Astrology of Today’s News

Pierre Boulez, one of the most significant figures in western music over the past century has died aged 90. He was a composer, conductor of many of the great orchestras, writer and performer, highly thought of by fellow musicians, despite or because of his maverick tendencies. He always championed avant garde composers and left his native France because he felt it was too hidebound, settling in Germany.

Born on 26 March 1925 5pm Montbrison, France, he had a 7^th house an Aries Sun which squared an influential and dominating 10^th house Pluto. He also had a Venus Uranus in Pisces conjunction straddling his Descendant and evidently could be charming and horrible, not infrequently at the same time.

His musical Neptune in Leo was emphasised being on the focal point of a Yod to Jupiter in Capricorn sextile Uranus – so he’d be a risk-taker, always following his own vision. Although a communicator and dependent on close relationships, he was essentially a loner. Quite a contradictory temperament.

He lived with his lifelong partner, Hans Messmer, whom he sometimes referred to as his valet.

His creative 7H, 14H and 15H harmonics are especially strongly marked. As was his ‘super-star’ 22H.

Saudi Arabia has thrown fuel on the fire with Iran and the other Shi’ite Arab countries by executing a respected activist cleric (and another 46 all on the same day). The fault lines in the Middle East are being ripped apart at an alarming rate with the two superpowers taking up high noon positions.

Obama has murmured an anodyne protest while David Cameron has done even less to protest at Saudi Arabia’s barbarity which is getting more extreme under the ailing King Salman’s reign, with reckless and squabbling princelings pushing it to the brink.

The Saudi 1902 chart has tr Uranus moving to square Saturn from mid March onwards and square Sun Jupiter from mid year – so major changes and upheavals, though with some luck.

King Salman’s reign chart, 23 January 2015 1am, Riyadh, has tr Neptune conjunct the 4^th house Mars from mid January on and off throughout 2016 – so more panics in the family and internally in Saudi Arabia as oil prices hurtle down and social spending is pulled sharply back. Early 2017 will be worse with Solar Arc Neptune conjunct Mars.  That’s when tr Pluto is conjunct the SArabia Saturn for two years until late 2018 which will be even more severe cutbacks.

The SArab/Iran 1906 relationship chart is winding up for a power-play and a turnaround with the March Pisces Solar Eclipse square the Pluto (opposition Uranus) and tr Pluto square the composite Jupiter from March also till late 2017 which is always a tussle for the upper hand.

The SArab/Iran, Feb 1979 9am relationship chart is also in for an upsetting time with tr Uranus trine Pluto and tr Pluto sextile Saturn.

Both the Iran charts look very edgy and panicky. The 7 October 1906 one has tr Neptune conjunct Saturn from mid February onwards, on and off for year, with tr Pluto trine Mars which looks risky and enraged from this New Year onwards.

The 1979 chart also has tr Neptune opposition Saturn from mid 2016 till late 2017, so high levels of anxiety and paranoia; with dramatic changes from March. Though that may be partly the sanctions being lifted if the nuclear deal holds.

Bill Cosby’s wife Camille has been summoned to give evidence in a civil case against him, as he also faces criminal proceedings for sexual assault. According to reports she was supportive of him initially but became sickened as the list of complainants grew.

He was born 12 July 1937 12.30am Philadelphia, PA and she 20 March 1944 in Washington DC.

She’s a Sun Pisces opposition Neptune, and square Saturn Mars in Gemini – so a dreamer who’s had a hard life and been used to being tramped on.  She’s also got a detached Air Grand Trine of Uranus to Neptune to an Aquarius Moon, which last opposes Pluto – so she’s tough and able to stand back from painful situations.

He’s got a powerhouse and controlling Sun Pluto Mercury in Cancer in the 4^th opposition a confident, lucky, successful 10^th house Jupiter. His hard, self-reliant Saturn in Virgo is conjunct her Sun and opposition her Neptune; and her teeth-gritting Mars Saturn squares his Neptune (Moon) in Virgo hinting at his slippery approach to relationships.

Their relationship chart is a mix of chained-together and resenting it and unkind; with enough Jupiter around to make it bearable. There’s a composite Saturn opposition Jupiter square Pluto, trine Mars. With a needs-space Sun Uranus trine Neptune; and perhaps opposition composite Moon.

Their relationship has been through the mill in recent years and 2016 looks like a sinker with tr Neptune opposition Mars. It’s held together for 50 years so she may just sit it out from the sidelines.

