Colin Powell
Colin Powell
- The man who is currently Secretary of State – Colin Powell – has been a prime figure in the public eye ever since he was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Persian Gulf War during the first few months of 1991. That war began by air on January 16, 1991 with a Sun-Saturn-North Node of the Moon triple conjunction in late Capricorn crossing America’s natal Pluto (will; purpose; power; the first ray of leadership; extremes and destructive energy on a vast scale). It just so happens that Colin Powell’s strategy-conscious and mentally-brilliant Jupiter-Pallas conjunction was right at the same area of the zodiac. Perhaps this is why he came out of the war a well-known and honored hero to millions of Americans.
Colin Powell was born on April 5, 1937 in New York City (time unknown at this writing). I have written about him and his chart, and his extraordinary links to Saddam Hussein and President George W. Bush in many articles from 1990-2004. His main tie with the president is that Powell’s Pluto at 26+ Cancer is exactly conjunct George W. Bush’s Saturn at 26+ Cancer. The orb is practically non-existent. And while the president has been experiencing a series of Saturn Returns (2004-2005), Secretary Powell is experiencing transiting Saturn crisscrossing his natal Pluto. From the astrological perspective, this is probably why he decided to leave his post as head of the State Department in order to pursue other realities beyond the executive branch of government and politics.
I noticed his remarkable tie to Saddam Hussein early on and this was a no-brainer. Both are born in April 1937 (the 5th for Powell and the 28th for Hussein). Both rose to power throughout the 1980s. Saddam Hussein “seized” the presidency of Iraq on July 16, 1979 and Colin Powell became a part of the core leadership around President Reagan and President George Herbert Walker Bush in the 1980s. They have two identical celestial signatures in their charts – Mars in early Sagittarius and a very close Jupiter-Pluto polarity from late Capricorn to late Cancer. The Mars factor – remember that the red planet is the ancient ruler of war, bloodshed and violence – is stunning because in the middle of April 1937 (almost equidistant from their birthdates) that planet slowed down, stopped and went retrograde. Therefore, instead of their Mars placements separate by approximately 15 degrees (if Mars were moving at its usual daily speed), they are conjunct within 1 degree! This is an example of Mundane Astrology on the highest, most profound and practical levels of interpretation.
What the information in the above paragraph tells us is that these two men were always destined to interconnect in a serious and karmic manner. All I can say is that I ABSOLUTELY knew back in 1991 – after the Persian Gulf War ended, with Saddam Hussein still remaining in power – that Powell and Hussein would have to meet again in the future. And one would decide the other’s fate.
What occurred is now history – September 11, 2001, America’s Invasion of Afghanistan shortly thereafter, the focus on ridding Saddam Hussein of his weapons of mass destruction, Colin Powell as Secretary of State in a new Bush administration becoming a major “point man” – in the nation, at the UN, with our allies and throughout the world – to get the Iraqi leader to cease his trouble-making, come clean, allow inspectors to do their work and give up his despotism in the Middle East. But because of stubbornness and pride (Saddam Hussein is a Sun-sign Taurus while Colin Powell is a Sun-sign Aries), the USA – for good or ill – began the war against Iraq on March 19, 2003. Oddly enough the war began with a close Saturn-Pluto polarity – an opposition that is in many ways a mirror reflection of the Jupiter-Pluto polarity both Saddam Hussein and Colin Powell were born under.
So far the results of the Iraq war – in regard to these two men – have revealed Saddam Hussein captured and awaiting trial (probably leading to his eventual execution for war crimes and horrendous illegal acts against his own people, the Kurds and others), and Colin Powell marginalized within the Bush administration (usually due to the influence of rivals Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense and Condoleezza Rice as National Security Advisor) and submitting his resignation (back on November 15, 2004). In different ways but on a parallel wavelength, Colin Powell and Saddam Hussein saw their prestige rise to enormous heights around 1990-1991 and sink to great depths in 2003-2004.
