What Actually Happens When You’re a President With Mars Rising Where A Solar Eclipse Occurs

Disclaimer: Yes I sincerely loathe Trump and all he stands for but this article isn’t stupidly biased I promise.

Let’s consider for just a moment that the frenzy over the upcoming “Great American Solar Eclipse”® on August 21st 2017 at 28 Leo- especially as it relates to Trump’s chart is perhaps, perhaps, a little over the top. The things I see most commonly cited about the upcoming August 21st 2017 eclipse is that it is happening close to Trump’s Ascendant (presuming that his birth time is truly 10:54 am and not 9:51 am) and his Mars, which, y’know, at first glance, doesn’t look great. But…

Is It Necessarily Bad For A President To Have A Solar Eclipse On Their Ascendant?

No. Kinda depends on which Node is on the angle, and other things.

Remember, there are 4 types of eclipses, solar and lunar eclipses which can happen on the North or South Node. The North Node is where things are entering or moving upward into the world, where the Moon’s path moves north of the Sun’s path. The South Node is where things are exiting the world or falling out of favor, where the Moon’s path moves south of the Sun’s path. Depending on which Node the eclipse is happening, this tells us whether something is entering or exiting the world, and the ruler gives you some idea of what. The August 21st 2017 eclipse is on the North Node, so something is being raised up, on a northward path, about what Leo represents: kings, rulers, celebrities, the entertainment industry.

For example, this upcoming eclipse is in Saros series 145. The last Saros 145 solar eclipse was on the North Node on August 11th 1999.  Less than 2 days before, Vladimir Putin was appointed acting Prime Minister on August 9th 1999. This eclipse occurred on Vladimir Putin’s Midheaven and Pluto in Leo and the eclipse was visible from Moscow. So, a very powerful Leo-like figure from Russia emerged from that eclipse, though it wasn’t obvious at first. This is why I think this upcoming eclipse could give us an American Putin, so to speak. It will definitely be interesting to keep an eye on this man around August 21st 2017, especially if he names any successors…

What I’ve noticed in my work with political astrology is that presidential candidates oftentimes have the Nodes transiting through their angular houses as they are waging their campaigns, meaning that eclipses are happening in their angular houses, the houses most pivotal and central in their charts. They become movers and shakers, their actions have broader consequences. The Nodes bring them to some sort of prominence, but some candidates are on the way up and others are on the way out.

We can see this in the chart of Barack Obama. The North Node was in Aquarius through the 2008 election when he was elected President, and so the eclipses occurred across his Ascendant. A crucial juncture in the primary election was the Super Tuesday contests which took place on February 5th 2008. The next day was a North Node solar eclipse at 17 Aquarius, conjunct Obama’s Ascendant by less than a degree. Meanwhile, that same eclipse occurred in John McCain‘s whole sign 12th house opposite his Mars. While McCain won the Republican contests on the same day, in the broader context of time, this was just a pit stop on the way to an election defeat. So the eclipse in his 12th ultimately signaled a victory for his opponents, and opposite his Mars, a loss to him. The only eclipses in 2008 that hit John McCain’s Ascendant/Descendant axis was a lunar eclipse on the South Node in his 7th, which y’know, obviously didn’t lead to where he wanted to go.

By the 2012 election, the North Node had moved to Scorpio. So while Obama’s stature was elevated with the Nodes’ transit through the sign of his Ascendant in 2008, in 2012 he was in a position of power to be judged with the Nodes in the sign of his Midheaven, his whole sign 10th. Meanwhile, his opponent Mitt Romney secured the Republican nomination on May 29th 2012. Just 9 days earlier there was a solar eclipse on May 20th 2012 at 0 Gemini, within a degree of Romney’s Ascendant, just like Obama had in February 2008. However, this solar eclipse was on the South Node, so while it brought him to the forefront in politics, it was ultimately to take a fall than to rise higher.

The North Node’s movement into Leo in 2017 then completed the cycle of Obama’s time at the height of national politics, having started in Aquarius where his Ascendant was, bringing him to power, moving to Scorpio where his Midheaven was, where he was tested and confirmed, and then setting in Leo where his Descendant is, leaving his political role, entering a retirement of sorts.

