Hearing Secretary of State of Ohio Frank LaRose speak recently, I was struck by his storytelling skills and dominance of the microphone. Leo, I thought. Leo, the fixed fire sign is excellent at engaging an audience.
Not Leo, LaRose, but the cardinal fire sign Aries. Mars (ruler of Aries) also in Aries conjunct Mercury in Aries explains the multiple stories in response to the single question. And the stories were touching, honestly. But like any real story, there is much more historical detail and complexity as well as idealistic and opportunistic motivations.
Complex stories don’t “sell,” I know from working with data and astrology. Yet most stories are complex so are we ever assessing the true nature of a story?
Ambition
LaRose’s sun in Aries and moon in Capricorn immediately speak to ambition. While I don’t know his rising sign or house placements due to lack of birth time, it’s possible there’s a Leo rising, especially as LaRose has nice hair.
LaRose also has what I consider “water sign” eyes so I’m guessing he has Scorpio on the ascendant which gives magnetism and charisma as well as understanding of the motivations of others. Leo is charismatic as well but with more good cheer toward fellow men than Scorpio demonstrates.
With sun and Mars in Aries, LaRose loves a good fight. Aries, you know, is the first sign of the zodiac that wants to be in front of the maddening crowd. A fight isn’t fun without an equal competitor, so Aries is up for valid challenge rather than trouncing on a weaker opponent like the first game of The Ohio State University football season. Not for LaRose, he’ll wait for the big games that come later in the season.
Mark of a politician
This blog’s beginnings focused on politics, including those of Ohio. One of my initial observations was what I call the “mark of a politician.” “Politics is power,” my 11th grade Civics teacher explained. And it’s all who’s “ox is being gored.” That was it according to Mr. Silverman, just those two things were all we needed to know.
Power in astrology is represented by Pluto. I might in contrast call Mars force. Power and force are both indicated in LaRose’s horoscope, so he decides where we are having dinner tonight. You can decide, but I have many, many reasons why my decision is better.
The “mark” is Pluto square moon. Sometimes it’s Pluto opposite moon but oppositions are different than squares. Oppositions are that person out there you know is counter to you in some way. Squares are those people and situations you think you are okay with but somehow rub you the wrong way. You like but you don’t like. The “frenemy.”
Moon square Pluto is compulsion. Neither moon nor Pluto is casual. Moon “needs” and Pluto “must.” There is a compulsion, for LaRose, for political power due to his competitive Aries/Capricorn nature. Capricorn “must” succeed. Aries “must” win.
This is very common in politicians which is why the bulk of the population in this country ignores politics. Yet this is the “type” we must face when participating in civic activity. We are facing folks with “control issues.”
The soft side
Where’s the soft side of LaRose? Venus in Pisces and Jupiter in Cancer are sensitive and family oriented. To family, he’s generous although with moon in Capricorn he may express anger by withholding the goodies. And sometimes he’s just unexpectedly grouchy and short, maybe a little mean.
Jupiter in Cancer and Venus in Pisces like those mawkish movies that make you want to cry. A good cry serves LaRose well as moon in Capricorn doesn’t like to cry. But he can, with family and spiritual friends. He can even be sensitive and read your thoughts – let him for those brief moments he’s focused outside of himself or duty.
Saturn in Virgo – we all have Saturn somewhere – there’s an insecurity about one’s imperfections. Add this to moon in Capricorn and there’s a fear of being unworthy and a strong desire to please authority.
This is the great difference between sun and moon signs. With the sun in a sign, such as Aries, there’s a conscious desire to be Aries – assertive, strong, brave, and up for the fight. With moon in Aries, there’s a compulsion for these same things and historically moon in Aries individuals will challenge the greatest authority if needed such as Martin Luther. In his day, challenging the Pope was suicidal.
