Aussies & Canucks Go to the Polls
Late April and early May 2025 witnessed two vital democracies elect new governments, in the teeth of a tense Mars/Pluto opposition, as Canadians and Australians lined up to cast ballots for the candidates of their choice. Both countries saw foundering incumbents, once thought to be sure losers, given new life and rescued from defeat to retain power. This was, at least in part, aided and abetted by a series of poorly chosen acts and statements from US President Donald Trump, whose trade war tariffs and belligerent rhetoric aimed at these erstwhile allies tarred his fellow conservatives with a brush so toxic that voters fled into the arms of their progressive rivals. Donald Trump, Making Democracy Great Again – everywhere but in America.
Canadians went to the polls first, on 28 April, endorsing Mark Carney as Prime Minister. Leader of the Liberal Party, Carney took over when Justin Trudeau resigned in March, at a time when his Party’s outlook for reelection was bleak indeed, behind conservatives by some 20 points in polling. But Canadians took an instant liking to Carney, who stood up to Trump’s veiled threats and intimidation, and responded with reciprocal tariffs when the US applied theirs. They rejected Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, seen as too close to Trump, who not only lost his bid for power but vacated his own seat in the legislature in the process.
The Sun at 8 Taurus formed a T-Square with Pluto at 3 Aquarius and Mars at 4 Leo, highlighting (Sun) the choice between a true leader (Mars) and one who governs through coercion or intimidation (Pluto). The Sun also spotlighted the population making this choice, with a conjunction with asteroid La Canada 159164 at 16 Taurus, one of several asteroid referents for Canada. This ignited a second T-Square identifying the main contenders – an opposition to asteroid Pierre 1392 (Poilievre) at 12 Scorpio, and a square to asteroid Marc 71445 (alternate spelling) at 15 Leo (Carney), with asteroid Carnelli 6016 (one of two variants of Carney) at 17 Leo.
In trine to this Leonine duo is a pairing of Mercury at 18 Aries, ruling the vote itself, and asteroid Yes 7707 at 15 Aries, an affirmative symbol. Trines lend support and bring a harmonious flow, and in this instance connect Mark Carney (Marc, Carnelli) with an affirming (Yes) electoral outcome (Mercury).
Further indicators of the Canadian election include Jupiter at 20 Gemini, ruling politics, conjoined asteroid Canada-Assandri 11453 at 21 Gemini, our second Canada referent; and a triple conjunction of asteroids Carnegia 671 (our second Carney stand-in) at 28 Leo with Nike 307 (Greek goddess of victory) and Katana 52500 (the Native American term for the region, root of “Canada”), both at 29 Leo. This last neatly sums up Carney’s (Carnegia) win (Nike) in the Canadian election (Kanata).
Born 16 March 1965 at 7:56 AM MST in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada (Rodden Rating A), Mark Carney’s 25 Pisces Sun had been activated by the Lunar Eclipse at 23 Virgo in opposition on March 14th, often a sign that momentous developments are in train. A follow-up Solar Eclipse at 9 Aries on March 29th focused on natal Mercury at 12 Aries, putting Carney in rare electoral fighting form.
On election day, a precise Saturn/asteroid Victoria 12 conjunction at 27 Pisces highlighted his Sun, conveying gravitas (Saturn) and a winning vibe (Victoria, named for the Roman goddess of victory) which Carney translated into retention of his job as Canada’s chief executive (Saturn also).
The seeds of Carney’s success can be seen in a natal pattern incorporating Saturn (career, government, heads-of-state) at 9 Pisces with both Kanata at 6 Pisces and La Canada at 13 Pisces conjoined, doubling down on the theme of Carney’s career intertwined with his country’s fate (with a background in banking, Carney previously served as deputy minister for the Department of Finance Canada and Governor of the Bank of Canada). Venus bringing up the rear of this parade from 19 Pisces suggests that Carney could be very popular among his constituents. Gilding the cosmic lily, asteroid Canada-Assandri appears at station from 21 Scorpio, indicating an inordinate importance for the country of his birth in his biography. Canada-Assandri acquires further clout with its angular placement on the 26 Scorpio Descendant, opposed politically-minded Jupiter at 22 Taurus on the Ascendant.
