Mars in Cancer

A Spider Crab shows its very not camera shy self at the Atlanta Aquarium

(photo credit: Lecates, November 2006)

Roughly every two years or so (a bit less, but who’s counting?) the hot dry world of Mars moves into and through the sign of Cancer. This tends not to be our most graceful or gracious time as Cancer asks for planning and caution in the executing of all we do and Mars energy tends to be unbounded.

Or at least pushy.

The result is a time when we are either pitting against trying tasks which trigger frustration more easily than we think they should (which leads to more frustration) or a time when all we do – even that which clearly leads to a reward – seems less than calming in that sense we think of a relief, contentment or satisfaction.

If you have Mars in Cancer natally, you know some of its tendency to indicate a ‘bottling’ up followed by a bursting forth…although you’re also probably more ‘immune’ than the rest of the world is to Mars in Cancer as a transit as natal placements indicate qualities that we’re so ‘used to’ (or habituated to, perhaps) that we don’t rail against them when periodically they sweep through life like some particularly virulent flu.

Or, perhaps more specifically in the case of Mars in Cancer, anything wet and whirling. A tornado? A whirlpool? A typhoon (which in some other hemisphere would be known as a hurricane)? Even an emotional uproar, that swirling of feelings and positions on some matter would fit the bill.

Taking from a boat which takes people in close enough to see, a photo of a Naruto Whirlpool

(photo credit: Hellbuny, April 2008)

Does this mean our world is in for just over six weeks of mob activity and bad weather? Maybe. But let’s remember: Cancer is also the sign of family and real estate, agriculture and basic finances. So even if your life isn’t hit directly by some whirlwind, chances are good that you’ll get hit by some sort of spin-off coming from somewhere.

When Mars enters Cancer on July 13th at 1:23 p.m. UT/+0 time, it does so with Chaldaea at 1 Cancer, Black Moon Lilith at 3 Cancer and Pallas at 25 Gemini – a conglomeration which speaks to being faced with that we knew would happen.

Maybe we just didn’t want to believe it. Maybe we have done all we could to prepare ourselves for what we knew was coming. Maybe we’ve cleared our mental decks in preparation for taking on something which requires determination and that inner sort of courage which tests our tolerance.

Sill…even with whatever preparation we’ve done, who likes feeling contained by circumstances? Who likes that moment when we pass a threshold where choice gives way to an inability to opt out?

By sign, that passage is symbolized by Mars leaving Gemini (the idea of the thing) and moving into Cancer, the reality of the thing complete with emotions weak and strong. But there’s something even more elemental about this shift, something which comes from a very important factor which happens with only two particular sign transitions: that from Sagittarius into Capricorn and that of Gemini into Cancer.

Because celestial objects move in a counter-clockwise direction around the zodiac wheel, in moving from Gemini into Cancer the leave the proactive left hemisphere and enter the responding right hemisphere – just as objects moving from Sagittarius into Capricorn move from the world of the reacting into the world of the initiating. So when Mars moves from Gemini into Cancer, it not only enters the sign of all we feel about (and in) life but does so while entering the first of six signs all about responding to what happens in our world. Mars being all about assertiveness and going for the gusto, this is sort of like a headstrong teen being stripped of car keys, cell phone and every right, choice and privilege they’ve ever conceived of.

Ergo, begin the complaining. Not in reality…(okay, maybe in reality)…but certainly in the sense that between July 13th and August 28th (that being this year’s dose of Mars in Cancer) we’re all likely to be itching to be doing something.

You know…something other than what we’re doing. It’s like every morning we’re getting up and someone’s putting a spoonful of impatience into our coffee. (And you thought you had caffeine problems?) Mars in Cancer can be goofy in its irritation, too. That thing you said sounded like a grand idea just last week (under Mars in Gemini) now sounds ridiculous. That great plan you mapped out in your head down to the itty bitty nitty gritty under Mars in Gemini now seems too much trouble and WAY too complicated.

Who could be bothered?

You. Me. All of us. We’re ALL bothered. Not by the same thing of course…or rather, all by the same thing – Mars passing through Cancer. But it will take a different shape in each of our lives – and yes, we’ll all be annoyed with that, too!

