not categorised

Pious sentiments about ‘democratising finance’ and sticking it to the rich guys may come badly unstuck for small chat-room investors who sent share prices soaring recently for a moribund Gameshop and lacklustre AMC theatre group. In the process they cost short-sellers a small fortune, before moving on to send the price of silver soaring to its highest level in a decade.

None of the moves had much to do with underlying economic fundamentals which left analysts fearing a sharp reversal for investors similar to the dot-com craze tanking in 2001 and the housing market collapsed in 2008.

  On Monday, shares in GameStop, the struggling retailer championed by Reddit investors declined by 30 percent, sliced in half from their peak but still over 1,000 percent higher than where they began the year. One broker said “It’s pump and dump in a totally new, viral format and there are huge risks that need to be looked at right now.” He said it had the markings of a market mania that historically ends in big losses for small traders.

  Robinhood, a financial services company, whose game-like approach facilitated much of the rise in GameStop and AMC shares, then had to pull back sharply sparking off criticism. Robinhood may struggle to hold on to its outsider identity as it is forced to play by the rules, industry participants say.

Elizabeth Warren sounded a note of caution. “We actually don’t know who all the players are in all this — whether there’s big money on both sides.”

  Robinhood was founded 18 April 2013 in California by Vlad Tenev, a Bulgarian-American, and Baiju Bhatt, an Indian-American. It has a fiery, adventurous, pro-active and go-getting Sun Mars in Aries; with an excitable Uranus Mercury also in Aries square Pluto amplifying its innovative, not to say disruptive streak in bucking the status quo. There’s also a more materialistic Venus in Taurus opposition Saturn in Scorpio, so making money will be in its DNA.

  This year they will be seriously jolted from mid to late March with tr Uranus opposing its Saturn. But it’s 2022/23 when they will run into the buffers as tr Pluto squares their Mars and Sun to bring them to a grinding halt. With Solar Arc Sun Mars opposing the Saturn in 2023 as well.

It’s not that the finance big boys don’t need a serious sorting out but this could end in tears.

Myanmar has returned to its dark days of military oppression with the army seizing power, claiming that recent elections giving an 83% victory to Aung San Suu Kyi’s party and trouncing their own party were fraudulent. They have installed their commander-in-chief as leader and detained senior politicians. The country was ruled by the military from 1962 to 2011, and the transition to democracy thereafter still guaranteed three important ministries and 25 per cent of parliament for army appointees.

  Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of the Father of the nation, became a heroine in the west during her 15 years of house arrest, showered with the Nobel and other medals. But her reputation was irreparably tarnished when she gradually returned to power as the de facto leader, by her unwillingness to condemn the atrocities and genocide waged by the army against the Rohingya minority in the country’s west. Her submission to the military in other areas as well brought concerns that she was legitimising their control.

  Myanmar was founded as Burma at a time set by astrologers as propitious, on 4 January 1948 at 4.20am Rangoon. The unyielding Saturn Pluto in Leo was in place with Saturn square a Taurus North Node; and a Capricorn Sun trine Mars and in a vague square to Neptune Moon. It’s difficult to see what the astrologers thought they were picking apart from Jupiter on the Ascendant.

  The country chart has a deadlocked and possibly violent Solar Arc Mars square Saturn this year; a disruptive and shocking Solar Arc Uranus conjunct Mars as well; and an undermining tr Neptune square its 7^th house Uranus.  Co-operation with the international community has never been the country’s strong point with Uranus in the 7th, and there is already condemnation from the White House and the EU about the coup. There’s also a tr Uranus square the Myanmar Pluto  from mid this year which could point to a rebellious backlash as the younger generation react against oppression. Tr Uranus also squares and tr Saturn is conjunct the country’s financial Venus so there may be sanctions and shortages as a result.

  Aung San Suu Kyi, 19 June 1945, is yet another Sun Gemini with Uranus close by and both square Jupiter in Virgo. She’s also got an intense, stubborn and not-exactly-compassionate Venus Mars in Taurus square Pluto.

