Astrology of Today’s News

There are increasingly strident demands for President Jacob Zuma of South Africa to depart. His latest idiocy was to fire a respected Finance Minister which sent the rand and markets tumbling, debt-servicing costs rising, and will cost the country billions.

His term chart 24 May 2014 11.35am Pretoria has a crisis-ridden Cardinal Grand Cross of Uranus opposition Mars square Pluto opposition Jupiter. The Pluto Jupiter probably alludes to his cavalier tendency to throw taxpayers’ money at personal projects as if there were no restrictions. The Pluto moves by Solar Arc to square Uranus exactly in 6 months’ time so the run up will be very unstable. Ditto tr Pluto back to square Uranus from the New Year through January 2016.

His own personal chart, 12 April 1942, has tr Uranus conjunct the Aries Sun from late April which will be a jolt; and he has four midpoints being undermined by tr Neptune and tr Saturn hard aspects, now and through 2016. So definitely sagging.

The South Africa 1910 chart looks uncertain, undermined and indecisive next year with the Tr Saturn square tr Neptune hitting on the 9 degree Gemini Sun. Plus a high panic tr Uranus opposition Mars Neptune in Cancer early in 2016 and tr Pluto square Neptune, then Mars – huge frustration, anger and devastation.

The Golden Globe nominations are out for the awards on January 10 next. Too many to cover and most without birth times.

Just on a brief scan. Cate Blanchett up for Carol has tr Jupiter trine her Taurus Sun exactly that day which has to help.

Leo di Caprio – The Revenant – Scorpio Sun Libra Moon. Has a couple of useful Jupiter transits to Jupiter midpoints though they aren’t that strong. He’s certainly very emotional with tr Pluto square his Libra Moon and Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Venus – which is either making him feel much loved or seriously jealous.

Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn – Aries Sun Taurus Moon. Looks happy in the aftermath but not necessarily on the day itself.

Maggie Smith – The Lady in the Van – Capricorn Sun Virgo/Libra Moon. Fairly mixed. Tr Pluto will sextile her Jupiter in the immediate aftermath and across the Oscars but tr Pluto is also trine her Solar Arc Saturn which in turn opposes her Jupiter. A dashed hopes tr Pluto square Jupiter/Neptune and an upbeat tr Jupiter to a Jupiter midpoint. Pleased to be nominated maybe but not quite there, maybe more of a shot in the Oscars.

Mark Rylance – Wolf Hall/Bridge of Spies – Capricorn Sun Virgo Moon. Looks frustrated and irritable, rather uncertain.

Damien Lewis – supporting, Wolf Hall – Aquarius Sun Leo/Virgo Moon. Nothing too good, blocked and irritable with Solar Arc Saturn conjunct Mars; and tr Neptune square too Mars midpoints which are sinking.

Idris Elba – Beasts of No Nation/Luther – Virgo Sun, Moon Leo/Virgo. Could be chipper with tr Jupiter trine his Sun/Pluto but his life is certainly in a state of upheaval with the tr Uranus square tr Pluto hitting his Uranus – a mid life crisis and then some.

Bryan Cranston – Trumbo – Pisces Sun Capricorn Moon. Tr Pluto trine his Solar Arc Sun and moving to sextile his Pisces Sun in the weeks thereafter suggest he feels his life is coming together satisfactorily. But he looks jagged and rather lacklustre over the Globes, though with one upbeat tr Jupiter to a Mars midpoint showing.

I’ve been puzzling over the USA 1776 and First Presidents’ chart to see if I could gauge the mood of the country over the election and inauguration – and am not much wiser.

When GWB was inaugurated after the dodgy 2000 election, there was a Sun Neptune, Mercury Uranus in the 10th – so vague, indecisive, ineffectual, impulsive. Mars was opposition Saturn square Uranus Mercury – so militarily inclined and explosive. There was a secretive (dirty tricks behind the arras) 8th house Moon Pluto which through 9/11, the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars tr Saturn moved to oppose.

Barack Obama’s first term had a 10th house Sun Jupiter Mercury with a country largely delighted they had elected their first black president and buoyed up his ‘we can change’ message. Plus an all-systems change Saturn opposition Uranus.

Ronald Reagan’s inauguration had a 10th house Sun Mercury Mars trine Saturn Jupiter and with Sun opposition Moon. Mars was also trine Pluto. So reasonably dynamic and idealistic.

