Astrology of Today’s News

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Australia’s showbusiness power-couple Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness have announced a surprise separation in their 27 year marriage after years of proclaiming eternal bliss. They met in 1995 on the set of the Australian TV series Corelli, with Deb, already an established actress, and Hugh, then an actor fresh out of drama school and married less than a year later. They have two adopted children.

 He was born 12 October 1968 and she 30 November 1955, both in Australia neither with birth times.

  He is an amiable though downbeat and hard-working Libra Sun opposition Saturn in Aries, while she is a confident, upbeat and independent-minded Sun Sagittarius trine square Jupiter with an ultra-determined Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto.

  Various matters of Astro-interest. Both have a pushily confident Jupiter Pluto conjunction which then reappears in their relationship chart – classic for a power couple. Togetherness they exude self-assurance and success.  Both have a Gemini Moon and both have Jupiter in Virgo – so have certain similar traits and will understand where the other is coming from.

  Less helpful is her Saturn conjunct his dreamy Venus Neptune conjunction in Scorpio – she will bring him down to earth and will be the stronger of the pair. Her Mars Neptune is conjunct his Mercury so there will be at times an argumentative mood.

  Like Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell their relationship chart has a ‘finger of destiny’ yod in their case from a  composite Sun Neptune sextile Jupiter Pluto inconjunct Saturn.  Sun Neptune does suggest a relationship designed for a creative business but can suggest lack of commitment at some level, wanting perfection and feeling the reality doesn’t match up.  Jupiter Pluto works well while there is togetherness, less well when they start to follow individual agendas. The yod would make their relationship feel ‘meant’ though would involve hard work and take maturity for it to hold together.

  She has tr Pluto square her Mars in Scorpio this year and next as well as tr Saturn square her Sun, Mercury and opposition her Jupiter so not entirely contented. He’s been through tough times recently with tr Pluto and Uranus rattling up his Sun opposition Saturn – with several surgeries for skin cancer. His North Node in Aries which is being triggered by the Solar Eclipses through into 2025 hints that independence and even a time in isolation is what he needs for spiritual development.

Russell Brand, the anti-establishment comedian and hugely successful alt-right podcaster with a troubled past has been accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuse. All of which he firmly denies and is being supported by Andrew Tate and Elon Musk.

  He was born 4 June 1975 12.01 am Basildon, England, with his parents separating when he was six and his mother becoming seriously ill with cancer when he was eight. In his teens he struggled with bulimia and started taking drugs. He has been open about his fraught relationship with his father whom he claims took him to visit a prostitute during a trip to Thailand. His autobiography My Booky Wook, details his drug abuse, promiscuity and sex addiction. His comedy career moved from the fringes to mainstream until he disgraced himself leaving lewd messages for Andrew Sachs which got him suspended from the BBC.

  He featured on a Royal Variety Show, later moved to Hollywood and is now an online influencer, wellness guru and conspiracy theorist, with six million subscribers. He shares Covid-19 misinformation, anti-vaccine talking points and pro-Russian conspiracies in relation to Ukraine.

  What is intriguing is he was born on the same day as Angelina Jolie, who had a similarly turbulent childhood with drug issues.

  Like her, Brand has a Gemini Sun with an Aries Moon conjunct Mars and opposition Pluto – which suggests an underground reservoir of volcanic anger. His Sun is trine an 8^th house Pluto and opposition a 10^th house shapeshifting Neptune, making him mega-ambitious and giving him the potential to exert unseen influence. His Saturn in the hard-working 6^th is square his Jupiter, with his Jupiter conjunct Mars – so he’s a curious mix of exuberantly confident and downbeat. He’ll be very up and down in mood, swinging from highs to lows. His Venus in Cancer square Uranus which will make his feelings changeable. 

  At the moment tr Pluto is exactly square his Uranus and opposition his Solar Arc Sun for a hugely disruptive event. And tr Pluto is also exactly conjunct his Capricorn Ascendant hinting at Pluto’s destructive powers being brought to bear on his image. His Progressed Moon is also exactly conjunct his SA Midheaven and both are exactly opposition his Saturn for a discouraging setback of considerable proportions. [12.07 am looks remarkably spot on for a birth time.]

