On the evening of 3 November 2025, former US Vice President Richard “Dick” Cheney passed away at his home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, of complications related to pneumonia and vascular disease. He was attended by Lynne, his wife of 61 years, their daughters Mary and Liz, and other family members.
Cheney’s career in politics spanned decades, from his early work in the late 1960s as an aide to Donald Rumsfeld, later Defense Secretary, to his stint as Chief-of-Staff for President Gerald Ford; to being the U.S Representative for Wyoming; Defense Secretary for President George H. W. Bush; and Vice President for his son, George W. Bush. He made a brief foray into the private sector as CEO of Halliburton, a Fortune 500 company, during the Clinton administration.
Known as “Darth Vader” by his detractors, Cheney’s omnipresent half-smile, which some considered a smirk, may have contributed to his reputation as the power behind the throne for George W. Bush, the architect of the 9/11 attacks, and the mover and shaker behind the Iraq War and the overarching War of Terror. To his credit, he vigorously opposed Donald Trump after the 2021 Capitol Insurrection, characterizing him as a threat to democracy, and came out to endorse Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, despite his long association with conservatism and the Republican Party.
Born 30 January 1941 at 7:30 PM CST in Lincoln, Nebraska (Rodden Rating AA), asteroid Richard 3972 at 28 Pisces conjoins the 22 Pisces Moon and is semisquare the 10 Aquarius Sun, typical placements for one’s own PNA’s (Personal-Named Asteroids). Although “Dick” is a common enough nickname for Richard, the presence of asteroid Dick 17458 at 22 Scorpio, exactly trine the Moon and conjoined the IC, may have influenced the choice in Cheney’s case.
His wife Lynne (nee Vincent) is seen as asteroids Lynn 4358, which at 9 Leo closely opposes his Sun, also sesquiquadrate Venus (romantic partners) at 21 Capricorn; and Vincent 34846, which at 6 Gemini is embedded at station (turning direct the day after his birth), indicating someone of prime importance in the biography, and squared asteroid Juno 3 at 4 Virgo on the 2 Virgo Ascendant, with Juno named for the Roman goddess of marriage, and Ascendant connections suggesting individuals who are key in crafting our public image.
Also at station is asteroid Ford 13852, which at 16 Gemini turned direct February 1, 2025. Gerald Ford’s elevation of Cheney to his Chief-of-Staff, arguably the second most powerful position in Washington after the president himself, catapulted him, at just age 33 to the highest echelons of national political power and influence. Ford’s choice cannot be underestimated in Cheney’s bio, as the stationary status of his eponymous asteroid attests.
The pivotal role played by the Bush dynasty in his biography is represented by asteroid Busch 7121 (alternate spelling) at 21 Scorpio, given Angular heft by conjunction with the 27 Scorpio IC, and personal connectivity via the conjunction with asteroid Dick, also closely opposed Uranus at 22 Taurus on the 27 Taurus Midheaven, ruling career, status, reputation, and place in the world. The Bushes are inextricably linked to Cheney’s rise via this connection. The unconventionality of Uranus is displayed, perhaps, by Cheney heading the vice-presidential search committee for Dubya in 2000, only to choose himself as the running mate. Busch is also broadly conjoined asteroid Whitehouse 5036 at 1 Sagittarius, denoting the two Bush presidencies in which his involvement was key. Asteroid George 3854 at 16 Taurus squares the Sun, underscoring the personal relationship between Cheney and the Bushes, father and son.
A pairing of Jupiter with Saturn at 7 and 8 Taurus squared the Sun indicates a career (Saturn) in politics (Jupiter), inclining toward the conservative side (Saturn), and with Sun opposed Pluto at 3 Leo, there’s no doubt of Cheney’s attraction to power, and perhaps underhanded, even criminal, activity. An inconjunct from the Sun to asteroid Washingtonia at 9 Cancer shows a pull toward the nation’s capital, while a trine from Pluto to Whitehouse suggests direct involvement with a presidential administration as the surest, easiest route to Pluto’s goal. Again, asteroid George within orb of conjunction shows the Bush’s facilitation of that desire to dominate.
