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Weekly Hello
MONDAY, June 23 – SUNDAY, June 29
Hello!
One of the astrological reasons 2025 has been a year like no other – and we’re only half-way through – is because the degree areas of various planets are the same or similar. In this way, several planets are constantly resonating with each other and making a big “noise”. A bit like a full symphony orchestra – woodwind, brass, percussion and strings – belting out a major theme. You’re going to feel the vibration. It’s not just about Pluto, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Jupiter in different signs.
So, here we are this week with two major configurations making up a third. It’s going to be a week of great vibrations. I’ve gone into this in a little more detail in my current Friday Bite and on my new video which is set to go live at 5:00 pm UK time.
Wednesday’s new moon in Cancer is conjunct Jupiter – a truly positive combination. If you’re celebrating anything special, this is the perfect astro-scape for a truly unforgettable occasion. However, the new moon is squaring the Saturn-Neptune conjunction and inconjunct Pluto, so while the good will be great the bad will be horrible.
There is also a Mercury-Pluto opposition to bear in mind, which gets stronger as the week goes by. While this duo can preside over deep and profound exchanges of the most positive kind it is also the epitome of the dark arts at work, particularly in geo-political terms.
Food for thought on the day the light lasts longest – the summer solstice.
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With love,
Friday Bite
Astrology of the Week’s Main Global Events
by
Penny Thornton
Friday Bite 20 June 2025
Will he? Won’t he?
“Will you walk a little faster?” said a whiting to a snail,
“There’s a porpoise close behind us, and he’s treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle—will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
‘I think things have gotten so bad inside Iraq, from the standpoint of the Iraqi people, my belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators,’ March 16, 2003, US Vice President Dick Cheney on NBC’s Meet the Press.
‘My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources … What we’re giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence,‘ February 5, 2003 Colin Powell, US secretary of state addressing the UN Security Council, and describing purported evidence of Iraqi WMDs.
“There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tend[s] to be the difficult ones.” – Donald Rumsfeld, US Secretary of Defence 12 February, 2002.
“Bomb Fordo and be done with it.” 18 June, 2025 – John Bolton, former National Security Advisor to Donald Trump
WHEN LAST WEEK’S Friday Bite was published, Israel had just struck Iran. Since then, missiles and drones have been traded daily. The damage inflicted on Iran – Israel has killed 21 of its 22 senior military figures and 10 of its 12 nuclear scientists – is enough to compromise Iran’s ability to fight back with equal force, but it comes at a time when the country is already diminished by the ineffectiveness of its proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas.
Israel has maintained its strike on Iran is pre-emptive and aimed at destroying its capacity to develop a nuclear weapon so that it cannot fulfil its vow to wipe Israel from the face of the earth. However, without the use of “bunker buster” bombs to penetrate kilometres deep into the earth where the most critical nuclear enrichment facility is located (Fordo), such an aim would appear unachievable. If Israel is to succeed in rendering Iran toothless, it needs the bunker buster bombs, which it does not have, but the United States does.
Without going into the long, long saga of relations between Iran and the United States, recent diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions ended in failure with the result that President Trump is considering sending the United States Air Force and its MOPs (Massive Ordnance Penetrators) to join Israel in its mission to end the Iranian threat.
While Donald Trump is said to have approved attack plans on Iran, he has not made a decision as to whether to deploy its MOPs or formally join Israel’s air campaign. He has given peace a chance for two more weeks. To that end, European leaders are meeting with Iran’s counterpart in Geneva today.
I am going to cut to the chase and look to the astrology to shed light on the big question: will the US join Israel in its war against Israel. I wrote those words at 15:40 this afternoon. Here is the horoscope of that moment.
