Kim Jong Il is an Aquarian, According to his official biography, his birth, on February 16, 1942. was foretold by a swallow and heralded by the appearance of a double rainbow plus a new star in the heavens. Other reports, though, claim he’s exactly one year older than that. Could those official astrologers have been cooking the books? Perish the thought.

Mind you, a lot of thoughts have to perish if you live in North Korea. Indeed, many start to evaporate the moment you think about what life must be like there. Despite recent rumours of failing health, the ‘Dear, Great Leader’ is currently benefiting from the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron in his sign. There he is, getting the nervous attention of the whole planet, just for testing out his toys.

In a perverse way, he’s doing us all a favour. He’s providing many nations with a reason to unite against a common enemy. He may even be helping to end the recession. A real threat means a reason to spend money on weapons and soldiers. If you and I were cynical business folk, in the multi-trillion-dollar arms industry, wouldn’t we be hoping that crazy Kim keeps up the pressure? But we’re heading for a time when the world grows out of its warmongering mentality, just as children grow out of immature behaviour. While we wait for that happy day, we need not be too worried. Conflict in Korea may continue but it’s not going to escalate worldwide.