As the ancient Chinese proverb attests, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. To a US presidential candidate, the metaphoric road may seem a lot longer than that, with its myriad twists, turns and switchbacks. Certainly the actual miles logged in a presidential campaign will exceed a thousand by many multiples of ten, as candidates cross and crisscross the country from north to south, coast to coast, for 18 months or more.
For Hillary Rodham Clinton, that first step was taken the day she was born, 26 October 1947, when the skies above conspired to place her on that path, linking her celestial namesake, asteroid Hillary, in an exact opposition with another minor body, representing her highest aspirations, asteroid Whitehouse. At 5 Virgo in her birth chart, Hillary is also sextile the 2 Scorpio Sun.
Typically PNAs (Personal-Named Asteroids) which represent the native will show up linked to the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or other angles of the chart. In Hillary’s case, we can only be sure about the Sun, as no confirmed birth time for the elusive Scorpio has been recorded. Opposing Whitehouse at 5 Pisces, Hillary also forms a T-Square with natal Jupiter at 0 Sagittarius, indicating her personal (Hillary) pull toward politics (Jupiter), with the Oval Office (Whitehouse) as her ultimate goal, the fruition (opposition) of her life’s journey.
She’s already come darn close, with husband Bill’s 1992 victory over George Bush Sr. On Inauguration Day, 20 January 1993, also known as “moving day” for the Clintons, asteroids Hillary and William were exactly conjunct in the sky at 23 Pisces, closely squared to asteroid Whitehouse at 25 Sagittarius. Will those eight years in the East Wing be the sum total of that Hillary/Whitehouse karma, or is there more in store?
In this article we’ll take a look at how asteroid Hillary has dogged Mrs. Clinton’s steps on her thousand-mile journey, and what it has to say about the road ahead, to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
An early foreshadowing of Hillary’s future success came in 1969, with her graduation from Wellesley College, as a Bachelor of Arts with departmental honors in political science. In an unprecedented move, Hillary was the first graduating student to give the college’s commencement address, at the prompting of the student body. At its conclusion, she received a seven-minute-long standing ovation, and was later featured in a “Life” magazine article.
When the commencement address was given on May 31, 1969, transit asteroid Hillary at 19 Pisces opposed Pluto at 22 Virgo, providing a glimpse of Clinton coming into her own personal power. With Pluto were Jupiter, ruling politics, at 26 Virgo, and Uranus, adding a progressive, liberal bent, at 29 Virgo. Transit Hillary was also trine natal Mercury, ruling speeches, at 21 Scorpio, and inconjunct natal Saturn, career matters, at 21 Leo, bringing out the exact natal square between them. Both transit planets from that natal square also aspected natal Hillary at the time, with transit Mercury at 6 Gemini in square to Hillary at 5 Virgo, and transit Saturn at 3 Taurus in trine.
In 1971 she met Bill Clinton, a fellow student at Yale Law School, and although they sparked at once and quickly became an acknowledged couple, Hillary consistently refused his offers of matrimony. But she did give up a promising political career of her own in Washington DC to follow him to Arkansas, his home state, in 1974, after working for the House Committee on the Judiciary during Nixon’s Watergate impeachment scandal.
It wasn’t until four years after they started dating that she finally accepted his proposal, and in the summer of 1975 they bought their first home in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where Bill had been defeated in his first congressional race the year before. They were married there in their living room on October 11, 1975. A year later he would win his first political office in a successful run for Arkansas Attorney General.
Once again we see transit Hillary prominent; at 14 Libra it conjoins the Sun at 17 Libra, indicating a spotlight on Hillary for the day. These lie within orb of her natal Neptune at 11 Libra, suggesting a strongly spiritual component to the union, “soul mates”, as it were, but also prefiguring a level of deception in the relationship which would one day become all too public.
Additionally, a pairing of transit Venus at 4 Virgo and asteroid Wil (one of several PNAs representing Bill Clinton) at 1 Virgo congregated on her natal Hillary at 5 Virgo, personalizing those loving energies to her, via Bill. Transit asteroid William at 12 Capricorn closely squares transit Hillary, indicating their attraction and connection, while transit asteroid Williams at 9 Sagittarius is in an exact conjunction with transit Neptune, reiterating the theme of deception from that quarter.
When Bill won his first term as Arkansas’ governor, on 7 November 1978, making Hillary First Lady of Arkansas, transit asteroid Hillary at 10 Virgo was fresh from its return to its natal degree, and conjoined transit Saturn, suggesting her official role, at 11 Virgo. Transit Pluto at 17 Libra had come to conjoin their marriage Sun exactly, cementing their image as a “power couple”.
