Astrology of Today’s News

Billionaire George Soros, one of Hillary Clinton’s major donors and a supporter of liberal causes, became known as the man who ‘broke the Bank of England’ after his bets against the pound were instrumental in ejecting it from the Exchange Rate Mechanism in the 1990s and made him $1 billion.

A leak of documents from his philanthropic network has sparked a fairly muted row in the media about:- 1) his support for the Palestininians to challenge “Israel’s racist and anti-democratic policies in the international arena”; 2) his interference in East European country elections; 3) giving financial help which supported groups that fuelled the 2014 protests in Ferguson, Missouri after a young black man was shot by a white policeman; 4) him benefitting from Clinton’s push for the Panama Free Trade Agreement, which opened the country up as a tax haven; 5) giving former Vice President Al Gore’s environmental group millions of dollars to create a “political space for aggressive U.S. action” on global warming. He’s also had a business relationship with Donald Trump lending him money for hotel construction.

He was born in Budapest, Hungary on 12 Aug 1930, and has the super-confident Jupiter Pluto conjunction in Cancer; with Jupiter opposition Saturn square Venus on one side and square Uranus on the other – so part of that innovative, utterly-determined, bubbling-with-initiative Depression generation. His Leo Sun is trine Uranus in Aries, sextiling onto a focal point Mars in Gemini.

His Leo Sun is conjunct Hillary’s Mars Pluto Saturn, so not the easiest of relationships for close co-operation. Though if her birth time of 8.01am is accurate then his Jupiter falls in her 8^th house of joint finances which will no doubt be an attraction. His Neptune is conjunct her MC, so something unclear about his influence on her career, slippery, maybe scandal-prone.

Their relationship chart again has a Neptunian flavour with high-finance Jupiter Neptune conjunct the composite Sun trine Uranus, sextiling onto a pro-active Mars. Though there’s also an argumentative Mars square Mercury; and an emotionally cool Venus Saturn conjunction. Definitely money-oriented.

The relationship looks tense and stressed from Dec 2016 and through 2017 with tr Pluto opposition Mars and square Mercury; with tr Uranus opposition the composite Venus at the moment and again early in 2017. But they’ll definitely be on a roll together by 2018 with tr Pluto trine the composite Jupiter and Uranus. Though with a hint of disappointment following that. High financial hopes which peter out.

Lee Stocker, was a pioneer and trail-blazer with a powerfully determined chart. Born in London on 31 January 1943, he had an Aquarius Sun in an Air Grand Trine to Uranus Saturn in Gemini trine Neptune, formed into perhaps two Kites; one Sun opposition Pluto and the other Uranus Saturn perhaps opposition Moon. So he had talent, influence (Pluto) and struck a chord in the public imagination (Moon).

He also had a Yod of Uranus Saturn sextile Pluto inconjunct Mars – which tends in early life to mis-direct energy, until a new life direction is found which uses all of Mars’ courage, vigour and decisiveness. Plus he had his North Lode in Leo which gives leadership ability.

None of which was obvious when he trained as an accountant and started a small electrical business. Aged 40, he was bored and chucked it all in. At that point he was in his midlife crisis with tr Uranus (and Jupiter) opposition his Uranus Saturn, shaking his Grand Trine – this is when old, unfulfilled ambitions become much more pressing. Tr Jupiter was conjunct his Node, giving him a nudge about developing his potential; and the tr Saturn Pluto conjunction was moving to trigger his Yod, sextile his Mars and conjunct his Solar Arc Neptune in the years following.

His turning point came when he found an injured hedgehog that vets were unwilling to treat. It sparked his childhood interest in wildlife and he went on to found the St Tiggywinkles Hospital which has grown to the size of a small NHS medical facility, the largest such in Europe. It cares for 1500 inpatient animals – deer, badgers, foxes, squirrels, toads, multifarious birds. They are treated, sometimes with keyhole surgery in operating theatres, using many techniques developed by him through trial and error over the years.

He was awarded an MBE for his work and became an honorary member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons; and his last project, nearing completion, is a new college to teach vets about British wildlife. He died recently and his son remains as CEO.

He followed his dream and turned it into a national treasure.

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Kellyanne Conway, 20 Jan 1967, a Republican strategist, pollster and political commentator, has moved in as Donald Trump’s campaign manager, effectively demoting Paul Manafort. Steve Bannon of Breitbart News becomes CEO (no birth date). He’s right-wing, anti-establishment and was quoted as saying of his Breitbart staff “we call ourselves the Fight Club. You don’t come to us for warm and fuzzy”. 

And doesn’t astrology have an odd knack of turning up running themes in the same week?