I am not an expert at horary, but I know enough to be able to establish that this is an “on” chart, and therefore worthy of our consideration. Twenty-five degrees of Libra rises. Venus, the ruler, is placed in the seventh house of partners and “open enemies”. Venus is making no major aspect to any other planet, therefore it acts in a random, unintegrated fashion. The Moon, however, is in Aries (a Mars-ruled sign) and forming an applying sextile to the Sun, the ruler of the tenth house (aims and objectives), which is situated in the ninth house of foreign interests. With the two luminaries in aspect, and in harmony, plus the Moon in the Mars-ruled sign of Aries, I believe this delivers a big yes. Plus, Mars, the planet of war, is inconjunct Pluto, on the one hand, and the Saturn-Neptune conjunction on the other, thereby becoming the focal point of a Yod configuration.
The verdict of the horary: the USA will join Israel in its war against Iran.
What, however, is even more fascinating is the presence of Pluto on the IC, which forms part of two Yod configurations, which I will explore shortly. Plus, the Ascendant-Descendant axis is within a couple of degrees of Israel’s natal Ascendant-Descendant axis, and the Mid-heaven is Israel’s Moon. Furthermore, Jupiter at two degrees of Cancer is conjunct the USA’s natal Venus-Jupiter conjunction, which just happens to be located in the seventh house of partners and “open enemies”. That the horary chart connects to planets and points in both Israel’s and the USA’s natal chart gives even greater authenticity.
It may not have escaped notice that we are within hours of the summer solstice, the point of the year at which the Sun appears to stand still in the heavens for three days. At 23:43 Friday night on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States (03:43 on Saturday morning in the UK and 12:43 Sydney time) the Sun will arrive at zero degrees of Cancer, one of the four cardinal signs, and one of four points of the year that a chart can be erected for the capital of a country in order to see the omens for the coming quarter.
Pluto is rising in America’s ingress chart, which suggests that the next three months are going to be transformation-in-a-bottle for the country. That Pluto is inconjunct the Sun-Jupiter conjunction, on the one hand, and Mars (in the seventh house of partners and “open enemies”) on the other, indicates conflict (Mars) and great force (Sun-Jupiter) are part of the transformation process. In this configuration, Pluto is the protagonist, and therefore the planet whose influence is superior. The experience/events that the Yod represents are funnelled through Pluto, while Pluto’s properties of elimination, reformation and death and rebirth are at the heart of the matter.
A Yod, also referred to as a Finger of Fate, is an interesting configuration because it is made up of one sextile and two inconjunctions – a mix of conflict and resolution.
But there is not just one Yod but two. The second configuration also involves Pluto, this time in sextile to the Saturn-Neptune conjunction, both of which are inconjunct Mars, the planet of war.
Some of you may also have noticed that these two Yods form part of a larger configuration, which I have indicated by dotted lines in the horary chart. Rather than pick apart the additional formation, planet by planet, simply take away the understanding that when planets and points are on the same degrees, yet different signs, they are resonating with each other and generating a huge “vibration” and therefore presiding over significant events.
It is hard not to see the coming period as one of turmoil for the United States, even though the Yods portend resolution, while not a happy ending as such.
However, these same configurations are present for all countries in the world. They’re just going to fall in different parts of a horoscope. So, there is no place in the world that won’t go through some upheaval and chaos, albeit for different reasons, in the near future. What will make events even more significant for any one country, of course, is if any of those planets contained in the Yods fall on the angles.
Since I am nearing the deadline for this Friday Bite, I don’t have enough time to go into detail about the above charts but I have discussed all three summer solstice horoscopes in my video, which is due to go up on Saturday (21st June) at 17:00 UK time. Nor have I had time to explore the midpoint combinations, which are most revealing. For instance, Reinhold Ebertin (Combination of Stellar Influences) interprets Pluto at the midpoint of the Sun and Mars as:
Fanaticism… unscrupulous procedure… violence (war).
What is significant about the Israeli Ingress chart is the rising Sun-Jupiter conjunction, which is part of one Yod and squared by the Neptune-Saturn conjunction. That the attack on Iran was given the name of Operation Rising Lion is emblazoned on that rising Sun-Jupiter conjunction. That it will lead to huge consequences that cannot be foreseen is another feature of this configuration.
