Alex's Asteroid Astrology

Perhaps no US election has been more fraught with consequences for the nation and the world than will be the 2024 presidential contest.  It’s true that 2020’s election was pivotal as well, but the depths to which Donald Trump was willing to sink to maintain power weren’t apparent until he sent an armed mob to the Capitol to challenge those results, two months later.  Now, with full knowledge of his depravity, abuse of power, and contempt for the Constitution, reinstalling this felon in the Oval Office is unthinkable.  And yet, here we are.

Going in, even without the benefit of astrology, we can guarantee two things.  First, that Kamala Harris will swamp Donald Trump in the popular vote; he lost that by some three million to Hillary Clinton in 2016, and seven million to Joe Biden in 2020; this time, I wouldn’t be surprised if his loss is counted in the double digit millions.  Second, that he will never, under any circumstances, admit that he lost the election in a fair fight; as a malignant narcissist, he is constitutionally (no pun intended) incapable of this.

In most civilized countries, winning the popular vote would be the end of it.  And indeed, in every other race in America, from school boards to US Senator, that’s the case:  whoever gets more votes, wins.  But the Founders, experimenting with a form of government that hadn’t been tried in two millennia (i.e., democracy), built a fail-safe device into the system.  Termed the Electoral College, it is this body which officially chooses the president, not the people.  Citizens vote for an elector pledged to the candidate of their choice, not directly for the man (or in this case, woman) himself (or herself), with the electors having the final say. 

Ironically, the institution was created to prevent just such an individual as Donald Trump from ever gaining ultimate power in the state:  a demagogue who was unsuited to the office, but had captured the imagination (and the votes) of the population.  Thus, electors were given the power to veto the people’s choice, if they saw peril in that decision.  The Electoral College, established to ensure that a would-be dictator never helmed the nation, has now become the primary vehicle for that very eventuality. 

The Electoral College’s nonproportional, winner-take-all mentality ensures that, even if by a single vote, the entirety of a state’s electors will be granted to whomever wins that state (with two exceptions, Nebraska and Maine, who award their votes by congressional district), and this gives the Republican Party a structural advantage, with regional control of more states than the Democrats, albeit considerably less population.  The GOP has won the popular vote in only one election since 1992, but its representative has occupied the presidency for twelve of those 32 years, “winning” more than a third of the eight elections held in that time.

So, for astrologers, the question of the 2024 election becomes a thorny one:  are we asking who wins the vote, or who gets the job?  And does the cosmos know the difference?

Typically, I offer my thoughts on the November election much earlier than September.  But my Guardian Angel must have been on my shoulder, whispering in my ear, because I made the decision early on not to comment until after Labor Day, the time when campaigns traditionally kick into high gear and average Americans start to pay attention to the process which has been unfolding for up to two years.  Had I evaluated the situation earlier, I’d have been using incumbent president Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee (and wasting a lot of effort in the process), but as we all know, Uranus had a bit of a hand in that, and the unanticipated occurred when Biden withdrew from the race in July, and Kamala Harris took over.

Before that shocking, unprecedented (both Uranian keywords) transition, Trump was looking like a good bet for victory, based on early polling and the trends.  Now, just weeks later, there has been a total reversal, with Kamala Harris’ star on the rise, and the increased likelihood of a Trump defeat.

The seeds of that loss were present in the chart for Election Day all along, but might not have germinated in the drought of a Biden campaign; Harris’ watershed moment has given ample conditions for them to sprout and thrive.

So let’s dive in and see what the cosmos has to say about the impending contest.  As usual, the terms of engagement and the field of battle are well defined celestially.  The Sun at 13 Scorpio is enmeshed in a T-Square by an opposition to asteroid Washingtonia 886 at 15 Taurus, with asteroid America 916 on the fulcrum at 12 Aquarius, squared to both.  This remarkable configuration highlights (Sun) the nation (America) and its federal government (Washingtonia, for Washington DC, the capital), a skeletal appraisal of the election’s structure and theme.

But it doesn’t stand alone.  A variety of factors impinge upon the simplicity of that bold cosmic statement, beginning with asteroid Apatheia 8273, which at 14 Scorpio closely conjoins the Sun.  Apatheia is taken from a Greek philosophical term, meaning “the immovable soul.”  It refers, not surprisingly, to apathy and indifference.  With early polling suggesting that upwards of 75% of Americans didn’t want to see the promised rematch of Biden and Trump, voter apathy was a real concern, and given the presence of asteroid Josephina 303 exactly conjoined it, one of several PNAs (Personal-Named Asteroids) representing Joe Biden, most of that apathy was likely to be focused on him.

