When Ohio Governor and Republican presidential candidate John Kasich gave a big bear hug to a man in one of his town halls last month, it made me Ohio proud.
Then a day or two later entering an interview with Anderson Cooper, Kasich was humble and vulnerable, openly admitting of his desire to please. The vulnerability looked great on him and, once again, I was Ohio proud.
The next day nursing my hangover with a couple espressos, visions of a Kasich past arose in my mind. My first exposure to Kasich was in the early 1990s when he was Ohio’s 12th District Congressman. Images arose of an irascible, insensitive Kasich with speech patterns more reminiscent of Bernie Sanders. When Congressman Kasich published a book in 1998, I was sure, as pundit Cokie Roberts would say, that Kasich had the presidential seal of the United States shaved into his chest. His ambition was palpable.
Today I’m finding Kasich’s long trajectory to the presidential run a bit touching and nostalgic. Today our candidates don’t feel the need to spend much time laying railroad track before riding the presidential train. A month or two in the Senate is all that is needed. Or maybe not that much.
Presidential Kasich is a bear gentler than in the past. Is this posturing or is this real?
Earth Sign Kasich
Patience is the hallmark of earth signs and Kasich has both sun (in Taurus) and moon (in Capricorn) in earth signs. Although being a “career politician” took on a bad reputation during the 1990s (or was it the 1980s?), that Kasich spent time with actual political responsibilities and produced actual results before applying for president is quite refreshing right now.
In addition to sun in fixed earth sign Taurus, Kasich also has Jupiter and Venus in that sign. At heart, Kasich is a steady and habit-oriented soul.
Moon in Capricorn is in detriment – that means the moon doesn’t like being in this sign. The moon likes to react and express while Capricorn forces the moon to hold it all in. Because Capricorn moon is master at controlling its emotions it doesn’t tolerate much in the way of emotion from others. That makes it a less-than-compassionate playmate at times.
But with that emotional reserve, moon in Capricorn is great at command and authority. Capricorn loves respect and seeks it from birth. This is the moon placement that becomes crossing guard in elementary school before it branches to all other forms of authority in later life (teachers, cops, politicians, managers, etc.).
Fascinating.
Trump, with a chart full of unpredictable fire and air, is drawing out a characteristic that is truly more a personality trait of the newly-humble Kasich at the end of the stage.
Kasich’s (recent) past aggressive speech patterns stem from his Mercury in Aries (Bernie Sanders has moon in Aries which provides similar results). Currently transiting Uranus is in Aries which will add unpredictable outbursts to an already Aries impulsiveness toward speech. Uranus is still out of orb of Kasich’s Mercury so that will come later.
That Kasich is able to control Mercury in Aries during this election cycle is truly remarkable and also speaks to his strong earth sign chart which contains discipline and self-control.
A Huggable Kasich?
Currently Pluto, the great transforming planet, is passing through Capricorn. Without knowing Kasich’s time of birth, we can’t be sure when this transit will have the most influence on his moon.
Pluto transiting moon in Capricorn will attempt to transform this controlling placement of the moon. For Kasich, it also squares Saturn/Neptune in Libra, Uranus in Cancer and Mercury in Aries.
This grand square of cardinal signs (Aries, Libra, Cancer, Capricorn) is the relationship square. Aries is self, Libra other, Cancer family and Capricorn career. These are the different ways you interact with folks on earth and the square suggests that for Kasich it’s never been easy to truly feel connected to others.
Possibly Kasich sought a life in politics through a desire to master personal relationships?
If Pluto does its work, you feel loss and void followed by a sense of transformed self. Pluto moves you to the next chapter in your life. You wake one day and wondered how and when you crossed the gulf.
So is Kasich truly the more vulnerable man we see on television?
Astrologically it’s believable that events in his life have made him more compassionate and open to expressing vulnerability. For Capricorn moon, this is very, very difficult.
Pluto rarely comes without trial and pain because we’ve all adapted (called our “personality”) and making changes to that coding is never easy.
If this transformation is real, then it was probably preceded by some family outbursts (Uranus in Cancer), disappointments in partnership (Saturn/Neptune in Libra) and possibly a verbal confrontation (Mercury in Aries).
Transiting Neptune is in Pisces which can also lighten a heavy soul. That planet creates a cozy water trine to Kasich’s natal Uranus in Cancer and Mars in Scorpio. Water can bring tears, another uncomfortable event for moon in Capricorn. Do we have a crying Kasich?
A true test, I suppose, would be a full-frontal assault by the Donald. Kasich survived some early assaults (Ohio is doing well because it struck oil), but hasn’t had the full brunt of this intensely mean and nasty election process.
If the mean and nasty gets personal, will Kasich continue to control himself?
Ohio Astrology 