Solunars by Aldebaran Sidereal Academy

October 30, 1938, 8:00 PM, New York, NY

One of the great social impact events of its day arose out of a radio studio in New York City on October 30, 1938 at 8:00 PM (lasting an hour). In a broadcast of the popular Mercury Theater, Orson Welles' troop enacted H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds so realistically that thousands of people, thinking it was an actual news broadcast, believed it was real - that Earth was being invaded, causing widespread panic.

At 8:32 PM, as police converged on the radio station, the network was ordered to interrupt the broadcast with an on-air reminder that it was a fictional work. (They were a minute from a scheduled break.) Reportedly some towns hearing the broadcast had mobs marching their streets ready to confront the invading Martians. News reported flooded the studio demanding accurate information on how many people had died from the invasion so far (among other details - they thought it was a real story). News of the invasion in New Jersey lit the news ticker in Times Square.

I expected this to be a Neptune event. It mostly wasn't. Probably the actual panic wasn't as widespread as initially thought. Instead, it is remarkably a lunar event showing how a collective mass-mind reaction occurs.

Year: Capsolar {+2}
(This primarily shows the "great fun" and cultural impact themes.)
Venus on MC 2°33'
Uranus on Asc 4°05'
-- Venus-Uranus sq. 1°33' in mundo
Moon-Mercury op. 1°12'
Moon-Saturn sq. 2°03'

Bridge {+1}
t Pluto sq. Capsolar Asc 0°56'

Quarter: Libsolar {+2}
(I expected this to be the critical chart, and it doesn't disappoint. If it added angular Moon or Neptune, I'd give it a +3.)
Pluto sq. MC 0°09'
Mercury on Dsc 1°00'
-- Mercury-Pluto sq. 2°26'
Sun, Saturn, Uranus more widely angular
-- Sun-Saturn op. 2°06' in mundo
-- Sun-Mercury conj. 2°39' in mundo
-- -- Uranus op. non-angular Venus 3°32'
Moon-Uranus sq. 2°24'

Month: Caplunar {+3}
(The focus is on Mercury - surprising, innovative, unusual Mercury - but that's not the whole story. There is enormous unusualness," and perhaps an air of authority.)
Uranus sq. Asc 0°50'
Pluto on EP 0°55'
Mercury sq. Asc 1°21'
-- Mercury-Uranus op. 1°33' in mundo
Sun on IC 1°49'
Jupiter more widely foreground
Moon-Pluto op. 2°35' in mundo

Day: Capsolar Quotidian & Transits {+3}
Saturn & CapQ Moon exactly angular tells the bigger story; the rest is interesting subtlety. Two Mons show the mass public "group mind" collective response.)
p Asc op. p Moon 1°00', sq. t Saturn 0°08'
p MC conj. t Sun 0°48', sq. s Jupiter +1°56', op. s Uranus -1°58'
p EP conj. t Moon 0°25', op. t Pluto 0°51'
-- t Moon-Pluto op. 0°26' (in RA)
---------------------------------------------
t Pluto sq. s Asc 0°56'
t Moon sq. s Asc 1°27'

Day: Cansolar Quotidian {+2}
(This is interesting! We don't need the CanQ because the CqpQ made a great statement. The CanQ shows horrible devastation and loss. This didn't actually happen but it WAS what was in group mind of the region. In some ways, this is the most remarkable chart in the set. - I thought p Moon was opposite Neptune, but it didn't quite reach that.)
p MC conj. t Saturn 1°29'
p Asc conj. s Pluto 0°04', t Pluto 1°55'

SteveS wrote: Sat Mar 30, 2019 10:35 am

Pretty cool, eh?

I just posted Welles' SLR that occurred about a day later: Neptune exactly rising opposite natal Jupiter on Descendant. What a theatrical spectacle! (His then-current Demi-SLR has a stream of benefics mildly foreground suggesting that he had a blast and was likely to have at least a good show that week.)

Jim wrote:

Pretty cool, eh?

Very cool Jim. Being in the Movie Business most of my adult life, I have been around a-lot of great Jupiter-Neptune energy on the Big Screen, but what Orson pulled-off with his voice (Mercury) alone through Radio Land with his angular SLR Jupiter-Neptune energy was truly remarkable. Without a doubt was probably the greatest ‘cultural’ illusionary (Neptune) effect ever pulled off in the history of the world through a medium of entertainment (Radio).

Orson’s Nov 1 1938 SLR is exactly the type SLR I have been posting about for ‘Outstanding Life Incidents’ SLR’s. Its when one of our Natal Planets falls on a SLR angle in tight/partile 0,90,180 aspect to an angular t. SLR planet---is when important incidents are timed in our lives with transits. Its these type transits to our natals combined with the SLR angles which are truly magical with benefic aspects.

Also note with Orson’s SLR-- t. Mercury is partile 180 Orson’s r. Mercury. Fagan discussed in one of his American Astrology Mag articles, the importance to note at the time/day of a SLR when the inner planets put on partile 0,90,180 aspects to our personal natal planets. Fagan noted that when this happens---no matter where this partile aspect falls inside the SLR wheel, it will mark important personal manifestations in the life with the planets involved. We can clearly see here with t Mercury partile 180 Orson’s r Mercury, the most important communication (Mercury) event happened in Orson’s entire life—this Jupiter-Neptune broadcast on his Radio Show about the ‘War of the Worlds,’ which captured the imagination (Neptune) of all the listeners in Radio Land to Orson’s Radio Show.

Jim, this is a great personal SLR example post combined with Sidereal Mundane Astrology, thanks for your astrological insight.