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INAUGURATION 2001
by Zipporah Dobyns
The following six paragraphs are a very brief introduction to the complicated
tools used in astrology, and can be skipped by advanced students and professionals.
Through astrology, the cosmos shows the state of the Cosmic Mind. The
next U.S. president is scheduled to take the oath of office at noon on
January 20, 2001 in Washington D.C. Can a horoscope drawn for that date,
time, and place tell us something about our next executive, and/or about
the quality of his term of office?
Laws, natural and cultural, and the people who execute them, are symbolized
in astrology by the planet Saturn, the sign Capricorn, and all factors
in or ruling the signs in the tenth house of the horoscope. In addition
to planets, signs, and houses, astrologys twelve basic drives/desires
can also be symbolized by the nodes of the moon and the planets, and by
divisions of the zodiac signs which are called dwads, and which describe
a whole zodiac in each sign. With many ways to represent the same twelve
principles, obviously every chart has all of the principles, but each
chart provides its own unique emphasis.
The complexity of astrology has also been increased by the discovery
of thousands of minor planets called asteroids. Since the discovery of
Ceres in 1801, astronomers have spotted many thousands, numbered about
14,000, and named over 7,000 minor planets, and more are being discovered
almost daily. For the astrologers who work with them, the asteroids discredit
the theory of materialism. The asteroids are named by the people who discover
them, and most astronomers believe that their choice of name is random
and meaningless. But when astrologers put the asteroids into horoscopes,
they FIT the meaning of their names. A few examples are given in my article
called "The Amazing Asteroids." Many more examples will be included
in all of my future articles, and in the previous articles from The
Mutable Dilemma and Asteroid-World, which will eventually be
in an archive on this web site.
In addition to the three major tools of astrology, planets and other
objects in the sky, and two ways to divide space called zodiac signs and
horoscope houses, the fourth major tool in western astrology finds meaning
in the angular distances between the planets. Some of these distances,
called "aspects," are complementary, so the desires they symbolize
tend to reinforce each other. Some of the aspects show conflict between
different drives/desires.
The aspects between the traditional planets do not have to be exact to
the degree in order to convey their meaning, but in light of the huge
number of asteroids, I only mention their aspects when they are within
one degree of exact. For example, an exact square, a conflict aspect,
is present when two factors are 90 degrees apart. I will only mention
squares involving the "new" asteroids when the two factors are
between 89 and 91 degrees apart in the sky. The first four asteroids to
be discovered were Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta. I have been working
with them since 1972, am confident of their meanings, and treat them like
the major planets, using wider orbs on their aspects. Chiron is also being
used by many astrologers, so I include it with the major planets. The
meanings of the rest of the thousands of asteroids are more tentative,
but so far in my experience, they continue to fit the names assigned to
them by astronomers.
One more basic tool uses the intersections of "great circles"
in the sky; that is, circles which go through the center of the earth.
These are called chart "angles," not to be confused with the
aspects, which are angular distances between factors. These "angles"
are like the planets, a specific degree and minute of a zodiac sign, rather
than a section of space, but they change more rapidly than the planets,
which are moving in front of the zodiac signs at different speeds. The
"angles," along with additional lines which mark the boundaries
of the twelve horoscope houses, are moving in front of the signs at about
one degree in four minutes as the earth rotates on its axis. They include
the intersections of the ecliptic (earths path around the Sun projected
against infinity) with the horizon, the equator, the prime vertical, and
the meridian of the birthplace. The angles produced by these intersections
are, respectively, the Ascendant-Descendant of the chart, the East Point-West
Point (Equatorial Ascendant-Equatorial Descendant), the Antivertex-Vertex,
and the MC-IC.
The first three carry the same meaning, though the Ascendant axis is
the most important. The Ascendant, East Point, and Antivertex are like
Mars, representing personal identity in action what we do naturally.
Opposite them, the Descendant, West Point, and Vertex represent our capacity
to handle long-term peer relationships, which may be cooperative or competitive.
The MC is equivalent to Saturn, while the IC opposite it carries the meaning
of the Moon. Aspects involving these angles are just as important as aspects
between the planets. They are major keys to events in the life.
