Dateline: July 9, 2003 5:27AM PDT Eugene, Oregon -- Once again I am dating and timing the start of this article so there is no confusion in the future. Right at this moment, President Bush's Sun degree (13+ Cancer, which is also the USA Sun placement) is rising in the East while the transiting Sun at 17 Cancer approaches the Pluto degree from the outer planet's discovery on February 18, 1930. The transiting Moon is at 19 Scorpio -- the sign of death-rebirth, mysteries, the underworld, deep-seated transformation and metamorphosis. You know our subject matter and the solar, lunar and rising energies just explained certainly suggest that what I am about to share in Part II will be extremely powerful and provocative in regard to the future of our country and the executive branch of government

Since finishing Part I approximately 24 hours ago, I have been experiencing many revelations. Here are some of them.

Note the above quote from the renowned American poet Walt Whitman who lived through the tragedy of the Civil War and President Lincoln's assassination. "Western fallen star" is a poetic expression for the planet Venus which can appear as a "morning star" (rising before the Sun at dawn) or as an "evening star" (visible in the western sky, setting after the Sun). Now I am reasonably sure that Walt Whitman had no knowledge of Abraham Lincoln's birthchart. But as I explained in Part I, the President was born with Venus as an evening star and setting in the west on his day of birth. In opposition to that was the situation at the birth of his assassin, John Wilkes Booth -- who was born with Venus as a morning star and rising before dawn. It turns out that at President Lincoln's murder, Venus was again an "evening star," and was powerfully visible as a bright planet in the western sky just before, during and after the assassination! Remember that Lincoln was born in Kentucky and hailed from Illinois -- states, which in those days, were clearly "west" to an Easterner like Whitman who was born in New York. Thus, the reference in the poem to "western fallen star!" really means the decline and death of President Lincoln -- and, as you can see from the above, is confirmed in the astrology of the president's chart and the evening of his murder!

Furthermore, note that Venus was located at 25+ Taurus when President Lincoln was assassinated. I didn't mention this in Part I, but that put transiting Venus exactly opposite John Wilkes Booth's natal Saturn at 25+ Scorpio. As a matter of fact from April 9, 1865 (the day of Lee's surrender to Grant, in effect ending the Civil War) to around April 22, 1865 (while Booth was on the run from soldiers seeking to capture him dead or alive), Venus remained at 25+ Taurus polarized to Booth's Saturn. That's because Venus was slowing down in motion and actually made a retrograde station (along with Jupiter) on that miserable weekend of April 15-16, 1865 when the reverberations of the assassination echoed through the land. Remember that John Wilkes Booth was a Sun-sign Taurus and therefore Venus was his Sun-sign ruler. Since we don't know his rising sign, Venus remains a dominating influence in his life. Here we see his guiding planet virtually unmoving a week before the assassination to a week afterwards! And it is smack dab opposing his Saturn (karma; fear; father and authority figures; ruler of chronological time and ancient symbol of death) in Scorpio (sign of death-rebirth, the unknown and mysteries).

If you look closely at the Lincoln assassination chart presented in Part I, you will see that Uranus is in the 7^th house at 26+ Gemini and Mars is located right on the 8^th house cusp (death) at 7+ Cancer. Now these positions are in themselves very symbolic of the deed. Uranus in Gemini shows the radical assassin who is also experiencing a mental-emotional split-personality (shadow side of Gemini). The country has been divided for years -- North vs. South, freedom vs. slavery -- and Lincoln and Booth become the archetypal figures representing each cause. Mars at the 8^th house cusp reveals both the murderer and his victim. Remember that President Lincoln was experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime Progressed Sun polarity to Progressed Mars at his death, and the transiting Sun at the murder (25+ Aries) was exactly opposing his natal Mars (25+ Libra). [I didn't mention this earlier, but it is also remarkable that transiting Saturn at the assassination (27+ Libra) is less than 2 degrees from President Lincoln's natal Mars and, in the several weeks after his passing, while the conspirators were rounded up, that Saturn moving retrograde passed over his natal Mars exactly. Saturn can only cross a person's natal Mars every 29-30 years. It is certainly a time of supreme challenge, limits and restrictions. In this situation, it was a major factor in the President's death.]

Notice something else about Uranus and Mars in the Lincoln assassination map. Their distance from each other is 11 degrees and 44 minutes of arc. What many beginning students of astrology don't realize is that the degree orb of significant planets in a chart can be used to time an unfolding event. In this case, we recall that John Wilkes Booth was finally surrounded in a burning barn in Virginia during the morning of April 26, 1865 and died around 7AM. It was approximately 11 and 1/2 days since his murder of the president on April 14, 1865. Thus, the Mars-Uranus 11+ degree orb is showing up in the 11+ days from the murder of the President to the death of the assassin! It's a stunning proof of dynamic, mundane astrology at work.

