not categorised

A haunted life of fear, betrayal, louche behaviour, imagined victimhood, callous insensitivity and heavy drinking was the backdrop to Jean Rhys’s highly acclaimed novel Wide Sargasso Sea – a transplanted rendition of Bronte’s ‘mad wife in the attic’ in Jane Eyre. Although started 30 years earlier, it was only published in her 70s when she was living in a Devon shack in poor health.

  Her astrology gives a clue as to why this character struck a chord with her. She was born in Dominica on 24 August 1890, no birth time sadly, when there was a horrifically difficult Neptune Pluto in Gemini opposition Mars (Moon) in Sagittarius square Saturn and Sun in Virgo. Cruelty, acute frustration, ill-treatment, low self-esteem as well as unyielding determination and a hunger for attention/publicity drove her on. Her revved-up, indulgent Venus in Libra was conjunct Uranus, trine Pluto and sextile Mars.

  As a child on the Caribbean island she was terrified by her nursemaid regaling her with stories of red-eyed women creeping into children’s bedrooms at night to suck their blood. Her mother whipped her until she was 12 telling her she was ugly and her father’s male friends were abusive. Sent to London in her late teens she dreamt of becoming a great actress but ended up as a chorus girl with a litany of rich gentlemen supporters.  She married three times, firstly to a Belgian spy, embezzler, bigamist and jailbird; then No 2, a literary agent, gave her a home and did the chores while she wrote novels as well as drinking heavily and physically assaulting him. No 3 wound up in prison for attempted fraud. Along the way she had an abortion, abandoned two children in clinics and had multiple affairs. She died at 89 after a car-crash of a life.

  A biographer remarked “her belief in her own victimhood was largely a myth. There were always Samaritans who helped her -. She repaid kindness with abuse and distrust because her faith in people had been poisoned. But the paranoid sensitivity and sharp eye for insults that destroyed her as a person also made her a writer.”

“One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.” Friedrich Nietzsche

Naomi Judd, the country singer, half of a successful duo with her daughter Wynonna, and mother also of actress and #MeToo activist Ashley Judd, has died. The family story is a  smorgasbord of talent, triumph, sexual abuse, broken relationships, drugs and mental illness. Naomi herself underwent years of psychiatric hospital treatments,   pharmaceutical drug poisoning, and overcame ‘incurable’ Hepatitis C at one point.

 Naomi was born 11 January 1946 6.45pm Ashland, Kentucky, had a traumatic childhood with little emotional support, was abused by a relative, lost a young sibling, got pregnant at 17 with Wynonna and abandoned by the father. By 21 she had two children, had been beaten, raped and abandoned by her husband without financial support. She trained as a nurse before embarking on her singing career in the late 1970s with Wynonna. The Judds sold more than 20 million records and won six Grammys.

Wynonna Judd, 30 May 1964 8.52am Ashland, Kentucky, has a troubled relationship with food, describing herself as having a severe dependence; has been married three times. Her second husband was arrested for sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 and she filed for divorce five days later. Her third husband was involved in a serious road accident two months after their wedding, resulting in a leg being amputated. Her  daughter Grace was sentenced to 8 years in prison in 2018 for violating her probation period, having pleaded guilty to possession, manufacturing and distribution of methamphetamines.

  Ashley Judd, 19 April 1968 1.12 pm Sylmar, California, attended 13 schools during a peripatetic childhood after her father left when she was four; and has described being raped three times in her life, once during a modelling stint in Japan on a school break when she was 15. She has had a reasonably successful film career and was a main speaker against Harvey Weinstein when the #MeToo movement got under way. In February 2021, while hiking in the jungle in the Democratic Republic of Congo, she shattered her leg and spent 55 hours journeying with the help of African porters to get to surgery in a hospital in South Africa.

   Mother Naomi had a hard-working and ambitious 6^th house Sun Venus in Capricorn opposition a truly difficult, accident-prone and unfair-treatment Mars Saturn in Cancer in her 12^th square Jupiter on her IC. She also had a 10^th house Taurus Moon – connecting her to the public via Taurus’s singing abilities. But it was square Pluto on her Ascendant and inconjunct Neptune for an intense and complicated emotional life, adding to the stresses of Venus in hard aspect to a harsh Mars Saturn.

