Hillary Clinton continues her presidential campaign despite the ever-narrowing possibility of success. Increasingly, Barack Obama is being seen as the presumptive nominee. In Clinton’s natal chart (10/26/47, 8:00 AM, Chicago), her relentless, dogged determination is described by the Mars/Pluto/Saturn conjunction square Mercury/Ascendant/Node/Venus, all in fixed signs. The downside of this configuration, however, is an inflexibility and obsessiveness that make it hard to let go.
Perhaps the most significant planetary indication of Hillary’s recent downturn is the shift in Saturn’s direction, moving direct as of early May, and towards its final crossing of Hillary’s Midheaven (4Virgo35) at the end of June and into very early July. During the last two weeks of February, during Saturn’s second pass across the career point (MC) in Hillary’s chart, Obama won 11 primaries in a row. As Saturn’s influence began to retreat by March 5, Clinton scored her very significant Texas and Ohio victories. At present, we are moving towards the last pass of this planetary influence, which will be painfully enforcing the rules of reality on the Clinton campaign. Perhaps, had she been under Jupiter, with a mix of Neptune thrown in, Hillary could have successfully pandered that gas tax boondoggle or somehow sidestepped the delegate count, but not under nitpicking Saturn and its ruthless adherence to fact.
The most problematic planet for Hillary during this entire campaign has been Neptune, initially square to her Ascendant and Mercury and opposite her Saturn through mid-February, and, more recently, square to her Node (23Taurus35). This accounts for the ever-changing, chameleon-like persona of the candidate herself: the policy wonk, the feminist, the victim of the press, the fighter, the working class gal, the Scranton gal, the shot chugger, the populist; as well as the ever-changing path to victory: the pledged delegates, the popular vote, the superdelegates, electability, Michigan and Florida, and so on. It also accounts for the sure sense of victory continually becoming a mirage and slipping through her fingers. The illusion-prone Neptune tends to make it very difficult to perceive reality in the clear, cold light of day. Instead, there is a tendency to lend drama and hyperbole to one’s perceptions, often including a somewhat self-aggrandizing, Hollywood flare. As we have seen with the current White House occupant, Neptune-inspired wars can morph from painful necessities due to geopolitical brass-knuckle decisions to crusades against evil under divine guidance. For Hillary, it has been more about believing she can still win against impossible odds. In addition, there is the underlying, rather inflated sense that she feels only she can rescue the country from the nefarious grip of the Republicans. Neptune will go retrograde on May 26 and recross the square to her Node through July 18. Will she still be fighting for the nomination through this period despite the evidence, or will she be fantasizing about the Vice Presidency or other possibilities?
One planetary aspect that suggests Hillary may still be fighting through most of July is the second pass of Pluto sesquiquadrate Hillary’s Mars (14Leo00), activating her very tight and very relentless Mars/Pluto conjunction. Whether it is for herself or for Obama or for some other issue, Hillary will be extremely aggressive and energized during this time (6/25 through 7/26) and again for the third pass in September and October.
The final aspect of significance for Hillary is the Uranus transit that is coming very close to conjunct her natal Moon (22Pisces50) over the next several weeks. Running from early May through June, this transit could be the one that indicates a total change in direction for her. Uranus brings sudden, total transformations of the status quo. It is likely a factor in the huge upset and game changer in North Carolina and Indiana of May 6. With Saturn also active during June in its crossing of Hillary’s Midheaven, I do not think the coming Uranian changes will be in her favor. They are more likely to include a sudden, sharp awareness that she must let go and move on. The question remains, however, what the strong Mars/Pluto and the Neptune/Node activity indicate for July. She will have high hopes for something and be very energized. Let us hope her extraordinary fortitude will be focused on moving us all towards party unity and victory in November.
………………………………
Note to everyone: On Thursday, I will be going to my first astrology conference since 1975. If any of you are going to be in Denver for the Big Event, please look me up. I am not presenting, but will be attending most, if not all, of the mundane astrology lectures. Please come and find me and say hello. You can probably call me through the front desk as well. I would love to meet you.