JD Vance Explained by Vedic Astrology

...part 1

For a while, I’ve been wanting to go through the steps to show how to approach the Rashi (birth chart) in Vedic astrology, as well as introduce one of the primary timing techniques.

However, the question was, whose chart should I start with?

In the end, I decided on JD Vance.

So, why Vance?

I guess because I find the guy a bit of an enigma.

Many of his talking points are ones I’ve heard before from (older white male) politicians; however, those politicians tend to be Evangelical Christian, while Vance is a fairly recent convert to Catholicism.

He’s definitely made his fair share of anti-immigrant and misogynistic statements, and yet, his wife is the daughter of Indian immigrants and an accomplished woman in her own right.

Many of his more casual interactions (like ordering donuts) are so painfully awkward, I would almost feel sorry for him if I didn’t find his hateful rhetoric so off putting.

Vance’s complete 180 from calling Trump “America’s Hitler” to his younger, mini-me vice presidential candidate, complete with signature red tie, has had many calling him shamelessly opportunistic and power hungry.

But is that the whole truth here?

I felt compelled to take a deeper dive into his chart to find out, as well as challenge myself to approach it from an objective, heart-centered place despite how I personally feel about his politics.

So here goes.

JD Vance’s Sidereal Vedic astrology chart

JD Vance’s Rashi (birth) chart in the Sidereal zodiac

James David Vance was born at 8:11 am on August 2, 1984 in Middletown, Ohio. His birth time is given an AA rating by Astrodatabank, which means it is highly accurate and was likely taken from his birth certificate.

Let’s go through the steps you should always first take when approaching a chart.

Step 1: Look at the sign on the Lagna.

The Lagna (called the ascendant or rising sign in Western astrology) is the zodiac sign that is rising on the Eastern horizon at the time of a person’s birth. It is always placed in the first house, which has the same sign.

In Vedic astrology, the Lagna represents both your physical body and your intelligence. You can see it in the chart above marked with the purple letters “As.”

In the sidereal zodiac, JD Vance’s is in Leo, which indicates a person who likes to lead and be in charge.

(Step 2: Look at the Lagna lord)

The Lagna lord is the planet that naturally rules the sign on the Lagna. Examining the state of this planet and the house it is in would count as step two in most cases. However, since this is a bit complicated in Vance’s case, I’m saving the interpretation until later.

Step 3: Look at any planets in the Lagna

If a planet is in the Lagna (i.e., the first house), it has a major impact on both your body and your intelligence.

In Vance’s case, Mercury is located there.

This is an excellent placement for Mercury, which is also strong by sign. Mercury is also receiving additional support because it is sandwiched between two benefic planets: the Moon in the 2nd house and Venus in the 12th.

In a nutshell, what this means is that this guy is very smart in a Mercury way.

This indicates someone who is a logical thinker, is systematic, analytical and pragmatic in their approach and who enjoys debate.

Mercury excels at commerce, communication and writing, and is one of the planets that can indicate law (the other is Jupiter).

Since Mercury is the lord of two financial houses — the 2nd house of wealth and the 11th house of gain — this also indicates that Vance has the inherent potential to make money from Mercury-related pursuits. We’ve already seen this with his bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy.

Step 4: Move on to the Moon.

The moon is of vital importance in your chart because it represents your mind and how you filter reality. Since it has so much to do with a person’s perception, it colors everything else in the chart.

To truly understand someone’s Moon, you should always examine its Nakshatra. (If you don’t know what Nakshatra are, check out this post.)

Vance’s Nakshatra is Citrā. This is a Nakshatra that is partly in Virgo and partly in Libra. Citrā natives are natural leaders who tend to be successful in their endeavors as well as building and shaping things.

Citrā is a philosophical and intellectual Nakshatra. When in Libra, there is often a particular interest and/or skills in design, while those with Citrā in Virgo (like Vance) tend to be more scholarly and scientific.

On the more negative side, those with their moon in Citrā are sometimes arrogant, self-centered and overly critical. There is also a tendency to be a bit of spendthrift, yet stingy with others.

In Vance’s chart, there are a few indicators that he may sometimes be careless with money or spend money on the wrong things. However, he also has combinations that are beneficial for making gains and accumulating wealth, so probably any issues he may have even out in the end.

Step 5: The house of the moon (and aspects)

The house where the moon is located shows what’s always on your mind.

Vance’s moon is in the second house, which means he is constantly thinking about family — in fact, family is something he particularly values and holds dear. He may also think a lot about providing financially for his family, or worry about financial fluctuations.

The second house is also the house of food, and people with the moon there enjoy eating and, in my experience, are often good cooks.

So, what we have so far is that JD Vance is a smart guy naturally drawn to leadership. He mixes business sense and logic with interest in intellectual pursuits. Family and financial security are first and foremost on his mind.

