Category Archives: forecasting

Kevin McCarthy’s Ouster

Speaker Kevin McCarthy is in the news with his ouster from the House on October 3, 2023 after only 9 months in office.  It reminded me of a class with Bob Zoller nearly 30 years ago.  He was stressing that nothing will manifest that’s not promised in the birth chart.  We all accept that, but he had a more deterministic view.  Certainly, I argued, sometimes things work out better than astrologers might expect.  He agreed, but went on to say that if that’s the case, the success will be either partial or short-lived. 

We often find Saturn in the 10th house in people with visible positions of authority.  But sometimes, depending on the essential dignity and aspects, they’ll face challenges or experience a loss of position for one reason or another.  Think about Herbert Hoover, who had an illustrious career but only served one term as President due to the Great Depression.  He had Saturn in Aquarius in the 10th opposite his Moon, Mars and Uranus.  Woodrow Wilson had Saturn in Cancer conjunct the MC and opposite his Sun, and had to address World War I and a severe stroke that left him disabled.  He never realized his hope for a League of Nations.

Saturn in McCarthy’s chart is different in that it’s closely square the Moon in Sagittarius conjunct the 7th house cusp.  There’s no dignity for Saturn in Pisces or the Moon in Sagittarius, and the mutable signs are not as forceful as the fixed (Hoover) or as tenacious as cardinal (Wilson).  But like the others, he is in a sense the victim of circumstances.  He’d do better if he had a solid majority to back him.  But his horoscope doesn’t suggest that.

The Moon may represent his constituents, the public, his general audience or his open enemies.  Ruled by Jupiter in Taurus in the 12th which squares his MC, his partnerships and position (since Saturn is also ruled by Jupiter) are somewhat at the mercy of others, and might be undermined by hidden enemies (the 12th) who are more determined than he is (Taurus).  And with his angular Moon so closely square Saturn, the timing has not been right.

McCarthy’s horoscope has some good aspects but no essential dignity.  So despite being a member of Congress for over 16 years, as Zoller said, his greatest success was both contentious and short-lived… so far.   I don’t think we’ve heard the last of him.

British journalist Martin Bashir, who controversially interviewed Princess Diana, has some similarities in his chart with Saturn in the 10th square his Moon, though his Saturn in Aquarius is stronger and the Moon is weaker.

The Judge and the Abortion Pill

Eclipses may cause upheavals when they occur, and their patterns highlight trends and events to come.  The April 2023 Court decisions on the abortion drug mifepristone are part of a larger pattern involving eclipses, the Biden administration, Joe Biden himself, the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at 0 Aquarius and now Pluto’s change of sign from Capricorn to Aquarius as well.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk was confirmed by President Trump in 2019.  Lawsuits filed by conservative groups in his Amarillo, Texas jurisdiction have been assured of the outcome, and the judge has already made decisions on immigration and LGBTQ workers.  His April 7, 2023 decision on mifepristone would amount to a nationwide ban on the drug, which was approved by the FDA and in use for over 20 years.

The original Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision guaranteeing the right to abortion was decided on January 22, 1973, four days after a Lunar Eclipse at 28 Cancer 40.  When the Court struck this ruling on June 24, 2022, transiting Pluto was at 28 Capricorn, closely opposing the eclipse degree.

The Kacsmaryk decision shortly after a full Moon was quickly brought to the Supreme Court, who froze the ruling on April 21, 2023 on the heels of a Solar Eclipse at 29 Aries, until the court appeals play out.

Let’s remember that the 2021 Biden inauguration Moon is also at 29 Aries.  Placed in the 12th house, it suggests the private nature of the matter addressed and the crusading energy placed in this question by many.  29 degrees certainly shows change, especially as the Moon in the inauguration horoscope conjoins Mars and squares Pluto and the Sun at the Midheaven.  President Biden is fighting Judge Kacsmaryk’s ruling, and his own Moon is about 1 Taurus, closely conjunct the administration’s Moon.  The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at 0 Aquarius in December of 2020 set the stage, making these developments part of a larger cyclic trend.  And the transiting North Node will also be at 29 Aries in July of 2023, further emphasizing this point.

