Anyone can be president – or can they?

Virgo 2020

Virgo – a time to sort out the wheat from the chaff. Virgo is a sign that represents separating out what is useful from what isn’t – this is why it is the sign associated with the small intestine. During digestion the small intestine absorbs nutrients into the bloodstream aided by other functions and passes any waste on to the large intestine. At harvest time a similar process known as winnowing was used to sort out the good (the wheat) from the waste (the chaff.) What does that have to do with US elections?

Winnowing presidential candidates

It was interesting to see this term used during last year’s headlines in the US. From the Washington Post: ‘Democrats: Let the winnowing commence’ or the New York Times: ‘The Great Democratic Winnowing Begins’. All throughout Virgo time last year, possible Democratic candidates were displaying their wares.

If it really was a true winnowing process, maybe the cream of the crop would float to the top, but of course in the US it’s all about money, charisma or entertainment value. It’s not really about who could do the best job or who is the most qualified. This year it seemed to be more about ‘who can beat Trump?’ This was probably not a good place to start!

Down to two

So now, in effect, the US is down to a choice of two for the next president. I have never heard anything about two of the other candidates – Jo Jorgensen for the Libertarian Party and Howie Hawkins for the Greens. So much for their chances! It’s really a choice between Trump or Biden.  I have written before on how I find this system unfit for democratic purpose. Hopefully, with the planets arguing among themselves now, some of the disruption which is upon us will help to create the HUGE transformation necessary if we are to survive as a decent planet.

I think if you asked anyone in the US, if the choice was open, who they would vote for to become president, there would be more than two names to choose from! And if I had anything to do with it the Electoral College would be a thing of the past –  I find the way it works completely incomprehensible for what is supposed to be a democratic process. But what do I know?

Back to one of my favourite topics

Vocation or calling is one of my specialties. I really enjoy encouraging my clients to find and embrace what they really love to do. I feel each one of us has something to contribute to the whole. And we become good at what we enjoy if we allow ourselves time to do these things.

I believe companies have a calling too. I am halfway through writing a book for astrologers on how I use this idea in business astrology. However, here I wish to discuss how the universe seems to be involved in getting the right people in the right place if only we give it a chance. I wrote a post way back in 2006 about how companies seem to attract the right people to fit the company purpose.

In this post I want to discuss the fact that countries do this too. I wrote about this in 2017 using the Netherlands elections as an example. Now I want to wade (with some trepidation) into the US elections. I think given more options the US ‘entity’ would probably choose neither Biden nor Trump. But she really only gets a choice of two. Elizabeth Warren has a lot of links with the US chart, so it would have been interesting to see what would have happened to her had she been a candidate. But hey – that’s the way it is at the current time.

No Virgos!

What started me off on this post was finding out that Virgo (along with Aries) was the least favoured sign for a US president. Virgo is a time suitable for analysis, so I decided to do some research. All the signs are represented – hence my title ‘Anyone can be president.’ But on closer inspection it seems that some signs are more equal than others. For me the Sun sign is relevant as I see it as an important part of vocation. And you can fulfil your vocation best in a country or organisation that fits with your own calling.

There have been:

Sun Signs	Presidents
Aries 2	Thomas Jefferson John Tyler
Taurus 4	James Monroe James Buchanan Ulysses S. Grant Harry S. Truman
Gemini  3	John F. Kennedy George H.W. Bush Donald Trump
Cancer 4	John Quincy Adams Calvin Coolidge Gerald Ford George W. Bush
Leo 4	Benjamin Harrison Herbert Hoover Bill Clinton Barack Obama
Virgo 2	William Howard Taft Lyndon B. Johnson
Libra 4	Rutherford B. Hayes Chester A. Arthur Dwight D. Eisenhower Jimmy Carter
Scorpio 5	John Adams James K. Polk James A. Garfield Theodore Roosevelt Warren G. Harding
Sagittarius 3	Martin van Buren Zachary Taylor Franklin Pierce
Capricorn 4	Millard Fillmore Andrew Johnson Woodrow Wilson Richard Nixon
Aquarius 5	William Henry Harrison Abraham Lincoln William McKinley Franklin D. Roosevelt Ronald Reagan
Pisces 4	George Washington James Madison Andrew Jackson Grover Cleveland (Nr. 22 and 24)

