Astrology of Today’s News

Will he or won’t he go? Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s President failed to stop publication of a report which pointed to evidence of possible corruption at the top level of his government. Disapproval of his seven years in office which has been marked by scandal and economic stagnation is being openly voiced by big business, major unions and even senior members of the ANC. The Nelson Mandela Foundation talked about the “wheels coming off” with him at the helm. It is reckoned that the rand might lift by 15% were he to go before 2019.

His 2^nd Term chart, 24 May 2014 11.35am Pretoria, is at its most precarious at the moment with the disruptive tr Pluto square Uranus and the even more destabilising Solar Arc Pluto closing the square to Uranus to exact. But that chart has a bullishly pushy Pluto opposition Jupiter (= rules don’t apply to me) so he could brass-neck it out.

His own personal chart, 12 April 1942, has a discouraging and confidence-dampening tr Saturn opposition his Jupiter Mars in late November and late December, followed by a jolting tr Uranus conjunct his Sun in February 2017 – so his wobbles will continue. Though he’s also got tr Pluto trine his Sun/Jupiter in 2017/18 which looks ominously confident.

Shades of Ivanka Trump. I’d forgotten that Chelsea Clinton had also acquired a father-in-law who did federal time for financial crimes. Her husband Marc Mezvinsky’s father embezzled more than $10 million dollars from people via a Ponzi scheme and a Nigerian email scam and ended up doing five years inside.

The two Chelsea Clinton babies – Charlotte 26 Sep 2014 7.03 pm New York, and Aidan 18 June 2016 7.41 am New York – don’t have the easiest of charts. Both admittedly have charming Sun Venus conjunctions which suggests an affectionate tie to their father. But their Moon and 10th house aspects suggest a more confused and tricky relationship with their mother. Charlotte has a Scorpio Moon trine Neptune, sextiling onto a 10^th house Pluto – so a mother who is both overly controlling and inaccessible, evasive or needs support. Aidan has a Moon Saturn opposition Mercury square Neptune opposition Jupiter and a 10^th house Uranus – so an over-hardworking mother, cool, rigid but also nervy and confused; and unpredictable, erratic and not always there.

Charlotte has Saturn and Mars both in the 8^th – so strong grandparental influence of a not productive variety.

The composite charts between Chelsea and both children are mainly challenging, with some uplift from Jupiter. With Charlotte, there’s a composite Sun trine Jupiter, sextiling on to a hard-edged Mars Saturn conjunction which is also square Neptune.

With Aidan, there’s a composite Sun trine Jupiter, inconjunct Pluto, opposition Saturn and square Neptune Uranus; with Moon Mars trine Uranus (Neptune) sextile Pluto – that’s a real guddle of a little positive and quite a lot of negative. I’d doubt if either of the children get much me-time. In neither case are the composite Venuses much aspected or integrated and the composite Moons aren’t great either, especially in Aidan’s case. So there’s a feeling disconnect.

Their father Marc, 15 Dec 1977, was a Goldman Sachs investment banker who co-founded his own hedge fund which now appears to be failing badly, having lost 90% of its value on an ill-timed bet on Greek economic recovery. How stupid was that??

Yet another book on Hillary Clinton by Ed Stein (Guilty as Sin) has dropped nuggets of gossip about the tangled relationships between Hillary, daughter Chelsea and aide Huma Abedin.

According to Stein, Chelsea dislikes Huma and Hillary is rarely warm towards Chelsea except in public. The relationship chart between Chelsea and ‘second daughter’ Huma is certainly rippling with dislike from a composite Mars Saturn; an uncompromising Sun opposition Uranus; and a game-playing for the upper hand Jupiter square Pluto. So that sounds accurate.

Chelsea, whose 9^th house Moon is unaspected apart from an awkward quincunx to her Pisces Sun, wouldn’t get much nurturing from either parent frankly. Her relationship chart with her mother has a composite Sun trine Saturn Uranus, so work first and fairly separated and erratic; and a gentler Moon trine Venus. But the composite Moon is also square Saturn (Uranus) – so not exactly overflowing with maternal feelings. Chelsea’s relationship with her father is just as sticky with a composite Sun square Saturn Uranus; and an aggravating, frustrating Mars Pluto sextile Venus – so it’ll blow very hot and cold between them.

