not categorised

A Mars Pluto family legacy could have cut actor Josh Brolin’s life short as he started on drugs aged nine and was an alcoholic over the next four decades. He emerged with distinction in the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men (2007) and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the biopic Milk (2008). More recently he has gained recognition for playing Thanos, the destroyer of worlds, in Marvel’s Avengers franchise and in Dune. 

 His destructive childhood was down to his wild-child alcoholic mother, a Texan wildlife activist, of whom he was fond, despite her irresponsible behaviour.  He writes in a new memoir, “I was raised to be a man and drink like the male equivalent of my mother.” His father James Brolin, now married to Barbra Streisand, was largely absent until his teens. The title From Under a Truck is a reflection of his mother’s drinking habits.

 He admired his mother and identified with her. “You know, she was a pain in the ass. I mean, there’s nobody who would contest that — nobody — but you don’t not want her around,” he says with a shrug. She made “everything a little more powerful, a little more vivid”. She died at 55 after a stormy fight with a younger boyfriend, whom she chased after drunk and crashed her car into a tree.

 Josh finally got sober in 2013.

 Born 12 February 1968 10.22am Santa Monica, California,  he has a Sun Mercury in Aquarius square Neptune and inconjunct Uranus Pluto in Virgo; with Uranus Pluto opposition Mars Chiron in Pisces. Neptune would make him a dreamer, perhaps addiction-prone. The inconjunct give him a sense of strain as if he could never quite get himself on track. And the gothic Mars opposition a 5th house Uranus Pluto is truly difficult – volatile, explosive, hugely frustrated, attracted to high-risk. A career in the performing arts was probably his saving grace with his Pluto in his 5th house also on the focal point of a yod to his Sun sextile North Node. His 4^th house Leo Moon is sparsely aspected being only trine a 12^th house forced-to-be-self-reliant Saturn in Aries. His Venus in the 9^th squares his North/South node axis and let him in childhood to retreat into reading books as a compensation for the craziness and risk of his life.

 He has a talented Half Grand Sextile from his Mars opposition Uranus Pluto, sextile/trine Venus and Neptune.

 When he finally got sober in 2013 tr Uranus was conjunct his Solar Arc Sun with both conjunct his 12^th house Saturn; and his Solar Arc Mars Chiron was sitting exactly on his natal Ascendant.

  His father, James Brolin, 18 July 1940 11.10 am Los Angeles, has a 10^th house Cancer Sun midway between a creative 8^th house Uranus trine a 12^th house Neptune and Sun opposition a Capricorn Moon. Notably he has Mars Pluto conjunct in Leo in his 10^th which squares Jupiter Saturn in Taurus – so very Fixed and utterly determined.

 His mother Jane Brolin, 19 October 1939, Texas, was a Sun Libra opposition Saturn in Aries square Pluto perhaps square a Capricorn Moon; with her Pluto opposition Mars in Aquarius. Quite what brought her together with James is not clear since their relationship chart is starkly difficult with composite Sun trine Mars Saturn which is turn squares Pluto – a constant tussle for control and the upper hand, and aggravated.

  For all she was a nightmare mother, her Venus fell on Josh’s Descendant for an affectionate link; her optimistic Jupiter opposition Neptune fell across his volcanic Mars opposition Uranus Pluto lifting some of his angst; and her Pluto was conjunct his Moon for a strong bond. Their relationship chart had an ever-forgiving composite Sun opposition Jupiter.

 His relationship with his father is more doubting and edgy. James B’s Mars Pluto falls on Josh’s Moon creating a tense bond. With James’ Jupiter Saturn falling on Josh’s Ascendant for a constant swing between positive and the opposite.

  What an entangled intergenerational tangle. He says of his father that he evidently picks a certain kind of women and that Barbra Streisand is the ‘least severe.’

 Streisand, 24 April 1942 5.08am New York, is certainly a robust personality with  Taurus Sun Mercury in Taurus square a Moon Pluto in Leo – with James’ Mars Pluto conjunct her Moon, Pluto so not all marshmallows and cream. But it clearly works and the relationship chart has an easy going Jupiter Uranus trine Neptune, an affectionate and possessive Venus and Moon Pluto contacts.

 One astro-oddity which I have seen before is that Josh Brolin has his Moon in the 4^th which might suggest a more nurturing bond with his father rather than his mother. Prince Harry has it – with a similarly unpredictable mother. In some cases despite closeness to the mother, the father is seen as representing stability and giving foundations to life.