We can clearly see the many astrological layers at work:  Roe v. Wade decision on a Lunar Eclipse at about 29 Cancer, and the Supreme Court strikes Roe v. Wade with transiting Pluto at 28 Capricorn.  Court’s hold on Kacsmaryk’s decision on a Solar Eclipse at 29 Aries.  Pluto is at 0 Aquarius to 28 Capricorn from January 2023 through February 2024 and will activate these points, showing not only how things are slowly changing, but also the strong personal feelings involved on both sides of the question.

We don’t have a birth date for Judge Kacsmaryk.  However Wikipedia says that he was born in 1977 – the year of a Solar Eclipse at 28 Aries!  Now we know exactly why this particular judge is involved.

We may not be able to predict the final outcome of the court decisions.  But with Pluto at 29 Capricorn 47 for the November 2024 election, this issue will surely continue to motivate voters.

What Evangeline Adams Knew Review

I was very pleased to read Sara Rose Diamond‘s review of my update of What Evangeline Adams Knew: a Book of Astrological Charts and Techniques:
Christino has done the world of astrology a major service by compiling, and presenting in such a lively way, a lot of valuable information that would otherwise fall by the wayside… vital scholarship for the safeguarding of astrological history.

Brooklyn Author Betty Smith

Betty Smith, the well-known author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, had an early play produced in New York City this season.  I was surprised to learn that she had actually been a playwright for most of her career, and had no real success until her novel was published when she was 47 years old.

A Sagittarius, Smith was born on December 15, 1896 at 6:00 p.m. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, according to her biographer (though no source is given for the time).  She had many trines in her birth chart, but her life often wasn’t easy.  With Cancer rising, her Moon in Taurus in the 11th house is exalted, suggesting popularity and a good income from her career.  A grand trine with Jupiter in Virgo in the 3rd house and Mercury in Capricorn in the 6th house shows her facility for writing.  With Cancer rising and a prominent Moon, her best work drew on her memories.

Betty’s mother was practical and down-to-earth (shown by the Moon in Taurus and 10th ruler Jupiter in Virgo).  But her father, well described by the Sun in Sagittarius opposite Mars and Neptune in the 12th house, was a dreamer who couldn’t support his family and died of alcoholism when his daughter was just 19.  The Moon also squares Venus on the cusp of the 8th house, showing other family issues and their modest circumstances.

Betty was forced to work at around age 15, and she worked diligently for most of her life, often struggling to get by.  She returned to school twice but never completed her high school degree.  And while she later attended college and then completed a master’s program in playwriting at Yale University, she never received those degrees because she lacked the prerequisites.

There are no angular planets in this chart, and aside from the Moon, there’s a lack of essential dignity.  The 7th, 8th and 9th houses are all traditionally ruled by Saturn, but its near-exact conjunction with Uranus, the modern ruler of Aquarius, covers these houses either way.  Placed in Scorpio in Smith’s 5th house, we can see her relentless pursuit of education and creative work, and her focus on her two daughters throughout her life.  But there was often an element of both responsibility and unexpected change in each of these areas.  Saturn may delay things, but with a close trine to the Midheaven, the author always found opportunities and had great success after middle age.

Smith’s sometimes rocky marriages also come under the rulership of Saturn and Uranus.  After splitting with her first husband following his infidelity and some separations, she essentially raised her girls alone.  She became bored with her younger second husband when their relationship stabilized, and her third husband, also younger and reflecting the Neptunian pattern in her chart, was a drinker who secretly cashed large checks and pawned household items before he died of a sudden heart attack when his wife was 63.

