Barack Obama's horoscope has been thoroughly
analysed during the 2007-8 presidential campaign. The locational astrology
angle less so.
As he begins his presidency, it is interesting to note how his chart
sums up what he has to offer and what he will be dealing with. The Jupiter-Saturn
conjunction in the twelfth house has much to say about the need for
a very pragmatic approach to the huge (Jupiter) limitations (Saturn)
he is faced with. A Cancerian Venus on the Aries point, coupled with
aspects including a Sun-Neptune square and a Mars-Neptune semi-square,
show the emotional investment people have made in this man to make personal
and collective dreams come true, as well as mirroring star-wise, his
undoubted charisma. Perhaps the Cancer-placed Venus also says something about disassembling
the previous regime's emphasis on "Homeland Security" and
the like. George W Bush has the Sun in the same sign.
We should note that transit Pluto will be within a maximum of just
over a degree of orb of opposition to Obama's Venus for the whole of
2009. While the hope and passion for change are echoed by his Sun being
on the Jupiter-Uranus midpoint, this transit points neatly to the hole in the
US economy. But let's keep things reasonable; what of the geography?
Obama was born in Hawaii, so his rising Jupiter-Saturn, the only planets
in the rising half of his horoscope, are found culminating through the
centre of the US. These symbolise the big economic and attendant social mess that
this man is charged with clearing up. And the areas he might find it
hardest to do that may well be in the areas of the Saturn-MC line, which
runs North-South, through Fargo and Wichita.
The Saturn line runs through the mid-west, states which Obama did not
win, such as Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas. His Neptune-Descendant
line crosses his Saturn-Midheaven line just north of Texas. Neptune-Descendant
continues south through Houston, the most populous city in the state
home of presidential predecessor Bush. The combination suggests that
problems are liable to arise for Obama here. Saturn-Neptune dyad is
associated with freak weather, particularly flooding. George W Bush
has a Neptune (water!) line through New Orleans, for example. The Saturn-Neptune
"belt" running north-south on the map could well be where
disappointment and cynicism regarding the new president will run deepest.
This is where natural and social problems for the US and Obama are likely
to erupt and fester during his time in the White House. Great ideals
can be put into practice where we find Saturn-Neptune, but doing this
takes will, integrity and good fortune. As I write there are large sections
of the population living in these areas who are suffering in poverty.
Turning things around would be easy under several planetary pairs but
under Saturn-Neptune it will be extremely difficult.
The more positive areas for Obama in the US coincide with the regions
of the country that have long supported the US Democrats, namely the
north-east and the states in the extreme west. For example, we find
that Californians are likely to LOVE Obama, with Venus-IC going straight
through San Francisco. In fact there is a danger of obsession with him,
since his Pluto-Descendant line crossing Venus-IC in this state. Astrologically
the controversy already generated over his stance on gay rights and
gay marriage is a classic local case of Venus meets Pluto.
The lack of confusion in the Florida result during last year's vote count chimes with Obama's Sun-IC
line running so close to Miami. Both George W Bush and Al Gore have
Neptune lines here; confusion and corruption were intensified in their
race. Obama's victory in Florida, taking the state from the
Rupublicans was clear, simple and vital to his winning. He shone here,
like the Sun.
Obama's initial political success in Illinois is echoed by the passing
of his Mercury-IC line there as well as the proximity of Jupiter-Midheaven,
just to the west. Such a combination is highly suggestive of the persuasive
style he developed as State Senator, as well as his work on Project
Vote and his teaching law in Chicago.
Politicians who have great impact on the world tend to have locational
astrology lines running through the places where much of that impact
takes place, more often than not precisely through many such
places. This is true of Obama, and those in Zimbabwe might hold out
some hope of positive change coming through his presidency. Barack's
local space Sun line runs right through Harare and his Chiron-Descendant
line is very close by. Local space lines radiating through southern
Africa from the point most distant from his Hawaiian birthplace, coupled
with Sun, Uranus and Node rising lines are suggestive of the galvinising
impact here of the election of a man with a black Kenyan father to US
President. They also suggest this as a region Obama will be strongly
involved with.
Obama's locational astrology in the Near-East is a mixed bag. The potentially
aggressive Mars-Ascendant line runs along a very similar area to a George
W Bush Mars line. It also runs through the Saudi capital Riyadh and
the political hot potato that is Grozny. However Venus, a symbol of both
peace and victory, provides lines running through the centre of Iran
as well as very close to the region where Osama bin Laden is thought
to operate. Note also how Obama's local space Moon line runs directly
through the capital cities of both Turkey and Egypt. Both countries
are highly significant in relation to current political tensions, and
the changeable nature of the Moon is likely to be reflected in these
countries' political allegiances toward the US during Obama's time in
power.
Barack Obama has no less than four planets culminating through Far-East Asia.
Mars-MC close to Tokyo suggests an invigorating
if sometimes challenging relationship with Japan. Perhaps there will
be some US-Japan spats. Pluto-MC close to North Korea is indicative
of possible problems with that country during his time in office, perhaps
concerning misuse of power, nuclear issues and even, we could reasonably
hope, deep change in that society.
The importance of US relations with China are seen in a culminating
Uranus-Node conjunction very close to Beijing and the connection of
local space Mercury and Jupiter with Shanghai. The Uranus-Node combination indicates
that the new president will need to be flexible in his approach to China,
and that there is the risk of issues involving alienation and shock arising between
China and the States. Mercury through Shanghai is the perfect symbol
of trade and negotiation being high on the agenda and suggests the possibility
of deception being a problem.
Obama's Sun-Midheaven line runs right through the heart of the world's
next superpower. The importance of US-China relations in the world is
clearly stated in this map, with so many lines running through a region
that is undergoing rapid change. Uranus-Node over Beijing, we might
hope, points to the fact that Obama could bring his evident intelligence
and originality to bear here. And that the world's two most powerful
nations might find room to cooperate during the challenges we are seeing
now. But we should remember that Uranus symbolises the unexpected, the
dictatorial as well as originality and breakthrough. It's unwise to
forget that we live in insecure, changeable times.
