Astrolutely Fabulous! | established in 2000

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Weekly Hello

MONDAY, 18 March – SUNDAY, 24 March

Hello!

There may be many people looking out of their windows and enjoying the first signs of spring, but I’m not one of them. I have a case of the birthday blues. They’ve been happening every year since forever. Age-panic set in at twenty-five when I realized I was no longer a young thing (I knew nothing about the Saturn-return then) and it’s simply got worse with the years. I’ll be fine next Saturday, but, for heaven’s sake, no one mention the B-word.

The week ahead is, of course, the start of the zodiac year. On Wednesday, the Sun enters Aries at 03:08 UTC – GMT in old money – so babies born before that time will be Pisceans and those after, Arians. Yes, it is as cut and dried as that. None of this cusp-business. There’s a reason you were born at 29°59 minutes of Pisces and not 0°00 of Aries. And you cannot be a blend of both. You may have planets in either sign, which will bring their properties to bear on your life, but you can only be a Sun Aries or a Sun Pisces.

The Sun’s entry into Aries marks the Aries Ingress, and a horoscope set for that auspicious moment generates a picture of the next three months. I set up the Ingress chart from the perspectives of London and Washington DC, both of which place the applying Jupiter-Uranus conjunction on one of the four angles, raising the prospect of bust-ups, break-throughs and breakdowns. For Russia, however, the rising Venus-Saturn conjunction combined with the Moon-Pluto opposition, points to an intensification of hostilities both within and beyond its borders.

My new video on the lunar eclipse in Libra, which looks at the portents of things to come globally and sign by sign, will be live later today Saturday, March 16th. You can Subscribe and turn on Notifications to get a ping here

I may not be jumping up and down with joy about my birthday, but I am celebrating the longer days when I wake up in the light and am able to walk around my beautiful city of Wells in the early evening.

Happy days!

Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpio Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces

Friday Bite

Astrology of the Week’s Main Global Events
by
Penny Thornton

15 March 2024

 

Illusion Delusion

 Vladimir Putin – Princess Catherine Donald Trump

 

WE APPEAR TO have entered the Twilight Zone.

 On Monday, a picture-perfect image of the Princess of Wales with her three children released by Kensington Palace to celebrate Mother’s Day, turned out to be picture-imperfect. News agency France Presse was the first to issue a “kill notice”, which urged other media outlets to remove the image from their publications. In total, there were twenty anomalies in the photograph, leading experts to believe it was created from a collage of shots taken at different times, different places and in different seasons.

The irony of the release of the photograph is that it was intended to quell rumours about the health, well-being and whereabouts of the Princess of Wales. Neptune, for the record, rules film and photography as well as all things illusory and delusory.

No less mind-boggling was Donald Trump’s attempt to stop or delay the forthcoming “hush money” trial set for 25 March. What is almost more baffling than the legal argument itself – that Mr Trump’s presidential immunity (currently under consideration by the Supreme Court) extends to acts committed before he was president – is that his legal team decided to use it at all. Last year, a federal judge ruled emphatically that “hush money paid to an adult film star is not related to a President’s official acts”.

However, on Thursday, everything changed yet again. Mr Trump’s legal team accused the Manhattan District Attorney’s office of failing to turn over thousands of pages of documents related to the “hush money” trial that could potentially help the former president’s case. District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, said he “would not oppose” a delay of up to thirty days in order for prosecutors to review the material.

We are in Neptune country at the moment (in between a Mercury-Neptune conjunction and a Sun-Neptune conjunction) so anything can happen, but at this point (the Ides of March) it appears that the trial scheduled for 25 March, when a lunar eclipse over Mr Trump’s natal Neptune would be presiding over the proceedings, will not be happening.

Which brings me to another of the past week’s Neptunian developments: the confirmation that the forthcoming election in the United States will be a rerun of that of 2020. (The “stolen election”.) This inspired Mr Trump to post a message on Truth Social (sic) giving himself a new moniker: Honest Don.

“For the good of our now failing Nation, and in (order to inform the American people of what is going on in our Country, we must immediately have a full-scale debate between Crooked Joe and Honest Don. I’m ready to go, ANY TIME, ANY PLACE!”

Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team was also in court this week arguing that she should be set free under the terms of a previous deal with federal prosecutors. This argument is just as unlikely to prevail as the one proposed by Mr Trump’s lawyers. Nonetheless, the prospect of yet more potentially damaging material emerging about the Duke of York must surely have added to the woes of the royal family. And even if Ms Maxwell does not get another day in court, at some point, the secrets she holds will come out, heaping misery and embarrassment on an already bruised and battered monarchy.

Transiting Uranus has yet to oppose Prince Andrew’s Moon – June and November this year and April of next – inspiring yet more upsets and controversy. And since Neptune (his Sun ruler) is simultaneously squaring natal Jupiter, any sense that he is on his way back to former glory is not rooted in reality. It’s a delusion.

And then there is the pantomime being staged in Russia as the country prepares to go to the polls today. The result is not in question. Mr Putin is set for an unprecedented fifth term as president. Voting in this election will be different and even more controversial than usual, given that the territory has been expanded to include the Ukrainian regions that Moscow has annexed. There are three other candidates on the ballot, but the only serious opposition figure – Alexei Navalny – was killed in an Arctic prison last month.

Navalny may have passed but he is alive and well in spirit, and Navalny’s wife, Yulia, has called for his supporters to turn out en masse at “high noon” on Sunday “to create an image of the Other Russia”. The plan, aimed at upsetting the election, has been dubbed “Noon Against Putin”.

Noon against Putin

There may not be a lot we can take away from this chart in terms of Russia’s future since Putin’s fifth term in office will depend on the time he accepts victory, but it provides a picture of the influences presiding over the election. At high noon, the Moon in Gemini is void-of-course (it will not form any major aspect to a planet or point before it leaves the sign) and is therefore indicative of a lost cause, at least for now. (The lost cause refers to the Noon Against Putin protest as opposed to Putin’s victory guaranteeing him a full term of office. Although…) The Moon, the ruler of the chart, is separating from a square to the Sun and Neptune, which are exactly conjunct. A configuration that speaks of the illusory nature of events.

The election is not illegal, unless you take into consideration the Chechen militia with machine guns patrolling voting booths in the annexed regions, but it is a sham. The people of Russia are in large part being fed an illusion, not only about the war in Ukraine but the nature and intentions of the man who leads them.

An astonishing 86 percent of the country is behind President Putin.

In the run-up to the election, Putin again threatened the West with a nuclear response, should it put “boots on the ground” in Ukraine. This statement came as Sweden and Finland joined other NATO forces in the biggest military exercise in decades. Operation Steadfast Defender is currently focussed on protecting Europe’s Northernmost borders.

Vladimir Putin Natal with SA progressions

Pluto’s natal position on Putin’s Midheaven reflects his status as the leader of Russia. In and of itself, Pluto on the Midheaven does not lead to power corrupting and absolute power corrupting absolutely, but in Putin’s case it evidently does. Pluto is not only important because of its conjunction to the Midheaven, but it is the ruler of the chart. Pluto is also emblematic of all things nuclear.

At this point in time, transiting Pluto is bearing down on his Ascendant – it will be within a degree of a square to the Ascendant in late April and May – while transiting Uranus is squaring natal Pluto and conjunct his natal Jupiter. Jupiter is following in the footsteps of Uranus, inflating his desire for power and control and breeding success and ruthlessness. However, Neptune is squaring his natal Mars suggesting he is weakened in some regard and vulnerable not only to illusion and delusion but treachery and duplicity from others. And, of course, the Sun-Neptune conjunction of the present time is playing on those underlying trends.

We need to keep our eyes focussed on the configurations of mid-to-late April. Two eclipses precede the important Jupiter-Uranus conjunction of the 21/22 April, which occurs as the Sun squares Pluto. Such influences could preside over an aggressive, unexpected and hugely controversial action by Putin yet at the same time they could portend his downfall. Possibly both.

As Leonid Volkov, one of Navalny’s top aides said recently in regard to Putin’s iron grip on Russia, “Dinosaurs were very strong before they became extinct.”

OH, AND ONE last thing to boggle the mind in this week of Neptunian illusion and delusion. Scientists have discovered that something is changing the expansion rate of the universe, and they know not what. Their conclusion: that we may have misunderstood the universe and its physics. Or maybe the measurements are inaccurate…

closed metal door with lock
8 March 2024

 

There is no Friday Bite this week but it will be back next Friday.

