Alex's Asteroid Astrology

At 1:46 PM EDT on Sunday, 21 July 2024, US President Joe Biden posted a letter to the American people on his X account, announcing his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election, while recuperating from a COVID-19 infection at his summer home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  A few minutes later, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the now-vacant nomination.  The decision ends weeks of frenzied bedwetting by Democrats, following Biden’s disastrous performance against Donald Trump in their presidential debate in June. 

Of course, the decision also inaugurates what may be weeks of pending frenzied bedwetting by Democrats about who should be his successor on the ticket.  It seems to me a swift and uncontested transfer to Harris is the best way to go, with time running out and the need to coalesce quickly.  And Harris has the best case to succeed, as Biden’ second in command for four years, and already on the ticket as his running mate.  As well, she presents a marvelous contrast to Donald Trump:  she a former prosecutor, he a current felon; she a younger black woman, he an older white man; she streamlined and vigorous, he bloated and tired.

It’s still less than 24 hours from the announcement, but progressives do seem to be cleaving to Harris, who has already received the endorsements of many politicians who might have presented a challenge to her nomination (such a Gavin Newsom of California and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania), as well as some 135 House members, 32 Senators and a dozen Democratic governors across the nation.  As well, the nascent campaign took in some $50 million in small dollar donations within 12 hours of Biden’s endorsement of Harris as his successor.

I’ve written much about the influence of Uranus on this election, and while I expected some major upheavals coinciding with the station of this planet of shocks and surprises on September 1^st (and anticipate there will be more to follow), this early withdrawal does fit the scenario, albeit ahead of (my) schedule.  The opposition to Biden’s 27 Scorpio Sun is already in full force, as is that to his Mercury at 21 Scorpio, and Venus at 28.  While I looked into Uranus’ effects on both candidates and their running mates, I didn’t analyze additional triggers that might affect timing.

When we cast a chart for the 1:46 PM EDT timestamp on Biden’s letter, set for Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, what jumps out at first glance is one such trigger:  asteroid Bida 32014, our celestial referent for Biden, appears at 22 Taurus, aligning with Uranus at 26 Taurus and closely opposed natal Mercury.  Uranus with Bida also squares transit Mercury at 26 Leo, Uranus exactly, for the shocking (Uranus) statement (Mercury) that Biden (Bida) had decided (natal Mercury) not to continue.  With asteroid Hera 103 also here, at 23 Taurus, named for the Greek goddess of marriage, further reporting may reveal that Biden’s wife Jill may have been instrumental in the final decision to withdraw.

Also in my prior analysis, while focusing on the “negatives” of a Uranus transit (blame my natal Mercury opposed Saturn, which tends to look on the downside), I neglected to mention that Uranus can also electrify, in a good way, bringing excitement and high energy to what it touches.  Preliminarily, this is what seems to be happening on the Democratic side of this race; only time will tell if this is a passing euphoria brought on by the release of tension and fears over the outlook for the Biden campaign, or the genuine article, born of a tailwind that sweeps Trump off the board.

But to return to the moment Biden made his decision public (which, apparently, was just a minute after informing top aides).  There’s a lot to be said. I typically don’t talk much about planetary energies in my interpretations; any good astrologer can give you that.  No, you come to me for the nitty-gritty on the itty-bitties, the lowdown on the rollicking hoedown that is the cosmic dance of asteroids and other so-called “minor bodies” which populate our lives and fill in the details on the broad brush strokes from the planets.  But in this case, there’s one planetary pattern that seems to me vital to understanding the timing.