Wynonna has a friendly 11^th house Gemini Sun (a common sign for popular singers) with a lucky, successful and enthusiastic Jupiter Mercury Mars in Taurus in her career 10^th. Her Sun is on the focal point of a scattered Mutable T Square onto  Saturn in her 8^th opposition Uranus Pluto which isn’t an easy house placing for this can-be-depressing and chaotic aspect. She’ll wobble between low self-esteem from Saturn to turbulent, conflicting impulses from Uranus Pluto.

  Added on to which her Pluto trines her Mars, Mercury, Jupiter which is equal parts positive from high-octane determination and negative with acute frustrations. Her Neptune also opposes a showbizzy Neptune in the 4^th attracting her to a glamour industry – though its house position hints at family confusion. Her Capricorn Moon trines Mars for a scratchy relationship with her mother.

Ashley has a far-travelled and communicative 9^th house Aries Sun and Mercury on the focal point of a Yod to Neptune sextile Uranus (Pluto) – so she will wobble between over and under confidence. She has an ambitious Mars in Taurus conjunct her Midheaven from the 9^th; and trine her Pluto Uranus and opposition her 4^th house Neptune – so in this respect not unlike her sister.

 Her Sun is trine a super-confident and enthusiastic Jupiter in Taurus on her Ascendant and square an Aquarius Moon. Plus a self-reliant Saturn, North Node, Venus in Aries. Although she is tied into her family background in a nebulous way through her Neptune she is resolutely independent and will become more so as she grows older.

What a family – the fates blessed them with creative gifts and good fortune – but at a considerable cost.

Westminster sleaze is backing up from the sewers in a steady flow on cue for the sex-and-money Scorpio/Taurus Eclipses. One MP watching porn on the parliamentary benches was outed which followed hard on the heels of another MP being convicted of sexually assaulting a 15 year old boy. Then the home of Michelle Mone, a House of Lorder, was raided along with four properties connected to her and her husband in the Isle of Man. The National Crime Agency is investigating a company set up in May 2020 by a business associate of Mone’s that received more than £200mn in contracts awarded – without competitive tender and on a “high-priority” fast-track process – to supply PPE to the government during the crisis. And that’s all above and beyond Russian donors, Partygate, Boris’ lies, Greensill etc etc etc etc.

  I’ve lumped them all together since none is worth a slot on their own.

  Neil Parish, 26 May 1958, now suspended from the party and facing ridicule as the “porn MP” is being supported by his wife. A former MEP he’s been at Westminster since 2010. He’s a Sun Gemini with an extraordinarily robust chart with a pushily confident Jupiter Pluto in Leo opposition a beyond-stubborn Mars in Aquarius square Saturn in Scorpio which opposes his Mercury Sun; plus a highly-strung Uranus square Neptune and a Sagittarius Sun.

  He says he may step down next year and in life is certainly in turmoil with tr Pluto in a devastated square to his Neptune now and in 2023 when it is joined by tr Pluto in an apple-cart-upsetting opposition to his Uranus. Tr Saturn is also wending its way round his Fixed planets and next year his Sun – for a discouraging couple of years. Plus his Solar Arc Pluto is square his Uranus now which is another topple-off-perch indicator.

 Imran Ahmad Khan, 6 September 1973, has already resigned from his constituency, causing a bye election in June, following his conviction for underage sexual assault. He only became an MP in 2019, the first Tory to take a traditionally Labour seat, he claimed because of his pro-Brexit views.

  He’s a Virgo with a challenging and crises-ridden chart with two Yods – Neptune sextile Jupiter inconjunct Saturn South Node, and Saturn sextile Mars in Taurus inconjunct Neptune. He’s also got a controlling and stubborn T Square of Saturn opposition North Node (Moon) square Pluto. He had a background in Russian and war studies, UN interventions in Somalia and Afghanistan, counter terrorism and advertising – which fits with an attracted-to-risk and tough-conditions chart.

