Full Moon Surprises And Election Day Illusions

 

We experienced a Full Moon today (October 31, 2020) conjunct transiting Uranus in Taurus. Since I’ve been looking at twitter and Presidential election polling, that is where my surprises have occurred. First, a final Des Moines Register Selzer poll of Iowa came out showing Trump with a seven point lead in Iowa. Their last poll about a month ago was showing a tossup in the race. This was a surprise to me because Selzer is the gold standard pollster for Iowa, and other highly regarded pollsters have been showing Biden with the lead in Iowa - as much as four points in the Monmouth poll. The poll is likely an outlier, but it certainly sent (political) twitter into a tailspin. Even the best pollsters produce outlier results every once in a blue Moon (see what I did there?)

A great deal of election litigation is going on in Texas this year. The latest is that the Texas Republican Party is asking a judge to invalidate 100K ballots in Harris County (Houston) as a result of curbside voting. I’m just surprised that they’re going that far. I knew voter suppression efforts were going on, but 100K ballots in one Texas county?!

On Election Day (Tuesday, November 3), the Moon is transiting Gemini. It will square transiting Neptune in Pisces in the afternoon. We aren’t likely to understand what we’re seeing then, and it is complicated by the transiting Mercury (in Libra) square to transiting Saturn (in Capricorn). This aspect is very good for exacting detail work, but not so much for seeing overall patterns. We may not be able to see the forest for the trees for a while. In addition, Mercury has been in apparent retrograde motion, and it turns direct earlier in the day.

Is The 2020 US Election A Replay of the 2016 Election?

 

At this point in the 2020 US election, it seems that many folks (including me) are getting PTSD because of the 2016 election. So, perhaps it makes sense to go back and take a look at what happened in 2016, and compare it to what is happening now in 2020. During a Mercury retrograde period, analyzing the past is often helpful.

I suspect that people being worried about that is helpful. This is because folks will not become complacent. They will make the effort to get out and actually vote. That’s the way it seems to be happening in my sphere. I suppose it might paralyze some folks and they might give up, but I’m not seeing it. 

Let’s take a look at the (national) polls first. As I write this post, we are ten days out from the (end) date of the election of November 3, 2020. It’s helpful to know that the (end) date of the election in 2016 was November 8, 2016. So, we are five days closer to the actual (end) date in 2020 than we were in 2016 on October 24. Anyway, add five days and you get October 29, 2016. The RCP national polling average in the Presidential race had a gap of 2.6 points in favor of Hillary Clinton. The RCP polling average today (October 24, 2020) is 8.1 points in favor of Joe Biden. That is significant. Could he make up enough of that difference to still win the election in the electoral college? Yes, but it’s very likely to be much more difficult this year. 

Let’s also take a look at the Astrology for comparison’s sake. I mentioned that Donald Trump had his Jupiter return in 2016. That was exact on December 4, 2016. That is almost a month after the election. Debbi Kempton-Smith states in “Secrets From A Stargazer’s Notebook” (page 207):

“It is a good idea to check in with an astrologer a few months or years before your Jupiter Return, so the stargazer can tell you the date it becomes exact. Jupiter is an expansive planet, and the luck can come up to eight weeks earlier than the exact day.”  

Hillary Clinton’s largest polling average lead (in October) came on October 17, 2016 - she was in the lead by 7.1 points then. That was after the Access Hollywood tape became public. But, her numbers began to diminish right after that. By October 28, 2016, her polling average lead was only 3.8 points. That is the date that Comey reopened the Clinton email investigation. Her numbers continued to fall after that. She got down to a lead of 2.9 points before returning to a lead of 3.3 points on election day. The final result was that she led the popular vote by 2.1 points, but lost the electoral college vote (because of a little over 70K votes in three states).

Another difference between the elections in 2016 and 2020 is that there were a lot more undecided voters in 2016. There was also more interest in third party candidates. Even on October 17, 2016, Hillary was only at 46.2%. Trump got almost all the undecided voters. On October 24, 2016, Biden is at 50.8% in the RCP national polling average. He’s at 51.9% in the 538 polling average. 

Let’s just look at one battleground state - Pennsylvania. Clinton’s polling average lead in that state (per RCP) on October 17, 2016 was 6.8 points. On October 28, 2016, it was 5.2 points. And, after Comey reopened the email investigation, her numbers plummeted to a lead of 1.9 points on election day. She lost the state by 0.7 points.

