by Lalia Wilson
Expect fireworks this month as the Cancer Solstice falls on the 20th followed within hours by a Solar Eclipse at that first degree of Cancer. The good news, the “suffering of the people” aspect in the Aries Equinox chart is less powerful, although it is in effect for twelve months. (That aspect is a very tight Moon-Saturn parallel which is the pandemic in my eyes.)
Anyone with planets at or near the beginning of the Cardinal signs, Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, is going to feel this eclipse. In addition, that first degree of the Cardinal signs is the one of world prominence. Whatever the effects of the eclipse, it will send ripples around the world. Among the charts activated by this eclipse is that of Prince William of the United Kingdom, who was born on another Cancer Solar Eclipse on the 21st of June 1982.
The eclipse chart follows the solstice chart by less than 12 hours, so I am focusing on the eclipse which will be far more noteworthy. I’ve set the eclipse for Washington, DC, the capital of the USA and arguably the central focus of world events. In DC the eclipse happens just after midnight, 2:41 AM EDT, putting the Sun and Moon in the third house. At the top of the chart, conjunct the Midheaven, are a potent Jupiter-Pluto conjunction. But most interesting is that Uranus in Taurus is the rising planet of this chart.
How does this translate to tarot? The Sun-Moon pair are of little importance, being buried in the third house. The Jupiter-Pluto conjunction is the most immediately prominent, and it is represented by The Wheel of Fortune and Judgment. Whoa! My sense here is that the president of the U.S. sees this as something out of his control being “done to” him. And he is correct. The U.S. president, and other world leaders, need some degree of humility, as many times they cannot predict a black swan event, and therefore need to be flexible.
But what most interests me is Uranus near the Ascendant. The BOTA system of astrological correspondences to the tarot is the most used, yet some correlations are overly positive or overly negative. One particular correspondence is Uranus with The Fool. If we look at this chart as the United States being foolish, that is probably accurate. And we can also apply the attributes of The Fool such as innocence and naivety. But as an astrologer I would look to other correspondences. Two other correspondences seem most applicable here, in addition to The Fool, namely The Tower, and the King of Swords.
The Tower is a card indicating a disastrous change of events, usually showing wind, lightening, and rain, all good associations with Uranus as the sky god. Furthermore, Uranus transits in the charts of individuals and organizations, including countries, usually represent big changes of the status quo. The Tower card is the same. The more we cling to the old we are hurt in the process of adapting to the new. Uranus indicates what is new in our lives. It is the impulse for freedom and was discovered about the time of the American and French Revolutions. Uranus is particularly associated with science, technology, and the internet. So look for changes in all these areas.
But how does this bring in the King of Swords? The King of Swords is a mental ruler. He knows everything, is logical and wise. Uranus, meanwhile, is the “higher octave” of Mercury the planet of thinking and communications. Uranus is the genius. Uranus is the planet of quick mental processes that seem to defy logic in that their logic trail is so long and so quick that most cannot discern it. Think of Sherlock Holmes as an exemplar of the King of Swords.
So now we see the planet rising in the eclipse chart set for the United States is an archetypal mixture of The Fool, The Tower, and the King of Swords. It might be helpful to spend some time contemplating how those three cards can be used to bring positive changes to the world at this time of uncertainty.
Three cards shown are from the Urban Tarot (2015) created by Robin Scott. This is now available as a 2019 edition published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc., and as an app at Fool’s Dog.
Here are three from a different deck, with perhaps a more positive meaning. The Witches Tarot is a creation of Ellen Dugan and illustrator Mark Evans (2012) published by Llewellyn and also available as an app at Fool’s Dog.