Taking flight: Hail and farewell to our 41st President, George H.W. Bush

“The end of life has its own nature, also worth our attention. I don’t say this without reckoning in the sorrow, the worry, the many diminishments. But surely it is then that a person’s character shines or glooms.” –Mary Oliver

“To us, he was close to perfect…”

Former President George W. Bush eulogizes his father

America—and maybe the world—desperately needed to take a deep pause today and allow one of the most solemn occasions a nation ever has to deal with sink in really well. We’ve buried many former presidents in our nearly three centuries as a nation, of course—not to mention a few sitting presidents—but somehow today’s state funeral for President George H.W. Bush felt different. It felt more critical for the greater good of this nation that we get this right. 

It felt critical that we honor this life-long public servant who earned our respect, rather than demanded it—even if we disagreed with some of his policies and actions in office. That we reflect on what Bush 41’s example as both family man and public servant means in today’s mean and fractured world. 

As so many have commented upon, the contrasts with today’s Oval Office occupant are impossible to miss, but as we’ll also see, both men share interesting astrological parallels. 

IMHO, we need to ponder these parallels right along with the differences because they speak to the all-important topic of character. Building the strength and integrity of one’s character used to be an essential challenge that would-be leaders embraced. Is this the case any longer? Are they more likely to build their “Linked-In” profiles, add a couple degrees to their names, build their stock portfolios?

In fact, building character in the “Greatest Generation” tradition is still an aspiration for many: the better question might be whether society and public institutions support those goals, or whether gaining “success” has become somehow severed from building character.  

Entire volumes have been written about what building character “means,” but astrologically it boils down to how we navigate and internalize the lessons of Saturn. Saturn, of course, applies its special brand of pressure to every other point in our chart over the course of each Saturn cycle we experience, so it’s a gradual, developmental process that reaches into every corner of our being. Its energies also work with other outer planets to structure the society around us and to create that environment that either supports strong character-building or doesn’t. 

The personal and the collective dimensions of life “inter-are,” as Buddhism might put it. 

Saturn’s lessons may not feel very helpful as we’re experiencing them, but over time (Saturn rules the passage of time) we develop inner grit, resolve and purpose if we surrender to, or at least cooperate with the process. If we choose to go above and beyond, to willingly deepen our relationship with Saturn’s agenda for us, we reap the benefits of integrity (our word is our bond), authenticity and a healthy, but humble self-respect that is founded on our respect for others and the larger context of our lives. 

Simply put, how we use the planetary energies we’re endowed with at birth is a matter of choices made and unfolded over measured stretches of time, and there’s always a spectrum of low to high roads available. 

President George H.W. Bush often addressed the nation.

The astrology

Full disclosure here—during his term in office, I never really appreciated the Bush 41 presidency, and I still have many reservations about some policies and methods his administration brought to bear. Election 1988 left a lot to be desired: the Bush camp put out the infamous “Willie Norton” ad that lent a racially-charged tone to the campaign. Thankfully, Bush reportedly regretted this choice later, but it helped him win the presidency.   

There were other dirty tricks pulled on would-be opponents during that campaign—the setting up of Democratic front-runner Gary Hart for a fall was a prime example that’s recently resurfaced in film form—but I digress.

All of that didn’t inspire trust for me—Bush was a former CIA head and an oil magnate, and both fields are shy on scruples. As we’ll see, he was astrologically-suited for hardball (and deceptive) tactics, but he did come at the presidency with an uncommonly kind and affable demeanor, and this dispelled many misgivings. Even so, the First Gulf War felt like a troubling and reckless excursion; in retrospect, it looks like a walk in the park, compared to the horrors we’ve gotten into since.  

Born in 1924 and a naval aviator from a young age (Pearl Harbor was attacked just months before his 18^th birthday), he was a man who lived the essential history that we so cavalierly forget these days, and he understood the incredible value of our international alliances. He helped reunify Germany after the Berlin Wall crumbled and demanded that Germany remain with the western alliance going forward; he protected Poland’s border in the process and he helped negotiate the end of the Cold War and the dispersion of the Soviet Union. 

