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Cosmic Events and the Birth Chart of the United States
"O Say Can You See"
The Horoscope of the USA
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| Birth chart of the USA -- 5:10 PM, July 4, 1776, Philadelphia |
You can do a horoscope on anything -- not just individuals but businesses and presidential terms,
marriages, a move, and the birth of a nation. For the last, all you need is the time of "birth," which could be a king's
coronation, a dictator's coup, or the signature on a document.
England's horoscope (literally "picture of the hour" but actually a map of the solar system) is
based on the Coronation of William the Conqueror on Christmas Day 1066 at noon in London. The Third Reich's birth chart
is based on Adolf Hitler's appointment in Berlin as German chancellor in January 1933 (even though the Third Reich
wasn't "official" yet). The chart of the United States of America is based on John Hancock's signing of the Declaration
of Independence in Phladelphia on July 4, 1776. The problem with the U.S. horoscope is that the time of the signing
was never recorded, officially or otherwise, except for a vague diary entry that suggests it was close to the dinner hour.
There is more than one candidate for the U.S. national horoscope but the one with historic credibility was
proposed by a British astrologer who lived at the time of the American Revolution and was in a position to get the
information first-hand. With all due respect to the pretenders, this is the chart that "works."
What the "Stars" Say about The Stars and Stripes
For example, the U.S. Moon is in Aquarius. The Moon governs the home and hearth for a person; in a
broader national sense it governs housing and real estate. In the Summer of 2007 there was a line-up of planets
in opposition to the Moon and the bottom fell out of the real estate market.
The U.S. Ascendant (Rising Sign) is Sagittarius. The Ascendant is the cusp of the First House which,
in a country's birth chart, describes the people. Sagittarius is restless, freedom-loving, thrives on travel, enjoys
spectator sports, and is a born explorer.
The country's westward expansion can be attributed to Sagittarius. We can also blame this sign for
our strong religious streak as a people. It wasn't enough to expand, we had to do it in the name of God -- fufilling some
divinely-ordained "Manifest Destiny" (Sagittarius being philosophical).
Americans often seem like God's chosen people, especially to themselves. But it is not an exclusive
club, not with our Moon in Aquarius. The nation was built on immigration -- even illegal immigration, which came in
waves from Europe during Pluto's previous transit of Sagittarius in the 18th century, and displaced native populations.
Pluto is just now finishing up another extended transit of Sagittarius -- and our First House -- where it has transformed
our demographics and shaken us out of complacency.
America Blessed
The "ruler" of the Ascendant -- and the ruler of the chart -- is Jupiter, the "greater benefic."
Jupiter is "exalted" by sign, Cancer, and it conjoins Venus, the "lesser benefic." You just can't lose with
this duo. It explains, astrologically, why the United States has become the richest nation on the planet (albeit with
a reputation for wastefulness, which is the downside of Jupiter).
The conjunction is in the 8th House, the house that governs taxes, credit, and investment -- as well as
the national debt. Jupiter is the Cosmic Sugar Daddy; it always provides. From the Beltway to Main Street, deficit
spending is a way of life. The American economy is powered by plastic.
Now Pluto is entering Capricorn and the House of the Economy. And during its long transit, it will
oppose our Venus, Jupiter, and Sun, in that order. This is economic restructuring on a grand scale.
Pluto's instinct is to downsize, and its knife cuts deep. Sometimes, however, it takes forever because Pluto works
by natural selection: it is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. This could be the death of a thousand budget
cuts.
No Hope for Housing but the Hippies Rise Again
With Neptune just beginning a long conjunction to the U.S. Moon in Aquarius, real estate will remain
a risky investment for at least another two years. There is a cosmic red flag over waterfront properties, especially.
Issues may involve erosion, pollution, and rising sea levels as well as the decline of the Great Lakes.
Neptune's transit also reflects trends in living arrangements. Communal living will be in vogue again
though communities will turn tribal, partly in self-defense. The homeland will be rife with rebellion,
urban riots will lay waste to cities, and a generation will uproot itself as it dismantles the past. Elderly Boomers
may get misty-eyed because it reminds them so much of the Sixties, when the Beatles were young, pot was cheap, and love was
free.