Turning to Neptune for a moment, I explained in Part I that John Wilkes Booth was born with Neptune at 10+ Aquarius and about to turn stationary retrograde within 48 hours of his birth. This sets him up as a universally acclaimed (Aquarius) actor (Neptune) who was also the ringleader of a conspiracy. Now the word "conspiracy" actually comes from the root words "con" and "spire" -- whose etymology means "to breathe the same air." People who conspire together are "breathing the same air," and their words and ideas are intermingling in the air of their talk and the ethers of their intellectual plotting. Neptune can be a very wonderful and spiritually uplifting influence, but it can also link with delusions, deceptions, confusion, chaos and scandal. While John Wilkes Booth came into his incarnation as a kind of Neptunian ambassador and agent -- positively as a brilliant actor and negatively as the initiator of a horrendous conspiracy leading to presidential murder -- both President Lincoln and President Kennedy were fated (Saturn) to experience martyrdom (Neptune) as our national leaders. Why? Because they were both born at the time of a Saturn-Neptune conjunction. Such unions of Saturn and Neptune only occur approximately every 36 years. [Note: As I explained in my Neptune's Power feature on the astrology web site, when Neptune was discovered on September 23, 1846, Neptune and Saturn were conjunct at 25+ Aquarius!] Both presidents had approaching Saturn-Neptune conjunctions at their births and high up in the chart -- influencing their ideals, philosophy of life and leadership capacities. President Lincoln's Saturn-Neptune orb was 3+ degrees while President Kennedy's was 5+ degrees. JFK's natal Saturn-Neptune conjunction was right in the 10^th house of profession, career and executive authority. When he died on November 22, 1963, Neptune in the 9^th house at 15+ Scorpio was closely squaring Saturn at 17+ Aquarius on the Ascendant. He was born at the conjunction, but died at the square.

This brings us to those unusual and uncanny connections that people discussed right after the JFK assassination. The names Lincoln and Kennedy are each composed of 7 letters. President Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy and Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln. Both men had Vice Presidents from the South (Andrew Johnson from Tennessee and Lyndon Johnson from Texas) and these Vice Presidents were born 100 years apart (1808 for Andrew Johnson and 1908 for Lyndon Johnson). The names John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald are each composed of 15 letters. Both presidents were shot on Fridays (ruled by Venus). As I mentioned in Part I, both presidents died while with their wives. Let's now add to this that both murders occurred with Chiron (wounds; pains; the need for healing; bridge between material life and spiritual existence) in Pisces. In addition, in my study of both the Lincoln Marriage chart and the Kennedy Marriage chart, in their secondary progressions when the assassinations occurred, Chiron was making stations. I explained earlier in Part I that one of the meanings at a Chiron station is being "out of time," in limbo. In my JFK, Life and Death and Chiron article on the astrology web site, I referred to a term called "chirological time." This was first explained by Zane Stein, who had been the main astrologer bringing Chiron's message and meaning to the world after the Chiron discovery on November 1, 1977. [Note: This will become important later in our study because George W. Bush married Laura Welch less than one week after Chiron's discovery. Therefore, the Chiron principle of healing is deeply at work in their marriage.] Saturn rules "chronological time" and revolutionary Uranus represents the gateway to "eternity" (where there is no time at all). But Chiron -- which orbits the Sun between Saturn and Uranus -- is the ruler of twilight zones, unusual timing, being "out of time" in the normal sense. As mentioned in Part I, Chiron was completely motionless when President Kennedy was murdered. And note the following -- the symbol that astrologers use for Chiron is a "K" with an ellipse attached to the bottom. It is an image of a KEY. Thus, one of the deeper meanings of Chiron refers to a "KEY that opens doors to higher consciousness and spiritual awareness." This is a major reason why we are searching through all these assassination-related charts to understand the how, why and when of what may be unfolding in the near future in America.

Now here is another revelation. When America was born on July 4, 1776, Chiron at 20+ Aries was closely opposing Juno at 20+ Libra. It's a very dynamic polarity for the United States. It has hardly been explored by astrologers because the asteroids and Chiron have only been worked with by practitioners in our field over the past three decades. Could this potent opposition in the USA birthchart be a key (Chiron) to understanding why both President Lincoln and President Kennedy were murdered in the presence of their wives (Juno)? Juno connects not only to marriage and empowerment-disempowerment issues in primary relationships, but also to one's "spouse" or significant other. And get this -- at the Lincoln Marriage transiting Pluto (death-rebirth; transformation; underworld and extremes) was located at 20+ Aries -- exactly crossing the USA Chiron and opposing the USA Juno! Meanwhile, when John and Jackie Kennedy were married on September 12, 1953, Juno at 25+ Cancer was precisely squaring Saturn at 25+ Libra. Remember 25+ Libra? That's Mars for President Lincoln and the opposite point (25 Aries) was the Sun placement at Lincoln's assassination. 25 Libra is also the Sun for Lee Harvey Oswald -- who was the assassin who destroyed the Kennedy Marriage by killing JFK. One planetary contact merging with another and another -- through the decades and centuries -- linking assassinations.

OK … now I hope you are ready for one more blockbuster. I don't know if anyone else ever made this rather astounding association between the Lincoln and Kennedy murders. Let's go back to the scene in the balcony and presidential box at Ford's Theatre on the night of April 14, 1865. You will recall that there were 4 people in that location before the arrival of John Wilkes Booth. There was the President, his wife Mary, Clara Harris and her fiance, Major Henry Rathbone. What actually happened in that box was that Booth shot the President and, before leaping onto the stage, got into a struggle with Major Rathbone. Booth dropped his derringer (there being no time to put in another bullet), pulled out a sharp hunting knife and gave the Major a severe, bloody wound in the arm -- cutting an artery and veins. Booth managed to escape the clutches of the Major, jump from the presidential box and begin his 12-day odyssey through the streets of the nation's capital, Maryland and Virginia. Now fast forward some 98 and 1/2 years later to November 22, 1963. President Kennedy wasn't just murdered in the presence of his wife. In the back half of the limousine were the President, Mrs. Kennedy, Gov. John Connally of Texas, and his wife Nellie. 4 people again! Two couples reflecting different hierarchies of power in the country. And the bizarre irony here is that like the severe wounding of Major Henry Rathbone in April 1865, Gov. John Connally was also severely wounded -- in his case by a bullet that apparently had struck the President first in the neck and then proceeded to strike various areas of Gov. Connally's body. Just before the bullets struck the President and Gov. John Connally, Nellie Connally had uttered something like "You can't say Texas hasn't been good to you, Mr. President…" And here's a final, weird synchronistic happening. The limousine that they were all riding in was a Lincoln Continental! Somehow -- through the ages -- the dramatic events played out in the presidential box at Ford's Theatre with 4 people were played out again in a moving vehicle with 4 people. "4" is the number of the Cross, the Square, the Crucifixion, bringing the divine energy of the "3" or Trinity down to Earth (the world of matter). I told you at the start of Part I that the sacred quality of numbers was at the core of astrology and this analysis concerning assassinations. Maybe we can hope that since there have already been 4 assassinations of U.S. presidents, we won't have any more in the future.

