Astrology of Today’s News

 Helen Mirren is the unlikely choice to play Golda Meir, Israel’s ‘Grandmother’, who was prime minister during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Reviews have been “mixed or average” in what is described as a passable history lesson in biopic form. Mirren had to undergo a dramatic physical transformation including a fake nose, other facial prosthetics and a fat suit in order to portray the chain-smoking Golda Meir, Israel’s only female prime minister who was the original Iron Lady.

  Helen Mirren was born 26 July 1945 2am London, with a working class English mother who was the 13^th of 14 children and an exiled Russian father from an aristocratic family. She started acting at school, went into the Royal Shakespeare Company aged 20 and has never looked back. Her award-strewn career has covered stage, screen and television with highlights in The Long Good Friday, Prime Suspect (TV), Fast & Furious and playing Queen Elizabeth 1 as well as 11 in different productions.

  She has a quick-witted, outspoken and determined Sun Pluto conjunction in Leo in her 3^rd house and an Aquarius Moon on her Midheaven, suiting her for a career in the public eye. Her creative Neptune sits on the cusp of her performing 5^th house trine a 12^th house Mars. She also has Uranus Venus in Gemini conjunct her Ascendant from the 12^th. Her Moon is quincunx Saturn.  Although she has Jupiter in her 4^th house of home and family she was always better designed for a a busy, varied, working life. At 78 she is still looking fabulous and sprightly with no indication that her career will wind down anytime soon.

 Golda Meir, 14 May 1898 11.58 pm Kiev, Ukraine, moved with her family to the USA when she was eight and then emigrated to Palestine in 1921 with her husband, steadily moving up the political chain to become one of the signatories of the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. She became Prime Minister in 1969, and travelled widely to promote her vision of peace in the Middle East. The outbreak of the Yom Kippur War in 1973 caught the nation off guard and inflicted severe early losses on the Israelis. It damaged her reputation and she resigned the following year. She died in 1978 of cancer.

  She had a Taurus Sun conjunct the Israel Taurus Sun on her IC, tying her into her roots and her Sun opposed Chiron on her Scorpio Midheaven. Not an easy life but one in which she clearly tried to act as a healer/helper in her career. She had the signature Neptune Pluto conjunction of her generation in Gemini conjunct Venus all in her 5th house so she would appreciate being in the spotlight with an audience. Though with Saturn opposition Pluto and Venus and trine Mars she obviously sacrificed a good deal to build her career.

  There are not too many cross overs with Helen Mirren except for the three Gemini planets which both have – and perhaps Mirren’s émigré background suggested a link.

Another day, another UK management failure to add to a growing list. The British Museum has now fessed up that there were thefts and sales from items in the collection having initially ignored a whistleblower.

 It has been a pile-up recently. The Criminal Crime Review Commission left Andrew Malkinson to linger in prison despite knowledge of evidence that could have freed him years earlier. The Post Office computer foul up where no one investigated to find the IT fault, instead sending innocent people to prison, some to suicide or early death – and still the top brass has still not been dealt with for the ‘mistake’ and some victims are still uncompensated. Never mind hospital horrors where whistleblowers get nuked rather than the management admit fault.

  Where did competence and responsibility go?  All the Saturnine virtues of – face facts, take responsibility and earn respect – have slid down the sink hole.  Maybe it is a fantasy that it was in place before, but it does seem monumentally worse. A moral decay – power and status without either capability or integrity.

  The British Museum was founded by an Act of Parliament on 7 June 1753, which puts its Jupiter in the UK 10^th conjunct the Moon – so it is a shining beacon for the UK’s status. And thus its disgrace will be inextricably tied into the UK’s current situation.  The British Museum’s Neptune is also conjunct the UK’s 10^th house Jupiter, which is suggestive of both scandal and deception.

  The UK’s Saturn is being rattled exactly now by the first tr Uranus square which repeats on through 2024 until January 2025 – and the UK Solar Arc Saturn is opposition the Uranus  over the rest of this year. Which does sound like a tug of war between the decaying old and the (hopefully) progressive new. The British Museum’s Solar Arc Mars plays into this as it also is opposing the UK Uranus exactly now.

