Alex's Asteroid Astrology

On Thursday 25 April 2019 former Vice President Joe Biden entered the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Biden’s Macbeth routine, “letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would’,” was wearing thin, and at his announcement Biden joined an already crowded field of some twenty rivals who dove into the political (cess)pool ahead of him. Before officially becoming a candidate, Biden’s name recognition kept him at the top of most polls; now that he’s an actual contender, that may change. Fast.

This will be Biden’s third run for the roses, and perhaps third time’s the charm. In 1988 and 2008, Biden garnered little support for his presidential bid, but times have changed, and with 36 years in the Senate plus eight more as VP under his belt, Biden’s chances of making the nomination appear good on paper. But who uses paper anymore? It’s not just his political experience which has changed the calculus; the 76-year-old Biden can appear as a cultural dinosaur among his competitors, most of whom are young enough to be his children or even grandchildren.

But age may not be a huge factor, for as luck would have it, his chief rival for the nomination would seem to be Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a year older, while his General Election opponent would likely be Donald Trump, also a member of the septuagenarian club.

Approaching fifty years in politics, Biden has some baggage, some pre-politically correct statements and stances, some ill-considered votes (at least from our perspective thirty years later), and of course, that whole Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill thing. And no two ways about it – Biden is a gaffe machine. He’s approachable, unpredictable and a frequent sufferer from foot-in-mouth disease, all circumstances which are calculated to provide at least a few rhetorical crises along the road to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But then, look at the competition on the Republican side. Biden’s “Creepy Uncle Joe” meme is perhaps well-earned, but it’s a far cry from admitting on camera that you often grab strange women by the pussy without their consent.

A typical avuncular pose, smiling and self-effacing: Joe Biden at his most natural

As a practical matter, Biden’s nomination makes sense – born in Scranton, PA, Biden has the common touch similar to Trump’s, and speaks to many of the crossover voters in Mid-West swing states who supported Obama for two terms and then switched to The Donald. And he certainly has the experience – I’d match his resume against The Political Apprentice’s any day. More than that, he’s the “safe” choice – avuncular and nonthreatening in the Reagan mode; not overtly socialist, but reliably supporting progressive policies; a comforting elder statesman who clearly has his head on right. The Dems could do worse (and if history is any guide, they probably will).

But we’re not here to assess the politics of the situation. Let’s turn to the chart…

Born 20 November 1942 at 8:30 AM EST in Scranton, PA (Rodden Rating A), Joe Biden’s Sun/Venus conjunction at 27 and 28 Scorpio conjoins his 3 Sagittarius Ascendant. Sun/Venus can grant popularity, though it’s not a given; what is apparent is a generally pleasing, accommodating, “nice” individual, one for whom ethical and moral considerations form self-defining character traits. On the Ascendant, what you see is what you get – Biden is always himself, though the dissonance between Sun Sign Scorpio and Ascendant Sagittarius can be difficult to resolve. Biden papers this over with a sunny, optimistic Sagittarian disposition over all, which can descend to Scorpionic street-fighter when the occasion calls for it. His assessment of Trump’s crude comments about women:   “If we were in high school, I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him,” display this almost Jekyll-and-Hyde personality twist.

The Sun is also squared to Chiron at 28 Leo, and in a T-Square with Damocles and asteroid Whitehouse at 25 and 28 Aquarius. Chiron’s “wounded healer” vibe gives Biden authenticity when he deals with those who have suffered. He’s been there, and they can feel it. Biden’s first wife and infant daughter were killed in a car accident just weeks after he won his first Senate election in 1972, and the death from cancer in 2015 of one of his surviving sons from that incident put the kibosh on Biden’s hopes of running for president the following year.

