not categorised

Susan Brownmiller, whose influential 1975 book “Against Our Will,” became a key pillar of the feminist movement and transformed the social and legal understanding of rape as a tool of violence and power, has died. In its wake, rape crisis centers were opened throughout the country, courtroom rules of evidence were changed to reduce the hurdles in prosecuting rapists, and laws were drawn up to allow rape to be charged as a crime in marriage.

 The author who said she had never been raped herself, spent four years researching “Against Our Will,” which examined the historical context of rape from ancient Troy to Vietnam and an early 1970s war in which Pakistani soldiers raped hundreds of thousands of women in neighboring Bangladesh.

She argued that rape should not be seen solely as a sexual act but as an exercise of power and intimidation whose ultimate effect was to keep women subservient. ‘Nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear.’

 Her book attracted a great deal of criticism — with accusations she colluded with racism; and those against feminism have dismissed it ‘as essentialist (seeing men as having an inbuilt urge to subjugate women), universalist (making sweeping generalisations across cultures and histories) and reductionist (reducing women’s subordination to a single cause).’

  She was among the first feminists to raise the issue of the sexual abuse of children. At the time she was writing, there were no national statistics on this crime in the USA.

  She was born 15 February 1935, New York, no birth time, and said it was her childhood lessons in Jewish history about the pogroms and Holocaust which drove her later activism.

 Her chart is starkly powerful, hinting at a personality driven by rage and fear – rebellious, influential and keen to make a difference, with an innate understanding of the darker side of life. Her Aquarius Sun Mercury (and Saturn in Pisces) were in an assertive and communicative trine to Mars in Libra; with her Mars in an uncompromising opposition to Uranus square Pluto (Moon) in Cancer. Pluto on the focal point of a Cardinal T square does bestow penetrating insight and ideas that are ‘before their time’ and tending to arouse strong resistance. Though as it turns out her work kickstarted vital reforms. Her ‘activist’ North Node in Aquarius would also help motivate her.

  A creative though not always realistic Water Grand Trine of Jupiter in Scorpio in a confident trine to Pluto trine a sympathetic Venus in Pisces, formed into a Kite by Venus opposition Neptune would give her high ideals.

 Ceres, the star associated with Demeter, is close to her Pluto, which may also be relevant – since in mythology Demeter raised hell when her virginal daughter Persephone was carried off to the underworld by Pluto, who (depending on the version) either raped Persephone or separated her from childhood and brought her to maturity.

 When Against Our Will was published her Solar Arc Neptune, the driving planet of her Grand Trine/Kite was exactly conjunct her natal Mars – bringing together the two major configurations in her chart for the ground-breaking moment of her life.

She would start researching her book as Pluto moved into Libra in 1971 (until 1983) which was a time that the divorce rate jumped along with changing expectations of marriage, more independence for women, with USA Equal Rights Legislation and the first domestic violence shelters opening.

Jane Fonda looking magnificent on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival says “I don’t feel like an old person. I’m much younger than I was when I was in my 20s, in all the ways that matter’. She still works out with a trainer every day to keep trim.

  She was born 21 December 1937 9.14 am New York the daughter of actor Henry Fonda and a socialite mother who committed suicide when she was 12. Her father gave her a sense she had to be perfect and she contracted bulimia which continued well into her forties. Recently she said she always felt she had to seek the validation of men in order to prove that she had value and as a consequence, she attached herself to “alpha males”, some of whom reinforced her feelings of inadequacy, despite her professional success. She was married to French film director Roger Vadim who turned her into an almost soft-porn star; author/activist Ted Hayden who was dismissive of her talents and billionaire Ted Turner was diagnosed bi polar.

  Now she says she’s given up on close relationships, having owned up to being frightened of emotional intimacy, though scared of nothing else, having been shot at and been close to bombs.  

  She’s had an extraordinary life moving form a seemingly  shallow, surgically enhanced mannequin to a reviled anti-Vietnam activist who betrayed her country as Hanoi Jane. Two Oscars came her way (Klute and Coming Home) and her fitness videos remain popular which she started to raise money for her left-wing second husband Tom Hayden’s activist cause.

  She has a Sun Sagittarius on the focal point of a Mutable T square to Saturn in regretful Pisces in a creative opposition to a film-star 8^th house Neptune. Her Sun is also sextile Mars in determined Aquarius and inconjunct Pluto on her Descendant, which latter would attract her to controlling and intense partners. She’d also be dependent at points in her life with a 7^th house Leo Moon.  Her Venus in Sagittarius square Neptune would not help to anchor her in committed relationships.

