9th June 2009
Barack Obama
Born on the 4th August 1961 at 19.24 local time in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Natal Analysis
There are three major challenges in his chart, and two minor ones.
The overriding challenge is that of his Moon, Pluto and Chiron T-square. The Chiron/Pluto opposition was around in the heavens for the first half of the sixties, with the Moon squaring the pair of them for a few hours twice every month. This tells me that only about one in sixty people of that time will have this aspect, of which the astrological meaning is clear. Moon square Pluto is commonly diagnosed as psychological challenge at the emotional level, leading to periods of emotional obsession and compulsion, and when young feelings of persecution, paranoia and phobia. It creates an unconscious dynamic of emotional urges and depth that defy the rationality. At the same time, from a more level headed perspective, Moon/Pluto squares are common in the charts of psychologists, detectives, researchers, people who dig deep and find buried truths, forensics and pathology operatives. At the positive, it gives an unstoppable will power and a determination to succeed at all costs as well as the feeling of unstoppable invulnerability, especially at the emotional level.
The Moon in Gemini is not in an easy place. The Moon is about one's feelings and emotions, sensitivities and daily routines and habit patterns. Yet Gemini is all about the mental, the verbal and the social - it is the communicator in all of us. Gemini Moon people are always trying to understand why they feel the way they do, never realising that words in the long run don't really cut it and that to feel without explanation sometimes has to be enough. Squared Pluto, this can bring obsessive mental activity to the point of needless worry and irrational fear. Add to this the Moon square Chiron, the wounded one. I've developed my own ideas about Chiron over recent decades, of which more in another article. But in this context, Chiron wounds the Moon, suggesting that issues around both female and male role models in his life have been lacking in terms of what passes for conventional parenting. His upbringing, with an errant father and a seemingly immature mother, is well documented. His being raised by his grandparents is the best translation of this aspect - in its worst scenario, this T-square could make for the neurotic and emotional victim and martyr with major issues around gender and the role of women in his life. Moon/Pluto is wounding at the emotional and psychological roots and foundations, Moon/Chiron is about wounding through role models, or lack of, in his life. And yet, the Moon in his chart, at the bottom of the horoscope in the fourth house of the home and family, makes him want to provide and nurture his whole family, which includes his ‘people'. And his ‘people' are not just his family, or for that matter America - it is the whole world, as demonstrated by the number of different residential, religious and cultural backgrounds he was exposed to in his youth. He is as much a global phenomena as much as a family or American one. This is his personal side, well exposedin public, but still a sore point. His sensitive points are the women in his life.
One further point on this aspect - Moon/Pluto contacts are often found in charts where there are examples of unexplainable endings and new beginnings, deaths and rebirths. It is primarily this aspect that has caused astrologers to comment on his life expectancy. He will always carry the aura of ‘will he, won't he' get assassinated, but this is primarily an external manifestation, caused at least partly by his mixed race heritage.
The other challenges in his chart are less dramatic, bar one. The square of Uranus and the North Node to his Midheaven further exacerbates his issues around authority, whether that authority is God, employer, teacher, police or parent. There is the typical Leonine arrogance here, that unconsciously projects the message that its hard to be modest when you know you're the best, and were he an ordinary Joe on the street, he would still exude an aura of authority. He could never really happily work for any other one person. I get the impression that he is not particularly religious, at least in the way that most other American presidents seem to have been on the surface. I don't see the opposition of Mercury and Jupiter in his chart as being difficult, it expands (Jupiter) the communication faculties (Mercury) in a way that can sometimes be seen as over the top, exaggerated or effusive, but also carries with it a genuine desire for expansion and hope that is accompanied by a strong and not necessarily subtle sense of humour. The inconjunction (itch, niggle) between Saturn (structure, order) and Uranus (chaos, change) further demonstrates the ongoing difficulty he has with people in positions of power and control - be sure that he is not a dominant or warmongering president. If anything, there can be a degree of letting the mouth run away with itself, the inconjunction between Venus and Jupiter makes for someone who doesn't know when to stop or has difficulty in not promising too much. Perhaps a more polite way of saying this is to suggest that at times he can be over generous, or promise too much.
