Mars Comes Through
Zip Dobyns
As Mutable Dilemma readers may remember, the horoscope for the George Bush inauguration on January 20, 1989 had Mars exactly on the East Point and square the Sun at 0 Aquarius. (Pluto’s position exactly on the Descendant was an additional clue to the strong potential for power struggles during the Bush administration.) We also noted Bush’s natal Sun on the natal Mars in our Declaration of Independence horoscope. Mars is in the tenth house of the historically supported Declaration chart with Uranus on the MC and Neptune rising in Virgo square Mars and quincunx the sixth house Aquarian Moon. P Atlantis is forming a station on our natal Mars, holding a one-degree orb conjunction from 1976 to 2003. I consistently find Atlantis a key to the abuse of power, especially involving modern technology but not limited to that. So we said we might have war during the Bush term of office and in less than a year Bush has sent troops to El Salvador, provided air support to Aquino in the Philippines, and now invaded Panama.
Astrologically, we should not be surprised at Bush’s actions. What has shocked me is the massive support for the invasion from the U.S. public. If the polls are accurate, 80% approved of the invasion and think that Bush is a great president. Should we be proud to have flouted international law, arrested a citizen of another country and brought him back for trial in the U.S., killed hundreds of Panamanian civilians, including many women and children, destroyed thousands of homes, mostly of very poor people, and permitted looting which destroyed hundreds or thousands of middle class businesses? Is it ethical to put an economic embargo on two small countries (Nicaragua and Panama) which primarily hurts poor people and then blame the state of the economy in Panama on Noriega and in Nicaragua on the Sandinistas?
Noriega is being called a variety of things including a thug and a bully, and there is ample evidence that he deserves the titles. The Oxford American Dictionary defines a bully as one who uses his strength to hurt or frighten others. The Random House Dictionary adds the principle that a bully is one who intimidates smaller or weaker people. What is the proper name for a head of state who both threatens and hurts poor civilians in small countries and celebrates his triumph by going fishing and hunting doves and quails, not because he needs food but to “demonstrate” his manhood?
More and more, I think the U.S. is demonstrating the accuracy of the Virgo rising Declaration chart with Neptune in the first house for our Puritan self-image and moral pretensions while we throw our weight around in the world with our tenth house Mars. Unfortunately, we are also living up to the negative potentials of the tenth house Venus and Jupiter, making Power our primary source of both pleasure (Venus) and ultimate value (Jupiter). A recent ruling of our Supreme Court has declared that our Constitution only protects the rights of our own citizens. Our officials (read CIA) are now legally allowed to enter any home in the rest of the world without any local permission or justification, and to steal any object or document if they think it will help them enforce our laws on the rest of the world! What does this say about our attitude towards international law and the United Nations?
I had anticipated an economic downturn when our Declaration P Ascendant opposed the second house Saturn, but instead of a major depression, we devalued our currency (a clear eighth house action) and offered our businesses and buildings to the world at fire sale prices. When Bush was inaugurated in 1989, the Declaration P Ascendant was still within the one-degree orb of an opposition to P Mars (eighth house to second house), and the local P Ascendant (in Washington, DC) was opposite natal Saturn. P Moon had been opposite Uranus when the invasion was being planned in the fall, it was still square the local (Washington, DC) Ascendant-Descendant, approaching the square to the natal angles, and it had moved into an octile to P south lunar node when it was carried out. A square to the Ascendant-Descendant axis indicates a time when personal power is confronting the rights and power of others. Our natal south node conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn in the Leo house is another indication of the danger of our country trying to make the personal power of the King into executive power over the world. Fire always represents personal power (in Sagittarius over knowledge) while earth calls for practicality and acceptance of limits which are an inherent part of the physical world. Capricorn is especially the key to the “rules of the game,” and the limits of personal power. Nixon, with his Capricorn Sun in the Leo house, was a one-man morality play on the effort to make personal power into Law. George Bush has his Sun in the Capricorn house, but it is in Gemini with a grand trine in air signs and Virgo rising, so his power drive has been less visible.
The Panama excursion offers additional support for the 11:38 A.M. birth time for George Bush. That birth time puts his natal Part of Death on natal Mars and both of them on his Descendant in Panama City to the minute of longitude!!! Talk about Karmic destiny! The formula for the Part of Death is Ascendant plus eighth house cusp minus Moon. I used Placidus cusps, but I often calculate the positions for Koch and Campanus houses as well. Bush also has P Heliocentric Mars (its position as seen from the Sun) and his natal south lunar node on the Panama City Descendant within one degree! The seventh house can be our partners or competitors or open enemies. When he invaded Panama, Bush also had P Moon in Pisces quincunx natal East Point, P north lunar node, P Sun, and natal Gaea (earth), all clustered in the twelfth house in Leo. He certainly got the attention of the world, and raised some ethical issues. His P Moon moves into 0 Aries on June 11, 1990, and his P Sun begins an opposition to natal Mars on July 1, 1990 at the same time that it reaches the Ascendant in Panama City. His P MC in Panama reaches a quincunx to P Mars in late April of 1990. Having received so much applause for his military activity, I wonder what is coming in the next two years from mid-1990 to mid-1992? Will he continue new military adventures or will he still be struggling with the aftermath of the Panama action?
