The Astrology of a Scandal. This is not some click-bait title, but a post I’ve written in the light of events that have emerged in the wake of both Mercury retrograde and the total solar eclipse in Aries. And the event I have been thinking about is one that’s the subject of newspaper headlines in the UK and a great deal of comment on social media. It’s a classic honeypot ‘sexting’ scandal and it involves – almost as usual – a lawmaker who should have known better – and it’s a great example of how astrology works in not so mysterious ways.
The Astrology of a Scandal: The Story
The basic story is this: a few days ago, news broke that a lawmaker in the UK parliament had fallen for a honeypot phishing scam on the dating app Grindr. The lawmaker in question was a single, openly gay man (his sexuality was not and is not the issue) and he had been contacted by – and was messaging – someone (unknown) he met on the dating app.
So far, it seems like standard internet dating fare: they messaged and agreed to meet, but then the messaging became overtly sexual. The lawmaker received an explicit picture – and, rather foolishly, responded in kind. At which point, everything changed: it’s an old story and it’s called blackmail. The blackmailer demanded the personal contact details of fellow lawmakers (under the threat of revealing all) and in due course, several other people were contacted and at least two of them were caught in the net.
Incidentally, the date never took place and the WhatsApp account used for the original messaging vanished without trace. So who was the blackmailer? There are fears it could have been a foreign power, a spy network – or simply a mischief maker. However, facts are that it has been a security leak that could potentially compromise lawmakers safety – and it is a breach of data protection laws. It’s not a good situation, and the lawmaker concerned is being portrayed as either a fool or a victim. The truth may lie somewhere in between.
However, the story got me thinking: why this story featuring this person at this time? So, I looked up his details (being a public figure I could find a birth date) and cast a chart. The fact that I’ve been able to write this post – and you’re now reading it – suggests that my suspicions were well-founded: the astrology of this scandal is interesting because of what is present in his natal chart and how it was impacted by both the solar eclipse in Aries and Mercury retrograde in the same sign.
The Astrology of a Scandal: The Chart
The lawmaker’s chart is anonymised, as (unlike in the US) UK birth times are not routinely recorded, I have prepared the natal chart on a ‘midday’ or noon basis, using the topocentric house system for a UK birthplace. The central question I had when I looked at the chart was this: what could be in the chart that made this person more likely than anyone to be the focus of the scandal that emerged? The answers – as ever – lie in the chart itself.
Regardless of the accuracy of an assumed birth time, the chart seems remarkably appropriate for a lawmaker who holds public office. It’s main features are as follows:
- Sun in tenth house conjunct Midheaven, suggesting someone with a recognisable public status – a lawmaker who holds public office fits this perfectly, as the Sun is in Sagittarius and conjunct the MC.
- Major stellium in Sagittarius crossing the Midheaven and including the Sun, Mercury, Saturn and Uranus.
- The stellium is involved in a Grand Trine with the Moon in Leo (6th house, conjunct Descendant) and Jupiter retrograde in Aries in the 1st House.
- Exact conjunction of Mars and Pluto in Scorpio and the eighth house.
So, let’s unpick a few things. A fire grand trine that has the Sun at the Midheaven is always going to grab public attention in a big way. This is someone (in normal circumstances) who is comfortable with the spotlight, but Jupiter retrograde rising in the first house show there may be a degree of arrogance in this person’s persona. His ascendant is in a late degree of Aquarius, so that indicates someone who appears to be a loner and a maverick – and with Jupiter retrograde rising, he may suffer from ‘all is well’ syndrome – even if that is not so
With a Sagittarius emphasis – and Mercury in Sagittarius in the ninth house – this person is highly intelligent, but may be prone to over-optimism – and may be rather more careless (Sagittarius, Jupiter retrograde rising) in his actions than a person in public office (Sun conjunct MC) needs to be – especially with a semi-sextile aspect from Mercury in the 9th house (and Mercury is part of the stellium in Sagittarius) to the Mars-Pluto conjunction in Scorpio and the eighth house. That, it appears, it where the danger lies.
There is no disguising it – Mars conjunct Pluto in Scorpio and the eighth house is a highly sexually charged placement. However it manifests, it’s going to be both impulsive and compulsive – with a large amount of obsession thrown in. It’s not an easy placement to handle, and the semi-sextile aspect to Mercury (and the dominant MC stellium) makes this placement sit awkwardly with the high achieving dynamic public image that is so prominent in this natal chart.
