Pluto in Leo's "Last Hurrah" & an Intense Solar Return
Looking back to last November's fateful election, I have to say that I was amazed by how—after 8 years of the Pluto-in-Virgo Obama administration—the presidency reverted back in time to the earlier, Pluto-in-Leo generation.
Though not unprecedented (Reagan was of an earlier generation than Carter, for instance), this is not the normal course of events, and even though 2016 seemed like "Hillary's time" (having run unsuccessfully against Obama, but still enjoying popular momentum), she was beat by someone a shade older than herself, not younger. The nation was fated, apparently, to suffer through a sort of Pluto-in-Leo "last hurrah" with Donald Trump.
A lot of things might be different with a younger person in the office, although heaven knows that being young is no insulation against being wrong-headed or reactionary. Would we still be committed to our European allies? Would we still be committed to the Paris Accord? Would we still be trying to ban refugees and Muslim immigrants? Would we be trying to wrench health care from 23 million people and starve public education?
Unfortunately, it's possible that nothing much would be different because what's been lacking in Trump's policy actions to date is an historical perspective, and younger leaders might also fall short on that count. The usual equation is: more years on this planet = more chances to develop a sense of history.
Trump is anything but usual, of course: if his thinking was equipped with this perspective, he would appreciate our European allies and have a lot less admiration for strong-arm dictators, from Russia and Turkey, to the Middle East and the Philippines.
Even the history of our founding principles seems to elude him: we see this every time he squirms uncomfortably under the constitutional "checks and balances" to his presidential power.
When Trump placed his hand on the Bible this past January 20th, he signed on to protect and defend the Constitution, not to undermine it. Some analysts wonder if he's even read the Constitution!
The hot topic this week in the press: will he try to claim "executive privilege" in regards to former FBI director Comey's Senate testimony on Thursday? Before that, what will Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats have to say to the Senate committee regarding Trump's attempts to stop the FBI investigation? So far Trump seems to understand that to claim executive privilege would be self-destructive. That sense of self-preservation didn't stop him from ridiculous tweeting about his TRAVEL BAN this week, however, so who knows?
Bottom line, normally we can count on older individuals to have a more seasoned grasp of history than younger generations do: with Trump, either he doesn't have that grasp (for whatever reason), or he simply doesn't accept the responsibilities that come along with that history.
So, what am I getting at here? For one thing, Trump is about to be one year older. On June 13th, he will experience his 70th solar return (turning 71 years old). The solar return can vary from the celebrated birth date (in his case, the 14th), since what matters here is the moment at which the Sun "returns" to its exact astronomical position at that individual's birth. The variance is usually a matter of a few hours and rarely more than a day.
A chart cast for this precise astrological moment is thus called a "solar return" chart, and we can use that in combination with Trump's natal chart here to gain insight into his coming year. Before we do that, however, we'll take a brief look at the Pluto-in-Leo generation's "nativity"—the chart cast for Pluto's ingress into Leo in 1937—and consider that chart in reference to Trump. As anyone who's ever enjoyed the drama of a strong Leo-type in their family knows, there's a definite light and dark side to this sign: with Pluto, the intensity only deepens.
I should know—I belong to this Leo, "Baby Boom" generation that debuted in October 1937, nearly 80 years ago. It was a great, creatively exhilarating period in which to grow up, not to mention one of the most consequential periods in American, and in world history. And heaven knows, my generation still has a lot of life (and "roar") in it.
I'm less certain, however, that we should be trying to rule the world any longer. Maybe it's time to stop managing things to our satisfaction, and to start loving and trusting the younger generations to build a world in keeping with their needs. Leo can do both, magnificently, although relinquishing power is a touchy subject—regal Lions do love to strut their stuff, the more colorfully the better. Let's consider this generational "birth" more closely, alongside Trump's nativity.
Biwheel #1: (inner wheel) Pluto Leo ingress, October 6, 1937, 12:05:08 p.m. ST, Washington, D.C.; (outer wheel) Donald J. Trump, June 14, 1946, 10:54 a.m. DST, Jamaica, NY. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node. (I'm assuming here that he will be in D.C. on June 13th--this could change, of course!).
