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Charles Rangel - Gemini with Earth Grand Trine  From: Marjorie. (31 Jul 2010 18:02): 
I confess I'd never heard of Charles Rangel who is one of the more important Democrat Congressmen who is now up on violations of House rules, from filing incorrect tax returns to improperly using a rent-controlled apartment as a campaign office.
The Independent writes: 'Barring a compromise between his lawyers and the committee, he is likely to go before his peers for judgment in September - the first such ethics trial of a sitting Congressman since 1992. Mr Rangel himself now faces the prospect of an ignominious end to an illustrious 40-year career in Washington politics. It is, depending on your point of view, the sad downfall of a loveable rogue - or comeuppance for a Congressional baron with an outsized sense of entitlement, who had long lost touch with the voters he was supposed to serve.'

Born on 11 June 1930 he came out of a tough background with an abusive and largely absent father, but overcame his problems to serve with valour in Korea, got a law degree and prospered.
He has the 1930 astrological signature of hardship, deprivation and tumultuous times with Saturn in Capricorn opposing Pluto in Cancer square Uranus in Aries. He's also a Sun Jupiter in Gemini so is lucky, enthusiastic, communicative and keen to spread his net as widely as possible. He also has a materialistic Earth Grand Trine of Saturn in Capricorn trine Mars NNode in Taurus trine Neptune giving him an aptitude for money and solid achievement.
That Grand Trine is being elbowed by tr Pluto, now off the trine to Neptune but heading for the frustratingly trapped trine to Mars in 11/12 with tr Saturn aiming to square Saturn this Oct - with much worse to follow come 12/123 as tr Pluto is conjunct Saturn and tr Uranus squares it. The tr Saturn opp tr Uranus has also been squaring his Jupiter this year, dampening his optimism. Though tr Uranus has another square come Nov/Dec this year which might just cut him some kind of deal.
It's certainly not what the Democrats need heading in for potentially damaging Nov elections.
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Tom Jones - singing into the sunset  From: Marjorie. (31 Jul 2010 17:06): 
Welsh-born singer Tom Jones has re-invented himself with a new album which sounds more blues and gospel than pop. He has over the years had a wide repertoire in his 45 year career, selling 150 millions records.
Born four months before John Lennon on 7 June 1940 at 12.10 am Pontypridd, Wales he has an archetypal pop singer chart. His light, airy Gemini Sun is on the cusp of his entertainment 5th house with a Gemini Moon also in the 5th. So he loves to be centre stage, getting attention and keeping an audience happy. His Sun/Moon midpoint squares an 8th house musical Neptune though it also points to a somewhat Neptunian approach to commitment to his long suffering wife of 50 years plus.
He has a passionately enthusiastic and emotional Venus Mars in Cancer in the 6th sextile the Jupiter Saturn conjunction in Taurus in the 3rd. So he's a hard worker, communicative, constantly on the go. His 7th house Pluto trines his Midheaven so his intense approach does promotes his career. He also has the inspired Uranus trine Neptune of that generation.
Tr Pluto is trine his Jupiter in 10/11 which is confident and usually successful. His Solar Arc Jupiter is also heading to conjunct his Mars Venus by late 11/12 which should also give him a boost. Though he's got Solar Arc Uranus conjunct his Pluto come 2011 as well which may bring some upheaval to his closest relationships. With his Solar Arc Venus Mars conjunct his 8th house Neptune by 2012 which could bring disappointments, both financial and emotional.

I was trying to work out from John Lennon's chart (see post below) why he died such a young and iconic death while Tom Jones seems indestructible.
Lennon does have the Jupiter Saturn conjunction exact which Jones does not. And Lennon's Jup Sat is the focal point of an overloaded, fixed T square with a Moon opp Pluto so it is hugely emphasised.
Lennon's 9th Harmonic chart has a powerful, successful Pluto Jupiter sextile the 9H Midheaven. But it also has a difficult Sun opp Neptune Uranus, tied in by sextile/trine to an 'accident-prone' Mars Moon opp Saturn which in turn squares Venus. The 9th Harmonic is what makes one happy, that to which you strive towards. In Lennon's case he was keen to be influential and wealthy with Jupiter Pluto MC. But he also thrived on an element of chaos hoping for spiritual enlightenment - Sun Uranus Neptune; and wanted a life with an edge to it (Mars Saturn). Mars Saturn can be quite masochistic.
Whereas Tom Jones' 9th Harmonic although it has Pluto MC sextile Juputer which is similarly successful to Lennon's has much easier other aspects. Jones' 9H Sun is trine Mars Venus so he goes with the flow of his passions. And his Saturn trines Neptune Uranus Mercury sextile Moon - so he's creative, adaptable and focussed on his public (focal point Moon).
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Potters Bar Train Crash - more Mars  From: Marjorie. (31 Jul 2010 12:07): 
Talking of afflicted Mars - the Potters Bar train crash of 2002 is due to be re-investigated with a view to criminal charges for negligence being laid if proven.
It occurred ay 12.55pm on 10 May 2002 at Potters Bars, England when the train derailed, killing 7 and injuring many.
At that point the Taurus Sun was exactly conjunct the Midheaven; with an exact Mars conjunct North Node, conjunct Venus, conjunct Saturn opposition Pluto in place which is a bleak and destructive combination. The Mars Pluto opposition was 2 degrees from exact. But both the Sun and Mars aspected the highly strung, disruptive Neptune/Uranus midpoint exactly, the Sun by square the Mars by trine. And Pluto was also exactly in opposition to the Mars/Saturn midpoint as well. Not a good mix.
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Mexico's High Noon - more narco deaths  From: Marjorie. (31 Jul 2010 11:52): 
Another drug lord bites the dust in an army shoot out in Mexico. The death of Ignacio Coronel, known as the "King of Crystal" for his control over methamphetamine into the United States is a significant feather in the cap of President Felipe Calderon. More than 25,000 people have died in drug-related violence since the Mexican Government launched its offensive against the cartels in late 2006.
Coronel was believed to be the right-hand man of Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, Mexico's most-wanted drug lord who has made it onto the billionaires list.
Coronel, born 1 Feb 1954 was a Sun Venus in Aquarius, in a confident trine to Jupiter and a determined square to unyielding Saturn in Scorpio. But what marks his chart is a Mercury in Aquarius opposition Pluto square Mars in Scorpio. Putting that headstrong, dogged, ruthless Mars in Scorpio as the focal point.

Joaquin Guzman, born, 4 April 1957, is a Sun Venus in Aries sextile Mars in Gemini, trine Saturn in Sagittarius. So he again has an afflicted Mars with the opposition to Saturn. It is also a highly entrepreneurial chart with Uranus and Pluto also in Fire signs in Leo. His life has taken a considerable jolt at the moment with his Solar Arc Mars conjunct his Uranus.

Arturo Beltran Leyva, another drug lord, despatched late last year, 27 Sep 1961, also had an afflicted/hard aspected Mars in Libra square Jupiter Saturn in Capricorn.

President Calderon, is himself a Leo Sun sextile Mars in Gemini; with a confident Jupiter in Pisces opposition Uranus Pluto in Virgo. He's looking more than a touch insecure in October this year as tr Uranus squares his Mars, and that returns in early 2011.
His Presidency chart, 1 Dec 2006, has a heavy weight Saturn in Leo square Mars in Scorpio, trine Pluto in Sagittarius describing his admirable and courageous though possibly foolhardy campaign against the drug lords. It is in trouble this year and more so next. His Government's confidence is being eroded by tr Neptune square Mars from September through till early 2011; and then tr Neptune square the composite Mars. Tr Uranus is trine the Govt SArc Mars and square Solar Arc Pluto in Aug/Sep and Feb/March 2011 which is very unstable.
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Sylvio Berlusconi - Libran wobbles  From: Marjorie. (31 Jul 2010 11:18): 
Sylvio Berlusconi's Italian Government is in trouble as his main coalition ally backs out. It has led to talk of his reign in power not surviving until the 2013 elections.
Which could well be true since his Government chart (8 May 2008) has tr Saturn and tr Uranus both square the Govt Pluto - which is usually a sign of a major upheaval. Tr Uranus returns to do the same next spring. He's certainly looking highly insecure from mid August onwards
His own personal chart has a 5 degree Libra Sun as well which will be damped down by tr Saturn in September. He'll probably try to brass-neck it out as he so often as done before since he's got a confident tr Pluto sextile Solar Arc Jupiter from mid Aug to Oct. But then tr Pluto returns to square his Libra Sun across the New Year and thro' 2011 with the tr Uranus opposition picking up by 2012. He's never going to survive all of that at the top.
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Crime Writers - P D James stands out  From: Marjorie. (30 Jul 2010 12:05): 
Following on thoughts from PD James I had a quick look through about 12 of the top crime writers and curiously she has THE most difficult chart in terms of heavy energy with her Mars in Scorpio trine Uranus trine Pluto all focussed on Saturn in Virgo. Even the creepy Patricia Cornwell who (I think) writes blood curdling thrillers has a lighter chart.
Admittedly Wilkie Collins who started the genre has a Mars opp Pluto (Moon) square Neptune opp Jupiter - which has a tinge of the dark side about it. And Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) has a Moon MC opp Saturn square Pluto Mercury - but that's bleak rather than bloody.
It is surprising since she seems so well bred and has led a blameless, hard working life.
Most of the others - Agatha Christie, Menkell, Dorothy L Sayers, Margery Allingham, Mickey Spillane, Patricia Highsmith, Raymond Chandler, Ruth Rendell, Edgar Allan Poe - have a sprinkling of Air. Whereas PD James has none. Though some don't have especially well aspected Mercurys. Where birth times exist there are also strong 3rd/9th house placings.
So sometimes the standard astrological rules-of-thumb don't apply.
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Dr Crippen - the murder guessing game  From: Marjorie. (30 Jul 2010 11:51): 
Dr Crippen was probably one of the most famous of murderers, who killed his wife, dismembered her, dissolved some of her remains in the bath and fled to the USA. He was apprehended and ultimately hanged. New evidence purports to show he might have been innocent.
Born on 11 September 1862 in Michigan he was a Sun Saturn in Virgo with his Sun in a controlling trine to Pluto and an impulsive square to Uranus. His Uranus was sextile an assertive Mars in Aries.
When his wife Cora disappeared on 31 Jan 1910 tr Saturn was exactly conjunct his Mars which seems a clear enough indication of at least a nasty accident. Tr Neptune was also within a degree of squaring his Mars suggesting panic in the aftermath. And tr Pluto was just passed the square to his Saturn suggesting a very heavy period just before they parted company.
One theory is that he may have accidentally overdosed her on a Victorian play drug and then tried to dispose of the evidence. But I'd put my money on his guilt.
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UK and India - hope over experience  From: Marjorie. (30 Jul 2010 11:40): 
David Cameron, the new UK PM having grovelled all over President Obama is now doing much the same in India in the hope of the UK picking up a few breadcrumbs from the dynamic Indian economy. Turning the tables from the days of the old Raj may not be that easy since memories of Britain's former colonial arrogance run deep.
The UK chart plotted on the India independence chart (15 Aug 1947 12.00 am) does suggest a very intense relationship with the UK Sun in the India 8th. But the UK Saturn is also conjunct the India Sun putting a damper on good feelings; with the UK Pluto in India's 10th suggesting the old power plays will get in the way.
On the relationship chart there's a Sun Neptune conjunction suggesting high hopes/delusions will prove disappointing. So not an interface which carries great promise.

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California - land of hope up a cul de sac  From: Marjorie. (30 Jul 2010 11:21): 
California is slowly grinding to a halt under its debt problem with no resolution in sight via a new budget which might help ease the matter. Governor Schwarzenegger says October is crunch point. He leaves office at the end of the year.
The California chart (9 Sep 1850) certainly shows late October as bad tempered, blocked and high stress with tr Saturn conjunct the California Mars and heading to a depressed conjunction with Mercury in Nov this year.
There's also a tremendous whammy of Solar Arc Uranus Solar Arc Pluto conjunct that Mars. If the California start time was 12 am then it hits exact in early Nov. but if mid day then into early 2011. Though Solar Arcs spread their shadow ahead of them so the pressure is building and building towards a complete meltdown.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is certainly not a happy camper come late September/early October with a confused, uncertain tr Saturn conjunct his Solar Arc Sun and then natal Neptune. He leaves office with his Solar Arc Sun approaching the conjunction to his Neptune so his sense is going to be of failure. He also has tr Pluto conjunct his 6th house Moon at the moment till mid Aug and again mid Oct till late Nov which will put him under emotional and health strain.
His Governorship chart (17 Nov 2003) always indicated a difficult tenure with an unsettling Sun square Uranus and worse a frustratingly stuck, irritable Pluto Venus square Mars and Mars trine Saturn.
He took on California's highest office as tr Saturn was heading into his 1st house and first lower quadrant so it never looked like a high success time for him. With tr Neptune opposing his Saturn Pluto conjunction square Jupiter in the early years. All very slipping and sliding and no progress.

Alison Lurie's presumably complimentary saying may well come to have uncomfortable undertones. 'As one went to Europe to see the living past, so one must visit Southern California to observe the future.'
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Mark Chapman & John Lennon - bound by fate and hatred  From: Marjorie. (29 Jul 2010 10:35): 
Mark Chapman, John Lennon's killer is due for another parole hearing on August 9th as he is into the 29th year of a 20 years to life sentence. Yoko Ono has written to oppose his being freed.
Deemed a schizophrenic at the time of his trial, he'd had a fractured life with an abusive father, a history of drug taking, latterly becoming a born-again Christian. Born on 10 May 1955 at 7.30pm Fort Worth, TX, USA he does have an extraordinary chart. His Sun Taurus is in opposition to an obsessively conscientious Saturn in Scorpio squaring onto Pluto - describing the unyielding bleakness of his soldier father.
Pluto also sextiles his 8th house buried-anger Mars in Gemini and trines Venus so his feelings do run deep and intense. With a Venus in Aries opposition Neptune square Jupiter Uranus in Cancer. So he has a half Grand Sextile and a Fixed T square and a Cardinal T Square.
The mid 1950s did produce some remarkable talents with that emphasised Jupiter Uranus conjunction but his life perhaps because of house placings went off the rails.
When he murdered John Lennon on 8 Dec 1980 tr Pluto was within a degree of a square to his emphasised Jupiter Uranus conjunction, boosting his already manic state. With the heady tr Jupiter conjunct tr Saturn in Libra trine his Mercury - doing much the same.
There are marked cross overs between Chapman and John Lennon's chart - 9 Oct 1940 6.30pm Liverpool, England. Chapman's Venus was exactly conjunct Lennon's Aries Ascendant, so he'd be drawn to Lennon's public image. With Chapman's Capricorn Moon trine Midheaven sitting conjunct Lennon's Midheaven trine Venus - so there's a good deal going on which is partly affectionate, partly envious. Chapman's emphasised controlling Pluto was also squared Lennon's Uranus in Taurus so Chapman's need to be the one pulling the string proved to be the final upset in Lennon's life. Chapman's Chiron was also conjunct Lennon's Aquarius Moon so perhaps in some warped way Chapman though his road to healing lay in destroying Lennon's connection to the public (Moon).

But the relationship chart shows up a less Venusian connection with a hatred-filled, brutal Saturn opposition a Mars Pluto conjunction. It is a real killers' interface. Tr Pluto was exactly sextile the composite Mercury and trine the composite Uranus in 1980 so an intensely disruptive point.

The tragically interesting point about Lennon's chart is that he was born on an exact Jupiter Saturn conjunction in Taurus, launched his stratospherically successful career twenty years later on the next Jupiter Saturn conjunction, and died twenty years after that on the next almost exact Jupiter Saturn conjunction in Libra. Jupiter Saturn can be problematic for those who become public icons - who fly too high on the Jupiterian soar and are then cut down to earth by Saturn. For most normal people with Jupiter Saturn who don't defy the gods with overwhelming ambition, this doesn't happen clearly. They just struggle with finding a balance between idealism and realism.

When Lennon died tr Uranus was just into his 8th house of transformation, conjunct his Solar Arc Sun - so had he not died, he'd still have had a tremendous jolt. His Solar Arc Uranus was also just into his 4th house. So there was a great deal of Uranian energy was sitting at critical points in his chart releasing a sudden burst of disruptive energy. Plus the tr Jupiter tr Saturn conjunction was square his Midheaven and tr Pluto was trine his Solar Arc Saturn Jupiter - again highlighting the crucial nature of that Jupiter Saturn in his life.

Chapman's chart also impacts strongly on Yoko Ono's - 18 Feb 1933 8.30pm Tokyo, Japan. Chapman's bleak Sun falls in her 8th house of transformation with his impulsive Jupiter Uranus conjunction her 10th house Pluto, pulling away her power and control. Her Pluto squares a 7th house Uranus so his Cardinal T Square - also disrupted her close but unconventional relationship with Lennon. Chapman's angry, explosive Mars is square her 12th house Jupiter Mars in Virgo, destroying her peace of mind.
Their relationship chart also has a hatred-filled Mars Pluto conjunction sitting on the composite Midheaven trine the composite Sun, so there'll be no forgive and forget.

At the moment Chapman has difficult transits to midpoints making it seem unlikely that this his sixth parole hearing will be any more successful than the previous ones. But he's also got his Solar Arc Midheaven conjunct his natal Jupiter Uranus - so he could get lucky. Though life on the outside after thirty years of institutional living would be almost impossible for him and highly risky since he'd undoubtedly be targeted by the media and then vengeful fans.
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James Cracknell - Pluto upended by tr Saturn tr Uranus  From: Marjorie. (29 Jul 2010 09:20): 
James Cracknell, the British rowing champion, double Olympic gold medalist and adventurer is recovering from a fractured skull after being hit by a truck as he cycled across America.
Born 5 May 1972 he's an earthy Sun in Taurus in an expansive trine to Jupiter in Capricorn; with a creative/anxious Saturn opposition Neptune. But what gives him his drive is a passionately enthusiastic and highly determined Mars Venus in Gemini square Pluto in Virgo. When his accident happened when tr Saturn was conjunct his Pluto with tr Uranus returning to the opposition on and off till early 2011. There are fears of residual brain damage so it's expected to be a while before he's back fighting fit again.
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Cardinal Richelieu - arch manipulator  From: Marjorie. (28 Jul 2010 12:10): 
Cardinal Richelieu was the key political figure during the reign of King Louis X111 of France becoming effectively the world's first Prime Minister. He sought to consolidate royal power and crush domestic factions. His successes were extremely important to Louis XIII's successor, Sun King Louis XIV who continued Richelieu's work of creating an absolute monarchy.
Not much loved, Richelieu is seen as a Machiavellian character - 'the end justifies the means'. So it would be a considerable worry to him, one imagines, that no legitimate heir was forthcoming from Louis X111's long and unhappy marriage to Anne of Austria. He plotted and planned everything else so why not this?
Though it would have to be said that Louis X1V was born in 1638 just four years before Richelieu's death at 59 years of age which had been creeping up on him for years with a litany of nasty ailments so not entirely sure he'd have been up to fathering Louis X1V. But he was certainly interested in Louis X111 progeny as per below.

Born on 9 September 1585 at 9.28 am Chinon, France, Richelieu was a Sun Virgo opposition Pisces Moon (in the fertile 5th!) square Jupiter in the 8th so he'd be lucky and confident. He had a ferociously determined Mars North Node on his Scorpio Ascendant plus an equally relentless Pluto Saturn in Aries in his hard working 6th trine his Midheaven.

Louis X111 had Saturn in Scorpio on the cusp of his 5th so late children would have been expected from his chart. And with his Saturn opp Uranus square Mars his late child perhaps also give rise to anger and suspicion. Richelieu's Mars NNode were conjunct Louis X111's late/non-child producing Saturn. And Richelieu's Leo Midheaven was conjunct Louis X111's Mars in Leo - so there's a good deal going in there about the Royal succession and money wrapped up in Richelieu's ambitions.

Louis X111 had Pluto in the 10th so had a controlling, possessive mother. R's well-honed Pluto fell in Louis X111's 10th house so he in a sense replaced the errant Marie of Medicis in holding the strings during Louis X111's reign - though admittedly with some blips along the way.

You can't tell from charts about biological fathers especially with Royals who led such warped lives. But Richelieu's chart does fit remarkably well with Louis X1V's. Both were Sun Mercury in Virgo with Venus at the same degree in Leo. Perhaps why they looked quite similar. Richelieu's Venus Midheaven were conjunct Louis X1V's Moon Venus in Leo. R's Mars in Scorpio was conjunct Louis X1V's Jupiter. So there was a clear progression from R's determined ambitions to Louis XIV's expansively Jupiterian reign which followed.
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Hans Blix - proved right  From: Marjorie. (28 Jul 2010 12:09): 
Hans Blix, the former UN Weapons Inspector who argued for a delay in attacking Iraq since repeated inspections couldn't find any active WMD programmes, yesterday gave evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry. He criticised both Tony Blair and GWB for relying on what he said was very questionable intelligence.
Born on 28 June 1928, the former Swedish diplomat is a charming though determined Sun Venus Mercury Pluto in Cancer with an independent-minded square from Uranus in Aries.
When the Iraq Attack was launched on March 20 2003 the tr Saturn opposition Pluto was hitting his Solar Arc Uranus exactly, having just finished squaring his Solar Arc Venus Sun Mercury - so quite a jolt for him Though oddly his Solar Arc Jupiter was also conjunct his Pluto which is usually a sign of confidence - perhaps in part his high profile, central role at that point and also a feeling that he was about to be proved right.
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Hayward, Dudley, Svanberg - BP changing skippers in a storm   From: Marjorie. (27 Jul 2010 14:32): 
Tony Hayward has half fallen on his sword by resigning as CEO of BP though it says a good deal about conglomerate politics that he's been kept on by BP to help handle their Russian interests. Putting in an American CEO, Bob Dudley, from October will quell US ire but could upset Russian sensitivities since Dudley had to flee from there when he was in charge of BP Russia.
There's also pressure mounting to oust the invisible BP Chairman Carl Svanberg who let Hayward take all the flak through the oil spill.
Hayward (21 May 1957) has the jolting Solar Arc Saturn opposition his natal Uranus at the moment, bringing to a halt his grand ideas for reform. And tr Neptune this year is opposing his Pluto and is perhaps around the conjunction to his Moon, making him feeling as if he losing his power and standing on swampy ground. He's looking thoroughly gloomy and confused through 10/11 but bounces back on form by 2012.
His CEO chart (1 May 2007) shows up the timings much more pointedly even than his personal chart. When he took over there was a Jupiter Pluto conjunction in Sagittarius opposition Venus in Gemini square an explosive Mars Uranus in Pisces - so it was never going to be a smooth sail. The Oil Spill occurred when tr Uranus (opp tr Saturn) was exactly square that CEO Pluto - effectively upending it. When he leaves the top job on Oct 1, tr Uranus is back to the same degree on the square to Pluto ending his term. Tr Saturn has also moved to close to exact the opposition to Neptune on that CEO chart.
Interestingly his relationship chart with BP didn't show up as a complete rupture - more muddle, disappointment and a complete shift (tr Uranus trine comp Pluto).
When Bob Dudley (no birth date) takes over on Oct 1There's a Sun Saturn conjunction square Pluto opp Cancer Moon; with Mercury and (widely) Sun Saturn opp Uranus. So it's going to be a slow, hard haul to make progress over very bumpy terrain.
Chairman Svanberg, another Gemini, is having a frustrating, risky Aug to Oct with a look of high insecurity in his chart from Oct through till early 2011 so he may not last much longer. His Chairman chart has a Pluto Venus Sun in Capricorn square Saturn in Libra between 3 and 10 degrees Cardinal - so he's not going to survive too long with the influences of this year and next hitting all those key planets.
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Ben Bernanke + Fed Reserve - looking for light and not finding much  From: Marjorie. (27 Jul 2010 13:46): 
Ben Bernanke, head of the Fed Reserve Bank, born on 13 Dec 1953 is an optimistic Sagittarian Sun opposition Jupiter perhaps square a Pisces Moon. With that expansive Sun Jupiter opposition keying in by sextile/trine to a publicity conscious Mars Neptune in Libra. In fact now that I look, he has a half-Grand Sextile of Sun sextile Mars Neptune sextile Pluto sextile Jupiter. His Mars Neptune is further emphasised being on the point of a T square to a Uranus in Cancer opp Capricorn NNode. So h'll be impatient, go ahead, hyper-energetic though not always sound in judgement (Uranus Neptune Mars).

What is being spotlighted in his chart in 10/11 is his missing link - an unaspected Saturn in Scorpio. Tr Pluto is in a dreary, slog-on through-tough-times sextile in 10/11. And exactly at the moment he has tr Pluto conjunct his Solar Arc Saturn in Capricorn, returning in Oct/Nov 2010. With tr Saturn square SArc Saturn come this August. While not totally catastrophe time it certainly isn't cheerful and he'll be feeling untypically very downbeat.
Into 2011 his Solar Arc Neptune is approaching the lack-lustre, slipping-and-sliding conjunction to his Sun which isn't success time and faring worse the following year with Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Neptune. So not an easy road ahead.
The Fed Reserve chart, if the 9 am start is accurate, has a debilitating Solar Arc Neptune conjunct Moon exact within about three and a half months; and its' Saturn Pluto conjunction is picking up the downbeat square from tr Saturn in early August and more discouragement in Oct 2010 with tr Saturn square SArc Saturn Pluto. Not as bad as it was two years back with tr Pluto opp Saturn Pluto. But it still has the exceptionally jolting and jarring tr Uranus opp Saturn Pluto to come in 11/12. So bumping along the bottom for a while yet.
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The Man in the Iron Mask - the less than lovely Royal lifestyle  From: Marjorie. (26 Jul 2010 11:25): 
There are so many conflicting and fanciful theories as to who the Man in the Iron Mask imprisoned in France from 1669 until his death in 1703 really was that it's impossible to say.
What is feasible is that he was Sun King Louis XIV's father. Louis XIV's putative father, Louis X111, was homosexual and the child appeared 23 years into a childless marriage so seems unlikely that he actually was the sperm donor. But even if the real father had only been 20 when doing the deed it would make him a stalwart late 80s when he died.
The mystery man who ended up in prison, only turned up three years after Louis XIV's mother had died, so it is a possibility that his claim to be the real papa would have been seen as a threat to the legitimacy of Louis XIV's claim to the throne.
Certainly the dates of the Man in the Iron Mask's incarceration and death do show up on Louis XIV's chart as fairly significant. Louis XIV was born on 5 Sep 1638 at 11.13am St Germain, France and he was a Sun Virgo; with a bleak Saturn in Aquarius trine Pluto in Gemini; and a Fixed T Square of Moon Venus in Leo opp Saturn square an expansive Jupiter in Scorpio.
In 1669 when the long prison sentence started Louis's chart shows relief and a confidence boost (tr Uranus sextile Jupiter, tr Jupiter tr Pluto trine Jupiter and opp NNode) with some underlying anxieties (tr Neptune conj Saturn, trine Pluto). When the man died in 1703 after 34 years inside Louis's chart had tr Jupiter trine Sun, tr Uranus opp Saturn, tr Uranus sextile Pluto - so again a mix of confidence, progress and quite a jolt. Although he was a King, he was also a man so whether it was his father or a brother it would tug at his heart strings at some deeper level.
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Louis Oosthuizen - a bundle of energy and grit  From: Marjorie. (26 Jul 2010 10:56): 
Thanks to Robert Blaschke for a birth time for Louis Oosthuizen, the South African golfer who won the St Andrew Open. I've put the URL below of Robert's excellent piece on Oosthuizen.

And what a chart. Born on 19 Oct 1982 at 11.02 am Mosselbaai, South Africa he has a very bundled chart with all planets in three consecutive signs. He has a close conjunction of Sun Pluto Saturn in Libra making him ultra-persevering, with Venus and Mercury also in Libra. So charming as well as gritty. He's also got an emotionally intense and expansive Moon Jupiter in Scorpio. Mars Neptune in sporty Sagittarius sextile his Venus Sun Saturn Pluto - so he's designed for the PR showbiz side of international golf with Mars Neptune; is disciplined, energetic and determined with Mars sextile Saturn, Sun, Pluto; and has that oddly quirky athletic Neptune in there as well.
His win came as tr Pluto was sextile his Progressed/Solar Arc Midheaven with his Solar Arc/Progressed Sun conjunct his Scorpio Moon - so a real coming together.
He's in a generally confident, upbeat couple of years with tr Pluto sextile his Sun/Jupiter; with better to come in 11/12 with tr Pluto sextile Jupiter/Pluto.
As Robert points out St Andrews suits him with Jupiter on his Ascendant, relocated there.

www.earthwalkastrology.com
/Louis%20Oosthuizen.html
(The URL is split for length so you need to join it back together.)
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Rod Blagojevich - trying to squelch a firefly  From: Marjorie. (26 Jul 2010 10:39): 
The shamelessly irrepressible Rod Blagojevich is now at the end of a lengthy trial on charges of bribery and corruption, including trying to trade Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat in return for political favours. He could be facing a long jail sentence but is putting on a bravado performance as though he's running for office. And who knows with the American legal system?

Born on 10 Dec 1956 he's an ever-optimistic Sun Sagittarius. But what really marks his chart is an entrepreneurial Fire Grand Trine of Mars in upfront Aries trine Saturn in Sag trine Uranus in Leo. Fire Grand Trines are unshakeable in their self confidence, demanding of attention, not humble, bouncing with high-octane energy. He's also got a chance-your-arm Mars opposition Jupiter in late Virgo squaring onto Mercury in Capricorn - so all mouth and expansive promises. Plus his Mercury trines Pluto and both sextile Neptune in a mini-Grand Trine. An emphasised Neptune can be slippery.
With the tr Pluto square tr Saturn hitting his very accentuated Mars in Aries in August with tr Pluto continuing to square Mars till Oct this year - he's hitting a really stuck patch so a get-out-of-jail-free card looks unlikely. Plus his Solar Arc Uranus is in a highly insecure opposition to his Mars in 2011.
Right at the moment he does have tr Pluto trine Jupiter/Uranus which can bring luck breaks and that's back Oct/Nov this year. And he's certainly bouncing again by 2012. So he'll be the cat with nineteen lives and not be down for long. Though tr Uranus will take till 2012 to clear his Mercury T square.
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Wikileaks - raising the bar  From: Marjorie. (26 Jul 2010 09:41): 
Wikileaks, the whisteblowing website, has just released a ton of confidential papers relating to the US Afghanistan war effort. In an interesting development of wikileaks' strategy it released the papers early to the UK Guardian, New York Times, German Der Spiegel to allow reporters time to sift through the material.
As fas as I can see Wikileaks was registered as a domain name on 4 Oct 2006 and launched onto public access on 3 Jan 2007. The 2007 chart would make sense since it has Jupiter and Mars in crusading Sagittarius in a rebellious, no-compromise square to Uranus conjunct North Node in Pisces. That's intriguing having Uranus as the planet fitting them into the zeitgeist since Wikileaks does see itself as the torchbearer shining light on hidden places which is very much the Uranian issue.
Pluto is also in Sagittarius in a high-risk, courageous conjunction to Mars with both in an unyielding trine Saturn in Leo. **ssing off Governments and major conglomerates is definitely a dangerous past time.
Julian Assange, the Australian, behind Wikileaks has a recognisable photograph but questionable background. One version is that he is an ex-mathematician and physicist; the other is he was from an itinerant family with no father and started as an underground computer nerd. All that I can find is he was born 1971 when Jupiter was also in Sagittarius along with Neptune which fits with the launch chart. There was probably a Saturn in Taurus trine Pluto so definitely the chart of a stubborn outsider; with Saturn probably square a 'humanitarian-cause' Aquarius North Node. No doubt more will emerge about his background - perhaps from Australia?
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Cambodia torture - Mars Pluto Scorpio  From: Marjorie. (25 Jul 2010 14:46): 
Some signs and aspects are rather unfairly dubbed as bad. But there again sometimes their 'afflicted' reputation is well deserved. On trial in Cambodia at the moment for the regimes crimes is Kaing Guek Eav, head of the Khmer Rouge special branch who ran an infamous prison which tortured and starved inmates.
Born on 17 Nov 1942 he's a Sun Venus Mercury in Scorpio with Mars in Scorpio is square to Pluto in Leo. Mars in Scorpio square Pluto in its most negative aspect is almost the archetypal signature for torture and killing. Eav himself was tortured when younger by Government forces.
His Pluto is further emphasised being on the point of a mini Grand Trine of Neptune to Saturn Uranus in Gemini. So it's a Water Air chart which is a difficult combination in itself.
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Germany - death at Love Parade  From: Marjorie. (25 Jul 2010 13:05): 
The 18 deaths at the German Love and Peace rally may well fit in with the Cardinal build up into early August. The German chart has Mars at 0 degrees Libra square Saturn at 1 degrees Capricorn (and Sun at 10 degrees Capricorn).
So at the moment tr Saturn is conjunct the Germany Mars with tr Uranus in opposition - which is an explosive, accident-prone combination. With tr Pluto hovering around in the background adding a destructive boost to the mix.
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Hurricane Higgins - lucky and self destructive  From: Marjorie. (25 Jul 2010 12:59): 
Hurricane Higgins, the wild and way-out Belfast bad boy of snooker has died of cancer. In a tumultuous career and personal life punctuated by punch ups, brawls, drinking, drugs and gambling he brought snooker to national attention.

Born on 18 March 1949 in Belfast he was a Sun Mars Venus in Pisces in an explosively rebellious square to Uranus and a lucky sextile to Jupiter in Capricorn. He also had an intense Scorpio Moon probably square Pluto so he lived life emotionally at quite a pitch.
His Saturn in Virgo which might have kept his feet on the ground was sparsely aspected.
He died after a long battle with ilnness as his Solar Arc Pluto was in a close conjunction to his Neptune; and his Solar Arc Jupiter approached the conjunction to his Mars Sun - so a merciful release.
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P D James - genteel bloody murder  From: Marjorie. (24 Jul 2010 13:20): 
PD James, the crime thriller writer par excellence, does at first glance have an odd chart for a writer - with no Air and a sparsely aspected retrograde Mercury.
She hasn't had an easy life with her mother in a mental hospital by her mid-teens so she had to care for her two younger siblings. Then she married a doctor in the Royal Army Medical Corps, who suffered a mental breakdown after WW11 and ended up in a psychiatric hospital. So she had to support him and her two daughters. He died at 44, it is thought, by suicide though she's never said. Her writing had to fit round her civil service administration job which she kept up long after her books became successful.

Born on 3 August 1920 in Oxford she's a Sun Neptune Venus Jupiter in Leo. Leo is the entertainment planet and Neptune is creative. She does seem to have an almost visionary sense of writing her books. She says: 'I usually begin with a setting, which sparks off my imagination. I have a very strong response to what I think of as the spirit of a place.'

