Galactic Profile: Paul Ryan

On August 11, 2012, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney chose as his running-mate Paul Ryan, a seven-term US Representative from Wisconsin’s 1st congressional district. First elected in 1998, Ryan had already spent six years on Capitol Hill, working as a congressional aide and later as speech writer for Jack Kemp, Bob Dole’s 1996 VP running-mate.

His conservative roots run deep, and in recent years Ryan, who describes himself as a “numbers geek,” has become noted among political junkies for his work as chairman of the House Budget Committee, and the rather controversial fiscal plans he has promoted. Principal among his proposed alterations are the privatizing of Medicare and the block-granting of Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps) funds to the states, removing federal guidelines on how these are apportioned. By his proposals, federal grants to the states would be decreased over time, and the funds paid would be limited to set amounts, not based on fluctuating needs of the populace during economic downturns, as in the current system.

Born in Janesville, Wisconsin in 1970, in the district he now represents, Paul Ryan is the youngest of four children of Paul and Elizabeth Hunter Ryan. Ryan’s father was a lawyer, whom Paul found dead in bed of a heart attack at age 55, when he himself was just 16. Paul’s grandfather and great-grandfather had died of heart attacks at similar ages, which prompted Paul to take an avid interest in exercise and physical fitness. He is an advocate of the trendy P90X workout, and worked part-time as an athletic trainer after college to supplement his meager Washington staffer’s income.

A 1992 graduate of Ohio’s Miami University with a BA in political science and economics, Ryan spent an internship in his junior year working for US Senator Bob Kasten (R-WI), and later accepted a job with the senator as staff economist. His admiration for the writings of conservative icon Ayn Rand propelled him toward a political philosophy of self-reliance and limited government, despite his acceptance of social security survivor’s benefits after his father’s death, which helped him to attend college.

Ryan’s 1998 election to congress at age 28 made him the second-youngest member of the 106th congress. In his 14 years there, Ryan has sponsored 71 bills or amendments, but only two have ultimately become law, a 2000 bill to rename a post office in his district, and a 2008 bill which lowered the excise tax on arrow shafts. However, he has been signatory and co-sponsor of nearly 1000 additional bills and amendments.

When Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives in 2010, Ryan became Chair of the House Budget Committee, which considerably increased his national profile and influence. With House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, Paul Ryan became known as one of the GOP “Young Guns,” a group of ideological, telegenic congressmen who tried to breathe new life into the Republican Party after the debacle of the Bush presidency. With close ties to the Tea Party conservative movement, Ryan votes an average of 93-95% of the time along Party lines, and has been given a lifetime rating of 91 out of 100 from the American Conservative Union.

He was among the leading proponents of the misguided attempt to privatize Social Security in the second Bush administration, and has voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act of 2009, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Credit Act, the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the 2010 Affordable Care Act. In 1999, one of his first votes cast was in favor of the Gramm-Leach-Blily Act, which rolled back the Depression-era Glass-Steagall Act regulating banking and which kept savings and investment operations separate, a circumstance leading directly to the 2008 financial crisis.

Ryan opposes abortion in all instances, even rape and incest, and describes himself as “as pro-life as a person gets.” He has been awarded a 100 percent pro-life voting record by the National Right to Life Committee, and is on the record as favoring criminal prosecution for women who have abortions. He is a cosponsor of the Sanctity of Life Act, which would grant the rights of personhood to fertilized eggs, thus outlawing all abortion and some forms of contraception, and has repeatedly voted to cut off federal funds for Planned Parenthood.

Not surprisingly, Ryan is also against same-sex marriage, supports a constitutional amendment to ban it, and has voted against the right of same-sex couples to adopt children. He opposed the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, and voted against the inclusion of LGBT victims in national Hate Crimes legislation. The Human Rights Campaign has given him a 0 out of 100 rating for his voting record on LGBT issues.

In 2000 Paul Ryan married Janna Little, a tax attorney; the couple have three children, two boys and a girl.

Born 29 January 1970 in Janesville, Wisconsin, an unverified copy of Paul Ryan’s birth certificate gives him a birth time of 2:37 AM CST. This time would give him a 0 Sagittarius Ascendant, exactly conjoined asteroid Memoria, and a 0 Gemini Descendant, exactly conjoined asteroid Hygiea.

