Michael Wolff – Writing words of fire and fury

Michael Wolff - The writer of "Fire and Fury"

The current storm around Donald Trump has been caused by the release of the book “Fire and Fury” penned by author and journalist Michael Wolff, who shadowed the President Trump and his team in the first few months of the administration's term of office. Wolff rushed out the book after lawyers tried to restrict it's release, due to the criticisms aimed at the Administration and President Trump. Excerpts from the book call Trump “like a child”, the running of the administration “chaotic” and it mentions a meeting at Trump Tower between the President's son Donald Jnr and some Russians as potentially “treasonous”.

50 Shades of Grey – The dark erotic side of the Uranus and Pluto square.

Over the past weeks and months I have explored the various facets of the Uranus Pluto square which reached the first of it’s exact connections last weekend and today I explore another of them. I am looking at the phenomenal hype surrounding “50 Shades of Grey”, the first book in a trilogy of novels (the other two being “50 Shades Darker” and “50 Shades Freed”), written by E L James, who in real life is Erika Leonard, a 49 year old housewife from the UK. Everywhere one goes, women are talking about the book, texting and tweeting about it. Why? Let’s look at the astrology (yes, books can have an astrology chart too!!) and let me explain…

William Shakespeare – The astrology of the father of English literature

In Britain we have been celebrating the 448th birthday of the Bard, the greatest of all England’s literary greats, William Shakespeare. Speculation surrounds the day when he was actually born and I think that Astrology can help prove when his birthday actually is. One thing we do know for sure is that there is documented proof that he was baptised in Stratford upon Avon on 26th April 1564. Often babies were baptised 2-4 days after birth, and common knowledge has always been that he was born on 23rd April, but after looking at the stars I tend to disagree. One other piece of information given by Astro Databank is that William was born at 08.30am. This time seems reasonably accepted, although I do not know it’s veracity. In this piece, I try to explain that most astrological assumptions and speculation about his day of birth being the 23rd April are I believe incorrect.

Charles Dickens – Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the great author’s birth.

Today we in the UK and readers around the world are celebrating the life and the extraordinary writing talent that was Charles Dickens, as he was born exactly 200 years ago. As the Victorian era’s greatest author, Charles penned great novel after great novel hewn out of the adversity of his childhood years. The gritty realism of Victorian life was portrayed in great detail and his work not only entertains, but is a historical record of the era.

Vaclav Havel – The peaceful revolutionary and a truly great man of our age.

This is a very, very emotional piece for me to write, as I count him as the most influential and greatest man (so far) that I have encountered in my life. I was living in the magical city of Prague at the time, and on 17th Nov 91, a freezing cold evening I remember, my girlfriend at the time spotted a small crowd of people walking up Wenceslas Square. Being inquisitive, we wandered over to see what was going on. It was Vaclav Havel and a few colleagues making their way to the top of the square. Of course this day was the 2nd anniversary of the start of the Velvet Revolution, and Havel was there to pay his respects. There was virtually no security, no announcement that he would make such a gesture and no fanfare. Here was the President of Czechoslovakia walking down the street like a normal citizen, with a wreath of flowers to lay at the statue, St Wenceslas on the square where the revolution had taken hold two years earlier. The act of remembrance, and the manner in the way he did it was typical of the man. After he laid down the flowers, my Czech girlfriend and I moved to the front of the throng of people and shook his hand. We said simply thank you, Mr President “děkuju Vám, pane Prezidente” and then he departed.

Michael D Higgins – Ascending to the top later in life

From just across the water, I always keep my eye when I can on how Ireland are doing. In the recent elections for the Presidency, Michael Higgins came out of nowhere to sweep to victory. He is the 9th president of the Republic of Ireland and having discovered a birth time for him, I today look at his horoscope and also his Presidency chart as he was inaugurated at 12.30 on 11th November.

Stephen King – A look at the horoscope of the greatest writer of horror stories of all time.

Sixty four years ago in Portland, Maine a legendary writer was born. After studying English and gaining a Bachelor of Arts in the subject and then working as a labourer, Stephen King started to write. He still does today, quite brilliantly. I have no doubt that by the time he decides to call it a day, he will be acclaimed as the the foremost horror story teller the world has yet seen.

