The effect of solar eclipses – Danger date 27th November 2011

The actions of Anders Behring Breivik in the last week made me go back and look at the 1st July solar eclipse and low and behold I found a link between his actions and the cardinal cross eclipse of 1st July 2011. Common wisdom in astrology says that at the very moment of the eclipse, the degrees where the planets are found are most important. When in the following weeks and months after an eclipse those degree points are revisited, bad things tend to happen. Solar eclipses through the ages have been known as harbingers of doom.

Now, the eclipse of 1st July had the following set-up. A cardinal cross with the Sun and Moon meeting at 9 degrees 12 Cancer. At the other corners of the cross we see Saturn at 10:43 Libra, Pluto, at 6:07 Capricorn and Uranus at 4:32 Aries. Also note that Mars is linked to the Cardinal Cross by a wedge formation at 7:15 Gemini. All these degrees are danger zones and any future connection to them can set off difficult, even shocking events, because of the nature of the planets.

 

Uranus was moving forward on the day of the eclipse, but went into retrograde motion (moving backwards) on Monday 11th July, and then it revisited the degree point on Tuesday 19th, just 3 days before Breivik made his move. In my related piece about Breivik, (see link below), I noted how Uranus was the trigger for him to launch his attack on the people of Norway. The movement of Uranus was very slight but in my view significant.  Incidentally once Uranus returns to forward motion, it will revisit 4:32 Aries on 25th March 2012, another date to keep your eyes on. (**see below)

This coincidence made me start to look ahead to see if we will have any potential instances of this happening again in the future months as the other planets move around the chart. I then came upon the 27th November. In the original eclipse chart, Pluto is in retrograde, meaning it would stop reversing and start moving forward again and would hit that 6:07 Capricorn point at some date. It does on 27th November. Not only that, on 27th November, the Sun will be opposite the Solar eclipse Mars and trine the Solar eclipse Uranus. Finally, transiting Mars will be at  7 degrees Virgo, exactly square to it’s 7 degrees Gemini point of 1st July.

If we assume that the same effect will follow as happened with Uranus, then 27th November could be a very explosive time. Pluto is associated with mass destruction, elimination and cruel acts. Mars is tremendous force. The Sun’s relationship to Mars and Uranus over that time period could also be seen as a trigger point. The square between Pluto and Uranus which runs through until 2015 will still be firmly in place, and I think that some nasty event is almost bound to happen around that time. Where exactly on earth, and in what form is a question I cannot answer. Maybe it will be a destructive earthquake or an attack of some sort. All those details will be determined by the Ascendant and Midheaven degrees, as surely a malefic planet will be conjunct the Midheaven and/or Ascendant when any incident occurs. All I can say is the conditions look ripe for something to happen. Having looked at Astrology for many years and seen many nasty events connected to Solar Eclipses, I thought it best to point out the potential of what may occur.

Those of us in astrology are not doom mongers. I work with the facts of the planetary placements and work with evidence of what has happened in the past, to point us in the direction of what could happen in the future. On seeing this future potent connection in relation to the past solar eclipse 4 weeks ago, and seeing the shocking events of what happened in Norway last Friday, I see it as a moral duty to point out anything that I see in the future. Hopefully someone more clever than myself can work out what may happen in November as the planets line up to revisit those dangerous degree zones.

Do you have any views on what could happen? Please leave your comments below, they are truly valued and appreciated.   

Please also see – A look at the next eclipse on 25th Nov 2011

 

** I have seen and predicted the exact duration of personal relationships who met under the same type of Uranus transit, the couple met as Uranus was moving forward, were temporarily separated as Uranus then retrograde passed the same degree point, and finally split several months later as it revisited the degree point (moving forward) for a final time.

Links – Anders Behring Breivik post and the link to transiting Uranus

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Prince Albert & Princess Charlene of Monaco – Denying press rumours of an early split.

The first couple of the principality of Monaco are fighting against vicious rumours in the French based press that they are suffering personal problems early into their marriage after an alleged third love child of Prince Albert was discovered just before the royal wedding on 1st July 2011.  The royal couple have already filed legal papers against the French magazine “l’Express” denying the story. Let’s have a look at the astrology of the Monégasque couple.

Prince Albert was born in Monaco on 14th March 1958 at 10.47hrs & Charlene Wittstock was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on 25th January 1978 (no birth time).

Prince Albert to me has a very troubling chart, certainly relationship wise. We see a Pisces Sun combined with a Capricorn Moon and a Gemini ascendant. I read once somewhere that Pisces people tend to fall into two distinct categories, big fish with sharp teeth who cruise the oceans in fear of no-one, and little fish who are weak so they follow other little fish in great big shoals hoping not to be gobbled up by the big fish. Prince Albert is a big fish. The Sun sits regally in the 10th house of work and reputation and the Capricorn Moon shows the need to administrate and run everything. In Monaco, Prince Albert has supreme power. Gemini ascendants question everything and the Prince will have his eye on the ball about all aspects of things going on in the Principality. In a partnership or marriage, they will be warm and bubbly, but the need for independence, friendship and interest in other men and women remains strong. Geminis cannot understand jealousy or possessiveness, in their eyes it is a natural thing to be interested in others. How far that interest goes is down to the other aspects in the chart. Mercury sits in the 11th house of friends and associations in Aries widely conjunct to the Sun. Albert will be forthright in speaking his mind, and will have a keen interest of politics and of joining associations and teams (see my comments on Jupiter below). With a trine to Uranus in the 3rd house, Albert will have a sharp and free thinking mind and an interest in technology of any kind. With the Moon and Mars in Capricorn in the 8th, Albert will be a hard worker, be interested in big finance and big business and will have a rather sombre demeanour, just as if he carries the world on his shoulders. In Monaco, he does.

