Mundane astrology, sometimes called judicial astrology, is the fourth branch of astrology, and deals with questions involving governments and nations. It differs from the other three branches, each of which involve different techniques. The other three branches are 1) natal astrology, which is the casting of a chart for the purpose of determining issues of personality and fortune for a single person; 2) horary astrology, which is the casting of a chart for the moment a question is asked and understood; and 3) synastry, which is the comparison of two different charts.
In mundane astrology, a chart is taken for the capital city of a nation (or of a particular regional capital, for a provincial chart) at the moment of the Sun’s ingress into Aries. This happens today at 12:15 pm for Washington, DC.
Description of Chart
This is the first time I’ve analyzed a Mundane Astrological chart. I probably don’t understand the rules as clearly as I ought to, and you should take this column with more than a grain of salt. As I understand it, the rules for the planets, signs and houses are somewhat different than for natal or horary astrology, which I’ll try to summarize below in italics.
- The Sun, representing the head of state, is of course in Aries. The head of state will continue to do what he does, charging ahead, and woe betide anyone who gets in his way. The Sun is in the ninth house, representing the nation’s legal systems, relationships with foreigners, higher education, and religious organizations — it is very likely that the head of state of this country will spend a lot of time dealing with foreign relations, wrangling with universities and religions. There is a square with Mars, suggesting a growing tension between the head of state and the military.
- The Moon, representing the people and public opinion, is in Taurus. The vast majority of people in this country are going to be concerned with house and home, their friends and local relations; sextile by sign with the Sun, most people are lending tacit support to the head of state by not acting against him in their personal selves. The Eleventh House, representing local governments and legislative bodies, suggests that the people are gradually aligning themselves with the Senate; what the Senate and local governments do, the people will generally support. The moon is in a close trine aspect with Saturn — the issue of housing for the elderly, or the role of the mining industry in popular opinions, raises its head in popular opinion.
- Mercury, representing young people, lower education, and communications networks, is in Aries in the Tenth House, which represents the government itself and its authority. Issues of the government’s role in education, and young people’s role in government, will be a significant part of the agenda — look to Kansas, for example, where a half-dozen teenagers are running for governor; and the issues of guns in schools. Mercury is sextile to the South Node in Aquarius in the Eighth House, which represents the national debt, mortality rates, and the social safety net. Thus, communications may be disrupted by issues of debt and expenses; parts of the social safety net will be questioned and perhaps dismantled. Mercury is trine to the Part of Fortune in this chart — questions of debt relief for students loom large, and may have a larger effect on the financial system as a whole.
- Venus, representing young women and the arts and entertainment industry, is in Aries in the Tenth House conjunct Mercury. Expect Hollywood to be more involved in trying to get the government to act; expect the entertainment industry to have an important role in the national economy for the coming term; expect the “Me Too” movement to continue to have an effect both on young people and on the government’s actions, and for issues of the rights of women to have an outsize effect on national discussions.
- Mars, representing the nation’s military forces and the police, is in Capricorn in the sixth house which represents the national labor force and public health. There is a risk that the military will be deployed internally within the country; or that the military will be called out to deal with a public-health threat. Watch for rising challenges in health services as Mars cuts, burns, separates and divides.
- Jupiter, representing the nation’s clergy and higher judiciary, is in Scorpio in the Fifth House. There will be some high-profile scandals involving judges or clergy; the revelation of secrets shall sting! Jupiter sits alone and retrograde — a solution to these scandals may not be forthcoming; watch for several high-profile gambling or gaming issues; or for judicial resolution to ongoing scandals in the entertainment industry. Don’t expect the courts to resolve any issues involving women’s rights or education; do expect some mildly unpopular interventionism in local government.
- Saturn, representing the elderly and the criminal as well as the mining industry, falls in the seventh house which represents foreign relations and open enemies, as well as actual war and peace. Saturn is in Capricorn, suggesting a ‘cold war’ of sorts — you plan to do battle in the spring, but you take what advantages you can get in winter. The elderly get short shrift this term, the mining industry tries to open up off-shore drilling rights, and the nation’s criminals branch out into working with the country’s open foes.
- Neptune, representing social programs as well as drug companies and illicit drugs, stands in Pisces in the Ninth House which represents colleges and universities and religious organizations. The recent stories of schools, colleges and universities’s social services overwhelmed by the anxieties of their student bodies are likely to increase in frequency and shrillness; drug use on college campuses is likely to rise. Neptune is in near-conjunction with the Midheaven — watch for a high-profile drug overdose on a college campus to shift national conversations.
- Uranus, representing both outer space programs and wild changes in weather, sits in Aries in the 10th house. The government gets loud about outer space; Washington is affected by at least one major storm that causes an emergency.
