Astrology of Today’s News

Rabble-rousing, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones amplified the appalling suffering of the parents of the 20 Sandy Hook children killed by a mass shooter in December 2012 by claiming it was a “false-flag operation” and the parents were paid ‘crisis actors’. What was worse was that he did not believe a word of his hoax claims but knew that spouting the damaging nonsense would bring a spike in his radio audience and a boost in his revenue stream. And that is evil.

   Even more unbelievable is that 24% of Americans actually believe what he said was true. The parents suffered years of harassment, death and rape threats. They sued Jones and won but to date he has paid nothing and continues to broadcast. A documentary The Truth v Alex Jones just out was described by one reviewer as “a harrowing, borderline unbearable watch.”

 What is of astro-note is that the Sandy Hook mass shooting occurred with Neptune at zero degree Pisces starting its 13 year reign of terror, intent on twisting the truth – mind-bending, reality-distorting, politically damaging with Trump at its core. Neptune exits Pisces in 2025. and not before time. with a faint hope that sanity might be restored.

  Alex Jones, 11 February 1974 11.43pm Dallas, Texas, has his Sun Jupiter in Aquarius sitting on his Midheaven in a heavyweight square to a bullyboy Mars in Taurus; with an attention-demanding 5^th house Pluto. He has an Air Grand Trine of Sun Jupiter Midheaven trine Saturn in Gemini and South Node trine Moon Uranus in his 5^th. He is a thinker and communicator, not a feeler – and while seemingly not overly avaricious, he craves an audience and ego-boosts. The Tr Uranus square tr Pluto of 2012 were tugging on his prima-donna 5^th house Pluto. And transiting Neptune into Pisces was moving across his 10^th for a decade of spreading damaging fabrications.

  Both Pisces and Aquarius tend to get distorted in soundbyte astrology – Pisces = mushy compassion and Aquarius = humanitarian idealists.  In action Pisces can be chillingly inhumane, evasive and downright dishonest when in negative mode. Aquarius can be hustlers, out for their own benefit, not spilling over with unconditional love for their fellow brothers and sisters with some having a tendency to become true believers and fanatics.

Born around the same month as Jones was right-wing Sarah Palin and John Gotti Jnr, an American former mobster, acting boss of the Gambino crime family from 1991 to 1999. An earlier Aquarius was Jorg Haider, the Austrian Nazi politician, 26 January 1950, who was a Sun Jupiter Venus in Aquarius trine Mars Neptune in Libra so relatively similar to Jones.

  A heavy Air concentration can lack empathy and produce ideologues – fanatically attached to a theoretical ideal.

  Jones ahead has tr Uranus square his Jupiter now and into early 2025 for a lucky break, plus tr Jupiter moving over his Ascendant this year also for an undeserved uplift.       Though tr Neptune square his Saturn also this year into next will bring uncertainty. It could be another three or four years before he gets a proper comeuppance with his SA Saturn square his Mars and opposition his Sun and following that opposition his Jupiter. But tr Neptune and tr Saturn moving out of his 10^th into his 11^th from 2025 onwards will shift his compass in a new direction which may leave him flummoxed about what comes next.

The South African election setback for the ANC, which has held power since 1994,  has led to a national unity coalition government to the relief of most voters, tired of high levels of poverty, inequality and crime, power cuts and corruption in party ranks. Though Cyril Ramaphosa of the ANC will remain president which is not altogether positive.

 Nelson Mandela must be despairing from beyond to see what his lifelong freedom struggle against apartheid has turned into.

 The South Africa, 31 May 1910, chart does have a lucky, sighs-of-relief Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct the Uranus this year. Though there is still a discouraging tr Pluto square the Saturn this year and next; with 2026/27 looking panicky and trapped with SA Pluto square the Neptune and then Mars.

