Al Gore in the Limelight?
Zip Dobyns
We have looked at all the Clintons, including Chelsea, in past issues of The Mutable Dilemma, and also at both Tipper and Al Gore, but with the election imminent, another brief look at some of them seems appropriate. We still do not have a firm birth time for Hillary. A family friend reported Hillary was born about 8 P.M., and since that put her personal name asteroid on the IC, I was inclined to trust it. A later rumor suggested she was born in the morning, but did not specify a time, and I have not taken time to check her chart against the events in her life. The project, like many others, is waiting in the wings until I have or make more time, so we will skip her chart for the moment and concentrate on Bill and Al.
Theoretically, we have firm, birth certificate data for these two candidates. According to his mother, Bill Clinton was born on August 19, 1946 at 8:51 A.M. CST in Hope AR. Al Gore was born on March 31, 1948 at 12:53 P.M. EST in Washington, DC. Since both charts have been discussed in the past, at this time we will focus on the progressed aspects for the election on November 5, 1996.
I have added some new personal name asteroids to my list which might “work” for Bill and Al, though I have NOT tested them enough to be confident of their value. As readers know, the basic “root” of a name seems to work even when it has been feminized by adding an “a” or “ia” as astronomers used to do when asteroids with “ordinary” orbits were named for men. I am less confident about the reliability of names with major variations added to the core name, but am continuing to observe them in mundane charts for events and in the current patterns in personal charts when the individuals experience major events in their lives. The asteroid Gingerich has an extra “e” in the middle and Newtonia was feminized with an added “ia”, but both of these asteroids seem to be working for Newt Gingrich, current Speaker of the House of Representatives. In addition to Williams, which I have been using for Bill Clinton ever since he hit the national scene, I am watching Guillermina, a Spanish variant of William, Clintford, and Jeffers. Bill’s middle name of Jefferson is derived from the “son of Jeffers.” For Albert Gore, I am watching Albertine, and it may prove to be “paydirt.”
Natal Albertine was in 24 Pisces 2 when Al Gore was born. It is progressing at about 33 minutes a year, and it reached Al’s MC in June 1996 if his birth certificate birth time is accurate. It will maintain the conjunction with his MC for slightly less than four years, to March 2000. If this asteroid is a valid key to Al’s life situation, it emphasizes power issues, including the potential for executive power. However, like Saturn, the MC can signal the achievement or the loss of power. As Vice President, Al already holds an executive position in the U.S. federal government. Of course, he could lose that power if the election goes against the Democrats. Since at this point most polls point to a win for Bill and AL, a more intriguing possibility would be an expansion of Al’s power during the next four years. I will write more about the conspiracy theories which are proliferating in the country when I discuss Clinton’s chart. I will just comment here that some alternative news sources think that if Clinton wins, as is now expected, he will be threatened with impeachment during his next term and be forced to resign, which would put Al into the presidency.
Other interesting asteroids in Al’s chart include P Newtonia conjunct Saturn. This aspect was already present when All was elected Vice President in 1992, and it will last into 2005. It really fits the power contest going on between Newt and the House of Representatives which he largely controls versus the executive branch headed by Bill and Al. It could also signal a contest for the presidency in 2000 between Al and Newt. P Newtonia will reach the conjunction with Al’s natal Mars in early 2000 to repeat the potential for a power contest. The Democratic Convention made it clear that Al Gore is going to try for the presidency in four years, and when I analyzed Newt’s chart in a previous issue of The Mutable Dilemma, I commented that I thought he would make a run for the top office in 2000. Returning to Al’s chart, P Gingerich maintains an opposition to natal Albertine from 1995, the year the Republicans began exercising the power they gained through the 1994 election. The aspect lasts into 2006. Oppositions can be manifested as partnerships or as competition and warfare. It is obviously competition for Newt and Al.
