Alex's Asteroid Astrology

What can I say? Here we go again, down the Trump rabbit hole. By now you’ve doubtless heard of the latest Tweets from the Cyberbully-in-Chief, directed at MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” anchor Mika Brzezinski.

In case you haven’t, they’re reproduced below:

Quite the charmer, ain’t he? We could wax all Freudian about how often he relates ‘bloody’ body parts to women (as after the 2016 GOP presidential candidates’ debate moderated by Fox anchor Megyn Kelly), but let’s just stick to the astrologic facts, shall we?

Pivotal to the story are asteroids Troemper (our trusty celestial stand-in for The Donald), Mika (yes, there is one!), Toro and Nemesis. Toro represents bullying and aggressive behaviors, while Nemesis, named for the Greek goddess of divine retribution, represents undoing, often self-created. And as always, my eternal gratitude to Twitter, the astrologer’s best friend, for the exact timing of this event.

But first a little background. It’s obvious that bullying is a huge component of Trump’s character. He routinely threatens, demeans, intimidates and belittles. He’s famous for threatening legal action against those who offend him, especially in print, and although he is in fact by far the most litigious US president in history, it’s also a fact that most of those threats never amount to anything. (And isn’t it just slightly delicious that First Lady Melania Trump has launched an anti-cyberbullying campaign? Remember, Melania, clarity begins at home!)

But why should this be so? Why is the 45th president such a schmuck, to use the technical term? Particularly in the political arena, which seems to have honed his bullying skills to razor sharpness? For the answer to that, we need only look to the Trump natal chart.

Folks, never underestimate the power of a body at station; be it planet or asteroid, a stationary body will always shine through. These are the still points upon which the chart can be said to revolve, they become firmly embedded in the psyche, and exert a power and influence much greater than normal, however aspected (or not) in the chart.

Trump has several of these points, most notably Jupiter, which stationed direct the day he was born. This speaks volumes about Trump’s “larger than life” persona, his exuberant exaggeration and self-aggrandizement, the “bluff” nature, both in manner and in tactic, and the bravado. It’s also a very powerful placement for politics, a natural fit and a planet with a “lodestar” quality for Trump.

But there are also a few asteroids at station, exerting that extraordinary influence. One is Toro, which at 21 Libra conjoins Jupiter at 17 Libra, and turned direct just two days after Trump’s birth. As we’ve seen above, Toro is bullying, aggressive behaviors; it is also machismo and male bluster, as well as representing themes of male superiority and misogyny, a sort of “grab ‘em by the p***y!” ethos. The conjunction with Jupiter says it all – Jupiter acts to further inflate and emphasize Toro, already disproportionately powerful in its station. But the effect works both ways, making Toro an influence upon Jupiter as well, which explains why Trump shifts into bullying hyper-drive where politics is concerned.

Think about all those sarcastic, demeaning “nicknames” he crafted for his political opponents, in the primary and general elections: “low energy” Jeb, “little” Marco, “crooked” Hillary. And the battles go on, with Trump trashing virtually every aspect of the Washington establishment, from the intelligence services and Congressional leadership (“clown” Chuck Schumer), to Gold Star families like the Khans and the entire Media profession(“Fake News”, “enemy of the people”).

Toro is also square to Trump’s natal Venus at 25 Cancer, so his bullying also expresses itself with regard to women. (With this Venus conjunct Saturn at 23 Cancer, we might theorize that Trump actually has a deep-seated fear of the fair sex, which expresses itself as a “whistling past the graveyard” type of bravado.) He has made fat-shaming and racist remarks about a former Miss Universe, calling her “Miss Piggy” and “Miss Housekeeping” (from her Latina ancestry); the Access Hollywood tape reveals in lurid detail his sexist, predatory attitudes and behaviors toward women, all part and parcel of Toro’s impact.

Additionally, Trump’s natal Uranus at 17 Gemini (which also conjoins his Sun) trines Toro, adding its effects to the mix. Trump seems to delight in shocking others, tweaking their sensibilities, smashing social norms and conventions, and just generally shaking things up. The Sun at 22 Gemini is also closely trined Toro, making this behavior an integral part of his core essence, who he is at heart.

