The last time Pluto was at 27 degrees Capricorn, the American colonies were in the middle of fighting a bitter war against the British. In the middle of this war – on July 4th 1776 – independence was declared. Major battles were still being fought – in Boston, Long Island, White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine and many more. Many of these battles were lost, but in 1781 at Yorktown, George Washington finally prevailed. That was five years after the Declaration of Independence, and Pluto had by this time moved into Aquarius. America was born in strife, with a belief that armed insurrection was justified.
The right to bear arms is enshrined in the 2nd Amendment, and today 40% of Americans live in a house with a gun. Each gun owner has an average of five weapons. (Note 1) 68% of all Republicans believe that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. Republicans have twice as many guns than Democrats. 30% of Republicans (according to a PRRI poll) believe “true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country”.
In 2022 Pluto returns to 27 degrees Capricorn. Should we be worried?
Pluto and Social Revolution
The last passage of Pluto from Capricorn to Aquarius was a time of upheaval marked by the French and American revolutions, which profoundly changed the world political landscape. History may not exactly repeat itself, but it rhymes, so there is every reason to believe a similar upheaval is on the way in the 2020’s. Part of this upheaval will be in Russia, mid-decade, because of the conjunction of Saturn and Neptune when they simultaneously ingress into Aries in 2025. Part will be connected with developments in China, when Pluto transits the country’s Moon and Ascendant in Aquarius in the same period.
But what will happen in America, specifically in January 2025, when the winner of the next election will, theoretically, be inaugurated?
The Midterm Elections
Although Biden tidily won the 2020 election, with 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232, Republicans flipped 15 seats in Congress, reducing the Democratic majority. If Republicans win just a handful of extra seats at the midterm elections, then they will win control of the House. If they win one extra seat in the Senate, then they will control that too. It is not unusual for the opposing party to do this at the midterms, but here in 2022, something entirely unexpected may well happen.
Midterm Elections. November 8th, 2022. 7.00 am Washington, DC. (AS 18 SC)
The US elections in November 2020 and 2022 are unusual because Uranus in Taurus opposes the position of the Sun which is always in early Scorpio. This is a signature of upsets and insurrection. But the midterm election horoscope in 2022 is nothing less that alarming, because as the polls open on November 8th, the Moon exactly conjoins Uranus and opposes the Sun, Venus and Mercury – all placed on the Ascendant-Descendant axis. Furthermore, there is an total lunar eclipse. As the polls open just before sunrise, the darkened Moon disappears over the Western horizon. If the Moon represents the people, the mood is angry and dark.
This chart shows a polarized and deadlocked nation, and it echoes with of ex-president Trump’s horoscope. He too was born at a lunar eclipse (Sun Gemini-Moon Sagittarius) conjoining Uranus, and his influence was like a lightning bolt which cleaved the nation in two. It may also be significant that the Midterm MC is on Trump’s Ascendant and Mars. If all goes well for Republicans, he might want to declare his candidacy at this time.
Uranus on the eclipse at this time indicates something unexpected, but what can it be? If Republicans gain control of both Houses, that won’t be a surprise. What if Democrats got a supermajority? What if Democrats retained or strengthened their hold – then it would be the “Big Steal” all over again. Are you going to stand for that if you are an American “patriot”? It is possible, as the eclipsed Moon is in Taurus, that there will be more stability than division, and that extreme economic circumstances characterize the election. Certainly, inflationary influences are very strong, and may be exacerbated by the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces in early April, which is about a big a bubble you can inflate.
It is also notable that the position of Neptune is 22.49 Pisces, which is exactly opposite US Neptune at 22.25 Virgo. With Mars in Gemini and in square to Neptune at the midterms, this is a near exact repeat of the Mars square Neptune in USA’s foundation chart. Mars is retrograde and makes three squares to Neptune in October and November 2022 and March 23. Clearly this is going to be a chaotic period for the USA, which will appear rudderless and weak. This could be related to chaos in foreign affairs, as Mars is in the 7th house and Neptune in the 9th in the US chart, but this aspect is also related to Blacks and the history of slavery, so the Black Lives Matter movement may be extremely energized. The Mars-Neptune square is also connected with the glorification of guns, and the suffering they cause.
