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France along with everywhere else is struggling with the social and economic travails of the pandemic with the financial hangover likely to cast a pall over the next few years.

 The country has an exceptionally messy time ahead with a devastating and confused tr Pluto square their Neptune in 2022/23 leading into a perfect storm of difficulties in 2023 with a financially-blocked Solar Arc Pluto conjunct the France Venus; tr Pluto in a deprived/tough-conditions square to the Saturn. In 2023/24 as well tr Uranus will shake up the rebellious, disruptive Fixed T Square of Uranus opposition Pluto square Mars in Scorpio.

  That last influence was around for the German Invasion in 1940 but also around in 1856/57 for the reign of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (1852 to 1870) the last monarch of France who modernised the French economy, rebuilt the centre of Paris, with similar projects in other cities, modernized the banking system, expanded and consolidated the railway system, and made the French merchant marine the second largest in the world. He promoted the building of the Suez Canal and established modern agriculture, which ended famines in France and made France an agricultural exporter. His social reforms included giving the right to strike. The first female students were admitted at the Sorbonne and educational opportunities for women were increased. He less helpfully over involved himself in wars overseas.  In general he did a good deal to make France more progressive.  So tr Uranus upending the Fixed T Square isn’t necessarily a disaster. Though clearly from the example of 1940 it can be.

  This time round it will be a wobbly road forward initially with a lacklustre tr Neptune opposition the Virgo Sun in 2024; though there’ll be an upbeat tr Pluto square the Jupiter at the same time.

  What is interesting are the relationship charts between France and the EU/Germany/Italy – and the UK in coming years. There’ll be tensions and outburst from this March onwards, building through 2022, with the worst of the aggravation and potential for splits coming in 2023. That’s when tr Uranus will oppose the composite Suns in the EU and Germany and UK relationship charts. Italy and France are in a state of disruption as well picking up in 2022. It won’t necessarily mean a collapse of the EU but it will be hugely disruptive with rolling upheavals, high tensions and significant differences.

  The ‘living in interesting times’ theme is going to roll on uncomfortably for a few years yet.

Add ON: The next election is April/May 2022 with Marine Le Pen, the far-right, anti-immigration, anti-EU populist, returning to the fray and polling just below Macron.

  Macron has tr Saturn moving through his lower profile, less successful First Quadrant (since December 2020) for several years ahead so not at his luckiest or most motivated. Tr Pluto will be sitting on his Ascendant for the election which comes in two parts, with a run off if there is no outright first round winner. This tends to go against the far right since the country is then faced with concerns about the national image and reverses towards the safer candidate. Macron does have tr Jupiter trine his Midheaven and tr Pluto sextile his Midheaven, both of which are supportive. But he’s also got the sudden change of tr Uranus exactly conjunct his Moon and opposition his Uranus. And Solar Arc Saturn within less than a degree to the conjunction with his Pluto, which is usually stuck.  

Le Pen has tr Saturn conjunct her Solar Arc Moon for a discouraging mood; and later in May a catastrophic tr Saturn opposition her Mars/Pluto midpoint. And thereafter she’s heading for a totally trapped and scary tr Pluto opposition her 10^th house Mars from early 2023 for two years.

  There may well be a more palatable third option nearer the time.

Congresswoman Liz Cheney, the third most senior Republican in the House, is standing by her vote to impeach Trump. And she has further suggested he be criminally investigated for provoking violence during the 6 January Capitol invasion, specifically for one tweet suggesting an attack on Mike Pence. Last week she survived an attempt to remove her from her leadership position and is defiant in the face of a vote of censure from her Wyoming Republican Party.

   She argues that the GOP will have lost its way if it doesn’t reject Trump’s brand of politics. She was one of just 10 House Republicans who joined Democrats in impeaching Trump for the charge of incitement of insurrection.

