Perhaps every family has one: the
older dad, uncle, brother-in-law who simply has
to be right about everything, and if his ideas are challenged he either
sulks in a corner nursing a drink all night, or he “takes his ball and goes home.”
Well, our collective American family is no
different these days, only our dysfunctional old uncle wields the powers of the
U.S. presidency, and he’ll run the nation into the ground to prove it’s his way or the highway. His behavior at
this past week’s G-7 conference in Montreal was the perfect illustration.
Unfortunately, with his aggrieved approach to
international economics and trade, Trump is not looking for a balanced, win-win
situation for all parties in any international relationship. “We’re
the piggy bank that everybody is robbing,” Trump insisted during the G-7, despite mountains
of evidence that the US is profiting just fine from the international trade
agreements we already have in place.
Even so, trade is a convenient
bugaboo for his political base—and admittedly there are some aspects of global trade that should be more
worker-friendly and less about the mega-finance sector—but he’s clearly using his
perennially aggrieved posture to crack open and gut our traditional alliances.
Threatening to halt trade with G-7
nations because they demand that American companies follow the international
regulations and procedures that we’ve agreed to over the years—a touchy subject
for rules-averse Trump on several levels—is a classic case of uncooperative,
sulking behavior. So Trump—so far out of his comfort zone in one incredibly
telling picture
from the conference that his arms were protectively wrapped around
himself—plans to cut us out of the benefits of international trade to “show them.” Like they can't get the products we manufacture anywhere else!
Here’s how it went down: after some
intense lobbying on the part of the other western leaders, Trump initially
signed a carefully parsed official joint “communiqué” with them, and then not two
hours later, he reneged en route to Singapore by tweet. By that time Canadian
PM Justin Trudeau had criticized recently-imposed American tariffs in a press
conference, saying Canada
“would not be pushed around.”
The ensuing tweetstorm as Trump
and his trade team struck back at Trudeau has been, to put it mildly, a
sulky and disproportional tantrum, accusing Trudeau of “stabbing” Trump in the
back (really?!). So we’re now taking our trade “ball” and going home. I didn’t
hear anything unreasonable from
Trudeau—he has Canadian interests to think about above all—but Trump was
apparently not open to any criticism
that would make him look “weak” before the Singapore summit. Do we really want
to make enemies of Canada?!
Long story short, Trump apparently
came to the G-7 (or G-6, as the case may now be) meeting in Montreal to quickly
air a laundry list of grievances and to leave before they began talking about
climate change and other issues he’d rather ignore. High on his list was that
“Russia should be there.” Showing respect for the forum itself, and our individual allies gathered there, was low on that list.
Never mind the legitimate reasons why Russia doesn’t
belong in the Group of 7 western democratic advanced economies: that it’s not a democracy, that in 2014 it invaded
a sovereign nation and annexed a big piece of territory (Ukrainian Crimea), and
that its overall economic net worth doesn’t qualify it for membership. Trump
needed an ally at the meeting, and more and more it appears that Putin is his
“wing-man.”
Putin is happy to play along, of
course, because anything that splits
the western alliance is music to his ears.
So all this happened just before
Trump turned his focus to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un tomorrow
(June 12th) in Singapore (which will be tonight, here). Virtually
the whole world is hoping that something more substantial than a photo op comes
out of this meeting, and the hype and speculation are running very high.
Thankfully, news
reports are giving this meeting a timeframe—it will take place at 9 a.m. on
Tuesday (6/12), Singapore standard time. This allows us to explore the event
chart first, before taking in a couple other considerations, such as some
details from Trump’s solar return the day after,
on June 13th. His birthday is on June 14th, but the
transiting Sun returns to his natal position at 8:24:47 p.m. on the 13th.
Apparently, his original travel plans home changed, and my astrologer’s hunch
is that he was counseled to be back in the U.S. for his solar return. This,
from the Washington
Times:
“The White
House says in a statement ahead of President Donald Trump’s
historic summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un that
the talks with North
Korea are moving “more quickly than expected.” The White House says
Trump now
plans to depart Singapore
on Tuesday evening ahead of schedule.
The White
House says Trump
will address the media on Tuesday following his summit with Kim and depart Singapore at
approximately 8 p.m. local time for the United States. The president had been
expected to leave Singapore
on Wednesday morning.”
