Whither the EU in 2024? – if only they knew. With the chief economic-driver Germany faltering and the other lead country France floundering, there is a sense of disarray and lack of resolution about how to tackle the economic slowdown.
Neptune abounds in various charts – square the EU Midheaven at 29 Gemini, opposition the France Virgo Sun, denting Ursula von der Leyen the commission president’s hopes. Her start chart and that of Germany’s Olaf Scholz were both Sun square Neptune administrations which is never a hopeful sign for constructive progress. Emmanuel Macron’s 2nd term likewise started on a Mars Neptune conjunction. Sea fogs, swamps and illusory, unrealistic hopes all round.
The EU chart, 31 December 1957, in addition to a confused and dithery tr Neptune square the late Gemini Midheaven, has a car-crash SA Midheaven square its Mars which is being dragged down by tr Saturn through into February 2025; with massive pressure for change being exerted by the Solar Arc Pluto conjunct the North Node in Scorpio at the moment. Scorpio Nodes are famously reluctant to allow changes to take place since they involve letting go, burning old bridges and adopting a radically new outlook in future. Which would not be an easy task for as unwieldy a body as the EU.
The ECB (central bank), 1 January 1999, has a confused/devastating tr Pluto conjunct the Neptune picking up in February 2024 and running on and off till late 2025. Plus a jolting, high-tension Solar Arc Saturn and tr Uranus square the North/South Node axis in coming months, which is a particularly sensitive point, having flagged up at the 2008 collapse.
Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, has a calamitous road ahead with disruptions, upheavals and major setbacks through the next this year and next.
The Germany 1 January 1871 chart is logjammed with tr Pluto in a frustrating, trapped trine to the Mars continuing through this year from last. With a can-be-devastating SA Pluto opposition the 7th house Neptune almost exact now and in coming months, hinting at relationship problems. And there is an uncertain, panicky tr Neptune Saturn in Aries opposition the Germany Mars and square Saturn in 2025 and 2026. Nothing that will sort quickly.
Berlin is grappling with a budget crisis after the top court ruled that the government broke the law by using Covid cash to fund net zero spending. House prices have suffered double-digit declines. Problems have been compounded by a slow transition away from cheap Russian gas, which analysts believe will continue to hold back Germany’s recovery next year. Manufacturing is weak, with lower Chinese demand.
France, 21 September 1792 3.30pm has a discouraging tr Pluto square Saturn continuing on from last year until December 2024. Tr Neptune opposes the France Sun from May 2024 on and off till January 2026 which will be disappointing and confused. With employment and other losses from tr Pluto conjunct the Jupiter/Saturn midpoint in 2024/25.
But much more crucial and to be watched for – the France revolutionary T square of Uranus opposition Pluto in Aquarius square Mars (MC) in Scorpio is being severely jolted/activated. not only by tr Uranus in Taurus rattling up all three ends of the T square from April 2024 through till April 2025. But also by the Solar Arc Sun square the France Uranus and Pluto, exact late 2024 into early 2025. All of that will be massively unsettling, disruptive and could be violent.
Emmanuel Macron is struggling badly with thoughts that he may bale or be ousted in a confidence vote before the end of his term in 2027 with unfixable immigration problems and hostility to any suggestion of public sector cutbacks. All of which might let in Marine Le Pen who looks to be on a successful roll from 2026.
The intriguing astrological question for the time ahead is Germany’s relationship with the EU which is fraying at the edges through this coming year and moving into a complete volte face in 2025/6/7 with tr Pluto opposition the composite Uranus square Mars and conjunct the Moon. It would be difficult to see Germany exiting but there will be an almighty battle to change the rules and come to a different understanding within the EU framework. France looks at odds with Germany for the next two or three years; and keen to upend certain strictures this year – but nothing like as fraught as the Germany/EU bond. Interesting times.
Chris, thanks for your input on your family history. I cannot remember which one it was on YouTube. But if you Google Basque rh negative blood origins, that might point you in the right directions. If I come across it I will let you know. I do seem to remember that rh negative blood is new with regard to human evolution. Hope you find what you are looking for.
@ Chris Romero
When people mention Spanish they really mean Castilian as this is the root of the Spanish identity. In fact the Spanish often describe Spain as all the Spains meaning the various countries that constitute Spain which involve the kingdoms of Castille, Aragon, Navarre, Catalonia where they speak Catalan, Galicia where they speak Galician and the Basque(shared with France) country where they speak Basque, an ancient language which with Hungarian and Finish hark back to a different root to the Germanic and Latin languages.
