Friday Bite 26 September 2025

Shadows and Foreshadows

“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump… But we…will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either. Somebody that I love dearly recently said that fear is the tool of a tyrant, and she’s right, but I’m not afraid, and I hope you’re not either. I hope instead you are engaged, you are paying attention, and you will vote like your beloved country depends upon it, which it does. My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system. I’m innocent. So let’s have a trial and keep the faith.” James Comey, Instagram, 25 September.

“As Jewish professionals in medicine, public health, and related fields, we cannot remain silent in the face of a genocide being carried out against the Palestinians in Gaza by the state of Israel.” Open letter signed by 400 Jewish doctors and health professionals, 21 September.

“Tylenol during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism, so taking Tylenol…er… is not good.” President Trump, White House press conference, 22 September.

ON WEDNESDAY SUPER typhoon Ragasa smashed into the coastline of eastern China, leaving a trail of destruction from Yanjiang City to Hong Kong and Taiwan. Here is a picture of that moment.

There were any number of events worthy of astrological representation over the last few days, but the symbolism of a super typhoon making landfall and the destruction that followed works for any number of eye-watering events of the past seven days. A lot of them beginning with the letter T: Typhoons, Tariffs, Tylenol, IdenTiTy cards and Trump’s speech at the United Nations. But let’s keep to the weather for the moment.

If you look back at some of the natural disasters of the past nine months, starting with the Los Angeles fires, the angular position of the Saturn-Neptune conjunction is significant. That this conjunction is falling close to the fixed star Scheat, which is associated with watery catastrophes, only adds to the significance. In January when fires devastated areas of Los Angeles, the Saturn-Neptune conjunction was rising, and when an 8.8 megathrust earthquake hit Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 30 July, the Saturn-Neptune conjunction was setting. And, as you can see from the above chart, Saturn and Neptune were rising as Typhoon Ragasa made landfall.

I am not saying that all natural disasters are bound to have the Saturn-Neptune conjunction in a prominent position, but when planets and configurations are angular their effect is more profound.

Increasingly, I am moving toward a more divinatory approach to horoscopes. I am seeing the horoscope as a moment in time, its symbolism reflecting the impact, the nature, the backstory and the potential of whatever is born of that moment. A child born at that moment on that day – in this case with the Saturn-Neptune conjunction rising – a decision taken in high places at that moment or two people meeting at that moment will have the equivalent of the awesome power of typhoon Ragasa behind them.

Which brings us back to some of the other game-changing events of the past seven days.

• The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and France recognize the State of Palestine.
• Sir Keir Starmer confirms plans for a digital ID scheme to be rolled out by 2027.
• Erica Kirk, widow of murdered far-right influencer, Charlie Kirk, takes the helm of Turning Point USA.
• Trump addresses the United Nations, and in a rambling speech consigns Europe and the United Kingdom to ruin over immigration, rubbish climate change and accuses London’s “terrible mayor” of instigating sharia law.
• Sara Ferguson, Duchess of York, has had her ties cut with seven charities over her email to the late, disgraced Jeffrey Epstien. Calls for her title to be removed grow.
• Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air.
• James Comey, former FBI director is indicted on charges of making false statements and obstructing justice.
• The US and Canada scrambled fighter jets on two occasions to identify and intercept Russian military planes closing in on Alaskan airspace.
• Unidentified drones that have been seen over Denmark, Norway and Sweden are considered to be “professional actors”. Russian aircraft seen over the Baltic near Latvia.

The shadow of Sunday’s solar eclipse falls on all the above developments, and we have yet to see their consequences. The Russian invasion of Europe’s and the United States’ airspace is hugely significant and it is clear to me that Putin is conducting a shadow war with the West – hence the title of this Friday Bite. Of huge significance too is the recognition of the State of Palestine and the pushback the Trump administration is receiving from leading figures in the world of entertainment and politics. And we have yet to see whether the US government will be forced to shut down through Democrats’ refusal to sign a bill that would keep it open. They have until zero hours Wednesday to reach an agreement.

As I said in my video about the forthcoming full moon in Aries, while we can seek the best from the configurations presiding over these times, we have to be realistic. Things are clearly going to get worse before they get better. This understanding is not aimed at generating fear but inspiring courage to fight the bullies and bogeys of our times because to shrink away and appease those who would crush us is only to invite our ruin.

Friday Bite 19 September 2025

Pomp, Pageantry and Politics

“This is the week that I declare the UK will be an AI superpower.” Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of Nvidia, 16 September.

 “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.” Barack Obama, X, 18 September.

“I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices.” Donald Trump, Truth Social, 17 September

“While our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it’s a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are from the far left” JD Vance, standing in for Charlie Kirk on Real America’s Voice, 15 September

THERE’S SOMETHING strange about a state visit that takes place out of public view. State visits usually involve visiting leaders driving through crowd-lined streets – or at least driving through streets – but this unprecedented second state visit of Donald Trump to Great Britain was held behind closed doors, or to be more accurate, behind castle walls. The president was helicoptered in and helicoptered out. There were carriage processions, a Guard of Honour, military bands, a Beating Retreat Ceremony and a flypast by the Red Arrows. All of it held in the grounds of Windsor Castle, far away from the madding crowds.

