Astrology of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election

6/22/2016

This has been a wild and wacky election season here in the U.S.A., and I'm sure that even those of you in other countries are watching and thinking we've all gone nuts. I was already nuts, so I have nothing to worry about :) Being somewhat of a political junkie, I've been following the entire election closely. And being an astrologer, I've laughed at how much everything has played into the hands of the planets. So I wanted to lay it all out for those of you who are interested. So what do the planets have to say about what's happened and what's to come? Let's dig in.

Donald Trump: The Lion Roars

The rise of Donald Trump to become to Republican nominee for president has been one of the most shocking political developments in decades (maybe ever?). So what has brought this on astrologically? It's actually explained quite simply - looking at Trump's progressed chart, his Progressed Sun is now anaretic at 29 degrees Leo. 29 degrees is the anaretic degree, a special degree of crisis energy. It's pretty much exploding with energy, and in Leo, this is the sign of popularity and celebrity. And the Sun rules you. Trump's Progressed Sun conjuncts his natal Ascendant, which is the 1st house cusp and rules how you come across. His natal Ascendant is at 29 degrees Leo. That certainly explains how he became famous in the first place, and with his Progressed Sun now conjunct the Ascendant at that very energized degree in Leo, his popularity has exploded. No surprise there!

Adding to this is his Progressed 6th and 12th house cusps, which are at 0 degrees Aries and Libra, respectively. 0 degrees of a cardinal sign (which Aries and Libra are) is the Aries Point, another special degree with extra energy. The 6th house rules your work, while the 12th house rules the hidden. This can show a different work focus for him as he focuses on politics instead of business, as well as tapping into the hidden anger people have had for some time.

Trump announced his candidacy for president June 16th 2015. His Progressed 6th and 12th house had JUST entered 0 degrees Aries/Libra. His Progressed Ascendant had crossed over his Progressed Jupiter (expansion, new experiences). Transit Saturn was at 29 degrees of Scorpio, anaretic and retrograde, having just retrograded back into Scorpio two days before, and was square (hard aspect) his natal 1st and 7th house cusps and Progressed Sun (making him break out). His Progressed Sun entered 29 degrees of Leo at the end of July 2015, helping push him to the win that no one saw coming at that time. Except his Progressed Sun, anyway!

Trump clinched the nomination on May 3rd 2016. Mercury retrograde had begun on April 28th, 5 days before, conjunct (aligned with) his natal Midheaven, the 10th house cusp, which rules your career, your ambitions, and is the highest point in your chart, so it can show "hitting a high point" (as Trump did when he clinched). The day after, on May 4th, Mercury retrograde conjuncted his Progressed 8th house cusp (taking out his competitors). April 22nd, transit Uranus conjuncted his natal 9th house cusp (excellent for selling himself, this transit has been what has allowed him to do so in such a different way than anyone else, though it's also contributed to his legal troubles - more on that later) and trined (positive aspect) his natal Moon (so he's comfortable with doing things outside of his comfort zone right now; plus the Moon can be linked to fame, so this aspect is helping him with his popularity).

The anaretic Progressed Sun that has really spurned this on won't last though. The Progressed Sun only stays at a degree for about one year, so this ends at the end of July/beginning of August. But right before it ends, the conjunction to his Ascendant will be exact in July - right at the Republican National Convention in July, which is when it becomes official! Naturally. But come August, his Progressed Sun will move into much quieter, more practical Virgo, and his Progressed 6th and 12th house cusps will leave 0 degrees Aries/Libra, so he loses the energy that's really pushing him now. He does get some help from his Progressed 4th and 10th house cusps though, because right at the same time the others end, they will become anaretic in Capricorn and Cancer, respectively. The 10th house and Capricorn both rule career, so this could pick up where the others leave off. But is that enough?

Donald Trump: Leader or Bully?

It makes complete sense for some people to view Trump as a leader while others view him as a bully. Funnily enough, that can be traced to the same thing: natal Mars conjunct the Ascendant. Mars can be a great leader, is the pioneering planet who wants to pave the way for everyone else; Mars can also be incredibly aggressive, and tear anyone down who doesn't agree with him as one of the planets of war. Remember that the Ascendant rules how you come across, and this seems to fall right in line for Trump. To some, he's a leader, and to others, he's a bully, and it's all Mars. The fact that Mars is in a fire sign, Leo, adds to this (fire signs have more energy), along with his Ascendant and Descendant at 29 degrees. The Descendant is the exact opposite of the Ascendant and rules others, so having this axis anaretic can be difficult for some when dealing with others (if you have this, don't despair - Oprah does too and she's pretty beloved!).

Trump also has his 5th and 11th house cusps anaretic at 29 degrees Sagittarius and Gemini, respectively. So the anaretic crisis energy is really strong for him. The 5th and 11th houses are the social houses ruling our romantic relationships and friendships, the personal and casual connections we make in our lives. Add in that the 5th house in naturally ruled by Leo and the 11th house is naturally ruled by Aquarius, the signs his Ascendant and Descendant are anaretic in, and it's no surprise he's such a lightening rod. But it also helps him to have a pulse on what's popular and now, along with his natal Uranus (natural ruler of Aquarius and the 11th house) conjunct his natal Sun.

And add in to all of this the fact that Trump was born on a Lunar Eclipse. His Sun is at 22 degrees Gemini opposite his Moon at 21 degrees Sagittarius, with his Sun conjunct his North Node at 21 degrees Gemini. This is some hot energy, a lot of it, and he can rile people up whether he means to or not (though it seems like he does mean to). I also find Sun conjunct North Node (along with Moon conjunct Jupiter) in the natal chart to be one of those aspects that usually means, you're a lucky bastard. And he was born rich!

And one more - there's a little asteroid named Toro (number 1685 if you want to look it up in your own chart) that can be linked to bullying, either being a bully or being bullied. Where is Toro in Donald's natal chart? Conjunct his 3rd house cusp, one of the communication houses. So is his bark worse than his bite?

Trump U & The Judge

While Trump has seemed like Teflon, there has been one "scandal" that has become a major problem, and that's the lawsuit over Trump University. And actually, it's less the lawsuit that's a problem than the way Trump has gone after the judge handling the case, Gonzalo Curiel. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a birth date for the him to pull up even a partial chart, so I was only able to look at Trump. Trump got into major hot water just a couple weeks ago when he said that the judge, whose parents are from Mexico, couldn't be impartial in the case because of his background and the things Trump has said about Mexico/Mexicans, and then Trump seemed to make it even worse by telling supporters to go after reporters as racist for even asking about it. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!

So what was going on? Mars retrograde, of course, was square (hard aspect) Trump's natal Mars, on June 6th, right as this whole drama was unveiling. That's why the reaction was so bad - Mars made everyone go whoa! It's been downhill for the Donald ever since.

As for the lawsuit itself, Trump has Uranus crossing back and forth over his 9th house cusp, which I mentioned before, and the 9th house rules legal issues. His Jupiter, natural ruler of the 9th house, is squared by transit Pluto, and transit Jupiter will square his Progressed 9th house cusp mid-August, with Mercury retrograde in September square the Progressed 9th house cusp and the Lunar Eclipse in September square as well. But the next court date isn't scheduled until after the election, so a lot of this may just be bad press (and around the court date, he'll have transit Saturn sextile - positive aspect - and Jupiter conjunct his natal Jupiter, so that would imply it's positive for him).

