Dear Friend and Reader:
Tuesday evening, Donald Trump unleashed yet another shit storm when he fired James Comey, the director of the FBI. The facts and particulars are extremely complicated, and are changing by the hour. But the bottom line is, this is what you get when you have a paranoid, narcissistic, borderline-personality person in a position of extreme power.
Comey’s seemingly ambiguous role in the U.S. political structure, and his loyalties, were difficult to pin down. But one thing is clear: Comey, as head of the nation’s top law-enforcement agency, was leading the investigation of the Trump campaign’s many ties to Russia. Just last week, he sought to expand that inquiry, and requested additional funding and resources.
It’s also obvious, given the astrology of the weekend (featuring Mercury conjunct Uranus, another peak of the recent Mercury retrograde), and the Full Moon on Wednesday afternoon, that he had a panic attack. Or as the Daily News put it succinctly on Thursday, he threw a “Trumper tantrum.” Comey was scheduled to testify about Russia before Congress on Thursday, and the reports about Russia seem to be coming out in a steady, nonstop trickle that indicates the existence of a well.
Lacking any real political will from Congress, Comey was the one person who was an actual threat to Trump’s power. Trump, acting as if he was on his reality TV show, gave him the big “You’re Fired!” However, he can still be called to testify about exactly what he knew.
The FBI director serves a 10-year term, designed by Congress to keep the position somewhat insulated from politics. Comey, a Republican, was appointed by Pres. Obama to lead the Bureau four years ago. Still, the president can legally fire the director, though there are political repercussions, particularly since Comey was so widely respected by Republicans.
And there can be legal repercussions. Interfering with a federal investigation can be charged criminally as obstruction of justice, which was the first offense listed in the articles of impeachment for Richard Nixon in 1974.
Immortalizing the Russia Issue
Comey was no saint; he’s the guy who did what he could to throw the election to Trump, the very last week, by falsely bringing up the Clinton emails again — at which point she tanked in the polls.
His agency has a lot of problems, and he seemed to consider himself a king-maker and king-breaker in the spirit of J. Edgar Hoover, the only person who Richard Nixon actually feared.
Rather than derailing the investigation into the Russian connections, his firing immortalizes them. This is easier to fix in the script of a TV show than it is in real life, but this is better than TV.
News reports are swirling with all kinds of crazy details: our old friend Sean Spicer, the White House spokesman (immortalized by Melissa McCarthy’s portrayals on SNL), hid in the bushes outside the White House to avoid reporters who were demanding answers. Then he insisted that news crews’ lights be kept off, so he could avoid the TV cameras.
Best of all, just to rub it in or push things to the level of The Onion, Trump was meeting in the White House with two Russian officials AND with Henry Kissinger when the news broke. Trump banned the American press from photographing the event, but allowed in reporters from TASS, the official state-controlled Russian (formerly Soviet) news agency. I wish I was making this up; it would be some hilarious fiction.
For his part, Comey was informed of being fired via media reports while speaking at an event in Los Angeles. When news reports appeared on the video monitors in the room, apparently tuned to cable news channels, he thought it was a prank.
And Trump’s letter to Comey was utterly bizarre. First, he blamed Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, for recommending the firing — but Sessions, because he lied about meeting with Russian officials during the campaign, had officially recused himself from “any and all” matters involving the Russia investigation.
In his own letter to Trump, Sessions said the FBI director must be someone who “follows faithfully the rules and principles of the Department of Justice and who sets the right example for our law enforcement officials.” This just drips with irony, as nobody sane would want him as a role model.
He also blamed the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, who allegedly threatened to resignbecause he did not actually recommend firing Comey.
Then there’s the now-famous second paragraph of the letter. Get ready:
While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.
This attempt to cover his tracks actually does the opposite: it reveals his state of mind (in legal terms, mens rea, or guilty mind). He personally inserts the connection to the Russia investigation, making it irrevocable. This is the kind of thing a first-year law student would figure out not to do. It’s also not a true fact: the FBI is investigating the entire campaign’s connections to Russia, which includes the candidate himself.
That Was the News; Now for the Weather
One of my favorite quotes of the week is a tweet from Jeff Flake, a Republican senator from Arizona: “I’ve spent the last several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of Comey’s firing. I just can’t do it.”
Sen. Flake, you should ask an astrologer. And then check with a psychiatrist.