Other Issues
The First House represents the people and the country itself. At this Aries ingress, Cancer is the Ascendant —the nation will be feeling, rather than thinking. The ruling Moon in Taurus suggests that people will be sticking close to local issues rather than concerning themselves with the national stage.
The Second House represents the economy and the financial industry. Leo, ruled by the Sun, suggests that many people will imitate the ruler — look for an expansion of debt, the growth of the money economy, and a heedless charge forward into expansion of financial services.
The Third House represents the transport and communications networks. Virgo, ruled by Mercury in Aries, suggests increased government attention to transportation infrastructure — but a decreased attention to communications infrastructure; expect efforts to reinstate Net Neutrality to fail.
The Fourth House represents housing and the real estate and construction industries. Libra, ruled by Venus in Aries, suggests a continued attention to luxury housing in construction — but also an effort to rebalance the financial issues arising from the 2007-8 real estate bubble, and governmental involvement in managing that financial turmoil.
The Twelfth House represents prisons and hospitals, the nation’s spy networks, as well as the nation’s secret enemies. Gemini, ruled by Mercury in Aries, suggests a divided or two-fold challenge — government activity both to reform the prison and medical system; and simultaneous activity to keep the system as-is; government activity to reform the intelligence services, and to keep the status quo; government effort to change the nation’s secret enemies, and to keep the status quo.
Term of Chart and Limitations
In general, a Mundane Astrology chart is interpreted for a fixed period of time. My understanding is that if the Ascendant is in…
- Fixed Signs — Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius — indicate that the chart is good for nine months.
- Cardinal Signs — Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn — indicate that the chart is good for three months.
- Mutable Signs — Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces — indicate that the chart is good for six months.
In this case, the presence of Cancer on the Ascendant indicates that this chart applies for three months, and three months only: the turbulence predicted here is only likely to last until the middle of June.
A quick glance at the chart for the Summer Solstice indicates that the ingress into Cancer will take place in the sign of Cancer, meaning that the mundane astrology chart for that date will also rule only three months. And a brief look at the chart for September 21, 2018 suggests that the ingress into Libra at the Autumnal Equinox will establish a sixth-month chart. Those expecting some sort of swift resolution to the nation’s challenges and turbulence, therefore, should expect that things will not be sorting themselves out at any point in the near future — we have six months of rapid turnover of issues and circumstances in two three-month-long periods, and then a period of six months of relative stability thereafter.
To summarize one of my teachers — astrology doesn’t really allow apocalyptic thinking. It’s likely that the next three months are going to have a fair amount of turbulence and challenge… and then there will be another three months ruled by a different set of turbulences and challenge… and then there will be another six months of turbulence and challenge that will take us to March of 2019. “The great issues of our time” will not be resolved, so much as we will move on to other “great issues of the day.”
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It’s also worth spending a moment discussing the limitations of this chart. I have not compared this chart for today in Washington DC with the chart of Philadelphia on July 4, 1776 at around 5:10 pm, which is often considered the “foundation chart” for the United States (see Ebeneezer Sibly) ; or with the Secondary Progression chart of the 242nd day after July 4, 1776 (which would be March 3, 1777). I’ll also admit that this is one of the first times I’ve worked with a Mundane Astrology chart, and certainly my first public presentation of such work. All errors are clearly my own, this is presented for entertainment purposes, and should not be used as the basis for serious discussions or constitute political or economic advice, etc.
The wheel chart is the easiest to read I find. It’s nice to see where exactly within the wheel piece a sign hits: very insightful post.
Almost forgot–what did you use to generate that chart? I’ve seen a number of pictures in that particular style, but I have no idea how to generate them.
I use iPhemeris as my software. It has a number of features I like including an ephemeris and the ability to show three charts at once. I need to write them a review, though, and ask them to include a few new features I need, which currently it lacks (like Moon-Mansions).
Mostly I like its price, though, which is less than SolarFire by a lot.
I think I asked the wrong question.
What is the name of the style of chart you created, with sign degrees only at house boundaries?
It’s a wheel chart, as far as I know — and the placement of chart degrees is a visual setting in iPhemeris; I don’t know that it has a specific name.
Whole sign houses–that would be Chris Brennan’s influence, yes?
By eyeball, a Placidus chart might move Jupiter into the 6th house, could move Uranus (and possibly Venus) into the 11th house, and would move Sun and Neptune into the 10th house.
It will be interesting to compare it to JMG’s on the 28th.
Chris Brennan and a few others. I tend to vary between whole sign and equal — I find that Equal house placements work better for people whose Ascendant is at about the midpoint of a given sign (second decan), whole sign works best for people whose ascendant is in the first decan. I haven’t come to good conclusions about which house system works best for people with the ascendant in the third decan, though.