Person #1: Why can you just understand me?

Person #2: You just don’t understand why I don’t understand you! If you understood me, you'd understand that and we wouldn't have this problem!

Oh, how futile things sometimes are, right?

But there is a good side of all this. No passage is without its benefits, and Mars in Cancer is no exception. Yes, it tends to mark a time when our external life seems unreasonably uncooperative and ‘all those people’ aren’t acting even remotely like we think they should.

So what do we do? We do our own thing.

And that’s what Mars in Cancer is for. By showing us what we don’t like, it asks us what we do like – and why we like it. At some level we do a bunch of comparing and sorting under Mars in Cancer – and sometimes we even change our mind. Or our priorities. Or goals.

Whatever happens, Mars in Cancer is a period of life which notoriously deluges us in details and noise and encounters and input which, while it gets to us also drives us inward. And there we recognize that which is truly important to us.

Meanwhile, back at the hemisphere switcheroonie…

You remember Pluto entering Capricorn, right? Pluto committed to its transit of Capricorn (and everything which comes after Capricorn) back at the very end of 2008. And in changing hemisphere from the responding side to the proactive side, Pluto did a couple of things. For one, it moved the ‘unexpected results’ of the world, the ‘unpredicted and transformational moments’ into the proactive side of the zodiac wheel. This marks a whole change of dynamic. 

 
Not quite a hundred years ago, Pluto did what Mars is doing now – it moved from Gemini into Cancer. When that happened, Pluto’s ‘transformational’ energy moved into a period marked by six successive signs and six successive astrological generations which would produce things of great power…and also stir up many an unanticipated result.

As soon as Pluto moved again moved into the proactive side of the zodiac, people began yelling we have to do something about this…(fill in the blank). The focus, the obsession moved from what we can do and what we can make into what we can do for ourselves or get for ourselves.

And though this is something I find interesting to think about on its own, there are two other really good reasons to mention this while talking about Mars moving into Cancer.

First reason: Capricorn is the opposition sign to Cancer. That means that during the weeks of Mars transiting Cancer, things are going to be intense. Unusually intense – especially while Mars opposes Pluto by degree, an event which is exact occurs on July 27th, but which you will probably feel ‘coming on’ as of a week prior, on the 20th.

Mars-Pluto contacts can be very volatile. Even violent. Given the signs here, and the fact that Mercury will be going direct (in Cancer) ON July 20th just as the Mars-Pluto opposition energy begins building, this sounds like a doozie of a time.

Let’s just say it’s not a moment to be careless. And maybe you don’t want to start any arguments. Those people who tend to carry grudges are would feel more actively grudge-ful during the this Mars/Cancer transit…but then add an opposition to Pluto?

Don’t be surprised. I’m just saying…don’t be surprised.

But since astrological doors always swing both ways, there is a flip side to Mars-Pluto which is available. It’s signaled by Hebe – servant to the Olympians, going direct on July 15th at 24 Scorpio.

That brings me to that second reason for bringing up the Pluto shift of hemispheres that Mars is now setting up an opposition to. After all, Mars and Pluto are co-rulers of Scorpio.

Many of the paintings and statues you see of Hebe have her pictured in the presence of an eagle.

 The Celestial Hebe (c 1886) by Jean Coulon

(photo credict David Monniaux, 2006)

I’ve never read anything which specifically discusses why Hebe keeps company with an eagle. But I do know that the eagle is one of Scorpio’s three totem animals (the scorpion, the gray lizard and the eagle). The scorpion is Scorpio at it’s most instinctual level. It’s about survival and all it takes to survive and preserve life in this world. The eagle is Scorpio at it’s most noble level, that being a place where Scorpio is just and disinterested in taking any more than it needs.

Or anyone taking any more than they need.

Being that Hebe is the bearer of ‘the drink of the gods’ (ambrosia) to the Olympians, the idea of taking more than one needs may be connected to the eagle as Hebe’s companion. And there is also the fact that Hebe is going direct in Scorpio, a degree which is speaks of being more aware than usual, more sensitive than usual (particularly in the psychic sense) and more prone to recognizing a need for thrift.

