Barbarians at the Gaetz: Astrology of an Implosion

Donald Trump’s post-electoral Retribution Tour hit a snag on November 21, when Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz suddenly withdrew from consideration in the wake of some GOP-generated heat in defiance of his candidacy.  Withdrawal is something Gaetz knows a bit about, with the primary scandal in which he’s embroiled involving his attendance at drug-fueled sex parties with underage partners.

Trump nominated Gaetz, himself a subject of a years-long federal criminal investigation and a House Ethics Committee report, on November 13, along with a spate of controversial nominees, such as Fox & Friends weekend anchor Pete Hegseth for Defense; Bashar Al-Assad and Vladimir Putin apologist Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence; and vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist extraordinaire Robert F. Kennedy Jr to head Health and Human Services.  If these choices seem “out-of-the-box,” consider that asteroid Troemper 2813 at 11 Leo (our celestial referent for The Donald) is currently travelling arm-in-arm with asteroid Pandora 55 at 10 Leo, noted mythically as the hapless naif who, against good advice, opened a box containing all the evils of the world, thus releasing them.  Archetypally, there are no cosmic accidents.

And with asteroid Justitia 269 also in the mix from 11 Leo, named for the Roman goddess of justice, Trump’s pick to head the Justice Department was likely to be the most head-spinning of all.  Reportedly, an audible gasp ensued from the House GOP Caucus meeting when the choice was announced.  Matt Gaetz doesn’t play well with others, and has made himself few friends on Capitol Hill, with the chaos he created by ousting Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year, his frequent nasty and demeaning jibes at fellow legislators, and his habit of sharing pornographic materials on the House floor, regaling colleagues with tales of pounding energy drinks laced with crushed ED meds so he could “go all night long.”  A prince among princes!

As soon as word of his nomination came down from on high, Gaetz resigned his House seat, conveniently the day before the House Ethics Committee was slated to vote on releasing their report on his sex antics.  The resignation may seem precipitate, as confirmation for his job promotion wasn’t assured, and his subsequent withdrawal now leaves Gaetz without gainful employment, but there’s a method to this seeming madness.  With his resignation, the House Ethics Committee ceases immediately to have any authority over Gaetz, and their report is moot, likely unreleased.

But unfortunately for Gaetz, skeptical GOP Senators, who would have to confirm him in office, insisted on having the report anyway, and after a futile charm offensive (since he has none) in the Upper Chamber, Gaetz gave up the game as a lost cause, and officially withdrew his name from consideration for the post.  Attempting to put the best face possible on this debacle, he stated, “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General.”

Yeah, that tracks.  That’s Gaetz – always thinking of others.

Not quite a nine-days’ wonder, only eight solar cycles elapsed between Gaetz’ nomination on November 13 and his withdrawal on November 21.  But Matt Gaetz was highlighted throughout, with an ongoing conjunction of the Sun and asteroid Mathieu 1592 (alternate spelling of Matthew, his given name) in late Scorpio, squared asteroid Matti 2714 (doubtless what his concubines call him) in late Leo, pulling focus toward the lawless lawmaker.  Solar contacts are like a beacon illuminating whatever they touch, for good or ill; and in this case, there was naught but ill.

Further accompanying the Sun/Mathieu pairing is asteroid NOT 2857, a general disqualifier or symbol of a refusal to proceed.  This encapsulates both his resignation from the House and his failed nomination as AG.  In zodiacal order, we began the period with Mathieu, Sun and NOT at 17, 21 and 26 Scorpio, Matti at 24 Leo, on November 13; and ended it with these points at 22 and 29 Scorpio and 0 Sagittarius, with Matti at 26 Leo, on the 21.  This pattern forms a Grand Cross with opposition to Uranus at 25 Taurus, denoting the shock and controversy, as well as Gaetz’ general unsuitability for the job (he does possess a law degree, but went into politics almost immediately after graduation, with no legal experience to speak of); and a square to asteroid Donn 4689 at 23 to 25 Aquarius for the duration of the fiasco, representing Donald Trump.  Significantly, aside Donn is Damocles 5335, that symbol of the peril or doom hanging unseen overhead, about to descend at any moment.  In the short-term this signals Gaetz’ discomfiture (Mathieu & Matti interacting with Damocles), but there are far-reaching implications for Trump as well (Donn conjunct), making all these current cabinet selections potential points of future downfall.

