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McCain’s Venus Moment

On his birthday, August 29, John McCain (1) chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. Natal Venus, ruler of his Libra Ascendant, is at 22°48′ Virgo.

Transiting Uranus is at 21°14′ Pisces, opposite natal Venus. Since it is also his birthday, that aspect will be in his solar return chart and be effective for the entire year. Venus, of course, rules women and is key for him as it rules the natal Ascendant. We might say he ventured out to the bold and crazy Uranian fringes with his choice of running mate. Sarah Palin has shaken up the race, an excellent job for Uranus.

Although we don’t have an exact time for Governor Palin, there are some things to notice about her birthday: Born on February 11, 1964 in Sandpoint, Idaho, (2) she has Sun, Mars, Saturn, and Mercury in Aquarius. If she was born early in the morning, the Moon was in Capricorn. The Moon moved into Aquarius at 9:40 a.m. – either way, Palin’s Moon is disposed by Saturn, in rulership and therefore powerfully placed in Aquarius. Palin was born on a Tuesday, Mars’s day, so the Sun, Mars, Saturn conjunction suggest a particularly steadfast and unyielding quality to her basic character. The ambition and confidence many have noticed in her brief public appearances – not to mention frequent photos of her with a rifle in hand – are well indicated by her horoscope.

The Sun, Mars, Saturn conjunction between 21° – 26° Aquarius is currently being transited by that glamorous caster of spells, Neptune. It seems likely that the scandals surrounding the “bridge to nowhere” (how’s that for Neptune imagery?) and various other sagas (e.g., “TrooperGate”) will linger around the Governor at least until Neptune’s last exact conjunction to natal Saturn in early 2010.

And, on a last (for now) and chilling (to me, anyway) note: Palin’s Sun, Mars, Saturn conjunction are sitting nearly exactly on the U.S. Sibly Moon at 27°10′. She naturally taps into the needs of the public, especially women, and issues of security (the Moon). Palin has – at least temporarily – had a big impact on the U.S. psyche. With the first exact Saturn – Uranus opposition on Election Day coming very quickly, the polarity between the past and the future, rules and freedom, constraint and expression are all magnifying. I’d suggest that a personal task in these daunting times may be to find a way to keep standing firmly within ourselves to anchor and direct (Saturn in Virgo) the Greater Will so that beneficial reform and a future of inclusion and forgiveness (Uranus in Pisces) arrives sooner, rather than later!

(1) Data: John McCain, August 29,1936, 9:00 AM EST +5:00, Coco Solo Air Base, Panama Canal; Rodden Rating:  Source: A: From memory

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin

10 Comments

  1. Thank you, Mary. I thoroughly enjoyed your piece on Governor Palin. I am also struck that the 22° Virgo – McCain’s Venus – is on the US Sibly chart’s Neptune, which squares Mars at 22° Gemini. I listened to Palin’s speech and read afterwards that some of the things she said were not exactly true, yet she had tremendous impact, the crowd loved her. I am reminded that in today’s world you do not have to tell the whole truth – just enough to display your colors, like a peacock. And, unfortunately the US has a predisposition to respond to glitz, the word’s accuracy is not important.

  2. Thanks Kate for stopping by!
    Yes, very interesting comment about the Sibly Mars square Neptune..

  3. Although many are talking of a 4:40 pm birthtime for Palin I would like to posit a possible 1:00 am birth time. This would give her Neptune on a Scorpio Ascendant, which resonates (for me) with that “Pitbull in Lipstick” imagery, plus a rather elusive but powerful persona that she projects. It would place her Venus and Jupiter in the 5th House, the powerful placement of her children on this stage, her Capricorn and Aquarius stellium in the 3rd house, fitting her peripatetic educational background where she majored in journalism. And then, most dramatically, this would place her Pluto Uranus conjunction in the 10th house, which bespeaks to the effect she has already had on this country. Obviously this is just conjecture, but I think worthy of consideration.
    Thanks.
    P.S. I’m looking forward to these weekly features from TMA, best writing in the astro biz.

  4. Thank you Deborah, both for your suggested time for Ms Palin and your kind comments about TMA!

  5. Great article. Great Discussion board. I love your idea, Deborah L of a 1 am birth time. Especially the possibility of Venus/Jupiter in the 5th. The children do indeed play a strong and important part. But I have to say, having seen many a native with Scorpio Rising, she just doesn’t look Scorpio rising to me. As strange as that must sound. But where you feel Neptune could be in the first house, I actually wonder about a late Pisces Asc. That would also give that illusion feeling that I think many of us are picking up about her. That would place Venus in Aries in the first which I think could also answer the lipstick in the pig business. But then, I dunno….there is something about her belief that dinosaurs and humans were walking around together on young earth that does make me wonder if her chart is close to the one drafted, giving her Neptune in the 9th….. I dunno, I think she strikes so many emotional cords in all of us that it is hard to get a read. Well, at least in my case I should say she strikes too many ‘yucky’ notes.

  6. Hi Deborah and Tracy,

    Regarding Sarah Palin’s time: at first, I looked at the 4:40 pm time that’s been around (not verified as accurate, however). My software calculated it for PDT at first which gives 8°30′ Leo Ascendant which I thought was very interesting as the solar eclipse on August 1 was at 9° Leo. The fact that she rose to national prominence so quickly and seemingly out-of-the-blue fit the symbolism of an eclipse. (Also, that eclipse degree is strong in all the other key player’s charts: Obama’s Sun is 12°33′ Leo ; Biden’s Mars is 12° Scorpio square Pluto at 7° Leo; McCain’s Mars is 12° Leo square Uranus at 9° Taurus. Treasury Secretary Paulsen’s Pluto is 9°34 Leo as well – the August eclipse was at 9°32′ Leo.)

    However, Back to Palin: PST is correct (for Idaho) and that places 19? Leo on the Ascendant – and Obama’s Ascendant is 18° Aquarius. All of this just speculation until we get a confirmed time for her.
    But, if the 4:40 pm PST is correct, it does place her Sun (ruler), Mars, Saturn conjunction at the Descendant and, she does have a galvanizing effect on people..
    Thanks for writing!

  7. Well, now you are talking…her hair is completely Leo rising! At what degree of Aquarius would the 4:40 pm place her moon?

  8. Hi Tracy,

    The 4:40 pm PST time gives Ms Palin a Moon at 4°14′ Aquarius..(I hadn’t thought about her hair, but you’re right about that..)

  9. Great article
    I am new to writing to you…
    I am an astrologer and Tarot teacher
    in Seattle.
    I have a class that meets every Wed
    and we are very focused on political
    as well as other charts: By watching
    Palin in the last 3 weeks: that Leo
    Rising really hits all 14 of us in class.
    She talks like one, walks like one and looks
    like one ….and the opposite of Barack Obama’s
    Rising of Aquarius. It all makes sense to us in
    Seattle. When we added all the events, rallies and situations around Palin it also
    matches that she creates an energy of either you
    like her or you don’t. Fixed signs do that more
    than any other…..
    So we will all keep on working away at this.
    It’s always interesting and educational for all
    of us to share our insights. That is how astrologer’s grow and evolve!

    Thanks for sharing

    Arlene and the group in
    Seattle

  10. Hi Arlene and friends,

    Thanks for writing and glad you liked the article. I’m watching Palin closely as our local NCGR group is having a panel on the election at our October 20 meeting. There will be four of us speaking and each will take one candidate. I’ve got Ms Palin..I only wish I were a comedienne and could act and dress like her like Tina Fey does on SNL..


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