Mundane astrology usually assigns mortality-related issues to Saturn and Pluto, with the former ruling over karma (the responsibility factor) and the latter ruling the entire process of “death, transformation and rebirth," but this post argues that we need to also consider the corrosive, debilitating roles played by Neptune and Chiron.
While the tactics of Saturn and Pluto are perhaps more dramatic and overt, Neptune and Chiron tend to operate very quietly, but insidiously, beneath our drama radars, often escaping notice.
Then, in what only seems
to happen out of nowhere, realities and relationships that we have long taken
for granted—from the most personal level to the level of societies, systems of
government, traditions, and so on—simply dissolve before our eyes. One day—as
on this past election evening—everything looks different.
Of course, political pundits are still falling all over
themselves trying to figure out what in the world happened. Not that we haven’t
been through shocking elections in the past—this one just seems to be
qualitatively different. Did we wake
up in the same country? What happened to the democratic values that seemed so
written in stone before November 8th? What happened to the standards of
decency—the rules and norms that have kept our national discourse at least
somewhat civil until now? One CNN.com
article today takes a stab at answering these questions:
“Over the last eight years,
McConnell and congressional Republicans have blown up one norm after another,
casting off the habits and expectations that allow our government to operate in
something resembling an efficient fashion, all with the goal of grinding that
government to a halt.
What if we filibustered just about
every bill? What if we threatened not to increase the debt ceiling, basically
threatening global economic collapse if we don't get what we want? What if we
shut down the government? What if we just refused to consider the president's
nominee to the Supreme Court until we get a president from our party?”
This may all just sound like sniveling Democratic party
angst, but indeed the same gradual, relentless breakdown of institutions and
norms is happening across Europe and elsewhere these days—witness, the wave of
right-wing “populist” (called “authoritarian populist” by Secretary of State
John Kerry) threats we’re seeing to that continent’s liberal democracies. In
the wake of February’s “Brexit” vote in the UK, the European Union itself is
under threat from the pressures.
Suddenly the values of egalitarian democracy, rooted in a
delicate balance of powers, the American Bill of Rights and (in Europe) the French
revolutionary ideals of “liberté, egalité, and fraternité,” are being
back-burnered. Stagnant economies roiling the working classes and the perceived
threats of trade arrangements and job-killing immigration have spawned an
atmosphere of anger and irrationality in national debates everywhere.
In the process, voters have chosen leaders who promise to recklessly
upset the post-World War II order. It appears that dismantling that order—particularly
the NATO alliance—is a Russian objective. Putin’s meddling in the elections of
not just the U.S., but of Eastern European, Baltic nations, and most recently,
Germany, is all over the news these days, and the techniques reportedly used to
meddle are classic Neptunian
subterfuge: use the media to spread rumors, misinformation and disinformation, with the goal of sowing
doubt in the integrity of election processes and blurring the distinction
between real facts (even those gathered by reputable intelligence agencies) and
“fake news.” Then, when caught, deny any involvement.
It’s almost humorous, in these mutable times (powerfully
maintained by Neptune’s long transit through Pisces), that we’re seeing
“plumbing” analogies in the news—specifically information “leaks.” Leaks of any
fluid entity (information qualifies) are pure Neptune, which is always pushing
to exceed existing limits!
The irony is, for a Neptunian strategist like Trump, the perception of leaks can be used to the
same advantage as actual leaks—hence Trump’s
admiring comments about “Wikileaks” during the campaign, and as PEOTUS, his Tweets
yesterday about Nazi Germany and the press.
It’s all one powerful, Neptunian
“shadow play”—witness Trump’s performance in yesterday’s press
conference. Trump’s
claims that the intelligence community leaked an incriminating dossier to
the media (that he denies ever hearing about and denies even exists) are simply
a pretext allowing him to impose his power over both the intelligence community and the media in one fell swoop, sending
the message that they better not tell him anything he doesn’t want to hear, or
ask him questions he doesn’t want to answer.
That Trump’s claims are factually
false is unimportant—for those who now serve in his new administration, the
ground rules are laid down and made just ambiguous enough to keep everyone off
balance. Intelligence personnel say that they felt responsible for letting Trump
know what documents and stories were circulating out there about him; Trump
turns that responsible impulse on its head and uses it against them.
Another fluid (besides information) that is much-discussed
these days is oil—thought by many
astrologers to be ruled by Neptune, as well, although Pluto is probably also
involved, as ruler of the “Underworld” from which fossil fuels are extracted. I
would suggest that both planets have a hand in both the resource itself and the
shady manipulations that always seems to accompany this geopolitical “black
gold.”
