(16 August 2017)
The shameless presidency of Donald Trump appeared to hit a new low this
week in the wake of ugly racist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
A rally of alt-right white supremacists degenerated into a riot
following clashes with anti-racist protesters which saw three people
killed and many more injured. Trump was widely criticized for his
initial Saturday statement in which he did not clearly blame the
neo-Nazis as the instigators of the violence. Bowing to pressure, he
was forced to issue another more pointed condemnation on Monday although
to many it sounded scripted and hollow. But then yesterday's rambling
and angry press conference saw Trump incredibly revert back to his
original view which held that "both sides" were equally culpable. Trump has come under widespread criticism from many quarters including many from within his own party, and now seven CEOs have chosen to quit the President's Manufacturing Council rather than risk being associated with the White House. As the Trump presidency becomes more toxic one may well ask what will happen next. Will Trump become so besieged and isolated that he has to resign or can he get a much-needed political "win" to arrest the current downward spiral of his chaotic, failing administration?
I think things are going to get worse for Trump before they get better. As I have noted previously, Trump's horoscope is massively afflicted for the next few weeks. Even from very early in his term, we could look ahead and see that the Saturn station on August 25th at 27 Scorpio was going to be trouble for him. This pattern was one big reason why I thought Trump's first year in office would be so bad. Saturn will station atop his Moon and Ketu conjunction in his 4th house for several weeks on either side of the station date.
Trump has been put on the defensive over Charlottesville because the transiting Sun is in near exact alignment with his natal Ketu. The Sun represents the ego and self while Ketu (the South Lunar Node) is the symbolic opposite of those qualities as it often coincides with unexpected situations that oppose our wishes. Ketu usually denies the ego when it is in transit and the weakening of Trump's Sun this week is a direct consequence of this Ketu contact.
Normally, this faster-moving Sun-to-Ketu transit -- lasting just a day or two -- wouldn't be too difficult. But its effects are more pointed since Trump's chart is in terrible shape from the slower-moving transits of Saturn and the Nodes, Rahu and Ketu. And we haven't even mentioned the eclipse yet that hits Trump's Mars-Ascendant conjunction next Monday! There's a lot of energy running through his chart in the next few weeks. Certainly, this period will prove even more eventful and intense than anything we've seen so far this summer.
It is interesting to see how this current setback for Trump can be seen in both the Inauguration and PEOTUS charts. At the time of Saturday's rally and subsequent riot, Mars was at 20 degrees of Cancer -- exactly squaring the Ascendant and conjunct the equal 4th house cusp in the Inauguration chart (20 Jan 2017 12.00 pm). Mars is the planet of violence and war and it aligns exactly with the Ascendant of the chart, which represents the antagonism and conflict.
The PEOTUS chart also sees Mars figuring prominently as Mars (20 Cancer) casts its square aspect to the Sun (23 Libra). As the symbol of leaders, the Sun represents the president and it is afflicted by disputatious Mars. Additionally, we can see that Trump's problems with communication and messaging are highlighted by retrograde Mercury (17 Leo) in close conjunction with Rahu (16 Leo). Rahu tends to distort or disrupt whatever planet it is associated with so its connection with Mercury, the planet of speech and communication, is quite appropriate. Due to Mercury's low retrograde velocity, it will remain in conjunction with Rahu for most of this week. This will be bad news for Trump who may wish to rise above the fray and appear presidential. The Mercury-Rahu influence suggest that communications will remain subject to misunderstanding and distortion.
The other thing to remember about the PEOTUS chart is that it is running Rahu-Saturn dasha period. Dasha lord Rahu is placed in the 12th house indicating a presidency that is isolated and marked by deception and delusion. Intriguingly, Rahu is also the planet that symbolizes foreigners so it is no surprise perhaps that the Russia investigation hangs over the Trump White House. The shadow from this investigation about foreign influence over the Trump administration will likely linger for the rest of his term. Rahu in the 12th isn't always so bad, but in this Rahu is doubly afflicted by the full strength aspects of Mars (from the 5th) and Saturn (from the 3rd). Therefore, the worst side of Rahu's qualities are therefore more likely to be reflected in this presidency.
