Another crack in the right-wing conspiracy to dominate American culture comes with the escalating fallout from an expose of the religious sect Opus Dei – now sitting on Pope Leo’s desk for action. Its close association with Heritage Foundation (Project 25) Kevin Roberts and conservative activist Leonard Leo who has led the Republican mission to install the rightwing majority in the supreme court and finances groups signed on to Project 2025, make it a key element in Trump’s Administration.
Allegations in Gareth Gore’s book include using money from the Banco Popular, which subsequently collapsed, to lure unsuspecting recruits ― some of them only children ― into a life of servitude. He also discloses its role in bankrolling right-wing causes, including the US Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade; and said members of the Catholic organization are engaged in “a political project shrouded in a veil of spirituality”. “For decades now, the organization has thrown its resources at penetrating Washington’s political and legal elite – and finally seems to have succeeded through.” Until now.
The Opus Dei organisation has been described as a “Holy Mafia” and a Belgian government investigation concluded certain aspects of Opus Dei were cult-like. The Financial Times in 2024 accused Opus Dei of practices akin to modern slavery, drawing on testimony from 16 women who had been “coerced into domestic servitude … through a rigid system of psychological control”.
Opus Dei, founded on 2 October 1928, with a revolutionary Libra Sun opposition Uranus, has its Sun square its ruthless Mars/Pluto midpoint; and Neptune conjunct its Sun/Pluto midpoint tying overwhelming ambition to spirituality.
The organisation seemingly is less powerful than it once was and is heading into a major upheaval come 2027 with the Solar Arc Pluto square Uranus. This year it will be panicked, angst-ridden and losing its edge.
Kevin Roberts, 24 June 1974 Lafayette, Louisiana, wrote much of Project 25, which was supposed to be the underpinning for Trump’s Second Term – limiting abortion access and LGBTQ+ rights and dismantling the Department of Education, ending diversity programs and increasing government support for “fertility awareness” programs, like ovulation tracking and practicing periodic abstinence, instead of more reliable contraception. A Sun Saturn in Cancer he will be feeling the full uncertainty of tr Neptune (and this year tr Saturn) square his Sun Saturn running on for the next three years; plus car-crash setback from SA Saturn square his Mars now. And he runs into worse by 2029/30 with SA Pluto conjunct his Mars and SA Sun square his Mars – that will be end-of-the-line time for him on the career front.
Leonard Leo, 1 November 1965, is a Scorpio Sun trine Saturn trine Jupiter, with a ramped-up, passionately excitable and disruptive Venus Mars conjunction in Sagittarius square Uranus Pluto in Virgo. His Solar Arc Sun was in a trapped conjunction his Pluto last year and an upending conjunction to his Uranus this year as the scandal emerged; and his Solar Arc Sun will collide in a square with his Mars in 2028 for a major shock – so he’s running through turbulent waters and then some in the time ahead.
Even the founder’s chart, Josemaria Escriva, 9 January 1902, is showing the strain. He was an austere Sun Moon Saturn in Capricorn; with a revolutionary Uranus opposition Pluto in Gemini with Neptune in final degree Gemini as well. His posthumous chart is showing a devastating Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Neptune now.
Pope Leo’s chart combined with Opus Dei shows dislike and also a risky power struggle with a composite Mars Pluto conjunction which will be challenged through this year and the following two, so it looks likely that he will take action.
What is surreal is supporting Trump, a man of questionable moral probity and no previous inclination towards religious devotion, as a masthead for the Opus Dei mission – or maybe not, given what is emerging.
ADD ON: Robert Hanssen was an FBI double agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services until his arrest in 2001 – “possibly the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history.” From a Lutheran family of Norwegian descent, with a Chicago police officer father, he converted to his wife’s Catholicism. A close family with three sons and three daughters they attended Mass weekly and were very active in Opus Dei. Secretly he was a sexual deviant, filming his marital bed for others to watch without his wife’s knowledge. He died in 2023 after 21 years in jail.
Born 18 April 1944 11.31 am Chicago, Illinois, he had a 10th house Aries Sun on the midpoint of an 8th house Pisces Moon trine Saturn in Gemini. His charming 10th house Venus in Aries was in a can-be-insensitive square to a 12th house Mars in Cancer opposition an evasive Neptune in the 3rd and in a seductive trine to Pluto. His Jupiter in flashy Leo was on the cusp of his financial 2nd house and he indicated his motives for treason were financial not ideological.
