President Obama’s swearing in ceremony took place at 11:55 a.m. in the White House on January 20, 2013. The private swearing in marks the legal start of his second term as President. The private ceremony chart is important because astrologers will base many predictions about the future of his presidency on astrological alignments at the moment that he took office. So, it is for this reason I will look at this chart rather than the public chart on January 21.
This chart is far different from the first inaugural chart, and we can start with the fact that the moon is not void of course this time as it was in 2008. The definition of a void of course moon is that things don’t turn out the way you planned. Many will agree, even Obama himself has stated in so many words that things did not turn out the way he planned the first four years. Not that there weren’t accomplishments, but rather goals did not solidify as planned. So, Obama’s second term will be different just by virtue of this fact.
As inauguration day is always on January 20, the Sun will always be in the populist sign of Aquarius. Aquarius is the natural ruler of the 11th house of groups and the collective, and it lies next to Mercury, the planet of communication and speech also in Aquarius.
The tenth house rules the Presidency and Capricorn is on the midheaven ruled by Saturn, which lies in the ninth house of religion and it is conjunct Venus in Capricorn with a 4 degree orb. This is a difficult transit and relates to struggles over values, old values, an attachment to the past, (Saturn rules the old), religion and foreign policy/situations. Obama spoke of America’s founding fathers during his speech.
No doubt religion and religious viewpoints will come into play in regards to many of the issues facing this administration: Gay rights and marriage along with gun control to name only two. In Obama’s first inaugural chart Mars was at 18 degrees in his 9th house. Mars is considered the God of War and rules the military and America continued to fight two wars during Obama’s first term. The religious right have proven themselves avowed enemies of the administration.
Saturn and Pluto are in mutual reception. This means Saturn rules Capricorn and Pluto rules Scorpio and they are in each other’s sign reinforcing the other. While this is intense, heavy energy they are more likely to work together creating opportunities for the President and Congress to work together than when Saturn was in Cancer and Libra over the past four years. They may work together not out of desire to do so or friendship, but rather political necessity. We saw the first example of this with the passage of the legislation to avoid the ‘fiscal cliff,’ at the start of the year. There appeared to be a great deal of smoldering anger, backroom dealings and hidden agendas yet legislation was finally passed. Saturn entered Scorpio October of 2012.
Neptune along with Chiron, known as the wounded healer lie in the 11th house of the collective in Pisces (we the people). Neptune shows us the collective in an idealistic frame of mind and Chiron shows us we want to heal from the problems of past years, but Neptune and Chiron are square Jupiter, which is retrograde. While the desire for change is there, the collective may not understand or know the entire picture or how to resolve the problems we face. As Chiron wishes to heal from past wounds the irony is not lost that the inauguration of Americas first black President is on Martin Luther King Day. Racial healing may have begun with Obama’s first election, but as the chart shows we have many miles yet to go as a country.
The most prominent aspect in the inaugural chart is the Moon in the first house at 19 degrees of Taurus (along with the ascendant) square Mars at 20 degrees of Aquarius. The moon represents the mood of the Presidency as well as that of the people. In a square it promises no peace, but rather a great deal of rage and agitation. Taurus is the natural ruler of the second house of money and Aquarius rules the collective, and Aquarius is often seen in military operations. There will be many issues centered on fiscal policy and money, gun control and there could still be issues concerning women. But, as a great astrology mentor once said to me, “without squares there can be no action.’
Of course, another theme of the chart is the Uranus-Pluto square, as it is in any chart, natal or electional cast during this time as we all live under the powerful energy of this transit which dominates the sky. Mundane Astrology, written by Michael Baigent, Nicholas Champion, and Charles Harvey states, “The 127 year cycle appears to be important for the radical restructuring of peoples and nations. Ebertin describes it as ‘building again upon the ruins of the old’.”
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