Who is John McCain, really? An astrological profile

John McCain's astrological chart

After publishing my astrological profile on Barack Obama several weeks ago I thought it seemed a good idea to do an in-depth analysis of John McCain. I'm not a supporter of his, and I have to admit I'm even less of one after doing his chart, but with that admission right out front I'll just go ahead and just call it as I see it, and let you be the judge of what rings true and what doesn't.
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First of all, it shouldn't be surprising, when you consider that our astrological charts are who *we* are, that the charts of John McCain and Barack Obama are rather stunningly different. Looking at John McCain's very striking and conflicted planetary placements would tell any astrologer that he's had some significant psychological challenges, and I'm not talking about particular episodes, such as his much spoken of time as a POW, I'm talking about what's been going on in his psyche from the time he was a very small child.

The first thing that jumps out is a very difficult aspect involving his natal Pluto and Moon. Referring to the chart—there's a striking red line that slashes from the top to the bottom, sort of dividing the chart into halves. That is an exact opposition between his Pluto in the Tenth House (the house of worldly achievement) and his Moon in the Fourth house (the house of home, family and the past), and it reveals an emotionally strife-torn beginning. Also prominent on the chart is what is called a T-square (notice the red triangular formation at the southwest quadrant), which in this case involves a Venus-Saturn opposition with both of these planets at 90 degree angles to his Jupiter. All of these planets and the signs and houses in which they fall--and most particularly their angles to one another--strongly indicates that John McCain's childhood environment was difficult and tumultuous in a way that adversely impacted his psychological development and in turn his personal relationships, his values, his close relationships with women and, most importantly, his self-image as a man.

From the afflicted Moon in Capricorn in the Forth House it can be deduced that his mother and father were almost certainly the source of the trouble. It's likely his mother was a not a very warm or compassionate figure to him, and his father may have been emotionally distant and perhaps overly critical—both parents probably had rigid expectations. At the same time, he was likely well provided for materially, and perhaps in some manner even indulged or spoiled as a child. With Pluto in Cancer opposing his Moon in Capricorn one or both of his parents may have been emotionally unpredictable and discipline was probably wildly inconsistent. So, before even going onto the many other elements in his chart, and his personality, this gives us some important information.

The poorly aspected Moon and Venus on John McCain's chart would specifically indicate difficulties in intimate relationships. Conventional astrology and Freudian psychology are actually very much in sync, and the chart indicates that the attitudes of one or both of his parents fostered mistrust and cynicism toward women. These feelings would not bode well for any woman who would wish to have an intimate, loving relationship with him. He's a man who has probably felt a fair amount of hostility and mistrust toward women, and with his Saturn in Pisces opposing his Venus in Virgo he has also had highly unrealistic expectations of them. This could be the classic aspect of the man who expects a woman to be a saint otherwise she's just a whore. Also, a man who might repeatedly set himself up to be disappointed by women by gravitating to the very type of woman who will most disappoint him.

Of course with any sort of psychological baggage we carry from our childhood there is an opportunity offered to evolve and in some cases become even better for having been challenged. This chart would indicate someone who would need to make a lot of conscious effort otherwise intimate relationships will always be a major source of unhappiness.

With regard to his daughters, the mistrust is probably less profound despite their gender, but there is an indication, with his poorly aspected Moon in Capricorn that he would have unrealistic expectations of his daughters as well, which could potentially cause them to feel some resentment toward him. With his Moon in the Forth House, there are also some very positive things: this would incline him to be a protective parent and a good, steady provider for his daughters and his family—they know they can depend on him. Considering the large number of mutable (flexible) planets in his chart I would tend to think that he is more tolerant with his own children than his parents were with him.

