Inaugural astrology chart

Via Gary Paul Glynn, a Bloomington, Indiana-based astrologer who puts out a weekly report called Astrologick:

Inaugural Chart

One of the most important themes to impact the coming year (as well as
the next four years) involves the prospects of a new administration as
it grasps the wheel of this out-of-control bus, headed toward the edge
of the abyss. Will President Barack Obama be able to make good on his
campaign promises and steer the course of the country back onto the road
to peace and prosperity? Reestablish the rule of law and see that
justice is served on those who subverted the U.S. Constitution? In
astrology, one of the primary indicators of the character of a new
administration is found in the Inauguration chart, drawn-up for the time
and place that the president-elect takes the Oath of Office.

According to the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1933), the
administration of the Oath of Office always takes place on January 20 at
noon, although sometimes circumstances see the swearing-in take place
somewhat later than noon (In 1961, John F. Kennedy wasn’t sworn-in until
12:52 p.m.). There could be some minor changes to the Inaugural chart if
Obama takes the Oath of Office a few minutes later than noon and a major
change if he takes it after 12:30 p.m. Making the assumption that
everything will go according to plan and that Barack Obama takes the
Oath of Office within minutes of noon, this is what it looks like. In
the event that the Oath is administered later than 12:30, I’ll report
back next week.

With a concentration of planets in democratically-oriented Aquarius and
in the tenth house of administrative functions, we see the strong
possibility that President Obama will make good on his pledge to make
the White House the “People’s House.” Elevated in the chart, we see
Mercury forming an inferior conjunction with the Sun (Mercury’s orbit
brings it precisely between the Sun and the Earth), suggesting a
willingness to communicate in clear terms with an emphasis on
information technology. This is also a sign of keen intelligence and a
willingness to embrace science – a complete 180-degree from the last
eight years. As both Mercury and the Sun are closely conjunct Jupiter,
we can expect to see a much more open and less secretive administration
as well as a cabinet of policy wonks.

Considering the fact that Taurus is rising in this chart, we see a
strong focus on The Economy and need for stability in this area. Venus,
the ruler of Taurus (and the ruler of this chart) is joined with
unpredictable Uranus which suggests greater levels of instability and
unforeseeable movements with regard to money as well as the values that
most Americans hold as their own. On the other hand, Venus combined with
Uranus shows the potential for creative innovation and perhaps the
invention of new, cutting edge solutions to the fiscal mess Obama is
inheriting. But not everybody will be happy with his decisions, that we
can be sure of.

In this same area, challenges and opportunities await our next president
as restrictive Saturn sits opposite the Venus-Uranus conjunction,
suggesting that Obama’s creative drive will be need to be grounded in
reality and that progress may be slower than what many people expect.
This opposition pits the notion of creative change (Venus-Uranus)
against the status quo, financial restraints and conservative opposition
to his more progressive approaches. Although the going may be slow,
several helpful alignments to this opposition from Mars (action) in
constructive Capricorn points to a steady, undeterred approach that
won’t easily back down in the fact of obstacles.

Speaking of Mars in Capricorn, this is perhaps one of the best signs for
Mars to be located in when it comes to the practical application of
energy and ambition. Unlike the over-amped, over-pronounced Mars found
in George W. Bush’s 2001 Inaugural chart that pointed to his eagerness
to start wars (the self-described “War President”), Mars, tamed in
Capricorn is about the cautious use of force as last-resort. With Mars
in Capricorn sitting in the ninth house of international affairs, Obama
will undoubtedly put more of his energy into diplomatic measures than to
use a loaded gun to bully neighbors into doing our bidding. Although
cautious, there is nothing to suggest he won’t use military force if he
needs to protect American interests, but it seems more likely that the
Obama administration will work within the limits of international laws,
treaties and the U.S. Constitution.

As the ninth house also involves courts and the concept of justice, I
would hazard to guess that the Mars placement would involve the pursuit
of criminal wrong-doing, although it’s also likely that Mars in
Capricorn means that the Obama administration will take a more gradual
and cautious approach than many of us would like to see. Even so, it
seems as though justice still has a chance of prevailing in the long term.

