The U.S. Scorpio Rising Horoscope

Why Scorpio? - The Bald Eagle, is one of Scorpio's symbols. If Sagittarius were the rising sign, perhaps our national emblem would be a horse, or an archer. The U.S. Eagle's daring speed and sudden strike capacity is reflected in America's willingness to go to war for its principles, and its overall unsurpassed military strength.

Pluto, the Ruling Planet - is located in the third house, and thereby defines where the country finds its dominant strengths: mass media, transportation and communication systems, computer and information technologies, and the innate intellectual power of its founding Declaration.

Sun in 9th House -  points to the patriarchal religions which have done so much to form the essential American character. The U.S. Sun is also conjunct Sirius, a first-magnitude star with a long, exalted history, and one that has played a prominent role in our planet's greatest empires.

Moon in 4th House - describes American as a nation of immigrants. In Aquarius, Americans' security needs are associated with multicurtulaism and a litany of personal freedoms. Transiting Saturn through the Aquarian fourth house has consistently brought organized movements toward socialism.

Fist of God Formation - connects the Moon, Sun, and Saturn with aspect lines that make the configuration resemble the so-called Finger of God, but because the aspects are all hard, it has been given the more forceful name of the Fist of God. With Saturn in Libra, this complex can be associated with America's balance of power.

Leo Midheaven - describes astrologically how American culture is dominated by entertainment, sports, and Hollywood movies. All major wars, Presidential deaths in office, and seemingly random, but historic turning points feature major transits and progressions to the U.S. Leo Midheaven.

The Eighth House - The overall tone of the U.S. natal chart gravitates toward the eighth house, which is tenanted by four planets. This stellium emphasizes the importance of corporate and financial affairs in American lifestyles. The eighth house is the house of pooled assets, or essentially, the house of capitalism.

Major Transits - to the Scorpio Ascendant have all left their characteristic imprint on the nation. This essay takes a look at how Saturn transits have brought conservative governments, while Uranus and Neptune brought an independent President (Carter) and Neptune a glamorous one (JFK). Pluto transits have been the most historic.

Inexplicably, the majority of astrologers use a Gemini Rising chart, which corresponds to an early morning time, most popularly stated as 2:17 AM. While there is zero historical evidence to suggest an early morning time, an entire mythology has developed around the idea that one or more of the Founding Fathers were astrologers and selected this time as the most propitious. The fallacy of this argument is that no astrologer would pick a time when the chart ruler, Mercury, was retrograde, as it was on this date. Nor could Uranus, representing the urge for independence and freedom, be placed on the Ascendant, since it wasn't even discovered until 1781.