Friday Bite 16 October 2026

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

“Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America.” Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) 9 October

“I have just concluded a highly successful discussion with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia… Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!” Donald Trump, 8 October

“You know, it [Trump’s diesel deal with Putin] looks like a happy birthday present for Putin. It looks absolutely terrible… This is not the right side of history.” Volodymyr Zelensky, 14 October.

I IMAGINE SOME of you have forgotten the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Panama last Friday. Such is the pace of events. During the past seven days, earthquakes of a different variety have shaken up the global order of things.

Here is a picture of the moment the earthquake struck Pitaloza Arriba in south-central Panama. The chart will serve to show the prevailing influences of the time. In terms of earthquakes, there are some familiar themes: Uranus is conjunct one of the angles – the IC in this case – and it is part of the Basket formation created by a Mars-Pluto opposition and a series of sextiles to Neptune/Saturn and Uranus. Jupiter is another prime mover, placed at 21 degrees of Leo and conjunct another angle – the Descendant. 21 degrees of Leo is within minutes of August 12’s total solar eclipse, which, as you will see, continues to exert its influence on the fortunes of certain leaders.

Last Friday, Donald Trump announced that he had reached a deal with Vladimir Putin whereby Russia would release 300,000 tonnes of diesel immediately” to the American and global marketplace” followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and a further one million after that. Huge as these numbers appear, the amount of diesel oil Russia is to release represents between one and three days of consumption by the United States. Plus, it appears that Russia’s supply of diesel has been so compromised by Ukraine’s attacks on its refineries, that it is importing diesel from India.

On Sunday, Trump announced that a ceasefire had been agreed by both Russia and Ukraine. Sadly, Zelensky knew nothing about any energy ceasefire nor had Moscow agreed to any such thing. Zelensky, in good faith, stopped attacks on Russia’s refineries for three days but resumed after Russia spent those three days pummelling Ukraine with missiles and drones. And all the while the American president continued to berate the Ukrainian leader and blame him for soaring oil prices, “Zelensky could have settled this war many, many times. Many, many times… he wants to make problems for the world… it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.”

Worse was to come. On Tuesday, access to Starshield, part of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system used by Ukraine for battlefield communications and drone operations was limited. Elon Musk declared he had nothing to do with it since Starshield was owned and controlled by the US government. (Yesterday, officials at the Defense Department revealed that they had received a message from inside the White House to slow the Starshield service for the Ukrainian military.)

While supporters of Trump’s recent actions regarding Ukraine and Russia, including the co-leader of Germany’s right wing AfD party Alice Weidel, claim his motivations are entirely altruistic and aimed at stopping the bloodshed, to others Trump’s behaviour is nothing less than treasonous. America siding with Russia against a European ally would have been unthinkable before this president came into office.

Earlier this month, Trump talked about an “October surprise”. Maybe there is a big surprise to come, but a US president siding with the Kremlin would fit the bill. As for the real reasons behind Trump’s attempt to negotiate a ceasefire deal between Zelensky and Putin, surely they must lie in his increasingly desperate attempts to ensure Congress and the Senate do not fall into Democrat hands at the midterm elections, a mere seventeen days away.

Almost lost amid the gathering storm over the United States’ stance on the war in Ukraine, the Iranian backed Houthis in Yemen have been mounting increasingly deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia. Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia’s international airport was attacked by Houthi missiles and drones and yesterday they fired missiles at the presidential complex in Aden (Southern Yemen). This long-standing conflict is threatening to morph into a much larger war.

In late September, Mars began its opposition to Pluto, which became exact on 3 October as Mercury squared Pluto, Venus turned retrograde and the Sun opposed Saturn. Today, Pluto is stationary-direct and on Tuesday Venus will square Pluto, this time in retrograde. And in ten days’ time (26 October) a full moon at 2 degrees 48’ of Taurus will precisely square Pluto. Were we not to be at a critical point for global relations, it would be a surprise. As it is, the world order is transforming before our very eyes.

I have been waiting for this period of 2026 for more than a year. I expected there to be crucial developments in the Ukraine war and in the life and leadership of Vladimir Putin. Despite Putin’s strong man tactics, his position is far from inviolable. He fears assassination and spends his time moving in secret from one residence to another. Russia’s economy is suffering and with more than 500,000 Russian soldiers killed in the conflict, just how long he can command the trust and loyalty of the people is debatable. And we should keep our eyes on the approaching full moon in Taurus, which like all full moons indicates the end of a chapter.