The announcement came just hours after a Full Moon, with the Sun at 29 Cancer and the Moon at 29 Capricorn, conjunct Pluto at 0 Aquarius.  This is a powerful moment, evoking major change and transformation (Pluto).  The opposition forms an out-of-Sign (but tight) T-Square with Biden’s natal Moon (his health) at 0 Taurus, and highlights a Grand Cross for Kamala Harris, overlaying her natal opposition from asteroid Harris 2929 at 27 Cancer to asteroid Camelia 957 (one of several markers for Kamala, for which there is no exact match) at 22 Capricorn, and squaring her 27 Libra Sun opposed the Moon at 27 Aries.  The Full Moon also places Biden directly in the spotlight, in a precise T-Square with asteroid Old Joe 10515 at 29 Libra; it is in fact the oldness of Joe that is the critical factor here, made manifest for all to see (Sun).  The 1:46 PM time yields an Ascendant of 3 Scorpio, conjoining Old Joe, once again placing Biden starkly in public view in that moment.

As an aside, I’d like to note here that Old Joe has been traveling with asteroid Wanders 10428 for some time (most of 2024), encouraging Biden’s innate tendency to lose track during conversation, seeming out of focus.  Currently at 27 Libra, Wanders with Old Joe would have been plaguing Biden right through the election, fomenting many more such verbal missteps that call attention to his age.  (A Mercury/asteroid NOT 2857 conjunction in the birth chart lies at the root of Biden’s lifelong communication difficulties, prompting a childhood stutter that still surfaces in times of stress, and the “chop and change” conversational style, switching themes mid-sentence.  Mercury is constantly impinged by NOT’s tendency to negate or obstruct, preventing thoughts from completely forming or reaching full expression verbally.)

Various factors underscore the decision at this time.  The protracted T-Square created by asteroid Whitehouse 4036 at 13 Leo opposed asteroid America 916 at 8 Aquarius, with asteroid Washingtonia 886 at 9 Taurus on its fulcrum (so pivotal to describing the American electoral season), remains in force, as it has for weeks, and will for weeks more.  The timing of Biden’s statement places this pattern in angular placement, with Whitehouse conjoined the 8 Leo MC, America exact on the 8 Aquarius IC, and Washingtonia on the 3 Taurus Descendant.  With Whitehouse is asteroid Achilles 588 at 15 Leo, denoting a weakness or vulnerability, and these points square Biden’s natal Mars, ruling competitions and campaigns, including political ones.  At 12 Scorpio, natal Mars completes a Grand Cross with the transiting T-Square; the effect is to point up the vulnerabilities (Achilles) in the Biden campaign (Mars) for the presidency (Whitehouse).

Perhaps the most telling pattern is a T-Square with asteroid Jose 1423 on its fulcrum.  At 23 Gemini, Jose (the Spanish form of Joseph, for which there is no exact match) is joined by asteroids Lachesis 120, Libitina 2546 and Karma 3811, at 19, 21 and 28 Gemini respectively; and squared to asteroid Apatheia 8273 at 29 Virgo and Neptune at 29 Pisces.  Let’s unpack that.  Lachesis is named for the mythic Greek Fate who determines the span of life; Libitina is named for the Roman goddess of funerals and burial.  Together, these spell, not Joe Biden’s physical death, but a political one.  A literal termination (Libitina) of his campaign’s lifespan (Lachesis).  Karma indicates we have reached a fated moment, something fraught with destiny. 

Neptune promotes an image of feebleness, ineffectuality, and disintegration, all things voters feared when they saw Biden in action.  Apatheia is named for a term in Greek philosophy that translates to “an immovable soul,” which is certainly one way to describe Joe Biden:  with five planets in Fixed Signs. He’s tenacious, stubborn, and not easily thrown off course.  But Apatheia also relates to “apathy,” meaning a lack of interest or enthusiasm.  And voter apathy was precisely the Biden campaign’s worst enemy.   Understanding this, Joe Biden moved his immovable soul to accept the inevitable, leading to his patriotic, even heroic, decision to set aside personal ambition for the good of the country he loves deeply, and has served loyally and well for 52 years.

Another aside here.  It is Apatheia’s exact conjunction with asteroid Josephine 303, another Biden referent, both just a degree off the Sun on Election Day, that has been keeping me up nights, worrying that potential Biden voters will simply stay home.  Last night, I slept like a baby.  Sun/Apatheia is still something to contend with, but at least it’s no longer so strongly focused on Joe Biden.

