It was almost a year ago that I first profiled Hillary Clinton in these pages:

Hillary Clinton’s birthchart shows a strong personality: She has four planets in intense Scorpio, including her Sun, Chiron, Venus and Mercury. Scorpio is an intensely emotional sign that imposes a passion on everything the individual does or feels. Scorpios are never superficial or dilletantes – they bury themselves in virtually everything they encounter. Scorpio is ruled by Pluto, the god of the underworld, death and transformation, and Scorpios have no fear of the underworld of the emotional realm. Hillary’s Sun makes no aspect to any other planet, showing an individual who can find it difficult to make real connections with others. On the other hand, this can make it easier for one’s light (Sun) to shine without the need for support from others.

Chiron (wounded healer) is conjunct Venus in Hillary’s chart, linking the painful wounds of Chiron to the ability to relate to others and attract relationships that Venus represents. Chiron in tandem with Venus indicates an early psychic wounding in her sense of attractiveness and desirability and a tendency to continue to attract experiences that mirror this until the wound enters the conscious arena and can be healed. Certainly we can see this in her relationship with Bill Clinton as it has played out on the public stage. However, Jupiter in Hillary’s chart is in Sagittarius, indicating a general faith and optimism (Sagittarius) that is the basis of her world view (Jupiter).

Mercury (communication) is retrograde in Hillary’s chart and it is squared by Saturn, showing a difficulty (Saturn) in expressing herself (Mercury) in a way that is clear and understood by others. Mercury retrograde people tend to process information in a way that is more internalized than the general population, and often find themselves misunderstood. This has been a problem for her on the political stage, and requires a great deal of planning and preparation before making public speeches.

Hillary has a powerhouse conjunction of Mars, Pluto and Saturn all in Leo, and possibly (if the birthtime is close) in the third house of communication. This helps her to overcome the difficulties inherent in the retrograde Mercury, and harnesses the power of Mars (warrior energy), Pluto (transformation and personal power) and Saturn (discipline and hard work). And all in the sign of Leo, the sign that celebrates life and requires admiration in order to survive. Leo is the sign of nobility and royalty, and a concentration in this sign often brings about a desire to gain recognition for one’s essential being – not, as with Capricorn, for one’s achievements. It’s no wonder Hillary has been an overachiever all of her life!

Mrs. Clinton has been going through her second Saturn Return over the past year. The Saturn Return occurs when Saturn returns to its place in our birthcharts, first at age 28-30 and second at age 57-60. Because Saturn represents discipline, achievement, limitations and disappointments, the effect of the second Saturn Return depends upon the nature of our own birthcharts and how well we handle the requirements of the material world. During the first Saturn Return we are forced to grow up: we face the challenges of leaving childhood behind and facing life in the “real world.” By the time we reach the second Saturn Return we have become settled in that “real world,” and faced the midlife crisis transits that force us to re-evaluate the paths that we have chosen. At the second Saturn Return we face our mortality and realize that life is short. Again, our management of this period of potential crisis depends on the rest of the chart but this can be a period of tremendous success, if the discipline and material focus of Saturn becomes the predominating exercise; or alternatively, it can be a time of health crisis and despair. Saturn requires that we buckle down, put our nose to the grindstone and face the music.

During Mrs. Clinton’s first Saturn Return at age 28-30 (1975-1977) she married Our Bill and then joined the Rose Law Firm. Two years later she was First Lady of Arkansas. Mrs. Clinton’s second Saturn Return began officially in October of 2006 but Saturn hit her Mars/Pluto conjunction back in June of 2006. The Mars/Pluto/Saturn conjunction is a tower of strength, particularly in Leo, although it is not without its challenges. This conjunction makes a square to Mrs. Clinton’s retrograde Mercury, suggesting a deep-seated insecurity around her ability to communicate her ideas. This aspect of her chart keeps her from being overly politically astute, because unlike her husband, she is not tuned in to what the people want to hear. In some ways that gives her a greater integrity since she tends not to pander to the desires of others. Pluto and Saturn keep the ego of the Leo Mars in check, and Mrs. Clinton’s success can only come if her focus remains on the work as she has done over the years. Success under a Saturn influence comes through relentless focus and determination, and Mrs. Clinton has these in spades.

The Mars/Pluto/Saturn conjunction in Mrs. Clinton’s chart makes a square to her Chiron/Venus conjunction over the next year. Transiting Chiron is beginning a difficult series of Chiron transits; first in a square to her natal Chiron at the end of this month, then opposing her Mars/Pluto conjunction in April and then in July. August and December of this year sees Chiron retrograding back to a square of her natal Chiron which can indicate health problems or a painful episode of some kind. Because Chiron in her chart is conjunct Venus, planet of relationships, this painful episode is likely to involve her relationships. Her Chiron return in 1997 and 1998 marked the Lewinsky scandal which very publicly exposed fissures in her marriage.

Because this is such a big system involving so many planets, a transit to one planet affects all of them and creates a major shift for the individual. The next two years will be a powerful time of change for Mrs. Clinton as she balances the needs of her relationships (Venus/Chiron) with her own expression of power (Mars/Pluto/Saturn). Whether you love her or hate her, there’s no mistaking the power of Hillary Rodham Clinton.