Astrology of Today’s News

Where has Theresa May’s Jupiter gone, which should have picked up by now? Completely squashed out by her tr Pluto square her Sun/Neptune midpoint, which Ebertin describes as a ‘tragic deception or illusion’, acute sensitivity, emotional or physical suffering. She’s hurtling ever downwards in polls, popularity and stability ratings. Not that polls have been much right in recent years but still. I’m no fan of hers, but I do get nervy when the astrology seems off track.

Her campaign strategist Lynton Crosby, 23 August 1956, Australia, has nothing but negatives showing on his chart (without birth time) – tr Saturn square his Mercury; Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Neptune, and Solar Arc Mercury conjunct his Saturn – and his Solar Return from August 2016 for a year is horrible with Mars Saturn square Neptune opposition Node.

Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, 1 August 1963, was shunted onto the televised debate two days after her father died since May refused to attend. She does have tr Pluto square her Jupiter in Aries through 2017/18 so definitely bullish and confident, though it’s not around over the election; and she has some distinctly discouraging transits to midpoints; with one minor up from a Jupiter trine her Sun/Jupiter.

David Davis, the Brexit negotiator, 23 Dec 1948, does have tr Uranus opposition his Jupiter/Pluto now which will give him luck – though facing a grim time thereafter for two to three years.

John McDonnell, the Labour Deputy, has tr Neptune opposition his Virgo Sun now which usually isn’t good news for wins; and possibly tr Pluto square his Neptune which is ditto.

Diane Abbott, Shadow Home Secy, who’s had a series of car-crash media interviews, is also not sitting too prettily with an agitated tr Uranus opposition her Saturn and tr Neptune opposition her Sun/Pluto.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish First Minister, who is also down in poll popularity, looks challenged with her Solar Arc Mercury conjunct her Pluto and tr Saturn square both; though she’ll get a lift from tr Uranus opposition her Jupiter and tr Pluto trine her Mercury/Jupiter so it may not be quite as bad as she fears in private.

So the usual mix and muddle of influences.

Actor Jim Carrey is facing a damaging and painful civil claim over the death of his former girlfriend. Her mother and estranged husband are suing, claiming he provided the drugs used in the 30-year-old make-up artist’s suicide in September 2015. His lawyers described the claims as “malicious” and “predatory”. The lawsuit also alleges Mr Carrey gave his girlfriend three sexually transmitted diseases – oral and genital herpes and chlamydia – and then lied about having tested positive for the diseases and putting pressure on her to keep it quiet before her death. The trial date is set for April 26, 2018, and will last 20 days. A wrongful death suit is a civil claim against the person held liable for a death and requires a lower burden of proof than a criminal murder or manslaughter case.

Born 17 January 1962 2.30am Newmarket, Ontario, Carrey started life as a stage comedian and impersonator before graduating to movies like his breakthrough Ace Ventura: the Pet Detective, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber and went on to do Batman, The Truman Show amongst other hits, mopping up awards and critical acclaim. He has admitted to suffering from depression and has had two marriages and various relationships.

He is a Sun Venus Mars in Capricorn with his Sun conjunct Saturn in Aquarius – all these planets sit in his jam packed 3^rd house along with Jupiter Mercury in Aquarius, so mentally highly strung, prone to self-doubt, argumentative, intelligent. His Gemini Moon is deeply buried in his 8^th and square a controlling 10^th house Pluto; with the contradictory Uranus also in the 10^th conjunct his midheaven; and illusory Neptune on his Scorpio Ascendant.

This August’s Leo Solar Eclipse will conjunct his MC and Uranus, which will provide a jolt – and maybe this is it. With an even greater one in a year’s time or less with Solar Arc Uranus square his Sun. He’s at the lowest ebb of his career with tr Saturn moving now through his 2^nd, the middle segment of his first quadrant and staying there till 2019. Tr Uranus is also in an emotionally upsetting square to his Venus and Sun this year, into early 2018; with tr Pluto conjunct his Mars a couple more times before it exits late this year which is scary and deeply frustrating/enraging. The pressures and challenges will stay heavy for the next few years, with nervy crises in 2018; and in many ways worse 2019 to 2022 and beyond from tr Pluto conjunct first his Sun/Mars, then Mars/Saturn, then Sun and finally Sun/Saturn.

His creative 7^th Harmonic is strong which can also be mentally on the edge. His obsessive 11H is also marked; as is his ‘genius/breakthrough’ 13H. The latter was also emphasised for comedian Peter Sellers.

