Just look what the EU referendum has done to us. On all sides it’s turned the moderate militant, the rational rabid, and the calm crazed. More than ever before, political thinking seems informed not by evidence or reason but by pride, pig-headedness, delusion – and above all else anger. What we’re witnessing isn’t the conventional cut and thrust of debate. It’s a collective nervous breakdown.
Michael Deacon – The Daily Telegraph
It is virtually impossible to make predictions about Brexit in the current political climate. The situation is changing daily and at the time of writing (end of September), no one, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, really knows what’s going to happen on 31st October, the third official Brexit Day. But, as so many people have asked me to write something about Brexit, here’s my contribution from an astrological point of view.
Boris’s CV
First of all let’s clear up any illusions about key player and Brexit masterminder, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and look at his pedigree.
Boris is an Old Etonian, with a Classics degree from Balliol College, Oxford, one of the top colleges at arguably the world’s top university. A degree in Classics means he’s studied Greek and Latin and has a gift for oratory, debate and language. Boris has worked as a journalist on two of the top British newspapers ‘The Times’ and ‘The Daily Telegraph’, not to mention being appointed editor of the illustrious ‘Spectator’ magazine at only 35 years old in 1999. He was Mayor of London for eight years and is also a published author with 21 books under his belt. So, despite all that bonhomie, buffoonery and blustering behaviour, Boris is no fool, hailing from a long line of Brits who know how to use humour, charm and dissimulation to disguise their real motives and personalities. His name means ‘fighter’.
Boris’s Birth Chart
Boris Johnson is a Gemini – that quicksilver, charismatic, two-faced zodiac sign who can outsmart everyone else and has fun doing it. Born on 19th June 1964, he also has Venus, Mercury and Mars in Gemini – quick thinking doesn’t even begin to describe this planetary line-up – he would run rings round most and it’s not surprising he’s pursued a career in journalism, writing and politics. But Gemini, being a youthful, emotionally detached energy, can get bored easily and view life as a game and people as dispensable.
With natal moon in Scorpio, behind the scenes he would be a very private man, an astute judge of character, ruthless and determined and not above doing things under the table or in secret if the means justified the ends. The Gemini-Scorpio combination can be quite Machiavellian. But with Libra rising, Boris oozes charm and charisma which would confuse and disarm his opponents as he outsmarts, impresses or double crosses them.
Boris suspends parliament
Whatever you think of Johnson’s decision in late August to suspend the British Parliament for five weeks, giving him and his government the time to work out a deal with the European Union before the 31st October Brexit deadline, it was a masterly and completely unexpected stroke, probably one he’s been planning for months. And he made sure this constitutionally legal decision was backed by the Queen to reinforce his position. On the 28th August, the day he made the decision, Boris had transiting Mars conjunct natal Uranus. According to one astrology website:
“Transiting Mars conjunct Uranus gives a strong urge to break out of any limiting situations. However, a tendency to act spontaneously or erratically can cause unwanted surprises. Follow your passionate desires and instincts but with self-control and a particular goal in mind. Making and sticking to plans will not work, so there is a narrow path to tread between recklessness and missed opportunity.”
Amateurish, lackadaisical & lazy?
Journalist Allister Heath, writing about the suspension (proroguement) of parliament said:
“Those who thought Johnson’s administration would be amateurish, lackadaisical or downright lazy still cannot quite believe how badly they misjudged him.”
You don’t get to be editor of The Spectator, Mayor of London and Prime Minister by being amateurish and lazy. Boris Johnson is a great admirer of former UK Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, a man with a strong work ethic who steered Britain through the Second World War. Like Churchill, Johnson believes Britain is in a ‘do or die’ moment and his government needs to work harder, faster and more intelligently than its opponents, pushing constitutional conventions to their limits to defeat ‘the enemy’ i.e. hard core Remainers and MPs who have failed to support a Brexit deal. Like a ruthless general, Johnson is prepared to suffer losses along the way, and to sacrifice anything or anybody non-essential, in pursuit of his aims.
Deal or no deal?
Johnson is no fool and he would have absolutely known the backlash his proroguement of parliament would cause. As it happens, the parliamentary suspension was reversed following nationwide protests, rebellion within his own party, and a unanimous judgement from the Supreme Court, ruling the suspension had been illegal. However many UK citizens continue to support Boris Johnson, saying British MPs had three years to come up with an alternative to a ‘No Deal Brexit’ under former PM Theresa May’s leadership and failed. They say parliament has shown itself not to be the solution to Brexit but the problem.
Johnson’s move sent a clear message to European leaders and the British public that he is serious about wanting a deal before the end of October and is prepared to go to great lengths to get it, including losing his job and making enemies. But can the Johnson cabinet come up with an acceptable deal before 31st October? Will the European leaders agree to extend the Brexit deadline to allow the UK government time to reach a deal? Will Johnson’s determination to get things moving produce new solutions to Brexit points of conflict such as the issue of a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland?
Let’s see if the Brexit chart offers any clues.
Brexit Chart
Strategic powerful leader
The 31st October Brexit chart, set for 11 pm in London, the official date and time for Brexit, has the sun (head of state) in Scorpio (strategic powerful leader) in the 4th house (the foundation of a nation). So Boris Johnson (the sun) has the national interests at heart (4th house) and he’s prepared to be strategic and ruthless to fight for them. The Brexit sun is conjunct Johnson’s natal moon in Scorpio, meaning he’s emotionally involved in delivering Brexit. His Conservative Party Conference slogan is ‘Get Brexit Done’.
