U.S. Horoscope - Donald Bradley 1949

[Jim Eshelman]

These excerpts are from the second of four early articles I have by Tropical astrologer Donald Bradley on the U.S. horoscope. The chart in question is the "shortly past noon" chart for July 4, 1776, rectified by Llewellyn George to 12:14:42 PM LMT.

This issue is of extraordinary interest for a couple of reasons, so I will quote from it quite extensively. First, it is a deep, penetrating sociological look at America through the framework of its horoscope. Second, this article - this very article! - is documenting the turning point in Bradley's orientation. Throughout it all, he is a sensible, skilled, insightful Tropical astrologer of the time then, in the middle, he suddenly starts talking about this alterative way of looking at things, called Sidereal Astrology, that's starting to catch interest. His tone and response is quite charming to see. Then he finishes the chart out in classic Tropical style of the day.

I leave off the first part where he is primarily responding to a letter he received passionately defending the TZ Gemini-rising U.S. chart, and his response to the writer, and pick up in the section following... and then I leave off his annual summary of predictions for the year to come.

Remember that this was written in early 1949 by a 23-year-old from Nebraska who was living in Long Beach, California.

[Jim Eshelman]

Popular astrology is ridden with “mores” which are so firmly entrenched in our characteristic concepts as students that, for the most part, we are unaware of the conflict which their existence necessarily demands it the stellar doctrine is to be consistent. Among the zodiacal mores might be mentioned the habitual attachment of great importance to planets in Virgo and Scorpio. the illogical popular prejudice against the latter sign, and the peculiar diminution of planets in Aquarius. which is something of a blindspot in modern chart-reading. In the calm of study habits, too, we find noteworthy shifts of emphasis on the relative importance of chart constituents as time passes. At the turn of the present century, astrological people were decidedly house-conscious. This fad converted to sign-mindedness a generation ago, Currently, we are essentially aspect-conscious. It is not that one component of the astrological theory is more important than another, but that perspective is variable with time as well as source. (Our few veteran astrologers. the “oldtimers" in the field. have lived and practiced through all these various phases and realize more fully the wholeness of astrology than most newcomers are wont to appreciate. This is another reason why astrological students should both desire and value the counsel of their professional elders.)

The greatest deterrent to immediate and widespread adoption of the Libra chart has obviously been the strength of that greatest of all astrological mores, the bogus of horoscopy, Saturn. Many feel that it is unthinkable that Saturn should be on the national ascendant: the reasons then readily given are not readily understandable. however. The average reaction by superficial students to this effect are in reality nothing but conditioned responses in support of a group attitude (if we may employ psychological terms). Perspective, again. Perhaps they cannot see the forest because trees intervene: they are too close to the situation to view it as a whole. A mountain looks far different to one on its slope than to an observer on the plain. Those same students habitually, and with good reason, delight in dissecting everyday vocabulary in quest of underlying astrological connotations. Yet, they seem never to have given the very name of our nation anything but cursory attention. The “United States of America” were united by Saturn at the Declaration of independence; is not Saturn itself the most “united state” in astrological symbolism? Let us not forget that the very name came into being after the Declaration, on the document of which the word "united” was an adjective and not yet part of the proper noun we use it as today.

The anti-Saturn argument invariably takes the form of the unfortunate delineation for first-house Saturn handed down to us from medieval times, if not earlier, as some contend. Saturn in customarily “dull, morose, backward. slow, devoid of enjoyment. morbid. unclean. reserved, austere. mentally obtuse. antiquated. The folly of literally accepting such 1 delineation as a divine dictum will become plain to anybody who will check on the identities of the more than 100 natives in "1001 Notable Nativities” who were born with Saturn ascending. Any student with a fair range of experience knows several persons with Saturn in the first house who are far from stupid and brooding. On the other hand, these persons manifest clearly the earmarks of their ascendant: they physically matured at an earlier than average age, they delight in rigorous undertakings, can undergo an unusual amount of privation and survive to recall the experience as a great “adventure," and persist in harboring grudges over long periods. We all know this type, and admire him: he is about one of every twelve persons we may meet. Come now, let us value the evidence of observation, not the stereotype of tradition. The researchers who established the Libra-rising chart. which shows Saturn close to the horizon, were profound astrological scholars. They were not purblinded by the glare of astrological fiction.

Those unable as yet to concur with us concerning the Saturnian element peculiar to American life are quite justified, now, in demanding to know what our studies have yielded in the way of particular evidence supporting this stand. As hinted earlier. These Saturnian factors are so close to us that we fail to correctly identify them.