  The recent April Solar Eclipse at 30 Aries was opposition his Uranus and the two 2024 Solar Eclipses will rattle his Jupiter and Mars – the October 2024 one being the most aggravating.

   As ever caution is advised in commenting since the allegations have not gone to court or produced a conviction.  Though I can’t imagine the papers would go to town the way they have without rock solid evidence.

Ukraine has launched the biggest attack of the war on the home of the Russian navy’s Black Sea fleet in the Crimean city of Sevastopol damaging two Russian naval ships beyond repair. “The demilitarisation of the Russian Black Sea fleet is a real long-term guarantee of security for regional trade routes and the ‘grain corridor’” said a Ukrainian adviser. Putin recently said he would not renew a deal allowing Ukraine to export grain safely through the Black Sea until the west met Moscow’s demands concerning its own agricultural exports. Another key objective is to weaken Russian logistical supplies for their defence lines in the south. Re-taking Crimea may also be a hope down the line but with Russia having turned Crimea into a fortress that prospect may be a long way off – unless Putin or a successor gives up and withdraws.

   The Crimea Invasion started on 20 February 2014 with an Annexation Declaration on 18 March 2014.

  One line of argument might be that the Ukraine Invasion which kicked off on 23 February 2022 spelled the eventual death knell for the Russia Crimea snatch. The 2022 Pluto in Capricorn in place over the Ukraine Invasion was square the earlier Crimea Invasion Mars.  The two Crimea grab charts from 2014 also have Saturn in Scorpio at 23 degrees which is being severely rattled at the moment by tr Uranus in opposition, running into early 2024. The Annexation chart also has an undermining tr Neptune conjunct the Sun now so it may not hold long term. Though any collapse of the Russian stranglehold may not be immediate – with 2026 looking like a possibility.

  The Ukraine chart, 24 August 1991 2.31pm Kiev, has the edgy, uncertain, debilitating tr Neptune opposition Mars on and off until mid February 2024. There is Pluto conjunct the Saturn through 2024/25 which will be a hard slog with deprivation. Though there will be higher hopes and a stroke of luck from June 2024 onwards as tr Uranus squares the Jupiter, boosting national morale into early 2025.

  Zelensky’s Swearing In chart, 20 May 2019 will face its/his greatest challenging in 2025 with tr Uranus conjunct the Sun and tr Neptune square the Mars as well as tr Saturn square the Jupiter.  Though he will be beyond exhausted and that may coincide with a Winston Churchill type departure to recharge his batteries.  His personal chart, 25 January 1978, looks frustrated and blocked in 2023/24 with tr Pluto opposition the Mars with more challenges in the two years thereafter with tr Pluto conjunct his Sun Venus. But his destiny and Ukraine’s may not always be so intertwined.

Footnote: Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen warlord and Putin ally, is according to reports critically ill. If he goes Putin’s position gets even draughtier with Prigozhin gone as well.  If his birthdate is sound, 5 October 1976, his Mars in late Libra has been taking a fair pounding from tr Pluto in square and Solar Arc Neptune in square last year. So it may well be true.

  For Putin see previous posts 24 August 2023, 12 April 2023.

 Add On: The Crimean War starting in 1853 pitted the Russian Empire (who lost) against the UK, France and the Ottoman Empire. It marked a turning point for the Russian Empire, weakening the Russian Army, draining the treasury and undermined Russia’s influence in Europe. ‘The empire would take decades to recover. Russia’s humiliation forced its educated elites to identify its problems and to recognise the need for fundamental reforms. They saw rapid modernisation as the sole way to recover the empire’s status as a European power. The war thus became a catalyst for reforms of Russia’s social institutions, including the abolition of serfdom and overhauls in the justice system, local self-government, education and military service.’

  When The Crimea War finished in 1856, Pluto was in early Taurus and Uranus in mid Taurus with Jupiter Neptune in Pisces square Saturn in Gemini. The chart I have for old Russia, 28 March 1462 did have key nodal influences. The transiting South Node in Libra was exactly conjunct the Russia Neptune as it ended. There is similar at the moment with the Solar Eclipses this October and next April being in Libra/Aries and triggering the Russia Neptune.  In 1856 tr Saturn was also conjunct the Russia North Node in Gemini. Again a slight similarity at the moment with tr Neptune square the Russia North Node.

