Spotlight on Ted Cruz

U.S. presidential campaigns are supposed to acquaint you with the candidates who want to run America. Ideally, registered voters hear what these potential leaders say and read what they've done, to see if one appears trustworthy enough to bring the country forward. Some people running this year are familiar, like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. But some people you might not know, like Ted Cruz.

Even if you are aware he's a U.S. Senator from Texas, a graduate with honors of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, a strict constitutionalist and right-wing, Tea-party conservative, the bottom line is, would he make a good president? Can we trust him? His motto is TrustTED, yet two leading opponents openly call him a liar. Could Astrology give us a better peek into Ted's character and where he is in life, so we can pierce the veil of who he really is and make an informed decision?

Astrology can indeed show us underneath the veneer of a polished presidential campaign, and lifting the cover from Ted Cruz's brings to light some worrisome particulars. Ambitious men will have squares and oppositions, certainly; otherwise, how do they have the drive and energy to succeed? But we might be concerned to see someone positioning themselves for taking power, who is carrying a tight T-square of manipulative markers, itself afflicted with an equally concerning grand cross. And when both of these difficult figures are being activated right now in progression — honey child, watch out!

Meet Mr. Cruz

Today you will see a side of the Senator from Texas that is not even available to many astrologers, as I use the recently discovered, substantially sized Dwarf Planets and the largest Asteroids in my analysis. This full complement of astro objects allows me to focus on the angles between planets and luminaries, as Johannes Kepler theorized was most important — when he only had 5 planets, so he couldn't see it work too well. But who would deny that new planets haven't always worked amazingly well? Astrologers have just got to wake up and realize the new Dwarf Planets past Neptune are large enough to BE new planets.

To zero in on the important angles, natally and in progression and transit, diagrams that center on someone's personal planets are the way to go. Full chart wheels are linked at the end, for full disclosure.

