Donald Trump, a Controversial Individual

This is about what information we can typically glean using the Enneagram, and how it differs from what is available using Vedic astrology, specifically the 27 Lunar Mansions (nakshatras).

Two Approaches, a similar Goal

One way to facilitate learning about the differences between personality assessment systems is by looking at an individual in a caricature-istic way, highlighting extreme features and leaving the finer nuances for later as our expertise increases. Leo Tolstoy in Anna Karenina was aware of that and noted that “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Another variation of this concept is: “All good marriages are boring, the dysfunctional ones are interesting…” Going by this principle, we can say that studying people with glaring features makes for a more interesting learning experience than observing well adjusted and balanced individuals. That’s why the study of Enneagram types is so appealing, as it starts by trying first to identify the dominant passion (i.e. chief feature) and how it expresses vice, virtue or fixation, and then moving on to finer distinctions.

Enneagram typing is done through self-evaluation, paper and pencil tests or by consulting expert opinions. In any case it depends for accuracy on the skill in evaluating behaviors, inner motivations or sensing the energy and correctly interpreting what drives the mannerisms a person exhibits. It requires a refined sense of familiarity with the inner and outer dynamics of personalities and psychological astuteness.

Astrology (in this article I use Vedic astrology), analyzes a chart that is a snapshot of the skies at the time of birth, and the meaning of the location of planets in the 27 nakshatras (see last three issues, EM 227, 228 & 229). Time and place when we “entered life” is all important as it shows under what conditions we started life. The configurations in the sky indicate what type of environment we were exposed to and how it will continue to change every moment like a slowly rotating kaleidoscope. Several overlapping layers of influence in constant motion form ever-new configurations that affect us according to our receptivity to each distinct planet, which in turn gets affected by the nakshatra’s zone they are crossing.

Maybe the planetary “influences” can be understood not so much as if they are “radiating or beaming” vibrations at us, but rather as a calendar or a cosmic clock of the seasons of our life, or as indicators of “general” cosmic seasons for everyone, but to which we have a “particular affinity” (similar to a sensitivity or allergy) while other individuals will be more or less affected in different ways.

The nakshatras, as discussed in previous issues, mark a specific zone or segment in a constellation. Each segment contains stars that have a special significance, with all sorts of ancient lore attached and most importantly symbolized by is its ruling deity which in its turn has its history and personality relatable to human qualities, talents, flaws and quirks; in other words, they are meant to “typify” a full range of behavior patterns, but also environments and outcomes that people born with similar configurations are likely to experience.

Enneagram type/passion tells us if we are in the head heart or gut triad, how the lines of the figure connect us to other types, what our wings are, etc. It allows us to recognize correlations or shared patterns with individuals of the same type. These correlations can be more or less strong according to the level of development and confluence of other factors.

Every individual’s life circumstances will demand that when the conditions change, we tap into the domains of other passions, but usually to a lesser degree and less tenaciously than into our own core type. Under normal conditions we revert to our dominant passion (automatic pilot) expressed by our enneagram type.

But regardless how much as we are defined or ruled by our passions, it can only be to the degree that environmental circumstances permit by offering opportunities or putting blocks in our way.

We could say that our destiny or life-path is better described by the deities that rule our most prominent Nakshatras. Enneagram type and nakshatras therefore address different sides of our life: we manifest in the world according to how our passions dictate behavior (enneagram), but what circumstances we are likely to encounter and how that will affect us, is better indicated by the nakshatras.

Obstacles to the Quest for Truth

E-typing or interpreting an astrological chart will be influenced by the attitude and expectations we bring to the task; we can’t always be dispassionate in our judgment towards ourselves or remain neutral towards the actions of others. Let’s not forget that highly ethical, talented and benevolent people can run into trouble and cause havoc in spite of best intentions; it’s just as possible for crass, mean and selfish people to (intentionally or not) get lucky and do a lot of good… The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions famously states that most problems in the world are caused by good intentions, or as a Chinese proverb puts it: The do-gooders are the spoilers of virtue.”

