Sometimes Mother Nature strikes us with a crippling blow. A tornado, a hurricane, or a vast forest fire is often forceful enough to wipe out homes, power lines, and even lives. In the midst of the initial chaos, we wait anxiously for the titanic force to exhaust itself, sometimes fearing that it never will. Once the event itself is past, the long arduous cleanup begins. The inherent struggle is to reclaim some sense of normality. In some places, however, where the damage has been too great, this may never be possible.
For many Americans, beginning with the Stolen Election of 2000, the Bush administration has been one long nightmare, accompanied by the ongoing, chilling fear that the dismal reality it has brought may never end. As November 2004 approaches, there is a collective longing to end the illegitimacy of the “interregnum” and elect a sane government that will go about the people’s business and restore order to the Bush-created chaos currently at hand. The uneasy hope of many is now entirely focused on the newly formed duo of John Kerry and John Edwards. In fact, the entire world is watching them with baited breath.
With the advent of the primary season in January, what had been the parched desert of the Democratic Party at last began to show signs of life. The discontent, the anger, and the cries for new leadership and new ideas were being given a voice for the first time in three years. Six months later, enthusiastic partisans immersed themselves in the glowing energy of the Democratic Convention. The lush rhetoric of hope, vision, and purpose, culminating in the rousing and inspiring address by John Kerry at the Convention’s climax, further transformed the once-withered landscape into a veritable garden.
The Convention itself and its immediate aftermath have been colored by a strong Jupiter transit square both Kerry and Edwards’ Suns. This aspect is bringing optimism, expansiveness, and success. As a result, we are likely to see a significant bounce in the polls in the first few post-Convention days. The following period, from August through the election, is likely to bring increasing popularity and appeal for both Kerry and Edwards, although September may also bring some significant upsets, stresses, and difficulties.
In Kerry’s chart, beginning in mid-August, the influence of Venus will grow increasingly strong right through the election and continuing through much of 2005. This is a clear indication of the public’s warming up to Kerry and a perceived increase in his appeal. His converse progressed Midheaven is moving into a square with his natal Venus from August 2004 through August 2005, strengthening that planet’s magnetic charm and allying it with the career focus of the Midheaven. Venus brings attractiveness, as well as benefits from women. The progression will be almost continuously triggered from mid-August through October, by a transit of the North Node opposite Venus for the second half of August, a trine from Uranus to Venus for most of September, the progression of the Moon sextile to Venus from mid-September to mid-October, and by the tertiary progressed Sun semisquare Venus in October.
The transit of Uranus is especially significant this fall for both Kerry and Edwards. It will make its station trine Kerry’s Venus (3 Scorpio), sextile Edwards’ Venus (4 Taurus), and trine the US Venus (3 Cancer). If we look at the composite (midpoint) charts – Kerry/US and Edwards/ US - we find composite Venus at 3 Virgo and 3 Gemini, respectively, both receiving an exact hard aspect from the Uranus station (3 Pisces) from September through most of December 2004. This aspect will be especially strong in September, November, and December. The first crossing of Uranus to this point was during the second half of February and early March 2004 when both candidates were actively campaigning in a well–publicized series of Democratic primaries and gaining in popularity and public acceptance. The prolonged crossing of this point by Uranus in the fall months suggests a heightened attractiveness and exciting relationship between them and the American people during the crucial pre- and post-election period.
Another significant aspect in Kerry’s chart is the progressed Midheaven trine to his natal Pluto/Node conjunction. The Midheaven has been trine to the Node since early 2004 and moves to include Pluto as of mid-October for a further year. This aspect increases and deepens Kerry’s reach and impact upon the masses of Americans with whom he comes into contact. Jupiter will strongly trigger this aspect from November 1 through November 4, being joined by Venus on the 4th. This suggests great success and an increase in power during those very significant days.
Like Kerry, Edwards has numerous beneficial aspects in the coming three months, most notably the transiting Node conjunct his Venus during the second half of August, Uranus square the Edwards/US Venus from September through December, and tertiary progressed Venus conjunct his Ascendant in October. But both Kerry and especially Edwards have some indications of difficulty and upset in September. In Kerry’s chart this shows up as the converse progressed Moon square to natal Saturn from September 11 through October 5. For Edwards, this shows up in the progressed Moon opposite natal Saturn from September 1 through September 28 and converse progressed Moon square to natal Saturn from late August to September 25. Because the Moon rules Edwards’ Ascendant, these upsets seem to impact him personally. In Kerry’s chart, the Moon is in his 7th house, the house of partnership, and the difficult aspect may indicate difficulties for his partner – Edwards (or possibly Teresa). One obvious possibility here is that the GOP Bully Boys find or create some dirt on Edwards that sticks for a few weeks and really upsets him. Another possibility is that the events corresponding to the difficult Saturn transits to the US Mercury and square Bush’s Midheaven beginning in September will also bring some sorrow and difficulty to the Kerry/Edwards team, events that may be economic in nature or some intensification of violence or terror on the domestic/world stage. But whatever the difficulty faced by Kerry and Edwards at that time, it does not seem to benefit the Bush campaign in the least. Not much will at that point.
