Eye on Parliament: Prorogue High Court Judgement

Today at 10:30am BST, the High Court of the United Kingdom delivered its judgement on Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend government, saying that it acted unlawfully. Can astrology offer us any insights into the consequences of this verdict and the forces at work behind the scenes in the Brexit-Boris melodrama?…

HIGH COURT JUDGEMENT CHART

Event chart cast for given time of verdict

• The Moon – in this chart, it is the Moon that rules the 9th house of the law and legal decisions, so we must take it as the significator for the High Court Justices. Its aspects and condition tell us which way the wind is blowing with regards to their judgement. The Moon has just entered Leo, the sign of leadership, which reinforces the idea that this is a decision involving rulers (formerly the king was responsible for making laws before the birth of Parliament), the government and questions of legal sovereignty. The Moon is a feminine planet, and I found it interesting that the judge who delivered the decision was a woman: Lady Brenda Hale, the current president of the UK Supreme Court, an Aquarian, which in itself is interesting, if we consider the position of it’s ruling planet, Uranus in this chart …
• Uranus in Taurus (6th, cusp of 7th) – Uranus is conjunct the Desendant from the 6th house = ordinary, day-to-day business of Parliament, which has been disrupted (Uranus) by the Prorogation order. It may also signify procedural processes and decisions concerning them (6th) – Lady Hale was, for many years, a law lord and law lecturer, and so probably knows more about the rules governing the workings of the Houses of Parliament than most justices. The promiximity to the DS here gives it a high degree of agency. Plus, it rules the 4th house = the people. As Lady Hale remarked, MPs are elected by voters, so Parliament, especially the House of Commons, is their voice. In her words, to silence MPs, whose job it is to scrutinize laws and hold officials to account on behalf of the people, via prorogation had an ‘extreme’ effect upon ‘the fundamentals of our democracy’. …In many ways, we see in this ruling the hint of Uranus the rebel and revolutionary, cutting through abuse of power by elites in quite a singular and remarkable way. Many, including myself, did not expect Lady Hale to go as far as she did in her ruling. Indeed, one media commentator remarked: Unprecedented, extraordinary, ground breaking – it is difficult to overestimate the constitutional and political significance of today’s ruling.
• The Sun – rules the Midheaven = leaders and the executive branch of government. Interestingly, the Sun, newly ingressed into Libra (the sign associated with Justice and the law) is located in the 11th house of Parliament, affirming the connection between executive and legislative branches of HM’s government. As we have seen in previous charts, it can also refer to the Queen, since the UK is part of a constitutional monarchy and it is still the job of Her Majesty the Queen to open and close Parliament. Although on the face of it, this appears to show the legal clout and power of No.10, we must not forget that the Sun is in detriment here – it scores poorly in terms of dignity. So, I think it suggests both are definitely on the back foot, as it were – the Queen, who was put in an invidious position by No. 10; and Boris, for putting her there with his gamble to try and shut down any form of scrutiny or debate about his actions.
• Mercury – ruler of the 11th house of Parliament, is in the 12th house of sabotage, secret enemies and subterfuge – this is not a strong position and suggests that the institution ( parliamentary democracy) is under siege from hidden forces and enemies (ERG and those who seek a No Deal Brexit for ideological and financial reasons?). Interestingly, it scores more highly than either the Sun or Moon in terms of dignity… As I say in my note at the bottom of this blog, Mercury is due to retrograde in Scorpio, the sign most associated with plotting and scheming, JUST before the current Halloween Brexit deadline. Just as it was in Feb/March, I suspect the planet Mercury, together with Venus, are going to be crucial to the way the Brezit drama unfolds between now and the end of the month.
• Venus – See my comments and update below. NB Another blog post to follow on this subject.

ASTROLOGICAL VERDICT:

The Moon’s very next aspect is a sextile to the Sun, which I thought initially pointed to the judges ruling in favour of the government. Having looked at all th aspects that follow, and the strength of Mercury vs. the Sun, I wonder if it does not point to a defence of the Queen and in the sovereignty of the law of the land and in the legal processes within government? It may also point to the initial findings of the court prior to this particular Supreme Court appeal, which ruled that it was not for the courts to interfere in political matters.

