not categorised

Peter Bogdanovich, described as ‘the blazing night-sky comet of the New Hollywood generation,’ has died. He had a life of calamitous lows as well as spectacular highs, was twice bankrupt, a drug addict accused of seducing the 13-year-old half-sister of his murdered girlfriend and was also a revered director, a respected actor and an accomplished screenwriter.

  He was born 30 July 1939 9.50pm New York into a family tinged with sadness because of the accidental kitchen death of a brother before his birth. His passion for films started early and he came to success young with The Last Picture Show (1971), What’s Up Doc? (1972) and Paper Moon (1973) but followed those with flops. Then his life was knocked off course after he split from a long liaison with Cybill Shepherd to date nude model/actress Dorothy Stratten, a Hugh Hefner Playmate of the Year. She was murdered by her jealous estranged husband, a nightclub promoter and pimp, who then shot himself.

  Bogdanovitch, who never recovered from his obsession with Dorothy,  denied seducing her younger sister Louise, though he married her eight years after Dorothy’s death when he was 49 and Louise was 20. In later years he made acclaimed documentaries about other great Hollywood figures, wrote several books and appeared in The Sopranos as psychiatrist Dr Elliot Kupferberg.

  Despite the ill luck or bad decisions which dogged his life he had a Midas for others with his Paper Moon, winning ten-year-old Tatum O’Neal the youngest ever Oscar; and his The Last Picture Show – only his second film won Oscars for Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman and made stars of a young Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd.

  He had, not surprisingly, an extraordinarily difficult, stressed and fated chart. His controlling Sun Pluto in Leo fell in his entertaining 5^th house along with charming Venus in late Cancer and all opposed Mars in Capricorn conjunct an Aquarius Moon which in turn squared onto Saturn in Taurus opposition an 8^th house Scorpio North Node. His Sun Pluto did trine Jupiter in Aries in his 1^st which would bring him confidence and luck. But the rest was a different matter. He was destined to attract a life that was tough, hard, bleak, frustrating, cruel, brutal and pulled him over to the dark side.

  His Uranus was in an innovative, creative trine to Neptune, sextiling onto Venus. His artistic talents would and Jupiterian optimism would lift him out of the pit of despair that a Grand Square linking his Sun and Moon to Mars Pluto and Saturn would drop him into constantly.

 What intrigues me is his Scorpio North Node in the 8^th which is a double triple whammy of karmic penalties in his financial and emotional life. A Scorpio Node tends to do things the hard way and cling onto old patterns. The life lesson is about learning to let go no matter how painful. Being stripped of possessions or what he held dear was his path to development. He didn’t so much opt to burn bridges behind him, fate did it for him.

   When Dorothy was killed in 1980 his Solar Arc Neptune was opposition his Saturn with his Solar Arc Midheaven square his Saturn – as his life and career went into a downward slide thereafter.

  Dorothy, 28 February 1960 10.58 pm Vancouver, Canada, had affectionate and upbeat crossovers with Bogdanovitch with her Venus Mars in Aquarius opposition his Sun Pluto. The relationship chart was possessive and passionate with a power-couple vibe with a composite Jupiter opposition Pluto square Sun. Though in the way of all things Hollywood and with his chart it probably would not have lasted.

  Louise, 8 May 1968, has less in common with him and a weird relationship chart, so the myth of him marrying Dorothy’s ghost may not be far off the mark.

  His Harmonics throw up a creative 5H and leaving-a-legacy 17H – as well as a self-defeating 10H and 16H and victim 12H.

  A tortured talent.

The January 6^th anniversary of the Capitol attack by an angry mob, cheer-leaded on by Trump’s false claim the election had been stolen, has come and gone. The House select committee set up in July 2021 to investigate, after an attempt to impeach Trump for incitement of insurrection fell short of the two thirds majority required, and a bipartisan independent commission was blocked by Senate Republicans, continues in an uphill battle to get Trump supporters to testify.

  Despite none of the recounts showing any indications of mistakes or fraud, 58 percent of Republicans still say Biden was not legitimately elected, though that is down from 70 percent a year ago. About 7 in 10 Americans say Biden’s election as president was legitimate.

