Bernie Sanders’ horoscope

Bernie Sanders’ horoscope is worth examining. Particularly since he surprised many by drawing with Hilary Clinton in the Iowa primaries earlier this month. What does Bernie Sanders’ horoscope tell us, and his chances of being elected President in November?

Here’s a promotional video from Sanders’ YouTube channel:

Sanders was born on September 8th, 1941, at Brooklyn Heights, New York. Unfortunately there’s no data about his actual time of birth. What astrologers usually do in this case is set a horoscope for noon. The results aren’t quite as detailed as having an accurate time of birth. But we can nevertheless paint a broad picture. So here’s his horoscope, set for noon:

The most interesting immediate thing I can see in his (albeit limited) horoscope is his Venus-Mars opposition (red arrows, above) aspect (of about 180°). Both planets are in the signs they rule or govern – Venus in Libra, Mars in Aries.

And being in their own signs gives these planets considerable ‘essential dignity.’ This means that they are strong and able to function effectively as forces or energies Sanders’ life. Mars is about action, getting things done, drive. Venus denotes what we love, value. The opposition aspect brings tension between these two attributes.

In Sanders’ case, it could be argued that this Venus-Mars tension is between what he does, how he acts – and the underlying passion and personal values that drive those actions. These oppose each other in Sanders’ case – so there is a clash here. What he loves – balance, harmony, equity – is opposed by a call to action, to ‘fight the good fight.’ This is one of the main signatures in Sanders’ horoscope. And being an opposition, a ‘hard aspect,’ means it’s always active, always switched-on.

This Venus-Mars opposition is connected to Jupiter. Venus forms a trine aspect (about 120° – the green arrows, above)  to Jupiter. And Mars is in sextile aspect to Jupiter (about 60°, shown by the blue arrows). Trines and sextile are what astrologers call ‘soft’ aspects. They are often dormant; ‘on call’ rather than permanently on duty. They are not forceful, and can be seen as a ‘gift’ or latent talent.

For Sanders,’ Jupiter brings ‘justice’ into his Venus-Mars equation. Justice and expansiveness, and this enables him to bring his Venus-Mars opposition into a wider sphere – perhaps projecting into the public domain. Presenting it as a clash, not only for himself, but for everyone. Most of all, the patterns here indicate Sanders’ wants to reconcile the  Venus-Mars polar opposites, and this plays into his sense of social justice (Jupiter) and equity.

Another pattern to note is the trine between Mercury in Libra and Uranus in Gemini (orange arrows, above). Mercury in Libra has trouble making decisions. There are always two (or more!) ways to do something. Uranus adds a sudden and unusual flavour to this process. Uranus is associated with reversals, inventiveness, and personal magnetism. It certainly denotes an inventive (Uranus) communicator (Mercury).

Sanders’ Moon is in Aries.  We don’t know his birth time, but given that the Moon is at 19 Aries at noon it’s highly likely to remain in that sign for most of the day. So it’s probable Sanders’ has an Aries Moon. If that’s the case, then he will be emotionally impulsive. All the more so if Moon was close to Mars at the time of his birth, as it was at noon, above. This brings a reactive quality to his drive. His calls to action will be driven not only by values (Venus) but by feelings (Moon).

Finally, there is a square aspect (90) between Jupiter and Sanders’ Sun in Virgo. This gives Sanders’ some optimism and sense of social justice. Sun-Jupiter people tend to ‘think big.’

In summary, Bernie Sanders’ horoscope is not one of a typical ‘power’ player in U.S. politics. We don’t have strong Pluto aspects. He’s not a typical candidate. He seems more focused on personal issues – his own, and the of the people. His primary focus is of finding balance between opposing forces – rich v poor, etc. In this, he is aided by a strong sense of justice, and an emotional drive to do something about it.

BERNIE SANDERS’ HOROSCOPE: RECENT EVENTS

Sanders’ announced his run for the presidency on April 30st, 2015. Using a technique called Solar Arc Directions (see my previous article on these), let’s take a look at what was going on, astrologically, on that date, using his noon chart as a starting point.

The most significant aspect shown above is Solar Arc Directed (SAD) Mercury to Sanders’ natal Sun (red oval). There’s also, in the immediate past, SAD Sun to his Saturn (blue oval). And transiting Jupiter is connected with Sanders’ Uranus. As we saw above, Sanders’ has a connection between Mercury and Uranus in his horoscope, so this theme is repeated here. Jupiter to Uranus gives a temporary boost to the Uranian quality of sudden surprises, and perhaps his announcement was a surprise to the public.

SAD Mercury to Sun brings a time of oratory, of being able to communicate (Mercury) who he is and what he stands for (Sun). SAD Sun to Saturn in the run-up to this announcement – indications of hardship, responsibility and the burden of what will be required if he puts his hand up as a candidate for the presidency. Sanders’ Saturn in his horoscope aspects his Neptune, the planet of high idealism. So although it was burdensome, there was nevertheless and undercurrent of wish fulfilment there as well.

Now let’s look at his SAD set for November 8th, 2016 – the date of the U.S. presidential election.

SAD Sun aspects his Uranus (purple oval, above). Uranus brings surprise, reversals, sudden changes. Whether he wins (or is even a candidate by then) is unclear. But at the very least, November will bring a change of fortune, the end of one stage of his life, and the start of another.

Let’s finish up with Sanders’s post-Iowa speech to his fans…