A radioactive boulder having been lobbed into the Middle East causing Ayatollah Khamenei to vow revenge and Trump to counter-threaten further reprisals, the surrounding countries are on tenterhooks.

This is just a quick look round certain key charts. Apart from Iran, the two Soleimani allies most affected by his death are Syria’s Bashar Assad and Hezbollah. Assad’s Presidency chart of 17 July 2000, despite his recent ‘win’ always did look more pressured ahead with a trapped, high-risk tr Saturn Pluto opposition the Sun/Mars midpoint in 2020 and then opposition Sun at 25 degrees Cancer – so a potentially blocked and destructive three years ahead.

Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, who are one of Israel’s main concerns, 16 February 1985, look devastated at the moment with their Solar Arc Sun square Saturn hitting on their Neptune exactly, bringing uncertainty and a significant setback. Tr Uranus is also triggering their pushily-confident Jupiter square Pluto between now and late March, which could provoke a definite response. Their relationship with Israel is on a sharp downhill slide from late March onwards for several years ahead with tr Neptune square the composite Mars and then opposition the composite Pluto Uranus.

Israel is alarmed at present with tr Uranus square the Sun/Neptune midpoint; and foreseeing disruptive changes with tr Pluto square the Jupiter/Saturn midpoint. This March could be a flare-up point with an emotionally upsetting tr Uranus square the 10^th house Moon.

Netanyahu whose political future was hanging in the balance after indictment charges looks remarkably confident and successful from late March onwards with tr Pluto conjunct his Jupiter. Though relations between the Israel and the USA chart seem to be exceptionally strained from late March as well with tr Pluto picking up the opposition to the composite Mars which runs till late 2021; and an undermining and disappointing tr Neptune square the composite Sun slightly earlier in March (repeating into early 2021). There will also be a considerable upheaval in relations from late March into April.

Up in the skies the second half of March does have Mars in Capricorn conjunct Pluto and Jupiter and then in Aquarius conjunct Saturn – which looks risky, angry and could be violent.

Saudi Arabia, 15 January 1902, is certainly in for an event-filled year with times of major confidence (over?) and deflating setbacks. At the moment and through January there’ll be an urge towards impulsive action, rising excitement and a tendency to over-reaction from tr Uranus square the Sun/Mars midpoint; which will, if anything, become more marked from July onwards as tr Uranus squares the Saudi Mars which can bring an explosive mood, high-insecurity and lead to hasty and unwise retaliation. In between tr Pluto will conjunct the Saudi Sun Jupiter from late February onwards for two years which could lead to soaring over confidence, but with tr Saturn also in effect and the Saturn/Jupiter and Saturn/Sun midpoints being triggered in 2020 it’ll be one step forwards, one step backwards.

Mohammed bin Salman,  31 August 1985, the reckless Saudi Crown Prince, looks more pumped up than usually at the moment with tr Uranus triggering his Jupiter Pluto Venus T Square – at the moment tr Uranus is opposition his Pluto, moving to square his Venus and Jupiter  from lat5e May, on and off till early 2021. This could bring lucky breaks as well as hasty initiatives.

Too many charts, too much data but some of it may be helpful.

The killing of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Qds force in a USA strike has shaken analysts who all say it’s impossible to exaggerate the repercussions of this event. Soleimani was ‘more important than the president, spoke to all factions in Iran, had a direct line to the supreme leader and was in charge of Iran’s regional policy.” Haaretz says: “This is the most fateful action by the Trump administration in the Middle East in the past three years – the blatant assassination of effectively the second-most powerful man in his country and over the past two decades the most powerful in the region.”

“Soleimani played the key role in destabilizing Iraq after the American invasion. He transformed Hezbollah from a medium-sized militia into an army-sized force and the main power broker in Lebanon. And then came his greatest achievement, at the cost of hundreds of thousands of deaths: Without him Bashar Assad would not have remained president of Syria in his Damascus palace.”

General Petraeus, in a 2008 letter to the then-US defence secretary, described Soleimani as “a truly evil figure”.

The question is not why he was taken out so much as why now? There have been low level attacks by Iranian-backed militia on American forces and personnel in Iraq recently with some retaliation from the US. But this appears to be what the Telegraph described as “a massive walk up the escalation ladder.” Even Israel has ducked chances to take Soleimani out for fear of the consequences.

