So, is Donald Trump
a fascist or isn’t he? …that seems to be the question roiling so many in the
media (and on social media) these days. It’s a question we should all want answered, too—his persistent
base of support will impact the 2016
election, one way or another. Mundane astrology can lend insights that elude
other analysts, so even though we probably all have better things to do this
time of year, let’s take a look at this quandary.
To lay a
bit of groundwork for the discussion, I’d like to offer the following from history
professors Federico Filchenstein and Pablo Piccato, writing for the New York Times: Concise and exactly on
target (IMHO), they point to the strength of Trump’s support with people who
would probably not consider him a
fascist, but who nevertheless “like his anti-democratic way of playing
democratic politics.” They go
on to say:
For them, he represents antipolitics: their idea
is that Trump transcends politics as usual. They support his statements not
only for their contents but also because of their populist style. Trump’s
followers believe in his self-presentation as a lonely hero of the people who
is fighting the political elite. Their dislike for existing politics fuels
their apathy toward Trump’s extremism.
The professors
then briefly draw what they see as the parallels between Trump’s behavior and
policies and those of the prototypical “fascist leader:”
In a context very different to our own, fascists
used this sense [dislike for existing politics] to provide an authoritarian
answer to collective concerns. The true fascist leader did not have to explain
his policies: he was a man of action who could do no wrong. He was followed
because he was believed to represent what an entire people wanted. Most voters
often supported fascists despite their most extreme views because they believed
in their talk of order, economic improvement and national uniformity.
It makes
perfect sense—who wouldn’t want a “man
of action who could do no wrong” leading the country to “economic improvement?”
Under the current threat level, that sounds perfectly reasonable—but the “national
uniformity” aspect of the fascist agenda is where post-World-War II American politics
usually draws the line. Donald Trump has decided to storm over that line, however,
and according to the writers, there’s a good reason his support only seems to
grow the more outrageous he becomes:
Trump’s followers want a country that looks,
believes, talks, eats and drinks the same. They want to go back to a country
without diversity, which never existed except in the reactionary images of the
past. This idea derives from a longstanding fear of difference and nationalism
that in Europe caused much destruction. Against a meaningful democracy where
all people who are living in the country can participate, Trump’s supporters
want a similarly reduced version of America.
As in the
1930s, when Hitler’s supporters bought into the fear-driven idea that the “Others”
in their midst were to blame for the hardships they were experiencing, so it is
today. Hence the Trump enigma. So, would a Trump presidency be likely to repeat
fascist history on American soil? Let’s consider what astrology can tell us,
using the example of Hitler’s dictatorship as a basis for comparison (triwheel
below). Inner wheel: the USA Sibly
chart (to establish today’s political context); Middle wheel: Hitler’s dictatorship (“Fuehrer” title official August
19, 1934, cast for noon in Berlin, Germany); Outer wheel: Donald Trump’s natal chart (AA: BC/BR). Please see an earlier post here, from
9/22/2015 for more on Trump’s relationship with the Sibly chart (and hence his
viability as a presidential candidate).
Trump’s Sun-Moon (Sagittarius-Gemini) stretches
across the Sibly 1/7 axis, exactly opposing/conjoining Sibly Mars (21°+Gemini) and t-squaring Sibly Neptune (22°+Virgo). Trump’s Uranus-0-Node (17°-20°+Gemini) ties into the
whole configuration via conjunction with his Sun. Military adventurism (Mars) and delusions of “exceptionalism”
(Neptune) are joined at the hip in American history, forming the basis for our “American
Dream” national ideology, and Trump taps into that “Dream” exceptionally well
with his tough “anything goes” rhetoric (Mercury disposed Uranus) and ego-driven
sense of destiny (Sun-0-Node). His laser focus on security issues is driven by
his Cancer Mercury, also disposing his Gemini Sun and trigger-happy Uranus. His
claims that he is not a bigot—“I love everybody”—despite great evidence to the
contrary, is probably related to his sociable Jupiter in Libra, disposing his “say-it-like-he-sees-it”
Sagittarian Moon.
This completes
the fluid Sun-Moon-Mercury circuit that keeps Trump’s name in the media as the
perceived “champion” of security issues, a cause that is helped tremendously by
his Mercury falling at the Sibly chart’s
exact Venus-Sun midpoint, encompassing Sibly Jupiter in the process. Simply
put, he has staked out a claim as being the mouthpiece (Mercury/Gemini Sun) for
American security issues at this juncture. Everyone else sounds “weak” by
comparison.
Trump’s Sun-Node-Uranus trines his Jupiter
(Gemini-Libra); Trump’s Jupiter conjoins Sibly Saturn and squares Sibly Sun
(Cancer)—it also conjoins Hitler’s Dictatorship Jupiter (19°+Libra). Trump’s natal Gemini stellium-120-Jupiter speaks to his
charisma and ability to defy political “gravity”—the more extreme he is
perceived to be, the more attention he gets, which further fuels his extremism.
The inability of the President and other members of Congress (including current
presidential candidates) to effectively challenge Trump’s popularity can also
be seen here. By tapping into the nation’s Sun-90-Saturn with his Jupiter-Gemini
stellium trine, Trump simply “trumps” both the Executive and Legislative
branches. With Trump’s Gemini points (especially Uranus) conjoined Sibly Mars,
an extreme manifestation of this configuration would be an all out “coup d’etat.”
