“As I swiped at my phone, a stream of pro-Trump propaganda filled the screen: ‘That’s right, the whistleblower’s own lawyer said, ‘The coup has started …’ ’ Swipe. ‘Democrats are doing Putin’s bidding …’ Swipe. ‘The only message these radical socialists and extremists will understand is a crushing …’ Swipe. ‘Only one man can stop this chaos …’ Swipe, swipe, swipe.”—McKay Coppins, The Atlantic, “The Billion Dollar Misinformation Campaign to Re-elect the President,” March, 2020
If you haven’t yet heard about or read the article cited above, I highly recommend it: it’s the most complete, detailed and thoroughly researched account of the massively deceptive Neptunian challenge looming ahead for Election 2020. We’ve been seeing this challenge take shape for years already—it’s unclear to what exact extent propaganda and distorted information served up in Election 2016 by Russian troll farms actually decided the election, but according to Coppins’ eye-witness account from inside Magaworld, an even more sophisticated, large-scale campaign using the same Neptunian tools is unfolding even as we speak, and it sounds like its coordinators are determined to sway the vote by any means necessary this time around. No ethical, legal or moral boundaries exist here, so there will be victims.
Consider this summary of the challenge from Coppins, who basically embedded himself in the world of Trump disinformation on social media so he could report what he observed:
“What I was seeing was a strategy that has been deployed by illiberal
political leaders around the world. Rather than shutting down dissenting
voices, these leaders have learned to harness the democratizing power of social
media for their own purposes—jamming the signals, sowing confusion. They no
longer need to silence the dissident shouting in the streets; they can use a
megaphone to drown him out. Scholars have a name for this: censorship through
noise…
Every presidential campaign sees its share of spin and misdirection, but
this year’s contest promises to be different. In conversations with political
strategists and other experts, a dystopian picture of the general election
comes into view—one shaped by coordinated bot attacks, Potemkin local-news
sites, micro-targeted fearmongering, and anonymous mass texting. Both parties
will have these tools at their disposal. But in the hands of a president who
lies constantly, who traffics in conspiracy theories, and who readily
manipulates the levers of government for his own gain, their potential to wreak
havoc is enormous.”
This erosion of trust, in combination with a deluge of micro-targeted ads and texts touting the Trump narrative on all things, basically works to erode people’s ability to think for themselves. In worst case scenarios, it breaks down people’s confidence to the point that they’re super-vulnerable to lies and distortions. In other words, the campaign intends to essentially psychologically overwhelm, abuse and manipulate everyone on the receiving end of this with gaslighting tactics. We know that Saturn is one remedy for Neptunian abuse—in this case, that means learning to recognize the tell-tale signs of gaslighting before they achieve their aim, so consider this:
 |
| See article that explains this pernicious form of abuse here. |
The press—the only watchdog we have against government corruption these days—fell
victim to constant smear tactics in 2016, as well—they’re all Fake News! At times Trump and company have even lashed out at
individual reporters just trying to do their jobs. But he will “never do anything to harm Social
Security and Medicare”—until he proposes one trillion dollars in health care cuts in the next budget. Have we
started to question our own perceptions and judgments about what the presidency
in a democracy should be about, yet?
Of course we have—how couldn’t we?
 |
| Who's the real person here? |
Other Neptunian challenges: the
“Hall of Mirrors” effect—the often distorted “funhouse” sea of deflections and
projections that fill our Media space in
regards to the facts of anything involving
Trump. We saw more of this with his pronouncements regarding the Roger Stone
sentencing. The “other side” (i.e., those who would dare to try holding his
crony accountable for defying Congress, etc.) were the problem—not Stone himself and the many crimes he was convicted on in court (some for quite vicious behavior).
If the Constitution or Congress
says there’s a problem with something Trump or his cronies want to do or have
done, the Constitution and Congress
must be the problem! We've been enduring a rolling constitutional crisis for this very reason. His impeachment defense was similarly rife with
distortions and attempts to smear others to save himself. “I’m rubber…you’re
glue…bounces off me and sticks on you!”
