Drama on X and IG
Over the past two days, a public argument has played out on social media between Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno. The conflict has been brewing for months, but the escalation started with a post on X from Gov. Landry at 10:14 a.m. on July 10.
On July 11 (no timestamp), Mayor Moreno clapped back via an Instagram reel. She defended recent decisions and pointed out that a person goes to an ATM to withdraw their own money, finishing with an invitation to show her his favorite Bourbon Street ATM.
Natal Charts for Moreno and Landry
Exact birth times are unknown for both leaders, so I am using Solar Sign charts.
Mayor Helena Moreno was born on Friday, September 30, 1977, in Veracruz, Mexico. The Moon was in Taurus the entire day of Moreno's birth.
In Moreno's natal chart, the Cardinal element appears to be the strongest. Her Sun, Pluto, Mars, Jupiter, and Nodal axis are in Cardinal signs. Mercury, Venus, and Neptune are Mutable, while her Moon, Saturn, and Uranus are Fixed.
Governor Jeff Landry was born on December 23, 1970, in St. Martinville, Louisiana. The Moon sign is questionable for Landry; it could be late Libra or early Scorpio.
Landry has a heavy emphasis on the Fixed element in his birth chart, with the Nodal axis, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and probably the Moon in Fixed signs. His Sun, Mercury, and Uranus are in Cardinal signs, and the Mutable element is missing from his chart, except for the generational planet Neptune (shared with Moreno).
Tension and Conflict between their Charts
Both Moreno and Landry share political ambition, with fundamental differences in their backgrounds, temperaments, and communication styles. Moreno is a Latinx woman leading a diverse, liberal Democratic city, while Landry is a White man hailing from rural MAGA-Republican land. You'd expect to see hard aspects between their charts, and there are.
Cardinal Signs
Moreno has a conjunction of the Sun, Pluto, and North Node in harmony-seeking Libra. Landry's Uranus is conjunct her Pluto by degree, and his Sun and Mercury are in an uncomfortable square to it.
These are challenging aspects, indicating they work at cross-purposes. Their synastry is competitive rather than collaborative. Both want to take action, but in different directions. With Uranus and Pluto involved, minor skirmishes can escalate unexpectedly into serious power struggles. The way they interact might be erratic and hard to predict.
Moreno has Mars and Jupiter in Cancer, so Landry's Uranus in Libra squares it, and his Sun-Mercury conjunction in Capricorn opposes it. He may find her assertive ambitions threatening, and she is irritated by his disruptive messages.
Fixed Signs
Landry has Mars, Venus, and Jupiter in Scorpio, and probably the Moon*. Moreno's Uranus is in a partile conjunction with his Mars. Mars-Uranus contacts can be volatile; they're stimulating and exciting, but also explosive. When she claps back, he is likely to dig in. Natives with heavy Scorpio placements often have long memories and will strike when their opponent is most vulnerable, perhaps years later.
Moreno's Saturn is in Leo and Landry's is in Taurus, so the planets of authority, discipline, and systems are square by sign. Landry's South Node is conjunct Moreno's Saturn in Leo, literally draining her structures. Her Moon in Taurus is conjunct Landry's Saturn, a sobering aspect. His pressure prevents her comfort. Both may view each other as arrogant and stubborn.
Mutable Signs
Moreno has Venus and Mercury in Virgo, and Landry's Pluto is conjunct her Mercury. Both have Neptune in Sagittarius, a generational placement.
Why Now?
The background of planetary conditions sets the stage for conflict in the collective. On July 4, there was a Mars-Uranus conjunction in Gemini, followed by a Sun-Saturn square. Since Jupiter entered Leo in late June, it's opposed Pluto in Aquarius. My July forecast goes into more detail about these tense transits and how they translate into challenges to authority.
The Mars-Uranus conjunction in Gemini prompted this battle of words.
On July 10, at 10:14 am, the Mars-Uranus conjunction was at the Midheaven in Baton Rouge, with 9 degrees Virgo (Moreno's Venus) at the Ascendant. The Moon was in late Taurus near the Fixed Star Algol, and closely square to Landry's Nodal axis and Moreno's Saturn in Leo. The Moon was opposite Landry's natal Jupiter in Scorpio.
When Moreno responded on July 11, the Moon had moved into Gemini, crossing over Uranus and Mars. The sting was acute, and she felt compelled to defend, with the transiting Sun-Mercury conjunction near her Mars in Cancer.
Moreno is also experiencing a rare conjunction of transit Saturn conjunct her South Node in Aries, while the transit South Node applies to her natal Saturn in Leo. These two aspects are challenging to a person's material circumstances and can point to a dark night of the soul. Just a few hours later, the Mayor's attention turned to pump failures at the Sewerage and Water Board and to street flooding caused by several inches of rain. She will need patience, a long-term perspective, and the support of allies to steer through the next year.
Where could they find common ground?
Her Venus and Mercury in Virgo are trine to his Sun-Mercury in Capricorn and Saturn in Taurus, so there is a shared sense of practicality and desire for security. Stewardship of resources is a common value for both of them.
Helena's Virgo placements are in a sextile to Landry's Scorpio stellium, opening the door to collaboration. She may be willing to listen and to make careful appeals to his sense of what is right and good (Venus & Jupiter).
For the good of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana, I hope our leaders can find common ground. The city is a financial engine for the state, as a leading destination and revenue contributor. Enmity between the two results in losses for everyone.
Conflict is in the forecast for the city, but it doesn't have to be within state lines.
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