"The natal chart is like a seed and progressions are the unfolding in time of that into the plant it is to become. Transits, are like a daily weather report. In political astrology, these three factors have to be taken into account!"
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NewsScope has been published continually since 1997. Links to NewsScope articles from September 2015 through December 2020 can be found in the Menu. Back copies dating from 2009 through 2015 are at
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Recent NewsScopes
Jan. 6, 2020 - Iranian general Qasam Suleimani; Pluto and Global Warming; the U.S. Pluto Return
Jan. 13, 2020 - Iran’s Horoscope Under Stress; The U.S. Pluto Return and the balance of power
re: 20-year cycle - Thank you for your insightful NewsScope column. I am not aware of anything else quite like it. Regarding the 20-year American Presidential cycle, I noticed that George W. Bush, elected in 2000, did not die in office. However, during a critical astrological time period of this administration, when I expected the pattern to play out, former President Reagan passed away instead. Sort of a deferred prophecy. Keep up the good work!
re: Trump – You wrote "...the bottom line is that Trump’s days in office are coming to a close just before or, more likely, soon after this Solar Eclipse." This would make Trump's running mate President. Does Pence's chart reflect that? Or will another rabbit be pulled out of the hat? As always, thanks for sharing your passion and gift for interpretations.
re: crash - It has been a previlage to visit every Monday Morning early in the hours every week and has been nothing but an educational experience to read and read to digest what you write; I have to say at my old age your blog and your writings are GOD SENT and exceptionally great to read and learn from.
With that said, as every where now a days you read this coming Capricon stellium of outer planets that is going to happen in 2020 and it is going to crash financial markets and going into recession due to Saturn combining with Jupiter and so on; I realize that we are in the Biggest Bubble created by central banks around the world and it will burst some time. Will you please kindly write on this if and whenever you have to time to do it to see what is your take on economy and financial markets.
re: gender - Apart from whether or not the VP's inclinations extend beyond the normative male-female monogamy, are there astrological signals that may indicate different sexual or gender tendencies in any one particular chart? And with the prominence now of not only homosexuality but also all forms of gender non-conformity and fluidity, as well as transgender, coming to the fore, what are the broader astrological themes that show this cultural/generational change?
And does this tie into the #metoo movement, which calls down the male power privilege with respect to sexual exploitation?
re: astrology - It’s fascinating that astrology, something our present civilization views as fundamental to an individual’s character, is ignored by deeper analysis. Love your column. It’s my first thing to read on Mondays.
re: NewsScope - As always with many many many thanks for your kindness and keeping us interested in Astrology and writings.
re: Pluto Return - Thanks for all you write. Ever since you said Hillary would not be President (in spite of my most fervent wishes and all those polls saying she was ahead) I totally trust your political assessments. Your column on the Pluto return is sobering to be sure. But there is another strain of conservatism that might need to be recognized. That of the government institutions, and the press, which are still doing their jobs, for the most part. One thing for sure, the American Empire (not that I really love that term) is going into eclipse, if not by being outstripped by the likes of China, India, or Europe, but because we haven't gotten our own house in order, and have let our worst characteristics run amok.
re: Bitcoin - There seem to be multiple charts for "Bitcoin". Bitcoin has been around long enough now to see a pattern in its valuation: dramatic price drops of 70%, followed by dramatic price increases, followed by drops, etc. Is there a Bitcoin chart that fits this valuation pattern? Is Bitcoin set to become the first international non-state medium of exchange? Thanks for your interesting site.
A. I have written about bitcoin's chart in the distant past (see bitcoin), but it's certainly worth another look.
re: Trump - Your piece on Uranus transits to the US ascendant: It does point to radical change but not a great sign if you were the one currently in power, yes? And does Trump's chart ever show signs of incarceration? He'll likely skate any federal charges, but it seems NY jails are ready and open for his business...
re: Trump - Doesn't transiting North Node conjunct Trump's natal Sun in 2020 weigh heavily in favor of his re-election?
A. It certainly helps, as does transiting Saturn, Pluto, and Jupiter trine his MC. Note that by definition, the Lunar Nodes are aligned with the eclipsed planet. However, many other factors should be considered, especially how his opponent's chart looks. Basing any forecast or prediction on one indicator is a sure way to miss the boat. Favorable transits can be totally over-ruled by hard progressions, for example.
re: Trump - Anticipating Trump's visit to the UK, Theresa May's people were warned not to schedule meetings lasting longer than 30 minutes "because of problems with his concentration span.’. Officials were told that, when a meeting exceeds that time limit, Trump just just checks out and 'starts doodling’. There's also been a lot of speculation about his drug use--- Aderall in particular. In addition, hundreds of mental health professionals expressed their concerns, issuing an analysis and a warning to all of us. Plus, his increasingly bizarre behavior indicates major problems.
Would you please consider looking into Trump's mental health?
re: 2020 - I read with some real concern your probably correct analysis that the US 2020 election will be under very real stress from continued [Russian] sabotage. Unhappily, what you also need to consider is that Bernie Sanders’ “independent Democrat” candidacy and generous fund-raising may also be part of that sabotage plan. Sanders candidacy is a classic diversionary tactic to peel off and divide the more liberal voters away from the larger Democratic candidate. Whatever his own motives – and I am not questioning these by any means – his “further left” views make him an ideal candidate for generous funding from black sources and even covertly from the Republican party itself. The Repubs will never attack Sanders; just watch.
