Declinations in Synastry, part 2

Hail to the Chief… and the Mrs! We are closing in on the end of an era. Come 2017 the Obamas will quietly exit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and a chapter of history will come to a nostalgic end.

For the last 8 years, Barack and Michelle Obama have set the tone at the White House with their relaxed and down-to-earth manner. They have broken barriers and stereotypes during their tenure as the first Afro-American President and First Lady.

As a couple they have had to endured the pressures of public life and media scrutiny but Michelle Obama has been the President’s rock and the power behind the power couple; or so he says.

After 24 years together he is still a romantic and brings her flowers. By all accounts, their relationship is still going strong. What is the secret behind this long-lasting union? The Realm of Astrology will unearth the mystery of the Obamas’ successful marriage, using both the traditional method and declinations.

All roads lead to Rome and both methods will lead us to the same conclusion. To get a summary of declinations, please refer to, Part 1 of Declinations in Astrology.

Barack Hussein Obama was born on August 4, 1961 at 7:24 pm in Honolulu Hawaii. Yes Donald Trump, he is an American citizen, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it. Barack has a sunny, warm and generous Leo Sun.

Now, here is an interesting astrological tidbit, Leo is the 5th favourite sun sign for American presidents. In the last 30 years, we have had two Leo presidents; Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. However, the number one sun sign for American presidents is Aquarius. Since the Declaration of Independence there has been 5 elected Aquarian presidents. No big shocker since it is the land of the free and the home of the brave. Aquarius embodies the American spirit so poignantly.

Leo does represent leadership, drive and pride which are wonderful traits to have as the leader of the free world. It also epitomizes the spirit of a big romantic which could be why the Obamas still go on date night. The down side of Leo is arrogance and impatience.

Both friend and foe can agree that one of Barack Obama’s strongest gifts is his oration abilities and we can thank his Gemini Moon for that. Like a true Leo he can command your attention with the sheer magnitude of his presence but he keeps it with his eloquent message of hope that rolls off his tongue.

This Gemini Moon trines his Jupiter in Aquarius. Jovial Jupiter buoys the emotional nature of the Moon. Jupiter in Aquarius believes in equality, freedom and justice for all mankind regardless of race, colour or creed. That same Gemini Moon is responsible for his cool detached delivery which many comedians have tried to imitate.

Obama’s outer persona is reflected by his Aquarius Ascendant at 18˚ which only magnifies his cool exterior. Being friends with your enemies has been a motto during his presidency and extending an olive branch across party lines has marked his style much to the chagrin of the GOP. These are very Aquarian traits.

Most of Obama’s planets fall in the western hemisphere of his chart which is quite reassuring because it means he has an innate instinct to build relationships with others and to listen to others. This is a much needed quality for anybody in a leadership role.

One of the most striking characteristics of Obama’s chart is his Neptune hovering in his ninth house near his Midheaven. This is the highest planet in his chart and defines him on many levels. Neptune is the planet of hope and altruism. It believes in beauty and divine love. Is it any wonder that this was the president who won the election with the slogan, “Yes, we can.”

Many have asked how a young upstart, inexperienced senator from Illinois was able to sweep in and topple seasoned politicians like Hillary Clinton and John McCain in 2008? The answer lies in astrology. Barack Obama’s natal chart hooks in beautifully to the US natal chart. In 2008 and 2012, he had the strongest synastry with the US natal chart as illustrated below.

His natal chart also synched up with the eclipse series in 2008 catapulting him to the forefront of the race. Never under estimate the eclipses. In ancient times they heralded the new king of the land and eclipsed out the old king.

It seems Mrs. Clinton is smarting from this hard-learned astrological lesson and is applying astrological principles to her current presidential campaign. Read Kevin Burk’s article. http://mountainastrologer.com/tma/nomination-chart-part-2-hillary-clinton

This branch of astrology is known as mundane astrology. The one issue that keeps coming up with many astrologers is what is the time of the birth of the US natal chart? I am going to go with the Ebenezer Sibly chart. This chart is erected for the time that John Hancock first placed his signature on the Declaration of Independence which seems to be roughly at dinnertime in Philadelphia, on July 4th, 1776.

This chart is the chart that the majority of astrologers use. Ebenezer Sibly was a British doctor and astrologer who lived in England. The signing of the Declaration of Independence happened in his life time so we trust that he had the correct time.