  Born 28 July 1966 in Washington, the daughter of George W Bush’s VP Dick Cheney, she practised international law, while immersing herself in state department roles. She’s reckoned a conservative and hawk on foreign policy.

  She has a Sun Mercury in Leo in a sensible trine to Saturn in late Pisces; with a passionately enthusiastic and pro-active Venus, Mars and Jupiter in Cancer trine Neptune, sextile Uranus Pluto in Virgo. A workaholic who’s willing to take risks. She’s very unlike her father – a Sun Aquarius opposition Pluto square Saturn Jupiter in Taurus – who is stubborn to the nth degree, a control freak and materialistic.

  She looks determinedly upbeat through this year and next with tr Pluto opposition her Sun/Jupiter midpoint. Though she’ll run into a few disasters from June/July onwards which will shake her self-assurance – these influences will be around on and off into early 2023. She doesn’t look on top form in 2024 with tr Neptune conjunct her Saturn. Though will bounce back to a resounding success and confidence surge around 2027/2028.

  Mario Draghi, Italy’s reluctant ‘last hope’ for a unity government to save Italy embroiled in its greatest crisis since the second world war, is edging towards getting preliminary support from two key parties. The announcement that he had been asked brought a reaction of euphoria since he is known as ‘super Mario’, saviour of the euro when head of the EU Central Bank after the crash.  He had been relaxing in semi-retirement, and according to a friend only agreed out of a sense of duty.

  The pandemic has further weakened an economy that has barely grown in real terms for two decades, weighed down by inefficient bureaucracy, poor investment and the euro. In 2020 it suffered a record post-war recession.

   He’ll find the bear pit of Rome’s rancorous politics a minefield more difficult to handle than the ECB. But many believe that no other Italian is capable of commanding the same level of respect. If he fails then yet another election will be called.

  Born 3 September 1947 in Rome, he is a charming and understated Sun, Venus and Mercury in Virgo; with the unyielding Saturn Pluto in Leo with Saturn square Jupiter in Scorpio opposition North Node in Taurus. His Moon is in Aries probably opposition Neptune and square Mars in Cancer, so not short of initiative or drive.

  When he took over the Chair of the ECB in 2011 the tr Pluto square tr Uranus was in place for a rolling series of disruptions throughout his term till 2019.

  This year he looks jangled and on edge with his Solar Arc Mars square his Uranus; and finding his life turned upside down by tr Uranus square his Pluto from June onwards and more so in 2022 with tr Uranus square his Saturn.  He has some catastrophic transits to two Mars midpoints 2022 to 2024 plus a couple of jolting and unstable Solar Arcs. If he does get it together and stay the course it’ll take all his formidable endurance to find any kind of a solution.

  Italy itself looks very stressed till almost mid decade – see previous post January 27 2021.

Gavin Newsom, sworn in as the replacement for Jerry Brown as Democratic California Governor in 2019 is in trouble. There is increasing pressure for a recall election as he faces a storm of bad news, mainly over his handling of the pandemic, but also about high taxes, homelessness, wildfires and summer blackouts. It’s not clear whether those pushing the threshold of 1.5 million signatures needed for the initial vote will be successful and even after that, it is a complicated process. In 2003 a recall election saw Arnold Schwarzenegger step in as Governor.

  Gavin Newsom, 10 October 1967 5.13 am San Francisco, has a background in a successful winery, restaurant and hotel business and has been in politics for 25 years, becoming the youngest Mayor of San Francisco along the way. He has a Sun Libra on the cusp of his financial 2^nd house opposition a self-reliant Saturn in Aries square a Capricorn Moon – hard-working, designed for a pubic career. More significantly he has the innovative and scattered Uranus Pluto in Virgo sitting on his Ascendant in a volatile and super-determined square to Mars opposition his Gemini Midheaven.  Tr Neptune is doing him no favours in 2021 as it returns to the undermining square to his Midheaven and Mars from later this month, which was around last year, bringing a panicky sense of failure. Tr Neptune is then moving to oppose his Pluto; and tr Pluto will trine his Uranus from late this month for upheavals on and off till late 2022 – all of which adds up to a pile of problems none of which he looks like overcoming for some considerable time.