Public opinion isn’t overwhelmingly pro-Trump in Britain, and with two assassination attempts behind him, it was clearly a good idea to keep the president out of sight and harm’s way. Still, it says a lot.

After the pomp and ceremony came the politics conducted at Chequers, the Prime Minister’s country retreat in deepest Buckinghamshire. This was the part of the visit that could have gone badly wrong, given that Sir Keir and Mr Trump hold wildly differing views on the Israel-Gaza situation and Ukraine. But, overall, the talks went well and much was made of the £31 bn agreement, dubbed the “Tech Prosperity Deal” between the UK government and several US tech giants. The entente cordiale was maintained at all times and the visit was deemed to be an overwhelming success. Nonetheless, the 25% tariff on British steel remains and there has been no reduction of the 10% tariff on Britain’s exports. And President Trump’s advice to Sir Keir – to let the military deal with our little immigration problem – did not go down particularly well.

Given the astrology of the times, however, that the state visit passed so smoothly and with such bonhomie on display was something of a miracle.

President Trump landed on the lawn of the Walled Garden at Windsor Castle at 11:55 am on Wednesday. Nineteen degrees of Scorpio was rising (three degrees away from King Charles’ Sun) and the Midheaven at eight degrees of Virgo was conjunct Sir Keir’s Sun and King Charles’ Saturn. If you know your astrology, all the reservations, sense of duty and obligation of the occasion are reflected in these connections. Venus at twenty-seven degrees of Leo was conjunct Trump’s Mars and Ascendant. Of course it was. This was an event intended to make him feel like a King.

The familiar Kite configuration that we have seen frequently this year is present, on this occasion with Mercury’s opposition to Neptune and Saturn providing the central strut. In many ways, this opposition dominated the two-day visit, not least because of its pivotal position in the Kite but also because it is within minutes of the forthcoming solar eclipse.

There is also a loose Grand Cross in the horoscope: the Moon opposing Pluto squared by a Mars-Chiron opposition. I’m not quite sure what to make of this but my feeling is that despite all the positive signs emanating from the visit, all the promises of our “special relationship”, the stronger trend is toward conflict and division.

Saturn and Neptune are opposites. While Saturn is the essence of form – in all senses of the word – Neptune is otherworldly. Throw Mercury into the mix, and it is easy to see why however much Sir Keir may have tried to nail Trump to a commitment or two, his efforts drizzled into the mist. Smoke and mirrors. Illusion-delusion. “Peter Mandelson? I don’t know him, actually.” Which is strange given that he had Lord Mandelson, the then UK ambassador to the United States, in the Oval Office only last week. And just in case you don’t keep up with British news, Lord Mandelson was fired from his post as US Ambassador by Sir Keir last Saturday due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein.

Fact-checking is a full-time occupation with the Trump administration. Indeed, Channel 4 made an hour-long programme, which aired on Wednesday night, setting to rights 100 statements that were factually incorrect. Two of which I’ve listed at the top of this article. Antifa, by the way, is not an organization: it is an ideology, a left-wing, anti-fascist political movement. And it’s not a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics are from the far left. Right-wing extremists are behind two-thirds of the terrorist attacks and plots in the United States.

WHILE THE AMERICAN president was enjoying a three-course banquet for 160 in St George’s Hall – watercress panna cotta and quail egg salad, chicken ballotine and vanilla ice-cream with poached plums – ABC’s late-night talk show, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, was unceremoniously taken off air. The show was pulled amid pressure from FCC (Federal Communications Commission of the United States) Chair, Brendan Caroll and affiliates, over comments made by Mr Kimmel on his show about the recently assassinated far-right influencer, Charlie Kirk.

Jimmy Kimmel is the second late-night show host to have been cancelled in recent weeks in what is beginning to look like a purge of commentators, journalists and comedians who speak out against the administration. This is not only a sign of an increasingly authoritarian administration, but a deeply ironic state of affairs since Vance, Trump and Musk have all been vociferous in their criticism of Great Britain and its suppression of free speech.

Pot-kettle.

I noticed that Uranus in Jimmy Kimmel’s chart (28 degrees Virgo) is the focus for next Sunday’s solar eclipse. Plus, Pluto is currently squaring his natal Mercury in Scorpio. Unfortunate, indeed shocking, as his suspension may have been as a Scorpio with Mars in Capricorn and Moon in Aries, I don’t think he needs to lose any sleep over his next job.

IN KEEPING WITH this season of eclipses, heads have rolled. Among those who have fallen off their perches in the last couple of weeks are Labour’s Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, Ambassador Peter Mandelson, and there have been several top-ranking defections from the Conservative Party to Reform. The CDC in the US has seen the resignation of virtually all its top management and currently Lisa Cook, Federal Reserve Governor, is fighting to remain at her post despite Donald Trump’s attempts to have her removed for “mortgage fraud”. And then there have been those who have passed on, the irreplaceable Robert Reford, Giorgio Armani, Christoph von Dohnani, Joe Bugner and, of course, Charlie Kirk.

Rest in peace.