However, if we look at the rest of the Moon’s aspects, we definitely got the sense that this sextile was not the end of the matter…

Applying Aspects of the Moon:

• squares Uranus (6th) = as stated above, this confirms that Parliamentary proceedings were ‘cut short’/disrupted by the proroguing order. In many ways, we see in this ruling the hint of Uranus the revolutionary, cutting through abuse of power in quite a singular and remarkable way (notice that Uranus is square to the Midheaven). Many, including myself, did not expect Lady Hale to go as far as she did in her ruling. Indeed, one media commentator remarked that this ruling was ‘legal, constitutional and political dynamite’…How very Uranian! This aspect seems to reflect the fact that Parliament and the government are at odds with each other/working against each other, which is not good for democracy.
• it then sextiles Venus in the 11th house. Venus is interesting. Not only does it score very highly in terms of dignity, but it rules both the 7th and the 12th house cusps. It is situated between the Sun and Mercury, almost like a diplomatic go-between or mediator. Although under the Sun’s beams, it is closer to Mercury than it is to the Sun, suggesting someone who is an ally of Parliament. Could this be Theresa May (formerly PM and now a sitting MP)? Or her deal, which may still be resurrected at the last minute if Boris fails to come up wiht the goods in Brussels (see my remarks about the vote shenanigans that left in a little insurance policy for No.10 if all else fails). Or simply the figure of Justice (she is in Libra after all) – the final bulwark against injustice/illegality/abuses of power that stands between leaders and their ministers? She has been prominent throughout this process, so I do wonder if she points to a female MP like Jo Swinson, or some key political figure who may yet have a pivotal role to play in what unfolds next….* UPDATE BELOW.
• The Moon then moves on to a sextile to Mercury [ie Parliament], just as Mercury moves to sextile Jupiter. Again, we see the combining of Parliament with benevolent forces linked to economic growth – no doubt not all those in the business sector want a No Deal (Gina Miller, for example, is an asset manager). The traditional link between Jupiter and the law in astrology is also interesting here, since she is the one who brought the case against the government to the High Court in the first place…Jupiter is applying by trine to the Midheaven – this may hint at her team being joined by Sir John Major, former prime minster, who has come to the aid of the rebels and is fighting for Parliamentary sovereignty to be recognised as a check against the abuse of power by No 10. So all does not seem to be lost as far as this exercise is concerned.
• Emphasising this last point, the Moon then moves to trine Jupiter before making a conjunction to the MC and entering the 10th house of government. Perhaps indicating that the law has restored order and checked any abuses of power – that it rules supreme over any one minister or party, and must now be used to steer the country in the right direction?

So, what next? Will Boris reign? Will MPs submit a vote of no confidence in the government, triggering an autumn election? Watch this space!

* UPDATE: Venus – As I mention in my astrological ‘verdict’ above, since the proroguing affair, Venus has been travellling very close to the Sun. However, in recent days, she has begun to move out of its orbit towards Mercury. In fact, these two planets have begun a dalliance that is due to last for most of October, culminating in a conjunction in secretive Scorpio on October 30th – the day before the current Brexit deadline when Mercury, interestingly, will turn retrograde. The plot thickens! I suspect that she (Venus) may have an important role to play in what happens next. My gut feeling, after hearing Rachel Johnson’s comments about her brother’s behaviour in the media, is that Venus may not necessarily represent a politician so much as women who used to be close to Boris Johnson (under the sunbeams) such as Jennifer Arcuri, his sister Rachel etc who may now begin to recoil from him as his charm and power begin to fade and his more selfish, reckless (and, dare I say it, narcissistic) side begins to emerge. Female support (or perhaps their implicit collusion might be a better word) has always been crucial to maintaining the fairtyale image of Johnson’s star quality. Somehow it gives him a pass on questions of morality and good character – a sense that he underneath it all, he is ‘really alright’, despite the occasional error of judgement. Take that away and what do you have left?

I notice with interest the increasing number of women who are coming forward to criticize him or quietly but pointedly condemn his bad behaviour from the sidelines, from Lady Barbara Hale to Rachel Johnson and now even the Queen, it would seem! (This is something that was hinted at in the Proroguing chart). So perhaps we should take heed of what columnist, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown says when she writes that there are (at least) six women (a very Venusian number I might add!) who could help to engineer the downfall of Boris Johnson (with the help of Mercury, if the astrology is anything to go by)? Perhaps it may not even be a specific woman but women in general, in the form of female voters; or indeed, scandal created as a result of his many affairs (one of Johnson’s weak points, as I pointed out in my analysis of his chart) – Venus rules love and sex after all. Given the busy month ahead for both Venus and Mercury, I suspect this may become a growing theme…Clearly this matter warrants another blog post!

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