Fmr. First Lady, Laura Bush, 6/18/2018
What follows updates an article I posted originally on June 3rd: a lot has happened since then, and it seems worth the repetition!
Judging from the outcry in the news over the weekend, We the People have been rocked to our moral core by the specter of even the youngest children being torn from their parents' arms and incarcerated, so their parents can be prosecuted. The parents--often fleeing mortal danger for themselves and their children--are being prosecuted for "illegal entry" whether they actually do attempt to enter at some unofficial crossing, or whether they willingly present themselves at an official border station and ask for asylum. It appears from where I'm sitting that the Trump administration's new "zero-tolerance" policy is basically being used to trap gullible families, who were told or somehow led to believe that America still welcomes asylum seekers. Or at least respects and treats them humanely.
Wrong. Even Amnesty International is chiming in on the situation, calling it "nothing less than torture."
Instead, these families are met with the administration’s deliberately cruel treatment of themselves and their children. Even worse, this new Trump policy at the border appears to be cynically holding these migrant children hostage as leverage to negotiate the money needed for Trump's border wall.
The outcry has reached Trump himself, but when questioned about these kids, he falsely claimed the family separations were Obama's policy! It's true that Obama dealt with a migrant crisis in 2014, as waves of unaccompanied minors came to our border seeking asylum. It's true that they had to be detained temporarily while placements were found for them during asylum proceedings.
Judging from the outcry in the news over the weekend, We the People have been rocked to our moral core by the specter of even the youngest children being torn from their parents' arms and incarcerated, so their parents can be prosecuted. The parents--often fleeing mortal danger for themselves and their children--are being prosecuted for "illegal entry" whether they actually do attempt to enter at some unofficial crossing, or whether they willingly present themselves at an official border station and ask for asylum. It appears from where I'm sitting that the Trump administration's new "zero-tolerance" policy is basically being used to trap gullible families, who were told or somehow led to believe that America still welcomes asylum seekers. Or at least respects and treats them humanely.
Wrong. Even Amnesty International is chiming in on the situation, calling it "nothing less than torture."
Instead, these families are met with the administration’s deliberately cruel treatment of themselves and their children. Even worse, this new Trump policy at the border appears to be cynically holding these migrant children hostage as leverage to negotiate the money needed for Trump's border wall.
The outcry has reached Trump himself, but when questioned about these kids, he falsely claimed the family separations were Obama's policy! It's true that Obama dealt with a migrant crisis in 2014, as waves of unaccompanied minors came to our border seeking asylum. It's true that they had to be detained temporarily while placements were found for them during asylum proceedings.
But that was an entirely different situation, and the Obama administration did not allow family separations then, or in general. In fact, he did his best to work out a path forward (the DACA program) for the so-called "Dreamers," that didn't involve separating them from their parents, who had brought them here illegally as children. Still, all of today's heinous cruelty is Obama's fault.
Welcome to Trump's Neptunian magic show.
![]() |
DACA "Dreamers" are in a precarious situation now. |
Without a doubt, today’s situation under Trump’s
Congress and Jeff Sessions’ DOJ has reached a troubling new level: the DACA program has
become a political football, tossed around with no regard for the human beings
involved. Judging by the disagreements in Congress, even if the "Dreamers" get to stay, their parents may be deported--again, separating families.
Meanwhile, families presenting themselves to immigration authorities in the
southwest are being separated and prosecuted instead of being given due process
as legal asylum seekers.
Happily, the public outrage over
this family separation issue has had a bipartisan
flavor, with many Republicans speaking out against the practice along with their Democratic colleagues. The outrage ranges far and wide on the Internet, although I have no doubt that our lesser angels are out there stumping for a zero-compassion stance, as well, blaming the victims for showing up at the border with their children.
Even so, high profile voices such as former First Lady Laura Bush--and even Melania Trump--are coming forward, and that's hopeful. Congress people are showing up at the detention centers, insisting they be allowed in, and even though they're met with police resistance, how long can that go on before something gives?
