Mutiny on the BBC flagship Match of the Day as striking soccer pundits take umbrage at Gary Lineker being grounded for speaking out of turn. In a plotline from a bad soap opera all football programmes TV and radio may be voiceless as the massed sporting ranks walk out in support of their master.
The issue at stake is Lineker, highest paid by far of BBC stars, slamming government policy on immigration by text. The new Director General, keen on imposing impartiality on BBC staff, say he breached guidelines and hauled him off air. Lineker described the Government’s latest small boats policy as “immeasurably cruel” and “directed at the most vulnerable people in language not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”. The left wing media are supporting him, the right-wing not.
Lineker was a footballer and for thirty years has been a BBC pundit which has helped him acquire 8.7 million Twitter followers.
What is intriguing astrologically-speaking is Lineker’s interface with the BBC given that he has been a fixture for so long.
He was born 30 November 1960 in Leicester, England, and is an adventurous and outspoken Sun Sagittarius in a determined and controlling square to Pluto North Node in Virgo; with a hard-edged and short-fused Mars in Cancer opposition Saturn Venus in Capricorn.
His Sun is conjunct the BBC’s Venus for a friendly link; but his Pluto North Node opposes the BBC’s 10th Uranus which is highly disruptive. And his Saturn opposition Mars squares the BBC’s Saturn in Libra – thereby crashing his irritable, authority-loathing tendencies into a collision with the BBC’s (not always obvious) desire for balance and the BBC’s Pluto in Cancer compounding the aggravation.
Even more striking is the relationship chart with an inflammatory and volatile Yod of Sun sextile Neptune inconjunct Mars. Tr Pluto is exactly square that Mars now and on and off till late 2024 – so the boiling cauldron will not cool down anytime soon. Tr Saturn is also square the composite Saturn Jupiter opposition Uranus now and throughout the year dampening enthusiasm between the two.
If I could pitch a personal viewpoint. When I started in journalism some decades back it was considered unprofessional for journalists to hold party political views – or at least allow their opinions to interfere with their work. They were there as dispassionate observers to make sense of the political scene. The explosion of social media has given carte blanche to everyone and anyone to voice their opinion. Lineker was never a journalist but he does owe his income and position to an organization that should be seen as impartial.
Lobbing grenades at government policy? Do I care what a former footballer who commentates about men kicking balls up and down a pitch thinks? Actually not at all. Whether he is right or wrong, or partially right but over the top in voicing his opinion doesn’t really matter. If he wants to be an activist he should set himself free of the BBC and do his thing, though I suspect his twitter audience might shrink. Ditto Chris Packham.
Skittish as a yearling colt the markets were spooked by the collapse of a small Silicon Valley bank which sent shares in major US banks plummeting and rippled across the Atlantic to affect UK and EU financial entities as well. However banking experts say it doesn’t seem likely to trigger a wider financial meltdown. Unlike the giant banks that ignited a global crisis in 2008, SVB was heavily dependent on a single risky sector of the economy for depositors and customers.
What seems to have been a catalyst is anxiety about the Federal Reserve raising interest rates which has the money men on a knife edge of panic.
The SVP incorporated on 22 February 1983 has a 3 degree Pisces Sun trine Pluto Saturn. Tr Saturn is just over the trine to its Pluto and now heading to conjunct the Sun as it goes into closure. With further signs of failure and panic in 2024/25 with tr Neptune conjunct the Mars and Venus as the mess is mopped up.
Economic and financial experts are notoriously erratic when it comes to predictions – a good deal less accurate than astrologers. So they may well be mistaken that this is an aberration rather than warning bell. It always seemed likely there would be a financial crisis kicked off by Pluto moving into Aquarius.
From September 10 2021 post:
‘A global financial crunch looks likely around Pluto’s entry into Aquarius from late March 2023 onwards. It may not be the same as the 2008 Pluto-into-Capricorn crash but there is consternation on several central bank charts.