Pluto-in-Leo (PL) Pluto widely conjoins Trump Venus-Saturn (Cancer) and trines PL Saturn (Aries). PL Pluto falls in the 8th house of this generational chart, suggesting that we were the beneficiaries of a strong financial heritage (our parents came of age during the Depression, and so knew how to squeeze a nickel til it screamed). In fact, our parents were the beneficiaries of America's all-too-brief experiment with building a strong middle class, and with notable exceptions (by race, etc.) we enjoyed that largesse during our formative years.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Approaching_Omaha.jpg
Even though those who fought were born under Pluto in Cancer, World War II was a Leo Pluto phenomenon—I'm reminded of this, writing today on the 73rd anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Mars and Pluto were conjunct in Leo that day (June 6, 1944), with Jupiter farther into the sign, protecting our courageous forces, fighting against horrific odds alongside our Allies. Venus and Uranus joined together to bless Sibly 6th house Uranus in Gemini; casualties were staggering, but our forces prevailed, marking a major turning point in the war.
Even so, there was a clear dark side to Leo's war: it split the world's leaders into strong authoritarian types (Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin) and those equally strong characters who opposed them in favor of democracy (FDR, Churchill, de Gaulle). This war established America as a super-power (PL Aries Saturn-trine-Leo Pluto), and it jump-started the American "middle class dream:" the GI Bill provided a strong leg-up for returning soldiers, who enjoyed subsidized education and housing, and they used those resources to create and support the "Baby Boom" (us).
PL Neptune was approaching return to Sibly Neptune (Virgo, chart not shown), so the rest of the world envied our "dream," thinking American streets were "paved in gold" (Leo).We did our best to maintain that image.
Not that everyone enjoyed the lap of luxury—social ills like racial discrimination kept many behind, but those problems became a focus for political action as the Leo generation came of age. The Civil Rights movement was also a quintessentially Leo phenomenon: the dignity of humanity was at stake. I still remember television reports showing African-American men marching, with signs around their necks that read "I AM A MAN." In retrospect, it shouldn't be surprising that a man named Martin Luther King, Jr. (Leo = royalty) led the way.
Meanwhile, the Trump family gained its name in real estate development and management during the run up to WWII and it capitalized greatly on the robust market for housing after the war, well into that Civil Rights era.
In fact, the company was investigated for war-profiteering in 1954 and racial discrimination in housing in 1973. Of German heritage, the Trumps claimed after WWII to be from Sweden, for the sake of business. We see the financially-protective energy in Donald Trump's chart (outer wheel) in his 11th house Cancer Venus-Saturn conjunction—applying to the 8th house generational Pluto. Building a business empire and making money has been the basis for his public life.
Trump was definitely "to the manor born"—his paternal grandfather "Friedrich Trump, had immigrated to New York City in 1885 from the German village of Kallstadt, Palatinate (by then part of the Kingdom of Bavaria) and made a fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush." As discussed in the May 26th post here, the Gold Rush days were a period of our history that's come back to haunt us lately.
Trump Chiron-Jupiter conjoin PL Sun –MC (all Libra) and trine Trump Uranus-Node-Sun (Gemini); PL Sun squares PL Jupiter-Part-of-Fortune (Capricorn). The generational Sun falls in the 10th house, denoting a prominent public role for Boomers; in fact, the Boomer presidencies (Bush and Clinton) have both been dynastic—a Leo idea if ever there was one. We very nearly had one Boomer president return to the White House (after two administrations of his own) as "First Gentleman." This is something we need to be very aware of with Trump: he also has political dynasty ambitions for his progeny.
The PL Libra trine to Trump's Gemini points reflects how Trump was sort of a generational "golden child," although he's also accumulated some wounds (Chiron) in his quest to stay on top. His Neptune (Libra) rules his 8th house of "legacy money" and also squares PL Mars (Capricorn) opposite PL Chiron (Cancer); these Cancer-Capricorn points resonate with Trump, Sr.'s Mars-Uranus conjunction in Capricorn (not shown), so we can appreciate how deeply Donald J. has internalized his father's aggressive views of business and beyond.
The Neptune factor could indicate a deep sense of "entitlement" in Trump, as well, and it's worth noting that Trump Sr.'s Pluto (Gemini) is exactly conjunct his son Donald's Sun. Another dramatically dynastic connection: pleasing Dad is more than a casual affair with Donald Trump, and we can extrapolate from this that his sons have absorbed that message as well.
Trump Mars-ASC (Leo) trines Trump Moon-PL ASC (Sagittarius) and sextiles Trump Sun (Gemini). Trump's Leo points overlay the generational 9th house, suggesting international prominence and legal involvements—both consequences of his aggressive nature (Mars-ASC). In addition, the neat trine-sextile connections made between his key personal points and the PL chart reflect the standard-bearer role Trump is playing for Boomers right now, as U.S. president.
Whether this will be a positive "last hurrah" for the generation is far from certain; astrologically, Trump's Moon-So. Node conjoin the generational ASC from its 12th house, suggesting an emotional downside (for him, if not the generation and the nation). Trump's time in office is probably not going to be the way the Leo generation would like to be remembered.