Saturn sits in the the 7th house of relationships opposite to the ascendant and square the Sun. This square adds to Albert’s authority to rule but also reduces his self belief and makes him fearful of marriage and official partnerships. Saturn also trines to Pluto in the 4th house. The Sun Saturn square and the Pluto trine shows a difficult relationship with his father, Prince Ranier III. Pluto in the 4th shows a trapped childhood, one where the young Albert suffered a sense of shame and despair. It seems to me that as much as he had a unloved relationship with his father, there was a deep bond between himself and his mother, Grace Kelly shown by the tight conjunction of Jupiter and Neptune in the 5th house surrounding the North Node or parental axis. She would have been mystical in his eyes, generous and a real inspiration. With Mars conjunct to the Moon in the 8th house, she would have had a nasty temper with it and probably told the young Albert off in no uncertain terms if he did wrong. That temper would have carried through to Albert and he will react sharply if wronged in any way. Back to the fifth and Neptune and Jupiter square Mars. Jupiter here gives Albert a love of sports games and competition (he appeared in the Winter Olympics in bobsled in 5 consecutive games) and Albert is part of the International Olympic Committee. It also contributes a very risky attitude to love affairs. Neptune here means that he will have a dreamy, idealistic view to love – no girl will ever stack up as his “dream girl”, there will always be a better one around the corner. Hmm… The square to Mars in the 8th house from the Jupiter Neptune shows another reason for his roving eyes, sex. Mars in the 8th house does show an extremely powerful sex drive, even a compulsive obsession for it. He will try his upmost to keep these liaisons secret. We do know that Albert has already fathered 2 children out of wedlock, albeit we only know as the press found it out. The Jupiter/Neptune square to Mars combined with the Gemini ascendant sort of gives confirmation of the fact that fidelity with him could possibly be a problem in the future. The last major aspect on the chart I have yet to look at is a Venus Uranus opposition from Uranus in Leo in the 3rd house to Venus in Aquarius in the 9th. This makes a t-square with Neptune at the point. Relationships for the Prince, if you pardon the pun, will start and end with a bang! There will be almighty excitement and electricity in the initial meeting, but the novelty will soon wear off. Albert will be attracted to unusual and especially foreign women. With her Sun also in Aquarius linking the two ends of this opposition (Uranus rules Aquarius), Charlene Wittstock, would have fit the bill nicely as pressure mounted for the 53 year old Prince to have a legitimate heir.

Charlene as I said has an Aquarian Sun, cool but friendly in close conjunction to her Venus and opposite Mars in Leo. This is a very, kind hearted girl who desperately needs to be in a relationship. She needs her Prince to be alongside herself.  Mars in Leo wants a deep passionate, loving relationships; love and romance are endlessly fascinating for her. This is one competitive lady, wanting to win and be first at all costs. Mars in Leo wants to be the best, expects the best and will be hugely disappointed if she doesn’t get it. Venus in Aquarius is magnetically attractive (especially in women) and will need some space and independence within any union, friendships will be considered equally important as permanent relationships. The Moon also sits in regal Leo, she will love living and being in the spotlight and all the trappings that come with this type of life. The Moon makes a square to Uranus, so anything unusual or different will attract her attention. She will love and appreciate the excitement of spontaneous actions and deeds.

Mars makes a quindecile to Mercury in Capricorn. Here is a straight talking straight thinking position. Good at organisation, planning, strategy and with a quick mind and temper. Mercury makes a sextile to Uranus and a square to Pluto. Like the Prince, Charlene will have an interest in technology and will be free thinking. She also will have an interest of getting to the bottom of any problem, looking below the surface to uncover the truth. Charlene has a mini grand trine formation from the Moon in Leo trine to Neptune and with Pluto at the point. Neptune Moon shows a gentle side to Charlene, she will hate conflict and will look for the easy way out to keep everyone around her happy. Pluto at the point shows a dream for control and for power alongside being in the limelight.

The Moon could possibly be in conjunction with Saturn (if she was born at or after midday). This would indicate a difficult relationship with her mother, a swimming and diving coach, who no doubt would have been strict with her and would have pushed her hard. What we do know with Saturn retrograde, is that she never felt the love of her father for some reason. He was a sales manager, so maybe he was often away on business trips so she rarely saw him. Saturn makes a stabilizing sextile with Jupiter in Gemini. This steadies the outlook, makes the mind work overtime and gives her a broad international outlook, insatiable curiosity, good common sense and a realization that success comes through hard work and graft rather than through luck alone. Saying that, Charlene in marrying her Prince became one of the luckiest women on the planet as she married one of the world’s most eligible bachelors.

Now what of their synastry and combined charts. The synastry chart sees Charlene’s Sun/Venus conjunction connecting nicely with Albert’s Venus and Mars (they are just in wide conjunction) which is loving, kind and shows that the two are good friends. One worry is that this conjunction is opposite his Uranus – will (as I mentioned earlier) his excitement for this relationship fizzle out or will the sparks continue to fly? There certainly is an electric attraction from him to her. The Venus/Mars/Sun connections come in Albert’s international 9th house, very apt as their relationship allegedly began abroad at an Olympic games in Torino, Italy. Mars opposes Mars which is hugely competitive, they will compete for top dog status, and fight like cat and dog if they disagree. Charlene’s Mars squares Albert’s Jupiter, so she will push him to broaden his horizons. There seems to be good communication between them both with Albert’s Mercury sextile Charlene’s Sun and a conjunction between his Mercury and her Moon. A couple of other things to think about. His Jupiter/Neptune conjunction squares her Sun/Venus. This is on the face of it a positive combination of planets, dreamy, expansive, imaginative. I only hope that the Prince’s Neptune which is very strong as it is personalized (as he is a Sun Pisces), doesn’t try to deceive her into thinking that all is ok while he is playing behind her back. Her Saturn sits on his Pluto which can be depressing and frustrating between the two, a sort of battle for control. Her Jupiter sits opposite his Saturn, so her optimism will complement his serious outlook position.

Ok now to the long term composite chart. This looks a bit more stressful. We have A Sun Mercury conjunction (good for communication) opposite Jupiter giving an optimistic outlook. However this opposition is square to Neptune. Here is a definite problem as Neptune square Sun and Neptune square Mercury can bring deceit, deception and confusion. Their can be lying and dreams can be shattered.

There is also a trine from Sun Mercury to a Mars/Saturn/ Moon conjunction. This is quite difficult in all respects. Saturn Moon stops the flow of emotion, Mars Saturn can put up an emotional barrier between the two. Hopefully the good communication of the Sun Mercury can alleviate this. Mars/Moon can be excitable and emotional, good while the relationship is going well but sheer hell if things go wrong, you can imagine the emotional battles. The sextiles from this combination to Jupiter are optimistic, sensible, and generally good fun. The initial attraction between the two is highlighted in the Venus/Moon square, here is a strong and lasting attraction between the two.

Ok what do we think. In truth I think the charts show very much a mixed bag of aspects, some god, some workable and some troubling. There is an attraction between the two, and Princess Charlene will thrive on in being in the spotlight, she will love it. If anyone is a problem, then it will be the Prince. He has a tendency to get bored with long term relationships as the charts show, and as we know he has a history of being a bit secretive in his relationships. If they can keep their feet on the ground and realise that they both have to work at it and compromise I believe there is enough here to make a workable marriage, but it isn’t going to be easy. There is not the stunning synastry between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and so not the same affection and magnetic ties. Nethertheless, it is not as bad as many make it out to be. I think the first test acid of this marriage will come at the end of 2012 as transiting Saturn conjuncts their composite Moon. Only then will we know if their relationship is strong enough to last the test of time.  

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Arnold Schwarzenegger – A look at the horoscope at the film star and politician suffering from personal problems.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has had a tough time recently. First he split from his wife Maria Schriver  in May after a 25 year marriage, and then in the past week his 13 year old son Christopher was severely hurt in a surfing accident and the estranged couple broke off divorce proceedings to be at the bedside of their son in intensive care. Luckily he is in recovery now but in the words of Schwarzenegger, it has been a “scary week”.