The handshake that ended the Cold War in 1989

Could Bush have foreseen that Russia would fall back into its present questionable ways? He built an alliance with Mikail Gorbachev that amazed the world at the time and allowed former Soviet satellite nations to declare their independence, so perhaps he did the best anyone could have.  

Bush also championed the Clean Air Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, despite the GOP’s fundamental aversion to regulations. But he was a pragmatic moderate who pursued friendships on both sides of the partisan aisle and even listened to both sides—a strategy that perhaps made him a one-term president. Bowing to the necessity of a tax hike in order to cut overall government spending flew in the face of his ill-fated “read my lips, no new taxes” promise, but to my mind, compromising as he did further ennobled his character. 

The fact that he became good friends with Bill Clinton, the man who defeated him in 1992, says even more.   

All of this is just scratching the surface of Bush’s career, of course, but whatever one’s political leanings are, it’s hard to dispute that H.W. Bush led with dignity and grace—just don’t expect him to eat broccoli!

So let’s consider this man of substance and character through the lens of his natal chart.

Chart #1: George H.W. Bush, June 12, 1924, 10:30 a.m. DST, Milton, MA. Rodden rating B. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node. 

Air Grand Trine: Sun (Gemini) trines Moon-Saturn (Libra) trines Mars-So. Node (Aquarius). This great circuit of airy energy might explain why comedian Dana Carvey—who poked fun at George H.W. Bush with his impersonations—says that his key to capturing Bush’s character was to think about the kind, grandfatherly Fred Rogers (“Mr. Rogers”), trying to impersonate John Wayne (Mars?)! Carvey enjoyed a long friendship and many light moments with Bush—a testament to the statesman’s lively, but down-to-earth sense of humor (along with the airy trine itself, his elevated Taurus Mercury disposes his Gemini Sun). 

Carvey’s observations might actually tell us something important about Bush: Gemini Sun individuals often seem to have “dual” characters, and Bush is no exception. When Bush accepted the GOP’s nomination in 1988, he famously called for a “kinder, gentler nation,” but it wasn’t just words (Gemini Sun): many of his later actions (Libra Moon-Saturn and Aquarius Mars) demonstrated that he meant it. On the other hand, he was a lifetime member of the NRA and a former CIA head—quite a balancing act if you can pull it off! Relationships seemed to be the glue that held both sides of his nature together: he was a prolific letter writer (Gemini) and a personable speaker. 

Bush appreciated and ingratiated himself with members of the media, as well, like Hardball host Chris Matthews; a dash of Libra civility never hurts. Civility and respect were a quiet strength and discipline (Moon-Saturn) that set him so far apart from today’s politicians. He was known for not using the first person pronoun—something that became a comedic focus for Dana Carvey, in fact—but Bush’s habit of submerging the “I” reportedly went back to his mother insisting (Moon-Saturn) that he not get too “full of himself.” 

One reporter pointed out that despite his civil demeanor, Bush was absolutely an ambitious politician, and that losing his bid for a second term in Election 1992 to Bill Clinton was a huge blow to him. Looking back, it’s clear that the world was fundamentally changing at that juncture, with the 1821 Uranus-Neptune cycle ending and a new one beginning at 19+Capricorn in February, 1993. 

This cycle ending was transpiring opposite Bush’s Venus-Pluto (Cancer), and although this looming transit may have actually helped him achieve some important geopolitical goals (like the end of the Cold War without a shot fired), American voters were more concerned about domestic and economic issues at the time. Scorpio Pluto was squaring his Aquarius Mars and the nation’s Sibly Moon (Aquarius) as well; his power was simply blocked by forces beyond his control. 

Thankfully, Bush chose to respond graciously and generously to the loss, and he gained an important friendship in the process. Would son, George W. have been elected in 2000 if his dad had served another term? Hard to say. 