This reads as true for Ryan, noted for his prodigious command of the facts at a moment’s recall (Memoria)—he is sometimes referred to as “the human Google”—and his boy-next-door, squeaky-clean persona (Hygiea, named for the Greek goddess of cleanliness and hygiene). Also on the Ascendant is natal Neptune at 0 Sagittarius, suggesting an advanced ability to deceive or misdirect, and an image as a zealot or “true believer” in the causes he espouses.

The Sun at 9 Aquarius is part of a Galactic Grand Cross, conjoined a Pulsar also at 9 Aquarius and a Black Hole at 11 Aquarius, exactly opposed another Black Hole at 9 Leo, and squared to a third Black Hole at 6 Scorpio and the Maser at 7 Taurus. This complex interweaving of energies indicates an attraction for power and the ability to draw others into his orbit, for good or ill (the Black Holes); a good grasp of detail and a facility for disseminating his views (Pulsar); and a mix of controversy with the capability to enthuse or excite others (Maser). As a Black Hole native, Ryan is a good behind-the-scenes operative, someone who may feel more comfortable working from the shadows, one naturally drawn to the “second banana” position, but who is the true power behind the throne.

The Sun is also conjoined by asteroids Icarus at 3 Aquarius, Pallas at 8 Aquarius, Sisyphus at 10 Aquarius, America at 11 Aquarius, and Venus at 10 Aquarius. Venus with the Sun signifies a charmer, a smooth talker, persuasive and magnetic, one able to make even the most poisoned pill go down easily. Venus here also indicates Ryan’s interest in the budget (Venus ruling finance)—monetary issues fascinate him and are an integral part of his core essence. Pallas denotes advanced strategic abilities, the gift of seeing farther than most, and thus someone able to think and act several moves ahead, scotching the opposition at every turn.

Sisyphus indicates someone who puts his nose to the grindstone and plods along against insuperable odds, working tirelessly toward a goal which may seem unattainable, but in which cause the native is indefatigable. Icarus shows a risk-taking side and a difficulty heeding sage advice, preferring to go his own way. America here may be the most interesting—it implies a true identification with and genuine concern for his country, but America’s position exactly atop the Black Hole shows an inherent ability to radically transform the nation in ways which make it unrecognizable from what has gone before, perhaps in the twinkling of an eye, with Ryan (in the form of his Sun) as the agent of that change.

In broader solar conjunction are Juno at 16 Aquarius and Damocles at 18 Aquarius. Juno is the signature of the partner, and its conjunction with the Sun suggests someone who works best in a team setting. Juno also represents the disempowered or helpless, and in close conjunction with Damocles, the doom hanging unseen overhead, this makes for an uncomfortable prognosis of Ryan’s effect on America’s least fortunate.

Opposed the Sun on the Leo side is an exact conjunction of asteroid Pandora and centaur Asbolus at 5 Leo. Asbolus is named for a centaur seer who read auguries in the flight of birds, and denotes someone capable of putting a finger to the wind to read the Zeitgeist, or spirit of the times. Pandora represents the release of unexpected consequences via personal intervention in things not directly concerning oneself, and has major implications for Ryan’s budgetary wish-list.

The Sun is at the fulcrum of a planetary T-square carved from the broader Galactic Grand Cross, with squares to both Jupiter at 15 Scorpio and Saturn at 2 Taurus (though these are too far wide by degree to be considered opposed). This indicates a basic division or split between psychological elements favoring progressivism (Jupiter) and conservatism (Saturn). In this duel between opposed philosophies in Ryan’s psyche, conservatism has obviously won. But there is also a basic tension between expansion and contraction implied here, with Ryan’s Sun at the pivotal crux between them ,torn between both modes, the midpoint which allows them to communicate. Prophetically, Jupiter, ruling politics, is conjoined by asteroid Willaert, for Willard “Mitt” Romney, who would become so instrumental in deciding Ryan’s political fortunes.

The Moon at 24 Libra shows a deliberative emotional mindset, one who weighs options carefully and may prove indecisive or dilatory, but who sees himself ruled by justice and fairness, however that may appear to others. Conjoined by asteroid Eurydike, this suggests an emotional pull to the past, one who longs for something lost beyond recall, a sentiment common to socially conservative individuals. The recent Mars/Saturn union in the transit sky on August 15, just four days after Ryan’s VP announcement, fell exactly on the 24 Libra Moon, showing him as champion (Mars) of conservatism (Saturn) who may be able to identify with the populace (Moon). Natally, Ryan’s Moon trines the USA’s own at 26 Aquarius, perhaps enabling him to connect with voters.