Their daughter Chelsea was born two years later, on 27 February 1980, with transit Hillary at 11 Sagittarius. Hilary forms a loose T-Square with a Sun/Diana conjunction at 8 and 13 Pisces (Diana being the Roman goddess of childbirth), and TNO Haumea, named for the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth, at 18 Virgo. The transit Sun also opposes natal Hillary, thus doubly highlighting her for the day, and marking it as one special for her in particular. Asteroid Chelsealynn at 5 Libra is semisquare Hillary’s natal Saturn at 21 Leo, highlighting her new role as parent, exactly semisextile natal Hillary at 5 Virgo, and exactly on Bill’s 5 Libra Ascendant.
We’ve already noted that asteroids Hillary and William were in exact conjunction at 23 Pisces, squaring asteroid Whitehouse at 25 Sagittarius, on the day Bill and Hillary moved into the White House, January 20, 1993. The transit Sun that day at 0 Aquarius was also exactly sextile her natal Jupiter at 0 Sagittarius, and squared her natal Sun at 2 Scorpio, identifying her as a political figure in her own right, something which became starkly apparent with her appointment as head of the health care reform task force that same month. The ill-fated attempt to provide universal health care, which became known as “Hillarycare” by its detractors, was dead on arrival at Congress in September 1994, despite Democratic control of both Houses, but Hillary Clinton is still regarded as the most openly empowered political wife in American history, after Eleanor Roosevelt.
She is also perhaps the most publically sinned-against. Rumors of Bill’s incessant extramarital affairs had always hung about the periphery of his political life, but were put under a brilliant spotlight in 1998 with his grudging admission of an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
When Bill appeared before the cameras to confirm the illicit liaison on January 17, the skies told the tale. Incredibly, transit asteroid Monica at 17 Scorpio was exactly conjunct asteroid Nemesis (undoing) and Chiron (wounding), with this phenomenal stellium exactly squared transit Hillary at 17 Leo. No symbolism could be clearer, and the fact that these points overlay Hillary’s natal Venus (affairs)/Mercury (news) conjunction at 16 and 21 Scorpio, squared natal Pluto (scandal)/Saturn (the presidency) at 14 and 21 Leo, is just icing on the celestial cake!
But Hillary put aside her public humiliation and the chagrin it caused her, turning her sights on her own political future, independent of Bill. She ran for the US Senate in 2000, while still resident in the White House. She and Bill bought a house, their first since entering public office, in Chappaqua, NY, so she could qualify for candidacy in the Empire State.
The November 7 election gave her the victory with 55% of the vote, 22 years to the day after Bill’s first successful campaign in Arkansas. Transit Hillary at 5 Aries formed the Apex of a Yod, or Finger of Destiny, from inconjunct aspects to natal Hillary at 5 Virgo and her natal Sun at 2 Scorpio, suggesting a fated quality to the win. Transit asteroid Victoria at 5 Taurus, named for the Roman goddess of victory, was exactly trine natal Hillary and exactly semisextile transit Hillary, while opposing her natal Sun.
Asteroid Hillary was also active throughout the 2008 presidential campaign which saw Hillary Rodham Clinton’s first national candidacy, dogging her steps at every turn. On 20 January 2007, Clinton announced her candidacy in an online statement, declaring, “I’m in it. And I’m in it to win it.” Asteroid Hillary at 23 Scorpio was on her natal Mercury (announcements) at 21 Scorpio and exactly conjunct asteroid Narcissus, while forming a T-Square with asteroid Karma at 22 Aquarius and Saturn at 23 Leo retrograde.
The announcement came earlier than expected, a last-minute decision to pre-empt Barack Obama’s upcoming declaration and maintain the focus on herself (Hillary with Narcissus, named for the Greek youth so obsessed with his own image reflected in a pool that he was unable to turn aside from it, and thus wasted away). Karma suggests something fated underway, while Saturn represents not only Clinton’s own career, but the office of the Chief Executive as well.
When the primary season officially began, with a devastating and prophetic loss to Obama in Iowa on 3 January 2008, asteroid Hillary at 26 Capricorn was exactly conjoined asteroid Atropos, with asteroids Icarus and Orpheus standing close by at 20 and 25 Capricorn, and Hillary squared to asteroid Hybris and centaur Asbolus, both at 24 Aries.
