In light of the mess surrounding “Pagegate” and the potential fall of the Republican Party I thought Mr. Foley deserved his own post.

Mark Foley (see chart) was born under the sign of Virgo, a sign famously known for its fastidiousness and desire for continual self-improvement. Unless there are other more fiery elements in the birthchart, Virgo dislikes the limelight and prefers to stay behind the scenes where they can be of service and deny the ego. Typically, though, they are perfectionists who work hard to achieve their goals and in Foley’s case, he worked hard to hide his own sexuality and his penchant for young boys. Just last July Foley introduced legislation to punish credit card companies and internet service providers that aid in the dissemination of child pornography.

We don’t know Mark Foley’s time of birth so we have no way to calculate his ascendant or rising sign which would describe his outward appearance and personality. I am guessing either Gemini because of his sociability and “talent for mimicry” or Libra because of his ability to build political relationships. Foley’s political history is interesting: At the age of 23 he served on the City Council in his Florida town as a Democrat, but after later failed bids at higher office switched to run as a Republican and finally won a representative seat in 1990. Mercury in his chart is in Libra, indicating that his thinking (Mercury) sees both sides of an issue (Libra), facilitating his ability to switch from one argument to another but perhaps showing a man who lacks the courage of his convictions. Mercury in Foley’s chart conflicts with his Mars which is in Capricorn and very pragmatic. Libra is about relationships and Capricorn is about the objectives, but for both of these signs the end justifies the means and there is a tendency to manipulate in order to achieve one’s goals.

Chiron (wounding and healing) conjuncts Foley’s Capricorn Moon, indicating that there is a painful history in the way that he was nurtured as represented by the Moon. Chiron shows where in our lives there is an old psychic wound that doesn’t heal, and when in aspect to the Moon there are deep painful emotions (Moon) that must be faced in order to be resolved. Yet the Moon in Capricorn is pragmatic about this and is generally not particularly emotional. Consequently, the inner drama tends to remain repressed until there is an outer event that triggers it.

The Moon/Chiron combination in Foley’s chart is opposite another combination of Jupiter and Uranus, showing an exaggerated (Jupiter) sense of being different (Uranus). It was widely but quietly known that Mark Foley is gay, and Uranus is often associated with homosexuality because of the sense of being outside of conventional culture and the tendency to live a non-traditional life. Reportedly Foley had a long-term relationship with a doctor in Palm Beach, but evidently these two didn’t live together and owned separate residences.

Both ends of the opposition of the Moon/Chiron combination to the Jupiter/Uranus combination are in challenge with Foley’s Neptune forming what’s called a “T-square”, and because it is a hard (or challenging) aspect we tend to see the more negative attributes of all planets involved. Neptune shrouds everything in a misty obscurity, and brings with it an ability to hide from oneself and others. Neptune creates an illusion, both from outside and within as well.

Foley’s Sun makes no major aspects to any other planet (we call this a “singleton” or “unaspected” Sun). When the Sun is unaspected it has the opportunity to shine unencumbered by other influences, but individuals with an unaspected Sun often find it difficult to connect with others on an essential emotional level. This can be frustrating personally but is not uncommon in the charts of famous people, who tend to put their careers before their relationships. In Foley’s chart the unaspected Sun aids him in disassociating himself (Sun) from his emotional problems and operate in a state of denial. However, the emotional difficulties continue to simmer underneath until released by an outer event as we have seen here.

In addition, Foley’s Venus conjuncts Saturn and both in Scorpio, demonstrating a deep insecurity (Saturn) in his ability to be loved and found desirable (Venus) along with a strong sexual nature (Scorpio). It is likely this insecurity that drives him to seek relationships with young boys who won’t challenge his weak sense of self and help him to feel more powerful.

Mark Foley’s chart shows that he has some positive Pluto transits at this time even in the midst of this debacle, which tells me that these events, while incredibly difficult, will have an ultimately positive affect on Foley. Perhaps having been “outed” he will come face to face with his true self and begin to live a more authentic life. More challenging will be the lingering effect on the structure of our current leadership which is already suffering under the opposition of Saturn in Leo to Neptune.