November 28th, 2001
Nancy Lubar Sommers, LCSW
The breathtaking expansion of presidential dominion out of the smoke and ashes of a shattering September day has left many Americans speechless with dismay. Suddenly our much-vaunted balance of powers has been replaced by dictatorial edict. Laws are no longer legislated by a representative Congress, they are proclaimed by a chief executive with dubious legitimacy. The good news is that the runaway train of Team Shrub will soon be thwarted in its reckless power grab.
Although some obstacles have already begun to manifest as we approach the last few days of November, the period of Bushian expansion, success, and popularity will continue through the first week of December, at which point the Jupiter station on Bush’s Sun begins to wane. These early impediments to the administration’s steamroller tactics, however, are coming from all sides. Both the liberal and conservative press have written scathing articles denouncing the current dissipation of civil liberties in the name of fighting terrorism. Congress is presently holding hearings over the use of military tribunals and the wiretapping of lawyer/client conversations. Amnesty International is investigating abuses reported concerning some of Attorney General Ashcroft’s terror suspects. And the European governments are letting it be known they will not support a broadening of Bush’s War on Terrorism outside of Afghanistan. Astrologically, the period 11/25 to 12/2/01 includes transiting Saturn semisquare Bush’s Saturn and transiting Saturn sesquiquadrate the Inaugural Midheaven. Both of these aspects are contributing to the earliest indications of a growing constraint on the administration that we shall be seeing over the next three-month period.
Interestingly, November 25 is also the beginning of a Pluto transit semisquare the Inaugural Sun which continues until about December 22, 2001. From this will derive an intense power struggle between the administration and its opponents. As the power struggle waxes during mid-December, Bush moves into ever-increasing difficulties and may well be forced to back down on some issues. Bush’s progressed Moon will be square his natal Saturn for all of December, suggesting a significantly melancholy mood. Moreover, transiting Saturn will be square his natal Mars and semisquare his Midheaven, both aspects adversely impacting his prestige and position in the world and his freedom to act with impunity. This latter double Saturn transit will affect Bush for three months, due to Saturn’s station at 8 Gemini.
Put simply, Saturn signifies contraction. It is the exact opposite of the expansionist Jupiterian energy we have been witnessing in Bush since mid-September. Bush does not handle limitation, restriction, or external constraints very well, as evidenced earlier in the year by his attempts to free himself from several international treaties. But under Saturn, “my way or the highway” doesn’t fly. Bush will find himself hindered, by the Democrats at home and the Allies abroad, as well as the likely circumstances that will develop in his current war. It is no accident that while Bush begins his frustrating Saturn period, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle begins a year-long transit of Pluto to his natal Sun, increasing his power, charisma, and determination.
The station of Jupiter we have experienced in the last three months has fallen exactly on Bush’s and the country’s Sun. For Bush it has triggered his progressed Mars square to his Sun, also triggered during part of the same period by a Pluto quincunx to his Sun. This is an incredible lineup of planets that together signify very aggressive, martial, expansionistic, and sometimes reckless and arrogant actions. But Jupiter also brings great success, and this has clearly shown up in the military victories of the past few weeks, as well as the initial success in creating the coalition.
Although Mars remains in square to Bush’s Sun until mid-March, suggesting our military activities will continue at least until then, Pluto began to separate after the first of November, and Jupiter will pass after the first week of December. With the increase in Saturn and the loss of Jupiter in December, it is likely that success will not come as easily for Bush as it has up to now, nor will Bush be able to continue unchecked with his every decision. The unusual outburst of patriotism that has contributed to the initial carte blanche given to this administration may be seen as a manifestation of the Jupiter transit stationary on the US Sun, which will also pass in a few weeks (mid-December).
The War on Terrorism chart, drawn for the first attack on September 11, 2001, suggests that around the middle of December, the majority of the military activity will stop, at least for a while. There are strong military indications in that chart from mid-October to mid-December, 2001 (tertiary progressed Mars conjunct the South Node). There are also indications of sudden events, fast-paced and shifting circumstances, and very independent and headstrong allies who are likely to do what they want during the period from November 11 through December 10, 2001 (tertiary progressed Venus opposite Uranus, tertiary progressed Sun quincunx Uranus). In other words, it seems that as the trigger to Bush’s strong war-like progressed Mars fades, so does much of the fighting in Afghanistan. But the outcome at that point in time may not be exactly what has been planned (Uranus).