 Michelle Mone, 8 October 1971 4.55pm Glasgow, became known for her lingerie firm and elevation by David Cameron to a life peerage in the House of Lords in the face of a good deal of criticism in 2015. She denies all knowledge and/or connection to the PPE scandal despite having set up the fast-track links.

  She has the bulldozer Mars in Aquarius in her 1^st house trine a jam-packed 8^th house with a Sun, Uranus, Mercury in Libra there as well as Venus at one end and Pluto at the other.  She also has the George Osborne/Dominic Cummings’ over-hopeful, slippery Jupiter Neptune in Sagittarius opposition Saturn in Gemini – and a Moon Gemini.

  An overwhelmingly Air chart – cool, detached, not given to sentiment. With a heavy 8^th house for an interest in business finances and secrecy.

  Tr Saturn is now moving into her lower profile First Quadrant for years ahead throwing up setbacks this year as the tr Saturn square tr Uranus collides with her Mars. She’ll get the financial benefit of Jupiter through her 2^nd at the moment till mid 2023; but thereafter Saturn will start to bite with shortages running on for some years ahead. But the likelihood is she’ll slide out from under.

   Not sure what this hill of rancid beans adds up to. Maybe on the UK chart the Eclipses tugging on the 8^th house Mars and 2^nd house Neptune. Wherefore art thou Hercules?

Amazon has reported its slowest growth for two decades. Netflix is firing staff after missing its subscriber target sending its shares down by 50 per cent. And Apple, despite having had a strong quarter, warns its growth slowdown is likely to deepen with chip shortages.

  Three staple ingredients of modern times are, along with Twitter, moving into changing times which for some may mean curtains and for others a diminished presence in everyday life.

  Amazon’s first sale chart, 16 July 1995, is showing ominous signs of panic with tr Neptune conjunct the Saturn next month, on and off into 2023; and is then aiming to undermine the Mars through till January 2025. There will certainly be radical changes this year and next with tr Pluto conjunct the Uranus. Then troublesome Solar Arcs pile up in 2024/25.

  Netflix launched 14 April 1998 is equally struggling uphill with difficulty as tr Pluto aims across disastrous midpoint between now and 2024 after which it is in a trapped, risky square to its Mars in 2024/25. It won’t be easy – or probably possible – to regain the glory days.

 Apple will wrestle with a discouraging, deprived tr Pluto opposition Saturn till the end of this year; but will then look forward to a confidence-raising 2024/25 with tr Pluto square the Jupiter. Where it runs into real problems will be as tr Neptune in Aries starts to square the Mars towards 2028  and afterwards to square the Pluto and conjunct the Aries Sun across the turn of the decade.  

The hook-up between Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck cemented with an emerald sparkler has caused great excitement in the celeb-fan world. They nearly made it to the altar 19 years ago but abruptly parted company after he decided too much media attention was ruining his life. At the time she said “ It felt like my heart had been torn out of my chest,” despite which she started dating a singer three days later, whom she later married (briefly) – one of the carousel of men who have flitted through her life, some she married others not.  

  She had in recent times been dating New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez but split from him and within days was back with Affleck. Not a lady who wastes time – or headlines.

  Affleck who has a history of addictions and depression was previously married to the actor Jennifer Garner for 13 years until 2018 with three children.

 Lopez was born 24 July 1969 in New York with no verified time. But around a midday time she would have her Sun/Moon midpoint, the marriage indicator, conjunct her Uranus Jupiter which would make sense of her constantly changing partners. She is a Sun Leo in a high-octane trine to Mars in Sagittarius, sextile her lucky Jupiter Uranus. Her Venus in social butterfly Gemini is in a passionate square to Pluto.  Her Moon may be Scorpio or Sagittarius.

  Ben Affleck, 15 August 1972 2.53am Berkeley, California, is also a Leo trine a confident, lucky Jupiter in Sagittarius. He does have an unsettled Pluto Uranus in his 4^th house of roots and childhood which fits a family background of addictions and mental health problems. His Venus in Cancer is in a passionate square to his Pluto and his Moon is in Scorpio.