To almost universal condemnation Donald Trump is about to pull out of the Paris Climate Treaty – maybe. It depends on whether the New York Ivanka pro-lobby wins or the retrogressive Bannon triumphs. China and the EU are to agree a joint statement saying it is more important than ever as a rebuff. It will place the USA beside the only two non-participating countries – Syria (in civil war) and Nicaragua (which thinks it doesn’t go far enough).

On the international front, any such withdrawal “is going to damage the U.S. much more than it’s going to damage the Paris agreement itself,” said one expert. “It provides an opportunity for China to exert itself on the global stage”. And many US business leaders say it will actively harm the US economy.

Jeremy Warner in the Telegraph has another, albeit still critical, view. ‘The fracking revolution alone, by replacing coal with cheap gas, is already causing US emissions to fall precipitously. By pulling the plug on Paris, Trump only unnecessarily compounds the impression of steady withdrawal from international engagement. It serves no practical purpose other than meeting a campaign promise and sticking two fingers up at the rest of the world. It’s not going to bring back coal jobs to Virginia, it’s not going to halt the growth in renewables, and it’s not going to revive Mr Trump’s plummeting approval ratings, either at home or abroad. It is therefore an entirely worthless piece of tokenism.’

ttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/05/31/do-worst-mr-trump-renewables-train-has-left-station-wont-now/

The Paris Treaty was adopted by consensus on 12 December 2015 and received enough signatures to come into effect on 4 November 2016.

Both charts are labouring through heavy seas in 2017/18; with tr Pluto square Mars, tr Neptune square the Sun/Saturn midpoint and tr Saturn square Jupiter on the 2015 chart. And an uncertain, undermining tr Neptune square Saturn in 2017/18; plus a jolting tr Uranus square Mars now until early 2018.

So it was never going to have an easy ride into gear. It doesn’t appear to hold countries to promises in any event and the poorer countries more dependent on fossil fuels would struggle to keep up. Over time as the new technology spreads, it will pull back carbon emissions as a matter of course.

Shakespeare: ‘Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”

Additional thoughts now the deed is done: The oil and coal barons have swayed Trump, and the isolationist Bannon, whose financial patrons are also invested in promoting fossil fuels . See urls below. A previous attempt by GWB (and Cheney), not just in thrall to oil interests but immersed in them, ended in humiliating defeat.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/01/the-us-tried-to-derail-climate-action-before-and-it-ended-in-humiliating-defeat

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/01/donald-trump-has-ditched-the-world-in-favor-of-big-oils-titans

Trump’s relationship chart with Bannon has just started a tr Neptune opposition the composite Sun Saturn and that will run on and off till late 2018. So it’s going to end in tears or hair-tearing along the way. Though too much to expect an instant rug-pulling.

The bizarre marriage between former schoolteacher Mary Letourneau and pupil Vili Fualaau has ended. She seduced him as 13 year old, became pregnant, was handed out a six-month jail term whose her parole conditions she breached by meeting up with him again and becoming pregnant for a second time, had a further 7 years in prison added, and married him when she came out in 2005.

She was born 30 January 1962 5.51 pm Tustin, California, into a strict Catholic family, though her politically connected father had his career ruined by an affair with a student. She had an emotionally and physically abusive marriage, which produced four children, with affairs by both.

Vili, 26 June 1983 is a Samoan-American; his parents brought up the two children while Mary Letourneau was inside. Her earlier children were given in custody to her  ex-husband, who divorced her when the scandal erupted.

She has an Aquarius Sun, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury in her 7^th, so clearly keen on relationships and sociable. Her Saturn in Aquarius is conjunct her Descendant from the 6^th, so close relationships come at a cost. She has a rebellious Uranus in the 1^st which added to her multiple Aquarius planets would allow her to ignore conventional criticism. Her Moon in Sagittarius is square Pluto, so possessive with mother issues.

He has mother-oriented Sun in Cancer conjunct Mars in later Gemini trine Saturn Pluto in Libra, with Saturn Pluto probably square his Capricorn Moon, so a tough, rather bleak chart. His Venus in Leo is conjunct her North Node and opposition her Aquarius planets so there would be affection; and a sense of adventure with his Jupiter Uranus in Sagittarius conjunct her Moon. Though his Saturn Pluto squares her Mars, so there would be considerable friction

There’s much less affection in their relationship chart, than with Emmanuel Macron and his much older teacher wife. There’s a fairly explosive composite Mars opposition Uranus though softened by both squaring onto Jupiter; the composite Sun trines Saturn giving some longevity to their connection. But it’s not exactly awash with sentiment and will had been under additional strain in recent times from tr Uranus square tr Pluto hitting on the composite Mars Uranus and Sun.

