“I’m Joe Biden. I’m a Democrat…and I love John McCain.” – former V.P. Joe Biden, speaking at McCain’s Phoenix,
AZ memorial on 8/30/2018.
“We gather here to mourn the passing of American greatness. The real
thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the
sacrifice he gave so willingly..."
- Meghan McCain, eulogizing her father at Washington, D.C.'s National Cathedral, 9/1/18
- Meghan McCain, eulogizing her father at Washington, D.C.'s National Cathedral, 9/1/18
This week’s outpouring of love and respect for the late Senator John
McCain has been both sobering and uplifting, with people on both sides of the
political aisle paying sincere tribute, lauding him as a true American hero, in
every sense of that word. Raised in a
prominent U.S. Navy family, McCain lived a life of distinguished—and passionate—public service, from his
early days in the military until his final days in the U.S. Senate.
McCain liked to be known as a “maverick,” and he proved as much, even
in his final battle with brain cancer. Shunning Trump when it came time to plan who would speak at his
memorial services, McCain instead chose the two men who defeated him in his runs for president: George W. Bush and Barack
Obama. And, as indicated above, Obama wasn’t the only Democrat to eulogize McCain—former
V.P. Joe Biden, a long-time friend and political sparring partner, gave a stirring,
heartfelt speech.
McCain was proud of the many
times he helped solved the nation’s problems by working across the political
aisle, and he left behind the friends to prove it. That’s a tribute to his pragmatic, open-minded nature, and to his courage.
 |
| Senator McCain last appeared in the Senate in July, 2017 |
As for his rejection of Trump, it wasn’t most likely about Trump’s
crude comments at McCain’s expense. Based on McCain’s reactions to Trump’s
foreign affairs moves in the past year and a half, it was clear that he found Trump
unfit for the presidency and perhaps even treacherous, especially when it came
to his relationship with Vladimir Putin.
So, it seems that no matter our political affiliations or differences, we
can all be proud that McCain was one
of us. We’re told that “Nation first; Party second” was his motto, and he
clearly lived by this principle. What
a refreshing departure from our toxic, divisive politics today. About
to depart D.C. for health reasons in July, 2017, McCain took one last
opportunity at the Senate podium to
warn that body (and all of us, no doubt) against this divisiveness:
"We're getting nothing done, my friends. We're getting
nothing done… Our deliberations today ... are more partisan, more tribal ...
(than) at any time that I can remember. They haven't been overburdened by
greatness lately…"
The astrology
Any time a prominent figure passes on, it’s always tempting to focus on
that person’s natal chart and transits at the time of death, and in fact, those
charts for McCain tell a very interesting story. However, agree with him or
not, McCain spent his life serving something larger than himself, and that
feels like a critical story for today. What void does his death leave behind in our public discourse, in our
politics, and our view of American power in the world?
Unless you believe that all human passages are random cosmic events
with no connection to anything else, there sure seems to be an astrological
message in McCain’s passing. How does it reflect the kaleidoscope of transits,
progressions and cycles that are impacting the nation? There’s a lot to ponder here, and this one article
may not cover it all, but let’s brainstorm and hope that a few key revelations
emerge.
A constant theme in regards to McCain is that he may be the last in a
dying breed of pre-Trump Republicans, dedicated to traditional conservatism and
public service, and to a party that once valued integrity and a “small
government” slant on democratic ideals. The GOP was the “Party of Lincoln,” and
it was bent on abolishing slavery at its founding. When the party was founded
in 1854, these aspirations were about to get a workout in the Civil War. Today,
under Donald Trump’s sway, it’s unclear what the “Grand Old Party” stands for
anymore, and that has many people wondering if the party will even survive
Trump.
Walter Shapiro, of Rollcall.com is
one of them, and an opinion piece of his posted today (8/29) suggests that
McCain’s passing was a test of Trump’s moral fiber and character—a test that he miserably failed:
“Nothing better symbolizes the cruel vulgarity of the Trump
administration than the president’s refusal
to offer a public comment for 48 hours on McCain’s death beyond a barebones
tweet combined with the White House raising the flag to full staff after
midnight on Monday…. Only when veterans groups like the American Legion
objected did Trump give McCain the honor due a war hero and revered senator.”