 The new South Africa 27 April 1994 11am Pretoria chart, a Sun Mercury in Taurus, reflects disruptions from this August onwards into 2025 with a rebellious electorate from tr Uranus opposition the Pluto Moon. There will be a considerable setback in 9 months from SA Saturn conjunct the Mars; and instability in 2026/27 from SA Uranus square the Pluto; and major confusion up to 2030. Nothing that suggests this government will wave a magic wand to cure problems.

 The ANC, 8 January 1912, is facing a disruptive and insecure year with tr Uranus conjunct the Mars exactly now, running into early 2025; and an influence/power-sapping tr Neptune square the Pluto this year as well as a an enthusiasm-denting SA Saturn square its Jupiter. So remarkably descriptive of recent events. 2027/28 look troubled and unsuccessful years – so again nothing that looks like a sudden turnaround.  

 Cyril Ramaphosa, 17 November 1952, Soweto, is a controlling Sun Moon Scorpio square Pluto with a harsh Mars in Capricorn opposition Uranus square Neptune Saturn in Libra. He looks thoroughly rattled this year into early 2025 with tr Uranus opposing his Sun and square his Pluto.

 The modern 1994 South Africa chart looks more than unsettled inn the second half of this decade with tr Pluto square the Sun, tr Neptune conjunct the Mars and tr Uranus square the Saturn.  Maybe the 2030s will be kinder.

  Ramaphosa is due to be sworn in on June 19^th around 11 am which does not look inspiring, no matter the time, with a Sun square Neptune. Plus a risky/ruthless and frustrating Mars square Pluto. And if it is 11am there are several yods – hinting at strain.

Add On:

  Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in on June 19^th at 12.24 pm. This puts a charm-offensive Sun Venus on the Midheaven on the focal point of a yod inconjunct a Scorpio Moon sextile Pluto – the Moon is also opposition an 8^th house Uranus – all of which hints at a less than enraptured electorate and a good deal of strain as the government attempts to throw its weight around in a fairly erratic manner. The Sun square a lacklustre Neptune in the 6^th is not encouraging or progressive with hints of employment problems from Neptune Saturn in the 6^th – as well as financial/economic ones with Mars on the cusp of the 8^th and Uranus in the 8^th. There is likely also to be continuing problems with corruption with hidden Mars in the 8^th in a ruthless square to Pluto. The unrealistic, impractical, indecisive Sun square Neptune moves by Solar Arc to exact by late 2025 so the coalition may not survive for long.

Nigel Farage, scourge of the Tories and the cartoonists’ delight, is represented today in political entymology as the death-watch beatle as well as Saturn devouring his father. A confirmed eurosceptic, he has been a thorn in the Tories’ side since Maastricht, being a founder member of UKIP, a catalyst for Brexit, with a jack-in-the-box propensity for bouncing back from obscurity. He is now leading the right-wing populist, anti-immigration and anti-net zero Reform Party, which in one poll is overtaking the Tories.

  Born 3 April 1964 4.30pm Farnborough, England, he has an intensely, determined 8^th house Aries Sun which is conjunct the UK’s 7^th house North Node, a key astro-influence at Brexit. He also has an exuberant 8^th house Jupiter in Aries trine his Sagittarius 4^th house Moon. His Saturn in Pisces is conjunct the UK’s Pluto, either giving him the ability to cooperate with the UK in significant matters of state and commerce – or his chaotic Saturn opposition Uranus (Pluto) blocks the UK’s capacity for constructive change  and gives rise to suspicion and political intrigue.

 He does have Jupiter moving across his midheaven exactly now for a year ahead for a boost. But tr Neptune conjunct his Jupiter/Saturn midpoint now to early September suggests losses and pessimism. Tr Pluto square his Venus/Mars midpoint until July 17^th will be aggravated and prone to grudge matches and outbursts. From the 17th of this month tr Pluto conjunct his Sun/Neptune midpoint = devastation, labouring under a tragic illusion, though it may not completely dent his good humour.  September on to early October looks undermining on the career-front.