KellyAnne was born two days after Anjem Choudary (see post below) – so is a Capricorn Sun (maybe Aquarius for later day birth) and Mercury, opposition Jupiter square Mars. With the same Mystic Rectangle of Sun Jupiter opposition and Saturn opposition Uranus Pluto in sextile/trine to each other; with Neptune in a Water Grand Trine of Jupiter trine Saturn and formed into a three-quarter Grand Sextile by Uranus Pluto and Sun Mercury. So a whirlwind of activity, aggressive, determined, lucky, talented, creative, not always realistic, thrives on crises.

Her Taurus Moon may be conjunct Trump’s Midheaven which would make sense of her offering political expertise with a nose for the public mood; though her Neptune opposes his MC and squares his Mars in Leo, which may not be so helpful. Her Jupiter is conjunct his Venus Saturn, so she’ll cheer him up; and her focal point Mars trines his Sun and sextiles his Moon, so she’ll give a shot of adrenaline to his campaign.

Their relationship chart has a tough, extra-hard-working composite Mars trine Saturn; a confident Jupiter Pluto; and an innovative Sun trine Uranus.

She doesn’t look too cheerful in the immediate future with tr Saturn conjunct her Sun/Mars and square her Mars/Jupiter midpoints from mid Sept to early Oct; and conjunct her Solar Arc Mars thereafter till mid October. And she has an insecure, explosive tr Uranus opposition her Mars from Oct 4^th till later in the month. Plus tr Pluto is trine her Solar Arc Saturn now and in October; and conjunct her Solar Arc Neptune in September – so an unrelenting slog, which is to be expected but not exactly brimful of optimism. Her Solar Arc Sun is also somewhere around the opposition to her Pluto this year which is stuck.

Barack Obama’s attempt to fulfil his promise to close Guantanamo Bay has moved a small step forward with 15 detainees going to the United Arab Emirates. It leaves 61 there but with the Republican Senate and Congress against closure and transfer of prisoners to US prisons, he may not manage it. Since 2002, 779 have been held there with the majority being released in GWB’s time, of whom a definite 21% went back to terrorism, with another 14% probables. Of releases under Obama, 5% were confirmed to have returned to militant activity and 8% suspected of having done so. Obama says it is  contrary to US values, undermining the nation’s standing in the world and it fuels the recruitment of jihadists; as well as being expensive – $445m annually.

Guantanamo Bay was established by executive order on 12 December 2001 under the war-conditions Saturn in Gemini opposition Pluto, with Pluto conjunct Sun and Venus – so repressive, controlling, bleak. Saturn opposition Venus square Mars in Pisces – gave it a military flavour, along with a cruel streak.

The Guantanamo Sun Pluto squares onto Obama’s 8^th house Mars so will stir up deep feelings of anger; with the Guan Saturn square his Pluto; and the Guan Mars opposition his Pluto – so a matter of huge frustration, an obstacle that maybe can’t be overcome.

He’ll keep pushing mightily with tr Pluto squaring the composite Pluto on the relationship between him and Guan through this December.

The Guantanamo Bay chart, has tr Neptune square to Saturn chipping away at the Venus Pluto Saturn from now till November; with tr Saturn conjunct the Sagittarius Sun in December – so who knows? He might just make it; or close enough to ease his conscience.

Radical UK cleric Anjem Choudary has finally been convicted and may face a 10 year jail sentence for inviting others to support ISIS, under the Terrorism Act. Counter-terrorism chiefs have spent two decades trying to bring Choudary, to trial, blaming him, and the organisations he helped to run, for radicalising young men and women. The killers of soldier Lee Rigby were amongst his supporters. He is a Salafi Wahabi Islamist, who preached that the Muslim faith should “dominate the whole world”.

Born 18 January 1967 in London, from a family of Pakistani origin, he partied and drugged his way through a year of Med school, before switching to law.

He does have an extraordinary chart with a three-quarter Grand Sextile, a Mystic Rectangle and a Cardinal Grand Cross – so undoubtedly has abilities, though clearly channeled in the wrong directions. His Sun Mercury in Capricorn opposes Jupiter squaring onto Mars and probably opposing an Aries Moon. He has two oppositions Sun Jupiter as well as Saturn in Pisces opposition Uranus Pluto which are trine/sextile each other; with a sextile/trine to Neptune making up the other leg of the almost Grand Sextile. His Venus in Aquarius is trine Mars and may be sextile his Moon – for a hugely complicated chart. Overflowing with restless initiative, a chancer with an emphasised Mars Jupiter; controlling, rebellious and determined.