The US Federal Reserve has tr Pluto opposition the Neptune at zero degrees Leo in 2023/24 which usually indicates devastation of sorts and paralysis running for two years after; followed by tr Neptune square the Saturn Pluto conjunction in 2025/26 which won’t be much better. The Bank of Russia has an equally blocked and scary tr Pluto square Mars at zero degrees Taurus in 2023/24. The ECB has Neptune at 1 Aquarius catching the tr Pluto hard aspect in 2024/25.
The Bank of Australia also highlights 2024/25 as years of panic and uncertainty. The Bank of China is nerve-stretched in 2022 and worse in 2024 to 2026 with tr Neptune and Solar Arc Neptune both in hard aspect to its overly confident Uranus opposition Mars Jupiter which will deflate confidence considerably.’ The Bank of England has tr Pluto trine Mars at zero Libra – so immense challenges from late this month.
[See previous Sept 10 2021 post for previous examples of Pluto in Aquarius – + Hugh comments.]
Stock market charts tend to be variable in terms of providing illuminating information and bank charts are tricky since their long histories tends to be of mergers and re-sales so it is not easy to pin down effective start dates. For what it is worth, Goldman Sachs, 4 May 1990, looks logjammed from later this month for two years ahead. Bank of America, 1 October 1998, is mired in confused panic this month and financially stressed as Pluto moves into Aquarius with considerable challenges in 2024/25. Citigroup, 16 June 1812, ditto.
The Dow Jones, 26 May 1896 9.11am New York will find its Sagittarius Moon and Gemini Sun depressed by tr Saturn throughout this year; with great uncertainty in 20924 from Solar Arc Saturn square Neptune.
The FTSE 3 January 1984 10am London, is certainly pressured with tr Pluto square the Mars/Pluto midpoint and then Pluto in 2023/24 and has a bubble bursting tr Neptune square the Jupiter (and Neptune) from this April onwards.
In an act of breath-taking stupidity the inept GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy gave exclusive access to surveillance footage from the January 6 Capitol attack to erstwhile Trump cheer-leader Tucker Carlson of Fox News. Tucker proceeded to cherry-pick the coverage and made the ludicrous claim that it was mostly a peaceful protest carried out by concerned citizens exercising their right to make their opinions heard.
Given that there has been extensive airing of videos showing Trump supporters smashing windows, assaulting police officers and rampaging through the halls of Congress shouting for blood it was hardly likely to fly. It has met with a deluge of condemnation — much of it from Republicans, with welcome signs that sanity is returning to the halls of the GOP.
It added another brick to Fox News wall of shame as it staggers from revelations that presenters and top executives knew the claims of a stolen election were false as they bull-horned them on the air in a disreputable attempt to keep a grip on their right-wing audience. Carlson is even revealed in a text which emerged from court proceedings as saying he hated Trump. Sent the day after the Capitol riots, he described Trump as a “demonic force, a destroyer;” and in another he called Trump’s presidency a “disaster.”
Both McCarthy and Carlson share Boris Johnson et al’s Jupiter Neptune stamp with its tendency to over-promise, skim round the actualite and become mired in scandals through their own instability. [It does have more positive outcomes but they appear to lean heavily on its negative pole.]
Kevin McCarthy has it in spades as his Jupiter opposition Neptune is the driving rod of a Grand Trine making Neptune his leading planet. 26 January 1965 12.40pm Bakersfield, CA.
Tucker Carlson, 16 May 1968 10.07 am San Francisco, CA, has his Taurus Sun opposition Neptune and trine Jupiter and Pluto in Virgo. He is in a year of upheaval with tr Pluto in Aquarius trine his Uranus and his Solar Arc Midheaven, which may not be career-terminal but will elbow him onto a new track. He’s in for a sinking Neptunian slide this year and next with a few disasters and catastrophes from mid 2023 onwards for a few months. 2024 looks like very hard work and a slog with tr Pluto square his 10th house Saturn into 2025 and he’s looking very nerve-stretched over the election itself.