LaRose’s soft side includes the vulnerability that Saturn brings – in Virgo one is not “perfect enough” which allows those around him to provide much needed comfort and relaxation. While LaRose is clearly great with language and storytelling, Virgo still feels it doesn’t know enough, isn’t knowledgeable enough.
August Special Election
In polite company, LaRose, like many, proclaims a desire to disagree agreeably and offers respect for “the other side.” Yet, the Ohio August special election to create a new set of criteria for changing Ohio’s constitution “lost” according to one side of the political aisle.
Many may agree that a constitution should be difficult to change. However, the degree of difficulty is not what is voted upon. What if folks voted upon five different levels of effort for changing the constitution? What then?
Then we’d find the complexity of human experience. The issue itself was complex and even on election day many of us had differing views on how it would play out in the real world. More and more politics is about data analytics which is difficult to understand if you don’t spend some time and see example situations.
LaRose responded to a perceived “loss” as such:
I’m grateful that nearly 1.3 million Ohioans stood with us in this fight, but this is only one battle in a long war. Unfortunately, we were dramatically outspent by dark money billionaires from California to New York, and the giant ‘for sale’ sign still hangs on Ohio’s constitution. Ohioans will see the devastating impact of this vote soon enough. The radical activists that opposed Issue 1 are already planning amendments to shut parents out of a child’s life-altering medical procedure, force job killing wage mandates on small businesses, prevent law abiding citizens from protecting their families and remove critical protections for our first responders. I’ve said for months now that there’s an assault coming on our constitution, and that hasn’t changed. I’m just getting started in the fight to protect Ohio’s values.
Battle and war. This is politics, but also Aries.
My 11th grade Civics teacher wanted us to learn from 38th President Richard Nixon’s downfall. I learned from it, but so did the politicians. Nixon’s “slush fund” was used to finance a criminal activity and was discovered following the trail of money. In 1974 he resigned and many of his advisors did prison time.
Today there is no trail of money due to Citizens United which is double speak as it allows donors anonymity so that citizens don’t know who is funding politics. Nixon would have been safe. LaRose criticizes it; but it plays both “sides.”
Real life is complex and finding common moral ground is difficult. As a nation we’ve chosen reduce politics to sports culture by having only two teams, two choices and yes/no. The primaries are the only area where choice widens but is discouraged by the two “parties” who want to choose the boxing ring match for most likely to win.
On August 8, what did Ohioans really vote “for” and “against?”
A bright future
Using Wikipedia, LaRose’s political career began in 2010 – a couple years after Pluto began its transit of Capricorn. LaRose knows politics as Pluto in Capricorn where government was the safety net for more than one global meltdown (2007 financial crisis; 2020 pandemic).
Soon Pluto will move into Aquarius shifting the energy from government, authority, tradition, and established rules to more human-centered but diverse interests. “Dark money,” unfortunately, comes under this rubric. Of course, we could challenge that so the individuals and currencies supporting political causes would see the light of day.
Unions and guilds are also represented by Aquarius. Aquarius is union by common ideals, not common blood. We’ll see some unusual bedfellows.
Pluto in Aquarius will be good for LaRose – trine the sun. More supporters, more understanding of unique positions. LaRose may even begin to embrace groups that at first give him the willies because they look and feel different than what he’s used to. But he’ll get used to it.
When Uranus goes into Gemini (2025-2026) and Neptune in Aries (2025), the world will be LaRose’s oyster. Neptune in Aries will glamorize much that is Aries – energy LaRose has in abundance. He will probably begin wearing his military garb to public events.
Neptune can provide guru complexes, which LaRose may experience later in the transit, like ten years in. LaRose’s politics may, like others, become openly spiritual-political in name and manifesto (Neptune and Uranus love manifestos). LaRose will lead his people to the promised land that is under their feet.
LaRose is correct that Issue 1 (one) not won is a battle in a long war. And Aries loves war. How to be valiant and brave in times of peace? Medals are not won when everyone gets along.
Ohio Astrology 