The natal chart I have been using for Putin, which is not altogether reliable since he may have been born in 1950, finds transiting Pluto squaring his Ascendant-Descendant axis from a fourth house perspective and transiting Uranus retrograding toward his Moon – both of which suggest a change of address! Transiting Saturn has recently opposed his Sun and will return for the third and final time in March next year. Saturn-Sun transits are debilitating even if in Putin’s case they provoke an even firmer grip on power. And the recent new moon at 17 degrees Libra fell on his natal Saturn. Old scores need to be settled, karma is playing into developments.

And then there is the total solar eclipse in Leo, which took place on 12 August. Eclipses have long timelines, and since this eclipse fell on his Midheaven and Pluto – his role in life – we are beginning to see what it foretold. The lunar eclipse two weeks later squared his natal Moon.

In the chart above I have also outlined in red an interesting configuration made up of Pluto squaring his Ascendant-Descendant axis and opposing his solar arc progressed Jupiter, which will be triggered by the forthcoming full moon at 3 degrees of Taurus-Scorpio. Could this preside over an almighty push to end the war or a massive overreach of his power?

Putin’s leadership began on 1 January, 2000 yielding a chart with 25 degrees of Leo rising (Russia’s Ascendant) and Venus conjunct a Taurus Midheaven. At this point in time, Uranus is hovering over Mars inspiring unexpected events of an explosive nature while Neptune is squaring the Moon, suggesting a waning of his authority and giving more than a nod to “what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive”. The August solar eclipse squared natal Saturn while the lunar eclipse squared Mars. Again, the influence of Saturn suggests a heavy dose of what-goes-around-comes-around, which makes me think that Putin’s current actions are not going to end well.

You’re probably ahead of me here. That August solar eclipse, which fell on Putin’s Midheaven and squared his leadership Saturn conjoined Zelensky’s IC. Here again, we are seeing the promise of that eclipse beginning to be fulfilled. Zelensky is at risk. Not only the eclipse but also transiting Pluto is conjoining his Sun-Venus conjunction while progressed solar arc Neptune is also conjunct the Sun and Venus. The aforementioned Basket configuration connects with his natal Mars in Leo and the approaching full moon will square his natal Chiron.

These transits and progressions do not bode well for the Ukrainian president.

I hate to end on such a discouraging note, but we cannot ignore the astrology and the concerted attempt by the Trump regime to get Zelensky to capitulate. We can but hope that in the fullness of time good does indeed triumph over evil, and we shall see an end to this US administration and Putin’s rule.

NB Definition of absolute power corrupting absolutely:

Possessing unlimited, unchecked authority completely destroys an individual’s ethical sense and accountability.

Friday Bite 9 October 2026

Smoke Without Fire

“Of course we’re going to do it at Fort Hood, and do it on a Thursday and we’re going to do it at 1 o’clock — which is when he [Major Hassan] did it — and it’s going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad. It hadn’t been since World War II since we’ve done that.” Pete Hegseth, 8 October.

“What we’re seeing is an ongoing genocide and the displacement of the Palestinian people… that’s clearly racism.’  Zak Polanski, leader of the Green Party.

ALMOST AS SOON as I’ve posted the Friday Bite, I begin taking notes on the next major national and international developments so by the time I lift the lid on my laptop the following Friday, I can have reams of information. As happened this past week. Top of that list was the news that the United States had pulled all its bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Various reasons were given by the White House: according to Marco Rubio, there was “nothing to see here”, it was simply “a routine reallocation of resources” while JD Vance spoke of “an abundance of caution”. Not so the President who claimed the aircraft had been removed because of the risk of a drone attack ordered by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

It was the start of a busy week.

• 5 October: Andrew Mountbatten Windsor launched a legal challenge against Thames Valley Police seeking a judicial review over the lawfulness of his high-profile arrest and search warrants executed at his properties last February. This won’t make a difference to the charges against him but it could be seen as a win for the former prince. Later in the week it was revealed that King Charles had paid out of his own pocket a £1.5m repair bill that is owed by Andrew for the poor condition of his former home, Royal Lodge. The recent lunar eclipse at 4 degrees Pisces 57’ fell on Andrew’s Pluto and Charles’ Saturn. Karma, karma…
• 6 October: Christa Pike regained consciousness after being declared brain dead as a result of two failed execution attempts. She woke up angry and confused: “Where am I and who are you?” A Tennessee judge has ordered state officials to preserve all physical and digital evidence from the botched executions. As I commented in my last Friday Bite, there seems to be a greater purpose behind her ordeal, and as a Pisces with Mars and Neptune squaring her Sun, she may well become a martyr to the cause of the abandonment of the death penalty in the US.
• 8 October: Execution was in the news again, this time with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s announcement that the execution of Major Nidal Malik Hassan convicted in 2009 of the killing of thirteen people and the wounding of thirty-two others at Fort Hood, would be live-streamed. He is to be executed by firing squad on 3 December. Filming and releasing of videos of executions is more usually associated with terror groups, not western democratic super-powers, but then in this looking glass world, America under Trump bears little resemblance to its former self. Saturday’s new moon conjoins the United States natal Saturn, currently being opposed by Saturn, while the prevailing Mars-Pluto opposition is flanking the US nodal axis.
• 7 October: After the United Kingdom’s Green Party issued a statement equating Zionism with racism and Prime Minister Burnham condemned the take-over of the West Bank by Israel, the closing of the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem, which had been planned in September, seemed entirely synchronistic. The consulate is to become a “UK Mission”.
• Last but not least, concerns have been raised over the death of a lab worker at a Siberian plague research institute. Russian authorities have yet to state definitively whether her death was caused by an “unknown type of pneumonia” or the plague. Given that we are in the season of Pluto – a waning Mars-Pluto opposition and Pluto stationary-direct – references to the Black Plague are not in the least surprising.