  Not sure this adds up to him sailing into No 10 or even leading on the opposition benches. The Tories are terrified he’ll act as a spoiler, further diminishing their chances.

 What a muddle.

Add On:

Farage’s relationship chart with UK is dominated by a downbeat composite Saturn North Node opposition Neptune square Sun Mercury – so undermined by doubt and suspicion; though there is a ‘fated’ yod of Mercury sextile Mars inconjunct disruptive Uranus – which makes sense of him as the mischief-maker.

His relationship chart with Rishi Sunak also has a yod onto the composite Sun inconjunct Neptune sextile Pluto – again tied together in a spooky way by political ambition but destined to wobble around erratically. With a firm-dislike and chilly Mars Venus opposition Saturn.

Farage’s relationship chart with Boris Johnson has an over-hopeful/disappointing composite Sun opposition Neptune and an exuberant composite Mars Jupiter conjunction but the latter  sits uneasily in trine/sextile to a Uranus Pluto opposition Saturn – and the composite Mars is logjammed this year and next.

Singer Celine Dion who thought her career was over after contracting the autoimmune, neurological disorder Stiff Person Syndrome which has no cure, is preparing for a new show in Las Vegas. Although she will live with this condition for the rest of her life, the therapy she is undergoing to lessen the muscle spasms will help her to sing on stage again.

 She was born 30 March 1968 12.15pm Charlemagne, PQ, Canada, had an unhappy childhood but emerged as a teenage star under the tutelage of her future husband Rene Angelil, who was 25 years older. She is mother to his three children, all conceived with in vitro fertilization.

  She has an Aries Sun conjunct her Saturn and Midheaven from the 9^th but what is significant in her chart is a 10^th house last degree Aries Moon conjunct Mars in Taurus on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Uranus sextile Neptune. A 10^th house Moon suits her for a public degree especially beside pro-active and determined Mars and the Neptune Pluto adds a layer of stratospheric ambition. But it also suggests a vulnerability in the areas ruled by the Moon – body, motherhood, emotions. A yod apex Moon is super-sensitive, tends to be emotionally disorganized early on and is insecure.

  Her husband died in 2016 when tr Uranus in Aries square tr Pluto in Capricorn were colliding with her Aries Saturn and Midheaven. And from late 2018 tr Saturn moved into her 6^th house of health for two years to join tr Pluto which had been there since 2012; at a time tr Uranus was conjunct her Moon – putting considerable additional strain on her health. When she admitted the SPS diagnosis in 2022 she said her health problems had been around for some time.

  Over the past year and a half regenerative Pluto has been transiting square her Moon as it approaches the exit of her 6^th house. Into 2025 she should find health less of a forefront issue. She will have good luck financially coming from tr Uranus square her Jupiter this July and on and off into 2025. Though tr Pluto square her Mars this year and next will be slow going at times.  Her overly optimistic Jupiter square Neptune may tempt her to push herself too hard – and it won’t be quite as easy as she hopes. But still small steps in the right direction.

 Taurus relationships are clearly going through the celestial tumblewash with golfer Rory McIlroy’s on-off divorce, Richard Gadd’s stalking drama-doc, and Earl Spencer’s divorce.

 McIlroy and Gadd were born within a week of each other in May 1989 on the 4^th and 11^th respectively. Both have Sun Taurus opposition Pluto with the triple conjunction of Uranus, Neptune, Saturn in Capricorn across the zodiac from Mars conjunct Chiron in Cancer.

  According to reports (to be taken cautiously) McIlroy dislikes being on his own and has a track record of replacing partners. He is an odd mix with a controlling, beyond-stubborn Taurus Sun opposition Pluto sitting side by side with a volatile, dislikes-compromise Mars opposition Uranus. Not an easy temperament. His Moon is late Aries/early Taurus probably trine Uranus.