There are a couple of items in the Inaugural chart that gives
astrologers pause, the first of which involves Mercury retrograde. As
many readers know, Mercury retrograde isn’t the best time to set off on
a new course or take an oath, but it can also be said that many of the
most successful enterprises where launched when Mercury was retrograde –
the United States being one of them. The fact that Mercury is precisely
conjunct the Sun and moving at its fastest retrograde speed could
mitigate some of the more problematic aspects of retrograde. This might
also mean that President Obama will have to reconsider, change or revise
some of his plans, particularly if he runs across any major suprises
hidden in the closet of the Oval Office. In fact, much of his first term
will probably be spent undoing many of the policy decisions put into
place by his predecessor. As Mercury retrograde is about thoughtful
contemplation and review, there is also less likelihood of rushing
headlong into ill-conceived decisions.

Another factor is that retrograde Mercury is sitting on the cusp of
Aquarius-Capricorn, reentering Capricorn the day following the
Inauguration. This also supports the notion of having to go back to
reorder the structure of the relationship between the government and the
corporations that appear to own it. We might see this as a “bridging” or
perhaps a longer-term transition than most people want or expect as
considerable time and mental energy needs to be directed into damage
control, making new initiatives slow in coming.

When looking at mundane charts such as this, the Moon is always
representative of the general public. The fact that the Scorpio Moon in
the Inaugural chart happens to sit on the midheaven of Barack Obama’s
natal chart means that The People have very passionate and intense
expectations of the Obama administration. The last degree of Scorpio on
which the Moon is located tends to be rather stubborn and bull-headed,
particularly where the issue of money and debt are concerned, so there
are high hopes that Obama will be able to “fix” things so we can go back
to “normal” – whatever that is, or once was.

The potential fly-in-the-ointment factor here is that the Moon will be
void-of-course in the final degree of Scorpio if Barack Obama is
sworn-in before 12:29 p.m. For those unfamiliar with the concept of Moon
void-of-course, it’s a term that describes the period of time when the
Moon, moving through a particular sign ceases to form major alignments
to any of the planets while still residing in that sign. During a
void-of-course, issues and prerogatives symbolized by the Moon go
unanswered and ultimately come to nothing. In this case, there is the
possibility that the high expectations, hopes and anticipations of The
People following the election may be disappointed. Worst-case scenario
is that Barack Obama is unable to complete his first term in office.

Looking back over the Inauguration charts from the past century, there
are six instances when the Moon was void-of-course. Of these, half of
the VOC administrations involved Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fourth and
final term in office, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon second term –
all of which where never completed. The other three involved Woodrow
Wilson who suffered a stroke during his second term (but managed to hide
his incapacity), Calvin Coolidge where nothing happened and Bill
Clinton’s second term when he was impeached, yet remained in office.

The fact that the VOC Scorpio Moon is at the cusp of Sagittarius may
also indicate another form of “bridging,” perhaps the transition from
the personal to the collective. This could be a difficult bridge for
many people to cross as the notion of personal gain at the expense of
everyone else is hard-wired into our concept of the “good life.” Of
course, if Barack Obama is sworn-in after 12:29 p.m., it seems likely
that he will be able to gain considerable traction coming out of the
gate instead of straddling two worlds for much of his tenure.

As far as what we can expect during the first 100 days of the new
administration, there are indications in the Inaugural chart as well as
the U.S. chart that suggest events that will shake Americans out of
their unrealistic dreams, away from the concepts of individual gains and
personal standards. Attempts to resurrect the way we’re used to doing
business will ultimately fail, forcing us to restructure our entire
concept of the Pursuit of Happiness. The American people are angry,
restless and on the verge of blowing their tops and it won’t take much
for this to happen.

I know this probably sounds like a downer, but the underlying cause of
our current economic and environmental crisis is based on unrealistic
assumptions about the very nature of reality. Without a fundamental
change in consciousness, there can never be any true change in the
circumstances we’ve created for ourselves. We’ve become sick in our
souls as a result of our nearly exclusive pursuit of material gain and
now the healing is at hand; with Chiron the Healer rising in Barack
Obama’s chart at the time of his Inauguration, he’s more than our new
president, he’s our new physician.

Looking at the charts of the United States, the Inauguration and Barack
Obama, one thing is certain, we’re very fortunate to have elected Barack
Obama to lead us through this time of crisis, discontent, restructuring
and rebirth. If nothing else, we have an intelligent, compassionate and
willing leader that will help point us toward a more realistic goal that
sees past our differences and nationalities while raising the notion
that we’re all in this together. It will take patience on all our parts,
even when things begin to appear desperate, in order to make the most of
the opportunities that will soon present themselves to us as we take
another firm step along the road to redemption.