The John Edwards matter

Katie Couric did a series of interviews with the prospective presidential candidates last November. She talked with them about infidelity, but something that I found more interesting was her question about what each candidate most feared losing if they became president. Hillary Clinton answered, her health. Edwards, Biden and Obama replied that they feared losing their integrity. As a counselor my antennae went up.

As you say Lynn, we all face similar challenges. And similar choices. How can we tell from anyone's chart whether they're more likely to resolve these challenges on the side of strength or weakness?

I recall you had a similar discussion around an aspect to Neptune in Barack Obama's chart a while back. I know that people who didn't like Barack were inclined to interpret that aspect negatively while those who favored him were inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.

But I'm wondering if we can look to other factors in the chart that can give us some clue as to how a transit to an aspect is likely to play out in our character.

Sheila

Enough with the hand-wringing, already! Like disgraced New York Gemini Governor Eliot (Harvey Two-Face) Spitzer, Edwards' need for his good cop/bad cop sides to communicate and thereby illuminate his path, is, on a spiritual level, his soul's purpose. For the amoral Gemini, that's the raison d'etre.

It has been said that sharp-witted Geminis are over-represented among the criminal class, because they are always trying to outwit the system.

What the Lord taketh away, he also giveth. John Edwards lost the love of his life, his sixteen year-old son, many years ago in a tragic Jeep accident. I just wish Edwards would stop denying he ever loved Rielle Hunter and would acknowledge his baby. They are now part of his family, like it or not. Why must a person be allowed to only love one "significant other" all their life? Especially since the Edwards' situation bordered on extenuating circumstances.

And to think vipers like Anne Coulter were calling Edwards "the Breck Girl" and "a f-g".

We live in a peculiarly morally circumscribed world where a man at midlife having an affair and baby with a healthy younger woman is condemnable. In truth, men tend toward polygamy and fertile young women. Since women's lib, American females have tried to re-write biological imperatives, and done themselves no favors with "no-fault" divorce laws.

I certainly feel sorry for Elizabeth Edwards, and most of all, for their eldest daughter who finished Princeton, quite an elite school. But everyone must roll with the punches. Since the announcement of her illness, I had always hoped Elizabeth would go to Mexico or somewhere else for excellent "alternative" treatments which can heal. She could do no worse than die. She seems like a martyr.

Another LYING SACK OF SH*T POLITICIAN, THAT John "look at me preen for the mirror" Edwards! OsiSpeaks.com

As disappointed as I am to read about this story, I must say this should stay between John and Elizabeth, as it is a private matter and not a news story. As a very private person myself, I can only imagine how mortifying this must be for either one of them.

Secondly, the post by Joe said it best. He asked some very good questions we all should ponder. And as far as geography not being a required subject, well, I can honestly tell you that the last year I had geography was 7th grade, and that was 1977! How's that for scary? The public school system has been going steadily downhill for some time now and I fear for my children's future. If I had the means, they'd have gone to private school.

What I am reading and hearing, here, is a "female" astrologer with a "bee up her behind" about the sign GEMINI ! So, this isn't really an astrology report on John Edwards, as so much as, a vain and desperate character assassination attempt on Edwards by Lynn Hayes ?

First of all, I'm Canadian, so whatever happen with your (U.S.) politicians is really none of my business. But as far as "Gemini" politicians go, it would be a grave mistake to stereotype ALL Gemini politicians as having no integrity.

I would happen to guess that, amongst ALL the 12 sun signs, some people will undoubtedly have integrity and others may not? Meanwhile, why pick on Gemini? What about other U.S. politicians who also fooled around and were lauded by the media (John F. Kennedy, as one example) but also, what about the Gemini's who didn't fool around and remained loyal to their wives (i.e. Henry Kissinger, former Canadian Prime Minister's Joe Clark and John Turner, and, last but not least, former U.S. President George Double-ya Bush Senior ?)

Another thing is, your article seemed highly biased against not only Gemini's but MEN in general ? I don't know John Edwards from Adam, but I'm sure we can emphasize with the fact that a man who's wife is dying with Cancer isn't going to have sex, very often, (or at all?) and while his choice of having an affair showed poor judgement, maybe we should empathize with the fact that John Edwards was trapped in a loveless marriage and probably didn't get laid in a while ?

Meanwhile, since Edwards has since resigned as candidate for U.S. president, how does his personal life effect you or any other American ? I think the media is making a "big deal" about John Edward's affair with a ugly-looking female, for nothing ?

Finally, there's never been any known astrological study or research project in the last 100 years, showing a causal, scientific link (and using the acedemically accepted "scientific method") between Sun in Gemini and criminality !

