Scott Brown shocks Obama and Democrats

The days of wine and roses appeared to come to an end for Barack Obama last week as the Democrats super-majority got swept away by the election of Republican Scott Brown of Massachusetts in a special Senate election to fill the seat of the late Ted Kennedy. As a result of this stunning defeat, the Democrats have lost their super-majority of 60 seats that had given then extra leeway to pass the more contentious legislation in their program. Now there is a growing realization that much of Obama's ambitious agenda for health care and economic reform may go by the boards as greater compromise with the GOP will be sought.

While I did not predict this specific turnaround in Obama's political fortunes, I did warn in an October post that Obama would likely suffer a significant setback in the coming months. I had expected some kind of "deepening political conundrum" to manifest sometime between October and December, with December somewhat more noteworthy given the proximity of the Mars retrograde station to some key points in his chart. While Obama failed to pass his crucial health care legislation in December, it turns out that the real blow was delivered a month later on January 19 by the voters of Massachusetts through their support of Scott Brown.

The other longer term influences I noted were still in effect for the January setback, namely, transiting Saturn (10 Virgo) was still in close square aspect to Obama's natal Venus (8 Gemini) and Obama was still running his Mars subperiod which will conclude on February 2 according to the Krishnamurti ayanamsha.

A closer look at the chart reveals just what planets coincided with this turn of events. In addition to Saturn-Venus, transiting Mars (19 Cancer) was exactly conjunct Obama's Sun (19 Cancer) indicating a one or two day period of intense energy and focus. While this transit does not always indicate problems, we can see that it was more likely to create headaches for Obama. His natal Sun is slightly weakened through its rulership of the dussthana 8th house and Mars is placed in that same troublesome 8th house in Obama's natal chart. So with both the giving and receiving planets in this transit conjunction associated with the 8th house, we can see how it was more likely that it should produce typical 8th house events such as setbacks, obstacles, and embarrassments.

Another interesting artifact of this chart is that transiting Jupiter (6 Aquarius) was conjunct natal Ketu (4 Aquarius). Although this was two degrees past exact, it's still fairly close. Jupiter-Ketu contacts are often connected with changes or confusion (Ketu) of one's ideals or philosophies (Jupiter). Certainly, Obama had been in trouble on health care throughout January while this conjunction was exact, but the election of Brown has forced his hand. It now looks as though the health care package will have major revisions to it. His economic program is also rapidly evolving into something more populist as voter anger against Wall St bailouts is forcing the administration to adopt a stronger tone.

So what's next for Obama? Given the very slow motion of transiting Saturn, it seems unlikely that the current malaise in his administration will significantly improve over the next year. However, he may exhibit a somewhat different energy since his Mars subperiod will end and his Rahu subperiod will begin in February. Rahu's subperiod will last until June 2012 after which it will be superseded by the Saturn mahadasha. Interestingly, both planets are placed in his 8th house, so there will likely be some degree of continuity perhaps marked by difficult progress and many twist and turns. We can watch for more unusual or sudden events here since Rahu is closely conjunct Uranus. This is a remarkable pairing of the ancient and modern planets that symbolize innovation, rebelliousness and independence. Together, they could mean that Obama himself becomes more autonomous and self-directed in his approach, as he tries to put his own unique stamp on his term in office. It may also mean that he may become more unpredictable or that events come out of the blue that compel him to change course quickly. That has already happened with the Brown election, but this sort of course change may become more frequent during the upcoming Rahu subperiod.

More immediately, Obama may get a short term lift in late January and early February as Jupiter aspects his Venus and transiting Sun and Venus conjoin his ascendant. This looks like a time when he is again in the limelight and performing well as his message will resonate with the public at large. After that, we can watch for Obama to stumble somehow in mid-February as Mars will conjoin his Mercury at 9 Cancer. At the same time, the Sun and Neptune will conjoin his Ketu, so we could see something that weakens his authority somehow or is a blow to his ego. This event may be nothing more than a gaffe or passing awkward situation, but given the ongoing medium term transits like Saturn-Pluto-Venus, there is a chance it could be something of greater importance.