We are all sensitive to this kind of astrology, to some degree or another. Those who are already edgy, or who work with the public, and even some animals, are even more sensitive to intense astrology. And in Trump’s actions, that’s just what we got this past weekend and into Tuesday.
As you know, Mercury was recently retrograde, and that retrograde ended in a conjunction between Uranus and Eris — the aspect that’s currently driving society and everyone in it bat-shit crazy. It’s the feeling of relentless, nonstop change in that special, new, 21st century way.
It’s also the same aspect that could ignite a personal revolution in the hearts and souls of the millions — if anyone would look up from their iPhone or Android for a second.
On Sunday and into Monday, Mercury was in a one-degree conjunction with Uranus, which feels a little like putting a transistor radio into a microwave oven.
It was a high-voltage, jumpy aspect that could indeed push people to make some bad decisions. At the time the plan was put into action on Tuesday evening at about 5 pm, Mercury was pushing on Uranus to within one-sixth of a degree — the very closest category of conjunction.
This was a spontaneous decision, made without careful forethought, planning or pondering of the potential consequences. I’ve seen government officials, so enamored of their own power and so often insulated from any results of their actions, do this many times.
The combination of Mercury and Uranus can be spontaneously brilliant, or, depending on one’s intelligence level, rash and self-destructive.
Then there’s the not-so-small matter of the Full Moon, which has a way of precipitating things. The Full Moon puts many people under psychological and emotional pressure; the word lunatic means “affected with periodic insanity dependent on the changes of the Moon.”
As the Moon and Sun align in an opposition, this can create a shake-out effect that, in turn, leads to a cascade of events. Overreaction is a typical effect of the Full Moon, and it happened that, when this was done, the Scorpio Moon’s next aspect was an abrasive angle to Mars in Gemini.
And Then There’s Trump’s Chart
Last year, I did an article on candidate Trump, focusing on his progressed horoscope. (I also did a similar piece on Hillary Clinton.)
Trump is under many difficult transits this year — that is, his natal chart is taking aspects from planets in the sky, which can be life-changing. The big ones include Saturn and Chiron, making aspects to his Sun, Moon and nodes. Trump was born during a lunar eclipse, and the effects follow him his whole life as the hand of fate on his shoulder.
The progressed chart is a different creature from transits; it’s a direct extension of the natal chart, showing phases of development. Transits involve real planets in real time; progressions are a way of tracking slow developments within the natal chart.
If you’re curious about astrology, progressions are worth knowing about; my best definition is in the piece on Trump’s charts.
I cast Trump’s progressions for 5 pm Tuesday, when this all happened, and I discovered that his progressed Moon was one arc minute from entering Leo. An arc minute is 1/60th of a degree. The zodiac has 12 signs, 360 degrees, and 21,600 arc minutes.
Its position at the time of Comey’s firing was 29 degrees and 59 arc minutes of Cancer. His progressed Moon had spent about 30 months in Cancer, and by about 2 am local time Wednesday, it entered Leo, bringing with it a whole big bunch of regal problems.
Said another way, this happened with his progressed Moon void of course, in the Moon’s own sign, Cancer. That is what you might call hypersensitive, and pushed out to the edge. He was simply lacking all judgment, which is a bad place to be when you have a lot of responsibility and difficulty keeping a grip on a good day.
Now, Trump’s progressed Moon is in Leo. In about 11 weeks, it’s about to make a conjunction to Saturn, which describes an encounter with some form of authority. Remember that Trump already has transits from Saturn and Chiron all over his natal chart at the moment, and for the rest of the year.
He lacks all internal discipline, and those are the people who get the most brutal impacts of Saturn. And he would seem to lack all self-awareness, and those are the people who usually experience Chiron in its most provocative form.
The Great American Eclipse
One last bit. On Aug. 21 of this year, there will be an extraordinary solar eclipse. The shadow of the Moon will cross the entire North American continent, passing just below Portland, OR, and traveling southeast past Memphis and finally through South Carolina before going out to sea. Nothing like this has happened in our lifetimes. The most recent comparable event was the Aug. 11, 1999, eclipse that made a streak across Europe and coincided somewhat with the impeachment of Bill Clinton.
For the United States, this is an eclipse of vast proportions. You might say that it’s the beginning of the U.S. Pluto return. It shows a divided nation — once again between north and south.
Here’s one thing I can say as a student of classical astrology: a solar eclipse in Leo is not good for the king, which in modern terms is the president.
