"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
For NewsScope blogs dating from October 25, 1999 through March 31, 2009, visit StarIQ/NewsScope.
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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
Jan. 20, 2020 - Senate Impeachment Trial Officially Begins; The U.S. Pluto Return and Capitalism
Jan. 27, 2020 - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex break protocol; Top Five Astro-Events for February
Feb. 03, 2020- Impeachment Backlash makes Election Day Pivot Point; Lilith Enters China’s Third House
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.
NewsScope for February 10, 2020
By Michael O’Reilly
Prelude: Voting Tallies Don’t Add Up
As Democratic candidates moved on to the New Hampshire primary, results from the Iowa caucus were still being counted. The app used to transmit Iowa results data had a bug in the code, leading to chaos in tallying the votes. As far as we know, either Buttigieg or Sanders won, and both declared victory. Biden came in a dismal fourth.
Quite possibly, the Iowa voting disaster is a prelude to what we can expect on Election Day in November due to at least three major astro-events. The most obvious of these is Mercury, the celestial accountant who tends to go on vacation when retrograde, or becomes error prone under affliction. Last Tuesday as the Iowa caucuses unfolded, Mercury had just entered Pisces, the sign of Mercury’s “fall”. Mercury tends to be unfocused in Pisces, and not especially sharp with details, as it is when in the opposite sign, Virgo.
And Mercury is also in what astrologers call the “shadow” phase of its retrograde station, when it’s still direct but about to turn backwards. Curiously, the company that made the voting app is called “Shadow, Inc.” Mercury retrograde and in Pisces is a double hurdle to overcome when it comes to efficient accounting. It may be a prelude to voting during Election Day because Mercury will be retrograde during the three weeks preceding November 3.
As an aside, Mercury will retrograde back into Aquarius on March 3, turn direct on March 9, and then re-enter Pisces. Mercury won’t officially leave nebulous Pisces until it enters Aries on April 11. This may indicate that we have no clear leader in the Democratic field, or the one that we do have is subject to replacement. The intense political divide between Republicans and Democrats has a repeated fractal resonance within the Democratic Party between moderates and progressives. This is related to Pluto’s polarizing influence.
The second astro-event is transiting Pluto opposite the U.S. Mercury. Pluto tends to complicate affairs in a variety of ways, not the least of which is major technical glitches. However, since Trump was acquitted, there’s no holding back potential Russian or other foreign hackers from meddling in the 2020 election. The intense partisan divide this season may also create problems in the shared ideal of having a fair outcome.
The third astro-event is the unexpected development, as symbolized by Uranus. Transiting Uranus was exactly opposite the U.S. progressed Saturn on the day Iowa held its caucuses (orb: 0º04’), shaking up the traditional machinery. Uranus goes on to oppose the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant on June 1, November 2, and March 22, 2021. In short, this transit is a major influence during the entire presidential campaign season. Among the items associated with Uranus is new technology, and its more challenging aspects can lead to technological breakdowns.
Most astonishingly, the second exact opposition is on Monday, the day before Election Day. This is also the same day that Mercury turns direct while in the U.S. 12th house of hidden activity. Mercury here squares transiting Saturn over the next two days, potentially leading to some serious voting discrepancies. It’ll be an election for the history books and, most likely, not in a way that’s entirely conclusive.…
Pluto Opposite the U.S. Mercury
(This is an excerpt from my feature article, The Age of Aquarius”, in this month’s Dell Horoscope magazine.)
Pluto, as the planet of extremes, has polarized American politics. Extremists on both sides of the political spectrum are attacking the capitalist system: leftists want to tax the rich and move toward a more egalitarian society, while on the right the billionaire class has gained control of the political levers and skewed available capital into the top 0.01%. They fight to preserve their position.
The details of how this political skirmish plays out in this election year can be seen in Pluto’s location in the U.S. 3rd house. The national horoscope is based on the Declaration of Independence which has become one of the most important documents ever written. Naturally, the ruling planet Pluto is found in the 3rd house of documents. America’s economic advancement has largely come from 3rd house industries, notably, those related to the transportation and communication sectors. Freedom of Speech – a third house feature -- is at the heart of the American system.
The most important aspect Pluto makes in the U.S. horoscope is the opposition to Mercury at 24º Cancer. The Mercury-Pluto dynamic has many manifestations in the American experience, but key to this aspect is the persuasive power of words. Debates are allowed and promoted as a fundamental right. Of course the Mercury-Pluto dynamic has a dark side, which includes propaganda, obsessive behavior, and an intolerance of opposing views.
In 2020, transiting Pluto opposes the U.S. Mercury for an extended time frame. Between late January and early August, Pluto will be within one degree of its opposition to the national Mercury. This phase promises to bring an intense effort by candidates, corporate interests, and the billionaire class to persuade American voters who to elect in November. It represents a pivotal national debate over exactly what are the most important issues during the Pluto Return. The next president will shape the nation’s destiny during this historic ending and new beginning.
The view from the far left is that the American Empire has only a few years before it collapses. For example, Chris Hedges describes “the corporate coup d’etat in slow motion” that works solely to enrich and empower themselves. “Any time a cabal seizes power, the political system in essence seizes up. It doesn’t work as it’s designed to work.”
This is what we’re faced with come Election Day. Nancy Pelosi and others have expressed doubts that Trump will step down if he’s actually defeated in the Electoral College. He may declare that the Democrats shipped in millions of illegal immigrants to vote for their candidate, for example. Or he may decide that the voting machines failed in some way. He may even declare martial law and suspend the transfer of power. Trump himself has tweeted that he’s thinking he could stay in office forever, or at least for four terms as FDR did.
