Recently, we’ve been discussing the twelve signs of the zodiac on my local RWA chapter’s email loop. It’s fun to see who’s got Gemini, the sign of the writer, in their charts, or Libra, the sign of romance. And both of those are Air signs, the element that’s all about intellect and communication — writing, natch!
When Aquarius came up — the sign of the visionary, of progressive thought and change, of working on behalf of the people, of broad-scale political, social or cultural movements — one of our group wondered about the astrological signs of the presidential candidates. Immediately I was reminded of the 2000 election, when I was assigned at work to write an analysis of the then-candidates’ birth charts — Gore’s, Lieberman’s, Bush’s and Cheney’s. I’ve never forgotten how downright scary Bush’s and Cheney’s charts were. Bush is a Cancer, sign of home, patriotism, tradition and family. Not at all scary, until you put it together with many different aspects in his chart that point to intense insecurities and a deep, driving need to prove to his father, George Sr., that he’s a big man, too. Basically, GDub wanted that presidency so he could show up his dad. And Cheney’s chart is full of indicators of violence, aggression, a drive for power and a lack of conscience regarding other people’s feelings or the consequences of his actions. Back in 2000, I already knew I didn’t want those guys in office, but looking at their charts just scared me. And then I was grimly unsurprised as the next eight years unfolded, full of senseless wars based on false, twisted information, government funding ruthlessly cut from programs that help kids, women, war veterans and the elderly, and even Cheney shooting someone in the face and then essentially blaming it on the victim.
Boy, don’t even get me started about that stuff. But when my ARWA friend posted about presidential Sun signs, of course, I had to get on Wikipedia to check.
Here’s what I found: Aquarius and Scorpio are tied as the #1 signs of presidents! Five presidents have been Aquarians and five have been Scorpios.
Of course, there’s way, way more to a person’s birth chart than their Sun sign. But those stats are interesting to me. Aquarius makes sense, since it’s about progressive thought and working on behalf of the people. Scorpio makes sense too, since it’s about deep, intense power and change. Scorpio wants to dominate other people, and believes it holds the key to truth and the power of the universe. (Hillary Clinton is a Scorpio.) And who knows? That sign is ruled by Pluto. Maybe Scorpio really is the most quietly powerful, insightful astrological sign of the zodiac. It’s certainly the sign of therapists and healers — people who make it their life’s work to delve deeply into other people’s problems and help them heal and transform themselves.
The next most common presidential signs, representing four presidents each, are Cancer, Libra, Taurus and Pisces. This surprised me. Cancer makes sense, since, like I said above, it’s about home (including patriotism and the home front), tradition and protection. And Libra makes sense, since it’s about justice and partnerships. (Bill Clinton, though not a Libra, has a lot of Libra in his chart, and everyone knows what a huge influence his wife was on his actions and policies while he was in office.) But Taurus? Taurus is all about self-indulgence, pleasure, being grounded and practical, and enjoying life. I should know. I’m a Taurus, and I couldn’t be bothered to rule a country as huge and diverse as ours! I’d rather sit in the shade and smell flowers (that’s a Ferdinand the Bull reference, in case you didn’t catch it). And Pisces is incredibly sensitive and indecisive, both qualities that I’d think would impede a president’s effectiveness. Those Taurean and Piscean presidents must have had Aquarius, Scorpio or Leo prominent in their charts.
Interestingly, of all those top presidential signs, all but one (Pisces) are are either Cardinal signs (Cancer and Libra) or Fixed signs (Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius). This, too, makes sense: the Cardinal signs (which also include Aries and Capricorn) are self-starters, and they also motivate others. They’re the ones who possess the inner fire and determination to be a leader. And Fixed signs (which also include Leo) are the ones with the endurance and determination it takes to see a long, grueling project through to the end — like, say, a career in politics that builds to a bid for the presidency of the United States.
Only three presidents have been Leos. I would’ve thought it would be a lot more than that. Leos are the King of the Jungle, the natural leaders and protectors of the zodiac. Bill Clinton is a Leo, as is Barack Obama, whose Jupiter is at 0 degrees Aquarius — a very karmic placement that’s all about progress, expansion, and good luck that comes through networks, large groups of people, and major causes or movements. And no one could deny that Barack’s presidential bid has mobilized a huge group of people who feel hopeful for the first time in years about taking this country in a new, better direction.
Incidentally, both Bill and Barack have both Sun and Mercury in Leo, which doubles their urges to lead powerfully through communication and charisma. George W. Bush also has Mercury in Leo — he also wants to communicate powerfully and have everyone listen. Unfortunately, he got his wish, and there are countless videos on YouTube chronicling his many, many verbal gaffes.
Ronald Reagan was one of the five Aquarian presidents. He certainly brought about major changes during his time in office, but progressive? I guess that depends on your perspective. Big Business is probably pretty happy about Reagan’s forward-thinking ideas on its behalf.
I also would have thought there would be more Capricorns on the list, since Caps are the ones who work so hard and want so much to impress everyone. Like Leos, they’re natural leaders, and their innate logic and conservatism could make for a good president. (I mean conservatism not in the political sense, but in the sense of someone who can make good, cautious decisions about conserving natural resources, for example, or finances, or whatever. That kind of conservatism. And how is it that Republican and conservative are used almost interchangeably these days, but there’s hardly a Republican in office who’s an environmental conservationist OR who knows how to conserve funds instead of spending them recklessly on war, war and more war?)
Anyway, there have also been four Pisces presidents, and three Sagittarians. These are Mutable signs (along with Gemini and Virgo) — the signs that are flexible and know how to change with the times, but may lack decisiveness or follow-through. Pisces possesses certain visionary qualities, though, plus innate compassion, which would come in handy for a president. And Sagittarius is the sign of the pioneer, and presidents have to have a pioneering spirit.
If Ba-ROCK THE VOTE! Obama takes the presidency this fall, he’ll be the fourth Leo president. If McCain does, he’ll be the third Virgo president.
Based on the Sun-sign factor alone, I’m thinking Obama’s odds look much, much better. 
Love, Catherine
