Trining and Succeeding- A New Direction for America, the Future Beckons

by Marilyn Muir, LPMAFA

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An unusual dilemma sits at the astrological heart of our USA presidential inauguration date. Originally, 233 years ago, Election Day was set for the first week in November. March 4th of the year following an election was chosen by the Founding Fathers as Inauguration Day. The four-month gap was not an unusual choice, because the times and travel were daunting for winners of all federal elections, for those who were taking the oath of office as well as for the sitting and incoming Congress and those administering and witnessing those oaths.  Four months between election and inauguration was necessary, and that time was used for organizational efforts as well. We were a sprawling country, with men who had businesses, farms, jobs, families, other responsibilities, who had to travel vast distances under difficult conditions with fairly primitive modes of transportation and communication.  

As we developed and the industrial age improved communication and transportation, it was decided by Congress that four months was no longer necessary. Inauguration Day was re-set for January 20th of the year following an election. That allowed two and a half months for the incoming president to get his act together, select a cabinet and primary staff, get briefed on the state of the nation, put his personal business affairs in order, pack up his family for the move, and generally be ready at the moment of oath to take on the running of the country. The first president inaugurated on the new date was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 for his second election. During his first term, he had taken us through the recovery of the Great Depression and the rebuilding of the American economy, plus he dealt with Germany’s Hitler who had started on his way to world domination and World War II. But step back a bit — can you imagine what FDR inherited in 1933 on his first election and what he faced as the German war machine emerged? Does it remind you of a current economic crisis?

So far this description of inaugurations sounds like the normal running of the country, but there is an underlying story that needs to be revealed. It is well known that several of the Founding Fathers were Free Masons, a quite secretive intellectual fraternity or society strongly influenced by symbolism and ritual. Over the years, some of their esoteric secrets have been revealed, but there are still many questions left unresolved. These Masonic practices are believed to have influenced the founding of the United States of America (USA) through the involvement of the Founding Fathers themselves. It is the astrological symbolism and influence that I am interested in for this article and it is quite prevalent in drawings and documents that are now in the public domain. For example, there is a well-known drawing of George Washington wearing his Masonic Apron at the dedication ceremony laying the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol. Our very first military leader and President had risen to a high degree of Free Masonry.

For this article, I will make the assumption that at least some of the Founding Fathers were Free Masons, were well schooled in metaphysical and astrological symbolism and lore, and that their belief system did enter into their choices for the new country they were founding. If you are interested, study the symbolism inherent in our founding, developing, capitol city layout and buildings, and our country seal and currency – you will find proof for my assumption.

There is an astrological aspect considered to be “lucky” or fortunate and is typically used when selecting a date and time to begin a major project such as the birth of a country that will have a positive influence when selected or activated. The aspect is called a trine, which is a 120-degree mathematical measurement of distance between two positions in a chart. This trine is considered strongest when Jupiter and/or Venus are involved. Jupiter (the slow-moving giant) is called the greater benefic and Venus (the much faster-moving and smaller rocky planet) is called the lesser benefic. Benefic stems from the word benefit which should require no explanation.

The USA birth chart has a lovely Venus/Jupiter applying conjunction in Cancer right at the very top of the Virgo rising chart. In English, please. The two benefics (Venus and Jupiter) are holding hands (conjunct) and are strong (close) and getting stronger (applying) in the sign of clan, family, country (Cancer), high in the sky pouring down their blessings in our 10th house (arena) of goals, achievements, accomplishments and stature. The Sun is close by also in the 10th. It just doesn’t get better than that for any chart, and it is our country’s chart for our 4th of July birthday. 

Now that I’ve explained the concept of the trine, we can take it a step further. If there are multiple trines in a chart, luck or good fortune is considered repeated, regardless of which planets or points are involved, because the aspect itself is fortunate. It is possible to have three of these trines connected to each other, forming what is called a grand trine, three connected trines of 120 degrees each around the 360-degree wheel. Our country does not have one of these in the birth chart itself, but our incredibly intelligent and futuristic Founding Fathers found a way to give us one of those babies anyway. I didn’t catch on at first, but once I realized what they had done, I saw the grand trine at work in and for our country. Or, should I say it was at work for our country… until it was changed by well-meaning politicians.

