Just who is Theresa May?

Tags

Brexit, female MPs, Jupiter in Virgo, Jupiter return, Mars in Pisces, Mercury in Virgo, Moon in Virgo, Neptune in Libra, Pluto in Leo, Saturn-Neptune square, Sun in Libra, Theresa May, Tory leadership race, UK Prime Minister, Uranus in Leo, Venus in Leo, Venus-Pluto conjunction, woman politicians

Can astrology provide us with some insights into the character of this enigmatic woman?

On Wednesday the 13th of July, a day after Venus enters the sign par excellence of world leaders and kings: majestic and proud Leo – emblem of Britain since the 12th century  – Theresa May will become the second woman ever to hold the office of British Prime Minister  – following in the footsteps of the woman who came to be known as the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher.

A Sun Libran, like her formidable female predecessor (as well as her previous boss, David Cameron) Theresa May will be tasked with governing one of the oldest existing political parties in the world, as well as presiding over a country not only renowned for being bolshy, awkward and extremely independent but at a time in its history when political decisions could not get any more chaotic or critical than they currently are right now.

And yet, despite having reached the highest seat of office in the land, and having been at the heart of UK politics for more than a decade, many people do not really know who she is or what she stands for. For this reason, I thought it worth taking a look at her natal chart to see if we can discover some clues to this mystery.

I should say at this juncture that I do not have a time of birth for her – just her date of birth which I managed to find on Wikipedia (and which may turn out to be wrong). But for now, until we know more/hear otherwise, I will simply use a noon chart for 1 Oct 1956 in Eastbourne.

The chart is interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, she has Venus in Leo, which certainly explains her love of leopard print kitten heels and sometimes quite attention-grabbing fashion choices, despite her rather modest persona (which, by the way, comes from having three planets in Virgo). Given Venus’ proximity to Pluto, I expect her to take ‘power dressing’ to a whole new level not seen since 80’s shoulder pads, power suits and the helmet-like bouffants of women such as Margaret Thatcher, so, fashion editors, watch out!

Secondly, this is a woman who is both modest and a workaholic – Moon in pragmatic, sensible Virgo, along with Mercury – a very strong placement in its own sign – and Jupiter. So none of the ‘swagger’ that a younger Cameron was famous for (no doubt due to his Moon-Jupiter conjunction in Leo). Although Jupiter is detrimented here, it is perhaps significant that she is currently enjoying a Jupiter Return  which reached perfection around July the 5th just a week before she is set to take office, so perhaps David Cameron’s luck rubbed off on her by sheer proximity!

Add to this a determined and frankly, quite scary, Saturn in secretive Scorpio, you can see why she has a reputation for being a ‘bloody difficult woman’, as Kenneth Clarke put it and a  ‘bit of an Ice Maiden’ with no gift for ‘small talk whatsoever’ (according to Nick Clegg) and a formidable negotiator – definitely not somebody that you want to get on the wrong side of, as the police federation found to its cost when she made it clear that they had t do more to root out corruption within their ranks. Saturn makes people rigid and tough, while Scorpio has a tendency to create dogged determination, which needs tempering to avoid becoming overly steely or spiteful.  It is probably fair to say that this is not somebody who will back down or shy away from challenging or controversial issues simply because they don’t make for great headlines or boost one’s popularity ratings. But then, perhaps that is exactly what politics needs after the spin of the Blair years and the  ‘real politik’ of David Cameron, who many critics accused of being more than a little fair weather when it came to policy positions and perhaps overly pragmatic  – not someone who worried about throwing out a pledge or standpoint for the sake of political expediency. If people liked the conviction politics of Margaret Thatcher, then I think they will definitely come to respect Theresa May for her constancy and loyalty to certain ideals. This is not someone like Boris Johnson who is going to abandon the field mid-battle – she is in it for the long haul. However, I do wonder if it will make her rather hawkish – she is known for taking quite a hard line on certain issues, such as her vote against taking in 3000 unaccompanied child refugees last year.

And yet she has a fairly soft, non-confrontational Mars in Pisces, so is not an alpha or showboater in the traditional male sense – and the way she won the leadership race – by being the only candidate left standing – rather epitomises this. She is probably someone who influences events indirectly and isn’t concerned with who takes the credit for something, as long as the job gets done.This is probably a good thing – helping to soften her prickly Saturn and prissy Virgo stuff – hopefully she will let more of this side show as she finds her feet.

Although, with the Saturn-Neptune square making contact to this Mars, it is possible that she may need to burst a few bubbles and dispel a few myths, particularly around the issue of Brexit (the square was at its peak during the lead-up to the referendum) by being quite direct and forthright if she is to be taken seriously as a leader and restore confidence in the UK economy (and the political system) going forward.

It’s also fair to say that she is likely to surprise a few people – she has Uranus in Leo, so may turn out be quite a radical reformer and keen to use her premiership to introduce some ideologically-driven political agendas. Already she is talking about redistributing wealth in a fairer way within business and introducing more checks on the salaries of CEOs – something that might shock more right-wing Tory traditionalists because it does sound almost socialist in terms of tone and rhetoric. But with transiting Uranus making some trines her to Venus-Pluto conjunction, it is possible that this may endear her to the people and give her wide popular appeal, thereby strengthening her grip on power and giving her a wider mandate. Many who know here say that she is very much her own person, which does have a distinctly Uranian ring to it – and as she is seen more in the public eye and begins to grow in confidence and stature – I think we may begin to see glimpses of a few endearing, if unexpected, quirks and eccentricities that up until now, she has kept under wraps.

But of course, it is her Sun in Libra that should hopefully lead her to play fair and steer towards the middle ground and a spirit of compromise, which should help to unify the government and the country. Furthermore, her natal Neptune, also in Libra, and conjunct the Part of Fortune, suggests that the age of nice politicians who put public service above personal fame and fortune might just be back on the agenda. And thank goodness for that!

Add to Anti-Banner

Shock & Awe: the Brexit vote postmortem

Tags

Astrology, Brexit aftermath, EU referendum fallout, Labour Party, mundane astrology, Nigel Farage, political astrology, Tory Party, UKIP

On Friday the 24th of June 2016, many Brits woke up to the shock of their life – the EU Referendum poll had yielded a voting result no one had expected – the Brexit camp had won by a margin of 4%.

As the reality began to sink in, Leave voters began to celebrate, whilst elsewhere, there was an unearthly hush as Remainers, numb with disbelief, tried to process what they were hearing.

As if that weren’t enough, at 08:30am, the British Prime Minster and chief Remain campaigner, David Cameron came out of his residence at 10 Downing Street, to announce that he was stepping down, essentially putting the brakes on proceedings by falling on his sword.

Elsewhere, Nigel Farage was crowing with delight at the results, declaring that June 24 should become a national holiday known as ‘Independence Day.’

A somewhat more muted Boris Johnson, Cameron’s main political opponent and rock star of the ‘Leave’ campaign, later ventured out from hiding, looking rather sheepish, to make a speech about how this was not the end of the world and that people needed to see this as an opportunity for Britain to ‘find its voice in the world.’

As with the last UK general election, these results were definitely not what anybody was expecting, least of all the Leave camp, with Nigel Farage even predicting the night before that the Remain vote would narrowly clinch it.

So what happened? And what do the current auguries suggest might happen next in this story filled with twists and turns? I thought this might be a good opportunity to review my last column and the Brexit chart,  as well as look at a few key transits in relation to the charts of a few key players in this saga, including David Cameron and Boris Johnson.

So, firstly, the Brexit chart.

A Second Look at the Brexit Chart

Looking back, it seems clear that my main reason for suggesting a Remain vote was because:

a) the signifier for the Prime Minister, the Sun, was conjunct the Part of Nobility and Honour and that,

b) the end of the matter seemed to be indicated by Jupiter, ruler of the IC, making a trine to Pluto, which in general terms, signified dramatic but positive changes.

As it turned out, the Prime Minister was not vindicated but instead resigned with his honour intact – many MPs complimented him on the gracious way that he decided to step down – so that change was indeed, the order of the day – just not in the way I expected.

That said, I did also point to Uranus in the 8th house as a possible indicator of a Brexit win – something that indeed seemed to bear out. I also suggested that, as with the Sun-Pluto transit which seemed to end the careers of many political party leaders in the last general election, that I thought that the Jupiter- Pluto trine on Sunday the 26th of June might also precipitate similar changes to politicians’ careers – and a few days later, we have both the Tory and Labour parties potentially choosing new leaders, as well as a new Prime Minister.

Looking back, it seems clear to me that Mercury and its position at the top of a T-square to Saturn and Neptune seems to be really key to how things ended up playing out. Mercury is in Gemini, which can be very persuasive. Here it is negatively aspected, which does indeed suggest trickery and thievery. Add Neptune to this mix and you have out-and-out deceit and gullibility. Add to this Saturn in Sag, and this T-square begins to look as though many older voters, (Saturn) were deceived (Neptune) by the false propaganda (Mercury) of the Leave campaigners, who began to distance themselves from many of their pre-election claims the minute that the result was announced.

What’s more, that Mercury is coming off of a square to Jupiter – a combination that can lead to impaired judgement, and then goes on to sextile Uranus, which suggests a certain amount of rebellious motivations for voting as they did – Uranus rules freedom and independence, and this is echoed by the position of the Moon in Aquarius, ruler of the 11th house of groups, in the 5th house of gambling. Together seems to indicate that the British voting public were in a defiant but speculative frame of mind, which seems to be borne out by people like Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie, who, after encouraging people to vote for Brexit via a column in his newspaper, describes of his own state of mind at the time that he voted:

Writing in The Sun newspaper afterwards, he said:

“When I put my cross against Leave I felt a surge as though for the first time in my life my vote did count. I had power….

Four days later I don’t feel quite the same. I have buyer’s remorse. A sense of be careful what you wish for. To be truthful I am fearful of what lies ahead.” 1

The Main Players

Before we consider the possible consequences of this vote for the UK, I thought it might be useful to have a brief look at how some of these transits played out in the charts of the main players, including David Cameron, Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn.

David Cameron

First David Cameron.

Now, apparently David Cameron is known in some Westminster circles as the ‘lucky politician’ because he has taken a number of political risks or gambles in his time as head of the government and the ruling Tory party which have, up until now, paid off. Tell this to any astrologer and they will immediately look to Jupiter in his chart to see what is going on there. Now, it is fair to say that Cameron has a Moon-Jupiter conjunction in the 10th house, which is trine to his Part of Fortune in the 3rd – a nice placement for a politician, but also one that bound to make him both good-natured, as well as likeable. It does also seem to bring him a certain degree of luck when it comes to fulfilling his career ambitions. Just think of the recent general election, where his party won by a much greater majority than expected – all of which happened when he was experiencing his Jupiter Return.

However, at the time of the Brexit vote and indeed, for some months before, Cameron was experiencing a Sun-Pluto square, which can be very challenging, often precipitating an identity crisis that requires complete and utter psychological transformation. Given the house placements involved (12th, 4th and 1st), this transit could suggest a major crisis of conscience, as well as profound questioning about where he feels he belongs, especially in terms of group memberships (so possibly in terms of his position as leader of the Tory party whose infighting about Europe is said to be one of the main factors behind his decision to hold this election) and what he privately believes is the right path, both for his family and his country. It is the intimate nature of these transits that suggest that he took the defeat in the EU referendum very personally – something that appears to be confirmed by transiting Mercury’s square to Cameron’s natal Pluto in the 12th house.

Notice too that the transiting Moon in Aquarius is opposite his Moon-Jupiter conjunction, an indication that he was out of step with his electorate. However, notice also the mystic rectangle developing around Jupiter, Neptune and the nodes. This suggests that the wake-up call he received from this event may shift his focus towards a more service-oriented approach to leadership and his job as a member of parliament (both Neptune and Jupiter have an affinity with Pisces, the sign ruling his 6th house of servants and work) while the nodes straddle the 2nd and 8th house of income and resources, ruled by Mars, which happens to be sitting on his natal Neptune in this chart. So I think he may find that Fate will urge him now to use his skills, resources and position to try and steer the ship in a direction that helps to secure the best possible financial deal for Britain and help shore up its economy. Free from the pressures and scrutiny of being Prime Minister, he may actually find that he is able to get more done behind the scenes and also have more time for his family. At any rate, it seems that history (and fate) is not yet done with him, so he needn’t worry about being pushed to the sidelines, going forward, even if his ego has temporarily taken a bit of a battering.

Nigel Farage

 

Nigel Farage’s chart suggests an altogether different scenario. Firstly, we have a Neptune-Pluto opposition going on, which suggests a tension between his beliefs and attitudes towards foreigners and what he says and thinks. Here I am thinking about the accusations of hypocrisy and dishonesty levelled at him by members of the European Parliament yesterday,  including details of his offshore bank account, with one comparing his controversial poster, showing a queue of refugees (whose immigration status is not affected by EU policy) as being similar to Nazi propaganda. He hit back, saying they were all in denial.

Relationships with others are also about to change, judging by transiting Pluto’s move towards the Descendant. In fact, several of the outer planets are moving to oppose his natal Chiron in the 9th house, which makes him appear a little vulnerable. Given Saturn’s square to Pluto from the 5th house of love affairs, it is possible that the latest furore about his alleged affair with a UKIP co-worker may blow up in his face and short circuit any feelings of vindication that he may have been enjoying as a result of the Pluto-Neptune sextile in his chart.

I do wonder, though, what he will do now that he is shortly to lose his job as an MEP, now  that he has finally achieved his aim of getting Britain to leave the EU. Given that Jupiter rules his house of work, it may be relevant that he was not elected to be a member of the British parliament, and that the only UKIP MP and he have clashed quite a lot in the past, it does beg the question of what his future role would be within the party, going forward, and indeed, whether the party now has a purpose.

Boris Johnson

Now, for Boris.

Although two years older than David Cameron, Boris has a similar natal house configuration to his political opponent. In addition, he is also the same age as Nigel Farage, and so is also experiencing a Saturn-Pluto square. Now, in Boris’ chart, transiting Saturn has just entered his 3rd house of ideas and self-expression. From here, it squares Boris’ natal Pluto in the 11th house of groups. I wonder if, given the mutable T-square involving Neptune,  this means that his decision to gamble his political career by supporting the  ‘Out’ campaign may have put him in a difficult position ideologically going forward, which could considerably narrow the policy options available to him with regards to his vision for Britain’s future, in particular the UKs relationship with the EU, especially given transiting Mercury’s position at the apex of the T-square in his 9th house.