I say all of this to say that eclipses on one’s Ascendant is not necessarily a terrible thing for a president or presidential contender, depending on which end of the Nodes they’re happening on. In Romney and McCain’s case, they involved South Node solar or lunar eclipses on their Ascendant or Descendant and they fell short. In Obama’s case they involved the North Node and he didn’t. In Trump’s case on August 21st 2017, it’s a North Node solar eclipse.

However another big factor at play about the upcoming August 21st 2017 eclipse is that not only is it happening close to Mars in the sky, it is also happening very close to his natal Mars, which I agree doesn’t look terribly good at first glance. But…

Has Something Like This Happened Before?

Has this happened before to a sitting President, where a solar eclipse occurred near their Mars on the Ascendant? The answer is yes.

There are 4 Presidents other than Trump with timed charts who have Mars rising. They are Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton. Interestingly, both Johnson and Clinton have Mars rising in Libra, and both are the only presidents to have been impeached. Fillmore and Ford were both vice presidents who became presidents due to the untimely vacancy of their predecessor. Out of these presidents, only Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton have birth data better than a C rating. Gerald Ford was the only one to have a solar eclipse occur on his Mars and Ascendant within his term as President, although it was on the South Node rather than the North Node.

Gerald Ford was born when Mars was at 19 Taurus rising to meet his Ascendant at 13 Taurus. While he was President, there was a South Node solar eclipse on May 11th 1975 at 19 Taurus, right smack on his Mars and close to his Ascendant. According to his daily diary, he was at Camp David at the exact time of the eclipse. He would not have seen it, as it was only visible from England to Japan. The next day however, was quite eventful and is now known as the Mayaguez Incident. So let’s talk about that.

Less than a month before, the US officially bowed out of the war in Vietnam more or less in total disgrace. The government the US propped up in Cambodia, the Khmer Republic, got overthrown by communist Cambodians called the Khmer Rouge, in example #5798 that the US doesn’t learn things. The US realized it was game over in Cambodia, so they took their shit out of the US Embassy and put it on a discreet looking cargo ship called the Mayaguez. So discreet, that the Khmer Rouge started shooting at it. We are still not entirely sure of what was on this boat but the Khmer Rouge wanted it real bad. So the Khmer Rouge were shooting, got on the boat and captured the Americans. The captain managed to put out a distress signal which eventually got passed on to Washington DC.

So the morning after the eclipse, President Gerald Ford heard about the potentially dangerous situation the US embassy boat people are in because of the dang Cambodian communists. Inexplicably, he declares it an act of piracy causing everyone on the NSC to go ‘dafuq’. One would think the more relevant accusation would be “kidnapping” or “hostage-taking”, but okay. Ford tells Henry Kissinger to ask China to ask Cambodia to politely knock it off. He sent them a note and they were all like ‘oh hell naw not touching that’. Henry Kissinger goes ‘well I guess I better outsource this job so I don’t look like a total nitwit’ and gives the note to George H.W. Bush to do it instead, and you can pretty much guess how that turned out.

Diplomacy wasn’t working because they’re bad at it and fundamentally don’t believe in it, so Ford panicked and was described as acting with “uncharacteristic emotion” in response to this crisis. He immediately approved a rescue plan and a plan to bomb the Cambodians, which is something they’re good at and fundamentally believe in. Ultimately in the skirmish 15 soldiers were killed in action, 3 missing in action and presumed dead, 23 killed in a helicopter crash on the way there, 50 were wounded, and 3 helicopters were destroyed. When Marines finally boarded the Mayaguez on May 15th there was no one on it, and unbeknownst to them, the Cambodians had already let the crew go unharmed. Awkward.

Somehow, even though over 40 Americans died in these military actions in response to a hostage situation that wasn’t actually a hostage situation, Americans celebrated it as a victory because the crew of the Mayaguez were safe and the communist Cambodians were “beaten” even though they controlled the land the United States had quasi-controlled just a month before. Gerald Ford’s approval rating went up 11 points.

