Astrology of Today’s News

Moors Murderer Ian Brady, who tortured and killed five children with Myra Hindley in crimes which sent him to prison for five decades has died. He buried four of his victims in graves on Saddleworth Moor, Greater Manchester, though he refused to reveal where one of the bodies was buried.

Born 2 January 1938 12.40pm Glasgow, Scotland, to a single mother with unknown father and brought up by another couple, he was in trouble with the police through his teens, in and out of detention. He was surprisingly intelligent, read Mein Kampf and books about Nazi atrocities; and was diagnosed as a psychopath in the mental hospital when he spent the rest of his life.

He had his Sun Venus in Mercury in Capricorn in the well-read 9^th; and a Capricorn Moon conjunct his MC in his 10^th; with a pushily confident Jupiter also in the 10^th opposition Pluto. His Pluto was also in a bleak, tough-minded trine to Saturn in Pisces, which in turn was in a creative though also paranoid/neurotic opposition to Neptune – so an (ironically misnamed) Mystic Rectangle. He had maverick Uranus in Taurus conjunct his Ascendant from the 12^th trine Mercury Venus, sextile Mars in Pisces – emphasising Mars.

Where his sadistic tendencies become clearer is in his Harmonic charts. His 9^th = what brings pleasure – is especially brutal with Saturn Pluto Uranus opposition Mars square Moon. His can-be-mad 7H has Mercury Pluto Venus Neptune trine Saturn trine Moon, with Moon opposition Sun – so quite warped. Also his 12H connected with sacrifice, usually as a victim or a healer, but in his case obviously the perpetrator – with Mars Uranus trine Saturn Pluto trine Moon.

When he died Solar Arc Uranus was just over a conjunction to his Pluto, which in older people can point to health issues; with Solar Arc Pluto square his Moon exactly (to within two minutes of a degree), and tr Pluto conjunct his Moon.

His partner in crime, Myra Hindley, who died in prison in 2002, was born 23 July 1942 2.45am Lancaster, England, with an alcoholic father who beat her and taught her to fight back when she was bullied at school. Some commentators tried to excuse her behaviour as a result of her childhood brutalisation but she said she was worse than Brady since she enticed the children into the car.

She was a last degree Cancer Sun conjunct Pluto, with Pluto on her IC sextile Uranus Saturn in Gemini; and an aggressive Mars in Leo in her 4^th which squared a Scorpio Moon.

Brady’s Capricorn planets including his Sun fell in her 8^th, so a deep connection; with his controlling and determined Pluto exactly conjunct her Sun. Her Moon fell in his 7^th and her Jupiter in his 3^rd, so she would provide support as well as encouragement.

Orrin Hatch, the respected elder Republican Senator for Utah, is third in line for the presidency if Trump and Pence should fall. One political blog (but only one) suggests he is getting security briefings in preparation for a defenestration at the White House after the firing of James Comey. How much of this is heated conspiracy theorising, I don’t know.

Born 22 March 1934 1pm Homestead Park, Pennsylvania, he’s a Sun Mars in Aries; with an Air Grand Trine of a Gemini Moon trine Saturn, North Node, Venus in Aquarius trine Jupiter in Libra, formed into a Kite by Jupiter opposition a 10^th house Uranus which squares onto Pluto and Ascendant in Cancer. He certainly fits with the mood of the moment with the present Uranus opposition Jupiter square Pluto in Capricorn.

He does look to be facing a shake up in his direction with tr Uranus conjunct his Uranus, running till early 2018. But given his age that could mean several things. There’s nothing much on his MC or Solar Returns to suggest such a considerable leap.

His relationship chart with Trump is uncertain and chilly till late October with tr Saturn square the composite Neptune Moon; and turning on its head in 2018.

Such rumours won’t do Trump’s paranoia any good.

George Conway, Kellyanne’s lawyer husband, is according to the WPost, about to run (pending Senate approval) the Justice Department’s civil division, which is tasked with guarding the president and his policies from legal challenges. Of which there is no shortage – federal funding for sanctuary cities and the travel ban, never mind the Russia investigation.

