Regular readers of this blog will know that the UK is currently experiencing a transit of Neptune to the nation's Venus. One of the key issues of this transit is equality in general, and between men and women in particular. There is also the linkage of Venus with money.

Those who've kept up-to-date with a certain famous tennis tournament will know that the appropriately-named Venus Williams this week thanked Tony Blair for adding his support to the campaign for equality at Wimbledon, where the prize pot for males is £5.2 million but the female's prize pot is £4.4 million. The women's singles winner gets £30,000 less than the men's singles winner.

The Equal Pay Act (1970) entered into force in 1975, when Jupiter was in the UK's 7th house (Venus's house) forming a sextile to the UK's Venus, on a day when transiting Venus was novile to the country's natal Venus.

Astrologically, it's high time for all such forms of inequality to end.

To read more on the UK's Venus transit by Neptune, there is comprehensive coverage of it at the Astrology for the 21st Century website. This URL takes you directly to the material there: http://www.astrology21.co.uk/c1ukneptunevenus.html

EADS (European Aeronautic Defence & Space company) has been repeatedly hitting the headlines recently with delays to its Airbus 380 challenge to Boeing, the release of a profit warning, and shareholder calls for an investigation into possible insider trading.

EADS has an 80% holding in Airbus. The Airbus project started as a France and Germany joint project, over thirty years ago. A Spanish company joined in, and later a UK company - Bae Systems (formerly British Aerospace) - also joined the consortium. The French, German, and Spanish companies went on to form EADS together, holding an 80/20 split of Airbus with Bae Systems.

In April 2006 Bae Systems was reported as ready to sell its 20% stake in Airbus to EADS. In the same month, EADS issued a profit warning to investors. Also in April the executives of EADS had become aware of problems with the Airbus 380. In a radio interview, the Chief Executive Officer of EADS, Noel Forgeard, said:

"The problems of delays were put on the table during April and at the end of May many people still thought it was possible to resolve them. The detailed work reached its conclusions on June 13 and we published them on the same day."

Astrologically, this is a complex scenario to examine, because there are so many birthcharts involved. For example, there are several charts for Airbus, and two main charts for EADS. But one of the key charts is that for the beginning of the Airbus A380 project.

In this chart, the Sun is at 27 degrees 51 minutes of Sagittarius. On 29th March Pluto stationed at 26 degrees 45 minutes of Sagittarius. The station of Pluto was effective for around 3 weeks before and around 3 weeks after the 29th March, putting the April turning points in clear astrological context.

This degree crops up in other Airbus charts, two examples:

~ When Airbus Industrie was founded in 1970 the Sun was at 25 degrees 36 minutes Sagittarius.

~ When Airbus formally became an integrated company, the planetoid Chiron (a company's weak point) was at 24 degrees Sagittarius.

Throughout 2006, 2007, and 2008 Pluto will repeatedly transit the Sun of the Airbus A380, coinciding with what Airbus/EADS hope to be the successful launch of the aeroplane. In astrology Pluto often reflects a project's struggle with threats to its success and continuation, but often things pull through and gain a new lease of life. EADS now needs to work to make that the case.

Top of the Pops began on 1st January 1964, broadcasting from Manchester. For decades it was the music programme, becoming so influential and having a magic all its own that bands and artists aspired to be appear it. But in the 1990s it faltered, and despite revamp after revamp viewing figures declined.

The BBC blame the rise of cable/satellite television music channels and other music services that allow viewers and listeners to seek out the music they want, rather than wait for it to be delivered to them once a week.

This week, the Beeb announced that Top of the Pops - or TOTP as it's normally abbreviated - is to end next month (on 30th July), marking the end of an era.

The news about the demise of the programme came as Mars conjoined Saturn at 9 and 10 degrees Leo in exact trine to the TOTP Midheaven at 9 degrees Aries. Transiting Saturn has recently moved into TOTP's 1st House, and if we rewind to Saturn's station on 5th April 2006 at 4 degrees Leo we see that it was exactly on TOTP's Ascendant. We can speculate that this would've been when the executives took their decision to bring things to an end, and it was the faster-moving Mars transit that coincided with the impetus to go public with the axe-wielding.