Rahu (the North Node) is aspecting the Moon from the 10th house, which can bring in some anxiety or obsessive thinking about these topics. Still overall, his moon initially indicates that his mind is steady and he has resilience in the face of challenges.

However…

… and there is a big however here, which takes up back to Step 2: the Lagna lord.

Although your lagna, as well as any planets in the 1st house, speak to your intelligence, your lagna lord is about how you get into action and apply your intelligence.

Since JD Vance has Leo rising, his lagna lord is the Sun, which is in the 12th house.

The 12th house is a dark house. It is our time in the womb before birth, those early morning moments before the sun’s rays break over the horizon.

It is a house of loss and rules places where one is “confined” and separated from the world, such as prisons, hospitals and ashrams or monasteries. It also rules foreign places and exile.

This combination creates a paradox in Vance’s chart.

As we’ve already seen, this is a person who is drawn to leadership, who is articulate and likes being in charge. However, his lagna lord being in the 12th speaks to issues with these very traits.

When I look at this combination, I’m reminded of that feeling you have when you walk into a room with determination, clearly knowing what it is you want and why you’re going there. But as soon as you enter the room, your mind goes completely blank.

This feeling is made even stronger by the fact that this Lagna lord is the Sun in the 12th house.

In Vedic astrology, each planet has a house which is considered the house where it feels like its “dying.” For the Sun, this is the 12th.

What does the Sun want to do? It wants to shine and take up a prominent place in the sky.

But the 12th house is an “away” place where the lights are off, a place of loss instead of gain.

When someone has their Sun in the 12th house, they generally have issues with being “seen.” These people often don’t like having their photograph taken, for example, or being the center of attention. They also tend to feel very uncomfortable in leadership positions, especially those that are public facing.

At the same, they also tend to have the desire to be seen and gain recognition. They can be very sensitive about situations where they feel like they’ve been overlooked and undervalued.

Since Sun in the 12th is Vance’s Lagna lord, these feelings make up a big part of who he is and how he acts in the world.

Let’s integrate what we know so far.

Vance is drawn to leadership positions, and yet feels vulnerable and uncomfortable when he’s in them, particularly something like a government position, which is also what the Sun stands for.

So why go that route in the first place?

His Sun is in Cancer, which is ruled by the Moon. This take us back to his Moon in the Second house. The Sun is also with Venus in the 12th, which helps bolster his ability to just grin and bear it (FYI, I’ll be talking about his Venus in Part 2 of this analysis, as it’s quite important in his chart, and speaks to the many negative statements he makes about women).

Yes, being in the public eye makes him feel consistently uncomfortable, but he feels compelled to take on such roles both for family and financial security.

Step 6: Planets in the 4th house

Since the Moon is the natural significator of the 4th house, any planets located here will modify how a person thinks, relates and perceives the world.

In Vance’s chart, Ketu (the South Node) is in the 4th house. This is not a very easy combination because it makes it difficult for a person to feel connection with others.

There is often a disconnect between how they act and how they feel inside. For example, someone with a Moon/Ketu connection (or Ketu in the 4th house) may withdraw and isolate themselves from others, but then wonder why people stop calling or don’t invite them to the latest party. They feel hurt about it but at the same time have difficulty seeing the role they play in the situation.

Ketu is a “headless” planet (more on this in a later post), and placed in the 4th, it could speak to someone who tends towards fanatical or dogmatic thinking.

That said, Vance’s Ketu is in Scorpio, a sign it co-rules, which means it’s quite strong, which does help mitigate some of the more negative aspects of this placement. A strong Ketu here also indicates that he is quite intuitive.

The 4th house as mother and heart

The 4th house (and the Moon) also represent a person’s mother and their heart. There is disconnection here as well, as well as a whole lot of fire and heat.

Ketu is a fire planet that is similar in nature to Mars, and Mars also rules Scorpio. How I would summarize this energy is that this is someone who has issues with an angry heart.

The takeaways

JD Vance’s chart is the chart of a person who is deeply ambivalent.

He’s a natural leader who doesn’t feel entirely comfortable leading, someone who greatly values family and yet struggles with disconnection and anger.

He’s an intelligent, articulate and a logical thinker, but can also grasp more abstract concepts.

Although there are some indicators that he may sometimes struggle financially or spend money on the wrong things, it is also apparent in his chart that money is just as likely to flow in as out.

And all this just from looking at the Lagna, Lagna lord, Moon and 4th house!

What’s next

In Part 2, I’ll introduce one of the most important timing techniques to examine other aspects in his chart — like his Jupiter, Saturn and Venus — and how they relate to different events in his life.

I’ll also include what advice and remedies I would give him if he were my client — so stay tuned!

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Michelle R. Dean is a Vedic astrologer and writer based in Berlin. To find out more about Michelle, swing by here.