Connecting these points, apparently there needs to be a reason for what we do in this world, one which is measured and not ‘taking too much.’ But what that means, and how you get there?

That’s probably the rub. And where there is good reason…as well as where there isn’t…it doesn’t seem to far an astrological stretch to say we’ll be hearing about it in the days…and week or so ahead.

Some of that will be what causes us to turn into ourselves, where we come into the presence of that one person we are most responsible to serve so that they can focus on how to transform their life – lest it be transformed by forces beyond their knowing.
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Mars Enters Libra: Setting Our Worldly Course

 

  Clytie by Frederic Leighton (1895–1896)

But wait…(you’re saying)…didn’t she just blog about Mars?

Yes I did - just a couple of days ago. At that point we were talking about the Mars/Libra ingress and how it related to other astrological elements which occur over the next several weeks. And now this  post is about Mars in a greater scope - that of sign theory. It's about how the zodiac works over long (longer) periods of time.

I think that's worth a chat. Maybe even two chats (you never know).

So to start, let's review the most basic of basics: Mars entering Libra is Mars leaving the more private and not-always-visible signs.

Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo and Virgo – however they manifest, are signs which have to do with internal experience. They’re about learning.

The first three (Aries, Taurus, Gemini) are about personal learning – associate them with the baby and child who learns that they exist (Aries) tries grab hold of and taste everything (Taurus) and who experiments with the operands of operating in our native life environment (Gemini). The second three are about responding to things we are presented with ‘locally,’ first within the bounds of our family (and later, our culture or national bounds) (Cancer), then the people ‘in our neighborhood’ (or school) and activities we can choose to be in (or not) because we like them (or they like or agree with us) (Leo), then those things and people we have to deal with in our environment because we need to not because we want to, but because it’s the responsible thing to do (Virgo).

The zodiac as pictured in a mosaic pavement from a 6th century

synagogue at Beit Alpha (Jezreel Valley, Israel)

Once you move out of that first zodiacal six-pack, you’re in the realm of the public. The visible-to-others. Every one of the second set of six zodiac signs is worldly. They have to do with ‘doing’ in this world and a world in which as much as we would like to, we don’t control everything. In the realm of the second six signs (Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces) we only have half a choice about how things turn out. From Libra to Pisces, what we have is an arc. It starts with presenting yourself to others in this world and finding out what they think about you and how they react to you. That’s the Libra part.

Through emotionally fraught trial-and-error, we learn (or don’t learn all that well) what to risk and how to risk it. This is the realm of Scorpio. Except for one thing: though the ‘it’ may be our time, money, involvement, whatever…what’s really at stake is our self-worth, the respect we have for our Self. Scorpio situations mete out some painful pointings-out that we’ve chosen badly, but the point isn’t about ‘them’ – no, not even if we’d like it to be! Whether the matter at hand is about a choice of who to have sex with, who to partner with in a business venture or what financial institution to invest in, the real issue with Scorpio is trust. And not of them of ourselves. Can we survive whatever errors we may commit?

Beyond Scorpio lies the ‘broadening our scope’ land of Sagittarius. Sagittarius is about spreading our wings and learning more about more things – or about teaching others what we know. In Sagittarius we find the errors in our calculations and encounter those who are the flies in our ointment. Can we learn from them? Better yet – will we learn from them?

These three signs…Libra-Scorpio-Sagittarius…represent the building of a life beyond the Self. They represent everything from finding the right person to marry (Libra), marrying them and finding out whether you chose well (Scorpio) and…well, the good and bad of going from there (Sagittarius). They represent the building of a business – and learning enough about the world or any given profession that you would be qualified to go into that business.

Interestingly, all the institutions which collectively represent these ‘3rd quarter/quadrant’ signs are 4th quadrant (Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces) as collectives. Marriage as an institution is Capricorn, folding in the fact we see so much about social and societal status as connected to marriage. Commerce is Capricorn and the social system and marketplace (including the income we get from it) is Aquarian.

 The zodiac's third quadrant is here pictured in orange.

The wheel of the horoscope moves clockwise; the planets

and objects of our solar system move through the wheel

in a counter-clockwise motion. Together this represents the

spin/counter-spin structure which particle physics lays out

as the essence of all Existence.

