Maya del Mar on USA, Corporations, Planetary Cycles, the Future.

Among the archives at Daykeeper Journal, website of the late Maya del Mar, astrologer, I found a couple of her articles which, on this Independence Day are of particular interest. They were written nine years ago, in 2002, but are even more relevant today.

In the first piece: Why Corporations Rule the Nation Ms del Mar began thus:

Corporations provide the matrix for our lives.

Our lives are shaped and governed by corporations. The consumer culture, the sea in which we live, is run by corporate image-making, advertising, and media control. Corporate values become cultural values. Corporate politics become government politics. Every area of our lives is fashioned by the dominant corporate culture.

The corporate movement grows implacably, like a giant amoeba, and threatens to take over the world, and destroy it in the process. As it grows, it shuts out democracy and effective decision-making. It is no wonder that people have quit voting and quit paying attention to civic life. We feel disempowered—and in many ways we are.

How can astrology shed light on this growth of corporate power?

She explains the cycles of the outer planets and the relevance of those current at the time of writing. She then goes on to look at the chart for the birth of the USA using 4 July 1776 at 5:10 PM, Philadelphia. Snips:

The United States has a lucky chart.

The U.S. Declaration of Independence chart (7-4-1776, 5:10 p.m., Philadelphia) is blessed with a grand earth trine, which means material success comes easily to this nation....................... We have the resources to enable us to develop models for harmonious, bountiful living.

However, this great gift of earth energy has been co-opted by corporations, and much of it transformed into toxins and garbage. The early idealistic political vision of Americans has been gradually subverted by the corporate bottom line of making profit for the corporation. Earth, tangible goods, is also the raw material of corporations.

The U.S. chart is also fortunate in having a Sagittarius Ascendant. This makes Jupiter the chart ruler, governing all U.S. expression of energy. Jupiter is the greater benefic, and shows good fortune and expansion. It is also especially associated with corporations (and old boys’ groups).

20-year Jupiter-Saturn cycles show the social-business character of our everyday lives.............................For most of this nation’s history, we have had Jupiter and Saturn joining every 20 years in earth signs.... This earth phase really went into full gear in 1842, as the Civil War was building up...... We have just experienced our last Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in earth signs for the next 600 years, in May of 2000. This one was at 23 Taurus. Taurus is the most fixed, determined, and possessive of the earth signs. It is loathe to let go. The last conjunction in Taurus was in 1881, which began the "gilded age," the time of millionaires, consolidations, mansions, and high living. Corporations came into their own then.

Now we are closing the long earth cycle with Taurus. Will corporations extend their power, as they have in the past? Will we, the people, look at their excesses and corruption, and decide to take charge of them again? Will we reclaim democracy? Or will it be that the 200-year earth period was the time for corporations to grow into ruling the world?—regardless of who and what gets hurt and destroyed?

This last Taurus conjunction in May 2000 ties in very nicely with the U.S. chart. It helps U.S. corporations move ahead with the steamroller effect until 2020, when we begin the air cycle in Aquarius. In the meantime we can begin to rebuild a democratic movement, and be ready to emerge with some sovereign infrastructure by 2020.

In the second piece, also from 2002, Maya del Mar reviews a book of essays: Defying Corporations, Defining Democracy ed. by Dean Ritz.
She writes:

We take corporations for granted. This is it. This is how life is. We let them define our entire culture, including our political scene, without really asking, "Hey, what’s going on?"

We also take them for granted as we try to fight them—regulation by regulation, harm by harm, in thousands of little battles. And still they grow more powerful. In fact, the first regulatory agency, the Interstate Commerce Commission, was established in 1887 at the behest of the railroads to reduce competition, and staffed by railroad people.

It wasn’t this way when the nation was founded. The rebellion against England was, in fact, against corporate charters given by the King to certain companies.

Those who won independence from England hated corporations as much as they hated the King.

The men of property who wrote the Constitution did not want the King’s unfair, oppressive competition. They determined to hold corporations in check. They chartered only a handful of corporations in the decades after independence, and when they did they severely limited a corporation’s powers, purpose, capitalization, and length of existence.