  At the moment she has her Progressed Mars conjunct her Sun for a distinct shock and it stays in effect for months to come. This year also the tr Uranus in Taurus square tr Saturn in Aquarius is rattling her Pluto and Venus for a major and scary upheaval over coming months; with a run of disastrous and undermining Neptune transits in hard aspect to her Jupiter now, then her Sun/Uranus and Mars/Pluto, moving on to square her Sun in 2023. Then she has a downbeat and stuck Solar Arc Saturn square her Sun in 2024. Nothing that looks too cheerful ahead.  

‘Tis the season clearly for actresses to air their grievances about not being treated as they’d like. The latest is Katherine Heigl, formerly of Gray’s Anatomy, who dissed her chances by turning down an Emmy nomination on the basis she hadn’t been given good enough material and left the show two years later. Then complained her role in a Seth Rogen movie was ‘sexist’ when presumably she had read the script before signing. Having built up a reputation for being difficult she says she was then effectively blacklisted.

   Her abrupt and very public dismissal of the 2008 Best Supporting Actress Emmy nomination was considered a “swipe” at Grey’s Anatomy producers for cutting back her role. It was so bizarre and such a slap in the face for the producers it’s a miracle she wasn’t removed instantly.

  Born 24 November 1978, she’s a Sun Sagittarius with a showbizzy Mars, Neptune and Mercury in Sagittarius square Saturn (Moon) in Virgo. A Mars square Saturn is scratchy, on a short fuse and with Neptune in the middle veers towards the neurotic/paranoid.

 Clashing with the formidable and super-successful Shonda Rimes, 13 January 1970, producer of Gray’s Anatomy and more recently Bridgerton, was never going to end well with Rimes’ ultra-determined Mars in Pisces opposition Pluto clashing with Heigl’s Sagittarius planets.

  Heigl has a few rays of Jupiterian sunshine this year but is running towards a Plutonic blockage in 2022.

  The other actress in recent times who spoke out about being written off as difficult is Janet Hubert, who starred in the first three seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air with Will Smith until she left and later blamed him for having spoken out against her. Though in subsequent interviews she admitted she was going through a difficult personal time which affected her behaviour with a new baby and unemployed husband, which no one knew.

  Born 13 January 1956 in Chicago, she’s a Sun Capricorn with an intense Venus in Aquarius opposition Pluto Jupiter square Mars in Scorpio and Saturn in Sagittarius. And that is heavyweight – with again a Mars Saturn theme but amplified with Pluto involved as well.

   Poor-victim-me isn’t a good look for women aiming to be taken seriously as equal and independent. The first step to self-awareness is owning your actions and your mouth.  

There are calls for far-right GOP Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene to be removed for her extremist views. She was described as a gun-obsessed racist who has spread gruesome conspiracy theories about a Satan-worshipping cult and mocked the deaths of schoolchildren in the Parkland school shooting. Her past social media posts indicated support for executing Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and echoed conspiracy theories that California wildfires were caused by a ‘Jewish space’ laser from space triggered by a group of Democratic politicians and companies for financial gain.

  Lauren Boebert, another newly ordained Rep Congresswoman, appears cut from the same cloth as a ‘fast-talking, gun-toting tavern owner’, who relishes her reputation as a provocative and disruptive force. Both Greene and Boebert have appeared with white supremacists, and Boebert has prior connections to anti-government extremists in groups involved in the events of January. 6. Both have endorsed QAnon conspiracies. They have refused to wear masks and Boebert attempted to violate House prohibitions on carrying firearms on the floor of the chamber. Boebert also appeared to revel in the insurrection as it was happening, tweeting about Pelosi’s location and proclaiming earlier in the day, “Today is 1776,” suggesting the possibility of an armed revolt.