  The January 6 2021 attack happened with tr Pluto exactly on the opposition to the US Mercury which is natally opposition Pluto so it triggered that streak in the US temperament which gets obsessed by fixed ideas, won’t listen to rational argument and dives headfirst into bitter, hostile arguments. It also tends to attract demagogues (= firebrands and rabblerousers) and frauds who misrepresent the truth.

  Transiting Pluto has now moved on to square the US Mercury/Pluto midpoint and then conjunct the US Pluto for the Return, starting next month and running off an on till late 2024. This was always going to be a fraught few years with poisonous political debates.

  The 1 July 2021 Committee chart has a Mercury square Neptune which isn’t too hopeful for a decisive outcome; though there’ll be plenty of heated outbursts with an enthusiastic Venus Mars in Leo opposition Saturn square Uranus. That later T square is being rattled through the next three months by the tr Uranus square tr Saturn so tensions will rise leading to eruptions.

  There will be some sort of – maybe not closure – but a culmination in 2023 when there is an angry, argumentative  Solar Arc Mercury square the Mars; and a reality-check Solar Arc Saturn is conjunct the Jupiter.

  Political party charts are never a good guide and I never liked the Republican ones but  Jessica Adams has a slightly different date for them of 12 October 1853, which looks marginally more illuminating. It has the persuasive and quarrelsome Mercury opposition Pluto as in the US chart and it too is catching the transiting Pluto square Mercury from this March on and off till late 2023 and then square the Pluto through 2023 to late 2024. So they will be fomenting harsh discussions. The Mars in Leo square Uranus in Taurus at 11 degrees seems from past experience to be particularly sensitive and it is being ignited February 7^th to March 12^th this year so there will be fireworks. Assuming this chart holds good there will be a frustrating setback of considerable proportions as Solar Arc Mars squares the Pluto, exact in six months; and considerable upheaval and turnaround in a year’s time or just before with the Solar Arc Uranus opposing the Pluto.

   The GOP has hitched its wagon to Trump for good or ill so his fortunes will impact on their future looks.

  For all the bombast his chart is not looking good. He’s still wincing over a financial sinkhole from Solar Arc Saturn conjunct his 2^nd house Neptune three months back;  and a nerve-wracked Solar Arc Neptune opposition his 10th house Uranus, also just passed but still in effect. Through this month and into early February he has tr Uranus square his 12^th house Pluto which will be upsetting his stability and loosening his grip on his sense of power. Tr Pluto is also quincunx his Mars in Leo this month and again late in the year which will give rise to aggravations and outbursts of frustrated rage.

  The rest of February will be overly-excitable, rattled and could hint at health issues. Tr Neptune will continue to square and undermine his Sun all year, coming back onto the next exact aspect in late February.  He will have a sprinkling of luck at points but in a year’s time he runs into a scary dead-halt from Solar Arc Mars square his Pluto; and into 2024/25 he has his Solar Arc Neptune conjunct his South Node and then his Moon and after opposing his Sun.

  Sean Hannity of Fox News, whose texts to Trump pre-January 6^th indicate he was an unofficial adviser and was warning in advance against any such escalation.

  Hannity, 30 December 1961 10.30am New York, is an ambitious Sun, Mars, Venus in Capricorn trine Pluto Uranus in Virgo with an over-hopeful Neptune square Jupiter. He’s anxious and uncertain now with tr Saturn square tr Uranus hitting his Jupiter and Neptune this month and the next two, deflating his optimism. By mid year he has a stuck Solar Arc Sun opposition his Pluto running for several months; with an unloved Solar Arc Saturn square his Venus in 18 months and setbacks in 2025.

  Not his shining hour ahead.

Sidney Poitier, the trailblazing actor and a respected humanitarian and diplomat, the first black man to win a best actor Oscar, has died at 94. Barack Obama said he “epitomised dignity and grace” and had “singular talent” and he opened doors for a generation of actors to follow like Denzel Washington. He combated prejudice and injustice but also fell foul of black activists.

 In his memoir he recalled that “There was more than a little dissatisfaction rising up against me in certain corners of the black community. The issue boiled down to why I wasn’t more angry and confrontational. According to a certain taste that was coming into ascendancy at the time, I was an ‘Uncle Tom’ for playing the ‘noble Negro’ who fulfils white liberal fantasies.” He gave up acting and turned to directing with some success, but became increasingly depressed with the film industry and with the entrenched attitudes of the various sides in the race debate. It was only towards the end of his career that he was recognised for his huge contribution to changing the way in which American society regards black people.

