Astrology of Today’s News

With better than expected results from the Olympics for Brit competitors – third to US and China at the moment, who’d have thought it? – and the PM off walking in the Swiss Alps, the Brexit panic has subsided temporarily. Except for a leaked letter from International Trade Secretary Liam Fox saying the Foreign Office (aka Boris Johnson) should give up future economic policy with other countries and presumably hand it over to him, and just focus on MI6 and GCHQ. According to reports, Boris demurred no doubt trenchantly, Whitehall went into shock and Theresa May was less than impressed. So the as-expected squabbling between the unlikely three Brexiteers – Johnson, Fox and Davis – has got under way more or less from the get-go.

Theresa May is now much more popular in the polls than Boris but it’s early days yet. Her Government chart, 13 July 2016 5.44 pm London, suggests a term of rolling crises with a Sun opposition Pluto square Uranus. That will get seriously unsettled from Feb 2017 onwards with tr Uranus square the Sun. There are already indications of No 10 micromanaging other departments which is not surprising with a secretive 8^th house Sun opposition Pluto but it will cause resentment, especially with a 12^th house Mars in Scorpio. And discretion is unlikely to be a feature of this government with a focal point 5^th house Uranus onto a T square and a Yod – there will be rebellions.

Even before then, from Aug 18^th tr Neptune moves to square the Saturn; with tr Saturn square Neptune from late September – so uncertainty and confusion, with tr Neptune around until Feb 2017. Plus a confidence-deflating tr Saturn square Jupiter after mid November this year.

None of the above relationships are remotely easy. In Boris’s case, Theresa May’s Saturn in obsessively conscientious Scorpio opposes his focal point Mars in Gemini; and her Mars opposes his Pluto – she’ll squelch his wayward tendencies which will arouse his resentment and hostility. Their relationship chart is the most fraught with her of the three Brexiteers with tensions mounting from January and exploding in February 2017.

Boris and Liam Fox certainly dislike each other with a composite Sun Mars opposition Saturn square Neptune in their relationship chart – bitterly argumentative and suspicious.

Theresa May is as much at odds with David Davis (Brexit negotiater) as she is with Boris. There’s a power-struggling composite Mars opposition Pluto and a tension-erupting Saturn square Uranus, which latter will produce upsets from Jan 2017 onwards as tr Pluto opposes the Uranus and squares Saturn, repeating till late 2017.

The other relationship which is always/usually problematic is between the PM and Chancellor of the Exchequer, in this case, Philip Hammond. He’s known as ‘reassuringly boring’ and a safe pair of hands, much in line with her reputation. But his Sagittarius Sun does square onto her surprisingly adventurous Mars opposition Jupiter, which means he may put the brakes on some of her schemes, which is unlikely to go down well. He looks disheartened and uncertain at the moment until early 2017 with tr Neptune square tr Saturn in hard aspect to his 11 degree Sag Sun. That’s reflected in his relationship chart with Theresa May with the composite Jupiter at 9 Virgo, being undermined until mid Jan 2017. Thereafter (without birth times) there’s not much sign of trouble between them until 2018, when major differences will appear as circumstances change fairly dramatically.

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Queen Victoria, that iconic prude, seems to have had a truly eye-blinking love life. A new TV drama series focusses on the 18 year old Victoria, newly enthroned and enraptured with Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister, forty years her senior who mentored her until her marriage to Albert two years later. Her teenage diaries make it clear quite what a crush she had on Melbourne and she was taunted at one point publicly as ‘Mrs Melbourne’. He was described as a “man of easy virtue, indolent, living a life of fashionable gaiety, handsome, with a mellow voice, a cheerful temper and a cordial frankness of manner”. He was married to the infamous Lady Caroline Lamb who ran off with Byron and wrote a scandalous book about the affair.

Victoria was born 24 May 1819 4.15am London, had a dreadfully suffocated childhood under the iron grip of her ambitious mother from whom she escaped once crowned. She was a New Moon Gemini conjunct her Ascendant from the 12^th; with successful Jupiter in Aquarius in her 10^th; Mars and Venus both in passionate, upfront Aries; and a tricky, unstable Uranus Neptune in her 7^th house of close relationships square a bleak Saturn Pluto in Pisces. More of a wild child than history has deemed her to be.

Melbourne was born 15 March 1779 and was a Sun Mercury in Pisces square Uranus, and trine Saturn Mars in Scorpio, so his laid-back charm hid a good deal of anger, hurt and quite a dark streak. His seductively charming Venus Pluto in Aquarius was conjunct Victoria’s Midheaven in her 10^th, so he would be quite a dominant figure for her and more manipulative than she would understand. His Jupiter in Virgo and Neptune both fell in Victoria’s 5^th house of fun so he’d undoubtedly be good at morale-boosting the ingenue Queen who had never really enjoyed life before.