Chelsea’s personal chart has tr Pluto square her Mars/Uranus and Jupiter/Uranus midpoints now and through till early December which is a mix of extreme pressure and nervous tension as well as great relief and good luck. But at the same time tr Neptune is opposition her Saturn/MC and square her Uranus/Neptune till January which is undermined and stressed. 2017 has some very disconcerting and discouraging Neptune transits to three of her Saturn midpoints.

Huma Abedin is having a panicky, failure-ridden 2017 with tr Neptune opposition her Mars which suggests this email scandal may not lie down and die quietly, given that she gave evidence she handed everything over months ago. She does look relieved late this month through till January but thereafter – not good. And her relationship with Hillary is certainly under sagging and separating stars ahead.

Oddly enough Huma’s Mars in Virgo is conjunct her former husband Anthony Weiner’s Sun Pluto Uranus in Virgo – which is a very aggravated mix. He’d completely stifle her or as well as throw her off balance.

Hillary’s relationship chart with Bill is not entirely lyrical through January 2017 with tr Neptune opposition the composite Mars, so disappointment there for whatever reason.

Political dynastic families are every bit as dysfunctional as Royal ones.

Poor Prince Harry who can’t do his woo-ing or maybe just hot-dating without it ending up splattered across the media is being connected to American actress and divorcee Meghan Markle, three years his senior. She was born 4 Aug 1981 in Los Angeles so is a Leo Sun with Jupiter Saturn Moon in Libra and Venus in Virgo.

Her Venus certainly chimes with his Virgo Sun though it isn’t conjunct and her Pluto (and maybe Moon) are conjunct his Venus in Libra which will give a sizzle of passion and affection. Her Sun falls in his 8^th which usually produces the kind of connection that feels ‘meant’ though it doesn’t mean it’ll last for ever.

Their relationship chart has a needs-space composite Sun square Uranus; a fire-crackling Venus Mars conjunction; and a less than lyrical composite Moon square Pluto Saturn, maybe trine Jupiter. The Sun Uranus isn’t great; nor are the sticky Moon influences. Worse is a mutually unsupportive (on an ego level) composite Mars square Neptune.

Royal romancers may need to wait for a more ideal match – and he does have tr Pluto square his Venus for another year, so who knows? He’s certainly wanting to settle down now with his Progressed Moon going through his 7^th for another year plus.

Former competitive swimmer Michael Phelps and the most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals, has married his long time sweetheart, former Miss California Nicole Johnson. Their baby was born on 5 May this year.

It’s certainly a feisty match since both have Sun Mars in emotional Cancer. They were born only 13 days apart – Michael Phelps, 30 June 1985 6.55am Baltimore, Maryland and Nicole Johnson, 12 July 1985, Colorado. Her Taurus Moon is probably conjunct his Venus in Taurus and her Venus in Sagittarius is opposition his Moon – so lots of affection from those, though it won’t be without its strains. Their relationship chart has a Yod of exuberant, adventurous Jupiter sextile Uranus inconjunct Sun Mars; with the composite Venus inconjunct Pluto; and Sun Mars trine Saturn – so intense feelings and quite hard work at times.

The wedding chart, 13 June 2016 Arizona, has a romantic Sun Venus but that is also on one leg of a Yod in sextile to Uranus inconjunct Mars.

His personal chart also has a Yod of Jupiter sextile Uranus inconjunct Mars which drove him on from an early ADHD condition into determined training and winning over many years. Whether such a Mars will be as easily handled in a relationship is  questionable. Nicole is certainly having quite a radical life change with tr Uranus finishing the square to her Sun Mars at the end of this year into early 2017, followed by tr Pluto opposition Sun Mars for several years ahead which won’t be easy.

Baby Boomer, 5 May 2016, is a charming Sun Venus in Taurus in a lucky, talented, confident, materialistic Earth Grand Trine of Sun trine Jupiter trine Pluto; formed into a Kite by Jupiter opposition Neptune. So he’s likely to aim for high finance. He’s also got Neptune opposition Jupiter squaring onto Mars Saturn in Sagittarius which will make him volatile, quite hard-edged, a hint of not getting everything he wants in childhood.

Palace gossip has it that Prince Andrew is in a strop because Prince Charles’ slim-down-the-monarchy plans are denying his daughters Princess Beatrice and Eugenie a formal role with royal duties and presumably the civil list payments to go with it. Beatrice especially has found it difficult to settle to a sensible job, in between multiple holidays per year, innumerable fashion shows, celebrity charity appearances and the like.

