Mundane Astrology Lesson 1:  Definitions, and a Little Philosophy

Copyright © John Michael Greer 2021. All rights reserved.

Let’s begin with a few definitions, so everyone is clear on what is being discussed. 

Astrology is the empirical science of the correlations between planetary movements and human affairs.  It began more than five thousand years ago in valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in what is now Iraq.  The scholars of several ancient cultures in that area hypothesized that there might be connections between events here on Earth and the observed movements of the Sun, Moon, and planets, and they started keeping records in an effort to find out what those connections might be.  

That was, as scientists like to say, a fruitful hypothesis. By 1600 BC astrologers were making detailed predictions based on the patterns their forebears had observed.  By 600 BC, horoscopes in the modern sense of the word had come into use.  Greek, Roman, Arabic, and Persian scholars in the centuries that followed made their own contributions to astrology.  So did the astrologers of medieval and Renaissance Europe, and of course those of various corners of the modern world as well. It remains an active, evolving field full of new research and lively disputes. 

Mundane astrology is the oldest branch of astrology, the one that analyzes and predicts political and economic trends on the basis of planetary movements. The kind of astrology that most people think of first, the astrology of individual personality and destiny as shown in birth charts, is called natal astrology or, if you like the old-fashioned term, genethliac astrology.  There are several other branches of astrology. While they share a basic theoretical structure and many other features in common, each branch has its own tools and techniques, which have evolved over the centuries as astrologers checked their charts and predictions against events. Keep this in mind, because one common mistake of the inexperienced is trying to use the techniques of natal astrology in mundane work. Those often work very poorly. 

The planets are the main active indicators in astrology.  The word “planets” in ancient Greek literally means “wanderers,” and in earlier times it stood for every visible object that moves noticeably against the background of the stars.  Later on, scientists divided things up further. Astrologers who want to be precise these days speak of the Sun and Moon as “the luminaries,” and Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune as “the planets.” Each planet has a certain distinctive influence on human affairs, and the condition and relationships of the planet in relation to the whole chart predict how things will turn out here on Earth. 

No, nobody knows why. In astrology we’re in the position of people who lived before the time of modern physics, who knew that rocks fall when you drop them, but couldn’t tell you why that happens.  This is why I described astrology as an empirical science.  We don’t know the mechanism by which astrological effects work, and given the prejudices of modern science, it’s unlikely that we’ll get funding for the necessary studies any time soon.  The fact that the cause is unknown, however, doesn’t keep the effect from being real.  (Did rocks fall any differently before Isaac Newton figured out the laws of gravity?) 

Benefic planets are generally favorable indications and malefic planets are generally unfavorable. The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter are benefic, while Mars, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are malefic. Mercury is variable—he can be benefic or malefic depending on context—while the Sun is generally benefic but acts like a malefic when in conjunction with other planets. A planet conjunct the Sun is termed combust, and that means just what it looks like: the energies of the planet are burnt up by the Sun, metaphorically speaking, and have very little effect. 

There are also two belts of smaller objects in the solar system, the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and the Kuiper Belt out beyond Neptune.  Much of the research and disputation mentioned above have to do with the role that asteroids and Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) play in astrology.  One of the asteroids, Ceres, is large enough that scientists class it as a dwarf planet, and at least two of the KBOs, Pluto and Eris, fall into the same category. Some astrologers use the dwarf planets. I don’t, because I’ve found that in mundane astrology, predictions based on them are unreliable. 

The signs of the zodiac are 30° wedges of the zodiac—the band of the sky through which the planets move, as seen from Earth. Each sign has a symbol and a name, and is associated with one of the four traditional elements—Fire, Earth. Air, and Water—and with one of three modalities, also known as modes or qualities—cardinal, fixed and mutable.  The elements are easy to understand if you treat them as metaphors, and tradition assigns qualities to each element to help with this:  Fire is hot and dry, earth cold and dry, air hot and moist, and water cold and moist. 

