--D.H. Lawrence, in his brilliant novel Women in Love, 1920-1921

Dateline: July 10, 2003 7:50PM PDT Eugene, OR [Begun July 10 and completed July 16] -- When I finished Part I of this series, my mind was flooded with a number of revelations. I have experienced a few more after the conclusion of Part II.

From reading the previous installments, you will realize that even Chiron and the 4 main asteroids are major "cosmic players" in this mysterious drama within American political history. I spent a lot of time covering various astrological happenings related to JFK's assassination. One link I didn't mention concerns Chiron and Vesta. We know Vesta relates to safety and security on personal levels while it connects with national safety and national security when dealing with America. Remember how John Wilkes Booth was born with his Sun at 19+ Taurus -- exactly conjunct the USA Vesta? And Lee Harvey Oswald had Uranus at 20+ Taurus -- within 1 degree of the USA Vesta. The Lincoln Marriage Vesta was at 19+ Leo -- within 1 minute arc of an exact square to the USA Vesta. Chiron has been very significant in our study on a variety of levels. And Chiron has something to do with being in limbo, "out of time" in the material world, entering into a twilight zone.

I noticed after the last writing that when President Kennedy was born, Chiron and Vesta were in conjunction in late Pisces within 4 degrees in his natal sixth house of health or illness. It's a strong union, but not necessarily overwhelming. However, when JFK took his Oath of Office on January 20, 1961, Chiron and Vesta were again in conjunction, but this time within less than 1 degree of orb at 29+ Aquarius. When President Kennedy was killed in Dallas on November 22, 1963, Vesta at 8+ Sagittarius was approaching a square to Chiron at 10+ Pisces -- with Chiron, as reported earlier, stationary and therefore exceedingly potent. In addition, Vesta -- by being conjunct Mercury at the JFK assassination -- was a vital component of the sacred Pythagorean 3-4-5 Triangle I discussed. Furthermore, the transiting Sun at JFK's murder was located at 29+ Scorpio -- exactly squaring the Chiron-Vesta union from JFK's inauguration on January 20, 1961.

This is all very meaningful. From the above, we realize how certain planetary pairs can keep recombining over time and, in this situation, resulting in the major breach in national security (negative Vesta) that allowed President Kennedy to go unprotected in the Dallas motorcade -- leading to the twilight zone experience (negative Chiron) that the nation experienced on November 22, 1963 and the ensuing few days. However, because Chiron also rules over "healing old pains" and connects to the archetype of the "psychic wound," the country has literally never recovered from this horrible event. We were sent spiraling into a vortex of ignorance, lies and falsehoods over the past 40 years and America is still in the dark about what really happened that day and why. Even when we go back to Lincoln's assassination on April 14, 1865, what do we see but a close Vesta-Chiron polarity from 14+ Virgo to 17+ Pisces. The lack of security for President Lincoln was extreme -- leading to his easy death at the hands of John Wilkes Booth. Transiting Vesta was almost exactly opposing President Lincoln's natal Pluto while transiting Chiron was wedged between his natal Pluto and natal Juno-Jupiter conjunction. President Lincoln had experienced at least two very vivid dream-nightmares of seeing his own coffin and funeral. As I shared earlier in this story, Vesta at 14+ Virgo during the Lincoln assassination inhabits the same zodiacal degree as Pluto at the JFK assassination 98 and 1/2 years later. [Important Note: At George W. Bush's birth on July 6, 1946, we see the following potent T-Square Triangle -- Vesta at 3+ Aries closely opposing Neptune at 5+ Libra, with Pallas Athena (goddess of wisdom; the immune system; the shield) exactly at the fulcrum at 4+ Capricorn. Is this a natal pattern that exposes the president to safety/security problems? Or will the Pallas placement represent the strength of the intelligence community to protect him from potential enemies foreign or domestic? Key transits igniting these degrees of the zodiac should be watched -- particularly when the president and his family are together or when the president is on the road and away from the White House.]

I have shared many astrological insights so far on the topic of assassination and there will be many more before we are done. What this will help us do -- as researchers for the future -- is keep better track of these recurring patterns and hope that our documentation will filter through to the appropriate figures within our government, so that lax security is made more foolproof at the key moments of time.

To View the birthchart for President George W. Bush, click on this link:

Although I have already shared a lot of the major transits and progressions striking our current president in Part I, you will very shortly be inundated with many new charts and analyses to help complete our study. Of course, the "ifs" and "possibilities" will be enormous and having lived through the JFK assassination when I was 13, I want to make it very clear that I have two primary goals in writing this series of articles. The first is simply to present as much material as I can on the topic for other astrologers to peruse and the second is to build up a thought form within our collective consciousness that this type of event doesn't have to happen again. I say this realizing that destiny is much larger than any individual human mind, heart, soul and spirit. We don't know why these assassinations have happened (in the higher, divine sense) and we also don't know whether they could have been prevented.

For instance, many astrologers may be assuming that since every president elected since 1841 -- in 20-year intervals coinciding with Jupiter-Saturn unions in earth signs -- has died before leaving office that our current President may suffer a similar fate because Jupiter and Saturn united in earthy Taurus on May 28, 2000. However, what if the cycle is meant to be broken now with the last earthy conjunction of these two largest planets in the solar system? What if President George W. Bush's natal chart and cycles doesn't correspond to what befell President Lincoln, President Kennedy and other chief executives caught up in this every-20-year black hole since the 1840s? After all, both Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy were born with Mars in the 8^th house -- often a symbol for violent death. President George W. Bush doesn't have that placement. And our current president doesn't have an elevated Saturn -- something that was present at the births of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Now there are still other reasons to worry when focused on the safety and security of a president of the United States, but at the very least we are aware that some astro-patterns afflicting Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy do not show up in the birthchart for President George W. Bush.

This is a good example of how one seemingly minor error or misstatement can grow into a potential scandal, cover-up or worse. During the last week -- starting approximately on July 8 -- there has been a strange intensification of attacks on President Bush and the White House due to a statement the president made during the State of the Union address on January 28, 2003. The statement -- containing just 16 words -- reads as follows: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

The reason I am bringing this up in the context of the history of presidential assassinations is that we have also experienced -- in August 1974 -- a president of the United States resigning due to a scandal and the following cover-up. I reported in Part I that President George W. Bush has an additional problem this year. He not only has intense transits and progressions striking his chart and the 20-year Jupiter-Saturn in earth sign "curse" hanging over his head, but Saturn is about to cross the USA Sun and square the USA Saturn in October/November 2003. Because President Bush also has his Sun (13+ Cancer) conjunct the USA Sun and square the USA Saturn, this transiting Saturn experience is worrisome for all of us because Saturn (when negative) can relate to old karma resurfacing, limits, fears, depression, restrictions, falls from power, etc. [Note: As I shared in Part I, President Nixon resigned in disgrace on August 9, 1974 due to the Watergate Scandal and the following cover-up. On the day he resigned, transiting Saturn at 13+ Cancer was exactly crossing the USA Sun.]

Now George Tenet head of the CIA is trying to take the blame for this and members of our president's inner circle are also attempting to put the blame on him, the CIA and poor intelligence. At the same time, they also seem to be saying that what the British government discovered about uranium is still true -- even if all the evidence cannot yet be disclosed. Many people think this will blow over soon and just be a temporary tempest in a teapot. However, when President Bush gave the address to the nation in late January of this year, transiting Mars was at 7+ Sagittarius. When the controversy erupted last week, transiting Mars reached 7+ Pisces -- exactly squaring the Mars placement from the State of the Union address. And we know that on July 29, 2003, Mars will make its retrograde station at 10+ Pisces -- opposing President Bush's natal Mars at 9+ Virgo. Mars -- in the history of astrology -- has been famous for behaving as a "trigger." For example, astrological researchers who focus on Total Solar and Lunar Eclipses often look for the time after these celestial events when transiting Mars will cross over these eclipse points in the zodiac and "ignite" the fire of their energy. Clearly, right now President George W. Bush is in a "firestorm of controversy" (Mars) over the misstatement on uranium.

The reason this can become a full-fledged scandal or crisis is that part of the purpose for making the original statement was to build up national support for the invasion and war in Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein. And our administration -- in cooperation with the British -- spent many months laying the groundwork for this war. Now if it is determined that President George W. Bush readily mislead our country in order to take out Saddam and invade Iraq that will create a disaster for the president and the Republicans nationally in the next election. Remember that the justification for invading Iraq was that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and also that he had ties (which have still never been proven) with Al-Qaeda and their terrorist forces. Plus -- we still haven't found Saddam's weapons of mass destruction and this is also causing alarm within the Republican ranks.

Now the key word in this furor is "uranium." As astrologers, we know that this word not only refers to a radioactive element and material used in making atomic bombs, but also to the planet Uranus -- so important in our astrological studies. One of the big trouble spots for President George W. Bush is that transiting Pluto in Sagittarius is opposing his natal Uranus and North Node (destiny/fate) conjunction in Gemini. This is exact -- on and off -- in 2003 and 2004. And Pluto links to extremes, death-rebirth, underworlds, transformation and metamorphosis. We have also seen that Uranus is active during previous assassinations. Remember that President George W. Bush's natal Mars at 9+ Virgo very closely squares the USA Uranus at 8+ Gemini and that his Mars is igniting the Sun-Saturn polarity at the First Nuclear Chain Reaction chart from Dec. 2, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois. This was the birth of the Atomic Age and our current president seems to be moving along a razor's edge when it comes to nuclear/atomic energy and power. [Note: Uranus and Pluto are the main planets connected to anything atomic, nuclear or radioactive.] The president's "axis of evil" speech focused attention on Iraq, Iran and North Korea as countries interested in developing or having created nuclear weapons. President George W. Bush seems rather consumed or even obsessed with preventing other nations from having what America, Russia, China, France, the UK and Israel have in abundance -- atomic weapons (Uranian/Plutonic devices). Because he is born with an almost precise Uranus union with the North Node of the Moon union, maybe he sees himself as the rightful protector of the nuclear legacy for the world.