Having shared the foregoing, I find it almost astounding that as Colin Powell prepares to take his leave from around 20+ years of being within the inner circles of power in Washington, D.C. he is suddenly catapulted to international stature one more time in his recent global travels due to the shocking earthquake and tsunamis that have devastated the regions around Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India. It’s as if the cosmos is telling him “Don’t leave – we need you.”
Now it is also highly unusual that the first black man to serve as Secretary of State is about to be replaced by the first black woman (Condoleezza Rice) to hold that cabinet post. They do share a couple of fascinating links as his Jupiter at 24+ Capricorn is exactly conjunct her Chiron at 24+ Capricorn. And her Jupiter-Uranus union in late Cancer is right on his Pluto. I have no ideas what the quality and tenor of their relationship is, but somehow they have also been connected in other lives and probably other leadership positions within governments.
Here is another bizarre astrological fact that could use some further sleuthing. Donald Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932), Condoleezza Rice (November 14, 1954) and Colin Powell (April 5, 1937) all share something in common – an astrological signature that is one of the rarer ones to have at the time of birth. They all have Venus retrograde! Relative to the time it spends in forward motion through the zodiac, Venus spends less time retrograde than any other planet. Therefore, it is rarer to have Venus retrograde at birth than to have any other planet retrograde.
What magnetic or mysterious force has pulled these three prominent souls into the executive branch of government, during the past few years and to serve with President George W. Bush? We may never be able to answer this question. However, if you have any insights about Venus moving retrograde and why these three individuals should all have that placement and be in power positions so close to President Bush, please use the Contact Mark section on our web site to send me an e-mail. I wrote an entire book called Mysteries of Venus (1986) – that is now out of print – but even though I uncovered all kinds of surprising facts about the planet, orbit and qualities of Venus, I am still puzzled by these three people all having the planet in reverse.
In closing this time on Colin Powell, I have always been aware of a major factor in his birthchart that has made him an uncomfortable person working within the halls of political power in the nation’s capital. It is quite simple – his Sun at 15+ Aries. Why should a Sun right in the middle of the first sign of the zodiac – a fire sign representing strength, will, leadership and assertiveness – be a drawback? Because America’s Sun is at 13+ Cancer – very close to a right angle to Colin Powell’s Sun – and America also has Saturn at 14+ Libra. Therefore, Colin Powell’s Sun opposes our nation’s Saturn (structure; logic; traditions; rules and regulations; fears and limits). This seems to have a dual effect – to entice him into power and authority positions, but to weaken his influence and persuasiveness. [Note: Also troubling is that Colin Powell is born with the Sun almost exactly 150 degrees to potentially confusing and obfuscating Neptune in Virgo, and his Mercury (communication and thinking skills) at 27+ Aries forms a tense T-Square triangle with his potent Jupiter-Pluto polarity. These cosmic patterns will throw the Secretary of State off-kilter sometimes and this was evident in his forceful presentation (with various charts and diagrams) at the UN in early 2003 to persuade member states about Saddam Hussein definitely having weapons of mass destruction only to be proven wrong – so far – when the Iraqi War happened and no weapons were ever found.]
Nevertheless, in spite of his flaws that are still small relative to the mistakes most of us make, Colin Powell is one of the great leaders of our time. I believe he has a sensitivity, strength, compassion, understanding and vision that could lead him to the highest office – the presidency – sometime in the future. He contemplated a run back in 1996, but backed away and focused on his memoirs instead. Like Eisenhower before him (who was his opposite by Sun-sign, Libra), he could shift from 5-star general to republican president. But in 2008 he would be 71 years old and the odds are that his age then would work against him.
One way or another let’s hope that he doesn’t follow General Douglas MacArthur’s famous quotation before a joint session of Congress after he was relieved of his command in the Far East by President Truman. “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” For the nation’s sake and that of the world, it would be wise for Colin Powell to remain a hardworking, intelligent and inspired crusader for global peace and harmony despite the perils coming from al-Qaeda, rogue nations, and Mother Nature when she becomes very angry.
Mark Lerner Publisher Earth Aquarius News
