Standing in the Radiance of Venus - A visual astrology view of US presidential elections and its self-imposed union with Venus
by Bernadette Brady
This piece was first published in September 2008 in The Visual Astrology Newsletter and makes a forecast for the 2016 US presidential election based on historical analysis of the powerful Venus cycle.
Modern day two-party political systems would
have appeared strange to the eyes of the Mesopotamian astrologer priest.
However, they were not unfamiliar with the concept of rivals seeking to
overthrow the king and in that light they would have considered the
two-party system as a kingdom ruled by two warring families, each one
claiming different levels of power at different times. But our early
forefathers of astrology would have warmed to this political struggle
within the US because, unlike any other country, the US presidential
elections have been tied unintentionally by law to the ever-important and
powerful Venus cycle.
This is a concept that they would have considered most logical, as it allows the party or faction receiving the blessing of Venus to gain the rulership of the kingdom. Venus was the only female deity in their world view and her power, which was considerable, was her ability to bestow radiance on any star or planet near her. If the king received this blessing, then he was protected and strong. If, however, she chose to give it to a rival, then the king could be overthrown.
The USA's adoption of the Venus cycle
It so happens that the term of office for the US President was set by the Founding Fathers at four years and so, starting from 1792, US presidential elections have been held every four years, always occurring on any year divisible by four. At that time the date of the different states' presidential elections could vary, as long as they fell within a 34 day period before the first Wednesday in December (1). However, as time passed and communication between the states increased, it was clear that candidates were gaining an advantage in some states due to early victories in others. Thus by 1845 it was decided that the four yearly presidential elections would be held on the same day throughout the country. This date was set as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, thereby locking the presidential elections into an interesting Venus cycle (2).
Every eight years Venus returns to the same place in the sky. Look at the planets on your birthday when you are eight years old and you will notice that Venus is around the same zodiacal degree for when you were born. This is also the case for your 16th birthday, 24th birthday, and so on. This regular cycle of Venus, when linked with the US four-yearly presidential elections, means that every second election Venus will be in the same place in the zodiac. Indeed Venus simply alternates between two zodiacal position from one election to the next over the many elections since 1792. These two positions are the early degrees of Libra and the middle degrees of Sagittarius.
Added to this is the fact that the elections are also tied to a calendar date - elections occur between the 2nd and 8th November - thereby locating the Sun, for every election, within the middle degrees of Scorpio. When these two cycles are combined - the four-year elections with a set date every four years - then Venus for any given election can have only one of two relationship with the Sun: it will either be in Sagittarius, giving it good separation from the Sun, and thus it will be seen as a bright Evening Star; or it will be in Libra, also with a good separation from the Sun, and thus it will be seen as a bright Morning Star.
Morning Star Elections or Evening Star Elections
To the astrologer/priest of the Mesopotamian court, these four-yearly set calendar date elections are custom-made for Venus. With this perfect alignment between the two, they would have considered it an intentional and fortunate association which allowed Venus to be the deity who chose the winner by casting her beams on nearby planets representing the king or his rivals. The brighter she was the greater her favours, and with the US system of presidential elections, Venus is bright for every election and could and would give her strength and imprimatur to either the king or the king's rival in the court. So the astrologer/priest pondering this contest would want to know whether Venus was, firstly, a morning or evening star, as that changes the nature of her favours, and then, secondly, explore who she was empowering with her beams.
Sorting out the Elections
The following are the election dates divided into their Morning Star Elections with Venus in early degrees of Libra and the Evening Star Elections with Venus in the middle degrees of Sagittarius.