And They All Fall Down . . .

When the Republican primary process began, there were 17 hopefuls. Everyone and their grandmother was in it, I guess! Trump knocked all of them down, and it seemed a bit brutal. So I wanted to do a little synastry between Trump and some of the candidates that stood out. An asteroid named Nessus, which is linked to abuse, came up a lot.

1) Trump & Marco Rubio

Who can forget "Little Marco"? Trump treated Rubio like a child, making Rubio seem like he just wasn't wearing his big boy pants. Yet Rubio was supposedly a rising star in the party, and now his political career seems to be in limbo. So what was the deal here? Well, Marco Rubio's natal asteroid Nessus is conjunct Trump's natal Sun and Uranus. It's also conjunct their composite Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn. Composites take the charts of two people and merge them together to create a new chart just for the relationship itself. And Trump's natal Nessus conjuncts Marco's natal Mercury, Venus, and Saturn. Poor little Marco didn't stand a chance!

2) Trump & Jeb Bush

Trump treated Jeb perhaps the worst of them all. He seemed to completely emasculate him. How's this: Trump's asteroid Nessus is conjunct Jeb's natal Jupiter (expanding). Trump's Sun and Moon fall on Jeb's 4th and 10th house cusps, dragging him down from the top (and he was the front-runner initially). Trump's Mars conjuncts Jeb's Pluto (it was brutal). Transit Chiron has also been crossing over Jeb's Descendant; Chiron rules wounds, and the Descendant is other people (getting hurt by others?). Jeb's angles are also all mutable, getting killed by the mutable t-square we've got cooking, which didn't help his chances at all. But Jupiter will enter his 1st house in early August, so perhaps a new journey awaits Jeb.

3) Trump & Ted Cruz

Cruz seemed to be a friend of Trump's until that whole episode with his wife, Then he turned foe. Well, Trump's asteroid Chiron conjuncts Cruz's natal Moon, ruler of women and representing his wife. Oddly, Cruz's natal Mercury conjuncts Trump's asteroid Pallas, who can be tied to politics. This may be why he was okay with him at first. But Trump's natal Neptune conjuncts Cruz's natal Ascendant, which made him disappear into the night . . .

4) Trump & John Kasich

This one is interesting. Kasich's Sun conjuncts Trump's Midheaven, and Kasich's Moon may conjunct Trump's asteroid Pallas. These almost made me wonder if Kasich was being seriously considered for VP. Kasich only has transit Uranus conjunct his natal Mercury for major aspects though, so perhaps not, though it could show it being an unexpected or impulsive decision. Trump has said he'd like someone with experience, so Kasich would fit the bill, but he hasn't really been a fan of Trump's.

5) Trump & Chris Christie

Christie was the pitbull of the GOP before Trump came along, and then went ahead and was the first to back Trump, and now seems to be known more for his silent cries for help behind Trump speeches that make for hilarious Twitter memes. First, Christie was a pitbull because he has natal Sun conjunct Pluto, and natal Mercury conjunct Black Moon Lilith (which can be empowering but can also bring out darkness). How does Trump muzzle him? Trump's Neptune, who makes things fade into the background, is conjunct Christie's Mercury and Black Moon Lilith. What seems to have ruined Christie's chances? His Sun at 13 degrees Virgo, getting squared by Saturn, conjuncted by Jupiter, and opposed by Neptune. Uranus is also going to oppose his natal Venus. I'm not sure if his career will recover any time soon.

The following are not candidates, but people Trump clearly has had problems with:

6) Trump & Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney is the one that has been unapologetically #NeverTrump, and so open about trying to take him down. It seems so personal, in a way. Well, transit Pluto is crossing over Mitt's 9th house cusp - the 9th house rules your beliefs, and Mitt truly believes Trump is horrible, so he's screaming it from the mountaintops. Trump's Sun and Moon both square (hard aspect) Romney's Sun, and it's very close too. Trump's Sun falls on Mitt's 2nd house cusp and Moon falls on Mitt's 8th house cusp, so it's a tug-o-war over values, and it can be nasty. Romney's natal Saturn conjuncts Trump's 12th house cusp (seeking to end his bid).

7) Trump & Reince Priebus

Reince Priebus, the head of the Republican National Committee, sure had his hands full with Trump during the primary, and Trump didn't make it a secret that he didn't like the guy. It's a simple one: Reince's natal Nessus conjuncts Trump's natal Sun, and Trump's natal Nessus conjuncts Reince's natal Moon. Not only that, but their Suns, Moons, Mercurys, Mars, and Jupiters are all at a hard angle to one another, with only their Venuses at a positive angle (sextile). So I'm betting that not only do they not like each other, they don't understand each other much either!

8) Trump & President Obama

Okay, so this one actually goes way back to Trump creating the whole "Birther" movement by trying to claim Obama was born in Kenya, not the U.S. I figured there had to be something here, and Trump's Sun is square Obama's Mars (aggression), with Trump's Mars conjunct Obama's Uranus and North Node (so there's some oddball destiny at play here), and their Composite Moon opposite Obama's Mars (hence him being the target instead of Trump). The Composite Mars is also square the Composite Ascendant and Descendant. Lotsa Mars energy here with hard aspects, which is very aggressive.

9) Trump & Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren is a popular progressive on the Democratic side who seems to enjoy going after Trump. Trump, in turn, has taken to calling her Pocahontas for having Native American ancestry, which he questions. Depending on her time of birth, Warren's natal Moon may be conjunct Trump's Nessus (Moon rules your ancestry). Warren may be someone to look out for in the future too. She's very Aquarius (Jupiter in Aquarius with her Sun conjunct Uranus, natural ruler of Aquarius), and she'll likely come into her own true power when Pluto enters Aquarius. Around that same time, the U.S.A Progressed Midheaven will conjunct her natal Mars. Someone to watch.

10) Trump & Megyn Kelly

In what seemed like a very bizarre fight to pick, Donald Trump seemed to have it out for Fox News host Megyn Kelly. Turns out Megyn Kelly's Lunar Nodes fall on Donald Trump's Ascendant and Descendant, with her North Node conjunct his Descendant and South Node conjunct his Ascendant. So there's some funky destiny at play between them. And Remember asteroid Toro I mentioned for Trump earlier? His Toro is conjunct her Mars, which is why he seemed so mad at her for, uh, still not sure what actually!

11) Trump & Paul Ryan

Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, was as hesitant as politicians get with endorsing Trump. He clearly didn't want to. On the surface, they would seem to get along since they're both air sign Suns, both fire sign Risings, and Trump's Moon in Sagittarius is the same sign as Ryan's Rising. The problems? Trump's natal Mercury (communication) squares Ryan's natal Mars. Ryan's natal Mercury quincunxes (hard aspect of erratic energy) Trump's natal Mars. Communication is a big problem between these two. Trump's Mercury also conjuncts Ryan's 8th house cusp (struggling over power, control). Their Composite Sun and Mercury is conjunct the Composite Descendant, so they're both really focused on their relationship. But the Composite Mars is conjunct the Composite Saturn in Gemini, with both conjunct the Composite 9th house cusp - this is a killer (restricting/limiting one another's ego over ideas/communication about beliefs). This conjuncts Trump's natal Sun, so it's actually had a bigger impact on him, and he feels this more. It falls in Ryan's natal 7th house, so for him, he's more concerned about the way it impacts other people (likely his fellow congressional Republicans). Oh, and this Mars/Saturn/9th house conjunction is being impacted by the mutable t-square we have cooking, squared by transit Jupiter and opposed by transit Saturn. So it's no surprise that Ryan held out for a while, and I think if he wasn't Speaker, he wouldn't have endorsed him at all.