Shapiro goes on to ask a key question that’s on many minds
these days:
“What is it about Trump that has the power to cloud the minds of
Republicans who should know better?... Trump defenders go to extremes of
double-jointed moral flexibility to defend his contempt for democratic
traditions. In a
dispiriting New York Times op-ed, Charles R. Kesler, a senior fellow at the
conservative Claremont Institute, argued, ‘Most of Mr. Trump’s alleged
transgressions … offend against the etiquette of modern liberalism and modern
liberal governance, not the Constitution.’
Forgive me, I thought that human kindness and a sense of shame were
conservative values.”
 |
| Rivals could be friends - an idea McCain embraced. |
This isn’t the place to debate where the lines between liberalism and conservatism fall—and I would hope that human kindness and a capacity for shame are bipartisan values—but suffice to say here, Trump’s GOP is something far different from the party Senator McCain championed. Come to think of it, Trump’s America is in danger of becoming something far different from the nation McCain cherished and served as well.
So, let’s take a look at the astrology of all
this, beginning with a quick look at McCain’s nativity, set against a chart for
the 4:28 p.m. published
time of his death on August 25th.
Then, to consider the broader significance of McCain’s passing to the
GOP, we’ll set his death transit chart against
the GOP’s 1854 radix chart.
Finally, to appreciate how all this is impacting the nation itself, we
will set that same death transit chart against
the U.S. Sibly chart. Because we’re trying to consider three biwheels, we’ll focus on key highlights only.
Biwheel #1: (inner wheel) John
Sidney McCain, III, August 29, 1936, 6:25 p.m. ST, Colon, Panama;
(outer wheel) McCain passing, August 25, 2018, 4:28 p.m. ST, Cornville, AZ. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.
Passing
PlutoRx rises at ASC (both Capricorn); Passing MarsRx/PlutoRx (midpoint,
Capricorn) squares Passing ErisRx (Aries); Passing MarsRx opposes Natal Pluto
(Cancer). We are seeing
the passage of a true Warrior in these aspects: here’s one particularly
pertinent comment Michael Munkasey offers about the Mars/Pluto midpoint:
“Courage or energy to
pursue the most difficult of goals or challenges; sticking through to the end
despite encountering the most dire or dreadful circumstances; impulses to
correct wrongs; steady application of effort.”[1]
Those who championed McCain for his outspoken criticism of Trump’s
performance as president will probably feel that their hero got the last word
in, but so many are wondering if his final words and actions will really change
anything. With all the retrograde energy in these aspects, however, we can
probably trust that McCain’s final efforts will resurface and live on in some
form. Will Trump find a way to make McCain’s passing about himself?
Former Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, the controversial Trump
pardonee that ran in the Arizona primary to fill Sen. Jeff Flake’s seat, just lost that race this past week. Maybe
that’s a good sign for the McCain legacy and a sign that Trump is losing sway
in that swing state.
Passing Grand Earth Trine: SaturnRx (Capricorn) rises in Passing 12th,
trine Passing Uranus (Taurus), trine Passing Sun-Natal Sun (Virgo). It always feels ironic and slightly tragic
when anyone dies just short of their next birthday, but this soft, supportive
configuration suggests that McCain’s passing was as “easy” as any death can be.
Even so, McCain did build some “surprises” (Uranus) into his final
plans.
This Saturn Rx rules his
passing chart and conjoins Natal No. Node (over the natal 10th), almost
as if to say McCain’s death fulfills one
last official duty. Those who deeply
respect him (Saturn-Node) are certainly getting the word out about his
commitment to duty, and his Warrior soul (Leo Mercury disposes Virgo Sun and conjoins
Natal Mars in Leo). In one emotional ceremony after another, McCain is
receiving the highest military honors (Leo) that the nation awards at a
veteran’s death—Passing No. Node falls in Leo and conjoins Natal Part-of-Fortune.
 |
| McCain's body has received full military honors everywhere it goes. |
Interchart Mutable T-Square: Passing Neptune Rx (Pisces) opposes Natal
Neptune (Virgo); this axis squares Natal Jupiter (Sagittarius). Mutable energies (especially Neptune)
are often associated with destabilizing and undermining a person’s physical
being, and in worst case scenarios, these transits can contribute to the
person’s death. Here we see also why McCain seemed to so fully embrace his inevitable
passing, despite the difficulty: spirit-filled gratitude (Jupiter-Neptune) for the
“best possible life” seemed to be his constant theme lately. Considering the years of torture he
suffered during the Viet Nam war, his claim that he wouldn’t change a day of
that life has been very moving.