She also has a striking and rather ferocious Water Grand Trine of Mars in Scorpio trine Pluto trine Uranus which forms a Kite from the Uranus opposition Saturn in Virgo, making Saturn the driving planet. You can see where she gets her fascination with murdered bodies and evil from. Though all presented in such a refined upper-class Leonine way.
Guessing birth times is a mug's game but on a mid afternoon time, she'd have Mercury and all her Leo planets in the publishing 9th, a well organised, disciplined Saturn in the 10th - and those truly difficult Water planets in the 12th, 8th, 4th which makes sense.
She talks of her sense of detachment from life, always observing - ' With some of the most difficult things that have happened in my life, part of me stands aside and watches me deal with it. In that sense my life has been a continual narrative.' She seems to dislike psychological probing of any variety, never seeming to question why she has 'visions' of bloody corpses which often spark off her next book plot. That would fit with heavily populated 4/8/12th houses which she doesn't want to address at a personal level.
Mars Pluto Uranus plus Saturn is a difficult combination and it's as well she has acted it out through her novels. Had she been a man she could have been a killer. But clearly she carries an ever present sense of danger with her, always double locking doors, having grilles on windows in her home.
One interviewer commented that it was perhaps not a coincidence of timing that Commander Adam Dalgliesh, hero of her novels, entered her life shortly before her husband left it. And added, it is telling that she has found consolation in crime fiction, a genre that always offers resolution and creates moral order. Which would be a strongly emphasised Saturn (maybe in the 10th).
But it is odd that her Mercury is so unaspected except perhaps for a trine to her Pisces Moon.
Her Mercury is more prominent via quintile and septile aspects. Her workmanlike creative 5th Harmonic has an inspired Mercury Uranus conjunction with Mercury in a confident trine to Jupiter and in a creative sextile to Neptune Sun. Her 5th Harmonic is also marked by two Yods - of Mars sextile Saturn inconjunct Uranus (conj Mercury) and Sun (Neptune) sextile Uranus (Mercury) inconjunct Saturn. This gives a sense of the strain in her life which has found an outlet through her writing.
In her other creative 7th Harmonic Mercury is opposition Jupiter and sextile Uranus.
Not sure if I've anything cogent to say on Mercury retrograde - I never pay much attention to them to be honest, having one myself.
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Jon Venables - a life gone bad  From: Marjorie. (24 Jul 2010 11:45): 
Jon Venables, the Bulger killer, has been returned to prison on a two year sentence for child pornography. The tabloid media has as per usual been stirring up vengeful mob hatred over the whole affair. And Jaimie Bulger's mother attended the trial. Why? It's sick.
Take a kid from a sink estate from a wildly dysfunctional family who then - surprise surprise - acts out with tragic consequences. Try him in an adult court at 11 years of age. Institutionalise him through his formative years. Then turf him out with a 'new identity' which means whatever fragmentary connections he had from his past are now completely ruptured and he's expected to turn into a socially well adjusted adult.
I'm not sure what the answer would have been except that major psychotherapeutic support through his time inside which continued thereafter would have been a no brainer.
Born on 13 Aug 1982 (no birth time) he doesn't have that difficult a chart. A Leo Sun trine Neptune, sextile Saturn Pluto in Libra is reasonably bleak but not more so than many. He's also got a confident Mars Jupiter in Scorpio square Venus in late Cancer and sextile Mercury in Virgo. Though where the planets fall in houses from a birth time could make all the difference. His Moon in Gemini/Taurus was opposition Uranus - so he had an unpredictable erratic mother to add to a Neptunian and rather unyielding father.
At the moment he has strangely enough tr Pluto sextile his Jupiter which should be confident and his Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct his Uranus which does suggest some kind of a lucky break. Tr Neptune may also be squaring a late Taurus Moon if he was an early morning birth. Though a professional close to him did say that he was having such problems coping with life outside that 'The return to prison was something of a relief when it came.'
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Transocean - Oil Spill blame widening  From: Marjorie. (24 Jul 2010 11:11): 
One of the UK gripes about the way the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been handled politically is that BP has been spotlighted as the only culprit. Yesterday 'the damning testimony yesterday from rig technicians working on the stricken Deepwater Horizon about safety alarms being routinely switched off on the Transocean rig could be a pivotal moment in the political blame game.' (Guardian).
Be interesting to see whether Obama's attack-British Petroleum stance widens to encompass the US owned Transocean, Anadarko etc who were also involved.
Transocean (30 Mar 1978; 5 Sept 1996) does look panicky, pressured and especially edgy later this year around Nov/Dec and is labouring mightily across the New Year into 2011.
While all the talk is of CEO Tony Hayward exiting BP, the one who should really be bounced is the BP Chairman Carl Svanberg. Svanberg left Hayward who is an engineer to flounder in media interviews when it was really the Chairman's job.
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Bjork - getting involved  From: Marjorie. (24 Jul 2010 10:57): 
The previous Bjork post is below. With Uranus Pluto closely conjunct her Midheaven she will want to make waves and change the status quo. She's certainly done it in her music but clearly she wants to paint on a broader canvas by taking on a more politically active role. She's also got a very outspoken Mars in Capricorn in the 3rd which will want to make her get her views heard.

Nov 2008 post: Bjork, the Icelandic singer, song writer, composer and producer is a Sun Neptune in Scorpio with a Scorpio Moon as well (not conjunct) which does make for powerful intensity. On this birth time she has the revolutionary Uranus Pluto conjunction exactly conjunct her midheaven which makes sense of a singer who is constantly pushing the boundaries, has an extraordinarily wide and at times eccentric range of musical styles. She has a passionately enthusiastic Mars Venus in Capricorn in the 3rd opposition Jupiter in Gemini in the 9th - so is communicative, adventurous, keen on making money but not always practical.
Her career should be moving into a more ambitious phase with tr Saturn into her upper quadrant for the next six years, perhaps taking on a more executive producing role. Though she'll have a few blips along the way with Solar Arc Mars square her Neptune in 2009 which is rather undermining and panicky; with more of the same when her Solar Arc Neptune conjuncts her Mars in 2010 - with tr Neptune square her Sun at the same time. In four years time her Solar Arc Uranus Pluto start to conjunct her 12th house Moon which will cause some emotional upheavals for a couple of years.
21 Nov 1965 7.50 am Reykjavik, Iceland.
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Venezuela versus Colombia - not cricket  From: Marjorie. (24 Jul 2010 10:51): 
Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela has broken off diplomatic relations with Colombia in a sulk because they were accused of harbouring left wing Farc rebels on Venezuelan territory.
The relationship chart between the two countries certainly could not be more stressed with a composite Mars Sun conjunction at 29 Virgo and 3 Libra opp Venus at 29 Pisces which is being buffeted by the tr Uranus opp tr Saturn square tr Pluto - and will continue to be so for another three years until tr Uranus clears the opposition to the Sun. So the breach could widen significantly with a great deal of bad temper at the very least erupting.
It may worsen when Juan Manuel Santos takes over as Colombia President on 7th August this year since he and Chavez are definitely at daggers drawn. Their relationship chart has a Sun Pluto conjunction sextile Mars Saturn Neptune with the latter in square to Uranus - so a power struggle, high wire tensions and high levels of impatience. There is disappointment writ large in this chart in 2011 and worse aggravation come 2012.

Santos takes over right on the difficult Cardinal Grand Square with Uranus Jupiter in Aries opp Venus Saturn Mars square Pluto NNode opp Moon - so he's in for a very bumpy ride indeed through his first three years term in office. And his own personal chart looks lack lustre, undermined and unhappy with Solar Arc Pluto conjunct Neptune this year and next; and Solar Arc Sun conjunct Neptune following. He is highly impatient with an accentuated Mars in Cancer on the focal point of a Jupiter opposition Neptune - so will tend to leap into impatient gestures and boil over easily.
Chavez's Presidency chart is being jolted and jarred this year by Solar Arc Saturn square Uranus this year and the very edgy tr Uranus square Solar Arc Sun in Nov/Dec this year. Plus a risky, frustrated tr Pluto square Mars across the New Year and thro' 2011.
Hugo Chavez: 28 July 1954
HC Pres: 6 Dec 1998
Juan Manuel Santos: 10 Aug 1951
JS Pres: 7 Aug 2010
Venezuela: 5 July 1811
Colombia: 17 Dec 1819
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Muttiah Muralitharan - one of a kind  From: Marjorie. (23 Jul 2010 13:08): 
The popular Muttiah Muralitharan has crowned his astonishing cricketing career by becoming the first cricketer to take 800 wickets in his final match. He was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002.
Born on 17th April 1972 in Sri Lanka he is a Sun in Aries with a high octane Fire Air chart. His passionately enthusiastic, restless Moon Mars Venus in Gemini are in a lovely trine to Uranus; and his sensible Saturn in Gemini is in a persevering trine to Pluto in Libra. His upfront Mercury in Aries trines Neptune in Sagittarius, as well as being tied into a T square opposition Pluto square Jupiter in Capricorn, his only earth planet. So he's intense and confident, attracting luck and the better things of life.
Fittingly as he retires from cricket his Solar Arc Sun is conjunct his Saturn - Saturn being the planet of limits and boundaries. His Solar Arc Jupiter is also trine his Uranus this year, guaranteeing that his exit would be a fortunate and joyful one.
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Strokes - Saturn Pluto + Uranus  From: Marjorie. (23 Jul 2010 12:17): 
This is hardly a solid survey since I only looked at three charts but it seems that Saturn Pluto and a hint of Uranus are more connected to strokes than anything else.
Richard Nixon (9 Jan 1913 9.35pm Whittier Jnctn, CA, USA) had a major stroke on 18 April 1994 from which he died a few days later. At that point tr Pluto was exactly opposition his Saturn (co-ruler of his 6th); tr Uranus was within a degree of being trine his Saturn; tr Saturn was opposition his Solar Arc Midheaven; and his tr Neptune was square his Solar Arc Uranus.
Walt Whitman (31 May 1819 1.45 am Huntington, NY, US) had a major stroke in early 1873 which severely incapacitated him thereafter. At that point tr Pluto was conjunct his Solar Arc Saturn; tr Saturn was sextile his natal Saturn Pluto conjunction; tr Uranus was conjunct his Solar Arc Sun; and his Solar Arc Uranus was square his Mercury. So not dissimilar to Nixon.
Stacy Keach, the actor, had a transient stroke last year but is now back working. Tr Uranus was sextile his 6th house Saturn; tr Saturn was sextile his Solar Arc Saturn and trine his Solar Arc Mars; tr Uranus was conjunct his IC/Nadir with Solar Arc Uranus approaching a conjunction to his 8th house Pluto.
It will differ I imagine with different personalities. The heavy Saturn Pluto tends to grind everything to a halt.
Perhaps Maggy has some thoughts.
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UN - grumbling and griping inside and drifting outside  From: Marjorie. (23 Jul 2010 12:00): 
The United Nations was born on 24 October 1945 at 4.45pm. It has an intense 7th house Scorpio Sun and Mercury square a 5th house Pluto. So it is dependent on alliances, stubborn, possessive, slow to let go control. All of which rather belies the fiery pro-active looking Aries Ascendant. Neptune Venus in Libra in the 6th give a sense of service though not always a practical outlook. Indeed there's no Earth in the chart at all so it's not always realistic. Jupiter in Libra trine Uranus and sextile that very emphasised 5th house Pluto - so grandstanding is part and parcel of its modus operandi.
There's also a curiously aggravated 4th house Mars Saturn in Cancer hinting at a not entirely happy internal set up.

Tr Saturn is now into the 6th about to conjunct Neptune Venus Jupiter from October this year onwards - so some confusion and uncertainty, a heavy workload but not much sense of progress. This is accentuated by the Solar Arc Sun squaring the UN Neptune in 10/11 which is lack lustre and drifting. There is also a good deal of jolting and jarring from tr Uranus opposition the Solar Arc Mars and Saturn at the moment till late September and returning early next year. So the highly critical memo of the departing senior aide about Ban Ki-Moon's failings may just be the beginning of internal rumblings of discontent.
Into 2011 tr Pluto is square the 6th house Neptune and Venus which does not bode well since it suggests even more uncertainty and muddle. What may help is Saturn rising above the Descendant in 2012 and beyond which should put the UN into a more prominent position.

The UN's relationships with the USA look most stressed at the moment and worsening to major frustration in 11/12. The EU interface also looks enfuriated and stuck with huge upheavals and disruptions come 2013/14. China's UN relationship looks edgy and unsettled this year especially in Nov/Dec but the major aggravation will come in 2012 and beyond.
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Desmond Tutu - Cardinal Grand Square plus plus plus  From: Marjorie. (23 Jul 2010 11:40): 
Desmond Tutu, who played a prominent role in the struggle against apartheid and was the first black cleric to become an Archbishop, is to retire from public life.
Born on 7 October 1931 he has an astonishing chart. His charming Sun Venus in Libra are part of a Cardinal Grand Square with Sun Venus opposition Uranus square Saturn in Capricorn opposition Pluto. So he grew up in the bleak 1930s which gave him the grit and perseverance for the challenges of his life. His courage was further strengthened by a determined Mars in Scorpio in a disciplined sextile to Saturn and (widely) in a never-say-die trine to Pluto.
What lifted his personality which could otherwise have been rather gloomy and argumentative was Jupiter Moon in Leo which sextile his Sun Venus and trine his Uranus. So he gives off an air of happiness and enthusiasm in spite of the difficulties into which his life and chart inevitably drew him.
Into next year tr Pluto is sextile his Solar Arc Jupiter which will produce some fun moments. Though his life will never be entirely settled and he could be facing a blockage by 2012 as Solar Arc Pluto is conjunct his Sun.

The South Africa (1910) chart has a Gemini Sun which sits well with his Libra Sun. It also has a Mars Neptune in Cancer opp Uranus in Capricorn square Venus in Aries onto which his Cardinal Grand Square sits with not always easy aspects. So his relationship to his homeland has its difficult aspects. But there's also a Sun Neptune conjunction in the Tutu/SAfrica chart pointing to a shared vision and an enthusiastic Mars Jupiter as well.
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George Clooney - onwards and upwards  From: Marjorie. (22 Jul 2010 14:51): 
George Clooney is to be given a humanitarian Emmy for his good works, most recently on behalf of the Haitian earthquake victims. He's managed to tread a subtle line in his career between high money earning films and socially relevant ones which interest him like Three Kings and Syriana.
Born 6 May 1961 2.58 am Lexington Manor, KY, USA he's a Sun Mercury in Taurus opposition a filmic Neptune, square a rebellious Uranus and trine a controlling/influential Pluto. His Capricorn Moon is conjunct Saturn and humanitarian Jupiter in Aquarius and opposition Mars in Leo - so he's an odd mix of rather emotionally clamped down and impatient(Moon Saturn opp Mars) as well as optimistic and risk-taking (Jup Mars). His Jupiter opp Mars squares onto Neptune, again giving a showbizzy feel to his chart. His Venus in party loving, upfront Aries is in a freedom-loving trine to Uranus.
With Jupiter now into his 1st house he's into a confident, outgoing phase and with Saturn rising above his Descendant his career looks set for years ahead.
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Wesley Snipes - not looking forward to 2012  From: Marjorie. (22 Jul 2010 14:50): 
Wesley Snipes, the actor, could have his bail revoked on tax evasion charges if prosecutors have their way in the US. Born 31 July 1962 he's an entertaining Sun, Moon and Mercury in Leo. Though the flamboyance of his Leo planets are held in check by a downbeat opposition to Saturn in Aquarius which squares onto Neptune in Scorpio. So he's inclined to ignore details/realities which don't suit him with such an emphasised Neptune.
He's also got a mega-pushy and determined Jupiter opp Pluto square Mars which will certainly give him a high handed inclination to go his own way and cross lines if necessary to get what he wants. This latter Mutable T Square has been damped down by transitting Saturn since charges were brought two years ago.
There's nothing much showing on his chart - without a birth time - except for tr Uranus square his Solar Arc Neptune in the autumn and into early 2011 which will be highly strung and anxious. Transits to his midpoints are edgy but not catastrophic until later in 2011 and thro' 2012/13/14 which do look really tough times.
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Switzerland - suffering from too much money  From: Marjorie. (22 Jul 2010 13:58): 
Switzerland is now reckoned to be such a safe haven from Eurozone and US economic woes that monies are pouring into their banks from outside investors to a degree which is causing problems. Switzerland's budget deficit is just 1pc of GDP; gross public debt is 40pc; the current account surplus is 9pc; unemployment is 3.9pc. The eight million Swiss have half a trillion dollars of external assets.

The Swiss National Bank chart (20 June 1907) is facing some wobbles and setbacks with tr Uranus still to square its Gemini Sun and conjunct its' Saturn in Oct this year and Jan 11. They've also got major pressures in 2011 from tr Saturn squares to their Jupiter Neptune opposition Uranus Mars. So they won't escape anxieties from the next great dip entirely. But what will keep them buoyant is a Solar Arc Jupiter trine Sun in 2011/12 which should keep them ahead of the game.

The Swiss franc chart (7 May 1850) is challenged at the moment, very edgy through July/Aug 2010 and not as secure in 11/12.

The two Swiss charts (1231, 1291) give the same sort of indications of setbacks this October and undermining confusion in 11/12. Though the 1291 chart also indicates some spikes of good luck in Aug/Sept 10 and March 11.

Norway is evidently now seen as a safer resort for sovereign bonds than Switzerland. It is the third wealthiest country in the world in monetary value, with the largest capital reserve per capita of any nation. Norway is the world's fifth largest oil exporter. Bankers have deemed the Norwegian Krone to be one of the most solid currencies in the world.

The Norway country chart (7 June 1905 11 am Oslo) has had the hugely supportive tr Pluto trine its Solar Arc Jupiter in 09/10 but that disappears from this October. They are heading for a slow down come 2012 with Solar Arc Saturn conjunct their Sun which may be to do with oil sales.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/
ambroseevans_pritchard/7903463/Swiss-endure
-safe-haven-agony-from-euro-flight.html
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Brian Clough - when push comes to shove  From: Marjorie. (21 Jul 2010 16:12): 
The late Brian Clough was an English footballer in his early days and a football manager considered as the greatest by some. He was described as 'charismatic, outspoken, and often controversial'.
Born on 21 March 1935 his chart certainly describes a very big character - controlling, super confident, pushy, a risk-taker, lucky, talented and a strong individual.
He was a Sun on the cusp of Pisces/Aries in a Grand Trine to Pluto trine Jupiter in Scorpio. He attracted the better things of life with that well aspected Jupiter in Scorpio and had the brass neck to push for what he wanted.
His Pluto was also square Uranus Venus in Aries and opposition a Capricorn North Node with (Moon) Mars in Libra making up a Cardinal Grand Square. So his life would be a series of revolving crises, though he was never short of initiative, a bubbling cauldron of ideas. He would be argumentative, stubborn, not a one to compromise. He also had the generational Neptune in Virgo opposition Saturn (Mercury) in Pisces which would soften him down slightly.
His latter years were blighted by alcoholism and he died two years after having a liver transplant.
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Simon Baker - Fire Air actor  From: Marjorie. (21 Jul 2010 15:43): 
Simon Baker is the Australian actor now starring in the US TV police drama The Mentalist. Born on 30 July 1969 he's a Sun Mercury in Leo as befits a showy entertainer trine a fiery Mars in Sagittarius, sextile Jupiter Uranus in Libra - so he's got luck, individuality, enjoys an exciting lifestyle and will be outspoken. His Sun is also square Saturn in Taurus which will damp down his fiery enthusiasm at times but give him discipline and common sense. His Venus in Gemini is in a seductive, possessive square to Pluto and is probably trine his detached, quirky Aquarius Moon as well as being inconjunct his Neptune.
Tr Pluto is square his focal point Jupiter Aug to oct this year for the final time which should boost his confidence; though the tr Saturn conjunction to Uranus Jupiter may pull him down to ground level briefly in August as well.
Tr Uranus opposes his Jupiter Uranus in 11/12 so perhaps a sudden change of direction or new movie/series coming his way.
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North Korea - coming to the boil  From: Marjorie. (21 Jul 2010 15:30): 
North Korea is back in the headlines as Hillary Clinton presses on with more sanctions ahead of the USA/SKorea naval exercises in a few days time. These are intended to show support for South Korea after the sinking of one of their ships by North Korea some months back. All of which makes China nervous since they don't appreciate a show of American force on their doorstep.
North Korea is in an even more paranoid state than usual with not much known about Kim Jong-Il's intentions for his successor, presumed to be his youngest son.
The North Korea chart is on edge at the moment with tr Uranus square Uranus but gets more heated from late November with tr Pluto sextile Mars and tr Pluto conjunct Solar Arc Mars over the New Year into 2011 and for months thereafter. Though there will be a few blips and hiccups as tr Saturn is square Uranus from now onwards for a couple of weeks; and tr Saturn then continues to square SArc Mars in Sept and conjunct Mercury Neptune in Oct/Nov 2010 - so there's a build up of aggravations and setbacks.
The relationship chart between North Korea and the USA is panicky through late July/Aug and highly confused from mid Aug to Oct 2010 - so a time of high suspicion, doubt and evasions.
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Sokratis Giolias - brave but not sensible  From: Marjorie. (21 Jul 2010 15:08): 
The Greek investigative journalist and blogger Sokratis Giolias who was gunned down on Monday at just before 5.30 am was born on 13 Feb 1973. He was a Sun Aquarius trine Uranus, with Uranus also in an adventurous square to Jupiter and widely trine Saturn in Gemini - so a very outspoken, reformist personality.
He also had a highly communicative Air Grand Trine of Venus in Aquarius trine Saturn trine Pluto, formed into a talented Kite by a Saturn opposition Neptune. So he was an odd mix of very up-in-his-head, yet very stubborn and enduring as well with Saturn Pluto. Neptune gave him vision for a better society. He also had a courageous, determined Mars in Capricorn square Pluto, perhaps in a T square of Mars opposition Moon in Cancer square Pluto. So he did have a great deal of anger to burn off.
On his chart - without a birth time - tr Uranus was square his Mars exactly and the tr Saturn square tr Pluto was obviously also impacting on his natal Mars square Pluto. So an insecure, risky time for him.
He was assassinated on his doorstep, it is thought by a leftwing terrorist group, when a Saturn Mars conjunction in Virgo was straddling the Nadir/IC. Which makes sense. There was a Mars Saturn opp Jupiter Uranus square Pluto North Node - so it does fit in with the mood of the moment. Plus there was a transitting Yod coming into aspect of Sun sextile Saturn inconjunct Neptune hinting at the other more fanatical side of Neptune. And also hinting at Giolias' disregard for his personal safety.
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Ban Ki-moon - Saturnine droop  From: Marjorie. (21 Jul 2010 11:14): 
Ban Ki-moon the UN head has been given a withering assessment by an outgoing aide who said the UN was in a process of decay, lacking strategic guidance and weakening under his leadership.
Born on 13 June 1944, he is a Sun Saturn Venus Uranus Mercury in Gemini so is cool, detached, has broadly based interests, is communicative though also damped down by that Saturn. He also has a surprisingly fierce Mars Pluto in Leo with Jupiter also in showy Leo.
His Saturn in Gemini is under assault this year from the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus squares. With tr Uranus having another two hits in Aug/Sept this year and Feb/March 11. His Saturn is also undermined by trines from Neptune in 11/12 so his term in office is not going to improve.
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Conrad Black - Jupiterian excess and luck  From: Marjorie. (21 Jul 2010 11:13): 
Former media mogul Conrad Black could walk out of US prison today, two years into the six and a half year sentence he received for fraud and obstruction of justice. He could be freed on bail pending his appeal which may clear him of the charges since the law has been changed since his conviction. Though he'll still face major financial costs, perhaps a hefty tax bill and have to foot all future litigation for the libel suits he says he intends to issue.

Born on 25 Aug 1944 at 6.15 am Montreal, Canada he does have a lucky Sun Jupiter in Virgo in his chart. Tr Pluto has been in a successful, confident trine Sun/Jupiter through 10/11 and then Pluto trines Jupiter which is even more upbeat in 11 and 12. He'll still have a few insecure and impatient wobbles from tr Uranus opposition his Mars in Oct 10 and Jan 11. And if his birth time is right from a disappointing, lack lustre tr Neptune square his Midheaven till Jan 2011.
Plus he's got a tr Pluto opposition his Saturn in 11/12 which will be a real drag so he may not find his life out in the open quite as easy as he might have wished.
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Barack Obama - Mid Term elections  From: Marjorie. (17 Jul 2010 11:10): 
Barack Obama's poll ratings are sliding and there are dire murmurings being made about the Nov Mid Term Elections. There are no great indications on either his own chart or the First Term Admin chart about a meltdown.
The Administration chart (20 Jan 2009 12.05 pm) has tr Uranus sextile the Midheaven in November which is usually a positive change of direction or a new opening. There's also a relatively stuck though minor tr Pluto conj SArc Pluto which is trapped but nothing new.
On Obama's own chart he does have tr Saturn sextile his Sun as results are announced which is steady. He admittedly also has a tr Saturn at the same time conjunct his Solar Arc Uranus which may rein in some of his reforming tendencies.
A week is a long time in politics and there are three and a half months before this all comes down - so maybe more water flowing under the bridge by then which lessens the pressure on him.
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Australia elections - Gilliard v Abbott  From: Marjorie. (17 Jul 2010 10:59): 
The Australia elections will be held on Aug 21 when the Jupiter in Aries opposition Saturn square Pluto will be exact. It's a very odd mix of pushily confident (Jup Pl), thoroughly stuck (Sat Pl) and split between the Pollyannas (Jup) and the pessimists (Sat). Just to add to the melange of mood there's trickster Uranus in there conj Jupiter; and a damped down Venus Mars in Libra conjunct Saturn through campaigning; and a disappointing Sun opp Neptune the day before.

Taking the easy bit first. Tony Aboott isn't in great shape astrologically with a very upsetting tr Uranus opp Mars/Pluto and a confused, undermining tr Neptune square Sun/Saturn. Plus he has two very awkward Solar Arcs this year. His SArc Pluto is conjunct his natal Mars sometime soon which is enraged and trapped; and SArc Jupiter is conjunct his Saturn which will temper his wilder antics.

Julia Gilliard (with no birth time either) has nothing showing up as a spectacular triumph. She'll be particularly intense with the tr Jupiter opp tr Saturn square tr Pluto all impacting on her Venus/Mars midpoint - so a fair amount of frustration wrapped up in there. But her chart isn't in as bad shape as Tony Abott's. Her main problems start picking up through this September and across 20101 and beyond.

The Australia chart has a lacklustre tr Neptune sextile Mercury and sextile Saturn - so a muddled electorate who probably don't like any of the choices in front of them.
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Roman Polanski - home but still not free of the future  From: Marjorie. (16 Jul 2010 11:48): 
It's not clear what comes next with the Swiss authorities refusing to extradite Roman Polanski to the USA on the basis that the US legal end refused to supply them with all necessary documentation. He's now back in France which has always tended to the view that his artistic talent trumps all charges.
He has lost the jolting Solar Arc Saturn conjunct his very emphasised Uranus (natally opp Mars square Moon Pluto MC) which oversaw his house arrest in Switzerland. But he's not got a happy time ahead with tr Saturn conjunct his Solar Arc Midheaven, SA Moon, SA Pluto, SA Uranus and square Solar Arc Mars - from August this year on into 2011. He's got a muddled, confused Aug to Oct this year as well with tr Pluto trine Sun/Neptune and square Mars/Neptune - so an amount of panic and low energy from those. And an edgy, insecure, emotionally upsetting Nov and Dec 2010 courtesy of tr Uranus opposition his Venus and square Mars/NNode, Sun/Uranus.
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Rory McIlroy - putting into the headlines  From: Marjorie. (16 Jul 2010 11:33): 
Rory McIlroy, the young Northern Ireland golfer was in the overnight lead at St Andrews though has slid back somewhat in today's play. He has a reputation for being erratic and fairly gung ho. Born on 4 May 1989 he's a Sun Taurus in a close opposition to Pluto in Scorpio so there's no doubting his relentless determination. But his Sun also trines that highly strung Uranus Neptune Saturn conjunction in Capricorn; with an emotionally volatile Mars in Cancer opposition Uranus as well - so he will struggle at times to stay on an even keel.
At the moment he has the tr Jupiter square tr Pluto in hard aspect to his Mars - forming a T square which could go either way - either overstepping the mark and finding himself on the back foot or powering ahead. He's definitely got a high energy if somewhat erratic time ahead with his Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct his Mars by late 2011/12.
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Caster Semenya - running free  From: Marjorie. (16 Jul 2010 11:31): 
Caster Semenya the South African woman athlete is back on track and seemingly on form after reported hormone treatment following complaints about her gender status last year.
Born on 7 Jan 1991 she's a Sun conjunct Uranus Neptune and widely conjunct Saturn - all in Capricorn. So she's highly strung, ambitious and ultra-determined with Pluto sextile her Sun Uranus Neptune, and opposition Mars in Taurus. She's also got a super confident Pluto square Jupiter in Leo so it's quite a chart. She's still got a couple more undermining tr Neptune square her Mars till early 2011. And tr Saturn starting to square her Uranus Neptune Sun from this autumn through till mid 2011 which will make for a bumpy ride. But she'll then start to pick up the bountiful effects of a Solar Arc Pluto trine her Jupiter which gets exact into 2012 - so there'll be more success for her ahead.
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Civil Wars - more Uranus than Pluto  From: Marjorie. (16 Jul 2010 09:48): 
I'm not sure why the approaching Pluto opposition to the USA Sun should bring up thought of a Civil War. The previous Pluto conjunction to the USA Sun was in the mid 1920s when the USA pursued a policy of unilateralism and isolationism from the rest of the globe.
The two Pluto squares to the USA Sun were in the 1830s during the Trail of Tears when Native American Indians were relocated; and in the late 1970s when Jimmy Carter became a limp President in a time of economic stagnation and inflation.
The American Civil War happened on the Uranus Return (Uranus conj Uranus) with Pluto approaching a sextile to the USA Sun; and Neptune approaching a square to the USA Venus, Jupiter, Sun.

Looking at other countries' civil wars.

The Spanish Civil War (1936) started on a Uranus square to the 1479 Spain Sun with Neptune conjunct Saturn and opposition Mars.

The English Civil War (1642) on the England 973 chart had a Uranus Return; Neptune just passed the opposition to the Sun and Uranus approaching the opposition to the Sun. Pluto was 11 degrees passed the conjunction to the Sun and conjunct the Moon? On the England 1066 chart Uranus was sextile the Sun.

The 1917 Russian Revolution did have Pluto square the 1462 Russia Sun; with Uranus opposition Pluto, sextile Mars; and Neptune Saturn trine Sun Mars.


Uranus seems more intimately tied into Civil Wars with a dollop of Neptunian confusion thrown in as well. The Pluto hard aspects to the USA Sun do seem to coincide with less than glorious periods in its history but not with any sign of splitting asunder.
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Tiger Woods - good but not enough?  From: Marjorie. (15 Jul 2010 17:20): 
Tiger Woods is in for the St Andrews Open bidding to become the first player to win on three successive occasions. He's playing well but others are playing better so will be interesting to see how it plays out.
He does have a useful though minor tr Jupiter sextile Jupiter/NNode, tr Jupiter square SArc Venus and SArc Jupiter square Venus - none of these are hugely strong but with tr Saturn sextile his Solar Arc Midheaven he's possibly regaining steady form.
Where his problems come in are from several highly emotional influences - tr Uranus square his Sun/Moon and tr Pluto conjunct his Solar Arc Venus which suggests his marital breakdown is hanging fairly heavily on him. Plus gloomy tr Saturn conjunct his Venus/Saturn and tr Neptune in a romantically disappointing square to his Venus.
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Tour de France - Cadel Evans looking good  From: Marjorie. (15 Jul 2010 17:11): 
A quick flip through the main Tour de France contenders - mainly without birth times - suggests that Cadel Evans has a good deal of support from his chart. Tr Jupiter is square his Sun/Uranus and trine Jupiter/Pluto and sextile his Mars - all of those are high energy, confident, successful. Admittedly he does have a rather draggy tr Saturn opposition his Solar Arc Sun but that may give him focus.
Ivan Basso may have tr Jupiter trine his Sun but he's got a number of other less encouraging influences as well. Alberto Contador, last year's winner, does have tr Jupiter square his Solar Arc Uranus which should bring him some lucky breaks. But he's lost the powerhouse SArc Pluto conjunct Jupiter which pushed him to last year's victory. Mark Cavendish looks a touch gloomy and impatient - plus ca change. Andy Schleck has nothing showing astrologically except for an insecure tr Uranus square Mars so not perhaps on his best form.
Lance Armstrong looks seriously downbeat in this his last Tour de France which he has won seven times in the past after overcoming a major bout of cancer. He has tr Saturn conjunct his Pluto exactly now and aiming to conjunct his Venus within a couple of weeks. What may affect his performance apart from advancing years is the announcement of an investigation by USA federal authorities on allegations of fraud and doping made by disgraced cyclist Floyd Landis. He and others could be among witnesses issued grand jury subpoenas as part of the probe. Armstrong fiercely denies all charges.
He's got a very stalwart, feisty chart with a determined Sun Pluto conjunction in Virgo; and an Air Grand Trine of Uranus trine Saturn trine Mars in Aquarius which is disciplined and uncompromising. He looks more upbeat and enthusiastic into 11/12.
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Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem - Taurus and Pisces  From: Marjorie. (15 Jul 2010 13:38): 
Penelope Cruz appears to have married fellow Spaniard Javier Bardem. Both are hugely successful, award winner actors and she also models.
She was born on 28 April 1974 and is a Taurus Sun in a lucky, confident sextile to Jupiter in Pisces with Venus also in Pisces and probably a Cancer Moon. She has also an emotionally anguished Mars Saturn in Cancer square Pluto so her childhood would not be without its problems and she'll at times be impatient and/or feel trapped as a result. Her Jupiter will also is in a head-in-the-clouds square to Neptune will help mellow down the gritty effects of that Mars Saturn Pluto somewhat.
Javier Bardem, born 1 March 1969, is a Sun Pisces with a curiously disconnected chart unless his Moon and the angles tie it together. He has a showbizzy Neptune Mars conjunction, an emotionally cool, self reliant Saturn Venus conjunction in Aries and a lucky, adventurous Uranus Jupiter conjunction.
His Mars Neptune are sextile Uranus Jupiter and perhaps trine a Leo Moon. His Leo Moon may also be tied into a Fire Grand Trine of the North Node in Aries trine Mars. That would make more sense of a flamboyant, self confident personality.
Penelope's Jupiter is exactly conjunct his Sun so she'll boost his morale and her Venus is also in Pisces. But her Mars Saturn squares his Uranus Jupiter so there will be rough edges - and I imagine a bit of oneupmanship struggle at times as her Pluto is also conjunct his Jupiter Uranus.
Their relationship chart has a romantic, affectionate, friendly Sun Venus conjunction though both Sun and Venus are opposition Uranus so it's a relationship that needs a good deal of space and where compromise won't be easy since both are strong individuals. There's also a curious composite Mercury opposition Mars Pluto square Jupiter. Again the Jupiter will help to keep it enthusiastic and optimistic but there will undoubtedly be some arguments along the way.
The strain on these marriages with two exceptionally busy types often separated for longish periods is enormous. Their composite Venus Sun are at 7/9 degrees Aries so the next three years won't be that easy as tr Saturn, tr Pluto, tr Uranus all hard aspect the comp Sun Venus. But the relationship chart also has a Saturn trine Pluto so it does have a hang-on-in-there streak about it.
Both of them have their ups and downs in the next few months as he has tr Saturn square Pluto hitting his Jupiter Uranus conjunction which will stifle his enthusiasm somewhat; and she has tr Saturn square tr Pluto picking up her Pluto square Mars Saturn - and indeed tr Pluto continues to oppose her Mars and square her Pluto till late 2011 - so a good many difficult adjustments will be needed on her side.
But she looks set for a highly positive, successful 2013/14 as tr Pluto is sextile her Jupiter and even before then tr Pluto is trine her Taurus Sun in 11/12 which will help her get her act together.
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Bristol Palin & Levi Johnson - roller coaster  From: Marjorie. (14 Jul 2010 20:30): 
Sarah Palin's daughter is now back, according to reports, with the father of her baby, Levi Johnston. There was a difficult separation with him slinging mud at the Palins for not allowing him access to his child.