USA (Sibley variant) July 4th, 1776. 17.11 Philadelphia. (AS 12.21 SG)
So, at the Midterms, Pluto conjoins US Pluto, and Neptune opposes US Neptune, which is a strong double-hit from outer planets awakening the inborn forces of upheaval and dissolution. This could affect the Republican Party more than the Democrats – in their March 20, 1854 horoscope, the arrival of Trump coincided with a Uranus and Neptune return for this chart, which illustrates well his disruptive influence. As the Sun and Mercury are Cazimi (within 17 minutes of arc of each other), there may be a strong focus on President Biden and his age or cognitive abilities at this time, and this would be quite a good time for Vice President Kamala Harris to gain more prominence, because as Mercury overtakes the Sun and conjoins Venus, the baton may be passed on. But this is a moment of danger, and the threat of more insurrection may be present.
Will Trump be a candidate for 2024?
In an earlier article (Note 2) I drew attention to the fact that the progressed horoscope for the Republican party at the time of the 2024 election has the Sun at 14 degrees Virgo in opposition to Neptune at 14 Pisces and square progressed Saturn at 15 Gemini. That seems to be more of a signature for failure, dissolution and loss. The Republican horoscope actually has the Sun at 0 Aries, which will be profoundly affected by the Saturn-Neptune conjunction from 2025-2026, which could mean that the party is licking its wounds and reinventing itself in a completely new iteration.
These transits do not seem to reflect Trump as a candidate, or if he is, then more dissolution would arise. Much has been written in 2021 about how the Republican Party is totally beholden to Trump, and that no candidate can remotely compete with him. But Neptune’s transits in square to his Sun and Moon have profoundly dissolved his real power, which is currently exercised receiving devotees at his Mar-a-Lago dwelling in Florida, and in bringing down his enemies, most of whom seem to be in the Republican Party. Furthermore, with transit Pluto continuing to oppose his Saturn-Venus conjunction, who knows what compromising financial and other secrets have yet to emerge?
At the 2024 election Trump’s progressed Venus is square his Saturn, which does not say much for his popularity. Biden also has his progressed Venus square Saturn at this time. Trump will be 78, and Biden 82, and age will be taking its toll. It is notable, however, that transit Uranus is exactly on Trump’s MC (with Algol) at the 2024 election, so there is a focus on him, and a change of status is likely. If he is a candidate, he’ll be hoping that lightning strikes twice. If he loses, then Uranus on his MC could spell a lot of trouble.
Will Biden be a candidate?
At 82, Biden will surely be flagging, and there will be Democrats angling for the candidacy. In my article Make America American Again (Note 3) back in June 2020, I predicted a Biden win for one specific reason. This was because his progressed Mercury went stationary direct exactly opposite his Ascendant ruler Jupiter (which conjoins US Mercury at 24 Cancer). Mercury dwells in opposition to Jupiter for four long years, then moves away, which suggested that he would just serve a 4-year term. If he stands for election, he will probably lose. Within a year of the 2024 election, his progressed Ascendant moves from Aquarius to Pisces, which suggests a change of lifestyle and relative anonymity. Also, at the Inauguration Pluto will be exactly square his Moon in Taurus, which surely indicates a move from the White House.
Kamala Harris
At the time of writing in December 2021, nobody can be sure who will be the candidates for either party. A lot can happen, making predictions a little foolhardy. Currently most people expect Trump to be the Republican candidate, and if he is, he may well lose and try Insurrection 2.0. If Biden is the candidate, he is unlikely to win. He may not want to run either, and if so, he may designate Kamala Harris as his successor. So let’s examine a scenario in which Trump challenges Harris – that is going to push all his buttons!
Kamala Harris. October 20th 1964. 21.28 Oakland, CA (AS 24.25 GE)
For someone to be President, their horoscope must resonate with the country in question. George W Bush had his Sun on the US Sun, Obama had his Mars on US Neptune and Venus on US Venus, Trump has his Sun on US Mars. Kamala Harris has plenty of touchpoints with the US chart, with her Ascendant on US Mars, Saturn on US Moon (with Sun and Moon trine and sextile) and Jupiter exact sextile US Mercury. She would be a stabilizing influence with these aspects – if it was not for the fact that her Uranus-Pluto conjunction is square US Ascendant. These connections might simply mean that she makes Vice President, which as a woman and Black, is quite an achievement.
With the Sun in Libra and its depositor Venus in Virgo – both in Fall – there may be some inherent weaknesses. Venus conjoining Uranus-Pluto in her 4th House might indicate the extreme circumstances that non-White Americans have often to endure. (As a black child visiting white neighborhoods she was not allowed to play with white kids, for example). An early friendship with someone molested by her stepfather strongly motivated Harris to protect women and children later as a prosecutor, also a Venus-Pluto theme.
