Now that we’ve sent our kids and grandkids back to school in America, it’s full steam ahead for this year’s elections, which means we’re assaulted at every turn with new polls, new ways of crunching the same old numbers in various configurations, always in the interest of getting at the essence of what seems certain to be a nail-biter to beat all nail biters.
We’re all looking for assurance that everything is going to be “okay” in the end, it seems…we won’t really allow our democracy to be overthrown for some thuggish, misogynist, corporatist autocracy, will we? I would submit that one of the most nerve-wracking dimensions of this election is the very lack of assurance available to us that our fellow Americans will be voting on the basis of a shared body of facts about the candidates, about their true goals, their characters, their strengths and weaknesses, and about whose needs they really plan to serve if elected.
The astrology of this moment hasn’t been the most reassuring, either—in fact, I often feel we’re being left hanging over an abyss of our own making and the possibilities are stark. Are we truly committed to the ideals of our Founders (if not their actual behavior)? The Cosmos doesn’t really take sides in contests like this: it’s up to us to use the prevailing energies to defend what Benjamin Franklin called our “Republic…if we can keep it.” Or not.
I have to be frank: at times it feels as if we’re riding an irrepressible global wave of toxic nationalism towards less freedom and more autocratic control, but then at other times, it feels like heroes for democracy are emerging everywhere we look—even super-conservative Liz Cheney just endorsed the Harris/Walz ticket, for crying out loud!—and things aren’t nearly as dire as they may seem.
Soldiers buried in ANC deserve our deep respect.
Even in our lighter moments, however, the struggle lives on, as evidenced by a host of stories that have gone viral recently—about the Trump campaign’s crude and illegal political use of Arlington NationalCemetery (ANC); about the use and abuse of military valor and its place in American life; about the violent undercurrents that seem to plague our discourse, and about the cynical ways in which we assign value to people in this society—not by the depth and strength of their characters, but by their celebrity (and all its beautiful trappings), their social media reach, or their net worth.
We broadcast the extraordinarily beautiful people in the Olympics for all to see, for example, while the heroic efforts of the Paralympic athletes are highlighted sparingly on the airwaves, if at all. If Value in America is measured in $$$$ and celebrates only those who generate more dollars--media coverage dollars are as good a barometer of what we value as anything—maybe Trump was expressing more than we thought when he said he didn’t want to be photographed with amputees in a military cemetery because “it doesn’t look good for me.”
Maybe he was channeling his “reality TV star” view of this nation in that hallowed ground? For him, of course, “reality” is whatever set piece he decides to produce for himself that day—and it’s always whatever makes him look good, powerful, worthy of adoration. Like it or not, his perspective and the power dynamics that fuel it are reflected in ways both big and small in our popular culture. Are we better than that, or aren’t we?
In fact, the Paralympics movement is alive and well in the U.S.—especially given the truly unfortunate numbers of soldiers who lost limbs in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars—but as a society, we seem to have a love/hate relationship with these heroic individuals.
Surely they bear witness to our best as a nation, but their very existence also rips open a Pandora’s box of our failures as a society, so they are routinely relegated in the media to special, veterans-related occasions. My veteran husband and I see such individuals at our local VA medical center all the time, but their voices tend to be marginalized elsewhere. This is to all our detriment, I would suggest: those who are valued so little and are rendered voiceless can be (and in many cases, have been) easily radicalized.
Then there are those vets (across the ranks) who are radically disappointed and enraged at how Trump desecrated the hallowed ground their fallen comrades lie in at ANC. This disillusionment runs deep, as (IMHO) it should.
Which brings me to the crux of today’s astrological exploration and an examination of the upcoming September 17, 2024 lunar eclipse chart. Lunar eclipses happen at full moons, so tensions are inherent in them, so what can this chart tell us about the tensions that exist in America today between idealism and cynicism? Between heroism and opportunism?
Between the deep-pocketed forces that are determined to consolidate their power (Sun) a mere two months from now, and the People (Moon) who are determined to preserve their constitutional rights and the ideals of freedom, equality and Justice for all under the Law? The wealthy and well-heeled may not miss democracy’s absence because autocrats tend to court their favor and to put them in positions of power; ordinary families have only the privileges of democracy to fall back on.
So, with all this in mind, let’s examine the chart for that eclipse looming just ahead, cast for Washington, D.C. (Chart 1 below). Conventional wisdom has it that we can usually feel the impact of an eclipse in society before it actually perfects, which sounds about right in this case.
