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Rod Blagojevich - The astrology of hubris
December 2008

You may have heard that the governor of Illinois was arrested today for trying to sell the Senate seat left open by the ascendancy of Barack Obama to the highest bidder. What was this guy thinking? Evidently he had been under investigation for fraud since 2003 (according to the text of an affidavit in the case), yet he continued to engage in more and more outrageous acts of corruption and fraud. The court documents are an extremely entertaining, though shocking, read and include items such as these:

  • Intercepted phone conversations from the home phone of Rod Blagojevich reveal that he was considering rescinding a commitment he made to Children's Memorial Hospital for $8 million in state funds if a hospital executive did not make the requested $50,000 contribution to the Blagojevich campaign.
  • Evidence plainly shows that Blagojevich awarded millions of dollars in highway construction contracts to highway contractors that contributed to his campaign funds.
  • Blagojevich attempted to make the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members that printed articles critical of Blagojevich a condition of the Tribune parent company's ability to obtain state assistance in financing the sale of Wrigley Field.
  • Blagojevich has attempted to sell the Senate seat formerly held by Obama in exchange for his wife's placement on paid corporate boards, for his own placement at a private foundation with a substantial salary, for millions of dollars contributed to a yet-to-be established private foundation which Blagojevich would run in a well-paid position, He told a colleague, "if . . . they're not going to offer anything of any value, then I might just take [the senate seat} it."
  • Blagojevich attempted to induce President-Elect Obama to offer Blagojevich a coveted cabinet position by leaking the possibility that he was appointing an unnamed individual (probably Tammy Duckworth who is Obama's presumed favorite) to take over Obama's former Senate seat. When this was unsuccessful, Blagojevich leaked that a different, less desirable candidate would be awarded the seat in an effort to force Obama to offer Blagojevich a plum appointment. It is later revealed that the favored candidate was unwilling to offer Blagojevich anything other than appreciation. "Fuck 'em," was Blagojevich's reply.
    Blagojevich discussed with his advisors whether the President-Elect would be able to pursuade Warren Buffet to donate $10, $12, or $15 million into his as yet unestablished foundation.
  • Throughout this period Blagojevich was considering a run for the Presidency in 2016 and felt that he was "stuck" as Governor.

This kind of self-aggrandized behavior is often indicated in the astrological chart by a strong Jupiter. In Roman mythology, Jupiter was King of the Gods, and Jupiter in the chart, particularly a stressed Jupiter, can show where we want to actually be a god. The astrology chart of Blagojevich (born 12/10/1956, time unknown, Chicago IL) has the Sun in Sagittarius, which is ruled by Jupiter, and Jupiter in his chart is nearly exactly opposite Mars the warrior. Mars shows how we manifest our drive and desires, and when opposed by Jupiter our drives and desires can become expanded and inflated.

Blagojoevich's Mars is in Aries, the sign which it rules, intensifying the aggressive instinct and a natural courage and independence. This unadulterated God of War is part of a Grand Trine in fire with Saturn in Sag and Uranus in Leo. The fire element bestows inspiration and energy, but also egotism and pride and individuals with fire Grand Trines are particularly susceptible to this. Bil Tierney says of the individual with this configuration, "His faith in himself as well as his sense of personal protection from harm is often so ingrained that he may be willing and eager to attempt anything, disregarding impossible odds, in order to fulfill his goals and objectives."

Not all people with fire Grand Trines develop narcissistic disorders - Ghandi's chart includes this aspect, as does Thomas Jefferson. But when you combine the King of the Gods as the ruler of his chart, an inflated desire nature caused by the opposition of Jupiter to Mars, and the unstoppable power of the Grand Trine the potential for self-absorbed egotism and demand for adulation is very great. We can see this in the way Blagojevich treated his father-in-law Richard Mell, an established fixture in Chicago politics, without whose assistance he could arguably never have been elected. Once Blago had taken office, he stopped returning his phone calls. One observer comments, "Blagojevich doesn't want to make deals, he wants a dogfight."

Blagojevich's chart has been battered by a series of challenging planetary transits over the past few years, and the tough time is not offer. Transiting Pluto has been challenging Jupiter in his chart, and will soon be squaring off against his Mars where it will be joined at the end of next year by Saturn. With the big guns of both Saturn and Pluto against his drive and personal will (Mars), the confinement of prison is not a far-fetched symbol for the kind of restriction and challenge he will face next year.

Obviously, not everyone with these planetary configurations will end up in prison. But for some, the temptation of ego is just too great.