Friday Bite 31 July 2026

Earthquakes and Escalation

“We are going to beat the f*cking sh*t out of them. We’ll be hitting them hard. They’re going to get a beating.” Donald Trump, 29 July.

“We consider the strait as an achievement of the recent imposed war and a divine gift to the great Iranian nation… Tehran will not back down from asserting its rights over Hormuz.” Ali Nikzad, Iran’s deputy speaker of parliament, 29 July

“The president can’t change the country on his own. But what can he do? He can give an example.” Volodymyr Zelensky.

ON MY LIST of topics for this Friday Bite was the earthquake that struck the Kumamoto peninsula in Japan. For a moment, I caught myself thinking that this deadly quake was last week, not three days ago. That’s how accelerated time is becoming, maybe not in literal terms but psychological. As one jaw-dropping development follows another in quick succession, not only is there too little time to absorb and process each event but when we do recall it, it seems to have happened ages ago.

When I posted the Bite last Friday, Donald Trump was considering a “massive attack…bigger than ever before” on Iran. By the weekend, he’d had an abrupt change of mind and the tit-for-tat strikes stopped. Apparently, diplomatic talks between Iran and the United States were going well. Then suddenly, out of the blue, on Tuesday, Iran struck US bases in Jordan.

The significance of this attack cannot be underestimated; it represents the first offensive surprise strike by Iran and illustrates the state’s growing confidence in its position. And the timing wasn’t accidental. At the time, Donald Trump was meeting with Zelensky and Netanyahu at the White House, prior to the funeral of Lindsey Graham.

Last week the much-hyped Basket configuration became exact. This week, the full moon in Aquarius triggered that alignment with some spectacular results, not least the earthquake in Japan.

On 28 July, at 16:27 local time, an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Japanese Shindo scale hit the Kumamoto peninsula, killing thirty-five people and injuring dozens more. After the initial quake, more than one hundred aftershocks followed. On the same day, South Korea temporarily halted trading as tech stocks tumbled and its Kospi index plunged more than ten percent. Plus, Iran made its first offensive surprise strike on US territory.

What is significant about the above chart is that it occurred as Uranus precisely squared the MC-IC axis and Mars conjoined the Descendant exactly squaring Venus. And Uranus is part of the Basket configuration, which is made up of the other two outer planets and Jupiter at 4+ degrees of Leo, Aries, Gemini and Aquarius. The Descendant at 23 degrees of Gemini was five degrees away from Japan’s Moon (28 degrees Gemini), which also happens to be at the opposite point of the Galactic Centre (currently 27 degrees Sagittarius).

The planets do not cause events, but they form a narrative which reflects them. In this way, an eruption of the earth in one location takes place as markets tumble elsewhere and in other parts of the world events of global significance occur.

One of the most important facets of the current alignment is that it represents a point in time at which the seeds of much greater developments are being sown. André Barboult, after whom this Basket is named, saw it both as the beginning of a “Golden Age” but also as a time of strife. And we should look at these apparently isolated incidents and see them merging into one great event over time.

On Saturday, Ukraine attacked an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea, a strategically vital route between Iran and Russia. Ukraine justified its attack by asserting that the vessel was transporting military equipment between Russia and Iran. With this action, two theatres of two different wars became one, one in which the United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Russia, Ukraine and North Korea are involved.

All great conflicts have a date upon which they officially began: The French Revolution, 14 July 1789, the American Civil War, 12 April 1861, World War I, 28 July 1914 and World War II, 1 September 1939. Great conflicts may have begun on those dates, but the seeds were sown, months if not years, beforehand. The thing is, a global conflict is not an inevitability. It is not inexorably written in the stars. Why? Because we have free will and we can make choices; our leaders can make choices.