	Ted Cruz's Birth Sun and its angular relationships. We are indeed fortunate that someone has learned Ted's birth time from his father (per astro.com). As you can see (left), this shows a knotty tangle of support and challenge for our subject. Since we probably have a reliable time, let's work from most exact to least troublesome/helpful. Sun sesquiquadrate Makemake (M). Senator Cruz has had a stellar and meteoric career. His education is first-class, and he is still lauded by people like lawyer Alan Derschowitz for being very smart and capable as a student. He has brains, and is pretty darn clever. But I worry about Makemake, even at the usually considered "minor" 135 degree angle. Makemake is unpredictable, and Cruz has aligned himself with the extreme Tea-party movement in the Republican party. There's something a bit odd about him, even creepy, says a former roommate at Princeton. He even inspired a top ten weird facts about Ted Cruz, which included how he's actually born in Canada (to an American citizen, so he's always been a dual-national, and has given up his Canadian citizenship to run for president). If the Sun/Makemake was his only challenging aspect, that would add spice or zest to Cruz's personality, but that's not all. Sun square Pluto. This is the second closest and most worrisome Sun aspect Cruz has. This guy wants control and power, but with that square, it will be an uphill fight.      The U.S. has had only two presidents with Sun square Pluto: Franklin Pierce and Jimmy Carter. Both had troubled presidencies and both served only one term. Pierce tried to please both the North and South contingenies in the years before the Civil War, and pleased no one. Carter was plagued by situations out of his control, like the Iran Hostage situation, the Energy crisis, and Three-Mile Island Nuclear Accident. In fact, except for Washington and Monroe early on (both Sun sesq. Pluto), every president (but one) with a hard Sun/Pluto aspect could not get traction and served one term: Taft, Tyler, Fillmore, Benjamin Harrison, Harding (well he died mid-term), and Chester Arthur. The exception was Teddy Roosevelt, who served two terms with Sun (4Sco19) opp. Pluto (6Tau37). Ted Cruz, however, is no Teddy Roosevelt. Sun sesquiquadrate Saturn/Juno. Here's the ambition to be president. Many U.S. leaders have hard Saturn aspects, so this isn't necessarily bad. You need to want to change the Status Quo, to make the effort to become president. But with Juno there, I suspect this also is a marker of his intent to fight gay marriage legislation. If president, his appointment of a conservative Supreme Court judge could overturn its ruling on gay marriage. That's something to consider. Sun trine Sedna/Ceres. Ted is nothing but tenacious (Sedna), and certainly he has a love for his country (Ceres, as in "home"). These are both positives for the senator, and explain how successful he has been so far. Sun square TC302/Chiron. Hopefully you read about 2002 TC302 in my Marco Rubio Spotlight. While TC is a mid-sized Dwarf Planet, it lies in a perfectly resonant relationship with Neptune, and proves a valuable marker of hidden, secretive traits or something shadowy or misunderstood. Cruz has not been beyond using political dirty tricks in his campaign, which is why he's garnered the "Liar" label. Someone with Sun closely square TC bears careful watching.      Interestingly, we have had only one Sun square TC president, William Henry Harrison. His tenure is the ultimate mystery, as he only served one month when he died from pneumonia. The cloudiness of TC may figure in the mistaken belief that he contracted his fatal illness during his 2-hour–long Inaugural address, delivered during bad weather. Harrison died (4 April 1841, 12:30 am, Washington DC, wikipedia) at Sun (14Aries18) sq. TC (11Cap11). Sun semisquare 2007 OR10 (Weeping heart icon) and semisquare Venus. This seems to repeat a sensitivity (OR10 ) about marriage (Venus), just like Saturn/Juno does. Sun sextile Quaoar (Q) on one side, and big asteroid Pallas on the other. Cruz is a formidable campaigner, as his supportive sextile from warrior Pallas suggests. The helpful angle to Quaoar shows he's not afraid to gamble, and usually gets away with it. Usually...
Overall, Cruz has a reasonable balance of helpful and challenging character traits. Individually, Cruz's hard aspects aren't that troublesome. But it's their collective assembly that is concerning. Not only is Cruz born at Pluto opposite TC, applying to exactitude, but that axis is flanked by so many potential troublemakers like Saturn and Makemake. Pluto/TC people use every devious tactic known to man to get their way, and Cruz has this quality in spades. He's also been a victim of such tactics, as Trump has turned birther on him, questioning his U.S. citizenship, to cast doubt (TC!) on his very eligibility to be president (Pluto, power role).
Makemake: Mark of a U.S. President Most of the people elected president show major Sun aspects with Makemake. That is because the American character is very Makemakean: inventive, independent, surprising, innovative, adventurous, even shocking, and often uncomfortably blunt. The country was founded on July 4, 1776, at Sun (12Can43) sesquiquadrate Makemake (27Sco44), within a minute, using the traditional 2:13 a.m. chart. Surprised? But think how our country's birth is typically celebrated each year, in quite a startling way, really — with fireworks! A Sampling of Makemakean Presidents and Founding Fathers: Washington — (Sun sesquiquadrate M) was crazy enough to volunteer to lead the terribly unprepared Continental Army, and it was inspired madness to cross the Delaware River in a snowstorm, to attack the British-allied German mercenaries in Trenton, on Christmas night! Jefferson — (Sun opposite M) promised his dying wife never to remarry, but it made sense to him (?!) to take her half-sister, his black slave Sally Hemings, as his mistress and father children with her. Franklin — (Sun trine M) invented the lightning rod and made key experiments with electricity. Teddy Roosevelt — (Sun trine M) was brimming over with personality and energy, and even spent years living out west like a cowboy (the ultimate individualist existence). A Republican, he nevertheless led the U.S. into the Progressive Era. Kennedy — (Sun conjunct M) his election was exciting, bringing a young, dashing-looking president and family into the White House. JFK ushered in the first successes of Americans in space, a very Makemakean enterprise. His assassination was a shock, and occurred at Sun trine Makemake. Both George Bushes — (Sun conjunct M) George HW was born at Sun/M in Gemini; his son George W has Sun/M in Cancer. Obama — (Sun conjunct M) "came out of nowhere," virtually a political unknown, to be elected the first black president. Having a major Makemake/Sun contact doesn't guarantee you'll be president, of course. Plenty of criminals have Sun/Makemake, like the most recent spree killer, Jason Dalton, who killed 6 in Kalamazoo, MI (born exactly 6 months before Cruz, to the day: June 22, 1970). Several other presidential candidates have Sun/M; Sanders, Kasich, and Carson all have Sun sextile M. So it might be a good sign to have Sun/Makemake, but you need more indicators than that.

