Lunar Eclipse: Baltimore Bridge Collapses
Under the darkness of the lunar eclipse, a Singapore-flagged Dali cargo ship veered off course and collided with the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, USA at 01.28 EDT on 26 March 2024.
Image by BBC News
Under the darkness of the current lunar eclipse, the cargo ship Dali veered off course and collided with the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, USA at 01.28 EDT on 26 March 2024 [1].
During an eclipse, the lights go out and power is symbolically lost. This BBC News video clip (1 min) shows the lights on the ship literally going out and power being lost [2] only minutes before the ship struck the bridge and caused its collapse.
As a full on full Moon, a lunar eclipse is a dramatic ending to a lunar cycle. The bridge, a “cathedral of American infrastructure”[3] has met a spectacular end. In the collapse chart below, the elevated Moon signifies death. Time is definitely up for this structure.
The construction crew who fell into the water are shown by Venus. Her conjunction to grim Saturn flags the enduring perils of life on the water.
The ship is shown by the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter. The Dali is a huge vessel. Jupiter is in steady Taurus, the sign of tangible, moveable possessions. Taurus’ exalted ruler is the Moon, the planet of containment. This slow-moving container ship was carrying numerous containers en route to Columbo, Sri Lanka [4].
Jupiter is approaching shock-inducing Uranus. That’s the key astrological signature for the bridge dramatically falling down, as triggered by the lunar eclipse. The bridge giving way is affirmed by the Moon at the South Node. It’s a symbolic crossroads signalling downwards movement. Here, the bridge literally fell into the Patapsco River.
While the Moon-South Node conjunction symbolises descent, every other planet is under the horizon. The collapse chart clearly depicts the bridge as fully submerged underwater.
This event echoes the toppling of the statue of Francis Scott Key in San Francisco during demonstrations against racial injustice on 19 June 2020. Juneteenth, observed annually on 19 June, commemorates the end of slavery in America [5] and became a federal holiday in 2021 [6].
As the author of the US national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner”, Francis Scott Key’s lyrics include “land of the free”. As a slave-owning lawyer, he defended in court slaveholders' rights to own humans [7]. The pronounced Uranian theme highlights contradictory human nature.
With Pluto finally settling into Aquarius in 2024, and as the US Pluto return reverberates, the architecture upholding US society continues to be interrogated. This year’s eclipses bring that process into sharp focus once again, as did 2020’s seismic planetary activity the world over [8].
When the Francis Scott Key bridge first opened on 23 March 1977 [9], Mars at 2° of wishy-washy Pisces was the opening chart’s most prominent planet, as shown below. Mars’ return to this exact same spot at the time of the bridge’s collapse reveals its inherent wobbliness. This is restated by Mars’ rulership of a weak, sick house in the opening chart, coupled with an unstable Moon-Uranus opposition and unreliable Neptune descending.
In the collapse chart, Jupiter 16° Taurus meets the opening chart’s Moon 15° Taurus. This Moon shows abundant assets in the house of concealed, unscrupulous dealings. Questions might be raised as to the backstory of how the bridge was funded and built. Concerns as to what really caused the ship to collide with the bridge might also be prompted. Was it really just an accident?
The Moon was occluded when the bridge was built and then eclipsed when the bridge collapsed. The truth may never be fully revealed. The illuminating, eclipsing Sun is also hidden at the bottom of the collapse chart.
On a brighter note, the collapse Moon’s next and only aspect is an opposition to Mercury in loud, shouty Aries. Here, Mercury rules significant others with expertise. Maybe some people want to investigate and make a noise about this incident. With the collapse chart’s afflicted Mars activating the ‘tell all’ cusp, and a gossipy, elevated Moon, falsehoods are liable to spread.
Mercury is set to retrograde in Aries on 1 April and will return to its collapse chart spot of 24° Aries on 9 April. That’s only one day after 2024’s star total solar eclipse. This signals the yet to be fully disclosed significance of this tragedy and a revised take on the current perception of the situation. Direct Mercury then reaches 24° Aries for one more time on 10 May, which may further extend the public timeline of this story.
The collapse chart’s Uranus is at 20° Taurus. The cargo ship is called Dali. Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali was born with the Sun at 20° Taurus [10]. Maybe this whole episode is just a co-incidence after all. Uranus also acts as a reminder of the sheer randomness of life.
