed T square. But there aren’t the dead-halt, poleaxing influences there were for previous meltdowns.

The USA in general won’t be hit by quite the same impact as New York (see post August 13 2018).

Next year as well the USA chart has tr Pluto trine Neptune picking up in February and running till late 2020 which can be devastating and confused, perhaps more natural disasters than usual, plus a mood of national disorientation.

In January 2020 the tr Saturn Pluto conjunction will oppose the USA Mercury for a mood of gloom, and perhaps fanatical outbursts given that the USA Mercury opposes Pluto. Tr Saturn and tr Jupiter will both oppose the Mercury through 2020 for a see-saw phase of high hopes and discouragement.

In 2020/2021 tr Pluto as well will oppose the US Mercury for intense and hostile debates with stubborn intransigence and bitterness. And tr Neptune will square the USA Mars, running from February 2021 for a year which is usually panicky failure.

2022/23 sees the first ever Pluto return since the USA was founded and who knows what that’ll bring? A slide away from super-powerdom or a reboot somewhere down the line thereafter.

Andrew Gillum, Mayor of Talahassie, was chosen as the surprise Democratic nominee for Governor of Florida, running on a progressive ticket with little money.

Born 26 July 1979, the son of a construction worker and a bus driver, he started his political career after college. He’s a Sun, Mercury, Jupiter in Leo. With a talented Half Grand Sextile from a publicity-attracting Mars in Gemini opposition Neptune, sextile Jupiter in Leo sextile Pluto – confident, lucky, determined. His Saturn in hard-working Virgo is in an innovative sextile to Uranus and a hope-for-a-better-society square to Neptune.

He looks on a winning high, though fighting against frustrating and bitter opponents in September and October. But that disappears before the election in early November when he has a marginally disappointing tr Pluto trine his Mars/Neptune. Though he looks buoyant later in the month with tr Jupiter trine his Sun; and forging ahead in 2019/2020.

He’s up against Trumper Ron DeSantis, who has been vociferous in his criticism of Mueller and managed to play to his base by launching his campaign warning Florida voters to not “monkey this up” by supporting the African-American candidate.

Born 14 September 1978, he went to Yale and Harvard, then into the navy, serving at Guantanamo, and in Iraq as a legal adviser. He’s a Sun Virgo square Neptune; with Saturn Mercury in Virgo; and Jupiter in Leo square Mars in late Libra and Venus in Scorpio.  He’s maybe got tr Neptune opposition his Sun/Saturn midpoint over the election, depending on his birth time – if a late day/night birth he may have gone through that in Sept/Oct. It’s not good news – panicky, uncertain, sagging. He looks upbeat in 2019/2020.  Depends very much on birth times which we don’t know. His life is certainly changing in November with tr Uranus opposition his Solar Arc Sun.

Mel B, Scary Spice and a regular personality on Dancing with Stars, The X Factor and America’s Got Talent, is entering rehab when her busy schedule permits. Initial reports said for drink and sex addiction problems but she corrected that to PTSD stemming from her father’s death and her recent messy divorce from Stephen Belafonte.

Born 29^th May 1975 6pm? Leeds, England, (6 days before Angelina Jolie) she’s a Sun Gemini with an extremely complicated chart.  Her Sun is in an Air Grand Trine to Pluto and a maverick Aquarius Moon, formed into two Kites by Sun opposition Neptune and Pluto opposition Mars – making up a talented three-quarter Grand Sextile.

Sun Neptune Pluto makes for stratospheric ambitions – and the Spice Girls were the best-selling female group of all time.  She’ll be very up-in-her-head with an Air Grand Trine and impractical with no Earth planets. Pluto opposition a driving-planet Mars will bring extreme frustrations plus anger and impulsivity issues.

Her Jupiter in Aries squares Saturn which is very up and down; and her Venus in Cancer is conjunct Saturn and square Uranus. A curious mix of possessive with Moon Sun Pluto and rebellious and emotionally unpredictable from Venus Uranus; with Venus Saturn sending her constantly in search of a romantic fix and it can be associated with sex addiction.