However, if we look at who actually fought and won elections, the picture changes, especially at the top of the list. Virgo and Aries stay at 2, but Aquarius comes top with 11, with Pisces at 8, followed by Leo and Taurus at 6. Scorpio (the sign of Joe Biden) remains at 5; Cancer, Libra and Capricorn come in at 4 and Gemini, the sign of Trump, is at 3 including him, which is the same as Sagittarius – the rising sign of the US.

There are 5 presidents who never won an election. This is due to the way the system works if a president dies in office. The Vice-President then serves out the term. Eight presidents died in office, 4 of whom were assassinated.

Originally I thought Scorpio might be high due to the fact that elections were held in November, but that wasn’t always the case. I had thought the inauguration day might give a Sun sign an advantage, but the 20th of January has not always been inauguration day – it was in March for a long time, and in any case that day can sometimes have the Sun in Aquarius and sometimes in Capricorn.

Aquarius explained?

So none of that really explains why there are so many Aquarians winning elections. War is partly the culprit, as Franklin D. Roosevelt won four elections and served between 1933 and 1945 as the longest serving president. This can no longer happen as the number of terms a president can serve is now limited. In some ways Aquarius seems a rather unlucky sign as five of the Aquarian presidents died in office, (including Roosevelt), two of whom were assassinated, Lincoln and McKinley. And there was an attempt on Reagan’s life as well.

My theory!

So back to the US chart. What might that attract? And what might the people want? The Moon in a country chart represents ‘we the people’. In the US chart known as the Sibly chart, which many astrologers use, the Moon is in Aquarius! So anyone who resonates with this sign seems to have an advantage. These words from the Declaration of Independence have a very Aquarian feel too: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’

So perhaps it is not so surprising that Aquarians rule. (But of course I knew that :)) Anyone want to donate a few million so I can have a go? I’m sure we could get around the birth-place issue!

But what about Pisces?

At first glance, the horoscope many use for the US would not seem very Piscean. However, when you add my favourite, Ceres –  the dwarf planet that I associate with democracy – this changes. Ceres is in Pisces. I think for a long time the US has acted out the Sun in Cancer – from patriotism to family values to protectionism, and the aspects with the Sun with Jupiter – think big, expansion, bigger is better, religion. And Saturn –  rules from government and a business focus. But since Ceres made a comeback in 2006, she (often in the form of women) is standing up for the earth, women and the less advantaged in the population.

Ceres in Pisces in the US chart represents the possibility of a compassionate and visionary democracy.

A little history

Here are a few examples from previous presidents who have won at least 2 elections:

President	Planets in Aquarius or Pisces
Thomas Jefferson	Mercury in Pisces
Ulysses S. Grant	Ceres, North node in Aquarius Venus in Pisces
George W. Bush	Ceres in Aquarius
Bill Clinton	Ceres in Aquarius
Barack Obama	Jupiter and Ascendant in Aquarius
Dwight D. Eisenhower	Jupiter in Aquarius
Richard Nixon	Moon, Uranus in Aquarius Venus in Pisces
Abraham Lincoln	Venus, Ceres, Jupiter, Pluto in Pisces Probably Aquarius ascendant – his birth time is a bit uncertain.
Franklin D. Roosevelt	Sun, Mercury, Venus, Ceres in Aquarius
Ronald Reagan	Sun in Aquarius Venus in Pisces
George Washington	Mercury in Aquarius Sun, Venus in Pisces

Of course, because the Sun (which represents leaders) in the US chart is in Cancer, Cancer will often be part of a president’s horoscope as it is with some of these presidents above. However, it seems that having planets in Aquarius and Pisces helps.

Last two elections

So what did the cosmos have to choose from in the last three elections?