Other crucial transits include: transiting Pluto (god of death......) aspecting TOTP's Moon, Venus, and Pluto; transiting Neptune in square to TOTP Neptune and very closely conjunct TOTP Saturn - going into liquidation, in a sense; transiting Uranus opposite TOTP's Pluto.

You might've read the other day about Eurotunnel's financial problems. They go back to its early days when the first deals were done between the governments of the UK and France. It was agreed that public money wouldn't be used for the projects. It was also thought that the tunnel would have a very strong impact on other methods of crossing the channel, but those thoughts proved ill-judged. Fast forward to 2006 and the company is in danger of going bankrupt. So what's going on astrologically?

The birthchart for Eurotunnel has Venus in square to Neptune. Venus is at 5 degrees of Libra, and Neptune is at 3 degrees of Capricorn. No time is available for the company formation, although if it came into being around midnight then the Moon would be placed on the half-way mark between Venus and Neptune (in astrology this is called being on the midpoint, and it is written: Moon = Venus/Neptune).

TransManche Link (TML) was a consortium formed to carry out the construction of the tunnel. The relationship between Eurotunnel and TML soured early on. By the time the Channel tunnel - the 'chunnel' - opened, the debt was already stacked high.

Although TML was founded almost a year prior to Eurotunnel's founding, Venus and Neptune are in almost the same place in both charts. In TML's chart Venus is at 2 degrees of Libra, and Neptune is at 1 degree of Capricorn - they are in square to one another once again.

These two companies had to work closely together for years, in far less than adequate financial conditions. Their Venuses and Neptunes were in basically the same place, and both in square aspect. Venus is associated with finances. Neptune is the planet that is, in a sense, anti-finance - its values are ideological and sometimes spiritual rather than a material. Square aspects reflect things that we need to constantly address head-on, actively manage, and get to grips with. Squares often represent struggles, difficulties, and obstacles. Put all this together and you have two companies that are grappling with (square) how to finance (Venus) a pipe-dream (Neptune) in the hope of uniting (Venus/Neptune) the United Kingdom with the European Union (what was then the EEC) - note all the themes of unity, union, and uniting.

At the moment, transiting Neptune has just stationed (appeared to stop moving, as viewed from the Earth) directly opposite Eurotunnel's Sun (20 degrees of Leo), highly appropriate for a company on the brink of dissolving. This year's and next year's Saturn-Neptune opposition will connect with Eurotunnel's Sun, and so it really is crunch time for the company.

More info on 2006/2007's Saturn opposition Neptune: www.astrology.21.co.uk

In just over a fortnight's time, Mercury will station and turn retrograde. This occurs three times a year, and is an important time for reassessing our views, opinions, hidden assumptions, and unconscious beliefs.

Astrology and astronomy used to be more frequently studied by the same people. For the past few centuries the study of the planets and stars has been split, so that one group tends to study astrology but not astronomy, and the other astronomy but not astrology. Given that Mercury rules Gemini, the primary sign of duality and disconnection/reconnection, it seemed apropriate to talk about Mercury retrograde from an astronomical as well as an astrological viewpoint.

Because there are a lot of graphics and space for those is limited here on the blog, it seemed better to put the material on the main website. It can be found at: www.astrology21.co.uk

In just over a fortnight's time, Mercury will station and turn retrograde. This occurs three times a year, and is an important time for reassessing our views, opinions, hidden assumptions, and unconscious beliefs.

Astrology and astronomy used to be more frequently studied by the same people. For the past few centuries the study of the planets and stars has been split, so that one group tends to study astrology but not astronomy, and the other astronomy but not astrology. Given that Mercury rules Gemini, the primary sign of duality and disconnection/reconnection, it seemed apropriate to talk about Mercury retrograde from an astronomical as well as an astrological viewpoint.

Because there are a lot of graphics and space for those is limited here on the blog, it seemed better to put the material on the main website. It can be found at: www.astrology21.co.uk

Gore Vidal once wrote an essay titled Sex is Politics. We could say that so is love, and so is marriage.