A powerful vehicle bomb has hit the diplomatic area of the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing at least 80 people and injuring 350, the deadliest attack to hit the city in recent years. It is a highly fortified zone with the explosion coming close to the German embassy with many other key embassy buildings in the area, including the presidential palace. Civilians are said to be the main casualties.

For a potted precis of the present mess in Afghanistan with tensions between the US and regional players like Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan complicating what was already a fraught situation, see: www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38582323

The Fire Grand Trine is still in place, with the Moon close to the North Node in Leo trine Uranus Venus in Aries trine Saturn in Sagittarius, formed into a Kite with Saturn opposition Mars – so the overwhelming and destructive power which oversaw the Manchester bomb is still in effect, if anything stronger, since the Moon and Venus have moved up to join in.

The Afghanistan 19 August 1919 12am chart, has an explosive and insecure tr Uranus square Mars in Cancer exactly now, and returning into early 2018. The approaching August Solar Eclipse will oppose the Afghan Uranus and conjunct the Leo Sun and Saturn, so it will be a critical time. 2019 looks highly uncertain, disorientating and confused; and with tr Neptune moving through the 10^th there looks little chance of a fixed direction any time soon.

The 17 July 1973 12 am chart is also in a state of crisis in 2017 with tr Pluto square the Mars and tr Uranus square the Cancer Sun; with continuing upheaval from tr Pluto square Uranus in 2017/18; followed by tr Pluto opposition the Sun in 2020/21. So no quick n easy solutions appearing there either.

Afghanistan has an illustrious and ancient history, going back 6000 years, as a place of great culture, civilization and trade, and whose warlike mountains tribes and difficult terrain saw off quite a few aggressors. Alexander the Great, who made a brief foray in, said it was “easy to march into, hard to march out of”. In the 19^th Century the British Empire and Russia used it as a pawn in their power games; which now seems to be repeating in a different guise. It is thought likely that the Sumerians brought early astrological wisdom with them from the Indus Valley around Afghanistan when they moved west to the Tigris-Euphrates basin around present day Baghdad. And thence it moved into Europe.

Richard Gere, once the toast of Hollywood for An Officer and a Gentleman and Pretty Woman, is now content to do small indie movies, which are all that is on offer since the Chinese took over controlling interests in movieland. As a Buddhist and personal friend of the Dalai Llama he has campaigned tirelessly for the cause of Tibet, so has been effectively blackballed from blockbusters.

Born 31 August 1949 in Philadelphia, with various birth times suggested. Astro.com has plumped for 4.36pm which puts his Venus Neptune in Libra conjunct his IC if his chart is relocated to Dharamsala, India where the Dalai Llama lives, so it is feasible.

He’s a Sun Saturn in Virgo, so definitely hard-working; with an adventurous Mars in Cancer opposition Jupiter in Capricorn; with a Sagittarius Moon trine Pluto; and Mercury Venus Neptune in Libra – so he’s serious, wishing to be of service,  probably studious, risk-taking, defensive and charming.

If the birth time is accurate it puts Pluto and Saturn Sun in his 8^th which would certainly make sense of him as a movie superstar. With three planets in his spiritual 9^th, and an enthusiastic Jupiter in his 1^st.

In an odd way he’s not that dissimilar to China with Mars also in its 7^th and Saturn in Virgo in the 8^th, plus a Libra Sun, Mercury, Neptune in the 8^th as well. And both have Jupiter in Capricorn at the same degree.

His Jupiter is exactly conjunct the Dalai Lama’s North Node in Capricorn so quite a karmic connection; with the Dalai Lama’s Pluto conjunct his Mars, so a very intense link. Their relationship chart has a transformational composite Sun Pluto; and a spiritual composite Venus Neptune in a sociable square to Jupiter. There will be rough edges and sacrifices demanded since the composite Mars is square Uranus Saturn.

At present Gere is squiring a Spanish publicist three decades younger than him, after the break up of his second marriage. Both his marriages were to models.

He looks in for a considerable success in 2019/2020 with tr Pluto conjunct his Jupiter.

