Astrology of Today’s News

I’ve been pondering on the Trump phenomenon, global chaos, migrants and general unease. It seems too much to be ascribed to a waning Uranus Pluto square though no doubt its’ disruptive influence has played its part over the past four years. [This is me thinking on paper so not necessarily conclusive.]

At a reasonably trivial level the tr Saturn square tr Neptune in orb early and late 2015 (i.e. now) and running till late 2016 is panicky, neurotic, distrusting, suspicious, paranoid. Often it is associated with poor, sick people or epidemics. The epidemic this time round appears to be more mental than physical (at the moment) – at least for the general public, as opposed to refugees who probably are at risk of disease. The tendency with Saturn Neptune is to worry more than the situation merits. Trump is almost certainly exploiting this.

However what is happening out in the world is hugely significant. A UN report out today says 2015 will see forced displacement worldwide exceeding 60 million for the first time – 1 in every 122 humans is someone who has been forced to flee their homes. Developing countries bordering conflict zones will host the majority of refugees and the report warned of growing “resentment” and “politicization of refugees”.

When you look back to the triple conjunction in Capricorn in the late 1980s/early 1990s, which was the most massive astrological phenomenon for nearly 150 years, the world was hopeful – the Berlin Wall came down in late 1989 releasing East Europeans from decades under the communist boot; and Nelson Mandela was released from prison in early 1990, ushering in what felt like a brave new world. Except that Bush Senior was embroiled in the first Gulf War, so business as usual for the USA.

It may well be that transiting Pluto in Capricorn now moving across the degrees of that triple conjunction is contributing to the break-down of what had been built up. Russia has gone back to the bad old days; South Africa is practically a failed state.

The USA was thrown off balance by the collapse of their old enemy in the USSR and it took them a decade to find a new one in Islamists. There is a peculiarity in the American temperament of desperately needing a bad guy to hate, more so than most countries, perhaps due to being a nation of immigrants. Though they also have their internal haters – the militia, anti-government types who don’t occur in quite such toxic form in other western countries. The USA 1776 chart is predominantly Water Air which is a fairly unstable combination – a difficulty in balancing emotional responses with rational ones.

The war-tainted Saturn opposition Pluto in 2001/2003 brought GWB, 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq – which arguably led to a good deal of the present chaos in the Middle East. [Though the 1916 Sykes-Picot agreement in which the Brits and French carved up the Middle East and betrayed the Arabs in the first instance, also has its part to play – on a Saturn Pluto conjunction in Cancer.]

The Saturn Uranus opposition and Pluto moving into Capricorn in 2008 brought the perfect storm of a financial collapse. Although accompanying that was the election of Barack Obama on a wave of American and global euphoria and enthusiasm and on an anti-war ticket. His distaste for war-mongering left the world without a superpower. Into the vacuum stepped ISIL and Putin.

I’m not much wiser at the end of this. Except that vast migrations of people are typically associated with the aftermath of triple conjunctions.

Pluto in Capricorn and Neptune in Pisces are both also historically significant in Muslim history – the spread of empires etc. And I would have to say personally my blood runs cold at the prospect of a religious faith (frankly any of them) taking over which denigrates women and pushes back on hard-won liberal principles. There is starting to be a kick-back even in laissez-faire UK which has been lazily tolerant of intolerant elements up till now.

The rise of Trump is a black comedy but he is plugging into deeper fears which a good many people hold and have been too scared to express.

Donald Trump who appears to have no edit button before he opens his mouth and is a sore loser has been spouting vitriol after he lost a bid to stop wind farms being built close to one of his Scottish golf courses.
Once best buddies with former First Minister Alex Salmond, he now describes him as ‘a has-been and totally irrelevant.’ He also described Scotland as ‘small minded and parochial’ after a week which had seen him stripped of an honorary degree; and removed as business ambassador by Nicola Sturgeon after his anti-Muslim rant.

