George W. Bush

By : N. C. Syminghton 11/30/2001

Rather than analyze President Bush's birth chart in full, I plan to look at the reasons behind his recent and record popularity with the American people at the close of 2001. Also, I will discuss some of the ways the horoscope of George W. Bush connects with the horoscope of the United States.

The obvious answer to President Bush's high ratings in American public opinion polls is the penchant for Americans to fully support their commander-in-chief during times of crisis and war - the terrorist attacks of September 11th certainly qualify as a major crisis and to many, as an act of war. To understand the astrological reasons why Bush is so popular now and how long it will last, we need to look at his birth chart.

During the time of this crisis, transiting Jupiter is nearing conjunction with his natal Sun. Jupiter is (among other attributes) the planet of growth, expansion, success, and trust. The Sun represents his identity, his way of expressing himself, and his capacity to rule or take charge. Regardless of the circumstances, this is a time when Bush should demonstrate greater confidence and find greater support for the role that he plays as president and leader. Anyone who has transiting Jupiter conjuncting his or her Sun will tend to have, during that period, a more positive experience than usual, often due to an improved attitude and increased opportunities for being rewarded in various ways.

Because George W. Bush was born on July 6th, the position of his Sun at 13.47 Cancer is very close to the degree of the Sun in the USA's horoscope, July 4th, at 13.19 Cancer. The Sun in the birth chart of a nation often signifies its leader as well as the identity it shows to the world. Therefore, Bush's identity is closely aligned with that of the nation's, and transits to his Sun obviously will aspect the Sun of the USA at the same time.

In a previous article, A Degree of Connection, I pointed out how Saturn in the USA's chart connected with the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the beginning of the bombing of Afghanistan, and the crash of the American Airlines' airbus. Because of Saturn's association with testing and being tested, this connection clearly tells the story of the effects of these events on America (and Afghanistan).

While transiting Jupiter to President Bush's Sun, enhances his esteem as a leader in the eyes of the United States' populace, it also, by conjuncting the Sun of the USA's chart, increases patriotism and trust in its president and would have favored Bush regardless of the circumstances. However, because of the challenges (Saturn) of the past months, his widespread support among the American public is amplified and is tied to his leadership during such trying times.

From an astrological perspective, one reason the war in Afghanistan has gone better than initially expected for the USA - up to this point - is because of transiting Jupiter's conjunction to the natal Sun of the USA's horoscope (and therefore to Bush's natal Sun as well). This transit of Jupiter began in September of 2001 and will continue through May of 2002. The peak effect should occur in September and December of 2001 and again in May of 2002, although the entire period is favorable for both Bush and the United States.

As I noted above, Jupiter tends to expand whatever it contacts, and by conjuncting the Sun in the horoscopes of Bush and the USA, there is a danger of overconfidence that can lead to overstepping boundaries and exceeding one's reach. Because some kind of personal and national success is likely with this transit, it can create a sense of omnipotence and self-righteousness - especially when lacking an appreciation of the constantly changing cycles of life and their effect on both citizens and nations.

The planets (and all stellar phenomena) move at varying rates of speed through the heavens creating a wide range of cyclical tides that correspond to the peaks and valleys that we all experience in our lives on Earth. While Jupiter expands, Saturn contracts. It happens that Saturn, which moves more slowly than Jupiter, is close behind Jupiter - at this time - in its orbit around the Sun and its transit to the Earth. What this means is that the popularity and success that Jupiter has brought to Bush and the USA will likely be muted by the coming transit of Saturn to the natal Sun of the two charts.

This conjunction of transiting Saturn to their two natal Suns will likely peak in October of 2003 and again in June of 2004, although the entire time period in between will probably test both the president and America. Bush's popularity should diminish significantly, and the USA will find its ambitions curtailed and perhaps less confident of its objectives. Circumstances probably will require more self-sufficiency, and friends may be few.

Having this perspective - albeit not a complete picture of all the different transits at work - it would make sense for President Bush and the United States to take advantage of the time from now until May of 2002. After that, it is best to leverage whatever success has been achieved and to consolidate the gains, knowing that Saturn will soon impose limitations of its own.

This is the flow of life, and astrology is an indispensable tool for understanding what to expect, when to expect it, and how to prepare for it. While the ups and downs that define our lives cannot be altered - just as the movements of the heavens cannot be stopped - we can adjust how we perceive our experiences so that the "downs" are not so debilitating and the "ups" do not cause us to lose our bearings. Balance is key to walking the path of our existence, so that when we do stumble we can right ourselves quickly. Using astrology wisely can help us navigate more effectively the twists and turns that we encounter and can guide us toward getting the most out of our journey wherever it leads us.

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