Morning Star Elections - The Victors Venus in early degrees of Libra |
|
|
||
---|---|---|---|---|
Franklin Pierce |
2 Nov 1852 |
Zachary Taylor |
7 Nov 1848 |
|
Abraham Lincoln (1st term) |
6 Nov 1860 |
James Buchanan |
4 Nov 1856 |
|
Ulysses Grant (1st term) |
3 Nov 1868 |
Abraham Lincoln (2nd term) |
8 Nov 1864 |
|
R. Hayes |
7 Nov 1876 |
Ulysses Grant (2nd term) |
5 Nov 1872 |
|
Grover Cleveland (1st term) |
4 Nov 1884 |
James Garfield |
2 Nov 1880 |
|
Grover Cleveland (2nd term) |
8 Nov 1892 |
Benjamin Harrison |
6 Nov 1888 |
|
William McKinley (2nd term) |
6 Nov 1900 |
William McKinley |
3 Nov 1896 |
|
William Taft |
3 Nov 1908 |
Theodore Roosevelt |
8 Nov 1904 |
|
Woodrow Wilson (2nd term) |
7 Nov 1916 |
Woodrow Wilson |
5 Nov 1912 |
|
Calvin Coolidge |
4 Nov 1924 |
Warren Harding |
2 Nov 1920 |
|
Franklin D Roosevelt (1st term) |
8 Nov 1932 |
Herbert Hoover |
6 Nov 1928 |
|
Franklin D Roosevelt (3rd term) |
5 Nov 1940 |
Franklin D Roosevelt (2nd term) |
3 Nov 1936 |
|
Harry Truman |
1 Nov 1948 |
Franklin D Roosevelt (4th term) |
7 Nov 1944 |
|
Dwight Eisenhower (2nd term) |
6 Nov 1956 |
Dwight Eisenhower |
4 Nov 1952 |
|
Lyndon Johnson |
3 Nov 1964 |
John F Kennedy |
8 Nov 1960 |
|
Richard Nixon (2nd term) |
7 Nov 1972 |
Richard Nixon |
6 Nov 1968 |
|
Ronald Reagan (1st term) |
4 Nov 1980 |
Jimmy Carter |
2 Nov 1976 |
|
George Bush |
8 Nov 1988 |
Ronald Reagan (2nd term) |
6 Nov 1984 |
|
Bill Clinton (2nd term) |
4 Nov 1996 |
Bill Clinton |
3 Nov 1992 |
|
George W Bush |
2 Nov 2004 |
George W Bush |
7 Nov 2000 |
Venus as Morning Star favours the one who holds the crown
Venus as a Morning Star was considered more independent, desiring to function alone or give favours which are powered with rashness, haste and or free-thinking. Generally this does not favour the political networking and back-room deals needed for any rival to rise to power. For this reason it is rare for the ‘king’ or the king’s chosen heir to lose power at a Morning Star election. Indeed there have only been two occurrences since 1900 when they did, that of the first election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 when he took the White House from the Republicans, and Ronald Reagan in 1981 when he took the White House from the Democrats. Every other election since 1900 which has Venus as a Morning Star has resulted in no change to the ‘family’ who is ruling the White House.
Venus as Evening Star favours the one whom she radiates
This is the type of election where there is a greater possibility for changing who holds the power in the court. This situation does not guarantee change but as an Evening Star Venus is far more active in terms of networking and co-operating in team work and thus her blessing is more suited to the nature of politics, potentially empowering the rival with the luck and skill required for success. The candidate symbolised by the planet or star which is receiving the light of the bright Evening Star Venus will tend to be the victor.
Venus favours the Rival - a look back at other Evening Star elections
The Academic takes the throne - Jupiter and Mercury
In 1912 Woodrow Wilson
claimed the White House for the Democrats under an Evening Star election
as Venus was radiating Jupiter and Mercury (see image right). He was an
academic who, two years earlier, had become President of Princeton
University. Here Venus was favouring the scholar. The Sun, always
symbolic of the king or in this case the ruling party, was conjunct Mars
(at the top of the apex of the constellation Libra) and the Republicans
(the ruling party) were being torn apart from a rift between Roosevelt
and Taft.
The King dies in an Eclipse and the Editor (Mercury) wins
In 1920 Warren Harding
reclaimed the White House for the Republicans under an Evening Star
election. Venus was radiating Mercury (see image right) - Warren Harding
was a small town editor reflective of this Venus/Mercury combination -
while at the same time the king (the Sun) was within 3 degrees of the
nodal axis and thus an eclipse season was in force, signifying a time of
mortal threat to the king.
