Alex's Asteroid Astrology

Stories frequently cross the digital transom that catch my eye, but don’t necessarily merit a full article on their own.  But the celestial correspondences are worthy of notice, so from time to time I compile these unrelated stories into an asteroid omnibus bill, if you will. In this edition, we’ll tackle a challenge to same-sex marriage, a disturbing melding of government with the private sector, a Senate grilling for a Cabinet Secretary, and a record-making Royal visit.

First up, Zombie County Clerk.

Attentive AAA readers and gay rights activists will doubtless remember Kim Davis, the Rowan County, Kentucky clerk who made an international splash in August 2015 by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v Hodges decision, which legalized such unions in the US.  Davis cited her intransigence as authorized by “God’s authority,” but after being jailed for five days for contempt of court, this would-be Daniella in the Lion’s Den backed down from her uncompromising stance, allowing deputy clerks to issue the offending licenses (though she changed the county’s marriage license forms to remove her name, not wanting to be seen endorsing the abhorrent lifestyle).

Well, you can’t keep a good homophobe down, and she’s ba-aack, a decade later.  On July 24, Davis filed an appeal with the US Supreme Court, asking the 6-3 conservative supermajority to overturn the decision that legalized same-sex marriage, arguing there was no constitutional basis for the ruling.  Davis’s legal team seeks religious immunity and First Amendment protections for dissenting government officials, modeling their approach after the strategy used to overturn Roe v. Wade. The SCOTUS will decide in the fall of 2025 whether to hear her case.

In the meantime, we can clearly see the outlines of the legal gambit reflected in the stars.  The Sun of the appeal at 1 Leo conjoins asteroids Ganymed 1036 at 29 Cancer, named for Zeus’ underage cup bearer and boy-toy lover, a marker for gay issues that has proved its applicability consistently; and Hera 103 at 24 Cancer, named for the Greek goddess of marriage.  This places a focus (Sun) on same-sex (Ganymed) unions (Hera), and an opposition to Pluto at 2 Aquarius suggests a desire to utterly destroy existing conditions, as well as a potential to criminalize gay marriage.

There is an asteroid Kimdavis 30203 (thankfully, not named for her), which at 15 Cancer conjoins Jupiter at 10 Cancer and asteroid Antinous 1863 at 16 Cancer, squared asteroid Union 1585 at 19 Libra.  Jupiter rules the judiciary generally, and SCOTUS in particular; Antinous is another gay marker, named for the male lover of Second Century Roman Emperor Hadrian; Union of course is another stand-in for marriage.  The grouping reiterates the plaintiff (Kimdavis), the court (Jupiter), and the issue of same-sex (Antinous) marriage (Union).  A T-Square is formed with asteroid Davis 3638 at 10 Aries, repeating the plaintiff’s name.

That SCOTUS might be embroiled in another gender-related case is seen as asteroid Themis 24 at 23 Virgo, named for the Greek goddess of justice, conjoined Mars (males) at 21 Virgo and squared Venus (females) at 22 Gemini.  Venus is also values, and Mars is sexuality, pointing to the undercurrent of prejudice whereby some persons feel entitled to restrict the rights of others based on their personal beliefs surrounding sexual preference.

A cosmic warning of the potential damage from this appeal to the gay community is expressed as Uranus at 0 Gemini conjunct asteroid Sappho 80 at 1 Gemini, on the Apex of a T-Square with Damocles 5335 at 5 Pisces and a pairing of asteroids Justitia 269 and Hodge 14466, at 27 Leo and 3 Virgo, respectively.  Uranus stokes controversy; Sappho is named for an ancient Greek lesbian poet, hence another gay marker; Damocles is the threat or peril hanging overhead, about to descend at any moment; Justitia is named for the Roman goddess of justice; and Hodge represents Hodges, the defendant in the Obergefell v Hodges case.  Together, we see the possibility of a looming (Damocles) controversial (Uranus) SCOTUS (Justitia) decision reversing the ruling (Hodge) that legalized gay marriage (Sappho).

Although this point is too wide to form a Grand Cross, asteroid NOT 2857 at 23 Capricorn opposes Kimdavis and Antinous, and squared Union, with NOT a symbol for negation or refusal.  Let’s hope that here it represents not just Davis’ (Kimdavis) desire to end (NOT) gay marriage (Antinous), but the court’s refusal (NOT) to hear the case as well.

Next up, Donald the Don.

In the latest iteration of his mafioso impersonation, on August 22^nd, US President Donald Trump told microprocessor giant Intel, “Nice tech company ya got here; be a shame if somethin’ regulatory happened to it.”  On that date the federal government muscled into an agreement with Intel, purchasing a 9.9% stake in the company for $8.9 billion in funds redirected from the CHIPS Act, converting grant money into non-voting shares.  The move has sparked concerns about “conservative socialism” (an oxymoron if ever there was one!), with the US potentially entering a new era of greater government involvement in the economy and industrial policy.

