Mars delays McCarthy's bid for House speakership

Some astrological thoughts on the protracted drama coming out of the US House of Representatives.

Two months ago, in November, the American people voted in federal and state elections. Democrats lost control of the House (the lower chamber of the United States legislature, comprised of 435 elected officials) by a thin margin. New sessions of Congress are constitutionally ordained to open at noon on 3 January of even-numbered years.

The first order of business for the lower chamber? To nominate and elect a Speaker of the House of Representatives. Without a Speaker, or House leader, there's no one to instate members or process administrative payroll. Effectively, until a Speaker is elected –

We have no representatives in the 118th Congress.

The Senate tends to be seen, colloquially, as the more prestigious house in the American bicameral system – some have drawn parallels between Congress and British Parliament, with the US Senate corresponding loosely with the House of Lords, and the House of Representatives with the House of Commons. In fairness, term limits for senators vs representatives undoubtedly adds to the stability of what's accomplished in each chamber.

But the House is vital. Without the House of Representatives, the United States cannot do anything that requires two houses of Congress (pass bills, declare or respond to declarations of war, etc.). And some powers are explicitly reserved for the House, namely: introducing bills that impact how the US government raises money through taxes, duties, and tariffs; impeaching federal officials; and, determining the winner of a presidential election in the event of an electoral tie).

Without a House, at least 435 important positions in civil governance are currently vacant. Hence the back-to-back voting, which at the time of my writing has passed its 13th round. If a true crisis were to hit, it's hard to imagine that party outliers wouldn't fall in line and put an end to this charade. Still, party leaders want this wrapped up quickly so as to avoid accusations of ineptitude from political rivals (both within and without the Republican party) that may become problematic in the next election cycle.

So let's turn our attention to the astrology of the 118th Congress, and the battle waiting for the GOP at the starting line.

The time and date for congresses is fixed, so it doesn't tell us anything new to see Aries rising, or the Sun in the midheaven – this happens every year at noon on 3 January in Washington, DC. We almost have to see past that, and only bring it into our focus when we are forced to.

The main theme I want to draw your attention to is the application of the Moon to a stationing Mars in the 2nd house. Interestingly, legislative bodies have a long-standing associations with succedent houses. British Parliament, which historically was called into being by the crown to raise taxes, is assigned to the 11th house because it's the 2nd from the 10th – it's a financial support function for the crown. The US system was a deviation on that system, and is more or less the same where it matters.

The Moon/Mars application in the 2nd should've drawn attention to problems in the fundraising chamber of the congressional body (i.e., the House). The Moon applying to a slow, retrograde malefic near its station, in the sign of Gemini, points to arguments and betrayals amongst kin, delays and hindrances, gaffes and heated words, quick and transactional behavior. Mars rules the ascendant, so this almost gives you the sense that the elected body itself is standing in the role that the ascendant normally plays in mundane figures (i.e., it becomes a microcosmic parallel of 'the people'). The Moon and Mars together underscore restlessness.

Mercury retrograde in the 10th shows internal conflict within the ruling party, and long, drawn-out processes that have to be repeated.

What matters here is the way that this plugs into McCarthy's nativity:

That Moon/Mars conjunction perfected within degrees of his ascendant at 4° Gemini 45'. McCarthy was born with a Moon/Saturn square, Saturn in the midheaven and the Moon on the 7th cusp – underscoring political obstacles to come from others, like from within one's own camp because the Moon and 10th-ruler are both disposited by the same planet: Jupiter. Jupiter is in the 12th, which has longstanding associations with being undermined. Interestingly, McCarthy is coming up on a Jupiter and Saturn return that will at least partly overlap.

A new Moon at 1° Capricorn preceded the 118th Congress's formation. Centered on Washington D.C., 3° Sagittarius was on the ascendant and 3° Gemini on the descendant, bringing McCarthy's natal Moon/Saturn square, and the T-square being formed by transiting Moon and Mars Rx (at 7°/8° Gemini) into sharp relief.

We're entering a new lunation now, with a full Moon culminating as I write. The battle for speakership has lasted months in the past – at a quick glance, it isn't improbably to expect a quicker resolution. I suspect Venus in the 118th Congress's 11th house, applying to the sextile of McCarthy's ascendant and the congressional commencement's Moon/Mars conjunction, will bring conciliatory factors. I can hardly keep up with the count, but McCarthy's voting totals improved in the 12th and 13th rounds. With any luck, whole no-Speaker, no-House mess (which hasn't been seen since December 1923, I might add, a full century ago) should close down sooner rather than later.

Who is Kevin McCarthy? Borrowing from Wikipedia:

Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as House Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023, and as House Majority Leader from 2014 to 2019 under Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan. McCarthy is in his eighth House term, serving as the U.S. representative for California's 22nd congressional district from 2007 to 2013, the 23rd district from 2013 to 2023 and the 20th district since 2023.

I share this to clarify that McCarthy has a stable record of congressional governance, and has held important senior positions before today. Far-right members of McCarthy's own party are halting his nomination, attempting to draw platform concessions out of him.