As this eclipse approaches, the pressure is going to rise — in many, many facets of life. We’re still a bit far out to be feeling it now, though it’ll be noticeable soon enough. Eclipses tend to have wide, sweeping effects. Like the Aries Point, they activate that juncture between the individual and the collective.
But here’s the really interesting bit: the eclipse happens at 29 degrees of Leo. Donald Trump’s ascendant is in the 30th (the very last) degree of Leo. That makes it personal — extremely personal to him. To put it mildly, this is going to be a weird summer, especially for our alternative-facts, parallel-universe president.
One symbolic meaning of an eclipse is an alignment of the dimensions. From our perspective, an eclipse aligns longitude, declination and time. You might say that we are entering a time when “parallel universes” begin to merge.
Keep your eyes open, your ears on, and the pressure on.
With love,
Scorpio Full Moon Moonshine Horoscope, #1151 | By Len Wallick
Aries (March 20-April 19) — It would be fair to say you underestimate both the extent and nature of your influence. You exist in the conscious continuum of a greater number than you likely know. What’s more, as formidable as your mind is, it’s almost certain that your greatest and deepest impressions have been made by your physical presence. Something about your hands, eyes, voice, smell, laugh or just hanging out in the same room with you has been retained by many long after conversational content has been forgotten by most. Now, as your effect in the flesh has accumulated to the point where it is coming back around, it would not be unusual if you were to see something of what you once were embodied in others. When that happens, respond as you would once like to have been received. Affirm and validate the living portion of your legacy, and ‘immortality’ will manifest as more than just a word. — by Len Wallick.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) — For you, and at this time, it is not narcissism to believe in yourself — it is essential. Neither does confidence necessarily imply hubris for you. The key is balance. Self-assurance is most productive when you have something to do with it. Therefore, should you not already have specific objectives to pursue over the next six months or so, it’s probably high time to develop some. If, on the other hand, you already have some well-defined personal aspirations for the immediate future, the next logical step would be to clearly visualize what it will take to attain them. In order to measure your progress, pay attention to your responses when others weigh in regarding either your conduct or endeavors. When you reach the point where you can listen to what others think, and accept their input as something you can further your work with, vindication will accrue of its own accord. — by Len Wallick.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Maintain the health of your body, and your mind is more likely to be healthy, too. For the foreseeable future, sustaining your physical well being will begin with knowing when to say when — especially as regards to activity. It’s good to be busy. It is not helpful, however, to be exhausted. Now, perhaps more than anytime during the past two years, the quantity and quality of sleep you get will probably be more important than the content of any to-do lists. To make sure your energy remains constant while you are awake, try an experiment. Start each day by leaving something to look forward to under your pillow or bed covers, and end each day by leaving your personal electronic devices in another room. After a while, the result should turn out to be not only enhanced health but also more happiness. — by Len Wallick.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Not all yearnings are equal. The best desires are definable, measurable and attainable. Now would be an excellent time to take stock of all you currently hanker after. Simply making a handwritten list of all you crave will go a long way towards making at least some of them seem more tangibly real. Carrying that itemization around in your wallet or purse, and referring to it daily, will also do potential wonders when it comes to your self-awareness, direction and purpose. Prioritizing your itemized wants and needs according to both importance and simplicity could go even further. If you can isolate just two easy longings and fulfill them with dispatch, a third and fourth will seem that much closer. All it will take to accomplish what may now seem like miracles is a bit of paper, a writing instrument and a little faith that needs expressed are just around the corner from fulfillment.— by Len Wallick.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Somewhere in the details of what has undoubtedly been a busy time for you lately are likely intimations of potential futures. Perhaps a superior at your employment has broached the subject of a promotion. Maybe a personal relationship has evolved towards greater commitment. It could even be that somebody has noticed a heretofore hidden talent or proficiency you have, and brought it to your attention. No matter what form these inklings of ‘what could be’ have taken, they will remain only notions unless pursued. Luckily, it appears that you have at least six months to lay the groundwork and another year to get there. In the meantime, pay attention to how you respond whenever your life goes from routine to challenging. That’s because your present will someday be revealed to be a rehearsal for what is yet to come. If you want to play well then, practice well now. — by Len Wallick.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Indications are that something in your life is ready to move on. It could be you. Now would be a good time to look around and see both what’s culminating and the more promising possibilities just beginning to take shape. Whatever it is that’s coming to some sort of conclusion is also probably what you should begin to let go of. Concurrently, what seems to be just recently taking shape is something you should consider embracing more fully. It’s almost as if you are in the position of an arboreal dweller who is about to move from one branch to another. Having something specific to reach for is a necessary part of the scenario, but no less important than knowing when and how to release attachment to where you no longer really need to be. Even more vital is your timing. Combine being patient enough not to rush with being ready to move before push comes to shove, and you will take any impending transitions in stride. — by Len Wallick.