Interesting that both he and McCarthy have Saturn in the 10th, with McCarthy aiming for his second Saturn Return within weeks. Saturn here is generally understood to punish transgressions. There is a karmic necessity to do the decent thing and sticking to socially acceptable rules pays off while mistakes come home to roost. McCarthy will be on an emotional knife edge through the next few weeks and jumpy, as well as facing failure from April 2024 into 2025. Not a happy camper.
Laura Ingraham, 19 June 1963 8.55am Glastonbury, CT, another Fox presenter, has tr Neptune undermining her late Gemini Sun over the 2024 election. She also has the same stamp as the others with her Neptune sextile Pluto (Mars) inconjunct Jupiter.
Just because they are sinking individually need not mean the GOP is losing since they may be sidelined by the mainstream party given their shenanigans and Fox is unlikely to be the power in the land it was in 2016 and after.
Mystic Meg, who rose to fame and fortune as a media astrologer, was beloved by fans and the betting industry – and the target for contemptuous jokes. Her crystal-ball gazing brand made serious astrologers wince as it reduced the ancient art to a pier-end sideshow.
She was born 27 July 1942 8.45am in Accrington, England, of Romany descent with a grandmother who taught astrology. After university she joined the News of the World Sunday tabloid as a sub-editor and eventually changed her name and role to become their astrologer. She made it big in the 1990s promoting the National Lottery and a betting group, eventually ending up as owner of several racehorses herself.
She pioneered phone-in horoscopes, launching a dedicated phone line in 1989 that broke BT records and eventually had a regular column in the Sun until 2015. Piers Morgan said: “Mystic Meg was Britain’s most famous astrologer and a fascinatingly mysterious lady who loved her work with a passion but was rarely seen or heard in public. She was extraordinarily professional in everything she did.”
She had a 12th house Sun Pluto in Leo making her a curious mix of private and entertaining, certainly determined. Her flamboyant Mars in Leo sat on her Ascendant so she would not have appreciated a life entirely in the shadows. She also had a well-organised and hard-working Saturn in her career 10th close to maverick Uranus (ruler of astrology).
Her Capricorn Moon in her performing 5th house was inconjunct her Mars, trine her Neptune and opposition her Mercury – there’s something wrapped up in there about her femininity in a complex relationship to mystical or evasive communications. She also had a superficially charming Venus Jupiter in Cancer in her 11th.
The other two high profile UK media astrologers of recent note have some similarities.
Jonathan Cainer, 18 December 1957 8am, like her has a fiery Ascendant with his Sagittarius Sun sitting on it. His Mercury in Capricorn was sextile his 10th house Neptune and inconjunct an 8th house Uranus.
Russell Grant, 5 February 1951 9.45pm Middlesex, has an entertaining 5th house New Moon in Aquarius opposition Pluto; with Uranus conjunct his Midheaven from the 9th. His Mercury in Capricorn is square Neptune.
Not exact parallels but all with an ability to promote themselves.
Mystic Meg died at 3.45am this morning in London with tr Uranus exactly conjunct her Midheaven and her Solar Arc Midheaven exactly conjunct her Sun; with tr Jupiter conjunct her SA Moon. A timely exit.
Add On: My favourite was Patric Walker, 25 September 1931 12.18 pm Hackensack, NJ. He had a charming 10th house Sun Venus in Libra with an emphasized astrological Uranus in his entertaining 5th house. His Uranus was on a trail-blazing focal point of a T Square to an influential 8th house Pluto opposition Saturn. Plus a communicative 9th house with confident, entertaining Jupiter in Leo and a mystical Neptune Mercury there.
Hillary Clinton appears to have a birth time, belatedly obtained from her birth certificate of 6.45pm (Astrodatabank).