So, let’s begin with the event chart,
remembering that 9 a.m. on Tuesday in
North Korea is 9 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time on Monday night in Washington, D.C.
Chart
#1: Trump-Kim summit, June 12, 2018, 9 a.m. ST, Singapore, Singapore. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.
Cardinal Cancer ASC opposes Pluto
(Capricorn) at DSC; this axis squares Aries MC-Juno-Eris; ASC ruler is Moon in
Taurus. Here we see another reason to suspect that Trump depends upon a
consulting astrologer: the ruler of this
chart conjoins his natal Taurus MC (24°+,
chart not shown). The media
has been making a big deal out of his comment that he “doesn’t need to prepare”
for this meeting because he’s such a great intuitive “deal-maker:” could it be
that he thinks he doesn’t need preparation because the Moon is on his side?
In fact, the Moon works in those
clichéd mysterious ways, and while a Taurus Moon may support Trump’s
notion that all Kim Jong-Un needs to be malleable is a promise of economic
support, how Kim sees his nation’s interests is likely to be quite different
from the way Trump views them. With Pluto involved in this configuration, trine the earthy chart ruler Moon, we
can be certain that the deal-making will be laced with subterfuge and power
plays our president may not even fathom.
Other Asian leaders have already figured
out how susceptible Trump is to flattery,
so Kim will know how to apply the lather as well to get what he wants out of
the situation. So what happens if Trump comes away nursing a bruised ego because he feels blindsided
by Kim in some way? Will he blow the meeting up over anything less than total
capitulation by North Korea (like he did with Trudeau)? Or if the world press
doesn’t pile on with more adulation? Trump is looking for a big, showy win out
of this…a Nobel Peace Prize, or at least the media equivalent of one. Has the
die been cast for his statue on the Washington Mall yet?
In fact, the cardinal t-square formed here includes a
potentially volatile and discordant Aries MC-Juno-Eris conjunction for
the event, so the gloves are likely to be off, even though the leaders may find
some room for cooperation with that Pluto-Moon
trine. They’ll probably both be angling for concrete
(Taurus) results, and they could be spoiling for a fight (Eris)
if there’s too much resistance.
It’s interesting to me that Trump’s
natal Moon falls trine these
potent Aries points: he’s likely to come into the negotiation with a sense of
entitlement (Sagittarius Moon), and knowing where his thinking tends to be in
international discussions, with a sense that the U.S. has been used and abused
by North Korea in the past (blaming that on his “weak” predecessors, of
course). This posture liberates him from any responsibility for dealing fairly,
which probably cuts to the heart of what “America First” means to him.
Trump’s grievances are often based
on very shaky, conspiracy-laced interpretations of the facts, but more than
anything they are rooted in his innate sense of entitlement (Moon) about himself and his place in the world. And,
importantly, in his natal Juno-Chiron conjunction in Libra!
Here’s what Demetra George and Douglas Bloch have to say about a Libra Juno:
“Juno in Libra individuals need to feel as an equal and
require a fair give-and-take in their relationship. Consultation from their
parter on decision making and respect and approval for their ideas are
required. When equality needs are not being met, this individual can become
uncooperative, excessively competitive, or can even engage in direct combat.”[1]
Could this description fit any better in Trump’s case? If we consider
his natal Chiron conjunction to this sensitive Juno, we can see where
his chronic state of feeling unfairly wounded by relationships comes from. It’s
quite possible that there can be no such thing as a deal that feels fair to Trump, so any cut-throat behavior
on his part feels perfectly justified.
The fact that this conjunction falls
in his 2nd house of values and finances suggests that he is driven
for ever greater wealth because in that way he demonstrates that he’s won against the odds—the world hasn’t
gotten the best of him. His financial track record (what we know of it)
suggests that this grieved mindset has driven him throughout his life; it’s
simply more dangerous now, with the risks he’s taking with our international
relations.
Venus (Cancer) and Moon (Taurus) are in
mutual reception and sextile. Considering that this Venus
is conjunct Trump’s natal Venus within 2°+, and that this exalted Moon
and Trump’s MC are also conjunct, it’s probably safe to say that the Cosmos
is blessing Trump’s efforts in this meeting, which may feel mostly congenial. He will probably come away feeling like a victor, one way or
another (his photo op shaking hands with Kim Jong-Un is set for 8:30 a.m.
tomorrow), but what makes him feel good
may not translate into a substantive international agreement.
We see this with the fact that this sensitive
Cancer Venus is also widely opposite Pluto and square that volatile MC-Juno-Eris
meet-up in fiery Aries. Any attempt to deny Trump his victorious moment could
send the fur flying, but anger isn’t likely to overcome Kim’s advantage in
these talks. He’s out seeing the tourist sites this evening; Trump is probably
experiencing jet lag. Kim is on comfortable turf, culturally, if not
politically; Trump is not. Kim has relationships with China and South Korea
that could help him; Trump has just blown up his relationships with allies who
might have stood with him.
Bottom line, I can’t imagine the
North Koreans negotiating under a cloud of anger, and this cardinal t-square
suggests that falling back on grievances isn’t going to work as well for Trump
as he might think. Kim already feels
like a winner for maneuvering (with South Korea’s Moon Jae-In) Trump into this meeting—this
is a high-level political coup for
him. One commentator is calling this Kim’s “coming
out party.”
And, this just in from The
Guardian…CIA director Mike Pompeo is now saying that the Trump
administration is planning to offer greater security assurances to North Korea
than the 2005 agreement did. If Trump doesn’t get what he thinks he needs (or is entitled to) in
return, what will he do?
12th house Sun-Mercury conjoin in
Gemini; Sun quincunxes Pluto (Capricorn). Mercury is strong in Gemini
and even though it is out of orb for the quincunx, it disposes the Sun, which
is. If we posit that the Sun in this chart represents the “leaders”
(guess who has the upper hand here, with his solar return looming?), this could
be a frustrating aspect to navigate. Communications are likely to be frustrated
by the power dynamics at stake, which is a difficult place to be for diplomats,
let alone face-to-face leader communications.
There’s the issue of communicating
through translators, of course—a lot can
be lost or distorted in the process, a risk that’s reflected in the 12th
house placement of Sun-Mercury. Pluto’s presence in the 7th
house (conjunct the DSC) suggests this meeting of long-time adversaries is not
likely to be authentically open, but carefully manipulated for effect. I wasn’t
surprised when Trump claimed he didn’t need to prepare, and that he’ll know
within the “first minute” if the meeting is going to be worthwhile or not, but
I don’t believe him for a minute. If he truly did not prepare, he’ll probably know that within the first minute!
Vesta-Saturn (Capricorn) square Chiron (Aries);
Saturn trines Uranus (Taurus). I’d like to think the Saturn-Uranus
trine will ease the two leaders into practical solutions for pressing
geopolitical challenges, but the square with Chiron suggests that
authority and control issues may stress the proceedings. Will these leaders
take responsibility for the public
service (6th house Saturn-Vesta) dimension of these
negotiations? Chiron falls in the 9th house of international
relations and law, and these matters impact real households (Vesta).
Or will the focus be on whose ego (Aries) is gratified the most and who gets to
crow the loudest?
Mars (Aquarius) squares Uranus (Taurus); Uranus
and Saturn co-rule Mars (and Saturn semi-sextiles Mars). Implicit in
these negotiations is the underlying threat of military action, in case other ideas don’t pan out, and
these aspects suggest that there’s a level of frustration with U.S.-North Korea
relations that could boil over pretty easily. We’ve seen in other situations
how Trump can throw his so-called “friends” under the bus on a dime; what can
we expect him to do with an adversary/would-be friend?
Notice that Mars also
opposes the Leo North Node here; traditional mundane astrologers would probably
freak out if a malefic like Mars conjoined the South
Node. I’m not convinced that this portends the end or “death” of the
negotiations, but it isn’t terribly reassuring, either. Given that Mars rules
the Aries MC here, this is an aspect to watch.
Grand
Water Trine: Jupiter (Scorpio) trines Pallas-ASC
(Cancer), which trines Neptune (Pisces). If we’re lucky, this bilateral
event will be conducted with empathy on the part of both leaders, for the sake
of all the people who have a stake in
a peaceful outcome. That would be a lofty, enlightened expression of these
flowing, emotional energies, however it’s not clear that these particular
leaders are equipped for that idealistic mission. “What’s in it for me?” might
be a more likely focus, unfortunately, but let’s hold out hope.
If anyone strikes me as up to the job of
empathy and idealism, it’s South Korea's Moon Jae-In, so to the extent that he’s involved and
that he’s an able diplomat, there could be some positive takeaways.