It should be noted that, remarkably, the day Trump was born was marked by a full-moon, lunar eclipse at 24°+Sagittarius, conjunct his Moon and the generation's ASC. This certainly speaks to a fateful connection between our generation's image/legacy and Donald Trump, for better or worse. It can't escape us, either, that transiting Saturn Rx is now conjunct that eclipse and the generational ASC, perhaps reflecting the recent heightened drama we've been seeing in Trump's presidency (there's been drama since day one, of course).
Saturn has been hovering near the Galactic Center (GC) since at least February, too—this has helped produce the information "leaks" gushing out of the White House and other agencies (most recently by NSA employee Reality Winner), and it may also have something to do with Trump's apparent inability to stop saying things that incriminate himself!
He's all but admitted to obstruction of justice in a number of his tweets—does he not understand how he's hurting his own case? With his natal eclipse reawakened by Saturn, it's possible that some part of him wants to be held accountable for his actions.
This same Saturnian energy will influence the many testimonies on Capitol Hill this week, from the four Intelligence heads (Coats, McCabe, Rogers, Rosenstein) today (Wed.) and Comey's testimony on Thursday, and Saturn will form the 3rd leg of a fiery grand trine between transiting Uranus, and Trump's natal Mars. It will be very surprising if we don't see some attempt to hijack the proceedings on Trump's part; he may even attempt to use these hearings to his own benefit in some way. There will be drama…the forecast calls for a major "tweetstorm," if not worse.
The Sun comes round…
So, let's now turn attention to Trump's solar return for this year, as set against his nativity. There's a palpable sense in the media that something big is about to happen in the wake of this week's hearings: if so, we should see something dramatic in the solar return. Even though the chart doesn't officially "kick in" until June 13th (see chart data in endnote #1)[1] , there's a long-standing opinion among solar return experts that the general "feel" of the coming year seems to precede the actual birthday, sometimes by a matter of months.
Bottom line, it's quite possible the energies we will see in this solar return are already being experienced by Trump himself.
In his very useful guide entitled The New Solar Return Book of Prediction, Ray Merriman[2] emphasizes how the house emphasis of the solar return chart reflects the general "tone" of the year.
The predominance of either angular (1-4-7-10), succedent (2-5-8-11) or cadent (3-6-9-12) placements is key. It's also key where his natal points (outer wheel) fall against the solar return (inner wheel-see Biwheel below). For our purposes today, two tables will help organize this information and give us ample insight into the likely tone of next year. Again, for the pertinent chart data, please see endnote #1 below.
Table 1. Solar Return house placements
SR Planets/Luminaries
Succedent
Cadent
Table 2. Natal planets in Solar Return houses.
Natal Planets/Luminaries
Clearly, angular and cadent placements dominate both solar return and natal-to-solar house placements, with cadent pulling ahead in Table 2. The general tone is one of intense activity, within an equally intense state of flux. It's not surprising with a president that we see 10th house activity; considering the tumultuous period Trump is approaching right now, it's also not surprising to see the cadent emphasis. Merriman also emphasizes the importance of any planet conjunct a solar return (SR) house cusp or angle: we'll see how those details factor into the highlights below.
Even without looking at the charts themselves, there are plenty of interesting points to ponder from these Tables:
1. SR Sun's placement in the 9th (the same as his natal Sun, of course) suggests a focus outward into the international arena, and closer to home, on legal issues. Opposite SR 4th house Saturn, his Sun will likely experience stress and serious demands for accountability. This isn't necessarily a negative: a president deals with international and legal issues and is expected to be accountable all the time, however the emotional toll could be heavy (SR Saturn conjoins his Natal Moon).
2. Trump's SR Moon (Aquarius) conjoins the SR 5th house cusp, suggesting there will be changes (possibly upsetting) in his close relationships (children, especially). This point inconjoins SR Mars in the 9th, which appears to be playing a heavy role in this chart (more below), so things could get rocky. This may be offset by SR Moon's trine to SR Jupiter at the SR ASC, so overall, probably an emotional "roller coaster ride."
3. His SR and Natal Mercuries (Gemini and Cancer) also fall in the 9th house, with SR Mercury square SR Neptune at the 6th house cusp, however, so there may be reason for concern with his health. Mercury disposes his natal Gemini points, so it's a key energy in his chart. Mental health could be an area of concern this coming year.
