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Astrology
by Hand Week 38
Beginnings
In the last
weeks we have looked at the chart of George
W. Bush to see what it might show us about his presidency.
Now we are
going to look at another kind of chart that might tell us something much
more specific about his presidency. A natal chart tells us about a person
generally, not just what kind of career he or she might have. What we
need is a chart of this presidency itself, the chart of President Bush’s
inauguration.
In astrology,
everything has a beginning, and one of the main principles of astrology
is that a chart erected for the beginning of something should tell us
something about what has begun. The inauguration of a president is just
such a beginning. It is the birth of a presidency.
Conveniently
for us as astrologers, since the second inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt,
each new term begins precisely at noon on January 20 of the year after
the election. Prior to 1937, the term began on March 4 at noon. There
is some argument about whether one should use the actual swearing in ceremony
or the exact noon time, but the two are usually so close that there is
little real difficulty.
The
Inaugural Chart
 The
chart used here is erected for precisely noon EST for Washington, D.C.
(I used Koch houses.) We find the sign of Taurus rising. In fact, because
the inauguration occurs at about the same time on the same day of each
inaugural year, these charts have all had Taurus rising since F.D.R. The
main thing that changes each time is where the planets are located.
It is said
that the Tenth House represents the presidency or persons in power in
most charts erected for political events. However, I would argue that
since this is the chart of an administration, the administration itself
is the First House because the First House always stands for whatever
it is that is being “born.” The Tenth House (the area at the top of the
chart) will stand for the reputation and standing of the administration.
In the First
House we have Saturn rising. This is a very clear indication of a conservative
presidency. This is not going to be a “centrist” administration, at least
not on issues that are “hot buttons” for the Right. This may not be very
clear to the general public, however, because the inaugural chart has
foggy Neptune in the Tenth House, indicating that the reputation and standing
of this presidency are not going to be clearly defined.
Mars
Setting
But the most
interesting thing in this chart that has caused the most comment among
astrologers is what is happening in the Seventh House. This is the place
in the chart where planets are just setting. Here we find Mars in
Scorpio fairly close to setting, which means it is closely opposing the rising
degree. This area of the chart stands for both partners and open opponents.
Given the fiery and combative nature of Mars (god of war, etc.), this
looks more like opponents than partners. Also, Mars is in Scorpio, one
of the signs it rules in traditional astrology, and in fact the rulership
that it is supposed to prefer. This means that the opponents are strong
and perhaps ruthless.
Mars also
rules Aries, which is on the Twelfth House cusp. This is the house of
secrets and hidden
things. This suggests that the open opponents of this presidency
are not entirely “open” and that secret forces may be operating behind
the scenes here. For the more paranoid among us this is ample fuel.
We cannot
assume, based on this chart, that the opponents of this presidency are
limited to Democrats, by the way. The fact that a strong Mars is in its
own sign in the Seventh House actually suggests someone of a military
background. Perhaps John
McCain? As of this writing, he is preparing to cause a certain
amount of trouble for Bush over campaign finance reform. But there are
of course many other possibilities. For example, is Colin
Powell the ally of this administration that he seems to be?
Of course,
nothing can be taken by itself in astrology. The Mars in the Seventh of
this chart also makes significant combinations or aspects to other planets,
and these both add and subtract from the thrust of the Seventh House Mars.
We will take up some of these in our next column.
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