But there is always a price to be paid. This comes in the form of asteroid Nemesis, at 16 Cancer in Trump’s nativity. Nemesis’ traditional role was to step in and exact punishment when mere humans overstepped themselves, exceeded the limits of the natural order of things, or failed to pay due respect to Fortune for their success. Over centuries, the term has also come to represent any person, thing or circumstance which stands in our way, blocks our efforts, or denies success.

Trump’s Nemesis squares Toro, implying that there will be a comeuppance one day for his bullying behaviors. The auxiliary points contacted suggest where the blow will fall – its conjunction to Saturn/Venus indicates that Trump’s career is at risk, as well as his financial worth; the square to Jupiter places the punishment in a political context. It may take longer than we’d like, but a day of reckoning will come.

Having set the scene, let’s proceed to the specifics of this particular incident. Trump’s two-Tweet tirade began at 8:52 AM EDT, sent from Washington DC. As always, look to the Angles first.

14 Leo is Rising, with transit asteroid Lie at 11, just above the horizon. This establishes immediately that falsehoods are likely to come into play. In their Washington Post op-ed piece the following day, Mika Brzezinski and co-host Joe Scarborough (who was also mentioned in the Tweet, though in an ancillary capacity, as “Psycho Joe”; the true venom was reserved for Mika) identified at least a half-dozen substantive untruths in that small body of work consisting of 55 words. (That may be a Trump falsehood record, but I somehow doubt it.) Further activations of Lie include the Ascendant in square to Trump’s natal Lie at 17 Taurus, and the MC at 6 Taurus conjoining Mika’s natal Lie at 2 Taurus.

All players covered in the lying department (I haven’t looked at Scarborough’s chart). The Ascendant is also squared to Mika’s Sun at 11 Taurus, itself conjoined asteroid Whitehouse at 13 Taurus, bringing her personally into the plot (Sun), as well as her relationship with the Oval Office occupant (Whitehouse), who is further identified by Mika’s natal asteroid Troemper, which at 20 Leo is within orb of the Tweet Ascendant.

Opposing Lie/Ascendant, on the Descendant and fresh from its own station just two weeks prior, is asteroid Mika, the principal target of the Tweet, at 17 Aquarius. Mika falls on Trump’s natal asteroid Icarus at 19 Aquarius, a point noted for rash, reckless actions heedless of the consequences. Her very presence, in her celestial namesake, prompts Trump to act impulsively, lash out without forethought. The fact that Mika’s station at 18 Aquarius was activating this point for an extended period indicates that terrestrial Mika was an irritant to Trump for some time, prompting a response sooner rather than later. Note that Mika is also exactly squared Trump’s natal Lie, suggesting that was the final cog in the wheel of his pique with her, resulting in the falsehood-laden effort to defame her.

So far, so good, but there is much more. Incredibly, Mika is involved in not one, but two major configurations in the chart.

First let’s look at the Yod, also known as a “Finger of Destiny.” This is formed from Mika at the apex, inconjunct to both the transit Moon at 20 Virgo, and a Mars/Mercury conjunction at 16 and 17 Cancer. Mars/Mercury is noted for heated, inflammatory rhetoric, and certainly describes a verbal (Mercury) attack (Mars). The Moon identifies the target as a woman in the public eye, while Mika, of course, provides the specifics as to which woman is being targeted. This is a truly stunning configuration, painstakingly evocative of the specifics of the event.

The second pattern brings together both Mika and her bully, in the form of asteroid Troemper. A Thor’s Hammer, this pattern comprises two planets in square to each other, each sesquiquadrate (135 degrees) a third. In this case, we have Mika at 17 Aquarius squared asteroid Ophelia at 18 Scorpio, both sesquiquadrate Troemper at 1 Cancer. Ophelia is key here, for two reasons. First, it’s also coming to station at that degree, on July 4, just 6 days later, making it a “still point” for the day, heightening its effects. Second is what Ophelia represents, which, among other things, includes insanity.

Insanity plays a key role in the story; Trump identifies Brzezinski as “Crazy Mika” in his Tweet, and the basis of Trump’s complaint with the “Morning Joe” hosts is their repeated questioning of his own mental state, and capacity to govern the country. Their rebuttal Washington Post op-ed piece on the following day was titled “Trump Is Not Well”, referring to his mental health, and further chronicling incidents of attempted White House intimidation.