They had four daughters and one son who was killed in a shooting in 1997. Ennis Cosby, 15 April 1969 12.28am Los Angeles, had a truly difficult chart with a Sun Saturn in Aries on the focal point of a Yod to Pluto Jupiter sextile Neptune; and Pluto square Mars. A Saturnine Yod is challenging to live out and can be quite fated.

Nicola Sturgeon keeps waving the flag for a second referendum for Scottish independence though, given the state of the oil industry with plummeting prices giving no sign of a reversal, the economic arguments make it likely there would still be a NO vote.

The SNP government looks set to win heavily in the May elections, despite having had a bad year with oil, a shambolic Police Scotland performance and problems in the NHS and education, as well as the under-maintained Forth Road Bridge coming apart at the seams.

On her personal chart, 19 July 1970 3.18pm Irvine, Scotland, she still has the career-success tr Jupiter through her 10^th until July 2016; though equally pulling against that is tr Saturn sinking lower into her first quadrant, moving through her 2^nd till 2018, which is not usually a time of great achievement. Often politicos with this, slide on longer and longer banana skins. She’s also got tr Neptune opposition her 10^th house Venus from mid January onwards and then opposition her Sun/Jupiter – so disappointments, undermining her popularity. There will be some resounding ups as well. But it looks like one step forwards, one step backwards for most of the year.

She has two highly pressured Solar Arcs coming up, exact in 18 months’ time, but in effect late this year – SArc Mercury conjunct Pluto; and SArc Pluto square Mercury. That will put her under considerable mental strain.

Her swearing in chart, 20 Nov 2014 10.15am, Edinburgh, is looking edgy in the extreme with tr Pluto conjunct the Mars/Pluto midpoint from the New Year and running all year, on and off. With an irritable, insecure tr Uranus square Mars from late Feb to mid March which is likely to lead to outbursts and rash decisions. What is interesting is that this chart has tr Saturn heading to cross the Ascendant from next New Year which could see a downward slide.

There are the usual (or more so) panics about the approaching Olympics in Brazil with behind-schedule construction, sewage-contaminated waterways for rowing events and street gun crime. Yet somehow the games almost always manage to get through without too many mishaps (apart from Munich).

It is due to start on August 5^th which gives a Neptune opposition Venus Mercury square Saturn Mars in Sagittarius  – so paranoia will be running high, and Saturn Mars can be accident-prone and bad tempered. What is helpful is the Leo Sun in a stable trine to Saturn and there will be a confident Jupiter in Virgo trine Pluto.

Brazil, in an economic downturn, is probably cursing the day it took on the Olympics. The 7 September 1822 chart has the Solar Arc Sun within a degree of being conjunct its’ Pluto, come August, which suggests it will be shuddering to some kind of an economic halt in the months thereafter. With a high tension tr Uranus inconjunct the Solar Arc Saturn. Happily it also has tr Jupiter conjunct Mercury at the Games opening so will put on a confident face.

The 15 Nov 1899 chart also indicates a sharp reversal following the Olympics with Solar Arc Sun opposition Mars. But again it has tr Jupiter coming to the rescue with a sextile to the Scorpio Sun, which is weak but will manage to raise the odd smile.

Leo Tolstoy wrote two of the world’s best known novels -the epic War and Peace and Anna Karenina.  He was a towering talent though a truly terrible husband. Aged 34 he married the 16 year old Sophia and as a wedding gift presented her with his diaries, recording his multiple past sexual liaisons with prostitutes and servants.

He proceeded to father 13 children on her and she wrote bleakly in her diaries: ‘I am to gratify his pleasure and nurse his child, I am a piece of household furniture.’

Despite being suicidal (and homicidal) at times, she helped him with his novels, copying out War and Peace several times. Indeed it has been said she was pivotal to his success as a novelist.

Latterly he became an austere Christian-socialist and left all of the running of the finances, estate and children to her. She wrote: “If he had one iota of the psychological understanding which fills his books, he would have understood the pain and despair I was going through.”  She loved his genius and loathed the man.

Born 9 September 1828 10.52pm(?) Tula, Russia, he had a New Moon and Mercury in Virgo in his 4^th house, so was a communicator though also self-sufficient and critical at a domestic level. He had Uranus in the 8^th, which would drive his early need for sexual experimentation opposition Saturn Venus in Leo – making him autocratic, with a desire to be grand.

