The day following the November 2016 election, news anchors were claiming that American voters had overwhelmingly chosen Donald Trump to be president. This is far from the truth, as Hillary Clinton had won the popular vote by just under three million voters. A December 20, 2016 article in Time Magazine revealed Clinton’s final tally to be 65,844,610 votes, compared to Donald Trump’s 62,979,636. However, she lost the electoral college by a wide margin, with only 227 votes compared to Trump’s 304. The news pundits scoured the data of exit polls to identify the demographic supporting Trump, which surged among non-college-educated, rural, white males. This led the Washington Post to describe the elections as “the revenge of working-class whites.” In the aftermath of these elections we are left as a deeply-divided nation.
Throughout the campaign, Trump, claimed that the elections were “rigged.” According to a December 11, 2016 New York Times article, American spy and law enforcement agencies are united in the belief, that the Russian government deployed computer hackers to sow chaos during the campaign. However, post-election, Trump dismissed reports of Russian interference as the result of bumbling and biased intelligence agencies.
The elections were difficult for astrologers to predict as Trump was the only candidate to publicly provide a birth certificate. The debate over Hillary Clinton’s birth time has gone on for decades and curious astrologers would do well to read Justin Wm. Moyer’s Washington Post article titled “This is not to be trusted': Astrologers are battling over Hillary Clinton’s true birth time.”
The horoscope, or astrological chart of birth gives us insights into people’s characters, temperaments and motivating desires. Donald John Trump was born June 14, 1946 at 10:54 a.m. in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Trump’s natal chart and progressions can offer some clues as to how he might function as chief of state for the next few years. Leo is the most powerful sign in President Trump’s chart, with its 29th degree on his Ascendant and Pluto and Mars in Leo in his 12th House.
The ascendant is most often used to describe one’s appearance and personality and male lions are known for their manes. On a humorous note, there are almost as many articles circulating around Donald Trump’s hair as there are about the man.
Mars, at 26 degrees, is in conjunction with his Ascendant can contribute to poor impulse control and aggressive sexuality. Trump has been described in news articles as abrasive, bullying and defiant. Since Mars also forms a square to his Midheaven his mean-spirited comments attract a lot of public attention. An article came out in the September 26 edition of The Atlantic titled ”Donald Trump’s Cruel Streak” describing the history of abuse and public humiliation that he has directed towards others who dared to stand up to him. Because the Ascendant/Mars conjunction in Leo is such a prominent feature of his chart it is sometimes hard to discern what is Trump’s real personality and what is Trump’s persona - Trump playing the part of Donald Trump.
The Sun, ruling planet of Leo and the most powerful planet in Trump’s chart, falls in conjunction with the planet Uranus in the sign of Gemini in the 10th House of career. The Sun rules the Power Urges of the soul which express as pride, self-confidence and a need for authority and control. Uranus governs the Individualistic Urges which express as originality and unpredictability. Uranus is third in strength in Trump’s chart and he has been described as a wildcard, erratic and unconventional. Since the negative trait of Leo is domination and the discordant qualities of the Sun are dictativeness, at his worst Trump could be a narcissistic megalomaniac. At his best Trump could turn out to be a gracious and magnanimous head of state. At any rate, Trump is astrologically-wired for being the boss, and not for working collaboratively with others. Over time he will have to learn to work with the legislative and judicial branches of government which are in place to ensure that citizens' rights are protected.
In astrology, eclipses are historically associated with disasters, and the prediction of eclipses was particularly important to ancient stargazers in Egypt, Babylon, India, Greece, China and Meso-America. Less studied is the impact of eclipses in an individual’s natal chart. A solar eclipse only takes place during a New Moon (conjunction) when the Sun and Moon are in the same degree of Declination (parallel). A Lunar eclipse only takes place during a Full Moon (opposition) when the Sun and Moon are in the same degree of Declination north or south of the equator. Donald Trump was born during an eclipse in Angular Houses making the Sun and Moon his most powerful planets as measured by astrodynes. The Moon is his second-most discordant planet which falls in the sign of Sagittarius. Sagittarians are known for their honesty, however when afflicted it can express as “brutal honesty,” or tactlessness. The new president appears to have a need to say whatever comes to his mind, often tweeting his responses to his followers. On December 6, 2016, The New York Times published an article titled, “The 289 People, Places and Things Donald Trump Has Insulted on Twitter: A Complete List,” outlining his continuous insults flung at journalists, nations and politicians. His hair-trigger need to respond to world events on Twitter leaves many concerned about the impact of his impulsiveness on international diplomacy.
Perhaps the most significant progression in his chart that guaranteed him as a shoo-in for the presidential election is the fact that from July 2015 – August 2017, his major progressed Sun is in conjunction with his Ascendant. The Sun is the planet that governs bosses, leaders, rulers and dictators and the Ascendant places the spotlight on self. It has been estimated that during the campaign, Trump received between $2-$5 billion dollars in free media advertising. When asked during his campaign about fundraising goals, Trump was quoted as saying: “There’s no reason to raise that, I just don’t think I need nearly as much money as other people need because I get so much publicity. I get so many invitations to be on television. I get so many interviews, if I want them.”
In November 2016, Trump’s progressed Midheaven entered conjunction with Saturn in his 11th House of friendships where it remains until March of 2019. This promises the support of a conservative congress and other allies in politics, but leaves him vulnerable to a bad reputation.
Donald Trump’s natal chart reveals a masterful self-promoter, His dominant Sun is in the 10th House of reputation and honor forming a trine or luck compound with Jupiter the planet of prosperity in his 2nd House of personal wealth. Much of Trump’s fortune comes from real estate and golf courses that bear his name. His new properties will be branded under the name “Scion” usually meaning the descendant or offspring of a noble family. As newly-elected president, Trump, has no legal obligation to disengage himself from his businesses and financial interests. However, most presidents and other federal employees place their investments in a blind trust in order to avoid the appearance of impropriety that could arise from a web of financial entanglements. From July of 2017 through May of 2019 Trump’s major progressed Venus will be conjunct his natal Jupiter in his House of personal wealth. These planets, known as the benefics in astrology promise growth of personal assets during his first two years as president, hopefully his personal chart might impact national economic growth.
By Christopher Gibson Mundane Cycles article in the 2017 Spring Quarterly
To view the complete article in the Spring 2017 Quarterly click here.