All this eventually leads to Pisces – the emotional realm of peace or failure, the financial realm of pensions and all forms of passive income, which would include ‘old age income.’ A body of knowledge is Sagittarian. Tempering that with an emotional understanding of human life produces Pisces-type wisdom. Under Sagittarian conditions we may find the right way. Under Piscean conditions we understand why we would ultimately care.

And let’s face it…some don’t!

The important thing to remember here is that this second six signs is a very specific subset of life: it’s our public and worldly life. So for Mars to be entering Libra tells us that the energy of ‘doing,’ the focus, our ambitions, the drive of life (Mars) is now moving from the private-and-personal realm of the first six signs into the a more active and worldly phase.

Are you someone who doesn’t have much of a ‘go out and conquer the world’ sort of life? For you, Mars in Libra – or any of the second six signs – means that some of your ‘stealth factor’ is gone. And it’s a curious thing, that. During the almost-year that Mars spends traversing Aries-through-Virgo we all get a little accustomed to flying under the radar. Sure, we get annoyed when we don’t get paid attention to…(demanding critters, humans…)…but we also feel like we aren’t all naked to the world. And most of us like that. Anonymity has a definite ‘up’ side!

But once Mars enters Libra, all that ‘in private’ doing, that ‘in private’ debacle-ing, that ‘in private’ working on things – that becomes ‘visible.’ So people take note. They suddenly perk up and start asking questions. Mars in ‘upper hemisphere’ signs is a signal that our very reactions to things will be more visible to people than when Mars is in ‘lower hemisphere’ signs. (And let’s remember – this is just about position, not quality of signs here!)

The quality you bring to your acts and interactions counts now. Mars in Libra is not Mars in its most assertive mode – that would be Aries. Mars in Libra is not even Mars at it’s most persuasive – that would be Mars in Scorpio. No, Mars in Libra is just about standing for what you stand for. It’s about the honest truth, whether that’s good or bad.

To those who like to ‘sell,’ this is not a favored moment. Under Mars in Libra the ‘hard sell’ can seem rather offensive. Libra is the sign where ‘for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction’ has very real meaning, so the hard sell and the hard stance is likely to be met with equal resistance or rejection – even animosity of “equal value.” This comes from the idea that Libra is the ‘prime connective.’ And let’s face it, not all connections are pleasant! So there’s a reason why Libra has come to be known as the sign of ‘open enemies’ as well as the sign of negotiations, agreements and partnerships.

In Libra, the better thing to do is always offer. If you offer, someone may accept. But if you beat someone over the head demanding that they love you, the response is likely to be less than enthusiastic.

Mars in Libra is considered a good time to put yourself out there providing what you have to offer is quality. But here’s the pinch: you’re going to be known for the quality of what you offer now. Or the qualities of what you offer now. And there are variations to sort through here, particularly with ourselves and how we approach and interact with others.

I’ll use myself as an example. You may have noticed that I just put out an eBook. (If not, look in the sidebar for “Travel Gossip” or for the same in the “Full Length Article” list.) ‘Travel Gossip’ is about metaphysics. It’s about people. It’s about the Maya. It’s about my trying to get a grasp on the fact my father was about to pass away.

But more importantly, it’s a book. My intent is to be an author. I would like in fact, to have my own publishing company. So from that vantage point, ‘Travel Gossip’ is just a first offering OF whatever company I come to found and build.

Remember…Libra is about balance, and Mars is a ‘putting it out there’ or ‘putting it into motion’ signature. So as I am putting this first book out (and yes, doing my happy-dance that I finally have a book out there on the market – hooray!) I am having to mindfully balance the “total” focus on the book with the idea that this is just one of the things I’ve written and my thoughts about founding a company.

 Mars, colorized in halves by yours truly.

original (black and white) photo credit: NASA-JPL

Do I have to tell anybody this? No. But as I think about both things in tandem, I find my perspective becomes less ‘look what I did!’ oriented and more ‘I’m really pleased I did this – it’s the first step of a process for me!’

The first step of a process - you know…like that Libra-through-Pisces process?

Mars orbits the Sun in 1.88 years. And what’s interesting is that this portion of the process is going to last from now (July 3, 2012) until March 11, 2013.