There is more to this story and why it may develop into a scandal and cover-up. The first President Bush (George Herbert Walker Bush -- born on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts) was born with an exact Sun-Uranus square from 22 Gemini to 22 Pisces. In fact, his natal Sun was exactly on the USA Mars and squaring the USA Neptune. Back in the pages of Welcome to Planet Earth in 1987-1988, I warned that if George Bush became president back then, we would go to war. We had never elected a president whose natal Sun was exactly on our national Mars. It was clear that America would go to war against an enemy some time during the Bush term of office. That occurred in January 1991 -- the Persian Gulf War, to evict Iraqi forces from Kuwait, a country Iraq had invaded in August 1990. If you remember, at the close of that short war, there was a discussion of going in to oust Saddam Hussein, but that was aborted because this was a UN-mandated mission and that did not include the toppling of Saddam Hussein, dictator of Iraq. However, what I and other astrologers reported 12-13 years ago in our magazine was that the first President Bush and Saddam Hussein were "Uranian reverse images." President Bush had an exact Sun-Uranus square, but Saddam Hussein (born April 28, 1937 -- see my article on him elsewhere on this astrology web site) had Sun conjunct Uranus in earthy Taurus within approximately 2 degrees.

When one person has an exact square of two celestial bodies and another person has the conjunction of the same two celestial bodies, then the second person with the conjunction is the "answer" to the first person's needs. In other words, in this type of astro-mathematical equation, the first President Bush was obsessed with eliminating Saddam Hussein -- his nemesis. But why? Not just because of this Sun-Uranus pattern. Remember that the first President Bush had been the CIA Director at the end of the President Ford administration (Dec. 1975 to Jan. 1977). And President Bush #1 had been vice president under President Reagan from 1981-1988. He knew about all the chemical and/or biological weapons and military support we had given to Saddam Hussein during the 1980s in the Iraq war against our then mortal enemy Iran. We had built up Saddam Hussein into the monster he would eventually become. Then we had to silence that monster. Now years later, after the first President Bush was out of office during the President Clinton years, apparently Saddam Hussein tried to assassinate the first President Bush. George W. Bush -- then Governor of Texas -- never forgot this and being someone who looked up to his father as a great man and heroic figure, once George W. Bush became president himself it was almost necessary as a kind of vendetta or return vengeance to eliminate Saddam Hussein -- one way or another.

What I have just presented is a mini-drama within our greater story. And since we have the Saturn Return of the Nixon Resignation coming back this fall in 2003, everything regarding presidential assassinations and scandals is being amplified. Uranus actually fits into our analysis in a different way. Later on in this article, I will present the chart for Vice President Dick Cheney. He was born on January 30, 1941 in Lincoln, Nebraska. However, one key Democrat running for president is former House Minority Leader Richard (Dick) Gephardt (born on January 31, 1941 in Saint Louis, Missouri). These men have the same first name, both very prominent within power positions in the U.S. government for a long time, and also share a birthday connection with President William McKinley (born January 29, 1843). We will examine the President Garfield and President McKinley assassinations in Part IV. Note that President McKinley's natal Sun was at 9 Aquarius (a Uranian-ruled sign). You will recall that this placement is very close to John Wilkes Booth's natal and stationary Neptune (10+ Aquarius) -- a transit returning this fall of 2003 after one full Neptunian cycle of 165 years! This is also the Sun placement when disturbed house painter Richard Lawrence tried to assassinate President Andrew Jackson back on January 30, 1835 -- the first assassination attempt on a U.S. president. By the way, Abraham Lincoln was also born with Chiron ("out of time"; wounds and pains; the need for healing) at 11+ Aquarius, President Garfield had his Uranus at this zodiacal degree, while Lee Harvey Oswald had his natal Mars here and the Moon at the JFK assassination was also here. The region between 9 and 12 degrees Aquarius seems to be strongly connected with assassination energy.

There is another significant Uranian message between Vice President Dick Cheney and Democratic presidential candidate Dick Gephardt. By being born one day apart in the same year, each one has Uranus stationary at birth. The degree? 22+ Taurus. And this just happens to be the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction degree from May 28, 2000! It's a vital part of the reason Dick Cheney is our current vice president. He was powerfully galvanized by the Jupiter-Saturn union in May 2000 and although he was the key person helping George W. Bush to find a running mate in the fall national election that year, the surprise (Uranus rules surprise, shocks and radical change) was that Governor Bush of Texas decided to choose Dick Cheney himself! Now many years ago, Dick Gephardt sought the presidency. However, after falling short, he decided to refocus on gaining greater power within Congress. He did just that -- rising up the ranks to become the leading Democratic power broker within the House of Representatives. At the present time, Dick Gephardt is not the leading contender within the Democratic field, but he is not far from the top. If he doesn't gain the presidential nomination, he could be chosen as the vice presidential candidate as his state of Missouri and his region of the country (the Midwest) is crucial for the Democrats to win in the next election.

To View Laura Bush's Solar Chart, click on the following link:

To View Jenna and Barbara Bush's natal chart, click on this link:

To View the George W. and Laura Bush Marriage chart, click on this link:

To View George W. Bush's parents' Marriage chart, click on this link:

Keep aware that, in some cases, you will be examining a solar chart. For instance, with Laura Bush's chart, I do not yet have a birth time for her. Thus, one of the best maps to create is for Noon to give the most accurate Moon placement, but also to choose a "solar chart" which puts the Sun degree on the Ascendant. It's a good alternative when a time of birth is not known or questionable. [Note: If any new birth times are discovered later on, I will replace the birthcharts in this series with the most accurate ones available.]

Please also remember that it is one thing to review past assassinations and presidential tragedies in history with the benefit of hindsight. It's another thing entirely to look into the future and speculate about what may happen. It's also crucial to realize that difficult transits and progressions for any individual do not have to imply physical disaster, illness or death. Challenging cycles could suggest an emotional catharsis, mental transformation, spiritual transfiguration or combination of these major changes.

I spent a good deal of time discussing the charts of Mary Todd Lincoln and Jackie Kennedy. Laura Bush's birthchart appears to be a big factor in her husband's rise to power. We know as a fact that Laura Bush has exerted an enormous influence on George W. Bush. It was her concentrated focus that turned him away from drinking in 1986. Alcohol had been a big weakness for the future president of the United States. George W. Bush had been married almost 9 years, his twin daughters were nearing 5 and George and Laura Bush were 40 years old. Something had to change. When you see Laura Bush's birthchart, you clearly notice her powerful Scorpio energy. Born just three days after a Sun-Jupiter conjunction in this 8^th sign of the zodiac, she also has Juno and Mars in Scorpio. She is born with the Moon and Vesta in Pisces -- and Vesta was within 48 hours of turning stationary direct at her birth. More on this in a moment. When you glance back at the president's chart, you will see that he has no Scorpio or Pisces in his chart. He does have the Sun and Saturn in Cancer. Therefore, Laura Bush completes a Grand Triangle in water signs for her husband! As her astrological energy field intermingles with George W. Bush, he receives the necessary Scorpio and Pisces energy that allows for greater vision, creativity and spiritual strength. From her standpoint, she also gains a Grand Triangle in water signs by interacting with her husband. She has the potent Scorpio and Pisces, but has no Cancer celestial bodies. His Sun and Saturn give her the Grand trine that makes her feel more complete and fulfilled. This is what I call "geometric compatibility" (my own phrase).

While the current First Lady has a tough side, she also reveals a sweet temperament and I believe this comes from the Moon in Pisces trine her Sun-Jupiter conjunction. This is another way she soothes the president and helps him to get back on track. For example, President George W. Bush is born at a key crisis time of the month -- the First Quarter Sun-Moon Phase. Laura Bush is born at a flowing, harmonious time of the month for the Sun and Moon -- when the two lights are trine (approximately 120 degrees apart). She is the answer to his need. Once they met in the summer of 1977, they married very quickly -- within 3 months. It appears to be a marriage made in heaven -- if we can use that term. In addition to her influence on him regarding drinking, she also became a big reason for his focus on bible studies and his born-again mentality and convictions -- something that plays a giant role in his daily life. Thus, it is clear in my mind that this marriage is exceedingly positive as it affects both the president and Laura Bush. It is a very different type of marriage than the ones for Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd and John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier. [Note: The president is born with a Moon-Juno-Jupiter union in Libra while Laura Bush has a Sun-Juno-Jupiter union in Scorpio. They pick up on this synchronicity and it reveals a distinctive element in their fated attraction for each other.]

However -- and this will be one of those BIG "howevers" -- none of this changes the reality that Laura Bush also has challenging astrological patterns at her birth and is experiencing some real difficult ones in 2003 and down the road. There was a very tragic event when she was still a high school student. She went through a stop sign at an intersection back in Texas and killed one of her best friends -- a male who was driving in another car. No charges were ever filed, but Laura Bush was devastated. It is something that scarred her for life and may be reflected in the strong Scorpio in her chart (themes of death-rebirth and the underworld) and Vesta virtually stationary (safety and security issues). Notice also that her natal Vesta at 22+ Pisces is closely square Uranus at 21+ Gemini. This is not only an explosive and unnerving type of alignment, but it also galvanizes the USA natal Neptune at 22+ Virgo and the USA natal Mars at 21+ Gemini. Ouch! When she was pregnant with her twins in the fall of 1977, she developed a condition called toxemia. It became so dangerous that she was hospitalized in Dallas and her daughters needed to be born by caesarian section. They were born several weeks ahead of schedule. Everything worked out with the delivery, but Laura Bush was very ill beforehand and it was truly fortunate that she made it through that entire time relatively unscathed on a physical-medical level.