  Her 3^rd house activist Uranus is unaspected which can indicate too much or too little reforming zeal – or more likely spurts of high-octane activity and fallow periods in between. She also has an enthusiastic Jupiter on her Ascendant in a pushily-confident opposition to Pluto. 

Her Mars in determined Aquarius is sextile her Sun. widely opposition her Moon and inconjunct her Pluto – so she’s not short of courage.

   Her relationship charts with both her parents have composite Mars Pluto hard aspects suggesting a one-sided relationship, requiring submission from her as a child.  

 Jupiter moving through her 5^th at the moment will put her in the spotlight though tr Neptune square her Sun may reduce her vitality somewhat into early 2026. And tr Uranus square her Mars this June and on and off into 2026 may knock some of her plans off track.

Saturn is on the move today out of a conflicted two years in Pisces where its practical, dutiful, rigid approach threatened to get submerged in oceanic, boundary-less, irrational Pisces.  At best it could have given shape to Pisces’s dreams of the ideal of a better society, with help for the underdog and the suffering. At worst it produced obsessive worry and paranoia as thinking functions were undermined.

 Saturn in Aries for the next two years will have its own mood music – see previous post May 6 2025 – and it also has an effect on individual charts depending on which chart quadrant it moves through.

The 29 year Saturn career and development cycle which splits the chart into four quadrants of approximately seven years gives lays out a pattern for the stages of life.

UPPER QUADRANT: The peak in terms of career and outer ambition is transiting Saturn moving through the upper quadrant (10^th to 12^th houses) which is a time of hard work and consolidation of the preparations of the 21 years before.  Where the groundwork has been laid, then respect and recognition as well as heavier responsibilities come through this phase.

FIRST QUADRANT:    When Saturn moves below the Ascendant into the first quadrant (1^st to 3^rd houses) old ambitions become less important, motivation and energy sag and there is need for a re-evaluation. This the psyche’s hint to wind down and step back for a rethink and a chance to re-balance your life with time for play and emotional matters as well as work. It is also crucially a time to go on an inward journey to investigate what unused inner potential needs to be explored and activated to give focus and meaning to the next long stage of life.

 During this time, usually at the start of Saturn through the 2^nd house, old unresolved psychological issues surface to be faced and fixed. Money nay be shorter than before because of sagging ambition or less success at work which will prompt a financial reorganisation and perhaps instil a sense that money is not the be-all and end-all.  When Saturn moves into the 3^rd, the preparation starts for the step up in terms of career visibility coming when Saturn moves across the IC (base of the chart) into the 4^th.

   Hyper-ambitious ego-maniacs find Saturn through the first quadrant tricky to handle since they live totally for outer achievement and approbation. So they keep pushing on as before and start making mistakes as their psyche short circuits their actions and they find success doesn’t come as easily as it had done in the previous 7 years, no matter how hard they push.

SECOND QUADRANT: With Saturn moving into the 2^nd quadrant (4th to 6th houses) across the nadir/IC at the base of the chart there is a step up in terms of visibility in career and outer activities. There will also be an urge to reorganise at home to create a solid base of operations for the future which may involve moving house or renovating as well as sorting out family tensions. The 2^nd Quadrant Saturn isn’t necessarily a spectacular success but it is a vital stage of laying foundations for the future. Saturn through the 6^th usually means extra hard work with less appreciation than seems fair but rewards come in later years.

THIRD QUADRANT: Saturn through the 3^rd Quadrant (7^th to 9^th house) is rising upwards in terms of outer career and community activities, which requires sorting out and strengthening close relationships or abandoning those that don’t work. Then a hard lesson through the 8^th of developing resilience and resourcefulness where money and emotional support are concerned. Saturn through the 9^th – rethinking beliefs and attitudes, testing out ideas, being intellectually challenged.  

SATURN RETURNS:

 The other Saturn cycle to its natal position – of the First Return at 29 and Second Return at 58 and Third at 87 – are staging posts. The First Return at 29 is grow-up-and-get-real-time, the first maturing transit. The Second is about being realistic and planning for the next third of life to come. Those with strongly Saturnine charts tend to find life goes in reverse – they are serious children, mellow through their middle years and become youthful geriatrics.   

