Barack Obama

Barack Obama was born in Honolulu on August 4 1961. The time of day for his birth is uncertain. One time figuring frequently on the internet is 1:06 PM, but it is not confirmed.

When a birth time is not known, 12:00 noon is often used, because it minimizes the possible error. Since there is not that much difference between noon and 1:06 PM, I have allowed myself to use the latter, but in my interpretation below I will depend as little as possible on the fastest moving elements of the chart - the House system, the Ascendant, MC, and the moon. For the rest, a few hours here or there make little difference.

At a glance, it is obvious that Obama would have a successful career, making a strong impression on the general public. He has a bundle of planets around his Midheaven, and most of them in the pompous sign of Leo. With the sun in the middle of the same sign, he is definitely a Leo, showing pride in himself and enjoying to shine.

He also has Mercury and Uranus in Leo. The former shows that he is able to speak in a way that attracts attention and respect, the latter that he is wise with how he presents himself to others. These are almost the traits of a performer.

His Venus in the very beginning of Cancer shows an ability to play on emotions, and to do it convincingly. The moon at the very cusp of Gemini indicates sort of the same – but that position is a bit uncertain, since the moon moves as much as 13 degrees in a day, and Obama’s time of birth is not confirmed.

He has two of the most grim planets, Mars and Pluto, in Virgo. The latter he shares with a whole generation, since Pluto moves so slowly through the horoscope, but the former is more personal. It shows that he has perseverance, and is not likely to quit before his job is completed. He is strongly critical of others, but also demanding on himself.

The birth time 1:06 PM puts Obama’s Ascendant in Scorpio - actually the same sign as for Hillary Clinton. This means that they both have kind of a deceitful appearance, successfully hiding who they themselves think that they really are. Still, the Scorpio Ascendant tends to make others feel a bit uncertain about him. They sense that there are things beneath his surface that they would not approve of.

I hesitate to go into more detail, since Obama’s birth time is unconfirmed. But what can be done is to examine the transits that are at work in the primaries, and in the following presidential election.

Starting with the primaries: During Obama’s campaign the transiting planets have shown little support for him. Saturn has been passing over some of his planets in Leo and Virgo, but that is more an indication of hardship than of success. So is, although vaguely, the opposition of transit Neptune to the Leo planets.

Jupiter, which is the planet bringing good fortune, is moving toward an opposition to Obama’s Leo planets. That is not good at all. The opposition will not arrive until the spring of 2009, though, so it has little to do with this campaign.

On the way, it will actually pass over Jupiter in Obama’s birth chart, which definitely means some significant success at that time. The exact date of that conjunction is Friday January 9th, 2009. Since inauguration day, January 20th, is not even two weeks from that date, the Jupiter conjunction might signal that Obama has some shot at the presidency - but other astrological indicators seem to disagree. And Jupiter would be more likely to signal the victory of an election, than the date of getting into office.

Otherwise, most of his transits indicate hardship, which might still lead to some kind of success - but at a high price. There is a conjunction of transit Mars with Obama’s native Pluto on July 12, and with his native Mars on August 6. Both these transits hint at successful but quite costly changes that he has accomplished purely by his own work and persistence. Saturn passes over Pluto on July 24, indicating just about the same.

He will have a very hard time, but it will have its rewards - and he has none but himself to thank for them. The democratic convention will be held in August 25-28. Considering the heavy transits for Obama around that time, it is obvious that the date is significant to him - but it is difficult to see if he will be elected as the democratic presidential candidate. The question should really have been settled beforehand, through the last of the primaries, so the fact that the August events are still important in his life strongly suggest that he is the remaining candidate.

If so, the time of his election is a month after the exact conjunction of transit Saturn to his Pluto. The former planet deals with power and leadership, the latter with drastic change. It sure is a drastic change in his life, running for President. It will be tough for him, quite costly indeed, but his horoscope indicates that he will be the democratic candidate for President.

The presidential election

The presidential election takes place on November 4, 2008. That day is remarkably uneventful to him, according to his chart and the transits. I see nothing that signals it as a day of profound meaning to him and his life. It can only mean that if he runs for President, he will lose that election - and it will be no surprise either to him or to anyone else.

Because the election day is so uneventful to Obama, I suspect that he might not be the democratic presidential candidate after all. Nor the running mate of that candidate. The election seems not to be about him at all, and the result of it makes no difference to him.

The only indicator of good tidings for Obama, is the Jupiter-Jupiter conjunction less than two weeks before the presidential inauguration, mentioned above. But I doubt that this transit can be interpreted as a victory for Obama in the election being held two months before.

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton was born in Chicago on October 26, 1947. Her time of birth is a bit uncertain, but there are several indicators for a morning birth, and it seems to have been around 8 AM. I take a chance on it, but try to keep an open mind - not to let too much of my interpretation lean on the time of day.

