New 7.24 p.m. birth time for Barack Obama

Christmas came early to astrologers this year as the Barack Obama campaign responded to questions about his citizenship and released his birth certificate. He was born at 7.24 pm on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu. This is fairly close to the previously popular time of 7.11 pm, and while the basics of the chart do not change, there are some potentially significant differences in the varga or Hindu harmonic charts. So what does this new and apparently definitive birth chart reveal about Obama's future and the 2008 Presidential election?

In terms of his political aspirations, the 7.24 pm chart improves his chances in November. Moon becomes the current bhukti period and this will run until February. The Moon is well-positioned in the natal chart by virtue of being in Taurus, its sign of exaltation, and placed in the favourable 5th house, which also happens to be the house most associated with politics. If we tweak the birth time back a bit to about 7.20 pm, the Moon rises in the all-important D-10 dashamsha chart which represents career and status. While I tend to be wary of gratuitous tinkering with birth times in order to prove a theoretical point, this is a more legitimate rectification and conforms with the standard margin of error observed in officially documented birth times. Having the bhukti lord Moon rising the in D-10 chart is one important source of his current popularity. Significantly, the Moon subperiod began in November 2007, which was essentially the time when his campaign really took off.

This new chart also confirms the likelihood of troubles I had previously forecast for Obama for early July and then in early August. We can see transiting Rahu (24 Capricorn) is now within range of the ascendant and will continue to be for the next month of so. Rahu isn't always malefic, of course, but in Obama's chart it is more likely to create difficulties owing to its problematic natal situation: placed in the dussthana 8th whole sign house, conjunct Uranus and Pluto. Moreover, Saturn, its transit dispositor, is currently transiting the 8th house applying to a conjunction with Pluto. The 8th house represents surprises (often unwelcome), embarrassments, secrets and scandals, and accidents. I'll have a clearer idea about his election chances when he announces his VP running mate.

Besides his obvious popularity and political success, the other predominant theme in his chart is violence. This is seen through his natal Mars placed in Leo in the 8th whole sign house. The new 7.24 p.m chart unfortunately moves this Mars even closer to the equal 8th house cusp, which makes him more prone to violence and intrigue. In addition, Mars is debilitated in Cancer in the D-8 ashtamsha chart which represents troubles and hardships. It is worth noting that the next bhukti period after the current Moon period belongs to Mars and runs from March 2009 to February 2010. While dashas and bhuktis are not infallible predictive techniques, this is an important factor to consider when constructing a larger model of Obama's future. Given the difficulty of Mars' situation in Obama's chart, this is a possible time of violence against him or his family. Michelle Obama's chart is also heavily laden with active Mars symbolism and intense stresses. In fact, her chart looks so stressed, it is hard to imagine how it could represent a victory for Obama, and yet if there are other sources of hardship on a national and personal level at the time around the election, then they are possible expressions of her chart karma that may allow for an Obama victory. In that sense, negative karma is a zero-sum phenomenon that needs expression somewhere, the only question is how it is manifest. Without knowing her birth time, it is very tricky to figure out just how things will fall into place.

At the same time, I do not want to rule out the possibility of violence in the campaign (especially early August) and during the time after the election and before the inauguration. Transiting Mars conjoins his natal Mars in early August and this will be opposite unpredictable Uranus. While this is a time that will be marked by some kind of violence or sudden event, it's important to remember how there may be karmic surrogates for it such as some global military event that alters the course of the campaign. A strike against Iran is one obvious possibility at this time. Also, Saturn stations near his malefic natal Mars in the 8th house in November and December and these are also likely times of conflict and turmoil either in the country generally, or involving him specifically. So while the new time does enhance his chances of getting elected, it also increases the chances that he will be assassinated. Overall, I think the most dangerous period is summer 2009. Late December 2008 is also marked by some malefic patterns, most obviously transiting Sun and Mars forming an opposition to his natal Venus and the transiting Pluto. Venus represents his wife Michelle, so she is likely to be under stress at this time. And since Venus is also lord of the 10th house of career, it appears to be an indicator of stress from his job -- assuming for the moment that he wins the election, this may mean confronting a serious financial and/or international crisis. This also coincides with the Saturn-Uranus opposition and points to a major disruption (Uranus) to global economic structures (Saturn). The stock market is likely to decline sharply around that time. It seems the US and the world is entering a more difficult and turbulent period that may last for the next three years.

Server problems on my main site

Just a brief note to let readers know that I'm having some server issues right now with my main Modern Vedic Astrology site. It is currently unavailable. These should be cleared up by mid-week -- I hope!

Hillary bows out

Hillary Clinton ended the race for the Democratic nomination today and forcefully threw her support behind the candidacy of Barack Obama for president. After one of the closest and most intense nomination races in history, Obama has emerged as the presumptive nominee for the Democrats and is due to be formally nominated at the convention at the end of August in Denver.

While I had known that the current period would be difficult for Hillary, I did not foresee her defeat at this time. I underestimated the manifestations of the negative influences that were operating in her chart and believed instead that she would take the race all the way to the convention. So I was wrong. Astrology has never been an exact science, and I certainly make more than my share of mistakes. Moreover, the lack of reliable birth times for any of the candidates adds another layer of potential error to the inherent fragility of all astrological forecasting. Over the past three weeks, a new birth time has surfaced for Obama (7.11 pm) , which complicated matters further. It has not been verified by official documents and it seems unlikely that it ever will be.

