President Barack Obama

Level-Headed Leo

by Jeff Jawer

U.S. president Barack Obama ran as the candidate of change since he began competing for the Democratic presidential nomination about 18 months ago. Although he has moderated some of his positions since edging out Hillary Clinton, demonstrating his role as unifier, his birth chart suggests that his presidential term or terms will show him to be a transformative leader as the Chief Executive.

Obama is a Leo, born August 4, 1961 at 7:24 pm in Honolulu, with Uranus, the planet of surprises and breakthroughs, at a highly significant point in his horoscope. It was conjunct the Moon’s North Node in Leo, indicating Obama's karmic path as a change agent. But as his campaign has shown, he’s a cautiously bold builder who is likely to be a competent innovator, not a reckless revolutionary.

Obama has the charisma and personal power of his Leo Sun, but the sometimes autocratic nature of this sign is tempered by his Moon, symbol of emotions, in adaptable Gemini. He is not a rigid man with fixed ideas; he is a flexible pragmatist whose plans are carefully measured to include the input of others. The Moon in airy Gemini is often cool and sometimes appears aloof, yet this position also reflects his dislike for personal drama among his staff. Some individuals with Leo and Gemini are all show and no go, but that’s not the case with Obama. You don't make it through Harvard Law School with sloppy work habits or a superficial mind, and you don't run a massive campaign organization without a strong sense of strategy and an eye for detail. Barack was born with Mars, the action planet, in efficient Virgo, where results count more than appearances. His Mars is strengthened by a harmonious 120-degree trine to responsible Saturn in well organized Capricorn, reinforcing his image as a highly competent manager.

Aquarius rising indicates that he is, in some ways, a man who may be free of narrow prejudices, dedicated to innovation and individual rights. We’re unlikely to see fear-based repression of speech under Obama's watch. Still, his earthy efficiency and charismatic cool is nicely balanced with the emotional depth of his Venus in Cancer. The affection this planet of love inspires in his family is not an act. It is an honest expression of a desire to nurture and protect, as demonstrated by his work as a community organizer in Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods.