Well, folks, here we are. In another five weeks or so, we’ll know. The 2016 US presidential campaign has certainly been one of the more bizarre on record. Somehow, we managed to pick two of the most disliked candidates in history to fill the most important office on the planet. As of this writing (mid-September 2016), it looks pretty much like a jump ball between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, with both national and battleground state polls seesawing back and forth between them.
Trump has expanded the GOP map to include potential wins in Nevada, Wisconsin and Michigan, but Clinton is showing strength in traditionally Republican strongholds like Arizona and Georgia. Trump is making inroads in traditional Democratic constituencies like white working class voters, but Clinton is up with college-educated whites, who have backed the GOP for 40 years. What will Election Day reveal, other than a deeply flawed “winner” with little or no hope of bringing people together and actually governing the nation?
Let’s review what astrology has to say about the outcome, and try to determine who the next US president is likely to be.
Any election result is difficult to predict; it’s an event which plays out over an entire day, in four different time zones, so establishing a single astrological chart to analyze is well nigh impossible. We can look at trends for the day, planetary placements and such, compare charts of the candidates, and hope to suss out the result. This year may be more difficult than most, given the facts on the ground and the volatility of the electorate, up to 20% of which are still undecided. But let’s get to it, beginning with the central focus of the day, the transit Sun.
A 16 Scorpio, the Sun exactly opposes a Black Hole at 16 Taurus, a circumstance likely to elicit some bizarre manifestations, unexpected reversals, or unstable outcomes. The last time this happened was in 2000, with the debacle of the Florida recount, and the US Supreme Court stepping in to decide the victor. Could we be witnessing something similar this year? There has been increasing speculation as the race tightens about that rarest of rarities, an Electoral College tie and stalemate between the candidates. This would certainly fit the bill of a bizarre Black Hole event.
On its face, either candidate could fulfill the potential of this combination. Hillary Clinton, as the first woman elected President, fits the symbolism of that Black Hole break from tradition and the emergence of something new and unique. When Obama was elected as the first African American president in 2008, the Sun at 12 Scorpio exactly squared a Black Hole at 12 Aquarius and was an important factor in the shattering of the racial barrier. Might this year’s opposition do the same for gender?
On the other hand, the election of Donald Trump, an inexperienced politician running in his first campaign, would be something which, while not unprecedented, is certainly unorthodox, unusual, and largely unexpected, all Black Hole keywords.
When we compare and contrast the transit Sun’s interaction with the natal charts of the candidates, Clinton has a decided advantage. The 16 Scorpio placement exactly conjoins her natal Venus, known as the “Lesser Benefic”, and a signficator of popularity and positive outcomes generally. But for Trump, the Sun highlights his natal asteroid Lie at 17 Taurus, perhaps illumining the deception which underlies the Big Con of his campaign.
The transit Sun makes another very important contact, one which could prove determinative. This is the exact trine to transit asteroid Hillary at 16 Cancer, stationary and entrenched in the atmosphere of the day, about to turn retrograde four days after the election. The trine shows strong support for Clinton on the day in question, but requires active participation to manifest. Will voters turn out for her, or will a lack of enthusiasm doom her candidacy?
Asteroid Hillary has been hampered since the day the DNC convened by a forming extended conjunction with transit asteroid Lie, which moved to within five degrees of Hillary on July 25, and will remain conjoined for a year. By Election Day, that conjunction will have become exact, with Lie also at station, reinforcing a preexisting narrative that casts Clinton as dishonest and untrustworthy, her greatest Achilles heel.
And speaking of Achilles, transit Hillary/Lie also opposes the former Secretary of State’s natal asteroid Achilles, a point denoting weakness or vulnerability, at 16 Capricorn. Achilles has been transited by Pluto all year (ruling secrecy and scandals), pointing up those vulnerabilities, with Pluto on Election Day at 15 Capricorn, conjoined Achilles, closely tied to this pattern and also sextile the transit Sun. Pluto opposing Hillary could evoke a significant increase in her personal power, a transformational moment for her, or signal a devastating loss.
Perhaps affecting the balance of this polarity and encouraging a more positive Plutonian manifestation is transit Jupiter, the Greater Benefic, which at 12 Libra forms a T-Square with the Hillary/Pluto opposition. Celestial Hillary so strongly linked to Jupiter’s expansiveness and Pluto’s transformational energies should be a boost to terrestrial Hillary’s chances. Of course, it can’t be quite as easy as that; from its 12 Libra position, transit Jupiter also conjoins Clinton’s natal Neptune at 11 Libra, which could signal a disappointment, adding another layer of uncertainty to the analysis.
Another significant factor impacting the day is transit Venus. At 25 Sagittarius, Venus is closely conjunct asteroid Whitehouse at 26, and if that doesn’t spell “a woman (Venus) in the Oval Office (Whitehouse)” in astrologese, I don’t know what does! Add to this the fact that this pairing conjoins Clinton’s natal asteroid Nike, named for the Greek goddess of victory, at 23 Sagittarius, and it looks like a lock. This point was also highlighted and energized by the Lunar Eclipse axis of September 16 at 24 Virgo/Pisces, in square, perhaps paving the way for a win of historic significance.
Of course, Donald Trump has his supporting factors as well. For one, that same eclipse formed a Grand Cross with his natal Sun/Moon opposition (at 22 Gemini and 21 Sagittarius respectively), which was itself forming a Lunar Eclipse at his birth. This spotlighted The Donald in mid-September, just as his poll numbers began to rise and the race’s outcome, seemingly a foregone conclusion in the weeks following the Democratic Convention, became far less certain. (Also at this time, transit Troemper retrograde in early Aries opposed transit Jupiter in early Libra, marking his increased prospects and rise in the polls.)