Trump wants out of the Middle East and stymied John Bolton’s hawkish efforts to topple the Iranian leadership. Did he think a one-off strike would bring him kudos and divert attention from domestic woes? If so, he woefully under-estimates the Iranians who will feel impelled to grandstand their anger and resistance. Despite talk of World War 111 and an all-out confrontation, their talent is asymmetrical warfare since they know they lack the US’s massive armed forces. The payback could happen anywhere and anytime but will certainly put US and Brit forces in Syria and Iraq at higher risk.

Soleimani, 11 March 1957 Iran, was a Sun Pisces (a sign often found in Islamic-fundamentalist charts) in a confident opposition to Jupiter in Virgo with Mercury Venus also in Pisces – all his Pisces planets being square a serious and knowledgeable Saturn in Sagittarius. Most significantly he had Mars in heavyweight Taurus conjunct the destructive Fixed star Algol in a ruthless square to Pluto.

The Iran 7 October 1906 chart has a Solar Arc Mars opposition Jupiter now which does suggest a ‘holy crusader’, aggressive and self-justifying response. There was similar when the US launched the Afghanistan War in 2001. In Iran’s case the Solar Arc Mars will move onto to oppose the Neptune in two years’ time which suggests failed plans; with a massive jolt in 2020 from Solar Arc Saturn opposition Uranus.

Trump’s Term chart also indicates a gung-ho, might-makes-right mood at the moment with tr Pluto square the Jupiter running till late January 2020 and repeating till the end of the year. It gives an overdose of confidence which can ultimately blowback. There’s also a distinct see-saw wobble from the Pluto moving to close to the square to Uranus to exact within the next two months.

Pompeo’s Secretary of State chart always indicated an explosive and crises-ridden with an exact Mars Pluto conjunction which has tr Saturn sitting exactly on it for these few days over the New Year. And his relationship chart with Trump looks extremely fraught with an aggravated Mars opposition Venus Saturn which is being elbowed at the moment by tr Uranus conjunct the Venus and moving on more disruptively in May/June. There were some rumours he was going to bale to pursue a Senate run, which doesn’t sound as if he is in-step with POTUS. Certainly Pompeo does not have Iran as a success zone on his astrocartography, quite the reverse with Mars on his IC.

Neither does Trump since it puts his Uranus Sun in the 7^th opposition Moon in the 1^st, with an indecisive Neptune in the 10^th located to Teheran. The Ayatollah Khamenei’s Uranus is conjunct Trump’s Midheaven, giving him a capacity for destabilising Trump; and the Ayatollah’s Cancer Sun sits on Trump’s Saturn in Cancer, so he’ll dent Trump’s self-esteem.

Which makes the magnitude of the action even more bizarre. Perhaps in his deteriorating mental state, beset by impeachment fears, losing the North Korea negotiating triumph as Kim Jong Un goes awry again, he thought an out-do Obama moment by knocking off an even more significant figure than Bin Laden might feed his crumbling ego. Or maybe he didn’t think. Or maybe a nuke-em-all military type just got his finger on the trigger before anyone noticed. All will no doubt be revealed in time re-motives and decision-making.

Add On:  The Iran Revolutionary Guard was founded on 5 May 1979 – which gives a maverick Taurus Sun opposition Uranus; with a ruthless Mars Mercury and Venus in Aries opposition Pluto. The tr Saturn Pluto is square the Mars now as if suffers its worst setback; and in 2021 there’s a road-blocked Solar Arc Saturn conjunct Pluto for a discouraging year. It will be undergoing upheavals and radical changes 2021 to early 2024 as tr Uranus is conjunct the Sun and then opposition Uranus – so the nature of the organisation will be significantly changed. And by the mid 2020s the Solar Arc Saturn will oppose the Mars for a ‘collision’ of a setback.

Thomas Friedman has a few interesting things to say about Soleimani in the NY Times pointing out how his manoeuvrings on the battlefield caused Iran harm at home: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/03/opinion/iran-general-soleimani.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

The Iran Revolution chart of 1 February 1979 9am is set for the moment Ayatollah Khomeini’s feet touched Iranian soil after his time in exile as he returned to put the mullahs in charge. There’s a Sun, Mars, Mercury in stubbornly uncompromising Aquarius opposition Jupiter in Leo. The Sun is widely square Uranus, trine Pluto and inconjunct Saturn – a hint of revolution, heavy control and strain.