Stephen was born on 21st September 1947 in Portland, Maine at 01.30am. He, like so many writers is a Sun sign Virgo with his Moon in wise Sagittarius, and he has a very late Cancerian Ascendant. The Sun and Moon combined give an expansive and adventurous edge, to a more detailed & orderly character. Stephen will need to explore & to be knowledgeable, and he does this by forever refining & perfecting his craft. We find the Virgo Sun quite naturally for a novelist in the 3rd house of communication. The Sun is part of a wider stellium, with Venus and Neptune also in the 3rd house in Libra and Mercury just into the 4th also in the sign of the scales.

The Virgo Sun is always a bit nervous, a worrier, someone who is obsessed by details and correctness. Virgo, love to organize to categorize and are sticklers for the facts. Along with these Virgo traits, this is a kind gentle man with a wonderful imagination. The influence of Venus and Neptune to the Sun gives colour and beauty to the mind. As a child Stephen would have been a dreamer, someone who loved harmony and hated discord and disagreement. He will go to any length to sort out a problem and bring things back to equilibrium. He will be someone who values his friends & friendships highly, and will thoroughly enjoy their company. Bringing all this together and we have someone who can see a story in his mind, he is interested in the minute details, he is socially orientated and concentrates on the structure of his creations. These he needs to communicate because of the third house influence. Stephen early on found a way of doing this, through writing novels.

Mercury, connected to the other three planets is in the 4th house, gives him a love of books, history, psychology and research. This location for Mercury is quite insular and reserved and he will love nothing better than curling up on the sofa and reading a book, indeed he will read as much as he writes. Mercury in Libra can see both sides of any issue, has tact and considerable business acumen, this is the placement of the negotiator and is one of the main reasons for his longevity in the cutthroat world of writing, along of course with the quality of his work. This stellium is one of the bases for a very creative kite formation in Stephen’s chart. It forms an opposition with his Midheaven. Through this set of aspects you can see the link of creative writing and the love of books to his career. His need to communicate through his is work is obsessive, shown by the tight quindecile between his Sun and the Midheaven. At the corners of the kite formation, we find Saturn and Pluto in conjunction in the 1st house and the Moon on the 5th.

The Saturn and Pluto conjunction in Leo in the first house, is the other reason why Stephen has been so successful. Saturn in the first contributes a serious ambition to the personality and to his work. Stephen will naturally be a bit shy and reserved, and will present a stern face to the world. Shy he may be, but a man determined to make his mark on the world. Pluto in the first is hugely determined and intense, often those with Pluto here are rather difficult to get on with, you either love them or you hate them. Together Saturn and Pluto can reach any height, achieve any goal if you use the energy properly, and this he has done. Stephen is a prolific writer and always will be until he has no more energy to lift a pen (or type into a keyboard). On the other side of the kite lies the Moon in Sagittarius the 5th house of creativity. Here is big, wide expansive store of emotion. This an very expressive position combined with child like enthusiasm, where the feelings are shown for all to see. Stephen will use this expression and expansive reach to paint the pictures in his mind and translate them onto the page. With the Moon in the fifth, we go on long adventures and journeys, seek out challenges and new experiences and travel to far away places.

There is another formation on this chart, a mini grand trine based around a Jupiter and Mars conjunct the Ascendant trine with Sun and Venus at the point. This is a very self-confident formation with belief in ones ability, but is also very private too. Mars conjunct the Ascendant in Cancer from the 12th is very non-aggressive and a bit insular, except if Stephen’s family or loved ones were threatened. Then suddenly you would see Stephen react. He will be very protective of his wife and kids, and his house will very much be his castle.

Jupiter in Scorpio is very matter of fact and will not settle for any superficiality in life. Here one can plumb the depths of the psyche, going deep, exploring mysteries and the unknown. Here is the drive to understand everything and be master of it. Indeed the location of Scorpio on the cusp of the 5th house along with Pluto it’s ruler sitting in the first explains exactly why this mild mannered, polite and gentle man writes so wonderfully about horror. The Pluto and Scorpio angle is macabre, evil, fascinated by the occult, death and all underground and taboo subjects, and Jupiter encourages him to read and to learn as much as he can about this so that he can reach the level of detail that his Virgo Sun requires. Jupiter makes a wide square to the Saturn/Pluto conjunction which allows Stephen to exploit to the full the business potential of his creations. He has turned his hand to screenwriting, television producing, anything where his energy can be used behind the scenes, reflecting the position of Mars, the prime energy source on the chart hidden away in the 12th house. You often find people with a 12th house Mars working away out of the general public’s gaze. Jupiter in the 5th in Scorpio will give him a keen sense of competition and a love of sport. He loves baseball, and is a keen follower and fan of his beloved Boston Red Sox.