For those of you who are quick on the math, that will pretty much translate to hey…this ‘half’ of the orbit isn’t as long as the other!

And you would be right. However, that changes. Remember Mars retrograde? We went through that starting back in the latter part of January 2012 and it represented the wrenches in life’s works which didn’t get spit out until mid-April, 2012.

Back then I told you that Mars goes retrograde in successive signs. And this ‘going retrograde’ thing that Mars does? Give or take the idea that our “month-driven” calendar doesn’t quite sync with the solar system, this Mars retrograde thing happens pretty much every-other-year.

This year Mars went retrograde in Virgo.

That means next time Mars goes retrograde, it’ll go retrograde in Libra.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where we get the anomaly which gives us the ‘weighted’ Mars half cycle dynamic – the ‘why’ of Mars’ transit from Aries through Virgo (April 2, 2011 through July 2, 2012) will have taken longer than Mars’ passage through the second six signs (between July 3, 2012 and March 11, 2013).

What this means is that for the past twelve years, Mars has been doing its retrograde in the first six signs of the zodiac. This is, by broad-based definition, a period of 

personal development.

However! As of Mars’ next cycle through the zodiac (which starts on March 12, 2013), Mars’ retrogrades will happen in the second six signs of the zodiac. And that means our entire personal and societal focus is about to shift.

The next Mars retrograde will occur in Libra in early 2014. And because of that – and because the Mars retrogrades which follow will be in Scorpio then Sagittarius and so on, that will effectively lengthen the amount of time (and therefore, the influences we can expect to experience) we spend in a more public, less ‘me and mine’/more worldly and interactive mode.

So as Mars enters Libra, it’s giving us all a real taste of what’s to come. This July-through-March (2013) period will reveal what needs working on and everybody’s quirks. It is to be expected that a lot of things which have been swept under the carpet and ‘just put up with’ will become sufficiently unpleasant (or unworkable) that some structures, some relationships, some partnerships may – perhaps “unexpectedly” – fail. Fall apart. Come to the end of their usefulness.

And remembering how astrology works – that it is either what we do or what we fail to do and thus what is provoked, evoked or otherwise prompted (and sometimes both!), that makes Mars entering Libra an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to try new things. It’s an opportunity to learn new things. It’s an opportunity to admit our flaws or failings – most of all to ourselves. In fact, taking a good hard look at our Self in the mirror (physical or mental) is one of the best things we can do during this passage. Making changes under Mars in Libra is not only somehow easier than it is at other times, it gets the best results. This is a good time to knock on new doors and for building bridges. It’s a good time for learning something new or renewing your sharing of your Self.

When I think of 'building bridges,' this is the sort of image

which comes to mind. Maybe that means I'm ambitious.

Maybe it means that I like building beautiful relationships

(I'll admit to that, readily!) I don't generally think of myself

as orange and I'm not all that good with heights.

But I am rust-proof!

photo credit: Golden Gate Bridge by Saperaud (Sept 2005)

That Libra is the opposition sign to Aries means the typically gung-ho, slay that dragon sort of Mars-in-Aries energetic which causes us to leap tall buildings and hurl ourselves into our tasks – that is a bit dampened now. But with that dampening also is lost the need to be the hero. Mars in Libra can be the sign of the proverbial person-as-doormat, but then again, it’s often expressed as that totally endearing hapless vulnerable ‘I screwed up!’ or ‘I don’t know how!’ admission which opens the door to learning better, to getting help, to repairing broken dreams, bruised relationships and personal gaffs of the particularly ‘what was I thinking?’ kind.

So as Mars enters Libra at 12:33 p.m. (UT/+0 time) on Tuesday, July 3, 2012…take a moment. Size things up. Think about where you want to go and who you want to be in this world and to others. This stretch of time from July 2012 into March 2013 is something of a warm-up for all which comes after.

As Mars (or any other object) enters Libra, that supermassive Black Hole M87 sits right inside the Libra doorway. Black Holes are nature’s way of timing our ability to see things from a different perspective. So as Mars moves through M87’s orb of influence, don’t be surprised if you come to  understand why so-and-so reacts the way they do. Don’t be surprised if something you’ve never thought you would do suddenly sounds so downright appealing.