Khalil Gibran, the Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist, wrote The Prophet, one of the best-selling books of all time, translated into more than 100 languages which became celebrated by the counter-culture and New Age movements in the 1960s. Elvis had a copy, John Lennon, Johnny Cash and David Bowie all used his philosophical poetic thoughts.

 Gibran’s life has been described as one “caught between Nietzschean rebellion, Blakean pantheism and Sufi mysticism.” He was born 6 January 1883 4am Bsharri, Lebanon into a Maronite Christian family and spent part of his childhood in the USA. He suffered ill health throughout a good deal of his life.

  What is surprising about his chart for such a reflective individual is how weighted down it is with Earth signs. He had a Capricorn Sun which can be highly creative, the stander on the threshold between the realm of ideas and the real world. It was conjunct Mars in Capricorn with Mercury at the far end of Capricorn. His Sun was trine Uranus and trine Neptune, South Node and Saturn in Taurus. His Mercury trine Uranus was trine Pluto in Taurus. Neptune conjunct Saturn is also a creative combination as is Uranus trine Neptune.

His Fire Sagittarius Moon Venus would lighten his temperament marginally as would an unaspected Jupiter in Gemini. Tierney says of an unaspected Jupiter: “Even if intensely philosophical  his self-containment suggests he is a loner in his search for higher meaning and ultimate truth. His vision could be very unique because of it.”

  He left behind memorably insightful musings on the human condition.

Quotes:

ON CHILDREN

“Your children are not your children.

     They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.

     They come through you but not from you,

     And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

     You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

     For they have their own thoughts.

     You may house their bodies but not their souls,

     For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

     You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

     For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

     You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

ON LOVE:

When love beckons to you, follow him,

     Though his ways are hard and steep.

     And when his wings enfold you yield to him,

     Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.

     And when he speaks to you believe in him,

     Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.

     For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.

ON PAIN

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses

your understanding.

Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its

heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.

JOY AND SORROW

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

And the self-same well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.

Is not the cup that hold your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?

And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Some of you say, ‘Joy is greater than sorrow,’ and others say, ‘Nay, sorrow is the greater.’

But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

Actress Goldie Hawn has been with Kurt Russell since 1984 and never married which is a perpetual source of questioning by the celeb magazines. Exploring their Astro-connection indicates an unusual bond, not as you might expect.

  She born 21 November 1945 9.20am Washington, DC, she is a Sun and Venus in Scorpio with her Sun trine Saturn; and Moon and Uranus in Gemini, Jupiter in Libra on her Midheaven and a heavyweight Mars Pluto in Leo in her 8^th.

He was born 17 March 1951 10.42 am Springfield, Massachusetts and is a Sun Jupiter in Pisces opposition Saturn with an independent-minded/rebellious Uranus on his Cancer Ascendant. His Cancer Moon is in a showbusiness square to Neptune opposition a 10^th house ambitious Mars. With a yod of Neptune sextile Pluto inconjunct Jupiter. He needs a public audience with a T square focal point Moon and her Gemini Moon will be happy enough to share him with the masses.

  His Pisces Sun Jupiter fits well with her Scorpio Sun and his Cancer Moon squares her Jupiter. Her Gemini Moon squares his Sun Jupiter which is OK and squares his Saturn for work getting in the way of relaxation. His Moon opposes her Saturn which says much the same. Saturn can cut down warmth but does give longevity. His Mars in Aries is trine her Pluto for the odd tension.

  His Uranus falls in her 7^th so freedom will be what they both bring to the domestic table; especially since her North Node falls in her 7^th as well, so she’ll be happy enough at times to slide back into being her own person (1^st house) and not just part of a duo.  And since both have Jupiter in their respective 10^th houses of career, their individual success will keep them glowing.

  The relationship chart has an affectionate composite Sun Venus conjunction; a jointly successful Jupiter in the 10^th; a communicative Air Grand Trine of Mars trine Venus Mercury trine Neptune – and possibly most significant of all a yod onto the Sun inconjunct Saturn sextile Uranus. Composite yods do bring together couples who irrevocably change the destiny of the other – not always for the better it would have to be said but in this case it works. So there will feel as if there is a fated connection.