This gives her a full 6th and full 4th house. The first will give her a conscientious, dutiful ethic as befits her reputation as a workhorse not a show pony. The formidable collection of Saturn Pluto Mars in her 4th hints at a less than harmonious home life both in childhood and adult life.
Her Scorpio Sun and Neptune in her 5th will make her attention-seeking and keen to have an audience – and also potentially set her up for disappointments in her love life.
Uranus in her 1st for a defiant streak. Pisces Moon in the 11th for support and nurturing through friendships as well as a sensitivity to society’s needs.
North Node in the 12th in Taurus – not very self-aware, having a tendency to become embittered and self-pitying. North Node in Taurus tends to get embroiled in long running and bitter arguments which added on to the effect of Mars Pluto Saturn which also evokes strong reactions of hostility, she will have had more than her fair share of aggravation in her life.
The 2016 election occurred when tr Pluto was still moving through her stuck 8th house. Tr Uranus in Aries was around the opposition to her Solar Arc Mars Pluto, which looks agitated and Solar Arc Saturn was moving to block her Sun in conjunction by 2017 – not too delirious a time for her.
Not sure why it has taken so long to source her birth certificate but it is feasible. Though on second thoughts I am not sure about a Gemini Ascendant – still maybe the Saturn Mars Pluto outweighed it.
Bill’s Leo Sun falls in her 4th for a domestic connection. His Saturn, Mercury, Pluto in Leo in her 3rd for difficulty communication. His Moon in her 12th for a hidden and maybe elusive bond and his Moon is conjunct her North Node – a fated though buried relationship. His charming and evasive Mars, Neptune, Venus, Jupiter in her 5th house of children and social occasions. Not ideal by any stretch but she is a hang-on-in-there type with all those fixed planets.
ADD ON: There is a suggestion that the birth time might be a sloppily written 10.45pm which would give a Leo Ascendant with the Mars, Pluto, Saturn conjunction in her 1st; North Node in her career 10th; a much travelled 9th house Moon, maybe in Aries, and Sun, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter in her family 4th. It’s might make more sense than the 6.45pm – but I hate dodgy times and am usually wrong when I guess.
Whatever the birth time, Hillary is running into a period of major setbacks and frustrations as her Solar Arc Pluto is conjunct her Sun late 2024/early 2025 followed by SA Mars conjunct her Sun and tr Pluto square all three in 2024/25/26. Tr Pluto sextile her Jupiter in 2023/2024 will help to lift her enthusiasm but it’s marginal. She looks very rattled as does Bill through April/early May this year with three of her midpoints hinting at calamities – which may be her response in part to global events since she is very plugged in to world events.
Bill also looks edgy late this April/early May but will be upbeat from June onwards into early 2024 with two lucky Jupiters – though admittedly he does have tr Uranus conjunct his Moon from this June onwards into 2024 which could be emotionally or financially upsetting, as well as physically stressful. His 2024 looks discouraging with tr Pluto opposition his Saturn, extending through 2025 as well; with a few upsets in 2024 as well from tr Uranus square his Leo Sun.
I do wonder if more might emerge vis a vis Bill and Epstein with more recent publicity and pressure being exerted on Jes Saley, banks and other financiers. Bill’s relationship with Epstein looks rattled this April with tr Uranus square the composite Pluto; which kickstarts a long banana skin slide with tr Neptune square the composite Mars Venus also from this April onwards for the next three plus years.
His relationship with Hillary also looks fraught and emotionally loaded in 2023/24 and 25. Though his health isn’t great so the above could be for any number of reasons.
An Astro-teaser to distract from the Pluto in Aquarius panics. By 2025 Pluto in Aquarius will trine Uranus in Gemini and sextile onto Saturn Neptune in Aries.
It’s a wonderfully complex mix with the closest recent parallel being the early 1950s when Saturn Neptune in Libra was sextile Pluto and square Uranus. But it will have a more powerful impact since the outer planets this time round are all on the cusp of a new sign.
