The U.S. 2016 presidential election cycle is producing a never-before-seen enthusiasm for two non-establishment candidates, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Could this be a reflection of the impending U.S. Orcus Return? (1)
In the U.S. natal chart (Sibly), Orcus falls in 9°09’ Virgo, in the 9th house. Transiting Orcus came to 8° Virgo in November 2015, stationed there in early January 2016, and will retrograde back to 6° Virgo in July. By August, it will resume direct motion and station at exactly 9°09’ in mid-December. Although Orcus will move forward and retrograde over 9° Virgo for almost three years, it is well within a 3° orb of its Sibly return point at this time.
There are similar ties that connect the Orcus positions of these two unconventional candidates with the U.S. Orcus during this return. In the birth charts of both Sanders and Trump, the natal Orcus position squares the U.S. Orcus position. Trump’s natal Sun is in a stellium with Orcus (19°58′ Gemini), Uranus, and the North Node, all of which square the U.S Black Moon and Neptune. It is also conjunct the U.S. Mars (21°22′ Gemini).
Orcus in Trump chart: 19°58′ Gemini
Orcus in Sibly chart: 9°09′ Virgo
Sanders’ chart boasts a Virgo stellium of the Sun, North Node, Neptune, and Mercury, all of which conjunct the U.S. Black Moon and Orcus. This stellium also squares natal Orcus (14°33′ Gemini), and his North Node (22° Virgo) exactly conjuncts the U.S. Neptune. His Orcus/Jupiter conjunction falls on the U.S. Mars. Unfortunately, there is uncertainty about Sanders’ birth time, but if we use the birth chart showing a 25° Scorpio rising, the U.S. Orcus at 9° Virgo conjuncts Sanders’ Midheaven.
Orcus in Sanders chart: 14°33′ Gemini
To add to the drama, there will be some additional celestial activity at 9° Virgo this fall. A New Moon eclipse occurs at 9° Virgo on September 1, 2016 and the North Node of the Moon comes to 9° Virgo in late November 2016.
Some astrologers teach that eclipse points become “sensitized” degrees and that the first celestial body to transit the eclipse degree can be a trigger for an event. The event is then colored by the nature of the planet, the aspects it makes, and the house and sign of the eclipse. After the September 1 eclipse, Orcus will be the first significant body of our solar system to make this transit about a month after the North Node.
In mundane astrology, Virgo is associated with health and healthcare, employment, wages and the conditions of our everyday work environment, labor unions, disaster preparedness, and the military. Since it is an earth sign, it may also have some association to the natural environment. Typically, 9th-house affairs include higher education, religion and philosophy, the courts, air travel and shipping, imports and exports, immigration, and weather conditions around the coast. Quite a few of these seem to be big issues in this election cycle. Might we see catalyzing events of a dramatic nature or perhaps a clearly defined turning point with the September 1 eclipse?
The Sabian Symbol for 9° degrees of Virgo is “two heads looking out of the shadows.” This is a fitting symbol for these two candidates, who are an expression of voters of both parties who seem to be looking for a way out of “politics as usual.”
Perhaps the influence of these two candidates and this U.S. Orcus Return will usher in a new era in U.S. politics that will culminate at the Pluto Return in 2025. Even if neither of these men get the nominations for the two major political parties, their influence will likely be felt for some time to come as they clearly have mobilized strong anti-establishment forces in the electorate.
Footnotes:
(1) Readers may enjoy Jeremy Neal’s recent TMA blog: Orcus opposite Neptune: then and now
(2) The author is using these times:
Bernie Sanders (unverified time)
September 8, 1941
12:27 p.m.
Brooklyn, NY
Donald Trump
June 14, 1946
10.54 a.m.
Jamaica, NY – AA data
Bio: B.A. (Bee) Eaton is a retired educator and holds a Master’s Degree in education and degrees in art and design. She coordinated a large educational research project at Kent State University in Ohio, and worked as a public school teacher. She began her love affair with astrology at the age of 15, and now devotes her time to learning, practicing, and teaching astrology in between short excursions to her garden. You can visit her astrology blog at The Living Sky