Astrology of Today’s News

  The media are in no doubt that Joe Biden needs to throw in the towel and retire from the presidential race. The FT called the debate “a sad spectacle for America, and for the world.” Polling has suggested a generic Democratic opponent would be better placed to win than Biden. But the indications to date from the Biden camp don’t suggest a willingness to do the statesmanlike thing. “Behind the scenes is a team whose arrogance, stubbornness and lethargy have walked America into a crisis.”

  Biden’s Term chart, 20 January 2021, has survived the disruptive Solar Arcs of Saturn square Mars Uranus which looked ominous in prospect; but has a morale-dampening Solar Arc Saturn conjunct the Jupiter exactly now, as questions loom large about his competency. Plus tr Pluto is heading to conjunct the Aquarius Sun from 17^th July till early September as more challenges mount.

  Heat is being turned on Jill Biden as the one to get the message across but whether she is open to persuasion seems to be in doubt. Born 3 June 1951 8.50, Hammonton, NJ, she has a hard working 6^th house Sun, Mars, Moon in Gemini with her Sun trine a 10^th house Neptune and sextile an 8^th house Pluto = super-ambitious.  Her 10 degree Libra Midheaven is exactly conjunct this October’s Libra Solar Eclipse for a crisis of direction.  She looks discouraged at the moment with her SA Saturn opposition her Moon. Tr Pluto is opposition her Moon/Saturn midpoint from July 17^th till early September which will make her feel alone and having to struggle to make progress under her own steam. Tr Uranus will also square her Venus/Saturn midpoint July 9^th to early August, and again through October, which is equally downbeat emotionally, hinting at relationship problems.

   She will get a boost from two Jupiter midpoints in September/October and another New Year to March 2025 – but whether that is relief at being out of the fray or a chance of winning??

 What is clear is that the grandees of the Democratic Party are on red alert over the next few weeks.  Barack Obama has tr Uranus square his Uranus and North Node at 25 and 27 degrees Leo. Bill Clinton has tr Uranus square his 26 degree Leo Sun; and Nancy Pelosi has tr Uranus conjunct her 26 degree Taurus Mars plus tr Pluto opposition her Pluto and square her Saturn. Maximum agitation and stress all round. Michelle Obama looks both relieved and pressured through July and September and less than jubilant across the election and result.

Kamala Harris, the VP, 20 October 1964, 9.28pm Oakland, California, has one Jupiter boost and nine less helpful midpoints causing upsets and discouragement between now and early 2025. Her Jupiter in Taurus could bring her some hope but since it is tied into a Neptune opposition it could pull on the other end and bring a setback.

 Trump’s Mars is also at 26 Leo so July will find him in fighting fettle as well.

 The Democrat Convention opens on 19 August on a Leo/Aquarius Full Moon with an exact square to Uranus at 27 degree Fixed signs so does hint at an all-systems-change moment.

  Of the two top possibilities for a Biden replacement, Gretchen Wilmer, 23 August 1971 8.50 pm looks most upbeat across the Democratic Convention in August with tr Uranus opposition her Jupiter till late September; with her Solar Arc Moon conjunct her Jupiter around election time which would be a plus point for public favourability. 

 Gavin Newsom, 10 October 1967 5.13 am San Francisco, does have tr Jupiter conjunct his Midheaven at the election; but that apart has the September Lunar Eclipse rattling up his Uranus, Pluto, Ascendant conjunction and the October Solar Eclipse opposition his Saturn – neither of which look too upbeat.

 Even more of a swamp than usual.  

  Two extra thoughts: The USA chart has the Solar Arc Saturn  conjunct the Mars at the moment and moving to exact exact over July/August which is an aggravated influence hinting at major setbacks and panics running over the next fifteen months as it moves to form a nerve-stretched, panicky square to the USA Neptune in 2025.

Joe Biden’s chart is staggeringly stubborn with Sun, Venus, Mercury, Mars in Scorpio with Mars square Pluto and a Taurus Moon also square Pluto. The possibility of him letting go voluntarily is negligible. But August does see tr Uranus opposition his Sun which will make an effort to shift him onto a different track.