Smith worked in North Carolina for the depression-era Federal Theater Project and stayed there the rest of her life.  She wrote many plays, mostly with others, and earned some money through publication.  She drew on her personal experience for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and writing about urban poverty from a female point of view was innovative at the time.  The novel also resonated with many during the war years, as it reflected a simpler time and depicted women struggling to hold their families together and survive.

Many astrological events combined at the book’s publication on August 18, 1943 which radically changed Betty’s life as it quickly became a best-seller.  Smith neared a progressed Solar Eclipse in her 8th house (she had been in debt before immediately receiving a large royalty check).  Her progressed Midheaven at 13 Taurus in her 11th house of career earnings trined her 3rd house Jupiter and sextiled her Ascendant.  The progressed Ascendant at 21 Leo trined and sextiled her Sun-Mars-Neptune oppositions from her 2nd house of money.  The progressed Moon and Mercury in Capricorn through her 7th house kept her focused on her goals and added the help of her publisher and the public as both planets sextiled her MC and natal Saturn-Uranus conjunction. And transiting Pluto also squared her ruler, the Moon, from the 2nd house.

Smith continued writing; her fourth novel Joy in the Morning (1953) took a nostalgic look at her first marriage and was also a best-seller.  In early 2023, when her early play was first produced in New York, transiting Uranus in Taurus was near the progressed MC of her break-out novel, and squared her Nodes from the 11th house.

Like her mother, Betty Smith tragically suffered from dementia as she aged, and she began having trouble with words.  Jupiter in the 3rd house square Pluto in Gemini in her 12th contributed to her writing abilities, but ironically also suggests the possibility of mental challenges.  In her early 70s, Betty began forgetting names and her daughters eventually institutionalized her.  She died less than a year later at 75.

Perhaps due to her strong Moon in Taurus and its grand trine with Midheaven ruler Jupiter and IC ruler Mercury, we still share in Betty Smith’s memories of her family and the old neighborhood from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  No wonder, since the image of a tree growing in a harsh environment is so aptly symbolized by her Moon-Jupiter-Mercury grand trine in earth signs.

More on Betty Smith on Wikipedia.

About the 2023 NYC production of her early play.

Valerie Raleigh Yow’s biography of Smith.

Presidential Cycles

In my book, Tecumseh’s Curse, I studied the cyclic patterns in Inauguration charts.  Since all three previous Sun-Saturn administrations “were limited in time and by circumstances,” I still think Joe Biden will be a one-term president.

Previous Sun-Saturn presidencies faced contentious issues.  Examples are Zachary Taylor (1849), Rutherford B. Hayes (1877) and JFK (1961).  In each, the country was divided as we addressed major conflicts regarding race, so I felt that “racial justice will once again feature during the 2021 administration,” which has proven to be true.

I expected previous Sun-Uranus and Sun-Pluto administrations to show similarities to 2021 as well.  These cyclic patterns indicated that “financial affairs were often highlighted, with important changes in policies and trends,” the “political parties themselves underwent change,” and “the country’s territory, alliances and antagonisms came to the forefront.”  We can already see how these influences have played out in the first half of the Biden administration with inflation, recession and rising interest rates; the changes in both parties notable in Congress; and developments involving relationships with China and Russia in particular.

I believe that planetary cycles are an extremely important forecasting tool.  They reveal the patterns of history, and how certain themes are reiterated with each new generation.  Since Joe Biden, inaugurated with the Sun conjunct Saturn, is presumed to be running for president again in 2024, I’m not sure exactly how things will play out, but time and further astrological study will tell.

Read more about my book Tecumseh’s Curse:  Indigenous Wisdom, Astrology and the Deaths of U.S. Presidents.

Update: What Evangeline Adams Knew

I’m very pleased to announce my update of What Evangeline Adams Knew:  A Book of Astrological Charts and Techniques – now available in digital and print.  Originally published 19 years ago (a nodal return), the book was ready for a renovation.

