(14 November 2016)
We're now living in a brave new Trumpworld as the transition of power
moves into full gear in the White House. President-elect Donald Trump
has begun making his key appointments to his inner circle and is
discussing plans for the new administration. Criticism and opposition
to the Trump presidency are persisting as protests and riots have not
ceased since election night. Some liberal commentators are now openly discussing the chances that Trump may not even finish his four-year term due to impeachment for criminal activities. Trump has 75 law suits outstanding against him including the Trump University trial which is slated to begin November 28th. Other observers are painting a more hopeful future as Trump's infrastructure spending plans could well kick-start the sluggish American economy. While media outlets are assuming an air of normalcy regarding the transition, uncertainty and trepidation are still very much in focus.
In my previous post after the Trump election win, I noted some puzzling alignments in the weeks ahead that suggested there may not be a simple path to the Trump inauguration on January 20th. I outlined several anomalous alignments that not only reflected problems in Trump's chart at key moments such as the Electoral College vote on Dec 19th, but that Hillary Clinton's chart appeared to be more positive around those same key dates or at least they suggested some kind changes afoot. If politics is a zero-sum game, then that could indicate some more strange twists and turns in this election before Trump is elected president.
Of course, in this post-election interregnum, politics may not really zero-sum any more so we have to allow for the more likely possibility that Trump's setbacks do not necessarily translate to Clinton's advantage. With the election over, it seems more likely that these alignments are mere intriguing coincidences that do not mean that Trump will somehow be denied the White House. It may mean that Trump suffers some other significant setback which raises the possibility that he could be impeached after he assumes office. And the shifting Clinton patterns could conceivably mean something else entirely, for example, that she and her husband discover that they will not be prosecuted by the incoming administration as Trump has threatened to do.
And yet we should make special allowances for these unusual scenarios and recognize that there is an increased probability for Trump to be blocked or delayed from assuming the presidency. After looking at the problem over the weekend, I still think the whole idea is a long shot but maybe not 50-1 as the betting markets would have it. I would note that the odds of a Clinton presidency have improved since election night from 100-1 to 50-1 and 33-1 on Predictit.org. So somebody is thinking along these lines also. Given the planetary alignments, I would think it's more like 10-1 or 5-1 or something like that. Still a long shot, but it is an outcome worth taking more seriously.
There are three key time windows to watch for this possible Clinton win scenario. The first is next week around the time of the Mercury-Saturn conjunction on Nov 21-22 just before Thanksgiving. This conjunction occurs at 22 Scorpio which is conjunct the south Node of Uranus. Uranus brings unexpected or sudden events, such as the stock market crash of October 1987 when Saturn was also at this point in the sky. However, we should note that the unexpected Trump victory itself is a manifestation of this energy since Saturn was only one degree away from this point. So it is unclear to me just how much Uranian shock will be left when Mercury also hits that point. There could be some significant development but it may not be sufficient to fundamentally change the trajectory of a Trump presidency.
Let's take a look at this puzzle from another angle using the Inauguration chart of President Obama on January 20, 2013. This chart often reveals major events and situations affecting the US according to the key transit hits over the course of its four-year validity. We can see that Saturn is there at 21 Scorpio which also happens to be the equal 8th house cusp in this horoscope. This is a very difficult placement for any planet since the 8th house indicates setbacks, scandals, secrets and embarrassments. As I said, the Trump win itself likely part of this placement as the entire governing elite in Washington were caught with their pants down with the rise of Trump and his unexpected win.
The other very telling placement in this chart is that the Ketu-Neptune conjunction at 15-16 Aquarius is exactly aspecting Saturn at 16 Libra by a 120 degree trine aspect. Saturn represents traditional government and authority structures and Ketu (South Lunar Node) embodies the notion of transcendence, change, and erasing boundaries -- a very apt description of Trump's popular uprising against globalization and the elites. Watery Neptune is a more subtle energy that suggests dissolving or eroding. Again, it's not out of a place here as Washington seems like it is undergoing at least as big a transformation as Reagan brought in 1980, if not more. And Trump has spoken about "draining the swamp" of DC corruption so that seems quite Neptunian too.
