Power Through Taxation
Six months after the Proclamation of 1763 to contain the colonists, on April 1, 1764, a Solar eclipse at 12 Aries 10 was conjunct the Jupiter-Saturn cycle at 12 Aries 21. This was the first Solar eclipse in the sign of Aries to aspect a new Aries cycle, five days later the Sugar Act was passed.61 (Watch for events five days of either side of eclipse.)The plainly stated intention of the Sugar Act was to financially benefit Britain and enforce greater control over the colonists in a brazen display of power. Pluto stationary at 05 Capricorn was square the transiting North Node at 05 Aries to aspect the joined Saturn-Uranus and Jupiter-Uranus cycles at 07 Aries. The merged energies of Jupiter law, the material gain of Saturn and the freedom of Uranus were square and at odds with the absolute power of Pluto in the Sugar Act. (making yearly event page)
Transiting Mercury at 27 Pisces was conjunct Saturn-Neptune at 00 Cancer and opposed the recent Lunar eclipse at 27 Virgo. Transiting Saturn at 08 Taurus was square Jupiter-Neptune at 05 Leo and opposed a Lunar eclipse at 07 Scorpio. Chiron at 02 Pisces was square the Saturn-Pluto cycle at 04 Sagittarius, the oppression of Saturn joined with totalitarian Pluto executed through Sagittarius law. (more on keywords)
The Solar eclipse at 12 Aries days prior had opposed the Pilgrim Neptune at 13 Libra. Neptune ruled the distilleries as the Sugar Act set off a firestorm in the commercial trade industry and merchants.
The Pilgrim chart confirmed the feared destruction of their businesses and economic stability as the stationary Pluto at 05 Capricorn was square the transiting North Node at 05 Aries to aspect the economy Saturn at 03 Cancer.
Transiting Uranus at 17 Aries and the Sun at 16 Aries were joined in opposition to the Pilgrim Mars at 16 Libra and square the Pilgrim Mercury at 16 Capricorn as spontaneous objections erupted. The transiting Mars, dispositor of Uranus, at 14 Sagittarius was conjunct the North Node at 16 Sagittarius to emphasize the Mars energy as the contagion of anger spread. (emphasized planets)
The Chiron return after fifty years as transiting Chiron at 02 Pisces was square the Pilgrim Moon at 02 Sagittarius alerted the colonies to the danger of the economic warfare, which further damaged feelings toward the mother country.
To voice their protest, on April 20, 1764, a petition of the merchants was laid before the New York Assembly for presentation to British Parliament expressing the hardship the Sugar Act would do to businesses.62
Mars stationary retrograde at a critical 17 Sagittarius made a deep impression conjunct the Pilgrim North Node at 16 Sagittarius and the Uranus-Neptune cycle at 16 Sagittarius that was opposed and amplified by transiting Jupiter at 15 Gemini to fire up resistance with fervent passion. Merchant ruler Mercury at 26 Aries and the Sun at 00 Taurus were conjunct a Lunar eclipse at 28 Aries.
By May 31, 1764, the Boston merchants published on the first page of the Massachusetts Gazette their fear that the Sugar Act would lead to even more taxes, such as a tax on land, or produce grown, or anything they use, that the people would be reduced from subjects to slaves.
They wanted to change course as the stationary Mercury at 1 Cancer was square the transiting North Node at 2 Aries in aspect to the Saturn, Sun and Midheaven of the Pilgrim chart, Uranus had been at 2 Aries on the ascension of King George III. Mercury had also been at 1 Cancer on the Order for Officers Seizures. The people were openly angry with the transiting Mars at 11 Sagittarius conjunct the Pilgrim Ascendant as the transiting Sun at 10 Gemini was in opposition to the Ascendant.
The armed British patrol schooner, St. John, came into the Rhode Island harbor on June 30, 1764. That day Mercury became stationary direct at 23 Gemini in opposition to the Jupiter-Pluto cycle at 21 Sagittarius. Stationary Mars at 03 Sagittarius 46 was eager for action in a close square to the transiting Chiron at 03 Pisces 56 as they both aspected the (blockade) Saturn-Pluto (force) at 04 Sagittarius 00. The Sun at 09 Cancer was square the joined Saturn-Uranus and Jupiter-Uranus at 07 Aries and the Lunar eclipse at 08 Libra highlighted rebellion.