I corrected some errors (including a few birth times) and made it a little easier to read.  It’s essentially the same book with a few additions.  Evangeline’s teacher Catherine Thompson’s chart for her second wedding shows why it was problematic.  Edgar Cayce biographer Thomas Sugrue’s account of his reading with Adams gives us another example of how she worked.  And a short excerpt on astrological investing from Sepharial’s The Law of Values clues us in on the state of financial astrology in the early 20th century.

What Evangeline Adams Knew introduces us to Adams through the charts and work of several of her teachers.  We get to know her through her relationships with Aleister Crowley, her marketer husband and many of her friends and associates.  I include the transcript from her 1916 trial for fortune telling in New York City, and analyze many of her forecasts for individuals, public figures (including politicians running for office) and mundane affairs.

Read the reviews and more about the book here.

If interested, be sure to buy the 2023 corrected and updated edition with the new cover above.  What Evangeline Adams Knew is available on Amazon.com, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, Hoopla and other outlets.

About my reviews and links.

A T-Square and a Tough Time

I was remembering the therapist who’d helped me out of a funk over 20 years ago. Over the better part of a year, I learned she was a wise woman with a strong character. I only recently found that she’d been called to testify to the House Un-American Activities Committee! A surprise, though it made sense since this difficult experience certainly made her more grounded and strengthened her ideals.

I met Eleanor through a blind referral from my HMO. Saturn was on my Ascendant and many things seemed difficult. But I felt comfortable with her right away. She spoke softly, was a good listener, and always gave me some sound advice to consider or a practical, constructive action to take. I talked about being an astrologer and she shared that she was a Taurus. She was always sensible, reliable and supportive. It seemed inappropriate to ask more since she always kept a professional distance.

(Photo is of Eleanor and her lawyer at the McCarthy hearings.)

I did think that she had some Aries, since she had occasionally become impatient with me when I wasn’t seeing the bigger picture. She once referred to the years of World War II, so I knew she was older than she appeared. And I also thought she had some mutable placements, as she encouraged me to be assertive but also understood when to let go and adapt.

When I recently looked her up online, I found Eleanor’s birth date and discovered that her Sun, Venus and South Node all conjoined my Ascendant, creating a resonance between us and explaining why I had found her at this time, as we shared the Saturn transit. Her Jupiter trined my Mercury, so she calmed my fears. Her Saturn trined my Moon and she helped me stabilize my emotions and resolve my issues. She also had a Libra Moon like both of my parents, and her Jupiter and Saturn in Virgo seemed to increase her helpfulness and practicality.

The only other thing that turned up online was a photo of her with her attorney as she was being interrogated by Senator Joseph McCarthy and attorney Roy Cohn as a young woman in 1953. Her life had an element of destiny to it. I had been in the right place at the right time to benefit from her experience, and she had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and was forced through a frightening and potentially life-altering situation.

Eleanor had gotten a job right after college with the Army Signal Corps labs in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, where her older sister also worked during World War II. Eleanor subsequently returned to school for her MSW, got married and worked at various counseling jobs.

A decade later, during the Red Scare, Eleanor and her sister were called in to testify and asked for the names and addresses of their co-workers, friends and associates. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg had been executed only a few months before. Rosenberg had also worked at Fort Monmouth, and Eleanor’s sister had dated a close associate of his who had fled the country several years earlier.

Cohn and McCarthy were relentless in their questioning of Eleanor, her sister and their husbands (who knew nothing first-hand of the events or relationships). Eleanor answered that she’d never been a spy or involved with espionage, but pled the Fifth Amendment many times so as not to incriminate herself. Eleanor and her family were variously threatened with contempt, perjury and further legal action.

