J A N U A R Y    2 0 0 5   

The "Presidential" Inauguration is scheduled to take place at noon on January 20. The Capricorn midheaven speaks to the continuity of the government, and the Aquarius Sun speaks of a new President. Taurus rising and Scorpio descendant indicate the importance of resources in this nation’s governance. Cancer nadir shows our roots based on a search for security, and a need for strong defenses.

These are features of every Inauguration chart (click here to view the Inauguration chart), which tells the story of the incoming Administration over its next four years. I’ll talk about some of the special qualities of the 2005 Inauguration.

Outstanding in this chart is the famous (in these columns, at least) Chiron-Saturn opposition of the last 5-6 months. With this pairing, we see re-alignment of many social structures, especially those relating to "security." Here this opposition has star billing. Chiron is on the Capricorn midheaven, which shows that our relationships with the world will be unusual and unpredictable. Chiron also conjoins the U.S. Pluto, indicating that our plutocracy is due for a shakeup. Chiron also has the potential for healing, and in this location he could heal both the world and the Administration itself. Saturn is on the nadir, adding desperation to the search for security. Saturn also conjoins the U.S. Mercury, sowing the doubts and uncertainty in our minds, and adding to the need for impenetrable defenses.

As during the last four years, fear, insecurity, and the drive for "security" will be featured again for the next four years. The current Administration is certainly the one to promote that aura. Turn off your TV to eliminate much of that brainwashing.

The midheaven shows not only our relations with the world. It also shows the "boss," the character of the Administration itself. Here, besides Chiron and Sun, is Neptune with Juno in Aquarius. Neptune deals with imagination, Aquarius with the airwaves, and Juno with partnerships. There is much idealism here, and also much fantasy. When not used at a high level, Neptune tends to undermine its associated energy.

Juno, the abused wife of Jupiter, also represents fear and terror. I can picture GW continuing his partnership with fear and terror, veiled by Neptune’s clouds, and spreading that feeling to the public through the airwaves.

Among Neptune’s associates here is another asteroid, Great Mother Ceres. She is traveling in Scorpio and is in the seventh house of partnership. Scorpio is penetrating, and I would trust Ceres here to mother by breaking some of Neptune’s bubbles of fantasy, and exposing reality. This configuration, in fact, has been happening for the last couple of weeks, so we do have experience with its meaning. I can picture it expressing—among other things—an election controversy which may be going on for months, maybe years.

The seventh house, representing the nation’s partnerships, is ruled by plutonic Pluto, now in the 8th house of birth and death, accompanied by Warrior Mars. This indicates a serious, life-and-death crisis, probably unexpected.

This crisis is connected with Moon, the people. Moon is in the first house, in mental Gemini. It conjoins the U.S. Uranus, and the fixed star Aldeberan. Aldeberan is one of the Persians’ Royal Stars. It is considered to have a Mars nature, and in conjunction with Uranus, which it is in the U.S. chart, gives an extraordinary amount of energy and initiative. (Historically, the U.S. Uranus tends to be involved in wars.)

Moon represents the people. So it looks like the people will be very energetic, and bring on a crisis which besets the Administration.

Our month-long Mercury-Venus conjunction is in the ninth house, at 14-16 Capricorn, the sign of government. The 9th house relates to foreign lands, as well as to propaganda and promotion. Here we are involved in propaganda, in promotion of government, and in communication with foreign governments.

Essentially, this chart continues much of what we’ve been seeing. However, people themselves are more involved, perhaps instrumentally. And there are signs of a sleeper event which creates change.