As a Naval aviator during WWII

A grand trine often allows one to take a lot of cosmic gifts for granted, and we can probably assume that many things in life did come pretty easily for Bush. He was born into a very wealthy, prominent East Coast family, after all, but it’s probably also true that his Moon-Saturn conjunction (fairly wide, with Saturn Rx) helped him to empathize with others’ struggles and to practice restraint—the “hard way,” as Saturn favors. He was nearly killed a couple times during his military service—how appropriate with all his airy energy that he ended up being an aviator!—and he and wife Barbara lost their first daughter Robin to leukemia at an early age. 

Robin’s death apparently inspired his support for the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. There were other painful lessons, to be sure, with this Moon-Saturn, especially as both are disposed by Cancer Venus conjunct Pluto. Considering this connection, it’s interesting that he spent several months in a submarine after being rescued from his downed aircraft in the Pacific during WWII—certainly says Venus-Pluto in sheltering Cancer to me! 

In fact, Bush’s combination of potent “feminine” points (Moon, Venus) with the geopolitical heavies Saturn and Pluto may also explain an image problem he had during his election campaigns –basically being labeled a “wimp” by certain elements in the media, which was a very unfair characterization to say the least, given his career to that point. It’s hard to miss that he was heavily influenced by strong women, however: his mother, certainly, but it may also explain why his 73-year marriage to Barbara Bush was so important to his career in public service. She does appear to have been a loving, but equally structuring, no-nonsense influence in his life, and he certainly benefitted from her strength. 

Especially in air signs, grand trines can be unfocused and “flighty” (ouch!)—a strong partnership was probably essential for him to corral his energies and live out his potential. Thankfully, he never subscribed to the idea that strength, human decency and civility are incompatible. 

Grand Air-Fire Sextile: Chiron-Ceres (Aries) sextiles Sun (Gemini) sextiles Neptune-No. Node-ASC (Leo) sextiles Saturn (Rx, Libra) sextiles Part-of-Fortune (Sagittarius) sextiles Mars-So.-Node-DSC (Aquarius) sextiles Chiron-Ceres (Aries). This complex configuration forms an incredible six-sided figure around this chart, and even though the Part-of-Fortune forms one point of this figure, it seems very relevant here. The figure lends structure and coherence to an amazingly lively interplay between the planets and points it contains. At first glance, it reminds me of the “thousand points of light” theme that Bush promoted during his time in office, attempting to stimulate volunteerism and public service. 

Soaring rhetoric from a president with a light touch.

Because this configuration is so rare, it’s worth an extended explanation by aspects expert, Bil Tierney:

“With these energizing, out-going elements represented [air and fire], the tendency to instigate stimulating activities with burning enthusiasm, optimism and vibrant self-expression is quite strong. However, the staying power and persistence to follow thru with impulses is weakened…the individual is not as inclined to be methodical, systematic, or long-planning in his efforts. Instead, he is spontaneous in his self-expression and thrives on the momentum of the here-and-now…As he is apt to ignore or low-key his own limitations, he may energize himself to do the impossible at times…As this person is usually very extroverted, animated, and mentally stimulating, he tends to attract more social attention of a positive nature than most. People are likely to feel enlivened in his presence.”[1]

This long description seems to accord with so much of what was said about Bush during this past week. “Energizing himself to do the impossible” certainly expresses the potential of his Aquarius Mars at the DSC; this Mars would definitely rise to challenges, and it’s uniquely suited to his military background. The fact that Mars opposes Neptune-No. Node-ASC (especially with Pisces Uranus disposing his Aquarius points) reflects that he was capable of passive aggressive techniques such as misinformation and disinformation (the Willie Horton and Gary Hart incidents, for example). This may explain why he found himself in the CIA, known for its use of such tactics. 

We’ve heard all week about Bush’s charming wit, his affability and outgoing nature—this fixed opposition hugging his chart horizon also suggests that he made a habit of acting on his ideals—yet, with Neptune rising, there were bound to be some “mysteries” about his nature. 

Another key point in this Grand Sextile is the Chiron-Ceres 8^th house conjunction in Aries. Demetra George and Douglas Bloch have some interesting thoughts on Ceres in this fiery sign:

“Ceres in Aries people identify nurturance with autonomy and being granted independence. In turn, the Ceres in Aries individual nurtures others through promoting their self-determination and self-sufficiency.”[2]

This need for autonomy (and to promote others’ autonomy) suffers some Chironic wounds here, so we can probably assume that Bush experienced some difficulties around inheritance (8^th house) and establishing himself as an independent entity. This wouldn’t be surprising in a powerful, political family (his father, Prescott Bush, was also a politician); perhaps one more reason Bush enlisted in the Navy so young to begin making his own name.

