Looking at the astrology of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s battle with coronavirus. Dissecting his birth chart, transits, and progressions.
I’m not a huge fan of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s politics, but that doesn’t mean I wish a most ironic death on the man. Him boasting about not being afraid of the coronavirus, “shaking everybody’s hand,” and then catching it himself, ending up in the ICU and potentially facing the fight of his life – brings me zero joy. So, I decided to have a look at his chart again.
So, what I see right off the bat is the exact opposition between Neptune in the 2nd house at 15 degrees Scorpio and Jupiter at 15 degrees Taurus sitting in the 8th house. To me, this is about overstating one’s personal power. Having an inflated sense of what one can handle. It could also be about attracting issues to oneself. Hubris.
Then, he’s got Chiron in Pisces forming a trine to Neptune and a sextile to Jupiter, as well as a square to natal Mercury. Chiron is widely opposed to Pluto, which makes a trine to Jupiter and a sextile to Neptune. Everything leads back to Mercury in Gemini. This tells me the Jupiter/Neptune opposition will be a source of pain for Boris and the need to recognize his limits must be integrated into his thinking. Sadly, it is a huge blind-spot for him. Pluto wants to transform and it will use Jupiter and Neptune to do so.
It should also be noted that the axis of physical and mental health (Virgo/Pisces) is highly active for Boris. He’s got Uranus and Pluto in Virgo and Saturn and Chiron in Pisces. These are planets that must be surrendered to, especially Saturn. You cannot fight Saturn or any other outer planet, you must work with them. Spiritual practice and proper mental and physical health regimes are necessary for people who have this axis prominent in their charts. The energy needs to go somewhere.
Now, let’s take a look at that Uranus and Saturn opposition. This is about breaking through barriers. There’s a lot of tension and build-up when these two gods come together and it needs to be released. These words are even more true for Boris because he also has Mars forming a T-square with Saturn and Uranus, and it’s applying! Mars is way stronger when it’s applying to an aspect. It’s more Arien energy comes out then. For Boris, Mars is absolutely begging for action to be taken with regard to Uranus and Saturn. Boris wants and needs to make change happen on a fairly regular basis. If not handled correctly, this T-square can create a lot of problems.
Uranus and Pluto in the 11th house suggest aiming this action towards society, having an impact in his community. Politics is a good outlet for this but it’s important to note the signs involved. Virgo and Pisces are about health. At some point, this energy will be sucked back internally. I know the 6th and 8th houses often manifest outside of us, showing up as situations we must use our personal power to handle. But, they often show up internally as well. And the 12th house is basically 100% internal. His Chiron in the 6th, Jupiter (and Mars) in the 8th, Saturn in the 6th sign from the ascendant, and Pluto/Uranus in the 12th sign from the ascendant all lead me to assume this energy will play out internally, within himself, whether physical or mental, at some point in his life.
Sooner or later, Boris Johnson will have to deal with a major health crisis. I don’t know what he has already gone through in his life but this theme has most likely popped up at some point by now, other than his current calamity with the coronavirus. Again, it all leads back to Mercury in Gemini. Both Mercury and Gemini deal with the lungs, the entire respiratory system, but also the hands, the thyroid, nose, and esophagus. They deal with how we receive sensory information and process it. I wonder if Boris has had multiple bouts with bronchitis or some other respiratory ailment. The potential for pneumonia at some point is high.
These health crises with him also bring up themes of powerlessness, disillusionment, control, wounding, self-esteem, self-worth, and the list goes on. Overall, I see misplaced optimism becoming catastrophic and being the source of hard life lessons. Jupiter in the 8th tends to bring expansion and growth due to crises, but it also magnifies those crises. Still, it’s a strength.
The good news is that this is a man who does not give up on things easily. He is a fighter and a reformer. He will break through boundaries. That Scorpio Moon of his gives him much perseverance in the face of hardship. He also has a Grand Trine between his Sun/Venus, Moon, and Saturn. He has much faith in himself and that will be needed now. Harmony between the Sun and Moon helps with vitality.