Other current aspects in Al’s chart for the election this fall include his P Ascendant just ending a quincunx to his natal Sun and his P Moon on Neptune just finishing an opposition to the Sun. These are aspects for change, which could be produced by the election or could occur during the term of office determined by the election; that is, the situation produced by the election might prove temporary. P Moon is also sextile Pluto, conjunct natal Clintford, one of the potential asteroids for Bill Clinton, semisextile P Ascendant, and trioctile the tenth house Venus. These aspects describe the close tie with Clinton, some potential for success, but also change in the handling with power which is signaled by the quincunx. P Ceres, which can be a key to one’s job, trines P Neptune and sextiles natal Sun, supporting success. P MC within a few months will be moving into a sextile to the Sun, a trine to P Neptune, and a conjunction to P Ceres. These aspects also would fit increasing power and prominence in Al’s job. P Venus is less favorable, with a square to Pallas, our most political asteroid. In a couple of years, it will square the Sun and P Neptune, pointing to increasing issues which could involve power with the cardinal signs and moral choices or legal decisions with the mutable houses. P Venus will also be trioctile Chiron to repeat the latter message. P Neptune stays opposite the Sun throughout Al’s life. You wonder whether Al might follow Ford’s example in pardoning Nixon if the conspiracy theorists are not “off the wall.” Al and Bill are real friends, unlike Ford and Nixon, but so far, Al seems untouched by the many scandals hovering around Bill. Of course, wielding government power constantly calls for moral decisions. Cutting welfare will undoubtedly intensify the pressure, leading to increased homelessness and hunger for many people. It can also produce more crime by desperate people who have lost hope, and keeping people in jail costs a lot more than giving them welfare and food stamps.
Two of the strongest aspects which picture change are P Vesta quincunx Juno and P Mars opposite America and moving into an opposition to Juno and an octile to natal Vesta within a few months after the election.. Juno is a partnership asteroid like Pluto. These aspects could point to concerns over the general economy, a broader meaning for Pluto, Juno, and the eighth house of the chart. Mars in Virgo and Vesta, a Virgo asteroid, could point to concerns over employment. But the aspects could also show strain or separations in the partnership of Bill and Al. P Juno starts a square to Uranus in 1998 to reinforce the theme. Another aspect which will become exact during the coming term of office is P Antivertex conjunct Saturn. Like Albertine on the MC, this could be manifested as increased executive power and responsibility, or as a loss of power. Of course, aspects do not always indicate events. They are primarily keys to inner states. Saturn and the MC may simply point to feelings of responsibility. Within one to two years, P Mercury will also form new aspects; a sextile to the MC for career success; a quincunx to Chiron for possible changes involving home, family, or the public and the home land; and a conjunction with Uranus which often signals new opportunities and experiences. The Sun, which is a major key to prominence and power, is currently quincunx Jupiter for yet another pointer to change, and it will move into a new sign in a little less than two years. Al’s life will not be dull or routine.
There are many more asteroids which could be mentioned. Al’s P East Point, an auxiliary Ascendant which symbolizes personal action, will remain conjunct Hillary for about a year and a half. I have not decided on an asteroid for Tipper, but both “first couples” are reportedly very close. P Williams for Bill is in 25 Cancer sextile Venus in Taurus and Jeffers and Washingtonia in 25 Virgo for mutual support. Al’s P Ascendant is also sextile natal Williams. P America is conjunct P Henry (for H Ross Perot) in late Pisces and they square Jupiter. Most commentators think that Perot’s influence in the election will help Al and Bill, but he is also an opponent. The squares in Sagittarius and Pisces point to issues involving truth, beliefs, values, ethics, etc. P Saturn holds a very long quincunx to natal Roberts for the tense relationship with Bob Dole, and P Roberts repeats the message with a square to Al’s MC and a quincunx to his natal Uranus. P MC is on natal Roberta to again describe the confrontation over power, and P Roberta opposes P Jupiter. The way these personal name asteroids face off with appropriate aspects continues to amaze me. No one can work with the asteroids and still believe in a world ruled by chance. Many more could be mentioned, but unlike the sky, patience has limits.
Turning to Bill Clinton’s chart, we can see the usual mixed message. His progressed aspects support his potential for reelection with P MC trine P Williams, his personal name asteroid, and coming to the Sun before the next inauguration. P Sun aspects last two years and mark a potential for personal prominence and power. But, as mentioned in the discussion of Bob Dole’s and Al’s charts, an MC conjunction is similar to one with Saturn. You can rise or fall or do both, depending on what you have “earned” through past actions. Prominence can mean fame or infamy, and can involve many different details. One of the reasons I thought that George Bush might win in 1992 was the fact that his chart showed prominence in later years and few ex-presidents remain in the limelight once they leave office. But Bush was in the media when he campaigned for his two sons who were running for the office of governor in Texas and Florida. Bill’s P MC will also be semisextile Washingtonia and sextile a stellium in Libra which includes his local East Point as a key to personal power and action, P Chiron which symbolizes ideals and goals and faith, P Wisdom, P Albertine, and P NORC. The latter asteroid was named for an early computer and it is appropriate to have it traveling with Albertine for Al Gore’s focus on modern technology. It is debatable whether Bill and/or Al are truly wise or more accurately described as intelligent or politically savvy. Regardless of one’s opinion on that, this collection of aspects favors Bill’s chances of getting what he urgently wants, to be reelected.