  Control and anger issues will loom large and presumably stem from his father coach/mentor promoting his golfing career from an early age. Mars conjunct Chiron is associated with the warrior energy – and can work two ways, one in vigorous self-assertiveness and the other when the anger is buried in unconsciously triggering angry responses in others.

  It is a fascinating pairing McIlroy and Gadd – one uses his chart’s energy to take control and stay in charge as he rattles through a rolodex of relationships. Whereas Gadd, perhaps because of a Leo Sun square Pluto = possessive mother, has tended to suppress his controlling tendencies and thus invites them in from outside. Houses will also make a considerable difference in whether the energy is directed outwards or restricted.

 Earl Spencer, 20 May 1964, is about to divorce his third wife Canadian entrepreneur Karen with a hot-shot lawyer now on retainer, having found the strain of writing his boarding school abuse memoir caused a marriage breakdown. He has a last degree Taurus Sun with Jupiter Mercury in Taurus opposition Neptune; and Uranus Pluto (Moon) opposition Saturn.  Karen, 6 June 1972, was an odd mix being a Sun Saturn in Gemini with an Aries Moon to his earthy Taurus Sun and Virgo Moon. Gemini/Taurus can work – viz Queen Elizabeth with Prince Philip but it is a match of opposites.

  No great conclusions apart from the usual coincidence of headline hoggers – and a faint feel that Taurus in aspect to Uranus upends its customary dislike of change.  

ADD ON:

  Another Taurus in turbulent seas is Sir Bradley Wiggins, former race and track cyclist, Olympic gold medalist and winner of the Tour de France, at his peak in 2012. He has now evidently rollicked through a fortune of £13 million to end up bankrupt and homeless.

 Born 28 April 1980 3.20pm Gand, Belgium,  he has an extraordinarily complex chart.  His far-travelled 9^th house Taurus Sun trine a lucky Jupiter in Virgo in his 12^th is the only simple aspect. That apart he has an entrepreneurial Fire Grand Trine giving him immense self-belief but all sitting in his emotional, hidden houses with Mars in Leo conjunct North Node and Jupiter in the 12^th trine Mercury in Aries in his financial 8^th trine Neptune in his 4^th. It is formed into two Kites with Mercury opposition a 2^nd house Moon Pluto in Libra and Neptune opposition Venus in his 10^th – with that latter opposition squaring onto Saturn in Virgo in his 1^st.

 He is undoubtedly immensely talented, but money would be a key issue with his compulsive need to boost his security and stay in control clearly backfiring. Fire is a go-getting energy but not practical. His Saturn on the focal point of a Mutable T square would make him defensive and highly strung.   And last but not least he has a 3^rd house Uranus on the focal point of a Fixed T Square to Mars North Node opposition South Node. That will make him a law-into-himself, resistant to advice.

  There seems no reason why he should not get himself back on his feet though 2025 will be rocky with tr Uranus square his Mars. Tr Uranus will also square his Jupiter so some pluses as well as minuses.

Just as a stray thought tr Jupiter is moving across his 10th now into next year which is clearly not a success marker but more to do with him hitting the headlines again.

Robert F Kennedy standing as an independent is seen as a threat to both sides since he could siphon away votes in key swing states. For sections of the electorate disillusioned with both main candidates he seems like a reasonable protest vote though with no real hope of winning.

 A tentative birth time has turned up of 5.32pm from a friend of a friend of an astrologer – to be treated with caution.  That would make him a 6^th house Capricorn Sun Venus which would fit with his ‘Virgoan’ anti-pollution and health campaigns; with a 12^th house Uranus Moon would might explain some of his oddball beliefs. Plus Neptune, Saturn, Mars in his 4^th which could mirror his uncle JFK and his father being assassinated.  So is feasible.

  Jupiter is moving through his 11^th into 2025 keeping his optimism high. Though Saturn through his 8^th into 2025 might wish for more support financial and otherwise. There is nothing much showing on his Midheaven apart from a mild tr Jupiter sextile and his Jupiter Return. His Solar Arc Midheaven has nothing bar an approaching tr Neptune Saturn square into 2025 which will not be encouraging.

