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Trump's Inauguration 2017
May. 19th, 2021 08:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
adwellyThis is part of my efforts to learn western tropical mundane astrology via the John Michael Greer course available via SubscribeStar and Patreon. I’m picking out various interesting events from recent and not so recent history in the western world and taking a look at the charts via the filter of what I currently know. Take with a pinch of salt.
You might have noticed that the chart and the first paragraph mention the word ‘tropical’ which is the standard way of placing the zodiac according to the western tradition. This places Aries Ingress of the Sun on or around the 21st of March at each year. This is the scheme that JMG uses in common with the majority of western astrologers and has been for the last two thousand years or so. Since it was first adopted, the apparent position of the constellations has moved in the sky by around 20 degrees because the Earth actually wobbles on its axis; the technical name for this is the precession of the equinoxes. So the constellation of Aries is no longer in that 30 degree wedge of the sky that we call Aries.
The alternative is the sidereal system which works on the assumption that the 30 degree wedge of sky we call Aries is actually where the constellation of Aries happens to be in the sky. Two thousand years ago there was little difference but we’ve wobbled on a bit since then.
I mention this because I’ve had a few days of rather low energy in reaction to my second vaccination against COVID and I spent a great deal of that time casually clicking around various web sites that talk about mundane astrology. In the process I found some information about sidereal astrology. Hence the clear distinction I’m drawing here.
JMG does not appear to have much time for natal astrology, and I’ve personally found the little I’ve seen of it to be disappointing; I don’t recognise much of what I’d regard as significant parts of my character in the standard description of those in my Sun sign. So I was particularly startled to see that the overview given by the Fagan/Bradley school of sidereal astrology seems to spot on. I am investigating further.
That said, here’s the chart of the Trump inauguration:
An inauguration chart’s influence lasts as long as the president does, so four years in this case.
From my perspective it seems that there’s a lot going on here and on the face of it the chart seems to be quite muddled. There’s a triangle of helpful aspects between Mercury, Neptune, and the Moon in a formation called a Minor Grand Trine. There’s an additional trine between Uranus and Saturn but opposition between Uranus and Jupiter. The Sun has only a single aspect, a sextile with Mars. There’s also a square between Saturn and Mars, and a series of other minor aspects that I’m ignoring.
Going round the significant planets:
The Sun represents the head of government, Donald Trump. As an inauguration he is in the angular tenth house in his detriment of Aquarius simply because that always happens with inaugurations. However, unlike the startlingly grim 2021 inauguration, there’s a trine with Mars in the 11th house. H.S. Green suggests that a good aspect between the Sun and Mars gives success to military operations and benefits the health of the country at home and abroad. My own conclusion about the state of America during the 2016-2019 period is thing did seem to get better for the average individual, there was certainly an employment boom by late 2018. The most notable military operation was the drone attack that resulted in the death of an Iranian general followed by a subdued response from Iran. Unusually for the US, the four years of the presidency saw very little more military adventurism.
The Moon represents that part of the general public able to make its voice heard in politics, a sector of the population I have come to think as the establishment. It is involved with Mercury, media, pundits, and the chattering classes, and Neptune – the forces of unity and mass movements via the minor grand trine. I believe this represents the four year long concerted opposition to Trump from the establishment and media including an extended narrative about collusion with Russia, and several attempts to obtain an impeachment. It’s a minor grand trine and although they saw some benefit from the approach during the four years, in the end all these efforts failed to dislodge the president early.
Mars represents the votes of men and conflict. The square to Saturn is very bad and H.S. Green says “serious difficulties in national life, discontent on the part of the people, discontent by or with connection with the army, navy, or police” (my italics). This seems to be the key point to the final six months of the presidency when the George Floyd protests were in full swing.
Saturn has a trine with intercepted Uranus and a sextile with intercepted Jupiter but he seems to be dominated by the alarming opposition to Mars. In general terms this is very bad for the government, serious disturbances in national life, infectious diseases may increase and some epidemic may occur (according to H. S. Green).