Cruz's Mercury Relationships. If you think you'll get a break from looking at a tense natal setup, now that we've left Cruz's Sun config behind, no such luck! His Mercury is another stunner. Mercury retrograde involved in tough cardinal grand cross. Actually, this setup explains a lot of contradictory things about Cruz, like how he could be ethnically Cuban, but against any common-sense immigration reform. Mercury square Uranus/Moon. Mercury/Uranus combos are smart, but Mercury square Uranus is an intellect more bound than not to get into trouble. Add Mercury square Moon in the mix, you have a troublesome emotional component to how smart you think you are. You're also liable to worry about things you say, and go on to contradict yourself (which is a common complaint about Cruz). Mercury square Eris. Trump has this figure exactly, except Trump's is a Cancer Mercury square Eris in Aries. What do both say they want to do? Build a wall to keep illegal immigrants, i.e., Others (Eris) out. At least Cruz doesn't claim Mexico will pay for it (he actually joked that he'd make Donald Trump pay for it — that's Mercury sesq. Jupiter but now I'm getting ahead of myself). Mercury opposite Edison/Orcus. Edison (a nickname I bestowed on 2002 AW197) is the light-bulb icon, and a symbol of bright ideas or launching on the right path. You can't say Cruz hasn't blazed a path to glory, even if he stops right where he stands. His ideas (Edison) have been to restore conservative order (Orcus), and he sure has found supporters who will fund this dream. Mercury trine Haumea (H), and trine Juno/Saturn. Cruz has a great gift that helps him (usually) on the debate stage, and it's Haumea-related, the ability to cut to the chase, to get to the gist of the matter. He cuts through the crap, in other words. Unless he comes under attack, as recently he has; then his Mercury sq. Moon/Uranus is liable to be activated, causing panic as his reactions (Moon) are not as well considered. But running for president is high-stakes, so such lapses are understandable. Otherwise his Mercury trines to Haumea and Saturn give him his avoidance talent (H) and even-keel consideration (Saturn) that saves him from being at the mercy of the Mercury vs. Moon/Uranus square. Mercury also involved in powerful T-square of Jupiter/Neptune, North Node, and Varuna (V). Mercury is not closely involved in this T-square that smacks of playful deception (Jupiter is playful/jesting, Neptune overall deceptive, and Varuna is the mark of people who can use words to unabashedly lie). Granted there's another interpretation: this is the preacher mode he can slip into, as his father was a minister. On that lever, Jupiter is the big emotional delivery, Neptune the spiritual factor, and Varuna the Word, the way religious-oriented people fully believe that speech made the World, and our vows can transform our lives. Words matter.      I'd be more positive about this figure it it wasn't a T-square. This Jupiter/Neptune-Varuna axis, hammering the North Node from both sides, does not look fortunate. With his Mercury involved in it, however weakly, it's more likely that people in general (Nodes) could feel confused and misled (Neptune, Varuna) by his rhetoric, sensing something is not quite right in Cruzland.

Cruz's Mars/Venus Relationships. Mars/Venus square Makemake and square OR10. This figure is more about Venus than Mars. I'm astounded that someone with this natal Venus config has people giving him money. Mars is in orb, so we must watch out as Mars/Makemake is reinforcing the strange behavior and unconventional outlook of Sun/Makemake. Mars/Venus opposes Juno/Saturn. Here again, Venus opposes Saturn, and he gets millions to run for president? Oh, yes, it's that conservative (Saturn) couple (Juno), the Koch brothers. Mars opposite Saturn, yet Mars square Makemake? Why hasn't this guy been torn in two, as those are completely opposite energies? Mars conjunct Ixion. Maybe here's the answer to Ted's ability to portray both Saturn and Makemake in the pursuit of what he wants: he doesn't see a need to differentiate. Ixion is the ultimate rule-breaker, and Cruz's Mars is conjunct that marker of an insurgent attitude. Mars/Ixion trine Pallas. Cruz's extreme individualism is also militant (Pallas), crusading, and somewhat effective (trine). He should not be underestimated. Mars/Venus trine Edison. He also has some well-thought-out ideas; how else, I say again, does he get as far as the U.S. Congress? Mars sextile Haumea. This guy is not beyond using scorched earth tactics. Mars/Haumea may be the most dangerous figure someone can have, especially in sextile or trine, because those people get away with heinous things. Remember this for later, because it's coming back.

