With just hours just to go, the deadlock over spending cuts between the Republicans and the Democrats in the US House of representatives is on course to derail a budget agreement. If they fail to agree one by midnight on the 8th April, the US will shut down, Government employees will be laid off, the military will stop being paid and even national parks will close. I look at the natal chart of the United States to try and see what is going on astrologically.
There has always been a debate over which chart to use for America as the actual time of the formation of the US is not officially known. I use the US Sibly chart for July 4th 1776 at 17.10hrs in Philadelphia. It gives a Sagittarius ascendant which is the embodiment of the American dream, big wide and expansive. Think of the importance of the motto of the US “in God we trust” – this phrase could only be Sagittarian in my eyes. Think of the wild west, the great outdoors, hunting, fishing – all Sagittarian. Think of the optimism which is so part of the American psyche. With Sagittarius ruling the chart, this brings Pluto into the second house, and we see the intense interest in the finance of big business. Pluto is in Aries and here is the enthusiasm and go ahead attitude to investment in stocks and shares. The Moon in the third house shows the importance of transport on the US, everyone has a car, and I mean everyone. The automobile was developed in the US after all.
The Moon is in Taurus, reflecting the easy going and somewhat conservative nature of the American public. Uranus in the 6th points to independent healthcare, something President Obama has been trying to reform. A full 7th house in Cancer including the Sun and Mars sitting here show that the inclination of the US is to protect it’s homeland and there will be an insular nature to the country, however whether the United States likes it or not, foreign policy will always dictate Government policy – shown by the square to Saturn in the 10th. Mars in this house shows that the military will always be on call to go abroad and sort out world problems. Jupiter and Venus together show a “joie de vivre”, a love of life and freedom for women. American culture and big values will be exported out around the world, reinforced by the square to the Midheaven.
Mercury in the eight shows opposite Pluto shows a media fascination big finance and business, also with the reporting of the macabre or scandalous stories – this is the Scorpio house of death and the unexplained. Neptune in the ninth house shows the importance of belief and spirituality backing up the ascendant. Neptune is also conjunct the Midheaven and the one face we all know of the US is the TV and film industry ruled of course by Neptune. Neptune is square to Mars, there is great energy and charisma in American TV and filmmaking and in the international ninth house, these programmes and films are shown around the globe.
Finally we find Saturn in the 10th house. Government is taken very seriously, and the President, represented by the square to the Sun can have serious disagreement with the Senate and House of Representatives. This is a fundamental design of the American government system to keep the President in check, however as we see today it can lead to stalemate.
Right to matters in hand. The current transits reflect all that is going on and more. Transiting Saturn is conjunct natal Saturn and square the Sun. Here we see the Government (Saturn) at odds with itself (Saturn always make you stop and think) and at the same time it holds the President (Sun) in check. Capricorn ruled by Saturn is on the cusp of the second house, so we know that this blockage will be about the nation’s finances. Transiting Pluto which also has an influence in this chart on the money supply, is opposite the Jupiter/Venus conjunction. Jupiter rules the chart through Sagittarius, so the nation as a whole will be affected. Jupiter can also be seen as an indicator of the nations wealth, being strangled by this Pluto opposition. Uranus is opposing the US midheaven from the 4th house of the official opposition, as well as transiting Jupiter and the Sun form the same house opposing Saturn, so one could safely say that rebels in the Republican party are to blame for the problems going on. Saturn is still retrograde for a couple of months and Pluto does not move quickly so I can see this situation dragging on for a while unless they can find a last minute solution.
Looking at the Solar Arcs, there are worrying aspects just around the corner. Solar Arc Mars is very close to a trine to Saturn which is aggressive and warlike. Mars rules the 4th house through Aries on the cusp and Capricorn is on the second so this could involve a more internal struggle over money rather than military conflict. More worryingly SA Saturn is approaching conjunction in the autumn with natal Uranus which sounds accident prone. Uranus rules the 3rd house through Aquarius, so this incident or incidents could be transport based. SA Pluto is approaching a square with natal Mars which is either very stuck or hugely destructive. This combination of solar arcs due to coincide in September/October definitely indicate that something nasty is lying in wait in the coming months for the United States.