Astrology, Prediction and Comment

Until a few weeks ago I hadn’t heard of Caroline Flack.  She was a British TV star, who committed suicide while awaiting trial for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend.  Yet the press has gone into overdrive and there was even a mention in the The Seattle Times.  So I thought that I would have a quick look at her horoscope, to see if it gives any insights into her life and death.

Caroline Flack was a Scorpio, born on November 9 1979, in Enfield, England, at 1.30 am.  We straight away notice that she has no planets in Air signs.  As I discussed when looking at the charts of Dominic Cummings and Emmanuel Macron, a lack of Air can mean many things, and you do need to consider what kind of person you’re dealing with.  In the case of Cummings and Macron, you’re dealing with highly educated people, who are known for their intellectual gifts.   Caroline Flack was not know for her academic skills, and the lack of Air might suggest someone who tended to rely on her feelings rather than her thinking.

We also know that she was a Scorpio – a Scorpio who committed suicide.  I think it was Aleister Crowley who wrote that are three types of Scorpios.  The highest level of Scorpio is symbolized by the eagle.  The eagle soars above the clouds, leaving the turmoil of the everyday world far behind.  The second type of Scorpio is a snake.  The snake regards the world as a dangerous place, and prefers to slither under a rock for protection.  The final type of Scorpio is the scorpion itself.  According to legend the scorpion is self-destructive, and if you surround it with a ring of burning petrol it will sting itself to death.  This I suppose was the impact of having her career turned upside down by criminal proceedings, and having to face the glare of adverse publicity.

The public were certainly important to Caroline Flack, thanks to her brilliantly placed Moon.  It was in Cancer, the sign of its rulership, above the horizon in a night time chart.  Furthermore, it was in close trine to her Sun in Scorpio.  This Moon is responsive, and allows her to relate to the public at large.  This is a reminder that in most cases the key to being a successful celebrity is not being unique and individual, but having the capacity to give people what they want.

Matters were further helped by her close conjunction between Mercury and Venus in Sagittarius.  This conjunction enabled her to communicate in a natural and sparkly way, and must surely have been the engine of her success as a TV presenter.  You could say that it was particularly appropriate for the TV program she was associated with, Love Island. Mercury was communication, Venus was love.

As far as the psychological dimension is concerned, much has been made of issues surrounding her mental health, though anyone with a court case hanging over them is psychologically vulnerable.  I suppose it is worth noting that in her Vedic horoscope she had kemadruma yoga, where there are no planets in the house of the Moon, or the houses either side.  This yoga brings loneliness, and a separateness from the rest of the world.  Also, her Mercury-Venus conjunction was making a square aspect to Jupiter in Virgo.  It is an aspect that could be exaggerated and hyper, but I wouldn’t want to read too much into it.  If you want to looking for signs of mental health issues in a chart, you can always find something.

Looking at Caroline Flack’s chart from a generational perspective, she had both Jupiter and Saturn in Virgo, and she was therefore linked into the Jupiter-Saturn cycle.  In fact, her ascendant is also in Virgo, and if she was born at 1.30 am should would have the ascendant on the Jupiter-Saturn midpoint.  One could then argue that by becoming a celebrity, she became a feature of the current Jupiter-Saturn cycle.

The last Jupiter-Saturn conjunction was in May 2000.  In the lead up to this conjunction reality TV started becoming very big.  Big Brother started in the Netherlands in 1999, and in the UK in July 2000.  People like Caroline Flack would have prospered in the period of history following the conjunction, though it can be dangerous being too closely associated with any particular Jupiter-Saturn cycle.  Look at John Lennon.  He was born at the time of the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in 1940, he became a star after the 1961 conjunction, and he was murdered in the run up to the 1981/2 conjuction.  In fact John Lennon’s life comprised two twenty year cycles of Jupiter and Saturn, and he was therefore 40 years old when he died.  In fact 40 years and two months.