Here are the kinds of limitations that were once law in nearly every state:
Corporations were required to have a clear purpose, to be fulfilled, but not exceeded.

Corporations’ licenses were revocable by state legislatures for any of a great number of reasons, including doing harm to the common good or general welfare.

The act of incorporation did not relieve management or stockholders of responsibility or liability for corporate acts.

As a matter of course, corporation officers, directors, or agents could be held criminally liable for breaking the law.

State (not federal) courts heard cases where corporations or their agents were accused of breaking the law or harming the public.

Directors of the corporation were required to come from among the stockholders.

Corporations had to have their headquarters and meetings in the state where their principal place of business was located.

Corporation charters were granted for a specific period of time, such as 20 years.

Corporations were prohibited from owning stock in other corporations.

Corporations’ real estate holdings were limited to what was necessary to carry out that specific purpose.

Corporations were prohibited from making any political contributions, direct or indirect.

Corporations were prohibited from making charitable or civic donations.

State legislatures set the rates that corporations could charge for their products or services.

All corporation records and documents were open to the legislature.

However, gradually, as people forgot the original corporate excesses, the legislatures dropped their vigilance, and corporate power grew and grew, helped in large part by judges educated in the same law schools as were the corporate attorneys. Many states still have pieces of these laws on the books. However, corporations have established a group of attorneys whose job is to infiltrate states one by one and get these remnants inconspicuously wiped off the record—in the name of "modernizing corporate law statutes."

The coup d’etat occurred when in 1886 the U.S. Supreme Court decreed that corporations are "persons" under the Fourteenth Amendment. This ruling gave corporations almost unprecedented "rights" to question almost any law applied to them and frustrated the ability of the people to direct corporate action in service of the public good. Nearly all of the cases brought under the 14th Amendment are corporate cases, not cases about the equal rights of people!

The question is, "Who’s in charge here?" Corporations are only legal fictions, created by law, controllable by law, and dissolvable by law. They have used cunning propaganda to make us forget that. And in the process we have forgotten democracy, and the sovereignty (imperfect as it is) of the people.

Oil, USA, and the love affair with cars.

The chart for the "birth" of the USA which appeals to me most is that for 2 July 1776, shown below - the Armistead Chart. I prefer it over the popular 4 July charts for reasons of both history and symbolism. The sharp opposition (red line vertically crossing the circle) between Moon/Pluto (public/passion) and Mercury (communication, mental processes) symbolises, for me, the sharp, passionate divisions of opinion which have arisen in every important matter throughout this nation's relatively brief lifespan. In the US I, as an outsider, sense this as a far more bitter, all encompassing and absolute division than generally occurs in other countries.

The other very interesting alignment, given current circumstances, is a harmonious trine (the blue diagonal on left side of chart) between Neptune, representing oil, and Moon representing the public -& Pluto representing passion and potential threat.


Chart copied from Astrodatabank.

In the USA, more than any other nation, the people simply love their vehicles. Beloved cars, SUVs and trucks need gas/oil of course, and here's where that harmonious trine (oil/people) manifests. Vehicles represent that highly-valued sense of freedom craved by The American People. Vehicles are also a necessity in many areas. Much of this vast country isn't served by public transport. There is little or no access to sidewalks (footpaths), so use of "Shanks' Pony" is strictly limited - if one values one's life.

Motor vehicles then, outside of metropolitan areas, are the only means of transport. In some cases several cars are owned by a single family, to meet the the demands of differing job/school/college locations. From such necessities has arisen this love of Americans for their vehicles. As an extension of that, there is an insatiable need for gas (petrol). I ought to mention also that the US Military Industrial Complex - a truly gargantuan entity - uses gazillions more gas than the average Joe.....and the MIC is indeed insatiable.

The current tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico has to be bringing home to many (or should be bringing home to many) that halcyon days in the love affair of Americans for their vehicles are almost over. We are rapidly reaching a fresh state of affairs. Things must, somehow, change if we and the planet are to survive.