SATURN’S DOMINION

  Saturn is about structure in earthly terms. It plans, prepares, thinks long term to a feasible goal, gets foundations laid, builds slowly and securely so its achievements stand the test of time. The end result is not aesthetic, since it isn’t concerned with cosmetic fripperies, but it is enduring.

  Ruling Capricorn, it has the same steady ambition, which is willing to forego instant gratification for long term goals. Like the symbolic mountain goat, it starts in the foothills and works its way up to the peak, along a winding path if necessary. 

 Saturn restricts, so oversees limits and boundaries which may not feel like fun but are essential, psychologically as well as practically, in life. Neptune dissolves boundaries, Pluto invades across them to grab all the territory, Uranus blows them up, but Saturn stands firm for order, delineation, marked borders. In action, it is like a gardener who prunes plants back, lopping off overgrown branches, to stimulate fresh growth and produce a more manageable shape.

Saturn is concerned with material security and can be less than generous and open-hearted.  In close relationships, it can be cold, putting up a defensive wall against any encroachment and is better at ‘doing’ than ‘being’.

  The myth of Saturn eating his children depicted in a horrific Goya painting is apt, since it ties into his obsessions with time and mortality. Saturn was scared of being overthrown by his sons so he ate them at birth. Deep down he knows he is going to die and his children represent a future that he can never possess, since his is limited by his mortal span. He both loves and loathes the boundaries of his life, so he tries to over-ride them and stop time.

  The mythological Saturn shows his other face at the autumn festivals of the harvest, when the agricultural bounty of the year is brought in and drunken celebrations ensue after the hard work was done. Earthly delights are also his preserve and his reign was seen as one of peace and plenty. He is associated with the flow of the seasons, especially winter when everything dies back to be reborn in spring.

  Saturnine Capricorn as a sign is unfairly dubbed as the cold, materialistic workaholic, but in fact has a creative and indulgent side.  The old Capricorn symbol was half goat half fish. He operates in two realms – in the watery realm of ideas and visions and then makes them real on dry land. He is the stander on the threshold between the unconscious and the conscious; just as Capricorn stands on the cusp of the year that has past and the year that is about to come. He both mourns and celebrates.

Saturn is a more complex creature than he is given credit for.

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 Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” – a sweeping multi-trillion dollar tax breaks package – shortened to Triple B by his advisers, has evoked wry smiles from economists. They point out that “Triple B” is the tag that credit ratings groups use to designate the lower threshold of investment grade assets, before they become “junk”, with rising default risk. 

The FT commented that the “BBB” tag could soon look decidedly unfunny. “The only silver lining in this sordid saga is that if anything can curb Trump’s wilder instincts, it is probably those rising bond yields.”

The bill as it stands still has to get through the Senate with a few Republicans becoming increasingly uneasy about rising debt levels especially as Moody’s has just stripped away America’s AAA rating.

 Democrats fiercely opposed the bill and warned that the cuts could have dire consequences for millions of lower-income Americans.

 The Congress vote at 6.30am 22 May is not too revealing – though it does connect by aspect the celestial shifts with a trapped 9^th house Pluto trine a hidden 12^th house Gemini Sun conjunct Uranus sextile Neptune in Aries and Saturn in final degree Pisces.

  I am beyond sick and tired of Trump’s pinball politics (sorry Americans) but what intrigues me at this moment is the Inauguration chart. Most obviously it has a control-freak, bullying Sun Pluto conjunction opposition Mars. But it is another aspect which I cannot quite quantify. The Mars opposition Mercury (= running arguments) squares onto a 6^th house Libra Moon conjunct the Black Moon opposition Chiron. The Progressed Moon will conjunct the BML and square Mars exactly late this July so whatever that 6^th house Moon represents will come sharply into focus.

  In mundane astrology, the 6th house rules public administration, the health service, the armed forces, civil service workers, the workers, the management of food.  

  The Moon refers to the masses – i.e. the electorate rather than the ruling classes; with some reference to women’s issues as well.

 The only two past presidents, whose Inauguration times I could tie down with a 6^th house Moon were Abraham Lincoln in 1861 and Franklin Roosevelt in 1941. The second during World War 11 had a Scorpio Moon on the focal point of a Fixed T square as war time loomed. Not exactly the same but similar. The first for Abe Lincoln had a 6th house Sagittarius Moon.

