U. S. Constitution
Zip Dobyns
The Pisces 1985 issue of The Mutable Dilemma included a number of charts of future progressions for our Declaration of Independence. In this issue, I am offering a series of future progressions for our Constitution. As has been said often in the past, my preferred form includes the natal chart in an inner wheel with the progressions in an outer wheel. Our small page size does not permit this, but I suggest that readers interested in studying the charts copy them onto a two-wheel chart form.
Unlike the Declaration of Independence, there is no question about the time when the Constitution became the Law of our country. It went into effect at 0 A.M., local mean time, in New York City, on March 4, 1789. I have included the local angles for Washington, DC since I think that the house cusps where we are living can be just as important as the cusps for the birthplace.
As I have written often, a country is born in stages and may have several valid horoscopes, all of them helpful in understanding the subject of the charts. If the charts are valid, they should complement and reinforce each other. They should all show appropriate patterns for the major events in the history of the subject. We are mostly presenting progressions for the same dates for the Constitution as we gave for the Declaration so that they can be compared. Readers can also check the solar arc directions by adding the distance the Sun has moved in the progressed chart to each of the factors in the natal chart. Again, a two-wheel form is helpful.
Any of our readers who are also members of NCGR will have recently received a copy of their journal with an article that I wrote in August 1984 about my version of the Declaration chart. With the progressed Moon square natal Sun, conjunct natal Saturn, then progressed Mars, then opposite progressed Chiron and square progressed Jupiter, I expected some uproar during this past spring and into the summer of 1985. The Moon on Saturn looked like a preview of the late 1986 progressed Moon on progressed Saturn which leads into the stress aspects of 1987-8. I think that the Ohio and Maryland panics in the state-insured Savings and Loans were part of that preview. The public still trusts the Federal government’s insurance for banks and savings banks, but as the realization dawns that the third world debts will never be paid and that the U.S. is about to join their ranks as an insolvent debtor, we may see a repeat of spring 1985 on a much wider scale.
At this point, I don’t know any better place for your funds so I am suggesting payment of debts unless you are very sure of your income source during the difficult years ahead. The government has demonstrated that it will not let the banks fail, but they might have a moratorium permitting people to draw on the interest but not the whole principle. It is quite possible that the value of the dollar will come down and silver and gold will go up some time in the future, but I have not been able to pinpoint a time. And, if we are in a general depression without a lot of simultaneous inflation, gold and silver may not rise. We can’t eat them.
The Stock Market did not drop nearly as far as I had anticipated (as discussed in articles in earlier issues of The Mutable Dilemma) when Saturn made its station opposite the Sun-MC, and the MC axis was hit by eclipses in November 1984 and May 1985. As usual, I was reminded that transits, no matter how impressive, are not enough without supporting aspects in the secondary progressions and solar arc directions. We will see how the Market does this summer when transiting Saturn makes its station opposite natal Mercury, square Pluto and progressed Uranus. The Market may hold on into 1986, and even then, as the U.S. debt monster grows, some companies may continue to do well. I am not convinced that we will have a real “crash” as we did in 1929, but do not think the Market will be going much higher than its present level.
Turning now to the Constitution, the primary topic of this article, we can deduce by estimating the progressed Moon’s motion that it was conjunct progressed Uranus and octile the progressed Sun when Reagan and Bush were inaugurated; one of many keys to an upset of some kind during this administration. At the same time, the progressed Sun was still within the one degree orb of an opposition to natal Mercury, ruler of the MC. A possible change in power figures or the handling of power is suggested in the patterns. The progressed MC moves to conjunct natal Mercury by June, 1986. Uranus, of course, is maintaining a long trioctile to natal Mercury, so any planet moving within orb of either one becomes part of a network of potential action.
During the March Ohio banking crisis, the progressed Moon was quincunx the natal and local Antivertex in the second house, suggesting a confrontation of faith (ninth house) with material reality (Capricorn in the Taurus house). By the time of the Maryland bank crisis, the progressed Moon was just coming to the quincunx to natal Saturn, repeating the pattern, with Saturn a ruler of the Capricorn in the second house and letter ten always a key to the power of the universe, the consequences of our own past actions, and potential fear if we have been impractical in the past.
