As the nation struggles with a wave of helpless rage and horrified fascination over the omnivorous oil spill that is suffocating the Gulf Coast and poisoning its waters, frayed tempers are looking for a target upon which to vent their ire. Although there is no silver bullet and, as yet, no obvious path to victory against this wily and potent foe, Americans are prone to expect the Presidential Big Daddy to be both omniscient and omnipotent, a superman able to solve all problems quickly, easily, and at minimum cost to us. Unfortunately, our infantile needs cannot be met in this situation. Although President Obama might have handled some of the public relations in this catastrophe more adeptly, it is not at all clear that he could have made any real difference in the unfolding of the actual crisis given the limited tools under his control.
In the long, drawn-out opposition of Pluto to the US Venus from January 2009 through October 2010, joined by Saturn in a square to US Venus from November 2009 through August 2010, we have seen one threat to our sense of security and peace of mind after another - from a hemorrhaging loss of jobs to a plummeting Stock Market, from the Fort Hood shooting to the Christmas and the Times Square wannabe bombers, and from the Snowpocalypse of a brutally cold winter to the endless underwater oil volcano of the spring. The worst of this Saturn/Pluto combination goes through late August 2010, although some measure of the ongoing anxiety and agitation of Pluto in its opposition to US Venus will continue through October 18. This Saturn/Pluto square provides the underlying story of perceived threats (Pluto) made far worse by our slipshod heedlessness, clarifying a need to be far more vigilant and careful (Saturn) in all planning as we move forward – financial, national security, and environmental.
The extraordinary feeling of burden and increased responsibility that weigh on the President at this moment combined with the very limited number of options available to him for action clearly point to an intensified impact coming from the planet Saturn in his chart. Saturn allows only incremental and cautious steps forward and offers many setbacks and frustrations. Any previous mistakes or oversights will be discovered and cause difficulty. Since June 2009, Obama’s solar arc Saturn has been quincunx his natal Sun (12Leo33), becoming exact on June 5. During all of May, this progression has been exacerbated by the waxing Saturn station at 27Virgo50, 17 minutes shy of an exact semisquare to Obama’s Sun, but close enough to add to the building pressure of the nearly exact Saturn/Sun aspect.
In addition, Obama’s progressed Mercury has been in a square to natal Saturn (25Capricorn19) since October 2009 and will be exact on August 5, 2010. This progression, which has demanded enormous attention to detail and an extreme conscientiousness, has been made significantly more intense since May 23 by Obama’s progressed Moon in sesquiquadrate to natal Saturn, exact on June 17. We can see from these overlapping progressions - Sun/Saturn, Mercury/Saturn, and Moon/Saturn - a period of building and severe stress, sorrow, and overwhelming challenge for the president, especially from May through June17, which coincides precisely with the developing frustrations and difficulties of the BP Gulf oil disaster. Moreover, this time-frame also coincides with the progressed US Moon square Mars in May and early June during which many in the US population are agitated, impatient, and angry.
After June17, and especially after June 25, the situation for the president and the country seems like it will ease up considerably, at least until the end of July. Two of the three Saturn progressions mentioned above will be waning. In addition, late June and July will bring the transit of Jupiter sextile Obama’s Moon (3Gemini21) and square the US Venus (3Cancer06), as well as semisquare Obama’s Ascendant (18Aquarius03). This indicates a successful, optimistic, and expansive time.
Needless to say, there will be many more serious challenges ahead for President Obama and the nation in the next several years. Certainly, the confluence of planetary aspects from July 28 through August 23, 2010, will bring significant stress of some kind, possibly launched by some severe weather or natural event or by one or more acts of violence between July 28 and August 3. But the pundits are wrong to think the Gulf oil disaster marks some dark turning point for the Obama presidency. By July 2010, his progressed Sun will move into a trine with his natal Jupiter for a year. By late November 2010, it will be joined by progressed Venus quincunx natal Jupiter for a year. By October 2010, the Inaugural Sun will progress to conjunct natal Jupiter. And by June 2011, Obama’s progressed Sun will move into a year-long square with natal Venus. Thus, despite many pockets of difficulty in the coming years, these progressions point to a resurgence in Obama’s popularity and effectiveness even in the face of the never-ending challenges of the presidency and the carping of critics along the way.
