George W. Bush:his role in US Destiny

This article was first published in Feb. 2005 in the Journal of the Astrological Association of Great Britain. On 10 January 1776, Thomas Paine published a 47 page pamphlet entitled “Common Sense: addressed to the inhabitants of America‘. In Paine’s view Europe was corrupt and tainted by its past whereas America was fresh and pure. America must strive for independence. Several years later, Paine wrote in his book: The Age of Reason, “I saw, or at least I thought I saw, a vast scene opening itself to the world in the affairs of America; and it appeared to me that unless the Americans changed the plan they were then purusing and declared themselves independent, they would not only involve themselves in a multiplicity of new difficulties, but shut out the prospect that was then offering itself to mankind through their means’. It is very clear that like many famous Americans since Thomas Paine “had a dream” very appropriate indeed for a land with Neptune in the 9th house.

This premonition that America was destined to play some great role in world affairs is clearly demonstrated by the design for the reverse side of the Great Seal, on which there appears a pyramid whose capstone is removed, surmounted by a blazing eye: in a triangel over which stands the words “the heavens approve” while underneath the startling sentence “a new order of ages” appears. (The horoscope of the United States inner wheel, George W. Bush outer wheel)

Whet looking at the horoscope of the US it is clear that with its North Node in the 8th house, American’s destiny requires it to strive towards non-material values and at this juncture in world history the North Node presents American with its greatest challenge. If we accept that as indviduals the lessons of the North Node often involve crisis followed by a redefinition of conscious derection, this same is true for nations. It seems to me that with his ascendant conjunct the US North Node, love him or hate him, George W. Bush has a significant role to play in the future destiny of the United States.

I have for some time been fascinated by the synergy between America’s horoscope and the horoscope of George W. Bush. At times I have found it uncanny. When Bush says “Our greatest export is freedom and we have a moral obligation to champion it throughout the world” without knowing it, he is giving voice to the USA’s Sagittarius ascendant, its exalted ruler Jupiter in the 7th house and the exalted Saturn in Libra in the 10th. Similarly when Bush talks about fighting our enemies “in the world” as opposed to at home, he voices the Cancerian obsession with feeling safe combined with the need to protect what it considers to be its own. It is quite entertaining in fact to look at the US chart, while simultaneously listening to Bush speak. This is of course not surprising when we see that G.W. Bush was born on July 6th and has his Sun conjunct with the USA’s Sun.

The first American President, George Washington, warned Americans not to involve themselves with the affairs of the rest of the world, and until the First World War it seems that America heeded this advice. However, with the progressed Sun moving out of Scorpio and into Sagittarius, America abandoned its isolationist attitude and began to expert the “American Dream” to the rest of the world, together with its own view of democracy. To be sure, where an exalted Jupiter is concerned big is definitely better. The shadow side of Sagittarius is of course connected to a know-it-all attitude, annoying – to say the least – if coupled with the desire to teach other people how to live.

So Washington’s admonition gives us another example of Neptune’s visionary quality working through the US chart. Is it possible that Sibley discussed the horoscope with people who had close links with George Washington? Who knows? Mars in the 7th house certainly has serious war-making potential and its placement in Gemini probably explains America’s eagerness to research, develop and employ sophisticated weaponry.

Part II further discusses the 7th/8th house link, looking at Dennis Elwell’s degree areas.