electile dysfunction
The U.S. election this year happened to fall on the very
day that Mercury was stationing direct.
by Jill Kirby | 15 january, 2001
For those unfamiliar with this astrological term, a planet is said to 'station' when its apparent motion (how it looks to us here on earth) changes direction. Of course, it is just an optical illusion - the result of the difference in the planets' distances from the Sun, and their different rates of orbit. However, from our perspective, there are certain times when the planets appear to slow down, stop, move backwards for a time, then slow down again, stop, and resume forward motion. The time when the planet appears to stand still, in preparation for its change of direction, is called the 'station'.
For relatively quick planets like Mercury, the station is an especially potent time because the planet pauses at a particular degree of the zodiac rather than simply brushing past as it usually would. If that zociac degree happens to be significant in a given chart - for example, if one of your natal planets occupies that point - then you will be particularly affected by the mercurial influences, all the more so if you are engaged in activities that are mercurial in nature, such as making any kind of decision.
In the U.S. chart, Mercury stationed on the degree of the Sun-Moon midpoint - an extremely important degree in any chart, which relates to the basic psychological balance (in this case the collective balance of the nation). Mercury stationed in the sign of Libra, which is also associated with balance, (as well as fairness, equality and basic justice) and they certainly ended up with an almost even balance in both the Senate and Congress, as well as in the Presidential race.
In Astrology, Mercury rules: accuracy, assembly places, attorneys, business matters, certificates, clerks, communication of all kinds, computers, definitions, delegates, detail, explanations, facts, history, humour, illegibility, indecision, information (gathering and dissemination), inquiries, inspectors, nerves in general, news, numbers, opinions, petitions, postage, proclamations, pulmonary troubles, radio and t.v., registrars, scenarios, Secretaries of State, siblings, signatures, testimony, theft, transcripts... this is just a small sample.
However, all of the words on this list were relevant to the events of the latest U.S. election (Bush's running mate even had bypass surgery for his pulmonary troubles!). Mercury, particularly in its retrograde phase, is associated with the trickster archetype in mythology, which is why there seem to be so many irritating glitches whenever Mercury is retrograde. Holding their election, as the U.S. did this time, with Mercury just finishing its retrograde period, was an invitation to the kind of chaos that ensued.
I found it interesting that, with all the talk that went on about this election, I heard no mention of the fact that the only State over which there was so much contention, and the one which held the decisive vote, coincidentally happened to be the State in which Bush's brother is Governor. Nobody seemed to find this at all suspicious.
Looking at the charts of the Presidential contenders, it
wasn't too hard to predict that Bush would win in the end. Not
only does his chart have many connections with the U.S. national
chart - many more than Gore's - but the transits to Gore's chart
were not very favourable.
With Saturn transiting over his natal Tenth House Venus, Gore's popularity was limited (he was perceived as too stiff - how very Saturnian!), and with Neptune transiting his Seventh House cusp, the potential for deception and disillusionment was very strong. Looking at that Neptune transit, I am even more tempted to question the tactics and behind-the-scenes maneuvering of Gore's opposition.
The Seventh House in a chart pertains to partnerships, such as marriage, but is also the house of "open enemies". Of course, deceit and dirty tricks are nothing new in the realm of politics. We heard much talk, it seemed, from the Bush side about Gore trying to "steal" the election - was this a psychological projection? In the end, Gore might consider himself fortunate to have lost, given the propensity for Presidents elected during the Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions to die in office (as mentioned in my last article).
Not all of the Presidents who died in office did so in their first term - it will certainly be interesting to see how Bush fares. Mythologically, the Jupiter-Saturn story is about the son (Jupiter) overthrowing his father, and Astrologers have long seen their conjunction as presaging the end of an old regime and the beginning of a new. Traditionally, the Democratic party in the U.S. is ruled by Saturn, while Jupiter has rulership of the Republican party, so, once again, it was not surprising to me to see the Presidency fall to the Republicans.
In addition to the above-mentioned influences, the U.S. chart has also been receiving a transit of Uranus to their national Moon.
The last time this transit occurred was 1916-17 (during WW I). Among other things happening in the U.S. at that time was the women's suffrage movement, and Margaret Sanger helped to open the first birth control clinic. As the Moon in Astrology represents the feminine archetype - women in general, particularly in the nurturing role of motherhood - when revolutionary Uranus transits the moon in a nation's chart, it would not be unusual for the women to become more uppity. I will be very interested to see how this manifests in the States in the next couple of years, especially with a conservative President in the White House.
The energy associated with Uranus is disruptive, and usually indicates technological innovation, rebellion, revolution, reform of some kind. With any luck, the U.S. will reform their electoral process and avoid the sort of chaos that this election created.
To contact her, check out her website at holisticarts.ca.
