JANUARY 2007

by Sue Taylor

Soul-Sick Nation: An Astrologer's View of America, by Jessica Murray. Available at mothersky.com. $15.95.

Jessica Murray has written an astounding work that looks at the entity we know as the USA from the viewpoint of a master astrologer interpreting the birth chart of an individual. She writes with depth and clarity from the viewpoint of politics, history, and astrology. Her knowledge of each is extensive and pervasive.

Starting with the premise that our world as a whole is in crisis, which I believe would be hard for anyone to refute, she posits that the USA, which leads the pack and is the primary world superpower, is hopelessly inadequate to live up to the role it is cast in. America, as a country, is hardly out of diapers, historically speaking. Unfortunately, she says, this immature entity “ has ended up being more or less in charge of the fate of the Earth.”

Murray suggests that in order to correct this situation and get our country back on track, we should start with understanding before we commit ourselves to any action. One way to this understanding is through an analysis of the birth chart of the nation.

Murray begins with the rudiments of the sun, moon, and rising sign. Starting with the sun in Cancer, the sign of the mother and ruled by the emotional, ever-changing moon, she writes that the USA invokes the image of Mom, apple pie, family picnics, hearth and home. We have, also, used the image of being protective of the family and even exported this image of “taking care of” the rest of the world as a kind of Supermom.

The USA moon, on the other hand, is in the sign of Aquarius, which is ruled by the planet Uranus, god of chaos, innovation, insurrection, and futuristic ideas. Murray points out the difficulty of having the moon, a very emotional planet, in such a mental sign—also the sign of science and technology. This inherent conflict, she suggests, is responsible for the disconnect between intellect and emotion that is prevalent in this country.

Sagittarius is the US rising sign, ruled by the planet Jupiter, the King of the Gods. This is the persona we Americans tend to project to the rest of the world. We are noted for our enthusiasm, optimism and excesses. Jupiter is known as the Greater Benefic in astrology, and we love to see ourselves as benefactors to the rest of the world. We have a “can do” attitude.

Unfortunately, the rest of the world doesn’t always agree with our self image. With this outline to start, Murray sets the stage for the personality dissection of this entity known as the USA.

To be continued…