What's Up With Trump? Let's Check his Progressed Chart Dear Friend and Reader: Usually I avoid the charts of presidential candidates, or at least I prefer not to dwell on them. The whole cult of personality around the American presidential election is difficult enough to stomach. Covering the elections, I generally stick to mundane astrology to get the clues and the news leads.
We are living through some wild days in politics, stoked mostly by what seems to be Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, self-immolating. Nobody has ever seen anything like this. We're actually witnessing something new and different in the world. That something shows up as an utterly unique event in Trump's astrology, which I'm going to break down for you in all its glorious technical detail so you can actually see what it's about. There's no way to sum this up meaningfully without offering the technical side. We can see what's happening using a somewhat weird though ingenious technique called the progressed horoscope. Progressions are not transits. Transits involve the real planets in real time, making aspects to the natal chart; an example is the Saturn return. Progressions, which are generally used as a predictive tool, are a form of symbolic planetary movement. They are based on a scale model of time, in this case approximately 1/365th, or a day-per-year of movement. Starting with the time of birth, progressions advance the natal chart in slow motion. Events in the slo-mo chart unfold the natal chart over time, and parallel events in real life. For example, astrological events on one's 10th day of life describe actual events in the 10th year of life; astrological events in the 70th day of life describe one's 70th year; and so on.
I've been collecting examples of interesting progressions for years, in anticipation of writing an article on the subject. What's going on now is by far the most stunning example of progressions springing to life in real time that I've ever seen. We get to watch this one happen live; the main event is Saturday, Aug. 6. Hold that thought. A Rough Week for Trump and his Campaign First, let's recap this particular week in the life of the Republican nominee. The standout incident was Trump's battle of words and feelings with the family of Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed by a car bomb in Iraq in 2004. Capt. Khan was Muslim. Trump has promised to ban Muslims from entering the United States, seemingly oblivious to the fact that nearly 6,000 of them serve in the American armed forces. Khizr Khan, the father of the late Capt. Khan, spoke one week ago at the Democratic National Convention. He was the carefully selected last speaker before Hillary Clinton accepted the nomination. Referring to his son, Mr. Khan said, "If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America."
Mr. Khan also asked whether Trump had ever read the Constitution, offering to lend him his pocket-worn copy. Trump, who dodged the Vietnam draft many times, had the expected response: he took it personally, or perhaps we could say he took the bait. On Sunday, Trump told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that he had sacrificed through business success. Later in the day, Trump said that Mr. Khan did not know him and "has no right" to question his knowledge of the Constitution. [Editor's note: sure he does; it's right there, in the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Article I, freedom of speech and of religion.] Monday, unable to let it go, Trump tweeted, "Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the same - Nice!" Yes, a Republican presidential candidate was slugging it out with the family of an Army officer killed in battle, variously insulting both of Capt. Khan's elderly parents. As he did this, the undercurrent of racism seeped to the surface; the key fact in the scenario is that the Khans are Muslim. Otherwise the discussion would not be happening. Is it possible to be less patriotic without actually committing treason? Republican leaders tried to distance themselves from the mess, but it was impossible, because he's their nominee for president. They have endorsed him and have pledged to vote for him (with the exception of Ted Cruz, that is).
This was merely the strangest and most heartbreaking example of Trump unraveling during the past seven days. There was also Trump's statement that he "always wanted" the Purple Heart (awarded for sustaining a battle wound), and the lie that a veteran had given him his authentic medal, not a copy. There were news reports about how Trump's campaign staff is frustrated and suicidal. (Understandable -- campaigns are hard enough when your candidate is helpful and cooperative.) Then there was the revelation that Trump repeatedly asked during a briefing with senior military officials why we don't use nuclear bombs against ISIS. Meanwhile, Trump commented about how terrible it would be to "lose to corrupt Hillary." Amid speculation that the Republicans would choose a new candidate, or that Trump might drop out, the RNC assured everyone that he would indeed be on the ballot. And best of all, there was the revelation that Bill Clinton seems to have been the one to put Trump, a lifelong Democrat, up to running for president as a Republican. Leo 30: An Unsealed Letter When we look at Donald Trump's natal chart, the first thing that stands out is that he has the last degree of Leo rising. Here's how that looks, in the diagram below and to the right. Trump's data has an AA rating from Astrodatabank, the highest.