 

Friday Bite: 1 March 2024

 

State Concerns

 Donald Trump – Prince William – Princess Catherine

SATURN’S TRANSIT of Pisces is presiding over the dissolution of structures, systems and alliances that have been in place for decades, if not centuries in some cases. And as the Sun and Mercury conjoined Saturn this week, we were made keenly aware of this process of dissolution and the role Saturn plays in the rule of law and the meeting out of karma.

Aside from developments in our individual lives that may have brought us up against the rule of law in the real or figurative sense, if Putin had not done so before, in his annual State of the Union address he made clear that the end of an era of hope that began with the collapse of the Soviet Union is well and truly over. The Russian president threatened the West with nuclear war should Nato put feet on the ground in Ukraine.

On Friday, tens of thousands of people lined the streets of Moscow as Alexei Navalny’s funeral took place. It was a sight the Kremlin did not want to see.

In America, the announcement by the Supreme Court that it will decide whether a president can enjoy presidential immunity after he has left office has yet again thrust the issue of Donald Trump’s bid for the presidency into the headlights.

In the United Kingdom, the royal family was again coping with events that came out of left field – the sudden, inexplicable death of 45-year-old Thomas Kingston, son-in-law of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. On the same day, Prince William’s last-minute withdrawal from the memorial service for his godfather, King Constantine of Greece, for “personal reasons” spawned yet more speculation over the health of Princess Catherine. Speculation ironically fuelled by a Palace confirmation that she was “doing well”.

I’m going to start in America.

ON WEDNESDAY, ON the exact conjunction of the Sun, Mercury and Saturn, the US Supreme Court announced that it had agreed to rule on Donald Trump’s claim that, as former president he is immune from prosecution on charges brought by special counsel, Jack Smith, regarding his efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 election. The trial had been set to start on 4 March. The delay could mean that Mr Trump will never stand trial for his alleged part in the 6 January insurrection.

For background purposes: on 6 February, a three-judge panel in the Court of Appeals unanimously rejected the former president’s claim of immunity. Days later, Mr Trump’s legal team asked the Supreme Court to rule on the matter. On 28 February, the Supreme Court agreed to do so. Which is where we are now.

The Supreme Court has scheduled the week of 22 April to hear oral arguments, but it will probably take until 1 July and the end of the session to announce its decision. While it is almost certain the Justices will uphold the Appeals Court ruling that a former president is not immune from prosecution for criminal acts, finding space for a trial of some length and complexity before the November election is probably a bridge too far. And were the former president to win the election, one of his first actions would surely be to order the dismissal of the case against him.

The week of 22 April is volatile to say the least. The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction takes place on the Sunday, at the same time as a Sun-Pluto square, and the two aspects will remain in play for the following eight to ten days – a space of time that will also include a full moon (4 degrees Scorpio) and Mercury stationary-direct.

Donald Trump natal plus progressions March 2024

The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction occurs at 22 degrees of Taurus, a hair away from Mr. Trump’s Midheaven at 24 degrees, but near enough to exert an effect. On the plus side, such a combination could preside over a joyous liberation – developments will free him up to pursue his bid for the presidency – but, on the minus side, they could presage a massive fall from grace and certainly an upset to his plans. What may well play into the unfolding Jupiter-Uranus-Midheaven narrative is that the “hush-money” case, which is expected to last six weeks, will end on and around the week of 22 April…

The federal case brought by Jack Smith, were it to proceed to trial in the mid-to-late summer, would severely impede Mr Trump’s campaign by tying him up in a courtroom for weeks on end but, were he to be convicted of the charges, it would thrust the country and the constitution into a crisis of unprecedented proportions.

The “insurrection” case is one of four, and although it is the most important, the “hush-money” trial, set to start in three weeks’ time, nonetheless places him in political jeopardy. He will be the first former president to stand trial on a criminal charge. Were Mr Trump to be found guilty as charged, the Republican party would be in a bit of a bind. Do they press on with their preferred candidate who is a convicted criminal and, depending on further judicial decisions and trials, may be unable to take up residence in the White House?  