This complex mix is very telling. Atropos was one of the Fates, known as the Inevitable, and Clinton had built her campaign on a sense of inevitability which, until that moment, many considered to be unshakeable. Icarus represents the rashness which prevented her from dealing more effectively early on with the threat posed by Obama, whom the campaign failed to take seriously until it was far too late. Asbolus was a centaur diviner who read auguries in the flight of birds, but Clinton failed to read the signs of Obama’s ascendance, relying instead on a type of false certitude and self-assurance reflective of Hybris, the Greek goddess of arrogant, insolent action.
After Super Tuesday on 5 February 2008, Obama had swept so many states it became numerically almost impossible for Clinton to recoup her losses and surpass him. At 15 Aquarius, asteroid Hillary was conjunct the Sun and Mercury retrograde at 16 Aquarius, with squares to asteroid Pandora at 19 Scorpio and Trans-Neptunian Object Sedna at 19 Taurus, itself conjoined asteroid Washingtonia at 13 Taurus.
It was time to rethink (Mercury retrograde) her strategy, deal with the unexpected, calamitous results (Pandora) of her prior inaction, which had left her increasingly isolated (Sedna, named for an Inuit goddess who dwells in the deepest, most inaccessible part of the Arctic Ocean), or her bid to gain the Oval Office (Washingtonia) was over. From 15 Aquarius, Hillary was also on the midpoint of Venus at 15 Capricorn and Uranus at 16 Pisces, in semisextile to each, and Clinton chose to try to resurrect her campaign by focusing on her support from women (Venus) and portraying herself as a collegial everyman with the common touch (all Uranus), in contrast to Obama’s suspected elitism, attempting to recreate herself and her image.
Another setback occurred March 17, 2008, when Clinton was caught in an apparent lie regarding her visit to war-torn Bosnia in 1996, an effort to polish her commander-in-chief credentials. In a speech given that day, Clinton reflected upon her experience of landing at Tusla airport under sniper fire, complete with cancelled reception ceremonies and a hurried, heads-down sprint across the tarmac to the waiting armed escort. Unfortunately, network news video existed of the event, which showed Clinton unconcernedly strolling from the plane to accept a bouquet from a young girl, then chatting leisurely with local officials before proceeding to the city, all minus any sense of threat or danger.
Asteroid Hillary at 9 Pisces was conjunct asteroid Achilles at 8 Pisces, opposed Saturn at 3 Virgo, TNO Typhon at 11 Virgo and asteroid Memoria at 9 Virgo, and squared asteroid Karma at 12 Gemini. The incident focused attention on a weak spot (Achilles) for Clinton: her truthfulness and a tendency to embellish a thin resume. Clinton blamed this clash between harsh reality (Saturn) and faulty memory (Memoria) on “mis-speaking,” but she was unable to avoid the media storm (Typhon, named for a Greek storm god and the root of our word “typhoon”) that resulted from this tempest in a teapot, and all prior exaggerations she had ever uttered came back to haunt her (Karma). The importance of this incident was augmented by the concurrence of these transits with natal Hillary at 5 Virgo, opposing natal Whitehouse at 5 Pisces, throwing her presidential bid into chaos.
Clinton fought on to the end of the primary season, not formally suspending her campaign until 7 June 2008, half a week after the final primary. Asteroid Hillary at 25 Aries was now conjoined TNO Eris at 21 Aries, and in sextile to Neptune at 24 Aquarius while opposed asteroid Klotho at 23 Libra. Neptune’s influence can be seen in the rather vague, uncertain action of “suspending” the campaign, rather than simply ending it, as well as the vociferous disappointment expressed by her supporters, who made no secret of their discontent and disgruntlement (Eris) at the outcome. Asteroid Klotho represents yet another of the Three Fates, the Spinner of Destiny, and the karmic energies which had stalked her from the start finally swallowed her candidacy, not to be revived for another eight years.
Following Obama’s November 2008 victory in the national election, he offered Hillary Clinton a spot in his Cabinet, as Secretary of State. When Clinton was nominated on December 1, 2008, transit asteroid Hillary at 0 Gemini retrograde exactly opposed her natal Jupiter at 0 Sagittarius, ruling diplomacy and foreign relations. When the appointment was confirmed by the Senate on 15 January 2009, asteroid Hillary, fresh from its station direct ten days prior, was at 26 Taurus, forming a Grand Trine with the transit Sun at 25 Capricorn and transit Saturn at 21 Virgo.
Fast forward to 2015, and another presidential election cycle. Asteroid Hillary is no less active, and just as telling, perhaps prophesying a more successful second bite of the presidential apple.