This “mirror” effect is also
expressing in the way Trump has attempted to distort our perceptions of right
and wrong themselves: he intervened in the military justice system to pardon a Navy Seal convicted of war
crimes and as alluded to, he has intervened with the Justice Department to
secure a light sentence for his long-time cronies, Mike Flynn and Roger Stone,
convicted on multiple counts of corrupt, illegal behavior. Mike
Flynn actually pled guilty under oath and then tried to smear the court to
nullify his verdict. Yet Trump is now calling for the prosecution of decorated war hero Lt. Col. Vindman, who testified
in Congress in the impeachment hearings.
 |
| Purple Heart recipient, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman |
According to a stunning article by
former Chief of Staff John
Kelly, Lt. Col. Vindman followed the law and his military training
by responding to a subpoena from Congress and telling the truth as he knew it
under oath, and for this he (and his brother!) were perp-walked out of the
White House?
In another instance, we witnessed
Trump attempt to curry a bit of favor with African-Americans by inviting one of
the last remaining Tuskegee Airmen to his State of the Union address, only to
turn around and award the National Medal of Honor to a blatant racist and
all-round ethically-challenged Rush Limbaugh. The “Hall of Mirrors” provides
Trump with the only ethical North Star he knows, judging the rightness or
wrongness of every situation by how it reflects
on him. If it reflects poorly, it must be a lie perpetrated by disgusting,
evil “NeverTrumpers.” How dare they
say anything negative in regards to His Highness? Free speech rights are being trampled, left and right, and that's just the tip of the corruption iceberg!
 |
| Michelangelo Caravaggio's rendition of the Myth of Narcissus. |
Even beyond the damage being done to
military justice and to Vindman’s reputation and career (likewise, to so many
other public servants who have been treated equally shabby), the fallout in
terms of the ethical and moral collapse of our national leadership and Trump’s
inability to see beyond his own self-interest will be deep and long-lasting. Remember
the myth of Narcissus, a “beautiful” young man who fell in love with his
own reflection in a pool of water? It didn’t end well for him because he tragically
realized he could never fulfill his longing for that reflection and so
committed suicide. It seems that Trump has figured out a way to destroy others in that quest instead—anyone who
might question the beauty he sees in his own reflection is fair game. Neptune!
Neptune is also the likely source of
a host of “no win situations” that seem to proliferate exponentially, right
along with the culture of constant crisis Trump has spawned: every time we
think we might have made a step forward, it’s common for something out of the
blue to intervene and muddy the waters, throw the daily news cycle out of whack
and put us three steps back. That insidious undertow
is Neptune at work.
Addressing true
crises is another story: Trump begrudged Puerto
Rico every penny of federal aid they so badly needed after Hurricane Maria,
and he has barely mentioned the Coronavirus epidemic or the challenges of
climate change—both truly urgent, as
opposed to his toxic Neptunian crises.
Of course, no win situations touch
all sides of politics these days: for instance, why is former N.Y. mayor Mike
Bloomberg in the race? – to stop Bernie Sanders or to stop Donald Trump? The
first choice raises uneasy suspicions and divides the Democratic party; the
second choice would seem to be welcome and unifying because even if he doesn’t
become the nominee, Bloomberg has pledged to finance the Democratic party in its quest against Trump.
 |
| Former NYC Mayor and Democratic candidate, Mike Bloomberg |
But, if Sanders wins the nomination,
which could happen, what then? Sanders expressly rejects funding by
billionaires, so where does that leave the effort? Will the Dems look a gift
horse in the mouth over ideological lines one candidate has drawn in the sand?
It’s true that the Dems have all
decried the power of big money to “buy” our elections, so they may be damned if
they accept Bloomberg’s help and damned if they don’t. Neptune!
This, along with the fact that Trump
is never accountable for anything has spun an almost magical
feeling “invincibility cloak” around him that insulates him against any and all
responsibility. This “myth” of
invincibility isn’t real, folks…it’s a carefully engineered narrative
that is reinforced every time he “colors outside the line” with impunity (when doesn’t he?). His invincibility depends
entirely on his followers picking up on his “coded” (i.e., Neptunian) statements.
It doesn't take much to see that there are implied threats in everything he says on Twitter—he didn’t have to “force” the DOJ to reduce
Stone’s sentencing—all he had to do was to express dissatisfaction and toss out
a couple choice code words like “unfair” and “horrible,” and his toadies know
that a threat looms if they don’t fall into line. This allows Trump to deny
that he did anything
untoward—plausible deniability is Neptune’s gift that keeps on giving.
Muddy the waters and anything is
possible.