 His chart does have a Capricorn Sun, Venus, Mercury opposition Uranus square Neptune which is on the final legs of tr Pluto in hard aspect finishing up over the election – pressured and not entirely realistic. Through this month tr Uranus square his Pluto will be disruptive and may indicate a change of direction, repeating late November/December and spring 2025. This August and September look edgy and irritable with things generally going wrong. January 2025 will be discouraging.

From a previous post: 21 April 2023

Robert F Kennedy Jnr has announced he is trying for the Democratic nomination for the 2024 Presidential. An environmental lawyer and best-selling author, he is the son of Robert Kennedy and nephew of JFK. He has a sterling record in protection of waterways, the fight against polluters and upholding the rights of indigenous peoples. And a less commendable one for promoting the scientifically discredited link between vaccines and autism and being a leading proponent of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation in the USA.

  Born 17 January 1954 in Washington, no birth time, the third of eleven children, he was nine when his uncle died and 14 when he was flown to his father’s side after he was shot in 1968. He has an earthy, ambitious and resourceful collection of Sun, Mercury, Venus, North Node in Capricorn opposition Uranus square an idealistic Neptune. His Capricorn planets are inconjunct Pluto and widely inconjunct Jupiter – giving him a singular Yod. His Uranus sits in opposition to his Capricorn planets making it the key planet in driving his Yod – a reformer, revolutionary, trailblazer and/or anarchist.

  He also has a relentlessly determined Mars Saturn conjunction in Scorpio with his Mars inconjunct Jupiter and square Pluto – so he does not give way to pressure or threats.

  He has certainly carved out his own individual road, having been scarred early on by two family assassinations.

   Tr Pluto is in its second year of being conjunct his Sun and Mercury so he will be undergoing massive changes. His Solar Arc Mars is conjunct his Sun probably late 2023/early 2024 which may derail his hopes since that always produces a collision of sorts. Tr Uranus through 2024 and into 2025 is square his Pluto suggesting a major and radical change in his life moving ahead.  He does have his Jupiter Return over the election itself. He will be an outlier in the running who may drop off fairly quickly but he could also be hoping to pick up breadcrumbs from the exposure.

  His chart has strong similarities to his father’s. Robert Kennedy, 20 November 1925 3.11 pm Brookline, Massachusetts, was a Sun Scorpio square Neptune with Saturn and Mars also in Scorpio; and Moon, Jupiter, Venus in Capricorn with a confident Pluto opposition Jupiter. He had a healing, creative Water Grand Trine of Uranus trine Pluto trine Saturn with Jupiter as the driving planet.  

Francoise Hardy, an iconic and influential figure in French pop music and fashion has died. Known for singing melancholic sentimental ballads, she remains one of France’s best-selling singers. Described as the ‘anti-Bardot’, she was feted by David Bowie and Bob Dylan though she was known for her shyness, disenchantment with celebrity life and self-deprecatory attitude, attributed to her lifelong struggles with anxiety and insecurity.

   She had a serious interest in astrology, studying with Andrew Barbault, and writing several books on the subject. She once said “We are all conditioned by a lot of things — genetic, affective, social, geographical and the situation of the solar system at the moment of birth.” Her later years were blighted by ill health after a lymphatic cancer diagnosis in 2004 and she only recovered thanks to a pioneering new form of radiation.

 She was born 17 January 1944 9.30pm during the Nazi occupation of Paris with an air raid ongoing and was brought up by a single mother and an unpleasant grandmother. She had a 5^th house Capricorn Sun which designed her for performing despite her anxieties; with her Sun on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Jupiter in Leo in the 12^th sextile Saturn in Gemini in her 10^th. A yod apex Sun would make her self-conscious despite its 5^th house position, giving her low self-esteem and trouble establishing a strong sense of identity.