But it's not all incense and love beads, not when Pluto is involved. Corporate greed will be more
voracious than ever and big shots will continue to call the shots, the public be damned. Staying competitive is everything,
even if it means cut-throat tactics. Multi-nationals will be mightier than governments; Washington dances to Walmart's
tune.
The Past as Preview
As Pluto marches through Capricorn, its oppositions in the U.S. horoscope reflect transformation on
many levels -- not just economic. Pluto was last in Capricorn from 1765 to 1785 when it presided over the birth of the
United States, which came too late for Pluto to oppose the country's natal Sun, Venus, and Jupiter.
Pluto did manage to oppose our national Mercury (the U.S. was born with a Mercury-Pluto opposition), resulting
in a period of post-revolutionary lawlessness and disorder which included Shay's Rebellion in Massachusetts. As a result,
the Founding Fathers scrapped the loose confederation of states and wrote the U.S. Constitution in order to establish a "more
perfect union."
There is no historic precedent for Pluto's opposition to the U.S. Sun, neither to Venus nor to Jupiter.
Oppositions and conjunctions operate like polarities, however -- an action-reaction effect that are co-equal ends of the same
seesaw. What happens at one end of the polarity often mirrors events at the other.
When Pluto was in Cancer, conjunct the points it will now oppose, the United States was involved
in World War I, we saw the emergence of the postwar "Lost Generation," and the advent of the Roaring Twenties (with
the rise of organized crime). It all came crashing down in the the Great Depression, which not only sparked
crime sprees by latter-day outlaws who became national celebrities, but set the stage for the emergence of dictators
and the outbreak of World War II.
Although it is often disruptive, Pluto, alone, is not necessarily warlike. Warfare was -- and is --
shown by other areas in the U.S. chart.
The Warfare State
In your natal chart, the 7th House is the zone of partners and opponents; in a national chart, it represents
allies and enemies. In this case, as you might expect, the United States has a packed house.
Depending on the house system used, Venus and Jupiter live in the 7th, but they are so close to the cusp
of the 8th House that they are really more of an influence there. (The chart pictured above is Placidus; Koch
houses place them squarely in the 8th House.)
Mars and Uranus also occupy the 7th House -- and there is no doubt where they stand. In fact, Uranus
is directly opposite the U.S. Ascendant because it was setting as the Declaration of Independence was signed -- a revolutionary
position, in more ways than one. It is inventive, ingenious, and innovative, accounting for the American infatuation
with technology. Uranus is the rebel of the solar system and oppositions often signal attraction. From Jesse James,
to Bonnie and Clyde, to The Godfather and Tony Soprano, to the current gangsta counter-culture, Americans
have taken a romantic view of outlaws (as long as they are at a safe distance).
But this position is also conflict prone. The Civil War erupted in the 19th century as Uranus returned
to its natal position; and when Uranus did it again in the 20th century, the country was embroiled in the Second World
War -- one was the bloodiest war in American history, the other the bloodiest war in world history. The position
of Uranus was also prominent in two presidential assassinations.(1) It bears watching!
And so does the other occupant, Mars, the warrior planet. American history is filled with warfare:
first, against the natives; then against the Mother Country twice; this was followed by war with Mexico; and after that, we
fought each other.
Mars squares Neptune in this chart. As Neptune crossed the Midheaven of the U.S. chart in 1861, Confederates
opened fire on Fort Sumter to ignite the Civil War. As Neptune opposed this position in 1941, the Japanese
bombed Pearl Harbor. Neptune rules the waves in astrology so the two events involved surprise attacks on coastal military
installations. Neptune returns to its "Civil War position" in 2024.
History does repeat, often in response to planetary cycles. When Uranus was in Virgo in the 1960s,
a president from Texas escalated an unpopular war, which was his political undoing. Now, with Uranus in Pisces, opposite
Virgo, a president from Texas has the country mired in Iraq. Now in the last year of his term, he is a lame duck with
a broken wing.
History Skips a Beat
In the 1960s, Lyndon Johnson was replaced by Richard Nixon, a former vice president who had been defeated
in an earlier race for the White House. Obviously, Al Gore missed the boat -- this could have been his year
-- demonstrating the importance of free will in astrology.