When Trump clinched, Ryan came out on May 4th saying he couldn't support him yet, and Mercury retrograde was opposite his Moon. The day he did end up endorsing Trump, June 2nd 2016, was two days before a New Moon in Gemini conjuncting the Composite Mars, Saturn, and 9th house. Mars retrograde also just conjuncted Ryan's natal Ascendant (May 25th) and Progressed 11th house cusp (May 27th), making him roll back on that initial hesitation. But not long after he endorsed Trump, the whole judge debacle erupted, so I bet he regretted it quickly, and wonder if once the Mars retrograde is over, he'll walk it back.

I wanted to write a little extra about Paul Ryan, because his chart completely floored me. I am usually a pretty good judge of what a person's chart looks like, but I was completely and totally wrong about his. Paul Ryan has the chart of - dare I say it - a liberal! (LOL!) It's all that air. He has his Sun in air sign Aquarius conjunct his Venus and both conjunct his 3rd house cusp (naturally ruled by air sign Gemini), and his Moon in air sign Libra in the 11th house (naturally ruled by air sign Aquarius). I think a lot of his issues with Trump are the statements Trump has made that go against all the air in his chart (I think he definitely wants to expand the GOP). And what he may say may be pretty different from what he feels, because his Mercury is in Capricorn. When your Mercury is not in the same sign as your Sun, you can seem quite different from how you really are. And Capricorn is very concerned with saying the right thing for your image, so he may never be all that open about how open he actually is.

Paul Ryan got the job of Speaker unexpectedly as the guy who was supposed to get it got caught up in some scandal, and the GOP was scrambling for a Savior, so they looked to Paul Ryan. Then when it was becoming more and more clear Trump would be the nominee earlier in the year, there was talk of trying to convince Paul Ryan to swoop in at the Convention, being the Savior again (he shot that down). I thought, why do they keep seeing him as the Savior? Well, Paul Ryan has his natal Neptune, the Savior, conjunct his Ascendant (which rules how you come across, if you remember). And it's in Sagittarius, ruler of beliefs, to boot. Neptune on the Ascendant also helps him to come across differently from how he is - really, he comes across however you want him to be. I thought he'd be an authoritarian or something (maybe it was the hair). He's also probably a lot more sensitive than you'd think.

Now to the Democrats -

The Democrats began with way less people than the Republicans, a meager 5 candidates, as the Democrats seemed to part the seas for Hillary Clinton. Two of the guys dropped out pretty quickly (Jim Webb and Lincoln Chaffee - what a miracle I remember their names), and the other dropped out after Iowa (Martin O'Malley - I predicted that Iowa Caucus for the Democrats perfectly on Facebook HERE - though was only half right for the GOP, rats). And who was left - an old curmudgeon self-described socialist from Vermont, who still won't stop Beeeerning . . .

Bernie Sanders: The Most Popular Socialist, I Am

If Donald Trump was the most shocking development of this race, Bernie Sanders was second. A virtual unknown, Hillary was set to trounce him in every poll known to man. Yet he gave her solid competition to the end. What drove his popularity? Two things:

1) Bernie Sander's is a Virgo Sun. Transit Jupiter is in Virgo. This is usually a good thing! It can make you more likable and improve your popularity. People can gloss over what may not be kosher. But the bigger reason is #2 -

2) Bernie Sander's Progressed Sun turned anaretic. Just like Donald Trump! But instead of in Leo, it occurred in Scorpio. The Scorpio energy kept it from getting as big as it is with the Donald (plus remember Donald's Ascendant in play), But Bernie is being seen as a transformer, shaking up the Democratic party platform, now and for the future. Very Scorpio. This began September 2015, and lasts until September 2016.

When there was talk of a debate between Bernie and Trump without Hillary before the California primary, what happened? Mars retrograde was at the very end of Sagittarius, going into Scorpio that weekend. It was anaretic that weekend, which conjuncted Bernie's Progressed Sun but squared Trump's Progressed Sun. I knew Trump would call it off that weekend, and he pulled out. But it would've been TV gold!

Comparing Bernie to Hillary, the two of them may actually have super similar houses, which I feel makes it hard for them to hate each other, in spite of how this primary twisted and turned. It also helped to make the election process so close one state after another after another.

One person that Bernie absolutely did not get along with? Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the head of the Democratic National Committee, who the Sanders' campaign believed was cooking the books for Hillary, so to speak. The deal? Bernie's Sun opposes Debbie's Moon; Bernie's Moon opposes Debbie's Mercury; Bernie's Moon and Mars conjunct Debbie's Saturn and Chiron; and Bernie's Sun conjuncts Debbie's Uranus and Pluto. The hate is genuine and mutual.

The things that made Bernie popular weren't as strong as Trump, so I didn't ever think he'd actually get the nomination. His transits always screamed "fad" to me. But what doesn't is his impact long-term. Ya know, Bernie's Progressed Mercury, planet of communication and ideas, is conjunct the U.S.A.'s Midheaven. He'll have us focused on his ideas for a while. This is also why he's resonated so much with young people (Mercury rules young people). But if you're a Democrat or just don't want Trump to be president, be happy Bernie won't be the nominee - transit Saturn squares (hard aspect) his natal Sun, exact on November 11th, 3 days after the election (meaning, he would lose). Also, I'm a bit concerned about his health next year with Pluto square his Moon, Uranus opposite his 6th house ruler (house of health) and Jupiter opposite his 6th house cusp. He is getting up there and this campaign must've taken a toll. Take care of yourself Bernie! And if anything Bern's, go to the doctor!

Hillary Clinton: Don't Trust Me?

So the Democrats have Hillary Clinton as their nominee. She was the front-runner, so it shouldn't be a surprise, but it was a long campaign against Bernie. The thing that has dogged Hillary time and again is that people don't feel she's trustworthy. She's a liar, they say. What did she lie about?, you ask. I don't know, they say. It's kinda funny (unless you're her). It's a very simple explanation for why people think she's such a liar. Hillary has Mercury in secretive Scorpio, retrograde (making true communication difficult), conjunct her Ascendant (so she comes across as a liar) and conjunct her South Node (so we punish her for it). It's a match made in Hell! Even when she's telling the truth, and we know she's telling the truth, we can insist that she isn't. Part of her problem with this is that she has her Sun conjunct the 12th house cusp and Chiron conjunct Venus in the 12th house (that Venus, planet of love, conjunct Chiron, asteroid of wounds, in secretive Scorpio and the 12th house of affairs - pretty self-explanatory how that one has played out in her life!). This 12th house energy makes it so difficult for her to show her true self. That just compounds the problem. Strangely, she has a Pisces Moon in the 4th house, so she's a lot more emotional and sensitive than people think. This side of her might be a side people would like. But she can't bring herself to show it. Her Moon is also what made her mother very important in her life.

