Alex's Asteroid Astrology

Although removed from office almost a month ago, Donald J. Trump continues to set presidential records.  Only president to lose the popular vote in both general elections where he was on the ballot; only president to never reach a 50% approval rating during his term in office; only president to be impeached twice; only president to be tried after leaving office; and now, the president with the most bipartisan impeachment and majority conviction in history.

Having gone down this road barely a year ago, one might be forgiven for thinking he or she was caught in some sort of Bill Murray “Groundhog Day” loop, but the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump was in fact much more interesting, and exasperating, than the first.  No silly inappropriate phone calls strongarming foreign leaders for fabricated dirt on political opponents this time.  As predicted by then lead House Manager Adam Schiff in February 2020, if Trump were acquitted then, there was no telling what he might take that as license to do in future.

And indeed, Trump considerably upped the ante on the infractions leading to his second impeachment, with no less than a full-blown physical assault on the Capital itself by his insurrectionist supporters, in an effort to stop the certification of his rival’s victory.  Yet, despite the fact that the Senator jurors in this case were themselves both witnesses and victims of the attack, and the very courtroom the scene of the crime, only seven Republican Members managed to drag their worn-out consciences over the finish line of finding Donald Trump “guilty as charged.”  Such is the state of politics in America in 2021.  Though convicted by a majority of the Senate, a two-thirds vote is required for removal or penalty, and the former President once again escaped consequences for his egregious behaviors.

While personally, I’m very grateful that the “Separatist Seven” broke with the Party line to vote for Trump’s conviction, most are not exactly Profiles in Courage.  Two, Ricard Burr of North Carolina and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, will be retiring at the end of their current terms, and risk limited political backlash for their vote.   Three others, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, and Ben Sasse of Nebraska, just won reelection in 2020, and won’t have to face angry voters for six years.  Only Mitt Romney of Utah, the sole Senator who voted for Trump’s removal in Round One last year, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska took the tough vote in the middle of their terms, with re-elects looming.  But Romney is very tight with his Mormon coreligionists in Utah, who though Republican, aren’t particularly pro-Trump; and Murkowski has already beaten the GOP fringe backlash odds, winning a second term as an Independent in 2010 after losing the Republican primary to a Tea Party candidate.  None of these has much to fear from the Republican base for their apostacy, though most have received censures from their local state GOP Parties for voting their conscience.  But an ‘aye’ vote is an ‘aye’ vote, whether it required courage or no, and these Senators cemented their place in history by helping to make this second impeachment the most bipartisan ever.

When the trial began at 1:01 PM EST on Tuesday, 9 February 2021, in Washington DC, the Angles highlighted Trump as the raison d’etre of the proceedings.  The Ascendant/Descendant axis at 24 Gemini and Sagittarius highlighted Trump’s natal Sun/Moon polarity at 22 Gemini and 21 Sag, while the 1 Pisces/Virgo MC/IC axis conjoined Trump’s natal Ascendant/Descendant at 29 Leo/Aquarius.

The transit Sun at 21 Aquarius conjoined a retrograde Mercury at 18 Aquarius, a sign that we were going back over old ground, and with this pairing was Damocles at 26 Aquarius with asteroid America at 27:  the fate of the nation (America) was in the balance, with impending doom looming (Damocles) if the wrong decision (Mercury) was made.  Donald Trump ties directly to this stellium as well, with asteroid Troemper, our celestial referent for The Donald, squared it from 27 Taurus, where it exactly conjoined TNO Sedna.  Sedna, named for an Inuit goddess who dwells in the deepest, most inaccessible part of the Arctic Ocean, symbolizes isolation, and that was the question at hand.  From his exile at Mar-a-Lago, marooned without his beloved Twitter outlet nor any form of social media expression, would Trump also be isolated from support within the GOP, and face a genuine risk of conviction, with a ban on holding any Federal office in future?  Or would he still be able to pull strings and command the loyalty of the Republican jurors?

The Moon had conjoined Pluto just minutes before the trial began, at 25 Capricorn, both in square to TNO Eris at 23 Aries.  This defines raw power (Pluto) as the playing field of the trial, the power of the people (Moon) over their government (Capricorn), as well as the power to be gained via manipulation (also Pluto) of the disaffected members (Eris) of the populace, which Trump had utilized in his abortive coup attempt.  Also here is asteroid McConnell at 17 Capricorn, representing that consummate power broker and transactional politician, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).  It was McConnell, in his former capacity of Majority Leader, who prevented the recall of the Senate from its recess in time for this trial to occur before Trump left office, then used that fact to vote against conviction, claiming the Senate no longer had the Constitutional authority or jurisdiction to bring the former president to justice.

And justice was the order of the day, the purpose of the trial, as exemplified by the Sun’s opposition to asteroid Justitia, named for the Roman goddess of justice (and the root of our word), at 22 Leo, where it conjoined asteroid Karma at 26 Leo.  These T-Square Troemper, once again tying the former president to the major theme of the trial – would Trump (Troemper) face justice (Justitia) for his prior bad acts (Karma)?   Justice as the focus of the day can also be seen in asteroid Themis, named for Justitia’s Greek counterpart, at 8 Capricorn, conjoined asteroid Senator at 9 Capricorn, symbolizing Justice itself on trial in the Senate.  McConnell conjoins these as well, bridging the gap to Moon/Pluto.  This was the dichotomy McConnell had to face – would he plump for Justice or Power? 

