Astrology and News
Uranus in Aries, brain tumours and mobile phones
For as long as they have been around there have been suggestions that mobile phones might be linked with cancer, in particular brain tumours. There have, over the years, been studies linking heavy mobile phone use with particular kinds of tumours, but there have been other studies, showing no correlation whatsoever.
Today’s Independent on Sunday has an article speculating that mobile phones might be ‘more dangerous than smoking or asbestos’, citing research by neurosurgeon Vini Khurana. According to this research, using a mobile handset for ten years or more could double one’s risk of getting brain cancer.
I don’t know what one’s chances of getting a brain tumour are, and maybe even if it doubles, it’s a very small chance. Yet as the article points out a lot of people use mobile phones. They are not just a method of communicating when you’re away from home, they are often the method of communicating - many people in the world not having a land line. And from a public health point of view, a doubling of brain cancer rates would have economic implications, aside from the human cost.
So, what about the astrology?
At the moment I’ve got two concerns. In a previous article I mentioned that Pluto has been in Sagittarius since the mid-1990s, and that in January 2008 it moved into Capricorn. Pluto briefly goes back in Sagittarius, but from the end of November 2008 through to March 2023 it will solidly be in Capricorn. Pluto’s movement through Sagittarius coincided with the massive expansion of mobile phone technology, and it’s possible that as Pluto moves through Capricorn this expansion will come to an end. Of course that could happen for a number of reasons. For example, we could reach saturation point, with everyone on the planet who might conceivably want a mobile phone having one. Or very simply, mobile phones could become ordinary, with their novelty value stripped away. Yet Capricorn is a sign that’s very traditional, and for some reason we might return to a more traditional, less mobile form of communication.
More worryingly, in June 2010 the planet Uranus moves into Aries, and it stays here, on and off, until March 2019. Uranus is the planet of shocks and earthquakes. It’s also the planet of technology. And it has a connection with radiation, because it rules the element Uranium. Though usually this is ionising radiation, of the type produced by radioactive materials and X-ray tubes. Mobile phones, by contrast, DON’T produce this kind of radiation. Instead they produce microwaves. As the manual to my Inspector Alert Geiger counter says:
Do not put the Inspector Alert in a microwave oven. It cannot measure microwaves, and you may damage it or the oven.
We know for sure that ionising radiation can cause cancer, because we can demonstrate the means by which it causes cellular damage. Microwave radiation is different, though in large quantities, such as in a microwave oven, it can heat things up.
Yet scientists such as Vini Khurana are linking mobile phones with one particular part of the body, namely the head. And in astrology the sign of the Zodiac connected with the head is Aries. Uranus in Aries could mean ‘radiation applied to the head’, and it might be that the earthquake is the public realisation that there is, or might be, a correlation between heavy mobile phone use and brain tumours.
And this is how astrology works. The planets can tell us about public perceptions, and when a planet changes sign perceptions can radically alter. As above, so below.
People of all ages are walking around with their mobile phones glued to their ear. I don’t know what they’re talking about, but whatever it is, it must be very important. And when I suggest to them that mobile phones might be dangerous, they shrug their shoulders and carry on gabbling. But Uranus is in Pisces. What happens when it moves into Aries? Could the public become more interested in the microwave radiation that may or may not be affecting their heads? Also, could there emerge convincing scientific evidence that frequent use of mobile phones can cause brain tumours?
There’s one thing I’m very certain about. By the time Uranus leaves Aries, in 2019, we’ll have a good idea about how safe mobile phones are. So we should perhaps wait another ten years before deciding whether or not to ditch the land line.
Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy - Capricorn meets Aquarius
Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France, has just been on a state visit to Britain, taking his new wife Carla Bruni. The British press seem fascinated by Carla Bruni, and she’s been compared to both Princess Diana and Jacqueline Kennedy. I suppose it’s quite rare for a head of state’s wife to be a singer and model, though one thinks of the lasting appeal of the actress Grace Kelly, who married Prince Rainier of Monaco.
