Venus is trined by Neptune, and in a trine we see the positive aspects of both planets.  Where the Neptune/Jupiter square mentioned previously has a tendency towards illusion (Neptune) in one’s ideals (Jupiter), in a trine to Venus we see an enhancement of creativity as Neptune dissolves the boundaries that keep us locked in the material world, and Venus opens us up to the true beauty in life.  This combination is often found in the charts of artists and mystics.  Neptune here encourages Venus to see the best in people and dislikes conflict.  

Chiron is in the first house of personal identity in Obama’s chart and forms a Grand Trine to the Venus/Neptune planets.  A Grand Trine occurs when three planets form 120 degree angles to each other, and is an aspect that brings an easy flow between the three planets.  We saw in Part I how Chiron in its role as the Wounded Healer denotes an early wound in Obama’s search for identity; it also provides the key to his healing of himself and others.  Obama has made his healing process a part of his public persona (first house) as evidenced by his book Dreams of my Father in which he searches for his identity, and his political messages which is focused on healing (Chiron) the rifts of the past between peoples (Venus) of all kinds and finding common ground (Neptune).  Obama doesn’t just want to create change – he wants that change to heal what is wrong with America.  The Neptune/Chiron aspect of the trine inspires Obama’s supporters, and Venus gives him the attractive qualities to help him spread his message.

Partnerships in Obama’s life are apt to be fraught with challenge, though, as we can see from the presence of Pluto in the seventh house of marriage and committed relationships.  Pluto in any house shows where we are likely to face our fears and find experiences that drive us into the underworld of transformation, and for Obama this has come in the area of partnership.  This placement is eased somewhat by the Venus Grand Trine which smooths the way and makes it easier for him to face the demons in the seventh house.  Pluto in the seventh requires that we learn to balance issues of power in our relationships.  So far his campaign has been remarkably free of drama, and news reports indicate that this lack of drama is a central requirement imposed by Obama on his staff.  But we saw how Pluto in the seventh house erupted in the form of Jeremiah Wright as transiting Saturn set off the Chiron/Pluto opposition in Obama’s chart.  

Pluto is the ruler of the Midheaven here, revealing that it’s not enough for one’s career and public life (Midheaven) to bring fame and fortune – the individual must be able to connect to the career in a way that is deeply and intensely meaningful.  There is a desire for power here, with Pluto as ruler, and also an extreme sensitivity to the ebbs and flows of the balance of power.  Someone with a Pluto complex such as this who suffered from a lack of confidence would tend to react (Chiron) to a loss of power (Pluto) by creating dramas in their relationships (seventh house) that could sabotage their careers (Midheaven).  Obama’s confidence (Leo Sun) and Pluto-ruled midheaven combined to give him a powerful insight into the way politics was played, and from an early point in his career he worked with the power base to get his foot in the door.  

We always have a choice as to how our chart can be expressed, and if we choose a life of service and personal evolution we can create quite a different story: the story of a man who overcomes a painful struggle (Chiron) to find a personal identity (in the first house) and strives to build a base of alliance in people that he trusts (Venus in Cancer) and then empowers them (Pluto in the seventh) to work with him towards a Great Work (Scorpio on the Midheaven) of transformation (ruled by Pluto).  Instead of becoming deluded (Neptune) by his own sense of importance (Jupiter) he seeks to find a religious theology (Jupiter) that has real meaning and connects him to a true sense of the divine within himself (Neptune).

The South Node in the chart tells the story of our evolutionary past – it shows where we are most comfortable, but where those comfortable reactions have held us back.  In Obama’s chart the South Node is in Aquarius and in the first house.  Obama has already been the one who was most visible (first house) – the one whose personal identity was the thing that was most important.  He has already been the transpersonal leader (Aquarius) who sought no acclaim for himself .  His North Node is in Leo in the seventh house, and his evolutionary pathway is calling him to express more of himself (Leo) but to do it through partnership with others (seventh house).  Yet that transpersonal quality is still important, as evidenced by the conjunction of Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, conjunct the North Node.  Uranus in the seventh house illustrates Obama’s interest in talking to all kinds of people and learning their views in order to effect change (North Node).  Both Uranus and Aquarius are overwhelmingly concerned about issues of social justice and equality.

There is a danger with a charismatic leader like Obama to become overwhelmed by a cult of personality, but we can see how the development of Obama’s political career fits the story of his chart.

In a day or two we’ll look at what the planets have in store for Barack Obama over the next six months.