This may usher in a protracted period of difficulty as the Mars Direct station on March 10 will occur in close opposition to his natal Jupiter. Mars-Jupiter aspects can symbolize conflict (Mars) over beliefs (Jupiter) or perhaps disputes (Mars) over spending and resources (Jupiter).

Obama's fortunes may improve somewhat after that as transiting Jupiter will build into the 2nd house of wealth in advance of forming a very nice aspect to his Mercury in July. This could be a high water mark of sorts for him, perhaps reflecting a major policy victory such as health care. Mercury rules his 6th house (Gemini) of health, so that is quite possible.

Conan O'Brien leaves the Tonight Show

Conan O'Brien is off to a bad start in 2010. The newly-minted host of NBC's The Tonight Show has seen rumours of a late night shuffle grow over the past two weeks to a point where he is on the verge of relinquishing the coveted host's chair to the long-running late night talk show back to his predecessor, Jay Leno. The dispute between Conan, Leno and NBC has been public and acrimonious and has left the television audience forced to choose sides between supporting the younger, hipper O'Brien and the more established and mainstream Leno. While Leno will likely garner better ratings, at the moment most people believe that Conan has been the victim here. It is a very unfortunate development for Conan in what has been a long and successful career that began in television writing, through 16 years of hosting the popular The Late Show and now his aborted 7-month stint at the helm of prestigious Tonight Show.

A quick glimpse at his horoscope shows the source of his woes. The most obvious culprit is Saturn (10 Virgo), which recently stationed exactly opposite his Jupiter (10 Pisces) in the 8th house. Saturn is often a negative influence symbolizing loss and disappointment and the retrograde station of January 13 is extra problematic owing to the unusually long period of time that Saturn would have been in close aspect to his Jupiter. Jupiter is in mixed condition here since it is in its own sign in Pisces but it is also in the 8th house representing embarrassments, obstacles, and setbacks. Transiting Ketu (South Lunar Node) had just conjoined his natal Rahu (North Lunar Node), another sign of stress and change since node-to-node transits are often times of rearrangement and uncertainty. We may also note that the recent Mars retrograde station at 25 degrees of Cancer in December would have exactly opposed Conan's Moon (25 Capricorn) and was still within close range when the brouhaha went public in the first week of January. Mars' energy is often too much to take when in hard aspect -- and doubly so when in a lingering planetary station. Conan may well have first discovered NBC's plans to bring back Jay Leno sometime in late December when this aspect was closest. No doubt he would have been irritated and annoyed as is often the case with Mars-to-Moon contacts.



The dashas also do not paint a positive picture for him. He started the Saturn dasha in 2003. Saturn dashas can sometimes be tough going, although we should note that Conan's Saturn receives a boost since it is in its own sign of Capricorn and in close conjunction with the Moon, albeit in the dussthana 6th house. The bigger problem concerns the subperiod lord Ketu. Ketu looks more problematic for Conan as it is placed by itself in the 6th house of conflict. Like Saturn, Ketu is a natural malefic and it can produce painful situations and conflict if not redeemed by an association with a benefic planet. While Ketu is in a wide conjunction with Saturn and Moon here in the 6th, neither of them offer much support to Ketu. The 6th house is all about conflict including legal matters, so perhaps it is not a coincidence that Conan would have become embroiled these legal wranglings with NBC during the major and minor periods of two planets that were both placed in his 6th house. Of course, good things can occur in Ketu's period. He did, after all, become host of the Tonight Show during the Saturn-Ketu period. But it is perhaps more telling that he lost that job while still under the predominance of Ketu. In that sense, Ketu's energy required the full completion of its subperiod to become fully manifest. As luck would have it, Ketu's subperiod ends in mid-February according to the Krishnamurti ayanamsha, just after Conan will have been forced off the show.