Her extremely strong Saturn in the 9th house reflects her earlier role as Attorney General for California. Saturn is in opposition to Mars, and as District Attorney she clamped down on gun violence and advocated a ban on assault weapons. She pledged never to seek the death penalty, arguing that life imprisonment was in fact cheaper. Clearly she is not going to win hearts and minds of hardened Republicans.
Harris as a candidate
When progressed Sun in her chart conjoined her Descendant at 24 Sagittarius, she became Vice President. At the same time, her IC progressed conjoined her Mercury at 1 Scorpio. This is a good indication of the accuracy of her birth time, and it would have been tempting to predict she would have won the presidency back in 2020, if she had been the candidate. Her Sun simultaneously conjoined her South Node in Sagittarius, which perhaps says something of the importance of her international heritage. Born of a Jamaican father and Indian mother, and educated both in California and French Quebec, she is quite a mix.
If it were possible to predict Biden’s win because of his progressed Mercury going stationary opposite Jupiter, can Harris’ progressed Mercury say anything about her chances of becoming President? Here’s where things get interesting. Her progressed Mercury is currently retrograde and when she became Vice President it was right on the border of Capricorn, moving backwards into Sagittarius. Before the next election, in the early summer of 2023, her Mercury conjoins the progressed Sun – a confrontation between retrograde Mercury and direct Sun – and perhaps then between Harris and Biden. This might suggest a change of roles, and he may designate her as his successor.
At the next election, Harris’ Mercury progressed then conjoins her South Node and Descendant, making a kind of reverse repeat of the earlier Sun progressed conjoining the Descendant when she became VP. If she stands for President, that’s not enough to predict a win. However, her Sun, which at birth is in a tight opposition to the Moon and trine Saturn, progresses to 28.22 at the election. Her natal Saturn is at 28.27 Aquarius. This sextile, and the trine to the Moon, looks like a pinnacle achievement, as the latent good fortune in her birth chart is harmoniously channeled. Bearing in mind that her Saturn is on the US Moon, this is a good indication of her assuming an even higher position of authority. It also helps that in early 2025, transiting Jupiter conjoins her Ascendant.
Inauguration Pluto
Still in the realm of shooting in the dark, there is another interesting phenomenon taking place. At the next US election, Pluto is at 29.47 Capricorn about to make its third and final ingress into Aquarius. At the Inauguration, Pluto is at 1.41 Aquarius and – as the Sun is always around 1 degree Aquarius on January 20th – this will be the first Inauguration in US history with a Sun-Pluto conjunction. (Strikingly, Venus is at 17.38 Pisces – Kamala Harris’ Venus is at 17.53 Virgo.)
Inauguration: January 20th, 2025 12.00 Washington, DC (AS 14.12 TA)
Does the Sun-Pluto conjunction favor Harris? Well, when transiting Pluto opposed the Sun in the US chart, Obama was president, so perhaps Pluto favors a Black person who is transformative for the nation.
The inauguration chart has retrograde Mars in fall in Cancer on the IC, right on the US Mercury and Trump’s Saturn. This is not a good indication for domestic harmony, so it is likely that the next presidency will bring a high degree of turmoil. There may be unforeseen problems about the democratic process itself. Whenever Pluto enters a sign, it evokes a crisis. We saw that with Pluto in Scorpio and Aids, with Pluto in Sagittarius and religious terrorism, and with Pluto in Capricorn and the banking crisis.
Pluto in Aquarius may threaten democracy itself. Richard L. Hasen, a professor of law and political science at UC Irvine said in 2021:
“The democratic emergency is already here. We face a serious risk that American democracy as we know it will come to an end in 2024.”
Since the last election, the Republican Party has been working to take over power at a local level, controlling statehouses, state election authorities and courthouses, and gerrymandering state counties. Republican have pledged allegiance to the Big Lie. The two-party system has only one party left that is willing to lose an election. In July 2021, at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Joe Biden said:
“We’re facing the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War. That’s not hyperbole; I’m not saying this to alarm you. I’m saying this because you should be alarmed.”
Assuming however, that democracy prevails, and supposing that Trump faces Harris – a big supposition – then here’s hoping Harris wins. As an ex-president, Trump would be invited to the Inauguration. I wonder if he’d go?
Adrian Ross Duncan
December 13, 2021
1. See: https://wamu.org/story/20/09/18/how-many-people-in-the-u-s-own-guns
2. https://www.astrowow.com/blog/landslide/
3. https://www.astrowow.com/blog/make-america-america-again/