Political Astrology: Lessons, Directions and Values

I sit down with astrology mentor and cardology researcher Francesca Oddie to discuss all things astrology, politics, finance and the connection between them all.

When I wrote about political astrology earlier this year, I did so because I knew 2024 was going to be a very interesting political year with more voters than ever in history heading to the polls to vote in national elections. More than halfway through 2024, I’m fascinated by the developments to date and what could happen next.

Having trained my brain through a legal and academic lens, I’m inclined to over analyse things logically with facts and more facts. Yet this kind of knowledge is unhelpful on its own. Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu once said that “Men honour what lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but do not realise how dependent they are on what lies beyond it.” Astrology is one of the things that lies beyond “standard” knowledge. How much does astrology influence the lives we lead and the events that shape history?  

2023 was the year I became more serious about understanding political astrology because of the synchronicity of planetary shifts and the serious political and economic events which unfolded. My interest also came through my desire to have a deeper understanding of politics and finance beyond the logical analysis of history, law and political facts as these alone couldn’t holistically explain how we’ve got to where we have today. The impact of the reduction of philosophy and rise of unsound (or non-existent) political and economic ethics within institutions has something I’ve been pondering a lot, as is the application of the twelve Universal Laws and how they also apply. Or to be more precise, why they aren’t being applied.

For me, astrology has explained answers and provided a perspective which has been groundbreaking in my analysis of the world and current events. As someone who has written and respects the value of history (and astrology itself is firmly rooted in history across the world), I believe that astrology could help us make sense of the world by giving us insights and lessons going forward.

With this in mind, I sought out Francesca Oddie, writer of the Astrology in The Wild Substack and The 8^th House Substack which focuses on financial astrology, to ask her about all things astrology, politics and finance. I’m not an astrologer, so it was a pleasure to dive into the activity of the planets, find out what is showing up for us and understand the themes and issues we should keep an eye on.  

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Joanna: Hi Francesca! For my readers who are new to astrology, what value would you say people gain from astrology, and how can it be used to benefit people and society?

Francesca: Astrology is remarkable. The more advanced I become and the more I learn, the more I’m amazed at how accurately it works. My favourite thing at the moment is trading the financial markets using astrology. I find that alarmingly good, it freaks me out how accurate it is. Astrology is like using the skies and the celestial movements as a forecast in the same way we forecast the weather. It’s a level of energetics that helps us understand personality, skill, preference, challenges and obstacles. It’s about understanding yourself and predicting and timing your life.

Joanna: How important is it that we talk about politics from an astrology context? To me it’s striking that astrology was for a long time, until the 17^th century, commonly used in academia and accepted in political and cultural circles. Why did this end? Can you see a resurgence of interest coming back?

Francesca: Astrology was astronomy and astrology was all one, and then we took the meaning out of everything and made everything that was unpredictable and we made it folly. We then became obsessed with science and the entirely measurable. Astrology is measurable but only in as much as you ever can read intuitively, and you can read nuance.

For instance, we can all spot someone who is quick to anger, we can all spot someone who is late and a bit of a dreamer, we can all spot someone who is a bit slow and we can spot a chatterbox. These are all things that humans can do. You can’t pin that down, so there are certain energetics and certain parts of astrology that is difficult to put in a box, and so that got chucked out with the Enlightenment. Particularly the predictive element.

Astrology was always used by the kings and politicians. The Catholic Church picked their popes according to astrology. Astrology has always been so fundamental to high status society life. It still is. I’m fairly sure that the upper echelons of society still use astrology, they just don’t talk about it. People in power use it as a guidebook, it’s going to get you to where you want to be. It seems strange that people don’t use it.

Joanna: How would you summarise the astrological activity of 2024 in a political context? What are the big themes and realisations that we should be mindful of?

Francesca: For me, it has to be finance. This is a universal year 8. 2 + 0 + 2 + 4 = 8 which is finances. It’s the year of the dragon which also indicates finances. I’m not a Chinese astrologer, but it’s still relevant. Pluto is about power which is a societal outer planet. Pluto is in Aquarius, but it will move back into Capricorn in early September until 19 November. And that’s fascinating because Pluto moved into Capricorn in 2008, and I believe Pluto is here to finish what it started. Politically, everyone is scrambling to deal with the government, funding of the NHS, of schools, taxes, minimum wage etc. Pluto is circling around the plutocracy.

At least fifty percent of all governance is about spending, money and incomes. In my opinion it’s all going to blow up! An article was just published about the EU proposing to create an asset register database to track citizens’ assets. Last year the collapse of tech startup funding bank Silicon Valley Bank was the second biggest bank failure in US history. I feel that another bank bailout is coming. We should be mindful of what’s going on and what laws are being passed.