  Greene, 27 May 1974, is a Sun Gemini opposition Neptune trine Pluto – so driven by heady ambitions. In addition she has a super-charged Mars in Cancer on the focal point of a Uranus opposition Venus in Aries – making her volatile, disruptive, drawn to high-adrenaline situations.  Oddly her Mars in Cancer is conjunct Trump’s Saturn which isn’t a great interface though her relationship chart with him has a friendly, affectionate Sun Venus in a controlling square to Pluto, so she will be drawn to him – as she continues to campaign against the results of the election.  Though her bond with him will going through an exceptionally bumpy phase this February and March with tr Uranus opposition the composite Neptune and square the Mars.

  Her own chart show 2020 as being one of devastation and confusion, despite her Congress win, with hitches, glitches and swamps continuing through this year and the next two.

 Boebert, 15 December 1986, has her Sun Uranus conjunct in Sagittarius with Saturn Mercury also in Sagittarius, a Gemini Moon across the zodiac probably squaring onto Mars Jupiter in Pisces, and an intense (manipulative) Pluto Venus in Scorpio trine Mars Jupiter.  She’s quite a whirlwind of rebellious impulses, wildly outspoken with so much Sagittarius; fuelled by anger and self-righteousness – Mars Jupiter on the focal point of a T Square tends to see itself as a holy crusader.  Like Greene she was not a happy camper in late 2020 from road-blocked Solar Arcs. Her way ahead looks even less certain than Greene’s with tr Neptune square her Uranus and Sun through this year and next; with catastrophic, crises-attracting tr Pluto conjunct her Mars/Saturn in 2022/23. She’s not winning too many arguments.

  Her relationship chart with Trump isn’t as cosy as Greene’s – with, in her case, a composite needs-space Sun Uranus in a trapped opposition to Pluto, Mercury Venus – and that connection is sinking below the water line through 2021/22/23.

Josh Hawley, 31 December 1979, another GOP troublemaker raising doubts about the election result, is a Sun Capricorn in a hyper-active trine to Mars Jupiter in Virgo. He has Mercury Neptune in Sagittarius and a Gemini Moon. So another whirlwind-in-a-storm personality with so much mutable. He’s in a win-some, lose-some year with disasters late February through March and again mid October to mid January 2022 with tr Neptune opposition his Mars/Saturn midpoint.

A luvvie having a hissy fit is always light relief from the encircling gloom and angst. Except in the following instance it may have resulted in a decent film critic losing his job for no other reason than doing what he was paid for. Dennis Harvey writing for Variety suggested – shock horror – that Carey Mulligan might not have been the best fit for her role in Promising Young Woman, while at the same time commending her performance as “skilful and entertaining.”

  She took umbrage at the thought he was saying she was not hot enough to pull off the role and took that as an inappropriate slur for 2020.

  A talented actress with awards for various performances including Shame, Collateral, Wildlife, The Great Gatsby, she seemed to be suggesting that her looks were not relevant in her profession and should not invite comment. Which is so off the scale for idiocy it hardly bears saying. Both sexes, genders whatever and the myriad inbetweeners, are hired on the basis of their looks.

  Vanity Fair issue an apology for which they should be ashamed and the critic has now spoken out to defend himself.

   My first thought was – she has a fragile ego. And lo and behold she has a Gemini Sun on the focal point of a Yod to Pluto sextile Neptune.  Such a Sun starts off life with low self-esteem, a sense of inferiority and a difficulty establishing a strong sense of identity. But as with all quincunxes, especially Yods, there is a swing between under-confidence and over-confidence – too little will power and then too much.

  This very public intervention evidently coincided with the Oscars run up and hadn’t been mentioned as an issue before. But she may come to regret being advised to air the gripe since she’s running into a panicky, undermining tr Neptune square her Mars from mid March through till mid April just before the Oscars, so there could be a backlash.  She has two very mild Jupiterian influences over April 25^th and the Oscars ceremony, but that’s all. 2022 looks a more upbeat year for her.     