Oddly, Hillary Clinton’s horoscope has many similarities to that of Barack Obama. They have the same Ascendant, Scorpio, actually even at about the same degree in that sign. Both also have several important planets in Leo, near Midheaven.

In Hillary’s case, the cluster of planets in Leo are Mars, Saturn, and Pluto - the three most grim of the planets. None of them is in retrograde, which means that they are all at the peak of their force. This speaks heavily of power, certainly, and a drastic, forceful way of using it. It is almost the constellation of a conqueror.

Mars and Pluto are in a narrow conjunction, less than one degree apart. This a indeed a source of power, excessive force without hesitation. She has the ability to get power and is not the least bit hesitant to use it. She regards it as her right. Another cluster of planets is around the Ascendant in the middle of Scorpio: Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter. Venus is in the 12th House, as is the sun, showing that love and passion are things that she has to sacrifice in order to get what she wants. Indeed...

Mercury is also in the 12th House, but in a very tight conjunction with the Ascendant. This means that she is quite skilled at convincing people by her speech and reasoning, although she is rarely completely honest. She enjoys leading people astray, and making them believe what they otherwise would not. In her speech she is definitely quite manipulative.

Jupiter at the start of Sagittarius, in her 1st House, shows that she has success with her manipulations, and that people are impressed by her - without really knowing why. Neptune in Libra and the 11th House shows that she has always dreamed of a decisive, leading role in society. It is this dream that drives her - and the longing for power.

Uranus, representing contemplation and wisdom, could be a force balancing the above - but in Hillary Clinton’s horoscope it is at the end of Gemini, and in retrograde, so it is both weakened and distracted, like the mind of a playful child. Its position in the 8th House suggests that she gives more significance to her random thoughts than they deserve. She seems not to take much seriously - neither ideas nor ideals.

Her moon in Pisces reveals an inner frustration, an inability to be pleased and satisfied. That is the reason she allows herself to treat others rather immorally by misleading them. Hillary Clinton seeks power, and is very skilled at getting it - but she should not have it. She will misuse it, just as she allows the ends to justify the means in her strife to achieve power.

Hillary Clinton is quite destined to have power - but not necessarily by being voted on. Mostly through her life, so far, her power has come from being married to Bill. Whether she gets elected as the democratic presidential candidate or not, she will certainly still have power within that organization and elsewhere. She can fool and manipulate people with her Scorpio Ascendant, but she cannot make them trust her. So, she will always find it easier to get power by other means than popular vote.

During the several months of her campaign in the primaries, she has had little support from the transiting planets. In March this year she had a sextile between Saturn and her native sun, and a conjunction between Saturn and her MC (if the birth time 8.00 is to be trusted). That shows power at play, and playing her way. But Saturn is retrograde, moving out of these aspects, indicating a losing streak rather than the opposite.

The campaign tends to make her lose the power she has, instead of increasing it. The same planet had a conjunction with her native Saturn on September 30, 2006, and again (because of retrograde movement) on June 20, 2007. At those two dates her power was at its peak. It will have a decline in the years to follow.

Her last moment of a power surge will be when Saturn moves ahead over her MC, which is late June or early July, if the birth time around 8 AM is to be trusted. After that, she will experience a long decline of power and importance.

At the democratic convention on August 25-28, there is no astrological support for her being elected as the democratic presidential candidate. Instead, Venus and Mercury in opposition to her moon indicate disappointment, and Uranus in conjunction with her moon is likely to inspire seclusion and introversion. She is likely to start reconsidering her life-path, and what it really gives her.

I can’t see that she will be a presidential candidate. Actually, it is quite possible that she starts to back out of politics completely. Considering the graveness of her Leo planets, she should.

The presidential election

The presidential election is on November 4, 2008. At that date, Neptune is in opposition to Hillary Clinton’s Saturn, showing clearly that her dream was not realized. This may very well make her give up her dream of great power, and retreat from politics.

Mars is conjunct to her Ascendant and Mercury, which means that she will make a change of attitude, and signal it very clearly, demonstratively. Maybe on the very day of the presidential election, as some kind of protest.

The Mars conjunction with the Ascendant and Mercury is a power aspect that could also mean that she wins something that increases and enriches her gestalt, the way she is perceived by others - such as the presidency. I still doubt it, though, since there is no other astrological support for it. Instead, I think that the Mars conjunction will be the trigger for her to change her life, away from politics - at least the politics of elections and elected office.

On the day of the presidential inauguration, January 20 of 2009, there are no transits of any significance in Hillary Clinton’s horoscope. That day just has no particular meaning to her.

John McCain

John McCain was born on August 29, 1936, in Cocosolo, Panama. Astrologers on the internet seem to have some trust in the birth time being around 9:00 AM, so I base my chart and interpretation on that. But I try to avoid too much use of the elements of the horoscope that change significantly in a few hours - such as the Ascendant, MC, the Houses, and the position of the moon.