The 2017 inauguration, assuming 20 January 12 noon, has a solo 10th house Sun square a Scorpio Moon so out of step at times with the mood of the country. A pushily over-confident Jupiter opposition Uranus square Pluto – looks controlling, inclined to take risks and arouse resentment (perhaps abroad) or with dogmatic views. There is a balancing Saturn in Sagittarius trine Uranus and sextile Saturn which may help as an antidote. Though Saturn trine Mars also looks military. I can’t decide whether that looks more like Hillary than Trump.

The election will be held on 8 November 2016 with a Scorpio Sun trine Neptune and Neptune square Saturn – so arousing paranoia and some confusion, maybe undecided. Though there’s also the pushy Jupiter opposition Uranus square Pluto with Uranus square Mars – so much heat generated.

The USA 4 July 1776 11am chart is trudging through thick mud, feeling discouraged in 2016 with tr Pluto square Saturn; and undermined with tr Saturn square tr Neptune hitting on the Solar Arc Sun – not knowing what to do for the best. Tr Uranus will be square Mercury in Cancer so outbursts of excited utterances, ie. arguments and insults; with tr Uranus moving to square Pluto in 2017 for quite an upheaval.

On the First Presidents’ chart 30 April 1789 12.45pm New York, there’s a good deal of passion being aroused through 2016/17 with tr Pluto opposing the FP Moon; with a lacklustre feel over the inauguration.

On reflection and you can argue these things round all ways – Jupiter Uranus Pluto could be the not-entirely-humble Trump; and the election North Node opposition Neptune square opinionated Saturn in Sagittarius could be ditto, for a conservative result.

I hate US elections, they go on for aeons of time. And this one seems even more obscure than most.

Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, had twin girls on 10 December early morning presumably San Francisco. Thus they have roughly the same charts as Kim Kardashian’s latest (see below). In their case a Moon Saturn in Sagittarius squares Neptune so a fairly neurotic mother, cool or overly hard-working and rather inaccessible. Their Sagittarius Sun squares Jupiter in Virgo and trines Uranus – so definitely upbeat, enthusiastic and quirky. Plus that megaton Uranus opposition Mars square Pluto.

Marissa Mayer’s focal point Saturn in Cancer opposes their Pluto and squares their Mars Uranus – so her need to prove herself by excelling won’t sit too happily with them. Her Gemini Sun opposes their Moon Saturn so she may find they block her out.

Their relationship chart with her does have an affectionate composite Sun opposition Venus but that sextile/trines onto a composite Moon Mars conjunction – so some aggravation as well.

The twins’ relationship with their brother, 30 September 2012 11.59pm San Fran, looks very stressed with a composite Sun conjunct Saturn on one side and Mars on the other; with the composite Moon possibly square all three.

He’s a 4th house Sun Libra opposition Uranus square Pluto with an Aries Moon opposition Saturn; and a vengeful Mars in Scorpio. So he won’t have an easy personality. He’ll not only have to cope with a new cuckoo in his nest, but two of them.

The governor of the Bank of Canada has caused consternation by saying the country might move to negative interest rates to encourage spending and investment if the economy stays sluggish and another crisis erupts. It sounds a dreadful idea dreamt up by theoretical economists who don’t look 10 or 20 years ahead when all that spent money isn’t there to keep people afloat in their old age.

The Bank of Canada chart, 11 March 1935, does look discouraging over the next year plus with tr Saturn square the Neptune opposition Sun until late 2016. There’s also a very pressured tr Pluto square the financial Venus from early 2016 till late 2017. And with tr Uranus square the BoC Pluto and opposition BoC Mars from late May till early 2017 insecurity may push them into radical measures.

The Canada chart, 1 July 1867 12am Ottawa, does look as if it is ploughing through heavy seas in 2016/17/18 with a certain amount of hardship and panic. Tr Pluto will continue to square Neptune in 2016 and the Ascendant in 2016/17 which will bring confusion and concern and change Canada’s image in the eyes of the world. Tr Pluto will also continue to trine Pluto through 2016 and sextile Saturn in 2016/17 which usually suggests forced change and deprivation. Tough times.

But Canada is a tough country and there are better economic signs in three years or so.

Just a small thought about Pluto in Capricorn (2008 to 2024). Looking back over previous times in history when Pluto was in Capricorn it coincided with the growth of empires and major land grabs. When I first looked at it pre-2008 my thought was that territorial domination didn’t fit with modern geo-politics. But unless ISIL is stopped, it is busy carving out swathes of the Middle East for itself, effectively re-drawing country boundaries, and will no doubt move over into North Africa to do the same.