I WOULD NOT normally choose to write about something that smacks of pure conspiracy theory but there are elements of the recent disclosures regarding Meghan, Duchess of Sussex that I felt worthy of examination. According to various channels that purport to be for “entertainment purposes only” a certain Lucia Giuliano claimed on an Italian television talk show on Monday that she was the daughter of Meghan Markle. I can find no reference to any Italian TV talk show upon which Ms Giuliano was a guest, but rumours about a daughter born to Meghan when she was twenty-years old have been circulating for years. And more recently, a photograph of a birth certificate for the said Lucia has popped up with a verifiable number in the top right-hand corner.

And it is the date of birth for her mother Meghan Markle on that birth certificate that has piqued my interest. August 4, 1974.

Ever since Ms Markle arrived on the scene as Harry’s squeeze, the astrology has never quite fitted the brief. More specifically, the synastry between Meghan and Harry has made little sense. Think back to their engagement and the beautiful wedding, how in love they seemed and what a gift to the royal firm. And then there was the “Fab Four”. Within a few short years, however, the couple had left the royal family and set up a new life in California. And ever since it has been one betrayal after another. The impact Meghan has had on the monarchy should be reflected in the astrology, and it is not.

The only major connections between the couple’s charts are Meghan’s Mars at 11 degrees of Cancer, which falls on Harry’s Descendant and her Midheaven at 11 degrees of Aries which squares his Ascendant-Descendant axis. Nothing else. As for Meghan’s connections to the Royal Family’s charts, her horoscope picks up none of the significant degree areas, which lie between 22 – 26 degrees of the fixed signs.

The possibility that Meghan was born in 1974 as opposed to 1981 could be the “smoking gun”. So, I set up a chart for the same date and time some seven years earlier.

I was disappointed. Initially. While there are more connections between the couple and links to the royal family’s charts, nothing seemed to stand out. However, as I dug, I found some treasure.

Since I have used the same time of birth, albeit seven years earlier, the angles of the chart are virtually identical. Twenty-four degrees of Cancer rises and 11 degrees of Aries becomes the Midheaven, forming the same connection to Harry’s Ascendant-Descendant axis. However, in place of Mars at 11 degrees of Cancer, there rests Saturn. Now that makes a lot of sense. Saturn represents stability but also control; it can be symbolic of a teacher and mentor, and it can indicate an older partner. The ties that bind with Saturn in this position are karmic.

In 1974, there was a T-square involving a Uranus-Chiron opposition squaring Venus, which is also conjunct Saturn. Uranus attached to the fourth house, often manifests as someone who feels she does not belong to the family she was born into, and her life becomes a quest to find her tribe and reinvent herself. Venus-Uranus squares reveal a propensity for divorce while the Venus-Saturn conjunction makes the pursuit of love hard work and disappointing, although once found, durable.

Mars at four degrees of Virgo is conjunct Harry’s Mercury, suggesting she has both an energizing effect on his thinking and communication skills, but also an irritating and aggressive one. That degree of Virgo is also Charles’s Saturn, and the degree of the recent lunar eclipse…

22 -24 degrees of Libra is another area that appears frequently in the charts of members of the royal family, and Meghan’s Uranus falls at 24 degrees of Libra, which makes a lot of sense when you think that she wasn’t just a breath of fresh air to the monarchy, but potentially the cause of its downfall and certainly a whole lot of hassle.

The Moon in the 1974 chart at 26 degrees of Aquarius, falls in the key degree area of the royal family.

The 1974 chart certainly has more to say about Meghan and her part in the story of the British monarchy, but unless and until the truth about Meghan’s past emerges, it remains pure speculation.

Let’s watch this space.