Find your myth and live it – Carl Jung
Who Is Donald Trump?
A Brief Astrological Analysis of Trump’s Birth Chart and Transits
INTRODUCTION
Donald Trump is the only candidate for which we have a firm birth time. He was born June 14, 1946 at 10:54 PM in Jamaica, NY. That gives him a Leo Ascendant, a Sagittarius Moon and a Gemini Sun.
I analyze birth charts by looking at the signature of the Gods and Goddesses resident in the birth chart. The ancient Greeks called this energy the gods, Depth psychologist James Hillman named them daimons and Jung called them archetypes. As Hillman states in his book, The Soul’s Code, “The soul of each of us is given a unique daimon before we are born and it has selected an image or pattern that we live on earth….the daimon is the carrier of our destiny.” Plato said that before we come to Earth a God or Goddess stamps us on the forehead and says, “. . . Go to earth and do what I did.” Thus we are born with unconscious drives and motivations. Astrological signs are the archetypes. They are more profound than simply a list of qualities of behavior; they are a mythos, a schema, and a plan that is imaged in a story--a pattern of development. The classical myths and fairy tales were written around these archetypes.
I believe that becoming conscious of the archetypes in our psyche allows us to express them in a more mature and enlightened manner. Astrologer Robert Hand says that “You don’t know how much consciousness is pumped into a chart.” Each archetype has an evolved and un-evolved or mature and immature aspect. My experience has been that we have to be introspective, that we have to learn something from our suffering and have to work on ourselves to manifest the higher elements of the archetypes. That is why when I do astrological counseling I never try to analyze a chart of someone who is not there in front of me or on the phone to give me feedback. That way I can sense the person’s level of consciousness. I don’t know how much Trump has worked on himself. I don’t know his level of consciousness. Since I do not know Trump personally, I will look at his chart assessing the positive mature expression of the archetypes as well as the un-evolved expression.
THE SUN, MOON AND ASCENDANT
The most important archetypes in a birth chart are revealed by the sign of the Sun, the Moon and the Ascendant. The Sun in the chart represents the Self, the core identity--what we are to become. In Trump’s chart, the Sun is in Gemini, the Communicator. This would give him a great gift for communication, which could be a tremendous help in debates and fielding questions from the press. Gemini is not afraid to change their mind. Gemini is a cool air sign who wants to talk, think, write, communicate and network. They like to collect information and communicate. The positive aspects of the Gemini native are their clever mind and intellectual curiosity. But, they can be too smart, quick and clever for their own good. They are very restless, always looking for something new. Gemini can say the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time. I always counsel Gemini not to speak until they are sure that what they are saying is necessary, true and kind. They have a rational approach to life and they love to take up new ideas and pass them on. They fear the emotional depths and sometimes flee to the intellectual realm looking for distraction.
ASCENDANT. The sign on the Ascendant in our birth chart represents the archetype that we project out into the world, how the world views us and our physical appearance. It is similar to the persona in Jungian psychology. In Trump’s chart, his Ascendant sign is Leo. I can always tell Leo ascendant types by the hair. It resembles a lion’s mane. Leo’s are destined to be the center of attention or could be the head of state. It is a warm, extroverted sign and we look to Leo’s to lead. This is a great sign for a president. Bill Clinton has a Leo sun, Obama has a Leo Sun, and George W. Bush has a Leo ascendant. We project the benevolent king onto them, thinking they will take care of us. It is pretty easy to succeed in life when people see you as a king.
Leo has a bigger than life personality and his aura reaches out further than the rest of us. This can lead to us being energized and inspired in his presence or on the other hand, very tired. How we relate to Leo depends upon our energy system shown by the signs and planets in our natal chart.
Because of Leo’s personality and aura they often end up on stage or giving presentations, workshops or training. I read a study once of actor’s charts and a great proportion of them have the Sun, Moon or Ascendant in Leo.
But, every sign has a shadow side and for Leo it is narcissism. But as Albert J. Bernstein, a clinical psychologists and writer said, “There may be narcissism without greatness, but there is no greatness without narcissism.”
Moon
The Moon in the birth chart represents the inner child, our hidden emotional nature. It is similar to the personal unconscious in Jungian psychology. Trump has the Moon in Sagittarius—the hobo or vagabond.