I'm heartened by this, from Fatherly.com, which captures why this bipartisan outcry may have legs:
Even so, high profile voices such as former First Lady Laura Bush--and even Melania Trump--are coming forward, and that's hopeful. Congress people are showing up at the detention centers, insisting they be allowed in, and even though they're met with police resistance, how long can that go on before something gives?
I'm heartened by this, from Fatherly.com, which captures why this bipartisan outcry may have legs:
“There would seem to be at least one thing all sides can
agree on: Any policy that puts children in difficulty or danger is morally
inexcusable. We don’t need to agree on abortion, gay marriage, the Mueller
investigation, gerrymandering, Russia policy, or basically anything else to
grant that premise. So let’s do it. Let’s grant the premise together and then,
with our full force, demand that politicians of both parties do better to protect
children.”
We'll know that progress is being made when we see that the
welfare of children is the moral/ethical line in the sand for diehard
Trump supporters. Considering the xenophobia afloat at Trump rallies, and the
sealed echo chamber that perpetuates Trump’s fear-mongering narrative about
immigration (they’re all “animals” and M13 gang members, pouring across our
borders like an invading force), these defections will undoubtedly take awhile, but we're seeing Evangelical leaders of all stripes speaking out against the separations, along with the AMA, the APA, and a host of state-level politicians.
We're seeing what is probably an even stronger outcry than happened when Trump was newly-elected and he zealously tried to shut our borders to people from several Muslim nations. So there's hope that we can turn this tide of inhumanity back.
We're seeing what is probably an even stronger outcry than happened when Trump was newly-elected and he zealously tried to shut our borders to people from several Muslim nations. So there's hope that we can turn this tide of inhumanity back.
The astrology
So, what is this all about astrologically? Before we consider a couple specific event charts below, let's first consider two important facts about the astrological State of the Nation. These realities form a cultural/political/collective backdrop for everything that's going on these days. First, with Pluto edging into the 2nd decanate of Capricorn, our national radix Sibly chart is experiencing the final stages of its Pluto return (exact in February, 2022)--a key, transformative period in our evolution, and it shows!
Second, we are also experiencing the waning 3rd quarter of our national progressed lunar cycle (much more on that in the 5/3/16 post here), and that denotes a period of clearing out whatever karmic baggage we're carrying as a nation and preparing for a fresh, new start. Unfortunately, we have corrupt, destructive forces wielding the levers of power during this period, and we may not recognize, or even like the nation that emerges from all this during the 2020s.
As for the specific event charts below, we'll see that they feature a rather startling complex of cardinal and fixed energies—quite an interesting story, with deep mythological undertones. First, let’s establish the context and timeframe.
NPR.org reported in the late evening (10:19 pm) on April 6th that
the Trump administration had made a two-pronged effort that day to crack down
on border crossings: first,
“The president issued a presidential memorandum ending a
policy commonly called ‘catch and release,’ which released illegal immigrants
from detention as they awaited an immigration court hearing.”
Several directives for implementing this policy switch were detailed in
the memo, including one that involved rounding up all the available federal
facilities along the border that might be “repurposed” for immigrant
detentions. Hence, the cages and the
barren-looking facilities with meager mats on the floor for detainees.
In lockstep with Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions also announced his
new “zero-tolerance” border crossing policy that same April day—a policy that specifically
targets “first time offenders” and provides guidelines for implementation.
Sessions said nothing about honoring the international protocols the U.S.
signed on to in 1951 and 1967 for seeking legal asylum at the border, and it’s doubtful that these will be
honored by the Trump DOJ. Hence, those who make the treacherous trek across
Central America to appeal for asylum are met with handcuffs instead.
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Children shouldn't have to protest to stay with their parents! |
What happens to the children? The authorities claim to place
them with sponsors (family members already here, if possible), but they are
making no guarantees that the families will be reunited, and they take little responsibility for the children once they’re placed. Parents may have a
difficult time finding their children
if and when they’re released from detention. Rumors of thousands of unaccounted for children (where are girls and babies, for instance) have been swirling, and the administration is doing little to allay people's fears. A thick Neptunian fog of bureaucracy and obfuscation is making things look worse by the day.