The nomination of Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson for Trump’s
Secretary of State is a testament to the entangled nature of oil
politics: he is friends with Vladimir Putin and probably resentful of
Obama’s sanctions regime against Russia for its effects on Exxon-Russia
dealings, so Tillerson is the perfect choice for what looks to be Trump’s
pro-Russian foreign policy.
That Tillerson claims to have “no knowledge” of Trump’s
financial interests in Russian oil is pure Neptune-Pluto obfuscation—where entanglements do exist, they are rarely acknowledged openly, and those who dig for the truth are vilified
(the “deceptive media”).
Trump continues to meet calls to release his taxes
(Pluto)—so these questions might be put to rest—with signature Neptunian sleight-of-hand
(the eternal “audit”).
To establish at least some of the astrological facts in this wildly complicated situation, let’s
examine the chart for yesterday’s press conference alongside Trump’s natal
chart, first—then, we’ll follow up by
adding the U.S. Sibly chart into the picture for further context. There’s quite
a story to consider here.
Biwheel #1: (inner wheel) Donald J. Trump, June
14, 1947, 10:54 a.m. DST, Jamaica, New York; (outer wheel) Trump Press
Conference, January 11, 2017, 11:00 a.m. ST, Washington, D.C.
Interchart Cardinal
Grand Cross: Press Conference (PC)
Sun-Pluto (Capricorn) oppose Trump Saturn-Venus (Cancer); this axis squares PC
Jupiter-Trump Jupiter opposite PC Uranus (Aries). Let’s examine one
axis at a time here:
Press Conference (PC) Sun-Pluto
(Capricorn) oppose Trump Saturn-Venus (Cancer). A Capricorn Sun
conjunct Pluto wields great power and reflects great ambition; while not a
close conjunction (4°+orb),
it’s clear that this conference gave Trump a weighty platform for his action
plan and messaging. Saturn’s rulership of Capricorn reflects the punitive, reprimanding
attitude Trump
adopted towards the media (particularly Buzzfeed and CNN), U.S.
intelligence agencies and Big Pharma.
Clearly this confrontational stance
is a matter of strategy (Pluto) going forward. The immediate losses experienced
on Wall Street by pharmaceutical stocks certainly speaks to Pluto’s
manipulations—Trump’s stated objective is to provide lower drug prices, so a
shock to their bottom line can’t hurt. Broadly, he’s laying down the groundwork
and power dynamics for future healthcare program deal-making (if such a
healthcare program actually happens).
PC Jupiter-Trump Jupiter opposite
PC Uranus (Aries). Trump is still enjoying the Jupiter return to his
chart that lifted him on election day, but the opposition from transiting
Uranus to this point has been a mixed bag. On one hand, although we never know
what the next day’s official “Tweets” will be about (Jupiter makes strategic
use of these Uranian surprises), we can usually assume that these pithy
communications will be defensive and/or pre-emptive offensive: either
deflecting inconvenient or damaging information, or tearing down some perceived
opponent.
Tweets in which Trump takes credit for something he may or may not
have actually done are the exception. Many analysts have commented that it’s
time he stops being a candidate and starts being the president-elect—we shouldn’t
hold our collective breath.
Regarding the tense relationship
between these cardinal axes. Those caught up in cardinal grand cross
energies tend to act impulsively, sometimes in an agitated manner, often with
scant regard for their impact on others. We’re seeing this in Trump’s
insistence that the Affordable Care Act be repealed NOW, with replacement to
come (does anyone believe this?).
Trump’s ambitious Saturn-Venus
(Cancer) are definitely “caught up” in these energies, and they likely speak
to his need for constant validation (they’re inconjunct his Sagittarius
Moon), not to mention his defensive/offensive strategies for growth
(this duo squares his Jupiter). These specific planets
point to rapid social change and a need to coordinate personal ambition (Trump Jupiter
return) and social trends (PC Uranus).
It’s sobering to realize that Trump
will oversee at least the early days of the coming wave of Uranian tech
advances (automotive, AI-based automation and robots, etc.). In light of this
agitated grand cross dynamic (which continues into the inauguration), can we
imagine that he will patiently help workers navigate the treacherous job market that
results from all the new automation? Just how many new service sector jobs will
the economy sustain? Workers are going to be the “losers” in that brave new
world, and we know that Trump only respects “winners.”
Hopefully time will prove this
wrong, but nothing we’ve seen so far suggests that Trump will transcend his
need for personal power and aggrandizement for the sake of collective needs. The
pile of folders stacked on the dais at the press conference were designed to
suggest he is divesting from his
businesses for the sake of the presidency, but few believe there was anything
substantive in those folders. Those who oversee government ethics
certainly aren’t buying his plan.
