Here are the major planetary movements and alignments for this month:

2nd Mercury enters Scorpio
4th Saturn forms an exact novile aspect with Uranus
6th Moon reaches its perigee (i.e. it is nearest to the Earth)
7th Full Moon (i.e. Sun and Moon are in opposition aspect to one another)
10th Pluto forms an exact novile aspect with Chiron
12th Chiron is stationary direct
12th Moon reaches it's maximum northern declination (i.e. highest point north of the Earth's equator)
14th Last Quarter Moon Phase (i.e. the Sun is in square aspect with the Moon)
19th Moon reaches its apogee (i.e. furthest away from the Earth)
20th Jupiter forms an exact quintile aspect with Chiron
22nd New Moon (i.e. the Sun and Moon are conjunct)
23rd Sun enters Scorpio
23rd Mars enters Scorpio
24th Venus enters Scorpio
25th Jupiter forms an exact square with Saturn
27th Moon reaches its maximum southern declination
28th Mercury stations and turns retrograde
29th Neptune stations and turns direct
29th First Quarter Moon Phase (i.e. Sun and Moon are in square aspect)

Whilst for years it's been assumed that Gordon Brown would simply be 'baton-passed' the Prime Minister's job by Tony Blair in a 'coronation', it's astrologically by no means assured. In fact, Brown could well be the Prince Charles to Blair's Queen, apparently destined never to inherit the throne.

Brown's chart does have some leadership/authority links to the Labour party's chart - that much is obvious, otherwise he wouldn't be where he is now - however they're not as strong as Blair's.

Brown's transits are also not indicative of someone about to assume power. The current Saturn-Neptune opposition links with Brown's Pluto, just as it does in Blair's chart, and this can symbolise power slipping through someone's fingers.

A Uranus transit to Brown's Jupiter suggests reversals of fortune, however there's no telling which way the reversal might go. This transit has been within orb from April to September 2006, and will be within orb again throughout 2007 and into 2008.

Backtracking slightly, at the end of August and beginning of September this year, when the latest Blair leadership crisis broke and Brown was pictured leaving Downing Street with a rather large smile on his face, transiting Mars was exactly opposite Gordon's Mars. Mars opposition Mars is renowned for battles of wills, running out of patience, flare-ups, and fierce rivalry. And this, all within the larger context of transiting Pluto square Brown's Mars, symbolising intense will-power being focused on ambitions and the compelling need to get ahead. This latter aspect is within orb until the end of November 2006.

Throughout November and December 2006 Gordon is likely to feel in the mood to push forward with his plans, and chance his luck. By January 2007 his impatience could boil over, and around 23rd January 2007 his desire to be 'top dog' is very likely to reach a peak, as is his willingness to fight for the position. This is therefore a date to watch, particularly as a simultaneous transit of Mars to Brown's Uranus suggests a short-fuse, an intolerance of delays, sudden and bold acts, and a refusal to toe the line.

February 2007 is another strong month for Gordon, and come March and April he will be positively brimming with the desire to take charge. May has some brakes to place on his drive forwards, but the period through to June and July looks pretty favourable, overall, for moving ahead with his goals and wishes.

August to October 2007 - i.e. the latest time when Blair is supposed to leave office - holds the potential for disappointments and testing times, with limits placed on Brown's capacity to realise his potential in the way that he wants, as Saturn transits opposite his Sun. This does not preclude the assumption of authority, but it needs to be seen within the larger context of the information outlined above.

Blair has confirmed that he will have resigned by September 2007. Bearing in mind that he is known for lying, we cannot rely on his confirmation. However, if we astrologically trace his eroding popularity over the last few years we find that his current trajectory towards the exit is set to continue.

Politicians and commentators have speculated about when Blair will publicly name a precise date for his departure. Some say he will stay in the job right up to September 2007, others say he will go in May 2007, and others say he will have to at least commit to a date by February or March 2007 so that the May '07 elections can be free of the associations with damaging policies and disastrous wars that his presence evokes in the general public's consciousness.

Astrologically, any of these speculative time-scales are feasible, and it's just not possible to predict an exact date with certitude. However, what astrology can tell us is that Blair's leaving - whether voluntary or otherwise - could happen much sooner than expected.

The current Saturn-Neptune opposition is strongly connected to Blair's chart, as well as the Labour party's as discussed above and elsewhere on this website. This reflects the fact that the stage is well and truly set. He was forced to publicly confirm that he will go by September 2007 within days of the exact Saturn-Neptune opposition. At the end of October 2006, Neptune will station and turn direct. Just a day before, Mercury will station and turn retrograde. Both of these planets form aspects with Blair's chart, suggesting that a further crisis point will be reached in just a few weeks' time [it is now 2nd October].