Furthermore, both Pluto and Saturn are planets associated with deaths, endings or limits, so could his actions have put the kaibosh on his ambitions to be the new leader of the Tory party? This remains to be seen. Then there is Pluto’s presence on his IC, which looks quite dark and foreboding.

However, this Pluto is making some very positive aspects to both his natal Jupiter and Neptune which do suggest possible added income or some form of affirmation of his skills and abilities such as a job offer (Neptune also rules his 6th house of work and is in his 2nd house). Added to this is a trine between transiting Jupiter and Boris’ natal Jupiter in the 8th house of joint ventures. And then, there is the Sun, ruler of Boris’ 11th house, together with Venus, ruler of his Ascendent, which are both about to culminate in his chart. This certainly suggests that he may be about to receive some form of career honour or take up a position as leader, so it is just possible that he may get the ‘top job’, as they call it. However, I think how long he manages to keep it will depend on who he chooses to work with in and how close he manages to keep his allies (7th and 8th house) because it looks like it will mainly be Tory rebels (Uranus is in the 7th) or that, as a result of his disloyalty to his Prime Minister, he may have inadvertently alienated himself from many within the Tory establishment, and former allies will cut ties with him.

UPDATE: And indeed, Pluto and Saturn have stopped his bid for Tory leader! Uranus turned out to be Michael Gove’s surprise announcement this morning to run for leader. I still think that the Jupiter transits sugeest Boris will land with is bum in the butter – perhaps he will get a plum job in journalism? Let’s wait and see. Watch this space for further predictions as the Tory leadership race gets underway.

Jeremy Corbyn

And finally, what of the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn?

Well, for once thing, he has a mutable T-square of his own in play involving transiting Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune, and the nodes, as well as his natal Mercury-venus conjunction. The Mercury-Jupiter square on its own is enough to impair judgement and give someone a overly self-righteous outlook. Add to that Venus, ruler of his Midheaven (assuming that he was born around midday of course) and you have a sense in which his career may also be affected by this particular configuration.

Indeed, that Neptune-Jupiter opposition along the nodal axis and his 1st and 7th houses does suggests that sabotage may be affoot by his colleagues. However, as a result of trines to his Moon by Jupiter and Pluto, he may well be obvlious to the danger and equally feel that he has the moral high ground (and a sextile between transiting Saturn and his natal Neptune does appear to confirm  that in principle, he does).

However, the Moon in Aquarius, symbol of public support, is moving AWAY from a conjunction to his natal Jupiter in the 5th house of young people, suggesting that he may soon lose the backing of many of his grassroots members, so it might be best for him to heed the strength of the T-square (and Pluto’s indirect involvement in this via its trine to Jupiter) and do as the Prime Minister urges: “For heaven’s sake, man, go!”

REFERENCES

1.Kelvin Mackenzie admits ‘buyer’s remorse’ after voting for Brexit | The Independent

To Brexit or not to Brexit, that is question…

Tags

AA Gill, Astrology, Boris Johnson, Brexit predictions, Brexit vote, David Cameron, Jo Cox, Mercury in Gemini, Mercury T-square, Michael Gove, Nigel Farage, Pluto in Capricorn, Saturn-Neptune square, Venus in Cancer

In less than 10 days, the UK population will go the polls to decide whether or not they want to be a part of the European Union or not. This is a fairly landmark vote, and one that has massive implications, not only for the fate of Britain, but also potentially for the rest of the world.

So, will British voters choose to stay a part of Europe, or make a swift Brexit?

At this juncture, I thought it might be worth looking at the astrology around the day of the vote to see if we might be able to make some predictions…

BREXIT VOTE – EVENT CHART

Below is an event chart set for noon on 23 June 2016, the day of the Brexit election.

This map is interesting for several reasons, not least of which is the T-square involving Saturn, Neptune, Mercury and the Midheaven – could this be the signature of a vote in favour of Brexit? Let’s find out…

Beginning where most horary astrologers would, we note what is happening around the area around the horizon. Here, we have a Virgo Ascendant and Jupiter rising. On first appearance, it seems reassuring that the major benefic is sitting on this most important of angles.

In this chart, Jupiter rules the 4th house (which has a Sagittarius cusp). In political astrology, this house signifies the mood/will/mindset/actions of the populace/common people i.e.voters, which seems very appropriate  – after all, 23 June is when they get their opportunity to have a say on the UK’s future in Europe by casting their ballot. Jupiter is also conjunct the North Node, adding a sense of collective destiny to what Jupiter represents – in this case, a group effort  or vote cast by the British people which could potentially alter the course of destiny/history. This seems to be a positive signal – that the people will make the right decision for the UK. However, one can’t help but note that Jupiter is also in detriment in Virgo, which could weaken its potentially fortunate influence on the outcome of the vote.

Getting back to basics, though, our next port of call is the chart ruler. Given the Virgo AS, the chart ruler of this map is Mercury in Gemini, which is conjunct Midheaven from the 9th house of foreign policy and international relations – again, this seems very appropriate. Gemini rules politics, negotiation and the political process; Mercury, decision-making, and the Midheaven represents public goals/future aspirations or direction, which together pretty much sum the Brexit election: clearly, this horoscope is all about an important  vote/decision (Mercury) – one that determines the political future of the UK (midheaven). Radical? Tick!

Mercury is also conjunct the fixed star, Rigel, which forms the foot in the constellation of Orion. According to Ptolemy and William Lilly, this star has the combined nature of Jupiter and Saturn, suggesting lasting honours, a dignified reputation and wise decisions. Hopefully this is a good omen that sense will prevail and people will cast their votes carefully and after deep consideration of what they think is best for Britain long term, so that the country can continue to command respect politically and enjoy a high profile in the world.

Taurus is on the 9th house cusp, and as we have already pointed out, this house governs foreign policy and relations. Venus rules Taurus but also the sign of Libra, which is interesting because Libra (and therefore Venus) rules the 2nd house cusp, which represents the UK economy. Clearly, then, this points to a link between the economic growth and prosperity of the UK and that of foreign trade and policy, which is the number one  argument being made by ‘Remain’ campaigners. It may be worth remarking here that Taurus is quite a conservative sign that doesn’t like change or radical action, which may hint at the status quo being the safer economic option, which is certainly  the line that the government and bank of England are taking.

Now, Venus happens to be situated in the 10th house, close to a conjunction with the Sun and in the sign of Cancer. This tells us that the vote is taking place in high summer, close to the solstice as well as just after the Full Moon. Astrologically, these are all signs of culminations or climaxes and indeed, many see this vote as being the conclusion or denouement of decisions made in the 1970s and 1980’s when Britain first joined the European Union, which at that point, was simply an economic area of trade known as the EEA. The sign of Cancer here may also be significant – Moon-ruled, this is very much a sign that represents home, family, emotions, and the need for nurturing and security, all of which suggests that voters will be thinking about the future of their loved ones when they make their decision at the polls.

Now, in mundane astrology, the Sun usually symbolises leaders, and in this map, it is positioned close to Venus in the 10th house of political leadership, so this looks to me as though it might represent the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, who also happens to be Venus-ruled (natally, he has the Sun and AS in Libra). Many see his political future as being strongly linked to the results of the vote, so the condition of the Sun here is likely to be an important indicator of his fate, and, interestingly, this Venus will be transiting over Cameron’s Cancer Midheaven, which does seem to confirm this view.

Furthermore, the Sun rules the 12th house cusp, which does often represent self-undoing or secret enemies, and certainly many in politics believe that Cameron was foolish to call this referendum because it could potentially undermine his position as leader of the Tory party. Certainly, many think that Boris Johnson chose to campaign against him because of his ambitions to take over from the Prime Minister, so this seems radical.

Both the Sun and Venus are conjunct the Part of Nobility and Honour. Could this mean that Cameron’s position will be vindicated as a result of this vote and with it, his standing as leader of the Tory party? We’ll have to wait for our examination of the aspects in this map to find out….Needless  to say, it certainly does suggest that his intentions are honourable and that he has the best interests of Britain at heart when he campaigns for an ‘In’ vote.

And what of Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage – the two most prominent Brexit campaigners? We’ll take a look at their charts in another blog when we consider the potential consequences of voting results. There are some strange anomalies in there which I need to get my head around…

As the lesser benefic, Venus’ prominent position in the 10th house looks positive. However, Venus is combust (that is, within 8 degrees of a conjunction to the Sun) which does weaken its influence somewhat. I can’t also help but wonder if this Venus might also somehow represent Jo Cox, the murdered Labour MP, whose tragic death may perhaps sway some voters’ opinions? Not only did David Cameron call her a bright star, but her natal Sun sits at zero degrees Cancer – the solstice point – and is within 2 degrees of an exact conjunct to the Sun in this map (so very close to Cameron). On top of this, her natal Saturn is conjunct this Venus, and both the Sun and Venus are square to her natal Pluto in Libra, which does seem quite spooky.

Other angular chart points that stand out include:

• Chiron on the Descendant – this suggests a certain vulnerability or potential wound that has been re-opened as a result of  issues surrounding this vote. The 7th house is important for a number of reasons – not only is it considered to be the house of political and trade relations but it is also the house of enemies, and it’s possible that the UK may have made a few just by holding this election. Certainly Chiron’s presence here suggests a longstanding hang-up or feeling of vulnerability that seems to dovetail with the Brexiteers’ arguments about sovereignty, as well as a feeling of loss of control over who they can and can’t relate to when it comes to encounters with other people.
• The 7th house Pisces cusp is ruled by Neptune, which is conjunct the south node from the 6th house but is very close to the Descendant. In mundane terms, this is the house of work/labour/jobs – so are jobs at risk if the Brexiteers succeed? Thsi is certainly a fear of some citizens, rightly or wrongly. Neptune is a very porous sign, with no boundaries and as ruler of the sea, which surrounds the British Isles, this could point towards many citizens’ fears about immigration policies: open borders and the inability to control the flow of people with EU passports into the country, because of the potential threat that this appears to pose to local jobs. But is this fear justified? As Lord Sugar has pointed out, many EU migrants take the low-paid jobs that the majority of locals don’t want to do such as cleaning, fruit picking etc. Furthermore, the Brexit vote does not actually have a bearing on the status of people to claim asylum as political refugees, so the crisis caused by wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan will not actually be affected by this vote at all. What’s more, this feeling of  being flooded or besieged by foreigners/the ‘other’ also neglects something very fundamental – that freedom of movement works both ways – British citizens are just as free to study, travel, work or move to the continent as those economic migrants who arrive on British shores looking for opportunities to improve their lives.
• And this is perhaps where the south node comes into the equation – it suggests that, as long as UK citizens remain stuck in an island mentality, bewitched by nostalgic, purist notions about what Britain represents, and in love with the past, they will never grow as a nation or a society. AA Gill summed it up very well when he wrote about Brexit in a column for the Sunday Times magazine:

We all know what “getting our country back” means. It’s snorting a line of that pernicious and debilitating Little English drug, nostalgia. The warm, crumbly, honey-coloured collective ‘yesterday’ with its fond belief that everything was better back then, that Britain is a worse place now than at some foggy point in the past where we achieved peak Blighty.

Elsewhere in the same article, he writes:

The dream of Brexit isn’t that we might be able to make a brighter, new, energetic tomorrow; it’s a desire to shuffle back to a regret-curdled inward-looking yesterday.

Notice all the Neptunian words: drug, nostalgia, foggy, dream. Elsewhere he talks about ‘fantasy’. And then there are all the south node words: ‘shuffle back’, ‘past’, ‘yesterday’, ‘inward-looking’ etc. Neptune becomes very important in this reading if we consider it’s involvement in the T-square with Mercury and Saturn, so let’s have a look at that next.

• Saturn in Sagittarius is also close to the cusp of the IC from the 3rd house. Given that Saturn rules the 5th house cusp of children, it is possible that Saturn here stands for the older generation of UK voters, who have to weigh up the potential consequences for their children/the next generation if they get this decision wrong. Demographic breakdowns of opinion polls tell us that senior voters are much more likely to be pro-Brexit than their children. Could Saturn here point to this demographic as holding the key to which way the voting will go? Or could it simply be pointing to a crushing sense of moral responsibility to the younger generation of Britons that may be weighing on the minds of many older voters ? It’s third house position certainly points to intellectual processes and decision-making. The ethical question about loss of control over UK borders and immigration policy may also play into this, given Saturn’s square to Neptune, ruler of the 7th house.
• On this last point, it may be worth mentioning that the Moon, ruler of the 11th house of friendly foreign relations, is in the 5th house of children and gambling. If we consider these two symbols together, it does seem to reinforce the notion of legacy and the fact that it is the younger generation is most likely to be affected by the outcome of the Brexit vote – something voters certainly need to bear in mind because it could well sway Brexiteers to change their minds at the last-minute.

ASPECTS & OUTCOMES

So what is likely to happen, based on this chart?

Well, if Jupiter represents voters (4th house = the public and also the end of the matter) – and Mercury represents the Brexit campaign – and the outcome of polling results, given its 10th house position – then we have to consider the separating aspects between these two planets as providing some context to what may happen next.

Mercury is in fact, separating  from a square to Jupiter  – a difficult aspect which suggests intellectual conflicts, differences of opinion and difficult decisions. It also suggests that the campaign as a whole has been beset with challenges – many voters have complained about a lack of precise facts on which to base decisions, which is reflected in Jupiter’s detrimented position in Virgo in the 12th house and its rulership of the 4th house – people feel as though they are ‘in the dark’ and so don’t know what to decide for the best. On the other hand, the media and politicians have made the whole issue sound very simple, when in fact, neither side can predict with any real degree of certainty what could happen based on economic analyses etc. This is why Gemini as the thief and the salesman can get a bit of a bad rap – while politicians and the media (both Mercury-ruled professions) might suggest that the choices are easy and clear, the truth is that they are anything but!

On a slightly different note, this square could also been seen  in another light: perhaps this election process could also be seen as a catalyst for bringing a difficult issue to light, allowing it to be debated openly and then finally resolved, thereby bringing to an end any hidden animosity or behind-the-scenes carping about the UK’s position in relation to Europe. In other words, by giving the British people a say, politicians can hopefully put an end to the constant carping and complaining about the European question that might otherwise continue to plague party politics and provide fuel to divisive forces within British society such as UKIP.

