Trump en route to tackle the dragon in Beijing for the first US state visit in ten years, accompanied by tech leaders including Elon Musk and Tim Cook, is expected to tackle the Iran question, Taiwan, trade, AI and drugs.
There are fears that his inability to find closure over the Strait of Hormuz impasse which China also wants opened may weaken US support for Taiwan.
Trump’s chart relocated to Beijing is hardly inspiring with a tough-slog Saturn in the 6th; an unsettled Uranus in the 4th so unsettled foundations under his feet; his bellicose Mars Pluto straddling the Descendant – and as ever a money-oriented Jupiter in the 8th though elusive Neptune is also in the 8th.
His relationship chart with Xi Jinping (both Sun Geminis) has a power-struggling, tussle-for-the-upper-hand Jupiter Pluto conjunction with an overdose of slippery and superficial Neptunian friendliness. On the midpoints there is a tr Pluto opposition the Mars/Jupiter midpoint at the moment which can be successful though also opportunistic. Where it will run into trouble is late June right through till November with tensions erupting and disappointments.
If Trump’s take off time of 2.37pm Washington, DC, represents the start of the visit – it has a grandstanding Pluto in the 5th (= distraction tactic); a superficially charming Venus in the 10th; a needs-support Moon in the 7th plus unreliable Neptune and chilly Saturn also in the 7th house of relationships. A hidden Mars in the financial 8th squares Jupiter so echoing his relationship with Xi Jinping. There may be attempts to do financial deals out of sight.
Xi Jinping has his own troubles to finesse with his 3rd Term chart, 23 October 2022, labouring under a blocked Solar Arc Pluto square the Sun and Venus now and on for several months. Plus a fairly catastrophic feel from the Bank of China chart, 1 December 1948, as both tr Neptune and Solar Arc Neptune hard aspect the Mars Jupiter bringing financial calamities and disappointment through this year; with more tensions piling on from this August to the end of the year.
Melania is ducking out of this trip and with tr Pluto square her Taurus Sun she is under considerable pressure, until late this June and again on and off till late 2027. Her midpoints are also stressed through the same period. She will be jolted and jangled by tr Uranus conjunct her Mars this August through October and again in 2027. It must be odd being in the inner circle and watching Trump in a constant state of bile and vituperation about everyone and everything. Their relationship will by upending in some way in the first half of this June, and again mid December into spring 2027 as tr Uranus squares their composite Pluto; with a sinking sense of confusion early August to late December 2026.
Add ON: Xi Jinping played to Trump‘s ego with a display of imperial pomp rarely afforded a US leader but with an ominous warning about Taiwan and the risk of war between the US and China. Xi opened with a loaded reference to the so-called ‘Thucydides Trap’, which appeared to go over Trump’s head though it has been a phrase in circulation in the US over the past decade. It refers to the war between Athens and Sparta, with the danger of conflict when an established power feels threatened by a rising civilization. In the Thucydides example of the Peloponnesian War it changed the ancient Greek world. Athens lost its dominance, was economically devastated and never regained its pre-war prosperity.
It was started in 431 BC as tr Pluto was in late stage Capricorn about to enter Aquarius and Neptune was just into Aries and the war did not finish until 404 BC when tr Pluto was moving into Pisces and Neptune just into Gemini along with Uranus. The astrological similarities are striking.
Not I hasten to add that there is any indication of a world-shaking US-China conflict ahead.
Let’s not forget that the war with Sparta which depleted Athens, was egged on by loud demagogues such as Cleon and Alcibiades. Alcibiades was behind the disaster that was the Sicilian Expedition and encouraged Athens to pursue an aggressive foreign policy and who soon defected to Sparta when his misdeeds caught up with him. Then there was Cleophon who urged the Athenians to refuse peace offers from Sparta even when Athens was severely weakened. Parallels aplenty.
Another thing that occurs, regarding the parallels between our own times and ancient Athens and Thucydides is that neither Athens nor modern America was conquered by an overwhelming external force or enemy; both engineered their own crises from within. Thucydides’ ultimate thesis was that great powers commit suicide through internal factionalism (stasis) long before an enemy deals the final blow.
Quite right, VF, though it may not be suicide, but electing a leader who is immoral, dishonest, vindictive and profoundly ignorant as to world history and geography amounts to much the same thing. And this is the country whose judges approved Citizens United enabling corporations to rule. That is weakening indeed.
The sturm and drang is self-inflicted. February 28/Iran is the stupidest move DJT ever made, worse than his despicable approach to Covid. It even beats George W. and Iraq, which was beyond dumb. Everybody, inside the country and around the world, pays bigly for such enormous mistakes.