Major transiting-to-natal Neptune-to-Neptune and Pluto-to-Pluto
aspects are “end of life” passages that particularly challenge those in
their 80s and beyond. McCain was fast approaching his Uranus return, as well—a
transit that would have marked his 84th birthday. Life in this
material dimension being what it is, the force of these outer-planetary
movements carries us Home in due time: not to be underestimated, Passing
Uranus (Taurus) inconjoins Natal Mercury (Libra), ruling McCain’s 4th
house of “the end of things.”
Reinforcing this is Passing Moon (Aquarius) transiting Natal 12th,
trine Natal Chiron (Gemini) and inconjunct Natal Pluto (Capricorn). We
can see the twinkle in McCain’s eyes as he launches one final “jab” at Donald
Trump on our behalf with his funeral plans, too: this Moon conjoins
the Sibly
Moon (the “People”) and opposes Trump’s natal Mars-ASC (Leo). It
seems the Cosmos likes a bit of comic irony!
As we’ll see in both Biwheel #2 and Biwheel #3 below, all of
these transits have ramifications for the GOP and the nation, as well.
Whither goes the GOP?
Considering how outspoken he was about it this past year, it’s probably
safe to say that McCain feared for the future of his Grand Old Party till the
very end. And, being from a border state, his fears often centered around the
brutal turn the GOP’s approach to immigration issues has taken under Trump.
From the Washington
Post:
“McCain pursued compromise [on immigration policy] believing that it was
good policy — consistent with both the impracticality of mass deportation and
with this country’s history as a land of opportunity and haven for the
oppressed. He also considered it good politics, positioning the GOP as open to
the nation’s growing Latino population.
The latter view was all but conventional wisdom among Republican
consultants during the first decade of this century. Not coincidentally, during
the years before his 2008 White House run, McCain expected the pursuit of
immigration reform to help his own presidential prospects.”
McCain was no “bleeding heart” when it came to immigration, but he was
willing to compromise for the sake of long term security and political gain—a
stance so few Republicans are willing to take under Trump. The extent to which
the GOP is now “Trump’s party” (and not McCain’s
any longer) is a favorite talking point in the media, so let’s see what the
astrology suggests.
Biwheel #2: (inner wheel) U.S.
Republican Party, March 20, 1854, 12:00 pm LMT (no exact time known), Ripon, WI;
(outer wheel) McCain death, August 25, 2018, 4:28 pm ST, Cornville, AZ. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.
The GOP chart doesn’t have the benefit of precise angles, Moon
and houses, but we can learn plenty from this biwheel without that information.
Passing
SaturnRx (Capricorn) squares GOP Sun (Pisces), sextiles GOP Venus-Eris
(Pisces), trines GOP Pluto-Uranus (Taurus) and trines GOP MarsRx (Virgo). This definitely looks like crunch time for
the GOP, even though the trine aspects appear “soft.” Outer-planetary trines
tend to unleash the energies in play,
and these dynamics can get out of control unless some limits are adhered to. That’s
where SaturnRx figures into the mix, and as we saw in Biwheel
#1, McCain had close ties with this Saturn—perhaps he was even playing the role of Saturn, in fact, when it came
to his party.
Will the Party now succumb even more fully to the tempting pull
of the sextiles and trines we see here, taking the “road of least resistance”
to Trump’s corrupt influence?
Where tax cuts and ideologically charged goodies like Supreme Court
appointments are concerned, the Party probably will succumb, but SaturnRx
(falling in the Passing chart’s 12th)
here suggests that this could backfire on them in the end.