On another note, he’s appointing
Cabinet members who disapprove of the
goals of the agencies they will take on: aside from the chaos this incoherence
is likely to produce, what can we expect to get done for the People in this atmosphere? Simply cutting funds on the pretext
of returning them to the “taxpayers” would give Trump a personal boost (Cancer
planets) and would certainly be Capricorn Pluto’s Wall Street-friendly
preference, but what would that
accomplish in the end?
Interchart Grand Fire
Trine: Trump Mars-ASC (Leo) trines PC
Uranus (Aries) and Trump Moon-So. Node-PC Saturn-Mercury (Sagittarius). This
particular configuration (minus Mercury) has persisted pretty much throughout
Trump’s coup, and as the fiery emotional engine of the election, it probably
fueled his rise. With his Moon tied in so closely, Trump was
able to be the passionate emotional “voice” his followers were looking for, so it’s
no coincidence that his message caught on “like wildfire.”
PC Mercury’s placement here, trine Trump’s fiery Mars-ASC,
explains his anger at the unconfirmed “Russian dossier” revelations—anything
that challenges his image (ASC), power (Mars), and provides an
alternative narrative (Mercury) to his own is going to be
rejected forcefully.
On another note, this configuration also reflects what CNN
called “the strategic crush of confirmation hearings” designed to rush Trump’s Cabinet
nominations through Congress so that no one hearing can attract too much attention (or take a very in-depth
approach). Scheduling his own press conference in the middle of such a harried
day only reinforced the pressured pace Trump wants to maintain. It’s hard to
see this strategy winning out in the end, but we shall see.
Like all wildfires, the one that has supported Trump “no
matter what” will eventually run its course. It seems that Trump’s boast that
he can “shoot someone on 5th Avenue and no one will care” simply
isn’t going to hold true forever. The next aspects explain my reasoning here a
bit further.
Interchart T-Square: PC Saturn-Trump Moon-So. Node (Sagittarius) oppose
Trump Sun-No. Node-Uranus (Gemini); this axis squares PC Chiron-Mars (Pisces). Saturn
has moved into closer aspect to Trump’s points since moving out of square with
Pisces Neptune, so this t-square is likely over-taxing Trump’s thinking
processes, not to mention frustrating his emotional life (Moon in cerebral Sagittarius).
With Pisces Chiron-Mars involved, to say that Trump feels his agenda is
being challenged is probably fair. He wants what he wants, NOW.
PC Saturn’s inconjunct to Trump’s Saturn-Venus further
compounds the effects of the t-square. In fact, PC Chiron is doubling
down its influence by also trining Trump’s Cancer duo while it
squares his Sun—it’s quite likely that despite his bravado, he’s a mass of
insecurities and fears at the moment. The ethical concerns with his conflicts
of interest simply won’t be dispelled as easily as he would like, and he is
probably caught on the horns of a very wounding (Chiron) dilemma. He can’t
be totally responsible (Saturn) without giving up on a
great deal of wealth and prestige (Venus sextiles his
Taurus MC—could his name have
to come down off all those buildings?). Can he choose between being president and being the world’s biggest
real-estate mogul?
On being president—adding
in the Sibly chart
We could certainly tease more out of the biwheel above, but
the most critical remaining points need the larger context of the nation
itself. Three specific issues are considered here: what roles do Sibly Neptune
and Chiron and Trump’s natal Neptune
and Chiron play in all this? How is the pre-inauguration chaos we’re seeing
likely to impact the nation-at-large? Let’s consider the triwheel.
Triwheel #1: (inner wheel) U.S. (Sibly) chart,
July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (middle wheel) Donald J.
Trump, June 14, 1947, 10:54 a.m. DST, Jamaica, New York; (outer wheel) Trump Press
Conference, January 11, 2017, 11:00 a.m. ST, Washington, D.C.
PC Venus-Neptune (Pisces) trine PC Moon-Trump Mercury-Sibly
Sun-Jupiter-Venus (all Cancer). Many analysts concurred that Trump’s
press conference was a masterful performance—as one said, he “set the tone” of
his administration going forward. The emotional (Moon) and performative
content (Venus-Neptune) of the day is represented here; Trump’s
tone-setting message was supported by the watery trine with his Mercury,
and that message began overtaking the Sibly Sun (presidency and nation-at-large).
For better or worse (trines to Sibly Jupiter-Venus) Trump is becoming
our “avatar” on the world stage.