Human beings sure are complicated. And the capacity of some to overcome a mind-bogglingly damaging childhood is astonishing.

Denzel Washington steals the show in Gladiator II in the supporting role of Macrinus, the villainous slave turned slave owner aiming for power and status. Glowing reviews hint he is at the top of his game, having been crowned recently as the best actor of the 21st century by The New York Times.

He was born 28 December 1954 12.09am Mount Vernon, New Year and credits a stint in a military prep school for keeping him away from Oakland gang life. A 50 year career replete with memorable stage and Shakespearean performances has given him a powerful screen persona. He hit his stride in movies in the 1990s with Malcom X, Cry Freedom and Philadelphia and has not stopped since with blockbuster Equalizer roles in recent years.

  He has a quick-witted 3^rd house Capricorn Sun and Mercury; with a hard-working Mars in creative Pisces in his 6^th house trine a cool, determined Venus Saturn in Scorpio in his 2^nd house of finances. His Aquarius Moon largely unaspected save a square to Saturn sits in his performing 5^th house. What dominates his chart is a lucky, successful Jupiter Uranus in his 10^th house in an inventive square to Neptune. It links together a wide Water Grand Trine to his Venus Saturn and Mars giving him talent and drive.

 At the moment the recent Solar Eclipse was conjunct his Solar Arc Jupiter Uranus conjunct his Ascendant for a surge of enthusiasm. Though there may be a jolt or two up and coming with his SA Sun conjunct his Mars, exact in early 2025, which could be health related or could push his Grand Trine onto a new track.

  He clearly relished the role of Macrinus and in an interview he said: “He wants power. How? By hook, crook, charm, smile, sex, murder, relationships and politics. Whatever it takes.”

  If it is the same Macrinus – he became emperor in Rome on 11 April 217 when there was a Water Grand Trine of Pluto in Cancer trine  Neptune in Pisces trine a Scorpio Moon and South Node. The Pluto fell in Denzel Washington’s 10^th and the Jupiter in Capricorn was conjunct DW’s Sun so was a good fit.

  Macrinus was born around 165 AD when there was a ferociously ambitious Pluto in Taurus opposition Neptune in Scorpio.  

Add On; There are certain astrological aspects which produce a clutch of well known talent over a period of several months. Jupiter Uranus in Cancer square Neptune running through late 1954 and 1955 is one.

IT giants – Steve Jobs, Tim Berners lee. On the acting front – Kevin Costner, Kelsey Grammer, Bruce Willis, Rowan Atkinson. In politics – Alex Salmond and Nicholas Sarkozy. Golfer Greg Norman. Writer John Grisham. Artist Jeff Koons.   

In the tower of babel created by social media, complex thinking fell down a rabbit hole. Unhinged and threatening Twitter pile-ons ramp up extremist views. Fair-minded resolutions about not living in a comforting echo chamber of confirming views have been battered into extinction.

  One commentator writes; “The future of social media looks increasingly segregated for users’ safety, like rival fans at football. X for the rightwing and the raging; centrists and policy nerds on Bluesky; people who hate politics on Threads or Instagram; Gen Z on TikTok; boomers on Facebook.”

Bluesky, the newest entrant to the game is small but expanding fast as it attracts news junkies and politicos. Twitter X and Zuckerburg’s Meta Threads still number users in gzillions but that may not last for ever.  

 Bluesky had its official launch after an invitation-only beta period on 4 February 2024 when blissfully Pluto had just dipped a toe into Aquarius with the Sun in Aquarius.

 Twitter launched 21 March 2006 has an Aries Sun trine Saturn in Leo and square Pluto – resilient, enduring, tough-minded. There’s also Mars in argumentative Gemini square Mercury Uranus and widely opposition Pluto – for the warrior, ranting and raving tribe.

Meta Threads, 5 July 2023 7pm EDT, a Sun Cancer, also has a super-charged Mars in flamboyant Leo on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Neptune sextile Pluto.

 The one to watch ahead is Twitter X which is lurching into tr Saturn Neptune assaulting and undermining its Aries Sun from mid 2025 onwards into 2026 at which point tr Pluto opposes its Saturn for a time of hardship and deprivation into 2027.