At best Saturn Neptune looks after the underdog and supports workers and women’s rights; at worst it accompanies epidemics and engenders paranoia. Renowned astrologer Andre Barbault waxed lyrical about Saturn Neptune in 2025 envisaging a ‘new world civilization’ taking off with a ‘new age of humanity’ – ‘a significant rise in the standard of living of the underprivileged, of a victory over misery won in an unprecedented solidarity.’ I’m not sure I share such an upbeat view but I do think by 2026 we will have weathered more than a few storms and (cross fingers) should be into calmer waters.
Uranus trine Pluto will favour the underdog as well with positive changes being forced on the elite through rumblings of discontent.
I always think of the early 1950s as having spawned the later hippy, counter-culture movement which rejected mainstream values. So maybe we will be welcoming a resurgence of the Age of Aquarius.
Barbault also associated Saturn Neptune with seismic events in Russian history – 1917 revolution, 1952 Stalin’s death, 1989 – of which more anon in a future post.
By 2026 Jupiter moves into Leo to oppose Pluto and form a Half Grand Sextile with Uranus and Neptune.
I must admit to having a fascination for configurations – and which not only spark off singular events but will also produce fascinating children.
Rewards for past efforts and reality checks for mistakes are the two hallmarks of Saturn. From today it will strive to adhere to its stick-to-the-straight-and-narrow policy as it negotiates its way through oceanic Pisces until May 2025. Saturn is ramrod rigid, a fan of limits and structures, rules, regulations and pragmatic solutions. At the polar opposite is Pisces which abhors boundaries, dissolves and undermines reality to allow for visions and fantasies to take flight.
At best Saturn can give shape to Pisces’s dreams and make them come true – the ideal of a better society, with help for the underdog and the suffering. Self-sacrifice for a greater good is a key element. At a negative end the combination can induce obsessive worry and paranoia as rational thinking functions are undermined.
A combination of Earth (Saturn) and Water (Pisces) tends to be serious and self-protective, with an emphasis on survival needs and security. It can be a strong partnership with the power to endure through calamities and great inner strength and determination. On the downside it can be cold, manipulative and frustrating. What appears to be crucial for best results is not to wallow in old regrets or live in the past but to march stalwartly on.
Saturn in Pisces was around before 21 May 1993 to 7 March 1996; 24 March 1964 to 3 March 1967; and 14 February 1935 to 25 April 1937.
When Saturn moves through a chart house – established by the Ascendant/Rising sign – it brings a need to be responsible, hard-headed and better organized in that area. Similarly for the Solar houses.
For Aries, Saturn moving into the sign before will bring an unfamiliar urge to be introspective, to review the past and consider which ambitions are no longer viable or firing your enthusiasm. Nothing need happen instantly since this is a preparatory phase before Saturn moves into Aries in 2025. But at some point there will be a need to clear the decks, chuck out whatever has passed its sell-by date, whether old attitudes and opinions which no long work well, or goals that are not feasible or even friendships which have had their day.
For Taurus, Saturn moving the 11th house of friends and future plans, hints that making long term plans for the future will bring peace of mind. Friends may be fewer than in the past but the old, tried and trusted buddies who are loyal will stick around. Making team relationships work will take effort, more so than in the past and the same goes for keeping in touch with old buddies. Saturn always brings lessons about acting responsibly.
For Gemini, Saturn moving across the 10th house is a spine-straightener where work, career and reputation are concerned since self-discipline and hard work will bring results. Whereas cutting corners and going for quick fixes will backfire. Old mistakes may surface to be faced and fixed, but past preparations done well will bring rewards in respect and recognition.
Cancer will be pleased to see the back of Saturn in Aquarius which has made the past two years less than generous financially and emotionally. As Saturn moves through the 9th house, you will be rethinking your outlook and philosophy of life, jettisoning old beliefs that belonged to the past. You will also be serious about educating yourself and becoming better informed. Travel can be serious, delayed or for work purposes.