By comparison, the 2020 election polling has been remarkably stable with Biden leading by seven or eight points for most of the last three months. The biggest variance came after the first debate when Biden’s lead got up to double digits. It has now come back down to about eight or nine points. So, could Trump come back and win? Yes, perhaps. But, it looks very unlikely at this point. It’s 2020 - not 2016.

November 30, 2020 Lunar Eclipse In Gemini

 

Our last lunar eclipse of 2020 occurs on November 30, 2020. This penumbral lunar eclipse lands at  8 degrees Gemini. Folks in North and South America, Australia, and parts of Asia might see a darker full Moon during the maximum phase of this eclipse. You will be affected by this eclipse if you have planets or points between 6 and 11 degrees of Gemini and/or Sagittarius. Most folks will simply experience the eclipse as a full Moon. Full Moons usually indicate a climax or coming to fruition of something, and we are normally more emotional during a full Moon. This eclipse will affect communications, the education system, short distance travel and the automobile industry. Mercury is the lord of the eclipse. Mercury in Scorpio puts additional emphasis on the banking industry, death and rebirth and industries related to death. Sexual issues are brought to the surface as well - perhaps in the scope and context of dealing with the pandemic. 

For the US, the eclipse falls in the eighth house in the eclipse chart over Washington DC. Therefore, this eclipse will affect the industries listed above related to death, banking, insurance, and taxes. The eclipse point is widely squared by Neptune. There is an element of confusion and/or deception on the home front. Problems at sea could occur. Asteroid Koronis is conjunct Mars (in the sixth house of health) and squares Jupiter, Pluto, and Asteroid America (in the third house of communications and socializing) in the chart. Our intense need to get out and about and socialize with others could prove deadly. I’m afraid that this configuration indicates that our coronavirus pandemic problem will intensify and expand in the coming months. Be forewarned. The eclipse point is conjunct natal Uranus in the USA chart. Scientific and/or technological advances might be helpful. Venus is on the Ascendant in this chart and opposite Uranus (on the Descendant). We want more freedom in our relationships. There could be high level breakups and divorces (with stars and other famous people). Powerful women are prominent in this chart. The vertex (in the eighth) in this chart conjunct Trump’s natal Uranus/NN/Sun looks a bit ominous. It might have to do with his finances. Asteroid Whitehouse is conjunct Biden’s natal Sun. That could mean that Biden is getting ready to occupy the White House soon (let’s hope so).

October Surprises And More

 

Well, we’ve already had one October surprise - the POTUS getting COVID-19 along with the First Lady and some staffers. Or, was it a surprise given his cavalier attitude and behavior regarding the pandemic? I’m not so sure. It is currently unclear as to whether there will be any more Presidential debates - my guess is that there will not.

Transiting Mercury opposes transiting Uranus (from Scorpio) on October 7, 2020, and Mercury is already in its shadow period for the next retrograde (which begins on October 13, 2020). The planet stations quite close to an opposition to Uranus. Then its next exact opposition is on October 19, 2020.

The Vice-Presidential debate occurs the evening of October 7, 2020 in Salt Lake City. So, we should look for some surprises in that debate, but I doubt it will be as raucous as the Presidential debate. Retrograde Mars (in Aries) squares transiting Pluto on October 9, 2020, so power plays and struggles will likely occur during this period. Pluto turns stationary direct on October 3, which could produce some fairly significant events. It is currently stimulating the eclipses of July 12, 2018 and July 16, 2019.  

It looks like the Amy Coney Barrett confirmation hearings will be going on during the  Mercury retrograde period. Her N Sun is at about 8 degrees Aquarius, so transiting Uranus will be in a wide square to her Sun during this period (and moving closer to the exact square aspect). I would expect delays and more surprises - perhaps big ones.

Finally, the Sun opposes transiting Uranus on October 30, 2020 from 8 Scorpio. We also experience a full Moon (a Blue Moon) that day at 8 Taurus. This is just four days before the Presidential election. Trump’s N Pluto is at 10 Leo, Biden’s N Pluto is at 7 Leo. McConnell’s N Mercury is at about 11 Aquarius. Fasten your seat belts (and, don’t forget your masks).