Monthly Archives: August 2016

Election 2016 – Progressed Declination II

Like Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton’s Moon also progresses Out of Bounds in declination.  The peaks and troughs of her cycle are very telling as well.

Clinton’s most recent peak, from about ages 61 to 64, included her first presidential run and the much of her term as Secretary of State.  These life changing events represent a peak in terms of public exposure and career developments.  In keeping with the nature of the Moon, both her presidential campaign as well as her role as Secretary involved much travel and therefore an unsettled domestic situation.  In addition, while she was focused on public service throughout the Moon’s OOB phase, her goals and position certainly changed during this time.

On the Moon’s previous progression OOB in the north, (at about ages 34 to 37 or 1981 to 1984), Hillary was in the middle of her first term as First Lady of Arkansas and had just given birth to her daughter Chelsea.  Once again, the changeability of the Moon is clear:  her husband lost the Governor’s office for the subsequent term and was re-elected while Hillary’s Moon was still OOB.

The trough in Hillary’s progressed Moon cycle found her in the White House with her National Health Reform program abandoned in 1994 (around age 47).  Her husband was also having an affair with Monica Lewinsky at that time.

As Hillary again runs for President, her progressed Moon is on the downslope (heading south).  This is not as strong a position as Donald Trump – she’s spent much more on advertising than Trump, for example, having to work harder for the publicity that Trump is naturally attracting in his OOB Moon phase.

Election 2016: Progressed Declination

I’ve studied declination quite a bit, and find that it adds an extra dimension to astrology. It can also be used in forecasting, and I particularly like to look at the progressed Moon’s cycle in declination.  This cycle is especially telling when it reaches its peaks and troughs, which are apt to be significant in terms of career, domestic events and public exposure.

See this article for a basic description of the progressed Moon in declination and how it works.

For certain individuals, the Moon may also progress Out of Bounds in declination (OOB or beyond most planets’ usual limits on the ecliptic), at regular intervals.  When the Moon progresses OOB, we can expect an even greater period of change in the home life, career and public exposure.  I’ve come to think of it as a time that maximizes publicity.  In addition, it can also create a turning point in life.  A writer, for example, may secure a reputation with a great review, or a professional might join a prestigious firm when the progressed Moon goes OOB.  This can set the stage for a successful career, and they may be able to coast on that high point for quite a number of years.

Interestingly enough, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have Moons that progress OOB in declination!  Let’s look at the progressed Moon in both of their charts to see how it might influence the Presidential election.

We don’t need astrology to tell us that Donald Trump is getting a tremendous amount of publicity – he’s on the evening news every night.  His Moon progresses OOB in the north from approximately ages 68-70 and he recently turned 70, so he’s just past the maximum in his progressed declination cycle.  Trump is a terrific example of this cycle at work – he’s getting even more than his usual publicity and his career is going in a new direction.  In addition to his presidential hopes, after 15 years with “The Apprentice,” he parted ways with NBC last year (2015).

In looking toward the future, it always pays to look back.  The last time Donald’s progressed Moon reached OOB and maximum north declination was from about ages 41-43 (1987-1989).  At that time he bought the the Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City.  At over $1 billion, after a very public take-over battle with Merv Griffin, the Taj claimed to be the largest casino in the world.  It opened in 1990 but went through a bankruptcy soon after.  The NY Times recently called the casino a “protracted failure,” despite making money for Trump.

It was also in 1988, near the peak of his declination cycle, that Donald Trump first explored the idea of running for president.

But since the Moon by its nature is changeable and the cycle itself represents a period of change, it can also be characterized as an unstable period to a certain extent.  Perhaps there was more drama than substance surrounding Trump’s activities at this time.

So what about the Presidential election?  We can say that the progressed Moon in declination represents a high point in Trump’s career and will continue to give him a great amount of publicity through early 2017.  His natal Sun-Moon opposition (not only a full Moon but a total lunar eclipse at his birth)  also ensures drama and some ups and downs in life, especially since they’re in mutable signs.  But as of this writing his exposure is also shining a light on his lack of experience in the world of national and international politics.  Does publicity + career development = the presidency?

I’ll look at Hillary Clinton’s progressed Moon in declination in the next post.

Election 2016 – Solar Returns

The Presidential election this fall is a major contest and the outcome can be determined astrologically.  To do it, we need to consider a wide variety of techniques.  In this post I’ll look at the Solar Returns for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

The contest has changed recently, since Trump has a new Solar Return that began on his birthday in June.  Trump was in NYC for a campaign rally on June 13, 2016 (the exact time of the return may fall on the day before the calendar birth date), and I’ll assume he was also in NY that morning, when his Sun returned to its natal place.  At this writing, many reporters suggest that he’s become more controversial in recent months.

Trump has won support by being a political outsider, but as the Republican presidential candidate, he has alienated party leaders.  A Latino judge who Trump criticized recently ruled that the fraud suit against Trump University would go to trial.  These events show issues with authority figures, and Trump has Uranus conjunct the Midheaven this year.  It forms a stressful yod with the Sun conjunct Venus in the 11th house and Mars in Scorpio in the 4th, a combative pattern.Trump Solar 2016

The T-square of Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune is very close in Trump’s Solar Return, indicating his controversies involving minorities and immigrants (afflicted Jupiter).

Hillary Clinton is closer to the end of her Solar Return year, which also fell a day before her birthday, when she attended a private event in NYC.  Questions of Clinton’s trustworthiness continue to dog her, her e-mail scandal seems to have a life of its own, and she has flip-flopped on a number of issues.  Her Solar features Neptune conjunct the Midheaven, showing a questionable reputation.  While Neptune squares Saturn in the Return, it also has some excellent aspects, forming a grand trine with the Cancer Ascendant and the Sun in Scorpio in the 5th house.  Neptune also sextiles Pluto in her 7th, which might ease the public’s skepticism of her somewhat.Clinton Solar 2015

Hillary’s 10th house of status and position ends up being more favorable than Donald’s.

The Ascendant is a significant point as well, representing the candidate.  Trump has the Moon in the 3rd closely sextiling his Solar Ascendant in Leo (the same sign rising in his birth chart).  Hillary also has favorable quintile aspects between the Ascendant and the benefics Venus and Jupiter in her 4th house, in addition to the grand trine involving her Solar Ascendant.  While the Ascendant is also inconjunct Saturn, highlighting her emotional reserve and keeping many from warming up to her, the flowing aspects add more weight.  Hillary’s Ascendant also ends up being more favorable than Trump’s.

Angularity adds power to planets and both candidates have angular planets in their Solar Returns:  Trump has Uranus conjoining the Midheaven and Mars in the 4th house; Clinton has Venus, Mars and Jupiter conjunct in her Solar 4th house, Neptune on the Midheaven and Pluto in the 7th.  Hillary’s Solar Return is more powerful with more angular planets.

I always like to consider essential dignity as well.  In his Return, Trump has Mercury in Gemini and Mars in Scorpio, strong in their ruling signs, but Mercury opposes Mars and Mars is also the focal point of the yod.  While Clinton has Venus in its fall in Virgo, it forms a mutual reception with Mercury in Libra (each other’s ruling signs), and disposes of the rest of the planets.  Mercury, though, is part of a T-square with the Moon, Uranus and Pluto.  Neither candidate appears much stronger through essential dignity.

But Hillary Clinton’s Solar Return ends up being more favorable overall, with a better aspected Midheaven and Ascendant and more angular planets.  There’s much more we could say about the Solar Returns, and this is only one part of the analysis we need to do to forecast the outcome of the election.

Note:  I use relocated SR charts in the Tropical zodiac and do not correct for precession.