Last week two UK citizens, Celia Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson, went to the High Court to make their case for having their marriage recognised in the UK. They married in Canada in 2003, but the UK doesn't recognise same-sex marriage, even though it automatically recognises opposite-sex marriages that have taken place abroad. The couple have argued that this is discriminatory, and are seeking a declaration of the validity of their marriage. The UK government is arguing in court against this.

This is clearly an historic court case, and the High Court is expected to give its decision in July. What's more, strange as it may seem to those unfamiliar with astrology, it has cosmic significance.

For some time now the UK has been going through a Neptune (inclusiveness, amongst other things) transit to the nation's Venus (marriage, amongst other things). This transit occurs only once every 168 years, so it reflects a rare process of change.

The High Court case was heard from the 6th to 8th of June. During The Sun was square Uranus in Pisces, and also trine Neptune in Aquarius. This alone gives us the issues involved: equality, human rights, breaking down barriers, moving from discrimination against those who are considered 'different' in society to an inclusive equitable position, and the individual challenging the society in which they live, while the society pushes back against the individual in return.

When they wed in 2003, transiting Pluto was closely square Celia's Venus, and the transiting nodal axis was square Sue's Venus. Venus is the planet representing love and union. Transiting Jupiter was opposite transiting Uranus, and both were square Sue's Mars, symbolising an action that asserted freedom and human rights. For Celia, this Jupiter-Uranus opposition connected primarily with Pluto (a planet often linked with taboos in society), as well as Saturn, Neptune, and the node. (NB Celia and Sue's birth times are not known, and so the all-important Descendant and other house cusps aren't known.)

In astrology there is such a thing as the 'marriage chart'. It's a chart calculated for the date, time, and place of marriage. The time of the marriage is not known but the date and place are. This Jupiter-Uranus opposition was connected on the day with a Sun-Venus conjunction, showing a marriage that centres around liberty. Mars was conjunct Uranus, showing actions that shake up the system, fighting for justice.

Getting into some more complicated astrology, the Sun was on the Venus/Jupiter and Mars/Uranus midpoints, while Mars was on the Sun/Venus midpoint and Uranus was on the Sun/Jupiter midpoint. All of these show a union that is a socially provocative event, thus sowing the seeds for the court action that would develop from that moment.

Looking at the transits for the High Court action last week, Celia had transiting Uranus directly opposite her Venus, showing the agitation for reform being channelled through her marriage, as well as transiting Pluto sextiling her Sun showing an intensely transformative period of her life. Sue had transiting Pluto in sextile to her Venus, showing a similarly intense transformation going on but channelled through her marriage. Transits from Uranus and Pluto to Venus show the need to change one's relationship status: sometimes people get married during transits like this, sometimes they get divorced. In this case, Sue and Celia are using the transit as the most opportune time to have the 'Civil Partnership' status conferred upon them by the UK legal system changed to 'married' status instead.

Here is a link to the Equal Marriage Rights website which provides more information on Celia Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson's court case and an outline of the government's defence:
www.equalmarriagerights.org

And this is a link to the article written in May 2005 - over a year ago - that discusses the transit of Neptune to the UK's Venus:
www.astrology21.co.uk/c1ukneptunevenus.html

Yesterday it was reported in the media that three people had committed suicide in the USA's prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The camp commander, Rear Admiral Harry Harris said:

"I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us."

How is it that the world's most powerful military, operating a prison camp unlawfully, holding people without charge, powerful enough to resist the UN and other countries when they tell it to treat people in accordance with the law, can suddenly and with a straight face proclaim itself to be the victim in this situation?

Various astrologers have written about the USA's Mars square Neptune aspect, which is renowned for 'passive-aggressive' behaviour. When it's transited the country has a habit of getting embroiled in military action, dragged into it protesting its innocence yet covertly carrying out all sorts of provocations, interferences, and things that the citizens of the country would generally disapprove of if they knew what their government was doing in their name.