Turning to the chart for the 2001 inauguration of the next president
of the United States, what can Saturn, Capricorn, and the tenth house
tell us? Saturn is rising in the first house of the chart, in the sign
of Taurus and trine the MC. The MC carries the same meaning as Saturn,
and is in Capricorn, the natural sign of Saturn. The earth emphasis implies
that the next executive will be a practical person, and the one-ten combination
suggests a strong-willed person. Like Mars, the first house represents
identity, self-will in action. Placing the ruler of the tenth house in
the first house suggests an identification with the Law; a feeling that
"my will is or should be the law."
Saturn is also closely quincunx (150 degrees) to Ceres and Chiron in
Sagittarius in the eighth house of the chart. The quincunx is an aspect
associated with change, with letting go and moving in new directions.
So the incoming executive will be a change from the past. This is inevitable,
since Clinton cant be elected to a third term, but we might just
have a small change with a win by Al Gore, the current vice president
who is very associated with Clintons policies, or a big change to
a Republican. The sign of Sagittarius brings in the area of beliefs, values,
and goals; the search for truth, whether we put our faith in science,
in a conventional religion, or in our own unique philosophy about life.
These chart patterns show that our new president will be involved in religious
issues. They probably will have influenced his election and they may play
a major role in his term of office. The placement of Jupiter, the ruler
of Sagittarius, in the first house of the chart gives us the same message.
Since Chiron carries the same meaning as Jupiter, potentially either the
Sagittarius or the Pisces side of Jupiter, the message is repeated again.
Important themes can be shown is this way, by multiple combinations of
different forms of the twelve basic principles.
The importance of faith and the values based on it is also highlighted
by the south lunar node in Capricorn in the natural house of Sagittarius.
I interpret the south lunar node as an area where the individual is challenged
to learn something. Once learned, the individual should be able to give
something to the world from the fruits of that lesson. Capricorn, the
sign of the executive, in a house of faith, values, and goals, basically
repeats the message of the preceding paragraph. The Jupiter-Sagittarius-ninth
house drive seeks truth, knowledge, faith, but it is important to realize
that they represent a journey toward a goal that we never reach. When
we think we have arrived at final, absolute truth, we become rigid, dogmatic,
and potentially very destructive. Crusades and inquisitions are born of
such convictions.
The importance of the issue of faith for our next president is clearly
a repeated theme in this inauguration chart, with Pluto and the Moon also
in the sign of Sagittarius, and with Venus and two asteroids in the other
Jupiter sign, Pisces. The message comes again from Neptune, the modern
ruler of Pisces since its discovery following the invention of telescopes.
Neptune is in the house of the executive, thus a core key to his nature.
The emphasis on faith is also repeated by the presence of our two "auxiliary"
Ascendants, the Antivertex and East Point, in the natural house of Pisces,
the twelfth house.
An alternate theme in the chart involves the emphasis on air signs, which
symbolize the intellect, the conscious side of the mind, including the
ability to learn, communicate, and deal with peer relationships. The Sun
and three planets are in Aquarius in the tenth house, pointing to an incoming
executive who could be very bright, very verbal, and/or very rebellious.
Where the different forms of "letter ten" in our astrological
alphabet represent the laws, the limits, the "rules of the game,"
letter eleven marks the urge to reject the limits, to get out of the rut,
to go farther. It is associated with modern technology and anything else
which goes beyond traditions and conventions.
There is a potential inherent conflict between the drives of the tenth
and eleventh sides of life, but they can be successfully integrated by
knowing and accepting voluntarily the really necessary rules for survival
in the physical world in ones particular time and culture, and knowing
when and how we can transcend what were previously considered limits.
Modern technology does this very well, and the next four years should
see a continuing expansion in this area. Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius,
is in the tenth house in its own sign, hence repeating the message associating
our next executive and his term of office with expanding knowledge. Mercury
is also in Aquarius in the tenth house. Mercury is a ruler of Gemini,
another air sign connected to the conscious intellect. Its placement in
the tenth house makes it another key to the nature of the incoming executive.
Since part of Gemini is in the first house of the chart, Mercurys
placement in the tenth house has the same meaning as Saturn in the first
house a one-ten mixture with the potential for feeling that "my
will is or ought to be the law." Jupiter in Gemini repeats the emphasis
on intellect and communication while other factors in the natural air
houses three, seven, and eleven say it again.
