not categorised

  Billy Connolly fans are in for a treat with an ITV special to mark his 60-year career on stage in stand-up comedy. One critic remarked that “hot angry hurt was the jet fuel of his comedy – roaring at 400 words a minute – shouting, swearing, singing, turning audiences to liquid — the stories bursting from him like blood from a severed artery.” He also appeared in 40 films most notably Mrs Brown opposite Judi Dench.

  Born 24 November 1942 4.30am Glasgow, Scotland, he had an appalling childhood with his mother abandoning the family when he was four, unkind aunts (one psychotic) who were forced to act as caretaker parents; and an abusive father after he returned from the war.

  He has now stopped touring after contracting Parkinson’s, says art is his life or he is taking it easy in his Key West home with his second wife therapist Pamela Stephenson with assorted grandchildren coming to visit.

  He has a charmingly outspoken Sun Venus in Sagittarius in an erratic opposition to Uranus Saturn in Gemini in a talented Half Grand Sextile to Neptune and Pluto in his 10^th – so he would become, as often happens with Pluto in the 10^th, something of a legend. He’s also got the blessing of Jupiter in his 10^th which would help his progress towards success. Neptune in the 12^th is a pointer to his struggles with alcoholism.

  He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2013 along with prostate cancer though the latter has now cleared. That was when his Solar Arc Midheaven was conjunct his Neptune, making his direction uncertain. Tr Saturn was then moving downwards through his First Quadrant which would pull him back from an overly busy, high profile lifestyle.

  He does have tr Pluto coming up to oppose his Jupiter through 2021/22 which should lift his confidence though he seems sanguine about not having long to go.

His creative, ‘seeking soul’ 7^th harmonic is strong. Even more so is his genius/breakthrough 13H which as I recollect Peter Sellers also had. And his super-star 22H is challenging, angry and highly communicative. Not an easy start but he made the most of his abilities.

 Pamela Stephenson, 4 December 1949, is another Sagittarius with a Taurus Moon in an intense square to Pluto and a hard-edged Mars Saturn in Virgo which squares his Moon. It’s not intuitively an easy match but it has lasted for forty years and he credits her for saving him when he was on a downward alcohol spiral.

  Eccentric, idiosyncratic, an unrepeatable talent – very much a one off.  

China is becoming a focus of concern and dislike for a litany of sins. Having stitched up Hong Kong, dishonouring the 1997 deal, Beijing has then turned its increasingly hostile gaze across the Pacific region, notably targeting Taiwan. This pits China against the USA and its allies amongst them Australia, New Zealand and the UK. There is also a dangerous standoff with India over one of their border regions (see post June 17 2020). And the EU is digging in its heels, refusing to sign a China trade deal because of the plight of the Muslim Uygurs and other minorities in detention camps and the extensive use of forced labour.

   Xi Jinping’s Term chart, 24 October 2017 12.30 pm Beijing, has a confident and successful Sun Jupiter in a risk-taking opposition to Uranus, so he’s not afraid to go for expansionist gambles. Jupiter in a term chart usually bestows luck, whether deserved or not, so it’s tricky to know quite how 2021 will shake down with tr Pluto square the Term Uranus from late February for two years which can on its own be destabilising. What is certain is that tr Neptune square the Term Saturn from late May 2021, on and off till late 2022 will cause considerable uncertainty and some panic.

   This coincides with tr Neptune square his Gemini Sun (yet another one!), which or may not give rise to yet more questions about his health.  His Term chart given that he’s now into an infinity presidency will run into a dead halt come 2024.

   The two China charts do indicate an exceptionally rocky road ahead. The 1 January 1912 chart (which showed up the Covid-19 crisis most clearly) has tr Pluto continuing to assault the natural-disaster-prone and highly-strung, can-be-fanatical Neptune opposition Uranus for another three years. There will be frustrations and anger from tr Pluto trine the Mars till late 2021; and economic hiccups from the middle of this year as tr Uranus is conjunct the Saturn in Taurus into 2022. 2022/23 will be years of major disruption, perhaps rebellions, certainly a degree of mayhem not seen for decades.

