Astrology of Today’s News

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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.

San Francisco has lost its buzz with tourism down, the homeless and drug addicts on the street increasing as well as hotels and stores closing down or moving out as workers abandon their offices to work from home. The tech sector is also in a retreat with mass layoffs, a bear market for tech stocks, a collapse in initial public offerings, and a sharp drop in venture-capital funding.

  San Francisco was claimed by the Spanish on 2 November 1769 and incorporated 15 April 1850.

  The 1850 chart has a Sun, Uranus, Pluto in late Aries which tr Pluto has been labouring across since the pandemic and won’t clear till late this year. Though that does not indicate it will pull its socks up immediately. The tech surge in the 1990s coincided with the SF 1850 Jupiter being boosted by the Solar Arc Sun, Uranus, Pluto. But there’s nothing coming soon which would suggest a revival with a downbeat tr Saturn opposition the SF Jupiter in 2024. And more Saturn to follow as it moves through Aries in 2026/27.

 It does have a leadership Leo North Node which its SA Neptune deflated a couple of years back – so there will be an underlying urge towards reinvention after a downswing at some point ahead. Uranus into Gemini may help from 2026 onwards.

  The San Fran 2 November 1769 chart is strong, determined and talented with an Earth Grand Trine of Pluto trine Uranus in Taurus trine Neptune in Virgo, formed into a Kite by Uranus opposition Sun Mars in Scorpio – innovative, rebellious and never-say-never. There may be a few upbeat moments in 2025 with tr Uranus opposition the Jupiter. But it will take the rest of this decade until tr Pluto has squared Uranus and opposed the Mars and Sun before the phoenix arises from the ashes.

 Not only San Francisco is suffering from homeless drug addicts on the street. Philadelphia also appears to be in trouble. Maybe part of it is the USA’s Pluto Return painfully dragging to the close of an old era with decay and deterioration showing – plus Neptune in Pisces’s escapist/narcotic tendencies being exacerbated.  Roll on the good times when both Pluto and Neptune move on.

Much excitement amongst football fans about the Women’s World Cup Final in Sydney, Australia tomorrow as England face Spain.

  With a publicity-attracting Mars opposition Neptune across the axis of the start it was always going to be a hyped-event. There’s also an Earth Grand Trine of Pluto trine Uranus (Jupiter) trine Mars Mercury – so it should evoke strong feelings and pack quite a punch. Though that Trine is formed into a Kite with Mars opposition Neptune making Neptune the driving planet – it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.

 Sarina Wiegman, 26 October 1969, The Hague, the highly competent and high-vitality coach, is a Sun Taurus in a determined opposition to Saturn in Taurus; with an even more implacable Mars in Virgo trine Pluto. Her chart certainly suits the Final chart though there is not much of an indication either way from transits of anything that looks like a triumph.

  Other players’ charts are not much more informative.  Millie Bright, 21 August 1993, Chesterfield, Eng, is a formidable Sun Leo opposition Saturn in Aquarius square Pluto in Scorpio with only a couple of downbeat midpoints showing.

  Mary Earps, 7 March 1993 Nottingham, Eng, is a Sun Pisces trine Mars on one side and trine Pluto on the other with a quirky Uranus Neptune square Jupiter opposition Venus. Again short of specifics without a birth time.

 Rachel Daly, 6 December 1991 Harrogate, Eng, a lively  quadruple Sagittarius – Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury square Jupiter. She does have one upbeat transit assuming her birth time is not late in the evening and one less useful.

  Who would know?  Sports prediction is worse than political.

Add On. Jorge Vilda, the Spain coach and Ivana Andres, the captain, are both Cancerians (charts above) and each does have an upbeat Jupiterian midpoint over this weekend so will be feeling cheerful.

Nurse Lucy Letby has been found guilty of murdering seven babies on a neonatal unit, making her the UK’s most prolific child serial killer in modern times. She was also convicted of trying to kill six other infants between June 2015 and June 2016. She deliberately injected babies with air, force fed others milk and poisoned two of the infants with insulin. The hospital management outrageously and unforgivably brushed aside consultant doctors’ concerns about her presence at the deaths.

  She was born 4 January 1990 in Hereford, England, and has a Capricorn Sun conjunct Saturn Neptune with Uranus and Mercury also in Capricorn. Her Sun is exactly opposed to Chiron with probably both square an Aries Moon. Saturn Neptune can be neurotic/paranoid; Sun Saturn low self-esteem. Sun Neptune prone to delusions. When she appears to have committed most of the murders tr Pluto in Capricorn was opposing her Neptune, Sun, Saturn and tr Uranus in Aries was in square – so exacerbating her unbalanced tendencies.