Anyway, Carla Bruni is a Capricorn. There is a view that it’s the most attractive sign of the Zodiac. Capricorns often have great bone structure, and their natural beauty doesn’t need any enhancement - whether it’s with make-up or cosmetic surgery. Indeed Capricorns are sometimes compared to fine wine, getting better as they grow older. So Carla Bruni, having just turned forty, has got nothing much to worry about. Her glamour is further boosted by a conjunction in her chart between Venus and Neptune, in Scorpio. Something that’s obscured from view, in a seductive mist. Venus also make a ninety degree aspect to Mars, which is in the Eighth House - an area of the chart that’s very powerful, that’s oozing sex appeal.
Interestingly, Carla Bruni’s Mars is in Aquarius. Now, according to traditional astrology, in a female chart the Sun represents the partner in a day time chart; in a night time chart it’s Mars. She was born after sunset, at 6.10 pm, so her perfect man would be represented by the red planet. And Nicolas Sarkozy, her husband, has Aquarius as his star sign.
So, what about the prospects for their marriage? Well, Capricorn and Aquarius can be an OK combination, both signs being ruled by Saturn. Usually Capricorn and Aquarius will respect each other’s boundaries, and they won’t do anything silly to rock the boat. And in my description of this combination, that you can find on the elnu website, I write the following:
You’re both cool customers, and you find it easy to control your feelings. So once your relationship’s under way you’ll behave sensibly towards each other, and disagreements will be dealt with in a rational manner.
But there are other things going on. In Hindu astrology both Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy have kuja dosa. This is an affliction caused by Mars’ house placement. It’s very common, but it can cause serious damage to married life. And the rule goes, that if you’ve got kuja dosa there’s a good chance that your spouse will treat you badly. However the antidote is simple - you marry someone who has also got kuja dosa. So in this sense, it’s a great match, the president and his wife not being able to do each other much harm.
Still, there are a couple of things worth mentioning. Carla Bruni has Saturn in Aries, Nicolas Sarkozy has Mars in Aries. Mars in Aries is impulsive, it’s the warrior in action. But there’s a possibility that Carla Bruni blunts his freedom of manoeuvre, or else makes him aware of some of his limitations. So ideally she’ll respect his power and vitality, and she’ll do nothing to make him feel self-conscious. On the other hand, Sarkozy’s Saturn is conjunct his wife’s Venus. It’s possible, under certain circumstances, that Saturn could undermine Venus’ confidence. The president would therefore be advised, I think, to keep his observations about fashion, beauty, couture and style to himself, and criticism, however constructive, should probably be avoided.
What of the future? Well, I’m sure that their February 2 2008 marriage means a lot to both of them, though I wouldn’t personally have chosen that date - after all the Moon is applying to a stressful aspect to Mars. On the other hand, from a Hindu perspective the couple are very compatible, and perhaps they really are meant for each other.
As far as Mrs. Sarkozy is concerned, her big task, I believe, is to find a role for herself. There’s a possibility that until September 2009 she feels hemmed in by the high profile position she now occupies. Creating her own space could be difficult, though she might find writing and dancing to be therapeutic. Also, yellow sapphires can bring her luck.
Nicolas Sarkozy entered a ten-year Moon period at the end of December 2007. In his Hindu horoscope the Moon is strongly connected with relationships, and it’s not surprising that he got married barely a month after this period started. The Moon period is going to be mixed, and its most dangerous phase is between October 24 2008 and May 25 2009. Many of his relationships could come under strain, including some of his political alliances. Also, his enemies are going to be strong, and if he gets into a conflict with them there’s a chance he’ll come out the loser. Of course, these events might have no impact on his marriage, and be confined entirely to his political career. Nonetheless, he would be advised to find a good Hindu priest, so as to work out the best strategy for dealing with the very real challenges that he’ll soon be facing.
John McCain can only be stopped by Hillary or Death
I’m not saying for sure that Hillary Clinton would be able to stop John McCain, even if she had Barack Obama has her running mate. But as I’ve said in a previous article, there’s next to no chance of Obama, as the Democrat presidential candidate, getting a November victory.
There are just too many astrological reasons why Obama won’t make it, though please don’t think I’m jumping on the bandwagon by writing him off. I know he’s slipping in the polls, but he’s still the favourite. And the consensus amongst political commentators is that Hillary is not going to catch up with him, however well she does in Pennsylvania. I’m not going to speculate on whether or not Hillary can beat the odds and be the Democrat candidate, but yes, if Hillary were to overcome Obama I wouldn’t be quite so sure that McCain had it in the bag.
