Starstruck by Sanders - The Bern!

I think that, well, no matter where you stand politically, we can all concede that the presidential race in the US has been one of the weirdest. As I mentioned in my write up on Trump, it definitely pits highly polarized, highly emotional forces against one another. Also interesting to note is that after Socialism long being the big, bad boogeyman in the US, well, here we are.

I don’t know if you recall what Sanders said when he announced he was going to step into the ring- but he said that people should not underestimate him. Watching the media coverage, it’s clear that they have. Back then, of course, no one seemed to think he could go anywhere with it. As a matter of fact, most laughed it off and said that there was no way that a Socialist could possibly gain any support, but also, pointed out that he didn’t have the financial backing others had, that he didn’t have a strong campaign infrastructure and well, he was going toe to toe with Clinton- a Democrat most were quite familiar with.

Then came the Iowa Caucus. Supporters had funded him quite well- and he was doing very well against Clinton. People began to take him more seriously, but, still yet seemed to favor Clinton in predictions about the Democratic nomination. Do we know yet who’ll get the nod? Not particularly- but, what we do know is this: however you feel about both Trump and Sanders, they have both drastically changed the political landscape.

So, what do we know about Bernie Sanders, date wise? Well, we don’t know what time he was born. What we do know is that from roughly 1960-63, Sanders joined a number of activist groups. He was attending the University of Chicago at the time and a member of the Student Socialist Party of America. He engaged in a number of high-profile protests- photos of which have been trickling out here and there as he’s made his presidential run.

After this, he made a life-changing trip to Israel with his brother, Larry. Living on the kibbutz more than likely impacted Sanders- and we can see the evidence of that in the collectivist approach he takes to things. He returned to the US- moved to Vermont and bought 85 acres of land. He continued to be active in politics in a grassroots capacity and worked odd jobs. He finally ran for mayor of Burlington in 1981- and that’s when things changed: his first big underdog win. He was, however, not a shoe in and most of the city council attempted to fight him on pretty much everything. Many sources say that his first year in office was a rough road- but, a look at what he did for Burlington reveals something interesting about not only his track record: but, how he rolls. In spite of all the fighting he had to do to get where he was- Burlington had an impressive reputation for being one of the best cities in the US.

Before he left office, he began to run for The House of Representatives. His first loss was in 1988, but he tried again two years later and won. Then, in 2007, he made it to the Senate, where he became the longest running Independent in Congress. And well, as you’ve no doubt seen by now, goldfinch dig him:

We don’t have a birth time for him and because of this, some have been opting for a sunrise or noon chart. Others have been using 12:27 p.m.- which is actually gets close to a time of birth that some have opted with by rectifying his chart. When we rectify a chart, we use a number of important life events and other factors to determine a potential time of birth. Personally, I tend to not go with them unless I am working with the client, but a number of astrologers I respect a great deal feel his time of birth probably falls between 12:15-12:35 pm. The 12:27 time is reportedly from an unnamed campaign worker- but has never been verified. I personally am not a big fan of using noon or sunrise charts, for a number of reasons I might go into in my monthly astrology lesson at another time.

His birthday of September 8, 1941 in Brooklyn Heights, New York makes him a Virgo. This is not a huge surprise given most who have worked with him have spoken of his pragmatism and attention to detail.

One of the first things I notice, though- Venus in Libra, Moon conjunct Mars in Aries and the fact that this is in opposition to that Venus in Libra is an interesting look at how his mind works. These aspects denote a soul who is just obsessed with fairness, with things being right- and not afraid to be aggressive in making sure of it. His chart pretty much across the board screams of someone who absolutely loathes those who act for their own self interest- and of a man that is absolutely committed to the betterment of those things he sees as being wrong.

This is also a pretty good indicator of the fact that he’s got a serious passion for Justice- now, another well loved pioneer with this Mars-Moon stuff going on was Steve Jobs. Sanders, like Jobs, seeks to forge his own path- and he’s been paying attention to those injustices and fighting them this entire time, by most accounts.

Now, some have said that the way Sanders’ leans politically indicates a lack of patriotism- but I would beg to differ on that point. If we look at the fact that the Moon is often associated with patriotism- our need for belonging, he is in fact, more patriotic than those he opposes. Remember what foundations our nation was founded on: freedom from overbearing despots. Originally, our country was known worldwide for being something symbolic of self reliance, entrepreneurship and though some may see those Aries/Mars values of his as oppositional to those things: one might note that the things he hopes to institute, in his mind and belief- would bolster the “little guy”’s chances of having all of those things we strive for. It also presents an interesting conflict internally- because, well, many of a similar mindset believe that the American Dream has been so perverted that it no longer applies. When you consider his Moon is likely in Aries- well, he doesn’t really care what his peers think of him and that Mars aspect lends a serious fighting spirit which we have seen played out across his political career.

Predictions

While I realize that this all probably reads like I am a Sanders’ supporter: I’m not, actually. I can say that of the 3 currently in the spotlight: Sanders, Clinton, and Trump- he’s who I’m rooting for. I have actually avidly followed his career because, well, he’s a seriously rare breed in personality, in ethics, and well: he’s Independent and he’s stuck with it. That has always been impressive to me.

If you really want to know- and I mention this because I did reach out to the campaign for his time of birth:

That’s about as far into my own politics as I’m going to go here, but it’s worth noting. For many reasons. ;) Mostly, I would really love to see how this plays into the bigger picture.

It’s extremely weird to me that many other astrologers are predicting a Clinton landslide. I don’t see that, at all, actually. This is not a normal election by any stretch and well, frankly, we have enough polarizing planetary aspects at play alongside this- it’s pretty clear society’s just had it with business as usual. You can say what you want about both Trump and Sanders- but they are most definitely not business as usual and I would say that drives their appeal.

Sanders is putting a great deal of pressure on Clinton- whether or not the polls reflect this and I think if we look at his progressed chart, we can see why. His moon is in Capricorn and this creates some interesting conflict with those natal moon aspects I mentioned above. Mars is moving into Aries as we go into things- and this may cause a lot of doubts about whether or not he should continue. There are in fact, many astrologers already calling this a loss- but, I just do not see it that way, at all. I think there are some surprises in store well beyond the cute little bird incident. I’m being sort of vague here- but there are a number of really weird things going on in his progressed chart that have me sort of intrigued at what the next month or two holds.

He also has some really harsh Saturn going on- so, it may look pretty bleak but at the same time, Saturn’s never challenging for no reason. There are big changes at play and there’s almost this sensation of building up, though, to what is still a question. I do think Trump is going to continue to do well- and I think it’s going to come down to the Republicans deciding: “Do we want Trump or Hillary?” and that’s going to create a lot of weirdness in and of itself. This Mercury retrograde at the end of April and beginning of May is going to throw some weird quirks into things- some confusion and lack of clarity, but then, I think we’re going to see something very interesting happening. Come July, when all the politics really begins to ramp up- we have this interesting Uranus retrograde in Aries- again, surprises. I really wouldn’t count Sanders out at this point.