Tr Uranus will square the Jupiter from February 9^th to early March, which will give rise to a surge of confidence (or good luck); with sharp words erupting mid April to early May with tr Uranus square the Mercury; though when it starts to show disruption, high-risk and insecurity will be from mid June onwards as tr Uranus squares the Mars – which can provoke ill-advised macho gestures to prop up self esteem and that repeats into early 2021. Then in 2021 the tr Saturn in Aquarius square tr Uranus will land on the Aquarius Sun for an uncomfortable year of economic damage and other mishaps, necessitating a change of direction. The tr Uranus square Uranus doesn’t come until 2023 but that will continue the mood of unrest.

Vladimir Putin’s 4^th term as Russia President always did look like a crises-ridden administration. There’s a ruthless (and blocked) Mars Pluto in Capricorn square Uranus and Midheaven – less stable than it appears from the outside. There’s also a lucky Sun opposition Jupiter, in a Half Grand Sextile of evasive Neptune in the financial 8^th sextile Pluto, which will help to bolster its chances, although economic/financial matters will be a weak spot.

Where it starts to be disrupted is in 2022 with tr Uranus conjunct the Sun – but Jupiter may well step in with dollops of luck to improve his chances of political survival. There’s likely to be explosive mishaps before then in 2021 as the Solar Arc Mars square the Uranus and reputational damage from tr Pluto square the midheaven in 2021/22. And there’ll be worse violence and brutality when the Solar Arc Pluto is conjunct the Mars in 2023. The run up to the next election will be exceptionally fraught.

2020 itself will have some highs mid-year but also patches of long slow, discouraging slog, some major obstacles from the Mars/Pluto midpoint and dashed-hopes from tr Neptune square Jupiter/Pluto.

The plethora of charts for Russia as a country is irksome. But looking at 8 December 1991 7.45pm there’s an undermining drift until late January 2020 from tr Neptune square the Sun; jolts and tensions from tr Uranus square the Saturn early February to early March 2020; and more debilitating confusion or indecision late year as the Solar Arc Sun is conjunct the Neptune. Tr Saturn in Aquarius in 2022 will put pressure on the 4^th house Pluto, with disruptions the following year from tr Uranus square the Pluto – if the start time is sound, that could knock away some of the internal domestic controls.

The 8 November 197 2.12 am chart is more obviously in the line of fire from the economic-setback tr Saturn square tr Uranus in 2022/23 as both will hard aspect the Scorpio Sun, Mercury and square the Saturn and then Uranus.

Going back to conspiracy theories: The Russia 1917 chart has a paranoid Saturn Neptune conjunction and a control-freak Pluto in the 10^th trine a Scorpio Sun – so custom-built for spreading ‘imaginative’ disinformation. The 1991 chart has a Uranus Neptune conjunction which can also bend reality to its own uses.

A #boycott Cyprus campaign has started after a judge handed down a guilty sentence to a 19-year-old British girl for causing public mischief. She reported having been raped by 12 Israeli men last July and then retracted her allegations after a protracted interrogation by police when no lawyer or translator was present. The judge refused to hear any evidence about whether the alleged rape took place, only on the recantation which she claims was forced and was certainly extracted without due process. The UK Foreign Office has expressed disquiet and several former Cypriot Attorneys General and the like have also queried the proceedings. There has been one other such story in the media about the police forcing a retraction from a woman claiming rape.

Cyprus gained independence on 16 August 1960 at midnight. The chart has two distinct sides. There’s an entertaining Sun Uranus in Leo in and adventurous trine to Jupiter in colourful Sagittarius. And there’s a much darker streak with a controlling 4^th house Pluto Venus in Virgo square Mars Moon in Gemini – certainly it will foster sexual licence but there’s cruelty in there as well. Plus a stressed Yod of Moon Mars sextile Mercury inconjunct an 8^th house Saturn – not exactly warm, cosy and supportive, for sure. The feminine doesn’t come out well in this chart being hemmed in by Mars and Pluto as well as an ungiving 8^th house Saturn.

