And when comparing these specific degrees to the elected presidents' horoscopes, an astonishing number of precise hits to these angular points crop up. John Adams, Warren G. Harding, James Polk, and Theodore Roosevelt all have their Scorpio Suns within three degrees of the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant. Presidents McKinley, Buchanan, Grant, Monroe, and FDR all have their Suns either opposite or square the Scorpio Ascendant, also within an orb of three degrees. In addition, five more presidents have natal Mars within one degree of forming an exact conjunction, square or opposition to the eight degrees Scorpio Ascendant. The U.S. Scorpio Ascendant cosmically magnetizes presidential caliber.
When Scorpio and Leo ride the angles in the U.S. horoscope, fixed signs suddenly become important. Otherwise the Moon in Aquarius is the only other placement in fixed signs. Thirty-three of our 42 presidents have either their Sun or Mars in fixed signs (Scorpio, Leo, Taurus, and Aquarius), while only 22 have their Sun or Mars in cardinal (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn). For the mutables (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces), only 17 presidents have their Sun or Mars in these signs, in spite of the fact that any 4th of July horoscope has both Mars and Uranus in Gemini, placements that would seem to naturally attract presidential planets.
Presidential Astrology and the U.S. Moon
In the nation's first century, one noticeable trend among American presidents was their Moon position. Six Presidents have their Moon in Capricorn, and every one of these became president before 1900. Zero presidents in the 20th century have a Capricorn Moon. This might infer that the path to the highest office in earlier times wasn't so much a question of speaking to the people, but a matter of raw ambition. The Moon in Capricorn gives a tough character and the patient ambition for the step-by-step climb to the top position. George Washington (first elected in 1788), James Monroe (1816), John Quincy Adams (1824), James Buchanan (1856), Abraham Lincoln (1860), and Chester Arthur (1880) all have Moon in Capricorn. Since the birth of the age of mass communications technologies (radio, television, and now the internet), the most common Moon signs are the communications-oriented air signs. Our only two Gemini presidents, John Kennedy and George Bush, arrived after the advent of television.
Tied for first among the Sun signs most represented is Aquarius, with five American presidents being born under this sign since 1788. One of the strangest facts about our Aquarian presidents is that four out of five of them died in office. Only Reagan, the fifth Aquarian, survived, and he had astrologer Joan Quigley to help him escape the dreaded Presidential Death Cycle. Still, the popularity of Aquarian Sun signs can be attributed to the U.S. Moon in Aquarius, which in any U.S. horoscope set for July 4, 1776 is found in Aquarius.
The Moon in political astrology represents the nation's people and their security needs. The U.S. Moon in Aquarius describes a people interested in the fundamental principles of equality, liberty, and justice for all. The Aquarius Moon is further interested in progress, innovation, inventiveness, and technology. Anything that is new and different is attractive to the American people in general. The Aquarius Moon represents a national interest in networking, organizing, communicating, and socializing. The symbol for Aquarius is the waters of knowledge being poured over the planet. Aquarians hunger for the latest developments, and with the U.S. Moon's favorable trine to Mars in Gemini, Americans are constantly reading, talking, moving about, searching for and sharing information. The American people are news junkies.
Presidents with their Sun in Aquarius have a direct connection with the American people through the U.S. Aquarius Moon, and are generally known as populists. In this era of mass media, the successful presidential candidate has to connect with the people and their security needs. In astrological terms, this means that he or she must have planets tightly linked with the U.S. Moon, which in the Scorpio Rising horoscope is found at 25 degrees Aquarius. One of the most significant trends in American politics is that all recently elected Presidents have precise aspects to the U.S. Moon either natally or by progression, and often both. This can be attributed to the rise of mass media. A candidate has to come across well on TV or he sinks in the polls. Having a close link to the U.S. Moon provides a celestial link to the pulse of the nation, and the closer the link the better.
Bill Clinton is a good example in the political realm. His Sun is at 26 Leo (only half a degree from an exact opposition to the U.S. Moon). His Juno (representing his wife Hillary) is at 25 Libra. At the time he was elected, his Mercury had progressed to 25 Libra, activating his underlying personal connections to the U.S. Moon. In spite of his later scandalous affairs, the public loved Bill and Hillary as a team, symbolized by his Sun sextile Juno and both connecting directly to the U.S. Moon.
