Lunar Notes: Happy Birthday USA!

If you’re wondering why Congress can’t get anything done, why the country is so divided and how it is that folks can watch the same legislative hearing and come away with totally opposite opinions, the horoscope of the United States and the current transits to that chart offer a clue.

Yes, the United States has a horoscope. Although the vote for independence was taken on July 2, 1776, July 4 is the date that holds great symbolism in the minds and hearts of the American people because the Declaration of Independence was signed that day.

In this chart, the Sun — the heart and core of the horoscope — is in the sign of Cancer. Cancer is a water sign and is ruled by the Moon and the emotions. We’re flag waving, patriotic and are absolutely gaga about Mom, home and apple pie. This chart has Venus, Jupiter and Mercury in the sign of Cancer as well, so we have all of the above in spades. In this age of fake news, distortion and exaggeration, it is telling that our collective Mercury in Cancer is retrograde. We’re susceptible to innuendo, false rumor and misinformation. Not that this is anything new for us. The yellow journalism of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst thrived on exaggeration, distortion and fabricated news. “Remember the Maine” was the rallying cry that precipitated the Spanish American war. The buildup to that war was fueled by the false newspaper stories attributing the sinking of this ship to the Spanish government.

This susceptibility is reinforced by an aspect of tension between Mars in Gemini and Neptune in Virgo. Mars rules aggression, war, action or how we use our energy. Gemini is the faithful news gatherer. Gemini scoops up that news without any discernment or judgment. Gemini’s job is to simply process it and pass it along. While Neptune has spiritual aspects, it is generally considered to be problematic with the harsh realities of life. Neptune is where we look through rose-colored glasses, often seeing and hearing what we want to see rather than reality. Neptune also rules oil, gas, refineries, pharmaceuticals and oceans. Neptune’s big on booze and drugs.

So where are we now and what will the summer bring? The Solstice chart, the horoscope cast for the moment the Sun enters Cancer, is a predictive tool used by astrologers to forecast the upcoming season. Compared with the horoscope of an individual or entity, it offers a picture of what will be the important issues and events over the upcoming 3-month period. This time period will see the activation of the sensitive aspect between Mars and Neptune in the USA chart as well as the USA’s Saturn. Saturn and Jupiter in the sky during the summer months will also play an active role. This summer will bring out the best and the worst of us.

Saturn represents society’s constructs, the law, the rules and regulations of society. It has rulership over the conservative side of society and strangely enough, opposition to the ruling party. Justice belongs to Saturn, as in receiving one’s just desserts.

While Saturn symbolizes contraction, Jupiter is all about expansion. Depending on where it is traveling in your chart, that could be the mind or the waistline. Jupiter rules capitalism, judges, the clergy and the courts as well as foreign travel, bankers and in politics, the senate and the vice-president.

At the Summer Solstice, Jupiter in the sky is at the point where Saturn was at the birth of this nation. Two opposing forces are fused together. Expansion and contraction, liberal and conservative. It’s a tug of war that is clearly reflected in the prevailing attitude of the public and the politicians. At the same time, transiting Saturn opposes the USA’s Mars kicking off the Mars/Neptune square bringing hard facts that challenge our ideals.

In addition to Saturn and Jupiter mixing things up, during this summer season transiting Uranus, the undisputed champion of disruption, is at a sharp angle to the USA’s Pluto, the Darth Vader of the zodiac. This long-term aspect shakes up the existing power structure. (Bernie and Trump epitomize that aspect as they both drove huge wedges through their respective parties.)  This aspect also plays into cyber attacks and manipulation of the media, social and otherwise.

Coupled with Saturn mixing it up with the USA’s Mars/Neptune configuration, a complex stew is brewing. The Great American Eclipse in August will bring that stew to a bubbling boil. Rumor and innuendo create a toxic atmosphere where it is easy to lose sight of the higher purpose. Be discerning, withhold judgment and avoid knee-jerk reactions until the smoke has cleared. Stay tuned.