voxcaelorum

Below is the chart for the New Moon as seen from Washington, D.C. on the 11th of February, 2021.

As always, please take the foregoing as hypothesis, not prophecy.

The Lunation falls in the 9th house. The 9th house rules the courts and legal matters, religion, higher education, and international commerce. The Lunation falling in this house highlights these matters.

In our particular context, of course, this refers to the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. The Lunation is afflicted by a square from Mars in the Eleventh House. The Eleventh House is the house of Congress, which is ruled by Mars. Mars's position is relatively weak in this chart, though, as he is in his Fall in Taurus and afflicted by squares from five(!) other planets. This suggests that as acrimonious as the trial will become, there will be no conviction.

Immigration may also become a major public issue during the next month, possibly also involving an ineffectual response from Congress to executive action by President Biden.

Let's Talk Aquarius

A full six planets are in Aquarius in this chart, so it's worth discussing the meaning of that sign all on its own.

Aquarius is a fixed air sign, associated with the thinking mind, change and eccentricity.

The ruler of Aquarius is Uranus. As we've seen, Saturn and Uranus are square to one another, and it's that square which dominates the astral world at this time. I've called it a kind of War of the Gods, between Saturn, representing conservatism, stability and the Old Order, and Uranus, representing sudden, revolutionary change, with other planets occasionally intervening one one side or the other by way of conjunction with the two major contenders.

The position of each of these planets is important. Uranus, the planet of sudden change, is in Taurus, the sign of fixed earth-- so the ruler of revolution is moving through the sign of stability, breaking up everything that is solid. Saturn, the planet of conservatism, is in Aquarius. Until the discovery of Uranus, Saturn was considered the ruler of Aquarius. It's an open question among contemporary astrologers whether Saturn still has dignity in Aquarius, or whether Uranus is that sign's sole ruler, now. Either way, the image is that of an old guard attempting to re-assert its power in the face of revolutionary change.

Keep this in the back of your mind during the discussion to follow.

The Sun, representing Joe Biden, is in very weak condition in this chart-- in Detriment, in a Cadent house, square Mars. He is very distantly conjunct a retrograde Mercury. As Mercury rules the Fourth and Twelfth Houses in this chart, I wonder if that doesn't suggest some of Biden's allies-- whatever rural, union voters may have supported him, for example-- experiencing a sense of buyer's remorse.

The Moon and the First House both represent the people generally in a mundane chart. As the First House is in Cancer, the Moon is its ruler, and so we can discuss the two together.

The Moon is in a better position than the Sun, but only just. Like the Sun, the Moon is weakened by her location in a cadent house, but unlike the Sun, she doesn't receive any special debility in Aquarius. The location in the Ninth House suggests that the trial of the former president, along with whatever other Ninth House issues come up this month-- I strongly suspect something pertaining to immigration-- are going to be on everyone's mind at this time. The square to Mars suggests division and conflict among the people, especially in relation to Congress and the outcome of the trial.

The Second House, which rules the nation's wealth, is in Leo. As such, its ruler is the Sun, with all that that entails in this chart. The economy continues to suffer, and the stimulus passed by Congress (Mars square Sun) is unlikely to help.

The Third House rules travel and communication, and the internet. It is also in Leo, and so also ruled by the Sun. Don't look for an end to the Covid restrictions in the next month, and in fact, both lockdown measures and internet censorship may be exacerbated by congressional action (Mars square Sun).

Expect the postal service to continue to struggle during this time. As if to illustrate that point, while writing this delineation, I checked the mail, and found that I'd just received a Christmas card from a friend. It was sent out the week before Christmas.

The Fourth House rules the nation's physical land, mines, farms, and the countryside. Here the news is very mixed. The Fourth House is in Virgo, which is ruled by Mercury. Mercury has no especial dignity or debility in Aquarius. He benefits from the conjunction to the Moon and by conjunctions to the benefics, Venus and Jupiter, but is harmed by the conjunction to the Sun and the square to Mars; he is also retrograde.

The Fourth House also rules the opposition to the government. I suspect that, in this chart, Mercury as leader of the opposition specifically refers to Donald Trump returning (retrograding) to Washington for his second impeachment trial in the Ninth House.

