Thursday, July 02, 2009

DIVIDED WE STAND.....

I'm not a fan of astrological charts for nations, or for any inanimate entity, but respected astrologers seem to think there's value in 'em. Who am I to argue? What a chart for the establishment of a country, constitution, company, club, will show for sure is the astrological atmosphere which pertained at the moment of that entity's coming into existence. Whether that puts a stamp on the inanimate entity for ever and a day is another matter.

Putting those reservations aside, my favourite symbolic chart for the USA isn't the usual 4th July one, it's that known as the Armistead chart, set for 2 July 1776, the date when Congress adopted the resolution of independence. Astrodatabank explains it HERE.





This chart describes the USA to me best because of that very clear divide: Moon/Pluto to Mercury - the red line which virtually cuts the chart in two. The US is a divided country - I felt it from the moment I got here - after recovering from the culture shock. Not satisfied with simple division though, I've noticed it's an ongoing feature: divide, sub-divide - rather like the amoeba!

In mundane astrology the Moon represents the people - the public at large. Pluto symbolises power. Mercury, as always, represents communication and mental processes. I translate the opposition in this US chart as the people having power, but a power divided by mental attitudes....or something along those lines.

My husband's son-in-law, and our friend (known as TNPOTUS when he occasionally comments here) wrote in his regular column in a local newspaper recently, something which touches on my topic for today. He has agreed to my use any of his writings to illustrate points - so here goes (and thank you TNPOTUS!)

From an article headed "Sure We're Divided But It's Been Worse"
"..............political and social pundits keep hammering at us about this being a nation divided, and some even suggest we’re currently more sharply divided than at any time in American history.

Oh, puh-leez! What hyperbolic hogwash. Enough already!

Did these Big ‘n’ Loud Voices of Distress and myopic pundits never hear of something called the Civil War, when a half-million Americans were slaughtered because of our political and cultural differences?

And beyond that great cataclysm, can someone please point out an extended period of U.S. history in which we are all on the same page politically and culturally? If there was such a halcyon, blissful age, we need to identify it and figure out how we can return to it.

The population was politically and culturally split before we became a nation, and little seems to have changed since 1776. Even during World War II, when political and cultural debate seemed to be put on the back burner, our differences continued to simmer. Heck, I had one grandfather who thought Franklin D. Roosevelt was a god, while the other thought FDR was a devil.

Here in the 21st century, we may be more “evenly” divided than at anytime before, but so what? Disagreement and diversity are the life blood of liberty and democracy......."
For the moment, I rest my case on behalf of the Armistead chart.

6 comments:

anyjazz said...

We 'murkins are a complicated lot aren't we?

Twilight said...

Why no, anyjazz.....I think you're rather simple really......;-)

WinkGamer said...

You would have thought that in 230 years, we would have learnt from our mistakes.

anthonynorth said...

Looking from outside, I think the biggest divide in the US is a Federal govt who's main interest is always economy over people, and the State governments who, apart from a few, are too small to redress the balance.

Twilight said...

WinkGamer: Hi! I guess so. All countries have flaws though - the USA is young yet - working through its puberty maybe. Always a troubling time. :-)

Twilight said...

AN ~~~ That's true enough. I'm having to metaphorically tie my wrists together to stop myself posting a long diatribe about the Oklahoma state government and its idiotic, archaic-minded members. Grrrrr! I might have to do it to relieve tension. :-(