Arnold was born on 30th July 1947 in Graz, Austria at 04.10am. He is a proud Sun sign Leo in the first house with a hardworking Capricorn moon and a protective Cancerian ascendant. Immediately one can sense that this is a man who would work like a trojan to get to the top at whatever he set his heart on. The Leo Sun wants to be number one, to rule is his “raison d'être”. With Venus also in the 1st house this is a friendly, kind big hearted fellow, a larger than life character for sure. One with a love of a sentimental side, a love of his family and of his nation. With Venus in the first house also a love of his own beauty, definitely someone who would look adoringly at himself in the mirror, yes Arnold would have a touch of vanity. Once he got to the top, he would protect his position with gusto. The Cancerian ascendant is always a little paranoid of anyone impeding on one’s territory, putting barriers up around one to protect what one has.

The Moon sits in the 6th house of everyday work in Capricorn. Here is the need to administrate combined with huge ambition. These type of people can handle several jobs at the same time, they are true workaholics. The feelings are stifled, well at least on the outside and Arnie may appear tough and business like, while inside he is as emotional as the next person. Moon in Capricorn people are afraid of showing emotion. This is a very practical position for the Moon and Arnie will instinctively act to make the lives of those around him better.

The Moon makes two quindecile aspects to Mercury and Mars (conjunct to Uranus) all in the 12th house. The 12th is the house of service. The Moon/Mercury quindecile shows that when he does speak, and I don’t think he enjoys public speaking, he speaks from the heart in tune with his emotional state at the time.  Mercury trines onto Jupiter giving Arnold a philosophical mind as well as a flair for law and diplomacy.  This endears him with the public  and he will instinctively know how to deal with them, and what they want from him. The Mars/Moon quindecile is emotionally charged. Mars in the 12th in Gemini is busy, wanting to know everything going on, doing several tasks at the same time. It is also a position where one wants to help others and with Uranus adding extra impetus to this, Arnold will work tirelessly on behalf of other people, putting his own needs a distant second. The proud and emotional tie to his community as well as the notoriety and drive that Arnold showed in service to others propelled him to the post of Governor of California. Not bad for a boy from a poor family in Austria. Arnold is not without is impulsive side and when frustrated Mars conjunct Uranus can also be indicative of a sharp temper.

The Moon also make a square aspect to Neptune in Libra in the 4th house. Neptune rules Arnold’s Midheaven through Pisces being on the cusp, and also makes a powerful quindecile aspect to the Midheaven. This Midheaven is connected to most of the planets on the chart, you can the aspect radiating out from the top.  Neptune and Pisces (as you will know if you read my blog regularly) rule creativity, TV and films. The powerful square from Mars and Uranus to the Midheaven show his ambition and determination to be a unique talent on the silver screen. This was always going to be his initial career path.

Neptune makes a sextile to a heavy Saturn/Pluto conjunction in the 2nd house which is also conjunct to that first house Sun. The connection between the Sun and this conjunction shows that the young Arnold would have been dominated by his controlling father. Saturn and Pluto in the 2nd house of self worth indicate that Arnie would have felt completely unworthy. Neptune sort of confirms this fact in the 4th showing that the home was a confusing, destabilizing place. Saturn and Pluto in the 2nd also confers a huge need to build up wealth and possessions, because of a fear of not having enough. There is a huge motivational force here if Arnie could find it as Saturn Pluto can move the earth and achieve incredible feats, however it can also bring one crashing down to earth in a huge way (see my post on Rupert Murdoch and his family).

So we have a young lad who feels inferior and wants to prove himself to his father, who has a streak of vanity within himself and has a dream to get to the top. What did he do? He took up bodybuilding to increase his confidence. There is square from Saturn/Pluto to Pluto in Scorpio in the 5th house. The 5th house is the house of sport, games, exercise and creativity. Arnold always like sport and Jupiter here makes one go to extremes. The Scorpio influence would have increased the effect, making Arnold compulsive about developing his physique and doing heavy workouts. As we all know, Arnie became a champion body builder eventually winning the Mr Universe competition. Jupiter trines to the ascendant too and confers a love of children and a rather risky attitude to affairs of the heart. The revelation that Arnie was fathering two children with 5 days of each other with two separate women back in 1997 just goes to show the dangers of Jupiter and it’s need for excess.

Through the transits of today you can see the see directly the problems Arnie has been suffering. Transiting Pluto has been conjunct to Arnold’s natal moon for the past few months, so this is a breakdown in his emotional life. The Moon rules his ascendant through Cancer so this hits him personally and Pluto through Scorpio sits on the cusp of the 5th house of children. The discovery of the previously unknown (Pluto) child (5th) he fathered has broken his long standing marriage. Transiting Uranus is opposing natal Neptune and is square to natal Moon. As we know, there has been an accident (Uranus) affecting his family (4th house) on water (Neptune) bringing him and his wife (Moon) unexpectedly (Uranus) back together as one, just for a while in support of their son. However this reunion will not last for long and when Saturn squares his ascendant in October this year and not long after squares natal Venus, the divorce process will be complete and Arnold will at last be able to move on with his life.

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Amy Winehouse – Supremely talented, sadly flawed, dead at just 27. An astrological analysis of the iconic London born singer.

Amy Winehouse was been found dead in her London flat on 23rd July as a result of a suspected drugs overdose. I did just a few weeks ago I did a post about her and her horoscope and I suggested she was facing a real battle into the next year and so it proved. On doing the original post, I felt that there was a danger that Amy might not get through a very difficult period, however I took a more positive note at the time hoping that she would work her way through her drink and drugs problems. Unfortunately it was not to be. I have today found out a corrected accurate birth time and I have amended a few parts of the original post to give improved accuracy to my assumptions at the time. The main thrust of the article still holds together correctly and this the final version now with the corrected time of birth I hope shows a true astrological picture of the life of a most talented girl.

 

Initially posted 21st June 2011

Amy was born on 14th September 1983 in Enfield in North London; her birth-time finally being confirmed at 22.25, I have been informed of the birth time through some correspondence of one of my readers, the time is a recollection according to her mother. This gave Amy a creative 5th house Sun in conjunction to Mercury in precise careful Virgo. Her Moon was just into Capricorn and she had a chatty Gemini Ascendant.