Natal Mercury at 15 Capricorn is another indicator of a conservative mindset, and with its exact square to the spotlighting Quasar at 15 Libra, Ryan has become renowned as an important, formative thinker in GOP circles, that much-vaunted intellect his most-noted character trait. Natal Mars at 3 Aries has been transited by Uranus this year, heightening Ryan’s aggressive instincts and bringing out the fighter in him, though it may also encourage stumbles on the campaign trail.

Natal Saturn at 2 Taurus is exactly squared a Black Hole at 2 Leo, a combination which often manifests as career advancement via the unexpected absence of a superior. Ryan began his career in politics when the entrenched incumbent Republican Representative chose to vacate his seat in an ultimately unsuccessful senate bid, providing Ryan an unexpected opportunity to run in his district. Should Romney win the presidency, it would be entirely in keeping with this pattern for Ryan to succeed him prematurely, due to Romney’s sudden death, resignation or incapacity.

The importance of the nation’s capitol to his career, and its pull on his psyche, is prefigured by asteroid Washingtonia’s placement at 15 Virgo, closely conjoined the 17 Virgo MC, the cusp of the Tenth House of career. Asteroid Paul at 14 Pisces conjoins the North Node at 13 Pisces, symbol of the future, destiny and our highest aspirations; together these conjoin Mitt Romney’s natal Mercury at 13 Pisces, making Ryan a good fit as the GOP nominee’s mouthpiece and perhaps enhancing his chances of success in November. Asteroid Ryan at 26 Gemini exactly opposes the Galactic Center at 26 Sagittarius, denoting Ryan as someone with the potential to make a national, even global, impact.

When Mitt Romney announced Paul Ryan as his choice for running-mate at 9:21 AM EDT in Norfolk, VA on August 11, the 24 Gemini MC, highlighting career issues, was closely conjunct Ryan’s natal asteroid Ryan, with transit asteroid Willaert at 21 Pisces on the 25 Pisces Descendant, defining partnerships. The 25 Virgo Ascendant fell on Ryan’s natal Pluto at 27 Virgo, greatly enhancing his potential personal power; in the nativity, Pluto falls in Ryan’s Tenth House of career, arguing for great personal power in his employment.

Transit asteroid Ryan at 22 Aquarius opposed the transit Sun at 19 Leo, highlighting Ryan in the day’s events. Asteroid Ryan was also on the midpoint of the Uranus/Pluto square, in semisquare aspect to each, indicating Ryan’s pivotal (midpoint) role in the current cosmic clash between the forces of democracy, freedom and equality (all Uranus) and entrenched power, control and plutocracy (all Pluto).

Transit asteroid Paul fell at 0 Aquarius, opposed transit Mercury at 2 Leo, making Ryan the focus of the day’s news. Mercury was also exactly squared Ryan’s natal Saturn at 2 Taurus, bringing news (Mercury) about his career (Saturn). Transit asteroid America at 15 Libra was exactly squared Ryan’s natal Mercury, bringing him to the nation’s attention in the headlines. Transit asteroid Washingtonia at 22 Capricorn was in exact square to transit Mars at 22 Libra, about to form its conjunction with Saturn at 24 Libra, establishing the battle (Mars) to come for the presidency (Saturn) and the soul of the nation (Washingtonia).

On Election Day, asteroid Paul will appear at 2 Aquarius, closely conjunct asteroid Washingtonia at 3 Aquarius and squared Saturn at 3 Scorpio, and in exact square to Ryan’s natal Saturn at 2 Taurus. Asteroid Ryan at 21 Aquarius is closely sextile Mars at 22 Sagittarius and squared to the Sun/America conjunction at 14 and 17 Scorpio, linking Ryan very personally to the day’s outcome and the nation’s fate. Ryan will be experiencing his own personal Damocles return, with natal and transit Damocles at 18 Aquarius also both squared the transit Sun/America pairing, and perhaps making him the sword dangling over our collective heads.

Alex Miller

Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, whose website AlexAsteroidAstrology.com offers a trove of info on the role of asteroids in personal and mundane astrology. He is the author of The Black Hole Book (available on Amazon.com) and The Urban Wicca, former editor of “The Galactic Calendar,” and past president of The Philadelphia Astrological Society. His pioneering work with Black Holes in astrological interpretation began in 1991, when his progressed Sun unwittingly fell into one. Alex’s books and writings are available on his website. Alex can also be reached for comment or services at .