KF cover

Asteroid Anatomy: The Kavanaugh-Ford Hearing

As I write this Judge Brett Kavanaugh is giving testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the allegations of sexual misconduct made against him by Professor Christine Blasey Ford and others, ranging from indecent exposure to sexual assault and attempted rape. It’s too early to know the outcome of this proceeding, but we can anatomize the hearing itself based on the time it convened and significant moments throughout. I’m going to break it down into several sections based on the planetary patterns present in the sky on the day.

I: VENUS SQUARE MARS

 

This is the stereotypical “he said, she said” aspect: a woman (Venus) and a man (Mars) at odds and in conflict (square) regarding differing versions of a shared event. When Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) gaveled in the hearing at 10:05 AM on September 27, 2018, Venus at 9 Scorpio is rising on the 10 Scorpio Ascendant, a symbol of a woman coming forward into the light of day (the eastern horizon), just emerging on the scene as things get underway. Christine Ford spoke first at the hearing, and by the time Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in at 3:10 PM, Venus had traversed the sky to exactly crest the Midheaven, putting his opponent in a positon of elevated power and visibility.

KF he said she said

With Venus square Mars in the sky, it’s the classic “he said, she said” dilemma – who is telling the truth?

But Kavanaugh had his moment of celestial synchronic timing as well; asteroid Brett at 7 Taurus is on the 10 Taurus Descendant, having just sunk below the horizon when the proceedings began. This opposes Venus, an indicator of his antagonistic stance with the woman of the hour, but with a mirroring aspect, with Venus showing Kavanaugh’s relations with women. Additionally, Brett conjoins Uranus at 1 Taurus, suggesting controversy, volatility or unexpected outcomes. Also with Brett is the Moon at 3 Taurus, again representative of a woman but further indicative of the public at large.

 

The Moon with this PNA (Personal-Named Asteroid) also portrays the emotional quality of Kavanaugh’s testimony as he alternated between aggrieved outbursts at the damage to his reputation from these accusations and tearful references to their effect on his wife, family and friends. Uranus suggests the volatile nature of some of Kavanaugh’s arguments and the fiery passion with which he asserted his innocence. Also here is asteroid Senator at 14 Taurus, establishing the upper chamber as the venue for the event.

KF young

Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, at approximately the age when they met in High School; asteroid Brett squared Christine shows their current conflict

Mars at 4 Aquarius T-Squares this polarity, bringing in the elements of sex and violent actions, and asteroid Dionysus at 2 Leo, governing alcohol, substance abuse and sexual abandon, creates a Grand Cross. The appropriateness of these energies to the topic in question is obvious, and the dramatis personae of the event is further revealed in two PNAs feeding into this pattern. These are asteroid Christine at 11 Leo, for accuser Ford, and asteroid Feinstein at 8 Leo, representing Senator Diane Feinstein, the Democratic Ranking Member on the Judiciary Committee, to whom Ford first communicated her accusations. The inclusion of asteroid Pecker at 7 Leo, named for a director of the observatory in Nice, France but acting here as a common English euphemism for “penis”, represents the more vulgar aspects of the stories told by Kavanaugh’s other accusers, which are much more salacious than Ford’s allegations, including elements of gang rape and wanton exposure of genitalia.

 

And speaking of salacious…

KF Feinstein

Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Diane Feinstein (D-CA) focuses on the testimony; with asteroid Feinstein conjunct Christine and squared Brett, it’s no surprise whose side she’s on

II: SUN-SATURN-SALACIA T-SQUARE

 

As a solar pattern, this defines the overall aura of the day – what is its focus? With the Sun at 4 Libra conjunct Mercury at 9, it’s a major news day (the Media is Mercury-ruled), and testimony, that is, the spoken word (also Mercury), is predominant. The opposition to TNO (Trans-Neptunian Object) Salacia at 2 Aries is stunning, suggesting a focus on crude sexuality, prurient public interest, and an overemphasis on scandalous, sensationalized events. Salacia, named for the wife of Roman sea god Neptune, is the root of our word “salacious”, meaning “to convey explicit sexual desire or activity of a stimulating nature, intended to titillate.” Saturn at 2 Capricorn forms a T-Square of this polarity, bringing in elements involving career matters (Kavanaugh’s promotion to the SCOTUS) and humiliation or censure, as well as representing the federal government and being called to account for one’s actions, with the possibility of the enactment of punishment or penalties.

KF ford swearing

Christine Blasey Ford is sworn; with asteroid Ford conjunct Saturn, she has gravitas and authority

Once again peripheral PNAs contribute fine details. Asteroid Ford at 8 Capricorn conjoins Saturn, giving her the gravitas, respect and authority in the situation, as well as making her potentially an instrument of that imposition of penalty. Ford has to be taken seriously, and has the power to withhold or deny something here; ultimately, she stands for the law and its consequences.

