Daykeeper Journal: Feature Article

by Maya del Mar

George W. Bush Has Said, "When you’re talking to Dick Cheney, you’re talking to me. When Dick Cheney’s talking, it’s me talking."

Dick Cheney is spending his time talking to GW—several times every day—also talking with all of the other Administration principals very frequently, working 18-hour days, managing the U.S. government, and overdoing on the stress level.

Cheney has always had the reputation of working quietly behind the scenes. He keeps a low profile, and his demeanor is low key and laconic. His John Wayne style is suitable for someone who was raised in Wyoming. Casper, Wyoming, where Cheney spent his teens, is an oil town, attracting money and dreams of money, something like Midlands, Texas. Bush and Cheney thus share a similar formative milieu.

Dick Cheney Is of the Earth

Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on Jan. 30, 1941, at 7:30 p.m. He was born on FDR’s birthday, something that greatly impressed him while growing up. He has Sun in Aquarius, Moon in Pisces, and Virgo rising. The Sun-Moon combination gives him a strong mystical, visionary bent, and it needs the grounding of the earth-sign Virgo Ascendant. The combination works well; it joins intuition and intelligence with practical know-how. Furthermore, the rulers of all three of those vital points make a powerful grand trine in can-do earth signs. Mr. Cheney is known as a down-to-earth person.

Fixed Earth, represented by Taurus, dominates his chart. Besides that, he has steady, reliable Taurus on his midheaven, which represents life purpose and reputation in the world. Fixed is stubborn, Taurus is stubborn, and we find Mr. Cheney a very persistent and stay-with-it fellow. Earth is conservative, and Mr. Cheney’s political philosophy and voting record are extremely conservative.

Dick Cheney is known for his utter devotion to his boss or patron, and he has always attracted a patron for the 35 years he has served in politics. This is appropriate, for his chart has much energy on the side of other people, little on the side of himself. He has depended on his sensitivity to others to make his way, and this is a quality which serves him in good stead. Furthermore, Aquarius is a loyal sign.

Cheney and Rumsfeld Have Worked Closely Together for Many Years

Our current Secretary of War, Donald Rumsfeld, father of the missile shield, was Cheney’s patron, mentor, and boss for most of his political career. Cheney’s Pisces Moon is very impressionable, and Rumsfeld’s views have been extremely influential in Cheney’s outlook. They still work closely together.

Cheney and Rumsfeld both have reputations for being cold.

With his emphasis on earth, Cheney is a practical problem-solver. He brooks no flubbing from subordinates. According to his daughter, Liz, he’s not afraid to fire people. One of his associates has called him "the coldest fish in Washington." One of Cheney’s ex-aides wrote, "His most distinguishing features were snake-cold eyes like a Cheyenne gambler’s… He was tough, tireless, book-smart, with a touch of sarcasm."

Cheney’s and Rumsfeld’s charts and lives are closely intertwined. Henry Kissinger has called Rumsfeld "the cruelest man on the face of the earth." It appears that "heart" is a missing link here. (Maybe the universe is trying to draw Cheney’s attention to his heart.) Rumsfeld and Cheney are at the top of the U.S. power heap. Cheney listens to Rumsfeld, and Bush listens to Cheney.

When He Was a Congressman, Cheney Used to Joke that He Never Met a Weapons System He Didn't Like

He was out in front of Colin Powell in pushing for the Gulf War. His daughter, Liz, says that a formative experience for him was taking a course at Yale from Prof. Bradford Westerfield, whose major concern was a Communist takeover of the United States.

Cheney was born when Juno was rising. Juno is often associated with victimization and terrorism, and Cheney may subconsciously feel terror in him, or coming at him, constantly. (Juno was in the powerful overhead position at the 9-11 attack, and rising at the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center.)

When Cheney was Secretary of Defense, a leaked document called Defense Planning Guidance said, "Our first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival." This idea should apply even to friendly nations. "We should discourage them from challenging our leadership." The pair who oversaw this draft, Paul Wolfowitz and Lewis Libby, are now top aides to Rumsfeld and Cheney. Cheney is more willing to use American military force, rather than diplomacy, as the U.S. modus operandi in dealing with the rest of the world. (It’s interesting that Cheney himself enrolled in junior college to escape the draft.)

Again, the emphasis on earth relates to militarism, which is tangible. Bombing someone is very clear-cut—bodies, destruction, etc.—in contrast to talky diplomacy, which may or may not accomplish its aims, and even then in a roundabout way.

Cheney’s fighting planet, Mars, is in Sagittarius, a sign prone to risk-taking and adventurism. Sagittarius, ruled by expansive Jupiter, tends to exaggerate whatever planet takes on that sign. With Mars, Sag exaggerates the warrior mode.

The Bush-Cheney Composite Chart Is Dynamite

To add fuel to the fire, the Bush-Cheney composite chart has Sun in Aries, the warrior sign. Composite Sun shows the center, the vitality, the purpose of a relationship.