  She also has a yod of Chiron inconjunct Mars sextile North Node in Aquarius which clearly perverted Chiron’s urge to heal into a misbegotten crusade (Aquarius Node) for reasons of?? excitement – Mars in Sagittarius.  Her Pluto was also square her North Node.

 What is an eye-opener is her 18^th Harmonic which is frequently prominent in serial killer charts – it has Pluto opposition North Node square Mars opposition Neptune – and that is nasty. The 18^th is 9X2 which suggests at least one underlying motive is pleasure. She also has a strong 8^th Harmonic with links Mars to Saturn and Jupiter. 8H can be  destructive, self-defeating, pointing to soul wounds and ‘karmic debt.’

  Those two harmonics – the 18H and 8H – are also marked in other similar cases.

 Beverley Allitt, 4 October 1968 9.15 am Corby, England, another nurse convicted of killing babies in 1991 by administering insulin or air bubbles, is serving a life without parole sentence in a secure hospital. She is a Sun Libra with her Chiron exactly opposition Uranus; and a discouraging yod of which ties together an over-confident Jupiter Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct a downbeat, hard-edged Saturn in Aries.  Her 5^th house Pisces Moon opposes Jupiter Pluto which is odd since she might have been expected to like children. Though Moon Jupiter Pluto may have twisted nurturing into a need for the ultimate control and a confidence boost – most serial killers it is thought are narcissistic.

When Allitt committed the murders in 1991 the tr Uranus Neptune in Capricorn was opposing her Sun.

  Her 18^th harmonic has a Yod of Sun Mercury sextile Neptune inconjunct Saturn; and a destructive Saturn square Mars.  Her 8^th harmonic is even more aggravated linking Mars Saturn to Uranus and the Sun.

  Other “Angel  of Death” nurses/doctors show similar Astro-traits.

Harold Shipman, 14 January 1946 8.40am Nottingham, England, a general practitioner who killed an estimated 250 elderly patients, was a Sun Venus in Capricorn opposition Saturn Mars in Cancer square Jupiter conjunct Chiron with a Moon Uranus in Gemini – cruel, narcissistic, and emotionally chilly. His 18^th harmonic ties together Chiron with a bleak Saturn Pluto and Jupiter.  His 8H was defiant and willful.

Victorino Chua, 30 October 1965, Philippines, who also killed elderly patients in the UK is a Sun and Neptune Mercury in Scorpio with a ruthless Uranus Pluto opposition Saturn square Mars (Venus) in Sagittarius. His 18H and 8H stand out as well.

  Charles Cullen, 23 February 1960, New Jersey, a US nurse who murdered hundreds of patients in a 16 year spree, is a Sun Pisces opposition Pluto; with the North Node/South Node square Jupiter in Sagittarius and a Capricorn Moon. His 18^th harmonic is riddled with strain and aggravation with two oppositions and a yod. His 8^th harmonic is also pro-active, defiant and confident.  

  I cannot begin to imagine what these poor parents suffered and continue to suffer especially hearing she could have been stopped had it not been for obdurately pig-headed, overpaid paper pushers.

Michael Parkinson, the 1970s UK talk show interviewer has been hailed as ‘the greatest’ and ‘the best’ as news of his death aged 88 was announced. Renowned for drawing out his guests and not allowing his personality to get in the way he had some memorable encounters on screen. Although not all went to plan as he sparred with Muhammad Ali, failed to charm Meg Ryan and was written off by Helen Mirren as a ‘sexist old fart.’

  He was born 28 March 1935 in Cudworth, Yorkshire and never lost his attachment to his northern roots. He was married for sixty years to his wife Mary who stood stalwartly by him through periods of drinking which turned the family atmosphere ‘ugly’ according to one of his three sons.

  He was a Sun Aries, with Mars in Libra in an ultra-stubborn square to Pluto; and Pluto in a confident trine to Jupiter. He had the creative Saturn opposition Neptune of the mid 1930s tied into his Mercury in Pisces. Plus a practical and pleasure-loving Earth Grand Trine of Neptune trine Venus in Taurus (conjunct Uranus) trine maybe a Capricorn Moon.

  He was a curious mix of hard and soft. Mars Pluto can be ruthless and overly forceful. Mercury opposition Neptune is the exactly opposite and was maybe what allowed him to draw his guests out without browbeating them.

  He had a super-successful, get-it-together 5^th Harmonic, tying together six of the 10 planets in his chart.

  Muhammad Ali, 17 January 1942 6.35 pm Louisville, KY, was a sparky mix with Ali’s heavyweight Mars in Taurus conjunct Parky’s Uranus and Parky’s Pluto square Mars colliding with Ali’s Capricorn Sun.

 Meg Ryan also fell foul of his Mars square Pluto with her Saturn in Capricorn crossing swords with his approach.