Passing
PlutoRx (Capricorn) conjoins GOP Chiron-Jupiter-Pallas (Capricorn) and squares
Passing ErisRx (Aries). There’s
pretty universal agreement that the GOP is wounded
and facing a precarious transformative period, and that certainly shows in
these aspects. This observation by Martin Lass about the Pluto-Chiron conjunction
makes perfect sense, looking at today’s divided GOP:
“Pluto most violently
and forcefully shakes our Wounds, blockages and unresolved issues, bringing
them to the surface in ways we cannot ignore, impelling us to attend to these
things immediately or suffer major upheavals in our lives.”[2]
Unfortunately, the GOP
shows signs of following that “path of least resistance” discussed above, but Pluto
won’t leave them much wiggle room. If they continue following the corrupt path
Trump is leading them down, it could be an “all or nothing” choice. Existential
crisis time!
It’s significant here
that Pluto
will transit over GOP Jupiter right after it finishes
with Chiron.
Will this mean a rebirth of the founding spirit of this party—perhaps
even a wholesale rejection of the racist demagoguery finding support in some
party quarters—or will it relate to the
Party’s more nitty-gritty focus on economic issues? Another big tax cut for the
wealthy could certainly fit here, and Trump would undoubtedly approve. Is that
the best this party has to offer?
As Pluto
moves on to GOP Pallas (Capricorn), perhaps justice will prevail—could there
be convictions of prominent Republicans coming out of the Mueller
investigation? We can probably trust that McCain would prefer his party to choose justice over corruption: we’ll probably
get a better sense of how this is going to go during the run up to the 2020
election.
Passing Moon (Aquarius)
conjoins GOP Venus (Pisces) and squares GOP Saturn (Taurus). Knowing what we know about how this
electrified Moon (Uranus disposed) ties into Trump’s
nativity and the U.S. Sibly chart
(see Biwheel #3 below), we can see that the stakes in this tough aspect are enormous. They’re about power and the ways in which money (Venus-disposes
Taurus) is thrown around for the sake of influence. Yes, the government can be bought and paid for—a corrupt
potential that McCain fought hard against when he negotiated and fought for the
McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance law.
When the GOP was
founded in pre-Civil War Wisconsin as the "Party of Lincoln," control over land and resources was a big
issue, and there was a pragmatic economic
argument for abolishing slavery that had nothing to do with being
equality-minded or compassionate. Europe had already banned slavery and trading
relationships were in jeopardy because America was lagging behind. Was there no compassion at all?
With Neptune
in Pisces, (amazingly, now returning to
its position in the GOP chart), there undoubtedly was compassion and a spiritual revival among some that raised
questions and doubts about slavery, but the moral commitment to sweeping change
was far from universal.
The same illusions, fear-mongering and conspiracy-spinning we’re experiencing today with Trump were experienced back then with other politicians and influencers who wanted to divide the young nation: Neptune never fails to confuse and bewitch until one day everyone wakes up and realizes how disillusioned they’ve been.
 |
| Insightful cartoon by Digby |
The same illusions, fear-mongering and conspiracy-spinning we’re experiencing today with Trump were experienced back then with other politicians and influencers who wanted to divide the young nation: Neptune never fails to confuse and bewitch until one day everyone wakes up and realizes how disillusioned they’ve been.
Unfortunately, before
this awakening could happen in post-Civil War America (for most, certainly not all), there was massive carnage. No
surprise: Neptune entered Aries 2
days after the first shots were fired in the Civil War in April 1861.
Passing Jupiter (Scorpio) trines
both Neptunes (Pisces) and opposes GOP Uranus (Taurus). These aspects have been ongoing, but they
probably explain why the party has been so amenable to Trump’s agenda for
rolling back regulations of every kind and pushing its ethical limits. They
also speak to how the GOP has chosen to look the other way as Trump violates so
many of the fundamental ethical expectations it would normally have of a
president.
No tax returns; no need to divest himself of his
business interests (in fact, he’s been profiting hand over fist from the
presidency); No problem if there are seedy
affairs that would normally bring a politician down. Getting far too cozy with dictators at the
expense of our allies, and quite possibly conspiring with Russia to win the
2016 election? We won, right?...bring it
on!
In all fairness, most
Republicans in Congress have maintained at least some integrity, even if they’re far too quiet about Trump’s
excesses: if they hadn’t, the Mueller investigation (Mueller is also known to
be a Republican) would have been brought down a long time ago.