I dare any professional astrologer to show me such a study, because there isn't any !

In other words, the link between Gemini and criminality is a dangerous, stereotypical remark, much like saying that "all Mexicans come to the U.S.A. to steal our Americans jobs), or "don't vote for Barack Obama b/c his name sounds Islamic, or his wife is a "terrorist" ?

Sure there's been no study linking Gemini to criminality as such but we're allowed to make a few generalization from observable facts or astrologers and astrology couldn't work. For a start writing ( and I cite merely at random from memory because I know more names could be given) on criminality like the Marquis de Sade or the writing of detective novels or thrillers like Dorothy Sayers, Ian Fleming, even the author of Sherlock Holmes is linked to Gemini. Unlike the Marquis these Geminis weren't criminal but they understood the dark side and the working of sociopaths. The reason that Gemini can make such good criminals if they choose to go that direction (and actually I seem to recall some study did find that prisoners in for break and enter did show a high Gemini rating - Gemini/Mercury sign of the thief by tradition) is because they are both clever and able to dissociate themselves more easily than some people from the feeling function. People's sufferings don't count so much with them. They are more locked into ideas and schemes

There is a positive and a negative side to all of the astrological signs and symbols, just as to all things in life. Gemini is facile and flexible, but also brilliant, curious and inventive. We can all fall to the dark side, so let's be careful about accusations.

Astrological musings is a wonderful forum for astrological and spiritual information and debate in a loving and supportive forum, because we are all brothers and sisters, now and throughout eternity.

I am very curoius to know what all is going on here.

Yes. You've made that quite clear. But how is this baby's parentage anyone's business outside of the parents and any affected families?

Unless you believe that condom use and/or efficacy is something we should be basing votes on, which would be pretty weird, who actually fathered this child is simply no one's business. Honestly, your post and some of these comments read like an unsavory combination of schadenfreude and sheer nosiness.

Consider Elizabeth Edwards' own wishes: "The toll on our family of news helicopters over our house and reporters in our driveway is yet unknown. But now the truth is out, and the repair work that began in 2006 will continue. I ask that the public, who expressed concern about the harm John’s conduct has done to us, think also about the real harm that the present voyeurism does and give me and my family the privacy we need at this time."

Lynn, you've never come across as gleeful of anyone's misfortune...in the John Edwards article or in any other that I've read. The article is fine as is.

Thank you Dawn and Marianne for your support. But I do feel that I crossed the line from astrological analysis into personal agenda. I do NOT like John Edwards, I always felt he was a phony, and I took some pleasure in his exposure. Which I felt was not the correct way to approach this article.

I will never back down from something I believe just because I'm criticized here, but I do want to stay clear of the line when it comes to trashing someone and using astrology to do it.

Hi Lynn,

I just took a while to read your post on Edwards and then all the comments. Whew! You have material here for a book. Your article is insightful, interesting, and brave. Brave, only in view of some of the weird angry comments posted in response. And again, I am delighted to see that you have not only"dumbed down" your open and meaningful blog before becoming "famous"by moving over to Beliefnet, if anything, you are becoming even more yourself.

As that guy says to the student contestants on, "Project Runway," when he goes around to the various designers before the big contest, "Carry on! Make it Work! See you on the runway!"

Hi Lynn,

I have enjoyed your blog since you first started blogging. I don't always agree with you, but frequently I do. You are professional, and your wisdom and insight are always interesting. This is your blog! You have a right to express your opinions and views about anyone and anything, particularly people in public life. Reading blogs is like watching television; if you don't like the program, change the channel! There is no reason for you to defend your integrity. If people don't like your content, they are free to leave.

Keep up the good work. And don't change anything.

Marianne
(The other Marianne)

I don't claim to know Elizabeth Edwards personally, but she was at my home for a fundraiser in the summer of 2007 and I had a chance to speak with her for quite a while. This woman is no martyr. Her reasons for wanting him to do this campaign may be a mystery and baffling in the naivete that this affair would not be found out, but believe me, this is no long-suffering betrayed wife.

Lynn, I would be interested in your thoughts on Rielle Hunter, especially in light of this Newsweek.com article indicating that she at least fancies herself to be an astrologer, and in light of your column about astrologer ethics. Given that this dame has pitched an idea for a TV show about women who help men out of failing marriages by having affairs with them, and her penchant for doing charts seems to be something she uses to try to help her own little goals along. It seems to me that whatever else she is, she's exactly what astrologers do NOT need at a time when astrology is starting to gain some respectability.

