What is it with all these Geminis in politics?

Gemini 2019

Yes, I know it’s that time of year, but really – we seem to have a plethora of them in the news here. Geminis! Trump, President Xi of China and, in the UK, Boris Johnson, and Jeremy Corbyn. Apart from Boris, London has had another Gemini as mayor – Ken Livingstone. And then there are the other air signs: Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher, David Cameron, Theresa May, are all Libras. Sadiq Khan, the current mayor of London, a target of Trump, is also a Libra! You’d think cities and countries have something in mind!

Country attraction

I wrote about this idea in 2017 when the Netherlands was facing elections. The post was called ‘Is it me you’re looking for?‘ Sadly, Grumpy Cat, who I used as an image, died recently. But back to the matter at hand. I love a good competition, and I must admit to being hooked on the process of selection for the next Prime Minister in the UK. In a far from democratic process – more on that later – there were quickly only men left in the race, with Boris Johnson, that arch-Gemini, leading the pack. He has been called, among many other far less complimentary things, the Marmite candidate – you love him or hate him.

London or UK

It seems London, for which I don’t have a chart, might like Geminis, and according to a famous traditional astrologer, William Lilly (1602-1681), London is a Gemini city. However, I wonder if the UK wants one as a leader. If history is anything to go by, Libra is obviously an option, but the one candidate who is a Libra, Matt Hancock, was soon out of the race. Of the original ten, we also had one Taurus, Andrea Leadsom, who was out in the first round; Gemini Boris; one Virgo – Michael Gove – the last one to go; two Scorpios, one of whom was out in the first round – Esther McVey, so that left Jeremy Hunt; one Saggi in the form of  Sajid Javid, who also fell by the wayside after doing well; and two Pisces, Mark Harper, who was also a goner in round one, which left Dominic Raab, and round two saw him go.

It seems the cosmos wanted to get down to one of each sort first! But I miss Aries, which would fit well with the UK chart as would Cancer. Leo and Aquarius are also missing from the pack. They don’t fit the UK particularly well, so it is a bit of surprise that the UK sports teams are called lions and lionesses! But that’s history for you.

The outsider – or is he?

Yes that’s right, I have missed one. My favourite – purely based on astrology of course – was the outsider, Rory Stewart. He’s been called pragmatic, realistic, and a careful decision maker. Of course he is – he’s a Capricorn. This is why I find his participation in this leadership campaign interesting. Most of the UK astrologers I know use a chart dated January 1st, 1801, for the UK, which means the a country is also a Capricorn, meaning the Sun was in Capricorn at the time. The Sun describes leadership, or, in my view, what kind of leadership a country will attract. The UK is known for a lot of Capricorn ideas –  rules, a love of old rituals, pomp and ceremony, and lately austerity. The sign of Capricorn likes hierarchy and the Tories do too – they fit a Capricornian, old-school-tie formality.

If the Cap fits

So a Capricorn would ‘fit’ the UK leader profile. Of course it’s not that simple, however I imagine it helps when the heart of the leader is in line with the heart of the country. There is something authentic about that. Other archetypes that ‘suit’ are indeed Libra, which the UK has as its rising sign or ascendant. The ‘face’ or ‘front door’ of the UK is charming and is averse to confrontation. It’s ‘nice’. Boris has this archetype, so his brand of charming works in the UK. But it can create a fence-sitter. ‘What do the British mean when they say … ?’  is a question often asked by foreigners.

Cancer is a strong sign in the UK chart. The Moon is in this sign (the people) as is the mission/reputation point in the chart. This adds to strong traditional values and patriotism, and an emphasis on ‘family’ ties – such as belonging to a particular political group. But too much patriotism leads to division, which is certainly rife in the UK at the moment.

Strongly martial 

The UK also has a strong military history, leaders are rewarded when they go into battle. Thatcher’s reputation soared during the war in the Falklands. And of course sport is a national pastime – watching it anyway! The Sun is connected to Mars, so an Aries/Mars leader also suits the UK. So where are the Arians?

The best fit

Of all the candidates I think Rory is the best ‘fit’. But as the activist Tim Montgomerie said:” Stewart is the most popular candidate with people who’ll never vote Tory”. And even though he had a brilliant campaign, he was unlikely to be one of the last two candidates. This is mainly due to the completely undemocratic nature of the system. He has less experience than the others and that rates highly it seems with the Tory MPs, (as does looking after your own), who are the only ones who could vote to get to the last two candidates. And indeed after Rory’s departure, from the five left in the race, four similar choices remained.

The last two will face the vote of Tory party members – of course this is also undemocratic in terms of choosing a Prime Minister but as they say – that’s the system! As the British like a bit of ‘quirk’ and hence appreciate Boris, I think Rory would have been a worthy adversary. His likeness to Wallace, of Wallace and Gromit fame, has endeared him to many. His critics call him nuts. The UK chart has Uranus near the Ascendant, and the outsider or the underdog is frequently championed. It will be interesting to see where Rory goes next in his career now that he has a higher profile with the public.

