Category Archives: cycles

Election 2016: Transits

While transits give us much information, it can be challenging to forecast outcomes with them. But with transits, timing is everything. Do Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s transits give us insight into the presidential election?

Donald Trump has transiting Jupiter in his 2nd house over 2-1/2 degrees past a sextile to Pluto on Election Day, November 8, 2016. While nice, it has already passed its peak, and Jupiter transits don’t last that long.

Uranus conjunct his 9^th house of wide reception will be only 22’ from a trine to his Moon in the 4^th, which is another matter. Uranus stations in late December and will trine his Moon again on February 6, framing the Election and Inauguration dates. But while Uranus is really shaking up his Moon with new experiences, the 4^th house more particularly relates to his home and family, not a position.

Saturn transits Donald’s 4^th house and sextiles Jupiter in late November, a stabilizing aspect. Once again, though, it’s over 2 degrees away on Election Day – this time a little too late. Saturn’s more significant aspects, opposite Uranus, conjunct the Moon and opposite the Sun, are in December and January, when the election is past. Opposition aspects are, to me, more separative than anything else. He’s entering a new phase of life, but it probably won’t be exactly as he had hoped.

In late January and February 2017, Uranus trines Donald’s Moon, Jupiter trines his Sun and Saturn trines his Mars. If these were all operating on Election Day, it’d be terrific. But they’re not. However some significant opportunities should turn up for Donald Trump by February.

Hillary Clinton has transiting Jupiter in her 11^th house, approaching a sextile to Mars in the 9^th, peaking just a week after the election. This is better timing and nice for popularity and getting out the vote. But a more significant transit is Saturn in her 1^st house trine Pluto in the 9^th (exact 11/5), a powerhouse combination, especially since these planets are conjunct in her birth chart. Her hard work should reap larger rewards and her past experiences help her leverage the vote.

Transiting Uranus in the 5^th will also approach (by only ¼ degree) a trine to Hillary’s Saturn in the 9^th house. Uranus and the 5^th show a gamble that can pay off in a big way, and it’s certainly a lucky transit as well as one of release. I do feel that Hillary’s transits are stronger on Election Day and that she’ll be the winner, especially in light of all of the other astrological techniques pointing in the same direction.

When transiting Jupiter conjoined Donald Trump’s natal Neptune in the 2^nd, his “boys’ talk” video was revealed. Jupiter to Neptune can expand publicity, but there’s no telling how. Since Hillary and Donald are close to the same age, she also has Jupiter conjoining her Neptune – exact on November 1^st – a week before Election Day. This seems to correlate with the FBI’s revisiting the e-mail issue. But it’s also at the same time that Hillary continues her popularity and gains help from key Democrats. In her 11^th house of the “Good Daemon,” Jupiter should work in her favor.

Election 2016: Spouses II

Last time I analyzed Melania Trump’s chances of becoming First Lady in November and January. Let’s see what Bill Clinton’s astrological situation is. We have a consistent birth time for Clinton that was used by astrologers throughout his presidential term.

His progressed Sun in Scorpio is only a little over a degree from trining his Midheaven, lighting up his career sector. His progressed Venus in Sagittarius is less than half a degree past trining natal Saturn in the 10^th, reiterating the themes of status and position. It’s also is less than a degree from conjoining his progressed Ascendant, echoing his natal characteristics (with Venus in Libra in the first) and showcasing his genial personality and the importance of relationships in his life. The progressed Ascendant approaches a sextile to the natal Ascendant.

Bill’s progressed Moon is also in Sagittarius and close to conjoining his South Node on Election Day. It will also quincunx his natal Moon and oppose natal Uranus in early 2017. These aspects are not great, but they do seem to suggest a change. And for a Leo who’s been president, the Moon conjoining the South Node appears appropriate for taking a back seat and emphasizing altruism and supportive activities.