As Trump's new zero tolerance policy has rolled out, controversies over
tearing even the youngest infants from their parent(s) surfaced and
Sessions felt compelled to explain. CBS
News reported the following in regards to a May 7th press
conference (one of our event charts) Sessions gave near San Diego:
“’We don't want to separate families, but we don't want
families to come to the border illegally and attempt to enter into this country
improperly,’ Sessions said. ‘The parents are subject to prosecution while
children may not be. So, if we do our duty and prosecute those cases, then
children inevitably for a period of time might be in different conditions’…
‘Every law enforcement agency in this country separates
parents from children when they're arrested for a crime,’ Homan said alongside
Sessions. ‘There is no new policy. This has always been the policy. Now, you
will see more prosecutions because of the attorney general's commitment to zero
tolerance.’”
What Sessions considers a “proper” attempt to enter the country is
unclear because there doesn’t seem to be any
legal way to apply for asylum at the
southern border at this time. Many critics believe the Trump administration is
breaking international laws with this zero tolerance (also “zero compassion”)
program.
For the purposes of teasing out the astrology of this situation, we’ll
use the April 6th announcement as stage one and the May 7th statement as stage two. Considering Saturn turned
retrograde on April 19th and will remain so into September, it’s not
surprising that we would see a two-staged attempt to dig in for the long-term.
Any ambiguities and loopholes (Saturn dislikes these) needed to be addressed for
the long-term. Repression is such a bureaucratic affair! Much more on Saturn
ahead.
For stage one we’ll set the April 6th chart of Trump’s
executive memo ending “Catch and Release” against our national Sibly chart.
I’ve set the chart for 10 p.m. because NPR.org announced the White House move at
10:19 p.m. and called it a “late” development. Because the time is imprecise, Moon
and angle placements will not be our primary focus.
Biwheel #1: (inner wheel) US
Sibly chart, July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (outer wheel) Trump “Catch
& Release” executive memo (“zero tolerance” announcement), April 6, 2018,
10:00 p.m. DST, Washington, D.C. . Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.
This biwheel features one amazing configuration that lends considerable
insight into the issues we’ve been discussing, so we’ll focus on that and then
turn to “stage two” in the next biwheel.
Zero
T Sun conjoins Zero T Eris; Eris conjoins Zero T Uranus (all Aries); Zero T
Mars/Pluto (midpoint, Capricorn) squares Zero T Sun. There’s a distinct warrior vibe (Eris,
Mars) and an intentional battle footing in all this. Midpoints expert
Michael Munkasey characterizes the Mars/Pluto midpoint in this way:
“The dispersal of
military weapons or resources without safeguards or intention from others that
they will pay for these; aggressive actions against the nation by hostile
countries; treaties broken by warlike acts.”[1]
In regards to immigrants, of course, we have no actual “hostile
country” attacking us, despite
Trump’s favored narrative; Trump’s policies are turning us into a hostile country, and we’re
breaking treaties and international protocols left and right. Could this
midpoint also pertain to weapons deals Trump has made and/or suspected Russian
incursions into our next election? Stories for another day!
As for the involvement of the Zero T Sun here, this points to the
executive office and to what Munkasey calls “a need to dominate during meetings
where your views are presented for comment or criticism…”[2]
![]() |
Zero tolerance, or zero compassion? |
Interchart Grand-Square: Zero T Capricorn
stellium (Vesta-Moon-Saturn-Mars, and more distantly, Pluto) oppose Sibly
Cancer stellium (Venus-Jupiter-Sun-Mercury); this axis squares Zero T Mercury
(Aries) opposite Sibly MC/Saturn (midpoint, Libra). Again, we can’t say with certainly if the
Moon was at this exact degree when the memo was signed, but it’s probably
close. It certainly fits the situation, if we consider that the Moon
rules those migrant children and mothers, and a repressive regime (Saturn
rules Capricorn) is weighing on them here.
