Halloween and Hillary

Here we are, finally at the brink of November.  I’m not sanguine, I’m still at the edge of my seat, even though all polls say that Hillary Clinton will win.  I’m not objective enough to make any kind of astrological prediction about that. 

However, at the end of the month, I do expect to have a female president-elect, for the first time in the history of the U.S.  Not just a woman, but the one who said, “Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.” It’s a great speech, I just reread it. (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/hillaryclintonbeijingspeech.htm)  

In a couple of days, it will be Halloween, the quintessential woman’s holiday.  Like many other holidays, it began as an important pagan celebration, but unlike the others, it’s never been entirely papered over with Christian imagery.  In astrological symbolism, this time of year – the sun’s passage through Scorpio – is connected with what is hidden.  It’s the time when what lies underneath comes most alive.    

The pagan tradition is one that values the natural world.  This is an interconnected world which keeps its balance through a constant cycle of giving and receiving.  This philosophy has been largely replaced, in much of the globe, by one of hierarchy and exploitation, with women disrespected, equated with the earth and nature.  And now we are so out of balance that we are in the process of destroying our own habitat and our species. 

Looking under the surface,  I see an ancient and holistic tradition buried under centuries of patriarchal dogma.  I see oppression directed towards women’s bodies, softness and vulnerability met with violence. 

I am not so naïve as to think a woman president will allow us to retrace our steps to that earlier time.  There have been women in power before, and Hillary Clinton is a woman of acute contradictions.  She has worked hard on women’s and children’s issues, but she’s been attacked relentlessly whenever she dropped the “traditional feminine” pose and showed her strength.  And so she has lost much of her own spontaneity and trust along the way.  It’s not surprising. 

This election has been a real test of feminism, not just because Hillary Clinton is the first woman to approach the US presidency, but because her opponent is such a misogynist.  He pretty much covers all the classic misogynist postures.  He belittles women, condescends to them, exploits them sexually, and is clearly grossed out by all female bodily functions.  His posture of unrelenting dominance is an illustration of one of the most dangerous tendencies of modern humankind.

He represents something that must be peeled away, in order for us to regain our connection to the earth.  We need to rediscover what is hidden beneath, the underlying ground of human emotion.  In this Scorpio season, we can turn to Hillary Clinton, a woman with the sun, Mercury and Venus in this sign. 

I also have a Scorpio sun, and I completely understand Hillary’s desire to keep parts of herself secret, to control what the world sees of her.  This is the sign of people who feel intensely but do not reveal easily.  And Hillary Clinton has the moon in Pisces, the most sensitive of water signs, so she is doubly vulnerable on the personal level.  No wonder she approaches everything so carefully and strategically. 

And this mistrust is met with a certain amount of mistrust on the part of the people.  What’s underneath that reserve?  For many people, it feeds into their conspiracy theories.  They say she’s murdered people, plotted against anyone who challenges her, frozen people’s hearts with a glance.  They say that she’s a witch, an excuse for persecution that goes back centuries.  They say she’s a practicing lesbian. (We’re considered dangerous because we’re harder to bribe.)   

To walk in the halls of power, you need strong armor.  Hillary has that.  And still, through her life, she’s put much of her energy into the bottom-line issues that have to do with easing suffering.  So, as I prepare to go to the polls, I’m thinking:  More power to her. 

This month, there’s a square between Jupiter in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn.  Pluto is the ruler of Scorpio, and the planet of shadows, underground rivers, deep transformations, secret powers, and unconscious desires.  Jupiter, on the other hand, focuses on what is overt, prominent, and socially acceptable. 

Jupiter also represents the people’s picture of themselves, the philosophy of a community. With Jupiter squaring Pluto, there will be growing tension between the outer image that the country is presenting, and what’s going on underneath.  After the election, I can see the Republicans starting right away to conspire to retake power, to try to reestablish their past empires.  But there could also be healthier and more holistic movements tunneling underneath, like earthworms aerating a garden.   

And I’m sure there will be some overt grabs for power, as well.  At the point where I’m standing, this crossroads between a woman and a woman-hater, I’m still not sure what will happen.  I’m as nervous as a temple healer, watching soldiers from the North destroy statues of the Goddess, knowing they will destroy women next.  This old fear and anger is buried too, and I hope it has been composted into wisdom by the ages.  I don’t want revenge, only a world where both young and old women are free, freer than even men are now.    

And in this coming month, I’m ready for whatever my deep self has to teach me.