Obama wins presidency

With his decisive win on November 4th, Barack Obama will become the 44th President of the United States. While I had thought that Obama would likely win the election, I was somewhat surprised that it all came off more or less according to plan. Like many astrologers, I had believed that the Saturn-Uranus opposition on election day might portend events a little more dramatic and unusual than a simple election victory for the Democratic senator from Illinois.

As it turned out, Obama's election victory was indeed historic in magnitude for two reasons. First, he is the first African American to win the highest office in the land. Second, the Democratic sweep represents the end of neo-conservatism as a political force for the foreseeable future. The free market philosophy that began under Reagan a generation ago preached de-regulation and smaller government. This has been largely discredited with the recent economic crisis and will be replaced by a more interventionist economic policy not unlike what predominated in the post-1945 world. In those important senses, the tension and shock (Uranus) to fixed structures (Saturn) was expressed by the shift away from a Republican winner-take-all approach to the economy to what will likely become a more collectivist and Keynesian orienation.

With the various afflictions in Obama's chart, he is certain to face many important challenges in the months and years ahead. His Mars bhukti begins in early 2009 and looks particularly troublesome since his Mars is poorly placed in his 8th house. From the violent symbolism of Mars, this may reflect new military situations for the US or perhaps even threats to his personal safety. More generally, it may represent the hardship of the ongoing economic downturn for the coming year. The Mars bhukti lasts for about one year.