Ted Cruz, Progressed to the Present

So you see Ted Cruz is no easy-going, laid back Pillsbury Dough Boy, but a bit of a tightly wound, complicated person, the portent of whom no one might fully yet grasp.

If Trump somehow does not become the Republican nominee, Cruz is positioning himself to be the alternative. The Republican Establishment and Democrats alike ask, should this be a concern? If you have misgivings about such a person gaining the power of the presidency, consider yourself lucky this time. Approaching age 45, with a birthchart like he has, Cruz's life has come to a watershed moment of sharp disappointment. In astrological terms, his progressed Sun has hit the worst point of its path, where it's again involved with those two T-squares he was saddled with at birth. Let's see this marvel:

Ted Cruz's Sun, progressed to Super Tuesday, 1 March 2016. p. Sun square p. Saturn. What was a severe irritant at birth, Sun sesquiquadrate Saturn(Juno), is now a major, major roadblock. And it's happening exactly at Super Tuesday, the big primary day in 12 states. Look for Ted to be moving backwards in the rankings, soon. p. Sun conjunct p. OR10. Cruz has been a bit hypersensitive all his life, but he's reached the time for this to be a major issue. He may hide it somewhat, but looking at this moving to exactitude, watch for telltale signs: loss of patience, desperate measures, drastic moves, yelling and screaming? Perhaps not the latter two, as his natal Mercury/Saturn wouldn't allow that. p. Sun has returned to troublesome natal T-square: Pluto, Venus, TC302. This was the major figure at birth, and it's baaaaack!! While Venus is involved again, that's not much of a positive, especially as p. Venus has just exactly squared p. Pluto. Have his donors warned him? The TC element, secretive as it can be, may prevent us from seeing just exactly how bad things are going for him. p. Sun opposite p. Makemake. This is separating, but certainly his odd moves in the last few years, of challenging his own party and making trouble in Congress, have not helped him at this moment. Trump may be disaster for the Republican establishment, but Cruz was never a great or even acceptable alternative for the GOP. p. Sun trine p. Uranus, and trine p. Moon. Both of these are quite fortunate, but unfortunately, both are receding. For some time, even as recently as Iowa, he felt pretty smart (trine Uranus), and loved by the populace (trine Moon), but both have majorly abated.

Cruz's Mercury and Mars, progressed to Super Tuesday's Primaries. Most of what you see here is not close enough to signify what's happening right now, but is shown for full disclosure. What's very key are Mercury, Mars, and hit-man Haumea. p. Mercury semisquare p. Mars. These are separating, but still in range to represent the havoc Cruz has caused with his tough speeches, his attacks, filibusters, and other public harangues. Perfection of this semisquare came in the midst of the 2012 senatorial campaign, which in winning he achieved a shocking upset. But that this nuisance figure is going away, may bring hope of a less argumentative Ted in the future. Or so we hope. p. Mercury sesquiquadrate p. Haumea. Cruz has really gone far and above the norm in attacking his opponents, sometimes indirectly, but Trump and Rubio have certainly felt the sting and have complained. Cruz is not done quite yet, as this is still close albeit separating. p. Mars square p. Haumea. Now we see the fruit of natal Mars sextile Haumea, that it could grow into a formidable progressed square. This one is not weakening, but strengthening. But the bad news for Cruz is, this square completes in October 2018. Can his actions in this campaign end up impacting his reelection to the Senate in 2018, if he's unsuccessful at even a VP slot now? Like everyone else, I hate getting older, but now I look forward to seeing what the midterm elections of 2018 bring. p. Mercury trine p. Pluto. He may become circumspect about what is going down, as this trine will continue to apply in the next few years, perfecting in January 2018.