But it’s a new day, Biden is out of the race, and while apathy may still be an issue in some quarters, the only hook left for Apatheia to hang its hat on is asteroid Troemper 28130, our celestial referent for The Donald, in square from 9 Leo.  Two points connected to Troemper help to define the former president’s position on Election Day.  One is asteroid Karma 3811, conjoined from 11 Leo, and representing the results of our actions, being called to account for former misdeeds.  The other is asteroid Losse 340579, which at 3 Leo also conjoins Troemper, and is powerfully embedded at station (turning retrograde November 21^st, but already at its station degree).  Losse is a phonetic match for “loss,” and certainly presages a loss in the popular vote, though again, the ultimate outcome remains in doubt.

Troemper and Karma have been strange bedfellows for two years now, locked in an extended conjunction, never more than ten degrees apart for that period, even as indictment piled upon indictment, trial upon trial, and conviction upon conviction.  Donald Trump is being held accountable, both civilly and criminally, even if not as swiftly or thoroughly as many have wished, and as he so richly deserves.  Troemper conjunct Karma on Election Day could reap the ultimate comeuppance:  if victorious, the vast majority of the criminal cases against him disappear, but if defeated, he moves ever closer to a fitting for that orange jumpsuit.

Losse is a new player in the game for Trump.  It dogged Biden, in the form of its conjunction with asteroid Giuseppina 6533 (another “Joseph” variant, the feminine Italian form of the name) for the first presidential debate on June 27^th, which Biden decidedly, disastrously, lost.  But again, Biden is gone.  And Losse has moved on to plague Donald Trump, coming to join Troemper in late August, just after the triumphal Democratic National Convention which nominated Kamala Harris, with the two conjoined right through the election, until mid-November.  This period has seen a continued decline in Trump’s polling, and revealed a wrong-footed campaign apparently unable to contend with the change in opponent.

So far, so good, right?  But that’s not the end of it, not by a long shot.

Attentive readers will have already worked out for themselves that the addition of Troemper and Karma into the mix transforms the solar T-Square into a full-fledged Grand Cross.  With Biden out of the race, Donald Trump becomes the only candidate with a solar connection on Election Day, as none of Kamala Harris’ referents make strong aspects to the Sun.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  The spotlight of a solar contact isn’t unreservedly positive; rather, it merely showcases the individual, for good or ill.  So Harris out of the limelight might be a plus, especially given that Sun/Apatheia conjunction inspiring voters to keep butts firmly planted on couches, now directed toward Trump.

But there are other factors which do cause concern.  America is at a crossroads, both terrestrially and celestially.  Asteroid America is conjoined by asteroids Bilk 4425 and Truth 249521, at 12 and 17 Aquarius respectively.  And the question remains, will the nation choose between the blandishments of professional huckster and con man Donald Trump (Bilk), or the straightforward, reality-based veracity of Kamala Harris (Truth)?

One group that has fallen hook, line and sinker for Trump’s line is fundamentalist Christians, who have made him their unlikely Messiah, a savior in their quest to remake America into an image of a dominionist Christian state, with liberty and justice for them.  They are represented by asteroid Christian 192158 at 11 Taurus, conjoined Washingtonia, opposed the Sun, squared Troemper and America.  This pivotal placement shows them as key figures in this election, but there are some chinks in that righteous armor beginning to show.

Their success in overturning Roe v Wade (with the connivance of three hard-right Supreme Court Justices appointed by Trump) hasn’t slaked their desire to control women’s reproductive freedom, and they now agitate for an outright national abortion ban, restrictions on contraception, and termination of IVF therapies.  With Donald Trump attempting to move to the center by withdrawing his overt support from antiabortion legislation, in a bid to attract independents, there have been rumblings and grumblings of late in the fundamentalist community that Trump has abandoned their cause.  Anti-Trump groups such as “Evangelicals for Harris” are unlikely to make much of a dent in that community’s support, but the attractions of Apatheia and the couch could erode turnout vital to his victory.

