U.S. Mercury-Pluto opposition

[Jim Eshelman]

Old school mundane astrologers - young Donald Bradley been an ace example - occasionally wrote about the three great aspects in the U.S. natal chart for 7/4/1776: Sun square Saturn, Venus conjunct Jupiter, and Mars square Neptune. These were long discussed as showing the core nature of the United States.

There is a fourth aspect to join them, though: Mercury opposite Pluto. It seems an important aspect for the Declaration of Independence itself, being prominent in the mundane charts for its writing and signing. What, though, does it mean in terms of the U.S. history and character? (Obviously it was left out in the '30s and '40s because Pluto wasn't that well understood yet.)

I decided to look at every time progressed Moon has passed through conjunction-opposition of this pair, and see what happened. I'll scan for significant events or themes from one month before progressed Moon reached Mercury until one month after it reached Pluto.

1787: The very first time this happened, the U.S. Constitution was written! Moon conjoined Mercury June 28 and opposed Pluto October 2. On May 25, the delegates of a new Constitutional Convention gathered to amend the Articles of Confederation and ended up, instead, writing an entirely new constitution. The name "United States" was created. On September 17, the new constitution was signed. Both the Declaration of Independence and the constitution, therefore, are products of this Mercury-Pluto aspect. Before October is finished, the first of The Federalist Papers is published, urging the people to adopt the new governing document.

BTW, in each period below I find mention of important higher education institutes being founded. I don't know if this is sufficiently linked to just these periods or if I'd find such mention in almost any period, so I mention it here: Mercury-Pluto may refer to America's educational system and the fruits and styles of its academics.

1801-02: Nothing major that is obvious to me. It's early in the Jefferson administration.

1814-15: Late stage of the War of 1812m with many battles, both sides winning some. The Treaty of Ghent, signed December 24, ends the war and redefines forever U.S.-British relations. Moon opposed Pluto January 9, within one day of Gen. Andrew Jackson's victory in the Battle of New Orleans; the U.S. Senate finally ratified the treaty February 16. This passage, therefore, was the whole wrapping up of that important war.

1829: The start of the Jackson administration. (Notice the continuity from the prior cycle.) I don't find events, but perhaps the Jackson administration can be explored on its own with regard to this aspect.

1841-42: Massachusetts' Supreme Court made strikes and unions legal in the U.S. in March 1842. Nothing else I can find.

1856: A bloody Kansas Territory battle over slavery (Battle of Osowatomie, part of the "Bleeding Kansas" period). Presidential election in which Buchanan (and the "Know-Nothing" Party) beat former Pres. Fillmore. (None of this seems gigantic.)

1869: The start of the Grant administration. Nothing specific (except the usual founding of multiple key schools such as Pursue and Boston University).

1883-84: U.S. and Canada railroads institute five standard time zones.

1896: Williams Jennings Bryan running for president delivers his "Cross of Gold" speech at the Democratic National Convention, giving voice to the incursion of silver against America's gold standard. He looses, under this aspect, to William McKinley. Their competition probably embodies this aspect in ways that deserve deep inspection: It is considered a "political realignment" of the Republican Party and the start of the Fourth Party System, or "Progressive Era," a Republican-dominated era that lasted until about 1928, that moved past the Reconstruction Era. (The Great Depression in 1929 launched the Fifth Party System that succeeded it, as the Panic of 1893 is responsible for this era's launch.) Central issues were government regulation of railroads and trusts, gold vs. silver as a monetary basis, tariffs, emerging labor unions, child labor reform, need for a new banking system, women's suffrage, introduction of Federal income tax, racial segregation, immigration, and more. In summary, the Civil War vets were aged out and a new generation rose to maturity more interested in social justice and the inequities of industrial capitalism - a very strong parallel to 2020!

1911: Critical trust-busting events: Standard Oil is dissolved by the U.S. Supreme Court into 34 separate oil companies for violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

1923-24: Dock strikes in various U.S. cities. Otherwise, nothing big happening in the U.S. (though a lot is happening in the rest of the world!).

1938: Civil Aeronautics Authority created near the Mercury aspect. (Aviation is booming with cultural fascination and landmarks, but this isn't unique to the U.S.) But the really big events are happening in Europe, not here.

1951: Korean War is in progress. Pres. Truman relieves Gen. MacArthur of his Far Eastern commands; a Senate committee begins closed-door hearings on the dismissal. U.S. begins to test thermonuclear weapons.

1965-66: Vietnam War is in progress with U.S. Marines beginning major offensives. Troop demands increase and Johnson reaches out to draw more countries into the effort. Immigration & Nationality Act of 1965 ends quotas based on national origin. NYC public transit strike the day of the Pluto aspect.

1978: Carter administration. Camp David Accords negotiated and signed between Begin and Sadat. Jonestown incident & San Francisco Moscone-Milk murders impact U.S. psyche.

1993: Start of Clinton administration. First World Trade Center bombing. Waco Siege dominates much of the period. Bosnian wars are in the background.

2005-06: Bush II administration. Several bits of NASA news but these don't seem central to the theme (but one was a flight to Pluto).

2020: As these are in recent memory, I'll mention that the aspects were August 13 and - nearly election day itself! - November 20. This election seems to have much resembled the 1896 cycle. Among other themes that may distill, I think Mercury-Pluto describes America's historic ability to redefine itself and change the narrative as a way of redirecting the flow of history (all Mercury themes). Specific events during this time included the presidential election (which I suspect history will see again as a historic realignment in the Republican Party and a turning point in the Democratic Party's direction). The COVID-19 pandemic has been the backdrop of all of it (bringing up small themes and examples, but I'm looking for big ones).

[Jupiter Sets at Dawn]

The "Know Nothing" Party was nativist (meaning original settlers, not native people,) anti-Catholic, Anti-Irish, anti-immigration, populist and xenophobic, but opposed slavery and supported women's right to vote. It elected Millard Fillmore, and then devolved, eventually dissolving into the Republican party during the Civil War.

[Jim Eshelman]

Thanks for the correction on which candidate was which - and the details I'd forgotten.