Even the beleaguered
Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, has drawn one
ethical line he is not willing to step across. He’s happy to brutalize
immigrants and separate families in the spurious name of law and order, but
he’s not willing to un-recuse himself from the Mueller investigation. Sessions
is a profoundly complicated case, but
I suppose we have to be grateful that he has some scruples. If Sen. Lindsey Graham has it right, Sessions will
be gone before long, anyway.
One last thought about
Jupiter-trine-Neptune
here: especially with Pluto’s involvement, disposing Scorpio
Jupiter, this aspect can point to an economic “bubble” that must
eventually burst, and we knows how
this goes, especially if you’re not one of the privileged “1%” at the top. Jupiter will move on more quickly
than Neptune,
of course, so this is one to watch in the coming months. More on this when
we consider how all this works against the Sibly chart.
How fares the nation?
Let’s very quickly
examine how McCain’s passing is likely to impact the nation-at-large. Is his
death the harbinger of the end for
what he liked to call “regular order” in the Senate—the practice of working
across the aisle to get things done that he valued so highly? Or will his death
shake Congress out of its hyper-partisan stupor?
Considering that
Midterm elections are around the corner, the stupor will probably prevail in
the short term, but will McCain’s death be something that nags at Congress’s
better angels going forward? Many factors could influence all this, but let’s
see what we can learn from Biwheel #3 below.
Biwheel #3: (inner wheel) USA
Sibly Chart, July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (outer wheel) McCain
death, August 25, 2018, 4:28 p.m. ST, Cornville, AZ. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.
Please note that here, we’ll focus mostly on outer-planetary aspects to
the Sibly chart, since what we’re trying to tease out are the social, political
and collective ramifications of McCain’s death. Interestingly, there are three dignified planets in the Passing
chart, which creates some tension, but may also hold out some promise
for change. These are Capricorn SaturnRx, Libra Venus and Pisces
NeptuneRx, so we’ll be especially mindful of how these three are
interacting (or not). Let’s begin.
Interchart Cardinal Grand-Square: Passing SaturnRx (Capricorn) opposes Sibly
Venus-Jupiter (Cancer); this axis squares Sibly MC (Libra) opposed to Passing
Chiron (Aries). The nation’s
economy has been experiencing a strong period because of an ebullient, seemingly
gravity-defying stock market (more on that under Neptune), but SaturnRx
is here to say that the stock market isn’t all that matters for the nation’s overall economy.
Trade
agreements matter for employment levels (7th house Jupiter-Venus,
Venus rules 6th ), our wounded image abroad matters (Chiron
opposite MC, Saturn opposite Jupiter ruling ASC), and the overall “pressure
cooker” feel of this configuration means that something has to give.
Importantly, Sibly Venus also disposes Sibly
Saturn in Libra, so the pressure is being felt in Congress and in our
Judiciary—we can expect the Midterms to be quite volatile, and it will be no
surprise if we experience adversarial meddling (7th house focus). In
fact, we’re already seeing it!
Interchart Cardinal Grand Square #2: Passing Venus (Libra) conjoins Sibly Saturn
(Libra) and opposes Sibly Chiron-Passing ErisRx (Aries); this axis squares
Passing Pluto (Capricorn) opposite Sibly Sun and Mercury (Cancer). This second “pressure-cooker” configuration
reflects the tensions at work between the Media and Trump (and by extension, to
his political base), and because Venus, Pluto and the Sibly 2nd-8th
axis are in play, “Follow the Money” is a good strategy.
Sibly
Chiron’s opposition to Sibly Saturn here suggests a wound at the heart of U.S. politics that is being ripped
open by Pluto’s relentless force. We considered Pluto’s opposition to Chiron in
Biwheel
#2 above; this square is no less potentially violent or disruptive,
especially with Passing ErisRx figured into the mix. We are not out of the woods yet, but any steps
we can take towards healing our ancestral wounds as a People will help.