PC Venus-Neptune squares Sibly Uranus. Wall Street is still a
bit giddy about the prospect of fewer government regulations coming soon (see
trines described in last paragraph), yet working Americans (Sibly 6th
house Uranus, disposing Sibly Aquarius Moon) are likely to feel
more disrupted and deceived (PC Neptune square) than giddy. Many
are wondering if they will have healthcare going forward, and the promise of
major infrastructure/transportation projects (creating thousands of jobs) may
prove illusory (Neptune overlays Sibly 3rd).
On another note, the Sibly 6th house’s connection
with the military may leave us vulnerable to threats. The pressure on Sibly Uranus
could also reflect ongoing cyberhacking—we need to secure our essential
systems!
PC Mars also squares Trump’s natal Uranus, so we
can expect continued impulsive attacks on any and all opponents.
Trump Chiron-Jupiter-Sibly Saturn (Libra) squares Sibly Sun (Cancer);
Trump Jupiter opposes Sibly Chiron-PC Uranus (Aries). Trump may have a
fairly detrimental impact (Chiron) on the checks and balances
we can normally expect to be exercised by Congress on the Executive Office
(Sibly Saturn squares Sibly Sun). Trump clearly expects Congress to support his
personal growth agenda (his Jupiter conjoins Sibly Saturn);
this was evident in his statement about repealing Obamacare quickly, despite
the misgivings of some GOP members.
There appear to be some mutually wounding influences here:
Trump’s Chiron and the nation’s Chiron are essentially opposite,
even though the orb is fairly wide. Will Trump accept the awesome responsibility
that comes with the presidency, transcend personal ambitions and smooth over
some rough edges? Or will the nation become a more savage, narcissistic collective
under his lead?
Trump Neptune (Libra) conjoins Sibly MC and squares Sibly Venus-Jupiter
(Cancer). Promises, promises, promises…media reps at the press
conference did their best to pin Trump down on the pledges he so vehemently
promoted during the campaign, but it’s clear the waffling will continue.
At the
Sibly MC, Trump’s Neptune may influence our reputation
on the world stage. Trump himself has stated that he sees the advantage of
being unpredictable—keeping other countries guessing what we’re likely to do.
Exaggerated praising of his nominees and of others he favors
seems to fit here: at several points in his press conference he fell back into
this tactic for cloaking a basically substance-light policy. Using unpredictability
and hyperbole tactics with allies (Sibly 7th house Jupiter-Venus)
who count on our support (even more importantly, on our steady leadership) may
backfire. It appears from this configuration that Trump will leave himself
“wiggle-room” in any economic policies or agreements. “Repeal and Replace
Obamacare” is a prime example.
These aspects are not limited to the press conference event,
of course, so we can expect the ambiguities and nebulous accountability to
persist (Mexico will reimburse us for the wall someday). Trump’s business
practices should be instructive here.
Interchart T-Square: PC Chiron-Mars (Pisces) oppose Sibly Neptune
(Virgo); this axis squares Sibly Mars-Trump Sun-Node-Uranus (Gemini). Martin
Lass describes Chiron’s aspects to Mars as eliciting “the physical
manifestation of our Woundedness and its subsequent Healing path, i.e., the
things we do or not do, the actions we take or do not take and the decisions we
make or not make.”[1]
This sounds like a warning to my ear—is Trump’s presence on that
podium itself the “Wound,” (his Gemini points overlaying the Sibly 7th—an
“enemy?”), or were the dynamics that brought him to power the lancing of a long-festering
wound? Mars signals a call to
action, but in mutable Pisces, the path ahead was far from clarified by the
press conference.
One specific hazard reflected here is very troubling. Pisces
is the sign ruling epidemics and addictions, and the nation is in the throes of
an opioid epidemic that fits the sign precisely. Trump’s continued insistence
that Obamacare must be repealed and replaced (with what?) should give us
serious pause here, for two reasons: addictions seem to follow on the heels of illness
and/or hopelessness, affecting those who (for whatever reason) are vulnerable. Chiron
opposite Sibly Neptune (the American Dream) certainly points to a possible epidemic
of despair being felt in America.
Will there be a healing counterforce of compassion and care
(and opportunity, if that’s the “care”
needed) available? If hopelessness is the
root problem, which policies being
promoted by Trump or the GOP-dominated Congress are going to solve that problem?
Those who disagree with the very concept of national health care (Trump’s
nominee for Health & Human Services and most Republicans) love to question
why those who are “responsible” and take care of their health should have to
pay for those who do not—we can only imagine how that translates into care for “irresponsible”
substance abusers.
This compassionless stance and the empty promises we’re
hearing will do nothing to solve the current epidemic—or others like it that
may take off during the rest of Neptune’s time in Pisces.