One big caveat on this optimism,
however: Jupiter is a mixed blessing here, in Pluto-ruled Scorpio. Trump
has demonstrated that he’s willing to upset the geopolitical order we’ve built
since 1945 and potentially replace it with troubling new alliances—would he dare to throw South Korea under the bus
for his new friend, Kim Jong-Un?
This sounds outrageous, I know, but who’s the military
strong man between the two halves of Korea at this point? And do we really expect Kim to relinquish his nuclear
weapons (Pluto)? Why hasn’t more been said about the possibility that he’s
got his eyes on the real prize—control
of a reunited Korean peninsula?
We know Trump wants the U.S. out of Korea entirely (he sees our
alliance with the South as a big waste of resources), and the only way to do
that might be to negotiate an end to the long-stalemated war and hand over the
controls to the North. This might please Putin, too, and clearly, Trump has
become more cozy with China lately—he’s intent on saving ZTE for them and he
likes the patents and trademarks they’ve been doling out to his daughter’s
business. For that matter, who knows what goodies he’s realizing for the Trump
Organization.
One way or another, China would
certainly have a stake in what happens to Korea. South Korea and China are market
competitors, so squashing the Korean competitive edge under a Kim regime may
sound enticing. It’s far-fetched, but nothing would surprise me at this
juncture.
A
few points from Trump’s solar return
Please note that I’ve followed the
recommendations of solar returns expert, Ray Merriman in casting this chart
using Placidus houses. His techniques are also reflected in what follows, and I
highly recommend his book on this topic.[2]
Just a general note: the solar
return chart is said to reflect how the coming year is likely to unfold for the
individual. It stands in relationship to the natal chart (a complicated read we
won’t get into here, with the exception of a few highlights). It’s important to
examine the arrangement of planets in the solar return houses with an eye to
whether angular, succedent, or cadent houses predominate, or if there’s a
relative balance between these placements.
These placements tell us something
about the type of energy and the focus that will characterize the year. In the
case of this solar return for Trump, 6 out
of 10 planets/luminaries are placed
in angular houses, suggesting a year that is jam-packed with activities and
movement. Here’s what Merriman has to say about this predominance:
“At best, it signifies adventure and new beginnings with
great excitement. At worse, it may indicate unwanted or unflattering attention,
and difficulties (fights) in relationships, or disputes at work. It may also indicate
an egotistic craving for attention that turns others away. Thus careful
attention should be placed upon significant relationships this year.
Insensitivity to the cares of others may lead to separations.” [3]
As we’ll see, this assessment turns
out to be fully supported by the planetary placements themselves.
Chart
#2: Solar Return, Donald J. Trump, June 13, 2018, 8:24:47 p.m. DST, Washington,
D.C. Tropical Placidus Houses, True Node.
7th house Sun, conjunct DSC and
Moon (Gemini). Trump will be looking for recognition for his actions vis-à-vis
allies and adversaries this coming year, but the potentially stressful relationship
with the chart horizon suggests some struggles. He may also be restlessly
(Moon) spoiling for a fight—these points conjoin our Sibly 7th house
Mars (chart not shown). The Moon typically indicates the day-to-day emotional tone, so Gemini could lend an erratic tone to the
year.
7th house Mercury (Cancer) opposes
1st house Saturn (Capricorn). This opposition mirrors what’s
happening with transits to Trump’s natal chart right now, too: Saturn
is transiting opposite his natal Mercury. Given the importance of Mercury
to his entire chart, we can expect that Saturn’s demands for
responsibility and accountability might be depressing at worst, and frustrating
at best. He will be dealing with reality checks—about himself (1st
house Saturn) and about those he chooses to ally himself with (7th
house Mercury). It’s worth mentioning here that his natal Mercury
falls in his 11th house of associates and power brokers, so Saturn
could cramp his deal-making style.
T-Square:
Venus (Leo) conjoins 8th house
cusp, North Node (Leo) and opposes 2nd house Mars-South Node
(Aquarius); this axis squares 4th house Uranus (Taurus). Any
planet conjoined a solar return house cusp is one to watch; this placement
raises the issue of financial and psychological support flowing from “others,”
but clearly this won’t be a smooth ride, with Mars and Uranus
involved so stressfully.
