This morning, over our breakfast of mangos, papaya and pears, my lover told me that the US vice-president almost got blown up yesterday. I checked the paper and noticed that more than a dozen other people were killed at a military base in Afghanistan, but Cheney got through it just fine. He had to endure being whisked around from place to place by his staff, as they tried to shield him from the chaos. But that was all.

Guess he was under a lucky star. In fact, Jupiter is conjuncting his Mars, so he does have some protection from the violent forces around him. If he wants to take up bungee jumping or skydiving, now is a good time to do it. Of course, these may not be the best activities for a guy with a weak heart.

Even with Jupiter shielding his Mars from harm, he still may be feeling pretty vulnerable. And he’ll feel even more vulnerable around the new moon (on March 18). And so this actually might be the month when Cheney decides to retire, ostensibly for health reasons. The new moon is part of a mutable T-square involving Pluto in Sagittarius and Cheney’s Neptune (ruler of his 8th house of death). So he might be mulling over some cosmic questions, thinking about callousness and change and the way he’s used his time on earth.

Condi’s star, on the other hand, is due to rise. The new moon forms a great trine with her Scorpio and Cancer planets. She does well with vague, mutable energy, like that of the Pisces new moon. It doesn’t make her feel insecure. She swims with the tide. At the same time, Mars will be exactly conjunct her Mars at the new moon, so she’ll also get to show her butch side.

When I look at Condoleezza Rice’s natal chart, I see concentrated ambition. When I look at Cheney’s, I see personal pragmatism and stubbornness. When I look at GW Bush’s, I see a desire to have a good time, and to please his mommy and daddy.

And how about the Dems? What do their charts look like? Hilary Clinton’s chart actually looks a lot like Condi’s. It’s equally focused, controlled and ambitious. One difference is that Hilary’s moon is in a stronger position than her sun, so she identifies with women. She speaks to us, to our feelings and needs. Condi’s sun is much stronger than her moon, so men and their concerns are more powerful in her world.

And what about Barak Obama? His birth time isn’t available yet, so we can’t tell exactly how his chart’s inclined. But it looks creative and expressive, and he definitely has the ability to lead. Like George W, he has a fun-loving chart, but without GW’s tendency to whine about how much work he’s doing.

For Obama, there’s some tendency for his mysticism to get in the way of his ambition, since Neptune takes the role of catalyst in his fixed T-square. But maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe we could use someone who occasionally thinks about the meaning of life, even when the bombs aren’t going off around him.

However, the next lunar cycle (starting on March 18) doesn’t look great for Obama. The new moon’s Mars/Neptune conjunction opposes his sun, so he is a target for paranoia. I hope he will keep himself safe during this time.

And Al Gore? His chart looks something like Obama’s, with a fiery sun and a hard sun/Neptune aspect. This is the mark of the true believer. However, Gore is more independent, more willful, and more likely to ignore other people’s advice.

Will people succeed in drafting Al Gore for another presidential run? I don’t think so. The March 18 new moon squares his Jupiter, so it doesn’t look like he’ll opt for a more formal political role. But Uranus and the north node in Pisces are right on top of his Mercury, so it’s definitely his time to speak out. In fact, his voice is intimately tied to our destiny as a world.

There are a number of pivotal influences in the coming month, showing that it’s the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. In the new moon chart for Washington DC, Saturn stands alone at the top of the chart, closely conjunct the midheaven. It’s a time of reckoning.

Does this mean that Bush will be held responsible for his crimes and misconduct? Unfortunately, I don’t think so, even though I notice the Impeach Bush movement is picking up steam again. Bush’s chart seems oddly untouched by the major changes of the next month. Saturn’s on top of his Venus, so he definitely won’t be having much fun, but that could be for a lot of reasons. One of his toys might get broken.

In the new moon chart, Mars and Neptune straddle the nadir, both opposing Saturn. So there’s definitely conflict in the coming month. This is a new conflict, not the same tired and bloody war we’ve been putting up with for years now.

Could it be the struggle between the president and Congress? At this writing, it’s hard to see enough will, determination and authority in the Democratic majority, as they stand against a president who doesn’t have much respect for checks and balances. But maybe it will happen. Maybe some leaders will emerge, energized by the growing voice of the people.

Mars in Aquarius could symbolize the energy of the community. And with Mars conjuncting Neptune at the new moon, it’s an energy that’s fueled by idealism, imagination, and creativity.

It’s a time of will and resolution. And there’s a great potential for creative change, as we see by the conjunction between Uranus and the north node in Pisces. There will be many people who, fed by their dreams and principles and beliefs, will have enough certainty to take action.

This is a time when the forces of destiny seek out those who can create change. Who are they? We may not know their names yet.

Index of Jenny Yates' Writings on Lesbian.com