Now, we come onto the subject of death. Will John McCain die before he has a chance to either win the presidential election or take office? He’s not a young man, and he’ll be seventy-two in August. There’s certainly a long tradition, up until the Nineteenth Century, of astrologers predicting death. Indeed they often predicted people’s deaths as a way of showing off. However this is not a road I’m going to go down. Instead I’ll take a brief detour, and play around with statistics.
According to the U.S. Decennial Life Tables for 1989-91, compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 63,859 people alive at the beginning of the age interval 71-72, and 2,457 of them died sometime during this interval. We could therefore say, using these figures, that McCain’s chances of being dead by January 20 2009, when the new president is inaugurated, is 3.85%. However this date is only ten months away, not the full year, so the figure goes down to 3.21%. This compares with 0.7% for Hillary Clinton and 0.34% for Obama. And in fact John McCain is likely, on average, to live for another ten or eleven years, which will take him beyond his second term, if he manages to get re-elected.
One should also bear in mind that the figures I’ve just referred to are now out of date, and that life expectancy has increased. Also, they relate to the average American - John McCain, being financially very well off, will have access to the best preventative health care that money can buy. On the other hand being alive doesn’t necessarily mean being capable, and obviously as one grows older the chances of serious illness will increase. Still, from a statistical point of view it is very unlikely that Death will stop McCain becoming president, and there’s no reason why he can’t keep going for many years to come. And let’s not forget that Winston Churchill, one of McCain’s heros, became Prime Minister, in his second term, just short of his seventy-seventh birthday, and remained in office until he was eighty.
Looking at McCain’s official announcement for his presidential run, on April 25 2007, just after noon, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the horoscope for this time is OK without being brilliant. There is a Moon-Saturn conjunction in the first house, which is a bit of a downer, but Saturn I suppose signifies that age is going to be an issue. Fortunately the Moon is separating from Saturn, and is making a favourable aspect to Mercury, the planet of communication. Also, the Sun, ruler of the Leo ascendant, is in Taurus, in the Tenth House of career and status. Better still, it’s in early Taurus, close to the Moon’s degree of exaltation, while the Moon, being in Leo, is in the Sun’s sign. Or, to put it simply, the Sun and Moon have a beneficial relationship. And it goes without saying that the McCain official announcement chart is miles better than that of Obama.
We have a time of birth for McCain - nine in the morning, on August 29 1936, in Panama. Which makes him a Virgo with the Moon in Capricorn. He also has Libra rising. This suggests to me that we’re dealing with a man who is fairly materialistic, who is not going to compromise his core goals. Yet because of the Libra ascendant he can be friendly and affable when he feels that it’s in his best interests to be so.
McCain’s Hindu horoscope is very striking. Mercury, which is in Libra in his Western chart, goes back into Virgo and it’s placed in the First House. This Mercury is also ruler of his Tenth House, surely a signature of political success. The seventeen year Mercury period starts in April 2009, ending in 2026, and in many respects this could be one of the most productive times of his life, even if he dies before it’s finished. Yet this period starts too late to help him win the 2008 election. He must rely on the preceding nineteen year Saturn period, which began in April 1990. In general this is a period when McCain can defeat his enemies, though George Bush Junior managed to beat him in the 2000 primaries. The last two and half years of the Saturn period, from October 2006 onwards, are particularly fateful, and there are going to be extremes of experience. But if he really is up against Obama, and he manages to stay alive - which is statistically very likely - then the big prize must surely be his. Yet Obama shouldn’t be too upset about losing. Victory in November would be a poisoned chalice, as whoever wins will go down in history as a bad to mediocre president. More about that later!
Heather and Paul, Capricorn and Gemini. And the Maharishi?
Right now one of the main UK news stories is the divorce battle between Heather Mills and Paul McCartney, which has reached its climax with a settlement of over twenty-four million pounds being awarded to Heather Mills. And I suppose some astrologers will shake their heads, and say ‘I told you so, Capricorn and Gemini just don’t get on’.