The Fifth House rules arts and entertainment. In this chart, the house cusp is in Libra, and so Venus is its ruler. Like everything else in this chart, Venus's position is mixed. She benefits from a strong conjunction to Jupiter, ruler of wealth and religion and, in this house, ruler of the Sixth House. During the Super Bowl there were a number of ads in which celebrities attempted to raise money for small businesses impacted by the Covid lockdowns. The conjunction of Venus and Jupiter suggests that these efforts will continue, and will have some success. On the other hand, the squares to Mars and Uranus suggest that the ongoing evisceration of the leaders of the entertainment industry, their exposure as abusers, exploiters and even pedophiles, will continue apace. Joss Whedon is apparently the latest casualty, but we should see at least one more high-profile denunciation during this time. (Don't look to Hollywood to suddenly grow a capacity for self-reflection and ask "How did we manage to create an industry based on abuse, exploitation, and rape?" No, in all likelihood they'll continue on in their delusion bubble, congratulating themselves for their commitment to social justice while denouncing you as a racist.)

The Sixth House rules the military and the working class, and public health. As the house cusp is in Saggitarius, the ruler of the House is Jupiter. Jupiter's condition is also decidedly mixed. He benefits from his conjunction to Venus, but is afflicted by a separating conjunction to Saturn and ongoing squares to Mars and Venus, as well as a conjunction to retrograde Mercury. While there may be some good news on either jobs or the Covid situation, for the most part matters continue to be very difficult in these areas.

The Seventh House rules foreign nations in general and international conflict. The house cusp is in Capricorn, and so Saturn is its ruler. Saturn is in the Eighth House, which rules foreign money specifically. He benefits from his conjunction to Venus and Jupiter, but is afflicted by the ongoing square to Uranus. Expect conflict with at least one foreign nation to come into the public spotlight at this time. Its position will probably be stronger than that of the United States.

The Eighth House rules death generally, and also foreign trade. The Eighth House is very active in this chart, with Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury all found here. As the house cusp is in Aquarius, Uranus is its ruler. Saturn in the Eighth House warns of death and sorrow. In his Fall in Taurus, Uranus remains a highly malefic influence, highlighted by his square to Saturn. Covid isn't going away anytime soon. On the other hand, the Jupiter/Venus conjunction in this house is a positive omen-- and indeed, case numbers in the United States have been dropping considerably.

Traditionally, a planet being located in the Eighth House suggests deaths among members of the social classes ruled by that planet. In this case, that would include the elderly, the wealthy, famous women, and well-known writers. Let's see what celebrity deaths occur during the next 28 days, and compare to this list.

The Ninth House rules legal matters, the Supreme Court, religion, higher education and immigration. As discussed above, I believe that, in this chart, this primarily refers to the second impeachment of Donald Trump. As the House Cusp is in Aquarius, the ruler is Uranus. Uranus is afflicted by squares to Saturn and to Venus and Jupiter. The impeachment will result in no benefit for the nation; it is altogether malicious.

The Tenth House rules the Executive Branch. Here the news is rather interesting. The cusp of the Tenth House is in Pisces, which is ruled by Neptune, and Neptune is on the house cusp. Neptune is therefore very powerful in this chart, but the only aspects he makes are a sextile to Mars and a semi-square to Saturn. What this suggests is that, as indicated by other charts, President Biden himself has relatively little power. Instead, the Executive Branch, in cooperation with some in Congress (sextile Mars) is largely running itself.

Neptune on the Tenth House also suggests, in Raphael's words, "socialistic agitation against the king and government." In our context, this probably suggests further agitation by Black Lives Matter and Antifa, potentially bringing them into conflict with the Biden Administration.

The Eleventh House rules Congress, especially the House of Representatives. In this chart, the Eleventh House is in Aries, and so its ruler is Mars; Uranus is also found in this House. As we've seen, Mars and Uranus are both badly afflicted, highly malefic influences in this chart. Debate, trouble, and conflict rule the day in Congress. The only positive action from that corner that we may see during this time will be legislation which will aid the more-or-less socialistic aims of the Executive Branch bureaucracies (Mars sextile Neptune).

The Twelfth House, finally, rules national institutions, hospitals and prisons, and the nation's hidden enemies. The ruler of this House is Mercury, with everything that goes with it. Mercury is highly active in this chart, making aspects to six other planets. His retrograde status has a chaotic impact on everything he touches, leading to chaos and unexpected reversals of fortune.

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And so there you have it-- 28 more days of drama, scandal and conflict in the crumbling American republic. Stay safe out there, everybody.

Above is teh chart for the New Moon as seen from Washington DC.

I am new to mundane astrology, so this is not presented as a set of prophecies, but only as hypotheses.