As painful as this turn of events must have been for Conan, the immediate future looks quite good for him. Transiting Uranus is conjunct his exalted Venus in the 8th house of unearned income. I would say that fits pretty nicely with the $32 million buyout of his contact by NBC! Transiting Jupiter will transit his 7th house of business and aspect his first house for the next several months so that will keep his spirits up and boost his public profile. More important perhaps is that Conan's Venus minor period begins in February so that bodes well for the next 3 years. Venus is a benefic planet and it produces good results in Pisces. At the same time, it is not without its peculiarities. While it's exalted in Pisces, it is in the first degree of Pisces, a placement of planetary "infancy" and suggesting it is somewhat weak and placed in the troublesome 8th house. More importantly, it receives a close aspect from Rahu. Rahu governs things that are unconventional and weird -- and what could be more appropriate for the Conebone? -- so Conan is more likely to keep his comic edge in any future endeavor and resist the drift to the mainstream middle. While his career may be recover, the Rahu influence here may indicate that Conan's fortunes will be more up and down, as he may experience periodic problems in both his professional and personal life.

On balance, these influences look positive for Conan and point to an upturn in his fortunes over the next three years but there will likely be some unexpected or unusual developments in his career. We could hear positive news about Conan's next job as early as February when Sun, Venus and Jupiter all transit his 7th house. March also seems quite positive as Sun, Venus and Uranus will all conjoin near his subperiod lord Venus. So it looks as though fans of "Coco" won't have to wait much longer before seeing the string dance again. Perhaps a new show will appear in the Fall as transiting Jupiter will station conjunct his Venus in October and November. This certainly looks like a fantastic time for him.

End of Part One.

Earthquake in Haiti

January 12, 2010 4.53 p.m EST 18N44 72W45

As a possible indication of what kind of year it will be, all that bad karma for 2010 we saw in the New Year's chart didn't take very long to manifest. Not even two weeks into the New Year, a powerful earthquake has devastated the small island nation of Haiti. On January 12, 2010 at 4.53 p.m EST, a huge earthquake measuring 7.0 struck just 10 miles from the capital Port-au-Prince. Early reports suggest there has been widespread destruction and countless thousands of deaths as the impoverished country now struggles with the grim task of recovery and rebuilding.

The horoscope of the earthquake shows considerable affliction, although the aspects and orbs with angles are not as close as one might expect for a event of this magnitude. It is perhaps no coincidence that the quake occurred just three days before a Solar Eclipse and just one day before Saturn, the planet of loss, turned retrograde. Planets near their retrograde and direct stations greatly increase their potency for do good or ill, depending on their nature and their current condition. Saturn is a natural malefic planet and it is currently in a close square aspect with Pluto, another mostly malefic planet, so that tilts the scales pretty heavily towards the negative. At the moment the quake struck, Saturn was just four degrees from the IC, or unequal 4th house cusp. Students of astrology know that the 4th house is associated with land and earth and afflictions to it are often implicated in earthquakes. The other critical difficulty in this chart is that the 1st and 4th houses (Gemini and Virgo) are ruled by Mercury and it is just three degrees from Pluto and therefore, also resonating with the negative Saturn-Pluto square aspect. If the 4th house represents land, earth and houses, the 1st represents the country as a whole. Both houses therefore come under pressure in this Mercury-Saturn-Pluto configuration, so that picture offers a plausible enough account for the earthquake. In addition, we can see malefic Rahu and Ketu closely straddled the ascendant-descendant axis. The lunar nodes are also frequently seen in sudden events, and when combined with other malefic aspects, it can signal an event of misfortune and hardship.