Trump’s natal Ophelia is another of those stationing points in his nativity; at 27 Aquarius, it trines the Sun, just like Toro, and turned retrograde four days after his birth. Its effects are further magnified by its close contact with the Descendant at 29 Aquarius, as angular points are also emphasized in power and influence. So there’s no doubt that potentially, there is support in the natal chart for Trump “going gaga” at some point in the life. Are we there? The fact that natal Ophelia is currently being stressed by an extended transit conjunction of asteroids Whitehouse and Damocles (the doom hanging unseen overhead) from April through December 2017 could suggest that Trump’s occupancy of the Oval Office is having a negative, energizing effect upon the natal potential for a mental breakdown. Reports of Trump in the White House, ranting and raving at TV screens displaying adverse press coverage, do not inspire confidence in his stability.

Now enter Nemesis. Nemesis on the day of the Tweet is at 2 Aquarius, making a close inconjunct to transit Troemper at 1 Cancer. It’s also squared Mika Brzezinski’s natal Mercury and Lie, at 1 and 2 Taurus, and exactly sesquiquadrate Trump’s natal Uranus at 17 Gemini. The implication is of some form of self-undoing (Nemesis) based in impulsive actions (Uranus) emanating from Trump (Troemper), involving falsehoods told (Lie) about a Media personality (Mercury). Trump described Mika as “bleeding badly from a face-lift”; in truth, she had a minor procedure done on her chin, and was not bleeding. He says she and Scarborough came to Mar-a-Lago three times around New Year’s; Scarborough came twice and Mika came once. He says they insisted on joining him, and he refused; they state that it was his begging that caused Scarborough to return the second day, with Mika in tow, and they had a 15 minute private conversation with Trump at his urging. Whatever the truth of the matter, the Tweet called down condemnation from both sides of the aisle, and has acted to further alienate potential congressional allies.

But where Nemesis fully shows her role is in the synastry, from the day to both parties, and between them. Trump’s natal Nemesis, as we have seen, lies at 16 Cancer, which is exactly where the transit Mars/Mercury conjunction had formed. This also binds transit Mika to natal Nemesis via the Yod pattern. Not only that, but Trump’s natal asteroid Mika is at 19 Cancer! So both natally and via transit, she is a natural spur to his Nemesis, prompting self-undoing.

As well, the transit degree of Mika at 17 Aquarius conjoins Brzezinski’s own Nemesis, at 16 Aquarius. And this in turn is opposed by her natal asteroid Troemper at 20 Leo. So Trump naturally spurs her innate potential to act as a nemesis for someone, and with celestial Mika activating both her Nemesis and natal Troemper, the time is now, the ‘someone’ is him. It should also be noted that transit Troemper at 1 Cancer was exact with Brzezinski’s natal Mika on the day of the Tweet, bringing the two forcibly together on yet another level. That transit Troemper degree also exactly opposes transit asteroid Achilles at 1 Capricorn, representing a point of weakness or vulnerability, showing Trump’s exposure to public opprobrium and ridicule in the aftermath of the Tweet.

Other points of note include transit Venus at 24 Taurus with transit Icarus at 25. Again we have a combination of females and rash, reckless acts. The potency of this pairing to the day’s events can be seen in Venus’ exact conjunction with Trump’s natal MC, putting his attitudes toward women on full public display. Typically, Venus/MC is an incredibly favorable moment, but Trump squandered this potential in a pointless insult-fest.

Transit Toro’s position at 6 Gemini isn’t as tapped into the day as one might expect, though it is square to asteroid Whitehouse at 0 Pisces, indicating bullying behaviors coming from that quarter. It’s also traveling with asteroids Phaeton and Kassandra at 5 and 7 Gemini respectively. Phaeton represents a spectacular explosion and fall from grace, whereas Kassandra raises issues of credibility and trust. Trump’s aggressive style (Toro) threatens to flame out (Phaeton) his presidency, and each such childish Tweet further diminishes his standing, integrity and believability (Kasandra) in the role of chief executive. Toro also opposes Trump’s natal asteroid Troemper at 2 Sagittarius, once again bringing the bullying energy home to him personally.

All in all, the sky paints an incredibly lucid picture of the day’s events, as always. Truly, “as above, so below.”