Relations between the two brothers have never been easy with Charles’s 2^nd house Saturn conjunct Andrew’s Pluto and opposition Andrew’s Saturn; and Charles’s emphasised Pluto conjunct Andrew’s 1^st house Uranus. So Charles will have stonewalled him every which way, despite a reasonable cross over between Andrew’s Scorpio Moon and Charles‘s Scorpio Sun.

Their relationship chart is cold and angry with a composite 8^th house Moon square a 4^th house Saturn; and an argumentative, competitive composite Sun Mars Mercury conjunction.

There’ll be an eruption or a turnaround of sorts between them from April of 2017 onwards with tr Uranus square the composite Uranus and trine the composite Pluto – at the same time as Andrew has tr Uranus conjunct his midheaven. That last usually presages a sharp change of direction career-wise. But it’s difficult to see in which direction he’d move. His Trade Envoy job disappeared in 2011 after criticism of his associations,  although he still does some support for UK enterprise work without a special role.

Their relationship becomes a good deal more frosty come 2018/19 as tr Saturn is conjunct the composite Mars Sun Mercury, perhaps when Prince Charles steps closer to the throne.

“Do we actually know who told Hillary she could use a private email?” wrote close aide and transition team member Neera Tanden in a July 2015 note recently revealed by WikiLeaks. “And has that person been drawn and quartered? Like [this] whole thing is fucking insane.”

Maybe the difference is nowadays we find out just how hair-raisingly bizarre/ill-judged/incompetent/arrogantly obstinate our erstwhile leaders are, almost immediately. In ye olden days, politicians who were lauded and applauded were only revealed as flakes, frauds and worse thirty years after they fell of their perches.

The FBI has announced they are ‘reviewing’ their conclusions on Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server while Secretary of State, because of emails found on a jointly-used laptop of her aide Huma Abedin and her sexual pervert former husband Anthony Weiner. Defies belief the whole murky mess.

James Comey, 14 Dec 1960, the FBI Director, a long-time Republican, is coming in for flak for what some see a political interference 11 days before the election. His Pluto is conjunct Hillary’s Midheaven (8.01 am birth time) which would certainly suggest he has the capacity to pull her down and wishes to control her. His Uranus is conjunct Hillary’s Saturn and his Sagittarius Sun opposes her Uranus so on very different agendas.

Their relationship chart echoes this with a power-struggling composite Sun square Pluto, exacerbated by a game-playing for the upper-hand Pluto trine Jupiter; with an explosive Sun trine Uranus Mars. There’s nothing instantly obvious transit-wise on this chart (without his birth time) but difficulties between the pair will rumble on with continuing aggravations for the next two years.

He’s in for an uphill struggle in 2017 with tr Pluto conjunct his Saturn in Capricorn and square his Mars/Saturn midpoint on his personal chart; but he’s tough with his Saturn and Jupiter natally opposition Mars and in a Half Grand Sextile to Pluto and Neptune, so he’s undoubtedly talented and influential.

His Term of Office chart, 4 September 2013, is sagging badly through 2017. In theory he’s in for a fixed 10 year term but I’m not sure if Presidents have the right to summarily remove a director. If Hillary gets in she might just well put pressure on him.

Why Huma Abedin stuck by her serially and unpleasantly unfaithful sex-texting ex-husband, given her politically exposed position, is another head-scratcher. And indeed why Hillary didn’t distance herself from Huma, whom she regards almost as a second daughter. Loyalty is one thing but political nous would suggest it was a time bomb waiting to go off. It reminds me slightly of Maggie Thatcher who surrounded herself with some very sleazy people whom she clearly couldn’t see were wrong ‘uns. There was never a whiff of scandal about her personally, it was all just projected out onto some of her circle.

Huma Abedin, 28 July 1976, has a very Fixed chart with a Leo Sun Saturn square Uranus in Scorpio, with Venus Mercury, maybe Moon also, in Leo and Jupiter in Taurus. Change comes no more easily to her than it does to Scorpio/Leo Hillary. The Huma/Hillary relationship chart is showing signs of separation and disappointment through 2016/17 with tr Saturn square the Pluto Sun conjunction and tr Neptune opposing in 2017 and beyond.