Okay, we don't have Gore to kick around anymore. But does this mean we are saved from the Second Coming
of Richard Nixon (who is due for some posthumous rehabilitation)? Not necessarily. It does suggest, however, that
after a succession of governors-turned-president, the next chief executive will be elected from the Senate (Nixon
was a senator before he was vice president, and lost a bid to become governor of California).
The new president -- whoever it is -- takes office amid a wave of hope, optimism, and new promise.
Alas, the oath of office will be taken while the Moon is void-of-course and with Mercury retrograde. Notwithstanding
the vainglorious oratory, we could see the Second Coming of Jimmy Carter.
(1) Uranus loomed large in the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F.
Kennedy. Lincoln was fatally wounded on April 14, 1865, at 10:12 PM, as Sagittarius was rising in Washington -- the
Ascendant virtually identical to the U.S. horoscope, meaning Uranus' natal position was opposite the assassination
Ascendant. Lincoln was pronounced dead the next morning at 7:22 AM, close to moonset, with Uranus beginning its rise
in the East.
Kennedy was shot at 12:30 PM, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, with transiting Uranus (and
Pluto) setting in Virgo. At the same time, transiting Mercury was opposite the U.S. natal Uranus. Venus and
Mars, transiting together, were opposite the U.S. natal Mars and square to Neptune -- a formation denoting a sneak attack.
Neptune conjoins the Midheaven in the U.S. chart, the cusp of the 10th House, the president's house.
Uranus was active at the time of two other presidential assassinations. William McKinley
was shot on September 5, 1901, at 4:07 PM, in Buffalo, New York, on a day when the Sun squared transiting Uranus. Uranus
was just beyond a conjunction to the U.S. Ascendant and an opposition to its natal position -- but in exactly the same position
(12 Sagittarius 58) that Pluto occupied during the 9/11 Attacks. (A case could be made for "correcting" the U.S.
Ascendant to this position.)
James Garfield was assassinated on July 2, 1881, at 9:30 AM, in Washington, with Uranus rising
in the East. The chart for this event has an uncanny similarity to the JFK assassination chart.
The Garfield assassination has Uranus rising in 11 degrees of Virgo. In the chart of the Kennedy
assassination, Uranus is in 10 degrees of Virgo. (Another uncanny correspondence: Neptune was in 16 degrees of
Scorpio when Kennedy was shot -- exactly opposite its position in 16 degrees of Taurus when Garfield was assassinated.)
History repeats as planetary cycles recur. "There is no new thing under the sun.
That which hath been is now. That which is to be hath already been."
George Parker
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Inauguration of
Barack Obama
What's wrong with this picture? Mercury is retrograde and the Moon is void-of-course.
Barack Obama takes office during one the worst crises in U.S. history. The economy is in ruins, national prestige
is in the pits; it is the decline and fall of the American imperium and the barbarians are at the gates already. President
Obama faces formidable challenges from his first day in office, and the portents are not promising.
"All That Glitters . . ."
In Obama's inaugural chart, the Sun conjoins Jupiter in the Tenth House. This is the President's House; the Sun
conjunct Jupiter here is a marker for acclaim and popularity. It is also a sign of great expectations but Jupiter often
promises more than it delivers -- especially when Mercury is retrograde.
Mercury is, in fact, retrograde when Obama begins his term. Mercury turns retrograde three times a year;
it coincides with misunderstandings, misdirection, and empty promises. It is considered "unlucky" for new ventures.
Obama may intend to hit the ground running but he is likely to stumble, at first, and get snared in a process of trial-and-error
which involves considerable backtracking.
That Old Devil Moon
Stacking the odds even higher, the Moon is void-of-course as Obama is sworn in. Obama has gotten a lot of mileage
out of the void-of-course Moon, which is often a boon to underdogs who triumph over impossible odds. He announced his
candidacy while the Moon was void-of-course; the Moon was also void-of-course for most of election day.
Perhaps it is fitting that he should begin his presidency while the Moon is void-of-course. But that is putting
an improbably glossy spin on the situation. That which begins under a void-of-course Moon rarely turns out as expected.