 Elon Musk, 28 June 1971 7.30am (biography, Rodden B) Pretoria, South Africa, won’t appreciate tr Uranus moving into Gemini since it will oppose his Neptune and conjunct his Saturn from July 2025 into 2026, sending his highly strung nervous system into overdrive with mounting concerns. In 2025 as well the early Lunar Eclipse and later Solar Eclipse will both tug on his Pluto so will be interesting to see what happens to his influence and grip on power. 2026 will be worse with a dead-halt, trapped, scary SA Pluto square his Mars and a seriously undermining tr Neptune Saturn square his Cancer Sun.

  Mark Zuckerburg, 14 May 1984  White Plains, New York, no verified birth time, will also face his challenges through the celestial transition, though not as damagingly as Musk. Zuck has his Pluto at zero Scorpio and his Neptune at zero Capricorn both of which have been under pressure recently up to the end of this year. His 2026 looks like a sinker with his SA Mars conjunct his Neptune but he’ll bounce again in 2027.

Caveat emptor (buyer beware) must be ringing through many Republican politicians’ heads. The electorate may be forgiven for their disinterest in anything beyond the dollar in their pocket. But senators and congresspersons don’t have that excuse for their wholehearted support for Trump, knowing full well his – ahem – idiosyncrasies and his mental deterioration from last time round.

 Now that he has gone full tonto (= crazy) with appointments that might seem extreme in a black comedy more than a few will be regretting their choice.

 What follows are jumbled astro-thoughts since it is not clear whether Trump will get a carte blanche to appoint whatever deplorable he fancies.

Matt Gaetz for one in as Attorney General, previously described as a person of moral turpitude, who was on the hook for sex trafficking,  allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and other alleged ethical breaches. Born 7 May 1982, he is a Sun Taurus with Venus in Aries in an ‘enthusiastic’ opposition to Mars and a stubborn Saturn Pluto in Libra. Tr Saturn Neptune opposing his Mars from this April onwards into 2026 will present him with failure and setbacks. His relationship chart with Trump has a high tension, prone to outbursts composite Sun square Saturn Uranus T with a bitterly resentful, dominating Mars Pluto conjunction square Mercury.

  Like several of the relationship charts with Trump 2026 is showing up as flashing-red-light time.

 Pete Hegseth, alarming the generals in (possibly) as Defence Secretary  is also facing an explosive 2026 with Trump.  Ditto Tulsi Gabbard, pro-Russian seemingly by inclination in as Intelligence will find relations with Trump stormy in 2025 and worse in 2026.

 Ditto Robert F Kennedy Jnr, and Susie Wiles, and John Thune, and the 1853 Republican Party – all show up 2026 as a year of panicky failure vis a vis Trump.

 The Inauguration chart would certainly back that up with a blocked Solar Sun moving to conjunct the Pluto and a sagging popularity with SA Saturn conjunct the Venus. Not terminal but highly stressed and stuck.

  When former UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was once asked what was the greatest challenge for a statesman, he replied: ‘Events, dear boy, events’. It may be off-the-wall internal policies or outside happenings but as with the UK political scene it may be that – stretching a point – what has been voted in recently under Pluto in Capricorn belonged to an old era and was not designed to make it across the transition into what lies ahead.

  Interesting times.

Add On: More straws in the wind.

Donald Trump Jnr – Tr Neptune will make a disappointing square to his Jupiter throughout 2025 undermining some high hopes. Tr Uranus will upend his Saturn in Virgo by square from July 2025 onwards into 2026 for an uncomfortable jolt. Again 2026 shows up with Neptunian slumps as it squares his Venus at the same time as his SA Uranus is conjunct his Venus – an emotional upset of considerable proportions.

 His relationship with his father is on a slide throughout 2025 with tr Neptune tr Saturn opposition their composite Mercury from April onwards and then conjunct the composite Sun at 1 degree Aries.

 Donald Jnr’s relationship with Vance is also spiralling downwards as tr Neptune Saturn moves into Aries from April 2025 onwards as it opposes their composite Mars, is conjunct the Jupiter and then opposes the Saturn right through till 2027.

 RFK’s relationship with Don Jnr is notably unhappy and disappointing with tr Neptune opposition the composite Mars throughout 2025 and then opposition the Saturn in 2026/27.

 J.D.Vance has his Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Uranus for an almighty upheaval, exact early 2025 which may be his elevation to VP. But with tr Saturn Neptune square his SA Midheaven at 0/1 degrees Cancer in 2025/26 it won’t all be a glorious success. 2026 will bring dented hopes though 2027 could suggest an uptick – which could bring him more prominence.