The first things to look at are the luminaries, that is, the Sun and Moon.

The Sun in a mundane chart represents the head of government, and the Moon represents the people. Now, any new moon chart will always feature a conjunction of the Sun and the Moon. Under ordinary circumstances, we would interpret that as an important aspect, indicating an alignment of the will of the people with that of their government. In the case of a Full Moon chart, though, this doesn't make sense, as that would require us to believe that the will of the people and the government line up with one another every 28 days!

Instead, let's look at the location of the Lunation itself-- that is, the conjunction of the Moon and the Sun-- as setting the tone for the 28 days to follow.

We find The Lunation in Capricorn, and on the 4th house cusp. The 4th house rules the land, agriculture, and mining. It also rules the opposition party to the government.

Now, unless unforeseen circumstances intervene, the head of state and the opposition party will be changing places during the time period governed by this lunation. This suggests that the conflict between the Democrats and Republicans will take center stage during the next four weeks-- no surprises there.

The Lunation is closely conjunct Pluto, and sextile to a powerful Neptune in Pisces. While I follow the theory that Pluto is a minor body, whose energy is waning, it still has some power and will until 2036. Expect our political debates to continue to be marked by the unbridled rage which is Pluto's signature, aided by the delusional power of Neptune. Neither side's actions are rooted in anything resembling reason.

As Capricorn is the sign of Hephaestos, the divine craftsman, and the fourth house is associated with mining and agriculture, expect efforts to direct government aid to the working population to take center stage during the time of this lunation.

The lunation is also distantly conjunct Saturn, and Saturn is in a very interesting position at this time. He is in Aquarius, which was his traditional rulership but is now assigned to Uranus. He is strengthened by loose but still operative conjunctions with Jupiter and Mercury, but locked into square aspects with Uranus and Mars. Both of the latter two planets are in very bad shape in Taurus, the sign of Uranus's Fall and Mars's detriment. Indeed, the Saturn-Uranus square looks like it will be dominating events in general over the next year, and is worth a whole post on its own. For now, I want to note that, to my mind, it looks like a war in Heaven. Now the gods, being good, do not actually go to war with one another, but at this remove from their light, that is what it feels like. Uranus rules sudden, revolutionary change, technology and railways and eccentricity generally; Saturn rules conservatism, tradition, stability and agriculture. These two forces are in conflict with one another, variously aided or hindered by the slower planets in the solar system. The issues of internet censorship and coronavirus lockdowns, at the very minimum, will be major manifestations of this conflict in our everyday lives.

Having explored the Lunation itself, let's take a look at the houses.

The First House rules the people generally, along with the Moon. The first House is in Libra in this chart, which means the population are represented by Venus. We therefore look to Venus to get a sense of the conditions the population is facing. We find Venus in very mixed condition: Peregrine in Capricorn, weakened in the third house, but strengthened by trines to Mars and Uranus. This suggests a population disempowered by the ongoing lockdowns, continuing to maintain contact through the use of technology. The trine to Mars and to the Uranian side of the War of the Gods suggests that conflict is brewing, though it remains at a simmer as yet.

The Second House rules the nation's wealth. As the second house is in Scorpio, Mars is its ruler. Taken on his own, Mars is in very bad condition in this chart. He is in Detriment in Taurus, conjunct the malefic planet Uranus-- who, in Taurus, is at his most malefic-- and square to Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury. Times are tough right now, and people are angry about it.

The Third House rules travel, communications, literature, and the news; in the modern world it rules the Internet. Now the chart starts to heat up. While the cusp of the Third House is in Sagittarius, Venus is here as well, who is, as we saw, ruler of the people in this chart. This suggests what you already know: Everyone's attention, while they're stuck at home (Capricorn), is on the news. And the news is just what you would expect. Jupiter, the ruler of this house, is peregrine in Aquarius, conjunct malefic Saturn and square to Mars and Uranus in Taurus. His only dignity is a conjunction to Mercury, which in this case suggests-- news, lots of it, and all of it bad. Or, to say it another way, all of it focused on the War of the Gods.

The Fourth House has already been covered in the discussion of the lunation. Let me also add that, as the house cusp is in Capricorn, Saturn is the ruler. Saturn is square to Mars, who rules the 7th house of foreign nations and war. Open war will not occur during this lunation, as Mars is weak in Taurus, but acts of terrorism or violent protests, ruled by Uranus, very well might.