It’s no surprise that all this is happening across the Sibly 1st-7th
house axis—the axis attributed to the nation’s identity and any significant
Others, respectively. Notice also that our radix Sibly Eris (Capricorn), our
national warrior spirit, ties into all this, which may explain why solidifying
control over the continent, from sea to sea, was such a hot priority during the
first hundred years of our national existence.
This led to a war with Mexico
from 1846-48 for territorial acquisition (and economic growth, with Sibly
Jupiter-Venus in our 7th). We nabbed a lot of territory in the end, including what are now Texas and
California—Mexico surrendered about one-third
of its sovereign territory to the U.S. at that time.
All this helps put Trump’s mean-spirited idea that Mexico should now pay
for a wall across our southern border
into context: wouldn’t it be simply rude and offensive to anyone who knows our
history? Trump’s rallying cry (“Who’s
going to pay for the wall?”) and his venomous attitude towards Mexico could
well be rubbing salt in a long-festering wound.
Since Saturn transited into Capricorn earlier this year, however, the
repressive rhetoric coming from the White House has been put into militant,
police-state action, ordering National Guard troops to the border, staffing up
ICE and Homeland Security and treating our border like a war zone (Zero T Mars and
Saturn
conjoin and square Sibly MC/Saturn). Munkasey attributes this
midpoint to:
“Restrictions on
development within the enterprise; may end the struggle for independent
activity after repression or colonialism; formal and strict rules for
conducting transactions.”[3]
The “formal and strict rules” are certainly reflected in how difficult
it is now to mount a “proper” appeal for asylum without ending up behind bars.
I would add also that repression in the name of not just “colonialism,” but any “ism” is covered here—isolationism, imperialism,
fear-based populist nationalism, and so on.
With Zero T Mercury forming the 4th leg of this tense
configuration, Capricorn Moon-Saturn-Mars square to Aries Mercury
(Mercury disposed by that aggressive Mars), it’s not surprising
that the outrage people have been feeling since April about Trump’s immigration
policies has been a media-based
phenomenon.
To make a super-complex grand square even more interesting, we need to
consider the role that Vesta is also playing here. Vesta
typically conjures up the image of “hearth and home,” but asteroid
experts Demetra George and Douglas Bloch argues that the essence of that image
is an intense focus on goals.
Sibly Vesta falls in our radix 6th house in Taurus, trine
our “American Dream” Neptune in Virgo (4th
house co-ruler): is it any wonder that Americans typically aspire to
comfortable middle class material lives? Shop-til-we-drop is considered a
matter of 6th house public service, even—fueling the economy!
The issue of the family hearth is key here because Vesta is a naturally fiery
energy: at the center of every family is the yin fire of desire for that family’s welfare and wellbeing, and dreams for its
future, so parents who flee violence and chaos in their homelands to seek
better lives for their children certainly evoke the intense focus of Vesta.
This is all more relevant today when we consider that Zero T Vesta
is transiting Capricorn, square Sibly MC (Libra) and closely
opposite Sibly Venus (Cancer). Some thoughts on the Capricorn placement:
“Vesta in Capricorn
individuals work best in a structured and disciplined fashion. The work effort
is often motivated by personal ambition and the drive to succeed…Yet Vesta in
Capricorn’s strict adherence to rules and regulations can denote excessive
rigidity.”[4]
The rigidity of the Trump administration’s approach to immigration is
evident in the news, but here we see the added dimension of how the
administration is using our allies (Vesta opposes Sibly Venus)
to achieve its ambitions regarding border control. His executive order claimed
this program was necessary for “national security” reasons—these migrant
families are “invading” us and bringing their future M13 gang member children
with them, the narrative goes. Similar to his “national security” excuse for
slapping tariffs on our
Canadian ally, this is a dubious and unjustified claim.
In fact, astrologically we might wonder what’s in all this for Trump, personally, as well. His natal Mercury-Neptune
square (8°+Cancer-5°+Libra, chart not shown) is tied into this
entire cardinal configuration, conjunct Sibly Jupiter-Venus (Cancer) and Sibly
MC (Libra). Trump’s natal Mercury disposes his Gemini stellium
(Sun-Node-Uranus)
as it squares his Libra Neptune (5°+Libra), which explains his preference for
“alternate realities.”