When someone has the last degree of any sign rising, that can give the chart an edgy feeling -- though there are many ways that can manifest, from creative to intuitive to toxic. Trump has all the qualities of Leo rising except for dignity. In a sense, he's a parody of Leo rising, pushing it to its braggadocio extremes. He has the pride and showiness and the red hair and the personal influence and the charisma and all of that. He has the macho bluster you would expect of a wealthy Leo rising New Yorker. He is at the center of his world. He also has Mars in Leo, close to his ascendant. That ramps up all of these effects. What we're seeing is not normal Leo rising; we're seeing them in an extreme and toxic form, which is further described by other factors in the chart. Push these qualities out to the edge of the sign, indeed to the last fraction of a degree, and we have an image for his lack of a grip on reality or on his own personality. When we study this degree in Trump's chart closely, we learn a few things. Each degree of the zodiac gets what's called a Sabian symbol, which is an image (offered in written form) that describes its qualities. The image for the last degree of Leo rising is "An Unsealed Letter." To me, this is a symbol of transparency. Sooner or later, everything is known; everything is revealed.
He is the living incarnation of Apollo delineation, refusing to learn anything from his mistakes. We all have a little of this; Trump has it in great abundance. Checking more closely, I discovered that Apollo is conjunct another asteroid called Patroclus. He's a figure from Greek mythology who, as a child, killed another child in rage over a game. Remember, this is all contained within ONE degree of the zodiac: Leo 30, which Trump embodies in a most palpable way. (Note, anyone can do this kind of analysis; it begins with knowing your birth time and your rising degree, and then checking the Serennu.com database for the positions of minor planets in your chart.) Everyone with a very late ascendant has some edgy scenario, and some seem to cling to reality; but this is truly an unusual example, as Trump's life and current manifestation are beyond the usual hubris of politicians and business execs. Remember: we're taking about 30 Leo, which shows up another time in his chart: that is, his progressed chart, right now. Trump's Progressed Sun: From 30 Leo to 1 Virgo Using what are called secondary progressions, the planets all move at their proportional speeds. The progressed Moon moves one degree a month, changing signs about every two and a half years. Progressed Pluto might move a few degrees in the course of a person's whole life. On the same scale, the progressed Sun moves about one degree a year. If you're born with the Sun in mid-Taurus, it will move into Gemini when you're a teenager. Then it will remain in Gemini for 30 years, and change to Cancer when you're in your mid-40s. The progressed Sun changes signs just a few times in the course of a lifetime. They are always important transitions from one phase of life to another.
The 12th is a strange place where you can really lose yourself. If you're too invested in the 12th, it's like living a hallucination but thinking it's real. There is little ground to stand on in the 12th. It's a useful space for artists, musicians and actors, who need to morph the real and the unreal. Trump's progressed Sun has been in the last degree of Leo, conjunct his rising degree, for a year. I noticed this back when I did his chart in the early spring, and suggested that something weird was about to happen. This is a rare instance of the progressed Sun passing through the rising degree of a natal chart -- and changing signs at the same time. What we've been seeing all week is his progressed Sun crossing his ascendant. On Saturday, his progessed Sun will enter Virgo. The Sun in Leo these past 30 years has coincided with Trump's rise as the Republican candidate, which he seemed to do on the force of personality (a good image of Sun in the ascendant degree). I would say he's proceeded with the force of his ego, but the correct psychological term is id. Trump is belching forth all of the raw material from what psychiatrists call the unconscious and, strangely, people have related to this. Americans are holding a lot in. He's been the symbolic catharsis for a massive swath of society, displaying their racism, sexism, greed and general disgust with life. The ascendant of his chart, as you can see, has 29 degrees of Leo and 58 arc minutes rising. It's just two arc minutes, or 2/60ths of a degree, away from Virgo. And this very week, Trump's Sun passed through 29 Leo and 58 arc minutes, crossing over his very edgy ascendant. It's as if he's being exposed, or born, or is waking up from a dream. Coming out of the 12th and crossing over the ascendant can be an intense transformation. When transiting planets (actual planets, moving in real time) such as Saturn, Chiron or Pluto do go over the ascendant, one's life is often totally redefined. The ascendant degree is extremely sensitive to transits, and with careful calculation, it's possible to time things down to the day.
