Mundane Astrology and the 2020 Presidential Election
Mundane astrology is the type of astrology used to predict world affairs and events. I have it on good authority that professional mundane astrologers have been reluctant to attempt predicting the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in the United States. This is understandable since a reliable time must be known (or chosen) in order to accurately erect a chart for the event in question. There is considerable uncertainty regarding the effective “end-point” of the election process this year due to the allowance for counting of late mail-in ballots in some States. Assuming that neither candidate has an insurmountable lead in the Electoral College vote by the end of the day, the verdict could be delayed for some time. It is common to use a time of noon for events with an unknown provenance, but in this case midnight at the end of the day seems like a more reasonable assumption than noon for a hypothetical forecast.
With that in mind, I decided to cast an event chart for the last second of November 3 (23:59:59). This may or may not be a valid projection in that the house cusps thus derived might not represent the actual “sky pattern” for the declared moment of victory for either candidate, but it at least provides a pertinent framework of transiting zodiacal positions against which to compare the natal planets of Biden and Trump. Only the fast-moving Moon is a potential outlier; it would sit a few degrees earlier in the zodiac if a decision is reached sooner than midnight. Here is a graphic composite of the event chart including mundane house cusps and transits on the inner ring, and both Biden’s and Trump’s natal horoscopes separately superimposed on the outer ring. As in any transit scenario, we look for “triggering” contacts between the moving elements and the static “blueprint” shown by the natal placements as a way to analyze whether either candidate is favored or disfavored by the mundane influences. What is missing here in each case is the progressed Moon and the solar return data for both men; these are subjects for another time.
Because the chart structure does not have a sound temporal underpinning, I’m not going to spend any time looking at sign, house and planet correlations in the event chart itself. I will only note that, for the time cast, the chart axes (Ascendant and Midheaven) fall in the conservative fixed signs, so if the verdict comes in around midnight or slightly before I might cautiously surmise a late “Red State” surge as the deciding factor. Regarding planetary contacts, neither candidate is well-served by the epochal sociopolitical upheaval signified by the Jupiter/Pluto/Saturn complex in Capricorn, which opposes Trump’s natal Venus/Saturn conjunction and Biden’s natal Jupiter, all of them in Cancer; but these are more broadly societal than personal in import, perhaps reflecting the general unrest of the electorate in these fractious times rather than portending individual turmoil for the candidates. At worst, the prevailing public attitude is anathema to Trump’s conservative values (Saturn/Venus), while for Biden it exacerbates the risk of overconfidence and overreaching (Jupiter).
Transiting Mercury in Libra squares Biden’s natal Jupiter and Trump’s natal Venus/Saturn conjunction as well, suggesting that “the devil is in the details;” Biden could be perceived in some quarters as being unable to deliver (“all talk and no action”) and some see Trump as being too volatile (a “bull looking for a china shop”). The transiting Sun is applying to conjunction with Biden’s natal Mars, an invigorating influence as long as he can tame and capitalize on it, while the transiting Moon, having just crossed the ecliptic at its North Node, is applying to a conjunction with Trumps natal Sun and a trine with natal Mars, indicating a possible up-tick in popularity; however, transiting Moon opposed natal Moon shortly before presents the chance for a short-lived crisis in public confidence. At any rate, a quick perturbation in mood is possible that briefly unnerves the Republican camp.
Looking at the “easy” aspects, there are two important trine/sextile patterns formed by the transits to Trump’s birth chart. Natally, his rising Mars in Leo (no surprise there) is sextile his 10th-House Sun in Gemini and trine his 4th-House Moon in Sagittarius; here is a relentless self-promoter if ever there was one. On November 3, transiting Mercury will be trine to his natal Sun and sextile to his natal Mars, while also sextiling his natal Moon, suggesting that his message is likely to be heard. Nothing remarkable except transiting Sun conjunct natal Mars (as previously mentioned) stands out for Biden as a strong “plus,” although Venus trine Saturn does try to put a little luster on his somewhat staid image. This implies that Trump benefits from a bit more momentum and could have an opportunity to leverage his position via the transiting sextiles, catching Biden flat-footed. According to Reinhold Ebertin, the “planetary pictures” comprised of these trine/sextile combinations express considerable vigor concomitant to success but also heightened nervousness, irritability and combativeness. Regardless of the political posturing and rhetoric (and assuming that the two natal charts are accurate),Trump’s birth map is more coherently tied into the transiting forces than Biden’s, giving him what I see as a distinct astrological advantage in the election, unless he manages to undo himself in some spectacular fashion. There is something Promethean about his prospects that may burn him yet, but I don’t see it “in the stars.”
I won’t draw any conclusions from contacts to the “generational” planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto since Biden and Trump are of the same generation, and I have never used asteroids. Note that I don’t use the “Keplerian” minor aspects, staying instead with those of Ptolemy: conjunction, opposition, square, trine and sextile. I tend to keep aspect orbs fairly tight, even for the Sun and Moon, and — in keeping with traditional methods — I don’t apply “cross-sign” aspects.