See previous post 2nd July 2023: Joe Biden – ignoring the shipwreck of age

KING LEAR: SHAKESPEARE

“Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.”

“Men must endure

Their going hence, even as their coming hither.

Ripeness is all.”

“I am a very foolish, fond old man,

Fourscore and upward, not an hour more nor less;

And to deal plainly,

I fear I am not in my perfect mind.”

Add on:

  Biden’s closest advisers are also hanging onto the mainmast through a hurricane-force month ahead – 8th July to 7th August – as tr Uranus hits 26 degrees Leo. Mike Donilon, Ted Kaufman and Ron Klain are panicked at the moment and into July all three have major disruptions approaching.

Ron Klain, 8 August 1961, born four days after Barack Obama like him has tr Uranus square his Uranus now; tr Uranus square his Sun/Pluto midpoint and his Uranus/Node midpoint both suggesting major upheavals from July 7th into August – and tr Uranus square his North Node in August/September. He does have an upbeat tr Pluto conjunct his Jupiter July 17^th to early September which either indicates a ‘whew thank heavens that got settled’ and could see him throw his energy behind a replacement – or not.

 Ted Kaufman, 15 March 1939, has a panicked tr Uranus square his Neptune/Pluto midpoint at the moment; plus a considerable jolt now up to July 20^th from tr Pluto square his Saturn/Uranus midpoint. And like Klain he has the turbulent tr Uranus in hard aspect to his Sun/Pluto midpoint from July 7^th into August. With no birth time it is impossible to say whether his Mars is 26 or 27 Sagittarius, the latter if an evening birth – and if so is having a panicky-failure slide through October and on till February 2025. Though he does have a Jupiterian uplift  late December to mid March from his Jupiter/Pluto midpoint.

 Mike Donilon, 25 December 1958, has his Uranus/Pluto midpoint jangled at the moment for an applecart-upsetting few weeks, into July when he gets the tr Uranus opposition his Sun/Node midpoint pointing to upsets within his close community. September to early October he has tr Neptune square his Saturn making him highly uncertain and confused.

  US politicos freaking out.

Another day, another coup in Bolivia – all par for the course in a country which has seen 190 insurrections since independence in 1825, 38 of those since 1945. This one was unusual happening in broad daylight with President Arce making no attempt to seek cover. Instead, he faced down the coup leader while the television cameras rolled, fuelling suspicion that it was a put up job to shore up his own power and rally the people behind him.

  Bolivia has deep economic and political problems with leftist Arce, caught in an internal power struggle with his former mentor and former president, Evo Morales, who has declared he plans to stand for the presidency again next year. Arce controls the state apparatus while Morales controls the ruling party, causing political deadlock. Inflation and unemployment are rising, the central bank’s dollar reserves are running low and fuel shortages are widespread.

  Bolivia, 6 August 1825, has a flamboyant Leo Sun and Jupiter in Leo with an excitable Mars in Cancer. Though what drives its erratic political history is probably a can-be-fanatical Neptune Uranus in Capricorn square Pluto in Aries.  There could be violence marking the 2025 election with the Solar Arc Mars opposition the Sun; with uncertainty in 2026 as the SA Saturn is conjunct the Bolivia Neptune at the same time as tr Neptune Saturn in Aries are conjunct the Bolivia Pluto.

 Luis Arce, 28 September 1963, is a Sun and Venus in Libra with two yods of Saturn in Aquarius sextile Jupiter inconjunct Pluto Mercury; and Jupiter inconjunct Pluto sextile Mars Neptune in Scorpio = power and ego problems. He’s running into catastrophe zone later this year with SA Pluto conjunct his Neptune, which won’t improve through 2026/27 as tr Neptune Saturn in Aries oppose his Sun plus plus.

 Evo Morales, 26 October 1959, looks no more successful ahead with tr Pluto square his Scorpio Sun, Mars, Neptune from this year on in a devastating run till 2029 – though he will make an impulsive push with tr Uranus opposition his Jupiter and square his Pluto in 2027/28.