References
[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-68667813
[4] https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9697428
[5] https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-legacy-juneteenth
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth
[8] Several major planetary cycles renewed in 2020: Saturn joined Pluto at 24° Capricorn on 12 January; Mars joined Pluto at 24° Capricorn on 23 March; Jupiter joined Pluto at 24° Capricorn on 5 April 2020, and Jupiter joined Saturn at 0° Aquarius on 21 December.
[9] https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-key-bridge-opens-at-10/144152310/
[10] Born on 11 May 1904 at 8.45am in Figueras, Spain https://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Dali,_Salvador
April 2024: Wild Times
This April is livelier than usual. The month begins with the Sun shining its brightest light. That’s plenty on its own. As soon as the Sun lands in Aries on 20 March, Spring is here and everything starts to grow again. It’s the best time of the year to start over and to get shit done.
April 2024
This April is livelier than usual. Starting the month with the Sun in bold, energetic Aries is plenty for starters. As soon as the Sun arrives in the first sign of the zodiac on 20 March until mid-April, the natural world reawakens and our planet is revitalised. It’s the most cosmically blessed time of the year to start over and to get shit done.
This year, there’s a total solar eclipse in Aries (the most full-on kind) on 8 April. It’s like hard reset for the whole world. The eclipse also seeds new directions for individuals whose birth charts are touched by the eclipse. That’s you, Aries and Libra. And anyone else whose life changed under the last solar eclipse in mid-October 2023.
When Mars meets Saturn in Pisces on 10 April things get tougher and messier. The harder you push, the further away you get from what you want. Accepting and working with the chaos enables you to move ahead. Yield to the flow to make your mark.
As if all that wasn’t enough, there’s also a Jupiter-Uranus union on 21 April, which acts as a bonus throughout 18-26 April although its effect is initially perceptible at the eclipse. This wildcard conjunction will disturb the peace most for the set-in-their-ways fixed signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Virgo and Capricorn may find it easier to welcome the unexpected new options on offer. Uranus likes to shake things up in completely unanticipated ways so it’s bumpy for everyone, but ultimately (fingers crossed) in a good way.
Venus starts the month in Pisces and ends it in Taurus, two of her happy places. Co-operation, ease and romance fare well at these times. Venus is less thrilled about having to spend the bulk of April in Aries, a Mars sign, Aries. Still, April is a mostly Mars-ruled month so feistiness usually goes down well at this time of the year. Except with Mars in wishy-washy Pisces, assertively taking charge or aiming directly at a target doesn’t work. Move indirectly and with subtlety instead. A sharper approach is fine once Mars returns to his home turf on the last day of the month.
Astro Tips
Monday 1 April
Think before you act
Mercury stations retrograde in Aries
Wednesday 3 April
Seduce with (or be seduced by) mysterious charm
Venus conjunct Neptune in Pisces
Friday 5 April
Play with passion
Venus enters Aries
Saturday 6 April
Attract what you want with powerful ideas
Venus in Aries sextile Pluto in Aquarius
Monday 8 April
Be still in the pitch darkness
Total solar eclipse in Aries
Wednesday 10 April
Expect vague blocks to impede progress
Mars conjunct Saturn in Pisces
Thursday 11 April
Seed fresh goals
Sun conjunct Mercury in Aries
Friday 19 April
Revive connections in pleasantly surprising ways
Mercury conjunct Venus in Aries
Sun enters Taurus
Mars in Pisces sextile Jupiter in Taurus
Sunday 21 April
Be open to wildly surprising options with staying power
Mars in Pisces sextile Uranus in Taurus
Jupiter conjunct Uranus in Taurus
Sun in Taurus square Pluto in Aquarius
Wednesday 24 April
Intense finale to an intense eclipse
Full Moon in Scorpio
Thursday 25 April
Speak clearly and concisely to win
Mercury stations direct in Aries
Friday 29 April
Park what needs to done and indulge your senses
Mars conjunct Neptune in Pisces
Venus enters Taurus
Tuesday 30 April
Charge ahead
Mars enters Aries
Astro Request
Share your Jupiter-Uranus conjunction story with me.
These two planets meet roughly every 14 years or so. At its best, this innovative, expansive combination creates more room to be and do good. In April, Jupiter and Uranus meet in cautious Taurus so the outcome may take a little while to find form.