Nicaragua’s recent election gave a sizable majority to Chamorro as their future President. People realized that they could only escape the perpetual attacks from the Contras and the economic deprivation if they gave in to the U.S. choice for them. But many farmers who were given land by the Sandinistas are now living in fear that it will be taken away again. Calculating Bush’s chart for Managua puts his P Ascendant on his natal Saturn and his P East Point on his P Saturn! He was able to exert his executive power in Managua, and once again, we see the dramatic importance of an accurate birth time and of local houses. Saturn can indicate an overreach and a put-down or, if handled properly, it can show practicality and respect for the Law. At this point, I am not very hopeful that Bush respects anything but power including the power of money. Nicaragua and Panama will continue to be responsibilities for the U.S. In ancient Chinese law, the person who saved the life of another person was responsible for the victim for the rest of his life. We will see how Bush handles the other side of Saturn power—responsibility.
In his natal chart, Bush had Atlantis nearly 3 degrees from his Jupiter in Sagittarius in the fourth house. But P Atlantis reached the one-degree orb to P Jupiter in early 1990, intensifying the danger of worshiping power (Jupiter and Sagittarius are keys to our faith and ultimate values), as well as the danger of using it on the public (fourth house). To strengthen the picture, P America, P George, and P Hispania are all at 10 degrees of Virgo, on Bush’s natal Ascendant and square P Jupiter. P Asia is in 9 degrees of Virgo, conjunct the Ascendant and square P Atlantis as Bush deals with Japan over the trade issues, technology and defense. As Eastern Europe moves toward more democracy, the U.S. is tightening its Big Brother act in the western hemisphere. Of course, Bush is not acting in a vacuum. He is supported by much of our country, including the other branches of the government as in the Supreme Court decision mentioned above. The Republicans especially are now talking about Cuba as the next domino to fall, to make the world more profitable for our big business. A Cuban caucus has been formed in the Senate to step up our pressure on Fidel Castro, including pressure on Russia to stop its support for Cuba.
The various relevant horoscopes show that Castro has reason for concern. Bush’s chart in Havana, Cuba has similar angles to his chart in Panama City and it hits Castro’s chart like a ton of bricks. Bush’s Ascendant in Havana is 26 Leo 9, putting it on his north lunar node and within a one-degree opposition to his Mars, Part of Death and south node. His Havana MC at 25 Taurus 10 is closely square the combination and quincunx Saturn. His local East Point at 20 Leo is on his P Neptune, so he could stick to undercover operations rather than risk an open attack. An invasion of Cuba would be much more difficult than the Panama assault. There is certainly some popular discontent in Cuba, but many if not most of the people realize that they are better off than the ordinary people in any Latin American country with the exception of Costa Rica. Castro has provided a level of education and health care, including mental health care, which is unheard of in most third world countries. At a conference of the American Psychological Association some years ago, I attended a panel discussion of psychologists from several Latin American countries. The Cuban psychologists spoke of their progress in offering free health care, despite the poverty of the country which is largely due to the U.S. trade embargo. The Chilean psychologists said that their primary challenge involved helping victims of government torture. The U.S. CIA helped to overthrow the democratically elected Socialist government of Allende in Chile which put military dictator Pinochet in power.
The 1989 cardinal ingress charts in Havana showed enormous stress, and 1990 also looks like a very difficult year. Cardinal ingress charts, as most readers will know, are calculated for the Sun’s entrance into zero degrees of the four cardinal signs; Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. Traditionally, the Aries ingress is read for the whole year, until the next Aries ingress. The other three ingress charts are read for only three months. I have written before of the possibility that the other three ingress charts might also be meaningful for a year in the areas of life where they are especially relevant. Thus, the Capricorn ingress might apply especially to the executive branch of the government, to earthquakes, to natural law, etc.
The Aries 1990 ingress chart for Havana, Cuba has O’Higgins on the Ascendant, an asteroid named for a leader of the revolt of South American countries against the rule of Spain. Herbert (for George Herbert Bush) is in Pisces and on Vesta and the Placidus eighth house cusp. I’m sure our readers do not need to be reminded that the eighth “side of life” in astrology involves joint resources, pleasures and power, with a potential for power struggles and death if we fail to learn to respect each other’s rights. Herbert is also trioctile the Part of Death in Scorpio in the third house of neighbors. Vesta can be ruthless in its tunnel vision attempt to accomplish a “job.” Asteroid George is also in the eighth house but in Aries and trioctile the East Point. Spartacus, named for the slave who led a revolt in ancient Rome, is on Saturn and quincunx the East Point. In the same chart calculated for Washington, DC, Hispania is on the MC. Atlantis is octile the Washington Ascendant and Mars is quincunx it. Checking asteroids which lack angle aspects but which have planetary aspects, Columbia is on Uranus. It could refer to the country which is the source of much of our cocaine or to the District of Columbia where our government functions. Of course, we are not likely to limit our attention to Latin America. Libya is on Winchester which is so often associated with guns, opposite Europa, and square Washington which is conjunct Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead. There is always more, but that is enough to suggest a turbulent year.