Virgo presents challenges for many men, because it's just so feminine. Any well-adapted Virgo man has a touch of transgender to him. So, several things are happening at once: we are really seeing the "unsealed letter" come out of the envelope. We are seeing Trump, who has lived veiled in his own 12th house for three decades, emerge as the person who he really is. Then his hot, fiery, macho, out-of-control Sun is about to get cooled off by Virgo. For him this will feel like being extinguished. Virgo is nothing if not rational, and Trump is the embodiment of irrationality. On a good day when you combine Leo with Virgo, you get the blend of creative passion with applied science, or at least careful thought. (Kate Bush is the perfect example of blending Leo and Virgo.) However, there is nothing especially creative about Trump. In true toxic 12th house style, he seems on the brink of losing his mind. Now he will find himself in some other state, as if he's woken up from a 30-year bender. There are two other progressions of true significance going on in Trump's chart. One is that his progressed Moon is in ultra-sensitive Cancer, currently making a to-the-degree square to Chiron in Libra. We are seeing the wounded, bleeding child on full display, but we're seeing it in the form of a billionaire who wants control of the nuclear arsenal.
It's truly unusual to have all these progressions happening at once. It's a lot of pressure to be under -- mainly to do the one thing that Donald Trump seems to have the most challenges with: to grow. The last thing is a transit. Trump has his natal Saturn at 23+ degrees of Cancer. There is a major event going on over at 23+ degrees of Aries: the Uranus-Eris conjunction. That Saturn in Cancer is trying to hold his emotional body together, but it's facing tectonic pressure from the two planets that are genuinely difficult for Saturn to take simultaneously. It's like he's trying to personally hold back progress and change, and in the process emitting total chaos. We might well call this a 'get real' moment for The Donald. Or you might say he's about to meet the Goddess, in the form of Hera in Virgo. Astrology is good for at least one thing: helping people empathize with the plight of others. Donald Trump is in a lot of pain right now. He feels like he's being hung over an abyss; at the same time he feels like he's going to explode. It's no small wonder he's spewing rage and displaying the worst of what looks like either borderline personality disorder or bipolar disorder -- or both. He is likely to be suffering from far more severe conditions, so far as I can tell. To me this situation seems even worse than it appears on the outside. You can be sure that the people around him are struggling with this from hour to hour. The problem is that when someone is that powerful, their personal struggle can become the pain of the whole world. Their own self-destruction can take out many people with them, starting with the ones who love them the most, and then the rest of us. We don't need any more of that. Lovingly,  -- Additional research: Amanda Painter Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday and Thursday evening in Kingston, New York, by Planet Waves, Inc. Core community membership: $197/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Designer: Lizanne Webb. Finance: Victoria Pomante. Astrology Editor: Amanda Painter. Astrology Fact Checker: Len Wallick. Copy Editor and Fact Checker: Jessica Keet. Eric's Assistant: Cortney Britton. Client Services: Amy Elliott. Media Consultant: Andrew Marshall McLuhan. Research, Writing and Editing: In addition to those listed above, Planet Waves is produced by a team consisting of Fe Bongolan, Kelly Janes, Amanda Moreno and Carol van Strum.
Rock Your World and Find Some BALANCE No two 12-sign Midyear Readings from Planet Waves are exactly alike. Yet they all have something important in common: customers find exactly what they need to hear in them at exactly the right moment.
"Hey Eric, just want you to know that the midyear readings are rocking my world. Listened to my Sun, Ascendant and Moon for clarity and each and every one was both inspiring and so on point!" -- Bob Stevens "Just listened to the Midyear Reading for Capricorn, my Sun sign, and am blown away. Eric, I am amazed how you zeroed right in on the very point of my inner/outer struggle that has been on the edges of awareness. At age 74, retired four years, rekindling my painting skills during last two years and then stopped. You described the challenges (perfection & control) and the solution perfectly to dive into my own alchemical state. I must go forward, explore, the ideas flow, the materials are waiting, Art (paint, glass, clay) is the next way of self-evolution. Thanking you with much love." -- Rebecca Eric is here to help you recognize the possibilities that a time of exceedingly fast change opens up, and help you find the inner resources to make the most of our moment. You can pre-order all 12 signs of BALANCE for only $57 -- an incredible value for the degree of inspiration, motivation, peace of mind and integrative potential that awaits you.  Shifting Direction Like a Dragonfly By Amanda Painter This weekend's astrology presents an interesting mix of the mental, emotional, visceral and philosophical. The inner landscape has shifted from last week, calling on you to embody your inner dragonfly.