The modalities have to do with qualities of action:  the influence of cardinal signs tends to come on strong and fade out quickly, that of fixed signs is there to stay, and that of mutable signs is elusive, changeable, and tricky. 

 | Sign | Meaning | Element | Modality | Ruler
 | Aries | Ram | Fire | Cardinal | Mars
 | Taurus | Bull | Earth | Fixed | Venus
 | Gemini | Twins | Air | Mutable | Mercury
 | Cancer | Crab | Water | Cardinal | Moon
 |  Leo | Lion | Fire | Fixed | Sun
 | Virgo | Virgin | Earth | Mutable | Mercury
 | Libra | Balance | Air | Cardinal | Venus
 | Scorpio | Scorpion | Water | Fixed | Mars
 | Sagittarius | Archer | Fire | Mutable | Jupiter
 | Capricorn | Goat | Earth | Cardinal | Saturn
 | Aquarius | Water-carrier | Air | Fixed | Uranus
 |  Pisces | Fishes | Water | Mutable | Neptune

The signs of the zodiac are not the same as the constellations—thus, for example, the group of stars labeled Aries is not the same as the zodiacal sign Aries. (In ancient times, the constellations used to be in the signs, which is where the confusion comes from.)  The signs are counted from the point in the heavens where the Sun is located at the moment of the spring equinox.  That’s zero degrees Aries. Measure 30° around the ecliptic in the direction the Sun moves, and you’re at zero degrees Taurus, and so on around the sky. 

(All this refers to what is technically known as tropical astrology—no, that has nothing to do with casting charts under a palm tree with a pina colada in hand!  There is also another school, called sidereal astrology, which anchors the signs to the stars rather than the Sun, and thus puts them in different parts of the sky.  In the western world, at least, it’s much less widely used than tropical astrology, and in my experience, the forms of it practiced in the western world don’t yield accurate predictions. That said, there are some astrologers who swear by it. 

(There is also Vedic astrology, also known as Jyotish, the astrological tradition of the Indian subcontinent.  It is a sidereal system rather than a tropical system, but it has its own very different ways of interpreting the heavens. It works very well, and I’ve been interested to note that Vedic mundane predictions and tropical Western mundane predictions tend to parallel each other closely, despite the differences in the method. The maps are not the same but the territory obviously is!  That said, I don’t practice Vedic astrology; if you want to study it, you need to talk to someone who does.) 

Dignity and debility are the astrological terms for the strength or weakness of planets. A planet that is dignified has a stronger influence than usual, and the aspects of human affairs that it represents will share in that strength. A planet that is debilitated has a weaker influence than usual, and the aspects of human affairs that it represents will share in that weakness. There are two kinds of dignity and debility; essential dignity or debility comes from the planet’s placement in the zodiac, while accidental dignity or debility comes from the planet’s placement in the houses, and from the aspects between planets. (We’ll get to houses and aspects shortly.)

Rulership, detriment, exaltation, and fall are relationships that the planets have to the signs of the Zodiac.  Every planet rules one or two signs and is exalted in one sign.  When a planet is in the sign opposite to one it rules, it is in its detriment, and when it is in the sign opposite to the sign of its exaltation, it is in its fall. These are crucial in mundane astrology, because they have a potent effect on planetary dignity and debility.  When a planet is in its rulership, it is strongly dignified. When it is in its exaltation, it is well dignified, and the things it rules also tend to take on unusually positive or constructive forms.  When it is in its detriment, it is strongly debilitated, and when it is in its fall, it is debilitated and the things it rules also tend to take on unusually negative or destructive forms.  The table below shows these relationships: 

 | Planet | Rulership | Exaltation | Detriment | Fall
 | Sun | Leo | Aries | Aquarius | Libra
 | Moon | Cancer | Taurus | Capricorn | Scorpio
 | Mercury | Gemini & Virgo | Virgo | Sagittarius & Pisces | Pisces
 | Venus | Taurus & Libra | Pisces | Aries & Scorpio  | Virgo
 | Mars | Aries & Scorpio | Capricorn | Taurus & Libra | Cancer
 | Jupiter | Sagittarius | Cancer | Gemini | Capricorn
 | Saturn | Capricorn | Libra | Cancer | Aries
 | Uranus | Aquarius | Scorpio | Leo | Taurus
 | Neptune | Pisces | Gemini | Virgo | Sagittarius

(The exaltations and falls of Uranus and Neptune are still being debated, as both these planets were discovered in recent centuries and research is still continuing on their astrological properties. I use the set worked out by 20th-century astrologer Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson, whose work generally informs my astrological practice.) 