Ok, to the chart itself. Very interestingly and unusually, all the planets sit in pairs dotted around the chart. Amy was a perfectionist Sun in Virgo in close conjunction to Mercury in the creative 5th house. The Sun Mercury conjunction points to a creative influence she took from her father (the Sun represents the father in the natal chart), he was a jazz singer and obviously Amy took good note of her father’s abilities. Mercury is retrograde and inward looking, and she would have been self-critical and would have worried endlessly with regard to personal problems, which would constantly mull over and over in her mind. The Sun here in the 5th was creative and combined with the Gemini ascendant and the Mercury alongside, she needed to communicate. With a square to Neptune that communication came through in the form of her songs. Looking back it is even more poignant how the titles like “Rehab”, Love Is A Losing Game” and “Tears Dry On Their Own” are so autobiographical. The Moon in Capricorn is quite serious and responsible and if Amy did have her problems, she would refuse to ask for help and assistance. The Moon shows need. The need here was to work and create, to fulfil her ambitions but there was another need, the need to escape. The Moon is in close conjunction to Neptune the planet of music, but also of dreams and escapism. Neptune bestowed Amy with an emotional need to be creative, but also an emotional need to get completely lost and to get away from it all when she felt under pressure or down. The cocktail of the doubting Sun/Mercury conjunction and Capricorn Moon which refuses to ask for help with the escapist tendencies of the Moon/Neptune (they are in square aspect) was potent. She was technically (Virgo) a brilliant musician and singer (Neptune), but she doubted her ability and this doubt dragged her down.

The square between the Sun and Moon accurately describes the break up of her parents which happened when she was around 10 years old, and this I believe this added to the hurtful emotional baggage and doubt that she still carried around with her every day of her life. That retrograde Mercury conjunct to the Sun (representing her father) never lets one forget and turns the doubts over and over again in her mind.  When she felt troubled, she turned to drink, drugs and any other substances to deaden the pain she felt. The Moon/Neptune conjunction sat in the 7th house of relationships. Amy would need to be around people. She would have been gullible to meeting the wrong type of people and trusting them completely. I personally think her management and advisors were very much to blame to letting this impressionable sensitive soul go off the rails and exposing her to pressure when in truth she needed help.  If that wasn’t bad enough Jupiter and Uranus sat in conjunction in Sagittarius, unconnected to any other planets. This is excess, taken to excess!! When she started something, she didn’t know when to stop!! Maybe this explains why she had such problems, she couldn’t stop herself.  By the same token, the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction sat in her 6th house and gave her a constructive attitude to her daily work & she would have been inspirational to her fellow musicians in the recording studio. This would have been one of the few places she really would have felt at home. It is a very avant-garde aspect, ahead of her time, experimenting with new styles and fashions. Maybe this aspect went a long way to explaining why she seemed so cutting edge and able to experiment.

Moving to the Venus/Mars conjunction sitting in the 4th house. Both are in Leo and here is the show-woman who craved attention and liked to be centre stage. Mars/Venus is trine the Moon and Neptune. Performing on stage was her other escape from the pain of her day to day life. Neptune trine Mars is ultra glamorous and exudes charisma. Neptune/Moon trine Venus is kind and sympathetic and a very soft, kind heart lay inside Amy, however the type of men she was attracted to were likely to be the wrong type – so it proved to be. The Mars/Venus combination did give her a pushy air in love, she was the one who would have made the first move and I suspect made her quite difficult to live with. At home she would have craved a warm loving environment (Venus), but the reality would have been quite different as with Mars here, arguments and disputes would have often punctured the air. This rather chaotic home life would have upset her greatly and affected her upbringing. So problems at home and problems at school too. With erratic and revolutionary Aquarius on the cusp of the 9th house of education Amy was eventually expelled for failing in her studies and also for piercing her nose against school rules, transforming her looks. Her rebel  (Uranus/Aquarius) tendencies were too much for the school authorities.

This Venus/Mars and Moon/Neptune trine formed a grand mini trine with sextiles to Saturn/Pluto at the point of the formation. Here was the really troubling part of her chart. Saturn/Pluto will affect all that connects with it and wherever it is located in the chart, it brings disappointment failure and then transformation. In her love life (Venus /Mars), her marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil failed and he was sent to prison. I have not looked at his chart, but from the outside he seemed to be a very disruptive influence who introduced her to the drink and drug culture, although once she had found it through him or otherwise, the problems she experienced would have still caused her major problems. Later in her career, she had been blighted by disappointing live performances and drink/drug use affecting her so much that she was been forced into rehabilitation several times. Even her appearance was very Saturn/Pluto she often wore black, she had tattoos on her arms with strong long dark hair and striking features. She obviously took her music very seriously, and her jazz tinged style, the most complex of musical forms which is very dark and moody was a perfect for a mix of Saturn and Pluto. Saturn and Pluto most pertinently sat in the 6th house. This is the house of health. This combination would have weakened her constitution and made her especially vulnerable to any kind of ailment or substance affecting her wellbeing. The drink and drugs she became dependent on would not have helped the situation at all.

Now looking at the present, transiting Pluto had been transiting trough her 7th house for a little while and back in 2008 when her problems really started, it was conjunct to her natal Moon. This affected and was transforming her relationships, and crucially also affected her personal self worth (2nd house) which Cancer ruled by the Moon completely encircles. This transit would have dragged her down emotionally and at the same time weakened her already afflicted health – Scorpio ruled by Pluto is intercepted in the 6th house. It is quite sad that in the last few months, that debilitating Pluto influence was slowly moving out of range and both her transits chart and solar arc charts were looking quite optimistic. She had just finished an alcohol rehabilitation course after the Belgrade fiasco and was starting to work again. On the day of her death however, her Sun was square to Saturn and Pluto which is depressing and downtrodden, and her transiting Moon for that moment was opposite Saturn and Mars was making a square to her Sun and Mercury conjunction, so this was a brief window when she would have felt depressed. There was one other striking factor too. Transiting Pluto was almost exactly quindecile to her North Node and also on the cusp of the 8th house of transformation and death. This was destiny at work, when her death (Pluto/8th) would put her firmly into the public eye (North Node).

I am convinced that astrologically Amy was on the mend, and that one brief down moment when her personal planets (Sun & Moon) were badly aspected contributed to her being depressed enough to take her over the edge. It is a crying shame that one so talented and shone so brightly is no longer with us. She was the voice of a generation and whilst her passing robs us of a uniquely talented singer and musician, her legacy and music will live on for generations to come.

My condolences to all her family, friends and fans. May she now rest in peace…

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Anders Behring Breivik – The horoscope of the Norwegian twin terror attacker.

This is the face of the man who yesterday did an unspeakable crime in trying to blow up the governmental office buildings in Oslo, then later that afternoon massacred over 80 students at a political rally on the island of Utoya. Anders Behring Breivik until yesterday had no convictions (except motoring offences to his name) but he was capable it seems of singlehandedly carrying out one of the worst atrocities in recent European history. After finding out his birth date (thanks to Wikipedia) I can now look at the Norwegian twin terror perpetrator.

Anders Behring Breivik was born apparently on 13th February 1979 (assumed in Oslo). This gives him an Aquarian Sun in conjunction to Mercury and Mars in the same sign. This is a man who will think and act in a radical (Aquarian) way, different to the mainstream of public opinion; he will like to be seen as unique. This combination gives his a very cool independent air, kind yet rather distant and definitely capable of acting on his own. It also contributes to him a very go-ahead attitude, a very sharp mind and just as sharp a temper. This is a man who could lose his cool demeanour if angered. This conjunction connects to every other planet on the chart save Jupiter which sits on it’s own in Leo (I will deal with Jupiter later).

