The McCain-Palin Ticket: An Astrological Perspective

August 31, 2008 By

John McCain & Sarah Palin

John McCain & Sarah Palin

Note: This will be my last political post for a short while – politics is fascinating but too much of anything is not always a good thing. An obsession with politics can too easily take us away from our own internal process and a life that is grounded in a greater reality.

(If you missed Friday’s article about Sarah Palin, catch up here.) One of the most interesting tools that astrology provides is a glimpse into the inner workings of interpersonal relationships.  Evidently McCain only met Sarah Palin once, at a governors meeting, before choosing her as his running mate, so their chemistry is untested.

I’ve updated the original profile of Sarah Palin to reflect my (educated) guess that Palin’s Moon is in Capricorn, and if that is true it harmonizes with McCain’s Moon, also in Capricorn.  The Capricorn moon has a deep-rooted drive for success and achievement of one’s goals – there is a strong sense of responsibility and respect for the establishment.

McCain and Palin share a conflict in their charts between this need for the established structure.  McCain’s Virgo Sun respects rules and requires order, and the Capricorn Moon and Saturn (ruler of Capricorn) retrograde in his chart depict a never-ending struggle to live up to one’s own regulations.  On the other hand, Mars (in volatile Leo) squares Uranus in his chart revealing his notorious temper and rebelliousness.  Palin’s Saturn conjuncts her Mars, suggesting that she must channel her drive and desires (Mars) through the rigidity of Saturn, and this combined with her Capricorn Moon is a strong indicator for someone who adheres to the rules and regulations of the status quo.  On the other hand, her strong Aquarian nature makes her a natural rebel.

It’s great that McCain and Palin share this duality, which makes them both mavericks (Uranus/Aquarius)  in the conservative world (Saturn/Capricorn).  But what happens if they don’t agree on where to buck the system, and where to adhere to the status quo?  I predict that tempers will flare and there will be a lot of juicy gossip as a result.

Palin’s and McCan’s Mercuries are exactly trine (harmonious aspect) each other: her Mercury is in Aquarius and his is in Libra.  Mercury shows the way we communicate, so this is an excellent aspect for two people who must share ideas and communicate well together.  However, Uranus in Palin’s chart sits right on McCain’s Sun.  This is very exciting to McCain as Uranus can be quite stimulating, but its tendency towards surprise and sudden change is unsettling to him as well.  He will never be really certain where he stands with her..

The number of tight aspects between the charts of two individuals gives a sense of how connected their lives will be.  Whether those aspects are harmonious or difficult, if there are many points of contact between the two charts their destinies are usually tightely intertwined (we saw that with Obama and Biden.)  In the case of McCain and Palin, the aspects between their charts are generally favorable although there are not a great deal of close connections which suggests that they will not share any great destiny together.  They are on separate paths which collide for a short time.

The composite chart shows the nature of the relationship as it stands separate from the two individuals.  In this case, the Sun is at 29 degrees Scorpio, a critical degree that in horary astrology suggests that something will end.  I am not an expert in fixed star astrology, but this degree is square to (conflicts with) the fixed star Regulus at 29 Leo, which presides over rulership and leadership, as well as Alcyone at 29 Taurus which according to Rob Tillett rules “ambition, honor and glory, and trouble with the opposite sex.”  We also see a square of Mars in Taurus, which shows perseverance but can also be extremely stubborn, to Pluto.  This combination illustrates conflict in the relationship, and a struggle for power and dominance.

Overall this is not a very good astrological pick for a running mate.  Transiting Uranus (radical change and surprising events)  is conjunct Saturn in McCain’s chart right now and opposing his natal Venus.  This can often be a stressful time for a marriage, since Uranus instills a desire for change at any price and an abhorrence of the status quo.  One has to wonder whether in making this pick for VP McCain may be introducing a new woman into his life in a way that is politically acceptable.

Sarah Palin has been embraced by the religious right of the Republican party and that will help McCain win over that constituency.  But when these two are thrust together in the intensity of the campaign limelight, the weakness in this alliance will be more evident.