According to his biography, Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926 at 2 A.M. EST in Mayari, Cuba; 20 N 40, 75 W 41. That was the year of the big fixed cross, and Castro has it in spades. Sun, Vesta and Neptune are conjunct in Leo in the third house with P Neptune creating a midpoint structure for years, keeping Vesta within one degree of the center point between natal Sun and P Neptune. The effect is similar to an exact conjunction of the three factors, fitting an intense mixture of ego, idealism and tunnel vision. Saturn in Scorpio was exactly square the Sun at birth from the fifth house. Jupiter opposed Vesta exactly from Aquarius, moved retrograde to hold an opposition to the Sun and a square to Saturn for years, and currently it is square P Mars which is retrograding through Taurus. P Saturn was also square natal Jupiter for years and opposite P Mars off and on. P Uranus in Pisces in the tenth house fits Castro’s revolutionary rule. Naturally, it was exactly square the Ascendant. This year, it reaches the trioctile to natal Mercury in Leo. Meanwhile, the P Moon is moving through the eighth house in Aquarius and will be setting off the whole fixed cross as well as octile natal and P Uranus during the last half of 1990 and into 1991. The P lunar nodes have been square natal Moon for years and both mean and true nodes hold the aspect for many years more. As an additional indication that this is a momentous year, Castro’s first house Pluto in Cancer is making a station this year, preparing to go retrograde!
I mentioned above the way that Bush’s angles in Havana hit Castro’s chart. Bush’s MC and Ascendant Axes fall squarely on Castro’s fixed cross with Castro’s P Saturn on Bush’s local IC and P Neptune on Bush’s local Ascendant. Bush’s local East Point is on Castro’s natal Sun and square his natal Saturn and P MC. Bush’s P Ascendant is quincunx Castro’s Uranus and Bush’s P Antivertex is opposite Castro’s Pluto. What a karmic contest, except that Bush has all the odds on his side.
Of course there are also interesting asteroids in Castro’s chart, fitting his lifetime struggle with the U.S. and this looming showdown with George Herbert. Natal America was conjunct Uranus in Castro’s tenth house. P America has been slowly retrograding over Castro’s natal MC and his P eighth house cusp has moved forward to conjunct both MC and P America. His P eighth house cusp in Washington, DC is also conjunct the Washington MC and in a quincunx to natal Part of Death which is just past the natal Moon in Libra in the fourth house. Natal George was exactly opposite the Sun and square Saturn on the cusp of the ninth house but retrograding into the eighth house. P George is quincunx the first house Pluto-north node and coming to Hispania. Natal Herbert was conjunct Phaethon (one of our ‘overreach’ mythical figures) in Gemini in the twelfth house, closely conjunct our U.S. Declaration of Independence MC-Uranus. P Herbert is still in the twelfth house, conjunct P Anubis and octile Chiron, pointing to issues around faith and ethics. They are both square the Arabic Part of Mars (Ascendant plus Mars minus Sun). Washington and Fama are conjunct and P Pluto has been square both of them for all of Castro’s life. P Washington is opposite Chiron, trioctile P Herbert. Fama is an interesting asteroid. The word is connected to “fame,” but it also carries the connotation of false rumor and report. Our government has consistently lied to us about what is actually happening in Cuba. It is ironic to listen to Arthur Laffer, arch right winger, comment on the future great business opportunities in Cuba, mentioning that the people there are better educated than in any other Caribbean island. Of course, Laffer said nothing about Castro’s responsibility for that education. Castro was dismissed as an obstacle to our business expansion who will be brushed aside before long.
As usual in the charts of people playing major roles in the world, there are too many relevant asteroids to mention, but I want to include the “Russian” connection. Russia has been helpful to Cuba for years, but Castro is very upset over Gorbachev’s changes and will be hurt by the loss of previous support from Russia, the Sandinistas, and Noriega. P Michel (French version of Mikhail) is square Castro’s natal Ascendant and coming to a conjunction with Uranus. P Moskva (Moscow) is conjunct P Saturn. P MC is conjunct natal Russia with P Russia retrograding to join P MC by June 1990. P Ascendant is square both natal and P Russia and reached a conjunction with Vesta in January 1990. The road ahead will not be easy.