Caroline Flack, who was 40 years and three months old at the time of her death, was no John Lennon.  But her decision to become a celebrity made her a generational figure, a person representing a particular period of time.  And really, for many celebrities it must be a kind of possession.  You are being used by the Universe for a partcular purpose, for a particular time span.  Put another way, fame can have a price.  Looking forward, there is a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in December 2020, and already the two planets are in the same sign. The world will become a different place, as one cycle switches to the next.  People strongly associated with the old cycle will retire or find lower profile work.  Or sometimes die.

At the beginning of the week Mercury goes retrograde, in Pisces, the sign of its detriment and fall.  From then on Mercury gets steadily weaker, reaching peak weakness on February 26, when it conjuncts the Sun.  It is not a good time for starting projects, or for submitting complex documentation.  Words could get jumbled up, and there could be mixed messages.  Avoid buying computers, phones and other electronic equipment.

But it’s not all bad.  Mars starts the week in the first degree of Capricorn, and this is a high energy placement.  Through hard work we can get our way, even if in the short-term there are misunderstandings galore.  And in general, when Mars crosses a cardinal point the system gets energized.  On the plus side that means action, on the downside violence.

Which part of the world will be most affected by the Mars Capricorn ingress?  Possibly Brazil, because Mars is on the Midheaven through the central portion of the country, including Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Belem.  However I should point that astrocartography is a very hit and miss technique.

Anyway, here are my forecasts for the 12 signs of the Zodiac, for the week starting on February 17 2020:

Aries You’re becoming more motivated, and in terms of your career you can start preparing your ground for future advances.  And in general you’ll find it easier to get noticed.  However there is a challenge coming up, perhaps not this week, which will require your total concentration.

Taurus You can’t stay in the same place for ever.  Times are changing, and the people close to you are becoming more adventurous.  If it wasn’t for the corana virus I would suggest that you and someone else need a holiday.  But travel can take many forms.

Gemini Mercury, your ruling planet, is in bad shape – and it’s getting worse.  You may think you’re logical, but your feelings could trip you up, especially in your career.  It’s not a good time for making decisions – if you a wait a month or two the situation will ease.

Cancer Mars has moved into Capricorn, your opposite sign.  One-to-one relationships could be challenging, particularly if you’re born in June.  Partners want their way, and they won’t be open to persuasion.  Yet someone new and bold might be to your taste.

Leo The Sun, your ruler, is moving from Aquarius to Pisces.  In a general sense this is a good thing, because the Sun is weak in Aquarius.  However life will become more complicated, particularly in terms of money.  Where there’s emotion there’s trouble.

Virgo In general you’re a details person.  You look at the material world, and you make the appropriate decisions.  However Mercury, your ruler, is in a bad position and getting worse.  You’re not in control and the usual rules aren’t working.  If in doubt don’t.

Libra Those close to you are set in their ways, but that doesn’t mean they are weak.  Or even wrong.  They have decided that a particular strategy is appropriate, and you’re not in a position to do much about it.  Where there’s real estate there are problems and profit in equal measure.

Scorpio Mars, your ruler, moves into Capricorn, the sign of its exaltation.  If you have been putting off a short journey, of a financial or business nature, then now might the time to get your skates on.  You don’t have to commit yourself – it is all about gathering information.

Sagittarius It is all relative.  The least weak is the strongest, the least strong the weakest.  And your enemies and rivals are in no position to pick a fight with you.  However don’t overestimate yourself – things are OK, but not brilliant.  In relationships sensitivity can make the difference between success and disaster.

Capricorn Mars is now moving through your star sign.  It’s a mixed blessing.  On one hand you’re going to be be more accident prone than usual, especially if you’re born around Christmas, or just before.  On the other hand you’ll have the energy needed to propel yourself to new heights.

Aquarius How do you benefit from the situation?  You have to play according to your strengths, and not get closely involved.  Let other people get confused, and realize that it’s not a time for heroics.  Later, perhaps much later, you’ll be in a position to make your move.

Pisces The Sun is moving into your star sign, where it starts its journey towards a favourable aspect to Jupiter, your ruling planet.  But that aspect doesn’t happen for a few weeks.  Adjust to the changing situation and ask yourself how hopes for the future can be realized.  Maybe it’s all about making the right friends?