Superficial consideration might attach an exclusively Mercurial rulership to newspapers. periodicals. Pamphlets and tracts. which replete American everyday life like leaves on a lush tree. True. we have an intense Mercury-emphasis in the United States, but let us bring that point up later on. The annual output of printed pages in this country. especially in comparison to that of other nations, is staggering. For this achievement we may thank the marvels of the press and lead type, our great lumber resources and pulp-compressing plants, as well as the ink industry – ail Saturn-ruled factors. Do we even have to mention the subject-content of the boldface words which scream across the front pages of our newspapers daily? Americans are notorious for reveling in morbid subjects. Editors and publishers realize this and deliberately magnify the importance of offensive news reports because these “sell” the papers. Thus, mortal tragedy and moral undoing is the chief commodity of one of America’s greatest businesses. And a Saturn-influenced public is the ever-eager customer.

Another unique feature of American life, which distinguishes the nation from all others both historically and contemporaneously is the fact that one out of every eighteen citizens now living has been arrested for a violation of law worse than traffic misdemeanors. Could this happen in any civilized country that was not strongly under Saturn? Further, we are more law-burdened than any other nation in the world and history. Over a million laws fill our statute books. In this country we consider it a show of good character for a citizen to have active civic interests: such participation inevitably develops into championship of new laws, rulings and social “controls." Throughout the whole structure of life in these United States we see the undeniable effects of Saturn in operation through the ascendant of the national horoscope.

Uranus rises in the Gemini chart offered as radical by a number of students who find a receptive audience among the less studious classes of astrological believers. We do not belittle the commendable efforts of these students who have advanced some unusually convincing arguments and evidence in behalf of their candidate for national radix. But, sociologically, in addition to a long list of technical considerations, we find it difficult to accept the proposition that ours is Uranian society. True, we are technologically far ahead of the rest of the world, but the first house of a mundane chart does not depict a nation’s industrial and scientific achievements. Could a book actually be banned in a Uranian society? Could a Uranian people virtually crucify an illegitimate child or its unwed mother? Could a state enact legislation against the teaching of a basic part of science in a Uranian nation? Hardly. Yet, these things typify American socio-legal behavior, as any broadminded citizen will admit. The prohibitionistic Saturn influence pervades and prevails everywhere.

[Jim Eshelman]

When the eminent Irish astrologer Cyril Fagan, called to astrologers’ attention the striking workability of a zodiacal scheme based upon the constellations, we all reacted negatively to such a proposal. Yet, the number of those who discover merit in the theory is fast increasing. In addition, statistical research is confirming the idea. The present writer was one of those who had to pull in his horns after fracturing them against the stone buttress of inviolable scientific evidence. We now realize that we have actually always taken constellational backgrounds into consideration in horoscope study, as well as in mundane astrology, so the introduction of an integrated body of information along this line should be welcomed by all for what it may be worth from a practical point of view as a new tool or complement to present highly effective methods. This whole innovation is reminiscent of such modern complements to horoscopic technique as was the introduction of secondary directions which have now been combined with primary to constitute the standard system of chart-progression.

The constellational zodiac has been named the sidereal or fixed zodiac, to distinguish it from the standard tropical or moving zodiac. In the “new” scheme, the actual ancient constellations are supposed to be literal star-fields of influence. To convert a horoscope to sidereal terms. the amount of precession that has ensued since the signs and constellations of the same name coincided is deducted from the longitudes of the planets and points found in the usual way from an ephemeris. The resulting chart, identical in every respect with the familiar one, except for the different zodiacal designations, is interpreted in the customary way. with emphasis on the importance of fixed stars. We mention all this because we feel that many students would like to see the U.S. radix in sidereal terms, and most of our readers would be “at sea” if we launched into a discussion without such introductory remarks.

[The chart referenced beginning in the next paragraph is Sidereal copy of the U.S. chart using the Lahiri zodiac, as was Fagan's custom at the time. Calculations weren't quite as accurate as today, but were adequate. Note that in the corrected zodiac, Mars is in Taurus, not Gemini.]

The accompanying chart should bring the protests of Gemini-rising enthusiasts to a sudden hush for a re-adjustment of intellectual bearings. The Sun, Midheaven, Jupiter, Venus and Mars are all imbedded in the starfield of Gemini. ln addition. the constellation Virgo, ruled by Mercury, spangles the ascendant of this chart. Yes, the United States of America was “born under Gemini” and is preponderantly under the vibrations of Mercury. Therefore. we see why the "Gemini complex" has been so persistent in modern astrological stereotypes. With a stellium focused in that constellation, and the famous twin stars Castor and Pollux conjunct the M.C., is it any wonder that the idea has had such exuberant (and warranted) endorsement over the years? The reason for the idea's consignment to the ascendant was clearly that nothing else (seemingly) could explain the remarkable trait of duplicity in American makeup (to wit, the North and South. our two-party political system. the labor-management organization, relative equality of Catholic and Protestant influence in high places, which is unique in the world, etc.).

