Happy Thanksgiving!

Say your Blessings, Count your Prayers, and empty the Food Trough! If you just get sleepy and don't get dry heaves like I have you can count even more prayers!

Really.

I stopped off for a quick bite at McDonald's early today and ate something really bad. There was something slimy in my Soda and I've been tasting bad stuff ever since and hanging over the toilet in desperation to purge whatever went in.

It's a good time to study the chart for "The Wiley Act." This is the legislation responsible for regulation of all foods, drugs and pesticides in the United States. It's the basis of the Food and Drug Administration. It became a model for other countries and it is celebrating its One Hundredth Year Anniversary.

The Food and Drug Act
signed June 30, 1906, Washington, DC
effective January 1, 1907

This Act was signed into effect by Theodore Roosevelt "for preventing the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded or poisonous or deleterious foods, drugs, medicines, liquors, and for regulating traffic therein, and for other purposes." It's called the Wiley Act after a chemist who worked for the Dept. of Agriculture named Harvey V. Wiley. Wiley had fought all through the last 20 years of the 19th Century to pass Pure Food Bills. He was defeated for all of this time by Lobbyists and finally began to break down their resistance with the formation of his "Poison Squad." He would feed various foods and medicines to volunteers and test their urine afterword for toxicity. Then in 1906 Upton Sinclair published his famous book "The Jungle" about the meat packing industry which caught the public's attention and obviously the Government's attention as well.

So, June 30, 1906, 4 planets were in Cancer. Cancer rules food and loving care so this is a good placement and bodes well for success of the legislation. The Sun was conjunct Neptune and Mars, though. Mercury was also in Cancer. Sun-Neptune-Mars together is an interesting combination. Neptune rules Institutions and in Cancer shows a caring, nurturing, compassionate Institution. But, Neptune also rules poisons and deception. Mars adds strength and vitality to the combination, but also aggression and impulsive enthusiasm. One would wonder about the realistic abilities of the FDA to actually regulate anything at all with the Neptune though. This stellium is opposite Uranus in Capricorn. It took shocking news like "The Jungle" and the Poison Squad to get this Act passed into a Governmental Law. This was a time when the leadership really was concerned about the masses. The intentions were certainly good but many alternative healers were also put out of business in favor of the big business "Western Medicine" types. This could also be why attitudes in the United States toward the use of poisonous pesticides are so lax and accepting. (The FDA also began to regulate pesticides in the 1920's). It also explains why fast foods are so popular. Uranus and Mars like efficiency and speed and technology. Drive-through Windows, TV Dinners, burgers created by poor, angry, resentful people out of animals that have no idea what it means to be an animal; it's all good. It's impersonal, efficient and quick. Gives the most to the many give or take a nutrient or two. With Neptune so heavily involved it's easy to turn a blind eye towards. Jupiter was conjunct Pluto at this time too almost guaranteeing success and popularity. This Act helped usher in the Modern lifestyle and in a competitive sense put the U.S. at a superior level to other less advanced countries.

Also of interest are the Nodes. North Node in Leo conjunct Venus contributes to popularity, caters to the luxury and pleasure principle. Venus, as ruler of Taurus, rules money so the needs of big business would always be close to the the goals of this law. South Node in Aquarius conjunct Chiron certainly points toward an inability to overcome a wounding spread out to a large group of people maybe catering more to hopes and wishes than reality. How on earth can you feed the masses and still respect what Nature has to offer? How do speed growth up? How do you conquer pests? Retain freshness over long periods of time? You can't, so you paint the foods Pink with Red Dye whatever it was and you make it extra pretty and extra cheap and everyone can have one and be happy. Bread and Circus. I drink Diet Coke. I also pour it down the sink to unclog the muck.

Aquarius also rules technology. First there were pesticides and mass production and preservatives and dyes and astronaut food. Now the FDA is close to giving the go-ahead for Cloned Meats. There is no longer such a thing as non-bioengineered corn because the pollen flies so quickly. Drive through Mid-Western farmland and no bugs hit your windshield because they no longer eat the altered crops. Taste an Organic Apple and you feel like you've just eaten Medicine... This is what has happened.

Fascinatingly, it all sort of feeds into the United States chart with Sun in Cancer which wants to take care of others and Moon in Aquarius which wants to take care of the Masses.

When the Act actually went into effect on Jan. 1, 1907, the Sun had revolved around into conjunction with Uranus and Jupiter was conjunct the June stellium of Sun-Neptune-Mars along with the Moon. This huge stellium was also trining Saturn in Pisces which showed strong Government support. The timing on this Act was excellent.

Harvey V. Wiley became known at the "Father of the Pure Food and Drugs Act." He worked at the FDA until 1912 when he quit to take over the laboratories at Good Housekeeping. He then became the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval Man. He was constantly ahead of his time. In 1921 he contributed to the passing of a Maternity Bill to allocate improved Infant care which is directly related to the reduction of infant mortality rates in the U.S. In 1927 he commented on how cigarette smoke is harmful and promotes Cancer.

His birth information is October 30, 1844 Kent, Indiana. Sun in Libra opposite Pluto in Aries indicating a self-starter with diplomatic ability to power trip with others. Mars in Libra at the Aries Point so that he would be brought forth as a crusader of some kind. Moon either in Capricorn or Aquarius. He had Venus conjunct Chiron in Virgo otherwise unaspected which shows the emphasis on Service and Health. And North Node in Sagittarius, Idealistic and Independent and able to see the broader picture.

A great book has just been published about the Food and Drug Act. The Hundred-Year Lie: How Food and Medicine are Destroying your Health by Randall Fitzgerald. Many Documentaries about the Food Industry. Neptune has been conjunct the Chiron/SN of the FDA chart which is Inconjunct it's Neptune (natal). The FDA is being called upon to make adjustments. Pestcides, Foods, and Drugs; many of the products it has been endorsing have been found to be toxic to our health.