She's a Sun, possibly New Moon and Venus in Libra while he is a Taurus Sun with probably a Virgo Moon and Venus in Pisces/Aries so they are very different personalities.
Their relationship chart always did look very muddled with a Venus conjunct Uranus and Neptune sextile Pluto and probably square the composite Moon. So very blow hot, blow cold, prone to disruptions and highly strung. There's also an argumentative not very sensitive or sympathetic Mars square Saturn.
She's got her Sec Progressed Venus conjunct her Pluto at the moment so she'll be emotionally very intense. Though with her Sun moving by Progression/Solar Arc to conjunct her Pluto in eighteen months/two years time she's also going to be very stuck. She's also got tr Pluto opposing her Solar Arc Mars later this year/2011 and tr Pluto also conjunct her Uranus in 11/12 - so there'll be a great many ups and downs in the near future. Their relationship chart also has tr Pluto conjunct Uranus in 11/12 and conjunct Venus in 12/13 - plus tr Saturn this autumn squaring Uranus, Venus, Neptune and tr Uranus catching up to the squares come 11/12/13. Not going to be plain sailing, that's for sure.
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National Health Service - on a slide  From: Marjorie. (14 Jul 2010 20:29): 
Major radical reforms of the UK National Health Service are being mooted. Though the chart (5 July 1948) looks thoroughly stuck with not only a Solar Arc Pluto square Sun over the next two months exact. Plus tr Saturn in hard aspect to the Cancer Sun square Neptune in Libra through this autumn and beyond. Plus tr Uranus square Uranus Mercury Venus. So it's all jolting and jangling but not going anywhere very fast except downhill.
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Apple bouncing in the wrong direction  From: Marjorie. (14 Jul 2010 20:02): 
Apple shares have fallen dramatically after bad reviews of the latest IPhone4. Which fits the astrology beautifully though not to Apple's advantage.
Oct 09 Post: Transitting Pluto is trine the Apple Jupiter at the moment till late Nov 09 which is an indication of success. More innovations can be expected through 2010 as tr Uranus trines the Apple Saturn. But thereafter problems start to mount up with first a setback tr Saturn square to Mars, a stuck conjunction to Pluto and discouraging opposition to the Apple Sun from late 2010, thro' 2011. Tr Pluto then in 2011 opposes Mars which is seriously bad news; with tr Uranus to follow in 2012.
The years from late 2010 will be stressful in the extreme with an almost complete reconstruction being forced on Apple in the years up to 2014.
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World Cup - clutching at straws  From: Marjorie. (12 Jul 2010 10:47): 
Ah well, I'm no wiser about how to predict sporting wins for countries.
One amusing - coincidence? - is that the original chart for Spain from 1479 has tr Pluto sextile the Solar Arc Jupiter exactly at the moment which is a definite confidence boost.
This chart also has all the same indications as the more modern Spain chart for a really dreary, stuck patch in 2011/12. Dead halt time.
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Danielle Spencer & Russell Crowe - Taurus in tune with Aries  From: Marjorie. (12 Jul 2010 09:40): 
Danielle Spencer, the singer/songwriter wife of actor Russell Crowe is getting back into the music business after a break having two children and coping with an international travel schedule with her husband on location.
According to wiki she was born on 16 May 1969 which makes more sense than the previous 1970 birth date. This makes her a steady Taurus Sun, possibly New Moon opposition a musical/creative Neptune. With her Sun Moon trine Pluto Jupiter in Virgo and Uranus in Libra. She evidently calms down her excitable husband which makes sense of a Taurus Sun but she shares enough of his adventurous approach to life with her Pluto Jupiter Uranus to make it viable.
He's a Sun and Mars in Aries with his Sun conjunct her Venus in Aries and trine her Mars - so there's a good deal of affection and a joint passionately enthusiastic approach to life. Her Moon, if late Taurus or early Gemini is conjunct his Gemini Moon as is her Taurus Sun - so again a really affectionate resonance.
Their relationship chart has a romantic, super friendly Sun Venus conjunction sextile a mutually supportive and smooth-round-rough-edges Jupiter. The Sun Venus also square Mars so there'll be a fair amount of snap-crackle-and-pop at the same time. There's also probably a Moon Saturn conjunction which brings longevity and puts work/duty at times before indulgence.
Taurus and Aries aren't supposed to be a good match but just goes to show that hyper-manic Aries sometimes is the better of a steadying hand.
She's due for a high energy, lucky breaks phase come 2012/13 when her Solar Arc Mars is trine her Sun and trine her Jupiter.
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Raoul Moat - searching for the positive masculine  From: Marjorie. (12 Jul 2010 09:05): 
Thanks for the birth date on Raoul Moat, the latest UK gunman to run amok, which looks just about right. 1 January 1973, Newcastle, England.

This made him a Sun, North Node, Jupiter in Capricorn with his Sun in a controlling square to Pluto in Libra and his Jupiter in an impulsive square to Uranus. So he was earthy, ambitious, needing to stay in control, yet wanting freedom as well. Interesting that he was never told who his father was which clearly bothered him greatly - the Capricorn North Node is the search for a father figure. Plus a Sun square Pluto in this case = absent father.

He also had a Mars Neptune conjunction perhaps conjunct a Sag Moon with Venus Mercury also in Sag. His Moon if conjunct Mars is a frustrated angry childhood and relationship to mother/mother figures (Moon Mars) who are evasive and inaccessible (Moon Neptune). His mother did have mental health problems. His Venus opposed Saturn so emotional coldness also in childhood.

With a 9.30 am birth time it would put a chilly-childhood Saturn in 4th; and a trapped Pluto and disruptive Uranus in the 8th (he was partly brought up by grandparents) plus a bossy Mars in the 10th.

This year when he finally erupted in a vengeful shooting spree his Solar Arc Uranus was approaching the conjunction to his Mars which is explosive. And his Solar Arc Mars was approaching the conjunction to his Sun. Solar Arcs build in effect in the months before. So he did look like a powder keg. Tr Pluto has also been squaring his Pluto attempting to pull him away from the past.
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Jeremy Bamber - another 'innocent' convicted killer  From: Marjorie. (11 Jul 2010 14:46): 
Another murder conviction appeal coming soon is by Jeremy Bamber, sentenced to life without parole in the UK 25 years ago for shooting his two adoptive parents, adoptive sister and her two children. Initially it looked as if his schizophrenic adoptive sister had shot the others and then suicided. But later evidence pointed to different killer. Bamber has always proclaimed his innocence, suggesting a quite wide ranging conspiracy against him by a vengeful ex-girlfriend and other relatives keen to claim his inheritance.
Born on 13 January 1961 he does have a very stalwart, complex chart. He is a Capricorn Sun conjunct Saturn Jupiter and Mercury so is practical, earthy, ambitious, keen to overcome difficult early beginnings and prone to mid swings. He also has a self-protective, inward looking, creative Water Grand Trine of Mars in Cancer trine Neptune trine Venus in Pisces, formed into a Kite by an emotionally intense Venus opposition Pluto.
When the killings took place in the early hours of 7 Aug 1985 his very emphasised Mars on one leg of that Grand Trine and Kite was being challenged by an approaching Solar Arc Pluto square to his natal Mars and a tr Pluto trine his Mars.
You could argue that these would be soaked up by being arrested, charged, convicted for something he didn't do. Pluto on Mars is very trapped and highly enraging since it renders the individual powerless. But you could as easily, possibly more easily, argue that Pluto on Mars brought out his need to be in control (Kite focal driving planet is Pluto) and he was indeed guilty as charged.
PS. Amanda Knox has a natal Mars square Pluto where Bamber has a highly intertwined Mars sextile Pluto.
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USA ahead - Saturn Return and beyond  From: Marjorie. (11 Jul 2010 14:31): 
Andy asked about the USA's path ahead astrologically and whether it was passed its' glory days.

The USA chart has Venus Jupiter Sun Mercury in Cancer, Saturn in Libra and Pluto in late Capricorn - so it will catch the transiting Saturn, Uranus, Pluto hard aspects at various stages over the next few years - which suggests the present bumpy ride won't settle down any time soon.
Tr Saturn from this August starts picking up the aspect to Venus which probably will be a cash setback, and depresses enthusiasm further as it squares Jupiter in Sept; and then is square Sun and conjunct Saturn in Nov 2010 and again into 2011. Tr Pluto is also putting pressure on that financial Venus from mid Aug to Oct this year. So short term it looks like financial challenges. This year and next are the years of the USA's Saturn Return which is basically grow-up-and-get-real time.

The wild card is Jupiter which gets the tr Pluto opp this year and next and tr Uranus square in 2012 which will bring some lucky breaks, though could also bring either over confidence which backfires or an attempt to throw money at a stumbling economy which again will ultimately blowback.

2011/12 has Solar Arc Saturn conjunct Uranus which will be a tremendous jolt - that may be less economic than a global event or impact of another country's actions. Especially since Solar Arc Pluto squares the USA Mars in 11/12 as well which is high risk and trapped. 2013 has a continuation of the same mood as the Solar Arc Pluto is then conjunct the USA Neptune (which is natally square Mars). So basically the years from 2011 to 2013 look scary and troubled.

Into 2012 tr Neptune in Pisces is trine the USA Venus which is gently undermining and then continues on to trine Jupiter and Sun through till 2017. This isn't devastating more a drift and a stagnation.

The tr Uranus square tr Pluto don't get to hard aspect the USA Sun square Saturn until 2014/15 which will be times of austerity, hardship and upheaval.

As to whether America has had its SuperPower days - it is fairly difficult to establish an astrological pattern for the point at which great powers wane. Though in the case of France and Spain, once great colonial powers, it did seem pointed up by a Pluto return. Houses may make a difference which is tricky since there's no accepted birth time for the USA or indeed for other older powers. The UK which does have a start time really faded badly from the end of WW11, losing its final colonies 15 years later - when tr Pluto and SArc Pluto were heading into the 11th and 12th houses - so change of expectations for the future.

The USA has its Pluto Return around 2022, just after the Saturn Pluto in Capricorn years of 2019/2020 which will be difficult for the USA. Often the countries/empires which rose on one major aspect or group of aspects fall on the next. The USA started on a late Pluto in Capricorn and this is next time round. So could be.
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Amanda Knox - uncertain future  From: Marjorie. (11 Jul 2010 12:22): 
Amanda Knox had her 23rd birthday two days ago serving a 26 year jail sentence in Italy so her Cancer Sun is directly in the line of today's Solar Eclipse. She is being sued by the Italian police for defaming them, saying she'd been beaten into making a confession. Now a jailed Mafia supergrass has come forward to say his brother killed Meredith Kercher. This will be used as part of Amanda Knox's appeal later this month.
What a guddle and a muddle. The Italian police and judicial system are about on a par with the Portuguese. Whatever the truth of that night it was hardly likely to come out into the light of day with any certainty in court.

There's nothing on Amanda Knox's chart that looks too hopeful in coming years. Her Venus Mercury in Cancer opposition Neptune in Capricorn are catching tr Pluto conj Venus in 10/11 which is hugely emotional and stuck; tr Saturn square Venus Mercury Neptune this autumn which is discouraging and confused; and tr Pluto in a highly confused and uncertain conjunction to Neptune and Solar Arc Saturn in 11/12/13 and opposition Mercury. Plus tr Uranus thrown in for good measure come 2011 to 14 as well. Her Solar Arc Neptune oppose her Mars come 12/13 as well which is very panicky and not progressive.
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Mandelson & Blair - the old wounds laid bare  From: Marjorie. (11 Jul 2010 11:36): 
Squawks are emerging from the hen house again as Peter Mandelson (Prince of Darkness) has brought out his Memoirs ahead of schedule beating his old buddy Tony Blair to the starting post. Blair's spokesman said sniffily that the TB memoirs due in a month will be 'statesmanlike' - i.e. stuffy and tedious. The Mandelson chronicles are more likely to be entertaining and bitchy, laying bare the in fighting in New Labour's time in office.
The Mandelson Blair relationship was never as cosy as it looked on the surface with an explosive Mars Uranus conjunction square Saturn Neptune in the composite/relationship chart. Saturn square Uranus suggests simmering tensions that suddenly boil over. Saturn square Mars is unkind treatment and impatience. Uranus square Neptune is highly strung. Mars square Neptune is one-wins-the-other-loses. Hardly mutually supportive despite their long friendship, though ruptured as it was by Mandelson's two fast exits from Cabinet over perceived misdemeanours.
Both ends of that difficult composite square are being elbowed this year with a potentially explosive, insecure tr Uranus trine Mars returning in Sept and early 11. Tr Neptune is also in an undermining, suspicion-ridden trine to Saturn in Sept/Oct (again in late Nov/Jan 11). So September could be a sticky month between them with a real chill in Oct as tr Saturn squares the composite Venus.
Blair himself has a few more spots of good fortune with tr Uranus trine his Jupiter from mid Aug to mid Sept which will bring lucky breaks - and again in early 2011. But by early 2011 tr Neptune starts to square his Jupiter for two years which will bring disappointments, especially financial ones. And then tr Neptune by 2012 is square his Mars Ascendant for two years which is distinctly slippery slope time. Not confident or winning.
Mandelson is in an emotionally intense year with the tr Pluto square tr Saturn hitting his Venus in Libra till later this year; and a lack lustre tr Neptune trine his Libra Sun. But he's also got an enthusiastic, good luck tr Uranus square Jupiter in Nov/Dec 2010 to boost his morale. Into 2011/12 he's got a mix of tr Neptune trine his Saturn which is uncertain but it is more than balanced out by a Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct his Pluto which should bring soaring confidence and probably money.
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Ingrid Betancourt - struggling with Sun Mars Pluto  From: Marjorie. (10 Jul 2010 14:41): 
Ingrid Betancourt, the Colombian politician who was held hostage by leftist rebels for six years is suing the Colombian Government for damages and loss of earnings.
There was a high profile French campaign to free her since she has French citizenship. Since she's been out the other hostages have written memoirs of their time in captivity, describing her as selfish and arrogant.
Born on 25 Dec 1961 at 2.15pm Bogota, Columbia she does have a tricky chart with an 8th house Capricorn Sun Mars trine Uranus and a demanding 5th house Pluto. So she's intense, determined, attention seeking. She's also got a drama-queen Jupiter on her Midheaven opposition a five-star-lifestyle Leo Moon square Neptune in Scorpio in the 7th. Relationships and commitment to others won't be her great strength.
With the tr Pluto square tr Saturn opp tr Uranus still hitting her 8th house Mars and Sun this year; and tr Uranus continuing on in 2011 and into 2012 it's not an easy time for her. Plus her Solar Arc Neptune is conjunct her Sun in 11/12 at the time tr Uranus is square her Mars - so she'll be low in energy and very insecure over money as well as more personal issues. Plus the Pluto, Saturn, Uranus is also hitting her Solar Arc Moon until 2012 as well with all the emotional upsets that brings. So she's having a difficult re-entry into the world.
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Barefoot Bandit - creating a legend  From: Marjorie. (10 Jul 2010 11:04): 
The barefoot bandit as he has become known, Colton Harris-Moore is a 19 year old thief from a troubled background who has been stealing planes and evading the law all round the US and Canada since 2008. He stole planes without being able to fly and managed to take off and crash land without injuring himself. At present he's on the loose in the Bahamas and is wanted for 70 police investigations.
Born on 22 March 1991 in Camano, WA, USA he was nearly choked by his father when he was two. His father then left, his step-father died when he was 7 and he's been in trouble ever since.
He's a fiery Sun in Aries trine a supremely confident, showy Jupiter in Leo so he clearly thrives on the adventure and attention. His Jupiter opposes a 'scientific' Saturn in Aquarius squaring onto an acquisitive Venus in Taurus - he wants what he wants and takes it. His Sun is also sextile Saturn so he's clearly practical and presumably intelligent.
His Mars in Gemini is possibly conjunct a Gemini Moon which makes sense of a kid angry at his childhood. With his Mars (Moon) square his Sun so he'll dislike being hemmed in. He's also part of the Uranus Neptune conjunction in Capricorn which are part genius, part fanatic and highly strung. Plus a Capricorn North Node which is looking for father.
Tr Saturn is heading to oppose his Sun within a couple of weeks and that plus his Solar Arc Saturn trine his Mars over coming months will slow him right down.
He's got a lucky, over confident SArc Uranus opposing his Jupiter in 2011 and then SArc Uranus is conjunct his Saturn and square his Venus in 2012 which will be an unsettling jolt to his system. If he does evade capture this time he'll probably over step himself into 2011 and that'll backfire.
What a waste of a bright, feisty kid who could have had a good life. There's nothing (without birth time) inherently nasty about his chart.
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Raoul Moat - 8th house transiting Pluto  From: Marjorie. (10 Jul 2010 10:28): 
The latest UK shooter suicided this morning by shotgun after a week long police hunt. His birth date is still elusive for some obscure reason but the charts of the start and finish of his spree do have certain similarities.
He shot dead the boyfriend of his ex-lover at 2.40 am on 3 July in Birtley, England. That gave a 23 degree Pisces Moon, an 11 Gemini Ascendant and Pluto one degree inside the 8th house cusp, with North Node also in the 8th.
When he fatally wounded himself this morning in Rothbury, pronounced dead at 2.20 am, the Moon had moved an exact quarter zodiac to be at 23 Gemini exactly square the Mars/Saturn midpoint. There was a 14 Gemini Ascendant and Pluto was one degree from the 8th house cusp, with NNode in the 8th.
The 8th house trapped Pluto makes sense of a personality from a troubled background, with no known father, a mother troubled by mental health problems, whose sanity had been further de-railed by steroid use. The Moon square the 'murder signature' Mars/Saturn also fits.
That apart we'll have to wait to see what birth date surfaces which will no doubt pick up some of the above.

Just an add-on. The Derrick Bird killing spree started just before 10.20 am on 2 June 2010 in Lamplugh/Frizington, North England and he killed himself shortly before 2pm. The Sun at 11 degrees Gemini that day is the same degree as the start of the Moat shootings Ascendant. The Bird shootings had an attention seeking 5th house Pluto and a show-off Ascendant Mars in Leo opposition Neptune. His death sometime around 1pm or just after had the 11 Gemini Sun conjunct the Midheaven and a mid Virgo Ascendant with Pluto in the trapped 4th.
The Moat shootings and on-the-run had Venus in showy Leo opposition Neptune. When Moat shot the policeman next day on 4th July 12.45 noon Denton, England Pluto was conjunct the Midheraven.
The number similarities may be coincidence but interesting all the same.
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Sevvy Ballesteros - moving along slowly  From: Marjorie. (09 Jul 2010 10:48): 
Sevvy Ballesteros, the immensely popular Spanish golfer, recovering from a 2008 brain tumour operation, was hoping to make St Andrews this year but has been stopped by his doctors.
Born 9th April 1957 at 12.35pm Padron, Spain, he's a Sun Venus in Aries in a determined trine to Pluto. His Sun Venus are also in an energetic sextile to Mars in Gemini. Mars in turn is in an exact self disciplined opposition to Saturn in Sagittarius squaring onto a hard working Jupiter in Virgo - thus a Mutable T Square. He also has a Fixed T Square Mercury in Taurus opposition Neptune square Uranus (Moon) in Leo.
He retired from golf in 2007 because of poor play presumably in the run up to his brain tumour developing. At that point his Mutable T Square of Saturn opp Mars square Jupiter had moved by Solar Arc to sit on top of his natal Fixed T Square with his Solar Arc Saturn opposition Solar Arc Mars hitting his Uranus square Neptune. Mars Saturn tends to stop forward progress and added onto Uranus Neptune it would be highly strung, extremely confusing and panicky.
These movements of major configurations by Solar Arc Direction do seem extremely important. When they hard aspect a natal configuration it does point to a major period of life-changing stress.
He has a ways to go before these two T squares disentangle themselves but with luck tr Jupiter through his 10th will give him a lift through this summer and 2011.
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Mel & Oksana - passion and anger  From: Marjorie. (09 Jul 2010 10:24): 
A birthdate has surfaced for Oksana Grigorieva, who is fighting an increasingly nasty custody/palimony battle with Mel Gibson. I'll keep this short since it is unverified. 1 January 1970 makes her a Sun Capricorn like Gibson, and she's a charming though ambitious Sun Venus in Capricorn in a rebellious square to Uranus; with her Venus also in a passionate, possessive square to Pluto. She has a money-attracting Jupiter in Scorpio sextile Venus, widely sextile Sun and trine Mars. Her Jupiter also opposes an unyielding Saturn in Taurus.
She's in an emotionally intense year with the tr Pluto square tr Saturn hard aspecting her Venus and a dreary tr Pluto trine her Saturn.
If this birth date is right then the relationship chart with Gibson has an argumentative, heated Sun Mars conjunction with Mars in a passionate conjunction to Venus as well. Which sounds about right. Plus an unstable Uranus Pluto conjunction; plus a Moon Jupiter conjunction which is under assault by tr Saturn square tr Pluto, dampening all optimism and enthusiasm between them. Tr Saturn is aiming to square the composite Sun from this autumn onwards which added onto tr Saturn tr Pluto hitting the composite Moon is an indication of separation.
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Sarkozy - in a bad-tempered tangle  From: Marjorie. (09 Jul 2010 10:10): 
The Lilliane Bettencourt case in France is threatening to seriously undermine Nicholas Sarkozy personally, now that allegations have surfaced suggesting his political campaign accepted funds from her.
His Presidency chart (16 May 2007 9.36 am, Paris) is under considerable pressure at the moment with tr Pluto square the Solar Arc Mars till mid Aug and returning mid Oct/Nov 2010 which is blocked and enraging. There'll be more than a wobble when tr Uranus returns to square the Pres chart Pluto in Sept again in Feb 2011) which is seriously destabilising and sometimes coincides with a Government toppling altogether. Even before then there is an impatient, accident-prone tr Saturn opposition Mars, square SArc Pluto and opp SArc Mars in late July/Aug. Plus a distinct unpopularity tr Saturn square Venus come Oct 2010.
His own personal chart mirrors these high-stress influences with tr Pluto square his Solar Arc Sun now till mid Aug and again later in the year and thro' 2011 as well. With tr Saturn hitting the opposition to the SArc Sun come Aug.
So it's going to be an exceptionally bad tempered summer for him. With an even worse autumn as tr Saturn opposes his Aries Moon Mars from late Sept through Oct 2010. He's also from later this year got tr Uranus into his 7th which suggests partnership problems both personal and political.
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Finance - general  From: Marjorie. (09 Jul 2010 10:09): 
Vinod, Currencies and stock markets go up and they go down but there's no doubt about the way things are heading astrologically. Spain is in even more dire trouble than they have admitted with a very nasty two or three years ahead for them. The general view is that Greece will default on its debts no matter what is being said. The EU bank stress tests due late July are now deemed worthless since they won't really uncover the real problems. And there are still ongoing constitutional fights in Germany about whether any of the EU stimulus plans - which effectively expect Germany to foot the major part of the bill for the feckless sud-Medders - are legal. Which they aren't since they have driven a horse and cart through the EU Treaty.
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Abu Hamza - fuelled by hatred  From: Marjorie. (08 Jul 2010 15:28): 
Abu Hamza, the Egyptian born Islamic fundamentalist whose preaching of hatred and incitement to violence at a London mosque led to a 7 year UK jail sentence, has had his extradition to the USA on terrorist charges delayed by the EU Court of Human Rights. An American high security jail is a little too draconian for their delicate tastes - the judges I mean.
Born 15 April 1958, Hamza has a chart which reflects his embittered, hatred-fuelled temperament. His Aries Sun Mercury is in an unshakeably self-confident Fire Grand Trine to a bleak, unbudgeable Pluto in Leo trine Saturn in Sagittarius. He has awesome perseverance. What makes it worse is that his Pluto is in a can-be brutally ruthless opposition to Mars in uncompromising Aquarius. So Mars is the driving planet of one kite formed by the grand trine and two sextiles of Saturn to Mars, and Sun to Mars. Another Kite is formed by the Sun opposition Jupiter which is way-over-the-top optimistic and overly demanding. He's got a great deal of talent and energy which clearly regrettably he funnelled into the wrong aims. He has real entrepreneurial flare which could have made him very successful at more than whipping up hatred and sponging off social security.
He was born when Uranus was on the station to go direct in Leo. While not heavily aspected (only a potentially fanatical irrational square to Neptune) it would power up this revolutionary planet. When he first became interested in radical Islam in the early 1980s aged around 25, his Pluto, retrograde at birth, went direct by progression giving him a sense of where his power, influence and anger could be directed.
What is interesting in his Secondary Progressions is that his Progressed Mars was on the exact mid point of the Jupiter Pluto sextile, thus forming a yod when the first news of his extradition came up a couple of years back. When Yods constellate even by progression there is usually a fated change of life's direction. Mars inconjunct Pluto is stuck, frustrated, frightened. Mars inconjunct Jupiter suggests over confidence which back fires.
Whatever the European Human Rights judges say he doesn't have a happy time ahead. 2011 is frustrating and scary (SArc Pluto trine Mars); 11/12 are panicky and uncertain (SArc Neptune conjunct Saturn); 13/14 are a dead halt (SArc Pluto conjunct Sun); and 14/15 could be a complete meltdown as his SArc Saturn is conjunct his hugely emphasised and aspected Mars. Perhaps ending for ever his determination to get his own way.
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Anna Chapman - from Russia with Love  From: Marjorie. (08 Jul 2010 15:04): 
The beautiful though unlikely Russian spy Anna Chapman being held in the US at the moment along with nine others appears to have been born on 28 Feb 1982 in Volgograd, Russia. There's a possibility that a swap may be done with Russia in return for US spies held in prison there.
She was born only six weeks after Kate Middleton and both have the ultra-determined Mars Saturn Pluto in Libra and the money-attracting Jupiter in Scorpio.
AnnaC has her Venus in upwardly-mobile Capricorn square Mars Saturn Pluto so emotionally she's fairly wild and wayout. Her Moon, if in Aquarius, will also trine Mars Saturn Pluto - giving her a really tough childhood and difficult relationships with both parents. Her Sun is in Pisces square Uranus so she's quite independent minded though also very very controlled.
She's also lucky with her Sun trine Jupiter and although there are a few hitches and glitches along the way of this year she also has positive transits to Jupiter midpoints and even better ones in 2011/12. So she'll probably duck out from under the worst that the US authorities had in mind.
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Michael Flatley - a soaring Sun Moon  From: Marjorie. (07 Jul 2010 14:13): 
Michael Flatley, the Riverdance founder and star, is making a comeback after a nine year absence from the stage.
Born on 16 July 1958 11.55pm Chicago, IL, USA he's certainly got a performer's chart. He was always described as a supreme egotist and flamboyant showman which his chart certainly reflects.
He has an enthusiastic 1st house Jupiter in Libra in an adventurous opposition to a dynamic Mars in Aries which both square onto a 10th house New Moon in Cancer. Sun in the 10th needs a public career as does Moon in the 10th - and he's got both, quadruply emphasised and boosted by that hyper-charged Jupiter Mars opposition. He's not well designed for life in retirement on the back seat.
He's also got a wide-ish entrepreneurial Fire Grand Trine of Mercury in Leo trine Saturn in Sagittarius trine Mars; formed into an even more talented Kite by a Saturn opposition Venus in Gemini. So Venus is the leading planet of all that fiery energy. Venus in Gemini is light hearted, a social butterfly, often around in the pop music business. And as if that wasn't enough he's got a ruthlessly determined Mars trine Pluto.

He had an odd major illness landing him in hospital for a spell just after his marriage in 2006 which he insists a faith healer cured. That was when tr Uranus was opposition his Solar Arc Sun Moon and shaking his entire Jupiter Mars Sun Moon T square. Tr Saturn was also conjunct his Solar Arc Midheaven and tr Pluto aiming to trine his Mars - slowing him down considerably.

He has already got into the punishing training schedule for his comeback in Europe but whether he'll be able to keep up the pressure is doubtful. He has tr Saturn heading below his Libra Ascendant come this autumn which is generally a time when overwork isn't a good idea or possible as energy levels fall. Plus he has tr Neptune conjunct his Solar Arc Midheaven in 2011/12 which is not a success significator. His Solar Arc Pluto will conjunct his Jupiter by 2012 which could bring financial success and confidence; but since it will also square his Moon Sun and pull in the opposition to his Mars - it could also stop him from performing.
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Lindsay Lohan - numbers and fate  From: Marjorie. (07 Jul 2010 13:59): 
Lindsay Lohan was in tears as she was given a 90 day prison sentence for breaching the conditions of her parole for a 2007 drug offence by not attending all the alcohol education classes.
Born on 2 July 1986 she's a Sun Cancer in an escapist opposition to Neptune in Capricorn, and a controlled/controlling trine Pluto in Scorpio. She's also got an indulgent Taurus Moon and a well intentioned though head-in the-clouds Jupiter in Pisces.
She's under a good deal of pressure obviously this year and next with the tr Pluto square tr Saturn hard aspecting her Neptune which is confusing, uncertain and will feel fairly devastating. Then tr Saturn starts to square her Sun this autumn onwards which is a reality check. Tr Pluto tr Uranus hard aspect her Sun come 2012/13, tho' they'll pick up the Sun/Neptune midpoint before then which will have much the same muddling effect. She's got a fair way to go to get her life onto an even track.
She does have three obvious semi-semi-sextiles (15 degrees) in her chart - Mercury Venus, Saturn Uranus and Neptune Mars; plus exact semi-sextiles of Saturn Neptune, Uranus Mars and Pluto Saturn; sextile of Neptune Pluto; and trines of Mercury Saturn, Venus Uranus. 4 and 19 degrees are very marked in her chart with four planets at 4 degrees and three planets at 19 degrees (maybe four with the Moon if she's just before mid day birth). This gives her a truly difficult 12th Harmonic chart with a Uranus Venus Mars opposition Pluto Mercury Neptune Saturn square North Node. The 12th is supposed to be a relatively positive Harmonic but she's clearly struggling to get to where she needs to be.
And there's a wide-ish Yod of Mars sextile Jupiter inconjunct Venus which gives her strains around her emotions and presenting herself in a socially acceptable way. A focal point Venus in a Fixed sign is also inclined to indulgence.
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Cheryl Cole - struggling along a bumpy road  From: Marjorie. (07 Jul 2010 11:38): 
Cheryl Cole according to her publicist had been taking the malaria pills but they don't always work. It can be more serious than it sounds so it's understandable she's in hospital.
Health is usually flagged up by 6th house activity or pressure on the Moon (= body) and by frustration or depression influences. She's got nothing much around the 6th house though she does have tr Pluto just off the square to her Solar Arc Moon, returning on and off till late 2011 - so it is a pressured time for her as far as body, family, emotional, mother issues are concerned. And tr Saturn returns to the opposition to her Moon in early Sept. From that you could surmise that her health and her relationship break up is all part and parcel of a difficult two years.
She also has tr Saturn square her Descendant at the moment affecting her public appearances; and tr Uranus returns to square her Descendant/Asc in Sept and again early 2011. So a very changeable and tense time.

Plus tr Saturn square her Mars (impatience at setbacks) in Aug this year and a downbeat tr Saturn square her Cancer Sun in Oct.

Plus she has difficult transits to midpoints - exactly now she's got tr Pluto conj Moon/Saturn (physically and emotionally down) and tr Pluto square Sun/Neptune (confusing and uncertain) and tr Pluto trine Sun/Saturn (setbacks, real slog). There are humps and bumps into the autumn and into 2011 as well.

So not an easy patch for her which will be health plus other factors.
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Chelsea and Marc - the USA's Royal Wedding  From: Marjorie. (06 Jul 2010 13:58): 
Chelsea Clinton is to marry Marc Merzvinsky if reports are to be believed on 31 July. The run up to that is going to be fraught with an explosive, disruptive Mars opposition Uranus the day before; plus a Saturn opp Uranus, Jupiter square Pluto just before that and a Saturn Mars conjunction on the day itself. Stresses, strains, bad temper, accidents, changes of plan. A few people throwing their weight around with Jupiter Pluto. Doesn't sound tranquil.
Chelsea, born 27 Feb 1980 11.24pm Little Rock, AR, US is a private, home loving 4th house Sun Pisces (though she'll want to be in charge there) opposition a confidently ambitious Mars Jupiter in Virgo in her 10th. She has a much travelled 9th house Leo Moon which will prompt her to live abroad at some point in her life, plus an upfront fiery Venus in Aries. And an uncompromisingly independent, go-her-own-way Uranus in the 1st just below her Scorpio Ascendant. Her Venus is in a possessive opposition to Pluto in her 12th so she'll be controlling in a subtle, behind-the-scenes kind of way.
Marc born 15 Dec 1977 is a Sun Sagittarius with Venus Neptune also in Sagittarius trine Mars in Leo so he's definitely fiery. He's also subtly controlling with his Mars trine Venus Neptune Sun having Pluto on the midpoint/sextile of that. He has a happy-home Jupiter in Cancer in an expansive opposition to Mercury. He may have a Pisces or Aquarius Moon opp Saturn.
Her Leo Moon and Venus in Aries do connect well with his Sagittarius planets though it'll be noisy with her Moon conjunct his Mars. And if he was born after 10 in the morning and is a Pisces Moon then his Moon will be conjunct her Sun which is good.
The problems may come from his hard working, nit-picky Saturn in Virgo conjunct her Mars Jupiter opp her Sun which will damp down her enthusiasm somewhat. And her Saturn is also square his Sun so it'll work in the opposite direction as well. I suspect with all that Saturn it's a marriage where work is going to play a central role and get in the way. Though she's very used to that scenario from her childhood.
Their relationship chart has an expansive though possibly also extravagant and over hopeful composite Sun opposition Jupiter; a passionate Venus trine Pluto; and a rather super-charged Venus opp Mars square Uranus (perhaps opp Moon) which suggest an unconventional marriage in which both need a fair amount of space.
Chelsea's about-to-be new father-in-law Ed Mezvinsky, an ex Democrat Congressman served seven years in prison for financial fraud, getting out in 2008. Born on 17 Jan 1937 he's very unlike his son mercifully and has quite a chart. His Sun is in materialistic Capricorn opposition a controlling Pluto which is widely square a Mars in determined Scorpio opposition Uranus in Taurus. So he definitely likes his own way and is quite a risk-taker. His Jupiter in money-attracting Capricorn is trine/sextile Uranus Mars. He has the generational creative/neurotic Neptune in Virgo opp Saturn (and Venus) in Pisces square NNode in Sagittarius.
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Simon Bolivar - a Cardinal Grand Square plus plus plus  From: Marjorie. (05 Jul 2010 18:30): 
Another Cardinal Grand Square of a very definite variety on the angles belonged to Simon Bolivar, regarded in Latin America as a hero, visionary, revolutionary and liberator. In the early Nineteenth Century he led Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela to independence, and helped lay the foundations for democratic ideology in most of Hispanic America. He was highly educated and enlightened, a supporter of the American and French Revolutions and staunchly anti-slavery.
Born on 24 July 1783 at 10pm in Caracas, Venezuela, he had a fractured childhood with his military father dying when he was three and his mother when he was nine.
He was a 5th house Sun Leo so flamboyant and quite a showman with his Sun in a determined opposition to Pluto. But it is his Saturn in Capricorn conjunct his Midheaven opposition Uranus Mercury in Cancer on the nadir/IC square Mars in Aries conjunct his Ascendant opposition Neptune conjunct his Descendant which really defines his life.
Saturn in Capricorn hints at a difficult early life and conjunct his Midheaven would make him a good organiser, suited to executive power. His courageous and reckless Mars in Aries on his Asc would make him forceful and square Uranus no stranger to danger and keen to take risks. Visionary Neptune added into the Grand Square would focus his energies towards fulfilling his dream. Though with that mix of planets he could also have turned out rather nasty. His communicative 3rd house Gemini Moon squared onto a Venus in Virgo opposition Pisces North Node - again hinting at his need to be fulfilled through public service and acclaim.
He's also got an Earth Grand Trine of Jupiter trine Venus trine Chiron in Taurus. With his Chiron in a tight sextile to his Pisces North Node so again his faith in his actions proved a healing source.
He also has a Mystic Rectangle - two sextiles, two oppositions and two trines. Mars sextile Pluto and Neptune sextile Sun; with Sun opp Pluto and Neptune opp Mars; and Neptune trine Pluto and Sun trine Mars. This configuration is not easy to handle since the oppositions tend to send the individual one to one extreme or the other. But he clearly found a way of balancing them to work together.
What an interesting chart.
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Elena Kagan - a Uranian Taurus  From: Marjorie. (05 Jul 2010 09:40): 
Elena Kagan is Barack Obama's choice for the Supreme Court. She's right-ish though a firm advocate of gay rights, is unmarried and has never been a judge.

Born on 28th April 1960 she has quite a chart. She has a stalwart Taurus Sun in an Earth Grand Trine to Pluto in Virgo trine Jupiter in Capricorn so is very practical, earthy obviously, good with money I'd imagine. Her Sun is also in a close opposition to Neptune making that an even more talented Kite with visionary Neptune as the driving planet.

She's also got a disciplined, hard working Saturn in Capricorn sextile Mars in a wid-ish Yod to Uranus; with Uranus also the focal point of a Fixed T square onto that Sun opposition Neptune - so she's innovative but in a less disruptive way with Uranus being in Fixed signs, so just steady pressure for the changes she considers important. The Yod focal point Uranus(bit out of orb) will make her a catalyst and a trailblazer. From her wiki entry I gather she insisted her local synagogue gave her a bat mjitvah, the female version of a bar mitvah, the first they had ever done in the way she wanted. She was described then as 'strong minded and independent' which rather covers a strong Uranus.

Her feisty Venus Mercury in Aries are rather damped down by a square to Saturn. Her Gemini Moon may be square Pluto and could be sextile Uranus, even square Mars - so emotionally she's quite variable.