Don’t be surprised…or disappointed…if in some moment you realize you’re on the wrong track with yourself – that your life isn’t turning out to be what you want.

That you’re in some way totally sacrificing yourself.

At some level, the warrior assertiveness of Mars ‘cuts through all the sugar-coating’ when it passes through Libra. That ‘unkindest cut of all’ so brilliantly referred to in Shakespeare (when Julius Caesar realizes his friend Brutus has just stabbed him)…don’t be surprised if you realize that you have been the very person who cut your Self short.

You may realize it yourself.

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 The Murder of Caesar by Vincenzo Camuccini (1804-1805)

Then again, you may end up having this realization grow in your consciousness bit by bit throughout these next few months as Mars traverses the zodiac’s ‘visible’ hemisphere. Those most disinclined to see the truth about themselves are most likely to have it shown to them by others.

We’ve all had twelve full years to learn about ourselves. Life is readying us for the next twelve years to come – a decade plus of living not for our Selves, but for the world which fosters that Self-driven life.

CHART USA (Pt. Three): Delineating America

CHART USA

When delineating a chart, one of the first things to do is to just look at it. Is the Sun is above or below the horizon?

Here the Sun is above the horizon, which means this is the chart of a country which thinks before it acts.

Or maybe not. Given that the 20 Aries Sun of this chart is positioned in an Aries-ruled house with a second decanate/emotional degree of Aries on the cusp, that directs us to look at Mars - ruler of Aries.

And where is that Mars? Mars is sitting way up high in the chart - in the 10th house of government, governance and worldly/world opinion. That's a very public place, and in this position Mars would represent the national ego, the national drive to achieve, attitude of goings on in the government, how others see the US government and how well the nation as a whole and its citizens act in '8th house situations.'

At this level and because Mars is always an symbol of how you feel about getting things done (or having to do things), this makes the whole Mars/Sun relationship one about power: what one can do. Or, what one can demand, require or get because you have the ability to demand, require or throw your weight and power around. 

At the very least this makes the US (and its government and its people and its style of governance) assertive. Not always right, but assertive. And when it's not being assertive, that Cancer Mars suggests conflict - often internal to the government and often made public. With Mars in an early degree of Cancer, the indication is that this conflict is often about what people do. Or what the government wants to do - the 'wanting' part coming from Cancer being a water/emotional sign.

To have the national Sun and the house that Sun is placed in ruled by an emotional Mars in a sign its not known for always being either polite or patient in, that produces selfishness and some pretty childish behavior. Think, I'm taking my toys and going home! or maybe the ever unpopular if I can't have things my way I am going to stop you no matter how right you are simply because i wanna go first! 

Remind anyone of America's congress? Considering Pluto went station/retrograde at the oppositional point to this national Mars this past spring, 2010 and 2011 is likely to be rife with this behavior. But with that will come moments of stunning lucidity when the US government (and its people) begin getting that a nation cannot be run like a high school clique. Given how such transits work, there are likely to be some outstandingly bad moments, but once Pluto gets past this transit things should shift. Probably dramatically.

But that still leaves the United States with a dynamic and nationally egocentric Sun in an interactive house being ruled by a touchy, water sign (emotional) Mars in the public sector. So there's an instinct to think on a national level. There's also an instinctive emotionality which can undermine or thrown off rational conversation. The nation should work things through by thinking of things using intellect and facts. But emotions seem to often (if not always) get in the way.

 White Sands, New Mexico                                                                                           

While we're discussing this government/public profile 10th house, the very highest planet there ('highest' meaning its closest to the top of the chart) is Uranus. Positioned here, Uranus displays the genius of the modern United States as a nation of innovators and innovation, a nation which may be seen as somewhat erratic, but which is proud of its ability to tolerate dissent. And with this Uranus in communication-oriented Gemini, this is absolutely the mark of a free speaking nation.

Yet...there's another side of this (isn't there always?). With Uranus in the last ten degrees (3rd decanate) of Gemini - the 3rd decan being where you 'do' before you know whether something works, that says America makes plenty of mistakes. And that the nation (along with its citizens, institutions and products) is/are prone to sticking it's own free-speech foot in its mouth.