All three planets have moved or are about to move from a fixed sign to a mutable sign, and from perhaps a more physically oriented sign to something a little more cerebral. Along with Mercury and (soon) Venus, Jupiter is also in Virgo -- as is the Moon until Saturday afternoon. So if you have practical details of a project to plan or organize, this is a great weekend for it. Yet there are still planets in all three water signs, with a notable cluster in Pisces. That brings in some emotion to balance the intellectual, and some creativity to balance the practical. In Sagittarius, Mars and Saturn offer the complementary impulses of direction/propulsion and structure. In fact, glancing at the chart just now, I saw the image of a dragonfly: two wings made of planets in Virgo and Pisces; Mars and Saturn as the rudder-like tail. Yet where the head should be -- Gemini -- is where you come in. You're the one who needs to supply the omni-directional dragonfly eyes, consider all sides of any story, and make sense of all that you see. It's up to you to search for, notice or provide some perspective on your thoughts and emotions this weekend -- and how they feed each other. There is some caution in the astrology about getting so stuck on seeing flaws, fears and criticism that you fail to see the whole truth. Perception could get confused due to heightened sensitivity, especially in interpersonal interactions. You might temporarily find emotional fears harder to see through. For example, notice if you find yourself thinking that just because X happens, then Y cannot happen. When you think in rigid, black-and-white terms, it's easy to forget that there are always multiple factors in any situation, and possible outcomes that are even better than your notions of Y. Maybe when you choose X, Y will suddenly have the freedom to transform itself in a complementary way.
Now, a note about Mars in that Sagittarius dragonfly tail: when Venus ingresses Virgo, it will square Mars (exact Saturday 8:20 pm EDT / Sunday 00:20 UTC). Virgo is not the most comfortable sign for Venus; it can be overly critical or conservative emotionally. Yet it also can be put to work positively -- key word being 'work', or 'service' if you prefer. Service to what purpose? In a Venus-Mars square, that would seem to be the release of a lot of love or erotic energy however you (with or without a partner) desire. True, a Venus-Mars square can indicate conflict in a relationship (including within yourself), if there is unexpressed sexuality or some related hidden tension. However, assuming there's been some sexual expression and communication in your life lately, chances are you can work this energy productively. Consider that Mars has just been on a deep-sea expedition, and has returned to the surface with some valuable understanding of his desires, which he can now use to inform his beliefs. That is, you have just been on a deep-sea expedition, and you likely have a more visceral understanding of your desires. Which means that you are the one who gets to use that understanding to shape your beliefs about what you want and whether it's possible (hint: it likely is, in some form). And you get to choose your actions based on how well they support those desires and your wellbeing. Now the real beauty comes in the fact that Virgo and Sagittarius are both mutable signs (as are Gemini and Pisces). They offer the flexibility that allows you to shift your understanding of your beliefs and desires as you grow, so that you can stay true to that growth. Sometimes it all comes down to not letting your mind box in your heart, or not letting your beliefs dictate your desires. Not always easy, but possible. When Venus wants to serve and work and Mars wants to explore its desires and ideals, there's a good chance humanity (and you) will benefit if you can harness that energy and get your wings moving.   Solomon Linda (far left) and the rest of the vocalists that made up The Evening Birds pose in 1941 after winning a choir contest in a Zulu-speaking working-class district of Johannesburg. They recorded "Mbube" in 1939. Rian Malan writes, "The third take was the great one, but it achieved immortality only in its dying seconds, when Solly took a deep breath, opened his mouth and improvised the melody that the world now associates with these words: In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight."