But with his Pisces Sun conjunct her Saturn Pluto and square her Uranus Neptune, it was never designed to last.

Their relationship chart has an electric composite Venus Uranus conjunction which often turns up for instant attraction, which switches off as quickly as it came – not designed for the long haul. The composite Sun was square Saturn, a hint about the age gap and also the focus on work. Plus a composite Jupiter square Pluto which often starts with a sense of adventure but ends up in a struggle for the upper hand. When she married in 1840, tr Saturn had moved to square the composite Venus Uranus conjunction, as Victoria fell deliriously in love with her new husband. Though that was never the picture book romance she made it about to be.

Thomas Gibson, lead actor in the TV series Criminal Minds since 2005 (previously Chicago Hope, Dharma and Greg) has had his contract summarily terminated because of scuffle with one of the show’s producers last month. According to Variety this is a third strike offence and he’s out, leaving the show writers with a headache.

Born on the same day as Tom Cruise, 3 July 1962 he’s a Sun Cancer in a confident, lucky trine to Jupiter in Pisces and trine Neptune in Scorpio, formed from that Water Grand Trine into a Kite with Jupiter opposition Pluto – creative, overly confident, at times a touch pushy with Jupiter Pluto, thinking rules don’t apply to him. His Mars in determined Taurus is in a volatile square top Uranus Venus in Leo – so he will have a short trigger and not always be sensitive, with Venus and Mars in hard aspect, to other’s needs. His Sun sits exactly conjunct his Mars/Uranus midpoint as well as being semi-square Mars and his Pluto is square his Mercury/Mars midpoint – so again a short fuse.

He’s had tr Pluto opposition his Solar Arc Mars and his Mars/Pluto midpoint this year, continuing into next, both of which produce major frustrations. But he’ll get an uplift from tr Pluto square his Mars/Jupiter from March 2017 onwards for two years, so it won’t be complete devastation.

Folk singer-songwriter Laura Marling is back on tour in even better form than before after what she describes as a nervous breakdown, or a long gap year in the wilds of California, dipping into tantra, mysticism and spirituality.

Born 1 Feb 1990 into a musical family with four sisters, she says she was always aloof, never being able to reach out to others and was a solitary, driven figure who launched her career at 16 with spectacular success with three Mercury prize nominations and a 2011 Brit award for best British female. Yet she never felt happy within herself.

Her chart has an astonishing six planets spread out through in Capricorn – Mars, Uranus, Neptune, Mercury, Saturn and Venus. Her Mars Uranus oppose Jupiter in Cancer; and her Aquarius Sun squares Pluto in Scorpio. Her Moon is Aries probably square Saturn Venus. She’s certainly got initiative and restlessness from all these Cardinal planets, chaotic and practical at the same time with such a mix in Capricorn; and overly controlled from Sun Pluto.

Tr Pluto in Capricorn was conjunct her Mars Uranus opposing her Jupiter through her early success. But the cumulative effect of unrelenting pressure finally got to her when tr Pluto was conjunct her Neptune with tr Uranus tugging from across the way.

The Capricorn triple conjunction generation can be highly talented, in a rather quirky way, but they are also highly strung and inclined to go off track, especially through these tr Pluto and tr Uranus years. She’s not clear yet with tr Pluto conjunct her Saturn in 2017/18 and her Solar Arc Saturn square her Pluto in 2018 which looks discouraging. Often epiphanies which bring highs of insight and a sense of being on a better road, are then followed by a down phase, with the hope of more stability once the peaks and troughs settle down. It’s a winding road.

Being a sore loser isn’t a pretty spectacle especially at the Olympics where participating is supposedly more important than winning. The US women’s soccer goalkeeper, Hope Solo (the defending champions) later tweeted she wasn’t good at losing after she’d branded the Swedish team who beat them in the quarter finals as ‘cowards.’

The Olympic ideal is, of course, a myth. In chariot races in the ancient Graeco-Roman Olympic Games, the winner got to spear the loser in the back; and the prize went not to the courageous driver but to his rich sponsor. Boxing was often a fight to the death, or disfigurement with eye gouging allowed. On one occasion a corpse was awarded the victor’s crown as he expired moments after subduing his opponent.

There were no silver or bronze medals, no runners up. Winning was everything. And often it was victory or death.