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McCain Picks a VP

August 29, 2008 By

Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, is John McCain’s new choice for Vice President. Palin brings an interesting combination of political and personal characteristics to the McCain ticket.  She fought vigorously against the widespread corruption in the Alaska political system, even to the detrment of her own party.  She hunts, fishes, and won a beauty pageant in 1984.  She has five children including an 18-year old son who deploys soon to Iraq and an infant with Down Syndrome, and calls herself a “hockey mom.”  She is strongly “pro-life”, meaning she opposes abortion, but supports capital punishment.  (I have to say, I have never understood how you can be pro-life in one breath and embrace the killing of a human being on death row in another.  But I digress.)

For the McCain ticket, Palin brings credentials where McCain is lacking. She enhances his “maverick” status, which has waned in recent months as he waters down his personality for the presidential campaign. Unlike McCain, Palin is an active churchgoer (Pentecostal) and wants creationism to be taught in schools alongside evolution, bridging the mistrust the Religious Right holds against McCain.

Astrologically (born February 11, 1964) , she has at least four planets in Aquarius (Mercury, Sun, Mars and Saturn) and possibly the Moon as well, if she was born after noon.  Aquarius is the sign of the activist, the renegade – the individualist who isn’t afraid to buck the system.  With no planets in water signs other than Chiron, Palin is not a very emotional person and this is heightened by the strong Aquarian influence which is more interested in rational thinking and ideas than emotional viewpoints.

That Aquarian individuality is tempered with a triple conjunction of Saturn and Mars to the Sun.  Saturn is the ancient ruler of Aquarius, and lends its focus on solitude and a tendency towards rigidity which in the case of Palin may exacerbate the fixed nature of the Aquarian personality. Palin is conservative under the Saturn/Mars/Sun conjunction, but the Aquarian influence makes her quirkily so.

Neptune squares her Sun – the very same aspect in Obama’s chart that has suspicious astrologers claiming Obama is deceptive.  (See my earlier article.)  Neptune/Sun aspects tend to show that the individual has experienced difficulty expressing herself as an individual, and that there is a tendency for others to be unable to see her clearly because she becomes a hook for their projections.

Palin’s birthchart also shows that she has an exact opposition from Chiron to Pluto, and by association to Uranus as well.  I would be surprised if she has not had painful experiences in her life – that Chiron/Pluto opposition indicates an indivdiual who must continually face her inner demons so that they can be vanquished.

This is an interesting time for Palin – transiting Saturn has been aspecting this opposition, coinciding with the birth of her son with Down Syndrome.  Transiting Neptune is affecting her as well – passing over first her Sun, then Mars, then Saturn over the next several years.  This Neptunian time shows that she is prone to overidealizing the realities in her life, and there is a danger of not seeing things as they really are.

Update: Depending upon the time Palin was born, her Moon was either in Capricorn (morning) or in Aquarius (afternoon).  I’m going to go for Capricorn because without that earthiness and practicality at a deep emotional level her chart would not have the discipline and drive to achieve that Palin demonstrates.  The  Moon shows the way we respond when we’re backed against the wall – our instinctive nature, and Palin’s Troopergate scandalhttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2_bing.gif, where she fired a public safety commissioner for not firing her former brother-in-law during his messy divorce from her sister, demonstrates the ruthless side of Capricorn for which the ends justify the means.

She’s an interesting choice for an already interesting election!  Tomorrow I’ll look at how she and McCain will likely get along.

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The 2008 Election: The Generation Gap

August 27, 2008 By

The US Presidential Election this year has been a battle between the Pluto in Cancer generation (John McCain), the Pluto in Leo generation (Hillary and Bill Clinton) and the Pluto in Virgo generation (Barack Obama).  Back in February I covered this in an article about the Clinton/Obama contest as a referendum between the early (Pluto in Leo) and late (Pluto in Virgo) boomers.  The passion of the feelings in the comments on this earlier article reveal the intensity of the conflict between these two generations.  (Note:  obviously these are generalizations about a demographic group as a whole.  Within these groups individuals find their own exprssion.)

