Chart for Obama Inauguration, 2009-1-20

Accuracy of this Chart Data

Here's a highly accurate chart for you political astrologers out there. This chart should be useful for making sense of events in the coming four years, whether by transit or progression. For my initial impressions of this inauguration chart, see my transit pages for Jan 2009.

The Inauguration Ceremony took place at the US Capital Building, latitude 38N53:24 and longitude 77W00:34. All the timings of the event were manually timed from television broadcasts and should be accurate to within a second or two. These times are given in Eastern Standard Time (EST); 5 hours should be added to convert to Greenwich Time.

Some Initial Impressions

I have mentioned numerous times during the campaign the curious connection between Pluto and the election. Without much exaggeration, it can be said that this campaign has been overseen by Pluto and its long passage from Sagittarius to Capricorn. When this inauguration chart appeared on my computer screen for the first time and I started looking it over, I was drawn to the Midheaven (27Cp33). The USA Pluto position is 27Cp34. My first reaction was "Boy! Does this guy have good timing!" This same position was active when Obama received the nomination last August.

This is an extremely active chart, as you can tell by all the transits that went off during the ceremony. We left a rather quiet first half of January yesterday on the 19th, as a massive planetary storm checks in this week, just in time for the transfer of power. In fact, we're heading into a mild Koz Alert this afternoon; by the weekend, the strength levels are off the dial.

A final impression, if I may. The two transits that bookend Obama's swearing in were aspects to the angles from Pluto and the Galactic Center. The Pluto-GC conjunctions of 2006-2007 are still very active and affecting our collective fate to an unimaginable degree. This new administration is only one story among many.

Timing of the Inaugural Ceremony

The ceremony officially began at 11:45:35, with Senator Dianne Feinstein presiding. Prior to this, the first of many important aspects occured as dignitaries made their entrances to the podium. These include Uranus sextile the MH (11:33:32) and Saturn trine the MH (11:39:53). The Saturn-Uranus opposition is a major story from election day to mid 2010. The first aspect of the ceremony was Neptune semisextile the MH (11:46:59).

The Rick Warren invocation lasted from 11:48:32 to 11:53:22. This included a sextile between the Moon and Juno (11:50:48). Considering the controversy over Obama's choice of Warren for this role, and Warren's peaceful tone of conciliation, this seems like a highly appropriate aspect.

The oath taking for Vice President Biden was from 11:57:30 to 11:58:23. Ceres was trine the Asc at 11:57:44.

The next intriguing aspect is a semisextile between the Galactic Center (26Sa58) and the MH at 12:03:20. Chief Justice John Roberts swore in President Obama between 12:05:16 and 12:05:47, although Roberts flubbed the wording of the oath (some kind of omen?).

Obama began his inaugural address at 12:07:44. Almost immediately, Pluto made a trioctile to the Asc (12:08:25). The speech was quite moving to the audience, although it seemed to me to be curiously devoid of quotable "sound bites" or definite proposals. Let me summarize the long list of aspects with the themes he was talking about at the time:

The benediction was from 12:32:36 to 12:37:40. The Moon was opposing Obama's natal Moon (assuming it's at 0Gm01) and Uranus octiled the MH (12:36:20). Finally, the Star Spangled Banner was played (12:38:24 to 12:39:42) and the ceremony ended at 12:39:55.

As if to put one final astrological fingerprint on the event, the Galactic Center was quincunx the Asc at 12:39:36...

After the Ceremony

There was a flurry of aspects in the minutes after the podium cleared. Perhaps the most intriguing as former President Bush boarded the helicopter for the last time (12:54) and it took off to leave Washington (12:56:17). During this brief time, the (true) North Node of karmic changes passed over the MH (12:54:14) and Pluto quincunxed the Asc (12:56:07). Talk about a changing of the guard! The waveform went Koz Alert at 13:00 and Jupiter trined the Asc (13:01:39), an official seal of approval perhaps.

Around 14:42, the news bulletin hit the TV that Senator Ted Kennedy had collapsed at the luncheon in the Capital. Big news day...

And now...

As I said, this is a very active chart and it will be intriguing to watch this chart unfold in coming years. This is definitely a "hit the ground running" kind of horoscope -- we'll be busy right away. In particular, watch Pluto as it passes through Capricorn during this administration. There's no honeymoon period for us with the Dark Lord...