And then there's the Sun square Neptune. Neptune dissolves and confuses, it eludes and deceives. However, it also brings a degree of compassion, intuition, sensuality and sensitivity into the world, The greatest saints and martyrs, the worst drug addicts and escapists, the best movie makers and story tellers, the most obese and the skinniest, the neurotic and the visionaries as well as the best healers all come under this aspect. When I see this aspect in client's charts, I normally end up saying to them that fantasy stays between the ears but the imagination can be created. They generally find that the clear definition of boundaries is something not quite manageable for them, that borders tend to dissolve, or at least bend substantially. And yet because of this, they can feel and sense things that others simply can't. I'm sure that there's a part of him that sees himself in his personal dreams as some type of John Wayne figure, ready to take on the bad guys and somehow save the world. We need these dreamers, as long as they keep at least one foot solidly on the ground. Their long range vision and creative potential is only matched by their gullibility and sense of the dramatic. ‘All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players'.....
With Pluto squaring Obama's Moon and Neptune squaring his Sun there are huge issues at stake for him here. How well is he assimilated with his unconscious/subconscious? How has he integrated/disintegrated his early childhood issues concerning parents and emotional roots and foundations? How solid are his visions and beliefs?
Uranus squaring his Midheaven and conjuncting his karmic North Node in the seventh house of relationships suggests his incapacity for conventional ways of working with people, whether professional or personal. He thinks outside of the box, which scares many but endears him to others. Autonomy is a key word in this aspect's description, both for self and other. Autonomy - freedom within the confines of a committed relationship. This is such a Uranian/Aquarian chart that he truly is someone of the future, as opposed to being a traditionalist.
Chiron squaring his Moon is the permanent wound of emotional rejection, but my experience of Chiron tells me that the best healers are those who have been the most wounded, and the best healers don't heal anyone else, they empower and catalyse people into doing it for themselves.
Saturn inconjuncting his Uranus is further indication of difficulties with authoritarian role models, but the sextile from Saturn to his Midheaven is drop dead gorgeous, more on that in a moment.
His 12th house of the un and subconscious has both Jupiter and Saturn in it, suggesting that as he's got older and wiser so he's graduated to the centre ground and is less likely to go to extremes, either in terms of growth or restriction. The 11th house of group, community and friend is ruled by Jupiter, which with its opposition to Mercury perhaps signifies his loyalty to his friends from before he became famous, and his unwillingness to forgo these relationships, even to the point of keeping his Blackberry. His 10th house of career, and direction in life, although empty, is ruled by a very powerful Pluto, suggesting an almost compulsive desire to be successful, perhaps to prove to his absent parents (and himself) that he's not a failure. The Midheaven, (traditionally the start of the 10th house in 38 of the 39 house systems) comes under many positive aspects and a few challenging ones, suggestive of a good public image if somewhat radical and surprising.
His 9th house of travel, foreign affairs and higher education has Neptune in it, bringing with it the vision, dream and imagination that powers so much of his social care programmes, whether American or global.. His 8th house of sex, death and rebirth and other people's money has a very healthy Mars in it, suggesting that there's little if anything outside of the psychological that he's intimidated by. His 7th house of one to one relationships whether personal, friend or professional, is idiosyncratic. Choosy is too fine a word, perhaps selective is more appropriate. He knows whom he gels with, and he's clear about who he does and doesn't like.
With both the Sun and Mercury in his 6th house of health, duty, responsibility for those less fortunate than himself and issues concerning diet, nurturing and such like, he is someone who genuinely wants to help the world. But he's a servant, not a slave. If I were advising him I'd be saying that you do things for others because you want to, not because they want you to. As soon as he starts to feel obliged or taken for granted, he's likely to let you know. The children indicated in his 5th house by Venus surprises me in that I thought he might have wanted more children than he already has, but then it takes two.... And his 4th house of home, roots and security is absolutely loaded. His home, homeland, planet, family - all these things are intrinsic to him in his role as world leader. This position alone suggests that he is using his role as head of the American state to reach out and influence the whole world for the better. There's something almost Old Testament about him.