We should be extremely aware of what political figures are doing in the name of green energy, child protection and in the name of things that are important. What shady laws are being passed? Our right to protest in the UK was removed when Saturn moved into Aquarius, we now have Pluto in Aquarius, George Orwell had Saturn in Aquarius, so it’s very dystopian. We need to be wary of technocrat control, so I think a lot of that will be revealed when Pluto moves back into Capricorn. What is done now in the name of something else which has repercussions further done the line for our freedom and our liberty is something we should keep an eye on this year.

Joanna: One of the inescapable themes of my writing is the current state of capitalism. Where do you foresee it going based on developments within astrology?

Francesca: I think we’re heading towards technocratic control. Personally, I think the idea of a Universal Basic Income takes away people’s creativity and minds. It could make people very controllable and more difficult to be independent and successful. Even at present there is difficulty in some countries to pay in cash. There will be limitations placed on creativity and it will be more difficult to work with Universal Law because the laws of the state will be so firm and oppressive. And a lot of people will think that’s a good thing. That’s why it’s so vital to keep track of what’s happening as it will be like China.

There will always be rebellion, I just don’t know how. It depends how humanity will respond and what happens with AI and the rise of robots. Will people return to the land? The call of our spirits must be very strong. But it’s going to be so easy to be passive – watching TV, getting the basics and sitting at home. But our purpose and creative spark will do something. My concern around capitalism is around the theme of control.

Joanna: I read the other day that UK public finances are in the worst state since World War II, so I’d be fascinated to know your astrological interpretation of this? 

Francesca: Uranus is in Taurus again, and Taurus is all about money and material things. Uranus was in Taurus 84 years ago, and Uranus is causing instability. It’s very interesting looking at the astrology transit chart from 84 years ago next to the transit chart of 2024. You can see that Uranus is in exactly the same place, 26 degrees Taurus in one chart, 25 degrees in the other. And Pluto is at 2 degrees of Leo in one, and Pluto is at 0 degrees of Aquarius in the other. So we’ve got an exact Pluto opposition and Uranus in exactly the same place. and Jupiter basically doing the same thing. And even the eclipses are in Aries and Libra. Very curious!

My own astrological interpretation is that Uranus in Taurus is completely shaking up any normal, standardised, predictable way of conducting public finances.

Back in 1940 they were rationing because of World War II. Taurus is about food and stuff that sustains us. Whereas this time around we had the furlough scheme because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That was Uranus in Taurus, government intervention in what we eat and consume. Both occasions were obviously different, but with similar parallel themes. Uranus is the planet of unpredictability, shock and change. Taurus is the sign associated with cash, security, stability and value systems. When Uranus moves into Taurus, we can expect changes and shifts, big moves up and big moves down. Ultimately a destabilising Uranus of our financial system, Taurus.

So it’s very interesting you say that UK public finances are in the worst state since World War II (note to reader: the main story on the Financial Times website last night was about the UK’s £22 billion public debt – very timely for this interview!). I imagine that every time Uranus comes into Taurus it comes to shake up and shake out everything that is not working. There’s an argument for the fact that wars are started as a way of allowing a financial reset as wars make money, the economy is bruised, but it’s allowed to create a fresh start. So there is that war-mongering side to Uranus in Taurus as well.

Joanna: What is your prediction for the US Presidential election later this year? You mentioned that Pluto will move back into Capricorn in early September until 19 November before moving back into Aquarius until March 2043. Can astrology give us any clues?

Francesca: In 2018 when I first started learning numerology, my numerology teacher Richard Abbot said that Trump would be in power again. This was May 2018 and Trump was still in power. And Richard said that even if he goes, he will come back because he’s a life path 22. And I just remember sitting in the classroom thinking what the hell is he on about? Because it was such a shock that Trump got in the first time. I guess everyone knew it was just a four-year thing. So I’ve always had that prediction in my mind.

Pluto will be at the square of Capricorn, so it’s very empowering for Trump. And very challenging, it’s square to Kamala Harris’ sun and full moon. Moon and sun at 27 degrees of Libra and Aries. She’s a Libra so it could be empowering for her. She has her Jupitar at 24/25 degrees of Taurus which is right on Trump’s MC line which is his career line. And so, it’s weird in a way that she has given Trump’s profile a boost, her Jupitar, from a symmetry perspective, looking at the interplay of the two of them.

We’ve got a lot of dodgy things coming up before then, there’s some really interesting astrology over the next few months! We’ve got a liberal government here in the UK, but whatever’s happening, I don’t think anything will last.

Joanna: Thank you so much for your time Francesca!

Thank you for reading!

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