John Oliver proves that Sagittarius is rising in the US chart

There is a big debate among astrologers about the rising sign of the US chart.  I use the “Sibley” chart, named after Ebenezer Sibley who created it, and has Sagittarius rising on the ascendant.  Michael Wolfstar O’Reilly insists that Scorpio is rising in the chart because the power that America wields is reflected in the Scorpio archetype, and because the symbolic Eagle is also tied into Scorpio.  In this article he also explains how the Gemini rising chart came about.

Michael and I have had some spirited debates on the subject.  Now John Oliver has put that debate to rest.

The ascendant is the persona – it reflects the way we see ourselves, the lens through which our experiences are filtered, and how we are seen by others.   Sagittarius is the sign of optimism, faith and religion, and it’s easy to see how the American persona fits under that umbrella.  No other country is such driven by religion and faith – and no other country is as optimistic and expansive as the US.  Sagittarius types are typically open and friendly, and Americans are seen the world over as having big friendly personalities (often TOO friendly for some more conservative nationalities).  But it’s American optimism that is probably the single biggest quality that is identified with the American persona.

I love John Oliver and listen religiously to his podcast “The Bugle” which sadly is on hiatus because of Oliver’s new status as major media star.  If you haven’t seen his HBO program “Last Week Tonight” you really owe it to yourself to try it.  I heard Oliver say in his podcast that America is relentlessly optimistic to the point of ridiculousness.  In fact, he said, “Optimism is America’s kryptonite.”

In this great video John Oliver exposes the self-destructive side of American optimism and in so doing, puts a nail in the coffin of the Scorpio rising argument, in my mind at least!!  Enjoy the video – it’s long, but worth watching.