Today, November 20, 2022, is Joe Biden’s birthday. He is turning 80 and entering a 9th house profection year. In Hellenistic Astrology, Chris Brennan describes the rediscovered technique of identifying a specific sign and house as the focus of the year called annual profections. We begin life from 0-1 in the first house, and at our solar return, we move into the next sign and house, with the planet ruling the house becoming the lord of the year. Any planets in this house or transiting through this house are spotlighted, and the topics will take much of our attention in the year ahead. This cycle then repeats every twelve years. The idea is that it is difficult to work all of our chart all at once, so this helps us to deliberately work through the chart, giving all aspects of the chart our full attention in 12-year cycles.
Pay attention at your actual solar return, and see if the topics of your new house of the year come to the forefront. Joe Biden, as his solar return was occurring the day before his actual birthday, was hosting his granddaughter’s wedding at the White House. Grandchildren are one of the topics of the 9th house (5th house from the natal 5th house)! His new lord of the year is the Sun, ruling Leo, and the joyfulness of this occasion and Joe Biden’s role as the patriarch of his family shone brightly.
The 9th house, according to the ancient astrologers, was the place of travel, especially traveling abroad, and mystical matters, such as one’s connection with God or fate through divination. We can predict, then, that Joe Biden will experience something significant to do with 9th house matters from July 23-August 24, 2023, when the Sun, the lord of the year, is traveling through Leo. To better understand how a profected year will play out, look back twelve years to your last profection in this house. In August 2011, during his last profected 9th house year, Joe Biden, as Vice President of the United States, was traveling through Japan, Mongolia, and China to help build relations between the leaders of these countries (Sun) and Barack Obama’s administration (also Sun). The Sun also joys in the 9th house, so one can imagine that this trip was in many ways rewarding to Joe Biden. We can hope that this year will bring him improved relationships with other world leaders as well as many productive journeys.
The Sun’s role in the natal chart is also a key to the topics of the upcoming solar year. Joe Biden’s Sun in Scorpio in the 12th house suggests certain intrigues or hidden matters being connected to 9th house topics. But Mars ruling the Scorpio Sun is dignified in Scorpio and had newly become visible in the sky at his birth, so this suggests Joe Biden will be able to call on the resources he needs to confront whatever difficulties arise.
Transits to the lord of the year should not be overlooked. Transiting Saturn in Aquarius will square the Sun in February 2023, suggesting that the responsibilities of Joe Biden’s daily schedule (Saturn in the 3rd house) may need to be adjusted to allow for the rest and recuperation he needs (Sun in Scorpio in the 12th house). This will be especially important as transiting Sun conjoins Saturn in square to his natal Sun on February 16. Another time to watch is the transit of Mars through the profected 9th house from May 21-July 11, suggesting that he will be dealing with some manner of ego-driven (Leo) aggression (Mars). Mars rules both the 5th and 12th houses in Joe Biden’s chart, so the topics of children or those who do not wish us well could arise.
One joy Joe Biden can look forward to the first part of this year is Jupiter’s transit through his 5th house of pleasures and children. It forms a trine aspect to the profected 9th house, and should pick up a lovely trine to the Moon as it moves through Leo in January, February (a full Moon), March, and twice in April.
And since Joe Biden is optimism written large, I will close my analysis of his profected chart with a great hurrah. Venus, that planet which brings pleasure and inner happiness for blessings received, travels through the profected 9th house from June 6 to October 9, going retrograde July 23 to September 3. While much that he values may go through some scrutiny during this time, the lessons will bring him closer to his divine path. The true showstopper, however, will be the Venus Star Point (something found in his own natal chart) which perfects on August 13 as the Sun in its domicile, in its joy in the 9th house, meets Venus at 20 degrees of Leo. What gifts will it bring?
