If you want foresight about the 2008-2010 Saturn opposition with Uranus there's an article in the Guardian called 'This is what the clash of civlisations is really about' that gives a taste of the issues involved. Here's the URL:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2057060,00.html

Saturn and Uranus are currently forming a quincunx aspect, which is in a sense a preparation for the opposition that follows.

The difference between them is that the quincunx has more potential for friction and tension because it tends to reflect a situation that is unstable where apparent oppositions are unable to reconcile and find common ground.

The opposition is also much more conscious in that the issues and tensions come fully to light and there is a sense of having diverged as far as is possible, and now the only sensible way to go is reconciliation, so people start sorting out the relationship, sometimes through conflict, other times through negotiation.

The Saturn quincunx Uranus is occurring at the same time as the Saturn opposition Neptune, so the current theme of reality versus fantasy and the tendency to blur boundaries, evade accountability, and just generally be unclear about things, is mixing with this dogma/truth theme.

Once the Saturn-Neptune opposition is finished the Saturn-Uranus opposition will come into play, so there is a sort of 'hand-over' from one to the other that'll be reflected in our global transition from where we are now with our grappling with/ignoring of these issues and our grappling with/ignoring of the next issues.

More on the Saturn-Uranus opposition here: http://www.astrology21.co.uk/b1wtoseattle.html

In the last programme of the series of Shrink Rap Pamela Connolly talked to Robin Williams. As a child he spent a lot of time isolated and would immerse himself in playing, developing his imagination. He discussed his sometimes biting anger and its relationship to comedy, his past addiction, and his deep care and concern. More on Robin's chart over at www.astrology21.co.uk

Tonight's programme was an interview with Sarah Ferguson.

Because Sarah's had lots of therapy before it wasn't a surprise to see her be very comfortable with the psychology-based interview, although she did resist any suggestion of 'going back' to the past, a trait very common in those with Moon in Aries who are more focused on the present and future, partly because they have a bias to actions they can take, and of course they can only take action here and now. This can give them focus and decisiveness, but it can also indicate a narrow perception and a stubbornness to taking a different view, simply because the 'action potential' of doing so is not immediately evident to them.

As with the others, Sarah's interview with Pamela has been written about over at the Astrology for the 21st Century website.

Last night's programme featured David Blunkett discussing his upbringing, and touching on his career and his relationship difficulties.

David spoke his Moon in Capricorn very well....... in times of emotional distress his family put an emphasis on pragmatism and self-control. With the Moon's opposition to Mercury there was a clear split between reason and feeling, and Pamela point it out directly.

David also talked a lot about wanting to have clear boundaries between his public life and his private life. His Moon in Capricorn seems very involved in this, as does perhaps his Sun-Uranus conjunction which rules his 4th and 10th house cusps, although the accuracy of his birthtime could change that.

More on this over at www.astrology21.co.uk

With a new series of The Apprentice currenly being broadcast on BBC 1, I thought I'd have a quick look at the creator's chart, Mark Burnett.

He was born in the UK but has dual UK-USA citizenship, and his television career is mainly in the USA. Over there he's been described as the 'king of the genre', reflecting his success with 'reality television' series that have contests and competitions built into them. He took Survivor from the UK to the USA, created The Apprentice, The Restaurant, The Casino, Rock Star, Combat Missions, The Contender, and Are You Smarter Than A Fifth-Grader? and has won two Emmy awards.