The Lion Wakes Up By Amanda Painter Everybody knows "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," often also called "Wemoweh." Whether you grew up listening to it being performed by Pete Seeger, The Tokens, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, countless others or on the soundtrack of Disney's The Lion King, you know this haunting and catchy tune. But do you know where it came from? Meet Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds here, performing the true original version: "Mbube" -- which is the Zulu word for "lion." It does not sound quite like the 'famous' versions, and for good reasons. Yet the musical lineage is unmistakable if you listen carefully. Comments on the YouTube page present a confusing mix of accounts as to who did or did not get compensated, how much, and when. This, however, is clear: Solomon Linda, creator of the song, died penniless in South Africa in 1962 (his widow could not afford to erect a headstone for him); Linda generally does not get credited for the song on recordings; there was a settlement with his surviving family in the early 2000s. Although you can get the basic facts about Linda on Wikipedia, instead give "In the Jungle," by South African journalist and author Rian Malan a read (a version of which first appeared in Rolling Stone). Available at that link in online PDF form, it offers the full story of the iconic song about a lion, brought into the world by Solomon Linda, in vivid context.  This Week on Planet Waves FM Donald Trump, Our Spiritual Teacher Dear Friend and Reader: This week's program [play episode here] leads up to a discussion of Donald Trump as the embodiment of the Kali archetype. Yes, he's a half-baked, weak and tweaky version of Kali, but one who's no less attempting (and potentially succeeding at) embodying the destructive force of the cosmos.
The program begins with a discussion of the Council of the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, who will be offering their final conference later in the month at the Menla Center in Phoenicia, New York, a short hop from where I'm sitting. You can also find out more at the Grandmothers' own website. I'm planning to be at much of the event, from Aug. 24 through Aug. 28. I also give a detailed reading of the Leo New Moon chart [which you can view in detailed format, or simplified format]. I discuss Mars ingressing Sagittarius, and that story developing into Mars conjunct Saturn, square Neptune, which takes place approximately between Aug. 23 and 28 -- interestingly, during the final meeting of the Grandmothers' Council. If you want a focused discussion of the Leo New Moon in video format, here is the most recent Planet Waves TV. My musical guest is Kate Bush. I devote a whole section to discussing her music, her approach to life and art, and her astrological chart, which I've rectified to Virgo rising. If you don't know Kate's music, you are about to enter a universe on the level of a teenager discovering Pink Floyd, only in full-on feminine form. It was David Gilmour of Pink Floyd who discovered Bush and who made sure that she had a proper demo tape, and thus the outstanding career that she's had. Here is her 2010 album Aerial on Amazon and iTunes. I'm now working on BALANCE, your 2016 midyear reading. It will take me about two weeks from now to pull that together; the price will increase during that time, so I suggest you get in early. I'll be sending out an email soon asking how you keep in balance in these crazy times, and using your ideas to develop my readings. Thanks for tuning in, and thank you to our Planet Waves members who make non-profit Planet Waves FM happen every week. Lovingly,  Planet Waves TV: The Leo New Moon, In Three Part Harmony In this week's Planet Waves TV, I cover the Leo New Moon, which happened Tuesday. Mars changed signs two hours before, entering Sagittarius: we now get the spiritual side of the sexual equation revealing its true purpose. I look at the chart in three different formats: the New Moon and major aspects, the asteroids, and the centaur planets. View the New Moon charts here and here. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel.  Your Monthly Horoscopes -- and our Publishing Schedule Notes We published your extended monthly horoscope for August on Thursday, July 28. Your extended monthly horoscope for July was published Thursday, June 23. We published your Moonshine horoscope for the Capricorn Full Moon, by Len Wallick, on Thursday, July 14. Len's Moonshine Horoscope for the Cancer New Moon was published Thursday, June 30. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Friday after the Sun has entered a new sign. Short Monthly Horoscope for August, 2016, #1111 | By Eric Francis
     Photo by Martin Fisch.
Your readings are so rich with information, deeply congruous, and could not be more pertinent to my life and situations. Your voice is one of those that I count on. I cannot express greater appreciation for the services of any one person in existence. -- Tim Quigley Last Chance on Discounted Leo Reading
Eric has now published the audio segments of your 2016-17 Leo Birthday Reading; and the video Tarot segment will follow within a week, while the Moon is still young. That means now is your last chance to get the reading at the current discounted price. Eric's readings invariably draw comments like Tim's above, because his friendly, empathetic approach to the joys and challenges of life is so helpful to readers and listeners. If you're new to his work, I invite you to check out last year's reading, with our compliments. This year, along with the two usual audio pieces on your astrology, Eric is offering the Tarot segment by video. You can currently order the 2016-17 Leo reading for just $24.97. We'll increase the price on Friday, Aug. 5. I know you won't want to miss out on this great bargain opportunity, so please get your order in soon to lock in that discount.        
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