Triplicity, face, and term are minor dignities that the planets receive from certain areas in the zodiac. I use them in some of my charts, but they’re a refinement best added after you have some experience with the major dignities. A planet is peregrine if it’s in a part of the zodiac where it has no dignities at all, and this counts as a debility. 

Aspects are geometrical relationships between planets as seen from the surface of the Earth. When two planets are in aspect, the things they rule are related, and the nature of the relationships can be read from the nature of the aspect. The major aspects are these: 

 | Aspect | Degrees | Nature
 | Conjunction | 0° | Mixed
 | Sextile | 60° | Helpful
 | Square | 90° | Hostile
 | Trine | 120° | Helpful
 | Opposition | 180° | Hostile

A helpful aspect means that the phenomena indicated by the two planets help and strengthen each other, while a hostile aspect means that they struggle against and weaken each other. A conjunction is mixed because it depends on the planet. A conjunction with a benefic planet is helpful and one with a malefic planet is hostile.  Yes, this means that when a malefic is conjunct with a benefic, the malefic benefits and the benefic is harmed!

The orb of the aspect is the wiggle room within which the aspect is considered effective. When the Sun or Moon is involved, the orb for conjunction, square, trine, and opposition is 8° to either side—so, for example, if the Sun is at 0° Aries and Saturn is between 22° Virgo and 8° Libra, they are in opposition. When the aspect is between planets other than the luminaries, the orb for a major aspect is 5° to each side—so, for example, if Venus is at 20° Gemini and Jupiter is between 15° Aquarius and 25° Aquarius, they are in trine. (These orbs are smaller than the orbs used in natal astrology.) In any case, the more exact an aspect is—in astrological jargon, the closer it is to perfection—the stronger it is, and the further from perfection it is, the weaker it is. Toward the edge of the orb, the weakness becomes serious; a planetary aspect more than 3° distant can be too weak to play an active role, depending on the strength of the planets involved. 

Three of the minor aspects also sometimes play a significant role in mundane charts:  

 | Aspect | Degrees | Nature
 | Semisquare | 45° | Hostile
 | Sesquisquare | 135° | Hostile
 | Inconjunct | 150° | Hostile

Give these aspects an orb of 5° when a luminary is involved, and 3° otherwise.

The houses, finally, are twelve areas of the heavens as seen from a particular spot on the Earth’s surface at a particular moment. Each house relates to a different department of human affairs. These departments are complex and important enough that we will be discussing them in detail in the second lesson of this course. There are various ways to calculate the houses, and yes, I’ve tried many of them. I find that the Placidus system works best for me. 

The angles are the ascendant, midheaven, descendant, and nadir. At the moment for which the chart is cast, the ascendant is the point of the zodiac rising on the eastern horizon, the midheaven is the point highest above the horizon, the descendant is the point setting on the western horizon, and the nadir is the point furthest beneath the horizon. Most house systems, including the one I use, treat these as boundaries of houses. Planets that are approaching the angles as the sky turns are called angular; this is an important accidental dignity.  Points that are just past them are called cadent, from a word meaning “falling;” this is an important accidental debility. 

Those are the definitions you need to know in order to proceed—well, most of them. (A few others won’t make sense until we get deeper into the details of the astrological chart.)  With this in mind, let’s consider a little philosophy. 

Keep in mind when casting and interpreting mundane charts that astrology predicts tendencies, not certainties. “The stars incline, they do not compel” is a traditional way of saying this. A mundane chart doesn’t tell you what’s going to happen, it tells you what’s likely to happen. Since statistical tendencies tend to work out more reliably when many people are involved, mundane astrology is very often quite accurate, but it’s always wisest to state your predictions as probabilities rather than flat statements. If the Moon is angular, in her detriment, and square a strong Mars in a mundane chart, there is a very serious risk of war during the period governed by that chart—that combination of factors appeared, for example, in the ingress charts for Britain and Germany at the spring equinox of 1939, predicting the outbreak of the Second World War—but even in such a case it can sometimes happen that war is avoided. 