We should perhaps begin by setting the general astro-political scene of the spring of 2015, when presidential candidates began popping up like so many mushrooms after a rain. The skies have been active in an “American politics-centric” type of way, with a broad, extended conjunction of points representing the country, in tandem with Jupiter. Since before the new year, asteroids America, Washingtonia, and Whitehouse have been traveling roughly together in Leo and early Virgo, never more than 21 degrees apart, as they cluster about Jupiter, the planet ruling politics and expansion.
In fact, with Whitehouse and Jupiter within orb for virtually the entire spring, our record level of avowed candidates may be the direct result of that pairing, as a plethora (Jupiter) of presidential hopefuls seek the Oval Office (Whitehouse) (at its peak, the tally totaled some 23 individuals from both parties).
Having all these US-based celestial factors in one comparatively small zone of the zodiac is a rarity, and focuses these energies on a common pathway and shared perspective. But there’s also a fly in the ointment, namely asteroid Nemesis, ruling undoing, which has also been in the mix from the get-go, and it makes a sobering statement. Nemesis is about comeuppance, receiving your karmic due, and reaping what you sow. In this case, it’s the American people who’ll be dealing with consequences of their prior choices, and the implication is that, whatever happens here, we’re not likely to see a lot of benefit for the country as a whole, whoever attains the presidency.
For Hillary Clinton, the years-long speculation about whether she would once again toss her hat into the political ring was ended with a web video announcement on April 12, 2015. On that date, transit asteroid Hillary at 5 Capricorn was exactly inconjunct transit Whitehouse at 5 Leo, the best showing of any of the candidates’ respective PNAs at their announcements. What makes this aspect stronger is its resonance with that natal Hillary/Whitehouse opposition, which falls at the 5th degree of Virgo and Pisces, directly activated by the transit inconjunct. Transit Hillary exactly trines its natal placement, sextile natal Whitehouse, and transit Whitehouse is exactly semisextile natal Hillary, inconjunct natal Whitehouse.
If we add Hillary’s natal Whitehouse to the transit Hillary/Whitehouse placements, we find a temporary Yod, another of those Fingers of Destiny, uniting her natal potential with the energies of the day, and suggesting that, indeed her time of destiny may have come. Transit Hillary is also sesquiquadrate to transit Washingtonia (for the nation’s capital) at 19 Leo; with asteroid America close by Whitehouse at 8 Leo, and Jupiter still within orb from 12 Leo, to create expansion and luck, you have a pretty convincing picture of a successful campaign.
For Hillary personally, however, there is a second fly in the ointment, besides Nemesis, which stands close beside Whitehouse at 5 Leo for her web announcement. This would be asteroid Juno, also at 6 Leo, exactly conjunct Nemesis. And Juno, of course, represents the spouse–will Bill torpedo Hillary’s chances, becoming her undoing, perhaps in another ill-considered act of indiscretion, romantic, fiscal, or otherwise? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Transit Hillary at 5 Capricorn is also just entering Pluto’s orb of influence, from 15 Capricorn, and their conjunction initiates a period which could go either way for the candidate. On the one hand, it suggests coming into one’s own power, but it can also have connections to scandal and devastating loss. Hillary the asteroid moved to within ten degrees of the stationary Pluto just two days before the campaign kick-off, and given subsequent retrogrades by both bodies, remained within orb through June 13, when the campaign scheduled its “re-launch”, a large rally in New York City where Hillary the candidate made her first major public appearance.
Hillary the asteroid continues to form significant aspects to Pluto during the course of the campaign. Perhaps most significantly, after backing away, it catches up with Pluto again and conjoins it exactly on October 24 of this year, just two days before Hillary the candidate’s birthday (and two days after her appearance before the House Benghazi investigating panel). So Hillary Clinton will have an exact Hillary/Pluto conjunction in her 2015 Solar Return, which governs the entire active primary and campaign season until just before the general election itself, at which point transit Hillary will oppose Pluto in the sky (and also in her 2016 Solar Return, representing perhaps a fruition or culmination of what was begun with the conjunction a year earlier). The square between them falls on April 10, 2016, by which time the issue of her candidacy for her party’s nomination will likely be decided.
As to the aforementioned campaign re-launch on June 13, at that time transit Hillary at 4 Capricorn retrograde was exactly inconjunct transit Mercury at 4 Gemini. Mercury represents the message, and was just two days past its direct station. In the intervening period of its retrograde, rival Democratic contender Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had turned out huge crowds with his populist, socialist, anti-elitist message, and the Clinton campaign took full note. Hillary’s re-launch speech had noticeably co-opted several of Sanders’ themes, perhaps a consequence of asteroid Sanders’ orbital conjunction with asteroid Hillary (just five degrees apart on June 13), and the opportunity that afforded for his message to “rub off” on her. With Hillary and Mercury both retrograde in the weeks prior to the re-launch, it was time to reassess and tweak the campaign’s focus.