  The UK has been in a tailspin since Uranus moved into Taurus in 2019 as it has been rattling up the key Fixed planets in the UK chart – Mars in Taurus, Venus in Aquarius, Neptune in Scorpio and finally Saturn in Leo. One effect of Uranus is to be the torchbearer, shining light on hidden places and this will be especially true with a buried 8^th house Mars being constantly triggered throughout this period until 2025 – bringing the rot into the light of day.

  Plus the tail end of tr Pluto through Capricorn and its effect on the UK Capricorn Sun. Deconstruction and decay of the old.

   Like an addict maybe the rock bottom has to be reached before the ascent into recovery begins. 2024 sees tr Pluto trine the UK Uranus which might start a two year process of significant change. Though it may also take the massive jolt of Solar Arc Mars conjunct the UK 8^th house Mars in late 2024 into 2025 to finally get into a better groove.

   Mind you I am not sure it was not ever thus and we are just more aware of it now. But is depressing.

  Dictators come in all walks of life and old style orchestral conductors were always renowned for their ferocity when it came to exerting their will and their wishes. A spat this week between Sir John Eliot Gardiner, a highly respected maestro, who reportedly threw a punch at a young singer as they left the stage, has effectively ended his career. Renowned as inspiring, he clearly finds the balance between perfectionism and impatience tricky.  He is not alone. Georg Solti was evidently known as the ‘screaming skull’ by his London orchestral players.

  Gardiner, 20 April 1943, England, has two yods of a final degree Aries Sun sextile Mars and exactly quincunx Neptune; and Mars in Pisces on the focal point of a Yod inconjunct Pluto sextile Neptune. That is a fascinating battle between musical/creative Neptune and short-fused Mars. To make it worse his Mars is square Uranus, Venus and Saturn which is highly combustible.

 Georg Solti, 21 October 1912 Budapest, Hungary, had an ego-centric Sun Libra on the focal point of a highly-strung opposition of Uranus to Neptune. His Mars in extra-determined Scorpio was quincunx Saturn and possibly in a Water Grand Trine to Pluto trine a Pisces Moon. Much revered by his fans but not a man to cross.

Leonard Bernstein, 25 August 1918 1pm Lawrence, MA, also had Mars in Scorpio trine a super-confident Jupiter Pluto in Cancer and square Neptune Venus in Leo; plus a willful, innovative Virgo Sun opposition Uranus.

 Herbert von Karajan, 5 April 1908 10.30pm Salzburg, Austria like Solti had the Uranus Neptune opposition square his Sun, in his case in Aries. His Mars in last degree Taurus conjunct Venus was on the focal point of a mini Grand Trine of a high-vitality Jupiter trine Saturn.

 Anatol Dorati, 9 April 1906 6am Budapest, was an Aries Sun opposition a Libra Moon with his Mercury in Aries square a Uranus opposition Neptune. His Mars in heavyweight Taurus was trine Uranus and inconjunct his Moon.

  No great conclusions other than noting the prominence of Mars in all the above charts – and the particular contradiction in John Eliot Gardiner’s case between his Mars and his Neptune.

  While in no way wishing to condone bad behaviour I have an edgy feeling that present trends don’t allow for the realities of human nature. A well-behaved, vanilla-temperament is unlikely to exhibit great talent. In show business, as Glenn Close once remarked, it is understood that creative types often walk near the edge psychologically. Or as an old horse dealer I once knew said “the good uns always have a streak up them.”

Add On: Daniel Barenboim, 15 November 1942 11.35 am Buenos Aires, Argentina, hugely respected as a conductor and an outspoken critic of Israeli government policies towards Palestinians has a similarly prominent Mars as above. His Sun and three other planets are in Scorpio including his Mars which is square Pluto and inconjunct Saturn (latter like Solti). Balancing the high vitality of Mars with Saturn and Pluto not easy.   

Veronika Dudarova, born 5 December 1916, Baku Azerbaijan, was the first woman conductor of symphony orchestras in the 20th century – Moscow State Symphony Orchestra and she founded the Symphony Orchestra of Russia. She was ‘distinguished by her indomitable character, willpower, and supreme professionalism.’

  A Sun Sagittarius with a super-intense Mars in Capricorn which was opposition Pluto and inconjunct Saturn and Neptune. Weird who’d have though Mars inconjunct Saturn would be a musical maestro’s astro-signature.