A counterpoint to the pic above is Biden’s “Creepy Uncle Joe” persona, as displayed in this image of Biden interacting with the daughter of fellow Delaware Senator Chris Coons (left); it’s harmless, perhaps, but a habit he needs to break if he wants to gain the White House

The square to Damocles is distressing, but may already have been accounted for in Biden’s biography. It implies that there is a doom hanging overhead for him personally which may descend at any time. Venus’ involvement here suggests it may have to do with finances or a woman, someone in an intimate relationship. Certainly the tragic, sudden death of his first wife and daughter would qualify for this, and that may be enough to satisfy Damocles. But there may be more in store, as the recent spate of women complaining of his violation of their personal space suggests. The square to Whitehouse indicates a strong pull toward that locale in his psyche and bio, but again, as Veep, the basic potential here may already have been met (as with Hillary Clinton, whose Hillary/Whitehouse opposition was fulfilled in her time as First Lady, and never saw her win the presidency).

There’s a loose Grand Cross comprised of the Sun’s out-of-Sign opposition to Uranus at 2 Gemini, tending toward erratic, eccentric, perhaps downright bizarre behaviors, an unpredictable, impulsive nature, and a tendency to attract controversy or shock others. It’s not the best, most stable configuration for a politician, but Trump has positively soared on the strength of his Sun/Uranus conjunction, and Biden could do as well.

The Sun is also trine to Jupiter at 25 Cancer, which reinforces its conjunction with the Sagittarian Ascendant, doubling down on the avuncular, glad-handing style, cementing traits of gregariousness and bonhomie. Jupiter is also at station, an embedded factor in Biden’s psyche, providing a decent share of that indefinable quality of “luck” and outcomes that are generally positive throughout the life. It’s a placement he shares with Trump, and if the 2020 election does come down to a contest between them, it will be interesting to see how things play out. One major difference: Biden’s Jupiter stationed 8 days before his birth (though still at that degree); Trump’s was within hours. Cosmically, that’s no contest, a definite edge for Trump, though it doesn’t guarantee victory in and of itself.

Biden with second wife Jill, an English professor; married 42 years, the match appears to be a happy one

And speaking of victory, Biden has a strong personal connection to winning. Two of his PNA (Personal-Named Asteroid) referents, asteroids Josephina (a feminine form of “Joseph”) and Old Joe (a moniker he has more recently earned), at 24 and 25 Sagittarius respectively, are sandwiched between asteroids Victoria and Nike at 19 and 29 Sag, named for the Roman and Greek goddesses of victory. Asteroid Bida, closest to Biden, is broadly conjoined Jupiter from 3 Leo, is also stationary (turning retro five days after Biden’s birth) and absorbs some of its beneficence as well.

Mercury at 21 Scorpio is within orb of the Sun, and also squares Damocles. We can certainly see how that could manifest, in frequent gaffes, blunders, misspeaking or rhetorical errors which threaten to upend his campaign and undermine his candidacy. It’s interesting in that light to note that the Achilles heel of Biden’s first presidential run in 1988 was allegations of plagiarism in a campaign stump speech.

The Moon at 0 Taurus conjoins asteroid Kassandra at 1 Taurus. Despite his apparent authenticity, Biden does have credibility issues with the public generally, and the Democratic base in particular (which may judge him not liberal enough), originating in this combination. Individuals with Kassandra prominent may find it difficult to persuade others to fully believe or trust them, there is often hesitancy with establishing true confidence in their word. The exact opposition from asteroid Josefa (another “Joseph” variant) at 0 Scorpio personalizes this energy to him (and is also a common placement for one’s own PNA, typically connected to the Sun, Moon, or Ascendant of the birth chart). A T-Square with Bida and Pluto at 7 Leo does suggest some degree of control or manipulation issues (Pluto) with women (Moon), perhaps reflected in the “Creepy Joe” persona, as well as a family history (Moon) of tragedy (Pluto).

With Mars at 12 Scorpio conjunct asteroid Truth at 9 Scorpio, Biden has the potential to act as a champion of truth, a strong advocate for what is right and genuine. Squared Pluto, there is native force and power behind this, but in and of itself, Mars/Pluto speaks to possible sexual scandal.