Cheney served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1979-1989), as displayed by asteroid House 4950 at 1 Capricorn, in trine to Jupiter/Saturn. A semisquare from asteroid Richard at 28 Pisces to asteroid Bellona 28 at 11 Taurus, named for the Roman goddess of war, describes his stint as Bush Sr’s Defense Secretary (1989-1993). But it was as architect of the Iraq War under Bush Jr that Bellona truly shone, in exact inconjunct to asteroid Baghdad 7079 at 11 Sagittarius (named for the Iraqi capital), itself conjoined Mars, planetary ruler of war, at 17 Sagittarius.
Several eclipses in 2025 heralded Cheney’s potential demise. The Lunar Eclipse of 14 March 2025 at 23 Virgo opposed both natal asteroid Richard at 28 Pisces and the natal Moon at 22 Pisces, signifying health at risk generally, and anticipating pneumonia as the proximate cause of his death, with lungs ruled by the Moon. The subsequent Solar Eclipse of 29 March at 9 Aries squared natal asteroid Requiem 2254 at 7 Capricorn, named for the funeral mass for the dead. Finally, the Solar Eclipse of 21 September at 29 Virgo opposed natal asteroid Richard, setting the seal on his mortality.
When Dick Cheney passed away on 3 November 2025, the transit Sun at 11 Scorpio conjoined both transit asteroid Richard at 10 Scorpio, spotlighting him one last time; and transit asteroid Atropos 273 at 3 Scorpio, named for the mythic Greek Fate who severs the thread of life at death. The transit Sun was also closely squared to Cheney’s natal Sun at 10 Aquarius and natal asteroid Osiris 1923 at 9 Aquarius, named for the Egyptian god of the dead, as well as opposed natal Saturn, ancient lord of death, at 8 Taurus, and squared natal Pluto, modern lord of death, at 3 Leo, forming a Grand Cross of death.
Transit asteroid Dick at 11 Capricorn is conjoined by transit asteroids Rip 7711 (acting as a death indicator in the form of the acronym RIP, “Rest In Peace,” a common tombstone inscription) at 16 Capricorn and Jackson 2193 at 20 Capricorn, reflecting the Jackson Hole, Wyoming venue of his demise. Natal Jackson at 4 Leo conjoins Pluto and opposes the Sun, squaring Saturn, prefiguring someone or someplace of that name as a salient factor in his eventual death. Transit Dick also conjoins natal asteroid Requiem at 7 Capricorn and natal asteroid Atropos at 17 Capricorn.
Additional contacts from the transit sky to natal placements include
- Transit asteroid Requiem at 26 Virgo, opposed the natal Moon,
- Asteroid Richard and asteroid Lachesis 120, named for the Fate who determines the span of life, at 0 Aries;
- Transit Saturn at 25 Pisces, conjoined the natal Moon, Richard and Lachesis;
- Transit Lachesis at 15 Virgo, semisquare natal Pluto at 3 Leo;
- Transit Atropos at 3 Scorpio exactly squared natal Pluto;
- Transit Osiris at 8 Gemini squared the 2 Virgo Ascendant; and
- Transit Pluto at 1 Aquarius opposed its natal place and widely conjoined the natal Sun and asteroid Osiris pairing, also widely squared natal Saturn.
- Pluto’s station retrograde in May 2025 occurred at 3 Aquarius, exactly opposed its natal degree, another indicator of imminent demise.
Dick Cheney will be long remembered. Whether with affection or disdain, depends upon one’s political perspective.
Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, whose website AlexAsteroidAstrology.com offers a trove of info on the role of asteroids in personal and mundane astrology. He is the author of The Black Hole Book (available on Amazon.com) and The Urban Wicca, former editor of “The Galactic Calendar,” and past president of The Philadelphia Astrological Society. His pioneering work with Black Holes in astrological interpretation began in 1991, when his progressed Sun unwittingly fell into one. Alex’s books and writings are available on his website. Alex can also be reached for comment or services at .
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