Is Via Combusta Scorching Politicians ?

Yesterday I stumbled upon "Separated at birth: Maureen Dowd & Arianna Huffington" ,written by "Luk". It isn't meant to be taken seriously, but it did set me on the track of a new blog entry.

These two women do have similar career records. Journalists, authors, and bloggers, they comment and report in critical and outspoken fashion mainly about politics in the USA. From their natal charts though, I'd say they have little in common personality-wise. There's only one similarity obvious to me, apart from sign positions of the three generational planets.

Maureen Dowd (right) born 14 January 1952 Washington DC
Arianna Huffington (left) born 15 July 1950 Athens, Greece

Both women have personal planets around the middle degrees of Libra. In traditional astrology I understand that the degrees between 15 Libra and 15 Scorpio are known as "Via Combusta" = Fiery Road, or Burning Road. This area of the chart was thought in ancient times to be unlucky or malefic, especially for Sun or Moon to be found there, in horary astrology. If valid in horary astrology, surely there must be something special about those degrees which might be applied also in natal astrology?

Dowd has Saturn at the gate of the Burning Road 14.53* Libra, Mars at 27.29* Libra, and Neptune at 21.41* Libra, several steps into "the fire"
Huffington's Mars is at 15.10* Libra and Neptune at 14.40* Libra, near the start of the Burning Road.

Perhaps these placements are significant in the women's similar desires to speak out so frankly, passionately, and not often kindly. I note that the personal planets involved, Mars and Saturn, are traditionally classed as "malefics".

Trying to remain objective and unbiassed is difficult. Maureen Dowd's style does not appeal to me, I find it cruel. Arianna Huffington's chart (4 planets in Cancer, Jupiter in Pisces) reveals a kinder, softer personality, as does her work, but she retains the ability to be sharply critical. Dowd's Capricorn Sun and Mercury with Jupiter in Aries, are bound to give her a harder edge.

Additionally, I took a quick look at the natal chart of Ann Coulter. She's younger (8 December 1961 New York City), but her career and style follow a similar pattern to Dowd's and Huffington's. Neptune is at 12.18* Scorpio - at the other end of The Burning Road in her natal chart, but no personal planets are there. Even so, could there be some significance here ?