  The EU is bracing for a rocky ride ahead if the French election swings to the far right with Marine Le Pen and her protegee Jordan Bardella leading the charge. Leaving the EU and the eurozone no longer feature on her RN party’s electoral manifestos and polls do not suggest an outright majority for RN. But it will probably be the largest force in the national assembly. France might well be unable to engage in EU decision-making with a hung parliament; and if the right holds sway it would affect climate, migration and gender equality policies.

 The EU, 31 December 1957 11pm Brussels chart, is floundering through tr Neptune (and Scheat) square the Midheaven and opposition the Ascendant this year and on and off till early 2026 – inducing indecisiveness about direction and an undermining of its image. And there will be extreme stress with almost unsurmountable obstacles as the Solar Arc Pluto opposes the Moon and squares Uranus through mid to late 2025. With a disruptive, applecart-upsetting tr Uranus square the Pluto by 2026 and on.  

  The Maastricht Treaty chart, 1 November 1993 12 am Brussels, started showing unease as Macron decided on a snap election with tr Uranus opposition the Mars Pluto and that will continue to cause upsets and disruptions across the New Year and into March 2025. Tr Pluto will continue to bear down on the 1 degree Taurus Midheaven through this year till late 2025 in square, causing a forced shift in direction. With cataclysmic turbulence through 2028/9 as the Solar Arc Uranus Neptune is conjunct the Saturn and square the Mars Pluto.

  France’s relationship charts with both the EU 1957 and EU Maastricht do hint at major disagreements this year and on. With the EU;  tr Uranus squares the Saturn this month and opposes the composite Pluto this July onwards into 2025; and then opposes the Mars in 2025/26. That looks very fractious. France with Maastricht – has much the same with aggravation this month and into early 2025 and a tug of war for the upper hand.

 Germany is also on high alert and edgy. With the EU 1957, there is a composite Venus opposition Uranus square Mars opposition Moon all in early Fixed signs which is being forced through grinding change with high frustrations peaking in 2025/26 but extending on till late decade. With the Maastricht Treaty and Germany relationship chart 2026/2027/2028 look nerve stretched and highly disruptive.

  Italy is faring no better in finding contentment  within the Brussels monolith with tr Uranus in late Taurus causing havoc this year and next to both the Italy/EU relationship charts.

  Nothing settled anywhere. The irony is that some of the above may be a direct result of Macron’s ill judged calling of an election. He is robustly pro-Europe but may unwittingly have set in motion events which will undermine his European ideal.

Julian Assange appears to be on his way home to Australia after a US deal in which he pleaded guilty to one count of espionage, carrying a sentence  of 62 months in prison, with the five years he has spent in a UK prison counting towards it. James Clapper, who was US director of national intelligence when Assange leaked documents in 2010, told CNN: “I actually think this came out pretty well… critical to this was his plea of one count of espionage. The law enforcement and intelligence community would not have bought into this without that. He’s paid his dues. There was a damage assessment done at the time – there was concern but I don’t recall direct proof that assets in Afghanistan and Iraq supporting or helping US were exposed.”

  Born 3 July 1971 around 3pm Townsville, Australia (biography) he has an 8^th house Cancer Sun square Uranus. His liberating and rebellious Uranus is being triggered by the coming October Libra Solar Eclipse as well as his Solar Arc Midheaven; and his Solar Arc Uranus is conjunct this Neptune and Ascendant at the moment moving to oppose his Saturn in 2025.   The transition won’t be easy with a discouraging SA Saturn square his Saturn at the moment which is being pressured by tr Pluto in trine to Saturn till late 2025.  But tr Uranus opposition his Jupiter this August and on and off till early 2026 will make freedom taste very sweet.

Add On. Assange married the mother of his two children in Belmarsh Prison on 23 March 2022. Stella Assange, 20 November 1983 Johannesburg, South Africa, is a Spanish-South African lawyer and human rights defender, who has been working on Assange’s various cases since 2011. She has her Scorpio Sun conjunct his Jupiter exactly as well as conjunct his hope-for-a-better-society Neptune and opposition his Saturn – for hard work, high hopes and a few disappointments. Her Sun is also in a competitive and argumentative square to his Mars and her obsessive and possessive Pluto Saturn in Scorpio sits on his Moon which is not exactly warm and cosy. Her idealistic Neptune is opposition his social-butterfly Venus in Gemini which sits in a seductive square to his Pluto.

