Astrology of Today’s News

The poet Sylvia Plath became a feminist icon after her suicide in 1963 with much vitriol being aimed at her then separated husband Ted Hughes, who had left her for another woman. For years he remained a hate figure; and his resurrection in recent years came as a relief to their daughter who said she was appalled at the way in which outsiders took over her mother’s story and made judgements.

Now letters have surfaced from Plath to her therapist in which she alleges that Hughes beat her two days before she miscarried their second child and that he wanted her dead. As well as a suspicion that she had just been rejected by another man after a brief liaison just before her death.

Neither were easy personalities. Plath, 27 Oct 1932 2.10pm Boston, Massachusetts, was a manic depressive (bi-polar), with an 8^th house Scorpio Sun square Saturn; with Saturn in a bleak opposition to Pluto squaring onto an unpredictable Uranus. Her Mercury in Scorpio squared onto Mars in Leo and trined Pluto so she wouldn’t hold back in getting her point of view across. She had attempted suicide several times in her life, at least once before she met Hughes; and in the months before her death had been on a creative high, writing most of the poems on which her reputation is based; then she sank into another depression.

Hughes, 17 Aug 1930 1.12am Mytholmroyd, Eng, had a 4^th house Leo Sun trine Uranus, sextile Mars in Gemini; and a Cardinal Grand Cross of Venus in Libra opposition Uranus square Jupiter opposition Saturn. His Taurus Moon was square his Sun. Highly restless, with a life of revolving crisis especially in his emotional relationships, certainly volatile.

His Saturn was in his 7^th suggesting close relationships would require effort and responsibility and perhaps also an indication of his attraction to depressive partners. His second wife also committed suicide.

Plath’s Mars was conjunct his Sun for a fiery attraction and arguments; her Libra Moon was conjunct his Venus for affection and nurturing; his Moon trined her Jupiter also for support. So there were positives.

But their relationship chart was beyond difficult with a volcano of rage, unpredictability and fight for control with a composite Mars Pluto Moon; with Mars Pluto opposition Saturn square Uranus opposition Mercury. Plus a highly affectionate composite Sun Venus. A stark example of can’t-live-with-them, can’t-live-without-them. Her Uranus opposed her Sun/Moon midpoint and his Saturn opposed his Sun/Moon so marriage was not a state which either found easy.

Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, who from his initial ‘alternative-facts’ gaffe set himself up as another Comical Ali (Saddam Hussein’s Information Minister), has put his foot in it again. His off-the-cuff comment that Assad was worse than Hitler, since the latter never chemical bombed his own people, has caused a storm of protest. To be sure Hitler didn’t, as in World War 1, spread gas around the battlefields, but hydrogen cyanide (Zyklon B) killed millions of Jews, many of the German, in the concentration camp gas chambers.

Spicer, 23 Sept 1971,  is a Sun conjunct Pluto, last degree Virgo or Sun zero Libra, with Venus Uranus in Libra and Mercury in Virgo. The Virgo would certainly suit a communicator, but he’s very uptight. His measured Saturn in Gemini opposes a delusional, head-in-the-clouds Neptune Jupiter in Sagittarius so he’ll constantly be pulled between sense and nonsense. And he has an excitable Mars in uncompromising Aquarius trine Uranus Venus.

He does have tr Neptune square his Mars/Uranus midpoint exactly now, and repeating on and off till late 2018. Ebertin, ever florid, describes this as ‘raving madness, a swoon or fainting fit, rage or frenzy.’ Diluting that down to a less dramatic interpretation, he’s not thinking straight and getting rattled. Tr Pluto will trine his Mercury throughout this year so certainly intense discussions; with a downer across the New Year into 2018 as tr Saturn squares his Pluto and Sun. Plus a dead-halt Solar Arc Mars opposition his Pluto Sun in 2018.

Spicer’s Saturn falls in Trump’s 10^th house so he’ll try to bring organisation to DT’s scattered thinking; but it’s not a great combo with Spicer’s Mars opposition DT’s Pluto.

Their relationship chart has a Sun Mercury Uranus square Mars, so they aren’t entirely at ease with each other. There’s pressure on their link now with tr Pluto sextile the composite Mars, and on and off till late 2018. But no indication of a complete rift (without SS’s birth time).