Sagittarius is also a warm extroverted sign and loves to travel and do many things at one time and try to be all things to all people. They may flip flop on issues or change directions and seem very flexible and easy going.
Sagittarius embodies the urge for expansion, this may be expressed in the physical sense by wanting to be everywhere and do everything. Sometimes, the urge to expand lies in the mental realm as they are known to read several books at one time. Each zodiac sign is a reaction to the previous sign. Sagittarius wants to escape from the emotional turmoil and conflicts of Scorpio. Sometimes it overdoes it by avoiding any sort of emotional commitment. Sagittarius rules philosophy and religion, which means that he may be attracted to religious pursuits at some time in his life.
Looking at Trump’s three major archetypes, we see that both Gemini and Sagittarius being mutable signs mean that he could get bored easily. Gemini and Leo both like a good story. Leo can exaggerate and Gemini can twist the truth. All three of Trumps primary archetypes are playful. I wonder if some day he would walk out of the oval office and say, “I’m tired of this, I don’t want to play anymore, and I’m going home.”
MYTHS
Let’s now find the myths that represent his three archetypes—the Sun, Moon and Ascendant. We play out our mythic themes in our charts as intensely as if they have never been experienced before. What is great about the classical myths is that most of them show growth from an un-evolved or young person to an evolved or older person.
The Sun in Gemini - Hermes
Zeus had a clandestine affair with Maia, with whom she gave birth to Hermes. When only one day old, he was bored and restless in his cradle. He got out and began walking around. He made sandals and put them on backwards so no one could follow his footsteps. He saw a tortoise and talked it into coming into his cave to play and killed it and made a lyre out of its shell and then got bored playing the lyre. He walked up the hill and stole his brother Apollo’s cattle. He rubbed sticks together to make fire, cooking the meat and dividing it into twelve portions. He offered it as a gift to the twelve divinities. Apollo divined that Hermes had stolen his cattle, but by this time Hermes had hidden the cattle and he was back in his cradle. Apollo went to Zeus to complain about Hermes. So Zeus and Apollo approached Hermes in his cradle where he was pretending to sleep. When they accused him, he sat up and starting ranting on and on that he was only a day old and couldn’t even walk. This made Zeus and Apollo laugh. Because of his ease in speaking and his humor, Zeus appointed him “Messenger of the Gods.” Zeus used him to go to the underworld and make deals with Hades. He could travel to the heavens to the Gods or to the mortal’s world, but he never had a home of his own.
From this story we can see that Gemini is inventive, quick, and precocious. He has a constant need for new experiences. Born of deceit, he can talk anyone into anything. He is a trickster figure saying one thing, and then doing another. Gemini honors all the Gods, and can steal gifts away from them. Intelligent but evasive, he can talk to anyone at any level. Sometimes it is hard to know if he is coming or going. Gemini is restless, and moves frequently. He is not elitist and moves among all classes of people.
He has the ability to take the knowledge of the Gods and communicate it to others in layman’s terms. Hermes is the patron of liars and diplomats (communication), merchants and thieves (transporter of goods).
Moon in Sagittarius - Icarus
Icarus and his father Daedalus were imprisoned in the labyrinth by Midas. Daedalus decided to make wings so they could escape. Icarus ran around the prison wanting to leave before the wings were ready. Finally, the wings were ready and Icarus fastened them on with wax. Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, because the wax would melt. The power and wonder of flying overcame Icarus. He flew as high as he could, way too close to the sun. His wings melted off and he fell into the sea. Before he fell, the people on the ground were looking up at him in admiration.
So we see that the Earth is a prison to Sagittarius types; they want to expand beyond material bounds. They don’t like to take advice. They are impatient and restless, wanting freedom. In their exuberance, they can ignore essential facts.
Leo Ascendant - Phaeton
Phaeton, or “he who shines,” is at school and brags that he is the son of Apollo. The other children don’t believe him. He comes home very upset and asks his mother if he is really Apollo’s son. She tells him to ask Apollo himself. Phaeton goes to Apollo and tells him that if he really is his father, he will grant anything Phaeton wants. Phaeton says that he wants to drive the chariot that pulls the sun around the earth. Apollo warns Phaeton not to ask for what he is not mature enough to do. He is warned that the horses are too strong and the job is too difficult. However, Phaeton insists. Apollo tries to give him instructions, but Phaeton is impatient and takes off by himself in the chariot. He first pulls the Sun too high, and the Earth becomes too cold. The sight of the constellation Scorpio in the sky frightens him, and he drops the reins, the chariot falls too low, and then the Earth becomes too hot, burning the crops. The people complain to Zeus, who shoots Phaethon down with a thunderbolt turning him into a shooting star.