Add On: Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, would mean oversight of agencies like the CIA, FBI and the National Security Agency (NSA), with a budget of $70 bn. The nomination has raised questions over Gabbard’s lack of experience in intelligence as well as accusations that she has in the past amplified Russia propaganda. Formerly a Democrat. She will require Senate confirmation to take up the role.

 Born 12 April 1981 she has a fearsome chart with Sun, Mars, Venus in Aries opposition Pluto and trine Neptune – not a lady who understands nuances, tolerance or compromise.  She has a Leo Moon conjunct her North Node both of which tie into Trump’s 12^th house Pluto – no doubt attracting her to his subversive power drive. Though it is an odd match with her aggressive Sun Mars Venus in Aries opposition Pluto square his Saturn Venus in Cancer.

   The relationship chart reflects the pluses and minuses with a tough, cold-hearted, workmanlike composite Sun trine Pluto and square Saturn; and a dominating Mars square Pluto. With a veneer of superficial good feeling from Jupiter (Moon) trine Venus.

Several of the relationship charts of his Cabinet picks point to minor setbacks in the months immediately after the Inauguration  – which may be the confirmation hearings? Or something else?

  She looks relatively upbeat vis a vis Trump at various points in 2025 with some hitches and glitches as well. But again 2026 looks ominous both on her relationship chart with Trump and her own personal chart with tr Neptune Saturn opposition her Jupiter Saturn conjunction in Libra.

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Timothy West, one of Britain’s most respected and versatile actors, has died at the age of 90. Renowned for his Shakespearean performances on stage as well as a wide range of television roles, in recent years he had success with his wife of six decades Prunella Scales filming Great Canal Journeys, despite her advancing Alzheimers.

  He was born 20 October 1934 6pm (from memory) Bradford, England, into an acting family and had a hard-working, enthusiastic Libra Sun conjunct Jupiter in his 6^th house; with Mars and Neptune both in his performing/entertaining 5^th house and a well-organized Saturn in his 10th. He did have a tricky Sun opposition Uranus square Pluto (in the 4^th on this birth time) so he would be restless and fairly controlling. He also had a yod of Mars sextile Jupiter inconjunct his 11^th house Aries Moon. Such a Moon would make him emotionally hyper-sensitive and in his younger days disorganized – he was suited to a career with a public audience. (Actor John Nettles also has the Moon on the focal point of a yod).

  He is survived by his wife, Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, and three children.

 Prunella Scales, 22 June 1932, 10 pm (unverified) Abinger, England, is a Sun Cancer with an Aquarius Moon which is an an easy-going opposition to Jupiter. She would balance out his workaholic/serious Saturn in the 10^th tendencies. Her Mars in Gemini sat in his Ascendant so it would be a dynamic relationship with a few heated moments.

  Their relationship chart had a supportive/successful Pluto sextile Jupiter; though there was a hint of hardship and a power imbalance from a composite Mars Pluto conjunction. Saturn was on the focal point of a yod to Mercury sextile Mars hinting that self-control, self-discipline and maturity were needed to make it work.

 Their Wedding chart from 26 October 1963 had an ethereal composite Venus Neptune conjunction, suited to a creative partnership. But most significantly it had two yods from Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct Jupiter and Jupiter sextile Saturn inconjunct Pluto – a union that altered each other’s lifepath dramatically bringing Jupiterian bounty and influence.

Tr Pluto is square Timothy West’s Uranus exactly now with tr Pluto moving to oppose his Solar Arc Uranus this coming week.  

    Life is moving on as the planets cut ties with the past.

Add On: He died at 6.55pm on November 12 in London when tr Pluto was exactly square his Uranus.

Frank Auerbach, known for his encrusted canvases, a Holocaust orphan, who lived a monkish, solitary life in Camden, London has died aged 93. Seven days a week, 10 hours a day, for decades, he painted and said “I’ve certainly never been lonely by myself. I’m far more likely to be lonely in the company of people who haven’t understood.” He said he had no choice in his career. “If I hadn’t become a painter I would die.”

 He was born 29 April 1931 in Berlin and was sent by his parents to England in 1939 and educated at a Jewish-Quaker school. He never saw them again.

  Art was everything to him, “not a craft, but a philosophical inquiry”.

 One reviewer said ‘All his work was abstracted reality, with the energy of the artist written across the surface in broad, thick swathes of paint, often applied straight from the tubes. His colours were dramatic and the works were often displayed in glass cases, heightening the impression that they were sculpture. One had the desire to touch a painting by Auerbach, as much as look at it.’