Although George Bush came to power riding a wave of Venus progressions that made him the back slapping Happy Cowboy, and then morphed into the Great War Leader during some strong Pluto and Jupiter aspects in late 2001 and 2002, he is now being increasingly submerged in the withdrawal and depression of the Failed Presidency. The astrological signs of this are everywhere. Despite the fact that we may see a last hurrah of unexpected and aggressive policy and some positive reviews for a few days during the first week of August, this will rapidly dissipate into meaninglessness. From August 2 through 7, the Jupiter/ Pluto square will be activating the Inaugural Uranus, the planet that always seems to bring sudden, aggressive, and unexpected policies that eventually cause controversy for Bush. However, with Neptune also quincunx Bush’s Sun, the dramatic policies and political attacks announced during the first week of August are likely to turn out to be more illusion than reality by mid-August.
Since June 2003, with Saturn’s entry into Cancer, problems, difficulties, and frustrations have been mounting for the Bush administration. Mission Accomplished rapidly deteriorated into Mission Disaster. Bush’s polls have sunk well below the critical 50% mark and remained there for some time. As of the last days of August 2004, a new wave of difficulties is likely to emerge into the national consciousness and continue through May 2005. These may relate to issues that have been percolating for months just under the radar or they may be related to entirely different issues. But with Saturn coming to conjunct US Mercury, a somewhat glum mood is likely to prevail that could well have to do with investments, currency, trade, and foreign partners. Saturn often brings a feeling of contraction and loss, forcing a somber reevaluation and shrinking resources. A diminished oil supply at this time is also a possibility.
Concurrent with these Saturn events in the US chart, Saturn will also be squaring Bush’s Midheaven and semisquaring his Mars, the ruler of his Midheaven. These aspects, which begin at the end of August and continue to have impact through May 2005, suggest that Bush’s reputation and career goals will be under severe strain, especially through the first ten days of September. This greatly minimizes his chances for a “bounce” following the GOP Convention.
By late September, Saturn will move to make a station on both Bush’s Saturn and on the IC of the Inaugural chart, where it will continue to sit through much of December. Bush’s Saturn return suggests a longing in Bush to withdraw and go within himself, as well as the very painful experience of being stripped of his illusions and forced to look at reality. There will also be a sense of pessimism and failure within the Bush administration due to the Saturn station on the Inaugural IC.
As if these aspects were not enough, there is also the Saturn transit to the Bush/US composite chart. Just as the Uranus station crossing the Kerry/US Venus and the Edwards/US Venus will bring excitement and interest to the Democratic candidates’ relationship with the American public, so will the Saturn station, which sits exactly on the Bush/US Venus, bring a sense of burden, discomfort, and unhappiness to the relationship between Bush and the American public. This is an aspect that suggests disconnection, dislike, and divorce.
The saga of George Bush cannot be understood without looking at Venus in his natal chart. In the first house in Leo, it describes a person with charisma and attractiveness, somewhat lazy, but able to smile and charm his way in life. These characteristics were greatly emphasized in the notorious election of 2000, when Bush benefited from progressed Mercury conjunct natal Venus, converse progressed Venus trine natal Moon, and converse progressed Sun square natal Venus. In the 2004 election, Bush will be basically bereft of his Teflon-like Venus talisman. Not only do we find Saturn stationary on the US/Bush composite Venus, as mentioned above, but we find progressed Venus, for the first time in Bush’s life, square to natal Saturn. This aspect begins slowly in August 2004, as progressed Venus finishes its exact conjunction with progressed Jupiter. The Venus/ Jupiter contact will give Bush a last flush of warm, attractive energy in early August. This will then rapidly dissipate and be replaced by an increasingly withdrawn and unhappy mood, as well as an unattractive stiffness and lack of genuine warmth. This will be especially strong during the last half of September, November and the first half of December, when transiting Saturn intensifies the Saturn/Venus progression. The progression itself continues through July 2005.
As we move through the autumn months, into the 2004 election and beyond, it will become increasingly clear that while John Kerry’s star is rising, George Bush’s has set. The stench of failure on all fronts has irretrievably contaminated this presidency. Foreign policy is in a shambles, the military is severely strained, the economy is sagging, the environment has lost much of its protection, and even our once-unparalleled scientific prowess has been crippled. But Hurricane George is nearly spent. It will soon be time for the Restoration, a time to clean up the unbelievable mess and restore sanity to the White House and America to the world. The sun will soon rise on a new day in D.C.