With transiting Saturn at the same place in 1987, Clinton, as Governor of Arkansas and Chair of the National Governor’s Association, announced that he would not be running for president that year. Saturn was (and is) moving downwards in his chart, what Grant Lewi called an “obscure period,” that once again I believe would be in keeping with a secondary role at the White House.

Most significant, however, is the fact that Bill Clinton is in the midst of his progressed Moon conjoining transiting Saturn – known as “Saturn chasing the Moon.” Because the progressed Moon and transit cycles of Saturn are so close, the conjunction began for him around 2009 and will last through at least 2019. This can represent an extended period of hard work, obligations, few rewards, frustration and even hardship and depressed feelings. For Bill, it’s coincided with milestones involving the women in his life – Hillary’s appointment as Secretary of State and her bid for the White House, and Chelsea’s marriage and the birth of her kids. Yet it also included the attacks on the Benghazi Consulate, and Hillary’s concussion. His own significant life events during this time have been work with the Clinton Foundation; an appointment as UN Special Envoy to Haiti and criticism of his role; a heart incident, stent surgery and switching to a vegan diet; publication of a book on the economy called Back to Work; receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama and public reminders of his past infidelities.

This pattern is difficult to evaluate as it’s inconsistent in length but often lasts a long time. I suspect it’s easier to address at a mature age, when we have more experience of life, though Bill Clinton has obviously not enjoyed the same prominence during this cycle as in his years as Governor and President. But his natal Moon, exalted in Taurus, and Saturn in his 10^th house, are both very strong, which are a plus. Though the reality of returning to the White House as the spouse of the president will probably be quite different than he once imagined.

Transiting Saturn will sextile Bill’s Jupiter in January and trine his Sun in February, perhaps easing up some of the negatives. It’s interesting that Tim Kaine has a significant Saturn cycle as well. These are all in keeping with taking on responsibilities. I do once again feel that Bill Clinton’s forecast is more in keeping with beginning a new position than Melania’s.

Election 2016: Spouses

An additional way to consider the outcome of the election is to take a look at the horoscopes of the candidates’ spouses, who will certainly have important life changes if a partner is elected president. What do the charts of Melania Trump and Bill Clinton tell us?

Unfortunately, we don’t have a birth time for Melania Trump, born on April 26, 1970 in Sevnica, Slovenia. She is a very grounded person, with the Sun in Taurus, Moon in Capricorn, and a total of six planets in earth signs.

Melania’s progressed Venus is less than a degree from sextiling natal Pluto, an aspect that should help her address the public while still maintaining some privacy. Progressed Mercury is less than half a degree from conjoining natal Venus, which helps her dialogue with the public in a nice way. Progressed Mars is about half a degree past sextiling her Sun, showing increased activity, ambitions and status. The progressed Moon is in Virgo, forming a grand trine with her Moon, Sun and other Taurus planets, but without a birth time we don’t know how close any of these aspects may be.

I find that transits are almost always active at times of significant life developments. Transiting Jupiter conjoined Melania’s Uranus exactly on 10/5/16, a few days before her husband’s “locker room talk” audio was revealed. But Jupiter moves quickly, and by Election Day it will be out of orb of Uranus – the excitement it generates having worn off.

Transiting Neptune exactly conjoins Melania Trump’s North Node in January, the time of the Inauguration, and will sextile natal Saturn in February. These seem like wonderful aspects for her image and personal satisfaction, but are not really in keeping with taking on a major public role.

Transiting Saturn on Election Day will be at the same place as the fall of 1987 when Melania was first accepted at a fashion course for models. She was only 17 at the time and pursuing a goal, but didn’t come before the outside world in a position at that time.

While Melania Trump has many nice aspects, they don’t seem powerful enough to add up to becoming First Lady. Next time I’ll look at Bill Clinton’s forecast astrologically.

Election 2016: Vice Presidents

One of the Vice Presidential candidates will have a major life change as a result of the November 8, 2016 Presidential election. Which of their birth charts indicates who will more likely be in office next year?

