Ann Richards: Texas Governor

Zip Dobyns

We have the birth data for the new woman governor of Texas, thanks to David Dozier via the AFA. She was reportedly born on September 3, 1933 at 6 A.M. CST in Lakeview, TX. The American Atlas lists 10 towns in Texas named Lakeview and one Lakeview Estates, so I have to trust that Dozier got the right one at 31 N 37.7 and 97 W 7.7. I have a limited amount of information about Richard’s life, but know that she is a reformed alcoholic and has been accused of some experience with drugs. She is also leader of one of our states with major oil resources, and other bases for the Texas economy include cattle and an increasing focus on computer technology.

Richard’s rising Neptune in Virgo, Mercury in Virgo in the Pisces house, Jupiter (co-ruler of Pisces) also in Virgo, and her Piscean Moon in the Virgo house could hardly be more appropriate. Neptune is our (frequently unconscious) search for infinite love and beauty. With an emphasis on the Virgo-Pisces polarity, we can be an artist-craftsperson, a healing-helping person, or a victim. The craft skills of Virgo fit the technology. The traditional association of Virgo with agriculture and animal husbandry fit the Texas farming and cattle. Neptune’s association with drugs can include those used for healing or to escape the frustrations of a world too far from our ideals. Alcohol is, of course, also a way to temporarily mute the suffering though it provides only a respite which is often followed by intensified pain. Richards is also a Democrat, traditionally the political party that is more concerned with helping the underdogs.

The Virgo-Pisces sides of life are not usually associated with leadership or power roles in society. People with this emphasis are more apt to be in service professions. But Richards also has her Sun very close to the Ascendant, adding the Leo ambition to her instinctive action. The first house Jupiter can also add high personal aspirations, and Saturn in the sixth house can indicate a job involving some type of executive power or in government or a big business. Pallas, our most political asteroid, is also in the sixth house of work. The air signs in the earth houses, including a wide grand trine between MC, Venus, and Saturn, suggest an attraction to work that involves people, ideas, and communication. Uranus, one of the sixth house rulers as a ruler of Aquarius, is in the eighth house and Venus, ruling the Libra in the tenth house, is in the second house, adding the possibility of work that includes financial concerns. Richards was state treasurer of Texas for some years before she ran for governor. Pluto, closely conjunct her Antivertex (an auxiliary Ascendant) and Mars (ruler of the eighth house) conjunct Juno (which is like Pluto) with both in Scorpio, are also appropriate for personal action involving joint resources, whether public funds, taxes, debts, etc. The identification with letter eight (Pluto, eighth house, Scorpio) also shows the strength of will to deal with power issues and powerful people. Virgo and Pisces are less comfortable in their handling of power, and more likely to stay in service roles.

Vesta’s position in Leo in the Pisces house is a mixture of the preceding principles. The asteroid and the house are likely to choose a service job but Leo seeks power. Uranus in Aries in the eighth house adds additional strength of will while its quincunx to Jupiter sharpens the mind. Chiron in Gemini in the Sagittarius house but conjunct the MC is another indication of a quick mind and of the importance of communication in her work. Chiron closely aspects the Virgo Mercury, repeating the theme. Mars just inside the third house also shows a quick, sharp mind and often a sharp tongue. Richards is remembered for her remark when she introduced George Bush before his Texas debate: “Poor George. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.”

Richard’s chart is progressed to the fall 1990 election when she narrowly won the contest against Clayton Williams, her wealthy, rancher opponent. Many observers felt that Williams defeated himself with his redneck, macho comments. The campaign was noted for its dirty tactics and personal attacks. George Bush came to Texas to campaign for Williams, but was not able to turn the tide. There were strong indications of a career change in Richard’s secondary progressions, but that was going to happen whether she won or lost the race for governor. Richards had P Sun and P local (Austin, the state capital) East Point conjunct each other and quincunx natal MC with P Moon sextile the local MC to form a yod. P Moon was also closely trine the natal Sun/Moon midpoint which is on the IC. P Vesta had been crossing Richard’s natal and local Ascendants for several years through her government service, and it will continue to conjunct Neptune for several more years as well as hold a quincunx to P and then natal Saturn. The long Neptune quincunx to Saturn is one of the clues to Richard’s battle with alcohol. Neptune shows our hunger for our ideals while Saturn shows our need to handle the world of laws and limits. A conflict between the two shows tension and the individual may respond by trying to run away from the rules, by trying to control them, making the personal ideals into law, or by learning to live within the rules voluntarily. Since Neptune is in the first house, its tension aspect to Saturn can also be interpreted as personal will struggling with the limits of the law.

