posted 6:45 am Pacific time Oct. 16, 2012

by Edith Hathaway

Some people have asked whether I would comment further on the U.S. Presidential election, and I will do so here. It is covered to a small degree in the Oct. 1, 2012 interview in Jyotish Star with Juliana Swanson. I did a lot of work linking astrology to the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, predicting Obama in late 2007. For the past several years I have predicted Obama’s re-election and did so publicly last May on the 2012 UAC (United Astrology Conference) panel on this topic. I gave Obama 100% chance of winning, which at the moment would seem to be a daring prediction. Polls have moved in the other direction after his curious lack of fight on Oct. 3rd.
The First Presidential debate in Denver has carried far more weight than anyone expected, giving surprising wings to Romney’s campaign. Seventy million American viewers tuned in to watch, twice the size of the audience that watched Obama’s Acceptance speech a month earlier.

Astrologers Chris Brennan and Patrick Watson have done some excellent work on the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election at the Political Astrology Blog. They are Western tropical astrologers using Hellenistic astrology. And though we use different methods, all of us benefit greatly by sharing the research process and data. They predicted that the first debate would present Obama with some “surprises,” but that “ultimately Obama seems to have better career transits for the first debate.” Among other factors, they cited the nearly Stationary Jupiter (very strong) in a close trine with Obama’s Ascendant, using the official data: Aug. 4, 1961, 7:24 pm HST, Honolulu, HI.

Romney’s chart: The strength of 7 planets in the angles of the chart is noteworthy, including Sun Digbala (best angular house), and most planets above the horizon. All 7 planets are in fixed signs. Natal Sun and Mercury form a very fine Raja yoga of success in the 10^th house of career, and Romney runs Sun-Mercury Dasha from May 1, 2012 to March 7, 2013. This is a formidable period in his life destiny. The all-important Navamsha (9^th harmonic) chart does not confirm its strength, however. And on Oct. 23, 2012, tr. Venus (lord of his Taurus Ascendant) enters Virgo, its sign of debilitation, through Nov. 17, 2012, though in a beneficial trinal house from the Ascendant.

Obama’s chart: Even after the “official” time for Obama was released in June 2008, I was skeptical of it for a number of reasons. I still prefer a 6:10 am chart (Aug. 4, 1961, Honolulu, HI), which is also four minutes after sunrise. The 6:10 am Ascendant is sidereal Cancer, while the official chart has sidereal Capricorn Ascendant. My reasons are outlined in some detail here, under REVIEW OF THE CHARTS OF THE LEADING PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES:

29eagles.com/election/edith/edith7_feb08_early_talk.html

To summarize briefly, the 7:24 pm chart does not reflect: 1) the weakness and absence of the father; 2) the President’s easy win, running unopposed in Nov. 1996; 3) his devastating loss and political miscalculation in Nov. 2000; or, among other factors 4) his sudden elevation to national prominence in summer 2004, prior to winning a seat in the U.S. Senate. The Dasha (Vedic planetary period) as well as the planetary transits should indicate these extremes. Since Jupiter is debilitated and prominent in an angular house in the chart, its Dasha should start with difficulties and disadvantages. With the 6:10 am chart, Jupiter Dasha starts from Sept. 28, 1999. With the 7:24 pm chart, Jupiter Dasha starts July 24, 1996. In the long run, Jupiter is an excellent planet for Cancer Ascendant chart, while only neutral for Capricorn Ascendant chart. For the 6:10 am chart, Saturn also becomes much stronger in the Descendant (Digbala – best angular house).

I look at both charts, but give more credence to the 6:10 am chart. In any case, Vedic astrology gives weight to the Moon Ascendant chart as a key sub-chart, especially in assessing the effect of transiting planets. If Moon is also Ascendant lord, that chart is even more significant. Obama’s 6:10 am chart has sidereal Cancer Ascendant with Ascendant lord Moon at maximum exaltation at 3:00 Taurus in the 11^th house.

When the Ascendant lord is exalted, especially to the maximum degree, a person often rises to a lofty status in some arena, and perceives that possibility very early in life. At age 10 (in Moon Dasha) Obama obtained a scholarship to the prestigious Punahou School in Hawaii. His former Punahou classmates recall him telling them at different times he was an “Indonesian prince” or “Kenyan royalty” and that he would go back and rule his country when he had completed his schooling. He was charismatic and convincing and most of them believed him. After Columbia University, he attended Harvard Law School, becoming the first African American editor of the Harvard Law Review. This brought him national attention. Obama was in the U.S. Senate only a few years before announcing his run for the Presidency.

