Thursday, January 21, 2021

E Pluribus Unum lives on: the Astrology of the Biden/Harris Inauguration

 



“Through a crucible for the ages America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge.”—Joseph R. Biden, 1/20/2021 Inauguration Speech

 

 

It was a ceremony—and a day—for the history books. Joe Biden—Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.—was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts as the 46th U.S. president at precisely 11:49 a.m. on the 20th, about 11 minutes earlier than anticipated (American presidential power traditionally transfers at noon sharp), but no one was complaining on that specially fitted out and secured Capitol dais. The particulars have been reported on by every journalist and media outlet imaginable, of course; here, we’ll consider—in light of those particulars—what made this day astrologically significant.

There’s plenty to talk about, including our new president’s determinedly hopeful speech, clearly crafted to change the angry, almost despairing tone of our recent public discourse, and to remind us that “…at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.”

As we have discussed over the past couple weeks, this prevailing was no foregone conclusion—remnants and reminders of the Trump-incited riot in the Capitol this past January 6th that attempted to stop the peaceful transition of power to Biden were everywhere, especially in the overwhelming security lockdown that was imposed on the whole Capitol complex. But the show went on—beautifully and with great dignity, and did so in a way that reclaimed the Capitol for the often-underestimated, but oh, so potent and resonant trappings of democracy. Order was imposed where chaos had reigned two short weeks before; the roiling mob that forcibly overran the national mall was replaced with a field of celebratory flags, firmly planted and waving. Even the wind seemed to be in on the celebratory mood.

Indeed, the visual signals of renewed democratic order were everywhere: in the Color Guard, in the commanding panache of military dress uniforms and spit-shined shoes, and in the long procession of heavily-secured official black vehicles snaking into the Capitol grounds with lights flashing purposely. Following some unspoken, but reassuring protocol, these vehicles gleamed under the light of a new Aquarius Sun (Leader), conjunct the still early Aquarius points of Saturn and Jupiter—these institutional sentries that have been so battered and bruised in recent years found their mettle and safely escorted the nation’s duly-elected future leaders to their appointments with destiny. 

 

Kamala Harris being sworn in as Biden's V.P.

Through the efforts of thousands charged with delivering yesterday’s all-important peaceful transition of power—one of the chief hallmarks of American democracy—the still new Jupiter-Saturn cycle that seemed at risk of being co-opted by anti-democracy forces on January 6th was redeemed and re-oriented towards the future and better, more unified times. It felt like the nation was taking a snappy about-face right along with our Color Guard. It felt like democracy had been wrested back from the brink by re-imposing a sense of sacred purpose and ritual. Giving meaning back to the exercise of government, beyond fulfilling one man’s ego needs. There may be a rough road ahead, but it felt like a worthy start on what our new president calls “restoring the Soul of the nation.” 

 

 

“But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us.”

Rebuilding American unity was a constant theme in yesterday’s proceedings—beginning with the line quoted above, Biden’s stirring speech dwelt heavily on that point. The presence of three former presidents on hand for the day’s proceedings (G.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama) helped reinforce that point and visually reminded us that administrations often transition from one party to the next, and that’s okay.  

The message was clear: party should never matter more than the nation itself, especially when our natural divisions are exploited and radicalized in the service of toxic power ambitions. Let’s take a look at the Inauguration chart to see how this worked. We’ll examine the chart on its own first and then place it next to the Sibly chart for the sake of that larger context. Please note that I’ve timed the Inauguration chart for the moment Biden was actually sworn into office, but this chart should also tell us something about Biden’s entire administration over time.We'll undoubtedly come back to it for more on that. For today, however, let's examine it for what it told us about Inauguration Day itself.

 


 

Chart #1. Inauguration 2021, January 20, 2021, 11:49 a.m. ST, Washington, DC. Equal Houses, True Node. All charts cast, courtesy of Kepler 8.0 Cosmic Patterns software.

 Venus rules Taurus ASC from 9th in Capricorn, semi-sextile Pallas-Mercury (Aquarius), sextile Neptune-Ceres (Pisces), widely square Eris (Aries) and trine ASC. In other words, a determined, organized Saturnian Venus had her hands in just about everything that happened yesterday. She blessed and empowered the trappings of power and stability, with all branches of government represented—the Supreme Court justices and military personnel could have worn street clothes, but their respective uniforms signaled solidarity and a greater purpose. Venus cast a protective net around any signs of disruption (Eris)—even Wall Street was elated, scaling new heights, Capricorn-style.