At the moment the Cyprus Gemini Ascendant has a debilitating tr Neptune square till late January undermining its image; plus a panicky-failure Solar Arc Mars square Neptune in the entertaining 5^th house. There could be financial repercussions with the Solar Arc Venus moving to conjunct the Neptune in 2020.

If they hoped to protect their tourist trade by burying the story it’s going to boomerang in an even more damaging way if the boycott campaign gains traction. Sunny holiday spots and dodgy legal systems appear to go hand in hand.

Brazilian footballer, Givanildo Vieira de Sousa, otherwise known as Hulk for his likeness to Lou Ferrigno, who played Hulk on TV in the 1970s, has scandalised football fans. Having abandoned his 12 year marriage in July he has since taken up with his wife’s favourite niece, who is cousin to his three children.

He was born 25 July 1986 in Campina Grande, Brazil, and is a Sun Leo in a controlling square to Pluto, trine Saturn in prickly Sagittarius, inconjunct Neptune in Capricorn. His Venus in Virgo opposes Jupiter in Pisces squaring onto an uncompromising and high-wire Uranus; and his earthy Venus is also trine Mars in ambitious Capricorn. Not an easy personality – he will want to be centre of attention, is obstinate, dislikes criticism, prone to muddles with the Neptune quincunx. His Venus opposition Jupiter is superficially charming, certainly indulgent and square Uranus hints at an erratic approach to emotional connections and commitment. His Moon is either late Pisces or Aries and will either be square Uranus or square Neptune, neither of which suggest a settled domestic life.

What’s interesting is that his North Node is in Aries which usually indicates that part of life will be spent alone, rather than in relationship. Tr Pluto is moving to square his Node from early 2020 to late 2021, which won’t necessarily bring isolation but there’ll be hints of lessons to learn.

He does look unsettled at the moment with tr Uranus square his Sun across the New Year and January, moving on to square his Pluto by March; and he also has a frustrating and enraging tr Pluto square his Sun/Mars midpoint at the moment with an avalanche of bad publicity and critical fans, and it repeats on and off till late 2020. Not his shining moment.

Janus, the two-faced god, rules the New Year – one set of eyes looking back, the other looking forward. A time for most to stop and consider.

In every individual life there are several, even more significant though less frequent, staging posts as the outer planets move to make hard aspects to their natal place and in the case of Saturn to return. They don’t always fall at the ages you might imagine.

The First Saturn Return at 29 is the first maturing transit. Despite most of us assuming we’re grown up at 16, it takes until the late twenties to face facts, get real and settle into the Saturnine virtues of hard work and self-discipline. Running into it is a pressured, sometimes painful year of tough experiences. The Second Saturn Return at 58 also brings sober realisation, this time about the next phase of life running into retirement, or at least slowing down to accept the limitations of age. The Progressed Moon cycle hits marginally earlier with a Return at 28 and another at 56 – which is an emotional taking-stock.

Uranus makes a square to its natal place, aged 21, which is a touch late for a teenage rebellion, but will bring a strong urge to express individuality as well as a restless desire for adventure. The next Uranus hard aspect, the opposition at age 42, is usually even more dramatic bringing a mid-life crisis. This goes along with a desire to throw everything that feels stale and dull in the air and go hot foot after unfulfilled ambitions, sometimes including buying a sports car or taking a younger lover. The next Uranus square at 63 isn’t as dramatic but coincides with a restless period of questioning – ‘where have I been and where am I going’ – as plans for the future are pondered over in light of what has been achieved. The Uranus Return at 84 brings it back full cycle.

The most significant staging past of them all occurs across a few year span from the late 30s to early 40s. What Carl Jung called the individuation crisis – starting with the Second Nodal Return at 37 (occurring every 18.6 years), and running on through the Uranus opposition, Pluto and Neptune squares to their natal place. Negotiating this transition successfully, he thought, brought new energy and vitality to the second half of life, as a deeper connection to the inner soul or Self came with a new sense of purpose. Ignoring it, he felt, brought stagnation and decay to the second half of life.