The “hush money” trial begins on a lunar eclipse at 5 degrees Libra, which happens to be the former president’s natal Neptune. This is not a positive omen and suggests he will indeed be convicted. And it’s not the end of the story. By solar-arc progression Neptune has reached 20 degrees of Sagittarius, conjoining his natal south node, his Moon and opposing his Sun. And progressed Saturn is still in orb of his natal Neptune. Last but not least, his solar-arc Midheaven is within a degree of Pluto.

As I discussed in last week’s Friday Bite, solar-arc progressions involving Neptune and Saturn tend to occur at major life-landmarks of a painful kind and often involve loss, sacrifice and severe setbacks. That Mr Trump’s progressed Midheaven is a degree away from natal Pluto also raises the prospect of a spectacular rise or fall.

America is already in uncharted waters in regard to the former president’s alleged criminal actions and his current standing as the most likely presidential candidate for the Republican party, and we must wait and see how the situation plays out in the weeks and months ahead. What I can definitively tell you is that it will be a roller-coaster ride. What I am inclined to tell you is that Mr Trump will not be residing in the White House in 2025.

LESS HISTORY-MAKING, but nonetheless controversial, was Prince William’s sudden withdrawal from the memorial service for his godfather, at which he was due to give a reading. “Personal reasons” was all the Palace would say on the matter. Aside from the speculation this inspired over the health of Princess Catherine, it offered the disgraced Prince Andrew a chance to take the lead at the ceremony. In all footage of the event, he and the Duchess of York were to be seen leading the rest of the royal party into St George’s Chapel on the Windsor estate. One of the reasons supplied for William’s absence was that he did not wish to sit beside his uncle at the service…

So, I’m not going to join in the speculation.

While there has been a trend for the royal family to be more open about their health and more vocal with their opinions, its members should be entitled to keep some matters to themselves unless and until it becomes necessary to reveal them. At this point in time, we must accept that Princess Catherine has had successful abdominal surgery and is convalescing at home in the grounds of Windsor Castle. All is well.

Prince William with progressions Feb 2024

All is not so well as far as the astrology is concerned. Pluto is currently squaring William’s Jupiter and Midheaven while Uranus and Jupiter are closing in on a conjunction to his natal Venus. And by solar-arc progression, Saturn is opposing natal Venus.

While the Pluto-Midheaven-Jupiter combo has much to do with his elevated status and presages his transformation from prince to king, the Uranus-Jupiter transit and the Saturn progression speak of darker and more unpredictable developments and certainly issues regarding relationships in general and his wife in particular.

Princess Kate chart with SA progressions Feb 2024

For Catherine’s part, solar-arc Neptune is conjunct her natal Venus (in the sixth house of health and well-being) while progressed Saturn is conjunct her Uranus (ruler of the seventh house). More significant, however, is the progressed full moon. The progressed Sun has reached one degree of Pisces and the Moon one degree of Virgo.

The progressed lunar cycle takes 28 years to complete; half way through, the Moon will oppose the Sun. Like all full moons, closure and completion are taking place, especially in reference to those things that began some fourteen years beforehand. And since Catherine became engaged to William in 2010 and the couple wedded in April 2011, a main feature of the process of closure and completion is the marriage.

The progressed full moon points to a time of assessment, a little like the Saturn return. It is a time when past actions come under review and those things that are not fit for purpose are shed while those that remain full of potential are kept.

Since I am short of time, on this occasion I am not going to look at the chart of the wedding and the couple’s composite chart but I promise I will do so at a future date. Suffice to say, based on the above transits and progressions and plain common sense, William and Catherine as separate entities and as a couple are experiencing developments which are beyond their control and their marriage is under strain because of them.

It is a time when each of them needs intense support, love and understanding from the other, yet because of their individual struggles they cannot take on each other’s battles too. They’re only human. But in this way small cracks become huge fissures and distances become unbridgeable.

William and Catherine, of course, simply cannot separate, even for a breathing space. They bear the weight of the monarchy on their shoulders. I may, of course, be wrong, and neither of them is experiencing an intolerable burden of pressure, but given the optics and the astrology, I believe the marriage is struggling.

They will come through. They have to. They have no choice. Saturn has spoken.

The 2024
Year Ahead Forecasts
Are Now Available
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