That reproductive freedom could be a major factor in who occupies the Oval Office for the next four years is seen in a square from TNO Quaoar 50000 at 8 Capricorn to asteroid Whitehouse 4036 at 4 Libra.  Quaoar is named for a creator god of the indigenous Tongva people of southern California, and I have found over the years that it has a certain affinity with issues around procreation, including abortion, cloning, and IVF technologies.  Asteroid NOT 2857 at 22 Scorpio (a general disqualifier or symbol of negation), in semisquare to Quaoar, indicates the loss of reproductive rights as a sharp spur to action.  The square from Quaoar to Whitehouse suggests a strong, vital role to play for abortion rights in this election, and one backed up by asteroids representing the landmark case which first established those rights, 1973’s Roe v Wade.

Asteroid Roe 28803 at 2 Scorpio conjoins asteroid Veritas 490 (Latin for “truth”) at 1 Scorpio, and lies on the fulcrum of a T-Square with Mars at 0 Leo and Pluto at 29 Capricorn.  Mars and Pluto both relate to sex and reproduction; Pluto also represents criminalization and owning one’s personal power, while Mars energizes and is always spoiling for a fight.  As Americans come to understand the truth (Veritas) of how broadly the criminalization (Pluto) of abortion affects their lives and freedoms, they are increasingly angry (Mars) and determined to fight back (also Mars), reclaim their power (Pluto) and restore rights formerly granted by Roe (Roe).

Asteroid Wade 4710 further reinforces the sense of the abortion issue’s prominence in determining success on Election Day.  At 2 Pisces, Wade opposes asteroid Nike 307 at 1 Virgo, in a T-Square with Mercury at 3 Sagittarius in the fulcrum, linking electoral (Mercury, ruling the vote itself) victory (Nike) with a positive stance on reproductive freedoms (Wade).  Donald Trump’s reptilian survival instinct has made this apparent to him, but, paralyzed by fear, he seems incapable of taking a consistent position on the issue.  Soften his stance on abortion, and he risks offending his base; hew to their hard line, and he repels independents, which he sorely needs to win.  As an example, within a 24-hour period in late August, he both condemned the six-week abortion ban in his home state of Florida as “too short,” and announced that he would vote against its repeal in a referendum on November’s ballot.  So, yes, abortion will manifestly be a significant factor in how this turns out.

But it’s in the area of the vote itself – its access, tabulation and certification – where the greatest peril to the country lies.  And all aspects of voting, from the decision about whom to support, to the casting of the ballot and the aftermath, relate to Mercury.

Mercury at 3 Sagittarius on Election Day connects to every major planetary energy except the Sun, Jupiter and Venus (and the Moon, which starts the day well after its conjunction with Mercury, and ends it before making a major aspect between them).  This makes Mercury a leading player for the day, as is only appropriate for a vote.  A sextile to Pluto at 29 Capricorn honors the self-empowerment experienced by ordinary citizens in choosing their leader, but also hints at criminal activity involved in the process.  A wide square to Saturn at 12 Pisces gives a nod to the presidency, but also suggests repression, limited access, some restriction in place.  A trine to Neptune at 27 Pisces shows fervency and zealotry for a candidate, but also indicates possible fraud or deception, confusion and misdirection.  A wide opposition to Uranus at 25 Taurus evokes enthusiasm and excitement, but also some shocks, surprises, sudden reversals and controversy.  A trine to Mars at 0 Leo brings energy, but also anger and a potential for violence.  It seems to me significant that the points not aspected are considered to be beneficial, benevolent or positive (Sun, Jupiter, Venus), or as exemplifying the electorate itself (the Moon).  So what Mercury reaches out to is, at least partly, energies which are potentially problematic, imbued with difficulty or challenge.

That planetary picture is unsettling enough, but worse is to come, when asteroids are included.  We’ve just had another object lesson in the utility of asteroid Buysballot 10961 to affect electoral outcomes, in the recent disputed presidential election in Venezuela, with strong evidence that it was stolen by the Maduro administration, under a sky which featured Buysballot.  Named for a nineteenth century Dutch chemist and meteorologist, C.H.D. Buys Ballot, the rendering of his name in English should make it clear how the point represents electoral fraud, by whatever means, pecuniary or otherwise.

Also of note here, asteroids Swindle 8690 (named for astronomer Timothy Swindle, but acting in its meaning as “fraud, scam or con”), Bilk (named for an observatory in Dusseldorf, Germany, but also relating to fraud) and Loke 4862 (named for the Norse god Loki, a Trickster god known for creating mischief).  We’ve discussed Bilk above, but the rest are new to us in this article.

