Obama’s Second Term Began Sunday

Pres. Obama’s was sworn in ceremonially Monday; but his second term really began Sunday. The president, under regularly scheduled conditions, takes office at noon on Jan. 20 after an election. In modern times this produces a chart with Taurus rising, Aquarius Sun and Capricorn on the midheaven for every presidential term. We can study these charts long into the future, but let’s look at Sunday’s chart.

Note that there were two inaugurations this year — a private one Sunday and a public one on Monday, which is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Obama was also sworn in twice the last time around. After flubbing the oath of office, Chief Justice John Roberts came over to the White House later that night and swore in Obama a second time. Obama will be tied for the record number of times a president has taken the oath of office, second only to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who served four terms.

The Aquarius Sun and Mercury are high up in the chart, presenting the image of friendly populism. However, Capricorn actually rules the midheaven, so it’s really more problematic than that. There are two presidencies — the friendly Aquarian one that we see as its public face, and then the real agenda going on behind the scenes, indicated by Capricorn.

With Capricorn on the midheaven — that is, the 10th house, which is about the presidency — the ruler of the issue is Saturn in Scorpio. Saturn is placed on the relationship angle; this looks like more obstruction. As usual in these years of our history, the issue seems to be religious, with Saturn in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn in one another’s signs. There remains a titanic struggle between government bureaucrats and the American Taliban.

The Moon is rising in this chart — the ceremony begins about 20 minutes before moonrise. The Moon is square Mars, which is angry and, moreover, given to camping out in its position. The ‘camping out’ factor — stuck in an emotion — is accentuated by the Moon being close to its own South Node. Also the Moon has special dignity in Taurus because it’s exalted in that sign.

The word ‘intractable’ comes to mind: old values, religious values, and festering anger. It is old anger, which we know because the South Node is there. The interesting thing is that it seems to be directed at or have some contact with whatever is represented by Mars in Aquarius — there seems to be considerable public anger as well. It’s like values on two different levels of reality are clashing — the private interests of the Taurus Moon contrasted with the collective interests of Mars in Aquarius. However, Mars in Aquarius could also be the few, the proud and the pissed off (over their issues).

The Moon, co-ruler of the Taurus ascendant, runs into that rage pretty quickly after this event. The anger might be racial and it might be about the inevitable trend toward gun control that will be emerging this year.

This whole issue of old values informed by old religion comes up again with Venus, the ruler of the ascendant, showing up in Capricorn in the 9th house. This is a chart more appropriate for the coronation of a pope than for the beginning of a presidential term in a supposed democracy.

Now, where are the openings? I think that anger might be one of them — if people are angry about the right things. There is power in anger; it needs to be focused into something productive, however.

The wider public is ruled by Pisces, which is on the 11th house cusp — Neptune and Chiron are there. This is a kind of mix of idealism (Neptune) and the sense that we have to do something about all of these problems (Chiron). It’s not going to happen until we get our priorities in order. What exactly is the big attachment to the past? What is the fear of the future, or of our potential?

This sounds like a good question for therapy, which would probably be time better spent than getting involved in the federal level of politics, at least at the moment.