In the 1990s, he was a hotshot young attorney working to undermine President Bill Clinton by offering secret legal aid to his accusers and reportedly funneling salacious details to the Drudge Report. “This one disgruntled New York lawyer almost single-handedly brought down the president,” David Brock, the conservative provocateur-turned-Clinton acolyte, later wrote. He has worked at the same law firm for almost 30 years, focused on the needs of tobacco companies and other corporations. [See WPost: goo.gl/D2LKPg]

Born 2 September 1963, he has a Virgo Sun conjunct Uranus Venus Pluto, which makes him reasonably similar to the disgraced Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin’s husband, born the year before with his Virgo Sun Uranus Pluto Mercury. Comnway also has Jupiter in Aries opposition Mars, so not above taking flyers and risks.

Both he and Kellyanne have Mars almost in the same degree in Libra, so both will be seriously corralled in 2019/20 when tr Pluto squares their respective Mars. Before then he looks pushily confident with tr Pluto square his Jupiter in 2017/18; and tr Pluto conjunct his Mars/Jupiter in 2018/19. But he may over reach himself since that Mars Jupiter is impulsive and can go several steps too far.

He describes himself as contrarian, which in one way fits with maverick Trump, but holding firm to the boss-is-always-right may prove tricky.

Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword has bombed at the US and international box office and could lead to a $100 million loss for Warner Bros. David Beckham’s cameo role was trashed just from the trailer but the star Charlie Hunnam did get the thumbs up from critics and audiences.

Guy Ritchie isn’t having a good run with his last movie The Man from Uncle also a box office disappointment. And it doesn’t look any better ahead with tr Neptune moving to oppose his Jupiter and Virgo Sun over the next three years. Born 10 September 1958, a month after Marine Le Pen, he has the same yod of Neptune sextile Pluto Uranus inconjunct Saturn in Aries – with tr Uranus conjunct his Saturn this year, throwing a googly his way, knocking him off balance. It does look a slog ahead for him since by the time Neptune disappears off his Sun, tr Pluto is squaring his Saturn in 2020/21 which is very stuck and discouraging.

David Beckham is unlikely to launch a film acting career off the back of this and with tr Neptune conjunct his Mars in 2018 he looks directionless and less than confident as well. [See previous post Jan 16 2017.]

Charlie Hunnam, 10 April 1980 10.06am Newcastle upon Tyne (astrotheme), England, has a fascinatingly complicated chart. Best known for his roles in Sons of Anarchy and his award-winning performance in Pacific Rim, as well as Crimson Peak, he’s the son of a gangster/scrap merchant, divorced from his business-woman mother early on.

Hunnam has a 10^th house Aries Sun in an inspirational and attention-demanding Fire Grand Trine to Mars in Leo trine Neptune in Sagittarius, formed into a Kite by Sun opposition Pluto – so certainly talented, driven, flamboyantly outspoken. He’s also got Mercury in Pisces in his 10^th opposition Saturn in Virgo square Neptune; and a yod of Saturn sextile Uranus inconjunct his Sun. Despite the supreme confidence of his Fire Grand Trine he will harbour self-doubts with Mercury Saturn and a Yod focal point Sun, veering from low self-esteem to the opposite.

He looks down understandably at the moment with tr Saturn square his Sun/MC and Sun/Jupiter midpoints. 2018/19 will be challenging and pressured with tr Pluto square his Sun opposition Pluto, but he’s got a great deal ahead of him, with some lucky breaks in 2018 and more so in the early 2020s.

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Paris Jackson, ‘daughter’ of Michael, led a weird life for 11 years before he died, which she describes as idyllic; and a tumultuous one since – multiple suicide attempts from depression and addictions in her early teens, stranger sexual abuse, a long spell in a remedial school which she says cured her, acquiring 50 tattoos along the way. Her elder brother says she is exactly as his father was, highly emotional and prone to misjudgements; and she is fiercely loyal to her father who brought her, she says, only joy.

She shows no sign of wanting to be out of the public spotlight now that she’s turned 18, giving a long interview to Rolling Stone, part of it conducted in Hollywood’s gruesome Museum of Death, filled with autopsy and decapitation photos, snuff films and serial killer memorabilia.

She said when she was very young her mother ‘didn’t exist’ and she was content to be living in the cloistered Neverland world with her father, siblings and the Disney Channel. She completely discounts the child abuse allegations against her father and believes he was murdered. Now she models, acts, plays several instruments and lives with her 26 year old musician boyfriend.

Born 3 April 1998 6.26am Los Angeles, she does have a troubled chart with a 12^th house Aries Sun trine an 8^th house Pluto, sextile a 10^th house Uranus, so she will be a maverick, though constantly feeling constrained by circumstances beyond her control. She also has a high-stress and frustrating Mercury Saturn Mars in Aries in her 12^th, so will have a huge reservoir of anger and an inability to sort out fact from fantasy with such a loaded 12^th house.

