When I was younger, it was common to hear the saying, “Behind every successful man there is a woman.”

That woman, supposedly, was the successful man’s wife.

First Ladies First

This article “Why Are Presidential Candidates’ Wives All the Same?” rekindled my thoughts on this subject in the political realm. As as aside, I think the article is brilliant and the last line of this paragraph is quite profound to me:

“In fact, this narrative has become a sort of fool-proof formula for contemporary presidential candidate’s wives since Laura Bush perfected it in 2000. After the damaging image of a power-mad Hillary Clinton, spousal reluctance has become a requirement, a kind of necessary modesty. That it’s so pervasive, despite the nagging voices in the back of our heads telling us it’s all PR, says a lot about what we still believe, or want to believe, about the modern first lady—how much we expect of her, and how little.”

The “how much” is passive femininity, which the author describes in detail, and the “how little” is any self-assertion or love of the dirty, nasty fight called politics.

Yet, as the author points out, many first ladies and first-lady contenders are as tough as nails but when they show it, à la Hillary Clinton, they get in trouble.

So is it true that behind every successful politician is a strong wife?

The Mark of a Politician

While politicians often describe themselves as “public servants” and strive to evoke our high school textbook images of 18th century intellectual lovers of freedom, a quick glance at the horoscopes of high political candidates points to something else.

While it’s not always there in a horoscope, I see it often enough to consider it the mark of a politician, at least one who makes it to the top of a political mountain – hard moon-Pluto contacts.

By hard, I mean the opposition, conjunction or square to the moon.

Both President Barack Obama and Republican opponent Mitt Romney have moon-Pluto square. For Obama, it’s moon in Gemini and Pluto in Virgo. For Romney, it’s moon in Scorpio and Pluto (and Saturn!) in Leo. Romney’s “square” is a wide aspect and some astrologers would disregard it. For me, the energies are still square albeit in wide aspect.

Romney also has moon in Scorpio which is ruled by Pluto. Moon in Scorpio is similar in effect.

What does moon square Pluto mean and why are these folks drawn to politics?

Moon-Pluto Hard Aspects

The moon represents are reactive state, our emotions. Pluto is rules transformation and evolution and often is involved in power, from personal to political.

From the blogosphere, here are some excerpts on moon-Pluto hard aspects.

Café Astrology

“Emotional satisfaction for you runs deep and is very complex. You yearn for intensity, but at the same time you may fear your own emotional nature, leading you to take great pains to keep it under wraps. Compulsiveness is a byproduct, and you find yourself easily swayed by your emotional yearnings and desires. The desire to merge with another human being is strong, yet can also be a fear at the same time.

It is very possible that you were especially sensitive to your maternal figure’s emotions, and picked up on her feelings of being overpowered, overwhelmed, resentful, or mistrustful. A strong love-hate attachment to her, or crises surrounding your experience of her, may be something that you live with and it could be undermining you in some manner. Some people with this aspect feel the need for early independence from their mother or families in order to feel released from the intense and conflicting emotions they attach to them. However, removing themselves entirely from the problem may not be a healthy, long-term answer on a psychological level. At some point, confronting early childhood conditioning is a necessary process. You may find that you can use music as a means by which you can express and release the emotional drama inside of you.”

Dark Star Astrology

“Moon square Pluto is probably one of the most intense and hungry moon aspects you can have. This is the raging Kali archetype par excellence. Moon square Pluto can be the product of an obsessive, possessive mother or be obsessed with being a mother. In some cases (The West’s, Kenisha Berry) the mother as destroyer can be literal. The moment HMS Titanic struck the Plutonic iceberg the Moon was square Pluto (63′). How symbolic of this aspect, the great ship weighed down by her treasures, plunged deep into the underworld with the loss of so many lives.”

The Strange House

“Intimate relationships may be difficult, with emotions intense and extreme. An atmosphere of emotional brooding may surround you; and others may prefer to withdraw as they sense elemental danger.

Needs for control influence choices and actions; you believe your environment and emotions need controlling to avoid ‘threats’ from others. This increases your preference for relationship dominance, often demanding that others acquiesce to [your] desires and wishes, yet this will inevitably imbalance relationships. You intend to rule, and will never willingly be submissive. If [forced] to do so by partner or employer, you will later try to undermine their dominance by subversive efforts to regain control. You can react almost violently toward anyone trying to change you, and may deliberately act in more extreme ways when displaying the behaviour that another hopes to change.”

Controlling the Environment

Moon-Pluto folks have a compulsive need to control the environment. My own belief is that Pluto-moon can indicate a psychic invasion which creates the response of constant vigilance and control, the same way you would check the locks on the door several times each night after your house had been robbed.

The moon’s involvement means the invasion is from the mother or other females. Liz Greene first introduced me to the concept of the “devouring mother” which is what moon-Pluto can describe to others, even in a non-mothering role.

Controlling the environment can take many forms – controlling the money, controlling the power (politics) or controlling the emotions.

And what’s the best way to control others through emotions?

For me, it’s guilt. I think moon-Pluto and moon-Saturn can be manipulated by or manipulate others through guilt.

Is there a strong woman behind every successful man?

If there is, it’s probably the mother who created political drive in her son.

What’s interesting, to me, is how strong woman in politics are often seen as threatening and must hide behind more traditional and softer images of femininity.

Is this what’s occurring on the US political stage? Rule by moon-Pluto men and subsequent attack on strong women because they feel like the devouring mother?

This reminds me of Bill Clinton who embarrassed his strong wife on the public stage. What was that about? Clinton, surprise, also has a moon-Pluto square.

Maybe Republican Veep candidate Paul Ryan can help. He’s the only one of the four men running for the White House without the moon-Pluto square (Joe Biden the moon-Pluto square), if he was born before afternoon. If he was born in the late afternoon or evening, his moon would be in Scorpio, and we’d be back to the Pluto influence.

Pluto help us!