@ Virginia,
Yes, I know. This is one of the reasons why my family always referred to themselves “Andalusians” first, and “Spanish” second. At least, that was the case with my grandparents and other family members of their generation.
Speaking of Hungarian and Finnish, it’s interesting that neither of them are part of the vast Indo-European Language Family (like the Germanic and Romance Languages are). Hungarian and Finnish, right along with Estonian, Karelian, Udmurt, Seto, Mari, Mordvinic, and others are part of the Uralic Language Family.
In one of the youtube documentaries the Baeque are the originators of RH Negative blood. So they have left their impact in my family as my son is O Negative, so a universal donor.
Which must come from my husband’s side of the family as I am O Positive and I believe my mother-in-law was rhesus Negative and her family lived in Goathland for generations. It would be wonderful if we could trace the Basque origins.
@ Linda,
Interesting you should mention that about negative blood types and the Basque People.
My Father is of mixed Andalusian / Canary Islander, Converso (Crypto-Sephardi Jewish) heritage and my Mother is of mixed Orcadian Scottish (great-grandfather born in Hamilton, Bermuda to Oracdian Scottish parents) and Ashkenazi Jewish (great-grandmother born in Gomel, Belarus) heritage.
Back in 2014, I purchased 2 at-home DNA testing kits (one from 23&Me and the other from Ancestry DNA). The results from both companies revealed that I was mostly “Iberian Peninsula” “British Isles” (the Orkney Islands and Northern Scotland here highlighted) “Ashkenazi European” with small traces of “Malta” “Sardinia” “North African” (which I assume comes from my Canary Islander roots) and that I was less than 1% “Mali / Sub-Saharan Africa (which, again, I wasn’t too surprised given that genetic drift from West Africa can be found in many Canary Islanders). All in all, most of my DNA results pretty much reflected most of what I already assumed or knew about my family genetics.
However, there was one surprise (at least it was a surprise to me) it showed that I was 3% Basque ethnicity. That finding sparked my curiosity because all of the known Spaniards in my family originate from Southern Spain (Andalusia and the Canary Islands) and our family is very well documented. In fact, one of my paternal aunts hired a genealogist (which was quite costly) and they were able to trace our family tree back to the the early 17th century. It also appeared that my Andalusian Spanish family were mostly endogamous (until the mid-20th century) having married other Andalusians with some Crypto-Sephardi Jews (who had fully assimilated into Andalusian Spanish society) in the mix. We could find any documented Basque ancestors.
That being said, I do have a rarer A-Negative Blood type…but my Father is O Positive…yet my Mother (who is Scottish and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage) also has the same A-Negative Blood type as me. So, there was the RH factor with our family as well….my Mother had the Rh immunoglobulin shot….but luckily I did inherit her blood type. So, I just thought it was interesting when you said it was the Basque People who originated the RH Negative blood.
Also, studies in archaeogenetics and paleogenetics now suggest that there might be a distant genetic link between the Basques and ethnic groups of Celtic origin – such as the ethnic Bretons in Brittany / France, the Manx from Isle of Man, the Gaels in Ireland. I would love to read more about this.
By the way, do you have the names of some of the YouTube documentaries on the Basques? I would love to watch them if they’re still available.
It breaks my heart to read you say we will never rejoin. I wholeheartedly hope you are wrong (but not holding my breath). Is there anything in the chart that suggests over expansion? I wonder if the EU can be a little idealistic at time. I dont know how the EU could cope with the high levels of corruption in ukraine for example, should it accept their entry, but I love the idea of it, in principle.
Which is worse: another Trump administration or life under Marine LePen?
Under Le Pen, you’d have access to good cheese, wine and pastries, at least compared to the alternative.
Hmm, under the alternative, I’d be saddled with a dictatorship from Day 1. At least the French healthcare system still seems to work.
Choices, choices.
Thank you for your amazing knowledge and insights. I always read your articles and gain many insights from them.
I wish you a Golden 2024.
Warm regards
Margaret
(Switzerland)
The Eurozone is bound together by common currency. Too complicated to imagine unwinding it to revert to the D-mark or franc–what will happen to the Euro in the mess? I wonder if we’re heading towards a currency that has no link to national borders. So far governments aren’t getting involved in crypto, but maybe its time is coming? Is it possible to know a birth time for crypto, and its future path?