  The China 1 October 1949 chart has a worrisome, explosive tr Uranus square the aggressive 7^th house Mars Pluto from the middle of 2021, exacerbating in 2022 as both tr Uranus square tr Saturn hit on the Mars Pluto. There will be setbacks, high insecurity which could lead to rash actions.

  Joe Biden’s chart relocated to Beijing isn’t as aggravated as his astrocartography to Iran, Russia and the Middle East. Though his relationship charts with both China charts, will be up and down with a discouraging sense of slog from late January 2021 and some reversals mid year onwards.

Add On: From Mark Annand. “To add further credence to your outlook for crises ahead, we need look no further than the chart for the CCP which controls practically everything that moves in China. It’s start date is 23 July 1921 Shanghai putting the Sun at 29Cancer15 nicely lined up for the first demolition hammer blows of a Pluto opposition, in orb by 20 March 2022 and exact for Pluto’s first pass 11 months later on 20 February 2023. All of which seems to correspond closely with the timings given in your report.

Russia is being fingered for the widespread cyberattack on agencies across the U.S. government, the most significant hack in years. Mike Pompeo is openly saying it was Russians while Trump, sticking to his playbook, flatly denies it and insists the culprit is China.

  Joe Biden will be faced with the problem from day one, along with a million others dilemmas. Looking at his astrocartography he does have his combative Mars in Scorpio on the Descendant relocated to Moscow so it’s a country that will raise his ire. Mars lines are where previous presidents went to war. It’s unlikely he’ll send in the gunboats, but that Mars Descendant line may be a hint of where his foreign policy hotspots will be. This line runs up through the Arab Gulf States, Saudi Arabia and Iran as well as Russia. Indeed his relocated chart to Teheran puts Mars exactly on the Descendant so an even tighter stress-point than Moscow.

  Biden’s other Mars lines don’t look too likely to cause trouble. His Mars Midheaven runs up through the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and up through Greenland. His Mars IC through eastern Australia and his Mars Ascendant through the USA.

  The relationship chart between the USA and the Russia 1917 chart is under disappointing, undermining influences in 2021; with the major aggravation through 2022/23 when tr Pluto opposes the composite Mars.  The USA/Russia 1991 relationship chart is rocking and rolling uneasily from early 2021 for two years; and more notably slipping and sliding in a sea of high anxiety and suspicion through 2022/23.

  For the UK: Unsettled and high-tension with his Saturn Uranus on the IC through London. Not a priority for co-operation with North Node in the 7^th; plus intense, at times, bitter and stubborn discussions with Pluto on the Descendant square Mars in the 9^th – ideological differences. An elusive, evasive Neptune in the 8^th house of trade and commercial agreements.  

  Relocated to Dublin is marginally easier with Jupiter on the Descendant.

Details are just emerging about a shell company set up by Jared Kushner in 2018 to allow Trump and family to bypass federally required financial disclosures on how campaign funds were spent. Over $600 million from the $1.26bn coffers were funnelled through an opaque company with Lara Trump (Eric’s wife) named president, and Mike Pence’s nephew John Pence as vice president. The allegation is that this allowed the Trump inner circle and friends to be paid vast sums without it being under scrutiny.

  One media outlet’s story was headlined: “Jared Kushner Might Have Helped The Trump Family Launder Campaign Money.”  Vanity Fair said: “OOPS: Jared Kushner reportedly created a shell company to secretly pay Trump family members and spend half the campaign’s cash.”

 Although Lara Trump resigned before most of the cash was paid out she may still end up under federal investigation as complaints are being laid. Born 12 October 1982, she’s a Sun Venus in Libra with Saturn Pluto also in Libra – a mix of cool charm and unyielding determination.  Her Solar Arc Mars is squaring her Saturn around now which will accompany a considerable setback with tr Pluto conjunct her Solar Arc Mars and square her Saturn from exactly now as the story breaks and on and off through 2021; followed by worse as her Solar Arc Mars squares her Pluto in 2022/23. Her life will shudder to a halt.

  The company set up on 18 April 2018 has the same timeline and though now not operational it will still be affected by the influences. It has a ruthlessly determined Mars Pluto in Capricorn, which comes exact by Solar Arc in late 2021/2022; and Pluto square Sun Uranus in Aries. Which latter will be turned upside down by tr Pluto square the Sun Uranus in 2022/23.