Alex Salmond must have been biting his tongue and vice versa when they were cosying up to each other. Salmond’s ambitious Mars in Pisces on his MC squares Trump’s Gemini Sun and Sagittarius Moon. Much worse Salmond’s Pluto is conjunct Trump’s Mars – real hostility.
Nicola Sturgeon isn’t much better since her Cancer Sun is conjunct Trumps Saturn.

Trump’s chart relocated to Scotland puts Pluto in the 10th which would bring out his controlling instincts, making him assume he was in charge.

But never mind, Putin thinks he’s great, calling him ‘bright and talented.’ That’s not a relationship that would last if the unthinkable happened.

Christine Lagarde, head of IMF, is to stand trial in France for alleged negligence over a 404m euros ($438m; £294m) payment to a businessman in 2008. At that point she was finance minister in President Nicolas Sarkozy’s government. An arbitration panel appointed by her awarded the compensation to Bernard Tapie, who supported Sarkozy in the 2007 election. This month a French court ordered Tapie to hand back the money. If found guilty she could face prison though her lawyer says he will appeal her involvement.

Born 1 January 1956 1.40pm Paris, she’s got a 9th house Capricorn Sun; with a formidably tough Mars Saturn in Scorpio in the 7th square Moon Pluto in Leo and Jupiter in Virgo. So showy, confident and unbudgeable.

2016 does not look that easy for her with tr Uranus square her MC from April onwards which could send her career off-track; plus an undermining tr Neptune conjunct her Solar Arc Sun with tr Saturn square. Plus Solar Arc Pluto conjunct Neptune which will unsettle her work and health-wise. Depending on how accurate her birth time is, tr Pluto could reach the conjunction to her MC within a year or so which can herald a meltdown of sorts.

Her IMF Term chart, 5 July 2011, has a sinking and irritable tr Neptune square and tr Saturn opposition the Mars, now and through 2016. With a blocking Solar Arc Pluto opposition Sun approaching through 2016, into 2017.

The publicity surrounding the Tapie affair won’t do Sarkozy any good as he battles unpopularity within his own party, as he heads for the 2017 election.

Born 28 Jan 1956 10pm, Paris, he’s got an uncomfortable Solar Arc Sun conjunct his 7th house Mars, exact in 6 months’ time which is always a collision of sorts or a major shock. And Solar Arc Saturn is heading to oppose his Jupiter by 2017 which is a definite downer.

After a run of bad results, sulky outbursts and the like, Jose Mourinho has been let go as Chelsea Football Club manager, despite having signed a new four year contract in August.

Born 26 January 1963 7am Setubal, Portugal, he does have tr Saturn square tr Neptune in hard aspect to his Uranus Pluto opposition lucky Jupiter now and through 2016 which is deflating and confused. More pointedly his Solar Arc Pluto is within less than a degree square his Aquarius Sun, blocking his forward progress; and Solar Arc Venus is conjunct his Saturn now and into 2016 making him feel less than loved.

Mind you tr Pluto sextile his 2nd house Jupiter for the next year may lend a little balm in the shape of a mammoth payoff.

When he returned to Chelsea for the second time on 10 June 2013 there was an enthusiastic and successful Sun Jupiter conjunction. But also a high-stress, rather toxic Yod of Saturn sextile Pluto inconjunct Mars; with Mars square Neptune. That very afflicted Mars now has tr Neptune square and tr Saturn opposition the Solar Arc Mars – so he got some wins and now he gets the downside.

Maggie Thatcher’s twins are evidently not speaking after Carol’s decision to auction off possessions her mother had left her. It now looks set to make millions after the first day’s higher than expected prices. Mark, always his mother’s favourite, is furious, though he is accused in Charles Moore’s recent Thatcher biography of exploiting his mother’s connections to further his business interests especially in the Middle and Far East.

The twins were born 15 August 1953 at 2.50/2.52 pm with Mark coming first as he always did in his mother’s eyes. Carol was the less favoured one, as indeed was Maggie’s mother whom she said she rarely spoke to after the age of 15, since there was nothing to say. In contrast she idolised her father who was not by all accounts a nice man.