Cannons Fired
Protests moved from pen and wallet to gunpowder as Mars changed direction to stationary direct with the incident of Goat Island. The Order for Officers Seizures and the Sugar Act expected to control American trade to the financial benefit of the crown. The colonists expected the right to look for the best prices to operate their rum distillery businesses. Such divergent positions on economic policy put them at odds. The armed British patrol schooner, St. John, came into the Rhode Island harbor on June 30, 1764. That day Mercury became stationary direct at 23 Gemini in opposition to the Jupiter-Pluto cycle at 21 Sagittarius. Stationary Mars at 03 Sagittarius 46 was eager for action in a close square to the transiting Chiron at 03 Pisces 56 as they both aspected the (blockade) Saturn-Pluto (force) at 04 Sagittarius 00. The Sun at 09 Cancer was square the joined Saturn-Uranus and Jupiter-Uranus at 07 Aries and the Lunar eclipse at 08 Libra highlighted rebellion.
Hostilities escalated as the St. John continued to halt the molasses trade. By July 9, 1764, the furious Newport townsfolk on the Governor’s orders, rowed out to Fort George on Goat Island and fired cannons at the British ship.63 The cannon fire was said to have been intentionally misdirected, so afterward officials wanted an accounting as to why the ship had not been sank. The first shots of the revolution were over a decade before Lexington.
Mars had turned stationary direct at 03 Sagittarius the day before conjunct the Saturn-Pluto cycle at 04 Sagittarius turning to violent resistance with transiting Chiron at 03 Pisces as Mercury was square the recent Lunar eclipse.
Mars had turned stationary direct at 03 Sagittarius the day before conjunct the Saturn-Pluto cycle at 04 Sagittarius turning to violent resistance with transiting Chiron at 03 Pisces as Mercury was square the recent Lunar eclipse.
Mars conjunct the Pilgrim Moon at 02 Sagittarius and square an emphasized Pilgrim Chiron at 01 Pisces moved to protect the local distilleries. The Sun at 17 Cancer aspected the emphasized Pilgrim Mars at 16 Libra and the Pilgrim Mercury at 16 Capricorn. The British viewed the attack as insolence and responded with even stricter methods to insure submission.
Regulatory Abuse
King George III signed the Stamp Act on March 22, 1765, the day after a Solar eclipse.64 The Stamp Act meant all paper items such as licenses, wills, shipping bills, deeds and even newspapers would be required to use stamped paper from crown appointed distributors. The North Node and Mercury at 16 Pisces aspected Uranus-Neptune at 16 Sagittarius and a prior Lunar eclipse at 17 Virgo. Newspapers decried the censorship since printing political dissent could cut off paper supply.
The Solar eclipse at 01 Aries was square the Saturn-Neptune at 00 Cancer and unleashed a fierce resistance. Stationary Jupiter at 10 Cancer was square its own position to the Jupiter-Saturn cycle at 12 Aries and reinforced the belief that the mother country was using unjust laws to harm them.
Saturn hardened the sentiments of both the American colonists and the British. Each British constrictive action brought out a fierce resistance in the Americans, which would be followed by an increasingly angry British response in escalation.
Political groups such as the Sons of Liberty formed, protests became violent riots. Mobs were used to nullify the Stamp Act until all of the appointed officials had resigned under the direct threat of Mars with Pluto. The Stamp Act was aggressive pursuit of money. The reaction from Americans was to hit back and refuse English goods.
Choosing Sides
The joined transiting Mercury and North Node at 16 Pisces in square to the Pilgrim North Node at 16 Sagittarius brought a pronounced challenge to the identity of the people, a crossroad. Would they identify as loyal British subjects, or would they identify as Americans and defy the crown?The polarization of the public intensified as friends and families were divided. The identity issue would distill down to American or not. Bacon’s Rebellion had the transiting North Node conjunct the Pilgrim North Node, the elite aristocracy versus the common people. Many of those who identified as Britain loyalists were the wealthy elite of society who held offices of power and did not want their fortunes to change.
As Britain began to be seen more as a foreign invader than the mother country, then loyalists were seen as preferring a foreign government to America and were hated for aiding the enemy.
Notes
60. Claude H. Van Tyne, The Causes of the War of Independence (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1922) 124; William MacDonald, Select Charters and Other Documents of American History 1606-1775 (New York: Macmillan Company, 1899), 267. 61. Peter Force, The National Calendar and Annals of the United States Volume 10 (Washington: Thompson & Homans, 1832), 15.
62. Peter Force, The National Calendar and Annals of the United States Volume 10, 17-22.
63. Brian M. Stinson, Newport Firsts: A Hundred Claims to Fame (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2018), 24; William P. Sheffield, Historical Address of the City of Newport: Delivered July 4, 1876 (Newport: John P. Sanborn & Company, 1876), 30-32.
64. Joseph Ernst, Money and Politics in America 1757-1775 (Chapel Hill: University North Carolina Press, 1973), 85; William Macdonald, Select Charters and Other Documents of American History 1606-1775, 281.