  A complicated relationship which has thrived on publicity with a composite Sun square Mars Neptune and to a degree the crisis-nature of his situation.  That repeats in the wedding chart with a passionate but disruptive Mars Venus square Uranus and an obstructive Saturn conjunct the Venus.

 Relationships which thrive in high crisis situations often flounder when they enter calmer waters. The wedding chart will sag in 2026/27 with tr Neptune Saturn conjunct the Sun.

J.K.Rowling has taken no hostages in her full-on attack on Keir Starmer for Labour policies on the rights of women in the transgender debate and his failure to defend the gender-critical Labour MP Rosie Duffield who has, like her, faced credible threats of violence over her views. She said the party had ‘abandoned’ women and she would ‘struggle to support them’; adding she had a “poor opinion” of Sir Keir’s character and claimed he was “dismissive and often offensive” of women’s concerns about sex-based rights.

  The Labour stance on self-ID is muddled and flip flopping; and plans to ban conversion therapy would risk stopping parents, teachers and therapists from “comforting and counselling” children and adults “in gender distress”.

Rowling’s birth time is unverified at 9.10pm 31 July 1965 Bristol, England,  but she undoubtedly has the rebellious, boundary-pushing Uranus Pluto in Virgo opposition Saturn and square a confident Jupiter in Gemini. With her Jupiter in an enthusiastic trine to Mars (on this birth time deeply buried in her 8^th) and square her Moon.

  What is intriguing is that her attention-demanding Leo Sun is exactly conjunct Starmer’s ‘leadership’ Leo North Node opposite his Saturn and square his Neptune for a complicated clash. Brought to a head at the moment since her Solar Arc Pluto is conjunct his Neptune and her Solar Arc Uranus is exactly square his Sun. Plus her Mars may be conjunct his Libra Moon.

 Starmer, 2 September 1962, no birth time, Southwark, England, also has the mould-breaking Uranus Pluto conjunction strongly in his chart conjunct his Sun and opposition his Jupiter.

 Their relationship chart has an inflammatory, aggravated, competitive composite Sun Mars conjunction opposition Saturn suggesting a real dislike on both sides. She could have a damaging effect on the vote and will continue to cause waves through July, August and the autumn and throughout 2027. She won’t give up.

 Rosie Duffield, 1 July 1971 has her Cancer Sun exactly conjunct Starmer’s Mars – so another clash. And that does not look like dying down anytime soon either with tr Pluto square the composite Mars till late this year and tr Uranus upending the composite Mercury, Venus into 2025; followed by a sinking tr Neptune conjunct the composite Saturn in 2026/27.

  Not that Labour were ever good about women having always had a fairly macho working-men’s-club culture.

See previous Trans posts 12 April 2024 – and where it started 10 March 2024.

As the Tory Party heads for what looks like being a humiliation, a name from the past intimately connected to another electoral embarrassment has surfaced. Christine Keeler, a young model/showgirl had affair with John Profumo, secretary of state for war, along with a simultaneous fling with a Soviet naval attaché which nearly brought down the Tory government under Harold MacMillan. Profumo lied in the House of Commons about the affair (which seemed a bigger sin than the security breach) and resigned when he had to own up. Macmillan retired shortly after through ill health and the Tories lost the election a year later.  

  She is now dead but her appointments diary for 1962 is heading to Sotheby’s for auction.

  None of which is of much other than historical interest except that her chart is vibrating with intriguingly similar energies to the present. Born 22 February 1942 11.15 am London, she had a Pisces Sun on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Pluto sextile Neptune. But what ties her into the Tories and this election is her Uranus and Moon conjunct Algol in Taurus with  Mars Saturn in Taurus close by. Both the Tory 1867 and 1912 charts have strong Taurus planets which her potentially-destructive Algol and Uranus would rattle up.  This mid July’s conjunction of Mars, Uranus, Algol will also trigger her chart.