Father and son in recent days.

Eventually, George H.W. had to decide whether to hover over his son, George W. when he became president in 2000 and faced the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. Pluto and Chiron were transiting over H.W.’s natal Jupiter (Sagittarius) during that period, and with Jupiter ruling his 5^th house of progeny, the father-son issues could have been intense.  

In retrospect, some prominent figures wish that H.W. would have done more to rein in the Neo-con influences (like Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld) on his president son during the run up to the Iraq invasion in 2003. Instead, H.W. seems to have supported W’s decision to invade, allowing his son to be autonomous and make his own mistakes; according to some reports, W rarely asked for his dad’s advice and it wasn’t much volunteered. 

Though it resulted in the demise of Saddam Hussein—importantly, the Iraqi leader that had once threatened H.W. after having his forces driven out of Kuwait—the motives for the later 2003 invasion were never entirely clear, and too many have suffered the consequences. Did either man have regrets later? We can only wonder if this is one thing George W. had in mind when he eulogized his father so movingly. 

A difficult moment in a very moving eulogy.

T-Square: Jupiter (Sagittarius) widely opposes Sun (Gemini); this axis squares Pallas-Uranus (Pisces). Jupiter is dignified in this position and in Bush’s 4^th house of heritage, it’s well-placed to reflect his prominent, ambitious political family. The wide conjunction with his Part-of-Fortune in that same house can be considered one hallmark of the dynasty he inherited and nurtured. 

Distinguishing himself (Sun) apart from that heritage was probably always a challenge, given this tense configuration, but the drive he seemed to have for reaching out to others paid off very well over time. Here’s how Demetra George and Douglas Bloch characterize the political thrust of a Pisces Pallas: 

“Politically, Pallas Athene in Pisces can be a proponent of nonviolent resistance: turning the other cheek or refusing to fight. She is also the enlightened warrior, the bodhisattva, and the martyr. The wisdom of Pallas in Pisces is the wisdom of compassion—the recognition of the universal suffering and desire for happiness that permeates humanity.”[3]  

We can appreciate the tension at work in Bush’s mind over the issue of enemies here—his Uranus-Pallas conjunction is placed in the 7^th house and is stressed by Bush’s intense drive to achieve personal goals and promote his family’s reputation (10^th-4^th opposition).  Would he have simply looked the other way about Saddam Hussein’s threats for the sake of the perceived greater good of a stable relationship with the Middle East? It appears that is how he left it, but son George W. had no such compassionate “martyr” impulse (his Pallas is in early Capricorn), and the circumstances provided a pretext for aggressive action. 

The Sun-to Uranus-Pallas square spanning Bush’s 10^th and 7^th was, of course, prone to unpleasant surprises–it’s not surprising that he began his career in war time and that he ended it on the cusp of another series of conflicts, this time with players in the Middle East, a region of the world in which he had built important business alliances during his time as an oil executive. 

This may also speak to his deep conviction upon becoming president that a “new world order” was essential. Intense mutable squares can certainly stimulate a desire for order and rational engagement (Gemini and Uranus, as ruler of Aquarius).  Bush deployed his diplomatic skills (Libra Moon-Saturn) towards this cause, yet diplomacy didn’t always work to herd the geopolitical “cats”—these Libra points fell quincunx his Pisces Uranus, ruling his 7th. 

Bush in a touching recent moment with Mikail Gorbachev.

Critical choices, contrasts and parallels

This will be a very brief consideration of a topic that could expand to take up an entire volume: what, oh what has gone so wrong over the past couple decades with American leadership? 

