Discussion: The Rising Sign of the United States Horoscope--Scorpio, Sagittarius, or Gemini Rising?

In this writer's opinion, the manifestation of the Saturn-Pluto impact is
clearly economic, since the 9-11 attack was aimed at the capitalist system
itself as symbolized by the World Trade Center which housed the financial
assets and shared resources of the world's major corporate powers.
Capitalism, shared assets, insurance companies - these are all eighth house
affairs, which is where transiting Saturn is now. The nation's wealth is
symbolized by the second house, where transiting Pluto is now, and going
through precipitous re-evaluations or restructuring, which are the keywords
associated with Saturn-Pluto aspects.

In defense of a Gemini Rising horoscope, one NewsScope reader writes "Pluto
transiting an angle is only severe enough to describe an event where people
are saying that America will never be the same." Let's not forget that Pluto
takes 248 years to make one complete orbit, and since the birth of the nation
has only crossed the angles three times. If one is going to tout a Pluto
transit to the angles as the only significator for such an event, then make
sure that historic parallels such as the JFK assassination, Pearl Harbor, or
the outbreak of Civil War have equally significant angle crossings.

Personally, I find the Gemini Rising horoscope implausible since the
Declaration of Independence would have to be signed at 2 am or shortly
thereafter, which according to the myth was pre-selected by Benjamin Franklin
as being most auspicious. The Founding Fathers are among the most researched,
studied men in history, and no one has uncovered any evidence that a) any of
them were astrologers, or b) that the Continental Congress was meeting at any
time other than normal daylight hours.

As for the Sagittarius Rising chart, this one is set for a more likely time,
but doesn't fit historical events as neatly as the Gemini or Scorpio Rising
charts. The Gemini and Scorpio Rising charts are set 12 hours apart, and
their MC-IC axes are reversed 180 degrees, and thereby share these same
critical degrees. One of the top reasons given for Sagittarius Rising is that
the American national character seems to fit Sagittarius Rising so well.
These qualities include (as Liz Greene writes) "the undaunted explorer's
spirit, the boundless enthusiasm and faith in the future, the deeply
religious bias, the material and emotional excess, the assumption of moral
superiority, the courageous refusal to accept defeat, the unquenchable
optimism."

While one can hardly dispute these traits as being typically American, the
astrological correlation can be found in a Sagittarius Ascendant OR a ninth
house Sun, which is where the Sun is found in the Scorpio Rising chart. In
addition, the Sun is conjunct Jupiter, underscoring these qualities, and the
Sun and Jupiter are trine the Scorpio Ascendant as well. The Sun in the ninth
house of religion, trine to a Scorpio Ascendant gives an intense morality not
found in the Sagittarius horoscope. Which astrologer can tell the difference
between a Sagittarius Ascendant and a ninth house Sun? These are some of the
difficult issues to wade through in finding an accurate horoscope for the
United States.

The 9-11 attack ties together the Scorpio Rising horoscope with the WTC and
the Taliban through the 29th degree of Pisces. The 29th degree is the last
degree of the last sign, and is known as the "weeping" degree. It is aligned
with Scheat, a variable star in the constellation of Pegasus. Vivian Robson
describes Scheat's influence as causing extreme misfortune, murder, suicide
(!), and drowning. The Taliban's horoscope (see NewsScope March 5, 2001)
features Saturn at 29 degrees Pisces. The WTC horoscope is set for the
official first shovel of dirt on August 5, 1966 at noon (data from Mark
Penfield), and shows a Moon-Saturn conjunction at 29 degrees Pisces.

The U.S. progressed Midheaven is now at 29 degrees Pisces, and connects the
Taliban and WTC in time. The progressed U.S. Midheaven will enter Aries in a
few months, perfectly describing the long-term war against terrorism that is
now commencing. The U.S. progressed Mars is in the 12th house of secret
enemies, but if and only if one uses the Scorpio Ascendant. This 12th house
Mars becomes suddenly activated by the progressed Midheaven entering Aries.

Special Horoscope: September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in NY