When the USA imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay its first captured people from its attack on Afghanistan, transiting Mars was directly opposite the USA's Neptune, and in square to the USA's Mars. Transiting Uranus was closely trine the country's Mars, and quincunx its Neptune. Transiting Neptune was sesquiquadrate both Mars and Neptune - it was on the midpoint of Mars-Neptune. Lastly, the transiting Sun and Venus were both quincunx the USA's Mars and trine its Neptune.

That is how the USA government and military distorts (Neptune) its role as aggressor (Mars) and dominator (Mars), pretending instead that it is helpless, pitiful, wounded victim of others' aggression when in actual fact it is those others who were victims of America's aggression. What a sick joke.

No matter what the government tells us, the truth is that it is deliberately killing the NHS.

It is not about something as inocuous as 'reform'. Nor is it about a funding crisis, or being too big to manage. It is about finding excuses to kill it.

If the government is allowed to finish what it's started, the NHS will be reduced to nothing more than a brand - a logo and maybe a slogan attached to private companies whose sole purpose is to turn a profit no matter what.

Fortunately, we have a chance to save it, and resurrect its original purpose for real, not just in this sham way that the government is pretending to do, whilst ripping the heart and soul out of its substance.

Here is the NHS's birth chart. Its MC is at 27 degrees 54 minutes of Sagittarius. In March 2006 Pluto was just over 1 degree away from this, which is absolutely close enough to reflect the murder that's about to be completed. Pluto will go forwards and backwards over the MC during 2006, 2007, and 2008. So if we don't do something about it now, by 2008 the NHS will almost certainly be dead and buried.

The good news is that Pluto transits always hold the potential for a resurrection and new lease of life. Of course the government is pretending that that is the aim, but it's not: the government is bringing the sinister, treacherous, and brutal Pluto side into the equation. It is playing the Plutonic role of the murderous villain, not the life-bringer.

As Pluto conjoins the NHS's MC, it also opposes the NHS's Venus, Uranus, and Mercury. At the moment Pluto is moving back to square the NHS's Ascendant; this is another major 'kill it off' configuration.

2006 to 2007 also sees Saturn opposing Neptune, which has direct relevance to the NHS because the organisation is experiencing its Saturn return during the Saturn-Neptune opposition. The Saturn-Neptune pairing always has relevance to health issues, and readers of this blog and the Astrology for the 21st Century website will know that it also has strong links to the Labour party, to Tony Blair, and to David Cameron.

In the NHS's chart, Saturn is at 20 degrees of Leo, which is the exact degree of one of the forthcoming oppositions between Saturn and Neptune. This is 'crunch time'.

For more astrological information on the NHS's birth chart, there is a short article written in 2004 that you can read here: NHS cycles of reform
For more information on keeping the NHS public, see this website: Keep Our NHS Public
And to find out more about the Saturn-Neptune opposition, see here: Saturn Opposition Neptune

Here's a list of important planetary movements and alignments for this month:

Movements and Aspects:
2nd Mercury enters Cancer, Mars enters Leo, Sun square Moon (First Quarter)
4th Moon's apogee (furthest from the Earth)
11th Sun opposition Moon (Full Moon)
12th Moon's maximum southern declination
16th Moon's perigee (closest to the Earth)
17th Saturn quintile Uranus - exact on this day
18th Sun square Moon (Last quarter)
19th Uranus stations and turns retrograde
20th Saturn opposition Chiron
21st Sun enters Cancer (Solstice - Summer in Northern hemisphere, Winter in Southern hemisphere)
22nd Moon's north node enters Pisces, Jupier square Saturn - exact on this day
24th Venus enters Gemini
25th Sun conjunct Moon (New Moon), Moon's maximum northern declination
28th Mercury enters Leo
30th Saturn sesquiquadrate Pluto - exact on this day

Aspect formations:
From 5th to 8th there is a Grand Cross aspect formation between Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Chiron
From 4th June to 9th July there are various T-Square aspect formations between Sun, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Chiron

On Thursday 1st June at a meeting called by David Miliband, the Minister for the Environment, a proposal to build a national 'water grid' to move water around the country in the event of a drought was unanimously rejected.

