Russian Election
Zip Dobyns
Even without complete data, I find it hard to resist a look at the possible charts of individuals who are playing prominent roles in the world. Gennadi Zyuganov and Boris Yeltsin have just gone head to head for the presidency of Russia. A few months ago, Yeltsin was written off by most commentators as totally finished in Russia. He bounced back in an amazing way, with the help of most of the media, rock concerts for young voters, church-going for older ones, and promises to everyone. If he actually succeeded in doing everything he promised, inflation would skyrocket. But Yeltsin was sufficiently energetic to belie reports of his heart problems and sufficiently persuasive to achieve a few more votes than Zyuganov, his Communist rival. They each got close to a third of the votes and there will be a two-man contest to decide the presidency, probably on July 3.
We have published Yeltsin's tentative horoscope more than once in the past, but for new readers or those who do not save old issues, we will repeat my current version here progressed to July 3. Yeltsin was born on February 1, 1931 around 4 to 4:30 P.M. according to his mother, but I have never been sure of the time zone. The small village where he was born is also somewhat uncertain. We have printed more than one speculative chart for Yeltsin in past issues of The Mutable Dilemma, listing his town as Budka Rosa or Talitza, whose longitude and latitude only differ by two minutes. I have also experimented with an Ascendant ranging from 2 to 9 Leo. The angles remain questionable, but we can probably rely on the planet and asteroid aspects.
Gennadi Zyuganov was born on June 26, 1944 in a tiny town near Oryol (alternately spelled Orel) in Russia. The data comes from someone on the Internet in Russia who thinks he was born in the afternoon. The alternate spelling comes from a U.S. friend on the Internet, Doc Cottle, who has been very helpful in tracking down data for me. My next request from Doc will probably be to track down data for General Lebed who came in third, has thrown his support to Yeltsin and has been promoted to a top position in the government.
Though Yeltsin's data is still questionable, it seems to be working well. He has had very tough progressed aspects for some years, with P Sun crossing Uranus and the north lunar node, opposite Ceres and the south node, square Jupiter and, more recently, square Saturn and Mercury. P Vesta has been square Uranus and the P nodes. That is a dilly of a cardinal cross for major power struggles connected to his career and homeland. IF his birth time and time zone are accurate, P Mars has been crossing his Ascendant for some years, moving slowly after having changed from retrograde motion. The Leo rising fits his heart problems, his large size, his dramatic showmanship and charisma, his nerve, and his power drive. If Mars on the Ascendant is repressed, it can lead to critical health problems. When expressed, as Yeltsin has been doing in recent weeks, it can be dynamic and successful in getting what the individual wants. Assuming Yeltsin's birth time is approximately accurate, his P Moon is on Venus, another key to success, and the data I am using also puts P Moon trine P Antivertex for another hint of success. However, in August P Moon starts an octile to Yeltsin's Sun which will last for nearly two months. Probably, his promises will come back to haunt him.
Among the interesting asteroids with aspects are P Mercury on Russia and P Williams (for Bill Clinton). The U.S. did everything they could to get him reelected. P America in 4 Cancer is trine Juno in the 9th house (foreign countries among other meanings) to repeat the theme of help from our country. It also sextiles Neptune and P Victoria, which needs no explanation. P Sun is sextile Potomac, a river in our nation's capital, which I take as a key to the city. IF this birth time is accurate, P Ascendant was conjunct P Washingtonia for about two years to repeat the important role we have been playing. P Aletheia (goddess of truth) is opposite P Mars and the tentative Ascendant as Yeltsin has been promising everybody their heart's desire. P Karma and P Wisdom are trine both the MC and Ascendant I am using.
Obviously, Yeltsin's troubles are not over. His P Sun will start a square to P Pluto in about a year and a half while it is still in the square to Saturn and Mercury and the opposition to the south lunar node. P Moon will set off that cardinal cross when it crosses Saturn soon after the Sun square to Pluto begins. That signals a major crisis in early 1998 which could involve the country and/or Yeltsin's personal health. It could be his curtain call, but he has fooled the forecasters before.
Gennadi is a lifetime communist who is described as a smooth operator, telling different audiences what they want to hear. He is mostly supported by older and rural people and factory workers who have been hurt the most by the changes in the country. But he also appeals to nationalists with his anti-American views that Russia is in a death struggle with the U.S. Yet, Gorbachev says Gennadi is less dangerous that many of his hard-line associates who could push him aside if he won and tried to be moderate.
I am using a speculative birth time of 2:10 P.M. for Gennadi with a UT of three hours earlier, and running the chart for Orel where he attended college and which is presumably near his birth town. Since the houses are quite uncertain, we will focus mostly on the aspects and signs. The initial impression is of a much warmer person that his public appearances suggest, with his six factors in Cancer and four in Leo. Of course, Saturn and Vesta are not “warm” so they do tone down the Cancer, and the Virgo Moon can also be more concerned with the job goals than with the effects they will have on people. The south lunar node in Capricorn and Saturn in Cancer point to lessons involving dependence versus power and responsibility. Communism in practice, though not in theory, limits the power and responsibility to a few people and promotes dependency for the rest. I do think the Libra rising might be right for Gennadi, since it is so often associated with politicians and he has been described as a peace-maker from the time he was a child. But he also has a strong drive for power with Saturn on his Sun and Mars conjunct Jupiter in Leo along with Pluto in the sign. If they are in the tenth house, that reinforces the message.
