Alex's Asteroid Astrology

During Holy Week 2021, the New York Times broke the story that GOP firebrand Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was under federal investigation for possible sex trafficking of a minor and related offenses.  Begun by the William Barr Justice Department, the investigation has been ongoing for more than a year, with the FBI characterizing Gaetz as a “subject”, not a “target.”  Gaetz stands accused of multiple incidents involving exchange of cash or goods for sex, but so far only one allegation of underage trafficking; if proved, Gaetz faces up to life in prison.  Gaetz’ response to the story being made public has been a staunch denial, and a rather tortured quasi-justification alleging a complicated and improbable blackmail and extortion scenario at the root of the investigation.

First elected to Congress in 2016, Gaetz had previously served in the Florida House of Representatives since 2010.  Once in DC, he quickly distinguished himself as a vociferous, not to say rabid, supporter of Donald Trump, and was one of the first to go kiss the ex-President’s ring upon his removal to Mar a Largo after the Biden inauguration.  His brief tenure in the Capitol has not been without controversy.  In March 2020, Gaetz famously donned a gas mask during a House debate on funds to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, mocking the face coverings which were just beginning to be worn as protection from the virus, and continued to disparage their use in social media posts.  He later asserted that the virus had been manufactured in a lab in Wuhan, China, and even after contracting the disease himself, continued to appear mask-less at public functions.

Gaetz was the lone no vote on the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act, a bill allocating additional government resources to help eradicate human trafficking.  This was perhaps a vote prompted by personal motivation, given the current allegations against him, but at the time Gaetz defended his rejection of the legislation as an unnecessary increase in Federal power.  A close associate, former tax collector Joel Greenburg, reportedly acted as procurer for Gaetz, and has already been indicted in sex trafficking charges in regard to the same 17-year-old whose relationship with Gaetz is currently under investigation.

In addition to the possible charges involving a minor, Gaetz, who is unmarried at 38 but recently became engaged, has been accused of soliciting prostitution, and the dam is breaking on stories of his wild private behaviors, illegal or no.  Already in January 2020 Chris Latvala, a former Republican colleague in the state legislature, tweeted that Gaetz “created a game where members of the Florida House got ‘points’ for sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators”.  Gaetz also reportedly bragged of his sexual exploits and showed other congressmen nude photos of women he’d slept with, sometimes displaying his trophies to colleagues on the House floor while he was working.  Several colleagues have also disclosed his revelations concerning his “love of alcohol and illegal drugs, as well as his proclivity for younger women”.  Gaetz is alleged to have used Ecstasy and other controlled substances to enhance his sexual experiences.

Born 7 May 1982 (no time available) Matt Gaetz’ birth chart lays out a map for public and private behaviors which seems to accord with his career path and the current allegations.  There are no exact PNA (Personal-Named Asteroid) matches for either name, but as approximations for Matthew we have asteroids Mathieu (a French version), Matthias (from the same Hebrew root as Matthew), Mateo (Spanish/Italian version), Matti and Mattei (both nickname variants).  Gaetz pronounces his surname “gates”, and asteroid Gateswest is the closest referent.

There are four points at station in the natal chart, making them embedded factors in character and biography.  Three are in Capricorn:  asteroids Matti, Achilles and House.  Matti at 2 Capricorn is sesquiquadrate the Sun at 16 Taurus, and turned retrograde May 16^th; Matti for Matt finds itself in a typical PNA position, aspected to the Sun.  (The other common placements for one’s own PNAs are with the Moon and Ascendant, but without a time of birth we can’t determine if any of the other Matthew referents fit this pattern.  Connections to Mercury – representing the naming function – also turn up frequently, and Gaetz has asteroid Mattei at 6 Aquarius trine Mercury at 7 Gemini.)  House turned retro the same day at 24 Capricorn, trine the Sun, and its broad square to Saturn at 16 Libra indicates the career choices Gaetz made, in government work.  The importance of the House specifically, both in the form of Florida’s state legislature, and Gaetz’ membership in the Sunshine State’s delegation to the US House of Representatives, should be obvious.

Asteroid Achilles at 15 Capricorn is also trine the Sun, having turned retro April 29^th.  Achilles indicates a bold assertiveness, brash behaviors, and an aggressive style, but also represents an inherent flaw or weakness, a vulnerability, something which threatens to destroy the native (based in the principle of the “Achilles’ Heel”).

In that light, consider the fourth point at station, asteroid Hebe, which turned retrograde at 17 Virgo on May 9^th, closest to Gaetz’ birthday, and forms a Grand Trine with Achilles and the Sun.  Hebe is named for the ever-youthful daughter of Zeus who served attendance on the gods, and her name appears in the psychological disorder hebephilia, which relates to sexual attraction for persons post-puberty, but legally underage.  Gaetz’ alleged affinity for younger partners, including his relationship with the 17-year-old currently under investigation, could certainly prove a vulnerability.  This pattern becomes a Kite with the addition of asteroid Aphrodite at 20 Pisces; opposing Hebe, this becomes the Kite’s “string”, guiding its manifestation.  Aphrodite relates to flirtations, affairs and casual amours, rather than long-term relationships; often illicit or socially unacceptable. 