Marjorie, I should have put this in Comments and Questions, but I want to say how wonderful it is to get your insights into complicated world events. Never more appreciated than when the Israel-Gaza crisis exploded. You’re amazing.
The Euro is only the latest of many currency unions in Europe, which have broken up due to disparities in national economies. And they have broken up over time. So a Eurozone breakup, while painful, will not be unprecedented.
The only way to overcome it would be to have a European budget, with the same taxes across the whole of the EU. But most countries will not wear that.
As for past currency unions, look up the Latin Monetary Union and Scandanavian Monetary Union.
The EU Maastricht Treaty Chart 1 November 1992 has a fixed T Square with the Moon at 23 Taurus’s, Saturn at 23 Aquarius and Pluto/Mars at 24 Scorpio. It is getting upended as Uranus tracks across 23-24 Taurus three times in the next 15 months, direct in June 2024, retrograde in December 2024 and direct January to April 2025. Uranus is also going to oppose the Mars in the U.K. EU Referendum 2016 chart, square the U.K. 1801 Saturn in Leo and conjoin the England Edgar 973 Sun Mars, Mercury over that period. It is unlikely to be a smooth year for Europe wherever you happen to live.
Perhaps the Germans will simply tire of having to subsidize half of Europe.
yes…there are only so many bmws people will buy….
You’re statement makes absolutely no economic sense whatsoever.
Just how can using industrial production, labour, capital etc to gift foreigners the fruit of industrial capacity possibly benefit the gullible donor nation, when those precious and limited resources could be used to satisfy the needs of domestic German citizens?
Economics 101.
Thanks Marjorie. I can’t help but wonder whether all those Pluto influences are heralding the terrifying rise of the far right (masquerading as populism) and fascism in Europe again – witness the UK, the Netherlands and Italy to name but a few – I’m re-reading Liz Greene’s book on the Outer Planets at the moment and there are some chilling correspondences.
Interesting point.
Fascism’s last big heyday was half a Pluto cycle ago, when, Pluto was in Leo and Hitler and Mussolini were in power. Of course, by the time Pluto was half way through Leo, WWII had ended, fascism was defeated and Europe was in ruins.
Will Pluto’s return on that axis (pun not intended) herald a return to the same or to its mirror opposite?
I hadn’t made the connection about that axis Unmystic Mom! I guess I was thinking more about the outer planet cocktails of breakdown / extremism / victimhood (Pluto) Cap moving into Aquarius, innovation / lack of empathy / sudden change (Uranus) in Taurus, which I connect with climate and ecological breakdown, and false promises / glamours / lies (Neptune) Pisces moving into Aries, between the two….. and however these outer planets are connecting with the EU and constituent country charts, and individuals promoting the far right. This time the spirit of the time is also being driven by capitalism and corporations as well as power and greed…. capitalism arguably being pushed too far by the EU as well.
It’s a good question though. does it always have to lead to evil?
@ LisaV,
My paternal grandparents were both from Spain – my paternal grandfather was from Malaga, Andalusia and my paternal grandmother was from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands. They both became refugees in the late 1930s when the Spanish Civil War broke out. They first fled to the Principality of Andorra and then to Southern France before arriving in South Florida where they eventually became U.S. citizens lived under their deaths.
They had originally planned to return to Spain once Francisco Franco’s rule ended….but World War II broke out…and by the time Franco died in 1975….my grandparents had been living in the U.S. for more than 30 years by that point, they had become U.S. citizens, and much of our large extended family had already moved to other countries in Europe (like the former West Germany, France, Switzerland, and Andorra) and some settled in Latin America (I have family in Brazil and Uruguay)..so, they never moved back.
I’m wondering what the astrology looked like for Spain between the 1930s and 1970s. The country saw a rise of anarchist, communist, and socialist (which many of my Spanish family members adhered to) movements during in that 30 year time period. Also, there was a rise in ethno-nationalist movements in Spain by the 1960s when Indigenous ethnic minorities such as the Basques, Catalans, Galicians, and Canary Islanders began demanding independence – some forming terrorist organizations like ETA and MPAIAC.