As if Gaza didn’t have enough problems being stockaded by Israel and under Hamas’s thumb, there is now word that disaffected Hamas militants are moving over to ISIL. ISIL dislike Hamas since they are not ‘Islamic’ enough, ie. not hard-line and have threatened to turn their caliphate campaign against Israel.

The Gaza 9 Nov 1917 9am chart is in a despairing year in 2015 with Solar Arc Neptune conjunct Sun. Then come 2016 tr Saturn will oppose the Gaza Jupiter and square their Virgo Moon – so denting whatever enthusiasm the local population can muster and probably undermining the economy as well. Then late 2016 into 2017 the Solar Arc Mars will square the Moon – a shock for the poor Gazans; with an undermining tr Neptune opposing the Moon in 2017.

Tensions between ISIL and Israel will increase late Feb/March next year.

Donald Trump continues to trumpet off tune and continues to rise in the polls (whatever they are worth since they’ve been continually wrong everywhere over the recent past). Even the Republican Party is wincing about his ban-all-Muslims from entering USA speech.

He doesn’t have a particularly horrific chart but does have a loudmouth Mars in Leo conjunct his Leo Ascendant so he undoubtedly likes the sound of his own angry foghorn. His Sagittarius Moon is outspoken and his Gemini Sun Uranus will enjoy being provocative. Maybe he’s just found a productive furrow and will continue to plough it while he’s getting support.

Given the uncertainty of a world still shaken by the financial crisis, rising gun crime and the chaos of the Middle East, he’s giving voice to a section of the population unnerved by the inability of out-of-touch political leadership (not just the USA) to do anything sensible about myriad problems and their inability to speak honestly.

Born 14 June 1946 10.54am New York (ADB), he does have a left hand chart so he’s not good at understanding the ‘other’ point of view with the exception of his family.

His chart does clash with the USA’s since his Sun Uranus are conjunct the USA Mars and his Mars opposes the USA’s Aquarius Moon so he was always going to be a stirrer of difficult issues, drawing ire towards him but also exposing underlying aggravations.

His relationship chart with the USA suggests an emotionally intense, toxic-debate mood running right through 2016. And with tr Pluto in a pushy square to his Jupiter from early 2016 on for two year he’s not going to suddenly get humble or sensible. He’s going to notch up the volume by several scales. He may trip himself up through over-confidence but with his Solar Arc Pluto conjunction his Jupiter, which is hugely successful, over the election and inauguration, I would wonder.

His relationship chart with the GOP looks bad tempered this January and panicked from June onwards. The Republican 6 July 1854 chart equally looks confused and mentally off balance through 2016.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were delivered of a son, named Saint, on 5th December in the morning in Los Angeles, to go with daughter North, born in June 2013.

Not exactly a saintly chart – a Sun Saturn in Sagittarius square Neptune is sort of OK – serious, knowledgeable, opinionated, creative, though also neurotic. But it’s the Mars (Moon) in Libra opposition Uranus square Pluto which is an eye-opener. A great deal of explosive energy all tightly controlled. Huge anger issues, probably with both parents.

The relationship charts with both parents really tricky with a Mars Saturn square Uranus with Ma; and a Mars opposition Uranus Neptune with Pa.

Daughter North, a Sun Jupiter in Gemini like Kanye will incline towards her father. Saint (heaven help us) will incline more towards mother, just, since both share Jupiter in Virgo and she has a Libra Sun. Tricky for Saint with father since Kanye’s Pluto is conjunct his Mars so a real power struggle there. Kim’s Mars is conjunct his Saturn which isn’t good, very bad tempered.

Neither of them have easy charts, poor mites. North has a Moon opposition Neptune square Mars; and this one’s Moon influences are worse.

The Forth Road Bridge in Scotland is to be closed due to structural defects at least till the New Year which could cost the economy around £50 million due to higher transport costs as haulage vehicles and business traffic have to take the long route round.
When it was opened on 4 September 1965 it was the fourth biggest suspension bridge in the world and the longest outside the USA. There have been corrosion and cable problems in recent times. A replacement crossing is due to open late 2016 to take the heavier traffic off its elderly shoulders.
The Opening chart has Solar Arc Mars conjunct Pluto now which is paralysis; and an undermining tr Neptune opposing Uranus and Sun in 2016; plus an accident-prone tr Uranus square Mars from late May next year. So it may be hard pushed to stay open until the new one appears.