by Lynn Hayes

It appears that Obama, who announced his candidacy when the Moon was void of course (which has been a topic of much discussion in the comments here at this site and elsewhere) is poised to take the oath of office under a void Moon as well.  The Moon is said to be void of course when it has completed aspecting other planets and is on its way to the next zodiacal sign.  Some astrologers (me, for instance) do not put much stock in the effects of the void moon.  For others, it’s a sure sign that Obama will drive the country into a disaster.  (Fortunately, the Moon was not void at the time of Obama’s nomination.)
Shelley Ackerman is begging the President-Elect, “PLEASE put off the Oath of Office until 12:30 pm when the Moon goes direct.”  (Thanks Elsa for the link.)

Astrologers all over the Internet have been chatting and posting for months about the alignment of the planets at 12 noon on January 20, 2009. Many, myself included (I’ve been writing about this long before Obama secured the Democratic nomination) strongly feel that delaying the oath for 30 minutes is a very good idea. 


Why not wait a half hour, and let the Moon align in a more favorable spot? PLEASE humor the astrologers who care so much about the success of your presidency, Mr. President-Elect, and let the bugles play, the poets read, the dancers dance, the clerics pray and have Aretha sing an encore, but stall in any way you can and say “I do” at 12:30 pm. The Moon will be exalted in Sagittarius in a nice aspect to lucky Jupiter on the Midheaven. We cannot eliminate the annoying Venus-approaching Uranus opposite Saturn aspect, meaning that 2010 looks a little dicey, but the better placement of the Moon should help considerably. 

 

I have to say that I think putting a halo behind Obama’s head in the photo that accompanies this article is a bit much, even for me. My concern about all of this hoopla over the void of course Moon is that while people are learning more about astrology, which I think is a wonderful thing, many people are allowing astrology to scare them into a paralyzing fear.  “I can’t start this job, because Mercury is Retrograde.”  “I’m terrified of what will happen when Pluto squares my Moon.”  To me, understanding the astrological cycles is the key to calming our fears – it gives us a framework to explain the challenges that we face, and provides a map to navigate the stormy waters.  

In any case, I’m going to repeat what I’ve said before – The concept of the void Moon comes from ancient electional techniques which rely on aspects from the Moon as the fastest-moving planetary body.  When the Moon did not make an aspect, it was thought that there was somewhat of a limbo period where nothing was likely to change.  
If we have a choice, it is better to take the planetary configurations into consideration when timing an event.  But sometimes these things are not under our control, and then we must forge forward without fear, knowing that the planets “impel, but do not compel.”
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