He Wanted So Much to Join the British Aristocracy

Mohamed Al-Fayed (January 27, 1929)

You can’t blame the man: when he was born, Egypt was part of the Middle East protectorate of the United Kingdom. He would have seen where the money was. A boy can always dream, can’t he?

There are a couple of things about this chart that need clarifying. Al-Fayed claims to have been born in 1933, but official documents suggest that 1929 is the more accurate. I have rectified the timing to have Venus be at 25 years when he was first married to the mother of his son, Dodi. Oddly enough, that made the aspect between the Sun and the Moon exceed the degrees that would have made them inconjunct. But then, the inconjunct between Mercury and the Ascendant becomes prominent. But is it real?

Mercury Inconjunct Ascendant

You are likely to have some problems, but not serious one, in communicating with others. The problem is that people’s first impression of you may not fit in with what you say or your manner of thinking and speaking. People tend to hear what they expect to hear, and they may not listen to you as carefully as they should. So you will have to be as clear as possible and insist that others listen to what you are really saying. If others do not understand you, it is up to you to set them straight.

This pattern also works in reverse in that what you say may make people respond in ways that you can’t accept. For example, you may be outspoken and frank but dislike it when others are, preferring to be treated gently and sensitively.

(This brings to mind his crusade to make the public aware that the accident that caused Diana’s and Dodi’s deaths was an assassination by the British authorities.)

Unsurprisingly, the jury is still out on that idea.

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After 45 Years, I’ve Come to This Conclusion:

Astrology Isn’t “Real”

The planets: they impel rather than compel us. As an astrologer, I have been following the pseudoscience for 45 years. There are correspondences between what happens in the sky and how we (re)act. That’s really all it is.

My recent comment on an Ellie Dreams Down Under YouTube video

Honestly, this isn’t as earthshaking as it might appear at first. As a member of our Faith & Science group once stated: how can some rocks circling the earth influence us? (That statement is paraphrased, but I’m sure you get the gist of it.) If anything, astrology is based on the apparent sighting of the night sky from more than 2,000 years ago. With the movement of the zodiacal signs over time, these same ‘indicators’ no longer line up to the same spaces. (It’s called “precession of the equinoxes”.)

What this means, in layman’s terms, is that we have imbued the planets and the signs with the ability to ‘rule’ us as if they were gods. But that power is only from us, not the Universe. As far as the rest is concerned, life is cyclical, and it continues to eternity, without any direct reference to we human-beings and our little lives. Whether we live, or whether we die, the world would keep on turning, as it always has and always will. We place ourselves at the apex of the planetary life, even though nothing supports that view, except our egos.

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The Half-Forgotten Other Victim of Diana’s Crash

Dodi Fayed (April 17, 1955 – August 31, 1997)

Image courtesy of IMDb

The 5th season of “The Crown” brought this individual back into our consciousness. It’s not that he had been forgotten, really, it’s just that his life and death were overshadowed by the public’s fixation on Diana, the People’s Princess. His life was also cut off in its prime: he was only 42.

The overwhelming image that the aspects make in his birth chart is a Cosmic Cross. I have no idea whether this time of birth is correct, so the chart may not be as exactly shown. However, the single inconjunct connecting Mercury and Saturn is factual. His ties to his father are unmistakable, but it didn’t sit well with him.

Mercury Inconjunct Saturn

This aspect can have several different meanings. First of all, you may have hidden fears that are difficult to express, but they cause you to do things that others can’t understand. These may include fear of the dark or of certain places or people. Or this aspect can mean that you often feel depressed and sad for no apparent reason. You tend to see the serious siide of life, and it weighs on you more than on most people.

It is possible that your thinking will become unnaturally rigid for someone of your age. You may get into routine or habits that you are afraid to break, for you prefer familiar paths of life and known ways of doing things.

A particular serious problem can be feeling suspicious of others, which later in life will turn into a cynicfal attitude about people’s behavior. True, iit is good to be aware of the realities of life and not overidealistic. But you shouldn’t look at life in the worst possible light. You need to be surrounded by positive and optimistic people, and your parents should try not to be too negative around you and to make sure that you experience the best and most cheerful aspects of life. You will learn soon enough what to expect of the world without having your nose rubbed in its less desirable features.

On the plus side, this aspect can make you a very careful thinker. You may not attempt anything beyond your abilities as you see them, but whatever you do attempt will be done very well. You are a neat and careful worker.

The Car Crash that Links Them Together for All Eternity

Since I looked at this ‘accident’ in my book “At This Point in Time”, I won’t be doing so again here.

An interesting Yod (Finger of God) appears to connect these two charts together. Dodi’s natal Saturn has two inconjuncts from the accident chart: Saturn and the Ascendant. Wow. That says it all, really.

But the other incidental conjunctions between the charts speak volumes, too. Dodi’s natal Moon is linked to the accident’s Jupiter/Midheaven conjunction; and Dodi’s natal Venus is conjunct the accident’s South Node. Hmm. The title of this section is being highlighted here. According to Dodi’s (unreliable) chart, his destiny (North Node @ 29° Sagittarius 48′) should have occurred when he was 50 years of age. That’s proof that either the chart’s Ascendant is out by about 10° or so, or his destiny should have been to marry Diana. It’s an interesting puzzle.