The fog of war combined with the murky waters of spook-dom make it impossible to know whether Putin got payback on Yevgeny Prigozhin for his mutiny by crashing his plane – or thinks he did and YP sensibly skipped out – or indeed whether it was an act of fate.  Time may tell.

  What is clear is that Russia is moving into considerable setbacks late this year and through 2024 into 2025/6. Both the 8 November 1917 and 8 December 1991 charts have Solar Arc Saturn square Mars in 2024 which is amongst other things assassination-prone. Though there won’t be too many generals left to despatch at the rate Putin is trash-canning them.  The 1917 chart also has a major collision of sorts, exact late this year as well.

  Putin’s 4^th Term chart, 7 May 2018 11.05am,  was always brewing up to its most toxic and high-risk exactly now with the Solar Arc Pluto conjunct the Mars. What may also be significant is that this chart has a Jupiterian yod which can trip itself up through over confidence and self-aggrandisement. The Jupiter has moved by Solar Arc to catch the tr Uranus opposition exactly at the moment. Which might suggest an over-reach that backfires.

  The Russian economy is in bad shape though it is hardly alone in that but it won’t help Putin’s popularity at home. See previous post 12 April 2023.

  There is nothing too illuminating showing up on Yevgeny Prigozhin’s chart (see post 4 November 2022). There is no date for the start of the Wagner Group though their first involvement was the invasion of Crimea which kicked off on 20 February 2014 – and that chart is badly rattled at the moment with tr Pluto square the Mars, tr Uranus opposition the Saturn and tr Saturn conjunct the Neptune – if that is a Wagner mercenary group chart it looks poleaxed.

Los Angeles is facing the same escalating homeless and addiction problems as San Francisco and feeling the pressure from weather challenges and the Hollywood strike.

  The foundation chart of 4 September 1781 is facing its Pluto Return in 2026/27 and before then will wilt slightly under tr Neptune in Aries hard aspects.  I’m not sure I don’t prefer the incorporation chart of 4 April 1850 which has been labouring under a transformational tr Pluto square the Uranus in recent years and now square Pluto, finishing up late this year. Tr Saturn in Aries in 2026/27 will bring a few hard realities to bear as it is conjunct the LA Inc Mercury, Saturn, Sun, Venus, Uranus and Pluto in the run up to the 2028 Olympics. But the Olympics does launch on its Jupiter Return year which should help when the moment comes.

  Hollywood, 1 February 1887, will be unsettled with tr Uranus square the Venus in 2024 but its greatest test comes as tr Uranus moves into Gemini in 2025 to early 2027 and squares the Mars and opposes the Hollywood Pluto. That looks high-risk and unnerving. Maybe dirt coming out into the open as well as a major upheaval. Plus major setbacks from Solar Arc Saturn square the Mars now as production grinds to a halt; with major blockages into 2024. And ditto ditto with SA Mars conjunct Saturn in 2025. The glitz and glitter will give way to gnashing of teeth.

 The California state chart, 9 September 1850, like LA Inc has Uranus Pluto in late Aries plus Saturn also in Aries. It will continue to rock n’ roll uncomfortably through this year and next as tr Pluto squares its Uranus Pluto and moves on to square the Venus.   California like LA Inc has Jupiter in Virgo which will be on form in the Olympic year.

  LA Inc, California state and Hollywood all have a Leo North Node so they will reassert their supremacy having been churned through the mill for a few years. They won’t be down and out for ever.  

Zimbabwe goes to polls amid a deepening economic crisis with  inflation into three figures and general gloom that the country’s history of disputed and violent elections will continue. Human rights groups say the same factors as before are in place – voter roll irregularities, public media bias, and the use of law enforcement and the courts to hamstring opposition campaigns.

 Emmerson Mnangagwa, a former spy nicknamed ‘the crocodile’ who replaced Mugabe as president after a coup in 2017, has failed to get the economy back on track but points to infrastructure projects and Chinese investment as offering promises for the future.

  The tragedy of Zimbabwe is profound having been turned from the bread basket of southern Africa into an economic basket case with nearly 3.8 million people going hungry this year. After independence in 1980 when Robert Mugabe took over he became increasingly authoritarian and during his time hyperinflation caused the  national currency to be abolished, the country ran out of food and fuel, and a quarter of the population emigrated. In 2000 he repossessed land from white farm owners causing the economy to suffer a major collapse and financial aid from the IMF and World Bank dried up in the face of economic sanctions. He violently crushed the opposition, stole elections, let cronies plunder the country, and threw $800,000 birthday parties for himself while his people starved.

