Rupert Murdoch’s Balls

Wendi Deng, Rupert Murdoch’s young Chinese wife, recently revealed that Tony Blair became godfather to one of their children earlier this year. The baptism took place on the banks of the river Jordan, at the spot where Jesus was said to have been baptised. Further, Tony Blair is said to have been robed in white for the ceremony, but I think that bit of the story could easily be someone taking the mick.

You can see that Blair could have been behind the river Jordan idea. There’s nothing wrong with the idea in itself, but when Blair is involved, you start thinking of his visit to the Pope to try and get a blessing for the Iraq War. Only the best will do for someone so spiritual as Blair.

I think that Blair’s religiosity is described by his Mars-Jupiter Rising. A pronounced Jupiter or Sagittarius (which Jupiter rules) is likely to give a religious/philosophical temperament. The US, a nation which is more religious than most, has Sag Rising. What the chart never tells you is the level on which that attribute will be expressed. Is this the chart of a subtle philosopher or a fundamentalist bore? Or is it the chart of a sacrificial chicken?

What were Rupert and Wendi thinking of? Wendi is Chinese, and there is no mention of Christianity in her wiki bio. The daughter, Grace, was 10 years old. What did she make of this strange occasion? Let’s hope she has a sense of humour.

All these relationships are based on power, whether between Wendi and Rupert or between themselves and Blair. Even the daughter’s baptism seems to be part of some PR stunt. OK, who am I to comment on the Murdoch’s marriage, but when you read Wendi Deng’s relationship history, you get the impression she uses men. And Murdoch needed an entry to the Chinese market. I’m not condemning them, because this is perfectly normal behaviour for many people. And the real motives remain hidden. At least, in earlier times, people didn’t have to pretend it was romance. It was because the wife brought a big dowry. Or, as the young Genghis Khan was advised, choose a wife with sturdy legs. It was a practical approach for practical people.

 In his memoirs, Blair says that he came to like and admire Murdoch, despite disliking many of his views, because “he was an outsider and he had balls.” Well, Hitler was an outsider (Austrian) and had balls. These monsters can be impressive. You have to admire the Israelis, particularly the way they fought off invading Arab armies immediately after they were founded. You have to admire Thatcher for her ruthless determination. And the Terminator. And Roy Cohn in American Angels. But would you invite these people to dinner?

When you sup with the devil, use a long spoon. The reason these people are so impressive is that they will stop at nothing to get their own way. Monsters are fascinating, and any good story needs one.

It is clear that what Tony Blair really admires is power. He is drawn to it, and the possessors of it are no doubt charming enough to convince Tony Blair that he likes these people for their personal qualities. His ‘friendship’ with George Bush was an example. What is it in Tony Blair’s chart that gives him this fascination with power (and which is totally at odds with his professed Christian convictions?) It is Pluto, which forms a t-square with his Sun and (widely) with his Moon.

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Whenever you see a prominent Pluto in a chart, you are looking at issues of power, that can come out in a number of ways. It can come out as submission to others, or as a need to dominate. And it can come out, more consciously, as genuine power – as a connection to something real that other people instinctively respond to, and that transforms. And, if you have a prominent Pluto, it can be any of these at different times.

Pluto connects us to what one might call instinctual power, or simply to life itself. A wild animal wouldn’t need to distinguish Pluto like we do, because they simply are what they are. They are not separated from themselves by human self-consciousness and all the complexity and judgement that comes with that. And so they have the power to live their lives, to be what they are. Pluto gives them that.

Humans are the animals that do not know who they are. With a prominent Pluto, there is a need to forge a new relationship with the side of us that, on a simple level, has the power to live. But, as humans, it needs to become conscious, and it can get twisted along the way. And when it does, you get monsters and victims. The sheer energy of the monsters is a testament to the power of Pluto.

So the need to create genuine power is fundamental to Tony Blair. So far, he has seemed quite unconscious, as we can see in his choice of friends. He seemed quite unconscious of the submissive relationship he had with George Bush. We can chuck in the North Node as well, which is also fundamental to what we need to learn. Blair has it in the 10th in Aquarius conjunct the Moon. You can see him groping towards it in his international networking with the aim of saving the world. And who knows, he may have done some good (though in Iraq it led to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of people.)

I find it fascinating when I see people who are clever and talented and who ‘achieve’ a lot, and yet who are unconscious and stupid in quite a basic way at the same time. It’s probably part of my prominent Pluto to see these people as they are, rather than feeling dazzled and disempowered by all they seem to ‘achieve’.