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For an astrologer, it is difficult to imagine George "Dubya" Bush without seeing his father -- former president and head of the CIA -- standing behind him. The father image in George W.'s horoscope, represented by the planet Saturn in the sign Cancer, calls to mind an ancient Greek myth about the god Kronos, known by the Romans as Saturn.

Kronos, ruler of the Titans, was famous for devouring his own offspring just after their births. Only one managed to escape, Zeus (Jupiter to the Romans). After growing up, he tricked Kronos into vomiting up the swallowed children, led the overthrow of the Titans, and ushered in a new social order.

The story of Father George Bush and Son George W. Bush is illumined by this myth.

TWO SUNS ENTWINED

George W. Bush's progressed Sun is at 5 degrees Virgo this year. So is George Bush the Elder's. This means that when George W. was born, the Sun was in the same degree as his father's progressed Sun, 13 degrees Cancer. Because of this, their purposes are enmeshed for as long as both are alive.

THE LUNAR BOND

George W. also has his natal Moon at 16 degrees Libra, while his father's natal Moon is 17 degrees Libra. That is why they look so much alike, and have so much genuine love and affection for each other. This has serious drawbacks in the maturation and development of the younger George, however. The problem that arises with this kind of familiarity in parent/child dynamics (conjoined Moons) is that the parent often cannot see the child as being separate from himself. The metaphor of devouring one's children is a symbol of the parent crafting his offspring in "his own image," thereby stealing their creativity and individualism.

George the Younger may sometimes wish he could cut the ties -- his planet of raw identity, Mars, is on his father's Ascendant (persona, image) -- and move on toward a "new social order," as Zeus did in the Greek myth. It would wound both, however. Instead, George W. is running both himself and his father for president.

COVERT INTELLIGENCE

One of the most damning public perceptions about George W. is that he is not very bright. An astrologer sees a somewhat different view. Bush does have some intelligence, but it is not the kind that is effective in political rhetoric. His mind works by layering meaning. This is a big problem when he's in a situation where he has to think fast. By the time he unlayers the various levels of meaning in the heat of the moment, it's too late; and besides, the verbal contribution he'd like to make would be too complicated or multileveled to make sense in most casual situations.

From an astrological perspective, this tendency can be explained in part by the fact that Bush has Mercury (the agent of perception and articulation) conjunct Pluto (the deep unconscious reservoir of knowledge).

On the other hand, with Venus hovering nearby, and with all three of these planets in Leo in the First House, Bush's inarticulateness is often masked or rendered irrelevant by his charm and charisma. The Leo Ascendant also works to disguise his shortcomings from himself. He has what psychologists call the "entitlement complex." He sincerely feels he is smart and thoughtful, just as he feels he is entitled to his ruling class privileges.

His mind is actually pretty complex. While he has become more effective during the course of the presidential campaign because of his ability to memorize short, sweet sound bites, he far prefers to meander around in fuzzy labyrinths of layered meanings. This may have come about because of the nature of his childhood style of interaction with his father. Imagine what it would be like to communicate with a man whose training and habits of mind eventually qualified him to be the head of the CIA. George the Elder taught his son, if only by example, to use subterfuge and deception as basic strategies, to avoid being straightforward and to bury his thoughts within deep, convoluted webs.

And oh, by the way: George the Younger has his Sun in the 12th House -- prime setting for a mind that feels most comfortable hiding itself.

FUZZY THINKING

The quantum enmeshment between father and son prevents George W. from fully individuating away from his father, whom he idealizes. This is confusing for both George W. and the voters. George W.'s Venus in Leo is conjunct his father's Neptune, and thus it is unlikely that he resents his father's instinctive control over him. Rather, he sees dad as a kind of god or guru (Neptune). This has its positive side in their relationship, but it is hard for the son to act independently. He doesn't want to hurt his father's feelings.

George W. has the Moon, Jupiter, and Neptune in the sign of Libra, all in his Third House of communications, perception, and understanding. He intellectualizes his feelings (Moon in the Third) while idealizing grand schemes (Neptune, Jupiter). He comes across as a "fuzzy thinker" and a dreamer (Neptune); but most importantly, though unconsciously perhaps, he is dangerously easily deceived and capable himself of deception.

Hidden in the 12th House of institutions (government) and self-undoing is his natal Sun, which in turn, is square to Neptune, the planet of fantasy and dreams. His core life-force (Sun) is not grounded in tangibles (Neptune), but in theoretical potentials, and thus he can succumb to inflated self-importance. Conversely, he could lay his trust in aides who enact his dark side for him, and he would not know this until too late.

The feeling one might get from an encounter with George W. Bush is an uncomfortable sense that there is much unsaid and hidden, secrets lurking that tacitly inform all his overt actions.

DREAMY GRANDIOSITY

The qualities of secrecy and mystery have also to do with George W.'s stellium (cluster of three or more planets) in Libra in the Third House. His natural mental vacillation was likely exacerbated by his father training his son to be like him intellectually. His "hidden" Sun position, in square to Neptune, is lethal in times of politically sensitive circumstances; basically, he could lie and not be concerned about it -- even if he is aware of it, which would by no means be certain. His capacity for rationalization and self-justification is vast.

Neptune (vague, foggy, unclear, possibly even deceiving, although not necessarily consciously), found in the astrological house of the mind and communications, is a planetary placement for a dreamer, not a logical thinker. Also, Neptune is an agent for spiritual or religious thinking. To confuse religion with the state is part of Bush's problem; he is unclear about just what role religion should play in politics. In addition, with the Moon there, the man believes (incorrectly) that his feelings are coming across as clear thoughts. Jupiter exaggerates his grandiosity and gives him an inflated concept of what he is thinking or saying and its anticipated impact on others.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erin Sullivan has been a consulting astrologer for over 30 years. She is author of five books; tutor at the Centre for Psychological Astrology in London; and editor for Arkana's astrology series from 1989-99. She consults from, writes, and teaches in Tucson, AZ. Reprinted with permission. Copyright Erin Sullivan 2000.