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Boris Johnson, UK Foreign Secretary, isn’t have a good week being labelled as America’s poodle for cancelling his Moscow trip to leave the field clear for Rex Tillerson; then the G7 Summit refused to back his loudly-proclaimed demand to impose further sanctions on Russia for Assad’s CW attack. Though the murmurs are that it was Theresa May’s doing that he was pulled back from his Russia trip. He’s the nearest thing she has to a rival and she’s clearly not keen  for him to be too visible; or indeed keen for him to let fly recklessly into delicate negotiations which would humiliate Putin into hardening his attitude. Finesse not being one of Boris’s strengths.

Theresa May’s Pluto and maybe Virgo Moon are square Boris’s afflicted Mars in Gemini, so it’s not a great combo. Her need to control will trigger his anger. And he is very excitable at the moment, no doubt thinking that Trump’s sudden switch onto a high-octane foreign policy would give him his opening.  He has tr Pluto opposition his Mars/Uranus now until early June, and then square his Mars/Saturn June to mid July – so aggravations piling up.

His relationship chart with Theresa May has a conflicting-agenda composite Sun Uranus conjunction; and a volatile Jupiter opposition Saturn square Mars – all of which are being triggered this year, more so in 2018/19. Their interface looks discouragingly tough going across the summer; with a fight for the upper hand in Sept/Oct and outright hostility next year. His afflicted Mars in a T square to Uranus Pluto opposition Saturn has moved by Solar Arc to pick up transiting Uranus hard aspect from now onwards into 2018, so he’ll be on a white-knuckle roller coaster ride.

Theresa May has the same problem with Boris as Trump has with Bannon – boot them out and they’ll cause even more trouble from the sidelines.

Vogue UK have for the first time ever appointed a male editor, who is also working class, gay and black. Edward Enninful, 21 Feb 1972 (Twitter), has had an extraordinary life and career. He was born in Ghana, moved to the UK as a child with a seamstress mother who gave him a love for fabric and colour, became a model at 16, a fashion director at 18, and has worked with Italian and American Vogue. His 2008 “Black Issue” for Vogue Italia, which featured only black models was so successful Condé Nast was forced to print another 40,000 copies. He is known as an image-maker rather than a journalist, which was exiting editor Alexander Shulman’s background.

If his birth date is accurate, then he is a Sun Mercury in Pisces on the focal point of a mini-Grand Trine to Jupiter in Capricorn trine Mars in Taurus; and on the focal point of a T square to Neptune in a creative opposition to Saturn Moon in Taurus/ Gemini. Pisces is a creative sign, often associated with photographers or film people – more image than words. He also has a tough and intellectual Air Grand Trine of North Node in Aquarius trine Pluto in Libra trine Saturn (Moon). An Aquarius Node is at its best when promoting a cause and he’s keen to end the ‘white-out- of catwalks.

Vogue UK launched in September 1916 when Jupiter was in Taurus which chimes with his Mars in Taurus; and Vogue USA, launched 17 Dec 1892, has North Node in Taurus at his exact Mars degree. – so a dynamic combination.

A cautionary tale about never mixing family and business. Scots chef Gordon Ramsay with an international restaurant empire used to have his father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson, as his right hand man. In 2010 Ramsay alleged that £1.4 million had disappeared to finance Hutcheson’s secret life with a hidden other family and additional womanising. Now Hutcheson and his two sons are facing possible prison sentences for hacking into Ramsay’s computer to dig for dirt after the partnership turned sour. Tana Ramsay has split from both her parents. Business rifts are bad enough but add in a tangled mess of family relationships – oof.

Forbes said that last year Ramsay earned as much as Beyonce $54million (£43 million) from his eateries in London, Las Vegas, Versailles, Hong Kong and Singapore; and as producer and star of three hit shows on Fox TV – Hell’s Kitchen, MasterChef and MasterChef Junior, plus merchandising spin offs.

Born 8 Nov 1966 6.05pm Port Glasgow, Scotland, Ramsay had a violent alcoholic father, which is well described with a 4^th house Mars Pluto Uranus Moon in Virgo opposition Saturn in Pisces square his Gemini Ascendant. The tinderbox collection of 4^th house planets have left him a legacy from his father and childhood of a volcanic temper. He also has an intense and attention-grabbing Sun Venus Neptune in Scorpio in the performing 5^th house opposition a Taurus North Node. That Taurus North Node has a tendency to get involved in bitter fights over money.