Still another theme in this inauguration chart points to power struggles
in some form. Mars in Scorpio opposes the Ascendant and squares Mercury
exactly and Uranus more widely. With this place, date, and time for our
presidential inaugurations, the Sun is always in zero Aquarius square
the East Point in zero Taurus. The West Point is always opposite the East
Point, and as the Sun carries the meaning of Leo, the U.S. presidential
inaugural charts always have a grand cross in fixed signs with a power
struggle potential. Our nation is highly individualistic and competitive,
born in a rebellion against taxes, which fits the meaning of the fixed
sides of life. In addition to the previously listed aspects, Pluto in
its own natural house with a close quincunx to the chart Ascendant points
to changes in the handling of joint resources, the letter eight area of
focus. All the candidates are promising tax reductions, a reduction in
the national debt, action regarding the needs of others through "saving"
Social Security and Medicare, etc.
Much more could be written about the traditional factors in this chart,
but I want to bring in the amazing asteroids. If the oath of office is
administered on time, the MC of the chart will be 26 degrees of Capricorn
and 6 minutes. Conjunctions to the MC could be in 25 Capricorn 6 to 27
Capricorn 6. Within this two-degree space, we have nine asteroids, including
Starr (as in Ken Starr), Siva (the Hindu god of destruction), Kaiser (title
of Germany's former ruler [and a major HMO]), Guernica (named for military
attacks on non-combatant civilians), Karl Marx (major theoretician for
communism), and Brita (Great Britain). Dresden (the same meaning as Guernica)
is on the IC opposite the MC. The MC is the executive. The IC, like the
Moon, Cancer, and the fourth house in general, symbolizes the home and
family, and, by extension, the homeland and the public. When I first calculated
this chart some years ago, I commented that the next president could be
a military man, or a militant personality, or during his term of office
he might have to deal with war, or terrorism, and/or personal violence.
Astrology shows issues, mental states, psychological drives/desires.
Many life details are always possible from a given state of mind. I believe
that we are born where we "fit," when the habits we have developed
in the past are pictured in the map of the sky. Habits function at the
subconscious level, which is symbolized in astrology by the element of
water. We act on our habits, get the consequences, and, hopefully, learn
to change the habits which are producing painful results. Individuals
do grow and change, but mundane astrology, which deals with the world
and masses of life forms, seems more "fated." Metaphorically,
it is like the difference between an unconstrained individual deciding
to stop or to turn to the left or right, and just doing it, versus a speeding
locomotive trying to stop, or to leave its tracks to turn. Yet, even in
mundane astrology, we can see multiple potentials for life details in
any given chart configuration. Hence the variety of possibilities listed
above with the asteroids conjunct and opposed to the MC. There are trines
in the chart in all four elements, fire, earth, air, and water, which
do not fit a financial debacle or an "end of the world" scenario,
which some psychics and financial forecasters keep predicting. There are
also squares involving conflicts over joint resources and beliefs and
values. If a Republican wins, the conflicts could involve tax breaks for
the rich and abortion rights, school prayer, school vouchers, etc.
In light of the "militant" asteroids on the chart MC axis,
we might note that the U.S. likes military leaders. We have had nine presidents
who were generals and a tenth was the commander of the force which initiated
our war with Mexico. The ten included Washington, our first president,
Andrew Jackson, our seventh, William Henry Harrison, our ninth, Zachary
Taylor, our twelfth, Franklin Pierce, our fourteenth, Ulysses Grant, our
eighteenth, Rutherford Hayes, our nineteenth, James Garfield, our twentieth,
Benjamin Harrison, our twenty-third, and Dwight Eisenhower, our thirty-fourth.
There are probably others, but recent past presidents who served in the
military during our wars included Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Richard
Nixon, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush. Jimmy Carter was in the navy,
but not involved in fighting.
The asteroids with personal names have been among the most interesting
in my work with them. I look for the names of world leaders as possible
keys to their roles in the unfolding drama in the world. The asteroid
names seem to "work" for the individuals, even with variations
in their spelling, or when they are an equivalent name in a language other
than English. An interesting pair of asteroids in this chart includes
Williams for Bill Clinton and Monica for Monica Lewinsky. Monica is rising
in 16 Taurus 18. Williams is in 16 Scorpio 42, with a conjunction to Mars.
