I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be focused on Mundane Astrology. I’ve never actually studied it formally. Analyzing the transits through this lens has not only sharpened my astrological and human designs skills, but it somehow helps me cope with what’s going on in the world. It also helps me understand how the cycles express themselves through the actors on the stage, and through the narratives they attempt to create for our shared understanding. This month will be interesting to watch as specific contagious narratives are spread. Like the UFO document drop that happened this morning. As we are tempted to go down this rabbit hole, ask yourself what is this administration trying to distract you from?
Jupiter and the Nodes Shift
Trump will be visiting China next week, May 14-15, in the dark of the New Moon. This is his first visit to China since 2017. There are two notable planetary shifts leading into his trip. On May 13, Jupiter leaves gate 53, the gate of Beginnings, where it has been transiting since March 16. This is where Trump’s natal design Mars and Saturn sit. If you recall, Jupiter had also been in this gate, applying to his design Mars, when Trump began demanding Greenland from Denmark. During this most recent transit, he threatened complete annihilation of a civilization. Suffice it to say, Trump’s rhetoric was “extra” crazy and damaging during this transit, as malefic influences can often be.
Jupiter now moves into gate 62, the gate of Details where Trump has his personality Saturn in Cancer. Jupiter visited this gate for about six months beginning September 19, 2025, stationing retrograde and moving backward out of this gate on March 13, 2026. Jupiter will race quickly through this gate for the final time exiting on June 13th, right before Trump’s birthday. The United States has its Mercury in the same gate and line as Trump’s Saturn. It’s labeled Asceticism and it’s described as “the perfected ascetic withdrawal in the pursuit of harmony and simplicity, where outside dangers do not exist and there is time to pursue inner meaning in detail. If it were to speak it would say: "don't bother me, I am thinking.”
This quote from The Atlantic describes perfectly how this placement works in Trump:
The president’s friends and advisers have told us story upon story of his obsession with the smallest minutiae, of his dedication to his monuments of self—the time he got down on all fours to help explain exactly how he wanted new tiling at Mar-a-Lago arranged; the time he glanced out of a window at one of his golf courses and then stopped a meeting, just cold stopped it, so he could amble out to instruct the gardeners
Neptune will complete the Channel of Discovery with Jupiter, when it moves into the receptive gate, gate 17, on May 23, 2026. This is where Trump’s natal design Venus sits. It connects the Ajna to the Throat, where we speak or manifest our understanding with logical detail. Jupiter and Neptune together can be described as highly optimistic, full of grandeur, the height of a bubble. Deception is highly possible. Paired with other transits, Trump may appear even more disconnected from reality and may be plagued with physical health issues during this time.
The other transit movement we may all feel more directly, especially people who have planets in aspect, will be the Nodal shift on May 14. The Nodes will leave the Channel of Community (37-40), where they’ve been since late December, shifting to gate 59, hanging off the Sacral Center, and gate 55, hanging off of the Solar Plexus. You’ll feel it more personally if you have planets in these gates or their receptors (gate 39 and gate 6). No matter what, we’ll likely all feel an emotional shift since we’ve all been defined by this Channel of Community collectively. We are likely to experience a shift in concerns for the community to concerns about our individual welfare.
The themes that will likely be activated during this time has to do with our connection to abundance, materially and spiritually. We are likely to drop certain barriers to seek out partnerships who can help us achieve the abundance we are seeking. This grasping can be either healthy or unhealthy. Pay attention to what shifts in you during this time, and if you find yourself trying to find the spirit through food and alcohol, ask yourself what you are really seeking? Does food and alcohol really fulfill those needs or can you fill your spirit in healthier ways? It can sometimes be healthy to drop our normal barriers, but make sure you are not compromising your individual spirit for this purpose. You are likely to feel depression seep in if you do this.
Trump has his design Moon in gate 59, line 5. This is where people project they can make a “a fair deal” with him, given the right negotiation. Gates 59 and 6, make up the Channel of Mating and gate 59 is the seduction part of that process. Many people describe how charming Trump can be in person and how he can put people in a trance when they meet him. This perfectly describes the effect of the design Moon in 59.5. In fact, the North Node was in gate 59 when he won his first election.