Is the Trump presidency going to lift the nation’s spirit by
cutting access to healthcare?
Perhaps he and others who might chafe at paying for
addicted “weaklings” are, in the end, simply pinching pennies and using “moral
misgivings” as the justification. Are we seeing how this might apply to defunding
Planned Parenthood as well? More dollars for the Defense industry!
Neptune, Chiron and
the changing world order
With Neptune it often seems that any change afoot is
“inevitable”—for instance, we were sold on globalization (a distinctly
Neptunian phenomenon) as a new economic order “whose time had come” in the late
1980s-early 1990s (see 7/29/16
post for more on the evolution of free trade); now, economies across the world
are reacting with nationalist/populist rage at the consequences of that globalization.
The fact is, better choices could have been made by the powers-that-be involved in setting up
this global system, and can be, going forward, with enough political will (more
on that in future posts). Better choices could
have been made from day one in election 2016, too. It will be interesting to
hear what comes out of the Inspector
General’s investigation into FBI director James Comey’s choice to issue a damning letter about Hillary
Clinton 11 days out from the election.
Whether the deep disruptions we see today will appear
“inevitable” in the rearview mirror remains to be seen, but clearly, the world order
virtually all living Americans have grown up with seems to be washing away
before our eyes, with every “Tweet” sailing forth from Trump Tower. IMHO, Trump’s
press conference did nothing to allay those concerns.
Clearly, this wave of unfathomable change bears the signatures
of Neptune and Chiron: simply put, we’re seeing the old order succumb to the
erosive energies of this duo in a slow “death by a thousand cuts.” One small
wound (a Chironic “cut”) may have little impact; however, a continuing,
relentless succession of small wounds delivered over long periods of time
(Neptune) can have a deadly cumulative effect.
This is the power of passivity, which we associate with
Neptune because of its fluid, watery nature: if people simply stand by and
watch, a slowly dripping faucet and a sluggish drain will eventually flood them
out of their home. Even with understandable excuses for standing by, there’s a causal connection between passive neglect and the consequences of neglect (in this case,
flooding) that can’t be denied. Saturn always plays the “devil’s advocate” to
Neptune.
Even so, Neptune has an insidious way of overpowering Saturnian
resistance, so the flood (the addiction, the illness) often wins out over even
the most sincere efforts to contain it. Most people living in a flood plain
know that when the waters start rising, it’s time to evacuate—plain and simple.
Flooding, mold and decay go hand-in-hand, of course: in
fact, decay is an important final stage
in Neptunian destruction. An army of hungry, eager spores and bacterium descend
upon the soggy flooded area, breaking down any semblance of structural
integrity (Saturn).
There is no going back at that point—all we’re left to
do is salvage anything that we can, and clean up the mess—clear out the old,
outworn realities—and start fresh. That fresh start is the redemptive new beginning of the ever-cycling Neptunian process.
Chiron often colludes with Neptune at points during this
process—for example, in severe disasters in which victims lose everything, we see Chiron’s fingerprints. A significant Chiron
passage (usually combined with some other natal/transiting factors) can be marked
by devastating loss—followed, ideally, by a healing process that refines and
tempers the spirit. Victims often claim that the “only thing that matters is
that no one was hurt,” but clearly they are looking at some tears and fears
ahead.
Clearly, with PC Chiron opposite our collective Neptune, the nation is now having a significant Chiron passage, complete with heart-wrenching losses. My guess is, we have some tears and fears ahead in America
come January 20th. A "flood" of insecurities has inundated our collective “home,” and
we are now in the final stages of a destructive, but hopefully redemptive
process in the end. Ancient myths regarding cataclysmic floods (Noah’s ark is
but one of many) come to mind, and for those who noticed that a Delaware-sized ice-shelf is breaking away from Anarctica (portending sea-level rises), the
mythology may not sound too far off. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
The astrology suggests a period of unraveling lies ahead
(see 5/3/2016
post and others for more), with a more optimistic period dawning at the end of 2020.
Let’s hold on to each other in the meantime—all is not lost. Personally, I take comfort that wise people of solid
character like Senator Bernie Sanders and President Obama will remain involved,
one way or another. It’s no mystery why Obama’s farewell speech kept returning
to the issue of taking action and hope—Amen to that!
[1]
Martin Lass, Musings of a Rogue Comet:
Chiron, Planet of Healing, Book One, Galactic Publications, Nyack, NY,
2001, p. 385.
Raye
Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former educator. 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.
She is
also available to read individual charts—contact her at: robertsonraye@gmail.com.
© Raye Robertson 2017. All
rights reserved.
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