The Clintons were central to a powerful Democratic political machine that was centered on loyalty and a politics of personality – hallmarks of the Pluto in Leo generation.  Although I am counted among that generation, I have to admit that there is truth to the blame that the early boomer (Leo) generation gets for being narcissistic and self-absorbed.  These are negative traits of Leo, but there are also positive ones:  generosity, inspiration, creativity and open-mindedness.  The Clinton era has reflected all of the traits of Pluto in Leo, both positive and negative.  But the strongest Leonine traits of the politics of both Clintons has been a powerful sense of pride and entitlement,  Politico reports:

The former president is disappointed, associates said, because he is eager to speak about the economy and more broadly about Democratic ideas — emphasizing the contrast between the Bush years and his own record in the 1990s.

This is an especially sore point for Bill Clinton, people close to him say, because among many grievances he has about the campaign Obama waged against his wife is a belief that the candidate poor-mouthed the political and policy successes of his two terms.

Pluto in Leo has a hard time turning over the spotlight.

On the other hand, we have Barack and Michelle Obama, Pluto in Virgo types.  Virgo tends to shy away from expressions of ego and doesn’t care much for Leo, and the Pluto in Virgo generation bears a fair amount of resentment against the egotism of the Pluto in Leo older brothers and sisters.  But often this resentment obscures the understanding that it was the boldness and vision of Pluto in Leo that started the wheels of change turning.  As a generation, Pluto in Virgo (1956-1971) has been the beneficiary of many of the changes that the Pluto in Leo generation, with their search for pleasure and freedom, sought to implement.

Then there’s John McCain representing Pluto in Cancer (1913-1939) - the generation that sacrificed everything for family and country, both under Cancer rulership.  This generation, as a whole, did not question authority or seek to pursue their own dreams as they lived through two World Wars.  Cancer’s main focus is on security and emotional safety, and they may have a greater tendency than other generations to relate best to people that are most like them (Cancer is rooted in tribal affiliations).

With the transition of Pluto into Capricorn, change is afoot.  Those who embrace change will vote for the new guy.  Those who fear it will retreat to the safety of the past and vote for the old one.

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Psychology, Rush Limbaugh and the Faith Forum

August 18, 2008 By

John McCain/Barack Obama

John McCain/Barack Obama

With Pluto making its final swing through Sagittarius where it has transformed (Pluto) all aspects of the way we construct our theology of the meaning of life (Sagittarius), Obama and McCain joined televangelist Rick Warren for what may be the first of its kind forum for US Presidential candidates.  The fact that candidates feel it is important to share their faith with the country is an unusual development in itself, as this has not in the past been a highlight of Presidential campaigns.  John F Kennedy, famously the first Catholic candidate, minimized the importance of faith in his campaign.  Even Ronald Reagan, darling of the Religious Right, rarely attended church before he was in the White House, during or afterwards, though privately he was said to be devout in his adherence to the Bible.

Reading the candidate’s answers to the questions posed about issues like abortion and faith and the responses in the news from left-wing and right-wing media, I draw this conclusion:  Those on the right side of the aisle prefer a black and white approach to life, while those on the left prefer shades of gray and nuance.  Left-wing bloggers criticized McCain’s pat and rehearsed responses to pastor Rick Warren’s questions, while those on the right admired his clear and concise answers.  Conservative writers found Obama’s answers confusing and evasive, while more liberal writers extolled the virtues of his thoughtful and considered approach to the issues.

I’ll step out on a limb here and suggest that those with more conservative views are more security-minded and dislike change, so the lack of a strong stance that’s rooted in established tradition might be frightening.  On the other hand, more liberal thinkers would have a greater tolerance for the unknown, and in fact a greater enthusiasm for change and something new that requires consideration and deliberation in order to come to an intelligent conclusion.  Some viewers even said Obama was “too thoughtful.”

As astrologers, we often see the more extreme ideologies when there are inner conflicts between astrological signatures of conservatism (predominance of earth signs, Saturn) and signatures of liberal mindedness (air signs, Uranus).  That inner struggle between safety and security and more innovative thinking often results in an individual who becomes dogmatic on the right wing, or angrily rebellious on the left.