Now the above-mentioned Vesta-Uranus square -- exactly igniting the USA Mars-Neptune square -- is certainly alarming. It's one of those astrological patterns in my research about presidential wives that deserves continued study and analysis in the future. Notice as well that her natal Juno (marriage and partnership themes) is at 19+ Scorpio. This is exactly opposite the USA Vesta (national security and safety) and John Wilkes Booth's natal Sun at 19+ Taurus. Jackie Kennedy also had a strong Juno in Scorpio that was rising in her chart. Transiting Pluto (death-rebirth; extremes; terrorism; the underworld) will trigger her Vesta-Uranus square several times in 2004-2005 and Pluto will also ignite the USA Mars-Neptune square at the same time! What may be more alarming is that Laura Bush was born on the day of a Jupiter-Saturn square -- from 8+ Scorpio to 8+ Leo. Her husband is born at an approaching Jupiter-Saturn square -- from 18+ Libra to 26+ Cancer. George W. Bush was born approximately four months before Laura and, by the time Laura was born, the approaching Jupiter-Saturn square became precise.

This Jupiter-Saturn dynamic is important because a huge part of our study concerns the Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions approximately every 20 years and presidential deaths in office since 1841. To see this highly frictional and crisis-producing Jupiter-Saturn exact square in Laura Bush's natal chart is to remind us of the fragility of life itself. Furthermore, we are 2 and 1/2 years away from the first of three Jupiter-Saturn squares. These Jupiter-Saturn face-offs will occur in December 2005, June 2006 and October 2006. They will occur in Scorpio (Jupiter) and Leo (Saturn). The First Lady -- if she still has that title then -- will be experiencing three Saturn Returns and one Jupiter Return. Since her husband was also born close to a Jupiter-Saturn square, one of the extreme danger times for our current President and the First Lady will unfold in late 2005 and into 2006. The first two Jupiter-Saturn squares will hit the President's and First Lady's charts very powerfully. The third Jupiter-Saturn square will hit their twin daughters' charts strongly. [Important Note: You should read my feature on our astrology web site called Red Planet Blues. It's part of my terrorism series and the keynote of the article is that the USA Secondary Progressed Mars will make its first station ever -- a retrograde one -- in 2006 at 18+ Libra. This station is already having a ripple effect because a secondary progressed station builds up over a period of several years. This means that although the official station strikes in the summer of 2006, it may be influencing all our lives now in 2003 and spread its dynamic influence a few years beyond 2006! Mars connects with potential warfare, strife and bloodshed on a national or international level for our country. But it can also refer to extreme danger to the president of the United States. I will refer again to this time-period later on when discussing the chart of Vice President Dick Cheney. Keep in mind that although the years 2003-2004 are difficult ones via transits and progressions for President George W. Bush, if he is re-elected in November 2004 there is a considerable chance of hostility toward him in 2005-2006. We may have to keep up this presidential watch for the next 3-4 years!]

Did you ever hear of the Metonic Cycle? It goes back to a Greek astronomer-mathematician several centuries before Christ. As you undoubtedly know, the ancient cultures of Babylonia, Greece, Egypt and Rome (plus India and China, among others) had sky-watchers galore. We forget now that astrology may have been THE first science and art. What we lost in scrolls, papyri and hand-written manuscripts in the fires at the great library in Alexandria, Egypt in 391 A.D. is impossible to calculate -- particularly regarding astrology, astronomy, esoteric wisdom, metaphysics, medicine, herbalism, the life of Christ, Atlantis, etc. [Note: The library and museum came into being around 275 B.C. and scholars from many regions of the ancient world came to study there.] Meton discovered that New and Full Moons and Eclipses fall on the same days and same degrees of the zodiac every 19 years. This has to do with the Sun, Moon and Earth cycles and the lunar nodal cycle retrograding through the zodiac. Both George W. and Laura Bush are 57 years old in 2003. 19 years X 3 = 57 years. Thus, there is a re-energizing of all the lunations of 1946 (their birth year) in 2003. As we shall see shortly, this is important because many of the New and Full Moons coming up in the second half of 2003 are very potent and they are rekindling energies from 1946. In particular, a Partial Total Eclipse that occurred on November 23, 1946 in early Sagittarius is coming back with a vengeance on November 23, 2003 -- this time as a Total Solar Eclipse! This Total Solar Eclipse will have an enormous impact on the First Lady and her children. [Note: This chart will be discussed later in this article.]

One of the bigger transits affecting Laura Bush this year is transiting Neptune around 11-12 Aquarius squaring her natal Sun at 12 Scorpio and opposing her natal Pluto at 13+ Leo. This transit will continue into 2004 when transiting Pluto begins igniting her Vesta-Uranus square. On the Secondary Progressed level, there are two big cycles -- a Progressed Sun-Moon First Quarter Square from 9+ Capricorn to 9+ Aries and Progressed Mars squaring Progressed Neptune from 10+ Capricorn to 10+ Libra. These patterns are exerting pressure on her and creating some kind of confusion, crisis and chaos. Right now it may be that she has to play a big supportive role to her husband who is being roasted in the media due to the uranium in Africa statement in the State of the Union address and accusations that the president misled the country into thinking Saddam Hussein was more dangerous to us than he really was regarding weapons of mass destruction. In the time-period around 2008-2010, Laura Bush will experience a rare, once-in-a-lifetime Sun-Mars union at 14+ Capricorn. This is building from now on with each passing year. The conjunction of Sun and Mars for her will oppose the USA Sun and square the USA Saturn. She is having the opposite pattern to what President Lincoln was experiencing via Secondary Progressions (Sun polarized to Mars) in the fateful year of 1864 -- a year that saw his miraculous re-election against great odds and the realization by John Wilkes Booth that he had to eliminate President Lincoln to preserve the way of life in the South.

Their birth time is approximate and comes from the book First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty by Bill Minutaglio. If their time of birth is reasonably accurate, they will both have Capricorn rising and a Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in late Libra at the Midheaven (10^th house cusp of career, profession and public image). This may be one of the reasons they received bad press earlier during their father's term as president for misbehavior concerning drinking and other indiscretions. They are also born with a Moon-Mercury union in Scorpio and this leads reporters to try and track down gossip about what the Bush daughters are doing. You almost never hear about them now and that's probably because of the earlier stories. The president and Laura Bush must have read them the "riot act" and told them to behave.

I've already shared about unusual connections between President George W. Bush and President Kennedy. What I am about to explain seems very crucial for this story. I don't know if other researchers have noted this rather extraordinary parallel. Jenna and Barbara Bush were born on November 25, 1981 -- the 21^st birthday of John F. Kennedy, Jr., who had been born on November 25, 1960 in Washington, D.C.! If that doesn't take your breath away, realize that Caroline Kennedy was born on November 27, 1957 -- also a Sun-sign Sagittarian like her brother, and the Bush twins. Thus, our current president of the United States has twin Sagittarian daughters whose births reflect the births of Caroline and John F. Kennedy, Jr 20-plus years before them. It's hard for me to accept that this is mere coincidence. It appears to be part of a more fateful life-family-spiritual destiny linking the Kennedy and Bush families, and a strange odyssey that connects New England and Texas.

You will also notice an exact Grand Trine in earth signs in the twin daughters' horoscopes -- Venus at 19+ Capricorn trines Chiron at 19+ Taurus which also trines Mars at 19+ Virgo. It's a very clear-cut triangular formation and therefore very noteworthy. The problem is we find Chiron at that infamous placement of 19+ Taurus! Recall that this is the USA Vesta (national security and safety themes), John Wilkes Booth's natal Sun, Lee Harvey Oswald's Uranus and JFK's Mercury. And Chiron is the big KEY to déjà vu type experiences in American history, being "out of time," in limbo or twilight zones. While the daughters have a wonderful Venus-Mars trine in earth signs -- generally very helpful in love, romance and social activities -- you will see Saturn in their charts at 18+ Libra, squaring their Venus placements. Furthermore, this Saturn at 18+ Libra exactly conjuncts their father's natal Jupiter (18+ Libra) and the coming USA Secondary Progressed Mars Retrograde Station of 2006 at 18+ Libra. They also have a very close Pythagorean Triangle in their charts -- composed of Venus trine Chiron that is then 150 degrees to Saturn which then squares Venus. Since their horoscopes are closely timed, this is a bonafide whole chart pattern. I discussed these mysterious triangles before and they exist at both the Lincoln and JFK assassinations. [Note: Laura Bush probably has a close Pythagorean Figure in her chart composed of the Sun trine the Moon, the Moon 150 degrees to Pluto, and Pluto square the Sun. It all depends on her birth time -- something that will make her Pythagorean Figure stronger or weaker.] I will have more to say about how the coming Total Solar Eclipse of November 23, 2003 affects the twins' horoscopes later on in this feature.

This will have to remain a little mysterious for the time being. According to the First Son book mentioned earlier, the President and First Lady married on November 5, 1977, the day after Laura's birthday. According to another book by Elizabeth Mitchell -- W: Revenge of the Bush Dynasty -- they were married on November 6, 1977. She gives more details; that the marriage was at 11AM, what Laura Bush wore, the arrival of the guests, etc. However, November 5 was a Saturday and November 6 was a Sunday. I am not an expert on the greater likelihood of a Saturday or Sunday wedding, but wouldn't an 11AM wedding on a Sunday interfere with local church services? I suppose the wedding could have been incorporated into the United Methodist Church's Sunday services. [Note: If this is figured out in the future, I will give a corrected chart. For the time being, I have decided to use a wedding chart for 11AM, but on Saturday November 5 as a compromise. Either date gives a fairly similar result as far as astrological patterns are concerned. In neither chart do we find an ominous "void of course" Moon that often stymies married couples later on in life. Both marriage charts reveal early Capricorn rising (showing the traditional values incorporated into the marriage) and Jupiter setting close to the 7^th house cusp. The latter is one of the good signals for marital happiness.]

