US Presidential Elections 2004
... change ahead!!!

Anshumalee Sood

The US Presidential election is a highly significant event which generates great interest and curiosity in the rest of the world, besides of course in the US itself. This article on the US presidential election 2004 discusses the astrological aspects of this forthcoming event. Anshumalee Sood, bases his conclusions on the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada chart, without referring to the natal charts of the two contestents. Readers are welcome to derive their own conclusions. – Editor

Background

The US Presidential Election 2004 is likely to be a close affair though it may not match the suspense, hype and controversy that surrounded the election in 2000. And what an election the 2000 affair turned out to be indeed! And let me refresh for new readers that it did not come as a surprise, at least to the readers of the Vedic Astrology. Based on the foresight accorded to us by the divine science of Vedic astrology and by the blessings of Almighty this author not only was able to pinpoint the outcome but also the circumstances and drama that unfolded during the run up. This was covered at length in earlier issues of the Vedic Astrology namely July-August and September-October 2000 issues. These articles can also be viewed here.

There are views supporting both candidates and each side is with considerable merit too. In fact this very publication has carried articles from authors belonging to both camps. While the natal particulars for George Bush Jr. are fairly clear, there have been a number of alternate birth details for Democrat challenger John Kerry ostensibly. This adds further controversy to the situation setting the stage for varied views.

The election to presidency after all definitely extends beyond the limitations of an individual horoscope. And the presidency of the United States of America, the world’s most powerful country, would have a definite impact extending well beyond its national boundaries on to every nook and corner of the globe. Therefore, the likely shape of events in the near and distant future must provide us with definite clues with regard to the next occupant of the White House based on the policy stance and available plan of governance.

In order to circumvent the controversy an humble attempt is being made to try and decipher the situation using Chaitra Shukla Pratipada chart. It may be pertinent to mention that using this methodology on the just concluded Indian Elections worked surprisingly well. The article is in the May-June 2004 issue of this journal, and can be found here.

Perspective: Chaitra Shukla Pratipada Chart for USA

To initiate our quest let us go on to examine the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada Chart for the United States confining ourselves to the issue at hand. For those of you who may not be familiar with the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada Chart, it is perhaps desirable to provide a very brief introduction to the same. In fact this is one of the most potent tools that goes a long way to establish the significance of Vedic astrology and perhaps its authenticity as well. The Chaitra Shukla Pratipada chart is also referred to as the Hindu New Year Chart; it has a Luni-Solar basis and is the most popular and time-tested method of mundane predictions for the forthcoming year.

The year commences when the Moon and the Sun are exactly conjunct in Pisces. This coincides with the end of Amavasya and the commencement of Pratipada. The weekday that this happens has its own significance. In fact the vaara-adhipati or the ruler of the day when Pratipada is running at the time of sunrise is designated the lord of the year. The strength and disposition of this lord of the year indicates the nature of events likely to occur during the year. The Chaitra Shukla Pratipada chart for different countries is cast for the capital of each country.

Chart 1 - Chaitra Shukla Pratipada Chart for USA

For USA, the chart is for 20th of March 2004, 17:41:16 hours at Washington, DC (38ºN53'42", 77ºW02'12"). The Ascendant is Leo having retrograde Jupiter posited therein and aspected by both Saturn and Mars. Mars is a yogakaraka here having the lordships of the fourth and the ninth houses while Saturn has the lordship of the sixth and the seventh houses. Ketu is in the third house Libra. The Sun and the Moon being the lagna and twelfth lords respectively are in friendly sign Pisces in the eighth house along with debilitated Mercury having the second and eleventh lordship. Venus having the third and tenth lordship is placed in the ninth house Aries along with Rahu. Tenth house Taurus has the yogakaraka planet Mars having the ninth and fourth lordship. Sixth and Seventh lord Saturn is placed in the eleventh house Gemini. As mentioned above, Jupiter being the eighth and fifth lord is placed in the first house Leo in retrogression.