Transits to Cruz's Personal Planets

Perhaps we're tough on Ted. Maybe it's not so bad, it just looks like that in Progression. Nope, sorry! In fact you should know that Progression, which is a fraction of the Transit pattern (the 90 days from your birth = the first 90 years of your life), works because that fraction is essentially a Fractal, or self-similar pattern of the Transiting pattern. If Progression and Transits are self-similar and related, you can't have a hellacious Progression figure at the same time as you have fantastic Daisies and Unicorns indicated in your Transits. Self-similar basically means, they are similar, and with astrological fractals, they are concurrently so. Quaoar is transiting conjunct Cruz's Sun. The Great Gamble is gonna git him, I would wager. A conjunction can go either way, but when Quaoar hits Capricorn, it's not going to be pretty for Ted Cruz. Makemake is transiting square Cruz's Sun. This has been going on for a few years now, and has probably made Cruz even more "out there" than he has been before. Asteroid Juno is transiting closely semisquare Cruz's Sun. I bet Ted loathes the idea that the Vice Presidential slot is the best he can hope for. Juno might seem like it's all about Spouses, but more generally it's Partners, and that means Running Mates. John McCain, in fact, had transiting Juno run amok in his Mercury/North Node/Vesta/Eris natal grand cross just before Election Day 2008, and look what deep-sixed his campaign: VP hopeful Sarah Palin. Edison and TX300 are both transiting trine to Cruz's Sun, and both are applying, just like the Quaoar conjunction. He'll have more bright ideas (Edison), and more TV-time (TX), as a talkative Senator with, shall we say, interesting opinions about governing. But this doesn't lift him to a nomination.

Mars transiting semisquare and Edison sesquiquadrate Cruz's Mercury. These two are the most important indicators that Ted is going to hate Super Tuesday. Mars will make him mad, and Edison will probably make him doubt that anyone has a path forward for him. He has high hopes to do well in Texas, but that won't be enough. Sun/Ceres transiting sextile and transiting Jupiter trine Cruz's Mercury. This is Texas, big (Jupiter) and home (Ceres), and supporting him (easy opposition). Not big enough. TC302 transiting trine Cruz's Mercury. True to his nature, Ted will keep close what he really thinks about Super Tuesday. The long Uranus/Pluto square is moving away from square/conjunct Cruz's Mercury. The last few years, as Pluto has conjuncted and Uranus squared his beleaguered natal Mercury, has probably been like living in a pressure cooker. As his campaign falls apart, he will at least get some relief from that pressure. Juno is transiting sextile Cruz's Mercury. As distasteful as it likely is, considering his ambitions, he'll still try to outwardly play nice, hoping for the VP slot.

TC302 transiting opposite Cruz's Mars. Again with TC, making Ted Cruz hard to really read, to absolutely figure him out. Who is this guy, really? So often he carries himself like a used-car salesman, and I'm not the first to say that either. An easy opposition of Sun/Neptune/OR10 and Orcus are buoying up Cruz's Mars. Conservative (Orcus) evangelicals (Neptune) were his one hope, but he's not the only person with a key personal planet involved in this easy-opposition. Ohio governor John Kasich has Mars at roughly the same spot (6 Scorpio), and is liable to start moving up in stature as his natal Sun (22 Taurus) will benefit from the North Node hovering at 21-20 Virgo through April (not to mention that Jupiter will station and trine Kasich's Sun, right around the Republican convention. Hmmm!). Ixion is transiting semisquare Cruz's Mars. His long disregard for the Republican establishment is now catching up with him, to his detriment. Asteroid Pallas is transiting square Cruz's Mars. Cruz has been one who can give a good fight (remember his Sun sextile Pallas), but with both Trump and Rubio piling on, he is a bit outmatched this time.

Cruz at the Republican National Convention

Republicans still need a VP choice, whatever happens now. How does it look for Ted Cruz by the Republican National Convention? You saw how dire his progressions are, except we haven't checked progressed Moon. The convention is crunch time, so his progressed Moon should show a milestone at such a momentous time. What do we have?

p. Moon opposite p. Vesta/Venus. To appreciate how disturbing this Vesta opposition looks, you'd have to read my article where I prove that Vesta serves as a useful indicator of disaster. Cruz is not going to be happy at this convention. p. Moon square p. Pluto. I see emotional upheaval just a few months away. p. Moon sq. p. TC302. Soon after the Moon/Pluto progressed square perfects, there's a veil over Cruz's emotional life. Whatever happens, this would be break-time, that's certain. p. Moon trine p. North Node/TX300. This is separating and could simply indicate that for a time, Cruz could draw crowds and public approbation (all the Nodes), with microphones thrust forward to catch his every word (TX).

How about Transiting at Convention Time?