  His Part of Fortune falls on her Midheaven and her Part of Fortune is trine his Sun and Jupiter – which may also help.

  The Paul Newman/Joanne Woodward relationship chart also had two fated, interlinked yods and their marriage held together through thick and thin – with some of the reality emerging only after his death. See previous posts Oct 30 2022, 27 July 2022.  Joanne W’s Part of Fortune was conjunct his Sun – no idea how it works in synastry so will explore. It was highlighted in the Pinault Hayek marriage see post below, so obviously is a key factor.

“Let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.”
― Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

High-end talent merges with luxury goods as Francois Henri Pinault, owner of a range of super-expensive brands –  Gucci, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent, Creed, Puma and Alexander McQueen – buys a majority stake in the powerhouse Hollywood talent agency Creative Artists Agency. He is the husband of Mexican-American actress and film producer Salma Hayek, (his third marriage).  

“There’s no separation between fashion and entertainment anymore,” a luxury consultant said. Celebrities attract legions of followers primed to buy what they’re promoting. Salma Hayek wears Gucci and Balenciaga gowns on the red carpet and appears next to her husband at fashion shows.

 He was born 28 May 1962 3pm Rennes, France and has a powerfully ambitious chart, well-designed for the world of design, fashion and money. He has a creative and good-for-public-relations Venus in Cancer conjunct his Midheaven in a Water Grand Trine to Jupiter in Pisces trine Neptune, formed into a Kite by Jupiter opposition Pluto. His well-travelled 9^th house Gemini Sun is in a hard-working trine to Saturn and a controlling square to Pluto. A leadership Leo North Node in the house of society bodes well though it does oppose his Saturn which could be problematic. His Mars in Aries, doubly determined being on the cusp of the 8^th is in a risk-taking trine to Uranus.  He was never going to slide unnoticed through life.

  Salma Hayek, 2 September 1966, Mexico, no birth time,  has an unpredictable Virgo Sun, Pluto, Uranus conjunction which falls in his 12^th – so she will be an unsettling influence on him. Both of them have an Aries Moon so it will be a sparky union and with her Saturn conjunct his Moon she will either be defensive or work will get in the way. But her Moon falls in his 7^th so she will be a support and her Jupiter falls in his 10^th for success together.

  What is intriguing is that her Jupiter is conjunct his Part of Fortune and her Part of Fortune is conjunct his Midheaven – so they are a combination built for good luck.

  Their relationship chart has an affectionate composite Sun Venus conjunction and a look-on-the-bright-side Jupiter opposition Neptune. Though there is a power imbalance from a composite Mars square Pluto which could brew up a few issues in 2024 when tr Saturn is in hard aspect.

A disastrous flood in Libya after two dams burst has left over 5000 dead and at least 10,000 missing. Entire neighbourhoods in Derna, the Libyan port city have been washed away, with many bodies swept out to sea.

 A 2022 report in an academic journal had warned of flood danger but Libya has been riven by political infighting, corruption and external interference since the 2011 uprising which  toppled Muammar Gaddafi. In the years after 2014, it has been politically split between the internationally-recognised interim government in Tripoli (in the west), and the administration in Tobruk (in the east). Derna was for several years controlled by Islamist militant groups until it was captured in 2019 by Gen Khalifa Haftar, the warlord in charge of an army in the east.

  The Eclipses this year located to Libya have been triggering with the April 2023 Solar Eclipse having Mars on the IC and Jupiter on the Ascendant. The May 2023 Lunar Eclipse conjunct Uranus which rattled the Libya Venus for an emotional upset was also highlighted with the Full Moon falling across the Asc/Desc axis.

  The October 2023 Solar Eclipse at 21 degrees Libra is exactly conjunct the Libya Neptune which certainly fits a water disaster as well ass Uranus on the Ascendant.  And the October 2023 Lunar Eclipse located to Libya has Neptune conjunct the Midheaven.