This does not mean, however, that a mundane chart means whatever you want it to mean. This is the second crucial point to keep in mind in dealing with mundane astrology. If a mundane chart has the Moon angular, in her detriment, and square a strong Mars, unless there are other major influences that counteract this, you’re going to see a whopper of an international crisis, with war a very definite possiblity. Looking at that chart and predicting peace and love and brotherhood is a sign of blatant ignorance or outright dishonesty. 

If mundane astrology were more competently practiced these days, I would not have to say this. It’s embarrassing to note, though, that a significant number of the astrological predictions made these days about politics and the future are just as wrong as the ones that predicted the total transformation of everything on December 21, 2012. There’s a simple if brutal reason for this: a great many people who make such predictions are using astrology as an excuse to believe what they want to believe, rather than studying it to see what the heavens actually have to say. 

Thus I’d like to ask every prospective student of these lessons to spend some time reflecting on just what you want from mundane astrology.  If you want to use mundane astrology to prop up your fondest beliefs about the future, whether or not those beliefs happen to be true, then please stop reading this and go away, because nothing in these lessons will be of any use to you. I’m sure you can find someone out there who can teach you how to spout astrologically flavored psychobabble so you sound like you know what you’re talking about. Mind you, all your predictions will be wrong, but as any mainstream economist can tell you, too many people couldn’t care less how accurate you are, so long as you tell them what they want to hear. 

On the other hand, if you want to know what is likely to happen in politics, economics, and society, even if it isn’t what you want to happen, then you’ve come to the right place.

During the month you spend on this lesson, familiarize yourself with all the terms discussed above.  In addition, if you can get one, read a copy of Parkers’ Astrology by Derek and Julia Parker. It’s a basic textbook of natal astrology, but it makes a good introduction to astrology in general and will give you some useful background for the lessons to come. If you’d prefer to read some other introductory book about astrology, or decide to read more than one, that’s fine too. Next month we’ll start talking about houses and their meanings—the essential framework of any mundane chart—and if you have a good working grasp of the foundations of astrology, you’ll be better prepared to make sense of what’s ahead. 

US Presidential Inauguration 2021

Copyright © John Michael Greer 2021. All rights reserved.

This ingress shows the astrological indications for politics, economics, and society based on the US presidential inauguration of 20 January 2021. As I write this, Donald Trump’s legal challenges to the 2020 election are still pending, and it is therefore not yet wholly certain who will be inaugurated on January 20, 2021; I am posting this while that is still the case, to avoid any suspicion of partisanship in what follows. Anyone who doubts the accuracy of the delineation here is encouraged to look up the placements and aspects in a standard text such as H.S. Green’s Mundane or National Astrology, where these same indications are covered in detail. I insert these caveats because the chart is, in a word, extreme. 

Executive Summary: The most relentlessly malefic mundane chart I have ever studied greets the incoming administration with a barrage of hostile aspects almost entirely unrelieved by favorable indications. The government can expect to be hammered by one crisis after another, with economic troubles, popular protests, and outbreaks of violence over the top of a spreading collapse of public support in the status quo that puts the entire structure of American governance in question. Whoever is inaugurated early next year is facing political disaster, and whoever becomes the next president thereafter is going to have a gargantuan mess to clean up. 

Period of Effect: An inaugural chart takes effect the day of the inauguration and remains in effect until the person inaugurated leaves office, whether by completion of a term or otherwise. The date and time the inauguration becomes effective is set in the US constitution.  This chart therefore begins to apply at noon on January 20, 2021 and will remain effective until noon on January 20, 2025, unless the president leaves office by death, impeachment, or resignation before that time. It will be modified, of course, by the quarterly ingress charts, the influence of eclipses, and of course the Grand Mutation between Jupiter and Saturn, which announces the beginning of a new era in world history a month before the inauguration. 

General Indications:  This is an extremely unusual and troubling chart, with six of the nine planets clustered in two tight stelliums that are square each other, one early in the 10th house and the other late in the 12th.  As a result there are no fewer than eight squares and no benefic aspects at all. I have never seen a mundane chart before in which the balance of malefic to benefic aspects was so relentlessly one-sided. 