Your personal experience is shaped by how this general forecast connects to your own birth chart, and how you respond to the planetary influences. For astrological guidance tailored to you, email leena@leenachauhan.com.
Eclipse Season and Israel-Gaza
Two eclipses later this March and in early April, mirror the two lunations in between which Hamas attacked Israel last October. As the same zodiac degrees are activated by this year’s upcoming eclipses, major developments in what happens for Gaza and Israel are promised in the coming months.
Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash
Two eclipses, one later this March and the other in early April, mirror the two lunations in between which Hamas attacked Israel last October. As the same zodiac degrees are activated by this year’s imminent eclipses, major developments in what happens for Gaza and Israel are promised in the coming months.
In an article in mid-January [1], I noted that transiting Mars was due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s natal Jupiter on 5 February. This transit co-incided with Hamas presenting its three-stage ceasefire plan to Israel [2]. The two planets met in Capricorn where Mars, representing Hamas, is markedly more influential than Jupiter, signifying Netanyahu. In this specific context, Hamas were better placed than Netanyahu. Netanyahu probably felt strongly pressured to accommodate the proposal. Not just by Hamas but also by Hamas’ backers (Mars rules Netanyahu’s 12th house of covert enemies), by his own negotiators (Mars also rules his 5th house of agents) and by his international allies (natal Mars in the 9th house of foreign affairs sextiles the PM’s Libran Sun). The concerted effort to press for a truce seems to have reaffirmed Netanyahu’s belief that his way is the right way. More generally, the Sun-Mars sextile in his birth chart also shows that he has relatively easy access to a steady supply of quality arms from abroad. The ethnic cleansing and decimation of Gaza continue.
March and April’s eclipses are notable for Israel-Gaza as they trigger the zodiac degrees activated during Hamas’ incursion on Israel. This carries far more astrological weight than the transit noted above.
The 25 March lunar eclipse at 5° Libra is directly opposite last September’s aggressive full Moon at 6° Aries on 29 September 2023. The 8 April solar eclipse at 19° Aries opposes the solar eclipse at 21° Libra on 14 October 2023.
At the September full Moon under which Hamas struck Israel on 7 October, Mars was at 21° Libra igniting the exact degree, 21° Libra, of the solar eclipse that followed on 14 October. This eclipse landed on the Israeli chart’s ascendant at 23° Libra, the angle representing the population. The darkness that descended on the people was underlined by Pluto’s direct station on 11 October at 27° Capricorn. As Pluto was stationing on Israel’s IC at 25° Capricorn, the angle highlighting land, roots and heritage, the devastating assault was experienced by some as a brutal attack on Israel’s right to exist. Hostages were taken and remain captive reflecting Pluto’s association with abduction. Plutonic themes of indiscriminate annihilation, merciless domination and the primal struggle for survival still prevail in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Last September, an afflicted Mars prematurely activated the October solar eclipse. Under this month’s lunar eclipse in Libra on 25 March, an afflicted Venus precipitates April’s Jupiter-Uranus conjunction. The renewal of this planetary cycle is a key feature of 2024’s astrology. Jupiter is good fortune and Uranus is unpredictability so it’s a mixed blessing. Currently inconceivable sudden breakthroughs are promised. Then again, wildly exaggerated benefits are also symbolised and may not materialise at all. Jupiter and Uranus are meeting in practical Taurus so reliable outputs matter. As nearly all the planets are bunched up in one corner of the zodiac at this time, the situation feels hugely imbalanced.
At the 8 April total solar eclipse in Aries, the Sun’s light is totally obscured by the Moon. A total solar eclipse is the most potent variety of eclipse there is. As as solar eclipse, this lunar cycle already has a stronger impact than the preceding lunar eclipse. Mars and Saturn dominate the picture. The Moon carries and injects their negativity into Jupiter-Uranus in Taurus. This gnarly set up promises trouble with a big helping of disruption. Yet, something good can also be freed up. Given the tricky nature of this particular eclipse, the dense earth of Taurus, and the commotion that usually accompanies solar eclipses, any fortunate dimension may not be immediately obvious.
While the upcoming eclipses bear directly on the war on Gaza, April’s solar eclipse also draws in the world leaders named at the end of the January article [3]. As their birth charts were connected to October’s Libra eclipse, they are also drawn into this April’s opposing eclipse in Aries. The two eclipses are connected by sign and degree.
