McCain picks Sarah Palin for VP

In a daring political gamble, John McCain has picked little known Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. No doubt hoping to make their own case for change and appealing to disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters, the GOP rolled the dice today by tapping the 44-year old Palin.

Although her birth time is unknown, we do have her date of birth: February 11, 1964. Palin is all Saturn as her Sun-Mars-Saturn conjunction in late Capricorn and early Aquarius shows a non-nonsense, tough as nails fighter. Unfortunately for McCain, there isn't much significant planetary activity going on in her chart around election day. Without the birth time, one has to be careful about making any definite conclusions, but this is not a chart that shows victory on November 4th. There are no close aspects of any description, and there is very little action in the progressed charts as well.

In comparison with Joe Biden's very active chart, this is another piece of evidence that supports the notion that the Democrats behind Obama and Biden will win the election. Whatever twists and turns that may occur between now and the inauguration on January 20th, I'm even more confident now than the Democrats will win the White House in November.

Obama picks Joe Biden as VP nominee

Joe Biden won the Veepstakes this week as the 65-year old Senator from Delaware was seen to bring experience and foreign policy credibility to the Obama ticket. Biden's horoscope is yet another window on the November election and its probable outcome. Based on the data we have, Biden was born Nov 20 1942 at 8.30 am in Scranton, PA. I have rectified this time back a few minutes to 8.27 but it's likely a fairly accurate time of birth.

It's a very strong chart with Sun and Venus rising in Scorpio closely aspected by exalted Jupiter in the 9th house. This may reflect Biden's early legal career and perhaps his overriding concern for social justice issues and sticking up for the little guy. The opposition aspect from Uranus and Saturn to these first house planets, however, may make him overbearing and unpredictable at times. The rising Sun can create an inflated ego while a rising Venus makes for charm and affability and an appreciation of the fairer sex. Perhaps that is par for the course with politicians. Biden's Moon in Aries aspected by Rahu is one potential source of his 'loose cannon' label since Rahu can create a instability of mind when it combines with the Moon.

Biden is currently running Jupiter-Jupiter dasha. Jupiter is wonderfully placed in the 9th house and points to success in all sorts of matters. However, it needs to be noted that the Saturn subperiod beings October 18th according to the Krishnamurti ayanamsha. Saturn is quite active in his chart as it receives an aspect from 1st and 6th house lord Mars. This is not necessarily negative, but it does suggest that competitions, conflict, and violence may be featured during this subperiod that runs until 2011. It should be noted that the death of Biden's first wife in 1972 is related to this Mars aspect to the 7th house retrograde Saturn. Perhaps more interesting is that at the time of the election on November 4th, transiting Saturn will conjoin the MC (the unequal 10th house cusp) in his chart while transiting Uranus will be close to this IC (the unequal 4th house cusp). This is a very powerful pattern that suggests to monumental changes in the native's life. They indicate a very stressful and chaotic time. Transiting Rahu will also aspect the natal Saturn and this suggests the possibility of new patterns of status since Rahu is placed in the 10th house in Biden's natal chart.

In addition to the close transits of Sun and Mars that occur election day, this is clearly a very energized chart. His tertiary progressed Pluto station in November is a classic indicator of political victory. Overall, there are many signs in this horoscope that point to an Obama-Biden win in November. And yet, there are an unusual number of negative or disruptive factors here that do not easily square with a victory. With the various negative indicators I've seen in the various relevant charts, I've wondered for months what the extenuating circumstances might be here. I do not think this will be a simple Obama victory on Nov 4th. The Saturn-Uranus opposition perfects on the very day of the election. Part of this energy of revolution and change (Saturn' structures upset by Uranus' radicalism) may simply be the historic significance of an Obama win, the first black man to win the highest office of the USA. But Biden's chart seems like it contains another layer of disruption of the status quo that goes beyond this.

So at this point, I would say Biden's chart very much points to an Obama win, but at the same time it reaffirms the notion of some kind of unforeseen development that complicates the election, either in terms of its outcome or in terms of a major event that proves distracting from it. Hopefully I can refine this foggy picture with new data including the horoscopes of the Biden acceptance speech, the Obama acceptance speech, and the Republican VP nominee.

