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.