 He was a Sun Mercury in Taurus square Mars in Leo giving him a stubborn determination, artistic talent and despite his self-chosen isolation a capacity to attract attention. He also had a confident Jupiter Pluto in Cancer in the tough and inventive generational opposition to Saturn square Uranus and an independent-minded North Node in Aries.

 One could argue that the physicality of his paintings stemmed from his Taurus Sun. But other Taurus painters had different styles – Turner, Gainsborough, Rossetti, Salvador Dali, Braque, Willem de Kooning, Jasper Johns, Joseph Beuys.

  An early and seminal influence was painter David Bomberg, an upbeat Sagittarius whose Jupiter in Aquarius connected with Auerbach’s Sun and Mars. He ‘impressed upon Auerbach the seriousness of the artist’s vocation, a necessary respect for tradition and an obligation to be true to the world as he saw it.”

 His global name 22^nd harmonic and leaving-a-legacy 17H are strong but most notable is his creative ‘seeking soul’ 7^th harmonic with a stressed yod of Saturn sextile Mars inconjunct an influential Pluto.  

One of my favourite painters.

Add On: Added above. Self portrait from 2020 and Julia his wife 2021.

Despite the drift away from institutionalised religion it continues to fascinate with Robert Harris’s spellbinding Conclave about the election of a new pope now out as a movie with Ralph Fiennes starring.

 Reviews are good – “A self-contained and intricate story that uses God’s representatives on Earth to show us at our most human, filled with jealousy, betrayal, forever jostling for power.”  

“What Conclave suggests – is that the church is a business now and the spirituality that will draw clergy in has been usurped by the more political traps of pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust and sloth.”

   Pope Francis has attempted to duck those accusations but has seemingly made few inroads into the problems that have always tainted the Vatican.

  Born 17 December 1936 9pm Buenos Aires, Argentina, he has a hope-for-a-better-society Neptune opposition Saturn square his optimistic Sagittarius Sun which in turn is conjunct an upbeat Jupiter. His innovative, reforming Uranus prompting him to make a break with the past is in his 10^th house.

  His election chart, 13 March 2013 7.06pm Rome,  has a charmingly sympathetic and hard working 6^th house Sun Venus in Pisces. Though a mutinous 4^th house Pluto and a disruptive, explosive Mars Uranus on the Descendant suggested the road ahead would not be smooth for internal relationships.

 There are also two yods on his Election chart – one onto Jupiter inconjunct Saturn sextile Pluto which does suggest a capacity for having a positive influence out in the society; the other onto Saturn inconjunct Uranus sextile Jupiter which hints at the need for a strong backbone.

  Tr Neptune Saturn moving into Aries from just before mid year in 2025 will be undermining and problematic for his time as Pope.

  His views on astrology stick close to the internal rule book, despite the Vatican itself being replete with astrological artefacts from days gone by when all Popes had their own astrologer. All forms of divination are to be rejected. With that torturous double think so beloved of those of fixed beliefs he suggests consulting a horoscope will cause you to sink whereas a strong faith in Jesus will allow you to walk on water like St Peter.  

“Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers.”

Tertullian reminds us, “Nothing of God costs money.” Astrologers charge fees so are inherently immoral.

  One Catholic website writes: “Imagine the kind of wishy-washy deity in which astrologists and their fans believe.”

  Trying to unravel the above – starting at the end – “Nothing of God costs money.” Surely a bad joke given the churches rapacious appetite for such.  Ditto the Vatican’s power hungry reach. One reason the priest classes so disliked astrology was that it took power away from them.

  Walking on water is a weirder supernatural belief than anything put forward by astrology.

  Since on their theory God created the universe what is wrong with the notion that he is OK with David Attenborough studying nature and astrologers studying the parallels between planetary movements and events on earth?

 The Roman emperors used bread and circuses to placate the peasant/plebeian classes. Religious leaders use other inducements to subdue their congregations into submission and leave the entitled priest cohort in charge.

As a footnote:

Novelist Robert Harris, 7 March 1957, is also like the Pope a Sun, Venus in Pisces; with an inventive, inspired Uranus square Neptune. His Mars (Moon) South Node in Taurus square Pluto will draw him to explore the darker side of humanity across a range of novels focused on the Second World War and then Ancient Rome.