John McCain has an unusually complex horoscope, especially compared to those of former US presidents, who tend to have rather simple and concentrated constellations in their horoscopes. He has a concentration of planets in the signs Cancer to Libra, where eight of twelve are situated, although that area is just one third of the Zodiac. Three of them are in Virgo, which is also his sun sign.

Virgo is the worker, the critical mind, more prone to detail than to the whole. The sun in the beginning of the sign shows that John McCain is a man who is quick to roll up his sleeves and get to work, and that is also a central part of his ideology. He is sure that he is competent, and that most others are not.

Neptune in the middle of Virgo tells us that he dreams of what grand things that can be accomplished with perseverance and hard work. He might be underestimating the difficulties, although he has a sharp critical mind. On the other hand, his Venus in the same sign gives him a creative capacity for complicated tasks.

His 10th House is powerful, with Pluto at the end of Cancer and Mars in the middle of Leo. He easily gains power and tremendous respect, and he knows how to make use of it. He is quick to take charge, and not a bit afraid to make decisions. There is a frustration in his Pluto position at the end of Cancer, but he shares it with a whole generation. It indicates that he wants to have rules that keep control of people’s emotions, as if to eliminate the irrational in man. It cannot be done.

Saturn retrograde in Pisces shows that he has a deeply frustrated attitude toward power and responsibility, insisting on their importance but uncertain about what to do with them. This is in opposition to his problem-solving Venus, meaning that he can often be his own major obstacle. He seems to long for rules at the same time as he fails to trust them.

His second opposition is between his Pluto and his moon in Capricorn. The latter shows that he has some control of his emotions, a self-discipline that is straining on him but mostly holds, nonetheless. His will to keep a lid on himself makes him almost refuse to accept that emotional issues have importance in events of the world. He does not like it, and is practically unable to relate to it, although he often has to, because of events that he is involved in.

John McCain's horoscope has a lot of aspects. Mars has a significant role, linked with a square to Uranus in Taurus, and with a trine to Jupiter in Sagittarius. These aspects show that his leadership competence is supported by a sharp understanding of how things work in the material world, and the good luck he has with changes in his life - moving him upward, as if the sky is the limit.

Also the sun is in aspect with his Uranus, underlining his materialistic world view. Mercury in Libra shows that he can argue well, and reason with anyone about anything, but his mind is the most comfortable with superficial perspectives. He might be a problem solver, but no philosopher. That makes him ignorant of the complexity of mankind, although he is such a complex man himself.

Oddly, his MC in the middle of Cancer shows that he still regards himself as an emotional person, with strong feelings of sympathy and antipathy. The sextile to Neptune shows that he regards these emotions as his true motivations for his actions and his strife. His MC also has a square aspect to the Ascendant in Libra and a trine to Saturn in Pisces. It makes him feel like a man who will bring back justice and ethical principles to a somewhat lost and confused world. He wants to find and to preach what is really right and wrong, although he is not that sure of it. There is confusion inside of him, but he manages to act decisively and keep a straight face, anyway.

The presidential election

The election is on November 4, 2008. John McCain has several astrological indicators to his success at it. At that date, Saturn has just passed over his Neptune, carrying power and possibility to his dream of working hard to accomplish grand things.

Jupiter is at an opposition to his MC, indicating a fortunate event that he feels will be disadvantageous to him personally - and surely, that is the price of being the President. Your personal life will suffer. Jupiter is also in square with the Ascendant, which means that his official role, the way he presents himself to others, is strained but still successful. He manages well to keep a straight face in the hour of need.

On the election day, Uranus in retrograde has recently passed over his Saturn (it is exact on September 26, 2008), which is certainly involved in his ambitions, bringing many insights to it. Late September, when that aspect is exact, is when he becomes convinced that he will win the election. Uranus will return to pass Saturn again in the beginning of February 2009, which would be right after the new President enters office. He will be mentally ready for his job, and he will have a grand plan for it.

Next to the Uranus conjunction, the most important aspect for John McCain in this period is the Saturn to Saturn opposition, which is exact on November 18, a couple of weeks after the election. It shows that he has to overcome his frustrations and uncertainties about the use of power, and what principles to rely on. He will need to express certainty and unquestionable authority. And he will be able to do that, because he is at that time reminded of his deep and complex relation to both power and its principles.

Because Saturn soon after that goes into retrograde, it will form another opposition with John McCain’s Saturn on February 13, 2009, and then a third transit on August 8, 2009. During this period of the three transits Saturn to Saturn, John McCain will mature heavily into his responsibility, and shoulder it readily. In the process, he probably allows himself to become rather pragmatic about the ethics of power.

At the date of the presidential inauguration, January 20, 2009, Saturn is over John McCain’s Venus in Virgo, kicking off some tremendous and important work indeed. Pluto is approaching a square with his Mercury, showing that he will need to change his way of speaking, sharpen his tongue, and that his speaking is instrumental in making big changes. Mars is in square with his Ascendant, making it important for him to behave in a controlled manner and showing determination.