For those of you unfamiliar with Wallace and Gromit

The dreaded Brexit

I wrote about Our broken democracy back in 2016 after the referendum, and have posted many times on Brexit. Understandably, that is the main theme in this contest. Below are some interesting links on the topic of democracy and one analysis suggests the root cause of the problem is that we don’t know what is true any more. A good, if worrying, quote from a site listed below is

Many would say this sums up Boris Johnson’s approach, not to mention that of Trump. Is it a Gemini issue? So since Boris is one of the two left standing and the favourite, what is he really like from an astrological point of view? As I once wrote about Trump, Boris is also a spiritual challenge for many. He has many failings, but like any human he also has his strengths. Of course, as I have often remarked, a horoscope shows potential. We cannot see whether someone will develop to be their best. That’s a choice and a question of self-reflection and consciousness development.

Boris

First and foremost, Boris has a lot of Gemini planets. Gemini – the trickster. One day one thing, the next day something else. Curiosity is a key trait, and mental quickness. But commitment is often difficult for a Gemini as they don’t want to miss anything, and want to stay open to all options. Witty at best, liars at worst. Excellent communicators – Boris writes a column and has written a book on Winston Churchill, one of his heroes – gossips on a bad day. Boris has not only a Gemini heart, he also has a Gemini brain (capable of jumping from topic to topic, but also one with a very short term focus). It is not for nothing that Gemini is associated with giving news – today’s newspapers – tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapper – although that metaphor really doesn’t work anymore in an online world!

Even more Gemini

Both Venus and Mars – the relationship planets, as well as representing what we love and how we fight – are in Gemini for Boris. That is a combination not known for its faithfulness! And Mars in Gemini can fight with words – by talking your way out of a corner. So Boris is who he is – by that I mean he is authentic. I wrote a post some time ago about leadership and in today’s world, I suggested leadership is often associated with fire signs. But all the signs can lead, they just do it in different ways. Air signs are thought leaders. I imagine Boris has some brilliant ideas. But airy leaders are not known for managing or getting results.

He’s charming …

Many say he is. He has Venus and Libra strong in his chart by having Venus next to the Sun, and by having Libra rising. He could be a good mediator, but this combination can also result in not wanting to upset anyone and therefore avoiding answering straight questions. In this part of his horoscope Boris would hate conflict, and I think he has developed a lifelong strategy to avoid it. But he could bring people together.

But underneath…He clearly wants power. He has an aspect that I associate with talent between the Sun and Pluto, as well as having the Moon in the sign of Scorpio. This makes him strongly Plutonian, meaning, I think, that he can be sneaky and manipulative as well as a deadly rival. He shows passion in this part of his chart and he has a skill for reading people and analysing situations.

He plays the role of the chaotic, quirky fool sometimes, but he shouldn’t be underestimated in his will to control and win. This could be beneficial in negotiations if you are on his side. But I’m not sure his charm works so well outside the UK. A lot of his skill in this is based on language and wit, which doesn’t always translate. However, his ability to rally support in this contest clearly shows his ability to get the right people around him and mount a successful campaign and this could be useful in EU negotiations.

The other man left standing …

… is Jeremy Hunt. A Scorpio with the Moon in Gemini. So interestingly, the same archetypes as Boris has but the other way around. So Jeremy wants to have power and is probably a good analyst, (and could be sneaky), but what you see with him is not necessarily what you get. Scorpios can be very private. His Moon however, gives him a need to communicate, but as with Boris, he can probably embellish the truth. Mercury in Sagittarius suggests he is a good strategic thinker. He is a water leader – good with leading at an emotional level. Unlike Boris he is likely to be a ‘feeler’ rather than a thinker.

Jeremy’s horoscope shows a man with a more detailed, practical approach, however, as with Boris, his Sun together with Venus probably means that he too doesn’t like open conflict, but will do whatever it takes to be in control. There are a lot of similarities with these two. At the moment Boris appears to be leading, but I would never rule out a fired up Scorpio, and it might be a case of the members voting for anyone but Boris. Who knows? Whatever the outcome, democracy is not really visible, as to quote a Guardian editorial, “This means the new leader will largely be the choice of middle-class white men over 55 in the south of England who support the death penalty, oppose income redistribution and back a no-deal Brexit.” That might be a bit of an exaggeration but you get the drift!

Democracy the loser?

It will be fascinating to see what follows next in Brexit. Whatever happens, democracy is clearly in trouble – and not only in the UK. It’s good to see people rising against authoritative behaviour – recent events in Hong Kong being a case in point. The natives are getting restless and that’s necessary. Voting systems worldwide need an overhaul. We live in turbulent, dramatic, scary and wonderful times! Can we make the best of them?

Faye Blake

Interesting websites

An interesting article by Mary Fitzgerald on America’s Dark-Money Bid for Europe’s Soul was written before the European elections but applies to all outside interference in the electoral process. She questions whether we are looking in the wrong place? I touched on this in my last post  – Taurus 2019.

A TED talk on what’s happening against democracy, Carole asks if it is ever possible to have free and fair elections ever again.

I wrote a little bit on Boris here

And this is from a website called thwing.org. It is long, has 3 parts and is annoyingly repetitive but it comes to interesting conclusions about what we need to do in terms of activism.

Quote of the Month

“When winning by telling lies instead of the truth becomes the norm, democracy is in crisis.” from thwink.org.