NewsScope for June 24, 2008

Obama's Team of Rivals
 
With Newsweek's latest poll putting Obama ahead of McCain by 51% to 36%, and the astrological factors looking similarly favorable for the Illinois senator, it's not too early to speculate about an Obama presidency. Obama likes to compare himself to Abraham Lincoln, as when he announced his candidacy, "The life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible."
 
Astrologically, Lincoln's horoscope (February 12, 1809; 6:54 am; Hodgenville, KY) has some strong resemblances to Obama's chart, including Aquarius Rising and a prominent outer planet conjunct the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant. For Lincoln, it's Uranus, the ruler of his chart, at 9º Scorpio, while Obama has Neptune at 8º Scorpio. Both are populists, shown by Lincoln's Sun conjunct the U.S. Moon, and Obama's Uranus opposite the U.S. Moon.
 
Among the major differences between their charts is that Obama has no planets near the Midheaven (Lincoln has a Saturn-Neptune conjunction there), and Obama has none of the traditional planets in the First House (Lincoln has his Sun, plus several more). Obama's chart tilts toward the Seventh House, so much of an Obama administration depends on who he picks for his cabinet and Vice President.
 
Obama speaks fondly of Doris Kearns Goodman's book on Lincoln Team of Rivals, which describes how Lincoln assembled his political rivals to be in his cabinet. Obama's Seventh House contains three "malefics": Mars, Uranus and Pluto, which is a celestial set-up for attracting strong-willed adversaries and/or partners. Watch for some key designations around July 8-10 when transiting Mars and Saturn are conjunct near his Pluto.
 
ACG Lines over Iraq and Iran
 
If Obama becomes the next U.S. president, Iraq and Iran will very likely continue to be areas of intense conflict, which can be seen using Obama's Astro*Carto*Graphy map. Mars is on his Ascendant line right along the Iraq-Iran border. Historically, Mars on the Ascendant is where a president is willing to assert himself, especially in his role as Commander-in-Chief.
 
For comparison, Jimmy Carter's ACG Mars is also on the Ascendant along the Iraq-Iran border. On April 24, 1980, he launched Operation Eagle Claw in a failed attempt to rescue 53 hostages taken by Iran. At the time, transiting Uranus was squaring Carter's Mars, accounting for his unusual venture into military operations. Carter's Mars is weakened natally by oppositions to peace-loving Venus and Neptune.
 
Reagan's ACG Mars is on the Ascendant over Nicaragua, which gave him impetus to support the Contra insurgency. The elder George Bush, with his Gemini Sun conjunct the U.S. Mars, has an ACG Sun line running right through Kuwait. Transiting Uranus was precisely quincunx his Sun (and transiting Pluto square his Mars) when he declared war on Iraq on March 17, 1993.
 
George W. Bush's ACG Mars is on the Ascendant in the middle of the ocean, so is not a factor in geopolitics. However, his angular Mercury-Pluto-Ceres configuration, which psychologically might be seen as mental fixations (Mercury-Pluto) concerning his father (Ceres), was activated by a transiting Jupiter-Neptune opposition when he launched the March 20, 2003 invasion of Iraq. Jupiter-Neptune combinations are prime examples of over-confidence, especially when Jupiter is in Leo.
 
Tiger Woods and Betelgeuse
 
Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open last week in a thrilling sudden-death playoff round, but then had to bow out for the rest of the season for some reconstructive knee surgery. His win was all the more remarkable since he was playing on a torn ACL and two stress fractures—injuries which may ultimately prevent him from returning to this peak performance level.
 
Tiger Woods was born with his Capricorn Sun square Pluto (December 30, 1975; 10:50 pm; Long Beach, CA), a combination that fosters intense ambition. This drive for success was destined to find fulfillment at an early age, since his Sun forms a paran to the first-magnitude star Betelgeuse, which astrologer Bernadette Brady describes as one of the great stars of the sky.
 
While many astrologers will consider prominent stars as a way of determining fame, the tendency is to find those stars that conjoin or oppose a natal planet. Very few look at the paran, a measurement which takes into account the entire sky rather than the constellations collapsed onto the ecliptic (the Sun's path). Tiger Woods' Mars, positioned near his Midheaven, forms a paran to Aldebaran, another powerful success indicator, especially as a professional athlete.
 
In both cases, Betelgeuse and Aldebaran are rising when the Sun and Mars are on other angles. As Brady describes in her ground-breaking books on stars, having Aldebaran or Betelgeuse rising is the signature of a child prodigy, giving energy early in life which may continue if other stars support it. In Tiger's case, he does have other prominent stars culminating, setting, and at the nadir, but none as prominent as Betelgeuse and Aldebaran.

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