Diana looks happy here, does she not?
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She Just Wants to be the Star in the Movie of Her Life

Kyrsten Sinema (July 12, 1976)

UNITED STATES – OCTOBER 28: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., arrives for a senate vote in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, October 28, 2021. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

With a name that is a homophone of cinema, it’s no wonder Kyrsten Sinema decided, after the Democrats took control of the US Senate, to become an independent. The theatre of it all! (aka “It’s all about me!”)

And then there’s that Pluto in Libra in the 12th House (of the Unconscious) conjunct the Ascendant. This is similar to Donald Trump’s house placement of Pluto. So, look out world, this movie is coming to DC.

Moon Inconjunct Mars

Until you learn to handle your feelings, you are likely to get angry easily, have temper tantrums and be touchy about what is yours and what is not. You may feel that you have to defend yourself against imagined threats. The problems here is that you are likely to become too emotionally involved with ideas, opinions or even objects without knowing it until someone threatens them. Then you react as if you were being personally threatened or attacked. You have to realize that it is possible to change your opinions and attitudes without damaging your worth as a person.

That Was Then

And This Is Now

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It’s Hard to Boast if You’re the Manhattan DA

Alvin Bragg (October 21, 1973)

According to Ellie Dreams Down Under, Alvin Bragg is risk-averse. That accounts for his not pursuing Donald Trump at the beginning of 2022, when his assistant district attorneys (publicly) resigned. It makes sense to be cautious if you are wanting to remain in office, because taking Trump on has proven to be a career-defining moment in the lives of those who dare to: ask Liz Cheney.

This chart is randomized, so I shouldn’t pay too much attention to time-sensitive aspects with the Ascendant and the Midheaven. But the rest of the aspects are stable (except for the ones with the Moon).

There are five inconjuncts, three of which form interactive Yods (Fingers of God) pointing at Jupiter and Saturn (which makes perfect sense when viewed through the lens of a man concerned with the law).

Moon Inconjunct Jupiter

This aspect indicates that you have a positive, optimistic outlook on life, and you enjoy socializing with good friends. However, there are some dangers with this aspect. First, it can be a sign that you are self-indulgent and possibly even selfish, although this is not likely to happen if you have a good, strong relationship with your mother. You have a great need to be cared for and supported, to be accepted for what you are with no strings attached. If this need is fulfilled, the positive side of this aspect will flourish. But if your mother does not support your needs fully, you will feel insecure and will look elsewhere for support and fulfillment. In this case your concern will be totally for yourself with little thought for other peoples’ needs.

Mars Inconjunct Pluto

You have a strong will and always want to have your own way. But very often it seems as if tremendous forces are working to prevent you from getting what you want. If you have this problem, it is because of the way you go about trying to achieve your ends. If you put too much force into your desire to get something, you may unknowingly alienate people because your aggressive manner shows that you will let nothing stop you from getting what you want. Even if that isn’t the way you really feel about it, you should recognize that your forcefulness creates this impression.

Jupiter Inconjunct Saturn

This aspect may signify great restlessness and unease, so that it is difficult for you to achieve a state of balance or feel calm and at ease. Often you have contradictory impulses; you want to plunge ahead into some relatively risky activity, but you are held back by feelings of caution or inhibition. It is often difficult to decide whether you want to act on your own or in a situation that is very structured and regulated. If your situation is too restrictive, you will feel closed in and repressed; you will want to break free and go off by yourself and do things your way. But when you get that freedom, you feel rather lost and at loose ends, and you find it difficult to set your own pace.

Saturn Inconjunct Neptune

This aspect is strongest when either of these planets is also conjunct or opposite the Ascendant or Midheaven. It can have a variety of effects, one of which may be difficulty in relating fantasy and imagination, on one hand, to reality, duty, obligation and work, on the other. Usually the reality, duty and work aspect of the combination is dominant, at least at first. Your imaginative side tends to be transformed into nervousness, fear and irrational anxieties. The most negative manifestation of this aspect is a feeling that you have to keep a tight lid on yourself and that if you look inside yourself too closely, you will find only emptiness and disintegration. It is difficult for you to realize that this is not the truth about your inner self.

Mars Inconjunct Midheaven (perhaps)

This aspect can mean that you have mixed feelings about all authority figures, including your parents. You may feel that you have to violate the rules laid down by your parents in order to get your way. This is a significant problem, because if it continues into adulthood, you will have great difficulties with employers. Therefore it is very important that your parents teach you how to express your self-assertive drives without going against their teachings. Unfortunately, it is impossible to state how that should be done, because the conflict between self-will, on one hand, and self-denial and work, on the other, is different for each person.

Hmm.