Tiger Woods has been arrested for drink driving and was released a few hours later under his own recognizance. A seriously unflattering felon mugshot is on display which can only add to his woes, having undergone multiple back surgeries in recent years, the last one a month ago. He hopes to return to professional golf at some point, though he’s out of action until cleared by his doctors.

Although he’ll have a high in September/October this year from tr Pluto trine his Mars/Jupiter midpoint; and (birth time being absolutely accurate) others with tr Pluto trine his Jupiter/MC in 2017/18, it doesn’t look great for him. His Solar Arc MC is in a jolting square to his Uranus, within three months. And tr Saturn is opposition his MC  late June/early July and October which is usually a career-setback. Plus an unhappy tr Saturn conjunct his Moon across the summer. 2018/2019 sees a discouraging tr Pluto square his Sun/Saturn midpoint. And worse, he’ll also have a smash-up, crash-up Solar Arc Mars conjunct his Saturn, exact in 17 months’ time; and a decidedly not-succeeding tr Neptune square his Mars in 2019/2020.

Where he’ll start to bounce is in 2021/2022 with tr Pluto conjunct his Jupiter/Uranus midpoint bringing him some much needed luck.

Donald Trump, having cosied up to the Saudis, changed tack and put the cat amongst the pigeons at last week’s hostile meetings with European leaders, which prompted the normally reticent Merkel to say they could no longer rely on the USA (or the UK). He railed at them for defence underspending, for Germany making money out of the US and refused to commit to backing the climate change treaty.

While there is some merit in what he says about the US having to pull too much weight in NATO, what his stance effectively means is that if Putin decided to push into eastern Europe, the US most likely wouldn’t support NATO in any action. Which must delight Putin, and scare the Baltic countries witless.

There is certainly a nasty sinking feeling in the relationship chart between the USA and the EU with tr Neptune opposing the composite Mars in 2017/18; and more separation in 2019, with tr Saturn square the composite Mercury, Sun, Neptune and square Uranus.

Trump’s relationship with the EU is not mutually supportive at best; and showing extreme stress this September/October with tr Pluto square the composite Mars; and heading into a devastatingly confused 2018/19 with tr Pluto square the composite Neptune.

Trump’s relationship chart with Merkel, who will most likely stay on has much the same with tr Neptune opposition the composite Saturn in 2017/18 for high uncertainty and a degree of panic; plus an insecure, disruptive tr Uranus opposition the composite Mars now and around till early 2018; and tr Saturn opposition the composite Sun Uranus Mercury and square Neptune in 2019.

Trump’s relationship with NATO indicates outright dislike with a composite Mars Pluto Saturn Mercury; and it’s being rattled severely this year into 2018 by tr Uranus square the composite Sun; and tr Saturn square Uranus.

Whatever he intends doing with the array of generals on his cabinet staff and boosted military, standing up against Putin and for the EU certainly isn’t high on his to-do list.

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The polls are narrowing between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn since the early Tory euphoria about a slam dunk win on June 8^th. The crucial factor from her viewpoint is not just a simple win but sufficient of a majority to be able to railroad the hard-liners in her party when the Brexit negotiations come down to the wire.

What will probably save her bacon are two positives picking up from June 2^nd – tr Uranus trine her Jupiter/Uranus midpoint and tr Pluto sextile her Solar Arc Jupiter. Though with a muddled tr Pluto square her Sun/Neptune (could be now or in June depending on birth time); and an irritable-at-setbacks tr Saturn conjunct her Sun/Mars (again could be now or into early June though definitely disappearing on the 8^th) it will be a high-anxiety run up. Where her relationship with the UK runs into real problems is by 2019.

Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t have much positive on his chart (without a birth time) apart from an enthusiasm denting tr Saturn square his Mars/Jupiter midpoint, again disappearing after the 8^th. Certainly he’s got a bumpy road ahead with tr Pluto opposition his Sun/Saturn midpoint from mid July which is discouraging and a ‘shocking’ change of direction with Solar Arc conjunct his Sun later this year or early 2018.

Jeremy Corbyn’s Solar Return (without houses) from May 26 for a year has the Fire Grand Trine which is inspirational and confident, but all focussed into a Kite by the Saturn opposition Mars, which is usually unlucky.

Theresa May’s Solar Return (again without houses) has a New Moon conjunct Jupiter square Mars and Pluto, with the Sun square the Mars/Pluto midpoint – so confident, risk taking and acutely frustrating.