Finally, I move to Uranus in the 11th house which sits square to the Sun and Venus. This is the impulsive restless side to Stephen, the connection which add a bit of sparkle and genius to his writing. Uranus sits in Gemini, the sign of communication and this connection maybe explains why he has risen to the top. Maybe it is an inventive turn of phrase or the sense of spontaneity, adventure and surprise, being able to transport you into the world that he has created that sets his novels apart from other writers in his genre. The square also describes the impetuosity of his father, who left his wife when Stephen was but 2 years old. With Jupiter closely conjunct to the Nodal Axis via a close conjunction with the South Node, Stephen’s Mother would have showered him with love and generosity. Often out of adversity a true star is born, determined to make up and prove the doubters wrong. I suspect the horror and instability that Stephen faced as a youngster stayed with him and propelled him on to become a worldwide name, and a truly great author.

Happy Birthday, Stephen King…  

Jane Austen – An astrological appraisal of one of Britain’s greatest female novelists.

A rare manuscript “The Watsons” written by Jane Austen yesterday went under the hammer and was sold at auction for nearly £1,000,000 to the Bodleian Library in Oxford. This keeps the unfinished and previously “lost” work in the UK. Jane was responsible for writing classic novels like Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility & Mansfield Park.

Jane Austen was born on 16th December 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire in England at 23.45. She was an optimistic Sagittarius with a social Libran Moon and a perfectionist Virgo Ascendant. The Sun Moon combination is wonderfully open and fun loving, this is a lady who would have loved a party or a social occasion, mixing with people, chatting dancing and having a good time. It also has an out reach and a knowledge of what the people would want. However, Jane was never to be married, and never enjoyed the success that her books have eventually received. The reasons I will explain below.

The Sun sits quietly in the 4th house so Jane her home was her workplace, and what went on there she would keep secluded to the outside world. What did go on inside the Austen household? With Pluto and Mars in the 4th as well, one can assume that there were many arguments, tantrums, even cruelty. Mars square Moon suggest that Jane would have had a fierce temper and would fight back if provoked.  Mars & Pluto are in conjunction and suggest that her home would have been a competitive battlefield & more than likely was an upsetting place to be. With Saturn conjunct to the Moon, there seems little doubt to me that the main heart of the problems would have been caused with her relationship with her mother. This combination always shows that the mother rules with a rod of iron. This is compounded as the Saturn Moon conjunction is square to the Mars Pluto one. You can see the repressive hold of this upsetting square aspect and imagine the fights between mother & daughter that would have ensued. Jane’s life at home would not have been a happy one and her emotional life would have caused her pain too. The Saturn Moon conjunction is very difficult as the emotions are very suppressed and one finds it difficult to get into relationships, let alone deal with the disappointments in love which often happen as a result of this aspect. Remember as well that Jane has a Virgo ascendant which is nervous, worries about what other people think of you, is careful, cautious and self-critical. She only ever had one marriage proposal in her life and she turned it down, she led a single life from then on.

Despite the difficulty of this square, there were plus points within it too. Saturn Moon/ Mars Pluto holds a huge amount of talent, drive, emotion, determination and ambition (Mars Pluto in Capricorn). Putting this all together, (Astrology is like putting the pieces of a jigsaw together), we have an outgoing lady (Sagittarius/Libra) held back by nervousness, worry, emotional shyness and a home-life which would have been like living in a prison, with a powerhouse of emotions and ambition bubbling under the surface. The Moon in the first house shows that despite being a gentle and compassionate person, Jane would take her own route to success and would have been fiercely determined to do her own thing. All this potential in Jane desperately needed an outlet.