Until I lived in a Roman Catholic country, I had no idea what a name day was, and why and when you celebrated it.  As I soon discovered,  the name day is the feast day of the saint after which you are named.  This means that you won’t have a name day if you’re not named after a saint.  To illustrate how this works, if your name is John, you’re probably named after John the Evangelist, whose feast day is December 27 in France and Italy.  I know a lot of people are called John, but perhaps you’ll have a special connection with St. John, and you’ll aspire to some of his qualities.  If on the other hand you’re called Dominic, then your name day will be August 8 in France and Italy, August 4 in Poland and Slovakia.

I am sure that people called Dominic have all kinds of personalities.  However when you name a child after a saint, you have to consider the possibility that you’re making a link with the saint’s personality and reputation.  St. Dominic was born on August 8 1170, and he is associated with the foundation of the Dominican Order.  He was also a religous zealot, who spent a lot of time in Southern France trying to return the Cathars to the true faith.  While not personally involved with the Inquisition, in the decades following his death the Dominican Order became closely associated with it.

The Dominic I want to talk about is Dominic Cummings.  He is probably the second most powerful person in the United Kingdom, after Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister.  He has a clear idea about how Britain should be run – or at least how Britain should not be run – and he was one of the brains behind the success of Brexit in the June 2016 referendum.  However he is not a Member of Parliament, instead he is Chief Special Adviser to the Prime Minister.  His enemies see him as a malevolent, Rasputinesque power, lurking behind Boris’ throne.  His supporters seem him as a brilliant if iconoclastic reformer, perhaps in the mould of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s chief minister.  Dominic Cummings, like St. Dominic, is on a mission.  Not to root out the Cathar heretics, but to clear out “the Blob”, which is his name for those in the British government, civil service and establishment who are resisting change.

In terms of appearance Dominic Cummings has a monkish demeanour.  His receeding hairline is tonsorlike, and the way he dresses marks him as being very different from the politicians, civil servants and special advisors he orders around.  He doesn’t care about the ornaments and baubles of the material world, and not for him are suits, ties and tidiness.  Intellectually, he’s above all that.

Which brings me to Dominic Cummings’ horoscope.  He was born on November 25, in Durham, in the United Kingdom.  As I can’t find his birth time, I am going for the middday chart:

The first thing to notice about the horoscope is that there are four traditional plans in Sagittarius, which is a Fire sign.  And there are no planets in Earth signs.  From a Jungian perspective, the Fire signs are about intuition.  It is about being connected to the divine fire, about knowing something without needing to think about it.

In terms of how Dominic Cummings thinks, it is possible that Dominic Cummings has no Air in his chart – this would be the case if he was born after Noon, when the Moon was in Pisces.  Before noon, the Moon was in Aquarius, an Air sign.  Air is the thinking element, and when you have a highly intelligent person with little or no Air, you’re dealing with someone who has intellectual focus.  They don’t mess around with things that are unimportant, and they know for sure that they have all the answers.  Another example of a Sagittarian with no planets in Air is French President Emmanuel Macron.  Like Cummings he is very intelligent, like Cummings he knows that he’s right.

When I say that Dominic Cummings and Emmanuel Macron know that they are right, I don’t mean that in a derogatory sense.  Most people who know they are right are wrong, but in their case we should consider the possibility that they really are right.

Another thing worth noting about Dominic Cummings’ horoscope is that he has no planets in Earth signs.  A lack of Earth signs can manifest in many ways.  In Donald Trump’s case, it is an unnatural obsession with the material world.  In the case of Dominic Cummings, I suspect it is reflected in his appearance.  He doesn’t seem to care what he looks like – perhaps because there are more important things to be worried about.  It also hints at a monastic asceticism.  This is further supported by the fact that his Sun in Sagittarius is opposition his Saturn in Gemini.  Sun-Saturn aspects can make people ascetic, and also harsh.  Stalin, for example, had his Sun in Sagittarius square Saturn in Pisces.