John F. Kennedy was inaugurated while the Moon was void-of-course; and the Moon was void when Richard Nixon began his second
term. Neither presidency turned out as expected.
First Family as Media Darlings
There are certain similarities between the inaugural charts of Kennedy and Obama, apart from the void-of-course Moon.
There are huge differences, too, but one feature they have in common is the standout position of the asteroid Juno.
Juno represents spouses and consorts; the First Lady, in this instance.
Juno conjoins the Midheaven, the cusp of the Tenth House and the highest point of the chart. Jacqueline Kennedy
became a public figure in her own right, a trend-setter and patron of the arts. Michelle Obama will have the same impact.
Mercury symbolizes young people; it is also in the Tenth House, thrusting the First Family into the limelight, with lots
of media gushing about pets, schooling, and related trivia. Meanwhile, Rome is smoldering.
"Interesting Times"
Obama has inherited a mess that took eight years to pile up. He won't fix it overnight, or even in a single term;
it might not be fixable at all.
History will remember Barack Obama as the first African American president of the United States. It may also record
that he presided over America's decline as a superpower. In the words of an ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in
interesting times." It is Obama's misfortune to take office in "interesting times."
George Parker
Inauguration Update
Signs and Blunders in D.C.
With a flubbed oath and UFO flyover, Obama made history in more ways than one.
Barack Obama took office at noon, January 20. Period. According to the U.S. Constitution that is when the
transfer of power takes place, notwithstanding a flustered Chief Justice who got the oath wrong by transposing two words,
which did not alter the original meaning.
Nevertheless, in an "excess of caution," Obama repeated the presidential oath the next day. This has happened twice
before, with Chester Arthur and Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge, like Barack Obama, was first sworn in while the Moon was
void-of-course.
All of the above illustrates the mischief potential of a void-of-course Moon. Making matters worse, Mercury was
retrograde and tying knots in the Chief Justice's tongue.
E.T. Crashes the Party
Shining forth from the dual-oath hoopla was the amazing image, caught by CNN, of a UFO whizzing past the Washington
Monument. It was violating the no-fly zone with impunity or, perchance, permission.
One astrologer has predicted jolting revelations during the Obama years that will shake our conception of who we are.
If so, that UFO was no fluke; it was an announcement. You can't blame the Chief Justince for getting rattled.
The Second Swearing-In
To play it safe -- and stifle a chorus of carping from conspiracy theorists and constitutional scholars -- Barack Obama
took the oath a second time at 7:35 PM, January 21, in the White House.
As you can imagine, this has been the cause of some consternation in the astrological community. One camp asserts
that Obama's "second inaugural" eliminates the onus of a void-of-course Moon. But the chart below is not much of an
improvement.
Strange Bedfellows
There is little in the second oath chart to negate the first. Granted, the Moon is not void-of-course but it squares
repressive Saturn and disruptive Uranus. Moreover, the chart strengthens the influence of the on-going opposition of
Saturn and Uranus (currently raising hell in the U.S. horoscope.)
Venus is drawn into the fray, as well. It conjoins Uranus in the house of allies and opponents, and utimately
opposes Saturn. This is a marker for changing loyalties and disaffection, even disillusionment.
This chart suggests that Obama's loudest critics will be the left wing of his own party who turn on him for
not going fast -- or far -- enough. But at the same time, he'll win over McCain voters, whose standard-bearer is the
first to enter the fold.
In any case, the Constitution has the last word. It mandates noon, January 20, as the start of the Obama Presidency,
notwithstanding a void-of-course Moon and a UFO flyover. And if the opening minutes are any indication, it is going
to be a long, strange trip.
George Parker
Inauguration UFO. Click here for story and footage.
The Decline and Fall of the American Empire?
In 1997 Serbian astrologer Nikola Stojanovic wrote an analysis of the U.S. horoscope which could
turn out to be uncannily prophetic.
"What bestows the leading role in the world on the USA? A country, which managed to become
the leading country in the world in less than 200 years of its existence, is bound to have an extremely powerful tenth house.
[The] Sagittarius Ascendant answers this question.
"An extremely strong and powerful Saturn in its native tenth house
and exalted in Libra has bestowed on the USA the leading role in the world. More than any other planet, Saturn
strives for power over all others, expressing itself through control, restrictions (sanctions) and patronising attitude.