Mercury is also sitting at the tip of a challenging T-square involving Saturn and Neptune, (the Saturn-Neptune square peaks just before polling day on June the 18th.) This suggests that the factors represented by these two planets will play a key role in deciding how the vote goes on the day. It does certainly point to people’s thinking as being torn between idealism and pragmatism, between fantasy and reality.

But of course, this doesn’t tell us what the outcome of the vote is likely to be. For that, we need to consider applying aspects, as well as the movements of the Moon.

So, what about the Moon? This is situated in Aquarius in the 5th house – and the Moon in Aquarius does have a ring of the ‘feelings of the people’ about it. Placed in the 5th house, it may well point to factors such as younger voters (children), as well as things like holidays (not being able to travel freely abroad anyone?) and the arts (which are transitory in nature and require heavy subsidization), all of which stand to be heavily affected by a Brexit vote.

So what does the Moon do? Firstly, it sextiles Saturn in the 3rd, suggesting that voters may well be factoring these things into their decision-making processes. It also affirms the notion that people are trying to think long-term – beyond the circumstances of the current generation. After that, it trines Mercury in Gemini (and the Midheaven), which may well constitute ‘perfection’ – the people speak from a collective standpoint (Cancer = ruler of 11th house). As with the last general election, it may well be that the youth vote could prove to be decisive. It is worth noting that both aspects are positive – a sextile and trine, which suggests that the decision will not only be carefully considered by the general public (sextile to Saturn) but could also be in the best interests of the country (trine to Mercury conjunct Midheaven).

This suggests a positive outcome from the vote – one that will lead to improvements long-term for the UK. That said, we do need to consider what other aspects the Moon makes before changing signs  – the matter doesn’t end until the Moon becomes void of course. Here is where things get a little more heated/complicated. Firstly, the Moon will square Mars, which retrograde in the 3rd house and ruler of the 8th house of taxes and shared resources. This suggests possible negative financial repercussions resulting from investor uncertainty or market reactions to the outcome of the vote, as well as some possible whingeing, moaning or doom and gloom predictions from certain quarters within British society – clearly, one side has to lose and not everyone is going to like the outcome, whatever it is, so this is not entirely surprising.

Finally, the Moon sextiles Uranus, ruler of the 6th house, situated in the 8th house. This suggests a last-minute twist or surprise – perhaps in a similar vein to last year’s general election, where the results appear to be going one way and then, at the last minute, take a different turn. Give that Uranus is generally an independent planet that favours separation and radical change, does this possible signal a Yes vote for Brexit? It’s position in the 8th, a house which could be seen to represent treaties and joint financial arrangements, as well as loans, mortgages and taxes, could well indicate some form of  economic severance or repercussions. Again, it is positive, so shouldn’t indicate a break-up of the UK but rather something more upbeat such as positive reactions from investors, or announcements that stand to affect jobs or the job market, or the healthcare sector, positively (Uranus rules 6th).

However, for the final say on what this chart could foretell, let’s cross back to Jupiter. With its conjunction to the north node (the hand of fate) and its position so close to the AS, it certainly holds a lot of sway in this matter. Let’s also not forget that it rules the 4th house cusp, which in horary astrology, often signals the end of the matter.

Jupiter is approaching a rather rare trine to Pluto, located in the 4th house, very close to the 5th house cusp. In and of itself, this suggests an appetite for reform, possibly even a dramatic shift in perspective – amongst the British electorate: Scorpio rules the 3rd house cusp, after all.

This rather momentous aspect is interesting for a number of reasons. For one thing, it seems to echo the Sun-Pluto trine that occurred  the day before the UK General Election, which led to sweeping changes amongst political party leadership and also seemed to dramatically transform the political landscape for all involved.  Will something similar happen now? Certainly, the vote seems to be empowering for the populace, who may be feeling more in control of their political destiny than they have in a while.

What’s more, it suggests a seismic shift in beliefs  – a wake-up call, if you like, for the establishment and indeed, for the people of the United Kingdom – perhaps about their relationship and attitude to the rest of the world, and indeed, its future course as a nation. Tony Blair made some interesting predictions in a speech on the future of Europe back in June 2014, which might prove to be portentous:

As for the future, in a world becoming dominated not only by the power of America, but of China, soon no doubt India, not to mention Russia, Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and in time the big nations of Africa; and where GDP and population will increasingly be correlated,  there is no question that the rationale for Europe is stronger than ever. Together the nations of Europe can wield genuine influence and weight. Alone, they will over time decline in relative importance. The 21^st century world order will be dramatically different from that of the 20^th century. The rationale for Europe today is not peace; it is power. 1

Here, the words that stand out are ‘power’ (Pluto) and ‘influence and weight’ (Jupiter). Perhaps public sentiment will begin to register the massive implications of globalisation and the urgent need for collaboration that is required in order to succeed in such an environment?

So, will the consequences of the Brexit vote deliver jobs, and confer more power, influence and weight on the UK as a country? It would certainly seem that way. Of course, with Pluto involved, it is also possible that, whatever the outcome of the vote, that sweeping reform of the European project is needed. Again, Blair puts this very eloquently:

Europe has disturbed and divided British politics for years. One of my first votes was in the 1975 referendum on Britain’s membership. That followed years of indecision and frustration. Since then the turmoil it has caused in our politics has rarely abated….

The reasons for this resurgent hostility/scepticism are not hard to fathom. Europe is in crisis. The Euro’s design flaw – an economic union motivated by politics but expressed in economics – has become manifest….

What the Euro zone crisis has done is to expose the need for Europe to reform. But it hasn’t created it. It has accelerated this need, but the need was there anyway.

His solution? Radical reform of the European project and a ‘Grand Bargain’ approach  – dramatic and sweeping reforms, all terms that have Jupiter and Pluto written all over them.

First, take a big step back from crisis and ask: what is the long-term rationale for Europe today? If there isn’t one, of course, then why would we want to be part of it? However, the truth is the rationale for Europe today is stronger, not weaker than it was back 66 years ago when the project began. But it is different. Then the rationale was peace. Today it is power.2

So, perhaps Blair will turn out to be the real soothsayer in this matter!

My prediction then? A yes to remain, which will vindicate Cameron and secure Britain’s economic future and political place in the world, which will be reflected in the return of the flow of investment back into Britain’s financial sector.

However, the long-term consequences of the vote will be to trigger a desire for sweeping changes to the European project (Jupiter-Pluto trine), leading to improvements in all sorts of organisations and institutions long term, changes that in turn, stand to increase the prosperity of all European citizens and give Britain more power and standing in the world. Whatever happens, the Jupiter-Pluto trine certainly suggests a bright future for the British people, provided they are prepared to be brave and stand up for what they really believe in.

REFERENCES:

1. The Future of Europe – a speech by Tony Blair delivered at The Confederation of British Industry at the London Business School on Monday 2 June 2014. See: http://www.tonyblairoffice.org/news/entry/the-future-of-europe-a-speech-by-tony-blair/
2. Speech delivered by Tony Blair at the Business for New Europe event, ‘Europe, Britain and Business – Beyond the Crisis’ at Chatham House on Wednesday 28th November 2012. See: http://www.tonyblairoffice.org/news/entry/tony-blair-urges-uk-to-shape-the-future-of-europe/

Has the UK entered bear market territory?

Tags

2007 crash, 2016 bear market, bear market, China economic slowdown, eclipses, financial astrology, FTSE 100 bear market, global recession, Mercury retrograde, Saros cycles, WD Gann

Financial Astrology: An analysis of the FTSE 100

Bull and bear , symbolic beasts of market trend

Last month, just as the 2016 Davos Summit got underway and the Sun moved from Capricorn to Aquarius, newspaper and the financial media headlines begin to fill with doom and gloom as the FTSE 100 index, which represents UK’s Top 100 blue chip companies, plummeted to a low of around 5673 points – some 20% lower than the trading highs it reached in April 2015 of around 7103 points, which by definition is considered to be bear market territory.

Extracted from the BBC Business website. Graphics care of Digital Look.

The reason? On the face of it, China’s economic slow-down, along with a lower than average slump in oil prices, which have seen the black gold fall to just under $30 per barrel. Although prices have since picked up again somewhat, the market remains volatile, with the FTSE 100 remaining in 5000-6000 point territory.

So are we headed for another 2007-8 style global recession? Certainly, it is this fear which is driving many private investors and pension fund managers into switching their portfolios to safer options, anxious to protect their dwindling savings and meager returns, already hit by the poor interest rates that have become something of the norm since the 2007 global crash.

No doubt many forecasters will be getting out their crystal balls, touting all sorts of systems and formulae that claim to track the trends of recent decades. I am no financial expert, and financial astrology is something rather new to me,  so while I do not profess to be any kind of guru on the subject, I couldn’t help but notice a number of trends that seemed interesting from a financial point of view.

First of all, if we look at a graph of the FTSE 100 index for 2015-16, we notice that, apart from the odd peak over the summer of 2015 (when the Greek Euro Crisis finally seemed to resolve itself) share prices have been steadily falling. However, they really seemed to bottom out around September 2015, after which they rallied again over the Christmas period before crashing again this week in the lead up to the world Economic Forum in Davos.  This appears to coincide with the 2015 solar eclipse in Virgo, which took place on September the 13th. So, could there be something to this?

Scouring the net for answers, I came across a website that suggested a strong correlation between stock market/property prices and the 18.6 lunar cycle that astrologers refer to as a Saros Cycle. This study was based on the work of a trader named William Delbert Gann, who claimed to have identified a number of planetary cycles that correlated with the ups and downs of the US stock market.

William D Gann & Financial Astrology

A highly successful broker, Gann apparently made a small fortune for himself and his clients by using astrology and sacred geometry to time his trades and choose his options on the New York Stock Exchange and the Dow Jones commodities market. A curious Sun Gemini with an intuitive natal Moon-Uranus conjunction, and a stellium of planets, including a Mercury-Pluto conjunction, in Taurus, it is easy to see why Gann was so remarkable. Aside from his photographic memory (Mercury-Pluto), which allowed him to store and compare large amounts of data (rather like a super computer today), he was also a big proponent of the scientific method, constantly refining his ideas by testing them against reality (Taurus stellium) as well as a gifted astrologer with a finely tuned gut instinct (Moon-Uranus conjunction)  which he used to determine when and what trades to make. Of his methods, he is alleged to have said:

I have determined the major and minor time factors which repeat in the history of nations, men and markets.  I have determined this to mean that the planets rule our destinies.  I believe in the stars, I believe in astrology, and I have figured out my own destiny.  It is right for us to understand them..and interpret the secret and hidden things.

Although these remained largely a proprietary secret, Gann did share some of his theories with the world via a series of books, published between 1909 and 1959. Of these, two catch my eye. First of all, Ganndivided his trading year in half, equivalent to 6 months or 26 weeks, which he then sub-divided into smaller fractions.2  Another of his cycles is alleged to revolve around a pattern that allegedly mimics the peaks and troughs of the US stock market, which roughly runs for 18 years and 8 months and is encapsulated in the following table.3

Lunar Links?

Although this is supposed to mimic the 20-year cycle of interaction between Jupiter and Saturn – the planets representing boom and bust in financial astrology, the numbers intrigued me for another reason –  eclipses  – after all, six months or 26 weeks is roughly the period between eclipses in any given year, and it is the 18.6 year interval in the Saros cycle which determines the gap between eclipses of similar astrological identity, thereby creating different so-called Eclipse families, each with a different ‘character’ that start at either the north or south node and gradually work their way towards the other nodal point over the space of a millennium or so. For example, if you consider the blue lines marked C on the graph above, you will find that each of these years mark a sequential unfolding of solar eclipses from Bernadette Brady’s Saros Families – bounding from north to south nodes in succession – as follows:

1791 – Saros Series 10 North (27 Sep in Libra)

1810- Saros Series 10 South (4 Apr in Aries)

1828 – Saros Series 11 North ( 9 Oct in Libra)

1847 – Saros Series 11 South (15 Apr in Aries)

1865 – Saros Series 12 North (9 Oct in Libra)

1884 – Saros Series 12 South (27 March in Aries)

1902 – Saros Series 13 North (31 Oct in Scorpio – only just – 1 degree of Scorpio, so very near to the cusp with Libra)

1921 – Saros Series 13 South (8 Apr in Aries)

1939 – Saros Series 14 North (12 Oct in Libra)

1958 – Saros Series 14 South (19 Apr in Aries)

1976 – Saros Series 15 North (23 Oct in Libra)

1995 – Saros Series 15 South (29 Apr in Taurus)

Fascinating!

If we take the list forward in time, the line continues as follows:

2013 – Saros Series 16 North (03 Nov in Scorpio)

2014 – Saros Series 16 South (29 Apr in Taurus)

2014 – Saros Series 17 North (03 Nov in Scorpio)

2015 – Saros Series 17 South (29 Mar in Pisces)

2015 – Saros Series 18 North (13 Sep in Pisces)

In the table above, the lines marked by C are supposed to corrolate to years when there is panic in the market – and indeed, the Sep 2015 eclipse is EXACTLY when the FTSE started to experience major and ongoing volatility  – which seems to corroborate my hunch that the September 2015 eclipses may have some kind of relational link to the drop in FTSE 100 share prices.

Here is another another pattern related to eclipses which I noticed within the table above – the lines largely marked by ‘E’. This time, though, instead of switching from north to south Saros Series, the list descends at intervals of 2 eclipses per SOUTH Saros series (so sticking with the same eclipse family, rather than alternating between the north and south nodes), and brings us finally to the eclipse of March 2016.

Mar 2016 – Saros number 130 – Solar eclipse in Pisces (18 South)

Feb 1998 – Saros number 130 – Solar eclipse in Pisces (18 South)

Feb 1979 – Saros number 120 – Solar eclipse in Pisces (17 South)

Feb 1961 – Saros number 120 – Solar eclipse in Aquarius (17 South)

Mar 1942 – Saros number 148 – Solar eclipse in Pisces (16 South)

Mar 1924 – Saros number 148 – Solar eclipse in Pisces (16 South)

Mar 1905 – Saros number 138 – Solar eclipse in Pisces (15 South)

Feb 1887 – Saros number 138 – Solar eclipse in Pisces (15 South)

Feb 1868 – Saros number 128 – Solar eclipse in Pisces (14 South)

Feb 1850 – Saros number 128 – Solar eclipse in Aquarius (14 South)

Feb 1831 – Saros number 118 – Solar eclipse in Aquarius (13 South)

Feb 1813 – Saros number 118 – Solar eclipse in Aquarius (13 South)

Mar 1794 – Saros number 146 – Solar eclipse in Pisces (12 South)

All these eclipses occur close to the south node of the Moon – known as the Dragon’s Tail in many astrological systems. According to the Gann chart key, these should equate largely to high, rather than low stock prices, although this seems to occur every OTHER YEAR in the row. So does that mean that stock prices will rise again close to the Solar Eclipse in Pisces that we are due to experience in February 2017? We’ll have to wait and see…Possibly we could infer from the entry D in the key, which falls between these two lines, that 2016 will indeed be a year in which global stock markets remain in bear territory.