Finally there’s Uranus, in trine with Saturn and opposition to Jupiter. Perhaps this can best be interpreted as a pair of effects spread out over time, Saturn in opposition to Jupiter stands for additional power for the newly governing Republicans which was certainly true at the inauguration. Opposition to Jupiter represents a strengthening of the opposition for a time, and this happened at the mid-terms when the Democrats clawed back some power. Did this make much difference in the end? No, and I see that both Uranus and Jupiter are in an intercepted signs – preventing full expression of matters within their domains.
Looking at the houses:
The first house is the house of the ordinary people. It has Taurus on the cusp and is therefore ruled by Venus. Venus is in a succedant house and has a semissquare to the Sun, she is also in her exaltation, so she is mildly dignified. With the exception of 2018 the Gini coefficient which measures income inequality stayed flat, things didn’t get much worse for the man on the street.
The second house is the house of national economy. It has Gemini on the cusp and is therefore ruled by Mercury. Mercury is afflicted by its presence in a cadent house but supported by trines with Neptune and the Moon. The economy continued to grow during the Trump presidency until COVID hit in early 2020 at which point the economy took a major hit as it has worldwide.
The third house is the house of transport, communication, and the media, this has Cancer on the cusp and is therefore ruled by the Moon. The moon is in a cadent house and also in its detriment, but is supported by a trine to Neptune and a sextile to Mercury. It would seem that the mass (Neptune) media in particular had an excellent four years. Although for many of the people working in this sector, Trump was not their ideal choice he certainly offered a great deal of opportunity for commentary. It was also highly effective – and the period is notable for the emergence of ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’, where a significant proportion of the US population were convinced they were living in some kind of police state by the mass media.
The fourth house is the house of resource industries, agriculture, and the political opposition, it too has Cancer on the cusp and is also ruled by the Moon. The shock of being in opposition did not appear to modify the attitudes and policies of the Democrats in any particular way, but it did act as a unifying force over the period of the four years.
The fifth house is the house of gambling, travel for pleasure, sports, and entertainment, it has Leo on the cusp and is therefore ruled by the Sun. The Sun is in an angular house, but is also in his detriment. He is supported by a single sextile with Mars. This feels like the Sun is mildly dignified at best, possibly even neutral. Trump himself is a noted owner of resorts and casinos, as well as a reality TV star so it feels appropriate that the Sun should rule this house, but in terms of actual trade over the four years it was largely business as usual until the COVID era struck.
The sixth house is the house of public health. It has Virgo on the cusp so it is ruled by Mercury suffers from his location in a cadent house and he is peregrine, however he is supported by trines to the Moon (in this house) and Neptune. It also contains Jupiter afflicted by his position in a cadent house, peregrine, in an intercepted house, in opposition to Uranus, and only supported by the sextile to Saturn. H. S. Green suggests that a badly afflicted Jupiter in the sixth is indicative of ‘much sickness in the country’ – certainly accurate for 2020. The presence of the Moon in a cadent house and in her detriment but supported by Mercury and Neptune suggest a positive impact on business conditions and employed people, certainly true in the first three years of the presidency.
The seventh house is the house of foreign affairs (excluding trade) has Scorpio on the cusp and is therefore ruled by Mars. Mars is square to Saturn which is very bad but supported by a sextile with the Sun. The selection of Donald Trump as president was greeted first by shock, and then four years of mockery internationally. It’s probably fair to say that the reputation of the US was somewhat diminished during the four years of this presidency.
The eighth house is the house of foreign trade, it has Sagittarius on the cusp and is therefore ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter is badly afflicted, and foreign trade suffered during the latter COVID part of the presidency, down as much as 16% in 2020. Also notable is Saturn afflicted by opposition to Mars is present in this house H.S. Green’s comment is “Death of aged persons, of some state official or functionary ….” and “if much afflicted, it is unfortunate for the health of the country.” This certainly was borne out by both the passing of Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the disproportionate impact of COVID on the elderly.
The ninth house is the house of higher things such as the courts, establishment religion, and universities, it has Capricorn on the cusp and is therefore ruled by afflicted Saturn. The four years of the presidency saw considerable deterioration in US universities as places of learning rather than places of indoctrination, and after the 2020 election the courts became political battlegrounds. Many churches came out in opposition to Trump which made them rather inaccessible to those voters who supported him.