Buysballot at 2 Virgo conjoins asteroid Nike at 1 Virgo (named for the Greek goddess of victory), squaring Mercury at 3 Sagittarius, which is conjoined by asteroids Swindle at 4 Sagittarius and Victoria at 8 Sagittarius (named for Nike’s Roman counterpart).  The pattern is suggestive of a stolen, fraudulent (Buysballot, Swindle) election (Mercury) victory (Nike, Victoria).  Of course, in today’s polarized political environment, take your pick – a Trump loss will have MAGA screeching “foul!” while a Harris loss would likely result from GOP shenanigans, and not the will of the people. 

Loke is also in the mix, from 6 Virgo, conjunct Buysballot/Nike and squaring Mercury/Swindle/Victoria, supplying additional cosmic warning that electoral mischief is afoot in determining the winner.  Loke further conjoins a disturbing exact pairing of asteroids Demokritos 6129 and Achilles 588 at 10 Virgo, which also feeds into the basic square described above.  This implies that Democrats, and in fact, democracy itself (both Demokritos), are in a vulnerable, exposed position, weakened by some inherent factor (all Achilles, as in “Achilles heel”).  Such as, perhaps, the innate GOP Electoral College advantage, or the sure ascendance of Donald Trump, should a disputed election be thrown to the GOP-dominated House of Representatives to decide (a measure which would kick in if no candidate receives the required 270 vote majority (possible in a 269/269 split in the electoral College, or if some states refuse to certify)).

A probable source of some of this electoral tampering is Vladimir Putin, with a long history of attempting to interfere in elections other than his own (in which he is a past master).  Putin has meddled in American politics to support Donald Trump since 2016, and there’s no reason to think 2024 will be any different; the rise of AI technologies since then suggests a much more effective disinformation system than previously, a sobering thought indeed.  Russian interference can be seen in asteroid Russia 232 at 2 Gemini, forming a T-Square with the Mercury pattern, and asteroid Moskva 787 (Russian for “Moscow,” its capital) at 29 Aquarius conjunct Damocles 5335, representing that doom or peril hanging unseen overhead.  This aligns directly with the US natal Moon, its people, at 27 Aquarius, and is conjoined by asteroid Donn 4689 at 21 Aquarius on Election Day, for Donald Trump.

Vladimir Putin’s personal involvement is expressed as asteroid Vladimir 1724, which at 7 Cancer conjoins TNO Chaos 19521 at 3 Cancer, indicating confusion, turmoil, disorder and disarray; this squares asteroid Whitehouse, emblematic of the US presidency, at 4 Libra, denoting where Putin’s chicanery would manifest.  Putin is also represented by asteroid Putilin 3577 (closest to Putin) at 25 Pisces, conjoined Neptune at 27, planetary ruler of fraud and deception.

Several states, once thought to be easy pick-ups for Trump when he was running against Biden, but now emerging as probable battlegrounds under a Harris candidacy, also have asteroid referents that appear in key positions on Election Day.  Asteroid Georgia 359 at 19 Scorpio conjoins the Sun, indicating its centrality to the outcome, and is also conjoined by asteroids Wildcat 17493 and NOT, at 20 and 22 Scorpio.  Wildcat shows the Peach State’s status as up-for-grabs, an unpredictable outcome; but with NOT conjunct Georgia and squared asteroid Donn at 21 Aquarius, Georgia could be out of Trump’s reach. [Donn is also involved in a tight Grand Trine with asteroid Lie 26955 at 21 Libra and Jupiter at 20 Gemini, a signal that Trump’s (Donn) “Big (Jupiter) Lie (Lie)” about electoral fraud causing his loss will be alive and well again, post-election 2024, should he be defeated at the polls.]

Similarly, asteroid Arizona 793 at 6 Sagittarius conjoins Mercury at 3 Sag, identifying the Grand Canyon State as pivotal in the vote; with its direct tie-in to asteroids Buysballot and Swindle, expect the most egregious voting rights violations and election interference to occur here.  And asteroid Carolina 235, here symbolizing North Carolina, falls at 28 Aquarius, conjunct Damocles at 27 Aquarius and asteroid Donn at 21:  if Trump fails to take it, his path to 270 is much narrower, confirming the Tar Heel State’s status as a looming threat (Damocles) to his candidacy.

There’s a potential bright spot in this dismal scenario, with Venus at 22 Sagittarius opposed Jupiter at 20 Gemini, implying massive turnout (Jupiter) among women (Venus), which would likely advantage Harris.

Speaking of which, what of Kamala Harris?  She has been conspicuously absent in this interpretation so far, by design.  I wanted to end this article with an overview of Harris’ PNAs (Personal-Named Asteroids) and the role they play on Election Day.

