Here’s the deal with George W. Bush. Since September of 2001 he’s had Jupiter, the planet of accolades, expansion, and benefits in his own sign of Cancer (self), and in his rising sign (his public persona), Leo. When this happens, you look good in the eyes of others, no matter what you do or who you really are. You enjoy high approval ratings and reap the rewards of your position, whether you've earned them or not.

This has been more than a bit frustrating for those who feel that Bush has not done a good job, either in his foreign or domestic policy, starting with a $350 billion dollar tax cut that favored the wealthy, the largest deficit ($445 billion) that this country has ever seen, and two years of economic recession. Plus, we have a $600 billion war in Iraq, based on a premise of imminent danger from weapons of mass destruction which have not been found; an imperialist foreign policy of pre-emptively attacking countries that we think might be a threat to us; not to mention that Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are still at large as of this writing.

The Honeymoon Is Over

The good news for those who’ve been concerned about the direction that this nation is heading is that as of August 2003, Bush loses the protection of the king-maker, Jupiter, as it moves out of Leo and into Virgo. More importantly, Saturn, the planet of consequences and reality checks, will remain in Bush‘s Sun sign, Cancer, until July of 2005. Even more significant, Saturn will turn retrograde exactly at the degree of Bush‘s Sun, 13 Cancer, as well as the Sun of the U.S. (we‘re a Cancerian country, born July 4th) in October, and it won't leave until June of 2004. This is heavy-duty stuff. Saturn is a hard taskmaster, and Bush will find himself in one of the most difficult and challenging periods of his life. It can also be one of the most rewarding, depending on how he handles it.

Cycles Affecting U.S. Presidents

A little history is in order. The last two times Saturn entered Cancer, in 1944 and again in 1973, the president was out of office within eight months. In addition, Bush was elected in a year ending in zero. Since 1840, every president elected in a year ending in zero, coincident with Jupiter and Saturn conjunct in an earth sign, has not finished his final term in office. (Note: Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980, when Jupiter and Saturn conjuncted in an air sign.)

Saturn Is All About Reaping Karma

Saturn conjuncting Bush’s Sun is not bad per se - everyone whose birthday is right around July 4th will be experiencing this. Nothing is good or bad in astrology - it just represents a different energy or circumstance to deal with. Saturn joining your Sun is a period when whatever you’ve been doing for the past 29 years, and particularly what you started 14 years ago, has come to a close. You now reap the results of your efforts. For example, if you’ve been working hard, operating with integrity, putting in the time and effort required to do a good job, when there’s a layoff, not only will you escape the cuts, but you may even get a raise. On the other hand, if you’ve been slacking off, or operating in a way that’s not authentic or very smart, then you’ll find yourself quitting, getting fired, or otherwise losing your job.

Saturn to one’s Sun is a time of hard work and effort. Your reputation is on the line. If you don’t follow through on your commitments, or you blame others for your situation, things will just become more difficult. But if you act with maturity, responsibility, and integrity now you can achieve lasting success.

"Bring 'em on?"
Be careful what you ask for . . .

But Bush has more than a Saturn transit to contend with. Neptune (disillusionment, disappearances) continues to oppose his Mercury (friends, perceptions, agreements) and Pluto (personal power, secrets), causing a rift in his alliances within his administration and around the world. He could see more revelations coming out of the blue (Neptune) to expose the activities going on behind the scenes in his administration, particularly from within the intelligence community (Mercury, Pluto).

Furthermore, his progressed Sun, or evolving self, has come to join his Mars (drive, aggressiveness) for the next two years. He’s all charged up for the fight of his life, and his reputation is on the line like never before. While this configuration can bring him great courage and stamina, unfortunately he’ll also be in full cowboy mode and will not be inclined to use cooperative or diplomatic solutions. As the leader of the world’s biggest superpower, he’s the big sheriff in town. The question is, will he be a peace officer, requiring everyone to check their guns, or will he just choose to shoot it out with all comers?

Finally, his progressed Midheaven, his point of reputation and standing in the world, has joined Uranus, the planet of radical changes, forward thinking, and unexpected events. This would ordinarily be a positive opportunity for growth, but in this case it’s also opposed by transiting Pluto, (the economy, terrorism, the will of the masses). It appears that he’ll have to make a radical change in what he wants to accomplish in his term in office, either by his own choosing (due to some profound new insights) or because outside forces resulting from his “war on terror” or possibly the U.S. economic situation, leave him no choice. Stay tuned.

- Mary