  He was born February 20 1927 9pm Miami, Florida, prematurely when his Bahamian parents visited Miami and wasn’t expected to survive, but he did and his birth gave him American citizenship. He left school barely able to read and write, lived on the streets in New York and washed dishes being helped by a waiter to improve his reading and eventually landed a job with the American Nego Theatre, understudying for Harry Belafonte.

  He had an expansive, enthusiastic and creative Sun Jupiter in Pisces in his performing/entertaining 5^th house with his Jupiter in a confident trine to an influential Pluto in the 10^th. He also had another three planets in Pisces – Mercury, Venus and Uranus – in his 6^th giving him a strong work ethic, a harmonious voice and an independent streak. And dominating his chart from another angle he had Mars in Taurus in the 8^th square Neptune opposition his Sun. His anger would be deeply buried contributing to his calm demeanour even in the face of injustice.  It’s a strong chart which enabled him to carry the burden of the exceptional expectations placed on his shoulders.

 His get-it-together creative 5^th Harmonic was strong; as was his ‘breakthrough’ 13H; actor’s 15H; and his victim/healer 12H.

  His Pluto was conjunct the USA Sun – an important though not an easy influence.

One discreet, irreproachable figure stands close to the heart of the two sleaze scandals of the moment grabbing the headlines and carrying the spirit of the age. Lord Geidt – for 10 years Her Majesty’s Private Secretary, who was a steady hand on the Royal tiller until ousted in a power struggle in 2017 by Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, leaving the Queen weaker when faced with fraught dilemmas involving the Sussexes and Andrew. He then became Boris Johnson’s independent adviser on ministers’ interests, a typically quiet and almost judicial role – only to become what Matthew Parris described as ‘the patsy’ of ‘the Vampire of Downing Street’ over the corruption kerfuffle over who paid for Boris and Carrie’s No 10 décor makeover.

  In the Royal Household, Geidt was known to be straight talking, often telling members of the Royal Family things they wouldn’t like to hear, but should listen to. Andrew reportedly was furious about Geidt’s role in getting him removed as the UK’s trade envoy in 2011 over his Epstein friendship and because he heavily controlled Andrew’s expenditure. Tensions with Charles had simmered for years but it came to a head over how to manage the transition of power between the Queen and Charles. The prince’s staff were keen to “accelerate” plans to increase his involvement in key royal events by the time he reached 70, with Geidt voicing concerns. Andrew backed Charles and they ganged up against Geidt and the Queen gave in. Getting rid of him may be proving a very costly mistake.

   Geidt was born 17 August 1961 and has his Leo Sun conjunct Uranus, North Node and Mercury – all hovering around that late Leo degree which appears in several of the high profile inter-connected charts of the moment, see below Epstein’s spider’s web – though there’s no indication Geidt ever met any of them. His Jupiter Saturn conjunction in Capricorn is also late degree – so certainly clashes with Andrew Venus Mars in Capricorn.

  His relationship chart with Andrew is explosive with a composite Sun opposition Mars square Uranus. And with Charles, the Geidt relationship is not much better with an active-dislike composite Mars Saturn conjunction. With the Queen Geidt has a business-like composite Sun opposition Saturn; and a friendly, influential, power-couple composite Jupiter opposition Pluto square Venus.

  His relationship with Boris has been under strain through 2021 with tr Pluto opposition the composite Sun, exact again now, and repeating later this year; with rising tensions this month and in March/April; and serious aggravation from March onwards, worsening in 2023/24, though I can’t imagine either will be in the same position by then – but the sour taste will linger.

  I am always fascinated by people who are sucked into the centre of the zeitgeist, often unwittingly. Their lives are fated to be at the centre of the storm.  Partly this will be Geidt’s ‘leadership’ Leo North Node conjunct his Uranus, Sun, Mercury. Also his Jupiter Saturn conjunction, which for a few, can throw them up to giddy heights, only for them to come crashing down at some point.

  It’s also intriguing why those late Capricorn and late Leo degrees are being dragged into the spotlight.  Late Capricorn is certainly picking up transiting Pluto in Capricorn but there’s nothing much of note hitting on the Leo planets.   

The universe runs on numbers.