Right on cue, too—it was all pretty much in keeping with the Capricorn New Moon we discussed in the last post here. Is it any wonder that our first female vice-president was in many ways the “star” of the show?

Nodal axis (Gemini-Sagittarius) t-squares Neptune-Ceres (Pisces). I’ve been watching this long-term t-square because it’s been operating as a sort of barometer of collective trends. Lately this has been focused on the deluge of Neptunian misinformation that characterized Trump’s attempts to stay in power, but there are tentative signs afloat that people are waking up to the lies, and to how they’ve been used and abused by those lies. This t-square won’t disappear overnight and neither will the mass delusions, but the Venus-to Neptune-Ceres sextile allowed a much-needed sanity break. As Biden put it so aptly in his speech, “History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity.” Capricorn consolidates and unites; yesterday in the Capitol it literally “contained” the misinformation with an inspiring and aspirational show of “history, faith and reason.” The challenge will be to maintain that principled vigilance.

Sun-Saturn-Jupiter conjunction (all Aquarius) squares Mars-Uranus conjunction (Taurus) in 12th. We’ve seen how the Aquarius points reflected the resolve and determination that informed the entire inauguration moment, and how they and wrested order back from the January 6th chaos. The squares we see here only deepened that resolve, since there was clearly a challenge looming in the background (12th) that galvanized every one into action. There were good reasons for the fencing and razor wire; those who forcibly broke into the House chambers on the 6th, shouting “this is our house!” needed to see the limits of that claim. The oath all DC officials swear to commits them to defending the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that’s what they were doing in DC yesterday. In a chart so heavily weighted with Saturn (via Capricorn and Aquarius points) and so concentrated in the upper hemisphere of the chart, the “rule of law” was favored to prevail.

Does that mean the Biden administration is now immune to those same chaotic forces? Not at all, however Mars will be moving on pretty quickly, so that particular volatile conjunction with Uranus will lose its punch. For a broader perspective, let’s see what all this looks like next to the Sibly chart (Biwheel #1). 

 

 


"We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue..."

 


 

Biwheel #1: (inner wheel) USA (Sibly) chart, July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (outer wheel) Inauguration 2021, January 20, 2021, 11:49 a.m. ST, Washington, DC. Equal Houses, True Node. All charts cast, courtesy of Kepler 8.0 Cosmic Patterns software.

It’s interesting that when we juxtapose these two charts, the key Inauguration points all end up in the Sibly chart’s lower hemisphere, spanning the 2nd-5th houses of that chart instead of the 9th-12th of the event chart. In terms of the nation as a whole, what happens in D.C. has decidedly local ramifications. And why not? Biden’s agenda, expressed in actions taken on his first day in office, is heavily focused on improving local conditions—getting more COVID assistance in people’s pockets (Venus-MC-Pluto and Sun-Jupiter-Saturn over Sibly 2nd), vaccines in people’s arms (Neptune over Sibly 4th) and getting kids back to school (Pallas-Mercury over Sibly 3rd house). 

In other words, the energies and resources of the federal government will be focused on the local level and its challenges. Venus (Capricorn) is transiting opposite Sibly Sun, supporting its leadership, and Saturn-Jupiter will make demands on our Sibly Venus-Jupiter by inconjunct. Solving the uniquely devastating problems plaguing people's lives these days should be a unifying goal, shouldn't it?

Broader economic issues are certainly implicated here, with the “heavies” still transiting the Sibly 2nd, but short-term goals seem to be the point here for now. The progressed Sibly Moon (not shown) falls at 3°+Aquarius and is conjoined by transiting Sun-Saturn-Jupiter—so it makes sense that the focus should be on supporting the fortunes and possibilities of “the People” who have gone through so much lately. Here’s where the challenges posed by the materially focused Taurus Mars-Uranus conjunction (square Jupiter-Saturn-progressed Sibly Moon and sextile Sibly Venus-Jupiter) can be constructive, pushing us to work on restoring local economies so the entire economy can benefit. Biden calls it “building back better,” and it makes sense here.

As always, that Sibly Mars-Nodal axis (Gemini-Sagittarius) t-square to Neptune-Ceres (Pisces) is a concern, although its influence will begin to dissipate in the coming months, as the axis continues retrograding into early Gemini-Sagittarius, out of orb with Neptune-Ceres. Truth-telling is suddenly the order of the day in D.C., so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of transformation our public discourse will go through as a result. 