   Two Leos aren’t ideal since they’ll fight for the spotlight and her Mars is conjunct his Neptune which is another indicator of an ego-clash.

  The relationship chart does have a strong Jupiter square the composite Sun and maybe conjunct the composite Moon. Jupiter in a relationship brings enthusiasm, optimism and usually is mutually supportive, ironing out wrinkles and problems.  There’s also a passionate and possessive Venus square Pluto. Plus a doubting composite Saturn opposition Neptune, which latter tends to bring anxieties and worries of a nebulous but undermining variety.

  When they split before in 2004 tr Neptune was opposition the Sun which isn’t a problem in the near future; but tr Uranus was just over the composite Saturn opposition Neptune in 2004. That latter repeats in 2025; and before then tr Neptune is undermining the Pluto and Venus in 2023/24. So not all rosy ahead.

  He looks fairly upbeat in 2023/2024 with one of his Jupiter midpoints being boosted. Whereas she looks completely stuck in approximately six months with her Solar Arc Sun conjunct her Pluto; and under immense pressure with tr Pluto opposing her Sun in 2024/25 so they may be out of step with each other through this time as their careers diverge.

Putin’s first phase attack on Ukraine having failed in its purpose of a takeover complete with puppet government, there are fears he will bolster his dented pride by expanding operations elsewhere.

  Transnistria, a breakaway segment of Moldova, controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 1992 which hosts 1,500 Russian troops and a large arms depot, borders western Ukraine, may be his first call. A series of mysterious explosions there a few days ago, blamed by Moscow on Ukrainian infiltrators, are said by Kiev to be false flag operations designed to provide a pretext for an infusion of Russian troops.

 A Russian move into Transnistria would pose an imminent threat to the sovereignty of Moldova, which has shown interest in joining NATO. It would also menace Odesa, the Ukrainian port city, part of the grand plan to give Russia control over the Black Sea coast.

  This is a reprise of previous posts but worth updating. The former Soviet satellite states and Russia have charts, either from the 1917/18 era or 1990/1991 – both of which dates have key planets in mid fixed signs. So they are in the line of fire of this year’s Eclipses as well as tr Uranus, for example, opposition the Pluto in Scorpio of the Lithuania and Latvia charts at 17 Scorpio from this June onwards. The Moldova Pluto is at 15 Scorpio so catches the disruptive tr Uranus opposition from May 12^th this year. And 2023 looks equally turbulent.

  The EU and UK also have tr Uranus rattling up their Venus at 15 and 16 Aquarius and Germany has Pluto at 17 Taurus – which could be financial and not necessarily directly linked but they will certainly be unsettling.

  The one chart that is definite about Putin is his 4^th term chart of 7 May 2018 11.05 am Moscow, which has a confident, lucky Taurus Sun opposition a popular-at-home 4^th house Jupiter. There’s also a ruthless Mars Pluto in Capricorn in a crises-ridden and unstable square to Uranus Mercury.

Tr Uranus will conjunct the Sun and square the Sun/Jupiter midpoint, then oppose the Jupiter between late May and mid year which could suggest a confident push. But he will run into a frustratingly stuck and infuriatingly trapped tr Pluto conjunct the Mars from early this August till early December, which was around early this year and last – and worse a destabilizing tr Pluto square the Uranus from February 2023, on and off until late 2024. This last is often a transit associated with topple-off-perch moments for an administration. Plus in 2023 the Pluto moves by Solar Arc to close the conjunction to Mars to exact by mid 2023 which is usually a dead-halt if not total implosion influence.

  2023 is the year when both the Russia 1917 and 1991 chart indicate major upsets and significant changes.

  This year’s fraught Lunar Eclipses will be rattling up many of the above charts so all stormy ahead. But at least there is a smidgeon of hope that Putin may keel over at some point in 2023 – despite the UK Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, trumpeting on about a 10 year war.

