(30 September 2019)
Stuff is getting real now in Washington, DC as Democratic Speaker
Nancy Pelosi finally pulled the trigger on the impeachment inquiry of
President Donald Trump. The revelations in the Ukraine-Biden affair
convinced Pelosi and the more moderate wing of the party to go ahead
with the controversial impeachment inquiry. Hearings are due to begin
this week with the subpoena Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani. The eventual
timing of the House votes on the Articles of Impeachment will depend on
the length of the investigations but seem most likely to take place in
November or December. In last Monday's post, I outlined a few time windows that could be decisive in this impeachment process: 1) late September; 2) late October; 3) early December and perhaps most importantly; 4) January-February. In terms of the current transit picture, I didn't properly understand that the Mars (28 Leo) square aspect to Trump's volatile Moon-Ketu combination at 28 Scorpio could actually bring about the formal beginning of the inquiry. It was clearly bad news for the president but it also more or less exactly coincided with impeachment launch.
Interestingly, that same Mars transit also activated a key nasty pattern in Trump's inauguration chart (Jan 20, 2017, noon). Mars was exactly square Saturn (29 Scorpio) and opposite natal Mars (0 Pisces). This confluence of malefics is bad enough, but Mars and Saturn are doubly important in the presidential inauguration chart because Mars rules Aries which is the 1st house of the nation as a whole while Saturn rules Capricorn which is the 10th house of leaders and government. Any afflictions to these planets will therefore likely correlate with problems for Trump.
The inauguration chart suffers from a more fundamental affliction since that ongoing Saturn-Ketu conjunction near 19-20 Sagittarius is sitting atop the equal 9th house cusp. The 9th house symbolizes legal affairs such as impeachment. Both Saturn and Ketu are usually negative influences and here they reflect stressful or harmful situations relating to law, including the Constitution.
The late October alignment of Mars with Saturn-Ketu will again highlight the 20 degree house cusps in the Inauguration chart. Conflict may reach an interim peak around this alignment and could even correspond with the first vote to impeach. Alternatively, it could be a lesser development but one which is no less damaging to Trump. Remember that even if the House votes to impeach it still requires the Senate to convict him. Most observers are expecting the House to vote to impeach but at the moment, it seems less likely that the Senate will impeach as GOP party loyalty to Trump looks intact for now.
As restrictive as it may be, I don't think the early December Saturn-Jupiter alignment in Trump's chart is going to be decisive. The more damaging alignment is likely in early 2020 when Saturn conjoins Pluto and both line up against the Venus-Saturn in Trump's chart in the 12th house of isolation and punishment.
The inauguration chart is quite telling on that front since Saturn and Pluto will conjoin the MC (unequal 10th house cusp) and thereby highlight fundamental matters of leadership. Saturn and Pluto may symbolize 'restrictions of power', 'acts of coercion' or the 'exercise of power'. It looks like a very intense and portentous alignment. At the same time, Saturn (1 Capricorn) will also cast its full-strength 3rd house/60 degree aspect to Mars. Overall, this looks like a very difficult time for Trump and the US government.
There is even more difficulty ahead since Saturn is due to station retrograde in April at 7 Capricorn, which is just one degree past the Sun (6 Capricorn) in the inauguration chart. The Sun is the planet that represents the president and the Saturn station in April-May looks terrible for Trump. As if to highlight the importance of that early spring window, Mars will conjoin Saturn atop that Sun on March 31. While current political betting odds only have the Senate 25% likely to convict Trump, this gauntlet of Saturn and Pluto aspects in early 2020 suggest Trump's removal from power is more likely than many expect.
Weekly Market Forecast
US stocks slipped last week as uncertainty surrounding the impeachment persuaded some investors to reduce their exposure. Markets in Europe and Asia were also generally lower although once again, India rallied on tax cut optimism. This negative outcome was not too surprising as I thought the Venus-Saturn alignment and the Mars entry into Virgo would likely make it difficult for stocks to rise.
This week has started on a positive note as Monday's Venus-Jupiter-Pluto alignment was predictably bullish. Mercury aligns with Mars on Tuesday and Wednesday, however, so we should expect some kind fallout from that pairing. Venus enters sidereal Libra on Thursday and Friday so that often translates into at least one up day. Since Friday's Moon-Mars aspect is often bearish, that loads of the bullish cosmic dice for Thursday a bit more than for other days. The relative strengths of these alignments are reflected in the Planet Transit Index below.
For a more detailed analysis of the markets, please check out my weekly subscriber newsletter which is published every Saturday afternoon (EST). I outline the key technical and planetary influences for US and Indian stocks for the short and medium term, as well as currencies, gold and oil.
(Trump photo: c-span.org)
