Stormy Legalities: The 1st Trump Trial

by Jude Cowell, partisan for the common good

On Monday April 15, 2024, the Election Interference Trial of former NY playboy Trump, also known as his "Hush Money" Trial involving pay-offs to adult film star Stormy Daniels, is scheduled to open with jury selection. Fatefully, Trump's "prez bid New Moon" of June 16, 2015 rises at 9:30 am edt Manhattan, NY on that very day along with Trump's 10th house trio of Sun-North-Node-Uranus - all in duplicitous Gemini.

Now as you know, the pay-offs to Stormy through attorney Michael Cohen occurred in October 2016 just prior to Election 2016 in November and would have been politically risky for 2016 candidate Trump if publicly known especially since the Washington Post on October 7, 2016, published an article and the video of Trump's lewd, crude, boastful Access Hollywood remarks.

Monday April 15, 2024: Much More Than Tax Day

Visible at 9:30 am edt are three difficult planets in 10th house and if we read them as a midpoint picture (Saturn-Neptune = Mars) we might suspect that Mars rising Trump (born with the Saturn-Neptune midpoint of illness rising) will be feeling quite listless and will be preoccupied - probably with his sense of martyrdom and unfairness (his Jupiter in Libra) on display. To this picture Michael Munkasey adds, "defending shabby practices." Well, yes.

An unmarked Horoscope of the "Hush Money" Trial:

And below is a tri-wheel of horoscopes with Trump natal (inner), Stormy Daniels natal (center), and the 9:30 am edt "Hush Money" Trial Horoscope of April 15, 2024 (outer) which is also shown, above:

Incidentally, Election 2016 Sun @17Scorpio as Trump's victory was announced conjoined Venus' position in sexy Scorpio as the tape and article were published. This cast a bright spotlight upon lady Venus in Scorpio, with the placement's strong power of attraction and tendency toward jealousy. So perhaps hiding his rendezvous with Stormy (and relationship with Karen!) was a part of his clumsy pay-off plan.

And as we know, the Sun-Venus duo can be romantic but also relates to birth, a symbol of wife Melania at home with newborn Barron while her hubby was out romping with an adult film star named Stormy. Serial adulterer he, a cad and a bounder.

Now besides Stormy and Michael Cohen (who did prison time for his part in the pay-off/cover-up scheme), it's reported that Trump's National Enquirer pal David Pecker may also testify in the Trump "Hush Money" Trial next week (about their "catch-and-kill" scheme), or however long the proceedings screech on, as may Trump's former WH associate Hope Hicks.

So I hope you'll stay tuned to SO'W for more details as seen through a common good astrological lens by yours truly!

A Related Post: The 17 South Eclipse Brought Trump's "prez bid" announcement in June 2015.

Plus, Reuters News Service published a Timeline of the hush money payments and criminal charges, for the curious reader.

And for a refresher on the entire unsavory situation, nab a chuckle with SNL's Michael Cohen Wiretap Cold Open.

The Prenatal Eclipse of Inauguration 2021

DC Horoscope: Solar Eclipse December 14, 2020 11:16:26 am est Washington DC @23Sag08 10th house; Solar Hour; one retrograde planet: unaspected Uranus @7Tau07 Rx in 2nd house of the National Treasury (see chart, center upper). Ascendant 29AQ01, a critical or crisis degree, and conjunct the natal Descendant degree of Donald Trump so his natal ASC conjunct royal Regulus and natal Mars set in this chart. Plus, this eclipse will affect Trump's problematic Moon-South-Node conjunction.

The heavyweight trio of Pluto, Jupiter, and Saturn in governmental Capricorn snug around the cusp of the 12th house (Politics, Self-Undoing; Large Institutions; Karma; The Unconscious; Secret Enemies) with Saturn strong in its own sign and at a critical-crisis 29th degree.

Also in 12th house is the Neptune-MC midpoint @00AQ17, the precise degree and minute of Inauguration 2017's POTUS Sun which creates a midpoint picture penned on the chart, upper right--someone is pretending to be what they are not. My suggestion: POTUS. Neptune-MC also conjoins the Pluto-Jupiter-Saturn trio which activates potentials for (more) criminal offenses, pursuit of peculiar objectives, gambling and speculation, putting all the eggs in one basket, insecurity, uncertainty, an inability to get over losses, and/or suffering from the consequences of wrong actions. The Neptune-MC pairing itself points toward crooks and swindlers (Ebertin) and deception, disguise, and/or fraud used in career matters and in public life.

Rising are two midpoints--Pluto-Chiron, one of the Plutocracy/Plutocrat pairings of exploitation, racism and various other -isms, plus, primal violence, and Mercury-Uranus which bestows someone with organizing talent, and the ability to act with prudence or deliberation.

Near MC is the transiting Mercury-South-Node conjunction which shows someone feeling mentally alone, whose ideas or communications are stolen (or, a plagiarist; emails hacked?), and/or, one whose ideas are ahead or behind the times.