To View John F. Kennedy's natal chart, please click on the following link:

To View the Kennedy Assassination chart, click on the next link:

To View Lee Harvey Oswald's chart, click on the following link:

To View the Jupiter-Saturn chart of Feb. 18, 1961, click on this link:

To View the JFK Inauguration chart, click on the following link:

To View the JFK-Oswald Composite chart, click on this link:

To View Jacqueline Kennedy's chart, click on the following link:

These are many charts to juggle around, compare and link backward and forward. Luckily, if you have read or will read my JFK feature on the web site, you will find a lot of important information about the assassination itself, links between JFK and Oswald, the power of Chiron, and how this has impacted America. Plus -- I have already shared a lot about the main charts just offered through everything I have written so far in Part I and the beginning of Part II. I will also add keynotes from the Kennedy Marriage chart and their composite.

As I explained in my JFK article on the web site, I was 13 years old when the president was killed in Dallas. No member of my immediate family and no one in my circle of friends had died and I saw JFK as a national and heroic father figure. I was in the 9^th grade and we had a terrific Social Studies teacher and were excited to be learning about American history and current events every school day. When the tragedy occurred, I kept a newspaper under my desk for years. It had an enormous black headline: PRESIDENT SHOT DEAD. I couldn't believe this had happened in our country. It was deeply depressing and certainly changed my life in many ways. For years, I read various books that came out -- like Rush to Judgment by Mark Lane and other works that tried to refute the Warren Commission's findings that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone killer. When I became a professional astrologer, my first public lecture was at an NCGR (National Council for Geocosmic Research) meeting in New York City (around 1974) and my subject was the Astrology of the Kennedy Assassination. Thus, I have been on the astrological trail of this mystery story for nearly 30 years now. Just in the last week, I borrowed two books from the Eugene Public Library on Oswald. One of them maintains, to an absolute degree, that he was the lone assassin. The other one, to an absolute degree, discloses intimate details of an incredible conspiracy -- involving secret factions with the U.S. government and many other rogue groups. I am hoping that someday The Truth will surface. In the meantime, one is astounded by the various tales that paint such a conflicting portrait concerning the weeks preceding the assassination, the events of November 22, 1963 itself, and the strange aftermath when many eyewitnesses to the murder died under questionable circumstances.

Part of the reason for this seemingly, never-ending who-done-it concerning JFK's death may be hidden within his own natal chart! After all, JFK was born with the Sun (his heart center; power; life force) in Gemini (a zodiacal sign of duality -- thus two very different stories about his assassination). Furthermore, his natal Sun was located in the 8^th house -- traditionally linked to death, mysteries and the unknown. Being born with Libra rising, JFK's ruling planet was Venus and his Venus was also in the 8^th house. Not only that, but Mars, Mercury and Jupiter were all inhabiting the 8^th house when JFK was born! That's five celestial bodies. You will probably remember his great act of bravery during World War II of saving his fellow sailors on PT-109 when his boat was cut in half by a Japanese destroyer. Then, of course, his older brother Joe, Jr. was shot down in an air mission over Nazi Germany and so many other tragedies have haunted this family over the decades. His parents thought he might die when he was a young child due to a variety of serious illnesses and now we have learned that he was a very sick man physically as President of the United States. It is noteworthy that both John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln were born with Mars in the 8^th house. In ancient times and even today, astrologers often view this placement as a symbol for violent death. Naturally, much will depend on natal aspects to the Mars position, transits and progressions over time. Lee Harvey Oswald's chart is timed and he also has Mars in the 8^th house. Remember that he was slain by Jack Ruby on national television just two days after he allegedly assassinated President Kennedy. We don't know the Mars house position for John Wilkes Booth because we don't have his birth time. It is significant that Mars at Lincoln's assassination -- as I mentioned earlier in this article -- was right on the 8^th house cusp. Curiously, no planets reside in the 8^th house at JFK's murder. However, the Sun and 4 other celestial bodies are located in Scorpio -- the 8^th zodiacal sign naturally connected to the 8^th house of death. Plus -- transiting Pluto had just been moving through and out of the 8^th house in the few minutes before the assassination.

One of the most ominous signals that President Kennedy's life was in danger in 1963 is related to the realm of eclipses. For thousands of years, rulers and leaders have asked their astrologers and wise men and women about the influence of Total Solar and Lunar Eclipses on their lives, fortunes and destinies. It was said that being born with Saturn in the 10^th house itself (which JFK had) was very unlucky; that a person might rise to great heights and stature -- only to be eventually struck down by misfortune. Apparently, this may have to do with Saturn ruling Capricorn, the archetypal 10^th sign of the zodiac, and therefore the underlying ruler of every 10^th house. Dictators like Napoleon and Adolf Hitler were both born with Saturn in the 10^th house. And we know what happened to them. In JFK's life, there was a Total Solar Eclipse on July 20, 1963 at 27+ Cancer -- the exact degree of President Kennedy's natal Saturn in the 10^th house. [Note: By the way, the eclipse also struck JFK's natal Sun-Moon midpoint -- usually the most important midpoint in any horoscope and certainly a major life line indeed. This Total Solar Eclipse was also exactly opposing the USA natal Pluto at 27+ Capricorn from July 4, 1776.] The astrologer and psychic Jeanne Dixon had a vision or dream/nightmare of a flag flying at half-mast over the White House. According to her writings, she tried to warn the President and his staff. No one paid any heed. When JFK was gunned down in Dallas, Saturn has just risen on the Eastern horizon and was still within 2 degrees of the Ascendant. Lee Harvey Oswald's natal Saturn at 28 Aries was within 1 degree of a tense square to JFK's Saturn. And as I explained in Part I, Lee Harvey Oswald's chart has monumental links back to the Lincoln assassination as well.