Many analysts say that we have now entered totally unchartered terriroty in global mrkets, and that there is no historical precedent for what is happening now, so perhaps we will need to throw out all the old models, including Gann’s, and start afresh? But is this really what drives trends? Or is it more to do with those age-old human drivers of behaviour linked to fear and desire that continue to shape trends?

The Moon & Crowd Behaviour

Lunar cycles, and the lunar nodes in particular (the point where eclipses generally take place) have long been associated with the ‘herd mentality’ that can lead to phenomena such as panic buying or selling, and which in turn, can cause or significantly influence or amplify trends that might otherwise not really be of consequence.

Many modern exponents of crowd behaviour theory have suggested that humans do not follow rational lines of action but instead, tend to respond emotionally to external circumstances. Such ideas have now received wide acceptance through the works of theorists like Vernon L. Smith, Amos Tversky, Daniel Kahneman, and Robert Shiller. So the fact that lunar (or soli-lunar) cycles may be able to partly explain panic buying and selling trends makes sense. According to one well-known financial astrologer, Malcolm Bucholtz, the reason why the Moon is so useful in forecasting the stock market is because:

Today, we are so busy in our half-crazed world that we have lost sight of the fact that the planets affect our emotions. The financial markets are nothing more than a gigantic exercise in emotion. Fear and hope are the two primary emotions that govern the buying and selling activity on all global markets.4

The FTSE 100 and lunar movements

According to established financial astrologers such as Christeen Skinner, eclipses are a well-known catalyst for creating market turning points. Skinner also points out in her book, The Financial Universe, that within the astrological tradition, certain countries or currencies are ruled by certain planets – and in the case of the UK, which operates in Pound Sterling (i.e silver), that planet would be the Moon.

Lunar indicators also have another special significance for the FTSE 100 index, which we can see if we look at its inception or ‘birth chart’, set for its first day and hour of trade – 4 January 1984 at 07h50, which is when the markets on the LSE usually open for trading.

FTSE 100 Inception Chart

Lunar Signatures

• From the above, it is clear from the conjunction of the Sun & Moon in the first house, that it is New Moon. Generally, this might be considered a good time for a new business venture. However, there is a slight downside in that the New Moon is in Capricorn, a zodiacal position where the Moon is considered to be weakened or in detriment.
• The other thing that is interesting about the chart from a lunar point of view is that Uranus, ruler of the 2nd house of money and possessions, is close to the soli-lunar nodal axis (it is conjunct the south node) in the 11th house of groups and collective activity.  I would therefore expect innovation and sci-tech companies to be a big driver of the FTSE 100 index. Furthermore, I would also expect this particular index to be quite susceptible to sudden, sharp, herd mentality-driven nervous market reactions to environmental changes/news, especially around eclipses, because these tend to take place along the nodal axis.

Given all the factors above, you would expect some kind of correlation between FTSE index share price movements and lunar phenomena. However, it would probably also be irresponsible of me not to mention Mercury, the planet of trade and monetary/currency exchange, which is not only rising i.e. on the Ascendant, but is also stationary, about to go retrograde.

For the sake of research, let’s do a small experiment and compare the last few years of FTSE 100 stock market dips and troughs to eclipse cycles and see what comes out of it.

A mini experiment

FTSE 100 share index – Jan – Feb 2016

Above is a chart reflecting the movements of the FTSE 100 index between Jan and Feb 2016. We can clearly see several sharp falls, notably, around January the 9th/10th and again around the 20th before prices start to rally again towards month end.  So what was happening at these points?

In the case of the first dip, there was a New Moon in Capricorn on Sunday the 10th of January 2016 – which fell on the weekend – the same weekend that David Bowie died. Things were definitely at a bit of a low ebb astrologically. Not only did the New Moon occur very close to Pluto, the planet of death and dark imaginings, but Venus also made a conjunction to malefic party-pooper, Saturn, ruler of Capricorn – the sign of the New Moon (and the FTSE’s AS) on Saturday the 9th. This occurred at 12 degrees Sagittarius – very close to the Uranus-south node conjunction in the FTSE 100 birth chart. Put together, these two cosmic events may well have caused a pessimistic sentiment to set in. Just a few days before, on the 8th, Jupiter, the planet of luck and optimism, also turned retrograde, which may have further dampened outlooks.

So what of the 20th? Again, a number of soli-lunar phenomena seem to have been at work. Firstly, the Sun ingressed into Aquarius on afternoon of the 20th – in and of itself no big deal, except that Aquarius is a sign in which the Sun is considered to be in detriment. Furthermore, there was a Full Moon on January 24 – again a Sunday – which puts the last trading date leading up to this event Friday the 22nd – pretty close to when the market seems to have turned from down back to up.

Initially, then there do seem to be some significant correlations between soli-lunar phenomena and FTSE fluctuations. But of course, this is a very small sample, so perhaps we need to look at a longer period of time to see if anything else stands out.

The FTSE 100 share index – Nov 2015 – Feb 2016

Here’s a three month graph dating between Nov 2015 and Feb 2016 where we can see some clear ups and downs occurring at fairly regular intervals, including a slump in share prices between 10-17 Nov, again between 8-15 Dec and then ones we’ve already looked at in January. The same thing happened in October when the FTSE 100 index fell around 2% for three consecutive days around the time of the New Moon in Libra (October the 13th) amidst lower than expected figures released by China which showed signs that all was not well in the world’s second biggest economy. One analyst was quoted as saying:

In the short-term, sentiment appears to have turned substantially negative again … Chinese inflation data has come in well below expectations overnight.

Again, the FTSE dip in November seems to coincide with the New Moon in Scorpio, which took place on the 11th of November, with steady rises occurring around the Gemini Full Moon on the 25th. On the face of it, this seems counter-intuitive – there being a very auspicious Mercury-Jupiter sextile on the same day  – until we consider that the terrorist attacks in Paris took place on November the 13th – just two days after the New Moon. Then the rather ominous conglomeration of Sun, Moon and Mercury in vengeful Scorpio, right on the FTSE’s natal Saturn/Midheaven begins to take on a new light. This is forcible downward pressure being brought to bear on any aspirations for success/growth by deadly fear and intimidation. Many commentators have suggested that a similar situation occurred in 2001 when the bursting of the tech bubble in 2000 was rapidly followed by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which sent the global economy sliding into a mini-recession. In another article, I hope to look at this event a little more closely to see whether any significant comparisons/parallels can be detected between global and market conditions in 2001 and 2014-15, so keep your eyes peeled for it in the near future.

A similar picture emerges in early December, with share prices falling close to the New Moon on the 11th of December. This time, the Sagittarius New Moon is located in the 12th house of the FTSE 100 chart (the house of hidden fears, secret enemies and worry) and very close to its Uranus-south node conjunction, suggesting a build-up of nervousness and possibly contagious panic linked to catastrophe thinking.

On this occasion, transiting Mars was also opposing transiting Uranus, which happened to be contacting the FTSE nodal axis from the 3rd and 9th houses, suggesting that news headlines at home or developments abroad, may have played a role in stock market falls around this time. At this time, people were concerned about a possible interest rate rise by the US Federal Reserve Bank in mid-December 2015 and what it might mean for the world economy. Certainly, over the autumn and in the lead-up to the 16th of December, when the announcement finally came, financial newspapers and economic commentators were filled with warnings from organisations like the IMF and Washington-based IIF that such a move could trigger a third wave of global recession, sparked by possible mass defaults by corporate borrowers, unable to service their dollar-based debts due to an evaporation of foreign credit and ever weakening currency levels. One could see how heightened emotions, including hysteria and mass panic, might lead people to divest themselves of investments or just cut and run, as they did on Black Monday back at the end of August 2015 when the Chinese stock market faltered – at that time, the Moon was also in Sagittarius.

So, looking at the yearly overview then, it might be fair to say that Share prices first began to tumble post Black Monday (end of August), a trend catalysed by the September eclipses which then led to increasing levels of volatility, possibly led by lunar-driven herd mentality, that has peaked at every new moon since then.

Generally, solar eclipses last for six months, so if I am correct, then this trend should continue until at least the February lunar eclipse later this month. Whether the downward trend continues may depend on the nature of these soli-lunar events – something I hope to evaluate further in my Spring Eclipse Forecasts – look out for these on the Eclipses section of http://www.astro-sphere.com in the near future.

To be continued…

 

---

 

References

1. Extracted from http://cyclesresearchinstitute.org/pdf/cycles-economy/Applied1-GANN.pdf
2. Mentioned in  a biographical article about Gann entitled ‘William Gann – A Legend. Who was William Gann?’ published in FX Trader Magazine – http://www.fxtradermagazine.com/technical-analysis/William-Gann-square-biography.php
3. ‘The 18 Year Property Cycle,’ Astro Analyst website  – http://www.astro-analyst.com/18-year-property-cycle/
4. Malcolm Bucholtz’s ‘Investing Success website – http://www.investingsuccess.ca/about-me/

 

Is Cheryl another Liz Taylor?

Tags

5th house, Cheryl astrology, Cheryl Cole, Cheryl Fernandez Versini, Cheryl Fernandez Versini relationships, Cheryl love life, Cheryl Tweedy, Chiron Tsquare, Moon in Pisces, Moon square Jupiter-Uranus, Neptune opposite Mars, Saturn in Libra

The Astrology behind Cheryl’s Tragic Love Life

Media reports have been hinting for some time about a less than happy marriage between Cheryl Fernandez Versini  and her second husband – something which seems to have been confirmed in a Sunday news report this week which claimed that she had filed for divorce. The sign seemed to have been there for a while though, from her increasingly gaunt appearance and recent public tears during a break-up song performed during on the X Factor to the absence of images of them out together in recent months.

After a disastrous marriage to footballer Ashley Cole which ended in 2010 amidst allegations of infidelity, Cheryl met and married current spouse, Jean Bernard, after a whirlwind romance of just three months.

This sort of track record led me to wonder whether, like Halle Berry, Cheryl might have certain signatures in her birth chart which might reveal clues as to why she seemingly keeps picking the wrong man. Having had a closer look at what I believe is her correct natal chart, I think I may have found he answer.

However, before we begin, I feel I must say that there is still a great deal of speculation with regards to her correct time of birth. According to Lois Rodden’s Astrodatabank, her unauthorized biography by Sean Smith contains an astrology chart which lists her birth time as 8:28PM on the 30th of June 1983 in Newcastle.

However, talk of birth certificates leads me to question this time – in the UK, time of birth is not listed on birth certificates, so this information may be open to question. Having had a look at the chart for that time, it is my belief that she was, in fact, more likely to have been born at 8:28AM and that there may have been a mix-up or misunderstanding with regards to this which led to an error. However, at this stage I cannot confirm anything to be true or false – this is merely my opinion – and I will show in my analysis below of Cheryl’s natal chart why I believe this time to be correct.

First of all, Cheryl is known for her beauty and style – she has won several lucrative endorsement contracts for beauty brands such as L’Oréal, and fans never seem to tire of hearing about her latest hairstyle or clothing choices.

The signature of good looks in any female chart is classically Venus, and her we have Venus in the first house of physical appearance, orbiting very close to the Ascendant. Secondly, Venus is in Leo. Many people with Leo prominent have great hair – their locks mimicking the magnificent mane of the lion – and in Cheryl’s case, she has definitely been blessed with the most incredible thick, glossy hair – no doubt one of the reasons she has been the ambassador for a number of haircare brands over the years.

What’s more, Venus also happens to rule Cheryl’s midheaven in Taurus  combination that is quite prominent in the charts of famous singers, Taurus ruling the throat.  A further indicator of musical talent and a career in pop is her natal Neptune, the planet that rules ephemeral art forms such as photography, film and music, located in the 5th house of creativity, which is trine to her Taurus midheaven and her prominent Venus in the first house.

Cheryl’s Ascendant is Leo, which makes her chart ruler the Sun, whose chart and house position can often indicate how  we can make our mark and where we shine brightest. In this chart, the Cancer Sun falls in the 11th house of groups, and it was as a member of the girl popgroup, Girls’ Aloud, that Cheryl first rose to fame in 2002 as part of the reality TV singing contest, Popstars: The Rivals. It therefore seems fitting that she happens to have Mars conjunct Mercury, which rules her third house of self-expression, close to her Sun in the 11th house. Mars rules competitions of all kinds and also happens to sextile Cheryl’s midheaven, which is fitting for someone who found career success and prominence (MC) by competing (Mars) to sing (Taurus) in a girl group (11th).

So far, so radical, in my opinion…

What of her love life? Well, let’s return to her natal Neptune for a second. As well as children and creativity, the 5th house also rules love affairs, sex and romance. Neptune in enthusiastic Sagittarius in the 5th could also be suggestive of someone who is a bit of an incurable romantic, and who could rush into relationships. The fact that Cheryl’s Neptune also opposes her natal Mars suggests to me who can be quite impulsive and not always exercise the best judgement when it comes to love and sex. Further indications of impulsivity include a lunar square to Cheryl’s natal Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, located on the cusp of her 5th house (Jupiter is also the ruler of her 5th house cusp, a double whammy!) – a highly unpredictable combination suggestive of someone who makes on the spot decisions, likes to take a gamble when it comes to romance and who is not afraid to experiment creatively.

Furthermore, Cheryl has the Moon in Pisces in the 7th house of marriage and long term relationships. Pisces is a very soft, trusting sign. Placed here, I would be concerned that Cheryl may not have good emotional boundaries and perhaps be too quick to trust others or give of herself within one to one relationships. Both sacrifice and victimhood can be associated with Pisces, and if she does indeed have the Moon in Pisces in the 7th, I would advise her to be more careful about whom she lets into her life/inner circle because otherwise she is open to being manipulated or taken advantage of, deceived even, by those close to her.  The T-square involving Cheryl’s natal Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, Moon and Chiron only reinforces this: Jupiter rules her 5th house of sex/romance, Uranus rulers her 7th house cusp (marriage) and Chiron signifies where we are vulnerable, so to me, this configuration screams of someone who likes to believe the best about others but who may be a little vulnerable/naïve/overly optimistic about her relationship prospects and so does tend to rush into marriage/commitments, leaving her open to gossip and very public rejection (think of the Ashley Cole tabloid saga).

