Solar arcs and Barry O’Farrell’s resignation

The Premier of New South Wales (NSW) quit his job today.
Barry O’Farrell was appearing as a witness during an investigation by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

At the enquiry, it was alleged O’Farrell had received a $3000 bottle of  Grange Hermitage wine, which he’d failed to declare. O’Farrell initially denied the allegations. But a written ‘thank you’ note by O’Farrell tendered as evidence, resulted in O’Farrell announcing today that he was resigning as NSW Premier.

What are some of the astrological indicators of this sudden change of fortune for Mr O’Farrell?

He was born on the 24th of May, 1959, in Melbourne. We don’t have his exact birth time, so we use a horoscope (or ‘chart’) set for noon on that day.

I noticed significant activity on his Solar Arc directions. A Solar Arc direction is when the whole horoscope is rotated by the same amount (in degrees) for every year of life. The amount is the daily motion of the Sun on the day of birth, multiplied by the person’s age in years. So in O’Farrell’s case, we direct to 54 years of age to explore how his Solar Arc directions are connecting with his natal horoscopes.

The Solar Arc directed planets and points form aspects to their positions in the natal horoscope. Aspects indicate significant life events, or turning points.

His Solar Arc Sun at 24° Cancer is conjunct his natal Mars (green highlight). And Solar Arc Pluto at 24° Libra is square to natal Mars (yellow highlight).

Since we don’t have his exact birth time, we don’t know much detail about Mars in his horoscope (for instance, what house it rules). However, Mars is often ‘malefic’ – that is, to do with conflicts of some kind. That his natal Sun-Pluto square now (by Solar Arc) connects closely with his Mars, indicates that this is a time in his life when he can expect ‘trouble’ in terms of his ego (Sun) and power-base (Pluto).

So while traditional transits don’t show much activity at this time for O’Farrell, his Solar Arc directions certainly did show that he’s in a generally ‘rough’ period, one where his power-base is under threat.