Harris’ advancement to the top of the Democratic ticket occurred following a Mars/Uranus conjunction in July that rested atop her natal Jupiter (politics, luck, positive outcomes), and ignited a natal Grand Cross, squaring Saturn (career, the presidency) conjoined Victoria (winning), also squared Mars (campaigns), and opposed asteroid Whitehouse conjoined asteroid Camelia 957 (one of four asteroid referents for Kamala, for which there is no exact match). 

Each of the four then candidates and running mates got clobbered by that Mars/Uranus conjunction – for Joe Biden, opposed his Sun, it manifested as his unexpected, unprecedented withdrawal from the race; for Donald Trump, squared his Mars, there was an assassination attempt; for JD Vance, aligned with his Midheaven, it yielded his sudden, controversial elevation to possible Vice President.  But for Kamala Harris, that conjunction came as a jolt of energy, a burst of excitement and enthusiasm that quickly accrued to her candidacy, and hasn’t let up yet.

Asteroid Harris 2929 conjoined that conjunction, and has remained with Uranus ever since, within ten degrees from late June right through the election in November and inauguration in January, until early April 2025.  This could indicate continued enthusiasm for Harris, and the novelty and precedent-setting circumstance of the first female president in US history.  I say “could,” because with Uranus there are no guarantees.  This (literally) cockeyed planet (which rotates on its side) delights in throwing things out of balance, with upsets, shocks to the system, and seismic shifts, of just the sort that propelled Harris into the catbird seat to begin with.  Even months-long backing from Uranus wouldn’t guarantee continued support through Election Day, although it’s encouraging that the theme of Uranian excitement for the Harris/Walz campaign has become, if anything, more pronounced as summer bleeds into autumn.

Harris’ other PNAs are similarly encouraging.  Asteroid Camelia at 10 Sagittarius conjoins Mercury and asteroid Victoria, suggestive of an electoral (Mercury) win (Victoria), though with that Swindle/Buysballot caveat.  Asteroid Camillo 3752 (another Kamala referent) at 2 Libra conjoins asteroid Whitehouse at 4 Libra, placing Harris on the spot in real time, aligned with her goal (and that square to Quaoar now suggests that pro-choice voters will swing heavily to Harris as their champion).  Asteroid Camilla 107 at 16 Aries rests on the Apex of a Thor’s Hammer, a fated pattern similar to a Yod, with sesquiquadrate aspects to Mercury at 3 Sag and asteroid Nike at 1 Virgo, another indicator of a predestined electoral victory.  Asteroid Kamil 14124 (our final Kamala referent) at 17 Libra opposes Camilla and splits the difference in the Nike/Mercury square, semisquare to each, another oar in the water of a Harris victory.

This Kamil/Camilla polarity is also interesting, and possibly instructive, in light of Camilla’s exact conjunction with asteroid House 4950 at 16 Aries.  If all goes well, a massive win for Harris could also signal Democrats regaining control of the House of Representatives – as Harris’ fortunes go that day, so do those of the House, the two are inextricably linked via the Camilla/House pairing.  Asteroid Senator 8603 at 22 Aquarius, conjunct Damocles at 27, shows Dem control of the Senate in the balance as well; a square to Harris/Uranus could signal an unexpected gain there.

There are two additional points which can indicate success, in any endeavor.  These are asteroids Champion 8732 (with obvious application) and TRIUMF 14959 (an acronym of a Canadian research facility, but useful as a marker of great success, or “triumph”).  When added to the Election Day chart, these provide a split decision at best.  Champion at 2 Leo conjoins asteroid Troemper at 9 Leo, suggesting victory, but also that stationary asteroid Losse at 3 Leo, presaging defeat.  Do these cancel each other out?  Champion is also exactly sextile asteroid Camillo at 2 Libra and widely trine asteroid Camelia at 10 Sagittarius, linking it to two Kamala referents.

TRIUMF at 12 Gemini seems somewhat more unreservedly in the Harris camp, opposing Camelia, trine asteroid Kamil at 17 Libra, and sextile asteroid Camilla at 16 Aries.  But it is also sextile Troemper and trine asteroid Donn at 21 Aquarius, giving a nod to Donald Trump’s chances of victory.

It’s obvious that the advance determination of a winner on Election Day is problematic at best, viewed from the perspective of the transit sky.  If current conditions hold, and Uranus continues to support the Harris candidacy, then Democrats can be guardedly optimistic about the prospects of hailing the first “Madam President” come January.  If not, all bets are off.