While his close relationships with women have been problematic, his relationships with men are quite different. With his Sun in the Eleventh House in Virgo he would tend to have a lot of male acquaintances and male friendships, though none of them would likely be particularly close. He undoubtedly feels much more trusting of men than women. With Neptune in Virgo in the 11th, conjuncting his Sun, he is also capable of a deeply loyal and self-sacrificing feeling toward his male associates, especially if they are comrades in a common social cause. This would speak to his war experiences and his feelings of loyalty there. Venus and Mercury in the Twelfth House would also contribute to a sense of wanting to do for others and an admirable capacity for self-sacrifice.

The placement of the Sun on the natal chart is very important. His Sun is in the 11th House and this House has to do with social groups, clubs, politics, the greater society, the future, and the future of the human race in general. With his Sun in the pragmatic work sign of Virgo, and in the 11th, I see him as a person who does possess an innate desire to serve society; to give of himself and serve causes higher than his personal self-interest. The 11th House includes activities which are organized around a social goal—so political activities fall squarely into its domain. Aside from his Sun being in this house Neptune is also there and forms a conjunction (union) with his Sun. This would mean he can be especially giving of his time and energy in these kinds of endeavors and he can find great fulfillment in working with groups of people on social causes—and probably feels most in his comfort zone in these situations. Pretty much any cause that has some sort of arguably "beneficial" effect would do, but with his Sun, Neptune and Venus in the sign of Virgo, environmental causes would be especially of interest to him—animal causes as well. With his Sun in Virgo he does have an ability to organize and work co-operatively and effectively with groups of people for all sorts of positive change. He also has good instincts for assessing problems realistically & listening to and communicating with people effectively. He is interested in world affairs and can be very tuned into what's going on and thus, sometimes exceptionally good at predicting the future or at anticipating coming events. However (and this is a big however), his ability to ascertain things correctly isn't consistent: when Neptune is placed in the 11th House there is also the capacity to be badly misled or confused by distorted or corrupted information, or, by misinformed or dishonest people. Neptunian idealism also causes him to be overly trusting of people at times, which in turn can make him vulnerable to deceit. So for all his general good sense of the "world at large" his judgment can sometimes go significantly astray.

Mars and Pluto are placed in the Tenth House in his chart, which is hugely significant in the context of a presidential campaign. The Tenth House has to do with our achievements and career success. Very much *unlike* the 11th House, which has to do with doing for *others* this House has to do with doing for *ourselves*—with proving our merit to the world with our accomplishments. Mars and Pluto are both intensely aggressive and self-serving planets and with both of them together in the Tenth House of achievement it clearly indicates a desire to rise as high as possible in a career for entirely selfish reasons. Especially so with his Mars in the sign of Leo, which would contribute to an egotistical desire to prove something to the world. So, John McCain's interest in rising to the top in politics is an altogether separate aspect of his character from that part of him which is purely humanitarian. This separate "achievement" ambition of his does not have a connection to the fulfillment he gets out of working with people on social causes and helping people in general. It is a desire that stems from the way he was shaped in his childhood, the insecurity that began there and still lingers in the psyche, and a resulting, ongoing need to prove himself that's been present—you might even say, smoldering within him—since then.

The placement of Mars in the 10th and especially in the sign of Leo indicates a powerful and ongoing desire to be admired by people and seen as a strong, powerful man. With Pluto in Cancer in the 10th house as well, there is quite a bit of egotistical self-interest, and also a potential for dishonesty and ruthlessness in the pursuit of his ultimate career goals. His career happens to be politics, which can be a humanitarian realm when exercised in that manner, but as we all know it can also be something quite the opposite. So there's a duality in his character; a part of him that's duty bound toward the altruistic, and another part that's just plain out for himself. The latter goes straight back to his childhood—just as that red line goes straight up from the bottom of his chart to the top: from the past and family, to the future and achievement.