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, is facing calls to resign after a botched handling of the vaccine shortage issue. The EU made the mistake of centralising the order for the entire bloc rather than leaving individual countries to proceed at their own pace and were late to the party. Then when the manufacturers plead production problems in shortfalls on delivery she demanded AstraZeneca stop supplying the UK. A deluge of criticism forced her to U-turn.

   Her Term chart, 1 December 2019 has an explosive Mars opposition Uranus as well as a limp and impractical Sun square Neptune. Tr Saturn has been squaring the Uranus and then the Mars in February; with tr Uranus having a final opposition to the Mars also in February which leads to high insecurity resulting in macho gestures to prop up self-esteem which often backfire. The fireworks will run on.

  Her time as Minister for Defence in Germany was generally regarded as a failure with domestic criticism for her leadership style, reliance on outside consultants, and continued gaps in military readiness. A report for the German Parliament concluded about the military under her administration – “There is neither enough personnel nor material, and often one confronts shortage upon shortage.”

  The domestic consensus was that her party would be happy to see her go to Brussels and Merkel was a cheerleader there for her. Politico.eu remarked, “What the rest of Europe gets out of the bargain is another question.”

  Born 8 October 1958 in Brussels, with a civil servant then politician father, she qualified as a doctor and has seven children. She has a diplomatic and cool Libra Sun Mercury sextile Saturn in Sagittarius; with a do-or-die-determined Mars square Pluto; and a head-in-the-clouds Neptune Jupiter in Scorpio.

   For someone under heavy pressure for a cataclysmic series of mis-steps she has a good deal of upbeat Jupiter sprinkled about through this year, along it would have to be said with some confusion. 2022/23 look more of an uphill struggle with 2024 running both her personal and her EU Admin chart into the buffers.

See previous Posts: July 17 2019 and December 10 2019.

Ivanka Trump, having ridden on her father coat tails for four years – and found her business interests dragged down by the taint of the Trump name – is now in a quandary about her political ambitions, with him still professing an interest in a 2024 run. And she’ll almost certainly be embroiled in some of the plethora of pending cases involving Trump Organization finances.

  She will be champing at the bit since this is a pushily confident year for her with tr Pluto square her Jupiter and Pluto this month and again August to late November; with an all-systems-change tr Uranus opposition her Scorpio Sun next month. She will have some luck this May and again December and February 202 from one of her Jupiter midpoints. But there are also a good many mountains to climb and peat bogs to wade through with a discouraging tr Pluto square her Sun/Saturn midpoint late this February, on and off to late 2022. With a car-crash setback sometime this year from Solar Arc Mars conjunct her Saturn.

 2022 looks a seriously undermining year with major losses and uncertainty from tr Neptune opposition her Mars/Saturn midpoint.

  Her Solar Returns (without a birth time) have trapped and frustrating if not downright scary Mars Pluto squares from birthday 2020 for a year, birthday 2021 for a year; and birthday 2024 for a year – that last being an even more road-blocked Mars opposition Pluto. 2022 looks over-hopeful; 2023 is confident and materialistic.

 The November 2022 elections will see her in downbeat mood. 

Actor Arnie Hammer – Call Me By Your Name, The Social Network etc – is being hit with a deluge of bizarre allegations about BDSM, cannibalism and rape fantasies. Various ex-girlfriends have also spoken out about his disregard for consent and inappropriate behaviour.  Hot denials are flying.

  He was born 28 August 1986 1.16 am Los Angeles, and has a 3^rd house Virgo Sun trine a 7^th house Neptune and sextile a 5^th house Pluto in Scorpio, as well as square Saturn. His Sun will make him quick-witted and communicative; a 7^th house Neptune is evasive when it comes to commitment in one-to-one relationships; and Pluto in the 5^th is attention-demanding and controlling with romantic partners (and children). He also has Mars in Capricorn in his 7^th in a can-be-insensitive square to Venus. And he has a wayward Gemini Moon in the 12^th opposition Uranus square Jupiter on his Midheaven.  There’s nothing too gruesome or brutal about his chart though I could see fidelity being a problem.