The main feature of the reality television genre he works in is the combination of contest plus expulsion of the loser. It has indeed become a genre in itself in various countries, not just the UK and USA. It reflects his Sun and Mercury closely conjunct in Cancer and both are novile Pluto. Cancer is the sign of knitting together the family group - aka tribe, or kith and kin - and of the basic human fear of rejection and abandonment. Cancer is one of the signs of childhood, and the parent-child relationship which is to provide an inclusive environment for the child safe from exclusion, because exclusion for the child means peril and probable death. Talking about this, Mark has said:

"Both "The Apprentice" and "Survivor" have something in common, which is dealing with the emotional pull that all humans feel from being excluded from something. That's done through either being voted off, in the case of "Survivor," or being fired in "Apprentice." It's something that's akin to not being invited to the party, like being the last person chosen in (the) schoolyard for a sports team. Even the feeling at a party that people don't really want you there. Those are emotional connections which are common to every person unless you just have no awareness. A lot of my stuff is based on (mythology scholar) Joseph Campbell's books, (i.e.) "The Power of Myth," "The Hero With a Thousand Faces." I'm a huge fan of Joseph Campbell. Both of those shows take that feeling of exclusion to a level of death. When you're fired, or in the case of "Survivor," when the torch goes out, it's like being killed. In "Survivor," we go to the audacity of blue lighting on a long pathway. You're disappearing into the blue light (when castaways are voted off the show). These are the emotional hooks the audience relates to."

Asked "How much of the drama in "Survivor" and "Apprentice" is created in the edit?" Mark replied:

"We create situations. This is clearly contrived situations creating genuine emotions. Because were I to wait for 16 people to happen to be shipwrecked, I'd be waiting a long time to do a show. What is very real is this feeling of exclusion from the group. It's so real. We've all thought about this stuff since we were children. It's dealing with those raw, connected emotional hooks that Joseph Campbell talks about in his books, be it the journey of a hero, unwitting or otherwise, or the sense of death and rebirth in "Survivor." (After) someone is voted off each week, typically the lighting comes back to orange-y from blue, and (host) Jeff (Probst) will say, "We'll see you tomorrow." The tribe is living on. It's death and rebirth. That's totally what I'm operating off of, those belief systems. ... Not to put anybody down, but some shows are simply done for the shock value. "Littlest Groom" is not something you're going to watch again. I've tried to build franchises that would become kind of a living thing."

Reference: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000518943

This week More4 are broadcasting a series of psychological interviews by Pamela Connolly (formerly Pamela Stephenson, now wife of Billy Connolly hence the name change) called "Shrink Rap".

Last night was Sharon Osbourne's turn, tonight was Stephen Fry's. Tomorrow is David Blunkett's, and then the next two are Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York) and Robin Williams.

So I thought I'd look at the charts of each person, day by day, linking the interview material with the astrological symbolism. However I missed most of the Sharon Osbourne interview so can't say a lot about that.

Stephen Fry's was very interesting. I didn't know his chart beforehand but it wasn't difficult to work out from what he was saying that he would have Leo-Aquarius/Sun-Uranus issues, and probably a hefty dose of Virgo/Capricorn/Saturn.

Post-programme I looked up his birthdate and he has a Moon-Uranus conjunction in Leo, with a cluster of planets in Virgo - Sun, Mercury, Mars, Pluto in square aspect with Saturn. No wonder then that he's a workaholic who - and apparently he has said this very thing - would rather be just a brain.

Moon-Uranus is classic for separating from feelings and the body, a schism where emotional displays are artificial and mimicked rather than genuinely felt. There is a hunger for the truth but often a transparent artificiality because - particularly with it being in Leo - it's all about what the audience wants to hear rather than what is genuinely, sincerely, truthfully present. With this configuration, you feel different and outcast, you don't fit in so you must be - or become - special, making a virtue out of rejection.

Sun conjunct Pluto in Virgo is mercilessly and ruthlessly driven and intensely ego-aware. There is no let-up with this sort of placement: being terribly and destructively hard on oneself is common. As the programme made clear, it stems from the child's relationship with the father, symbolised by the Sun. The addition of Mars just makes it all the more aggressive, driven, and 'got something to prove'.

Venus conjunct Jupiter in Libra is the showman and the people-pleaser that was such a part of the dialogue between Pamela and Stephen. Kindness was a topic of the conversation, and this conjunction symbolises, at best, a big-hearted people-oriented generous spirit.

The programme lasted about an hour and there are tons of things that could be written about it. These are just some thoughts of the top of my head, post-programme. Looking forward to the next ones to be broadcast over the next few nights.