Looking at her composite chart with the U.S., the Composite Moon is being conjuncted by transit Neptune, and the Composite Venus is being opposed by transit Neptune, while the Composite Sun was opposed last year. So there's a lot of veiled energy, and it makes sense for people to feel like she's "hiding" something. She may not actually be hiding something, but that's the nature of Neptune.

(There's also a great article by Alex Miller for The Mountain Astrologer about the impact of some asteroids on the whole truth-teller versus liar views of Hillary and Trump you can check out HERE - it makes a lot of sense for why we're so focused on her dishonest facade now and overlooking Trump's obvious untruths)

Add to this she has Black Moon Lilith anaretic in Capricorn conjunct the 3rd house cusp. Black Moon Lilith can be the independent woman, sort of the original feminist, but she was exiled for it; Capricorn rules politics, the 3rd house rules communication. So the fact that Hillary has been an open feminist all her life fits here, but it turns her into someone you love or hate for it.

Hillary does not seem to have manifested her North Node sign of Taurus very much. This is a problem because the North Node represents your ultimate happiness and self. What she has manifested has been her North Node conjunct the Descendant. The Descendant rules other people, and this aspect usually shows someone who can be the force behind the force. Case in point, she was the force behind a president, her husband. To a lesser extent (and a lesser destructive extent), throwing her support behind Obama and going to work for him was an excellent use of the energy (and the two seemed to get along well after that terrible primary). The people she supports and who embrace it benefit greatly. She's not quite the good luck charm for herself though, and can be her own worst enemy at times. North Node conjunct the Descendant or in the 7th house usually shows someone who is good for other people, and needs other people to really get what they want. She needs to rely more on others. I have a feeling Obama will be the best manifestation of that during this election.

She likely hasn't manifested much of the North Node Taurus for three reasons - she has no earth planets (Taurus is an earth sign) so it's not quite so easy for her to use the earthy energy, she has all of those Scorpio planets on the South Node (so she keeps getting pulled to the South Node energy instead), and she has Mars, Saturn, and Pluto conjunct in Leo, forming a stellium (3 or more planets conjunct) and square her Lunar Nodes. Squares to the Nodes can be blocks to using their energy, and this stellium is a strong one. This stellium along with all of her Scorpio energy is why she seems to do best with her back against the wall, when everyone is against her. She thrives where the rest of us fall. But Taurus wants some calm, stability. So it's not the best thing for her. But you have to wonder if her North Node conjunct the Descendant means she'd be a benefit for the country. You know what other female leader has this? Queen Elizabeth. Hmm.

Hillary does have a powerful tie with the U.S.A., almost meant to be, whether you like it or not: in her composite chart with the U.S.A., Jupiter, Saturn, and the Midheaven are all conjunct in Virgo within 10 minutes of each other. It's so tight you could bounce a quarter off of it! She was meant to have a major role in the country. But does that include first female president, or has she already fulfilled her destiny?

Hillary Clinton: To Indict or Not to Indict

Hillary is being investigated for the server-gate (having a private server for her emails as Secretary of State instead of using government ones), and for issues with money from the Clinton Foundation (potentially taking money for favors). The GOP would crap their pants with joy if she were to be indicted, that's for sure. Legal woes fall under the 9th house and Jupiter, and looking at what's going on for Hillary with them, she has Jupiter sextile the 9th house cusp in August and sextile Jupiter in September (sextiles are positive aspects). The trouble spot is her 9th house ruler, the Moon, which has transit Jupiter opposite (exact August 4th). and Saturn is square (hard aspect) by sign, but that won't be exact until January 2017. She'll have no outer planets going through the 9th house or Mars this year. Uranus is semisextile (positive) October 6th.

I'm inclined to think she won't be indicted (sorry Republicans). Something of that magnitude would indicate major shifts in her chart because it would probably end her candidacy, even if she were already the nominee (the Democrats have a backup plan of Joe Biden in case it happens, but looking at his chart, he doesn't really have anything big going on that would show him stepping in as the nominee). The only period of time where I could see it potentially happening is actually right now. Jupiter squared her Progressed Jupiter two days ago, and Mars retrograde ends in a week conjunct her Ascendant, Mercury, and South Node. I have a hard time seeing that since the investigation doesn't seem to be ending any time soon, and transit Jupiter will conjunct her Composite Midheaven, Saturn, and Jupiter with the U.S. July 7th - 9th, so if a couple more weeks pass and nothing has come, I don't think anything will. Oddly enough, she seems to be hitting her stride right now, so perhaps the end of the Mars retrograde is actually strengthening her (that Scorpio energy, it can sometimes go the reverse way with hard aspects and instead make you stronger). Although Trump is set to have some speech slamming her today, and claims to have dirt on the Clintons - so we'll have to wait and see!

July 2nd addition: Right before the Mars retrograde ended, a House committee released their findings on Benghazi, and while there wasn't really anything new, it seemed to slow the upward trend she was on. Then Bill was seen with Loretta Lynch, and conspiracy theories began to fly that they were rigging things. That forced Lynch to come out saying she would accept whatever was recommended to her. And apparently Hillary met with the FBI, finally, this weekend. So the end of the Mars retrograde hasn't been good for her! Though Trump hasn't recovered much, so it's hard to tell who's really ahead here. I wonder if we'll get an announcement about the charges around July 7th - 9th?

July 5th addition: FBI director James Comey announced today that the FBI was not recommending any charges be brought. Two days before those exact aspects (transit Jupiter conjunct Composite Midheaven, Saturn, Jupiter) and as they're in orb! Ahh, astrology. But with critical Virgo involved and stern Saturn/10th house, she is being bombarded with criticism right now for being "careless". Quite fitting! But she also has the good news. I'll bet the DOJ announces within a few days (as these aspects are in play) that they won't bring any charges.

Trump's Troubles & The Republican National Convention

Trump has not been having a very good June. It all started with the mess with the judge in the Trump U case, which was triggered by transit Mars retrograde square (hard aspect) Trump's natal Mars on June 6th. He's stumbled ever since, and he even fired his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, on Monday, despite having defended the guy even when he shouldn't have. The trigger for that firing? On Monday (June 20th), we had an anaretic Full Moon at 29 degrees Sagittarius, which conjuncted Trump's natal 5th house cusp, trined his Ascendant and sextiled his Descendant, and trined his Progressed Sun. Much of this is positive, and Lewandowski doesn't seem to be harboring too much ill will (for now, anyway). It's also interesting that there are reports it was Trump's kids who pushed for this - the 5th house rules your children.

Now we start to look ahead, and this is when things get even wonkier. When I heard the dates for the Republican National Convention (which is when Trump is officially named the nominee), it is July 18th - 21st, I realized a Full Moon will occur during the Convention on July 19th. I had to pull up the chart for the Full Moon in Cleveland, where the Convention will take place (below):

There are a few things that stand out here. Jupiter is conjunct the 9th house cusp, so this is good for promotion, and there should be a ton of attention being paid to the Convention. Pholus is conjunct the Ascendant; Pholus is an asteroid, and can show a turning point or major event (which this would be, but Pholus might make it even bigger). Asteroid Vesta (home and hearth) is conjunct the Descendant (fitting for the ceremony officially nominating someone to be leader of our country, our "home").