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A Social Contract between the British Royal Family and

The UK Tabloid Press

Yes, I know it’s easy to point a finger at the ‘gutter’ newspapers for all that has gone wrong in the world over the past half century, but there is some truth to the fact that their main purpose seems to be to stir up their readers into a frenzy by muck racking the Royals and other celebrities, including politicians.

And, yes, we watched the first half of the Netflix documentary about Harry and Meghan, last night.

We’re not immune, here in Canada. Our MSM feed each morning includes many examples of the nasty lies that are promoted by one side of (any) political divide or the other. As I reported previously, the National Post tends to take a jaundiced Conservative viewpoint of anything the Liberals (and Trudeau) have done. And, often, we get snapshots of what’s happening in the tabloid press in the United Kingdom. (The implication is that Royalty sells, even when airing their dirty linen in public.) And then we wonder why The Crown is so popular on this side of the pond.

One of the commentators in last night’s show explained how the ‘social contract’ works: the British Royal Family are paid by the taxpayers; therefore, they have to be available to the UK Press, who call the shots as to what is written about them. Effectively, the Royals are part of the UK zoo, and have to perform like trained seals, even when they are on holiday. But as Harry and Meghan have discovered, even walking away from royal duties doesn’t exempt you from scrutiny. In fact, it intensifies the public interest. And the public are the ones that buy the newspapers.

I’ll comment on the ‘colour’ issue when I’ve seen the rest of the documentary, next week.

Until then, TTFN.

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A Little Ditty About Our Baby Bird

Chants the Kakariki

(To the tune of La Cucaracha)

The Kakariki, the Kakariki,

He’s such a funny little bird,

The Kakariki, the Kakariki,

He’ll make you laugh without one word.

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Does This Foretell of Bad Tidings?

Cold Full Moon (December 7, 2022)

The funny thing about the movements of the Moon is that they occur regularly, like clockwork. But, once in a while, something significant seems to stand out from all the background noise of astronomy.

On its own, this chart has but one interesting feature: the Moon will occlude Mars when it becomes full.

Maybe I’ve been watching too many adaptations of “A Christmas Carol”, but I feel like this is a harbinger of some spectral visitations.

Perhaps my father will come to see me again (Saturn transit my natal Sun).

Saturn Conjunct Sun

This transit can bring both fulfillment and difficulty. Roughly fourteen years ago, when transiting Saturn opposed your Sun, you went through a period of adversity and low vitality. But at the same time you made new beginnings, which are having results now. These efforts will either reach a climax and be successful, or you will realize that they have failed. In any case this is a time of tremendous responsibility and hard work. either to guarantee the successful conclusion of your old projects and endeavors or to salvage the best from the failures.

The energy of Saturn holds back the energy of the Sun, which is your basic life energy. Saturn confines and restricts it so that you can do only certain things. As a result, you may feel cut off from others and lonely, but do not be too concerned about this. Even if this transit coincides with the breaking up of a relationship, which it may, it means that the relationship itself is distracting you from matters that you must attend to now. This is a time for concentrating energy, not scattering it.

(from Planets in Transit by Robert Hand)

Saturn in the Second House

When Saturn transited your first house, you had to learn who you really were in your own terms. Now, as Saturn enters your second house, you have to learn what is really important to you, what you really value. This does not mean just material things, but also psychological, spiritual and moral values. In fact these may take precedence over material values, if that is where you need to work on self-understanding.

(ibid)

A Lesson to be Learned?

I don’t doubt that, even in my advanced years, I can still learn a thing or two. During the leadup to the holidays, I have watched my wife, Susan, buy presents for her extended family which seems to be extravagant, in my opinion. In fact, we’re going back into credit card debt, which I was able to get us out of this past year. And with inflation skyrocketing, it seems wasteful to ‘treat’ the family so generously.

But, I suspect, this is the lesson: do I trust the Universe, or not? Susan shares what she has with kith and kin because that is how she celebrates Christmas. I definitely act like a Scrooge, in comparison. Do I need waking up to a different reality? I suspect I do.

It’s time to enjoy being alive and able to share with friends and family! Merry Christmas, everyone.

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A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush

Deja on our Christmas tree.

Chants taking on an ornament.

The two of them, together. (All photos courtesy of Susan Miller on Facebook.)

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This is the Last Time: Hopefully, I’m Finally Right

Beth Leone (April 29, 1968)

Here’s a very young-looking Beth. She has been active in spiritual activities since 1988, or so. That would make her birth year to be (perhaps) 1968. She has maintained her youthful appearance.

This chart has been rectified, but only to get Saturn into the first degrees of the 4th House (of Home and Family). Her Sisters of the Moon is now in the final degrees of the 6th House (of Health and Service). I think we have the correct chart, finally. The lineup of personal planets from Venus through the Sun and Mercury to Mars seems to echo her teenage years of ill-health. In fact, the Yod from Neptune and Uranus, pointing at Venus implies that her bulimia was purposeful in getting her through her karmic burnout and to her eventual healing. There are no accidents in a spiritual warrior’s life.

I shall now leave this individual alone. But, in my opinion, this quest was worth the spiritual connection.

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