In his victory speech upon being re-elected governor of Florida Ron DeSantis proclaimed “Florida is where woke goes to die.“

Interesting term “woke.” For a long time I was behind on right-wing double-speak propaganda and had to catch up on how the refreshing “woke” became something we wanted to avoid. To “awaken” is to see the world from fresh, rested eyes, free of illusion. If we do not wake, then we stay asleep in our mental images, nightmares and Freudian wish fulfillments.

DeSantis broke a fundraising effort ($177.4 million in September) in an effort to “not” be something, not be woken. Usually effort is made to become something not to “not” become something.

While it’s the American political template that candidates running for office must promise to change everything from the entire political system to the direction of the sunrise, it’s odd that DeSantis ran on a message of resistance to change. Who is the man who gets elected by offering to keep his people in the dream state?

Ron DeSantis

With sun, Mercury and Saturn in Virgo, DeSantis is quite the insecure perfectionist. Moon in Aquarius is perfectionist as well but in a different way. Virgo fears criticism while Aquarius has a blueprint for the ideal way to organize the world. Perfectionism is not borne of one motivation only.

Saturn conjunct Mercury in his chart, DeSantis has always been a serious learner, one who wants to know lots of facts and figures to impress. But Saturn in Virgo suggests insecurity about learning, about not being as smart as others. Possibly DeSantis did not start talking until he was older or had a learning disability of some sort.

Ruled by Mercury, Virgo is quick-witted and mentally agile. Yet with Saturn hanging around, sometimes the responses are held in check, slow and fumbling. Inside the mind is spinning but doesn’t know if it’s okay to speak.

Moon in Aquarius is ruled by Uranus and is also quick in response, highly intelligent and innovative. The markers for extreme intelligence are present in DeSantis but accompanied by a restriction or hesitation with that intelligence. School teachers must have been confounded as to whether DeSantis was the brightest kid in the classroom or the one who needed the special education class.

Stuttering may have been present when young due to the intensity and speed of thought with Saturn asking that it all slow down when it comes out. The nervous system would be quite taxed and at some point I suspect DeSantis will need to rest lest he burn himself out.

The United States like DeSantis has moon in Aquarius. The reactions of the populace are air in quality – not compassionate but idealistic with a desire to imprint the ideal upon others. Like the United States, DeSantis might be friendly and talkative, but he’s not warm emotionally, preferring the mental plane (talking about ideas, work and health) to shaking hands (Virgo is a germ freak) and kissing babies (kissing can be icky if not done right). Lucky for him that politicians kissing babies went out of practice somewhere around the Nixon administration.

Disney World

Which brings me to Disney World, the “happiest place on earth” located in Orlando, Florida. To me, there’s a schism of the American mind with the idealism of our founding principles conflicting with the harsh (“woke”) reality of the damage we do in the world through our foreign policy and consumer waste. Media and entertainment is geared to promote that schism with violent action movies on one side of the spectrum and Disney production purity on the other side.  

Founded on October 1, 1971, Disney World like DeSantis and the United States has moon in Aquarius. The Disney World environment is perfectly controlled, no trash on the ground, all activities seamlessly performing on plan while appearing spontaneous. A worker at Animal Kingdom shared some of the tricks used to lure the lions and giraffes into movie poses as the ride passed by.

Neptune and Jupiter are conjunct in Sagittarius providing the delightful otherworldly quality, a world of color and delight and charming characters. With four planets in Libra (Mercury, sun, Uranus and Venus), it’s a pleasant, non-confrontational, non-challenging environment. It’s designed to be perfectly inoffensive and pure.

Disney World is the “unwoke” we deliberately create for children in order to teach them the more joyful aspects of being human. [Spoiler alert] Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are also “unwoke” myths we sustain to bring magic to routine existence.

Eventually we grow out of these beliefs, usually about the time we get interested in the boys and girls out there who interest us romantically. Like Snow White being kissed by the prince, we wake through our reflection in the eyes of those who love and interact with us.

Upcoming changes

In spring 2023, we’ll start to see the shift of global energy patterns when Pluto makes its first foray into Aquarius. Pluto will move back and forth in the sky for a while between Aquarius and Capricorn as it’s quite far from us in distance.

Pluto in the early degrees of Aquarius will form a T-square with DeSantis’ Venus in Scorpio and Jupiter in Leo. If DeSantis is hiding a lover somewhere, he/she/it/they/them will be revealed. Also with the Leo involved, there could be some heart and circulation issues, probably due to the above-mentioned nervous disposition native to DeSantis’ personality.

Pluto in the late degrees of Capricorn squares DeSantis’ natal Mars in Libra so he will still be fighting with everyone, trying to make peace while trying to be in control. Capricorn and Libra are cardinal signs and want to be boss. But the boss is actually the external force (transiting Pluto) while the natal Mars in Libra makes DeSantis indecisive – should I play nice or argue? Or both? Or neither? Let me go for a run and decide later.

Transiting Neptune in Pisces has been opposing DeSantis’ sun in Virgo. Virgo is analysis; Pisces synthesis. Virgo is discrimination (as in defining the differences in things); Pisces is impartiality. You go to Virgo (which rules health) when you want a diagnosis of your physical problems. You go to Pisces went you want comfort for your emotional or spiritual health.

Neptune opposing DeSantis’ sun is the irrational other he sees out there who thinks money grows on trees (actually it does) and that Disney World is the real world (actually it is a thriving business). That sense that everyone out there is bonkers will pass for DeSantis in a few years. Maybe when DeSantis’ takes that much needed rest he’ll appreciate the Pisces warmth and compassion of the people in the hospital.

So many clichés, so little time

For the time being, DeSantis and Florida will not “wake and smell the coffee.” I suppose they can just “sink or swim” during the shifting global climate patterns. It is best, I suppose, to “let a sleeping dog lie.”

When DeSantis and Florida wake, hopefully it will be from the kiss of a gentle prince/princess/royal person/royal persons and not the experience of Rip Van Winkle who found the world completely changed.

“Change is the only constant,” I sometimes hear said. Or “the more things change the more they stay the same,” a bit counter to the idea of change, but an accurate description of American political campaign speeches.