Why was Tony Blair so hell bent on backing GWB no matter what and launching the Iraq war with no legal or international sanction? For all his socialist credentials and faux charm, he was fond of wielding the military as a weapon of foreign policy. His Labour Government from 1997 was one of the most warlike of modern world governments, with five military interventions during his time.
There are several factors in his chart – one is a focal point Uranus which believes in direct action to upset the status quo, added onto a Saturn Neptune which is fervent about creating a better world, with Neptune in a fanatical square to Uranus, which is prone to misjudgements – rationality flies out of the window. Plus an ego-centric and hugely stubborn focal point Taurus Sun. And all of that is channelled through what is probably the key in his chart which is the ‘holy warrior’ Mars Jupiter on his Ascendant.
Mars is assertive and Jupiter wraps up the Martian aggression in high ideals, which are often a cosmetic to provide a justification for acting out raw anger. Interestingly Mars Jupiter is also a financial adventurer.
Where you find individuals clinging onto clearly irrational ideas, you also often find Uranus Neptune around – and his Mars does aspect his Uranus/Neptune midpoint.
His Mars/Jupiter midpoint is also conjunct the fixed star Mirfak in the constellation of Perseus, the warrior, ‘Mirfak is a star of great energy and fearlessness. It can make you dive into action without considering your options and thus it may make you rash or unwise. Here is an influence that will encourage you to take on anything new and exciting, however you may overestimate your limits or abilities.’
His relationship chart with the USA 1776 also has a composite Sun Jupiter Mars Mercury conjunction and a very Airy chart, so communication with the USA stoked his fervour and the US loved his articulacy.
TB’s Harmonics are interesting. His get-it-together 5th Harmonic is immensely strong. This can suggest a resourceful personality but also points to an ability/need to impose his vision on the world around him. He not only creates himself, he wishes through sheer will power to mould others into a creation of his own design.
All of his strong Harmonics have Mars aspected, especially his can-be-manic 7H; his self-destruct 10H; his actor’s 15H; and leadership 22H. The 10th Harmonic – stands for prosperity and abundance, it also contains the seed of both rise and fall, of the good and the bad.
His 5H and 10H also have the fanatical Uranus Neptune; and his 22H has the megalomaniac Neptune Pluto.
Other odd thoughts. His North Node in Aquarius (= passion for a cause) is exactly opposite the USA 1776 Leo Node. So 9/11, when tr Neptune was opposition the USA Leo Node causing them to feel their leadership status was being undermined, it was also conjunct his Aquarius Node, so firing up his saving-the-world vision.
When the Iraq War was launched the tr North Node was conjunct his Mars/Jupiter midpoint, and his Solar Arc Uranus was square his Mars/Jupiter. Plus in the run up, tr Uranus was square his Jupiter and tr Neptune conjunct his 10th house Moon. So you get this repeating theme of his adventuring, gung-ho Mars Jupiter – which in the spirit of any gambler, always harbours a crazy optimism for any reckless leap. Plus a messianic Neptune.
He is undoubtedly an interesting man but the mix of a gigantic ego (I’m never wrong) and extraordinary obstinacy, coupled with a mission to put himself centre stage in his true-humanitarian frock was always going to come unstuck at some point.
The ancient Greeks called it hubris – foolish pride and over-confidence that leads to a downfall. It often involves ‘a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one’s own competence, accomplishments or capabilities. Contrary to common expectations, hubris is not necessarily associated with high self-esteem but with highly fluctuating or variable self-esteem, and a gap between inflated self-perception and a more modest reality.’ That is an interesting thought since it explains why he can never admit to being wrong – it would completely crush him.
Roman commanders used to have s slave who stayed at their side murmuring ‘Memento homo’ – remember you are only a man, to remind the overlord not to lose a sense of proportion. Since Blair increasingly thought his main conversation should be with God who’d give him the right answers, he fell into what the Jungians call identifying with the archetype, which way leads to madness.
To Alex who asked the horary question – I’m not well up in what is a specialist astrological technique. But on the time you gave (5.26am London, 9 July 2016) there is a Yod from a Mars sextile Jupiter onto a 10th house Uranus – so a fated set of events from the Yod, that changed the course of (many) lives and certainly TB’s career, stemming from an adventurous/reckless decision.
Well put Marjorie
I think Pluto is a key, as the cui bono question is answered by, yes, his own overblown, Munchausen Strangelove ego gratification as a massive influence but in an equally sinister way I think the Plutocrats and military industrial complex certainly benefited to a huge extent and the re-ordering of the ME helped get rid of Israel haters,and more. In true Pluto fashion millions died at the hands of killing machine that appeared, frankly, not to really care.
Alex, Sure the US push for Iraq would undoubtedly have been oil, oil, oil and to beef the profits of the military hardware and support businesses. Plus a need to prove machismo after the devastating blow of 9/11 to the USA self-esteem; plus GWB proving he could do what daddy didn’t in Gulf War 1.