With Saturn at 20° Libra, Chinese President Xi Jinping [4] is one more name to add to the list of world leaders who might feature prominently in the headlines near the solar eclipse. With Jupiter at 17° Libra, Donald Trump also has to contend with April’s eclipse [5] in court as the Sun and Moon meet on the cusp of his 9th house of litigation.
Sunday’s new Moon in Pisces marked the start of the lunar cycle which culminates in the March eclipse. This current new Moon is ruled by Jupiter in slow Taurus and is impeded by resistant Saturn. The stories due to unfold over eclipse season are still emerging, or starting new chapters, with some delay.
A charity aid ship departed a few days late from Cyprus carrying vital supplies to starving Palestinians via a new humanitarian maritime corridor [6]. Pisces is a water sign represented by two fish swimming in opposite directions. This is not a straightforward mission. Nor is it easy, let alone enough, to ease immense suffering given tough Saturn’s presence in Pisces all year. Don’t be fooled by the sluggish start to this eclipse season.
References
[1] https://skyscript.co.uk/inmundo/plo-second-saturn-return/
[3] https://skyscript.co.uk/inmundo/plo-second-saturn-return/ Queen Rania of Jordan is not impacted by this eclipse.
[4] Born on 15 June 1953 in Beijing, China. A noon chart in the absence of a birth time.
[5] Born on 19 June 1946 at 10.54am in Jamaica Hospital in Queens, New York.
[6] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/12/first-aid-ship-to-gaza-leaves-cyprus-port
Astro Note: New Moons and Solar Eclipses | Full Moons and Lunar Eclipses
A note to explain new and full Moons and their heightened versions as solar and lunar eclipses, with Nasa diagrams.
New and Full Moons
A new Moon happens when the Sun and the Moon are at the same degree of the zodiac circle as a new lunar cycle begins. Hidden by the Sun, the Moon is invisible.
A full Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon illuminate each other from opposite sides of the zodiac belt.
Astrologically, the effects of a new Moon last for a fortnight, or for as long as it takes a new Moon to increase or wax the light it reflects until it becomes a fully lit full Moon.
A full Moon is the midpoint or culmination of a lunar cycle, and its effects last for another two weeks until the full Moon decreases or wanes the light it reflects and becomes an invisible new Moon again.
A full lunar cycle takes a month, a term which is derived from ‘Moon’. A month is defined by how long it takes the Moon to return to its starting new Moon position with the Sun after completing a full lunar cycle.
Solar and Lunar Eclipses
Eclipses block solar or lunar light as seen from Earth. They occur when new and full Moons happen on the ecliptic, or the Sun’s apparent path around the Earth.
In a solar eclipse, the Sun’s light is blocked by the Moon [1]. A solar eclipse is a heightened new Moon.
In a lunar eclipse, the Moon’s light is blocked by the Earth [2]. A lunar eclipse is a ramped up full Moon.
At the 8 April 2024 solar eclipse, the light-giving Sun and Moon, or luminaries, will conjoin at 19° Aries. At the 25 March 2024 lunar eclipse, the Moon is at 5° Libra, illuminated by the Sun at the exact same degree in the opposite sign, 5° Aries.
Astrologers have worked with eclipses as reliable markers for turning points in world events for many years. When an eclipse meets or opposes a planet or angle in an individual’s birth chart, that person will also experience the eclipse as a milestone moment in their own life.
Eclipses are spectacular phenomena to witness. Their astrological meaning is equally dramatic. If an astrological chart is a symbolic map of an unfolding path then an eclipse can act as cosmic steer to align with that path.
A solar eclipse is more potent than a lunar eclipse. The Sun is the centre of the solar system so when its light is obscured, darkness pervades more deeply and widely than when the Moon is in the shadows.
The effects of eclipses typically last for much longer than a couple of weeks as they carry more symbolic weight than regular new and full Moons.
References
[1] https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/solar-eclipse-diagram/
[2] https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/lunar-eclipse-diagram/
Photo by Jongsun Lee on Unsplash
Astro Note: Zodiac Degrees
A note to explain zodiac degrees. In an astrological chart, a planet is located at a specific degree in a zodiac sign, not just in a zodiac sign.
The zodiac circle imaginatively traces and storifies the Sun’s path through the sky, or ecliptic, as viewed from Earth.
