On the 20th of January 2021 at 11:49 EST Joe Biden took the oath of office for President of the United States. What follows in this post will be a brief astrological overview of the incoming administration and a broad overview for the next four years. The outgoing Trump administration lived up to its astrological signature, too, and we will have a brief look at that as well. With the nation being so divided now, it is helpful to look at what the road signs in the astrology indicate for the journey ahead for the US. With that in mind, we start with the inaugural chart for the Biden administration.
The chart for the inauguration is below (bigger). I watched the inauguration live.
To start, the Constitution mandates the date and time for presidential inaugurations, so the Sun is always in Aquarius, with the last degrees of Capricorn usually at the MC and Taurus rising. This has been the case since the 20th Amendment was adopted on 23 Jan 1933. The amendment was adopted to shorten the lame duck period between the outgoing and incoming administrations. The first such inauguration was that of the 2nd term of FDR.
Before we go into Biden’s admin chart, administration charts give insight into the direction of a nation for the term of the officeholder. The Trump administration’s chart is a good example to illustrate this. Without going into detail, the Ascendant had one midpoint by 90° modulus, Asc=Nep/Plu: “Being placed in a peculiar environment, the tendency to surround oneself with an air of mysticism.” One has only to look at the ‘Q’ phenomenon to see the ‘mysticism’ that surrounded the administration, as well as the religious overtones connected to many of Trump’s supporters and followers. The Sabian symbol for the rising degree is descriptive, too: “Head covered with a rakish silk hat, muffled against the cold, a man braves a storm.” Trump and his administration were seen as rakish by liberals, and certainly endured a cold reception from the liberals and a storm of criticism throughout his term.
The main feature of the Trump admin chart is the Mars/Saturn square, marking a big rise (his election) and a fall due to hubris. That aspect describes a person or an administration which has an unusually high opinion of oneself/itself, and it is one that can indicate colossal business failures. The pandemic and his economic policy brought him undone, along with the strong bipartisan divide. As well, the Sun is otherwise unaspected except for its conjunction to the MC, showing a lack of integration with the rest of the chart, a stand-alone leadership, or a lack of leadership. There is much more we could say, of course, but perhaps these few points begin to illustrate the efficacy of administration charts.
Moving on to the Biden administration, then, the chart has two large stand-outs:
- The Sun conjunct Saturn and Jupiter, with Saturn at the midpoint of the three, this being offset by…
- A partile conjunction of Mars and Uranus, with Jupiter at the midpoint.
The chart conforms to a classic bundle shape, indicating a very singular focus in a particular direction. The bundle occurs primarily in the 4th quadrant of the chart (between the 10th and 1st house cusps), indicating a strong desire to influence public policy and public outcomes. The focus for the Biden administration will be upon the public sphere, at home and internationally, with a desire to reassert American values at home and abroad. The focus will be intense and unrelenting, consistent with the bundle type. With the changes in the world since 2008, there is a great desire in the Washington establishment to reassert American dominance (a.k.a ‘leadership’), which has fallen since the 2008 financial collapse and with rising powers in the East challenging American hegemony.
The ‘leading planet’ in the bundle – the one that appeared on the horizon first that day – is Venus. Venus is in the 9th house and sextile to Neptune. The latter is an aspect that features high idealism, with the idea that people and nations should conform to the ideals set out. The focus of the administration in particular will be on diplomacy and rebuilding alliances that have suffered in past years, on finances, on foreign trade (9th house), financiers, currency and addressing the general financial situation in the US, given the huge stock market bubble and the shaky nature of the real economy due to many factors – pandemic, lack of regulation, too much focus on assets instead of income, etc.
The Sun is always conjunct the MC at US inaugurations, provided they take place at the appointed hour. The chart shows unusual tension, noted by the overriding preponderance of squares in the chart, the only ‘easy’ aspect being the sextile between Venus and Neptune. But those same squares give drive to overcome obstacles. The sextile is a supporting aspect by itself, and in this case contributes to the ideals of what it is to be America and American.
