Joe Biden's Solar and Lunar | western-sidereal

Joe Biden's 2021 Solar and Lunar Returns

June 2021

President Biden has been frustrated of late in his efforts to get anything past the blocking maneuvers of Mitch McConnell in the Senate; he has also suffered a critical defection in Democratic ranks. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has effectively killed the “For the People Act,” which would have rescinded efforts to suppress voting throughout the country. This was predictable in both his solar and lunar returns.

In his current Anlunar Return, which is the lunar return of the solar return Moon, (see chart #1), Mr. Biden’s solar return Mars is setting in the West as the Anlunar Mars rides high in the tenth house directly opposite the solar return Pluto. That is like having a door shut in one’s face. Without Manchin, the Democrats are dead in the water, becalmed and stymied. He took the wind out of their sails.

The President left for Europe yesterday where he will engage several heads of state, especially Vladimir Putin next week in Geneva. His Demi-Anlunar Return, which is the lunar return for the opposition to the Solar Return Moon (see chart #2), set up for Geneva, features the Sun and Mercury angular in the midheaven—the right symbolism for high-level talks—mundane and zodiacally square Neptune setting in the West. The Neptune is symbolic of deceit on the part of the opponent and that the talks come to nothing. Neptune also provides an element of theatre to the entire spectacle in which each side is wearing a mask.

His current sidereal solar return shown here (see chart # 3) set up for the coordinates of the White House in Washington D.C., has the Moon in sidereal Capricorn, its detriment, which is a consistent indication of a difficult year unless Jupiter also configures the Moon. The Moon is symbolic of ordinary, everyday life: the prevailing condition, i.e. what is happening most of the time. In a political sense the Moon in her fall or detriment symbolizes trying times. Biden came into office amidst a crisis—a once-in-a-century pandemic, attended by horrendous unemployment, severe economic dislocation—and immediately ran into political dissension. Many more Americans have died early deaths in the seventeen months to date of 2020 and 2021 than the number of American combat deaths in the forty-five months of our participation in World War II.

Furthermore, Neptune is angular in this Solar Return and semi-square the president’s natal Moon at the time of the return; and when Neptune reaches its furthest position in longitude to the east for the year later this month, it will be semi-square his solar return Moon as well. The angularity of Neptune in the solar return and its relations with both Moons symbolizes being caught or stuck politically, and unable to advance his agenda, at least domestically, since Neptune is on the cusp of the fourth house. It further suggests a state of dependency because Neptune to the Moon often finds people indisposed, ailing, weakened or struggling to recover from a disaster. The President has had to address that national condition from the first day of his administration.

In addition, solar return Mercury in a difficult house, the twelfth, is conjoined to his natal Mars. That combination symbolizes difficulty especially in school or at work, the main arenas of Mercury, but it doesn’t preclude eventual success unless the situation is compounded by further planetary trouble. That trouble is supplied now by transiting Saturn which is square both the natal Mars and the solar return Mercury. Transiting Saturn to the natal Mars stops cold whatever the native is trying to advance. However, sometimes the difficulty can be overcome, but generally not in the face of multiple afflictions to the same planet simultaneously.

There is more: Solar return Mars sesquiquadrate the natal Sun, which underscores that politics is a contact sport. That is, the conservative element in Congress offers nothing to address the nation’s problems; rather, their aim is to damage the President politically.

The second quarter of the birthday-to-birthday year is better (see chart #4) as shown in the first Quarter Solar Return. The main reasons are that Quarter Solar Mercury, Jupiter and Venus are trine the ascendant of this chart. That symbolizes financial aid afforded to the people who have been hit hard by the pandemic and the implementation of the vaccination program that has proved successful in radically reducing the numbers of the COVID-19 infection. The success of the vaccination program is shown further by the Quarter Solar Moon square the President’s natal Jupiter.

Transiting Saturn closely opposite Biden’s natal Pluto is symbolic of the surprising rejection of his efforts by a large minority of the country, mostly in the South. During the course of the return, transiting Saturn also conjoins the solar return Moon, which is depressing, discouraging and can sometimes compromise the health of the native. It is not surprising, however, that the do-nothing Senate would exploit every opportunity to block any and all administration initiatives when the solar return Moon is caught between natal Pluto and transiting Saturn. That has been Biden’s lot throughout this chart despite his sincere efforts to do right by the people of the nation.

The Demi-Solar Return (see chart # 5) is better in some respects and worse in others. First the bad news: Demi-Solar Saturn angular at the M.C., almost stationary, and now backing into the midheaven, where it will arrive in August, dominates the chart. That usually limits or denies progress in a cyclic chart like this, although not in a natal configuration. It almost surely means that he’ll get nothing of any consequence through Congress during the summer because the opposition forces are too strong, though they continue to resolutely offer nothing. The only possibilities now are for watered down, weakened legislation—nothing big. Just as they opposed Obama at every turn, the conservatives have adopted the same stance toward Biden.

The upside is two-fold. Jupiter is in the zenith in Aquarius closely square the horizon of this chart. It is closely T square the rising Demi-Solar Sun and Biden’s setting natal Venus. That suggests popularity and that public sentiment moves toward his policies, which are nevertheless blocked. Jupiter in Aquarius is also suggestive of benefit with respect to foreign policy, especially as the U.S. reverses the unofficial xenophobia of the Trump administration. Mr. Biden’s popularity is enhanced by the dignified Moon in Cancer of the Demi-Solar Return, with transiting Jupiter drawing toward it in opposition in its retrograde arc.

The last quarter of the birthday-to-birthday year is a return to struggle and strife mainly due to the angularity in this chart (see chart # 6), the second of the Quarter Solar Returns, of Mars, with Mercury, just above the ascendant and Neptune about to set on the descendant. Those three bodies angular and opposed is the right symbolism for a new surge in COVID-19 infections brought about by the refusal of many people to get vaccinated and the end of all restrictions to prevent transmission of the virus. In any case, it points to a certain vulnerability of the president to political attack. This may be the most difficult quarter of the year for him because the Quarter-Solar Moon, like the Solar Return Moon, is also in Capricorn, its detriment. Quarter Solar Mars is quincunx this Quarter Solar Moon and trine Uranus only a half degree from exact, which is itself also square the Quarter-Solar Moon. If the president is indisposed during the course of this birthday-to-birthday year it will most likely be during this last quarter.

Transiting Pluto is at 29° Sagittarius 45' Rx, as this last Quarter Solar Return gets underway. That position is very closely quincunx the U.S. natal Mars (29° Taurus 37') which continues throughout the entire late summer and fall. It is reasonable under that prolonged transit to expect military deployment or the threat of it. That Pluto is also conjoined to the Jupiter (29° Sagittarius 47') of the horoscope of the Federal Reserve (12/23/1913 at 6:02 p.m. EST at Washington D.C.). Typically, transits like this are in play when there are serious stock market declines, which can be expected in the second week of October when transiting Mars squares the U.S. natal Sun and conjoins the U.S. natal Saturn. Transiting Saturn at the same time stations closely quincunx the Venus-Jupiter conjunction of the Declaration of Independence. Generally, it is Saturn transits that produce long term declines in the market. This one is more likely merely over-heated and due for retrenchment. There are bigger problems next year.