Progressed U.S. Chart and Financial Crisis

I want to point out some aspects related to the Progressions in the United States Chart with regards to the last few weeks' Collapse of the U.S. Economy.

Before that, I'd like to point out that, along with a number of other transits, the Financial Crisis may somehow be related to the Saturn-Uranus opposition that is coming up. In earlier research I found that the U.S. has a natal Pluto Retrograde at 28 Capricorn. The year that prog. Pluto (1872-73) stationed Direct the U.S. entered a more than 20 year long Depression known as the Long Depression. This was preceded by a collapse of the Viennese Financial System which happened in May, 1873 and was indicated in the Chart for the day of the Collapse by an opposition of Saturn in Aquarius to Uranus in Leo. Saturn-Uranus oppositions don't seem to coincide with Financial Collapses but we now have two solid examples that when they do the effects are Global and very serious.

It is interesting that Pluto came out of Retrograde just as the U.S. dropped into the "Long Depression" in 1873. This depression was Worldwide and lasted more than 20 years. Even though the financial markets were messed up, production world-wide sped up. Perhaps the U.S. Leadership in this area could be attributed to Pluto's extended stay in Capricorn and sudden direct motion by progression? Say what you want about Saturn and Pluto working together, but they are workaholics and they do like to be productive.

In the Progressed Chart for the United States, the planets are so strongly aspected with regards to the financial crisis that I'm not using progressed ASC, MC and Moon right now. It would be great to look at them in order to understand how the U.S. is handling the Crisis but since there is no real consensus about accuracy of any of the U.S. charts I'll leave that to someone else.

It's interesting to notice how many planets are in moving Retrograde in the current progressed Chart. The U.S. has 2 natal Retrograde planets, Mercury and Pluto, and they are in opposition to each other in the chart. Both planets have come out of Retrograde since 1776 and Mercury has again progressed back into Retrograde.

Right now the progressed U.S. chart has 5 planets in Retrograde: Mercury 24 Aquarius Rx; Mars 19 Libra Rx; Jupiter 16 Cancer Rx; Saturn 4 Scorpio Rx; and Neptune 27 Virgo Rx.

The Progressed U.S. Sun is in early degrees of Pisces which shows that it is going through a transition phase. As with any of the signs this could show both positive and negative reactions to the new energy which it must adjust to as it emerges out of the Aquarian energy and into the Piscean energy. It is in the learning phase of this transition and can exhibit some of the pains associated with adapting to a new energy. The positive side of the new Pisces Progression is an increased sensitivity and compassion to suffering of those less fortunate. The negative side is a fatalistic, self-destructive streak that comes with such awareness. Hopefully, the U.S. won't begin to plant opium fields out in Utah and form huge crime syndicates. (Well, the Crime is already there it will just get worse and the jails will get even worse also.) These represent some cliche ways that Neptune deals with loss of psychic boundaries due to absorption of all the energies around its self. The U.S. Sun should eventually gain some increased Vitality from this progression as it is a Water Sign and will receive a trine contact in about years.

I'm using the Sibley Chart for the United States with Sagittarius Rising, (July 4, 1776 5:10pm Philadelphia, PA) but, as I said, I'm only showing the planetary progressions and not dealing with House placements.

First I'd like to mention how the transiting Mercury Retrograde is super strong with regards to contacts to making stressful contacts with both the U.S. natal chart and the U.S. Secondary Progressed Chart. It is making 3 passes over the United States' natal Saturn at 15 Libra. As Saturn is involved in a t-square formation opposing Chiron in Aries and squaring the U.S. Sun at 14 Cancer this is a major sore spot dealing with Vitality, Will, Fear, Government and Woundings. This could account for the extra anxiety and mental stress as Mercury and Saturn together are major rulers for Anxiety (from Rex Bills). Whether the U.S. has a Gemini or a Sagittarius Chart, Saturn still rules a financial house because Capricorn will be either on the 2d or 8th House cusps.

In addition to that stress one should notice that the Progressed U.S. Mars is now moving in Retrograde Motion at 19 Libra and so is within 4 degrees conjunction with the U.S. Saturn and subsequently is in contact with the natal t-square with Sun and Chiron. Mars will continue to move in Retrograde Motion closer to Saturn over many years. Mars and Saturn don't work well together. I'm not sure of the source of this imagery but I've heard of them described as "Driving With the Brakes On" aspect. Both want to act but Mars wants to act impulsively and Saturn wants to proceed cautiously and with a plan. In Libra one can only imagine how much vacillation this involves.

These aren't financial indicators necessarily except that progressed Venus, ruler of Banking, Money and Material Possessions is conjunct Chiron! This brings into the game the ruler of Money, Finances, Material Possessions, Banking. She is conjunct Chiron to the degree at 18 Aries and disposits to Mars. She happens to be in conjunction with the "Healer" who can't heal his own wound. Sounds a bit like the U.S. and World Governments at this point.

There's one more progressed Planet in strong conjunction with this natal U.S. t-square. Progressed Retrograde Jupiter is also Retrograde and so in a long conjunction with the U.S. Sun at 16 Cancer. Both Jupiter and Cancer are associated with consumption and the extended retrograde can show all the problems that uncontrollable consumption can cause.

So, all the planets that rule money are in a stress contact with the natal U.S. Chart through progression. They all seem to be pointing to the empty leg of the t-square. This is the missing element which the t-square needs in order to resolve its problems. This is the middle degrees of Capricorn. Interesting how Pluto is about to permanently enter Capricorn by transit while it is on the last degree by progression. It is experiencing both the Anticipation Anxiety of entering the sign and the Anticipation Anxiety of leaving the sign.

So, now I'll mention Pluto because his Progression is extremely important right now. Pluto rules Investments, Loans, Debt, Bankruptcy, Insurance. The United States was formed while Pluto was at the end of Capricorn at 28 degrees Rx. He opposes Mercury at 25 Cancer Rx. Commerce wouldn't happen without Mercury and his Communications. Right now this opposition is being hit by the progressed Nodal Axis at 27 Cancer/Capricorn. The South Node is within a degree conjunction of Pluto. Along with all the financial indicators mentioned above Pluto rules Crisis and Disaster on a Massive Scale, and together with the Nodes sort of acts like a Big Machete in the Sky.

Progressed Pluto must really be stressed out right now as he is perhaps tired of all things Capricorn and fearful of entering into Aquarius. Plus he has to face transiting Pluto retracing all those Capricorn steps. I haven't checked to see when the Pluto Return for the U.S. will be in order to compare when it with when Progressed Pluto finally moves into Aquarius. It would be interesting to see if these dates coincide. Interesting that productivity in the U.S. is at such a low point already. We are really experiencing a major lesson in dealing with materialism. One thing that Saturn and Pluto like to do when working together is to create loss. Hopefully there will be a transition to detachment, energy efficiency and innovation as Aquarius rules electricity, invention and circulatory systems. This could be the beginnings of a powerful new identity which will be embraced on a Global Scale. This won't happen for years so we have to be able to learn to handle the anxiety of this transitional time and use the energy for preparation and planning for the future.