“Individuation answers the question, who are you, beneath all of your social roles and responsibilities? If you took off the ‘masks’, or personas, that you hide behind? Who would you be if you faced up to all your hidden secrets and made peace with your darkest corners? And dared to be yourself no matter how different you are from others?”

It may just be personal experience, but my impression is that more people than the average die in their late 30s perhaps because of this cross-over point which for some is a step too far.

It can be helpful for those angst-ridden times of dark nights of the soul to understand the astrology of the experience and decipher the direction in which the celestial winds are blowing.

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Christine Keeler, the good-time girl from an abusive childhood, whose teenage fling with John Profumo, the Defence Minister, brought down Harold MacMillan’s government in 1963, has had a sympathetic hearing from a new BBC drama. She was written off as a prostitute, having also had a liaison with a Soviet attache and intelligence officer, a smear from which she never recovered. Stephen Ward, the society osteopath who was the fixer for her entree into moneyed aristo circles committed suicide midway through his trial for immorality offences, having been abandoned by his erstwhile friends in high places. Plus ca change.

Profumo resigned having lied to the House of Commons and supposedly led a saintly life thereafter, living off his inherited wealth, doing charitable work in London’s East End. Though indications are he continued womanising. He remained a guest of Winston Churchill’s son Randolph and the Queen Mother, returning to ‘respectability’ with a CBE twelve years later from the Queen for his charity work. His wife, former actress Valerie Hobson, stood by him with cool elegance – though in reality she appears to have been aware of his wandering ways, having a few of her own.

What a dramatis personae – and what a gap between the received wisdom about the personalities which left the ‘downstairs’ lot carrying the heaviest burden, as ever.

Christine Keeler, 22 February 1942 11.15 am London (from memory), was a Sun Pisces, with an emotionally intense Venus in Aquarius opposition Pluto; and a heavyweight Saturn Mars Moon and Uranus in Taurus trine Neptune. She had been sexually abused and malnourished as a child, had a baby at 17 which died, and became a waitress, then a topless showgirl, aiming to be a model. That collection in Taurus would certainly indicate cruelty in childhood.   When she had her fling with Profumo in 1961 her Solar Arc Saturn Mars were square her North Node in Virgo, thrusting her firmly into the centre of the zeitgeist and was conjunct her Jupiter which may indicate the blight that it brought to the rest of her life.

John Profumo, 30 June 2015. was a maverick Sun, Mars, Uranus in Aquarius; with Venus in adventurous Sagittarius opposition Saturn in Gemini and Pluto in Cancer – Venus Saturn can be a sex addict; Venus Pluto tends to be compulsive emotionally and sexually; and Saturn Pluto adds a darker twist.

Christine’s Venus in Aquarius was conjunct his Sun Mars which would draw him to her initially – though it was only a brief fling. And their relationship chart had an intense composite Venus opposition Pluto.

His wife, Valerie Hobson, 14 April 1917, was a Sun Venus (Mars) in Aries square Saturn, herself from a poor, difficult childhood who had married money, divorced and married the also-rich Profumo. She was no slouch when it came to living it up with a Venus Mars conjunction in Aries square Saturn.

Her Aries planets were trine his Venus in Sagittarius which would provide a small spark but it was hardly a close match, with their relationship chart having a chained-together-and-resenting it Saturn Pluto, a needs-space Venus Uranus; and an aggravated Mars trine Saturn Pluto.

Stephen Ward, 19 October 1912, was undoubtedly a less than savoury character, but no more so than those he supplied with girls. He had the highly-strung Uranus opposition Neptune of his generation squaring onto a late Libra Sun conjunct Mars in Scorpio – ego-centric, ultra-determined, vengeful – with Venus also in sexy Scorpio.

The final cast member in this novelesque tragi-comedy of a political peccadillo was Mandy Rice Davies, 21 October 1944, a friend of Keeler. Her famous riposte at Ward’s trial when faced with Lord Astor’s denial of having slept with her – ‘well he would, wouldn’t he’ – has become an iconic phrase. She was a more robust character who went onto have a celebrity existence and three moneyed marriages. Like Ward she had a late Libra Sun and Venus in Scorpio; as well as a do-or-die-determined Mars in Scorpio square Pluto.

It’s a huge irritation to me that it takes for ever – nearly sixty years in this case – for a more balanced picture to emerge.

