Barack Obama’s Rise To Power
It is hard to understate the importance and magnitude of the most remarkable political event of recent times: The rise of Barack Obama. In just four years he went from being a state senator to President of the United States of America. The world has largely placed their hopes for a better place in this man. For someone who seemed destined to get to where he is, one can only wonder, to what end?
To understand what the major themes of his presidency may be, we have to understand how he got there. To understand that, we have to go right back to the beginning – the time Barack Obama was born.
Barack Obama was born on August 4th, 1961, at 7:24 pm in Honolulu, Hawaii according to his published birth certificate which appears on one of his campaign websites.
Barack Obama’s Natal Chart
Two Major Chart Signatures
What follows is by no means a comprehensive analysis of Obama’s chart, but rather we’re focusing on two characteristics of his chart that seem particularly relevant to his meteoric rise to power.
1) Obama was born while the Sun in Leo was square Neptune in Scorpio. The Sun, the symbol of authority is near a 90 degree separation with Neptune, the planet of transcendental collectivism. This describes his charisma, his ability to mesmerize the masses, to be a projection of people’s dreams and ideals, the celebrity and messianic persona and iconography surrounding him, and the potential to be a visionary leader.
2) He was also born a week before an annular solar eclipse at 18 degrees and 31 minutes of Leo. His horizonal axis at the moment of his birth spans across 18 degrees and 3 minutes Aquarius/Leo. Not only was his post-natal lunation a solar eclipse, marking a new chapter in time, but he was born with his angles aligned near to the exact minute of the eclipse, seemingly locking him into a role of extreme importance in world affairs in the future. There are not many charts out there like this. Eclipses mark out general chapters in time, beginning a kind of story arc that lasts through to the next eclipse series, and this can be clearly seen in Obama’s life.
These are the most prominent signatures in his chart that are directly relevant to his miraculous ascent.
When these same astronomical conditions reappeared in the sky, the potentials of the time he was born materialized.
The Speech
The potential of his Sun square Neptune laid dormant until Neptune would again form a hard aspect to his Sun, the opposition. Neptune began to oppose Obama’s Sun in mid-2002 to the end of 2004. This is precisely when he began to think about making a run for the US Senate in 2002, became a national figure with his Democratic National Convention speech, and got elected to the Senate in 2004.
On April 8th, 2004, Obama campaigned with John Kerry at a fundraiser at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago.[1] Kerry came away from the encounter impressed, and kept him in mind for a slot at the convention. It is worth noting that this encounter happened only a couple of days after Mercury had stationed retrograde, which is an interesting co-incidence that we will revisit again shortly.
Less than a month after the meeting between Obama and Kerry, on May 4th, 2004, a lunar eclipse occurred at 15 Scorpio, square Neptune at 15 Aquarius. This would be particularly relevant for Obama because of his responsiveness to eclipses, as well as his natal Sun-Neptune configuration. This eclipse occured during the timeframe that Kerry’s team was discussing potential speakers for the upcoming convention.
By mid-June, the list had been narrowed down to two, and just before the July weekend, Obama was notified that he would be the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention.[2]
Shortly after 9 pm, on July 27th, 2004, in Boston, Massachusetts, Obama walked onto the stage. The Barack Obama that the world knows was born on the stage that night. In just 17 minutes, he had rocked the political world to its core.
In red, you can see the transiting Sun was square the Nodes, midway between eclipses. What was started at the previous eclipse came into focus when the Sun squared the Nodes. Also the Sun and Nodes were in hard aspect to Obama’s natal Neptune. In blue you can see that during this whole time period, tranistingNeptune was in opposition to Obama’s Sun, bringing him about into the public consciousness. People were touched and moved by the speech, Democrats and Republicans alike. Immediately after the speech, speculation about his future in the party as a possible presidential candidate was already at a dull roar.
On November 2nd, 2004, Obama was elected into the US Senate by 70%, the largest margin in the history of Illinois.[3] At the time the transiting Sun was conjunct his own natal Neptune, while the transiting Sun itself was square to transiting Neptune in the sky, just like in his natal chart, and all this was happening while Neptune was opposed to his natal Sun. This also happened 6 days after a lunar eclipse at 5 Taurus, opposite Obama’s natal Neptune. He was clearly on to something.
Senator Dick Durbin would later recal Barack Obama’s Senate campaign:
I’m thinking, what’s going on here? Something’s happened- this is no longer about Barack Obama running for the Senate; this is something bigger. [4]
Indeed, it was.
The Presidential Campaign
Now that Neptune was done opposing Obama’s Sun, it began hovering around his Ascendant throughout the year of 2006 and into 2007, and it was in this period of time that Obama dared to embark on his boldest political venture yet. On a chilly morning in Springfield, Illinois, Barack Obama announced he was running for the Presidency of the United States.
The clearest indicator that Obama was considering a White House run was his appearance at Iowa Senator Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry, a political event traditionally attended by presidential hopefuls in the lead-up to the Iowa caucuses. [5] The Sun was conjunct the Nodes at the time, 10 days after a lunar eclipse and 6 days before a solar eclipse.
On February 10th, 2007, Barack Obama officially announced his presidential candidacy. [6]
This happened while the Sun was conjunct Neptune on his Ascendant. Obama himself really put it best:
And if you will join me in this improbable quest, if you feel destiny calling, and see as I see, a future of endless possibility stretching before us; if you sense, as I sense, that the time is now to shake off our slumber, and slough off our fear, and make good on the debt we owe past and future generations, then I’m ready to take up the cause, and march with you, and work with you. Together, starting today, let us finish the work that needs to be done, and usher in a new birth of freedom on this Earth.