This 3:00 degree Taurus Moon becomes especially arresting when we review the chart of the first Presidential Debate on Oct. 3, 2012. On this one night, Romney’s chances for the Presidency increased by 15 or 20 percent. What was the story astrologically?

U.S. Pres. Debate no. 1:	ASCENDANT 27:57 Pisces
Oct. 3, 2012	MOON 0:39 Taurus	opposite	MARS 3:46 Scorpio
	KETU 4:16    Taurus	opposite	RAHU 4:16 Scorpio
	JUPITER 22:20 Taurus
U.S. Pres. Debate no. 2:	ASCENDANT 25:38 Taurus	opposite	MARS 13:01 Scorpio
Oct. 16, 2012	KETU 3:34 Taurus		RAHU 3:34 Scorpio
	JUPITER Retro 22:04 Taurus
U.S. Pres. Debate no. 3:	ASCENDANT 15:53 Taurus	opposite	MARS  17:22 Scorpio
Oct. 22, 2012	KETU 3:15 Taurus		RAHU 3:15   Scorpio
	JUPITER retro 21:46 Taurus

The First Presidential Debate: Tr. Jupiter gains power by nearing its Stationary Retrograde degree on Oct. 4, 2012 at 22:24 Taurus. (It is retrograde through Jan. 30, 2013, Stationary Direct at 12:17 Taurus). But the Taurus-Scorpio axis – the current eclipse axis – was crucial to the chart of the evening. Greater intensity also occurs when the Sun or Moon enters the eclipse axis by transit, or when there is contact to natal Sun or Moon. On Oct. 3, 2012, tr. (sidereal) Moon had just entered Taurus at 5:40 PM MST, and by 7 PM MST in Denver the Moon was at 0:39 Taurus.

The Taurus-Scorpio axis is also crucial in the chart of both Presidential candidates, even the Vice Presidential candidates, both of whom have sidereal Scorpio Ascendants, and Joe Biden with Sun and Venus close to 5:00 Scorpio. This axis is especially loaded in Romney’s birth chart, with his birth Ascendant and Rahu in Taurus closely opposite Jupiter, debilitated Moon, and Ketu. (Romney’s Jupiter is at 4:26 Scorpio, Moon at 4:30 Scorpio, and Ketu at 13:17 Scorpio.) Obama’s birth Moon at 3:00 Taurus has been presented for the 6:10 am chart. (For the 7:24 pm chart his birth Moon is at 10:02 Taurus.) Accordingly, this very busy axis should receive extra scrutiny in the months and weeks leading up to the election, most especially as Taurus-Scorpio is the eclipse axis from June 6, 2011 through Dec. 24, 2012. Taurus-Scorpio is also the money axis – where these planets are considered by some to be debilitated, and capable of inflicting greater instability on financial matters in general. That gives Romney an exalted natal Rahu.

On the night of October 3^rd, tr. Mars was within half a degree of tr. Rahu, exactly on Romney’s natal Moon and exactly opposite Obama’s natal Moon. The close opposition of tr. Rahu-Mars to Obama’s Moon in a debate situation had the effect of energizing his opponent for the battle while both overwhelming and enervating the President. And if I am correct that the Moon is Obama’s Ascendant lord, there is a compelling case for why Obama was so paralyzed by the same planetary combination that galvanized Romney. (This should ease up by the next debate.)

Each side says the other distorted reality, though fact-checkers have said that Mitt Romney has broken all previous records for public mendacity. Romney’s statements were later contradicted by his own staff, by videos of his many previous statements, and by Obama’s actual record as president. Meanwhile, during the debate Obama did little to correct the record. During the VP debate even moderator Martha Raddatz erroneously stated that Social Security and Medicare are going broke. Romney, however, is reported to have told “27 myths in 38 minutes,” while his Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan told “24 myths in 40 minutes.” Obama and Biden were criticized largely for their style of delivery or non-delivery, along with the government’s handling of the recent situation in Libya.