Leo will review Saturn moving into the 8th house with mixed feelings since it will require a rethink and re-organisation of joint finances. It can be a time of taking heavier responsibilities for a partner and being thrown back on your own resources. But in bring forced to cope, it will promote resilience and resourcefulness so there will be strength and experience for effective strategies in future.
Virgo facing Saturn across the zodiac in your opposite sign will either retreat into self-sufficiency and pull up your defences; or you will take your responsibilities to partners with renewed determination. Warmth may be lacking in emotional relationships with more criticism, but loyalty will be valued more than passion, and practicality more than romance. It can also be a time of progress at work so duty will eat into relaxation time – success that comes at a price.
Libra despite unkind slurs about laziness can be extraordinarily hard working as you move through your middle years. Saturn moving through your 6th house of work and health ensures that chores will pile up and require conscientious effort. There may be less appreciation and rewards for hard labour but this is a foundation-laying time with success coming later on. What is key to Saturn in the 6th is learning about limits. Not overworking for one thing since your stamina will run out if you keep going endlessly without paying practical attention to your body’s needs.
Scorpio may have to put duty before indulgence and playing, with Saturn moving through your 5th house of entertainment, enjoyment, games and children. This brings lessons about the ‘true meaning of love’ which means being responsible and unconditional in offering support while not expecting much in return for the time being. Children can be a weighty matter.
Sagittarius likewise will find that close emotional relationships, home and family matters bring harder work with Saturn moving through their 4th. This can have a dual meaning with success at work bringing a more visible role in the outside world. But it can also bring up tensions within the family which will have to be resolved, as well as practical domestic problems requiring attention. For some it may involve the hassle of a house move.
Capricorn is ruled by Saturn so more attuned to its demands and strictures. Moving through the 3rd house puts a focus on everyday schedules at work and in the neighbourhood and communication. There may be difficulties getting opinions and messages across which will require either a change of approach or persistence. Backing off into a corner and feeling hurt at not being heard won’t bring a solution. Repeat, louder if necessary. Be bold and break down barriers.
Aquarius is co-ruled by Saturn, though often prefers to lean on its whacky, maverick Uranian side. Saturn moving through the financial 2nd house will require a practical, cautious and security-conscious approach to handling money. Indulgences need to be cut back and long term security put up as a priority. It need not be a disaster but tightening belt and re-organising will be vital.
Pisces will need to put their feet on solid earth with Saturn moving through their own sign. This is the start of a new 29 year cycle which won’t begin with bells and whistles and neon lights flashing. But slowly, as in sowing seeds having prepared the ground in advance and then patience. It could feel chilly, restricted or downbeat as they have to adapt to a new phase which means letting go elements of the past. But it could, with effort, be a time of forging new ideals and hopes for the future and setting foot on a new path.
Greece’s worst train disaster with 57 dead when a freight and a passenger train going in opposite directions collided, has been put down to human error with a station master taking responsibility for not switching tracks. Though major demonstrations since of angry citizens say it was an accident waiting to happen and blamed the government. There have been long-running problems with the electronic systems that are supposed to warn them of danger ahead. The transport minister resigned, taking responsibility for the government’s failure to modernise the country’s railways in the three-and-a-half years it had been in power.
The crash is becoming a defining political issue for Greece as it prepares to face a general election in the spring. A senior politician told the BBC that the lack of funding was the direct result of the strict terms of international bailouts imposed after the 2010 debt crisis.
The crash occurred at 11.31 pm close to Thessaloniki on 28 February when both Pluto and Saturn were in the final degree of their respective signs. The chart itself is hard but not especially horrific though, like the 9/11 chart, down in the harmonics a bleaker description emerges – with in this case the destructive 18th harmonic linking a brutal Mars Pluto to Saturn and Neptune.
Often major national disasters precede significant changes at a political or domestic level in the country. The modern Greece 24 July 1974 chart has a Sun at zero degrees Leo sitting in the line of the tr Pluto opposition Sun from later this month which certainly points to a transformational and challenging time over the next two years, setting a different scenario for what follows.