But McConnell was trying to work both sides of the fence upon which his butt was so firmly planted.  Early on he let slip that he was seriously considering conviction, but when an initial procedural vote showed the vast majority of his conference in favor of abandoning the trial completely on grounds of its unconstitutionality, he forsook his more principled stand and voted with his majority, only to issue a blistering indictment of Trump’s “practical and moral” guilt in a speech given after the vote was safely over.   McConnell’s disapproval of rebellion is imaged in asteroid Mitchella’s (feminine version of Mitchell) exact opposition to Uranus, from 7 Scorpio to 7 Taurus.  A T-Square with Saturn, Venus and Jupiter at 6, 10 and 12 Aquarius indicates that McConnell’s (Mitchella) conservative (Saturn) political (Jupiter) values (Venus) were likely genuinely offended by the revolt (Uranus), albeit he felt constrained (Saturn) from expressing this in his vote by Trump’s continued Senate (Jupiter) popularity (Venus).

An opposition from Neptune at 19 Pisces to asteroid Washingtonia at 18 Virgo speaks to confusion, deception or subterfuge, an inability to accept reality and “fuzzy logic” in the Capital, as well as identifying the jurors as victims themselves (also Neptune-ruled).  A T-Square formed by asteroid NOT at 16 Sagittarius, a general symbol of negation or blocked progress, suggests the ultimate outcome of the trial, which would not succeed in its aim.  Asteroid Whitehouse at 26 Sagittarius conjoins the Galactic Center at 27 Sag, ensuring global attention for the event, but also hugs the 24 Sagittarius Descendant, emphasizing the presidency in the proceedings generally, and once again indicating former president Donald Trump in specific.

Additional dramatis personae of the trial are represented as well, as always in these stories.  Lead House Manager, acting as chief prosecutor, was Representative Jamie Raskin (R-MD), with asteroid Rascana (closest to Raskin) at 16 Aquarius conjoined Mercury and the Sun, establishing him as the House’s principal mouthpiece (Mercury) and granting him his time in the spotlight (Sun).  Asteroid Jamiegilmour, a compound PNA (Personal-Named Asteroid) with both names run together, which can be broken into its component parts and used for either first or surname, falls at 15 Leo, opposing Sun/Mercury and putting Jamie Raskin firmly on the side of justice and accountability (Justitia/Karma).  Lead defense counsel Bruce Castor is similarly highlighted, with asteroid Brucia (feminine form of Bruce) at 23 Leo (also questing for justice for his client, as he saw it) and asteroid Kastner (closest to Castor) at 28 Aries, squared Moon/Pluto, attempting to shift the blame for the crime (Pluto) to the people (Moon) who perpetrated it, not their leader who incited it.

Each of the GOP senators who voted for Trump’s conviction also has a PNA referent which was pivotally placed when the trial began.  Susan Collins and Bill Cassidy both have exact PNA matches for their surnames, both of which were at station, making them embedded factors in the energetic body of the trial.  Asteroid Cassidy at 21 Libra is exactly trine the Sun and turned retrograde on February 12^th, the penultimate day of the trial, even as Cassidy “changed direction” and reversed his earlier allegiance to the former president.  Asteroid Collins at 4 Libra was sesquiquadrate the Sun, and turned retrograde just five days before it began, allowing her to finally cement into action her former consistent “concern” with Trump’s acts, voiced throughout his presidency, but never before acted upon.

Retiree Richard Burr is represented by asteroid Richard at 26 Taurus, squared the Sun; also exiting the Senate is Pat Toomey, seen as asteroid Patricia (feminine variation of Patrick), which at 1 Virgo exactly conjoins the IC of the trial, granting angular force and importance.  Mitt Romney is represented by the acronymic asteroid MIT (named for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), which at 1 Sagittarius is exactly T-Squared the MC/IC axis, and also conjoins asteroid Nemesis at 5 Sagittarius, for Romney’s well-established role in opposing Trump throughout his presidency, including that sole Republican vote against him in the prior impeachment.  Ben Sasse appears as asteroid Sassi, which at 4 Aries is broadly semisquare the Sun, while Lisa Murkowski shows as asteroid Lise (a German form of the name), conjoined the Sun from 23 Aquarius. 

When the vote was called at 3:50 PM EST on February 13^th, TNO Varuna was exactly rising on the 3 Leo Ascendant, opposed asteroid Hybris with Saturn at 3 and 6 Aquarius.  This reflects the enduring legacy (Varuna) of perhaps the most prideful (Hybris, named for the Greek goddess of prideful arrogance) president (Saturn) ever seen in the US.  The Sun has moved to 25 Aquarius, more firmly enmeshed with the Damocles/America pairing (now at 26 and 29 Aquarius), for the looming disaster which the lack of punishment for this heinous plot has set in motion. 

Because as we all know, Donald Trump is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he has laid out a roadmap, one that a future cult leader demagogue with more than half a brain can use to promote his own coup, unchecked, unresisted, unopposed.  And that may be the lasting legacy of the Trump presidency.