At the moment she's got tr Pluto conjunct her Jupiter and trine Pluto - two legs of the Grand Trine - and definitely looking successful. In general this year and next she's progressing well with tr Pluto sextile Sun/Jupiter as well. Admittedly tr Saturn will also square her Jupiter in late August which will be a setback and late October doesn't look too chirpy on the job front either. Depends really when the decision is made but she looks much more successful rather than less.
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World Cup - speculative astrology  From: Marjorie. (05 Jul 2010 09:14): 
I gather from the headlines we're now down to four for the World Cup Football - Uruguay, Germany, Spain, Netherlands.
This is hardly serious astrology - but on the astrocartography of the initial World Cup opening chart - Uruguay has Venus in the 1st conj Asc and Germany has Venus in the 10th conj MC. Netherlands and Spain also have Venus in the 10th. Venus certainly brings popularity.
Looking at the country charts since major sporting wins usually bring an upswing of euphoria which does register - Uruguay has tr Jupiter conjunct its Pluto which is definitely good news, confident and enthusiastic. And Germany probably is also in a decidedly gung ho mood over the final. Spain has a fainter though also cheerful/minorly successful tr to a Jupiter midpoint.
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Netanyahu v Obama - different tactics  From: Marjorie. (05 Jul 2010 09:06): 
Barack Obama will have another go tomorrow at trying to persuade Benjamin Netanyahu to halt settlement building in an effort to progress the pre-pre-pre-Peace Talks with the Palestinians.
Relations between the two countries have sunk to a new low in recent times though Israel in typically bull-necked fashion is refusing to budge.
This time round Netanyahu has been invited to stay in the inner sanctum in the White House so no doubt there's an attempt to see if charm plus force works better than just putting the Presidential foot down which has clearly not registered.

The Obama/Netanyahu relationship chart has an argumentative Mercury Mars conjunction which has been stressed earlier this year and will be again over the coming New Year and through 11/12. But all that's showing at present are transits to the composite midpoints which indicate huge frustration (tr Pluto trine Mars/Pluto) and confusion, disappointment and plans not working out (tr Pluto square Mars/Neptune).

On the USA/Israel relationship chart there is emotional intensity and a good deal of pushing and pulling with tr Pluto opp the composite Venus now and again in Oct/Nov and tr Pluto opposing Mercury Aug to Oct which will lead to major arguments with both sides standing firm. There could be a real low through Aug 2010 as tr Saturn is conjunct the composite Jupiter Neptune and then squares Mercury Venus - so a wider gap and less friendly mood. Where the US/Isr relationship chart gets really strung out is in 2011 as tr Uranus opposes that over-idealised Jupiter Neptune and squares Mercury Venus. So the pressure will be kept up.

The Israel country chart is emotionally fairly intense and anguished with tr Pluto conjunct the Solar Arc Moon this month into July and on and off through later this year and 2011; as well as tr Pluto opposition Venus which has much the same effect - and will give Israel serious worries about its fading popularity (Venus). And tr Neptune returns to oppose their Mars thro' 2011, continuing the sinking, panicky mood of this year.
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India - facing pressures but staying afloat  From: Marjorie. (04 Jul 2010 12:20): 
India's economy is growing at a rate which must make the US and Europe green with envy though as Mark says (in New Topics) with all manner of accompanying problems - of rampant inflation, bureaucratic muddles, widening inequalities etc etc.
With the Sun and four other planets including Saturn Pluto in Leo and Jupiter in Scorpio it is a fixed country where change will only come after considerable pressure.
But as far as the impending global economic hiatus is concerned it may fare better than most. It does admittedly have Mars at 0 degrees Cancer in the 2nd house (personal finances) square a 5th house (speculation) Neptune at 8 Libra - so it won't escape entirely the coming tr Uranus opp Mars in 10/11 which is highly insecure; tr Saturn square Mars in late July 10 which will be a financial setback; then tr Saturn conjunct Neptune in that tricky Oct/Nov period this year which seems to be showing up on a good many of the finance charts as a definite roadblock.
But it is buoyed up by transits to Jupiter midpoints through 10/11/12. It may, of course, overstep the mark with tr Pluto square Sun/Jupiter in 10/11 which will send inflation soaring even higher. But there'll be lucky breaks in 11/12 with tr Pluto trine Jupiter/Uranus.
The Reserve Bank of India has a 10 degree Aries Sun (opp Mars at 18 Libra widely square Pluto at 23 Cancer) so it'll will be under pressure to control the internal financial situation in India between this Oct and mid 2011. And it also has in 10/11 tr Pluto sextile Saturn so it will be trying to pull back rather than letting expansion get out of control.
Where the real problems will come is 2013/14 as tr Pluto and tr Uranus hard aspect the Res Bank Sun which will cause major upheavals and require a considerable change in outlook. By that time the Solar Arc Pluto is also in opposition to the Res Bank Sun which is a complete standstill.
And the India country chart also shows up 2012/13 as a time when the financial pressures will really bite with tr Pluto and tr Uranus in hard aspect to their Neptune - which will be panic and confusion, some kind of a meltdown.
But for all that I do still reckon India will manage better than some. This is just speculation on my part but I think that tr Pluto through the 8th of a country (as opposed to a personal) chart does indicate increasing prosperity. India has Pluto in the 8th until early in the next decade. Though they can't escape entirely since their economic growth is dependent on other countries investing and buying which can't happen if there's a general economic downturn.
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Serena Williams - flying high  From: Marjorie. (04 Jul 2010 10:52): 
Serena Williams won the Women's Finals at Wimbledon. Just a brief note on the influences giving her that added boost. She had tr Jupiter sextile her Jupiter/MC and tr Pluto square her Moon/Jupiter. Tr Pluto was also square her Libra Sun but with tr Jupiter rapidly approaching the opposition to her Sun there was a resoundingly confident tr Jupiter square tr Pluto in aspect to her Sun.
With sporting and political wins there's usually some Jupiter in there providing a lift.
26 Sep 1981 8.28pm Saginaw, MI, US
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Afshan Azad - stuck between a rock and a hard place  From: Marjorie. (04 Jul 2010 10:44): 
Afshan Azad, the actress who appeared in the Harry Potter films was evidently attacked by her father and brother because of her relationship with her boyfriend. They appeared in court a few days ago charged with threatening to kill her. Her family is Bengali in origin.
Born on 12 February 1988 she's a Sun Mercury in Aquarius with a wide square to controlling Pluto in Scorpio. Though more pointedly she has an awkward Mars Saturn Uranus conjunction in Sagittarius sextile her Sun. Mars aspects often point to the father or masculine influences. Mars Saturn can be cruel, add in Uranus and it becomes disruptive, volatile, explosive. Her Moon is also in Sagittarius.
Luckily her confident Jupiter in Aries is sextile her Sun and trine those Sagittarius planets which will give her the resilience to bounce back.
If she was born around mid day then tr Pluto is conjunct her Solar Arc Moon this year which would make sense. Tr Uranus opp tr Saturn has also been in square to her Uranus Saturn Mars in recent times and tr Uranus stays there till early 2011 so it is a difficult time for her of pulling away from the past. Plus tr Pluto is now square her Venus in Aries at the moment which will be emotionally intense.
She evidently wants the charges dropped so is stuck in the classic abusive family dilemma - she can't live with them and can't live without them.
If it was an attempted 'honour killing' and the circumstances are unclear it might bring some welcome media spotlight onto a difficult problem in immigrant families and indeed abroad where such practices still go on.
Although it is almost impossible for westerners to grasp the mindset behind them it is implicit in the old enmeshed patriarchal family cultures which still exist. Indeed which existed in the west two hundred years ago. I've come across it doing chart readings in India and it is most strange. Individuals (usually men) feel at a highly personal level that it is their own identity and reputation which is being attacked if a female member of the family misbehaves. Nowadays in the west if a family member misbehaves then everyone just raises an eyebrow and thinks 'every family has their black sheep/renegade' and no one fusses much.
Admittedly the family structure has almost broken down in the west which has its downside but at least there isn't this extraordinarily draconian set up where everyone has to stay within the ring fence of that particular family's value system - from which the entire family appears to take its identity.
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Paris Hilton - looking for a goal  From: Marjorie. (03 Jul 2010 14:59): 
Paris Hilton, an icon for a society fixated on empty celebrity, bling and all things disposable, has been had a drugs possession charge dropped in South Africa. She was there, one assumes, more to follow the media spotlight than for the football.
Born on 17 Feb 1981 at 3 am New York, she has a very Airy chart with her Sun, Mercury, Venus in Aquarius and Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto in Libra with a 'five-star lifestyle' Leo Moon. Venus in Aquarius or Gemini tend to be the social butterflies of the zodiac and she has it in spades with her Venus opposition Moon North Node and trine a 10th house wannabe influential Pluto. Her Pluto also trines her Sun Mercury, with Neptune on the Ascendant as a midpoint to that trine. So she likes to create an aura of mystique(Nep on Asc) behind which she can be fairly controlling.
She also has a Yod of Jupiter Saturn in Libra sextile Moon NNode in Leo inconjunct (150 degrees) Mars in Pisces. A Yod brings strain, a sense of not being quite in tune with herself or what's around her. And a focal point Mars gives her hyper-manic energy but tending to go off in all directions without much focus or sense of real purpose.
Usually Yods bring about unforeseen circumstances which force or present the individual with an opportunity to get onto a more focussed track where they finally feel they've found themselves. But it does require a breaking away from old securities. Though Bil Tierney says: " A mismanaged Yod could result in fateful consequences - due to rash or disruptive actions."
Usually Yods are triggered when one end is mobilised by strong transits. Her focal point Mars is at 9 Pisces which will get the tr Pluto sextile in 2012; and tr Pluto and tr Uranus will both hard aspect her Jupiter Saturn on one leg of the Yod also by 2012/13. By that time her Mars has moved by Solar Arc to pick up the tr Pluto tr Uranus hard aspects as well. So her life will change radically over the next two or three years. And there may be hints of it sooner when tr Saturn opposes her Solar Arc Mars come this autumn.
In any event this year and next are slipping sliding years with tr Neptune conjunct her Sun Mercury and square Uranus.
With an 8th house Moon NNode she's also likely to be embroiled at certain points in her life with financial tugs-of-war.
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Robert Byrd - moving with the times  From: Marjorie. (03 Jul 2010 14:16): 
Robert Byrd, the longest serving Senator/lawmaker in the US has died aged 92. Born 20 Nov 1917 at 2pm Wilkesboro, NC, USA he came from poor beginnings, fostered out to an aunt after his mother died when he was one. He started his political career in 1946 and became a Senator in 1959 and served ever since.
He had a 9th house Sun in Scorpio and Mercury in Sagittarius so was well suited to the arena of law and giving him an overview of society. His Mercury was in an exact (to one minute) opposition to a confidently communicative Jupiter in Gemini in the 3rd squaring onto an impatient, rather scattered, hard working, meticulous Mars in Virgo in the 6th.
His Aquarius Moon was conjunct Uranus and opposition Neptune Saturn in Leo - a fair description of his muddled, motherless childhood - though that opposition also was sextile/trine his Midheaven so he'd channel his energies towards his career. He also had a trapped Pluto in the 4th house of childhood.
His Capricorn North Node was in the 10th opposition Pluto so again he pulled away from his difficult early beginnings to make his career in public life.
Despite early leanings towards the Klux Klux Klan and anti-civil rights he did shift in time to a much more moderate outlook - perhaps a reflection of his Sun square Uranus which has a habit of flipping in outlook.
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Robert Pattinson - born with a Jupiter spoon  From: Marjorie. (03 Jul 2010 13:42): 
Robert Pattinson the English actor (Harry Potter, Twilight), model, musician was born on 13 May 1986 at 8.32 am London England. He's on a roll at the moment and does have a lucky chart.
His Jupiter in Pisces in his 10th conjunct his Midheaven certainly marks him out as having a lucky career and a solid reputation. His Jupiter MC trine a Cancer Ascendant and 12th house Cancer Moon which in turn trines Pluto in Scorpio. So it's a creative Water Grand Trine, formed into an even more talented Kite with Moon Ascendant opp Neptune Mars in Capricorn. The orbs are wide for some of that but it gives a general feel - of a motivated and artistic temperament.
His Saturn in the 5th suggests a later career as an organiser/producer as well as a front of camera type.
His friendly 11th house Taurus Sun is in a mini Grand Trine wit Sun trine Mars, sextile Jupiter - so again he's got all the right energies working for him. He's also got a 12th house Venus opposition Uranus so perhaps emotionally rather fickle and quite hidden.
He's clearly multi-talented and would I imagine be around for a long time with tr Saturn now only in his 4th so long ways to go. Maybe a great love in four years time when his Prog/SArc Sun is conjunct his Venus but then the Prog Sun opposes Uranus - so may be not too long lived.
He's also got a tricky patch in four/five years time with his Solar Arc Saturn conjunct his 6th house Neptune and his SArc Uranus conjunct his 7th house Mars - health, work and close partnerships causing him concern.
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UK politics - sliding and stuck  From: Marjorie. (03 Jul 2010 13:22): 
A referendum on a new AV voting system in the UK will take place on May 5th next year. It isn't full proportional representation which tends to favour a party rather than an individual but may be fairer than first past post (as far as I understand it which isn't too far.)
What's around on May 5 is a stuck Saturn square Pluto, with a controlling Sun trine Pluto and a disruptive Pluto square Uranus plus an upbeat Mars Jupiter in Aries - so you can take your pick. I'd be inclined to suspect NO will be the answer. The UK's 11th house Saturn in Leo which represents the legislature has nothing much aspecting it - and is anyway like the UK very fixed and thus slow to change. Tr Pluto is at that point exactly square the UK Ascendant heading towards the nadir/IC which again feels very stuck.
I would think with tr Saturn also just past the square to the UK Sun most people will think there are other things to worry about.

Just to catch up on David Cameron. He has that panicky, failure-ridden tr Neptune opposition his Mars again late July/ Aug 2010 and repeating for the final time in Jan 2011; with tr Neptune conjunct his Solar Arc Sun into 2011/12. So he's feeling none too solid.
His Government chart will get a shudder of instability or discomfort from mid Aug through to October as the wobbly Saturn opposition Uranus is constellated with tr Uranus back to its' natal position.
The LibDems who are propping up the Coalition to the greater personal glory of Nick Clegg and the discomfiture of most Liberals who dislike Tory policies, are an unhappy bunch throughout. The original Liberal Party chart (31 May 1877) works best for them though the LibDem (7 March 1988) is also OK. The Liberal chart showed huge anger through June with the Coalition coming together and Osborne's Budget slicing thro' their Manifesto policies. That repeats off and on - Dec 10 and thro' 11 as well. Plus as very slumped tr Neptune conjunct Mars come Sept/Oct/Dec 2010. The 1988 chart indicates divisions in 2010; jolts and slumps in 2011; and outright devastation come 2012/13. They may come to regret this exercise. How to lose out while winning power.
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Al Gore - shining white and beyond reproach  From: Marjorie. (02 Jul 2010 16:45): 
What a strange tale of stuffy, uptight Al Gore. Whatever possessed him to ask for a massage at 11pm at night given his high public profile. It was asking for trouble given the propensity in the US for suing or selling to the tabloids.
And at the end of the day it's one of these he-said, she-said situations. So who'd know? It does sound odd. I can't imagine a late night masseuse would be that vaporous or unused to advances.

His chart does have a tactile Venus in Taurus so he'd probably like massages. His Venus is square Mars which can sometimes go in for purely sexual gratification and isn't always sensitive about 'the other'. But you couldn't pronounce him guilty on that score.
He does have tr Saturn conjunct his Neptune and opposition his Sun this autumn which is a downer and rather panicky. And tr Neptune is square his 10th house Venus in Sept, Oct, Dec which could arguably undermine his reputation and diminish his reputation -though that needn't necessarily be about this. In general he's seeing high hopes come down in 10/11 though that could also be the flagging climate change campaign. Plus of course tr Pluto conjunct and tr Saturn square his Moon which will be emotionally difficult at the moment and till late year.

The massage which turned into an alleged situation was on 24 Oct 2006 when comically there was an exact sexy and intense passionately Venus Mars Sun conjunction in Scorpio falling in Al Gore's Solar 8th house and trine his Mars/NNode midpoint. Venus Mars Sun were moving through his natal 4th house of emotional roots and security; vague Neptune was in his 7th house of marriage and partnerships, attention-seeking Pluto was in his 5th and experimental Uranus in his 8th. You could write a novel about that but I'd better not since he may well be as pure as the driven snow.
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Mel Gibson - at boiling point  From: Marjorie. (02 Jul 2010 11:11): 
In Mel Gibson's heyday as Hollywood's golden boy, happy family man etc etc I used to look at his chart and wonder what on earth he did with all that extraordinarily heavy and difficult energy in his chart.

Born on 3 Jan 1956 4.45pm Peekskill, NY, US he's a Sun Capricorn with Moon in Libra. The eye-catcher however is a fearsome 5th house Mars Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto Jupiter. It does make sense of a financially successful entertainment career playing violent heroes. But it clearly also operates in his personal life and indeed personality. Following on from his anti-semitic rant at police when they stopped him on a drink drive offence a couple of years back, he's now embroiled in yet more accusations of racism and aggressive behaviour as he splits from his girlfriend Oksana, mother of his latest baby.

My reckoning was the rot set in when he made his bloody and sadistic the Passion of Christ. At that point his Mars Saturn had moved by Solar Arc to straddle his Capricorn Sun. So arguably unleashing all of his deep seated and really brutal aggression, sanitised as a religious epic.
Mars aspects often say a good deal about the father and Hutton Gibson (26 Aug 1918) is super-religious, a conspiracy theorist, a holocaust denier and holds extreme views abut the Catholic Church Not quite on the same planet as the rest of us by the sound of it. A Mars Saturn Jupiter Pluto father is something to be on the receiving end of!
HuttonG is a Sun Virgo on the point of a mini Grand Trine to a powerfully confident Jupiter Pluto in Cancer trine Mars in Scorpio - so ego-centred (emphasised Sun) and ferociously determined (Pluto trine Mars in Scorpio). He's also got an autocratic, contradictory Saturn opposition the singleton Uranus on the handle of a bucket chart - so a maverick. Plus Mars square Neptune Venus in Leo, possibly Mars opp Taurus Moon so emotionally volatile, confused and confusing.
HuttonG's pushy Jupiter Pluto opposes MelG's Capricorn Sun so there are definite control issues. And his Uranus opposes Mel's Pluto and squares Mars Saturn which would be a quite explosive combination if it weren't all so locked down by that Mars Saturn Pluto in Fixed signs. But there's a huge powder keg of resentment in there which I suspect has never and will never be addressed, hence perhaps Mel's alcoholic tendency.
At the moment Mel's Moon has moved by Solar Arc to conjunct his Mars two years back when he divorced and first started to go seriously off the rails. The SArc Moon will square his Pluto in two or three years time before being conjunct his Saturn the year after. So he's got a long haul of extreme emotional tension. The pressure cooker inside him is going to continue to boil over.
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Kelsey Grammer - Cardinal Grand Square in action  From: Marjorie. (02 Jul 2010 09:31): 
Kelsey Grammer (21 Feb 1955) now divorcing from his third wife has a Cardinal Grand Square in his chart of Mars in Aries opposition Neptune square Jupiter Uranus in Cancer opposition Venus. Cardinal Grand Square individuals tend to have event filled, very restless lives with revolving crises. But it can produce some very successful people. The 1930 Cardinal Grand Square - Saturn opp Jupiter Pluto square Uranus opposition ? produced Sean Connery plus many other stalwarts of the business and political world.

KelseyG (Cheers & Frasier) is a Sun Pisces, with Moon in Aquarius probably opposition Pluto square Saturn in Scorpio which would certainly point to a very bleak emotional and family life. His Sun is also opposition Pluto. His Mars in Aries is very heavily aspected being trine Pluto as well as square Uranus and opposition Neptune which might be a pointer to the major tragedies of his life.
His parents split early and his father whom he barely knew was murdered when tr Saturn was conjunct his Mars in Aries putting discouraging influence right round his Cardinal Grand Square. With tr Neptune conjunct his Saturn in Scorpio (square Moon opp Pluto) - so a real shock, setback and highly confusing.
When his sister was raped and murdered in 1975 tr Saturn had moved a quarter cycle to be in Cancer conjunct his Jupiter Uranus, again shaking his Grand Square; with tr Uranus conjunct his Neptune doing the same. When his half twin brothers were killed by a shark tr Pluto was then in Libra square his Jupiter Uranus and again putting immense pressure on his T square.
On Solar Arcs when his sister was killed his SArc Mars opp Neptune was at 17/18 degrees Taurus/Scorpio so I would hazard a guess that would be squaring his Aquarius Moon, putting his birth time around 3am. That would put Pluto in the 8th and Mars in Aries in the 4th which feels about right. With a Capricorn Asc and Venus in the 1st and Neptune in the 10th. When his brothers were killed tr Uranus was conjunct his SA Neptune which was conjunct his natal Saturn.
At the moment he has his Solar Arc Saturn moving to conjunct his Venus which is emotionally downbeat. More pointedly he has his natal Sun opposition Pluto now moved by Solar Arc to hard aspect his Cardinal Grand Square. So another life changing and probably unwanted change.
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Cardinal Climax  From: Marjorie. (02 Jul 2010 09:18): 
This is the March post on the Cardinal Climax.
Around about Aug 7th this year Saturn, Venus, Mars will be in Libra opposition Uranus Jupiter in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn (& NNode in Cap) and opp Moon in Cancer.
It's a rather mind boggling collection to interpret. And the wild card is Jupiter which could actually produce good news. If you strip Jupiter out it's Uranus opp Saturn Mars square Pluto which is seriously unfun - accident prone, violent, domineering, ruthless, stuck.
Admittedly Mars opposition Jupiter can lead to acts of self-righteous over confidence. The Afghanistan War was launched on a Jup opp Mars square Sun and the Iraq Attack on a Mars quincunx Jupiter. And Jupiter square Pluto can also be pushy, uncaring about other people's rights.
The Saturn opp Uranus square Pluto is all in Cardinals for the first time and fairly close at that point - it runs on thro' 2011 so there will be continuing effects. In many ways the height of the Cardinal Climax will be around the July 2011 Solar Eclipse with the New Moon in Cancer opp Pluto square Saturn opp Uranus which could produce more major events.
Looking back the triple conjunction of Saturn Uranus Pluto in the mid 19th Century in Aries/Taurus produced the 'year of revolutions' in 1848 as Europe went into revolt. This conjunction launched the Second French Empire under Louis Napoleon; and the unification of modern Germany effectively began then. The seeds of Communism were sown with Marx and Engels in full flood. The start of the liberation of the serfs in Russia really kicked off in the aftermath leading eventually to the Russian Revolution 70 years later. China was also in internal revolt over corruption.
The previous triple conjunction of Saturn Uranus Pluto around 1713 in Virgo brought a balance of power and economic growth to Europe with the Age of Enlightenment dawning which brought scientific progress, the breakdown of old beliefs and arts and culture flourished. Plus rebellions around the globe.
I'd expect to see more of the Greek-type street riots in various countries over the economic situation. And there is a good deal on the financial charts pointing to this October as being a tipping point in the downward direction for a second major dip.
There's a huge amount changing in the world at the moment both internally in individual countries and in terms of larger global movements. Even the headlines this week are instructive -1. Europe cracking at the seams. 2. Israel almost for the first time finding itself in isolation - which is pivotal not just for the Middle East but for the wider East West relationship. 3. Even the Vatican which has been around for almost two millennia is facing an existential crisis. 4. The USA finally managed to pass Healthcare which has defied all efforts to get in place for a 100 years. 5. The UK sinks to even greater depths economically and morally in terms of political leadership. Etc etc.
Pluto in Capricorn is grinding inexorably on pulling down the old structures, forcing a rethink economically and politically with the peasants becoming increasingly restless about the quality of their leadership. It isn't going to lead to a shining golden Age but some of the old baggage will undoubtedly go and a few pedestals will be tumbled.
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Saturn crossing the Ascendant  From: Marjorie. (01 Jul 2010 18:08): 
The 29 year Saturn cycle round your chart is split into four sections which depending on the chart are seven years roughly each, sometimes less or more depending on the axis. Transiting Saturn from the Midheaven (10th house) to the Ascendant is the most outer time of hard work, ambition, a consolidating peak to all the preparations of the 21 years before.
When Saturn gets to the Ascendant and even slightly before, certain old ambitions become less important and there is need for a re-evaluation. People find they don't want to work 80 hour weeks anymore which is the psyche's hint to wind down and step back slightly for a rethink.
Hyper-ambitious ego-maniacs find Saturn into the first quadrant difficult to handle since they live totally for outer achievement and approbation. So they keep pushing on as before, start making mistakes and finding success doesn't come as easily as it had done in the previous 7 years.
What Saturn really wants is for you to re-balance your life - to come off the ego more and into your centre. To find time for play and emotional matters as well as work. Often people get married and have kids when Saturn is moving through the first quadrant since it fulfils more personal needs.
It needn't mean that life grinds to a halt. Shirley MacLaine stopped movies for a while when her Saturn was in her first quadrant and wrote her books. I always think of Saturn here as a time to find what is really important for you, not for other people.
The last time I had Saturn into my 1st and onwards, I stopped a pole-axing schedule of producing live TV shows and then documentaries, took time out, wrote a novel and started doing astrology.
You do usually have to get your finances in order to make do with slightly less when Saturn moves through the 2nd which is a time of getting priorities straight and realising that money isn't the be all and end all it may have seemed before. But clearly you do need enough to get by so getting organised in advance is usually a good idea.
Sometimes Saturn through the middle of the 1st quadrant (3 houses) also brings up old unresolved psychologically issues. This isn't a negative. More your psyche trying to plumb the depths to find more bits of you which have been left lying on dusty shelves of your unconscious. So when you start emerging usually with Saturn into the 3rd, you move ahead as a slightly different person, hopefully more rounded, with different ambitions. Then you're into the planning phase of the next great Saturn sweep out and upwards in your chart. When it reaches the nadir/IC into your 4th you're ready to go out and engage more fully with the outside world again.
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More Sun Pluto + Mars  From: Marjorie. (01 Jul 2010 17:41): 
More questions on Jennifer Capriati's Pluto.
I have seen people with Sun Pluto in their charts with seemingly insubstantial fathers. But ineffectual doesn't mean the fathers aren't subtly controlling and these patterns are set very early on. Weak people can be more possessive, controlling and envious than strong ones. There is nothing more controlling than a victim or a martyr since they use guilt as their weapons. And the unavailable father is sometimes also playing the Pluto trick of not being fully involved in relationship which leaves the child thoroughly stuck.
Pluto goes both ways - as dominant and submissive. So a submissive Pluto father will still live out the Pluto energy unconsciously even if he is seemingly laid back and not engaged.
It also depends to some degree where the power in the family lies. Nathalie Wood had a Mars Pluto Sun in the 10th and it was her mother who was the ruthless driving force and control freak.
We don't tend to think about psychological energy being a parcel which can be picked up by one family member - but it is. Also it's important to see a marriage partner as a reflection of the other's alter ego - the bit of you which is unknown and unconscious. It's not obvious in a marriage where one is weak and one is strong; or where one appears saintly and the other the opposite. But at the end of the day there's less difference than you'd imagine between them otherwise they wouldn't have got married. And in families with blurred boundaries the child may have difficulty distinguishing between who is father and who is mother.
Usually with Pluto you can trace it back a generation or two. So with a bullying grandfather the next generation down, in reaction, may opt for a seemingly soft, pliable mate. But the energy is still there which one partner will act out more visibly and the other will act out unconsciously.
I've also seen Sun Pluto individuals having fathers who died early - which is another manifestation, I suppose, of forces beyond the child's control.
Similarly with a Sun Pluto child they can live out the Pluto energy more obviously especially when the father won't or, because of his background, can't. So the child becomes the controlling one. But at the end of the day that is still carrying on the paternal pattern rather than the child developing as itself.

Not sure if this is very clear. Take another example. In an abusive childhood - which isn't necessarily the case with Sun Pluto - children can either grow up as victims or they can collude with the aggressor to become aggressive themselves. But both of these are reactions to the early damage. What needs to happen in later life is that the individual heals enough, and splits way sufficiently from the parental pattern to see there is a third way - which is becoming themselves. At that point they can live out their Pluto or whichever energies constructively not just continue with the knee jerk reaction to the strings which were pulled early on.

Gwyneth Paltrow has a Mars Pluto Sun conjunction which is mellowed slightly by having it all square Jupiter. Her brother also has a Sun Pluto conjunction, midway between a Saturn trine Neptune. Their father was a Sun trine Pluto plus Saturn Mars in Gemini so I'd imagine was quite a force to be reckoned with.

Doing celebrity charts as a way of demonstrating has its downside since they are exceptional cases. I've seen Sun Mars Pluto with people who led seemingly ordinary lives where the energy was not lived out - though the ones I know have always felt very stuck. Mars Pluto is an enormously strong energy to carry and really does need a positive outlet either in crisis work or some relatively high risk area for it to flourish.
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FTSE and Dow Jones - hitting the slide  From: Marjorie. (01 Jul 2010 10:52): 
The stock markets have slumped again despite better than expected EU bank borrowings from the ECB, with the prospect of Angela Merkel's Coalition falling to bits and impacting on the EU recovery.
The FTSE was always due for a depressed patch when tr Saturn squares the sensitive Neptune (conj Jupiter) in a few days time, extending through till July 22nd. In general it is in a highly volatile time with the Solar Arc Saturn due to conjunct the FTSE Uranus exactly come Oct/Nov which is usually a major jolt. There's also a discouraging tr Saturn square Mercury Uranus over that sticky Oct 10 patch when all the global financial charts seem very much under pressure.
Plus Solar Arc Pluto is in a suppressive conjunction to the FTSE Venus exact late year into 2011, and a shocking surprises Solar Arc conjunct Mercury exact in early 2011 with worse from SArc Uranus conjunct Sun in mid 2011.
Solar Arcs do have an umbrella of effect covering several months, usually stronger before in the run up, though the exact aspects do seem to often show up as significant markers.
The Dow Jones has July to early August marked out as a frustrating, non-progressive time with tr Pluto square Mars (returning mid Oct to late Nov); plus a discouraging belt-tightening tr Pluto sextile Solar Arc Saturn at the same time. Two of the Down Jones' Jupiter midpoints are also heavily depressed now and through most of July.
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Andy Murray versus Rafael Nadal - hinging on the midpoints  From: Marjorie. (01 Jul 2010 10:29): 
Andy Murray is facing Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals at Wimbledon tennis. Murray has been on good form this year with tr Pluto trine his Sun/Jupiter thro' March to May. He's lost that exact upbeat influence now though he will be boosted in confidence from some good wins. And that Pluto on Sun/Jupiter comes back into 2011 though as tr Saturn slides further down his first quadrant from his Virgo Ascendant I'd wonder about whether and when his enthusiasm will start to flag.
He's got a couple of very minor cheerful Jupiter transits to mid points at the moment but nothing too major.
Nadal (no birth time) is edgy, over excitable but does have a tr Jupiter conjunct his Sun/Mars which looks more like a winning combination.
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Angela Merkel - beset by Mars Saturn and Pluto Midheaven Solar Arcs  From: Marjorie. (01 Jul 2010 10:12): 
Angela Merkel is certainly facing crisis time in her political life. Born 17 July 1954 5.45pm Hamburg, Germany. She has an extraordinary chart. Her Sun, Uranus, Jupiter, Mercury all in Cancer are deeply buried in her 8th house so she's emotional, self protective and exceedingly private as well as intensely stubborn. Her Sun Uranus are in a highly strung square to a visionary, helpful though vague Neptune in the 10th. She's also got utterly determined, obsessively conscientious Saturn in Scorpio in the late 10th so is suited to an executive role. Her 1st house Mars in Sagittarius is trine an opinionated 9th house Pluto. She is ambitious, ruthless, has grit and perseverance though is also, I imagine, rather too Neptunian at times for comfort - prone to misjudgements.
Her Solar Arcs (treat them like Progressions) are absolutely spot on. Her Solar Arc Saturn is conjunct her natal Mars to within one minute (a sixtieth of a degree) at the moment - which is an aggravating road block - as her choice for President had to go the an embarrassing and damaging third round vote. Plus her Solar Arc Pluto is within 3 minutes of being conjunct her Midheaven and they don't get more exact than that. Pluto on the MC tends to indicate loss of reputation and control.
Tr Pluto is in a really dreary sextile to her Saturn from Aug to mid Oct this year. Plus tr Saturn is aiming to square her 8th house Mercury Jupiter in Oct/Nov which will be a downer with the highly insecure, very jangled tr Uranus square her Mars thro' Nov and Dec.
September also shows up as a very unstable time in her 2nd Term chart - so she's a long way to go to get back to her earlier popularity if she ever can which is doubtful with her Solar Arc Mars heading to oppose her Pluto in two years time which is absolute dead stop.
By this autumn Germany will be seriously re-thinking its links to the EU and the euro.
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Jennifer Capriati - separating from the Mars Pluto father  From: Marjorie. (30 Jun 2010 10:37): 
Answering a question about Jennifer Capriati's Sun Pluto.
Sun Pluto is about having not just a powerful father but one who is in complete control, especially true in Jennifer Capriati's case since she had a Mars Pluto father(see quotes below). Where there are no choices in life there is difficulty in establishing a personal identity. Individual identity is all about living out "I want". Not just in the sense of "I want" indulgences, but really becoming who you are. With Pluto tied into the Sun you become a pawn on the chessboard of the father's needs and wishes. The real you isn't allowed to exist so gets buried along with a great deal of anger and frustration which is all held in and thus turns into depression.

Newspaper quotes: "Capriati's story begins, like so many tennis stories, with a pushy father. Stefano was a former boxer and film stuntman who arrived in America determined to better himself. Her mother, Denise, was a Pan-Am stewardess who shared Stefano's upwardly-mobile aspirations. They joined a Long Island tennis club where Stefano, a self-taught player, became a coach. And when Denise became pregnant, in the summer of 1975, he used to encourage people to pat her stomach, saying "Feel! We have produced a future tennis champion!"
At five years old Capriati began taking lessons with Jimmy Evert, At nine Capriati she moved to be coached by Rick Macci at the International Tennis Academy in Florida. Every weekend her parents would drive three and a half hours for her training with Macci. After a year they decided to move to Grenelefe. Capriati attended public school daily from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and then practiced tennis from 2:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.
"I felt like no one liked me as a person," Capriati said in an interview in 2004. "I felt like my parents and everybody else thought that tennis was the way to make it in life, they thought it was good, but I thought no one knew or wanted to know the person who was behind my tennis life."

Men on the whole handle Pluto when tied into the Sun, better than women who often stay submissive, replacing the father with some bully or jerk partner in adult life. Capriati's overdose appeared to coincide with her boyfriend saying he was going back to making adult porn movies. Clearly a charmer.
Her finding herself would be a long hard road. Heavy Pluto often goes along with a sense that the 'real you' is worthless, an object of contempt, so the person ends up feeling degraded, only of value if they live out the father's lifeplan. Becoming herself would mean psychologically facing up to the father's rage - whether he is around or not. The early patterns become implanted inside our heads so it's the internal battle which is key and in her case would be very frightening. Saying 'NO' to the Mars Pluto father feels psychologically as if survival is at stake. Separation from parents/parental patterns is difficult for most of us but much much more difficult in this kind of scenario.
Obviously she is an extreme example and others will have a more muted version of her struggle. My impression is it takes most/many women really into their forties - possibly after the tr Pluto square natal Pluto - to really begin to find their inner voice and live it out.
Tiger Woods has a Sun Pluto Jupiter which has made him a great star but at considerable personal cost to his development as a human being. Though Jupiter Pluto is admittedly easier than Mars Pluto.
Maggie Thatcher was a Sun Pluto Mars Jupiter and really became her father - more macho masculine than any man. Pluto is tricky for a woman to handle well in terms of feminine empowerment.
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Banks and Santander  From: Marjorie. (29 Jun 2010 12:34): 
There was a question about banks on the Finance post below. I'll try to do a survey when I've a moment and perhaps when the EU banks come clean about their debt load as they are being forced to do at the moment. The problem being at the moment that national governments don't have any more cash for a second bank bail-out.
On Santander, the Spanish owned bank, one of the largest in the world (15 May 1857), they are heading into a panic and downward spiral with tr Neptune square their Mars in 2011/12. And they've got the very insecure tr Uranus sextile Mars in 10/11.
As to the UK end of the Santander operations, my impression is that the Santander UK is a stand-alone outfit so may not necessarily be affected when the main bank goes into a tail-spin. Though who'd know since everything bank-wise is in such a ferocious mess at the moment?
If you have any money in savings above the UK guaranteed (?!?) £50k I'd spread it around different banks.
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Panic and the Long Depression   From: Marjorie. (29 Jun 2010 12:25): 
Prior to the Wall Street Crash and the 1930s Depression there was a Great/Long Depression starting with the Panic of 1873. It sent the UK into a 20 year decline. The US recovered more quickly though it still suffered economic stagnation till 1879.