If you relocate the Iraq attack chart, 20 March 2003 5.30am Baghdad to Washington, DC – you get the war-like Pluto opposition Saturn sitting across the financial 2nd/8th house squaring onto a grandstanding 5th house Sun. With the high finance Jupiter MC opposition Neptune. Money, money and glory.
Whereas re-locating it to London, puts Pluto in the 12th opposition a 6th house Sun – so trapped, over-loaded with work for very little thanks. With the overly-confident, (high hopes turn into disappointment) Jupiter opposition Neptune square the MC.
For Iraq it has the complete-devastation Pluto on the MC opposition a deprived-population suffering heavy losses Saturn in the 4th.
There was an Air Grand Trine (seemed like a good idea), formed into a Kite by Saturn opposition Pluto – so Pluto was the driving planet. And an Air Water chart so quite unbalanced. With only one earth planet – Mars in Capricorn which was conjunct the Sun/Moon midpoint – impractical, unrealistic, ill-conceived.
Delia & Alex, Sure Blair wasn’t all bad – ‘the achievements of New Labour’s time in office. The minimum wage. The peace settlement in Northern Ireland. The record sums invested in public services. The resources redistributed to the less privileged. Continuous economic growth for every quarter of the Blair premiership.’
But Iraq was when his messianic ego got completely out of control and the way he ran his government, with little real committee/Cabinet engagement meant no one stood in the way of his compulsive need to push himself into the spotlight of the world stage. He was an actor at heart, who was tragically given/grabbed ultimate power
Look at Princess Diana’s death – he stepped in to give a Shakespearean oration worthy of Laurence Olivier. After 9/11 he spoke to the US Congress and got multiple standing ovations.
It’s the narcissist in him and the control freak – everything major that happens, he wants to be in there, turning the attention towards himself.
At the risk of psycho-babbling, I’ve always thought it had a great deal to do with his father. Pa Leo Blair was the illegitimate son of a fling between an actress and a military officer, who was adopted by a poor Glasgow working family. He was clearly bright, got highly educated, was v left wing, became a barrister, wanted to be a politician, then took a stroke when TB was 14.
TB has Pluto in the 4th which fuels his Moon and Sun – so he’s very driven by the covertly dominating father, from whom he’s never been able to separate himself. Look who TB married – Cherie is the daughter of an actress and much-married with a drink problem, actor Tony Booth.
The underside of narcissism is shame, which has to be kept at bay at all costs and no matter how much reality has to be denied, lest the entire personality implodes. They are like hot air balloons who need to stay afloat. Inside there’s ….. nothing. And that’s the fear. Fall into the empty centre and he’d find he doesn’t exist.
Another aspect of his personality type is the splitting of the world into good and evil. He’s the good guy and he has to destroy the bad guys. In reality, like all the rest of us stumbling mortals, he’s a mix of good and bad himself, but has never learnt to tolerate his shadow, so it gets projected out. Religious zeal can be one way of trying to handle this split – putting yourself on the side of God and against the devil. But it isn’t inherently a religious drive, more a way of keeping inner demons at bay. He’s a walking psychiatric textbook of a case. Really fascinating.
His Neptune is strong since it squares his MC and opposes his Mercury, so slippery with the actuality.
Cui bono? His overblown ego and desperate need to act his pathology out on a global canvas. When he was elected I remember a friend who was into palmistry saying TB had a Simian line on both hands which is where the head and heart lines are fused into one. Such people find it difficult to distinguish between thoughts and feelings, are intense, single minded, highly focussed. Amongst criminal populations crimes of passion are more common amongst those with Simian line(s); and it is found in a high proportion of Down’s Syndrome children, though a Simian line in itself isn’t an indication of a chromosome disorder.
Hi Delia
On Iraq Blair told the country a pack of lies, distorted “evidence” in order to justify an illegal and immoral war of aggression against a nation with zero involvement in 9/11. One million dead Iraqis and the world in chaos later…. You would be hard pressed to find anyone in the uk who does not think he should be facing a judge on war crimes charges. His corn fed MPs went along with his deception because they were….deceived Not everything he did was bad, of course not, but on Iraq he is a monster.
The big question for me remains, why? Maybe as the Romans said, we need to look at who benefits? Cui bono? For every crime there is a beneficiary (s).
I am in New Zealand, but my memory is that the Blair government did much to reduce child poverty in the UK over it’s term, I am I right or am I wrong? Thank you. You see I am balancing things, no one is all good nor all bad. Also his own MPs (with dissenters who did not) supported him, so why is he continually in the frame?
Horary
Thanks Marjorie
Most interesting and the Mars Jupiter emphasis is so clear when you point it out particularly the history of invasions and use of the military more generally
I think those facets play into his religious mania and excessive self righteousness as well. As a demonstrated liar and I think sociopath I’m surprised Neptune is not more graphically prominent. Wonder if he’ll ever wind up in the clink?
Thanks for the heads up on the horsey also, great work
Alex