What the Astrology of Inauguration Day Can Tell Us About Biden's Presidency

Although one of the most loathed years of all time is technically in the rearview mirror, 2021 is already off to an intensely unnerving start following the January 6 domestic terror attacks on the U.S. Capitol. We've been left to question even more intently what January 20, Inauguration Day will look and feel like. The tide will have to turn once former vice-president Joe Biden is sworn in as POTUS and Senator Kamala Harris becomes the first female vice president and woman of color in the White House, right?

In order to get a sense of what Inauguration Day and the next four years have in store for the incoming administration and the country, it helps to look at what the planets will be up to on January 20. Here's what you need to know.

Inauguration Day’s Astrology Will Mark the “Birth” of the Biden Presidency

You probably already know that a natal or birth chart is a snapshot of the sky when you were born. It's also a multi-layered, complex blueprint that can offer insight into your interests, passions, motivations, dreams, fears, and more. It can also be used to get a better understanding of how you'll experience transits — an astrological term for planetary movements — that occur over the course of your life.

Similarly, you can cast a chart for an event. For instance, if you and your partner said "I do" at 7:15 p.m. on November 17, 2015 at a venue in Chicago, Illinois, you can cast a chart for that exact time, date, and place of the "birth" of your marriage to get a sense of themes that you and your S.O. will encounter over the course of your married life.

That's why we astrologers are scrutinizing a chart cast for January 20, 12 p.m. Eastern, in Washington, D.C. — the time at which former vice-president Joe Biden will be sworn into office. That chart not only gives us a sense of what that precise moment will be like but what his presidency could look like as well.

The Must-Knows About Biden’s Inauguration Day Chart

The Moon Will Be Void-of-Course

The moon spends about two and a half days in a sign. Sometimes, it'll make its last meetup with another planet and then, for a few hours or even a whole day, take what feels like an energetic time-out before moving into the next sign. This is referred to as a moon "void-of-course" (VOC or V/C) moon, and it's a limbo phase that tends to bring energy and action to a standstill. It's a lovely time to rest, recharge, be creative, go with the flow, but it doesn't quite lend itself to getting much done. If you've ever been sitting in an airport for hours contending with a delayed flight without Mercury retrograde to blame, it's possible you were dealing with a void. And thus, with the moon void of course — falling at 29º Aries — in the Inauguration Day chart, could be interpreted as an indicator that it'll be tough for Biden to move the ball forward on his sweeping agenda. (We already know that even with a Democratic majority in Congress, he'll need at least some Republican support to pass major legislation.)

Moon voids on Inauguration Day have also been linked to presidential terms that ended prematurely (e.g. FDR's fourth term in 1945, JFK's 1961 inauguration, and Nixon's in 1973). The moon was also void during President Obama's first inauguration in 2009, which didn't cut his term short, but he did have to contend with a variety of impasses while attempting to pass legislation.

29º Aries Comes Into Play

On January 6, Mars, the planet of action, war, and aggression, hung in the final degree (29º) of impulsive, fight-seeking fire sign Aries before moving into slow, stubborn earth sign Taurus. On Inauguration Day, the moon will be in the same spot — 29º Aries — giving us a similar feeling of stirred-up combative energy reaching its culminating, boiling point.

?s=21

On a more positive note, it also bears noting that at 29º Aries, the moon will be conjunct (tightly paired with) Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' natal moon which is at 27º Aries. Translation: Inauguration Day marks the beginning of a major new emotional cycle for Harris.

Mars and Uranus Represent Underlying Volatility

The rising sign of the chart is Taurus conjunct Biden's moon (0º Taurus), which can amplify emotional sensitivity but be beneficial for public image. But Mars, the planet of action, and Uranus, the planet of revolution and change, will both be in the fixed earth sign as well. The pairing of these planets represents a need to rebel, break free, create change — quickly. But being in slow, steady, sleepy, and grounded Taurus, this aggressive energy could be more frustrated versus fueled.

And because the conjunction lands in the 12th house — which represents the psychological, behind-the-scenes underpinnings of this presidency — this volatile, passive-aggressive characteristic of the presidency might not be especially apparent on the surface. Moreso, it reflects what Biden and Harris will be dealing with behind closed doors.

The “Age of Aquarius” Represents Moving Forward While Saturn Pushes for Responsibility

In December, both taskmaster Saturn and lucky Jupiter moved into fixed but progressive air sign Aquarius. On Inauguration Day, they'll conjunct the sun, which will have just slipped into the sign of the Water Bearer as well. And in the chart, they're all hanging together close to the Midheaven (MC), which can offer clues about Biden's presidential legacy.

Although all of the planets in Aquarius — including communicator Mercury — here indicate forward-thinking and progress (hello, "Build Back Better"), it pays to zero in on Saturn and the sun, as they'll be sitting closest together on the 20th. Saturn is all about structure, boundaries, and taking responsibility, while the sun rules confidence and self-image. The combo indicates that Biden's presidency will require plenty of stepping up, taking responsibility, and putting in hard work to accomplish his goals. Saturn also reps traditional structures and "older" energy, so its placement here could be a nod to the fact that we're inaugurating an elderly statesman.

Pluto Illustrates Transformation

Moving through industrious Capricorn until 2024, Pluto, the planet of power and transformation, notably sits right on the Midheaven, representing a sense of purpose, dramatic changes, and the desire to fulfill a lifelong dream (which is very much the case for Biden who has pursued the presidency twice before — in 1988 and 2008).

The Biden-Harris Team Was Born to Take On Saturn and Uranus

When taskmaster Saturn and revolutionary Uranus square off against one another, it's the old guard going to bat against a collective push for breakthroughs and change. Sounds fairly familiar, right? Well, with Saturn, the planet of structure, in Aquarius and Uranus, the planet of shake-ups, in Taurus, this will happen three times this year — on February 17, June 14, and December 24. And the tensions we'll feel on Inauguration Day point to this planetary conflict being imminent.

Yet Biden seems uniquely astrologically positioned to take on this conflict. He was born with a Saturn-Uranus conjunction, which translates to having a powerful will and being ambitious and creative. It's in Gemini, too, which could speak to his ability to deftly communicate in order to achieve his aims. And because Biden's Saturn and Uranus are conjunct Harris' rising in Gemini, they'll work together to champion individuality, open-mindedness, and powerful change.

That said, it appears as though this volatile, albeit powerful, Inauguration Day is setting the stage for an intense, game-changing presidency. But by looking at the new POTUS and VPOTUS' natal charts, it's apparent that if anyone is up for the challenges the next four years will present, it's Biden and Harris.