On the country chart there is also a Solar Arc Saturn conjunct Mars on the cusp of the 3rd now which is pretty descriptive of a transport accident.
The recent Solar Eclipse set for this location has Uranus on the IC and Pluto conjunct the Ascendant, marking it out as a fraught region.
Gabor Mate, the Hungarian-Canadian doctor/therapist with special interest in trauma and addictions and a million Instagram followers has been criticized for his promotion of hallucinogenic drugs as a cure for depression. His interview with Prince Harry has also raised alarm amongst parents and health experts about the blithe acceptance that cocaine, marijuana, alcohol and the Amazonian plant ayahuasca can be life enhancing and trauma eradicators.
There is some evidence that hallucinogenics given under carefully controlled conditions can help some but serious adverse reactions have also been seen including suicide. Taking drugs during teens and early twenties when the brain has not yet fully developed has also been shown to do considerable damage.
Mate, born 6 January 1944 in Budapest, Hungary lost his grandparents in Auschwitz and was handed over by his mother when he was five months old for a few weeks for reasons of safety – which abandonment he says has left lifelong scars which have motivated his work. He is a Sun Mercury in Capricorn with a serious Saturn in Gemini and a flamboyant Jupiter in Leo.
What dominates his chart is a Half Grand Sextile formed from an explosive Mars Uranus (Moon) in Gemini opposition Venus in Sagittarius sextile Pluto North Node in Leo sextile Neptune. Talented, ambitious clearly, controlling and influential, with his excitable (and thrill-seeking) Mars Uranus sextile Pluto drawing him towards crisis situations.
Reading a couple of journalistic interviews with him, he seems to have focused in on his own issue and used that as a platform to give him prominence. He also seems a touch overly keen to feed his ego by giving definite diagnosis rather than follow the standard therapeutic procedure of facilitating patients/clients in finding their own answers.
His get-it-together 5th Harmonic is strong, as is his self-defeating 10h and leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17h.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy. What suits one individual won’t do it for another. Mate sounds too evangelical for my taste and careless of those for whom a directive and forcing (scud missile) approach could do more harm than good.
The value of astrology, Arab astrologers believed, was in helping us understand and put in context the past. Unfortunately most astrologers spend their time in a tremor of anxiety about what is coming. Pluto, the planet of transformation, ruler of inexorable and seismic changes, is once again poised on the brink of a cyclical shift. Should we shiver with excitement at the chance of new vistas opening up and the possibility of recent restrictions being cast aside? Or wilt at the prospect of having to adjust yet again to a new scenario with a while different set of challenges?
Sun sign astrology is generally sneered at by the elitists but it works well enough at a simple level not to be dismissed out of hand. It is one way of approaching what will happen to individuals in the time to come.
Pluto will move into Aquarius from the 23rd of this month till the middle of this June and returns again from early 2024 for two decades thereafter.
The greatest effect will be felt by the Fixed signs – Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Those born early in their sign will feel the effects first.
For Taurus, it falls in the Solar 10th house of career and life direction, bringing a long phase of seeking and searching for meaning and purpose at work and in life. The ultimate aim is to find a true vocation. But it may be a question of try, try, try again before you succeed. Along the way there may be power struggles with authority figures.
Leo will be prompted to alter their approach to close relationships. Pluto can throw up tensions as one or both partners resist letting go the old ways and fight for control. It can be scary to open up to deeper connections with intense emotional reactions surfacing. But the end result will be to forge stronger bonds if the problems can be overcome and trust established.
Scorpio will sense the winds of change blowing through their home life, family relationships and altering their attitude to their roots and origins. Pulling away from old emotional foundations can bring a sense of loss but the gift is the prospect of reattaching in future to more mature connections as childish patterns are eliminated. It can also be a time of rebuilding literally at home as the domestic shell shows signs of requiring renovations.