A 7^th house Mars Neptune in Capricorn squared a 10^th house Pluto – suggesting a need to dominate and possibly also a need to undermine a marriage partner to whom he was not fully committed.

Luckily for him, his wife had a backbone of steel. Born 22 August 1844 in Moscow, Sophia was a Sun Mars in Leo trine Pluto so brave and enduring. Her Sun Mars opposed Neptune so she’d enjoy the publicity his novels brought. Her Uranus Jupiter in Aries were conjunct his 10^th house Pluto so she would bring luck to his ambitions and would be a catalyst. Her Venus in home-loving Cancer opposed his 8^th house Uranus – so he would not provide her with the emotional support she needed.

Their relationship chart lays out graphically what AN Wilson described as one of the unhappiest marriages in literary history. A composite Moon Mars opposed Saturn which points to unkindness and downright cruelty at an emotional level. That opposition squared onto Neptune – so in many ways quite perverse, though finding an outlet in creativity. The composite Sun also opposed Uranus – so not well designed for intimacy.

His creative 5^th and 7^th Harmonics are strong (quintiles and septiles) and his writers’ 21^st Harmonic is especially marked.

Lili Elbe was a Danish painter and transgender woman, probably the first to have sex reassignment surgery from male to female, from which she died in 1931. The Eddie Redmayne film The Danish Girl is loosely based on her story.

Lili was born Einar Wegener, 28 December 1882, and had the truly difficult Neptune Saturn and Pluto in Taurus opposition North Node in Scorpio square a Leo Moon –  so he would be conflicted emotionally.  Uranus in Virgo was also trine Neptune Saturn and Pluto – creative, though highly strung and changeable. His Sun Mercury and Mars were in Capricorn with Mars square Uranus – restless, ambitious, keen to take the initiative, volatile.

He married Gerda Gottlieb, another painter, 15 March 1886, who was a Sun Pisces opposition Jupiter in Libra square Saturn in Cancer – quite a mix of artistic, optimistic and pessimistic. The marriage was dissolved when Einar became Lili. Gerda’s focal point Saturn was opposition Lili’s Mars Sun – so not an ideal mix.

Their relationship chart hints at mutual support and an adventurous streak; though was also destined to disappointment with a composite Sun opposition Jupiter square Mars on one side and Neptune on the other.

At the time he decided on gender reassignment surgery his Solar Arc Sun Mars were moving square to his Neptune Saturn in Taurus planets in the run up.

There are concerns that the fire on New Year’s Eve in Dubai in a high-rise hotel near the Burj Khalifa (largest skyscraper in the world) may have spread more rapidly because of flammable building materials. If so it will be a headache for the other towering blocks which are the Emirates pride and joy.

The Address Hotel which went up, was opened on 9 September 2009, on the Saturn in Virgo opposition Uranus square Pluto. Saturn had moved by Solar Arc to close the square to Pluto to exact when the fire struck; with Solar Arc Uranus less than a degree away from the exact square on the other side of Pluto. So a critical point for the hotel.

The Marina Torch which went up in flames early in 2015, was opened in May 2011 and had more or less the same with Solar Arc Pluto exactly square Saturn; and Solar Arc Uranus approaching the square to Pluto on the other side.

The Burj Khalifa, opened on 4 January 2010, also has similar in four/five years’ time when Solar Arc Uranus moves to square the BK Pluto and then oppose the BK Saturn. And in three/four years’ time the Solar Arc Saturn will square and Solar Arc Pluto conjunct the BK Sun as well.

Dubai, 8 January 1820 chart, does have Solar Arc Sun conjunct its Mars now which is a shock or collision of sorts. And tr Uranus is set for its final square to the Capricorn Sun from later this month with tr Pluto conjunct the Dubai Sun picking up late February, running till late 2017. So it is facing a very challenging time, perhaps for other reasons, but perhaps symbolised by these scary fires.

HAPPY NEW YEAR and all the best for 2016.

Welcome to the new website. The old familiar one had been clunking along for nearly twenty years and regrettably no longer spoke to the new technology. So needs must.

Like all babies the new site won’t come into the world without a few hiccups. There are still sections to be added and fine tuning to come. so I hope you’ll bear with us. And email me (on contact) with any suggestions.

First week in January looks challenging (sigh) with a Capricorn Sun conjunct Pluto and square Uranus. But Mars is moving into super-determined Scorpio from the 3rd which will help to squash any problems underfoot. By mid-month Jupiter should (and it had better!!) spread its magic around.

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Amicalement   Marjorie