Having a Mars connection to the U.S. Moon represents a good choice for Commander-in-Chief. The elder George Bush and Jimmy Carter both have their Mars at 25 Aquarius, exactly conjunct the U.S. Moon. When Carter's mission to rescue the Iranian hostages failed, he became a one-term president, having disillusioned the public. However, when George Bush's progressed Sun opposed his own Mars (and simultaneously, the U.S. Moon), he sent the troops into Iraq. The date was January 17, 1991, and this progression was almost exact. The public loved his actions, and his popularity soared. Ronald Reagan had no natal planets at 25 degrees, but when he was elected in 1980 his Mars had progressed to 25 Aquarius. These precise links symbolize their connection with the American people.
The pattern starts to break down the further back into American history one goes. As Gerald Ford took over for Nixon in 1974 his progressed Moon was at 25 Aquarius, which activated his natal Neptune at 25 Cancer. Ford came to power via scandal, not by being elected, but the people generally approved, as shown by these progressions. Nixon had no planetary aspects at all to 25 Aquarius, and he was the most recent president to miss the connection. Pundits frequently cite his shadowy appearance in the 1960 televised debates with JFK as the reason he lost that election. However, in spite of his clumsiness before the American people, Nixon did manage to get elected in 1968 when his Ascendant had progressed to eight degrees Scorpio. Lyndon Johnson has his Pluto at 25 Gemini, and his Jupiter at 26 Leo, so he fits the pattern, and was well respected for his public relations ability. The popular Eisenhower has a Moon-Uranus conjunction at 25-26 Libra, but Truman had no connection at all, either natally or by progression. Still, his Mars at 17 Leo is conjunct the U.S. Midheaven, and his own Midheaven is conjunct the U.S. Sun in Cancer. He has the connections to the U.S. horoscope, but not the more media savvy links implied by the lunar connection.
The contested 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore can be summarized by looking at each candidate's closest connection to the U.S. Moon. Al Gore's natal Venus is at 26 Taurus, and following the natural symbolism of Venus, he won the popular vote; he was the most popular candidate. Bush's closest connection at the time of the election was his progressed Jupiter at 24 Libra. Jupiter represents the legal decision that turned the election in his favor. Minutes of a degree count: the respective orbs where almost exactly equidistant from the U.S. Moon (Gore's Venus: 26TA01; Bush's progressed Jupiter: 24LI56; the U.S. Moon: 25AQ29), perhaps accounting for the closeness of the race. Who will win in 2004? Let's look at the candidates, and see what kind of connections they have with the U.S. Moon.
The Next Election
What astrological factors must the winning candidate have? According to the historical patterns, having the Moon or Mars in Pisces is a definite negative. Having the Sun in Pisces isn't so good either, since all four presidents with their Sun in Pisces held office in the nation's first century. George Washington (1788), James Madison (1808), Andrew Jackson (1832), and Grover Cleveland (1884) were our only Pisces presidents, and it may be that the Pisces natural selflessness doesn't come across as being assertive or bold enough in more modern times.
The Sun can be in any sign, though having it in Scorpio or Aquarius is a distinct advantage. Having the Moon in Capricorn was a good idea, but not any more. The Moon in Capricorn is probably too guarded to come across well in the media. Nixon with his Sun in Capricorn reflects the stiffness associated with this sign. Al Gore's Moon is in Capricorn, and he likewise had the burden of overcoming an image of being excessively stiff or wooden.
Mars in Leo is a definite big plus. Something about the unfettered self-confidence of Mars in Leo appeals to Americans. Over and over throughout the nation's history, candidates with Mars in Leo have demonstrated the flair and sense of drama that turn Americans on. Only three presidents have Sun in Leo, so that's not particularly an advantage or disadvantage, but ten presidents have Mars in Leo. Still, the most recent president to have Mars in Leo was Truman, so this placement too may be passe.
The most definitive current trend is having a prominent planet closely aspecting the U.S. Moon, and the closer the better. Having a natal planet seems as important as having a progressed planet in this degree area, as George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan demonstrate. In 2004 George W. Bush's progressed Jupiter has advanced from 24 Libra to 25 Libra, so his chart was looking very good (his birth data: July 6, 1946; 7:26 am; New Haven, CT). To add cream to this mix, Bush's progressed Venus, which moves a bit faster than one degree per year, is now also at 25 degrees Libra. The progressed Venus-Jupiter conjunction trine to the U.S. Moon was an exceptionally fortunate combination for the incumbent, and he was hard to beat in spite of his problems with Iraq. The Venus-Jupiter pairing promised popularity, money, and honor. Considering this factor alone was enough to make him the odds-on favorite in November 2004.
Who will win the 2008 Presidential election? You can use the parameters set down here to pick the likely winner. And stay tune for regular updates...