Nonetheless, Dominic Cummings is a visionary.  His Sun is not just opposition Saturn, but also conjunction Neptune.  People with Sun-Neptune conjunctions tend to be dreamers, and if they are not careful they can get fantasy and reality mixed up.  Reinhold Ebertin described the conjunction as “Frailness, impressionability, a person subject to moods”.  Maybe Cummings is impressionable, if an idea comes his way that he finds instantly appealing.  And maybe he’s moody – I don’t know.  It’s also possible that Cummings is more physically sensitive than he realizes.  Chemicals, fumes and pollution could upset his equalibrium, and maybe, with his lack of Earth, he won’t pay enough attention to his health.

Another  important aspect in Cummings’ horoscope is a conjunction betweeen Mercury and Venus, in Sagittarius.  This makes him an excellent communicator, someone who has real talents when it comes to spinning words.  He has a blog, which makes frequent references to scientific papers, and his communication skills must be excellent if he can sell his ideas to the people running his country.  It should also be noted that Mercury and Venus are making a 45 degree aspect to the Sun-Uranus midpoint.  The Sun-Uranus pairing relates to revolution and change, and Ebertin gives “reformer” as one of its sociological correspondences.  We then get the picture of someone communicating creatively about dramatic reforms.

I do understand that what I say about Dominic Cummings is problematic.  I don’t have a birth time, and plenty of other people were born on November 25 1971 who have very different destinies.  An American actress called Christina Applegate, a Turkish singer called Göksel, and a former NHL Swedish ice hockey player. I suppose there are interaction effects that create the differences between these people – genes, the environment and perhaps the saint you’re named after.  If the ice hockey player had been called Dominic rather than Magnus, maybe he’d now be a special adviser to the Swedish Prime Minister.

Astrologers are often asked about childbirth and pregnancy.  It’s obvious really, because it’s an area of extreme uncertainty, where there can also be massive pressure.  Biological clocks are ticking, and in some cases people’s families are watching and waiting, and asking urgent questions if there’s no immediate pregnancy.

Matters are made worse by the media.  I look at tabloid newspapers on the internet, and they are full of stories about pregnant celebrities, sporting their ‘baby bumps’.  What kind of message is this giving?  Perhaps that being able to conceive is normal, and that if there are any delays one should be worried.

From an astrological point of view, there are detailed rules for dealing with pregnancy.  And some astrological signatures are seen as being more fertile than others.  For example, a Moon-Venus conjunction in Taurus is considered very promising, an indication that getting pregnant should be easy.

There is also the astrology of questions, where a chart is set up for the exact time a question is asked.  For example:

‘Am I pregnant?’
‘Will I get pregnant in the next twelve months?’
‘Is it a boy or a girl?’

Seventeenth Century astrologer William Lilly, who practised in London, was once visited by a client, who asked him a simple question: ‘Will I ever have children?’

William Lilly looked at the horoscope of this question, and his answer was direct and to the point.  He told her that in the future she’ll never conceive and that she was naturally infertile.

I myself wouldn’t treat a client like this.  I  recognise that childbirth and pregnancy are subtle and finely balanced, and I personally believe that the psychological dimension plays a big role.

If someone is told that they’ll never have children, then the psychological impact of this prediction could be so shattering as to create a self-fulfilling prophecy.  On the other hand, if an astrologer is overly optimistic, and tells a client that she’ll soon have children, then big expectations could be created.  And as every astrologer should know, expectations can cause a lot of damage – they can prevent things happening, in the real world.

There are also medical issues to consider.  A woman who is having difficulty conceiving should not consult an astrologer, at least not to begin with – she should instead go to a physician, to make sure that everything is in order.  And so should her husband, or boyfriend.  In other words, messing around with astrology could potentially lead to delays in treatment.

It’s my overall opinion that people should avoid going to astrologers with specific questions about pregnancy and childbirth.  The astrologer’s input is unlikely to be constructive – even if they have the technical ability to predict whether their clients will successfully conceive.

We should also remember that pregnancies often happen when everyone’s calm and relaxed, when there aren’t any pressures or expectations.  And if a woman is consulting her astrologer every month, what chance does she have?