still true after 60 years

I think we can all agree that things are really crazy right now in the United States, and that sets off a domino effect around the world. The U.S. government has a bad habit of getting involved in other countries’ business in the name of “democracy” and that is very evident right now. In addition we are under the helm of an erratic president (more on him later in the post) at a time of major astrological shifts. A new era is dawning.

The Macro effect

For those of you who don’t follow the astrology closely, there are several major factors at work right now.

  • All three outer planets have changed signs within a year of each other. Outer planets represent transformational forces – they reveal the current zeitgeist and what is to be learned from it.
  • We have moved from the Age of Earth to the Age of Air with the 2023 conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn (the great Chronocrator) into air signs for the first time since 1405, Pluto is in the air sign of Aquarius, and Uranus will be entering Gemini soon. Airy themes such as newly decentralized governments, the breaking up of established allies and governmental structures, increase in rational debate over theological belief, the spread of new communication modalities and innovative means of learning and education have already begun, and will continue to rapidly unfold over the next decade.
  • Pluto has entered into Aquarius which I have long predicted would bring the Singularity, a time when technology and the human brain converge. That seems to be happening right on schedule with the influx of AI into every aspect of human life which is only the beginning.

The astrology of the U.S. 

  • Pluto return 2022-2024. Pluto is the planet of destruction and regeneration, and because Pluto’s orbit around the sun is 244.7 years The U.S. Pluto return began in 2022 and officially ended when Pluto completed its passage through Capricorn in 2024, but as anyone who has been through a Pluto transit will know the effects can last for years afterwards. Pluto transits bring a breakdown phase, and then there is the reassembling of the pieces into something new.
  • Neptune opposing the Midheaven 2025-2026. In the Sibly chart of the U.S. which is most commonly used by astrologers (here’s why I use it), the Midheaven (government, national reputation) is at 1º Libra with the IC (national pride and identity) at 1º Aries. Neptune in Aries can symbolize our highest aspiration (Neptune) for self-reliance (Aries), but it can also reveal the illusions (Neptune) that bring us to war. Neptune crossing the Aries IC of the chart brings about confusion and delusion about the very nature of the soul of the country as it did in 1860-1862, and as we are seeing now. Neptune is also in a challenging square to Venus in the Sibly chart signifying relationships and global partners (2025-2027), and we can see how the shifting alliances of the Trump era has been affected by this.
  • The upcoming Uranus return. Uranus returns to its original place in an astrological chart every 84 years, and the U.S. Uranus return is coming in 2027 and 2028. The last Uranus return, in 1860-1861, also coincided with the Neptune transit described above which presaged the Civil War. History doesn’t repeat but it does rhyme, so while we may not see a civil war such as the one in the 1860s, it certainly appears as though the breakdown precipitated by the Pluto return will facilitate some much-need, though potentially drastic, change in the U.S.

The Trump effect.

I’ve written a lot about Donald J. Trump in the past decade and you can find those articles here if you like. Born under a total lunar eclipse, he is a brash, aggressive, and charismatic figure who has long embraced the spotlight and remained undaunted by criticism or failure and you can see why in this profile. For our purposes here, Trump’s Gemini Sun conjoins the North Node, signifying a clear purpose, and Uranus, the planet of impulsivity and radical behavior. He also has Mars, planet of aggression, in Leo where attention and admiration is demanded, conjunct his ascendant. His entire personality is driven by this Mars in Leo.

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When a planet conjoins any of the angles (ascendant, descendant, midheaven, IC or imum coeli)  of a natal chart it is more significant in the life and has a more powerful effect. Trump’s Mars not only conjoins his ascendant (persona) but also squares his midheaven (role in the world). Transiting Uranus activated these points in 2024-2025 but is still within the orb of influence. A transit of Uranus such as this can produce reckless and impulsive behavior such as we saw last year with the daily implementation and revocation of tariffs.

Over the past decade many astrologers have forecast his downfall due to this Saturn transit or this other Neptune transit. Trump is remarkably resilient and his personality refuses to accept defeat. Psychologists and biographers have related this to the demands of his father, but it is also clearly written in his astrological chart.

The first shot of the 2026 Iran War.

Transits of Mars often activate the longer range transits of the slower-moving planets such as Uranus and transiting Mars began triggering this Uranus transit to Trump’s natal Mars around February 20th. (This was also the day of the exact conjunction from Saturn to Neptune at the zero degree point of Aries.)

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran reached a peak in the summer of 2025 but seemed relatively quiet until the mass killing of protesters in late December. The Trump administration attempted to negotiate with Iran’s leadership but they did not come to the table and on February 17th Iran refused to meet the demands presented to them. On February 20th Trump threatened military action, which commenced on the 26th with transiting Mars exactly opposite Trump’s natal Mars.

It is already clear that the majority of Americans have no appetite for this war. It may not be winnable, and Trump lives by the lessons from his mentor Roy Cohn: “When criticized or accused, Cohn’s response was invariably to hit back harder, to escalate, to make the accuser regret ever mentioning his name. …  This tactic became Trump’s signature move, whether attacking Gold Star parents who criticized him, mocking a disabled reporter who questioned his claims, or threatening critics with lawsuits and retribution.”

The Trump/Israel connection.

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As a conspiracy minded person with Mercury in Scorpio, it is hard for me not to want to connect the dots between Trump, Epstein, and Israel. But in the interest of sticking with the astrology I will only point out the fact that Mars in the chart of Israel conjoins Trump’s Mars/Ascendant and squares it’s own Sun, reflecting the warrior nature of the country which has had to withstand many attacks in its struggle to survive. Israel’s Sun conjoins Trump’s Midheaven, suggesting an innate partnership in the public workings of both of them. And this entire dynamic has been and still is being transited by Uranus in a strong echo of Trump’s own chart.

Conclusion.

Frankly I wish I had one. My personal belief regarding fate vs free will is that it’s like a card game – we are given the cards but it’s up to us to make choices to play them. When we’re dealing with our own lives this is easier as we can make our own decisions. In international relations we are at the whim and mercy of leaders who may or may not have everyone’s best interest in mind.

My friend Dan is hoping that the conjunction of Saturn and Neptune will bring some kind of divine intervention and I hope he is correct. Underlying all of these stressful planetary alignments is a minor grand trine of outer planets in new signs that are teaching ways in which to forge new pathways of progress so that adds a measure of hope.

Meanwhile here in the U.S. we still have the right to vote, for now. Let’s exercise it this year.

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