McCain's houses

John McCain's campaign hit a bump in the road today after he could not answer a reporter's question about how many houses he owned. The Obama camp has pounced on this as proof of how out of touch McCain is with the average person struggling to cope with housing and mortgage crisis. This has been given big play in the media with CNN labelling it "McCain's Gaffe".

This setback coincides with transiting Mars moving up to conjoin his natal Mercury which can often denote difficult and unexpected situations that cause annoyance. At the same time, the transiting Sun is being troubled by the aspect of his natal Ketu, suggesting a time when his ability to lead is compromised. This may be a difficult couple of days for McCain. However, this is unlikely to create a lasting problem as benefic Mercury and Venus are moving towards a close conjunction with his natal Venus on the weekend. Next week should belong largely to Obama anyway with the Democratic convention, but the week after looks quite difficult for Obama and very good for McCain.

Hillary's convention catharsis

The Democrats get their three days of free media coverage next week as they converge on Denver for their Convention. While there is no longer any suspense surrounding the nomination of Barack Obama, questions remain about the overall tenor of the convention and the extent to which some of Hillary Clinton's supporters could create some awkward moments for the party. After considerable negotiation, Obama has acceded to Hillary's request for her name to appear on the ballot and for her supporters to have their day in the sun. So the stage is set for a certain amount of healthy difference of opinion on the convention floor, but is there any astrological clue that suggests that things could become fractious or otherwise divisive?

The transit of Mars to the natal Rahu in the Democratic Party horoscope suggests that there will a level of conflict and energy that may be somewhat excessive and perhaps make the Obama camp uncomfortable. I am also interested to see what the effect of the Mercury-Venus transit to the natal Mars in this chart will be. This occurs around Aug 23rd before the convention begins and may represent some minor setback for the Democrats in the election campaign. For the convention itself, the Mars conjunction to Rahu becomes exact on the 27th. This may be the most likely time when things may boil over somewhat.

While Hillary is scheduled to speak on the 26th, her chart does not suggest a major event. Mercury and Venus are squaring her Uranus so that can make for things to be a little out of one's control perhaps. Both benefic transiting planets come under the influence of her natal Rahu so that is another sign matters getting out of hand or things not working out in a favourable way for her. This is certainly not a positive pattern so Hillary may come up with the short end of the stick during the convention.

The 27th has two potential sources of conflict -- the roll call of state delegates to cast their votes for either Obama or Hillary and a speech by Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton's chart looks very animated at this time as the transiting Mars is conjunct his ascendant. Clinton has been widely criticized for his sometimes uncontrollable anger and some questionable statements during the campaign and lacklustre support for Obama. This Mars transit strongly points to another eruption by the former president, either during his speech or perhaps as a result of a roll call vote that ends with Hillary receiving an embarrassingly low number of votes. I think Bill Clinton will emerge as the big loser in the convention as the transiting Sun will be right on the 12th house cusp signifying loss, diminished status, and isolation. I would not be surprised to see him booed during his speech. In some way, Bill and Hillary Clinton will create difficulties for the Democratic Party.

But the overall effect of the convention is likely to be generally positive for Obama and the Party. Transiting Sun closely aspects the natal Moon in the natal chart suggesting high public profile and this is also in trine aspect to the natal Venus indicating convivial feelings. While neither nor the Moon nor Venus cast full strength aspects in Vedic astrology, it is important to remember that the mutual planetary interaction still exists because trine aspects are conjunct in the navamsa chart.

While I will await the selection of the VP candidate before making a definitive prediction on the outcome of this election, the horoscope of the Democratic Party is not in good condition in November. I noted some of these problems several months ago and couldn't quite figure out how the afflictions there could be reconciled with the charts of the key figures in the party. There seemed to be too much affliction to denote a victory. One alternative scenario was a win but under very trying circumstances such as warfare, rioting, or something of that disruptive nature. But looking at this chart again reaffirms just how chaotic the election period will be. While I had thought Obama's new birth time boosted his chances for winning, I wonder now if that might only translate into popularity and enhanced public visibility rather than actually winning office.