Chart 1. Lunar Eclipse, September 17, 2024, 10:34:13 p.m. DST, Washington, D.C. All charts are cast by the author on Kepler 8.0, with Tropical Equal Houses, True Node and courtesy of Cosmic Patterns Software.
One of the burning questions of the day is whether the government funding bill looming just after this eclipse perfects will be used to shut down the government on the pretext of protecting November elections from any non-citizens who might try to vote. In fact, voting is already illegal for non-citizens and it rarely happens, but making a show of adding a trap clause on the funding bill about such things is a well-worn political scare tactic on the Right, so why should this election cycle be any different? These efforts are always about undermining people’s trust in our institutions (i.e., the Law), which—not surprisingly—resonates with this upcoming lunation and its heavy Neptunian undercurrents.
That said, we see in Chart 1 that the Sun-Moon opposition (full Moon) stretches across the 4-10 axis of the chart and between late Virgo and late Pisces. This pits the grass-roots against the powers-that-be, but curiously, the People (Moon) are elevated, but still quite challenged, as the Moon is sandwiched between Pisces Saturn Rx and Pisces Neptune Rx—hence the emphasis on undermining institutions that the People rely on.
Russian disinformation seems to be everywhere these days.
This gathering would seem to account for the intense assaults we are experiencing on our ability to get clear and accurate information about this election—just yesterday (9/4) in fact, the Biden administration publicly accused Russia of a “sprawling election interference campaign,” and according to the Justice Department, that’s just the most obvious of the disinformation threats posed by our foreign adversaries. The only antidote for these threats is government action (Saturn), of course, which we are beginning to see, but in keeping with a somewhat weakened Pisces Saturn, and considering Neptune's rulership over such tactics, is it too little, too late?
Notice that, with Gemini rising, Mercury rules this chart from Virgo on the Sun end of the eclipse axis and falls tightly opposite that weakened Saturn on the Moon end of the axis (10th house). Right Information (Mercury in Virgo) does seem vulnerable in tension with this Saturn but notice also that this opposition—along with Moon-Neptune on the Pisces end of the eclipse axis and Sun on the Virgo end—falls widely t-square 1st house Gemini Jupiter. Jupiter tends to indicate financial interests in U.S. political matters, which suggests that the urgency driving both campaigns to get their own side of the political story out there will persist for the duration, and as always, the deeper the campaign coffers, the better they succeed at this quest.
I’ve always thought that Mercury also speaks to the public’s “voice” or right to vote in our democracy, so even a weakened Saturn’s opposition points to possible problems with voting access this year—more on this when we examine this chart set against the U.S. Sibly chart in Biwheel 1 below.
First, however, additional aspects to both ends of the eclipse axis in Chart 1 are worth more consideration: Taurus Uranus Rx sextiles Pisces Moon-Neptune and grand trines Virgo Sun and Capricorn Pluto Rx, suggesting that some shadowy, disruptive forces (12th house Uranus Rx) we’re dealing with this election season may find opportunities to sway the People (Moon) and they may financially enable (Capricorn Pluto Rx) those who want to consolidate more power in the Executive (Sun).
Or, less damagingly to our freedoms and autonomy, the interplay between Uranus Rx, Pluto Rx and this eclipse axis (including Neptune Rx) may stimulate a rebirth of democracy-loving idealism and a quest for the transformation that would be needed to give that rebirth wings. Will we be a nation going forward that continues to cultivate the deep, dark cynicism of those who seem happy to tear this nation apart, or will we shift our focus towards nurturing the heroism and integrity of our better angels as Americans? This eclipse seems to be confirming that there are no small questions or issues this time around.
It's 1,337 words long and means everything to this nation.
The Sibly biwheel
There’s much more to say about Chart 1 above on its own, but it makes sense at this point to examine what’s left next to our founding U.S. Sibly chart, which—remember—represents the moment our Founders signed and sealed the Declaration of Independence as a way of defining what they envisioned us becoming as a nation “in the Course of human events” and independent of our then-colonial ruler, Great Britain. We might forget how loaded with meaning (and astrological relevance) that first paragraph of our founding document is today—let’s revisit it quickly, with a bit of commentary from political philosopher and Declaration of Independence scholar, Professor Danielle Allen. First the paragraph:
“When in the Course of human events, it comes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with one another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” [1]
In other words, our Founders felt obligated to give Britain’s King George a well thought-out reason for declaring our independence. The American people were caught up in an historical “course of human events” that compelled them forward, according to Prof. Allen, who brings up the very pertinent Neptunian image of a “river” to capture this moment, saying,
“Since ‘course’ is another word for ‘river,’ an image of a waterway lies behind this sentence. Although Jefferson may not have been thinking explicitly about rivers when he wrote the first draft, the language itself, the word ‘course’ has this useful image built into it…The Declaration is saying that human events, like the infinity of droplets in a river, cohere. Human events are going somewhere; they have shape and direction; there is meaning to their sequence. We should be able to tell where we are collectively headed. Unlike mindless driftwood, we should be able to see to the river’s mouth.” [2]
So here we are at the “river’s edge” again—with Neptune’s often confounding energies pervading our public square, our airwaves and—exhaustingly—our very Soul as a nation, and we’re faced with an urgent new reason to keep our eyes on that “river’s mouth”—the very reason for our existence as a nation—our founding ideals that have always compelled us forward, despite serious disconnects between them and our historical reality.