And speaking of downfalls, Gaetz’ own is also prefigured in a square from asteroid Nemesis 128 at 9 Libra (noted for bringing ruin and downfall, often self-created) and asteroid Gateswest 133726 (closest to Gaetz) at 10 Capricorn for his nomination.  Asteroid House 4950 at 15 Aries, for the US House of Representatives, fills in a T-Square reflecting Gaetz’ simultaneous resignation from that body.  TNO Salacia 120347, a marker of scandal (especially of a sexual nature, with Salacia the root of our word “salacious,” meaning “lewd or lascivious content intended to titillate”) joins the group from 9 Aries, signaling the underlying cause of his failure.  By the time of his nomination implosion, the Nemesis/Gateswest square had moved to exact, from 12 Libra and 12 Capricorn respectively.

Born 7 May 1982 (no time available), Matt Gaetz is a magnet for scandal, with his 16 Taurus Sun exactly squared TNO Salacia at 16 Aquarius.  Asteroid Eros433 at 22 Leo forms a T-Square, signaling that expressing the erotic passions that are such an innate, self-defining trait (Sun) for him, could provoke the scandal.  With asteroid d’Arrest 9133 conjoined the Sun from 17 Taurus, it’s possible these sex (Eros) scandals (Salacia) could, at some point, lead to arrest, detention, charges filed, or indictments (all d’Arrest).

Gaetz’ nativity highlights four points in Capricorn which appear at station, denoting outsized influence and importance in his character or biography.  These are asteroids Donn at 0 Capricorn (turning retrograde April 28); Matti at 2 Capricorn (retro on May 16); Themis 24 at 13 Capricorn (retro on May 5); and House at 24 Capricorn (retro on May 16 as well).  Donn of course speaks to the importance of Donald Trump in Gaetz’ career, as well as his friendship with Donn Jr, which brought him directly into Trump’s inner circle.  Matti naturally identifies Matt himself; in sesquiquadrate to the Sun it conforms to the typical placement for one’s own PNA (Personal-Named Asteroid), commonly connected to the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Mercury.  

Themis is named for the Greek goddess of justice, and denotes not only this potential elevation to head the US Department of Justice, but the years-long investigation of Gaetz by that office.  House is our celestial stand-in for the US House of Representatives, but also refers to the Florida House of Representatives, where Gaetz got his political start in 2010.  House squares Saturn at 16 Libra, linking it with Gaetz’ career, and also trines the Sun, making his House positions self-defining.  Although Matti at 2 Cap and House at 24 Cap are not conjunct each other, the fact that both came to station on the same day links them strongly, helping to explain Gaetz’ employment in not one, but two legislative Houses.

Persons with a strong Justitia or Themis often have interactions with the justice system, for good or ill.  Positive connections can indicate careers in the field, from court bailiff to Supreme Court Justice.  Negative connections can lead to investigation, indictment, conviction, even incarceration.  Gaetz’ stationary Themis impels a strong “justice” component for him, as seen in his law education, federal and House investigations, and the abortive AG nomination.  Themis also squares Saturn, linking it to career, but likewise raising the specter of punishment or penalty (both Saturn) in some form.  Asteroid Justitia at 28 Gemini further refines the picture of Gaetz v Justice.  Justitia opposes Neptune at 26 Sagittarius in a T-Square with Mars at 0 Libra on its fulcrum.  Mars in square to Justitia suggests a combative, inimical or antagonistic (all Mars keywords) relationship with justice, while Neptune could indicate illicit drug use, one of the areas under investigation for Gaetz.  “Conspiracy” is another keyword for Neptune, and one likely to figure prominently in any criminal charges that may be pending, while the linkage between Neptune and Mars suggests the ED meds employed by Gaetz.

In addition to the stationary Donn, Trump shows as asteroid Troemper at 1 Scorpio, forming an important bridge between Pluto at 24 Libra and Jupiter at 4 Scorpio, helping to enact political (Jupiter) power (Pluto) for the errant Florida lawmaker.  Without his support of Trump, and the latter’s strong endorsement of him, Matt Gaetz would not find himself at the center of political power in Washington.