And aggressive and assertive Mars (6 Capricorn) is exactly conjunct the Sun which symbolizes leaders and executive government. Trump's revolution is very Mars-like in its attack on the establishment as he does not mince words and is less likely to engage in Venusian diplomacy and compromise and instead prefers to wield a blunt instrument.
But if we look at the 2013 Inauguration chart for next week we see the makings of an important development. Mercury will conjoin Saturn at 22 Scorpio in that very tense and difficult spot near the 8th house cusp. And then Mars will join the Ketu-Neptune alignment as it squares Saturn. This looks like an aggressive or surprising event that could shake things up again in some way. For its part, Trump's horoscope will come under pressure from this Mars-Ketu-Neptune alignment as it impacts his Mercury. Mercury in the 11th represents gains for Trump so this could indicate some significant change in his situation with regards to the election win and his hold on power. It's conceivable it could be a new scandal that he has to react to although it also could indicate other developments unrelated to the election. We will have to see how it all unfolds.
The other interesting thing about this chart is that Venus (18 Sagittarius) will conjoin Pluto (21 Sagittarius) near the 9th house cusp. The 9th house is believed to symbolize higher principles and law. Venus is also conjunct Pluto in the 2013 natal chart so that is a repeating pattern which suggests some significant parts of the country experience some happiness or relief. Since Venus symbolizes women and Pluto equates to power, it is tempting to think that Hillary Clinton could gain some benefit from this Venus-Pluto alignment which is especially prominent in this inauguration horoscope. Tempting, but it seems like a stretch to say it could overwhelm the other factors that argue for the populist Trump uprising.
I don't want to overstate the case for a possible Clinton presidency. At bottom, it's just a series of very interesting alignments across several charts that suggest we could see some unusual political developments between now and January 20th. While it seems unlikely to deny Trump, they may play a role down the road in any possible impeachment proceedings against him.
To be sure, Trump's horoscope is very afflicted for much of 2017. Transiting Saturn hits his Moon-Ketu conjunction three times in 2017 due to retrograde motion. It's a very difficult transit made more difficult since the Moon is weakened by debilitation in Scorpio. The Moon represents emotions and mental health and Saturn transits can coincide with extended periods of restriction, instability and disappointment. Trump could become even more mentally unpredictable and unhinged than he already is. That Saturn transit hits the USA chart with full force also as it opposes the natal Mars. This suggests 2017 will be a time of intense conflict and frustration no matter what happens. I would not rule out any scenario here with these transits. I hope to explore these ideas in my next post.
Weekly Market Forecast
US Stocks were generally higher following the surprise Trump victory. After a large 5% sell-off in the overnight futures market, buyers returned and the Dow ended last week at a new all-time record high of 18,847. Stocks are modestly lower so far in Monday trading. Indian stocks fared much worse, however, on the Dollar-friendly Trump win and the sudden government move to withdraw all 500 and 1000 rupee notes from circulation to combat black money and tax evasion. The Sensex was closed Monday and finished down 2% on the week at 26,818. These divergent outcomes make it harder to assess the accuracy last week's market forecast. I was correct in expecting some negative reaction to the election, although US stocks recovered quickly. I also correctly thought there would be late week gains which there were, although I underestimated the upside in the US. Monday isn't quite a bullish as I expected so far.
This week looks mixed at best. We could see some further upside into Tuesday but the Sun enters sidereal Scorpio just after the US close of trading that day. By itself, this isn't a bad influence but Saturn's placement in Scorpio could intensify negative sentiment when the Sun also enters that sign. Moreover, the approaching Mercury-Saturn conjunction could manifest somewhat earlier than next week. Therefore the late week is more vulnerable to declines. There is a special risk associated with next week's Mercury-Saturn conjunction at 22 Scorpio.
For more details and analysis on market trends for this week, this month and this year, please check out my weekly MVA Investor Newsletter. The newsletter is published every Saturday and includes extended discussion of US and Indian stock markets, as well as gold, oil and major currencies.
