Dust Bowl

[Jim Eshelman]

During the 1930s, vast parts of the American central planes experienced severe drought which, combined with the ignorant farming practices of the day, reduced top soil to parched dust. This article describes it in more detail, and provides a map of the most severely affected areas:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_Bowl

The center (which, if nothing else, is a convenient spot to get "best fit average" of angularities across the whole area) is near the intersection of the Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma borders. Elkhart, KS is right about there, so it's as good of a spot as any to test some charts. The Dust Bowl came in three primary waves of 1934, 1936, and 1939-40, so I'll concentrate on Capsolar and Cansolar charts for those years.

1934
The 1934 Capsolar doesn't show drought itself, but does show confusing, disorienting conditions with great clouds and unbearable, unbreathable conditions; that is, it's a Neptune chart. Neptune squares MC 1°24' for our estimated center of the region.

Additionally, we have important foreground aspects that are distantly foreground (not the primary theme) but very close orbs (being they are strong themes operating in the context of the Neptune description). Specifically, a triple mundane conjunction of Mars, Saturn, and Venus, all squeezed within 2°13', is 7-10° from Ascendant.

The 1933 Cansolar reiterates the Venus-Saturn theme. Mercury-Venus near MC is opposite Saturn on IC, with Moon square MC. The 1934 Cansolar is dormant, but has a Moon-Neptune conjunction for the whole world. (It was still the middle of the Great Depression.)

The 1935 Capsolar was equally Neptunian, and many vast areas continued with drought conditions, though I want to focus especially on the years that marked the three strongest waves of the effect. I also notice that Pluto was transitioning from Gemini to Cancer in 1934-35, so pretty much every lunar ingress (maybe every single week!) for a couple of years had a close Moon-Pluto aspect.

1936
I would have expected the 1936 Capsolar to come out much better. It certainly speaks of unrealistic optimism, and perhaps unobtainable hopes, but should have had a bit of optimism and sense of prospering that I don't find characteristic of those times and places.

You can probably tell what's in the chart from my description: Neptune is square MC (0°43') square a Venus-Jupiter conjunction 3-4° off IC. The Jupiter-Neptune square is only 0°29' mundanely.

Neptune (opposed by Saturn, which was not itself angular) squared Ascendant in the 1935 Cansolar. (The 1936 Cansolar was dormant.)

I would have expected 1937 to be perhaps the worst year of all. A partile (0°23') Saturn-Neptune opposition aligned exactly on the meridian for the heart of the afflicted area. I'm sure it was bad year for the area, though apparently it wasn't the strongest/worst of them. Similarly, 1938's Capsolar had Mars-Neptune across the horizon, with Saturn nearby, Mars being the strongest and Neptune second.

1939
The 1939 Capsolar is equally terrible, though. Neptune is 1°47' from IC and Saturn 0°52' from square Ascendant. Moon-Mars are conjoined mundanely within 0°35', making it more focused on the region than for the world at large (which had the perfectly violent, war-stirring ecliptical aspect 1°03' wide). The Dust Bowl had all three malefics strongly in play.

The 1938 Cansolar was the most positive Capsolar or Cansolar of the decade, and had come and gone in its primary strength by 1939 (when a contrary Capsolar trumped it). But, for the second half of the year, and swinging into 1940, the 1939 Cansolar has... Neptune square Ascendant (0°43'). This is also the severe pre-WW II Cansolar with Moon conjunct Pluto, opposite Mars, and square Saturn (all within (0°34'!) for the whole world.

1940
I would read the 1940 Capsolar as saying that the high-anxiety and other Neptunian conditions continue strongly, but there is hope on the horizon. (Literally on the horizon!) I don't know if that's how people felt in the region through 1940, but I'm calling the chart as I see it.

Moon opposed Neptune (0°43'). These are across the horizon, less than 3° away. Meanwhile, Jupiter is 4°39' above Descendant for Elkhart, and Mars is at the fringes.

The dormant 1940 Cansolar added nothing new. The effect was fading, on its way into the history books.

Aftermath
By 1941, the area still has Neptune exactly angular, less than a degree from MC. This would go on for many years. It has one other that, in passing caught my eye.