  Scots comedian Billy Connolly became a favourite and did fourteen shows over the years. Connolly, 24 November 1942 4.30am had his Jupiter conjunct Parky’s Pluto and his Mercury conjunct Parky’s Jupiter which would help to keep the jokes rolling.

  Michael Parkinson was undoubtedly a talented interviewer in a time when celebrity PR was not an issue. But he was in the old style meaning of the expression ‘a man’s man’. Happiest in a blokeish atmosphere of sport and less at ease with women.

  I worked with him briefly at TV AM and don’t remember it as the happiest association. Walk six paces behind and say yes was how I got through a few weeks before he mercifully went to Australia for the summer.

  He needed grit and determination to get to the top and stay there but that does not come without a few temperamental wrinkles.

Britney Spears’ six year relationship and fourteen month marriage to Iranian-American fitness trainer Sam Asghari has ended.

  The Wedding chart hinted at communication problems and lack of commitment with Mercury square Saturn, trine Pluto and sextile Neptune. There was also a rebellious Venus Uranus; and an evasive Sun square Neptune.

  There is nothing too specific on her chart showing an immediate split though it may be a long drawn out process. Her Progressed Moon is going through her 12^th for the next two years which is usually a time of endings. She looks rattled at the moment as he files for divorce but will respond in her normally combative way. If her birth time is accurate then she will run into a tricky phase in 2025/26 as tr Neptune Saturn in Aries cross her Descendant and square her Midheaven, undermining relationships and career direction. 2026 is also when her Progressed Sun is conjunct her Venus hinting at a significant new romantic attachment.

  If his birth date of 3 March 1994 is accurate, then it was always going to be an edgy and volatile match with his highly-strung Uranus Neptune in Capricorn conjunct her Venus and trine her Mars; with his Venus opposition her Mars; and his Pluto in a disruptive conjunction to her Uranus. Money was/is an issue with his Jupiter Moon in Scorpio falling in her 2^nd.

  He is a Sun Pisces trine Jupiter, with Venus in Pisces trine Pluto sextile Uranus Neptune; and a seriously argumentative  Mars Mercury in Aquarius square Pluto – which is being triggered badly in 2024 and 2025.

  Their relationship chart has a power-couple composite Jupiter Pluto conjunction which works well as long as the team spirit holds, but can turn into a power struggle when it falls apart. There’s also a high-tension composite Saturn Uranus conjunction which is being undermined by tr Neptune in square this year and next.  

In desperate financial straits – again – Argentina threw up an ultra-conservative oddball in the dress rehearsal for the late October general election. Javier Milei, who won over 30 per cent of the vote, is ‘a rightwing libertarian who campaigns like a rock star, lives alone with five mastiffs named after famous liberal economists and claims not to have brushed his hair since he was 13 (he is 52).’

  Whoever wins they will inherit a catastrophic economic situation with the central bank almost out of reserves and heavy restrictions on foreign exchange. Inflation is running at around 115% and nearly 40 per cent of the population live below the poverty line. A severe drought has exacerbated problems, which the government has used as an excuse for missing all of IMF’s targets for its lifeline programme. Another default looms.

  Milei, born 22 October 1970 in Buenos Aires, has a late Libra Sun with a ferociously determined Pluto conjunct Mars; and a head-in-the-clouds, moody, insecure and ambivalent Venus Neptune in Scorpio opposition Saturn in Taurus.  His Sun sits on his Neptune/Pluto midpoint which is associated with the supernatural or fantastical beliefs.

  His Jupiter in Scorpio caught the recent Lunar Eclipse which would give him a lift. The general election falls on his birthday with tr Jupiter opposition his Jupiter. A win is not inevitable and he looks to be in a degree of turmoil immediately following and in 2024 – though that would be true even if he did win.

  The Argentina 25 May 1810 country chart with its Gemini Sun Mars opposition Neptune Saturn in Sagittarius square Pisces Moon Pluto – will be dragged down to earth by tr Saturn in Pisces through 2023/24. The recent Lunar Eclipse rattled the Uranus in Scorpio hinting that a change of course was badly needed.

 It is not quite as dire as the 2001 default which happened on the Saturn in Sagittarius opposition Pluto square Mars; and the Solar Arc Pluto squaring the financial Venus in the run up. But it will require considerable sacrifices.

  The Bank of Argentina, 28 May 1935, another Gemini Sun square Saturn opposition Neptune, will face a surfeit of Saturn reality checks as well in 2023/24; and a pressured Solar Arc Pluto square the financial Venus. Again not quite as catastrophic as the 2001 default  when the Solar Arc Mars squared Neptune and rattled up the T Square with Sun and Saturn; and the tr Saturn opposition tr Pluto added its layer of woe and hardship.

