I’ve been analyzing the United Kingdom’s current role in world politics. January 1, 1801, which is the Act of Union of Great Britain and Ireland is the chart most used for analysis; however, since Ireland (with the exception of Northern Ireland) fought again for its independence just after WWI and succeeded, the 1801 date doesn’t seem all that applicable for modern-day United Kingdom.

I settled on the Act of Union of 1707 for various reasons. One reason is because the date that was chosen was May 1, 1707. The other reason is that 1707 was the first declaration of a ‘United Kingdom’ between England and Scotland, as it is today, with one Parliamentary Government.

May 1, 1707 happened to be a Sunday, incidentally. The only reason I could think of for a nation’s contract to be passed into law on a Sunday was if that date had major significance. May 1st is very significant.

May Day, or Beltane from the Pagan and Celtic traditions, has been an important celebration in the British Isles for centuries. It was likely an ancient translation of the Italian celebration Florialia, which honors Flora, the goddess of fertility and springtime. When Europe was Christianized, many Celtic customs were banned; however, May Day managed to re-emerge in the English consciousness and is celebrated even today.

This celebration is/was more than just about drinking mead and dancing around a maypole with flowers in your hair. May Day is like a purification ritual; a day of solar ascension. Beltane is named after the Celtic sun god Belenus, who was the deity that governed the quarter cross between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. While the Celtic cross is an ancient symbol of the British Isles, the symbolism for the Union Jack crosses are Christian in origin.

The chart for the United Kingdom emerging at its peak of Empire on May 1, 1707 took place the day before a partial solar eclipse at 10 degrees Taurus. I entered the time for the chart as 12:00 noon, since that is when the sun is at its peak.

The Sun in Taurus in the 9th house of foreign relations reveals an identity that is bound up with other cultures. Sun in the 9th experiences a sense of renewal through travel and cultural exploration.

The British Empire started colonizing other lands as early as the 16th century, but was really expansive during the 17th and 18th centuries. Colonizing North America and India became crucial to their way of life in regards to cultivating products like tobacco, spices and tea.

The Sun is also within 1 degree of the Midheaven, or the 10th house of career, meaning we should also interpret the Sun in the 10th house, since Taurus, or Venus, is the ruler of the 10th house.

The moon in Taurus in wide conjunction with the Sun in the 9th shows a strong emotional resonance with this identity. Colonizing foreign lands gave the UK a sense of pride and fellowship, however one-sided their relationships were. The moon in Taurus in particular wants to establish roots with property, creature comforts and security.

The Sun making a tight square with Uranus at 9 degrees of Leo is interesting. Sun square Uranus is the signature of rebellion; of not following convention. There is strong originality yet also simultaneous discomfort. Uranus in the 12th house in particular can a induce a need for escapism. The 12th house rules both imprisonment and dreams. Uranus here can make the native disillusioned and haunted by nightmares.

Jupiter making a tight conjunction with Pluto in the 12th house is the most crucial signature of this chart. Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions happen every 12 years, but having this aspect in the natal chart reveals a strong need for power and expansion. Jupiter wants to spread the net far and wide while Pluto wants absolute power. It is also interesting that this is happening in the sign of Leo, which I’ll get to in a moment.

A Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in the 12th house of dreams and illusions puts an interesting spin on the chart of an Empire. This relates back to May Day and a mystical, pastoral history. Absolute power in the realm of dreams and fantasy can produce tremendous works of art. However, there will also be an underlying feeling of paranoia and illness, as if the physical world never feels harmonious. This is particularly difficult for planets in Taurus, who feel a strong connection to nature and the pastoral realm.

Neptune conjunct the north node in Aries projects a future of independence; of strong self-reliance on one’s path. With Neptune here, there is an inherent creativity and altruism; a need to build one’s future path in idealistic terms. In the 9th house of foreign relations, the need to establish a singular cultural identity is strong. English culture, though solidly built on contributions from other cultures, is definitely unique.

The south node in Libra in the 3rd house of communication and local culture is highly codependent. Diplomacy can be conciliatory but also a bit strained. The south node in Libra struggles with constantly making concessions. As an island nation vulnerable to immigration and labor needs, the UK has been prone to instability and a steadily increasing cost of living.

