This Week in Asteroids:  30 October 2026

By Alex Miller

BOTTOM-FEEDERS?

In many ways, the 2026 US Midterm elections have been a race to the bottom.   But one surrogate has taken this to somewhat extreme, and literal, levels.  Donald Trump, not on the ballot himself, has been on the stump in multiple states which are typically safe Republican territory, attempting to shore up GOP candidates who are foundering due to his policies, and a complete and total inability for the President to so much as acknowledge the economic pain he has visited on his constituents, let alone try to ameliorate it, has only worsened their predicament.

Instead, Trump’s closing message at the tail end of this campaign seems to be his fixation on the literal bottoms of several nominees.  In the few weeks preceding the Mercury retrograde station on October 24^th, as the planet of speechifying and communication slowed its pace, The Donald had begun waxing poetic at campaign rallies on the physiques and manliness of GOP contenders, in particular Ohio Senate candidate Jon Husted, rhapsodizing about his perfect, muscular “ass.”  Even in venues as far-flung from Ohio as Texas and South Carolina, Trump can’t avoid discussing his cheeky butt fetish, redefining the term “Senate seat.”

With Mercury’s station (20 Scorpio) opposed Donald Trump’s natal asteroid Fanny (24 Taurus), a common, more genteel euphemism for the sit-down, this incessant derriere-dialog shouldn’t be surprising.  Mercury’s retro station can have the effect of focusing the mind on a particular area for an extended period, and in Trump’s case, with Fanny also exactly conjoined his natal Midheaven, ruling career, status, and place in the world, it’s only natural he’d equate posteriors to politics, and opine about rumps when he’s out on the stump.  As well, the current skies provide a rear-guard action, with transit asteroid Fanny (13 Virgo) sesquiquadrate (135 degrees) asteroid Whitehouse (24 Capricorn), symbolizing the US presidency, providing a real-time link between both types of bums.

In that light, perhaps we’re just fortunate that the Mercury station doesn’t aspect Trump’s natal asteroids Pecker, Wiener, Dong or Dick.  Who knows what the Commander in Cheek would say about that?

Ohio was also the scene for another moment of bottom-scraping, when on October 22^nd, GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign released an ad featuring Dem challenger Amy Acton’s mother.  In what is generally acknowledged as a new low in political ads, Ramaswamy trots out octogenarian Donna Arthur to trash her daughter, from whom she has been estranged for almost half a century, since Amy was 12, as a liar.  Amy had been sexually abused for three years by her stepfather, and was abandoned by her mother when he fled the state to avoid standing trial for child rape charges brought against him.  The two have not had any contact since, but Ramaswamy thought it fit to present this “anti-character witness” in a desperate attempt to smear Acton and erode her frontrunner status.

The tactic backfired miserably, with Ramaswamy receiving blowback from most quarters (except the administration of course), and Ohio’s outgoing Republican governor denouncing the ad.  Voters responded by withdrawing support, sending Ramaswamy further down in polls.

When the ad was released on 22 October 2026, asteroids Ramaswami (21 Sagittarius, an alternate spelling), Arthur (27 Sagittarius, Acton’s mother’s surname) and Amy (1 Capricorn, for Acton herself) were bundled within ten degrees of each other, placing the major players in cosmic proximity. The Ramaswami and Arthur portions of this conglomeration square (90 degrees) a pairing of asteroid Donna (15 Pisces, Acton’s mother’s first name) and centaur Nessus (20 Pisces), named for a notable mythic sex offender who attempted to rape Heracles’ wife.  Asteroid Amy squares asteroids Demeter (1 Libra), named for the Greek goddess of motherhood, and Eurydike (7 Libra), named for a famed rape victim, Orpheus’ wife.  As well, a T-Square (1) is formed with the Neptune/Saturn duo (2 and 9 Aries), symbolizing liars (Neptune), but also evoking sympathy (Neptune) for the victim (also Neptune); and Saturn ruling censure, criticism, loss, and chief executives, such as the governorship over which Ramaswamy and Acton are contending.

Mercury (20 Scorpio), ruling advertising, is at its station degree, locked in a Grand Trine Kite pattern (2) with the Donna/Nessus conjunction and asteroid Ceres (20 Scorpio), named for the Roman goddess of motherhood, with an opposition to asteroid NOT (27 Taurus), which acts as a general disqualifier or symbol of negation, on its String, guiding the manifestation.  Certainly, the ad (Mercury) using Acton’s mother (Donna, Ceres) did not land (NOT) the way Ramaswamy hoped, generating sympathy for the child sexual abuse (Nessus) survivor.

