History may not always repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

Nowhere is this more true than in astrology in which we often try to predict the future based on astrological indicators from the past. It is true that the last time Neptune entered Aries the Civil War began, and this has led some astrologers to predict that we are about to embark on another war. And in fact President Trump has just announced that he will rename the Pentagon the “Department of War,” signifying a change of perspective from defense to offense.

Whether or not he will do that remains to be seen, but the Neptune in Aries factor is worth looking at. In the Sibly chart of the U.S. which is most commonly used by astrologers (here’s why I use it), the Midheaven (government, national reputation) is at 1º Libra with the IC (national pride and identity) at 1º Aries. Neptune in Aries can symbolize our highest aspiration (Neptune) for self-reliance (Aries), but it can also reveal the illusions (Neptune) that bring us to war. 

When the first shot of the American Civil War was fired at Fort Sumter (April 12th 1861 at 4:30 am), Neptune was just 4 minutes from entering Aries, and just one degree from the IC of the U.S. Sibly chart (transit chart here). But we can argue that the Civil War had already begun when eleven states seceded from the Union beginning with South Carolina in December 1860. At that time, Uranus was in Gemini and had just returned to its place in the U.S. chart for the first time in its short history (the Uranus cycle is 84 years). 

We can argue that Neptune crossing the Aries IC of the chart brings about confusion and delusion about the very nature of the soul of the country as it did in 1860-1862, and as we are seeing now. This makes sense when talking about internal battles within the country. It should be noted that any transit to the Midheaven automatically affects the IC as well since they are polarities and a conjunction to one opposes the other. 

When the U.S. entered World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, transiting Neptune was about 1º from the U.S. Midheaven, the point representing the place of the U.S. in the world. The return of Neptune to its place in the U.S. chart occurred in 1938-40 which coincides with the realistic broadcast of Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” which caused panic across the country and fears of a Martian invasion. These anxieties continued to spread as rumors of war began and peaked when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939 during the Neptune return. 

The Vietnam war is a different story altogether – in March 1965 when U.S. troops were committed to the fight we were in the middle of the Uranus/Pluto conjunction, and Uranus was exactly square the Sagittarius ascendant/descendant axis of the U.S. chart. This axis represents the identity (ascendant) and partners (descendant) of the nation, and in the Vietnam war the issue was an ideological one. 

In conclusion, the only real forecast we can make for Neptune in Aries hitting the MC/IC axis of the U.S. chart (the 4th house/10th house cusps) is that confusion over the identity of the nation will take over for the next few years. Saturn will join with Neptune to put pressure on these points in February, March and April next year so we can expect more of the same. That doesn’t mean that the situations will remain the same, but confusion over which way the country is to go moving forward will likely continue to be shrouded in Neptunian confusion and secrecy. 

 

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