Good intentions alone don’t make our actions moral, but they often give us cognitive dissonance so that if we feel distress when we violate our values, we can create justifications for what we do in order to remain comfortable with ourselves. Was there ever a war that did not start by claiming to be for the best of reasons?

We find similar mental acrobatics in our relationships, at work, in politics, or medicine, with ideologies, religions, in education or when pursuing ecological, commercial or industrial agendas. Anyone who was in love can remember how easy it was to worship the ground the beloved walked on, and maybe years later, say during a painful divorce, could not find a nice thing to say about that person…What changed? It was not the individual but a shift in our perception — maybe as naive projections wore away.

If you consider yourself to be a “seekers after Truth” I assume you’d want to avoid jumping to conclusions about an individual without considering the context or the forces in the environment.

For example, in the U.S. we have been living in a climate of increasingly tense political polarization where typing politicians can quickly turn into a radioactive minefield. Hair trigger emotionality over ideologies cloud the ability and willingness to see clearly. We ignore (unconsciously or deliberately) facts that don’t fit our bias, while “seeing facts” where none exist. The candidate we prefer and the opposing one are seen through two entirely different lenses — as the candidates themselves do their best to muddy the waters by rehearsing which persona they will pretend to be in order to appeal to voters.

Next, we get the news from reporters who slant it by skewing facts, suppressing or highlighting information or merely reporting what they agree with. Finally, we as the end-user of news, voter, or “typer” add our expectations and judgment to the already pre-slanted information… The intensity of emotion and level of deception in this last US presidential election appeared to many as the most divisive and shocking election in recent memory, with aftershocks that seem to continue unabated.

Before we look at President Trump, the individual at the center of this controversy, let’s be mindful of a few generalities. Neither the enneagram type, nor the placement of nakshatras can predict with certainty what effect a politician’s actions will have on the world. What we can deduce, is how an individual is likely to behave and what areas of endeavor may be on the agenda.

People born under the same nakshatras or with the same E-type can be saints or sinners, as no two individual’s planets are located exactly in the same positions vis-a-vis the 27 nakshatras. In the same way, everyone’s E-type is formed by a unique set of circumstances. Ultimately, according to our destiny, ability and inclinations, each individual is either, saddled with or blessed by their qualities.

Two Perspectives, Two Methods

Donald Trump’s birth time and place are well known, so astrologers have no argument over that, how to interpret his chart is another matter.

For enneagrammers, after decades in the news, there is no dearth of material about his endeavors and personal life; but that does not alter that enneagram typing is based on speculative opinion and experts can disagree; just as often as people mistype themselves… Having said that, let’s assume that Trump is a type Eight (a few think he’s a Three or a Seven), in my view the Eights have it.

Most readers are familiar with basic type descriptions, so here’s just a short summary of qualities associated with the instinctual, gut-based type Eight:

The positive traits of type Eight: It’s the most masculine type, power and control, independence, leadership, confidence, take charge, honest, what you see is what you get, comfortable with giving orders, energetic, direct, effective, no-nonsense, practical and not afraid to take risks. They make excellent bosses, don’t sweat the small stuff and are demanding but fair. They are champions of the underdog and protective of the weak and delicate, big heart and strong instinctual wisdom, effective in love and war. In a conflict they are either your best ally or your worst enemy. Trust is a big issue for them, they respect strength, honesty and people who stand up for principles, even if not the same as their own.

The negative traits of type Eight: A strong dislike of dependency or showing vulnerability, can be crass and insensitive. They step on toes, pushy, aggressive, overly controlling, have power issues, disdainful of weakness, can be cruel and inconsiderate. Excessive in lust, and other areas of indulgence. They often have poor anger management, are likely to be impulsive and blurt out something before thinking, uncaring of the feeling of others. Vindictive if feel unfairly treated, can forgive if amends are made, but don’t hold your breath.