However, you know the saying ‘Marry in haste; repent at leisure?’ Well, sadly, in Cheryl’s case, this does seem to be very true. She really does seem like an incurable romantic who does not exercise very good judgement when it comes to men. If she’s not careful, though, she could end up like Elizabeth Taylor, a Sun Pisces, who married eight times during the course of her life, but who never seemed to be able to find lasting love with anybody. I think that with such a prominent Chiron, that her weight loss and public emotional displays are all indicators that all is not well for Cheryl emotionally and sadly, suspect that she may be punishing herself physically for what is happening within her marriage.

If I was advising her as an astrologer, I would tell her to try and tap more into her natal Saturn in Libra. Saturn in Libra can create stability in marriage/relationships (although her Saturn-Pluto conjunction does also hint at plenty of drama in this department, especially in terms of her family relationships), and with the Moon in the 7th trining this steady planet, there is hope for Cheryl to have a solid, lasting long term relationship, provided she demands honesty (Pluto) from loved ones, avoids drama and stops herself from jumping in the deep end emotionally. With Saturn also ruling the 6th house of work and day to day routines I think that Cheryl is someone who finds that work grounds her and keeps her sane, so she should throw herself into work whenever she feels a love wobbly on the horizon. That said, she also needs to make time in her schedule for loved ones and prioritise those everyday rituals or routines that help to keep her on an even keel, despite all her work commitments. Work-life balance is very important if she is to enjoy a happy domestic life, as is equality and fairness  – more balanced give and take within close personal associations rather than self sacrifice and punishment on her part.

And whatever she does, she needs to learn to listen to her intuition  – very often, I think she knows when things are not right, but then the optimist simply ignores these signs. The trick in distinguishing what is real from what is fantasy is time – WAITING until one gets a number of signals, one way or the other, before making a decision. She may also want to listen to what family has to say about any potential suitors, however brutal this may sound – they may well turn out to be right.

Whatever does happen, her natal Pluto-Saturn conjunction suggest that Cheryl is a fighter and a real survivor, so even if her marriage ends, I do think she will eventually get into her stride relationship-wise, perhaps once transiting Saturn ingresses into her 5th house early next year.

Let’s watch this space.

UPDATE: Cheryl has now begun divorce proceedings and has since confirmed that she is romantically involved with Liam Payne of One Direction. She has also dropped her married surname and just goes by her first name. Let’s hope she has better luck with Liam. It is interesting to note, given the content of this article, that Cheryl herself is alleged to have said that she feels cursed when it comes to love.(see this article: http://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/511015/Cheryl-Fernandez-Versini-Liam-Payne-cursed-romance-Jean-Bernard-divorce) I don’t believe one has to simply accept one’s lot – fate is negotiable – one can take back control by empowering onesself with knowledge about one’s own natal chart and then working with the stronger parts to compensate for the weaker bits. Choice, character and chance are equally powerful contributers to our ultimate destiny.

China, Astrology & the ‘Third Wave’ – Are we in for another global economic slowdown?

Tags

Black Monday, China, China UK state visit, crash, credit crunch, global crash, Jupiter in Virgo, Mercury sextile Saturn, Saturn in Scorpio, Saturn retrograde, shadow banks, Shanghai stockmarket crash, third wave

On Monday the 25th of August 2015, the Chinese stock market crashed for the second time this year, sending shockwaves around the world; and global markets, into freefall. On this day, which has come to be known in trading circles as Black Monday, nearly £74 billion was wiped off the UK’s FTSE 100 Index, with similar losses felt across both the US and Europe.

According to experts, this was the biggest stockmarket crash since the global recession in 2007, and  for many, a troubling sign that all is not well with the world’s biggest economy  – one that has so far managed to buck worldwide trends and post double digit growth rates for the last decade or so.

So what was going on?

For a while now, economists and financial journalists have been saying that China’s growth rates were unsustainable, mainly because they were artificially created through state intervention. As a result, this market rectification was far from unexpected in financial circles. Writing in the Guardian newspaper, Rob Donaldson, head of M&A and private equity at Baker Tilly Corporate Financehe said:

Over the last few years, tens of millions of individual investors in China – who vastly outweigh institutional investors (80/20 versus the other way around in the developed markets) – have been encouraged by the State apparatus to plough their money into shares. This has pushed prices up far beyond their fundamental value and what we are now seeing is a painful, but perhaps necessary, return of common sense.

What is perhaps more surprising is the degree of knock-on effects to share prices on the FTSE and across European markets, but we should perhaps be wary of undue panic. Fundamentally, the Chinese economy was always going to slow…

Other analysts are less optimistic, with some even predicting that we could be headed for a 1929 style crash or third wave of economic volatility as China’s growth rate begins to slow.

So who is right? Will China plunge the world into another recession, or is it just a temporary blip  – an adjustment that needed to happen sooner or later – in order for China to come into line with international trends?

Given all this uncertainty,  I thought it might be interesting to have a look at the astrology of the crash to see if it offered us any useful insights into China’s prospects and the possible implications of this crash for the rest of the world. Astrology has long been used to predict trends in the stock market. Financial astrologers such as Christeen Skinner have built very successful practices from offering their astrology-based advice to clients looking for ways to hedge their financial bets. Let’s see if it can offer an insights into the wider implications of Black Monday…

Black Monday – A mundane astrology analysis

View enlarged PDF: Black Monday Event Chart

Above is an event chart for Black Monday, set for midday in Shanghai, where China’s main stock exchange is based. Although you could argue that the downward slide actually began on Sunday the 23rd, it was only on Black Monday that the real crash, which affected worldwide markets, happened.

This chart is interesting for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it has a rather ominous Scorpio Ascendant, which hints at dark undercurrents and shadows lurking just out of sight.

Saturn, the planet of loss, limitations and difficulties, is also rising.  Saturn rules fear and its presence here seems symbolic of the 50% spike in the ‘fear index’ – a measure of investor confidence – that occurred on Black Monday (Saturn also happens to rule the colour black, so even the title given to this particular day appears to echo this planet!)

Secondly, the chart ruler, Pluto, is located in the 2nd house of money (which corresponds to the economy and wealth of a country in mundane astrology), making the chart radical (our focus in this reading is very much on economic affairs) and hinting at the possibility of hidden dangers tied up in this situation. Its position in Capricorn, which governs rules and institutions,  seems to point to these hidden dangers being somehow connected to the Chinese economic system behind the scenes.

And indeed, finance journalists such as Robert Peston have been warning us about the hidden extent of China’s rising debt problem, caused largely by what have come to be known as China’s ‘shadow banks’ – an apt name, given the involvement of Pluto here. Writing in 2014 ahead of his BBC documentary on the subject, entitled ‘How China Fooled the World’, Peston made this rather chilling statement:

Anyone living in the rich West does not need a lecture on the perils of a financial system that creates too much credit too quickly. And in China’s case, as was dangerously true in ours, a good deal of the debt is hidden, in specially created, opaque and largely financial institutions which we’ve come to call “shadow” banks.

There are no exceptions to the lessons of financial history: lending at that rate leads to debtors unable to meet their obligations, and to large losses for creditors; the question is not whether this will happen but when, and on what scale.

Many economists worry that a debt bubble in this sector could lead to another worldwide recession, or what some are referring to as the ‘third wave’ of the global credit crunch that began in 2007.

In a recent article in the Economist entitled ‘Shadow Banking in China: Battling the Darkness’ (how apt, considering Pluto’s involvement!), one analyst wrote:

China’s economy is slowing. It has grown by 7.6% for the past two years, the slowest rate since 1990. Several trust products have defaulted, although investors in most of them have got their money back one way or another. Over $400 billion-worth of trust products are due to mature this year—and borrowers will want to roll over many of those loans. Many observers worry that investors will lose faith in trusts, prompting a run, which may, in turn, blight certain industries and other parts of the financial system. No country, pessimists point out, has seen credit in all its forms grow as quickly as China has of late without suffering a financial crisis.

So, was Black Monday a result of China’s shadow banking chickens coming home to roost?

Certainly, it may be no small coincidence, that just weeks before Black Monday, on the 15th of August, a number of shadow banks, notably trust companies, made an appeal to the Chinese government for a bailout via an open letter. This came a week after the Chinese government devalued the Yuan and on the same day that stock markets in Europe, the US and Australia began to post losses as investor confidence in the Chinese economy began to wane. As an astrologer, it would therefore seem to me that Pluto in Capricorn in the second house represents the Chinese financial system, which has been severely affected by growing investor fears (Saturn) and a loss of confidence in the market.

So, are these fears justified, or is there a certain amount of panic and hysteria going on?

This is where the Moon comes in. As ruler of the 9th house of foreign relations, it certainly seems to represent foreign investor sentiment and their reaction to the situation. Placed in Sagittarius, a combination that can often result in exaggerated emotion and a tendency to over-react, we could well be looking at a case of market jitters and panic selling caused by spooked overseas investors trading in foreign markets.

However, the Moon is also located in the first house, which seems to implicate China itself in contributing to and a participant of, the mass hysteria. And, indeed, in the months leading up to Black Monday, the Chinese government gave off signs of panic as it moved to intervene and stabilise the market via a number of measures, including its suspension of the trade on new stocks in early July, followed by a currency devaluation on August the 10th to shore up exports, as well as a number of interest rate cuts.

In fact, one writer described the Chinese government’s reaction to the crash as ‘pushing the panic button’, an apt turn of phrase, given this Sagittarius Moon, whilst more recently, another pundit described China’s continued policy of interest rate cuts (they recently announced the sixth since November 2014) as a sign that China is “getting more and more desperate” and that “things are really bad there.”

But are these fears justified?

If we look at the aspects of Pluto and the Moon, we get the idea that any losses would hit the domestic market in China far harder than any overseas investors, and that China’s moves may have been in a bid to protect the many so-called ‘Mom and Pop’ investors who have been encouraged to buy shares in the Chinese stock market by the government. The square between the Moon and Chiron in the 4th house (which rules the common people, land and property) suggests that this is a major vulnerability in the system right now, along with the construction and property industries, areas where China has invested heavily in recent years via massive infrastructure projects designed to stimulate growth.

Furthermore, the ruler of the second house is lucky Jupiter, which in this chart is located in the 10th house close to the Sun, which in and of itself, looks fairly positive. The word ‘faith’ also keeps cropping up in relation to investor confidence, and as ruler of the 2nd house located in the most public position in the chart – the 10th house –  the condition of Jupiter would, astrologically speaking, provide a good barometer of whether or not faith is likely to be restored in the Chinese market. What confirms this relationship is Jupiter’s conjunction to the Part of Faith – from an astrological point of view, this seems pretty equivocal.

On the face of it, Jupiter’s strong angular position on the Midheaven, conjunct the Sun certainly makes it look likely that faith/confidence in the market is likely to be restored. The question is how, and here, it may be significant that both the Sun and Jupiter are newly-ingressed into thrifty and efficient Virgo, a world away from the excesses of flash and flamboyant Leo, which is where Jupiter and the Sun were both located in June 2015 when the Chinese stock market reached an all time high. This suggests that a public change in economic tack by the Chinese government (MC), perhaps via a clear political plan to restructure the shadow banking industry (after all, Pluto in Capricorn in the 2nd is calling for far-reaching reform), together with some rule changes, careful governance and a more modest but realistic projected growth plan, could well be the secret to restoring market faith. A point to note here is that Jupiter is in detriment in Virgo – as the planet of excess and leadership, Jupiter probably doesn’t do well being modest, servile or thrifty – all qualities associated with Virgo, so it may be an uncomfortable process for China to have to tighten its belt, be answerable to the rest of the world and perhaps cut back a bit on all those lavish building projects? Nevertheless, needs must and all that!

On the positive side, the trine between the Moon and Venus in the 9th house suggests that the government knows that, in order to restore confidence in the market, it needs to be seen to be calm, confident and on top of the situation. Putting on a bit of a show and strengthening diplomatic ties are both classic PR tactics, and it is probably therefore no surprise that not long after Back Monday, the Chinese president made a state visit to the UK – one of the world’s most important financial centres and a key trading partner for China. This show of strength was further emphasized by the fact that president Xi Jinping was invited to stay at Buckingham Palace, and indeed, the Queen seemed to be pulling out all the stops to make the Chinese leader feel welcomed and important (Venus in Leo in the 9th and the Sun conjunct MC & Regulus anyone?).

In his speech to members of the British parliament, the Chinese supreme leader, also made a point of saying that the fates of the the UK and China were “increasingly interdependent”. Fate is in an interesting choice of word…and on this note, it is interesting that in the Black Monday chart, Saturn is sextile to Mercury and the North Node in Libra (the nodes being very much associated with the workings of fate, and Libra being the sign of peace and harmonious diplomatic relations), making the speech highly significant, almost as if the Chinese themselves had consulted their astrologers and made a similar observation… Of course, the North Node also happens to be in the 11th house of parliaments/democracy/collective rule, so this aspect may also have some political implications for the Chinese government, with its poor track record with regards to matters such as democracy and human rights issues. Perhaps the one silver lining to come out of Black Monday, then, will be increasingly close relationships between China and the West, and in turn, a liberalisation of its political system?

On another level, the impending sextile between Mercury, ruler of the 10th and 11th houses (=government, leadership political rulers) and Saturn, ruler of the 3rd house of self expression, PR, press, announcements  etc, also seems to point to a return of political stability and an end to any fears regarding the economy via messages/signals of reassurance.

Indeed, perhaps because of China’s unusual economic set-up, some economists think that the global fallout from a Chinese economic slowdown will not be as bad as some fear:

…the risks of financial contagion from China’s stock market crash to the rest of the world are limited, because most losers will be Chinese companies and Chinese individuals. That’s unlike the crash of 2007, when the whole world had bought into the US sub-prime boom.

Some have even given several reasons to be optimistic, citing things like cheaper imports, and a reduced risk of interest rate rises in the UK and the US. On this front, there have already been some winners and losers, as the UK steel industry can attest to.