As for the BOWL shape of planets led by Venus @28Sco44 in the 9th house of Foreign Lands, Philosophy, Higher Education, and Legal Affairs, the empty houses of the chart identify areas of challenge; a BOWL often indicates a mission to fulfill or a cause to advocate, plus, frustration, uncertainty, and/or vindictiveness that arises from a sense of division are possibilities of this particular 4 South Eclipse season. Here, evaluating Venus in Big Business Scorpio acts as the point of application (Jones).

Themes of a 4 South Solar Eclipse identify it as a difficult eclipse series which will affect or influence events and circumstances leading up to the January 20, 2021 Inauguration, the person who takes the Oath of Office, and thus the next administration to inhabit the White House. We may expect issues such as: "very strong emotional feelings concerning relationships and/or money", a sense of fatedness in relationships which are beyond personal control, a sudden desire to end relationships or alliances, blocked emotions that lead to "a great deal of frustration," and a need to "avoid taking rash action until things settle down" (Brady's Predictive Astrology).

Well, there are multiple other chart factors of note and I hope you'll ferret them out for yourself if you haven't already for a time of further turmoil approaches and we need all the fore-arming we can get.

Scorpio Girl 2 a pencil drawing by Jude Cowell

Horoscope: Saudi Arabia 1902 w Oct 2, 2018 planets

Oct 11, 2018: For those who may be interested, The Guardian has published a Timeline concerning Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance on October 2, 2018 going into the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Turkey, "after lunch." Here is the country's January 15, 1902 horoscope (one of three or more) for Saudi Arabia with October 2, 2018 planets highlighted in green surrounding the chart and speculatively timed for 2:03 pm EEDT with karmic Saturn @3Cap05 rising; chart data from The World Book of Horoscopes, N. Campion; chart #288:

Apologies! Blogger has found issues with code and the image will not re-upload. You'll find the horoscope at my all-purpose astrology blog Jude Cowell Astrology.

Update Oct 12, 2018: it has been reported on MSNBC that a video time stamp shows Mr. Khashoggi entering the Saudi embassy at 1:14 pm which gives 22Sag19 rising ('23Sag' = "Immigrants Entering a New Country") and 14Lib43 at Midheaven with Mercury and Sun snugged around it. Restrictive Saturn, planet of authority, is first planet to rise. It's an Hour of Jupiter and broadcasting Jupiter is chart-ruler but is unaspected as is the Ascendant.

Please enlarge the image to read chart details. In the center of the horoscope are listed Saudi Arabia's Syzygy Moon (last lunation, a New Moon prior to the overthrow of Riyadh, the founding event this chart is based upon--with 2018 Pluto conjunct the Syzygy Moon and denoting a critical time of development and issues of separation), and its Prenatal Solar Eclipse ('PE') in the 12 North Saros Series; 12 North's theme is on the chart. Last 12N: on SA's birthday January 15, 2010 @25Capricorn conjunct natal Sun and Jupiter; next 12N: January 26, 2028 @6AQ conjunct Saudi Arabia's natal Icarus (5AQ47). Note that 5-6 Aquarius happens to be the position of America's natal South Node (1776).
Although I had not intended to compare Mr. Trump's natal planets with those of Saudi Arabia (pals though they may be--he thinks), a few of his planets are listed around the chart as well but are not highlighted. Of note is Saudi Arabia ('SA')'s Pluto @17Gem02 Rx conjoining Trump's natal Uranus, his 'guiding planet' of chaos and disruption, an explosive, revolutionary combination of planetary energies. And SA's natal Vertex ('VX') @00Vir26 conjoins the occult 8th cusp, royal Regulus (success if revenge is avoided), and the natal Ascendant of Donald Trump with his aggressive Mars rising @26Leo.
Now naturally you see that SA has a Sun-Jupiter conjunction @25Capricorn rising where transit Pluto will soon trod, and that Mr. Underworld was already near SA's natal Saturn (19Cap22) on October 2, 2018. In fact, Pluto's recent Station on September 30, 2018 @18Cap45 was within orb of SA's natal Saturn, describing a period when power and authority are abused. Plus, the nation is having a Mars Return (10AQ21) this very day (October 11, 2018 at 9:29:52 am BAT Riyadh) and will soon have a three-fer Saturn Return in 2019, exact on: March 23rd; June 7th (Rx); and December 14, 2019, when all accounts are ready to be tallied and lessons have surely been learned (for best karmic results).
And big as life, there's lady Venus so recently turned retrograde (October 5, 2018 @10Sco50) at the top of Saudi Arabia's chart on October 2, 2018 conjunct the nation's natal North Node of meetings and encounters. As you know, the top of a horoscope is the most visible point, the Midheaven/Goal Point--the World Stage. Whether October 2nd Venus represents Khashoggi's fiancee and/or the concepts of jealousy and vengeance, yours truly does not know. But Mr. Khashoggi is known as a critic of the Saudi regime and since he allegedly entered the embassy to get papers that would allow them to marry, perhaps this Venus in this particular chart represents love, romance, and relationships--and meetings (NN) about love matters. Yet we cannot rule out negatives such as betrayal and spying because Venus is in brooding, secretive Scorpio, a sign associated with death, control, and in-depth investigation which includes journalism and reporters like Jamal Khashoggi.
Of course, journalists are often considered by the regimes they cover to be spies, are they not?