His Neptune aspects almost every other planet, exacerbating his visionary tendencies, which are fuelled by his aggressive and power-hungry drives to destructive ends. His Neptune is also conjunct the ISIS focal point Jupiter; and his Venus in Aquarius is conjunct the ISIS Neptune. The ISIS Sun Mars in Libra is conjunct his Mars and in hard aspect to the rest of his Grand Cross, triggering his urge to aggressive action. A cross-over of perverted spirituality and blood lust.

Worryingly, his chart looks remarkably cheerful, lucky and go ahead over the next three or more years with tr Uranus squaring his Jupiter in 2018 along with a super-confident Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct Pluto. Either what’s going on out in the world pleases him or he’s busy brewing up more trouble inside.

Superlatives were being heaped on Charlotte Dujardin for her flawless display in the esoteric sport of equestrian dressage, winning her a third Olympic Gold on Valegro (known around the stable as Blueberry).

“She is the Simone Biles of the parade ring, the Usain Bolt of horse disco, the Michael Phelps of the piaffe. She is less a sports person than an artist show woman of finesse, dexterity and absolute, total control.”

“She has raised the bar for the sport and confirmed her status as its great innovator and current all-round superstar.” She’s the most successful British dressage rider in the history of the sport and the winner of all major titles and world records in the sport.

Born 13 July 1985 just outside London, she grew up in a pony-mad though not rich family, joined a dressage stable as a groom and went on from there.

She’s got an enormously determined, disciplined and obsessively conscientious chart as befits this most exacting of sports. Her Sun Mars in Cancer are trine Saturn in Scorpio; with Saturn in a Fixed Grand Cross opposition North Node (Moon) in earthy Taurus square Mercury opposition Jupiter in Aquarius.

Valegro was foaled in the Netherlands on 5 July 2002, so has a Cancer Sun like Charlotte, and, even more helpful, his exuberant Jupiter Mars in Cancer are conjunct her Sun Mars. Their relationship chart has an affectionate composite Sun Venus conjunct pro-active Mars, all in a controlled, possessive trine to Pluto and opposition a creative Uranus Neptune conjunction. There may also be a composite Moon Jupiter trine Saturn – a great mix of closeness and discipline in a sport that relies on a working partnership.

Another success story from unlikely beginnings is Brit Laura Trott, 24 April 1992, a track and road cyclist, with three Olympic Golds to her credit and 20 golds in all. She was born prematurely with a collapsed lung and later developed asthma which stopped her trampolining but not, for some reason, scaling the heights in cycling.

She’s an earthy Sun Taurus trine Jupiter in Virgo; with a formidable mini-Grand Trine of Pluto trine Mars in Pisces sextiling onto Uranus Neptune in Capricorn; and a tough-minded Pluto square Saturn in Aquarius.

Just goes to show there’s little to stop those with drive and talent from getting to the top.

An unwelcome distraction for Donald Trump, with polls already falling, is a New York Times story which turns the focus on his campaign manager Paul Manafort’s business dealing with the deposed pro-Russian Ukrainian President Yanukovych. Ukrainian government investigators say Yanukovych ran a corrupt network which looted Ukrainian assets and influenced elections. Manafort’s name appears in a ledger of an illegal off-the-books cash system, though he denies ever receiving the $12 million which was itemised. Manafort has done business with Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch and close friend of Putin. And he helped Yanukovych’s administration draft a report defending its prosecution of his chief rival, Yulia V. Tymoshenko, in 2012, who spent nearly three years in prison on charges most thought trumped up.

Manafort, 1 April 1949, was an adviser to Gerald Ford, Reagan, GHW Bush, as well as a lobbyist for Congo’s Mobutu and Angola’s Savimbi (both African anti-communist leaders supported by the US); and Ferdinand Marcos, the corrupt and kleptocratic (= rule by thieves) dictator in the Philippines. Mobutu was also notorious for corruption, nepotism and embezzlement. Charming clients.

Manafort is a go-ahead Sun Mars Venus in Aries opposition Neptune and trine Pluto – so definitely ambitious on a stratospheric scale; with his Jupiter in money-minded Capricorn on the focal point of a Yod inconjunct Uranus sextile Saturn in Virgo, so an erratic risk-taker. Such a Yod focal point Jupiter can have a significant influence on society but can also be brought down by Jupiter’s Icarus tendencies to fly too high and then come crashing down.

He’s got nothing too catastrophic on his chart at the moment (without birth time) but does have a fair few mid-points as well as Solar Arc Venus, Mars, Sun picking up the tr Saturn opposition from late September and through the election, which will be deflating.