Interestingly, since Xi Jinping and Donald Trump have the same birthday, they both have their design Earths in gate 6, the gate of friction. They find balance in friction. Donald Trump has the whole Channel of Mating, while Xi Jinping doesn’t. But during Trump’s visit, Xi Jinping will have this channel connected by transit. It highlights a return to their past negotiation and a shift in leverage.
On the other side, Xi Jinping has both his personality Mercury and design Uranus in gate 39, the gate of Provocation which combines with gate 55, the gate of Abundance, to create the Channel of Emoting. Xi Jinping has the keen ability to provoke the spirit or the material abundance in others with his ability to solve problems. Imagine that?
The Channel of Emoting describes individual moodiness, which can swing from the highest of the highs to the lowest of the lows. I have this channel defined in my design and I can personally attest to this experience of moodiness. One morning, I can wake up elated for no apparent reason while the very next day, I might not have the energy to get out of bed. For many years I sought abundance through empty indulgences like food and alcohol. This kind of grasping puts you in hungry ghost territory. It's not very satisfying.
Since Donald Trump has no activations here, Xi will likely have the upper hand in the negotiations. Venus will also be transiting their Suns during this trip, bringing some extra diplomacy to their negotiations. The Nodes in line 6 point to a transition of future abundance, and describe the potential of at least temporary financial agreements. The Nodes move quickly through these gates, so the agreements may only be solid through late July.
New Moon in Taurus
We are at a critical juncture: This New Moon is applying to an opening square to the Solar Eclipse degree in Aquarius. Mercury, combust, perfects the square within minutes of the New Moon. If you remember, the Eclipse fell on the Cross of Industry, which signaled a huge shift in all industries. Heading into the Eclipse, we were already experiencing signs of this shift in the U.S. with the implementation of tariffs and the threat of AI. The attack on Iran and the closure of the Strait brought these themes into razor focus with supply shocks, oil shortages, and possible famine on the horizon. Many analysts have been sounding the alarm of a global recession, worse than Covid.
The New Moon located in Washington D.C. falls on the 2/4 Cross of Contagion. When we think about contagion, we normally think about viruses. Like the recent Hantavirus outbreak that suddenly surfaced on a luxury cruise ship. What’s interesting about that virus is it matches the nature of the Neptune-Saturn conjunction in Aries. Aries rules the head and face, including the brain, and Mars rules the blood. This virus causes high fever and hemorrhaging, both attributed to Aries. Since it is difficult to spread, let’s hope this specific contagion will be mitigated.
Outside of viruses, I perked up when I saw the term “contagion” mentioned in a recent article describing the risks present in the market. The CEO from Apollo used this term when he was describing "egregious" practices at some insurers, warning of “potential contagion within the sector if conditions deteriorate”. More and more analysts are expecting a market correction soon, and financial crises can act like a contagion as they spread through different sectors.
Astrology cycles confirm this expectation as we generally experience a downturn when the North Node transitions into Aquarius. Recently, people have been describing the market as manic and we may experience more of this manic behavior before the nodes transition to the Aquarius-Leo axis in late July. The market is weighted too heavily toward AI right now, and since the AI boom began with Pluto’s ingress into Aquarius, we are likely to see the AI bubble pop during the shift.
Contagion can also describe an emotion or a cultural movement that spreads through the collective all of the sudden. Ra Uru Hu reflects on this cross by describing a person who might be born on it. He says:
And there is the Cross of Contagion stepping across the line. And the moment he steps across the line, all the others start stepping across the line—serial killer, mass murderer—and in those movies he’s the big hero. And when you see him die you cry. The son of a bitch took all the others with him, and they blame the enemy for those deaths. And they knew the enemy; the enemy was within them
His descriptions can be a little dark, but you get the idea.
Tucker Carlson’s Birthday
A great example of someone born on this cross is Tucker Carlson. His birthday falls right on this New Moon. He’s been in the news a lot lately about his break with Trump. The NY Times just interviewed him, pressing him aggressively about platforming Nick Fuentes. I have watched a few of his latest interviews and while he’s very logical and I even agree with some of his arguments, he can frame soundbites in a very inflammatory way. For example, his whole “they hate you” framing when describing the elites. I specifically dislike the soundbite “transkids surgery”, because it provokes this immediate emotional reaction in people.
