Alex's Asteroid Astrology

On November 20, 2022, US President Joe Biden turns eighty years old, the oldest person ever to serve in that office.  Although he has not made his candidacy official, Biden routinely offers, when asked, that it is his “intention” to run for reelection in 2024, just shy of 82, which would make him 86 when he hands off to the next president in January of 2029.  We’ll see.

In the meantime, there’s another year of challenges and crises to navigate, and a more complicated political landscape to deal with in Washington.  As of this writing (November 16), the Democrats have managed to maintain control of the Senate in the aftermath of the Midterm Elections, but control of the House is still in doubt, though it seems likely Republicans will flip it by a very narrow margin.  If so, much of Biden’s legislative agenda will be stalled, subsumed in a series of GOP investigations of the administration, its allies, and Biden’s family, with a probable impeachment battle looming.

How will the year go?  We can gain some insights from a look at Joe Biden’s 2022 Solar Return, which occurs at 5:20 PM EST on November 19, 2022 in Washington DC ( a Solar Return chart, as the name implies, is cast for the moment the Sun returns to its natal degree and minute; this may vary from the birthdate by as much as a day in either direction).  7 Gemini on the Ascendant indicates a year where communication will be extremely important.  Messaging is paramount, with Biden needing to focus on the positive effects of legislation already passed in the first two years, which will just begin to impact Americans’ lives (such as the $35 cap on monthly insulin copays for Medicare recipients, going into effect in 2023), since he’s unlikely to accomplish much in the next two years, with a stonewalling Republican House, more intent on making mischief than crafting legislation. 

The obstacle to additional progress is on display as asteroid House, for the US House of Representatives, which at 8 Sagittarius conjoins the 7 Sag Descendant, giving that lower chamber angular power and force, a major player in the president’s upcoming year.  The conflict between the administration and the House is seen in a close square from asteroid Whitehouse at 9 Pisces to House, depicting the tension in that relationship. Also here with House is an exact Mercury/Venus pairing at 4 Sagittarius; traditionally, that would be an admonishment to “talk (Mercury) nice (Venus)” with House leaders, but no amount of honeyed rhetoric will sway most of the GOP caucus.  Best bet here is for Biden to flip the script and focus on clearly stating (Mercury) his values (Venus), contrasting them with those of the Republicans.  This becomes even more important with Mercury and Venus’ wide conjunction with the 27 Scorpio Sun; Biden needs to dig deep and express himself in a conciliatory (Venus) but authentic (Sun) way, devising a plan (Mercury) to cooperate (Venus) with his opposition whenever possible, but always drawing that bright line between their views.

Also with the Sun is asteroid Washingtonia at 24 Scorpio, so, no surprise, the capital will be a major focus of the year for Biden.  But things may get a little sticky, with Damocles in square from 25 Aquarius, suggesting a looming threat or a doom about to descend.  Saturn is widely squared the Sun as well, from 19 Aquarius, so there’s some adversity or hardship to be overcome.  Saturn’s placement conjoined the 14 Aquarius MC puts it in the Tenth House of career, so it’s at work where Biden experiences most of the delays and setbacks.  Reinforcing the sense that things are about to become much more difficult is Saturn’s exact square to asteroid Old Joe at 19 Taurus, a point which becomes increasingly useful as a marker for Biden as he enters his 80s.  Saturn’s angular placement and exact square to a Biden referent indicates choppy waters ahead, resistance and limitation.

A T-Square is formed with additional squares from the Sun to a cluster of asteroids Josefa and Nancy at 25 Leo, and Senator at 28 Leo.  Josefa is another PNA (Personal-Named Asteroid) which represents Joe Biden, while Nancy likely refers to outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who may retain a leadership role in the Democratic minority.  If so, these two will be working hand-in-glove to try to limit Republican excesses in the House. 

Senator’s presence here is unexpected; with that looming threat of Damocles in opposition on Election Day, the possibility of Republicans gaining control, now beaten back by a Dem win in Nevada, it would seem that danger has passed, and the Senate should be a comfort zone for the President.  But there’s one race still to be called, in the Georgia Senate runoff; if Herschel Walker should defeat the incumbent Raphael Warnock, then the balance would remain at 50/50.  This gives the Republicans an outside chance to regain the majority, if they can woo the conservative Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia to switch Parties and join them, creating a 51/49 split in their favor.  That’s pure speculation, but it would satisfy the stressful aspect from Senator to Biden’s Sun.