As for the United Kingdom, with Pluto on the Midheaven, not only might the nation be drawn into the conflict, albeit tangentially, but major events surrounding the country’s leadership, which involve both the government and the monarchy, look to be in the pipeline.
You know what I’m going to say. We live in interesting times…
Friday Bite 13 June 2025
Mayhem
“When the public fears their government, there is tyranny. When the government fears its people, there is liberty.’’ Thomas Jefferson
“We have no kings here, we have no queens here, we have no emperors, we have no dictators, we have no despots, and we have no serfs and no slaves and no subjects, and none of us is a subject to Donald Trump. None of us is a subject to Mike Johnson. We are all citizens, those of us who aspire and attain to public office are nothing but the servants of the people. And the minute that somebody in public office thinks that they’re a king, they’re a queen, they’re an emperor, they’re a dictator, that is time for the people to evict, eject, reject, impeach, try, convict, and start all over again, because the most important words of our Constitution are the three first words of the Constitution: ‘We the people.’” Jamie Raskin. Democrat Representative, MD
ASTROLOGY SINGS! Unfortunately, on this occasion, in a discordant fashion. Before I get into the singular events of the past seven days, I want to give a shout-out to astrology. An unprecedented cluster of difficult transits augured a period of upheaval, conflict and disaster – disaster being a particularly appropriate word because it derives from Italian disastro which in turn is derived from the Greek “dys” (ill) and “astro” (star): ill-starred. That all the events happened under this planetary canopy demonstrates unequivocally that astrology has a bearing on the affairs of man. We may not be able to see the actual events that are to take place, but we can recognize that the time is ripe for pivotal, life-changing developments. And we must be conscious of the messages those events are sending.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed on take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad on Thursday was the worst air disaster in India’s history. Two hundred and forty-two passengers and eight people on the ground were killed. One man walked out of the wreckage, relatively unscathed. That single survivor, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, had a truly miraculous escape.
Normally, I avoid looking into the astrology of an air crash until the impact of the disaster has lessened. However, on this occasion, I was struck by the connections the chart made with that of India.
The angles of the charts of India and the crash of the Dreamliner are interconnected. The Moon at the time (three degrees Capricorn is within minutes of India’s Midheaven and part of a T-square (Moon opposition Jupiter, Mercury and MC – squaring Neptune, Saturn and the Descendant). If nothing else the astrology is underscoring the enormity of the incident in terms of India’s history. However, it may also have a larger meaning in that it is an external manifestation of far more explosive and dangerous forces gathering within.
This random, devastating event has come at a time when India is well on its way to becoming a super-power and exerting its influence on global affairs. (India has surpassed China to become the most populous country in the world, and its $3 trillion economy, already the fifth-largest, is growing at a faster rate than any other major nation.) However, it is also beginning a seven-year period of intense transformation, which could result in its becoming a fully-fledged a super-power to rival China, but the country could just as easily implode.
India’s MC-IC axis (3 degrees Capricorn-Cancer) and its Ascendant-Descendant axis (five degrees Aries-Libra) is the focus of the Neptune-Saturn conjunction. And since natal Uranus is 1 degree Cancer and conjoined to the IC, the Neptune-Saturn conjunction is squaring that too. Pluto at 3 degrees Aquarius is a hair away from its natal Sun and squaring its natal Moon. The recent “skirmish” with Pakistan is a warning of how easily the two countries could come to all-out war again and the Western Himalayan border between India and China is another potential flashpoint.
A MATTER OF hours after the crash of Air India flight 171, Israel struck Iran. Operation “Rising Lion” was chiefly aimed at Iran’s nuclear facilities but it also targeted its military commanders and scientists. The attack should not have come as a surprise to Iran nor indeed the world since the day before the United States withdrew its diplomats from Iraq and urged military personnel and their families to leave the country.