The Spanish side are ethnic Andalusians and Canary Islanders…with some Crypto-Sephardi Jewish (Converso) in the mix….but as far as I know…I don’t think they ever got caught up in the ethno-nationalist self-determination movements that came about.
The Spanish side of my family are ethnic Andalusians and Canary Islanders…is what I meant to say.
How much history of Spain do you know Chris? The nationalist movements in Spain are political and cultural (in terms of language for example), not ethnic. There is no such thing as “indigenous ethnic minorities” in Spain (unless maybe you count gypsies?). The romans divided the iberian peninsula in provinces, the muslims conquered the south under a caliphate until the end of the 15th century and it wasnt until 100 years after that all the kingdoms (navarra, aragon, castilla etc) united. Even then some of these regions have kept their own laws and tax exceptions (called fueros). During the dictatorship, one of Franco’s mottos was “España, Una, Grande y Libre”. (free….ahem not quite sure about that one). The unity of Spain was an important value of the regime and as a result, they tried really hard to crash any cultural differences between the regions, such as outlawing the use of languages other than spanish. Nowadays bilingualism is encouraged and in certain regions the “minority” language is actually Spanish (Cataluña). This led to the rise of the independence movements and sadly the terrorism as well. Have a look at the recent protests in Madrid and you will see that this issue is still pretty much alive. I wasnt aware that the Canary islands had ever had an independence movement, and Andalucia has never had one (not a serious one in any case). In fact one of the main reasons the catalans seek independence is not for “ethnic” reasons, but because they find the poorer south a financial burden and want to keep their tax revenue for themselves.
@ BMC,
I know quite a bit about the history of Spain (as I said, my paternal grandparents were both from there) and it was instilled in me at a very young age.
Everything you mentioned is nothing new to me. And I disagree; ethnicity does play a broader role in Spanish society – I know of many Spaniards who don’t think of themselves as one homogeneous ethnic group or nationality as often presented. For example, if you were to talk to anyone in my family, they will tell you they’re “Andalusian” before they say they’re Spanish. My aunts, uncles, and my Father grew up speaking the Andalusian Spanish dialect as a secondary language too.
That being said, I don’t recall anyone in my family expressing a wish for Andalusian independence….but I may have a had a few family members who supported it (and I just never knew about it).
The Canary Islands did experience a short-lived self-determination movement in the 1970s. Some Canary Islanders even formed the Movimiento por la Autodeterminación e Independencia del Archipiélago Canario (MPAIAC) and the Fuerzas Armadas Guanches (which engaged in terrorist activities).
Some Canary Islanders during the 1970s expressed an interest in reconnecting their roots to the Indigenous (and now extinct) Guanche People (an Amazigh / Berber ethnic group that disappeared after the 15th century as result of either being killed off by Spaniards or extensive intermarriage and mixing with Spaniards).
The Basque People are indeed an Indigenous ethnic minority – many geneticists and anthropologists believe them to be one of the oldest ethnic groups in the Iberian Peninsula (as well as in Europe) and their language is considered a language isolate…so, it’s not even part of the Romance Language Family (like Castilian, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Occtian, French, Italian, Romanian, etc.) which dominate much of Southwestern Europe.
I would also consider the Romani People (as you mentioned….I know they prefer to call themselves Gitanos or Kalé) an Indigenous ethnic minority – they’ve resided in Spain and Portugal since at least the High Middle Ages.
Marjorie,
Can you look at the European Parliament chart in particular, given the EP elections in April-May 2024?
Looking at the EU chart and just realized that Pluto was conjunct the EU Sun around the time of the Greek crisis and the Brexit vote. Figures.
Of course that would have been true of almost every single entity that came into being at 1st January of every year too.
On a personal note, it was in the same time frame that a dearly beloved aunt, whose birthday was 1st January, also passed on.
I’d need to study natal Sun-tr Pluto in some depth now.
This is an interesting read. I’m not too surprised about Emmanuel Macron though. He has certainly made some very poor decisions lately. I think his first huge mistake was when he decided to cozy up to China, India, and Armenia.
That being said, I’d still pick Emmanuel Macron over Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella in a New York second.
Honestly, I’m disgusted by what’s happening to the nations of the Global North….but I have a sneaking suspicion White Europeans in Europe, the Russian Federations, here in the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand are so terrified of losing their privilege and power, they’re gravitating towards far-right ideologies (like fascism) out of desperation.