WORLD SERIES CHUGGS ALONG

The Milwaukee Brewers whipped up a foamy head of success in winning the 2026 World Series, a first for the 57-year-old MLB franchise.  Although there were no valid celestial markers for the rival Tampa Bay Rays, a chart cast for Game One of the series on 23 October 2026 shows connections for the Brewers that would be hard to beat.

Asteroid Brewer (14 Sagittarius) is bookended by asteroids Nike (6 Sagittarius), named for the Greek goddess of victory, and Champion (22 Sagittarius), while exactly trine (120 degrees) Mars (14 Leo), ruler of sports and competition.  This sets up the Brewers as victors (Nike) of a championship (Champion) sporting event (Mars).  Seems like the outcome was never in doubt.

ELECTIONS IN ISRAEL

On 27 October 2026, Israel held its first general election since the horrific October 7, 2023 attacks by Hammas, allowing the Israeli people a chance to finally weigh in on how prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been handing the aftermath.  Netanyahu’s principal opponent was Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party.

As of this writing, the future direction of the country remains unclear, with Netanyahu’s Likud party and its associates controlling 53 seats, with 61 needed for a working majority in the 120-seat Knesset.  Yashar and its associates hold 48 seats, with the remaining 19 seats controlled by several Arab-led parties, who will need to join one of the coalitions to break the deadlock.

The chart features Mars (16 Leo) squared a retrograde Mercury (20 Scorpio), a sign that the war with Hamas (Mars) is the key element of the election (Mercury).  People are rethinking, reappraising, reevaluating (all Mercury retro concerns) Netanyahu’s prosecution of the war; some are angry, some are defensive, tensions are running high (all Mars attributes).  The Sun (4 Scorpio) conjoins a retrograde Venus (28 Libra), so the focus (Sun) is on shared values, relationships with others, and the costs of the conflict, all Venus matters.  A square from the Sun to Pluto (3 Aquarius) suggests that Israelis have become doubtful about the level of destruction (Pluto) Netanyahu has meted out to Gaza, and there may be some who consider his acts criminal (also Pluto).

The precariousness of Netanyahu’s position is mirrored by a conjunction of asteroids Benjamina (16 Capricorn), a feminine form of his first name, and Nemesis (19 Capricorn), known as the bringer of ruin and destruction, often self-created.  This is semisquare (45 degrees) to Damocles (1 Pisces), representing the threat or peril hanging unseen overhead, about to descend at any moment, doubling down on the sense that Netanyahu’s political time may be running out.  Gadi Eisenkot is seen as asteroid Gaddi (7 Scorpio, an alternate spelling) conjoined the Sun, a placement which puts the individual in the spotlight, for good or ill.  Gaddi is semisquare asteroid Israel (25 Virgo), perhaps helping him identify with his countrymen.

Sun/Gaddi’s square to Israel’s natal (3) Moon (4 Leo) confers a connection with the people (Moon), but Netanyahu has had a lock on that, with his natal (4) asteroid Benjamina exactly conjoined Israel’s Moon.  He may not be well liked, but voting for him has become habit (Moon):  he’s the comfortable choice, people feel an intimacy (Moon) with “Bibi” after heading the country for 18 of the past 30 years.  Israel’s natal Benjamina (0 Taurus) squares its Moon, forging another link with the populace; whereas natal asteroid Gaddi (0 Pisces) is inconjunct (150 degrees), perhaps an uncomfortable fit.

The August 12^th Solar Eclipse (20 Leo) conjoined Israel’s natal Saturn (16 Leo) and asteroid Israel (21 Leo), also squared its Sun (23 Taurus), in part prompting the selection of a new government (Saturn) for the Jewish state (Israel), and perhaps a new identity (Sun).

Notes:  (1) A T-Square is a dynamic pattern composed of two or more planets in opposition (180 degrees), each squared (90 degrees) a third.  It represents stress and conflict, with the fulcrum point (at the square) offering a possibility of resolution.

(2) A Kite is a special type of Grand Trine, with one or more points opposing one of the three primary Grand Trine points.  The point in opposition is termed the “String,” and guides the operation and manifestation of the Kite itself.

(3) state of Israel, created by UN mandate, 14 May 1948, 4 PM EET, Tel Aviv, Israel (Rodden Rating A)

(4) Benjamin Netanyahu, born 21 October 1949, no time available

Sources:  reporting from CBS News, AP, MS NOW, Wikipedia; chart data from serennu.com; graphic images by author

Title Image Credit:  drawn by ChatGPT