Before I go further, I should say that I’m amazed at the hostility that’s been focused on Heather Mills. What’s it all about? Maybe, because at the moment I’m in Bratislava, I’m out of tune with the nuances of UK journalistic opinion. Also, I’m an astrologer, and I need to keep a distance from the baying mob. Heather Mills is a human being, with a horoscope that points to a particular destiny. And if you believe in reincarnation, you’d probably take the view that she’s brought with her onto this planet a particular Karma. But haven’t we all?
To get down to basics, and Paul McCartney is a Gemini and Heather Mills is a Capricorn. In a pure form these signs have very little in common. Capricorn tends to focus on material details, and can be very driven in its pursuit of its ambitions. Gemini, on the other hand, is a versatile sign, with a quicksilver intelligence, who likes playing with words and ideas. Do these two signs really have enough in common to get married?
Well, it all depends. Capricorns can be very good at organising people, and chaotic Geminis can benefit from such attention. Not surprisingly, if the Twins don’t need or want to be organised that can be a problem. As a contrast, Geminis can help Capricorns to lighten up - after all, the Goats can sometimes take life too seriously. Yet if Capricorns are too focused, they might remain unamused by their Gemini partner’s sense of humour.
However it’s worth noting that Heather Mills’ Moon is in Gemini. This is a key fact, and it provides a counterpoint to her Capricorn Sun. Yes, she’s a Capricorn and Capricorn is her way forward, but the Gemini Moon makes her more verbal than the average Goat, and talking is perhaps a good way for her to express and unleash her feelings. But the Gemini Moon can sometimes run ahead of itself, maybe saying things it later regrets.
The fact that Paul McCartney has Gemini as his star sign, and Heather Mills’ Moon is also in this sign, speaks volumes. It’s a point of contact, that allows the two of them to communicate. Facilitated by the fact that in McCartney’s chart the planet Mercury’s also in Gemini. Maybe, when they first met, Heather Mills came over as being more of a Gemini than a Capricorn? Remembering that in a female horoscope the Moon sign is often very strong.
Interestingly, Paul McCartney and Heather Mills got married on June 11 2002. The Sun was in Gemini on this day, and surprise, surprise, so was the Moon. From an astrological point of view, it was not a good day for nuptials. The Moon was void of course, having made its last aspect to the traditional planets before leaving the sign. Also, there was a conjunction between the Sun and Saturn, which is usually bad news.
From a Hindu perspective, Heather Mills’ Moon takes on a new slant - Indian astrologers use a slight differently Zodiac, and they would regard her Moon as being in Taurus not Gemini. Taurus is a great sign for the Moon to be in, and Heather Mills should try to love her Moon. That means making Monday, the day of the Moon, special. She might want to fast on Mondays, or else devote Mondays to her charitable activities. She should also consider wearing pearls, if she doesn’t already, because the pearl is a gemstone that’s got a strong lunar connection. If there are ethical problems with pearls, because of their animal origins, a moonstone would be a good alternative.
A final thing I noticed was that the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement, who the Beatles met in 1968, was probably born on January 12 1917. That’s exactly fifty-one years before Heather Mills’ birthday, which was on January 12 1968. I’ve no idea what impact the Maharishi had on Paul McCartney, but he was a famous guru, who presumably had the potential to impart a great deal of knowledge and wisdom. Heather Mills was perhaps another guru, albeit (I suspect) an unwitting one. We’re all here for a purpose, and through our interaction with other people we can teach them lessons - indeed be instruments by which their Karma gets worked off.
What’s Barack Obama got in common with Bill Clinton, Chavez and Mussolini?
You don’t know? Well, I’ll give you a clue - there are twelve choices. More of that in a bit.
Cutting to the chase, and Barack Obama is not going to be elected US president in 2008. And as a I look around the internet, it seems that many astrologers, using a range of techniques, have a similar view. I find this surprising, as astrologers would surely be ideal Obama supporters - fairly liberal, and also well-educated. Perhaps I’ve underestimated my own profession. Perhaps astrologers can be objective, and they can put aside their political opinions and look at the facts? Or maybe I just don’t understand what American astrologers are like. Are they all Republicans? Or all die-hard Hillary supporters?
