Astrologers who prefer a Sagittarius Ascendant seem to be on safer ground when
considering reasonable birth times. As in the Gemini Rising chart, Uranus is strongly placed with its conjunction to the Descendant and Mars also angular. The overwhelming crises of development that have marked American history when transiting Uranus comes around is the strongest evidence for either of these charts, most notably, the Civil War and World War II during Uranus Returns.
The touted Sagittarian qualities of American lifestyles can be seen in the Scorpio
Rising chart in several ways. In each of these three proposed national horoscopes, the Sun is conjunct Jupiter, as it was all day on the fourth of July, 1776. When the Ascendant is 8° Scorpio, natal Jupiter further infuses its energies onto the American spirit by its trine to the Ascendant. In addition, the Sun is located in the ninth house, which is the natural equivalent of Sagittarius.
The parallel meanings found between the three charts makes them nearly
indistinguishable from each other. However, the defining quality of the United States not seen in its natal planets, and therefore represented by its Ascendant and Midheaven, is its lasting prominence as an international power. The United States is, after all, the world's most enduring sovereign democracy, a quality which can only be attributed to having fixed signs on the angles. Both Gemini and Sagittarius are mutable signs, and their essential nature is too tenuous and flighty to hold onto power for very long. The fixed signs accumulate energies. They are the builders of the zodiac, and are therefore the reservoirs of geopolitical stability. Without a healthy dose of fixed signs in the natal horoscope, the country gets shuffled about by internal crises and foreign intervention.
With Scorpio Rising, the emphasis in the United States is on the accumulation of
power itself, whether its financial, military, or ideological power. America's
never-ending quest to be the world's richest, strongest, most righteous nation is its
globally recognized signature. Scorpio, linked to the eighth house, is naturally associated with capitalism. When Scorpio was rising on July 4, 1776, there were four planets in the eighth house of capitalism, and of course Scorpio itself is intensely aware of where the finances are accumulating, and the natural power that these resources bring.
Scorpio is naturally attuned to the cycles of death and rebirth, and through the
process of democratic elections, the national political identity is transformed. Elections are usually held the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November, a date which puts the transiting Sun, and often Mercury and Venus, very near the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant. Following the attributes of Scorpio, the United States projects an image of unyielding power, and will use whatever means necessary to further its geopolitical agenda.
The nation's symbol, the Bald Eagle, is one of Scorpio's symbols. If Sagittarius
were the rising sign, perhaps our national emblem would be a horse, or an archer. We have the Eagle, and its lofty flight represents the national idealism and soaring
spiritual goals; its daring speed and sudden strike capacity is reflected in America's willingness to go to war for its principles, and the overall unsurpassed military strength. Russia, born with the Sun in Scorpio, represents the other military
superpower after World War II. These two Scorpionic nations were locked in a Cold War, very much resonating with the silent, deadly force embodied in the scorpion. The rest of the world was held hostage by Russia's and America's intense willingness to annihilate all humanity for the sake of national domination, much like the battle of two scorpions in a bottle.
Scorpio Rising defines the American national identity in many different ways.
Scorpio is about power, about self control, and the control of the surrounding
environment as much as possible. How could the United States become the world's reigning superpower without the driving intensity conferred with a Scorpio
Ascendant? Scorpio is most interested in financial power, and America's identity is strongly connected to its capitalist system, an ideology which is now encompassing the entire global village. The emphasized eighth house is about power gained from pooling assets, and the financial clout that comes from corporate enterprises.
Government Certifies Scorpio Ascendant
The United States government has been issuing official certificates for many
years showing that the U.S. horoscope actually has Scorpio Rising. The certificates are in the form of the one hundred dollar bill, with founding father Benjamin Franklin on the face side, and the historic scene of Independence Hall, the location where the Declaration was signed, on the reverse side.
While astrologers have long disagreed about the time the Declaration was signed,
the clock on the Independence Hall bell tower shows very clearly a time of 2:21 PM. Is this just a coincidence? Or is this acceptable evidence that the historic moment is being commemorated on the one hundred dollar bill?
History buffs know that Benjamin Franklin was the guiding wisdom behind
Thomas Jefferson's pen. When Scorpio is the Ascendant to the U.S. horoscope, Pluto becomes the nation's ruling planet. Pluto, located at 27° Capricorn, is the very location of Benjamin Franklin's Sun. Franklin is the guiding light, the vision, and the brilliance (Sun) behind the nation's structural power (Pluto in Capricorn).
Powers of 13
Then, here's some numerological reasons why 2:21 PM makes sense. This time
puts the Sun at 13°13' Cancer. The number 13 resonates powerfully through all of
early America's history. Thirteen original colonies make up the foundation of this
country. The Great Seal, inscribed on the back of the $1 bill, features the cosmic
significance of 13 in many different ways, including: 13 stars above the Eagle, 13
stripes on the Eagle's shield, 13 olive branches in the Eagle's right claws, 13 arrows in the Eagle's left claws, 13 steps on the pyramid, and 13 letters in the motto E Pluribus.
Unum.
