Starlight News Blog

In light of all the controversy and confusion around President Trump essentially ignoring the intelligence concluding that Russia has been paying bounties to the Taliban for the murder of American soldiers in Afghanistan, we really should not be surprised. Since the beginning of this presidency, it has become increasingly apparent that Trump’s agenda is not the same as what we would customarily expect from a president.

In normal times, our leader strives to promote the safety, security, and health of the population, making his choices in a way that will serve the public interest, albeit based on his political perspective. Under Trump, the presidency has devolved into a means to promote his personal interests. It is a means to have adoring crowds feed his insatiable narcissistic needs, even if those crowds will become a superspreader event for a dangerous pandemic. It is also a means to feast on the rush of dominance over those who disagree with him, oppose him, or speak a truth that counters his grandiose delusions. Thus, reputations are crushed, people are fired, tweets are pushed that impact the Stock Market, tariffs are imposed, soldiers are rearranged, never with a consideration of the consequences to the national interest, but instead in a fit of pique or as a heady rush of incontestable aggressive power.

But we should not forget the other agenda item of the Trump presidency that underlies a great deal of his otherwise unexplainable statements, policies, and pretended ignorance.  Trump came into office wanting to end the sanctions on Russia. That is what the whole Flynn case was ultimately about. He and his minions lied repeatedly about their associations with Russia and worked assiduously to diminish and ultimately dismantle the work of the Mueller investigation. Trump precipitously pulled our troops out of Syria, essentially benefiting the Turkish and the Russian policy aims and abandoning our allies, the Kurds. He withheld financial and military aid to the Ukrainians, attempting to benefit himself politically but also weakening the Ukrainians in their war against Russia.

Moreover, Trump has pushed hard to get the Russians back into the G7 to make it once again a G8. He has deferred to Putin on matters of intelligence and ignored the US intelligence community findings on a number of occasions. And now we learn that the Putin government has been paying bounties to the Taliban to kill American soldiers, and Trump has not responded in any way to this egregious Russian scheme. What is incontrovertible is that all of these policy decisions are linked by a willingness to protect and promote the Putin agenda at the expense of US national security, American allies, the sanctity of the US election system, and now even the safety of American troops.

Given that Trump has literally worked miracles to keep his taxes and financial statements from public knowledge, and he has recently fired the US Attorney from the Southern District of New York who was sniffing around Trump’s finances, attempting to install a former lawyer for Deutche Bank in the process, we must strongly consider that it is the hidden truths underpinning Trump’s financial interests that are the key to his total submissiveness to Putin, the leader of an adversary nation.

Indeed, it seems more than likely that Putin is the ultimate puppeteer in the history of Trump’s money-laundering of Russian money through Trump’s real estate deals. Putin is the man behind the curtain in how Trump got loans, underwritten by a Russian-owned bank and filtered through a European bank, when no one else wanted to lend him anything. And more to the point, Putin is likely the key to Trump’s future financial security once he is out of office.

If we understand that the president’s agenda is not the agenda of the country, but often serves interests that often run counter to our national security, our health and our general welfare, then we can connect the dots between everything that otherwise makes no sense at all.

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There is a dark cloud enveloping the country as we move through the spring of 2020 and beyond. The still-metastasizing pandemic has already taken 100,000 lives and close to 40 million jobs. People are hurting, and they are angry. Much of this could have been avoided with a responsible and competent chief executive more interested in serving the public than serving his own political interests and narcissistic image. The mountain of evidence for his criminal negligence is crystal clear, and history will have much to report on the pernicious stain of the Trump presidency.

Into this already stressful reality, we now face yet another in a long history of egregious acts of lethal police violence, yet another murder of a black man by police under the thin, obfuscating veil of a blue uniform drenched in blood. The explosive rage that has erupted on the streets of Minneapolis is being echoed in solidarity on sister streets across the nation.  A simple indictment for the unjustified murder and the reckless endangerment of a citizen, as well as the abuse of power by law enforcement would go a long way to quell the uprising. But the indelible memory of multitudes of similar instances, also caught on video for the world to see, but followed by the predictable exoneration of such vicious, unrepentant crimes feeds the unforgiving fires.

As stated previously, I feel that the Pluto transit opposite the US Mercury (24Cancer12), covering from mid-January through June 26, 2020, and returning from November 29 through December 31, is the astrological signature of an intense struggle to survive, as well as a partisan, almost paranoid distrust.  This heightened, fearful Plutonian emotion is currently further strengthened by the progressed US Moon opposite natal US Mercury in May and conjunct transiting Pluto from May 12 to June 6.  This points to a particularly stressful few weeks with a great deal of upheaval.

