Salem Witch Trials

[Jim Eshelman]

The Salem witch trials were held February 1692 to May 1693.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials

This means that they occurred under the 1692 and 1693 Capsolars. I don't think we can narrow the phenomenon much beyond that, so here's a look at those two Capsolars for Salem, MA.

1692 Capsolar
Neptune conj. EP-a 0°09'
Saturn on Z 0°54'

Suitable for horrible, condemning mania. (Saturn was opposed by Mars, but Mars wasn't angular.

1693 Capsolar
Saturn on WP-a 0°19'
Mars on Dsc +2°46'
Neptune on MC -2°55'

More of the same - but worse!

[Jim Eshelman]

Because solar ingresses tend to repeat (in roughly 90° rotation) angles from one year to the next, and often have the same planets angular for many years consecutively, the question is then whether 1692 and '93 were unique, or simply "business as usual" for Salem. Let's check the before-and-after years.

1691 Capsolar
Uranus on Dsc -0°25'
Saturn on Asc +0°31'
Moon on Dsc +0°55'
Neptune on IC -1°32'

Yes, this year was every bit as horrible - in some respects worse, and perhaps lightened only by the Uranus, which marks a different energy. Moon-Saturn-Uranus are in partile aspect, Neptune is nearly as close. One has to go back to 1690 to get rid of this dark pall (entering a period when Neptune alone was angular - something that occurred on and off for decades).

1694 Capsolar
Neptune on WP-a 0°59'
Saturn distantly foreground

By 1694, most of the horror had past. BTW, for those interested in exploring the local psyche more, 1694 had Eris rising 1°25'. Worldwide, it was also square Moon (1°21').

[Jim Eshelman]

I would like to dig deeper into the initial trigger of the outbreak. On January 20, 1692, two girls (ages 11 and 9) began experiencing disturbing phenomena. Other young girls soon followed. A local doctor diagnosed witchcraft as the cause. Warrants for three arrests were issued February 29, 1692. The three women are interrogated March 1-7 leading to a confession. More weirdness among young girls leads to more accusations. (The first trial leading to conviction and execution is June 2 with execution June 10.)

The community reaction, therefore, seems to date from February 29, 1692, though whatever may have been affecting the young girls dates from just over a month earlier. (These are Old Style dates.)

As this was occurring, Pluto was in Cancer, Neptune was in the last degrees of Aquarius, Uranus was in mid-Taurus, and Saturn was in Scorpio. There were no significant outer planet aspects.

Year: Capsolar {+3}
December 31, 1691: The marks of paranoia and violent mass hysteria are obvious.
Neptune on EP-a 0°11'
Saturn on Z 1°28'
-- Saturn sq non-foreground Pluto 2°36' M, op Mars 3°45'
Moon-Sun sq 2°13'

Bridge {+3}
t Neptune sq Capsolar MC 0°27'
t Saturn co Cansolar EP-a
CapQ Moon sq s/p Sun
CanQ Moon sq s/p Saturn

Month: Caplunar {+3}
Feb 3, 1692: same themes continue, now with tragedy, betrayal, and more kinds of toxicity than I can easily enumerate here; note Sun adding PVP connections.
Saturn on IC 0°01' [!]
Neptune on Dsc 1°56'
Venus on Dsc 2°04'
Mars & Pluto more widely foreground
-- Venus-Neptune co 0°08' M
-- Mars-Neptune sq 0°37'
-- Venus-Mars sq 0°51'
-- Sun-Neptune sq 0°56' PVP
-- Sun-Venus sq 0°58' PVP
-- Sun-Saturn sq 1°54' PVP
-- Saturn-Neptune 1°57' sq M
-- Venus-Saturn sq 2°05' M

During the month, other lunar ingresses built the tension. The Arilunar (Pluto most angular) had foreground Mars-Pluto and Saturn-Pluto aspects. The Canlunar (Neptune exactly angular) had foreground Sun-Saturn, Mars-Neptune, and Sun-Neptune aspects.

Week: Liblunar {+2 at least}
Feb 24, 1692: Hysteria still spiking. Moon-Venus seems wrong, but might be connected to these events centering on puberty aged girls.
Sun on Asc 0°47'
Neptune on Asc 2°21'
Mars on IC 2°37'
Saturn widely angular
-- Mars-Neptune 0°16' M
-- Sun-Neptune co 1°22'
-- Saturn-Pluto sq 1°26' M
-- Sun-Mars sq 1°50'
Moon-Venus op 1°15' M

Day: Capsolar Quotidian & Transits {+2 / +1} [using noon]
p Moon-Sun sq 0°07' (p Moon sq s Sun 0°03')
p Asc op s Saturn 1°06'
p MC sq t Jupiter 0°08'
-----------------------------
t Neptune sq s MC 0°27'
t Venus op s Moon 0°12'

Day: Cansolar Quotidian & Transits {+2}
p Moon-Saturn sq 0°35'
t Mercury co p Moon 0°21'
p MC co s Jupiter 0°07' [all this Jupiter is legal proceedings?]
---------------------------------
t Saturn co s EP-a 0°00' [!]
t Mercury sq s Asc 0°22'

[SteveS]

For sure the sickening effects of the outer planets of Saturn-Neptune in combo timing acute paranormal effects of paranoia, yes?