Gordon Brown's Cabinet
Written & published: June/July 2007
Now that Gordon Brown is prime minister of the UK, he has appointed his first Cabinet team. The media has compared Gordon's new Cabinet with the last one, which was Tony Blair's. This article does the same, but from an astrological point of view.
The method used will be kept simple, to make this accessible to everyone. It is nevertheless an insightful way to get a feel for whether or not things are changing, and if so, in what ways.
By adding up the number of planets in each Sign, and then breaking it down by Element and Mode, as well as by all planets compared to the inner planets only, we can build up an informative picture of the changes - or lack thereof - in Downing Street.
The Elemental Cabinet
Each Sign of the Zodiac has an Element: Fire, Earth, Air, or Water. By finding the total planets in each Element, we place the first building block of understanding Blair's last Cabinet and Brown's first.
Here is our first table. Blair's Cabinet profile is on the left, Brown's on the right. In the centre is a list of planets, plus the Moon's north node, and totals. Beneath the table is an explanation and some suggested interpretations.
| Elemental Cabinet | ||
| Blair's | Planets/Totals | Brown's |
| Earth | Sun | Water |
| Air | Moon | Earth & Air |
| Fire & Air | Mercury | Water |
| Water | Venus | Fire & Water |
| Air | Mars | Air |
| Air | Total Inner | Earth & Air |
| Water | Jupiter | Water |
| Water | Saturn | Earth & Water |
| Water | Uranus | Water |
| Air | Neptune | Air |
| Fire | Pluto | Fire |
| Air | Total All | Water |
| Fire | North Node | Fire |
The Elements have been colour-coded to make it easier to see at a glance what is changing and what is staying the same.
The total inner planets - that is, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars - show that Air predominates in both Cabinets, but in Gordon's Cabinet team there is a tie for first place between Earth and Air. Since Earth is the Element of substance, and Air is the Element of spin, this could be a good thing, but only if Gordon's policies and manner are to your liking, and Saturn being one of the planets making up the Earth tally can mean that there are issues to be worked on in this area, challenges to be faced about realism and materialism, money and resources, the environment, land, and property.
Overall, the Cabinet has shifted from Air to Water. Air represents the mind, and Water the emotions, so there is a general trend away from things like words and PR, towards feelings and imagination. Again, whether that is a good thing or not depends on whether or not the policies and manner are favourable in your view.
The darker side of both Air and Water is evasiveness and avoidance, so there is no guarantee of greater empathy or compassion, although these are indeed Water attributes. Water is also capable of being much more subjective and less rational, much moody and spiteful.
The Modal Cabinet
Each Sign of the Zodiac also has a Mode, sometimes called a Quality: Cardinal, Fixed, or Mutable. So here is our second table showing the two Cabinets side by side in terms of Sign Modes, following by what we can infer from the comparison:
| Modal Cabinet | ||
| Blair's | Planets/Totals | Brown's |
| Fixed | Sun | Fixed |
| Fixed | Moon | Cardinal & Fixed |
| Fixed | Mercury | Fixed |
| Cardinal & Fixed | Venus | Fixed & Mutable |
| Mutable | Mars | Cardinal |
| Fixed | Total Inner | Fixed |
| Mutable | Jupiter | Fixed |
| Fixed | Saturn | Fixed |
| Cardinal | Uranus | Cardinal |
| Cardinal | Neptune | Cardinal |
| Fixed | Pluto | Fixed |
| Fixed | Total All | Fixed |
| Cardinal & Mutable | North Node | Mutable |
The
Modes haven't been colour-coded, to avoid confusing them with the
Elemental colours and meanings, but hopefully the table is still clear
Here we can see clearly that there is no change, either overall or in terms of inner planets. Both Cabinets are Fixed. In astrology Fixed means exactly the same as what it means to the average person in the street. Anyone acquainted with Blair's government, or Brown's reputation, will not need an explanation of what this Fixed Modal emphasis means in practice. The last 10 years of Blair and Brown at the helm show Fixity very clearly indeed.
The Cabinet Zodiac
Now we turn to the Signs of the Zodiac. This final table shows Blair and Brown's respective Cabinets in terms of their Zodiac Sign distribution:
| Cabinet Zodiac | ||
| Blair's | Planets/Totals | Brown's |
| Taurus | Sun | Taur, Scorp, Pisc |
| Aquarius | Moon | Virgo & Aquarius |
| Taurus | Mercury | Scorpio |
| Aries | Venus | Aries |
| Gemini & Libra | Mars | Libra |
| Scorpio (Taurus) | Total Inner | Scorpio (Leo) |
| Gemini & Pisces | Jupiter | Gemini & Scorpio |
| Scorpio | Saturn | Scorpio |
| Cancer | Uranus | Cancer |
| Libra | Neptune | Libra |
| Leo | Pluto | Leo |
| Libra (Leo) | Total All | Leo (Libra) |
| Aries | North Node | Aries & Pisces |
Again we have 'no change' as the verdict. Blair's Cabinet's inner planet total shows Scorpio predominant in the group, with Taurus in second place, and Brown's shows Scorpio remaining predominant, with Leo in second place. All these Signs are Fixed.
Looking at the overall tallies there is a similar situation. Blair's Cabinet was Libra with Leo in second place, and Brown's reverses this: Leo, with Libra coming second. Both these Signs are concerned with outward displays of importance and appeal. They can be more interested in how things look and the popularity - even adoration - they achieve, than with sound policies or democratic functioning.
Leo is the Sign of the monarch and the idea that 'L'Etat, c'est moi' - politicians who think that they occupy the central position of power for the good of the whole which should defer to their munificence, rather than that they are put there to humbly serve the wishes of the electorate. Libra smooths things over with a smattering of charm and strategy, but is often a sign of contrariness and the art of war.
Granted, these are the darker sides of these two Signs, but what is the point in writing that worships at the altar of a team that wants people to workship at its altar? And what is the benefit in glossing over, in a Leo/Libra style, repeating patterns in the national psyche which the people have spent a long time trying to change?
Finally, Gordon Brown has today announced measures to limit the Royal Prerogatives that are accorded to the prime minister. On the surface of it, this shows Brown's recognition of Blair's negative use of the Leonine Kingly power, but having just appointed a Cabinet full of Leonine characters, mixing it with Scorpio just like Blair did, there are clear power issues (Leo, Scorpio) and trust issues (Scorpio) present in this government that we need to avoid being seduced into (Libra) falling for again.
References & Related Articles
More information on Gordon Brown's birth chart:-
Gordon Brown article - this website - published 2004
Gordon Brown's stars - blog entry - published 12th July 2007
Gordon Brown: Iraq, Iran, & Afghanistan - blog entry - published 9th July 2007
More information on Blair, Labour, & Gordon:-
Tony Blair article - this website - published 2004
Labour party meltdown - blog entry - published October 2006
Gordon Brown leadership - blog enty - published October 2006
Gordon Brown vs. Tony Blair - blog entry - published May 2006
BBC News article - contrasting Tony Blair's Cabinet with Gordon Brown's
Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Menzies Campbell, European Union, USA, 'War on Terror', Uranus in Pisces & Neptune in Aquarius, & more
Euro
Currency, NHS, BBC,USA economy, Ofcom, Concorde,
W Edwards Deming, European Central Bank, Anita Roddick, & more
Health, emotional
intelligence, zodiac elements, understanding change, Angelina Jolie,
Gwen Stefani, Germaine Greer, & more