As to his core values, and the things in life he believes in—this is another aspect of the psyche that is largely set in youth. To some people John McCain appears to be his own man—a maverick—sure of who he is, of what he stands for and of his unique destiny in life. Well, interestingly, the chart indicates something quite different. I think people are thrown off about him because like most men, he exhibits a veneer of male hubris and certitude, but the veneer shouldn't be confused with firm values and deeply held views. Referring back to the T-square which I mentioned earlier, with his Jupiter in Sagittarius in his Second House--and at the base of the T-Square involving Saturn and Neptune--his personal values, his political views and his broader philosophical views, are not very deeply entrenched and never will be. This is especially true because the planets involved in this T-square are all in mutable (flexible) signs. The placement of his Mercury in the hazy 12th House, and, the Neptune-Venus-Sun conjunction in the mutable sign of Virgo also point to this. The T-square I keep referring to has much to say regarding the lack of consistency in his core beliefs and also, the lack of real, deep conviction for any given viewpoint he may espouse at any given time. He cannot be described as a man of deep beliefs. With the Mercury and Jupiter placements, it's indicated that he is a person who possesses an inner need to always be broadening his views of life, who needs to feel free to incorporate new information and ideas. This could make him very open-minded, and flexible in an admirable way, but it can also make him very intellectually flaky. He might too easily adopt or shed a conviction and he could also be impulsive about reaching a conclusion, before all the information is in. He does have an instinct to seek truth and to seek enlightened knowledge, but he is so open to new information the "truth" for him can shift around a lot. Essentially, I think it can be safely said that John McCain is not an ideologue. It might, however, be said that he is ideologically all over the place.

His open-mindedness and lack of entrenched beliefs can be assessed as a very positive character trait or very negative, depending on your perspective. As a Republican politician who's expected to see the truth the dogged Republican way this open-mindedness has obviously been a problem and it does appear that he's managed to hide it to some degree. I think what is largely going on with him regarding the Maverick image is, with Jupiter in it's own freedom-loving sign of Sagittarius, squaring his Sun, Neptune and Venus, you have someone who just has to feel free to think and take stands as he chooses. His quest for new "truth" generally guides him, but mixed in with that is the highly ambitious side of him (Mars & Pluto in the 10th) which I think conveniently enables him, in his flexibility, to be quite capable of rationalization and self-deception as a means of serving his personal interests. So, is this getting confusing? Well, as I said his chart is filled with contradictions. I would say this is why it's hard for people to really get a fix on John McCain as a person, and what makes him tick. He'll never be an easy one to predict or pin down.

One of the concerns I would raise regarding whether he'd be a good bet as a president isn't so much his lack of sureness in his views and values, but more in his true motives for wanting the job. When asked directly about his motives for wishing to be president his public answer has been that he is "seeking to serve a cause higher than himself". The birth chart would indicate that he's speaking the truth, but his chart also shows very clearly that this is only part of the truth. There is a stronger motivation. And that goes straight back to where I started in this reading. John McCain is, presently, striving for something that largely has nothing to do with people, the society he lives in, or the welfare of the world in general, but everything to do with issues within himself. I believe in his present quest to be president the dominant motive is a negative one. And although he certainly wouldn't be the first person in a position of power to possess this sort of psychological dynamic, I would say we might look back to those leaders in our world's history, notorious for their ego issues, to see how this usually works itself out. Another thing that troubles me (being a woman), is that there are probably still some anger issues with women that are unresolved. This is not a man who probably feels especially kindly toward the female sex in general, and as a woman I wouldn't wish him to be president for this reason almost as much as the fear that he might, out of his very considerable desire to prove his manly-manliness to the world, be too belligerent and aggressive in his approach to foreign policy. All in all I have to say, I see reasons for everyone to really reflect on his true nature and his true motives and how this could play itself out were he to be our next president at this very complicated time.

--Published by Lisa Murphy on September 4 2008

See McCain being interviewed by the all female Des Moines Register Editorial board, posted to YouTube on Sept 30th: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHcPXfgD4jM

And this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jqQYedt-EU

And this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq0rUSl3wnQ

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