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Astrology
by Hand Week 35
Our
New President
We have a
new president now, and it might be interesting to look at something in
his chart and see what comes out of it. But before going on, I just want
to say that I was not and am not a supporter of George
W. Bush, but I will be as even-handed as possible in what I
say here (no pun intended).
George W.
Bush was born on July 6, 1946, at 7:26 am EDT in New Haven, Connecticut.
I do not have the source of this chart, but it does seem to be the one
generally used. What I want to focus on here is something in his chart
that seems to be inconsistent with his becoming president, at least according
to most conventional astrology. George W. Bush has a Twelfth House Sun!
What
Is a House?
For those
who are beginners in astrology, let me say the following: Almost everyone
knows that there are twelve signs in the zodiac. But there are also twelve
houses. These are used to divide the chart into sections based on the
degree of the zodiac rising in east. They indicate areas of life in which
the planets and signs manifest themselves. To determine the houses, we
need to know not only the exact time of birth, but also the latitude and
longitude of the birthplace. The date, time and place comprise a complete
set of birth data. Without all three of these we cannot determine where
the twelve houses are and what is in them.
George W.
has 7 degrees and 7 minutes of the sign Leo rising. His Sun is at 13 degrees
and 47 minutes of Cancer. Now astrologers do not completely agree on the
best way to divide the chart into houses, but in George W.’s case almost
all systems would agree that Bush’s Sun is in the Twelfth House.
What’s
Wrong With a Twelfth House Sun?
So what’s
the problem? The Twelfth House has a pretty bad reputation in astrology.
It is supposed to signify things like “self-undoing,” imprisonment, secrets
in general, secret enemies, seclusion and generally being withdrawn from
the world, and it is usually regarded as being one of the worst houses
in the chart. But to be fair, it is also said to signify enlightenment,
spiritual retreat and a very high regard for all things mystical and spiritual.
But whatever
it may indicate, it is generally agreed that the Sun in the Twelfth House
is not very good for someone who has to be out and about in the world
the way a politician has to be, nor is it supposed to be good for being
in charge or command. Alan Leo, who wrote at the beginning of the twentieth
century, did say that a Twelfth House Sun could indicate someone who starts
out life in difficulty and gradually achieves success by his or her own
efforts.
So George
W. Bush has become president despite a Sun that is supposed to indicate
a withdrawn, secretive nature, who does not like to be in the limelight.
But here he is in the ultimate limelight. What is going on here?
We do know
some things about his life and behavior. He values his privacy, and apparently
more so than most presidents. All through the campaign he went home to
his ranch every weekend and did not interact with the media any more than
necessary during those times. But this is also a characteristic of a home-loving
Cancer. Where is his Twelfth House Sun?
It may be
too early to tell, but it seems clear that Bush does not exhibit the extreme
qualities of the Twelfth House. He is not a recluse, and obviously does
have a capacity for a public life. However, at the same time, the public
does not really know who George W. Bush is. For example, during the campaign
he made a point of not clearly distinguishing himself from Al
Gore except on issues such as religion and personal integrity,
things he rightly or wrongly attacked Gore for not having. But on other
issues he was extremely unclear even when he took a position. This is
a Twelfth House quality.
The
Twelfth House Sun and the Current Administration
I suggest
that what we are going to see during his administration will be the following:
1) George W. Bush will continue to carry on as much of his private life
as possible away from the media. 2) More than is usual, the public will
have little idea of what is going in Bush’s administration. 3) What we
see is not quite what we are going to get.
I have long
suspected that Bush is not so much going to be the head of our government
as the public head of a committee that will actually be in charge. Some
of the other members of that committee will have almost as much influence
as Bush. None of these things need be negative in terms of the outcome,
but I think that we can say that Bush’s administration is going to be
one of the less straightforward and less open ones in our history. Given
some of the things that have happened over the last several administrations,
that may be saying a lot.
Next week
I will take another astrological look at our new president.
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