Before commenting on Obama’s horoscope, I should point out that we don’t know for sure what his birth time is. The birth time is important, but without it we can still make some useful observations. For example, he’s a Leo. I think this is quite clear from the style of leadership he’s been presenting. It’s inspirational, and it seems to focus on him more than his policies. Under these circumstances, it might be useful to think of other Leos who have done well in politics.
There’s Bill Clinton, known for his charisma and his engaging personality - one of America’s most accomplished leaders. Across the Straits of Florida, in Cuba, we’ve got Fidel Castro, a prolific orator and someone who appears very sure that he’s in the right. On the other side of the Caribbean there’s Venezuela, and its Leo president Hugo Chavez. Hugo Chavez is a populist leader, who wants to alleviate poverty through a redistribution of wealth. Another Venezuelan-born icon with a Leo star sign was Simon Bolivar, born on July 24 1783, the champion of Latin American independence. Crossing the Atlantic, to Europe, and the absolute super-Leo was Napoleon Bonaparte, under whose leadership France got to dominate the European continent. We also shouldn’t forget the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, born on July 29 1883, as well as the Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic.
If there are any common themes about these Leo leaders, it’s their ability to inspire enormous confidence amongst their followers, a confidence that in certain cases becomes fanatical. Whatever the odds, the Leo can come up trumps, pulling victory from the jaws of defeat. However Leos greatest strength can be its greatest weakness. When Leos really believe something they can almost move mountains, their willpower being their secret weapon. Yet when the tide changes they can become stranded, not having the flexibility to adjust their beliefs. Alternatively, they can overestimate their capabilities, and get themselves into real trouble. A case of pride coming before a fall.
One potential problem that astrologers have pointed to in Obama’s horoscope is a stressful aspect between the Sun and Neptune. Obama might be confident, but he’s capable of making big mistakes - perhaps throwing everything into a particular goal, and this goal turns out to be a mirage. Or maybe he’ll fall in love with his own rhetoric?
Still, I wouldn’t regard the Sun-Neptune aspect as being an insurmountable obstacle. No chart is perfect, and in many respects I regard him as being presidential material. If one does some calculations, based on his August 4 1961 birth date, one realises that he was possibly conceived in mid-November 1960 - it was on November 8 1960 that John F. Kennedy was elected President. Obama’s conception happened at a time of great political hope – as JFK reached the peak of his political career, the seeds of a potential Kennedy were being laid down. So it’s no wonder that Obama is often compared with JFK, though maybe this comparison isn’t helpful, given Kennedy’s role in the escalation of the Vietnam War.
In American politics timing is everything, and I’m concerned that Barack Obama is running too early. Although I don’t know his time of birth, I do know that in Indian astrology he’s going through the sixteen year mahadasa of Jupiter. His Jupiter is very weak, whatever time he was born, and I’m surprised he’s got so far with it. It’s the weakest planet in his horoscope, and his Jupiter mahadasa will end at the earliest on September 29 2010, at the latest on March 25 2017 – depending, of course, on his birth time. The mahadasa following Jupiter is Saturn, and Saturn is strongly placed in his chart. This is the time when he can reach the highest office.
If you’re an Indian astrology buff, and you’re still wondering how Obama could manage to be so successful in a Jupiter mahadasa - for example getting into the senate, and running an effective campaign for the Democrat nomination, the answer might lie in the fact that his Jupiter is ‘neecha-bhanga raja yoga’. In Indian astrology a raja yoga is a ‘kingly union’, and this type of raja yoga is about the negation of ill effects. In his Indian chart his Jupiter is conjunct, and ruled by, Saturn, and this is considered fortunate. But still, it doesn’t take away from its fundamental weakness, and while his Jupiter mahadasa is in operation Obama should put himself in a position where he is leaning on powerful people, rather than being the big cheese himself.
Matters are made worse by the day chosen by Obama to announce his candidature. Numerous astrologers have picked up on its inauspicious nature. Put simply, when Obama announced his candidature, the Moon was in Scorpio, void of course. Scorpio is a sign that the Moon is not happy in, and ‘void of course’ means that the Moon has already made its last aspect before leaving the sign. In other words, the Moon is going nowhere.