Xi made it abundantly clear that Iran is DJT’s problem and he’d better fix it, or else. The trip to China resulted in trade deals, but in international power politics Xi got the upper hand. He politely read the riot act to the most powerful man on the planet. Nobody did this to America but America itself and no amount of military might will correct it. Rot happens from the inside out. Honestly, I cannot picture how this is going to work out over the next 10 years.
Delusions of eternal greatness and crypto riches, gaudy gold decorations, triumphal arches, and reflecting pools for the 250th are disconnected from reality. Project 2025 to make America non-democratic may not turn out according to the billionaires’ master plan when Brent crude is $106/bbl, gas is over $4.50 per gallon, and farmers are going broke and the tomatoes don’t get picked. Neptune which rules oil is now in Aries for good and Uranus just went into 2-sided Gemini. What could go wrong?
At the time of Trump’s handshake with Xi (10:02 am, Beijing), the progressed USA Ascendant at 6 Leo 36’ was exactly conjunct the USA North Node in the 9th house of foreign affairs (Scorpio rising, July 4, 1776, 14:21 pm, Philadelphia PA). That is a culmination.
However, the glory of prog. Ascendant conjunct natal NN will be followed by 5 Pluto oppositions by transit from 6 Aquarius 36’ to the US natal Node at 6 Leo 36’ in the 9th house of foreign relations. That looks like a challenge. The Pluto dates (after the midterm elections) are: March 19, 2027, June 30, 2027, January 22, 2028, September 19, 2028 and November 17, 2028, which is exact after the election on November 7th2028. Looks to be an eventful 2 years.
I’ve read Graham Allison’s Thucydides’ Trap where he lays out his argument re: potential international conflict between China and the US as per looking back at the last 16 major conflicts when a rising power attempts to overthrow the existing power. The interesting thing to note is that of the first 13 conflicts starting form the late 15th century (when the Habsburgs challenged France) right up to when Japan challenged the US during WW2 in the 1940’s, these rising-power dynamics led to war in 12 of the 13 conflicts. That said, in the three conflicts since then (Japan/Soviet Union – 1970’s-80’s, Soviet Union/US – 1940’s-80’s, Germany/UK, France – 1990’s-present), there’s been no war. In other words, given that the rising-power dynamics created war every time but once in the first 400yrs of this tracking, and yet none since the end of WW2, some theorists suggest we could be in a new era of non-war and are instead moving to a new era of economic interconnection & cooperation. Just food for thought
David I follow this site as a non astrological person, so sometimes I do not understand all the terminology
could you please explain the phrase vitupours nature wilding
mary jones, I don’t think that phrase is an astrological one
I think it may have been a mobile text blip for vituperous which means abusive. But no idea what it means tacked onto wilding.
Thank you for this post, Marjorie, re. getting some insight into Xi’s point of view and the Bank of China. Considering the importance of this event, the charts are not reassuring.
The Neptune solar arc to the Bank’s Jupiter/Mars conjunction gives a lot to ponder, as well as the Neptune/Moon conjunction in the composite chart. Worrisome Neptune tends to undermine trust and directness in communications. Trump’s relocated Neptune is in the 8th of finance and debt. Neptune is conjunct the bank’s natal Jupiter/Mars and Neptune/Moon are conjunct in the 2nd house of personal resources in the composite chart.
Xi’s natal Moon is sextile Trump’s Neptune (both 5 degrees) in the natal comparison chart and at the same time Xi’s Neptune is square Trump’s Moon. That is quite a ‘switcheroo’ coincidence! There is so much Neptune everywhere – slippery indeed. Together with the natal Sun conjunction between the 2 charts, it feels like self-serving deals being made from both sides.
As well, it is odd that Melania did not made the visit. Last time in 2017 there were charming photos of her with the attractive first lady of China, Peng Liyuan. Perhaps their relationship is strained or competitive as well, or is Melania just being Melania?
C-Span video shows the handshake between Xi and Trump at 10:03 am Beijing time. Mars at 25 Aries at the MC, conjunct Chiron at 28 Aries. But there are trines and squares as well.
Wikipedia says: The time in China follows a single standard time offset of UTC+08:00, where Beijing is located, even though the country spans five geographical time zones. It is the largest sovereign nation in the world that officially observes only one time zone. The nationwide standardized time is named Beijing Time (BJT; Chinese: 北京时间) domestically and China Standard Time (CST) internationally. Daylight saving time has not been observed since 1991.
Thanks SweetGrapes for digging in a little deeper. Personally, given the way that Trump communicates and how he operates, all that Neptune does not surprise me.
Given China is one of the oldest civilisations of the world, and still going strong whatever the we in the West may think of them, they know how to play the game!
Are you sure your not talking about the democrats,vitupours nature wilding?