Actress Susan Sarandon, 35 years into a prolifically successful career, has found herself backlisted for remarks made last year at a pro-Palestinian rally. She later apologized but was dropped by her agent and reckons she’ll never be employed in a big budget Hollywood movie again.

 Leaving aside the rights and wrongs of what she said, her astrology shows up an unwelcome turning point in her life.

  Born 4 October 1946 2.25 pm New York, she has a dreamy, sympathetic and intense Sun Neptune in Libra in her 8^th house with an emotional Capricorn Moon conjunct her Ascendant. Her opinionated 9^th house has Mercury in Libra and an enthusiastic Jupiter Mars in strong-minded Scorpio which is square a stubborn Saturn Pluto in Leo in her 7^th. Not a lady who does things by halves or gives way easily.

She is in the midst of a perfect storm on the astro front with tr Saturn now moving through the nadir of her low profile First Quadrant, not usually a successful time career wise. Plus tr Pluto conjunct her Ascendant for a wrecking ball moment image-wise. Tr Uranus has been opposing her Midheaven for another forced change of direction. And on top of all of that the recent Libra Eclipse and the March 2025 Aries Eclipse are in hard aspect to her Sun Neptune bringing an existential crisis of sorts.

  One bright spark on the horizon is her Solar Arc Pluto moving to conjunct her Jupiter, exact in early 2025. She won’t bounce back to previous heights but will get a morale boost.

The momentous rift between England’s King Henry V111 and Rome in 1534 is an integral part of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, first televised a decade ago and now dramatising a much praised follow up – Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. Focusing on his adviser Thomas Cromwell, a Putney blacksmith’s boy risen to high office, closely involved in the break with the Vatican, the latest BBC offering covers the final stages of Cromwell’s life before his execution.

 Henry’s decision stemmed in part from his desire to be  Supreme Head of the Church of England, with the power and revenues that would bring and remove external allegiance; partly the influence of the reformers at court, including Cromwell and Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer (a Sun Cancer opposition Uranus Saturn).  But the principle reason was the crisis over the succession to the throne with his then wife the Spanish Katherine of Aragon having only produced one son who died young. Declaring his marriage had never taken place, freed him to marry Anne Boleyn. 

 Henry V111, born 28 June 1491 JC 8.45 am London, was a Sun Cancer with an Aries Moon.  With an over-hopeful and reckless Jupiter in Gemini opposition Neptune square Mars in Virgo; and an intensely stubborn Mercury opposition Saturn square Pluto.

 When the split came in 1534 he was on a Saturn Half Return and more crucially a Uranus half return marking his midlife crisis.  His Progressed Mars was square his natal Uranus and transiting Uranus. And his Solar Arc Mars was square his Saturn and his Mercury with tr Saturn square his SA Mars as well.  A high-stakes moment with tempers rising sharply.

 That was also reflected in the England 11 May 973 JC chart with the Solar Arc Uranus conjunct the Mars and square the Pluto for an explosive and epoch-making parting of the ways.

  What is intriguing is that the late Hilary Mantel, twice a Booker winner, born 6 July 1952, has her Sun in Cancer exactly at the same degree as Henry V111, though in her case it is conjunct a freethinking, unconventional Uranus and a charming Venus. Her Mercury in Leo is also close to Henry’s Mercury in Leo with her Mars in Scorpio square. Her (maybe) Sagittarius Moon may be conjunct Henry’s Neptune and hooking into his Mutable T square. Small wonders she was drawn to write so movingly about his court.

 There is no birthdate for Thomas Cromwell, sadly, apart from 1485. Though sticking a finger in the middle of 1485 would give him a Jupiter in Sagittarius conjunct Henry’s North Node which could have been a support to Henry’s spiritual path.  And Cromwell’s Uranus in Sagittarius square his North/South Node axis would rattle up Henry’s impulsive Mutable T square – Cromwell’s reforming instincts propelled Henry into action.

Actor Damien Lewis, a serious Sun Aquarius square Saturn with a Virgo Moon plays Henry in this adaptation, not an intuitive casting at first glance but he pulls it off. Lewis’s Jupiter Neptune in Sagittarius is conjunct henry’s North Node and his Mercury in Aquarius keys into Henry’s Saturn opposition Mercury Pluto T square – enough connections to key into the spirit of Henry.

 Mark Rylance, 18 January 1960, who plays Cromwell, a Sun Capricorn with a Virgo Moon, has his North Node conjunct Cromwell’s South Node and his Jupiter in Sagittarius conjunct Cromwell’s Uranus. A link across the centuries.