Barack Obama | Astrology with Michelle Gregg

That lustrous orb that sweeps our oceans to and fro is also the harbinger who describes and defines our day-to-day fluctuating energy. As the face of the Moon is ever changing, so are the feelings and intuitions that push and pull us through our daily rounds. The sign of the Zodiac the Moon occupies changes about every 2-and-a-half-days and as she orbits she makes different connections to other planets, touching all of them in different ways as she speeds her way through the sky. Each of us will resonate to the energies of the flirting, capricious Luna in different ways and with different reactions according to the energies of our own birthcharts – our own dispositions and levels of consciousness. However, this comes as a guide to help you understand which fickle face our Lady Moon is showing today.

If you know your birthchart, or at least your Sun, Moon, or Rising signs (or better yet – all three – and if you don’t know any of them, maybe it’s time for you to send me an email) knowing where the Moon is playing and who she’s playing with will help you understand how to navigate your day and why you may be feeling the way you are or why you’re having the reactions or responses that you’re having.

I’m going to try to write this everyday for you – or at least, most days. No promises being made here, but I hope the days I manage it, that you’ll find some peace, and maybe even gain a little edge, in knowing. I want to dedicate this effort to Kat. She told me that she missed my posts. So Kat – this if for you. If any of you enjoy this lovingly crafted energetic gift – please let me know! It will help to keep me motivated to continue…

(The above 3 paragraphs will be repeated each “By the Light of the Moon” post, so if you’ve read it before and know it by heart, just skip to the stuff just below. All times given in this column are Eastern time. )

About 9AM Eastern (6AM Pacific) this morning the Moon moves from earthbound Taurus into heady Gemini, and because both the Sun and Mercury moved from Capricorn into another bright air sign, Aquarius, over the weekend, the heavens and our intellects could feel a bit clearer – a bit lighter. Mercury and Uranus connect honing our minds and sharpening our tongues as well, so this seems to be a pretty high energy day, especially for folks with lots of air signs represented in their charts (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius). The fire signs will be at home with this energy as well (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius).

Today should prove to be one during which our ideas flow easily and we feel the need to trample the box we’ve been living in to get a breath of fresh air outside it. Expect a bit of the unexpected…

However, challenges may come from Neptune, particularly earlier in the day. Our emotions are being pulled toward optimism and the search for meaning, the need to expand and express via a very close connection to Jupiter, but simultaneously Neptune insists that we not let go of our fantasy, our addiction, our yearning or our loss – whatever the case may be. The Aquarius and Gemini influences want us to use our logic and mental fortitude, Jupiter wants us to learn and grow, but Neptune wants us to experience the spiritual, the psychic, the nebulous. There may be confusion and there may simply be daydreaming to take the edge off of our genius. It will be interesting to see how all of these combine together and what will result.

It seems to me that Jupiter and the Moon in Gemini, and Uranus in Aries, will drive the day despite the either visionary or escapist tendencies of Neptune, and that means a restless spirit, clever action, and the wheels of the mind working smartly. It also means that we’re emotionally attached to putting our message or our mission out into the world with the certainty of our right-ness (rightousness?) – that’s the Jupiter part. And we could certainly be feeling the need for independence and freedom.

Speaking of independence and freedom – today is the public inauguration of President Obama! The planets are really set up beautifully with his birth chart for this event, and it should be fun to watch how he uses these really positive energies. The Moon and Jupiter are triggering his Chiron/Pluto opposition though, so we should watch for any woundedness from the past and possibly some emotional power plays that could emerge. But I think for the most part we’ll see a very confident face and lots of optimism.

And again, speaking of independence and freedom – what a great sky we have for honoring one of our nation’s greatest heros, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We’ve got Neptune for his dream, Jupiter for his vision for the future, and Uranus symbolizing his life as a catalyst for new paradigm. All connected to the Moon – our emotional selves and our country. Perfect.

For most of us, this can prove to be a very social day – so don’t sit still somewhere alone if you can help it. And enjoy!

Hey! If you want to be sure not to miss any of the future posts of “By the Light of the Moon” please find the box on the right of any page on this site that says “Follow Astrology with Michelle Gregg via Email” and click “Follow Me!”

Go to my Facebook page, Astrology with Michelle Gregg and give me a like! Then anytime I post, the goods will show up in your Facebook Home scroll.