The reason? Cost.

The meeting took place amidst several drought warnings and criticism that the water companies are not doing enough to stop leaking pipes despite rising profits. United Utilities, South West Water owner Pennon, and Anglian Water all reported profit increases.

Around 650,000 people living around Sutton were affected by the first drought order in England and Wales since 1995 when their local water company introduced the order.........during an exceptionally wet bank holiday weekend.

As Saturn opposes Neptune this year and next, the long-term investment (Saturn) is going to have to be committed to, lest water (Neptune) shortages (Saturn), drought orders (Saturn-Neptune), and hosepipe bans (Saturn-Neptune again) are going to become a way of life in this solely profit-driven economic environment.

In failing to consider the broader public interest, and being too swayed by the corporate imperative to focus exclusively on generating profits, the government (Saturn) has weakened and undermined (Neptune) itself. It is also failing in its primary duty (Saturn) to protect (Saturn) the welfare (Neptune) of the citizens.

The opposition aspect is one of crisis, confrontation, and head-on challenges. The government would be wise to deal with this now, rather than force yet another clash between it and the public.

For more on Saturn opposite Neptune, see the website of Astrology for the 21st Century at www.astrology21.co.uk

So John Prescott has finally backed down - a little bit.

Despite having no Cabinet position anymore he's been hanging onto his 'grace and favours' perks of his former job. Funny how the Labour party government seems to think that sort of abuse of State privilege is perfectly okay, isn't it? (Just like former Home Secretary David Blunkett resigned but carried on living in an expensive house courtesy of the taxpayer for 4 months after he left his job.) But John has at last agreed to give up 'his' country mansion. Or so he says.

On 5th May Prescott lost his job in the Cabinet, following revelations of an affair with a member of staff, but in a flagrant violation of logic Tony Blair allowed him to keep all the taxpayer-provided benefits of his former job: his £155,000 salary, a flat in Admiralty House in London, and the Dorneywood mansion set in 200 acres of parkland in Buckinghamshire.

Then, when Tony was abroad and John was supposedly performing his role as deputy Prime Minister, Prescott was photographed playing crocquet on the Dorneywood lawn.

Earlier this year, he had been forced to reimburse money to the taxpayer as it became known that his council tax bills for the flat in Admiralty House had been paid out of the public purse when it shouldn't have been.

Here is Prescott's birth chart. His time of birth is not known, so the house cusps can't be calculated. It also means that the Moon's degree and sign position can't be calculated: the Moon is somewhere between 28 Gemini and 13 Cancer - it changed signs at 1:52am GMT (2:52am BST) on John's day of birth.

It's unfortunate that we don't have the Moon's position or the house cusps because the Moon, along with the 4th house, represents places of residence. It also represents women, and intimate relationships. All three of John's crises this year to date have involved property and women - lunar issues - so it's highly likely that he's having a major transit to his Moon, and/or involving his 4th house.

A major planet of scandals is Neptune. Readers of this blog will know that Neptune has been mentioned several times recently, because it's been motionless as viewed in the Earth's sky. John's chart has Mercury - representing news, information, announcements - at 17 degrees Taurus, and as the council tax crisis broke transiting Neptune was making a close square aspect to it.

Another factor is transiting Pluto (unearthing secrets, use/abuse of power, taxation issues), which was and still is directly opposite Prescott's Mars (sex, selfishness, the desire to look after number one and to hell with everyone else).

As news broke of his affair with one of his staff, transiting Neptune was slowing down ready to turn retrograde, in square to his Mercury. Transiting Mars was also exactly conjunct his Venus (women, love). The Pluto transit to Mars was still present.

Days later, Blair removed Prescott from his Cabinet job, and the pressure piled on for him to resign. The closer things got to Neptune's station, the greater the pressure on him to stand down. And once again, the Pluto transit remains.

Briefly looking ahead, the days around 10th June are likely to show some interesting developments in relation to whether or not John is able to stabilise his position. Later in the year, as Neptune stations again in October in square to his Mercury, there is likely to be a further crisis for him. Whether it occurs in public or in private only time will tell.