  There is no indication that Libya’s woes, political and other, will resolve quickly with tr Pluto square the Moon this year and next for a beleaguered population; and an undermining tr Neptune Saturn square the Capricorn Sun in 2025/26 alongside a jarring, accident-prone SA Mars conjunct the Sun.

Chris Evans, ‘Captain America’ in a string of Marvel movies married Portuguese actress Alba Baptista on Saturday.

 He was born 13 June 1981 6.16 pm Boston, Massachusetts, and has a Gemini Sun on the cusp of the 8^th opposition Neptune and trine Pluto – so mega-ambitious as befits one of the highest paid actors in the world. He has Jupiter Saturn conjunct in his career 10^th house trine a 7^th house Mars in Gemini and an 8^th house Venus Mercury in Cancer trine a 12^th house Scorpio Moon. And last but not least an innovative Uranus on his Ascendant. A curious mix of detached Air and super-intensely emotional and private Water.

 Alba Baptista, 10 July 1997 Lisbon, Portugal, no birth time, is a Sun Cancer with a Virgo Moon so she connects with his Venus in Cancer and Scorpio Moon and offers a practical Earth Moon to compensate for his No Earth chart. Her Sun does square her Saturn in Aries opposition Mars so she will have had tough moments in her life which will have left her defensive but able to put up with challenging situations.  Her Venus in sociable Leo opposes Uranus and Jupiter in Aquarius which will help to offset the harder-edges of Saturn Mars. Like him she is Water Air which is a tricky balance to find between thinking and feeling.

  Her Sun falls in his 8^th for a deep connection with her Moon in his career 10^th. But her Saturn in his 5^th may damp spontaneity especially since it opposes his Pluto. Her Pluto on his Ascendant could find her trying to control his image and since her Pluto opposes his Mars it could lead to differences.

  Assuming the birth dates are sound, it is an odd match with the relationship chart having a composite Sun Saturn opposition Neptune Uranus – too much work, some doubt and suspicion, needs space. Plus a composite Mars square Pluto which suggests a power imbalance. There is at least an enthusiastic Mars trine Jupiter to balance up the trickier elements. The second half of this decade with tr Neptune and Saturn in Aries square their composite Sun etc will see a fair few wrinkles needing to be ironed out.

The Poland elections on October 15 are being seen as pivotal to the future of the EU and the outcome of the war in Ukraine as well as the most important election in Poland since 1989. “Depending on the outcome, the country will either reorientate itself as a euro-enthusiastic rising democracy or will commit further to an illiberal turn at loggerheads with Europe over the rule of law and enlargement.”

  The right-wing populist Law and Justice Party in power since 2015 has polarized political debate, ramping up the kind of identity politics which have dominated the US, UK and elsewhere. Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader, and Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister, face opposition leader Donald Tusk.  Commentators reckon the result will be so narrow that fresh elections will be required within a minimum of two years.

 The Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, 20 June 1968 2.15pm Wroclaw, Poland, a Sun, Mercury, Venus Mars in Gemini square Uranus Pluto in Virgo, looks deflated over the election with tr Saturn opposition his Jupiter and in for a sudden change with his SA Midheaven conjunct his Uranus. And has a mixture ahead of undermining Neptune through into 2025; and some upbeat influences late this year into 2024.

Jarosław Kaczyński, 18 June 1949, another Sun, Mercury, Mars in Gemini, looks seriously aggravated at the moment, with tensions rising later in the year. He would not give in easy since Pluto is conjunct his Jupiter through till late 2024 but he is not in a progressive phase.

  Donald Tusk, 22 April 1957, whose main policy is to oppose the government, is a Sun, Venus, Mercury in Taurus so should in theory be heled by Jupiter moving through Taurus But he is looking jangled and jolted now, downbeat and devastated in 2024. With maybe just maybe a glimmer of uplift in later 2024.

   What may be an indicator is that tr Uranus is now trine tr Pluto suggesting the beginnings of a shift into a new scenario – which may not come immediately for Poland but will make its influence felt over time.

  I keep trying to work out why we have been cursed with all these yowling, damage-wreaking, rabble-rousing Geminis since the middle of last decade – Trump, Boris etc etc etc.  It must be something in the celestial waters.