The house-positions in sidereal charts are identical with those of the standard map. so we still find Saturn rising, amid the stars of the stellar goddess of agriculture and engineering. The Moon remains in Aquarius and fifth house trine to Mars and Venus in the ninth. Surely. no other chart (than the “Libra-rising radix") could more clearly describe These States. By taking into account the stellar backgrounds of the Libra chart, the whole picture becomes even more lucid....

[Jim Eshelman]

Here is a modern calculation of the U.S. natal chart he was viewing, using the Lahiri zodiac (before Profession & Birth Date and Zodiacs - Old & New showed that it was about 1° off) and Placidus houses.

Asc 22°48' Vir
Saturn 24°04' Vir
Pluto 6°48' Cap R
Moon 3°28' Aqu
Uranus 18°11' Tau
Mars 0°30' Gem
Venus 12°07' Gem
Jupiter 15°09' Gem
Sun 22°24' Gem
MC 24°53' Gem
Mercury 3°33' Can R
Neptune 1°41' Vir

As a curiosity, here are the calculated positions using the best resources available in 1949:

Asc 22°49' Vir
Saturn 24°07' Vir
Pluto 7°10' Cap R
Moon 3°28' Aqu
Uranus 18°01' Tau
Mars 0°30' Gem
Venus 12°07' Gem
Jupiter 15°10' Gem
Sun 22°24' Gem
MC 24°54' Gem
Mercury 3°37' Can R
Neptune 1°43' Vir

[Jim Eshelman]

Students of the sidereal zodiac theory know fully well that as the tropical signs recede over the starfields of adjacent constellations, we compound their influences into Sphinx-like combination readings. Have you ever stopped to think that our modern, beloved symbol of the goddess "Liberty,” obviously derived from the astrological significance of "Libra," is never identified as Venus, planetary ruler of that sign? Of course not, and correctly so, for this feminine figure’ is plainly that of the Celestial Virgin whose stars now span most of the 30° we call Libra. Our nation's celestial ascendant is memorialized on our coins, the dime, quarter and half-dollar bearing the image of Virgo. (We have been too close to these things to have evaluated them clearly in the past.) America’s greatest symbol revered abroad is the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor. The statue (Saturn, again) holds aloft a torch and clasps to her bosom The Law – extraordinary representation of our national ascendant, the constellated Virgin holding Saturn.

[Jim Eshelman]

The sociological significance of this circumstance is even more impressive. Again, we must look beneath the veneer of superficial thinking on the matter in answering the all-determinate question. In what ways is America unique in time and space? The Saturn-in-Virgo complex poses some delicate associations, the full contents of which are understood only by sociologists, some psychologists and all psychoanalysts. One important tributary of the main stream of significance pertains to the moralistic foundations of our modern society. Any society is an organization of customs and behavior around a structure of totem and taboo. This subject is too extensive to discourse upon here, although we might mention in passing that American socio-legal codes are actually the historic triumph of a particularly interesting taboo: that of virginity. (There is much literature in libraries on this subject which the querist reader might consult if he desires full information.) What is more bluntly adequate than that a nation greatly influenced by Saturn in Virgo could make a totem out of the “taboo of virginity”?

Puritanism has always exercised much influence on our moral outlook in this country in the form of group attitudes and prohibitions which are ridiculous in reality but which have become so entrenched in our ways of thinking that we no longer sense the conflict which they cause in our lives. And for anyone to question the rightness of these totems and taboos is to risk loss of social and professional prestige. No, we most certainly are not a Uranian people. Each one of us must toe the line of social custom or bring upon ourselves the wrath of disapproval; the average American is a victim not so much of his conscience as of his neighbor's taboo-ridden opinions. This could only happen in a Saturnian nation. Saturn and taboo are synonymous. (Strange to say, use of good grammar is actually ridiculed by the common populace in most American cities and all rural regions. One ofttimes wonders why a large portion of the population ridicules something they spent eight to twelve years accomplishing.)