  Her Jupiter in the 12^th would give her a craving for peace and seclusion. Her 2^nd house Libra Moon was trine her well-organised 10^th house Saturn and sextile Jupiter giving her a semblance of balance. She also had an excitable, volatile Mars Uranus in Gemini conjunct her Midheaven trine Neptune, sextile Pluto North Node in Leo – that mini-Grand Trine hinted at the dangers around the time of her birth as well as her strong connection to the spirit of the age (Pluto North Node) as an influencer.

  Uranus on the Midheaven certainly suits her astrological aptitude and Andre Barbault’s Libra New Moon and Jupiter all trined her MC; with his Libra North Node exactly conjunct her Moon. It would not be an easy relationship since there was a composite Mars Pluto conjunction square Uranus opposition Venus – but it would have a tremendous impact on her life.

  As she dies tr Jupiter is approaching her Midheaven and about to move across her 10^th house bringing her back into public attention – as is surprisingly often the case.

Hunter Biden has been found guilty on all three felony counts relating to buying a handgun while being a user of crack cocaine. Whether it will have much effect on the election seems undecided though it will take a personal toll on the president, who is already under scrutiny for his advancing years.  Sentencing will be within 120 days. It will have the (minor) advantage of undermining accusations of political rigging of Trump’s trial. Republicans will be turning their gaze next on Hunter’s business affairs with his tax evasion charges still pending.

  What seemed odd about the trial having skimmed the headlines was the way in which the ladies in his life, his former wife and daughter and his sister-in-law with whom he had an affair (and her sister), appeared to do his case considerable damage.

 Hunter, born 4 February 1970 1.46pm Wilmington, Delaware, has a friendly, keen-on-travel 9^th house Sun Venus in Aquarius; with a sociable Jupiter in Scorpio in his 5^th in an up-and-down opposition to Saturn in Taurus. An ambitious, go-getting Mars in Aries in his 10^th opposes a volatile, excitement-seeking Uranus in his 4^th. He has a Capricorn Moon conjunct Mercury on the cusp of his 8^th trine a 4^th house Pluto.

  A turbulent childhood home with a double-messaging Pluto and Uranus in his 4^th – over controlling and constantly changing – with an intense 8^th house Moon and a prone-to-mood-swings Jupiter opposition Saturn  does not make for a stable temperament. And he has a yod onto Saturn in Taurus inconjunct Neptune sextile Uranus which requires maturity and self-discipline to function well otherwise it is self-defeating.

 The car crash when he was two which killed his mother and sister and left his brother Beau Hunter with multiple broken bones gave him a fractured skull and severe traumatic brain injuries. He recovered to graduate from college, take a law degree and go into banking.

  Children are one of Joe Biden’s driving forces with his Taurus Moon in the 5^th, almost as if he looks to them for nurturing. Despite both Beau and Hunter being Sun Aquarius and not an intuitive fit with father Joe’s multiple Scorpio planets, he has/had an easy Jupiterian connection with both. His relationship chart with Hunter has a composite Moon Jupiter connection; and with Beau a composite Jupiter Pluto conjunction trine Sun. Plus a few less easy aspects as well admittedly.

  The transiting Pluto in Aquarius square Mars in Taurus at one degree hits Joe Biden’s Moon exactly as the sentence was decided.

 Jill Biden looks less enamoured of Hunter despite her supportive show in court with a composite Sun square Saturn and a Venus Mars opposition Neptune – cool, critical, disappointed, irritated. Her Pluto opposes Hunter and Beau’s Aquarius Sun so she’d be firmly in control.

 Beau born exactly a year and a day before his brother, 3 February 1969, no birth time, who died after a long illness with a brain tumour in 2015, which may have been associated with his military service in Iraq, always seemed the brighter son.  He shared his brother’s challenging Saturn on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Pluto sextile Mars Neptune but obviously rose to the challenge to cope with it.