She also has a Yod of Uranus sextile Pluto inconjunct a Cancer Moon. Such an afflicted Moon makes for over-sensitivity, defensiveness, a fear of intimacy and a subsequent tendency to withdraw into a protective shell to block out emotional realities or unpleasantness.

Her relationship with Michael Jackson wasn’t that easy with his Saturn falling in her 8^th and his Mars in indulgent Taurus squaring her Venus in Aquarius; but his Pisces Moon was conjunct her Jupiter and his Sun Pluto Venus all fell in her 5^th, so they would be a fun playing-games companions. He called himself Peter Pan and called her Tinker Bell. And his head-in-the-clouds Neptune Jupiter was conjunct her Descendant so she would absorb an idealised view of him.

Their relationship chart was complex with a chained-together composite Saturn trine Pluto trine Sun, with the Sun opposition an illusory/delusional Neptune. Plus a volcanic Moon Mars opposition Uranus; and a chilly Moon Venus Uranus square Saturn.

It’ll be a considerable tangle to unpick as she grows older and indeed she may never see her father clearly. She is under strain this year with tr Uranus conjunct her Mars Saturn earlier this year; and a disruptive Solar Arc Mars square her Uranus, exact in four months; with a jolting Solar Arc Saturn square her Uranus in 2018; and more so when tr Pluto squares her Mars Saturn in 2019/2020.

The fates didn’t hand her an easy hand of cards to play, that’s for sure.

Emmanuel Macron has been inaugurated as the new President of France at 11.25am in Paris.

This puts an innovative Uranus Mercury in the 10^th conjunct MC trine Saturn in Sagittarius and trine North Node in Leo, so an inspirational Fire Grand Trine; with a high-energy Jupiter trine Mars and square Pluto. So there is a possibility of constructive reforms being put in place. Though there are similarities to Hollande’s Presidency chart, 15 May 2012, with lacklustre Neptune in the financial 8^th in hard aspect to Mars, and Pluto in the employment/health 6^th. Unemployment rates are high and need to be brought down, but the bloated state sector also needs to be cut which creates a huge dilemma for Macron.

At first glance Hollande’s Presidency chart should have indicated success with a Sun Jupiter in the 10^th, though as it transpired, he had the least successful and most unpopular term ever. That Sun Jupiter was sextile a Pisces Moon and inconjunct a 4^th house Saturn, which is the most difficult of yods, and mishandled as it clearly was, sapped the luck out of Jupiter. His chart also had a solidly practical Earth Grand Trine of Pluto trine Mars trine Mercury, but again that was focused through a Kite onto Neptune in the 8^th, which again dissolved the business sense of Earth. And with Saturn in the 4^th pointed to a less than rapturous population. Plus Saturn was exactly opposition the Sun/Moon midpoint which would separate him from popular sentiment.

Macron’s Presidency chart has Jupiter conjunct the IC, so he’ll have more chance of popularity though Uranus will make it a divisive term, and Saturn close to the Moon will leave some feeling left out. And the Neptune is conjunct the Sun/Moon midpoint hinting at discontent and dissatisfaction.

Less than two years into his term Neptune will move by Solar Arc to exactly square the 11^th house Mars, which will bring a sense of failure and plans being undermined. Even before then in 2018 tr Neptune will square the Mars saying much the same.

A Nixonian week, and the one before that was Barry Goldwater not-sane-enough-to-be-President week. Commentators are struggling in the Trump chaos to find apposite parallels.

A Nixon, Trump is not. Nixon had a control-freak 10^th house Pluto in a ruthless opposition to Mars Mercury Jupiter, so a corner-cutter, who operated on the-end-justifies-the-means no matter what methods he needed to use. He had a 5^th house Capricorn Sun trine Saturn in Taurus and trine a Virgo Ascendant, so a strong streak of practicality and realism.

Barry Goldwater, Republican nominee for the 1964 election which he lost by a landslide, had his campaign undercut by psychiatrists letting rip with their opinions of his capability for office. “The Presidency should not be used as a platform for proving one’s manhood . . .” “Inwardly he is a frightened person who sees himself as weak and threatened by strong virile power around him . . .”“ Unconsciously he seems to want to destroy himself.” This led to the Goldwater Rule, which bars psychiatrists from diagnosing public figures long-distance, although it has been breached recently.