Aquarius could regard this as a transformational phase comparable to caterpillar, chrysalis into butterfly. Though another analogy might be the crustacean – like a lobster or shrimp. They are armour coated which protects them but what fends off danger also stops them growing. When they need to evolve to a larger size they go through a vulnerable phase when they cast off the old shell. At that point they hide under a rock for safety. Grown in size, they put on a suitably enlarged overcoat and sally back into the fray. Pluto’s change always requires a step backwards into an exposed or defenseless stage before an empowered move forward. Aquarius will emerge renewed and regenerated along the way.
The other Air signs – Gemini and Libra – will benefit from Pluto in Aquarius.
Gemini has been labouring since 2008 with Pluto moving through its Solar 8th house, which is a financial and emotional drag. Some have used Pluto’s subtle manipulation of power and influence astutely but it hasn’t been easy. Pluto moving ahead through their Solar 9th will find them opinionated and wrestling to a degree with sorting out their beliefs and philosophy of life but they won’t be as tied down.
Libra has been sorting out home, family and domestic matters for the past fifteen years and is now ready to step out into a longish phase of Pluto moving through their Solar 5th house. This will help them make their mark creatively and be an influential presence on the social scene. Less helpfully it can make them more possessive and controlling about children and loved ones. Resisting that temptation and turning their attention to building up their self-confidence and getting their achievements out on display will make more sense.
The fire signs – Aries and Sagittarius – will be less burdened moving ahead with Pluto moving out of materialistic, earthy Capricorn into airy Aquarius. A mix of Fire and Air can be hot-air-balloon time, exciting but not always realistic or practical. But will appeal to their adventurous spirit.
Aries will throw their energy into activist movements with Pluto moving through their Solar 11th house, wanting to make a difference. Friendships will become more intense and mixing with influential types out in society will be more frequent.
Sagittarius can now turn their attention away from Pluto in Capricorn’s obsession with money to considering how to reorganize their everyday schedule and routines at work and in the neighbourhood. Altering their way of communication will be key to Pluto in Aquarius. Everyday encounters may take on a significant tone, though too much may be read into small glitches. Becoming opinionated, dogmatic or negative are risks but real insight into the core of situations and problems will be the gift.
Cancer is still moving through a challenging phase of revisioning close relationships. Pluto in Capricorn has been a longish time of adjusting to a different balance in interchanges with one-to-one partners. Pluto moving into the Solar 8th house can bring a sense of restriction either financial or emotional, but in rethinking attitudes to influence, power and control, there can be a surprisingly positive outcome. For sure, best results will come from altering ways of sharing, caring and relating and being firstly more adaptable and secondly accepting of what can’t be changed.
Pisces will adapt to Pluto moving through Aquarius, the sign before theirs, by disappearing into a private space to ponder. For some, they will drift and daydream through a time where they feel marginally hemmed in. For others they will rise to the challenge of understanding what is going on deep within themselves. They will explore their unconscious or their past for clues to how to change the pattern of their lives.
Virgo facing Pluto moving into their 6th house of health and work will be unperturbed at the prospect of exploring better ways of upgrading and regenerating their fitness and physical well-being. Being hypochondriacs at heart, they will relish the thought of researching new diets, exercise plans and supplements to keep them on peak form. There may be tensions in the work place since their determination that they know best about new methods and approaches may not meet with universal agreement.
Capricorn likewise won’t be unduly unnerved by the prospect of Pluto moving into its chart area of personal finances, since money and materialistic matters fall within its comfort zone. Though they may not appreciate Pluto’s tendency to start with a breakdown phase as an old financial base or methods are deconstructed before the reconstruction begins. Staying in control of cash and security will be key to their peace of mind.
These are the rule of thumb Solar effects of Pluto in Aquarius – which will equally make sense when applied to the rising (Ascendant) sign. Not to be regarded as tablets of stone since other planetary influences will also be in play. But helpful as an overview.
