Reluctant Rebel

John McCain Astrology Profile

by Jeff Jawer

Born August 29, 1936 at 6:25 pm in Colon, Panama, the feisty Senator from Arizona is comfortable playing the role of the underdog -- in spite of being the privileged son and grandson of four-star admirals. And also despite his decades in the US Senate, an enormously wealthy wife and his status as a national hero. McCain is a Virgo, the scrappy mutable Earth sign that always feels like it's working harder than anyone else and doesn't get the respect it deserves. Members of this sign are rarely content as they consistently strive to improve their station with commitment to service. Virgo's self-deprecating nature has helped McCain earn the admiration of the press and maintain his image as a regular guy. Even jaded journalists never saw him as one of the Senate's elites but as a funny, accessible individual who didn't take himself too seriously.

McCain's reputation as a maverick has been tarnished during this campaign because of his close adherence to Republican orthodoxy. Still, his chart demonstrates that the individualistic qualities that made him so popular in the past are a vital part of his personality. His Moon is in the independent sign of Aquarius, often an indicator of someone who marches to the beat of his or her own drum. Aquarian Moon people don't like to be pigeon-holed and are instinctively open to innovative ideas. This sign is also known for its friendliness, since the lines of race and class generally have little meaning to them. While McCain was not a scholar at the Naval Academy, he has the natural social intelligence of Aquarius, which has enabled him to work effectively with Democrats in the past.

McCain's Mars in Leo, the planet of aggression, gives him a flair for the dramatic, as well as the strong will that helped him survive his years in captivity. It forms a close 90-degree square, an angle of tension, with Uranus, the planet of independence, another mark of the maverick. This combination, though, is often associated with the quick temper for which the Senator is known. However, Mars in Leo and Uranus is also a highly innovative pair, which would have served McCain better during the campaign than his alignment with the status quo. During this volatile election season, McCain would have probably been in a stronger position if he had followed his natural instincts rather than sticking to the party line. In politics, as in life, being true to oneself is the surest road to success.