Despite being a minor witness, Eleanor’s photograph was taken by an AP reporter and reprinted in Life magazine and newspapers across the country. I’m speculatively placing Neptune on her Midheaven for the press’ misinterpretation of her role and her career as a counselor. Scorpio rising would highlight her personal reserve, and places her Taurus planets in the 7th house of relationships. Her Libra Moon would then fall in the 12th, giving her empathy and the ability to work for large institutions like the HMO.

Eleanor’s most notable chart pattern is a probable T-square with her Moon, Mercury and Pluto. This may certainly show the tough circumstances she faced due to her sister’s previous relationship. But it also indicates resilience and the ability to put down boundaries, called into play when she faced Cohn and McCarthy. I always think of those with notable Pluto aspects to the lights as survivors.

At the time of her testimony, an astrologer could have told Eleanor that all would work out before too long. There were no close aspects from the outer planets, which are associated with longer-term issues and challenges. Transiting Saturn was opposing her Sun (showing the difficult situation with authority figures), but would soon pass. Transiting Mars had just conjoined her Saturn, probably helping her say only what was required. The North Node had squared her Sun and would go on to square her Nodes in a few weeks. But Jupiter in Gemini was at an exact station and closely trined her North Node, providing a release.

No charges were ever brought against the former Fort Monmouth employees. Six months after the sisters’ testimony, the McCarthy hearings were televised, leading to the Senator’s decline in popularity. He was censured on December 2, 1954, and died a few years later at the age of 48 (biographers suggest from alcoholism).

Eleanor and her sister continued their lives as therapists and counselors. Eleanor lived to 98 years old and her sister to 96! Her obituary was short and to the point, calling her “a remarkable woman who cared about family, people, social justice, and made a difference in the world.” I’m sorry I didn’t get to know her better; she made a big difference to me. Astrology helped me understand why.

 

The Master Class

I recently found my notes from a class with Robert Zoller on his length of life method.  I was interested in the ancient techniques he had recovered from Guido Bonatti, which were something of a holy grail to him.  The longevity class was eye-opening.  But the Medieval techniques?  Let’s just say I leave them to others!

In the 1990s, I was part of Bob’s study group on Plato and later Neoplatonic thinkers, and I attended a number of his astrology classes and lectures.  We had both studied with Zoltan Mason and had an interest in forecasting and the history of astrology.

I also enjoyed several of Zoller’s books, especially Tools & Techniques of the Medieval Astrologers (1981), an exploration of the late 13th century astrologer Guido Bonatti’s Liber Astronomiae and Medieval and ancient methods.  Bonatti’s work was published in 1491 and included opinions from other astrological sources, notably the 9th century Muslim astrologer Abu Ma’shar.

The determination of length of life presumes the astrologer is studying a chart shortly after a child’s birth.  We first astrologically eliminate those who would die before the age of 3 or 4.  If the child is judged to survive, the astrologer proceeds to further analyze the chart.  The technique includes delineating planetary rulers, the Hyleg (the “giver of life,” indicating times of illness and danger), the Alcocoden (showing the years of life), the anaretic (or “killing”) planet, and various Arabic Parts.  Planetary aspects and connections with the Nodes may add or subtract years, providing a range.  A full analysis would also need the confirmation of Primary Directions. There are numerous variations and methods to direct to the key points, and the calculations become rather involved (as they should be for such an important topic).

Zoller actually offered the longevity analysis to clients. My notes from the time show that he charged $200 (his fees were always reasonable), provided no guarantee, and could give a 5 to 7-year range.

I asked Bob for a class on this method since it wasn’t clear to me.  One of my grandmothers was German, and we had the official family book with birth times (to the quarter hour) of her and her 12 siblings from the turn of the century.  I thought this was great data to explore the technique.

We began with my grandmother, who had a strong constitution and lived to her late seventies.  We spent at least an hour in lengthy calculations, only to find that Bonatti would have eliminated her to the “dies in infancy” pile!  This was disappointing.  Based on the recorded birth time, she had 1° Virgo rising, with a 25° Leo Moon.  Undaunted, Bob insisted that, “I think she must have had Leo rising.”  I shared with him that Ida had kept a spotless house and had worked as a domestic for years.  While she always took good care of her appearance, my father had succinctly described her as “a little mouse.”  And this is how I remember her – definitely not Leo rising.  (I wrote about her chart here.)