And speaking of retrogrades—due to the relative motion of the Sun and asteroid Hillary, the spring into summer of 2105 is the only period during the campaign season where asteroid Hillary finds itself in backward motion. Turning retrograde on May 11, 2015 at 8 Capricorn, Hillary resumed direct motion from 24 Sagittarius on August 8, and from that point, it’s full steam ahead until the election in November 2016, a valuable asset implying consistent forward momentum for the campaign and the candidate.
What of the primary season? Hillary and Whitehouse will be doing a celestial pas de deux when the season kicks off on February 1 at the Iowa caucuses, with Hillary at 6 Pisces squared Whitehouse at 4 Sagittarius, and that square remains in orb for the nation’s first primary contest, in New Hampshire, eight days later. Hillary is also involved in a Thor’s Hammer, a subtle pattern formed in this case by sesquiquadrate aspects to both Washingtonia at 19 Libra and Victoria (named for the Roman goddess of victory) at 18 Cancer, which are squared each other. Similar to a Yod, this pattern also carries a “fated” feeling, but it can indicate severe criticism from others and an increase in personal tension (according to astrologer Alice Portman).
As the square to Whitehouse wanes in mid-February, a trine to transit America in Scorpio forms, followed by an opposition to Washingtonia on April 1, maintaining that celestial connection between Hillary and the nation. April 1 is also the day of asteroid Hillary’s annual conjunction with the Sun, a highlighting moment which could well signal Clinton’s successful attainment of the Democratic nomination for president. Regardless, the period from late March to late April will be critical, with Hillary conjoining transit Mercury at 8 Aries on March 26 and transit Venus at 27 Aries on April 28.
Also in this time frame is an inconjunct to asteroid America at 12 Scorpio on April 2, another inconjunct to Jupiter at 14 Virgo on April 6 (these two forming a loose Yod with Hillary for that first week of April) and a trine to Saturn at 16 Sagittarius on April 8, followed by a conjunction with Uranus at 23 Aries on April 16 and the aforementioned square to Pluto April 10. No matter how you cut it, it’s a busy, crucial month.
When the Democratic National Convention convenes in Philadelphia on July 25, 2016, transit Hillary at 14 Gemini is in a strong position. Opposing Saturn, the symbol of the presidency, at 10 Sagittarius, Hillary is also very widely opposed Whitehouse at 2 Sagittarius, which is itself exactly trined the convention’s 2 Leo Sun, perhaps signaling broad support for the Democratic Party in retaining the White House.
Hillary is also involved in a T-Square with Neptune at 11 Pisces and Jupiter at 20 Virgo, while closely inconjunct Pluto at 15 Capricorn. This could signal her political (Jupiter) apotheosis (Neptune) and an adjustment (inconjunct) in her personal power (Pluto). A sextile to Venus at 16 Leo encourages popularity, and with Hillary also trine Washingtonia at 10 Libra and sesquiquadrate America at 2 Scorpio, she has connections to two more major indicators of the US electorate. It could well be her finest hour.
Until the election, of course.
We’ll save detailed analysis of that all-important day until we’re sure who the contenders will be, but as far as asteroid Hillary is concerned, it makes a strong showing. At 16 Cancer, Hillary is slowing to its retrograde station, which will occur four days after the November 8 election. Remember, Hillary has been moving forward without pause since the summer of 2015, and now in its stationary position, not only is it a sort of fulcrum, the still point upon which all else revolves, but it is encapsulating all that prior experience, preparatory to a major shift in direction.
From its station degree, Hillary is exactly trine the Election Day Sun at 16 Scorpio, while opposed transit Pluto at 15 Capricorn, a strong position indeed. A conjunction of transit Venus and Whitehouse at 25 and 26 Sagittarius argues for a female in the Oval Office. Given that this Whitehouse placement also conjoins her natal Nike, named for the Greek goddess of victory, at 23 Sagittarius, with Whitehouse virtually repeating its degree from her first entry into the White House with Bill in 1993, it may well be that the wheel has come full circle, and Hillary achieves her heart’s desire at last.
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 .
My eyes are bugging out with all this incredible detail. As a Scorpio her solar power will be at its strongest on election day, unless there’s another Scorp running on the GOP side. Outstanding piece on Mrs. Clinton.