The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) and CNN quoted former President Jimmy Carter’s description of Senator John McCain as “a man of honor, a true patriot in the best sense of the word.” Few, if any, could have been more accurate.
I loved the anecdote Mike Allen shared this morning. It epitomizes that strong sense of honor and integrity, but then Allen’s entire column today especially was outstanding: “In April 2000, after his losing presidential campaign, McCain apologized for not condemning the Confederate flag while campaigning in South Carolina:
“‘I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So, I chose to compromise my principles. I broke my promise to always tell the truth.'”
There isn’t any point beyond these two brief paragraphs to share more of the news. It’s in print; it’s on TV; it’s everywhere you look and possibly in most conversations–at least in the USA. But there’s plenty to share in the charts I was able to develop. And thanks to The Hill, I caught Senator McCain’s 4:28 PM time of passing at his ranch near Sedona, Arizona.
Transiting Pluto Rx, in 45-minute partile square to transiting 9th house Venus, sits on the Ascendant of the time he passed while Mars Rx, also in the 1st house, forms a 37-minute partile opposition to natal Pluto in the 7th house. At the IC, close enough to be conjunct, sits transiting Uranus Rx in a perfected square to the senator’s natal Moon in the first house of the transiting chart. His widow, Cindy McCain, said he left as he led his life–on his terms, and certainly the Eastern, 1st quadrant dominance alludes to his having gone in this way. The regions North and South of the horizon are evenly split however, implying that Senator McCain had been aware of the people’s wishes to know something about how he was feeling, what would happen when he was gone, and whatever else he was willing to share with them.
Take note as well of transiting Neptune in the 2nd house in 42-minute partile opposition to natal Neptune–close enough, certainly, to consider that Senator McCain had been in the midst of his Neptune opposition. The opposition also draws in his natal Jupiter-Neptune square, a reminder of this man’s compassion and spirituality with an emphasis on both his military and political careers. I was also struck by the timing of transiting Mercury’s conjunction to natal Mars, and I wondered whether stopping treatment had been decided late on Thursday perhaps to give his family time to adjust before the announcement was made on Friday. But I wasn’t especially surprised to see natal Mercury was still receiving a 5-minute partile square from transiting Saturn Rx. He knew the time had come for his goodbyes.
Since his death on Saturday, many have spoken as well of his ability to bridge the gaps between parties. Rather than taking the hard line approach and staying totally Republican, he wasn’t afraid to cross party lines–including befriending people on both sides of the line. One of those people had been the late Edward M. “Teddy” Kennedy who died of the same type of cancer exactly nine years to the day earlier.
Just out of curiosity, I decided to see what held Donald Trump back from extending a more appropriate acknowledgment of Senator McCain’s six decades of achievements and stature as a military hero, a statesman and a member of the Congress. As I have written the last sentence, CNN read a new statement from the White House in which Mr. Trump addressed the distinguished senator’s “service to our country” as well as extending specific courtesies in his memory with the lowering of the flag to half-staff, a military escort from Arizona to the US Capitol Building and to the military academy where he will be buried. News reports indicated Mr. Trump’s having been strongly pressured by the American Legion to do so. Still, let’s have a quick look perhaps at the tri-wheel with McCain’s last Lunar Return in the center wheel, his natal chart in the middle, and then Mr. Trump’s natal chart in the outer wheel. It will become readily apparent, I believe, when you see the wheel in this form.
