GOP

Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in Chicago; a time of 3:43 am is derived from Joan Quigley's book "What does Joan Say?" and gives a 20º Sagittarius Ascendant. Reagan's Sun-Moon combination (in Aquarius and Taurus) is a near perfect overlay of the GOP's ideological signature between Uranus in Taurus and Ceres in Aquarius. Ceres in the GOP chart is no small potatoes since it represents the astrological link to the foundation of the U.S. horoscope.

The U.S. foundation (the 4th house cusp) is located at 16º Aquarius, the same location as the GOP Ceres and Ronald Reagan's Sun. Ceres in Aquarius and Ceres square Uranus is a double theme, and can be seen as how a nation, individual, or political party nourishes itself and its constituents through an ideology or vision for the future. Ceres is especially associated with the family values ideology. Ceres is the parent-child relationship. Ronald Reagan, with his Sun conjunct the GOP Ceres became the archetypal father-figure, much as Lincoln and FDR, two other famous Aquarian Presidents.

Reagan's horoscope is characterized by a strong configuration between Mars in Capricorn, Saturn in Taurus, and Pluto in late Gemini. His Mars-Saturn trine is especially tightly linked to the GOP Pluto (activated during his Evil Empire speech). Reagan bet the farm in his pursuit of Star Wars technology, which ultimately forced the Soviet Union to throw in the towel. This single-minded focus grows out of his own Mars-Pluto opposition. That he found a national position to wage his conflict is shown in the tight connections between these placements and to both the U.S. and GOP horoscopes.

The positions of the asteroids play a large role here as well, especially Pallas Athene, the political asteroid. Reagan has Pallas at 15º Pisces, exactly aligned with the GOP Neptune. Reagan's political beliefs became the political vision of the GOP. Reagan's North Node is near his Taurus Moon, and only one degree from the GOP Uranus. Reagan's Mercury-Uranus conjunction in patriarchal Capricorn is aligned with the GOP Jupiter. Everything that lines up between Reagan and the GOP simultaneously squares or opposes the Democratic Party's planets. And herein lies the future between these two American political parties.

This date becomes the foundation chart for the Republican Party (a Noon birth time works well). With the Sun in Cancer very near the U.S. Sun, the Republican Party is a natural representative of the national values and beliefs originally formulated by the Founding Fathers. The Sun is closely trine to Neptune in Pisces which evokes a spiritual or religious agenda. The Moon in Scorpio resonates with the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant, which in religious terms reflects the constituents' passion for their various causes, and especially in the constant polarizing between Good and Evil.

The Republicans clearly owned the moral high ground during their Anti-Slavery crusade. The same passion and righteousness carries through the years, no matter what the issue. Since the end of World War II the Republican passion has treated the Communist Bloc as the modern equivalent of Evil incarnate. When the Soviet Union folded, the Republicans were left without a cause, until Bill Clinton's indiscretions.

From its radical roots prior to the Civil War where the status quo was vociferously challenged, the Republican Party found immediate success. The first Republican President was Abraham Lincoln, and over the next 70 years the GOP held the Presidency for all but 16 years. From its liberal origins, the GOP has gradually taken on the character of conservatism, which was always there in the form of its Cancer Sun, Taurus planets (Uranus and Pluto), and Jupiter in Capricorn. The modern era GOP owes its strength and popularity to Ronald Reagan whose personal horoscope fits into the GOP horoscope like a glove.

Saturn and Pluto in any horoscope are so difficult to personify in a healthy way that they are often projected onto the outside world. Ronald Reagan's March 8, 1983 speech to a convention of evangelical Christians was where the phrase Evil Empire first appeared with reference to the Soviet Union. Reagan additionally warned the church leaders not "to treat the arms race as a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong, good and evil." Reagan called the Soviets the "focus of evil in the modern world." At the time of this polarizing speech, transiting Jupiter was exactly opposite the GOP Saturn, and transiting Saturn was exactly opposite the GOP Pluto.

Comparing Party Horoscopes

The GOP Uranus and the DP Uranus are virtually exactly square each other, and both are aligned with the U.S. Midheaven. Then, the GOP Jupiter at 23º Capricorn exactly squares the DP Jupiter at 23º Libra. Both parties have a close hard aspect between Saturn and Neptune, giving both the impossible task of making their fondest beliefs and aspirations (Neptune) a political reality (Saturn). The geometric relationship between their two Saturns is also hard, an exact octile (45º), and their Neptunes are tri-octile (135º).

For all the animosity shown by their differences, these two parties have some common elements, which unifies them against third party challenges, and the rest of the world. Both have Mars in Virgo which represents their parallel attitude toward the military. Mars in Virgo means the U.S. military is to be placed at the service of the nation. The nation's Commander-in-Chief is most often a civilian. In the GOP chart, Mars is trine Jupiter in corporate Capricorn, and from this one can see the evolution of the Industrial-Military-Complex that Dwight Eisenhower warned us about.

Both the GOP and DP have Venus conjunct Saturn. Perhaps the most ominous threat to the American political system is the campaign finance debacle. Both parties are now absolutely dependent on corporate finance contributions, and from these payments arise the political agenda. National politicians, whether from the Republican or Democratic parties, can't survive without shrewd fund raising abilities, unless they're independently wealthy like John Kerry or Ross Perot.

Successful GOP candidates always have very tight planetary links to this GOP horoscope. Dwight Eisenhower (October 14, 1890), the famous World War II General, had his Mars at 14º Capricorn, exactly opposite the GOP Sun. Chiron in the U.S. is a direct symbol for military events (Chiron in the U.S. chart is located in the 6th house of military service and squares the Sun in the Pentagon chart). Eisenhower's Chiron was exactly square the GOP Pluto (orb of 0º02), which pinpoints his power base. Vesta, the asteroid denoting special intelligence services, was exactly squaring Mars in Ike's horoscope, as the two align with the GOP Sun. Ike was infamous for his promotion and use of the CIA to wage the Cold War.

Vesta played an infamous role in the Watergate break-in, the most serious secret battle (that we know about) between the Republican and Democratic Parties. On June 17, 1972 when the Watergate burglary took place, Vesta was at 15º Taurus, exactly conjunct the GOP Uranus. At the same moment, transiting Uranus at 14º Libra was squaring the GOP Sun, and transiting Pluto was conjunct the GOP Mars. Nixon himself (January 9, 1913) was elected under his promise to end the Vietnam War, but with his Pluto exactly square the GOP Mars, he found a solution by radically increasing the bombing, not withdrawing. The interested reader should also compare the elder George Bush's planets (June 12, 1924) and Gerald Ford's (July 14, 1913) for more insights into the GOP chart. George W. Bush's chart (July 6, 1946) has enormously strong connections to this GOP horoscope.