   Jared’s relationship chart with Trump which has a fated Yod tying them together irrevocably for good or for ill, is in for a fair battering from this coming July onwards, with a few disappointments before then. But mid 2021 onwards for two years will be nerve-stretched and deeply insecure as tr Uranus opposes the composite Neptune through the second half of 2021, followed in 2022 with tr Uranus square tr Saturn hitting on the composite Neptune Mars on one foot of the Yod; and more serious setbacks and frustrations also in 2022/23.

Representatives of the Sackler family, who became multibillionaires by selling OxyContin widely held responsible for creating the US opioid epidemic which has claimed more than 500,000 lives, did nothing to damp down public hostility when two of the extended and extensive family turned up this week at a US congressional committee. Apologies and acknowledgements of wrongdoing were not forthcoming which prompted infuriated members of Congress to liken the Sacklers to the Mexican drug cartel leader, El Chapo, and the multi-billion dollar fraudster, Bernie Madoff. One congressman said he thought they were possibly the most evil family in America.

  A previous post with detail on the founders is at September 16 2019.

In the late 1990s Dr. Richard Sackler, senior vice president and then president of Purdue Pharma, aggressively pushed back, when concerns started to become public, according to newly unsealed documents. He said a robust response was in order insisting that oxycontin was “less prone to addiction potential, abuse or diversion” than other opioid pain pills. https://www.statnews.com/2019/12/02/purdue-richard-sackler-proposed-plan-play-down-oxycontin-risks/

Purdue Pharma continued to market and sell opioids as late as 2019 and then faced with a mountain of lawsuits filed for bankruptcy in September 2019. In October 2019 the privately owned company reached a settlement of around $8.3bn, admitting that it “knowingly and intentionally conspired and agreed with others to aid and abet” doctors dispensing medication “without a legitimate medical purpose”.

  What is intriguing from an astrological point of view is the proliferation of Uranus Neptune across most of the available charts. The founder Arthur and one of the early trio of brothers were born on the Uranus opposition Neptune. The company LLP of 14 June 1991 was on the Uranus Neptune conjunction in Capricorn.

  Richard Sackler, 10 March 1945, the more recent face of the company over its horror period is a Sun Mercury in Pisces in an expansive opposition to Jupiter in Virgo. There is not much notable without a birth time except that his Pluto sits exactly on the midpoint of a Uranus trine Neptune, with his Jupiter semi-square his Uranus/Neptune midpoint as well. The third brother of the original founders also has his Pluto semi-square his Uranus/Neptune midpoint.

  One of the meanings Ebertin ascribes to Uranus Neptune is ‘elimination of waking consciousness’ and ‘apoplexy of the brain’ as well as instability, confused psychic states, lack of emotional balance. And the Sacklers dreamed up the drug which did all that and made themselves obscenely rich messing with other people’s heads.

  There are notably aggressive Mars across various of the charts as well.

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MacKenzie Scott, novelist and former wife of Jeff Bezos, has donated more than $4 billion in four months this year. After her divorce she became the world’s 18th-richest person and this year has seen her fortune soar. She said on her blog “This pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling. Economic losses and health outcomes alike have been worse for women, for people of colour and for people living in poverty. Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires.” Her donations were focused on those “operating in communities facing high projected food insecurity, high measures of racial inequity, high local poverty rates, and low access to philanthropic capital.”

  She was born 7 April 1970 at 6.20 am San Francisco, and has a 12^th house Aries Sun and four Taurus planets just into her 1^st house – Mercury, Venus, Moon and Saturn, all conjunct and opposition an optimistic, financially-minded Jupiter in Scorpio; and Mars is also in last decan Taurus. She certainly belies Taurus’s reputation for hanging on to material possessions. Though that may be partly to do with her Neptune in the 8^th making her idealistic about money. Her Mars is in a determined trine to Pluto so she’s no pushover.

  What’s interesting given Princess Charlene’s chart (below) is that tr Uranus was moving across MacKenzie’s Ascendant as she decided to divorce her husband and set herself on the road to freedom.

  She’s in a high-profile, hard-working phase with tr Saturn moving through her upper quadrant for several years ahead.