Do I think for a minute that Trump will merely fade out of sight and out of mind for those who cling to him? Not really, but his influence may be more surreptitious than it has been. With the No. Node  transiting the Sibly 7th, we could see defense/military issues arise that have their roots in the Trump years. He went to great trouble to install loyalists in top defense positions, and to remove some of the old foreign policy stalwarts from defense policy advising positions the minute he realized he had lost the election—will we find out what that was all about sometime soon?

Early signs are good for Biden’s foreign policy plans—France has welcomed us back into the Paris Climate accord (another one of Biden’s first actions), Iran is hoping we will re-join the JCPOA (opinions differ strongly over this) and China is sanctioning 28 members of the Trump administration, including Secretary of State Pompeo, former National Security chief, John Bolton and Trump advisor Steve Bannon. Bottom line, there could be some geopolitical “land mines” left by Trump and company that Biden and company will have to carefully navigate. 

 

 

Fireworks lit up the sky in a finale to Inauguration celebrations.

Final thoughts

Clearly, what we saw on the 20th (yesterday, as I write this) is just a start towards fixing the many crises and problems we have to address, but overall, it feels like a strong start that will restore at least some public trust in our government’s ability (and willingness) to solve tough challenges. Biden doesn’t hesitate to tell us that he can’t do all this alone—he is not out to convince us that “he alone” can solve everything, as Trump was. What he does want everyone to realize is that we are capable of doing all this if we do it together with truly committed government support. Is Biden just deluded in his optimism, or feeding us “happy talk” to help heal the wounds?

We’ll see, but I don’t think it will help to ward off hope with more cynicism. We’ve had far too much corrosive cynicism in the past years, and it’s shown in our toxic politics.

Biden said “My whole soul is in this,” and call me crazy, but I think he deserves a chance to prove it.

 

 


 

 

Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former educator. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years; see the Publications tab on the home page for her two most recent publications, A Silver Lining in Aquarius: Engineering the Future with the 2020 Jupiter-Saturn cycle, and Pluto’s Sibly Return: Revisiting Paine’s Common Sense for Transformational Times..

 

For information about individual chart readings, contact: robertsonraye@gmail.com.

 

© Raye Robertson 2021. All rights reserved. 

 

 

Monday, January 11, 2021

Waking up from the “Big Lie”: the January New Moon in Capricorn

 


“…the crash of a universe of toxic conspiracies against the rocks of human reality.”—NYTimes.com

 

 

The attempted violent coup at the U.S. Capitol this past January 6th was promoted by Trump and carried out by a hodge podge of extremist groups, "Q" devotees, self-appointed anti-government agitators and hate groups of every stripe. It was, as the initial quote here puts it so eloquently, “…the crash of a universe of toxic conspiracies against the rocks of human reality.” It was openly incited by the ever-aggrieved Trump, and promoted by his loyalists, including GOP members of Congress who were willing to sign on to his “Big Lie” that Biden’s election was fraudulent and stolen, and that if everyone just fought hard enough to save the nation (Trump conflating his own ambitions with national security), this “problem” could be reversed on January 6th in Congress. 

In fact, no legal mechanism for such an action has ever existed in our democracy; Congress's role is purely ceremonial once the States have all certified their vote counts. V.P. Mike Pence told Trump as much, finally, so the effort was doomed to fail. Even worse, it was bound to confuse and enrage thousands of deluded Trump followers. 

So much has been reported and discussed about the chaotic course of Jan. 6th events—which, by the way, included organized plans to kill Congressional leaders and the Vice-President—that this post will assume it’s all pretty fresh in our minds these days. Moves are afoot in Congress to remove Trump from office because, as Rep. Cicilline put it in the NYTimes, “From Andrew Jackson to Richard Nixon, we have seen presidents abuse their power, but we ha[ve] never witnessed an American president incite a violent mob on the citadel of our democracy in a desperate attempt to cling to power…We cannot let this go unanswered.” It’s about our children, grandchildren and the future, he rightly adds.

 Time is not on the side of that happening before our democracy shifts gears to a new president on January 20th, of course, so the question here today is, what should we expect to transpire between now and then?

