What Astrology Says About Obama’s Second Term

Four years ago, when President Barack Obama flubbed the oath of office at his first inauguration, astrologers weren’t surprised. Obama was coming into office under a planetary picture called Mercury retrograde, where the orb thought to govern communications appeared to be moving backward from the Earth’s point of view.

When Mercury is retrograde, an event that happens three times a year, astrologers believe that there are sure to be misunderstandings, crossed signals and checks lost in the mail. In any event, the burden of Merc retro was seen as a significant obstacle to the President’s ability to get his message across during his first term (perhaps no more so than during his first debate with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney).

 The second term of President Obama poses a challenge to astrologers because there are two horoscopes for the event — one for the private oath of office he took on Sunday, Jan. 20 and the other for the public swearing in that took place Monday, Jan. 21 at noon. The necessity of two ceremonies was caused by the fact that the inauguration date mandated by law fell on a Sunday, which it also did for Presidents James Monroe and Ronald Reagan.

 Jude Cowell, who blogs about astrology and politics at www.starsoverwashington.com, notes that in the horoscope for the private oath of office, the Sun in Aquarius at the Midheaven of the chart is at odds with the will of the people, represented by a Taurus Moon rising on the Ascendant of the chart.

According to Cowell, Americans will be stubbornly focused on their own personal financial security during the second Obama Administration and will not respond favorably to the President’s emphasis on what is good for the nation as a whole.

Cowell points out the Jan. 20 horoscope is burdened by the South Node of the Moon rising, which is considered a negative. Cowell, who is based in Georgia, notes that the South Node rising indicates “separation, restriction and loss,” though she also points out that this portent may apply to members of the administration who are losing their jobs or leaving in Obama’s second term.

With the disruptive planet of Uranus transiting the sign of Aries in the 12th house of hidden enemies of the Jan. 20 swearing-in chart, Cowell sees “secret plans” being hatched to disrupt the President’s agenda. Uranus is in a challenging position to Pluto (still widely followed by astrologers despite its demotion by astronomers) in the chart. Pluto rules secrets and the ones revealed during Obama’s second term could be explosive.

The message of this aspect: Don’t expect the birthers to go away anytime soon, even though Obama is starting his second term, and be prepared for more allegations about the President’s personal life and family.

Indeed, Cowell sees the potential for sudden disruptions and explosions during the next four years, both based on the inaugural charts and the various horoscopes for the birth of the US (not everyone believes the nation was born on the Fourth of July).

The good news for Obama and Americans in general is that the Jan. 20 inauguration chart has prosperous Jupiter rising in the first house, albeit diminished by a retrograde position in Gemini. Cowell sees the economy picking up momentum during Obama’s second term.

The horoscope for the public Jan. 21 inauguration gives more support to economic expansion since the Moon, which changes sign every two and a half days, moved into Gemini, where it sits along with prosperous Jupiter. Cowell sees Americans in a cheerful mood during Obama’s second term, most likely due to the recovery in housing prices.

Indeed, the stars are predicting better financial days for Americans but ones that could be rocked by explosive events and shocking disruptions, a la Superstorm Sandy and the Newtown, Conn., massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

As I recently noted, an asteroid named Sandy is currently hovering close to Pluto in the sign of Capricorn and opposing the Sun in Cancer in the U.S. July 4 birth chart. So keep an eye out for surprising current events and people in the news named Sandra or Sandy.

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Mike Bloomberg for President?

The news wires are buzzing over a New York Post Page Six item today that says President Obama is looking at New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a possible replacement for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Mercury is retrograde so I won’t get too excited about this story. However, I’ve been keeping an eye on Bloomberg’s chart as we approach the 2012 Presidential elections. Here’s the cranky Aquarian’s chart, with transits for Nov. 6, 2012.

A quick observation: The North Node at 26 degrees of Scorpio on Election Day squares Bloomberg’s natal Sun. In Uranian astrology, which I’m a fan of, that’s as powerful as a conjunction. Also, his natal Sun makes a conjunction with the U.S. Moon in Aquarius.

I know that Bloomberg, a self-made billionaire, isn’t running for President, but in true Uranian fashion, he’s a wild card who can’t be ruled out of the game. He’s liberal on social issues and conservative on fiscal issues, and his friends (and his mother!) know that he has a secret desire to be the nation’s first Jewish president.