Das Fuehrer
As the
interchart connections suggest, Hitler’s dictatorship benefited from similar social/political
momentum—seen in its 1934 Jupiter trine with a powerful Saturn in Aquarius. This
trine represented the culmination of Hitler’s aggressive consolidation of
political power in Germany (from his appointment as German Chancellor on January
30, 1933 to the Parliament’s merging of German Chancellor and President
positions on August 19, 1934, giving Hitler the title of “Fuehrer”), and it represented the readiness (trine) of
the society (Jupiter-Saturn) to accept his leadership!
Not
surprisingly, several expert mundane astrologers (including Barbault, Baigent,
Campion and Harvey) point to a correlation between strong Saturn-Uranus connections
(especially strong in Aquarius) and right-wing, authoritarian “politics of
Order.” As for Jupiter’s role, the social perception of growth opportunities is
reflected in its placement. The Libran echo between Hitler’s time and our own, as
embodied in Trump’s candidacy, points to the troubling ways in which Libran
issues such as fairness, equality and law can be used and abused for political
ends. We need to be concerned with how
this Libran energy plays out, as Jupiter will widely conjoin Trump’s Jupiter from
12°+Libra, supporting Trump’s deep connections to the Sibly chart, on
Election Day, 2016. More on this in a future post.
Trump’s Mars (26°+Leo) trines his Sagittarius Moon and sextiles
his Gemini stellium, conjoins the Hitler’s Dictatorship Sun (25°+Leo) and opposes the Sibly Moon (27°+Aquarius). The Trump-Dictatorship interchart connection speaks to the “Alpha
Male” role in which Trump has cast himself, and we should not take for granted
that, if elected, he would defer to the Constitution as the ultimate law of the
land. Rather, with Mars-120-Moon, disposed by his powerful Sun-Jupiter trine and
the opposition of his Mars and the Sibly Moon, he would simply claim his
policies (his Will) reflect the will of the People and proceed to do as he sees
fit. Trump’s answer for any criticism is to cite his poll numbers.
Trump's Mars-Sibly Moon opposition also explains the
magnetic attraction his so-called “carnival barker routine” has for such a large
percentage of the American public. America has always had a love-hate
relationship with monarchy (Leo), but we can be taken in by a tough-talking New
Yorker who sounds like he’s stepped right out of a crime drama too. Trump—living
his lavish, billionaire-style life in phallic “Towers” named after himself—plays
us like a piano.
Trump’s Saturn-0-Venus (23°-25°+Cancer) conjoin Sibly Mercury (24°+Cancer) and oppose Sibly Pluto (27°+Capricorn). These connections fall over the Sibly 2-8 axis, creating a
complex web of power dynamics that tap not only into our security issues (heavy
cardinal Saturn-Pluto energy), but into “big money” interests (Venus-Pluto) as
well. These connections also speak to Trump’s
ability to use the nation’s Mercury “podium” to promote preemptive,
exclusionary “build-a-wall” defenses (Saturn in Cancer). In turn, this helps
him cultivate the “speak-truth-to-power” narrative that informs his every “tweet.”
Positioned as his Venus and Saturn are, it’s also likely that his ambition goes
beyond matters of defense: this 2-8 axis stretch also encompasses control of
the nation’s resources, and the use of “defense” as a strategy for exploiting
the resources of others as well. It gets even more complicated…
Trump’s Venus-Saturn in Cancer sextile Sibly
Neptune (22°+Virgo) and conjoin Dictatorship Mars-Pluto (22°-25°+Cancer). It’s
worth pointing out that 1934 Pluto fell opposite Sibly Pluto, and with today's transiting Pluto edging its way toward a return to its Sibly position, Pluto might just be trying to tell us something. "What goes around comes around" with Pluto, suggesting we may be seeing a
karmic repeating of history. (For more on the Pluto dynamics we need to watch for in the near term, see my posts here from October 10, 13 and 16).
All together, these connections point to how the founding illusions of nations and their repressed “shadows” (Sibly Neptune and Pluto) have a way of resurfacing, and that the worst periods of history are reflected in the charts of would-be “leaders” who catalyze this process.
All together, these connections point to how the founding illusions of nations and their repressed “shadows” (Sibly Neptune and Pluto) have a way of resurfacing, and that the worst periods of history are reflected in the charts of would-be “leaders” who catalyze this process.
Bottom line,
if Donald Trump is able to co-opt American democracy with a fascist-style
agenda, it is because his agenda conjures up this shadow we have long denied. Donald
Trump may be the poster child for those who see the inevitable, extreme pole
of capitalism (he is a billionaire
business man, after all) as being authoritarian, fascist control. One way or
another, the pressure to face these national karmic demons will mount as
transiting Saturn and Pluto conjoin to start their new cycle in 1/2020, and as Pluto
returns to Sibly Pluto’s position between now and 2022, so we “ain’t seen
nothin’ yet!”
Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former university English instructor. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years. Raye can be contacted by comment here, or at: robertsonraye@gmail.com.
© Raye Robertson 2015. All rights reserved.