There are similarities between 1873, 1929 and now with all three having an approaching disruptive tr Uranus square tr Pluto. Tr Saturn heading for a bleak hard aspect to tr Pluto; and tr Saturn also heading for a hard economically de-stabilising aspect to tr Uranus in 1873 and 1929. We're still in the middle of the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus; have got tr Saturn square tr Pluto through 10/11 and the tr Uranus square tr Pluto doesn't get to exact till 2012 and hangs around till mid decade.
No great conclusions except that it obviously takes a combination of pressures to put the brakes on prosperity.
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Shiloh Jolie-Pitt - moving away from the feminine  From: Marjorie. (29 Jun 2010 12:04): 
Angelina Jolie talking about her kids described her four year old daughter Shiloh as a tomboy and wanting to be a boy. Trans-gender seems to be catching.
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt born 27 May 2006 at 11.30 pm Walvis Bay, Namibia does share the same Pluto aspects to mother as Kathryn Beatty and Chaz Bono (see below 19 June).
Shiloh has a 10th house Pluto which is the controlling, possessive, suffocating mother and Shiloh's Moon is also widely opposition Pluto. The two above have Pluto in 10th or Pluto conj Midheaven and hard Moon Pluto aspects so a double dose of the over powering mother. Not easy to stamp a feminine identity with all that going on.
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Joe Biden - mis-speaks and rift with Obama  From: Marjorie. (29 Jun 2010 11:56): 
Vice President Joe Biden only seems to appear in the headlines when he puts his foot in it - or disagrees over Afghanistan.
If his birth time is accurate at 8.32am 20 Nov 1942 then he's got Mercury in the 12th in Scorpio along with Mars Sun Venus so he will at time feel rather tucked out of sight. Though he's also happier in a background role. He does have Mars square a 9th house opinionated Pluto which will boost up his tendency to snipe back. Plus he's got the high tension Saturn Uranus in Gemini on his Descendant so will tend to act fairly erratically when meeting the public (or with close partners).
He is feeling a touch lack lustre this year with tr Neptune square his Sun Venus though with occasional rays of hope for positive change from tr Uranus trine Sun Venus till early 2011.
His relationship chart with Barack Obama is not inherently easy and is being beset by major difficulties now and ahead. There's a composite Sun opposition Saturn which is workmanlike, good for business but hardly warm. Plus an argumentative Uranus square an undermining Mars Neptune - so it isn't exactly a mutually supportive bond.
It's been labouring from the start under a tr Pluto square Saturn and hitting the Sun/Saturn midpoint and then this year tr Pluto square the composite Sun. Tr Pluto tends to poull apart. Relations between them will cool considerably come Sept as tr Saturn is conjunct the composite Sun with tr Pluto maintaining the pressure on them through 2011. By 2012 tr Uranus is opposing the composite Sun which is definite separation time if it hasn't happened before.
Only two VPs have ever gone before full term. The last was Spiro Agnew facing finance charges in 1973.
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Jennifer Capriati - Mars Pluto struggling to find peace  From: Marjorie. (29 Jun 2010 11:10): 
Jennifer Capriati, the former teenage tennis star, has been taken to hospital after a suspected accidental drugs overdose. She's always had a trouble-strewn life being fingered for shoplifting and marijuana possession early in her career. In recent years she has suffered from a persistent shoulder injury and admitted to feeling depressed and suicidal in a 2007 interview. She is quoted as saying: "It's like you're being taken over by a demon. You just feel there's no way out of this space you're in. It feels like the end of the world. "When you are just so exhausted and tired of feeling that way you think 'I want to be off this planet right now, because I just feel disgusting inside. I can't even stand my own skin, and I just want to get out."
And what a difficult chart she has, poor soul. Born on 29 March 1976, she is an Aries Sun Mercury opposition Pluto square Mars in Cancer - so there's mega-frustration writ large in that. A focal point Mars makes her impatient, impulsive, reckless but she's anchored down by a close Sun opposition Pluto. Her internal dynamics are all about not being in control of her life, herself, her way ahead.
Sun Pluto women in my experience tend not to get a grip of their lives until almost half way through since they were so over dominated, however subtly early on. And in her case it wouldn't be subtle. She also got a scared-of-failure Saturn in unhappy Cancer square Jupiter. With Jupiter in an adventurous opposition to Uranus. She's also got a hyper-sensitive Venus in Pisces square Neptune and maybe a Pisces Moon so she's very split between that ruthless driving Sun Mars Pluto and part of her emotional feminine side which can't really handle the other side of her.
She's got a tough time ahead with the tr Saturn, tr Pluto, tr Uranus hitting her Mars first and then Sun, Pluto over the next few years.
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Vatican - and the bad times just keep on rolling  From: Marjorie. (28 Jun 2010 15:51): 
The Vatican lurches from one scandal and foot-in-mouth PR blunder to the next. Sex and money, their two bugbears, have come up in the same week. One is the investigation into the dealings of Cardinal Sepe, shunted upwards speedily after 2000 by Pope John Paul into handling a Vatican Rome property portfolio worth billions. Prosecutors now say he sold property to a politician at half market value in return for political favours.
Plus the Belgium investigation into clergy abuse which is raising yowls from the Vatican who don't appear to have learnt any lessons from their recent media mis-steps.
Pope Benedict is certainly having a very rough year as expected with his Mars on his nadir/IC being banged every which way by tr Saturn and tr Uranus. Tr Saturn is in mid July square that Mars which is accident-prone and impatient, more so because of Mars in the 4th; and tr Uranus comes back to the jangled, highly insecure square in Aug/Sept and early 2011 which tends to lead to rash misjudgements. Plus tr Neptune is conjunct his Solar Arc Saturn in late July/Aug and Jan 11 - so he's got much much more aggravation to come.
One of his major problems is that he is trying to clean up the Vatican of which he was an integral part through the bad years and sanctify Pope John Paul who was a strong supporter of the worst elements, some of whom are still there and no doubt hemming Benedict in. It's like a black novel about the Medicis and the Middle Ages Church of Rome.
The Vatican chart is being hammered by tr Uranus square Saturn and Solar Arc Uranus opposition Saturn this year which is a double dose of high tension and irritability, as the autocracy fights with liberalism. Plus a disappointing, destroyed dreams tr Neptune square Jupiter in 2010/11.
Even looking at Pope John Paul's posthumous influences - there's a discouraging, very heavy going tr Pluto trine Saturn this month, Dec 10 and thro' 11. Plus an undermining tr Neptune square Sun in 09/10.

Cardinal Sepe, born on 2 June 1943, is another of those Mars Pluto types which seems to be a pre-condition for certain high officials in the Church - Cardinal Sodano, Maciel Degallado etc. Sakoian & Acker describe it as: determined will power, ruthless, can't be intimidated, stamina.
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Liliane Bettencourt - rich and in trouble  From: Marjorie. (28 Jun 2010 13:51): 
The strange tale of Liliane Bettencourt, heiress to the L'Oreal business and fortune, just got stranger. In recent years her daughter attempted to get her 88 year old billionaire mother made a ward of court to prevent her giving her money away to a younger French photographer who is her friend/companion. The daughter lost.
Now the French Government have announced a tax investigation into her affairs following allegations that she might have been avoiding tax through Swiss holdings. And it threatens to implicate a French Cabinet Minister whose wife worked for Liliane Bettencourt.

Born on 22 Oct 1922 LilianeB is an expansive Sun Jupiter in Libra in an impulsive square to Mars in materialistic Capricorn. She also has a rather gloomy, very determined Mercury Saturn in Libra square Pluto; plus an intense Scorpio Moon maybe trine Pluto trine Uranus. So she's quite a mix and stubborn with it. Her photographer friend Francois-Marie Banier, born 27 June 1947, is a Sun Cancer (looking for mom) square Neptune so emotional, self protective, creative, vague. He's also got a money-attracting Jupiter in Scorpio in a determined square to Saturn Pluto in Leo; with perhaps a Libra Moon which would fit her chart.
Their relationship chart is odd with a Sun, Mercury, Saturn, Venus, Neptune so there's a good deal of suspicious doubt buried into amongst emotional resonance. Plus an adventurous Uranus opp Jupiter; and a controlling Mars trine Pluto. His chart is unhappy in 10/11 with tr Saturn and tr Pluto hitting his Cancer Sun and then Neptune; with tr Uranus following along behind in 11/12. So his life is being thrown around all over the place. Plus he's got tr Neptune in an ego-denting square to his Mars in 09/10. Not his best time to put it mildly.

The key question is whether it will damage Nicolas Sarkozy's Government which is already not sitting well with the French voting public because of too much high celebrity bling, the austerity cuts etc.
His Presidency chart (16 May 2007 11am Paris) is rattled in early Aug with tr Saturn opp Mars; with worse to follow as an de-stabilising tr Uranus square Pluto picks up from September and then a decidedly unpopular tr Saturn square Venus in Oct. Personally he's hitting an impatient low in Oct 2010 with tr Saturn square his 7th house Moon Mars in Aries. Plus he's now got tr Saturn heading downwards into his lower profile, less successful quadrant, which does suggest he'll be a one term President.

Not all of the above, of course, will be much to do with a potential Cabinet Minister scandal. But Liliane Bettencourt's chart does not sit well with the Sarkozy Presidency chart especially in late July/Aug 2010 and early 2011 - so her affairs may well cause the odd ripple of panic and do damage.
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High Finance - reality beginning to bite  From: Marjorie. (28 Jun 2010 11:45): 
The G20 summit along with a raft of downward figures across the globe for trade, housing etc is focussing the minds of the economic high IQs on the malodorous prospect of the next great dip.

The credit chief at RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) says in a note to investors:- "We cannot stress enough how strongly we believe that a cliff-edge may be around the corner, for the global banking system (particularly in Europe) and for the global economy. Think the unthinkable." Societe Generale's top dog said the Fed Reserve and other central banks will be forced to print more money whatever they now say, given the "stinking fiscal mess" across the developed world. The Bank for International Settlements warns, sovereign debt crises are nearing "boiling point" in half the world economy.

Uncheerful though it is, for once they may be right since the astrology is certainly all pointing that way.

Ben Bernanke of the Fed Res is a firm advocate of quantitative easing (printing money) to keep the economy stimulated tho' he may not win the argument in the US. His chart certainly indicates that the major and panicky pressures which picked up on his chart in 2008 won't disappear for another two years and he's got quite a jolt coming in 2011/12 as his Solar Arc Uranus squares his natal Sagittarius Sun.
His natal T square of Uranus opp NNode in Capricorn square Mars Neptune has been moving by Solar Arc Directions to have first SArc Mars Neptune conjunct his Sun in 2008 and SArc Uranus is now moving to complete the four year worst-ever shake up in his chart and life. He's also got a really tough, slog-on tr Pluto conjunct his SArc Saturn in this July/Aug and Oct/Nov which tr Saturn also squares in late Aug 2010 and then tr Uranus opposes his SArc Saturn in 11/12 with considerable tensions ensuing from that.

The Fed Reserve chart itself tells much the same story with its' very central Saturn Pluto in Cancer having been under pressure from tr Pluto since 2008 and it now facing another dose of a discouraging tr Saturn square Saturn Pluto across this summer; and then tr Saturn conjunct Midheaven and conjunct SArc Saturn Pluto - which is a serious reality check requiring tough decisions.
The Fed Res Saturn Pluto is tied into a Water Grand Trine of Saturn Pluto trine Mercury Moon in Scorpio trine NNode in Pisces. Into 2011/12 tr Uranus is adding another huge jolt in a square to that natal Saturn Pluto and pulling at all of the Grand Trine; with tr Pluto adding pressure and intense arguments with sextiles to the Mercury Moon. By 2012 tr Pluto square tr Uranus hits the Midheaven if the 9am start is accurate, but even if not will catch the Solar Arc Saturn Pluto through 13/14. And just to add to the Fed Reserves' woes - as if Saturn, Pluto, Uranus wasn't enough - tr Neptune into Pisces will start an undermining conjunction to the Pisces North Node and trine Saturn Pluto in 12/13.

Definitely grit teeth for a bumpy ride ahead.
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Prince Albert - crawling into marriage  From: Marjorie. (27 Jun 2010 19:03): 
Prince Albert of Monaco has announced his long awaited engagement - to South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock. The marriage is due mid 2011.
He was born 14 March 1958 at 10.47 am Monte Carlo and it's fairly obvious why he has delayed so long in committing himself. He has a 10th house Sun Pisces so well designed for a public career with his Sun square a 7th house Saturn which often hints at a marriage that comes later in life than most. Plus he has a changeable, detached Venus in Aquarius opposition Uranus square Neptune in Scorpio. Uranus will make him jump back from a tied-down relationship. Neptune will make him uncommitted in a different way - always looking for perfection which real life doesn't offer. Plus he has a deeply buried 8th house Moon and Mars in Capricorn and a 4th house Pluto - so from various different angles he's scared of being trapped.
His bride-to-be (if the engagement holds) was born on 25 Jan 1978 at 12.35pm (astrotheme) either in Jo'Burg, SAfrica or in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She's a Sun Venus in Aquarius so also quite detached. And with her Sun Venus opposition Mars in Leo she'll be quite fiery. Her Moon is in Leo as well as Saturn, with Moon square a 7th house Uranus. So she's none too eager to be tied down either. She'll like the importance of being a Princess with Saturn and Moon in Leo but she's also changeable emotionally and wants elbow room. Plus she has an 8th house Neptune which looks for perfection. In many ways they are not that dissimilar but whether that is a recipe for success or disaster, time will tell.
Their relationship chart has a Sun opp Jupiter which is certainly enthusiastic and indulgent. But it also has Neptune squaring that opposition which is a fairy tale that might not have a happy ending - too much illusion that leads to disappointment. Plus the Sun is trine Saturn Mars Moon - which looks aggravated, argumentative, not mutually supportive or more duty than pleasure.
The relationship chart is being undermined this year by tr Neptune trine Saturn and worse from next March onwards tr Neptune opposing Jupiter and conjunct the composite Sun and trine the comp Mars - so panics will set in or worse. I suspect there'll be a fair few ups and downs before this year is out with tr Uranus opp the comp Uranus (Pluto).
His chart looks uncertain and confused on the relationship front this year with his Solar Arc Neptune conjunct his 7th house Saturn. And his Secondary Progressed Moon goes into his 7th come later this year which is often when flaws in relationships show up; or there is need for major re-adjustments.
Though Charlene does look very upbeat in coming months with her SArc Jupiter conjunct her Mars.
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McCrystal and Petraeus - career roundabout  From: Marjorie. (27 Jun 2010 10:24): 
I was intrigued by General McCrystal's dismissal by Barack Obama since it doesn't show up clearly on their relationship chart. I use composite charts to get timings so it adds another dimension to synastry - though nothing much showed up here in terms of outer planet transits to the composite Sun or Moon which is usually the case.
Though from the transits to midpoints it is clear their relationship has been under pressure for some time with a good deal of anger and frustration on both sides.
The theory now is that the Rolling Stones disloyal quotes were just a convenient excuse for Obama since McCrystal's time scale for the Afghanistan involvement was a great deal longer than the Obama team thought politically expedient.
Their relationship chart does have a Sun Uranus conjunction so there would be an element of neither of them wanting to compromise. What was more damaging was a Neptune Mars conjunction which is not mutally supportive - one wins, the other feels as if they are losing.
McCrystal's own chart has been labouring very heavily under Solar Arc Mars opposing his Sun in recent times (and maybe SArc Mars conj Moon) and heading to oppose his Pluto in the two years ahead. So he's in the most trapped phase of his life. And I can't imagine with a Sun Pluto trine Mars in Sag natally that he took at all kindly to being cornered by politicians (or anyone else).
David Petraeus is an intense, stubborn, expansive and highly controlling Scorpio Sun opp Jupiter in Taurus square Pluto. He's also got an impulsive Uranus opp Mars square Saturn Neptune so is quite a mix of reckless, autocratic, vague, visionary, well organised.
He's now being talked of as the political saviour of the moment but he's got SArc Saturn conjunct Venus soon which will make him feel unpopular and unappreciated plus SArc Pluto conjunct Neptune also later this year into 2011 which is confused and uncertain. He'll bounce up again in 2013/14/15 as his SArc Jupiter is conjunct his Uranus and opposes his Mars. He does have a streak of good luck about him so will always benefit from suddenly changing circumstances.
His relationship with Obama is less problematic than McCrystal's was - indeed is reasonably easy going with a Sun Venus opp Jupiter in the composite.
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Julia Gilliard - tough times ahead  From: Marjorie. (27 Jun 2010 09:26): 
Not a huge amount to add to an earlier June 3 post on Australia's new PM.
"The one politician being mentioned favorably is the Deputy Prime Minister, Welsh-born Julia Gillard (29 Sep 1961)who could step up if Rudd abseils off the edge of the cliff. When tr Saturn opp tr Uranus knocks Rudd's Sun Mars for six it at the same time picks up her Jupiter in Capricorn much more positively with a sextile from tr Uranus and a stable trine from tr Saturn. So in one sense she benefits from his woes. Though her Libra Sun is being beset by tr Saturn conj this year and tr Pluto square till late 2011 which will bring very heavy pressures; plus an undermining tr Neptune trine her Mars at the moment and thro' 2011. "
I wonder how long she'll survive since she has her Solar Arc Pluto conjunct her Mars through this year - which is highly frustrating, blocked and stuck, usually a hint of a complete road block.
Her Jupiter Saturn in Capricorn are conjunct the Australia Midheaven which will help but her Libra Sun squares the Au Sun Saturn in Capricorn. It may be the climate of the time with tr Pluto heading to the bleak, austerity conjunction to the Au Saturn from early 2011, that proves to be her undoing. Politicians tend to get very unpopular when times are hard. Her Pluto is conjunct the Au Mars which will bring up very intense feelings and a good deal of hostility along the way.
Her chart (without a birth time) is fairly disconnected. Although she'll be quite determined and manipulative with that Venus Pluto in Virgo she's got Neptune strongly tied in via midpoints to several planets. So maybe not as practical as he earth planets might suggested. Plus she's got Mars square Jupiter and Saturn which will make her prone to rather contradictory decisions and actions.
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Sun Saturn, Uranus, Jupiter, Pluto - Lunar Eclipse  From: Marjorie. (26 Jun 2010 17:16): 
Back in situ though slightly dazed from too much dashing around. What on odd week.
Sun Saturn square on Sat last - delays, setbacks, losses. Drove to Barcelona port en route for Mallorca by car ferry which was a major achievement and was so excited at finding it and far too early so sat in car - and had handbag stolen from beside me. Stupid or what! Not locking car. Passport, money, ccs, house keys, mobile all gone. Drove home (another 3 hours) in dark over the mountain road since only had loose change for half the autoroute.

Sun square Uranus Jupiter - excitement, lucky breaks. Barcelona police phoned to say they had nicked the bandidos and retrieved handbag, passport etc etc. What a relief. Back to Barcelona to get handbag and contents (8 hours driving). Policia very pleased with themselves as well they might be.

Sun opposition Pluto - finally made it to Mallorca - by air this time - for final two days of a motivational retreat. Barcelona airport completely changed, vast new road system (no wonder Spain is broke!!), a general pain to find anything so arrive in bad temper. Try to collect scattered wits for deep thinking about next step on the grand vision ahead as Saturn heads for my Ascendant.

Fly out of Mallorca this morning somewhat trepidatiously half an hour after the Lunar Eclipse with Pluto exactly conj Moon opp Sun. Lunar Eclipse located to Mallorca has Saturn on Asc and Uranus on Desc. Perfectly civil flight, didn't fall out of the sky, despite the Eclipse being (not exact) opp my Saturn and square my Venus Mars Neptune Asc. So just goes to show you shouldn't get all uptight about some things, Back into Barcelona airport, nearly didn't find the car in multi-storey. Hideous mess of new construction, badly signed etc etc. And it used to be such a nice airport! Very bad temper.

So I was here some of the early part of the week but thought since the Open Forum was starting to be used it would be a good idea to let it run. Do keep it up since all your input is very valuable as well as being good company.
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Forum - Limited Service  From: Marjorie. (19 Jun 2010 10:35): 
Hi There may be limited service on the forum over the next week since I'm off for a re-boot. Though I have to confess it doesn't look too quiet a week with Sun square Uranus Jupiter, opposition Pluto and tied into a Lunar Eclipse.
I will hopefully be wifi-ed so able to check in and input for major events.
PS. You can use the Astrology Open Forum button beside Hot Topics for ongoing chat if you want.
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Kathlyn Beatty - struggling to find an identity  From: Marjorie. (19 Jun 2010 10:32): 
Kathlyn Beatty, the eldest daughter of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, is supposedly intending to switch gender a la Cher's daughter Chastity who became Chaz.
Kathlyn was born 8 January 1991 7.30 am Los Angeles, CA, US so is a 12th house Sun Neptune Uranus in Capricorn which does suggest a degree of inner confusion; with Masr Mercury in Sagittarius also in the 12th. More pointedly she has a 10th house Pluto in Scorpio square an Aquarius Moon which suggests that she experiences mother as highly controlling and in double quantity (Pl in 10 + square Moon).
This is not dissimilar to Cher's daughter as was - born on 4 March 1969 12.55 am Los Angeles, CA. She/he has a Moon Pluto conjunction with Pluto conj Midheaven. So again a sense of mother as very Plutonic - trapping, suffocating, possessive. Since a daughter identifies more naturally with mother there's a hint here of wanting to cut ties, break away entirely from mother - her gender included - in order to regain control of her life. Chastity/Chaz also has Neptune Mars in the 12th.
I haven't looked at enough (more than two) Transgender charts so can't generalise too wildly.
But there was clearly a good deal going on during the pregnancy of both with marked 12th house planets - plus all that Pluto.
Annette Bening (29 March 1958) does not have a very Pluto dominated chart but with no birth time there's no way of knowing whether her Pluto is angular. She's an Aries Sun trine Uranus with Uranus opposition Mars - so excitable, wants space. Her Mars and Venus are in Aquarius which tend to be quite detached though stubborn.
Her relationship chart with Kathlyn is very difficult with a Venus Saturn Mars square Pluto (Jupiter) - so a great deal of aggravation in here. Kathlyn's relationship with her father is more affectionate with a Sun Venus conjunction though admittedly cool Saturn is also in there and there's a frustrating, power struggling Mars square Pluto as well.
I would think underneath it all there's a struggle for individuality - to be able to mark a personality which is not dependent on very strong parents. It truly is cutting the ties that bind - but in a very extreme way.
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Israel - anger inside as well as outside  From: Marjorie. (18 Jun 2010 13:05): 
There now appears to be internal ructions in Israel between the ultra-Orthodox Jews who are refusing to let their girls share classrooms with Jewish pupils of Sephardic or Middle Eastern descent. This is may pull out into the open a long simmering discontent between secular and orthodox Jews. ' The secular population is increasingly resentful that its taxes support welfare benefits for the ultra-Orthodox, who reject paid work in favour of religious study.' (Guardian).
Astrologically it almost certainly ties into that 9th house Uranus opposition Jupiter in the Israel chart which I referred to in a recent post.
June 3rd post: "Sakoian & Acker are quite damning about this aspect describing it as fostering 'unwise attempts at financial, religious and social expansion'. Their other thoughts are: can be the most dangerous of all aspects - denotes unbridled flights of imagination which have no basis in reality. Blunt and undiplomatic causing disharmony. Proselytytizing on behalf of religious beliefs can cause problems. Those of course are the more negative ends of what can be idealistic and well-meaning.
Why it really caught my eye is that this Jupiter opposition Uranus has now moved by Solar Arc so that SArc Uranus is exactly square the Israel Sun causing a tremendous jolt. With tr Neptune conjunct the SArc Jupiter this year suggesting overly high hopes and great disappointment as well as misjudgements. Plus the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus is also hitting the natal Jupiter opposition Uranus. Since Solar Arc Jupiter now moves to oppose the Israel Mars in influence through late this year into 2011 one would imagine their self-righteous aggression (Mars Jup) may escalate."

Interesting that it should be happening inside as well as outside.

Still on a psychological theme. All nations tend to bind together their sense of national identity by hating an outside 'other'. If you make peace with the 'other' as when the Cold War finished or in the UK the Irish Troubles got sorted then all that hatred/anger comes home to roost at an internal level. The USA swiftly transferred their dislike focus from Communists onto the Islamic fundamentalists. Not quite sure what the UK did. But if an amazing miracle did happen and there was an Israel-Palestine Peace Accord - what then for Israel?
Maybe this internal rift which is appearing is in part a reaction to Israel being slowly forced to face up albeit extremely reluctantly to a Palestinian state.
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Sebastian Horsley - Dandy in the Underworld - a substitute for an identity  From: Marjorie. (18 Jun 2010 12:05): 
Talking of the effects of bad parenting - Sebastian Horsley, the London artist, has been found dead in Soho just before a stage performance of his autobiography 'Dandy in the Underworld' was about to open. He underwent a voluntary crucifixion in the Philippines in 2000 for a series of painting he was doing. He was the son of a millionaire and described his upbringing as full of "atheism, alcoholism and insanity". His alcoholic mother admitted she drank through all of her pregnancies. He modelled himself on Lord Byron and Oscar Wilde, took drugs, used prostitutes, was bi-sexual and refused admission to the US recently on grounds of 'moral turpitude'.
Born on 8 Aug 1962 he was an entertaining Sun North Node Mercury in Leo with his Sun NNode opposition Saturn square Neptune Moon in Scorpio. Both of his parents were alcoholic which makes sense of Neptune conj Moon square Sun. Adding Saturn into the mix would certainly damage his self esteem and give him a marked creative/neurotic streak with the Saturn square Neptune.
He had a strong 13th Harmonic chart - as did Peter Sellers - and there is a sense with his life that he tried to create a wild and way-out persona to cover over an empty and/or totally chaotic inside. He was never given a chance to discover who he really was.
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Parents and children  From: Marjorie. (18 Jun 2010 11:40): 
Gill, I don't like talking about personal charts on an open forum. But just taking the general point about how much parents' contribute or should feel guilty about messes their adult children get into, it is tricky.
You can see from a chart how children experience their parents and that moulds their behaviour to a large degree. Not totally but there is a clear 'legacy' from the generation before. But it is also true there is a legacy from the generation before that and the generation before that. Parents learn to be parents as children. They follow what they knew and react according to how they have been moulded.
I've never been clear about how much responsibility you can sensibly land on parents. Clearly some people do make the wrong choices at times. But is that because of who they are? There is a difficult line to draw.
People who go into therapy usually move through a phase of hating their parents for the damage they inflicted but ultimately they move through that to understanding that their parents had the same issues with their parents.

I was always taught that it is the grown up children's responsibility to sort out the parents' unfinished business.
So I always tell parents that the best they can do for their children is to sort themselves out since that takes some weight off the children, young or adult - gives them less unsorted baggage from the familial line to bear. Take responsibility for your psychological hang ups and where possible fix them. Don't try to fix your children since that never works.

Bruno Bettelheim, the child psychologist who worked with extremely disturbed children was very tough on parents, especially mothers initially, but gradually came to see a wider dimension. That's when he wrote his book about 'A Good Enough Parent'. Most parents do the best they can within the constraints of their own upbringing. Parents can't be expected to be perfect.
Some of course don't the best they can and for that they do need to bear guilt.

The other interesting notion came from R D Laing whose early work was ground breaking. His book 'Sanity, Madness and the Family' exposes how families land their unconscious hang ups onto one kid who then becomes sick or acts out. In trying to make that kid better, Laing discovered he ran into huge resistance from the other family members who were more than happy to have little Fred be the crazy, mixed up one since that allowed them to look sane and together. If Little Fred got well and stable then other family members would have to take the mixed-up craziness back within themselves. We're not used to thinking about psychological relationships in this way but believe me it is how it works.

But at the end of the day once people are grown up it is their responsibility (karma if you like) to sort out what they've been landed with. None of us get parachuted by the stork into ideal circumstances and you just have to get on with making the best of the hand of cards you were given. It may not be your fault but if you don't fix yourself, no one else is going to do it for you. And fixing yourself does require breaking the chain of the family's negative psychological legacy.
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Crocodile Dundee meets his match  From: Marjorie. (17 Jun 2010 10:09): 
Australia's Crocodile Dundee - Paul Hogan - may be charged in Australia with tax evasion on payments from his movies which he channelled into off-shore tax havens. He and his accountants insist he's done nothing wrong.
Born on 8 October 1939 9.30 am Lightning Ridge, Au, he's a friendly 11th house Libra Sun with Venus Mercury also in Libra opposition a self reliant Saturn in Aries. He has filmic Neptune in his 10th.
But what really defines his chart and personality is a ferociously determined 2nd house Mars in no-compromise Aquarius opposition an 8th house Pluto Moon in Leo square Saturn. Especially falling in his two finance house it would focus all of that powerhouse energy towards handling his money. Pluto in the 8th can feel out of control but it also can have a tendency to take control in secret ways. His Pluto also trines a pushily confident Jupiter in Aries.
This year his Solar Arc Uranus is conjunct his 8th house Pluto which is always accompanied by an almighty jolt - and in his 8th house of joint finances which does rule tax and business money. And it affects that central T square with tr Neptune sextile Saturn on the focal point also giving cause for concern thro' 10/11.
But he's also got several upbeat transits - tr Pluto sextile Mars/Jupiter and square Jupiter. So he'll brass neck it out I'd imagine. His Solar Arc Jupiter is also trine his Sun this year which is highly positive. He also has some downers from tr Saturn opp his Jupiter in Aug 2010 and some really wobbly Uranus transits to Mars/Uranus and Jupiter/Neptune and Mars/Neptune which will shake his security till early 2011.
His Libra planets, of course, catch the tr Saturn conjunction from later this year into 11/12 which will be discouraging, a serious reality check.
His chart continues to have highs and lows ahead with really upbeat, successful tr Pluto conjunct Sun/Jupiter in 12/13 just as his Solar Arc Uranus is conjunct his 8th house Moon which is emotionally (and physically) upsetting with money being probably involved. And tr Uranus is conjunct his 4th house Jupiter and trine Pluto come 11/12 - which could go either way - lucky breaks, delight at home and some real shake ups over joint finances.
He may be bruised and battered over the experience but he won't be down and out that's for sure.
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Princess Victoria - eating disorder and family baggage  From: Marjorie. (17 Jun 2010 09:48): 
Thanks Maggy for your very perceptive comments (See Princess Victoria of Sweden below).
I was struck by her comment that her eating disorder was to do with having one area of her life where she felt she had control. And she does have a Cancer Moon (eating!) square Pluto. Plus a Cancer Sun. A constricted Royal lifestyle is hardly a healthy one. And she does have Saturn aspecting - and sitting on - two of her more powerful Pluto midpoints - Jupiter/Pluto and Pluto/MC.
What also caught my eye in a niggling way was that 8th house Uranus of hers square her 6th house Saturn. I wondered which grandparent it might refer to. Her father King Carl Gustaf's father was killed in a plane crash in 1947 when he was barely a year old and he wasn't told till he was seven! One of his older sisters commented that the courtiers were not sympathetic to children's anxieties and that he had been particularly affected by it.
He was born 30 Apr 1946 at 10.30 am Stockholm, Swe and has a very angry, frustrated, trapped Mars Pluto in Leo in the 12th; plus a clutch of planets in the 10th including his Sun Moon; and Saturn in Cancer on the point of a T square. So he's carrying a huge amount of emotional baggage from a less than ideal upbringing. That coming down in the ether so to speak must have affected Victoria.
I would imagine she'd have babies easily with that 5th house Cancer Moon.
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Astrology Open Forum  From: Marjorie. (16 Jun 2010 13:24): 
Hi Just testing out a new option to make it easier for ongoing chat about what's going on astrologically out in the big wide world. The Hot Topics link opens up a new strand. Feel free to pitch in.
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Madame Lash - Mars Saturn gone bad  From: Marjorie. (16 Jun 2010 11:08): 
A kiss n' tell biography of Australian dominatrix Gretel Pinniger (Madame Lash) has hinted that one of her more enthusiastic clients was Paul Hamlyn, the late publisher and philanthropist.
The birth date I have for her is October 15 1945 which would make sense. She'd be a Libra Sun square Mars Saturn in Cancer with Venus in Virgo sextile Mars Saturn. Her Sun trines Uranus and widely sextiles a controlling Pluto.
Ebertin describes Mars Saturn as - endurance, the tendency to get hurt or injured, destructive or pernicious forms of energy. There is a positive side to Mars Saturn which gives courage, the ability to put up with discomfort and it's often in the charts of soldiers - and opera singers. But its' negative side can be abusive, shifting into the sado-masochistic arena and involve cruelty.
Mars is about the libido and at a core level that is to do with 'I want'. Saturn blocks that forward-driving 'I want' in cases of actual abuse with the Saturnine other inflicting pain and disregarding the needs of the Mars individual. Where that unhealthily impacted energy is then perversely channelled into sexual satisfaction - you get S&M. And she had it in spades. Her father was evidently a much idealised by her dashing soldier but her childhood certainly would not have done much to look after her real needs emotional or sexual. Mars Saturn in Water signs especially Scorpio or Cancer is possibly more damaging than in other elements, certainly emotionally.
The Virginia Tech killer Seung-Hui Cho has Saturn Mars Pluto in Scorpio.
Paul Hamlyn (12 Feb 1926) was very Aquarian with five planets there. He had Sun Mercury Moon in Aquarius opposition Neptune and square Saturn in Scorpio; with Jupiter Venus also in Aquarius. So he'd be detached emotionally, up in his head, experimental, a good communicator but not exactly tuned in to intimacy. He had a self protective though bleak Water Grand Trine of Uranus trine Saturn in Scorpio trine NNode (and Pluto) in Cancer; with Pluto in a wide opposition to Mars in Capricorn.
His Saturn in Scorpio was very much a focal point in his chart making him obstinate to the nth degree, unhappy to share power and wanting total control in his own hands. I'd imagine he was a nightmare to work with in business though undoubtedly successful because of his bulldozing determination.
She's evidently facing major problems with cash and health worries and perhaps facing the loss of a reputed monthly income from Paul Hamlyn's estate if she is seen to have co-operated with this biography. Her Solar Arc Sun at 26 Sagittarius and her SArc Saturn at 29 Virgo are being rattled by tr Uranus till next year.
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Petraeus and McCrystal - US commanders facing toughest test  From: Marjorie. (16 Jun 2010 10:32): 
The US top commander, General David Petraeus, fainted yesterday during a congressional hearing as he was being grilled by senators sceptical about US strategy in Afghanistan. It could have been jet lag, dehydration and lack of food - or all three. But his chart does look exceptionally stressed at the moment as the Afghan effort looks to be in increasing trouble.
Born on 7 Nov 1952 Petraeus is a Sun Scorpio with a Cardinal T square of Mars in Capricorn opp Uranus (Moon) in Cancer square Saturn Neptune in Libra. That T square is being exceptionally pressured at the moment with Solar Arc Pluto conjunct Saturn Neptune now and for the next eighteen months; as well as Solar Arc Mars trine Uranus at the moment. So his central T square is being seriously leant on.
Stanley McCrystal's chart is in no better shape. Born on 14 Aug 1954 he's a Sun Pluto in Leo trine Mars in Sagittarius. His Solar Arc Saturn is just off the teeth-gritting conjunction to his Mars which oversaw his initial phase as CentCom. His Solar Arc Mars is now opposition to his Sun and aiming to oppose his Sun/Pluto and then Pluto over the next two or three years. That is all high risk, grinding frustration, very trapped. So no let up from the challenge there. He's got a slog-on tr Pluto sextile Saturn in July and late Oct/Nov 10 and tr Uranus still to square his natal Mars in Oct and Jan 2011. October into Nov this year could be really tough on him.
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Maggie and Sarah - hate at first sight  From: Marjorie. (16 Jun 2010 10:10): 
From what I can gather a meeting between Sarah Palin and Maggie Thatcher isn't a done deal yet. Superficially it sounds sensible - two trenchantly right-wing ladies, the older passing helpful notes to the younger about to pick up the baton. But at any other level it's a nonsense. As the Guardian acidly points out: 'the ignorance of the one and the infirmity of the other mean that two public figures with a shakier grip on what is going on the world would be hard to find.'
Both admittedly have very strong charts. Maggie has a power driven, intensely competitive Jupiter opp Pluto square Libra Sun and Mars. Plus a stalwart, rather bleak but reformist Water Grand Trine of obsessively conscientious Saturn in Scorpio on the Ascendant trine Pluto trine Uranus.
SarahP's chart is less well hung together though still a force to be reckoned with - a stubborn, hard edged Sun Mars Saturn in Aquarius in a vague square to Neptune. If Palin's birth time of 9.44pm is right then she's all about grandstanding, going for the ego-boost with her Sun Mars Saturn in the 5th. Where Maggie had a nearly 12th house Sun and a 9th house Pluto - so she was less about ego, more about self righteousness and forcing her views and vision of the world on all those around her.
Maggie was always meticulously prepared and would drown listeners with an avalanche of arcane stats and facts. Palin gives you the impression she may have skipped through the more entertaining headlines of her local newspaper that morning but never gone further.
It's a very argumentative interface with an impatient, competitive Sun Mars Mercury conjunction in their relationship chart with a no-compromise opposition to Uranus; and a power struggling Mercury Mars Sun trine Pluto. Maggie was never that keen on women in general and Palin's Sun Mars Saturn oppose Maggie's Neptune Moon in Leo. If Maggie had been in her full faculties I doubt there would even have been a sniff of a chance that it would happen. But it certainly will do nothing other than give SarahP a photo opportunity.
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Kyrgyzstan - Central Asia violence  From: Marjorie. (15 Jun 2010 11:26): 
Rioting in Kyrgyzstan has flared up again with anxiety about civilians killed and refugees trying to escape over the border.
April 8 2010 Post: Kyrgyzstan, an ex-Soviet state on the borders of China has been rioting, the President overthrown and a new self-proclaimed leader has installed himself. It is a key country at the hub of the US Russia rivalry for control of Central Asia with both having military bases there. It is largely Muslim with worries about jihadist inroads in recent times. Both the USA and Russia have been throwing money at Kyrgyzstan to maintain their presence there.
It gained full sovereignty acc to Nick Campion on 31 Aug 1991 10am GMT, Frunze, Kyrgyzstan.
The country like most of the ex_USSR countries was born around the Uranus Neptune conjunction in early Capricorn so are facing a turbulent time over the next three or four years. Kyrggyzstan also has Mars at 29 Virgo (trine Saturn) so the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus will both hard aspect that Mars before mid 2010 and tr Uranus will be continuing the mood of high insecurity into 2011 as well. So very uneasy times.
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Prince Carl Philip of Sweden - pulled in opposing directions  From: Marjorie. (15 Jun 2010 11:15): 
Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Victoria's younger brother was born on 13 May 1979 7.20am Stockholm, Sweden. He seems keen on racing cars and graphic design from what I can gather - and Swedish models.
He is a passionately enthusiastic and ambitious Venus Mars in Aries in the 10th with Mercury and Sun in Taurus also in the 10th so career matters will be one major focus of his attention. It's almost a see-saw chart with all but one planet divided between opposing sides of the chart. So he'll constantly try to get the disparate strands of his life and his needs fulfilled but constantly find he swings from one to the other - career and personal.
His childhood looks tricky with a trapped Pluto in the 4th and a constantly changing Uranus also in the 4th so he won't find it easy to settle in adult life. He has a playful, party and children loving 5th house Moon in sporty Sagittarius though it is damped down by a square from over dutiful Saturn in Virgo. He also has an idealistic (unrealistic) Neptune in the 5th trine his Venus so he'll yearn for the perfect romance but most often be disappointed.
His Sun opposes Uranus so he'll not be inherently co-operative, wanting to kick over the traces. His Venus (Mars) oppose his 4th house Pluto so his upbeat approach will be constantly pulled back by that sense of an over controlling father/family.
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King Charles 1 and Charles 11 - the fickle finger of fate  From: Marjorie. (15 Jun 2010 11:13): 
Titus you asked some time back about King Charles 1 and Charles 11. Why the father was unlucky - losing his head in the English Civil War and his son seemed to have more luck on his side?
King Charles I, born 29 Nov 1600 11pm Dunfermline, Scotland NS, did have an awkward chart with a very trapped Pluto in the 8th which would put him at the mercy of forces beyond his control. Pluto is in a high risk trine to a 4th house Mars in Sagittarius. If he'd got the right end of this he could have been fairly ruthless himself but the 8th/4th houses would tend to turn the energy inwards and attract danger rather than give it out. He also had Sun, Mercury, Venus in Sagittarius in the 4th so was more home and family oriented than career savvy.