Porn has become one of the greatest ‘success’ stories of the internet age with Mindgeek, the world’s largest porn company, enticing on a daily basis 115m visitors to its websites and uploading 15 terabytes of videos, about half of the content available to watch on Netflix. It has escaped to date the scrutiny and accountability directed towards Facebook, YouTube etc, though it works on the same basis as FB, with its free-to-watch sites having content uploaded by the public. This convinces commercial porn companies to advertise in the hope that some want to pay for more.

  The operators tend to keep out of the spotlight but on a quick flip through the available charts there are two striking similarities across several charts – one is the predominance of Gemini and the other is Mars Saturn.  

  Fabian Thylmann, 5 June 1978, Dusseldorf, who founded the porn conglomerate that is now Mindgeek which he sold on after being done for tax evasion, is a New Moon, Mercury in Gemini opposition Neptune and trine Pluto; with a close Mars Saturn conjunction in Leo.

  He sold the company to Feras Antoon, 29 June 1975, Damascus, Syria, who now runs various of the companies out of Montreal with a partner. He is a Cancer Sun but with a Mars in Aries opposition Uranus square Saturn.

  The other contender for the top net porn slot is XVideos, owned by the Czech-registered company WGCZ holdings, 18 August 2014, which has an unpleasant Mars Saturn conjunction in Scorpio; a Leo Sun; and a Yod of Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct Jupiter Venus.

  Pornhub, 25 May 2007 (owned by Mindgeek), is a Sun and Mercury in Gemini; with Mars in Aries; and its Mars/Saturn midpoint is at 13 Gemini.

  Gemini as a sign is sharp-witted, good at coping with complicated set-ups, often turns up in the lists of the world’s richest, and has a dark, wayward, at times amoral streak.

  Mars Saturn, Ebertin describes as harmful or destructive  energy. It has a positive side though it requires maturity and decency to get the better end of it. In raw form it is associated with cruelty, heartlessness and is damaging to the healthy sexuality.

More on Pornhub: On 4 December 2019, the New York Times published a column entitled The Children of Pornhub pointing out that “its site is infested with rape videos. It monetises child rapes, revenge pornography, spycam videos of women showering, racist and misogynist content, and footage of women being asphyxiated in plastic bags. A search for ‘girls under18″’ (no space) or ‘14yo’ leads in each case to more than 100,000 videos. Most aren’t of children being assaulted, but too many are.”

‘Appealing to the better angels of their owners to clean up their sites is just fatuous. It would be nice, in this festive season, to think that MindGeek suddenly saw the moral light. Likewise, it would be nice to see pigs fly in close formation. Fabulously profitable corporations don’t do ethics. So what changed? Simply this: on 10 December, Mastercard and Visa announced that they had prohibited the use of their cards on Pornhub. It’s the old story, in other words: money talks. MindGeek only moved when the handle of its money-pump was suddenly removed.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/19/pornhub-abuse-videos-new-york-times-mastercard-visa

Princess Charlene of Monaco, an icon of cool sophistication, has taken the extraordinary step of having a punk half-head-shaved buzz cut. It’s been put down to a new found independence and wish to please herself. Which may well be a precursor to her upping sticks and leaving what has been an unhappy stint in Monaco since she wed Prince Albert in tears in 2011. Twins followed in 2014 in what was rumoured to be part of the marriage contract after she was reportedly persuaded back, having bolted with pre-wedding nerves.

   Born 25 January 1978 12.35 pm Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, she’s a charming Sun Venus in Aquarius opposition Mars in Leo with an ‘unconventional’ Uranus in her relationship 7^th house. She’s also got a Leo Moon and Saturn in her 4^th house of home and family so she will crave a settled domestic life though it will always require effort.

  What is on cue is tr Uranus moving across her Taurus Ascendant now which is the start of a rebellious, defiant few years both in terms of appearance and also behaviour when she’ll go her own way no matter what the reaction. And, of course, the tr Saturn Jupiter move into Aquarius and crossing her Sun Venus will also be prompting thoughts of a new start. Tr Uranus is also square her Midheaven at the moment elbowing her to consider a radical change of direction. 