At this point I should reveal that President George W. Bush does not have Mars in the 8^th house or Saturn in the 10^th house at birth. We might take this as a sign of relief. However, this summer's Mars station at 10+ Pisces -- closely opposing his natal Mars at 9+ Virgo -- is happening in his 8^th house. Furthermore, President Bush's natal Saturn in the 12^th house of possible hidden enemies squares his own Midheaven (career; public image; national stature). And his Midheaven is located at 24+ Aries -- within 1 degree of the Sun at the Lincoln assassination. After transiting Saturn completes its passage over President George W. Bush's natal Sun and the USA Sun at 13+ Cancer this October/November and then in June 2004, the planet of fate and old karma will make three returns in the president's chart. This will occur in October and early December 2004 -- just before and after the November 2004 election -- and then for a final time in June 2005. At Saturn Returns (whether age 29-30, 58-59 or 87-88) life becomes more serious and profound. The identity questions so closely associated with Saturn of "Who am I?" and "Am I fulfilling my destiny?" haunt all of us at these crucial turning points in life. Let me also say for the record that I find it very unnerving that President George W. Bush has his natal Mars at 9+ Virgo which is also the Uranus (shocks; surprises; revolutionary activity) placement at the JFK assassination and that transiting Jupiter this October and then in the Spring of 2004 will be crisscrossing this 9+ Virgo degree three times. [Note: And John Wilkes Booth was born with Jupiter at 8+ Virgo -- so, in a sense, it is his natal Jupiter from May 10, 1838 which is once again haunting America this Fall and into the Spring of 2004!]

One of the surprising connections between the Lincoln and Kennedy assassination charts is the presence of those perplexing Pythagorean Triangles. The JFK murder has a precise one where Mercury at 9+ Sagittarius trines Jupiter at 9+ Aries, then Jupiter is 150 degrees to Uranus at 9+ Virgo, and Uranus is square to Mercury. So, you have three planets creating a complete cosmic triangle with sides of 150 degrees, 120 degrees and 90 degrees. By mathematical reduction, you have a 3-4-5 triangle. In the ancient world -- as described eloquently by the famous metaphysican Manly Palmer Hall in The Secret Teachings of All Ages -- such a triangle is known as "The Forty-Seventh Proposition of Pythagoras" (often erroneously attributed to Euclid). It's an extremely complicated geometric form that's connected to sacred numerology. Fundamentally, this kind of triangle relates to the higher meaning of Man, Woman and Child -- also linked to Osiris, Isis and Horus (from Egyptian mythology), Spirit, Body and Soul (in mystical terms), and Sulphur, Salt and Mercury (alchemically). This famous triangle is an important Masonic symbol and may have been utilized in building The Great Pyramid. Every so often we find these Pythagorean Triangles in horoscopes, but rarely are they as exact as the Mercury-Jupiter-Uranus one when JFK was murdered! In addition, there is one of these Pythagorean Triangles at play when President Lincoln was murdered. In that chart, you will see the Moon rising at 9+ Sagittarius trining Neptune at 8+ Aries, and then Neptune squaring Mars at 7+ Cancer, which is 150 degrees back to the Moon. Now here's the amazing clincher in this historic repatterning of astrological energy over a 98+ year span.

Notice that the Moon at 9+ Sagittarius in the Lincoln murder chart is replaced by Mercury (and Vesta, too!) at 9 Sagittarius in the JFK murder chart. Neptune at 8+ Aries when President Lincoln was slain is now replaced by Jupiter at 9+ Aries at the time JFK was slain. Now instead of Mars at 7+ Cancer in the Lincoln assassination chart, we see Uranus at 9+ Virgo in the JFK assassination chart. Nevertheless, both murder charts have these distinctive Pythagorean Triangles that are very close to exact and that also connect with one another via the same degrees in Sagittarius and Aries!

Let's take a look at how the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction on February 18, 1961 affected President Kennedy and make some connections back to President Lincoln and forward to President George W. Bush. This Jupiter-Saturn union at 25+Capricorn occurred almost a month after JFK's inauguration on January 20, 1961. You will see the Sun closely conjunct Chiron in Pisces as Jupiter merged with Saturn. This is very similar to President Lincoln's second inauguration chart that we studied in Part I when the Sun and Chiron were also conjunct in Pisces. There is an "otherworldly" quality to such a Sun-Chiron union and a combination that makes us think of twilight zones, déjà vu occurrences, the need for catharsis and healing, and being thrown "out of chronological time." The Moon on this day at 19+ Aries is conjuncting the USA Chiron at 20+ Aries from July 4, 1776. This further magnifies the Chiron energies for JFK and his administration. [Remember when he died on November 22, 1963 Chiron was motionless.] Notice this extraordinary polarity that other researchers may not have uncovered: Mercury retrograde at 6+ Pisces is opposing Pluto retrograde at 7+ Virgo. Why is this so important? When America was born, Mercury retrograde was closely opposing Pluto retrograde from 24+ Cancer to 27+ Capricorn! Thus, we have another one of these unusual celestial patterns repeating -- in this case from the birth of the country to the Jupiter-Saturn union striking during the Kennedy administration. Remember that both President Lincoln and President George W. Bush are born with Mercury-Pluto unions rather than oppositions. That's part of the reason each catalyzed a war -- Lincoln in a sense attracting the American Civil War because of his extreme support of human freedom and his opposition to slavery, and George W. Bush attracting the war on terrorism because of his militant Christian religious views and powerful oil-corporate connections that are at odds with the extreme beliefs of Al-qaeda and Islamic Fundamentalism.