Quindecile to Sun/Mercury/Mars is Saturn and (potentially) the Moon probably in conjunction in Virgo. This is a very conservative mix in personal views. This is a guy who is capable of working in great detail, perfecting anything he does to the ultimate degree and planning actions extremely carefully. Saturn is retrograde and this conjunction tells me that he had problems with both parents when growing up. The mother would have been ultra critical and quite aggressive to him and he would have missed the love of his father. Either he would have been away for a part of his upbringing or maybe he was angry to Anders too. Whichever way, I sense that he would have brought considerable emotional baggage with him into adulthood. This is a very self-critical man and possibly internally nervous, he will worry beneath the cool exterior. Saturn/Moon trine onto Venus in Capricorn, again here are very conservative social views. He would have a desperate need to be listened to and would have the attitude “if you don’t want to listen to me, I’ll show you”.

Feeding into the Sun/Mercury Mars conjunction is a mini grand trine with Neptune in Sagittarius at the point and Pluto in Libra completing the formation. Mars Pluto and Sun Pluto show formidable determination and extreme social views (Pluto in Libra) and a need for power and notoriety. Anders through his actions (Mars) would seek to control and be significant (Pluto trine Sun). These actions would be faith orientated; spiritual Neptune in faith orientated Sagittarius is a big signature of somebody religiously motivated. Breivik was known as a Christian fundamentalist.

Uranus in Scorpio also makes a square to the Sun/Mercury/Mars. Breivik would have been very technically minded with computer acumen and more than likely he possessed high level mechanical and engineering skills, perfect for constructing a workable explosive device from scratch. This aspect also would have made his mind quite when unstable when stressed and potentially explosive. Uranus is capable of shock actions and extreme views especially when combined with Mars and Mercury. Uranus in Scorpio is dark, extreme, rebellious and underground in nature. You will not see these views on the surface but they bubble underneath infecting the psyche until they are activated – just like a volcano waiting for the pressure of the lava to build up so much that an explosion takes place. That explosion in Anders Behring Breivik happened yesterday.

Finally we have the lone Jupiter. Jupiter will dominate the chart as it does not connect by aspect to any other planet. Jupiter in Leo is the king and harbours a need to be famous. This is a dramatic position for Jupiter, one needs to put on a spectacular show. Nothing small minded about this aspect, the bigger the impact the better. Jupiter in Leo tells one better to go out in a blaze of glory, than not at all.

And that is what is Anders Behring Breivik did. Looking to his transit chart transiting Uranus was at the midpoint of natal Pluto and his North Node making highly stressed quindecile aspect to both – here is the motivation for doing a shocking act causing death and destruction and putting his name into the public awareness at the same time – remember about what I said about his fixation with being “someone”. Uranus is also in action based Aries, there is almost a destiny feeling about this connection.

On the slower Solar Arc charts, Solar Arc Sun was quindecile natal Saturn, this is a time of ultra seriousness and a testing of one’s ambitions, Solar Arc Mars was almost exactly trine natal Uranus, here is again motivation to carry out a something unique. Solar Arc Jupiter was quindecile to natal Mars, this act must be huge in impact and scope. Solar Arc Uranus was sextile the natal Sun, an independent revolutionary mood and spirit and Solar Arc Pluto was conjunct natal Uranus which causes upset and tension and gives the indication of overturning the status quo through death and destruction.

You can see the build up of tension on the transits and Solar Arcs chart combined with a stressful and potentially explosive natal chart. I think all the troubles harked back to his upbringing, and the anger he unleashed was frustration stored up from his youth.   

Links - The link between Anders Behring Breivik and the Solar Eclipse of 1st July 2011

           Is Anders Behring Breivik a psychopath?

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Ricky Gervais – Comedy genius courting trouble and taking on an Almighty challenge.

Ricky Gervais has never held back from challenging people. That’s what comedians do, don’t they? They live on the edge, are incredibly brave using the power of humour to give the alternative view on society or of people, one which often could not be voiced without fear of criticism. Ricky courted major controversy at this year’s Golden Globe presentations when a string of jokes were aimed at the nominees. Now his latest venture is also going to test the resolve of many people, as his new comedy series “Afterlife” sees him, a confirmed non-believer, play the role of God.

Ricky was born on 25th June 1961 in Reading Berkshire, England (no birth time for Ricky is yet known) so is an emotional Sun sign Cancerian. Even without knowing his birth sign, I guessed Ricky was born under the sign of the Moon. Cancerians have a certain look about them, a slightly round face, often a jovial smile and an upbeat disposition. My brother is a Cancerian and he displays all of those qualities. Behind the sunny side is a far more emotional being, Cancerians worry, fret, are hugely protective and hide their insecurities behind the facade. Surely the idea of the circus clown was created initially by a Cancerian.

Ricky’s Moon is also in a water sign, Scorpio (not affected by the lack of a birth time). Here is a really cutting edge to the personality, ready to delve deep into the psyche of those around him, wanting to know everything. Ricky will be a difficult person to deal with, and will emotionally explode with a volcanic temper when upset. The Moon makes a square aspect to a temperamental Uranus/Mars conjunction in forthright Leo. It also (potentially) forms a t-square opposite to Venus with the Mars/Uranus at the point. The Mars/Uranus in Leo is fiercely independent and reckless, and able to hurt people’s feelings without realising it. There is a wonderful experimental quality about this aspect though, and Ricky will venture into territory fearlessly that other people would not touch. Uranus square to the Moon show that Ricky’s emotions will vary from one day to the next, one day he will be motivated, the next day he couldn’t be bothered. This will be the same in his emotional life too and probably explains why he has been living with his girlfriend for 29 years without taking the plunge into married life. Ricky needs the freedom of a single life, as each day he does not know how he is going to feel. This is echoed in the Moon Venus opposition. Moon/Venus has problems in deciding what one actually wants out of a love relationship, however with Venus in possessive and stable Taurus, Ricky has remained true to his long term partner. One problem Ricky does face is that in certain areas of his life he can get stuck in his ways – 6 planets are in fixed signs, but he will be alright if he continues to work and to innovate. If he stops, then one would start to get get concerned about him getting caught in the proverbial rut, and all the stresses that that could produce. As you can guess by now, Ricky is someone who is full of extremes and contradictions.