There's a must-read article on the topic by Johann Hari at Huffington Post: We Are All Trapped in a Global Oil Slick. The piece closes thus:

And so we are all left slithering in the global oil slick. Yet the anger of the sane citizenry -- those of us who don't want to engage in collective self-destruction -- has been weirdly muted. Most of us know instinctively that we can't carry on like this. Most of us know Big Oil is a swelling tumor. But it is still much more common to see protests for cheap oil than to see protests to build a world beyond it. We wait passively for a rational politician to emerge through the corruption, when we should be relentlessly pressuring them all.

The oilman John Paul Getty once joked: "The meek will inherit the earth, but not the mineral rights." If the sane proponents of a post-oil world stay so meek and mild, we may not inherit much worth having at all.

There are doom-laden articles and comments about the oil leak all over the internet at present. I avoid such writings for the most part, but occasionally feel a nagging responsibility to investigate these cries of "Wolf!" There is talk of methane gas deposits exploding and causing earthquakes or a tsunami. Talk of movement of tectonic plates. Talk of oily/poisonous rains falling when noxious fumes are carried up into the atmosphere; and of hurricanes still to come.

O joy!


By way of antidote - or not - I decided to pull 3 cards from my tarot deck. I asked "What do I need to know about the future in relation to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?"
Strength/7 Wands/7 Cups emerged after a good shuffle and cut.
Hmmm - definite cause for some slight feeling of relief? The Strength card is the most important one of the 3 as it comes from the Major Arcana. Its meaning is obvious, really needs no further interpretation.

7 of Wands = showing defiance and holding out against pressure, resisting authority, showing conviction. 7 Cups = procrastination, avoiding being pro-active, lacking focus, having a variety of options but being indecisive. Is this a picture of the current US administration?

7 Cups is the dangerously undermining card of these 3, otherwise hopeful, cards. Strength could and should overcome it with the stamina, courageous outlook and unshakeable resolve indicated by the card.

Looks like the tarot is casting a dividing line reminiscent of that in the US chart. In this case it's Strength v. procrastination and indecision.



(Illustration above is taken from Prop Art, by Gary Yanker, on my bookshelf. This poster and the one earlier in the piece were issued in 1970 and 1971 after an oil spill off California.

When will they ever learn?

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.

SYMBOLOGY & ADAM LAMBERT

Symbolism seems to be following me around just now, I'm coming across mentions of it every whichway I turn. Synchronicity is at work!

Yesterday, an article by John Hammelton, "The Power of the Symbol" appeared in Astro Dispatch. This dealt with symbolism in astrology.

On Thursday evening we saw the movie "Angels & Demons" in which Tom Hanks plays symbologist Robert Langdon. The movie's theme dealt with ancient religious symbology.



A comment made in an American Idol blog (mjsbigblog) by the writer of another blog: "The Fat Lady Sings" dealt with cultural symbology. I realise that not everyone was as invested in American Idol as I and many others in the USA, but the point made by this writer is significant, whether you watched American Idol or not. The comment impressed me so much, I'm copying it in full, below.

In a strange way the cultural symbolism The Fat Lady Sings talks about links both the astrological and religious symbology, to which my attention was recently drawn.

The comment, copied here, written by The Fat Lady sings:

"After a great deal of thought on the subject - there’s something I’d really like to say about what the symbolism of an Adam (Lambert) win would have been. Symbols bear great societal importance. We rely on them as a species to convey connectivity; how we think and feel. Words become unnecessary. Communication with a glance. We are visual creatures after all. Adam represented the outré – society’s margins – a place he’d occupied most of his young life. He was the fat kid in school – into the arts. Oddball, unusual – definitely not mainstream. He was castigated for it – as all who march to that different drummer often are. Just watch his graduation video. There he is – that incredible voice soaring to heaven – and when the camera pans across the stage or into the audience – you see his classmates talking behind their hands, pointing and snickering. Adam was a joke.

