A fun spin on serious cosmic stuff! Wendell C. Perry has 40 years experience studying astrology and how it impacts personalities & relationships. He's written two books & published articles in astrology magazines. He's happy to share this website so that you, too, can have fun with astrology to help you in everyday life!
Preparing for Election Day (or Week, or Month, or Whatever)
I think we can all agree that this election has a lot of Americans feeling tense. Democrats see four more years of Donald Trump as an existential crisis for the country, while Republicans view Joe Biden as the point man of a communist takeover. There is little or no middle ground in this election and no matter how it turns out, a lot of people are going to be crying foul.
This is also the first American presidential election in a long time that probably won’t be settled on election night. With all the mail-in and absentee votes, along with what could be a record turnout at the polls, all of it complicated by the pandemic, the counting of votes is likely to go on for days. Even when a winner is declared, it seems probable that there will be legal challenges that could drag the process out for weeks.
I wrote about some of the problems we might have with this election in my last “Following the Moon” articles. (Click here to see that article.) However, I think it would also be helpful to look at some of the transiting aspects that will be taking place on election night and beyond.
I thought that the New Moon chart for Oct. 16 had a decidedly menacing look with the Sun, Moon, Mars, Saturn and Pluto involved in a T-square. (Click here to see the article and the chart.) However, though we did have violent protests in Philadelphia because of the shooting of a black man by police, that violence has not spread across the country.
I also said that, the events that came out of this big T-square would not be conclusive. Police in Philadelphia say that the shooting there was justified and they are still investigating a mysterious van full of explosives that may or may not have been connected to the protests. Likewise, the fight to get a COVID relief bill through congress stymied. Congress has recessed with no bill in sight.
Meanwhile, the most pervasive violence in this country has been wrought by the COVID 19 virus, with infection rates surging in many states and new restrictions being imposed. The only good news on this front is that the death rate has decreased, mostly because we are much more aware of the danger the disease poses and getting better at treating it.
People born with the Sun in Cancer are usually hard to figure out, and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham is no exception. He started out as one of the few Republican Senators who was willing to occasionally criticize the President. However, during the impeachment trial last January, Graham refused to even listen to the allegations made against Trump. Now it appears as if that inconsistency could cost Graham his seat.
Graham is locked in a tight race with Democratic challenger, Jamie Harrison. Polls show voters in South Carolina are evenly divided between the two, with Harrison now holding a very narrow lead. Harrison is also raising more money than Graham. Meanwhile, one of Fox News’ conservative commentators has come out against Graham and, even though Donald Trump endorsed Graham early on, it is unclear if that endorsement was a boon or a curse.
Since we do not have a complete horoscope for Graham (click here to see a chart done for noon on his date of birth) it's difficult get a clear astrological picture of his chances in this election. However, there a couple of interesting indicators. Transiting Saturn is opposed to the Mars and Uranus, which are conjunct in Cancer in Graham’s chart. Saturn often represents a bill come due. It exacts payment for the bad choices we’ve made in the past. This certainly tells us why Lindsey is having such a hard time. It could also be taken as an indication that those hard times will continue on election day.
The second Presidential debate is set for Thursday. There is still some doubt about whether or not it will actually happen. Joe Biden has said that he will not appear on stage with President Trump unless Trump has tested negative for the COVID virus that day and Trump has repeatedly danced around the issue of when and if he has had recent tests.
If the debate does occur, it will happen during a retrograde Mercury, which could mean that it will be marred by technical problems. I’ve always viewed Mercury retrograde like a weather forecast for rain. You do what you need to do, just make sure you have an umbrella handy. Given the importance of this event, I’m sure the people sponsoring the debate will have several umbrellas at the ready, so I not overly concerned about retrograde Mercury messing things up.
What is more worrisome to me is the fact that transiting Mars is still fairly close to a square to Jupiter. It is also semi-sextile Neptune. This is one of those “anything can happen” aspects. When you put this together with the Moon, which will be aligned with Pluto as the debate begins, the possibility of a last minute glitch grows. We could see Biden pull out because Trump refuses to take a COVID test or Trump pull out because they are muting his microphone when Biden is talking.