In other words, the solar eclipse on his Mars and Ascendant put a huge spotlight on this feature of his chart, bringing forth circumstances that caused him to display his impulsiveness and recklessness in a tense, panicked and confused situation. And even though it was kind of dumb, his popularity increased. The whole incident unfolded in the 3 days following the solar eclipse. But as we know, solar eclipses describe stretches of time. Without getting into the nitty-gritty, we can at least presume that the “after-effects” of an eclipse last until the next eclipse season.

While it’s not unusual for a President to have many varied threats against their life, the two assassination attempts on Gerald Ford occurred on September 5th and September 22nd 1975, which was in the period of time between the May 1975 solar eclipse on his Mars/Asc and the next one in November 1975. While it’s relevant, I hesitate to include this because I am not saying this will happen to Trump, but the reality is that there are probably many credible threats against his life, as there have been for every President. Trump can probably rest easier knowing that at least Venus isn’t retrograde.

The only other eclipse that aligned with Ford’s Ascendant and Mars during his term was a South Node lunar eclipse on November 6th 1976, 4 days after he had just lost the 1976 election to Jimmy Carter, so he was on the way out. Meanwhile the solar eclipse directly preceding the 1976 election was a North Node solar eclipse on October 23rd 1976 at 29 Libra, just 3 degrees away from Carter’s Ascendant, so he was on the way up. So yeah, there you go, another pretty direct example of the difference between a lunar eclipse on the South Node on your Ascendant versus a solar eclipse on the North Node on your Ascendant.

So What Does This Mean For Trump?

With Trump, his Ascendant could either be at the very end of Leo or the very beginning of Virgo. Since it is still happening close to his Mars, based on the Gerald Ford example, we can say that this eclipse paints the picture of dangerous circumstances arising which cause him to display Mars traits of anger, impulsiveness but also perhaps ruthlessness, cunning, bravery. The fact that the eclipse’s shadow goes over the United States itself can only suggest that the events would likely have far more historical significance than the Mayaguez Incident. It’s also different from Ford’s case because this solar eclipse is occurring on the North Node, but my interpretation of that would change depending on what his Ascendant is.

If he is actually a Virgo rising, then he is following the same trajectory as Obama, where the 2016 campaign took place while the North Node was in Virgo, his whole sign 1st house. The solar eclipse directly preceding the 2016 election was a North Node solar eclipse on September 1st 2016 at 9 Virgo, which is about 9 degrees away from his Ascendant.  This means the eclipses in Leo and Aquarius will be taking place across his whole sign 12th and 6th houses as they did for McCain and Romney in times when they experienced public losses from enemies, and so this eclipse could be expected to be worse for him as most people are expecting.

If he is a Leo rising after all, then the eclipses in Leo and Aquarius will be taking place across his whole sign 1st and 7th houses, as it has for Presidents in fortunate moments in their political careers like Obama, Carter and others. So the movement of the North Node into Leo with its accompanying eclipses in Leo should probably give pause to anyone looking to defeat him. I guess what I’m saying here is that we shouldn’t be surprised given this history of eclipses around Ascendants if Donald Trump does not lose power, but gains it instead. I am not sure how this could happen given the current state of things but we may not be looking at the current state of things in the next few weeks.  Attacks on the nation could cause a ‘rally around the flag’ effect which enhance Trump’s standing. Attacks on his life could also improve his popularity and which would force his opponents to extend their sympathy, putting them in a weak position to oppose his initiatives. These are just scenarios that might explain the prevalence of Mars with the more positive history of North Nodes on the Ascendant.

If he is a Leo rising, it wouldn’t be until the Nodes move into Cancer/Capricorn in early 2019 that he would be more vulnerable (when whoever is elected in the 2018 midterms start serving). In 2020, the Nodes will be moving from Cancer to Gemini. If Trump’s opponents in 2020 are people with Sagittarius or Capricorn Ascendants, they’ll be responding to the 2020 South Node eclipses, and they’ll end up being Mitt Romney circa 2012. I’d say Trump’s opponents might have a better shot if they’re also Gemini or Cancer rising, or have Gemini or Cancer culminating with Virgo or Libra rising, so that the North Node eclipses are occurring on their Ascendants or Midheaven.

Enjoy watching the eclipse, but make sure you do so safely, or else you’ll find out very literally why the Sun and Moon are said to represent the right and left eyes…