In the year 2001 I had a lecture arranged weeks ahead of time for the evening of September 12th. It turned out to be a rather heavy night for a lecture. It was then that I decided to investigate the birthchart of the United States. I had neveer really examined this chart before. I am usually sorting out people and not countries. On that night, however, it seemed to be the most appropriate thing to do. When I did this investigation I was quite amazed to see what I could see right away. Afterwards I was inspired to take the insights that I had and embody them in a book, "The United States of America: A Celestial View."

I will be sharing insights from this book in various postings to
this column. This week I want to present part one of what I see as the most significant planetary 'transit'affecting the karma and lessons of the U.S. at this time. This transit involves the planet Pluto, which the Ascended Master Hilarion describes as the planet of complete transformation which you cannot avoid. To try to avoid it is to invite disaster.

In the U.S. birthchart it has Sagittarius rising, its Ascendant. This Ascendant, representing the self-image of the U.S. has of itself has quite positive qualities, such as a love of adventure and travel (this is why the U.S. created cars and planes and landed on the Moon). Sagittarius on the Ascendant will also give one a youthful, optimistic enthusiasm which will last all of your life. This is what one might refer to as the exuberant American "Can do!" spirit. However, Hilarion also says that Sagittarius rising will give one a self-image of oneself as being: upright, honest and morally strong, whether true of not. Doesn't that sound like us a little bit? Especially the last phrase: 'whether true or not'? Well, the planet Pluto, the planet of complete transformation, was less than one degree from that Sagittarian Ascendant on September 11, 2001. The last
time that Pluto was exact, to the minute, upon that Ascendant was November, 2000. That, as you may remember, was when the p olitical destiny of a country of 281 million people was determeined by 532 votes. This is all happening for the first time since our birth in 1776. Pluto is now in our First 'House'of self-image and personality, and will be there until 2018. In that time period our whole self-image of ourselves will go through complete death and rebirth.

I can say that in the summer of 2001 I was telling my clients that I felt like something intense was going to happen. This was not because of the U.S. birthchart, but because of the Saturn/Pluto opposition which was taking place over a period of about two years. I was aware of this tension as I observed how it was affecting placements in my clients charts, but I was also aware that we were all experiencing this tension on a larger collective level as well. Saturn represents authority, structure, duty, material security. Pluto is, again, the planet of complete transformation. Pluto also makes you look deeply at whether you are coming from love or fear. In looking at this opposition I was saying that I could feel that some kind of
Plutonian energy or event was going to undermine that Saturnian, status quo, material security, 'stock market report'mentality where the collective psyche was largely living prior to September 11. What I did not know at that time was that that Saturn/Pl uto opposition was right on top of the self-image of the U.S.A. The thing is, when energies are not allowed to play out in a positive way they play out in a much more destructive way. The negative side of Pluto is betrayal, treachery, violence, suicide, etc.

Additionally, Hilarion says something quite interesting about Saturn/Pluto aspects. He says that when there is a tense Saturn/Pluto aspect within the birthchart, then deep seated changes must take place within the soul and psyche of the individual. Pluto, however, will usually show the area that needs to be changed, but Saturn will show the means by which that change will come about. Using that criteria we can see, looking at Pluto, that it is our Sagittarian self-image of being 'upright, honest and morally strong, whether true or not'which needs to change. The means by which that change will come about is represented by Saturn in the Seventh House, the
house of partnerships and relations with others. It is clearly our
relationships with others which is putting pressure on our image
of ourselves. Initially our relationship with an extreme fringe
of fundamentalist Muslims, but now our relationships with virtually all the nations of the world is putting great pressure on our self image.

One may at this point suspect that my personal politics lie somewhere left of center, which is true, but I am a Libra. I am therefore fairly good at looking at both sides of most issues. I have also lived outside of the U.S. for several years gaining thereby somewhat of an outside perspective. In my observation, this tendency towards Sagittarian self-righteousness in America runs across the board, through the left and the right. It's time now for us to go beyond our addiction to 'Party lines'and to become deep feeling, fully
present humans with a balanced perspective. In the next posting to this column I will address the intense transit Pluto will be making to a highly significan planetary configuration within the U.S. birthchart throughout the next two years. The last time that Pluto was affecting this configuration was during the Vietnam War. Until then I wish us all peace and clear guidance in our lives.

Steffan Vanel