Of course, Trump bullies his way
into these situations and then just dares those with any say in the matter to withhold
what he wants, or—if he’s done something blatantly inappropriate or illegal—to hold
him accountable. We’re seeing this dynamic play out in his current attacks against
Judge Amy Berman Jackson in the Roger Stone case. Another “no-win”
situation: Will she cave to his unfounded criticisms and cut the sentence she
thinks is best for Stone? Or will she do what her professionalism dictates as
being just and appropriate and be forced to deal with non-stop threats and
recrimination?
If Trump’s targets dare to withhold what he wants, he will carry
out those implied threats that lace every message, which takes us back to the
Hall of Mirrors—his accusers are
guilty…not him! They’re out to get him…It’s a hoax…a witch hunt…they’re
corrupt, liars, she’s an “Obama judge,” and so on. It’s a horrible miscarriage
of justice…what a waste of time and money…and yadda yadda. These are all
very predictable projections and deflections from the real issues at hand, but
it’s a formula that always seems to work for Trump, so why vary the script?
As another judge observing what’s
happening with Jackson
Berman put it: “He’s trying to delegitimize anyone appointed by someone
other than him and to say that the only people who can be trusted are Trump
judges,” she said. There should be no
such thing as a Trump (or Obama) judge…the whole basis for a judge’s
position is his/her ability to remain politically neutral and to judge the case
strictly on the facts presented. The long sordid history of the Stone case
suggests that Jackson Berman has done just that—she didn’t even jail the man
after he violated a gag order by posting a threatening picture of her on Instagram, with rifle crosshairs laid over her face! Sounds to me like
she’s been more than fair!
So we’ve seen Trump in action long
enough now to anticipate a lot of the corrupt maneuverings that he and his
operatives are likely to try, but as in all things Neptunian, there’s a
hidden “trap:” a tendency to become lulled or overwhelmed into accepting these
behaviors as the new norm, which IMHO, is very dangerous. If we ever want to live
in a democracy where no one is above the law again, we must take these
behaviors very seriously, and we must be incredibly vigilant.
A case in point is the “Operation
Chaos” initiative the Republicans are planning to pursue in primary
contests. The point is for Republican voters to cross-over the aisle and vote
en masse for the “weakest” Dem on the ticket—those in charge believe this will
sow chaos in the Democratic party and will provide Trump with a punching bag
candidate he can easily vanquish. Will there be any way to trace the impact of
this kind of overt meddling? One of the organizers of this corrupt initiative
has this to say:
"I would love to see the Democrats -- whoever wins the
South Carolina Democrat primary -- for everybody else to have accused him of
having stolen the election because he was actually elected with Republican
support and therefore prolonged the chaos and the disruption."
In other words, the dirty tricks
have already begun and the tricksters don’t even try to disguise what they are
doing—they’re boasting about it. This
is a stark warning about the Neptunian challenges to our upcoming
election: if we let down our guard for a minute, allow ourselves to be
fragmented, divided and/or apathetic, things will go very wrong, so extreme
vigilance and unity are key. Personally,
I hope the DNC files a law suit suing those in charge of this program (which
Trump has remarked on from the White House)—here’s a case where a dash of Saturn
might help balance out a bit of the toxic Neptune.
Of course, how do you stop people
from showing up at the polls with bad intentions? It might help if there were
party affiliation laws (Saturn) limiting who can vote in the
primaries, but that’s not likely to happen.
Despite there being a viable Republican alternative in Bill
Weld, Trump isn’t being primaried in most states (he’s the projected winner
of the nomination, apparently)—unfortunately, this allows Republicans to cast
their one vote for the sake of doing mischief.
So, hovering in the middle degrees
of its watery domain Pisces, Neptune is basically dominating our
astrological times. Yes, the Saturn-Pluto dynamics have been
showy and deeply significant because they seem to have weakened the
institutional defenses that Trump can then take advantage of, but Neptune
looms strong like a stealth undersea behemoth. It’s also especially significant because of
the transiting influence it has on several candidate charts and the Sibly chart.
The
astrology
So which candidate going forward
stands the best chance of managing toxic Neptunian energies? To my mind, this
person will be the one who best weathers Trump’s corrupt power plays and flying
Twitter thumbs, and will be the one with the best chance of prevailing over
Trump. Of course, this is far from an exact science, made even more difficult
by who we’re dealing with, but I hope the exercise will help us put the
challenges ahead into a useful perspective . Neptune is at its most
powerful when we’re the most divided, confused or unsure of what to call the
events and behaviors we’re seeing with our own eyes.