The sidereal Virgo influences bear down upon us in other ways also, as witness the peculiarly American matriarchal system we live in. This matriarchy is internationally unique, and nothing can compare to it in history with the possible exception of ancient Rome during its decline. Never before and nowhere else has Man experienced such an unusual social orientation as in the United States. With but few exceptions, the American male is reared by his mother and female relatives, being constantly in their company until kindergarten age when he is placed in school to have exclusively feminine teachers until highschool when the majority of his instructors are still women. Graduating, he seeks employment and a wife to whom he surrenders most of his personality and paycheck and name, mother and mother-in-law notwithstanding. Women select and purchase one-third of all articles of men’s clothing in this country: women control the majority of our national wealth. Stop and think about this: it is a purely American condition, unprecedented in the world and history. The peculiar adoration of women and maternal rule in this nation. which shows itself glaringly on every hand, in our movies, our advertisements, billboards, calendars, newspapers, magazines, and jokes of all hues, is clearly a derivative of the Virgo-imprint on our society. Even our laws are deliberately worded to favor the woman and wife in all litigation. The writer trusts that our feminine readers (the ladies, God bless ’em) are taking this discussion in the proper spirit and not misunderstanding our objective in presenting it.

[Jim Eshelman]

The position of our nation’s radix Moon in the fifth house rather “clinches" the argument in favor of the Libra-rising chart. In astrology, the Moon represents “feeling" and “emotional release." Its location in both the sign and constellation Aquarius in our preferred chart (which is not the case with the Gemini chart which pushes the Moon back into the stars of Capricornus) plainly indicates the world-famous American characteristics of optimism and self-release. More particularly, the fifth-house stress points to the amazing affective life of our people which focusses in vicarious outlets for emotional energy, e.g., sports, the theatre, radio, and other similar vents for erotic experience. America is more sports-conscious and drama-minded than any other nation; the observer of Life in These United States sees a continual exhibition of fifth-house expressions and activities.

With Neptune and Saturn in the fifth house of the Gemini-rising chart, we wonder how its protagonists account for the fact that in a nation with 140,000,000 citizens there are 18,351 theatres holding 11,798,072 seats open for business daily. We once read a pro-Gemini article which contended that American fondness for emotional stimulants, sport and display, is traceable to that chart's tenth-house Moon in trine to rising Mars. Social psychology flatly teaches that these traits are reactions to prohibitions against outright exercise of eroticism and aggression (both Martian factors), rather than their cause. So we do not understand how an ascending Mars trined, and hence enlivened, by an elevated Moon, could bring about a sublimation of Mars’ energies. True, the trine aspect in question indicates a national mania for sports. but why not keep recreation in a fifth-house locale where it belongs astrologically?

To our way of thinking. it is unpardonable to insist that the United States’ horoscope has Moon at the Midheaven. True, the average citizen is rabidly interested in national politics to the point of combat during election seasons, but anybody in public life will tell you that he deplores the civic lethargy and political indifference of the populace after campaign fanfare is over. Some believe that a tenth-house Moon signifies a “government of the people, by the people. and for the people." However, our government was fourteen decades old when Woodrow Wilson declared, “The fundamental trouble in the United States is that the people have not been the real force back of the government.” How could a lunar government become a World Power, second to none? Astrological textbooks which we have read relegate power and pre-eminence to the Sun.

While all the foregoing has been quite dogmatic, such bias seems warranted at this time. Seventeen decades of “precision contacts" in the timing of events by use of the Libra chart has evidently not been sufficient evidence for proponents of other national horoscopes. We felt that the preceding subjective analysis of American psychology was necessary to strengthen our case if the technical phases of the issue life not at all conclusive. The writer was a Gemini adherent several years ago. but quickly came to a temporary acceptance of the more logical Sagittarius-rising map. Consistent failure of either of these charts to yield a passable record of timed-events forced him to overcome the anti-Saturn complex, of which he was also a victim, and consider the possibility that, after all, the Libra-rising chart might be radical since it was patronized by so many master astrologers. It did not take long before he had to admit the superiority of this chart, and he has been a vigorous champion of it ever since. Now, with the advent of sidereal astrology, which reveals the cosmical settings of a horoscope, faith in the validity of the chart is even more completely justified by the irrevocable support of observation.

A verse from Virgil. written in ancient times, seems especially appropriate here:

"Come is the last of the ages its soul: Cumæn foretold.
Now is the world's grand cycle begun once more from old,
Justice the Virgin comes and Saturn’ kingdom again,
And now from the heavens is descending a new generation of men.”

Of more recent sowing is a leaflet of grass from America‘s poet, Walt Whitman. Astrological students of U.S. history:

“Who are you, indeed, who would talk or sing to America?
Have you studied out my land, its idioms and men?
Have you 1earn'd the physiology, phrenology, politics,
geography, pride, freedom, friendship, of my land?
its substratums and objects?
Have you consider'd the organic compact of the first day of
the first year of the independence of These States....?"