Barack Obama Birth Chart Interpretation
Barack Obama
Aug 4, 1961
Time: 07:24PM
Honolulu, HI
Barack Obama has a powerful ascendant in Capricorn, in the nakshatra Dhanistha. The lagna lord, Saturn, is posited in the lagna, along with Jupiter, both planets retrograde. Capricorn lagna, ruled by Saturn, grants one the personality of an executive, and with earth signs as the trinal foundation for the chart, there is solidity and groundedness within the personality.
Saturn and Jupiter are both retrograde and within 5 degrees of one another in the lagna. This is a significant position to explore. Retrograde planets show excessive strength but also a certain latency of expression, somewhat confusing the action of those planets. Additionally, when planets are within close proximity their energies can become confused. Saturn and Jupiter aren't close enough to be in graha yuddha, but there will still be some tension due to their proximity, which causes temporal enemy status in addition the natural neutral status of Jupiter and Saturn, rendering them enemies.
In a way, Jupiter is the weaker of the two planets. He is in a difficult sign. Jupiter rules relatively difficult houses, as ruler of the third and twelfth. But Jupiter brings much to the table, by softening and expanding the personality, and creating a tendency toward truth, fairness and positivity.
The only significant presence in either of Jupiter's sign is the Yogi Point at 2°36' Sagittarius. This makes Ketu, ruler of Mula nakshatra, the Yogi of the chart, which is an indication of general prosperity. Ketu is located in the 2nd house of resources in Obama's chart, so it is not a surprise that Obama was elected to his first office as Illinois Senator in 1996, the beginning of his Jupiter major period, which also gave him election as president of the United States during his Jupiter/Moon period. The presence of the yogi point in Jupiter's 12th house of loss and liberation therefore gives some support to Jupiter.
Jupiter and Saturn, as lords of the opposing forces of expansion and contraction, when acting in tandem provide a perfect opportunity to practice balance and to explore the concepts of when and what to give, receive, hold and release in order to keep balance. This combination in Saturn's earth sign would also give one the sense of importance of foundation and boundary to the protection of expansion and freedom.
Obama's moon is exalted in Taurus in the 5th house of fortune, and receives the positive aspect of Jupiter from Capricorn. The Moon is at 10°2' Taurus, just having entered into the nakshatra Rohini, ruled by the Moon.
The Moon as the karaka of the mother shows that Obama's own mother was fortune for him. In an interview, Barack Obama referred to his mother as "the dominant figure in my formative years ... The values she taught me continue to be my touchstone when it comes to how I go about the world of politics."
Because the Moon is ruler of Rohini, Obama was born at the beginning of his Moon mahadasha, and ran through it during the first 10 years of his life. This shows the importance of the mother during his formative years. Obama's parents divorced and his father departed during the Moon/Rahu period. The Moon period also offered him the opportunity to live abroad in Indonesia from age 6-10.
The Moon's lord, Venus as ruler of Taurus, is placed in the 6th house of work/service, health/disease and friendship/enmity. The sixth house and planets associated with it can be very sensitizing to the native. It shows how an energy when handled one way can be friendly and when handled another can be an enemy.
Venus is in Gemini, a friendly sign to Venus, ruled by her friend, Mercury. Venus as our capacity for connection, love, compassion and empathy is in a great environment in Gemini, an air sign that is the domain of communication, writing, speech and education. Venus in a man's chart can signify the wife. Venus' ruler, Mercury, is located in the 7th house of partnership, so I think it is safe to say that Venus represents Obama's wife, Michelle, in his chart. In this regard, Venus represents a friendly and supportive energy coming through his marriage.
Venus in Gemini in the 6th house also shows Obama's role as a public servant through connecting with people, communication and dissemination of information. This placement makes Obama gifted with words, charismatic and relatable. Venus, as our capacity for love and acceptance of others, in the diplomatic and flexible sign of Gemini truly gives Obama the gift of being a "New World Man" who accepts that people are different and holds no judgements based on race, creed or religion.
Obama's 7th house of relationship and partnership is occupied by Mercury (ruler of the 6th and 9th house) and the Sun, ruler of the 8th house. These planets are posited in the Moon's sign of Cancer. The Moon, as indicator of the mother, is host to the Sun, indicator of the father, showing Obama's mother's role as both parents due to the absence of his father. We also see a similar male influence on the 4th house (of home, mother, roots) due to its being ruled by Mars, and Mars' placement in Leo, the Sun's sign, a very masculine combination.
The 7th house is therefore connected with the signs adjacent to it by the rulers of those adjacent houses both occupying the 7th giving strength to all of those planets. With the Sun in the Moon's sign, and Mercury with the Sun in Obama's house of partnership, the provides him leadership (Sun), receptivity (Cancer/Moon) and flexibility (Mercury) in working with others.