In case you have forgotten, there are several reasons a marriage chart is important -- whether you are the "first couple" or in any marriage. In our study, it is crucial to examine because of the fact that Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy were both murdered while with their wives in a public setting. This is important as the Moon was rising at both murders and in traditional, mundane astrology work, one of the main meanings of the Moon is "mass consciousness" or the public awareness. Every marriage chart is significant for the couple involved because it is a legal sanctioning of the union of the two individuals. The marriage chart has its own life and destiny. And this will also intertwine with the astrological energies and fates of both people. In my 31 years of doing professional astrology, I find marriage charts are right at the top of the list for critical importance in people's lives. If you choose a poor day and time to get married, it will have the most serious and negative ramifications on your lives and those of your children and other members of the extended family. However, if the marriage chart is reasonably favorable or very lucky, it will help everyone connected to it enormously.

What can we learn at the present time about the George W. and Laura Bush Marriage chart? Because the Sun is in Scorpio and the Moon is in Virgo, it appears they have a solid union and one that they will try to keep somewhat secretive to the rest of the world. The Scorpio-Virgo Sun-Moon combination is extremely introspective. Nevertheless, because Mars is in fiery Leo and Venus is in its home sign of Libra (and in the 10^th house of public exposure), they will need to bring their marriage out into the greater community -- and, in this case, the state of Texas, the nation and now the whole planet! This is also revealed by Pluto -- a planet connected to the First Ray of Spiritual Will and Purpose in Esoteric Astrology and linked to executive power and governance -- conjunct the fateful/destiny-oriented North Node of the Moon. These are in mid-Libra, almost exactly together, and conjunct President George W. Bush's natal quadruple conjunction of Chiron-Moon-Juno-Jupiter. The Pluto/North Node union is also conjunct America's natal Saturn and squaring the President's natal Sun and the Sun for America.

Now it will probably leap out at you that something very unusual is going on in this chart. Do you see how all the celestial bodies except for one are above the horizon? This means a marriage that must function in the outside world and a marriage that -- like it or not -- is destined to affect society and the greater community in a major way. Of course, that's exactly what has happened with the George W. Bush and Laura Bush marriage! Now they didn't realize it, but they got married less than a week after the discovery of Chiron. Chiron was discovered by Charles Kowal at the Mount Palomar Observatory in Pasadena, California close to 10AM PST. I have discussed this chart many times in the pages of Welcome to Planet Earth astrology magazine in print -- back in the 1980s in particular. The discovery chart and the Bush Marriage chart are very similar. The main difference is late-Sagittarius rising when Chiron was discovered and the Moon then at 13 Cancer instead of the Bush Marriage Moon in Virgo. Notice that the Chiron discovery Moon is conjunct President Bush's natal Sun and the USA Sun, too.

Using all the celestial bodies factored in when George W. and Laura Bush married, we notice a Funnel or Singleton pattern to the chart. Chiron retrograde and at 2+ Taurus is the only celestial body below the horizon. Enormous pressure is exerted on this influence and we already know how powerfully Chiron has affected President Lincoln and President Kennedy. Jenna and Barbara Bush have a similar focus on Chiron in their charts as this body is alone in one half of the horoscope while all the other celestial bodies are in the other half. My sense here is that the first couple and their twin daughters are living in a strange twilight-zone kind of consciousness. The President and First Lady -- who recently experienced their 25^th wedding anniversary last year and gearing up for number 26 this fall -- must often feel like that are living in a dream. The important thing -- from a national security and safety viewpoint -- is that their dreamy life together doesn't turn into a nightmare.

Now their wedding also occurred close to the annual Sun-Uranus conjunction. Thus, the birth of their children was very rocky and topsy-turvy -- very Uranian, radical and surprising toward the end of Laura Bush's pregnancy. Plus -- their marriage has gone through many revolutions since they had to deal with George W. Bush's drinking problem, then his religious conversion, his success as part-owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, becoming a two-term Republican governor of Texas, and gaining the presidency in one of the most Uranian (surprising and shocking) elections in U.S. history. Therefore, it's not unusual that even now -- with the uranium in Africa and Iraq connection issue, and growing scandal so firmly in the media -- we see that the planet Uranus is sending shock waves through their marriage and intimate relationship.

There are several danger signals that I see in the marriage chart relating to our current study. Mars and Saturn are in the 8^th house (death-rebirth; catharsis; deep-seated transformation). And this is true whether the marriage occurred on November 5 or 6, 1977. On November 5, the transiting Moon in early Virgo will also be in the 8^th house. We have seen that Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy were both born with Mars in the 8^th house -- often an astrological symbol for a violent death. Note that Vesta in their marriage chart -- that will connect to national security and safety of the first couple while they are together -- is at that powerful degree of 18+ Libra! This is President Bush's natal Jupiter, Saturn for the Bush twin daughters, and the coming USA Secondary Progressed Mars Station Retrograde in 2006. In addition, note the following. Transiting Mars this summer and fall in early Pisces makes three squares to their marriage Juno at 9+ Sagittarius. This marriage Juno makes a permanent square to the president's natal Mars at 9+ Virgo. Furthermore, the 9+ Sagittarius placement is the Moon placement at Lincoln's assassination and the Mercury placement at JFK's assassination! This is definitely ominous. To top it off, the Secondary Progressed Sun in the marriage chart is moving into conjunction with this marriage Juno this year. It may have already struck (if they married on November 6); otherwise, this once-in-a-lifetime Secondary Progression in a marriage chart is on the verge of happening soon. The very fabric of their marriage and support system is being supremely tested in 2003-2004!

Let's add one more big transit to the mix. Neptune in the sky -- this year and next -- in Aquarius is squaring the Bush Marriage Sun-Uranus conjunction in Scorpio. Since they married just after Laura Bush's birthday, this shows that their marriage chart is sharply connected to her own personal destiny. Remember that to be born with heavy-duty Scorpio is to incarnate with a plan to experience many extreme trials and tribulations. The esoteric keynote for Scorpio is: Warrior I am and from the battle I emerge triumphant. We don't know whether Laura Bush will still have several more Scorpionic trials and tribulations awaiting her in the next decade when so many powerful transiting and progressions cycles are hitting her natal chart. And with their strong Scorpio placements at their wedding, it remains to be seen if George W. and Laura Bush will be survivors of the various cosmic troubles surrounding them.

[Note: This is a very accurate chart. The date is corroborated and the time was printed on their wedding invitations as 4PM. I have added about 20 minutes for the unfoldment of the wedding ceremony and vows.] I have added this chart to our study for the following reason. If something severe were to befall our current president, it will show up in their marriage chart. Now, of course, it will also show up in the horoscopes (somewhere) in every single member of the greater Bush family! This is the way astrology and destiny work. Nevertheless, I have to put a limit on how many charts we discuss in our study. At some future time -- if events warrant it -- then we can examine birthcharts for George W. Bush's father, mother, and siblings. [Note: George W. Bush has three younger brothers and one younger sister. He had another sister Robin -- born just after him -- who died of leukemia when only three years old. It was an extremely tragic and traumatic event within the Bush family.]

Now here's a secret clue about the connection between this chart and the horoscope of President George W. Bush. Because George W. was the first born within this family, his natal chart doubles as the chart for George Bush senior becoming a father and Barbara Bush becoming a mother! This reveals why the eldest child within a family has additional pressure to perform and be successful. In other words, the eldest child's birthchart holds the key to successful parenting and the father/mother roles. In this situation, if George W. Bush is a fantastic success in life, it reflects on his parents' roles of father and mother. If he fails or has problems, etc., this also becomes a major reflection on their raising him and the rest of the family. Therefore, it is also logical to assume that certain types of severe transits or progressions to their marriage chart may indicate a problem with their first-born son, George W. Bush.

Now having just said this, we note that right now -- second half of July 2003 -- transiting Saturn is returning in the wedding chart for George Bush Senior and Barbara Bush. This happened once before in 1974. It is not only happening again now, but in February/March 2004, transiting Saturn going retrograde will make a direct station at 6+ Cancer (right on their marriage Saturn). Notice that they married when Neptune at 6+ Libra was closely squaring Saturn and this Neptune went stationary retrograde the day after they got married! The Saturn-Neptune square at their wedding -- added to Mars closely setting and part of a T-Square pattern in cardinal signs -- probably reveals the tragedy of their first daughter Robin dying of leukemia. It also shows that George Senior and Barbara Bush have weathered many storms in their 58 years of being married. After all, he lost two senatorial races in Texas (1964 and 1970), could not get the presidential nomination in the Republican party in 1980 (when Reagan beat him out, although George Senior was favored early on), and was somewhat out of the major loop of power as vice president under Ronald Reagan for eight years. Once he became president himself, it was only a short while before Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and the Persian Gulf War began. [Remember how George Senior and Saddam Hussein are mirror images because one has Sun-Uranus square (George Bush Senior) while the other has Sun-Uranus conjunct (Saddam Hussein).] Then the first President Bush had soaring national ratings -- only to lose much of that support when the economy floundered in 1992, leading to his defeat by Bill Clinton. His being a one-term president was another psychological blow that he, his wife and the whole Bush family had to accept as a kind of failure.

So we do see in this Marriage Chart for the elder Bushes a note of difficulty and yet the ability to hang in there over the long haul. Having this second Saturn Return this month and next February/March will really test them. Remember that Saturn is the planet of paternal power and authority. And the two George Bushes as presidents are the only ones to have pulled that father-son feat except for John Adams and John Quincy Adams in the first quarter of the 19^th century. You will also see Chiron at 3+ Libra being a factor in their marriage T-Square as it conjuncts Neptune. Be aware that this marriage horoscope has the Moon at 19+ Libra -- connecting up with all those planetary placements (George W. Bush's natal Moon, Juno and Jupiter, the twins having Saturn there, Vesta in the marriage chart for George W. and Laura Bush, and the coming USA Progressed Mars Station in 2006). The marriage chart also has Uranus at 9+ Gemini in the 12^th house. This placement connects to the Moon at 9+ Sagittarius (by opposition) in the Lincoln assassination chart and Mercury at 9+ Sagittarius at the JFK assassination. The USA Uranus is at 8+ Gemini and George W. Bush's natal Mars is at 9+ Virgo. The Mars station on July 29, 2003 occurs at 10+ Pisces -- closely squaring this marriage Uranus placement for the elder Bushes.