Central to Ricky’s creative acumen is his Neptune in Scorpio. Neptune makes connections to Pluto in careful Virgo, trines to Mercury and his Sun together in Pisces and a square to expansive Jupiter in glamorous Aquarius. The Neptune, Sun/Mercury and Pluto mini grand trine is very revealing. Firstly Ricky will work and communicate his ideas his way, and will be very protective of his concepts. He has a fertile imagination and is attracted to all things creative, be it music, TV, theatre, film (Neptune trine Sun/Mercury). In that creative streak, he likes to get down to the motivations of the characters he is portraying in great, great detail. Neptune in Scorpio gets beneath the skin to the seedier side of life, the unethical things which we dream about but often don’t express. Pluto in Virgo is able to pick out the tiniest details, the nuances, the gestures and through the Sun/Neptune Ricky portrays this all with great emotion in a Cancerian bitter, sweet self-depreciative way.  Mercury is retrograde so all the communication is turned in on himself, the same goes for his own stand up show.

Jupiter in Aquarius link allows Gervais to think outside the box and have the ability to innovate on a large scale; here is also the draw to a glitzy international career rather than a more downbeat homespun one. Saturn in serious Capricorn makes sure that Ricky works hard for his success, and also will hold him to account when that over excitable Jupiter, Mars, and Uranus get him into trouble. It will make him feel constantly in self-denial and burdened with responsibility, you can see the up and down, push and pull nature of the Saturn/Jupiter conjunction and the potential for rapid changes of mood - jovial and optimistic, then serious and pessimistic.

Back in 2001 when “The Office” was first aired, in my view still Ricky’s stand out work to date, progressed Venus was coming up to a conjunction with Ricky’s natal Sun. The transits at that launch did not show the success that was to come. That series was a slow burner and only picked up award after award in 2005, just as progressed Venus made an exact conjunction. Moving onto to today and there are an interesting set of transits for Ricky. Transiting Pluto is in opposition with his natal Sun showing that the 2-3 last years have very much been transitional ones for him with a few setbacks along the way. Transiting Pluto was exactly opposite natal Mercury at 6 degrees Capricorn when he did his now notorious Golden Globes presentation back in January. Right now Pluto is back at 6 Capricorn just as the announcement of Ricky playing God has come out. This is likely to upset quite a few people once again. Transiting Uranus is square natal Sun and Mercury, so this is Ricky going out on a limb taking a bit of a calculated risk, and Uranus is also sextile Saturn so here is the chance for him to overturn some conservative values in his own inimitable way. Backing this independent and revolutionary spirit, Solar Arc Mercury and Sun are currently conjunct natal Uranus. Finally (and this is really interesting) transiting Neptune, the planet of spirituality is exactly conjunct the natal South Node. Transits to the South Node are often less than successful. Gervais is known not to be a religious person, and has been reported as being an atheist, so taking on such a role just as Neptune has entered the spiritual sign of Pisces could be seen as a risky, especially if he does it in a condescending manner. Neptune has a way of sucking you in with optimism only to leave you in the mire, dismayed, confused and discredited. Transiting Neptune is still opposing natal Mars, so maybe this aspect was the motivating factor, taking on the challenge of tackling faith and pre-conceived spiritual notions of the Almighty one.

With the planets in the position they are right now & with Pluto still in opposition with the Sun and Mercury until around the end of  2012, I would have advised him to hold back on this project, at least for a few years until the difficult transits melted away. Being Ricky Gervais, he might just get away with it, but then again, he might not…

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Norway – Oslo hit by massive bomb blast at Prime Minister’s office. Are Al Qaeda responsible?

Oslo has been hit by a shock bomb blast at the offices of the Prime Minister at around 15.30 today. As I write 7 people are confirmed dead and to all reports people are trapped with the building. Norway has never suffered anything like this in it’s history and it must be a complete shock to the Norwegian people. I look at the astrology to try to make more sense of the situation. There are also reports of shootings at a youth based political meeting on an island called Utoya around an hour from the capital, caused by a lone gunman.               

The modern chart of Norway goes back to the country’s independence from it’s union with Sweden on 7th June 1905 at 11.00 in Oslo. This gives a 10h house Sun in Gemini conjunct to Pluto in the 10th house of government and national prestige. Norway is a modern constitutional monarchy and a rich one at that with copious natural resources. With Pluto and Neptune in the 10th house one can see the reliance on natural gas (Neptune) and petroleum (Pluto) as well as having a significant fishing fleet (Neptune) and fishing is an important industry for the country. The Moon representing the people sits in proud Leo in the 11th house and this shows the propensity for the people to rule in a party lead political system to run alongside the monarchy. Jupiter, Venus and Mercury sit in the 9th house of education and wisdom. Norway has always had a reputation for high learning, literature, music and culture and of course is the home of the Nobel awards for peace, science & literature. Mercury sits on the Midheaven in the peace loving sign of Taurus and it is no wonder that Norway is a neutral country and it’s preferred stance has always been non-military,  although recently it has acted as a member of NATO in international cooperation (Venus in 9th opposite Mars). Looking at Mars it lies in the 3rd house of the local environment. Mars is retrograde so defence is focused on defending Norway’s own borders rather than looking aggressively outwards. Uranus sits in the 4th house and Saturn in the 6th, so politically Norway will always err on the side of social parties of a more socialist ideology or those with a connection to the working classes (6th).

Now to the blast and gun attacks today. Looking at the transit chart we see transiting Mars exactly sitting on natal Pluto also conjunct the Norwegian Sun. Here is a brutal attack causing death and destruction hitting at the heart of the Norwegian nation and those at the top. Transiting Pluto makes several aspects; opposition to Neptune - death & confusion and maybe links to religious based groups, quindecile to it’s own position – here again is an extreme focus on underground activities and destruction and a trine to Venus – here is a social angle to the attack and a potential link to hitting the people at the top of government (Taurus on the Midheaven ruled by Venus). We also have a square between Uranus and it’s own position, so a shocking event and trine from transiting Uranus to the Moon; the general public are caught up in this. Interestingly transiting Jupiter makes an opposition to natal Mars and a square to natal Moon – is this a faith (Jupiter) based attack (Mars) on the people (Moon) of Norway? Looking at this chart, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a religious group behind this attack. Would it be another Al Qaeda attack like the one in Mumbai?

On the Solar Arc charts, SA Uranus is exactly almost to the minute square Norway’s natal Pluto with is destructive and Solar Arc Mars is trine to natal Pluto, square to natal Jupiter and quindecile to natal Moon – here is an aggressive and destructive link to the people (Moon) – Jupiter hints an international or faith angle. Finally SA Saturn is one degree away from being conjunct to the Norwegian Sun, so a sombre time now awaits and the Solar Arc South Node, opposite the North Node is exactly conjunct the Sun too, indicating a difficult time. The age of innocence is over for Norway. 