Now it is also significant to see how a Jupiter-Saturn union fits or doesn't fit into the president's chart. The Jupiter-Saturn union of February 18, 1961 was located at 25+ Capricorn. This hit the bottom (4^th house cusp) of President Kennedy's natal chart and closely opposed his Saturn at 27+ Cancer at the top of the chart. Clearly, this was a conflict and not very helpful. His term of office was plagued with national crises and turbulence -- also reflected in his being born (like President George W. Bush) during a First Quarter Sun-Moon Phase. Once again we see karmic echoes back to the Lincoln murder chart when the Sun was located -- to be precise -- at 25 degrees and 10 minutes of Aries. Here we find Jupiter and Saturn merging for JFK's term in office at 25 degrees and 12 minutes of Capricorn. It's an exact square within 2 minutes or arc. This is not trivial. After all, isn't part of the astrological concern about our current President's well-being due to these recurring Jupiter-Saturn unions in earth signs every 20 years?

If we make a quick check of the Jupiter-Saturn union on October 21, 1861 happening when Lincoln was president, we see that their conjunction at 18+ Virgo was closely opposing the president's natal Juno-Jupiter union in Pisces. Even more telling, the Jupiter-Saturn union in earthy Virgo was on his Jupiter/Pluto midpoint -- stretching from 18 Pisces to 18 Virgo. Like JFK, President Lincoln did not assimilate too well the Jupiter-Saturn union during his term of office. Rather than a help or aid, it was a hindrance. And add this to the mix. Our little gremlin, jack-in-the-box, mischief-maker planet Uranus pops up again in both the October 1861 and February 1961 Jupiter-Saturn conjunction maps. In the first one, Uranus in mid-Gemini squares the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at 18+ Virgo. This is within 2+ degrees of orb. In the February 1961 chart, Uranus sits in the hard-to-know 12^th house at 23+ Leo -- 150 degrees to Jupiter-Saturn at 25+ Capricorn. The orb is less than 2 degrees. [Note: This same Uranus at 23+ Leo was exactly opposing JFK's natal and stationary retrograde Uranus at 23+ Aquarius. As he entered the presidency, JFK was 43 years old and he was still experiencing the "mid-life crisis or power surge" time that occurs for everyone around age 42 when transiting Uranus opposes natal Uranus.]

As we discovered in Part I, it is essential to examine a president's inauguration chart to make sense of what will unfold during their 4-year term in office. President Lincoln's second inauguration map was filled with evidence that a brutal murder and shocking happening was about to occur. What do we see at the JFK inauguration? As I have shared many times before in the pages of Welcome to Planet Earth astrology journal, JFK took the oath of office during a void Moon in Pisces. The general rule of thumb in this type of situation is that "nothing will come of the matter." President Franklin Roosevelt had a void Moon during his last inauguration and he died of a cerebral hemorrhage less than 3 months later. JFK with his void Moon at the oath of office died from an assassin's bullets before he could finish his term. President Nixon had a void Moon at his second inaugural in 1973 and wound up resigning from office in scandal in August 1974. President Clinton had a void Moon during his second inauguration and the Monica Lewinsky scandal wreaked havoc in his last four years as president -- including his impeachment by the House of Representatives and a tarnishing of his presidency. Luckily, President George W. Bush did not have a void Moon on January 20, 2001 when he took the oath of office and if he is re-elected in November 2004, on January 20, 2005 there will also be no void Moon on that day. Plus -- the Moon will be in Gemini on January 20, 2005 -- transiting through his North Node sign (a positive omen). However, whoever is inaugurated on January 20, 2009 may wind up having a "hell of a presidency." The Moon on that inauguration day and time will be located at 29+ Scorpio and void -- after having squared Neptune at 23+ Aquarius (Lincoln's Sun degree at birth). Also -- the Moon at 29+ Scorpio on that future inauguration day will be exactly conjuncting the Sun at 29+ Scorpio when JFK was assassinated!