What worries me? Asteroid Nessus conjunct asteroid Pallas only 1 minute apart! Pallas is ruler of cities and of justice. There will be some serious anger, rage going on at this Convention. In the 2nd house, I wonder if damage will be done to property by protesters. Saturn is conjunct the 12th house cusp, bringing out what's been hidden. Venus conjuncts the 8th house cusp, making people enjoy the hostility. And Uranus conjuncts the 4th house cusp, suddenly bringing us to a low point, and conjunct asteroid Eris (a very interesting asteroid which can be quite dark at times - Marina Macario has an excellent take on this one but I do worry about it in this chart).

It's entirely possible that the drama won't be outside the convention, but instead is inside the convention given the ups and downs the party has had in backing or not backing Trump. The full moon opposes Trump's Venus and Saturn - so it won't be the picnic he thinks it will be, no matter what. And the #NeverTrump movement seems to be picking up steam again wanting to "Dump Trump" - but how realistic is that so close to the convention? Probably not, but things could get very, very messy.

July 24th addition: Thankfully, things stayed quiet outside of the convention. I was so worried given all of the energy going into the convention that it was going to explode, so kudos to protesters and organizers and police for keeping things civil. The drama did heat up inside though! And within the first few hours, with the #NeverTrump-ers and anti-RNC-er's teaming up to attempt havoc on the first day. Then Melania Trump gave a speech that first night that was way too similar to a speech Michelle Obama gave a few years ago (outright copied?). Though the biggest debacle turned out to be Ted Cruz's rebellious speech, refusing to endorse Trump and encouraging people to "vote their conscience" (in fairness to Cruz, what was the Trump camp thinking letting him give that speech???). The next morning, Cruz said it was "personal" for him, citing Trump's attack on his wife and father. I wrote that Trump's asteroid Chiron (wounds) conjuncts Cruz's natal Moon (ruler of women - his wife - and family - his father), and that seemed to cause the rift. That certainly played out during the convention!

Trump, the Khan's, and Endorsement Debacles (added August 3rd 2016)

Trump is now in boiling hot water as he attacked a family whose son died in Iraq who spoke at the Democratic Convention. Instead of just thanking them for their son's service and family's sacrifice, he did the Trumpian thing to do and attacked them back. And wouldn't you know it, this seems to actually be the thing that he pays for, after all of the wackadoo things he's done during this election season. More Republicans are coming out in support of Hillary, and he's now refusing to endorse Paul Ryan and John McCain. I wrote in reference to Paul Ryan that when he (finally) endorsed Trump, Mars was retrograde conjunct his natal Ascendant and Progressed 11th house cusp, so I wondered if he would walk it back after the retrograde ended. There's also now talk that people in the GOP are looking into removing Trump as the nominee or trying to get him to drop out. I'm starting to wonder, honestly, if the crazy energy I'm seeing later this month into mid-September has something to do with that. Is it really possible he could drop out, or they could be successful in removing him? Perhaps not, but perhaps they try and sh*t hits the fan (or a million fans). Hmm . . .

Also note the timing of this: Mars was just anaretic in Scorpio, square Trump's Progressed Sun and natal Ascendant at 29 degrees Leo. This comes at the tail end of Trump's Progressed Sun anaretic in Leo, which I said was fueling his popularity. His Progressed Sun enters Virgo on August 6th, in 3 days. Does all of the energy get sucked out with his Progressed Sun soon to be in much quieter, anti-flashy Virgo?

Added September 4th 2016: Almost as soon as Trump's Progressed Sun entered Virgo, he started to quiet down, giving more teleprompter speeches and trying to be more low-key. He's got new people in charge of his campaign (now on to the third iteration, which is highly unusual). But the spark seems to have fizzled thanks to the Virgo energy. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing when it's been what's propelled him all this time?

When Everything Changes

We've had a mutable t-square going ever since transit Jupiter entered mutable sign Virgo last year. A t-square occurs when two or more planets oppose one another and then square (3 signs away) a third planet. I wrote more about mutable t-squares in this article on the Salem Witch Trials (which occurred during a mutable t-square), but we've basically been ignoring the missing part of the t-square, Gemini. We haven't been paying enough attention to the claims of these politicians, we haven't been asking the right questions, we haven't been curious enough or paid enough attention to the facts. A great wall paid for by another country? Sure, totally doable! And about a million other things. The squared planet in the t-square is the one who gets all of the energy, who has been Saturn, ruler of politics, in Sagittarius, the boastful and loud. Sound familiar? Trump has felt like the personification of the squared Sagittarius Saturn. He's been sucking all of the energy of the news cycles, dominating what everyone is talking about during this election. All eyes are on him. But where's the beef?

So things start to change all around the same time. On August 30th, Mercury turns retrograde, and he'll be anaretic in Virgo. In early September, Jupiter leaves Virgo, entering cardinal sign Libra, and forming a whole new t-square, this time a cardinal one. A cardinal t-square a few years ago was essentially what led to the rise of ISIS, because cardinal energy is active. Back then, Libra was the missing sign, so peace and harmony went out the window. This time, Cancer will be the missing sign, which rules the home, homeland, country, family. Add to this that we'll actually still have a mutable t-square going on at the same time because Mercury will be retrograde in mutable sign Virgo, the sign Jupiter leaves, so we go into September with double t-squares. We had this happen at the end of 2014, and this period saw the Paris attacks. (Edited to add, we also have it going on right now, and we've just had the Orlando nightclub shooting) So does this mean we'll see a rise in terrorist activity in the Western world? Can't say that for certain, but I'm certainly worried. Officials here have been warning about it for some time, so it wouldn't be unexpected. If that were to happen, that would radically shift the conversation and focus of the election.

The other possibility is the economy. The growth has slowed to a crawl, and things have been flat, bringing on worry that we may be in for another dip (remember when they kept warning us about a double dip recession?). Knowing this, I pulled up the natal chart for the New York Stock Exchange, and eeks! The Mercury retrograde will begin conjunct the NYSE's 3rd house cusp. Mercury retrogrades at the anaretic degree are bad for the stock market too. Plus Mars and Saturn will conjunct the NYSE's Progressed Midheaven in August, with the Solar Eclipse September 1st square the natal 4th and 10th house cusps, and Neptune square as well. I would not be surprised in the least if we see some major stock market turbulence. And ya know, Virgo is ruler of jobs, so it may be because of a bad jobs report/news/outlook.

The start of the Mercury retrograde is also conjunct the U.S.A. Progressed 2nd house cusp, the house of money, making a financial impact more likely, and conjunct the Progressed U.S.A. Neptune (it just slips like water?). Then we have eclipses in September, and the September 1st Solar Eclipse (which is triggered in August and September) is opposite the U.S.A. Progressed Sun and square the Progressed Moon. A financial mess would also dramatically shift the election.

It feels like a shift will come, and what we're focused on now won't be what we're focused on by the end, and the shift looks to happen August - September.