The 8th House
Now, we are dealing with a life-or-death crisis, so we look to the 8th house to see how Boris handles crises (after looking over the whole chart). To decipher 8th house issues, not only do we look at any planets housed there and their condition, but we also need to look to the sign on the cusp, the lord of the house, and the condition of the lord. Boris Johnson has Taurus on the 8th house cusp, making Venus the lord of the 8th. Jupiter and Mars reside in the 8th.
Let’s start with Venus. As ruler of his 8th house, Venus is also his chart ruler (Libra rising). His natal Venus is in social Gemini, right in the middle of its retrograde cycle, crossing the Sun, combust. It’s in the 9th and conjunct his North Node. It’s super important and plays a major role in his chart, but it is weakened, often causing problems for Boris. I see why he’s so awkward and brusque with people. He has a sort of sloppy charm that is actually endearing to some. Along with Mars, the condition of his Venus also explains where his myriad of sexual exploits and failed relationships comes from, but that’s not my focus.
Being in Gemini, Venus is ruled by his Mercury, tying it back to issues with the lungs/respiratory issues. This means any 8th house issues will lead back to Mercury and any themes there. Mercury is the final dispositor as well because it is in its own sign. Remember everything we learned about Mercury up above (square Chiron in the 6th, etc).
Taurus on the 8th house cusp gives a sense of what other physical issues could manifest as problematic for him. Taurus rules the neck, the throat, the upper back, the vocal cords. However, having Taurus on the 8th house cusp also reinforces the idea that Boris Johnson does not easily give up in battle. He uses his awkward charm to position himself to win. Sadly, charm will not work with the coronavirus, but his transformative energy is still very stubborn. This is a strength for him.
Taurus on the 8th house, along with Jupiter there, usually signifies a peaceful death. Mars in the 8th house does point to a more sudden, abrupt passing and it also leads us back to Mercury/the respiratory system. Interestingly, Mars is also in the 9th whole sign house, dealing with trouble from foreign things, but it still holds weight in the 8th, so we must keep this in mind. I always look at Placidus houses but I keep in mind the cusps. Being ruled by Mercury and squaring Saturn and Uranus, Mars here could pose some serious problems for Boris. There could be complications with organ failure. Which brings me to my next point.
Jupiter rules the liver and it is firmly in the 8th house. Because it’s in Taurus, it is working for Venus, which is working for Mercury. It also rules Boris’s 3rd house (Sagittarius), which reinforces themes around Mercury and Gemini giving him problems. Ruling Pisces, Jupiter also rules his 6th house, where we find a retrograde Saturn and Chiron impacting physical and mental health. Neptune is also a co-ruler of Pisces, so both planets ruling his Pisces 6th house are in this critical opposition.
Health issues are a major source of crises in his life and everything leads back to Mercury, his strongest planet, ruling the respiratory system.
The 4th House
It’s good to mention that the 4th house can also be looked at in times of crisis, particularly if death is a feared outcome. It represents endings.
Boris’s 4th house is ruled by Saturn, which ties it back into the T-square with Mars and Uranus. And, currently, transit Saturn, Pluto, and Jupiter are all right there. Capricorn on the cusp of either the 4th or the 8th traditionally promises a long life. This bodes well for Boris. Of course, there are always exceptions. The entire chart needs to be taken into consideration, always.
Current Transits
Let’s look at his transits.
Transit Saturn and Mars came together at 0 degrees of Aquarius not that long ago, exactly squaring Boris’ natal Moon at 0 Scorpio. Saturn is still squaring his Moon and is slowing down, stationing retrograde well within orb of his Moon. This is not great news for physical health. Saturn is also trine his natal Mars, giving some support there but we must remember that it is still Saturn. It’s not fun. It’s a massive challenge, putting pressure on his will and overall strength. The good news is that Boris is definitely in the fight, but he is dealing with a lot of fear.
Mars is on its way to T-squaring his natal Jupiter/Neptune opposition. That could actually make his situation a bit worse. The week of April 17th-24th will be critical for him. That seems so far away (today is April 8th) and he should absolutely be on the mend by then, in terms of a general timeline. Because of this, it makes me think his recovery could be difficult.
