The United Kingdom is being buffeted by the current hacking scandal which is extending into Parliament, the press, the police and into everyone’s consciousness. The current situation exploded into life on 4th July when a lawyer for the Milly Dowler family found out from the police that her mobile had potentially been hacked by a News of the World journalist. The latest solar eclipse happened on the 1st July and when put against the UK natal chart one can see immediately why this eclipse is rocking the UK to it’s foundations. So far the eclipse has claimed the scalps of several former News of the World employees (Andy Coulson, Rebekah Brookes), News Corporation and News International employees close to Rupert Murdoch (Les Hinton), John Yates, the assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police and the fallout may continue to spread to those in Number 10 Downing Street and across the globe to wherever Rupert Murdoch had media interests, maybe in Australia and in the US.
The UK natal chart harks back to the formation of the Union of the UK on 1st January 1801 in Westminster, London at midnight. This gives a Capricorn Sun in the 4th house of democracy directly opposite the Midheaven representing the head of State (the Queen) & the Moon in Cancer which represents the people is in the 10th house of government – the perfect place for a democratic system where the people have the ultimate power to hire and fire. The Cancerian Moon shows a propensity for security of the nation at all cost, hidden emotion behind an outer shell, the “stiff upper lip” we are known for, and a openness for women to get to the top. Saturn showing government and authority is in the 11th house of groups and associations, very representative of a party political system. We find Uranus conjunct the Libran ascendant and this gives the UK a quirky individualism and a national tendency for rebellion and protest. Venus and Pluto in the 5th house is hugely creative as is Neptune in the 2nd house which is in a most musical position, the UK has been at the forefront of music and culture in the world, but Neptune here also shows confusion over finances – the UK’s financial record has always been very bumpy. Mercury in the third in Sagittarius screams free press an open tolerant attitude to religion (Gemini ruled by Mercury is on the cusp of the 9th house of knowledge & beliefs) and Mars in the 8th in Taurus shows a very steady and dedicated armed forces and an aggressive attitude to financial relations with other countries. Indeed with Aries ruled by Mars on the cusp of the 7th of foreign relations, one can say that the UK has a pioneering spirit, although sometimes too aggressive for it’s own good.
Now as I mentioned the UK has cardinal signs on the angles of it’s chart, the UK Midheaven is at 9 degrees 20 minutes Cancer and the Solar eclipse of the 1st July at 9 Cancer was a direct hit on that Midheaven, and this being a Cardinal cross formation, all 4 angles of the UK chart were affected. Saturn was close in conjunction to the UK ascendant, Pluto close to the IC at the bottom of the chart and Uranus within striking range of the Descendant. Solar eclipses are known to be malefic wherever they strike on a chart, and especially if they hit an angle. This is huge pressure on the UK and with Uranus, Pluto and Saturn involved we could guess that there would be a shock, scandal or shake up of major proportions (causing authority & government to be brought to bare) and eventually leading to a transformation of some kind (Pluto).
Looking at where the eclipse actually hit, it was just into the 9th house of international communications and the law courts (relating to international presence close to the top of UK government), Pluto was in the 3rd house of communications and the press. Pluto of course can refer to underground, sadistic and wholly unpleasant actions. Finally Uranus sits in the 6th house of the workers and also of national services including the police. In addition to the cardinal cross, transiting Neptune was going through the house of celebrity and entertainment and conjunct to natal Pluto. The ascendant of the eclipse was directly opposite natal Pluto.
This scandal and previously hidden and illegal actions (Neptune) started through celebrity (5th) phone hacking (Pluto in 3rd) trials (9th) and spread to the general public (6th), involved the press (3rd) where the shock (Uranus) of the public’s (6th) revulsion to the hacking of the phone messages of murder victims (Pluto) and the families of soldiers (6th) killed in action. The proprietors of the newspapers involved (3rd) came from abroad (9th) and had close connections to the prime minister (Midheaven) and those in administration (Saturn). It lead to the closure of the News of the World (Pluto in 3rd), the shock (Uranus) sacking of it’s employees (6th) and will lead to legal cases (9th), probable controls on the press (Pluto in 3rd), shake up the activities of the police (Uranus in 6th) and will change the whole face of UK society through parliamentary pressure (Saturn in 1st conjunct ascendant). It may even eventually lead to a purge at the very top of government (Eclipse conjunct Midheaven). When an eclipse strikes the Midheaven those in charge may be struck out of office, or at the very least their public reputation is heavily tarnished from then on. As the Independent newspaper so aptly put it soon after all this broke, the UK may be facing it’s own Watergate moment.
My thanks to Astrologer Marjorie Orr who noticed the connection between the Solar Eclipse and the UK chart.
Marjorie Orr astrologer homepage