 Hunter is now labouring under tr Pluto moving through his 8^th house for many years ahead which even if it does not involve prison time will be tough going. A hint of Dante’s purgatorio – a longish phase of cleansing of the sins. Tr Saturn is also moving across his 10^th house which often coincides with success but it is also a time when chickens come home to roost and mistakes have to be faced – as Richard Nixon found out.

  You can’t blame people for their relatives and partisan point scoring is a bore – but it still does seem an amazingly tawdry tale dragged into public view.  There is something very wrong in the land of the free and a Cancerian family-cherishing, god-bothering land at that, when the (as yet) only two contenders fall so miserably short of the national image.

France was always due for an almighty upheaval this year running alongside panic and confusion as Emmanuel Macron calls a surprise election in the face of considerable losses in the French sector to the far-right in the EU election (overall the centre-right was the winner). All of which coincides with high-stress turbulence on Macron’s Presidency charts – with the astrology being satisfyingly precise, even if all else looks like chaos.

 Transiting Neptune is opposing France’s final degree Virgo Sun and square Emmanuel Macron’s final degree Sagittarius Sun from May 3^rd to early this September, then on and off until January 2026 – leading to a sinking feeling and a fair amount of dither and muddle. In addition France’s revolutionary Uranus opposition Pluto square Mars in Scorpio is taking a fair pounding from a highly insecure and volatile tr Uranus opposition the France Mars running into and over the 30 June/7 July election and again into early 2024; with the Solar Arc Sun in an unstable square the France Pluto and Uranus over coming months into early 2025.

  It will be a roller coaster ride for France and elsewhere. Early July is already on red alert for the Trump trial sentence and the GOP Convention with the approaching Uranus Mars Algol conjunction on the 15^th. And the Paris Olympics opening on July 26^th.

  Macron’s initial Presidency chart, 14 May 2017, has a destabilising Solar Arc Pluto exactly square the Uranus to within four minutes of a degree as he made his shock decision. And his 2^nd Term chart, 13 May 2022 has tr Uranus conjunct the Sun and square Saturn now for another massive jolt.

 He will remain president until 2027 but lost his party’s parliamentary majority in the 2022 elections. His dramatic move is seen as a huge gamble, which could result in more losses and potentially hand right-wing Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella more power. The president has presented it as an existential choice for French voters: do you really want to be governed by the far right? Most analysts predict that the far-right party may emerge with more MPs, but will probably not win enough seats to give it a majority, meaning the next parliament may be even more ineffective than the current one.

 One analyst suggested “It could be that he is looking at a neutralising “cohabitation effect”. If – for example, Bardella were offered the job of prime minister, two and a half years in government may be just enough time to render the far right unpopular too.”

  Macron never did look the right man at the right time for the last election with tr Saturn heading downwards through his lower-profile, less successful First Quadrant – and presently sitting at the nadir. Plus tr Neptune square his Sun and Mercury now into early 2026 will find him disappointed, confused, indecisive, not winning.

 Marine Le Pen, 5 August 1968 11.20am Neuilly Sur Seine, who has cleaned up her party’s image in recent years, pulling away from its former racist, anti-Semitic slant, looks seriously rattled at the moment but jubilant from 8^th July onwards with tr Uranus square her Sun/Jupiter midpoint into early August, repeating both successful effects in October and disaster in November. Both pluses and minuses run into spring 2025. September to late November she has the trapped, frustrating tr Pluto opposition her Mars – so not everything is going her way. She has a hard, challenging chart with a Leo Sun and a tough Saturnine yod inconjunct Pluto Uranus in Virgo sextile Neptune and her Saturn in a hard-edged square to Mars in final degree Cancer.

France does not look overly enamoured with her this year through till February 2025 with tr Neptune opposition the composite Mars.