His son Charles 11 who did seem to lead a charmed life after a poverty stricken few years in exile after his father's execution was born on 8 June 1630 NS at 11.25 am in London. He had a public-career-10th house Sun Mercury in Gemini. Although his Mars was hidden in the 12th and did square Moon Pluto which suggests a destructive family life, his Pluto was 9th house which would free up the energy somewhat. His Sun was also square a kindly Jupiter in Pisces and an unco-operative Uranus. His father's Jupiter squared Mars suggesting a more reckless temperament.

Charles 1 was also unfortunate in that the prevailing exceptionally nasty influences around the late 1640s - tr Saturn Pluto in Gemini opposition tr Uranus Neptune in Sagittarius - worse than anything we've got at the moment - hit his Sagittarius Sun head on. He was executed on 30 Jan 1649 2pm OS. At that point the tr Saturn Pluto was in his 10th exactly opposition his 4th house Sun Mercury putting a deadly end to his ambitions. In addition his Solar Arc Saturn was less than a degree and therefore at its strongest influence in conjunction to his natal Mars. Saturn Mars being the assassination signature. Plus his Solar Arc Pluto had moved to be opposed by tr Uranus. So just a whole horrible coming together of the wrong chart at the wrong time.

His son Charles 11 had the tr Saturn Pluto exactly conjunct his Midheaven when his father died which did stop his career for some years as he went into exile; with a hugely disruptive tr Uranus Neptune in his 4th. unsettling his home life and uprooting him. When he was restored to the throne in 1660 tr Saturn was just out of the lowest area of his chart; and tr Uranus had moved out of his 4th; and tr Pluto was in the aftermath of having been conjunct his Sun so he was in the rebuilding Pluto phase. His Solar Arc North Node was also trine exactly his Jupiter opp Uranus which would trigger the natal T square involving his Sun - so luck was on his side.
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Crown Princess Victoria - Cancer meets Virgo  From: Marjorie. (14 Jun 2010 14:28): 
Crown Princess Victoria is to be married on June 19th to Daniel Westling, her personal trainer. She is the only Royal female in the world to be given right of succession over her younger brother (which is utterly extraordinary! - that she should be the only one, I mean).
Born on 14th July 1977 at 9.45 pm Stockholm Sweden she has an emotional Cancer Sun on the cusp of the 6th house which also has Mercury Saturn and Leo there, so she'll be very hard working, practical, keen to be of service. She did at one point suffer from eating disorders. Saturn in the 6th usually points to some health issues through life with a hint that excess in any direction is a bad thing. Her Saturn Mercury square an 8th house Uranus which will make her highly strung, rather contradictory. She also has a sensitive, fertile 5th house Cancer Moon square a 7th house Pluto so she'll both need and fear relationships - wanting support but disliking being trapped. Her Sun is in a feisty sextile to determined Mars in Taurus and her light hearted, charming 3rd house Venus in Gemini is in a persuasive trine to Pluto.
Her husband-to-be was born on 15 Sept 1973 so is a Sun Virgo with a Fixed T square of Venus in seductive Scorpio opposition Mars (Moon) in Taurus square Jupiter in Aquarius. He'll be very amiable on the surface but he's also stubborn and probably overly indulgent. His downbeat Saturn in Cancer square his Mercury Pluto in Cancer so he'll have a depressive pessimistic streak.
Their relationship chart is reasonably good with an affectionate Sun Venus conjunction trine Jupiter - so it'll be mutually reinforcing. Though there's also a Mars square Sun Venus which will be obstinately argumentative; a rather evasive Mercury square Neptune which won't help with clear communication; and a tension-building Saturn square Uranus.
There will be fireworks along the way. Her hyper-sensitive Cancer Moon is blocked by his Saturn; and his intense Venus in Scorpio is conjunct her 8th house Uranus so she'll jump back at times when he wants to be close. The wedding chart has the Gemini Sun joined into the prevailing heavy and volatile T square forming a Grand Square of Sun opp Pluto square Saturn opp Uranus Jupiter - so there'll be highs and lows, not altogether an easy time ahead.
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Piers Morgan - on a Jupiter roll  From: Marjorie. (14 Jun 2010 13:54): 
Piers Morgan has just - according to reports - signed a multi-million dollar four year deal to replace Larry King on a CNN late night talk show.
Morgan is best known nowadays for the Got Talent shows but was a former editor of the Daily Mirror. Born on 30 March 1965 he's a pro-active, dynamically charming Sun Venus in Aries with Mercury also in upfront Aries. He's got an acquisitive Jupiter in Taurus opposition Neptune which will make his judgement less than wonderful at times.
What drives him, in addition to his fiery Aries planets, is a Moon Saturn in Pisces opposition Mars Uranus Pluto in Virgo square North Node in Gemini. He does have his demons, can be depressive and regretful with Moon Saturn in Pisces, can be reckless and operates best on a high adrenalin rush (Mars Uranus Pluto) but he channels all that into his Gemini North Node which puts him out in the zeitgeist hitting the mood of the moment.
He's certainly on a high over the next two years with his Solar Arc Sun approaching a lucky, confident, mega-successful conjunction to his natal Jupiter; and his Solar Arc Jupiter is square his Sun exactly this year; and sextile his Mars, Uranus and Pluto over the next four years. He also has a tr Pluto trine his Sun/Jupiter midpoint from August to October this year. It won't all be singing and dancing with tr Saturn opposing his Venus Sun and next year Mercury. But he's definitely into one of the better phases of what has been a packed and productive life.
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Oil Spill - comparisons - Thad Allen - months ahead  From: Marjorie. (14 Jun 2010 13:19): 
The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill is now being spoken of as being akin to the Itox Spill also in the Gulf on 3 June 1979 which took nine months to cap and that was in shallower water. There's not too much similar comparing that spill chart to the present one - except that Saturn was in Virgo in both as well as Venus in Taurus and there was a North Node at mid earth signs.
The Itox Spill was stopped in March 1980 when a tr Mars Jupiter conjunction was moving into aspect to bring some relief to the bleak Sun square Saturn of the 79 spill. There isn't a Mars Jupiter conjunction till May 2011 - in Aries.
The other chart which might shed some light on the whens of stopping the black menace is Thad Allen's. He was Chief Coastguard over Katrina and widely praised for his sensible handling of the aftermath and has been parachuted into the Deepwater disaster by Obama.
Born on 16 January 1949, he's a practical and ambitious Sun Capricorn with Jupiter Venus also in Capricorn and Saturn in hard working, sensible Virgo. He's also got an ultra-determined, used-to-high-risk Mars in Aquarius opp Pluto (Moon).
He looks seriously gloomy and stuck from mid Aug to mid Oct this year though with a few rays of hope from a tr Uranus sextile Mercury/Jupiter in late Aug/early Sept. Where he starts to look much more enthusiastic is with tr Uranus sextile Mars/Jupiter from early Nov onwards and then definitely distinctly gung ho come late Dec into Jan 2011; with a much more confident and successful March 2011 onwards. If we assume this is all to do with the Oil Spill then it is going to be a fair few months before it all gets stopped.
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Upcoming Eclipses  From: Marjorie. (13 Jun 2010 13:37): 
There is a Lunar Eclipse on June 26th at 5 degrees Capricorn and a Total Solar Eclipse on 11 July at 19 Cancer.
The Lunar eclipse points most clearly to the EU with the Brussels located Lunar Eclipse chart having Sun conj Midheaven, opp Moon Pluto on the nadir/IC, Saturn on the Ascendant and Uranus Jupiter on the Descendant. So it may be that the disintegration process is hotting up. Afghanistan looks a hot area as well.
The July Solar Eclipse is in the 12th South Saros series which Bernadette Brady describes as 'successful outcomes to long term worries or illness. An issue which has worried or drained the individual for some time will at first seem worse and then clear, with successful outcomes.' (Her book: The Eagle and the Lark.)
The problematic zones assuming planets on the axis are the more important (tho' they don't always appear with subsequent events) is Iraq/Iran with Pluto on the MC square Uranus Jupiter Asc opp Saturn Mars Desc. The USA has New Moon in the 10th which is sometimes symptomatic of events following; and Australia has Jupiter Uranus on the MC with New Zealand having New Moon on the Ascendant.
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Oil Spill - spreading the blame  From: Marjorie. (13 Jun 2010 12:39): 
A salutary piece in the Independent today makes some sensible points about the oil spill (url below). It spreads the blame around not just onto BP but perhaps also the other firms involved - Transocean, Halliburton, Cameron etc. Plus the US regulatory authority. Plus most pointedly the great public in its need for cheap oil - which means us.
A California University report suggested the faults were: "Improper well design * Improper cement design... * No cement bond logs, ineffective oversight of operations * Bad decision-making - removing the pressure barrier - displacing the drilling mud with sea water 8,000ft below the drill deck... * Early warning signs not detected, analyzed or corrected * Improper operating procedures * Flawed design and maintenance of the final line of defense."
It added that 'the Department of Interior's Minerals Management Service failed to properly assess and manage the natural hazards in a prudent manner.'

The Indpendent: 'The world has an unquenchable need for oil, and the Western part of it has an additional need to get it from cheap, reliable and politically friendly places. That is a realistic given everywhere, and regarded as a virtual birthright in the US. It plainly should be reduced, and satisfied with non-fossil means of propulsion as soon as possible. But, ultimately, that incessant demand is why BP and its partners were drilling in the Gulf.'

Obama has already swiped at the Minerals Management Services (MMS) for being too cosy with the oil companies and its head has resigned. It started on 19 January 1982 which makes it a last degree Sun Capricorn in an immoveable square to Saturn Pluto in Libra. When the Oil Spill occurred tr Neptune was exactly conjunct its Solar Arc Sun making for a a sinking, panicky time.
When the Oil Spill occurred tr Pluto was opposition the US Jupiter in Cancer and tr Neptune was conjunct the US Solar Arc Jupiter - both of which point obviously to a Jupiterian event - big, expanding fast. It also points to the downside of Jupiter's insatiable need for indulgence, over confidence, cutting corners (Jup Pl), unrealistic over optimism (Jup Nep).
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/
oil-spill-disaster-the-guilty-parties-1999192.html
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Pakistan - on the brink  From: Marjorie. (13 Jun 2010 12:12): 
Pakistan is back in the news more forcibly than before with a report saying the Pakistan Intelligence Services are actively co-operating with and supporting the Taliban. The recent Pakistan Army push to clear northern regions of insurgents has now stopped and the insurgents are returning. If the NATO effort in Afghanistan succeeds then it merely pushes the problem back across the border into Pakistan.
The Pakistan country chart (14 Aug 1947 9.30 am Karachi, Pak) is very much on a knife edge at the moment with tr Uranus opposing its' 10th house Mars conjunct Midheaven. That influence stays until mid August this year and then returns on and off until Jan 2012. Uranus Mars tends to bring explosive situations, high insecurity and a tendency to react with macho ill-thought out gestures to prop up flagging morale. In addition with the Midheaven at 28 Gemini and the Ascendant at 28 Virgo tr Saturn is conj Asc and square Midheaven in the second half of this month and tr Uranus hard aspects both from Sept 2010 and on and off till Feb 2011.
Such pressure on Asc/MC suggests a major upheaval in terms of image and direction. And with tr Saturn now moving into the 1st house and quadrant also a sense that Pakistan is on a general downhill slide. Pluto into the 4th as well now is also a sign of a country at war with itself, riven by inner dispute. Uranus into the 7th also hints of breaks in alliances and partnerships.
The USA/Pakistan relationship chart is on panic alert at the moment with the highly strung tr Uranus opposition composite Neptune till mid Aug and running through 2011 as well. There is a faintly hopeful tr Uranus trine composite Sun in 11/12 but it is a very stubborn relationship chart with a Taurus Moon opp Pluto which tr Pluto is attempting to shift as it trines/sextiles either end of that opposition through till late 2011.
The June 2011 Solar and Lunar Eclipses are very awkwardly placed for Pakistan with Pluto conj Midheaven, Uranus on the Ascendant, and Saturn on the Descendant. And the Eclipsed Full Moon itself hitting the Pakistan Asc/MC. So that would look to be a major stress point.
The Zardari Government chart is on a rock n' roll ride this year with the disruptive tr Uranus square the Solar Arc Pluto exact at the moment and around till late 2011; plus tr Saturn opp tr Uranus hard aspecting the Govt natal Pluto this year. All of which looks as if it is losing its grip altogether. Zardari himself looks very battered later this year as tr Uranus returns to oppose his SArc Sun. He'll try to brass neck it out with an overly confident tr Pluto square his SArc Jupiter Mars - but he'll take a step too far which will backfire.
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Catherine Zeta-Jones & Michael Douglas - two Libras struggling to stay in balance  From: Marjorie. (12 Jun 2010 12:30): 
Catherine Zeta-Jones now has a CBE to add to all her acting awards. CBEs are normally a forerunner to a Damehood in later years. She's been in the news recently with her weight loss causing comment after a tough eight month stint in a Broadway musical and her husband Michael Douglas's son being jailed for drug offences.
Oddly enough both she and Michael Douglas are Sun Libras, though she is the feistier of the pair with a rebellious Sun Uranus in Libra in a somewhat reckless square to Mars in Capricorn. While he has a vaguer Sun Neptune conjunction.
She was born on 25 September 1969 2.40pm Swansea, Wales and although she has four planets in Airy Libra - Sun, Uranus Mercury, Jupiter - it is really a very Earthy chart with a Grand Trine of Mars in Capricorn in a self disciplined trine to Saturn in Taurus trine a charming, hard working Venus in Virgo. She's good at business, appreciates the material things of life.
Her CBE in the Queen's Honours List comes as her Solar Arc Venus is conjunct her Jupiter, exact to the minute - and they don't get more exact than that. Solar Arcs can be precisely on the button more so than certain other predictive tools. Venus Jupiter is sociable, keen on keeping up appearances so she's obviously glowing at the status boost. And tr Jupiter is heading to oppose her Sun Uranus and square her Mars so it may go to her head slightly for a few weeks.
But in general she's in a difficult time with tr Pluto still to have one frustrating, trapped conjunction to her Mars and square her Libra Sun in Aug to Oct 2010; with tr Saturn also conjunct her Sun and square Mars in Aug; as well as tr Saturn opp tr Uranus hard aspecting her Pisces Moon this year. Plus tr Pluto square tr Saturn hitting her Uranus so everything is standing on its head somewhat emotionally and in other ways. If anything 2011/12 look heavier on the home front with tr Pluto trine her 4th house Saturn and a Solar Arc Pluto opposition Saturn as well at the same time.
Her career looks as if it will go from strength to strength with tr Saturn only reaching her Midheaven in 2012 and keeping her at a peak until 2017.
Her marriage though exceptionally strong and affectionate does look under pressure with her Sun/Moon midpoint at 0 degrees Capricorn. It has already withstood tr Pluto conjunct in 08/09 and tr Saturn square till mid 2010 and now has tr Uranus in opposition at the moment and till late 2011.
Their relationship chart has a wonderfully positive and romantic Sun Venus Jupiter Mercury conjunction with the Sun in a stabilising trine to Saturn and Saturn in a hang-on-in-there square to Pluto. But it is being shaken this year by the tr Saturn square Pluto and the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus hitting that main conjunction. With luck it is just a rough patch and should calm down somewhat though tr Uranus is coming up to oppose the composite Sun in 11/12 which means more bumps and jolts.
Michael Douglas (25 Sept 1944 10.30 am New Brunswick, NJ, US) is a friendly 11th house Sun Neptune though with a trickier chart, having Saturn and Uranus in the 8th house of intimacy and Venus in the hidden, unappreciated 12th - so at a core level he's not emotionally too settled. He has the tr Saturn square tr Pluto hard aspecting to his Sun Neptune square Capricorn Moon finishing later this year. But it will feel intense and quite anguished for him, especially tr Pluto conj his Moon in July and Oct/Nov.
He may have financial worries this year since his Moon is 2nd house but his career should hold up well right through till mid decade with an especially heart warming success or successes in 2013/14 as tr Pluto trines his 10th house Jupiter.
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Iran's heroes and heroines in the face of repression  From: Marjorie. (12 Jun 2010 11:51): 
Iran on the eve of the anniversary of the disputed elections last year is sullen, uneasy, battened down with an almost total media clampdown. In the intervening year opposition leaders and spokesmen have been harried, in some cases imprisoned and abused. Iran is not only facing stronger sanctions but also growing economic problems due to Ahmadinejad's mismanagement.
The death of Neda Agha-Soltan during the post-election demonstrations on 20 June 2009 has become a focal point for the people of Iran to make their voices heard. Neda means the voice in Persian. She was born 23 January 1982 and was an open-minded Sun Aquarius in a sextile to freedom loving Uranus and an overly hopeful square to Jupiter. Her outspoken Mercury in Aquarius was trine an argumentative Mars Saturn Pluto in Libra, with visionary, idealistic Neptune in crusading Sagittarius sitting on the midpoint on the focal point of a mini Grand Trine.
Her Mars was conjunct the Sun in the Iran 1906 chart so her anger did strike at the heart of the country's struggle. And her Aquarius Sun square Jupiter while relatively similar to the Iran 1979 Sun Mars Mercury in Aquarius opp Jupiter clearly also stirred the uncompromising Iran Mars in Aquarius.
When she was killed tr Pluto was conjunct her Uranus in a major life's disruption; and tr Neptune was conjunct her Solar Arc Neptune brining disappointment to her dream.
Zahra Rahnavard, the wife of the fraudulently defeated opposition candidate Hosain Mosavi, campaigned at his side and has now given an interview to the Guardian presumably at some risk to herself and family. She was born on 31 Oct 1945 and is a stalwart Sun Scorpio. Her Mercury also in Scorpio is trine a tough minded Mars Saturn in Cancer, perhaps sextile her Virgo Moon. So she's not short of guts. She also has a charming Jupiter Venus Neptune in Libra trine Uranus a pointer to her interest in art and architecture.
She's facing a discouraging July and October this year and a highly insecure Nov/Dec 2010 but with tr Pluto sextile her Scorpio Sun in 11/12 she may well find her efforts are paying off.
Her husband, Hosain Mousavi, (29 Sept 1941) who has cancelled the expected opposition demonstrations for fear of the Government backlash is a Sun Libra trine Saturn Uranus, sextile Pluto. So he's charming, innovative and quietly determined. Tr Saturn in Sept and tr Pluto till late 2011 are hard aspecting his Libra Sun and he's also got an uncertain, rather depressing tr Neptune square Saturn in 10/11 so looks less upbeat than his wife. Though he does have a 'lucky break' SArc Jupiter square his Uranus coming soon which will give him some relief.
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Bloody Sunday Inquiry - Lunar Eclipse triggers  From: Marjorie. (11 Jun 2010 17:29): 
The long awaited - twelve years in the process!! - 2nd Inquiry Report into the Bloody Sunday killings in 1972 - the Bogside Massacre - is due out within days.
Leaked reports suggest UK soldiers will be found to have fired on unarmed civil rights protesters while they were running away, shooting them in the back. Twenty seven were hit and fourteen died. It boosted the IRA's cause immensely and worsened the Troubles which ran on until the Good Friday Agreement in 1999. An Inquiry in the aftermath which largely cleared everyone of blame was dubbed a whitewash.
The killings happened in Derry, NIreland at around 4.10 pm on 30 Jan 1972 just five hours after the Lunar Eclipse. Setting that Lunar Eclipse for Derry it puts the Sun conjunct the Midheaven opp the Moon on the IC. The Moon had moved by late afternoon two degrees to be exactly on the nadir/IC and exactly square the Eclipse Ascendant when it all blew up. There was also a violently disruptive Mars in Aries opp Uranus, with Mars in a gung ho overly confident trine to Jupiter in Sagittarius and an argumentative square to Mercury.
On the UK chart that Aquarius Sun/Leo Moon Lunar Eclipse was two degrees from an exact square to the UK 8th house Mars in Taurus. Again the Moon by late afternoon had moved to exactly square that Mars. I've always thought that UK 8th house Mars tied in to Venus, Neptune and widely Saturn by aspect does signify a good deal about the UK's bloody past, belying the fair minded Libra Ascendant.
The UK chart also had tr Jupiter conj SArc Midheaven and SArc Mars approaching the square to the UK Jupiter - both of which point to over confidence, arrogance, self righteous aggression. Jupiter is often - unnervingly - around in disaster charts, man made or otherwise. Somehow you expect it to be bright, breezy and cheerful but its' downside can be thoroughly unpleasant.
There was also a great deal of activity on the UK chart around the 12th house Uranus at 1 degree Libra just above the Ascendant. Tr Pluto was conjunct it exactly suggesting a major upheaval - and we have had that over the past eighteen months with tr Pluto in Capricorn in square to Uranus. After Bloody Sunday tr Pluto then headed to conjunct the UK Ascendant and square the Midheaven and Uk Sun in the immediate years following as violence escalated in Nireland and on the UK mainland.
It obviously shows up on the Northern Ireland chart
(28 Sept 1912) with a jolting tr Saturn exactly trine Uranus; tr Neptune conjunct the Ascendant suggesting a major identity crisis with tr Pluto heading to conjunct the Libra Sun and Midheaven in the immediate aftermath which describes the complete meltdown which ensued. Plus the SArc Moon was on the cusp of the 8th house and moving through the 8th for the next 33 very dark and difficult years which makes sense. The NIreland chart has Pluto at the start and Neptune at the end of the 8th so it is a troubled chart to start with.
Jupiter again pops up here with the Jan 1972 Lunar Eclipse in sextile/trine to the NIreland Jupiter (opp Saturn) and the Lunar Eclipse also exactly on the NIreland Solar Arc Jupiter on the day. So Jupiter definitely has its drawbacks.
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Abby Sunderland - another teen yacht freak   From: Marjorie. (11 Jun 2010 12:30): 
Abby Sunderland, another junior wannabe-round-the-world sailor is being rescued after her boat met 9 metre high waves (30 foot) in a Indian Ocean storm which destroyed the rigging.
Born on 19 Oct 1993 she's a confident Sun Jupiter in Libra square the restless, slightly fanatical Uranus Neptune in Capricorn, with her Sun Jupiter in a sensible trine to Saturn in detached, scientific Aquarius. Plus an adventurous Sagittarius Moon. She's also got a definitely determined Mars Mercury Pluto in Scorpio so nothing really scares or distracts her.
Her older brother Zac, the youngest sailor ever to circumnavigate the globe, was born on 29th Nov 1991. He's a sporty Sun Mars in Sagittarius sextile Saturn in Aquarius - so basically an adventurer with a real streak of grit (Mars Sat). His Jupiter (and Moon) in Virgo is trine Uranus Neptune and sextile Pluto. So again supremely confident (Ju Pl), innovative (Ur Nep) and determined (focal point Pl).
Both the Sunderlands and Jessica Watson, the Australian sailor (18 May 1993) have the generational Uranus Neptune in Capricorn well aspected in their charts. Jessica has a Taurus Sun trine Ur Nep. Neptune carries the vision and Uranus is good at stepping out of the box, doing things in a unique way. It's not necessarily sporting but has certainly produced a generation that are very individualistic.
Abby Sunderland will have a major triumph in about 2013/14 when her SArc Jupiter is conjunct her Mars.
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World Cup 2010 - beyond prediction  From: Marjorie. (11 Jun 2010 11:12): 
World Cup football. Hmm. I haven't an idea in my head frankly. The BBC says 3pm today in Johannesburg is the kick off which makes for an 8th house Gemini Sun trine a 4th house Neptune. That suggests an intense though minorly lack lustre event. Admittedly Uranus Jupiter in Aries are in the 5th which will produce highlights, sudden surprises (to be expected) and entertainment. Though Saturn in opposition will put a damper on some of the enjoyment. I'd worry about the Mars in Virgo trine Pluto which suggests crime, violence and certainly angry arguments with Mars square Mercury Moon.
Life gets messy celestially-speaking from the 19th June until after the Lunar Eclipse on the 26th so there will be more happenings around that time, some of which could be at the World Cup.
I must remember to check at the far end whether the astrocartography of the chart produces any daylight vis a vis winners and losers. The successful lines are: Sun Midheaven through the western tip of Africa. Jupiter Midheaven through Mexico, US and Canada. Mars Midheaven thro' Russia, Iran, Oman. Moon Midheaven - Brazil.
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BP Chairman Svanberg - a Tony Hayward clone  From: Marjorie. (11 Jun 2010 10:57): 
As the witless BP CEO Tony Hayward returns to the UK, the BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg takes up the reins of the PR battle in the US over the oil spill. A recent appointment he was formerly CEO of Ericsson and has been criticised for ducking out of sight since disaster struck in April.
Born on 29 May 1952 he's another Sun Gemini trine Saturn (Neptune) in Libra - as opposed to Hayward's Gemini Sun opposition Saturn. Though Svanberg will be marginally more charming with a Sun Venus conjunction. Like Hayward he also has Mercury in Taurus but its' only aspect is an intense secretive square to Pluto so he might avoid the foot-in-mouth comments that have tripped Hayward up. Svanberg also has a Jupiter in materialistic Taurus opp Mars which is overly confident, tending to take risks.
Without a birth time there's not been much showing up on his chart since April this year. But at the moment he's got tr Saturn square his SArc Mars which is stuck, impatient. He's got tr Pluto sextile his Jupiter come Aug to Oct 2010 which is frustrating, though he's also got an overly pushy tr Pluto opp SArc Jupiter at the same time. He's approaching his second Saturn return come October which is always heavily pressured on the run in.
His chart doesn't exactly inspire confidence for the Superman nuts and bolts exercise that stopping the oil spill involves.
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Barack Obama - unintended consequences  From: Marjorie. (10 Jun 2010 12:44): 
Barack Obama is in danger of shooting himself in the foot if he keeps attacking BP in such a personal way in an effort to divert criticism of his handling of the Gulf Oil Spill. Destroy BP and it gravely damages the UK economy adding to Europe's woes. That in turn has the capacity to send the USA into a second downward economic spiral. Maggy Thatcher didn't go on an anti-US tirade after Piper Alpha disaster and the list of American industrial disasters in the US and around the world is considerable. Glasshouses and stones and all that.
The UK/USA relationship is definitely into a cooling phase for the next two years (tr Saturn conj comp Mercury, Sun, Neptune square Jupiter) with bitter words being exchanged (tr Pluto square Mercury). And David Cameron is certainly the wrong temperament to mollify Barack Obama's public relations tantrum with Uranus Mars Pluto Sun in their relationship chart which is truly horrible.
Tony Hayward, the BP CEO, seems to have especially raised Obama's ire. Hayward is a best-keep-your-mouth-shut Gemini Sun opp a prickly Saturn in Sagittarius; with a stubborn Mercury in Taurus in an impatient sextile to Mars in Cancer and an excitable, blurt-it-out square to Uranus. Hayward's Pluto is conjunct Obama's leadership-potential Leo North Node and Uranus so clearly blocking his way and causing an unwanted upset. When things were going well Hayward would have been Obama's blue eyed boy with Hayward's Sun conj Obama's Gemini Moon and a mutually enthusiastic H's Jupiter conj O's Mars. But now that it has gone pear shaped H's Uranus conj O's Mercury has turned it into a war of words.
Tr Neptune is square Obama's Midheaven from just before the disaster till late July and returning off and on till late 2011 which is usually a career slide. And Leo's don't take well to having their egos dented. Plus he has the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus hard aspecting his Solar Arc Sun through this year, exact at the Oil Spill, which will also be shaking his confidence.

PS. Robert Peston on the BBC website also adds the thought that 40% of BP shares are held in the US so any dividend cut will hurt the US economy directly to the tune of $4 billion dollars a year. Plus all this squall will make it less likely that any oil companies, US or otherwise, will want to take the risk of drilling offshore if accidents are going to create this kind of brick batting. Thus hurting the inflow of oil into the US. Obama does seem to be losing the plot a bit by making it so personal.
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Canada - Jupiter giving luck but not for ever  From: Marjorie. (10 Jun 2010 11:53): 
Canada has missed the recession so far from an astrological point of view because of its well-placed Jupiter. From an economic point of view it may well have the memories of the massive early 1990s deficit which had to be cleared with a good deal of pain so it may have been more cautious than some. But regrettably it won't continue on quite such an easy road.
The Canada chart (1 July 1867 12 am Ottawa, Ca) has a Sun Uranus in Cancer trine Jupiter in Pisces which is innovative and lucky. That has moved by Solar Arc to be picked up by useful tr Uranus trines this year - so far so good.
Where it starts to run into real trouble is as this year proceeds with a panicky Solar Arc Neptune conjunct Mars; and that Mars is already under pressure from a tr Pluto trine. Come this October it'll feel the first real chill of tr Saturn square the Sun Uranus and square the Capricorn Midheaven and then opposition Neptune. By 2012 both tr Pluto and tr Uranus are hard aspecting the Canada Sun Uranus and Midheaven which does suggest a considerable crisis of confidence and direction.
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Karen Gore Schiff - Sun/Moon midpoint  From: Marjorie. (10 Jun 2010 11:38): 
It may just be coincidence that Al and Tipper Gore's daughter has found her marriage splitting at the same time as theirs. Or it may be that what seemed impossible before is now an open option. Born on 6 Aug 1973 Karen Gore Schiff is an expansive Sun Leo opposition Jupiter with an intense Scorpio Moon. She'll always have seen her parents as very different personalities with her Sun square Moon (by sign if not degree) and will always have been ambivalent about what she really wants. She's also got an excitable, argumentative Mars in Aries opp Uranus square Mercury in Cancer so will tend to flare up and fly off the handle. Her Saturn in Cancer square Pluto does suggest a less than warm childhood.
Her Solar Arc Saturn is dampening her enthusiasm and confidence in opposition to her Jupiter now with a rather trapped, frustrated, angry Solar Arc Mars trine Pluto also now. Her Sun/Moon midpoint is either catching the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus or the tr Pluto square tr Saturn - but whichever, it is a high stress moment for her on the marriage front.
She looks rather panicky into 2011 whereas her mother Tipper looks more confident and cheerful as she faces an independent life ahead.
Karen's marriage chart (12 July 1997) had a sugary sweet, looks-good Venus opp Jupiter; an over idealised Sun opp Neptune in a suspicious square to Saturn; with Saturn in an all work-no-play or unkind-treatment opp Mars.
There's no birth date for her husband so difficult to know beyond that.
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Barbara Kingsolver - the will to succeed  From: Marjorie. (10 Jun 2010 11:19): 
Barbara Kingsolver (The Poisonwood Bible) has just won the Orange Prize for her latest novel The Lacuna. She was born in Kentucky, spent some of her childhood in the Congo in Africa, was a concert standard pianist, a biologist and all her books since 1993 have been on the NY Times bestseller list.
Born on 8 April 1955 she has an amazingly stalwart and talented chart. She's an energetic Sun Aries in an opposition to creative Neptune and in a controlling, influential trine to Pluto. With her Sun Neptune opposition also square lucky, adventurous, activist Jupiter Uranus in Cancer. 1954/5 certainly produced same extraordinary talents.
In addition she has a rather mind boggling Mars in Taurus opp Saturn in Scorpio square Pluto - so certainly used to hardship, bucket loads of endurance, stubborn to the nth degree. Deepest, darkest Congo at age 7 can't have been that much fun - no running water, no electricity, diseases, bugs and a volatile high risk situation.
She has tr Neptune square her Mars at the moment which isn't generally successful, quite the reverse. But she does have her Solar Arc Mars conjunct her Jupiter Uranus conjunction for the next couple of years - which is upbeat. She's clearly at a significant point in her life with her two T squares coming together - Solar Arc moving onto natal.
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Laura Bush - stepping out to assert her independence  From: Marjorie. (09 Jun 2010 14:33): 
Laura Bush has her memoirs coming out which put forward her somewhat un-Republican views on abortion and same sex marriage as well as covering her not exactly straightforward life. At 17, she was driving and at fault when a man was killed, and she then went on to marry the alcoholic GWB and eventually became one of the most popular First Ladies for eight years.
She does look very cool, calm and together so no surprise she has a fairly Fixed and very battened down chart. Her enthusiastic though secretive Sun Jupiter in Scorpio square Saturn Pluto in Leo in her 4th. So she'd be used to a fairly austere emotionally-speaking home atmosphere and being trapped in difficult situations. And also under-rating herself with a Sun square Saturn.
Her very determined Mars in Scorpio is in her 7th sextile her Midheaven so she handed her ambitions over to her husband and stuck with him through thick and thin. She also has a charming, chatty Venus Mercury in Sagittarius in her 7th. Her Sun Jupiter and Neptune fall in her 6th so she's hard working, understated ego-wise and likes to be of service. Her Pisces Moon is in the friendly 11th square Uranus so she's happy with a changeable lifestyle.

