Penny* Thornton's Cosmic Update

Welcome to the COSMIC UPDATE

This part of my web-site gives you an in-look at the current astrological events. I have tried to make it as readable and useful to astrologers and non-astrologers alike but this may not always be achievable. If you do come across some terms that you do not understand, you should be able to find a definition in the SCIENCE BIT. And, of course, you can always e-mail me directly with your queries and comments.

COSMIC UPDATE: 21^st May 2001

Contents: John Prescott (the British Deputy Prime Minister) packs a powerful punch.

               Palestine and Israel: the final conflict?

Last week promised to be quite a shocker and setting aside the explosive situation in the Middle East – an ongoing battle of fire, wills and beliefs that only reaches our front pages when, like Friday’s suicide bomber in a crowded shopping centre, more than two or three people are killed - the British election campaign proved to be all that was promised in its horoscope (see May 14^th’s Cosmic Update)– controversial, bloody and dirty.

Quite the news story of the week was the response given by John Prescott to an egg hurled at him by an onlooker in the crowd – someone we can assume to be less than enthused by Labour’s performance over the last four years.

On this occasion the politician failed to move on as if nothing had happened but gave a knee-jerk reaction – or shall we say fist-jerk reaction? – of the most impressive kind. A powerful left hook that knocked the missile-hurler to the ground. It was an ugly scene by anyone’s standards and since Thursday (18^th May) the debate has raged as to whether Prescott was justified in his actions. Various media poles have shown that 60% of Britons polled believed he was right.

I was surprised to discover that John Prescott was a mild mannered Gemini – he has always been the arch thug of Labour politics. Indeed he was an amateur boxer in the 1950’s. Perplexingly, the more I looked at Prescott’s horoscope the less I could find of the man we Brits have come to love and hate.

 
JOHN PRESCOTT: 31st May, 1938, Prestatyn, Wales. No Time Of Birth
(Click For Enlarged View)

Sadly, we do not have a time of birth for John Prescott but with the absence of aggression in the solar chart, we must assume that the secret of his strength lies in the ascending sign, or any planets on the angles (Mid-heaven, Imum Coeli, Ascendant, Descendant.)

A rising moon-Mars conjunction?

Since John is a burly man and prone to excess in all its forms but particularly food, drink and women, I would hazard a guess at that the moon-Mars conjunction is rising, therefore just above or below a Cancer ascendant.

John has the rounded features one would expect from the moon rising in Cancer and since planets on the ascendant have a direct influence on both the appearance and the persona aggression (Mars) combined with emotion (moon) would also supply an explanation for his feisty spirit. (And that’s putting it politely.)

Mercury conjunct Uranus

Mercury’s close proximity to rebellious Uranus also provides an astrological reason for his headstrong, argumentative, controversy-ridden behaviour. Mercury-Uranus folk are never wrong: people with this combination always know they are right - and they will argue black is white for as long as it takes to convince you. Yet, of course, Mercury-Uranus conjunctions often figure in charts of individuals who do have ideas light years ahead of their time. And they are often misunderstood, even stigmatized.

That this conjunction ‘sits’ precisely on Tony Blair’s sun in Taurus is amusing to say the least. One can only imagine that he irritates Tony beyond belief – he must be the proverbial thorn in our leader’s side. As a kind of antidote Blair’s Mars is conjunct Prescott’s sun, so whatever John dishes out he gets back in style from Tony.

Jupiter rising in Pisces; Ascendant ‘square’ moon-Mars?

Another candidate for rising sign would be Pisces, with Jupiter on the Ascendant. Prescott has the large presence of Jupiter rising  – in both literal and psychological terms – and he is a showman, with a taste for the biggest and best in life. Very Jupiter rising. And Pisces is a sentimental and somewhat chaos-ridden sign - the poet and the rake, the dreamer and the self-delusion artist are typical Piscean archetypes.

A consummate politician

Yet we must not forget that John Prescott is not without charm, influence and clout. And he did not get there by being a passenger in life. He has intelligence and fervour. And he has been elected to Parliament time and time again by his constituency. After years of being in the wilderness of the Opposition he now has one of the most influential jobs in the Cabinet. He’s obviously smart.

Sun Geminis are wonderful debaters – our leader has, of course, Gemini rising and a Mars-Jupiter conjunction on his Ascendant and he is heir to the epithet, the Great Communicator – so this is no doubt from where Prescott gets his political talent. And Venus in Cancer sweetly trining Jupiter in Pisces supplies a reason for his ability to charm the birds of the trees when he wants to.

Last thought

I had never given much thought to John Prescott until last Thursday’s fisticuffs but in a strange way the incident has made me like him, or at least warm to him. His actions make him real. I wonder if this feeling doesn’t resonate with many people. And also in a strange way perhaps this will win him and Labour more voters. As they say, there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Rock on John.

Palestine and Isreal.

I cannot let this week’s Cosmic Update go without a brief look at the worsening situation in the Middle East. Even as I write, the hostilities are escalating. The robust response (air strikes on key Palestine quarters) from the Israelis to Friday’s slaughter of sixteen people in a shopping centre has brought criticism from political commentators and some world leaders alike. Such sabre-rattling phrases as: ‘the approach of the definitive battle for Jerusalem’ and Charon’s promise to put the full weight of the Israel military behind defending its territory have an apocalyptic ring to them.

This might seem like ‘more of the same old same old’ but with a sun-Saturn conjunction on its way (highly active between the 23^rd and 25^th of May), a sun-moon-Pluto opposition (4^th June) and the second of the year’s eclipses (a total solar eclipse at 0 degrees Cancer on the 21^st June) we could be heading into some dangerous territory. And an outright war is not out of the question.

There have been calls for President Bush to intervene – Bill Clinton had a very hands-on approach to the Middle East situation, which is sadly lacking in evidence with Bush. However, perhaps we shall now see the strength of his rising Mercury-Pluto conjunction (see Jan 15^th’s Cosmic Update) and his diplomatic moon-Jupiter conjunction in Libra.