I noticed, flipping through these charts, that Ceres was not a player. I wondered if the asteroid named after the goddess of agriculture would be involved in this devastation of farmland and rebellion of the earth and, no, she wasn't. I was about to say, "So much for Ceres and agriculture," when I noticed that in the 1941 Capsolar, besides Neptune exactly at MC, Ceres is exactly rising!

I'm not sure if a "planet of agriculture" would show its devastation better by being absent, or by being strong and afflicted. I would have expected the latter, if asked in advance. But I make a mental note that she returned to the foreground (quite fiercely so) the first year that farming returned to the region. - Just an observation that may or may not mean anything.

[SteveS]

Since the Dust Bowl Days, America has become one of the major ‘Breadbasket’s’ for the World.
Link explaining US as a major Breadbasket for the World:
http://247wallst.com/commodities-metals ... eadbasket/
Map showing the main growing areas for this Breadbasket: If a major drought was to ever hit this area during planting/growing season, grain prices would double in a flash. Scroll down the below link to see map of US Breadbasket.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadbasket

Corn Belt, traditional area in the midwestern United States, roughly covering western Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, eastern Nebraska, and eastern Kansas,

The 1983 Midwestern States Drought was associated with very dry conditions, severe heat and substandard crop growth which affected prices and caused hardship for farmers. The United States Drought of 1983 started in late spring. It involved numerous states in the Midwest and the Great Plains. In many states, from June to September, incredibly intense heat happened in which temperatures were over 100 °F (38 °C) or higher in multiple areas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droughts_ ... ates#1980s

Jim, I randomly took Des Moines, Iowa as a focal center point for the US Breadbasket (see Breadbasket Map). The US Breadbasket needs rain beginning in late May, June, and first 15 days of July for Breadbasket Crops to make yield, by mid-July—it’s too late to receive rain—most of the 'yields' are gone. My observation is the general area (Des Moines) 1983 Arisolar was the SMA Chart which timed this 1983 Drought.
***Jim, note the transiting action of Saturn-Pluto very close to Des Moines 1983 Arisolar Asc up till mid-July. Saturn-Pluto combo’s are known for ‘Burdens.’ And the Midwest (Breadbasket) certainly experienced a burden with this 1983 Drought. Jim, can we classify the 1983 Arisolar as the main 'flow through' solar ingress for Des Moines area in 1983

Jim, also note as a minor supplementary map--15 Taurus--Mars partile cnj Sun and Aldebaran--crops were burning-up. (Mars)

[Jim Eshelman]

Fascinating Arisolar!

Yes, Des Moines is a good spot to pick. This is quite different from the Dust Bowl area, though.

[SteveS]

Jim wrote:

Yes, Des Moines is a good spot to pick.

We have to pick a spot (X marks a spot) for drought analysis in the Breadbasket, and along that Horizon for the Arisolar the mundo midpoint of Saturn/Pluto was very close to partile cnj those Asc's.

[SteveS]

Jim, I have been messing around with some SMA charts for the 1983 Drought in the Midwest and noted the following 1983 Arisolar for Chicago (grain trading capital of the World) ---striking symbolism for the 1983 Spring Drought in the Midwest. Mundo Saturn partile cnj Asc, Mars partile 90 MC, Pluto foreground.

https://imgur.com/a/zVKTg

[Jim Eshelman]

Great chart. Yes, these seem to be pretty much what we expect them to be. These are really strong examples.

[SteveS]

I will look for more Drought times in Midwest in the modern era of Midwest becoming a major World Breadbasket. We may want to try and remember to do SMA analysis for Midwest with solar ingresses. One major Drought in this area will impact a-lot lives in a major way.

[SteveS]

Shooting from the hip, looking at the 1988 Drought, using Des Moines, Iowa as a general center for the Breadbasket, I see a couple of glaring factors with 1988 solar ingress charts which offer good symbolism for crops burning-up (Mars).
1: The 1988 Capsolar features a partile Moon-Mars cnj, but this applies to all locations. Transiting Saturn moves within 3-4 degrees Station of the Capsolar Des Moines Asc line across the center of the farm belt during late April. The Center of the Country Lebanon, Kansas, t. Saturn partile station cnj Asc line in late April.
2: Des Moines 1988 Cansolar features a tight Mars cnj MC/IC axis, as well as for most areas in the farm belt.
These are very crude quick looks for possible mundane reasons for this nasty drought.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988%E2%8 ... an_drought