Her relationship chart with GWB is very 4th house so basically a home and family relationship. There is a romantic, though over idealistic Venus Neptune which always brings some disappointment and a passionately enthusiastic Venus Mars; and a party and children-loving Jupiter in the 5th. And an emotionally close Venus sextile Pluto. The composite Moon squares Mercury Neptune so again there would be an unrealism at times, promises made which weren't delivered and some dissatisfaction from that. Plus Neptune of course is the addictive planet so that would be part of the let down. On the whole it's a fairly decent relationship.
On her twin daughters' charts she comes across as the driving force since both have Jupiter Pluto on their Midheaven - so at home she could be a bit of a drama queen (Jup MC) and quite controlling (Pl MC). They clearly saw her as affectionate (Moon sextile Venus) and feisty (Moon sextile Mars). Their father they'd see as erratic (Sun Uranus) and not always too solid (Mars square Neptune).
When Laura Bush was involved in the road death in 1963 there was a great deal of activity around her Mars and her Moon. Her SArc Mars was square her Moon; her SArc Saturn/Pluto midpoint was square her Mars; tr Pluto was heading to square her SArc Mars and to oppose her natal Moon. So it would be a devastating time for her when she said she lost her faith and disappeared into a quiet backwater for years after.
At the moment she's got a panicky, sinking tr Neptune square her 7th house Mars thro' 10/11 which is no doubt concerns about GWB and her relationship. But she looks as if she is going from strength to strength as his influence wanes with her SArc Mars, Venus, Mercury in her 10th for years to come. And she's got tr Pluto sextile her Jupiter and then Sun from 2012 onwards which is confident and successful. Their relationship may go through a sticky patch with tr Saturn conjunct Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Mars, Jupiter in Libra in their relationship chart from this autumn till 2013. She'll definitely be flexing her wings.
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France & Germany - entente discordant  From: Marjorie. (09 Jun 2010 13:15): 
A Franco-German summit due on Monday this week between Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy was postponed at the last moment. Those in the know say they are so deeply divided that a meeting would have been pointless and failure might have caused a further market backlash against the euro. The France/Germany partnership which has been at the helm of the EU since it started is struggling to survive as one economic crisis piles on top of another.
While there's no chance of France and Germany going to war with each other which was one of the raisons-d'etre of the European Union initially there are some similarities between now and the start at WW1 and WW11 when relations were clearly at an all time low. On both those occasions the composite Pluto and composite Mars were being triggered by transits.
At the moment there's a push n' pull power struggle as tr Pluto squares the composite Pluto with tr Saturn adding its tuppence worth of woe in an opposition to the Fr/Ger Pluto as well this year. Plus there's a disappointing, panicky tr Neptune trine Mars and square the financial composite Venus which continues off an on till late 2011. Then into 2012/13 tr Uranus is conjunct that Pluto heralding an even bigger upheaval in relations with a distinct chill in the years following as tr Saturn is conjunct the composite Sun, Mercury, Venus and squares Jupiter and Moon. The entente is in very uncordial times.
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Liz Cheney - jangled by the Oil Spill  From: Marjorie. (09 Jun 2010 12:11): 
Liz Cheney is vocal on the right wing anti-Obama platform - mainly due to her Mars in patriotic Cancer in the 9th in a passionately enthusiastic conjunction to Venus. Her Mars is also conjunct a lucky, confident Jupiter on her Midheaven.
She was always due for a few shocks this year with her Solar Arc Sun and Mercury conjunct her Uranus - and that was almost exact over the Oil Spill. That may be a coincidence. But her relationship chart with her father Dick Cheney was also heavily stressed at that time with tr Saturn exactly conjunct the composite Mars when it happened and tr Uranus hitting the opposition to Mars in the aftermath. So it was a time when events made her feel very insecure.
She's due more downers come Oct/Nov when tr Saturn squares her Venus Mars with tr Saturn in a career-setback square to her Midheaven in Jan 2011. I'd imagine she'd disappear into a lower profile time after mid 2011 when she's either not doing well in terms of her ambitions or retreating altogether.
PS. On the Oil Spill a pointed piece in the Observer about bigger oil spills from international and US oil companies in Nigeria which unlike Florida go completely ignored. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/30/oil-spills-nigeria-niger-delta-shell
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Iran - round and round it goes  From: Marjorie. (09 Jun 2010 12:01): 
Hillary Clinton is speaking confidently about getting tougher UN sanctions against Iran because of its nuclear policies. The Iran 1906 country chart certainly looks stuck at the moment with SArc Saturn conjunct Pluto; and it has a financially undermining tr Neptune square Venus at the moment and on and off till late 2011. There's also a disruptive, major upheaval tr Pluto conjunct Uranus this month, again running on till late 2011. So a good deal of pressure but nothing that looks too catastrophic.
This autumn Oct/Nov will be deflating for Iran with tr Saturn square Jupiter Neptune and conjunct Sun.
The relationship charts between Iran and
the UN, USA and Israel look intense, edgy, undermining with Oct 2010 a key stress point. Relations with Israel will deteriorate sharply come Jan 2011 onwards with tr Pluto trine the composite Mars which is very aggravated, with a potential for violence.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad looks wobbly this year but is probably holding it together with tr Pluto sextile his Scorpio Sun. Where his grip is being really stressed is through Dec 2010 and he's really trapped over the New Year into January 2011 and beyond.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamanei is having to shift his immoveable stance at the moment with tr Uranus trine his Pluto on one end of that ferociously Fixed T square of Pluto opp Mars square Saturn. And he looks to be facing a serious reality check come Oct/Nov with tr Saturn hitting his SArc Sun, Mars, Pluto, Saturn with major challenges to his authority. His SArc Uranus is due to conjunct his Pluto and square Saturn towards the end of 2010 into 2011 which will either throw up health problems or a political upheaval that even he can't bully into submission.
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Another spree killer - Fire + Mars in Libra  From: Marjorie. (08 Jun 2010 12:39): 
Another spree killer (see Derrick Bird below) was Charles Starkweather, born 24 Nov 1938 8.11pm Lincoln, NE, who went on a two month killing spree in 1957 for which he was executed.
Several things of note. One is a concentration in Fire in his chart with a Sun Sagittarius trine Pluto in Leo very widely trine Saturn in Aries with Mercury also in Sagittarius. Secondly he was Mars in Libra like Bird and James Huberty (also below) with his Mars in aspect to Jupiter and Uranus. And he had Venus in Scorpio like Bird. Huberty had a Scorpio Moon.
Who'd have thought that inspirational Fire and enthusiastic Mars Jupiter Uranus could wreak such destructive havoc? With both Bird and Starkweather there are connections to under age girls or in Bird's case young Thai prostitutes. Both had Cardinal Moons in aspect to Moon and Uranus.
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Dick Cheney - Oil Spill - hiding in the shadows  From: Marjorie. (08 Jun 2010 12:24): 
Dick Cheney (30 Jan 1941 7.30pm Lincoln, NE, US) isn't in a great year with a sinking tr Neptune square his Midheaven (exact over the Oil Spill) and tr Neptune conjunct his SArc Mars which is even more panicky, failure ridden. Plus the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus was bouncing off his Neptune in Virgo - all of which point to strung-out nerves. And he's got his SArc Uranus approaching a conjunction to his Pluto through late 10/11 which will be a tremendous upheaval. It may be more than just the Oil Spill, of course.
Both Halliburton with which Cheney was intimately connected and Transocean, which have so far managed to duck out of the Obama anti-Brit rhetoric, will be implicated in the final great day of judgement for the Oil Spill if it ever comes. Halliburton supplied the cement which was thought to be the original cause of the blow out; Transocean owns the rig and supplies the workers.
The Halliburton chart (1 July 1924) is certainly in deep and turbulent water for the next few years with Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Pluto in Cancer between 4 to 11 degrees - so it's catching all the coming storm of tr Pluto, tr Saturn, tr Uranus. It's SArc Pluto was exactly square Mercury when the Oil Spill occurred. It may be saved to some degree this year by tr Pluto sextile SArc Jupiter but that won't last for too long.
Transocean similarly (30 March 1978) has a strongly Cardinal chart with a 9 degree Aries Sun - so they won't have their problems to seek either come this autumn onwards. The tr Saturn opp tr Uranus was rattling their Jupiter when the Spill started.
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Helen Thomas - damned in the land of free speech  From: Marjorie. (08 Jun 2010 11:48): 
Helen Thomas, the veteran White House correspondent, who has resigned or been pushed out of all her public duties over questionable comments on Israel was born on Aug 4 1920. She said Jews should get out of Palestine and go home to Poland or Germany. The first half of that she might have got away with but the second was undoubtedly what did the damage. Although it is paradoxical in the land which parades its unwavering commitment to Free Speech and allows platforms to the loony racist right wing that she's been so hammered.
She is a Sun Neptune in Leo square Mars NNode in Scorpio - so is visionary and sometimes unrealistic (Sun Nep), keen on the media (Mars Nep), carries grudges (Mars in Sc) and inclined to be impatient (Sun Mars). Her Mars is also trine Pluto and sextile/trine a Saturn in Virgo opp Uranus - so she's designed for tough fighting and dark subjects. She also has an Aries Moon in an intense square to Pluto and Jupiter Venus in later Leo.
Interesting that she has the Saturn opposition Uranus in her chart in the same signs as at present - so arguably the mood since the Dec 2008 Gaza attack which was the first exact tr Saturn opp Uranus really stoked her up. At nearly 90 her Solar Arc Directions have moved planets to square their natal position so intensifying their effect. Maybe old age also loosened her inhibitions and caused her to wildly overstate her feelings.
Her chart does sit uneasily with the Israel chart with her Mars NNode in Scorpio opp the Israel NNode square Moon Saturn Pluto. On her relationship chart with Israel there's a Jupiter opp Uranus square Venus Pluto so intense feelings, struggle for the last word, inclined to raise tensions; and an argumentative Sun Mercury square Mars.
Ari Fleischer, the former White House press secretary, castigated her for suggesting what he said was ethnic cleansing. Which wouldn't be a million miles from what successive Israeli Governments have done to the Palestinians. In what is a grotesquely intransigent deadlock there seems to be no glimmerings on the Israeli side that there might be right and wrong on both sides.
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Bhopal - world's worst industrial accident  From: Marjorie. (07 Jun 2010 12:15): 
The world's worst industrial accident was at the Union Carbide pesticide plant at Bhopal India on 3 March 1984. Toxic gas leaked out which killed 3,500 people within days and more than 15,000 in the years since. Campaigners put the death toll as high as 25,000 and say the horrific effects of the gas continue to this day in birth defects. Twenty years ago American-owned Union Carbide paid $470m (£282m) in compensation to the Indian government. Today the first convictions were made against negligent former plant employees. Warren Anderson, the American then-chairman of the US-based Union Carbide parent group, was named as an accused and later declared an "absconder" by the court, though he was not mentioned in today's verdict.
Campaigners said the court verdict was "too little and too late".
The accident happened when there was a Sun Uranus conjunction sextile Mars; with tr Mars square Saturn and square Pluto, indeed was on the exact square to the tr Pluto/Saturn midpoint. All of which are pretty descriptive of a shocking accident (Mars Ur) which had devastating, deadly consequences (Mars Sat Pl).
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Dominic Grieve - pushing for the David Kelly truth  From: Marjorie. (07 Jun 2010 11:54): 
Dominic Grieve, the new UK Attorney General who has just hinted at a new David Kelly inquiry was born on 24 May 1956. He's a Sun Gemini opposition Saturn in Scorpio which is communicative and cool. But what is astonishing about his chart is a determinedly uncompromising Mars in Aquarius opposition a confident Jupiter Pluto in Leo square that Saturn. So it's really a Grand Square and a very stubborn, enduring, conscientiously obsessive one.
When David Kelly died tr Uranus was square Dominic Grieve's Sun so it is fair to assume he was unsettled at the event and tr Jupiter in Leo was almost conjunct DGrieve's Jupiter which might arguably have sparked his determination.
The original Hutton Inquiry which basically whitewashed everyone in sight and locked papers down for a staggering length of time ahead - till 2073 I think - started on a wimpy Sun Neptune in Aquarius which would not be Dominic Grieve's style.
There's no way of telling what will come out of a further investigation from the charts but good on the medics last year who pushed for more info on the basis that David Kelly could not have committed suicide.
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Timothy Geithner - a stony, winding road on the edge of the cliff  From: Marjorie. (07 Jun 2010 11:41): 
Timothy Geithner is struggling on with tr Neptune opposition his Uranus (conj Sun) returning again in Sept/Oct/Dec 2010 which is very highly strung and undermining. He is gradually losing the very stuck SArc Pluto square his Saturn as this year goes on. But he has tr Uranus in a highly insecure opposition to his Mars either at the moment and on thro' 11; or if he was born after midday in 2011/12. Mars Uranus tends to bring high stress and lead to rash misjudgements in the heat of the moment.
His relationship with Barack Obama is very jangled come Nov/Dec and even before then decidedly cool in Oct 2010.
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Obama - the family pressures  From: Marjorie. (07 Jun 2010 10:50): 
Life in the goldfish bowl at the White House isn't easy especially for a family with youngish children. And also difficult for a wife who was used to having her own independent career. Growing vegetables and looking good wouldn't really be her ideal lifestyle. Plus Obama is doing less high profile international relations which is normally where the First Lady comes into her own.
Their relationship chart has some businesslike, rather cool Saturn aspects of Sun square Saturn and possibly composite Moon sextile Saturn. As well as affectionate Sun opp Venus which sextiles/trines onto Uranus Pluto - so it's close at times and needing space at others. The Sun sextile Uranus and Uranus square Mars suggests a relationship which is firecracker at times with neither side liking to compromise. Being stuck in the same enclosure for long periods of time will cause tensions to rise.
That composite Mars has been undermined this year by tr Neptune square Mars which returns in late July /Aug 2010 and Jan 11 which makes a relationship feel undermined. It will lack vitality, forward drive, perhaps even libido. There'll be an upheaval from Aug to Oct especially as tr Pluto trines the comp Uranus for the final time. It may also be that the kids are having problems adjusting. The eldest Malia does look the worst affected with the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus hitting her enthusiastic Mars square Jupiter and she's got the downbeat tr Pluto trine Saturn across that Aug to Oct phase.
Michelle herself looks more upbeat this month with tr Pluto sextile Sun/Jupiter. Though since there's no birth time it isn't possible to know when tr Neptune is conjunct her Aquarius/Pisces Moon which will be unsettling about family and emotional issues. Tr Neptune certainly is conjunct her Venus in 11/12 which will be romantically disappointing. But she's also got a feisty tr Uranus sextile her Mars at the same time so she'll keep bouncing.
Someone asked about Obama's smoking and college coke habit. He does have a very strong Neptune which can be addictive prone. But I wouldn't get over excited about it from that angle.
As to his truculence in recent days over British Petroleum which became BP some time back. I'd think the shine is just coming off his dream and Leo can be sulky as a sign when everything isn't going well and overly inclined to shift the blame elsewhere to prop up their flagging ego.
Apart from anything else it isn't all BP. What about the USA Transocean which own the Gulf of Mexico rig and supplied the workers. They've managed to keep below the radar. I was always marginally concerned with Obama's chart in addition to an overly emphasised Neptune it has that 12th house Saturn (same as GWB). It isn't always good at being practical or exerting executive authority.
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Libran spree killers   From: Marjorie. (06 Jun 2010 10:56): 
There was another spree killer with a chart remarkably similar to Derrick Bird, the NEngland taxi driver who this week killed 12 people including his brother, lawyer, two taxi drivers and other random victims. Born 8 Oct 1957 Bird was a Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Sun in Libra.

James Huberty (11 Oct 1942 12.11 am Canton, OH) in the San Ysidro MacDonalds killings in 1984 despatched 21. He was a Sun Mercury Mars in Libra square Jupiter which is almost exactly the same as Bird. Odd since Libra isn't a sign you normally associate with rampaging maniacs. Huberty also had Venus Neptune in Libra in the 4th with a vengeful Scorpio Moon square Pluto; and his Libra planets trined Uranus Saturn in Gemini -s really a very Airy chart. Though the houses says a great deal since his Neptune, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Sun, Moon were all 4th house and he'd had a difficult childhood, adult problems with violence, domestic abuse and emotional instability.
Like Bird he'd phoned a mental health facility the day before but his call had gone unanswered. When he went on his rampage tr Pluto was approaching within less than a degree of a conjunction to his Scorpio Moon which would certainly give rise to emotionally intense feelings.

I'd hazard a guess that Bird was born early morning perhaps before 1 am which would put his Aries Moon exactly in line for the tr Pluto square this week. That would also put Bird's Uranus in his 12th trine Saturn in his 4th trine a 9th house Moon. His Venus Neptune would also therefore be in the 4th. The stories emerging about Bird do begin to make sense of his surprisingly resourceful Fire Grand Trine and very Cardinal chart. He wasn't quite the reclusive loner he first sounded. He had stashed away £60,000 (100k dollars +) in undeclared income from his taxi business. He liked holidays abroad (9th house Moon), clearly got his sexual outlets on these Thailand and Russia trips (Venus in Scorpio square Pluto). An early birth time would also put his SArc Moon in line for the tr Neptune and tr Mars square.

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Hungary - down in the dumps  From: Marjorie. (06 Jun 2010 10:14): 
The new Hungarian Government is starting to come clean about the dire state of their economy which sent the global markets and the Euro into another downward slide on Friday. They are not in the Euro so at least have the option of devaluation but it still raises yet more questions about the state of Europe.
There are three possible charts for Hungary - 23 Oct 1989, 13 Nov 1918, 15 Aug 1001 (OS). What is wonderfully apt is that all three charts, even so far apart, of significant moments in Hungary's history - all point to the same result looked at on the predictions.
The 1001 chart has tr Neptune in an undermining opposition to the Leo Sun and highly confused, uncertain tr Saturn opp tr Uranus square Neptune; with the hardship and austerity tr Pluto square tr Saturn hitting the Venus in Libra square Mars; plus another nervous collapse SArc Saturn square Neptune; an financially undermining SArc Neptune conj Venus and jolting SArc Uranus opp Saturn in 10/11.
The 1918 chart has tr Neptune opposition Saturn in Leo (at the same position as the 1001 Sun); with a jolting SArc Sun conj Uranus and SArc Uranus square Saturn; plus tr Saturn square tr Pluto hitting the SArc Mars at 4 Aries this year and next.
The 1989 chart has a disruptive, panicky SArc Uranus square Mars and SArc Saturn square Sun this year and is in the final stages of SArc Neptune square Sun; plus tr Pluto square tr Saturn wading their way across Uranus this year and then moving onto Saturn in 11/12 - so the hardship extends on for a few years yet.
The earlier charts are usually more accurate if you can be sure of the dates. But it just goes to show even with later dates they do dance to the same tune.
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Kevin Rudd on a slide  From: Marjorie. (04 Jun 2010 12:09): 
Australian PM Kevin Rudd is ploughing through heavy seas at the moment, mainly of his own making with what the Times describes as 'a suicidal course of broken promises and U-turns -- and a hugely controversial plan, to impose a super tax of 40 per cent on mining profits.'
Rudd (21 Sept 1957 maybe 12.07pm Sydney, Au) has an exact Sun Mars in Virgo at 27 degrees which has tr Saturn firmly squelching and tr Uranus returns twice to the highly insecure, jangling opposition in October and Jan 11. He's also got the sinking, confused, uncertain SArc Saturn square his Neptune at the moment; and tr Saturn conjunct his Jupiter in October denting his enthusiasm yet further.
He and Barack Obama both seemed like the new great hopes when they were elected and seemingly got on well. It now looks likely that Obama will cancel his second planned visit to Australia because of the Gulf oil spill though it is likely to be blamed internally on Rudd's plummeting popularity.
Their relationship chart has a close Pluto, Venus, Sun conjunction which is friendly though also has hints of problems if disharmony strikes, since there'll be a play for the upper hand. Tr Pluto has been putting pressure on their relationship from early this year as the tr Pluto trined the composite Sun and it's now sitting trine Venus and Pluto. And it won't get easier since tr Pluto is conjunct the comp Saturn from August to Oct which is cold and stuck.
Mind you Tony Abbott, the Opposition leader doesn't overly cheerful either in the months running into the next election with a depressed August (and Jan 11) and accident prone and impatient September (and Feb/March 11) plus plus.
The one politician being mentioned favorably is the Deputy Prime Minister, Welsh-born Julia Gillard (29 Sep 1961)who could step up if Rudd abseils off the edge of the cliff. When tr Saturn opp tr Uranus knocks Rudd's Sun Mars for six it at the same time picks up her Jupiter in Capricorn much more positively with a sextile from tr Uranus and a stable trine from tr Saturn. So in one sense she benefits from his woes. Though her Libra Sun is being beset by tr Saturn conj this year and tr Pluto square till late 2011 which will bring very heavy pressures; plus an undermining tr Neptune trine her Mars at the moment and thro' 2011.
So depends very much when the election is held - sometime before April 2011 as far as I can see, by which time tr Pluto is conjunct the Au Saturn so the country will not be in a happy mood with more hardship and austerity around from early 2011 onwards.
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Joran van der Sloot - all Fire and Fixed Venus  From: Marjorie. (04 Jun 2010 11:24): 
Joran van der Sloot (6 Aug 1987) is a Dutch national living in the Caribbean who is the chief suspect in two murders. He's just been detained in Chile awaiting extradition to the US on charges of extortion relating to the death of Nathalie Holloway (21 Oct 1986) on 30 May 2005.
He is a Sun Venus Mars in Leo with his Sun Venus square Pluto and trine Saturn in Sagittarius. His Mars is also trine Uranus in Sag and Jupiter in Aries. So bucket loads of Fire. In that not dissimilar to Derrick Bird, the UK taxi driver killer who also had a Fire Grand Trine which included Saturn in Sagittarius. Both also have Fixed sign Venus square Pluto. Fixed sign Venuses tend to sensualise their feelings so are more likely to act out. An over emphasis on Fire tends to give too much self confidence, a lack of realism and insensitivity to the needs of others. His Jupiter is also in a head-in-the-clouds trine to Neptune and possibly Moon. Though his Moon could be Sagittarius and therefore conjunct Uranus and possibly trine Mars as well which sounds more like it.
When Nathalie was killed tr Pluto was conjunct his Uranus shaking all his Fire planets.
Nathalie Holloway was a Sun Libra with an exact Mars in Aquarius square Pluto in Scorpio, with Venus Mercury also in Scorpio. Her Gemini Moon possibly opposed Saturn and Uranus and square an over trusting Jupiter in Pisces. So she was an odd mix of light and Airy and very Scorpionic which does tend to like to walk on the dark side. Mars Pluto is a double sided coin - ruthless on one side, dominated on the other. When she died her Mars square Pluto had moved by Solar Arc to be triggered by tr Saturn trine SArc Pluto.
Her relationship chart with Joran van der Sloot had a Mars Pluto conjunction which does give hints of a toxic power struggle. Though there's also a friendly, affectionate Sun Venus; and another very over-trusting Venus opp Jupiter square Neptune - looks charming but leads to disappointment.
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Israel - a tipping point?  From: Marjorie. (03 Jun 2010 12:40): 
The Israeli Government spin machine has gone into top gear alleging the Free Gaza ships were carrying armed Turkish jihadists. The US is refusing to condemn the Israeli action despite Hillary Clinton saying the blockade of Gaza was unacceptable and unsustainable. So business as usual.

But there is a feeling that no matter how muddied the waters become around the Free Gaza effort to bring aid to Gaza, that there has been a significant shift. Israel is now more isolated than before with Turkey pulling back sharply; is losing its reputation for military superiority with this as the latest in a series of botched operations; and there is more obvious unrest among the wider Jewish community about their draconian methods, apartheid policies towards the Israeli Palestinians and their inhumane treatment of Gaza inhabitants especially.

The Israel chart in addition to having the panicky, failure-ridden tr Neptune opp Mars at the moment and till late 2011; also has tr Pluto and tr Saturn hitting their Venus in patriotic Cancer which will be a hint of their continuing unpopularity (feeling unloved) thro' 2010 especially. With more upsets when tr Uranus hits the square in 11/12.

The Israel chart is rather fearsome with an 8th house Taurus Sun square Mars in Leo and Saturn (Pluto Moon) in Leo - so it's tendency to react violently and be unbelievably stubborn is undoubtedly written in its stars. But I was just contemplating their chart's Uranus opposition Jupiter which I tend to describe in short hand as 'adventurous'. In fact Sakoian & Acker are quite damning about this aspect describing it as fostering 'unwise attempts at financial, religious and social expansion'. Their other thoughts are: can be the most dangerous of all aspects - denotes unbridled flights of imagination which have no basis in reality. Blunt and undiplomatic causing disharmony. Proselytytizing on behalf of religious beliefs can cause problems. Those of course are the more negative ends of what can be idealistic and well-meaning.

Why it really caught my eye is that this Jupiter opposition Uranus has now moved by Solar Arc so that SArc Uranus is exactly square the Israel Sun causing a tremendous jolt. With tr Neptune conjunct the SArc Jupiter this year suggesting overly high hopes and great disappointment as well as misjudgements. Plus the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus is also hitting the natal Jupiter opposition Uranus. Since Solar Arc Jupiter now moves to oppose the Israel Mars in influence through late this year into 2011 one would imagine their self-righteous aggression (Mars Jup) may escalate.

Just as footnotes: The Free Gaza Flotilla attack on May 31st happened with tr Pluto at 4 Capricorn and therefore exactly conjunct the Capricorn Moon on the initial Gaza Attack chart (27 Dec 2008 11.30 am). That chart had a brutally violent Mars Pluto Moon Sun Midheaven in Capricorn which the following days certainly bore out. So the Flotilla did happen at a significant moment. But as far as the Gaza Attack chart is concerned there's much more water to flow under the bridge before any movement happens - tr Pluto conjunct the Sun from early 2011 onwards may bring a radical change, though it may not be initially for the better.

As with everything concerning Israel there are uncanny parallels to past events. The papers today are pointing to the similarities with the ship Exodus in 1947 carrying mainly Holocaust survivor Jews from Europe to British Mandate Palestine which was turned back in international waters by the British navy with three killed. They were eventually sent back to Hamburg in Germany, then under UK control. It was hardly an edifying political decision though there was worry about the instability which would arise in already volatile Palestine if floods of what were effectively illegal immigrants arrived. But it was the Exodus which became the catalyst for the State of Israel which was born in 1948.
The Exodus was boarded on 18th July 1947 when the New Moon Venus and Mercury were in patriotic Cancer trine an expansive Jupiter, pointing to the 'happy ending' the following year. But it also had an argumentative Mars in Gemini is a harsh sextile to Saturn Pluto in Leo and trine Neptune describing the violence and difficulties to be overcome.
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Obama - BP - UK - an unhappy triangle  From: Marjorie. (03 Jun 2010 11:11): 
With President Obama ramping up the anti-BP and anti-British rhetoric and BP's shares plummeting there's talk in the markets of the 'smell of death' about BP. There's some suggestion it might have to be sold off to another oil giant - though it's doubtful whether this would be allowed under anti-cartel regulations. The 'death' or diminution of BP could have a major, damaging effect on the UK economy since it underpins many major pension funds.
Politically Obama wants to shift the blame off his patch which is understandable. But if he knew how to fix the oil leak - and has no doubt taken soundings from the other major oil experts - then he'd have put that in place.
His interface with the UK chart always did look aggravated and his background with a grandfather possibly tortured during Mau Mau times in Kenya would certainly give him a grievance. The BO/UK chart has a tough, impatient, suspicion-ridden Mars sextile Uranus, trine Saturn Neptune so it was never going to be a love-in. Tr Saturn and tr Uranus are also squaring the composite Moon this year which is emotionally upsetting and not designed for harmonious relations. Plus an undermining tr Neptune trine composite Sun - though there's nothing exact at the moment. If anything relations will deteriorate further this autumn though that may be over other matters as well.
He certainly dislikes David Cameron and if Cameron's 5 to 6am birth time is sound then 2010/11 were also going to be intense times between the two leaders with tr Pluto and tr Saturn hitting the composite Moon.
BP's chart is certainly in a blue funk with a jolting Solar Arc Saturn opposition Uranus and SArc Neptune square Uranus at the moment; and SArc Saturn square SArc Neptune aiming to block and undermine the Sun by square in 2011/12. But they also have tr Pluto trine Jupiter through till late 2010 which will provide some support. And there's a stabilising SArc Jupiter trine Saturn come 11/12 as well. So BP may be sick for a while but not terminal.
[All the Oil Spill posts are pulled together under Hot Topics above and open for running comments.]
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Derrick Bird - taxi driver killer - a buried fireball  From: Marjorie. (03 Jun 2010 10:33): 
Derrick Bird, the taxi driver killer of North England, who shot dead 12 yesterday, is listed with a birth date of 8 October 1957 (wiki). On that date he would be a Sun Jupiter Mars Mercury in Libra with a Full Moon in Aries; and a Fire Grand Trine of Saturn in Sagittarius trine Uranus trine Moon. If that is accurate which sounds suspiciously upbeat and outgoing for a man who was by all accounts very quiet then I'd imagine houses played an important role in suppressing his personality. Key planets in 4th, 8th and 12th houses can push individuals inward so they don't express themselves fully.
Libra is normally diplomatic especially the male of the species, though can be psychologically quite fragile in some cases. Mars Jupiter is certainly enthusiastic and tends to go on 'holy crusades'. It isn't vengeful but is self righteous. An emphasised Saturn in Sagittarius is also prickly and inclined to over react to criticism or unfair treatment. His Saturn in addition to the Fire Grand Trine was also widely square Pluto, sextile Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Sun - so he'd be stubborn (Sat Pl), mildly downbeat and sensible. It would put his Libra planets on the focal point of a mini Grand Trine - so this was a man with an ego that was trying to get itself an airing.
He also had a nurturing-grudges Venus in Scorpio, doubled in strength by being square Pluto. That Venus would want an active sex life, yet he didn't appear to live that out either.
Tr Pluto and tr Saturn had been bouncing off his Mercury earlier this year which would make him depressed. And his Solar Arc Uranus is around this time conjunct his Mercury as well - which would put tremendous pressure on his mental faculties (Mercury rules rationality). More pointedly his Solar Arc Mars was square his Pluto - on an early birth time reasonably close though just passed the exact. Mars Pluto is double edged since it brings extreme frustration but also can manifest in ruthless brutality. So his tension would have been building and building since earlier this year. If it was a just after midnight birth then his Solar Arc Moon was at around 27 degrees Taurus it would be opposing his Venus and have been in aspect to tr Mars and Regulus. Plus tr Uranus was recently trine his Venus which might well also have started to open a can of worms inside him.
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Iraq and Israel - on the Regulus point  From: Marjorie. (02 Jun 2010 18:18): 
I mentioned in New Topics that Iraq has a 29 Leo Sun and now that I think of it Israel has a 28 degree Leo which certainly fits with their overly violent response to the Free Gaza flotilla.
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Taxi Driver killings - Regulus strikes  From: Marjorie. (02 Jun 2010 18:16): 
Well done Elaine, who mentioned in New Topics that Mars was coming close to the fixed star Regulus and this was usually associated with violence, assassinations etc.
A taxi driver has run amok with a gun in the North of England killing 12, including his mother and injuring 25.
Mars is today at 27 Leo close to Regulus and Mars was exactly at that degree over the England Hungerford Massacre on 19 Aug 1987 when Michael Ryan flipped and shot dead 16 including his mother, injuring more.
Bernadette Brady's excellent book on Fixed Stars comments that Regulus in addition to violence and destructiveness, is also closely tied into vengeance. Not much is known of the taxi driver yet but he'd evidently had an argument with two other taxi drivers yesterday and he shot them today.
I recollect after Hungerford there was talk in psychological circles of Ryan's relationship with his mother being unhealthily close. Ryan (18 May 1960) had a possessive, controlling Moon opp Pluto and Moon possibly aspecting Mars, Jupiter and Neptune.
On the UK chart in 1987 the Solar Arc Saturn was at 27 degrees Aquarius so opposition Regulus and tr Mars. Now the UK SArc Jupiter is at 27 Aquarius with the same opposition from Mars Regulus. Ryan's Sun was also at 27 degrees Taurus - so it all fitted rather macabrely together.
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David Icke - disruptive crusader  From: Marjorie. (02 Jun 2010 11:58): 
David Icke makes my hair stand on end even if he has been right about certain things. Born 29 April 1952 5.15pm Leicester, England, he's certainly got a defiant, divisive and influential chart.
He has a reforming/de-stabilising Moon Uranus in Cancer conjunct his Midheaven on the focal point of a T square to a Saturn Ascendant Neptune in Libra opp Mercury in Aries. Uranus there makes him love to tilt at windmills, put two fingers up the establishment and the status quo. He's also got a deeply buried 8th house Sun in Taurus opp a determined, angry, vengeful Mars in Scorpio in the 2nd opposition Pluto in Leo. He's very controlling and utterly determined once he gets on track. Money will be one of his objectives with that 2nd/8th opposition.
With Saturn head down to his Ascendant later this year he'll be heading into a lower profile time of more inner reflection. Plus that Cardinal T square involving his Midheaven and Ascendant will catch all of the coming storm of tr Saturn, tr Uranus, tr Pluto really through till 2014 or so. Plus a Solar Arc Mars opp SArc Sun will start hitting his Saturn from 2012 for three years - and that will shake him up considerably. So multiple changes to career ambitions and image during this time.
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Japan - out with the new  From: Marjorie. (02 Jun 2010 10:42): 
Yukio Hatoyama, whose election win nine months ago broke fifty years of conservative rule in Japan has resigned as Prime Minister of Japan over the decision to maintain the controversial Okanawa US base.
His PMship chart of 16 Sep 2009 always did look exceptionally unstable with the Uranus opposition Saturn being exact and Saturn conjunct Sun, all square Pluto in Capricorn. Tr Uranus is now exactly on the square to Pluto and hey presto - his brief reign in office all turns upside down. Hatoyama's own chart (11 Feb 1947) also has Uranus causing mischief as it moves by Solar Arc to within less than a degree of opposition to his Aquarius Sun. That was always guaranteed to bring about a major upheaval for him personally.
The Japan country chart has been in a Neptunain slide as it has been for a few years and continuing on till 2013 or thereabouts as tr Neptune hit Saturn, then the Sun and then Neptune and Pluto next year onwards. This year especially the national mood is angry with tr Uranus hitting the Gemini Moon square Mars. The Japan Solar Arc Uranus will conjunct the Aquarius Sun come 2011/12 so it's not going to get easier. That will bring major jolts and upsets.
The Bank of Japan chart also hints at a complete financial roadblock in 2011/12 with Solar Arc Sun square Saturn then; with a frustrating trapped tr Pluto sextile Mars in 10/11. So the July elections which may topple the new movement will bring in a Government with a tough road ahead.

