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STUDY OF A MARRIAGE: JOHN AND ELIZABETH EDWARDS
March 2007

I have resisted writing about the recent announcement that the Edwards campaign will continue despite the announcement that Elizabeth Edwards' breast cancer has returned. Mostly this is because I feel a great deal of judgement about that decision, and I also feel it's not for me or anyone else to judge the life decisions that anyone makes. But what really interests me is the marriage of Elizabeth and John Edwards and the strong connection that they have which has remained strong through the death of a child and a challenging political career.

You can read my profile of John Edwards here, but essentially :

John Edwards is driven both by a sincere desire to help people and a fierce ambition combined with a brilliant intellect. But with four planets in Gemini, he has difficulty focusing. Gemini of course is the sign of the twins, the sign of communication. Gemini has a thirst for experience, an intense curiosity and a desire to digest as much information as possible. Gemini is the jack of all trades and extremely versatile; they are chameleons who can change their skins frequently and in fact they usually dislike becoming overly involved in one particular project. The career of John Edwards has reflected this trait.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, is a Cancer and her life is focused on nurturing those that she loves. In my workshops on relationships I teach that there is no way to assess compatibility based on Sun Signs, and the Edwards' are a great example. The Sun shows our quest or our mission in life, and two people can have very different missions yet share the same values and soul connections.

(See charts here.) With her Moon in Libra, Elizabeth craves equal partnership and by all accounts has succeeded in establishing that in her marriage. Elizabeth is John's main policy adviser and a partner in his campaign as well as in life. They have a deep underlying emotional harmony, with John's Moon in Gemini trine Elizabeth's Libra Moon, and there is a mutual Mercury/Sun aspect in their charts with John's Cancer Mercury conjunct Elizabeth's Sun and Elizabeth's Mars/Mercury aspect conjunct John's Sun. This shows a strong understanding (Mercury represents communication) between them.

Both Elizabeth and John have a painful aspect of Saturn in square to Chiron in their charts, which shows that they share a fate of going through painful experiences that ultimately create a healing process (Chiron) as they are forced to confront (Saturn) uncomfortable issues within themselves. When two people permit each other to delve into the depths of this sort of process, rather than blame each other for their difficulties, it forges an incredibly deep bond. However, Chiron in each of their charts may interact painfully with the Moon in the chart of the other, which suggests that their partnership has not always been easy.

The two charts show some nice Saturn aspects between the charts, indicating longevity and commitment. The positive manifestation of Saturn confers discipline and responsibility, and harmonious Saturn aspects between charts are a signal of a long-lasting partnership.

A couple is an entity separate from the two individuals involved, and this is shown by the composite chart. For John and Elizabeth Edwards, the composite chart reveals the Sun in Cancer, showing that the focus of their relationship is on nurturing and caring for each other and for their family. The Sun conjoins Uranus, the planet of freedom and autonomy, reflecting the independence that each of them has within the marriage. Jupiter in Aries calls for adventure and excitement, and squares both the Sun and Uranus which shows a relentless optimism (Jupiter/Sun) that is not always realistic. Saturn in the chart squares Mars, which shows that their drive and desires (Mars) are often thwarted (Saturn). There is a restlessness here with the Jupiter/Uranus square that makes it difficult to settle down.

Planetary transits to the composite chart often indicate trends that the couple is going through, and transiting Pluto is conjunct Chiron in the composite chart, a clear indicator of the transformation (Pluto) that is taking place as the Edwards' attempt to heal (Chiron) Elizabeth's cancer. In a marriage, an illness doesn't just belong to the sick person - it belongs to the couple and of course to the family as well. The next two years will be powerful ones for the Edwards family; they could be the best of times and the worst as Pluto and Chiron perform their dance of destiny.