“History does not repeat i
tself, but it rhymes.”
-attributed to Mark Twain
One way of understanding how an astrological transit might play out is to look at how that transit or similar ones have done in past. One should also be careful not to read too much into those similarities. Astrologers are human, and can be prone to seeing what they want to see or what they are afraid of as much as any other human.
(Wondering what the next few months hold in store for you? Write me with your date, time, and place of birth — and I’ll send you a free sneak preview!)
Nonetheless I am seeing a disturbing parallel between the Saturn-Uranus opposition of 1918-1919 and the current Saturn Uranus square. In both cases, the Fixed Signs are involved: Saturn in Leo opposite Uranus in Aquarius in the previous case, and Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus now.
It might not be too much of an oversimplification to say that Saturn represents responsibility, and that Uranus represents freedom and rebellion. I’d like to tell you a story about how that played out in late 1918 and early 1919 in San Francisco. Why San Francisco, specifically? Because that opposition took place with Saturn between 20 and 27 degrees Leo, and with Uranus hovering between 23 and 25 degrees Aquarius. The city of San Francisco, incorporated April 15th 1850, time unknown, has its North Node at 21 degrees Leo.
Why all this emphasis on the Nodes? Read on…
***
The first person in San Francisco with the Spanish flu was believed to have arrived there in September of 1918. Word had already spread about how bad the Spanish flu was, so it didn’t take long for San Francisco to react.
The City Board of Health issue a number of recommendations as to how people could avoid getting it. The people of San Francisco were advised to avoid using the streetcar whenever possible. They were asked not to attend dance halls and to keep clean. This was not enough to stop the spread of the flu, so the city of San Francisco assured the public that a short closure order would stop the spread. The city also mandated the wearing of face masks while in public.
At first this went well, and wearing a mask was even taken as a sign of patriotic support for America, which was still fighting World War One overseas. By November the number of new cases were down. San Francisco had begun to flatten the curve, although I doubt anyone used that specific term then. Unlike most other jurisdictions in America, San Francisco decided to drop the emergency action. People didn’t like being told what to do, after all. They were tired of wearing masks and not being able to go see the latest Fatty Arbuckle film. Besides, Christmas was coming, and everyone needed to show up to stimulate the economy and to get together for Christmas parties, right?
And then the infection rate went up.
Nonetheless, on December 19th, officials voted down restoring the mandatory mask order. “The dollar sign is exalted above the health sign,” said Dr. William Hassler, San Francisco’s public health officer.
A mandatory mask order passed on January 10th, 1919. There were still those who protested, but at long last San Francisco began the slow recovery from Spanish flu. San Francisco, by the way, was one of the worst-hit cities in America by the flu.
***
So what’s the punchline to all this? The Spanish flu was a worldwide problem, as COVID-19 is now. But how local jurisdictions deal with it will all be influenced somewhat by the birth chart of those jurisdictions. And I’m beginning to wonder if the Nodal Axis in a mundane chart represents the collective public’s willingness to march off a cliff together under the right circumstances.
In 1918, transiting Saturn was conjunct San Francisco’s North Node, with Uranus transiting opposite that point.
We are now in the middle of a long ongoing Saturn Uranus square, with Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus. That transit isn’t exact until February, however, with the planets at 7 degrees of their respective signs.
…within a fraction of a degree to the exact aspect to the United States of America’s North Node, which is at 7 degrees Leo, opposite transiting Saturn and square transiting Uranus.
Stay home and stay safe… and be responsible towards yourself and your society.
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