The square I  talk about forms a rare Thor’s hammer formation with the Saturn Mars aspect forming the base. At the point via two sesiquadrate (135 degree) aspects is Uranus in Gemini which is part of an opposition to Mercury in Sagittarius. A Thor’s hammer needs that square energy translated into a creative form for it not to be a totally destructive influence on the persona. That creative outlet which was to propel Jane to international fame was communication through writing. Not only do we in this opposition have a huge Mercury effect – 3rd house Mercury, Uranus in Gemini ruled by Mercury but we have a huge 9th house influence too as Mercury is in Sagittarius ruled by Jupiter and Uranus is in Jupiter’s 9th house of wisdom and internationalism as well as Jupiter sitting here natally too, also in Gemini. Uranus in Gemini/Mercury in Sagittarius shows a far reaching intelligence, it is inquisitive, especially of far off places, wise, curious, progressive and creative. It shows that this lady would touch people all around the world with her talents. The Midheaven showing her work path and public reputation is ruled by Gemini, and of course the Ascendant in Virgo is ruled by Mercury. Last but not least, Mercury makes a obsessive and very focused quindecile to the Midheaven. Everything in this chart says writing, creation, stories, poetry, plays; you name it, Jane would have had a passion for it.

There are two planets I have not touched on yet. Neptune sits on the ascendant and squares to the Sun forming a t-square with that Gemini Midheaven. Neptune trines to Pluto and Mars which gave her great charisma and artistic talent; through it she had a wonderful, inspirational, imagination. Neptune on the Ascendant also hints at escapism. Writing was the escape from all the heartbreak she suffered elsewhere in her life. Interestingly, Jane Austen never was accredited as an author in her day and all the books, poems and plays she wrote were written anonymously. Neptune acts here as a veil, hiding her public image. Her father (represented by the Sun), with whom she would have had a much better relationship than with her mother, helped her in trying to get her manuscripts into the public domain, shown by the close opposition to her Midheaven.

The other planet to mention is Venus. Venus in deep and dark Scorpio sits in the 2nd house of self worth, money, finance and personal possessions. Venus is also peregrine, not connected to any other planets by major aspect and is immensely powerful here. This is a incredible store of deep emotion, of intrigue and desire for relationships, love, harmony and an impassioned interest in women and women’s issues. Women and their relationships, sexual exploitation, scandals and their quest for possessions feature heavily in all Jane’s novels, all influenced by that compulsive Scorpio influence. Why didn’t these desires come out in Jane’s novels rather than in her own life? Because Saturn was also sitting in this second house of self worth as a blocking element. Jane would never have felt lovable, so through her writing all the passionate emotions she couldn’t let out, all the fantasies she wanted to experience but felt unable to face up to herself, came out through the pen in her hand. 

Venus in the 2nd house also brings a huge desire for money and it is not surprising that she became a professional writer to fulfil this desire for wealth. Unfortunately that annoying Saturn would have got in the way again. A 2nd house Saturn always means that you will be short of money in your life, and you will struggle for resources and you will have to put in hard work before they come. Saturn also is the planet that represents time. A trine to the Midheaven from Saturn effectively held up her career too, and so it was  a long time after her death and the hard graft that Jane had put into her books that success finally came. It is tragic that Jane Austen never saw and accepted the acclaim that her novels now receive, but I am sure that she would have been proud that her work eventually touched millions of readers across the globe.

JK Rowling – An astrological profile of the children’s fantasy writer and creator of Harry Potter.

As the final episode of the Harry Potter saga hits the silver screen tomorrow night in it’s London premiere, I thought it fitting to have a look at JK Rowling, the multi-million selling author of the Harry Potter novels to see what makes her tick, so to speak. JK has also been in the news after splitting from her book publisher.

Born Joanne Rowling on 31st July 1965 in Bristol in England, (sadly no birth time) JK is a proud Sun sign Leo with a careful Virgo Moon. The Moon is one of five planets placed in Virgo, the most literary of signs. If you were to go back in history, you would countless writers and novelists with significant planets in Virgo. The combination of the Leo Sun and Virgo Moon gives JK plenty of energy to burn and it is done in a cautious, meticulous and studious way. No stone will be let unturned in anything that JK does, it will have to be done correctly. This combination gives her a great desire to please, but in a less dramatic way than with most Leo Suns. JK will be quite humble and unassuming, she will like things that way.