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — It seems likely that you have recently had at least one experience (and possibly two) that changed your perspective regarding the size of the world. It does not matter so much if Earth seems either greater or smaller for you now than it did in, say, January. Of more profound importance is whether or not you understand that the next similar shift in perception can be yours to make. Even if it’s not currently clear to you, most of what you have lived through over the last four months or so indicates you have more power over your environment than most people ever think possible. For example, whether you feel free or lost while in a vast wilderness has a lot more to do with what you bring in than what is waiting there. The way things appear now, you are probably about a month away from looking around and realizing how much the nature of your external surroundings depends on where you’re at within yourself. — by Len Wallick.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You have almost certainly heard somebody say “don’t go there” at least once in your life. It’s a term people usually use to set a boundary whenever they are uncomfortable with whatever subject matter is being brought up. Your astrological mission over the next month or so is to develop a greater proficiency for perceiving and respecting the frontiers of both your own comfort zones and those of others, long before unease is either felt or taken. The benefits of undertaking such a process are at least two in number. First, you will acquire a greater understanding and appreciation of how your own sensitivities can make the world a better place. Next, you will be better able to show others how to do the same on their own. — by Len Wallick.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Doing the right thing for others need not mean making a sacrifice yourself. Whether in a couple or a collective situation it’s nearly always possible for each of those involved to feel like a winner after any form of interaction has been completed. You in particular are now in a better position than ever to facilitate scenarios where every participant in a given social situation emerges as a victor. In a way, the consequences of every personal choice you have made over the last year-and-a-half have in fact been lessons. If you think back to only about two years ago, you will be able to see how those self-made tutorials have reshaped you. Even more to the point, from where you are now, you should be able to look ahead as much as two years and see what and how you might contribute towards reshaping the world in a similar way — one relationship (or set of relationships) at a time. — by Len Wallick.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Now you’ve got it. Admit it. Internal processing that used to take months for you to move through is now usually completed in a matter of days. Of course, you have probably had some help. Be sure to thank those who have demonstrated their love and shown their support by helping you to move on from what was more of an existence, and into what is clearly a more authentic life. While you are in the process of expressing gratitude, don’t forget yourself. After all, it has been your desires that have motivated you. It has also been your strong sense of self-worth that kept you from settling for less than you need. In addition, without your commitment to a vision of what could be, nobody else would have known enough to do more than simply encourage you to accept what is. Yep, you may have had help, but what you did on your own to improve the quality of your life is something you should never forget. — by Len Wallick.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Take note of any tight muscles in your body. Then, look around for metaphorically tight situations in your life. Finally, consider a simple experiment. Among all those symbolically tight spots in your life, pick the simplest and easiest to deal with — and resolve it for good. After doing so, pay attention to what happens inside your skin. Based on what’s recently been going on in the skies, it would appear distinctly possible that you are in physical sympathy with at least some of your experience. If you can find at least some correlation between physical symptoms and external events, you will open the door to an alternative means of relief with some real chance of success. In addition, if you do in fact find that your body effectively ‘maps’ at least some of the world, you will have gone a long way towards being able to feel your way through current events. And you’ll do so without having to rely so much on (or be confused by) a disembodied electronic media. — by Len Wallick.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Much of your early upbringing at home probably went a long way towards preparing you for school. By the same token, your formal education probably contributed a lot to help you find, and take, a place in the world. If there is anything to current cosmological indicators, the next four weeks or so should represent the final days of yet another preparative stage in your life. Something about what you have been doing over the last decade or so is beginning to look and feel like it was all a prerequisite for matriculation into, and participation with, a different and more consequential level of being than you have ever known before. To get a handle on where and what you are in the process of ascending to, keep your eyes and ears open next month. If something looks and sounds like a graduation of sorts, that’s probably what it will be. — by Len Wallick.