Hope Solo, 31 July 1981, a two-time Olympic Gold Medallist, has Sun and Moon in Leo, which is a sign that doesn’t handle failure well. Plus she has a volatile Mars in Cancer in a rough-edged square to Saturn and Jupiter in Libra. Mars Saturn has a problem keeping a grip on intemperate outbursts. Plus her Mercury in emotional Cancer is in an intense square to Pluto and trine outspoken Uranus. With a drive that got her to the top as one of the world’s greatest female goalkeepers she doesn’t take any hostages.

Saudi Arabia has announced they may discuss ‘stabilising’ the oil market at next month’s OPEC meeting. They have been feeling the pinch along with other oil-producing countries because of the low oil price. The Kingdom is struggling with weak GDP growth, higher fees and taxes, and an economy that is unable to pay the dues to its migrant workers, who have been left without a job, many months of overdue salary and benefits, and without basic amenities such as insurance coverage, food, shelter and medical facilities, and are unable to leave.

Until recently the Saudis appeared unwilling to compromise but a stable oil price is crucial for the IPO of state-owned Saudi Aramco aimed for 2017/ 2018, which is key to a move to diversify the economy and turn its Public Investment Fund into a $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund. It’s the brainchild of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the ambitiously aggressive son of the ageing King, who wants to be regarded as a leader in the Arab world.

The Saudi Arabia, 15 Jan 1902 3.45am chart indicates a bleak, undermining two years ahead with a tough-slog, deprived tr Pluto conjunct the Saudi Arabia Saturn; and Solar Arc Neptune square the Capricorn Sun and Jupiter in 18 months and two years’ time, which latter is often associated with a financial bubble bursting. Tr Saturn also from this December till late 2017 is in hard aspect to the Saudi Arabia T Square of Uranus opposition Pluto Neptune in Gemini square Pisces Moon – which looks like a depressed population. There’ll be some ups along the way when tr Uranus squares Jupiter in April and December 2017 and Jan 2018. But it’ll be a long haul until tr Pluto is conjunct the Jupiter in 2020 by which time tr Saturn in Capricorn will be causing a see-saw effect cutting back as Jupiter tries to push ahead. But for sure, it’ll be a different country by then, having ploughed through a tr Pluto conjunction to its’ three Capricorn planets.

The 23 Sept 1932 country chart is also showing major strains through 2016 to 2018 with tr Uranus square the Saturn in Capricorn opposition Pluto and conjunct  Uranus (for a Uranus return); with a deflating tr Saturn square tr Neptune in hard aspect to its Jupiter this year till Jan 2017. If anything that chart will take longer to emerge from the present disruptive upheavals which could last till 2023.

Mohammed bin Salman, 31 Aug 1985, who hasn’t been covering himself with glory with his military forays into the Yemen and Syria, looks agitated with plans not progressing successfully in 2017/18 and will face his greatest pressures come 2020.

The West’s interest in Saudi Arabia’s future isn’t just about oil, since the US fracking industry is holding up well, but in the fundamentalist form of Islam which it has exported round the world and a strong suspicion of its funding of terrorism. Back in the day when Saudi Arabia got under way, the local tribal leader bin Saud did a deal with a local religious leader al-Wahhab which tied the protection and prosperity of both into a pact which survives to this day. Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia is responsible for women being stuck in burqas and forbidden from driving, leaving the country without their husband’s permission etc etc etc.

Al-Wahhab was born in 1703 when there was a triple conjunction of Saturn Jupiter Neptune in Aries trine Pluto in Leo – so fiery, formidably ambitious as well as filled with dreams of spiritual power and clearly the ability to fulfil them. The deal was done in 1744 when Pluto was in Scorpio trine Neptune in Cancer and the Node was reversing into Pisces. With no date it’s impossible to say whether the ties will be loosened soon, though there has been significant pressure on the relationship deal, really since the triple conjunction in Capricorn in the late 19809s/early 1990s; with the tr Uranus square tr Pluto more recently adding more pressure. If the oil money runs out there certainly won’t be the state funds available to send proselytyzing imams into the West and the funding of religious schools etc.

Joseph Powell, another Aries stuntman has died, who has every bit as interesting a life story as Chief Bald Eagle (see July 27 post below).

Born 21 March 1922 in London to an ex-soldier, pub-owning father, he joined up aged 17 when war broke out in 1939, became a commando, survived and after a chance meeting with an actor in 1946 decided the bring realism to fighting in movies as a career. In John Huston’s The Man Who Would be King, he doubled for Sean Connery falling 100 feet into a ravine when the rope bridge collapsed ending the character’s life. He worked on The Longest Day and appeared in three early Bond movies. He said being scared made it more realistic and for one film jumped out of a plane with a parachute, not bothering to mention he’d never done it before.