There’s one more point in that Gemini bundle:  asteroid Troemper 28130 (our cosmic stand-in for Trump) at 20 Gemini.  This signifies the end (Libitina, Lachesis) of the contest between Trump and Biden.  To recap, this pattern perfectly encapsulates voter attitudes toward Biden, and his decision to end the campaign.

Just down the celestial pike we encounter asteroid Giuseppina 6533, the Italian feminine version of Joseph, which at 12 Cancer conjoins asteroid Losse 340579 at 8 Cancer.  This is another extended conjunction lasting months, contributory to Biden’s disastrous debate performance that so crystalized the public mindset, with fears of Biden’s inability to continue in the job, and Democratic panic about a loss (Losse) in November.  Losse now switches Party affiliation, joining Mars at 0 Leo and asteroid Troemper at 9 Leo on Election Day.  At 3 Leo then, and powerfully embedded at station, Losse could point to a cataclysmic defeat (Losse) for the Trump (Troemper) campaign (Mars).

Guiseppina/Losse is further joined by TNO Chaos and centaur Asbolus 8405, both at 2 Cancer, and squared to asteroid NOT with Josephina at 5 and 10 Libra.  Asbolus is named for a centaur seer who divined the future by interpreting the flights of birds; it represents the zeitgeist, the spirit of the times, reading the room, having one’s pulse on the energy of the moment.  Chaos of course is anarchy, turmoil and confusion; NOT is again that general disqualifier, and Josephina also represents Biden.  Putting it all together, we see the President (Giuseppina, Josephina) evaluating the political climate (Asbolus), facing the likelihood of a defeat in November (Losse), and opting to withdraw from the race (NOT) to prevent the ensuing debacle of a second Trump administration (Chaos).

Additional factors fill in the gaps.  The decision was made at Biden’s summer home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, while recovering from a bout with COVID-19.  Asteroid Rehoboth 145475 at 8 Gemini conjoins Jupiter, ruling politics, at 12 Gemini, and Mars, ruling the campaign, at 0 Gemini, putting Biden in the right place at the right time to make this decision.  In the intervening hours since reaching Full, the Moon has moved on to 3 Aquarius, from where it exactly squares the 3 Scorpio Ascendant, and conjoins Pluto, asteroid America, and also asteroid Koronis 158 at 2 Aquarius, or cosmic referent for the coronavirus.  Biden’s currently impaired health (Moon) due to COVID (Koronis) was surely a factor in the personally devastatingly (Pluto) decision to withdraw for the good of the country (America).

These Gemini placements straddle Biden’s natal Uranus and Saturn, at 2 and 9 Gemini, suggesting a sudden, unexpected (Uranus) choice involving career (Saturn).  Saturn also represents the presidency itself, and transit Saturn at 19 Pisces rests exactly atop Biden’s natal IC, indicating the end of the matter.

Joe Biden saved democracy in America once before, with his decisive defeat of Donald Trump in 2020.  He may have just saved it again, by deciding not to compete in 2024.

[Author’s Note: Frequent readers will remember my fascination with linguistics and phonetics as related to astrology; I do enjoy tweaking language and seeing what I can squeeze from it. In that spirit, I offer two points for your consideration as relates to this matter. One is asteroid Endate 4282, which though named in honor of a Japanese astronomer, looks to me suspiciously like “end date” run together, suggesting a terminus to an endeavor. Asteroid Endate appears in this chart at 7 Taurus, conjunct Washingtonia and the Descendant, joining the T-Square of Whitehouse opposed America, perhaps reflecting the end of Biden’s time in DC and the White House, and a change in his relationship (Descendant) with the country. Its angularity says to me this placement is not an accident.

The other is asteroid Leavitt 5383, which again, resembles “leave it!”, as in “give it up and go home.” Leavitt at 25 Virgo squares Jose at 23 Gemini, for Joe Biden, in a T-Square with Neptune, which rules abdication and abandonment. Just some parting thoughts on the mysteries of the universe as it attempts to interface with mere humanity.]