Victory to the Soldier (Mars), while the King ails...
In 1952 Dwight
Eisenhower, the successful General of WWII, took the White House
for the Republicans under an Evening Star election when Venus was
radiating both Mars and Mercury (see image below) while Saturn (the other
indicator of the king) was conjunct Neptune (Saturn and Neptune are just
above Spica), a combination reflected by Democrat President Harry S.
Truman retiring and deciding not to seek a second term.
The Crown Prince takes the Throne (Jupiter) while the king is confused
1960 was the next occurrence of an Evening
Star election when John F. Kennedy claimed the White
House for the Democrats. At this time Venus was radiating Jupiter, as it
was for the victory of Woodrow Wilson. For Wilson, the Jupiter symbolism
was in his academic background; for Kennedy it was his youthfulness, his
unofficial title of “crown prince” when compared to his
opponent of Richard Nixon, the hard-liner, anti-communist
Republican. At the same time the Sun (the king's heir who was, in
this instance, the Republican party) was sitting with Neptune in a
similar situation which gave Eisenhower's victory against the Democrats.
This can also be a statement about Kennedy using the new medium of
television (Neptune) for the first time and the king's heir not following
this path.
The Saturn figure pushes the old heir - Lyndon Johnson - to one side
By 1968 another Evening Star election was held and
this time Venus, bright and owning the sky, yielded her night sky
position only to Saturn (see image below, Saturn and Venus are only two
planets in the evening sky). Now Venus was giving her blessings to the
hard-hitting, anti-communist Republican Richard Nixon who
took the throne for the Republicans, while the Sun tries to run from
Neptune (not shown).
The Southerner takes control blessed by the black vote (Neptune being radiated)
In 1976, the next Evening Star election occurred with
Venus radiating Neptune (see right) and a Southerner took the White House
for the Democrats. Jimmy Carter, with huge support from
the black southern states, arrived as the outsider in Washington. His
opponent, the incumbent President, Gerald Ford, was the Sun which was
besieged by Mars and Uranus – symbolic of the king in serious trouble.
Venus herself takes the White House
It was Bill Clinton who
claimed the next Evening Star election by taking the White House in
November 1992 and removing the Republican, George Bush. At this election
Venus, although brilliant in the evening sky, only bestowed her blessings
on Mercury (her frequent partner in the sky), so it seems as if she has
focused on the man whose natal chart was ruled by Venus and who was
renowned for his charm.
Victory to the Bold - Pluto receives Venus' radiance
However, by the next Evening Star election “Bush
the Younger”, G. W. Bush, retook his father’s
house on 7th November, 2000. This was a disputed election and with Venus
radiating Pluto, she blessed the one who had the most money, the most
power, the most lawyers and the most might.
(Note of Interest: Of the twenty-eight presidential
elections since 1900, ten of these elections have seen changes in the
party governing the White House and of those ten changes, eight of them
have been Evening Star Elections. Thus there is a track record
of 28.5% times of change with an Evening Star election versus
7% times of change for Morning Star elections.)
The Evening Star Election of 2008 – a Visual Astrology view
(Here) we have another Evening Star election. The ‘family’ that rules the White House is the Republicans, and, for this Evening Star election, the king has retired and the appointed heir is seeking the throne. There is, of course, the rival ‘family’ who, for this election, are the Democrats and, as always, the rival is seeking to claim power at these times of change.
As the astrologer/priest, you watch the heavens looking for the way of Venus. If the king is being challenged, this does not hold well for the Republicans. If Venus is radiating a planet, then what is that planet and who does it symbolise, the king's heir or the rival? From our Mesopotamian mind-set, we can ask this question of the heavens: "Can the king's selected heir win the White House or will the court rival overthrow him? Which of the two families in the court will take the throne?"
The 2008 Evening Star Election
At the time of the election Venus is once
again radiating Pluto but differently to the 2000 election as there is
also a distant but bright Jupiter in the cape of Sagittarius (see image).