 A dreary not to say sleazy start to 2022 with the news headlines awash with the fall-out from Jeffrey Epstein as well as covid confusion and questionable, if not downright, corrupt politicking in various quarters.

  A Ghislaine Maxwell re-trial doesn’t bear thinking about after a screw-up by an idiot juror. And Prince Andrew’s Virginia Giuffre case is heading inexorably towards trial unless he settles out of court. Latest reports say mama has opted out and he is footing his own legal bill and will bear any damage payout himself.

   It’s all been said before but there are a couple of astrological oddities worth pondering over as well as reflecting on the full horror of Virginia Giuffre’s story.

  Virginia Giuffre, born 9 August 1983 5.52 am Sacramento, California, came from a troubled home, aged 7 was molested by a family friend, ended up living on the streets as a 13 year old, then in foster homes, was abused by a 65-year-old sex trafficker, who was later imprisoned for alien smuggling for prostitution. She returned to live with her father aged 14, who was a maintenance manager at Mar-a-Lago. Virginia helped out and met Ghislaine Maxwell there  when she was 16 and was offered a potential job working for Epstein as a traveling masseuse with the assurance that no experience was necessary.

Between 2000 and 2002, Giuffre travelled between Epstein’s residences in Palm Beach and Manhattan, (his New Mexico ranch  and island Little Saint James, being trafficked, she said in a TV interview by Epstein to provide massages and sexual services for him and a number of his business associates over a two-and-a-half-year period.

  Beyond horrible childhood and it’s a testament to the ability of the human spirit to survive that she’s upright and smiling at all.

  The barbarity and cruelty of her childhood are well reflected in her Saturn Pluto conjunction square Mars in Cancer which suggests early experiences of being trapped, scared witless not just of sexual abuse but also being killed/destroyed. What she puts upfront is a sunny appearance with a 1^st house Leo Sun and Moon; and she does have a lucky, adventurous Jupiter Uranus in Sagittarius conjunction in a superficially charming square to Venus.

   What caught my eye was the late Cardinal degrees of her Mars in Cancer square Saturn Pluto in Libra since Prince Andrew has his Venus Mars in Capricorn closely in opposition to her Mars and square her Saturn Pluto. Ghislaine Maxwell has her Saturn in Capricorn ditto.

  Epstein himself had Saturn in late Libra conjunct Neptune hooking in as well with his Sun opposition Giuffre’s Mars. Other names who were Epstein associates – Alan Dershowitz has his Venus at 25 Libra;  Donald Trump his Venus at 25 Cancer conjunct his Saturn; Bill Gates has his Neptune at 28 Libra. 

The Sabian meaning for 27/28 Capricorn is ‘an aviary’ = birds of a feather flock together and troublesome gossip. Alex Acosta, the US attorney for Florida, who signed the ludicrously lenient deal with Epstein initially and had to resign over it eventually has his Capricorn Sun at 28 Capricorn.

Rudi Guiliani, another social buddy of Epstein has his North Node at 28 Cancer. Wilbur Ross has his Jupiter at 25 Capricorn. Even Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s not-quite-ex has her Mars at 25 Libra conjunct her Sun.

  The other connecting astro-link is Virginia Giuffre’s 26 degree Leo Moon which is exactly the degree of Bill Clinton’s Sun and indeed exactly the same as Donald Trump’s and Alan Dershowitz’s Mars in Leo. Bill Gates Jupiter Pluto are closely conjunct as well. Epstein’s Pluto is conjunct Virginia’s Sun and Moon; Ghislaine Maxwell’s Moon North Node are conjunct Virginia’s Sun. Maxwell and Prince Andrew’s Pluto are conjunct Virginia’s Venus.

  It doesn’t prove anything but it is a fascinating cross over of energies of people who were all drawn into Epstein’s corrupt and unsavoury ambit.

  Virginia looks exceptionally stressed from early this February onwards with tr Pluto opposition her Mars and square her Saturn Pluto, running off and on till late 2023.   

Tennis world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is locked up in an Australian refugee detention hotel over the weekend in deportation limbo after his visa was rejected. He claimed medical exemption for entry though it is not known on what grounds, apart from speculation that he used the excuse of a bout of Covid six months ago. In the past he has said he was anti-vaccination and his wife appears to support 5G-Covid conspiracy theories.  