First of all, I think it’s prudent to take threats that have already been floated out there seriously. This one, for instance, published by NPR.org on January 9th:

“‘Many of Us will return on January 19, 2021, carrying Our weapons, in support of Our nation's resolve, to which [sic] the world will never forget!!!’ one person wrote on Parler, a site friendly to right-wing extremists. ‘We will come in numbers that no standing army or police agency can match.’

That post was one of dozens spotted by the Alethea Group, which tracks online threats and disinformation. Various virtual fliers circulating on social media promise an ‘armed march’ on Capitol Hill and in every state capital a few days before the inauguration. Other posts promise violence on Inauguration Day itself. One post encourages supporters to meet in D.C. specifically to prevent President-elect Joe Biden from entering the White House.”

My hope is that these threats are not only being taken seriously, but that they’re being fully investigated by the authorities—to do less in the light of this past week would be patently irresponsible. We don’t need astrology to tell us that—common sense should dictate.

Where astrology can offer some insight, however, is in looking forward to see if the social/emotional tone of events is likely to remain as heightened as it’s been, or if there is hope for a constructive shift in that tone. Are there planetary dynamics in play that might begin to enable those who are trying to tell the truth over those who are pushing “the Big Lie?” As Sen. Mitt Romney said so passionately as the Senate reconvened to finish their duty to verify the vote on January 6th, "The best way we can show respect for the voters who were upset is by telling them the truth.”

Thinking more long term, will we be able to begin healing the wounds that have been ripped open and exploited during the Trump years? Biden, to his credit, acknowledges those wounds and seems committed to that healing process, but the shrill divisions Trump has created with his frankly violent designs on power and the constant drip, drip, drip of misinformation may not be overcome that quickly. 

Symbols of hate were everywhere on January 6th.
Trump followers who are angry because they feel ignored and marginalized in our radically unequal economy may find Biden policies helpful—maybe even a start to their healing—but for those who were drawn to Trump for his white nationalist xenophobia, Biden probably won’t have much to offer. Unfortunately, among those with this extreme “MAGA” mindset, there are groups that the FBI, ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center all consider hate groups and potential domestic terrorists, but so far little has been done to blunt their influence and ability to organize. Such groups—many of them organized as paramilitary forces—span the nation and many have already put themselves at Trump’s service on other occasions when he’s wanted to put on a show of force.

For instance, we saw what can happen in the October plot to kidnap and kill Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a plot that many now see as a “dress rehearsal” for plots to attack more public officials in D.C. and elsewhere. About a dozen State capitols across the nation closed on January 6th in response to threats from such groups, and there’s real cause for concern. A common thread linking many of these groups is a hard-nosed anti-government sentiment, often enmeshed with white nationalist goals—goals that Trump and company have empowered. This a problem that’s not going to evaporate over night, even if Biden is inaugurated without incident on the 20th.  

A lot of these enraged and threatening dynamics were probably stirred by Trump and these groups in response to the relentless season of racial justice protests this past summer. In the wake of George Floyd’s heinous, openly perpetrated murder by a police officer, white people actually showed up to protest in numbers never seen.. What does a diehard white supremacist do with that development except feel that his world is slipping away from him? As that world must, if we’re ever to experience peace and true democracy in this nation. 

A Black Lives Matter protest in NYC this past summer.
We’ve spoken before on this site about the karmic comeuppance the U.S. is experiencing these days in regards to race relations, and about the reality that so many black Americans are still denied the full benefits of citizenship in multiple systemic ways, including at the ballot box: it wasn’t difficult to observe these dynamics at work in challenges surrounding the recent Georgia run-off Senatorial elections, not to mention in the restraint police forces showed with the hysterical (mostly white) mob on January 6th.

The comparisons with police treatment of BLM protesters last summer couldn’t have been more stark, which may seem like a side issue at the moment, but IMHO, it’s more perilous than that: such double standards clearly enable the insurrectionist forces now threatening more anti-government violence and pushing their “new civil war” narrative. It’s not that we need a new civil war to solve our racial problems, it’s that there are too many who never accepted the results of the first civil war—a population that includes, critically, our current president. We saw which votes he and his operatives were trying to label as fraudulent and illegitimate—almost all in urban areas with sizeable black populations! Could that be the unspoken element at the heart of Trump’s “Big Lie?”