The U.S. Pluto Return and Capitalism
(This is the continued story from my feature article in this month’s Dell Horoscope magazine.)
My preference for the national horoscope features Scorpio Rising, which makes the Pluto Return even more important since Pluto becomes the nation’s ruling planet. Scorpio Rising resonates with the 8th house, and in this horoscope, the U.S. has four planets in the 8th house, emphasizing the financial facet of Pluto’s symbolism. The 8th house is most commonly referred to as the house of shared resources or “other people’s money”. In geopolitical terms, it’s the house of capitalism and is associated with the corporations built on borrowed money or shareholders’ investments.
NewsScope for January 20, 2020
By Michael O’Reilly
Senate Impeachment Trial Officially Begins
Last Thursday, the official beginning of the Senate impeachment trial took place after Chief Justice John Roberts and all the senators signed an oath to uphold “impartial justice”. Then Roberts issued the Proclamation at 2:31 that the trial had begun pm (January 16, 2020; Washington, DC). A chart for this moment can be interpreted as the “birth” of the impeachment trial.
Of course, several of Donald Trump’s planets are marked by key placements in this impeachment chart. The most obvious one is that the Trial’s Ascendant is 22º Gemini, which is the exact same degree as Trump’s Gemini Sun. Trump’s Part of Fortune at 28º Aquarius and his Ascendant at 29º Leo mark the Trial’s other angles, which has 29º Aquarius at the Midheaven. And the seriousness of the whole affair can be seen with the Trial’s Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn exactly opposite Trump’s Saturn at 23º Cancer.
The Trial chart in itself symbolically carries the messages that we’ve already heard repeatedly in the news media. Mercury, the ruler of the chart, is at 0º Aquarius and forms a close square to Uranus in Taurus. This aspect denotes McConnell’s aim to call no witnesses and get the trial over with as soon as possible. Mercury-Uranus denotes this kind of abrupt ending.
The tightest aspects reveal the main themes, and we have three tied for this honor: Pallas sextile the Midheaven, the Moon quincunx Neptune, and if you include the recently discovered outer planet Eris, Saturn square Eris. These three aspects are 0º02’ from being exact. Pallas is the asteroid we associate with political strategy, and her sextile to the Midheaven promotes the constitutional virtue of “impartial justice.” However, Pallas is also squaring Black Moon Lilith, so impartiality is tainted by hidden political forces.
The Moon in Libra, the sign of balance and fair play, is corrupted by its challenging aspect to Neptune. Here are a few of the keywords famed astrologer Ivy Goldstein-Jacobsen gives for this combination: “loss through unscrupulous people, treachery, defrauding, forgetfulness, fear, subversive or clandestine associates, faithful trust in a faithless person or untrustworthy company.” An old astrological axiom states that “Someone is always fooled under a hard Moon-Neptune aspect”.
Saturn square Eris, the Goddess of Chaos and Discord, makes the expected protocol and quick end subject to disruption. Eris can toss a “Golden Apple” into the proceedings, something that seems small and unimportant, but which grows into a tempest of open conflict. Saturn with Pluto in Capricorn represents the tribal politics that rule the day, but Eris can cause rifts.
These are the initial impressions using the tightest aspects. But all this may change. After all, Mercury squaring Uranus may also bring unexpected developments that run counter to McConnell’s agenda. The chart’s most elevated planet, Venus, gives a clue. It’s placed in emotionally divided Pisces and has manifested as two female senators (Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska) who are on record in favor of hearing witnesses. This would make the trial actually impartial and a much longer, drawn out affair.
Lately though, and especially since key Supreme Court decisions in 2010, billionaires and corporate interests have been legally allowed to pour money into their favorite candidate’s campaign fund. This has tilted the system toward the wealthy, lowering taxes for the extreme rich, and ensuring that oil and gas projects get subsidized by the government.
The other notable echo with 1776 is that the U.S. has become that which it once feared. The American Empire is every bit as influential as the British Empire was back then. And curiously, President Trumps’ horoscope has some remarkable parallels to King George III’s horoscope.
Both were born with their Sun in Gemini and Leo Rising. Both have a Venus-Saturn conjunction that fostered difficult personal relationships. Both have Mercury-Neptune aspects that reflect poorly on their mental clarity. Both had problems facing reality. George’s denial that the thirteen colonies ever gained independence is similar to Trump’s denial that the Earth is heating up.
to be continued...
As we approach the Pluto Return, we are getting some fascinating echoes from 1776. Adam Smith’s pioneering work, “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” was published in 1776 and is credited with giving birth to capitalism as the best and most stable system of commerce. A free market based on enlightened self-interest would be the only morally valid socio-economic-political system.
Since then, the U.S. has fully embraced capitalism, adding its Aquarian principles of democracy to the equation. Democratic capitalism became the guiding light for all of America’s domestic and foreign policies, sustained by both political parties.