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Al and Tipper Gore - the end of a long road  From: Marjorie. (02 Jun 2010 09:58): 
Both Al and Tipper Gore are fairly heavyweight, stubborn and enduring personalities having been born in 1948.
He has a thoughtful, well travelled, communicative 9th house Aries Sun opposition a well intentioned, visionary and not always realistic Neptune. But his chart is really all focussed on Pluto, Saturn Mars, conjunct in Leo in his 1st house which is very controlled, persistent, unbudgeable. His tactile, charming 10th house Venus allows him to turn on the charm for carer purposes but he's very battened down by those first house planets. He's also got a workaholic Capricorn Moon.
She oddly enough has the same Sun Saturn Pluto in Leo as Bill Clinton has - though Pluto in her case is wide of aspect. What a prospect - having a senior partner in the Presidency and a wife both cut of the same mould. Her Sun Saturn oppose an 8th house Aquarius Moon so she won't be exactly spontaneous emotionally either. Her feelings are buried in the 8th and damped down by Saturn. Her Venus in Cancer is on her Ascendant and good for turning on the social charm. Her Moon also trines an impatient 4th house Mars (and self sacrificing Neptune) as well as being trine a restless 12th house Uranus - so she'll be very different at home and at close quarters than she appears in public.
Their relationship chart has an affectionate Sun Venus conjunction opposition Jupiter which will smooth down rough edges. But Uranus is also conjunct Sun Venus suggesting a relationship that needs space; and that opposition squares onto an irritable, argumentative Mars in Virgo. It would be a relationship that thrived on adventure and constant change. But again with an 8th house Capricorn Moon trine Mars feelings would tend to be deeply buried, not easily accessible and impatient when they came up.
On transits to their relationship chart: tr Uranus and tr Saturn have this year been square the composite Uranus which is the end of a process that started a couple of years back as tr Saturn tr Uranus squared the composite Sun Venus. So feelings were distanced and this is just the final break. It will like any relationship have been through massive ups and downs in the past but maybe they both just decided they wanted something different now.
Both have Sun/Moon midpoint (the marriage point) at 22/23 Fixed signs so tr Neptune has been undermining that recently; with tr Uranus hitting it in the years before that.
In a way I'd think she might make the better fist of a separation. She had SArc Mars conj her Jupiter last year so she was more confident and wanting freedom (Jupiter opp Uranus). And her SArc Jupiter is heading to conjunct her Moon come 2011/12 which is also more supportive.
Both have them have the generational tr Uranus square natal Uranus. His last year and hers this year. Tr Uranus hard aspecting natal Uranus is the youthful rebellion (around 20), mid life crisis (around 42), second mid life crisis (around 60+) one.
In Al Gore's case he also has his SArc Midheaven conjunct his Uranus exact to within one minute now (one sixtieth of a degree). So a major change of direction.

Al Gore 31 March 1948 12.53pm Washington, DC, US
Tipper Gore 19 Aug 1948 2.40 am Washington, DC
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Louise Bourgeois - the negative feminine  From: Marjorie. (01 Jun 2010 12:15): 
Louise Bourgeois, the French sculptor has died aged 98 in New York. Best known for her giant spiders and abstract works, she was the first woman to be given a retrospective at the US Museum of Modern Art in the 1980s. More recently she was commissioned for the inaugural installation at the new London Tate Modern.
She sculpted all her life but only in the 1970s after the deaths of her husband and father, did she become successful when she was in her sixties. She spoke of her works as having "relationships" as a main focus - stemming from her childhood feelings of anger, betrayal and jealousy at her adulterous father, who had an affair with her governess, living in the family home, which her mother refused to acknowledge. Spiders being one of the psychological symbols for the negative feminine.
She was born on 25 Dec 1911 at 10 am Paris, France, and was an earthy Sun Capricorn opposition Pluto, hence the controlling father and presumably husband. It's interesting that she only became herself as a creative success once they had gone.
She was of the highly strung, inventive Neptune opposition Uranus generation. And she has three major oppositions in her chart - with a Mars in Taurus opp Venus in Scorpio in addition to the two above. So there was a good deal of tension in her chart, pulling her in contradictory directions. Luckily those oppositions are all relatively well balanced by other aspects.
The Sun opp Pluto trines/sextiles onto an Aries Moon's North Node. The Uranus opp Neptune trines/sextiles onto Mars in Taurus. And the Mars opp Venus squares onto her Moon in Aquarius. So she found an outlet for all that tension in the NNode, Mars in Taurus and the Moon which fits her into the zeitgeist (NNode) in an assertively earthy way (Mars in Taur) which brought public renown and attention (focal point Moon).
Taurus is always the sign I associate most with sculpture and she also had Saturn there opposition her Venus and widely conj her Mars. She wasn't emotionally happy but found a way of concretising (Saturn) her unhappiness into art.
Her Aquarius Moon was in an exact square to Mars which suggests a good deal of anger against her mother though it would be muddled with her Moon also square Venus and trine Pluto.
She had a good many septiles (seventh aspects) in her chart. Her creative though also anguished 7th Harmonic has a Sun Moon Mercury opp Midheaven Uranus square Mars opp NNode so she thrived on being different (Ur) though all the indications from this would be that she was trying to pull relationships apart not cement them which would presumably be the case of her childhood experiences. The 7H also has a powerfully confident Jupiter Pluto trine Mars.
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UK Politics - Alexander, Burnham, Abbott  From: Marjorie. (01 Jun 2010 11:20): 
Danny Alexander, the David Laws' replacement at the UK Treasury was born 15 May 1972. He's a Sun Taurus in a controlling trine to Pluto; with his Pluto very emphasised being on the point of a T square to a passionately enthusiastic and patriotic Venus Mars in Cancer in an overly expansive opposition to Jupiter in materialistic Capricorn. So he doesn't give way easily, tends to be permanently disaffected with the way the world and his life is and wants constantly to be changing everything.
He's also got a creative/neurotic Saturn opp Neptune and an adventurous Jupiter square Uranus. He's in for a 'car crash' of sorts, not necessarily literally but in life/career terms somewhere over the next year with his SArc Sun conj his Mars; plus a jolting SArc Saturn square Uranus at the same time. He's under exceptionally heavy pressure through July onwards and feeling very squelched come Sept with tr Saturn hitting his T square of Venus Mars opp Jupiter square Pluto. I can't seem him lasting long.

Andy Burnham, up for the Labour Leadership, born 7 January 1970 is only two weeks younger than Stephen Griffiths, the Crossbow Cannibal. Though his chart doesn't have those difficult tight aspects that Griffiths' chart has. Burnham is a Sun Venus in Capricorn sextile Mars in Pisces and square Uranus. So he's practical, ambitious, hard working, assertive and a reformer. He also has a Saturn in Taurus opp Jupiter in Scorpio so will constantly be trying to find a balance in his life, moving from high to low fairly rapidly.
Although he's got tr Pluto sextile his Jupiter this year in July and October it isn't really his best time with tr Neptune conj his SArc Sun and a rather heavy September when the election is I think. Plus SArc Neptune conj Venus later this year as well as tr Uranus square Pluto. Tr Saturn is also conj his Pluto now which is fairly stuck as he faces not getting enough nominations to make it into the race.

Diane Abbott, 27 Sept 1963, is a Sun Libra with a Taurus/Gemini Moon; a passionately enthusiastic and hard working Venus Mars in Virgo; and an Airy mini Grand Trine of Jupiter in Gemini trine Mercury, Saturn, Neptune in Libra. Uranus squares her Mercury Saturn Neptune so she can be outspoken and also contrary and contradictory. She's a communicator at heart (Air) with social concerns (Sat Nep). She's not going to get the nominations she needs. This is a heavy year fro her with tr Pluto and tr Saturn both hitting her Libra Sun - so huge and difficult changes. But her confidence will get a huge boost come 11/12 when her SArc Jupiter is conjunct her very emphasised Pluto.
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Oil spill trailing into August??  From: Marjorie. (01 Jun 2010 10:39): 
There is, I fear, no magic way of knowing when the oil spill will be stopped - or if there is I don't know what it is. Certainly early June around the 8th has the Jupiter conj Uranus in Aries and Jupiter then moves on to square the US Venus which might bring some lift. But there again tr Saturn then damps down enthusiasm from Libra. Though those may also be about matters other than the oil spill.
This is more of a hunch based on the astrology than a firm prediction but BP's chart while getting a boost from tr Pluto trine Jupiter through this June has more sudden relief influences come mid August onwards. It's around then that the two new wells being put in should start to pick up the gush from below the surface. Tony Hayward is certainly looking more chipper come mid September. Though he may also be out of a job - but that could well be a relief of sorts since they'll no doubt give him a golden goodbye of stratospheric proportions.
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Bret Easton Ellis - dark violence  From: Marjorie. (31 May 2010 17:33): 
Bret Easton Ellis (Less Than Zero, American Psycho, The Rules of Attraction) has another novel due out in June. Known as one of the 'brat pack' novelists his books focus on sexuality and violence. He's described as mixing 'absurd comedy with a bleak and violent vision'. He says he's happy to be seen as gay, bisexual and heterosexual.
Born on 7 March 1964 at 2.36pm Pomona, CA, USA he does have a dark and difficult chart. His 8th house Sun Mars Mercury in Pisces opposes Uranus Pluto in Virgo. So he's intense, angry, drawn very much to what lies below the surface and what is not under his control. I'd imagine there was instability in the family back a generation or so.
What probably holds him together is an Earth Grand Trine of Venus in Taurus on his Midheaven trine a hard working Capricorn Moon trine Uranus which will give him some grounding in the real world and help him make money. But even that Grand Trine focuses into a Kite Focal point of Mercury Mars in the 8th which is really heavy duty. His Saturn in detached Aquarius probably also helps in a well organised sextile to his Midheaven. He also has a communicative Jupiter in Aries in the publishing house 9th conjunct his Midheaven. Without these balancing factors he'd probably have disappeared into his darkness altogether.
He isn't at his most successful with tr Saturn still in his 1st quadrant but he does have SArc Mars conjunct his Midheaven this year and into his 10th along with his SArc Sun for years and years to come so his ambitions won't flag. Tr Neptune conjunct his 7th house Saturn in 2010/11 may give him uncertainty and confusion over close relationships.
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Celine Dion - Venus meets the Moon  From: Marjorie. (31 May 2010 17:09): 
Celine Dion has announced she's expecting twins by IVF having miscarried last year. She's 14 weeks pregnant and due, all going well, in November.
Born on 30 March 1968 at 12.15 pm Charlemagne, PQ, Canada she has a fiery Aries Sun conjunct her Midheaven and conjunct hard working, self reliant Saturn. So she's suited for a public career which is triply so since she also has a 10th house Aries Moon close to determinedly ambitious Mars in Taurus.
Her musical Venus Mercury in Pisces on the cusp of the 9th trine Neptune; and her Moon trines show Jupiter in Leo in the 2nd attracting her to money. Her Venus Mercury also oppose a 3rd house Uranus Pluto in Virgo so she was clearly not suited to a normal settled emotional life. She's changeable and highly strung.
Her manager Rene Angelil, who became her husband is undoubtedly her Svengali and very controlling with it, but it seems to work. Born on 16 January 1942 he's (probably) a New Moon in Capricorn with a businessman's Earth Grand Trine of Sun (Moon) trine Saturn Uranus trine Neptune. He also has Mars in determined Taurus in a potentially ruthless square to Pluto. His detached Venus in Aquarius squares Saturn Uranus so he'll be cool rather than passionate.
His Mars is in her 10th house pushing her on (bossing her about) and his Pluto is conjunct her Ascendant so he will control her image. His New Moon in Capricorn falls in her 6th so this relationship is about work. But his Venus does fall in her 7th house pf relationships which will help.
The relationship chart is intriguing. There's an affectionate, loving Sun Mercury Venus conjunction which is trine Neptune so good for sympathy and music. The Sun Venus Mercury also oppose Pluto so control plays a major part in their interaction; and sextile a Saturn Mars conjunction. Saturn Mars can be unfair treatment leading to resentment but it can also just indicate a relationship where exceptionally hard work plays a major role. Their relationship will be under some strain as tr Pluto is trine Saturn and Mars from late June through till November.
On her chart there are some delightfully apposite happenings with her Solar Arc Venus and SArc Mercury conjunct her Moon and her Sec Progressed Moon just into her 4th house of family. Though her pregnancy will be a bumpy ride through from late June onwards - so not all plain sailing.
Their 9 year old son Rene (25 Jan 2001) has a difficult chart. He's a vague Sun Neptune in Aquarius trine Jupiter which is rather happy go lucky. But what is very ratchety and not happy is a Mars in Scorpio opp Saturn in Taurus square Uranus Mercury (perhaps Moon) in Aquarius. He'll certainly harbour grudges and resentments from his childhood. His relationship with his father will be easier than with his mother though he shares a sensitive Venus in Pisces with her.
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China - over heating economy  From: Marjorie. (31 May 2010 11:11): 
Vinod, Not sure there's much to add to the March 15th posting which is below and under the Finance Section in Politics.
March 15 2010: China has a huge surplus at present, over 5% of global GDP. But previous occasions when a country has done similar - the US in the 1920s and Japan in the 1980s - it preceded a depression, so is oddly enough a sign of weakness not strength. China's strategy has been to buy billions of dollars worth of foreign bonds every month to hold down the yuan. Their economy is now massively over invested in infrastructure projects and heavily stretched on credit. One economist says the Chinese banks may require a bail-out nearing half a trillion dollars.
Last year when China looked to be one of the few countries riding the storm, the Bank of China chart had transiting Pluto conjunct Mars Jupiter in Capricorn. This can be a touch over the top confidence-wise so it was throwing money into the economy but the risk of that turning into an inflationary bubble has now clearly caught up with the authorities. Tightening started as tr Pluto was in trine to Saturn in Virgo from late Feb this year onwards till late 2011. Which makes astrological sense since Pluto on Saturn is precisely that - learning to do with less. Tr Saturn and tr Uranus will also hit the BoC Uranus in April/May and July onwards causing a fair amount of instability and enforcing changes in policy.
Tr Pluto continues to conjunct the BoC Mars Jupiter till late 2010 which will hold confidence up to a degree with tr Pluto sextile the Solar Arc Mars Jupiter into 2011 but there won't be the same degree of confidence around. Plus that Solar Arc (Progressed) Mars Jupiter is in an opposition to Saturn which will certainly damp enthusiasm. 2011/12 look insecure on the BoC chart possibly provoking rash misjudgements.
The idea of China flying ahead to be the next Superpower never made sense astrologically. Their Libra Sun (and Mercury Neptune) square Uranus which will be picking up a fair battering to put it mildly from transiting Pluto, tr Saturn and tr Uranus between 2010 and 2015 really.
There's a great deal to change in terms of perception of China's soundness through this time.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics
/recession/china-economic-slowdown/7786996
/Beijing-in-a-sweat-as-Chinas-economy-overheats.html
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Israel - killing aid carriers - at odds with Turkey, EU, UN etc etc etc  From: Marjorie. (31 May 2010 11:00): 
More than 10 people have been killed after Israeli commandos stormed a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza Strip. The ships belong to the pacifist Free Gaza Movement, an international human rights organization, of pro-Palestinian human rights organizations and activists for the purpose of publicizing the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip after the election of Hamas in 2007. The group has members of various Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religious organizations and more than 70 endorsers, including Desmond Tutu and Noam Chomsky.
The United Nations says humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza by the Israelis is less than a quarter of what is needed.
The incident comes a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet US President Barack Obama in Washington after one of the most strained periods in US-Israeli relations in years.
The UN and EU have voiced protests as has Turkey which provided the lead ship.
Turkey used to be one of Israel's closer allies in the Middle East but there has been increasing distance since Turkey expressed great disquiet over the Gaza attack in late 2008. The Israel/Turkey relationship chart is tricky at best with a muddled and aggravated Neptune Mars Saturn conjunction in Virgo. When Israel entered Gaza in Dec 08 the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus was having its first aspect and upsetting that difficult Mars Neptune Saturn in the Isr/Turk chart. Now with the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus still in play, tr Pluto has arrived to cause more upset as it trines the Turk/Isr Uranus at 4 Taurus and will by the autumn again see tr Uranus trine Pluto - so everything is going up in the air in terms of diplomatic relations.
Israel gives all the signs of a country in the grip of confusion and uncertainty lashing out in all directions without thought of consequences. On the Israel chart tr Neptune is still in a panicky, failure-ridden opposition to Mars and that runs on and off till late 2011. Plus the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus is hitting the Israel's adventurous, optimistic Jupiter in Sagittarius (opp Uranus) on and off till late 2010 - damping down their enthusiasm. Tr Pluto is now opposition their Venus at 4 Cancer till late June so they'll be reacting with emotional intensity.
Obama doesn't seem any better at getting a grip of Israel than his predecessors or indeed many of his other problems. But the most pressured time for Israel and the USA will come in July to October this year.
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Charlotte Church - a chawsome twosome  From: Marjorie. (31 May 2010 10:07): 
Singer Charlotte Church does seem chaotic, having had two kids, got engaged and then instantly separated. She was born on 21 Feb 1986 at 10.28pm Cardiff, Wales, UK so is a fun and party loving 5th house Sun Jupiter Venus Mercury in Pisces. She's definitely designed for entertainment with such a strong 5th house. Plus she has a flamboyant Leo Moon conjunct her Midheaven which also fits her for a public career.
But her Pisces planets are square Mars Saturn in Sagittarius with Uranus also in Sagittarius so she's bubbling with anger, resentment and not always in control of her comments or feelings. Plus her Sun Venus Jupiter are trine a 1st house Pluto so she's controlling and quite pushy and possessive. It's a bucket chart with Leo Moon on the handle so she will be emotionally hyper-sensitive needing a public audience since one person would never fulfil all her emotional needs. She doesn't look easy.
Neither does Gavin Henson, the rugby player, who's father of her two children. Born on 1 Feb 1982 he's a Sun Aquarius with a heavy duty Mars Saturn Pluto in Libra so he can be impatient (Sun Mars) as well as immoveable (Sat Pl). His Mars Saturn Pluto square Venus in Capricorn so he's emotionally not always tuned in sensitively to the other's needs. Oddly enough he's also a bucket chart with a singleton Moon so again needing a wider audience and emotional input than just one partner.
At a very simple level - she's Pisces Sun and Venus with Moon in Leo while he is Aquarius Sun with Taurus Moon and Venus in Capricorn - so really very different temperaments. His Mars Saturn Pluto conjunct her Ascendant so he's probably trying to control her image or they get into competitive spats. Plus his Taurus Moon is opposition her Pluto which is another power struggle; and his Uranus is conj her Saturn and his Neptune is conj her Uranus - so it's a very jolting, jarring, highly strung interface.
Their relationship chart isn't great to put it mildly. There is an over optimistic Jupiter Neptune; and a truly horrible Sun Venus square Mars Saturn which is angry, impatient, constantly resentful of the other's unfair treatment.
Both of them have strong Neptune influences this year and next - him: SArc Neptune conj Venus and her: SArc Mars conj Neptune and Sarc Saturn coming up to conj Neptune and tr Pluto conj Neptune so it is a very undermining, confusing time. She's also got the tr Saturn opp tr Uranus hitting her Solar Arc Sun which is very tense and fast changing. Her Ascendant is late Libra so I'd imagine she'd disappear from public view more after 2012 for a few years.
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Pakistan attacks - Uranus Mars  From: Marjorie. (30 May 2010 10:44): 
The latest attack in Pakistan with 93 dead is another indication of the increasing activities of Taliban militants who operate out of the lawless region of Pakistan on the borders with Afghanistan. The US are pressuring the Pakistan Government to take more action against them. The New York failed bomb attack is deemed connected to these Taliban as well as attacks inside Afghanistan against NATO forces.
This attack was on two mosques of the minority Ahmadi Islamic sect in Lahore who are not considered Muslim by hard liners.
Thanks James for the data. 28 May 2010 at 1.40pm Lahore gives, as you say, a 0 degree Libra Ascendant with Uranus at exactly 0.00 degrees Aries on the Descendant square Midheaven. A very symmetrical chart - with Venus MC opp Pluto IC square Uranus Jupiter Descendant opp Ascendant Saturn. Pluto in the 4th certainly hints at the frustration felt by the Lahore residents who don't feel the Pak Government is protecting them. Mars is also in a panicky opposition to Neptune.
The Pakistan country chart (14 Aug 1947 at 9.30am Karachi, Pak) was always going to be on high alert around this time since it has a 28 Gemini Midheaven and a 28 Virgo Ascendant. The tr Saturn opp tr Uranus caught that full on in the days running into the attack. With tr Uranus now on the exact explosive opposition to their 10th house Mars. That will repeat on and off till late 2011. So there's likely to be further violence. Late July 2010 could be an especially risk time with tr Uranus still on that opposition to Mars and tr Saturn comes up to the conjunction.
India also of course catches the tr Uranus opp Mars at the same time since it has the same birth day. Though in India's case it may be more financial since their Mars is 2nd house.
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New Format  From: Marjorie. (30 May 2010 09:25): 
I know changes are always difficult but I'd have thought there was now a more sensible space for ongoing discussions under one header. And since it is about the News - yes the subjects will move on. But as I said earlier all formats have their pluses and minuses.
Let it shake down for a while longer and see how it goes. The questions/new topics input can be adapted to take full posts.
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Megan Fox - a hybrid chart  From: Marjorie. (30 May 2010 09:18): 
Megan Fox, the model/actress Angelina Jolie lookalike was born on 16 May 1986 at 5.46pm Oak Ridge, TN, USA according to Astrotheme. This gives her a Libra Ascendant and an intense, stubborn 8th house Taurus Sun square a flamboyant 11th house Leo Moon.
She is an odd contradictory mix with all that depth and solidity from her Sun, yet she has a Fire Moon and a social butterfly Venus in Gemini in a constantly changing opposition to Uranus square a sweet natured though restless Jupiter in Pisces. Her Sun trines Mars in Capricorn which is what gives her a reputation for being overly assertive and argumentative.
Her parents split when she was young hence her Sun square Moon making it difficult for her to decide exactly what she wants. Her Moon's North Node in Aries in the 7th suggests a real conflict from another angle about whether she really wants commitment in relationships. That Plus Venus Uranus suggests her romantic life will always be a bit of a conveyor belt. Which won't suit her intensely possessive 8th house Taurus Sun. I'd think she was highly strung with such a full 3rd house of Uranus Neptune Mars so will constantly be racing around putting her foot in her mouth.
Career-wise she's got another two years of high profile before moving backwards for a rethink.
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Dennis Hopper - finally gone  From: Marjorie. (29 May 2010 18:42): 
From January post: Another early iconic success who never quite regained his former glory is actor Dennis Hopper, oddly enough like Orson Welles a Sun Taurus. Born 17 May 1936 8.45pm Dodge City, KS, USA, he was in his mid thirties when his acted/directed Easy Rider shot him to fame in 1969. He then had a drug-fuelled (of elemental proportions) lost decade ending up with a breakdown in 1982. Since then he has had a varied and acclaimed though secondary career as an actor and painter/sculptor/photographer.
He has a hugely complex chart with a Mutable Grand Square of the creative though also marginally paranoid Saturn opp Neptune square a 1st house Jupiter in Sagittarius opp Mercury in Gemini - so high wired, overly scattered, going off like a windmill in a storm.
Saturn, Neptune and Pluto are all heavily aspected in his chart. His 8th house Pluto sits on the point of a mini-Grand Trine of Sun in Taurus conj Mars in Gemini trine Midheaven; Pluto also trines Saturn and squares his Aries Moon. That deeply buried Pluto would pull him down into his darkness, but also give him great persuasive power to pull others down with him. Now that I look he has a half Grand Sextile of MC sext Pluto sext Sun sext Saturn. Talent came easily to him but he probably didn't put much value on it. He's also got an especially strong 'mad genius' 7th Harmonic (septiles) and creative 5th Harmonic (quintiles).
Easy Rider came out as Jupiter was crossing his 10th house; but with Pluto approaching his Midheaven for a decade plus thereafter he'd be searching for a meaningful direction in life - which he clearly didn't find as his reputation was steadily eroded. In the 1980s when tr Pluto had cleared his 10th he started to pull himself together.
He is now dying of prostate cancer and is unbelievably divorcing his fifth wife - mainly as a way of limiting her payout from his will. Not an easy man to relate to - stubborn, controlling, driven by irrational possessiveness and an even deeper fear of being controlled.
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Spain - minus an A  From: Marjorie. (29 May 2010 16:54): 
Spain has been downgraded from triple A to double A by Fitch late Friday which sent the Euro down and shook the late markets. Though given the state of their economy a triple AAA was ludicrous and the downgrade is hardly a surprise.
The Spain IBEX stock market index (14 Jan 1992/29 Dec 1989) is in real danger territory with this year looking like a meltdown of considerable proportions, with a seriously unhappy 2011 to follow. That would certainly fit with Spain's country chart.
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David Laws - frying pans and fires  From: Marjorie. (29 May 2010 16:16): 
Poor David Laws. He's the LibDem MP who was handed the poisoned chalice of the Chancellor's right hand hatchet man in the new UK Government. Now he's been doubly outed as having claimed rent for his London accommodation which was owned by his gay partner. It's evidently against the rules. Though quite why partners of any inclination should be expected to foot the bill for a MP's living expenses is beyond me.
Born on 30 Nov 1965 his chart belies his rather mild mannered appearance. He's a fiery, though no doubt studious Sun Mercury in Sagittarius on the point of a T square to Uranus Pluto opposition Saturn (maybe Moon) in Pisces. With Uranus Pluto widely square a lucky, communicative Jupiter in Gemini. So he's part of that unpredictable, innovative, stubborn mid sixties generation. His passionately enthusiastic Venus Mars in Capricorn trine his Uranus Pluto so he likes excitement and a high adrenaline rush. Tr Neptune is opposition his SArc Mars as he faces a public scandal which may or may not end his Cabinet career.
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Tony Hayward - the most hated man in the USA  From: Marjorie. (29 May 2010 15:36): 
Finally a birth date has appeared for Tony Hayward, CEO of BP, the most hated man in the US. Born on 27 May 1957 he took over BP on 1 May 2007.
His birth chart shows him as a cool Sun Venus in Gemini opposition Saturn in Sagittarius so he's understated, a good communicator though prickly about criticism. His Sun is also in a controlling square to Pluto in late Leo. His Venus opposition Saturn squares onto a hard working though overly confident Jupiter in Virgo. His Mercury in Taurus is sextile an excitable Mars in Cancer and widely square Uranus so he'll also be argumentative at times and outspoken. There's also perhaps a Fixed T square of Neptune opp Moon Mercury square Uranus so he'll be stubborn as well as innovative.
At the moment there's little showing on transits apart from tr Neptune opposition his Pluto which is about re-prioritising your life. Though it could be seen as the start of tr Neptune moving round his Pluto square Sun and undermining his power and control, coming to a head in 2013 when tr Neptune finally squares his Sun.
His Solar Arcs are instructive. His SArc Mars is square his Sun this year and from my experience Mars on Sun acts a touch like a car crash. It comes with a real jolt. His Solar Arc Saturn is also opposition his Uranus, in influence from late 10/into 11 which is another major jolt onto a different track.
His CEO chart from 2007 certainly indicates he was going to have an explosively bumpy ride at the helm - with a Venus opp Jupiter Pluto square Mars Uranus. Tr Uranus opp tr Saturn was exactly square that CEO Pluto when the oil spill occurred, shaking his grip considerably. That tr Uranus square Pluto returns till early 2011; with tr Saturn on it till mid this summer - so the shaking of his foundations will continue.
Plotting his chart on the US chart - given that he is now held personally responsible for wrecking the US coastline - it put his Mars conj the US Cancer Sun. So it is a fiery interface that was bound to lead to flare ups. His Sun is conjunct the USA Uranus and his Saturn in opposition so he will grate. On the Hayward/USA relationship chart there's an explosive Mars Uranus conjunction which transiting Pluto is opposing through 10/11/12 - so the anger won't recede, if anything it will get more intense.
There's also a Mars Uranus conjunction on his relationship chart with Barack Obama who has been (for him) trenchant in his criticism of BP.
Though what is also noteworthy is Mars Jupiter appearing both in synastry and relationship charts - Mars Jupiter usually denotes a relationship where each side encourages the other on to reckless and overly confident actions. When the oil and money rolled in the USA was more than happy to co-operate.
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Duchess of York - lurching deeper into a hole  From: Marjorie. (28 May 2010 17:42): 
Sarah Ferguson is pursuing a positively Vatican-like course in the aftermath of her exposure trying to sell access to Prince Andrew to boost her flagging finances. When in a bad situation, don't make it worse. But there she goes - onto the Oprah Winfrey Show. The Royal courtiers must be shrieking in horror at what might transpire, never mind it being bound to give the sleazy tale longer shelf life.
What the silly woman doesn't seem to have grasped is that it might actually lead to the end of Prince Andrew's career as Ambassador for Trade. He may not have known. But she lives in his house and what she was implicitly involving him in is I think technically corruption.
There's certainly a major rupture in amiable relations between Prince Andrew and HM Queen. He is supposedly her favourite son but their relationship chart has a very confusing and polarised Sun opposition Moon Neptune which tr Uranus is hitting exactly now (conj comp Sun and opp Neptune) - so major upsets and a growing gulf between them. With tr Saturn coming to an uncertain, depressing conjunction to Neptune and opposition Sun in late July. And then tr Pluto hitting the composite Moon in July/Aug, Oct/Nov 2010 which brings intense emotions and tugs of war. So their relationship is at an all time low.
From that you might speculate they have greatly differing approaches to the subject of Sarah. There's also a Mars opp Pluto in this relationship chart as there are with most of HM Queen with her family - so there's no doubt who holds the power.
Prince Andrew is having a dreary discouraging June with tr Pluto sextile his SArc Saturn; and will find 2011/12 rather rudderless, low motivation, undermining years as tr Neptune is conj his Pisces Sun.
Although Andrew and Sarah divorced many years back in 1992 just after the triple conjunction of Saturn Uranus Neptune in Capricorn had passed over their respective Sun/Moon midpoints (the marriage signature) at 12/13 degrees Capricorn, they've never really let go, either of them. But with tr Saturn aiming to square their Sun/Moon midpoints from Nov 2010 to mid 2011 there will be a greater separation between them with tr Pluto/tr Uranus adding their weight in hard aspect to their Sun/Moon midpoints come 2014. It's like prising two limpets apart but if Saturn Uranus Pluto can't do it nothing will.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie look in for a difficult three or four years ahead. They seem to be their mother's major support system in a way which has always seemed thoroughly unhealthy. Both their relationship charts do indicate that all is not quite as airbrushedly sweet between them and their mother as the publicity pics have tended to suggest.
The chance of a starring spot on the Oprah Winfrey Show may have seemed a wonderful career and ego boost to the deluded Duchess but it won't be all candy floss. Oprah's really tough Pluto square Mars in Scorpio hits Fergie's Uranus head on so there will be some upsets. Oprah's Uranus squares Fergie's Sun Mars which will also be fiery. Plus Oprah's obsessively conscientious and unyielding Saturn is conjunct Fergie's Neptune Mercury which may leave the latter tongue tied and wandering somewhat.
Whatever happened to the old decencies? When you make a major mistake, retire from public life and bury yourself in a cupboard.
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Stephen Griffiths - I am the Crossbow Cannibal  From: Marjorie. (28 May 2010 13:37): 
Stephen Griffiths has been charged in the UK today with the murders of three sex workers, one of whose body parts were found recently. He is reported to be a psychology graduate undertaking postgraduate research in criminology at Bradford University. When charged he referred to himself as the "crossbow cannibal" in court. [NB. English law is relatively sticky about condemning people as guilty in print until found so by a court of law even if they are nutty enough to confess.]
According to the DMail he was born on 24 Dec 1969 which makes sense. He's an earthy Capricorn Sun in an exact trine to Saturn in Taurus and both sextile Mars in Pisces. Mars is also trine Jupiter in Scorpio which in turn makes another mini Grand Trine with the Sun - in fact that Saturn Mars Sun Jupiter are a Half Grand Sextile with a Jupiter opposition Saturn making the half circle. On top of that his Sun squares Uranus in Libra and Pluto in late Virgo. So tying all that lot up - his Sun aspects what can be cruel Mars Saturn, confident Jupiter, lawless Uranus and controlling Pluto - if one takes all the negative meanings. He's lucky and talented in one sense from all those sextiles and trines. But too many can be as unlucky as too few. And can lead to a personality that expects too much without effort.
His Moon in Cancer may be opposition Sun and square Uranus, even square Pluto depending on his time of birth and is probably trine Mars and may be sextile Saturn - so emotionally he's all over the place. Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, who killed prostitutes also had a Cancer Moon, in his case in the 8th conjunct Saturn. Men who kill sex workers usually have huge mother issues. Sutcliffe (2 June 1946 8.30pm Bingley, Eng) also had Sun Uranus Pluto Jupiter aspects plus a Jupiter sextile Mars so not that dissimilar.
Griffiths' Pluto is trine Mercury in Capricorn and square Venus in Sagittarius - so he's forceful in discussion (Mer Pl) and probably drawn even more to the dark side in his thinking; as well as being intensely emotional (Ven Pl). His Neptune has only one aspect - a square to his very emphasised Mars and floats rather disconnectedly in his chart, possibly exacerbating his tendency to disappear off into fantasies and delusions.
Tr Saturn is now conjunct his Pluto which is stuck with tr Pluto and tr Saturn in hard aspect to his Sun this year; with a scary, trapped tr Pluto sextile his Mars in 11/12; plus his Uranus being buffeted by the coming tr Saturn, tr Uranus, tr Pluto right through for several years ahead.
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John Robbins - a veritable Hillary of determination  From: Marjorie. (28 May 2010 10:31): 
The strange life story of John Robbins, heir to an ice cream fortune, who walked away from it all, then made and lost a second fortune - becomes even more intriguing when he turns out to have been born on the same day as Hillary Clinton - 26 October 1947.
Both have a determined Scorpio Sun and a powerhouse Mars Pluto Saturn in Leo; an enthusiastic, crusading Jupiter in Sagittarius and an excitable, emotionally rebellious Pisces Moon square Uranus. Different birth times will clearly focus the planetary energies in marginally different directions - but they'll still be very similar personalities with intriguingly similar highs and lows in their lives.
Robbins having made his own fortune in the 1980s writing books about the pitfalls of the American diet and promoting a Green life style lost his entire wealth to Bernard Madoff in early December 2008 - at the time when Hillary Clinton was facing her own bleak moment with the Barack Obama Presidential win.
Robbins baled out of the family lifestyle in 1969 to live in a log cabin for 15 years. Hillary didn't quite choose the austerity route but she did leave the Republican Party around that time in her life.
Robbins came back into the world to educate his son in the 1980s, writing his best sellers as Hillary was rising in prominence as Arkansas's First Lady.
Never say die is clearly written into both their genes, since Robbins, post his second lost fortune in 2008, has now written a new book called The New Good Life, almost certainly due to be another best seller arguing that materialism is bad for the soul. As Hillary made the best of a bad job and became Obama's Secretary of State.
They may well have a different philosophy of living and different politics but they are bred from the same tenacious and resilient mould.
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Finance - what a difference a degree makes  From: Marjorie. (28 May 2010 09:54): 
What a difference a day makes! Uranus moved off 29 Pisces overnight onto 0 degrees Aries taking immediate pressure off the exact tr Uranus opposition Ascendant square Midheaven of the Euro 2002 chart. China gives support to the Euro and suddenly there's a window of relief. It won't last, of course. Both tr Saturn and tr Uranus will return.
The planetary degree of Uranus made all the difference to the FTSE UK stock market index as well which was in a frenzy of panic over the past few days as tr Uranus squared Neptune. That has now passed and the FTSE along with other world markets has risen.
Even BP looks maybe perhaps might have semi-sorted the oil leak.
The really major scrunch for the European money charts still looks to be the autumn of this year; with the Dow Jones not having a happy summer before that in July/August.
What has shifted ominously back onto the news radar is Dubai, with word of a three month delay of a debt repayment till September. Many European banks, including UK and HSBC are heavily involved in Dubai debt. So still holed below the water line from the 2008 sub-prime disaster, contemplating an imploding Europe with Spain now moving into danger territory, they could also be faced with enormous Dubai losses as well. The Dubai stock exchange index looks to be on a sharp downward trajectory from July onwards especially and facing enormous pressures thereafter.
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Boeing - highs and lows  From: Marjorie. (27 May 2010 11:47):