More generally, the Fourth House is very much the main event of the next month. Five planets-- 6 if you include Pluto-- and the lunation itself are found here. I expect the conflict between our two political parties-- the opposition parties, as they switch sides-- to be the main focus of the next few weeks. But you already knew that. Events in the middle of the country, and very possibly foreign relations and immigration, will also be important.

The Fifth House rules entertainment, education and children. The fifth house is in Aquarius, of whose ruler, Uranus, we've had much to say already. In particular, the square between the fifth house ruler and the fourth house ruler suggests that the bigotry of our "entertainment" industry toward the people who occupy the middle of the country is going to be front and center during this time. A friend of mine who works in Hollywood described his industry to me the other day as "Aggressively and toxicly self-righteous." I expect that that aspect of Hollywood will be on display during our next president's inauguration.

The Sixth House rules public health, the military and the working classes. The Sixth House is in Pisces, whose ruler, Neptune is right on the House Cusp. Neptune rules mysticism, socialism and big ideas; it also rules delusion, addiction, and madness. Both delusion and addiction continue to spread among the population. Socialist agitation is likely, and will probably be aided by some within the Biden administration. The sextile between the lunation and the sixth house ruler suggests that the new administration will make economic relief for the working class and vaccination against the coronavirus a priority.

The Seventh House rules foreign relations, international disputes, and war. The Seventh House in Aries, whose ruler, Mars, is also in the 7th house-- though across the border in the sign of Taurus. And this is probably a good thing. If Mars had all of its other placements in this chart and was also in Aries, war would be very likely during this time period. As it is, Mars is at his weakest in Taurus. Still, the conjunction to Uranus and the square to Saturn suggests, at minimum, a war of words. Conflict over immigration may also take place, given the radically different approaches of the incoming and outgoing administrations. Acts of violence or terrorism may take place, and it's very possible that foreign funding is involved.

The Eighth House rules death and mortality, and also foreign trade, as it is the Second House from the Seventh House. As the 8th house is in Taurus, its ruler is Venus. Importantly, malefic Uranus is conjunct the 8th house cusp, and trine Venus. Uranus is the planet of sudden, radical change. Raphael has it that Uranus in the 8th house portends many sudden deaths by explosion or suicide, or "unaccountable ways." If he is right, the following four weeks may see at least one heavily publicized bombing, public outburst of violence, or controversial suicide.

The Ninth House rules religion, legal matters and the Supreme Court, and science. As the house cusp is in Gemini, the ruler is Mercury. Mercury is in a difficult position in this chart, being very much involved in the War of the Gods. What I would expect to see is clergymembers very publicly taking sides in our political disputes-- the US Conference of Catholic bishops publicly pledging support for Biden, the Jericho Marches continuing, pastors and priests lining up to bless one side or the other. As most of Mercury's aspects are negative-- conjunction to Saturn, squares to Mars and Uranus-- this will not go well for them, any of them.

The Tenth House rules the executive branch of government. In this chart it is in Cancer, which is ruled by the Moon. Considering the Moon simply as the house ruler and taking no other factors into consideration, the conjunction with the Sun suggests a strongly united executive branch, focused on all the matters we've discussed before. It's worth mentioning-- just as an aside-- that Pluto, which is tightly conjunct the Moon and the Sun, rules organized crime. What that says about the nature of either the incoming or outgoing administrations is probably better left unsaid at this time.

The Eleventh House rules Congress, and in particular the House of Representatives. As the house cusp is in Leo, the Sun is the ruler of this house. This shows a Congress strongly united behind the president, focused on all the matters we've discussed with respect to the administration-- economic conditions, the pandemic, the Opposition. Again, I think the conjunction with Pluto, ruler of the underworld, hidden things, unbridled fury and organized crime, needs to be kept in mind.

It's worth noting that John Michael Greer considers that one of Pluto's qualities is that Plutonian things look worse than they actually are and are never all they're cracked up to be. I do not know if he's right, but keep it in mind when you hear about how awful the Other Side is during this time.

The Twelfth House rules national institutions, jails and hospitals; and hidden enemies. The cusp of the 12th house is in Virgo, and Mercury is its ruler. As we have already seen, Mercury is in a very bad way. Violent crime has increased over the last year; expect that to continue. Trust in national institutions is currently very low; expect it to continue to bottom out. The 12th house suggests that terrorists, foreign enemies and other shady actors are very much involved in the ongoing national crisis.

And so there you have it. It's going to be a difficult couple of weeks. But you already knew that.

We'll check in again at the Full Moon and the next New Moon.