In Secondary Progressions, this marriage chart is also going through some turmoil because of the following. Progressed Saturn has become stationary direct -- affecting the end of 2002 and all of 2003. This reinforces what I shared in the last two paragraphs concerning the Saturn Return for the marriage via transits. Progressed Mars has moved 45 degrees to the marriage Mars in 2003. And a crisis-producing Progressed Last Quarter Sun-Moon Phase will clock in during May 2004 -- from 16+ Pisces to 16+ Sagittarius. Keep in mind that the elder Bushes were also married on the day of a Last Quarter Sun-Moon Phase. Quarter Moons are notorious for creating crises or forcing the individuals (or couples) involved to deal with crises. Ironically, George W. Bush was born just six hours after a First Quarter Sun-Moon Phase. As I have explained over and over again in my articles on the web site in the terrorism series, this is a big reason why the current Bush administration is so deeply immersed in solving (or creating?) crisis after crisis -- nationally and internationally.

To View the Vice President's chart, click on the following link:

To View the USA chart, click on this link:

To View the George W. Bush Inauguration map, click on this link:

To View the May 28, 2000 Jupiter-Saturn union chart, click on this link:

Be aware that the vice president's chart is timed and the data comes from the Lois Rodden, Astrodata Bank web site. I don't think we can say the time is 100% authentic, but it is probably the best available for now. Before getting into the dynamics of Dick Cheney's birthchart, let me share some thoughts on the relative importance of the other charts about to be discussed. In my estimation, the Inauguration chart and Jupiter-Saturn conjunction chart outweigh the USA national chart when attempting to analyze potential for assassination attempts. This is because both the Inauguration and Jupiter-Saturn union maps are strongly impacting the president and vice president elected during the term of office in question. The USA birthchart can have a variety of transits and progressions going on and, while they may relate to challenges for the executive leadership of the country, they can also signify major changes going on for the American people, the economy, the political scene, international relations, and so on.

I have already brought up a few ideas concerning the vice president's chart in this series. However, we can plunge in together now and gain greater perspectives. This is a rather amazing and well-integrated horoscope. You will see Uranus as not only the most elevated planet, but it is stationary direct and therefore extra potent. Jupiter and Saturn are also in a conjunction in early Taurus, although it is in an extremely waning formation. [Note: There had already been two Jupiter-Saturn unions in 1940 preceding Dick Cheney's birth. The last one would occur in mid-February 1941 approximately two weeks after his birth.] It is very significant that he incarnated at a Jupiter-Saturn union because this is a big part of our story and the latest Jupiter-Saturn conjunction -- on May 28, 2000 at 22+ Taurus -- occurred exactly on his natal Uranus (revolution; shocks and surprise; radical change)! These are strong currents of destiny that have put Dick Cheney into the vice presidency at this crucial time in our nation's history.

What strikes me most in this man's horoscope are the holistic chart patterns. For instance, there are two Pythagorean Triangles. One is composed of Uranus in Taurus trine Neptune in Virgo inconjunct (150 degrees) to Mercury in Aquarius which is then square to Uranus. The other one is Uranus in Taurus square to Vesta in Leo inconjunct to Venus in Capricorn which then is trine to Uranus. Uranus is the common factor in both Pythagorean Triangles. Now these triangles are not absolutely exact as we saw at the JFK murder and the very close one at the Lincoln assassination. However, they are functioning and powerful. In addition, the vice president has other important holistic patterns at birth. There is a Mystic Rectangle -- composed of Venus opposite Chiron, Moon opposite Neptune, plus a series of trines and sextiles inter-relating these four celestial bodies. And this Mystic Rectangle is reinforced by Uranus which links harmoniously and productively with all four of these celestial bodies! Furthermore, there is his Grand Trine in earth signs containing Uranus, Neptune and Venus. This becomes a Kite pattern by adding the Moon in Pisces. And, by the way, his Moon is exactly opposite the USA Neptune and square to the USA Mars. Vice President Cheney is not only born close to a Neptune Return for the USA -- both his Neptune and America's Neptune are in late-Virgo -- but his natal Venus-Uranus close trine forms an almost exact Grand Trine with the USA Neptune at 22+ Virgo. Uranus also forms a T-Square triangle with Mercury opposing Vesta and both of these celestial bodies squaring Uranus. Uranus is the big cosmic player in his drama and it is also a key planet in our study regarding assassinations in American history.

Before writing these words, I was studying his chart last evening before going to sleep. I had a vivid dream of a chess game being played by powerful souls. I sense Dick Cheney is a master operator of politics, national goals and international intrigue from looking at his birthchart. This is certainly born out in his active role within government circles during the past few decades. Nevertheless, there is also a lot to worry about right now due to rare transits. Transiting Pluto is on his natal Mars (17+ Sagittarius) and transiting Neptune is on his natal Sun (10+ Aquarius). Both of these once-in-a-lifetime transits began in 2002 and conclude this year, but they are concluding with a flourish as Pluto is sitting on his Mars all summer and into the fall while Neptune is locking on to his Sun from September to early December. Keep in mind that the vice president's Sun at 10+ Aquarius gives him the following profound relationships. His Sun is conjunct the Sun when Richard Lawrence attempted to kill President Andrew Jackson on January 30, 1835. This was the first attempt at assassinating a U.S. president and it occurred on Dick Cheney's birthday. The vice president's Sun at 10+ Aquarius is exactly conjunct John Wilkes Booth's natal and stationary Neptune, President Lincoln's natal Chiron, Lee Harvey Oswald's natal Mars, President Garfield's natal Uranus, President McKinley's natal Sun, and the Moon placement from the JFK assassination. That's quite a group of interlocking energies and something we need to watch in the future.

Vice President Dick Cheney has had heart attacks and heart scares for a long time now. The reason this has become chronic or Saturnian in nature (Saturn's name was Cronus in Greek mythology) is that he was born during a close Sun-Saturn square in fixed, power signs. In addition, his natal Sun is in the 6^th house of health/illness and its in Aquarius -- the opposite sign to the Sun's own rulership of Leo. Thus, the current transit of Neptune (confusion, nebulosity and chaos when negative) on and over his Sun is not exactly comforting for him, his family or the nation. We know that stress in general is a gradual killer in all our lives and this man is sitting in the hot seat right behind the president of the United States during a very critical time in the history of our nation. In medical astrology, the Sun has always represented the human heart while Mars rules the blood stream, blood pressure, personal energy and vitality. Pluto is now latching on to his natal Mars for this brutal summer and into the fall -- a time-period that coincides with the coming Mars station and retrograde, and the red planet's closest approach to the Earth in 50,000 years!

While many astrologers -- including myself -- are wondering what may happen to both President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in 2003-2004 due to the heaviness of the overall astrological-zodiacal scene, we cannot shut out the genuine possibility that the years 2005-2006 may bring these two individuals and our nation added discontent. Remember that we are careening toward the summer of 2006 when the USA Secondary Progressed Mars stops for the first time ever in our history and turns retrograde at 18+ Libra. One of my astrological colleagues has always seen America as a Mars-ruled country even though the USA chart we have always used at Welcome to Planet Earth astrology magazine has Sagittarius rising -- giving Jupiter the fundamental rulership for America. Nevertheless, Mars is a very dynamic presence in the USA birthmap. It sets in the 7^th house of allies and enemies when examining the chart under the microscope of mundane astrology. And the USA Mars at 21+ Gemini closely squares Neptune at 22+ Virgo -- an intensely frictional aspect that can be correlated with so many troubles in our history (slavery; elimination of Native Americans and placing them on reservations; the Civil War; our concept of "Manifest Destiny" and America as the World's Policeman).

In 2005-2006, Jupiter and Saturn will square three times from Scorpio to Leo. When they do so, they will be clobbering the president's and vice president's charts severely. That's assuming they will be back in their power positions after a re-election in November 2004 -- not necessarily a done deal as we look from this vantage point in July 2003. Vice President Cheney has a series of disturbing Secondary Progressions and Solar Arc directions that stretch from now through 2006. Here are some of them. In Secondary Progressions we see Venus progressed 45 degrees to Uranus progressed, Mercury progressed 135 degrees to Pluto progressed, and Mercury progressed 90 degrees to Mars natal all in 2003. In January of 2005 (the month of the next inauguration!), the vice president has a crisis-producing First Quarter Sun-Moon Phase -- from 14+ Aries to 14+ Cancer, a pattern that ignites the USA natal Sun-Saturn square almost exactly! In the summer of 2005, his Mars progressed and Pluto progressed form a rare polarity. In 2006, he will experience Mars progressed 45 degrees to his natal Mars, a Progressed Moon union with his natal Pluto, and Mars progressed opposing his natal Pluto. Using Solar Arc directions (a very powerful directional tool), we see Jupiter moving 150 degrees to his natal Sun in the summer of 2004, Pluto moving 150 degrees to his natal Jupiter (April 2005) and Mars squaring his natal Uranus (May 2005). The Solar Arc Midheaven* conjuncts his natal Pluto (January 2006), Pluto moves 150 degrees to his natal Saturn (April 2006) and Neptune squares his natal Ascendant* (Summer 2006). [*Note: These two aspects referring to Solar Arc directed angles are based on his 7:30PM CST birth time and will not be accurate if his time of birth is off. Inconjunct aspects can connect to ill health or medical problems and, in extreme cases, death or near-death events.]