Transit Jupiter is actually going to conjunct U.S.A.'s natal Midheaven September 14th; this could show coming back up or getting pushed back down.

How does this impact Trump and Hillary? For Trump, it looks huge: in the progressed composite chart between Trump and the U.S., the Progressed Moon conjuncts the Progressed Ascendant at 29 degrees Virgo in the first week of September, which is the location the Mercury retrograde begins on August 30th. Not only that, but in the progressed composite chart, the angles - the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th house cusps - are all anaretic. Holy guacamole! AND in the regular composite chart with the U.S., Neptune is at 29 degrees Virgo as well. STRONG impact.

For Hillary, in her progressed composite chart with the U.S., both Progressed Mars and Saturn are at 27 degrees Virgo, so they will be conjunct the start of the Mercury retrograde. But get this - in the regular composite chart, Mercury is retrograde (since both Hillary and the U.S. were born while Mercury was retrograde), and in Virgo, the sign Mercury will retrograde in. The Mercury retrograde will cross over the Composite Mercury, along with the Midheaven/Saturn/Jupiter trio I mentioned with her before (looks like September 15th). So does that Composite Mercury retrograde in Virgo help her or hurt her with this Mercury retrograde in Virgo?

Added September 4th 2016: So far, the retrograde has been quiet in terms of global affairs (stay that way!), but Trump certainly has had an interesting period! Going to Mexico to meet with the president there, then giving an immigration speech that seemed to be a doubling-down on policies instead of a shift, then some of his Hispanic supporters walking away from him because of it. Ouch! But he's not doing *terribly* because of it yet because Hillary ain't too hot to trot right now either. She's being hit by the Clinton Foundation stuff and her image as a liar is being reinforced. That September 15th date will probably be important for her, either helping to bring her up or push her down.

Added September 19th 2016: Well! Things were looking worse for Hillary right up until September 15th. Then that day, there was some wonkiness with Trump in an interview with the whole birther thing, which he then came out the next day, on the 16th, and finally said Obama was born in the U.S. (in less than one minute after marketing his hotel). That seemed to turn the momentum on its head and make the pendulum swing back in Hillary's favor. BUT we now have the developments of the weekend, with a bombing in New York, more bombs found in New York and New Jersey, a possible terror cell, not to mention the stabbing in Minnesota (is it all too coincidental to not be linked?). I was worried about something popping up terror-related with the double t-squares and the retrograde, and that seems to have played out now (probably thanks to the lunar eclipse on Friday). Thankfully, no one has been killed. But what will this bring out in the country and in the election, and is this what changes everything?

Astrology of Election Day 2016

Election day is November 8th 2016, and of course it has to have some astrological drama. Transit Mars will be anaretic at 29 degrees Capricorn, sign of politics and government. Venus will be conjunct the Galactic Center, which is literally the center of our Universe and is this huge black hole of endless loud noise. Neptune will be coming out of triggering the September 1st Solar Eclipse October 31st - November 1st, gearing up to end his retrograde on November 19th. Is there a problem with voting? Do we not know the winner quickly because it's a razor thin margin, or is it a huge blowout?

I am inclined to think that there will be quite a few, or at least one or two prominent, incumbents losing their seats with the anaretic Mars in Capricorn. That does not bode well for the people who are already there, so I think we'll see a new wave of fresh faces. I think we'll see more women elected thanks to Jupiter (more on that in a bit), along with Venus conjunct the Galactic Center. Ya know, Venus can represent women, and the GC can be linked to the future (so is it literally showing elected women bringing us into a new future?). Interestingly, I read that apparently more women are running for office this year than any year prior.

The Moon will be in Aquarius to start the day, which is the same Moon sign as the U.S.A., so this can be good. The U.S.A. will actually have a Lunar Return (the transit Moon returns to the exact location it was at when the U.A. was founded). The chart puts the Sun conjunct the Midheaven (hitting a high point?) and Jupiter conjunct the 9th house cusp (good turnout?). The Moon turns void-of-course at 8:54AM ET that day, and enters Pisces at 4:45PM ET, so we'll have almost 8 hours of void-of-course Moon adding to any issues. Or maybe quieting things?

The U.S.A. Progressed 4th and 10th house cusps are currently anaretic at 29 degrees Scorpio and Taurus, respectively, and *right* before the election date, will enter new signs, going into Sagittarius and Gemini. The start of building a new foundation for the country with whoever is elected?

Hillary vs. Trump: Who Wins?

Anaretic Mars in Capricorn will actually be conjunct Hillary's 3rd house cusp - good news or bad news? The Moon going into Pisces is the same sign as her natal Moon, Pisces. Hillary's natal Pallas is also in Aquarius, the sign Pallas will be in on election day, and she'll be gearing up for a Pallas return. And the Solar Eclipse that's triggered by Neptune just before the election conjuncts her natal Midheaven and Progressed Mars (and Progressed 8th house cusp, which could be showing a beating either way). The Solar Eclipse isn't doing anything really big like that for Trump, only a sextile to his natal Mercury (but that could show good news). Transit Jupiter will enter Hillary's 11th house October 10th, which could help her increase her popularity (11th house rules the masses). And in her progressed composite chart with the U.S., the Progressed Moon will be conjuncting the Progressed Ascendant.

Anaretic Mars will quincunx Trump's 1st and 11th house cusps (erratic energy), and semisextile his 5th and 7th house cusps (good for reaching out, being personable). The Moon will cross over his Descendant on election day just before entering Pisces (more focus on someone else?).

Truth be told, I thought a woman would be on the winning ticket long before we even had any candidates when I first looked at this election is 2014 (at the midterms). Jupiter's entrance into Libra, a very pro-woman sign, and then conjunct the U.S.A. Midheaven in Libra and in the 10th house, with the Midheaven being the highest point of the chart - figuratively breaking the glass ceiling. So I've believed all along that a woman was going to be president or vice president with this election. If Trump chooses a female VP, that can balance the odds, but if he doesn't, it looks like Hillary to me. The only VP pick floated for Trump that's a woman that I've heard has been Senator Kelly Ayotte, and actually, her chart compared to his is fantastic, and she has some good astrology coming up (Neptune trine Venus, Uranus stimulating a natal yod), so she could be an excellent pick (though she does have a troubled natal Mercury retrograde that will be squared by transit Jupiter, by Mercury retrograde and the Lunar Eclipse in September, and it conjuncts Trump's Progressed 9th house cusp). But will he actually choose her or any woman?

I'll try to add in more when VP picks are made!

Trump's VP Pick: Mike Pence

(Added July 19th 2016)

So Trump finally chose his VP, and it turned out to be governor Mike Pence. It turns out both of them are Gemini Suns, Pence has Venus, Mars, and Uranus in Leo and Trump has Mars and Rising in Leo, and Pence has Mercury conjunct Uranus while Trump has Sun conjunct Uranus. So there is some commonality between them. But there were reports that Trump almost changed his mind at the last minute - why the discomfort? I'm thinking it might be because Pence's Venus and Mars conjunct Trump's 12th house cusp, the house of undoing and subconscious issues/desire/motivations - Pence might be stirring something subconscious in Trump that he's not even consciously aware of, and since Trump is so "gut" oriented, it would make sense for him to reconsider based on that discomfort. It also looks like their Composite Mercury is critical, either at 29 degrees Gemini (anaretic, a crisis point) or 0 degrees Cancer (the Aries Point, a critical degree of critical energy), so this can bring in some communication difficulties, and certainly reflects their differences in ideas. They are helped by the fact that both of their Progressed Mercury's are in Leo, so where they are at the moment communication-wise and idea-wise can feel similar to them.