So overall, I believe that Obama CANNOT WIN the Presidential Election in 2008, and he should be focusing on 2016 or later for a run on the White House. On the plus side, given the great strength of his Saturn, I don’t think defeat by McCain in November would necessarily destroy his chance of running again, assuming he beats Hillary for the nomination. And in this sense he could do a Richard Nixon, who lost against Kennedy on November 8 1960, but bounced back eight years later.
I would nonetheless advise Obama to find a way of ducking out of the big challenge in November, even if it’s a mathematical certainty that he’ll get enough delegates to win the nomination. Do a deal with Hillary, be her running mate. That way you can be Vice-President, and prepare the ground for the presidency in eight or twelve years time. I know, playing second fiddle is tough for a Leo, particularly when victory is so close. That would be a big, big sacrifice for you, but Obama, you’ve got to realise that your chances of being US president in 2009 are next to nothing. And if and when you lose in November your party might never forgive you. It’s better for you to concede the battle than lose the war!
Gemini of the week - Eliot Spitzer, Governor of New York
It’s a Gemini who is stealing the news, namely Eliot Spitzer, the Governor of New York, who is alleged to have used the services of a prostitution ring. On the face of it this seems strange, given that Spitzer has strong beliefs about what’s right and wrong, and in his career has taken a moral stance on a number of issues - such as corruption, corporate excess and price fixing.
One might ask why, hypothetically, a Gemini would hire the services of a prostitute. Well, Geminis, more than any other sign, can occupy two spaces at the same time. Being moral in one situation, being not so moral in another. And all the while the Twins will be having a busy internal dialogue. Explaining to themselves what they’re doing, perhaps using intellectual justification.
In this light, Geminis are often very intelligent, and Spitzer’s brainpower is apparently exceptional. When applying for university, his SAT scores were close to perfect.
One also needs to bear in mind that Geminis frequently get bored, and they therefore enjoy variety. If one is successful in one’s career and one has achieved many of one’s ambitions, one can feel a need for new challenges and perhaps new risks. So the idea of having something of a double life might be intellectually appealing.
Interestingly, Eliot Spitzer shares his June 10 birthday with Robert Maxwell. On the surface Maxwell was a major establishment figure, being a newspaper proprietor and a former Member of Parliament. Yet away from the public gaze he was wheeling and dealing, not to mention plundering his employees’ pension fund. Maxwell was very rich, and he didn’t need to do what he did, but perhaps he was motivated not just by greed, but also by a love of risk.
Looking at Eliot Spitzer’s horoscope in closer detail, he has a conjunction between Venus and Mars. Venus is the planet of charm, Mars is the planet of dynamism, and put together they can create massive charisma. Another politician with a Venus-Mars conjunction is no less than Bill Clinton. This conjunction is certainly attractive, and very useful for a politician, but it can be polarising, creating negative feelings amongst the electorate as well as positive ones.
Most importantly, the Venus-Mars conjunction is about sex, and people with it tend to have a strong, sexual nature. Even if they appear not to, they will be attracted to events that have a sexual connotation. In Spitzer’s case, the power of this conjunction is reinforced by the fact that it’s approximately 45 degrees from his Gemini Sun. Forty-five degrees is one eighth of the circle, and in astrological jargon he has the Sun semisquare his Venus-Mars midpoint. And in March 2008 the planet Uranus is making a powerful aspect to Spitzer’s Sun, which was surely the final, astrological trigger for his fall from grace. Uranus being the planet of accidents and sudden events… connected with sex, because of the Venus-Mars involvement.
So, what if Eliot Spitzer had consulted me, well before the trouble had started? Could I have saved his political career? The answer is possibly yes. In his horoscope he doesn’t just have the Sun on the Venus-Mars midpoint, but also Neptune, the planet of subterfuge and chaos. Uranus was triggering this configuration and it was time for him to be extra careful. However some things are meant to be, and perhaps Eliot Spitzer’s Higher Self had decided that he needed a break from politics, and it deliberately engineered a crisis.