In turn, Trump’s Sagittarius full Moon disposes his Mercury,
so Mercury
is entangled throughout much of his chart. It’s not hard to see this
impact in his Twitter feed, and in regards to immigrant families (Cancer), we
can also see it in his overly-defensive, fear-driven mindset. If people haven’t
treated him badly, in his mind they simply haven’t gotten around to it yet. What
a great excuse to attack first! So a rigid dependence upon “law and order”
provides the perfect tool.
Law and order is a very blunt instrument, but it’s a
whole lot easier than diplomacy and doing the hard work of crafting a sane
immigration policy, too.
Zero
T Pallas (Gemini) conjoins Sibly Uranus (Gemini); Zero T Saturn-Mars
(Capricorn) quincunx Sibly Uranus (and widely, Pallas). George and Bloch write that “Pallas, as
goddess of justice and protectress of the state, rules over political activism,”[5]
They also call her a “defender of minority groups” and “racial/ethnic” justice.
So, the tension on Pallas from the heavy authoritarian Mars-Saturn here comes as
no surprise, given today’s situation. Trump’s deployment of military forces to
the border is seen here, as well, with Pallas hovering near Sibly 6th
house Uranus.
It’s worth noting also that Zero T Pluto (Capricorn) is applying
quincunx pressure on Sibly Mars (Gemini) and trining our Sibly
Neptune (Virgo) as well: we’re officially “spoiling for a fight,” it
seems, and we probably have reason to doubt the official “national security”
pretext for shutting the border. Reportedly,
claims that multiple border agents have been killed by migrants have been
disproven by the FBI, but that hasn’t altered the official Trump narrative
right now. He wants his wall, despite a chorus of voices who say it’s a waste
of resources and a wrong-headed approach to border security. Even so, any ambitious
marketer knows that the way to sell a product is to create the need for the
product.
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Why would people go through this unless they were fleeing serious problems? |
Stage Two
As mentioned above, this stage kicked in on May 7th, when
Sessions gave a press conference near San Diego to explain the official Zero T
policy and why families were being separated by border control agents. As we’ll
see, not a lot changed astrologically from April 6th to May 7th,
but the planetary dynamics that did change
tell the story, so we’ll focus on these.
Biwheel #2: (inner wheel) US
Sibly chart, July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (outer wheel) Sessions
Zero T press conference, May 7, 2018, 12:00 p.m. PST, San Diego, CA Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.
Zero
T Chiron-Juno (Aries) oppose Sibly MC (Libra); this axis squares the cardinal
oppositions noted in Biwheel #1. Here’s where I need to digress a bit from our main topic, but I think
you’ll see where the threads connect pretty quickly. Here goes:
It’s a little unclear which planet/asteroid represents the First Lady
in a nation’s chart, but Juno’s a distinct possibility, being
the wife of Zeus in mythology. Sibly Juno is in lovely Libra, which seems
to be a pretty good fit for Melania (what we know of her, anyway), and the fact
that it falls trine Sibly Mars—to my mind, a better fit for
Trump’s executive style than the Sun is
(his natal chart is tightly interwoven with Sibly Mars)—only confirms this
hunch. I don’t doubt that they have their differences (how could she not?), but
she shows up at his side when the occasion calls for it, and seems to enjoy
planning state dinners.
Interestingly for our topic here, during the same period that Trump was
unfolding his “zero tolerance” program for the border, his immigrant wife was
suddenly hospitalized
for kidney surgery, so perhaps this transiting Chiron-Juno conjunction
in the nation’s 4th house (its official “home”) reflects this
experience. We’re still not entirely sure what Melania’s health status is, but her
extended recuperation period seems to suggest that her “wounds” (Chiron)
run deeper than anyone is admitting.
We should probably just respect her privacy on this matter, but her
presence as our national “wounded wife” holds symbolic weight for today’s
issues, and that bears consideration. Does her health reflect the nation’s, in
some metaphysical way? Kidneys exist to flush toxins from a person’s system: boy,
could this nation use a good flush!