An article about Pamela Stephenson/Connolly and the chart for the television programme itself can be read at the Astrology for the 21st Century website

With media focus and political attention on the Falklands/Malvinas war of 1982, here is an astrological view of the moment when the two armies agreed to stop fighting on the islands. This is directly lifted from a computer report that wasn't written with this event in mind, and so it shows an untailored view:

Wider background / context

Uranus - Public opinion, Public expectations
On Nadir when Acubens is Rising orb 00 mins 29 secs -
Public attention on lives lost, a community in mourning
On Nadir when Acumen is Setting orb 00 mins 31 secs -
Small biased attacks on a group
Rising when Aculeus is Rising orb 00 mins 32 secs -
Attack, aggressive action against a culture or a community
On Nadir when Sadalsuud is Setting orb 00 mins 38 secs -
A safe place is built, or provided, for a group; sanctuary is given

Pluto - The Crises or the Changes that Occur
Culminating when Acubens is Setting orb 00 mins 06 secs -
An act against the sacredness of human life
Rising when El Nath is Setting orb 00 mins 18 secs -
Destruction, or threats in a manner not previously considered - Arising and lying hidden
Setting when Rukbat is Culminating orb 01 mins 54 secs -
The stand or opinion of one person is heard by many - Circumpolar

Themes that recur at this place every year

Heliacal Rising Star
Alcyone - Rising 60 mins 13 secs before Sunrise -
A time of seeing the ruthless concequences of previous attitudes

Heliacal Setting Star
Antares - Setting 00 mins 21 secs before Sunrise -
A period of strong passions, strong obessions

Sun - The stars in paran with the Sun on this day
Rising when Diadem is On Nadir orb 00 mins 07 secs -
The victim, people making sacrifices, or being sacrificed
Rising when Altair is Setting orb 00 mins 12 secs -
Bold or daring actions by a group or a person, military matters
Rising when Antares is Setting orb 00 mins 21 secs -
An obsessive person
Rising when Mirach is Culminating orb 00 mins 32 secs -
The promotion of peace, or order, in a territory

Themes that are present only at this time and place

Moon - The Emotions of the People
Culminating when Bellatrix is On Nadir orb 00 mins 03 secs -
A desire to help others
Culminating when El Nath is On Nadir orb 00 mins 56 secs -
A group suffers from the cruelty of others - Arising and lying hidden

Mercury - Business and the Media
Culminating when Antares is On Nadir orb 00 mins 44 secs -
Anxiety and worry
Rising when Alcyone is Rising orb 01 mins 36 secs -
Blind or angry obsession
Rising when Alpheratz is Culminating orb 01 mins 50 secs -
The radical or outspoken journalist

Mars - The Events of the Day
Setting when Markab is Rising orb 00 mins 26 secs -
Digging in, making a stand, persistence and determination
Setting when Murzim is On Nadir orb 01 mins 29 secs -
Alarming news, news of events that causes anger and demands action

Jupiter - The Type of Action which is Favoured at this Period of Time
Culminating when Murzim is Setting orb 01 mins 05 secs -
Transparency, the true situation in revealed, to make known

Saturn - The Law and Civic Order
On Nadir when Vindemiatrix is On Nadir orb 00 mins 14 secs -
Social, or political, order is challenged, information is repressed
Rising when Sirius is Culminating orb 01 mins 36 secs -
Immortality, a leader or a concept becomes exalted

It doesn't take a genius.......

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article2411397.ece

Previous articles on this blog and its affiliated website have talked about Neptune's transit of the UK's Venus in the 5th house of children, and the Saturn-Neptune opposition. In those articles, the need to bring about equality on material and social levels was discussed. It's now past the 11th hour.

We can afford war, but we keep being told we can't afford peace. We condemn killing, and we signed up to the Universal Declaration fo human rights which recognised the birthright of everyone to live, yet we knowingly deprive people of that right by the way we organise our financial system. There's something very, very wrong with funding death, but not life.