Very nearly the only countervailing influence is the planetary ruler of this chart. With Taurus rising, Venus rules the inauguration. She is very mildly dignified by day triplicity, but weakened by placement in the cadent 9th house; nonetheless she will have a calming and pacifying influence on the nation as a whole during the period of this chart. Given the potent malefic factors at work in this chart, however, and the fact that Venus is not in aspect with any of the other planets in this chart—one of only two planets thus isolated—hers will be a background influence, relevant primarily during lulls in the drumbeat of crisis. 

Aspects: Since this chart is cast for the inauguration of a head of state, the aspects made by the Sun are the most important. All the Sun’s aspects in this chart are applying, and they are read in order of perfection:  that is, the events predicted by the aspects will arrive in the order in which the Sun’s movement makes those aspects exact.

The first aspect to perfect is Sun square Moon. While this is a hostile aspect, its significance is relatively mild in terms of day to day events. It represents difficulties facing the administration, including a loss of support among the administration's own party and strikes or demonstrations by the opposition. These will not be a major challenge to the new administration in the short term, because the Moon is weakly placed in this chart, being peregrine in Aries, and in the last degree of a sign; Aries is also intercepted in this chart, which limits the effect of planets placed in it. However, since the Sun represents the head of state and the Moon the politically active sector of the population, a Sun square Moon indicates a broad loss of support for the new administration among the politically influential classes. 

In addition, the Moon is loosely conjunct Mars and Uranus, two malefic planets whose very close conjunction will be examined a little further on.  Moon conjunct Mars warns of quarrels, riots, fires, and bloodshed.  A militant spirit is abroad in the country causing much unrest.  The armed forces become a significant source of trouble for the government.  Moon conjunct Uranus is unfavorable for Congress, predicting disorder, confusion, delay, unpopularity, and changes in laws and policies that have unexpected unfortunate effects.  State and municipal officials will face serious challenges, and a rising tide of hostility against all those in authority is in process.  These first troubles will thus be a harbinger of more serious problems to come. 

The next to perfect is Sun conjunct Saturn, a far more potent aspect that is highly unfortunate for the government and head of state. It predicts intractable obstacles and delays facing the administration, and a significant loss of popular support.  The government’s legislative agenda is stymied, and differences emerge between the president and Congress or between the two houses of Congress. This aspect is also unfortunate for the economy, brings gloom and misfortune to the privileged classes, and portends troubles for state and municipal officials. This aspect can also indicate the death of a leading politician. 

Notice that Saturn is also square the Moon and the malefic Mars-Uranus conjunction, and these squares influences the Sun-Saturn conjunction.  Moon square Saturn is unfortunate for the economy and for tax revenue; the country is depressed and disordered, and the machinery of government does not work smoothly.  This aspect warns of increased unemployment and poverty, turbulence in the markets, embarrassing events for the government, and serious troubles affecting state and municipal officials. 

Mars square Saturn is another indication of severe trouble for the government, bringing serious difficulties in national life, a turbulent spirit directed against all those in power, and a wave of riots, crimes, murders, and other violent events. The police or armed forces may be involved in the unrest either as targets or, far more dangerously, as participants.  Saturn square Uranus warns of troubles and disasters facing the government and major political disturbances. Sweeping political changes are proposed but are badly planned or timed and face insurmountable resistance.  This aspect again warns of the death of a leading politician. 

Finally, Saturn is in exact semisquare aspect with Neptune at the time of the inauguration.  This aspect portends delay and confusion in national life. The people are unfortunate and discontented and feel that their interests are threatened.  Secret or mysterious crimes can be expected, and state and municipal officials face discredit or downfall.  

Next up as the Sun proceeds on its way is Sun square Mars.  This brings disputes, quarrels, and dissension at home and abroad, and especially affects the 12th house of national institutions, which Mars occupies in the chart.  Established national institutions are thus placed in jeopardy.  Waves of public excitement can be expected, militant feelings are widespread, and the president, the government, and the privileged classes face widespread hostility and opposition.  This aspect yet again is associated with deaths among the political leadership of the nation. 

Almost simultaneous with the Sun square Mars is Sun square Uranus.  This is another highly malefic indication; it predicts sudden crisis for the government resulting from some false step on the part of the nation’s leadership. Popular support wanes further, friends are lost and enemies made, attempted changes and reforms prove to be unwise and unsuccessful, and conflict within the ruling party can be expected. 