This is particularly true with those of us who have strong squares between Saturn and Uranus in our chart such as my own compatriots from the early 1950s. Rush Limbaugh is one of those, with a nearly exact square between Saturn and Uranus, Aquarius, the innovator, is rising in his chart so in some ways you might expect Rush to tilt more to the left.  But with the Sun in Capricorn and Saturn opposite the Moon, that conservative bent won the battle between the two ideologies.  But more important, the opposition between Mars in Aquarius and Pluto shows an obsession with power that makes the conservative mind view much more comfortable than a more liberal perspective which Rush deems “weak.”

After eight years of a president who famously “doesn’t do nuance,” I personally think a president who actually thinks through issues and considers them carefully would be a welcome change. But that has nothing to do with astrology and is just my opinion.

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John McCain’s Planetary Problems

August 1, 2008 By

John McCain

John McCain

John McCain’s Virgo Sun is undergoing a transit of Saturn which began last November, took a second hit in February, and just concluded.  Because of Saturn’s tendency to create limitations and challenge, the transit of Saturn to the Sun can make it difficult for any individual to express themselves in the best light.

McCain’s greatest weakness is his inability to relate well to others, as shown in the opposition between Saturn and Venus (love and relationships) in his birthchart.  To exacerbate the situation even more, Saturn in his chart is retrograde, showing that he is particularly self-critical, and both Saturn and Venus are squared by Chiron (healing and wounding) which shows that this has been a lifelong challenge for him and a painful one.

Currently, Uranus is beginning a challenging transit to this T-square of planets including Venus, Saturn and Chiron in McCain’s natal chart, an event that began in May as transiting Uranus collided with McCain’s Saturn, and coming to a head in June, July and August with Uranus changing direction in what we call a “station” (where the planet virtually stands still) in an exact opposition to Venus and square to Chiron.

Uranus is the Awakener, the Disrupter.  It brings about change and a radically new way of doing things.  Often when we are undergoing a planetary transit, the planet in question appears in the form of a person who exhibits the traits of that planet to introduce its influence into our lives.  Uranus is personified in this transit by Barack Obama, the cool cat with Aquarius rising (ruled by Uranus) who is all about change. And Obama’s popularity and newness (Uranus) is bringing out all of the painful (Chiron) awkwardness of the guy who can’t get a date with the press (McCain’s Saturn/Venus opposition) who he complains has been ignoring him.  In fact, a Wall Street Journal headline asks, “Is McCain Stupid?”

Over the next month McCain’s progressed Virgo Moon will catch up to a conjunction with his progressed Mars/Midheaven conjunction.  It’s quite possible that during this period we will see McCain blow up into one of his famous rages for which he has become so famous but which have been so notably absent during the campaign.

In November transiting Saturn will oppose Saturn in his natal chart and set off the whole Venus/Chiron thing.  Typically we would expect this kind of cycle to denote a time of difficulty, but some powerful people can glean the most from this transit and use it to work their way to success.  This is not usually McCain’s methodology, however, and I would guess that this Saturn event, coming around election time, will not be an easy one.

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Thoughts on the August 1 Eclipse

July 31, 2008 By

August 1 will bring a total solar eclipse, occurring at 6:12 am EDT. The solar eclipse occurs astronomically with an alignment of the Sun, Moon and the Earth so that the Moon blocks the light of the Sun to us here on Earth.

Astrologically, the solar eclipse occurs at the time of a New Moon, with the solar conscious principle conjoining the lunar unconscious principle in close proximity to the nodes of the Moon, or the Dragon’s Head and Tail.

The nodes of the Moon describe our evolutionary journey, with the North Node (also called the Dragon’s head by the Chinese and other ancients) demonstrating the direction in which we are heading and the South Node (the Dragon’s tail) identifying the karmic past and issues best left behind. The involvement in the eclipse phenomenon perhaps gives a clue to the effect of an eclipse, where the Sun and Moon are aligned in tandem with the evolutionary lunar nodes but the earth blocks their light. The symbolism to me is clear: The eclipse marks a turning point, but the significance may not be immediately obvious as both the solar conscious principle and the lunar instincts are obscured and we journey in darkness.

