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

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Hi, and welcome to the first post of our new exclusive online-only feature, TMA This Week. Each week we will be posting an easy-to-read article on topics including the Best of Astrology Blogs, a streamlined version of our popular column Planet Tracks, and A Glance at the Heavens for the latest on what’s going on in the sky. Our intrepid and versatile TMA staffers will make guest appearances in the From the Magazine section. I will be the editor/organizer of this new feature – three cheers to Saturn’s transit in Virgo – and I’ll be writing as well.

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