More on that topic to come.

Saturn in command: singer's voice was dubbed in Olympic opening ceremonies

You could say it's a case of the control needs of Saturn having to rise to the surface. There is a controversy brewing both abroad and in China itself over a decision to dub the voice of a 9-year old girl singing Ode to the Motherland in the opening ceremonies. Apparently Chinese organizers thought the singer didn't have the right "look", so they got a more photogenic little girl to take her place. It has also come to light that Chinese television added computer-generated fireworks to enhance the spectacle of the opening ceremonies.

All of this supports the strong role of Saturn in the chart of the opening ceremonies. As I had suggested last week, the influence of Saturn would mean that the games would be seen as regimented and perhaps sterile, something that is more likely given these revelations for a heavily stage-managed presentation.

This is in keeping with my prediction of some kind of "confusion or technical malfunction" that was possible around the 11th owing to Mercury's vulnerable position in the China natal horoscope. While not a strictly technical problem, the exposure of this bit of excessive manipulation is broadly in keeping with the notion of a malfunction of planning that has blown up in organizers faces.

Meanwhile, the violence is heating up in the Western province of Xinjian, as three security officers will stabbed to death yesterday, the NY Times reports. This follows another bombing in Western China by Muslim separatists took place on the 10th and resulted in the deaths of ten people. This is yet another instance of violence during the Games that can be seen in the charts of China and the Olympics.

Murder in Beijing; Chinese man kills U.S. tourist

In a random attack, a Chinese man attacked two American tourists and their Chinese guide, killing one of them, and then committed suicide by leaping to his death. The New York Times reports that the death has cast a pall over Beijing just a day after the well-received opening ceremonies.

A few days ago, I had suggested that there might be a violent or disruptive event at the time of the opening ceremonies. This killing, coupled with some minor protests that occurred the day prior to the opening of games would appear to have fulfilled that energy in the charts.

Bad weekend ahead for John McCain

Looking at the John McCain campaign chart (Apr 25 2007 12.21 p.m), the approaching Sun-Ketu conjunction will be right on the natal Saturn of this chart. This aspect will be exact on Sunday, but it should be considered to be in range from Saturday to Monday. This is likely indicative of a some kind of frustration and anger, possibly involving the optics of his campaign to the media. With Saturn in the first house, I wonder if his age, a frequent target of talk show jokes, is part of the story. Transiting Mars passes over his natal Venus at the same time, so that might suggest this would have something to do with women. I don't see this event has being hugely significant, but it may put him on the defensive after Obama has been back on his heels in the past week.

As you can see, this is a powerful chart, but not one without some significant problems. The Moon-Saturn conjunction in the first house says this is the chart of the Old Man. The exalted Sun and Mercury in the 10th house near the Midheaven is a very strong feature. And having 11th lord Venus in its own sign of Taurus is an outstanding indicator for gains and victory. And yet the Mars-Rahu-Uranus conjunction in the 8th house is cause for concern and speaks to the prospect of violence and sudden incidents that may disrupt this election campaign. More on that later.

Beijing Olympics set to open

Yesterday's terrorist attack in the Western Chinese province of Xinjiang by Muslim separatists has underlined potential security concerns for the upcoming Olympics which begin August 8th. As I've discussed previously, the springtime protests against the Chinese rule in Tibet during the torch relay were attributable to transiting Saturn's weakened state in the 8th house of the China horoscope. While Saturn has moved away from this point, transiting Ketu has now conjoined the natal Mars-Pluto conjunction. Mars and Pluto together create a picture of the exercise of power and the possibility of brutal violence. Ketu's influence here can bring out the sudden manifestations of these energies in sometimes shocking ways. Monday's attack was symptomatic of this planetary energy. Given the power of this transit and the co-presence of the transiting inner planets in the 8th house during the games, I think we can expect more violent and/or protest incidents over the next two weeks.

