Executive Summary – Ptolemy identified six levels of fame/success depending on the location and condition of Sun and Moon and their ‘attendants’.

Of the last five presidents of the United States, only Obama and GHW Bush, had strong enough charts to take them all the way to president. GW Bush really shouldn’t have gone any further than Civil leader and Bill Clinton, although technically only a Governor, possibly charmed himself into the White House with his strong Venus in Libra.

This suggests that (1) there is much more going on in these charts than is apparent using only Ptolemy re: fitness for leadership or (2) the requirements for leadership were very different in the time of Ptolemy than they are today.

Ptolemy identified six levels of fame/success:

1. Kings & Princes

Both luminaries in masculine signs and at least one of them to be found in an angle. This alone is pretty good. However – as well, they (both) be attended by a doryphory (including rays) composed of all five planets – then this is REAL GOOD. In addition, this rank is helped if the planets in the doryphories are also in the angles or configured with the MC.

2. Chieftain

The Sun only masculine with the Moon feminine and only one of them in an angle. If both, however, have good doryphories as described above, then the person will reach chieftain level, with the power to judge life and death. NOTE – a good doryphory has benefics in good shape or on angles (or ruling them).

3. Governor or Commander

If the natal chart has the luminaries as for a Chieftain but the doryphories do not involve the angles, these people will not be invested with sovereignty, but will reach eminence.

4. Civil Leader

If neither of the luminaries be in the angles, but both have good doryphories which are in the angles or ruling the angles, they will have a leadership role in their community. Councilor, President of a club, Mayor of a small town and so on.

5. Undistinguished

If neither luminary is in an angle (Sun still masculine and Moon feminine), and the attending planets are not involved with the angles by placement or ruler-ship, then the person will lead a humble life.

6. Lowest Level

If neither luminary be found in a masculine sign, nor in an angle, nor attended by any benefics they will live lives of “quiet desperation” and obscurity.

Barack Obama – Both luminaries in masculine signs and the Sun (on an angle) is dignified by both rulership and triplicity. This alone is pretty good. Saturn, chart ruler, is very strong in rulership. Neither doryphory is large but all attendants are in good shape and that helps very much. The solar  doryphory = Mars & Venus (by sextile). The lunar doryphory = Venus (by sextile), Jupiter  (by trine), and Mercury (by sextile).  The chart ruler, Saturn, in dignity by rulership is probably doing overtime as well even if actually cadent (ineffective). Overall this gets him to Chieftain or better.

GW Bush – Only the Moon is in a masculine sign and neither is on an angle. Sun is the chart ruler and hence connected with (but not on) an angle. Both doryphories are reasonably large (Solar = Moon (by trine), Mars (by square), Venus (by sextile), Mercury (by sextile) and Lunar = Jupiter, Venus (by sextile), Saturn (by square), and Sun (by trine). But although numerous, none of the attendants are
particularly strong and Saturn is weak- cadent and in detriment. Too bad Mars didn’t come to the fore in the dorypohories because although it is only dignified by triplicity, it does rule the MC. Overall this gets him to Civil Leader. How he made it all the way to president, however, doesn’t appear to be shown in his chart at least not just by using Ptolemy.

Bill Clinton – Only the Sun is in a masculine sign but it is both in rulership and connected with (but not on) an angle. The Moon may be feminine, but she is exalted in Taurus and rules the MC. This alone is very good. Neither doryphory is large  – Solar = Moon (by trine) and Lunar = Mars (by opposition), Mercury (by trine), Sun (by trine) and although again the Moon and Sun are strong, Mars in Libra is in detriment (damaged). Normally this ought only to have got him to Governor (that Mars in detriment should have held him back and the Sun, although strong in its own right, doesn’t have helpers). But his Moon and Sun are so strong that this might be what projected him to president. Besides, if all else failed, he always had his Venus in the 1st (angular) house in rulership in Libra to charm himself into the White House.

GHW Bush – Both the Sun and Moon are in masculine signs and although neither are found on an angle, because Leo rising the Sun is the chart ruler and hence associated with an angle. That’s pretty good. The solar doryphory is reasonably strong: Mercury (by sextile), Venus, Moon (by trine) and Saturn (by square) exalted in Libra. The lunar doryphory, not quite so strong: (Jupiter (by sextile) and strong in rulership as well as  Mercury (by trine), and Venus (by sextile) dignified only by triplicity.  Still none of the planets in this chart are damaged (as was the case in his son’s chart with cadent Saturn in detriment) and that helps quite a bit.  Overall this should have got him to at least Chieftain and maybe with that strong Jupiter and Saturn (although not on angles), even better.

Ronald Reagan – Only the Sun is in a masculine sign and it is not on an angle. With Sagittarius rising, the chart ruler is Jupiter and, in Scorpio, it’s neither strong nor weak. The Moon in Taurus (although not masculine) is, however, exalted in Taurus in an angular house. That’s good. The solar doryphory is smallish but strong with Venus, exalted and ruler of the MC , Mercury (by sextile) neither weak nor strong, and the Moon, very strong as previously noted. The lunar doryphory is quite large: Saturn, Venus (by sextile), Mars (by square), and Sun (by sextile) and as noted earlier that Venus is strong. Overall this would get him to Chieftain but no higher.