Margaret Thatcher, one of the most iconic leaders in the 20th century passed away today aged 87 after suffering a stroke. It is true that her health had been ailing in recent years, however it is a shock to us here in Britain. She was Prime Minister in the UK from 1979 until November 1990, the first and only ever woman to hold the post. Singlehandedly she turned around the British economy from the sick man of Europe to become a hub of commercial activity, she took on the unions in a bitter and protracted dispute dividing a nation into those who loved her and those who loathed her. The one thing was, you could never ignore her. I looked at her horoscope in a post about Meryl Streep and her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher last year.
Margaret Thatcher was born on 13th October 1925 in Grantham in Lincolnshire, England at 09.00am. The daughter of a grocer, she rose from relatively humble beginnings to be the first woman Prime Minister of the UK. She was a Sun sign Libran with a royal Leo Moon and a secretive Scorpio Ascendant. Margaret had 5 cardinal planet including that Libran Sun so her inclination would be to push ahead and begin projects, to lead from the front. And with a Leo Moon she loved being in the spotlight. Here was a social outreach and idealism of the Libran Sun combined with the need to be adored of the Leo Moon. That was the view that the public saw, but behind this was the ruthless, secretive Scorpio ascendant bolstered by an authoritarian Saturn conjunct that Ascendant from the 12th house. Mars in Libra in her 11thhouse of political parties is known as the velvet glove with an iron fist and she wielded the axe with ferocity behind the door of number 10 Downing Street. In the seclusion of the cabinet room, there would no doubt of who would be in charge.
Despite that hard exterior I think Margaret Thatcher did have a very soft heart and a compassionate emotional side to her. Shown by her Moon Neptune square to Venus, she would have been appreciative of art, music, beauty and colour. Venus in the first house square to the Virgo Midheaven shows that the personal image she portrayed was very important to her and clean cut prim and proper cut of her clothes and the detail she went to including using a deeper voice for authority was so reflective of a Virgo Midheaven. The Moon Neptune conjunct to her Virgo Midheaven is sextile to her Sun Mercury, so here is a link to creative emotive public speaking.
With the Sun in the 11th house, it was in group activities and within associations where Margaret would shine. The Sun shows her relationship to her father and his influence I think was very powerful. Her Sun was square to Jupiter/Pluto opposition. The Pluto square shows the indelible bond between the two and Margaret mirrored his ambition for power and control (Pluto). He was in local Government as a Liberal (shown by Jupiter in administrative Capricorn) and was also a Methodist preacher, again shown by the Jupiter link as well as the sextile to spiritual Neptune. Margaret used these energies in a slightly different way, using the power and control of Pluto to forge an successful international profile (Jupiter). Of course that Pluto/Jupiter opposition connected to the Saturn/Ascendant conjunction through a wedge formation, bringing that determined international reach to an ultra conservative administrative focus. Unlike her father she was never going to follow his Liberal tendencies. Pluto opposite Jupiter is always a most resourceful aspect and square to Mars in the 11th house, it showed tremendous drive and ambition. I like to call Mars in the 11th the team captain aspect. Here the energies are directed to the group, yet Mars wants to be pre-eminent and to lead. Within the Conservative Party and latterly within the country, this is exactly what she did.
The one planet I have not focused on yet is Uranus. Uranus is peregrine (unconnected to any planet by major aspect) in the chart. Not many people know that before Margaret got into politics, she was a research scientist, aptly describing Uranus which rules science in creative Pisces. A peregrine planet?s influence is normally very, very strong, and this Uranus was used by Margaret through it?s connection with freedom, independence and individualism. In Pisces this freedom is limitless and unconstrained. Of course she was notably known to have said that there was no such thing as society, she pushed individuals to buy their own houses and she was associated with free market economics. It was the antithesis of Communism, and at the time of the fall of the Iron Curtain she was leaving office, but the freedom and vision of competition she preached was seized upon by the peoples of Eastern Europe to overthrow their restrictive regimes.
Baroness Thatcher passed away as the transiting North Node was just about to hit her Scorpio Ascendant and conjunct her Saturn in the 12th house. This is always a turning point in life, and here it signalled her passing. The stellium of Sun Mars and Venus opposed her Sun and Mercury which rules her 8th house of change and death. Transiting Jupiter was just about to enter her 8th house too and was at the point of a virtual Yod connecting her natal Jupiter and Her Saturn Ascendant conjunction. Again another turning point and as always it seems Jupiter being prominent. Often I see Jupiter involved in a person?s passing; I see this as the spirit going on a journey. Her funeral will be a huge affair as Jupiter moves into this 8th house as the nation pays it respects. Neptune was opposing her Midheaven at the MC and this degrading influence was being shown in a public sense in the past years. During it?s transit of her 3rd house of the mind and communication, her memory failed and she suffered from dementia. With transiting Saturn moving in her hidden 12th house so she would have suffered in the past year or two.
Margaret Thatcher was a giant of British politics and whether you agreed with her politics or not, she was strong and her strength filtered through to British society and especially to the female part of the population, just when the country needed a shot in the arm. She will be missed and I send out my condolences to her family and friends?