Our Sibly 4th house is ruled by Virgo Neptune, which is now
being opposed by transiting Neptune in Pisces. This transit has
seriously eroded our national sense of unity: in our Sibly 3rd of
education over the past several years, it undermined our infrastructure, our
“esprit de corps,” as well as our ability to think as one nation (even the ideas that in better times we simply
agreed upon as being the “American way” are up for grabs).
Also in this house, our Sibly Moon (in Aquarius, denoting the
People) was under Neptune’s sway during the Obama years, probably deluding us
into thinking that we were ready for a level of social change that has since
caused heavy backlash, paving the way for Trump, et al. Even Obama has been
musing lately that his presidency may have happened “too
soon.” That perhaps we were still more interested in falling back into our
respective “tribes” than in really moving forward.
IMHO, perhaps the greatest delusion (although many spoke out against this) we suffered from under the Obama years
was that our economy could continue channeling 99% of the goodies to the top,
with no consequences.
And now Neptune is well into our 4th—the homeland¸ the house
governing grass roots “bread and butter” issues, issues related to land,
mining, environment, agriculture, etc. It’s no wonder that Russian efforts to
undermine our democracy by exploiting our natural divisions and manipulating
the 2016 election were so successful. Transiting Neptune is still just applying to its full, semi-cycle point
with Sibly Neptune, so unfortunately, things could get worse before they
get better.
The opioid epidemic could certainly be implicated here: it’s a crisis
that will probably be far more damaging to us in the long run than an influx of
immigrants would be, yet Trump is paying very little attention to it. Our
crumbling infrastructure and lack of readiness for natural disasters is
probably also far more damaging than those immigrants would be, yet here we
are, spending much more on border control (and potentially a wall) than on rebuilding our systems.
Such are the delusions spawned by Neptune, and those who trade in
Neptunian power.
One last point here: Zero T Chiron (Aries) is transiting
opposite our Sibly MC, reflecting the damage that is being done by Trump’s
policies to our image abroad. Perhaps we forget the pains this nation went to
in building that reputation and our esteemed place in the world? This comment
from The
Economist captures the urgency of this issue:
“Moreover, how countries treat migrants is an important
advertisement of their character and values, which Americans underrate to their
cost. America’s reputation for being fair and decent attracts highly skilled
people. It is also among the reasons foreigners trust American diplomacy and
admire its culture—despite the erosion of its reputation that has followed Mr
Trump’s election.”
Maybe we should be glad that people wanted
to migrate here?
![]() |
Detained parents often go for months without knowing where their children are. |
Zero
T Mercury-Eris-Uranus conjoin in Aries, square Zero T Pluto-Mars (Capricorn);
this Mars conjoins Sibly Pluto (Capricorn). This is all very brutish, hard-edged energy;
those with compassionate impulses need not apply. Blatant power-grabbing and
Big Finance machinations are the order of the day, and migrant families are
simply one grist for their mill. Federal contracts for various border-securing
operations are likely at stake. The rhetoric is hard (Aries Mercury),
the narrative is belligerent and crisis-driven, and the crises grabbing the
focus seem frankly manufactured for Trump’s “reality show.”
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico is facing the new hurricane season in a sorry state of readiness, not having fully
recovered from last year’s tragic destruction of its infrastructure. This past
week we’ve learned that perhaps thousands
more people were killed by Hurricane
Maria than the Trump administration reported. The jury is out on whether these
numbers were intentionally
distorted, but the implication is afloat.
Immigration numbers are actually down
this year as opposed to many years, yet the focus has been yanked away from
pressing problems like Puerto Rico to make shutting our borders a top priority.
The National Guard has been slowly making progress there with infrastructure
rebuilding, however the funding is stingy and the focus is weak—perhaps because
there’s no militarized “law and order” solution for Puerto Rico’s problems? Are
we seeing a theme?
