Tag Archives: Saturn

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.

Scalia and Saturn

Justice Antonin Scalia served on the Supreme Court for 29 years – the magic Saturn cycle number. So Saturn must have played a significant part in his experience. And he was a very Saturn character.

Saturn is known for its conservatism, and Scalia presented the conservative viewpoint in his decisions as well as in his life. He remained a staunch opponent of both abortion and gay marriage, and solidified individuals’ rights to own guns. Saturn typically protects the status quo and is not an innovator. Scalia took a historical view of what the Constitution meant when it was written, rather than seeing it as a living document, since Saturn rules both history and endurance.

And talk about job security – something every Saturn person wants. How many jobs have a lifetime guarantee? Scalia found one.

When we look at Justice Scalia’s horoscope, it’s no surprise to see he was born with Saturn conjunct his Sun. He respected authority and became an authority himself. (Of course there was much more to the man and his horoscope, though Saturn is a strong factor.)

Scalia was appointed by Ronald Regan and affirmed by the Senate on September 17, 1986. Saturn was at 5 Sagittarius and had recently stationed in trine to his Leo Midheaven, while Uranus, also in Sagittarius, was near the midpoint of a square to his Sun conjunct Saturn. When he died on February 13, 2016, just a month shy of his 80th birthday, transiting Saturn was again in Sagittarius and squared his Saturn.

Justice Antonin Scalia was born on March 11, 1936 at 8:55 pm in Trenton, New Jersey, according to his birth certificate and Astrodatabank.

David Letterman and Saturn

David Letterman said goodbye to late-night television after his final Late Show on May 20, 2015. Saturn’s aspects augur predictable change, and Saturn transiting Dave’s 7th house of partnerships, contracts and the public was exactly trine his natal Saturn in the 4th house of security, stability and endings. Transiting Saturn will exactly trine his natal Mars in Aries in his 12th in a few weeks, creating a grand trine. In keeping with Saturn, this was an organized change that was well-known in advance.

The transiting Uranus-Pluto square also has something to do with Letterman’s career transition. Pluto through his 9th house of broadcasting is sextiling his Venus (exact in a few weeks). Venus placed in the 11th how shows a transformation in his colleagues, associates and friends as Pluto activates it. Another flowing aspect, it indicates a smooth development. The 11th house also rules our hopes and wishes for the future, so his goals have changed.

Transiting Uranus will station near a conjunction with Dave’s Aries Sun in July, breaking him away from his dynamic career path and into something completely new. It will exactly conjoin his Sun and square his Midheaven in 2016. Since Uranus promises new vistas and unexpected developments, the talk-show host should have some notable events in his life and career – things will certainly not be dull!

Letterman was born on April 12, 1947 at 6:00 am in Indianapolis (rated “A” on Astrodatabank).

Billy Joel’s Saturn Children

Taurean singer Billy Joel and his partner Alexis Roderick recently announced that they are expecting a baby this summer. Joel’s only other child, Alexa Ray, is 29 years old. This is astrologically significant since it indicates the return of a Saturn cycle for Billy Joel and having children. (Most women, of course, couldn’t accomplish this feat without massive hormonal intervention.)

At the time of Joel’s announcement, Saturn was at 4 Sagittarius, transiting his 5th house of children. Alexa Ray was born on December 29, 1985, when Saturn was just under 5 Sagittarius. The new baby will be born at around the time of Saturn’s station at 28 Scorpio 17, squaring Joel’s natal Saturn at 29-1/2 Leo, and less than 6 degrees from the exact place that Saturn transited when Alexa Ray was born, still in his 5th house.

While not technically exact, this is an excellent, straightforward example of the repetitive nature of Saturn’s transit cycles. Though most people will not experience such a striking repetition of similar events!

Billy Joel was born on May 9, 1949 at 9:30 AM in the Bronx, rated AA (from his birth certificate) on Astrodatabank.

Lady Gaga and Saturn

Radio City Music Hall continues selling tickets to Lady Gaga in concert with old-time crooner Tony Bennett. Their album of jazz standards, Cheek to Cheek was released in September of 2014, and quickly rose to #1 on the Billboard charts. This is Gaga’s third consecutive #1 album, and at 88, Bennett maintains his distinction of being the oldest singer with a #1 hit. But aside from their NY Italian-American roots, what are these two doing together? If you consider Saturn, it’s obvious.

Gaga has the Moon at 11 Scorpio 27. She underwent hip surgery as Saturn stationed exactly on her Moon in February of 2013, perhaps forcing her to consider simpler, more basic music for a time. Bennett has Saturn at 19 Scorpio 29 and becomes for her the personification of Saturn – quite literally in the form of an old man (he experienced his third Saturn return this year). His Saturn conjoins her Moon, making long-term collaboration between them a very real possibility. And Gaga’s Saturn also trines Bennett’s Leo Sun within about a degree. If Saturn provides the glue that makes relationships stick, this commitment goes both ways.

And fascinatingly, they both make each other sound better! Lady Gaga is known as more of a Uranian type of performer – it’s often more about theatrics and technology than her vocals. While she actually has a beautiful, strong voice, you almost need to see her at the piano or raised on some contraption over the floor – there’s something missing from her solos. And Tony Bennett used to be able to sing, but that was decades ago. (A PBS broadcast of the duo’s concert showed audiences giving him a standing ovation for a solo – they’re just glad he’s still alive.) However something wonderful happens when they’re together and they seem to compensate for any liabilities in each other’s performances. Such an emphasis on Saturn in their relationship suggests that they’ve worked on it.

As Saturn passes into Sagittarius in 2015-2016, Gaga will experience her first Saturn return. With so much success behind her, it’s hard to remember that she’s still only 28. It’ll be interesting to see what her next act will be.

Lady Gaga was born on March 28, 1986 at 9:53 AM in Manhattan (rated “B” on Astrodatabank; the source is her Twitter page. Tony Bennett was born on August 3, 1926 in Long Island City, NY, with no time available.