Maggie was born 13 October 1925 9am Grantham, England and had Sun Mars Mercury in Libra. Libra women are often daddy’s girls, more inclined to the masculine than the feminine. In addition Maggie had Jupiter in Capricorn opposition Pluto square Mars Sun – so a hard-driving chart.

Her Moon aspects on the contrary are wreathed in fog – a Leo Moon Neptune square Venus. Neptune can idealise but can also regard the parent with contempt as weak. [Interesting side note from net trawl – her mother may have been the illegitimate child of local gentry.] Maggie’s Moon was conjunct her MC fitting her for a public career, but she may have owed more to her mother’s genes than she wanted to acknowledge.

Carol & Mark have Sun Pluto in Leo – like Princess Anne, who also tends towards her father. With complicated Moon aspects – Libra Moon conjunct Saturn Neptune square Uranus, trine Jupiter. So mother was a workaholic, inaccessible, evasive, unpredictable and at times indulgent. Clearly one twin got the better end of her and the other missed out. And tricky with two controlling Leos fighting it out for attention.

Both have been through a sticky time recently with Solar Arc Sun Pluto conjunct their Saturn last year which may have prompted Carol’s sale idea. Mark has been low profile since his arrest over the Simon Mann Equatorial Guinea coup plot in 2004 for which he got a 4 year suspended jail sentence. Both look set for much better financial news with Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct their Sun Pluto running up now and over the next year. So Carol has her retirement fund and Mark?? Who knows?

HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy and capable of carrying up to forty aircraft. She was laid down on 2 July 2009 and launched on 4 July 2014, and is scheduled for commissioning in 2017, with operational capability from 2020.

I’m not sure whether the build can be speeded up if the global situation demanded action. Somehow I doubt it.

The laying down chart hints at slow progress through 2016/17 with tr Pluto trine Saturn; and quite a concentration of influences, not all good, around late 2018/19/20. A challenging, pressured and maybe stuck Solar Arc Pluto opposition Sun; an uncertain, panicky tr Neptune opposition Saturn in 2019/20 and a ruthless, risky tr Pluto trine Mars in 2019/20.

The launch chart has a Cardinal Grand Cross of Sun opposition Pluto square Uranus opposition Mars – and is bumping its way with difficulty and probably multiple crises through the next several years as these aspects come exact by Solar Arc and transit. 2017/18 look fraught; 2018/19 jarring and in disarray. 2023 could be a collision of sorts.

HMS Prince of Wales which is also due for operational capability in 2020 was laid down on 26 May 2011 and looks to be having a marginally easier steam through with good luck in 2017, though a few tensions erupting in 2018.

Florida Senator Mario Rubio was born 28 May 1971 and announced his bid 13 April 2015 at 6.13pm Miami.

He’s had a lack-lustre start to his campaign with tr Saturn criss crossing the conjunction to his Jupiter Neptune in Sagittarius and opposing his Gemini Sun. That’s now gone but there’s nothing much of any variety showing in his chart apart from Solar Arc Mercury square Pluto.

His bid chart always looked a touch limp with a Saturn opposition Venus square Neptune in the 6th – dreams and ideals but not much drive or realism. It also has a divisive Sun Uranus in the 7th with Uranus square a 4th house Pluto – so not universally popular. What’s worse is Pluto trine an 8th house Mars which looks hugely frustrated. Plus Mars is on the point of a Fixed T Square to Jupiter opposition Moon – maybe donor trouble.

There’s no birth time for him which could make a slight difference but I’d have expected to see additional good news elsewhere in his chart if he had a chance.

Downton Abbey which has been a worldwide TV success is nearing closure with a Christmas Special finale and the cast in the USA strutting their stuff for publicity.