With Venus in the 9th house and co-ruling the 1st and 6th houses, we can expect quite a lot of talk about American exceptionalism, the ideals that are constantly rolled out as having made the country great, and with probably quite a bit of ‘preaching abroad’, though that is not likely to be seriously received after the Trump administration and the events of January 6th.
Neptune focuses the energies of Pisces and is in Pisces, giving a saving note to this administration, noting the pandemic and financial woes the nation faces. It is also partile Ceres, the combination of the two in the 11th house, giving an additional focus on alliances, foreign agreements, as in treaties, a crossroads in those areas, the desires of the nation and so forth. Biden has signed an executive order to re-enter the Paris Climate Accords and the WHO, and will be looking at the JCPOA, though many commentators doubt that will happen, especially if Washington tries to renegotiate the treaty. Biden has only a few weeks to decide. We’ll have more on that in a bit.
Neptune is also square the nodal axis, showing the strained relations between Congress and the administration, the need for bipartisan work, the need for providing for the nation (Main Street), but also the lack of ‘community spirit’ between the two major parties. With the involvement of Ceres, the ideal is for the parties to work together in order to solve the nation’s problems, which grow by the day. The reality is somewhat different, as we have no doubt noticed, which brings us to the first bullet point, above.
The midpoint, Saturn=Sun/Jupiter has the following interpretation: “The disinclination to do something, coupled with a completely negative state of mind, incapability and incompetence, inhibitions (partly conditioned organically). – The loss of employment, of good fortune, of one’s possessions. – Lack of success, illness.”
Even without any knowledge of astrology, we know Biden faces the bolded points above already. The Republicans in Congress have no interest in helping to push through any of his agenda, having been opposed to most of his policies as they have already demonstrated, and with most of the Republican lawmakers believing the election was stolen from Trump. Why would they want to cooperate with the new administration? Mitch McConnell is seeking to keep the filibuster in place, which would allow Republicans to delay or even deny Biden’s policies to be pushed through Congress. So, we see there is already a fight underway to hang on to control.
We can expect many examples of obstructionism from within Congress, with many dragging feet and open hostility. That is somewhat indicated by the Mars/Uranus conjunction square to the midpoint just described. It is clear that if the Democrats want to get anything done, they will have to act as a unified bloc, with no dissention in the ranks. Biden will have to rule by executive order for his first 100 days, as the confirmation process for his cabinet nominees will likely face a long process of vetting and opposition. There are many Republicans who want revenge for the loss of the election, not seeing their own part in their losses, and not really caring.
The positive side of the Sun/Jupiter/Saturn combination will take probably most of Biden’s term to realize, which can result in record achievements and great creative powers so long as the focus can be maintained throughout that period. Much will depend on how the public responds to his policies once those policies make it through Congress, providing they do. If they are not able to do much to benefit the public and there is too much focus on Wall Street and foreign matters, then there is a strong possibility that the Republicans could sweep Congress in 2022, and Biden would be a lame duck for the remainder of his term.
And here is the main point to the chart: Much of this administration’s success or failure will depend on if Biden can get the economy started again and raise people’s standard of living in the first few months of his term. Unless the US can knock the pandemic out and move on, Saturn at the midpoint of Sun/Jupiter will dog this administration and the Biden years could amount to little more than a failed experiment. However, if the 2nd bullet point, above, can be successfully engaged and maintained, this administration has real possibilities.
The Sat=Sun/Jup midpoint thus has two modes of expression: In the positive, it represents a well-planned and regulated rollout of policy, based in wide experience (Saturn) and tempered (Saturn again) by realities on the ground. In the negative, the midpoint yields strong opposition to any expansive policy via vested interests, reactionary elements and the status quo (all Saturn, also). That leads into the next midpoint, which has the capacity to offset the negative qualities of the previous one.