President George W. Bush will also be experiencing major stress and dis-ease in the 2005-2006 time-period. He will have a crisis-producing Progressed First Quarter Sun-Moon Phase -- from 10+ Virgo to 10+ Sagittarius -- in August 2005. Remember that the president was born during the same critical First Quarter Sun-Moon Phase. His Progressed Venus will square his natal Sun in July 2005 while a very rare, once-in-a-lifetime Progressed Mars union with his natal Moon will occur in September 2006. Via Solar Arc analysis, the president has to deal with at least four difficult patterns: Neptune moving 45 degrees to natal Jupiter (March 2006); Saturn moving 150 degrees to his natal Midheaven (September 2006); the Sun moving 45 degrees to his natal Saturn (September 2006); and Mars squaring his Ascendant (October 2006). After looking at all the foregoing and everything else presented in these three parts, we cannot rule out a Bush-Cheney re-election in 2004, followed by some combination of their demise or downfall in the second administration. So much depends on this cosmic chess game and I dare say that no astrologer can absolutely pinpoint the time and date for a future disaster within the executive branch of government. As we will see shortly, this summer and fall -- and the year 2004 in general -- are no cakewalk. It will be mesmerizing to watch how the New and Full Moons, Eclipses, Equinoxes and Solstices strike our nation, president and vice president and wreak potential havoc on so many levels. A major goal for me has to been to present all this material before the big cycles start hitting later this month. It will be up to divine intervention and influence as to when, what, how and why things occur that ordinary mortals don't understand.

As I was studying the up-and-coming lunations and eclipses in the near future, I noticed something unusual happening with Saturn and Chiron in the sky. They were forming a polarity -- starting close to the Fall Equinox (September 23, 2003) -- from 12+ Cancer to 12+ Capricorn. Their opposition would continue in a strong way this October and early November -- striking the USA Sun and President George W. Bush's Sun by conjunction and opposition, and squaring the USA Saturn in Libra. This Saturn-Chiron polarity will be happening again in the summer of 2004, December 2004, summer of 2005, February and June 2006. At that time, it will begin going away while Chiron slows down in Aquarius and Saturn moves forward in Leo. In April/May 2007, they will come within 3 degrees of another polarity, but they won't reach exactitude. In essence, we have a strange TIME WARP on our hands from this fall into the summer of 2006. As you know from reading this whole series, Saturn connects with the material world, concrete reality and chronological time. Chiron rules twilight zones, being "out of time," déjà vu type experiences and the link between the material world and transcendental life as represented by the three outer planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. When the USA was born on July 4, 1776, Saturn at 14+ Libra was in a polarity with Chiron at 20+ Aries. They were within 5 degrees of an opposition while Chiron and Juno were almost exactly opposite. [Note: This Chiron-Juno polarity was something I mentioned earlier in this series as possibly relating to the Lincoln and JFK murders happening in the presence of their wives.]

This Saturn-Chiron polarity is important because both celestial bodies relate to TIMING, but in very different ways. The fact that they are opposing each other and simultaneously this year igniting the USA Sun and Saturn and President George W. Bush's natal Sun is worrisome in the extreme. I just checked out an ephemeris for 1776 and we can see that in the months before and after America's birth on July 4, 1776, Saturn in Libra and Chiron in Aries had actually made two exact polarities. So, America has one of these alignments at birth and came into being as a nation while Saturn and Chiron were in this precarious pattern. It is noteworthy that in the George W. Bush inauguration map for January 20, 2001, Saturn is a key rising planet at 24+ Taurus while Chiron at 24+ Sagittarius is within 1/2 degree of an awkward, 150-degree pattern to Saturn! And Chiron is locked away in the mysterious and underworld-linked 8^th house at the time of the Oath of Office. The fact that Chiron is now traveling in Saturn's sign (Capricorn) and that Saturn is now moving in the Moon's sign (Cancer) makes this TIME WARP more confusing. Chiron in Capricorn may be trying to bring spiritual breakthroughs and insights into our material universe. I have found the Moon -- the fastest and most changeable celestial body (in terms of daily speed) in the heavens -- to have a lot to do with our concept of time, and how fast or slow time seems to be going by. In traditional astrology, the Moon and Saturn are a major pair because the Moon rules Cancer and Saturn rules the opposite sign of Capricorn. They are the archetypal Mother (Moon) and Father (Saturn) in astrology and our earliest memories as children connect to feeding rituals with our Mother, and the coming and going of the Father from the household. At least, this was true for millennia until the modern era of household dads and working moms. But even if you go way back to the stone-age time-periods, men/fathers were the primary hunters while women/mothers were the primary "nesters." All of this is to remind us that the coming cycle of Saturn opposite Chiron is bound to "do a number" on our physical bodies, emotional states, mental agility and the collective psyche of the nation and humanity!

These maps have all been presented on my astrology web site and discussed before. However, I want to take a special look at each one in regard to the questions at hand concerning the history of American assassinations of presidents. I mentioned earlier that the USA birthmap for July 4, 1776 is the more universal and the least focused on the destiny and fate of President George W. Bush. In other words, the major transits and progressions striking the USA chart might be referring to other realities than the security, safety and future destiny of the chief executive of the country. Nevertheless, let's consider the following. As America made its final push toward war with Iraq -- by going to the United Nations and trying to persuade allies like France and Germany to join us and the UK in an invasion -- it was January/February 2003. Saturn at that time made a direct station at 22+ Gemini -- conjunct the USA Mars and squaring the USA Neptune. We launched our invasion close to the Spring Equinox while Saturn was still igniting America's frictional Mars-Neptune square and as Pluto in Sagittarius -- opposing the president's natal Uranus/North Node of the Moon conjunction -- was about to make a retrograde station. The initial successes in the war against Iraq were fantastic and Saddam fell from power approximately April 9 -- a day that has now become a national holiday in the new Iraq. However, Saddam Hussein and his sons have still never been found or identified and many American soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the main ending of war hostilities on May 1, 2003.

I indicated earlier in our study that there is a bizarre connection via the planet Uranus linking President George W. Bush, his father, and Saddam Hussein. Now with the uranium scandal brewing in Washington, D.C., there is a sense that the public is becoming more disenchanted with the general tone and attitude of the Bush administration. If we don't find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and Saddam and his sons remain concealed, and the killing of Americans continues, the support for the president and vice president will wane. Now transiting Saturn has just entered America's 8^th house (death-rebirth; metamorphosis and transformation; mysteries and the underworld; deep-seated national emotions) for the first time in 29 years. It was also in this house when President Nixon was forced to resign in disgrace in August 1974. While neither the president or vice president have active 8^th houses when they are born, it is possible that this cycle of Saturn going through our nation's 8^th house for the next two years can prove very frustrating, limiting and karmically disturbing for both of them and their agenda. In 2004-2005, transiting Pluto will oppose the USA Mars and square the USA Neptune. This has never happened before while Pluto was moving through the 1^st house in the USA birthmap. It is bound to create additional conflict and tension all around.

In Secondary Progressions and Solar Arc directions, we also find America going through momentous changes over the next few years. Via Secondary Progressions, note the following. A Sun-Mercury retrograde Inferior Conjunction occurs on September 17, 2003 at 28+ Aquarius. This is actually an astronomical line up of Earth, Mercury retrograde and the Sun. In a progressed chart, it can only occur approximately every 120 years; it's very rare. Expect some kind of psychic shift in the mood of the country this fall. Since Mercury also rules the media and the press -- via newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and cyberspace -- expect a barrage of questioning, claims and counter-claims rippling through the consciousness of the American people. By December 5, 2003, the USA Progressed Moon enters Cancer for the next two years (approximately). This is where we have Venus, Jupiter, the Sun and Mercury retrograde at the nation's birth. A big change occurs on November 7, 2004 (just five days after the national election on November 2, 2004), when the USA Progressed Sun enters a new sign -- Pisces -- for the next 30 years. Traditionally, this represents an enormous shift in awareness for the entity going through a solar change from one sign to another. For America, the progressed solar shift represents a gigantic departure from the past three decades of life and the entering into of a brand, new experience for the next three decades. By December 11, 2004, the USA Progressed Moon will reach 13+ Cancer -- conjuncting America's natal Sun and George W. Bush's natal Sun as well. And down the road -- with each passing year -- we move closer to the Mars progressed shift backward at 18+ Libra (exact on July 22, 2006).

In Solar Arc analysis, we find the following: Uranus opposing the USA natal Mercury (June 2003); Uranus trining the USA natal Midheaven (November 2003); Moon squaring the USA natal Sun (July 2004); Jupiter moving 150 degrees to the USA natal Neptune (August 2004); Sun moving 135 degrees to the USA natal Saturn (August 2004); Moon conjuncting the USA natal Saturn (January 2006); Uranus conjuncting the USA natal Pluto (October 2006). Of all of these, the most severe may be the final one -- a cycle that happens close to the USA progressed Mars stopping and going retrograde in the summer of 2006. I have already pointed out the dangers to a re-elected President Bush and Vice President Cheney in that time-period. And two of the above solar arc directions happen between the Democratic convention and Republican convention during the summer of 2004.

The Inauguration map of January 20, 2001 is also experiencing some major challenges this year. Pluto is crisscrossing the Moon of this chart (19+ Sagittarius) on and off during 2003 and this Moon is located in the 8^th house. This summer and into the fall, transiting Pluto is exactly squaring the ruling planet of the Inauguration chart which is Venus. Taurus was rising when the president took the oath of office and Venus is located at 17+ Pisces. For the next few months, Pluto is unrelenting in its adversarial role toward Venus in this chart. Since Venus represents love, harmony, social life and also connects to monetary themes (as the ruler of Taurus), this Pluto square to the inauguration Venus doesn't bode well for a positive move in the national economy. It also suggests a dampening effect in the president's overall support.