As if to reinforce the largely positive message that seems to be arising from this chart, Pluto happens to be making a sextile to Neptune, ruler of the 4th and 5th houses. To me, this points to Black Monday being more of a wake-up call to the Chinese government that it may be time to restructure their economy so that it protects domestic interests (4th house, Neptune in 4th) and bring future growth forecasts more into line with those of the rest of the world (Jupiter in Virgo in 10th = modest, more realistic).  By moving to protect the domestic economy and being more realistic about growth prospects, they are less likely to face an internal political rebellion.  And with protests continuing to break out on the streets and squares of Beijing, this seems like a very smart move on their part indeed.

A last word must go to the trine between the Moon and Uranus in the 5th house of speculation and gambling. This points to some kind of surprise move on the part of the Chinese designed to restore confidence. The 5th house rules children and the birth rate, as well as sport, entertainment and gambling or speculation – could we expect a surprise announcement freeing up speculative banking regulations or a loosening up of China’s one child policy? Demographically and economically, it would make sense. As one reporter put it: low fertility rates, a rapidly ageing population and a shrinking labour force will inevitably put immense strains on the economy in the decades ahead, so a further relaxation of this policy beyond its 2013 announcement doesn’t seem that crazy. Who knows?! Let’s wait and see what happens…

Suffice it to say, Uranus is an unpredictable planet, so anything is possible and if the astrology is correct, then the world needn’t panic just yet. Perhaps the message to take away is that China may not shake the world in quite the way we expect!

UK Election Postmortem

Tags

Boris Johnson, Conservative Party, David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, May 2015 UK General Election, Nick Clegg, Nicola Sturgeon, Nigel Farage, politics, Scotland, SNP, Spring eclipses, Sun-Pluto trine, Tim Farron, UKIP, Uranus-Pluto square

After the surprising, even shocking results of the UK’s May 2015 general election, culminating in the mandate for a clear Conservative majority government, I thought I should write a follow-up column to my election forecast for May the 7^th.

Who, for instance, would have thought that by lunchtime the day after the elections, three party leaders would have resigned and that the Scottish national Party would have gained no less than 50 new MPs? Many forecasters, including myself, were confounded by what happened.

The first hint that the forecasts and opinion surveys may have got it wrong came at around 9pm, when the results of an exit poll, conducted by Ipsos Mori, was announced, stunning everyone because it ran completely contrary to any previous poll or prediction. Despite initial incredulity, as the night unfolded, many people began to realise how accurate it was in terms of mapping out what the final results of the 2015 UK General Election would be.

Clearly, there were some hidden and unforeseen forces at play that none of us had really bargained on – and, as it happened, these ended up playing a major role in the outcome at the polls. So why was this the case?

Firstly, this election proved to be different from any previous election in recent memory for a number of reasons, including:

1. The rise of nationalism across the UK, which affected voting in Scotland and saw a swing away from many of the other major parties, including the Lib Dems towards UKIP and the Scottish Nationalist party;
2. The obvious influence of social media in reaching and influencing the youth vote;
3. The upswing in the UK economy and the desire by the electorate to see this continue;
4. A clear resurgence of faith in democracy/re-engagement in politics – voter turnout was the highest since 1997, running at roughly 66%.

From an astrological point of view, I can now see the signature, not only of the spring eclipses, which played out in some rather unexpected ways, but also the strong influence of Pluto, expressed through the brilliant Sun-Pluto trine which took place on May the 6^th and its transit through the natal charts of several political leaders, along with its role in the cardinal cross of 2010, culminating in three years of the (thankfully now waning) Uranus-Pluto squares that has been prominent since 2012. [i]

Some of these were not so apparent at the time of my first forecast (and clearly I wasn’t alone in missing them – most of the forecasters were left flabbergasted by what happened.)  I suspect this was down to a combination of things, including last minute/out of the blue choices (hello, Uranus!) from those who were undecided and people voting strategically or not being entirely honest with pollsters/canvassers about how they really felt (Pluto).

Still, here is my take on the astrology of what actually went down.

A subtle shift in the balance of power: Sun-Pluto

Given the Sun-Pluto trine (= shift in the balance of power) that took place on May the 6^th, just a day before people went to the polls, I think Pluto had quite a big influence on the way people ultimately decided to vote. In general, I think it led to more strategic, as well as punitive voting decisions, with many people voting Conservative to keep out an SNP/Labour coalition or to quash the UKIP campaign, or alternatively, to punish the Lib Dems for not standing up to the Tories on key policy issues, thereby leading them to renege on things they had promised to deliver in their manifesto. This very much expresses the retributive side of Pluto.

However, Pluto is also in Capricorn – a conservative earth sign – which doesn’t make people too keen on change, risk or chaos, while the Sun in Taurus suggests a preference for leaders with a sensible but steady leadership style, which is much more in tune with David Cameron’s way of doing things than Ed Milliband’s call for socialist revolution. As a result,  this Sun-Pluto trine would have made voters more inclined to stick to the status quo and with politicians they know, rather than take risks with an unknown, unproven prime minister like Ed Milliband.

As I wrote in my first election forecast, when looking at the eclipse charts in relation to the birth charts of the major party leaders, I noticed that Pluto seemed to make close contact with major points in the charts of several UK party leaders.

What I didn’t always appreciate was what a dramatic role Pluto would have in the resignations of:

• Ed Miliband – who has Pluto currently going over his Midheaven, which seems to have brought about an end to his current position as leader of the Labour Party, and may possibly dramatically transform his future role in politics.
• Nick Clegg – who has Pluto approaching a conjunction with his natal Sun in the second house  – a transit that will last for some time, no doubt prompting him to reassess his position within his party (Scorpio rules his 11^th house of groups), his personal and political values, and his ability to lead the Lib Dems. His resignation as party leader comes as the Moon in Capricorn moves to join Pluto, thereby activating this potent transit.

In general, the Sun rules leaders and leadership, while Pluto is associated with dramatic, sometimes irrefutable endings and transformation, so you can see how this transit, although positive, may have played a role in the change of guard we saw in terms of political party heads. Thus, this aspect is literally about a shift in power, and in some cases, heads rolling.

The hand of fate

From the outset, I always felt that the spring eclipses would play an important role in the elections. However, as with all prediction work, I wasn’t always right about how this would unfold.

Here’s what I see now in retrospect is the planets at work in:

• The rather unexpected non-election of Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, despite all the hype and the fact that UKIP still ended up coming third in the election.
• The political comeback of David Cameron and the Conservative Party, despite what looked like a dead cert loss to Labour because of UKIP
• The election of Boris Johnson as an MP, as a I wrote in my eclipse predictions column, this is a man whose star is very much on the rise, and who is being tipped as a contender for the position of Conservative Party leader when Cameron steps down.
• The huge spike in popularity for Nicola Sturgeon – in the wake of Alex’s Salmond’s resignation post Scottish independence elections, and the massive surge in the number of elected SNP MPs, she seems emblematic of both an upswing in Scottish pride and the arrival of a new generation of dynamic female politicians to Parliament where the fairer sex remains sadly under-represented.
• The political demise of Ed Miliband – was choosing to partner with Ed Balls & Yvette Cooper, both Pisceans, a wise move, given that the one did not get re-elected and the other one now seems all happy to put herself forward for election as Ed’s replacement, just moments after Ed resigned?

Let’s look at some of these in closer detail…

Nigel Farage – Not with a Bang, but a whimper

Many people, including myself, were somewhat surprised that after all the publicity and hype surrounding UKIP as well as the pretty strong astrological indicators in the March 2015 solar eclipse chart, that Nigel Farage failed to get elected, losing to the Conservative Party candidate for Thanet by some 3000 votes.

All the signs were there: The Sun & Moon, both in Aries, positioned in his 7th house at the time of the March solar eclipse, indicating a new six month phase for him in terms of public relations, possibly one that included increased popularity and a new public-facing role. Instead, however, his political enemies neutralised his election bid by throwing extra campaigning resources at the constituency where he was standing. And rather than responding positively to his outspoken frankness and fighting spirit, the vast majority of the electorate (the Moon) seem to have rejected his rather abrasive and polarising rhetoric (7th house) – so that, in the end, his Conservative opponent beat him and UKIP only managed to get one seat in the House of Parliament.

This disappointing result for him just reminds us that a Sun-Moon conjunction (solar eclipses always occur during a conjunction of the Sun and Moon) is considered to be neutral by astrologers and can very much go in a number of different ways. Firstly, the eclipse indicated a change for him  – just not the one we (or he!) expected – and secondly, the 7th house is also a tricky position – it is the house of partnerships, but also of enemies. In this case, it seems they saw the threat he posed and acted fast to counter it – to their credit – which just goes to show that destiny is very much negotiable! Furthermore, although David Cameron’s Sun happened to be located very close to the eclipsed Moon in the April Lunar Eclipse chart, the Prime Minister was also due to experience his Jupiter return in Leo not long after the elections, so it may well be that this rather fortunate transit saved his political bacon!

This outcome can also be further explained by the opposition between transiting Neptune, ruler of his Descendant, and Farage’s natal Pluto-Uranus conjunction on the AS in Virgo from the 7th house  – active on the day of the May elections. Although his party may have gained in popularity, it seems as though Farage himself is not cut out for a life in politics. If anything, his Uranus-Pluto conjunction in Virgo and combative, undiplomatic Aries Sun points to a man who is better off remaining an armchair critic – he is  too much of a non-conformist and a rebel to be part of the political establishment and seems to function best as an outsider, using shock and awe tactics to gain press attention and popular support for his message.

Boris Bounces into Parliament

As I mentioned in my first blog on the subject, Boris Johnson is a politician very much on the rise.  After his success as London Mayor, many people are beginning to see him as a potential successor to David Cameron, who has indicated that he does’t intend to remain at the helm of the Conservative Party for a third term whatever happens.

His re-election as an MP (after a spell in the political doghouse for getting involved in a number of sex scandals) does seem, from an astrological point of view, to be the beginning of what could be a very successful period for him career-wise. Looking at Johnson’s transits on transits on election day (May 7th 2015)  it seems significant that his chart ruler, Venus, is conjunct his natal Sun in Gemini, the sign of the politician, in the 9th house of the law – a position that seems to reinforce the astrological indicators present in the solar eclipse chart (Boris’ natal Sun-Venus conjunction is rising).

What’s more, both transiting Venus in Gemini and the Sagittarius Moon (ruler of his Midheaven = career status, public standing) are straddling (one could say, activating) Johnson’s nodal axis, suggesting that destiny may be at work in terms of his re-appointment as an Member of Parliament. The hand of fate seems to be further reinforced by the fact that the nodal axis of the transit chart happen to be straddling Johnson’s AS-DS axis.

To add to all the auspicious auguries, Johnson’s natal Jupiter is being aspected by both the transiting Sun and Pluto, which suggests that may may benefit directly from the Sun-Pluto trine we were discussing earlier.  In astrological terms, then, he looks good to go! Let’s hope he doesn’t ruin everything by having another affair…

Girl Power

The 2015 election was also a victory for women in politics – the number of female MPs rose by 30%, which I think is symbolised by the prominence of Venus – the ultimate femine symbol – in Gemini – the sign of the orator and politician – which is found on the 7th house cusp of the UK General Election chart.

Nowhere was this better illustrated than by the increase in popularity of Nicola Sturgeon, the former deputy to Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland who took over from him after he resigned amidst disappointing results in the wake of the Scotland Independence vote. Under her stewardship, the Scottish National Party went on to win 56 out of 59 possible seats for Scotland in Parliament – a historical record, especially if you consider that in the previous election, they only manage to win 6!

Of course,  the first thing that springs to mind is Margaret Thatcher  – the first female prime minister of Britain – and it is rather telling, if a little ironic, that Sturgeon cites her hatred of Margaret Thatcher as one of the main drivers of her political career. In the Daily Mail, she is quoted as saying that:

‘Thatcher was the motivation for my entire political career,’ Sturgeon later recalled. ‘I hated everything she stood for. This was the genesis of my nationalism. I hated the fact that she was able to do what she was doing and yet no one I knew in my entire life had voted for her.’

These days, of course, she is more likely to be compared to Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, who ranks just above her in terms of Facebook popularity with regards to female politicians. From an astrological point of view, the two women have even more in common: both are Sun sign Cancerians with the Moon in cool, level-headed Aquarius. Both also have Venus in no-nonsense, pragmatic Virgo. However, one major difference is that Sturgeon has Scorpio, as opposed to Sagittarius, rising, which may be why journalists and critics often refer to her as ‘merciless’, ‘dangerous’ and earlier on in her career, ‘spiky’. No doubt she and Hilary Clinton, a Sun Scorpio, could swap a few anecdotes about these rather sexist labels.

Aside from the rise of what the Scotsman newspaper has dubbed the ‘Cult of Nicola,’ and what she means for girl power, a more pressing question for the UK is what the SNP election results may mean for the union with regards to future devolution and Scottish independence,  and tied in with this, the political fate of Alex Salmond.

So, can anything be gleaned from comparing the charts of Sturgeon, Scotland, its political union with Britain and the 2015 General Election?

Scotland’s First Minister shares some interesting synastry with the astrology of her homeland (I am using the Aries ingress chart of 842 AD for this study, as advocated by Nicholas Campion in his book, The Book of World Horoscopes).

• Firstly, Nicola’s natal Venus is conjunct the Ascendant and Jupiter of the Scotland chart, suggesting that her values and the beliefs/political ideals of her countrymen are very much in alignment.
• Furthermore, her natal Mercury feeds into the Grand Cross present in the Scotland chart involving the nodes, a Moon-Uranus conjunction, Saturn in Capricorn and Mars in Cancer – a configuration that suggests defensiveness and a desire to break away from a financial dependency on England in much the same way as a teenage boy seeks autonomy from his mother, and yet remains very much financially and emotionally dependent on her/the status quo, signified by Saturn in Capricorn in the 5th house of children. Thus, we can expect Sturgeon to vocalise this via her Mercury and in terms of her financial proposals in relation to Westminster. However, given the almost karmic aspect of this configuration, it does seem unlikely that this will be achieved quickly or with ease.
• That said, her natal Pluto in Virgo, if placed onto a composite chart with that of the 1801 United Kingdom chart and that of Scotland itself, sits directly on the Virgo Moon of the Union chart and Part of Fortune in the first house of the Scotland chart. From this, I would deduce that she will push Alex Salmond’s devolution agenda and could end up being being a key agent of change for Scotland, possibly even helping it to achieve greater independence from Westminster. However, this seems unlikely to be a political devolution, but rather a financial one, if Sturgeon’s natal Uranus in Libra is anything to go by – it sits int he second house of the Scotland chart (money/income/finances) where it opposes the Uranus in Aries of the 1801 chart, located in the 8th house of the Scotland chart.