 

With the Sun is asteroid Dick at 5 Libra, another crude euphemism for penis, once again identifying the central theme of the hearings. Asteroid Veritas, Latin for “truth” conjoins the Sun from 3 Libra, identifying the primary issue at hand – what is the truth here? Also there is a remarkable out-of-Sign conjunction with asteroids Nymphe and Kassandra, both at 28 Virgo. Nymphe, partial root of our term “nymphomaniac”, is another image of sexuality run amok, while Kassandra calls into question the veracity of the participants. The main focus of the day (Sun) is exactly that – whose account is more believable (Kassandra), the alleged victim (asteroid Ford, in square) or the alleged perpetrator (Nymphe)?

 

III: PLUTONIAN GRAND CROSS

 

Pluto is perhaps the most evocative of the points in the sky that day. Pluto has affinities with sex, coercion, manipulation, crime, trauma and violence; this is the planetary ruler of rape, based in the story of Pluto/Hades’ abduction and rape of Proserpina/Persephone. Incredibly, Pluto closely opposes asteroid Themis at 19 Cancer, named for the Greek goddess of justice, establishing the judiciary as the battleground in this conflict. Asteroid Sisyphus at 18 Libra, an image of endless repetition, forms a T-Square, adding the element of “here we go again!” as one after another allegation against Kavanaugh is piled upon the first.   Exactly with Sisyphus is asteroid Icarus, representing rash, reckless acts heedless of the consequences, which certainly evokes the types of behaviors Kavanaugh is alleged to have participated in, and asteroid Bacchus at 23 Libra, Dionysus’ drunken, riotous, libertine Roman counterpart, establishes the emphasis on alcohol, said to have influenced these behaviors. Asteroid Diana at 16 Aries, for Ranking Member Diane Feinstein, completes the Grand Cross.

KF kavanaugh sworn

Brett Kavanaugh is sworn; asteroid Brett conjoined the Moon and Uranus shows an emotional, uneven performance

Bu it is Pluto’s handmaidens which cause most comment. Pluto is about to station, turning direct on September 30th, in just three days’ time, giving this point an embedded, entrenched quality on the period. But with this are asteroids Aristaeus, Askalaphus, and Achilles, all of which are also at station, and in their totality depict the circumstances to a celestial “T”. Aristaeus exact with Pluto at 18 Cap s named for the would-be defiler of the hapless Eurydice, who came at her violently while she was walking in the fields and tried to rape her. Askalaphus at 20 Capricorn is named for the gardener of Hades, who informed on Persephone’s (another rape victim) ingestion of six pomegranate seeds during her enforced sojourn in the Underworld, thus requiring her to remain. It represents tale-bearing and the revealing of secrets. Achilles at 22 Capricorn indicates a fatal flaw, an inherent weakness or vulnerability which threatens to destroy the native (as in our phrase “Achilles heel”).

KF grassley

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA); with asteroid Grass conjunct Cavagna, his loyalties are easy to see

In a phenomenal act of celestial synchronicity, both Aristaeus and Askalaphus came to their direct stations on the same day, September 16th, the exact date when Christine Ford revealed herself as Kavanaugh’s accuser! Achilles came to station on the 22nd, the day before additional revelations began to suggest a pattern of behavior for the youthful Kavanaugh. Also here is asteroid Mitchella at 22 Capricorn, which represents not only Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, responsible for calling the vote on this nomination, but also Rachel Mitchell, the Arizona sex crimes prosecutor brought in by the Republican members of the Judiciary Committee to ask their questions of Ford and Kavanaugh. Interestingly, with Mitchella exactly conjunct Achilles, Mitchell was brought in specifically to shore up a perceived weakness for the GOP: namely, having a victimized woman questioned by eleven old white men (with apologies to Senators Cruz, Flake and Sasse, who are merely middle-aged).

KF mitchell

Sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell was brought in by the all-male Republican members of the Judiciary Committee, to do their talking for them; asteroid Rachele conjoins Brett, while Mitchella conjoins Pluto and Achilles, showing up that gender-based vulnerability

The constellation of these energies with Pluto, all at station, is an incredibly powerful reinforcement of the underlying dynamic of the hearing, and a powerful testimony in its own right of the precise timing which pulls together such disparate elements to provoke such perfectly aligned manifestations.

 

IV: FURTHER PNA PLACEMENTS

 

PNA battle lines are clearly drawn, and “as above, so below” has never been clearer. We already discussed Brett at 7 Taurus, in square to Christine at 11 Leo, prefiguring their conflict. Conjoined Brett and exact with the Moon is asteroid Rachele, the other celestial referent for questioner Rachel Mitchell, indicating her obvious loyalties to the accused. And so, we see asteroid Feinstein at 8 Leo with Christine, establishing their affinity.