  His Swearing In chart of 7 January 2019 12.07pm isn’t a total disaster but it has a road-blocked Saturn, Sun, Pluto on the Midheaven which doesn’t suggest easy progress; with Saturn square Mars which was guaranteed to bring setbacks.  And an over hopeful Jupiter square Neptune.

  He’s not as good a fit with California as Jerry Brown, who was the golden state’s longest running Governor from 2011 to 2019. Brown, 7 April 1938 12.34pm San Francisco, is an Aries Sun with Cancer Moon and a dynamic Mars Uranus in Taurus which trines the CA Virgo Sun.  Newsom’s Uranus Pluto square Mars hits the California Virgo Sun awkwardly – arguably hinting he may be a bringer of crises. His relationship chart with CA has two Yods – one Mars Saturn and the other Mars Pluto; with a more than challenging Neptune opposition Uranus Pluto square Saturn. So maybe he was always destined to lead through a time of rolling disasters – not his fault but he’s landed with the responsibility and will take the brickbats, deserved or otherwise.  

California is in an exceptionally bumpy patch of several years at the moment with tr Pluto moving in square to the Saturn/Pluto and Saturn/Uranus midpoints and then squaring Pluto Uranus in 2023/24. So whether Newsom stays or goes it’ll be a time of rolling challenges.

 Keir Starmer, the UK Opposition Leader, isn’t having a good week with murmurs surfacing that he is too cautious, a misheard accusation from Boris Johnson that he hotly denied and then had to retract; and leaks about making the Labour Party more Union-Jack friendly and patriotic. All this as the PM is revelling in unexpected popularity over the vaccine coup.

  Born 2 September 1962 (no birth time) Starmer has a talented and well-knit-together chart with a Water Grand Trine of Jupiter in Pisces trine Mars in Cancer trine Neptune, formed into a Kite by Jupiter opposition Sun Pluto in Virgo. He’s not short of confidence or drive, though may be a touch overly controlled with such an emphasised Pluto on top of a Virgo Sun. He’s also got a cool Saturn in Aquarius opposition a leadership North Node in Leo squaring onto Neptune – such a Neptune will make him elusive at times, hesitant to commit.

  Tr Saturn is square his Solar Arc Sun Pluto this month for a few setbacks; though tr Uranus is also sextile his Jupiter and conjunct his Mars/Jupiter for lucky breaks also this month. March looks crisis-ridden with a few disasters around. Late April and May will perhaps see a repeat of mis-speaks with a confused tr Neptune opposition his Mercury/Pluto and that repeats later in the year and into 2022. Not all plain sailing, but politics never is. He does have worrisome influences towards 2024/5 when the next election is due and before.

  His Leadership Term, 4 April 2020 10.45am has a directionless Neptune in the 10^th, so won’t always be great at setting out a route map. Though there’s a confident and usually successful Jupiter Pluto in the 7^th, indicating persuasive skills and selling an upbeat message.  What’s isn’t easy or helpful is a Mars Saturn conjunction in the 8^th square Uranus –  which suggests setbacks, disruptions and unexpected distractions or predicaments, which will come to a head and cause major aggravations in two years’ time when aspects close to exact.

Christopher Plummer, acclaimed for a wide range of standout stage performances as Lear and Iago amongst many others, became a household name because of his role as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music alongside Julie Andrews. He loathed the movie and the indelible imprint it made on his image describing it as like being beaten to death by a Hallmark card. He has just died aged 91 after a fall.

  His long career was marked by periods of excessive drinking and boorish behaviour but he staged a late revival in his 80s with an Oscar for Beginners and other creditable movies.