But what’s done is done, and I could at least advise Eliot Spitzer to look after his health. I assume he is under a certain amount of stress, and according to the German astrologer Reinhold Ebertin Venus-Mars contacts can be connected with abdominal problems - the stomach, the bowels, the kidneys, the appendix. So Spitzer needs to relax and have a healthy diet. And a medical check up, with particular emphasis on the abdomen, might also be a good idea.
Gordon Brown - out of synch with his destiny?
It’s a shame the elnu website wasn’t up and running last Summer, when Gordon Brown had just become Prime Minister, when it appeared that he could do nothing wrong. I could have then gone against the grain, and safely predicted that he was in serious trouble. It /was /obvious, and maybe I could have got some real, live Brownie points for my stunningly accurate forecast. However if I make negative predictions about Gordon Brown now, in early 2008, I’m going to be accused of following the crowd.
I can nonetheless analyse the root of Gordon Brown’s problem, with reference to his Indian horoscope. According to Indian astrology, one’s life can be divided into nine phases, that last anything between six and twenty years. By looking at the horoscope one can get an idea about how lucky or unlucky a particular phase will be.
On April 8 1997 Gordon Brown entered his Moon phase. The Moon is well-placed in his Indian horoscope, being in the sign of Cancer and in a fortunate house. Just over three weeks later, on May 1 1997, the Labour Party won the General Election, and Gordon Brown was Chancellor of the Exchequer, the second most powerful person in the country after Tony Blair. The Moon phase lasted for ten years, until April 8 2007. So Gordon Brown had ten years of good luck. His party stayed in government, the UK economy prospered, he was regarded by many as a great Chancellor.
April 8 2007 saw the end of the Moon phase, and the start of a new phase, ruled by Mars, that will last seven years, until 2014. This was not going to be a fortunate period in his life, and from early September 2007 onwards the problems would really start piling up. Gordon Brown should therefore have accepted the situation - he’d had ten years in government, and when Tony Blair left office in June 2007 he should have followed him out. We had a similar situation with Margaret Thatcher. The peak of her political career was delineated by a single planetary phase, lasting from September 23 1972 through to September 23 1990. Within two months of this phase ending she was out of office.
What does this all mean? Gordon Brown would appear to be rebelling against his own destiny. His time in government should have come to a natural end in the Summer of 2007. If he’d called an election in the Autumn of 2007 the electorate could have acted as destiny’s hatchet man. However he decided to plough on, in a way that strikes me as being very unnatural. And surely he must be attracting negative energy, that could bring his political career to a close earlier than he plans.
In the British system the Prime Minister has an extremely powerful position, and it’s not unreasonable to equate the destiny of the country with the destiny of its Prime Minister. And a Prime Minister who is going through a bad phase is arguably a millstone round the country’s neck. Britain had economic prosperity from 1997 through to 2007, but it now appears that our luck is changing for the worse. Yes, there are global factors at play, that have little to do with Gordon Brown, but the problems we face are likely to be exacerbated while he stays in office.
But please understand that I’m not expressing a political opinion here - as an astrologer I can’t have political opinions. And I’m not saying that we’d be better off if the Conservatives ran the country instead. I’m just suggesting that Gordon Brown would be happier, healthier and more fulfilled if he embraced his destiny and quit government; and that Britain would be in better shape if it had a Prime Minister with a better horoscope.
Pluto goes into Capricorn! Triumph of the establishment?
Pluto is a small planetoid, that’s approximately three billion miles away from the Sun. Because of its size, astronomers have debated whether or not it’s a proper planet, and in 2006 the International Astronomical Union demoted Pluto, declaring it a ‘dwarf planet’.
I’m not going to argue with their decision, and when I do birth charts for people and companies I largely ignore Pluto. However in terms of wider trends, Pluto is a serious player. In particular, one should look at Pluto’s passage through the twelve signs of the Zodiac. When we think of star signs, we imagine that a sign lasts for a month - because the Sun appears to take a year to go through all twelve signs. Pluto, by contrast, takes 248 years to do a complete revolution. This means that on average it’s in a sign for 20 years!