The Mars – Pluto conjunction also makes a sextile aspect to Neptune in the eleventh house – and there is no better description (astrologically) for being secretive about your sex life and indulging your sexual fantasies via the relatively impersonal medium of internet dating, than a Mars – Pluto conjunction in the eighth house (sex and secrecy) sextile Neptune (things that are hidden, fantasies)in the eleventh house (the internet). Astrology does not get more literal than that.
However, none of this is a criminal offence – or even a scandal. There may be many people in public office with unorthodox sex lives that would cause issues with their public image if the details were known. So what happened here? The Mars-Pluto conjunction is high risk. It’s in Scorpio for heavens sake, and the eighth house is the house of fraud, extortion and blackmail. It’s high risk – and an accident waiting to happen because of the semi- sextile aspect to Mercury: it would be annoying (semi-sextile) if the truth were to get out (Mercury in Sagittarius, ninth house).
It’s also a highly secretive placement: a Mars – Pluto conjunction (Scorpio, eighth house)in semi sextile aspect with a ninth house Mercury in Sagittarius may make a public servant think that going on Grindr is a risk worth taking, despite the threat to his public image and reputation (Mercury is conjunct his Sagittarius MC). Unfortunately for him, his sexual behaviour also opened the door (sextile) to the kinds of deception (Neptune) that is so prevalent on the internet (eleventh house).
It is right there in his natal chart: he has the propensity to take risks to satisfy extremely impulsive and compulsive sexual drives- despite the opportunity that gives others to damage his reputation And that is exactly what happened. But why now? The rumour is that the events that led to the honeypot trap and subsequent blackmail took place some time ago – and have been covered up (Neptune’s involvement, plus the secrecy of Scorpio and the eighth house). How did they come to light? Mercury retrograde answers that question.
The Astrology of a Scandal: Mercury Retrograde
Mercury turned retrograde on April Fools Day (the irony) at 27˚ 13′ Aries – and look where that contacts our subject’s natal chart: in the first house (personal, immediate) and trine Uranus in Sagittarius in the tenth house of public exposure. Sudden, unexpected and shocking truth: Uranus represents all of those things, plus Sagittarius is associated with the wide dissemination of news and public information. Uranus in Sagittarius represents a journalistic scoop and breaking news – and Mercury retrograde in Aries delivered a massive personal impact (first house)to his image.
But it’s not over. Other people are now implicated and there is the suspicion that there will be more ‘fallout’ from the scandal. So what does the astrology suggest? Before turning direct, Mercury will station at 15˚ Aries, conjunct our subject’s north node. In trying to meet the blackmailers demands and save his own reputation, our subject put others at risk. When Mercury moves forward and passes over the retrograde degree for a second time, we may discover the extent of the issue, the identities of those involved – or the extent of the cover-up. Our subject may have to make some painful admissions; Chiron is heavily involved in this Mercury retrograde.
The Astrology of a Scandal: The Solar Eclipse
Next, here comes the total solar eclipse in Aries – and it’s exactly conjunct our subject’s Jupiter retrograde, rising in his first house. It activates the fire grand trine in his natal chart – and it represents a major shift in his life in the most dramatic way possible. Everything will change: there may be legal ramifications to his actions, because of apparent violations to data protection laws, or he may be sued by those whose details he supplied to the blackmailer. Jupiter’s involvement makes legal action of some kind a distinct possibility in the weeks and months ahead. Are there lessons to be learned? Jupiter would suggest so.
The Astrology of a Scandal: Mars Conjunct Saturn
Finally, I want to look at the role of Mars in this whole episode. Mars, through its rulership of Aries, is the ‘ruler’ of both this Mercury Retrograde and the solar eclipse in that sign. In the Mercury retrograde and solar eclipse charts (see links below) Mars is in an approaching conjunction with Saturn in Pisces. The midpoint of that conjunction makes a trine aspect to our subject’s natal Mars-Pluto conjunction in Scorpio. The astrology is clear: if ever there was a transiting contact that proclaimed things were about to ‘hit the buffers’ – it’s this one.
Mars conjunct Saturn shows where you’re about to hit a brick wall – or reach the end of the road. The transiting aspect to our subject’s natal chart pinpointed exactly how his rapid downfall would occur – through that sexually charged, high risk taking, all or nothing Mars-Pluto conjunction in his natal chart. the astrology of a scandal suggests that our subject was (astrologically) in the wrong place at the wrong time – but at a personal level, there is no such thing. This will be an extraordinary and painful turning point in his life – confronting it with brutal honesty may be his best option.
Further Reading
Sara Shipman | Astrology Books
Mercury Retrograde in Aries: Playing With Fire
Solar Eclipse in Aries: The Great American Eclipse 2024
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Picture Credit: Image by Pexels from Pixabay
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