  Zimbabwe became independent on 17 April 1980 at 10pm Harare  after a civil war with an Aries Sun opposition a 10^th house Pluto which was trine/sextile an 8^th house Mars North Node in Leo. No surprises that Africa acquired yet another dictatorial form of governance. Despatch one bully and their successor is no better. The pressures on the Zimbabwe chart will continue with tr Pluto square the Sun this year and move into explosive territory with tr Uranus opposition Uranus and square the Mars in 2024.

 Mnangagwa’s birth date was iffy though with a Virgo Sun conjunct the Zimbabwe Saturn. His Term chart, 24 November 2017 11.42am Harare, gave every indication of being a ruthless, control-freak and violent administration with an 8^th house Mars opposition Uranus square Pluto.

 His nearest contender Nelson Chimisa, 2 February 1976, is a friendly Sun Venus in Aquarius square Uranus and trine Pluto, sextile Neptune. He has a sprinkling of Jupiter but is in a trapped, frustrating year with tr Pluto opposition his Mars.  

  What intrigues me more than the present mess is Zimbabwe’s long history with human settlements there half a million years ago. Around the 10^th Century trade developed with Arab merchants on the Indian Ocean coast leading to the flowering of the Shona civilisation that dominated during the 13th to 15th centuries, which built great fortresses whose ruins are still in evidence. They traded gold, ivory, and copper for cloth and glass.  European explorers arrived, mainly Portuguese initially, which eventually began a series of wars which left the empire in near collapse in the early 17th century though the invaders were eventually repelled.  By the late 19^th century Cecil Rhodes and the Brits arrived, developed agriculture, stayed for 100 years and left.

  With such a substantial history behind it Zimbabwe exhibits a fairly typical trajectory of rise and fall, empires and civilizations blossoming and then crumbling into the dust. Sometimes Pluto Returns can plot the gradual switchovers. Pluto was in Libra when this recent independence took place in 1980 which has undoubtedly coincided with a slump. There was one in the 10^th Century as trade boomed and the following one in the 13th Century saw the start of the peak in terms of architecture, culture and wealth. Sometimes it is one Pluto Return and sometime two which alters the path upwards or downwards.

A quincunx, when two planets are 150 degrees apart, is an awkward customer. It pulls together by aspect two inherently different and contradictory elements and modalities. For example Aries with Virgo or Scorpio – a Cardinal Fire trying to make friends with a Mutable Earth or a Fixed Water. The two ends basically don’t understand one another and don’t see how to cooperate.

  Occurring in a birth chart, the individual will be a constant shifting from one to the other end of the quincunx internally, which increases strain and feels unstable. In order to reduce tension there will be a tendency to separate out the nature of the planets and live one without regard to the other and vice versa. For example, Moon inconjunct Saturn will be nurturing then lurch into cold rigidity/overwork. Moon Uranus sometimes caring and sometimes abandoning.

   Where a square strives to find a solution, there is more difficulty in containing the contradiction of a quincunx so life may be divided to allow different arenas to live out the separate energies. But that way the individual never feels completely whole and is constantly cutting off part of themselves to honour one planet or the other.

  In a relationship a quincunx between the respective suns can suggest a coming together of two individuals who don’t understand the other’s basic nature and aspirations – for example a Gemini with a Taurus, flyaway Air with steady Earth. It’s not that opposites don’t attract and sometimes a complementary match does work, viz. the late Queen Elizabeth (Taurus) and Prince Philip (Gemini) but they will probably operate in different spheres.

  The quincunx belongs to the 12^th harmonic which in numerology is the victim/healer number – being sacrificed to another persons’ plans or the victim of circumstances. This may be a consequence of living out only one end of the quincunx and ‘handing over’ so to speak to ANother the energies of the other end. There can be a problem of low self-esteem or irritation at having to constantly make compromises which don’t bring fulfilment.  

  Café Astrology says: “Quincunxes show areas of weakness, in terms of low self-esteem, that others find easy to prey upon. The individual, by not accepting the areas of life represented by the planets in quincunx, leaves himself or herself open to being taken advantage of.”