The above chart is set for Wednesday’s full moon in Aquarius from the perspective of Washington DC. The configurations will remain the same whatever the country and the time zone. What changes are the angles of the chart and the houses. The Basket configuration is outlined in black, now with the full moon and the Jupiter-Pluto opposition forming the base. Additionally, outlined in red, is the Venus-Mars midpoint, which falls almost exactly on the full moon degree of 6 degrees 30ʹ Leo/Aquarius. The closeness of these aspects is what makes events that take place at this time so significant.

Its importance for the United States in particular cannot be underestimated. Not only does the Venus-Mars midpoint pick up the full moon and the Jupiter-Pluto opposition but it is the natal nodal axis of the country and thus deeply connected with its fate. Mars at 21 degrees Gemini is the US natal Mars, taking us clearly into the field of battle – Mars is emblematic of assertiveness, passion, courage and conflict. And then there is Saturn. It may not be part of the configuration but at 14 degrees of Aries and opposing America’s natal Saturn it is adding another layer of trauma.

The United States is currently experiencing its Saturn opposition, which is always a trying period for nations just as it is for individuals. We need to take accountability for our actions on a Saturn opposition to its natal position; while we may reap a rich harvest, more often than not, we experience failure and setbacks. The purpose of this transit is to acquire strength through adversity. However, without recognizing the part we have played in our own demise, that opportunity is lost and an even harder set of lessons will greet us further down the road. And with a president who never acknowledges failure and never ever backs down, the future is looking bleak, not only for the United States but for us all.

Nevertheless, I will stand by my belief that different choices make for different outcomes, so although the events that have taken place under such portentous signs have the capacity to lead to a global confrontation, such an eventuality is by no means inevitable.

Friday Bite 24 July 2026

Gate of Tears

“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran,” Donald Trump, 22 July.

 “I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it.” Donald Trump, 23 July.

“We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years. A new political model and a new economic model.” Andy Burnham, 20 July.

Bab el-Mandeb translates as Gate of Tears.

THE SUN IS out, the barbie on and people are gathering to share good times and warm beer. How normal is that. So, what was all that hype about an epic configuration? Has anything changed? Did aliens land and we ascend? Did we find a cure for Alzheimer’s or the Pope resign? No. But take a moment, and you’ll see that developments in the Middle East are escalating and leading toward a conclusion with massive consequences for us all. We are at a tipping point.

This configuration deserves all the hype it has generated.

That Andy Burnham has become prime minister of Great Britain under this alignment means either he is a consequential leader or that events of great consequence will occur while he is at the helm. (I suspect the latter.) I discussed Mr Burnham in last week’s Bite and the one before so I’m not going to spend time in this one speculating on his future, however, I would like to add that he took power as Mercury (16 degrees of Cancer) squared a Moon-Saturn opposition, and since Mercury was conjunct the Midheaven, that T-square becomes a Grand Cross. Not only that but 16 degrees of Cancer is opposite Burnham’s natal Sun and Great Britain’s Mercury. Given the way he came to power, all the hoops he had to go through, the astrology supports the perception that Burnham is where he has to be at this crucial time for Britain.

Let us turn now to the Middle East. It’s hard to believe that it was only four weeks ago that the United States and Iran signed the Memorandum of Understanding. As we now know, the content of that agreement appeared to give Iran the right to control shipping in the strait of Hormuz. However, two days after signing, Trump encouraged commercial vessels, their transponders turned off (violating Article 5), to sail through the strait’s southern passageway, allowed Israeli operations to continue in Lebanon (violating Article 1) and demanded that Iran’s newly unfrozen assets be spent on US grain (violating Article 11). Iran immediately retaliated by sending drones to attack shipping in the strait. Every day since then, tit for tat strikes have occurred, and all the while the two nations have traded threats of ever more dire consequences.

On Monday (20 July) the Iranian-backed Houthis based in Yemen announced that they intended to block the Bab al-Mandeb strait between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. And on Wednesday, they attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. Today (Friday) the militia announced that they were closing the strait only to Saudi Arabian vessels. By closing off this alternative passageway international oil supplies are severely compromised.