He was a Sun Venus in Aries with Venus trine Neptune in Leo trine Mars in Sagittarius, formed into a Kite by Venus Sun opposition Saturn Node Jupiter in Libra; and the opposition squaring onto Pluto. Overflowing with Fire which as an element has supreme confidence and faith that a guardian angel and a safety net will appear when needed.

Chief Bald Eagle was a Mercury Sun Mars in Aries trine Neptune and Saturn in Leo; with Jupiter Pluto in Cancer – so not that dissimilar.

A 13^th individual Olympic Gold Medal means swimmer Michael Phelps has now broken a 2,000-year-old Olympic record by surpassing Leonidas of Rhodes, the greatest athlete of the ancient world, who won 12 times.

Leonidas was a runner who took the laurel wreaths for the 200 and 400 metre races (nude, no ladies in audience); and a longer one in full armour, on four successive Olympics. For the latter he had to wear heavy battle gear, helmet, breastplate, shin armour and a shield made from bronze and wood at temperatures of 40C. He was unusual in winning sprint as well as endurance contests.

No birthdate, only 188 BC, but there was then a punishingly difficult Saturn Pluto conjunction in Capricorn with Uranus North Node in Capricorn as well, all trine Neptune in Virgo; with Jupiter in sporting Sagittarius. So he’d have plenty of resilience and grit from Saturn Pluto as well as being the one who picked up the energies of the difficult triple conjunction to stand out from the crowd – for 2000 years.  At that point the Romans (not yet an empire) were fighting and winning decisively against Greek City states, getting them firmly under their thumb. So Saturn Pluto’s war-like and suppressive tendencies were in full swing.

The ubiquitous Arianna Huffington is on the move again, leaving her baby Huffpo to launch a health-and-wellness start up.

She’s had an extraordinary life and career, powering ahead with chutzpah, brains, social charm and not altogether- likeable determination. Described variously as the “Sir Edmund Hillary of social climbers”; “a “right-wing Lady Macbeth” (that was before she switched from Republican to liberal); and “the most ruthless, unscrupulous, and ambitious person I’ve met in thirty years in national politics,” she certainly arouses strong reactions.

Born 7 July 1950 3pm Athens, Greece, she moved to the UK aged 16, became the first foreign President of Cambridge University Union, made a name in UK media as consort of the Times columnist Bernard Levin, wrote books, became a media celebrity, moved to the US and married wealthy Republican Michael Huffington, became known during his unsuccessful Senate run, chummed up with Newt Gingrich, had two kids, got divorced as Huffington came out as bisexual, switched political allegiances to the left, wrote books where there were allegations of plagiarism, and helped to pioneer digital-only journalism with Huffpo which now appears in 14 different countries. The concept for it was sold as the new idealistic ‘citizen journalism’ where contributors were not paid – and she then sold out for $315 million and there have been sharp criticisms for that betrayal as well as for the blurring of the lines between journalism and advertising.

Not a lady who does things by half. She’s always had an interest in New Age spirituality so the new project will be interesting to watch.

She has a 9^th house Sun Cancer (conjunct Mercury Uranus) on the focal point of a Cardinal T Square to a showbizzy Mars Neptune in Libra opposition an Aries Moon. Cancer as a sign often has a ‘nose’ for what is the mood of the moment and 9^th house is global communication. Uranus is good for digital IT and for being an outspoken maverick. Loads of cardinal give her initiative by the bucket full. Her focal point Sun will  make her ego-centric with unshakeable self-belief.

More pointedly, or at least in addition, she has Pluto conjunct her MC from the 9^th which will give her a craving for power and influence. Her Pluto is trine her Moon and sextile Mars Neptune on one side as well as an emphasised Venus in Gemini on the other – so a talented Half Grand Sextile. Her Venus in social butterfly Gemini is deeply buried in the 8^th, giving her intensity and it squares onto Saturn in ultra-hard-working Virgo in a scared-of-failure opposition to Jupiter.

She does have tr Saturn now moving through her first quadrant, so less successful, less high-profile at the moment and for a few years ahead. Her Solar Arc Mars is square her Saturn exactly now which looks like a major setback and she has a discouraging Solar Arc Mercury conjunct her Saturn within months; and tr Pluto will make one more stressed and confusing opposition to her Sun and square Neptune this September – so not the best time of her life. For all the spin, this career move may not have been a choice that was made without pressure. The new set-up won’t launch spectacularly well since she’s got tr Neptune opposing her Saturn in 2017/2018 with tr Pluto square her 6^th house Moon – so challenging pressures and some angst.

She has an extraordinarily powerful 5^th Harmonic (quintiles) which is ruthless, creative, enthusiastic and quite slippery. Her pleasure-seeking 9H is also strong; as is her 13 and 17H charts.

Knows what she wants and goes straight for it.