Guardian.com has even issued a “Guide
to stop catastrophizing, for tackling anxiety and approaching each day more
logically and positively” –certainly a sign of our Neptunian times.
As for resisting Neptune, there’s
no resisting a deluge, but we can “ride the waves,” so to speak, and even learn
to channel its oceanic energies into something useful. Trump does this all the
time, undoubtedly supported by his natal Mercury square Neptune (Cancer-Libra, chart
not shown), so the key to opposing him just might be to “fight Neptune
with Neptune.” This differs from the conventional
wisdom that Saturn is the best antidote to Neptune, but the normal
rules never seem to apply to Trump, do they?
So let’s see how the current
Democratic front-runners might meet this challenge. We’ll consider their nativities
against this year’s Aries ingress chart, which should lend us some perspective
for the campaign road ahead this year.
Please note that because we’ll be
considering a couple charts ahead, I will be focusing pretty tightly on the Neptune
issue and passing over some other details. This campaign year is just
getting started, of course—we’ll be looking at these charts, as well as the
other candidate charts, in much greater detail
as the year progresses!
 |
| Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT). |
Sen.
Bernie Sanders
Sanders, who has gone by the party label
“Independent” in the Senate since 2006, is the Senate’s only self-avowed Democratic
Socialist, so no surprise, his policy plans reflect that progressive left-wing
stance. Because he’s something of an outlier ideologically, it’s remarkable what
a strong opponent he was for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and it's equally significant how strongly he
performed in both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary this time
around. He claims to be the Democratic frontrunner at this point, however Mayor
Pete Buttigieg is nipping at his heels, and even has a very slim delegate lead over him,
in fact. Again, this isn’t Sanders’ first presidential “rodeo,” of course—in 2016
he famously objected to what he perceived as discrimination on behalf of
Clinton by the DNC in that race.
This time around, it doesn’t seem
that Sanders will have the patience to be put aside so lightly, and the party
is quite concerned that his passionate young followers will not accept any one
else at the top of the ticket. He has momentum, in other words—it just remains
to be seen how robust the “wave” he’s riding right now will be. The biggest
questions arise in regards to his support from African-American and Latino
communities—will they be “feeling the Bern” in states like Nevada and South
Carolina? We’ve seen Beto O’Rourke, another charismatic progressive, fold up
his tent and go home, but he didn’t have nearly the traction that Sanders has.
 |
| Sanders is the oldest candidate in the field, but has great appeal for many young voters. |
Finally, Neptune has long been
regarded as the planet ruling Socialist-style political systems, so it might be
logical to expect that if he will have a positive, even supportive,
relationship with Neptune, and this might redound to his success as a Socialist
candidate. Of course, his somewhat rigid progressive left-wing ideology could
also be the “hook” on which the opposition hangs his candidacy out to dry. Neptune
has a way of exploiting such ambiguities and doubts to paralyze people
and cause them to vote against their own inner lights. Erring on the side of
gut instinct works pretty well in Neptunian times—politicians need
sharp instincts and the ability to follow their “inner lights,” too, so let’s
see whether Sanders’ chart endows him with that skill. Let’s begin.
Biwheel
#1: (inner wheel) Bernie Sanders,
September 8, 1941, 11:43:40 a.m. DST, Brooklyn, NY; (outer wheel) Aries
Ingress 2020, March 19, 2020, 11:50:01 p.m. DST, Washington, D.C.. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.
It’s important to note that Sanders’
time of birth is not entirely certain (I’m told that another astrologer
acquired the time 12:27 p.m., which could have some merit too), although
looking at his chart, I suspect the time I found is close, if not accurate.
Even so, we’ll dwell less on his angles and Moon placement than we
would otherwise. Clearly, he possesses an aggressive, active Aries
Moon—it’s just not certain at which degree. From listening to him speak
and watching how dynamic his campaign has been, I suspect that the Mars-Moon
(Aries) conjunction shown in the inner wheel here is also credible.
Sanders displays emotional strength, courage and absolute confidence in his
convictions, and a dignified Aries Mars fits that profile. From
the avid nature of his following, I’d say that he projects strength and
self-assurance, and this may account for a lot of his appeal.
 |
| Sanders' ubiquitous merchandising helps spread the word - Neptune! |
Interchart
T-Square: Ingress Neptune conjoins
Sanders South Node and opposes Sanders Sun-North Node (Virgo); this axis
squares Sanders Jupiter (Gemini). This aspect bodes well for Sanders’
ability to “surf the Neptunian waves,” and the presence
of his Nodal Axis in all this speaks to his avid fan base, as well. He
often emphasizes the imperative of doing the right thing by people (Virgo
Node-Sun),
and this has appeal for those who feel short-changed or marginalized by our
capitalist system.