There is more to this JFK inauguration chart than meets the eye at first glance. Notice the Midheaven (authority principle; executive power) is located at 25+ Capricorn. Once again we see how this fits like a jigsaw puzzle to the February 19, 1961 Jupiter-Saturn union about to happen at 25+ Capricorn as well. This reinforces the importance of the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction because by the time it occurs, these two largest planets in the solar system are simultaneously striking the Midheaven degree of the JFK inauguration. You will note Juno's prominence as the most elevated celestial body in the inauguration map. Remember our good friend Juno -- so active for John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, Mary Todd Lincoln, President Lincoln, the Lincoln assassination map, etc. To me this is a harbinger of the pivotal role Jacqueline Kennedy played within JFK's presidency. You may recall that she brought a great elegance, beauty and culture to the White House. This has very much to do with the positive side of Juno. Jackie Kennedy was born with Juno rising in Scorpio and, in fact, her natal Juno at 13 degrees and 29 minutes of Scorpio is precisely (no orb!) conjunct the 7^th house cusp of this inauguration chart! The problem with Juno is that its placement at 27+ Capricorn hits the USA Pluto (underworld forces; death-rebirth; extremist behavior) exactly and opposes JFK's natal Saturn. Furthermore, I have already shared with you that JFK's Juno at 13+ Aquarius precisely squared Jackie Kennedy's Juno at 13+ Scorpio. This was why their marriage was plagued with problems and perhaps a key to his murder while in the presence of his wife. One final point. Note Neptune setting at 11+ Scorpio within 2+ degrees of the 7^th house cusp in the inauguration chart. This is the Mercury placement for Lee Harvey Oswald. When I discussed the Jupiter-Saturn union in October 1861, I remarked that Pluto was exactly setting in that map and may have represented the haunting presence of John Wilkes Booth during the Civil War years -- waiting in the wings to eventually strike down President Lincoln. I see this Neptune sitting on the 7^th house cusp in the JFK inauguration chart in a similar way -- representing the strange, confusing presence of the supposedly pro-Marxist, Communist-leaning Lee Harvey Oswald. Neptune has always been affiliated (negatively) with Communism -- due to Neptune's own rapport with communal, idealistic and utopian themes, and because the Soviet Union was born at a Neptune retrograde station on November 8, 1917. Even though there is still uncertainty about Oswald's background and role in the assassination, he did defect to the Soviet Union, learned Russian and married a Russian wife, Marina. Neptune at 24+ Virgo sits right at the base (4^th house cusp of roots, foundations, family and depths) of Oswald's natal chart and he was born close to Neptune returning for the USA. The USA natal Neptune is 22+ Virgo while America's natal Midheaven is 24+ Virgo. Thus, Oswald's Neptune -- extremely low in his own chart -- exactly strikes the 10^th house cusp in America's chart. [Note: This power of Neptune links both major assassins Booth and Oswald from 1865 to 1963. As you will recall, I shared a major section in Part I about John Wilkes Booth being born at a Neptune station retrograde and that one of Neptune's positive affiliations is with acting, drama and the theater. I also pointed out that Neptune may connect strongly to conspiracy and we know Booth was at the center of the conspiracy to kill President Lincoln, Vice President Johnson and Secretary of State Seward. It's still possible that Oswald was involved with a conspiracy as well, but perhaps not as the ringleader. None of this takes away the fact that both assassins also represented shades of Uranus and Pluto (the other two transcendental, outer planets). I have reported about these ties earlier in the features. Another very weird link between Oswald and Booth, who vehemently supported the South in the Civil War, is the following. Oswald's father was named Robert E. Lee Oswald. He died right around the time Lee was born. Thus, Lee's first name actually comes from the "last name" of Robert E. Lee, the great Southern General of the Civil War! In addition, when Oswald shot police officer J.D. Tippit four times, it turns out that the initials "J.D." actually stood for "Jefferson Davis," the first two names of the man Oswald shot before entering a movie theater when he was caught by authorities. Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederacy. Here we see another way that Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963 moves through time and space to link us back to the era of Lincoln-Booth in 1865.]

Here are a couple of observations about the JFK-Oswald composite chart and note that this one is rather exact for angles and houses because both of their birth times are known. This is truly an astounding map all by itself and recall that even with Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth and their composite, because no time is available on Booth and Lincoln's chart is rectified, we miss some of the exactitude. In the JFK-Oswald chart, be aware and stand in awe at the following: Sun-Mercury conjunction at 16+ Leo within 4 minutes of arc and both opposing Juno in Aquarius at 16+ degrees; Venus conjunct Neptune and encircling the rising degree in late Leo; Sun-Moon First Quarter Square -- signifying a "Crisis in Action" -- and incredibly emphasized because they are at the middle of the fixed, power signs; Mars at 29+ Pisces in an awkward inconjunct of 150 degrees to Venus, Neptune and the Composite Ascendant in late Leo; Chiron at 24+ Taurus exactly conjunct the Composite Midheaven. You really have to sit back at this point and marvel at the tapestry of significant astrological aspects and patterns. After everything I have shared in this story about Chiron ("out of time''; twilight zones; déjà vu; the needing for healing; building bridges from one world to another), now we see the JFK-Oswald Composite Chiron directly above, the most elevated celestial body. And, of course, transiting Chiron at JFK's murder had stopped and was in lock stop with the Earth because it was motionless and therefore incredibly magnified. That's why "TIME STOPPED" and in America everyone was in shock and in a daze and there was nothing on television except for endless newsreels and pictures of JFK, his family, the assassin, the murder of the assassin, the arrival of foreign dignitaries, the funeral procession, his burial at Arlington National Cemetery, where an Eternal Flame (linked astrologically to the asteroid Vesta) was lit. Some people have called the JFK assassination and its aftermath of the next three days, the greatest simultaneous experience in humanity ever recorded.

What's also amazing here is Juno opposing the Sun-Mercury conjunction. Once again, this reveals how Oswald comes between JFK and Jackie Kennedy and not only kills the president but "murders" the marriage (Juno)! Do you remember how in the Lincoln-Booth composite I explained that there was a Sun-Venus union and that it happened because Booth had Venus as a "morning star" and Lincoln had Venus as an "evening star"? Well, now we have a similar situation but with Mercury. Mercury, like Venus, can be in "morning star" or "evening star" formation relative to the Sun. JFK was born with Mercury at 20+ Taurus -- rising 17 degrees in front of his Sun at 7+ Gemini. Lee Harvey Oswald was born with Mercury at 11+ Scorpio and separated by 17 degrees from his Sun at 24+ Libra, which rose before that Mercury. Hence, JFK had Mercury as a "morning star" and Oswald had Mercury as an "evening star." Because the Sun-Mercury degree orbs were identical -- 17 degrees -- their composite reveals a precise Sun-Mercury conjunction!