So here he is, 10 years later – a fabulous creature of his own design. That glorious voice honed to perfection. He was ready. But America was still in high school, still snickering behind their hands. Elect the gay kid class president? Not on your life! But more than that – more than rejecting someone so beautiful he made your heart ache – underlying the rejection was a truck load of fear. Why? Because Adam was a symbol; a great rainbow flag announcing America had changed. If Adam Lambert had won American Idol in spite of being gay and Jewish – then others who existed on society’s margins might try and step forward into the light as well. And we’d be forced to reckon with them – to take them seriously. That’s why this was important – why it went beyond one supremely talented performer. Adam Lambert would have won for all the disenfranchised. There’s your symbol. America’s first openly gay Idol.

And Adam’s win would have been a legitimate one – not manufactured as some kind of comfit or an appeasement to silence loud voices. The man’s madly talented – a true superstar. Now I’m not saying Kris Allen isn’t talented, or that under other circumstances (such as an Adamless Idol) wouldn’t deserve the win. He is; truly - he just doesn’t compare to Adam. No one on that stage did. Adam was and is in a class by himself. So his not winning (despite all that talent), points to other things – especially when you look at all the fear-driven hysteria of the last few days. I’m not saying Bill O’Reilly’s hit piece was solely responsible; but when you couple it with all the other anti-gay, heavily political folderol that accompanied it – a pattern emerges. I live in the south. In my area - some local DJ’s exhorted listeners to not vote for the gay guy. Seriously. They didn’t even mention Kris by name – just hated on Adam. Ever since his ‘Ring of Fire’ performance – Adam has been regularly dissed on local radio. From what I’ve heard – a few local churches spoke out against him as well. Danny Gokey’s pastor wasn’t the only preacher to bring religion into the mix. As many people voted against Adam as for Kris.

So Adam’s loss is devastating for a multiplicity of reasons. He really deserved that win. Not just for his fans – but because it would have stood for something. In a way - Adam represented anyone who felt disenfranchised. That’s added an extra layer of unhappiness over the whole thing. He lost for reasons other than singing. I cannot tell you how sad that makes me feel. And please understand I am not intending to diminish Kris in any way. As I said before - any other year his talent would have been formidable. But Adam’s special. He really is all that and a bag of chips. Why did other issues have to contaminate the voting? Such a pity……"

The astrological significance here, I see as coming from the USA's natal Sun in Cancer (born on 4 July). The zodiac sign of Cancer symbolises nurturing, homely, motherly instincts - all apple pie and sentimental cuddles. Is it surprising that the majority of those people in the USA who enjoy American Idol would prefer a singer who offers Kris Allen's safe, sentimental, non-controversial kind of music? Or that of 3rd runner-up Danny Gokey in similar vein?(I suspect that Danny's former voters flocked to Kris at the final). This strongly Cancerian symbolism is part of the homeland, part of the environment. Kris has Sun in Cancer and Danny has Sun in Taurus, so it follows that both are much more nearly in tune with US symbolism than Adam, his Aquarius Sun, and left-field but mesmerising style. Aquarius in the zodiacal circle is quincunx Cancer, symbolically that is a scratchy, irritable aspect - exactly the effect Adam seems to have had on a sizeable proportion of US voters.

So there is astrological symbolism here. Religious symbolism in this context could be seen as relating to the conservative religious-right's anti-Adam attitudes which could also have featured in Tuesday night's voting.

Adam Lambert will find more universal acceptance outside of the USA, away from its pervading Cancerian atmosphere - in other words he'll be an international star. Recalling my own words from a post dated 31 March 2009:

"Whether he'll be 2009's American Idol, I will not guess. I will guess, though, that Adam Lambert will be a familiar name by the time Uranus enters Aries, and transits near his natal Moon in around 2 to 3 years'time."

I'd now amend "familiar" to "internationally famous", and make that a prediction.

Many thanks to The Fat Lady Sings blog for the use of your eloquent comment.

USA Character Chart

I'm periodically drawn to look at Astrodatabank's collection of the various charts used to represent the USA. Most astrologers seem to prefer those set for 4 July 1776, Independence Day. These have a variety of ascendants depending on rectifiction by the astrologers, using important events in the country's history to pinpoint a rising sign.