Sibly
Chiron (Aries) conjoins Aries stellium discussed above. One last point about Trump’s zero tolerance
program leaps off the page here. Chiron speaks to a deep wound in our
national soul that festers and re-ignites during times of stress. In Aries,
it’s our national ego-driven “rugged individual” ethos that seems to resonate
strongly with Trump and his supporters. This ethos is being challenged and
perhaps triggered all the more by the Aries conflagration transiting our Sibly
5th right now.
Unfortunately, cool heads
need to prevail to solve the nation’s problems right now, and while pumping up
our national Ego (“MAGA?”) may play well as a media ploy, it falls far short of
solving actual problems like sub-standard schools (children are a 5th
house issue), rotting infrastructure, environmental degradation, rising costs
in healthcare, and so on.
Attacking immigrant
families and children out of some thuggish “zero-tolerance” policy is no
substitute for progress in these needed areas.
Happily, since this May 7th chart, Uranus has moved into
Taurus and thrown a little earth on our cowboy camp fire, but it will revisit
Aries (by retrograde) during November (election time), so whatever issues are
too hot to handle right now could resurface then.
Final thoughts
We hear a lot in the news these days regarding the Trump
administration’s quest to undermine our constitutional institutions of checks
and balances, and to consolidate his own power. The day I first posted a piece regarding this topic, the news talk shows were buzzing with Rudy Giuliani’s claims that Trump is basically untouchable
by investigations and the Justice Department—in other words, that he is above the law. Thankfully, saner
voices have poked numerous holes in this blowhard claim, but we can see the
contours of Trump’s ambitions here. He wants
to wield absolute power, and he has an unfortunate track record of getting
most of what he wants.
Even some Republicans are speaking out against this argument that
basically dissolves our
constitutional checks and balances. Trump’s bald-faced attempt at a power grab
(remember those cardinal energies at work) evokes King Louis XIV’s famous
dictum, “L’Etát c’est Moi” (“I Am the
State”).
Neptunians (and Trump definitely is
one) marshal power by weakening structures and assurances, triggering fears
and cultivating free-floating anxieties: these are well-sharpened arrows in
Trump’s quiver. So are a tolerance for corrupt practices, for denying
responsibility and claiming to be a victim at every turn.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt—a polio victim who didn’t even want
the American people to see him walk on crutches because he knew they needed him
to be strong—had it right in 1933 when the nation was still reeling from the
Great Depression, and Hitler was consolidating his power under the Nazi banner.
In his first inaugural speech, FDR set the theme for his entire 4-term
presidency: “the only thing we
have to fear is fear itself.”
Those times were mirror-images of today, from Neptune’s perspective—it
was transiting early Virgo in 1933, and the nation was embarked on a pragmatic,
problem-solving period in which no challenge could keep it down. It overcame the
Depression with practical works programs and sane, idealistic economic policies, built a
great deal of the national infrastructure that we see crumbling around us
today, and there was no time for self-doubt and delusions. It seems that the nation enjoyed a sense of destiny and the spirit of public service (Virgo) ran deep. America was far from perfect at that time, but we were moving in a constructive
direction.
I hope we can recapture that spirit for our times, but to do so I suspect that we will need to
resist the shaky pretexts the Trump administration is using for its gratuitous
cruelty towards migrant families.
From the NYTimes:
From the NYTimes:
“White House Chief of Staff John Kelly hails family separation as a “tough deterrent” and
shrugs that “the children will be taken care of — put into foster care or
whatever.”
So what’s next, Mr. President? Minefields at the border
would be an even more effective deterrent. Or East German-style marksmen in
watch towers to shoot those who cross?
We as a nation should protect our borders. We must even
more assiduously protect our soul.”
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We can do better than this! |
[1]
Michael Munkasey, Midpoints: Unleashing
the Power of the Planets, ACS Publications, San Diego, CA, 1991, pp.
248-49.
[2]
Ibid, p. 249.
[3]Ibid,
pp. 308-09.
[4]
Demetra George & Douglas Bloch, Asteroid
Goddesses: the Mythology, Psychology and Astrology of the Re-emerging Feminine,
Ibis Press, 2013 (updated edition), Lake Worth, FL, p. 138.
[5]
Ibid, pp. 100-01.