* * *

Donald Trump was born June 14, 1946 at 10:54 AM in Jamaica Hospital Queens (New York) as per verified and accepted data. [Note: classical (western) tropical astrology is based on vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere, on the orientation of the Earth relative to the Sun and planets of the solar system; sidereal astrology (Vedic/Hindu) is based on the position of the Earth relative to the stars of the celestial sphere. That created a shift of about 2/3 of a sign in the last 2000 years, at which time both systems were perfectly synchronized.] Trump’s sidereal chart has:

Ascendant & Mars in Leo

Sun & Rahu in Taurus

Moon & Ketu in Scorpio

Jupiter in Virgo

Mercury in Gemini

Venus & Saturn in Cancer

For our purpose we will mainly look at the “tripod” of the most important nakshatras, i.e. where his Moon, Sun and the Ascendant or Rising Sign are. [Not related to the enneagram “trifix” indicating the sequence from the perspective of how we experience the three centers of Head Hear and Gut]. In brief:

The Moon indicates our inner, mental and emotional world, our deeper sensitivities, how we automatically perceive things and our unconscious reactions.

The Sun is our soul nature, vitality, principled approach to action and purpose. It is our logos and dharma, it is more our intellectual and practical thinking side.

The Ascendant (Rising sign) is our physical nature, (our basic constitution) and how our intellect works. It is our outward appearance, the first impression people get of us, including physical traits and mannerism.

See the more expanded descriptions of the nakshatras, and the padas in the Space & Time series of articles (EM issues # 227, 228 and 229).

Sample of North Indian and South Indian charts above, for an example of a Wester chart and discussion check out the link below,
http://skyscript.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9001&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Donald Trump’s Moon is in Jyeshta 4th pada (Nakshatra #18) The deity is Indra the king of the gods, lightening and thunder. This Nakshatra is about fair play, justice and policing or “getting even.” It’s a hard, sharp and focused Nakshatra that if needed can be pretty dreadful, cold and violent. Indra has “the power to rise and conquer and gain courage and strength in battle”. The job of Indra is to straightens out the gods when unruly, something that does not usually earn him popularity, as his methods are rather brutal and nobody, including the gods, likes being corrected. The emotional impetus is bold, energetic, assertive, self-confident.  Indra is a warrior king who is brave, a risk-taker and lusty with huge appetites and a need for constant stimulation and stronger and stronger sensations. When Indra is not kept busy with challenges or after achieving a victory, he enjoys partying with the other gods, getting high on the Soma juice (see the next nakshatra) and other sensory enjoyments. Trump does not drink, so his outlets must be elsewhere, like decorating his Mar a Lago estate with more gold, or a bigger nameplate on a new skyscraper…

Ivana and Donald Trump both have Moon in Jyeshta. Other examples of the influence of Indra are Albert Einstein, Billy Graham, Newt Gingrich, Ram Dass, Tiger Wood, Larry King, Beethoven, Mozart, Angela Merkel.

Sample of DT’s chart in a style favored by Western Astrologers

Sun in Mrigashira 2nd Pada (Nakshatra #5) The deity is Soma (the Moon god). Adventurous, curious, always searching, courageous, athletic, competitive, Jack of all trades with a creative indulgent nature. Restless and alert for danger, loves the chase and searching more than finding contentment. Always hunting for the best deal, they can and will experience frequent disappointments and disillusionment at times to the point of nervous exhaustion. Soma is a happiness junkie so life often does not live up to their expectations of bringing them the chalice of amrita, the nectar of immortality/bliss, which is the true meaning of Soma. Soma is popular as all the gods love to hang out and get high, particularly Lord Indra.

Other examples of the influence of Soma are: Mick Jagger, Lady Gaga, Salman Rushdie, Amy Winehouse, Osho, Jacques Cousteau, Frank Lloyd Wright, Judy Garland.

Ascendant in Magha 3rd Pada (Nakshatra #10) The deity of Magha are the Pitris (the forefathers or ancestors). Symbolized by a throne as in benevolent royalty or power status, restoring the lost order by being leaders of reformations and traditions, rather than revolutionaries with plans for new untested orders. Here we have many politicians, lawyers, heads of corporations and managers. They are devoted to traditional values, to protection of their heirs and are the guardians of their lineage. Their influence brings status, connections and wealth,

Other examples of strong Pitri influence are: Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, Rajiv Gandhi, T.E. Lawrence, Elton John, Woody Allen, O.J. Simpson, King Henry the 8th, Justin Trudeau. L. Ron Hubbard, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Paramahamsa Yogananda who has Ascendant and Moon in Magha.