If Venus’ empowerment goes to both planets, questionable as the
orbs are wide, then this would symbolise a landslide victory to the
younger "crown prince", a bold sweeping ascent to the White
House where the sheer weight of the mandate places great power in the
hands of Obama. Such power can be a heady drug for any politician so the
younger rival will need to remember that he is not Caesar, he is not one
of the gods and is only human.
But if Venus' light does not reach Jupiter, then the emphasis will be focused on the raw power-struggle of Pluto. The election will be won by the ‘family’ with the most money, power and grit. Adding to this intrigue, the heir of the retiring king is not being damaged by Mars. Rather that Mars is expressing itself as John McCain, the Soldier.
One gets a sense already of the power of the Jupiter Pluto victory to the young contender, Obama, but if it comes to a fist fight in the manner of the 2000 election - the last Evening Star election where Venus radiated Pluto - then the victory will go to the one who can wield the most money and power.
The victory will be most sweet for it will last for twelve years
On a final note, whichever party gains the White House (in 2008), they will hold it not only in the 2012 elections (Obama re-elected) but also in the 2016 elections. In the election of 2012 a Morning Star Venus radiates the Sun-Saturn conjunction which will give much blessing on the king.
In the 2016 which is an Evening Star election, Venus once again radiates Saturn, with no threat to the king. So Visual Astrology is indicating that the ruling party will hold the White House for at least 12 years. Presidents may change at any stage but the ‘family’ that wins this current election in 2008 gets a very large prize indeed.
Kings or Presidents, it is all just power and rivals which is the intrigue of any royal court. Not much has really changed since astrology first emerged between the rivers of the fertile crescent.
Endnotes:
(1) The first Wednesday in December was the date set for the meeting
of the Electoral College whose purpose was to elect the president.
(2) The four-year cycle of presidential elections also captures a
Jupiter pattern but this is not focused as Jupiter does not return
exactly to this position every 12 years.
First published by: The Astrological Journal, 2008. Republished: Nov/Dec 2016
Author:
Dr Bernadette
Brady is a tutor at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David
in the MA program in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology. She holds a PhD
from University of Wales Trinity Saint David. She also holds a
master’s degree in Culture Astronomy and Astrology from Bath Spa
University, UK. In September 2006 the Astrological Association voted her
the prestigious Charles Harvey Award for “exceptional service to
astrology”; and in 2008 she won the Marion March Regulus Award for
Theory and Understanding in Astrology at UAC, 2008, Denver. She is only
one of three UK astrologers to hold this award (the others being Nick
Campion and Liz Greene). For more on Dr Brady visit: www.bernadettebrady.com.
Astro Logos Ltd was established in 1990 as an educating body to the
professional global astrological community. It is run by Dr Bernadette
Brady and Darrelyn Gunzburg: www.astrologos.co.uk.
Image sources:
Charts provided by the author
Hillary Clinton: By United States Department of State (Official Photo
at Department of State page) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Donald Trump: Gage Skidmore [CC BY-SA 3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia
Commons
© Bernadette Brady - published by The Astrological Journal /
2008/2016
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Current Planets
28-Apr-2025, 06:25
UT/GMT
| |||||
Sun | 8 | 13'23" | 14n15 | ||
Moon | 14 | 42'44" | 19n55 | ||
Mercury | 11 | 55'49" | 2n05 | ||
Venus | 28 | 42'37" | 0n55 | ||
Mars | 4 | 21' 7" | 21n10 | ||
Jupiter | 20 | 49'34" | 22n53 | ||
Saturn | 27 | 34' 6" | 2s48 | ||
Uranus | 26 | 9'48" | 19n05 | ||
Neptune | 1 | 0'37" | 0s46 | ||
Pluto | 3 | 48'32" | 22s44 | ||
TrueNode | 26 | 45'46"r | 1s17 | ||
Chiron | 23 | 54'49" | 9n59 | ||
Explanations of the symbols | |||||
Chart of the moment |