Category Archives: forecasting

Election 2016 – Progressions

Progressions are a significant part of astrological forecasting. For the Presidential election, I’ll look at the closest progressed aspects within a degree of natal planets and points on Election Day. Do they suggest victory or a new position? What is their nature and strength?

As we saw in the Solar Arc Directions, Donald Trump’s progressed Sun conjoins his Ascendant, which is powerful testimony to his ability to promote himself. The Sun is also quintile Uranus in his 10^th house of status. This is his most important aspect suggesting success or a new direction for his career. However it’s 21’ past exact. While aspects theoretically should be exact for significant life events, we all know that reality is more flexible.

Trump’s progressed Ascendant in Libra is in his 3^rd house, very close to sextiling his natal Mars conjunct his 1^st. This reiterates the themes of self-development, self-promotion and communications, especially as Mars rules his 9^th house.

Perhaps one of Donald’s strongest progressions is his Moon in its own sign of Cancer, just under a degree of conjoining natal Saturn in his 11^th house (exact on 12/2/16). This combination certainly suggests a leadership position and responsiveness from the public, especially since his Saturn rules his 6^th and 7^th houses. But Saturn is in its detriment in Cancer. I’m therefore not sure if it suggests a win. The Moon, however, also sextiles the Midheaven on 12/16, though it’s about a degree and a half from exact on Election Day.

Progressed Mars in Libra in his 2^nd house squares Mercury in his 11^th. Trump has been focused on talking about his values, with a lot of verbal sparring. This combination also shows his engagement with the community (11th). Once again, though, it’s past exactitude – by about 19’ (it was exact in May of 2016).

Progressed Jupiter square Saturn is a much closer aspect, (8’ past), but since Jupiter is a slower-moving planet it’s progressions are extremely slow. Trump’s Jupiter in transit moved about 10’ a day, so the progression was closer to exact about a year ago. More importantly, however, this progression accentuates his natal Jupiter square Saturn and is also activated by the progressed Moon.

Donald Trump’s progressed MC conjoins his 12^th house cusp with no aspects. He is tending toward behind-the-scenes situations, as political positions do, but with no engagement with the rest of his chart, it’s symbolism isn’t more specific.

Trump has a number of close progressions, though some of the most significant are either not especially close or are past exactitude. Self-development is reiterated, but I don’t know if this suggests success. The progressed Moon is one of the most important, but gives a somewhat mixed message as it conjoins Saturn.

(I’ve been very exacting with the progressed degrees. But note that the fastest progressions – the Ascendant and Midheaven in particular, and also the Moon – may not be exact due to inexact birth times or calculation issues. )

I’ll look at Hillary Clinton’s progressions next time so we can see whose are more significant.

Election 2016 – Solar Arcs

Let’s look at the Solar Arc directed planets for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to see who has more powerful directions on Election Day, November 8, 2016. (I use these simply as a kind of progression and not with midpoint pictures.)

Donald Trump’s directed MC, relating to career and status, is conjunct his 12^th house, with no major aspects to planets in his birth chart. His directed Ascendant is in his 3^rd house, just past conjoining directed Mars (a high point for assertive communications). It approaches a trine to his Mercury in the 11^th, but it’s a little over a degree and a half away.

Trump’s directed Sun opposite Moon, as well as his Nodes, straddle his Ascendant-Descendant axis. This is strong testimony of coming before the public and gaining much attention, and is very consistent with his campaign. Yet the South Node conjoining his 7^th house cusp, which relates to the public, suggests a lack of support for a major position in the material world.

Directed Mercury from the 1^st approaches a square to Uranus in his natal 10^th house. The issues of communication and career excitement are brought up. But this aspect, too, is over a degree and a half from exact on election day. I’m not sure whether the more radical changes in his career that are indicated by Uranus will occur from mid to late 2017 or earlier. These are the closest aspects.

Hillary Clinton’s directions are stronger. However we must remember that her birth time is not certain, which makes aspects involving the Ascendant and Midheaven questionable. (I use her 8:02 AM chart.)

Hillary’s natal Moon square Uranus directs to angular houses, making it more prominent. Directed Uranus is less than half of a degree from conjoining her MC, and her directed Moon is in her 7^th house. This combination shows both her support from women, as well as the fact that she’s breaking new ground as the first female presidential candidate from a major party. To my mind, this is a very important direction.

Hillary’s directed MC falls in her 12^th house, only about 7 degrees from conjoining her Ascendant. Given the orb I use, I feel that it’s already activating her Ascendant, which is significant. It’s also just a degree from conjoining her Venus, showing the possibility of much support from behind the scenes. (Venus also rules her 6^th house of service, her 7^th of the public and partnerships and the 11^th relating to the community.)

