Sean Hannity, “opinion journalist”

Many serpents are immune to the venom of their own species. Perhaps this explains the cozy relationship between two current examples of the Kala Sarpa pattern – president Donald Trump and “opinion journalist” Sean Hannity.

Snakes also have forked tongues, lurk in dark places, and are noted for their peculiar mating habits, wherein they engage in swarms with other snakes. If the snakeskin analogy fits, see how well Hannity wears it. He’s prone to double-speak and has switched opinions on so many issues, eg, Wikileaks, presidential golf vacations, foreign policy, etc, that he spins like a weather vane in a tornado. He’s a media conduit for dark conspiracy theories, eg, the birther movement, Clinton corruption, and the deep state that threatens to undermine the presidency of King Cobra himself. That’s why he’s a regular fixture at conservative political conferences, a “fluffer” to excite the crowds with populist porn.

But by any measure, Sean Hannity is a roaring success. He earns $36 million annually from book royalties, speaking engagements and hosting his own show at Fox News, from whose pulpit he dispenses conspiracy theories and fuels right-wing outrage on a daily basis. This has made him the darling of ultra-conservatives in general, and BFF of the current president in particular.

Hannity was born at 10:30 AM on December 30, 1961, in Franklin Square, New York. (Rodden rating A, data courtesy of Astrodienst.) Given his astrological chart, there’s lots of energy here to justify his current status as media standard-bearer for Trump’s version of America.

Upon first glance, his chart reveals two salient features. First and foremost is the Kala Sarpa configuration with Rahu in the 6th and Ketu in the 12th. And as soon as we see a Kala Sarpa we must ask ourselves, is it a yoga or a dosha? To assess this, we run through the following checklist:

(1) Does it occur under an eclipse? No. (2) Are the Sun or Moon associated with the nodes? No. (3) Does Jupiter influence either node? Yes, Jupiter is with Ketu. This could create yoga, but Jupiter is debilitated, so it’s flawed. (4) Do Mars or Saturn influence either node? Yes, Saturn is with Ketu. This creates dosha, and because Saturn is in its own sign, it’s significant, but it could be manageable. However, Mars (more dosha) also aspects Ketu and, because Mars is combust, it’s something of a maverick. (5) Is there a stellium that can be stirred up by a transiting node? Yes, he has four planets in Sagittarius, of which, more on this later. (6) Are there any exaggerated planets in the chart? Yes, as noted, Jupiter is debilitated. And technically, all three of Mars, Mercury and Venus are combust, although Mars is perhaps the most affected.

Bottom line, we’ll call this a Kala Sarpa dosha, especially since both nodes in trikasthanas give it a negative spin. Rahu in the 6th is aspected by combust Mars, debilitated Jupiter and swa Saturn. Ketu in the 12th is associated with Jupiter and Saturn. Consider also the nodal dispositors – Rahu’s sign lord is the Moon in the 8th house, while Ketu’s dispositor is Saturn in the 12th.

Kala Sarpa amplifies whatever exists in the chart. This brings us to the second salient feature of Hannity’s chart – his four-planet stellium in Sagittarius forming Pravrajya yoga. Although in some charts this can manifest as religious zeal, in others it may simply indicate a person who applies his energies with single-minded devotion.

In Hannity’s case, the 11th house cluster suggests involvement in networking, social media and politics. The Sun/Mars combination makes him a zealot, especially in Sagittarius, but the association of Mercury and Venus gives him verbal facility and a certain charm with the masses.

When a Kala Sarpa pattern crowds the planets into half of the zodiac, Pravrajya yoga becomes relatively common, but it doesn’t always convene compatible bedfellows. However, in Hannity’s case, the cluster delivers five Raja yogas, many with “governmental” affinity, involving lords of the 5th, 9th and 10th. The result has been a huge following of the politically like-minded, a ready audience for three successful books, his daily talk show, and the friendship of the president.

But that stellium is disposited by debilitated Jupiter in the 12th house, and therein lies its vulnerability. Associated with lagnesh Saturn, Jupiter as money lord of the 2nd and 11th houses forms two Dhana yogas. But what does that income depend upon?

The 2nd house is a measure of many things – wealth, but also education, diet, and what comes out of one’s mouth. An active 2nd house can be the mark of a public speaker or an author, but the condition of the 2nd house and its lord also functions as a lie detector. Note that 2nd lord Jupiter is debilitated in the 12th house and afflicted by Saturn and Ketu. The 2nd house itself is aspected by the same two malefics that render his Kala Sarpa dosha-like.

Hannity is a college dropout, but he’s spent a lifetime in talk radio and television. His messages may be inspirational to some but he’s packing heat, and his gun is loaded with invective. He’s a conspiracy theorist and a tireless fabricator of alternate facts. According to The Washington Post, Hannity “repeatedly embraces storylines that prove to be inaccurate.” Does that mean he’s a liar, or just a little dumb?