Asteroid Intel 8080 is named for the company, and appears in the chart for the purchase at 3 Sagittarius, opposed controversial, shocking, precedent-setting Uranus at 1 Gemini, in a Grand Cross with Damocles at 3 Pisces (the looming threat) and the Sun (bringing focus) at 29 Leo.  Jupiter, ruling politics and vast sums of money, falls at 16 Cancer, exactly semisquare Uranus, also semisquare the Sun and sesquiquadrate Intel and Damocles. 

Asteroid Troemper 28130 at 1 Libra, our celestial referent for The Donald, opposes the Saturn/Neptune conjunction at 0 and 1 Aries, with asteroid Donn 4689 at 27 Gemini on the fulcrum of a T-Square, uniting first and last names of the president with energies representing authoritarianism (Saturn) and deception or false dealing (Neptune).  Saturn/Neptune also implies the erosion or conflation (Neptune) of traditional separations between government (Saturn) and business (also Saturn).  Troemper is also sextile to Intel, forging another link between them. 

A loose Grand Trine Kite is formed from Intel opposed Uranus, and trine to both the Saturn/Neptune pairing and asteroid Toro 1685 at 9 Leo.  Toro is noted for bullying, abusive behaviors, further conjoins Mercury at 11 Leo, and squares asteroid Whitehouse 4036 at 8 Scorpio.  Intimidating, strong-arm tactics (Toro) emanating from the administration (Whitehouse) forcing a contract (Mercury) with one of America’s major tech companies (Intel)?  Heaven forfend! A T-Square with Pluto at 1 Aquarius suggests a potential for corruption, as well as further coercion and manipulation (all Pluto).

Third on our cosmic hit parade, a Shot to the Head.

On September 4^th, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, head of the Department of Health and Human Services, got a grilling when he appeared before the Senate’s Finance Committee to explain his stance on vaccines.  The hearing was marked by raised voices and heated exchanges, including calls to resign from Democrats and unexpected criticism from Republicans, whom heretofore have had little to say in response to Trump’s unqualified nominees beyond, “Thank you, Sir, may I have another?”

Among the issues raised was the firing of the entire 17-member Advisory Panel on Immunization Practices at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, replacing them with Kennedy’s hand-picked members, largely unscientific vaccine skeptics with vested financial interests in suing vaccine makers.  Senators also repeatedly asked Kennedy about his decision to push out newly confirmed CDC chief Susan Monarez. Monarez, Kennedy’s own pick to lead the agency, claimed she was fired from that job after only a month for insisting on rigorous scientific review, which Kennedy disputes.  Under his leadership, HHS has cancelled hundreds of millions of dollars in research funding on mRNA technology for future vaccines, while the Food and Drug Administration has limited access to the COVID shots, saying only people at high risk of complications from COVID or those over 65 need them.

The Sun of the hearing at 12 Virgo (the Sign most closely associated with health) conjoins asteroid Roberts 3428 at 20 Virgo, indicating Kennedy (one of three variations of Robert, for which there is no exact match), and putting him in the spotlight (Sun).  Roberto also conjoins asteroid Achilles 588 at 25 Virgo, a point which denotes weakness, exposure or vulnerability (as in “Achilles heel”), undermining Kennedy’s position.

The Sun is also exactly squared to asteroid Roberto 96257 at 12 Sagittarius, itself exactly conjunct asteroid Schott 5312, pointing up the highlight (Sun) on Kennedy’s (Roberto) stance on vaccines (Schott, for vaccination, commonly called “shots”).  (In an act of cosmic tongue-in-cheek, Roberto also conjoins asteroid Grillparzer at 20 Sagittarius, closest to “grill,” for the Senate grilling Kennedy underwent; Grillparzer is also exactly squared Roberts.)  The Sun also widely squares a pairing of the third Robert referent, asteroid Roberta 335, and asteroid MANIAC 228029, at 22 and 23 Gemini, perhaps the cosmos’ judgment on the mental state of the Secretary.  The two solar squares are too far apart in orb for their opposition to create a T-Square.

A fight in the Senate over vaccination was intimated by Jupiter at 18 Cancer (ruling politics and the Senate), conjunct asteroid Senator 8603 at 24 Cancer, square Mars (fights, arguments) at 18 Libra, with asteroid Schatz 23232 at 13 Libra (another phonetic match for “shots”).  Jupiter also encourages going to excess, over-the-top responses, which were certainly evidenced on both sides of this heated exchange.