We’ve been hearing commentators lament that the “Greatest Generation” is dying out and leaving us bereft of principled leadership—a development that is hard to deny, when we look at our current administration. Many are mourning the loss of traditional Republican values, in the wake of Donald Trump’s tortured make-over of the party. The party has morphed from supporting a “kinder, gentler nation” driven by “compassionate conservatism” to something approximating a mob organization, where fealty to the “Don” is everything (pun intended!). 

Bush made lifelong friends in the course of his foreign policy accomplishments (see pic above with former Soviet leader, Mikail Gorbachev); Trump is shredding America's alliances and friends as quickly as he can.

So what better way to explore the deep contrasts between these two types of leadership than to set the charts of George H.W. Bush and Donald J. Trump against each other? Trouble is…we’re going to stumble upon some uncanny parallels, as well!

Please note that to avoid cumbersome, tangled verb tenses, I will use the present tense to speak about the details of both charts together, despite Bush’s passing. His chart—and his memory—are still quite present!

Biwheel #1: (inner wheel) George H.W. Bush, June 12, 1924, 10:30 a.m. DST, Milton, MA. Rodden rating B; (outer wheel) Donald J. Trump, June 14, 1946, 10:54 a.m. DST, Jamaica, New York. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.  

Trump Sun-No. Node-Uranus conjoin Bush Sun (all Gemini); Trump Moon-So. Node conjoins Bush Jupiter-Part-of-Fortune (Sagittarius); this axis squares Bush Uranus-Pallas (Pisces). These amazing convergences speak to the aspirations of both men, and not surprisingly, Uranus plays a significant role for each one. Trump’s Uranus seems more internalized, pointing  to his preference for managing through chaos; chances are it flags a chaotic cognitive style, as well. Some analysts have mused out loud about the state of his mental health…they could have been tapping into this Gemini gathering of his.

We discussed Bush’s Sun-Uranus square earlier: if he experienced any chaotic mental processing or anxieties, he appears to have been able to project those out onto the world at large, which he felt needed a new, more rational “order.” Doing this became the focus of his ambitions, which he pursued in a traditional (East Coast), orderly way: first the military and marriage, then Yale, then move the family to Texas to open an oil business and make his fortune, then enter politics. The rest is history, as they say! 

Despite some parallels with being born to a wealthy East Coast family, Trump was not born into a patrician Yale family like Bush was. He was the son of a 1^st generation immigrant mother, Mary Anne McLeod, and a 2^nd generation immigrant father, Frederick Trump. In fact, it’s been said that Donald always resented the East Coast “elites”—that might be what is signaled here, with his striving Moon conjunct Bush’s Part-of-Fortune (Sagittarius). As we can see with Bush’s life, however, the Ivy Leaguers cultivated an ethos of public service that seems like an anachronism today.

The Honor Guard at G.W.H. Bush's National Cathedral funeral.

The contrast between the approaches these two took to building their careers reminds me of what New York Times columnist David Brooks calls “resume virtues” vs. “eulogy virtues,” or “Adam I” v. “Adam II.” In his book, The Road to Character, Brooks claims that “Adam I” is driven to gain “external validation,” while “Adam II” is driven by the desire to embody higher virtues, to be responsible citizens, to be of service and to be a generally “good person.” A summary of Brooks's book says:

“These internal drives are often in conflict in our lives. According to Brooks they have different logics: Adam I embodies economic rationality and Adam II exemplifies the logic of morality.”[4]

Gemini individuals often wear humanity’s inherent duality on their shirtsleeves, but these two men clearly made choices in their lives about which end of the Adam I-II continuum they wanted to occupy. 

Trump Mars-ASC conjoins Bush Neptune-No.Node-ASC (all Leo) and opposes Bush Mars-DSC (Aquarius). This is another incredible convergence that, among other things, explains why Trump would choose to mock Bush’s “thousand points of light” campaign in his rallies—Mars can only nibble at Neptune’s heels with ridicule; it can’t out-do the ideals at work. Indeed, Trump approaches most heroic figures in this same dismissive way: it’s his dubious (and frankly, disgusting) super-power. Yet, Bush never sank to Trump’s level, but bided his time to have his final “say” from beyond, by extending the invitation to attend his funeral. 

George W. Bush greets the Obamas and carries on a cough drop tradition.