Transiting Venus entered Gemini only days ago and passed over his natal 8th house Mars. It’s in the sign of his natal Venus, too – definitely interesting to note because Venus rules his 8th and was traveling through there when he got sick.
Even more concerning than any of the above is transit Neptune sitting on Boris’s natal Chiron, squaring his Mercury. When I saw this, I just dropped my head and sighed. This is a massive, massive problem for him. Luckily, the aspect is separating but this is not something you want to see. This points to possible pneumonia.
Finally, we look to the Moon for some further information. Outer planetary transits are triggered by the transit Moon, creating “hot” days when long-term transits are more active. This is ridiculously important for any astrologer to know. As of starting this post, the Moon was in its full phase in the sign of Libra. However, the Libra Moon will eventually become a Scorpio Moon, triggering Boris Johnson’s entire chart. It will not only pass over his natal Moon but cross over his natal Neptune as well. The Moon moves into Scorpio in the early evening of April 8th, New York time, which is even later at night in the UK. I am sorry to say, I suspect Boris will have a rough night.
He’s also going through his nodal return, the nodal axis sitting directly on his. This is a fated event for him. If he recovers, I hope this is a wake-up call for him and that he thinks twice before being so pompous and arrogant next time around.
The Progressed Chart
Now, let’s take a look at his progressed chart.
As you can see, his progressed Mercury is trine his natal Jupiter and sextile his Neptune at the same time his progressed Moon is activating it as well, sitting right on his Neptune at 15 Scorpio. You can’t make this stuff up. This all goes back to his hubris. I’m inclined to think he feels 100% foolish, though he may never admit this.
His progressed Midheaven is also opposing his natal Saturn. His evolving reputation is facing a health crisis. The world is watching.
Putting It All Together
What would I say to a client about his condition? Say his fiance were to come to me wondering if he’ll get better or not. Perhaps she is wondering if this will kill him.
Predicting death is not part of my repertoire. Even if it looks inevitable, it probably isn’t. Death surprises us and it looks different from person to person. It’s only a function of the 8th house in that it’s an end. The 8th house shows how we end things. Death is the ultimate transformation. You can look to the 8th and 4th for themes but it’s almost impossible to predict when it happens. I would never try and neither should any other astrologer.
What I would say to his fiance is to prepare for anything but remain hopeful. I would point out the difficulties and strengths in his chart, give her a general timeline, and suggest he practice some exercises in humility if recovery from this is his fate.
I would remind her that he’s a tough cookie and has too much to live for to give up without giving it everything he’s got.
Update
It is April 9, 2020 at 4:30pm, New York time. The Moon is currently at 15 Scorpio, right on Boris’s Neptune, opposing his Jupiter. He was just released from the ICU and is apparently feeling much better. What I thought would be an eventful evening to the downside was actually a positive one. The Moon triggered his lucky Jupiter in the 8th, saving him from a catastrophe. I had this feeling but went with a more cautious view because the Moon is not always kind. Still, I should’ve mentioned the possibility.
Transit Neptune conjunct his Chiron and squaring his Mercury really concerned me, but as I mentioned, it is separating. Perhaps the square from Mars to his Neptune/Jupiter opposition later in April will be more of a beneficial transit. Either way, I will be watching his situation closely. This virus has a way of changing things quickly, having people feel better before getting worse the next day. It’s truly awful. Transit Saturn is not finished squaring his Moon, either – it retrogrades all the way back to 25 Capricorn. And, Neptune will be retrograding back to square his Mercury again in October, stationing direct right at 18 Pisces all the way through January 2021! Let’s hope he doesn’t contract the virus a second time!
See how death is tricky? I swear, when it looks inevitable, it is not. No matter what terrible transits are headed your way, death is the least likely outcome. Death works with midpoints and other hidden areas of the chart. You will rarely ever see it coming. Sorry to be morbid but I see so many young astrologers getting freaked out over transits from Saturn and Pluto. Believe me, I was there. We may have to deal with death on some level but it won’t be our own. The transits aren’t fun but death is not as predictable as that. It would be too easy if it was.
Thanks for reading! Check back for more developments.
If you enjoyed this article, check out my astrological take on the downfall of Harvey Weinstein, disgraced movie mogul.