Looking at the Al Qaeda chart compared to a transit chart in Oslo for 15.30 there are definite signs that the terrorist group could be responsible. The Al Qaeda natal Pluto sits exactly conjunct to the ascendant opposite to transiting Jupiter, this aspect alone says to me a successful (Jupiter) Al Qaeda bombing (Pluto) campaign. Emotionally Al Qaeda would have been ready for a some action as transiting Uranus is trine the Al Qaeda natal Moon, squares natal Venus and sextile natal Jupiter. Putting this together, Moon in the 9th house can mean links to people abroad, social Venus is in the 8th house of death, destruction and change, and Jupiter in the 7th may be dealing with others outside the group (there is the international link again), a franchise group working on behalf of the main organisation?  I do admit all this is speculation, but the links are there giving some credence to my feeling that Al Qaeda are involved, backed up by the fact that the coordinated nature of the attacks is their trademark. Transiting Saturn does sit opposite the Al Qaeda Mars, so the Norwegian authorities may catch one or all of the culprits and it may help in identify who actually did the deed. Unfortunately for Norway, the damage has already been done, and the people of this beautiful country are now suffering.

My thoughts go out to the people of Norway, and I hope those responsible will be caught and prosecuted.

 

***Update 23rd July 2011***

It sounds like the the perpetrator of the heinous massacre of 84 young students and the bombing in Oslo was a 32 year old Right Wing extremist, Anders Behring Breivik (picture below). If he acted alone, and was able to carry out the whole massacre himself, it would show this man to be a very calculating and potentially unstable. To look at the horoscope of the Oslo attacker, please click on the link below

Horoscope of Anders Behring Breivik

Very interesting that my Al Qaeda assumptions (and the astrology in my view still holds out) seem to be totally wrong. If so, I hold my hands up – nobody can be correct all of the time, the prediction business is a risky game to get things spot on and even though the stars and planets allow you to have a glimpse of what may be, human nature and motivations are one thing you can never be 100% sure of getting right.

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China – Is the Chinese dragon ready to show it’s teeth again?

China, the rising power from the east, has just become the second biggest economy on the globe and is a nation industrializing and growing at an incredible rate. Without China making things, 7 out of every 10 shoes produced on planet earth is made in China, the industrial and economic world would grind to a halt. They say when America sneezes, the world catches a cold. So the same now could be said about China. Hidden from the world’s press for the moment as phone hacking takes the headlines, some local disputes in the east are causing concern in that corner of the globe. So, what are the chances of the actions of China causing economic panic? I look at the astrology.

The Chinese natal chart was formed on 1st October 1949 in Beijing (Peking) at 15.15 hrs. This gives China a Libran Sun in the hidden 8th house, with an cool Aquarian Ascendant as well as an Aquarian Moon buried deep in the 12th house. Libra and Aquarius are social signs, and Libra more than any other is equated with equality – this is the signature of Communism and Socialism. Interestingly though, the Chinese Sun is in the 8th house of big business and other people’s finance. Fascinating how the Communist giant has suddenly transformed into an economic superpower. With an accent on the water houses the 8th & the 12, the Chinese have a way of adapting to a situation, whilst keeping their core values at heart. Very clever. The 8th house is Scorpio’s house, where change and transformation is initiated. We in the West still find the Chinese bizarre, obtuse, unusual and revolutionary – all words associated with Aquarius.

The Moon, representing the people in the 12th show that they are in effect hidden away, they suffer and serve the nation (12th house) and being quindecile to a brutal Pluto/Mars conjunction in regal Leo they are kept under tight control and those breaking the rules suffer terrible punishment. If ever you were to see a signature of human rights abuse, this quindecile is it. Saturn also sits in the 7th house with Pluto and Mars. China tramples over the weak and always tries to dominate in it’s relationship with other countries. The size of the armed forces (Mars) is huge (Pluto) and this enormous force of numbers does the state's bidding in snuffing out any potential rebellion. Saturn is peregrine in perfectionist Virgo. Here are the authorities having eyes everywhere, in every town and village across the country. Everything must be done correctly and precisely in the way of the state. This is a penal, harsh Saturn. It is also a Saturn critical over other countries and the way they do things. The problem with these 3 heavyweight planets in the house of relationships, is that China will be tempted to start to throw her weight around once she feels she is strong enough. The signs are just starting to appear.

Control permeates across this chart. The Midheaven representing those at the top is ruled by Scorpio; we rarely if ever see the rulers of China, as they make decisions away from prying eyes deep within the Forbidden City in Beijing. Pluto/Mars squares out to Venus in the 9th house. The birth rate is controlled. This is a competitive country, and success in sport is rewarded. Culture and art are instruments of pride in showing off the nation. Sextiles from Pluto and Mars go out to Mercury and Neptune. There is no freedom of press and with Mercury retrograde, what news there is will be centred on the nation internally and not on issues outside the borders of China. Neptune in conjunction to Mercury creates a veil of deception over what is communicated – beware, what the Chinese say is not what they will plan to do!! Neptune through Pisces on the cusp of the 2nd house controls the money supply and the economy. Again through the sextile from Pluto & Mars to Neptune, we know that the Chinese will tightly control their finances.

Jupiter in the 12th house and widely conjunct to the Moon shows that faith is present but it lies underground, hidden well away from the rulers and also suggests a generosity to the people, if they were allowed to show it. Finally I look at Uranus. Uranus is square to the Sun showing that the present China was formed under revolutionary conditions (backed up by the Aquarian ascendant). Uranus here sits in the 5th house square to the Sun and this suggests that the creative people, actors and artists will irritate the rulers although China culturally will want to be seen as unique and different. Social gatherings formed to protest will also be definitely shunned upon.

Now what of the present and the future? With a Libran Sun alarm bell start ringing with me straight away. This is a cardinal Sun and as we have seen with the UK and with the US, who also have cardinal Suns (in Capricorn & Cancer) problems have been widespread since Pluto moved into cardinal Capricorn in October in 2008, in the UK and US's cases of a financial nature. As I see it, China’s reaction to this Pluto could be far more worrying than the monetary problems of the western powers.

With the UK and to a lesser extent the US, the situations faced have been generally of their own making, with under regulation of the banking sectors being the main problem so far. This can be seen in the conjunction  and opposition aspects from transiting Pluto; the US is currently experiencing an intense quindecile between Pluto and natal Sun seen in the frantic budget negotiations going on. The Chinese Sun is at 7 degrees Libra and as such will be receiving a square aspect. These are tricky as you never have full control over the actions causing you difficulties and/or restraint, as others will be involved. Pluto will stationed 7 Capricorn in March/June this year the first 4 hits to this degree. It will connect again in Jan 2012, Aug/Sep 2012 and finally in November of that year. In working out in what way China will react to this Pluto Sun square,  we must look at where Pluto and the Sun are place natally and where the signs that they rule are placed. Pluto is in the 7th house, so action will be taken in relationship to other countries and the Sun is in the 8th house so this revolves around their possessions. This immediately leads me to think of the dispute in the South China Sea over the past few months. With Vietnam China flexed it’s muscles in May over potential oil and gas supplies in Vietnamese waters and just in the past few days, China has been in dispute with the Philippines about the Parcel and Sprawls island chains, both of which China unjustly claims are in their territorial waters. Going back to the astrology, Pluto through Scorpio rules the Midheaven and the 10th house so these disputes will be hyped up to a level of national importance and pride by the leaders and Leo ruling the Sun rules the 7th House;  again we have the relationship with other countries highlighted. We know that Pluto is conjunct Mars natally, and the worrying thought is that China might flex it’s considerable military muscle to resolve these disputes, as I hinted at earlier.