The Feb. 9 Eclipse: Everything Seems Possible

I haven’t been blogging as much lately because I’ve been wrapped up in a demanding project that’s keeping me away from Astrology Mundo. I also don’t want to seem like the spoiler for the Obama party.

With Jupiter in Aquarius traveling close to the North Node, there are a lot of good vibes out there. I can feel them in my neighborhood. The Community Organizer-in-Chief is helping folks feel connected and empowered.

Yesterday, my next-door neighbors, whom I’ve known for four years, invited me to a family buffet, and I went. No big deal, I know, but a barrier was broken. A hand was extended across a fence and it was embraced.

There’s been a lot of snow in Upstate New York this winter, and the neighbors on the other side have been shoveling my sidewalk and driveway before I can even get out of the house. People seem to want to help each other these days for the first time in a long time. It truly is a blessing!

That’s the good news — friendly neighbors. The bad news is that today’s eclipse at 21 degrees of Leo opposed the Sun and Neptune. The whole lineup is squaring the New York Stock Exchange incorporation chart, so I’m looking for a further evaporation of U.S. equities over the next six months. I’m not optimistic the stimulus bill, even if it is approved by the Senate, can do much to prevent the economy’s descent.

It wasn’t Obama who got us here, but “we’re waist-deep in the big muddy,” to quote Pete Seeger’s famous anti-war anthem. We’re waist-deep in Iraq and Afghanistan and we’re just keeping our heads above the quicksand of the financial crisis.

I believe that Obama will ultimately be forced to take some drastic steps to get our nation’s economy back on course (cutbacks in the civil service, perhaps), and because of his rock-star persona, people may accept the news with a smile.

When President Jimmy Carter tried to trim the federal workforce about one Saturn revolution ago, he got lots of pushback. It will be interesting to see what happens this time around (assuming I’m right, of course).

And you wonder why I haven’t written lately.

Hat Parade on the Hill

I’ve become like those obnoxious gossip columnists who pat themselves on the back every time they get something right. Forewarned is forearmed, right?

O.K., President Obama didn’t sport a topper and neither did Mrs. Obama, but nearly every one of the million people who gathered in Washington D.C. today for the Inauguration was wearing a hat.

Last year, I made a bold forecast of a millinery revival in 2009.

Back in August, I also predicted extremely cold weather this winter after Pluto moved into Capricorn. Well, most of the Northeast and the Midwest has been in a deep freeze, and guess what? Folks are wearing hats!

My nomination for the best hat on the Hill today goes to Aretha Franklin, who sang God Bless America. Hallelujah for hats, I say!

Here’s a photo of Aretha in her hat, courtesy of http://www.nola.com, and a nice one of Ted Kennedy, courtesy of AFP.

The Astrology of President Obama’s Inauguration

Vice-President Joe Biden was sworn in promptly at noon, leaving him officially President until Barack Obama took the oath 6 minutes later. (At least that’s what Katie Couric said!)

Astrologers everywhere were hoping that somehow the Inauguration would be delayed from its official time of noon on Jan. 20, until 12:30. That’s when the moon moves into upbeat Sagittarius from intense Scorpio.

Instead, we’ve got a chart for the new Administration that has a “void-of-course” Moon at 29 degrees of Scorpio. It’s in the seventh house of partnerships and open enemies.

When the moon is VOC, it will not make any more aspects before changing signs. To astrologers, this signifies that the new President will be hindered or hamstrung in some way.

Also hurting the chances for real change are a Mercury retrograde, which means all the information about the situation isn’t known. The Winged Messenger is conjunct the Sun nearly to the minute, a debilitating aspect that medieval astrologers called “combust.”

Here’s the link to the Inaugural chart, set at 12:06 p.m. in Washington D.C. on Jan. 20.

With a Taurus rising, lovely Venus is the ruler of the chart. It’s in idealistic Pisces in the progressive 11th house, conjunct erratic Uranus and opposing stern Saturn in Virgo. I suspect there will be a lot of interest from Congress (11th house) in improving the health and welfare (Virgo) of children (fifth house).

There’s a wonderful lineup in Aquarius in the 10th house of the Presidency that includes Jupiter, suggesting the example that Obama would have the U.S. set for the world in terms of social justice and proper action.

It will take a long time, I suspect, for our neighbors on the planet to forget such low moments in U.S. history as “waterboarding.” But at least we’ve got a leader who says he’s committed to playing by the rules. Nuff said!

