The race for the Republican nomination to challenge Barack Obama is now on and a surprise woman candidate is starting to steal all the headlines, Michelle Bachmann. You know, sometimes it’s the one with the momentum, the one who comes out of nowhere who often steals the crown in American elections. Barack Obama emerged from the pack last time out having relatively little experience as a US Senator to eventually waltz away with the Democratic nomination and then the presidency, and the one I remember the most was Bill Clinton. Back a year and a half before Bill won the presidency, I read a newspaper article about this relatively unknown (unknown to those of us in the UK) politician from Hope, Arkansas who was building up a head of steam in the 1992 race. Twenty years on and the effect is happening again. Is this woman the real deal? Let’s look at the astrology.
Michelle is a fiery Aries, born on 6th April 1956 in Waterloo, Iowa. We do not (yet) have a birth time for her, however there are two very strong clues that hint that she was born around 06.00am. The first is an insatiable love for caring for children. She has had 5 herself and cared for 23 foster girls too!! The fifth house is the house of children and in her chart Jupiter (the planet of generosity and excess) is conjunct Pluto which if anything increases the effect. Those foster children had eating disorders, born out by Pluto being here in the fifth house. You can see the link immediately in the opposition, girls (Moon) with afflictions (Pluto). Placing Jupiter squarely in the 5th house of children, confirms the second of the two clues. Michelle has strong Christian faith, also ruled by Jupiter. By placing Jupiter in the 5th, Sagittarius ruled by Jupiter suddenly is on the cusp of the 9th house of faith and beliefs. Serious Saturn sits in Sagittarius adding a conservative edge to her beliefs. A very nice fit indeed. Pluto and Jupiter hates petty minded people, so watch out for her cutting down critics to size in a forthright manner, and also need to feel power and recognition, especially as both these planets sit in regal Leo. She will feel that he rightful place is at the top, and that Aries angle to her Ascendant and Sun only reinforces these desires.
Ok, working to the assumption that 06.00am is a probable birth time, we have a 12th house Aries Sun conjunct to Mercury with an Aries ascendant too. The 12th house Sun is always a position of serving others (this is the Pisces house), a position you often find with big influential politicians, Tony Blair and George W Bush were two recent examples. The Sun Mercury combination is a partisan one, she will see things her way and she will be outspoken. Aries ascendants as well as Mercury and Sun in Aries always remind me of the proverb “Look before you leap”. This is the thing that she has to learn to do as Sun/Mercury in Aries often doesn’t, landing those with the conjunction often in hot water. She will say and do things she will regret later, however if ever you want someone to lead you out of difficult situation (as the US is financially in), then there is nobody better than a forthright Aries to lead the way & Michelle will be “vey” Aries in nature. That is what they were brought onto this earth to do.
The Sun/Mercury conjunction is at the point of a twin wedge sextile and trine respectively out to a Moon in Aquarius opposition to Jupiter/Pluto in Leo conjunction, the one I mentioned earlier in the post. There is a deep humanitarian and kind spirit here as well as boundless optimism and good luck too. The Moon in Aquarius has star like quality and sitting in the 11th house, she will feel the need to be part of a group or party, yet have an independent voice or point of view within it. The Tea Party faction of the Republicans, to which she is aligned is a perfect vehicle for Michelle, part of the bigger picture, yet out on a limb. Aquarians feel social responsibility and sextile to that serving Sun, a politician’s life would always have proved an attraction to her. The Pluto Moon opposition indicated a strong tie to her mother, who was responsible for her upbringing when her parents split when she was a teenager. Uranus in the 4th house speaks of an unsettled home, and of many changes of abode. Will that transitory life extend eventually to the White House?
The 6am birth time also neatly puts Venus (the planet of money and resources) in the second house of finance opposite to authoritarian, ambitious Saturn in the 8th house of big business and dealing with other people’s money. Michelle is a finance and tax expert with huge experience. With Mercury (the planet of detail) ruling the Virgo 6th house of everyday work, she will have a critical eye for detail, perfectly lending her talents to financial problem solving. Just what America needs in these austere times?