His ideas about
student loan forgiveness and his desire to totally dismantle and recreate our
healthcare system seem to be the key to a lot of his appeal, and it doesn’t
hurt that he often “scolds” our nation (Virgo) for being so totally behind
the rest of the world in matters like this. Of course, Virgo suits his passion
for the health care issue in general, even as the square from Gemini
Jupiter raises questions about how he will fund his ambitious “Medicare
for All” plans.
On another note, Sanders’ Aries
Mars (and possibly Moon) quincunxes North Node—another
sign that he has the drive to fulfill the commitments he makes: who doesn’t
respond to that? He was staunchly against the Bush administration’s invasion of
Iraq—one of the few who voted against it—so he gains respect and loyalty there,
as well.
The t-square puts pressure on him to
put his resources where his mouth is (Gemini Jupiter). This placement fits
how he’s managed to fund his campaign too—through a robust network of small
individual donations. He likes to remind
people that the average donation his campaign receives is less than $20. Of
course, this sensitive point leaves him open to prying eyes and disinformation
(distorted claims or bald-faced lies about how he’s being funded), as well—so
again, it’s hard to envision him accepting huge donations from billionaires
like Mike Bloomberg. Will that hamper him if he’s up against Trump’s fund-raising
behemoth? He claims he’s prepared to do just that—only time will tell about
this, but we can see where the pressure points are in this t-square.
Neptune rules Sanders’ 5th house;
Ingress Neptune occupies this house, trines Sanders ASC (Scorpio) and
quincunxes Sanders Venus (Libra). All these points are contingent upon
Sanders’ chart angles being more or less accurate, so big grain of salt here. Happily,
Sanders’ Venus is dignified in Libra, and since it’s rising in his
12th (likely unless his birth time is seriously wrong) opposite
his dignified Aries Mars, he could be the “rising
star/warrior” that people are looking for. If
we can count on the house arrangement we see here, this 5th
house Neptune transit is likely to enhance Sanders’ influence and
provide a receptive audience for his passions. This is a very long-term
transit, of course—it would see him through an entire presidential term and
then some. His naysayers may be selling him short, and that point is reinforced
by the fact that his 5th house overlays the Sibly 4th—his
grass roots appeal may be stronger than anyone thinks at the moment.
So we’ll leave Sanders’ chart here
for now—there will be much more time to revisit it as the year unfolds. Let’s
turn to the young, 30-something who is nipping at his heels, Mayor Pete
Buttigieg.
 |
| Former South Bend Mayor, Pete Buttigieg |
Mayor
Pete Buttigieg
A self-styled moderate, Afghanistan veteran,
and the first openly gay (married) candidate who’s ever run for president, what Buttigieg lacks in national
political experience, he seems to gain in his middle-of-the-road policy ideas.
He’s not so liberal as to scare people away, but he’s certainly a man that
radiates a strong value system, has no problem discussing the role of religion
in politics in terms that are pretty personal, so he gains authenticity points
there. He also seems to be pretty savvy regarding the workings of power in D.C.
Notably, he disagrees with the progressives who want Medicare for All: his
health care plan is “Medicare for All who want it,” which probably appeals to
union members who prize their comfortable insurance plans.
Buttigieg feels like a safe bet for
those concerned about the state of perpetual war we find ourselves in, as
well—he’s the only candidate with a military background, and that can’t hurt
him with voters. He seems to have some success pulling what he calls “future
former Republicans” into his fold, too—I’m guessing that people resonate with
his clean-cut “decent guy” persona, which is a welcome counter to Trump’s
corrupt bully routine.
 |
| Pete and Chasten Buttigieg. |
Buttigieg’s potential Achilles heel,
of course, is his sexuality and his gay marriage. Are Americans
or even Democrats-at-large really ready for this? That’s the aching
question, but Buttigieg doesn’t seem phased by the possibility that this could
cause a problem. He’s proven he can win in “Mike Pence’s Indiana,” as he puts
it, so why not the nation? So far voters are proving him correct, but the
prospects for GOP dirty tricks and smear campaigns targeting his sexuality are
real and they’ve already begun, with Rush
Limbaugh and others sowing seeds of doubt this past week.
