Alabama has been in the national spotlight lately. As the reader may know, there was a special election on Dec 12 to fill the US Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he became Attorney General. Prior to the election I was concerned that right-wing extremist Roy Moore, a Republican, might win despite being a credibly accused pedophile. Alabama has been a deep-red state for decades and the race was reported to be very close. Because the stakes were high—and not just for Alabamians—I asked the question: “Will Roy Moore win a seat in the US Senate?” Dec 12, 2017, 8:01 am in Milwaukee, WI; 29.55 Sagittarius rising (chart at bottom).
First, it’s no problem having a late degree rising, despite what you may have heard or read elsewhere. With modern computer programs we can be confident that the rising degree is accurate to the minute of arc.
To me (the querent), Roy Moore is simply 'some other person.' He is therefore signified by the 7th house. Gemini is on the 7th cusp, making Mercury Mr. Moore’s significator.
Right away we see that Mercury is combust, and it is heading towards the Sun, not away from it. Adding insult to injury, the Sun is also in Mercury’s detriment. This is major testimony for a 'No' answer.
In election horaries we look to see where the Moon is going next, as the Moon signifies the electorate. Here, the Moon applies to sextile the Sun and Mercury, but it reaches the Sun first. The Sun prohibits, because it has power over Mercury both by combustion and by reception.
My judgment was that Moore would lose, but I wondered about a few things in the chart. Who or what is the Sun here? Does it matter? Do I need to identify the significator for Moore’s opponent, Democratic candidate Doug Jones, and find testimonies of him winning?
I don’t believe we need to pin down who or what the Sun is signifying. It shows us that Moore is in terrible shape and that he won’t win; that's all we need to know. In my own practice I prefer not to speculate about details beyond what is needed to answer the question. This helps me avoid the bad habit of reading in things that aren’t there.
As for Doug Jones, naturally we might think he is signified by the 1st house, opposite the 7th. But this is problematic because I am the querent, and I can't argue that Jones is 'my' candidate.
In the end, I don't believe we need to identify Doug Jones in the chart. I framed the question as I did because I was concerned that Moore would win. In that sense, it’s almost irrelevant who the opponent is. The chart is quite economical in answering the question without needing to comment on Jones at all. That’s pretty cool, I think!
Thanks for stopping by,
Kathryn at The Sun’s Joy
PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Licht, "The Underage Loves of Roy Moore" (Flickr: CC license). Cropped by me.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/9106303@N05/38349270326