As the FBI chucked this hand grenade into the mix, on Hillary’s chart tr Uranus has just moved to oppose her Sun/Neptune midpoint which Ebertin describes as: “sudden upsets, nervousness, convulsions, emotional crisis, mourning.” That sticks around through November.

There’s nothing more of note showing on either of the two candidates’ charts.

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Anastacia, American singer-songwriter and former dancer, is hugely successful and known as the little lady with the big voice, being only 5 foot 2 inches with a powerful mezzo-soprano delivery. She’s had innumerable problems with Crohn’s disease in childhood, which left her in a wheelchair so she later took up dancing; two bouts of breast cancer and a double mastectomy and heart problems. Her parents were both showbiz, and her singer father, who left the family when she was a teenager, was bi-polar.

Born 17 September 1968, she does have a strongly confident and determined chart, which is riddled with difficulties as well. Her Virgo Sun is conjunct Uranus on one side and Pluto Jupiter on the other. That would certainly fit with an erratic though controlling father. Her Sun Pluto is in a Yod in sextile to Neptune and inconjunct a focal point Saturn in having-to-be-self-reliant Aries. Saturn on a Yod especially in Aries points to a stressful, challenging life. Her Saturn also opposes Venus Mercury in Libra perhaps squaring onto a Cancer Moon, as well as being trine Mars in flamboyant Leo. So emotionally defensive and used to hard conditions.

She had one brief three year marriage to her bodyguard which foundered which is not surprising given the emotional strains in her chart, erratic father and not much nurturing in general with Saturn hitting on her Venus and possibly Moon as well as Sun natally.  Low emotional self-esteem and she probably headed for less than she deserved. The wedding on 21 April 2007 had an explosive Venus opposition Jupiter square Mars Uranus – so superficially glitzy but very volatile.

She deserves some peace and does have a go-ahead, successful tr Pluto trine her Jupiter in 2017. But she’s also got two more hits of tr Uranus conjunct her focal point Saturn in 2017, trailing into 2018, which will be a jolting setback. At best it may put her onto a different track. But it looks a troubled time though no doubt she’ll meet any obstacles with her usual chutzpah.

Politics everywhere seems to be logjammed and uninspiring (to put it mildly). In the UK, PM Theresa May’s steady pair of hands has morphed into – Is there actually a plan in there?

Her Government chart, 13 July 2016 5.44pm London is certainly secretive with an 8^th house Sun and control-freaky from all accounts well merited with the Sun opposition Pluto. Though that squares onto a 5^th house Uranus which does rather suggest radical policies, of which there is not much sign.

There’s also that schoolmarmy Saturn in self-righteous Sagittarius on the Ascendant square Neptune opposition North Node Jupiter in the 9^th. Saturn in the Ascendant is defensive but usually warms over time. Neptune in the 3^rd hints at an inability to get views across.

The vengeful Mars in Scorpio in the hidden 12^th hasn’t quite shown its claws yet since the three Brexiteers are running amok, and only occasionally being slapped down. Mars is inconjunct Uranus which will lead to eruptions and ill-temper when tr Uranus returns to its natal place twice through 2017.

There will also be a distinct jolting wobble when tr Uranus squares the Sun in February 2017 which may be when Article 50 is kicked into the game. There’ll be a confident push through 2017 at times with tr Pluto trine Jupiter from February onwards; though tr Neptune square Saturn as well as Solar Arc Saturn moving to close the square to Neptune to exact in late 2017 indicates a swirling uncertainty, panic and confusion.

Apart from the astrology I wouldn’t have thought she’d go for an early election since she’d have to show her hand in a manifesto which she’s clearly not keen to do. And having slipped into No 10 without an election, why risk an upset?

Her own chart has a similar mix of supreme confidence with tr Pluto trine her Jupiter in Virgo and failing plans from tr Neptune conjunct her Mars in 2017. February, March and April look knife-edge months of aggravation and losses; with some uplift in April. Where she does look jolted sideways is in 2018 when Solar Arc Uranus is conjunct her Sun.

She is very tough and resistant to change with Pluto square her obsessively conscientious Saturn in Scorpio in her birth chart. Though she has that curious gambler’s (chancer’s) Mars opposition Jupiter so isn’t averse at times to cutting corners. Her Mars is a singleton natally so the undermining tr Neptune conjunct it, will have a considerable effect.