Going back to that 5 planet stellium in Virgo, we find alongside the Moon, Pluto and Uranus the planets which shaped the 60’s bringing forth a generation who would look to overturn the staid and conservative values their parents would have had. Also here is Venus and Mercury. Venus conjuncts with Uranus, one of those placings which always seems to cause problems with relationships. Venus/Uranus is electric attraction, often to unusual non-traditional people. Relationships burn brightly for a short time, but the novelty often wears off once reality sets in the two will part and go their separate ways. JK was briefly married to a Portuguese  journalist, but the marriage lasted barely 6 months. Venus in Virgo generally can go one of two ways. Either having a string of relationships, easily moving on from one to the next (remember Virgo is a mutable sign so moving on is a natural to those with mutable charts) or quite the opposite and the person with Venus in Virgo will adore from afar, not having the courage to start a relationship in the first place, especially if badly aspected. Those with this placing are most discriminating, looking quite simply for perfection.

JK’s Venus is conjunct to not only Uranus but by Pluto too and the impact of the failed marriage dragged JK down into the underworld (Pluto) of clinical depression (Virgo of course is the “health” sign of the zodiac). The stellium in Virgo is opposed by Saturn in Pisces. With Saturn opposite the Moon, the indications were always there that her relationships would suffer disappointments throughout her life. Any opposition on the Virgo/Pisces axis I believe has a great effect on the health of the subject especially if Saturn and/or Pluto are based here affecting other planets by tension aspects (opposition/square). Here again we have a case of Saturn opposite Pluto, Uranus and the Moon on this axis line. In late 1993 when JK’s marriage was breaking up, Solar arc Pluto was square to both Saturn and Pluto, causing confusion in her mind, dragging her down and debilitating her whole self. Whenever these oppositions are hit by a transiting planet, it will have a direct impact on her.

Saturn of course is ambitious and constructive and makes a quindecile to the last of the Virgo planets, Mercury, the planet of the mind and of communication. Here the Virgo/Pisces axis show their constructive side. You see, Saturn is in Pisces ruled by Neptune, the planet of imagination and dreams. In JK these dreams are made into “solid form” by Saturn, however they need an outlet. The outlet, through the obsessive quindecile aspect to Mercury is through communication and writing (Mercury in Virgo). Those dreams and the imaginary world could be interpreted with great detail (Virgo) and be put into form and structure (Saturn). JK was from an early age going to be a writer.  So what would those dreams consist of? Well the Saturn opposite Virgo stellium makes a wedge structure with Neptune in Sagittarius at the point. Neptune in Scorpio hints at imaginary adventures, far off places beyond the realm of normal humans with a dark undercurrent. One other thing to note at this point is that Neptune in Scorpio can be seen as a dream-world (Neptune) associated with big business (Scorpio is ruled by Pluto). A theme park is being built and the films (Neptune rules film) and books have made JK a fortune.

Uranus in the wedge brings the unusual, magic, tension and rebellion. Pluto  brings in the realms of dark hidden forces of evil. The Moon adds emotion and Venus the social elements and camaraderie. Saturn shows authority & restriction, the forces of good versus the forces of evil (Saturn opposite Pluto). Jupiter in Gemini sits at the point of a t-square formation fanning out to the Moon/Saturn opposition. Here is the final piece of the jigsaw about the the Harry Potter books. JK writes (Gemini is ruled by Mercury) about growing up at school, about wisdom, about knowledge and faith (all ruled by Jupiter). Jupiter in Gemini has a huge thirst for knowledge, JK will always be reading, watching TV, news and wanting to know what is going on in the world.  Jupiter in Gemini also can connect and translate the world you live into another more imaginary one, and as such a lot of the characters and events in the books she has written, have great similarities to those she has experienced in her own life. Jupiter trines to Mars, giving an enterprising spirit and the belief you can do just about anything if you really want to. That belief extends to JK herself and her success has now given her the ability to do pretty much anything this wants to as well in her own life. The theme of the whole series of books are contained within the aspects of the chart and tend to reflect the inner and outer character of JK herself.

Finally I return back to the Sun. Sitting peregrine (unconnected to any major planet by major aspect) and proud alone, it dominates the whole chart. The Sun wishes to be recognised as the very best one can be, and to be appreciated for one’s work and contributions in life. By shaping and dominating the children’s book world for more than a decade and more importantly for bringing a new importance and enthusiasm to children and adults alike to rediscover the wonder of books, stories and reading, JK surely has fulfilled the desires of her Leo Sun.

