It is in the stars!

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings."
--Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

I will be in Challis, Idaho -- within the "zone of totality" -- for Monday's eclipse.  It will be my second total solar eclipse.  I witnessed my first in my home town, here in the Northwest Corner, in 1979.  It was impressive.

I remember reading a science fiction story -- maybe one of you readers recalls the author and/or title, but I don't -- about a civilization similar to ours on a planet in a multi-star solar system.  Because  more than one sun beamed down, the sky was always well lit.  Always day, never night. Scientists speculated -- but had no way of knowing -- whether there were any stars in the universe other than their own two or three "suns."

Geological and archeological studies showed that about every 40,000 years, a fairly highly developed civilization had ended overnight with no apparent cause. Their present civilization was getting close to the 40,000-year mark.  But they were also excited, because their suns were finally reaching a point of being so configured as to be all on the same side of the planet, thus allowing darkness on the other side, a night just like ours on earth.  (Somehow, they weren't disturbed by the fact that this also happened about every 40,000 years.)

And so it happened.  The sudden darkness revealed to the planet's inhabitants for the very first time the vast immensity of the universe and the billions upon billions of stars that swirled across the sky.  They learned in one night what it took us centuries to learn -- that their friendly little world didn't make up the entire universe. 

Every single person went stark raving mad.  And thus ended another civilization.

I can assure the uninitiated, based on my 1979 experience, that you will not go mad at the moment of totality, even if the experience does "blow your mind."

However, astrologers -- "learned" guys sort of like the Three Wise Men -- suspect bad things in store for President Trump, as a result of the eclipse.  They claim that the stars have been excellent for the Orange One throughout his career.  Until now.  Now he has problems looming ahead.  (Duh!)  Why?

[Astrologer Wade] Caves notes that the position of the August 21 eclipse in relation to the star Al Jabhah, which is located in the mane of the constellation Leo, typically "brings loss and danger," which, in the case of "a military officer" -- such as the Commander in Chief -- could mean "danger of mutiny and murder by his soldiers."

Yeah.  How about that, eh?  But that's just the beginning.  Astrologer Stephanie Iris Weiss points out another problem:

To get technical for a minute: This eclipse is at 28 degrees of Leo, the sign of kings. Trump's ascendant (or rising sign, the place where his chart begins) is at 29 degrees of Leo. So that's considered an exact match. The eclipse is also just a couple of degrees from his Mars—Mars is the sign of anger, aggression, rage, violence, and power.

Caves sizes it all up:

I'm not sure that I want to say this all points to Trump's death, although I feel I'd be well within my bounds astrologically to make such a prediction given the symbolism. To me, it's equally possible that there will be a sudden health issue that lands on Trump's shoulders, pulling him out of the Oval. It's also quite reasonable to suspect ousting, either through official channels (i.e., impeachment) or a mutiny behind closed doors.

Well, that sounds exciting.  Maybe a little too exciting for me, at least for a few days.  That's why I'll be hanging out in Challis -- about as far away from Washington, D.C., Western Civilization, and the consequences of Mad Donald's horoscope as possible. 

See you next week.  Maybe. 
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All quotes are from an article by Alex Lasker on AOL.com.