From this myth we see that Leo is mortal, but comes from the divine realm. He wants to be special and sometimes he demands to be recognized before he has accomplished anything, even before he has gained the necessary skills or expertise. He must learn that there is a difference between demanding attention, and earning the attention of others. Scorpio, another fixed sign, is a match for Leo. (Note: Hillary Clinton is a Scorpio). Leo can be too optimistic and can fly too high, but he also can become an inspiration to others.
Trump has two mythical archetypes in his chart —Icarus and Phaeton— that fell from the heights. But it must be noted that in the myth both of these archetypal characters were young and inexperienced.
CHALLENGING ASPECTS
Looking at the aspects in Trump’s chart, what jumps out at me is Uranus opposite the Moon and Conjunct the Sun. The Sun and Moon—the two lights—are the most important planets in the chart, and Uranus aspecting them modifies their expression. Uranus is a wild card, an eccentric, a loose cannon, but also brilliant.
So Trump is not just a Gemini Sun and a Sagittarius Moon, he is Uranus with a Gemini Sun and Sagittarius Moon. One thing I love about Uranus types is that they tell the truth and I believe Trump tells the truth as he sees it.
The myth for Uranus is Prometheus who stole fire from the Gods to give to mankind. Trump is a double Prometheus; he would be called a Child of Prometheus by the ancients. I think he does care about humanity. But he may be rude to individuals. He is good at starting things and then leaving and going on to something else—an entrepreneur, not a manager. Uranus has little depth, but is quick and smart.
Trump was born on a full moon, Lunar Eclipse meaning that he can flipflop and vacillate on issues.
Mars the warrior on the ascendant gives Trump an inexhaustible supply of energy and he is constantly in motion. He is courageous and tends to takes risks. Some may see him as pushy and arrogant. He is independent and self-confident.
He has Mercury Square Neptune. His Mercury is in Cancer. Usually the Mercury in a natal chart is in the same sign as the Sun because they are close together in the sky. But Trump has Mercury in Cancer and the Sun in Gemini. This could make him more thoughtful and compassionate than Gemini. Mercury in a square to Neptune could give him an artistic bent so that he can appreciate art and music. Neptune with Mercury has a gift for communicating through an art form and he is highly imaginative. But with Mercury square Neptune there is no strong dividing line between fact and fiction.
Saturn is conjunct Venus is a challenging aspect in a natal chart. Saturn blocks the energy of Venus which rules affection, love or self-esteem. In his childhood he may not have received feelings of being loved. Thus it would take him a long time to learn about giving and receiving. He may be afraid of love. But this aspect promises that he will be challenged to learn about relationships in a deep way during his lifetime. Saturn represents a craving and a fear around whichever planet it aspects. In its aspect to Venus there is a craving and a fear around love. Trump may learn a lot from relationships with women. Saturn aspects also indicate a craving for the father. He might have been looking for a wise man or a father figure to give him advice when he was young. But this Saturn aspect means that he is destined to become the father himself—an advise giver.
I have always found it fascinating to watch how we all live out the myths embedded in our natal charts and also see how these myths play out on the world stage in the lives of public figures.
TRANSITS:
During the election, Trump had his progressed Sun conjunct his Ascendant in Leo. That is a real star making aspect. Also, he had Jupiter, the king, in a trine to his Sun. He couldn't lose.
But starting in Feb 2017 and continuing until the end of 2017, Saturn, The Task Master, the Karmic Cop will be conjuncting his Moon in Sagittarius and opposing his Sun in Gemini. Saturn can weigh you down with responsibilities.He may become frustrated because he is blocked by others in authority. It takes a lot of discipline to get through this aspect. If he attempts to force issues, or impose his ideas on others, he will meet heavy obstacles.
Janet Kane
© Janet Kane 2016
