Barack Obama
(updated on Jan. 8. 2009)
Since
the release of his birth certificate,
Barack Obama’s horoscope (see below) has
been pored over in great detail. I believe a
few particular areas can illuminate our understanding of
Obama as he prepares to assume the
presidency just as Pluto is re-entering
Capricorn for the first time since the
American Revolution.
Sun-Neptune Square
Neptune is the most elevated
planet in Obama’s horoscope and it has
therefore assumed a great deal of importance
in Obama’s life.
Much has been made of Obama’s
close
Sun-Neptune square, with its supposed
qualities of deception. I disagree with that
interpretation. Yes, there may be boundary issues,
but the Sun-Neptune square could indicate a
talent for merging (Neptune) one’s self
(Sun) with a higher good (Neptune). A
Sun-Neptune square individual can have a strong ego, but that ego
is capable of merging with a higher purpose. What makes
Obama such a fascinating individual, and
someone who has captured popular
imagination—aside from the historic nature
of his presidency—is that he is a Leo Sun
and Leos normally need to make a personal
statement, to shine, and to be outstanding
in some way. Obama clearly manifests that,
but he has also shown himself to be capable
of sacrificing for a greater good.
However, there is another
characteristic shared by many individuals
with challenging Sun-Neptune contacts in the
horoscope, and that has to do with the
father. Very often, the father of someone
with a Sun-Neptune square will embody the
qualities of Neptune. That is, the father
may be a creative artist, an
addict/alcoholic, a spiritual seeker,
himself devoted to a higher cause—or simply
absent, gone. For an outstanding analysis of
this feature of Sun-Neptune individuals, see
Aspects in Astrology, by Sue
Tompkins.
Barack Obama wrote a book
about his father, titled
Dreams from My
Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance,
in which he talks about his own search for
his identity (Sun-Neptune). Could there be a
more appropriate Sun-Neptune title than
Dreams (Neptune) from My Father
(Sun)? Barack’s
father—also named Barack—was a highly
educated Kenyan (Ph.D) who returned to
Africa when Obama was two years old. Obama’s
father wanted to help lift up his country,
fulfilling his own Neptunian ideals. In his
book, Obama recounts how, when he was living
in an apartment near Harlem, he received a
phone call from a Kenyan relative informing
him that his father had been killed in a car
accident. This phone call sends Obama on a
search for his own roots, to “know” his
father.
7th
House Uranus Conjunct North Node
Obama’s
Uranus, co-ruler of his Aquarius Ascendant,
is conjunct his North Node in Leo in the 7th
house. With his South Node in the first
house, Obama’s destiny (North Node) has a
certain isolation. He is forced to be alone
and apart. According to Martin Schulman, in
his excellent book
Karmic Astrology: The
Moon’s Nodes and Reincarnation,
“Conditions force [the Leo North Node
person] to stand alone, very often with the
absence of shoulders to lean on.” We can
already see Obama separating from the world
as the bubble of the presidency descends
over his life (he has had to give up his
beloved Blackberry). Schulman goes on to
note that the North Node in Leo/South Node
in Aquarius individual “…has a great ability
to do something for the human race for he is
capable of depersonalizing his actions for
the good of all mankind.” Obama’s Aquarius
South Node has given him a strong dedication
(carried over from a past life) to fairness
and equality.
The fact that his
individualistic Leo North Node is in the 7th
house of partnerships gives Obama an
inherent conflict. He needs to “take all the
power, strength, and confidence that his
prior incarnations have built and give it
away to others who need it more” (Schulman).
In that sense, Obama’s presidency is
destined to be sacrificial.
Mercury
Opposite Jupiter
An inspirational planetary
pairing. Obama is a
man who
is brimming over with big ideas—and gives
great speeches. He is curious about many
things, yet able to see the big picture, to
grab the central ideas being discussed. He
is also a fast learner, as evidenced by how
quickly he adapted (Mercury) to new
challenges on the 2008 campaign trail.
This adaptability is also supported in his
horoscope by a Gemini Moon.
Mars
in Virgo
This placement is excellent
because it allows Obama to focus on fixing
things. It’s an especially good
thing
for a Leo Sun, and grounds his
Mercury-Jupiter opposition, because it enables him to see details.
