In October, I entered a “Mundane Challenge” sponsored by a chapter of an international astrology organization of which I’m a member. “Mundane” is used in astrology as a term for worldly matters and events in the news. It wasn’t a “contest” to determine a “winner.” The goal was to predict the election outcome – not necessarily to be right – and to “show your work,” explaining the techniques used to reach conclusions. At an event in early December, five astrologers (myself included) will present their findings. Without going into great detail here, I will share some of what I submitted and then add a little to it.
Both presidential candidates have strong career success indicators in their charts or they wouldn’t have risen to the position of running for the highest office in the land. Born at a lunar eclipse full moon, Trump has had a “larger than life” story. Biden’s more modest beginning set him on a path of building a public presence over time. In 2019, in his personal updated chart, he had a solar eclipse new moon, providing a “late bloomer” boost. At Inauguration Day 2021, the ruling planet of his career area is close to the updated position of his Sun, the leadership planet, boding well for him. Becoming the Presidential candidate, win or lose, is a crowning achievement he’s sought for decades.
The candidates’ history of winning or losing was an important consideration. Both Biden and Harris have won every election in which they’ve run. (Biden lost primaries but never an election in over forty years.) Pence lost in two consecutive attempts before a decade’s break from running and finally making it into Congress. Trump barely eked out an electoral college victory after losing the 2016 popular vote. In 2018, he encouraged people to vote in the mid-terms as if he was on the ballot; that was a resounding defeat. In 2020, Biden and Harris enjoy a repeat of a new or full moon activating their same natal planets that were similarly stimulated around the time of all their winning elections. A full moon at the career point (top) of Trump’s chart heralded his victory in 2016. This year, the new moon nearest the election is at the bottom (home point) of his chart, signaling a possible change in residence. That same new moon highlights Pence’s natal Jupiter but he has lost before with a connection to this usually fortuitous planet. Perhaps it’s time for him to return to broadcasting, ruled by Jupiter. (He gained notoriety doing a radio talk show in Indiana between his failed campaigns and his office tenures.) At the time of the certification of the vote in 2016 and at the 2017 inauguration, Trump had important highlights to his career area and its ruling planet. No such luck this time.
A key technique I used for the “challenge” was examining the chart for the moment each candidate accepted the nomination. This was fascinating! The charts were similar in many ways since both Biden and Trump accepted at nearly the same time of the evening a week apart in cities geographically close. The slower planets were in the same locations in the two charts, which had nearly identical degrees on the four crucial chart directions – degrees that are only two degrees from the same positions in the 2021 inauguration chart! The main differences were in the signs of the quick moving planets and their connections to the slower ones. The slow planets, continually indicating big change, were not aggravated by quick “personal” planets at the Democratic convention. A week later at the Republican convention, a quick planet applied stressful pressure to them. The candidate with the most favorable acceptance chart was the first one nominated for a place on the ballot: Kamala Harris. (Regardless of the election outcome, her career has taken a giant leap forward with this nomination.) There’s more to the charts than this brief synopsis provides, all favoring the Democratic ticket.
In checking the “astrological atmosphere” surrounding the election, I identified prior elections with planetary cycles similar to those happening now. A major one occurred twice in recent years, both times with significant shifts in the balance of power between the parties: the 1992 mid-terms, when Republicans had a resounding victory in the House during Bill Clinton’s first term, and the 2008 “hope and change” election of Obama and Biden. Another repeating feature mimics conditions in 1976, when the Presidency went to the Democrats following the corruption of the Nixon administration. These factors show 2020 “leans blue” and just might color results across the board.
Of course, we can’t ignore how Mercury is at a standstill ending its retrograde on Election Day 2020, exactly as it was in 2000. Al Gore conceded late that night and hours later, retracted his concession. Then recounts and court battles ensued for weeks, ending up at the Supreme Court. There’s likely to be some confusion and hub-bub this time around, too. However, I don’t think the overall results will be as close and therefore the outcome should not end up in the hands of the High Court.
The following additional comments are beyond what I submitted in the “challenge.”
Biden has a Scorpio Sun with Sagittarius rising. Thus his ruling planets are Pluto and Jupiter. These two are now traveling together and very powerful. The recent full moon with the Sun in Scorpio and Moon in Taurus echoes Biden’s natal chart signs, likely a positive indication for him. In contrast, Mercury rules Trump’s (and Pence’s) Gemini Sun and it is motionless (going nowhere) on Election Day, as mentioned above. This is an indication of weakness. Trump has Leo rising. That sign’s ruler, the Sun, is opposite Uranus now (nearly exact at the recent full moon). This shakes things up for him personally and for him as the head of state, a position associated with the Sun.
Throughout 2020, the planet of karma and accountability (Saturn) has been traveling across from Trump’s natal Saturn and his Venus, the planet in charge of his career and reputation area. This relationship shows strong opposition from outside oneself. Although his impeachment trial ended in acquittal, that doesn’t erase the charge and he will go down in history as an impeached (and weakened) president.
On a practical political level, in the presidential race, Trump has never polled over 50%, whereas Biden has exceeded that important threshold in multiple polls over the course of many weeks. (Per nbcnews.com, Hillary Clinton touched 50% just twice in 2016, in two-way match-ups, which did not reflect the election’s total choices.) Trump’s approval percentage has been consistently in the 40s since 2015. His base is loyal but he hasn’t been able to expand it to a majority. His “unfavorable” rate has been above 50% for his entire term (per RealClearPolitics.com), a hurdle nearly impossible for an incumbent to overcome in a referendum bid for reelection.
My conclusion and prediction: Biden wins.