Has the “idea” of America that we’ve taken for granted all these years simply run dry like an overused and abused river that has stopped feeding our bodies and souls? Have anger and grievance and a desire to control anyone who is “Them, not Us” truly flooded our hearts and minds as a result, leaving us helpless to respond? Are Neptunian misinformation campaigns (some perhaps AI-generated) and election vigilantism eating away at our ability to know fact from fiction and threatening our resolve to show up and be counted? Let’s see how the upcoming eclipse ties into all this in Biwheel 1 below.
Rivers can be rocky and tumultuous, but ultimately they are life.
Biwheel 1. (inner wheel) U.S. Sibly (radix) chart, July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA. (39°N 57’08”, 75°W 09’51”). Source: Ebenezer Sibly, cited and documented by Nicholas Campion, The Book of World Horoscopes, Chart #370, pp. 363-4.; (outer wheel). Lunar Eclipse, September 17, 2024, 10:34:13 p.m. DST, Washington, D.C.
Interestingly, the eclipse chart’s north-south poles flip when we place it alongside the Sibly chart: eclipse Moon-Pisces and Saturn (all Pisces) now fall over the Sibly 4th and eclipse Sun and dispositor Mercury (both Virgo) fall over the Sibly 10th. Addressing the potential for misinformation and distortion of the truth circulating in the grass roots (4th house Moon-Neptune) is a diligent, articulate Authority (Virgo Sun), charged with protecting the integrity of information and the vote (ruled by Mercury). Mercury’s opposition to Pisces Saturn across this 10-4 axis also suggests the need for diligence within our Justice apparatus.
The challenge is intensified, of course, by that Gemini Jupiter t-square we considered in Chart 1 above—here, eclipse Mercury pulls in Sibly Neptune by wide conjunction as they oppose a potentially vote stifling eclipse Saturn Rx in Pisces, and eclipse Jupiter pulls in Sibly Mars by conjunction, which probably accounts for the dangerous challenge of MAGA vigilantism (potentially targeting the voting process) mentioned earlier.
Not surprisingly, given all this, this configuration also speaks to a strange development reported recently: that Trump has been telling some audiences that he doesn’t want or need their votes in November, or if they vote for him this time, they’ll never need to vote again. As if to say that he’ll have future elections (if not this one) fixed to his satisfaction and voting will simply be unnecessary in the future. We’re used to him speaking out of both sides of his mouth, but we already know there’s a concerted effort by the Right to “manage” our elections on state and local levels to their liking, which could be reflected in that eclipse Mercury-Saturn Rx opposition and its entanglement with both eclipse and Sibly Neptunes.
Or, more ominously, his comments suggest (again) that his people are coordinating with vigilantes (Sibly Mars) who are determined to have their way. Neptune also rules the unfortunate phenomenon of mob violence that has deep roots in our history, with Sibly Neptune naturally square Sibly Mars (Virgo-Gemini). Here the eclipse is stimulating that radix square at the same time this complex interchart t-square drags our leaders (Sun) and We the Voting Public (Moon) into the fray.
Either way, our somewhat shaky (Neptunized) Saturn (the Law) will likely need all the help it can get.
"How do we regain trust in institutions?"
Interestingly, eclipse Mars (outer wheel, Cancer) falls over the Sibly 7th and t-squares the Aries-Libra eclipse Nodal axis that cuts across that same loaded 4-10 axis. If we add in eclipse Ceres (Capricorn), we have a cardinal grand square, which could become a pressure cooker if its built-in tensions aren’t consciously mediated and/or resolved. Issues around the needs of families, housing, labor, agriculture, the environment and yes—in Capricorn—the obstacles to getting ahead, could fuel these tensions.