  Given the gothic nature of the fantasies – if true – they sound truly psychotic. He does have his Sun square and his Saturn conjunct his Neptune/Pluto midpoint which will certainly give rise to self-torment, succumbing to strange influences, dark forebodings.

  He has had the triple conjunction moving through his 8^th recently with tr Pluto hovering on the cusp now which will have produced a potential for exploring murky depths.  Though if true it sounds as if it has been going on for years. The control factor will come from Pluto with the insensitivity to other’s needs from Venus in hard aspect to Mars.

  He has recently separated from his wife of 10 years Elizabeth Chambers, 18 August 1982 San Antonio, Tx, who is a New Moon in Leo but more significantly has an intense Jupiter Mars in Scorpio conjunct his Pluto so it would be passionate at the start but that is a very tricky interface.  Her Saturn was conjunct his Venus and square his Mars; and her Uranus conjunct his Saturn and square his Sun. It would be fractious in the extreme and it’s hardly surprising it didn’t last.

  Tr Neptune is moving across his Midheaven and Jupiter now and thence through his 10^th house for years ahead which might not be a disaster in the film business. But added onto a trapped tr Pluto moving through his 8^th also for many years ahead, he does look fairly stuck.

New brooms in Washington will bring changes though with only a slender majority in the Senate perhaps not as many as the progressives would like.

  Chuck Schumer, 23 November 1950 11 am (from memory) New York, is the Senate Majority leader. He’s a charming Sun Venus in Sagittarius with a few obstacles and disappointments ahead this year as well as some bountiful patches this month and late year.  The panics will set in late March to mid April, and again September/October and January/February 2022 with tr Neptune square his Sun/Mars midpoint. Mid to late 2022 he’s on a downer with his Solar Arc Saturn conjunct his Mercury;  though he should be back in gear through 2023/24 with tr Pluto sextile his Sun. If his birth time is accurate then tr Saturn is now moving through his lower-profile First Quadrant for several years ahead, so he won’t be at his most vibrant or successful.  His relationship with Joe Biden will racket around from this spring onwards with the tr Uranus square tr Saturn hitting on the composite Moon Jupiter and Pluto.

   Nancy Pelosi, Speaker in the House of Representatives, 25 March 1940, no verified time, Baltimore, MD, is a pro-active and determined Aries Sun trine Pluto with a Scorpio Moon and a formidable four planets spread out through Taurus. She looks aggravated and stressed with tr Pluto trine her Mars now and through this year, with some losses, slog-on patches and a disaster or two in mid June to early July, October and early 2022 when tr Uranus is conjunct her Mars/Saturn midpoint. So not all plain sailing.

  Mitch McConnell, 20 February 1942, ousted as Senate Majority Leader, was a Trump enabler, only turning on him after the Capitol attacks, and has now swallowed his bile to curry favour with the pro-Trump supporters. He’s a Sun Pisces with, like Pelosi, four planets in Taurus. He’s being rattled  around this year by tr Uranus square tr Saturn hitting his Mercury – so there will be high tension outbursts and some discouragement, gloom and panic. There’s nothing cheerful about his transits this year. He’ll find his mojo from early 2022 through 2023 but runs into Saturnine blocks in late 2022 and 2024.

  His relationship with Trump is in upheaval this February and dipping further from late May onwards. And his relationship with his wife Elaine Chao is in for an exceptionally rocky ride from this March onwards.

Add On: Kevin McCarthy, the Republican Minority Leader in Congress, 26 January 1965, Bakersfield, CA, having repudiated Trump over the Capitol attacks is now licking his feet again.  He’s a Sun Aquarius with an Earth Grand Trine of Uranus Pluto trine Jupiter in Taurus trine Mercury Venus in Capricorn, with his Jupiter opposition Neptune – very materialistic, slippery or delusional with such an emphasised Neptune.