A string of points straddling late Leo and early Virgo, including asteroids Toro at 21 Leo, Askalaphus 4946 at 22 Leo, Panacea 2878 at 1 Virgo and Mercury at 3 Virgo describes the bullying (Toro) of a witness (Askalaphus, named for the resident of Hades who informed on Persephone’s ingestion of six pomegranate seeds during her enforced sojourn in the Underworld) giving testimony (Mercury) about a drug (Panacea, named for the Greek goddess of medications).  This grouping opposes asteroid Vacchi 7600 at 28 Aquarius conjoined Damocles at 2 Pisces.  Vacchi is Italian for “cow,” from which we derive the word “vaccine,” based on Jenner’s realization that sufferers of cowpox were immune to smallpox, leading directly to his development of the first vaccine.  Damocles well underscores the looming disaster to Americans’ health which the skepticism of the new HHS Secretary to proven treatments represents.

The Virgo portions of the stellium (Panacea and Mercury) form a T-Square with Damocles and Vacchi, with asteroids Nemesis 128 and Kennedy on the fulcrum, at 2 and 4 Scorpio.  Nemesis defines an enemy or opponent, which Kennedy certainly is vis-à-vis vaccination, and is known as the bringer of destruction and ruin, which he may very well become if his nonscientific approaches take effect.

Lastly, a Royal Pain.

Donald Trump scored another record-setting accomplishment when he garnered an unprecedented second State Visit to the UK, the only US President to be so honored.  Brits are hep to the tools necessary to get what they want from Trump (in this case, relief from tariffs and trade blocks):  namely, flattery, fawning and praise.  But the poor King and Queen were the ones left holding the feedbag when the Trumps came to town on 17 September 2025.  The visit began with a state dinner at Windsor Castle, and numerous markers suggest the meeting wasn’t at all to His Majesty’s liking. 

King Charles III is in somewhat of a precarious position of late, with a troupe of self-referential asteroids running together in a stellium, including asteroid Charlotte 543 (feminine version of Charles, for which there is no exact match) at 7 Scorpio, accompanied by asteroid King 2305 at 11 Scorpio, Roy 14533 at 5 Scorpio (Old French for “king”) and Nemesis at 6 Scorpio.  This suggests enemies or opponents (Nemesis) clustered (stellium) about Charles (Charlotte) who are making his kingly duties (King, Roy) onerous (Nemesis).

With asteroid Whitehouse just down the celestial pike at 17 Scorpio, conjunct Charlotte and King, we get a sense of wherefrom the current unpleasantness may stem.  This is confirmed by squares to a triple conjunction of asteroids Washingtonia 886 (for the US capital) and America 916 at 5 and 8 Leo.  Hapless Charles, in the form of asteroid Charlene 5878, is wedged between them, at 7 Leo, seemingly offering no way out of breaking bread with those horrid provincials.  A T-Square is completed with the addition of Pluto at 1 Aquarius, suggesting a challenging descent to the depths for Charles, with Pluto the Roman lord of the underworld (as well as a likely burning desire to borrow Pluto’s helmet of invisibility, as a way out of the obligation).

Queen Camilla gets dragged into the mess as well, with asteroid Camilla 107 at 2 Cancer, conjoined asteroid Donn at 8 Cancer, for a proximity to Trump that must have been tedious at best.  Only Melania remains aloof (as ever), represented by asteroid Melanie 688, largely unaspected to the Royal Family asteroids from 17 Gemini.

That the visit marked a turning point for King and Country is portrayed in the stationary status of asteroids Britten 4079 (phonetic match for Britain) at 19 Capricorn and Charleroi 17428 (literally, “Charles the King”) at 0 Gemini.  Both points are at station, indicating a crossroads or transition of some sort; Britten turned direct on September 11^th, Charleroi turned retrograde September 18^th, the date the Trumps mercifully vacated the Pomp portion of the tour, for a more substantive meeting of Circumstance with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 

Fittingly, Britten conjoins asteroid Rey 13647 (Spanish for “king”) at 14 Capricorn, identifying Britain’s king, in a Grand Trine with the Sun and Mercury at 24 and 28 Virgo, and TNO Albion 15760 at 17 Taurus, an ancient name for Britain.  The Sun and Mercury also oppose Saturn at 28 Pisces, in a nod to the talks (Mercury) between the heads-of-state (Saturn).  Charleroi also appears at the Apex of a Thor’s Hammer, a “fated” pattern similar to a Yod, with sesquiquadrate aspects to asteroid Troemper at 13 Libra and the Rey/Britten duo.  The resulting square between these base points of the Hammer forges the final link between Trump and his doubtless reluctant royal host, pressured by his government to apply the regal touch in service to his country.

The things we do for a crown!

Title Image Credit: drawn by ChatGPT