The upcoming presidential election in the US is like no other in the past. It has long appeared that the US has lost its compass and therefore its direction according to the Constitution upon which it was founded. Because of the ubiquitous and pervasive influence of the corrupt Deep State or Shadow Government, the American people no longer live in the ‘land of the free.’ The US is one of the least democratic democracies in our modern world. Yet most of its citizens do not yet realize this. Having the right to vote does not necessarily guarantee that you are living in a democracy – especially when so many things are being secretly manipulated by a handful of very powerful, vested interests. The country is being controlled by a wealthy few whose own self-aggrandizement is paramount to the detriment and the neglect of the welfare of the whole.

This election is also set against the backdrop of yet another imminent economic crash. Please see my article “Another Financial and Economic Meltdown Coming Our Way” under Articles.

And thus we come to the two primary candidates running for high office — Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Clinton represents the entrenched vested interests of the plutocracy, such as the banks, wall street, corporations, and the military-industrial complex. And, as someone insightfully said, “electing Donald Trump as president would be like throwing a molotov cocktail into the center of Washington, DC and its existing power structure.”

With Trump, the people’s concern is they don’t know what they’re going to get. With Clinton, they know exactly what they’re going to get — the same entrenched bureaucratic government they have had since before Bill Clinton took office. There is essentially little difference between the two parties, Republicans and Democrats. Historically, they have both danced to the same tune sung by corporate and military lobbyists. However, Trump is not a typical Republican. Even the Republicans don’t like him and know they cannot control him.

I have had much success in predicting the winners of the US presidential elections over the years. But I, like many others who use varying methods of prediction, are in agreement that this one is very close and therefore, very difficult to call. And that is because neither candidate appears especially qualified and both are polarizing figures — they tend to engender strong loyalty from the few and disgust from the many. Firstly, let us say a few things about the Vedic Astrological charts of Clinton and Trump.

Hillary Clinton is in a Sun major and Rahu minor planetary period during the election. The Sun is in Libra (debilitated) in a very powerful yoga with both Mercury and Venus in Libra on her ascendant. This combination has elevated her to her current level of achievement and notoriety. She is accustomed to rising to the top in whatever she pursues. So the Sun major period may be enough to put her over the top.

However, Rahu is in the eighth house of the birth chart which indicates self-sabotage and self-undoing. And there has been plenty of that during the campaign. Rahu in the eighth house also means secretive and clandestine behavior, much of which has come to light during the recent campaign — illegal personal email server, behind-the-scenes manipulation in sending protesters to Trump campaign rallies, and selling favors to the highest bidder as Secretary of State and also previously through the Clinton Foundation.

With Ketu and Jupiter in Scorpio in her second house representing accumulated wealth and speech, it indicates she readily accepts unlawful funding and may also be involved in illegal business deals (Whitewater), and also may have profited through the acquisition and distribution of contraband. It also means she is a pathological liar and rarely tells the truth. While being questioned about her email server under oath in front of a Senate committee, her answer to thirty-nine separate questions was, “I don’t remember.” This was also evident during the campaign when she would address rallies in various states, telling those particular people what they wanted to hear and contradicting what she had said to a previous audience in another state — she appears to say whatever it takes to get elected.

Her health has been under suspicion and she even bowed out of the campaign for a while. On camera in various videos, she appeared to get confused and have minor seizures. Mercury (nervous system) and Ketu are in close proximity to each other, about 2 degrees apart. This can point to a potential serious problem with the nervous system. And brings into doubt her suitability to take on such a demanding job.

Saturn in the tenth house with debilitated Mars in Cancer, can lift her to very high positions. But it is also a planetary yoga that brings a fall from grace. This is likely to take place between September 2017 and March of 2019 when Rahu transits through the sign of Cancer. Further, her debilitated Mars indicates tantrums and uncontrolled outbursts of anger and rants which she is famous for behind the scenes where the public cannot go. Can she get elected in a minor period of Rahu in the eighth house? It is possible but likely only through subterfuge.

Donald Trump is in a Rahu major period and a Mars minor period. Rahu is reasonably strong in the tenth house with the Sun and could well indicate a change in career path. Mars is the most beneficial planet (yoga-karaka) for a Leo ascendant and could well win a victory for him in this contest. And Mars indicates his ability to overcome opponents and win battles.

Trump has a debilitated Moon in Scorpio alongside Ketu in the fourth house. This indicates he is not very emotionally mature. He has a highly reactive emotional nature. Further, he does not treat women very well nor does he respect them. The conjunction of Moon and Ketu is a combination for a mad man. He may not be certifiably crazy but he’s kind of crazy. And highly unpredictable. You never know what he might say or do next. Moon with Ketu on the positive side indicates a visionary.

Trump is anything but stupid with Mercury in its own sign of Gemini. He is very clever and very sharp and can digest a lot of information very quickly. However, I don’t recall hearing much about his planned policies if he should win office.

With Sun in the tenth house in Taurus, it indicates a very adept manager and executive, much more so than Clinton with a debilitated Sun on the ascendant. It may also mean that while she is busy gathering information and analyzing a situation (Sun in Libra), Trump is taking action and making things happen (Sun in Taurus). He is a doer.

It is interesting to note that Clinton’s Sun in Libra is weak and Trump’s Sun with Rahu is afflicted. Sun delivers a sense of self, as well as confidence and competence. My experience has taught me that people with Sun in these positions gravitate to one pole or the other — either deflated ego where they feel insecure or suffer from self-doubt, or inflated ego where they rise into arrogance, superiority and sanctimony, believing their own propaganda. Clearly, this latter example of inflated ego applies to both these people.

It is also interesting to note that in the US yearly chart (chaitra-shukla-paksha), it strongly indicates that a sitting president could be assassinated or that there would be such an attempt. This could take place anytime from now until March 27, 2017. If Trump became president, there would be a lot of powerful people whose positions could be compromised much like it was when John F. Kennedy was the president and he threatened the status quo. He was assassinated.

Judging by the planetary periods of each candidate, Trump has the edge. However, I also tracked the race since July by calculating Question Charts (prashnas) to give further insight. Generally, they went back and forth with each candidate indicated to win the election. Many Question Charts were too close to call. However, based on the astrological strengths and planetary periods, I am going to predict Donald Trump as the winner of this election.

© Drew Lawrence 2016