  [While UK support is heart-warming, I’m not sure that some of the grandstanding London politicos aren’t throwing around provocative comments just to grab attention and risk causing problems if not doing actual damage.]

See previous post: 8 March 2022

Elon Musk has agreed to buy Twitter for roughly $44bn, putting him in control of the influential social media platform that millions rely on for news. He describes himself as a “free speech absolutist” and in the past has attacked regulators and critics, though he’s not above blocking those he dislikes personally. The deal is expected to close this year, but could still fall apart if blocked by regulators or if he fails to deliver on financing.

   Musk has made donations to both of the major US political parties in the past but there are concerns over his desire to loosen content moderation on the platform.

   Republicans are hopeful that the deal could pave the way for Donald Trump to return to the platform, although he insists he’ll stick to his own Truth network. “Everyone should be worried about this,” said Mary Anne Marsh, a Democratic strategist. “We saw the impact Trump managed to have with his Twitter account before, whether questioning Barack Obama’s  birthplace or rejecting the results of the last election. Imagine what he will do to regain power in 2022 or 2024 when there is no one to stop him?”

  Musk, 28 June 1971 Pretoria, South Africa, no time, is on a confident  and lucky roll with tr Pluto sextile his money-magnet Jupiter in Scorpio in 2022/23. Though his 2023 will prove a bumpy, insecure and disempowering ride; with a tough slog through 2024/25. The great planetary shift starting in 2023 won’t suit him with tr Pluto trine his Saturn and sextile his Neptune; and the tr Saturn Neptune shift into Aries will gradually encroach on his Cancer Sun square Uranus in Libra. Tr Uranus moving into Gemini in 2026 will initially prove to be destabilising.

 Twitter, 21 March 2006 will also regard the celestial changeover with a jaundiced eye especially in 2025/26 with tr Neptune Saturn conjunct the Aries Sun and tr Pluto opposition the Saturn.  This year will be roller coaster with lucky breaks from tr Uranus opposition the Jupiter and highly unsettled with the financial Venus and Neptune being rattled as well. Not all plans will bring the desired result.

  The Twitter IPO, 7 November 2013, will be under stress this year with tr Uranus opposition the Saturn Sun in Scorpio, exact now and repeating into early 2023, with the Eclipses throwing down challenges as well. 2024 looks a disaster year, followed by several more as tr Neptune Saturn gets into gear in Aries to square the Venus and then Pluto and Uranus.

  Elon Musk isn’t the greatest fit for Twitter with his contrary and inordinately stubborn Mars in Aquarius crossing swords with both Twitter charts.

 Intriguing thought that one of the key manifestations of the Pluto in Capricorn years may falter and either keel over or shrivel when the new era arrives. Facebook/Zuckerburg may be less affected at the start since he and the FB IPO are late Taurus and the FB launch chart is mid Aquarius.

Please add below. Older posts under News on top bar.

TalkTV, launching tonight, marks a return to British TV not only of Piers Morgan, but also his boss Rupert Murdoch. The mogul has been out of the sector since the sale of Sky four years ago and this is seen as his shot across the bows of the BBC as well as other news media. There is some scepticism about whether there is public appetite for opinionated TV news. And despite claims it will be a “news programme unlike any other that currently exists in the UK” there is doubt as to its prospects.

  It launches at 7pm with a heavily afflicted and curiously placed Mercury in Taurus which does not augur well. Mercury is in the hidden 8^th trine Pluto on the IC sextile over over-hopeful Neptune, Jupiter, Venus and square Saturn. Admittedly there is a showy Moon, Mars, Venus in the entertaining 5^th but that hardly seems enough to balance out a battened down Mercury – especially for a news channel.

  Piers Morgan is the undoubted draw opening tonight with a Trump spectacular, hoping to reprise his breakfast show success which came to a dramatic end over his Meghan Markle brickbats after the Oprah interview.