  Born 13 December 1929 in Toronto, Canada, no birth time, he had a fiery and outspoken Sagittarius Sun Mars conjunction; with Venus in Sagittarius opposition Jupiter square Neptune and Venus trine Uranus in Aries. Lively to say the least. His Moon was in heavyweight Taurus conjunct the North Node.

  When The Sound of Music premiered the tr Uranus Pluto in Virgo opposition tr Saturn in Pisces was moving to hard aspect his Sagittarius planets and his Jupiter – for highs and lows. He wasn’t the easiest mix for Julie Andrews with his Uranus falling in her 7^th house of relationship and his chilly Saturn in her 4^th. Though his Jupiter would smooth over a few rough edges. There is a slight crossover of each of their North Nodes which is probably significant for such an iconic movie – his Moon North Node in Taurus fell in Julie’s 8^th opposition her Moon; and his Pluto opposed her North Node.  

  He was married three times, the first two only lasting a few years each, and the third cleaned up his act and survived for 53 years. His third wife Elaine Taylor was a Libra like Julie Andrews – and both ladies had hard Saturn Mars aspects allowing them to put up with difficult men.

Actress, writer and producer Michaela Coel’s ‘I May Destroy You’ a semi-autobiographical TV drama series about her own experience of sexual assault got rave reviews – “universal acclaim” on Metacritic. So there were yowls of outrage when it didn’t get a nod at the Golden Globe nominations though the show has subsequently in the SAG Awards.

 Michaela Coel was born in London on 1 October 1987 to Ghanaian parents, went to university but left when she became a full-immersion Pentecostalist, then went to drama school, gave poetry readings; and in her late twenties wrote and starred in her own breakout TV vehicle Chewing Gum, a BAFTA-award winning comedy about a sex-starved immigrant kid in London’s public housing.  She moved into serious drama in the TV mini-series ‘Black Sun Rising’, playing a survivor of the Rwandan genocide fighting for justice at the international criminal court. Her performance was described as “mesmerising” and having “incandescent intensity”.

  In 2016 she had her drink spiked and was assaulted by two men which became the inspiration for ‘I May Destroy You’.  In it she is less concerned with the failures of the justice system than with ‘the psychology of the self: How do you become whole again after trauma breaks you open?’ It’s her attempt to make sense of the senseless.

  She’s a Sun Libra in a creative square to Neptune; with a highly-charged, super-intense Mercury Pluto in Scorpio; and an angry and adventurous Saturn Uranus in Sagittarius square Mars and trine Jupiter. Her charming Venus in Libra opposes Jupiter and probably squares a workaholic Capricorn Moon.

  Her midpoints indicate passionate enthusiasm, a turbo-charged communicative Mercury, creative talent and an explosive need to upset the status quo.

  When the assault took place in 2016 she was on her First Saturn Return with a disorienting square from tr Neptune; tr Pluto was around the square to her Venus, perhaps conjunct her Moon and conjunct her Solar Arc Saturn for an emotionally damaging and distressing time. With an explosive tr Uranus opposition her Solar Arc Mars.

   She’s on a confident and successful roll this year and next with tr Pluto square her Jupiter; though with some challenges and aggravation from tr Pluto trine her Mars.

   Her creative and seeking-soul 7^th Harmonic is strong as is her ‘obsessive dream’ 11H.

A force to be reckoned with.

Pic: JustJohal

Toyah Wilcox, venerable punk pop star, actress and all-round entertainer, has been one of the pandemic hits with her wild and wayout YouTube Sunday Lockdown Lunch videos with her husband Fripp, musician and founder of the rock band King Crimson – 4.3 million views.

  They’ve been together extraordinarily for 35 years given that both have exceptionally challenging temperaments and charts. The past year has been the longest stretch they have spent together. In normal years, both are touring or working away, and they lived in separate houses until 2001. Even now they exist together as two strongly independent people, not having joint bank accounts and each doing their own laundry. She reckons it works because both are passionate about their careers and don’t cling.