The dates themselves are the grand trine, and they were meant to continue in perpetuity for our country. July 4th is the date of our birth and our birthday each year at approximately 13 Cancer, the position of the USA Sun. The election the first week of November puts the Sun at about 13 Scorpio, give or take a couple of degrees (orb). March 4th is the date the Founding Fathers selected as Inauguration of the incoming president, approximately 13 Pisces. Thus, 13 Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces represents a grand trine of dates and signs with Lady Luck smiling upon us.

I’ve cast all the inauguration charts for each president, elected or elevated thru necessity. Setting aside those inaugurations that were caused by the premature death of an elected president, which just cannot fit the intended pattern, the Piscean qualities of the traditional inaugurations are amazing. From the Sun as a singleton to incredible multiples of Piscean energy, the first 148 years of our country’s existence were dominated by that Piscean influence with that marvelous grand trine giving us as much protection and well-being as possible. Our Founding Fathers bestowed upon us a legacy of perpetual good. Regardless of how much good those heroes bestowed upon us, however, we cannot be protected against ourselves.

When a later Congress, with good intent but little or no symbolic or astrological knowledge, changed the date of inauguration to January 20th, they inadvertently destroyed the grand trine provided by our forefathers “in the know”.  Our grand trine and our protection, as we knew it, disappeared and we have had a completely different pattern of birth/election/inauguration since the election of 1936 with its resultant inauguration of 1937. The date of January 20th moved the inaugural Sun to 00 Aquarius and the New Age was upon us, the Age of Aquarius, supposedly about “man’s humanity to man”. As I look around at current experience, I don’t quite see us rising to that lofty goal as yet, but it is now our signature.

We now know what we lost; there is no longer a grand pattern of benefic aspects that protect us. What did we gain? July 4th to the first week of November, birth to election, maintains the single trine and this is a good thing; three are better, but one is still good. Election date to inauguration is 77 days or degrees as the Sun travels, no aspect in particular. Inauguration date to birth is 163 days or degrees as the Sun travels, another non-aspect. No help there. What about the Aquarian theme mentioned above?

From the agricultural society of our Founding Fathers, through the Industrial Revolution and its ramifications, society moved from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy. The needs and expression of the country and its citizens changed. Since 1937 and that impending global war, we have moved into the computer and communication age. International and space travel are available, international borders are slowly dissolving as we become a one-world citizenry. We have moved into the future and the future “R us”. That is all very Aquarian. Uranus was discovered, not invented, as our emerging colonies became a “working” country. In the 233 years since our birth, we watched the world change dramatically as invention and expansion led us into the future. From its position at the very top of our national chart, Uranus leads our nation with its influence of freedom, individuality, insight, invention and seeking the future, our eyes on the stars and our drive to have all humans be free. Thus, the new inauguration energy actually serves our current purpose.  What we have lost in sheer luck we must make up for in effort.

I believe in a purposeful universe, not random chance or chaos, so there was no error, there was simply change. We may have lost that protective energy provided by our Founding Fathers, but we are their descendants. We must take us into the future regardless of the risks because life always moves forward “and does not tarry with yesterday” (Kahlil Gibran in The Prophet). We are the children and the citizens of the new Age of Aquarius, emerging into world and perhaps galactic citizenship in the not too distant future.

If we respect our history, our lessons and our progress but keep our eyes on the future, we will succeed. We cannot succeed by looking backward while moving forward. This is a choice we must individually and collectively make. We as a people are bright enough, talented enough and brave enough to move confidently into our future. We can do this. We have to create our own grand trine!

Published on EZine online December, 2009, republished with slight editing.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.