Indiana Governor Mike Pence was born on June 7, 1959 in Columbus, Indiana. We are limited in that no birth time is available for him. Like his running mate Donald Trump, he has the Sun and Mercury in Gemini and Mars in Leo.

Pence’s Sun and Mercury have progressed into attention-loving Leo, with both conjoining his natal Uranus. This shows his sudden elevation to candidacy and a national platform. Progressed Venus in Virgo is beginning to leave a square to his Sun (nearly a degree past).

Mike also has some very good transits on Election Day. Transiting Uranus will nearly exactly sextile natal Mercury, echoing the progressed aspects. This could indicate a new administrative position. Transiting Jupiter conjoins his North Node and will soon trine his Sun. However transiting Saturn will oppose his Sun exactly just a little over a week after the election. This is not great for career. While Jupiter facilitates the Sun’s development this fall, Saturn limits it. To my mind, Saturn is stronger as it’s slower-moving.

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine was born on February 26, 1958 at 7:59 AM, in St. Paul, Minnesota according to his birth certificate and Astrodatabank. His Sun and Mercury in Pisces are the same sign as Hillary Clinton’s Moon.

Kaine’s secondary progressed Sun in Taurus is less than 2 degrees from sextiling his natal Sun, but is over 2 degrees from sextiling natal Mercury in Pisces. This sets up a midpoint situation with the sextile (very similar to Pence’s progressed Sun and Mercury to natal Uranus). Kaine’s progressed Mars is less than a degree and a half from opposing natal Pluto.

Tim’s progressed Midheaven at 0 Pisces 24 is just a hair over one degree of trining natal Jupiter – showing success with the public since Jupiter is in his 7^th house. His progressed Ascendant at 28 Gemini 16 is past opposing his natal Saturn and approaches a trine to natal Jupiter and a sextile to Pluto (close to trining the PMC as well). The early (PMC) and late (P Asc) degrees are sign-changers, in keeping with important life developments.

Without Pence’s birth time, however, we can’t compare progressions of the Midheaven and Ascendant. The remaining progressed aspects are certainly no better or worse for either candidate.

Tim Kaine’s transits, though, are quite striking. He has Mars exalted in the sign of Capricorn in his 10^th house of career in his birth chart, one of his most elevated planets. Mars also rules his Aries Ascendant. This gives him a steady drive towards status and recognition throughout his life. Capricorn relates to time and is appropriate for reaching a high office at a mature age. While natal Mars doesn’t have close major aspects, it has flowing quintiles to Kaine’s Neptune in the 7^th house of the public.

Transiting Pluto has been conjoining Tim Kaine’s Mars throughout 2016 and will be within a degree of Mars on Election Day (similar to the energies of Progressed Mars opposing natal Pluto). This shows a slow and steady transformation in his career. He is leaving his past behind somehow and moving into new territory.

Perhaps even more importantly, Tim Kaine will experience his second Saturn return in January 2017, when he would take office. The Saturn return often represents the next step in career development, building on past experience, or moving into a new phase of life. All would be appropriate for the Vice Presidential office.

These quick assessments confirm that Clinton and Kaine will win the election. But since Saturn figures strongly in both candidate’s transits, let’s look back and see what they were doing in 1987 – when Saturn was also at 15 Sagittarius, as it will be at the time of the election.

Mike Pence graduated from law school in 1986 and went into private practice. In late 1987, he decided to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and won the Republication Nomination the following year (his father had died shortly before that). Pence lost the subsequent election against his Democratic competitor. He was very young and inexperienced in politics, but the repeat of Saturn’s cycle suggests that his Vice Presidential candidacy in 2016 may be premature.

Tim Kaine was a young civil rights lawyer in 1987. He represented a convicted murderer on death row who was brain damaged and borderline retarded, and attempted to keep him from the electric chair. The man was executed on July 12, 1987. However that year Kaine also became a director of a law firm and began teaching legal ethics part-time at the University of Richmond.

