Gordon Brown
Having put together an overview of the conditions leading up to the UK general election I thought it was about time I had a look at the candidates and how they shape up on the day. This article looks at Gordon Brown. Cameron, Clegg et al will follow.
It’s difficult to know what charts to use for elections. Do you use the opening of the poles? and if so, what about postal votes? We’re lucky this time around, in that we’ve got a third quarter moon phase just before the poles open at 5.15 am. Mars joins the empty leg of that square to give us a tight fixed T-square – Sun at 15 Taurus, Moon at 15 Aquarius and Mars at 14 Leo. Mars, don’t forget, has been retrograde and is now nearly back at the point it started to travel backwards – 19 Leo – so what ever this is about is not a new idea, but the conclusion of a story which is already in motion. There will almost certainly have been heated debate and argument in the last 24 hours – that Mars in not sitting quietly in the corner.
We should also cast an eye over the chart for the UK and you can see that the T-square of the third quarter moon picks up Mars in the UK chart – 11 Taurus – the 11th/5th house cusps of the 1801 chart and Venus at 16 Aquarius. The 11th house represents parliament, the 10th is the King or leader. The second house round from a particular house represents their resources, in the natal chart the 1st house is the individual and the second house his resources. The 11th house is the resources of the leader, it’s the mechanism of government.
A lot of articles that I’ve read are assuming that the Saturn Uranus opposition signifies the triumph of the new and young over the old and therefore hands the win to David Cameron. This may have been the case at the beginning of the series of five oppositions – Obama’s election was within days of the first opposition – but we’re now at the end and the planets are in the final degrees of the signs, and one of those signs is Pisces, the final sign.
A look at the Aries ingress chart, shows that this T-square (from the third quarter moon) falls in the same houses, echoing the same message and a look at the opening of the polls chart gives us the Moon Mars opposition across the MC/IC, which is to be expected as the polls open shortly after. We do have an angular Uranus – change is at the top of the agenda – but it’s on the descendant. We’re looking to pastures greener over the proverbial fence. Saturn is firmly in the first house – us – and not that far from the ascendant. The electorate is firmly conservative in outlook, which isn’t the same as being Conservative in outlook.
When push comes to shove a retrograde but nearly stationary Mercury in Taurus isn’t likely to herald major change.
Gordon Brown
Chart, Solar Return for Brown and Cameron, Transits and progressions for Gordon Brown
The incumbent PM is having Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto transits. The one most people have noticed is Pluto sitting on his MC – his status is being challenged. There’s also Saturn having been opposite his Venus and Mars in Pisces, Saturn has completed his last exact aspect but is still near enough to make his presence felt. Jupiter and Uranus are in Pisces and near to that Same Venus Mars conjunction. Jupiter will be conjunct Mars on the day of the election; Uranus is further on and has made his last exact aspect. Jupiter will oppose Saturn in the sky at 27 degrees of Pisces later in May. The hard aspects between these two planets usually mark crises in the economic cycle. In the current circumstances it’s difficult to see quite what may happen. Those who are forecasting a double dip in the recession are mainly focusing on the aspects between Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto. All of which comes to a peak in June. See my article on the run up to the election for more details.
Lets focus a little on the transits to Brown’s MC, the point of greatest achievement in a chart. Capricorn is the sign on the MC – Brown physically represents Capricorn very well – and it’s ruled by Saturn, which is in the 6th house in Brown’s natal chart and ruled by Venus as Saturn is in Libra. The Saturn Pluto square in the sky sees Saturn conjunct itself – he’s on a Saturn return – and Pluto conjunct the MC. This is quite heavy energy, it’s not light and fluffy, relaxed and confident; it’s weighty and serious. He should bring back Prudence! She – Saturn in Libra and so ruled by Venus – is a figure of restraint and caution which fits very well in the current climate and with Brown’s current transits.
His progressed Sun is at 29 degrees of Aries – but Cameron’s Sun is also at 29 degrees – will move into Taurus and sextile his natal Sun in October. The progressed Sun changing sign is usually indicative of a change, a once in 30 year change. in 2011 his progressed Jupiter will change signs. The slower moving planets don’t always get a chance to change sign but this is outside of this analysis.
A good indicator for the incumbent PM is activity around the IC as he will have to move house. There isn’t any. Just Pluto on the MC.
To finish off, lets cast our eyes over his solar return for this year. The first thing which catches your eye is the Moon in Taurus on the MC of the solar return chart. This is the same degree as that of Mercuy’s station. I think this shows someone staying put. This Moon is also square to Mars and this echos the Moon Mars square on the day of the election. This isn’t breaking into new territory.
The profection chart shows the ruler of the year which is Jupiter. As we’ve said, Jupiter is conjunct Mars on the day of the election and in the solar return chart Jupiter is conjunct Venus and the Sun on the cusp of the eighth. And Cameron also has an eighth house Sun in his solar return chart, so neither placement is indicative of change. The ascendant in the solar return chart is conjunct Brown’s natal Moon Pluto conjunction. Mars transited backwards over this earlier in the year, around the time of the reports of bullying behaviour. With Mars direct and back to this point Brown should be able to shine if he plays to his strengths and doesn’t try to be something he isn’t.
See also Countdown to the general election