Humans have been watching planets travel through the zodiac since 3rd millennium BCE [1] and have found meaning and practical use in observing correlations between planetary cycles and life on Earth.
The traditional astrological planets - the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn - have been visible to the naked human eye since ancient times. With telescopes, the movements of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto can also now be observed.
There are 360° in a circle. The zodiac belt comprises 12 astrological signs, from Aries through to Pisces. Each zodiac sign comprises 30°.
In an astrological chart, every planet is not just ‘in’ a sign, but located at a specific degree within that sign. When two or more planets aspect or connect to each other in an astrologically recognised way, their connection is determined by sign and degree. The number of degrees that validate an aspect varies by the planets involved. As a general principle, any connection within 3° is live.
Mars in Aquarius describes which sign Mars is in. Mars at 21° Aquarius locates Mars more specifically within the 30° of the zodiac occupied by Aquarius in a given astrological chart.
Mars at 21° Aquarius in square to Uranus at 19° Taurus shows that the connection between the two planets is alive as they are within 3° of each other. A client will feel this. It would also grab an astrologer’s attention in a chart interpretation.
Mars at 21° Aquarius square Uranus at 26° Taurus describes how Mars will soon aspect or connect to Uranus as it moves through Aquarius. For now, the aspect is building and may not yet be strong enough to be experienced. An astrologer would flag this transit, or planetary contact, to their client as part of a forecast.
Reference
Update on Begum vs UK Home Office
It appears that Shamima Begum’s lawyers have decided not to go to the UK Supreme Court. They had until yesterday to decide to escalate her case to the highest court in the land following last Friday’s Court of Appeal judgement that the UK government did not unlawfully deprive Begum of her UK citizenship.
Photo by abdullah ali on Unsplash
It appears that Shamima Begum’s lawyers have decided not to go to the UK Supreme Court. They had until yesterday to decide to escalate her case to the highest court in the land following last Friday’s Court of Appeal judgement that the UK government did not unlawfully deprive Begum of her UK citizenship. The news is silent on their next steps. This makes astrological sense as Saturn, representing Begum’s legal team, is still obscured by solar light.
Pluto crowns the chart for last week’s hearing showing that Shamima Begum’s return to the UK is firmly prohibited. It also shows that the Court of Appeal’s ruling is irreversible. Begum, who is effectively stateless, remains in the al-Roj detention camp in north eastern Syria [1].
When the court said its ‘only task is to assess whether the deprivation decision was unlawful’ [2] it meant that the court’s remit is restricted to determining whether the Home Secretary’s decision to remove Begum’s British citizenship was properly made, not whether they agreed with it.
The proceedings were livestreamed because this case raises serious questions about the circumstances in which the UK government can rescind a person’s citizenship. Begum was born British in 1999.
Since the British Nationality Act 1981 came into effect on 1 January 1983 [3], being born in the UK is not enough to make you British. Your mother or father must also be a British citizen or ‘settled’ in the UK at the time of your birth. What legally counts as being ‘British’ has invited further challenges since Brexit [4].
Statute provides that the Home Secretary cannot deprive a person of British citizenship if it would render them stateless. Home Secretary Sajid Javid asserted that as Begum is the child of immigrant parents of Bangladeshi origin, she theoretically had access to Bangladeshi citizenship. Begum has never been to Bangladesh and the country had already refused to have her. Former Justice of the Supreme Court Jonathan Sumption described Javid’s argument as a ‘legal fiction’ adding, ‘children who make a terrible mistake are surely redeemable. But statelessness is for ever’ [5].
The Home Secretary’s decision on Begum’s citizenship sets a chilling precedent for any citizen whose parents are not born in the UK to have their British citizenship revoked as a purely legal manoeuvre, with no practical application [6].
Sajid Javid deemed Begum to be a risk to national security when he took away her British citizenship from her. In the Court of Appeal, Begum's lawyers argued she was groomed to join Isis group as a minor. Ten days after she arrived in Raqqa, Syria as a 15 year-old, Begum was married to Yago Riedijk, a Dutch Muslim convert. They had three children - a one-year-old girl, a three-month-old boy and a newborn son - all of whom died from malnourishment or disease [7]. The Moon’s separating square from Uranus describes how harshly and abruptly the childhoods of Begum and her offspring ended. The Moon’s placement on the fifth house cusp emphasises the childhood theme. This whole story stems from a misguided childhood decision which is now coming back to haunt Begum as a 24 year-old, as shown by the Moon’s applying opposition to Mercury, her significator.