There’s another connection to Damocles for this year, one that is virtually certain to manifest, should Republicans take control of The House, and the subpoena power that goes with it.  Investigations of the President’s son, Hunter Biden, whose business dealings with China and Ukraine have long been a conservative obsession, are likely to ensue, and could reflect poorly on Joe Biden personally.  This is seen in asteroid Hunt, for Hunt, which at 26 Scorpio conjoins the Sun/Washingtonia pairing and squares Damocles, that doom hanging overhead. 

Asteroid Bida, our celestial referent for Biden, appears at 10 Libra, conjoined asteroid America at 7 Libra and the Moon at 6 Libra, and opposed asteroid NOT at 6 Aries, in a T-Square with asteroid Jose (Spanish for Joseph) at 7 Capricorn.  The American (America) people (Moon) are largely behind Biden (Josefa, Bida), even if they sometimes disapprove of his performance (NOT).  A square from Moon/America to TNO Chaos at 0 Cancer reflects the ongoing unsettled mood of the electorate, which seems to fear an imminent breakdown of conditions (Chaos).  If such occurs, they’re likely to blame Joe Biden (Josefa, Bida).

Current House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy seems about to enjoy a considerable increase in personal power, with asteroid Kevin at 26 Aries exactly squared powerbroker Pluto at 26 Capricorn, which would occur if in fact the GOP takes control and he is elevated to House Speaker.  But it’s not all a bed of roses – Kevin also conjoins fractious, divisive TNO Eris at 24 Aries, and McCarthy will have to wrangle a very thin, divided majority, where virtually any member can deflect or derail his goals.  The MAGA election denier caucus has increased after the Midterms, and they aren’t happy with McCarthy to begin with:  his assumption of the Speaker’s gavel is not a done deal, by any means.  (The possibility that McCarthy may be forced, willingly or no, to turn the House’s focus toward Hunter Biden investigations can be seen in an opposition from Kevin to asteroid Huntress, another referent for Hunter, at 21 Libra, with Pluto on the fulcrum of a T-Square, representing criminality and scandal.)

Consider also that with such a narrow majority, the balance of power could easily shift, mid-session.  In every Congress there are members who don’t make it through their term, due to illness, death or indictment (there were five empty seats at the last election); if just 2 or 3 Republicans leave office, for whatever reason, control would flip back to the Democrats.  A likely time for this could be as early as April 2023, when a Solar Eclipse at 29 Aries conjoins asteroid Kevin, perhaps limiting his authority.

As well, asteroid McCarthy at 11 Virgo lies at the fulcrum of a T-Square with House at 8 Sagittarius and asteroid Achilles at 16 Gemini.  Achilles indicates weakness or vulnerability, an inherent flaw which threatens to destroy the individual; so, yes, McCarthy may be Speaker (House), but a weak one (Achilles) who may not be able to control his caucus.

Another T-Square, from Bida at 10 Libra opposing asteroid Mitchella at 16 Aries, with asteroid Harris on the fulcrum at 16 Capricorn, suggests the tension (opposition) between Biden (Bida) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Mitchella), mediated by VP Kamala Harris (Harris) as President of the Senate, and the tiebreaking vote, should Walker win in Georgia and regain that 50/50 split.  McConnell’s pivotal importance in the next year is shown by asteroid McConnell at 11 Leo, conjoined the 14 Leo IC, giving him angular force.  A T-Square with Saturn at 19 Aquarius and Uranus at 16 Taurus on the fulcrum suggests McConnell may be a roadblock to progress (Saturn) and have more than a few surprises (Uranus) up his sleeve.

Joe Biden made it through the series of aspects and eclipses that could have proven fatal in 2021 and 2022, but at age 80, anything is possible.  One possible indicator of mortality in the 2022 Solar Return is asteroid Giuseppina (Italian feminine for Joseph), which at 24 Capricorn conjoins Pluto, modern lord of death, at 26 Capricorn.  Pluto also opposes asteroid Josephina, another feminine Joseph referent, at 28 Cancer, doubling down on the possibility that Joe Biden doesn’t finish his term.  Regardless, this polarity is T-Squared by TNO Eris at 24 Aries – there is a lot of stress, strife and discord for Biden personally with that configuration, and there’s no telling what toll that may take.  A Solar Eclipse next October at 21 Libra makes this a Grand Cross, and could prove a pivotal trigger for whatever Pluto and Eris have in store.

For now, Joe Biden embarks on the second half of his first term in a better political position than many of his predecessors, though it’s hardly an enviable one.  Time will tell how he manages.