Her emotional life has been tumultuous, with multiple relationships – a messy divorce from dancer Jimmy Gulzar with allegations against him of assault; a child by Eddie Murphy; and an eye-raising marriage to Stephen Belafonte with accusations flying on both sides through the split and a suggestion that her over-the-top lifestyle had wiped out her mega-millions from her Spice days.

If her birth time is sound then her Sun/Moon midpoint, the marriage signifier, is conjunct Mars and opposition her Pluto – so unsurprising all the above.

Her Venus is stressed at the moment by tr Pluto in opposition through 2019 as well; and Solar Arc Neptune is in opposition to her Venus as well at the moment for emotional confusion and disappointment; plus tr Saturn this year making a very blocked square to her Mars opposition Pluto. She’s also on her mid-life crisis Uranus opposition Uranus – hopefully making sensible decisions about leaving her chaotic past behind and moving towards a steadier future. She looks in better spirits from early 2019 till late 2020 with tr Pluto conjunct her Jupiter/Uranus midpoint which may take some of the strain off her.  Her Progressed Sun will conjunct her Venus around 2021 for a significant love coming into her life.

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Nicola Sturgeon isn’t having a good summer with troubling economic figures for Scotland showing it lagging behind the UK as a whole and making independence a less attractive prospect even with the Brexit guddle. Now she’s getting slated by her political rivals about what she knew and when of the sexual assault allegations against Alex Salmond, former First Minister and close colleague.

And naturally enough fringe supporters have turned the allegations into a gigantic conspiracy theory, a smear campaign by the unionist state against a victimised Salmond. She’s caught between a rock and a hard place, trying to look fair-minded and distancing herself from the investigation.

Her term chart, 12 May 2016 9.35am Edinburgh, while seeming to be robustly grounded with an Earth Grand Trine of Jupiter trine Pluto trine Venus Mercury (and Sun), is formed into a Kite by an over-hopeful Jupiter opposition Neptune, making idealistic and unrealistic Neptune the driving planet. That opposition also forms an uncertain, wobbly square to Saturn. Tr Neptune will continue to oppose the Jupiter and square Saturn till early 2019 – so it’ll be swampy ahead for a few months. The January 2019 Capricorn Solar Eclipse will also conjunct the Term Pluto (square Uranus) as tr Pluto starts to square the Uranus for a general upset which will run on till late 2019.

Her own chart, 19 July 1970 3.16 pm Irvine, has been jangled this year already by tr Uranus square her Mars, and twice again into early 2019. Plus a dreary slog tr Pluto trine her Saturn in 2018/2019. The July 2018 Solar Eclipse in Cancer was conjunct her Cancer Sun, so crises were always likely in the aftermath. And that won’t let up much given the eclipses in 2019. Neptune will be dissolving and undercutting her plans through this year, next and into 2020; with aggravation from Uranus in December and January 2019 and after May 2019 into 2020.

Her relationship chart with Salmond while friendly with a composite Sun Venus, has a sharper-edge than appeared in public with a teeth-gritted composite Mars square Saturn; and was always destined to be constantly changing. It looks to be separating further in 2019 with tr Saturn squaring the composite Sun Venus.

Latifa Al Maktoum, a daughter of the ruler of Dubai, attempted to escape her restricted life in a daring escape in March, masterminded by a former French spy Herve Jaubert, who skippered a yacht which was intercepted in international waters by the Indian coastguards. Her companions were thrown in jail and only released after extensive media coverage. She has disappeared, it is assumed back home.

Born 5 December 1985 she has a rebellious Sun Uranus in Sagittarius with Venus and Saturn also in Sag; and a confidently determined Pluto square Jupiter.

Her father, 15 July 1949, is an expansive, family-oriented Sun Cancer opposition Jupiter, trine Mars; with a charming and possessive Venus Pluto in Leo. His Sun squares her Mars in Libra for a clash of temperaments; with his Mars opposition her Uranus for ditto.

Their relationship chart is controlling, unpredictable and affectionate with the composite Sun conjunct Pluto Uranus on one side and Venus on the other; and an only-one-can-win composite Mars square Neptune.