No wonder Americans believe so much in nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? And why it earns so much scorn on the international scene. This Mars-Uranus in the 10th is sort of a national blessing-as-curse: when the country is doing well, other countries are going to knock it. When America and its native elements act badly, everybody else does the big 'See? I told you so!'

Yet whatever else it is, Mars and Uranus at the top of this chart certainly tell us that the US of A will never go stagnant. The nation which came out of the Civil War, is a nation which has learned that when something doesn't work, you actually do have to try something different. Doesn't mean it won't hurt making the shift. And that there may not have to be a bloody struggle (physical, emotional, financial or governmental) in the process. But sometimes a nation and its people or its government or  its institutions just have to do what they truly have to do. Or what they're told to do. Or are responsible for doing in a manner considered ethical, even when that's terribly - even horribly inconvenient.

Therefore, though the US may have to learn things very, very hard way (as it did with learning slavery - formerly thought okay - is simply not tolerable), the good news is that this is a nation well-equipped to come out of the other end of such battles actually more clear on what national beliefs really are. The US born of the Civil War will at times need to learn its 8th house interactive values lessons through dire, hard times - like through war's death and deprivations. Or through economic collapse. Or through a giant oil blowout which endangers its coastlines.

But that's the chart. That's the way the US tends to learn. The same Cancer Mars, Aries Sun, Gemini Uranus which manifests as governmental bickering, free speech, standing up for the oppressed, a dynamic engine of innovation and discovery is also a magnet for karma in the form of giant problems when America gets petty, smug, stubborn or dug into bad behaviors, old points of view or resistant to change. So it has been and so it will always be: the 8th house Aries Sun of this modern Chart USA is just that kind of Sun.

And yet this self same Sun also speaks of a nation and national ability to not just learn from lessons, but capitalize and move on from them into a potent new phase. The US pretty much needs difficulty as a motivation. It just can't manipulate difficulties for that purpose. The US of this chart is destined to always be a world leader when it's just a hair's breadth behind the curve. Blissful secure serenity, in other words, is not this nation's friend.
 

Grand Tetons Park, Wyoming

With that much said, a next simple thing to do with any chart is to just look at where planets fall.

Most of the planets in this chart fall on the right (receptive-reactive) side of the chart, as opposed to on the left, directly pro-active side. This describes the United States (and its people) as being responsive to things which happen in this world. So we know the US will always offer to help in situations of international disaster.

This also tells us that Mars-Uranus in the 10th is about the instinct and need to always be reasonably prepared and to learn how to actually respond to a crisis and not get into an internal governmental dither about response when disasters happen.

 Sunset off Kona, Hawaii

Another form of this would be as we saw when thinking of the national reputation: when and where the US cuts back or becomes lax with regards to keeping up standards, those are exactly the resources which are going to be called for. It's a karmic thing - as if fate itself requires that the US remained focused on the realities of life instead of falling back on petulant bickering and infighting.

Yet for those who would suggest this is a call for the exercise of military might, that's not indicated by the chart. The 8th house Sun speaks to the ability to call on might, but not necessarily use of same - leading us back to that intellect-versus-emotion conversation. When there's good reason to fight, the US can fight the noble and ethical fight. But the US cannot campaign based on emotionalism or for manipulative (or political) gain. It's simply against the thoughtfully altruistic rules laid out by this chart.

And which pretty much echo the precepts of the nation's founding fathers, yes.  

Counting only astrological planets, five out of ten (half, in other words) are in one particular quadrant - the  upper right hand quadrant. Known in the horoscopic world as a chart's 3rd quadrant, this is where receptive/responsive (the right hand side of the chart) meets worldly (the 'above the horizon' upper half of the chart)...which means it's all about things public and interactive if responsive to information, circumstances, input, etc. 

This tells us that the US and all things American function most positively when being part of or 'in' the world, as the expression goes. It's not a hermit country - and if you live in America and are the hermiting type, you're bound to know that society thinks of you distinctly as the minority.