It launched on 26 September 2010 with a lucky Jupiter Uranus in Pisces opposition a Libra Sun (and Saturn) square Pluto – so a real mix of enthusiasm, good fortune and enduring determination from Saturn Pluto. Plus an earthy (country) Taurus Moon opposition a passionate Venus Mars in Scorpio. Uranus has moved by Solar Arc to oppose the Sun exactly as it shuts up shop, though it’s not beyond the bounds of possibility (and commerce) that a movie might transpire at some point.

Hugh Bonneville, 10 Nov 1963, headed the cast as Lord Grantham. He’s an intense though dreamy and creative Sun Mercury Neptune in Scorpio square Saturn in Aquarius. With a Virgo Moon Uranus Pluto square Mars Venus in Sagittarius – so more complicated emotionally than he looks, certainly suited for a roving lifestyle.

Joanna Froggatt, 23 Aug 1980, who plays Anna Bates, is up again for a Golden Globe, having won last year. She’s a Sun Virgo with Jupiter and Saturn also in Virgo (none conjunct); and a tough Mars Pluto in Libra. Tr Jupiter in Virgo will be doing her morale good; and even better tr Pluto will trine her Jupiter from late January 2016 for two years – so great success to come.

Michelle Dockery, 15 December 1981, who played Lady Mary, is mourning her fiancé who has just died from a rare cancer. She’s a Sun Neptune Mercury in Sagittarius square Mars in Virgo – so well designed for glamour, publicity and a creative world and feisty with it. Her Moon is Leo and she has the tough-minded Saturn Pluto in Libra. There’s success for her through the next two years with a couple of Jupiter midpoints getting a boost.

The USA Navy’s newest warship, USS Milwaukee, has ground to a halt only three weeks after being commissioned and is being towed back to harbour with engine trouble. It is a fast, agile, focused-mission platform designed for operation in near-shore environments yet capable of open-ocean operation.

It was laid down on 27 Oct 2011 and launched on 18 Dec 2013.

The laying down chart has a Mars in Leo opposition Neptune square Venus Mercury in Scorpio – so good for flashy publicity; with an overly expansive and probably overly expensive Sun opposition Jupiter in Taurus (nearly half a billion USD). That chart has a disruptive Solar Arc Uranus square Pluto now when it ceased to function. There’s another eruption of problems possibly when tr Uranus starts to square the Saturn from April 2016 onwards; and a panicky/failure Solar Arc Mars opposition Neptune in 20 months’ time. So it’s going to be a while before all the wrinkles iron out.

The launch chart 2013 has that awkward revolving-crisis Cardinal Grand Cross of Mars in Libra opposition Uranus square Pluto opposition Moon Jupiter. Interesting that it commissions and runs into trouble when Mars is back in Libra for the first time in two years. There’s a fair amount of mayhem on that chart for the next year as the Grand Cross moves by Solar Arc to close aspects to exact. It could ultimately be successful with Jupiter in there, but it will take time.

Major Tim Peake became the first UK astronaut when he blasted off at 11.03am from Baikonur, Kazakhstan today. He has now successfully docked, with fellow crew members, a Russian and an American, at the International Space Station where he’ll stay for six months.

The launch chart has the high-tension Mars in Libra opposition Uranus square Pluto; and the Sagittarius Sun square an 8th house Jupiter which will hopefully bring luck from the universe.

Born 7 April 1972 in Chichester, England, he’s an Aries Sun in a trail-blazing opposition to Uranus. With a determined Mercury in Aries opposition Pluto square lucky Jupiter in Capricorn. He’s certainly not short of initiative with all those Cardinal planets. He’s also got Saturn Venus Mars in Gemini opposition Neptune so disciplined, passionately enthusiastic, a dreamer.

Indeed he’s got an Air Grand Trine of those three Gemini planets trine Pluto trine North Node in Aquarius, all focussed into a Kite with cosmic Neptune as the driving planet.

It looks a fairly bumpy ride over the next few months with some lucky, high-spirited moments as well.