A complete analysis of the Chaitra Shukla chart is precluded from the scope of this article. We shall, therefore, restrict ourselves to the areas that may be relevant to the present quest. A notable factor of this chart is the degree of the ascendant. It is 29º41’, virtually the very end of the Leo sign. In about a minute and a half of time the lagna would have changed to Virgo. Ascendant degrees being extremely close to the rashi-sandhi is indicative of instability, adversity and turbulent times, etc., and may very well symbolize the end of a tenure in the present context, pointing to a possible change to be expected in the elections. Presence of retrograde eighth lord in the lagna adds strength to the hypothesis of forthcoming change.

The tenth house representing the government/executive/administration has the fourth lord Mars posited therein. As we are aware, the fourth house in this chart is representing the opposition, which would be the Democratic party in the present context, as President George Bush holding office at the inception of the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada comes from the Republican party. This placement in itself goes on to indicate that the opposition (Democrats) is likely to gain during the current year.

Yet another vital indication of a change of guard in the executive/government/ administration is forthcoming from the planetary configuration vis-à-vis the tenth lord Venus. As mentioned above, the tenth lord Venus is placed in the ninth house Aries. Please note that it has gone to the twelfth position from the tenth house, not a positive with respect to the tenth house, again pointing towards possible change of guard at the helm. Venus is conjunct Rahu in Aries. Rahu is a planet of illusion, change, surprise, etc. Conjunction of Rahu with the tenth lord further confirms the view that a change is more likely than not. Moving on dispositor of tenth lord Venus is Mars having the fourth lordship. Not a comforting arrangement by any standard for the incumbent in office.

Venus-Rahu conjunction can be viewed in a wholly different perspective too. Rahu is said to represent all that is foreign. Therefore, the tenth lord Venus can be considered to be under foreign influence or associated with foreigners. To the awareness of the author while George Bush may not meet this consideration, John Kerry does since he is married to a lady of German origin.

In the navamsha chart the lagna is Sagittarius, Sagittarius or Dhanu, which is also known as ko-danda rashi signifying imminent fall. Tenth house of navamsha has Rahu in Virgo indicating yet again of imminent confusion relating to the tenth house affairs. Jupiter is afflicted by Rahu and conjoint eighth lord Moon. In contrast Saturn here is conjoined tenth lord Mercury. In the Dashamsha chart the lagna is Taurus, its lord Venus being posited in the seventh house Scorpio bringing in the discomfort. The tenth house here has Mars, the seventh lord of opponent, as the occupant posited in Aquarius. Saturn is exalted here while Jupiter is debilitated. Please make a note of the relative strength of Saturn vis-à-vis Jupiter. The next paragraph will bring out the significance.

The Republican Party represents the conservative interests in the country, while the Democratic Party is representative of the liberal part of the populace. Therefore, it is an obvious conclusion that in the horoscope chart Jupiter represents the Republicans, while Saturn represents the Democrats. Interestingly the symbols of the Republicans and Democrats are elephant and donkey respectively. What a coincidence! With no disrespect Elephant signifies a large size fitting in well with Jupiter, while Donkey signifies hard work falling in the ambit of Saturn. Now observe both Saturn and Jupiter in the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada chart. While Jupiter is retrograde and afflicted by Mars, Saturn is free from affliction and aspects both the lagna and lagna lord Sun indicating influence. This is further confirmed in the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada chart for 2005 too.

The Likely Outcome

The political situation is as fluid as can be and is likely to reach melting points in the coming weeks during the run up to the elections. As the election date approaches, the scenario is likely to get murkier and murkier. The apparent strength of both the candidates will be tested and will alternate as if in waxing/waning cycle. The outcome of the election is expected to be fairly close indeed.

In the opinion of the author, the possibility of change appears to be higher vis-à-vis status quo being maintained. The control of the White House is likely to pass on to the Democrats. Perhaps John Kerry will be the next President of USA.