We can see that he began new positions, as his running mate Hillary Clinton did at her previous Saturn cycle as well. The Saturn cycle confirms once again that the Democrats will win the 2016 election.

Election 2016: Saturn Transits

Saturn is such a reliable indicator of career developments that we should consider it as an important part of assessing the presidential race. Saturn’s cycle of approximately 28-29 years also correlates nicely with our lifespan. Looking back to previous cycles can be very helpful in forecasting.

This technique worked extremely well with Bernie Sanders and the Democratic nomination, since he had actually run for office in both of his previous cycles and lost.

On Election Day, November 8, 2016, Saturn will be at about 15 Sagittarius. It stationed at that point from July to September of 1987. What was happening for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton at that point in time?

Trump, already a billionaire at age 41, had paid for a full-page New York Times ad (costing nearly $100,000) in August, critiquing U.S. foreign policy (Ronald Reagan was then in office). This was followed by a Newsweek cover story on September 28, 1987, where he stated, “I’m not running for president… but if I did… I’d win.”

At that time, Trump had numerous conflicts with NYC Mayor Ed Koch, reminiscent of his difficulties with some Republican authority figures today.

In October of 1987, Donald attracted a large audience at a Rotary Club meeting in Hampton, New Hampshire. His speech was recently characterized by Politico.com as his “First Campaign Speech.” It was isolationist in tone, and he received an extremely enthusiastic response.

It’s fascinating that he’s doing very much the same thing on a much larger scale in 2016. Yet he hadn’t run for office and wasn’t appointed to any office.

In 1987, Hillary Clinton had recently helped her husband to win another term as Governor of Arkansas. In September, he announced that he wouldn’t be running for president in the coming election.

That year, Hillary was elected Chair of the Children’s Defense Fund and New World Foundation. She and Bill Clinton received the National Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews. In addition, she became Chair of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women. (Unfortunately, the sources don’t report exactly when these events occurred.)

However, Hillary was involved with her husband’s career in 1987 and he continues to be involved with hers. She was in public life and won notable elections or appointments at her previous Saturn cycle. Is this enough of a parallel to the presidential election today? I think so. The cycle suggests she’ll win again when Saturn returns to the same place in November.

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.

Is Personality Stable?

It depends. As astrologers, we know that some people, with a mutable emphasis in their birth charts, have more changeable personalities, while others (say, with a significant Uranus or Pluto in their horoscopes) have charts that suggest dramatic change over the course of their lives. Still, psychologists have been arguing about the question for decades.

In the 1960s, the world of psychology accepted the fact that personality was stable – that we can be categorized as certain types of people and will consistently behave in particular ways. Yet when Walter Mischel, PhD began his professional career, he reviewed the literature and saw that none of the studies he consulted supported that conclusion. Instead, in his 1968 book, Personality and Assessment, he revealed that personality is not stable over time. Consistency was an illusion. Despite the research behind the book, it was controversial. People just didn’t want to accept that personality was unstable. On a gut level, we want to believe that we know who people are and can predict their behavior.

What Mischel also found, and others have supported, is that the different situations that we find ourselves in can very much change behavior. One may have one type of personality at work and another at home. And certainly, people change over time. An alcoholic can recover, a criminal may rehabilitate himself, a 30-year marriage can dissolve when the parties develop differing goals.

With astrology, we see why all of these variables are possible. The birth chart is stable – we live with that pattern throughout our lives. But we also experience different cycles and phases as we move through the years and decades. Progressions will change our personal emphasis in life, and transits will alter what the world is showing us. So in some sense, we are both consistent and changeable. And astrologers also have the extraordinary ability to forecast these trends.