Biwheel
#2: (inner wheel) Pete Buttigieg,
January 19, 1982, 9:00 p.m.ST (cited by Astrotheme),
South Bend, IN ; (outer wheel) Aries Ingress 2020, March 19, 2020, 11:50:01
p.m., Washington, D.C.. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.
Again, a word of caution: a birth
time that falls right on the hour is always a little suspect, so we have to
take this timing with a grain of salt, too. Astrotheme
didn’t offer a source on this one either, so we won’t focus too much on the
angles and houses, or the Moon placement.
Buttigieg Saturn conjoins his Pluto (Libra)
and both square his Sun (Capricorn). This is an important marker for
why Buttigieg’s campaign may be “an idea whose time has come”—he’s a member of
the November, 1982 Saturn-Pluto cohort, which also happens to be squared
by Ingress
Saturn-Pluto. Buttigieg’s campaign signals, in fact, a generational
shift going on with political power, and IMHO, it’s high time for a younger
crowd to take the reins. It’s like the transition between Dwight Eisenhower and
JFK—the nation was just ready for a younger, well-educated and charismatic
leader, so despite the naysayers, JFK won against Richard Nixon.
It probably
helped that Kennedy’s Pluto (Cancer) still conjoined the
1914 Saturn-Pluto
cycle point (0°+Cancer)
he was born under[1]
and his Saturn (Cancer) tightly opposed Sibly Pluto (Capricorn) as well,
similar to Trump’s Saturn-Venus (Cancer) opposing this same point, while
Obama’s and Buttigieg’s Saturns conjoin Sibly Pluto (Capricorn). The Kennedy-Trump parallel may not be as
outlandish as it sounds—a story for another day. In any case, the generational
shift dynamic at work here may give Buttigieg a leg up.
 |
| Buttigieg hasn't hesitated to bring religion into his campaign narrative. |
Ingress Neptune trines Buttigieg No. Node
(Cancer) and sextiles Buttigieg South Node (Capricorn). This may be the
“inspiration” factor that has kept Buttigieg’s campaign perking along so
surprisingly well. His openness about religious matters doesn’t hurt here, of
course, although his appeal for Evangelical voters is still bound to be
limited. Can he turn the tables on their disdain for gays and gay marriage and
be the “ambassador” that opens their minds to new possibilities? He certainly accomplished that for some in
Iowa and New Hampshire, but he’s far from home free on this issue. His success
across the southern states will probably tell the story here.
What does all this say about Buttigieg’s
ability to handle Neptunian energies? Transparency and authenticity are his
assets; allowing himself to be put on the defensive will not go well. His natal
Neptune
falls in late Sagittarius and is widely squared by
Ingress
Neptune (Pisces), so he is driven by an energized, freedom-seeking set
of ideals and it’s likely that he sees these qualities in his mate, Chasten
Glezman. This generational mid-life square may bode well for him if he can
navigate its energies. The downside of this square is its tendency to cloud a
person’s judgment and choices for the second half of life. Is his run for the
presidency just a passing delusion or a true long-term commitment to public
service? Hard to know, but I guess we’ll find out.
 |
| Still building and living their public service ethos, Jimmy & Roslyn Carter. |
Former president Jimmy
Carter lost his second try at the presidency against Reagan, but he then
embarked on an even more impressive life of service with his Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity—it
happens!
Whatever impact this generational
transit has on Buttigieg, it’s quite possible that his “serious” Capricorn
energies and Sun-Venus conjunction (Capricorn-Aquarius) will help.
Buttigieg Jupiter (Scorpio) square Venus
(Aquarius). This could certainly account for Buttigieg’s “charm,” and
as we know from history, charm and a photogenic personality can be a
game-changer. Interestingly, his Venus is also being squared by
transiting Uranus (Taurus), so the possibility that Republicans will gang
up on him about his sexuality is real. Will it make a difference? So far,
nothing worth notice—the fact that he’s won more delegates than Sanders at this
point speaks loudly to this.
