There is a lot of disagreement among astrologers around the exact time that the United States was born. The actual declaration of independence occurred with a unanimous vote on July 2, but the actual document was not signed until July 4. You can read more about this and why I prefer the Sibley July 4 chart here, and you’ll also find my predictions for the past twelve months.

The Solar Return chart is cast for the moment that the transiting Sun returns to its place in the birthchart. The return chart gives us a hint as to the energies of the upcoming year, although no prediction of the future is set in stone.

The chart for the 2008 US Solar Return shows Sagittarius rising, with Pluto rising in the first house of identity and personality. Sagittarius is rising in the version that I prefer of the US natal chart as well and signifies the expansive colonialism of the US and the desire to spread its philosophy around the world. Pluto is retrograde, signifying the waning of power, although in the first house it is still attempting to flex the muscles of that power and show the world that the power is still present.

Uranus, planet of innovation, change and rebellion and also retrograde, is in the third house of communication and it forms a square to the ascendant, or persona. To me this seuggests that the speech and efforts of the US to communicate its goals and ideals will be out of sync (Uranus) with the rest of the world (perception of persona) and although there is an effort to make changes and create new ways of diplomacy they are likely not to be successful.

Still, alliances are highlighted in this chart, with the Sun in Cancer (tribal affiliations and family) in the seventh house, but an opposition from Jupiter suggests that the allies of the US will not be as dependable as hoped. Jupiter is retrograde in the first house of identity, and while Jupiter’s presence generally suggests good fortune the retrograde component often indicates an inability to recognize the bounty being given.

This opposition forms a T-square to the Libra midheaven, signifying the government and people in power, which suggests that the alliances of the US, or perhaps within the US, will create serious challenges for the governmental structure. With Pluto’s re-entry into Capricorn in December, we could see some significant changes in the US government.

Mercury, the Trickster and communicator, is conjunct the descendant (the cusp of the seventh house) and opposite Pluto on the ascendant, carrying the partnership theme a little farther and adding additional concern that those that are thought the allies of the US may in fact have other agendas.

The Moon (the emotions of the people) is in Leo, where it longs to be adored and celebrated, but it falls in the eighth house of death, taxes, and other people’s money. The Moon makes no aspects to any other planets, indicating a sense that Americans feel isolated in the world. The Leo Moon in the eighth house traditionally portends the death of a well-loved leader.

A conjunction of Saturn and Mars also falls in the eighth house, suggesting to me the continued fall of the stock market (eighth house) and blocks and restrictions (Saturn) in efforts to pull money out of the resources of other countries (eighth house) such as in Iraq and Africa.

The USA solar return chart for 2008 includes the conjunction of Chiron to the North Node that I’ve been writing about here, and long-buried painful issues from the nation’s past (Chiron) will make themselves known in order to help facilitate the evolutionary journey (North Node) of the US. The conjunction falls in the second house of money and resources, an area of great compulsion for this country (Pluto is in the second house in the natal chart). I suspect that the healing process will have something to do with the way resources (second/eighth house) are distributed in this country and the legacy of slavery and welfare programs that are all a part of the resource distribution patterns. The Chironic process is rarely comfortable, but it’s an important process that in the end proves to be very worthwhile.

Mars is trine Pluto in the US chart, which does show power (Pluto) in military endeavors (Mars) and the ability to overcome (Pluto) terrorist forces (Mars). But the conjunction of Saturn there to Mars will limit that success somewhat.

We also see a trine of Venus to Uranus, demonstrating the likelihood that friends (Venus) will come from unlikely places (Uranus), and a trine of Mercury to Chiron which bodes well for negotiations in the entertainment and telecommunications industries.

If I were astrologer to the President today, I would recommend that he watch his back as the perceived friends of the US may not be the most dependable, and to keep his eyes open to new alliances that could turn out to be the best after all.

Happy Fourth everyone!