The eclipse on August 1 is at 9 degrees Leo, the sign of creative self-expression and the development of a healthy ego. If you have a copy of your birthchart, look to see where in the chart the eclipse will fall and that will give you a picture of where in your life you are likely to experience a change. Some say that the eclipse is an “unmasking,” revealing something that has been hidden up until this point.

A solar eclipse in Leo is an interesting phenomenon astrologically, because Leo is the sign that is associated with the Sun and the ego is therefore driven underground during the eclipse period. The effect of New and Full Moons is said to be three days before and three days after the event; eclipses can be felt for a longer period of time if you are a particularly lunar person (with planets in Cancer, in the fourth house, or with strong aspects to the Moon).

This eclipse could bring out some interesting facets of the US presidential candidates, since it is exactly square to Uranus in McCain’s chart and very close to a square to Neptune in Obama’s chart. This is interesting because these are the two planets that cause the candidates the most trouble. Uranus (radical behavior) is square to McCain’s Mars, the astrological dynamic that results in McCain’s “maverick” status that he is trying so hard now to keep under wraps. Neptune (redemption and illusion) is square to Obama’s Sun, and this is the chart factor that results in the adoration of Obama that some find so frightening. Perhaps during this eclipse period some of the real substance that underlies these factors may be revealed.

This incredible image is from The Nonist; it’s a composite image of 6 hand drawn images from different astronomers of a total solar eclipse on July 18, 1960.


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Looking ahead to election day: A paradigm shift

July 15, 2008 By

transitionThanks to JM for the link to this article by astrologer Barry Orr about the unease surrounding the upcoming election day. Orr writes primarily about the opposition between Saturn (status quo) and Uranus (the revolutionary) which will be exact on election day in 2008. He quotes an essay from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“There is a fragment of old fable which seems somehow to have been dropped from the current mythologies, which may deserve attention, as it appears to relate to this subject.

Saturn grew weary of sitting alone, or with none but the great Uranus or Heaven beholding him, and he created an oyster. Then he would act again, but he made nothing more, but went on creating the race of oysters. Then Uranus cried, `a new work, O Saturn! the old is not good again.’

Saturn replied. `I fear. There is not only the alternative of making and not making, but also of unmaking. Seest thou the great sea, how it ebbs and flows? so is it with me; my power ebbs; and if I put forth my hands, I shall not do, but undo. Therefore I do what I have done; I hold what I have got; and so I resist Night and Chaos.’

`O Saturn,’ replied Uranus, `thou canst not hold thine own, but by making more. Thy oysters are barnacles and cockles, and with the next flowing of the tide, they will be pebbles and sea-foam.’

`I see,’ rejoins Saturn, `thou art in league with Night, thou art become an evil eye; thou spakest from love; now thy words smite me with hatred. I appeal to Fate, must there not be rest?’ — `I appeal to Fate also,’ said Uranus, `must there not be motion?’ — But Saturn was silent, and went on making oysters for a thousand years.

After that, the word of Uranus came into his mind like a ray of the sun, and he made Jupiter; and then he feared again; and nature froze, the things that were made went backward, and, to save the world, Jupiter slew his father Saturn.

This may stand for the earliest account of a conversation on politics between a Conservative and a Radical, which has come down to us. It is ever thus. It is the counteraction of the centripetal and the centrifugal forces. Innovation is the salient energy; Conservatism the pause on the last movement.

I love this last statement – it captures the ongoing dialectical process that seems to be required for transformation. Statis (Saturn) and innovation (Uranus), this is the Saturn/Uranus dance. The need to let go of the old is crucial to the process of evolution, and nowhere is this seen more than in the combination of Saturn to Uranus. On election day, and for several weeks leading up to the day, both Saturn and Uranus will be squaring Mars (aggression and drive) in the US chart, signifying pressure for change that generates action.