We can see that the progressed Moon will oppose natal Mars in the summer of 1986, then square its nodes, square natal America in the early fall, and by late fall, square its own natal position. By late November, 1986, the Moon reaches an octile to progressed Neptune, repeating the issue of faith and reality. Meanwhile, progressed Jupiter, another key to what we trust, where we put our faith, is maintaining a long square to the progressed true nodes of the Moon and it has moved into the opposition to natal Venus. The cross in fixed signs and mutable houses combines issues of handing money, possessions, pleasures with issues of faith and realism, our capacity to deal with the world right around us. The horoscope for the Federal Reserve shows the same issues with stress aspects in mutable signs in fixed houses. Will we learn to share the resources of the planet for mutual pleasure? Or will we continue the greed and power struggles?
Another key to the need for realism and the coming consequences for past actions can be seen with the progressed Constitution MC set for Washington, DC coming to the conjunction with progressed Saturn in the spring of 1986. Again, the power figures or the use of executive power may be highlighted. Through these years, progressed Mars remains conjunct natal Jupiter, sextile- trine the progressed true nodes of the Moon, so we have the potential for learning to share with others. But Mars is also quincunx progressed Pallas and Ceres and in the fall of 1986, it reaches the quincunx to natal Venus to form a yod; a new direction or letting go of past actions. Venus is one of the rulers of the tenth house, since part of Libra is in the house, again emphasizing the handling of executive power and the likelihood of consequences from past action.
Mercury, ruler of the MC, squares the natal Antivertex from the spring of 1986 and moves to the cusp of the eleventh house in December, supporting changes in the handling of the fixed areas; money, possessions, investment and its returns, debts, etc. Of course, Mercury also rules the eighth house, our shared resources, debts, and capacity to enjoy the material world together. So far, the present administration has mostly succeeded in widening the gulf between the rich and the poor, and in intensifying the power struggles and threat of nuclear war.
In the last two months, since I wrote my article on Atlantis for the Pisces 1985 issue of The Mutable Dilemma, I have continued to find striking material supporting the value of that small asteroid as a key to possible abuse of power and to power struggles. In the Constitution chart, Atlantis at 19 Sagittarius 22 is conjunct the natal Part of Death at 19 Sagittarius 57. Progressed Atlantis is now at 7 Capricorn, moving direct. Gorbachev, present head of Russia, has his natal Atlantis at 8 Capricorn. When he was chosen as the top person in the U.S.S.R., transiting Atlantis was at 8 Capricorn. Al H Morrison is publishing some of my material on Atlantis in a current issue of CAO Times, and the article will also serve as an introduction to the ephemeris of the asteroid, to be published soon. Any of our readers who would like a copy of the ephemeris can order it from us at a discount, in appreciation of your support of our efforts. It should be available by August.
Returning once more to the Constitution chart, I am impressed by the Declaration’s similar patterns, and their agreement with other astrological tools. For example, from mid-May to mid-June 1986, Halley’s Comet makes a station on 10 to 11 Virgo, conjunct the Declaration Ascendant, the Constitution MC, and Reagan’s natal MC if our time for him is accurate. At the same time, the Declaration’s progressed Moon is conjunct natal America square the fifth house Pluto while the Constitution’s progressed Moon is conjunct progressed America opposite natal Mars, ruler of the fifth house. Are we looking at a challenge to investment and speculation? Or are other expressions of our ego, power, self-esteem, and creativity involved?
By the spring of 1987, the Declaration chart has a yod of progressed Moon and MC both quincunx natal MC-Uranus, added to progressed Ascendant opposite Saturn, progressed Venus opposite Neptune, progressed Mercury into Pisces trioctile natal Saturn, and many other aspects. The Constitution has progressed Moon crossing the MC and opposing natal Saturn-Sun. Other aspects have already been noted. Not yet mentioned are progressed Ascendant quincunx natal East Point, progressed Mercury octile natal Ascendant, progressed Juno quincunx natal Moon, progressed Sun square the second-eighth house cusp axis calculated for Washington, DC, progressed Venus octile-trioctile the MC-IC axis, etc.
I will leave the balance of the aspects for readers to explore. We are appreciative of the lovely charts from Astro Computing, and I will add the progressed angles and some of the new asteroids for those who want to include them in their investigation. [Note: these web pages are not using the original printed charts.] Eventually, Al Morrison will be publishing a number of these little bodies. In the meantime, we can send photocopies to readers who cover our cost of copying and postage. I will be home from our Montana seminars by mid- July and able to handle such requests.