I'm immediately struck by the fact that Pence's Gemini Sun is getting hit by the mutable t-square we've got cooking this year. It'll actually be opposed by Saturn within orb on election day - ick! Saturn will also be square Pence's Composite Jupiter with the U.S.A. for election day. He's also getting badly hit by the Mercury retrograde in September - the Mercury retrograde ends square his Sun, squares his Moon if it's in Gemini, squares his Mercury, conjuncts the Composite Moon with Trump, starts square the Composite Mercury with Trump, and ends conjunct the Composite Jupiter with the U.S.A. Also, Pence's Composite Sun with the U.S.A. is at 29 degrees Gemini, so the Mercury retrograde begins square, and transit Jupiter will be square at the same time. So whatever comes up in that hotspot time impacts Pence too. What the heck will it be . . .

And of course, Pence is NOT a woman (at least, that we know of).

Hillary's VP Pick: Tim Kaine

(added July 24th 2016)

We now finally have the last piece of the puzzle as Hillary selected Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia to be her running mate. So I pulled up his chart (woo for having a birth time for him so we have a complete chart), and holy crap - he's the perfect choice!

He and Hillary have a lot of good connections, not the least of which is his natal Jupiter, Neptune, and Node Node in Scorpio conjunct her natal Scorpio Sun (Jupiter connections show you genuinely like each other, and North Node connections can show a fated link in this life). He's also a Pisces Sun and she's a Pisces Moon (a triad connection is usually good to see in synastry). Tim Kaine also has his natal Liliths conjunct his natal Ascendant, and recall that Lilith can be tied to the feminist and is strong for Hillary - this shows he's very comfortable with women like that, so he wouldn't be threatened by the fact that's she's the one in charge. They also both have strong 12th house energy, with Hillary's Sun conjunct the 12th house cusp and Venus in the 12th house, and Tim Kaine's soft Pisces Sun and Mercury intercepted in the 12th house (so being of service to someone else makes a lot of sense for him).

Other politicians have said he's a very likable guy, which is likely from Venus in the 11th house + Jupiter in the 7th house (very easy to get along with). The intercepted Pisces 12th house Sun and Mercury also help take away the mean factor. In their composite chart, the Midheaven (highest part of the chart) is at 3 degrees Scorpio, conjunct Hillary's Sun and Kaine's Jupiter/Neptune/North Node. Fantastic for a political pairing (remember 10th house also rules politics). In Kaine's composite chart with the USA, Mars is conjunct asteroid Pallas, so he definitely feels a strong pull to help the country (and it makes sense that he's so connected to cities).

Transit Saturn will enter his 9th house October 6th, so he may not be the best at promoting, but transit Jupiter will conjunct his 7th house cusp October 1st, helping us like him more (and can show us liking HER more since the 7th house rules the other people in our lives - and recall that Jupiter will enter Hillary's 11th house October 10th, so around this same period). Transit Pluto is conjunct his natal Mars, ruler of his 1st house (of the self) and in his 10th house (of career and politics) all year (pushing him to the forefront). His Progressed Mars is anaretic in Aquarius and opposite his Progressed Pluto, who is anaretic in Leo (which just happens to be conjunct Donald Trump's anaretic Progressed Sun and natal Ascendant!). Kaine's Progressed Mars is conjunct his Progressed Midheaven and Progressed Pluto is conjunct his Progressed 4th house cusp - these are the houses of foundation, so there's a massive shift occurring for him in his life.

Okay, so when I pulled up the progressed composite chart for Hillary and Kaine, I just about fell on the floor. Literally! Why? Hillary and Kaine's progressed composite chart will have a -

PROGRESSED FULL MOON!

- and it'll be exact February 1st 2017, right after inauguration day, which is January 20th 2017!!!

In case you couldn't tell, that *drastically* changes my perception of things. While I had thought a woman would be on the winning ticket all along, and we now see that the only woman left is Hillary Clinton, I still wasn't completely certain that she would win, especially since it seems everyone is getting pummeled in that August/September time frame. And wouldn't you know it, Tim Kaine won't be pummeled during that time frame, and in fact, has very little difficult aspects going on for him. Now seeing this Progressed Full Moon for their composite chart right at inauguration day makes me very confident they will be the winning ticket.

Progressed Full Moons are part of the Progressed Lunation Phases, which play out in our progressed charts like the transit lunation phases we all experience each month. In the progressed chart, these phases last for about 2 1/2 years, and the big phases are the Progressed New and Full Moon phases. With the Progressed New Moon, we embark on a new journey in our lives, and often see new beginnings, opportunities, and ventures. With the Progressed Full Moon, we see the culmination of everything we've done thus far, and we reap the rewards or suffer the consequences. So, unless it's the latter and Hillary ends up getting thrown in prison (which I've already said I don't see astrologically), it seems more like the former and they end up winning.

And there's more to this Progressed Full Moon - the Progressed Composite Moon is at 9 degrees Virgo, sign of work, conjunct the progressed 6th house cusp, the house of work. The Solar Eclipse September 1st conjuncts the Progressed Composite Moon at 9 degrees Virgo. In Hillary's composite chart with the USA, the Composite Sun is at 7 degrees Virgo and Composite Venus is at 9 degrees Virgo (and the Composite Moon at 10 degrees Pisces is conjunct the Progressed Composite Sun for Hillary and Kaine at 9 degrees Pisces).

And you want to know what gets even wilder? In the progressed composite chart for Kaine and the USA, he'll also have another Progressed Full Moon in April! This time with the Moon at 9 degrees Libra and the Sun at 9 degrees Aries (which is conjunct the Progressed Composite Ascendant between he and Hillary at the same time, putting the Descendant conjunct the Libra Moon). Hot diggity dog!

As I said, Kaine doesn't really have much in the way of difficult aspects coming up. The Mercury retrograde in September occurs intercepted in his 6th house and only makes one difficult aspect the entire retrograde (a square to Saturn). The Solar Eclipse September 1st does oppose his natal Sun, but this can simply be showing the massive changes in his life. The September 16th Lunar Eclipse squares his natal Saturn (with both of those Saturn aspects, I wonder if that's showing the difficulty of the election wearing on him?).

Looking at election day (November 8th), transit Jupiter trines his 3rd and sextiles his 9th house cusps exactly a few days prior (November 5th) - these are the communication houses, so that can be showing good news. Transit Venus conjuncts his Saturn the day before the election on November 7th. On election day itself, transit Venus should be conjunct his Progressed Descendant and transit Sun conjuncts his 8th house cusp. Recall that the Solar Eclipse conjuncts Hillary's Progressed 8th house cusp; the 8th house used to be ruled by Mars, planet of competition, and is now ruled by Pluto, who wants to destroy everyone, and I've noticed in studying the charts of athletes that if they have an 8th house transit going on, this can show them destroying the competition (we actually just saw this with LeBron James in the 2016 NBA finals as he had transit Pluto sitting on his 8th house cusp and transit Mars retrograding over his natal Saturn in Scorpio, the sign that rules the 8th house). So not only am I now more convinced Hillary & Kaine will win, I'm also now wondering if people will be wrong and it's not close. Now, with the way America is split, it would seem impossible for there to be a blowout when it comes to the popular vote (unless Trump actually DOES shoot someone on 5th Avenue), so it would likely be an Electoral College blowout.

