What happened to Obama in the debate??

One thing everyone can agree on is that Barack Obama is a powerful speaker with an exceptional command of the English language and a preacher-like ability to inspire the emotions.  Yet he was universally declared the loser in the first presidential debate on October 3, 2012.  So what happened? You can catch up on my astrological profile of Obama here in part I, and here in part II.  With the Sun and Mercury in Leo, the sign of charisma and zest for life, Obama has a sunny disposition and a confident manner of speaking.  Aquarius is rising in the chart, reflecting his famous detachment and “Spock”-like qualities.  But the astrological factor being activated currently is that he is in his Chiron Return. Chiron is a small planet that was discovered in the late 1970s, and for some reason it, more than any of the other “minor” planets, has a powerful astrological effect.  Chiron in the chart shows where we are wounded, and how deeply those wounds run.  Planetary cycles involving Chiron will bring up those all wounds so that they can be re-experienced and released.  In Obama’s chart, Chiron is very strongly placed: in the first house of personal identity (reflecting the wound to his sense of self) and squares the Moon (emotions, inner world).  Chiron/Moon people are typically extremely sensitive emotionally and since Pluto is tied into the system as well (opposite Chiron and squaring the Moon), the process of identifying these old wounds and healing is a lifelong effort. At around age 51 we all experience the “Chiron Return,” which happens when Chiron returns to its place in the birthchart.  This can be a time of incredible emotional release – it can also be extremely difficult and often coincides with major health problems if the emotional wounds are repressed and left to fester.  In Obama’s case the Chiron return also triggers the Moon and Pluto, making this a very intense time of overwhelming emotions – particularly for someone with an Aquarius ascendant who strives to go beyond emotion and live a life of reason. Obama’s Chiron return actually began during the summer of 2011 so he has been dealing with this for some time.  The fatigue of campaigning takes its own toll, but combined with a long transit of Chiron to Pluto and the Moon, particularly during the Chiron return, would be quite exhausting. Mars went into Obama’s 10th house of career and public life on October 5th which ought to energize him for a few weeks.  It’s too bad he didn’t consult an astrologer, though, because that is just a few days before the exact square from transiting Chiron to his Pluto and he will be more sensitive than usual which could create the fatigue that we saw during the first debate.  Transiting Mars is square his Pluto, though, which is likely to make him more combative and this could help his performance. The final debate is on October 22nd which is a slightly better time for him.  Saturn (discipline and focus) will make a harmonious trine to his Venus (personal magnetism) and Mars will be approaching a trine to his Sun which will help to energize him.  However, Saturn will be nearing a challenging square to his Mercury (mind and communication) which is NOT a good time to try to make your views known. Obama has had a solid lead so far in the election process, but poor debate performance will narrow the gap and make my prediction of an undecided election much more likely to be correct.

[related_posts limit=”5″ image=”50″]