 

Mars, god of war, testosterone-fuelled and so competitive he would kick his father out of the way to get ahead, may have had a heroic image in ye olden mythology. But he/she is struggling to revision themselves astrologically in these non-binary, tree-hugging, #metoo sensitive days.  

  Broken down into simple words Mars is 1) assertive; 2) argumentative and competitive; 3) bolsters identity in ‘I want’; 4) provides forward gear; 5) is an essential factor in decision-making); 6) necessary for sex drive; 7) generates will-power and the life force. Without Mars there would be no life, no reproduction, no progress.

  Mars is usually thought of as angry. But anger is only stored up assertion. When ‘I want’, ‘I intend’, ‘I will do’ – all of them reflecting the core identity of the individual – gets blocked or remains unexpressed Mars slowly starts to boil until it erupts. Synonyms for assertion are – decisive, believing in oneself, self-assured, confident, forceful. All of those can be subtly conveyed – or not – depending on the sign Mars sits in.

  Mars in the Fire signs – Aries, Leo and Sagittarius – will be loud, inclined to flare up, outspoken and unselfconscious about demanding their own way. In Aries and Sagittarius squalls never last long and are soon forgotten. In Leo, being ego-centric and Fixed, there can be a prickly defensiveness hanging around after arguments.

 Mars in the Earth signs – Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn – can be slow burn and is usually focused on a practical or financial outcome. Mars in Taurus is slow to anger but earth-shaking when the lava erupts. Money will be what motivates them into action. Mars in Virgo, the workaholic, is a perfectionist. In Capricorn is super-ambitious, climbing ever higher up the ladder with steely determination.

Mars in the Water signs – Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces – is more problematic. Fire makes Water boil is quintessentially true of Mars in Cancer, which is volatile and gets over-emotional when provoked. Scorpio, secretive as ever, harbours a grinding resentment which is kept under control until the time is right and then the scorpion sting is let loose. In Pisces, Mars gets flummoxed since Pisces hate confrontations. Where the pair come together most effectively are in artistic ventures especially dance and yoga. Forward march to Pisces means taking the roundabout route.

 Mars in the chatty Air signs – Gemini, Libra, Aquarius – pumps fire into thinking and speaking. All good debaters and adept with words. Mars in Aquarius can be ornery, awkwardly stubborn.

 How Mars integrates in the chart and which planets it sidles up to or clashes with makes a difference. The essential nature of Mars in its chosen sign gets modulated, watered down or the opposite, depending on which other planetary energy it has to work beside.

  Sun conjunct Mars is competitive and courageous; in square and opposition doubly so, headstrong, willful, reckless and noisy.

Moon Mars – comes from the angry mother who blocks the child’s assertion, leaving issues with women/domestic life behind in adult life, quarrelsome. Alcohol tends to lift inhibitions so flare ups follow.

Mercury Mars – quick thinking, fast-talking and sharp-tongued, inclined to argue endlessly and stir up controversies.

Venus Mars – in conjunction can be passionately enthusiastic and, in some, leads to a tendency to promiscuity. In square and opposition it leads to strong ‘romantic’ attractions but not always sensitivity to the other’s needs.

Jupiter Mars – high vitality plus positive thinking = good luck. Helpful for starting new projects.

Saturn Mars – blocked assertion can have positive outcome in self-discipline and promoting a military turn of mind where suppressing personal needs and identity for a specific purpose is helpful. Can be destructive, violent, unfair, even cruel. Tends to be passive-aggressive. Simmers with resentment and then blows a fuse.

Uranus Mars – rebellious and freedom-loving plus fiery zeal can be an explosive and self-willed combination. Good for high-risk ventures, adventure and thrills. Bad for tolerating interference and compromise.

Neptune Mars – can attract publicity and glamour, common in showbusiness types. Has a hint of Mars in Pisces so not always good at full-frontal demands.

Pluto Mars –  a challenging combination stemming from a dominating, scary father who at times would feel life threatening.  Leaves behind an adult who is good in crisis situations and is do-or-die determined. Some turn ruthless since it was what they knew, others remain suppressed and attract difficulties because they are unsure how to live out the super-charged, heavyweight and can feel brutal energy.  

  Discussing sex nowadays is a minefield. But I recollect years back reading a study by zoologist Konrad Lorenz about ducks and he found the ones lacking aggression/assertion didn’t/couldn’t mate. Aggression gave them propulsion but had to be diverted at the final moment to allow coupling to take place. Which suggests the Mars drive is essential for reproduction but has to be under control. Not that humans are like ducks or other animals – no rape in the animal kingdom. Female lions repel over arduous approaches with a snarl if they are not in the mood; and zebras with a well-aimed kick. The alpha males in rut have Mars in overdrive. But the ladies are in charge.   Not sure where humans went wrong as they mutated away from chimps.