4. Jupiter's placement conjunct the SR ASC (and Trump's natal Jupiter-Chiron also conjunct that point) suggest either a wonderfully optimistic year of wielding great influence and enjoying huge benefits, or a year of troubling, undisciplined excesses, in terms of personality and behavior. Knowing Trump and the nature of his position, we'll probably see a mixture of both positive and negative.
Chiron is not usually considered in solar return charts, but its proximity to the SR horizon weighs against the positive possibilities. Trump may continue with self-defeating and excessive behaviors, yet his support from those who feel his "charisma" may continue to be strong.
5. Natal Neptune's placement conjunct the SR ASC from the 12th house suggests that difficulties could undermine Trump's coming year. His credibility and effectiveness could suffer (his Natal Neptune also squares Natal Mercury-SR Mars). SR Neptune falls in the 6th house, suggesting that he may encounter health issues, as well.
6. SR Mars (Cancer) also squares the SR horizon from the 9th house, suggesting a challenging year of infighting in the White House (seems like the status quo) and between Trump and our allies (DSC). International affairs will thus be a likely focus of some challenges. Trump's Natal Uranus (Gemini) overlays that SR 9th, conjoins SR Mercury and trines both SR and Natal Jupiters, so it's possible he will try to deflect attention from personal/ally challenges with volatile actions on the international front.
7. Natal Mars-ASC (Leo) conjoin the SR No. Node, in the only succedent placement (SR 11th) in both charts. Importantly, this Mars falls almost exactly at the SR ASC/MC midpoint, which Merriman suggests is a sensitive, possibly debilitating point for the SR Sun. It will be interesting to see how Trump's Natal Mars-ASC fare here: certainly, he will attempt to project his power and authority in this 11th house realm of public influence, yet relations with key associates could be stormy. Trump's tendency to lash out in anger may be problematic.
8. SR Uranus and SR Venus in the 7th reinforce the importance of allies (Venus) and the dangers of volatility (Uranus) in the coming year.
9. SR Pluto (Capricorn) and Natal Pluto (Leo) are both conjunct SR house cusps: the former on the SR 4th and the latter on the SR 11th. This suggests that something pertaining to these areas will end or be transformed. In terms of the more personal 4th house, we may see either a deepening of compulsive behavior on Trump's part, or a type of "healing" in matters of personal power. In terms of his SR 11th, Trump may experience the same dynamics in regards to important associates, and in regards to his ability to influence others with his power. Reforms may be in order.
10. Natal MC (Taurus) overlays SR 8th; this suggests that finances will be a key focus this coming year; what this means in practical terms is a mystery, since there's so much we don't understand about his finances (and the many conflicts of interest he has between them and his position as president). Inconjunct SR Saturn (Sagittarius), it's likely that those finances (tax returns?) will be scrutinized, and that Trump will be held responsible for what's revealed there. Needless to say, this isn't likely to happen without a fight from Trump, and possibly from his entire family.
There's so much more to say here, but suffice to say for now that the year ahead looks very similar to what we've experienced with Trump this past year: tumultuous and emotionally excessive. Will Trump continue on his steep "learning curve" for the job of president, or will he begin losing his grasp on that position? This solar return suggests that a lot depends upon how he responds to the demands placed upon him. Self-defeating behavior could be just that—self-defeating.
Aggressive attempts to "bully" his way through any challenges by lashing out and/or deflecting attention off onto outside threats are something to watch—the fiery grand trine at the heart of this chart, that takes in his Natal Mars, SR Uranus and SR Saturn-Natal Moon, will make sure of that. Let's hold out hope that "cooler heads" will prevail.
Finally, to return to my early point about Trump being the Pluto-in-Leo generation's "last hurrah" in the White House, I hope I'm right. As a generation approaching its 80th anniversary this October, we need to stop being the "patriarch" who's afraid the "family business" will fail miserably if he retires.
No, we don't have to resign ourselves to being irrelevant, but we need to transition to being the "wise elders," to preserving our many worthwhile contributions in the arts, in literature, in business, in statesmanship, and in that way supporting the generations that need to step into leadership.
IMHO, the 2016 election is looking more and more like a generational anomaly that shouldn't have happened—not for Trump or Clinton; where are the leaders of the future, and how can we help them now?
[1] Donald Trump's solar return was exact on June 13, 2017, 2:39:02 p.m. DST, Washington, D.C. Of course, it's possible he will not be in Washington, D.C. this day, but since the 13th doesn't fall on a weekend (meaning he's less likely to be at Mar-O-Lago), we'll use this location for our purposes here.
[2] Raymond A. Merriman, The New Solar Return Book of Prediction, Seek-It Publications, West Bloomfield, MI, 1977.
Pluto in Leo's "Last Hurrah" & an Intense Solar Re...