 In general terms a focal point Cardinal Moon, as this year has, suggests a hair-trigger emotionality and a tendency to take offence. Which makes sense of the present climate in the White House. The Moon opposition Chiron hints at emotional wounding which could/should evoke sympathy for the have-nots but does not seem to remotely. Maybe the Black Moon casts a malevolent shadow.

  Anyway I am puzzled by that Moon so any Mundane experts do pitch in.

BUT do NOT pitch in with stray partisan thoughts, likes and dislikes. CONSIDER whether your contribution can add insight to the debate before posting.

  The phenomenon that is Tom Cruise has launched “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”, the 8^th in the successful series that has run since 1996.

  As Ethan Hunt he races to save the world from an evil AI Entity, an evil AI that has taken control of every nuclear missile on the planet. So much, so familiar with standard blockbuster content. What is different is that Cruise, a good actor despite his odd beliefs and fractured family life, even at 63 still does all his own stunts.

 His stunt coordinator says: ‘He has no fear’ as he jumps out of planes, motorbikes off the edge of cliffs and hangs onto helicopter struts. The training for this movie involved a year’s motocross and skydiving, with more than 500 skydives and 13,000 motocross jumps.

Born 3 July 1962 at 3.06pm (unverified) Syracuse, New York, he has a Cancer Sun and Leo Moon. But what stands out from his chart is his super-confident Jupiter Chiron opposition Pluto which is the driving rod of his chart channeling the creative energy of his Water Grand Trine of Sun, Jupiter, Neptune. Plus a risk-taking Mars in Taurus square Uranus which will draw him towards reckless and dangerous pursuits. He thrives on excitement, thrills and danger and will be drawn towards extreme sports.

 Jupiter Chiron also has induces super-optimism and has a protective capacity as well as a tendency towards messianic beliefs.

  His emphasized Neptune will also probably help – trine Sun, sextile Pluto, square Saturn and trine Jupiter Chiron – since it will give him self-belief, however self-deluded, though it has clearly worked so far, barring a few minor accidents.

  He also has a yod onto a 4^th house Saturn inconjunct Pluto sextile Sun which does require maturity and self-control to work well – which could, birth time being accurate, be connected to him not having seen his daughter Suri Cruise reputedly for many years.

 This year he does look rattled with tr Uranus square his Uranus and conjunct his Mars and that runs on and off into early 2026. And maybe tr Pluto opposing his Moon this year.  2026 could be accident prone or stressful with his Mars/Saturn midpoint catching the tr Neptune Saturn square.

Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård is in Cannes to promote Pillion adapted from Adam Mars-Jones’ novel Box Hill in which he plays an unlikely lover with Harry Melling. The story revolves round a shy traffic enforcement officer falling for the ultimate dominant alpha male – ‘an impossibly handsome, strong, emotionally impassive biker who demands complete domestic obedience.’

   Alexander Skarsgård born 25 August 1976 4.47am Stockholm, is the son of an actor, started young in film and after a diversion into the navy had his first major role in the US comedy film Zoolander, with notable performances later in True Blood, Big Little Lies and Succession.

  He has a Virgo Sun on his Ascendant square Jupiter in Gemini in his career 10^th with his Sun also sextile Uranus in his communicative 3^rd house. His lucky, successful Jupiter is in a high vitality trine to Mars (Pluto) in Libra in his 2^nd house. As an Ambassador for the US team for a Walking With The Wounded fundraising event, he trekked to the South Pole with Prince Harry and Dominic West in 2013.

Virgo males can give off a potent sexuality more so than the female of the species.

  He has a 12th house Leo Moon conjunct his Sun; and a 12^th house Saturn in Leo trine Neptune and in a can-be-autocratic square to Uranus.

 His actor’s 15^th harmonic chart is well aspected so he is custom built for a thespian career.

  With transiting Saturn rising above his Descendant he should have many years of success ahead.

Scott Adams, the cartoonist, creator of the highly popular Dilbert, which satirized office culture,  has announced he has a similar prostate cancer to Joe Biden that has spread to his bones.

His thesis was that “leadership is nature’s way of removing morons from the productive flow”. ‘By the Dilbert principle, employees who were never competent are promoted to management to limit the damage they can do.’

  In recent years, Adams has come under fire for espousing far-right views and conspiracy theories on social media and was dropped by newspapers who carried his work.

 Born 8 June 1957 2.30am New York, he has a Gemini Sun in his communicative 3^rd house opposition an 8^th house Saturn. His creative, attention-seeking and influential 5^th house Pluto is in a dogmatic square to Mercury in Taurus. His Mercury is also trine Jupiter in Virgo in his hard-working 6^th house, sextile heated Mars in Cancer in his emotional 4^th house.