An exact pairing of Venus with asteroid Pandora at 3 Aries, opposed Mars at 0 Libra, suggests unintended consequences (Pandora) from his sexual relations (Mars) with women (Venus).  Matti at 2 Capricorn rests on the fulcrum of a T-Square, upping the ante on manifestation of this energy by creating a major configuration, and personalizing it directly to Matt Gaetz.  Asteroid Washingtonia is also a part of this pattern, conjunct Mars from 6 Libra.  It was Gaetz’ move from local Florida politics to the big time of national politics in DC (Washingtonia) which increased the risk of exposure of his sexual improprieties, to crippling effect.

Gaetz’ issues with women generally, and underage girls in particular, is also expressed in a triple conjunction of asteroid Gateswest (for Gaetz) at 28 Cancer with centaur Nessus 7066 at 25 Cancer, and asteroid Ganymed 1036 at 23 Cancer.  Again, having a PNA in the mix makes this highly personal, even self-defining, and influences how others see him.  Nessus is named for a mythic centaur who attempted to rape Heracles’ wife while offering her a piggyback ride across a flooded river.  Nessus acts as a symbol of “men behaving badly,” especially in a sexual context, though it can indicate all forms of abuse.  Ganymed is named for Zeus’ underage cupbearer and boy-toy lover; while it often indicates homosexual attraction, it also depicts sexual relations with minors, and any union between partners which are very disparate, whether that be in age, socio-economic status, education or appearance, and which others consider somehow unsuitable.  Putting it all together, we see Gaetz personally involved (Gateswest) in inappropriate sexual activity (Nessus) with underage partners (Ganymed), legally constituting statutory rape (Nessus).

Nessus had a role to play in Gaetz’ AG nominating struggle as well.  At 17 Pisces Nessus is conjunct a stationary Saturn at 12 Pisces throughout the flawed process, with Saturn turning direct on November 15^th, between the nomination November 13 and Gaetz’ withdrawal on November 21.  Nessus here suggests being blocked or limited (Saturn) in career (also Saturn) due to sexual misconduct (Nessus).  Saturn also withholds advancement until the individual has proved his or her fitness for the promotion, and Gaetz was manifestly unqualified to run a major government department of any kind, let alone Justice. 

We should also make mention of the fact that, from its 17 Pisces post, transit Nessus is exactly opposing Gaetz’ natal asteroid Hebe 6, at 17 Virgo.  Hebe is the fifth stationary point in Gaetz’ nativity (turning direct May 9), named for Zeus’ eternally youthful daughter, a symbol of nubile puberty, and the root of the psychological term “hebephilia,” defined as sexual attraction for post-pubescent, but legally underage, partners.  Sound familiar?

Whither now for Matt Gaetz?  There has been a disturbing rumor of late, to the effect that this bad penny may turn up again, sooner than we’d like.  Reporting suggests that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis may appoint Gaetz to fill Senator Marco Rubio’s term, should the latter be confirmed as Trump’s next Secretary of State.

Sadly, a review of Gaetz’ birth chart indicates this could be possible, with asteroid Senator 8603 at 13 Leo, in square to the 16 Taurus Sun and sextile Saturn at 16 Libra.  This has the potential to make a Senate (Senator) career (Saturn) another self-defining (Sun) element of Gaetz’ bio.

When these rumors first surfaced in the aftermath of Gaetz’ withdrawal, the Sun, now moved into Sagittarius, was still conjunct Mathieu and squared Matti, with asteroid Senator at 0 Pisces completing a T-Square.  This could be the impetus for idle speculation, and with asteroid NOT now exactly conjunct the Sun, this may well prove untrue.  By the time Rubio is eventually confirmed sometime in early 2025, creating a vacancy for his seat, this pattern will be a dim memory, and hopefully, so will any chance of Matt Gaetz’ elevation to the Senate, a body whose members he has trashed even more harshly than his colleagues in the House.

Are we done with Gaetz?  Not likely.  Even if his Senate hopes turn out to be a pipedream, and he is offered no other role in the Trump administration, Gaetz can always run to retake his former House seat in 2026.  And here’s a sobering thought – asteroid Whitehouse 4036 at 23 Cancer conjoins asteroid Gateswest and squares Saturn, giving Gaetz a very personal connection to the presidency (Whitehouse) as the capstone of his career (Saturn).  As we all know, in MAGAland, anything can happen.

Alex Miller

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 .