A chart that paints a more intriguing picture of the earthquake is the national horoscope of Haiti (January 1, 1804 12.00 p.m.). Transiting Saturn had returned to its natal position within three degrees, forming a Saturn Return. The fact that it was about to station intensified its energies considerably. Certainly, Saturn Returns can be difficult periods as Saturn's qualities of loss and limitations are often highlighted, but they are not always the harbinger of difficulty. Much also depends on Saturn's condition both in transit and natally. What was the condition of Saturn at the time of Haitian independence? Here we see that Haiti was "born" at the time of a Mars-Saturn square. While this is not a full-strength Mars aspect according to Vedic aspecting rules, it is a near-exact one so even the partial strength aspect suggests that Haiti's natal Saturn had Mars issues that lay in waiting for the right planet to activate them. These potentials could be released when Saturn was aspected by malefics, including its own transit. We should also note that Haiti was running its Saturn dasha at the time of the earthquake.

Transiting Pluto was conjunct natal Mars, a classic combination for violent destruction, with transiting Mercury also there -- itself slowing down ahead of its direct station on Friday -- acting as a presumable trigger for the slower moving planetary afflictions. This was such a negative event for this country that all the natural malefics were involved in this massive earthquake, as Rahu (North Lunar Node) was closely conjunct Mercury. Since the time of the independence chart is unknown, we can't be sure about house rulership here but Mercury's affliction is no less important here because 1) it is dispositor to Saturn in Virgo hence making Saturn more subject to trouble and 2) Mercury is involved with an destabilizing square aspect with Uranus in the natal. As Mercury came under Rahu's disruptive influence through its conjunction, the twin negative energies of Saturn and the Mercury-Uranus aspect were released. The simultaneous multiple afflictions in the chart speak to the enormity of this cataclysmic event.

After this shocking loss of life has started the year on such a bleak note, let's hope things will begin improve for the rest of 2010. With some of 2010's bad planetary karma now expended with this event, there may be some basis for optimism. Of course, most things that one can imagine look better than this carnage.

2010 New Year Outlook

January 1, 2010 00.00 EST Washington, DC

With the start of 2010, here are a few general ideas about what the New Year may bring. For New Year predictions, I like to refer to the New Year's horoscope, that is, the position of the planets at the stroke of midnight on January 1. This is a simple, easy way to get a snapshot on some emerging themes for the year ahead. It will not provide any specifics, but it is a fairly efficient way to get a general overview on the coming twelve months. Some might object to the use of a chart that doesn't reflect any particular astronomical reality in a way that eclipse or conjunction charts might, but the New Year's chart does nevertheless provide interesting insights into the year ahead. For example, the New Year chart for 2008 (See bottom below) showed that trouble was brewing with the close opposition aspect between Mars and Pluto (conflict, power struggles) with Jupiter (wealth, wisdom) also in close proximity. While this combination did not explicitly say "financial crisis", the presence of Jupiter signifying wealth suggested that some disruption of the financial system was possible. Certainly, those planets inclined towards a fairly pessimistic outlook for 2008, especially when considered alongside Saturn in the 12th house of loss in aspect with the Sun. The Mars-Rahu aspect may have suggested a significant new development in leadership as we witnessed in Barack Obama's election given Mars' 10th house occupancy ( the house of government) and Rahu's penchant for breaks with the status quo. By contrast, the 2009 New Year (see middle below) chart seemed much more positive on the Mercury-Jupiter conjunction ("good news") and the happy conjunction of the Moon with Venus. This is pretty much what one would expect to see for a chart that suggested a year of economic recovery and hopefulness that was embodied in the first year of the Obama administration.

