Last week, Elizabeth Edwards courageously announced that her cancer was back. Talk about incredible survival skills. Although she’s coping with metastatic, incurable cancer now, her demeanor is fearless and upbeat. There has rarely been such a public example of the right way to handle Saturn’s challenges. Born on July 3, 1949, Edward’s second Saturn Return begins this September. Her Saturn is in Virgo, the sector of the horoscope ruling health. The reverberations of this profound event started when she got her diagnosis. We don’t know what time she was born, but Elizabeth is clearly a prime example of what it means to be a Saturn in Virgo — she has created a life of public service, and now, just about to face her second return, has offered to sacrifice her needs in the interest of her country. It has nothing to do with ambition.

During her initial Saturn Return between late 1978 and 1980, she became pregnant and gave birth to her first son, Wade. Wade tragically died in a car accident in 1996, and Elizabeth has been open about her healing process and how this loss transformed her life. For those born into the Saturn in Virgo generation, trading alone-time and spirituality with an over-booked schedule is one of your greatest tests. Although Elizabeth has chosen to be at her husband’s side throughout his campaign, she MUST listen to her body in the next two years. That is the key for surviving this second Saturn Return — she has to find the perfect balance between her political obligations and her own needs.

We who have endured Saturn’s challenges know that he offers parting gifts at the end of his two-and-a-half year transits. When Saturn leaves Virgo in 2009, it seems quite possible that Elizabeth will already be living in the White House, doing a whole lot more than decorating. If it comes to be, this mighty prize will be shared by every single citizen of the United States. We’ve never needed it more than we do now.