In 2008, Obama (Jupiter and ascendant in Aquarius) was up against John McCain, who had Moon in Aquarius with Saturn and the Ascendant in Pisces. Perhaps Jupiter beats Saturn:) But in 2012 he was against Mitt Romney, who blows my theory – there’s always one! He has Sun, Mercury, Mars and Ceres in Pisces and Venus in Aquarius. That must have helped him get as far as he did. What Obama has that Romney doesn’t have is a planet in Cancer. Obama’s Venus is in Cancer – matching the US Venus and Sun – so perhaps that and other connections he has were a stronger factor.

And then of course there is Trump vs. Hillary Clinton. Clinton’s birth time has long been a topic of discussion among astrologers. It is likely she has the Moon in Pisces, however late on the day she was born the Moon went into Aries. Her ascendant is unconfirmed. I will assume for this topic she has the Moon in Pisces.

And so to Trump

Again, without using Ceres, Trump has nothing in either of our top signs. But Ceres is in Aquarius for him too as it was for a few of the earlier presidents. Maybe Ceres beats the likely Moon of Hillary! However, Trump does have a lot of Cancer energy – Mercury, Venus and Saturn – so that is a really important link with the US chart which gives him an advantage again this time too.

So what about Joe Biden?

Joe’s a Scorpio, so will he be number 6 on the Scorpio list? He has three other planets in Scorpio, so he will be determined! Like Trump, he too has nothing in either of the top signs if you don’t use Ceres. He has Ceres in Pisces! But he has Jupiter in Cancer too, so that’s a factor in his favour.

So it’s Aquarius vs. Pisces or Moon vs. Ceres

Using my arguments and limiting it to Ceres and the Moon, this time one question is: Will the vote follow what the people need on an emotional level – the Moon? In which case Trump should win, as his type of democracy matches that emotional need. Or will they go for Ceres in the US chart – the type of democracy and environment they want – Pisces? In which case Biden should win.

It all depends …

… on the level of consciousness of the US voting public. Trump’s Aquarian brand of democracy resonates with the more negative side of Aquarius. The rebels, the individual right to do whatever you want, the cold,  I-know-best-and-I’m-never-wrong side that Aquarius can have. He will attract people who want an uprising.

Biden will attract people who wish for a more compassionate, inclusive type of democracy. However Pisces energy can easily be seen as a victim or a sort of martyr. A democracy that is an unrealistic, do-gooder type of system. His message could be too vague. And he does seem to be hiding, compared to Trump.

Both types of democracy could be good – the best for the US would be a system that embraces the good in both signs. Freedom and equality for individuals AND compassion and support for everyone. These don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

The Cancer factor

Any planets in Cancer can’t be ignored as the US is looking for Cancer qualities in its leaders. As mentioned, Trump has this energy, which can be seen in his family-oriented nepotism and his protectionist policies. I have written more about Trump in a previous post. This is the energy that gave him an advantage over Hillary Clinton, I think.

Joe Biden is a bit different. Although he doesn’t have as much Cancer energy as Trump, he has Jupiter – the planet of politics and strategy in this sign. That might help.

My thoughts

I think it might be too close to call, even on a popular vote level. But of course that’s not the way it works anyway. Either way, the charts for the election day and for the inauguration day look pretty fraught. Votes have already been cast so it might make sense to take the end of the voting day as a sign of what might unfold.

The last polls close at 1 am Eastern time for Alaska actually on November 4th. However, from the very first moment on November 3rd when New Hampshire can start voting, until the end for Alaska, the Sun is in Scorpio, the Moon is in Gemini and Ceres is just hanging on in Aquarius. On November the 9th she goes into Pisces. The voting day chart gives a flavour for the day. The Sun favours Biden, however the Moon and Ceres favour Trump. So again we might have a draw.

Trouble brewing

What is really interesting is that Mercury – in Libra – is literally hanging in the balance. Mercury is turning around from retrograde to going direct and on voting day he is standing still. The message is stopped! Stuck in limbo. When George Bush became president against Al Gore in 2000, Mercury was in the same state – it took a long time to get a result and that was heavily contested. Will that happen again? Highly likely, I think. The 2000 election was considered one of the closest elections in history and is one of the elections where the winning candidate lost the popular vote, as was the case for Trump in 2016.