Orr notes other negative planetary dynamics on Election Day, including a square of Neptune to Mars which can erode our sense of progress and confuse the Will, but Neptune will also make a trine to Mars in the US chart, indicating a positive harmonization between action (Mars) and our ideals (Neptune). Another negative dynamic mentioned by Orr is the Moon in its detriment in Capricorn, but he fails to add that the Moon will conjunct Jupiter, planet of abundance and opportunity.

There’s no doubt that change is coming, but there’s no need to spend the next few months mired in doubt and fear. The key to successfully navigating any difficult transit is to understand that change is coming, and to prepare for change. The more we hold on and try to control the process, the more difficult it is. Understanding the astrological cycles gives us a clue as to what to expect, but whenever Uranus is involved we must expect the unexpected!

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John McCain: President Hothead?

April 9, 2008 By

A couple of years ago I wrote a post entitled “John McCain will never be president,” and followed it up with “John McCain will never be president Part II.” I never posted a complete profile of McCain on my website because it never occurred to me that two years later he would be the Republican nominee for president. I don’t like to be wrong, but I sure called it wrong this time. So I have now posted that McCain profile on my site here.

Jill had a very interesting post yesterday about the psychology of John McCain’s legendary anger, citing this article in the UK Independent which quotes McCain:

Right up to his twenties, he remained a strikingly violent man, “ready to fight at the drop of a hat”, according to his biographer Robert Timberg. This rage seems to be at the core of his personality: describing his own childhood, McCain has written: “At the smallest provocation I would go off into a mad frenzy, and then suddenly crash to the floor unconscious. When I got angry I held my breath until I blacked out.”

Jill suggests that these behaviors point to a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, a categorization of mental illness that has only been widely known since 1980 when it was officially classified as a disorder. Biographies of McCain have noted his extreme recklessness and rage going back to his school years where he was nicknamed “Punk” and “Nasty.” By entering the military he not only followed in the footsteps of his father, but also gave himself an outlet for his legendary anger.

I’ll refer you to the new article for the complete profile of McCain, but this is the part that is most relevant to the anger piece:

Mars in this chart is in Leo, a fiery and dramatic expression of aggression, and is square Uranus, the revolutionary. Difficult Uranus aspects often are an indicator of some kind of early trauma, and the square from Mars to Uranus can show serious conflict in childhood. The opposition from Pluto to McCain’s Capricorn Moon indicates additional stress and a sense of being overpowered by the nurturing parent, usually but not always the mother.

McCain’s Capricorn Moon is in the Fourth House of family lineage which is ruled by Saturn, the planet of discipline and responsibility. Saturn in McCain’s chart, retrograde and part of the Grand Cross that includes a square to Chiron where one’s obligations can have painful results, is both very powerful and yet without an easy mode of expression. So Saturn is ruling an extremely emotional Fourth House with a Capricorn Moon, and there is a strong sense of duty and familial obligation that is rigid and unbending. This combines with the innate emotional pain of the Moon/Pluto opposition and the radical fire of Mars square to Uranus to create a split in McCain’s personality. This is exacerbated by McCain’s Virgo Sun and Libra Mercury and ascendant which do their best to suppress his anger, making its eruption all the more dramatic when it occurs.

Had I noticed two years ago that McCain’s progressed Jupiter would conjunct his North Node, I might have hesitated before making such a confident prediction that McCain would never reach the presidency. Jupiter contacts are often harbingers of good fortune and opportunity, and the North Node reflects our destiny and evolutionary path. In 2009 McCain’s progressed Ascendant will join that conjunction which will align the more mundane path with the evolutionary path of the North Node, and that is an indicator of an exceptional period of success.

McCain’s will be going through a series of Uranus transits to both his natal Venus and his progressed Venus, which shows some unusual events resulting from his relationships and partnerships. At the same time, transiting Pluto will conjunct his North Node in January 2009 which is a scary (to me) indicator that something major will happen relative to his greater empowerment.

This election continues to be a roller coaster ride and a reminder of the Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times.

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