 It was a shameful affair with the establishment throwing shade both onto Stephen Ward, the osteopath who organized the girls and parties – who committed suicide; and Keeler herself who ended up unjustly imprisoned for six months for obstructing the course of justice and perjury in another case. Profumo skulked off to ‘do good works’.

  Her post-prison life was not prosperous with two failed marriages and relative poverty.

  The Tory Party 9 May 1912 chart showed up losses in October 1964 though the result was close as Harold Wilson defeated Alec Douglas Home. Tr Neptune was opposition the Taurus Sun and square the Solar Arc Pluto which was also blocking the Sun. Though oddly enough transiting Jupiter conjunct Algol was just over the Tory Party Saturn Sun which clearly worked on Jupiter’s tendency to amplify minuses as well as pluses.

  At the moment the Tory Party 1912 chart is bedevilled by a disruptive Solar Arc Uranus conjunct the Sun/Saturn midpoint and a lengthy undermining from tr Neptune square the Pluto this year – but nothing like as strongly undermining as in 1964. As ever with elections hindsight may bring illumination – or not.

Please add below. Older posts under News on top bar or in search.

Princess Anne is in hospital for minor injuries and concussion after what appears to be a horse-related incident at her home with reports saying it is not serious.

  She always did look in for a high stress four years from 2022 when Queen Elizabeth died – when her Solar Arc Sun was conjunct her Mars in Scorpio; with the Solar Arc Sun/Pluto midpoint conjunct her Mars now; and her SA Pluto conjunct Mars by late 2026/early 2027. Plus transiting Pluto square her Mars this year and on and off till late 2025. Which is not to say this accident is more than a standard horse mishap of which all riders have more than several. But she is clearly in a high stress few years with King Charles undergoing cancer treatment and the Princess of Wales also hors de combat at the moment. And this is one more thing.

  She will get a morale boost come this August/September and more on and off into early 2026 from two of her Jupiter midpoints. But she does look marginally directionless this year with her Solar Arc Midheaven conjunct her Neptune; and revising her career plans (or being forced to) by tr Pluto square her Midheaven in 2025/26; and will be stuck come late 2026 into 2027.

  The changes ongoing within the Royal Family and losing both her parents in 2021 and 2022 have taken their toll on a life that seemed endlessly resolute.

Whither Israel? Fighting a war of attrition against Hamas in Gaza which is exhausting its military, damaging the economy, never mind denting its international reputation with thousands of Gazans dead and injured, it is now threatening to take on Hezbollah based in Lebanon. Uttering threats could be seen as a deterrent but a miscalculation could prove disastrous.

Hezbollah is “armed to the teeth, better trained and better equipped than Hamas”  with an estimated 30/50,000 fighters available and a similar number in reserve, plus between 120,000 and 200,000 unguided missiles and rockets, plus attack and reconnaissance drones. Any Israeli attempt at a solution would require “the whole of the IDF’s available forces”, allowing only a limited presence in Gaza and a security presence in the West Bank.

Hezbollah is regarded by Tehran as its forward defence line, the staging post for an attack on Israel should it ever carry out raids on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

  Netanyahu has still not issued any post-war Gaza plans and a military occupation of the Strip is an unattractive option for a variety of reasons. Hamas is depleted but will probably survive as a crime syndicate and guerrilla movement.

   Nothing looks settled or remotely like a solution to Israel’s siege situation with the disruptive tr Uranus crossing the 8^th house Israel Taurus Sun one more time from mid this December to mid March 2025 and then moving to an explosive square to the Israel Mars from June 2025 into 2026. With a discouraging run thereafter of tr Pluto opposition the 10^th house Moon in 2026/27; Solar Arc Neptune eroding confidence as it opposes the Uranus and then is conjunct the financial Jupiter between 2025 and 2028; and a directionless SA MC conjunct Neptune in 2027.

  But what is worrisome in the shorter term is what will happen across July/August this year and on. With this July having an explosive and destructive Mars conjunct Uranus conjunct Algol in Taurus midmonth.

