Missouri Republican Rep.Todd Akin was born July 5, 1947 in New York City. His time of birth is unpublished. Prior to making the above comment, he was the leading Republican candidate in his Senate race, and August 20, the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee said the committee had withdrawn advertising planned for the Missouri race.
Akin’s comment has caused a political firestorm, and although he has publically apologized, many women feel insulted by the comment on several levels. First of all, he calls into question the issue of, ‘legitimate rape,’ implying there is more than one type of rape (that is not legitimate), and implying a woman’s body has the ability to prevent a pregnancy if a rape has occurred. It is hard to believe someone who would espouse such a view is actually a sitting member of the House Science and Technology Committee. But, let’s take a look at the more dominant aspects in his chart to understand more about him.
Akin is a 12 degree Cancer with Mercury in Cancer, so he is an emotional thinker. Those born with Sun/Mercury in Cancer are emotional-intuitive thinkers and at times it can be difficult for them to make rational decisions about something they are opposed to or feel is unfair. As a result of their emotionally charged thinking they often don’t make allowances for other opinions. As a result they are generally not found in the math and science fields. They are often involved in creative endeavors, teaching or an occupation that would involve swaying the masses through communication. Which is of course, exactly what a politician does.
His Sun squares Neptune and this is usually indicative of people who often have a deep seated inferiority complex often as a result of early conditioning, alcoholic or absentee parents or parents who did not connect to the nature of the individual child. Sometimes it manifests as an interest in the occult or spiritual side of life, but the individual can get lost along the way. Often it represents an individual who hides their true motivations or simply does not present the truth about situations in their lives. These individuals are often deceptive either knowingly or inadvertently naive. Akin grew up the son of a Reverend, which set the course of his belief system.
The moon is an indication of one’s emotional life, and in a man’s chart the moon represents all the women in his life. Akin was born with a moon in Aquarius. Moon in Aquarius individuals consider themselves independent humanitarians and often convey such views. They have the ability to reach out to groups and individuals from many walks of life, but do not have such an easy time with one to one relationships that require personal warmth and intimacy. His moon lies in his eighth house from his Sun which is commonly associated with sex and taxes, (other people’s money) death and rebirth.
His moon opposes Saturn and Pluto at 8 and 12 degrees of Leo in the second house of income/ security and things the individual places value on. The second/eighth houses are commonly associated with what is considered mine (the individual) verses the collective which includes ideas. The second house also relates to the relationship we have with our own body. The eighth house rules sex, death, phobias, compulsions, and things the individual does not have control over. With the opposition to his second house, his personal sense of security is involved with trying to control emotions and issues concerning women (the moon) and their relationships with their own bodies, and he does not especially value the ideas of independent women.
Saturn and Pluto are conjunct in Leo at 8 and 12 degrees. Saturn-Pluto individuals can hang on to ideas, situations and views with great tenancy and stubbornness. There is sometimes a marked desire concerning revenge, and a strong drive to succeed at any cost. Author-Astrologer Jeff Green wrote, “(individuals with Pluto-Saturn aspects) will promote the need to actualize and realize their own authority, and establish this authority within society.” Since these planets oppose his moon he will come into conflict trying to impose those ideas on women, who will be a focus.
Moon opposing Saturn individuals (men) often have difficulty relating to or dealing with women or their own emotions. Often their partners have difficulty relating to them, as well. The moon represents all the women in his life and how he perceives them. Saturn is a cold, harsh planet, all about responsibility and obligation, and an opposition means the greatest obstacles seem to come from other individuals. (Often women) The fact is, the individual in question often creates problems, which others react to in a negative way. Moon-Saturn individuals often come across as cold, and have an interest in doing the perceived ‘right thing,’ which often becomes the most important thing to them. Moon-Saturn men often respond coolly toward women or don’t trust them, and often have/had cold relationships with their Mother or family members. Some of them have long, but cold marriages and relationships, or their partnerships are based on a strong sense of responsibility, obligation and duty. Love and matters of the heart will always take a back seat to duties of a Moon-Saturn individual. Akin has been married since 1975 to Lulli Akin, described as an evangelical Christian, homemaker, and education pioneer.
Moon opposing Pluto individuals are very intense in their emotional lives, and not always open about their feelings. They often try and control what people know about them. Pluto is about control, sex and obsessions, and these individuals often react in this manner. With Saturn opposing his moon (he is not in touch with women, doesn’t trust them, and doesn’t relate well to their personal issues) as well as Pluto (Moon-Pluto oppositions often work themselves out through control issues, and becoming a breeding ground for all types of emotional issues surrounding women and the emotional life) Akin’s relationships/perceptions of women would be basically cold, non trusting, reserved, obsessive, and controlled or controlling.
Oppositions are always going to be troublesome in an individual chart. Problems seem to come from others. Very successful people often turn oppositions into positive situations, however. An individual with Akin’s opposition for example, could take the energy that is present in the chart and go in a different direction. For example, he might have become an advocate for poor women in poverty stricken areas, and turned the opposition into something different, rather than making oppressive statements about women. But, his natural inclination is toward control, (Pluto) and this is the direction he has chosen to go in.
Another catalyst in Akins chart is Jupiter, at 17 degrees of Scorpio. Politics and laws are the realm of Jupiter, also religion and philosophy. Jupiter in Scorpio is intense, and would give the individual a shrewd business sense. These individuals are uncompromising in their beliefs and viewpoints.
Looking at this aspect from his Sun sign, Jupiter in the fifth house rules children (as well as love/love affairs) and it squares Saturn and Pluto in his second house, which also rules body image. So, from this we can easily deduce his stance on women and abortion. He objects to it from ethical, moral, religious and monetary viewpoints, and does not believe women have the rights to control their own bodies. Since he doesn’t trust women or relate to them personally, he does not believe they can objectively define rape. Author Jeff Green wrote about Pluto-Jupiter individuals, “some individuals will develop an attitude of philosophical and intellectual superiority when they repeatedly find that others do not, or cannot comprehend what they are trying to say. Superiority promotes the need to convert others to one’s own point of view.” Sometimes this transit manifests itself as inferiority.
Jupiter square Pluto individuals can sometimes set themselves up as a law unto themselves, often espousing dogmatic codes that exert control over others. This trait can be seen in his refusal to drop from the race, which the Republican GOP has called for. He defies his own party dictates and sets his own rules. Jupiter-Pluto individuals can become arrogant and unyielding in their determination to follow what they consider their true path.
Akin’s chart may have a T-square between the second, fifth and eighth houses, which is a complex stressful pattern that emerges as a single minded motivation throughout life, for better or worse. But, without his time of birth it is impossible to ascertain.
Akins actually meant exactly what he said about ‘legitimate rape,’, and it has even crueler undertones disrespecting the rights of women who have been raped, calling into question the type of rape as opposed to the universal viewpoint that rape is unacceptable under any condition. With Jupiter (politics-government-religion) as a catalyst, Akins believes he has the political wherewithal and personal right to make laws that control women according to his own personal viewpoints, and he was/is speaking from and about a time period of long ago where discrimination toward female victims of felonious sexual assault was the norm, and women were considered the perpetrator of the crime, or the crime swept under the rug. His personal sense of security is at stake and his belief system is embedded with the idea that women cannot be allowed control of their own lives and bodies.
Akins really does not like women as independent individuals; he believes their actions should be circumscribed and controlled and thinks it is his place to become the catalyst of these actions. He may regret his words for political reasons, but he did not in fact, misspeak; he simply conveyed his own personal world view about ‘legitimate rape” and women to the world.
