ELECTION 2012 ASTROLOGICAL PREDICTIONS

PART 1:  THE CHARTS OF ROMNEY AND OBAMA

There was a time when astrologers were in danger of losing their heads if their predictions were not borne out by subsequent events. Despite the apparent flood of lunacy this election cycle, I think I’m currently safe. Wait! Let me check that lock again. Okay—so far, so good.

This is a race that has tightened—as astrologers have predicted it would—as Election Day draws closer. This fits with the rather tumultuous energetic terrain through which we are passing—what astrologers term Uranus square Pluto. It’s the first time since the 1960s that these two planets have been aligned. Uranus in astrology represents the forces of personal freedom, revolution, innovation and sudden, chaotic social change; Pluto represents the power structure undergoing a slower but inexorable transformation as we get down to core issues. Pluto is about power itself…in this case, about the holding of power.

The 1960s were not an especially peaceful time, and the social divisions of that time are reappearing now, as those who seek to return to previous notions of American culture do battle with those who live for the future. The result is an important election that can decide whether American society, and to some degree the entire planet, will be aligned with the current change-oriented energies or resistant to them.

Here is what astrology says about what we can expect to see this November 6^th. We’ll look at the charts of the contenders and predict the winner accordingly.

Let’s start by looking at the birth chart of the challenger, Mitt Romney:

Romney’s Sun-sign is Pisces, which is known for empathy and personal connections. Imaginative and spiritual, Pisces energy opens one up to greater causes. Romney’s Mormon faith is very important to him. The Sun sits in the 11^th House, the sector known for community involvement…and Romney spent time as a Mormon missionary. He’s definitely a “people person,” a natural salesman. It’s not an accident that he went into business as a profession. And being a Mutable Sign, he has no problem changing his positions on social or political issues. He may be glib, but he means what he says…at least, at that moment.

Romney’s Moon, representing his inner, emotional nature, sits in late Scorpio in the same degree and almost the same minute as Jupiter, the planet known as the King of the Gods and associated with wealth and abundance, generosity and moral rectitude. It doesn’t take much insight to see that Romney’s wealth (Jupiter) was inherited from his family (Moon, the ruler in astrology of home and hearth). One can see here the origin of Romney’s innate characteristic of not being able to relate to the little guy. He’s an aristocrat through and through.

But Scorpio is not a lazy sign. In fact, it has a reputation for ruthlessness. It’s associated with the banking profession, and despite the Moon-Jupiter conjunction’s knack for personal generosity, it can also be arrogant because the striving for power is strong. Its position in the 6th House of work, service and health emphasizes Romney’s work ethic—“I did it, so why can’t you?” Such a person will not be focused on creating a social net for the less fortunate for there is an innate self-interest at work. As the conjunction is close to the 7^th House cusp of relationships, he does in fact have some talent in relatability when he chooses to exercise it. He’s not a bad guy, but there is usually a profit motive hidden somewhere. Scorpio, after all, is known for its love of secrecy. What we have here is a natural Plutocrat—one who seeks out and enjoys holding power; power derived from one’s wealth.

Romney’s Ascendant, or Rising Sign, is in early Gemini, which means that he projects into the world a natural touch of intelligence—you don’t make his kind of money if you aren’t smart—combined with a way with words that can either be soothing or not depending on his mood (the opposition to the Moon). Gemini is another Mutable Sign and given to a love of variety. In politics, it pays to be wordy, but if you constantly change positions on the issues (another manifestation of the mutability factor), you may gain a reputation you have to live down.

Romney also has Mercury, the ruler of Gemini and therefore his entire chart, also in Pisces in the late 10^th House of career, which means his reputation in the world may be a bit “mercurial”—inconsistent—and that his speaking and writing ability may play a part in this. Whether or not he has developed it, it looks to me as if he has natural talent as a writer.