His wife Tana, 16 Aug 1974 (net sources), is a Sun Leo with her Venus (Moon) in Leo conjunct Gordon’s Jupiter which will smooth over a few rough edges; and her Jupiter falls in his 10^th, so she’ll be good for him ambition and career-wise. But he won’t be remotely an easy man to live with.

Father-in-law Chris Hutcheson, born 14 May 1948 the same day as the country of Israel, (police charge sheet), has a super-stubborn and indulgent Sun Taurus square Mars in Leo; with Saturn Pluto (Moon) also in Leo; and a reckless Jupiter opposition Uranus. His Leo planets all fall in Ramsay’s 4^th house, no doubt evoking his early fears. Hutcheson’s Mars in Leo at the same degree as Trump’s will catch the August Leo Solar Eclipse head on.

It’s not an easy year for Ramsay with tr Saturn square his Uranus Moon on and off till the autumn; with jolts and jangles in 2018; and some financial setbacks in 2019/20/21. The restaurant side of his business has still not broken even and may sag moving towards the Saturn Pluto conjunction.

His poor wife, facing the prospect of her father and two brothers perhaps in prison, is also not looking cheerful with tr Neptune opposition her Mars; and the strain will tell on their relationship.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is off to the lion’s den in Moscow on Wednesday (on present schedule) to tackle the Russians over their support for Syria, but hoping to de-escalate any future confrontation by persuading them to back away from Assad. He’s stopping off at the G7 summit today (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, UK, USA, Japan) and hopefully flying eastwards with international backing for further sanctions as leverage. He is talking tough in advance, saying the Russians have been “incompetent” and bear partial responsibility for the Syria CW attack. And accusing Russia of trying to influence elections in Europe using the same methods it employed in the United States.

Putin, perhaps significantly, has said little, leaving it to PM Dmytry Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergei Levrov to make threatening noises about the consequences of any further US action in Syria. Tillerson won’t meet Putin this time round.

Tillerson, 23 March 1952, is a tough-minded Sun Aries opposition Saturn square Uranus in Cancer; with a bulldozer Mars in Scorpio square Pluto – so he’s used to high-tension and risky situations. He looks very much on edge in the final days of this month into early May; and trying to cope in an increasingly chaotic and confused situations from mid May to mid July – that may not all be to do with the Russia problem, since there’s a pile up of foreign pressures in NKorea and with Iran who are less than enchanted about the missile strike; never mind trying to keep his bearings within the Trump centrifuge in Washington. He looks to be facing major losses in Sept/Oct which can even sometimes amount to loss of job, though there’s nothing on his relationship chart (without time) with Trump suggesting any split.

Tillerson’s relationship with Medvedev is at deep-freeze all year with tr Saturn opposition the composite Sun; and not much better with Sergei Levrov – with whom there’s major aggravated disruption late this month into early May, repeating later in the year. With Putin, there’s wary suspicion but nothing too obvious till 2018.

A late surge by far-left Communist Jean-Luc Melanchon, now overtaking scandal-mired Republican Francois Fillon in the polls, is turning the upcoming French election into a bookie’s paradise. It’s anyone’s guess how it will shake down. The Tony Blair-ish charm of the inexperienced young centrist thruster Emmanuel Macron may not be enough to see him to the Elysee Palace. And there’s the anyone-but-Le-Pen to be factored in; but like Trump she appeals to the rust belt, managing to snare the far-left Trade Unionists with her anti-austerity stance as well as far-right anti-immigration votes. First round April 23^rd and if not outright winner, a two candidate second round on May 7.

Melenchon, 19 Aug 1951 8.20am Tangier, Morocco, is a Sun Pluto in Leo with his Pluto trine Jupiter in Aries; and a divisive, reformist Uranus in his 10^th on the focal point of a T Square to Jupiter opposition Neptune – definitely an ideologue. And Communists are not as unthinkable to the French as they are to Americans. But for all that with tr Neptune opposition his Sun/Saturn through both rounds; and tr Saturn square his Jupiter/Node on May 7^th, he looks unlikely.