Inauguration day 

There are procedures that take place when there is a problem due to no-one getting a majority in the Electoral College vote. The vote for Vice-president then goes to the incoming senate and the vote for President to the incoming House of Representatives. If the President vote can’t be resolved, then the Vice-President serves as President until this is resolved. In the case of a problem in both houses then the Speaker of the House acts as interim President. This system will normally mean that the inauguration can take place on January 20th, in this case in 2021. But there is not a lot that is ‘normal’ about the times we are in!

The inauguration 2021

Let’s look at the inauguration chart anyway. I don’t often say this, but I think in the current climate, this is quite scary. There are several planets in Aquarius, a sign of wanting to be right! The Moon is what is known as void of course. In some charts this is taken to mean ‘nothing will come of the matter.’ Could this mean the inauguration can’t go ahead?

The Moon is in the very last degrees of Aries, a very strong position in a combative sign. However, more worrying in the current climate is that Mars and Uranus are together and very near the ascendant. This could indicate stubborn (in Taurus), aggressive (Mars) rebellion (Uranus). Add to that Pluto right overhead at the top of the chart and we have the potential for powerful and devastating acts.

Ceres is in Pisces by this time, but she is right next to Neptune, which could imply total confusion about the democratic process. Of course all of these positions could provide the catalyst for powerful, positive reform and new caring forms of democratic reform. But I’m not sure that will happen yet. There is too much division and vitriol for healing to begin.

We have a role model.

RIP RBG

I was sad to hear of the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsberg this week. What a remarkable woman. She was a much needed force on the Supreme Court of the USA ( SCOTUS) and will be sadly missed. Looking at her chart while writing this post I was struck by the fact that the same themes emerge in the Supreme Court chart and in hers.

In the triangle on the charts below are all the planets in Aquarius and Pisces. The inside chart is of the US which I discussed above – with the Moon in Aquarius and Ceres in Pisces. But look at the middle chart – SCOTUS. It has 3 planets in Pisces – Mercury, Saturn and Venus, and 3 in Aquarius –  the Sun, Ceres and Pluto.

And on the outside is the chart of RBG. We don’t have a birth time for her, so her MC shown in Pisces is not accurate. However she still has Sun, Venus and Ceres and the North Node in Pisces and Saturn in Aquarius. I find this quite an astonishing fit with the US chart – in particular Ceres in the US and in RBG’s chart at almost the same point! She is a wonderful example of what US democracy could be – Ceres stands up for women and all the disenfranchised. In Pisces, Ceres is compassionate but according to the myth she confronts privilege, greed (Jupiter) and power (Pluto). She is tough, as was Ruth.

With the outpouring of grief and respect after RBG’s  death, it seems that many are determined to follow her lead. If her place on the Supreme Court gets filled before the election, that could be problematic in the elections, as the Supreme Court is sometimes involved in voting disputes. Already there is heavy discussion around this topic.

We live in interesting times

Astrologically this is a fascinating time, but otherwise I think it shows that the US is entering even more troubled waters. I hope that the world can use the opportunities presented by the planets and I wish the US much healing of all the sad things that are happening. I hope the elections will be peaceful and start a positive future even if that means disruption first.

Faye Blake

Websites of the Month

The Notorious RBG as she has become known.

A simple guide to how it works for those unfamiliar with US elections

And an article on why a split vote is so complicated.

For Astrologers

The Supreme Court first met with a quorum on 2nd February 1790 in New York at 13:00 ( thanks to colleague Bruce Scofield for the time).

US Sibly: 4 July 1776, 17:10, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: 15 March 1933, Brooklyn, NY, time unknown.

Donald Trump: 14 June 1946, 10:54, Queens, NY.

Joe Biden: 20 November 1943, 8:30 Scranton, Pennsylvania

Most of the rest of the presidents can be found at astrodatabank.com