The lion & the unicorn
The Leo ascendant (identity of a nation) indicates British pride and patriotism and some would say superiority and arrogance. The ancient royal coat of arms for England has three golden lions, while the full coat of arms for the United Kingdom has the lion and the unicorn (representing England and Scotland). The sun (head of state) is the ruler of the Leo ascendant, meaning Boris Johnson is seen as an effective leader of the nation.
The will of the people
The moon in the Brexit chart represents the will of the people. At 28° Sagittarius, the moon is close to the end of the sign and void of course (meaning it's difficult to move forward on projects or make decisions but things will change soon). The moon is also moving away from powerful Jupiter in ruling sign Sagittarius. Sagittarius is the sign of international affairs, but also the sign of freedom. The moon separating from Jupiter shows the desire of the majority of the British people (moon) to seek freedom from the EU (Jupiter).
However, decisions made during a void of course moon often lead to unexpected, unworkable or undesired results. Jupiter rules the moon, so the EU is in in a stronger position than Britain.
Need for compromise
The midheaven (representing the British Government) is in Aries, ruled by Mars (planet of war and conflict) in a weak position in Libra in the 3rd house. This suggests the government will need to compromise with the EU to achieve a fair Brexit solution, as will UK MPs. The government will strengthen its position in late November as Mars moves into ruling sign Scorpio.
The opposition party (Labour) is represented by the opposite point to the midheaven i.e. Libra. Libra is ruled by Venus in the late degrees of Scorpio. This is also a weak placement, meaning that, at present, the opposition party is not strong enough to defeat the government. However when Venus (the opposition party) moves into Sagittarius the day after Brexit, she becomes stronger and will eventually meet up with Jupiter (the EU) towards the end of November.
Stalled negotiations
On Brexit Day, Mercury (planet of communication, trade, treaties and negotiation) is almost at the end of secretive and strategic Scorpio and about to move into Sagittarius (negotiation with the EU), but Mercury starts moving backwards on Brexit Day and remains in Scorpio. Will negotiations reach an impasse, or does Mercury retrograde (ruled by the weakened and ineffectual Mars representing the government) indicate a Brexit delay or extension? Or perhaps going back to the drawing board to revisit things, before matters are finalised?
Mercury will be retrograde until 20th November. Another important date is 8th December when Mercury returns to 27° Scorpio, its original position in the Brexit chart. With Mercury playing a key role in all treaties and laws, it is unlikely that anything will be properly finalised until Mercury starts picking up speed again in late November - early December. And as Mercury is the ruler of trade and commerce, the sticking point is likely to be the customs treaty between Britain and Europe and specifically the Irish border agreement.
So will Britain leave the EU?
To sum up, I believe Boris Johnson will retain his position as Prime Minister and succeed in pushing Brexit through with some kind of deal with the EU by 31st October. However this deal will be imperfect, needing far more work and fine-tuning before it can be fully implemented. Any deal is likely to be revised and reworked in the months following Brexit. I believe the EU will make a concerted effort to work with Britain to reach a deal, as it is in their interests to do so. And given that both parties want a deal, it doesn't seem so important to fixate on the 31st October date as a final deadline. It's just a date after all, and if Brexit takes a few weeks or months longer it won't matter in the long run.
Another referendum?
Given the opposition party (Labour) seems likely to strengthen its position post-Brexit in late November, there could be a challenge to Johnson’s leadership, a vote of no confidence and change in the balance of power later in the year. The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has said that if he wins a General Election, he would firstly negotiate a Brexit deal and then hold another referendum.
Wisdom of hindsight
The 31st October Brexit chart is much clearer than the 31st March Brexit chart, which I labelled: “Confusion, Confusion, Confusion”. Perhaps the UK needed the political upheaval of 2019 for UK citizens to truly appreciate the long term effects and consequences of Brexit. And to appreciate that, as Theresa May and Boris Johnson have both discovered, you can't just undo 40 years worth of carefully negotiated treaties in a few months!
Leaving the EU is not a decision to be made lightly as it will affect the life of millions. After this long period of debate and conflict, all stakeholders now know what they have to gain or lose by leaving the EU.
On that point, there are still millions of people, inside and outside the UK who are devastated and angry at the thought of Brexit. However, politics doesn’t stand still and it won’t be long before Britons (and Europeans) find all sorts of ways of getting round the more negative effects of Brexit (no reciprocal health care with EU nations; taxes on all imported EU goods and materials; visas and work permits needed to live and work in the EU, to mention but a few). We could even see a united Ireland in the European Union, which would instantly solve the problem of Irish border trade. And if Scotland or Wales decided to leave the UK and join the EU there would be even more fun and games!
Looking to the future
Humans are infinitely creative creatures and as we move towards a global economy and environmental concerns become more pressing, we may look back in a few years and wonder why Brexit was such a big deal (pardon the pun). The Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto Capricorn conjunction of January 2020 will bring us down to earth, reminding us we all live on the same planet; that borders are artificial creations and that we need to work together if we want to save the planet for ourselves and future generations.
Stella Woods
www.stellastarwoman.com
1st October 2019