Flag Day and a Few Thoughts and Insights on Cycles of Two Nations
Today is June 14, 2017, Flag Day here in the United States of America. I read today that our flag is 240 years old, from a post online from Farmer’s Almanac. Perhaps because it’s Flag Day, a symbol of our country, I’ve been pondering the current state of affairs in the world and the astrology of the United States and even Britain at the time of our revolution in 1776. The world seems smaller now with our access to many places in the world via technology and air travel. We learn instantly the moment something happens across the ocean and it brings it into our immediate awareness, whereas 240 plus years ago it would take months to get news of events. So our flag was born and has gone through several transformations over the years since its birth in 1777. How many of us sang songs or read stories about Betsy Ross and our flag in elementary school? I know I did and my daughter did too. It’s in our history, a part of us, it’s our unique nation of souls, many who live and die for an idea that came to life in 1776. There’s a code for how we properly handle the flag too, that was covered in the article from Farmer’s Almanac, here.
As I pondered our flag today, I began considering our country’s birth, as an astrologer I am drawn to reflect on the birth of things and their evolution! Presently, I am vividly aware of the Pluto return the USA is experiencing as Pluto by transit nears the exact degree (27 Capricorn 33’ Rx) of when we declared ourselves a sovereign country July 4, 1776. On February 21, 2022 Pluto is exact to this degree of the USA chart Pluto, though in March 2021 through May 2021 we are within 1 degree orb which is important too. What does a Pluto return mean or symbolize? Well, we haven’t a full understanding of this yet for the USA as we only became aware of Pluto in our solar system when it was discovered by astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona on February 18, 1930. (4:00 PM) We’ll explore the demotion of Pluto as a planet in another article, but for now we’ll focus on Pluto as a planet and its significance in our astrological understanding of ourselves through observation of patterns. For the USA this is a first! However, we can look at our ally the UK to gain some awareness of Pluto across greater expanse of time and it’s influence in the national identity of the UK as we know it now and Britain of 1776.
When the Declaration of Independence was signed, July 4, 1776 we have a point in time we reference for when the idea of USA began. There are other events important during this period of time, but this is the key date most Americans note and celebrate and is deep within the collective consciousness as well. So, as we declared ourselves sovereign and independent from Britain, our clock starts on the birth of our nation. We have now come 241 years from that moment. Here we are, and looking around the state of our nation it is absolutely in a cycle of transformation, which anyone can ascertain by observing news and social media. The big question is transformation to what? Many know Pluto is symbolic of death and rebirth, what is forced to die does not come back in the same form, though also known for powers of regeneration in myth. Pluto…aka Hades, is all about being in hell for some time, working with the shadow of what is and we either awaken to what is there and address it or it hinders us and our growth into the next cycle, and if we are unable to address it, it may ultimately destroy that which existed because its unsustainable. Significant? Yes, Pluto doesn’t f*%k around, it gets your attention and massive change is expected. *USA Sibly No. 1 chart
Considering now the UK/Britain into the mix again, as they are important players in our history and our push for independence the known we were breaking free of. If you’ve been paying attention to the news you’ll also be keenly aware of the increased attacks and challenging incidents that UK/Britain has been experiencing in recent months along with government elections and Brexit (UK leaving the EU) which was voted on last year, June 23, 2016. I thought to myself, I wonder about the cycles of UK/Britain now and how that is reflected and if there might be themes and ties from 1776-1777, especially considering Pluto, since that is currently strong in the USA collective experience. It seems the UK/Britain is also struggling with issues of national identity and a repeating theme of the fall-out that was experienced 240+ years ago and now. There’s a bit of a challenge for selecting a chart for UK/Britain. There’s one for England, Coronation of William I Dec 25, 1066 12:00 pm Westminster. Julian Day = 2110773.0004 . *Top: Britain 1066 chart Bottom: United Kingdom 1801 chart
There’s also a chart for the United Kingdom from Jan 1, 1801. 0:00 am LMT London, England (The United Kingdom Union). Astrologer, Jessica Adams wrote about her thoughts on these charts last year, you might enjoy them considering these themes. It‘s a good article on the Brexit vote and the astrology considerations of the moment across the two charts,you can read her article here.
I cannot help but see the tie in the history between the USA and Britain in 1776, given that the 1801 chart would not have been realized yet I’d look to the 1066 chart. However, like dreams there may be something about looking at the 1801 chart for a perception of truth outside of time, just another thought to add here.
The 1801 chart for UK has Pluto at 2 degrees Pisces 42’. So, from that perspective not close to a Pluto return, unless you look at the 1066 chart and see that Pluto in that chart was 3 Pisces 50 minutes, a true PLUTO RETURN (third round across 735 years between those two charts)! But I also noticed the Sun in the UK chart is at 10 degrees Capricorn 10 minutes, so it would have been key for the UK during the transit of Pluto over that degree from early 2012 (within a degree orb) and exact starting January 25, 2013. Pluto transiting the Sun is another very significant cycle, another transformation of the identity of the entity, in this case the UK. This was also key as Scotland’s independence referendum in 2014, but it was pushed as a bill in November 2013 by the Scottish Parliament*, which did not pass but indeed goes with the theme for the push for transformation with the Pluto transiting the UK Sun.
Pluto is really about a 24+ month cycle until it leaves the orb of influence. So it’s not surprising to see a huge shift in 2016 with the Brexit vote, though the current within the collective was there prior to the vote and the thread form that is still unraveling today and what seems to be within the violence perpetrated on the people. The undercurrent was also prior to the actual event when the USA declared Independence 1776 from Britain, it’s what is underneath that then rises up for the transformation. The Moon in the UK 1801 chart is at 19 degrees Cancer 25 min. Interestingly, that is near the actual degree of where Pluto was in the sign of Cancer (17 deg 45’ 54” rx) back in 1930, and going even further it is the north node of Pluto (Cancer), again a future article later for the nodal axis of the planets and their importance in the collective evolving consciousness. *Pluto Discovery Chart
Every time I ponder something like this I still am amazed at what the astrology shows me in the cycles. These findings fuel my passion for understanding our cosmos, what is to be a human being in this magnificent universe of ours. For me personally, I sense a beauty in the rhythm of the cycles and I wonder about the Divine Creator when I uncover this in my studies. Perhaps in sharing these ponderings you see something that sparks curiousity about these larger cycles too.
Pluto right now is at 18 degrees Capricorn 44 minutes retrograde through September 27th and stations direct on September 28th at 16 degrees Capricorn 51 minutes this year. We are within 4 years 8 months of the Pluto return of the USA Sibly chart and so much more will unfold in this great transformation and time of change. Within Evolutionary Astrology we review anything within a 10 degrees orb of Pluto when considering the symbolism. Richard Tarnas, author of Cosmos and Psyche Intimations of a New World View, goes a bit further with 15 degree orbs with outer planets. You can learn more about Evolutionary Astrology through many astrologers, some a few of my favorite teachers and authors, Steven Forrest, Jeffrey Wolf Green, Mark Jones, Steven Arroyo and Patricia Walsh to name just a few. I find in understanding the larger cycle from this objective perspective I am able to release some of my fears around the unknowns and the instability of the present moment we are faced with to maneuver. It seems the more knowledgeable you are of the energy you are working with in the present moment, the more you are able to align with it and put yourself actively into the flow of life. Perhaps in sharing my thoughts and findings in this exploration of the Pluto return for the USA and the United Kingdom you become curious about your own cycles. May the Divine spark within you glow boldly in our changing world. The universe lives through us and you are a unique experience embodied. God bless. Namaste
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