As I usually say on this topic, I'm not completely convinced about the logic behind such charts, or any chart representing an inanimate entity. If there is going to be a chart to represent a country though, it ought to reflect the "feel" of the country in question, even if placements don't coincide exactly with historically important events. I'm finding, in astrology generally, that though some trends can be foreseen, accuracy in actual prediction of events is patchy. The outer planets, including Saturn, are the most reliable when trying to foresee trends, but even these are fallible. Many factors, including charts of involved individuals, other countries, companies or groups need to be brought into focus also, leaving a very tangled web and confused scenario. Predictions made from one perspective only are going to be hit and miss at best.

So, concentrating only on national characteristics, what outstanding and necessary features would I look for in a chart of this nation?

1. First and foremost: Aquarius and/or Uranus must be emphasised. I see the birth of the USA as a very Aquarian/Uranian event. The establishment of the Republic is sometimes referred to as "The Great Experiment" - an effort to provide government of the people, by the people, for the people. Whether or not it worked out as planned, it was a very Aquarian/Uranian proposition. From days of the early pioneers, people here have displayed a determination to create change (Uranus)of one kind or another in their own lives or the lives of others, not always for the good, it has to be said. Aquarius and Uranus are not necessarily forces for good, though they often are.

2. Sagittarius/Jupiter should also have fairly prominent placing. Excess, over-indulgence, "bigness" and exaggeration are easily recognisable in the overall character of this country. Not forgetting religion, also the province of Jupiter/Sagittarius. Many of the original settlers were fleeing their own countries to find religious freedom; religion has been, and still is, for good or ill, an important part of the nation's character.

3. Leo ought to feature in the chart, Leo leads, and the USA thinks of itself as "world leader".

4. Mars should feature: military might, and the will to fight, has been present from the Revolutionary War which spawned the USA, to the present-day debacle in Iraq.

5. There should be a clear opposition aspect somewhere in the chart to represent the sharp dichotomy of public opinion which arises frequently on issues. I see this as a distinct feature of the USA's national character. It sometimes seems, to me, as though there are two distinctly different countries here.

Conclusion: All the 4 July 1776 charts have too much emphasis on Cancer (Sun) for my liking, the same applies to the 2 July (Armistead chart) which I'd previously considered a good choice. I don't see the character of the USA as in any way Cancerian. The Sun is one of the main representative factors in any chart, so, for me, none of these properly represents the character of the USA.

The above exclusions narrow my field considerably!

The Signing of the Constitution chart has Sun in Virgo, also inappropriate for the USA, in my view.

The nearest match I can find is the David Solte 1777 chart:

"David Solte's Presentation of the U.S. chart, data given in San Diego Astrological Society "The Uranian," May 1993, time rectified. He used the minutes of the Continental Congress to narrow down the passage of the Articles of Confederation to a few hours between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm on Nov. 15, 1777, when they were meeting in York, PA. Solte then rectified the chart to 12:46 pm Local Mean Time for the date and time when the Articles of Confederation became effective. The Declaration of Independence had declared that America was a separate entity from Great Britain, but it was not until the Confederation was established that the U.S. became a group of states united under one government.
Quite a few astrologers find that this chart works well for following the fortunes of the US government and the nation as a whole."

(Copied from Astrodatabank, linked above).

Here we have Sun in Scorpio - not ideal, but I can see how passionate and stubbornly Fixed Scorpionic traits could fit the USA's national character - the majority seem very passionate about their flag, their patriotism, their religion, their "American Dream". One of Scorpio's symbols is the Eagle, a much revered USA national symbol. This chart has an Aquarian ascendant, so fits my stated requirement. Uranus in Gemini trines and blends with the Aquarius ascendant - that's even better! Jupiter in Leo, the leader's sign, lies on the descendant angle, a strong position, with Sagittarius at midheaven, possibly the strongest position in the chart. There's a cardinal opposition (Cancer/Capricorn) between Mars and North Node of the Moon, a sensitive point, providing dichotomy, as well the required Mars connection. There's a second opposition, between Venus and Chiron, the Wounded Healer, further underlining the nation's propensity to split in two.

No existing chart exactly fits my personal view of a USA national personality, David Solte's 1777 chart comes near. Interestingly, a blend of Leo, Aquarius and Scorpio is what the nation stands to get get from an Obama/Biden ticket in the General election this year.