Of course, this analysis could end up becoming very detailed, and I don’t think this is the place for that. I shall save further analysis for a future blog.

People Power & Political Re-Engagement – Uranus

Overall, then when it come to this election, it seems clear that the fallout from the recent Uranus-Pluto squares, which finally came to an end in April 2015 after nearly three years of upheavel and chaos, also seem to have changed the political landscape for good.

One BBC commentator called this a highly ‘modern’ election (which sounds terribly Uranian) and indeed, in many ways, it was. The (up until now) untested role of social media and the internet (again, Uranus rules technology) seem to have set a precedent for how political campaigns will be conducted in the future, and will no doubt continue to play a major role in reaching young voters.

The effect of social forces (people power, anyone?) and the youth vote – all very apt for Uranus in Aries – seems to have led to a resurgence of engagement with the political process (aptly symbolised by Pluto in Capricorn). As I mentioned earlier, voter turnout was the highest its been for nearly 20 years!

I suspect that Uranus in Aries seems to have played a role in reviving the very 60’s idea that the individual (Aries) can make a difference if they team up with other like-minded people (Uranus) and challenge the status quo (Pluto in Capricorn) – something we’ve seen a lot of in recent years, as we have seen from the Arab Spring.

Furthermore, many of the more progressive political parties have done a lot of fundraising online via crowdfunding platforms – the green Party in particular was very successful at this. And I suspect that this will be a trend that will continue for some time – certainly as long as Uranus is in Aries.

The only sad thing for me about this election was how badly the Liberal Democrats were affected – I do think that the newspaper journalist, James Kirkup, was right when he said that history will treat Nick Clegg and his party much more kindly than the voters did in this election. I noticed that the Conservatives took a lot of credit for coalition policies that were actually proposed by the Lib Dems, including the raising of the non-taxable threshold, more money for diasbled children in schools (pupil premium), reform of the banks, same-sex marriage and defending civil liberties such as internet privacy and reforming the libel laws to protect people from criticising academics and firms who publish research, amongst other things. (See these info-graphics for some summaries)

With the Liberal Democrats recently announcing the appointment of their new leader, Tim Farron, it is interesting to me that Lib Dem membership has risen by over 18,000 since the General Election. In his first speech as leader, he said,

All political philosophies rest on a view of human nature. The Liberal view is an optimistic one… When afforded the freedom, dignity and respect that is due to all individuals, people generally show an enormous capacity to use their talents for good.

My first core value, therefore, is liberty – the right of people to make the most of their lives: free to develop their talents, to say what they think and to protest against what they dislike according to their own values, free of a controlling, intrusive state and of a stifling conformity, and free to choose their own occupation or to set up their own business. A diverse society is a stronger society.

Obviously fairness and liberalism are not about to vanish overnight, and as a Libran, I am gladdened by this.

REFERENCES

[i] For a recap/summary, see http://astrostyle.com/pluto-uranus-squares/ and Steven Forrest on the 2010 Cardinal Cross that kicked it all off – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUcJW1Hfj4k

UK General Election Predictions

Tags

1997 elections, 2015 UK elections, Boris Johnson, Conservative Party, Conservatives, David Cameron, eclipses, Ed Miliband, Labour Party, Labour victory, Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, Nigel Farage, Saros cycles, Tories, UK General Elections, UKIP

DO THE SPRING ECLIPSES POINT TO A LABOUR VICTORY?

As voters go to the polls today, I thought it was a good idea to have a look at the astrology around what promises to be one of the most exciting general elections for some time, to see what it might tell us about possible outcomes. Given the nature of  the recent Spring eclipses , together with yesterday’s Sun-Pluto trine, it may well be that the 2015 UK General Election, set for 7 May 2015, could hold a few surprises in store.

As I mentioned in my April 2015 Monthly Astro-Insights column, the solar eclipse which took place on the 20^th of March, seemed to hint at a possible reprise of what happened in May 1997.

Why do I say this?

First of all, the last time we experienced this set of eclipses was in Spring 1997 on the 9^th of March 1997, when there was a solar eclipse at 19 degrees, followed by a lunar eclipse at 4 degrees Libra on the 4^th of April 1997. Given the links with this set of eclipses to Spring 1997, one can’t help but wonder if there are going to be a few surprises at this particular election.

In addition, the March 2015 solar eclipse forms part of the 17 South Saros family – the same eclipse family active during 1997 when Tony Blair led Labour to a landslide victory, winning 43% of the vote – the biggest majority held by any UK government since 1935.[i] What’s more, this came after spending 18 years out of power, or ‘in the political wilderness,’ as some journalists have put it – the same amount of time as a Saros Cycle.

In astrological terms, there are shorter and longer cycles associated with eclipses. In immediate terms, solar eclipses usually set the tone for what is likely to happen over the course of the six months that follow them, while lunar eclipses, which occur at Full Moon, often signify the opposite – the ending/peak/culmination of a half-year period. However, over the longer term, the same eclipse does not repeat itself for 18 years. This is because of the orbital cycles of the Moon. However, eclipses that occur one Saros cycle apart always take place at the same nodal position, and therefore share similar geometries, that is, they occur at nearly the same distance from Earth and at the same time of year[ii].

In this case, we have two eclipses EXACTLY one Saros cycle part and in the same signs, so we are dealing with not just the more immediate future, but one that has strong links to the past.

From a symbolic point of view, I think it is interesting that in terms of the March 2015 solar eclipse, not only did it take place in the final degrees of Pisces, suggesting the end of a metacycle, but it also happened to occur on the same day as the Spring Equinox, thus echoing the themes which have been so prevalent since the Arab Spring, so could this mean we are in for a bit of a surprise in 2015?

Let’s have a look at these soli-lunar events in relation to the birth charts of some of the key players in this election, to see if we can get a sneak peak at the possible outcome.

LUNAR ECLIPSE – Who or What is on the Way Out?

if we look at the lunar eclipse in Libra, which is generally symbolic of endings/culmination points/what is leaving us; it seems to have spooky connections to David Cameron, leader of the Tory Party and current Prime Minister.

First of all, the Full Moon was very close in orb to a conjunction with Cameron’s natal Sun in Libra, which doesn’t bode well for his position as leader of Tories, if we consider that the Libran Moon is being eclipsed by the Sun in Aries. It may be somewhat ominous that Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, associated with anti-European and far right sentiments, happens to be a Sun Aries at a degree very close to that of the Sun at the time of the lunar eclipse.

In fact, if we transpose Cameron and Farage’s natal charts onto that of the 2015 Lunar Eclipse chart, we see that both politicians’ Suns are within 1 degree of the eclipse Sun & Moon respectively, so very close in terms of orb. Furthermore, Cameron’s Sun happens to be conjunct the IC of the eclipse chart. In symbolic terms, this puts Cameron on the nadir – the darkest part of the chart – not great for the light-loving Sun. This could suggest that his personal power and influence are on the decline.

If we look at Nigel Farage’s chart in relation to the Lunar Eclipse, we notice that both the Aries Sun, which is conjunct Uranus, is sitting smack bang on top of his natal Sun. What’s more, transiting Jupiter in Leo happens to be trining his natal Sun. I hate to say it, but this looks like a man who stands to shake things up on the political landscape and it seems to me that he has a lot of support from powerful people (Jupiter in Leo) to boot. Richard Desmond’s donation to UKIP seems to be a strong indicator that this could well be so. This is a man not to be laughed off for his rather chaotic and unsophisticated modus operandi. As astrologer Debbie Frank says, Nigel is definitely a blurter[iii], but perhaps for some, he is not afraid to give voice to what they secretly think but don’t have the courage to say out loud…

At any rate, the Tories would do well to take this as a warning to do more to counter the threat potentially posed by UKIP who, although not taken terribly seriously, could split the vote sufficiently for Labour to get a majority. As they say, when it comes to all things British, never underestimate the underdog…

Of course, this weak position for Cameron may also simply mean that his power within the Tory party itself is, like the eclipsed Moon, on the wane? As if to confirm this as a strong possibility, it is worth noting that the Moon is the natural ruler of his 10^th house, while the Sun rules his 11^th house of friends and party memberships. The fact that these areas are highlighted by the March solar eclipse from the position of the 7^th house (other people) does suggest that his position as Tory party leader may be in jeopardy – if not now, then within the next six months.

I do think that many people wrote him off after he admitted that he planned to stand down after two terms in office – something that many people construed as showing weakness. On this score, it may be significant that the Sabian symbol for the degree of the Libra lunar eclipse Moon is IN THE HEAT OF THE NOON, A MAN TAKES A SIESTA. According to Lynda Hill, this Sabian Symbol is all about the need to take a break or call time on something – perhaps Cameron is suffering from burnout or needs time to regroup post-election?

What about Nick Clegg?

If we look at Clegg’s chart in relation to the lunar eclipse, it is perhaps telling that the eclipsed Moon is conjunct Nick’s natal Mars in the 10^th house, and in the sign of his Midheaven, which doesn’t bode well for his political career – it looks as though it, like the Moon, his public position may be eclipsed by someone with a brighter star, such as his compatriot, David Cameron. In addition, transiting Saturn is making a conjunction to his natal Moon in the 12^th house, which hints at private disappointments/demoralisation, no doubt at the predicted erosion of the Liberal Democrat’s position – if polls are anything to go by, their share of the vote since 2010 has gone from 23% in 2010 to a predicted 8% of the vote this time around. Transiting Pluto sitting on Clegg’s Sun does look rather ominous…more on that later…

SOLAR ECLIPSE – A Sign of Things to Come?

Whilst the lunar eclipse shows us what is leaving us/ending, the solar eclipse, coming as it does at the time of the New Moon, is a good indicator of what is to come in terms of trends for the next six months.

David Cameron

Again, this doesn’t look so good for David Cameron. If we look at the March 2015 solar eclipse chart transposed onto David Cameron’s natal chart, we see the Sun and Moon in Pisces are conjunct his 7^th house cusp – both allies and enemies are represented by the Descendent, so which of these prospects are we looking at here? Given that both are in his 6^th house of work/health, and that they square his Midheaven (positions of public office), it does look as though he may lose his job as Prime Minister.

Nigel Farage

Interestingly, in this chart, the Sun and Moon are located in Nigel’s 7th house – could this hint at a political partnership of some kind (perhaps with the Tories?) or does it put suggest some kind of opposition to his ideas and values? The one thing I will say about this chart is that the Eclipsed Sun makes a square to Nigel’s Moon, ruler of his 11th house of groups and position in society, which could mean that he is not really someone who is likely to be a) popular with the vast majority of the public; and b) may not be cut out for life as an MP – if he is elected to parliament, he may become disaffected with life within the political establishment, especially if he feels it interferes with his private life too much or forces him to have to conform to rules and regulations – with Uranus and Pluto rising, he is an non-conformist at heart and thrives as an outsider, criticising from the sidelines, rather than being centre-stage where he is subject to intense personal scrutiny and accountable to his constituency. Still, he may act as a catalyst – rather like Uranus, he may have the effect of setting off a bomb on the UK political scene before exiting stage left, leaving the other parties to deal with the fallout.

Boris Johnson

And then, there is also the ever-looming threat of Boris Johnson, current Mayor of London, who has decided to seek re-election as an MP this May, and who many insiders says is after the ‘top job,’ as it were. According to media reports,

The London mayor, who is seeking a return to parliament as an MP on May 7, is widely seen as a likely successor to David Cameron. The prime minister even took the unusual step of naming Boris as a potential future leader.[iv]

If we transpose Johnson’s natal horoscope onto the solar eclipse chart, one can’t help but notice that Boris’ natal Sun-Venus conjunction at 28 degrees Gemini is not only square to the Pisces Sun & Moon in the solar eclipse chart but, crucially, both are conjunct the Gemini AS of the eclipse chart. This implies that his star is literally, ‘on the rise’! See below.

Further inspection of this bi-wheel reveals that Uranus, ruler of Boris’ natal Midheaven, is opposite Neptune in the 10^th house of the eclipse chart, which in turn, feeds into Boris’ natal grand trine (involving his Sun, Moon & Saturn) via a Saturn-Neptune conjunction at 5-6 degrees of Pisces. Given the positions of his natal Saturn (10^th), Sun (1^st) and Moon (5^th) in the houses of the eclipse chart, it does look as though he could be in for a career ‘lucky break’ within the next 6 months – perhaps one that might come about as a result of forces unleashed by the election? Could he turn out to be someone who benefits from Cameron’s misfortunes? Let’s see what happens…

Ed Miliband

Let’s turn now to Ed Miliband, leader of the opposition party and main political opponent of David Cameron for the position of UK Prime Minister. 

In terms of the solar eclipse, we have the Sun and Moon in Pisces in Ed’s twelfth house of psychology, secrets and hidden enemies, perhaps suggesting that he is a bit of a dark horse. With his plodding Taurus Ascendant and serious Saturn rising, I think that Ed is often underestimated. The Sun and Moon are also conjunct Chiron – and certainly, during this election, he has really had to stand up and defend himself in public, especially with regards to the general sentiment that he comes across as a weak leader (Chiron) and is not a patch on his brother, David, who he notoriously stabbed in the back during the 2010 Labour leadership contest – a very stealthy, 12th house move that may have made people feel that, ultimately, he isn’t trustworthy! With his natal Sun in Capricorn in the 9th house, Ed is definitely a conviction politician and with the eclipse trining idealistic Neptune in the 7th house of his chart, it is certainly possible that he will win votes based on his stance on issues, rather than his sparkling and charismatic personality.

Of course, the one remarkable thing about this chart is Pluto on the Midheaven. Pluto is the planet par excellence of reinvention and transformation – and the image make-over we have seen him undergo during his public and TV appearances in this election has been dramatic and definitely bears the hallmark of Pluto at work. However, Pluto is also very much associated with irrefutable endings, especially when you consider that it rules death – so is Pluto hinting here at a screeching halt to Ed’s ambitions to be Prime Minister? Here it may be worth mentioning that is his chart is plotted onto that of the lunar eclipse, his Sun falls firmly on the Descendant, suggesting that as a representative of the Labour Party, his role will be to continue in the position of political opposition to the presiding government.