The very close conjunction between Mars and Uranus should be taken into account at this point. This is another aspect indicating sudden and unexpected troubles facing the government, and a costly false step by the administration. It predicts public turmoil, strikes, violence, lawlessness, charges of bad faith or broken promises, and a crisis of confidence in which the people lose what faith in their government they still have left. Mars and Uranus are both poorly dignified in this chart, Mars being in his detriment and Uranus in his fall, and both planets are in the cadent 12th house, so the impact of these troubles will be less drastic than it might otherwise be: a period of cascading problems that eventually come to an end, rather than a total catastrophe. 

The last aspect within the Sun’s orb is Sun conjunct Jupiter.  This represents an improvement of conditions in the wake of crisis. Once the cascading disasters are over, some degree of peace and prosperity can be expected and the government comes in for a lucky break or two.  On the other hand, since Jupiter rules the 8th house of death in this chart, it may simply mean that good things will be said about the late president after his death. 

Jupiter’s benefic force will have limited effect because he is afflicted by a conjunction with Saturn and squares with the Mars-Uranus conjunction. Jupiter square Mars predicts public agitation over secret crimes, and also indicates the spread of a militant spirit in the country.  Jupiter conjunct Saturn warns of serious disturbances in the national life and prolonged economic troubles which may take many forms.  Jupiter square Uranus is unfortunate for the ruling party, bringing the defeat of legislative measures and success for the opposing party.

The rulerships of the houses also have useful information to pass on: 

1st House: the house of the ordinary people of the nation, and in particular those whose voices aren’t normally heard in the collective discourse of the time. This has Taurus on its cusp and Venus is therefore its ruler. Venus is safely isolated from the great conflict that draws in most of the other planets, having no aspects to any planet in this chart; as noted already, she is weak, being in the cadent 9th house, but receives some dignity in her day triplicity.  This suggests that the great contentions of the time will have little immediate impact on Americans in general. 

2nd House: the house of the national economy, trade, and banking, this has Gemini on its cusp and Mercury is therefore its ruler.  Mercury is the other planet, alongside Venus, that manages to stay out of the scrum entirely as the other planets go at each other.  He is weakly dignified by face and strengthened by placement in the angular 10th house.  The background of economic life can thus expect to improve where the turmoil predicted by the aspects does not bear down too heavily. 

3rd House: the house of transport, communication, and the media. With Cancer on the cusp, the Moon rules this house, and the Moon is in dismal shape:  peregrine in Aries, afflicted by squares with the Sun and Saturn and by conjunctions with the malefic planets Mars and Uranus. All 3rd house industries are facing an extremely rough time, with restrictive actions by government (Sun square Moon), economic troubles (Moon square Saturn), and sudden disruptions due to violence or disaster (Moon conjunct Mars and Uranus) all landing hard on this part of the economy. 

4th House: the house of agriculture, mining, and other resource extraction industries, this also has Cancer on the cusp and the Moon as its ruler. All the indications just listed for the 3rd house apply here as well; the possibility that some areas of the country may face shortages of food and fuel should not be dismissed out of hand. The 4th house is also the house of the party out of power, and this placement suggests that the party in question will have little influence over the course of affairs. The effective opposition to the party in power will likely come from outside established channels. 

5th House: the house of speculative ventures, the rich and famous, and the entertainment industry, this has Leo on its cusp and the Sun is therefore its ruler. The Sun is in poor shape in this chart, in his detriment in Aquarius, and afflicted by a conjunction with Saturn and squares with the Moon, Mars, and Uranus; he is strengthened by placement in the angular 10th house and by a loose but applying conjunction with the benefic planet Jupiter.  Most 5th house affairs will therefore turn out badly; the entertainment industry faces another difficult period and speculative markets have a great deal of downside potential, though things will likely improve toward the end of the period ruled by this chart. 

The 5th house also governs the upper house of the national legislature. With the Sun as house ruler, it seems likely that the president will end up in a de facto alliance with the Senate in opposition to the House of Representatives (Sun square Uranus, ruler of the 11th house ruling the lower house of the legislature).  Every indication in this chart suggests that the Senate and House will be unable to work together irrespective of party alignment. 