Saturn is retrograde, as ever indicating that lack of love received from her father in her younger years (as mentioned before her parents divorced) and squares onto Pluto. This is backed up as Saturn through Capricorn ruled her Midheaven (10th house cusp on her parental 4th/10th axis representing her Dad) and is under severe pressure from Pluto. This square is a profound aspect when activated by transits or progressions. Often losses or disappointments in life lead to some sort of emotional breakdown or depression, frustration and reinvention of the personality. Change comes at a cost, often through great pain – I suspect the parental split would have hit her very hard. Alongside these possibilities comes the potential with Saturn/Pluto for great achievement, high ambition and success. These people strive for the ultimate. With a square from Pluto to Venus indicating deep emotions and potential transformation through relationships, a t-square is formed. I get the feeling that when activated, this t-square has the potential for great heartbreak. Luckily for Michelle at time, that activation is someway off in the future. Saturn also trines onto Uranus, so she will have a knack for keeping the conservative values she holds true, yet pushing forward new radical ideas at the same time.
There is one more t-square on the chart based around a dynamic Mars/Uranus opposition. Mars is in serious hard working Capricorn and Uranus accentuates this. Michelle is a grafter, highly ambitious, disciplined somebody who will use all her energies and talents to get the job done. Sitting in the 10th house, she will actively enjoy running things and being the boss. She will be an excellent strategist and planner and realistic in her aims. Even if she doesn’t make the top job, I can see her being very influential in the financial planning of a future Republican administration along the way. Mars squares onto Neptune in the 7th, so she has an ideal, a dream that that serious Mars in Capricorn is working towards, and she will have some innovative ideas to back her up vision. One thing to watch for; Neptune in the 7th gets very over optimistic over personal partnerships (personal and professional) and dealing with others, they can get duped into thinking everything is fine when in reality it isn’t. She should be very careful with whom she climbs into bed!
Michelle’s chart stacks up nicely alongside the US natal chart too. Her Aquarius moon is within wide conjunction (around 5 degrees) of the US moon, so her emotions will be picked up favourably by the American public. Her Sun/Mercury opposes the US Saturn; her message will sit well with how the US needs to be administered. Her Neptune (dreams) trine the US Moon or public’s perceptions. Her hardworking Mars opposes the US Mercury, I suspect she may have battles with the press. The really interesting aspect is that her North Node is one degree from being exactly conjunct the US ascendant (using the US Sibly chart). If the US chart I use is correct (there has always been great debate about the formation time of the US as a nation), then I can safely say that Michelle and the US are made for each other.
Michelle is riding the crest of the wave publicity wise and her North Node is picking up a nice solid sextile from transiting Saturn however storm clouds may loom. She is also receiving oppositions from Solar Arc Sun and Mercury to her North Node bring her into the public scene. Transiting Uranus is hitting the Venus Saturn opposition via a trine and a sextile and Neptune is squaring the same axis. Will an unexpected (Uranus) problem or over-optimism/confusion/deception (Neptune) over financial dealings (Venus/Saturn) hurt her campaign? The big one for me mind you is the Moon/Jupiter opposition which by Solar Arc would have moved round to being just one and a half degrees as I write from being exact to Michelle’s Sun. Solar Arc Jupiter opposite Natal Sun represents personal success and luck and Solar Arc Moon conjunct Natal Moon is joyous achievement. This aspect will be exact around the time of the 2012 presidential election!!! Oh yes, one more aspect for you to consider. On the date of the next Presidential election, transiting Saturn will be exactly trine the US natal Venus (see below), the sign of a woman President?? I leave you to consider the potential meaning of this one…
Now I am not advising you to go and put down a bet on Michelle becoming the next President of the US just yet as there is a lot of water to flow under the bridge and many twists and turns that maybe I have not foreseen, however this will be a highlight time for Michelle whatever happens. The future looks extremely bright for her.