  She was born 18 May 1958 11.57 am Birmingham and has a self-sufficient Taurus New Moon in her 10^th house of career squaring onto Pluto, so she will be resistant to being controlled or crowded. Her childhood was difficult with medical problems galore including a twisted spine and developmental problems with her feet and hip sockets, requiring surgery and physiotherapy. She was bullied at school for her disabilities and her lisp; her father went bankrupt; and her relationship with her damaged mother was difficult. Despite her physical problems she started running away aged 12 and onwards and became famous young. She said in a recent interview: “I am deliberately, relentlessly happy because my mother deliberately, relentlessly tried to stop me being happy.”

  Her New Moon is also on the focal point of a Yod to Jupiter sextile Saturn which would set her on a unique path in life. Her Mercury in Taurus opposes Neptune and squares a 12^th house Uranus fuelling her innovative and rebellious, oddball tendencies.

  Her husband, Robert Fripp, 16 May 1946, no birth time, is also a Sun Taurus with probably a Scorpio Moon which sits on top of her New Moon square Pluto – so quite a potent and challenging combination. He has a do-or-die-determined Mars Pluto in Leo which is conjunct her Uranus; and his Uranus Venus in Gemini oppose her Saturn and square her Mars. No one could say it’s an easy combo.

  Their relationship chart has a fiery composite Sun Mars which squares onto Pluto and probably the Moon which is more than tricky, but also fairly locked together.  There’s a Pluto square Venus for a hint of passion and a Pollyanna-ish, gloss- over-the-difficulties Jupiter Neptune conjunction which may trine the composite Moon.

  Just goes to show that context can be all for relationships. A constantly separated lifestyle will soak up a good deal of the stress and strain. But still it’s amazing it has stood the test of time.

Jordan Peterson, the controversial Canadian psychology professor who became a love-hate figure for his anti-political correctness views, condemnation of academic “safe spaces” and his refusal to use transgender preferred pronouns, has a new book coming soon. At one point he was described as an “icon of white supremacy and hate speech.”

   In a publicity interview he described his recent spiral into drug addiction and suicidal thoughts, having become hooked on benzodiazepines prescribed to counter a violent reaction to a cranky diet and anxiety over his wife’s cancer. Along the way he was misdiagnosed as a schizophrenic. He then underwent a Russian treatment that put him into an induced coma for eight days to clear his system of drugs.

  Born 12 June 1962 2.49am Edmonton, Canada, he has a complicated and highly charged chart. He has a 2^nd house Gemini Sun and Mercury square Jupiter in Pisces opposition a grandstanding Pluto in the 5^th – keen on money, pushily-confident with Jupiter opposition Pluto and highly strung with a focal point Mercury.  Such a Mercury will make him scattered with a fairly disorganised mind.

   He also has a talented Air Grand Trine of Saturn in Aquarius in his 10^th trine a Libra Moon trine Mercury so is custom-built as a communicator but it adds to the pressures on his over-active mind which easily gets over-stimulated.

  Plus he has Mars in Taurus in the 12^th opposition Neptune square Saturn opposition a ‘leadership’ Leo North Node, which is stubborn to the nth degree, keen on publicity, will tend to attract angry reactions and is quite neurotic.

  His 6^th house of health holds both Neptune and his Moon so not messing around with his health will be crucial, which includes weirdo diets. His emotional state will also affect his physical health more than most.

  His Progressed Mars was conjunct his Sun around the time he was in his Russian coma and emerged unable to walk or remember; and at the same time his Progressed Mercury was conjunct his Uranus.

   Tr Neptune will square his Sun this year for a less than energetic phase with certain plans not working out; and tr Pluto is now just into his 10^th house, staying for many years, which suggests a long search for a new direction in life. Th is year tr Saturn square tr Uranus will batter his Mars and Neptune as well as Saturn this year along the way of his Second Saturn Return.

  He may have passed his moment.

Pic: Gage Skidmore.