An unusual dilemma lies at the astrological heart of our US presidential inauguration date. Originally 233 years ago, Election Day was set for the first week of November. March 4 of the year following an election was chosen by the Founding Fathers as Inauguration Day. The four-month gap was not an unusual election because times and travel were overwhelming for the winners of all federal elections, for those taking the oath of office, as well as for incoming and outgoing Congress and those who administered and witnessed those oaths. It took four months between the election and the inauguration and that time was also used for organizing efforts. We were a sprawling country, with men who had businesses, farms, jobs, families, other responsibilities, who had to travel great distances in difficult conditions with rather primitive means of transportation and communication.
As we developed and the industrial age improved communications and transportation, Congress decided that four months were no longer necessary and Inauguration Day was reset to January 20 of the year following an election. That allowed two and a half months for the incoming president to get organized, select a cabinet and key staff, brief himself on the state of the nation, get his personal business affairs in order, pack up his family for the move, and generally be ready in the moment of the oath to assume the direction of the country. The first president to take office on the new date was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 for his second election. During his first term, he took us through recovering from the Great Depression and rebuilding the American economy, as well as dealing with Germany’s Hitler, who had begun his path to world domination and World War II. . But back up a bit: can you imagine what FDR inherited in his first election in 1933, and what he faced when the German war machine emerged? Does it remind you of a current economic crisis?
So far, this description of the inaugurations sounds like the normal workings of the country, but there is an underlying story that needs to be revealed. It is well known that several of the Founding Fathers were Freemasons, a rather secretive intellectual fraternity or society heavily influenced by symbolism and ritual. Over the years, some of its esoteric secrets have been revealed, but many unanswered questions remain. These Masonic practices are believed to have influenced the founding of the United States of America (USA) through the involvement of the Founding Fathers themselves. It is the symbolism and astrological influence that interests me for this article and it is quite prevalent in the drawings and documents that are now in the public domain. For example, there is a well-known drawing of George Washington in the Masonic apron of him at the ground-breaking ceremony of the United States Capitol. Our first military leader and president had risen to a high degree of Freemasonry.
For this article, I will assume that at least some of the Founding Fathers were Freemasons, well schooled in metaphysical and astrological symbolism and lore and that their belief system entered into their choices for the new country they were founding. If you are interested, study the symbolism inherent in our founding, development, design and buildings of our country’s capital city, seal and currency and you will find proof of my assumption.
There is an astrological aspect that is considered “lucky” or lucky and is typically used when selecting a date and time to start a major project such as the birth of a country that will have a positive influence when selected or activated. The aspect is called a trine, which is a mathematical measure of 120 degrees of the distance between two positions on a graph. This trine is considered strongest when Jupiter and/or Venus are involved. Jupiter (the slow moving giant) is called the greater benefic and Venus (the smaller and much faster moving rocky planet) is called the lesser benefic. Benefit comes from the word benefit which should not require explanation.
The US birth chart has a beautiful Venus/Jupiter conjunct Cancer right on top of the Virgo rising chart. In English please. The two benefits (Venus and Jupiter) are holding hands (conjunction) and are strong (close) and getting stronger (applying) in the sign of the clan, family, country (Cancer), high in the sky pouring out their blessings on our 10th. house (arena) of goals, achievements, accomplishments and stature. The Sun is also close in the 10th. It just doesn’t get any better than that for any graphic and it’s our country graphic for our 4th of July birthday.
Now that I’ve explained the concept of the trine, we can take it a step further. If there are multiple trines in a chart, luck or good fortune is considered to be repeated regardless of which planets or points are involved because the aspect itself is lucky. It is possible to have three of these trines connected to each other, forming what is called a grand trine, three connected trines of 120 degrees each around the 360 degree wheel. Our country doesn’t have one of these in the birth chart itself, but our incredibly smart and futuristic Founding Fathers found a way to give us one of those babies anyway. At first I didn’t realize it, but once I realized what they had done, I saw the grand trine working in and for our country. Or should I say it worked for our country until it was changed by well meaning politicians.
The dates themselves are the grand trine and were meant to continue in perpetuity for our country. July 4th is the date of our birth and birthday each year at about 13 Cancer, the position of the US Sun. Picking the first week of November puts the Sun around 13 Scorpio, give or take a couple of degrees (orb). March 4 is the date that the Founding Fathers selected as the inauguration of the incoming president, approximately 13 Pisces. Thus, 13 Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces represents a grand trine of dates and signs with Lady Luck smiling on us.
I have cast all the letters of inauguration of each president, elected or elevated by necessity. Putting aside inaugurations that were caused by the untimely death of a president-elect, who just can’t fit into the intended pattern, the Piscean qualities of traditional inaugurations are amazing. From the Sun as the only one to incredible multiples of the Pisces energy, the first 148 years of our country’s existence were dominated by that Pisces influence with that wonderful grand trine giving us as much protection and well-being as possible. Our Founding Fathers gave us a legacy of perpetual good. However, regardless of how much good those heroes have bestowed on us, we cannot protect ourselves against ourselves.
When a later Congress with good intentions but little or no symbolic or astrological knowledge changed the inauguration date to January 20, they inadvertently destroyed the grand trine provided by our “in the know” ancestors. Our grand trine and protection as we knew it disappeared and we have had a completely different pattern of birth/election/inauguration since the 1936 election with its resulting 1937 inauguration. The date of January 20 moved the inaugural Sun to 00 Aquarius and the New Age was upon us, the Age of Aquarius, supposedly about “the humanity of man for man”. As I look around at the current experience, I don’t see us reaching that lofty goal yet, but now it’s our signature.
Now we know what we lost; there is no longer a great pattern of beneficial aspects that protect us. What we win? July 4 to the first week of November, birth by choice, maintains the unique trine and that is good; three are better, but one is still good. The date of choice for the inauguration is 77 days or degrees of the Sun’s journey, no particular aspect. The inauguration date until birth is 163 days or degrees as the Sun travels, another non-aspect. There is no help there. What about the Aquarius theme mentioned above?
From the agricultural society of our Founding Fathers, through the industrial revolution and its ramifications, society went from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy. The needs and expression of the country and its citizens changed. Since 1937 and that impending world war, we have entered the age of computers and communications. International and space travel is available, international borders are slowly dissolving as we become a global citizenry. We have moved into the future and the future “R us”. All of that is very Aquarian. Uranus was discovered, not invented, when our emerging colonies became a “working” country. In the 233 years since our birth, we have seen the world change dramatically as invention and expansion ushered us into the future. From its position at the top of our national chart, Uranus leads our nation with its influence of freedom, individuality, insight, invention and future-seeking, our eyes on the stars, and our drive for all humans to be free. Therefore, the new inauguration energy actually serves our current purpose. What we have lost through sheer luck we must make up for with effort.
I believe in a universe with purpose, not chance or chaos, so there was no mistake, just change. We may have lost that protective energy provided by our Founding Fathers, but we are their descendants. We must take ourselves to the future regardless of the risks because life always moves forward “and does not linger on yesterday” (Kahlil Gibran in The Daily Prophet). We are the children and citizens of the new Age of Aquarius, emerging into the world and perhaps galactic citizenship in the not too distant future.
If we respect our history, our lessons and our progress but keep our eyes on the future, we will succeed. We cannot succeed by looking back as we move forward. This is a choice that we must make individually and collectively. We as a people are bright, talented and courageous enough to move confidently into our future. We can do this. We have to create our own grand trine!