However, many other aspects are more challenging. The P MC and the cluster in Libra are quincunx P Vesta in the 6th house to form a series of yods, aspects which would fit Bill separating from his job. The Libra factors also square Washingtonia, which I read as a key to our capital city, so Bill’s second term, assuming he has one, is likely to continue the constant power struggles of his first term. Also, the P Moon in the 6th house is quincunx a cluster around 18 Libra which includes Bill’s local Ascendant, Chiron, Antivertex, and P Siva (god of destruction). P Moon is also square its own nodes, setting off a mutable T-square which is completed by P Niobe in Virgo, an asteroid named for a mythical woman whose arrogance was punished by Apollo who killed all 14 of her children and turned her into a rock. By modern standards, Greek gods were not very nice. The Moon and its nodes are keys to emotional security, the public, the homeland, etc. P Victoria in the fourth house of the public is sextile P Moon but square the 18 degree Libra group and opposite natal Roberts. The mixed message is probably warning “be careful what you want. You are likely to get it and might regret it.”
One of the most dramatic patterns in astrology occurs when different factors with the same meaning repeat a message. Several asteroids in addition to Niobe carry the theme of overreach. Arachne was another Greek lady whose ego did her in. Icarus and Phaethon are similar—mythical figures who overreached and crashed to their deaths. Bill’s P MC is square P Phaethon and his local (Washington, DC) P MC is square natal Phaethon! Saturn and its equivalent, the MC, are traditionally associated with falls when we try to do more than we can. P Phaethon is also sextile P Vesta but quincunx the cluster of factors in 25 Libra to add additional quincunxes to the picture. We can expect a time of many changes. P Icarus is on P Pallas, our political asteroid, and both are on Victoria for victory, but Icarus is also square natal Albertine, which is closely conjunct Bill’s natal Ascendant, and quincunx P Urania, which is similar to Uranus, and P Hillary to form another yod in the chart. Within a few months, P Icarus will square Bill’s Ascendant to set off his cardinal cross of the major angles as well as Mars, Neptune, and Vesta. Icarus will also be trioctile natal Moon. These aspects are likely to last throughout a four-year term of office. It looks like a rough road ahead. P Roberta is currently conjunct natal Icarus in 8 to 9 Capricorn, square P Neptune, P America, and the midpoint of Saturn/south lunar node which I see as a major lesson. Bill was initially elected with his P Sun on the progressed position of that important midpoint. The Sun symbolizes our ego, self-esteem, and growth potential—the urge to do more than we have done before and to be admired for it. Saturn in Leo and Leo in the tenth house also point to an ego lesson. Bill’s natal Sun conjuncts Niobe. I suspect that even those who admire him will acknowledge that he has an ego lesson
Another major configuration in Bill’s chart involves a grand cross early in the fixed signs. P Mercury is approaching a conjunction with P Jupiter which will reach the standard one-degree orb to activate it on February 20, 1997. Most astrologers assume that a Jupiter conjunction will bring a period of good luck, but there are three basic ways in which it can manifest, with an infinite variety of details for each. If the individual with the aspect is clear about faith, values, and goals, and the goals are reasonable, the expected good fortune comes. The goals are reached or progress is made toward them. But, if the individual is not clear about his or her basic faith, values, and goals, a Jupiter period may be spent analyzing the belief system, trying to set priorities, to determine what is really desired and how to move toward it. And, if the individual knows what he or she wants but the goals are unrealistic, impossible to achieve, the Jupiter period will be one of great disappointment. Since Jupiter symbolizes our basic, usually conscious, faith, its periods often mark times of excess which can be in any area of life. In Bill’s chart, both P Mercury and P Jupiter are square Saturn (symbolizing what is possible) and Ceres (in the fourth house for the working public) and they oppose Arachne, one of the overreach ladies. But then, would anyone except an overreach person want to be President of the U.S.?
