Astrology Forecast: 2008 Election

Astrology Forecast: 2008 Election

January, 2007:

We can already see the 2008 Saturn-Uranus opposition forming politically, or at least the foundation being laid for its later manifestation.

The Saturn-Uranus opposition will be exact on election day, 2008. This is an opposition we experienced, on the Virgo-Pisces axis, in 1920 and again in the mid-1960’s. Alexander Ruperti, in his book Cycles of Becoming, says of the Saturn-Uranus cycle: “Habit patterns will always resist change and when the pressure of some creative challenge is felt, the ego will experience a sense of impending doom, generating fear and resisting change.”

This cycle has a disruptive effect. There is a dependence on the past (Saturn) versus radical transformation (Uranus). The Uranus part of the opposition would destroy that part of the past (Saturn) which is also essential to the future—throwing out the baby with the bathwater. In other words, parts of the past are useful and can be carried into the future, but the Saturn-Uranus opposition wants to overthrow everything and start new. The early 1920’s and mid-1960’s were such times of radical transition and transformation throughout the world.

President Bush’s Iraq “surge” policy is Saturnine. It seeks to preserve (Saturn) whatever is left of his foreign policy. The 2008 election will hinge on the debate between this preservation and a radical change of direction. John McCain, a former Vietnam pilot and POW, has staked his presidential ambitions on the success of the military “surge” being advocated by President Bush.
When John McCain (see his horoscope) was shot down over Vietnam, Pluto conjuncted his Venus and opposed his Saturn. About the time he was released, Pluto was over his Mercury. In the 2008 election, Saturn will be passing over the same point.. And Uranus will be opposing it. McCain is just one of several candidates whose horoscopes will be seriously influenced by the Saturn-Uranus opposition and—just to make sure we don’t lose interest—a Mars-Neptune square that will be happening at the same time.

It is not true to say this means that the Democrats equate to Uranus and that therefore a Democrat will be elected president. Senator Chuck Hagel, a Republican and likely presidential candidate, has pushed strongly for a U.S. military pullout from Iraq. He’s conservative and a Vietnam War veteran—the Vietnam overtones to this are numerous, as one would expect with the same opposition being repeated in 2008 (one difference, however, is that in the 1960’s, Pluto was conjunct Uranus).

There was also a Saturn-Uranus opposition (on the Virgo-Pisces axis) in 1920. Historically, 1920 had some similarities to today. At that time, the world was coming off of World War I and there was a lot of anger at how that war had been conducted. Woodrow Wilson, the World War I president, was deeply unpopular. If you’ve ever read the John Dos Passos trilogy, USA, you can get an idea of the depth of animosity toward Wilson—not unlike the passionate dislike of Bush today, but I do not in any way mean to compare Bush favorably with Wilson, who is today considered by historians to be one of our better presidents.

The 2008 U.S. presidential race continues to form at the starting gate. My website has astrology profiles and analyses of Hillary Clinton, John McCain, commentary on the 2008 election (originally posted nine months ago), and horoscopes for the major candidates.

With the Iraq War as the pivotal issue, 2008 is shaping up to be a pivotal year in American politics and history. The Saturn-Uranus opposition and a Mars-Neptune square on election day indicate powerful themes of conflict/change, as well as uncertainty/lack of clarity.

Barack Obama has announced the formation of an exploratory committee, a first step on the road to the White House. Lynn Hayes has posted a great. must-read astrological profile of Obama.

Hillary Clinton has also announced that she’s running for president.

Clinton has an exact Mercury-Saturn square. Mercury was also stationary direct on the day she was born, giving it a great deal of power in her horoscope. On my website, I wrote that,

A planet which is stationary at birth has enormous power in the horoscope and in the life of the individual. Clinton’s stationary Mercury happens to be squaring her Saturn within one minute of a degree. It is the closest aspect in her horoscope, including all the minor aspects.

The Mercury-Saturn square can indicate a person of tremendous intellectual gifts, as well as someone who feels that he or she is always being tested when expressing an opinion. They can feel impelled to prove themselves (some of these insights into the Mercury-Saturn square are taken from Sue Tompkins’ book, Aspects in Astrology). Mercury-Saturn square individuals tend to take themselves and their thoughts very seriously, becoming their own best authority on any issue. There is also a Virgoan mental exactitude with this aspect. Persons with a Mercury-Saturn square (such as Maya Angelou) are often great communicators, although they must often work hard to achieve this.

Clinton also has an intense, powerful, challenging, “I will survive” lineup of planets in the fixed signs of both Leo and Scorpio. The 2008 Mars-Neptune square will hit Clinton’s fixed Mercury-Saturn square. The Saturn-Uranus opposition does not hit any of her planets, although that certainly does not mean she can’t get elected. It is clear that she is extremely careful and that could be an asset if voters sense that a careful, cautious leader is what is needed after Bush’s supposed recklessness. One outcome of an election-season Saturn-Uranus opposition could be that voters look to both the past (Saturn) and the future (Uranus) and simply slice it down the middle.

Clinton seems to have been caught off-guard by the popularity of Barack Obama and his announcement that he is seeking the presidency. Her announcement that she is running for president, although widely anticipated, seems to be reactive. A blog in The Nation says that, “From a historical standpoint, it is remarkable that a single week is seeing so many high-profile candidates leap into the Democratic contest. Traditionally, candidates seek to announce in isolation, so that they can reap the most media attention and, potentially, build excitement about their bids.”

Obama is ahead of Clinton in some polls, a rather meaningless distinction but one which does filter down into the public consciousness. Clinton’s Mercury-Saturn square does not do well when pressed to act without a ton of position papers and staff meetings. She has great intellectual strength, but her Mercury-Saturn square shows a need to hammer out every detail and nuance before she proceeds. Obama’s reach for the presidency may have caused Clinton to make her announcement earlier than she would have liked.

John McCain appears to have staked his own ambitions to the Iraq War. McCain, who has supported the Iraq War unequivocally from the start, loudly and emphatically backs President Bush’s troop surge strategy. If the Iraq War somehow turns out well, McCain looks good. If not, he will then shift all the blame to Bush. McCain has Saturn opposite Venus-Neptune, squared by maverick (and wounded healer) Chiron. An opposition which is squared by another planet is called a T-square. McCain’s Venus was hit by Pluto (thus triggering the whole T-square) when he was shot down over Vietnam, beginning five years of captivity as a POW. In 2008, the Saturn-Uranus opposition will be hitting this same T-square. It will be another major turning point for McCain.

At one time, I felt McCain had a very strong chance of getting elected president. That may still happen, but his strong identification with the Iraq War will be a problem for him. The Saturn-Uranus opposition indicates a national conflict over conserving the past versus throwing out the past. This does not automatically mean that a Democrat will be elected president in 2008. President Nixon exuded a stern Capricorn persona in 1968 and was elected on the heels of a similar Saturn-Uranus opposition (with Pluto thrown in for good measure). The electorate rejected radical cultural change in favor of a Republican who vowed to conserve the values of the “silent majority.” This began a 24-year Republican reign that was interrupted only by Jimmy Carter in 1976-1980.

One thing Nixon did that got him elected was vow to end the divisive Vietnam War (instead, he escalated it into Cambodia). Just as President Woodrow Wilson's World War I leadership was the issue when Saturn and Uranus were opposite in 1920 and Vietnam was the issue when Saturn and Uranus were opposite each another in the mid-1960’s, so the Iraq War will be the central issue of 2008’s Saturn-Uranus opposition.

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