Unfortunately, the progressed US Moon will conjunct natal Pluto (27Capricorn33) from July 23 to August 23, while also be conjunct transiting Saturn from August 1 through August 12. Again, this will heighten the paranoid, suspicious partisan divide, as well as the anxious feeling of the struggle to survive against seeming impossible odds. How this will manifest is unclear, whether it is about the resurgence of the virus, another completely crazy and destabilizing Trump power grab, more racially tinged violence, a vicious hurricane and wildfire season, or some combination of these issues, is unknown. But the feeling of deep anxiety and struggle is a given.

We are also just entering the protracted period from May 28 through November 4 when the volatile configuration in the 2017 Inaugural chart that includes Mars, the Moon and Saturn is being activated, first by transiting Uranus and then by the Inaugural progressed Moon. The first piece of this is the transit of Uranus opposite Inaugural Moon (9Scorpio22) and semisquare Inaugural Mars (24Pisces21) from May 28 to June 20. This configuration brings unexpected and transformative events that activate popular rebellion and protest (Moon/Uranus), as well as aggressive and angry response from the administration (Uranus/Mars). Not only is the escalating protest in Minnesota a manifestation of this aspect, but also the current Trump battle with Twitter, including his writing an executive order in response to Twitter noting the dishonesty in one of his tweets about mail-in-voting. Watch this battle continue to escalate through June. We may also see an increase in popular anger and revolt over the pathetic government response to the corona virus.

This Uranus transit opposite Inaugural Moon (9Scorpio22) will return full force from September 13 to October 15. But it will be joined by the progressed Inaugural Moon conjunct natal Saturn (23Sagittarius30) from September 1 through September 30, progressed Inaugural Moon conjunct progressed Saturn (23Sagittarius54) from September 14 through October 14, and progressed Inaugural Moon square Mars (24Pisces21) from October 1 to October 28. We can expect a whirlwind of trouble, upheaval, and failure from the administration (pr Moon/Saturn 9/1 to 10/14), as well as both an angry and aggressive response (pr Moon/Mars/ tr Uranus all of October) both from the administration and in response by the public.

Ironically, my plan for this article was to write about Joe Biden’s Vice-Presidential pick. And as we can see, once again, the presidential race is being overwhelmed by the circumstances on the ground. Nonetheless, let me briefly mention that I have been searching for months to find a VP candidate that brings a strong positive chemistry and successful outcome for the Joe Biden candidacy. Until last week, I could find no one that seemed to really stand out. Then I researched the chart of Gretchen Whitmer (8/23/71 at 8:51 PM in Lansing, Michigan). I cannot predict if Biden will choose Whitmer as his running mate, but I can say that her presence would bring a synergy to the ticket that is incredibly positive. With her on the ticket, we would be looking at a much more confident and comfortable Biden and a partner that would be in total alignment and easy rapport with him.

Whitmer’s Jupiter (27Scorpio57) is in an exact conjunction with both Biden’s Sun (27Scorpio34) and his Venus (28Scorpio33). This is a profound connection that strengthens Biden’s sense of self and his confidence and articulateness. There are several other interesting connections, but the most noteworthy are in the Biden/Whitmer composite (midpoint) chart. Here we find an exact Sun (13Libra55)/Venus (13Libra54)/Mercury (13Libra17) conjunction. There is nothing that compares to the sense of attunement and easy communication that this combination describes. Moreover, this configuration is in an exact square to the US Sun (13Cancer19) suggesting a strong connection to the US. Moreover, the Midheaven in the composite chart is 12Scorpio12, an exact conjunction to Biden’s Mars (12Scorpio25), again suggesting that the partnership would help to strengthen him. These are the highlights although there are several other significant connections. I will write more if Biden does in fact choose Whitmer as his running mate. I can only say that their chemistry together is off the charts and would bring great success. We will see what happens.

There is, of course, the pressure for Biden to pick an African American woman for the ticket. In light of what I have found in the Whitmer chart and in none of the others, I still prefer Whitmer. But I also think that the early pick of Stacey Abrams for the very prominent and powerful role of Attorney General, in a position where she can focus on the multitude of issues of racial injustice, voter suppression, and police brutality, just to a name the most obvious, might speak clearly to the African American community about what they can expect and about the shared agenda they will have with the coming administration.

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The American Household has been living under the thumb of an abusive, irresponsible tyrant for over three years now. The endless gaslighting, the vicious insults, the constant shocks which keep us unable to mount a reasonable defense, and the pillage of our resources are all symptoms of an abusive relationship. And so, after such a period of profound trauma, made significantly worse by the derelict handling of the deadly corona virus pandemic, it is quite possible that we will invite Great Uncle Joe to come in and soothe our souls while getting our national Home back in order.