His Sun/Moon midpoint, his marriage significator, was opposition slippery, uncommitted Neptune.
There is nothing overtly religious in his chart. I will never understand how these wretches square their church- going with – in this case, selling your country out for cash and betraying your wife in the most egregious fashion. Warped.
His 9th harmonic is strong – which like Madoff can accompany greed though it also has other meanings. His Wheel of Fortune 10H is also marked – high then low.
The Opus Dei’s Jupiter fell in his 10th so he would see it as helpful in boosting his reputation and status. The Opus Uranus was conjunct his Midheaven which suggests the organisation was a catalyst for change in his life – though quite how I am not savvy enough about the inner details to know. The Opus Sun was conjunct his IC so a hugely supportive force in his life, even if it did conflict with his hidden 12th house Mars.
A rancid affair all round and association.
Right-wing Christian nationalism has been at the forefront of the war in Iran, (conveniently Muslim) with Sec of Defense/War Hegseth basically comparing it to a modern Crusade (without so many words… & so many different rationales for the war…). He is hardly alone, with billionaire Thiel recently practically lecturing the Pope about the AntiChrist.
As with Trump, it’s hard to see any of these figures as being remotely religious or Christian, but hypocrisy in MAGA world is a given. I’d preferred oil for the Venezuelan coup, at least that was true.
It is thus terrifying to see the political manipulations – tho also a reflection of the total lack of direction that God must be invoked, as well as to justify the US lives to be lost should they escalate;
It got me wondering about past Crusades: were they also primarily political, not religious? often to send potential noble-born adversaries off to foreign lands, unless the King himself led them? At least the powerful didn’t just stay home watching TV or playing golf while their minions risked their lives…
To balance the picture Pope Leo has spoken repeatedly on the need of the belligerents to walk in the path of peace; in fact there is a video of the pope’s prayer on the Youtube. In addition, Cardinal Burke, hardly a fan of Pope Leos brand of Catholicism has come out against American evangelicals, pointing out that we are all sinners before God and in constant need of his forgiveness through Jesus – hardly an endorsement of Christian nationalism.
The Crusades were intended primarily to recover the ‘Holy Lands’ i.e the birthplace of Jesus from the Muslims. The cheerleaders might care to reflect that the West/Vatican/Christians lost most of them
You are quite right. In fact it is only one of many ills visited by popes and bishops over the centuries. However, you overlook John Paul’s mea culpa or 12/3/2000, which is far more important for me
On May 4th, 2001 John Paul II offered a ‘mea culpa’ for the 4th crusade and the sacking of Constantinople in a speech in Athens to the Orthodox Primate of Greece. In fact Pope Innocent III initially condemned the atrocities, excommunicating the perpetrators but later relented when realized that the new Latin Empire established in Constantinople could be used to benefit the papacy by uniting the Eastern and Western churches.
Considerable debt to the Venetian authorities who funded the campaign was owed and to recover the money, Venice impelled the crusaders to attack the Christian city of Zara (Zadar) to clear the debt and later in April 1204, Constantinople was also sacked.
But the astrology of the 4th Crusade is interesting. The sack of Constantinople in April of 1204 for example sees a Uranus/Pluto conjunction in early Leo with Uranus 7 and Pluto 1 of Leo square a newly ingressed Saturn at 0 Taurus conjunction NN at 5 Taurus. Perhaps echos of the coming Saturn in Taurus and Pluto in Aquarius of 2028. Then there is the line-up in Pisces of Mars, Neptune and Jupiter in the last decan of the sign in April 1204.
We saw the rise of fanatical beliefs during our experience of Neptune in Pisces in our own times. We would do well to remember that Neptune is a violent sea god and is immune to reason and restraint.
Definitely political, as well as religious (2 sides of the same thing).
Highly recommended online is:
The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land by Thomas Asbridge
But likely more pertinent to themes today, is:
Mysteries of the Middle Ages: And the Beginning of the Modern World by Thomas Cahill
As for echos of the coming Saturn in Taurus and Pluto in Aquarius of 2028, imo those planets in those signs set us up for financial woes. Saturn (age, resistance to change, even immobility or a trap) in Taurus (fixed sign, money) vs, Pluto (ruthless power) in Aquarius (another fixed sign, community, ruled by Uranus the planet of innovation and upheaval). The old vs the new, tradition vs AI, etc. etc. Won’t be boring.
