The astrology of a nation’s leader influences the life of that nation, and in the case of a United States president the whole world is affected as well. You may find it useful to review this article from earlier in the year which also has a link to his astrological profile from 2003. Over the past couple of years Bush has been going through some very difficult planetary events: his second Saturn return, the pass of Saturn’s restrictions and tests over his Midheaven (career point and public life) last year, and both Chiron and Saturn, in their dance together, applying stress to Bush’s ascendant (the “rising sign,” showing his life as an individual and in relationship to others) as well as his natal conjunction of Mercury (his thought process and ability to communicate) with Pluto (obsession and intensity). Bush has been tested by Saturn in virtually every area of his life over the past year – his poll numbers are dropping, his staff has disintegrated, his reputation worldwide is in the toilet.
Saturn and Chiron have been in a dance of opposition since last fall, and last week was at its most exact point right on Bush’s ascendant/Pluto/Mercury conjunction. Rumors are flying over stress in the presidential marriage (relationships of all kinds are influenced by transits over the ascendant), and he has been under pressure to let go of Don Rumsfeld, his long-time ally. Bush is loyal to a fault and does not like change in his staff but was forced (Saturn) to let go of long-time staff members to bring fresh blood into the White House.
In February, Pluto began a relatively minor but intense (semisextile) transit over Bush’s Saturn, creating an environment where his normal routines are disrupted and he finds it difficult to find his footing. The structures (Saturn) upon which he has depended are no longer reliable and he is forced to build new ones. This cycle will last throughout next year. In addition, transiting Jupiter (opportunity and possibilities) is square Pluto in Bush’s chart, creating within him restless and impatience to move forward.
At the same time, Pluto has been making a harmonious transit over his Midheaven that will complete this year. The midheaven is the “point of highest aspiration” – it shows the highest possible expression we can achieve in our life, and the way we express ourselves in the public arena. Typically this is done through our career; the midheaven shows our public persona. Pluto is the god of transformation, and in the harmonious transits it tends to facilitate transformation and change in a way that is exhilarating as well as deep. It’s hard to say how this has manifested for Bush – lately he has been surprising both his supporters and his detractors by admitting mistakes over his failed Iraq policy and the Guantanamo prison. With Karl Rove having not been indicted in the Plamegate scandal he will be free to work on transforming (Pluto) Bush’s image, and this could facilitate Bush’s return to greater power. Not particularly what some of us would like to see, but Pluto is a powerful ally (as is Karl Rove).
The infuence of Saturn in Bush’s chart will soon be over, but Chiron (wounding and healing) will continue its pass over Bush’s ascendant and first house planets (Mercury and Pluto in particular). It’s hard to predict what form this will take, but it’s quite possible that we will see Bush make a comeback if he continues to scale back on his cowboy image and exhibit the humility that we have seen lately.
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