John Edwards may be a hypocritical scumbag, but Rielle Hunter is a piece of work in her own right.

Jill, thanks for posting this link, I hadn't seen this about Rielle Hunter and the astrology connection. Then I noticed Elsa posted it on her blog. There are astrologers, who serve as consultants to clients, and then there are people who dabble and explore. This is a great thing, because astrology is an invaluable tool for personal growth. But it can become very tempting to use astrology as a power ploy to pretend that we know more than anyone else does about the world and I suspect this is the case about Rielle Hunter. There is other gossip on the web that Hunter was a model for a slutty party girl in one of his books. This doesn't seem like a very smart choice for Edwards to have made.

So when can we expect a profile on Reille, Lynn? LOL ;p

Jill, with all due deference to the fact that Elizabeth Edwards was apparently at your home for a fundraiser and you got to talk with her for a good while, I will stand by my comment that Elizabeth Edwards SEEMS like a martyr. She is not half the tough cookie Hillary Clinton is, and most people now see HRC---all anti-Tammy Wynette protestations to the contrary--as the quintessential long-suffering betrayed wife.

Moreover, Elizabeth is a Cancer sun sign (look at that moon face), an extremely sensitive water sign with a tough outer shell. Cancerians are nurturers...nurturers of other people, and nurturers of hurts and grievances. Their psychological "claws" never let anything go. And, as another reader pointed out, illnesses like cancer can be triggered and aggravated by emotional wounding. Hurt, I might add, that cannot be sloughed off.

But once again, I am MOST disappointed that she did not seek out alternative treatments, but PASSIVELY relied on traditional medicine and its orthodox mutilation and death sentence. And I grew up around conventional medicine, as my father was a doctor.

I am MOST disappointed that she did not seek out alternative treatments, but PASSIVELY relied on traditional medicine and its orthodox mutilation and death sentence

Dawn, you know I usually agree with you on the subject of medicine, but I have to say that when faced with a cancerous tumor I believe that surgery and radiation must be done. I'm believe that I would avoid chemotherapy, but once the tumor is there i would want it removed. I have a dear friend who contracted breast cancer and went the alternative route only - the tumor did not shrink and the prognosis is bad.

As a Cancer, Elizabeth Edwards is a fierce defender of her family. You may want to go back and read my profile of the Edwards marriage here: http://blog.beliefnet.com/astrologicalmusings/2007/03/study-of-a-marriage-john-and-e.html.

There are MANY different kinds of alternative treatments which vary in efficacy. As with anything, timing is also crucial.

Although enlightening, one person's experience with one kind of treatment is certainly not dispositive of the whole field: nor should it invalidate all the successful alternative approaches which are being practiced around the world. Unfortunately, in this country some of the proven winners have been bought off or outright suppressed (sometimes to the detriment of their creator's own vital statistics) by the medical establishment with its slash and burn methodologies for which cancer and other chronic diseases are mega cash cows.

If cancer were "cured" I daresay our economy would be in an even worse tailspin.

One thing's for sure: Elizabeth Edwards' prognosis is grim.

I don't know if more secular men are just better at choosing partners who will quietly go away, or if there is something to the Christian male, particularly the Southern Christian male, that makes them a) more susceptible and b) dumber about their choices.

Most likely, Jill, it has to do with what is known in some circles as "compulsory heterosexuality." To that, I would add the general expectation (Christian and others) that a man will marry a woman, have children by her and be faithful and exclusive to her, "forsaking all others."

Obviously, it's not working, or there wouldn't be so many men, Republicans or Democrats or what-have-you, fooling around. You would not believe how many men I know are sneaking around on their wives. Most of them are having affairs with other men, although there's plenty of married "Christian" men fooling around with women not married to them.

Again, the model is not working. But try convincing Christian conservatives of this! They stick their fingers in their ears and scream "I can't hear you! LALALALALALA!"

You know what, people, we're looking at the wrong John. Whatever happened to John McCain's first wife?

Dang, this site won't let me use hypertext, so I have to post the full link.

www.skeeterbitesreport.com/2008/08/media-go-wild-over-edwards-infidelities.html

Maybe you should do a similar expose on McCain, Lynn, but then I suppose that would only confirm rj's belief that you hate men.

It's interesting to note that Rielle Hunter has a Gemini moon and Venus in Taurus as well - very strong attraction between both of them - also she has had Pluto opposite her moon during this time period since they met and it just transited back into opposition position in this last retrograde before it goes into Capricorn for good.
So they are both having similar and intense transits to their natal charts - live changing transists.
Any thoughts on this? thanks!