The 3rd house of environment, communication and siblings is remarkably quiet, to the point where I don't even know if he has any full siblings. I know he has many half brothers and sisters, but there's no evidence astrologically of any close fraternity with them. His 2nd house of issues concerning value, worth, finance and possession is ruled by Neptune, which squares his Sun strongly. He wants to give it all away, knowing and trusting that what goes round comes round, and the more you give the more you've got to give. And with a very strong Chiron in his 1st house of identity and individuality, he's in a position of either wounding himself so that others can benefit at his expense (typical victim/martyr behaviour) or making the world a better place knowing that by doing so he heals himself.
The positive aspects in his chart are numerous. The two most notable are the Moon trining Jupiter, and Mars trining Saturn. The Moon Jupiter trine brings a natural and organic degree of wittiness, jocularity and humour into most verbal situations. With Jupiter ruling his 11th of friends and group, and the moon his 6th of duty and service, the combination of these two planets suggests a genuine desire to serve and to be of help, even if it only by bringing humour into the situation. The Mars/Saturn trine is often seen as the durable and persistent enthusiast, who through steady, determined and regular application of energy can succeed where others drop by the wayside. Incidentally, his Mars in Virgo gives him very nimble fingers, whether on his Blackberry or email, doing massage, guitar playing, gardening, mending radios or doing jigsaws. Highly industrious, with excellent time management skills.
The sextile from the moon to Mercury in his chart brings the opportunity for the mind and feelings to interact and blend harmoniously. Often the intellect and the emotions are at odds with each other, but in this case there is a good blend - there are no dichotomies here between head and heart. And the sextile between both Jupiter and Saturn to his Midheaven shows a degree of moderation and balance that is often conspicuous by its absence in the charts of world figures. He is not an extremist, nor is he a patsy. The thought patterns and the gut instinct are symbiotic in his chart, something quite rare.
It is clear that he firmly believes in himself, and his place in history. It is also clear from his chart that the influence of women in his life has been strong. The mother, for what that was worth, the grandmother, particularly the wife and to a lesser extent the daughters. He is not likely to listen to a council of military hawks with their fingers poised on the button; he's more likely to ask his family what they think he should do.
Current Status - Progressions and Transits.
His progressed Sun, indicative of what I call the growth of the soul from within over a period of years at a time, has been and continues to be in a position of strength with regard to his Midheaven, suggesting that his profile and public image is going from strength to strength and that he is not sabotaging himself either now or for the foreseeable future. The progressed Moon, indicative of internal developments but over a monthly as opposed to a yearly period is now exactly opposite his Uranus, suggesting that the current time (mid June 2009) is a critical time for him and that the coming four weeks hold in them both personal long term choices and moments of ‘destiny' if such a thing can be said to exist. It does seem that this degree of internal revolution is ongoing, and will continue until the end of 2009. From the start of 2010 onwards, he seems to settle into a more regular rhythm inside of himself.
Pluto is opposing Venus in Obama's chart. Often I describe this as having to watch one's back, suggesting that something is going on behind the scenes or that something hidden is ongoing. However, Venus in his chart is not afflicted in any challenging way, so I see this as a positive transformation as much as a challenging one. Nevertheless, there will be a degree of re-evaluation and re-assessment going on in ways that shake up and changes his priorities. But this process has been ongoing since the end of 2007 and is set to continue until the end of this year, so it is no big deal really.
Neptune opposing his Uranus throughout 2009 is an aspect that I would not normally bother with, seeing as this is happening to everyone born the same year as him. However, Obama has Aquarius rising, so Uranus is his ruling planet, and thus the aspect becomes stronger and more meaningful. I suggest that his first year's exposure to presidential life is greatly changing the way he sees himself, both in terms of personal development and his position in the world. Again though, no big deal because this is happening at least partly at the subliminal level and is unlikely to be something he is aware of at the day by day level.