  Born 30 March 1965 he has a charming, if impulsive Sun Venus in Aries with Mercury also in Aries – and has all of Aries renowned rubber-ball prowess for reinventing himself, having had a roller coaster career with three headline sackings followed in each case by a resurgence. His take-no-hostages approach to expressing his unvarnished opinion comes from a volcanic collection of Mars, Uranus Pluto in Virgo opposition Saturn (Moon) in Pisces. Plus he has a sunnily optimistic Jupiter in Taurus opposition Neptune.

  He’s not in his best of phases with a frustratingly trapped tr Pluto opposition his Mars/Node in 2022/23 with a raft of Neptunian disappointments this year and the next two; plus mega-confusion in 2023/2024.  Not ideal.

   The original SKY TV launch on 5 February 1989 had Jupiter in the 10^th conjunct the midheaven and was a robust chart. This is more news and less entertainment but doesn’t have a chart indicating a lasting triumph.

Rupert Murdoch, 11 March 1931 11.55pm Melbourne, AU, is now into his nineties and not at his most successful astrologically with tr Saturn moving through his low profile 1^st Quadrant. Tr Pluto is opposing his 8^th house financial Mars in 2022/23 which will be blocked and risky – though given his age that could apply to other factors than this venture. Though he does also have a couple of mildly upbeat Jupiter midpoints as well.

Draconic astrology has become a hot topic with the emergence of Victor Olliver’s excellent and extensive book. Highly readable, sensible, clear in explanations, stuffed with examples, it humanises and grounds what could be a fairly arcane technique to pin down soul purpose in a life.

  A draconic chart shifts the position of the North Node to zero Aries and moves all other planets by the same number of degrees while keeping the original houses. I pay little attention to complaints that techniques in astrology don’t make sense. There’s no rationale for Solar Arc or Progressions or indeed transits for that matter but they work. The Royal and celebrity examples in the book make a great deal of sense with Victor’s lucid descriptions of the natal (tropical) and draconic charts. He is very definite that the natal chart is the foundation chart and isn’t superseded by the draconic.

  However it’s an area of astrology that needs study before making comment so this will have to be a very preliminary thoughts-in-progress post. I’ll put up a couple of examples below from the book. And hope along the way others will pitch in when they have read the book and it can be returned to on a later post.

 I have two hesitations about the subject. The first is that you can get confused (more than usual) by getting recommended to this technique or that and there are a truckload of possible choices out there. At some point an astrologer, while keeping an open-mind about what might be useful to fill a knowledge gap, has to refine down what they work with. Otherwise they drown in too much information.

   The other is self-centred, since au naturellement, I headed first for my own chart. Where Prince Charles shifts from a Scorpio start in life to Draconic Libra; Karl Marx from Taurus to Aries; and Queen Victoria from Gemini to Taurus, with changes in elements and triplicities, I don’t. The shifts in these individuals are elegantly and insightfully described in the book.

  In my case I shift from Virgo to Taurus with a strong Air element in both; and 12^th house moves to 8^th house with a strong 9^th house in both. So Earth Air stays as is with a leaning towards more fixed – and hidden becomes more hidden in house terms.  I’m just not sure how to interpret that.  Plus the Draconic and Natal charts in synastry aren’t as clear cut as in the examples given, certainly as far as conjunctions are concerned. In an odd way my 8^th house Draconic element makes sense to me especially Chiron conjunct Algol in the 8^th though I’m not sure I could articulate what. Anyway it is early days so will require more pondering.

  Prince Charles has his Draconic Jupiter conjunct his 4^th house natal Scorpio Sun = family brings bounty and success. His Draconic Uranus in his 10^th makes him a trailblazer.

Britney Spears Draconic Jupiter Pluto sits in her natal 10^th for mega-success; as does Nelson Mandela’s Jupiter Pluto. Oprah Winfrey’s Draconic Jupiter is conjunct her natal 8^th house Pluto – for the Midas touch.

  I think I’m confused already so will stop.  All too new and will take time to absorb.

There’s a free calculator if you want to try your own chart.

https://horoscopes.astro-seek.com/draconic-chart-astrology-calculator

Also on astrodienst: https://www.astro.com/astrology/aa_article210601_e.htm