Like everyone, I am trying to make sense of the state of our nation upon the development of Donald Trump being elected President of the United States. It is vividly clear that the media, political analysts and pundits were asleep at the wheel forecasting this election. And now 60+ million people who did not vote for Donald Trump appear to be suffering from PTSD as a result of the outcome. As an Astrologer, I am compelled to take a closer look at the Sky Chart to assess the current political landscape from a broader perspective. Out of necessity, its a good idea to take our-heads out of the box of conventional thinking and look for answers from different angles. It is safe to say that the fatal flaw in underpinning the results of this political race can be attributed to our old reliance on an outdated apparatus called, hubris! So with a humbling eye, I surveyed the astrological scenery as a counterintuitive measure by which to come back to earth and make sense of what happened on November 8th, 2016!
First I reflect on the “space” of being halted and dumbfounded by the political end-game on Election Day. Many of us feel a vast swirling emptiness. A desolate void. The place where we go when our hearts tremble in angst and dismay at the prospect of having a duplicitous and untested leader at the helm of our beloved country. The collective anxiety is reverberating throughout the bereft masses on the losing end of this political contest.
Juxtaposed to this seemingly psychological dead end is an important launching point for deeper understanding. This pause feels like a form of suspended animation, or paralysis of comprehension. Here we meet ourselves in grief. It is important to accept this grief as a legitimate form of major loss. We must also see this as fertile ground, where we can begin to find our drive, and move towards refocusing our lens on a new worldview. Despite an emerging sense that we are teetering on the precipice of a new political story-line; one that is being rewritten for us by anti establishment proselytizers. We fear that our highest American values will be egregiously compromised. But we can take heart. And base our response to it in the vein of the maxim — that a ‘wrong can be righted’ by shining the light of truth upon it!
Delving deeper into the current planetary Sky Chart, I fix my focus on the bigger picture. Here I find meaning that assuages my spirit, while infusing me with insights that transcend our sociopolitical turmoil. But the process of putting into words what I see astrologically is a complex task. Astrology’s ancient science and wisdom would be rendered impotent without the fitting use of visual metaphors and myth.
The first metaphor that I see studying the current astrological line-up relative to Donald Trump’s personal Birth-Chart, is the metaphor of the twin: We are pregnant as a nation. We birth twins. One twin, symbolizing the seeds of promise for a more inclusive and prosperous democracy, lies perilously sequestered on life support while the other twin is symbolizing the figurehead of a disgruntled citizenry standing in the shadows of our democracy. This twin is thriving as a result of getting tremendously overfed. It begins to cast an extraordinary shadow — larger than its singular stature would predict. We will call this thriving twin, Donald Trump. This twin metaphor is very befitting of Donald Trump, as he was born in the sun-sign of Gemini, which is the twin archetype in astrology. Donald trump, The Twin, is elected president, and the die is cast!
When looking at Trump’s chart, I see that his unexpected rise to presidential power is a result of a ‘karmic signature’ at play astrologically. There is a synchronicity with his (personal) karma and the transiting solar patterns above. These patterns are indicative of being “in-sync” with the pulse of the masses that supported his social vision and political agenda. He is embodying the awakening giant of the metaphorical twin. When we widen our astrological scope, we will begin to see that he is just an archetypal representation of the systemic split and dual personality of our existing nation. The two sided feature of our society is being exposed. Enlightening us so that we may now be able to see the disintegration of our union; which is creating ripples nationally and globally. When we flesh out the inner makings of this campaign, we see that one-half of our population has been apparently disenfranchised. Using the parallel of the ‘ill-twin’ — they make use of this claim of affliction, as subterfuge in their rallying battle cry throughout the campaign. On the other hand, the remaining half of the voters appeared to enjoy a relatively drawn-out period of political favor, until now. With this presidential outcome, a proverbial polar-shift has occurred. Donald Trump is the spearhead of a movement that outpaced the political-favorite and reversed the tide.
The lyrics of the song “The times they are a-changin”, by Bob Dylan, another member of the Gemini clan encapsulates the narrative of our new political era when he writes…”for the loser now will be later to win!” These words ring true at this karmic juncture. The key to understanding and overcoming this duality of being a “loser” or a “winner” is hidden within murky waters. The slogan “drain the swamp!” was used as a catchy motto for Trump’s campaign. This metaphor is an apt depiction of the astrological skies currently. “Drain the swamp” has multiple meanings, however. One is getting to the bottom of a dirty reservoir that needs to be dredged. Another is delving into the unconscious in order that we may be able to see what ails us as a culture. Then we may begin the work of mending our divisive and wounded society.
The use of metaphor and myth has the capacity to bypass our ingrained partisan views and cuts right to the quick. The mythical story of Pandora’s Box is also a vivid allegory that can be useful for translating the current astrological climate. In the traditional version of the myth, Pandora opens a mystical box which contains all of humanity’s ills. Once the box is open, dreadful things begin to fly out — the most unpleasant contents of our darkest nature. In particular Fear, Anger, Hatred and Denial are a few examples of these dreaded emotional exiles running amok. It is said that some good things fly out too, but that they are overshadowed by the torrent of these ominous human failings. When the lid is finally put back on, only one item remains in the box. That item turns out to be the virtue of Hope! Hope remains. It is an anchor that will aid us during our most challenging and hard times. This myth illustrates the “weather” as indicated by a subtle but powerful planetary alignment involving Neptune in Pisces in aspect to some significant astronomical and astrological points in our solar system.
The technical jargon of astrology aside, the message is embedded deep beneath the murky waters that we find ourselves in. It is our mandated task to wade in these waters. They are symbolic of our present system of governance in America. Through a confluence of events and other elements of “timing” we have elected an unprecedented Commander in Chief. One who is a standing metaphor of our nation and the similar global shifts taking place around the world. While our search lights are trying to reveal Donald Trump’s true character, we find an elusive silver lining. He has been instrumental in directing our attention to the deep divide that separates us. It mirrors the analogous separation of our “other-half” or the twin aspect metaphor. This symbolic separation stirs within many of us, a deep sorrow, confusion and disconnect. These are some of the additional emotions unleashed from the mythical Pandora’s box. This historical event is serving as a pivotal high watermark. It informs our path forward in order that we may someday coalesce around a common unity and collective healing.
I am grateful for the respite that my astrological insights have afforded me during this trying time of loss and defeat. It reminds me that astrology does not judge. It is the agency of human interpretation that judges. Astrology’s role is simply to inform. And therein, I remain hopeful that all will be “righted” in the end.
Originally published at medium.com