To get further clues about how Sun operates, we look to its aspects. The Bush-Cheney Sun is in almost exact opposition to Mars, the Warrior. Close Mars aspects demand physical challenge and action. Both Mars and Sun, in turn, have a nearly exact square to Jupiter, King of the Gods.

Jupiter plays many roles as ruler. He is expansive, righteous, optimistic, full of himself, and lucky. Jupiter rules the U.S. natal chart, and thus is especially significant for the nation.

This is a Sun-Jupiter-Mars T-square, a very stressful configuration which needs constant action as outlet for the stress. We can look at the order of the planets as indicating motivation and sequence. First comes Sun, ego, then Jupiter, king, then Mars, war. Then the whole sequence begins again, for T-squares never rest.

Knowing this, it makes sense that Bush-Cheney continually announce that they are looking for other wars. We can see by the planetary sequence that those nations (or individuals) who question the authority of the U.S. are targets for this state of continual warfare. It will not stop "when x y and z." It will never stop as long as the Bush-Cheney combo rules the nation. It cannot stop. It’s a like a runaway horse.

The United States Is a Natural Receptacle for this Steamroller Energy

A T-square never rests. It is constantly on a search for a suitable outlet, a fourth energy which will complete the square.

This aggressive T-square finds its outlet for expression on the U.S. Pluto in Capricorn, which shows the nation’s enormous economic and governmental power. Pluto provides a channel for the volcanic stress which is constantly building with the Bush-Cheney T-square. These four planets make a very close cardinal grand square, which is like a constant pressure cooker. It’s no wonder that this team has so quickly been able to steamroller the destruction of so much that many of us hold dear.

Like Bonnie and Clyde, as a pair Bush and Cheney have no choice but to follow the energy. Together they hold the reins to the nation’s power. But Pluto is not a docile horse. The idea of managing it is false illusion, one of the many Neptunian glamours. Pluto is a law unto itself. It is in charge of that great power of life, evolution. It will have its way.

All three of these principals—Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld—have strong Neptunian energy. Neptune is psychic and visionary, but at the same time it brings us illusions and delusions. Things are not what they seem. Neptune casts a glamorous veil wherever it appears. Neptune is also connected with oil.

Neptune is, in addition, the planet of films and video. Hollywood and TV just naturally cooperate in working with the Neptunian veil. We see now two very popular films: Blackhawk Down, about the military in Somalia, and Collateral Damage, featuring the military in Colombia. Look for wars in both those countries.

It is very important for all of us now to open to channeling Neptunian energy for positive and uplifting purposes. Tools such as Crystal’s Meditations become crucial.

What Next for Dick Cheney?

Cheney is now embroiled in the Enron scandal. Ken Lay, ex-chair of Enron, was well-known as Bush’s major advisor on energy policy. Creating an energy policy was a Cheney assignment, and although Cheney has refused to divulge anything about the process, it is known that he and Lay met on numerous occasions, and it is certain that Lay had a big hand in the outcome. The cover is just beginning to come off this situation.

What about the future for Dick Cheney? Beginning this coming April, he has Neptune conjoining his Sun through 2003. Even under the best circumstances, one feels like one is in a fog. Memory lapses, things are unclear, and for a rational type it can be very frustrating. One tends to be thrust into imaginative new circumstances, which often motivate creativity. Since oil is a big issue with Cheney, this may be a time of developing oil sources and supply.

Cheney’s Mars is active on many fronts. Pluto conjoins his Mars during the same period that Neptune is meeting with his Sun. Pluto will bring out both the power of his Mars, and underlying problems he may have in directing his energy. The promised investigation of his energy plan by the government’s General Accounting Office may be one scenario here.

On June 3, Saturn opposes his Mars, giving him added responsibility. On July 3, his progressed Mars enters Aquarius, giving extra energy to his Aquarian Sun. It will be there for the remainder of his life. On November 1 his progressed Moon opposes Mars, marking a milestone in relationship security.

Cheney’s progressed nadir and progressed Mars are conjoined one another now. They will play tag with each other for the next two years. During that time his Martian energy continues to build up as a source of his security—or fear. By February 1, 2004, he will be coming from a deep inner place as the Warrior personified. Perhaps to an extreme. 2005 begins a very difficult few years for him.

A Solar Return is a birthday chart which features the upcoming energy for the year. Dick Cheney is just now starting his new solar return cycle. It features a very prominent Mars in Aries right on the midheaven, where he meets the world. He will be strongly challenged, and he will fight back. This is a warrior stance for all to see. His 2002 Mars is also connected with energy for building, and for breaking through obstacles. Half of the planets in the chart are in Aquarius which, together with Mars, shows pushing through weapons technology.

Burnout is a danger with such a busy Mars, especially since we’ve already seen that Cheney is prone to stress and overwork.

I am indebted to Nicolas Lemann’s excellent article, "The Quiet Man", in the May 7, 2001 New Yorker. Read it for a much fuller picture of Mr. Cheney—mdm.