June 15th Eclipse and the USA Chart

I have a hard time believing that the founding fathers really used Astrology to pick a time to begin this country as some pundits have said. It may have the very nice Sun, Jupiter and Venus conjunction, but there are three difficult aspects (Sun square Saturn, Mercury opposite Pluto and Mars square Neptune), the last two of which are directly connected to the collective subconscious of the country. If you think of a country’s chart as an ex-ray of the psychology of the people en masse, it is not that hard to see what the underlying issues are behind the way they live, the way they are perceived by other countries and what motivates them.

In my opinion, the most unconscious and challenging of these three is the square between Mars and Neptune. A “square” aspect means the two planets are 90 degrees apart (and we allow a few degrees from exactness as being effective—Mars and Neptune are just one degree from being exactly 90 degrees apart, which we consider “tight” or close). A square means that their energies are in conflict. Imagine two rivers coming together at a right angle—which is what 90 degrees is. What happens? Turbulence is created. The square aspect is also the most likely of all the aspects to produce “projection,” which is a form of denial.

Mars in a chart describes how the entity handles physical energy—i.e. how s/he acts, moves, projects oneself, handles anger and aggression, and how one “does” things. It can show how impulsive the chart owner is. It also will describe, along with other things, what is going on related to the house(s) that has Aries on the cusp (since Mars rules Aries) and the house it occupies. In the USA chart, Mars is connected to houses four and five (Koch system) that have to do with the home and family, tradition, emotional security, and most importantly, the subconscious mind, which is programed by early home, family, etc. (4) and also sexual conduct, children, ego, recreation and even gambling (5). It is located in the angular seventh house, which is a strong position. The seventh is where we look to find out the entity’s attitude about war, but that’s the negative side. It’s really, essentially, getting along with others who are not part of your immediate family—i.e. the public, and therefore, has to do with partnership, marriage, negotiation, compromise and diplomacy—relationships that have contracts. But, when that breaks down, war breaks out. [I’m reminded of a comment by the late Edie Custer who said that the seventh house is “marriage and open enemies, and sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference.”]

Neptune stays in a sign for about 14 years, so it is not as personal as Mars by sign placement. It becomes more personal by house affiliation. It powerfully affects any planet to which it is connected geometrically. Neptune, in positive manifestation, relates to imagination, spirituality, sensitivity, compassion, psychic ability, and artistic forms that are ethereal, like music and dance. Neptune is called the “universal solvent” because it shows where we dissolve boundaries and become confused or, if positive, inspired. When it is connected to a planet in a challenging way, such as a square or opposition—even a semi-square (45 degrees) and its companion the sesqui-quadrate (135 degrees)—the usual result is confusion, delusion and sometimes deliberate deception. This can result in being in denial about one’s own traits and in this case, behavior (Mars). In the USA chart, Neptune is in the ninth house which is where we look in a country’s chart to see what kind of laws they use, what kind of legislature is in place, the educational system—in fact, all the country’s institutions, including churches, schools, social services, etc. And it is the entity’s attitude about foreign countries as well as showing one’s general ethics and philosophy. Since Neptune rules Pisces, we find that sign intercepted in the third house. The third is the conscious mind—what we are aware of—and our speech. [Note: An interception happens when there are two houses with the same sign on the cusp, in this case four and five both have Aries there, so a house somewhere else will have a whole sign “caught” within it and the previous sign on its cusp. The houses opposite these will also have the same phenomenon.]

Putting it Together
This all tells us something important about the USA’s way of doing things. There is an unconscious tendency to be deceptive (Neptune) in behavior (Mars); particularly, this is centered in the legislature and with foreign countries regarding our speech and negotiations. We citizens are in denial about it, but we are not honest in our negotiations, in our partnerships, even with our wars. And because it is part of the collective subconscious, we, the populace, are easily deceived, as well. That doesn’t mean that individuals are ALL this way, but as a general rule, our representatives (ninth house Neptune) are conveniently confused in their ethics (putting it kindly), and as a collective, we are in denial about it for the most part. It is a weakness in the very foundation of our country. It manifested from the very beginning. For instance, Alexander Hamilton formed a central bank, which is not what the constitution called for. After it was corrected (I think by Andrew Jackson), the very devious conclave of bankers who met at Jekyll Island in 1910 figured out a way to do it again by forming the Federal Reserve, which is, in essence, a central bank. Even today, people mistakenly believe it is part of the government. We were totally hoodwinked. (For the whole story, read “The Creature from Jekyll Island.”)

The Eclipse
Yesterday, June 15, 2011, the eclipse at 24 Sagittarius energized this square. It is MOST important when the part of the chart being contacted is holding an important progression, transit or solar arc. That is the case now. Pluto by solar arc is just 30 minutes away from being square Mars and only one degree and 33 minutes from being conjunct Neptune. That is MAJOR. Pluto and Mars are equated with volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and on a personal level, rage. When Pluto touches something, there is total breaking down and rebuilding the energies involved. The eclipse is bringing all the deception to our attention over the next year. I see an eclipse as a spotlight on a trait that we need to see in ourselves. When you also include something as important as solar arc Pluto in the mix, we have a potential powder keg. Thirty minutes of solar arc motion equals six months. One degree and 33 minutes equals a year and nearly seven months. All solar arc planets move about five minutes a month. When it is this close and triggered by an eclipse, it is right around the corner. No one can really predict exactly how it will unfold, but we are at a point in our history where we cannot be in denial any longer. There is much, much more to this since the Sun-Saturn square will be triggered by the eclipse on July 1st, and that one is also holding a Saturn transit. Our best defense is to be honest, prepared for anything like a hurricane, earthquake, etc.—even expression of rage in the country (which is already starting), expression of rage from foreign countries toward us, and hold our representatives accountable, as well.