  A charming 3^rd house Venus in Cancer is trine Neptune and a Libra Moon in his 7^th, sextile Pluto. A 5^th house Uranus is also square his Moon Neptune. Certainly talented, with a drive to communicate his often intransigent opinions and emotionally complicated – lacking commitment, demanding and argumentative at home.

 His creative 5^th Harmonic is well aspected and noteworthy; as is his leaving-a-legacy 17H and his global influencer 22H.

  He’s had a series of health problems over recent years with his eyesight and vocal chords.

Tr Pluto started to square his Moon in 2021, moving on to square his Neptune in 2024/25. He said he was diagnosed with cancer some time ago which might fit with those influences.  And his Progressed Moon has been moving through his 12^th house since 2022 which can be an inward looking time of endings (though not necessarily as dramatic or difficult as this).

  An interesting man.

Bill Belichick, regarded as one of the greatest American football head coaches has the gossip columns entranced with his May-December romance with Jordon Hudson, a former cheerleader and beauty queen. He is 73 and she is 24 and they have been dating for almost two years. What intrigues onlookers is that she seems to be the one with her hands on the reins of control.

 He was born 16 April 1952 3pm Nashville, Tennessee, and has an intense and lucky 8^th house Sun Jupiter in Aries opposition Neptune square a Capricorn Moon in his 5^th house of sporting affairs (and romance). His determined and outspoken Mars in Scorpio in his communicative 3^rd squares a 12^th house Pluto so he won’t be a walkover.

  His 10^th house Uranus is on the focal point of a Cardinal T square to a Saturn opposition Venus Mercury in Aries; and trines Mars. He’ll be independent-minded where career matters are concerned, at times autocratic and will speak his mind.

 Jordan Hudson’s birth date is not absolutely verified but seems to be 5^th March 2001 in Maine. That would make sense since her Pisces Sun falls on his Descendant which is ideal for a partnership. Though her Mars Pluto in Sagittarius which is in square falls on his IC – which would explain her reputation for being controlling. Her Venus in Aries falls in his 8^th for a deep, passionate connection.

 The relationship chart has a steady composite Sun trine Venus; a passionate and romantic Venus opposition trine Neptune; a teeth-gritting Mars trine Saturn; a high-tension composite Uranus square Saturn; and a power-couple/power struggling Pluto inconjunct Jupiter. It will be fairly tossed around through till late this year and sagging somewhat by 2027. But who knows?  Neither of them will let go easily.

Actor and director Denzel Washington in Cannes to collect a Palme D’Or  reacted angrily to an over-eager paparazzi on the red carpet, catching unwanted headlines. Normally regarded as steady and self-controlled, he’s had an award-strewn career and a long marriage. Recently he’s been best known for The Equalizer trilogy (2014–2023) and Gladiator II (2024) but what brought him to prominence .were his evocative roles in Cry Freedom (1987) and Malcolm X (1992). The New York Times named him the greatest actor of the 21st century in 2020.

 He was born 28 December 1954 12.09 am Mount Vernon, New York, and was sent to military school after his parents divorced which he says saved him from a criminal life on the streets.

  He has a quick-witted and articulate 3^rd house Capricorn Sun and Mercury; with an Aquarius Moon in his performing 5^th house. His 10^th house of career has a lucky, confident risk-taking Jupiter Uranus conjunction in Cancer in a creative though can-be-stubborn square Neptune in Libra in his 1st. He has a wide-ish creative Water Grand Trine of Mars in Pisces in his hard working 6^th house trine Uranus Jupiter trine Venus Saturn in Scorpio in his financial 2^nd house. His Venus Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto.

   He has endurance as well as initiative though Mars in Pisces is his only Mutable sign. Which may be relevant to his uncharacteristic outburst since his Solar Arc Sun is exactly conjunct his Mars at the moment putting it under pressure. His Progressed Mars has also just moved into his intense 8^th house.

  He is a different personality to Malcom X but their charts do mesh. Denzel’s Sun and North Node sit on Malcolm X’s Ascendant and Denzel’s Neptune on Malcolm X’s Midheaven  – so he captured the image, appearance and ambitions of Malcolm X.

  Malcolm X’s frustrated and angry Mars Pluto sat on Denzel’s Midheaven so he would tune into the underlying rage which drove the activist.