   The opportunistic ties that bind him to Trump will start to loosen from mid March onwards. And the same goes for the Republican Party whose relations with their erstwhile leader will take a turn for the worse from March onwards as well, worsening in 2022, perhaps when Trump”s personal woes become more apparent – debts, criminal case etc etc etc.

   McCarthy’s personal chart points to a fair crop of disasters and catastrophes this year late March to mid April, early September to mid October and early 2022. But with some successes also, on and off through 2022 as well. Over the Mid Terms in 2022 he does have a lucky-break tr Uranus conjunct his Jupiter and a couple of other minor success-bearers, as well as a Saturnine downer or two.  The tr Uranus square tr Saturn hits his driving rod Jupiter opposition Neptune almost exactly for highs and lows.

Italian politics is back in Circus Maximus mode with Matteo Renzi living up to his youthful nickname “Rottamatore” (the Wrecker), bringing down Giuseppe Conti’s government by pulling out of the ruling coalition. Thereby making himself even less popular than before. Round and round they go, now aiming for the country’s 67^th government since the war.

  Renzi’s raison d’etre was to object to the handling of the pandemic, with Italy having one of the highest rates of infection and numbers of deaths (comparative to population) in the world.

  The Italy 17 March 1961 Turin chart is has been logjammed through 2020 with Solar Arc Saturn square the Pluto and heavily disrupted by tr Uranus conjunct the Pluto; with ominous signs ahead of major confusion and uncertainty in 2023. That is echoed in the Italy 10 June 1946 chart which has the end of an undermining run of tr Neptune square Sun next month and upheaval from tr Uranus square the Pluto in April; but much worse in 2022/23 from Solar Arc Saturn conjunct Neptune followed by Solar Arc Neptune opposition the Sun and Solar Arc Pluto square Saturn.

  The Bank of Italy chart, 10 August 1893, is highly strung now and in considerable disarray come late 2022 into 2023.

  Of the main political contenders at the moment:

Matteo Renzi, 11 January 1975 2.45pm Florence, is facing failure from late April onwards, on and off till early 2023 with tr Neptune square his Mars; though he’ll buck up somewhat from early 2022 with tr Pluto conjunct his Sun/Jupiter midpoint running for two years thereafter.

Giuseppe Conte, 8 August 1964 2.30 Volturara Appula, Italy, has tr Neptune conjunct his Midheaven within weeks, extending over the next two years which is limp, lacklustre and not usually successful. Plus a frustratingly trapped tr Pluto opposition his Sun/Mars running on for the next few weeks and around till late this year; with hiccups and disasters over the next two months.  

  Matteo Salvini, 9 March 1973 10.50pm Milan, has Neptunian afflictions through this year but is the only one looking upbeat next month and December with a successful tr Pluto conjunct his Mars/Jupiter.

 Giorgia Meloni, 15 January 1977, 6pm Rome, has a challenging tr Pluto conjunct her Capricorn Sun in February and again late year; and a disappointing tr Neptune conjunct her Sun/Jupiter from late May onwards till early 2023. She does have some rays of sunshine this year and lucky breaks in April, May and January 2022. 2022/23 looks like fairly disastrous years for her.  

Add On: A recent poll showed more support for Italy to leave the EU. Though whether that would hold if it ever came to a referendum which would expose the gargantuan costs to Italy of repaying debt and exiting the euro. Long term yes, their own currency would make exporting more profitable but it’s doubtful if they could stand the transitional pain.

  It would be a much bigger issue than Brexit because Italy is a member of the euro currency union and the third largest economy in the eurozone, behind Germany and France. It would be “complicated enough to threaten the survival of the single currency.”  

  That being said there do look to be a good many ructions ahead from late this spring onwards, exacerbating through 2022 with the tr Uranus square tr Saturn hitting on the EU/Italy 1861 Mercury, then Sun, which could well point to a significant rupture. 2022/23 look very discouraging for relations between Italy and the EU. The EU/Italy 1946 relationship chart isn’t as stressed but points to 2023 and 2024 as years of upheaval and massive uncertainty.