The pomp and circumstance of the 2005 Bush Presidential Inauguration has faded. The echoes of the grand rhetoric of the Inaugural Speech have subsided. And the media glow surrounding the Bushes has seemingly returned to normal. But we wonder, what does the next four years REALLY mean for the US and the world?

It is extremely useful to take a look at the “birthchart” of this new administration. The positions and inter-relationships of the planets and stars at the moment of one’s birth give uncanny insight into the unfolding of that person’s (or entity’s) life, including the spiritual/karmic/psychological matters at the core. So what was happening in the heavens at the exact time and place of the Oath of Office for Bush – January 20, 2005, Washington, DC, 12 noon?

But before exploring the heavens, I want to share that the ancient sages of Vedic astrology (the type of astrology I practice) regard astrology as a gift of the universe that can help us come to spiritual resolution and peace; the profundity of its power is very great. Vedic astrology is the precursor to modern western style astrology, and it has a greater emphasis on practical matters.

So practically speaking, the chart for the 2005 inauguration actually is very similar to the 2001 inauguration chart, but is more overtly destructive. It would be safe to assume that the previous pre-emptive war strategy (bomb them before they bomb us—initiated before 9-11) of the Bush administration will continue, but probably in an accelerated manner.

First, there is a very strong emphasis on the sign Aries and the planet Mars, which mutually indicate matters of warfare and aggression. The Moon’s Node, which indicates the deepest karmic propensities, falls prominently in the ascendant in Aries; and Mars, the Node’s dispositor, is in Scorpio the sign of its rulership; i.e., they are very strong.  The placement of Mars in its own sign in the eighth house is called Sarala yoga and it indicates one that has the ability to “destroy his enemies.”

The eighth house is not a gentle influence and it is connected with crime, corruption, destruction, financial upsets, insanity, and obsession. As we all know, it is not a stretch to attach any of these manifestations to today’s world of geo-politics. If that is not enough, Mars is also conjunct Pluto, which is a great intensifier of whatever energy it connects with. Pluto has also been attributed to the misuse of nuclear energy.

Augmenting this war-like disposition is the debilitated position of Jupiter in the sixth house. This suggests that there will be an expansive tendency in the administration’s attitudes about war. As the sixth house indicates one’s battles and the daily problems that one overcomes, ideologies and/or religious overtones could also be strongly flavoring the administration’s day-to-day operations and how it seeks to defeat its “enemies.” Plus, Jupiter is an eminently spiritual and philosophical planet so its debilitated state in this chart indicates that judgments will be prone to erring on the side of arrogance and overconfidence.

Jupiter as the ruler of the chart’s twelfth house of hidden matters further indicates that “conspiratorial” elements could be a factor in administration policies. It is easy enough to find references to the Bush neo-con “cabal,” on the Internet and other news sources – Skull and Bones, Zionism or a myriad of conspiracy theories; a look at the chart itself only adds to that speculation.

The Bush administration’s Moon exalted in Taurus is a “good luck” factor, since it is waxing and in good dignity because its position in Taurus. It also receives a harmonious trine from Jupiter. In any chart, the Moon indicates the overall emotional tenor and “feeling/being” state of the person, place, or thing. Therefore, the White House might continue to enjoy good rapport with its constituency, at least the “religious right.” And since a prerequisite to success is the personal feeling thereof, the Bush Administration could almost be assured of some level of measurable success. This Moon is also in direct aspect to Mars which therefore supports, upholds and amplifies the aforementioned warfare/aggression theme that is already prominent in this chart.

Even though this chart has a lot going for it with some exceptionally fortunate trines and sextiles of Jupiter to the Sun, Moon, and Mars, there are also indications of delays, struggles, and opposition due to the strong placement of Saturn and how it aspects the Sun and Jupiter.

As a result, the administration could be influenced by a sense of low self-esteem which could hinder its actions, or perhaps there could be misfortunate outcroppings of their own pathological psychology. The position of Saturn at the bottom of this chart could also portend deep internal problematical elements that could erupt at inopportune times. This could manifest as scandals, internal divisions, or just plain inconsistencies of policy affecting their credibility. Inasmuch as these things always seem to happen in political circles, for the new Bush Administration this could be a “more than ordinary” manifestation. 

The administration could also be simply hindered by the ongoing downward trend of the US economy – the plunging dollar internationally, migration of jobs overseas, problems with foreign creditors, deficit spending, the expense of the war, and a debt-burdened middle class that is hard-pressed to respond to economic reforms.

The new administration’s Saturn falls in Cancer, the sign of its debility where it acts in its typically dysfunctional manner. This could mean structural or organizational weaknesses, mismanagement of resources, and /or shaming and blaming behavior (deceitfully attempting to throw the responsibility for internal inconsistencies onto someone else).  It’s a typical thing for any presidential administration to blame Congress, the press or the opposing party for their problems and the stars show that this administration would be no exception. 

The Bush administration could seek to compensate for its weak Saturn by the use of excessive force and control, tightening its iron grip, if you will, on the lives and actions of the US citizenry. Saturn’s positions could also correspond to a bleakness of attitude on the part of the administration and the populace they are governing, which could interfere with the harmonious ebb and flow of emotions, substance, and prosperity for all.

Many times people ask me if I see anything good in the charts of nations and politics. My truest answer is that life provides opportunities for continual improvement through various lesser – or ‘problematic’ – circumstances; it’s the lesser circumstances that are seen in so-called ‘negative’ astrology. But when one can have a realistic attitude interpreting these charts, then one can see sets of possibilities arising from them. The charts tell what will happen if everybody sits back and does nothing, but they also point to incredible possibilities when the people start to take spiritual dominion over their affairs. As more and more people duplicate this spiritual victory, then one can predict how it will manifest on an aggregate planetary level.

For instance, while Saturn is debilitated in Cancer in the administration’s chart, it also exerts an over-shadowing current of astrological influence on all of us. It indicates that we need to face our internal turmoil that causes loss of harmony, happiness, and contentment since Cancer rules those energies. If we can embrace and then release the negative emotions, we can allow that energy to be transformed into simpler, more legitimate (Saturn) forms of happiness that stay with us, not the flashy, artificial type of happiness portrayed in movies, TV, commercials, and political messages.

If the Bush Administration tells you to be happy because of X, Y, and Z reasons, remember that you can’t force happiness, which is what someone with Saturn in Cancer might try to do in order to control others. True happiness comes about uninitiated, as a byproduct of people doing things that fulfill them. Remember, our lives are what we make of them and are not directly a result of governmental directives. 

In summary, the overriding themes of this Presidential chart are: an aggressive agenda and modus operandi that could involve more warfare and pre-emptive actions; a domineering and controlling presence that could be stifling to the overall happiness, contentment, and prosperity of our nation; and also internal problems that could affect the overall success of the new Bush administration. The rosier outlooks to be derived from this chart are that we as a nation could be coming to a more realistic picture of ourselves and what must be done for us to continue as a strong nation with a powerful presence in the world.

There is much more to be said about this administration’s chart, and I will be covering those things and more in the days, week, and months to come on my website www.StarWorldNews.com which you can always go to for free on the Internet. There are many patterns in the stars above us that indicate the future directions for planet earth. You yourself can choose to be a greater part of those directions – if you choose to be and as you will be by being swept along by the waves of planetary evolution.

(This article was produced with editing assistance of Lynne Olson)