Vladimir Putin (pronounced Poo-teen) was born with four planets in Libra, all of which form a square aspect (90-degree angle) to the planet Uranus. For a nation so out-of-balance, it is fascinating to see the astrological symbol for the scales—Libra—personified so specifically in the new president of Russia. The fact that it will take a form of soft revolution to strike a balance in new Russia is what Putin is all about. From a silent, gray, non-descript shadow in the earliest days of his career, he has arrived at his new position, and is emerging with a sense of self-confidence, calm power and an apparent vision for the Russian future.

A Saturn Image

Dissecting this stellium of planets in Libra, first we see the Sun and Saturn  together. This accounts for his rather unglamourous image in his late twenties and thirties. Putin's Sun (heroic nature) coupled with Saturn (authority) shows him to be a man of tremendous ambition, patience and fortitude, who, as a mature man, now emanates confidence, authority and gravitas. Rising up through the ranks from secret-security and spy-work in the KGB, Vladimir's appearance as successor to Yeltsin is likely a well-calculated ascension in status and power.

Putin's mother died of cancer in 1998, and his father, also called Vladimir, died before Putin became acting president. His father is said to have declared on his death bed, "My son is like a czar!"* A son living out his father's dream, his father's will and symbolically becoming his father in another incarnation is a Sun-Saturn legacy straight out of ancient mythic parental origins. (See George Bush's paternal link in Not a Greek God, but an American Icon.)

Mercury-Neptune Shapeshifter

The two other planets in the Libra stellium, Neptune and Mercury, account for his shapeshifting from blue-collar deep mole in the KGB, and his linguistic and socially-manipulative abilities—he is many things to many people, and can reinterpret symbols and history, or at least skew people's memory of history. His desire not only to be liked, but also revered and perceived as both a political and spiritual leader, is also part of the Neptune aspect of his chart.

Vlad is the first Russian leader since Czar Nicholas II to be a born and lifetime member of the Russian Orthodox Church. His office has a portrait of St. Peter, the founding saint of his birthplace, behind him. His obeisance to both church and state is the combination of three of the planets in Libra: Sun, Saturn and Neptune. Neptune is the religious visionary, Saturn the prime authority and his Sun declares his intent to embody all of the potentials of supreme authority—both God and the state.

A Complex Man

Blending the Sun-Saturn and Mercury-Neptune, his inner nature becomes more complex: Putin has class, intelligence and an aura of mystery about him. It is a natural characteristic of Saturnian people to appear dark and interesting, even when they aren't. That the sign of Libra is the primary agent of both his ego and persona gives him innate class, diplomacy and the ability to bend toward whatever public attitude will serve him, both domestically and internationally. This combination of planetary influences symbolizes beautifully the merger of the state, the military and the church.

Vladimir Putin has risen from the bowels of the KGB—a position of heroic proportions from Russian standards—working as a spy and a security expert, to become a star. He is attracted to and quickly accepted by powerful individuals because of his Libran charm and inherent ability to absorb all sides and modify extremes. That he comes from St. Petersburg and not Moscow says much for his caste in the Russian social hierarchy—it is a more cosmopolitan, elitist and educated city from which the finest of the KGB were drawn. It was, and likely will become again, the window to Europe and the “western world.”

Putin's tenacity of purpose (Sun) and plodding, steady, focused ambition (Saturn) coupled with his vision (Neptune) and dexterity in communicating the “right” information (Mercury) is a good base from which to launch a new vision. What that vision actually is remains as mysterious as Putin's persona.

An Unpredictable Leader

The square of his Libra stellium to the revolutionary planet Uranus leads one to believe that Putin is a wild-card. There is an unstable element in his nature. Absolutely anything could happen under his dictates. Uranus gives him an unsettling characteristic—a volatility that would arise under threat to his independence. He could launch a total revolution on the turn of a ruble; he could create a split in the country more profound than it has experienced before; he could change from the charming diplomat to a ruthless dictator. The element of uncertainty is hardwired into his system, and thus, one should not be too invested in his rhetoric.

Notes

*Lloyd, John. "The Logic of Vladimir Putin." The New York Times Magazine. March 19, 2000.