Trump's upcoming planets
Next week also looks difficult and could well be worse. Transiting Mars (27 Cancer) aligns with his Ketu (27 Scorpio) for most of the week and could cause him to become even more angry and frustrated. It also increases the likelihood of Trump having to deal with another violent situation. Mars is also very strong in the Inauguration chart late next week as it will exactly align with the Mars-Saturn square in that chart. It could reflect a very tense and dangerous situation. Similarly, Mars squares Mercury in the PEOTUS chart late next week.
Mars is also active in the Inauguration chart as it casts its full strength and perhaps most malefic aspect to natal Mars. Again, the theme is violence and conflict. At the same time, the Sun will conjoin retrograde Mercury on Aug 25-26 and will also conjoin the natal Rahu (9 Leo) in this chart. I think this suggests deception, intrigue and possible scandal. New Russia revelations are possible under this configuration. Rahu's prominence could also mean that troubles involving foreigners (e.g. North Korea) are also more likely to occur at that time.
The picture gets worse the following week at Mars and Mercury align on the solar eclipse point at 4 Leo. As it happens, this is just one degree from Trump's Mars and again creates a configuration where conflict and violence is more likely. In the PEOTUS chart the Mercury-Mars conjunction sits on the 12th house cusp symbolizing loss, secrets, and incoherence. The time window of the closest alignment is September 2-5 although the first week as a whole looks volatile. I don't know what will happen at this time but it looks like it could represent a kind of "peaking of energy" for the US and Trump.
As I have written previously, I don't think a resignation is the most likely outcome at this time. The key charts are certainly afflicted but not really enough to persuade me that Trump will go. The Pence chart (birth time unknown) isn't strong enough to reflect a gain for him that would occur if Trump resigned. Also key Democrat charts such as Obama or the Clintons should be strong if Trump was on the way out. Obama's chart definitely has some bright spots but if Trump was really resigning in September, then I would think he would be very happy indeed and it would show up more clearly. After all, his soft approach to the Russian hacking of the 2016 election campaign was arguably one reason why Trump ended up winning.
Obama is running his Saturn-Mercury dasha period so transits to those planets might be more telling of key events in his life. Tr. Venus does make a nice conjunction to his Mercury on Aug 26-27 so that could indicate some good news. Whether it is related to the Trump dumpster fire is hard to say. Saturn is stationing near his 11th house cusp in late August and will remain there for a couple weeks afterwards. Since Saturn is ruler of the 1st house, there is a greater likelihood of significant gains and wishes that are fulfilled. However, the Mercury Rx-Mars conjunction in early September at 4 Leo hits his Rahu almost exactly.. That doesn't seem very good and if anything looks like a time of confusion and (tense) sudden change. Whether it turns out to be good vibes, it is unlikely to last very long. Ketu hits Obama's Ascendant in Oct-Nov just as Saturn squares up his Mars.
Perhaps the strength in Obama's chart reflects some serious political or legal damage to Trump here in late summer which may not be enough to force him to resign. I would be more comfortable predicting that sort of less dramatic scenario than a full-on resignation.
Weekly Market Forecast
Stocks remain fairly buoyant this week as US retail data came in above expectations. After suffering a decline last Thursday, stocks have generally rebounded as the Dow is now back above 22,000. Indian shares have fared worse, however, as the Sensex took a substantial hit last week. This week has only seen a modest bounce as it is still below 31,500. In last week's market forecast, I was expecting a mixed picture although I thought we might have seen more downside early this week.
Further gains are possible today (Wednesday) and even tomorrow (Thursday) as Venus aligns with Jupiter and Pluto. but Friday looks less positive as the Sun conjoins Rahu (North Lunar Node) while Venus forms a minor alignment with Saturn. Of course, next week begins with the total eclipse of the Sun across the US. Eclipse days are not always bad for stocks so some early week upside is possible. However, I would think caution will be on the rise during the course of the week as Mars approaches its conjunction with Rahu.
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.