It’s more than apparent that Trump believes black votes are by definition illegitimate, so in his mind, the votes against him from those urban areas must be fraudulent!  There’s a dicey Neptunian relationship between beliefs and reality that has seemed to drive his increasingly incoherent narrative since the Election, if not before—but because he’s managed to attract a potentially violent army of like-minded others—that’s a problem.


So what astrological milestones can we look to ahead for some direction and (hopefully) some reassurance? We’ll start with a look at the new Moon transpiring this coming Wednesday, January 13th, exact just past midnight. It’s an interesting one because the lunation will happen pretty tightly conjunct transiting Pluto in Capricorn, at a time when that Pluto is hovering only three degrees from our Sibly Pluto (a momentous impending “return” that we’ve been talking about for years). 

If you’ve been a frequent visitor here, you’ll know that this Capricorn terrain has been really well-trafficked lately, with both Jupiter and Saturn transiting back and forth over both transiting and Sibly Pluto, as if trying to soak up as much of those energies as possible before moving on into Aquarius to form their momentous new cycle in that air sign.

New Moons signal the beginning of a new lunar cycle, of course, which can impact public sentiment and seed new developments in short term political discourse and grass roots activity. The Moon in a mundane chart represents the “People,” so the public can be on both the giving and the receiving end of whatever transpires during a lunation. Such lunations have a personal dimension, as well, but here (Chart #1 set for Washington, D.C.), we’ll be focusing on insights regarding the nation and the American People, writ large.

We’ll consider the lunation on its own terms first and then, to glean more about its national context, we’ll set it next to the U.S. Sibly chart (Biwheel #1). Let’s begin.

 


 

Chart #1. New Moon, January 13, 2021, 12:00:02 a.m. ST, Washington, D.C. Equal Houses,True Node. All charts cast, courtesy of Kepler 8.0 Cosmic Patterns software.  

New Moon (Capricorn) conjoins Pluto (Capricorn) in 4th, widely t-square ASC-to-DSC-Eris (Libra-Aries). This chart is about much more than our current political disruption, although it certainly speaks to that, as well. This new Moon in Saturn-ruled Capricorn, conjunct a heavy Saturnian Pluto, suggests a focus on taking active measures to root out corruption and deal with obsessive behavior. Saturn is more forward-looking than usual in this chart, having moved into Aquarius, so the energy and narrative underlying these necessary actions will be so as well—it’s time for the hard work of getting to the root of the disruption (squares to DSC-Eris), holding responsible parties accountable, letting go of the past and moving on. 

Such a potent Saturn also insists that we accept and appreciate facts and reality over Neptunian “alternative facts”—with facts and science and the truth we can face the future; without, we’ll never get out of our present morass. Of course, there’s a limit to what can actually be accomplished in one lunation—the point here is that the New Moon inspires, seeds new developments, and inspires us to focus on the important tasks at hand.   

Finally, these dynamics also echo what I said earlier—that it’s time for this nation to grapple with and heal its karmic slave-holding (Saturn-Pluto) history.

The Moon is at home in the 4th house, which has a natural Cancerian character, but here the 4th house cusp is Capricorn, suggesting that we need to begin a good “house-cleaning.” Maybe now's the moment to "drain the swamp?"

Unfortunately, this heavy feeling 4th house Capricorn cycle may indicate a rough month ahead for COVID-related mortality. Neptune (epidemics) falls in the 6th of health and trines Cancer MC, disposed by the Capricorn 4th house Moon. At the same time, Neptune (Pisces) t-squares the Gemini-Sagittarius Nodal axis. This has been a very tight, ongoing square for awhile now, certainly reflecting the recent surge in cases we’ve been experiencing. Neptune also rules the vaccines that are now available, however—perhaps with Ceres pretty closely conjunct Neptune, this coming lunar month will be more efficient (Capricorn) about distributing it?

Neptune has also been working overtime inspiring propaganda and misinformation on social media outlets and elsewhere. A scary number of people at the Capitol on January 6th were carrying “Q”-related signs, in fact; nothing during the Trump administration has proven more insidious than the cult-like hold conspiracy theories and misinformation campaigns have had on such extreme right-wing followers.  Unfortunately, for all the good potential they might have had, social media outlets have opened the door to so much abuse of people’s minds and so much confusion over what’s true and what isn’t. Society and government simply can’t make sense without at least some commonly agreed upon facts, so it’s a hopeful step in the right direction that the major social media platforms have banned Trump and others spreading misinformation because their messaging has blatantly incited violent behavior. 