On Thursday, President Trump let it be known he was considering a massive attack on Iran.

I’m not a military expert but I do read the opinions of those who are. Robert Pape, professor of political science at the University of Chicago and advisor to every presidential administration from 2001 – 2024 suggests that Trump is “trapped in an escalation ladder with no clear offramp.” The administration has two equally undesirable choices, “either accept Iran as the dominant power in the Persian Gulf or launch a ground invasion to seize a symbolic piece of territory before the global economy runs out of oil.” Pape draws a parallel with Lyndon B. Johnson and the dilemma he faced with the escalation of the Vietnam situation; the former president later admitting that he knew his military options were unlikely to succeed but at least they would avert a defeat in the election.

Pape’s assessment of Trump’s options is blunt: “He’s pursuing military options he likely knows are unlikely to work, but they’re his best chance to open Hormuz before the [oil] crisis hits.”

One thing we know about Donald Trump is that failure is not an option. The American president effectively backed down once with the Memorandum of Understanding disguising it as a victory for America – and we can see how that worked out – and he is unlikely to do so a second time. Already, there are thousands of troops in the region, 5-6 warships inside the Persian Gulf and over 20 just outside. They’re not just there as window dressing.

Astrology is a language. The planets, their cycles, degree areas, aspects, signs and houses make up that language in the same way that 21 consonants and 5 primary vowels make up the English language. Astrology is also a code. And to crack the code you have to search for patterns. The above chart of the exact Jupiter-Pluto opposition taken from the perspective of America is not just a snapshot of that moment in time with an Ascendant, a Midheaven and nine planetary bodies arrayed inside a 360-degree horoscopic circle, it is a code. It is conveying vast troves of information.

Jupiter-Pluto oppositions, as I have mentioned before, have a boom-bust effect, which is discernible in economic crashes throughout history. Jupiter and Pluto, mighty planets in their different ways – Jupiter because it is the largest planet in our solar system and symbolic of expansion and Pluto because it is the densest planetary body in our solar system and emblematic of transformation. This particular Jupiter-Pluto opposition is caught up in a series of sextiles with Uranus and Neptune and so has an even greater potential to boost and transform aspects of our existence. Pluto is associated with subterranean resources, hidden wealth and dark power; as such it has dominion over crude oil. Jupiter resonates with power, wealth and fortune. Neptune governs liquids hidden deep underground – oil, petroleum and gas. And while Uranus has nothing to do with oil and energy per se, it has a relative role to play in the enrichment of uranium.

This configuration – Barbault’s Basket – has everything to do with the oil crisis that has been building for months and is now at a tipping point and threatening global stability.

If we look a little more closely at the above chart, there are other hidden messages that reveal the potential within this configuration. On the day of the Jupiter-Pluto opposition, the Sun was 27 degrees of Cancer, the opposite point to the United States’ Pluto and conjunct the Moon at the launch of Operation Epic Fury. The Ascendant at 23 degrees of Virgo is a degree away from the United States’ Neptune and the Venus of Operation Epic Fury. At this moment in time Saturn is precisely opposite America’s natal Saturn and squaring its natal Sun while Mars at 15 degrees of Gemini is three degrees away from the United States’ Mars, and the Midheaven within a degree of the US Mars.

Defeat, war, hubris, vanity, treachery and duplicity are writ large in these things.

Next Wednesday, the full moon at six degrees of Aquarius will conjoin Jupiter, oppose Pluto and so trigger the Basket. Six degrees of Aquarius also just happens to be America’s south node. At the very least the Iran situation will come to a head next week, which doesn’t mean there will be a ground invasion – maybe Saudi Arabia will pull a masterstroke and cool things down, after all full moons breed closure – however, given everything I have explored and Donald Trump’s character, I believe we are likely to see boots on the ground, and if not next week then on and around the Leo solar eclipse of 12 August.