Obama's 8th house is notable: Mars and Rahu in occupation of Leo. Since the Mars and Rahu mahadashas are sequential, there was quite a bit of focus on this house during the period between July 1971 and July 1996. This period covered Obama's education and early career. One of the keywords for the 8th house is change, and the 8th house often offers difficult obstacles that can become opportunities for transformation. With Mars, the planet of drive and power, located in the 8th, we see a native who will face "demons" but who also has the strength to pursue and vanquish them.
Obama traversed the Mars major period from July 1971 to July 1978, from ages 10-17, when he returned to Hawaii to complete his beginning education at the Punahou school. While Obama's own mother was present in Hawaii from 1972-1977, Obama lived with his maternal grandparents during this time, also reflected in the 8th house, as being the 4th house from the placement of his natal Moon in Taurus in the 5th. Mars is the ruler of the 4th and 11th houses in Obama's chart, indicating that this period would be marked by creating a strong foundation (4th house) in a place that was his home, as well as providing him gains (11th house) in the form of having a pleasant education in a culturally diverse setting.
Obama's Rahu mahadasha ran from July 1978 to July 1996. Rahu has the energy of propelling us into the world, and often taking us far from our “home.” During Rahu/Rahu, Obama graduated from high school and moved to the mainland for his higher education, starting at Occidental and transferring to Columbia, graduating with a B.A. In 1983. After graduation, he began his career in Chicago as a community organizer. Obama travelled to Europe and Africa for the first time in 1988, during Rahu/Mercury, after which time he entered Harvard Law School in late 1988.
Venus as ruler of the 5th and 10th houses is a raja yoga karaka for Capricorn lagna. Venus is located in the 6th house of work and service in the rashi, but is the ruler of the 10th and located in the 5th in the navamsa. This shows Venus as a very powerful planet for Obama as far as fortune and career go. During Rahu/Venus, Obama graduated with honors from Harvard Law, worked on his book during a fellowship at University of Chicago Law School, also lecturing there, directed Project Vote which was aimed at increasing African-American voter registration, was named in Crane's Chicago Business as one of the "40 under forty" powers to be, and was married to a beautiful, intelligent woman.
During the remainder of the Rahu mahadasha, through the Rahu/Sun, Rahu/Moon and Rahu/Mars periods, Obama worked with a Chicago law firm specializing in civil rights litigation, from 1993-1996. Obama lost his mother to cancer in November 1995, during the Rahu/Mars period. Both of those planets occupy the 8th house, so loss/change via death of the mother is indicated. Mars is the ruler of the 4th house in both rashi and navamsa.
During Obama's Jupiter mahadasha, from July 1996 through July 2012, we see him begin and work through his legislative and presidential career. Jupiter's rulership of the 3rd and 12th houses shows a desire for transformation, expansion and change. Jupiter is also placed in the 8th house in its own sign in the navamsa, so it is not surprising that the keyword for the 2008 presidential campaign was "CHANGE.
With the onset of the Saturn mahadasha in July 2012, we will see an extension of the themes of the Jupiter mahadasha, due to their mutual importance (and retrograde motion) in the lagna. Jupiter granted Obama elections and children during his mahadasha, Saturn is also likely to grant Obama personal power, the further boon of wisdom and experience that Saturn indicates, and perhaps the opportunity to move beyond change to building working systems that do not exploit the resources of the earth. Saturn is the ruler of the 1st and 2nd houses.
Saturn is vargottama, occupying Capricorn in both rashi and navamsa, and also occupies the 9th house from the exalted Moon. The beginning of the Saturn mahadasha coincides with the 2012 presidential campaign. Because of the strength of Saturn in Obama's chart, he has a good chance of winning re-election. The best campaign strategy is to highlight Obama's dedication to the well-being of the people of his country, his history and attitude of public service and his ability expand or contract when necessary.
Wearing a gem for Saturn during this campaign could benefit Obama, and wearing dark blue suits (not black or grey.) To balance the energy of Saturn, Venus gem could also be employed, as Venus is very auspicious for Obama, and could increase his charisma and ability to relate to people. To further balance the strengthening of Saturn, Mercury gems could be used to strengthen communication, diplomacy, humor and balance. Mercury rules the 6th house, giving it a certain responsibility toward Obama's personal health. Keeping vata in balance will help him retain personal energy and power.
Overall, this is a very powerful chart with planetary energies that will grow slowly through time. There are strong themes of transformation, evolution, leadership and service. With Mercury mahadasha following Saturn's, I predict that Barack Obama will remain an icon of social change in the United States through the remainder of his life.