If
Neptune is truly transiting
Buttigieg’s 7th house right now, as pictured, this could account for
his tendency to see Sanders’ Socialist roots as problematic.
 |
| Socialism has always thrived when capitalist economies serve the wealthy and disadvantage everyone else. |
Will Buttigieg
make Socialism the “foil” that helps him to continue thriving at the polls? That
could be one way for him to handle Neptunian energies—as for the dirty
tricks campaign that could target him as the “weakest” candidate they’d like to
see on the stage with Trump, it seems to me that he is capable of standing his
ground against Trump, and if the GOP does target him, they may be sorry!
One appealing and hopeful note:
Buttigieg seems to have inner resources that will serve this purpose—an
aggressive, disciplined Capricorn Sun, a Jupiter-infused
Moon-Uranus
conjunction (Sagittarius), and a forward-thinking Uranian mind (Aquarius
Mercury). His mind is sharp as a tack and thankfully, it’s grounded in
a solid sense of ethics. He—unlike Trump—seems to possess a sensitive moral
core, and his demeanor radiates a certain dignity and honor—his military
background is a big help here. Importantly, he seems to possess authenticity and an inner core of
strength that exceeds expectations.
Last, but not least, if the angles shown in this chart are
accurate, his chart is ruled by that Aquarius Mercury (Virgo rising), which
explains why he projects the desire to serve on the collective level and to “do
the right thing” by people, and why he speaks well in front of a microphone. With
all the Aquarius energy in his chart, he may be an effective agent of
change, as well—something we’re going to need going forward in this climate
change-challenged world.
 |
| Trump challenging Mayor Pete's masculinity. Pete is the soldier;Trump the draft dodger. |
Importantly, it’s quite possible
that Trump will not want to run
against Buttiegieg—for one thing, he’s a good looking, young, slim, healthy
looking former soldier whose looks don’t depend upon spray on tans and
comb-overs. Trump is famously sensitive about his appearance—especially as seen
in the media—so the inevitable comparisons may bother him greatly. Nixon lost
against Kennedy for similar reasons, so appearances (and age, in this instance) could matter.
I think we’ll start to understand
Buttigieg’s strengths and Neptune resilience (he does seem to
know how to turn an opponent’s criticism back on them) when the results of the
Nevada and South Carolina contests are in. His ability to inspire minority
support—his biggest challenge to date—will matter greatly in these states.
 |
| The field is narrowing, but there are still six standing and Michael Bloomberg! |
Final
thoughts
We’ve covered a lot of territory in
this post, but because of space considerations, we’ll have to cover the
remaining Democratic candidates in the next
post.
Meanwhile, with the Sibly Pluto return tightening to its final few degrees, the
time to make serious changes to our economic system might be at hand. This
would, of course, support the more progressive candidates, who never tire of
pointing out how extreme wealth inequality has become under our current plutocratic (Pluto!) system. It’s hard to imagine that this inequality is a
Trump priority, but we can probably be certain that he will find a way to muddy
the waters on this issue so as to squelch the impact of that message.
It’s worth pointing out that,
between Buttigieg and Klobuchar (and to a lesser extent Biden), the “moderate”
Democratic message resonated with more voters in Iowa and New Hampshire than
Sanders’ more progressive agenda. I know this is not how Sanders sees the results—he’s claiming victory, full stop.
Even so, this disparity is something to keep in mind—the ultimate nominee needs
to not only be able to “beat Trump,” but he/she needs to promote an agenda that
resonates with the largest possible Democratic audience.
A Neptunian outpouring of
people at the polls is essential this year: apathy is the worst enemy for those
who long for better times in America. Unfortunately, there is an alarming lack
of public engagement in the events of the past few weeks in D.C. From the Washington
Post:
“As Justice Department veteran David Laufman writes, “We are now truly at a break-glass-in-case-of-fire
moment for the Justice Dept.” But does anyone give a damn? Democratic lawmakers
are, to be sure, perturbed, but it’s easy (if unfair) to write off their
outrage as mere partisanship. Republican members of Congress, as usual, either have nothing
to say or offer ineffectual expressions of “concern.”
And the public? I don’t see massive marches in the streets. I
don’t see people flooding their members of Congress with calls and emails. I
don’t see the outrage that is warranted — and necessary. I see passivity,
resignation and acquiescence from a distracted electorate that has come to
accept Trump’s aberrant behavior as the norm.”
Stay tuned – more candidate charts
in the next post!
 |
| Huh? |
“The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is
not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a
democracy.”--Montesquieu
[1]
John F. Kennedy birth data: May 29, 1917, 3 p.m. (uncertain), Brookline, MA.
Rated XX for uncertain time.
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