-Barack Obama[7]
This speech, as well as future ones that he gave during the course of the campaign, expressed the very epitome of Neptune in Aquarius. At the time the Moon was culminating on his Midheaven, just like the Moon was culminating in the sky at the time of his DNC speech.
Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday was the day when 22 states had their primaries and caucuses simultaneously. It was supposed to be 
the contest that would effectively make Hillary Clinton the nominee and push Obama out of the race. However, the transits were stacked in Obama’s favor.
It was just two days away from a solar eclipse, which was less than half a degree off Obama’s ascendant, with the Sun conjunct Neptune in the sky on his Ascendant again, just like on the day he first announced his run, and a Mercury inferior conjunction.
Instead of winning, he made a better than expected showing. Hillary had not been able to seal the deal on February 5th, and this ultimately led to the demise of her campaign. From then on Obama was unstoppable. “Obamania” was at a fever pitch. A long and bruising battle ensued until everyone was sick of hearing the words “change”, “bitter”, “superdelegates” and “Florigan”.
Hillary roared back from the dead on several occasions but on June 3rd, 2008, Obama finally captured the nomination. On June 7th, the day of a Mercury inferior conjunction, Hillary finally conceded defeat and offered her support to Obama.
Accepting the Democratic Nomination & Starting the General Election Campaign
The next eclipse series established the beginning of the general election campaign.
On August 16th, a lunar eclipse occurred at 24 Aquarius, conjunct transiting Neptune. Just 5 days later, Obama said he had made his selection for Vice President. Two days after that, he presented Joe Biden as his running mate.
Five days later, on August 28th, 2008, in Denver, Colorado, Obama was officially nominated as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. At the very hour of his speech, the Nodes were on his horizonal axis, and the Moon was conjunct his natal Sun.[8]
He must have thought it was strange, that just 4 years ago, he gave a speech at the convention as an unknown, and 4 years later, he was accepting the presidential nomination at the convention.
Election Night
On November 4th, 2008, Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States, the first biracial President in the country’s history. The world rejoiced, and not just because it was a new president who wasn’t Bush. He represented something people would have thought impossible just a few years ago. The impossible was now possible.
On Election Night, Obama gave his victory speech in Grant Park.[9] The transiting Sun was conjunct his natal Neptune, square the Nodes, midway between eclipses, just like on the night of his 2004 DNC speech, while the Nodes were conjunct his Sun, cementing his role as a world leader.
Inauguration Day
This date just by itself deserves its own post, as it would serve as a sort of natal chart for Obama’s first term in office. According to the Constitution, the Inauguration will take place at noon on January 20th, 2009 at the Capitol Building in Washington DC.
It will take place at a Sun-Mercury-Jupiter conjunction. The Moon will be back on his Midheaven, just like when he formally announced his run. And of course, right before another eclipse series, just 6 days away from a solar eclipse square his natal Neptune. That is followed by a lunar eclipse at 20 Leo, opposite Neptune, going across his horizonal axis again. Maybe his presidency really will be about making the impossible, possible.
Endnotes
- Source: http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/kerry/kerrycal0404.html
- Source: http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/June-2007/The-Speech/
- http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/IL/S/01/index.html
- pg. 5, http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/June-2007/The-Speech/
- http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/18/us/politics/18obama.html?_r=2
- Barack Obama came out shortly after 11 am and spoke for 21 minutes where near the very end of the speech he formally declares his candidacy, February 10th, 2007, 11:25 am, Springfield, Illinois
- http://obamaspeeches.com/099-Announcement-For-President-Springfield-Illinois-Obama-Speech.htm
- Barack Obama’s Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech took place on August 28th, 2008, at 8 pm in Denver, Colorado.
- Barack Obama Victory Speech November 4th, 2008, midnight, Grant Park, Illinois
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Hi Patrick,
I love this article, being a close watcher of eclipses myself..I’d like to use it today for TMA’s featured blog of the week..
I’ll introduce your article and provide a link, OK?
All the very best and thanks for capturing Obama’s Neptune and Neptune in Aquarius so well!
Mary Plumb
Glad your insight(s)are available-Thank you! Mayhaps I’ve looked in-correctly…?what say you about Sol Eclipse 1/26 ? It’s the 1st time for any ‘hit’ to be @6 Aq(since B4 1900 per B Brady) AND it’s on Obama’s Neptune!(6 days after 1/20) Enjoyed your tracking the 2 items(Nep & Eclp) and would like to share an additional factor: His Asc is Aquarius,ruled by Uranus-currently in Neptune’s Pisces. My view is this blend supports his use of personal strengths(Leo)to accomplish the “possible” for Humanity(AQ) [Whose'HopesDreams'..etc currently call more for the basics= Saturn(strong foundation)which happens to lend its 'support' for the re-structuring by opposition]
[...] Barack has Sun square Neptune, he came to national prominence when Neptune opposed his Sun, and ran for President when Neptune was on his Ascendant. Michelle’s Sun is conjunct his Saturn, and her Saturn is on his Ascendant. They got [...]
[...] Barack has Sun square Neptune, he came to national prominence when Neptune opposed his Sun, and ran for President when Neptune was on his Ascendant. Michelle’s Sun is conjunct his Saturn, and her Saturn is on his Ascendant. They got married in [...]