Most of the indicators of military aggression and unilateralism that I have been able to find in the US and various the Bush administration charts are now beginning to wane. It is hard to imagine, however, that Bush might not move forward, given the huge troop buildup he has amassed in the Gulf and the loss of face he would sustain in pulling back after months of interminable bluster, badgering, and bullying. The many disparate and confounding pieces to this puzzle suggest the possibility of war between March 10 and April 4, but the signs are not overwhelming.
Currently, the Saturn station is doing its job of delaying and frustrating Mr. Bush’s reckless march to empire. Both Germany and France have thwarted his attempts to browbeat the Security Council into capitulation. Turkey is resisting American bases on its domain, asking for astronomic sums of aid to grease the wheels. Even the inspectors, led by the indomitable Hans Blix, have not found anything worth starting a war over and have even disputed many of the elements in Bush’s rather porous case against Saddam.
We can depend on the Saturn station to thwart Bush’s progress until about February 23. Significantly, this covers the time during which Jupiter will be on Mr. Bush’s Pluto (2/15 –2/21), a transit likely to empower him and add to his propensity to bludgeon away resistance to his plans. Thus, despite his increasing bribes and threats, as evidenced in the battle of wills with Turkey, Saturn will keep him from gaining ground, at least until it starts moving away from its semisquare to Bush’s Ascendant and its conjunction to the US Mars, on February 23.
A further impediment to Bush’s obsessive war plans is an antiwar movement that has now gained critical mass. The massive demonstrations of the weekend of February 15 motivated between 8 and 11 million world citizens to march for peace, many braving winter to do so. With the intensity of the Mars /Pluto conjunction energizing the day and the idealism and sense of world unity of the Jupiter /Neptune opposition inspiring it, this was a golden moment that will go down in history. For perhaps the first time, millions stood together, spanning the globe, against the militaristic machinations of the powerful.
In the Inaugural chart, this mass movement against the administration may be seen by the current transit of Pluto stationary on the Inaugural Moon. Pluto represents the slow, deep energies of transformation and the resistance to great power. The Moon in the Inaugural chart represents the people and their interaction with the administration. The Pluto transit to Inaugural Moon was triggered the day of the march by the Mars/ Pluto conjunction and will continue to be felt strongly through May, returning with great force in November 2003.
A slackening of the current military thrust may be seen by the passing of the two tertiary progressions in the US chart that have stimulated an increase in military activity and indicated the possibility of aggression. The tertiary progressed Sun opposite Mars (12/18/02 – 1/18/03) and the tertiary progressed Mars square the Sun (12/20/02 – 2/16/03) are now behind us. The latter was strongly triggered by the transit of Uranus from 1/21 – 2/9/03. These progressions corresponded with a huge military buildup in the Middle East and an enormous amount of aggressive rhetoric attempting to prepare the country and the world for war.
One of the big triggers to Bush’s unilateralism has also now past. The secondary progression of Mercury conjunct Uranus in the Inaugural chart, active since August 2002, peaked in early February. This period saw the enormous push for war from the Bush administration, despite the resistance to it from numerous fronts. Any strong activation of Inaugural 10th house Uranus always brings with it Bush’s tendency to aggressively pursue controversial and radical policies that arouse anger and resistance from a large portion of the population.
The question, of course, is what comes next. One clear indicator of Bush’s continued unhappiness, at least through March 11, is the transit of Chiron squaring his natal Moon. Natally, Bush has a Chiron /Moon conjunction, likely to be strongly stimulated by this transit, the first pass of which runs from February 25 through March 11, 2003. Chiron/Moon contacts suggest an emotional, demanding nature prone to angry outbursts when frustrated. Though his hissy fits are not likely to be public knowledge, we can assume from this transit that Bush will be quite distressed during this period. Interestingly, this transit directly follows Bush’s progressed Moon square to Pluto (1/22 through 2/22/03) and the transit of Chiron square to Bush’s natal Chiron (2/10 to 2/20/03). These aspects suggest that an emotionally volatile and irritable time has been ongoing since late January for the White House Resident and will continue through March 11.
Things seem to gain a new momentum by around mid-March, and especially the last ten days of the month and the first week of April. Uranus in Bush’s chart (19Gemini08), already well lit up by the progressed MC from October 2002 until October 2003, and further stimulated by the opposing Pluto station from January through May 2003, will receive another hefty kick. Bush’s converse progressed Moon will be square to natal Uranus from approximately March 9 to April 9, 2003. In addition, Pluto goes retrograde on March 22, thereby once again moving towards the opposition to Bush’s Uranus through May 20, 2003. This additional pressure from the converse progressed Moon suggests tremendous turmoil and a rapidly escalating and volatile situation of some kind for Mr. Bush, from mid-March through April 9. Surprise upsets, unexpected shifts, and distressing events are likely. Furthermore, Bush is likely to be aggressive and dominating, prone to taking positions with little regard for the general consensus (Uranus).
In the Inaugural chart, the progressed Moon will be reaching the Inaugural South Node from March 12 through April 12, 2003. The Inaugural South Node position in Capricorn in the 9th house suggests that this administration tends toward a very rigid outlook, steeped in self-righteousness and a conservative, dogmatic worldview. The South Node traits in a chart, usually somewhat of a blind spot as well as a potentially dangerous pitfall, often need to be replaced with the healthier and less compulsive traits of the North Node, or trouble will ensue. For the administration, this suggests the need for a common sense approach, untainted by preconceived notions, communicated clearly to the people, with policies that are nurturing and caring for the whole population (Cancer North Node in the 3rd house). Unfortunately, these concepts are not yet on the Bush radar. Instead, we have a very strong focus on the South Node qualities, especially for the coming month. The likelihood is that the Bush administration’s tendency to take rigid and dogmatic positions, based on an inflexible world-view, will lead it to tremendous difficulties of its own making during the second half of March and early April 2003.
A further aspect of possibly great significance during March 2003 is the US progressed Moon conjunct natal Mars (3/4 – 4/4/03). Because this aspect will activate Mars in the US chart, there is always the possibility it suggests a war, although a very brief one. However, the natal US Mars is in a trine with natal Moon, and a progressed conjunction between them is not likely to bring a great deal of conflict. To me, this aspect suggests intensified diplomacy with perhaps a period of harsh rhetoric and anger, especially late in March and early in April.
April and May 2003 bring the final act of the Pluto station opposing Bush’s Uranus. Events of great disruption and significance are likely during that period. The Mercury station at 19 –20 Taurus, quincunx to Pluto, is likely to set off some very serious and distressing events between April 21 and May 1, that will greatly impact and upset the administration. These same aspects will also stimulate the Pluto transit to Inaugural Moon, suggesting that the protest movement may be active as well. Whether or not war with Iraq is imminent during March and April, these months are likely to bring conflicts, tensions, and difficulties for members of the Bush administration, as their past bullying rhetoric, thoughtlessness, and reckless policies begin to come back and haunt them.