Goldwater, 2 January 1909 3am Phoenix, Arizona, had a 3^rd house Sun Uranus Mercury in Capricorn opposition Neptune in Cancer, so would undoubtedly be highly strung; and a short-tempered Taurus Moon opposition Mars in Scorpio; though with an Earth Grand Trine of Moon trine Jupiter trine Mercury Uranus, so he would be practical and resourceful. Plus an 8^th house Pluto North Node.

The nearest I can find astrologically, would be George Bush Snr, though he managed to conduct himself with more aplomb and steadiness.

Born 12 June 1924 10.30am, he has a 10^th house Gemini Sun opposition Jupiter square Uranus; with a Leo Ascendant North Node and Neptune all opposition Mars in Aquarius square Mercury in Taurus. He also had an Air Grand Trine of Mars trine Sun trine a Libra Moon Saturn. So some similarities, though lacking Trump’s bombastic Mars on the Leo Ascendant; and also Uranus in a less career-upsetting house than Trump.

Francesco Schettino, the captain of the ill-fated cruise ship Costa Concordia which ran aground in 2012 with the loss of 32 lives as he was showing off to a dancer on board and sailing too close to shore, has finally run out of appeals. He will now start a 16 year jail sentence.

Born 14 Nov 1960 3.55pm Naples, Italy, he has a 7^th house Scorpio Sun, Neptune and Mercury; with a tumultuous-love life from a 5^th house Uranus and Pluto in a confident and frivolous trine to Jupiter Venus. So not one to stint himself when it came to fun. He’s also got a more difficult Saturn in Capricorn opposition Mars in Cancer. During the aftermath through various trials his Solar Arc Sun has been moving conjunct his Saturn and opposition his Mars; with tr Pluto doing the same and reaching the opposition to his Mars when he starts his long prison sentence.

His 16^th Harmonic is particularly strong which is connected to ‘catastrophes, humiliations, dangers, accidents, disasters. Life as you know it might change completely. Sometimes this is self-inflicted.’ As is his 18H – at risk from natural elements. And his 20H – ‘A major upheaval that leads to an awakening which changes the plans for one’s life. Considered good for spiritual development.’ 16 years in an Italian jail will certainly be a different future. He’ll be 73 when he gets out if he serves the full term.

Uber is having a fairly car-crash 2017 with their misogynistic culture going viral; Travis Kalanick, the CEO, outed for boorish behaviour towards an Uber driver; for evading regulatory agency monitoring; and inadequacies in Uber’s driver screening procedures. A number of Uber senior executives have resigned or been asked to. And to cap it all it is, according to Forbes, ‘burning cash at a frightening rate, its business fundamentals are fraught with chronic challenges, and Uber’s path to profitability is far from certain.’

Uber in seven years has secured more venture capital than any startup in history. In 2016, the company carried 700 million passengers in over 70 countries, booked $20 billion in rides, and generated $6.8 billion in net revenues. But 2016 saw a loss of $2.8 billion, double that of the year before.

Uber launched 1 March 2009 which gives it a Pisces Sun and Uranus both opposition Saturn in Virgo. Tr Neptune has been conjunct the Sun this year, running on till January 2018, which is always a downhill influence for a business; with tr Neptune moving on to square the Sun/Saturn midpoint in 2018, and oppose Saturn in 2019, which is worse, very uncertain. Tr Pluto is also trine the Saturn in 2017/18 which is restrictive financially and otherwise. 2019 looks a very rocky year indeed with the Solar Arc Sun conjunct Uranus; followed by a financial bubble-bursting Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct Neptune in 2020.

Travis Kalanick, 6 Aug 1976, is a Sun Saturn in Leo trine Neptune, sextile Pluto – so has definite tendencies to flamboyance and stratospheric ambitions. He looks hard pressed in 2017/18 with tr Pluto trine his Mars; rocked sideways in 2018 with tr Uranus square his Uranus and then a jolting square to his Saturn in 2019; with even worse trouble in 2019 when tr Neptune opposes his Mars bringing a sniff of real failure. But he’ll rise again out of the ashes by 2023/24 when tr Pluto is trine his Jupiter in Taurus.

He’s pretty locked into Uber with an iron grip with a composite Sun opposition Pluto Mercury square Saturn in the relationship chart, so he won’t give up easy.