A couple of paragraphs earlier I had pointed out that Oswald is strongly affiliated with Neptune and not in a very positive way. Notice that Neptune in this composite chart has aligned with Venus (JFK's ruling planet) and both are on the horizon. Neptune-Venus in the composite is another expression of Oswald's ability to destroy, dissolve or disintegrate the Kennedy marriage (Venus as a traditional ruler of marriage before the recognition of Juno's power). Finally, we see Mars, Uranus and Vesta all in the 8^th house -- associated with death, mysteries and the underworld. Mars relates to the violence in the assassination, Uranus connects to the revolutionary/shocking nature of the event, and Vesta links with the lack of safety and security for President Kennedy on the motorcade and its route through Dallas. I wish I could spend a lot more time on this theme, but space limitations prevent that at this time. Nevertheless, as I have shared so many times before, Vesta is strongly linked to national security and safety -- as well as "esoteric" and hard-to-know groups like the CIA, FBI, NSA, etc. I didn't share this earlier, but President Lincoln was born with Venus conjunct Vesta -- from 7+ to 9+ Aries. When he was murdered -- with literally no protection at all (negative Vesta) -- transiting Neptune was at 8+ Aries -- right in between his Venus and his Vesta! Remember that transiting Neptune could represent Booth himself as the actor/conspirator (Neptune) maneuvering through Ford's Theatre unopposed to do his horrifying deed. Vesta in the Kennedy Marriage chart is at 17+ Aquarius which is also the precise placement of Saturn at the JFK assassination and the Sun-Moon midpoint at the Lincoln assassination. Furthermore, Vesta (safety and security) at the Lincoln assassination is at 14+ Virgo and, 98 and 1/2 years later, Pluto (extremes; underworld; death and terror) inhabits the same exact degree! When looking back in retrospect, it is truly mind-boggling how the security systems of the United States government failed President Lincoln and President Kennedy when they needed them most. [Special Note: As I was penning these words, the FOX News network interviewed Edward Klein who has written a book called The Kennedy Curse. He mentioned the incident of the night before the JFK assassination when several secret service agents went out drinking and were clearly derelict in their need to be alert, fully awake and conscientious as their president was about to ride through the streets of Dallas the next day -- not exactly friendly territory to a Democratic, Catholic president from New England.]

This is another one of those moments in this story that is outright phenomenal. It's the interjection of Jackie Kennedy into the mix. She was a remarkable figure as a First Lady and the proud mother of two gifted children in Caroline Kennedy and John Kennedy, Jr. As an editor, writer, photographer and cultural ambassador between our nation and the rest of the world, she was an absolute treasure. What she was able to do for those few days after JFK's murder was nothing short of a miracle. Whereas Mary Todd Lincoln was inconsolable at her husband's murder, death and the aftermath -- she was so grief-stricken that she wasn't able to accompany her husband's body for burial in Springfield, Illinois -- Jackie Kennedy rose to the occasion in a manner few of us could ever accomplish. Of course, during the first few hours after JFK's murder she was clearly in some kind of shock. She refused to change her clothes. Who can ever forget the blood-spattered pink outfit she wore that day and was still wearing when she arrived back in Washington, D.C. on Air Force One -- then carrying the new president Lyndon Baines Johnson, his wife Ladybird, Mrs. Kennedy and the body of President Kennedy?

Jackie Kennedy had the presence of mind on the day after the assassination to have her assistants research the funeral procession that had occurred 98 and 1/2 years earlier after the assassination of President Lincoln! She modeled the JFK funeral of November 25, 1963 -- ironically the 3^rd birthday of John Kennedy, Jr., when he gave that immortal salute to his fallen father -- after the Lincoln funeral of April 1865. This reveals her extraordinary sense of history and also her astrological links back to the Lincoln assassination. Note the following and really resonate with what I am sharing. Mrs. Kennedy's natal Moon (which rules the past, family, heritage) is at 25+ Aries. This is the exact degree of the Sun when President Lincoln was shot and killed. Her Pallas-Uranus conjunction at 12-13 Aries unites with Pallas at 14+ Aries in the Lincoln assassination chart. Thus, her Pallas (wisdom; brainstorms; inventiveness; strategy; shields and immune systems) is virtually identical with the Pallas from April 14, 1865. Her Chiron at 14+ Taurus is exactly conjunct Mercury at 14+ Taurus from the Lincoln murder. Her Vesta (safety and security issues) at 6+ Cancer conjuncts the Lincoln assassination Mars at 7+ Cancer. By the way, this is also the USA Jupiter (6 Cancer) from July 4, 1776. And here is one of the bigger ones. Her Mars at 14+ Virgo conjuncts Vesta at 14+ Virgo at the Lincoln assassination and Pluto at 14+ at the JFK assassination. Jackie Kennedy functions as a spiritual bridge through time and space; she is a major catalyst linking the two assassinations!

As further testimony to the above, note that the Venus-Mars conjunction at the JFK assassination -- located at 20+ and 21+ Sagittarius -- is exactly opposite her own natal Venus at 21+ Gemini. This is also -- just by accident? -- the USA Mars (violence; bloodshed; murder)! And it is Mary Todd Lincoln's natal Sun-Uranus conjunction from December 13, 1818 (located at 20+ and 21+ Sagittarius). This serves as an additional bridge between the two first ladies and the two assassinations. Notice that Jackie Kennedy's natal Jupiter at 9+ Gemini exactly opposes the rising Moon at the Lincoln assassination. Plus -- Mercury at her own husband's murder was at 9+ Sagittarius, Jupiter was at 9+ Aries and Uranus was at 9+ Virgo. That Pythagorean Triangle I spoke of earlier impacted her natal Jupiter precisely, but instead of falling apart, she was able to handle the experience with supreme dignity.