Venus is the ruler in astrology of love, money and worldly pleasures, and Romney was born when Venus was directly overhead, so we find it in the chart right at the Midheaven, or point of reputation in the world. Well, if you have money, you can have lots of pleasure! Intriguingly, Venus and his Midheaven point are in Aquarius, which is associated with a humanitarian outlook on life. Is Romney a secret visionary? Or a superficial lightweight? His chart says he could be both.

With Mars, the planet of willpower and aggression, also in Pisces, the sign of caregiving, in the 10th House, he could actually be a healer of sorts on the social level, as this is an aspect often found in the charts of doctors or those in the healing professions. Pisces being associated with religion, we know that he is at least devout. But Mars also sits in a square, a difficult 90-degree angle, to his Ascendant, or projected self-image. This man has a temper and his aggressive nature may come out at moments of insecurity.

Saturn and Pluto, the work and power energies, are at the bottom of his chart in Leo, the sign of aristocracy. Again, this points to him having been born into a socially prominent family. It was his karmic destiny. It would thus benefit him if he had a sense of noblesse oblige, the notion that he must give back to others because of his elevated social status. Whether this is the case or not is up for question. If nothing else, it points to using family status for his own ends.

Neptune, ruler of his Sun-sign Pisces, is associated with faith and creativity, but also with deceit and illusions. Romney has Neptune in the 5^th House of love, children and self-expression. How many sons does he have? Are they not all devout? A subliminal image is also here of his father’s background as part of a polygamist Mormon community, as Neptune represents a lack of personal boundaries, perhaps in relation to a religious faith. But there’s another indication of Romney’s personal charisma here as well. I still say he could have done well in the creative field.

Finally, we find Uranus, that lightning bolt-like energy referred to earlier, sitting in his 1^st House of personality along with the North Node, or life-destiny point. Mitt Romney is an individual, not someone who necessarily kowtows to others. He wants to be the boss. Uranus, in fact, is often found prominently in the charts of authoritarian types or political dictators. Romney has an easygoing nature publicly, but is a don’t-talk-back-to-me sort on the personal level. He will chart his own path and use his personality to fulfill it.

President Barack Obama has a somewhat surprising chart for someone who has ascended into the most powerful position on Earth. It is essentially the chart of a humanitarian and spiritual teacher.

He was born under Leo, the sign associated with leadership and personal charisma. His Sun sits in the 6^th House, associated with service to others and practical organizing. (Obama, of course, worked as a community organizer in Chicago.) Notably, the 6^th House is associated with health concerns, and Obama’s major claim to fame so far as president is his health care law.

His Moon is in Gemini, the sign of the writer, in the 4^th House of home and family roots. It sits in a trine, a flowing angle, to Jupiter (planet of life’s fortunes) in the 12^th House of dreams, visions and past karmic secrets. Hence, his book, “Dreams From My Father,” about his search for his own identity. This also gives him an emotionally generous nature. If he is not Bill Clinton (another Leo), who “feels your pain,” he is at least somewhat empathetic in the abstract. But it’s filtered through Gemini, an Air Sign, which deals with the mind. He is essentially an intellectual, not part of the common crowd. He likes suits and white shirts and rarely wears a hardhat.

This seeming aloofness is strengthened by Obama’s Aquarius Ascendant, which means he will think first (that’s the Air Sign energy) before acting. This trait gives him the cool, Zen-like persona, the contemplative quality that people see first in him. Obama sometimes comes across with an abstract iciness that does not serve him well politically. It does not really fit with the passionate expression of one’s feelings and general warmth of personality that Americans find so appealing in someone like Clinton. But it allows Obama to make decisions rationally, rather than emotionally, and to articulate inclusive humanitarian ideals, but it can also make him seem a bit cold-blooded. He may be a futurist, a visionary, but he is not universally loved.

Obama’s Mercury, the communication energy, is also in Leo in the 6^th House of craftsmanship, giving him personal charisma and eloquence. All his words are well crafted and pronounced. Venus—planet of love, pleasure and general harmony—sits in early Cancer, the sign of home and family, in the 5^th House of children and matters of the heart. The USA’s Sun-sign is also Cancer, so Obama’s family-oriented Venus energy does great things for his image. People like his family.