It will probably take some time to make a true difference, but the 6th house Neptune in this chart suggests that there may be a public dis-illusioning process in the works. A super rational Mercury (Aquarius) rules the 12th (naturally Piscean) and Neptune (Pisces) rules the naturally Mercurial 6th


Venus rules Libra ASC from Capricorn 3rd, square Chiron (Aries) and trine Mars-Uranus (Taurus). We are clearly not out of the woods in regards to possible violent disruptions (chart ruler squares Mars-Uranus); unfortunately, that may also pertain to continuing cyber (Uranus) attacks. Given that the Department of Justice was allegedly attacked by Russian hackers again on the same day our Capitol was stormed suggests some coordinated opportunism at work. We don’t have the facts to confirm that now, but it makes sense that the congressional laptops, tablets, and other items that were stolen by Capitol looters on January 6th may cause cybersecurity problems.

Venus in the 3rd suggests an effort to consciously address wounds (Chiron) by seeking common ground between people on the local level—this may be why the latest polls show that public opinion is shifting against Trump remaining in office between now and the 20th. It might also reflect public efforts to get our kids back in school, despite there being no end in sight to COVID cases. This Venus empowers an already powerful chart for women in the days ahead—both ASC and MC are ruled by yin energies, Venus and the Moon. Venus’s trine to Mars-Uranus (Taurus) should tell us something about the arenas in which Venus’s natural peace-making power will find support. Biden’s inauguration will usher in a number of women in various key positions, including Vice-President Kamala Harris and Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen—both appointments fit the preponderance of Saturn and Venus energies in this chart.

At this point, it makes sense to rack back our focus to include the Sibly chart and thus, the broader, U.S. national context for this lunation (Biwheel #1 below).

 


 

Biwheel #1: (inner wheel) U.S. (Sibly) chart, July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (outer wheel) New Moon, January 13, 2021, 12:00:02 a.m., Washington, D.C.. Equal Houses,True Node. All charts cast, courtesy of Kepler 8.0 Cosmic Patterns software.  

Interchart T-square: New Moon (Sun-Moon)-Pluto conjoin Sibly Pluto (Capricorn) and oppose Sibly Mercury (Cancer); this axis squares Lunation Eris (Aries). Powerfully transformative disruptions at the hands of the nation’s “enemies/allies” (Sibly Mercury rules 7th). Communications and media networks figure into these disruptions, which don’t necessarily have to be violent—Mars has moved out of volatile Aries and into more laid-back Taurus, and it sextiles Sibly Venus-Jupiter, so perhaps not the violent trigger some are expecting. There is a less comfortable feeling semi-sextile between Lunation Uranus (conjunct Mars) and Sibly Uranus, which bears watching—not an aspect that we would expect to be too concerning, but one to watch as Mars and Uranus near the Sibly 6th.

The Capricorn gathering referenced above also quincunxes Sibly Mars (Gemini) and Lunation No. Node (Gemini). The Pluto quincunx would have been active on the 6th as well, with the Moon tightly trine Sibly Mars from Libra that day, which might explain why the FBI needs to investigate to what extent members of the U.S. military were actively involved in the Jan. 6th riot. USAToday reported the following today (Jan. 11):

Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat of Colorado and a former Army Ranger, said he spoke with Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy on Sunday and was told that ‘at least 25 domestic terrorism cases have been opened as a result of the assault on the Capitol.’

A defense official who was informed about the call initially confirmed that the cases involved troops but later corrected that statement. The official said some troops – active and reserve duty – may have been involved in the riot, and the military will investigate them as necessary.

 'We are engaged in identifyng all of those who took part in breaching the Capitol, regardless of their affiliation,' Justice spokesman Marc Raimondi said Sunday. The Pentagon also has been asked to review all members who will be a part of the security detail for the inauguration Jan. 20 to ensure they are 'not sympathetic to domestic terrorists,' Crow said."

Similar stresses on the transiting No. Node (Gemini) suggest a trend that, in this case, cannot be understated or overlooked.