The tenth house is the house of government, but not the head of that government, also in Capricorn and therefore also ruled by afflicted Saturn. The way the US was governed in this period was not terribly effective (witness the response to COVID, bot a federal and state matter). Conversely it also contains relatively well aspected Mercury which suggests the government will be popular with the people and the Republicans did surprisingly well in the polls up until the final year.
The eleventh house is the lower branch of government, it has Aquarius on the cusp and is therefore ruled by intercepted Uranus. Uranus has a supporting trine with Saturn but a debilitating opposition to Jupiter. Once again the pair of effects over time. The Republicans started control of both the House and the Senate at the beginning the four years of the presidency but lost control of the House at the mid-term elections.
The eleventh house also contains Mars badly afflicted by his opposition to Saturn. H.S. Green says “...the Government may be much embarrassed, may encounter strong opposition, and much ill-temper be shown on one side or the other”. Self explanatory.
Finally the twelfth house is the house of Institutions, this has Pisces on the cusp and is therefore ruled by mildly dignified Neptune also present in this house. Neptune is part of the minor grand trine. During the four years the actual machinery of government seemed to work at least no worse than before and attempts were made to cheapen access to healthcare. It seems to me that the volume of argument on healthcare went down during the four years although the volume of every other argument increased.
Synthesis
With this mass of detail I’ve found this a difficult chart to try and interpret but my conclusion is that it is dominated by three features of the aspect pattern and the planets Mars and Saturn.
• The minor grand trine speaks of the relentless negative media campaign against Trump, and not just in the US. Useful to those behind it but largely unsuccessful for the period of this chart. I note that the campaign went silent after the Biden inauguration and Trump has been erased from public discussion since then.
• The opposition of Mars and Saturn speaks of the deterioration in the standards of political discourse culminating in the George Floyd protests.
• Afflicted Saturn in the eighth house presages a pandemic.
• Afflicted Jupiter in the sixth house signals a public health crisis.
• Intercepted Uranus with good and bad aspects signals both success and subsequent difficulties for the Government.
The first point has required a considerable application of hindsight on my part and I would certainly not feel that I could have predicted it given my current state of knowledge. Also I do not have any view on how the timing might have been predictable. New Moon Sun conjunctions are the only method I’m aware of at the moment so that part of the analysis will have to be next.
You might have noticed that the chart and the first paragraph mention the word ‘tropical’ which is the standard way of placing the zodiac according to the western tradition. This places Aries Ingress of the Sun on or around the 21st of March at each year. This is the scheme that JMG uses in common with the majority of western astrologers and has been for the last two thousand years or so. Since it was first adopted, the apparent position of the constellations has moved in the sky by around 20 degrees because the Earth actually wobbles on its axis; the technical name for this is the precession of the equinoxes. So the constellation of Aries is no longer in that 30 degree wedge of the sky that we call Aries.
The alternative is the sidereal system which works on the assumption that the 30 degree wedge of sky we call Aries is actually where the constellation of Aries happens to be in the sky. Two thousand years ago there was little difference but we’ve wobbled on a bit since then.
I mention this because I’ve had a few days of rather low energy in reaction to my second vaccination against COVID and I spent a great deal of that time casually clicking around various web sites that talk about mundane astrology. In the process I found some information about sidereal astrology. Hence the clear distinction I’m drawing here.
JMG does not appear to have much time for natal astrology, and I’ve personally found the little I’ve seen of it to be disappointing; I don’t recognise much of what I’d regard as significant parts of my character in the standard description of those in my Sun sign. So I was particularly startled to see that the overview given by the Fagan/Bradley school of sidereal astrology seems to spot on. I am investigating further.
That said, here’s the chart of the Trump inauguration:
An inauguration chart’s influence lasts as long as the president does, so four years in this case.
From my perspective it seems that there’s a lot going on here and on the face of it the chart seems to be quite muddled. There’s a triangle of helpful aspects between Mercury, Neptune, and the Moon in a formation called a Minor Grand Trine. There’s an additional trine between Uranus and Saturn but opposition between Uranus and Jupiter. The Sun has only a single aspect, a sextile with Mars. There’s also a square between Saturn and Mars, and a series of other minor aspects that I’m ignoring.
