The Astrology of Speaker Kevin McCarthy

With the debt ceiling negotiations taking center stage in the news, it is wholly appropriate that Kevin McCarthy comes under our celestial spotlight. A controversial successor to the Republican-led house, the political right have been holding their breath as they watch to see if he lives up to the deal struck by the Freedom Caucus. Is he the conniving politico his reputation suggests, or is there some integrity to be had? Let’s pop the hood and see how the stars align with Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Political figures are a special breed, and their birth charts reflect this. Compared to actors and other such types that have fame at the center of their world, politicians often have a degree of fame, but this is not their key role in most cases (with clear exceptions). For example, Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton both have the fabled Jupiter conjunct midheaven in their charts. The midheaven is the point that the world-at-large sees, and Jupiter’s essential action is to expand. Hence, those with this placement have their fame literally “blown up” and exaggerated.

The reason I voice this is because with Mr. McCarthy this kind of Jupiter to midheaven contact is indeed there, but in a less “bloated” fashion than Jupiter conjunct midheaven is as the archetypal fame position. Instead, Speaker McCarthy has Jupiter in a square to his midheaven, and this is a different flavor. Jupiter square midheaven is an aspect of friction between the ego, ambition, and the public. It does not always agree with what the public wants, rather wanting to tell them what’s what. It is also not something that likes to be told what to do, either, very much liking their own autonomy. Which is ironic, as things often are.

Truthfully, any contact between Jupiter and the midheaven is enough to bring fame, especially working in tandem with other aspects present. And this is definitely true of McCarthy who has more that speak to his celebrity.

However, by comparison, Jupiter conjunct the midheaven by itself is enough to put someone in the stratosphere, as in the case of Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian who are literally “famous for nothing.” And it is there that we have the essence of Jupiter on the midheaven, ballooning the communal visage to clownish proportions and making the person the very example of vapid popularity.

But enough waxing on the nature of Jupiterian fame, let’s get down to business. The first thing that pops up is McCarthy’s “grand trine.” This is when three or more planets position themselves in such a way as to form a giant triangle in the chart. It is an indicator of good karma from previous lifetimes and sets the life of the native on easy mode, all things considered. They have natural talents to draw from and often end up in just the right place at the right time again and again throughout their life.

And the first point of that triangle is Mercury conjunct Venus. We see this aspect commonly in many people’s charts because of the relationship of these two planets to one another. Both are fairly quick bodies that zip around the zodiac in a relatively small amount of time, compared to the big boys, so the conjunction happens frequently. Mercury conjunct Venus signifies someone who is charming in their communications. Sometimes there is a poetic bent to their delivery as well. And one of the most consistent traits of this aspect is diplomacy, which fits well with someone so high on the governmental ladder.

The next point forming this big triangle is Jupiter. So, this means that Jupiter is in a trine with that Mercury and Venus conjunction we just talked about, which means it’s a double aspect of Jupiter trine Mercury and Jupiter trine Venus. Of the two, Jupiter trine Venus is the more potent expression, and a very lucky one to have. In fact, that’s it’s meaning: luck. Venus and Jupiter are the positive planets in the sky. Venus is called the “lesser benefic,” while Jupiter is the “greater benefic.” They tend to bring blessings in the form of luck, money, and good feelings.

Then we have the second of that double aspect, Jupiter trine Mercury. It is a positive manifestation for thoughts and communication, giving “big ideas” but without being overly positive to the point of pie-in-the-sky.

The third point completing this giant triangle is the conjunction of Pluto and Uranus. These are both generational planets, so Kevin McCarthy is one of a large group of people born around a particular time period to possess this arrangement of planets. And wow, as far as power-packed planets go, Pluto and Uranus bring home the bacon. Pluto represents death and rebirth cycles, while Uranus is shock, surprise, and moments of genius or insight. When you put them together, you get an intense bang of an effect. In one way or another, the generation possessing this aspect is meant to challenge the status quo in a very real way. The breakup of patterns of power itself is evident here and we can see that the politics of the past few years have definitely been that! For good or ill…

So, with that conjunction of Uranus and Pluto, they are both in a trine to Jupiter and the Mercury-Venus conjunction, too, creating multiple aspects which are as follows: Jupiter trine Uranus, Jupiter trine Pluto, Mercury trine Uranus and Mercury trine Pluto, Venus trine Pluto and Venus trine Uranus. Whew!

Jupiter trine Uranus is about bringing in the new and (again) having lucky breaks fall in your lap. It skews toward rewarding risk-taking, too. This guy has luck coming out his ears. As well, it also gives a spark of creative genius in some area.

Jupiter trine Pluto is actually very important for our purposes here, because this one is common in those who garner power and influence or become magnates in some way. Obviously, climbing to the seat of Speaker of the House is a manifestation of this aspect. Wealth is another way this placement blesses the native.

Mercury trine Uranus is yet another element of having a bit of genius inside of you. It allows sideways thinking that others don’t see, making problem solving much easier. And Mercury trine Pluto is the investigators aspect, making the mind naturally seek and find depth. The one hundred and twenty degree trine always integrates into the personality in such a way that the person need not try in order to exude these qualities.

Venus trine Uranus is about wanting and attracting surprising circumstances to your life. It’s the need to do exciting things and never be bored. It generally endows the native with a unique personality, too, with the need to have novel social stimulation. Meeting new people and going on adventures is the name of the game. And I imagine that hobnobbing with donors and socialites suits Kevin right down to the ground.

Then there’s Venus trine Pluto. This one is far less lighthearted, as Pluto’s reputation would have it. And this aspect can bring some fatal attractions. He may have had his share of stalkers in his day, whether politically motivated or not. Though you, yourself, may not see it, this combination brings a sultry and burning sexuality in the native. And it also tends toward jealousy. So McCarthy lovers are forewarned! To boot, it also grants love of power and control, something that is not well liked in political figures. Yet, however undesirable, this sort of thing is nearly always present in the politician. Else, the person would not be engendered with the motivation to run for office! There is a lot of work and stress involved in the business of politics, with much of it bringing negative forms of attention along for the ride. And most have no such preference for that life, preferring the safety of normalcy and obscurity.

And it is at this juncture that we have only just now completed all the aspects connected to the grand trine. There are so many more in Kevin McCarthy’s chart that we’ve only just begun. However, there is simply not the time to cover them all here. So I will round out this entry with one final placement that is very important.

Moon opposite ascendant. This is something we see commonly with people who deal with the public, as the Moon represents the subconscious of the people as a whole. This is a lesser known interpretation of the Moon which is mostly associated with feelings and the mother, caretaking and femininity. When opposing the ascendant, what we have is a manifestation of the collective id.

The opposite of the ascendant is “the other,” as the ascendant, or rising point, is “the self.” Opposite the ascendant is “out there.” This is the one-to-one relations we have with people. When you stand and face another in conversation, this is the ascendant-descendant polarization and representation of these two points in the chart playing out.

Moon opposite ascendant can bring overly emotional people into the life of the native. It can also cause interdependence on these close relationships. Yet, it is also the dealings with emotions of large numbers of people, and that’s what we’re seeing here. Great orators who persuade crowds will often boast this placement in their chart, swaying the affections of thousands with their impassioned speeches.

Despite his reputation, McCarthy’s chart appears fairly benign. He may be superficial and have been born on easy street, but he does not appear to be evil from where I sit. When compared to the great dictators of today, he certainly seems more tame and prone to diplomacy, which is definitely a good thing. He could be a lot worse. Let’s hope that is what he brings in the years to come.