 The Hezbollah chart, 16 February 1985 (if accurate) has tr Uranus opposition the Saturn and square the Sun this August and September, on and off till early 2026 – so will be in a state of high tension with sudden changes. And challenges.

 Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal chart has tr Uranus square his bombastic Mars in Leo from 9^th July into early August, again October and late April early May 2025.  That is when his relationship chart with the Hezbollah ruler Hassan Nasrullah also looks inflamed with tr Uranus square the composite Pluto for a major upheaval.

 The Hezbollah/Israel relationship chart is under a dark cloud this year and next with tr Saturn square the composite Mars and opposition the Uranus Pluto. That chart has a fated yod of Venus opposition Neptune square Chiron – which is being upended particularly this August and again December to March 2025 and on.

  In the midst of all the flux and chaos Netanyahu hangs on. His Government chart, 29 December 2022 4.30pm will be rattled this month, more so in August, with dashed hopes from tr Neptune Saturn moving into Aries from May 2025 onwards. But there is nothing that looks like a definitive finish at least not until 2026.

 His personal chart, birth time being accurate to the minute, has his Solar Arc Uranus conjunct his Midheaven by 2026 – but that could come earlier (or later) if the time is out by five minutes or so.

  Gaza is to all intents and purposes destroyed, its people starving, dead and injured, lacking all basic facilities – and sliding down the news agenda since public compassion has a cut off point when no solution is in sight. All a deeply depressing morass.

For previous posts see Israel in Search.

Add On: Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader inside Gaza, 29 October 1962 (wiki) is at higher risk than usual at the moment and on alert in July with the Mars Uranus Algol conjunction opposing his Venus in Scorpio. His relationship charts with Israel and Netanyahu are particularly jolted this month and again in August – and on into 2025.  

  If his birth date is accurate, then 2026 might look to be his moment of greatest jeopardy – but that should be treated with caution.

 Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas Party leader who lives in Qatar, 29 January 1962, is more unsettled with Israel than usual this July and on and off into April 2025. He is looking increasingly pressured and discouraged in 2025/26 with tr Pluto conjunct his Saturn; and devastated around late 2025 from SA Pluto conjunct his Neptune.

  These birth dates could be iffy but on the face of it looks like dragging on and on.

Brexit is one topic which has mysteriously been blanked in the election run up despite well over 50% of voters thinking it has been bad for the economy. Keir Starmer is on record as being against rejoining but economists are clear that going back into the EU single market and customs union would remove some of the obstacles to growth. This week Rachel Reeves, Labour’s shadow chancellor said in an interview “We would look to improve our trading relationship with Europe, and do trade deals around the world.”  EU leaders, beset by their own multifarious problems, are said to be determined not to allow a Starmer government to “cherry pick” its way to a preferential economic relationship without paying into the EU budget and accepting freedom of movement.

 The UK/EU 1957 relationship chart shows both discouragement and resistance initially into early 2025 as well as positive pressure for change with tr Pluto trine the composite Pluto until late 2025. With a more significant realignment from tr Uranus conjunct the Pluto in 2026 and then square the Uranus – though it is by no means certain this would indicate amiable cooperation.

  The UK/Maastricht Treaty relationship hints at much the same of downbeat influences into 2025 along with high-tension, outspoken negotiations.

 The Brexit referendum chart is also showing signs of a radical shift exactly now with a non-Tory government presumably about to take over – as the Solar Arc Pluto closes the square to the Uranus to exact. There will be ructions and aggravation into early 2025; and from 2026 tr Neptune Saturn in Aries will square the Brexit Sun hinting at an undermining of the 2016 vote.

  There does look to be movement in most of the relevant charts hinting at the very least at challenging negotiations on a topic the Tories would never go near.

  Much will hinge on ‘black swan’ global economic hits coming in 2025/26 which will change attitudes. And internal pressures within the EU, with Germany’s economy sagging, France in meltdown and populists getting the upperhand.  

  Seems unlikely but Pluto trine the Pluto on the EU/UK relationship chart might bring a shift of sorts.