Lunation Jupiter-Saturn-Mercury (Aquarius) conjoin Sibly So. Node (Aquarius) and trine Sibly Uranus (Gemini). It’s tempting to sort of scoot these aspects under the rug and try to ignore them, but we do that at our peril because they do reflect the clear attempt we saw on January 6th to overturn our normal democratic order—an attempt that isn’t going to be stuffed back into the “Pandora’s box” Trump opened all that easily. The Sibly No. Node in Leo reflects the centralized, “United” nature of our federal government, whereas the Aquarius So. Node speaks to the more “States rights”-oriented nature of the rebellion, which not coincidentally, wants to celebrate (and probably duplicate) the Confederacy.

It’s easy to see here how the new Jupiter-Saturn cycle, for all its positives, has also supported some seditionist impulses. Trouble is, those who want to negate the power of the Federal government by overturning the election were lied to by Trump and others and told that Congress or the V.P. had some power they didn’t have. There’s a reason the State and Federal levels of government coordinate so closely on the issues that matter to our democracy—we’ve faced this tricky States-Federal divide before and it didn’t accomplish much but what Trump might call “American carnage.” Which makes me wonder if what happened this week has been his plan from day one.

Interchart Grand Square: Lunation Neptune (Pisces) opposes Sibly Neptune (Virgo); this axis squares Sibly Mars (Gemini) and Lunation Nodal Axis (Gemini-Sagittarius). This grand square has been a fixture in cosmic events for awhile now, given the slow, slow movement of Neptune, the often retrograde movement of the Nodal axis, and the very long period the No. Node has spent hovering square both Neptunes in question here. All of this has allowed for Trump’s so-called delusionary “revolution” to gestate and proliferate, much like the COVID virus—in many respects, a parallel Neptunian phenomenon. It’s no accident that this grand square ties in tightly with his natal Gemini-Sagittarius placements.[1]

 

Trump telling protesters he would "march to the Capitol" with them.


Final thoughts

Trump has, of course, tried to distance himself from the Capitol rioters, warning them on video that any violence or destruction will be prosecuted, etc. Even so, his wanna-be “revolutionaries” have been incited over long stretches of time by his rhetoric and by his relentless attacks on the same government officials that many of them have been targeting with death threats—how do you put that “genie” back in the bottle with one simple statement?

One fact that I look to with some hope is that there’s an essential difference between “revolution” and aggrieved “mob hysteria.” The first requires some forethought about the nation that will remain when the dust settles; the latter is simply a delusional, nervous breakdown of sorts that explodes into action because all the emotion generated has to go somewhere. The first may just seem like a “wild” outbreak, but effective revolutions (there have been several) are rational, reality-based, Uranian processes that have a beginning, middle and end; the second—“aggrieved mob hysteria”—is basically a Neptunian “trip” that could feel real good for awhile, until the fog lifts and reality comes back into focus. In our current situation, it seems we're seeing a combination of approaches--some efforts at organization, often on the online platforms that host them, with a whole lot of delusionary tripping stirred into the mix. 

Even so, the coming Capricorn lunar month should extract some wisdom from that point made earlier—the Saturnian “rocks of reality” will withstand the Neptunian “crash of toxic conspiracies” in the end. They must.

Bottom line, the week ahead is one to watch carefully: we’ve already seen public opinion shift against those involved in the January 6th riot—will that disapproval hold so substantive changes can be made to prevent another such attack? Will the public therefore support the House of Representative’s new impeachment resolution? All this remains to be seen, but I suspect the answer will unfold as we see what transpires between now and Biden’s January 20th inauguration.

On that note, some social media feeds report that January 17th and January 20th (inauguration) are days being “chatted” about by would be repeat attackers. These reports cite plans to cause havoc in State capitols, as well as in D.C., so it may be time to support our local representatives’ efforts to shore up security, etc. My cursory glance at charts for these days suggests that the hype shouldn’t be ignored—authorities could have their work cut out for them. I’ll leave you here with the chart for Inauguration day – I think you’ll see what I mean. 

 


 

We'll have opportunities to discuss this chart soon; meanwhile, hang in there, folks...we'll get through this together! 

 




 

Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former educator. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years; see the Publications tab on the home page for her two most recent publications, A Silver Lining in Aquarius: Engineering the Future with the 2020 Jupiter-Saturn cycle, and Pluto’s Sibly Return: Revisiting Paine’s Common Sense for Transformational Times..

 

For information about individual chart readings, contact: robertsonraye@gmail.com.

 

© Raye Robertson 2021. All rights reserved. 

 



[1]Donald J. Trump birth data: June 14, 1946, 10:54 a.m. DST, Jamaica, NY. Rodden rated AA.