Deukmajian: California’s Governor

Zip Dobyns

I was delighted to find the birth data for our current governor in the new book of charts by Lois Rodden. As readers know by now, I am especially interested in gurus and politicians; people who wield power in their own unique ways. For politicians, we expect an emphasis on cardinality which is associated with overt changes in the life, though fixed factors are useful to add persistence and mutables are needed for the ability to communicate.

George Deukmajian fits our expectations. His Capricorn rising with a first house Moon on the East Point, both also in Capricorn, mark an identification with executive power with both parents as potential role models. The Capricorn also fits his conservative beliefs. In his world, men earn the living and wives stay home to care for the children. Jupiter conjunct the IC and Chiron in the fourth house point to high values connected to home and family, and he is said to be a devoted father with the Taurus supporting a practical handling of the ideals. The planet and asteroid of God placed in Taurus may also indicate over-valuing money. Deukmajian is financially conservative in his handling of state finances, but in ways that may prove short-sighted. He has recently vetoed bills for desperately needed funds for state hospitals which care for people lacking medical insurance and money to go to private doctors, preferring to build an emergency reserve savings account of a billion dollars for the state. Health personnel point out that when the poor are unable to get treatment for small problems, they often grow into large problems which end up costing the state much more. Since Saturn and south node, both in Sagittarius, represent lessons, judgment and moral issues are an important area for growth for Deukmajian.

Despite the verbal fluency shown strongly in the horoscope with Sun, north node of the Moon and Venus in Gemini, south node and Saturn in Sagittarius, and a loaded third house including Uranus, Vesta, and Mars in Aries along with the Jupiter in Taurus, Deukmajian’s public image is of terse, somewhat blunt speech. Earth encourages the practical speech that does not waste words (or anything else). Both Aries and Sagittarius tend to be direct and blunt. Included in our mental list above were Saturn (earth), Vesta (earth), Taurus (earth), Gemini in the Virgo house (earth) and Aries and Jupiter (fire).

Deukmajian’s grand trine in earth shows his basic competence to handle the material world. He has the Ascendant, Juno, Chiron, and Jupiter (more widely) trine with Juno and Chiron in water houses to repeat the importance of security and the status quo. His closest conflict aspects are the Pluto square to Mars and quincunx to Saturn, with Mars trine Saturn and sextile the Sun which opposes Saturn. The combination is a typical one for power struggles, and politics is a very suitable arena for them; much preferable to fighting with partners. Ceres (work and parenting) also participates in the network of factors around 14 to 16 degrees, forming a T-square to Sun and Saturn, trine Pluto, and semisextile Mars. The MC adds its weight to the power potential with an octile and two trioctiles to the Saturn-Ceres-Sun configuration, and Jupiter joins in with two octiles and a trioctile to the mutable T-square. The Aquarian Antivertex and Pallas (often prominent in politicians) are also part of the network, sextile Saturn and Mars, trine Sun, quincunx Pluto. The more factors in a chart that are involved in a network of close interlinking aspects, the more intensity in the person and in the life. The individual may have great talents or great problems or both.

I usually find a strong Vesta (strong defined as several close aspects) in people who achieve significant success. Vesta symbolizes the potential for tunnel vision, a single-minded focus of attention and energy into whatever the person chooses as his or her commitment. Deukmajian is identified with the Vesta commitment and the message is given three times. Vesta is in Aries, conjunct Uranus, which rules the Aquarius in the first house and more widely conjunct Mars, the natural ruler of the first house. For further emphasis, it is also sextile-trine the nodes of the Moon, sextile Venus, quincunx Juno, and square Mercury and Ascendant. Dedication to work does indicate a challenge if one also wants to do justice to family relationships. And a common issue with the cardinal dilemma is the handling of dependency, power, and equality. With two water planets and a water sign in the seventh-eighth houses of partnership, we can see why Deukmajian would prefer a dependent wife who is willing to stay home with the kids. He is strongly identified with the fire and earth and presumably projecting the water side of his nature. Learning to handle dependency may be part of the lesson suggested by Saturn in a water house.