6th house: the house of public health, the work force, and the military. With Virgo on the cusp, Mercury rules this sign, and the same mildly favorable influences discussed in the 2nd house apply here as well. One noteworthy point is that there is no indication that the coronavirus epidemic will continue to be an issue; by the time the new administration takes office that may well be a spent force. 

7th house: the house of foreign affairs and the activities of other countries, this has Scorpio on its cusp and Mars is therefore its ruler.  Mars is dismally placed in this chart; he is in his detriment in Taurus, afflicted by squares with the Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn and a very close conjunction with the malefic planet Uranus, and in the cadent 12th house; the only factor on the other side of the balance is a loose conjunction with a very weak Moon. The position of the United States in the world will take a steep dive during the period covered by this chart. Since several aspects affecting Mars in this chart are associated with bad decisions made by political leaders, much of the damage is likely to be self-inflicted. 

8th house: the house of foreign trade and other nations’ money and resources, this has Sagittarius on its cusp and Jupiter is its ruler.  Jupiter is in very mixed condition in this chart, mildly dignified by mixed triplicity and strengthened by placement in the angular 10th house and a loose conjunction with the Sun, but afflicted by a conjunction with Saturn and squares from Mars and Uranus. Foreign investment will continue to be available to the US but at a high and rising price as US debt continues to spiral out of control and the dollar’s status as a reserve currency becomes less secure with each passing day. 

9th house: the house of the judiciary and of religion, this has Capricorn on its cusp and Saturn is therefore its ruler. Saturn is in mixed condition in this chart, dignified by day triplicity and strengthened by placement in the angular 10th house and by conjunctions with the Sun and Jupiter, though afflicted by squares with the Moon, Mars, and Uranus, and by a semisquare with Neptune.  Expect cautious, conservative decisions from the Supreme Court and the judiciary generally, with female jurists taking a lead role (Venus in the 9th) and some effort being made to maintain peace among the quarreling factions (ditto). 

10th house: the house of government and the executive branch, this also has Capricorn on its cusp and Saturn for its ruler. Four of the nine planets are in this house, and four others aspect them from other houses; even more so than most inauguration charts, government is where all the action is. With Saturn in very mixed condition as the house ruler, expect delay, opposition, and probable stalemate in Washington as both parties dig in their heels.  The crises sketched out by the aspects reviewed above will tend to hit Washington politics first and hardest, too. 

11th house: the house of the legislative branch, and more specifically of the lower house of the legislature, this has Aquarius on its cusp and Uranus is therefore its ruler.  Uranus is in the worst dignity of any planet in this chart, in his fall in Taurus, in the cadent 12th house, and afflicted by a barrage of squares and hostile conjunctions in which the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn all play a role.  All this suggests that during the time covered by this chart, the House of Representatives might charitably be described as a basket case. 

With a drastically afflicted Uranus as its ruler, the House leadership is likely to go charging ahead in an attempt to force radical changes neither the country nor the rest of the government is willing to support.  The results will be disastrous for the House leadership, and Neptune late in the 11th—the one really strong planet in this chart, in his rulership in Pisces—indicates that the voters will have their own response to this, probably in the 2022 elections. 

12th house: the house of institutions has Pisces on its cusp and Neptune is therefore its ruler. Neptune is the planet of mass phenomena, and suggests that the very wide gulf between American institutions and the American people will begin to break down while this chart is in effect.  The political class, despite its control over some major institutions, may find itself sidelined to a much greater extent than it expects (Moon peregrine and intercepted in Aries in the 12th). The 12th is also the house of secret enemies and of self-undoing, and both of these factors will be of central importance to the political trajectory covered by this chart, as whatever set of events is indicated by the Mars-Uranus conjunction will come out of the blue—at least from the perspective of the established powers of our era—and will take advantage of fatal missteps on the part of the administration. 

Upcoming forecasts:  I will continue to post quarterly ingress charts, solar and lunar eclipse reports, and other mundane charts for paid subscribers on my SubscribeStar and Patreon accounts. All these, as already noted, will modify the general forecast offered here.