Gennadi's current patterns include P Sun on Jupiter for potential success and IF his birth time is close, P Moon on Pluto fits the power contest. P Juno on Uranus could indicate an upset of some kind, but this might be Yeltsin's surprising comeback or his own (currently unexpected) success. P Mars sextile Vesta is also good for success, and P Mercury may be moving in to share the aspect while P Venus could be moving to conjunct the Moon, but I have not had the personal data or the time to attempt a real rectification of the chart.
There are some interesting asteroids, including natal Russia and Xanthus (an alternate name for Apollo, a sun god for fame and power) in 20 Leo conjunct Mars. Fanatica on Dionysus and the north lunar node are not very encouraging since they seem to confirm his reported absolutism, suggesting that despite his statement that he would not try to turn the clock back, he is really an extremist. Repeating that danger is P Vesta octile Saturn. Aspects between those two and/or either with Pluto can be a key to ruthlessness. Also, Atlantis, which is often a key to the abuse of power, is in 26 Libra square the P lunar nodes and P Victoria and P Orpheus. The latter two seem like a contradiction with their juxtaposition of success and a miserable death by being torn apart. We might make symbolic sense of them by noting that Gennadi is having difficulty in holding his coalition together and that might be the key to the outcome of the election. P Atlantis squares P Pluto and (maybe) P Moon. P Belisana, a war goddess, is on P Sun and Jupiter, and P Phaethon (overreach) is on Mercury. P Moskva (Moscow) squares P Mercury from 20 Gemini, and it opposes Eleutheria (freedom) and squares P Bellona (another war goddess). Gennadi has been almost shut out of the major media since the latter are strongly for freedom, against a return to communist control of speech and press. As this is written in late June, the commentators think Yeltsin will win, and our tentative charts support that conclusion, but we have not heard the last of Gennadi.
For readers who are interested in mundane astrology, the English Astrological Association has published a chart for the new Commonwealth of Soviet States which includes Russia and Belarus (former Byelorussia) and which hopes in time to form closer bonds with several more of the former U.S.S.R. republics. A document was signed in Moscow on April 2, 1996 at 11:18 A.M. UT is two hours earlier. The chart shouts the goal of increased power in the world with a stellium in the tenth house including Saturn in Pisces and Mars, Sun, south lunar node, and Mercury in Aries. A strong fifth house with Pallas and Vesta in Scorpio and Pluto and Ceres in Sagittarius also adds to the power drive, while the Moon in Virgo exactly on the IC speaks of the troubled workers in the country. Neptune opposite the Ascendant can signal the hope of better things from a cooperative partnership, but it might also prove to be a pipe dream. When I calculate a current event which will not be progressed at the time, I often put the heliocentric planetary positions around the outer circle of the chart. In this case, H Neptune is exactly on the Descendant, adding to its importance. A trine from Venus to Neptune supports the hope that cooperation could help the situation, and the message is repeated by Pallas trine Juno and Vesta trine the Ascendant; all in water signs which are helped by interdependency. But Pallas is also square Uranus and Jupiter squares the nodes, the Sun, and Mercury, so the immediate prospects remain challenging.
The asteroids also are not encouraging. Russia just under 12 Taurus is quincunx Chiron, an indication of changes involving hopes and goals but pointing to potential separations in the alliance. Moskva in 9 Pisces squares the Antivertex which is like an Ascendant. Lacrimosa (tears and sorrow) and Epimetheus (the brother who looked to the past) are conjunct opposite the Ascendant. Zeus, the Greek name for Jupiter, is on Jupiter joining in the cardinal cross. Byelorussia is in 0 Scorpio flanked by Kaiser (named for the former German ruler) and Pyotr Pervyj (Peter the Great, a former ruler of Russia). Their placement on the fifth house cusp, the house of the king, is a dramatic statement of the likelihood that Belarus is outclassed in the power game by its big neighbors. Minsk, the asteroid named for the capital of Belarus, is in 23 Aquarius, quincunx the Moon and moving into a quincunx to the Ascendant—a yod for major changes and possible separations. Though these patterns could mean changes by enlarging the commonwealth, they look more like a break-up. Time will tell.
I have not done the work to test the possible charts for the new Russia to see whether one of them is reliable, so we will continue to watch the developments. With their huge natural resources and their highly educated people, Russia should be a great power, but they have to shake off the current control by the Mafia/KGB who are richer, stronger, and better armed than the police. Despite what Gennadi thinks, many of us in the western democracies are deeply sympathetic toward Russia, and hoping for their recovery.