Less than three hours before Israel launched its first wave of attacks against Iran, President Trump reiterated that the United States was committed to its diplomatic efforts with Iran. Nevertheless, support for Israel, particularly among Republican leaders, remains strong.
In his address on Friday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a powerful argument for striking Iran and taking out its nuclear capability before it posed a nuclear threat to the western world, not just Israel. The next few days should reveal how successful Israel has been in weakening Iran without inspiring all-out war.
THE PREVAILING WAVE of discord and disaster has been taking place on an applying Mars-Uranus square, backed by a Venus-Pluto square and Mercury’s square to Neptune and Saturn. Quite the explosive cocktail. It has presided over President Trump’s decision to send the National Guard into Los Angeles to deal with demonstrators protesting raids by federal agents at workplaces. A controversial action which he compounded by sending in the marines. To many observers, and certainly to Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, sending in the California National Guard without his consent was not only illegal but entirely disproportionate to the level of protests.
In response to the protests in LA, other US cities – New York, Washington DC and San Antonio, Texas among them – have joined in.
I should also mention that heavy-handed dealings by federal agents are not just limited to workers in the Los Angeles fashion district. On Thursday, Alex Padilla, California democrat senator, was forcibly removed, thrust to the ground and handcuffed by Secret Service and FBI agents after attempting to ask Kristy Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, a question at a press conference.
And all this before Saturday’s spectacular military parade on the streets of Washington DC.
I REFERRED TO this unprecedented occasion in last week’s Bite. I was already concerned that the Mars-Uranus square was not only exact on Saturday, but in high focus at the time of the parade and impacting Donald Trump’s natal Mars. And that was before the president called in the National Guard and Israel attacked Iran. In light of such things the danger posed in the chart of the event is even greater.
You couldn’t make it up. A huge military parade at one end of the country and a massive military presence on the streets of a major city on the other. Many generals have voiced concerns about the wisdom of such a parade and the dangers it poses at this time. Not only are the optics bad: the cost of the event is rumoured to be between $25 – $100 million and a time when the administration is cutting hundreds of thousands of jobs, but there is a danger of the parade turning into a “Tiananmen Square” which saw a lone protestor placing himself in front of a tank.
This parade is honouring the United States Army – it is its 250th anniversary – however it is also President Trump’s 79th birthday. And ever since he was present at the Bastille Day parade in Paris in 2017 he has always wanted one. In his first term, the Pentagon prevailed – General Paul Selva maintaining “Dictatorships do that. Democracies don’t.” and former Defence Secretary, Jim Mattis, declaring he would rather swallow acid – but Pete Hegseth, the current Secretary of Defence, is keen to humour his president.
And so we have this hugely controversial event taking place at an astrologically inauspicious time.
Mars is in a prominent position. It is the most elevated planet and in one of the key Gauquelin zones. (Although Michel Gauquelin’s research in the 1950s/1960s/1970s was related to famous sportsmen et cetera, I consistently find his key areas to be highly relevant in “ordinary” natal charts and mundane horoscopes.) Mars is exactly square Uranus, which is angular (on the Descendant) and therefore super-strong. The Moon has just conjoined Pluto and is squaring Venus (ruler of the Descendant – partners and enemies – and the 11th house of collaborations and group interests and activities). This chart is at the very least redolent with simmering tensions but it is hard to see how the event could go ahead without some kind of incident. Maybe any protest will be swiftly dealt with or hushed up, but there will be repercussions.
There are a matter of hours to go before this big beautiful parade takes place. It might go off without incident. It might not. But however it unfolds, it is emblematic of how the United States has changed in less than five months. Who would have thought we would see such scenes in the streets of America’s cities and the halls of Congress. And who would have thought we’d see a Kremlin style parade in this once great democracy. This is what a Pluto return and a Neptune-Saturn conjunction to a nation’s IC can do.