Finer Nuances making a Big Difference

Individuals can share nakshatras and yet have very different personalities and missions in life. The same goes for enneagram types. Political leaders are always seen favorably by some and not by others. Nobody can satisfy all people without doing it at the expense to others. Astrological indicators of greatness, success or achievement may show who the winner in a contest will be, but not always to what end they will use their victory. Historically, the great majority of heads of state, kings, rulers or tyrants were always reviled by some and praised by others. Historians can be as much in disagreement over where to place blame or merit as psychologists can disagree about typing.

Astrologers predicting election results, with personal animus against Trump, were often highlighting that because he was born during an eclipse it would mean a catastrophic defeat. But the eclipse was during a full moon, and he was not exactly born on but close to the eclipse, so we can say that he is very bright (full moon is highly sociable and famous) but with blind spots (eclipses block light temporarily). This describes not only Trump but also others around him who have blind spots about him, including the media and the pundits reporting, interpreting or predicting outcomes — for example, his ability to win the presidency. These misconceptions will go on, indefinitely. The same dynamics will also afflict psychologists evaluating his type or astrologers trying to make sense of it all.

Placing a Spotlight on Combinations

Trump is also born with the star Regulus (little king, or prince) the “heart of the lion” in Leo constellation, which promises greatness. Regulus is on his rising sign, Leo, and on his Mars, giving him the Lion like golden mane and a Martian ruddy complexion. This was taken as being the more important aspect by other astrologers with more objective views who had no particular animus against Trump.

These astrologers accurately predicted his victory, but also saw that it would come with a heavy opposition persisting through the entire first year in office. He remains until year’s end in the disruptive and dangerous Rahu and Saturn period currently dominating his chart, only then will he get relief and can have more success at governing.

Aside from these signs, we can be sure of one thing, that like any other president, he will be held accountable for failures or successes that please some and outrage others; of course depending on who’s ox is gored and who gets to eat the steak…

Another feature in Trump’s chart: His Sun is with Rahu in the 10th house (Taurus). The Sun is very powerful in that house and so is Rahu, and they are enemies. The Sun qualities are: the king, the soul, government, fatherhood and the masculine principle, while Rahu qualities are: desires, delusions, ambitions, expectations, foreign things, the unknown. Depending which is dominating we have the possibility of excellence and super creative innovations or exaggerated ambitions that fail or go up in flames.

His Moon and Ketu are together in the 4th house (Scorpio). Scorpio is a deep, dark and mysterious sign where the Moon is not at peace, never satisfied, often brooding and scheming (tweeting). Ketu is the flip side of Rahu and together they eclipse the Moon when it is full and the Sun when it’s a new Moon. The Moon qualities are about the mind and emotions, the mother, the feminine principle, and society, while Ketu qualities are detachment, letting go, suffering if attached, rejection, precision, focused attention, body based intuition and desire for freedom and/or spiritual liberation.

His Ascendant and Mars are in the 1st house (Leo), a combination that is good for warriors as it is about energy, courage, aggression, initiative and action. Moreover, in Magha the deity being the Pitris, give Trump a solid foundation of support from the ancestors, acting as his guardian angels; on the level of constitution. They assisted by giving strength to his DNA or genes (i.e. cat with 9 lives, protected from being hurt by scandals). Mars, even when by itself is already a special planet of power related to the inheritance from parents; that adds further support to his rise to power giving him a combative, take no prisoner’s approach to winning. [coincidentally MAGHA is pronounced MAGA like the acronym of his motto: Make America Great Again]

These are powerful combinations when held in check, but also frequently interspersed with episodes of sabotage and blunders creating restlessness and insuring there always will be inner as well as outer turmoil — actually, no surprise there, as it’s in the job description for any leader of the most powerful nation, at a time when the world is in turmoil.