Going round the significant planets:
The Sun represents the head of government, Donald Trump. As an inauguration he is in the angular tenth house in his detriment of Aquarius simply because that always happens with inaugurations. However, unlike the startlingly grim 2021 inauguration, there’s a trine with Mars in the 11th house. H.S. Green suggests that a good aspect between the Sun and Mars gives success to military operations and benefits the health of the country at home and abroad. My own conclusion about the state of America during the 2016-2019 period is thing did seem to get better for the average individual, there was certainly an employment boom by late 2018. The most notable military operation was the drone attack that resulted in the death of an Iranian general followed by a subdued response from Iran. Unusually for the US, the four years of the presidency saw very little more military adventurism.
The Moon represents that part of the general public able to make its voice heard in politics, a sector of the population I have come to think as the establishment. It is involved with Mercury, media, pundits, and the chattering classes, and Neptune – the forces of unity and mass movements via the minor grand trine. I believe this represents the four year long concerted opposition to Trump from the establishment and media including an extended narrative about collusion with Russia, and several attempts to obtain an impeachment. It’s a minor grand trine and although they saw some benefit from the approach during the four years, in the end all these efforts failed to dislodge the president early.
Mars represents the votes of men and conflict. The square to Saturn is very bad and H.S. Green says “serious difficulties in national life, discontent on the part of the people, discontent by or with connection with the army, navy, or police” (my italics). This seems to be the key point to the final six months of the presidency when the George Floyd protests were in full swing.
Saturn has a trine with intercepted Uranus and a sextile with intercepted Jupiter but he seems to be dominated by the alarming opposition to Mars. In general terms this is very bad for the government, serious disturbances in national life, infectious diseases may increase and some epidemic may occur (according to H. S. Green).
Finally there’s Uranus, in trine with Saturn and opposition to Jupiter. Perhaps this can best be interpreted as a pair of effects spread out over time, Saturn in opposition to Jupiter stands for additional power for the newly governing Republicans which was certainly true at the inauguration. Opposition to Jupiter represents a strengthening of the opposition for a time, and this happened at the mid-terms when the Democrats clawed back some power. Did this make much difference in the end? No, and I see that both Uranus and Jupiter are in an intercepted signs – preventing full expression of matters within their domains.
Looking at the houses:
The first house is the house of the ordinary people. It has Taurus on the cusp and is therefore ruled by Venus. Venus is in a succedant house and has a semissquare to the Sun, she is also in her exaltation, so she is mildly dignified. With the exception of 2018 the Gini coefficient which measures income inequality stayed flat, things didn’t get much worse for the man on the street.
The second house is the house of national economy. It has Gemini on the cusp and is therefore ruled by Mercury. Mercury is afflicted by its presence in a cadent house but supported by trines with Neptune and the Moon. The economy continued to grow during the Trump presidency until COVID hit in early 2020 at which point the economy took a major hit as it has worldwide.
The third house is the house of transport, communication, and the media, this has Cancer on the cusp and is therefore ruled by the Moon. The moon is in a cadent house and also in its detriment, but is supported by a trine to Neptune and a sextile to Mercury. It would seem that the mass (Neptune) media in particular had an excellent four years. Although for many of the people working in this sector, Trump was not their ideal choice he certainly offered a great deal of opportunity for commentary. It was also highly effective – and the period is notable for the emergence of ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’, where a significant proportion of the US population were convinced they were living in some kind of police state by the mass media.
The fourth house is the house of resource industries, agriculture, and the political opposition, it too has Cancer on the cusp and is also ruled by the Moon. The shock of being in opposition did not appear to modify the attitudes and policies of the Democrats in any particular way, but it did act as a unifying force over the period of the four years.
The fifth house is the house of gambling, travel for pleasure, sports, and entertainment, it has Leo on the cusp and is therefore ruled by the Sun. The Sun is in an angular house, but is also in his detriment. He is supported by a single sextile with Mars. This feels like the Sun is mildly dignified at best, possibly even neutral. Trump himself is a noted owner of resorts and casinos, as well as a reality TV star so it feels appropriate that the Sun should rule this house, but in terms of actual trade over the four years it was largely business as usual until the COVID era struck.