One of the most difficult aspects in this map in general is the close Mercury-Mars square -- from 16+ Aquarius to 16+ Scorpio. There will be a Total Lunar Eclipse on November 8, 2003 at 16+ Scorpio-Taurus -- igniting this troublesome Mercury-Mars square in the Inauguration chart. Furthermore, on May 4, 2004, there will be another Total Lunar Eclipse -- this time at 14+ Taurus-Scorpio -- on the horizon degrees of the Inauguration horoscope. This Total Lunar Eclipse in early May 2004 happens at the same time that Jupiter is stationary and going direct at 8+ Virgo -- conjunct President George W. Bush's natal Mars! It is also the day of the Buddha Full Moon or Wesak Festival -- considered the high spiritual cycle of the year in esoteric astrology circles. Notice that in the Inauguration chart, Mars is almost conjunct the 7^th house cusp -- just 2+ degrees away. We found Neptune in a similar placement in the JFK inaugural chart from January 20, 1961 and Pluto setting exactly when the Jupiter-Saturn union happened in Virgo in October 1861 -- influencing the Civil War and the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. A planet so close to the 7^th house cusp of a major national chart can signify a threat to the lives of key people within the administration. Right now, we might say that it is the national press itself (via the Mercury-Mars square in this Inauguration chart) which has begun attacking the president and his administration because of the questions regarding uranium in Africa and the deeper motivations for why we went to war against Iraq and Saddam Hussein. Finally -- and this is not a minor point at all -- when the next Total Solar Eclipse occurs on November 23, 2003, it will exactly oppose (no orb!) the Jupiter placement in the Inauguration chart at 1 degree and 14 minutes of Gemini. This is important because Jupiter rules the USA birthchart with Sagittarius rising and a total eclipse striking an inaugural Jupiter with no orb is crucial to watch. Remember, too, that Jupiter is known as the "King of the Gods" and, in the first part of this series, I explained how the Jupiter-Uranus polarity at the time of Lincoln's assassination was so symbolic of the Booth-Lincoln connection. We are about to have one of these Jupiter-Uranus polarities at 0+ Virgo-Pisces -- they can only occur about every 13 years -- on August 29-30, 2003 (close to a New Moon, Mercury and Pluto stations, and Mars coming closest to the Earth in 50,000 years). And transiting Mars in the second half of September and early October will trigger this Jupiter-Uranus exactly as Mars makes its direct station at 0+ Pisces in late September. This is more ammunition that we are witnessing some kind of "cosmic return energy" from the Lincoln assassination time-period -- one of the main reasons I am writing about all this in the first place. I mentioned before that this fall transiting Neptune stops at 10+ Aquarius -- a 165-year cycle of Neptune going around the zodiac since the birth of John Wilkes Booth on May 10, 1838. [Note: As the Total Solar Eclipse of November 23, 2003 exactly strikes the inaugural Jupiter via opposition, it does something more. Jupiter rules the 8^th house (death-rebirth and all the usual themes of this domain) of the Inauguration chart and Pluto, the Moon, Ceres and Chiron are all located in Sagittarius in this house. Thus, this next big eclipse is a blockbuster affecting the destiny of the president and the vice president of the United States.]

The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction chart of May 28, 2000 at 22+ Taurus is also no slouch when it comes to potent transits happening in 2003. The biggest news happens again in late August of this year as Pluto comes to a halt and turns stationary direct at 17 degrees and 14 minutes of Sagittarius. This is precisely (no orb again!) opposed to Mars at 17 degrees and 14 minutes of Gemini in the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction map. What are we to make of this? It's another exact hit with not even a minute of arc to spare. Oddly the Pluto station polarized to this Mars is happening when the New Moon occurs at 4+ Virgo on August 27, Mercury stops and goes retrograde at 26+ Virgo, and the Sun opposes Mars retrograde in the sky on August 28. As mentioned before, this is when Mars is exceedingly close to the Earth. Keep in mind that Vice President Dick Cheney is born with Mars at 17+ Sagittarius. Thus, he bears the brunt of this impact. Will his health suffer, blood pressure rise, something happen related to his heart? Recall that the Jupiter-Saturn union at 22+ Taurus is exactly on his natal Uranus (shocks and surprise; radical change; revolution) and that his Uranus is the most dynamic planet at his birth. And President George W. Bush is strongly affected by all these events at the end of August. Remember that the station of Mars this summer is opposing his natal Mars. Thus, as Mars comes closest to the Earth we may expect some kind of martial event to strike the president. In addition, it is President George W. Bush who -- like Abraham Lincoln -- was born with Mercury conjunct Pluto while the USA was born with Mercury retrograde opposing Pluto retrograde. It is Mercury and Pluto that will make simultaneous stations on August 28 just as the Sun opposes Mars. And don't forget that Jupiter (ruling everything BIG) will have just entered Virgo on August 27 -- approaching its opposition to a retrograding Uranus at 0+ Pisces on August 29.

[A Fascinating Side Note: Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld was born on July 9, 1932 while Secretary of State Colin Powell was born on April 5, 1937. Most of you have watched this delicate political dance between the two secretaries in search of their chief executive's support in directing the national and international policies of the American government. By all accounts, Donald Rumsfeld seems to be in greater favor with the president -- particularly when it comes to war operations. Nevertheless, on diplomatic levels and often related to the need to communicate subtle nuances of our intents as a country to foreign leaders, Colin Powell seems to be the president's choice. This rivalry among the two secretaries may be seen in a strange relationship between their natal Mars placements and that for the president. Donald Rumsfeld has natal Mars at 12 Gemini while Colin Powell has natal Mars at 5 Sagittarius. This means that they are potential adversaries since their Mars positions are in opposition. However, President George W. Bush's natal Mars at 9 Virgo is almost exactly midway between the Mars placements for Rumsfeld and Powell! And since we are about to have a station of Mars in Pisces (the fourth mutable sign in this combination in the zodiac), there is a tumultuous Grand Cross involved in 2003 in terms of the red planet Mars for the two important secretaries, the president of the USA and Mars in the sky. Another reason Donald Rumsfeld has the greater edge in this rivalry is that he -- like the president -- is a Sun-sign Cancer and they both have Mercury (mental wavelengths; communication) in Leo and conjunct within less than 2 degrees. Colin Powell is a Sun-sign Aries whose solar energy clashes with that for President George W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. Perhaps this is a plug for astrology being used in the future by presidents so that they can avoid turmoil between key members of their cabinets!]

Two more notes about the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction chart. You will see the Moon at 3+ Aries alone in the 8^th house of death, transformation, mysteries and the unknown. This is President Bush's natal Vesta placement (national security and safety themes). Jupiter and Saturn are not only united, but they sit right at the Midheaven in the chart calculated for Washington, D.C. It is very rare that the Jupiter-Saturn union will happen so that the conjunction itself will coincide with the point in the chart (the Midheaven) relating to executive authority! This is the last Jupiter-Saturn union in earth signs and we will not have another Jupiter-Saturn conjunction until December 21, 2020 when these two largest planets meet again -- this time at 0+ Aquarius (which just happens to be the Sun placement when all presidents are inaugurated on January 20 of their respective years). Jupiter and Saturn right at the uppermost point of the chart for May 28, 2000 is signifying America's dominant role on the global stage over the 20-year cycle until December 2020. It also may symbolize momentous changes within the presidency itself during this time-span.

As we conclude this time -- there will still be a Part IV focused on President Garfield, President McKinley, other assassination attempts on U.S. presidents, and a crucial synthesis of what's been presented -- I decided to present one of the more significant lunation events coming up in the second half of the year. Now before discussing this map, keep in mind that almost every single New Moon, Full Moon, Eclipse, Equinox or Solstice that will occur from later this month of July 2003 through December 2003 has the potential for setting in motion some of the forces that have been discussed in this study. There could also be a chain reaction -- where one chart ignites another and so on. And remember that we have the ongoing TIME WARP in which Saturn and Chiron are polarized right on the USA natal Sun, President George W. Bush's Sun, and squaring the USA natal Saturn. As events unfold during the next couple of months, I will review these articles and, if necessary, present some of the more important lunations on our astrology web site.

To View the Total Solar Eclipse map for Nov. 23, 2003, click on this link:

By the way, this chart is calculated for the exact time of the eclipse -- not the New Moon that follows about 9 minutes later. This map is absolutely a gold mine of extraordinary energy. You will see that the Ascendant degree (19+ Gemini) is pointing directly at the president's natal Uranus/North Node of the Moon (fate/destiny) conjunction. Mercury at 17+ Sagittarius so closely squaring Mars at 17+ Pisces is not only a repeat of the square that affected the Inauguration chart of January 20, 2001, but the degrees involved precisely strike Venus in the Inauguration chart (17+ Pisces) and Mars in the Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction map of May 28, 2000 (17+ Gemini). This is a major "ouch factor" and hard to determine what it will mean for the Bush administration and its two principal figures at the top. However, I think we can say with some certainty that it doesn't appear favorable. [Note: Jupiter at 16+ Virgo makes this exact Mercury-Mars square into a T-Square triangle that is very close to being precise.] It could increase the pressure in the media for a full-blown expose of the hidden moves and motivations behind the war in Iraq and the decision to oust Saddam Hussein. The Saturn-Chiron TIME WARP aspect is still happening in late November although it is waning in effect. Notice that the fateful North Node of the Moon in this eclipse chart is at 20+ Taurus. [Note: This is the so-called "true position" of the North Node while the "mean position," also widely used in charts, is at 19+ Taurus.] What are the odds that at this significant time in our nation's political history a key destiny marker in the zodiac would be pointing right at the USA Vesta (national security and safety themes), John Wilkes Booth's natal Sun, Lee Harvey Oswald's Uranus, JFK's Mercury, and Chiron for Jenna and Barbara Bush.