The 16 Taurus Sun also squares asteroid Eros at 22 Leo, noted for erotic attraction and passionate response, making these a central core of Gaetz’ self-image (Sun).  This tendency toward an emphasis on sexuality is further reflected in a pairing of asteroid Ganymed at 23 Cancer with centaur Nessus at 25 Cancer.  Ganymed is named for Zeus’ underage cupbearer and boy-toy lover, abducted by the King of the Gods and brought to Olympus to serve his needs.  Besides the implication of sex with minors (as well as jurisdictional issues in removing his partner from the mortal to immortal realms, translated here as interstate travel), Ganymed also refers to relationships between persons of disparate age, economic or social status, or personal power.  Consider the reports of Gaetz’ “game” in scoring points for bedding aides and interns, persons lower on the political pecking order. 

Nessus is named for the would-be rapist of Heracles’ wife, and refers to “men behaving badly,” everything from a pinched buttocks or suggestive talk to sexual assault and full-on rape, statutory or otherwise.  This combination is joined by asteroid Gateswest at 28 Cancer, and square asteroid Mateo at 27 Libra, further personalizing these energies to Matt Gaetz.  Also here is Pluto at 24 Libra, bringing in elements of scandal, coercion or manipulation, and criminal actions; asteroid Nemesis, which refers to self-undoing or ruin, adds its energies from 28 Taurus, sextile Ganymed/Nessus/Gateswest.

Venus at 3 Aries, noted for romance and relationships, conjoins asteroid Karma at 0 Aries, suggesting that Gaetz may be called to account for his peccadilloes at some point.  Venus opposes Mars at 0 Libra, so sex (Mars) and romance (Venus) are very different things to him, literally poles apart.  Uranus at 3 Sagittarius sextile Mars and exactly trine Venus brings a flavor of kink, or at least shocking, unorthodox behaviors, to Gaetz’ love life, as well as potential controversy. 

Adding drugs to the mix of his sexuality is an Out-of-Sign Grand Cross with this pair, formed by Neptune at 26 Sagittarius and asteroid Panacea at 29 Gemini.  Neptune is the planetary ruler of drugs, while Panacea is named for the Greek goddess of medicines, and refers specifically to drugs and pharmaceuticals, both legal and controlled substances.  Bolstering the Grand Cross is asteroid Matthias at 6 Cancer, and Matti at 2 Capricorn, each T-Squared the Venus/Mars axis and further identifying Gaetz with the pattern.  These PNAs connected to both drug markers reinforce the personal attraction Gaetz has for these substances.

When the New York Times broke the story on March 30^th, 2020, the transit Sun at 10 Aries with Venus at 11, squared Ganymed at 8 Cancer, set the stage for the exposure (Sun) of romantic relationships (Venus) with underage partners and social inferiors (Ganymed).  With Ganymed is Aphrodite at 12 Cancer, reinforcing the transient nature of these liaisons.  Transit Mathieu at 2 Aries links Gaetz directly to these revelations, while the transit square also activates the natal Grand Cross discussed above.  Transit Eros at 3 Capricorn does the same, and converts the simple square into a transit T-Square, emphasizing the theme of erotic passion.

Further tying the day to Gaetz’ natal chart is a union of transit Matteo and Gateswest at 14 and 17 Taurus, straddling the natal Sun at 16.  With Uranus right behind at 8 Taurus we see the source of the controversy, which could explode in a volatile manner.  Mateo/Gateswest is squared by transit Saturn at 11 Aquarius and Jupiter at 22 Aquarius, bringing both publicity (Jupiter) and censure (Saturn).

Transit Matthias at 29 Capricorn conjoined Pluto at 26 Cap provides a further personal linkage with potential scandal, and suggests a devastating transformation (Pluto) is in process.  This links to the natal House/Pluto/Mateo square which T-Squares natal Matthias/Nessus/Gateswest, reenergizing all that natal potential for acting out sexually in scandalous, even criminal ways. 

Transit Nemesis, conveying divine retribution and ruin or destruction which is self-engendered, is coming to its station at 12 Sagittarius on April 5^th, from where it opposes natal asteroid Greenberg at 13 Pisces, here a stand-in for Joel Greenburg, Gaetz’ alleged procurer, already indicted on similar charges.  Greenberg conjoins natal Mercury at 7 Gemini, suggesting that the two men might be linked in the news one day; transit Nemesis in opposition indicates that Greenburg has the potential to bring down Gaetz.  Transit Nessus at 13 Pisces creates a T-Square of this polarity, highlighting the sexual misconduct issue, and the icing on this celestial cake is natal Hebe at 17 Virgo, for a full synastric Grand Cross also incorporating Gaetz’ attraction for underage partners.

Matt Gaetz’ attempt to portray himself in the news as a victim, and obfuscate or confuse the core issues with the counter charges of extortion, is seen as transit Neptune (victimization, misdirection) at 21 Pisces, conjoined transit Mercury (news) at 22 Pisces, squared transit asteroid Matti at 22 Gemini.  Neptune and Mercury key on natal Aphrodite at 20 Pisces, bringing the news of his affairs.  Transit asteroid Mattei at 3 Leo makes a perfect Grand Trine with natal Venus and Uranus at 3 Leo and Sagittarius, which natal Mars at 0 Libra transforms into a Kite, directed by Gaetz’ sexual acts.

It’s too early yet to say how this all plays out, but things are looking pretty grim for Matt Gaetz.