Solar Arc Neptune is nearly exactly trine her natal Saturn in the 9^th, allowing her to reach a wide audience with her message. Similarly, her directed Jupiter in her 3^rd house is within a degree of trining her Neptune in the 11^th house, giving her a strong resonance with the community (11^th) for her ideas (the 3^rd house and Jupiter). (Directed Mercury, also in her 3^rd, has passed a sextile to her natal Jupiter, but is less than a degree away, also supporting her message.)

Hillary has more close Solar Arc directions for election day than Donald. She wins this round of astrological consideration. So far we have Solar returns going to Clinton, the progressed Moon in declination to Trump and now Solar Arcs to Hillary.

I’ll look at secondary progressions for each candidate next.

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 11^th house and Mars in Scorpio in the 4^th, a combative pattern.

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 5^th house. Neptune also sextiles Pluto in her 7^th, which might ease the public’s skepticism of her somewhat.

Hillary’s 10^th 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 3^rd 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 4^th 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 4^th house; Clinton has Venus, Mars and Jupiter conjunct in her Solar 4^th house, Neptune on the Midheaven and Pluto in the 7^th. 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.

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.

Justin Timberlake and Neptune

Justin Timberlake’s new song, “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” hit the top of the charts over Memorial Day weekend, and is being touted as the song of the summer. This infectious pop tune reflects Timberlake’s exact Moon conjunct Neptune in Sagittarius.

“Can’t Stop the Feeling” captures a sense of love, joy and happiness, and the video shows people in everyday life expressing it. Since Justin not only performs the song, but was also a writer and co-producer, it strongly reflects his personality. His Moon and Neptune closely trine his Leo Ascendant from the cusp of the 5th house, giving him the ability to creatively dramatize a special moment in time. The singer-songwriter seems able to effortlessly capture an evanescent feeling.

Sagittarius showcases optimism and expansiveness, but it’s also the combination with Neptune that transcends the material plane and blends it into a sense of higher consciousness. Neptune is certainly at home with music and dance. And look how many joyful Sagittarius-Neptune phrases we can find in the song’s lyrics:

“I fly so high, no ceiling, when I’m in my zone”
“Got that good soul in my feet”
“moving so phenomenally”
“Just imagine”
“Nothing I can see but you when you dance, dance, dance”
“It’s something magical”

Director Mark Romanek (born September 18, 1959) perfectly captures the essence of the song in the music video. His Uranus at 19 Leo conjoins Justin’s Ascendant while trining his Moon-Neptune conjunction in Sagittarius. Transiting Uranus will station in the third fire sign, Aries, in Timberlake’s 9th house this summer, creating a once-in-a-lifetime grand trine. So the hype about “Can’t Stop the Feeling” being the summer’s song is probably correct!

Justin Timberlake was born on January 31, 1981 at 6:30 PM in Memphis, Tennessee, according to his birth certificate on Astrodatabank.

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.

Tough Guys and Mars

Men typically die five years sooner than women, on average, and physical differences can’t explain it. Researchers at Rutgers University found that men who saw themselves as tough, brave and self-reliant – typical characteristics of Mars – tended to choose male doctors and shared fewer symptoms with them.

The higher they scored on a “masculinity scale,” the greater their Martian attributes. This increased their tendency to ignore medical problems and to delay addressing them. They also avoided showing weakness to other men, which caused them to down-play their symptoms with male doctors. Women with strong Martian characteristics had similar outcomes as well, though it’s worse for men (perhaps because they are all Mars).

Astrologically, Venusians are sensitive, crave comfort and seek balance. Martian types are more headstrong, rash, and willing to take risks. And unfortunately, these characteristics don’t help them in the longevity department.

Trump and Uranus

With transiting Jupiter continuing through his 1st house, Donald Trump enjoys unrestrained self-expression and is getting more media coverage than ever. But Jupiter in Virgo squares his natal Uranus this week, which may both broaden his appeal but also invite controversy. He’s already being criticized by the Republican establishment, who see his lack of political experience and outspoken manner as a danger to winning the presidential election this fall.

Uranus can behave like a wild card – it may be unpredictable and disruptive. The noise from Jupiter’s short-term square to Uranus will blow over. The more significant influence of transiting Uranus then trines Trump’s Moon in April and sextiles his Sun from the 9th house in May, aiding his efforts and perhaps also bringing some surprises.

Uranus will go on to square Trump’s Saturn and oppose his Jupiter in June, which represents unexpected developments and a possible upset. This aspect repeats in July as he heads toward the convention. It’s not hard to predict that Trump is sure to stay in the news.

I won’t yet hazard a guess as to the outcome of the election in November as I’m following my own rule and waiting for the official slate of candidates.

Forecasting Political Elections
Candidate Trump

Karen Christino

Astrologer and Writer