Because stations of planets like Neptune take a few weeks to build and a further few weeks to release, the whole of October could see another crisis looming for Blair that renders him unable to do anything but let go of control, and possibly of power. As Neptune stations it will be square his Sun, representing the dissolution of his outward role in the world. Sacrificing recognition, fame, glory, applause, are all part and parcel of this transit which occurs in stages, beginning in March 2003 (the start of the war against Iraq) and ending in January 2007.

The Mercury station is followed by its retrograde movement. On the very day of its station, Mercury will sextile Blair's Midheaven. An announcement of some kind, or a flurry of communication about his future career, is very possible at this time. Mercury will then traverse back through the Zodiac, in Blair's 6th house (his job), and around 9th November it will oppose his Sun. The days around this aspect are another time when an announcement could be forthcoming, whether from Blair himself, one of his entourage, or one of his political foes.

After turning to direct motion, Mercury will once again oppose Blair's Sun around 27th November, and the days around this aspect could be when an important public communication of some kind takes place. Note that these are not the only times possible, it's just that they stand out because they occur during the retrograde period and involve Blair's Sun which represents him as a leader.

Throughout November and December 2006 transits of Mars suggest that Blair will find it a tough battle once again (assuming he is still in charge by then). He may well bite off far more than he can chew through a feeling of misplaced confidence in himself and his capacity to win - moreso than his habitual hubris, that is.

By mid- to late February 2007 the brakes are on once again, although Blair is likely to nevertheless be in the mood to take on all challengers; he would be wise to be cautious this month. March's transits suggest more high spirits, with perhaps a desire to branch out into something new. Power conflicts remain very probable. April looks like another tough month, and during May it's highly unlikely that Blair will want to relinquish any leadership position he holds or back down in the face of his enemies.

His transits during June suggest that it's time to back down; he's unlikely to win contests during this time, or at least to be so totally exhausted by the struggle to win that the victory is a hollow one. July and August show a time favourable for forging ahead but with a strong possibility of power conflicts again. This is a good time for him to start something new. From mid-August to mid-September he is likely to feel hemmed in, surrounded by obstacles, unable to find room to manoeuvre.

The context of all the above is the aforementioned transit of Neptune to his Pluto, coupled with the transit by Saturn, so no matter how positive the month-by-month transits might seem, the overall picture is one of letting go of power and former glories.

Born in 1906 when Uranus was opposite Neptune and re-born in 1994 when Uranus conjoined Neptune, the party is heading for a period of awkward re-adjustment as Uranus approaches its semi-sextile with Neptune in 2009 and 2010. In addition, the party formed itself as Saturn trined Neptune, and with Saturn now opposite Neptune the party's leader Tony Blair - who was born with Saturn conjunct Neptune - is finally admitting that it's time to go. Meanwhile his foe and clone - David Cameron of the Conservative party - is stepping more prominently into the picture, accompanied by his very own Saturn trine Neptune aspect.

As Saturn has opposed Neptune the party has become extremely divided within itself and from the nation itself. The opposition is the point of furthest separation, and what follows is reconciliation, re-alignment, and moving back towards unity. That is what's next for the Labour party, both within its own ranks, and between the party and the country it purports to serve.

That's the larger context. Now here are the specifics.

Between September 2006 and July 2007 the Labour party's Sun, representing the party leadership, receives a series of oppositions from transiting Saturn, representing testing times and encountering limits to possibility. From February 2007 until January 2010 the party's Sun also receives a series of conjunctions from transiting Neptune. Conclusion - even when Blair's long gone, the party's leadership crises will continue. It will struggle to renew it's vision of itself, finding itself in the doldrums, and it will go through a period of confusion about where it's heading and hence who represents a suitable and appropriately symbolic leader.

In February 2006 transiting Neptune began opposing the party's North Node, remaining within orb until the end of August 2006. It returns next year, and in fact is present all throughout 2007 and 2008. This not only reflects a meltdown in the direction and development of the party, but also a meltdown in the party's relationship to Blair and Brown, because in their charts Pluto is conjunct the party's Node and hence is receiving the same transits at approximately the same time. In September and October 2006 transiting Saturn will conjoin the party's North Node, and so the meltdown of authority is brought into sharp focus at that time.

From July to October 2006 transiting Pluto sextile's the party's Sun, reinforcing the signals that are saying 'change at the top'. This transit has coincided over the last few years with the slide in support for Blair's leadership of the party, talk of the feud between Blair and Gordon Brown, and the party's ensuing crisis about holding a 'coronation' (very Solar!) of Brown. This aspect also represents something of an identity crisis in the party, and the need to revitalise the party from the grass-roots upwards rather than pursuing top-down reform.

Last but by no means least, the party's about to undergo its Saturn half-cycle, meaning that transiting Saturn is opposite natal Saturn, in a kind of half Saturn Return. This will be exact in 2007 and 2008, and is indicative of a great deal of soul-searching where the party will need to examine its foundations, review its goals, and try to put itself on a solid footing.