Through 2021 tr Uranus will oppose her Sun/Moon midpoint (= the marriage significator) with tr Saturn in square. This will put an additional strain on her marriage – with disruptions, a strong sense of separation and facing up to a few realities. But if she is going to go, and her predecessor Princess Grace stayed despite her unhappiness, it’ll be 2022 when tr Uranus square tr Saturn elbows her Moon. 2022 is also the year of her mid life crisis with tr Uranus opposing her 7^th house Uranus, so she’ll be seriously reconsidering her life options.

  The marriage always was going to be a grind with a composite unfair-treatment, one-sided composite Mars Saturn trine the Sun Mercury in the relationship chart – she had to give away a good deal of herself in return for a gilded cage. His controlling Pluto falls in her 4^th conjunct her Saturn and his wayward Uranus is opposition her Sun Venus; with his intimacy-blocking Saturn in her 8^th.  Not ideal.

The marriage chart for 1 July 2011 had a Cancer New Moon opposition a controlling Pluto square a deprived. unyielding Saturn opposition an unsettled Uranus – not a good omen for what followed.

  The relationship chart indicates 2022/23 are the low point with tr Pluto squaring the Saturn Mars for three years and tr Saturn conjunct the composite Sun – and that will be beyond tough going.

  2022 is when Prince Albert’s Sun/Moon midpoint will be under severe strain. This coming year sees the undermining tr Neptune conjunct his Pisces Sun, with his Venus in Aquarius being severely shaken up as well, not boding well for his love life. He’ll be tripping over one disaster after another from mid year and it only gets worse in 2022/23 with a devastating Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Neptune; a confusing, uncertain tr Neptune square his 7^th house Saturn; as well as a frustrating, enraging, trapped tr Pluto conjunct his financial and emotional 8^th house Mars.

   Princess Diana had tr Uranus crossing her Sagittarius Ascendant from 1986 onwards, two years after Harry’s birth, as she floated away from Prince Charles, though their split only came in the early 1990s.

Add ON: Reports suggests there is not a sympathetic connection with Princess Caroline of Monaco, Prince Albert’s older sister.  Born 23 January 1957 9.27am Monaco, she has a 12^th house Sun in Aquarius opposition Uranus – and that falls exactly on top of Charlene’s Sun Venus in Aquarius opposition Mars in Leo, so it will be a scratchy, uncompromising interface.

   Caroline’s Pluto is conjunct Charlene’s 4^th house Saturn so sister-in-the-law will be experienced as controlling and restrictive. Caroline’s Saturn is conjunct Charlene’s 8^th house Neptune which again inhibits warmth and a deep connection. In turn Charlene’s elusive Neptune is conjunct Caroline’s Midheaven, making for confusion, and perhaps a hint that Charlene’s starry aura does not sit well with Caroline.

   Their relationship chart has a chilly composite Venus square Saturn; and a disruptive composite Moon Uranus Pluto. It’s a relationship that will undergo many upheavals – starting this year and running on for the next several.   

After an annis horribilis it was a toss up whether fashion high priestess Anna Wintour’s Scorpio Sun being opposed by Uranus was going to lead to a departure or a positive change. It’s still questionable whether her elevation to two glittery new titles  – chief content officer of Condé Nast and global editorial director of Vogue – is a promotion or a space-clearing manoeuvre to allow the British Vogue editor Edward Enninful ultimately to step into gap.

   She has been a seemingly immoveable fixture on the high fashion scene for 15 years but Enninful has come in with a more youthful and diversity-focussed approach and he now takes over all of the European Vogues.

  There is no love lost between them since his Mars in Taurus opposes Wintour’s Sun and her Mars in Virgo opposes his Pisces Sun so there is a competitive edge to their interface. And their relationship chart has an argumentative composite Sun opposition Mars; but that is the driving rod of a creative Grand Trine. If they can make it work and avoid gamesmanship and ego-clashes then it could be a productive partnership.

  She looks in better fettle than him with tr Pluto conjunct her Jupiter in Capricorn from late January 2021 to late 2022 which brings success, money and soaring confidence.

  He is less blessed by his stars in the immediate future with some disappointments and frustrations ahead.

  Whether Vogue itself can survive through an economic recession and the shift away from influencer/wealth envy is moot.  The Vogue chart, 17 December 1892, looks on a downhill slide for the next three years with tr Neptune conjunct the Mars and square the Sun.  

  For Wintour’s past woes see previous post April 20 2020.