Still, Zoller, remained adamant about the Leo Ascendant; the technique simply wouldn’t work without it!  Well, we’ve all done it.  And certainly with Mercury in Aquarius opposite Saturn and Pluto, he could be opinionated.  (And what I believe Jung had actually found with his married couples data is that, quantum-like, the person considering it will affect the result).

But the lesson was over, and with it my interest in Medieval astrology as a practical tool.  It was too involved, too tedious, too annoying. As Zoltan Mason used to remind us, “Life is short, art is long, opportunity fleeting, experiment treacherous, judgment difficult” (after Hippocrates).  Bob had once waxed poetic about Medieval monks sitting up late into the night with calculations, as I imagine he must have done, too.  Not for me.  And, I felt, it was no more accurate than the 17th century techniques I was brought up with, and the 19th century methods I was already becoming attached to.

The astrological experience, though, had definitely stretched my mind.  I still have tremendous respect for Robert Zoller’s scholarship, research and results.  But I ultimately feel there is no one-size-fits-all, definitive, hardline technique in astrology.  What we can all do, though, is use what resonates with us, and get to know the values and limitations of our methods.  That will always give us much to think about.

See my post about Robert Zoller.

Zoltan Mason taught the 17th century astrologer Morin’s techniques.  More on Morin here.

The U.S. vs. Trump

When I looked at Donald Trump’s chances of winning the presidency in 2020, I noticed an unusual aspect in synastry:  his progressed Mars was approaching a conjunction with the U.S. progressed Mars.  At over 6 degrees apart, I didn’t consider it.  But time has passed and I was reminded of this combination when Trump announced on August 8th that the FBI had raided his Mar-a-Lago home.  It looked to me like a fight. 

Astrologers are familiar with Trump’s rising Mars in Leo, which perfectly describes his bold, assertive, bombastic personality.  It rules his 9th house, making him expansive and litigious, as well as his 4th house, often focusing him on family matters and real estate.  Trump’s Mars has helped him enthuse followers and push through his agenda.

In the U.S. Gemini rising chart I use (favored by Evangeline Adams), Mars is also rising.  In Gemini, a mutable sign, it has less force and consistency.  But it does describe a multiplicity of voices and America’s sense of independence and self-reliance.  Trump’s natal Mars is roughly sextile the U.S. Mars.  But relationships grow and change and we can get a better idea of their status at any moment by looking at progressed to progressed aspects.

The U.S. progressed Mars, like Trump’s, is now in the middle degrees of Libra, the sign of its detriment (opposite its ruling sign of Aries), making it more malefic.  We might potentially say that Trump and the country are joining forces, but the U.S. also has natal Saturn at 14 Libra 47, the sign of its exaltation, giving government authority figures the edge in any encounters.  Saturn rules the 8th, 9th and 10th houses in the U.S. chart, and closely squares the U.S. Sun in Cancer.  We can see the resources (8th) of the government (10th) and its legal system (9th) brought to bear in an authoritative move against the former president.  Both the U.S. and Trump’s progressed Mars conjoin one another, but also conjoin U.S. natal Saturn and square its Sun.  The country may be at a crossroads, and all are experiencing a challenging period of time.

The progressed to progressed combinations are unusual and continue for several years.  Trump has been actively flirting with running again in 2024, but at the time of the election, his progressed Mars will nearly exactly conjoin U.S. Saturn (less than half a degree – it will be roughly exact in the summer of 2025).  Meanwhile, the U.S. progressed Mars moving slowly retrograde and Trump’s progressed Mars moving more quickly direct in Libra are in a double-approaching conjunction with one another, less than 2½ degrees apart at the time of the 2024 election.  They will continue their close conjunction until around 2027, when the aspect will perfect.