It is noteworthy that when John and Jackie married on September 12, 1953 in Newport, Rhode Island (the time is not exactly known by your author), Venus (love and romance) was located at 16+ Leo. This is the Sun-Mercury union in the JFK-Oswald composite chart and opposing Juno at 16+ Aquarius in the JFK-Oswald composite. It's another example of the way Lee Harvey Oswald entered their lives by shooting the president and destroying the marriage. This is why looking at the presidential marriage charts is so helpful in this kind of study. We also know that in the JFK-Oswald composite, the Moon is at 16 Scorpio. This squares the Kennedy Marriage Venus and also conjuncts Jackie Kennedy's natal Juno-Ascendant conjunction in mid-Scorpio. The Kennedy Marriage Mars was located at 28+ Leo which turns out to be the Venus-Neptune conjunction in the JFK-Oswald composite. Once again, we are seeing dangerous liaisons from one important map (the Kennedy Marriage chart) to another (the JFK-Oswald composite). And I mentioned the following connection awhile back. Lee Harvey Oswald's Sun at 25 Libra sits right on Saturn in the Kennedy Marriage chart and squares exactly the Kennedy Marriage Juno at 25+ Cancer. This is certainly suggesting the death knell that Oswald provided in his assassination. Here is one last biggie: Saturn was conjunct Neptune when John and Jackie married! He was 36+ years old and that is the time between successive Saturn-Neptune conjunctions. Therefore, when one of the key celestial signatures of his birth came back -- Saturn united with Neptune -- he married Jackie. And since President Lincoln was also born at a Saturn-Neptune union, the Kennedy Marriage chart reinforced the destiny link back to the former president's life and eventual death in April 1865.

To View John Connally's Solar chart, click on the following link:

This is more of a last-minute surprise, but it may help many of you see more patterns in these assassinations. I have confirmed the birth date and place (February 27, 1917 in Floresville, Texas). Governor Connally of Texas was severely wounded during the JFK assassination but eventually recovered. He was the Secretary of the Navy early on in the JFK administration, but then ran for Governor of Texas and won. Later on, he would shift from being a Conservative Democrat to being a Republican. He became the Secretary of the Treasury (1971-1972) -- which ironically controls the Secret Service -- during the Nixon administration. He also was a major supporter of Lyndon Johnson's campaign for president back in 1960 when John F. Kennedy won the nomination and Johnson became his running mate.

The reason I am sharing Connally's chart is that we are making links between the Lincoln assassination, the JFK assassination and what could happen in America with the current president and any future individual who reaches the highest office in the land. You will notice something powerful immediately upon looking at the chart -- the Sun conjunct Mars at 8+ Pisces! Just on a symbolic and archetypal level, Governor Connally represents the dynamic force of Mars (bloodshed; violence; warfare). This Sun-Mars union exactly ignites the Pythagorean Triangle composed of Mercury, Jupiter and Uranus at the JFK assassination. His Sun-Mars union also exactly squares the USA Uranus at 8+ Gemini from July 4, 1776. This is another explosive combination of energies. Gov. Connally's natal Sun-Mars conjunction is also directly opposite John Wilkes Booth's natal Jupiter. Therefore, we again get the connection back to April 14, 1865 and Lincoln's murder. You may see a precise Jupiter-Neptune square in Gov. Connally's chart -- from 2+ Taurus to 2+ Leo. It's another one of those confusing and chaotic squares of major planets that we have seen so often in this study. However, Lee Harvey Oswald was born with Vesta at 2+ Taurus square to Pluto at 2+ Leo. There is a theory that Oswald was actually gunning for Governor Connally rather than President Kennedy -- due to some kind of gripe from Oswald's years in the military or due to actions being taken by this new Democratic Governor of Texas. The exactitude of this astrological pattern from Oswald to Connally may reinforce parts of that theory.

What makes the above Sun-Mars union at 8+ Pisces even more appropriate right now is that transiting Mars is in Pisces and within 1 degree of this conjunction as I write this. Of course, another natural link in all this is that President George W. Bush was formerly the Governor of Texas -- just like John Connally! Therefore, Gov. Connally and President Bush do share a solid link in history. And Gov. Connally's Sun-Mars conjunction closely opposes President Bush's natal Mars at 9+ Virgo. Like President Kennedy, Gov. John Connally was born in 1917 when Saturn and Neptune were close together in the sky. Thus, President Lincoln, President Kennedy and Governor Connally were all born at Saturn-Neptune unions.

As a lead into Part III -- when I will share a lot more about President George W. Bush, his Inauguration chart, the Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction map for May 28, 2000, the USA chart, Vice President Cheney's solar chart, the First Lady's solar chart, the Bush Marriage chart, the horoscopes for Jenna and Barbara Bush (their twin daughters), and so on -- I want to share two more strange connections via names. It is widely accepted that in April 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald attempted to assassinate right-wing, ultra-conservative leader Major General Edwin Walker. The assassination attempt occurred outside Walker's home in Dallas and the Major General would have been killed by the shot except that the bullet slightly hit part of a windowsill and was deflected. Now this is the same key name -- Walker -- that separates President George W. Bush from his father President George Bush, Sr. -- also known as George Herbert Walker Bush. Nevertheless, this moniker of "W" or "Dubya" for the current president goes back to our president's childhood when in order to distinguish between the two Georges -- father and son -- they were known as "George and George W." The second connection is reasonably simple, but nevertheless profound. Vice President Cheney was born on January 30, 1941 in Lincoln, Nebraska! This reveals another way that history seems to repeat and the power of numbers, letters and names have divine meaning. Until next time, stay tuned to this cyberspace web channel.