Of course, not everyone likes Obama, and astrologically this is due to his having Uranus, the innovating principle, and Pluto, the principle of regeneration, both in the 7^th House of partnerships. The presence of these two major planets of change—one fast, one slow—in the 7^th House (sometimes called the house of open enemies), means that no matter what he set out to do in his life, Barack Obama would face a great deal of opposition.

We also find Mars—the planet of personal drive, aggression and war—on the cusp of the 8^th House of death, legacies and transformation. Nobody who has these planetary configurations could expect to have an easy time of it in life. He would be fought every inch of the way and have to make sure that his own views were correct before putting them out to others, because the odds are he may not get anyone to listen.

Karmically speaking, we could say that Obama’s task in life is to be reconciliator. This is astrologically expressed by the placement of the Moon’s North Node (the life destiny point) in the 7^th House, the place of harmony with others. The problem is, not everyone wants to be reconciled. And Obama must be wise enough not to cause more conflict. Politically speaking, that has not always been the case. Because this energy of the 7^th House opposes his Aquarius Ascendant (his personality), Obama’s own voice may get lost, or he may simply not express himself strongly enough to avoid needless conflict. He could benefit from speaking his own feelings more frequently and more powerfully.

Nobody is elected to high office without a strong Saturn, because Saturn represents work, discipline, mastery and accomplishment. Here it’s in its own sign of Capricorn (government, business and tradition). It’s somewhat surprising that it sits in Obama’s 12^th House, which is about past karma, inner secrets and often loss. It does explain his father’s absence in his life (Saturn rules male authority figures) and also makes a fortunate angle to the Midheaven, the point of public reputation. Obama is nothing if not serious and dignified (Saturnian) when he appears in public. But Saturn also makes a hard angle to Uranus, which shows his struggles as an innovator. Many of his best ideas about the future may not work out as planned.

Saturn in the 12^th does not seem like it would fit the most powerful man on Earth. It’s often the sign of great struggles, both inner and outer—in a phrase—karmic burdens. Those who have this aspect need to dig deep to live up to their full potential, which may be blocked by outer circumstances. That may well be the case here, dependent on how self-disciplined Obama turns out to be. This is an aspect of great—and perhaps unappreciated— personal sacrifice. Saturn here is indicative of a scapegoat, one who is blamed for others’ troubles. The kicker is that the 12^th House is also about spirituality. Jupiter (hope and blessings) also being situated in this house lends spiritual protection to Obama against his own foibles and his political enemies. Somebody, it seems, has always got Obama’s back.

The suggestion of personal sacrifice leads to our final point. The magical rise to prominence of Barack Obama, at least according to his astrological chart, seems to have a spiritual element to it. Neptune, symbolizing spirituality as well as glamour and charisma, is his most elevated planet, sitting in the 9^th House of philosophy, religion, education and meaning. It occupies the sign of Scorpio (deep insight/power issues/transformation). Neptune is the God principle, universal energy. Here it makes a harmonious angle to the Moon in Cancer (great love) but a hard square, or 90-degree angle to the Sun (possible confusion or delusion).

There are those who feel that Barack Obama is the Devil himself, or that he is self-deluded. He seems to inspire extreme opinions (Scorpio is the sign of extremes) about his stature and policies. Neptune square the Sun can certainly mean a confused sense of self, or a Messianic complex. But it can also mean vision and clarity regarding the highest dreams of humanity. In short, Barack Obama is both a mirror and a chalice for the ideals which many want to make manifest in the world. Does he himself hold those same ideals? Or is he simply expressing what he knows people want to hear? The astrology says it could be either. But the main thrust of energy is basically positive. He has the chart of someone who could well be an instrument for the higher and wider good.

Obama is an enigma, and there remains something essentially unknowable about him. His reelection as president may come down to whether or not he can translate his own vision into concrete terms and not be overcome by the vicious fear and loathing so prevalent at this moment.

READ PART 2:  THE POLITICAL PARTNERS