The midpoint, Jupiter=Mars/Uranus reads as follows: “The correct grasp of a situation coupled with timely action. – Successful contests of strength, good fortune and also a lucky hand in unusual actions, good luck with injuries, accidents or operations.” This is a much more optimistic combination, and Jupiter links the two midpoints at the two bullet points at the start of this post. From what he stated in his acceptance speech, Biden does seem to have a grasp of what needs to be done, as well as listing some unusual actions, not seen in recent administrations. Biden is talking up a two-point plan of rescue and recovery. He is calling the second part his ‘Build Back Better Recovery Plan’. The major points of his speech on the 14th of this month stand out:
- 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days as President
- Reopening the K – 8 schools by the end of the first 100 days
- Supporting workers financially who have to stay home because of COVID symptoms
- Building COVID vaccination stations in record time
- National $15/hr minimum wage
- Extension of rent deferral
- Extension of unemployment benefits past March with a $400 supplement
- Extending food relief through the SNAP program for the remainder of this year
- Emergency small business relief
- Investing boldly, smartly, with unwavering focus on American workers and families
- Making sure everyone pays their fair share, by closing loopholes for companies that ship jobs overseas, and for asking everyone to pay their fair share at the top in order to make a permanent investment in America’s future
The penultimate bullet point echoes the bundle shape of the chart and the Mars/Uranus midpoint, just described. The last bullet point will meet with very strong opposition. These are ambitious plans, and for the most part will meet with stiff resistance from the moneyed interests.
What we see with this administration is an opportunity for the nation to turn the corner on the neoliberal policies in effect since the Clinton administration and before. That is indicated by the direction of Jupiter to the US Ceres, described on the posts on the events of the 6th, that direction also square to the US Uranus. Whether there will be any effort to do so is an open question, and most independent observers are very sceptical there will be much change in the neoliberal order, if any. This administration looks to be populated with the very people who have promoted and maintained the neoliberal order, but we will address that in another post.
Venus is trine the Ascendant, which it rules, with the Ascendant ruling the public consciousness, the common people, the general health of the nation and its internal affairs. The Ascendant receives only one midpoint by either the 90° or 45° moduli, Asc=Sun/Mercury: “The tendency to cultivate the exchange of ideas or thoughts, the ability to give and to receive mental or intellectual stimulation, a fondness for conducting negotiations.” This is quite a hopeful indicator. More than anything, though, it shows the desires of the public. And the main thing the public wants right now is to move past the pandemic and return to some sense of normality, with real financial support – and that will require strong negotiating skills.
The Sabian symbol for the Ascendant reads as follows: “A woman watering flowers in her garden.” This symbol goes along with the preceding midpoint. ‘Water’ in this case represents financial support, with ‘flowers’ representing the public, the symbol being connected with the public (1st house). If instead, ‘flowers’ represent Wall Street, the garden will be a poor one indeed, with only a few here and there.
Finances in this chart are co-ruled by Venus, which is a general ruler of finances, and by Mercury, ruling the 2nd house. Mercury is out of orb of any major aspect, except for a trine to the north node. Its only midpoints by the two moduli are to the Vertex on one side, showing possibilities, but little real effect. Standing alone in Aquarius, it receives little emphasis except via the trine to the nodal axis, a combination which speaks a lot about the exchange of ideas, but not of actions.
The real action of this administration will be in the 10th and 12th houses, with a big emphasis on the reflexive action between the 4th house (public infrastructure and opposition parties) and the 10th house (national prestige and the sitting government). There is a conflict between the two astrological houses this time, shown by the square of Eris to the Meridian axis from the 12th house, also square to Pluto conjunct the MC, indicating a possible sabotage of efforts or overt control by plutocrats. This brings up an Achilles heel of this administration. There are more positive indicators for Pluto conjunct the MC, too, anon.
Featured pic from India Today