  Her young protege Jordan Bardella, 13 September 1995 3.42pm Drancy, France, a Sun Venus in late Virgo opposition Saturn, sextile Pluto and trine Uranus Neptune in Capricorn is rapidly rising in prominence despite being only 28.  He has the same mix of positive and negative as Le Pen this year with extreme frustration mid July to early September with tr Puto square his Mars/Node midpoint; and then a successful phase at the same time as tripping over setbacks September to late November this year.

 Much has been made of the supposed alliance between Le Pen and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, 15 January 1977 6.30pm Rome. But Meloni’s Capricorn Sun clashes badly with Le Pen’s yod apex Saturn and her Mars in Cancer; and Meloni’s Saturn is conjunct Le Pen’s Sun. Not much sisterly cooperation there. 2026/27 look splitting apart years.

 Le Pen’s relationship with Bardella has a super-successful (when pulling together) composite Jupiter Pluto conjunction. But their togetherness will hit a few bumps on the road ahead from this July 8^th on and off into early 2025; with moments of chill as tr Saturn opposes the composite Sun on and off into January 2025 – with considerable upheavals and maybe a parting of the ways come 2026/27.

The Republican Convention to anoint Trump or not falls between 15^th and 18^th July in Milwaukee – and they could not have chosen a more incendiary moment. It opens on an explosive Mars Uranus Algol conjunction in Taurus which by day 2 will be opposition the Scorpio Moon.

   This also coincides with the Solar Arc Saturn conjunct Mars exact to the minute of a degree on the USA chart which usually accompanies a considerable setback, can be accident-prone and highly aggravated. And as if that was not enough on the Sibly chart it is also when the Solar Arc Mars is conjunct the USA Aquarius Moon, rousing passions within the electorate to boiling point.

 It also opens with the Sun in last decan Cancer moving, in the three days following, across the USA’s fanatical, manipulative, beyond-stubborn and hostile Mercury opposition Pluto.

  On Trump’s chart the tr Uranus Mars is exactly square his Mars in Leo – which for a normal human being might look like an almighty shock putting severe strain on their heart. But with Trump who knows? He will be discouraged and pushing boulders uphill with tr Pluto opposition his Saturn/Pluto midpoint and confused with tr Neptune square his Mercury/Node midpoint which could indicate disappointments within a community. Though tr Jupiter is still sailing across his 10^th house keeping him in the headlines and spotlight.

 Joe Biden looks rattled over the Republican Convention with tr Uranus square his Mars/Saturn midpoint – though that might be other matters out on the global scene involving military decisions. Or indeed an accident-prone phase for him personally. That influence runs till early August.

 The Democratic Convention, 19 August 2024 in Chicago, will be memorable enough but nothing like as earth-quaking as the Republican one. It opens on a Full Moon in Aquarius opposition Sun Mercury and square Uranus – which despite the Fixed signs could hint at change. Tr Uranus will at that point be exactly opposition Biden’s Scorpio Sun. There is also Saturn in Pisces opposition Venus square an enthusiastic Jupiter Mars in Gemini – so the mood will blow enthusiastic and chilly. Plus a yod of Sun inconjunct Pluto sextile Neptune which arguably suggests an uneasy mood of not knowing how to hold to a steady course.

 In addition to tr Uranus opposing Biden’s Sun, it also opposes his Mercury/Uranus midpoint and tr Neptune opposes his Mercury/Pluto midpoint = nervy, irritable, confused. Tr Pluto is square his Venus/Neptune midpoint which Ebertin describes as ‘tragic loss, painful renunciation’ though his interpretations can tend to the overly dramatic – but he is not exactly upbeat for sure. And tr Pluto is reversing back to square his Sun/Neptune midpoint from September 2^nd till late November = slumped, disappointing, a tragic illusion.

 Kamala Harris looks rattled over the Rep Convention and not exactly delirious over the Dem Convention with tr Saturn opposition her Venus in Virgo.

  Talk about nerve-wracking! And I don’t even live in the USA.