Perhaps debt-related too, since we are currently seeing a debt crisis bubbling away here in 2026. I find that all the fixed signs, not just Scorpio and Taurus are ‘financial’ in a sense but that Leo/Aquarius relate to financial speculation and especially with Aquarius, risk-taking.
Yes, VF, that’s precisely the worry. All of it coming together in stubborn fixed signs, with self-dealing, speculation and reckless risk taking. What could go wrong? Although, timing it is impossible. So we wait and worry.
And speaking of Neptune, which we weren’t but it rules oil, I looked up the date of the first burst of oil from a drilled well. The first well was drilled by order of Edwin L. Drake, who was backed by a couple of New York speculators. On Saturday afternoon, August 27, 1859, near a remote logging town called Titusville in northern Pennsylvania, south east from Cleveland and below the shores of Lake Erie, the first gusher burst out of the ground. It didn’t look like much compared to the gushers that followed all over the world, but mankind has worshipped the god of oil ever since.
The Middle East is far from a ‘holy’ land and Opus Dei has a lot of competition as to influencing hearts, minds and wallets. Oil is the big deal.
At the first gusher, (noon chart) there were 4 planets in Leo: Moon (conjunct MC at noon, and inconjunct Neptune in Pisces, in its own sign), and Venus, Mars, Saturn, plus the South Node. Pluto was in Taurus, trine the Moon and the Sun in Virgo. Mercury Rx was closely conjunct the Sun. Uranus in Gemini was trine the Moon, Sun and Mercury.
Everybody but Jupiter was in the game, and as is the case today, Jupiter was in Cancer, in the 8th house of other people’s money (bankers etc.). In 1859 Jupiter was at 17 Cancer 04′; today it is at 15 degrees Cancer. I know it’s ‘only’ a transit, but the conjunction between the natal and transiting Jupiter at 17 degrees will be on April 16 through 24th (exact April 16).
I won’t go further into the progressed and transit charts, but suffice it to say, there are many contacts. Any chance, Marjorie, you could take a look at this too, considering the importance of oil in the news?
Thank you, SG. Interesting regarding the astrology of oil. Now that we have completed a full circle of Neptune in Pisces, I have read that fossil fuels are expected to reach a peak during this current period, but it’s estimated that they will begin to plateau and then decline around 2030, driven by climate change and geopolitical shifts.
As for speculation and opportunism arising from fluctuating prices, from today’s BBC online:
‘Traders bet hundreds of millions of dollars on oil contracts just minutes before US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the US would postpone strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure.
‘Market data reviewed by the BBC shows the volume of trade spiked around fifteen minutes before a social media post by the president announcing the move.
‘The price of oil fell sharply after the announcement, dropping 14% in a matter of minutes. Traders who bet on the unexpected move would have made money.
‘Some market analysts say the unusual activity opens up the possibility that the bets may have been placed with prior knowledge of the decision.’
Robert Hanssen, the American FBI double-agent who was also spying for Russia, was famously a member of Opus Dei. He and his family were deeply devout all while he sold American secrets on and off for 20+ yrs until he was finally caught and spent the rest of his life in solitary confinement to avoid the death penalty. He was also absolutely deviant when it came to his sex life, SMH. Anyway, would love to see a comparison of his chart against all this Opus Dei analysis….
Ava, interesting point about the double-agent aspect. Perhaps it connects the themes of spying, religion, oil, etc.? As to your point about Opus Dei and selling secrets, the father of Kim Philby of UK/Soviet spying fame, Jack (Harry St. John) Philby, was instrumental in starting up the oil fields in Saudi Arabia with King Ibn Saud. I read about this in a great, thick book about the oil industry, The Prize, by Daniel Yergin. Excellent book and a surprisingly easy read considering it is over 800 pages long.
Speaking of enslaving (female) servants–the somewhat sub rosa aspect of Project 2025 that is now coming to light is the plan to roll back women’s rights globally in order to “strengthen” the traditional family, in which father knows best and mother is chattel (or in the best case, I suppose, a sort of cherished pet used for breeding purposes–ick).
By denying women hard-won rights–e.g., access to credit, access to educational and economic opportunity, entry into certain lucrative and prestigious professions, even the right to vote–these men think to force a return to an alleged golden age of societal stability and population growth (since, with no other outlets, and denied contraception unless approved by hubby, women will be forced to have more children). It’s like they used “The Handmaid’s Tale” as a roadmap.
If all this astrological upheaval results in the toppling of Opus Dei, Leonard Leo, the Heritage Foundation, and the zealots behind Project 2025, it will have been worth it.