  Interestingly astrologer David Hamblin says he does not like working with the 12^th harmonic because of its ‘mixed’ nature. The 12th harmonic contains both 3’s (ease) and 4’s (dis-ease).

  12 may also make a conscious sacrifice and it can be creative.

  Being a minor aspect a 2 degree orb is probably in order.

  Even writing about it feels oddly left-footed. A life long task to make it work even more so than Chiron.

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A low key though glitzy celebrity marriage on Saturday between actress and former ballerina Margaret Qualley, daughter of Andie McDowell, and lead singer of the rock band Bleachers, Jack Antonoff, had Taylor Swift as a guest.

  It is a deeply Scorpionic match which won’t come without its tensions and challenges. He was born 31 March 1984 5.55am (rectified) Bergenfield, NJ and is a Sun Aries square a 10^th house Jupiter for success; with a 7th house Pluto, Saturn and 8th house Mars spread out through Scorpio which is a tricky combination even without Aries in the mix. He has spoken publicly about his struggles with depression, anxiety and obsessive–compulsive disorder.

 Margaret Qualley, 23 October 1994, no birth time, Kalispell, MT, has a Scorpio Sun conjunct his Pluto and her Pluto conjunct his 8^th house Mars; and her sociable Venus Jupiter in Scorpio conjunct his Saturn. Her Mars in flamboyant Leo is trine his Sun and square his Saturn. It will certainly feel ‘meant’ at least at the start and will be a close/controlling relationship with heavy undercurrents.

 Their relationship chart has an affectionate composite Sun Venus but with a tumultuous Uranus, Saturn Neptune square Mars so it will be roller coaster and only work where one is prepared to sacrifice a good deal.

  She is clearly attracted to tricky men with her previous liaison being with Shia LeBoeuf which ended when a former girlfriend of his alleged sexual assault and battery.

  Her mother, Andie McDowell, 21 April 1958 6am South Carolina, has had a chequered romantic history with one shortlived and another brief marriage as well as a fling with Dennis Quaid. She has a Taurus Sun conjunct her Ascendant opposition Neptune on her Descendant square Uranus in her 4^th – commitment would not be easy for her and she’d be constantly wanting to move one. She also has an attention-demanding and creative 5^th house Pluto opposition Mars and Chiron square a Taurus Moon which would have a considerable impact on her children.

 Margaret’s Scorpio Sun is conjunct her mother’s Neptune and opposition her mother’s Sun; with Margaret’s Mars conjunct her mother’s Uranus. Not an easy mother-daughter interface which perhaps explains why Margaret is attracted to intense and conflicted men since it is familiar territory for her.

  The wedding chart has a volcanic Mars trine Pluto trine Uranus with a yod of Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct Sun;  and a needs-space composite Sun square Uranus. That won’t be easy to keep on an even keel.

  What a pity, I started out with high hopes it would be all hearts and flowers. But alas ….

Katarina Johnson-Thompson has lifted sports fans’ spirits by achieving a heroic gold for GB in the heptathlon at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

  What is fascinating is how difficult her basic chart is and how she has found a perfect outlet for high-stress influences.

  She was born 9 January 1993 in Liverpool, England and has a Capricorn stellium of Sun conjunct Neptune Uranus (Mercury) all opposition Mars in Cancer which mercifully squares onto Jupiter in Libra which will take some of the strain off and add a dollop of luck and enthusiasm. She also has a used-to-hardship Saturn in Aquarius opposition Chiron square Pluto. It is an unrelenting and volatile chart – with maybe a yod of Mercury sextile Venus inconjunct a Leo Moon.

  She had an English mother and Bahamian father, spent the first year of her life in Nassau when her parents separated, then returned to live with her mother. She did a sports science degree at university, having already won a heptathlon gold at the Youth Championships when she was 16.

 The heptathlon is a seven event competition, held over two days –  100 metres hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 metres, long jump, javelin throw, 800 metres. Versatility and stamina will be the key requirements.

She’s had a tough four year journey with injuries and lack of form since her last triumph in 2019 in Doha. During this time her Solar Arc Sun, Neptune, Uranus has been crossing her Saturn in Aquarius – bringing together the two key configurations in her chart which always bring a period of crisis.

Nice to have good news for a change.