** Addendum: On a second look, if his birth time is only two minutes earlier he does have tr Pluto trine his Jupiter/MC midpoint which would explain his sharp rise in popularity. It picked up mid March and runs on till late May – and that will give him a tremendous boost. But he still has the Sun/Saturn midpoint undermined by tr Neptune – which I suppose could just be uncertainty and panic at ending up in an unexpectedly high profile position. His Solar Return, set for Paris, for Aug 2016 to Aug 2017 does have Uranus in the 10^th, which is same as Trump running into the US election.

Macron has the same problem with tr Neptune opposition his Mars/Pluto over both rounds [see post Jan 17 2017].

Le Pen has a lucky whew of relief just after May 7^th from tr Uranus trine her Sun/Jupiter midpoint. But her other influences could go either way. [See post Nov 19 2016].

Fillon at this stage is a no-hoper with Neptune dragging him underwater.

The France country chart gives few clues – apart from an air of insecurity and unhappiness over the result.

Nikki Haley, the USA Ambassador to the UN has the unenviable job along with Rex Tillerson of trying to divine the President’s flip flopping foreign policy. Despite having no foreign affairs experience and being a pre-election Trump critic she seems rapidly to be becoming a leading spokesman for the White House and is now a full member of the National Security Council. She has said clearly that Assad must go, while Tillerson more cautiously said Assad’s fate lay in the hands of the Syrian people and the priority was to delete ISIS.

Born 20 Jan 1972 in South Carolina to an Indian American Sikh family, she took an accountancy degree and latterly became Governor of SC for six years until 2017.

She’s a vibrant Sun in last degree Capricorn (maybe even Aquarius if late night birth) trine Saturn in Taurus; with an excitable, combative and impulsive Mars in Aries opposition Uranus square Mercury in Capricorn, so not one to take life quietly. She’ll certainly talk up a storm with Mercury square Mars and Uranus.

Her Mars Uranus are being pounded this year by tr Pluto squares so a complete turnaround in her life, though frustratingly trapped in Sept/Oct when tr Pluto squares her Mars and just before as tr Pluto is conjunct her Mars/Uranus which looks v high-tension and risky. Tr Saturn will also conjunct her Jupiter in May and October this year which will dent her enthusiasm. With more sudden changes into 2018 with tr Uranus square her Sun.

Her relationship with Donald Trump has an aggravated Mars Saturn conjunction which will be stressed late July to late September – which is a period when Trump’s chart is also under strain. Getting too visible and high profile may not please the boss.

Her relationship with the mystifyingly reclusive Rex Tillerson looks like a tug of war; with most problems (with no birth times) emerging in 2018.

Sheikh Mohammed, 15 July 1949, is Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of Dubai and has twenty-three children, nine sons and fourteen daughters, four daughters married into royal families in the Middle East. His senior wife has 12 children.

He’s a Sun Cancer opposition Jupiter in Capricorn, so well-suited to the super-indulgent and expansive lifestyle that is Dubai; as is his flamboyant and ultra-charming Venus Pluto in Leo. He is a major figure in international horseracing and breeding, and owns studs in UK, USA, Ireland and Australia.

A financial crash in 2009 fuelled by property debt stalled Dubai’s economy though it seems back on the road to recovery despite the oil price drop, though still running on high levels of debt.

He looks marginally aggravated at a couple of points this year with tr Saturn opposing his Mars; and in good spirits in 2018 with tr Uranus square his Jupiter. But it is the 2019 to 2021 period which will test his mettle with Solar Arc Pluto square his Sun as tr Pluto opposes it in 2019/2020; with a major set-back Solar Arc Mars conjunct Saturn in 2021.

The Dubai 9 June 1833 chart looks in reasonable financial fettle this year with tr Pluto trine the economic Venus; and lucky at points in 2018 with tr Uranus conjunct Jupiter; though also highly-strung and nervy, with some indications of hardship from tr Pluto sextile Saturn in 2018/19 and disruptions and insecurity in 2019/early 2020 from tr Uranus square Mars. Plus a distinctly slumped tr Neptune square the Gemini Sun in 2019 into 2020.

The 8 Jan 1820 Dubai chart looks pressured this year, downcast at the year end; and edgy in 2018/19.