Passing
Uranus (Taurus) inconjoins Sibly MC (Libra) and squares Sibly No. Node (Leo). This reminds me of the mythic Sumerian Queen
of the Underworld, Ereshkigal,
who brutally humiliates and destroys younger sister Inanna when she dares to venture
into her realm. We know who this would-be tyrant is in our current situation,
but contrary to Inanna, we do have
options: Passing SaturnRx also trines Passing Uranus, so the rule
of law is our chief protection. Mueller must take his investigation to its
natural conclusion, and we need to guard against being distracted by the chaos
(Uranus).
Interchart Grand Water Trine: Sibly Sun (Cancer) trines Passing Jupiter
(Scorpio), trines Passing Neptune (Pisces). This one configuration might explain a lot about why the stock market seems to
defy gravity these days, giving Trump the leverage that comes with a strong-appearing economy. Of course, we’re in
extreme debt, as well, which speaks to Passing Pluto’s opposition to Sibly
Sun, still within orb. Trump’s
overblown military budget and $1.5 trillion tax giveaway had to come from somewhere!
Maybe it’s no surprise that Passing
MarsRx (Capricorn) now conjoins
Sibly Pluto, and that Passing Neptune squares Sibly Mars (Gemini).
There seem to be some very sketchy things going on with our military
involvements and weapons industries these days (a whole new story we don’t have
time for here), and this latter aspect suggests that we could have reason for
concern.
As Pluto returns over the next few years to its Sibly
position, it will be very important that we bring the national debt
down to a workable level. Because Sibly Sun rules the Sibly
9th from the 8th, it’s very important
that we forge healthy working relationships with trading partners overseas, as
well. Levying sanctions against behavior we want to discourage (as Trump is
doing with North Korea and Iran, if not China) is no replacement for strong
economic relationships.
So, what influence will McCain’s passing wield on the nation going
forward? Some of the aspects we’re seeing in Biwheel #3—like the grand water trine, especially—seem to have an
inner momentum that’s hard to deal with. We can basically hang onto our hats and wait it out (Jupiter will move on out
of orb pretty quickly), but if counter-action is unavoidable (and might actually be desirable), resisting is futile. It would be more effective to
channel those quickly flowing energies in a more positive direction. This could
be done by building that “wave” of voters people have been talking about for
the Midterms. Forming bipartisan initiatives aimed at solving thorny national
issues would blow the minds of those who would like to see us divided!
This past week, Trump has been trying to whip his GOP voter base into a
fearful frenzy by threatening Democratic “violence” if the GOP doesn’t win in
the fall. In what universe does that sound feasible? Yet, many will fall into
lockstep behind him—journalists at the Boston
Globe already received threats from a Trumpite, claiming they’re “enemies
of the people.”
 |
| Grief that unites, rather than divides |
Final thoughts
I don’t pretend to understand the cult-like sway Trump holds over his most
enraptured base, but clearly, their obeisance smacks of Neptune, through and
through. And if violence comes from anywhere,
it’s likely to be from there.
So, the big question is, will the U.S. pick up on Senator McCain’s
example as an honorable, life-long public servant and face our national demons head
on? Will we reach across the aisle to solve problems, instead of scattering
into our respective bunkers and escalating our divisions?
I think Biwheel #3 suggests
that we will be sorry if we continue the escalation and don’t do something to
heal whatever divisions we can. The second, related
question is, “Qui bono”—who benefits from
these extremely unnecessary divisions? Surely the benefits only accrue to a third party that has no real stake in
the health and welfare of this nation and would, instead, like to scavenge its “remains.”
The remains of its greatness, its leadership, and the remains of its integrity
and character.
Even when his party was trending in the opposite direction, McCain knew
that the immigrants knocking at our door looking for refuge were not the problem. They’re convenient scapegoats,
no doubt, if we see the world as a zero-sum system where every dollar given to
someone else is a dollar taken from us. Is that really the
perspective of a world-leading nation? Have we sunken that low?
We know from his own statements that Senator John McCain would not agree with that small-minded vision
of this nation he loved, and that
should give us hope.
Fare thee well, Senator...you've enriched our nation and you will be missed!
Raye
Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former educator. A graduate of
the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane,
collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs,
culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as
education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been
featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years.
She is
also available to read individual charts—contact her at: robertsonraye@gmail.com.
© Raye Robertson 2018. All
rights reserved.