We could debate the planetary propulsion for such mendacity, but we know that the 8^th sign of Scorpio is among the emotional water signs, galvanized by being ruled by Mars (in Vedic astrology). Close proximity to Rahu in turn both exaggerates and exacerbates the natural warrior qualities of Mars.   Scorpio’s inherent nature is contained, inscrutable, and often hidden, thus Scorpio’s association with hidden places, holes or cavities. Vedic “malefic” planets include: Sun, Mars, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. Each of them can cause turbulence, separations and losses, notably amplified when these or any planets contact the eclipse axis: Rahu and Ketu. In short, until tr. Mars exits Scorpio on Nov. 9, 2012, it is capable of providing a tortuous, circuitous quality to the entire election process, which some astrologers have suggested will not be finalized on Election day due to Mercury Retrograde starting on Election Day, Nov. 6 (at 6:01 pm EST) through Nov. 26. This can certainly add to the confusion and to the “spin,” especially while Mercury transits Scorpio, from Oct. 23 to Nov. 17, 2012. (Mercury re-enters Scorpio Dec. 6-27, 2012.) But in my opinion, the louder planetary imprint comes from tr. Mars and Rahu in Scorpio opposite Jupiter and Ketu in Taurus. Mars-Jupiter contacts can bring religious zeal, and together with Rahu-Ketu we have the explosive, unpredictable component.

The departure of tr. Mars from the eclipse axis Nov. 9, 2012 should provide some relief to the tension, and some letup in the attacks and counterattacks. If election results are questioned or delayed for any reason, this factor should help towards resolution, notwithstanding upcoming eclipses on Nov. 13 and Nov. 28, 2012. Rahu exits Scorpio (and Ketu exits Taurus) on Dec. 23, 2012, ending 18 months of tenancy on the money axis. Their shift from the money axis should be just in time to ease the dangers of the “fiscal cliff.”

The Second Presidential Debate: The Ascendant at the start of this debate is in Taurus, highlighting the Taurus-Scorpio eclipse axis. Tr. Mars is no longer so tightly conjoined with tr. Rahu and Ketu, but it does conjoin Romney’s natal Rahu very tightly. The planetary day is a Tuesday, ruled by Mars and featuring the competitive energy of Mars. Thus, it is more likely to be Romney who either loses control or is perceived as overly aggressive. Since the “no drama” Obama is known to be less comfortable in debate situations, the fact that tr. Mars has moved on some 10 degrees from where it was on Oct. 3^rd has to be an improvement for him. Four planets in Libra (Sun, Saturn, Moon and Mercury) are in the 6^th house from Obama’s Moon, but in the 12^th house from Romney’s Moon. This will be an interesting test of the power of the Moon-Ascendant chart, as it clearly easier to have malefic planets in the 6^th house from the Moon than in the 12^th house from Moon. The Moon is the mind, and shows how we respond to events.

The Third Presidential Debate: Again the Ascendant is Taurus at the start of the debate. Tr. Mars has now moved to 17:22 Scorpio, near the 5^th house cusp of the Obama 6:10 am chart (18:46 Cancer Ascendant), providing extra mental sharpness. The planetary day is a Monday, ruled by the Moon – ruler of Obama’s 6:10 am chart. If this is the correct chart, he should be the most comfortable with this debate night, and with tr. Moon at 17:13 in Capricorn, closely aspecting the Cancer Ascendant (or tenanting the Capricorn Ascendant). It could be Obama’s night to seal his case with large sectors of the public, especially women, and those women not yet realizing how much a Romney administration intends to turn the clock back on women’s reproductive rights, shut down Planned Parenthood and repeal Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case Romney has called “one of the darkest moments in Supreme Court History.”

INAUGURATION CHART: There are two of them this time. The official (private) one is on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013 at 12 noon, followed by a second public Inauguration ceremony on Monday, Jan. 21, 2013 at 12 noon, coinciding with Martin Luther King Day – a good omen for President Obama. The main thing to watch is the transiting Moon, which moves from 25:35 Aries on Jan. 20^th (12 noon EST) to 7:23 Taurus on Jan. 21^st (12 noon EST), within 5 degrees of tr. Jupiter, and no longer contacting malefic planets at this time. This should be Obama’s day to start his second term as President. Tr. Sun at 7:47 Capricorn exactly conjoins Obama’s natal Jupiter at 7:36 Capricorn. With the 6:10 am chart, this Jupiter is also his Dasha lord, boosted by tr. Sun, and sub-period lord Mars benefiting from exalted tr. Mars in Capricorn. The 7:24 pm chart puts him in Saturn-Saturn Dasha on Inauguration Day, also auspicious – but not as auspicious as Jupiter-Mars, especially in his Navamsha chart, with both Mars and Jupiter in angular houses.

Summary: Many, many factors and various charts come into play in making an astrological prediction about a major election. With this update, I am not attempting to examine all the complexities, but rather to add to my previous statements by focusing particularly on the Taurus-Scorpio axis in fall 2012: how its emphasis on money matters on so many levels is key to this election, as well as to the control or lack of control each candidate has over the facts; and how its emphasis has provided a bigger emotional component than usual.

Copyright © 2012 by Edith Hathaway. All rights reserved.