(26 October 2022)
With the approach the US midterm elections on Nov 8, polls are
predicting a close race with Republicans (GOP) enjoying a slight edge.
Held two years after the presidential election, the midterms determine
which party controls the two houses of Congress. Currently, Democrats
control both the House and the Senate, albeit by the narrowest of
margins in the case of the Senate. Polls are showing the GOP will
easily win the House of Representatives, but the Senate looks much
tighter. Polls over the past two weeks have shown the GOP gaining
ground on the Democrats with some aggregators now predicting a narrow
GOP win with 51 or 52 seats out of 100.
From an astrological perspective, the Democrats definitely look
vulnerable. President Joe Biden’s chart is significantly afflicted
during the run-up to the Nov 8 election. Transiting Ketu is conjunct
his natal Mars (19 Libra) in his 12th house of loss. Ketu (South Lunar
Node) is a natural malefic that symbolizes fast-changing and chaotic
situations and its combination with a 12th house Mars looks difficult
for Biden and the Democrats. Of course, the Ketu-Mars transit may not
necessarily relate to the election result but given the importance of
the election for the Biden platform, it nonetheless argues for a major
setback for the Democrats.
Saturn (24 Capricorn), now having completed its retrograde cycle, is
still locked in a heavy square aspect to Biden’s Mercury and Mars.
Given its slow speed and recent retrograde cycle, Saturn has been in
this challenging aspect all year and is one obvious reason why Biden’s
approval is remains submerged well below 50% as he struggles to deal
with the political fallout of rising inflation and his administration’s
blank check funding for the war in Ukraine.
One very intriguing fact about the midterm elections is that they
will occur on the same day as a lunar eclipse. On November 8, a lunar
eclipse takes place at 21 degrees of sidereal Aries, thus forming an
exact square with unpredictable Uranus and a slightly wider square with
pessimistic Saturn. While eclipses are normally associated with
disruptions or suspensions of the status quo in any event, this Nov 8
eclipse is front-loaded with a potential for significant disruption and
change.
But how to interpret this? I think the most basic point here is that
an election day eclipse occurring in an already-afflicted chart of the
incumbent party leader strongly indicates a defeat for the Democrats and
specifically, the loss of the Senate. The conjunction by a freshly
retrograde Mars to the Ascendant (1 Gemini) and natal Rahu of the
horoscope of Vice-President Kamala Harris’ is additional evidence of the
Democrats woes here at the end of October and beginning of November.
But at another level, the effect of an election day eclipse could
also increase the risk of an uncertain or disputed outcome. To be sure,
contested election results have become all-too-common in the US these
days as the patchwork quilt of state election laws make it more likely
for the losing side to launch lawsuits and recounts. So while the
planets are pointing towards a Democrat defeat, they also increase the
likelihood of some uncertainty that could last beyond election day and
may include legal challenges to the outcome.
Weekly Market Forecast
US stocks have been in rebound mode in recent days as inflation fears
have subsided somewhat and taken some of the pressure off the Fed.
This week’s rally appeared to coincide with a favorable solar eclipse
which conjoined Venus at 8 degrees of sidereal Libra. Tuesday’s eclipse
was within one degree of Venus, which is considered to be a mostly
bullish influence on sentiment. In addition, Saturn has returned to its
normal direct motion as of Oct 23 and thus offers a theoretical reason
at least for a lessening of pessimism.
However, Mars is about to turn retrograde on Sunday, Oct 30. Like
Saturn, Mars tends to be a bearish planet when it becomes prominent,
either by aspect or by condition. The period around the retrograde
station therefore brings an elevated downside risk for stocks. We also
note that this particular station of Mars at 1 Gemini will aspect Pluto
within just one degree. Mars-Pluto aspects tend to be bearish
combinations in any event, and if we include the retrograde station into
the mix, market risk would seem to be somewhat higher.
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Photo Credit: David