It has been said that a civilised country would not have made Shamima Begum stateless [8]. The chart for the Court of Appeal hearing confirms that Shamima Beguma was highly unlikely to get justice. Jupiter, the astrological significator for justice, resides in the chart’s darkest house and has no dignity. The natural significator for truth, the Sun, is besieged by Saturn and an afflicted Mercury, and also lacks dignity despite residing in the house of freedom. The house ruling the court judgement contains elevated, angular Pluto with Venus and Mars, rulers of the houses of slavery and imprisonment.
As Mercury and Saturn conjoined the Sun last Wednesday, Begum’s excellent legal team probably surrendered to the hard truth of this situation. The Court of Appeal’s constitutionally legitimate refusal to pronounce on matters of public policy would very likely be upheld by the Supreme Court. Begum’s lawyers have been doing their very best to seek redress for what are essentially political problems via judicial means. The judiciary are not supposed to pronounce on matters that fall within Parliament’s realm of responsibility. Saturn represents the judges as well Begum’s lawyers. All their hands are tied. It is the Home Secretary’s job to resolve Begum’s predicament, as shown by Jupiter’s disposition of Mercury and Saturn. Further legislation, which has to be initiated in and then passed by Parliament, is the only way to ensure that no-one else risks being stripped of their British status on spurious grounds.
References
Shamima Begum Loses Appeal to Overturn Removal of UK Citizenship
A short while ago, the Court of Appeal upheld the Special Immigration Appeals Commission’s decision that the government acted lawfully in 2019 when it removed Shamima Begum’s UK citizenship. The chart for today’s proceedings unequivocally shows that Begum’s bid to restore citizenship would fail.
Photo by Ethan Wilkinson on Unsplash
Earlier this morning in the Court of Appeal, Lady Chief Justice Carr, Lord Justice Bean and Lady Justice Whipple upheld the Special Immigration Appeals Commission’s 2023 decision that the government acted lawfully in 2019 when it removed Shamima Begum’s UK citizenship [1].
East Londoner Begum travelled to Syria as a 15 year old in 2015 to join the Isis group. Her citizenship was revoked on national security grounds shortly after she was found in a Syrian refugee camp in February 2019.
In her judgement, the Head of the Court of Appeal Lady Chief Justice Carr noted that the court’s ‘only task is to assess whether the deprivation decision was unlawful [2]. We have concluded it was not and the appeal is dismissed’.
The chart for the start of today’s proceedings unequivocally shows that Begum’s bid to overturn last year’s decision would fail.
Begum is shown by Mercury who has just entered Pisces, its weakest zone of influence in the zodiac circle. This sign change alone is enough to anticipate the outcome. Supporting testimony is required to strengthen the reliability of this astrological judgement.
Here, Mercury is combust and will then be cazimi, or blinded by the Sun, on 28 February, as will Saturn. Neither Begum nor her legal team are well placed to begin with in this matter and their condition is worsening. The Moon’s applying opposition to Mercury also counts against Begum. All these factors strongly indicate that the court would not rule in her favour today.
Both Mercury and Saturn are ruled by Jupiter who signifies the UK Home Office. This describes how the question of Begum’s UK citizenship ultimately lies in the hands of the Home Secretary.
Finally, Pluto in a fixed sign on a fixed midheaven argues that today’s ruling will render Begum powerless to return to the UK. Her legal team have until next Friday to decide to appeal today’s legal judgement.
Yesterday in Parliament and today’s Venus-Mars-Pluto conjunction
The ‘Plutonic imperative to get your primal needs met’ and today’s Venus-Mars-Pluto conjunction. UK Prime Minister in waiting and opposition leader, Keir Starmer’s survival instinct is currently on flashing red alert as he faces the biggest crisis of his political career to date.
Photo by Deniz Fuchidzhiev on Unsplash
In a recent forecast, I noted the ‘Plutonic imperative to get your primal needs met’ in anticipation of today’s Venus-Mars-Pluto conjunction. UK Prime Minister in waiting and opposition leader, Keir Starmer’s survival instinct is currently on flashing red alert as he faces the biggest crisis of his political career to date.