Transit asteroid Troemper is also stationary on Election Day, and also trine the Sun, mirroring Hillary’s stance from the other end of the zodiac, at 22 Pisces. Troemper turns direct on the day before the election, making it a second still point upon which the rest of the chart revolves, just like Hillary.
But the trine is much wider, although from this degree Troemper also squares Venus/Whitehouse, perhaps putting a block on that Hillary-friendly pairing. Troemper squared Venus could boost Trump’s popularity. It is also trine Mercury at 23 Scorpio, representing the populist tide Trump has ridden, and ruling the vote itself. The trine is supportive, as we’ve said, but again, it requires active participation to manifest. By all accounts, Trump’s voters are more enthused about their candidate than Clinton’s, but a vote cast grudgingly counts the same; electoral victory will likely come down to turn-out.
And just as Lie conjoins Hillary to reinforce the narrative of Clinton’s untrustworthiness, so, too, do asteroids Truth and Veritas back up Trump’s vaunted reputation for truth-telling, which remains entrenched in much of the American public’s psyche despite all evidence to the contrary. Incredibly, on Election Day, Truth and Veritas (Latin for “truth”) come together at 21 Gemini, not only closely squared transit Troemper, but also conjoined Trump’s natal Sun! Will this last-minute reiteration of Trump’s “brand” pull him over the finish line?
While Lie has dogged Hillary throughout the fall campaign, so, too, has Troemper been paired with asteroid Kassandra. Kassandra’s focus is credibility: does the individual have the bona fides to be believed and has he proved his integrity or sincerity? Can he be relied upon, trusted, and proven; can his advice or direction be followed safely? These have been Trump’s weakest points—he talks a good game in ways which many Americans resonate to, but his utter lack of experience and unwillingness to disclose personal information such as his tax returns, which would verify his self-proclaimed abilities, gives many other Americans pause. Is his campaign genuine, or just a huge shell game? Does he care about the future of the country and its people, or is he just out to boost his brand and increase profits going forward?
The first debate on September 26 at Hofstra University in Hempstead NY may have halted Trump’s momentum; at any rate, its astrology shows the pitfalls of the candidates clearly. Cast for 9:03 PM EDT, when moderator Lester Holt opened the proceedings, the chart’s angles are eerily apt.
28 Taurus on the Ascendant is ruled by Venus, which at 4 Scorpio represents Hillary Clinton. Rising is TNO Sedna, named for an Inuit goddess who dwells in the deepest, most inaccessible part of the Arctic Ocean, suggesting Clinton’s reputation as cold, unapproachable, an “ice queen”. Clinton clearly took pains to shed that image, and she was largely successful, appearing pleasant, calm, collected, concerned with everyday working class people, and impervious to Trump’s barbs and constant interruptions.
In contrast, the Descendant at 28 Scorpio is ruled by Mars, representing Trump. Mars also rules Venus in Scorpio, so to some extent this was Trump’s agenda, but he squandered the advantage he had over Clinton going in. Initially, he kept it together, but Mars at the critical degree of 29 Sagittarius overmastered him, and brought fully into play the other angular points.
These were Panacea and Isis on the Descendant, portraying Trump’s “quick fix”, “easy cure” philosophy (Panacea) and highlighting the importance of terror organization ISIS (Isis) to the debate.
On the MC were asteroids Hybris (hubris, extreme arrogance) and Narcissus (extreme self-focus), and on the IC was asteroid Phaeton (explosive, something run amok). Trump’s arrogance in failing to properly prepare for the most important evening of his life was in full evidence (Hubris), as was his habit of relating every issue to himself personally (Narcissus), as when he repeatedly prefaced his comments about cities by stating that he owned property there, and gave a mini-commercial about his new hotel in DC.
About halfway through, Trump hit the wall, and his fatigue and resulting lack of focus were palpable. At this point, he seemed to lose self-control, repeatedly interrupting, blurting objections, giving a convincing portrayal of an egotist run amok, like an unbridled maverick (Phaeton).
The backdrop for this debate was asteroid Troemper at 28 Pisces, moving out of orb of opposition to Jupiter at 3 Libra, and asteroid Hillary at 9 Cancer, moving into orb of square to Jupiter. It seems the high times are over for Trump, who enjoyed a considerable bounce in the polls when Troemper opposed Jupiter during the previous two weeks. It’s now Clinton’s turn to reap those Jovian benefits, and this forming square will continue through the election, due to Hillary slowing to station, almost matching Jupiter’s rate of speed.
Moderator Lester Holt showed up celestially in fine style, with two exact PNA matches. Lester at 17 Virgo conjoined Mercury, ruling the Press, at 16 Virgo, and Holt at 26 Sagittarius conjoined Mars, while square to Troemper. Holt was in a combative situation (Mars), with both sides coming at him, but the square to Troemper suggests he’ll be viewed as more inimical toward Trump than Clinton.
So where does that leave us, in determining the outcome of the election?
It’s dicey, no doubt about it. Personally, I’m hanging my hat on that Venus/Whitehouse conjunction, which speaks strongly to a woman in the Oval Office. That, and the exact trine from Hillary to the Sun on Election Day, should bring home the win for Clinton. But it’s likely to be a close thing.
Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, whose website AlexAsteroidAstrology.com offers a trove of info on the role of asteroids in personal and mundane astrology. He is the author of The Black Hole Book (available on Amazon.com) and The Urban Wicca, former editor of “The Galactic Calendar,” and past president of The Philadelphia Astrological Society. His pioneering work with Black Holes in astrological interpretation began in 1991, when his progressed Sun unwittingly fell into one. Alex’s books and writings are available on his website. Alex can also be reached for comment or services at .