What is clear is that the recession-prone Saturn in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus picking up in 2021 and extending into 2022 will have a destabilising effect on the major EU countries. It will hit the EU chart in 2021 (see post below 27 December) and have major consequences in France and the Netherlands.

France, 21 September 1792 3.30 pm Paris, especially with its Uranus in Leo opposition Pluto in Aquarius square Mars in Scorpio will be undergoing massive forced and jolting changes between 2022 and 2024/5. The Franco-EU relationship, always the most rock-solid, will also be battered this way and that as tr Uranus and tr Saturn make hard aspects to the composite Uranus and Sun in 2022/23 with worse to follow through till 2026.

The Netherlands, 26 July 1581 JC, with a Leo Sun Venus will be rocking and rolling from tr Uranus in square in 2021/22 and then square Uranus in 2022/23; with a ‘collision’ type setback also in 2022 from Solar Arc Mars square Saturn. Their EU relationship is under pressure in 2020 from a discouraging tr Pluto conjunct the composite Saturn with growing discontent from tr Neptune square Pluto. With added anger and frustration from tr Pluto square the composite Mars, escalating through 2021/22/23 with tr Pluto square the composite Sun, Mercury and tr Uranus conjunct the composite Uranus Venus – threatening to pull old agreements apart.

Both the Italy 1861 and 1946 charts in relation to the EU indicate much the same timescale of disruption; and also in terms of their internal stability which will be severely shaken from 2022 to mid decade.

Germany looks more aggravated with the EU at the moment and through 2020 than later with tr Uranus moving round the Uranus, Mars, Moon Fixed composite T Square; though will have moments of great uncertainty in 2022/23 with tr Neptune square the composite Saturn.

The Germany chart itself, 1 January 1871 12 am Berlin, shows financial disappointment in 2020 from tr Neptune square the Jupiter; and a major turnaround of direction in 2021/22 with tr Pluto opposition the 10^th house Uranus; followed by a truly tectonic shift as tr Uranus is conjunct the 8^th house Pluto in Taurus in 2023/24. And it will be facing meltdown confusion about a close relationship by 2024.

Being outside the EU – if it actually is – won’t shield the UK from the Uranus tsunami since the very Fixed UK 1801 chart will be buffeted in much the same fashion.

Catastrophic conditions in Australia with out-of-control fires raging in every state could worsen as 40-degree temperatures are forecast. Already millions of hectares have been burnt, along with houses and a fireman was killed today when his truck rolled over in extreme winds.

The Australia chart with its Sun Saturn in Capricorn was in the line of attack from the July 2019 Solar Eclipse and the recent Capricorn one with Jupiter in the latter making no concessions to good luck. The upcoming January 2020 Lunar Eclipse at 19 degrees Cancer located to Sydney sits across the chart Ascendant/Descendant indicating a critical region.

Tr Neptune is also continuing to square the AU Pluto at the moment till late January which suggests devastation and confusion and will sap morale. Tr Neptune thereafter will be in aspect to four AU midpoints over the next two years for uncertainty ahead but at least Neptune will be clear of the aspect to Pluto. There should be a good-news blip from February 9 to early March 2020, but across mid year there’ll be more setbacks, perhaps accidents running on into 2021.

Depending on the start time of the chart tr Pluto will be conjunct the Midheaven from early 2020 and through 2021 which does hint progress will be blocked with a suggestion of a collapse of some sort as the country tries to pick up the effects of the devastation and plot a way forward into a high-risk future.

The economic damage is unknowable at this stage but the Bank of Australia, 14 January 1960, is under pressure, continuing on from last year through 2020 with tr Pluto conjunct the Capricorn Sun. The July 2020 Lunar Eclipse will affect it critically. Though the real challenges hit from early 2021 with a panicky Solar Arc Neptune conjunct the Saturn; followed by a devastating Solar Arc Pluto conjunct Neptune, and a jolting Solar Arc Uranus square the Sun – all in 2021/22. Plus a disappointing, bubble-bursting tr Neptune square Jupiter.

Australia is a stalwart and adventurous country with four resilient Sagittarian planets as well as the determined Sun Saturn in Capricorn. But it’s difficult to see how the climate risk can be managed ahead.