Both natal Marc at 14 Aquarius and natal Carnegia at 18 Leo tie to the election day Sun and T-Square, with natal Carnelli at 14 Libra opposed the election day Mercury/Yes pairing.
While the general outlines of the Canadian election were becoming increasingly clear weeks in advance of the voting, the Australian results on May 3rd were a bit more shocking. What was expected to be a close call turned into a progressive blowout, trouncing conservative hopes of ousting incumbent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Again, a firm backbone exhibited against Donald Trump played a role in elevating Albanese’s Labor Party over chief rival Peter Dutton’s Liberal Party (don’t be fooled by the moniker – in Australia, the so-called Liberals are actually conservative in policy; but then, everything is topsy-turvy Down Under).
Once again, the cosmos obliges by pointing its finger directly at the issue at hand, with a close conjunction of Mercury, ruling elections, with asteroid Australia 8088, at 18 and 14 Aries respectively, identifying where the vote would take place. Right in the middle of this duo walks the winner, in the form of a precise conjunction of asteroids Antonia 272 (feminine form of Anthony, closest asteroid match) and Yes (exuberant affirmative) at 16 Aries. Aussies’ endorsement of Albanese was indeed enthusiastic, with a landslide election that garnered more seats for the Liberals than at any time since 1987.
As with Canada, the Opposition Leader also lost his legislative seat, adding insult to injury. There are numerous connections from Peter Dutton’s asteroid referent to negative influences for the day. Asteroid Peter 1716 (the cosmos seems to be on a first-name basis with these candidates!) at 12 Sagittarius forms a T-Square with asteroid Achilles 588 at 5 Virgo and Damocles 5335 at 7 Pisces. Achilles indicates an inherent weakness or vulnerability (as in, the Achilles Heel), while Damocles represents the doom or peril hanging unseen overhead (as in the Sword of Damocles). Not the sorts of celestial handmaidens one wants on election day.
As well, Peter is also sextile asteroid Nemesis 128 at 17 Libra, noted as a roadblock, a source of ruin or downfall; and semisquare asteroid NOT 2857 at 0 Aquarius, which acts as a general disqualifier or symbol of negation. With these types of connections, it’s no wonder Dutton went down abysmally.
Born 2 March 1963 (no time available), Anthony Albanese sports a conjunction of asteroid Nike at 14 Aquarius with Saturn and Mercury at 17 and 19 Aquarius, suggesting career (Saturn) success based on electoral (Mercury) victory (Nike). These points are highlighted by the election day Sun at 13 Taurus in square. As well, Albanese is undergoing a Mars Return, a period of reenergizing and revitalization, with transit Mars at 6 Leo exactly back at its natal degree.
Incredibly, Albanese was also enjoying an “Australia Return,” with the transit asteroid at 14 Aries recently conjunct its natal place at 8 Aries, from where it conjoins natal asteroid TRIUMF 14959 at 15 Aries, now smack dab in the middle of the transit Mercury/Australia/Antonia/Yes grouping. TRIUMF is named for an acronym of a Canadian science research facility, but operates as its phonetic match “triumph,” meaning an unqualified success.
Anthony Albanese acting as an agent of downfall for Peter Dutton is prefigured by a natal conjunction of asteroids Nemesis and Peter, at 2 and 3 Pisces. Conjoined the 11 Pisces Sun, this makes it very personal. An opposition to an exact pairing of Uranus and asteroid Victoria at 2 Virgo indicates a surprise (Uranus) win (Victoria) as the source of Dutton’s (Peter) discomfiture (Nemesis).
Two turnaround wins for progressive candidates in two of the world’s oldest and most viable democracies augurs well for a long-term positive outcome from this current Mars/Pluto opposition. It’s unfortunate that, given a similar choice last November, Americans chose the darker alternative.