The Serbian star flew to Melbourne to defend his Grand Slam title and his initial exemption raised sharp criticism in Australia, where more than 90 per cent of over-16s are doubled jabbed. Fellow player Rafael Nadal said he wouldn’t be in the predicament he’s in right now if he was vaccinated, and had to live with the ‘consequences’ of his choices.

  Born 22 May 1987 11.25pm Belgrade, Serbia, he has a Gemini Sun in his attention-seeking, game-playing 5^th house. His pro-active, excitable Aries Moon is conjunct his North Node squaring onto a 12^th house Neptune in a publicity-attracting opposition to  Mars in the 6^th. He evidently has mild asthma and gluten intolerance, is mainly vegan and adheres strictly to alternative medicine. Which fits with a highly-strung and hyper-emotional Moon tied into Mars in the 6^th.

   He also has two other oppositions of a charming, though manipulative Pluto in Scorpio in the opinionated 9^th opposition Venus in Taurus; and Mercury opposition Saturn Uranus in Sagittarius – Saturn Uranus does tend to kick against limitations on freedom and can be dictatorial.

  At the moment he has tr Saturn moving below his Ascendant into his lower profile, less successful quadrant since late 2019. This can take time to have an impact for those whose careers run on ego and determination but he will find it increasingly hard to keep up the level of energy or results he had prior to 2020.

  His finances look sound for this year with tr Jupiter moving through his financial 2^nd house until May this year. But Saturn hovering on the cusp of his 2^nd and staying there till 2025 will cut his income back.  Not that he’ll be looking for breakfast any time soon since he has multiple commercial interests.

  At the moment his Progressed Moon is exactly opposition his 12^th house Neptune, tugging on his health-related Mars. Tr Uranus is about to move across his IC into his 4^th from April this year onwards staying there for several years ahead, which may see him uprooting and moving house – but given that he appears to have several spread around the world, it may be more a change of direction career-wise that soaks up the influence.

  His 2022

is a mix of highs and lows with a few lucky breaks through this month. He’ll be in a mood of bullish confidence bringing successful results and money from March onwards on and off till late 2023 as tr Pluto is conjunct his Jupiter/Pluto midpoint – though it can also bring clashes with authorities for assuming rules don’t apply to him. He also has the disaster-prone tr Neptune opposition his Mars/Saturn midpoint from late May 2022, on and off into 2023, which can accompany ill health. Tr Neptune is also in a worrisome, highly-strung square to his Neptune at the same time.

  His chart does not sit comfortably with the Australia chart. The AU rigid and rule-oriented Sun Saturn in Capricorn is conjunct Djokovic’s 12^th house ditzy Neptune and the AU North Node opposes Djokovic’s Sun; with the AU’s Sagittarius planets and late Gemini planets clashing with Djokovic’s Mercury opposition Saturn Uranus.

 The relationship chart has a tussle-for-the-upper-hand composite Jupiter opposition Pluto; and a differing-agenda composite Sun square Uranus and Saturn.  Not a comfortable mix.  

The belated knighthood given to Tony Blair in an elevation to the Order of the Garter in the New Year Honours has aroused fury with more than 500,000 signatures on a petition to stop it. Anti-war campaigners described it as a “kick in the teeth” for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, and military mothers have threatened to return Elizabeth Crosses, a form of recognition given to bereaved families. The 2016 Chilcot report found that Blair had exaggerated the threat of Saddam Hussein having weapons of mass destruction and joined the Iraq invasion before peaceful options had been exhausted.

   Blair has had to wait fourteen years for his titles customarily given to ex-prime ministers though Ted Heath had to wait 18 years. Appointments to the garter are a gift of the Queen and are made without political advice. Harold MacMillan turned his down twice and Blair doing the same would have been in line with his ‘modernising’ beliefs when in No 10. Alas the ego in an unhappy retirement could not let go the prize of a prestigious, medieval, religious and monarchical Order of the Garter.

  Born 6 May 1953 6.10am Edinburgh, Scotland, his over-confident, indulgent and money-magnet Jupiter in Taurus caught the late November 2021 Lunar Eclipse. Jupiter on an Eclipse can bring luck but also challenges involving trust and untrustworthiness. It repeats in 2022 along with the other Eclipses which will rattle his Sun.

