Monthly Archives: November 2016

Astrology on Broadway

Does Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 have anything to do with astrology?  The musical, which has been produced to wide acclaim for over four years, recently opened on Broadway.  It’s adapted from a segment of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace.1986_halley_comet

When Pierre sees the comet at the end of the show he feels joyful and uplifted, and that he’s entering a new life.  It speaks to his soul.  And through the millennia, astrologers have looked to the skies in the same way.  The represent a higher plane, especially when things are going in our favor!

The Great Comet had been associated with the War of 1812 (as well as the powerful New Madrid earthquakes in the U.S.), but it actually appeared in 1811, and had faded out by the time that Napoleon entered Russia in the spring of 1812.  Wine bottled in 1811 was renowned for its quality, as are other “comet vintages.”

And Tolstoy had given a twist to the traditional interpretation of a comet, which often portended disaster.  Comets were typically unexpected, not regular and predictable as the stars and planets, and therefore not to be trusted.  The dispute among the producers before the show’s Broadway opening is more in keeping with a cometary influence.

Election 2016: Afterthoughts

The election is over and most of us astrologers forecast an incorrect outcome.  At least we weren’t alone!  Most in the news thought Hillary had an easier path to the presidency.

While the polls showed a very close race, commentators suggested that Trump’s ability to forge a lead in electoral votes was difficult.  We are all still under a long-standing influence from Saturn square Neptune, with Neptune stationary at the time of the election.  This not only undermines confidence in authority figures, like politicians and police, for example, but it also inhibits our ability to project (Neptune) accurately into the future (Saturn).  And the public appears to have become tired (Neptune) of doing things the same old way (Saturn).

I’m leaving all of my Election posts up so readers can follow my thought processes.  Some things I may have misjudged include the following:

The birth charts themselves:  Trump’s chart promises more possibilities and a better reputation than Hillary’s, who with many squares had to fight harder for her successes in life.  And of course we’re not certain of Hillary’s birth time, which could change many things.  (We also lacked birth times for Mike Pence and Melania.)

Trump’s progressed Moon Out-of-Bounds:  This is a powerful progression, but I limited its interpretation in Trump’s chart in response to Hillary’s inability to gain the presidential nomination in 2008, when she had her own Moon beginning to progress OOB.

The transit of Uranus in Trump’s 9th house exactly trining his Moon less than two weeks after the election should have been emphasized over Saturn – it characterized what many called a stunning victory.  I also may have over-emphasized the negativity of Saturn’s oppositions in December and January.  There is always the question of whether taking on a major position is the result of a flowing or challenging aspect from Saturn, making the outcome difficult to call.  But the next few months will no doubt be tough on Trump.

I’m curious to see what becomes of Tim Kaine.  With his Saturn return in 2017 and Pluto transiting his 10th house Mars in Capricorn, it seemed obvious to me that he would take a big step forward in his career.  The Pluto aspect is exact for the final time in December.  Something about this election has fundamentally changed things for him and they will continue to develop next year.

I may not have followed my own advice to avoid bias and the influence of the polls as much as I should have.  Over the weeks I studied the charts, the evidence seemed to be piling up for Hillary.  But Bill Clinton’s transit Saturn chasing his progressed Moon didn’t promise a big victory.  I thought this reflected a back-seat role in the White House.  But once again we return to the question of whether Saturn brings responsibilities or a lack of opportunity.

I misinterpreted the past Saturn cycle for both of the Clinton’s – when Saturn was in the same place Bill was Governor of Arkansas and declined to run again.  While Hillary had independent appointments at that time, the decision limited both of their movement forward toward their ultimate goals – which parallels 2016.

The delineation of progressions was challenging.  For example, Trump’s progressed Ascendant conjoined the US progressed Midheaven, but it was nearly 2 degrees past.  The US progressed MC also conjoined Trump’s progressed Jupiter, but it, too, was moving away.  And I felt Hillary’s progressed MC trining US progressed Jupiter more significant.  While the outcome may support my use of a Gemini rising chart for the US, we can never rely on public birth times to be exact.

Hillary Clinton had a new Solar Return two weeks before the election, and I overlooked it – considering her Solar for the campaign year instead.  The correct Solar Return is not great. hillary-solar-return-10-26-16

In writing posts every week or so, I also addressed the charts of the candidates in more of a linear fashion than I usually do, which perhaps also detracted from my judgment.

In the final analysis, we need to remember that astrology is not an exact science.  I feel that after forecasting six presidential elections correctly (two for Clinton, two for Bush, two for Obama), I may have become overconfident.  Still, 6 out of 7 correct is pretty good – over 85%  –  and many astrologers have the same record of accuracy.

Election 2016: Final Thoughts

The Presidential Election is upon us and most astrologers agree that Hillary Clinton will win.  I’ve presented a number of astrological techniques that support the same outcome, but there are many ways to look at the election astrologically.

I considered the Moon’s progressed declination, but not the other planets, which are slow-moving and can be very powerful.  I haven’t looked at eclipses, which are basic to astrological forecasting.  Consideration of candidates’ announcements, ingress, polls opening and inauguration and charts are also often used.  And I’ve seen terrific use of the asteroids as well.

The campaign was strongly colored by the Saturn-Neptune square, which was exact for the final time in September of 2016.  Both of the candidates are flawed (Neptune) authority figures (Saturn), with many voters unable to fully commit to either.  Some of the obvious Saturn-Neptune ideas discussed include a literal “wall” to block Neptunian illegal immigrants, and carelessness (Neptune) with classified (Saturn) e-mails.

Hillary Clinton’s horoscope is heavily Scorpio and fixed signs, while Donald Trump’s is strongly Gemini and more mutable – the two couldn’t be more different astrologically.  What they have in common is Saturn, the planet of authority and position, in signs of its detriment (opposite its ruling signs).  Donald has Saturn in Cancer and a background in real estate and property management.  Hillary, with Saturn in Leo, is more of a career public figure.  They also both share Mars and Pluto in Leo – showing why Donald might admire her energy and stick-to-it-iveness and she his children, both Leo-ruled.  While hugely successful, the two have struggled for the ultimate high-status position, excellent examples of how planets in their debility can push people to achieve.  But it’s also taken time and effort for both to get where they are today.  (Barack Obama, for example, with Saturn in Capricorn, came to office with relative ease and at a much younger age.)

The two candidates also share an emphasis on the nodes.  Trump was born on the day of a total lunar eclipse (with the Sun conjoining the North Node and the Moon opposite); Clinton has the South Node rising.  These placements may account for some of the drama in this campaign.  Bill Meridian quotes Charles Jayne as writing that, “The birth of rulers near eclipses indicates either the start or end of a dynastic line and often a state.”  Thankfully, we don’t need to worry about that, given the fact that Donald Trump is unlikely to win.

I was curious about presidential eclipses and checked out Frances McEvoy’s comprehensive “A Roll Call of Presidents” in the NCGR Geocosmic Magazine from the fall of 1996.  There has never been a U.S. President born on an eclipse.  A contemporary politician similar to Trump astrologically is Newt Gingrich, who was also born with the Sun in Gemini opposite the Moon in Sagittarius, perhaps one reason why Gingrich recently defended Trump in a live interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly!  (Kelly, funnily enough, has the Sun and Venus in Scorpio like Hillary.)

Scorpio is a common sign in the White House, and there have been five other Scorpio presidents (John Adams, James Polk, James Garfield, Theodore Roosevelt and Warren Harding).  There have only been two previous Gemini presidents, John F. Kennedy and George H.W. Bush, though both were elected in the late 20th century and the Scorpio presidents served earlier.