Bernie Sanders and Saturn

Bernie Sanders is on his second run for President. The Brooklyn Public Library discovered high school newspapers documenting his bid for president of his student government organization in 1958. That’s 58 years ago and two Saturn cycles, making Sanders’ activities a fascinating example of Saturn’s repeating transits through the natal chart.

Saturn’s influence often relates to our goals and plans for the future. Change usually accompanies its aspects, as we make adjustments to our situation, let go of obligations and take on new responsibilities. We can characterize Saturn’s transit through the various houses and its aspects to natal planets. As we get older, we may look back on previous Saturn transits to get a general idea of what to expect when these aspects repeat. Although we’re usually not experiencing the same thing, sometimes very similar issues come up. For example, Billy Joel’s second daughter was born in 2015, 30 years after her sister’s birth.

Evangeline Adams appeared to consider Saturn’s influence in considering the outcomes of political elections, since Saturn also relates to career and status.

Transiting Saturn was in late Sagittarius when Bernie Sanders was nominated for Student President in December of 1958. By March of 1959, with Saturn in early Capricorn, he had lost the election, yet continued his philanthropic activities at his school in Midwood, Brooklyn.

Sanders was Mayor of Burlington, Vermont when Saturn was again in late Sagittarius to early Capricorn in 1988. He first ran for Congress that year, but once again lost under the same influence of Saturn. (He won the Congressional seat a few years later.)

Sanders’ campaign for U.S. president began in May of 2015 with Saturn in early Sagittarius. He laid off staffers in April of 2016 as Saturn stationed in square to his Virgo Sun. Yet he’s continued his efforts with great success. Saturn will not be far from squaring his Sun at the Democratic convention in July, and will exactly square his Sun again for the election in November 2016, closely timing expected events and suggesting some important developments.

Saturn does not seem to be helpful for Sanders’ election to the Presidency in November, but we should never base forecasts on one astrological element alone.

He won’t see the late Sagittarius transits that exactly coincide with his two previous election bids until 2017. If he follows the same pattern, he’ll continue with his work no matter what the election results are. Yet both Saturn and his increased national profile suggest that he’s entering a new phase.

Bernie Sanders was born on September 8, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York.

The Retrograde Diaries – Episode 17

Mercury stationed and went retrograde this week, and I’ve already experienced the typical mix-ups, mishaps and confusion it so often brings. Minor annoyances, yes, but they do add up.

I was first in line at the greengrocer, but my cashier turned to help out her colleague. After five minutes, a third line opened up, so I switched. As I walked across the floor, another woman purposely ran in front of me to get to the register first! When she did, she gave me a wide grin, very pleased with her success. Mercury retrograde’s sense of displacement seemed to work better for her than for me.

I wanted to copy a few pages from a library book when I returned it. However the machine was turned off and no librarian was at the desk. I spent several minutes and finally found the button to turn it on, then waited at least five minutes for it to warm up. I wasn’t sure it was working – why was it turned off? I was impatient to leave and didn’t want to wade through the many instructions necessary to make a simple copy. Remember when it was simple? But Mercury retrograde can make things appear more complicated.

A bird pooped on my jacket and I didn’t notice it until I got home and it was dry. I did get it off. But Mercury retrograde may also relate to hitting an unintended target since accuracy is a Mercurial trait.

I sat on my glasses and went to the optician for a repair. I ended up going back a second and even a third time. Each time a different technician was there, though no one seemed to have the skills to do this task properly. Repair should be an appropriate Mercury retrograde “re” word, but this shop is under new management and does not appear to do a good job. Or is it just Mercury retrograde?

I needed to send an item by Federal Express and called to be sure I had the proper instructions. The representative was so generic in his response, I thought he was a machine! I embarrassed myself by telling it that I wanted a real person. He assured me he was human, but his response was still so glib and general, I wasn’t convinced I had the correct information and needed to call again.

We’re only in the first week of the retrograde – I’m sure there’s more to come!

Karen Christino

Astrologer and Writer