Saturn is supported by Mars trine (excellent aspect) Uranus, which boosts its power. Saturn also squares the Sun. Since
both planets describe their presidents, the goal of each American president is to make his state even stronger and mightier
thus making it closer to its ultimate goal – rule over the whole world. Saturn thus powerful brings the fulfilment
of this wish, but also the inevitable downfall. Let us recall that many rulers of the world who had Saturn in
the tenth house (Hitler, Cesar, Napoleon, Ivan the Terrible) experienced the downfall and shattering of all their ambitions.
"I
personally think that this will happen the day a BLACK MAN is elected president (Saturn presents coloured people)."
These words were written years before Barack Obama burst on the national scene. And
at the time they were written, a black president seemed implausible. Now it seems inevitable.
Click here for Stojanovic's complete article.
"Thus Passes the Glory of the
World"
Nikola Stojanovic sees the American "empire" coming to an apocalyptic finale in a war with every nation of the world,
after which it is broken up into smaller countries. Some of this is probably the result of wishful thinking --
America had a hand in doing the same to his native Yugoslavia -- but his basic premise shouldn't be dismissed out of hand.
It is easy to draw comparisons between the Roman Empire and the United States of America. The U.S. Senate
was named for the Roman Senate; the Capitol was named after Rome's Capitoline Hill. And we have evolved our own version
of bread and circuses to pacify the plebs. Eventually, all great empires crumble. There is no reason to think
the U.S. is immune even if it is, strictly speaking, a hegemony, not an empire.
In a recent column, political commentator (and non-astrologer) Pat Bucanan warned:
What we are witnessing today is how empires end.
The Last Superpower is unable to defend its borders, protect its currency, win its wars or balance its budget. Medicare
and Social Security are headed for the cliff with unfunded liabilities in the tens of trillions of dollars.
What we are witnessing today is nothing less than a Katrina-like failure of government, of our political class, and
of democracy itself, casting a cloud over the viability and longevity of the system.
I am willing to wager that Buchanan knows nothing about Pluto's disruptive transit through the U.S. Second House.
Stojanovic does and he bases his scenario partly on that influence.
Pluto's Long March
Pluto entered Capricorn last January, the first tentative steps of its long march through the Second House of the U.S.
horoscope. This is the sector that governs the economy.
As Pluto transits this zone over the next 16 years, it opposes Venus, Jupiter, the Sun, and Mercury in the U.S. birth
chart. Near the end of its trek, the country experiences "Pluto's return," a critical period in the life of a nation.
Pluto was last in Capricorn from 1765 to 1785. The United States was born midway through, in 1776, too late to
have Pluto oppose anything but our Mercury, which resulted in reorganizing the government in order to "form a more perfect
union" after a tax rebellion in Massachusetts.
The U.S. was born with a Mercury-Pluto opposition, with Pluto in the Second House and Mercury in the Eighth of debt,
death, and taxes. Most of the nation's wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few -- Pluto symbolizes plutocrats.
Before Pluto "returns" to oppose Mercury, it will first oppose the other three planets which influence our economy.
Pluto moves slowly, dragging out its influence for years, even decades.
Pluto's oppositions to Venus and Jupiter unfold through the next presidential term. There is no precedent for this,
it has never happened before in our history. However, conjunctions and oppositions are polarties -- different ends of
the same karmic seesaw. Pluto was in conjunction to these points in the runup to the Great Depression.
A "once in a century" economic crisis will consume the attention of the next president, no matter who it is.
Barbarians at the Gates
Historians may rank it as a "failed presidency" on the order of Jimmy Carter or George W. Bush. No matter who takes
the oath next January, he will be sworn with Mercury retrograde and a void-of-course Moon, an indication that it
will not turn out as expected.
But there is more to it than that. There is a square between Mars and Neptune in the U.S. natal chart that makes
us susceptible to sneak attacks and vulnerable to guerilla warfare.
Transiting Saturn moves into this formation in December and stands ready to greet the new Commander-in-Chief as soon
as he takes office a month later. He will be tested almost immediately and will likely flunk with flying colors.