Transiting Pluto also opposes natal Uranus at 5 degrees Cancer and Uranus rules the first house. Any action China takes will be a shock to the system, and may induce protests from those who oppose the leadership. Pluto hits and stations on 5 Capricorn, directly opposite from now through to November this year. In 1989 during the Tiananmen Square protests, transiting Uranus was in the position Pluto is in right now and transiting Saturn was square to the natal Sun. Uranus is  square to it’s own natal position right now and will return to hit in April 2012 and again at the end of 2012. The set-up now and into next year is eerily reminiscent of those violent days when the student protest were brutally crushed, although this time China is a far more developed and confident country. This time any potential aggression as I see it will be aimed outwards at those around her borders.

Finally on the transits chart, transiting Saturn is due to hit natal Neptune and Mercury  at 13/14 Libra in late August early September. This suggests a hit on the Chinese financial scene (Pisces ruling the 2nd house) and authority, regulations or penal rule over 5th and 8th house issues (ruled by Gemini & Virgo on the cusps), these could be social entertainments or events (5th) and the possessions of other country’s money, businesses or even their land (8th) !!

Although seemingly not as severe as the 1989 aspects, the 2011 and 2012 aspects looking ahead seem to suggest that  China is preparing to flex her might as a global superpower. Any potential conflict in the South China Sea could send the already jittery money markets around the world explode in a frenzy of panic. Watch this space in the coming months as I keep an eye on China and her horoscope.

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The United Kingdom – Feeling the full effects of the July solar eclipse as the phone hacking scandal rages on.

The United Kingdom is being buffeted by the current hacking scandal which is extending into Parliament, the press, the police and into everyone’s consciousness. The current situation exploded into life on 4th July when a lawyer for the Milly Dowler family found out from the police that her mobile had potentially been hacked by a News of the World journalist. The latest solar eclipse happened on the 1st July and when put against the UK natal chart one can see immediately why this eclipse is rocking the UK to it’s foundations. So far the eclipse has claimed the scalps of several former News of the World employees (Andy Coulson, Rebekah Brookes), News Corporation and News International employees close to Rupert Murdoch (Les Hinton), John Yates, the assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police and the fallout may continue to spread to those in Number 10 Downing Street and across the globe to wherever Rupert Murdoch had media interests, maybe in Australia and in the US.

The UK natal chart harks back to the formation of the Union of the UK on 1st January 1801 in Westminster, London at midnight. This gives a Capricorn Sun in the 4th house of democracy directly opposite the Midheaven representing the head of State (the Queen) & the Moon in Cancer which represents the people is in the 10th house of government – the perfect place for a democratic system where the people have the ultimate power to hire and fire. The Cancerian Moon shows a propensity for security of the nation at all cost, hidden emotion behind an outer shell, the “stiff upper lip” we are known for, and a openness for women to get to the top. With a Libran Ascendant, the British play by the rules and expect everyone else in the world play fair too, and as a result the people get rather upset as when those expectations are flouted by others. Saturn showing government and authority is in the 11th house of groups and associations, very representative of a party political system. We find Uranus conjunct the Libran ascendant and this gives the UK a quirky individualism and a national tendency for rebellion and protest. Venus and Pluto in the 5th house is hugely creative as is Neptune in the 2nd house which is in a most musical position, the UK has been at the forefront of music and culture in the world, but Neptune here also shows the propensity to make money through the sea and sailing (the UK once had a huge merchant shipping operation) as well as it contributes confusion over finances – the UK’s financial record has always been very bumpy. Mercury in the third in Sagittarius screams free press an open tolerant attitude to religion (Gemini ruled by Mercury is on the cusp of the 9th house of knowledge & beliefs) and Mars in the 8th in Taurus shows a very steady and dedicated armed forces and an aggressive attitude to financial relations with other countries. Indeed with Aries ruled by Mars on the cusp of the 7th of foreign relations, one can say that the UK has a pioneering spirit, although sometimes too aggressive for it’s own good.

Now as I mentioned the UK has cardinal signs on the angles of it’s chart, the UK Midheaven is at 9 degrees 20 minutes Cancer and the Solar eclipse of the 1st July at 9 Cancer was a direct hit on that Midheaven, and this being a Cardinal cross formation, all 4 angles of the UK chart were affected. Saturn was close in conjunction to the UK ascendant, Pluto close to the IC at the bottom of the chart and Uranus within striking range of the Descendant. Solar eclipses are known to be malefic wherever they strike on a chart, and especially if they hit an angle. This is huge pressure on the UK and with Uranus, Pluto and Saturn involved we could guess that there would be a shock, scandal or shake up of major proportions (causing authority & government to be brought to bare) and eventually leading to a transformation of some kind (Pluto).

Looking at where the eclipse actually hit, it was just into the 9th house of international communications and the law courts (relating to international presence close to the top of UK government), Pluto was in the 3rd house of communications and the press. Pluto of course can refer to underground, sadistic and wholly unpleasant actions. Finally Uranus sits in the 6th house of the workers and also of national services including the police. In addition to the cardinal cross, transiting Neptune was going through the house of celebrity and entertainment and conjunct to natal Pluto. The ascendant of the eclipse was directly opposite natal Pluto.

This scandal and previously hidden and illegal actions (Neptune)  started through celebrity (5th) phone hacking (Pluto in 3rd) trials (9th) and spread to the general public (6th), involved the press (3rd) where the shock (Uranus) of the public’s (6th) revulsion to the hacking of the phone messages of murder victims (Pluto) and the families of soldiers (6th) killed in action. The proprietors of the newspapers involved (3rd) came from abroad (9th) and had close connections to the prime minister (Midheaven) and those in administration (Saturn). It lead to the closure of the News of the World (Pluto in 3rd), the shock (Uranus) sacking of it’s employees (6th) and will lead to legal cases (9th), probable controls on the press (Pluto in 3rd), shake up the activities of the police (Uranus in 6th) and will change the whole face of UK society through parliamentary pressure (Saturn in 1st conjunct ascendant). It may even eventually lead to a purge at the very top of government (Eclipse conjunct Midheaven). When an eclipse strikes the Midheaven those in charge may be struck out of office, or at the very least their public reputation is heavily tarnished from then on. As the Independent newspaper so aptly put it soon after all this broke, the UK may be facing it’s own Watergate moment.

My thanks to Astrologer Marjorie Orr who noticed the connection between the Solar Eclipse and the UK chart.

Marjorie Orr astrologer homepage

Other Phone hacking articles - News of the World closes   Astrology of the Murdoch family   Andy Coulson

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