What was Trump thinking, sitting there while the entire nation mourned the loss of all the great qualities that Bush represents? What was he thinking when George W. Bush leaned right over him to shake hands with Obama and to hand Michelle Obama a cough drop? Not so subtle, was it?

These opposite styles of action (one self-oriented in Leo, one society-oriented in Aquarius) speak to how these two relate to the American people, as well. 

Bush’s Mars was more in tune with the aspirations of our Aquarius Sibly Moon—despite his commitment to lower government spending, “We the People” meant something more than a tax base. No one could forget that he was a Republican, but he didn’t rub our faces in it, either. There was a palpable feeling that he had our backs, even if we didn’t agree with his policies or plans. 

With his Mars opposite Sibly Moon, Trump knows how to dominate with his bombastic personality, he knows how to tear others down for the sake of climbing over them, and he certainly knows how to play to people’s fears and to stoke divisions, but he doesn’t seem to get that real leaders respect those they are charged with leading. He swore to be a “president for all of us” in his inauguration speech—unfortunately, his leadership style is more like “what have you done for me lately?”

Trump Saturn-Venus conjoins Bush Pluto-Venus (all Cancer); Trump Jupiter-Chiron-Juno conjoins Bush Moon (and very widely Saturn—all in Libra). These two cardinal gatherings square each other, of course—we could add Bush’s Eris (Aries) in here to create a t-square configuration, but let’s keep it simple. The point here is to see how different each man’s approach to security and relationship issues is: with Bush the concerns were definitely intense—much was at stake for him, as the patriarch of a powerful family. 

We’ve discussed the deep importance his Moon-Saturn and Venus-Pluto have had, the role powerful women have played in his life, and so on. Unless appearances are very deceiving, he did an admirable job leading his large family with love, grace and dignity.

On the other hand, there’s Trump—also the pater familias (Saturn-Venus in Cancer), but of a distinctly different kind of family. Family members—and the real estate and “branding” organization they run—are at risk of multiple indictments for corrupt financial (and political) practices even as we speak. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but Donald Jr. may have played an indictable role in colluding with Russia during Election 2016, Ivanka’s use of personal email for government business is being scrutinized, multiple layers of suspicion surround the business ties the Trump Organization has had with Russia and other unsavory players. 

Trump’s had a history with strong women, as well, beginning with his mother, however, he seems bent on dominating and demeaning women (remember Access Hollywood?), rather than partnering with them in any positive way as Bush did. Bush was married for 73 years to the same woman; Trump is on his third wife, Melania, who seems to have some inner strength for the role she plays, but she is far from a true “partner” in her husband’s administration. She dutifully shows up when a photo op is required, but it all has the air of a beautiful woman being used for a powerful husband’s advantage (Jupiter-Chiron in Libra, disposed by Cancer Venus-Saturn). We can only feel for both her and their son, Barron. 

As if the scrunity mentioned above on him and his family wasn’t enough, Trump’s refusal to distance himself from his businesses while in office (to avoid important conflicts of interest) has spawned new lawsuits and a new round of subpoenas by the District of Columbia Attorney General. Several top-level advisors from Election 2016 (Manafort, Cohen, Pappadopoulos, Gates, and more) are either indicted or awaiting sentencing. The Trumps may be New York “royalty” of sorts, but the general lack of scruples and integrity being revealed is stunning. It’s all an unfair “witch hunt,” of course! 

Former presidents celebrate the opening of the elder Bush's presidential library.

Final thoughts

As mentioned earlier, the only reason to consider the contrasts and parallels between the now late 41^st president and our present 45^th is to better appreciate the importance of choice when it comes to natal potentials. Undoubtedly environment and cultural forces play an important role in how individuals actualize their astrological “gifts,” yet the disparity between these two leaders—separated by only 22 years in their births and possessing so many similar qualities—is a puzzle. Are the key differences a function of the respective times they were born into? Let’s take a quick look at their cycles profile tables below:

Table 1.