Richard’s P Jupiter’s long trine to Saturn suggests that she also has the ability to integrate her beliefs, values and goals with the “rules of the game.” Neptune is more unconscious while Jupiter is more conscious, but both (along with Chiron, which I think is like Jupiter) symbolize our search for ultimate faith, trust and meaning in the world. At the same time, P Jupiter holds a long trioctile to Pallas and P north lunar node, so she will need all of her ability to handle the political scene and the needs of her people. P Vesta shares the Neptune aspects, repeating the Virgo-Pisces focus on service. P Mercury moved into Sagittarius a few months before the election, fitting the constant traveling and talking of the campaign. It is slowing to turn retrograde in a few years, so it will maintain its square to natal Moon and then to natal Mercury somewhat longer than is normal for P Mercury. The mutable dilemma (including mutable signs, houses, and a mutable planet in this combination) is commonly experienced as conflict between our ideals and what is possible in the world in which we live. The basic message of the chart is being repeated over and over.

Another recent change of sign involved P Ascendant moving into Scorpio. Looking ahead, we can see the potential for financial pressures involving joint resources with P Ascendant moving to conjunct Juno and P Sun with P East Point moving to square P Saturn. The angle aspects reach the one-degree orb in a little over a year. P Moon stays in Aries in the eighth house moving through octiles and trioctiles to the mutable factors starting in the fall of 1991. It reaches the conjunction with P Uranus and the square to Antivertex and Pluto about the spring of 1992, reinforcing the long square between P Uranus and P Pluto. P MC was square Juno at the election and it will reach the square to Mars in early 1992. The combination is an emphatic fixed dilemma, a clear indication of some kind of power issue over joint resources, possessions and/or pleasures with public and humanitarian principles involved. The fixed quality includes signs and houses, highlighted by Pluto and Uranus in each other’s houses. P Juno will move forward to join the party, square the P nodes, trine Pluto and quincunx Uranus. The tension could involve a deepening financial crisis, war concerns, drugs or many other social problems.

Among the aspects for success in the election, Richards had P Mars trine Vesta and sextile Venus. Pointing to changes in her work, Richards had P Ceres, associated with nurturing work, opposite P Jupiter, trine P Antivertex, quincunx Neptune and P Vesta, and sextile Saturn, forming another yod. P Venus on P local Antivertex was still in orb of a trine to Ceres and they were quincunx the Ascendant/MC midpoint. P MC was still in orb with a sextile to Mercury and both the natal and local East Points. P Pallas was sextile P Antivertex.

Of course, Richards had some interesting asteroids. With her Gemini MC and Cancer in the tenth house, Mercury and Moon rule her tenth—career in the sense of our status in the world, our handling of power and dealing with others with power. In Richards’ natal chart, Mercury opposes Moon and the asteroid Williams is square both of them within one degree! That is the kind of precise aspect that amazes me. I never get used to how specific these thousands of asteroids can be! At the election, P Williams was conjunct natal Dupont, Washington, and Siva. The chemical company might just symbolize the drug issue. Williams accused Richards of having been involved in drugs as well as alcohol. Bush came from Washington to campaign for Williams, to no avail. Siva, Hindu god of destruction, wiped out his career ambitions. P Washington was trine George (who tried to help Williams) but quincunx Vesta and square Venus, and the capital excursion failed to defeat Richards. P Williams was also square Herbert with the latter quincunx Moon in the natal chart. P George opposed P Moon and P Herbert was on P Chaldaea (modern Iraq) with both square Antivertex-Pluto and P Chaldaea in orb of an opposition to P Uranus. George Herbert was definitely involved in Richards’ political contest, but he was unsuccessful. P America was trine her Jupiter. As always, I only mention one-degree aspects.

Richards is facing a major challenge in taking on the top position in a large state with a recession just developing though the Texas economy has partially recovered from the recession in the early 1980s and the recent rise in oil prices helps them as it hurts many other states. But Richards will still need all of her intelligence and determination in the days ahead. We wish her well.

Copyright © 1990 Los Angeles Community Church of Religious Science, Inc.

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