The No-Fault Divorce Bill

Ronald Reagan signed the No-Fault Divorce Bill in California on Sept. 4, 1969 thus thrusting the term "Irreconcilable Differences" into the tongues of all soon to be free single middle aged men and women. The divorce rates skyrocketed. The rest of the country soon followed suit and this is how the "Free Love" of the 60s melded into the "Have you talked to your Therapist about This" 70s. The 80s brought Cocaine and AIDS. There were a few years, though, right between the time when the Pill was introduced and the time when everyone had The Herpes when it was all worth it. I thought I'd take a look at the chart.

Family Law Act
signed Sept. 4, 1969
went into effect Jan. 1, 1970

Sun 12 Virgo; Moon in Gemini?; NN 22 Pisces; I don't have a time for the signing but 9 am gives 10 Libra Rising.

Boy, I wish I had the time for the signing. The 9am Chart has a Mercury-Jupiter-Uranus conjunction just hanging over the Ascendant in the 12th house. Jupiter = Law and Uranus = Divorce and Libra = Marriage. Mercury might = Signing. So all this seems very appropriate. When the Bill went into effect in 3 months, Uranus had transited from 3 Libra over to 9 Libra conjunct the Maybe Libra Ascendant by one degree.

It's interesting that there were 3 Eclipses around the time of the signing: 2 Lunar and 1 Solar. Saros 108 ended on Aug. 27, 1969 with its last Lunar Appulse Eclipse. That fits. I was hoping to find a Saros Series that was ending. I remember my Mother sighing "It's the End of an Era" for the first 2 years of her Divorce from my Father.

Saros 134 had a Solar Annular Eclipse on Sept. 11, 1969 with Moon-Pluto-Nodes (breaking apart the family through extreme emotional content).

Saros 146 also had a Lunar Eclipse on Sept. 25, 1969. This Series had just begun in the 1840s.

The Sun trine Saturn shows a positive attitude towards taking responsibility and blame (Saturn keywords). And it hooks into Ronald Reagan's chart nicely because, for one, he was an Aquarius Sun (Uranus = Divorce). For two, he had a natal Mercury-Uranus conjunction and, for 3, Reagan was within range of going through his Saturn Return.

What also fits, however, a less lovely aspect, is his Mars-Pluto opposition. The No-Fault Divorce Bill chart has Pisces NN opposite Pluto conjunct the South Node squaring Mars in Sagittarius. The Pisces NN wants to send only Love out into the Universe, but good Luck trying that with irresponsible Mars in Sagg challenging it and Pluto digging up dirt on the South Node. At 9am, the Moon in Gemini is opposing Mars expanding this theme out into a Grand Square format. Good Luck with that Challenge: Try making it through the emotional volatility of Mars-Moon-Pluto-NN without finding fault! Virgo and Sagittarius are really into fault finding anyway.

Venus at 8 Leo is in mutual reception with Saturn at 9 Taurus which is a good sign, but they are squaring each other which is a bad sign. This explains the fighting over the money and who was going to be stuck with the kids. Burdens, another Saturn Keyword. Saturn was Retrograde from the time of the signing of this Bill until the time it went into effect. And once again I repeat: Mars-Pluto-Nodes-Moon. Let's face it, Divorce isn't about placing blame, it's about fighting over money so you can be free to find partners who will give you enough sex. That's a Pisces NN thing for sure, but minus the baggage.

Anyhoo, when the No-Fault Divorce Bill went into effect, the Sun was conjunct Venus in Capricorn and squaring the Moon in Libra. That's a good "We Can Make it Work" combination. Saturn was still Retrograde. That's called "Forcing it to work." Mars was at 13 Pisces conjunct the North Node at 15 Pisces. This was opposing the Virgo Sun within a degree. "Family" became more about the parents' dating habits and the kids' afterschool programs became about seeing the psychotherapist. I seem to remember that the Interest Rates rose to about 20 percent for awhile in there too, so nobody really had any money to fight over at that point anyway.

Assemblyman James A. Hayes was the Man who put this legislation together. His wife left him 2 years later. She got the Kids, the House, the Car, the Alimony. But, what a ninny. Hayes remarried soon after and stopped paying alimony and child support. I can't find his birth info. Here's his story: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0377/is_n124/ai_18579233.