Barack Obama is 48 today. Happy Birthday Mr. President!

What will the year hold for Obama? A look at his Solar Return chart can give us some clues.

Barack Obama - Natal Chart with Solar Return 2009 Outer Ring A Solar Return chart is drawn up at the exact moment that the Sun enters the same degree of the astrological sign that it occupied at birth. Each one of us experiences a Solar Return every year on our birthday – or within a day of it. The Solar Return chart maps the energies that are available for the one year period it takes for the Sun to come back around to that exact point again. It can help us know how to navigate the upcoming year and understand what areas of our lives will be impacted.

Obama’s Solar Return chart contains a couple of standout features. First, the Solar Return conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius across his natal 1st House of “Self”, and opposite his Uranus in the 7th House of “Other” indicates that this will be a year very much dedicated to his learning a new way to present his beliefs, his woundedness, and his “savior” role – not surprising for someone recently elected President. With this configuration a great deal of emphasis is being put on Obama’s way of relating, and lessons he must learn in that arena. It is quite likely that the President’s Achilles heel will be exposed this year. He may also experience surprises around who opposes him or he may suddenly encounter deceptive opposition that he in no way expects. Because of the proximity of the Triple Aquarians to his South Node, it is likely that wounding from Obama’s past will come back up for re-evaluation and hopefully healing, rather than further wounding. The best case scenario, is that Obama learns invaluable lessons around how to balance his new way of relating to those close to him (both intimates and enemies) with the new paradigms around belief system, national wounds, religion, money, and spirituality that people all over the world are demanding. If he can do this, he can be the bridge to the future that much of the world is expecting him to be.

The second stand out configuration is that Natal Mars is at the midpoint of the Solar Return Saturn opposition to Solar Return Uranus. This is not a feel good combination, and could represent strong forces from the right trying diligently and persistently to suppress the actions that Obama intends to make. Saturn represents the status-quo and tradition, while Mars represents the will and how we take action to bring that will about. Uranus is the energy that ushers in the rebellious new paradigm shifts that change us forever. With Saturn and Uranus opposed to each other, we literally have a battle of darkness and light – or status-quo versus “the new way”. With Obama’s Mars in the middle of these warring energies, he is bound to either find the balance between them and negotiate change that doesn’t crash the system, or be pushed and pulled between them until he breaks. From what I can tell of Barack Obama Capitol Obama, he will be able to take the high road, but there will be a high price to pay in terms of compromising his own will, and learning to keep his frustration at manageable levels. Combine this Saturn/Mars /Uranus aspect with a square from Solar Return Mars to Natal Mars, and we could have a situation in which Obama feels intense tension to force his own will, yet being simultaneously feeling forced to learn to reign in his ego and learn a different tact. He is likely to feel repressed by forces of incredible opposition all year – creating enormous tension that has to have an outlet. This tension results in enormous frustration, irritability, and temper at worst, and learning the real meaning of disciplined energy at best. (An example of this energy at play at the moment is the conspiracy theory of the “birthers” who are demanding that Obama provide an additional birth certificate proving his citizenship of the U.S. This group of crazed righters seems to be getting bigger and louder in the last 3 months. This “birther” situation also plays into the Triple Aquarians sitting on his South Node bringing up the past in unexpected ways, mentioned previously.)

A third very relevant aspect in Obama’s Solar Return chart is the Solar Return Pluto exactly opposing the Natal Venus. Here is the demand from the Universe that Obama must purify his values system, and purge anything from it that at all reeks of rot. Pluto requires powerful, profound transformation wherever it touches, and for Barack Obama via Venus, that means values, relationships, and money. Obama’s Venus is almost exactly aligned with Venus in the chart of the United States – they’re about 2 degrees apart. So while Obama undergoes personal values changes and evolution, so do we as a country. This is a true new birth. Expect this year to be filled with labor pains, both for Obama and for the economy of our country.

The good news for Obama this year, is that while it will be challenging and likely filled with opposition, he has the ability to work with the available energy to maintain his high hopes, his ideals, and his optimism (expressed by Jupiter near his Ascendant), opportunities for healing and bridging (Chiron near the Ascendant), and the ability to evolve his tremendous charisma and deep spiritual connection that many of us have latched onto as our own source of hope for the future (Neptune near the Ascendant).