After all, speaking of turmoil “doesn’t it takes one to know one?” That’s why we rarely get a nice, well-balanced goody two-shoe president. As President Obama recently echoed, “you get the leader we deserve.” And as to deserving, time will tell what kind of world this new leader will leave us with. Predictions and expectations are interesting, but 20:20 clarity comes only with hindsight.

Environment, the 800 lb Gorilla in Typing

Having mentioned some select features in Trump’s chart, we need to understand that evaluating a person does not happen in a vacuum. We don’t want to proceed like a fish that does not know it’s wet — a common risk if we allow our preconceived ideas and expectations to guide us too much. Being mindful of the context and the environmental forces surrounding an individual must be considered when evaluating their nature.

If we see a person as a separate individual, enclosed in its skin-bag, complete with past karmas, constitution, personality, temperament and character, we only see half the equation. The other half is the effect of the environment that has a lot to say if an individual will thrive or suffer.

For those of us who have better things to do than follow news closely, or relied on biased sources, here is a brief summary of the two opposing views that illustrate why Trump can appear so differently according to the opinion we bring to the table.

Two Realities, same Subject

Trump’s opponents see him as brash, insensitive, intellectually inarticulate, unworthy and internationally too embarrassing to be president. Natives born on an eclipse are reputed to have blind spots (manifesting in tweets and bull in a china shop comments), and it causes Trump to not be seen accurately and often misjudged. Pundits and media just assumed he could never win in the general election even after he defeated his better qualified and more polished opponents in the primary. Several “revelations” came out about character flaws that would have finished any normal Republican candidate, but like a cat with 9 lives, he inexplicably survived.

That’s as good an explanation as any why the main stream media (MSM), the polls and pundits continued predicting his defeat in a general election with such confidence, right up to the last hours on election night… Talking of blind spots — they assumed that having diligently portrayed him for months as a rude simpleton at best, or a malignant narcissist at worst, there would only be a small cadre of naive and misguided supporters voting for him.

The MSM could not read the mood of the country accurately (Moon rules moods, emotions) and were oblivious to how disgruntled people were, how they felt abandoned as they watched the country and culture change in ways that frightened and angered them. This eclipsed Moon actually helped Trump given that his Moon is in the intuitive water sign of the dark, mysterious Scorpio. It allowed him to accurately sense the malaise of the folks. His Ketu and Moon in the 4th house of heart and homeland also helped. This may have been (along with the help from the Pitris) the biggest weapon in Trump’s arsenal. But, aside from his supporters, none of this was obvious to his detractors when they listened to what he said. His language and big mouth angered but also reassured the media, the pollsters and most experts, including many Republicans, that Trump’s goose was cooked and Clinton’s victory as good as certain.

Then came the unthinkable, the shock on election night. Stunned and incredulous, the Democrats could see no rational reason for their loss. Trump somehow must have engineered a scheme to cajole the bamboozled electorate. Maybe by colluding with the Russians and/or Julian Assange’s Wikileaks, or the bumbling FBI’ director Comey, Trump “stole” the election from Clinton. The stunning dissonance between expectations and the crushing loss left a deep wound in Clinton’s supporters, enough to harden them into regarding Trump’s victory as illegitimate and to oppose his agenda by all means possible until he can be impeached and removed from office. The current attitude is that Trump must go now and all bets are off.

Trump’s supporters see him as a breath of fresh air, a relief from stifling constrictions. Finally someone unafraid to speak his mind. To them he’s the diametric opposite of the frustrating long string of smooth-talking politicians who created the messes all have to live with. Trump’s record is that of a hard core, extremely successful business man. His success proves he’s competent. He learned from the ground up how money works, understands what the working classes have gone through and wants to help.

He stayed in touch with workers who helped plan, design and build his structures and empire, he knows and speaks their language, addressing the bulk of the electorate instead of trying to impress the intellectual elites. He is a working class billionaire.