There’s an intriguing combination of Neptune at 1 Libra with asteroid Achilles at that degree, conjoined an exact pairing of asteroids America and Askalaphus at 6 Libra, and Karma at 8. This can be seen as Biden performing a predestined (Karma) function of “whistleblowing” (Askalaphus) for the nation (America), exposing the essential weakness (Achilles) of Trump’s fraud and deceit (Neptune). That’s fine as far as it goes, but once in office, should that day ever come, this pattern could also speak to a Biden administration with secrets (Askalaphus) of its own, which is vulnerable (Achilles) to the mistakes of the past (Karma), leaving the country (America) confused or directionless (Neptune).

Biden is caught on a hot mic at the signing ceremony for the Affordable Care Act in 2010, telling Obama, “This is a big fucking deal.” Just one of many verbal gaffes in a storied career.

Joe Biden formally announced his candidacy via an internet video on April 25^th, 2019, uttering those fateful words “I am running” at 6:02 AM EDT. As with Beto O’Rourke, an online announcement, viewed simultaneously everywhere but with no specific “origin”, is difficult to chart, unless it’s done live. To remain consistent, I have set the locale as Biden’s place of residence, Wilmington, Delaware, though whether he was actually there and awake at the time is uncertain.

This chart places asteroid Old Joe exactly on the 16 Cancer IC, and opposing the Moon, Saturn, Pluto and asteroid Troemper at 18, 20, 23 and 24 Capricorn, on the MC. In case anyone had any doubts, “Old Joe”’s opposition to Trump was made clear in the video, which focused on the 45^th President’s response of moral equivalency to the deadly clash between White Supremacists and protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, and the need to elect new leadership to wipe away the stain Trump has left on the office. This is reflected in the Old Joe/Troemper opposition. Old Joe is also squared to Mercury at 11 Aries, indicating the announcement itself and the news it made.

Generally speaking, this is a strong placement for Old Joe, incorporating a powerful (Pluto), authoritative (Saturn) stance with the likelihood of public (Moon) support. Both Pluto and Saturn are also at station making them embedded still points in the sky at the time, with Pluto having turned retrograde the day before the announcement, and Saturn preparing to follow suit on April 29^th. In specific, frequent, attentive readers of this site will recognize that 16 Cancer degree as matching Donald Trump’s natal Nemesis exactly, implying that Biden may be of special importance in bringing about Trump’s ruin. Indeed, the Trump campaign is evincing some nervousness about Biden’s impact on the Midwest states, and his home state of Pennsylvania in particular, which are must-wins for Trump in 2020 if he hopes to be reelected.

As well, asteroid Josephina at 18 Scorpio is exactly inconjunct asteroid Victoria at 18 Gemini, currently traveling with Mars at 16 Cancer, perhaps depicting a winning (Victoria) campaign (Mars). Mars/Victoria is also sextile a pairing of asteroids Bida and Josefa at 14 and 15 Leo, adding to that winning vibe for the former VP.

Here’s at least one awkward moment that wasn’t; Biden consoles Stephanie Carter, wife of incoming Def Sec Ash Carter, after she fell on the ice in front of reporters in the parking lot on her way to the ceremony. She later described the contact as comforting and supportive, after this photo was circulated with the “Creepy Uncle Joe” meme.

The Sun at 4 Taurus is still within orb of Uranus at 2, denoting the high-tech manner of the announcement, delivered online, with the “egalitarian” aspect to Uranus which that implies, offered simultaneously to everyone, as opposed to a few thousand at a live event.

Asteroids Nike, named for the Greek goddess of victory, and Whitehouse, for the Oval Office, conjoin at 6 and 9 Gemini, squared to a stationary asteroid America at 9 Virgo, representing the country, which will turn direct on May 1^st. This looks impressive, but Nike and Whitehouse have been traveling together for some time, and this pairing, with varying orbs, has appeared in every announcement chart this season. That likely augurs well for whichever Democratic candidate eventually grabs the bass ring, but it’s indiscriminate in deciding between them who has the best shot.

Biden’s candidacy is certainly not unflawed, nor is Biden himself, but he may be the safest, sanest choice. Nevertheless, with Uranus opposed the Sun in his birth chart, and the transit Sun conjunct Uranus for his announcement, Biden could shake up the race more than expected.