This movement of Saturn simultaneously darkens the natal charts of Barack Obama and John McCain. One will be in
the thick of it while the other watches from the sidelines, thinking, "There but for the grace of God, go I."
George Parker
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| Pluto with its moon Charon |
One door opens, another closes -- Pluto tries Capricorn on for size.
January is named for the Roman god of doors and gateways. With a momentous transition beginning this month, January
2008 is, literally, a gateway. Pluto enters Capricorn on January 25, which is an epoch in the making though you
might not notice it at first. Pluto is an evolutionary force that works gradually -- but it is a
force to be reckoned with.
Pluto takes centuries to complete a circuit of the Zodiac and it spends decades in a sign. Pluto is drifting
back and forth across the cusp of Sagittarius and Capricorn this year before it finally enters Capricorn to stay in November.
The last time Pluto was in Capricorn, from 1765 to 1785, Great Britain was truly great, the American Revolution
broke out, and the French monarchy was toppled. The Founding Fathers came of age with Pluto in Capricorn.
The United States was born with Pluto in Capricorn. Napoleon emerged in the terror and chaos of the French Revolution.
With the revolutions came economic change -- the seeds were planted for an industrial revolution that
transformed the country from an agrarian republic to an industral oligarchy. Capitalism came into its own. But
populations were displaced, workers were exploited, and the rich lived like the royalty we thought we had overthrown.
We can see see echoes nowadays as Pluto dips its toe into Capricorn before it takes the plunge.
During its long transit of Capricorn -- and the nation's Second House, the zone that governs the economy -- Pluto will
oppose the Sun in the birth chart of the United States,* along with Venus and Jupiter -- a pairing that has made us the wealthiest
nation on Earth. Up to now, anyway.
This is an opposition -- an aspect of crisis and culmination. It will force fundamental changes in
the economy. Along with this, we will go through a period of national self-questioning, when old values are re-examined
and cast aside; and when prized skills grow obsolete. We'll be forced to find new ways to earn a living.
Some will take up gardening to put food on the table; many will flee back to the land.
Corporations will continue to call the shots, as usual -- no matter who wins in November. It's the second
coming of the robber barons, with bosses acting like feudal lords.
But reformers won't give up without a fight. In 2011, revolutionary Uranus marches into aggressive Aries and hits
Pluto with a flurry of body shots that rocks the power structure. This is close to the projected high in the next sunspot
cycle, dubbed by a Russian researcher as a "mass excitement cycle" -- a period of riots, protests, and civil disobediance.
The Powers That Be will pass into history, along with the world as we knew it.
It's not quite the collapse of civilization though it may seem that way in 2012. This happens to
be the expiration date of the Mayan calendar, a/k/a the more foreboding "End Date," which falls on the Winter Solstice
of 2012.
Prophets, seers, and science fiction writers could have a ball with the possibilities. So why not an astrologer?
Here is one possible scenario.
A new class of serfs will toil away in corporate fiefdoms, and turn gaunt in company towns. The may be underpaid,
overworked, and malnourished but if not sound, they are at least safe. Secure in their voluntary bondage, afraid to
go out on their own, they live their lives within a security perimeter.
On the other hand, a new breed of pioneers will go back to nature and learn to live off the land, banding
together in tribal communities out of mutual need -- including the need to defend their territory from the dinosaurs in Washington,
as well as each other. Communes may ensure survival in a world turned upside-down but some may act like the Manson Family.
Pluto also has a profound effect on the chart of England (based on the coronation of William the Conqueror on Christmas
Day, 1066.) Pluto's transit through Capricorn brings a new king, probably more than one after an interrupted reign.
In the face of rising republican sentiment after his mother's death, an unloved Charles abdicates in favor of a popular
Prince William in order to save the monarchy. Living up to his illustrious namesake, King William conquers -- but with
charm and charisma.
*There are a number of candidates for the U.S. national horoscope. This is based on the Sibly chart,
done by an English astrologer who lived at the time of the American Revolution. Presumably (the story goes) he obtained
the time from someone who was present when John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence. The only written
record of the time is a diary entry that names the "supper hour." In Colonial times, the supper hour came
around 4:00 PM. The United States was born at 4:50 PM, July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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