  More pointedly the tr Uranus square tr Saturn is bouncing off his ‘public career’ 10^th house Aquarius Moon with more jolts in February; and two of his Jupiter and two Mars midpoints are also being rattled every which way with losses and setbacks into spring.

  Tr Pluto is also conjunct his Midheaven this month and again later in the year which can damage status and reputation and block career progress. Plus tr Uranus is moving off his Moon to conjunct his Sun from May onwards, following tr Saturn’s sobering square to his Sun late this month into February. His 4^th house Pluto will also catch tr Saturn oppositions this year and tr Uranus squares in 2023. Upheavals, disruptions and bumps along the road with hints from the universe about the need for long overdue changes – which is Fixed Sun Moon, Pluto and Jupiter will resist.

  He’s already been through a punishing few years since 2016 with his Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Neptune, then his Saturn and finally opposition his Mercury last year and ongoing at the moment and through this year. So the fallout has been unrelenting.  And it won’t let up with his Solar Arc Sun aiming to square his Neptune Saturn in 2023/24; along with a ‘collision’ Solar Arc opposition his 10^th house Moon in 2023. Then his progressed Mars is square his Neptune Saturn in 2025/26.

  He won’t escape a reckoning on his past misdeeds for a very long time to come.

Despite anxious rhetoric about Iran’s aggressive intentions towards the west, the state of their crumbling economy doesn’t suggest they are in any position to gear up their war machine. The inflation rate is running at a staggering 35% by last month and that is down on earlier in the year. Food prices are up by 70% on last year. But with a new hardline president Ebrahim Raisi in place, there seems little hope of compromising with the USA to remove economic sanctions.

  Both the Revolutionary Iran 1 February 1979 chart and the democracy 7 October 1906 chart have significant Neptune transits indicating a lacklustre, worrisome, non-progressive 2022 and 2023. The 1979 chart points to a consistently undermining few years from 2024 to the end of the decade.  The 1906 chart will slump in 2022, run into major obstacles into 2023 and financial losses by 2025.

  The Bank of Iran, 18 August 1960, follows the same pattern with tr Neptune square the Jupiter which usually flags financial and economic hopes collapsing; with worse in 2023 though there will be a concerted push to turn the situation round in 2023/24, which will only have partial success.

  Ebrahim Raisi, a frontrunner to replace the 82-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was sworn in on August 5^th this year as President, replacing the more moderate two-term Hassan Rouhani. His inauguration completes hard-liners’ dominance of all branches of government.

  His Sagittarius Sun is catching the tr Neptune square throughout 2022 which doesn’t suggest a firm grip on Iran’s problems. By 2024 his Solar Arc Saturn and then Mars will square his Sun for major setbacks running on for two or three years.

  His Term chart will be shaken and rattled this year with the Fixed T square of Sun Mercury opposition Saturn square Uranus being detonated by tr Uranus – for a bumpy ride where forced change will be the order of the day. With a calamity or several from later April onwards and more serious disruptions in 2023.

  Joe Biden’s chart relocated to Teheran puts his determined Mars in Scorpio exactly on his Descendant and square his Pluto in the 4^th – so he won’t be budging. The USA relationship chart with Iran 1979 will be pressured in 2022/23 with tr Pluto square the composite Sun and sagging badly in 2024.  The EU also looks discontented with Iran in 2022 and re-setting diplomatic relations altogether in 2023/24 with a considerable upset.

Such a shame for a wonderfully cultured, civilized and highly educated country – as it was despite the Shah’s secret police etc.

As 2022 gets under way China’s dream of becoming the global economy’s No 1 is fading. “The east is rising, the west is declining” is the communist party mantra but the regime’s commitment to zero Covid, plus a property market bust are putting a spanner in the dragon’s works. The USA is expected by economists to out-grow China in 2022, reversing the order of the past two decades. India also outgrew China in 2021. Doomsayers have been prophesying a China dip for years but analysts says ‘this time is different’ with the risk of a deeper and longer slowdown there. The result could be “a China-related negative shock to global activity.”

   The China 1 January 1912 chart, (which works better than the 1949 one on events) has a worrisome Solar Arc Neptune opposition Saturn exactly now so there’s a high-anxiety start to the year with restrictions chafing and causing unrest as tr Uranus is conjunct the Saturn. More concerning for the authorities will be the tr Pluto conjunct the Uranus from March on and off till late 2023, which will be disruptive, suggesting a significant change of direction and even rebellious protests.  There will be a few lucky breaks in June but followed by disastrous setbacks in July onwards. Where the real trouble kicks in will be 2023 to 2025 with a series of Neptunian sinkers and financial upsets; with the possibility of destructive quakes by 2025 and in the few years following.