That said, my forecast for imminent problems for the Obama campaign still largely stands, although now they will likely result in popularity gains for McCain. While it's still conceivable that some of these embarrassments may cause some Democrats to wonder aloud if Obama is electable, it is fanciful to think that they will somehow resurrect Hillary's chances. I know that the first week of August looks extremely trying for Obama and the Democrats, but it probably won't change the basic fact that Obama will be the nominee.

One interesting development in the coming weeks will be Obama's selection for Vice-President. I believe that he will pick Hillary, as her chart looks quite strong in early July, on either the 5th or the 13th. Transiting Mars and Saturn conjoin on her Midheaven while a grand trine is formed on the 5th between Venus, Uranus and her natal Mercury. On the 13th, the Sun replaces Venus in that alignment. She will be successful in all her endeavours at this time. Assuming that the race would still be on at this time, I had originally predicted that this would be a time when she would turn the tables somewhat on Obama. Now that the race is over, this favourable time will likely manifest as her being chosen for VP.

While I may have been dead wrong about Hillary Clinton winning the nomination, I'm still puzzled by the planetary configurations around the November election. These look stressful for Obama, the Democratic Party and, frankly, the USA as a whole, although they are not bad for Hillary and, in fact, one may even read them as favourable. One possible explanation might be that the Democrats lose the election and that segments of the country are sufficiently upset that protests or civil unrest result. And Obama loss would strengthen Hillary's hand going forward and into the next election cycle. I have to do a lot more work on this time period, including sorting out John McCain's chances. The problem is exacerbated by the appearance of a new birth time for him -- 11.00 am -- to go with the 9.00 am time that is already out there.

I've found a couple of new sources of information that may shed some light on how events may unfold. First is the wedding date of Barack and Michelle Obama on October 18, 1992 in Chicago. While one may wonder what a marriage horoscope has to do with a person's political fortunes, the answer is: quite a bit. When this chart is well aspected, the marriage does well and, by inference, so do the fortunes of both people involved. This marriage chart suggests an intellectually active and publicly significant union as the Moon-Mars conjunction in Gemini is closely opposed by Uranus and Pluto. This chart also seems afflicted, however, and generally it's not good to have the Moon influenced by Mars. This chart is under heavy affliction in November with the perfection of a couple of difficult tertiary progressions -- a Mars-Saturn opposition and Sun-Saturn square. Transiting Rahu will also conjoin the natal Saturn which is often unhelpful for stability and happiness. While it's possible that these measurements indicate some private marital strife between the Obamas at a time of great tension, they also add another perspective to the problems that Obama is likely to confront in the election. It does not bode well for a Democratic win in November, but it is not definitive in any way, particularly without a specific time.

Also, I found the chart of the Obama's eldest daughter, Malia - July 4, 1998. There is a 1999 birth year circulating out there for her, but I believe it is mistaken as I came across a media reference to her celebrating her 9th birthday in 2007 in the midst of July 4th festivities. There's no birth time with this chart but using the Libra Moon as the ascendant, we can see Sun and Mars in the 9th house of the father in Gemini. While the Sun is strongly placed indicating a powerful father, the presence of Mars in the 9th is more problematic. Moreover, it is aspected by Ketu within 4 degrees and by Saturn by third house aspect within 3 degrees. That is a very afflicted Mars in the 9th house of the father. It could signify any number of things including having a father who engages in military actions that do not turn out well, to having a father whose life is linked to violence in some way. Although the chart might indicate a good and intellectual father (Gemini), it seems too unremarkable to suggest a father who is president. Of course, one doesn't want to read too much into a chart without a birth time, but it's another fragment of evidence to consider in the overall puzzle.

Finally, I wanted to briefly discuss this new Obama chart for 7.11 pm. We're told it comes from official government documents, but since no astrologer can confirm it personally, it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. But at the moment, it is the most plausible chart. The problem that I have with this chart is that Mars, the planet of executive power and violence, is placed in the malefic 8th house. By my reckoning, this is not the chart of a president. Having Mars in the 8th can also indicate a sudden or violent death, although it is largely unafflicted, so Obama is likely to avoid that fate. It's worth noting that JFK had Mars in his 8th house as well, but it was in much worse shape, as it formed an 8th harmonic aspect with Pluto and was in square with Uranus.

As I've mentioned several times already, transiting Saturn will station just two degrees from that Mars at election time. Since Mars rules the 11th house of gains in this chart, this does not favour him in the election. Of course, the chart is uncertain, so my observations are contingent on new information that might come in regarding the birth time, or any new campaign developments that might serve to clarify his horoscope. I will be watching the events of early August closely and adjusting my forecast if need be. If Obama is damaged by some revelations or gaffes at that time, it will greatly diminish his chances of winning the presidency. I have always thought that Hillary Clinton's horoscope looked good for November 4th and January 20th for that matter, so I'm not sure how to connect all the dots here. It could be that I'm just not reading his chart right and Obama wins in November and therefore Hillary wins the VP and makes some history of her own. More when I know it.