He supported the birther movement questioning Obama’s citizenship, and continued talking about it long after Obama had produced his birth certificate. During the 2016 presidential race, he promoted false theories about Hillary Clinton’s health, the death of DNC staffer Seth Rich, domestic election rigging, and Russian interference. In April 2018, he ran a segment claiming there were “criminal” connections between the Clintons, special counsel Robert Mueller, and former FBI Director James Comey.

Ironically, while attacking the FBI for their raid on Trump’s personal lawyer a week earlier, Hannity was revealed to be a secret client of Michael Cohen too, a relationship he’d kept hidden. Suddenly, Hannity’s in a calamity of his own, and there’s no way to sweep it under the carpet. Indeed, the carpet itself may conceal other vermin (ruled by the nodes) and now that his Kala Sarpa has been activated, there may be revelations of worse to come.

So what’s driving this public relations crisis for Hannity? He’s currently running Saturn dasha, Mars bhukti, both of which activate his Kala Sarpa dosha. Saturn lies on the nodal axis, giving it a critical mass of background radiation, like spent nuclear fuel rods buried years ago but still leaking. Then there’s combust Mars (aspecting Ketu) in whose period the first wisps of smoke have now appeared. Meanwhile, the transiting nodes have returned to their natal positions, stirring up the Kala Sarpa dosha that’s been dormant all along.

Conventional astrological wisdom says that, during dashas and bhuktis, we should monitor the transits of the respective period lords. So with Hannity running Saturn-Mars, consider these two malefics. Anyone who’s been tracking the sky this season is probably aware of the graha yuddha between Mars and Saturn that occurred on April 2nd, 2018.

Planetary war always causes collateral damage. Saturn is Hannity’s ascendant lord, so he’s a prime candidate for some suffering. Mars rules the 3rd (siblings) and the 10th (the boss), so it’s potentially problematic from a corporate overlord point of view, even though to date Fox News is still taking Hannity’s word that his discussions with Michael Cohen were “almost exclusively” about real estate.

Note, however, that the Mars-Saturn conjunction (14SG50) was only half a degree from Hannity’s 11th house Sun. Since the Sun is his 7th lord, we can speculate that “significant others” will be affected by this graha yuddha too. That might include his BFF the president, their common lawyer Michael Cohen, and of course, Hannity’s wife.

Reporters have been quick to ask Hannity about his client-attorney relationship with Cohen. It’s alleged that Cohen paid $130K in hush money to prevent Stormy Daniels from discussing her affair with Trump, and brokered a deal whereby RNC fundraiser Elliott Broidy paid $1.6M to silence a Playmate with whom he’d had an affair. Reporters now want to know, if birds of a feather flock together, did Cohen help suppress a secret affair involving Hannity too?

Hannity denies it, but is it unthinkable? Let’s think about it.

Lagnesh Saturn is strong (some say, naughty) in the secret house of bed pleasures. It’s also given abundant opportunity by Jupiter, whose debilitation offers no moral impediment. And these bedfellows are corrupted by their alignment with the nodal axis.

Hannity’s Moon is in the 8th house. Although this might simply reflect a knack for unearthing weird conspiracy theories, it’s also the house of sex-for-hire. The Moon is in a dual sign, and so too are the 7th lord Sun and three other associates in Sagittarius. Multiple indiscretions, anyone?

If we need any more fuel for that speculative fire, take the perspective of chandralagna. Debilitated Jupiter now becomes the 7th lord, and in the 5th is associated with libidinous Saturn amplified by Ketu. That Pisces 7th house is now aspected by malefics Mars and Saturn. This is troubling for relationships in Hannity’s life – personal, professional and political.

When confronted, some cobras raise their heads as high as they can, the better to intimidate another predator. So Hannity will be strident in his denials. With a Sun-Mars conjunction, outrage is his default personality. But like most snakes, he has another unique trait – the ability to shed his skin and grow another. And there’ll always be a nest of vipers he can call home.

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Alan Annand is a graduate of the American College of Vedic Astrology and a former tutor for the British Faculty of Astrological Studies. His New Age Noir crime novels (Scorpio Rising, Felonious Monk, Soma County) feature astrologer and palmist Axel Crowe, whom one reviewer has dubbed “Sherlock Holmes with a horoscope.”

He’s also the author of several non-fiction books. Stellar Astrology, Volumes 1 & 2, offer a wealth of time-tested techniques in the form of biographical profiles, analyses of world events, and technical essays. Parivartana Yoga is a reference text for one of the most common yet powerful planetary combinations in jyotish. Mutual Reception is an expanded companion volume for western practitioners, covering the same subject of planetary exchange through the lens of traditional astrology.

Websites: www.navamsa.com, www.sextile.com

You can find his books on Amazon, Apple, Barnes&Noble, Kobo and Smashwords.