The sixth house is the house of public health. It has Virgo on the cusp so it is ruled by Mercury suffers from his location in a cadent house and he is peregrine, however he is supported by trines to the Moon (in this house) and Neptune. It also contains Jupiter afflicted by his position in a cadent house, peregrine, in an intercepted house, in opposition to Uranus, and only supported by the sextile to Saturn. H. S. Green suggests that a badly afflicted Jupiter in the sixth is indicative of ‘much sickness in the country’ – certainly accurate for 2020. The presence of the Moon in a cadent house and in her detriment but supported by Mercury and Neptune suggest a positive impact on business conditions and employed people, certainly true in the first three years of the presidency.
The seventh house is the house of foreign affairs (excluding trade) has Scorpio on the cusp and is therefore ruled by Mars. Mars is square to Saturn which is very bad but supported by a sextile with the Sun. The selection of Donald Trump as president was greeted first by shock, and then four years of mockery internationally. It’s probably fair to say that the reputation of the US was somewhat diminished during the four years of this presidency.
The eighth house is the house of foreign trade, it has Sagittarius on the cusp and is therefore ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter is badly afflicted, and foreign trade suffered during the latter COVID part of the presidency, down as much as 16% in 2020. Also notable is Saturn afflicted by opposition to Mars is present in this house H.S. Green’s comment is “Death of aged persons, of some state official or functionary ….” and “if much afflicted, it is unfortunate for the health of the country.” This certainly was borne out by both the passing of Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the disproportionate impact of COVID on the elderly.
The ninth house is the house of higher things such as the courts, establishment religion, and universities, it has Capricorn on the cusp and is therefore ruled by afflicted Saturn. The four years of the presidency saw considerable deterioration in US universities as places of learning rather than places of indoctrination, and after the 2020 election the courts became political battlegrounds. Many churches came out in opposition to Trump which made them rather inaccessible to those voters who supported him.
The tenth house is the house of government, but not the head of that government, also in Capricorn and therefore also ruled by afflicted Saturn. The way the US was governed in this period was not terribly effective (witness the response to COVID, bot a federal and state matter). Conversely it also contains relatively well aspected Mercury which suggests the government will be popular with the people and the Republicans did surprisingly well in the polls up until the final year.
The eleventh house is the lower branch of government, it has Aquarius on the cusp and is therefore ruled by intercepted Uranus. Uranus has a supporting trine with Saturn but a debilitating opposition to Jupiter. Once again the pair of effects over time. The Republicans started control of both the House and the Senate at the beginning the four years of the presidency but lost control of the House at the mid-term elections.
The eleventh house also contains Mars badly afflicted by his opposition to Saturn. H.S. Green says “...the Government may be much embarrassed, may encounter strong opposition, and much ill-temper be shown on one side or the other”. Self explanatory.
Finally the twelfth house is the house of Institutions, this has Pisces on the cusp and is therefore ruled by mildly dignified Neptune also present in this house. Neptune is part of the minor grand trine. During the four years the actual machinery of government seemed to work at least no worse than before and attempts were made to cheapen access to healthcare. It seems to me that the volume of argument on healthcare went down during the four years although the volume of every other argument increased.
Synthesis
With this mass of detail I’ve found this a difficult chart to try and interpret but my conclusion is that it is dominated by three features of the aspect pattern and the planets Mars and Saturn.
• The minor grand trine speaks of the relentless negative media campaign against Trump, and not just in the US. Useful to those behind it but largely unsuccessful for the period of this chart. I note that the campaign went silent after the Biden inauguration and Trump has been erased from public discussion since then.
• The opposition of Mars and Saturn speaks of the deterioration in the standards of political discourse culminating in the George Floyd protests.
• Afflicted Saturn in the eighth house presages a pandemic.
• Afflicted Jupiter in the sixth house signals a public health crisis.
• Intercepted Uranus with good and bad aspects signals both success and subsequent difficulties for the Government.
The first point has required a considerable application of hindsight on my part and I would certainly not feel that I could have predicted it given my current state of knowledge. Also I do not have any view on how the timing might have been predictable. New Moon Sun conjunctions are the only method I’m aware of at the moment so that part of the analysis will have to be next.