A Cancer Mars can be pre-emptively protective and can act out at the slightest hint of danger, but the exceedingly tight aspects involved in this grand square suggest that protests that arise over the course of this eclipse’s natural life span (which would include November elections) could trigger social disruption, but we can’t rule out the possibility of domestic terrorists co-opting Ceres-style issues for their own purposes and trying to cause chaos, as well. This could mean another siege on the Capitol or some other variation on the January 6th, 2021 theme, but fingers crossed the authorities will be better prepared to handle any such plans this time around!
With all the drama happening over the Sibly 4th and 10th houses, it’s easy to overlook Venus, an absolutely key and potent player in this eclipse—and we can see just how key when we consider how she interacts with the Sibly chart. Falling late in her airy home sign Libra, Venus widely conjoins Sibly Juno and opposes Sibly Chiron (Aries), an axis that t-squares eclipse and Sibly Pluto Rx (Capricorn).
Here we can’t miss the importance of women’s rights (Sibly Juno) and the ever-present tension and struggles (Sibly Chiron) that continue to be necessary to maintain those rights—all countered against the deep-pocketed forces (both Plutos) that often control more than any democracy should allow them to.
There is a reason women’s reproductive rights have
circled around to become a dominant issue at this time, in other words—the
wounds have been ripped back open by SCOTUS (which is acting a lot like Sibly
Pluto these days) and now the healing efforts are empowering women’s resistance
in this election. I hold out hope that eclipse Juno conjoining Sibly Saturn
(Libra, Congress, Justice) will offer a reinforcing boost to this effort.
Finally, we need to consider a very significant interchart configuration formed by the earthy grand trine (previewed in Chart 1) between eclipse Sun, Uranus Rx and Pluto Rx (Virgo-Taurus-Capricorn), which is then vertically bisected between houses 4-10 by the Pisces-Virgo eclipse axis, turning it all into a less conventional Kite formation (three trines, one opposition, and two sextiles involving eclipse Moon-Neptune—one with eclipse Uranus Rx in Taurus and one with the eclipse Pluto-Sibly Pluto conjunction in Capricorn).
Complicating matters even further, Sibly Neptune joins the configuration on the Virgo end, conjunct eclipse Sun, and eclipse Neptune joins the configuration on the Pisces end, conjunct eclipse Moon.
Describing the Kite, aspects expert Bil Tierney suggests that the opposition planets that form sextiles with members of the grand trine (so eclipse Moon and Neptune here) represent a “creative outlet” for the energies of the overall configuration [3]. Given the grand trine energies at work here are all the most outer planets we typically consider in mundane astrology (Uranus-Neptune-Pluto), it seems that our path between now and the end of the year (and likely into 2025) could be characterized by a veritable “river” of socially disruptive and transformative energies. How these energies will manifest will depend greatly upon the ideals embraced by We the People (eclipse Moon-Neptune). Will they be the ideals of egalitarian democracy or those cultivated by the politics of fear and hatred?
Final thoughts
I trust that many of you reading this know Donald Trump’s natal chart [4] well enough to see that nearly everything we’ve discussed above ties into his chart in one way or another. That Gemini Jupiter, for instance, conjoins his Sun-No. Node-Uranus conjunction at the top of his chart—which may account for his unusually excessive (and at times, threatening) blather on the campaign trail—and eclipse Mars in Cancer conjoins his all-important Mercury, accounting for the outpouring of self-protective vitriol on his social media platform and perhaps for what some have been calling his “mental decline.” The jury’s out on that.
Even Trump is subject to challenges or an “Achilles heel,” however: eclipse Venus falls square his cozy Venus-Saturn conjunction in Cancer, which already seems to have triggered his recent squirming over women’s reproductive health issues. As the eclipse approaches in less than two weeks now, I suspect these challenges will only deepen.
Meanwhile, he’s scheduled to debate V.P. Kamala Harris on September 10th, so stay tuned!!
 |
| At the river's mouth... |
Notes
[1] Danielle Allen, Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality, Liveright Publishing Corporation, New York, NY, 2014, pp. 110-11.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Bil Tierney, Dynamics of Aspect Analysis: New Perceptions in Astrology. CRCS Publications, Reno, NV, 1983, pp. 78-79.
[4] Natal chart info: Donald J. Trump, June 14, 1946, 10:54 a.m. EDT, Jamaica, NY. Source: BC/BR, Rodden: AA.
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Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and retired 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, U.S. history, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Her articles on these topics have appeared in several key astrology journals over the years, and she has authored three books on key mundane astrology topics that are currently available on Amazon Kindle. For information about individual chart readings, contact: robertsonraye@gmail.com.
© Raye Robertson 2024. All rights reserved.
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