On the night of the opening ceremonies on the 8th, transiting Venus is very close to the 8th house cusp. Venus rules the 10th house of government and leaders and the 8th house represents embarrassments and setbacks. The transiting Moon comes under the aspect of natal Mars around midnight, indicating a possible moment of conflict and violence. On the night of the 11th, transiting Mercury moves to this same sensitive point in the 8th house, indicating a possible time of confusion or technical malfunction that affects the games and causes headaches. The fact that Mercury rules the 9th house of foreigners in the natal chart of China suggests that foreign nationals may be the source of the problem for Chinese officials. Finally, the two days at the close of the Olympics on the 23rd and 24th also look troublesome as transiting Sun moves across that 8th house cusp. At the same time, transiting Mercury and Venus conjoin the natal Mars in the 2008 Olympics natal chart at 29 Leo (see below). This may indicate situations that put officials in an awkward position for some reason, most likely due to protests. The closing ceremonies on the 24th display this pattern somewhat more strongly.

Another way to read the probable character of these Olympics is to examine the chart of the games themselves. The Olympics are scheduled to being at 8.08 pm on August 24th in Beijing. This chart therefore reflects the general nature of the games. What stands out most of all is that the lagnesh Saturn, ruler of Aquarius, is angular and aspects the ascendant quite closely. As we have seen from the build-up, the security presence in China for the games is extremely visible. Since Saturn represents order and structure, I think it's safe to say that the extreme security measures for these games will be a dominant feature. With Venus closely conjunct Saturn in the 7th house of others or guests, it's likely that visitors will probably feel oppressed somewhat by the security to the point where their enjoyment of the games will be compromised. This idea of a very regimented games is further seen by the situation of the Moon in Libra in the 9th house. As 6th lord of conflict, it is also aspected by Saturn suggesting that security will be seen as too strict although perhaps necessary to deal with the protests that may occur.

Overall, I think the games will be remembered as well-organized but probably too strict and sterile where the authoritarian character of China's government is laid bare for the whole world. Protests and smaller acts of violence will also mark the games on several occasions, although I don't expect anything hugely significant on that front. Mars is closely opposed by unpredictable Uranus in the Olympics natal chart, but the extent of any damage will be limited by the calming influence of the Jupiter aspect. This forecast will be amended by the chart for the declaration of the opening of the games which usually occurs near the beginning of the ceremonies on the first night.

Obama runs into turbulence

On the heels of Barack Obama's successful world tour, his campaign has generated more potentially damaging controversy in recent days with the accusations about him playing the race card, the new McCain celeb ad that attempts to depict him in an unflattering light, and now Obama's apparent flip-flop on offshore drilling. Clearly, he is suffering the effects of the transiting Mars to his natal Mars. Several months ago, I had predicted that the first week of August would be a stressful and conflictual time for Obama and that seems to be taking place.

Given that Mars (25 Leo) is currently still a few degrees away from Obama's natal Mars (29 Leo), it's very likely that the upcoming week will mean more headaches and missteps for him. Remember, too, that the effect of this Mars transit to Obama is greatly magnified by the presence of transiting Uranus exactly opposite at 28 Aquarius. This combination can be volatile and is often associated with accidents and sudden actions which cause hardship. I don't think he's in any great danger here, but he's is likely to be on the receiving end of anger and animosity and maybe a rotten egg or tomato. I would expect more protests of the sort that he encountered in Florida when a number of black supporters tried to interrupted his speech. I think it's also possible that polling numbers to perhaps begin to favour McCain next week. Up to now, Obama has been ahead although his lead has shown signs of diminishing in recent weeks Obama's birthday is tomorrow August 4th. Before he blows out the candles, he may be wishing for Mars to get on its merry way.

I will post something on John McCain in the upcoming week. His natal Venus (29 Leo) will be subject to the same Mars-Uranus influence this week so he, too, may have to react to some sudden development that embodies some element of conflict or violence. It's possible there may be some news involving Iran that affects the presidential campaign.