Uncle Joe may limp a bit and may not be fully into all the super cool modernity that we have come to enjoy, but we have known him all our lives and know we can trust him to care for us and organize the help needed for us to fix the mess left by the Abuser in Chief. And, trust these days in the decency, competence, and integrity of public officials is a very scarce and treasured commodity.

A study of Joe Biden’s chart (11/20/42, Scranton, Pa., 8:30 AM) shows the difficulties his campaign is now experiencing due to the overwhelming and restrictive reality imposed by the coronavirus on the nation. The usual fund raisers and campaign rallies are impossible, and the campaign itself is totally drowned out by the grind of the daily news of loss, illness, and economic devastation. This is clearly shown by the transit of Saturn square to his Moon (00Taurus59) from March 22 through June 17.

Moreover, the early troubles of the campaign, when many had already written off Biden’s candidacy prior to South Carolina and Super Tuesday, may be understood as due to the solar arc square of Saturn to Biden’s natal Venus (28Scorpio32) that peaked on March 1. This combination diminishes appeal and popularity. It was noteworthy that Biden’s circumstances changed dramatically as soon as this aspect began to wane. It seems likely that the current situation of restriction will loosen somewhat after the transit of Saturn square to Biden’s Moon begins to wane after June 17.

Generally, things look more positive for Biden from mid-July onward with a few notable exceptions. While the very uplifting and expansive Jupiter station will be semisquare to Biden’s Ascendant from August 10 through October 5, suggesting much greater and more successful outreach and campaigning, August also will bring his progressed Moon into square with progressed Saturn (5Gemini35) all month. Given that this is mostly simultaneous with the progressed US Moon conjunct natal Pluto (7/23 to 8/23 at 27Capricorn33), we may see a return of deep anxiety and upset in the country in late July and August, whether from virus-related issues, financial contraction, or perhaps some serious weather events.

Another time for concern is in December 2020 when Biden’s progressed Moon will square natal Saturn for the entire month, and the transit of Saturn will square his natal Moon from December 18 to December 26. Even if Biden wins the election (which seems promising if not at all guaranteed), Trump will still be able to do a great deal of damage during his lame duck period, and McConnell will continue to run the Senate.  This is also the period when the transit of Pluto makes its final crossing of US Mercury which is the most significant aspect currently in the US chart (1/25 to 6/26/20) and likely has to do with the harsh struggles created by the pandemic. It is possible this signals a resurgence of the illness in December.

On a far more positive note, there are three aspects in Biden’s chart that seem to indicate success for him in this election. The first is his progressed Venus moving to quincunx his Pluto (7Leo13) beginning in September 2020 and continuing through July 2021. Pluto is the ruler of Biden’s three Scorpio planets including the Sun, as well as the ultimate dispositor of everything in his chart. Thus, aspects to it are particularly important.  On Inauguration Day, transiting Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus will all be in near-exact, hard aspects to Biden’s natal Pluto. Thus, Biden’s connection to the coming administration will be sealed into the four-year pattern described by the Inaugural chart.

In addition, Biden’s tertiary progressed Venus will be square to his natal Pluto from October 25 to December 5, thus lighting up the progressed Venus/natal Pluto aspect over the  time of the election and thereafter. The eleven month duration of this progressed Venus/natal Pluto combination describes very deep emotions of affection and care that impact Biden, as well as enhancing his appeal to the public.

The second and third aspects of note that may well signal a win for Biden occur over the time of the Inauguration and beyond. The tertiary progressed Jupiter in Biden’s chart will cross his Midheaven (19Virgo54) from December 6, 2020, to December 20, 2021. This progression points to an expansive and very positive enhancement of his reputation and career.

And finally, the transit of Pluto will oppose Biden’s natal Jupiter (25Cancer08) for the entire month of January, as well as twice more later in the year. With Jupiter as the ruler of Biden’s Sagittarius rising chart, this is a highly beneficial transit that will greatly magnify his presence in the world.

Given the magnitude of the current pandemic situation and its negative repercussions on the health and general welfare of the country, as well as the multitude of other messes created by the Madman of Mara Lago, the next administration will have a great deal of work to do from its first moments. One indication of this is the converse progressed Sun square to natal Saturn (9Gemini57) in Biden’s chart from May 2020 to May 2021. This combination implies the need for careful, conscious, and disciplined work to overcome obstacles.  It will be stressful and challenging in the extreme but this kind of fortitude is exactly what is needed after four years of mismanagement and an irresponsible and self-absorbed executive.

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Keep going, my friends. Stay healthy and strong.

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