Turning to current patterns, we have progressed Deukmajian’s chart to November 4, 1986 when he is running against Tom Bradley, major of Los Angeles, for a second term as California’s governor. Deukmajian defeated Bradley four years ago, so this fall is a re-match, and both the horoscope and the polls suggest that the outcome will repeat 1982. Deukmajian’s progressed Sun reaches a trine to his progressed Saturn in late August and it will maintain the aspect for exactly the four years of the term, the last two years aspecting natal Saturn. Since natal Sun and Saturn are opposite each other, the current trine does not guarantee success. Frequently, the progressions show the timing of events but the nature of the situation is shown by the natal aspect unless the person has changed in the interval between birth and the progressed period. If other aspects did not point in the same direction, we might doubt his victory, but it seems more likely that the stress of the natal opposition will be experienced in the challenges of being governor through the difficult years ahead. The fact that the progressed Sun will be aspecting the whole natal network of factors at 15 to 16 degrees at the end of the coming term seems to be a further confirmation that 1986 will mark a continuity in the office and that Deukmajian will leave it in four years.

Other aspects include Deukmajian’s progressed Ascendant just coming to a sextile to his natal Moon while progressed Mars has just ended a trine to Moon but maintains a trine to natal East Point. Mars is also square progressed Neptune which is in the eighth house of joint resources to fit the infighting with the state legislature over taxes and the allocation of funds. At the same time, progressed MC trines Neptune and is quincunx progressed Mars. The Mars aspects could also relate to the marriage of one of Deukmajian’s daughters earlier this year. Separation aspects to planets in the fifth house are common when kids grow up and leave home. Mars fits the increased independence of both child and parents. Progressed East Point is also sextile Mars and quincunx Neptune. The political struggle is also suggested by progressed Vesta octile-trioctile the nodes of the Moon and Venus and progressed Venus trioctile natal Ascendant. During this period before the election, Deukmajian’s progressed Moon is setting off his major network around 15 degrees, going over natal and progressed Ceres, square Sun and Saturn, trine Pluto, etc. But by the actual election day, the Moon has a weak but potentially favorable semisextile to Pallas and a trine to progressed Pluto, ruler of his MC.

Among Deukmajian’s long-term progressed aspects are Jupiter conjunct natal and then progressed Chiron and sextile Mercury in Cancer to show his conservative faith with earth and water signs and a water house; Uranus sextile-trine the progressed nodes of the Moon for his ability to persuade people to vote for him despite his lack of charisma; Pluto’s quincunx to natal Pallas for power issues and the need to integrate marriage and political career; Saturn’s octile to the East Point which points again to power issues and personal action. Progressed Ceres also holds a trine to natal or progressed Pluto for a number of years. There are lots of stress aspects, but enough drive and inner harmony to suggest a victory in November.

You will notice that I have not mentioned any asteroids except the five we use regularly, but there were some interesting patterns for any readers who are curious. Progressed California was conjunct Deukmajian’s IC when he was elected governor. Natal California was on his Uranus, one of the rulers of his first house. Progressed Godiva is now on his IC as he battles the state legislature over taxes. Remember, Godiva took her famous ride to persuade her foreign conqueror husband to lower the taxes on her suffering people. Progressed Pretoria (capital of South Africa) is on Deukmajian’s progressed Jupiter-Chiron as he has flipped from fighting sanctions to supporting them. Progressed Eros is on his progressed Ceres and Moon (the Moon reaching the aspect for the November 1986 election) and they trine progressed and natal Pluto, MC ruler. It might mean enough love from the people to get elected, as well as his daughter’s marriage which made him very happy. Other natal aspects include Bourgeois on his Ascendant (could anything be more appropriate for a middle-class conservative?) and Oceana on his Descendant (for the move from New York to the Pacific coast. Additional current aspects include progressed Atlantis on his Sun for the power struggles, progressed Aten on his progressed Sun for prominence, along with Nipponia for the strong trade involvement of California and Japan, and Atropos, one of the Fates. Coming aspects which I find highly intriguing include progressed Ascendant coming to conjunct Washingtonia (Antivertex and East Point are already there) and progressed Washingtonia coming to conjunct natal Mars; both within a few months. Will Deukmajian become involved in larger issues in the country? He also has progressed Columbia (for the District of Columbia?) coming to the trioctile to natal Ascendant and progressed Hybris (another spelling for hubris or pride) coming to his MC with Hidalgo (with Saturn overtones) on his south node of the Moon. The patterns might suggest some kind of power overreach, but only time will tell.

Copyright © 1986 Los Angeles Community Church of Religious Science, Inc.

back to top