  The China 1 October 1949 3.15pm chart, is just as jumpy this year with setbacks from tr Saturn opposition the Mars Pluto this month and next; and aggravations and upheavals from tr Uranus square the Mars Pluto in Leo from late this April on and off for a year. It could be trouble with neighbours, such as Taiwan or the downward drag of tr Saturn moving through its lower profile First Quadrant which picked up last year and sticks around for years to come. It also tugs on the China financial Venus which will make this year and next edgy on the economic as well as foreign relations fronts.

  The Bank of China chart 1 December 1948 looks stressed at the moment and in a state of upset with tr Uranus square its Pluto; though it is 2023 when mounting disadvantages and losses show up with the years between 2024 and 2026 being calamitous.

  Xi Jinping’s Term chart, 24 October 2017 12.30 pm has luck on its side with a Sun Jupiter conjunction but it will still find 2022 tormented and undermining with tr Neptune square the Saturn in addition to loss-making disruptions from two badly affected Jupiter midpoints. It will feel plagued by instability with tr Pluto square the Uranus through January and again late year; and be under considerable pressure in 2023 with plans failing and extreme frustration as obstacles mount. There will be an ebullient push in 2024/25 but over-confidence may cause its own problems.

  His own personal chart, 15 June 1953,  follows much the same pattern with a lacklustre, indecisive 2022 from tr Neptune square his Gemini Sun; and jolts in 2023 from Solar Arc Uranus square his Sun as well. But it is 2025/26 which will test his grip with Solar Arc Saturn Neptune opposition his Mars and tr Saturn Neptune square.

  Interesting times indeed.

Jupiter, the expansive planet of high ideals, enthusiasm, confidence and luck moves through Pisces, sign of compassion, creativity and dreams every twelve years.  It was around earlier in 2021 from late May through June and July in Pisces, returned on the last days of December to stay until early May 2022, returning finally in November and December 2022.  It’s a more disjointed stay than usual with retrogrades on the cusp.

  The lazy interpretation would be soggy sentimentality, charitable largesse and spiritual growth though looking back on past occurrences it has coincided with less beneficent events – not all of which admittedly could be ascribed to this relatively minor influence.

1950:  Apartheid legislation was enacted in South Africa. Korean War starts, several avalanches in Europe kill 240.

1962: Cuban Missile crisis. 440 dead in Barcelona floods. Big Freeze in England for 3 months.

1986: Iran-Contra exposed.

1998: Andrew Wakefield’s medical hoax anti-vaxx paper.

2010: Iceland volcano. Deepwater Oil Spill. Stock Market crash.

  There were significant deaths –  Marilyn Monroe and Patsy Kline in 1962, Duke Ellington 1974.

  And positive new beginnings – Robert Schumann’s declaration sowing the seeds of the EU 1950; Coventry Cathedral consecrated 1962. Desmond Tutu became the first black Anglican bishop in South Africa, 1986. The Good Friday Agreement and the European Central Bank and euro currency 1998.

  There are also smatterings of spying scandals – from the Rosenbergs to wikileaks. The Argyll divorce and the Prince Andrew/Sarah Ferguson marriage were also Jupiter in Pisces events.

  The more obvious factor were memorable showbusiness starts, which makes sense of artistic, filmic and musical Pisces.

  In 1950 the Archers, the world’s longest running drama, piloted on BBC radio and is still running.

   In 1962 West Side Story wins the Oscar, the Rolling Stones make their debut, Johnny Carson takes over the Tonight Show for a 30 year stint. That Was The Week That Was, the hugely influential UK satirical TV comedy with David Frost launched.

In 1974 People magazine launches. Abba win Eurovision to launch their stratospheric career.

In 1986 Pixar animation was founded going on to win multiple awards in later years. Lorimar Pictures also launches to great success – Being There etc. Phantom of the Opera opens and later becomes Broadway’s longest running show.

1998 – Titanic becomes first $1 billion grossing movie. The first ipad is launched.

  Here’s looking forward to starry new beginnings.