KF ford crying

Christine Ford breaks down as she relates her ordeal

The two sides square off again with asteroid Diana (also for Feinstein) at 16 Aries squared Mitchella (for Mitchell) at 22 Capricorn, while asteroid Cavagna at 6 Virgo (closest phonetically to “Kavanaugh”) is conjoined by asteroid Grass at 4 Virgo, for Chuck Grassley, Republican Committee Chair, clearly on the side of the nominee. Cavagna trines Ford at 8 Capricorn, but this is not an indication of a harmonic energy flow between them; rather it expresses propinquity and enmeshment, of whatever quality. Cavagna is also involved in a Grand Cross with its opposition to Nessus, another point named for a would-be rapist, at 7 Pisces, and squares to Lachesis at 5 Gemini, named for the mythic Greek Fate who determines the span of life and an image of endings (thus, any time period with a finite term, such as nomination process), and a combination of asteroids Wiener and Karma, at 3 and 12 Sagittarius, which signifies being called to account for prior acts (Karma) involving sexual behaviors (Wiener, yet another penis euphemism).

KF kavanaugh crying

Brett Kavanaugh was similarly lachrymose at the thought of what this nomination fight has cost him

Lastly, consider the status of asteroid Justitia, named for the Roman goddess of justice and the root of that word, which defines the very job title being fought over. At 23 Aquarius, Justitia is running with Damocles, representing the doom hanging unseen overhead, and these square Jupiter, ruling politics and the judiciary generally, and both the Senate and Supreme Court specifically, at 21 Scorpio. With Jupiter is asteroid Toro at 28 Scorpio, a point noted for aggressive, bullying, brutish or brutal behaviors, which Kavanaugh is alleged to have committed against Ford. Forming a T-Square is asteroid America at 28 Leo, opposed Justitia/Damocles and widely squared Jupiter/Toro, identifying the country involved and the vast nationwide audience for this spectacle.

 

Who is telling the truth? Even the skies seem confused. Asteroid Truth at 1 Scorpio conjoins Venus, a placeholder for the female in this scenario, while opposing asteroid Brett; does this indicate that Kavanaugh is at odds with the truth, or reflects it honestly? Meanwhile asteroid Lie is even more ambiguous; at 24 Sagittarius it is at the focal of a Thor’s Hammer pattern, in sesquiquadrate to two points which are squared each other; in this case, these are asteroids Brett and Christine! The suggestion here is that neither antagonist is telling the whole story, or free of suspicion of deception; perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between.

 

That’s a lot to process, but it’s all there in the skies for the day. And we haven’t even talked about the charts of the participants!

 

 

Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, author of The Black Hole Book, detailing deep space points in astrological interpretation, and the forthcoming Heaven on Earth, a comprehensive study of asteroids, both mythic and personal. Alex is a frequent contributor to “The Mountain Astrologer”, “Daykeeper Journal”, and NCGR’s Journals and “Enews Commentary”; his work has also appeared in “Aspects” magazine, “Dell Horoscope”, “Planetwaves”, “Neptune Café” and “Sasstrology.” He is a past president of Philadelphia Astrological Society, and a former board member for the Philadelphia Chapter of NCGR.

6 comments, add yours.

Trish

Incredible! Thanks, Alex.

Jan Carter Seymour

Just discovered you Alex! Really enjoying your articles. I looked at the Solar Arc charts of Kavanaugh and Dr Ford for July 1, 1982 – the date on his calendar that matched some of the people that Ford claimed were at the party. Ford and Kavanaugh’s Natal Mars are conjunct and their Solar Arc Mars were conjunct too within a degree for that date AND Transiting Mars was conjunct right in the middle of both of their Solar Arc Mars that day! Was thinking it would be interesting for you to look at the PNA’s for that day relating to their charts. Seems quite likely that it was the day of the assault. Thanks for making all of this very interesting!

    Alex Miller

    Author

    great research there, Jan! kudos! as for me, I think I’ve pretty much shot my bolt on this Kavanaugh thing, though I may dig deeper for the chapter on him in the book I’m writing.

Lucira Jane Nebelung

Can you comment on Iris (7) – “crimes against justice, lying under oath” in this chart?

Thank you.

    Alex Miller

    Author

    Iris is not a point with which I have any familiarity. In reviewing her myth, I am uncertain where the phrase “crimes against justice” would originate, but it’s true that Iris brought the waters of the Styx to Olympus for the gods to swear by. If any of them lied, they would become unconscious for a year. Again, I’m not sure that the mere fact that Iris brings the water indicates she can be used as an image of “lying under oath.” There doesn’t seem to be any indication that Iris enacts the penalty or even oversees the swearing process, just that she provides the means for oath-taking.

    but my native skepticism aside, Iris appears at 13 Capricorn in Kavanaugh’s chart, within orb of natal asteroid Cavagna at 17 Cap, exactly squared Washingtonia at 13 Libra, and in a Grand Trine with Uranus/Pluto at 13 & 15 Virgo and Jupiter at 17 Taurus. That could relate to a natural tendency toward lying under oath (Iris) by Kavanaugh (Cavagna), specifically with a DC venue (Washingtonia), regarding a judicial post (Jupiter), based in shocking revelations (Uranus) and power plays (Pluto) with a focus on coercive sexual contact (Also Pluto).

    Normally I would associate oath-breaking with TNO Orcus, which at 12 Cancer opposes Iris and hits all these same marks, so it’s speculative as to which body would produce the manifestation.

      Lucira Jane Nebelung

      Thank you.

Leave a comment