Venus at 25 degrees of Pisces is making a quincunx with the south node in Libra, further compounding financial strain. Venus in the 8th house of shared resources craves intense relationships with money and desire. There is a relational awkwardness here with the quincunx. A struggle with a depth of emotion residual from past incarnations strangely creates financial problems. In Pisces, there is a profound need for love but also extreme sensitivity.

Neptune is currently transiting retrograde in Pisces at 24 degrees. When it turns direct, it will make its final pass at 25 degrees at the end of March 2023. This final pass over the UK’s Venus will dramatize the financial issues they have been dealing with for the past two years of Neptune transiting their 8th house. Not an ideal time to be making any important decisions. The fog will need to clear before they can determine what is real and what is illusory.

Recent former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has two natal chart aspects of noteworthy synastry with the UK chart. Saturn in the 10th house of the UK chart at 3 degrees of Gemini conjuncts Johnson’s Mars in Gemini within 2 degrees. A tight conjunction between two malefics can go one of two ways. This a relationship built on power and responsibility but also one of extreme tension and judgement. Ousting Johnson before his term was up illuminates how this relationship went south. Johnson was charged with financial corruption.

The UK Mars at 14 degrees of Cancer in the 11th house of friendships and groups is conjunct Johnson’s Midheaven at 12 degrees of Cancer. 14 degrees of Cancer is conjunct Sirius within one degree as well as the U.S. Sun. The relationship between the UK and the US has been both fraternal and competitive.

Mars conjunct the Midheaven in synastry points to a powerful bond in regards to career but one where Mars is in the power position. The desire to force the Midheaven native into submission becomes a Mars preoccupation which leads to a mostly competitive relationship. Whether Johnson is solely to blame for the financial corruption remains to be seen with Neptune still transiting the UK Venus in the 8th house.

Newly appointed PM Liz Truss has already made strong declarations for nuclear war. Perhaps not coincidentally, Truss was appointed just as transiting Uranus was conjunct her natal Mars at 17 degrees of Taurus. This happens to conjunct Mercury in Taurus in the 10th house of career in the UK chart. Certainly Uranus transiting over the UK’s Mercury is bound to create some issues with communication, but Liz Truss’s Mars getting activated by Uranus might have encouraged her to become uncharacteristically aggressive.

Truss’s Jupiter at 24 degrees Aries is conjunct the UK’s north node in Aries. Her natal Uranus is also conjunct the UK’s south node in Libra at 28 degrees. Whether or not she retains the position of PM remains to be determined, but we can see how she could evoke a feeling of evolution for the UK. However, the strong Mars-Mercury conjunction doesn’t bode well for diplomacy.

Here is the UK transit chart for May 21, 2023.

First off, I said I would get back to the UK’s Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in Leo. The UK had their Pluto Return from 1951-1953, brewing in significance in the years following WWII. Even though the Allies won the war, the UK never really recovered its position of prominence. By the Suez Crisis of 1956, it’s painful decline as an empire was pretty obvious.

Since the U.S. is currently experiencing its Pluto Return in Capricorn, it’s very possible it will experience a similar fate. Can we say that all Pluto Returns for nations signify collapse or decline? Certainly destruction and reconstruction are on the table. The writing of new political agreements and contracts signed into law can also determine fate if considered astrologically. These must be performed by an astrologer skilled in the art of elections.

Looking at May 21, 2023 for the UK chart, there are many illuminations but not active aggression. Neptune will still be within two degrees of the UK’s Venus, which is still emphasizing idealism and illusion. No sound decision making can be made until Neptune is at least 4-5 degrees away.

Transiting Mars in Leo in the UK’s 12th house of dreams and imprisonment will be felt as tension for sure, but it will be much more intense once Mars conjuncts the UK Jupiter-Pluto in Leo, which will happen at the end of June 2023. Pluto transiting their 6th house of work and service could send unemployment and civil unrest to extremes.

The transiting nodes will be inching closer to the UK nodal return but that won’t happen until mid-August of 2023.

Transiting Venus will conjunct the UK’s Mars and the U.S. Sun at 14 degrees of Cancer. I see this as emphasizing power dynamics in relationships but not signifying strong acts of aggression. Something noteworthy will happen but it doesn’t suggest PM Truss will “push the button” in response to nuclear war. The UK will have domestic concerns at the forefront.

In doing this analysis, I also started doing a deep dive into the Saros Series eclipses for the UK. Stay tuned for the next post.