Trump’s occasional dips into crassness and insensitivity are tolerable and inconsequential as long as he delivers what he promised. Keeping his language simple and full of repetitions to drill in certain points, was not taken as a sign of lack of sophistication but as proof of sincerity and resolution, therefore not too annoying given it was what they were thirsting to hear. As to the bankruptcies in the past or the sex talk, that stuff goes with the territory as part of euphoria of starting new businesses or horsing around and letting off some macho braggadocio steam, besides, he created many more jobs than the few lost in bankruptcies. Excuses were made for the sexual locker room banter, boys will be boys, besides, most women that worked for him say he treated them respectfully, was supportive and always a perfect gentleman.

His promise to “drain the swamp” of ‘vicious’ Democrats, ‘stupid’ Republicans and ‘useless’ bureaucrats was music to their ears. Who isn’t sick of the corrupt and arrogant elites? These bureaucrats are lording over everything, imposing regulations upon regulations while they exempted themselves from the worst of it (health care plan for example etc.). Trump’s personal peccadilloes pale when compared to these real issues—a small price to pay for action and change…

Trump supporters judge him through rose colored glasses and will defend him regardless of what he’s accused of, unless he betrays their trust or irrefutable evidence of significant crimes comes up… Should this happen, they will turn and stay home or join the chorus of his opponents.

* * *

This is the territory, the “lay of the land” Trump is walking on, trying not to step on land mines while moving fast enough to get the agenda done. There has not been a president in recent memory who had so many forces opposing him. We can see that most Democrats are in lockstep against any aspect of his agenda, along with some “old bulls” Republicans who hate change, as well as progressives in both parties ande the MSM in the U.S. and Europe…His allies are his voters, constitutional conservatives, most libertarians, those who like traditional values and are appalled at the societal madness they see as contaminating our institutions and life.

We can assume that most of what he does is opposed by the established status quo that resists him at every step, watching him like a hawk ready to jump on every utterance, action or tweet — and he feeds them plenty of morsels by not backing down.

Trump does not have the luxury of support from the elites, nor full support of his own party, so the big question is whether he can succeed as an effective reformer and survive the backlash for having torn off the scab exposing the festering governmental corruption, or will he muddle the status quo further and send the system over the edge. The stakes are high and that’s why the emotions are at a peak not seen in decades.

Pitfalls of mixing Typing with Emotions

Astrologers respond to emotionally charged situations the same way enneagrammers do. Some inject their ideological preference, others are misinformed or lacking dispassionate objectivity. Few have the wisdom to see things as they are. So, choosing one system over another does not automatically confer a better access to wisdom and truth — these are virtues as always for each individual to develop.

Enneagrammers even when agreeing on type, will still differ about the level of health and quality of a person. Astrologers too, can pick and choose which planet they consider more important and which aspects please their confirmation bias. I believe that personal bias is the hardest obstacle to accuracy in typing or interpreting charts (as well as self-knowledge) and we all need to be vigilant if we want to be accurate.

My guess (after reading lots of predictions and opinions on the net), is that enneagrammers and astrologers view Trump about the same: 70% as negative, 10% as positive and 20% in the middle.

Oddly enough, few speak of Trump comparing him to how wonderful Hillary Clinton would have been, just how bad Trump is compared to how an ideally presidential president should be. Time will tell if we dodged or took a bullet.

Conclusion

It is clear that typing or reading a chart (or in my case writing this article) depends on how well we can set aside our personal preferences, and rely on the accuracy of our information. Using two or more systems that focus on different aspects may not improve our ability to keep our bias in check, but it surely will allow for a broader view of a personality.

Hopefully, we aim to avoid being like a doctor doing a general checkup and examining only the digestive system while ignoring the circulatory or nervous systems… Our mental, emotional and physical worlds are complex enough to offer aspects for multiple systems to explore.

You will find that many eightish characteristics are also indicated by the nakshatras, but seen from an angle that also considers the life’s purpose within the given environment. The enneagram’s primary focus is on psychological aspects each individual brings to every situation, and not on the conditions found in the environment that are part and parcel of the destiny, purpose and level of development of the individual. Together, both systems can form a powerful union. •

This article first appeared in Enneagram Monthly, # 230, Mar.- Apr. 2017 2. © Jack Labanauskas. Do not reprint or share without permission.