Enid Blyton – A children’s author rediscovered

It’s just been announced that a previously undiscovered manuscript form Enid Blyton has been found after a collection of her writings were auctioned by her eldest daughter in September last year. Back in the news, I decided to have a look at the celebrated children’s author.

Enid (or Mary as she was christened) was born in East Dulwich, South London on 11th August 1897. We don’t have a definite birth time, however if you know certain details about a person in advance, you can make an educated guess. Enid was born with the Moon either at  the end of Capricorn or at the start of Aquarius. Her creative career suggests to me an Aquarius moon rather than a Capricorn one, maybe right on the cusp itself. We do know she made her fame & fortune from writing, so the Jupiter/Mercury (Jupiter adventure - Mercury communication & writing) conjunction most likely should be in the 2nd house of personal finance, which pulls the Moon (all her emotions) into the workaholic 6th house – she was prolific writing more than 500 children’s fiction novels. Just a couple of details and the rest of the chart falls generally into place. I estimate that she was born around 3.30am, although anyone reading should not take this as gospel truth.

Ok, we have a “rectified (adjusted birth time) chart. A sun sign Leo and ascendant suggests a very proud, almost pompous and selfish lady – even more so as most of the planets are located in the Eastern hemisphere of the chart. there was an element of me, me, me about her .The only exception to this is the Aquarius moon (just in Aquarius) so Enid through her work needed to be creative and of service to humanity in general. She would have a bright character which would come out into her writing. The Moon in the 6th house as I mentioned before is the workaholic position, able to hold down many jobs at the same time, I would guess she had several novels on the go simultaneously.

Her writing skills are shown in the 2nd house with Jupiter conjunct Mercury in Virgo. Here is a person capable of writing adventure stories in great detail. The square to Pluto from Jupiter in suggest a lucrative career in this, the square to Mercury suggests probing beneath the surface, an interest in mysteries and secrets (two of her book collections were called the Barney Mysteries and the Secret Series – how apt!). This square forms a Thor’s Hammer formation with the Moon. All that control and writing ability had to have a creative outlet. I have seen this formation in writer’s charts before (Tom Stoppard had one with Mars at the point). Where did the imagination come from? Neptune in Gemini (communication again) indicates a child like dream-world that she lived in; the house position gives the key to how that dream-world came out in her stories, the 11th house rules friends, groups and associations; she wrote about the Famous Five, the Secret Seven. That imagination was heightened by a square to energetic Mars and a sextile to her Sun.

Mars in the 3rd house conjunct Jupiter/Mercury shows great energy  in communicating especially in teaching, she studied to be a nursery teacher and opened her own school. Mars was also square Pluto giving her a drive to be in control of the organisation. Venus sits unconnected by major aspect in the 12th house in Cancer, she would be deeply attached to her family and heritage, although with a cool Aquarius moon, maybe she just to addicted to her work and so just couldn’t show it. We know that one of her daughters called her “uncaring”.

Her father was apparently very creative, a painter, a poet, linguist and musician. Saturn one of the indicators of the father) sits with Uranus in the fifth house of creativity. This conjunction is square the Sun, often an indicator of a split with the father and true enough Enid’s parents split when she was young and she moved to live with her mother. The Uranus/Saturn placing is also interesting. Enid’s work has always been criticised as simplistic, Saturn tends to blunt the quality off the creative product produced. With the Moon conjunct the descendant, one can see the influence of her mother on her life, even if the relationship (opposite ascendant) would have been problematic.

Taking the chart on after her death in 1968, the Solar Arcs do show that there may be a renewed interest in Enid’s work with the discovery of this new manuscript. Solar Arc Jupiter/Mercury has progressed to oppose natal Venus in the hidden 12th house, love of her work rediscovered, Neptune opposes her Midheaven so her creative work is highlighted again, and SA Sun and SA Mars have progressed to respectively square and trine the Jupiter/Mercury conjunction, so there is new energy for her writing. Even beyond her passing, I suspect her work will go through a renaissance, especially as Neptune enters dreamy Pisces in a couple of months time as we look for a more gentle, imaginative way to educate our children.