Uranus spent 2008 opposing his Mars, in 2009 it is sextiling his Saturn, and in 2010 trining his Midheaven. Often Uranus brings sudden and disruptive change, but with these aspects the more beneficial side of Uranus comes to the fore and I expect him to see this period as a time of revolutionising his limitations in a way that helps him turn boundaries and borders that were previously concrete and steel into transparent rubber and elastic. His position as a statesman on the world stage appears to be getting ever stronger as next year unfolds, and there appears to be no sign of him having the rug pulled suddenly from underneath his feet, at least by the time he is into the middle of August 2009 onwards. Until that time there is mild cause for concern, but I feel that the greatest risk to him personally is now past, although I won't breathe totally easily until September 2009.
Saturn is currently not affecting Obama's chart except for the fact that it is sitting at the end of his 7th house, bring solidity and groundedness into his one to one interactions. However, at the end of August and early/mid September Saturn will pass on top of his Mars and trine his natal Saturn, suggesting he will come under pressure to perform at this time. There won't be a problem as such, he'll just be seen as having to walk his talk in certain areas, probably in terms of setting out his boundaries, what he will and won't deem acceptable by others. Later in the year, and until September 2010, Saturn will sit squaring his Venus, suggesting further challenges to his value system. He will try and get America to change its values and attitudes towards money and possessions according to his principles and beliefs, but both he and America will have to meet each other halfway. Compromise is such an ugly word, but in the long run it is what he will be known for. By compromising and meeting people halfway, you build bridges for the future based on common ground and willingness for discourse, and I believe this is already evident in his reaching out to all countries in the world (including one or two of the usual suspects). This transit will strengthen his resolve, but may cause a degree of opposition from the richer end of the voting spectrum. At the same time as all this, Saturn is also working well with his Moon, bringing a strong element of emotional stability, and his Mercury, suggesting that the man is not for turning. A summary of Saturn's transits over the coming eighteen months for him suggests times of great personal improvement and development, further conviction of his values and ideals, albeit with a rump of opposition from the more traditionalist side of life.
Jupiter is the joker in the pack here, at least this year. The planet of growth and optimism, but also of overreaching, overweight, overspending and over everything, Jupiter passed on Obama's Ascendant in mid April, although the full effect of this won't be realised until its retrograde phase has finished and it fully clears this degree, which won't happen until mid November. Certainly from the end of this year his get up and go will be activated in a way that it hasn't been since 1998. I would anticipate the first five months of 2010 to be a time where he really sets his stall out and starts putting in place fundamental reforms that will change America for ever in a way that will open it up to the affections of the world at large. The fact that Jupiter is in his first house, in Aquarius, and opposite his ruling planet Uranus (Aquarius), suggests that the solar myth, almost cult, of Obama will continue for the medium term future, and he will continue to be welcomed by the vast majority of people, at least for the remainder of 2009. His popularity is not in question, but there is the underlying spectre of too much hype and spin. At the end of the day, rhetoric is all very well, but actions speak louder than words.
I note with interest that as Mars stations at the end of this year and beginning of next, so it sits on his Descendant. I suggest that December will further emphasise his ability to engage with ‘other' at the one to one level, and lead to further accolades. Nevertheless, I do expect a slow ground swell of opposition to some of his policies to emerge in early 2010; he'll be seen as too left wing in certain areas. He'll ride this storm, and by September 2010 will be seen once again to be in a position of strength. Beyond that depends on what he does before then.
A combination of Mars and the progressed Moon cause me a little concern between now and the 5th of July, if there are going to be challenges this is when I expect them, by mid- August what I call the more ‘fated' or ‘destined' side of his chart has played itself out. The first three weeks of November are seen as hugely developmental, a time for him to really assert himself on the world stage. January and February are also very important for him in terms of growth and expansion, whilst March is a time of much more structuring and consolidation. The whole period of October 2009 through to June 2010 sees him working with people at the one to one level, eventually bringing big changes as a result. Mid August of next year is looking very good indeed for him and by next November he will be at a high point in his presidency. From this time onwards he will then be able to define the remainder of his presidency. The almost Arthurian type myth that seems to follow him around will sustain him until the end of 2010, but from then to 2012 is another matter, dependent on events between now and then. Four more years?
© Steve Judd June 2009