Mercury is tightly square both of them. With Mercury symbolizing the media
in general, among many other possibilities, we can assume that Clintons
affair with Monica will not be forgotten, and that it might have a major
effect on the choice of our next president. The asteroids named Wisdom
and Herberta are also in 16 Taurus, in the configuration. Herbert is one
of the middle names of our former president, the father of George W. Bush.
Obviously, he is playing a role in the effort of establishment Republicans
to elect his son. Though they are more specific than the major planets,
the asteroids also point to issues. The presence of an asteroid named
Wisdom could mean that wisdom was present or was missing and needed. Obviously,
the media will be pointing to the lack of wisdom on the part of Monica
and William Clinton. The asteroid Starr on the chart MC can also be read
as his work as Special Prosecutor having an influence on the choice of
the new executive, or on his actions during his term of office.
We have two asteroids with variations of the names George and John and
one for Al. Astronomers used to feminize the name when asteroids with
"normal" orbits were named for men. They would add an "a"
or an "ia." Asteroids with "unusual" orbits could
be named for men. After the rise of feminism, the policy was ended. So
we have both a George and a Georgia, the latter actually named for our
first president, George Washington. We have two foreign equivalents for
John; Johanna and Jakoba. We have Albertina for Al.
In this inauguration chart, Albertina is in 27 Libra 0 conjunct Elba
(where Napoleon was exiled), and they are square the MC. George is in
25 Gemini 25, quincunx the MC and opposite Chiron. Georgia is in 16 Virgo
24, conjunct Prudentia (for the presence of or need for prudence), octile
the asteroid Virginia, and quincunx Mercury. It is opposite the midpoint
of a Juno-Venus conjunction, which can be interpreted as holding an opposition
to both. Jakoba in 3 Sagittarius 17 trines Themis (divine justice) in
4 Aries 6 and is just 2 minutes of longitude from a trine to Virginia
in 2 Leo 15. Johanna in 23 Aries 47 is on the war goddess Bellona in 23
Aries 13, and trines both Ceres and Chiron in Sagittarius.
If harmony aspects guaranteed success, which some astrologers believe,
McCain would get the prize. But when we look at the birth horoscopes of
Bush and McCain, the opposite picture emerges. Bush has far more harmonious
aspects in his chart, while McCains chart is full of conflict aspects.
Remember, astrology shows a state of mind. McCains whole life has
been a power struggle, though he was born to a financially secure family.
Bush was born to an elite family and wealthy relatives and family friends
provided for him despite repeated business failures. He feels entitled
to what he wants, and only started to really fight for the nomination
after McCains win in New Hampshire.
Most astrologers associate harmonious aspects with luck, but they represent
inner agreement between our different desires, and that can lead to over-confidence
and a fall. Every chart has some conflict aspects, so the potential for
different outcomes is always present. Conflict aspects can be integrated
with compromise, by having a place in our lives to satisfy each of the
conflicted desires. Many of the most successful people in the world live
in a constant state of inner conflict, and the resulting pain drives them
to change the world as they look for a resolution of the tension.
There is also something special about the U.S. presidential elections
which occur at 20-year intervals when we have conjunctions between Jupiter
and Saturn. The ancient world, prior to telescopes which permitted the
discovery of the planets beyond Saturn, used the Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions
as primary keys to the following 20 years. The aspects cycle through the
four elements, with roughly 200 years in each element: fire, earth, air,
and water, to form an 800-year repeating cycle. Following the birth of
the United States as an independent country, the first Jupiter-Saturn
conjunction in an earth sign was in 1820, but in each succeeding one,
from 1840 on, the president elected in that interval has died in office.
Some deaths have been from illness and some have been assassinations.
Reagan was elected in 1980 when Jupiter was conjunct Saturn in the first
air sign of the new period. He was shot, but was saved by modern medicine.
The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in 2000 will be the last one in an earth
sign, with the following ones in air signs. Despite the understanding
of issues which we get from astrology, guessing the details of future
events is still an educated guess. At this point, a presidential death
in office is a possibility. If it occurs, the men who lost the election
might be considered the lucky ones.
Copyright © 2000 Los
Angeles Community Church of Religious Science, Inc.
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