By the last day of the Republican Convention, the closest transit for Cruz's Sun is Mercury sesquiquadrate his Sun. This is only a positive if he's had to answer so many congratulatory phone calls, that he loses his voice. Makemake square Cruz's Sun. Makemake has backed up to closely square his Sun. I feel like Ted will be a bit of a side show at this point, a curiosity. Squares from transiting Makemake do not give someone the dignity one requires to be elevated by the general electorate. TC302 sesquiquadrate Cruz's Sun. More smoke and mirrors. Vesta opposite Cruz's Sun. Vesta again? Not a good sign at all, and oppositions both in progression and transit? Someone else is responsible for this disaster, or so Ted Cruz may decide. Quaoar conjunct Cruz's Sun. Quaoar has backed off for now, so this is less operative than these other transiting bodies. Ceres/TX300 trine Cruz's Sun, and Edison trine his n. Sun. Reporters from Texas (Ceres/TX) will definitely want an interview, and Cruz will remain the darling of the fringe elements of the Republican right-wing (Edison — his ideas have adherents). But as said earlier, these are not powerful enough bodies to lift him to victory. Juno and OR10 both sextile Cruz's Sun. He seems to have a chance at the VP slot (sextile from Juno); if so, he may try to switch gears and become less brash and more sensitive (OR10) for the national campaign, or maybe not. OR10 has retrograded closer to sextile his n. Sun by this time, but that's a very wide sextile.

Let's say he is the VP choice (his only hope, it appears, considering the Juno sextile; not a definitive indicator, however). How does Election Day look for Ted Cruz?

Progressed Moon opposite your natal Sun is rarely a lucky time! p. Moon is as afflicted as Cruz's natal Sun. Bad bad bad news: either He is not on the ticket and he is remorseful and depressed, or He IS on the ticket, and people learn all about Ted Cruz (since his p. Moon lights up his main natal Sun configuration). Once they get a load of his record, his opinions, and his desire to steer the country towards his strict constitutional vision, people who are not ultra conservative become as worried as they were in 2008 that such a person would be one heartbeat away from becoming President. Either way, not good news for Ted. p. Moon faces a p. Pluto/TC302/Venus T-square. You don't feel in control (Pluto), or see your way clearly (TC), or feel pretty (Venus) at such a time. You're also facing the prospect of dealing with a whopping campaign debt (Venus/Pluto). p. Moon also hammered by alternate T-square Makemake/Saturn/Sun-OR10. You're not going to get what you most desire (Sun/Saturn), it's painful (OR10), and yet you're surprised by it all (Makemake). p. Sun also in this mess!. Say no MORE! p. Moon in easy opposition with Ceres/Sedna and Quaoar/Ixion. This applying fortunate figure doesn't quite promise the success of winning the White House, even as Vice President. With Ceres/Sedna, it's more likely a bittersweet love of his home and his roots. He can return home (Ceres) and lick his wounds (Sedna = suffering) for a few months. Then p. Moon trines p. Q/IX, and he can pull a John McCain, returning to Congress to kick some ass (IX) and press his luck (Q) as a leading player of the Opposition.

With all that said, I must say it really is a pleasure to see a chart like Ted Cruz's, with its very dramatic figures. Fascinating as well, to push his natal patterns forward to now, to this critical moment when he is reaching for a star, attempting to grab the ring of power, but you see how high the ladder would have to be to reach the prize, considering the obstacles his progression and transits reveal. I also respect the fact that Senator Cruz has worked so hard all his life, gone to the right schools, and made his way in the system, to try and make the changes he envisions. Obviously we need more good people to do the same.

If you want to understand more about the Dwarf Planets mentioned herein, or you are intrigued by my comments on Fractals, you might want to pick up my book, More Plutos. Available on Amazon in both full-color softcover and Kindle, there I more thoroughly cover all the large Trans-Neptunians mentioned above, and talk about the Fractal qualities these TNOs reveal about astrology, which could suggest a scientific basis for why astrology works.

Wheel Charts

Ted Cruz birth, source: astro.com
Super Tuesday, 1 March 2016, 11:59 p.m. EST used
Republican National Convention, last day 21 July 2016, 11:59 p.m. EST used, Cleveland, OH
Election Day, 11:59 p.m. EST used, Washington, DC

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