It’s interesting that Trump’s financial axis (2nd-8th
houses) is highlighted so intensely—his natal ASC falls in his solar
return 8th, as well, confirming that this area of life will be a key
focus for the year. Could that lawsuit mentioned earlier against his violations
of the “Emoluments Clause” be indicated here? Will his tax returns finally be
released (perhaps in the context of the Mueller investigation)?
Given the 4th house
placement of Uranus, it seems that Trump could experience some upset or
sudden change in his living situation, or with members of his family. Eris
and Juno are also placed in this 4th house, sextile his
solar return Sun, but disposed by this rather unpredictable Aquarius Mars,
so turmoil in the presidential household is more than possible.
1st house Pluto (Capricorn)
quincunxes 7th house Sun (Gemini).As we saw in the event
chart above, this aspect can be frustrating and limiting, and like so many
other interesting placements, Trump’s natal
Pluto falls in the solar return 8th, conjunct his solar return
North Node. Again, finances (perhaps a heavy hit at his financial “empire?”)
could be a particular focus.
Solar return Pluto in the 1st can
indicate a move towards transforming oneself in powerful ways; we have to
wonder here whether that transformation will be made willingly, or in response
to outside forces. Solar return Eris and Juno square Pluto from
the 4th, suggesting that pressures from key women in his life may
have something to do with whatever transpires.
Grand
Water Trine: 11th house
Jupiter (Scorpio) trines 3rd house Neptune, trines 7th
house Pallas. I should clarify that, even though there hasn’t been a
lot of work done yet (that I’m aware of) on how asteroids function in solar
return charts, to my view there’s no reason to assume they don’t play a role. So here’s the same grand water trine we
considered in the event chart above, arrayed in Trump’s solar return and
pulling critical houses together in one flowing circuit of energy. The power
dynamics we discussed earlier also apply—Jupiter in Trump’s solar return 11th
suggests success in political circles, although this point is challenged by a square
from Mars (Aquarius), so nothing comes easily.
There’s also the suggestion that
personal finance (2nd house Mars) will be stressfully linked
with Trump’s professional activities (there’s that Emoluments Clause again).
Trump will be energized to “play the geopolitical games” that power brokers
play by this grand trine, but there could be a price to pay. His natal 2nd house Neptune-Juno-Chiron-Jupiter
grouping in Libra falls in his solar return 9th and 10th
this year, suggesting that his emotion-laden “schtick” of blaming others for
any shortcomings in his own fortunes will have international reach and will
color his image abroad.
The “victimization” narrative gets old, especially when
Saturn
in his solar return 1st house will be pushing him to be more
transparent and accountable.
Final
thoughts
Finally, it’s interesting that Trump’s
solar return Saturn/Pluto (midpoint, Capricorn) tightly opposes his solar
return Pallas (Cancer). Issues of authority, justice, responsibility
and empathy are all enmeshed here, across his 1st-7th
solar return axis. These placements may reflect the pressure he’s feeling from
the Mueller investigation, not to mention an important mid-term election that is
shaping up to be an important referendum on his presidency thus far.
The nation’s economy will also be impacted
by the Saturn-Pluto energies we see here, as they are currently
transiting the Sibly 2nd house, with Pluto working its way
towards a climactic “return” to Sibly Pluto’s radix position. The economy has
been looking pretty strong lately, but there are enough analysts wondering why it’s been defying gravity since Trump
took office that we would be wise to listen.
Now that most of the bite has been
taken out of the post-Recession Dodd-Frank Act that regulated banks and
investment firms, we would be wise to look out for precarious housing and stock
bubbles.
Trump’s ego is firmly linked to
those numbers that always go up, up, up, so we can probably trust that he won’t
be doing anything to restrain what Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan famously called “irrational
exuberance,” especially in an election year! With Jupiter trine Neptune in water signs, such exuberance and the
potential for burst bubbles is quite possible.
That leaves Saturn, of course, to clean up the mess.
So what else is new? Let’s hope that something substantive and positive comes out of Singapore!
[1]
Demetra George & Douglas Bloch, Asteroid
Goddesses: The Mythology, Psychology, and Astrology of the Re-emerging
Feminine, Ibis Press, updated 2003 edition, Lake Worth, FL, p. 171.
[2]
Ray Merriman, The New Solar Return Book
of Prediction, Seek-It Publications, West Bloomfield, MI, 9th
printing, 1998.
[3]
Merriman, p. 40.