Just who is Theresa May?

Can astrology provide us with some useful 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, wilfully stubborn 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!

However, we also need to be mindful that she is also a product of her generation – a signature that can be read in the positions of the slower-moving outer planets. In The Astrological History of the World, Marjorie Orr gives us a taste of this when she describes the shared characteristics of people born in 1956:

Complex, rather highly-strung personalities born in 1956 can be incredibly stubborn and have formidable endurance. More of a mixed crop than in most years, because of changing signs, they are still all inventive and, on occasion, even inspired, and tend to regard themselves as outside the mainstream. With Saturn in Scorpio until 12 January, then again from 15 May 11 October, they are sparing with money and emotional intimacy, and highly conscientious with work…With Uranus in Leo up to 28 January,  and after 10 June, they are romantic revolutionaries and highly creative. With Neptune in Libra between 13 March and 19 October, they are romantic idealistics like the previous generation…Pluto in Leo until 20 October gives a self-centred approach to life and relationships…

The last influence is in particular probably explains the despotic behaviour we have seen in her, particularly in her dealings with Parliamentarians over Brexit. Although nodoby could ever say that she wasn’t loyal to her original mandate, or conscientious about her duties as Prime Minister.

The question now is whether she feels she needs to maintain this fixed earthy position or if she will allow her more mutable planetary influences to come to the fore with regards to opening up and listening to other opinions or options. At this point, with three of her outer planets being opposed by Venus, Uranus and Neptune, perhaps she will finally realize that she needs to listen, consult and where necessary, admit that it is OK to change your mind occasionally…?

 

 

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