As this is written in early September, U.S. troops are again going to the Gulf to warn Saddam Hussein not to overreach. Does Bill’s chart have war potentials in it? Yes, as long as we say potentials rather than certainties. The south lunar node marks where we have lessons, usually involving relationships with other people Once we learn the lessons, the south node points to areas of life where we have something to give to the world. Bill’s south node is in Sagittarius, the sign associated with faith, beliefs, and the ethics based on our belief system. By extension, Jupiter, Sagittarius and the 9th house can be keys to law courts, judgment, education, foreign countries, etc. Letter nine symbolizes our search for Truth, wherever it takes us—to a church, to a college, to a library, to a law court, or to another country. Currently, for some years, Bill has P Winchester, the asteroid of guns, on his P south node, and P Libitina, a death goddess, on his natal south node. Bill has worked to pass gun control laws and to strengthen the police. He supports education. He successfully stopped the horrifying ethnic killing in Bosnia, and is trying to expand peace in Israel and Northern Ireland. On the other side, he is a target of legal investigation and at least one lawsuit, and some of the accusations being made against him in the “alternative” media are shocking. A sizable percentage of U.S. citizens do not trust him, and trust is a basic part of letter nine.
A smaller number of people are vitriolic in their hatred of Bill Clinton. One of these is Jack Wheeler, who writes regularly for a financial newsletter called Strategic Investment. In their September 1996 issue Wheeler predicts with glee that the Republicans will maintain their majority in the House of Representatives and that following the scheduled retirement of the Chairman of the House Reform and Oversight Committee, the new Chairman will finally expose the truth about Bill Clinton. Dan Burton, the incoming Chairman, is a Republican from Indiana, and Wheeler writes that he is determined to send Bill to the Big House (jail) out of the White House. Wheeler wants to go even farther. He hopes Bill will get the chair, meaning electric. Since Wheeler wrote previously that Bill would be impeached and forced out of office by 1995 or 1996 at the latest, his predictions are debatable. Some of the lurid material is coming from members of the CIA, though the ones spreading the negative gossip may be disgruntled because there was less emphasis on gathering information and more on action under Reagan and Bush. The major media eventually found out and published the CIA’s role in supporting the Contras in Nicaragua and the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan. Not that this activity has totally stopped. Time magazine just reported the CIA’s effort to build the Kurds into a group who could overthrow Saddam Hussein in Iraq; an effort which ended with the CIA fleeing and many Kurds being killed by Saddam. The CIA is said to be the source of one prediction that Bill would be elected and then forced out of office, elevating Al Gore to the presidency. Whatever their reliability, the conspiracy claims and counter-claims are proliferating in many forms and seem to be from many sources, ranging from investment gurus to jailed criminals who claim they formerly worked for U.S. security organizations.
The aspects in the charts of both Bill and Al do show the potential of major changes in the years immediately ahead. But I would not predict as drastic a scenario as Wheeler and other right-wing extremists suggest. Despite the indications of major tension, Bill also has aspects which would fit his leaving office at the normal time in 4 years. His P Sun will be on his local Ascendant for two years from three to five years from now, an indication of personal prominence. P Pallas will be crossing the IC, suggesting a change of home and career. P Ascendant will oppose the Moon, quincunx Uranus, and trine the local MC for new goals and action. The last aspect plus P local Ascendant trine Saturn in its own house show at least the potential for retiring with honor. Also, P MC will trine Pallas. There will also be plenty of stress aspects through the intervening years. We will continue to watch the patterns and to learn more astrology in the process.
PS:
I have not been able to get the birth data of Dick Morris, the political guru for Clinton’s campaign who resigned during the convention when a tabloid newspaper reported that he had shared confidential government information with a prostitute. The latest word from still another tabloid is that in addition to his professional wife and the part-time prostitute, Morris has been supporting a mistress for 13 years, as well as their 6 year old daughter.
The same tabloid, the September 24, 1996 issue of the National Enquirer, reported that one of Dole’s top advisors, Roger Stone, has been involved in group-sex clubs along with his wife, Nydia. Nydia (known as Nikki to friends) has advertised on her World Wide Web site since March 1996, as well as in as many as 70 swingers’ magazines across the country, looking for couples or single men, especially men in the military, to take part in sex games. Reportedly, some were managed during the Republican convention in San Diego. Stone claimed that the Web site was put up by an enemy who was trying to get even, but it was billed to Stone’s home address and paid for with his wife’s credit card. The Web site was removed from the Internet less than 2 hours after the Enquirer talked to Stone.
Roger Stone is the one who persuaded Dole to invite Jack Kemp to be his running mate, and who has urged the Republicans to campaign on family values and integrity. At least as far as the two main political Parties, the pot can’t call the kettle black, to quote one cliché, and another says: Power corrupts. We could revise the rest of the saying to “the more power, the more danger of corruption.” It is heady stuff.