There’s nothing too cheerful ahead on her chart for a few years with tr Neptune square her Sun and then Uranus till early 2020 and a trapped, angry tr Pluto square Mars in 2020/2021. And some heavy Solar Arcs in 2021/22. She isn’t well-designed to live in a gilded cage.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, imprisoned in Iran in 2016 for allegedly spying has been allowed out for three days to stay with her parents and daughter whom she has only seen on prison visits since she was 22 months old. A British resident with a dual passport, she works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation and was sentenced to five years in jail, although she insists she was only on holiday to allow her daughter to spend time with relatives. Boris Johnson’s replacement as Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, appears to have helped ease the pressure on her – Boris in contrast made her situation worse. The theory is that Iran wants money from the UK and support on lifting sanctions so she became a pawn in a political game. She spent 8 months in solitary confinement early on without a lawyer.

Born 16 September 1978 in Teheran, she has her Sun, Mercury and Saturn in Virgo with her Sun square Neptune and a Pisces Moon.

Her chart looks mixed ahead – lucky breaks in this November and February with tr Uranus trine her Jupiter/Node; mid February onwards, on and off till late 2019 as tr Pluto trines her Jupiter/Uranus; and the second half of April 2019 with tr Uranus square her Jupiter. All of those will boost her confidence and give her hope.  However it looks edgy and agitated this September and October; and she has stuck, scary and disappointing influences through till late 2019 as well. On the best case scenario they let her out and she is suffering from the aftereffects of ill-treatment and mental stress.  But it could drag on.

Her relationship chart with the Iran 1 February 1979 Islamist coup chart isn’t favorable at the best of times and is none-too-cheerful until 2021. Was she warned it would be dangerous to return?

Accusations of genocide, war crimes and crime against humanity have been levelled by the UN at Myanmar’s military for its treatment of the Rohingya people. Their report also criticised Aung San Suu Kyi’s passive role over the past year. “[She] has not used her de facto position as head of government, nor her moral authority, to stem or prevent the unfolding events in Rakhine state,” it said.

UN investigators were denied access but interviewed witnesses who had fled the country and found that the military were “killing indiscriminately, gang-raping women, assaulting children and burning entire villages.” They carried out murders, imprisonments, enforced disappearances, torture, rapes and used sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence, persecution and enslavement – all of which constitute crimes against humanity. After the military campaign of violence 800,000 had fled into neighbouring Bangladesh. The military say they are illegal immigrants and Aung San Suu Kyi has said only appropriate force was used.

Burma’s independence in 1948 was timed for an auspicious start at 4.20am on 4^th January by astrologers, who must have been seriously deficient in their craft given its terrible history since. The Sun Mercury square Neptune all aspect the Mars/Pluto midpoint which makes sense of the violence,  military coup and rule which followed. At the moment tr Neptune is opposing the midheaven and square the Jupiter for an undermining phase; with a major jolt also this year from Solar Arc Sun square Uranus. 2021 is worse with Solar Arc Mars square Saturn and Solar Arc Uranus conjunct the Mars – more violence.

The military coup which saw the generals take over was on 2 March 1962 when a controlling Pluto opposition a Pisces Sun was in place; with a risk-taking, obstinate Mars Jupiter in Aquarius opposition Uranus – and Mars squaring the bleak Saturn/Pluto midpoint. That chart looks blocked exactly now by Solar Arc Sun square Saturn, and is moving through unsettled times in 2019/2020 with tr Uranus trine the Pluto. But the UN report may make little difference in a country that has always barricaded itself against outside criticism.

Aung San Suu Kyi who was raised to sainthood during her long house arrest and given a free pass when released because she was still under the thumb of the generals, is well on her way to being tarred by their brush.  Born 19 June 1945, she’s a late Sun Gemini; with an afflicted and none-too-pleasant Mars in Taurus conjunct Venus square Pluto and sextile Saturn. The fortitude with which she approached her long incarceration turns out to be fuelled by a very hard personality. She looks rattled in 2019/2020/21 with tr Uranus conjunct her Mars and then square her Pluto, so it will throw her off track.