Anniversaries of major events are always interesting. 

The passage of time helps give us their historical context but it also allows us to remember how we felt about things back then. 

February 12th 1973 was the date the first US troops arrived back from Vietnam.

I was studying US Politics for A level at the time and it felt like a major breakthrough. The President at the time was Tricky Dicky Nixon.

Richard Nixon was a Capricorn Sun but with the opposition to an 11th house Neptune, his political career would be most remembered for a scandal.

The Mars / Mercury / Jupiter conjunction in the 4th is pointing to the Watergate break in and its opposition to his 10th house Pluto shows the devastating impact that it had on his career.

But those early heady days of 1973 happened before anyone knew about it.

Planets in houses and by aspect don’t just point to one thing, they indicate a certain type of energy which can manifest in a number of different experiences within their symbolic range.

So while Neptune in Cancer in the 11th house opposite a Capricorn Sun can certainly indicate political downfall due to a scandal it could also suggest a a peace initiative that would go against the native’s natural instincts.

The year 1973 showcased both ends of the Neptune spectrum for Tricky Dicky.

Nixon had just won a 2nd election in November 1972 and was inaugurated with Jupiter conjunct his Sun.

This transit was still in place as the negotiations to end the Vietnam war were progressing through January 1973.

The Paris Peace Accord ending the US involvement with the war was signed on January 27th.

Venus and Jupiter were together in Capricorn, with the former exactly on Nixon’s Sun.

While this treaty was definitely a success for Nixon, the withdrawal was acknowledgement of a defeat for the USA.

This is indicated in the chart because of the Mars / Saturn opposition.

In the charts of nations, the Ascendant is the most important point, more so even than the Sun.

This is because a lot of nations charts begin on January 1st so this places the Sun at about 10 Capricorn for many of them.

The Descendant ( 7th house cusp ) is the place not of the marriage partner because they don’t have one. It is in fact the place of the enemy.

So the US involvement in Vietnam ended with Saturn at 13.54 Gemini exactly conjunct the US Descendant.

It was at the same degree of the Zodiac nearly 29 years later.

Of course, 9 / 11 was a much bigger event in US history, perhaps the biggest single one.

And this simple fact is shown by Pluto making its only appearance on the US Ascendant at 12 Sagittarius.

Pluto’s sojourn through Sagittarius is associated with The War On Terror and religious fundamentalism in Islam, The September 11th bombings were a pivotal point in its journey through this sign.

It’s also worth noting that the Pluto / Saturn opposition focuses by T Square onto the Sun.

These degree areas in the middle of Mutable signs seem to be very strongly tenanted by slow moving planets when the US is involved in wars.

When the Vietnam War began for the US is hard to say because they had covert operations and aggressive diplomacy for a while but the real US invasion of the country began with Operation Rolling Thunder in March 1965.

Here we have a staggeringly powerful Uranus / Pluto conjunct in square to the US Ascendant / Descendant axis. The inclusion of the Sun and Saturn at the opposite end forming a Grand Cross with the US chart is very fitting for the beginning of their participation.

With all that Virgo / Pisces and Saturn’s involvement the feel is around needless sacrifice of many young men and ultimate failure of the enterprise.

And that inevitable retreat 8 years later occurred with the transit Saturn forming a T square aspect with all the planets involved in this opposition.

In fact, the slow moving planets in these areas of Mutable signs will not only coax the US into wars, but they will also indicate the likely success or failure of the missions.

For one reason or another the US resisted getting involved with World War Two and the fight against Hitler.

Maybe they were simply waiting for a heavy duty planet to reach the middle of Gemini.

Jupiter obliged in 1941 with the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbour, when this Jupiter was opposite the Sun ( which at 15 Sagittarius would be conjunct the US Ascendant ).

This Jupiter placing dragged the US into the conflict but also showed that they would win.

The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima which resulted in the end of the war occurred with Uranus at 16 Gemini ( again conjunct the US Descendant ).

Astrologers will often reference Pluto as the ruler of the atomic age and it’s conjunction with a Leo Sun shows the devastating power involved.

The extremely tight conjunction of the Moon with Saturn also depicts the cataclysmic and tragic consequences for Japan.

It also goes without saying that Uranus in this chart is transiting exactly conjunct the Jupiter and opposite the Sun of the Pearl Harbour chart that brought the US into the war in the first place.

There does seem to be some kind of pattern emerging here.

Which is a bit worrying because Jupiter will be back in Gemini in 2024 and will be opposite the US Ascendant from July of that year until March 2025.

And following the World War Two pattern, Uranus will be at the same degrees in 2028 – 29.

This also coincides with Pluto conjunct the Ascendant of the China chart

All of which is another very good reason not to reelect Donald Trump in November 2024, because Jupiter will be conjunct his Gemini Sun in 2025 so he will be even more gung ho than usual.

Posted on February 9th 2023

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