So #NeverTrump-ers can potentially be quite hopeful, and #NeverHillary-ers - sorry!

November 9th 2016 Update: Astrological Autopsy of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election

WELL! Yesterday was election day in America, and in a stunner, Donald Trump actually pulled off a win. Well, a technical win since he's almost certain to lose the popular vote (why the freak does that keep happening America??? twice in 16 years is no good, no good). I hadn't had the time to update this post for a while, but wanted to take a quick look at things now. Pollsters got it wrong, pundits got it wrong, and even most of us astrologers got it wrong! So how did it happen?

Turns out that cardinal t-square really killed it. Mars was anaretic in Capricorn on election day.The anaretic degree is the 29th degree, the last degree of any sign, and a point of crisis energy. The cardinal t-square involves Jupiter in Libra opposite Uranus in Aries with both square (3 signs away) Pluto in Capricorn. SO anaretic Mars in Capricorn was putting emphasis on squared planet Pluto in Capricorn, who is the one getting all of the energy in a t-square in the first place. Pluto is the destructor and transformer, and Capricorn rules governments and politics. I had thought the election would be bad for incumbents and the establishment, but it turned out it was only bad for one establishment figure, Clinton. Oddly enough, the people who have been the problem in Washington over the last 4-6 years - Congress - they didn't really change at all. I'm not sure how you can say you're for change but then elect all of the same people in Congress and only change the one person who wasn't the actual problem - but then, I think I overestimate people's ability to be logical!

SO with the cardinal t-square, the missing sign has been Cancer. The missing sign in a t-square is the part we're ignoring, that we're not paying enough attention to, and usually to our detriment. I think of the saying, cutting off your nose to spite your face - it's like we just destroyed the country (cut off our nose) in a crazed rage to destroy the government and establishment (to spite our face). What sign rules country? Cancer, the sign we're missing. And what sign is the U.S.A.'s natal Sun in? Cancer. We're sacrificing the identity of the country for a transformation that may or may not be a good idea.

Anaretic Mars was also conjunct (aligned with) the U.S.A.'s progressed Pluto, adding to this energy. Progressed Pluto is anaretic in Capricorn, so we're getting this major intense energy for change in the country that isn't going to let up anytime soon. Anaretic Mars was also square the natal 5th and 11th house cusps for the U.S.A., which rule the masses, hence him losing the popular vote. And Pluto rules the U.S.A.'s natal 12th house, exposing the hidden, the "silent majority", that which has been ignored. Add in transit (moving) Mercury in the 12th house too.

Pluto is also on the 2nd house cusp for the U.S.A. right now - for an individual, this usually shows a complete transformation of what it is you need to feel safe and secure, and this house also ties in to our morals and values. Just adding in to the idea that there is a big shift in this country, but it may destroy us financially for a little while since the 2nd house rules money (I don't know if there will be another recession but I won't be surprised if it happens). It certainly points out the pervasive racism in the country that's been brought to light during this election as well, and adds to the feeling of some that they need to dominate and control to "get their country back".

Progressed Venus is conjunct the progressed 9th house cusp - with Venus ruling women and the 9th house being one of the houses of competition, this should've been good for Clinton, but turned out not to be. The progressed Sun is coming to square the natal 1st and 7th house cusps for the U.S.A. - the 1st and 7th houses are the houses of the self and others, ruling how we relate and connect with ourselves and with others. The Sun coming to square can show that the divisiveness continues in a big way as well.

Transit Saturn is now in the U.S.A.'s natal 1st house, the house of the self, with Saturn being the planet of restriction, limitation, confinement - this doesn't bode very well. The progressed Moon is in Sagittarius, and is coming to the 1st house cusp in about 4 months. Anything then? The progressed 4th and 10th house cusps juuuust entered new signs, Sagittarius and Gemini, respectively. I had thought this showed a new foundation, a realignment for the country, which seems to be the case. But with Sagittarius being the 4th house cusp now in the progressed chart, and Saturn in Sagittarius, this coupling is often together for death - does it feel like the death of America? The 4th house is also the bottom of the chart - are we hitting rock bottom as a country, or is rock bottom coming?

Transit Neptune will conjunct the U.S.A.'s progressed Sun next year (2017), which is not going to help matters. On the one hand, it could make us more compassionate and understanding - but it's more likely going to make us more delusional, paranoid, unsure of who we are as a country, taken in and misled by people with less-than-ethical intentions, and feeling taken advantage of when it's all said and done.

I had already looked ahead a few years and seen there will be difficult female energy coming, starting in about 2 years with progressed Venus (remember, a ruler of women) turning anaretic in Aries, and square progressed Pluto. When I thought Clinton would win, I thought it was bad energy for her, but since there is no woman in the White House and a sea of men in Congress, I now think this will play out as bad for women at large in the country, and we see our rights being restricted a lot more. This could be overturning Roe V. Wade, making contraception illegal or so restricted very few have access, less protections and more discrimination in the workplace, severe voting restrictions, repealing the VAWA - just to name some of the possibilities.

Now, I had to jump ahead to the next election, because the Democrats will be starting to plan, like, at 3:01AM last night. There is some super crazy energy leading up to that election in 2020! See, at the end of this decade, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto will all come together in Capricorn, the sign of government and politics, and the apex is in 2020 (plus Mars will join them in Capricorn in 2020). Then the U.S.A. will have transit Pluto return to the exact point it was at when the country was founded in 2022, which is a whole new chapter for the country. So the next election actually looks like it may be even more consequential than this one! Add to it that on election day that year, Mars will be retrograde (and conjunct progressed Chiron, ruler of wounds), and Mercury will end his retrograde that day (which happened on election day in 2000), and it ends square the U.S.A's natal Mercury and Pluto. With all of that plus transit Mars conjunct the natal North Node, I worry about violence for the 2020 election.

Leading up to the election, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto will be opposite the U.S.A's natal Mercury in Cancer (starting in 2019). Mercury is ruler of young people, so I wonder if there's some sort of rebellion that occurs with the young people in the country to lead some new movement. I also forgot, but Mercury can also be tied to the press since Mercury is ruler of communication - do we see more restrictions on the press and free speech, or more opposition to the press, who many have quite unfavorable views of already? In terms of Trump, Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto will be opposite his natal Venus and Saturn (not great for connecting to people or for governing), and in his composite chart with the U.S.A., they will conjunct the Moon and oppose Mars. But I went wrong in predicting who would win this election in 2016 with their personal charts, so I won't put too much stock on the personal aspects for Trump in 2020. All of the other stuff, with the U.S.A.'s chart and with what will be happening with the planets in general that year, still speak volumes though. It ain't over. The revolution may have yet to begin.

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