His relationship chart with Trump has a tough, bull-dozing composite Sun square Saturn Pluto – good for moving huge enterprises ahead, but not friendly, with the potential for strain and resentment. With a fairly explosive composite Mars Uranus conjunction though that’s not being much affected until next year. The composite midpoints look aggravated in September and downbeat in October.

Manafort’s Sun Mars Venus fall in Trump’s 8^th house so a very secretive relationship with the focus on joint finances; and Manafort’s Uranus is conjunct Trump’s Sun so not ideal for co-operation. With Manafort’s Saturn on Trump’s Ascendant, he’ll certainly try to damp down Trump’s impulsiveness tho’ it could work the other way as well – with Trump feel his image is being diminished by him.

Jamaica’s exuberant and crowd-adoring Usain Bolt became the first athlete to win three Olympic 100m titles by beating American Justin Gatlin, repeating his 2008 and 2012 successes.

He’s a flamboyant Leo, who according to his father hates to lose; with an adventurous Jupiter (Moon) in Pisces square Uranus.

He’s got a wide-ish Fire Grand Trine from his Sun trine North Node in Aries trine Uranus, with Mercury also in Leo and Saturn in Sagittarius – so overflowing with inspirational, confident and demanding-of-attention fire energy.

And the Somalian-born, Mo Farah, became the first British track and field athlete to secure three Olympic golds  by winning the 10,000 metres, repeating his 2012 success where he also won the 5000 metres.

He’s a Sun Aries trine a lucky Uranus Jupiter in Sagittarius; with Neptune also in Sagittarius and Mars in Aries opposition Pluto – so not short on Fire either.

What’s intriguing .is that both have their Mars/Jupiter midpoint in mid Aquarius, which is very much a top athlete’s placing. Mo Farah also has his Sun/Neptune and Mars/Uranus there as well.

Bolt has his Sun trine Neptune; while Farah’s Sun squares Neptune; and both have Jupiter Uranus highlighted. How to grow a perfect athlete.  Farah’s Mars opposition Pluto is perhaps a testimony to the brutal training conditions he has to undergo for distance races as well as the mental stamina required, over and above the norm for top class sportspeople.

While all eyes are on Rio, tensions are mounting on the defacto border with Crimea, with the Ukraine government saying 40,000 Russian troops are massed there and sending their own tanks in response to their own side; and insisting that Russian claims about a recent incursion by saboteurs is just a pretext for escalating the situation. Russia annexed the Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 despite U.N. condemnation; and has announced military exercises there next week to simulate an attack by weapons of mass destruction.

Putin invaded Georgia during the Beijing 2008 Olympics over the separatist South Ossetia squabble; and annexed Crimea immediately following the Sochi Winter Olympics.

The Ukraine 24 Aug 1991 2.31pm Kiev chart looks on highest alert with a scary-collision Solar Arc Sun conjunct its Mars now; and a devastating and confused tr Pluto conjunct Neptune from Sept 8^th to early October. There’s an unsuccessful tr Saturn square Mars/Jupiter late Aug into September this year; extremely high-risk and fear in November and Feb 2017; and a good deal of anxiety and not much good news through 2017.

The Russia 1917/Ukraine 1991 relationship chart has a bitterly hostile composite Mars Pluto conjunction which tr Pluto was trine over the annexation of Crimea; and now the tr Saturn square tr Neptune is square and opposition that Mars Pluto, causing panic, fear and a shift in the balance of power. Tr Neptune runs right through till early 2019 opposing the composite Mars, so there’s nothing likely to be settled amicably anytime soon.

Vladimir Putin’s Presidency chart, 7 May 2012 12.10pm, looks very gung-ho at the moment with the Solar Arc Sun approaching the Jupiter over coming months, so he’s likely to be acting with great confidence; and his usual disregard for international rules and niceties. That chart looks very tense at the moment as well with tr Uranus opposition Saturn; and not altogether successful with tr Neptune square tr Saturn hitting on the Solar Arc Mars. Though the Russian economy is in trouble which may be part of the sense of failure with an unhappy internal population.

The September Virgo Eclipse tied into Mars Saturn and Neptune is conjunct Mars on the presidency chart which usually leads to outbursts of anger or aggression.

Putin’s personal chart is under immense, discouraging and destabilising pressure for several years with his Libra (Sun) Saturn Neptune Mercury square Uranus catching the tr Pluto square tr Uranus. What is worrisome is that from March 2017 for two years tr Pluto will trine his Jupiter in Taurus, bringing over-confidence as well, which is likely to push him a step too far. It’s likely to end in failure as his Solar Arc Neptune moves to conjunct his Mars in early 2018, but he could do a deal of damage before he gets there.