Another way of seeing this is through that old expression 'no man is an island' - which reiterates yet again why the United States is such a participant in world doings. Anywhere where you see a lot of planets in a chart is where the 'weight' of the chart (individual, corporate or national) is going to focus. With the US, that's in things worldly and interaction - small wonder America has such a tradition of power productivity,  power mongering, manufacturing and consumerism - replete with all the sector institutions which go along with all that.

A rather famous New York City street corner...

As an offshoot of same, with Sun, Pluto, Mercury and Venus all in this quadrant we have the signature of a place where not only does opportunity (Sun-Pluto-Mercury) abound, but it's expected  (Pluto-Mercury-Venus) that people should create (Sun-Mercury-Pluto) and take advantage (Venus-Pluto) of those  opportunities.

And when we leave Venus out of it, given that the other three are in the 8th house? Then we get a picture of the US as that nation which cannot help but be 8th house obsessive about everybody else's life (Sun) and what they're doing, saying or buying (Mercury) and all the scandals, sex and money wielding (Pluto). This triad in the 8th house so describes the US as a place particularly prone to valuing others in terms of bank account...and 'other assets.' With such weight in the 8th, America is absolutely obsessed with all things sexual, all people who are good at being bad and of course the US is a world leader in any PR being good PR - even when the news is totally despicable.

It's a country fascinated with being fascinated. But hey, that's part of the American charm. See it, marvel over it, talk about it, be grateful it's not you then go back for another helping, please. (Got any with whipped cream, maybe?)

And yet...this really isn't America's finest attribute. In fact, it ultimately doesn't even work. With the South Node in this rather 'loaded' 8th house, all the  obsessions (not to mention governmental bickering) destroy some, distracts from the reality of things and ultimately undermines a lot of real success. This North Node says it's easy to mistake acquisition for success; there's a national indoctrination of quality over quantity. Measuring people by such yardsticks is easy and prevalent in US culture, but not always productive either for the nation. 

According to this chart, the real 'answer' is Saturn/North Node: to contribute to the society in a manner in benefiting/being available to everyone benefits you. And that 'you' is America first and foremost. The USA cannot therefore remain secure in its internal national assessment unless it opts for actual quality, not simply a 'grand stand' as pictured by Venus (values) + Algol/Capulus (force of will being used for good versus  selfish reasons), replete with - since this is all positioned in the 'let me just broadcast this' 9th house - all the rhetoric, spin, media manipulation and advertising blitzes.

Sounds sort of like the history of America's politics, doesn't it? And well it should: a nation reflects its chart!

Given that the 9th house is also the house of law, religion and education, this also very much points to the strength of belief in and issues with same in the United States.

US Supreme Court Building (western facade)

Yet let's not forget - law is different from justice (the punishment or exoneration part), religion is not spiritualism and education is neither putting your smarts to good use or the job market.

Commerce as a source of jobs is 10th house - as is public justice. Since all 10th house matters carry with them a whiff of Saturn as Saturn rules Capricorn, native sign of the 10th, we look to Saturn in this chart and find it is in the 2nd house of values, resources and self worth. Conjunct the North Node, the US plainly knows what it should do.

But because this national 2nd house is delineated by an emotional degree of Libra, there's a whole Libra story here about what others think or will put up with/respond to. And with that Libra cusp being ruled by the 9th house Venus we're back in the world of special interests, who can yell most loudly, get the word out most effectively or 'buy off' (whether with money or otherwise) the competition.

And yet, the solution is also well implied here too. The solution to what may appear to be a devolution-prone  Mobius strip is a nation and a people who are willing to know better and in doing so, become dedicated to holding themselves as people and their government - and the government as an entity in its own right - to higher, cooler, less emotional standards.

A Mobius Strip: a one-sided piece of paper

(directions: cut a strip of paper. twist one end over once, then attach

to the other end. Put a pen on one spot and gently pull the paper

along so the pen makes a line without ever being lifted from the paper.

When you get back to the point where you started, you will find that

the pen has drawn a line on "both sides" of the paper. Voila - a piece of 

paper which you have just proved has only one side.

Remember...this is a chart which defines a nation which functions best when thinking rules the emotions - not vice-versa. Same goes for its people and other entities.

All this, and to think...we haven't even gotten to the Ascendant of this Chart USA.

Yes well...there's always tomorrow's blog.

 .