People think little kids are being “transitioned” because they are trans, which is false. If you dig into what’s actually happening, you find out that this has more to do with intersex kids who were born with both genitalia. This surgery has been taking place for decades, and it’s never before caused political outrage. There are some teenagers who are getting breast augmentation before they turn 18, but this is not something that is just happening to trans-kids. Straight kids are also getting breast augmentation. Is it ok for one teenager to make their breasts bigger or smaller but not ok for another teenager to discard their breasts altogether?
The point being that these issues are more complex than political framers will lead you to believe. That’s the problem with our political discourse in general. When politics rules by soundbites, you can be easily manipulated, distracted from the more important conversations. People born on the Cross of Contagion are masters at framing ideas in a way that provokes this kind of emotional response and emotions can spread through the collective like a virus.
Dharma: Our Individual Contribution
Algol is tightly conjunct this New Moon in-between the New Moon and Mercury and right near Trump’s Midheaven. I love this description of Algol from T. Susan Chang:
Caput Algol can serve as a potent protection talisman—one that turns violence, furiously, against the aggressor. Its rage is particularly feminine in character, for Medusa’s monstrous origin was a punishment for the ‘crime’ (!) of having been raped. Its gift is patience, memory, and the ability to withstand hardship. Experience leads to stamina. By facing tasks that seem insurmountable, we come to know and correctly gauge the weight of toil.
It reminds me of the tenacity of Epstein’s victims or E.J. Carrol’s lawsuit against the President. Her lawsuit is in the news again as the Supreme Court will decide whether to weigh in on her case, at the request of the President.
Mercury is in line 5 of the Gate of Contribution, in detriment. It’s labeled “dharma” and it’s described as “holding onto past failures and experiences, preventing personal growth and self-improvement".
The New Moon and Mercury are in the 8th house of this chart ruled by Venus in the 9th house in mutual reception with Mercury. Venus in Gemini is in the last line of gate 12 during this New Moon, the gate where both Trump and Xi have their Sun’s in the 1st line. I’m including a long quote from Ra about this gate and line because it speaks to his prophecy about the next great mutation in 2027. This includes a reference to the nodal switch above, the North Node transitioning to gate 55, line 6.
Here we have a very extraordinary sixth line. The next great mutation that will take place in humanity will take place in this stream that runs all the way down to the 39. The mutation will actually take place in the 55.6 and will eventually find its manifestation in the expression through the 12.6. This will be the mutation that opens up what the Voice referred to as our Spirit Consciousness. That is the consciousness that is possible underneath the emotional motor. This line is called Metamorphosis. Faith in, and energy applied towards change and emergence from standstill.
The next gate is the 15, which is the love of humanity and it is on the path to leadership. What can it do for humanity? Is this social mutation going to be of value to the totality? This is so important to all sixth lines. They have to see that something can really be it'.
The capacity to mutate and express new social forms. This is always inherent in the 12.6. It means that if you have that kind of energy, it is always possible for you, through your explanation, to bring a real change in the way in which people deal with each other. In bringing out this mutative energy, this is what slowly begins to change everything. Without mutation, there is no real change.
Venus trines the eclipse degree and sextiles the final Mars-Chiron conjunction in Aries. I spoke about this conjunction in my last video about the Pluto Retrograde. We’ve been experiencing Mars conjunct Chiron in Aries every 2 years since Uranus went into Taurus. These conjunctions began in 2020 near the height of the Covid Crisis.
Mars and Chiron now sit in gate 3, line 3 labeled “Survival”. It describes the recognition of what is fertile and what is sterile in a potential partnership. It’s an experimental line that is just past the degree of last month’s New Moon in Aries. It can describe an innate contrariness which refuses to mutate, but with the sextiles the time is more ripe for mutation. If you watched my last video, you’ll understand we are still confronting the themes from the last conjunction.
Confronting Your Right to Exist
Beyond the wounds of aggression and each individual's right to exist in the wider world, how has this shown up in your life personally? If you have your natal Chiron in Aries you’ve likely been affected by this transit more personally. What final confrontations are you facing; what do you need to let go of so you can contribute something new to this cycle? We need your individual contribution more than ever.
In the Video Episode of this blog post I give each rising sign a meditation about the topics activated in this New Moon. I’d love to hear about your personal experiences, so drop me a line either publicly or privately.
Confronting Chaos Contagion: New Moon in Taurus