You may notice a seemingly harmonious trine of two asteroids in this Total Solar Eclipse chart. Juno at 9+ Sagittarius is approaching an exact trine to Pallas retrograde at 9+ Aries. Well, they are in a flowing link to each other. That's the good news. The bad news is that they are igniting the JFK assassination Mercury (9+ Sagittarius), the JFK assassination Jupiter (9+ Aries), the Lincoln assassination Moon (9+ Sagittarius) and the Lincoln assassination Neptune (8+ Aries). Plus -- this is also President Lincoln's natal Venus-Vesta union (from 7+ to 9+ Aries). I never get tired of seeing the amazing tapestry of astrological patterns and how they harken back to other times when major events happened in our nation's history. Note that November 23, 2003 will be the 40^th anniversary of the JFK assassination -- plus 1 day. And Uranus at 29 Aquarius will be conjunct the Midheaven of this Total Solar Eclipse chart. Revolutionary Uranus will not only be a powerhouse at this eclipse, but it will reawaken the Chiron-Vesta union at the JFK Inauguration on January 20, 1961 -- both at 29+ Aquarius and connecting with being "out of time" and national security/safety issues. And Uranus is the planet that refers to shock waves, surprise, expecting the unexpected. It's one of the major planets connected to the history of assassinations and the radical actions perpetrated by eccentric assassins. [Note: Juno at 9+ Sagittarius at this eclipse may sound familiar. It's the marriage Juno for George W. and Laura Bush! My strong suggestion is that the first couple stay put in the White House at this time and for several days before and after. They should not be making any unusual appearances around the country or the world that would invite a negative response.]

But the most essential item in a Total Solar Eclipse is the eclipse degree itself. This is 1+ Sagittarius. Here we find Vice President Dick Cheney's natal Pallas (0+ Sagittarius) -- linked to one's immunity shield protecting a person from illness and adversity. This is Laura Bush's natal Venus retrograde (1+ Sagittarius) -- connected to her emotional needs, marriage, love and partnerships. The eclipse degree falls right on Juno for the Bush twins -- Jenna and Barbara. In fact, the twins were born with a Uranus-Juno-Sun triple conjunction in early Sagittarius and this Total Solar Eclipse really ignites all three of these celestial bodies for both of them. As I indicated earlier when discussing the Inauguration chart from January 20, 2001, this Total Solar Eclipse will exactly oppose Jupiter at 1+ Gemini from the time President George W. Bush took the Oath of Office. Now the president doesn't have a planet at his birth in early Sagittarius. However, he does have a powerful midpoint -- the Saturn/Neptune midpoint -- at 1 degree and 13 minutes of Virgo. This Eclipse and the New Moon following just 9 minutes later are exactly squaring this midpoint for the president. The experts on midpoints have highlighted this Saturn-Neptune linkage as one of the main energies in a natal chart relating to deceptions, illusions, evasions, chronic illness, weakness and vulnerability. The fact that the eclipse energy is squaring the midpoint in question is not an asset for the president; it's much more of a liability.

In spite of all the foregoing, everyone needs to remain cautious that many of these cycles and charts will pass by and the effect may still be unclear or minimal. The nation and its current leaders may simply be tested -- perhaps severely -- but then move on without a major calamity happening anytime soon. Part IV is coming up next time and will be essential in putting the entire question of U.S. presidential assassinations in perspective. There has been much to digest, assimilate and fully absorb so far.

I've been meaning to share something about the similarities between the first Bush presidency (1989 - 1993) of George Bush Senior and the second Bush presidency (2001 onward) of George W. Bush. I shared some of these ideas in 2000 when George W. Bush was running for president. I could clearly see the handwriting on the wall for Vice President Al Gore in the summer of 2000 -- particularly after he chose Joseph Lieberman as his running mate. That seemed a poor choice at the time and I still believe it cost Al Gore the presidency. Part of the reason Gore chose Lieberman was that Senator Lieberman was one of President Clinton's biggest critics within the Democratic Party after the president's sexual scandal with Monica Lewinsky. Al Gore became increasingly upset with his friend Bill Clinton's evasions of the truth and, by the Democratic convention, was extremely angry with the president. One way of getting back at him was to choose a running mate like Lieberman. But it hardly helped Gore in any way to win the presidency! In the meantime, it was now 12 years since George Bush Senior had won the presidency against Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts. Jupiter has a 12-year cycle through the zodiac and Jupiter was in early Gemini in November 1988 and would return there in November 2000 when George W. Bush was vying for the president in his own right. If the younger Bush were to win the presidency, then in his first term in office Jupiter would be moving through the same zodiacal signs (Gemini to Libra) as his father experienced 12 years before! That's exactly what is happening.

However, we know that Bush the Elder was a one-term president. Part of his failure to win a second term is concealed within his inauguration chart for January 20, 1989 when Pluto -- then at its closest point to the Earth and the Sun in nearly 248 years! -- was almost exactly setting in mid-Scorpio. While the first President Bush received a wonderful gift on his inaugural day -- Jupiter (success; prosperity; opportunity knocking) turning stationary direct in late Taurus -- there was a terrible Sun-Mars square from 0+ Aquarius to 0+ Taurus. Along with what I shared earlier in this article about George Bush Senior having his 22 Gemini Sun on the USA Mars, this Sun-Mars face-off at his inauguration was another bad omen that the first Bush presidency would become involved in a war (negative Mars). In addition, Venus (personal finances, assets and savings) was conjunct Neptune (global finances, but also deceptions and illusions) in Capricorn (a sign that can mean restrictions and limits). This first Bush presidency would eventually fail due to a faltering national economy that became a recession. Plus -- Mercury at 11 Aquarius (there's that perilous degree again in our presidential study!) was retrograde at his inauguration. And Mercury going in reverse when a president takes the Oath of Office is not the greatest signal when it comes to clarity of communication and a positive climate in the business community.

Now reflect on the amazing parallels so far between the first Bush presidency and the current one 12 years later. In 1989 (his first year in office), George Bush Senior faced the crumbling of Communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall. This was a major upset in the world social-political balance. It also impacted in the sphere of religion and spirituality (linked to Neptune) because Communism symbolized an atheistic economic system that was now seen as an eminent failure. Remember that Communism connects back to Neptune -- an outer planet discovered in 1846, just two years before The Communist Manifesto was written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. [Note: Ironically, the Voyager II spacecraft arrived at Neptune in late August 1989, sending pictures back to Earth of that beautiful planet for the first time.] In 2001 (his first year in office), George W. Bush faced one of the greatest terrorist actions ever against America -- the tragic events of September 11, 2001. This was also a major upset in the world social-political balance. It also impacted greatly in the sphere of religion and spirituality (linked to Neptune) because radical Islam symbolized an extreme fundamentalist religion seeking to destroy the capitalism of the west as well as our democratic way of life. Jupiter in both years -- 1989 and 2001 -- was moving through all of Gemini and into the first part of Cancer, pausing to go into reverse in Cancer at the end of each year.

In 1990 (his second year in office), George Bush Senior faced Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait and the need to build up international support for removing Iraq's troops from that small country in the Middle East. In 2002 (his second year in office), George W. Bush was focused on restoring peace to Afghanistan, finding and killing Osama bin Laden and his Taliban and Al Qaeda supporters, and building international support to invade Iraq and eliminate, once and for all, Saddam Hussein from his position as dictator of that country. The Middle East was the big focus of both George Bush Senior and George W. Bush in their second year in office. Once again, Jupiter -- in its 12-year cycle -- was in Cancer and Leo during both 1990 and 2002. In 1991 (his third year in office), George Bush Senior won a lightning-like war against the forces of Saddam Hussein, saw his national ratings soar, only to be undermined later in the year by a sagging economy that eventually became his undoing. In 2003 (his third year in office), George W. Bush won a lightning-like war against the forces of Saddam Hussein, saw his national ratings soar, only to begin to be undermined by a sagging economy.

OK … we have seen these extraordinary parallels in history and realize there is a deep connection. Plus -- we have two members of the same family as national leaders who are father and son. This is probably the crucial time-period (summer of 2003 with Mars stopping and going into reverse in Pisces, in the president's natal 8^th house of deep-seated transformation) for our current president to step out of the historical mirror reflection with his own father and seize the initiative to grow more spiritually, intuitively and sensitively. Can he do it? One of his father's challenges at birth was having Venus retrograde in Cancer closely squaring the Moon in Libra. Women voters (Moon-Venus energy in astrology) didn't always support George Bush Senior and rallied to Clinton-Gore in the 1992 election. George W. Bush was born with the same Moon in Libra, but forming a productive sextile to Venus in Leo. He has a warmer presence in the public arena than his father and women can be the deciding vote in the next presidential election. A main difference is that President George W. Bush doesn't have to repeat the failures of his father. He can look back on what happened, has free will, and the ability to avoid the mistakes of his father. For instance, although both presidents have had their difficulties as expert communicators, there's a saying that "the times make the man". President George W. Bush could rise to the occasion and become a two-term president. And there is one enormous indicator that he will somehow get through this "presidential, Jupiter-Saturn, 20-year curse" and have another term as president. What is this indicator? It's the Jupiter placement on January 20, 2005 -- the date of the next presidential inauguration.

Thanks to astrology and ephemerides we can look way ahead into the future and determine the exact placement of celestial bodies in the zodiac. President George W. Bush was born with Jupiter at 18+ Libra. Giant Jupiter will be at 18+ Libra on January 20, 2005 when the next elected president takes the Oath of Office for a new four-year term. In fact, Jupiter will be spending almost two months at this degree in January-February 2005 because the largest planet in the solar system will make a retrograde station at 18+ Libra on February 2, 2005 less than two weeks after this next presidential inauguration. Jupiter -- the greater benefic in astrology -- usually confers many blessings when moving in a positive and supportive way for an individual. If he plays his political, social and communication cards right, our current president will maneuver through this challenging time cycle without a disaster. Nevertheless, lurking in the shadows even with this positive Jupiterian event in his future is the USA Progressed Mars due to station retrograde in a couple of years at 18+ Libra. Thus, the mystery play we are all a part of continues and we will have to keep on searching for clues to a solution in Part IV. Keep tuned to this astrology web site and cyberspace channel!