For example, on September 10 1912 Pluto moved from Gemini to Cancer. Because of an astronomical phenomenon called retrograde motion, it moved back into Gemini on October 20 1912. On July 9 1913 it returned to Cancer, only to leave again on December 28 1913. The world was on the verge of a big change, but was hovering at the precipice, not sure whether to go back or forward. Finally, on May 26 1914 Pluto made its final entry into Cancer, and it stayed here until the late 1930s.
When Pluto changes sign the world quakes, and by looking at the sign it moves into, one can understand its impact. In astrology the sign Cancer is about the home, it’s also about tradition and patriotism. And whatever Pluto touches, it transforms. In Cancer transformation can be through patriotism, and the ultimate transformation is death. On June 28 1914, barely a month after Pluto’s last, decisive entry into Cancer, Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, and just over a month later the First World War had started.
Pluto in Cancer helps describe the nature of this conflict. Young men enthusiastically joining up, spurred on by their love for their country, and dying in their millions on the killing fields of Ypres, the Somme and Caporetto. So at its worst, Pluto in Cancer can be summed up by the last lines of Wilfred Owen’s famous war poem:
…The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Putting ‘the old lie’ into English, how sweet and proper it is, to die for one’s country.
Continuing on the theme of death, in the early 1980s Pluto moved into Scorpio. In astrology the sign Scorpio has a special connection with sex and the sex organs, and it was at this time that the HIV/AIDS epidemic started hitting the headlines. And it was hardly surprising, given Pluto’s position in Scorpio, that sex and death formed a strong association in the public mindset.
In January 1995 Pluto moved from Scorpio to Sagittarius. It moved back into Scorpio a few months later, but on November 10 1995 it made the final crossing - and it stayed in Sagittarius for over twelve years, entering Capricorn on January 26 2008.
So what happened between 1995 and 2008? Sagittarius is a sign that likes to enjoy itself, that also likes to travel and explore new horizons. And it’s a sign that’s very communicative, that wants to be in touch with everything going on.
From 1995 onwards there has clearly been a technological explosion, in terms of the kind of gadgetry that was available to ordinary people. The Internet has connected the world, and in some respects transformed it.
News can spread at the speed of light, websites can be created and visited in the blink of an eye. We also had the mass adoption of mobile phones. Everyone has a mobile, not just the moneyed few. And we had new types of communication, in particular the SMS.
There has of course been a travel revolution since the mid-1990s, at least in Europe. Cheap airlines have proliferated, with ticketless travel that can be booked over the Internet. And if you go to any East European capital city on a weekend you can see hordes of Britons getting blind drunk on cheap beer.
Another aspect of the travel revolution, symbolised by Pluto in Sagittarius, is the migration of workers across Europe, especially East Europeans travelling to the British Isles.
From a cultural point of view, Sagittarius can be a frivolous sign, that likes to live for the moment. And over the last dozen years obsession with celebrity has reached fever pitch. Perhaps, in some people’s eyes, fifteen minutes of fame can transform everything, which is maybe one of the reasons why reality television has become so popular. More generally, there is the idea that we can get rich quick, if not through celebrity, then through some other scheme, perhaps involving property.
So if we want to understand what it means for Pluto to be in Capricorn, we should first think about Pluto in Sagittarius. Many of its features, that we’ve taken for granted since the mid-1990s, are coming to an end. The big communication breakthroughs are over, and a technological slow-down is likely. It’s even possible that the Internet will become less of a free-for-all, as government and big business find ways of asserting control. And the days of cheap air travel are almost certainly drawing to a close. Maybe because of high fuels costs, or become of economic difficulties, or just because of changing tastes.
Pluto in Capricorn is going to make people more modest and more hard-working. They’ll recognise that transformations in wealth aren’t usually achieved through lottery wins, property speculation or being picked for Big Brother. And there’ll be a realisation that the future won’t look after itself, that it has to be prepared for. Savings, pension schemes, living within one’s means.
We also have to appreciate that it’s not a time for changing the world. For the next fifteen years, while Pluto completes its movement through Capricorn, the establishment will hold sway, and those that rebel are likely to get stomped on. So if we want to be happy and successful, we must go with the system rather than fight it.
I know, my message about Pluto in Capricorn is bleak and boring, but I’m an astrologer, not a dreamer.