One commentator has suggested that the more aggressive the government’s actions against Trump, the likelier he will be to run for president again in 2024. Contention motivates him.  This fits the astrological picture, which suggests a long legal battle over what justice (Libra) actually means.  The malefics involved show quite a contentious relationship in the coming years, but the strength of the U.S. Saturn implies that the country will win in the end.  (Unless, of course, Trump once again becomes its authority figure.)

Still, the malefic Mars-Saturn combination does not bode well for Donald Trump’s candidacy in 2024.  But the election is over two years away, much will change in the intervening years, and these progressed aspects, though notable, are just one small piece of a much larger picture.

 

Jupiter, Neptune and the Midterms

Many commentators are predicting a shift to the right in the November elections due to political cycles, Biden’s low approval ratings, and re-drawn Congressional districts.  But André Barbault shared that the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction “portends a swing to the left,” quoted by Lynn Koiner in her Predictions 2022.  Lynn also noted the conjunction’s influence near Barack Obama’s first presidential inauguration in 2009.  Will astrologers or the pundits be right?  Planetary cycles can be very telling and the astrology should prove correct. 

André Barbault focused on planetary cycles throughout his long career, and made remarkable forecasts that included foreseeing the 2020 pandemic in 2011 (Anthony Louis’ blog post has more).

After analyzing over 200 years of history (from 1792 to 1997) in his book Planetary Cycles, Barbault concluded that Jupiter-Neptune “aims for unity and peaceful exchange; in brief, it is humanitarian.  There is a general atmosphere of diplomatic and political détente and collective movements that have liberal democratic tendencies.  In effect, its ideology is socialist… a continuum with phenomena, which are undeniably of same order, being repeated every thirteen years:  the beginning, end or renewal of a historical process with the same tendency which is of a collective liberal order, democratic, socialist, or even more or less revolutionary.  There is a swing to the left, with international aims of an associative, peaceful or humanitarian nature.”  (pps. 52-56)

We’ve already seen this concept of collective, peaceful unity in the international support for the defense of Ukraine in early 2022.

Jupiter conjoins Neptune exactly on April 12, 2022 staying within orb from March through mid-May.  As Jupiter moves quickly, the return of the conjunction occurs with Jupiter stationing direct in November to early December, as Neptune also stations.

Much news time was spent in April considering the French Presidential race between Emmanuel Macron and his far-right challenger Marine Le Pen.  But if we believe André Barbault, the outcome was clearly foreshadowed astrologically.  (See Michael O’Reilly’s analysis of their birth charts and the race; I personally feel that Le Pen would have a tough time winning any election with her Saturn in Aries in the 7th house square Mars in her 10th.)

What does Barbault’s work suggest for the November midterm elections?  Former President Trump is endorsing a number of far-right candidates.  But the Neptune station squares his Sun exactly on November 1, 2022 and January 5, ‘23 while also squaring his Nodes and Moon, very close to both the elections and the beginning of the new congressional term.  These aspects prevailed when Trump lost the White House in 2020-’21, and continue to suggest deflated hopes.  I’ll wager that few of his candidates will win, and that under the conjunction’s influence this spring, liberal-leaning folks may also do better in primaries.

Six months before the midterm elections, many commentators are projecting a Republican take-over of the House and maybe even the Senate.  But the  Jupiter-Neptune conjunction’s history points toward a chance that Democrats will keep their majorities.  If not, then I expect more moderate Republicans, or those who share some of what Barbault described as “liberal democratic tendencies” to be elected instead.

Read Lynn Koiner’s Predictions for 2022 (scroll down) for an excellent, thorough look at this year and beyond, with nods to many astrologers of the past.

Find more of André Barbault’s incredible research in Mundane Planetary Cycles (English translation by Kate Johnston).

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