Planetary Cycles	Cycle in force on 6/12/1924-GWH Bush	Cycle phase in force 6/12/1924
Jup-Sat	9/1921, 27+Vir	waxing
Jup-Ura	3/1914, 9+Aq	waning
Jup-Nep	9/1919, 10+Leo	waxing
Jup-Plu	8/1918, 5+Can	waxing
Sat-Ura	1/1897, 27+Sco	waning
Sat-Nep	8/1917, 4+Leo	waxing
Sat-Plu	5/1915, 0+Can	waxing
Ura-Nep	3/1821, 3+Cap	waning
Ura-Plu	6/1850, 29+Ar	waning
Nep-Plu	Aug. 1891, 8+Gem	waxing

Table 2.

Planetary Cycles	Cycle in force on 6/14/1946-DJTrump	Cycle phase in force 6/14/1946
Jup-Sat	8/1940, 14+Tau	waxing
Jup-Ura	5/1941, 25+Tau	waxing
Jup-Nep	9/1945, 5+Lib	waxing
Jup-Plu	8/1943, 6+Leo	waxing
Sat-Ura	5/1942, 29+Tau	waxing
Sat-Nep	8/1917, 4+Leo	waning
Sat-Plu	5/1915, 0+Can	waning
Ura-Nep	3/1821, 3+Cap	waning
Ura-Plu	6/1850, 29+Ar	waning
Nep-Plu	Aug. 1891, 8+Gem	waxing

Here we see more interesting parallels, with some important differences: both men were born into 6 waxing cycles and 4 waning cycles, although the choice of cycles for each is different. Even so, certain roads to opportunity (Jupiter cycles) were wide open to both of them, although Bush experienced more early disruption along with those opportunities (waning Jupiter-Uranus cycle). 

On the other hand, collective restraints (Saturn cycles) weighed more heavily on Trump early on—the Saturn-Pluto cycle began anew in 1947, pointing to the overriding importance his father had in his ethical development and attitude towards society. The elder Trump had serious run-ins with the laws in New York in regards to housing discrimination,and he handed those off to his son—from Wikipedia:

“[Fred] Trump was investigated by a U.S. Senate committee for profiteering in 1954.^[4] He made Donald the president of Trump Management Company in 1971,^[5] and they were sued by the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division for violating the Fair Housing Act in 1973.^[6]”

Interestingly, the first investigation fell during the 1947 Saturn-Pluto cycle’s 1Q (12-1955) and its 3Q (10-1973). What sweet revenge it must be for the son to now vindicate the father by undermining that same Justice Department and rolling back Civil Rights protections with phony “voter fraud” campaigns—and doing all this during the final year or so of the current 1982 Saturn-Pluto cycle. 

Above all, what an interesting, but grotesquely twisted parallel between the Bush father-son relationship (their final words together were “I love you”) and the Trumps’ unscrupulous “business” relationship. Yes, character is built upon the potentials of a nativity, yet there’s so much more involved, and an endless series of choices to make.  

But enough of this—let’s celebrate the fact that a man of George H.W. Bush’s stature and character was among us, and for a time, led the nation in a far more constructive direction. We are now faced with environmental challenges that our scientists feel we are already failing—and Trump seems bent on making sure that we fail. Let’s hope that this week’s brief glimpse of greatness, lived out with dignity and grace, will remind us that we are better than, and more capable than the hollow shell of ourselves that we are seeing in the mirror today. 

Hail and farewell, President Bush—you were a credit to us all!

George Bush and his beloved wife of 73 years, Barbara.

Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former educator. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years.

She is also available to read individual charts—contact her at: robertsonraye@gmail.com.

© Raye Robertson 2018. All rights reserved. 

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[1]Bil Tierney, Dynamics of Aspect Analysis: New Perceptions in Astrology, CRCS Publications, Reno NV, 1983, pp. 82-3.

[2] Demetra George & Douglas Bloch, Asteroid Goddesses: The Mythology, Psychology and Astrology of the Re-emerging Feminine, Ibis Press, Lake Worth, FL, 2003 edition, p. 63.

[3] George & Bloch, p. 106.

[4] David Brooks, Summary of the Road to Character, A Book a Day e-book, 2015, pp. 3-4.