Every history has a beginning, a crescendo, a crisis, and then either a breakdown or a breakthrough. This is true for individuals, and it’s also true for countries. The story of the United States is a fascinating one, especially through the astrological lens.
Before we can understand the current situation we have to understand how we got here. Back in 2009 I wrote:
The United States is at an astrological crossroads. The US progressed Mars turned retrograde last year, and is searching for a new direction. Pluto, god of transformation, has been challenging the US Midheaven, the point of public perception. The qualities that gave the US its power over the past 400 years will not work for the next 400, and the nation will have to adapt. Economic systems are changing and becoming much more tenuous and fluid as they go global. Traditional social systems are weakening and require a new way of looking at the way humans form families and cultural groups. As a people we must become more lithe and limber so that we can adapt to the changing collective, or we will not survive the 21st century. This is not a time to look back and long for the conservative values of the 1950s – those days are over. There is a new day dawning, and we will have to be ready for it.
Apparently we are not ready for it, and the return of Pluto to its place in the U.S. chart is drawing attention to the deep fissures that divide the country. But let’s take a birthday look at the chart of the United States and see what is in store for us this year.
The U.S. Pluto Return. The return of transiting Pluto to its place in the (Sibley) chart for the U.S. began officially in February 2022 and won’t be completed until October of 2023. (Geeky astrological details: The second phase of the exact alignment occurs on July 11, 2022, and the third and final exact alignment occurs on December 28, 2022 just before Pluto moves into Aquarius. However, Pluto will retrograde and in September- October of 2023 Pluto will return to a very tight though not exact conjunction.) I have written a great deal on this topic – if it’s new to you here is a good introductory article.
You never know what a Pluto transit will bring. Pluto tends to act as the hand of fate, destroying parts of our life which no longer serve us, empowering us where necessary, forcing us to create change where we may be dragging our feet. Pluto is the Lord of the Underworld, and is not afraid to dive into the dark recesses of the psyche where the secrets lie and we can see how this has been operative in U.S. Politics. The hate and rage that has been lurking underground for many years has emerged and it’s all out there for us to see. Which is horrific, but also necessary for real change to take place.
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Major planetary transits: In the U.S. chart, Mars (action) is in the 7th house of partnerships and enemies. The 7th house is pretty packed, with Venus, Jupiter and the Sun in there too. Americans like to think we have allies around the world, but we also have to have an enemy. That enemy began as England during the Revolutionary War, then the French, then the enemy was inside the house in the first Civil War. After the Civil War the enemy was the native peoples, followed by Germany in the first and second world wars, and then Communism in the 1950s.
Mars in the U.S. chart is squared by Neptune (idealism and confusion), and both of these planets have been activated by a transit of Neptune which began in March 2021 just after the January 6 riot and just completed officially although it will come very close to one last trigger point at the end of 2022. This Neptune transit has coincided with a massive rise of conspiracy theories and lack of clarity in U.S. politics. A certain amount of that is to be expected with Mars squaring Neptune in the U.S. chart, but this Neptune transit has exacerbated that.
A few words about the U.S. Progressed Sun in Pisces. I invite you to read this article about the movement of the U.S. Progressed Sun in Pisces and how that has impacted the political situation since 2004. The U.S. Progressed Sun is now more than halfway through Pisces, and in a few years it will begin to set off the Mars/Neptune dynamic in the U.S. chart suggesting it will take a good while for the splintering of American values to begin to realign.
Solar Return. A Solar Return chart is cast for the moment that the Sun returns to its place in the natal chart. This might be on your birthday, or it might be a day before or a day after. This chart is a snapshot of the energies that will infuse your birthday year.
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Note, this section has been revised since originally posted to correct an error.
Mercury-ruled Gemini is rising in the solar return chart, and Mercury is in the first house and therefore extremely important in this chart. Mercury is the planet of communication and information, and the disseminating of information and the clearing up of misinformation could be a highlight of the year. Misinformation and confusion aren’t likely to disappear with our friend Neptune ruling the Midheaven (modern ruler) and opposing the Moon in the solar return chart, but Mars harmonizes in a sextile to Mercury to help energize the processing and clarification of communication. In addition, both Neptune and the Moon are in harmonious aspect to the South Node of the past, helping to heal and emerge from the trauma which brought us to this place. Chiron is sextile Venus which could smooth out some rough edges.
There is an interesting challenge (square) from the Black Moon Lilith (primal rage especially against patriarchy) to Eris (discord), and Pluto (creative destruction) is tied in there too (opposite BML, square Eris). Whereas last year the national strife was based around racial equity, this year it looks like women’s rights will become the focus.
The United States has been such an interesting experiment and unique of all of the nations of the world in its attempt to patchwork many different peoples together and create a quilt of humanity. Will this experiment be able to continue? That to me is the question of the time. ❤️
Well here we are in this major shift – riding the surf board. When Pluto moves from the 2nd house of finance into the third house in the sign of Aquarius would that suggest a renewal of Democratic energy and invention?
That would be a very liberal view of Pluto in the 3rd house, Jane. It’s hard to tell what might happen and frankly I haven’t looked that far ahead! ❤️
Do you think Sun sectile Uranus will help us a little here?
Sure Ginny, there are always supportive planetary cycles to offset the difficult ones, The Sun sextile Uranus could bring in some new energies, the question in these situations is whether we will notice. If there’s a thunderstorm do you pay attention to the sliver of light, or will we worry about the next lightning bolt. ❤️
I was wondering—if the chart was done in theTropical system, would it make much difference? I learned charts in Tropical
way back in 1976 and so much has changed since then.
This chart IS in the Tropical system, Jan. ❤️
Jupiter can also represent expanding beyond this plane of existence into death and the other side. As our leader becomes more debilitated with senile dementia, this cannot be far away.
Thank you Lynn. Your writings are so clear and to the point. I’m very encouraged by this Solar Return chart.