Alex's Asteroid Astrology

On Wednesday, September 5^th, 2017, Donald Trump rescinded DACA, the 2012 executive order on Deferred Action for Child Arrivals, a program intended to grant stability and protections for individuals who were brought into the US illegally by their parents while they were minors, with no conscious intention of breaking the law. DACA participants, also known as “Dreamers”, were encouraged to register for the program and come out of the shadows, and some 800,000 responded.

Now that the rule has been rescinded, their trusting participation gives ICE and the Justice Department an easier job of rounding them up and deporting them. Action has been deferred for six months, allegedly to give Congress an opportunity to right the injustice and regularize the status of these individuals by crafting legislation to protect and legitimate them on some level. But with Congress’ track record on accomplishment recently, there is an excellent chance that no accommodation will be reached, putting the Dreamers in jeopardy.

AG Sessions lowers the boom on the Dreamers.

In an uncharacteristic act of self-abnegation, Trump chose not to announce his decision himself, but to place his Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, in the hot seat. The announcement was made from the Justice Department at 11 AM EDT. If Trump chose this tactic to deflect criticism for the decision from himself, it failed miserably. Reaction was swift and harsh, with politicians from both sides of the aisle, as well as business leaders, condemning the action in no uncertain terms. Trump immediately began to moderate his stance in tweets, and by the end of day, was averring that, should Congress fail to act in the prescribed six months, he would take another look at the situation himself, effectively undercutting any pressure Congress may have felt to resolve the issue.

The decision was announced on the day of the Mercury station, within hours of the planet governing both the decision-making process and young people turning direct at 28 Leo, exactly conjunct the degree of the Solar Eclipse from two weeks prior. A decision to reverse policy is a perfect manifestation of a Mercury station, and with Uranus in exact trine from 28 Aries, the topic at hand naturally concerns alien populations. This degree puts Mercury on Trump’s natal Ascendant/Mars conjunction, perhaps sparking the furor over the announcement. Mercury is also exactly squared asteroid Washingtonia at 28 Scorpio, putting the Congress on the horns of a dilemma. Nobody was pleased, with hardline anti-immigration forces preferring immediate deportation, and more liberal groups preferring to maintain the status quo.

To be fair, there are serious concerns about whether or not Obama’s executive order was itself a constitutional overreach of presidential authority, and such matters are best left to the legislative branch. But Obama was unable to gain congressional cooperation, and acted to protect the Dreamers; whether or not the Trump administration will have any better luck at motivating Congress’ assistance remains to be seen, especially since it’s not certain whether Trump truly supports finding a way for the Dreamers to stay legally.

DACA supporters protest in front of the White House.

This Pandora’s Box of troubles is perfectly depicted by the conjunction of asteroid Pandora at 10 Scorpio with the 4 Scorpio Ascendant, signifying the unleashing of a variety of ills and unintended consequences. The decision to rescind the EO was a sop to his ultra-conservative base, but delaying implementation, and publicly exhorting Congress to find a way to keep them here, has also antagonized that base. Trump’s point man for the issue, AG Jefferson “Jeff” Sessions, is represented by asteroid Jefferson at 17 Scorpio, within orb of Pandora, as the man who took the lid off the box.

The Sun at 13 Virgo squares asteroid Child at 15 Gemini, which is itself semisquare Uranus at 28 Aries, setting the stage for the conflict (square) over the offspring (Child) of undocumented immigrants (Uranus). The Sun also opposes transit Neptune at 12 Pisces, giving Trump’s position that “mushy middle” quality of being not totally committed to either side of the debate. The Moon at 5 Virgo is encroaching upon Neptune, representing the public at large, and also the domestic situation of the Dreamers, now in question.

Asteroid America at 23 Aries is also stationary, preparing to turn retrograde the following day. This fittingly represents a major turning point for the country. It conjoins both Uranus and TNO Eris at 23 Aries, which represents, on the one hand, marginalized and dispossessed populations, the “other”, and also strife, discord and fractiousness, energies which are evoked by immigration policy like few other issues are.

Regardless of his use of Sessions as the hatchet man, Trump’s direct involvement is prominent in the skies, as asteroid Troemper, which at 8 Leo conjoins the 10 Leo Midheaven, putting him in the thick of the public’s reaction. In an attempt to walk back the potentially harsh ramifications of the decision, Trump asserted his good intentions and lack of personal animus with a statement to reporters that “I have a great heart for the folks we’re talking about, a great love for them…I have a love for these people.” Genuine or not, this statement is vividly portrayed by asteroid Troemper’s conjunction with Venus at 12 Leo, evoking those feelings of “love”. Secondarily, asteroid Eros, another indicator of love (though generally of a more romantic or passionate nature than Trump was expressing) at 17 Libra is exactly conjunct Trump’s natal Jupiter, perhaps prompting him to interject the soft, sympathetic talk into his politics.

Trump asserts his “great love” for the Dreamers.

The closest PNA match to “Latino” is asteroid Latona, which at 27 Capricorn forms a Yod, or Finger of Destiny, by exact sextile to transit Chiron at 27 Pisces, both closely inconjunct Mercury at the Apex of the Yod. This encapsulated the wound (Chiron) wrought on the Dreamers, most of whom are of Hispanic descent (Latona), by the decision (Mercury).

There are two other points which indicate the youth of the Dreamers, and their enforced immigration by adults. One is asteroid Hebe, a maiden goddess who was a handmaid on Olympus (Hebe is also the root of our word hebephilia, sexual attraction for post-pubescent but underage persons), which at 20 Sagittarius closely conjoins transit Saturn at 21 Sag, representing the president, as well as the potential penalty to be enacted on this group. The other is asteroid Persephone, named for a maiden goddess who was forcibly abducted and removed from one reality to another. At 0 Virgo, Persephone exactly conjoins Mars, indicating the anger and frustration prompted by the decision, and is also conjoined Mercury, neatly describing the situation of minors forced to enter the country by their parents, with no volition of their own.

One last point to note, which is asteroid Achilles, representing a weakness or vulnerability. At 27 Sagittarius, Achilles is stationary, having turned direct a week prior, making it a powerful, embedded energy in the chart. Achilles is conjunct Saturn, representing the president, while opposed TNO Chaos at 23 Gemini, which is itself conjoined Trump’s natal Sun at 22 Gemini, drawing him into the controversy very personally. The decision may well prove a liability for Trump, who threatens to alienate all sides, perhaps leading to a further erosion of support and a greater willingness to end the nightmare that is his administration.