Given Pluto’s key role, it is also interesting to me that, the day before the election, on May the 6^th, we had a Sun-Pluto trine in earth signs – a transit that often represents a shift in the balance of power. Could this be indicative of a Labour victory? Or does it point to a more generalised seismic shift in British politics, perhaps as a result of the influence of UKIP? Let’s see what happens. 

Nick Clegg

For the leader of the Liberal Democrats, the solar eclipse Sun and Moon both happen to be conjunct to Nick Clegg’s Saturn-Chiron conjunction in his 3^rd house, which suggests that whatever happens in terms of this election, he is likely to come away having learnt some major lessons from the whole coalition experience. Given the connection between the eclipse and his natal Sun in the 2nd house, he may also take things quite personally and question his own abilities if things don’t go to plan. Furthermore, his natal Sun is playing right into the Pluto-Uranus square, which has been very active over the last few years, becoming very much associated with youth disaffection/alienation from the establishment, as well as the growing disparities between rich and poor we have witnessed with growing alarm over the last decade or so. This does suggest that Nick’s main task, going forward, if he remains as leader of the party, will be to revisit Lib Dem party values and re-kindle trust in his party from young voters, many of whom felt betrayed by his inability to affect the coalition government’s decision to introduce university tuition fees. Given Pluto’s position on Clegg’s Sun and it’s rulership of the 11^th house, I think that his party may well have to start again from the ground up and get to basics, including what values they stand for going forward. Clearly some difficult lessons will need to be learned. Of course, this Pluto, which rules Clegg’s 11th house of group memberships, also suggests that his leadership of the Lib Dems may be drawing to an end.

It’s not all bad news for Nick, though: The eclipse Sun and Moon also form a minor grand trine with Clegg’s natal Jupiter in Leo, which also happens to be his chart ruler, and his natal Moon in Sagittarius, ruler of his 8^th house, which does hint at a possible coalition deal or joint venture  – will he decide to join forces with another minority party that more closely share his party’s values than, say, the Conservatives? Of course, with the eclipse affecting so many planets in the personal areas of his chart, he may well decide to seek a less public role, perhaps in the private sector or as a lobbyist, where he can pursue his goals/ideals and exert a more meaningful influence without feeling compromised or having to give way in terms of his position because of majority rule.  Much depends on whether or not he manages to keep his seat. Let’s see what happens.

Overall Trends – Sun-Pluto trine

Looking at the planetary transits leading up to this election, it certainly looks as though major power shifts, structural reforms and changes of leadership are all possible post May 7, especially given yesterday’s Sun-Pluto trine.

Could we be in for a change of government?

According to pollster, Ben Page, there seems to be a statistically significant (95% accuracy) link between the colour of the previous season’s FA Cup Final winning team’s strip and the political party most likely to triumph at the polls.[v] Last year, it was Arsenal, which has a red strip – is this an indicator of a Labour victory? Of course, much remains difficult to predict – this election really does come down to what the electorate decide on the day, so let’s see what happens.

As a final word, it may be worth noting that both eclipses make contact with the Part of the Honourable Acquaintance. With public trust and confidence in politicians at an all-time low, will this election help to make them more honest? Let’s hope so!

I think people are tired of campaigning by numbers and want to see a return of conviction politics. On this score, a possible hint that things may be heading in this direction comes from the Sabian Symbol for the degree of the Sun (29 degrees Pisces) in the solar eclipse chart, which is ‘the great stone face.’ According to James Burgess, this is symbolic of the desire to realise internal ideals and live a more authentic life.

Perhaps politics may well be rejuvenated after all as a result of this election?! In a cynical world where very little ever seems to change, that certainly seems like a far-off dream, but is a possibility that I for one would certainly not be unhappy to see happen.

REFERENCES

[i] BBC, 1997: Labour landslide ends Tory rule,  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/basics/4393323.stm

[ii] You can get a recap of what a Saros cycle is here: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros.html

[iii] BBC, Astrologer’s election prediction for political leaders, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27506219

[iv] Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/04/22/watch-kay-burley-finally-get-boris-to-admit-it-would-be-wonderful-to-be-tory-leader_n_7117722.html

[v] IPSOS Mori, Roger Mortimore, The Sweet FA Rule, p. 51 at https://www.ipsos-mori.com/DownloadPublication/1521_Ipsos_MORI_Almanac_2012.pdf

Royal Birth Imminent!

Tags

baby cambridge, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton marriage, Prince George, Prince William, royal birth

The news broke this morning that the Duchess of Cambridge has gone into labour, and was admitted to the Lindo wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington at 06:00am BST – very similar to the last time she gave birth to Prince George in July 2013.

It all seems terribly convenient that this just happens to be a bank holiday week-end and that we have an election next week, which would have been terribly messy and a nuisance for the politicians. But perhaps that is just my cynical Mercury in Scorpio at work here…

I had expected Kate to go into labour in the early hours of Monday morning, just after the Full Moon but it seems that Baby Cambridge is more affected by Mercury’s ingress into Gemini, which does lead to matters/events speeding up, than the lunar cycle. It does make me wonder if a) either she has very regular hormonal cycles; or b) whether she went in to be induced.

At any rate, what of a possible time?

Nativity Charts of Possible Birth Times

Well, seeing that this birth is following the same pattern as that of Prince George, could we expect a similar birth time of around 4:30pm? If so, then Cancer, the sign of births, motherhood and babies, will be on the Midheaven. Still, I prefer the birth chart for 16h00 BST, which has Venus in Gemini on the Midheaven – a sign possibly of a girl. That being said, it is interesting that Venus is in Gemini – the Twins – could we be in for a royal surprise? See my earlier blog post about this very possibility for more details.

Of course, very often during pregnancy, what starts out as a twins in the womb can sometimes turn into a single birth as the second baby either dies or is absorbed by the more dominant baby into its cells, as this woman discovered recently when she had a tumour removed from her brain that contained the remains of her embryonic twin. If this is the case, then a 4pm birth would make sense – it has Pluto in the 4th opposite the Part of Sons and Uranus in the 7th house conjunct the Part of Fatality, indicating the possible loss of a twin boy, but the North Node conjunct the Part of Life in the 1st house in Libra, which could indicate the survival (and birth) of a baby girl. Not that I would wish that on anyone, but it would explain the astrology of that particular moment a bit more clearly.

Still, very often second babies arrive much quicker, perhaps because of muscle memory which affects contractions in the womb, so it is very possible that we might hear an announcement much sooner than last time. If that proves to the case,  I am liking the birth chart for 15h00 – a Moon-Venus trine is set to take place just after 3pm BST and Jupiter in the regal sign of Leo will be sextile the Midheaven. If earlier, then I would plump for 11h30 – Jupiter in Leo is rising and the Moon, symbol of motherhood and births, is conjunct the IC (family, roots etc).

Of course, this couple have very much elected to control the flow of information surrounding this pregnancy and want to be in control of their own destiny, which is entirely understandable, so much around this birth remains unpredictable. Let’s see what happens…

Royal Baby Watch

Tags

Astrology, birth, Cancer and motherhood, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, girl, Moon in Cancer, pregnancy, Prince George, Prince William, royal birth, royal twins

Royal Baby Watch – Can Astrology help us pick the birth date of Cambridge Baby No. 2?

Since the Duchess of Cambridge let slip that she is due ‘mid-end April,’   royal baby watch fever has well and truly begun to hot up to fever pitch.

As a continuation of my last blog on the astrology of Royal Baby Cambridge Number Two for Kate & William, I thought it might be a good time to look at some possible birth dates for the next royal Prince or Princess (or both, for that matter, if she is going to have twins…), as well as address the pressing matter of whether or not she is going to have twins.

Possible birth dates for Second Baby Cambridge

Given that the royal pregnancy had to be announced early due to a second case of severe morning sickness, it has been difficult to guess exactly when Baby Cambridge was likely to arrive. However, in the wake of a remark by the Duchess on a recent official outing that she was due during the second half of April 2015, speculation as to the likely birth date has gone into overdrive.

For whatever reason, the newspapers seem to have latched onto the date of April the 25^th, although Kensington Palace has made it clear that this will never be confirmed or denied by royal officials.

So, unless the Duchess is planning to be induced and the press have somehow got wind of the designated date for this event, the exact birth date is still very much open to conjecture. Let’s see if astrology can offer us any clues.

First of all, it looks as though this baby wants to be a Taurus like the Queen, given that the Sun has just ingressed into that assign on the 20^th – just as well, because I think an earth Sun would fit better with the rest of the family unit, who are just about all water or earth signs – there isn’t a lot of fire in the royal family beyond Princess Anne and the late Princess Margaret, who were both born under the regal sign of Leo.

Beyond that, all we can do is look at dates that might have the signature for a birth, such as a major Moon phase – after all, the Duchess went into labour at the Full Moon last time, which has been thought to induce birth – or which are significant for the couple, such as their wedding anniversary.

Here are my top picks:

April 26th

This date is interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Moon will be conjunct Jupiter I Leo, which is perfect for dramatic announcements such as a royal birth. If Kate was born with Taurus rising, then Jupiter would also be the ruler of her 5^th house cusp – the house of children, again reinforcing the idea of the birth of a prince or princess. Secondly, the Moon and Venus combine with Uranus over the course of the 26^th and 27^th to suggest a quick birth or surprise news surrounding the birth. Venus happens to be in Gemini, which might suggest the possibility of twins. Furthermore, fi we cast a chart for the time of the exact conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter, we get that very same Venus in Gemini on the Midheaven! That being said, I am not crazy about this as the chart for a royal prince or princess – we have the Sun in the 8^th, which is not so great. Still, if this is a girls’ chart, then Venus on the Midheaven may be a nod to the late Princess Diana, who had Gemini as ruler of her Descendant at a very similar degree.

April 29th

The date of Kate and William’s wedding anniversary, this would be a lovely way to close the circle of their relationship and complete their family unit. On this day, the Sun in Taurus, which is in the same degree as the Sun on the day of their wedding, is due to sextile Neptune in Pisces. Neptune rules the 9^th house is in the wedding chart – the house of god, according to ancient astrologers – and the house most associated with spiritual fulfilment, meaning and expansion. What’s more; Jupiter in Leo is rising – what better symbol for the first appearance or birth of a royal could there be?!

May 4^th

The day of the Full Moon – and a month after the Libra Total Lunar Eclipse. As I have written elsewhere, the House of Windsor seems to have a strong connection to eclipses, so this date seems fitting for the birth of a Windsor. Furthermore, with the Moon Full, we have an echo of the day Prince George was born, which happened to be a Full Moon in Cancer – bringing the sign and planet of motherhood and birth together. This time round, the Full Moon falls in Scorpio. Both the Sun and Moon will be coming off of a T-square to Jupiter in Leo, which, in the Full Moon chart, happens to be in the 5^th house of birth, which might suggest a difficult birth – will the child be very large? In this chart, Uranus is rising – as ruler of the 12^th house of confinement and pregnancy, it might suggest a swift birth or the need for an emergency caesarean (Uranus is often associated with cutting).

Naturally, we could go on speculating until the cows come home, and let’s remember the stunning grand trine that looked like a sure thing for Prince George’s birth – until he decided to arrive two weeks’ late!

With this in mind, and given my positive experience using this technique last time, I have decided to cast a horary chart to see if we can get any clearer answers.

Horary Reading about the Birth

This is an interesting chart for a number of reasons. First of all, this is what horary astrologers would term a ‘third party’ chart, which essentially means that I am asking about a matter that concerns a person (Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge) that I have no relationship to.

As such, the Ascendant would signify me, the astrologer (Mercury in Taurus on the Midheaven) and Kate is signified by the ruler of the 7^th house in Pisces, which makes Neptune in Pisces the signifier for her. Neptune also happens to be in the 7^th house, which seems radical.

To find a signifier for the baby/birth, we should look to her 5^th house, which is 5 house cusps from the 7^th. This takes us to the 11^th house – which just happens to be ruled by Cancer – and contains the Moon in Cancer within it! Talk about radical for birth and babies! So far, so good. This also means that Venus, ruler of the MC, signifies the birth itself as it is Kate’s 4^th house of motherhood. I would read the Moon in Cancer as symbolic of the royal baby.

The chart seems very radical indeed when we consider the aspects of the signifiers. The Moon is moving from a sextile to the Sun, ruler of the 12^th house (confinement/pregnancy) and the ultimate symbol of kingship and royalty, to a trine with Neptune, signifier of the Duchess. This simple perfection shows baby and mother coming together = birth!

Now, to answer some important questions.

Will there be twins?

From the looks of this chart – no. The Moon is not in a double-bodied sign, nor is the sign on the cusp of the 11^th (5^th) double-bodied. The only testimony for twins is the fact that the 7^th (Kate’s AS) is in Pisces, which is double-bodied. The fact that Venus in Gemini happens to ruler her 4^th may simply point to the fact that Kate will now be a mother of two – George and the new baby.

The sex of the baby?

According to Derek Appleby, one must look to the AS, 5^th house cusp and sign of the rulers to see what the average is in terms of polarity. In this chart:

AS (7th) = Pisces (feminine)

Ruler= Neptune in Pisces (feminine)

5^th (11^th) cusp = Cancer (feminine)

Ruler = Moon in Cancer (feminine)

All of this seems to be testimony for a girl…

Potential birth date?

Appleby says that for timing, one needs to look at the sign and house of the Moon to determine units of time to apply.

The Moon is the principal agent in timing. The length of time that will pass before a thing demanded will occur is calculated according to the quality of the house and sign occupied by the Moon, and the number of degrees distant she is from an aspect with the significator…Each degree of lunar motion equates with a day, week or year, according to…what is known as  – ‘The generally Accepted Measure of Time.’[i]

The Moon in Cancer is in a CARDINAL SIGN and a succeedent house (11^th/5^th) = weeks

Now, the Moon’s applying aspect to Neptune is 4.25 degrees of orb away. According to the calculation, this means that the royal birth is 4+ weeks’ away! Is that possible? Well, if Prince George was two weeks’ late and if you consider that it is sometimes hard to determine exactly when a baby will arrive, perhaps it possible that he or she will arrive in May…

Still, given how close we are to the Duchess’ due date, perhaps we might consider this to be days, rather than weeks, in which case, Baby Cambridge is due to arrive on the 27^th of April.

As the Duchess has said before, babies have their own timing, and so, despite all predictions, we will now just have to wait and see when he or she decides to grace us with his/her presence.

REFERENCES

[i] Appleby, Horary Astrology. The Art of Astrological Divination, p. 77