As we can see, Barack’s Uranus hooks into the US Moon by opposition at 25˚ Leo. His south node conjuncts the US moon indicating a karmic debt. The Moon in mundane astrology represents the people of the land. It is extremely helpful to have a connection to the Moon in a mundane chart; it means your message is reaching the masses. His Saturn is on the US Pluto again repeating the karmic theme. Pluto rules banks and big behemoth corporations. Was he sent in to clean up the cluster#@ck the big banks left behind? It seems that way.

It is interesting to note that Barack Obama’s natal Venus conjuncts the US Venus and Jupiter. Venus and Jupiter represent the arts, global trade and foreign policy in a mundane chart. Having this connection has been beneficial for the US which is viewed in greater reverence by the world at large since Obama came into office. The unthinkable has happened and diplomatic relations have been restored with Cuba and the USA, thanks to Barack Obama.

Hands down, the nicest aspect is Barack Obama’s Sun trining the US Sagittarian Ascendant. The Ascendant in a mundane chart represents the country and its inhabitants as a whole.

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama was born on January 17, 1964 in Calumet Park, Illinois. Sadly, we do not have a time for Michelle’s birth which is a quandry because we cannot determine her Ascendant or Moon. These are huge pieces of the puzzle for delineating the personality.

She has a serious, ambitious Sun in Capricorn conjunct Mars in Aquarius. Sun/Mars conjunctions denote someone with athletic abilities and we did witness the first lady do push-ups on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Her amazing biceps are something to behold.

She grew up in a modest two storey bungalow in the south side of Chicago. Like a true Capricorn, hers is a rags to riches story. Her father was a a city water plant employee and her mother a house wife. Through sheer determination and hard work Michelle graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988.

She met her future husband at Sidley Austin, the law firm she was working at. Barack Obama was the summer student that was assigned to her for mentoring.

The compelling thing about Michelle is that her chart has a distinct Aquarian flavour to it, as well, much like her husbands’. Both her Mars and Saturn are in Aquarius. Saturn is the ruler of her Sun.

Instead of practicing law, in 1991 she became involved in the public sector as a government worker for the city of Chicago; first through the mayor’s office and later as executive director at the  the University of Chicago Hospitals. She has always been deeply dedicated to community work throughout her career.

The one thing that both her and Barack Obama have said about their relationship is that they are opposites. When we overlay their charts ontop of each other, we see that.

The President’s planets linger around Cancer, Leo and Virgo, while the first lady’s planets linger around Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. There is the old saying that opposites attract and we definitely see that here. Oppositions do cause attraction and tension but they can be resolved with compromise. The President has said that he was the adventurer and Michelle was the solid one in the relationship.

One of the really nice things we see is that they have a very powerful conjunction in the late degrees of Capricorn and in the early degrees of Aquarius. Michelle’s Sun/Mars conjunction conjoins Barack’s Jupiter and Saturn conjunction. This was not going to be a fleeting romance but a solid serious one marked by generosity and beneficence. Saturn is the glue that holds relationships together.

Michelle’s Sun/Mars conjunction trines Barack’s Moon in Gemini quite beautifully. Her ego and drive align with his emotional nature. If that isn’t enough, her Jupiter trines the President’s Sun to the exact degree. She lifts him up and encourages him when he is down.

Another fortuitous and sweet aspect is the Grand Trine that is formed by the President’s Neptune in Scorpio to his Venus in Cancer and to Michelle’s Venus in Pisces. It may or may not include Michelle’s Moon but it is in the neighbourhood. This is a lovely, harmonious, soulmate aspect. Divine love, affection and balance mark this relationship.

Declinations in Synastry

How does their synastry measure up by declinations? Remember in declinations there are only two aspects, parallel and contra-parallel. The orb has to be pretty tight. No more that 1.5 degrees.

Barack Obama’s declinations are in the third column and the First Lady’s are in the fifth column. The number of parallels and contra parallels are astonishing.

• The President’s Moon is in contra parallel to Michelle’s Moon, Saturn and Neptune
• Barack’s Mercury and Venus are contra parallel to Michelle’s Sun, Mercury, Mars and Pluto, while his Jupiter and Saturn are parallel to her Sun, Mercury, Mars and Pluto
• The President’s Neptune is parallel to the First Lady’s Venus

These are incredibly strong and tight aspects. It accounts for the strength in their relationship and why they have endured. Most couples are lucky to have one aspect in declination. A lot of couples have none. It is very rare to find a couple with 20 aspects in declination, like the Obamas.

Using declinations also does away for the need to have an accurate birth time for Michelle Obama. We can clearly pick out the themes in their relationship without a birth time.

There will definitely be a tinge of sadness when they depart 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in January but one thing we know for sure, wherever Barack Obama goes Michelle will definitely be at his side.