Keir Starmer KCB KC is a distinguished human rights barrister and a former Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales. He has built his career on doing the right thing. Yesterday, he was threatened with mass rebellion from within his own party unless he brought forward the party’s own motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Starmer allegedly applied just enough pressure on the House of Commons speaker to persuade him to break with procedural convention so that the Labour leader could keep his members on side. In tandem with party politically motivated moves from the government and the Scottish National Party (SNP), this led to the House falling apart at a time when it desperately needed to show some leadership [1] as the so-called ‘mother of parliaments’ [2]. The Labour Party's version of the ceasefire motion was eventually voted on and passed.
Today’s early morning Venus-Mars-Pluto conjunction landed right on, and is ruled by, Keir Starmer’s authoritative Saturn in Aquarius. He’s very fortunate that this vote happened on the eve of a day on which things go his way, albeit under Plutonic duress. The speaker, who usually has the confidence of the whole House, is fighting for his political life. The speaker says his decision to depart from the usual process was motivated by threats against members of Parliament and his concern for their and their families’ personal safety. Pluto’s menacing vibes again. Today, Starmer, says he 'simply urged' the speaker' to have ‘the broadest possible debate’ [3] and categorically denies threatening him, adding that the most important thing ‘is what we do about the situation in Gaza’.
When Pluto has your back against the wall, it’s incredibly hard to do what you would typically do under normal circumstances. Starmer was born under an exact Sun-Pluto conjunction. When the chips are down, he can intuitively take control of the situation to his advantage. As the conjunction is in prim and proper Virgo, he’s used to being criticised for being boring and lawyerly. His forensic, painstaking approach makes him legally hot but a tad tedious on screen.
Starmer’s genuine Virgo modesty belies his ruthless Sun-Pluto thirst for power. ‘Emotional, messy and breathtakingly ruthless: the hidden life of Keir Starmer [4]’, this Guardian article attests to his true nature. A Financial Times piece titled ‘Starmer will only reveal his true face in power [5]’, comments that ‘Labour politicians know it is thanks to Starmer’s ruthless wooing of all sides that they are within touching distance of power’. It even features an illustration of Starmer’s true face hiding behind a deceptive mask. As a Sun-Pluto politician, he is astute enough to stay focused on getting his party in to power and himself in the top job before he fully reveals his precise game plan.
Starmer’s natal Mercury, his solar dispositor, trines the transiting Venus-Mars-Pluto conjunction. This transit seems to be generating considerable interest in what kind of leader Starmer really is, and in what truly drives him. ‘Keir Starmer: The Biography’ by Tom Baldwin has just been published [6]. For someone who is commonly dismissed as a bit dull and irrelevant by a concertedly hostile media, it’s interesting to see his steely, service-minded and somewhat hard to fathom Sun-Pluto conjunction in Virgo acknowledged.
Keir Starmer’s Mercury is due to be eclipsed by the Moon on 25 March so that’s a time to pay closer attention to him (even though it’s not quite as momentous as being eclipsed by the Sun).
Venus, Mars and Pluto are hooked up in early Aquarius. An air sign that can get too caught up in what is theoretically right but too distant from what's really going on. Yesterday, parliamentarians from all parties delivered plenty of pious, worthy speeches about the ongoing horror of Israel-Gaza. But nothing has really changed as a result. The UK government officially withdrew its vote on the call for a ceasefire sanctimoniously citing procedural irregularities. The outcome of the vote makes no difference to their position. The SNP walked out of the chamber before voting commenced, enraged that their own opposition day motion had been overridden. While the Labour party’s amendment motion was carried, averting the rebellion which Starmer deftly staved off, their stance will inevitably be tested again. Given the enormous gravity of the situation, breaking with procedural protocol can quite reasonably be justified [7].
Over 100 members of the family of Husam Zomlot [8], Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, have been killed in Gaza. Over 100 thousand Palestinians have been killed, maimed and injured to date. Yesterday evening, in a brilliant five-minute interview on Channel 4 News, and with huge bags under his weary eyes, Mr. Ambassador Zomlot articulated the inevitable consequences for all of us if we allow the genocide in Gaza to continue [9].
References
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/21/how-keir-starmer-averted-gaza-ceasefire-vote-crisis
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_of_parliaments
[5] https://www.ft.com/content/d9f4bc54-059f-41b9-ab18-eea6fd2c4dc2
[6] https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/keir-starmer-tom-baldwin-book-review-fintan-otoole/