The Pluto in Virgo Generation Takes Control

There’s no mention of Pluto in Virgo in this Associated Press story about the changing of the guard in Washington, but it accurately describes the handoff from the Pluto in Leo crowd, which includes outgoing President George W. Bush, to President-elect Barack Obama, who was born under Pluto in Virgo.

The article describes Obama as “an example of a new pragmatism: idealistic but realistic, post-partisan, unthreatened by dissent, eager and able to come up with new ways to solve problems.” Mmm. Sounds like Pluto in Virgo to me.

The Pen is Mightier than the Shoe

Among the chattering classes, it’s become hip to salute the Iraqi journalist who hurled a pair of shoes at President George W. Bush during a press conference on Dec. 14.

As much as I opposed the invasion of Iraq, where my nephew is now on his way to Mosul, I can’t feel good about a member of the media throwing anything at a person who is conducting a press conference, even if that person is one of the most incompetent Presidents in U.S. history.

The image above has been making the rounds, thanks to Baydan & Ducati, the manufacturer of the shoes that were thrown at Bush. However, I have to say that I’m with Laura Bush. I think this journalist crossed the line.

Did I think that gave his jailers the right to beat him into writing an apology, as his brother alleges? No. But I think reporters should confine their attacks to words.

Obama’s Choice of Rick Warren Sends the Wrong Message

I don’t get the argument that Barack Obama’s decision to invite celebrity pastor Rick Warren, who is openly anti-gay, to lead a prayer at the inauguration, is a “good thing,” to quote celebrity homemaker Martha Stewart. The thinking is that the President-elect is reaching out to those on the other side of the aisle, the political spectrum, etc.

I know I’m not the only one out there who sees great irony in the fact that the nation’s first black President is choosing to break bread with a man who actively campaigned against gay marriage in California and was successful in that effort.

I know that Warren is helping to lead us to a “Purpose-Driven Life” through his 20,000-member Saddleback Church in Los Angeles. I just don’t think my purpose in life is supporting someone who is trying to exclude a certain group from the same rights that everybody else gets to enjoy.

Now that Pluto is in Capricorn, we all have to be on the lookout for the tendency of the government and the corporation to encourage and enforce patriarchal family structures. This runs counter to the community-oriented spirit of idealistic Neptune in Aquarius, which will be joined by expansive Jupiter in 2009. (Incidentally, Warren is an Aquarius so he’ll be getting a lift from Jupiter for a year, starting in early January.)

There is nothing that can make me feel good about this situation. From where I sit — straight, white, married, middle-aged — gay union is a civil rights issue. Churches that adhere to the teachings of the Bible may feel justified in shutting the door on gays, lesbians, and transgender folks, but the government does not have that luxury.

Why? I’m no constitutional scholar, but here’s why I’m so sure of my beliefs: Article 14 of the U.S. Bill of Rights. And I quote:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

By asking Rick Warren to bless his Administration, Obama is sending the message to gays that they are not welcome at his table. And that is definitely not a good thing!

The U.S. After Pluto in Capricorn

Astrologers know that Pluto is moving into Capricorn on Nov. 27, where it will remain until 2024. The U.S. is about to have its Pluto return, as the demoted planet was in Capricorn when the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. (I use the Sibly chart, which has an ascendant of 12 degrees of Sagittarius.)

Knowing this, it’s no wonder that the following headline in the The Guardian of London caught my eye today: “2025: End of U.S. Dominance.”

The article reports that a new study from the National Intelligence Council, which coordinates research from all the U.S. intelligence agencies, says in 2025 that the U.S. will be unable to “call the shots” in a “fragmented world, where conflict over scarce resources is on the rise, poorly contained by ‘ramshackle’ international institutions, while nuclear proliferation, particularly in the Middle East, and even nuclear conflict grow more likely.”

Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

What Astrology Can Tell Us About the Closed Session of Congress

About a week ago, I got a little freaked out when I discovered an article from an Australian Web site about a closed meeting of Congress on Mar. 13. Billed as a secret discussion of a surveillance bill, the session also included references to a “September 2008” stock market crisis, according to foreign media articles.

Now, the inimitable Jude Cowell, who blogs at both Stars Over Washington and Jude’s Threshold, has done the astrology of this closed debate of Congress. Don’t miss this post on what was cooking beneath the Capitol dome on Mar. 13, 2008.