This year's chart looks more negative, however, as Saturn, the planet of constraint and responsibility, rises in sidereal Virgo. While Saturn has a good side that suggests "doing what is necessary", it is in a close square aspect with Pluto, the planet of large organizations and social structures. This would tend to bring out its more troublesome side so that efforts to re-structure and transform the economy will be accompanied by significant measures of awkwardness and hardship. The close proximity of Venus to Pluto and the aspect of Saturn is not helpful and increases the chances for continued restrictions and limits in economic life. This combination of planets can symbolize asceticism and renunciation so there is a chance that the economy will actually worsen through the year as people will have to make do with less. The positive side to this pattern is that simpler pleasures and self-discipline will be more fully appreciated as consumer society undergoes significant renovation. The worst effects of this combination will likely be muted because Venus is closer to the Sun than it is to Pluto, a possible sign that a base level of social harmony will be maintained regardless of what happens.

January 1, 2008 00.00 EST Washington, DC

Another potential trouble spot is the close Mercury-Rahu conjunction that occurs in close minor aspect with retrograde Mars. Rahu's effect on Mercury can be energizing in terms of awakening the intellect to unusual and unconventional solutions and this could well be reflected in further technological advances. Predicting more breakthroughs in technology is not much of a prediction these days, but the problem here is that Mercury is retrograde so there may be something that goes awry here, as if the products of the human mind are not moving forward but are focused on questions that were previously considered resolved. Perhaps we will see more controversy on climate change, as the hitherto firm consensus is weakened by the fallout from the "Climategate" e-mails. That is but one possibility of course, as this Mercury-Rahu conjunction could manifest in any number of ways. The close Mars 6th house aspect is not a full strength aspect according to Vedic astrology, but it may still manifest. Mars is the planet of conflict so it's not unreasonable to expect some significant conflict to emerge regarding prevailing ideas or programs (Mercury). Climate change is one possible area of conflict, but so is the economy as the various government stimulus packages are due to be unwound as the economy recovers. Just how governments will guide the next phase of the economic recovery is something of an open question as they will have to walk a fine line between removing stimulus too quickly which could create another recession or maintaining the stimulus too long and sparking a round of inflation.

January 1, 2009 00.00 EST Washington, DC

The Moon is conjunct Ketu (South Lunar Node) in the 10th house of government in sidereal Gemini. This combination suggests that spiritual or unusual cerebral experiences will gain the limelight this year. The fact that this occurs in the 10th house may indicate that religious ideas will find increased resonance in governments around the world. More generally, political leaders will undergo sudden and unexpected changes as Ketu's influence on the Moon can make for suprises and fast-changing circumstances. The Ketu influence here means that leaders and governments are more likely to be different or even revolutionary in some way as there may be a sense that conditions demand unorthodox or radical approaches.

On a more positive note, Jupiter is conjunct Neptune in this chart and that points to the continued relevance of hope. Jupiter's expansion and Neptune's idealism make a potent pairing in the sky so no matter what happens in 2010, there will be continued reservoir of hope and optimism about the future. This influence should prevent some kind of worse case scenario from unfolding in the economy, although it may not be enough to forestall a "double dip" recession. Both Jupiter and Neptune are also associated with the higher realm of human experience, so there may be greater interest in metaphysical and religious matters. Given the supernatural aspects of the Moon-Ketu conjunction, it seems likely that religion and spirituality is likely to have a higher profile this year.

Overall, the best thing one can say about this chart is that it is "mixed", although I think that is being generous. 2010 looks like it will be more difficult than 2009 was in many respects, including perhaps the economy. At the same time, there are enough positive planetary influences there to spur humanity on through the darker periods as challenges will be met with equal portions of resourcefulness, ingenuity, inspired leadership and faith.


Addendum:

N.B. Given America's continuing dominance in the world -- for now, at least -- I locate the chart for Washington, DC, although one could recast the chart for one's home country for a more specific local reading. It should be noted, however, that the New Year's horoscope doesn't change much no matter it is located. Invariably it will have sidereal Virgo rising, such as in Sydney, Australia where the first degree of Virgo rises to Washington where 14th degree of Virgo rises. The Moon also changes its position a few degrees depending on where the chart is cast, although this variation is fairly small. The rest of the planets do not shift appreciably.