For more details on this disturbing topic see today's CNN report Saudis Discussed Plan to Lure Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, US intercepts show which didn't work on him so they used the Saudi embassy in Istanbul to 'detain' him. And from 2016 along the same lines, also see Does Vladimir Putin Kill Journalists?.

Sept 27, 2018: Dr. Christine Ford vs Brett Kavanaugh?

A few days ago I published the September 24, 2018 horoscope as a tentative chart for Dr. Christine Ford's testimony on Capitol Hill to the Judiciary Committee against SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh whose natal planets are penned around the September 24th chart. There we can see that transit Jupiter in Scorpio currently conjoins the Judge's natal Neptune in Scorpio (pretense; illusion; scandal; fanaticism; paranoia; grand ideas) while opposing his natal Jupiter in Taurus (discontent with wealth and achievement; overblown efforts; discouraging comparisons; no one is impressed--J. Skalka).

So I'm feeling a bit fussy about doing another chart but for you I'll post here the September 24, 2018 horoscope set for Capitol Hill and 10:00 am edt when Professor Christine Blasey Ford is allegedly scheduled to testify. If at 10:00 am edt, Venus in Scorpio rises precisely, as you see. Sabian Symbols would be appropriate about now if you know of any. There's a rather rare Rosetta pattern between Saturn in 2nd, Moon and Uranus in 6th, Sun in 11th, and North Node ('NN') in 9th house. Does Saturn in earthy Capricorn trining the Moon-Uranus conjunction in early Taurus represent senators or possibly lawyers who support the woman/women's issues? Then Republicans are not indicated I guess. The Sun-NN sextile on one side of the Rosetta (marked in blue dotted lines) denotes the Kavanaugh side of the equation with NN in Leo, sign of leadership, lawyers, and suggesting legal societies or other types of organizations Kavanaugh has joined. In his hometown of Washington DC, he's part of the elite with the Federalist Society behind him.

Ascendant and Venus '10Scorpio': "A Fellowship Supper"...positive expression: an effective channeling of personal aspirations into the common place grooves of a shared experience; negative expression: a surrender of individual distinction and exaltation of naive animality." (The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, Dr. Marc Edmund Jones).

The Illumination Point of 10Scorpio is '10Taurus': "A Red Cross Nurse"...positive expression: a complete dedication of the self to the worthwhile and enduring projects through which it can lose all sense of separativeness; negative expression: a superficial pretense of humanitarianism in order to gain transient importance."

Importance he wants! Mr. Kavanaugh's first natal planet to rise in the above chart is his Neptune @19Scorpio with transit Jupiter just passed beyond it yet retained is his natal Jupiter-Neptune opposition of "lost objectivity" (Oken) which I believe he is being accused of in these stormy confirmation proceedings. And as you know, Jupiter-Neptune can be inspiring energy but this is Politics so together I'll have to say that they make a frothy and scheming pair, often to the point of fraud. We can also identify a midpoint picture between rising Venus @9Sco36 and Jupiter @21Sco26 with his natal Neptune at apex and we get potentials for negligence; lack of correct behavior; falsehood; hopelessness; a destructive relationship (Ebertin). Any, all, or none may apply.

Plus, Nicholas Devore says that '19Scorpio' (which has a centuries' long reputation for being an evil degree) is "the crucial point in the war between the Ego and the Supreme Will" though I doubt Devore refers to the US Supreme Court which happens to be 229 years old this very day (September 24, 1789). Did you get it anything?

Encyclopedia of Astrology, 1947, N. Devore.

Here's an excerpt concerning Rosetta patterns that I posted a while back:

Well, all the planets involved have both 'enemies' and 'allies' with the configuration containing energies that 'go around in circles' (similar to the closed circuit of energies contained in a Grand Trine). But in a Rosetta, each planet (actor) tries to 'win the argument' with an opponent ('enemy') shown by opposition and its squares while the sextile and trine aspects denote cooperation from helpful 'allies'. Complexity is added to circumstances by inconjunct (aka, quincunx; 150 degrees) creating a paradox (a square peg in round hole required) and the adjustment is needed in order to reduce tension and stress. Typically, the tactic of scapegoating may be employed to divert blame or responsibility temporarily and the psychological method of triangulation may be used in an attempt to manipulate those who are uncooperative.