Karmic Knowledge

The White House today announced the resignation of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton. Bolton was given a recess appointment to the post by President Bush on August 1, 2005 after the Senate refused to confirm the original nomination. That appointment, which occurred during a Mercury retrograde cycle, is set to expire when the new Democratically led Congress adjourns in January.

Bolton’s tenure at the U.N. has been filled with controversy. Even before his appointment, Bolton was an outspoken critic of the organization. He once stated that if the top 10 floors of the 38-story U.N. headquarters building in NY were removed, no one would notice.

When we look at John Bolton’s right hand we can see that the upper phalange of his Jupiter finger is quite tiny. In general, the upper phalanges of the fingers represent the mind. Specifically, the Jupiter or index finger is associated with leadership, big picture thinking, ambition, vision and ideals. In Roman Mythology, Jupiter (and his counterpart in Greek myth, Zeus) is considered to be the protector of the state and its laws.

A shrunken or damaged upper Jupiter phalange is an indicator of lack of vision, issues with authority and difficulty with right use of power. Think of it as a fingertip Napoleon complex. The damaged upper Jupiter phalange can also be a sign of a loss of idealism, or at its worst, the abandonment of ethics.

Bolton has often been categorized as a bully. Certainly, his small upper Jupiter finger, along with a narrow space between his head and heart lines (narrow point of view) and a short Mercury finger, (communication issues) would indicate that he has a difficult time seeing other points of view.

Astrologically, he has Mercury in Scorpio square Pluto in Leo. Unless moderated by gentler aspects, this can manifest as underhandedness, misuse of power and a dogmatic need to convert others to one’s own way of thinking. He also has Jupiter in Capricorn, the conservative, conjunct Mars in Sagittarius, the crusader, opposed by Uranus in Gemini. Together they make for someone who could be willing to fight doggedly for his beliefs and to restrict the freedom of others to believe differently.

Hopefully, whoever replaces Bolton as the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations will have a healthier relationship with the power that comes with the position, and the true Jupiterian optimism to envision solutions that work for the many instead of the few.

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