We have three teenagers in the house, since two extra have been added to the one in residence.  Behind their backs, we refer to them as “the kittens”.  Like kittens, they have a tendency to creep up on each other, to tousle and tease and rush each other, to force reactions.  Two of them are twin brothers who’ve been separated for most of the year, and the third is a confident, high-energy girl who is one twin’s romantic partner. 

My partner and I feel like old cats, bemused and slightly superior.  “If no mouse results, what’s the sense of all this dashing around?” might be our motto.  At the same time, it’s fun to watch. 

In the US, this is convention time, a time of generally frenetic activity.  Most years, it’s just a bunch of kittens jumping on each other, creating a fuss with no discernable result.  This time, there’s a lion in the arena, and so there’s a dignity that is usually missing.  It’s Barack Obama with his Leo sun. 

I listened to Obama’s speech, and wondered which words will be lifted out and repeated for many generations.  I liked, “This election has never been about me.  It’s about you.”  And I liked the way he ended, evoking Martin Luther King as an archetype rather than a person.  He was “the young preacher from Georgia” who challenged beliefs about struggle and change, who tapped into the power of dreams. 

As for the details of Obama’s speech, I found myself thinking, “Yep, he’s pretty middle-of-the-road.”  This is probably a good thing, since his presence alone provides enough of a radical thrill for the average American.  If he had a wild bone in his body, he probably wouldn’t be there.

He has a Mars/Saturn trine in earth signs, just like Mother Teresa did.  This gives an urge to fix, heal, cure and reform, to work hard himself and to make things work better over the long haul.  And his Mars in Virgo is right on top of Neptune in the US chart.  Neptune is the planet of dreams, fantasies, and ideals, so he is here to take those dreams, dust them off, and do something practical with them.

September is an earthy month.  The new moon on August 30 sets the tone for September, and it’s a sober one, with the sun and moon in Virgo conjuncting Saturn.  There’s a certain unwilling realism, and there are plenty of references to the past.  As I write this, people are fleeing New Orleans in front of Hurricane Gustav.  Mostly, they don’t have a clear idea of where they’re going.  It’s as if nature is providing a footnote to the Republican convention, reminding everybody of their abysmal record in preserving human life. 

Obama is good at learning from the past.  Intellectually, he’s an over-achiever, as we see from his Mercury/Saturn opposition in Leo/Capricorn.  He believes in accepting responsibility for his work, taking pains, checking everything twice.

The real radical in this race is Sarah Palin, with the sun, Mercury, Mars and Saturn all in Aquarius, and possibly the moon as well.  She’s an original thinker, with a real hatred of anything wishy-washy.  When you compare her chart to that of Iran, there are strong connections:  exact sun conjunctions and an exact Mercury/Mars conjunction.  She clearly has some business with that middle eastern country, and would be very quick to intervene. 

McCain’s chart doesn’t show the same connection with Iran.  But I think he would listen to Palin if she was determined, and she has determination to spare.  McCain, with his Saturn/Neptune opposition, becomes anxious when he feels weighted down by responsibility.  With all his Virgo planets, he is haunted by a fear that he will do the wrong thing.  He counters this by acting boldly, as we see by the square between his Mars in Leo and his Uranus.  This is the “Decider” mentality.  You can just hear him saying, “Well, I’m in charge, and we have to do something, so let’s just all jump off that cliff over there.”

What about the connection between Iran and Barack Obama?  I wish I could say things look easier here.  But there are some Leo/Aquarius oppositions here that also suggest that Obama could get drawn into a conflict there.  Biden echoes these, with Scorpio/Aquarius squares.   

We have to face the truth and admit that the people of the US are innately suspicious of anyone perceived as an outsider.  To qualify as an insider, Obama has to keep repeating that he will protect the country against all the bad guys out there. Hillary had to work even harder to prove that she was tough enough to play sheriff. 

But I do think Obama will be a good president, in spite of this.  I do think he’s dedicated to improving conditions for ordinary people.  There are many good connections between his chart and the US chart, including his Venus conjunct the US Venus/Jupiter.   With this, everybody taps into a nurturing, lovable energy that he exudes.  His sun is also right on the US north node in Leo, so he is our destiny.  Whether he wins or not, he blazes an important path. 

The US is a kittenish country.  There’s a certain restlessness, a nervous tic, a need to keep moving and connecting to each other in all sorts of immediate ways.  Picture the highways, the telephone wires, and the web of cyberspace.  All this frenetic activity comes from Mars in Gemini, and it makes a harmonious aspect to Obama’s Uranus, the planet of change.  So he recognizes the creative charge that comes from these constantly shifting connections.   

For McCain, Mars in Gemini is much more difficult.  He’s no kitten, and this doesn’t just have to do with his age.  He doesn’t like that sense of going nowhere fast that’s such a big part of the American character.  It makes McCain feel insecure and when he’s insecure, he gets angry. 

I’m still not ready to predict a winner in the 2008 elections.  Astrologically, it’s clear that Obama would be better for the country.  But on election day, both candidates have some difficult aspects.  In Obama’s chart, there continues to be that element of surprise, with Uranus currently opposing his Mars.  There’s some kind of wild card in this election.  Perhaps it’s just that Obama is going to be really surprised when he wins.  I hope that’s it! 

From now until election day, there are two major aspects in orb.  One is the practical, earthy Jupiter/Saturn trine, and the other is the rebellious, surprising Saturn/Uranus opposition.  The former is exact in September, settling things down this month.  But the latter is exact right on election day.  So we will all move along in a predictable way until, suddenly, we turn a bend and confront something we didn’t expect.   

In September, things slow down too because Mercury in Libra goes retrograde on September 24.  At this point, there will be a lot of people frozen in indecision.  Who will they vote for?  They won’t know that.  They will be wrestling with fundamental questions, looking for mental answers to emotional questions.  They will be applying their principles to their fears, trying to figure out which is stronger.   

During the time that Mercury is retrograde – until mid-October -  we will all dust off our old dreams and ideals.  These dreams are about equality, healing, and cooperative living, and an Obama presidency seems to fulfill them.  But it’s not really about Obama, as he said.  It’s about allowing power to move in a new direction, a direction that it’s never been allowed to take. 

Will the privilege of the past gracefully bow its head and recede into the history books?  Or will it fight to hang on?  The aspects don’t favor that fight right now.  I’m not complacent, but for an old cat, I’m hopeful.  There’s a part of me that’s living in this moment, and enjoying its promise.  There’s a part of me that wants to run and jump and pounce on it, to bring it triumphantly home. 

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